Stiles jumped in front and slashed through a few of the tigers using [Relentless Edge], killing them instantly before charging his [Luminous Rift] it charged for just a second before he pointed his blades towards the leader of the pack and a horizontal slash flew out before killing off the rest of the pack as the leader jumped backwards and dodged it. "Tch, damn it." he said.
Aria's eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment, a sudden, dark pulse of mana radiating from her. The air grew heavy, the world around them seeming to hold its breath. The group instinctively turned to her, feeling the pressure of her presence—intense and cold. At the same time, the massive leader of the ice tigers locked eyes with her, its primal gaze unyielding, but something in its stance faltered.
Her eyes snapped open, their color now a deep, almost unnatural purple, glowing faintly in the dim light. A cold, commanding voice echoed through the mountains as if it came from the very earth itself.
"Why?" she asked simply, her gaze narrowing toward the beast. Her words sliced through the frigid air, sharp and deliberate. The silence stretched out, thick with an oppressive energy that seemed to stop time itself.
The wind stilled, the very atmosphere around her quivering in response. Dante's breath caught in his throat, feeling the weight of her mana pressing down on them all. It was suffocating, suffused with a dark, ethereal power that sent an uneasy chill down his spine. He had felt her magic before, but this—this was something else entirely.
Before anyone could fully react, Aria's foot shifted, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished. The group watched in awe, and the air seemed to crackle as she appeared before the leader of the pack with a speed that defied comprehension. The wind whipped toward them with a fierce gust, as if reacting to her sudden motion, cutting through the snow in a violent swirl.
Dante's eyes widened in disbelief, the question tumbling from his lips almost instinctively. "What the hell is that...? What the fuck was that kind of agility?"
Before anyone could answer, they saw her, standing effortlessly next to the tiger. The pack of tigers froze, their eyes flicking between Aria and their leader. The beast, confused and unsettled by her sudden appearance, snarled and lunged toward her with terrifying speed, its fangs bared.
But Aria didn't flinch. With a subtle shift of her weight, she dodged the tiger's snap, moving only slightly to the left. In that same fluid motion, her hand reached out, resting against the beast's massive, frosted hide. Her touch was light, but there was an undeniable power in it. Her dark purple eyes met the tiger's, her voice cold but steady as she spoke.
"You have no human blood stain anywhere on your soul... yet you wish to have it by killing us all?" she asked, her words deliberate, almost like a verdict. "Why."
Her gaze pierced through the tiger's fiery eyes, as though she were staring into its very soul, unraveling its intentions. The tiger, unnerved by the weight of her gaze, recoiled, its body instinctively pulling back from her presence.
The moment seemed to stretch, the mountain silent around them as the beast stood frozen, seemingly dazed by the strange force that Aria emanated. It let out a low, guttural growl, but there was an unmistakable hesitation in its stance. For a heartbeat, it felt as though the very air had frozen in place, the conflict hanging in a delicate balance.
Aria's gaze remained unyielding as she stepped forward, her presence suffocating the space around her. The very air seemed to shift in response, growing colder, sharper, as though even the environment feared her. Her dark purple mana surged around her like a storm, tendrils of ethereal power crackling and twisting through the air, and in that moment, the snow beneath her feet seemed to melt, the cold earth itself bending to her will.
"I won't ask again," she said, her voice a sharp, icy whisper, yet somehow carrying the weight of a command that reached deep into the beast's very soul.
The tiger stood frozen for a moment, its primal instincts warring with the unknown force before it. It locked eyes with Aria, its pupils dilated, and then—seemingly realizing that it was being watched not just by her, but by his followers—it snarled and stood taller, a flicker of defiance in its gaze. With a sudden, powerful motion, the creature threw its head back and let out a deafening howl that shook the very mountain beneath them.
The sound it released was ancient. The vibration from the roar reverberated down SteelArm's spine, his muscles tensing involuntarily as he watched the scene unfold before him. He stood there, frozen in awe and fear, the sound echoing through the icy expanse as if challenging Aria herself.
But it wasn't just the tiger's roar that caught everyone off guard. As the vibrations rattled the air, something in the distance stirred—something even darker than before.
Before anyone could respond to the tiger's challenge, the air shifted once again. A sudden rush of red mana burst forth from Stiles as it coiled around him, the raw power of Riven's energy erupting in a fiery aura. He moved with the speed of a predator, instincts flaring as he unsheathed his twin blades in a blur of motion. Without thinking, his body vanished from sight, leaving only a fading trail of heat in the air behind him.
In an instant, Stiles appeared behind Aria, his twin blades raised high, their edges gleaming with deadly precision. His expression was tense, but there was something in his gaze—a flash of uncertainty, a flicker of doubt, even as his blade moved toward her.
The movement was quick, calculated, but Aria, in her current state, instantly felt the surge of magic in the air. She didn't flinch. Her eyes, dark and piercing, flicked over her shoulder, locking with Stiles for just a heartbeat before her body moved with unnerving grace. She tilted her head slightly, and in the same instant, the air around her seemed to bend, slowing the world down for just a moment.
Stiles' blades stopped mere inches from her, frozen in place by the invisible force that emanated from her being. Her cold gaze remained fixed on him, unblinking, her mana swirling around her like an impenetrable shield.
Her voice no longer cold, but filled with something much more unsettling—disappointment. "You are not my enemy, Stiles."
She paused, the weight of the moment hanging between them. Her gaze remained steady on Stiles, and then, with a slight tilt of her head, she spoke, her voice low but commanding, "Riven... might be a more fitting name, don't you think?" Her dark purple eyes locked onto his for a heartbeat, the intensity in them sharpening the words she was about to say.
In an instant, she reached out a hand, and the air itself seemed to respond. A wave of mana surged from her palm, and before Stiles could react, the force slammed into him, propelling him backward with such speed that he barely had time to register what was happening. The world blurred as he was thrust to the very edge of the cliff, teetering dangerously near the drop. The wind howled as he scrambled to steady himself, a cold sweat forming on his brow.
Aria's voice, calm yet laden with unspoken power, cut through the chaos. "Keep your eyes on that one... if you wish to live."
Stiles, breathing heavily, managed to steady himself just in time, his pulse racing. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, not just from the physical exertion, but from the sheer overwhelming presence of Aria's power. As quickly as she had moved, her focus shifted—her eyes returning to the beast, her expression hardening once more.
"Leave this place at once," she commanded, her tone colder than the mountain air itself. "And you will be forgiven."
With a subtle gesture of her hand, she dismissed the tiger. It hesitated for only a moment, staring back at her with a primal glint in its gaze. Then, after a low, rumbling growl, it turned. Slowly, the massive creature began to retreat, its pack following suit. They disappeared into the snow-covered mountain, vanishing as silently as they had arrived.
Aria exhaled, a long, steady breath, as the tension seemed to drain from her body. But there was no relief in her expression, only the lingering weight of whatever battle had just occurred. She turned to face the group, her eyes scanning over each of them with a cold precision that made their hearts tighten.
"Do not say a word about this," she said, her voice firm, unwavering. "Do you understand?"
There was a brief, heavy silence as her gaze lingered on each of them in turn. SteelArm nodded, his usually unshakable demeanor tempered by the unmistakable fear of Aria's power. Dante followed suit, his brow furrowed but his respect for her unquestionable. Stiles stood still, his body tense, his mind racing from the whirlwind of events that had just unfolded. And yet, they all knew the weight of her words was not to be taken lightly.
After a moment, the world seemed to resume. The wind howled louder once more, the snow swirling viciously as if to reclaim the land. It was as though time had bent and twisted, only now returning to its proper course. The ground beneath them was already being blanketed in snow, the world around them quickly returning to its frigid silence.
But Aria, standing there at the edge of the cliff, suddenly faltered. Her knees buckled beneath her, and with a soft gasp, she collapsed into the snow. Her breathing was shallow, her body limp as her katana, still resting by her side, was swept from her grasp by the wind. The blade sailed through the air, falling steadily into the abyss below, swallowed by the unforgiving void.
Her eyes, once a haunting shade of dark purple, now flickered with an emerald green.
SteelArm and Dante rushed to her side, kneeling beside her, but it was too late. Her body was still, her pulse faint but steady. As the snow continued to fall around them, the cold was the only thing that seemed certain in the silence that followed.
"She's out cold," Dante muttered under his breath, though his voice held a trace of concern. His gaze lingered on Aria, the weight of their journey ahead settling in.
"We'll have to move soon," SteelArm said quietly, his expression grim. "We can't afford to stay here too long."
The wind howled again, biting through the mountain air, a sharp reminder of the harsh world they were in. Dante glanced at SteelArm, his gaze full of concern. "What should we do?"
SteelArm shifted Aria gently in his arms, his expression pensive. He stared into the distance for a moment before meeting Dante's eyes. "I'm not sure," he admitted, his voice rough with uncertainty. "How far are we from the next checkpoint?"
"About an hour," Dante responded, his voice carrying the weight of their fatigue.
SteelArm nodded, his jaw tightening with resolve. "Then we push on. We get to the checkpoint, figure out a plan, and hope she's awake by then." He glanced down at Aria's still form in his arms, his brow furrowing. "let's go."
Dante nodded, but his eyes never left SteelArm's face. There was a tension in the air, a kind of unspoken weight that made it hard to breathe.
SteelArm shifted his stance, his eyes narrowing as he turned to Stiles. "What the hell was that, man?" His voice was low but sharp, the edge of concern mixing with frustration. "Why did you try to attack her?"
Stiles flinched, as if the question had struck a chord deep inside him. He looked away for a moment, his brow furrowing in thought, as if trying to piece together a memory that refused to come into focus. "I... I'm not sure," he admitted, his voice distant. "It was like an instinct. Like something... told me to get rid of her. As fast as possible."
Stiles thought back to what Riven had said before he left, "BloodShed is a cursed Principle. It will crave the blood of others, and mainly other Principles." With a heavy sigh, Stiles turned and continued up the path, his steps slow at first, but growing steadier as he moved forward.
Dante and SteelArm exchanged a glance before following behind him, SteelArm carefully carrying Aria, his movements deliberate to avoid jarring her.