The drums had faded… but something else had risen in their place.
A heavy, tension-charged sensation filled the air, preceding the storm I felt was coming. Despite the roar of the crowd and the city's noise, no sound was louder than the trembling strings of that bow… her bow.
The first arrow was no warning. It was a declaration that my presence here would not go unchallenged.
When our eyes met, I saw more than just defiance in hers—I saw a lethal certainty.
She spoke coldly, "I knew you would come."
I stepped forward slowly, watching her every movement. There was no hesitation in her stance, and her bow was not just a weapon—it was an extension of her will. Yet, despite her apparent steadiness, I could sense something deeper… I felt a fear she was trying to hide.
"So…" I said in a calm voice, laced with a hidden threat, "You decided to welcome me with arrows?"
"You're no guest." She tightened her grip on the bowstring. "You're a threat that must be stopped."
I chuckled darkly. "Big words… but can you back them up?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she raised the bow again.
I saw the glowing tip of the arrow before it was released. Moving with lightning speed, I twisted my body to dodge it. The arrow streaked past my face, leaving behind a sharp heat. But it wasn't just heat—I felt it pull something from my very existence.
I stopped and looked at her again. "That's no ordinary arrow."
She smirked, her brown eyes carrying a grim certainty. "And you're no ordinary enemy."
Without warning, I lunged toward her.
The distance between us vanished in the blink of an eye. I struck the ground with my fist, sending a shockwave rippling through the square. The crowd, which had been watching in tense silence, erupted in screams, scattering in all directions as dust and debris filled the air.
But Lilin didn't move.
Just as I was about to reach her, she released another arrow. I barely dodged it, but the tip grazed my shoulder, and a burning pain surged through my body. I felt it latch onto something deeper than flesh—something inside me had cracked.
"Not bad…" I muttered, fighting against the pain.
"And you're still too slow." She fired a third arrow.
This time, I caught it mid-air. The searing heat burned my palm, but I crushed it between my fingers. I lunged again, using my strength to push her back.
She sidestepped swiftly, a dagger flashing in her left hand as it struck toward my throat. I blocked her strike with my forearm, but the ferocity of her attacks surprised me. She wasn't just skilled… she had been trained specifically to fight me.
"Has no one told you that playing with fire is dangerous?" I asked as I spun behind her with a quick strike.
She turned with precision, drawing a short sword from her belt to deflect my blow. Our energies collided, creating another shockwave that forced the remaining onlookers even further back.
Panic began to spread through the square.
"I know what you did to Seraphim," she said, her blade nearly touching my neck.
"He deserved what happened to him." I shoved her back, making her stumble for a moment before she regained her footing.
"He was a symbol of his world," she snapped.
"And a fool for thinking he could stand against me."
I charged again, but this time, she was faster. I unleashed a dark wave of energy to slow her down, but she leaped over it effortlessly, firing arrows in rapid succession.
I dodged the first.
Blocked the second.
But the third… struck me.
I felt the arrow pierce deep into my right shoulder, and with it, a wave of cold pain erupted—unlike anything I had ever felt before. My body failed me for a moment, and I collapsed to the ground.
"What… is this?" I muttered, clutching the wound.
She stepped closer, her bow still raised. "The only arrow capable of stopping something like you."
I couldn't feel my power recovering… I couldn't even push the pain away. It was as if this arrow had disrupted the very core of what made me indestructible.
"Now…" she said quietly, "Either you retreat… or I end this here."
I looked at her, and for the first time, I saw no fear in her eyes—only cold resolve.
I had no choice.
"This isn't over," I said calmly before raising my hand, unleashing a violent blast of energy that sent everyone flying backward. As she bent to shield herself from the explosion, I seized the opportunity and vanished into the city's shadows.
Inside her darkened palace, Lilin sat before the stone table. Her bow lay beside her, while she turned an arrow between her fingers, studying the intricate engravings covering its shaft.
"I can't let him regain his strength," she murmured to herself, her eyes fixed on the dark glow pulsing within the arrow.
She could still feel his presence in this world… and this time, she wouldn't let him win.
Deep in the forest outside the city, I sat beside the trunk of an ancient tree. The pain in my shoulder throbbed relentlessly, the arrow still lodged deep inside me.
I clenched it and yanked it out, despite the fiery agony that erupted within. I felt dark energy slowly dissipating.
I looked at the arrow in my hand, its faint glow eerily familiar… familiar in a way that unsettled me.
I smirked to myself.
"If you think this ends here…" I whispered, letting the arrow fall to the ground.
She had awakened something that should have remained asleep.