The Third Beast: The Mist Guardian
The forest transformed in an instant. The warmth dissolved, giving way to a clammy chill that clung to my skin like a second layer. Mist swelled from the earth, dense as smoke, muffling every sound—my own breath felt stifled, caught in my throat. Its weight pressed down on my shoulders, as if it meant to anchor me in place.
—"A Mist Guardian?" I whispered, my voice quivering just enough to betray me. I'd heard the tales: living shadows, slippery as air, their touch sharp as a blade's edge.
—"Have fun," Nael said, lounging against a tree, arms folded like he was about to enjoy a performance.
The mist rippled, and there it stood. A towering shape forged from smoke and shadow, its eyes glinting like frostbitten stars. It glided forward, silent as a breath, but its dark limbs lashed out like swords. I summoned a spiritual wall, and the impact jolted through me, rattling my bones as the barrier splintered like fragile glass.
[Eternal Flames]!
I cried, my hands igniting with a fierce white glow. The fire sliced through the haze, striking the creature square. It shrieked—a piercing wail that echoed inside my skull—and a piece of it crumbled, drifting down as ash in slow, ghostly wisps.
Yet it gathered itself, pooling like ink, its eyes flaring brighter, fiercer. It charged again, a blur of speed. I dodged by inches, the shadow grazing so close I felt its icy sting on my neck. Brute strength won't cut it, I thought, chest heaving. I've got to outsmart it.
I shut my eyes for a heartbeat, tuning into the air, tracing the pulse of its energy. There—at its core—the mist thickened, heavy and alive. Eyes snapping open, I braced myself and conjured a spear of light. With every ounce of will, I hurled it at that hidden heart.
It halted, eyes wide in shock, then collapsed, the mist unraveling like a fading breath. Silence swept back in, thick and all-consuming.
—"Well, that was… fun," I said, my voice cracking as I fought to steady my lungs.
Nael studied me, his expression a blank slate. "We still have time for another."
I laughed, though my body screamed with fatigue. "You're relentless, aren't you?"
"And you're not?" he shot back, already walking off as if the fight had been nothing more than a warm-up.
The Fourth Beast: The Armored Lizard
The ancient forest was a maze of shadow and colossal trunks, sunlight barely threading through the dense canopy. The ground betrayed me at every step, roots twisting up to snare my feet, the air heavy with wet earth and a faint tang of metal—like blood left to rust. Nael strode ahead, his pace unshaken, his face serene as if this were a leisurely stroll.
—"Why are you never rattled?" I asked, struggling to keep my footing.
—"Because fear doesn't kill the enemy," he replied, not bothering to glance back.
—"You could at least pretend to be human," I muttered, shoving windblown hair out of my eyes.
He arched an eyebrow but held his silence. Typical.
The quiet here pressed down, suffocating, as if the forest itself were holding its breath. A shiver crawled up my spine. "They're close," I murmured.
Nael paused, gesturing toward a clearing. "There. Go."
The Armored Lizard burst forth with a roar that shuddered through the ground. A living bastion, its black scales shimmered like forged steel, yellow eyes ablaze with fury. Its tail cracked the air, keen as a spearpoint.
—"This one's yours," Nael said, propping himself against a tree, unruffled as ever.
—"Sure, why not?" I replied, rolling my shoulders to loosen the tension.
It barreled toward me like a storm, flattening everything in its path. I held my ground until the last moment, then leaped aside as its jaws clamped shut on nothing, its scorching breath singeing my skin. "[Wind Blades]!" I called, unleashing a flurry of sharp gusts. They clattered against its armor, sparking off—but a thin fracture bloomed.
—"Good," I whispered, ducking as its tail sliced through the air like a reaper's blade.
I scrambled up a tree, using its height to my advantage, and fired more blades at the crack. It bellowed, the sound stabbing through me, but it stumbled. Now. I launched myself down, power surging into my fists, and drove them into the fissure with a blow that left my hands throbbing.
The scales split apart, its skull buckled, and it crashed down, the thud resonating like a war drum. I hit the ground beside it, gasping, my limbs leaden.
Nael approached, sizing up the wreckage. "Not bad."
—"Not bad? Seriously?" I snapped, but he was already pointing into the distance.
—"There's more to come," he said, and I knew rest was a luxury I wouldn't get.
The Gorge of the Blood Harpy
The gorge swallowed us whole. Its jagged stone walls loomed like broken fangs, streaked red by the sinking sun. The wind wailed, carrying a sound that chilled me to the marrow: wings thrashing, swift and wild. I looked up. There she was—the Blood Harpy—a silhouette of crimson feathers framed against a fiery sky.
—"This one's interesting," Nael said, his tone soft, almost idle, arms crossed like he was watching a street play.
I opened my mouth to argue, but the air erupted. She plummeted toward us, a streak of claws and plumage, her talons flashing like daggers in the light. I threw myself clear, the earth quaking where she struck. Her gust whipped my hair into chaos, my pulse hammering.
[Soul Chains]!
I shouted, and luminous chains sprang from my palms, writhing like serpents starved for prey. They skimmed her wings, but she twisted free, her screech rattling the cliffs.
—"Faster, Elowen." Nael's voice cut sharp and cold, a blade through the din.
—"Why don't you do it?" I spat, barely evading another slash. The air reeked of parched dirt and singed feathers.
She wheeled around, talons splayed like a death sentence. Instinct took over—I lunged, seizing her razor claws with my bare hands. The force nearly ripped my arms from their sockets, but I clung on, dragging her earthward with me. She thrashed, her cry ringing out as the ground raced up to meet us.
—"[Eternal Flames]!" My hands flared blue, flames searing into her chest. The heat clawed up my arms, brutal and choking, the stench of burnt flesh filling my lungs. She hit the dirt, a smoking ruin of feathers and bone, and I stood over her, breathless, heart pounding like a war cry.
Nael stepped closer, deliberate and calm. "Better," he said, locking eyes with me. "But you can still improve."
I rolled my eyes, exhaustion dragging at my frame. "You're impossible."
The forest enfolded us in its frigid embrace. Tall, gnarled trees knitted a canopy that devoured the sun, letting only slivers of gold flicker across the ground. The silence pulsed, alive and oppressive, as if the world itself were poised on edge. We walked together, our steps muted by the damp soil.
—"Why do you always make me fight?" My voice was a thread, nearly lost to the stillness.
Nael didn't break stride. "Because one day, I won't be here."
I stopped dead, rooted to the earth. His words were plain, unadorned, yet they struck me like a blow. I searched his face for something—anything—a flicker beneath that cool mask, but found only emptiness, his gaze fixed ahead.
—"I'd rather think you're just lazy," I said, forcing a grin to smother the weight he'd dropped on me.
He didn't reply. But for a fleeting moment, a spark danced in his eyes—maybe a buried laugh, maybe just a trick of the dim light. I couldn't tell. He walked on, and I trailed after, the silence swallowing us whole. Yet a whisper lingered in my mind, a warning I couldn't shake.
The forest air hung thick with blood and moss. I hauled the last beast by its legs, its bulk scraping a ragged path through the dirt. My arms quaked, sweat beaded on my brow, but a quiet flame glowed within me—proof of my strength, carved in the heap of corpses we'd left behind.
—"I think we've got enough," I rasped, slumping against a tree, its rough bark biting into my back.
Nael stood a few paces off, his piercing gaze fixed on me. "If you say so," he replied, head tilting as if it were all the same to him.
I let the beast drop with a dull thump, frustration bubbling up like acid. He hadn't lifted a finger—not a mark on him, not a bead of sweat. The creatures seemed to shy from him, sensing something beyond my grasp.
—"That's it?" I gestured at the ground, voice rising. "You're not even going to get your hands dirty? Nothing?"
He met my stare, unmoved. "I see no reason."
—"Reason?" I nearly shouted, fists balling tight. "I'm out here killing myself, and you just stand there, like none of it matters!"
—"You wanted to hunt," he said with a shrug, as if that settled it. "So, hunt."
Heat flooded my face. "And you think that's fair?"
—"I don't believe in fairness," he replied, stepping over a fallen log without a glance. "I believe in efficiency. And you've proven you can handle it."
I let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Sure. Leave it all to me, why not?"
—"Are you complaining or bragging?" His voice stayed even, but a faint challenge laced through it.
Before I could fire back, he stopped and turned, his eyes pinning mine with a steel-cold edge. "If I got involved, Elowen, none of these beasts would last a second. Do you want me to steal what keeps you sharp? I'm here for you, not for my own amusement."
Words failed me, breath snagging in my throat. He was right—damn him, he always was. But it didn't douse the fire of my anger.
I looked away, tearing the beast's core free with a savage yank. "Let's see if any creature dares come near you next time," I muttered under my breath.
—"Don't worry," he said, resuming his stride, voice flat as stone. "If that happens, it'll be their last mistake."
As I shoved the core into my bag, a knot tightened in my chest. He'll never say I'm good enough, I thought, fingers trembling as they sealed the cloth. I craved it—a nod, a word, some sign he saw my effort. But Nael was a fortress, remote and untouchable.
Maybe that's why I keep going, a small voice murmured. Because he pushes me to be more, even if I hate admitting it.
I glanced at him, his form fading into the forest's gloom. And then it clicked. Maybe this wasn't just a test. Maybe, in his strange, crooked way, he was shielding me—arming me for something still out of sight.
I'd never say it aloud, though. Not to him.
Auryneth cleaved the sky between the treetops, a sight that stole the air from my lungs. Her icy wings shimmered like blades of glass, slicing through the fading dusk. In her talons, the shriveled husk of a Fire Eagle from the Upper Holy Domain smoldered, its last embers guttering out beneath her crushing frost. And there, gripped tight, a red fruit throbbed—alive, almost sentient—radiating a warmth that whispered of ancient mysteries.
—"My God… you're absurd," I breathed, a giddy smile breaking across my face. Auryneth turned her head, her ice-blue eyes locking onto mine. She knows, I thought, a thrill racing through me. Knows she's beyond magnificent—she's a fragment of the impossible made real.
—"With this, the Dao Earth is within our grasp," I said, wrestling the excitement from my tone. I glanced at Nael, but he stood there, arms crossed, staring at the dead eagle and the fruit like they were pawns in a game he'd mastered long ago. Nothing fazed him. Ever.
I edged closer to Auryneth, my hand hovering before brushing her feathers. It felt like skimming a frozen stream—cold, yet strangely comforting. "Will you take us?" I asked softly, as if seeking a queen's favor. She was mine, true, but ordering her felt wrong, disrespectful.
She answered with a melodic trill, a sound like liquid song, and dipped her wings. An offering. "She said yes," I told Nael, turning to him. He raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, mounting an ice phoenix like it was just another chore.
When Auryneth launched into the air, the wind struck like a wild, living thing—crisp, untamed, brimming with vitality. The forest blurred beneath us, a tapestry of deep greens and browns threaded with rivers that gleamed like molten silver. Nael sat behind me, wordless, but his presence pressed against me, steady and sure, his gaze piercing the horizon as if he could see what lay beyond my comprehension.
Below, the world seemed to pause. Demonic beasts craned their necks, some quaking, others darting for cover. But the bold ones—those roared skyward, defiant, as if their cries could challenge Auryneth's reign over the heavens. I could almost feel their frantic heartbeats.
—"Have you ever seen anything like this?" I asked, letting the wind steal my words.
—"Seen what?" Nael replied, his tone dry as dust, like I'd asked something mundane.
—"All of this. The way she changes things just by being."
He fell silent, his dark hair whipping in the gale. "Power does that. It bends the world. There's nothing new in it."
I laughed, short and sharp, rolling my eyes. "You talk like you were born bored."
He didn't answer, but I'd swear the edge of his mouth twitched—just a hint—before settling back into its usual void.
The flight was breathtaking, but the forest below told a grimmer tale. I spotted the scars of recent clashes—trees toppled like fallen warriors, craters gouged into the earth, dark patches I knew were blood. This wasn't peace. It was a hush before the storm.
Auryneth let out a low, haunting note, a shiver down my spine. She sensed something I couldn't. My chest tightened.
—"Something's watching us," Nael said, his voice a blade through the rush of air.
—"What?" My throat went dry, but I forced calm into my words. My hands clenched her feathers, the chill biting deep.
—"I don't know yet." He leaned forward, eyes narrowed against the wind. "But you'd better hold on."