The colossal lightning blade in Ayu's hands pulsed with killing intent, the storm above answering her call. She raised it high, ready to strike her brother down once and for all—
Until a voice, soft yet chilling, slid through the forest.
It was not loud. It didn't need to be. The sound carried a weight, a vibration that settled deep into the bones of every creature who heard it. The temperature dropped. Shadows thickened. Even the wind stilled, as if the entire forest was bowing to its owner.
'Well, well… what is happening here?'
The voice was gentle, almost melodic. But to those present, it felt like a whisper from something far older and far more terrifying than either sibling.
Ayu froze mid-strike. The thunder in her blade flickered, then dimmed as she lowered it. Her slit-pupiled eyes softened. Not in defiance, but in reverence. She turned, kneeling low, her serpent coils folding neatly beneath her.
