The heat between them warped the air.
Dust still lingered in the aftermath of the last clash.
Rah stood tall, his sword lowered but ready. Flames curled along the blade, not wild like before—calm, deliberate.
Isdeath stared at him. Her expression wasn't smug anymore. Wasn't annoyed.
She was focused now.
Finally.
He earned her respect.
But Rah didn't react.
Didn't posture.
Didn't speak.
He rolled his shoulder once, ignoring the pain pulsing through his ribcage. Every breath stung like knives, but he didn't flinch.
He took one step forward.
The flames around him flickered like they were waiting for something.
Isdeath grinned. Not the sadistic smile from before—this one had weight. "You've lasted longer than anyone else. I should be mad. I'm not."
Crackle. Lightning danced up her arms again.
"I'm excited."
She vanished.
BOOM—
She reappeared in front of him and swung low—aiming for the leg she injured earlier.
Rah didn't block.
He shifted his stance half an inch.
The blade missed by a hair.
She spun again—this time aiming for his ribs.
CLANG—!
Rah's sword met hers, sparks flying as flame kissed lightning.
He didn't counter.
He let her push him back one step—then stepped to the side.
Redirecting. Learning.
Another bolt came—he ducked under it.
He wasn't faster.
He was reading her.
Each movement. Every twitch in her shoulders.
Rah wasn't reacting anymore.
He was adapting.
Isdeath noticed.
Her grin widened.
"So now you're awake," she muttered. "Let's test that."
She twisted, her entire body spinning with the force of a lightning-coated kick.
CRACK!
It landed against Rah's side. His body flinched, pain shooting down to his hip.
But he didn't fall.
He grabbed her ankle mid-spin and slammed her into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth cracked.
Isdeath flipped out of it, landing low, hand pressed to the dirt.
Her smile faded for the first time.
She stood slowly, brushing blood from her chin.
"That hurt."
Rah didn't respond.
He raised his sword again.
His eyes were still calm—but now sharper. Focused.
Isdeath tilted her head. "Still not talkin'? Fine."
She stepped forward.
Slowly this time.
Every step crackled with static.
"You're fire. I'm lightning. We were always going to do this."
No response.
She smiled again, but there was no cruelty in it anymore.
"Let's finish what we started."
She sprinted.
Rah met her head-on.
Their blades collided—over and over—every clash louder than the last. The ground shook under them. Flames and lightning danced in the air, colliding in a violent storm of red and blue.
Rah was no longer just surviving.
He was matching her.
Blow for blow.
Isdeath gritted her teeth, parrying a downward slash that sent her sliding back.
Rah stepped forward, pivoted, and swung—this time, not with raw power, but technique.
The blade sliced across her shoulder, searing her skin.
She growled and retaliated with a bolt to the chest—Rah caught it on his blade, letting the fire absorb the current.
"Impossible," she muttered. "You were crawling a minute ago."
Still—he said nothing.
Only his breathing changed.
Smoother.
Disciplined.
His flames weren't chaotic anymore. They moved with him. Like they understood what he wanted.
He didn't shout.
He didn't roar.
He moved.
And the battlefield moved with him.
Isdeath lunged again, aiming for his throat.
Rah dipped under the slash and brought his elbow up—striking her clean across the jaw.
She stumbled.
He spun and kicked her square in the chest.
BOOM!
She flew back, crashing into a jagged stone, cracking it.
"Ghh—" She caught herself on all fours, coughing blood.
The static around her faltered for a moment.
She looked up.
Rah hadn't moved.
He was giving her space.
Not out of mercy.
Out of principle.
Isdeath wiped her mouth and laughed.
"I get it now. You're not here to win. Not here to talk."
She stood up straight.
"You're here to make a point."
Rah finally spoke. His voice was low. Hoarse.
But clear.
"I was broken. Trained to obey. Chained."
He raised his sword.
"They tried to take the flame from me."
He stepped forward.
"But I was born with it."
The fire around him surged—not out of control, but alive.
His eyes burned—but not from rage.
From purpose.
Isdeath's face darkened. "Tch. Don't think that makes us friends."
"I don't," Rah said simply.
Then he was gone.
FWOOM!
He appeared behind her—his flame-boosted speed catching her off guard.
She turned just in time to block—barely.
CLANG!
The ground cracked beneath their feet.
She gasped as the force pushed her back—but Rah was already following up.
A second slash. A third. A feint—then a blast of fire that exploded behind her, forcing her to dodge forward into his knee.
CRACK!
Her nose broke. Blood flew.
Rah didn't smile. He didn't blink.
He stepped forward again.
She unleashed a chain of lightning bolts—
He spun through them—his flames absorbing some, dodging the rest.
This was the Rah who fought in the mines.
No.
Better.
He wasn't swinging wild anymore.
Every strike had a reason.
Every move had a purpose.
He was becoming something else—something lethal.
Isdeath landed another cut across his arm—but it barely slowed him.
She grit her teeth, backing off. "I underestimated you."
Rah didn't speak.
He raised his hand instead.
The flame left his blade—and swirled around his body.
Controlled. Refined.
He no longer fought like a prisoner.
He moved like a weapon.
Isdeath raised her rapier—gritting through her injuries.
"I've only said this once before…" she muttered, lightning climbing her spine.
"But I respect you."
Rah said nothing.
He dashed forward again—this time slower.
Letting her see him.
Letting her brace.
Letting her know: he wasn't afraid of anything she had left.
She smiled.
"Good."
CRACKLE—!
She surged forward.
Their blades met once more—louder than ever.
Fire and lightning exploded across the battlefield in a dome of heat and energy. The earth cracked. Stones lifted off the ground. The sky above them darkened.
They fought like monsters.
She scored a stab across his ribs.
He elbowed her in the throat.
She kneed him in the stomach.
He headbutted her—flames bursting from his hair on impact.
They both stumbled back.
Both bloodied.
Both breathing heavily.
And then—
They stopped.
Isdeath's rapier lowered. Her arm trembling.
Rah's sword drooped slightly. Blood dripping from his fingers.
Neither of them moved.
The wind blew across the battlefield. Smoke drifted. Ash fell like snow.
They stared at each other.
And for the first time—
Both smiled.
Not wide.
Not proud.
Just real.
Isdeath chuckled first, coughing as she did.
"I'll admit it," she said between breaths. "You're not beneath me."
Rah just nodded.
Their flames and lightning fizzled out together.
And in that moment, they weren't predator and prey.
Not oppressor and rebel.
Just two weapons that had finally found someone that didn't break.
Not yet.
Not today.