Deep in the heart of the Whispering Wilds, the ground trembled.
Hector had awoken.
The death of Carna echoed through the forest like a shattered song, and the demigod of nature stirred in response. Thick vines slithered across moss-covered earth, roots twisted with quiet purpose, and branches whispered warnings only the trees could understand.
At the center of it all stood Hector: tall, calm, and terrifyingly still. A massive ball of thorn-covered vines coiled protectively around him, pulsing faintly with ancient green light. He moved slowly, deliberately, controlling the Wilds as if it were part of his own body. The forest obeyed without question.
Far off, Eleanor and Katya flew low between the trees, streaks of gold and green flickering through the dense canopy as they raced toward the chaos of Ziza's battle.
Eleanor's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Katya! I spotted another Herald!"
She pointed ahead, her wings flaring slightly for balance. "He's the one controlling the vines. He's hiding inside some kind of living sphere."
Katya halted mid-flight, hovering as she scanned the area. Her expression darkened.
"So he's the one isolating us, separating us so the others can pick us off one at a time." Her fists clenched, a vein throbbing in her temple. "Sneaky jerk."
Eleanor landed softly on a branch, her axe glowing faintly. "We need to stop him. Now."
"Whoa, whoa. Hold up, Sunshine," Katya said, dropping beside her with a raised hand.
Eleanor blinked. "Hm?"
Katya gave her a sidelong glare. "What, you trying to die on your first real mission? This guy's got serious trickster energy; I can feel it."
Eleanor smirked, her eyes glinting with amusement. "So you do care."
Katya rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Sunshine. I just don't wanna be the one Ascendants chew out when you end up cut in half. That's all."
Before they could argue further, the sphere of vines shifted.
A section peeled back like a blooming flower, revealing a glimpse of Hector's sharp, calm face. His golden eyes met theirs, still and unreadable.
"Hmph," he said with a small nod. "So you've found me. A good effort. Mariam's will demands your destruction. Each of you has been assigned a Herald for this purpose. Lyn has other duties, making sure no one escapes our net."
"Lyn? Who is she, another Herald?" Katya asked as she turned her head, only to find Eleanor had disappeared from her spot. "Huh? Eleanor?"
Too late.
Eleanor was already gone, a golden streak bursting forward, wings aglow, axe raised in a divine arc.
A thick vine exploded from the ground ahead, slamming into her mid-dash. She slammed against it with a grunt but flipped mid-air, using her wings to recover and land in a crouch.
Katya scowled. "What the heck, Sunshine!? Don't go charging in alone like that!"
Eleanor gave a sheepish shrug. "Mmm. Yeah. Noted."
Katya turned her attention back to Hector, scanning him with a hunter's precision. "Alright, nature boy. What's your plan?"
But before she could make a move, the ground behind Hector erupted.
Spikes of ice burst upward without warning, one grazing Hector's arm as he twisted away too late.
He actually flinched.
From the shadows stepped a new figure: tall, battle-worn, and smirking.
"Aw man," Gail said, resting her massive sword over one shoulder. "You weren't the power I felt earlier, but you definitely look like a problem."
Katya's jaw dropped. "G-Gail?!"
Eleanor's eyes lit up. "You're okay!"
Katya blinked. "Wait, how did you catch him off guard like that?"
Gail casually twirled her sword once and smirked. "Divine Art: Shiverburst Mirage."
"...Whoa," Katya muttered, visibly impressed.
"You two alright?" Gail asked, glancing between them.
Eleanor wiped a smudge of blood from her temple. "Hit my head. But still kicking."
The three angels now stood together, weapons ready, power swirling around them as vines hissed in warning.
Hector exhaled slowly, stepping forward, green light gathering in his palms.
"So. Three of you now."
The vines around Hector pulsed with a strange rhythm, as if alive with a heartbeat not his own. The massive sphere of woven roots shielding him opened just enough to expose his upper half: a serious expression, a moss-draped black cloak, golden eyes faintly glowing. A slow wind circled the clearing, stirred by the energy he radiated.
Gail landed lightly next to Katya and Eleanor, her expression unreadable. She gave a nod, calm and composed despite her earlier surprise attack.
"He's not too flashy," Gail muttered, eyes narrowing. "But he's got the whole forest in his back pocket. Watch your feet."
Eleanor flexed her wings, still recovering from being swatted mid-charge. "Noted."
Katya adjusted her gauntlets, watching Hector closely. "Alright nature boy, let's see what you do when we bring the heat."
Before anyone could charge, Hector raised his hand slowly. The ground beneath them trembled. Thick vines burst upward from the soil like serpents, trying to wrap around their legs. Gail leapt back with agile precision, slicing through the vines with a slash of her nardachi.
Eleanor ignited her Sunfire, golden flames flickering around her axe. Katya slammed her fists together, emerald light bursting from her gauntlets.
"Split up," Katya barked. "Don't give him an easy target."
Gail took to the left, Eleanor darted right, and Katya moved straight down the middle, charging with raw power.
Hector didn't flinch. The ground rippled like water under his control. Thorned vines sprouted walls, forming narrow corridors between the trees, isolating the angels from one another.
Gail skidded to a stop as a wall closed behind her. "Damn, he's caging us!"
Eleanor gritted her teeth as the vines tried to trap her. She cut them apart with quick, precise strikes. "Katya, status?"
"Still moving!"
Katya ducked a series of barbed tendrils and burst forward with a punch charged in divine light. "Divine Art: Pulse Breaker!"
The energy blast ripped through a wall of vines, creating a small opening, but before she could move through, Hector reacted. Vines wrapped around his arms and flung them forward like giant whips. They crashed into the ground before her, sending a shockwave of debris.
Katya shielded her face as bark and leaves exploded around her. "Yeah, he's definitely annoying."
Meanwhile, Eleanor pressed forward from the right. She beat her wings once to rise above the brambles, scanning for Hector's main body.
"Gail, can you freeze the vines near his feet? Might slow his reaction."
Gail was already ahead of her. She pressed her blade into the ground, Divine Art surging through the soil.
"Divine Art: Glacial Rootbind!"
A patch of earth surrounding Hector's feet suddenly froze solid. Icy tendrils locked his lower half in place.
Hector's eyes finally widened.
"Now!" Gail shouted.
Eleanor didn't hesitate. Wings burning gold, she dove through the air, her axe trailing solar light.
"Divine Art: Sunflare Drive!"
A straight line of holy energy carved through the battlefield as she descended toward Hector.
At the same time, Katya charged from the front, her gauntlets glowing bright.
"Divine Art: Meteor Knuckle!"
The two strikes were perfectly synchronized.
But Hector wasn't out of tricks.
His arms raised, and the very bark of the surrounding trees peeled away, wrapping around his body like armor. A dome of enchanted wood formed just before Eleanor's axe struck.
Her blade slammed into the defense, exploding in a shock of golden flame.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the dome but also sent Eleanor tumbling backward, her wings twisting mid-air to catch herself. Katya's fists punched through the remains a second later, striking Hector squarely in the chest.
He flew backward, vines breaking from his limbs, crashing into a thicket of thornbushes.
"Did we get him?" Gail asked, panting.
The silence that followed was deceptive.
A soft rustle echoed.
Then...
Vines shot upward like spears beneath Katya, forcing her to jump high. A second wave coiled around Gail's legs. She sliced them quickly, but it slowed her.
And from the wreckage, Hector emerged again, scraped but not broken. Vines stitched wounds across his chest, leaves swirling around his body like armor.
"Clever," he said calmly. "But not enough."
He lifted both arms, and the forest itself responded. Dozens of roots exploded from the ground, forming a labyrinth of shifting wood and twisting corridors, vines acting like doors and walls, rearranging constantly.
The battlefield had changed.
"He's making it a maze," Eleanor said, frustration in her voice. "He's stalling us."
Katya took a deep breath. "Then we break the maze. All at once."
She knelt, charging energy into her fists.
"Eleanor, cover me. Gail, freeze the left quadrant. We hit him from three sides; he can't defend them all."
Eleanor nodded. "Got it."
Gail planted her blade. "On your go."
Katya closed her eyes. Then shouted.
"Go!"
Eleanor surged forward, radiant wings glowing. She launched fireballs of divine heat, burning open paths through the vines. Gail swept her sword wide, a sheet of ice freezing the roots on her side. The forest cracked and groaned.
Katya rocketed forward.
"Divine Art: Heaven's Shatterfist!"
She tore through the last of the walls, striking Hector dead center with both fists. A massive shockwave erupted, snapping vines, uprooting trees.
Hector let out a strained grunt as he hit the ground hard.
Silence.
He didn't rise.
The roots twitched, then fell still.
The forest grew quiet again.
Gail approached cautiously. "Is he… done?"
Eleanor stared, breathing hard. "I think so."
Katya exhaled deeply, shaking out her hands. "Tough bastard."
As the dust settled, the vines shriveled. Hector's body faded into green mist, disappearing like Carna's before him.
Two Heralds down.
But the battle wasn't over.
Back at the first battlefield, Ziza stood untouched, eyes fixed toward the canopy. A faint smile curved her lips.
And somewhere far, far away, thunder rolled across a clear sky.
A golden-haired demigoddess stood in the center of a ravaged battlefield. Scattered across the ground, the forms of leftover scouts and Guardians were already fading to dust.
This was Lyn, the Lightning Herald.
"Tch. Hector and Carna lost. What were they thinking? Mariam told us not to play around." She huffed, a flash of annoyance crossing her face. "Looks like I'll have to finish this myself."
She turned, walking straight ahead and away from the edge of the Wilds, a chilling determination in her stride.
A storm was coming.