Eli stood frozen.
His breath hitched—caught somewhere between his lungs and his throat—because everything suddenly moved in slow motion.
A crack of air.
A blur of movement.
And then—
Kairo appeared in front of him in a violent burst of speed, blood-red aura flaring around him like ignited wings.
"KA—!"
Eli didn't even finish the name before Kairo swung his blade upward, the crimson pulse of his Pulse Burst rippling through the forest like a shockwave.
The serpent hissed—sharp, startled—its smaller body recoiling from the surge of raw power.
But before Eli could scream, before he could move, before he could even breathe—
Another figure materialized behind Kairo, golden light blooming like a second sunrise.
Caelen.
His eyes glowed bright molten gold, his hand raised, his ability already in motion.
His voice was low. Cold.
"Pain Echo."
The air shuddered.
Eli's heart lurched violently in his chest.
