{THIRD PERSON POV}
The clash came like thunder.
Magic met steel, screams filled the air, and the forest floor covered in blood and fire. Horses reared, blades rang, and the cries of witches and hunters alike melted into one cacophony of war.
At the forefront rode Morganna, her white cloak snapping behind her, eyes blazing with rage. She lifted her hand, magic coiling around her fingers like a storm ready to break.
"Aeth'eris Astrynox!"
Light exploded into form, lengthening into a blade of pure white, radiant energy. She gripped the hilt, her arm steady as the weapon thrummed with raw aether.
A witch hunter charged at her, sword raised high. She twisted in her saddle, her glowing blade darting forward. The point punched through his chest and burst out his back. Morganna snarled, lifted her arm, and split him clean from his chest to his head. His scream was cut short as his body crumpled to the dirt, lifeless.
Another hunter closed in, his axe whistling through the air. Morganna ducked beneath the blow, her hair whipping past her face. She swung but he dodged under her strike. With her free hand she thrust forward and screamed.
"AETHERRE!"
Glowing white energy exploded from her palm. The magical force hurled the hunter from his horse. Before he could even rise, her blade drove through his spine and out his chest. He gurgled once, then fell limp, her sword dripping with light and blood.
Morganna pressed forward, cutting her way into the sea of armored bodies.
Across the chaos rode Thorne Rhaegor, Commander of the Severance. The infamous Witch Slayer. His ebony warhorse crashed through the melee with thundering hooves. His black armor, slick with blood. In his hands, he held the Null Blade.
He carved a path through witches like a scythe through wheat. His blade severed limbs, slit throats, split torsos like fruit.
Wherever he passed, screams followed.
A warlock blocked his way, hands blazing with fire. With a cry, he hurled a roaring inferno across the field. It struck Rhaegor's shield with a blast that lit up the battlefield with orange light. The commander braced, teeth clenched tight as flames licked over the steel, his shield drinking in the attack like water down a well.
Rhaegor's lips curled into a cruel smile.
He thrust the shield outward and the inferno surged back. The warlock raised his hands.
"Erysha–al My'rrathis!"
A forcefield shielded him instantly but the firestorm shattered through, swallowing him whole. His screams lasted only for a heartbeat before he went silent, his body crumbling to blackened bone and charred flesh.
Another witch charged from the side with an ice spear in hand. She hurled it straight at Rhaegor, aiming for his chest. Rhaegor caught it mid-flight, his gauntleted hand closing around the frozen shaft. Without pause he threw it back at her.
The spear spun through the air and buried itself through her throat with a wet crunch. Her eyes went wide as she clawed at the wound, choking on her own blood. She toppled from her horse, her body spasming against the dirt.
Still, they came for him.
A third witch, standing at the edge of the fray, fired bolts of aether from her hands. The first struck his armor, sparking and bouncing off. He raised his shield, deflecting the next, then charged toward her with a growl. Each blast she fired ricocheted away, her panic growing as he rode closer and closer.
She fired a bolt into his horse's leg. The beast shrieked in agony, rearing high before collapsing, throwing its rider off. Rhaegor rolled to his feet, already drawing his blade into a killing stance.
He hurled his shield. It spun through the air and smashed into the witch's face with a crunch of bone. She screamed, blood streaming between her fingers as she staggered back.
Rhaegor closed the distance in a heartbeat and swung his sword.
Her head fell from her shoulders, her body crumpling to the ground, twitching in the blood-soaked dirt.
—
The trees shuddered with every explosion of magic below. Vivienne crouched on a high branch, the bark digging into her palms as she steadied herself, eyes locked on the chaos down below. Horses reared, screams filled the air, and the silver flash of steel caught in the sunlight.
Around her, the witches stationed high in the trees summoned streaks of radiant energy.
"AETHERRE!" they cried in unison.
Bolts of pure magic arced downward, piercing through armor, igniting flesh. Witch hunters toppled from their saddles, limbs thrashing as they hit the ground.
"They're in the trees!" a hunter's deep voice echoed from below. "Archers, take cover!"
The hunters scrambled into the bushes, crossbows already cocked. Soon after, arrows whistled through the air.
The witch right next to Vivienne shrieked as an arrow tore into her throat. She toppled, branches snapping as she fell, her cry ending in a dull, wet crack against the ground. Another witch was struck through the gut, her body flailing before sliding from the branch into the ground below.
Vivienne leapt from limb to limb, her movements feline, her blue flashing as she cast and fired.
"Aetherre!"
Bluish-white sparks exploded from her palms, slamming into the brush and sending hunters sprawling.
Arrows whizzed past her as she ducked and rolled from branch to branch, breathing heavily. The bark scraped her arms raw as she pressed against the thick trunk, her heart hammering against her chest.
The second she peaked from behind a branch, an arrow came close enough that she felt its brush past her cheek. She gasped, dragging in a sharp breath.
She drew a dagger from her boot straps, gripping them tight despite the pounding of her chest and her trembling hands. She peeked out, saw the glint of a hunter's helm.
They locked eyes almost immediately, but before he could aim his crossbow at her, she flung the dagger.
"AAHHH!" he screamed.
The blade buried itself between his eyes. He fell to the ground in a heap.
"Up there! Up there!" shouted another hunter, pointing in her direction.
Arrows immediately angled upward, whizzing toward the branches she hid behind.
Vivienne's jaw clenched. Her fingers danced along the hilts at her belt, pulling free two more daggers. She whispered an incantation, her voice low but fierce.
"Myrathin Ill'usar!"
Her form rippled.
Then multiplied.
A dozen Viviennes burst forward, leaping down from the trees in unison.
The first double landed behind a couple hunters, driving her daggers into their throats before they could turn. Another dashed into the undergrowth, slitting one man's hamstrings before plunging the dagger into his back. A third hurled herself onto a hunter's chest, driving both blades down as he screamed.
The hunters panicked, firing arrows wildly. Some hit several doubles, causing them to flicker then shatter into wisps of aether, vanishing in a flash. But every disappearance only masked another strike.
The real Vivienne remained high, moving along the tree branches as her copies ravaged below. She guided them with instinct.
A hunter stumbled back, impaled through the chest by one Vivienne before another slit his throat from behind. Blood sprayed across the bushes, staining the grass red in the daylight.
One double grabbed a hunter's helmet and slammed his skull against a tree trunk over and over until it caved in with a sickening crunch. Another dragged her dagger across a man's mouth, silencing his scream with a red smile carved across his face.
The underbrush became a slaughter ground.
The hunters, ruthless and fearless just moments ago, now fought in desperation. Their arrows whizzed through the air, cutting down illusions that dissolved into glittering mist.
Another copy drove its blade into a hunter's chest, his scream cut short as his body slumped to the ground. Only the groans of the dying remained, mingling with the distant clash of battle deeper in the woods.
Vivienne crouched in the tree, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Her duplicates shimmered and vanished one by one, their task done. She exhaled, sweat dripping down her temple, her eyes scanning for the next wave.
There would be one.
There always was.
—
Riven fought fearlessly.
The scarf wrapped around his face soaked quickly with the sweat and heat of battle, clinging to his jaw as he moved. His blade was slick with blood, a shield locked tight to his arm, each strike purposeful and poised to kill.
The first hunter came at him growling, sword raised high in a reckless arc. Riven sidestepped, his boot planting in the dirt as he swept his blade low. The edge tore across the man's thigh. Before the hunter could stumble, Riven slammed his shield into his jaw. The man collapsed in a heap, blood spattering the earth.
Another charged at him. This one was faster, more disciplined. His axe swung down and Riven caught it on his shield with a jarring shock that rattled through his arm. The hunter pressed hard, sparks flying as he pressed down. Riven twisted, stepping aside, then drove his elbow into the man's face. The hunter staggered back, just enough for Riven's sword to pierce through his breastplate.
But as he pulled free, he hissed as pain seared across his left arm.
Another hunter had appeared from behind, slicing his blade across his arm. Blood welled, streaking down to his fingers.
Gritting his teeth, Riven swung his shield up to block the incoming strike, then answered with a vicious headbutt. The impact staggered the hunter, dazing him. With a deep snarl, Riven slashed across his chest, dropping him to the earth.
He flexed his arm once, the wound burning, but he kept moving.
A spear thrust came from behind. He spun, barely deflecting it with the rim of his shield. His counterattack was swift, his sword driving into the hunter's stomach. The man screamed, clutching at the wound, and Riven kicked him off his sword.
Another came barreling in, shield raised, swinging his sword. This one fought like a soldier, not a brute. Their blades met in a furious rhythm.
They clashed, parried, dancing around each other as they swung their swords in wild arcs. The hunter slashed low, catching Riven's leg before he could fully block.
Pain exploded through his thigh, hot blood slicking his boot. He staggered, his vision flaring white for a moment. The hunter grinned, pressing forward.
Riven gritted his teeth, forced himself back up. With a sharp pivot, he hooked the hunter's shield with his own and wrenched it aside. His sword lashed out in the same motion, carving a brutal line across the man's throat. The smile died instantly, blood spilling in a dark fountain as the hunter dropped to the ground.
Riven's breath came ragged now. His arm and leg were bleeding out. Each step was a throb of pain but he kept moving.
He had to.
Another hunter's mace smashed against his shield, the impact ripping it from his grip. The battered steel clattered across the ground, lost among dead hunters and witches alike.
The hunter lunged for the opening.
Riven dropped his sword, caught the man's wrist mid-swing, and twisted hard until the bones snapped with a sharp crack. The hunter howled in pain but Riven drove a fist into his throat, crushing his scream. He grabbed the man by the helm and slammed his knee into his face then hurled him into the dirt with enough force to knock the wind out of him. In a blink, Riven had his sword back in hand, driving it through the hunter's chest to finish him.
The scarf slipped in the chaos.
The knot tugged loose as the hunter fell, half-revealing his jawline and the sweat-soaked stubble of his face.
His heart skipped a beat.
If anyone saw, if the wrong eyes recognized him that would be the end for him.
Riven yanked it back up with a bloodied hand, tying it tight again, his chest heaving. The scarf clung to the sweat and blood streaking his face, and his fingers fumbled against the knot as his breaths came harsh and ragged.
The battlefield raged around him with screams, steel on steel, the thunder of hooves. But for a moment, he heard nothing but the hammering of his pulse in his ears. He turned, sword still dripping with blood, ready to throw himself back into the battle but he stopped dead in his tracks.
Just a few paces away, Thorne Rhaegor stood in the chaos like a black monolith. The Commander of The Severance wrenched his blade free from the chest of a warlock with a sickening shluck. The body sagged, crumpling lifelessly into the dirt. Rhaegor didn't even glance down as he drove a brutal kick into the corpse, rolling it onto its back, lifeless eyes staring up at the morning sky.
Riven's grip on his sword wavered. His chest tightened. Rhaegor's black armor had now turned red as if it was bathed in blood, that monstrous blade pulsing faintly with its null light.
Then Rhaegor turned.
The battlefield seemed to fall away as the commander's eyes swept over the carnage, then locked on him.
Riven's breath caught. His blood ran cold, the sound of battle around him dimmed into silence in his ears. His knuckles whitened around his sword's hilt.
He couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Those cold and merciless eyes pinned him in place as if a blade was at his throat.
For a single, eternal moment, neither of them made a move.
The world burned and screamed around them, but in that frozen instant, it was only the two of them locked in a silence heavy enough to crush bone.
Riven's heart pounded in his chest.
Rhaegor's lips curved into a wicked grin.
And suddenly, the distance between them suddenly felt too small.