The forest had gone eerily silent before the chaos began. A faint rustle in the thick, misty air made Aarav glance sharply to his right. Sanvi caught the motion too, gripping her Dagger tighter. Before they could react, two grotesque, child-sized monsters leapt out of the shadows. Their bodies were hunched, their pale eyes glinting with malice, and a low, gurgling hiss escaped their mouths.
"Sanvi, to the left!" Aarav shouted, blocking the swipe of one creature with his Whip. Sparks flew as the steel wire which was infused with fire untangled the monster's claws. He twisted his wrist, pushing it back, and with a swift motion, sliced through the air again. Sanvi darted to his side, her movements quick and precise, slashing at the second monster that tried to circle around them.
The monsters were fast, too fast. One lunged straight at Arav's leg, catching him off guard. He struck it down, but its claw left a deep cut on his calf. Gritting his teeth, he stumbled back. Sanvi immediately stepped forward, fire burning in her eyes. "You're bleeding," she said, her voice sharp.
"I'm fine," Aarav said, forcing himself to stand tall. "Finish this."
They fought with perfect coordination Sanvi launching bursts of water to throw the monsters off balance while Aarav countered with precise, powerful strikes. In the end, both monsters fell, dissolving into dark mist that vanished into the ground. Aarav leaned on the tree for a second, breathing heavily, while Sanvi scanned the surroundings. "They're gone," she murmured. "But something's not right. It feels like…"
"Like they were sent to distract us," Aarav finished grimly.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, chaos had exploded around Kian and Ruhi too. three, maybe four monsters crawled out from every direction. Their screeches pierced the air, echoing through the woods.
Kian smirked slightly, his arrogance flickering even in danger. "Looks like we got the more company," he muttered, summoning a wave of energy around his hand. The air crackled as he blasted one creature back.
Ruhi, calm but fierce, spun gracefully as her magic glowed from her palms, forming arcs of light that sliced through the shadows. "Kian, behind you!" she shouted.
But it was too late one of the monsters leapt at him from behind. In a flash, Ruhi lunged forward, pushing him out of the way. The claws tore through her Arm's skin . The sound of it made Kian freeze for a second then rage took over. He turned on the monster, his magic erupting like a storm. With a single motion, he struck it down, the force of his blow shaking the ground beneath them.
He turned back immediately, catching Ruhi as she stumbled. Without a word, he lifted her gently and carried her a few steps away, setting her down near a tree, the dappled sunlight falling over her pale face.
"Ruhi, talk to me. Are you okay?" His voice, for once, wasn't cold it trembled slightly.
She winced but managed a faint smile. "Yeah… I'm okay. It's not that deep.
Kian speaks " Yeah, not that deep right , the blood is oozing out and it's very obvious that it's deep so cut your act and show me your hand."
I can heal myself." She pressed her glowing hand against her wound, and the faint shimmer of magic began to mend the torn skin.
Kian stayed close, watching her, the fight still echoing faintly in his ears. The smell of burnt air and dark energy lingered around them but his focus was on her, and her slow, steady breaths.
The forest was quiet again but this time, the silence didn't feel like safety. It felt like a warning.
Meanwhile Aarav and Sanvi stood among the broken tree, their breathing heavy but steady. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and burnt air from their magic. Aarav pressed his hand against his bleeding leg, trying to steady himself when Sanvi spoke, "We need to check on Kian and Ruhi."
He nodded, opening the mind link. "Kian, Ruhi, what's your position?"
Kian's voice came through, strained but controlled. "We were attacked. We handled it, but Ruhi's hurt."
Aarav frowned. "We were attacked too. It seems like they're coming in waves. We should regroup before more appear."
"Agreed," Kian replied.
Aarav closed his eyes, visualizing the faint trace of Kian's aura through the magic link. With a quick incantation, he formed a glowing sigil on the ground. "Spatial Gate, open," he muttered, and a swirl of white-blue light appeared before him. He and Sanvi stepped through and emerged near a large oak tree, where Kian was kneeling beside Ruhi.
Ruhi sat against the trunk, her breathing steady but her face pale. The wound on her arm had almost closed, but the faint shimmer of healing magic still glowed faintly over her skin. Aarav hurried over. "Ruhi, how are you?"
She managed a small smile. "I'm fine. " Her tone was calm, but her voice trembled slightly at the edges.
Sanvi crouched next to her. "How's your hand? It looks bad."
Ruhi looked down. "It's okay."
Kian crossed his arms, his usual arrogance softened by worry. "Obviously it's not okay," he said sharply. "You don't have to act brave. If it hurts, say it hurts."
Ruhi looked up at him, a faint warmth in her eyes, but said nothing. Ruhi glanced at Aarav's wound, the blood on his leg. "Aarav, you're injured too. Come here, I'll heal it."
He shook his head. "You should heal yourself first. You're still bleeding."
"It's fine," she said firmly. She placed her glowing hand gently over his wound. The faint light pulsed, spreading warmth through his leg as the wound starting to heal faster. But he could feel her energy draining her face was growing pale again, her breath coming slower.
"Ruhi, stop," Aarav said, but she didn't listen until the wound was closed. She leaned back against the tree, her hand trembling slightly. The air around them had grown unnaturally quiet again, and the silence was heavy.
Kian sat beside her and held her hand as to stop it from trembling.
Then Sanvi's sharp eyes caught something near a patch of broken ground. "There's a structure there," she said, pointing. "It looks like… an underground basement."
Before they could move closer, a deep voice echoed behind them. "What are kids doing in such a deep & dangerous forest?"
They all turned at once. A tall man stepped out from the shadows, his presence cold and commanding. His cloak swayed slightly as he walked closer, and his eyes gleamed with amusement.
"We're not just kids," Aarav said evenly. "We're warriors from the Topaz house."
The man chuckled, the sound dark and mocking. "Oh, I never knew the great Topaz house had become so desperate. Sending children to fight me and my monsters… that's almost insulting. Anyway, any last wishes? Because today, little ones, is your last day. Or maybe I'll just keep you alive long enough to drain your energy . Then I can open the Yggdrasil Tree portal and flood this world with monsters. That's our goal, after all."
The air grew tense. Kian's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. Without a word, he lifted his katana, the blade shimmering faintly as he infused it with wind magic. With a sudden burst of speed, he swung the weapon forward. But the magic was somehow nulify.
"What!" Kian shouted, his voice sharp.
Ruhi, Aarav, and Sanvi steadied themselves, keeping their distance . In that moment, through the mind link, Ruhi suddenly felt something an echo she hadn't sensed before.
Then a faint, trembling voice broke through. "Guys… are you there?"
Everyone froze.
"Ekaksh?" Kian said immediately, his tone shifting.
"Yes! Finally. I've been trying to reach you all this time!" His voice was weak, but clear enough to bring relief to their faces.
"Where are you?" Aarav asked.
"I don't know exactly," Ekaksh said. "It's dark. Completely dark. I'm underground somewhere… I think I'm tied up with a magic binding chain."
Sanvi's eyes widened. "The basement," she whispered. "He's there."
Aarav nodded grimly. "Then that's where we're going."
The man ahead of them smiled faintly, his expression unreadable. "Oh, so you found your little friend. How touching. But you won't make it to him alive."
The forest wind shifted again, carrying a strange, heavy energy. The next battle was about to begin.
The air around them grew heavier, the smell of smoke and burnt earth mixing with the faint scent of blood. Ruhi's breathing was shallow, her face pale but determined. Aarav stood in front of her, whip drawn, his stance still firm though his arms trembled slightly from exhaustion. Kian's katana was glowing faintly, his aura flickering like a dying flame, and Sanvi's usual fierce expression had softened into grim focus.
They charged together, their attacks blending into a blur of light and motion Aarav's fire strikes, Sanvi's bursts of water magic, Ruhi's lightning waves repurposed into sharp radiant strikes, and Kian's slicing wind currents. Yet each strike vanished before reaching the man. Every spark of power simply dissolved into thin air as if swallowed by nothingness.
The man stood unmoved, almost amused. "Is that all?" he asked lightly, brushing off imaginary dust from his shoulder. His dark cloak fluttered as a faint smirk appeared on his face. "You're only exhausting yourselves. It's almost… sad."
Ruhi's voice broke the silence, trembling but stubborn. "We won't give up."
"Won't give up?" He tilted his head slightly. "You already have. You just haven't realized it yet."
The moment stretched then, with a lazy flick of his hand, flames burst into life. The fire swirled around him in spirals before shooting outward in blazing streams. Aarav,& sanvi used water magic barely raising a shield spell before the blast hit. The air exploded with heat.
"Move!" Kian shouted, pulling Ruhi aside just before another blast roared toward them. Aarav's shield cracked but held, though the edges of his sleeves caught fire. Sanvi dove behind a boulder, rolling to extinguish her arm where the fire had grazed her.
Each of them was fighting just to stay upright. The heat singed their skin, sweat ran down their faces, and the ground beneath them turned to ash.
The man laughed softly, his voice echoing through the clearing. "This is getting dull. You're all still standing. Let's change that, shall we?" He raised his arm again, summoning more flames, each one brighter and faster than before.
Ruhi used magic, forming a dome of protective light around them just in time. The fire slammed into it with a deafening roar. The impact threw her backward, her knees hitting the dirt hard. Aarav caught her before she fell completely, but she was shaking now, her magic fading.
Kian's jaw tightened. "This isn't working," he muttered. "He's toying with us."
Sanvi nodded, panting. "Every attack we try just disappears. We're only losing energy."
"Then we hide," Aarav said quickly. "We regroup. Find a plan before he kills us."
Using the last of his spatial magic, he created a short-range warp. The group blinked out of sight, reappearing behind a thick cluster of trees deeper in the forest. The sounds of burning crackled faintly in the distance.
They all crouched low, catching their breath, their bodies trembling with fatigue. Ruhi was the first to speak through the mind link. He's too strong. What if he's the one who made the villagers disappear?
Aarav's thoughts came sharp and clear. He could be. But there's something more to him. That energy it's not normal fire magic.
Ruhi added, Maybe he's the one who got the Shinigami wish.
The words hit all of them like a weight. For a few seconds, no one spoke. The only sound was the crackling of distant flames and their heavy breathing.
Finally, Kian's mental voice broke the silence. If that's true, we need to confirm it. Otherwise, we won't know how to counter his power.
Sanvi's tone was laced with doubt. But how would we even know that? We can't ask him.
Kian's eyes narrowed. He leaned slightly around the tree trunk, his gaze locked on their enemy, who stood idly in the smoke, looking around as if amused by their attempt to hide. I think there's a way, Kian said slowly. I'll use my mind-reading ability. If he's really the one using the Shinigami wish, I'll find out. And maybe… I can see what kind of power he's using.
He's too confident. He won't expect it.
Ruhi looked at him, concern flickering across her face. Be careful.
Kian's expression hardened, his eyes glowing faintly as he prepared himself. The forest had gone silent again, the only sound the faint hum of power building between his hands. The next few seconds would decide everything.
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