The street buckled under Captain Draen Valos's feet as space folded inward, then split.
The katana in his hand did not glow.
It did not scream.
It simply cut—not flesh, not bone, but the distance between things.
A pack of abyssal hounds lunged at him as one, molten saliva dripping from their jaws.
Draen exhaled.
The world tilted.
His blade traced a single horizontal arc.
For half a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the hounds fell apart—not in pieces, but in positions, their bodies no longer aligned with themselves. They collapsed where the space between them had been removed.
"Advance!" Draen barked.
Convoy knights surged forward through the opening he'd carved, shields raised, blades flashing. He didn't look back to see if they followed.
They always did.
As Draen stepped forward again, the street trembled—buildings on either side leaning precariously from earlier impacts.
From the shattered remains of a fountain near the corner, a small axolotl peeked out of the water.
Asura watched.
✦ A Protagonist Watching the Opening Act
Asura had one goal.
Find Lord Ordon Valcryst.
Talk to him.
Warn him.
That was it.
Simple.
Unfortunately, the village had an unreasonable number of cool fights happening at the same time.
Asura hopped from the fountain's edge just as a chunk of burning debris slammed down where he'd been a second earlier. His tail was clipped in the blast, splattering pink against the stone.
He didn't stop.
Didn't panic.
Didn't even look.
The missing portion of his body quietly regrew as he slid under a rolling shockwave, skimming along the ground like a skipping stone before landing upright again.
Okay, he thought calmly,
note to self—this village is very bad for entrances.
He turned his attention back to Draen.
Space bent around the captain again as he reappeared ten meters ahead, blade flashing in a vertical slash that erased a towering abyssal brute mid-charge.
Asura's gills fluttered.
Alright. That's… actually really good.
Clean form, Efficient, And Great framing.
Another explosion rocked the street. Asura hopped sideways, landing on a fallen beam, his body briefly crushed flat by the impact before popping back into shape like it never happened.
This is definitely the part where the mentor character shines, he mused.
If I were directing, I'd give him heroic lighting.
A knight screamed nearby as a monster lunged.
Draen was already there.
The beast died mid-motion, space unraveling around it.
Asura tilted his head.
Yeah. That's solid.
He shook himself.
Focus. Village leader. That's the objective.
He started moving again.
The further Asura went, the more the fight widened.
This wasn't one heroic clash—it was dozens of smaller battles stitched together by desperation.
Convoy knights formed a shield wall across a narrow street, their armor scorched and dented. An abyssal centipede slammed into them again and again, its mandibles screeching against enchanted steel.
"Hold!" someone shouted.
The line bent—but did not break.
A fire spell detonated overhead, collapsing part of a rooftop. Asura hopped forward instinctively, the stones smashing down around him. One clipped his head, flattening it briefly before it reformed.
Ow.
…Actually, no. That didn't hurt.
He slid between two sets of armored boots as knights surged past him, unnoticed.
Further down the street, adventurers of mixed ranks fought back-to-back.
One froze in terror as a shadow leapt toward her.
Another shoved her aside, taking the hit himself.
He went down screaming.
She stood there shaking—then screamed herself and charged forward, blade raised.
Asura paused.
This is the "everyone decides to be brave" segment, he thought.
Good emotional payoff. Little messy, though.
A wind blast tore through the street. Asura was flung sideways, his body torn clean in half.
Both halves hit the ground.
Both halves wriggled.
Then reconnected.
Asura continued forward.
Okay. That one almost ruined the pacing.
He hopped onto a fallen cart, peered over it—
—and nearly got stepped on by a charging abyssal ogre.
He ducked at the last second, the creature's foot pulverizing the stone where he'd been. Asura skidded backward, tail regrowing again.
I am really glad nobody's paying attention to me.
✦ Draen Feels the Weight
Back on the main avenue, Draen slowed for the first time.
It was subtle.
Only someone watching closely would notice the delay between spatial folds. The half-second longer it took for reality to snap back into place.
Draen felt it.
Space magic was unforgiving.
Every cut demanded focus. Every jump tore at the fabric of the world—and at his own stamina.
He clenched his jaw and pressed on.
Another slash.
Another monster erased.
His breathing grew heavier.
Still—he did not retreat.
Behind him, knights advanced in staggered formation, filling the corridors he carved.
They trusted him.
He could not fail.
In the command shelter, Lord Ordon Valcryst slammed his hand down on the crystal communicator.
"Request escalation!" he snapped. "This is not a standard incursion!"
The crystal flickered.
A distant voice replied, strained and distant.
"Authority insufficient for war declaration. Continue defensive measures."
Ordon exhaled sharply.
Again.
"Request reinforcement override—Princess Elzra of Groblinheim is present!"
Another pause.
"Acknowledged. Processing… delayed."
Ordon closed his eyes.
Lady Selvia Valcryst stood nearby, hands glowing softly as she stabilized a wounded knight. Blood stained her sleeves. Her expression was calm—but tired.
"Any response?" she asked quietly.
"Not fast enough," Ordon said.
Kael Valcryst paced behind them.
"This is ridiculous!" he snapped. "Let me out there! I'd have cleared the street already!"
A veteran knight glared at him.
"You'd die in ten seconds."
Kael scoffed. "Please."
Lina Valcryst stood silently near the wall, hands clasped tight, eyes fixed on the entrance.
She flinched as another distant explosion rocked the shelter.
✦ Asura Gets Distracted Again
Asura skidded around a corner just in time to avoid a collapsing balcony. It smashed down behind him, debris burying half his body.
He wriggled free, missing leg regrowing mid-hop.
Okay, he thought.
Find Ordon. Focus.
Then—
A massive abyssal beast charged into view, only to be intercepted mid-leap by Draen, who cut the distance between them out of existence.
The monster slammed into nothing and folded in on itself.
Asura stopped.
…Wow.
He stared for a second longer than necessary.
That's actually worth watching twice.
Another shockwave hurled him through the air. He flipped instinctively, landing in a puddle, body splashing apart before reforming.
I really need to stop doing that, he mused.
I'm never going to get anything done.
He turned away, hopping forward again.
Elsewhere, convoy knights fell back step by step.
An adventurer collapsed with a spear through his chest, gasping.
Another took his place without hesitation.
A healer screamed as a monster broke through the barricade.
Gabe Rydren—bloodied, laughing—tackled it aside, crashing through a storefront.
Asura glimpsed him briefly, grinning wildly as he fought.
That guy is having way too much fun, Asura thought approvingly.
Then he shook himself again.
Focus. Village leader.
He darted through a burst of flame, his skin charring black before pink flesh bubbled back into existence.
This would be so much easier if the village weren't exploding.
✦ Varkonis Watches
From the crater, Varkonis turned slightly.
Not toward the axolotl.
Toward the battlefield's flow.
Toward Draen's movements.
Toward the way lines formed and broke.
Toward Rowan.
Asura noticed the shift.
Ah, he thought.
You're still waiting.
The pressure in the air thickened—not an attack, not a signal.
Just presence.
Asura slowed.
For the first time, his amusement dimmed—just a little.
Okay, he admitted internally.
That one's not just background.
Draen wiped blood from his brow, katana trembling faintly in his grip.
The street was littered with bodies— abyssal monsters and civilized monsters alike.
Still, the line held.
Barely.
Rowan Thundersong stood at the edge of the battlefield, staff planted, eyes closed.
Listening.
Asura finally spotted the command shelter in the distance.
There, he thought.
That has to be where Ordon is.
He hopped forward—
—then another explosion threw him sideways, tearing his body in half again.
He landed in a roll, reforming instantly.
He stared at the burning street.
…Okay.
One more cool fight.
Varkonis turned fully now.
Not attacking.
Not advancing.
Just… aligning.
Rowan opened his eyes.
Asura felt it.
The story was about to shift.
He smiled, gills fluttering.
Alright, he thought.
Next chapter's the big one.