Moments before that.
"What?" Klyden's voice cracked in disbelief, his fingers fumbling on the laces of his boots. "Say that again?"
"As easy as it sounds." Wads replied coolly, not even looking up, a worn book resting lazily in his palm. "We'll make them think we left the town with the wagon."
Klyden gawked. "That's your plan?"
Wads finally raised his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Think about it. They won't attack before sundown—Caelith will anticipate our breakthrough happening then. So instead, we let them believe we've already left. That lowers their guard. In their eyes, we're just a bunch of green academy kids tossed out here to test our luck."
Liora leaned forward, her brow arched. "And how exactly are we pulling that off?"
Wads turned to Ashborne. "Can your shadows teleport people?"
Ashborne hesitated, then nodded. "Yes… as long as it's a place I've been to before—or anywhere within my vision that's dark enough."
"Perfect." Wads snapped the book shut with one hand and stood, his voice firm now. "Here's how it goes. I'll take Caelith head-on and drag him as far from the others as possible. Alone."
Klyden's jaw fell. "You're insane—"
"—and Draven," Wads cut him off, sharp. "From Ashborne's report, Draven leans heavy on brute force. He's physical. Which means…" He glanced between them. "…Klyden, Ashborne—you two take him together."
Klyden's face broke into a reckless grin. "Finally. About time I get to break someone's jaw with company."
Ashborne only gave a small grunt, adjusting the swords strapped to his back.
Wads continued, his eyes shifting toward the two girls. "Liora, Keiya—you stay back. Stay hidden. If Draven gives these two more trouble than they can handle, then you strike. Not before."
Liora frowned, arms crossing. "And why the waiting game?"
"Because we don't know how many are truly out there," Wads answered instantly. His tone left no room for doubt. "On paper, there are three—Caelith, Draven, and whoever's covering their flank. But Caelith isn't the type to keep his circle small. My bet? Two more, hiding in the forest, waiting for the right time to appear."
Keiya and Liora exchanged a look, their expressions tightening.
Then, as if already knowing her role, Reiyell spoke at last. She rested her chin on her palm, her eyes half-lidded and voice soft, yet carrying weight.
"You want me to buy time for Lord Kreivel."
Wads' gaze snapped to hers. "Can you handle him alone?"
Reiyell blinked once, slow and deliberate. A smile ghosted across her lips, the faintest squint of her eyes glimmering with quiet menace.
"I'll see what I can do."
For a moment, the room fell into silence, the air thick with unspoken tension.
Then Wads pushed himself to his feet, brushing the dust from his cloak. His tone left no space for hesitation.
"We move. Now."
————
"You…" Caelith muttered, a bloody grin curving his lips as his chest rose and fell sharply. His breath fogged in the cold air of the forest. He narrowed his eyes at the figure walking toward him, black hair drifting against the faint wind. The boy's merciless dark-brown eyes cut through him with no warmth, no hesitation.
Wads strode forward silently, his glasses gone, his expression unreadable. He stopped exactly twelve paces away—deliberate, measured.
Caelith tilted his head back, releasing a crazed laugh that echoed against the trees. "What an amusing trick you've played… to corner me with a child." He stretched his fingers wide, clenching and unclenching them as shadow smoldered like embers around his frame.
"What is your name?" he asked, teeth bared in anticipation.
Wads did not answer. His silence was sharper than any insult. Behind them, the distant thunder of battle—steel on flesh, bursts of magic—told him the others had already engaged.
Caelith's eyes widened in delight, his grin feral. "I see! I see! You're just like me!"
Wads raised his hand, a sphere of compressed energy coiling tightly in his palm. The air warped as if being crushed by an invisible hand.
A column of shadow surged upward beneath Caelith, forming a wall against the imploding blast. Sparks scattered as fire and darkness fused into a roaring flare.
"Do not…" Wads's voice was calm, nearly a whisper, as he stepped forward twice. The gravity around his boots warped, the soil caving inward with each step. His gaze never wavered.
"Label me as someone lowly as yourself."
The words stung like a blade buried in Caelith's chest. Anger flared, though his lips twisted back into a smile, masking the crack in his pride. Shadows bled from his skin, fire lacing through them until they burned like molten tar. The forest bent beneath the heat, reality trembling.
With a snap of his fingers—
Shadowflare. The battlefield fractured into overlapping illusions, fire and shadow spiraling into a shifting mirage of burning villages, of corpses walking, of trees that weren't really there.
Wads narrowed his eyes, the gravitational field around him rippling outward in concentric rings. Illusions bent and warped under the crushing pull, revealing glimpses of truth amid the lies.
Caelith chuckled, then raised both hands. Mental Distortion. Time itself seemed to stagger—the sound of a crackling ember stretched into seconds, Wads's own movements splitting into afterimages, tricking his perception.
Wads clenched his fist. Gravity Lattice. Invisible weight slammed downward, dragging Caelith's distortions into fractured shards. Flames guttered and shadows buckled as if the world itself refused to bend around him.
And then—
Implosive Convergence. Wads thrust his palm forward, a condensed sphere of gravitational energy collapsing in on itself before detonating outward in a silent blast. The trees shook violently, dirt and ash ripping from the ground in waves.
Caelith leapt back, cloak tearing as the shockwave grazed him, but his laughter only grew louder, more frenzied. Fire licked along his arms as shadows poured into dozens of mirror images, each moving differently, each impossible to pin down.
The forest became a theater of false realities—burning villages, screaming children, endless flames—his past projected as weapons.
But Wads stood unmoving amid the storm, eyes cold, gravity bending the air around him like glass ready to shatter.
Their battle was not fists nor blades—
It was reality against weight.
Illusion against truth.
...
The air snapped with tension as Klyden's blade rang free from its sheath. Across from him, Draven spun his spear once, the ground crunching beneath his boots with the weight of his stance.
Then they clashed.
Steel scraped against steel, sparks bursting into the night as Klyden met Draven head-on. Each strike sent tremors through his arms, his sword nearly jarred loose with every blow. Draven didn't just swing—he crushed forward, every thrust of his spear like a battering ram, forcing Klyden to push himself harder, faster.
From the side, shadows rippled—Ashborne emerged, dagger flashing, slicing for Draven's flank. His blade scraped against muscle that felt more like stone than flesh. In a blink, Ash was gone again, swallowed back into the dark.
Draven's lips curled into a grin, almost entertained. With a sudden twist, he swung the spear in a wide arc. The air howled. Klyden barely raised his blade in time, the sheer force launching him back several paces, boots tearing trenches in the soil.
Ashborne struck again, darting low toward Draven's legs, but the giant only shifted his weight. His boot came crashing down, the earth splintering where Ash had been a heartbeat ago. The boy vanished, reappearing from behind, only to be caught by the sudden backward jab of the spear. The tip grazed his shoulder, ripping through his coat and flinging him off balance.
"Fast," Draven growled, eyes narrowing. "But not enough."
Klyden spat blood from the corner of his lips, then laughed—loud, reckless. He charged again, sword swinging with wild precision, his grin widening the more Draven shoved him back. His arms trembled from the impacts, but his eyes burned with excitement. "You hit like a goddamn monster!" he shouted, voice cracking with exhilaration.
The clash continued—sword flashing, spear crashing, every meeting of their weapons like thunder shaking the battlefield. Ashborne struck in bursts, his shadow-born movements quick as lightning, but even together, they couldn't fully corner Draven. His body was too durable, his spear too commanding.
Draven shifted his stance, a single sweep of his weapon tearing a shockwave through the ground, sending Klyden sliding and forcing Ashborne to melt back into cover.
Klyden only laughed again, standing tall, chest heaving. His knuckles were white around his blade, his lips split open with blood, but his grin was wild, unbroken. "More," he muttered, shoulders quivering with the thrill. "Show me more!"
And Draven obliged, charging forward like a force of nature, his spear a storm that no two could withstand.
Klyden's sword clashed against Draven's spear once more, the earth shuddering from the impact. Then, in a sudden shift, Klyden twisted his blade downward—hooking the shaft of the spear with a reckless, almost playful maneuver. Instead of resisting the brute force, he let it push, then yanked and slammed his shoulder against Draven's chest.
Draven stumbled back a step, his balance shaken for the first time. His eyes widened in surprise.
At that exact moment, Ashborne materialized from the shadows behind him, dagger gleaming as it angled for Draven's spine. A kill strike.
But before the steel could land, a sharp snap echoed through the battlefield.
The ground roared. Stone cracked and burst upward in violent tremors, a shockwave tossing all three of them off their feet. Ashborne's strike missed by inches, vanishing into empty air as he lost balance. Klyden hit the ground with a grunt, rolling onto one knee, sword braced. Even Draven staggered, boots skidding backward.
From the cave entrance, she emerged—buzz cut, eyes sealed shut yet radiating danger. Her hands hovered at her sides as the vibrations in the air bent to her will.
"Vera…" Draven muttered, steadying his spear, gaze sharpening on her.
Vera raised her arms, stone around her humming in rhythm with the sound that wasn't there yet, the promise of another seismic burst ready to shatter everything.
But before she could release it, a surge of fire split the air. Boom! Flames roared past, crashing against Vera's position. She recoiled, the heat breaking her focus and scattering her gathered resonance.
Ashborne melted back into the dark, already repositioning.
Klyden swiped blood from his lips with the back of his hand, then let out a sharp laugh. His eyes flicked toward the one who cast the fire—Keiya, stepping into the open. Her black cloak swayed with the breeze, the edge of her skirt brushing her knees, her expression unreadable but sharp.
She looked at him, her brows knitting at the sight of blood smearing his face.
"Stop fooling around," she muttered, voice low but firm.
Klyden smirked wider, giving her a bloody grin as if the scolding only fueled him more.
Above, a light step touched down—the flutter of fabric and soft wind carrying Liora as she dropped gracefully from a tree to stand at Keiya's side. She tilted her head toward the cave entrance, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"That cave's their underground base?" she asked before her gaze landed on Klyden. Her lips curved mischievously. "Damn, you look like you're being beaten up."
Klyden chuckled, leaning on his sword as if he were casually resting. "Beaten up? This?" He gestured at his bruised cheek and bloodied lip. "This is me warming up."
"Oh, warming up, huh?" Liora teased, hands on her hips. "Then I'd hate to see you after the main event—you'll probably look like mashed potatoes."
Keiya didn't even glance their way, her focus steady on Vera. "I'll handle the kid. Liora, you check the cave."
"Oki," Liora chirped, snapping a salute before wind swirled around her ankles, boosting her forward in a blur.
"I won't let you," Vera's voice rang, her stance grounding as she prepared another seismic burst.
But Keiya was faster. Fire flared in her palm, searing the air. She launched another blazing strike, forcing Vera to throw up a barrier in defense. The shockwave of flame kept her locked in place, unable to split her focus.
And in that narrow opening, Liora slipped past, vanishing into the cave's shadows.