The last echo of the beast's roar rolled through the forest, rippling across the surface of the lake like the tremor of an earthquake. Avin could only stare — his breath shallow, his body trembling from exhaustion and disbelief.
The figure stood poised between sky and water — her red hair whipping with the rhythm of the wind, strands gleaming like woven flame. The slender blade in her hand, near cylinder in shape, shimmered with a faint bluish sheen. Its thin edge reflected the sunlight in a perfect, sharp line — a rapier.
Avin's lips parted, the words barely audible. "A rapier...?"
He used his sword to support himself, his trembling fingers pressing against the hilt as he forced his broken body upright — just enough to see clearly. Before him, she moved like silk carried by the wind, elegant yet deliberate, standing against a monster that could swallow her whole.
