The forest was alive with movement. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, carried the potential threat of an unseen predator. Kairo's crimson eyes scanned the area, tracing mana patterns in the air as faint arcs of bone magic shimmered along his arms.
Riven crouched low beside him, wooden sword ready, muscles tense. His eyes caught a glimpse of movement—a pack of Grade 2 wolf-like monsters, their fur bristling with faint blue mana, snarling as they circled.
"Looks like they've picked us first," Riven muttered, shifting his stance.
Kairo didn't respond immediately. Instead, he extended a hand, bone magic curling outward in delicate arcs toward the nearest monster. The creature froze mid-step, its glowing mana pattern disrupted by his invisible manipulation.
Riven grinned. "Finally! Let's dance, then."
The first wolf lunged. Riven sidestepped, slicing precisely with his wooden sword. The blade cut clean through the creature's shoulder, while Kairo's bone magic followed the strike, pinning its hind legs to the ground in a flickering lattice.
"Keep moving!" Kairo called, shifting his stance as the next wolf charged. Arcs of bone magic slammed into the second wolf, sending it skidding sideways into a tree trunk.
Riven moved like clockwork, each swing calculated to exploit the openings Kairo created. Despite lacking mana himself, he flowed seamlessly with Kairo's bone magic, their motions becoming a strange, deadly rhythm.
Other monsters began to appear, drawn by the commotion. The forest became a blur of fangs, claws, and glowing arcs. Kairo manipulated the ground, small bones emerging to form barriers or trip wires. Riven sliced, jabbed, and spun, creating openings for Kairo's magic to immobilize or destroy targets.
Even when a Grade 3 creature—a larger wolf with flickering red mana—emerged from the shadows, Kairo didn't flinch. His bone magic flared, wrapping around the beast's limbs. Riven's sword struck with pinpoint accuracy, exploiting each restraint Kairo placed.
Breathless but unbroken, the two stood back-to-back as the last wolf fell, arcs of bone magic dissolving into the air. The forest was silent once more, save for their heavy breathing and the distant calls of other factions tackling their own challenges.
Riven sheathed his sword, wiping sweat from his brow. "Not bad… for a magic freak."
Kairo's crimson eyes glinted faintly. "Not bad… for a sword idiot."
Neither laughed. They only stared into the trees, silently acknowledging something deeper: together, they were more than the sum of their parts.
From the shadows, instructors noted their performance with quiet fascination. One whispered to another:
"Bone and blade… unconventional, yes—but effective. If they continue like this, they might redefine what it means to combine magic and combat."
The hunt wasn't over. But Eclipse Faction had already made its mark.