"Ereon, get up. How many times will I have to say this?" Nika's voice cut the training room like a cold blade.
Ereon remained seated, the body rigid, the eyes fixed on Lili. Lili was the image of the counter-sense: young, elegant and imposing. Her short black hair framed a face of refined features; the eyes, alive and expressive, examined Ereon with calculated interest. She wore ceremonial clothes in red and white, with golden details that remembered the symbol of the wind and royalty — grandeur and lightness, authority and threat.
Nika crossed the arms, the voice measured and dry: "Out there are people much more dangerous than Lili. Both those who passed through the Abyss and those chosen by their lineage. I do not expect you to manage to strike back now; I expect you to engrave this in the body and in the mind. Lili devoured Fujin. She is the fastest person I know."
Lili smiled while she approached, light steps as if the air obeyed every gesture. "Ereon, you have good instincts," she said, almost indulgent. "But you have a fatal flaw. Besides not having experience against awakened ones, you were trained to kill with a single blow. In the form in which you find yourself now, it is impossible to defeat me. So tell me: what do you think Nika wants to teach you?"
Ereon remained seated, indifferent to the provocation; it was not coldness, but an attempt to hold the breath of the past that still pulled him down.
Nika breathed deep: "As Lili said, you lack experience. But remember: in a fight between awakened, the one who discovers the weakness of the other first wins. Lili can be fast when she unites with the wind, but even she shows vulnerability. If you find that moment, you may win."
She pointed to the ground in front of Ereon. "Get up. I will teach you a different way of fighting."
Ereon rose, tense muscles, while Lili already took position, light as if she could disappear in a breath. The light of the room played on the golden details of her outfit; Nika placed herself at Ereon's side, eyes fixed, ready to carve into that young man the lesson that the judgment, years later, would come to demand.
Ereon opened his eyes, emerging from his thoughts. The smell of blood filled the air, mixed with the screams of the vanguard and the dry sound of blades tearing flesh.
"How will we face this?" Karna asked, the voice trembling.
"Telvaris… you may not have noticed, but the guards in charge of the girls fled with them." Ereon answered, low, firm.
"What?" Karna clenched the fists. "They are that important to them? Do they think they will escape with this monster before us?"
Telvaris kept the firm look, almost reading what Ereon did not say: "If you spoke about this, it means you want me to follow them."
"Yes," Ereon nodded. "Me and Karna will stay here to face her. She is not alone. If her allies arrive, we will have no escape. But what bothers me are the marks left in each village... and the reason for taking those girls."
Telvaris stared at him: "You are speaking more than expected. Even you are afraid. I imagine: it must be your first time facing someone like this."
Ereon looked at Karna, then at Telvaris, and laid the hands on the shoulders of both: "You need to go now, after those guards."
His gaze fell on Karna. Then, he turned to Isabela. The blade was drawn with firmness, and in an almost reverent whisper, he said: "I know, Totsuka no Tsurugi…"
Telvaris departed in search of the young women. Karna breathed deep, preparing to give all the support to Ereon. The air loaded with blood and iron reminded that that night would change everything.
Isabela cleaned the sacred blade with a slow movement, the eyes still burning in blue, while the last screams of the mercenaries were silenced.
Ereon stepped forward, placing himself between her and Karna. The shadow around him moved as if it had life of its own.
"Enough." His voice was low, firm. "I cannot let you become an obstacle in my plans."
She stared at him in silence for an instant, and then smiled with sadness. "Plans? You speak as if you had the right to decide over destinies that are not yours." Her eyes shone even more, blue flames reflecting in the blood around. "But I do not fight for plans. I fight for justice."
Karna raised the bow, the tense voice: "Then there will be no return."
Isabela raised the blade, the sacred aura crackling around her like celestial fire. "If it is the path you chose, let the flames judge you."
The shadows rose around Ereon. He breathed deep, sliding the feet over the ground as if it were the beginning of a dance.
The field still smelled of iron and ashes. Isabela advanced with the blade raised, firm steps, eyes fixed on Ereon. He responded with light posture, black sword in hands, moving in fluid way. Karna withdrew a few meters, bow ready, observing each movement.
Ereon attacked first, a fast lateral cut, measuring reflexes. Isabela blocked, returning a vertical blow. He withdrew, sliding among rubble, avoiding direct impact. Each exchange was calculated, each posture studied, seeking to anticipate the next attack.
She advanced with diagonal cuts, trying to test speed and strength. Ereon dodged and responded with thrusts, spinning to explore breaches. Karna adjusted position, bow ready, but still did not shoot.
The rhythm remained intense: jumps, spins, cuts and blocks. Ereon attacked the flank; Isabela spun, dodged and returned a horizontal blow, which he blocked adjusting the angle of the blade.
She jumped back and attacked again. Ereon slid on the ground, counterattacking and spinning quickly. Each action demanded calculation: distance, angle, strength, speed.
After minutes of physical exchanges, Ereon noticed an opening and, discreetly, molded small shadow crows, partially obscuring Isabela's vision. She needed to adjust the blade, dodging partially, still keeping physical attacks.
Isabela cut in multiple directions, dodging and blocking, forcing Ereon to retreat and spin. He responded with vertical and horizontal cuts, always seeking breaches.
Karna finally shot the Nagastra, the serpent arrow chasing relentlessly. She dodged by centimeters, spun and attacked again, hitting a shadow wolf that advanced by the flank.
Ereon combined physical attacks with shadow wolves and serpents. Isabela dodged, blocked, jumped and used punctual flashes of sacred aura to disperse creatures. Each physical movement now needed to count with the invisible danger that the shadows brought.
Karna released another Nagastra, pressing without breaking the flow of the fight. Each movement was response to the other: advance, retreat, cut, block, dodge, manipulation of shadow or arrow.
The combat continued, long and continuous, blow by blow. Small flaws arose, but none retreated. Ereon took advantage of an opening to attack diagonally; Isabela blocked and responded with vertical thrust, dodging wolves and Nagastra simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Telvaris advanced through the forest. Branches tore his clothes, slippery leaves hindered the steps. The moonlight illuminated blood stains scattered on the ground and trunks. Further ahead, runic inscriptions pulsed slightly. A crack of branch made Telvaris freeze: a wounded guard emerged from the shadows, wide eyes. Something ancient and dangerous moved there. He did not know exactly what, but each detail indicated that it was not only about escape.
A crash shook the mountains, reverberating through the valleys. Ereon felt the ground tremble, Isabela paused, frowning, and Karna adjusted posture. The impact spread beyond: 24 Emperors felt the vibrations in their thrones, higher nobles rose alarmed, and kings of all the empires looked to the horizon.
In the plane of the gods, Odin raised the hand, eyes shining: "So, you arrived…" his deep voice echoed through all reality. "Abyssae."
The mention of the name carried weight and mystery, and all felt that something decisive approached, surpassing battles, empires and mortal destinies