The forest thinned until only stone remained. At its heart stood a cave, wide and gaping, breathing a cold air that smelled of ash and iron. The ground was scarred, claw marks gouging deep into the rock.
Erethon smirked beside Rayon, his shadowy form flickering in and out of sight.
"Oh, what fun. You've wandered into the den of a queen."
Rayon adjusted his collar, unbothered. "Then let's see if she bows."
From the mouth of the cave, a voice answered—smooth, velvety, and dangerous.
"Few dare walk this deep. Fewer leave alive."
She stepped into the light.
A woman, tall and lithe, skin pale as moonlight with a faint sheen like scales beneath the surface. Her hair was long and black, shimmering with streaks of violet, flowing like liquid shadow. Eyes of molten gold watched him, sharp and unblinking. She wore almost nothing: strips of dark silk draped carelessly across her form, leaving more revealed than concealed. Not fragile—never fragile—but dangerous in the way poison is beautiful.
She smiled, slow and amused. "I am Nexus. The forest's end, its ruler, its executioner. And you…" her gaze swept over him, lingering on his blood-soaked suit, the black threads twitching at his fingers, "…smell of old madness and stolen power. How delicious."
Rayon didn't flinch. "And you smell like arrogance."
Erethon laughed. "She likes you already."
The air shifted. Nexus moved.
Faster than Rayon expected, her hand shot for his throat. He twisted, strings lashing out, catching her wrist mid-strike. But her strength was overwhelming; the strings creaked as though they were being bent to snapping. She pushed him back, step by step, her eyes gleaming with hunger.
Rayon grinned, blood dripping from his lip. "Good. I needed the exercise."
The battle began.
For two hours, they clashed through the forest. Rayon's Hollow Strings snapped and sliced, weaving around her strikes. Nexus countered with a predator's grace, her movements fluid, every kick and strike flowing like a dance. She fought barehanded, and yet every blow felt like it could shatter mountains.
The beast blood in Rayon burned hotter with each exchange. His body moved sharper, faster, the instincts of countless slain monsters surging through him. He ducked under a sweeping kick, slammed a fist into her ribs, and felt bones give—but she only laughed, teeth sharp against her lips.
"You fight like a beast," she purred, catching him in a grapple, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered, "but beasts still bow to dragons." She slammed him into the ground hard enough to crack stone.
Rayon coughed blood, laughing through it. "Then show me one."
Her smile widened. She stepped back, silk falling away from her shoulders. Darkness rippled across her skin, spreading like scales. Her body grew, warped, twisted, until the cave itself shook with her transformation.
Before Rayon stood not a woman, but a dragon—scales blacker than void, wings spreading wide enough to blot out the moon. Her eyes still burned gold, now burning brighter, filled with hunger and fury. Her claws dug into the ground, tail lashing, teeth gleaming like blades.
Erethon's voice purred inside Rayon's skull.
"Oh… oh, yes. A Calamity-ranked Ancient Dragon. Black Nexus, bane of forests, eater of gods. She is destruction given shape, boy. If she had chosen the skies instead of these woods, kingdoms would already burn."
Rayon's strings uncoiled around him, his grin widening despite his bloodied face. His suit was torn, his body battered, but his eyes gleamed with something stronger than fear—excitement.
"You're stronger than the serpent," he said, his voice steady. "Perfect."
The dragon roared, and the forest shook as though the world itself bent beneath her will.
Rayon only raised his fists.
"Come on, then. Let's dance."