The forest clearing vibrated with raw power, a palpable hum that seemed to press against the very air itself. Rayon remained under the tree, half-lounged, smirking faintly as Erethon and Calythar continued their sparring dance. But Erethon's smirk shifted into something darker, sharper—an idea forming in that twisted, cunning mind of his.
"You know," Erethon said, his voice low, almost teasing, "I haven't really used one of my favorite toys in a long time."
Calythar raised an eyebrow, glancing at him, still poised and graceful, yet a flicker of something wary passing through his eyes. "Oh? And what would that be, old friend?"
Erethon's grin widened, shadows coiling subtly around him. "Dermos."
The moment he spoke the word, the air shifted. It wasn't just a name—it was a declaration. Dermos, a manifestation of fear itself. As a Primordial of Insanity, Erethon could take the deepest, darkest fears of a being and make them real, tangible, visceral. It was one thing to dodge a strike or withstand a blow. It was another to see your own nightmares rise against you, to feel them crush your mind before they even touch your body.
Calythar stiffened slightly, just a moment, before regaining his posture. Erethon's eyes gleamed, and with a subtle flick of his wrist, a ripple ran across the clearing. Shadows contorted, thickening and twisting, forming shapes that weren't there before. Shapes that crawled from the deepest recesses of Calythar's mind.
And then it began.
Calythar's vision was suddenly filled with an endless void, a storm of collapsing stars and shattered worlds, countless voices screaming his failures, his losses, the lives he couldn't save across millennia. Figures with elongated limbs reached for him, claws of entropy scraping at his mind. The forest itself seemed to dissolve, replaced by a nightmarish landscape of twisting black and red light, collapsing into infinite chaos.
Rayon's eyes narrowed slightly. This is Dermos… he's only using one ability, and even that, the forest feels… wrong.
Calythar's hands clenched into fists, the air around him bending, but Erethon laughed lightly. "Come on, Caly… admit it. You're trembling."
But then, something changed. The faint pulse of Solvithar—the embodiment of entropy—flickered. Calythar's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. And with a subtle motion, almost imperceptible, the nightmares began to waver, shimmer, and crack like glass. The void Erethon had conjured faltered. Figures dissolved into smoke. The air snapped back into normalcy.
Erethon's grin faltered, just slightly. "Well… that's new."
Calythar took a slow step forward, graceful, unshaken. "You see, old friend… I did create a counter for Dermos, back in the days we were free. It's not perfect. Not complete. But enough…" His eyes glinted as he moved, the nightmarish constructs collapsing entirely under his will.
Erethon chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "You never cease to surprise me. Clever. Very clever."
Rayon finally exhaled a faint laugh, leaning back against the tree. "You two… always finding new ways to show off. Honestly, I was getting bored watching you toy with each other."
Calythar turned to Rayon, a smirk tugging at his lips. "And what would you do, little monarch? You'd probably just… kill us both for fun."
Rayon's lips curled in that cold, calculating smirk. "Maybe. Or maybe I'd just sit and watch. Depends if you annoy me enough."
Erethon, still floating with shadows clinging faintly to his form, let out a low laugh. "I suppose that's why you're… interesting." He looked at Calythar, amusement in his eyes. "Dermos is tricky, yes, but watching you dance through it… priceless."
Calythar's red hair flickered in the dying light of the clearing as he sheathed his counter with ease. "Next time, Erethon, don't underestimate me. Even your Insanity has limits."
Erethon smirked darkly. "Limits are… relative. And you, my friend, are entertaining. But next time…" He let the sentence hang, a promise and a threat both.
Rayon stood, brushing some leaves from his coat, smirk still in place. "Alright, that's enough. If you two are going to go at it again, at least take it further from me. I'm trying to enjoy the forest."
Calythar chuckled softly, stepping closer to Erethon. "Agreed. Though… seeing you flustered, even slightly, was amusing."
Erethon rolled his eyes but the faintest smile played at his lips. "Amusing, yes. But you'll regret underestimating me one day. Little monarch… don't get too comfortable."
Rayon snorted quietly, sitting back down under the tree. "You really should stop threatening the ones who are actually bound to the universe, Erethon. Might get annoying when I start listening."
The forest grew still again, the tension ebbing, yet the pulse of power remained, faintly vibrating the ground. Rayon watched the two Primordials, old friends reunited, their sparring halted but their aura still rippling across the clearing.
One day, Rayon thought, smirking faintly, I'll see what happens when Insanity faces Black Resonance head-on. That'll be fun.