Kael felt the heat of the lion's paw just before it would crush him. For a heartbeat the world seemed to stop. The roar, the fire, the smell of scorched earth, even the trembling ground beneath his feet, everything froze into a single, suspended moment. His mind screamed, panic clawing at him, yet somehow he felt the tiniest thread of clarity.
He watched the paw arc through the air, slow as a falling leaf, and in that moment he understood its path. His body reacted before his mind fully comprehended, sidestepping to the right with barely a conscious thought. The paw slammed into the ground where he had been standing a second ago, sending sparks and fragments of scorched soil into the air. Kael stumbled but did not fall. He blinked, heart hammering, and a shaky laugh escaped him.
"I… I just dodged that," he whispered. Sweat ran down his temples, burned into his eyes by the heat of the lion's flames. "I even thought I contracted a trash spirit, but it seems I collected a huge bargain." He allowed himself a small, shaky smile, the first real relief since entering the clearing. His hands trembled as he gripped the sword, feeling the cold steel and yet sensing something else within him, a presence that had just awakened.
The lion did not pause. Its glowing red eyes narrowed, and a guttural growl rose from deep within its chest. Kael watched it, noticing the faint tension in its muscles, the way its paws barely lifted before striking. Each movement became predictable, almost like he could see it before it happened. And in that realization, his breath caught again. The Farsight Wisp, which he had thought was little more than a simple vision spirit, had given him more than mere sight. It had given him time—slices of it, enough to see a step ahead of fate itself.
Kael exhaled slowly, trying to calm the whirlwind in his chest. His legs were already sore from dodging the first attack, but his mind felt alive in a way it never had before. The world began moving again, but he saw the next strike coming. He sidestepped again, narrowly avoiding the lion's fiery paw. Sparks hissed where the claw tore through the scorched earth, leaving a trail of molten dust in its wake.
"Alright, Kael, think," he muttered under his breath. "This is no longer about running. This is about playing smart. If it wants me dead, I'll make it chase me, and maybe, just maybe, I can find a way to turn this to my advantage."
He darted behind a charred tree stump, barely keeping his footing as the ground shook with the lion's steps. Flames licked the edges of the stump as the beast passed. Kael laughed softly, a mixture of adrenaline and disbelief. "You are really angry, huh? Let's see if you can catch me." He tossed a small rock to the side. It skittered across the blackened soil. The lion's head followed it, a flicker of awareness in its burning eyes. Kael used the moment to pivot and sprint behind another tree, heart pounding.
The fireballs came next. Molten spheres shot from the lion's mouth, arcing toward him like tiny suns. Kael felt the heat before he saw them, but instinctively, almost as if the Wisp had planted it in his mind, he shifted to the side, letting the fireballs pass harmlessly where he had just been. The ground hissed and bubbled, smoldering, marking the path of destruction. Kael's chest heaved. He was alive, but the fight had only just begun.
He ducked under a low branch and looked at the clearing around him. Craters scarred the ground, trees were reduced to ash, and the forest itself seemed to hold its breath, watching the duel between boy and beast. A small creature, likely an unlucky fox, lay charred at the edge of the battlefield. Kael's stomach tightened. Even in a fight for his mother's life, he hated unnecessary death. He exhaled, focusing again on the lion, which was already moving toward him, mane ablaze like a molten crown.
Kael's mind raced, trying to map the lion's attacks. He saw patterns now, subtle ones: the way it twisted before leaping, the timing of its paws, the slight flare of fire before it roared. The Farsight Wisp had granted him more than reflexes. He could anticipate, almost play along with the beast, using its own momentum against it.
"You are strong," he said quietly, speaking aloud for the first time. "But I'm smarter." He leapt aside as the lion's paw struck the place he had been standing. Sparks and smoke filled the air, stinging his eyes. He laughed, a short, sharp sound, and felt something warm spread through his chest, a rush of elation that mingled with terror. "I'm actually… having fun?"
The lion roared, answering him with heat and flames that warped the air, but Kael had begun to move almost rhythmically, dodging, sidestepping, leaping. Every time the lion lunged, he saw the strike coming a moment before it happened and moved. He started experimenting, leading the lion across craters, toward broken stumps, even toward molten rocks that shifted its footing. It growled and roared with frustration, its attacks growing more violent, more unpredictable.
Kael paused for a split second, heart hammering, sweat burning his eyes. He smiled despite the fear. "I even thought I got a trash spirit. Looks like this little one has more tricks than I imagined." He shook his head, incredulous. "If I can survive this, I can survive anything."
Minutes passed—or perhaps hours, though time felt different now—and Kael began to feel it. The fatigue. The way his arms ached from holding the sword, the muscles in his legs trembling from constant motion. His breathing became more ragged. Even foresight could not replace endurance. He leaned against a scorched rock, wiping soot from his face, feeling the first pangs of real fear.
"I can't keep this up forever," he muttered, voice low, almost a whisper. "Even with foresight, even with this… gift, I can't outrun exhaustion." He stared at the lion, which was watching him with patient fury, mane glowing like molten gold, flames licking the edges of the clearing. "But I can last a little longer. I have to."
He crouched, gathering his strength. He thought of his mother, lying in her wheelchair, fragile and sick, waiting for him to come back with hope. His heart tightened, but it fueled him, gave him focus. The Wisp within him pulsed faintly, as if acknowledging his resolve. Kael smiled, small but genuine. "We'll get through this. I'll find a way."
The lion lunged again, faster, more precise. Kael stepped to the side, letting the creature's paw scrape harmlessly past him. Sparks flew, the sound of shattering earth ringing in his ears. He began to move in patterns now, circling the lion, reading its movements, anticipating every step. He mocked it quietly, teasing, pushing it to expend more energy, while carefully conserving his own.
"You really want me, don't you?" he said softly, dodging a fireball that hissed and exploded against a scorched stump. "Come on, give me everything you've got. I'm ready." He laughed, a sound filled with both fear and delight. The lion's eyes flared, and it launched a massive charge, fire trailing behind it like a comet.
Kael braced, focusing entirely, muscles trembling, sweat stinging his eyes. And then he realized something that made his pulse leap: he could see not just the attacks, but the consequences of them. Every paw, every fireball, every swipe of the lion's tail, he saw a fraction of a second before it landed. He could maneuver through chaos like walking a familiar path, dance along the edge of disaster without touching it.
But the exhaustion was growing. His body screamed for rest, his arms threatened to fail, and his lungs burned. He gritted his teeth. He would not falter. Not now, not when the path to his mother's cure lay ahead. Not when the Farsight Wisp had chosen him, recognizing his resolve.
Kael took a deep breath, centering himself amidst the inferno. The lion crouched, preparing for a final, devastating strike. Kael felt every movement in slow motion, every roar, every flicker of flame, every tremor in the ground beneath its paws. He tightened his grip on the sword and squared his shoulders, ready to face the attack head-on, ready to test the limits of the foresight the Wisp had granted him.
The lion lunged. Flames exploded around Kael. Time seemed to stretch. He saw the paw, the trajectory, the heat, and he moved. His feet barely touched the scorched ground as he twisted and leapt, a hair's breadth away from destruction. He landed, chest heaving, eyes wide, and a triumphant laugh broke free from his lips.
"I'm not a trash spirit," he said, voice hoarse but filled with conviction. "I will survive. We will survive."
And for the first time, Kael truly understood the power he had within. The Farsight Wisp was no longer just a companion. It was a force that could shape the outcome of fate, and he was beginning to master it. But even as the fire and smoke swirled around him, exhaustion weighing him down, he knew this was only the beginning. The lion was far from defeated. The Veilworld had many more lessons to teach, and Kael would endure them all, one step, one strike, and one heartbeat at a time.