The moment Lynvar vanished into the mist again—
Reeve's vision shifted.
His heartbeat slowed unnaturally.
His limbs moved before thought.
Nyx had taken control.
The world sharpened—every sound stretched, every motion slowed.
Lynvar reappeared behind him.
A strike aimed straight at Reeve's spine—
—but it never landed.
Reeve's body twisted on instinct, Nyx guiding every movement with terrifying precision. A fist narrowly avoided his head, wind slicing his cheek.
[Nyx]
"Analyzing enemy movement.
Speed amplification. Artificial mana circulation."
"…Enough," Reeve said inside his mind.
There was no fear in his voice.
"Give it back."
A pause.
"…What?"
"My body," Reeve repeated.
"This fight—I'll finish it."
For the first time—
Nyx hesitated.
Then—
[Nyx]
"…Control transferred."
The pressure vanished.
Pain returned.
So did weight.
But Reeve smiled.
---
The Fight Changes
Lynvar noticed it instantly.
"…You slowed."
Reeve wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah," he said calmly.
"But now I'm thinking."
Mana surged—not explosively, but compressed.
A fireball formed in Reeve's palm.
Small. Dense. Bright.
Lynvar laughed.
"You can't use that from this distance."
Reeve didn't reply.
The fireball stabilized—but instead of releasing it—
He wrapped water mana around it.
The flame didn't go out.
It locked.
Reeve's eyes widened.
"…So that's how."
Water wasn't extinguishing the fire.
It was containing it.
Maintaining its shape.
Preventing dissipation.
Lynvar's smile faded.
Reeve vanished.
Not teleportation.
Pure speed.
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he crossed the distance instantly—
Fireball still burning.
Still stable.
Still alive.
"Too late," Reeve whispered.
He slammed the fireball directly into Lynvar's mask.
The explosion detonated inward.
Lynvar's body was launched violently into the mist, crashing through rock and debris far beyond Reeve's position.
The shockwave flattened the surrounding ground.
Silence followed.
Smoke rose.
Reeve stood there—breathing heavily.
Lunareth stared at him.
Then smiled.
"…Well done."
Kaelith exhaled slowly.
"…He adapted mid-fight."
Elaryn's eyes sparkled faintly.
"He learned control instead of force."
Reeve didn't answer.
He looked toward the mist.
"…Let's see what's on the other side."
---
The Price
They moved forward.
The mist parted slightly.
Reeve stepped once—
Then his legs gave out.
His body collapsed forward.
"Reeve!"
Kaelith caught him before he hit the ground.
"…This is the first time," Kaelith muttered, frowning,
"that he collapsed after the fight."
Lunareth clenched her fists.
"…His mana circuits burned."
Nyx's voice echoed faintly in Reeve's fading consciousness—
[Nyx]
"…You pushed beyond calculated limits."
Darkness closed in.
The world disappeared.
What happened after—
Was not shown.