Mr. Greatsword vanished. One moment he was beside Erin, the next, a white streak was bearing down on Yun's throat, blade first.
Branwyn twisted away. His shadow moved with him, carrying Yun out of the blade's path by a narrow margin.
The greatsword's steel whistled through empty air.
Instead of crashing through the marred tree though, the young Divine proved once more why Yun had no business standing there.
He planted his feet against its trunk as though it were level ground. Gripping his massive sword, he bent his knees and leapt off the tree with the momentum of a firearm. He was like a bullet that could fire itself.
The tree exploded behind him.
Yun barely had time to follow the motion before another streak of light crossed his vision.
Then another.
And three more.
In an instant, the grove became a latticework of blinding white, each impossible rebound carrying Tyr from trunk to trunk with enough force to splinter bark and shake branches loose overhead.
Erin stood a safe distance away with her arms folded behind her back.
"Careful, Tyr. We're surrounded by darkness."
A flash.
"Uncle has eyes everywhere."
Tyr gave no sign he'd heard her. Or perhaps this was him listening.
The streaks of light began veering away at impossible angles, probing the grove from every direction in search of an opening.
Branwyn didn't bother pursuing him, much to Yun's confusion. "Why are you just standing there?"
Branwyn simply lowered himself into a crouch. His left hand disappeared into the shadows pooled at his feet. When it emerged, it carried a long black spear.
A stray beam flew off the web of crisscrossing light and lanced towards Branwyn's face. He raised the sleeve of his robe to meet it, but Tyr's beam took a hard turn at the last instant. The light curved sharply around the fabric, skipping across the darkness. Only then did Yun realize that Branwyn had left him exposed.
The beam dove straight for Yun. He raised his arms to block, then froze.
If this was meant to be the end, so be it. Death was better than bondage.
…
Nothing hit.
Shadow tentacles burst upward from the ground to intercept Tyr's light. The beam bent again to avoid being hit.
Yun was spared. He wasn't sure yet if he was happy about that.
The beam slipped between the writhing limbs without touching a single one and struck Branwyn in the back of the head with a dull thud.
"Argh."
The web of light unravelled, and Tyr burst out of it, landing in a crouch next to Erin. "I can't find an opening." He let out a frustrated exhale while rolling a shoulder.
Erin nodded and slid forward with unhurried steps, stopping well outside the reach of Branwyn's spear. "Say, Uncle. Are you prepared to face the consequences of your actions?"
Branwyn rubbed the back of his head, looking more annoyed than hurt.
"Honestly, no."
"Then why are you making things difficult? Over that thing? You know its existence means Aunty cheated on you, right?" Erin gasped theatrically, bringing a hand to her mouth. "With a human, no less."
Yun gulped. Something about Erin's words made his stomach twist, and he wasn't the only one. At his feet, Branwyn's shadow rippled.
Slowly, it rose. The darkness swallowed Yun's feet first, before devouring his ankles. A cold spread up his legs as the shadow crept steadily higher. He became overwhelmed by the sense that he had merged with Branwyn's shadow.
He could see what Branwyn saw and feel what he felt. With that came the knowledge of the monstrous strength hidden beneath these dark robes.
He realized that power felt good.
For the first time, Yun understood why people chased strength. He wondered if surviving his First Vision could bring him this feeling again in the future.
"I'm not doing this with you, Erin. Not right now," said Branwyn.
"I know. I just need you to stay still."
Erin laughed softly.
"Oh…"
She pointed at the sky. "... Have you forgotten about Reida already?"
Yun felt pressure build up at the top of his head, or was it Branwyn's head? "Ack!"
Cracks and snaps sounded off like fireworks as something broke through the branches.
The canopy exploded apart. Reida — the stiff wall — crashed down from the sky like a falling tower.
Her impact split the earth with a thunderous crack. Soil erupted upward in every direction, roots snapping under the force of a meteor. The grove lurched beneath Branwyn's shadow, and Yun barely managed to cover his face before the shockwave slammed into him.
Branwyn endured the invisible force and leapt into action.
The black spear in his hand swept outward in one smooth arc, summoning a wall of shadow that stopped the cloud of dirt rolling towards him dead.
Reida emerged from the crater she'd made without a single scratch. She rolled a shoulder as if she'd just woken up from a nap. Her morningstar rested over the other shoulder as chunks of loose earth tumbled from her robes.
"Lady Erin, I apologize for missing."
Erin shrugged. "Don't stress too much over that. We are dealing with a Power."
Before the last syllable left her mouth, a white light flashed through the trees. Tyr joined the fray.
His greatsword bit the air towards Branwyn's neck. A ringing explosion echoed through the grove as the black spear intercepted the great strike.
Tyr vanished before the recoil had finished travelling through the shaft, becoming another streak of white that ricocheted between trunks.
The entire forest lit up with his movements.
Branwyn didn't follow him with his eyes, the shadows did that for him. Instead, he focused his gaze on Reida, who was advancing towards him with ground-shattering steps.
Where Tyr was fast and tricky, she was pure, overwhelming force.
"Hrmm."
Black tendrils burst from every tree, every patch of darkness, and uneven fold on the ground. They lunged upward whenever Tyr approached, forcing him to constantly redirect and adjust his position.
That would keep him busy for a bit. Now for Reida.
Her Lineage Path likely allowed her to fluctuate her weight to a certain extent.
Yun confirmed it when she leapt from her crater with no resistance, then turned into a sledgehammer wielding a morningstar over its head.
She crashed into Branwyn.