The destruction was relentless. Wave after wave of Tel-Nu's controlled chaos ripped through Corintopia, leaving nothing but rubble in its wake. Walls that had stood for centuries crumbled, and entire buildings were reduced to dust. The armies of Corintopia—the soldiers who had trained for this very moment—stood at the ready, but there was nothing they could do. The attacks were not aimed at them, yet they found themselves caught in the middle of an unstoppable force.
Even now, no one had been harmed. The devastation around them was precise, calculated. The shadowy force that had been saving civilians now turned its focus to the armies and the Core Seven themselves.
In the First Ring, Junna stood on the shattered remnants of a tower, her sword drawn as she scanned the battlefield. Her pristine white armor was covered in dust and debris, her face grim as the ground shook beneath her feet. Her soldiers stood behind her, their weapons ready, but none of them had been able to engage the enemy.
"Another report, my lady," one of her captains called out as he approached, his face pale with disbelief. "The barracks to the east have collapsed. No casualties—just like the others."
Junna's grip tightened on her sword. "He's not just attacking the city. He's targeting us."
The captain nodded, his eyes wide with confusion. "It seems so. But why? Why destroy everything around us and leave us unharmed?"
Before Junna could answer, the ground beneath her began to tremble again, and she felt a familiar pull—an invisible force wrapping around her. The shadows. In an instant, the world around her shifted, and she found herself standing in a different part of the city, far from the destruction. She was closer to the Seventh Ring now, the walls of the inner sanctum looming in the distance.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked around, her soldiers appearing beside her, equally disoriented. She knew it was Tel-Nu. He had moved them—again.
"What is he doing?" she whispered, her voice filled with frustration. "Why is he toying with us?"
Across the city, similar scenes were unfolding.
In the Second Ring, Cusi stood at the head of his forces, his glowing staff held high as he tried to make sense of the chaos. His command center had been reduced to rubble, the buildings around him leveled by Tel-Nu's attacks. But as before, no one had been harmed.
"Master Cusi," one of his aides said breathlessly as she approached, her voice tinged with fear. "The western fortifications have been destroyed. But the men... they were relocated. The shadows moved them."
Cusi frowned, his mind racing. He had felt it too—the pull of the shadows, wrapping around him like an invisible force, moving him closer to the Seventh Ring. He looked down at his staff, its glow flickering as though it, too, was confused by what was happening.
"He's herding us," Cusi muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing. "But why? What does he want?"
In the Third Ring, Kira had been perched atop a watchtower when the attack hit. The tower crumbled beneath her feet, but before she could fall, she felt the shadows envelop her, pulling her away from the danger. In a blink, she was standing on solid ground again, the remains of the tower far behind her.
Her rangers appeared beside her, equally unharmed, their faces pale with shock.
"Commander," one of her rangers called out, his voice shaking. "He's moving us. He's not trying to kill us—he's moving us closer to the Seventh Ring."
"I know," Kira replied, her voice tight with frustration. She scanned the horizon, watching as more buildings collapsed in the distance. "He's dismantling everything we've built. Piece by piece."
"But why save us?" the ranger asked, his confusion mirroring her own. "What's the point?"
"I don't know," Kira admitted, her gaze hardening. "But whatever it is, it's not good."
The same scenes played out in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Rings.
In the Fourth Ring, Cormac stood in the center of the city's great temple as it crumbled around him. He felt the shadows wrap around him, pulling him away from the destruction and depositing him safely near the Seventh Ring.
His monks had been moved as well, their prayers interrupted by the sudden relocation. Cormac looked around, his normally calm demeanor cracked by the confusion in his eyes.
"What are you doing, Tel-Nu?" he whispered, his voice lost in the rumble of collapsing stone.
In the Fifth Ring, Dmitri's command center was reduced to rubble in mere moments, but he, too, was untouched by the destruction. He felt the pull of the shadows and found himself standing at the edge of the Seventh Ring, his elite soldiers beside him.
He clenched his fists, his muscles tensing with frustration. "This isn't a fight. This is a game."
And in the Sixth Ring, Eshe hovered above the city, her ethereal form glowing as she watched the destruction unfold. She could feel Tel-Nu's power pulsing through the shadows, manipulating the battlefield with terrifying precision. He was dismantling their defenses, but not a single life had been lost.
"It's deliberate," Eshe whispered to herself, her eyes narrowing as she floated closer to the Seventh Ring. "He's testing us. But for what?"
As the Core Seven were relocated, one by one, the reports continued to flood in. Every command center, every key building in the outer rings, was being systematically destroyed. But the citizens, the soldiers, and the Core Seven themselves were being spared.
In the Seventh Ring, Delson Snow Sr. stood at the top of the Council Tower, his eyes fixed on the destruction unfolding below. His fists were clenched at his sides, his jaw set in grim determination. He had received the reports—the same reports that filled the other members of the Core Seven with confusion and frustration.
"Another one," one of his aides said as he approached, his voice laced with disbelief. "The command center in the Third Ring has been destroyed. But the soldiers were relocated—just like the others."
Delson Sr. didn't respond right away. His eyes remained fixed on the horizon, where the smoke from the destroyed buildings rose into the sky. He had felt it too—the pull of the shadows. Tel-Nu was moving them, drawing them closer to the Seventh Ring, the heart of Corintopia.
"What are you doing, Tel-Nu?" Delson Sr. muttered under his breath, his voice filled with frustration. "Why save us if you intend to destroy everything else?"
As the destruction continued, the Core Seven found themselves standing at the threshold of the Seventh Ring, their command centers reduced to rubble, their armies scattered but unharmed. The tension in the air was thick, the confusion mounting with every passing moment.
Tel-Nu was attacking them, but he wasn't killing them. He wasn't killing anyone.
And that terrified them more than any battle ever could.