Fenris's lifeless body lay motionless on the ground within the tent. His eyes were shut, lashes resting against pale skin, his lips parted ever so slightly as though his final breath had simply forgotten to leave. The lantern hanging from the central pole swayed faintly overhead, throwing trembling shadows across the canvas walls. No one spoke.
The silence had weight.
Alden, Alaric, and Gideon stood only a few steps away, their attention fixed on the two boys barely managing to stay on their feet.
Ronan and Orin looked like they had been dragged through a battlefield and left there. Sweat clung to their skin and soaked through their clothes. Dust and dried blood stained their bodies in ugly streaks. Their knees trembled with exhaustion, and every breath that left them came ragged and uneven, scraping through raw throats.
Alaric stared at them for several seconds, his brows gradually drawing together.
"...How?" he muttered, the word leaving him almost unconsciously. "That was a mutated Rank Three monster."
Alden's hands curled into fists so tightly that his knuckles whitened. He turned abruptly, boots grinding against the dirt.
"I'm going."
His voice carried strain beneath the anger.
"I won't stand here and watch my students die like that. They're children—"
Before he could move further, a hand landed firmly on his shoulder.
Gideon.
"Alden."
The grip wasn't forceful, but it didn't yield.
"Look at them."
Alden's body stiffened.
Gideon kept his gaze on the boys.
"They're still standing."
His voice remained steady, measured.
"And neither of them used their jade pendants."
Alden's eyes flickered.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Gideon continued quietly, "That means they made their choice."
The words settled heavily into the air.
"If you interfere now, they'll be disqualified. Whatever happens next..." he paused briefly, "...they chose to walk this road themselves."
Alden's jaw tightened.
His eyes moved toward Ronan.
The boy's shoulders were shaking faintly, whether from pain or exhaustion, even he couldn't tell. Then Orin came into view beside him, standing despite looking like he might collapse at any moment.
Alden let out a slow breath through clenched teeth.
His fists remained tight.
But he stopped moving.
Alaric stepped forward, folding his arms.
"They've already shown more resolve than many grown men I've seen."
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
"Let's see where they take it."
No one answered.
With a small motion of his fingers, soft light bloomed around Fenris's body.
The glow spread slowly across his still form, gentle and warm against the cold stillness of death. A moment later, his body dissolved into streams of light and vanished into Alaric's storage ring.
Silence returned.
Only this time, it felt heavier.
Twelve hours earlier — around midnight...
The cave breathed cold air.
Darkness stretched endlessly through jagged stone corridors, broken only by patches of pale moss glowing faintly along the walls. Thin cracks in the ceiling allowed threads of moonlight to slip inside, silver beams cutting through dust floating lazily through the air.
Water dripped somewhere deeper inside the cavern.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Ronan and Orin crouched near the cave entrance, keeping low behind uneven stone. Their eyes remained locked ahead while they slowed their breathing.
They had followed the trail,l expecting a Rank Two serpent monster.
Instead—
The blood slowly drained from Ronan's face.
Deep within the cave's centre lay a creature coiled around itself like a sleeping storm.
A Rank Three Shocklash Viper.
Its body stretched across the cavern floor, slick emerald scales shimmering beneath the dim light. Faint currents of lightning crawled across its skin, appearing and disappearing like veins of living energy. Pale blue wind sigils spiralled across its body, rotating slowly with soft humming sounds.
Twin horns curved backwards from its head like jagged lightning rods, sparks snapping constantly between them.
Even while sleeping, cyclones of wind twisted around its massive coils.
The air around it looked... wrong.
Distorted.
As if space itself struggled to remain stable.
Its eyes opened slightly.
Pure white.
No pupils.
No emotion.
Just narrow slits filled with raw Aether.
Ronan felt his throat suddenly go dry.
"...This isn't right."
The whisper escaped before he even realised he'd spoken.
His eyes stayed fixed on the creature.
"This is way more trouble than we expected."
Neither moved.
A knot twisted deep in his stomach.
Something felt terribly off.
Then Ronan narrowed his eyes.
"Orin."
"Hm?"
"This thing's thunder-element, right?"
"...Yeah."
Ronan stared.
"Then why the hell is wind Aether circling it?"
Orin blinked.
His brows slowly furrowed.
"...Wait."
The answer struck both of them at once.
Their eyes widened.
"It's mutated."
The words escaped together.
Ronan immediately grabbed Orin's wrist.
"We're leaving."
His voice dropped.
"Now."
"This isn't something we play around with—"
But then—
The Viper stirred.
Slowly.
Its massive head lifted.
Its tongue slid out with a soft hiss, tasting the air.
Both boys instantly threw themselves behind the nearby stone.
Their hearts hammered violently against their ribs.
"We're exposed," Orin whispered.
His voice was barely audible.
Ronan pressed himself against the rock.
Cold sweat rolled down his neck.
"How did this happen?" he muttered through gritted teeth. "The information said Rank Two."
Orin looked shaken.
More than shaken.
Confused.
"No..." he said quietly. "This information shouldn't be wrong."
Ronan turned.
"What do you mean?"
Orin hesitated.
Then—
"Fenris gave me the location."
Ronan's eyes narrowed.
"He said Soren confirmed it, too."
Silence followed.
Only dripping water echoed around them.
Orin lowered his gaze.
His fingers trembled slightly.
"Damn it..."
The words came quietly.
"I trusted him too much."
His jaw tightened.
"I didn't even question it."
He stared at the stone beneath him.
"...Maybe someone's feeding false information."
Ronan stared at him for a moment.
Then shook his head.
"We deal with that later."
He glanced toward his wrist.
"Our invisibility breachlets are almost out."
He swallowed.
"Let's move."
Both turned—
ROOOAAARRR—
The cave exploded with sound.
The monstrous roar shook stone walls and blasted through the air like thunder.
Cracks raced across nearby rock.
The force slammed into them physically.
Around their bodies, the thin veil of distortion created by the breachlet shattered apart like glass.
Shimmering fragments dissolved into nothing.
Ronan's eyes widened.
"...Shit."
Slowly—
The Shocklash Viper turned.
Its white eyes locked onto them.
The entire cave seemed to grow still.
Tiny sparks began crawling over its scales.
Buzz.
Buzz.
Buzz.
The air hummed.
Orin swallowed hard.
Then stepped beside Ronan.
His face had gone pale.
But he didn't step back.
"...Can we kill it?"
Ronan stared ahead.
The monster reflected in his eyes.
"...We don't have a choice."
His grip tightened around his sword.
"If we want to live..."
His blade slid free.
"...then we kill it."
Beside him, Orin unsheathed his own weapon.
Lightning danced across steel.
The battle began.
Ronan's sword erupted into violet flames, ghostly fire coiling around the blade like a living spirit. Heat rippled outward immediately.
The Viper hissed.
Its body tightened.
Coils compressed.
Then—
It moved.
The boys lunged simultaneously.
Steel and lightning tore through the darkness.
CLANG!
Its tail intercepted them.
Sparks exploded violently.
The impact felt like striking solid metal.
Shockwaves ran up Ronan's arms and nearly ripped the sword from his grip.
"Tch—"
Orin landed beside him after leaping back.
"Damn thing's tail is a fortress."
The Viper snarled.
Then its body twisted.
Its tail swept horizontally.
A crescent of thunder, Aether screamed through the cave.
"Blazing Strike!"
Ronan swung.
Violet flames erupted forward.
"Thunder Fang!"
Orin followed immediately.
Their attacks collided with the incoming wave.
BOOOOM—
Fire and lightning erupted.
For one heartbeat, hope flickered—
Then shattered.
The Viper's attack tore through theirs.
"Move!"
Ronan vanished into the shadows.
Orin exploded into lightning.
The thunder slash ripped through the space where they had stood an instant earlier.
The battle stretched on.
Minutes became hours.
Stone shattered beneath impacts.
Their breathing grew heavier.
Their movements slower.
Every strike from the Viper felt heavier than the last.
Every dodge became narrower.
Ronan ducked beneath another strike and thrust forward, violet flames scraping against scales.
"It isn't like we're not hurting it!"
He jumped backwards.
"But we're barely scratching it!"
Nearby, Orin wiped sweat from his face with trembling fingers.
"We'd kill it with higher-tier spells..."
He panted heavily.
"...but I'm down to sixty percent Aether."
Another dodge.
Another slash.
"Below five percent and we're dead!"
His breathing shook.
"Recovery potions need time. I don't want to gamble on that!"
Ronan didn't answer.
His mind raced.
Think.
Think.
Think—
"Ronan!"
"We need to retreat!"
Orin narrowly avoided another strike.
"We find an exit before this thing kills us!"
Then Ronan's eyes widened.
"I've got an—"
WHAM!
The Viper's tail smashed into him.
Ronan barely raised his sword in time.
The impact blasted him backwards like a ragdoll.
Stone exploded.
His body crashed into the wall hard enough to crack it.
Dust rained down.
"RONAN!"
Orin's voice echoed through the cave.
Ronan coughed violently.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Before he could recover—
The Viper lunged.
Its tail shot forward like a spear.
Shadow Step.
Ronan disappeared.
A split second later—
BOOOOM!
Stone burst apart where his chest had been.
Fragments are scattered across the cavern floor.
"What idea?!" Orin shouted, rushing toward him.
Ronan slowly rose.
Blood slid from his lips onto his chin.
Pain screamed through his body.
His ribs felt like they had splintered.
But his eyes—
His eyes had gone still.
Focused.
A strange calm settled over him.
He looked at Orin.
"Can you hold the tarp for a few seconds?"
He wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
Then his lips curled slightly.
"I use one Skysplitter."
His gaze shifted toward the Viper.
"...Then we kill it."