"I thought you wouldn't come?" Nova asked, her lips curving into a faint, amused smile.
Maxwell huffed as he trudged through the snow behind her.
"Of course I came. Snowy followed you like you were his real master."
Snowy stood beside Nova, wings tucked neatly, eyes calm.
When Maxwell shot him a glare, Snowy didn't even react.
Tch… smug bird.
Before Maxwell could open his mouth to complain again—
BOOM!
The snow beneath them exploded.
A violent shockwave hurled chunks of frozen earth into the air as two massive clawed hands burst upward from below, tearing through the ground like it was paper.
"WHAT—?!"
The claws slashed straight toward Maxwell.
The Neovano creature had gone for the weakest target first.
Maxwell barely had time to draw his sword before the claws came crashing down.
CLANG!
The impact rang through his arms, sending a sharp jolt of pain straight into his shoulders. The force blasted him backward, his boots skidding across the snow before he tumbled violently into the ground.
"Urgh—!"
He rolled and barely managed to push himself up as the creature emerged.
It was a grotesque thing—four-legged, plated in thick icy hide, with long hooked claws and glowing red eyes that burned with hunger.
"What the hell is that?!" Maxwell shouted.
Nova stood several meters away, arms crossed, watching.
"Forget about that and fight."
Maxwell stared at her in disbelief.
"Fight?! Are you insane?! Come help me!"
But Nova didn't move.
Her gaze was cold, calculating.
She had said she would train him.
This was his first lesson.
The creature lunged again.
Maxwell barely sidestepped as its claws ripped through the air where his head had been a moment before. Snow and ice exploded behind him as the ground was gouged apart.
His heart hammered.
It's fast…
He raised his sword and slashed.
The blade scraped against the creature's hardened hide, barely leaving a shallow mark.
"Are you kidding me?!" he yelled.
The Neovano creature screeched and slammed into him, knocking him off balance. Maxwell crashed into the snow again, coughing as freezing air filled his lungs.
He rolled just in time to avoid another swipe that would've crushed his skull.
Nova watched silently.
He knows hundreds of combat arts… yet he fights like this?
No footwork. No timing. No control.
Maxwell forced himself upright, breathing hard.
Think… think…
Uncle Kim's voice echoed in his memory.
"Knowing a move is useless if you don't understand when to use it."
The creature charged.
Maxwell lowered his stance.
At the last second, he twisted aside, letting the beast's momentum carry it forward—then slashed at its joint.
Blood sprayed
.
The creature roared in pain and fury.
Maxwell's eyes widened.
It worked!
But before he could celebrate, the creature's tail whipped around and slammed into his ribs.
CRACK.
"Agh—!"
Maxwell flew across the snow, tumbling violently before skidding to a stop. Pain shot through his chest like fire.
His vision blurred.
Nova frowned slightly.
Too reckless. He went in without guarding.
The Neovano stalked toward him, dragging its injured leg.
Maxwell forced himself up, legs trembling.
His breathing was ragged. His hands were numb from the cold and pain.
"Come on… just one more…" he muttered.
The creature lunged again.
Maxwell ducked, rolled, slashed, retreated—again and again. Every movement was slower than the last. His stamina was draining rapidly.
Nova could see it clearly.
This fight should have ended already…
Maxwell's sword slipped from his fingers as his grip weakened.
The creature pounced.
Desperate, Maxwell threw himself forward and drove his blade into the creature's throat with everything he had.
It shrieked, thrashing violently, flinging him aside.
Blood splattered the snow.
But the creature didn't die.
It swung wildly, claws tearing across Maxwell's shoulder and chest, ripping flesh.
"GAH!"
Maxwell collapsed, barely conscious.
That was when Nova stepped in.
In a flash, frost surged from her palm, freezing the creature mid-movement. A second later, she shattered it with a single blow.
Silence fell.
Maxwell lay in the snow, bleeding, breath shallow.
Nova rushed to his side, her face pale.
"What was I thinking…?" she whispered.
If he died because of this…
Snowy hovered nearby, watching quietly.
Maxwell felt his vision darken.
So this is it…
But Maxwell was not afraid.
He had the purple flower.
Nova didn't know that.
She clenched her fists, panic flickering in her eyes.
If he dies, it's my fault…
But Maxwell didn't die.
Instead, something else began to change.
Something neither of them could sense yet.
And when he opened his eyes—
The world would no longer be the same.