THE GROUND THAT CRUMBLES BENEATH FISTS
Meanwhile, Thane charged forward, his feet pounding the ground as he activated his "Seismic Slam" skill, causing the earth to shudder and sending the remaining bandits stumbling.
The ground roared beneath his boots—each step a hammer blow that rippled through the soil like water. His element sang in his veins, cold and heavy as mountain stone, as he brought his massive fist down on the earth. BOOOOM. The shockwave exploded outward, cracking the muddy trail into spiderweb patterns, sending pebbles and dirt flying into the air in a choking cloud of dust. The two remaining bandits—men with faces twisted into panic—stumbled backward, their legs giving out as the ground beneath them turned to loose gravel.
"What in the blazes—" one gasped, clawing at the air as he fell.
But before either could regain their footing, a harsh, grating sound cut through the dust. Not just noise—but a resonance so sharp it made Kai's teeth ache and Zephyr's lightning sparks flicker in time with its jagged beat. The air grew tight, as if every molecule was vibrating at a frequency designed to tear things apart.
A figure stepped out of the darkness, and the three companions went still.
He was tall—taller than Thane, even—with skin as pale as bone and hair the color of ash. His robes were black as pitch, embroidered with silver threads that hummed with a faint, thrumming note. His hands were bare, but from his fingertips poured waves of sound—a sickly gray hum that made the air vibrate and set leaves rustling in a twisted, unnatural pattern. The scent of grinding stone and shattered glass filled the air—like a violin string snapping in slow motion, over and over.
Then, a harsh blue light flashed in all their field of vision.
[⟢ SYSTEM LOG]
UNKNOWN THREAT DETECTED
Entity: Kain — Resonance Element User
Element: High Resonance
Danger Level: EXTREME
Advice: Proceed with caution. This entity uses distorted sound waves to shatter matter and minds. Has killed 17 registered mages.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." The man's voice was like grinding stone, low and smooth enough to make Kai's skin crawl—each word layered with that same twisted resonance, turning speech into a weapon. "You've been very messy, children. The boss doesn't like messy."
Zephyr tensed, lightning coiling around his own fingers in tight, crackling spirals. His element hummed in response to the sound, pushing back against the oppressive frequency. "Paid muscle," he muttered, his voice sharp as a blade. No awkward posturing—just the quiet wariness of someone who'd faced true danger before.
"Smart boy." Kain smiled, and it was not a pleasant sight. His teeth were too white, too sharp, and they clicked together in a rhythm that made the ground tingle. "Name's Kain. The boss paid me enough gold to buy a nice little villa in the Argentum Spires, if I wanted. But… I like the sound of things breaking too much to retire."
Kain lifted his hands, and a high-pitched whine rose from his fingertips—so sharp it made Zephyr flinch and cover one ear. "Resonance Tendrils." Thin, writhing waves of sound shot from the ground, moving in jagged, staccato bursts whose frequency was designed to shatter anything they touched. Thane roared, slamming his fist down again. Seismic Slam, again. The earth shuddered with a deep, low rumble that clashed with Kain's high-pitched sound, shattering two of the tendrils into a burst of static—but three more lunged for Zephyr's legs.
Zephyr didn't dodge. He slammed his fist into the ground, and a wave of lightning exploded outward with a crack like thunder. "Thunderburst!" The electricity crackled with a clean, sharp pop that cut through Kain's distorted resonance, making the sound tendrils writhe and dissipate into harmless white noise. But Kain was already moving—riding a wave of low-frequency sound that let him glide ten feet to the left without touching the ground, his hands pointed at Kai.
"Resonance Bolt."
A sphere of condensed sound shot from his fingertips—so dense it seemed to warp the light around it, emitting a low, guttural growl that made Kai's chest vibrate. Kai's element surged forward, cold and constant as a river. He threw up his hands. "Tidal Shield!" A wall of water materialized in front of him, cold and gleaming like polished obsidian, its flow creating a natural, soothing rhythm that pushed back against the bolt.
The Resonance Bolt hit the shield with a sound like breaking glass and grinding stone mixed into one—shriek-crunch—that sent ripples through the water. The water hissed and churned, its smooth rhythm being torn apart by Kain's chaotic frequency. Kai grunted, pushing more mana into the shield—his muscles straining, his water rune glowing so bright it hurt to look at. The shield held, but only just. Kain's sound was eating away at the water's structure, inch by inch, until Kai slammed his palm against the ground. "Tidal Surge—sideways!"
A wave of water shot out from his left, its flow moving in a sharp, unexpected whoosh that caught Kain off guard. The wave hit him in the side, sending him stumbling, his robes soaking through. He let out a snarl of rage that warped into a deafening shriek, his resonance flaring brighter and sharper. "You little worm—"
Thane was on him before the shriek faded. The big man charged, his fist drawn back, his Seismic Slam still sending low rumbles through the ground. Kain whipped his arm around, and a wall of distorted sound materialized between them—an invisible barrier that hummed with a frequency so high it made Thane's eyes water. Thane's fist smashed into it with a sound like breaking rock—but the resonance absorbed the impact, then shot it back at him as a concussive wave that sent him stumbling backward. Kain laughed, a sound like grinding teeth. "You're strong, but strength means nothing against the right note—"
Zephyr appeared at Kain's back. Not with speed—with precision. He'd circled around while the mage was focused on Thane, his lightning crackling with a rhythm so sharp it cut through the air like a snare drum pop. "Thunderclap—point-blank!"
The bolt hit Kain in the shoulder with a deafening crash that disrupted his resonance, making him convulse and his sound waves flicker. But the mage was no amateur. He twisted, even as his muscles seized, and grabbed Zephyr's wrist with a hand that vibrated with a low, bone-rattling hum. "Resonance Grasp."
Distorted sound wrapped around Zephyr's arm, its frequency threatening to shatter his bones from the inside out. He cried out, the lightning in his fingers fizzling out as his own rhythm was broken. Kai acted fast—he sent a jet of water straight at Kain's face with a whoosh that created a clean, wet sound that blinded him for a split second. Thane slammed his foot down, and the ground beneath Kain's feet gave way, dropping him into a small crater with a deep thud.
But Kain was already recovering. He pulled himself out of the crater, his pale face twisted into a mask of fury, his resonance flaring back to full strength with a screech that made leaves fall from trees. The vibration around Zephyr's arm tightened, and the boy grimaced, trying to pull free. "You think you can beat me?" Kain snarled, his voice layered with so much sound it made the air throb. "I've killed mages stronger than you three put together—all with just the right frequency."
Thane picked up a massive boulder—easily twice his size—with one hand. His element let him feel the stone's natural resonance, its structure, its very soul. He lifted it over his head, his muscles bulging, and roared—a deep, primal sound that rumbled through the clearing. "EARTHFALL!"
He threw the boulder at Kain. The mage's eyes widened, and he tried to warp the air around him with sound to dodge—but Zephyr, in a burst of pain-fueled strength, slammed his free fist into Kain's side with a crack that disrupted his frequency. The resonance faltered. The boulder hit the ground right next to Kain, exploding into thousands of sharp fragments as its natural rhythm was shattered by the impact—CRAAAAACK—and one of them sliced through his thigh. He cried out, a sound of pure agony, and fell to one knee.
The Resonance Grasp around Zephyr's arm vanished.
Kai rushed forward, his water rune glowing bright. "Tidal Spear!" A spear of condensed water materialized in his hand—sharp enough to cut through steel, its flow moving in a perfect, unbreakable swoosh of sound. He drove it toward Kain's chest—but the mage rolled aside, his hands clamping together. The gray sound waves around his fingers flared one last time, brighter and sharper than ever.
"Resonance Eruption."
A wave of pure, distorted sound exploded from the ground around them—thick and choking, a wall of noise that made every tree in the clearing shake and their branches creak with a groaning, snapping rhythm. Kai, Zephyr, and Thane huddled together, their elements flaring—water, lightning, and ground creating a combined, stable frequency that pushed back against the eruption. When the noise finally faded into silence, Kain was gone. All that remained was a pool of blood on the ground, and a note pinned to a tree with a splinter of rock that hummed with a faint, dying sound.
"The boss doesn't forget. You'll pay for this."
Then, the system flashed again—this time, with a sound like a clean, sharp chord.
[⟢ SYSTEM LOG]
Kain — Resonance Element User — DEFEATED
Element: High Resonance
EXP Gained: +287,500 each → Total +862,500
Thane let out a low growl, his fist clenched. "He got away."
"For now." Zephyr flexed his arm, the color slowly returning to his skin. "But he's hurt bad. Good riddance—no one should twist sound into something so ugly."
Kai nodded, his eyes on the note. The air was still quiet—too quiet, after all that noise—but the immediate danger was over. The dust from Thane's Seismic Slam was finally beginning to settle, revealing the fox person slaves huddled together in fear—and one figure who stood out from the rest.
THE BOY WITH THE SHIMMERING HANDCUFFS
As the dust settled, the three companions turned their attention to freeing the slaves. Among the captives was a boy who looked to be about their age with piercing green eyes, his handcuffs starkly different from the rusty chains binding the others. The handcuffs were made of a special Rare-Element metal—adorned with intricate etchings that seemed to shimmer in the fading light, their internal resonance a perfect, peaceful note.
"This one's different," Kai said, his voice low and cautious as he examined the handcuffs. No awkward hesitation—just the quiet wariness of a mage who knew better than to touch unknown Rare-Element magic. The etchings pulsed with a faint, silver light, and he could feel their mana signature—strong enough to grant 450 years of life, if the wearer was its rightful owner.
"I don't think we can just cut these off."
Zephyr's eyes narrowed, and he leaned in to look closer. The lightning in his fingers flared slightly, but the handcuffs didn't react—their resonance was too stable. "Rare-Element metal. Probably infused with sealing sound waves. Can't break it with brute force—we'd just hurt him."
Thane rummaged through the bandits' pockets, his movements swift and efficient. His massive hands moved with surprising delicacy as he searched through tattered leather and bloodstained cloth. After a few tense moments—moments where the boy watched with bated breath, his green eyes wide—he finally found it – a small, intricately crafted key made of the same special Rare-Element metal as the handcuffs.
The key was cold to the touch, its etchings matching those on the cuffs, their resonances aligning perfectly with a soft hum. Thane held it up to the fading light, turning it over in his fingers. He could feel the mana in it, thin and sharp like a perfect musical note. "This is it," he said, his voice steady.
The boy swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. He didn't say a word—but his green eyes were filled with a mix of hope and fear that made Kai's chest ache.
With a deep breath, Thane inserted the key into the lock and turned it.
There was no loud click. Just a soft, musical chime that echoed through the clearing—two perfect resonances merging into one, a sound so pure it made the air feel clean again. The shimmering etchings on the handcuffs faded, and the metal fell away from the boy's wrists, clattering to the ground with a gentle tink.
The boy stared at his hands for a long moment, as if he'd forgotten what it felt like to be free. Then his face lit up with relief and gratitude—so pure, so bright, it cut through the last of Kain's ugly sound.
"Thank you," the boy said, his voice filled with emotion. No over-the-top dramatics, no awkward pleas. Just three simple words, spoken with a sincerity that made the three companions exchange looks of understanding.
They'd faced a powerful High Resonance mage. They'd barely won. But in that moment, standing in the fading light of the Elyrian forest, it was all worth it.