…Deep within the steep chain of mountains, their jagged peaks rising like serrated blades against the sky.
A young boy with slightly tanned skin, short black curly hair and dark brown eyes navigated the rocky surface below. Aildiris had been trekking for hours now, and exhaustion finally caught up to him. He stopped, planting his feet firmly as his uneven breathing slowly regained its rhythm.
He looked up ahead, the distance between him and the mountain peak wasn't astronomical, yet it still felt far.
The subtle echo of a distant thunder rumbled above him. He frowned and looked up. Dark clouds that moved like living shadows had begun to obstruct the aurora borealis. Still staring at the dark clouds, Aildris let out a frustrating scream.
He felt like cursing out at nature. The aurora borealis was still going to occur but the dumb storm that approached was going to block his view. He couldn't go any higher and even the mountain peak he aimed for came with its own risks of devastating lightning strikes.
"I should have listened to dad and paid more attention to the daily forecasts," he groaned internally.
But as the darkness crept in, something else caught his attention. A few jagged peaks ahead of him stood people, but could he really call them that?
These beings could only be described as beacons of light, their skin carrying a soft illuminating glow that brightened their surroundings. But they weren't the only ones that stood at the flattened mountain peak.
Figures wrapped in complete dark clothing stood against them, their gazes fixated directly on the beacons of light. One of the dark clothed figures took a short glance towards the mountain Aildris currently resided in.
Its eyes met Aildiris's.
And what Aildris saw caused his feet to slip, and he stumbled hard against the rocky ground.
The dread that had given him sleepless nights wrapped around his being once more, cold and familiar.
Their eyes…
Crimson.
***
Fredrick moved with the silent grace of a calculating killer, the thin blade in his hand had been swung and was mere inches away from decapitating the enemy.
The Vael leader's sly smile never left his lips as the space around him grew distorted. It felt like all around him the fabric of reality trembled.
Fredrick, who had noticed the subtle changes in their surroundings, aimed his strike to hit faster. Alas it was too late, by the time the black blade struck the Vaels head, all that was left was an already fading image of light particles.
He was gone.
The nobles grew furious, their darkened red eyes burned brighter. One of theirs had already been killed.
They moved with inhuman speed. Steel flashed in the hands of those who preferred to use weapons alongside their cursed attribute as they approached with a single purpose.
The Vaels weren't like curses whose source of power ran on cursed energy, theirs was something else, lumen.
This granted them abilities which could either be similar to a cursed attribute or greatly unique on its own.
As the curses grew closer, the beacons of light shone brighter. A crooked grin on their faces and murderous intent in their eyes, they moved to face their attackers head on.
Frederick moved fast, like a lurking shadow he danced around the battlefield till he got to his opponent. The thin blade doused in dark aura slashed at the Vael leader. This time Frederick was giving him no time to vanish, the strike came fast and precise.
The Vael leader, seeing that there was no opening for him to distort the space around him, gritted his teeth and blocked the sword. The force of the attack rattled in his bones, his opponent was stronger.
Fredrick exerted more force with the thin blade, bringing the weapon down till it nearly touched the Vael's neck. The Vael, through clenched jaws tried with every ounce of muscle in his radiant being to withstand the pressure being emanated by his opponent.
For a short moment he relaxed his muscles, taking advantage of his opponents own force he allowed the blue dagger to slide off the weapon. Taking advantage of the small opening he had created, he used his footwork to get behind Frederick. But rather than attack the distortions around him grew fiercer, he planned to retreat.
Frederick, who had noticed his opponent slip away, turned swiftly, the space distortions were already at the brink of teleporting his opponent's figure. He acted quickly and grabbed at his opponent's neck, the distortions took them both.
In a split second the only thing Frederick could see was a mirage of colours and then they were at another part of the mountain. The whole process felt nauseous. His mind felt hazy for a second but that was all his opponent needed to loosen out of his grip.
The Vael leader slashed his blue dagger in a backward arch, the blade's razor sharp tip inches away from a devastating blow.
Fredrick, who has just regained a bit of clarity noticed the dagger a little too late, he dodged, but the weapon still grazed his cheek.
The thin blade slashed at the Vaels chest, his opponent moved back but was some inches short out the blade's reach. The tip tore through layers of skin.
Golden blood flowed from the wound.
Frederick was already in motion to lash out another attack.
The thin blade moved with the fury of countless strikes that were either blocked, dodged or wasn't lethal enough.
The Vael leader's lack of brute physicality was compensated for impeccable skill. The spatial distortions he created weren't only used for teleportation. He could slow down the momentum of Frederick's attacks when he figured they were too lethal to block or dodge.
The spatial distortions helped him break the flow of the thin blades' relentless strikes, creating some breathing space that allowed him to recuperate before clashing once more.
Fredrick knew he had the advantage, the Vael leader's body was bruised with several cuts from the thin blade. Although the wounds weren't fatal, when stacked up together they easily posed a problem.
Mid-swing to deliver another strike, he suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. For some reason his body seemed to be growing weaker the longer he fought and taking a glance at the nobles it wasn't only him.
Although they held the upper hand and had killed most of the Vael's, their faces looked paler than normal.
Sending his senses mid fight to scour his body and find the source of the weakness, he finally noticed it in his bloodstream.
Sunrot.
They had been poisoned.