Ash barely had time to catch her breath before Ren reappeared. The air around him seemed to hum with quiet power, a tension that made her skin prickle.
"You move faster than I expected," Ren said, his voice calm yet sharp, like steel sliding from its sheath.
Ash wiped some dust from her robe and squinted at him. "Funny… I could say the same about you. Thought immortals were supposed to move slowly, all elegant and dignified."
Ren's lips twitched—just the faintest twitch—but Ash caught it. Maybe it was the closest thing to a smile he could give. "I'm not here to chat," he said. "The fiend you barely survived isn't done with you."
Ash rolled her eyes, smirking despite herself. "Of course not. Everything dramatic always waits for me."
The ground trembled, the roar of the fiend echoing from the depths of the valley. Ash glanced at Ren. "So… are we teaming up, or are you just going to leave me to die?"
"You don't have much choice," he said, voice steady. "Stay close. Don't get in my way."
Ash tilted her head, her smirk never fading. "Helpful."
So, they began walking together—an uneasy alliance, two fates tangled in the most unwilling of ways.
The path was treacherous: jagged rocks, shifting cliffs, and swirling spiritual energy that made the ground tremble. Each step was a test, but Ash couldn't stop noticing the small things.
Ren's hand always hovered near his sword, his eyes flicking to her every few moments. A subtle worry hid behind his stoic mask. Ash caught herself wondering if he even realized it.
Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy erupted from a fissure in the cliffside. The rocks shivered violently, dust raining down. Ash froze. "Uh… what's that?"
Ren didn't answer. He leapt into the air, sword flashing like a streak of silver lightning. The precision and speed of his movements made Ash's jaw drop. A burst of golden light exploded from the sword, scattering the dark energy like sand in the wind.
Ash blinked. "Seriously? You just—"
"You stay behind me," Ren said flatly. "One wrong step and you won't survive."
Ash couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face. "Ah… I see. I'm just your little liability, huh?"
Ren didn't look at her. "If you survive, maybe you're more than that."
Ash blinked. His tone… almost soft? She shook her head. "Yeah, right. Keep dreaming, sword boy."
The fiend's roar returned, louder and angrier than before. It was waiting for them to regroup. Ash realized something chilling: this was no ordinary fight. They were being tested.
"This is… one of those fate trials, isn't it?" she muttered, fingers brushing her chest where a strange warmth pulsed.
Ren's eyes met hers briefly, intense and unreadable. "It's not just a trial for you."
Ash swallowed. Her pulse quickened. This wasn't only about surviving the fiend; their destinies were entangled in ways neither could ignore.
They pressed on, moving deeper into the cursed valley. The path narrowed, cliffs rising steeply on one side and a dizzying drop on the other. Every step demanded focus, but Ash found herself distracted by Ren. He was silent, calculating, but she could feel the subtle rhythm of his presence, a protective pulse that matched the erratic beat of her own heart.
As they navigated a particularly narrow ledge, the spiritual energy pulsed violently again. Ash froze mid-step, eyes wide.
Ren's hand shot out, gripping her wrist. "Don't panic. Follow my lead."
Before she could reply, he twisted his body in a blur, sword cutting through a jet of dark energy, the light scattering in sparks that danced across the rocky walls. Ash felt herself lifted slightly by the force of his movement, almost off balance, but safe.
"Okay…" she muttered, trying to catch her breath, "that was… wow. You're kind of terrifying."
Ren's gaze flicked toward her, neutral but something deeper gleaming in his eyes. "Terrifying is in the eye of the beholder. You should be grateful I saved your life."
Ash snorted. "Grateful, right. I'll put it on my list." She glanced down at the fissure they had just crossed. "And I thought today couldn't get more dramatic."
Ren didn't answer. He was already moving forward, his steps precise and deliberate. Ash followed, more out of instinct than trust.
As they walked, she noticed the way his body moved—controlled, disciplined, yet every action seemed to shield her in subtle ways she couldn't explain. She bit back a grin. "Yeah, I'm probably going to annoy the immortal for the rest of the day."
Ren's head tilted slightly, a faint shadow of amusement—or warning—passing through his eyes. "Don't tempt fate."
Ash laughed softly, shaking her head. "We're already entangled in it, aren't we?"
Ren's silence answered her. That simple quiet carried more meaning than words ever could.
Suddenly, a screech echoed from above. Dark silhouettes darted across the sky—minions of the fiend, circling, ready to strike.
Ren's sword hummed as he lifted it effortlessly. "Stay close."
Ash's pulse raced. "Right. Close, got it. Not too close though—don't get any ideas."
Ren didn't respond verbally. He just moved, a streak of silver and gold, intercepting a flying shadow before it could reach her. The clash of energy made the ground tremble, and for a moment, Ash realized something: in all her reckless, chaotic life, she had never felt this… alive.
The danger, the tension, the undeniable pull between them—it was terrifying and exhilarating. Fate was pushing them together, and neither had a choice.