The Next Morning
Code and Hina were already geared up, tightening straps and checking their equipment. Nara, on the other hand, was still buried under his blanket.
"Nara, wake up already!"
"I said wake up!"
"Get up or we're leaving you behind!"
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of yelling, Nara rolled out of bed, groaning like a zombie.
Once the trio regrouped, they left the house, making their way to Azura Station—one of the major rail hubs in Easton. They bought their tickets and boarded the train to their mission site.
As the train rumbled out of the station, the scenery blurred past—the urban sprawl of Azura slowly giving way to suburban neighborhoods, then thinning out into open countryside. Twenty minutes later, the train screeched to a halt at the final stop.
They got off, following signs to a nearby bus terminal, then boarded a local line headed straight to the forest perimeter.
The ride was quiet. Trees zipped past the windows, sunlight flickering through the branches.
As they stepped off the bus and into Linden Forest, a dead silence greeted them. No birds. No wind. Just the creak of branches high above, reaching out like skeletal arms.
Hina's voice was barely a whisper. "We're close. Stay sharp."
Nara cracked his knuckles, grinning. "About time. Let's go kick some demon ass."
Code didn't respond. His eyes scanned the woods, heart thudding hard. There was something wrong here—he could feel it. A low hum in his veins, like a warning. "Is this… part of my blood sorcery?"
Van's training flashed in his mind.
Suddenly, Hina stopped, her voice tight. "Wait. The aura—it's fading?"
"That's weird," Nara muttered. "I felt it too… and now it's gone?"
"No. It's not gone," Hina said, lifting her gaze. Her eyes narrowed. "It's above."
Code and Nara looked up.
Two grotesque shapes clung to the tree canopy—demonic figures, twisted and humanoid, their glowing eyes casting an eerie light onto the forest floor.
Before anyone could react, they dropped.
"Human flesh…" one of them rasped, voice jagged like rusted metal.
They landed hard, the ground shuddering. Code flinched, heart hammering. The demons charged—fast, inhumanly fast.
Code froze.
Then—whack! Nara elbowed him in the ribs.
"Don't zone out now," he said, voice calm and serious for once. He clapped his hands, heat flaring around them. "Let's do this."
Hina darted to the left, her katana already drawn. The blade shimmered in the dim light as she shifted into a low stance.
"Sword sorcery?"Code blinked. "That's rare…"
The first demon lunged at Nara with a screech, claws flashing. Nara's hands ignited, and with a roar—
"Fire Sorcery!"
A jet of flame blasted out, slamming the demon mid-charge. It staggered but didn't stop—its skin bubbled and peeled, but it powered through, unfazed. Its claws slashed at Nara, each strike aimed to kill.
Nara ducked, weaved, countered. He was fast—but the demon was relentless.
"Hell Flame!"
Flames surged from his palm, catching the demon square in the chest and sending it flying. It crashed into the dirt, but before it could rise—
Boom!
Nara was already there, his hand blazing as he drove it into the demon's face.
"Hehe"
A sickening crunch followed by a fiery blast—the skull ruptured, flames devouring it whole.
Ash scattered.
Meanwhile, Hina faced the second demon. It swung wildly—punches, tendrils, twisted anti-tenzen spewing from its arms. She dodged with elegance, parried with precision. Every movement was calculated.
But the demon was no fool. It threw a brutal punch, landing hard against her katana. She slid back, heels digging into the dirt.
It grinned.
She didn't flinch.
"Dark sorcery…" she whispered.
The air darkened. Even the trees seemed to retreat. Her sword dripped with black liquid—thick, pulsing with malevolent energy.
Code's eyes widened. "Dark sorcery? That's even rarer…"
The liquid bled across the forest floor like ink, and then—she moved.
She was a blur. The air cracked from the speed. The demon tried to counter—its fist lashed out—but Hina ducked under it with terrifying grace.
Then—slash!
She cut off its right arm.
The demon howled.
"Dark Crescent!"
She swung again. A blade of dark energy—sharp, curved like a scythe—tore through the air, cleaving its left arm clean off.
It reeled, but before it could utter a word—
"Die!!"
She slashed once more, severing its neck in one fluid motion. The demon's head spun into the air, a look of disbelief frozen on its face as its body crumbled.
Silence.
Only the wind, and their ragged breathing.
Code stared, awe-struck. "She's… on a whole other level."
"Dark matter… from her hands… formed into a crescent… " Realization clicked. "That's emission and manipulation phase at once. That's manipulation stage sorcery!"
"Whoa… insane."
A smack to the back of his head snapped him out of it.
"Hey, you just stood there watching," Nara laughed.
"Ahaha…" Code scratched his head, embarrassed.
Hina slid her blade back into its sheath with a quiet shing. "That was easier than expected," she said, casually brushing her hair back.
Code stiffened. "Easier?!" His instincts screamed. "… don't ever get on her bad side."
"Let's head back," Hina said with a yawn.
Nara grinned. "Yeah, we crushed it."
"Back?" Code blurted. "Wait—I didn't even get to use my technique!"
But before he could pout properly, something in the forest caught his attention. His smile vanished.
Nara and Hina noticed immediately.
"Code?" Hina asked. "What is it?"
Code pointed behind them, hand trembling. "There's… another one. Behind you."
"What?" Nara blinked, turning.
Boom!
A massive fist slammed into Nara's chest, launching him like a cannonball. He flew through trees, snapping branches as he crashed into a clearing with a bone-shaking thud.
"Nara!!"
***
TBC