The hums were caught off guard as Fay entered.
He was in the perfect position to wreak havoc, unleashing everything at once.
His right hand, which had just produced the electrified spear, snapped back like a sling before launching it forward, piercing a medium-sized raptor square in the chest.
The creature was too busy spewing fire to react. It died almost instantly, a hole clean through its torso.
For his next move, Fay gripped the pulsing electric whip with both hands and lashed out at the hums—people just like him. But his fury dulled any hesitation. Those struck by the crackling tendril fell convulsing, sparks dancing across their twitching bodies.
They didn't die as fast as the impaled beast, but several dropped out of the fight for good.
The Ravari, seeing Fay in a dangerous position in the center of all the hums, didn't falter.
They regrouped almost immediately, using weapons and claws to hold back the majority of the hums.
The Eluwyn, masters of ranged combat, let their magically enhanced arrows fly now that they no longer had to fear retaliation. The battle was quickly turning in their favor—especially with Fay still brimming with aether and his whip slicing through flesh. The hums began to avoid closing in on him.
A few tried to retreat, only to be shot down.
Even after all the hums in that skirmish were dead, no one relaxed. There were other groups still locked in combat. They needed help—or at least enough time for the villages to escape.
"Fay! Take these five stones. They should be useful for you!"
One of the Ravari, familiar with Fay's summons, handed him three of the exact stones his creatures needed. Fay quickly fed them to his beasts before leaping back onto Grin's back.
He dashed out again, ready to assist another squad.
This time, he attacked from range. His electrified lance struck the strongest of the enemy's creatures—a massive beast resembling an octopus made of vines and leaves. Though it didn't die, one of its large eyes was obliterated, weakening its offensive capability.
Grin charged in, his size still at peak from the core he had absorbed.
The state of this battle was a little worse, so Fay didn't expect the same backup as before—at least not until those he'd left behind could catch up.
He didn't waver, though. He attacked with the same fervor, tearing through the hums with his whip, which either stunned them or killed them outright.
This time, Jolt played a far more crucial role.
He stayed close to Fay, using his spinning movement to generate electric arcs that synchronized with the current flowing through the whip. Together, they created deadly bursts of energy that lashed across the field.
Cries rang out as spells clashed and creatures roared. Fay glanced down at the ground—two Ravari he recognized had fallen, their bodies still fresh from battle.
He clenched his molars, silently cursing, trying to piece together what the hums truly intended with this assault.
Twirling his whip like a rope, Fay turned it into a spinning blade of crackling death.
The hums reeled back or tried to flank him, but a towering three-meter hyena didn't give them the chance to close in.
Grin lunged and ripped through their lines, greedily devouring any beast core or flesh it could sink its jaws into. Each one fed him more aether, fueling his monstrous form and keeping his body at its peak.
Even when slashed, bitten, or wounded, Grin healed rapidly—his body a semi-illusion made tangible through constant aether intake. As long as he had fuel, he would not fall.
Somni, on the other hand, faded in and out of view.
Still shaped like a glowing jellyfish, his tendrils had grown longer, more fluid, and far-reaching.
Every time one latched onto an enemy, they fell into an eternal sleep—a dream-state that fed Somni even more strength.
With each victim, the tiny creature expanded his reach, becoming a ghost on the battlefield that targeted the ranged spellcasters and archers with surgical precision.
Jolt spun wildly once more.
As he zipped back to Fay's side, his body became a storm of sharpened spikes and momentum. He tore through legs, necks—anything in his path. At the speed he moved, he resembled a spinning circular blade saw charged with lightning, slicing through bone with little resistance.
But Fay, unlike his summons, did not have the vast aether capacity to sustain his whip forever. Once he felt the drain, he stopped using it and instead picked up a large dagger—heavy enough to act like a short sword.
Just then, a volley of arrows whistled past him—not aimed at him, but at the enemy.
Each arrow pierced either the eyes or the heart with such precision that Fay questioned whether he'd ever be able to fight those archers.
Then a large black bird swooped toward him—he recognized it instantly.
It was Horin's buzzard.
Reinforcements had arrived. Fay immediately called his creatures to return. He wouldn't have time to collect the spoils from this fight—the bird fluttered about, its urgent-filled flight made it clear he was meant to follow.
He dismissed both Somni and Jolt, sending them back to the spirit realm, then climbed onto Grin's back.
"Follow Maji—Horin's creature, Grin."
The massive hyena, still in the middle of tearing into the octopus-beast, clawed into its center and bit down where its core would be. Then, with a blood-slicked muzzle, he rushed back to Fay's side.
With a practiced leap, Fay mounted and braced himself. Grin knew to move at full speed.
The bird was fast, and it wasn't waiting.
As they sprinted through the brush, Fay noticed the forest ablaze. Fire was spreading like a living force, devouring everything in its path. Despite the growing danger, he didn't slow down. They ran through scorching branches, over fallen trees, and between walls of smoke.
In the distance, he saw it—a battlefield still raging.
Nahrin stood at the center, surrounded by nearly two dozen hums. From the looks of it, he was the only Ravari still standing.
At least, that's what Fay thought—until he spotted something even more disturbing.
Off to the side, a panther tore through enemies with wild, erratic motion. It had black fur with shifting spots, but it moved with a madness he didn't recognize.
Yet he knew this creature.
It was Nawah. But not like before.
The panther was unhinged, its attacks frantic and vicious, driven by some insatiable bloodlust. And its body had changed. What once had been two tails were now four—each tipped with curved, venomous spikes, oozing poison like the stinger of a scorpion.
Its aura radiated fury and chaos.
Fay closed in on Nahrin, whose body was riddled with arrows. One leg had been severed entirely, and he was kneeling, barely able to stay upright.
"Leader—what happened?" Fay cried out, jumping down beside him.
Nahrin looked up at him, and the expression he wore chilled Fay more than any wound. It was fear. Desperation. And heartbreak.
"Horin... They took Horin…"
The buzzard didn't budge from its perch, crying out in pain—as if it was Horin asking Fay to save her father.
"What happened to Kimya? Why is his panther still here?" Fay asked, glancing toward the black-spotted beast, hoping the Ravari warrior was nearby to help him fight.
"Dead," Nahrin rasped. "His monster is now a lost one. If we don't kill it soon, it'll ravage these lands."
Fay turned toward Grin, then back to the leader. Nahrin didn't look like he would survive without urgent healing.
"Grin, take him back." Fay looked the chief in the eyes. "Leader, I'll continue on. Get treated—Mira should be able to help you. I'll look for Horin… please, take care of my sister."
The massive sabertooth cat-kin gave him a slow, grave nod.
"Take this sword," Nahrin added, pulling a blade from his belt. "I took it from a hum. It should fit you well… use aether. It's the same blade that severed my leg."
Fay accepted the weapon without another word. The buzzard was already flickering, its form fading—wanting to stay, but also pulled away, likely because Horin was getting farther.
Grin took off into the woods, Nahrin clinging to his back despite his wounded body.
Now, Fay faced the monsters before him—both the hums who had caused this and the maddened panther that was slaughtering them. The beast seemed to grow stronger with every kill.
He summoned Somni and Jolt again and took a moment to examine the blade he'd been given.
It was about half a meter long, slender, and elegant. The hilt was green with gold accents, and the pommel held a large embedded green core. When Fay channeled aether into it, the core pulsed, emitting a vibrant green glow.
A small gale burst from the weapon, causing his hair to whip violently around his face.
It didn't drain nearly as much aether as his lightning spear or maintaining the whip. He could tell—this was a good weapon.
Balanced, efficient, and very dangerous.
He looked toward the panther.
There was something heartbreaking in the way it moved now. Not like a wild beast—but like a mourning one. Each kill it made was slow, methodical… drawn out. As if trying to inflict the most pain possible. As if grieving through every wound it delivered.
Fay's grip on the blade tightened.
He would have to face the panther too.
Fay took a deep breath—and charged forward.
Somni and Jolt were already moving, each knowing their role.
He hoped the panther wouldn't sense Somni, who was quietly drifting closer to cast his sleep-inducing touch. Jolt, meanwhile, dove into the fray to keep the remaining hums occupied—more than ten still clawing and slashing, trying desperately to bring the panther down.
Fay waited.
Just a few seconds.
Then he saw it—the panther's movements slowing, tendrils of drowsiness beginning to take hold. It wasn't much, but it was enough. Fay closed the gap in a burst and slashed with precision.
He severed the panther's four deadly tails—its most dangerous weapons—before slicing deep into one of its legs.
The beast, halfway into a dream-state, roared in agony, snapping out of Somni's hold. It spun toward Fay with fangs bared in pure rage.
Fay blocked the attack with his dagger, then pushed more aether into the weapon. The blade responded instantly—buzzing with wind energy and cutting a clean arc through the creature's maw. Blood sprayed as it cleaved through a portion of the mouth, silencing the beast mid-snarl.
Fay pulled back the aether before the sword drained him too deeply and held the panther steady, lowering it as its strength faded.
He gently petted its head. A few tears slid down Fay's cheeks as the light dimmed in the panthers eyes.
"I will get revenge for Kimya… Nawah."
Those words—those names—seemed to stir something within the dying panther. For the briefest moment, its pupils narrowed, a flicker of recognition piercing through the madness. Then they dilated fully, going black as night.
Fay stood, eyes burning with fury.
He fed aether into the sword—without restraint.
Wind erupted around him in a spiraling storm. He recalled both Somni and Jolt, not wanting the storm to harm them. The remaining hums turned toward him. One by one, their eyes widened—not just from the power they sensed, but from the weapon in his hand.
They recognized it.
Their leader's weapon. One of their general's prized blades.
And now it was in Fay's grasp.
Without a word, Fay slashed forward.
A massive blade of wind followed the arc, cutting through anything in its path.
Hums died, trees crashed, Earth was tossed into the air.
Another swing—another wave. A tree toppled like sticks with its slash.
Each strike consumed immense aether, and Fay could feel himself waning. One more.
He lifted the blade, then brought it down in a wide, horizontal arc—aimed directly at the center of the remaining enemy force.
There would be no survivors after this one.
The moment the wind fell still, Fay staggered.
He forced himself upright and walked among the bodies, collecting any cores he could gather from those he had finished in front of him.
His hands grew bloodied as he sifted through the fallen—he was drained, battered, but far from done.
He still had a promise to fulfill.
Horin was out there.
And Fay wasn't going to stop until he found her.
Having done what he had to do, Fay returned to gather any remaining stones. He needed to recover before setting off to find Horin. His body ached with exhaustion, and battles still raged in the distance—but he had a promise to fulfill.
He searched through every body, his hands stained with blood, until he gathered over thirty stones wrapped in a torn shirt. There were more scattered across the field, but many had already been drained. Some—like Kimya's whose body had been burned into a crisp.
Not his or Nawah's.
With no time to waste, Fay ran again—tracking footprints and signs just as he'd been trained. He eliminated any hums he encountered along the way. But even after hours, there was no trace of Horin.
What he did find were carts filled with caged Eluwyn and Ravari. He freed them, offered what healing he could, but still—no sign of her.
When he asked, the freed captives told him she had been taken separately. A soldier had carried her off, fleeing on a fast beast that looked like a horse but wasn't.
"Damn it!" Fay shouted, clenching his fists.
He was down to five usable aether stones after all the help he'd given.
He needed answers—and now, the only way to get them was to find more hums who could speak.
Someone had to know where they took her.
And Fay would make them tell him.