Ariella
Holly Palace
Raider city
Ardonia Region
Kingdom of Ashtarium
April 6th 6415
We were all gathered outside Holly Palace—Lil, Ben, Eduardo, and I. Jack stood ahead of us, flanked by two of his Ascendant guards. The guards were motionless, their attention sweeping the palace grounds with disciplined precision. Their armor was obsidian black, lacquered and edged with traces of silver rune work that shimmered faintly under the sun, giving them a ghostly, ominous presence—like death wrapped in ceremonial steel.
As for me, I was dressed in ceremonial battle regalia—crimson and gold sleekplate armor forged for both function and symbolism. Lightweight and flexible, the armor conformed perfectly to my form, elegant but strong, sculpted with the crest of House Ashtarmel: a crimson sun rising over a golden horizon. At each pauldron, the sigil of the Lionheart Clan was etched in radiant white—a coiling dragon lifting into the sky, its wings forming a halo. Beneath the armor, I wore a high-neck blouse of deep red silk, embroidered with subtle threadwork of phoenix feathers along the sleeves. My skirt was layered gold, flowing yet reinforced, dotted with inlaid crimson and sapphire gems that caught the light with every step, as though I wore dawn itself around my waist.
Ben's outfit echoed mine in tone but was far more minimalist, designed for agility rather than ceremony. He wore a segmented crimson-gold chestplate engraved with my house's sun sigil, along with reinforced gauntlets and bracers. The rest of his attire was a streamlined silver-black combat suit—form-fitting and etched with subtle glyphs that pulsed faintly. It was crafted to adapt with his Lycan transformation, enchanted with stabilizing spells to contain his full might without restricting movement. A black scarf wrapped around his neck, fluttering in the breeze, hinting at the wildness beneath his controlled exterior.
Eduardo stood apart from us in tailored elegance. He wore no visible armor, but his sleek black suit was clearly no ordinary fabric—enchanted with mana-weaving to be as resilient as steel. A gold-trimmed collar and cuffs added a quiet regality, and a red diamond brooch marked him as a Mircalla prince. His dark hair was slicked back with surgical precision, giving him a sharp, composed look. His golden eyes—no longer dull with mourning—glinted with intent, as if fire had returned to his soul.
Then there was Lil. She looked like a walking contradiction—and perhaps that was the point. No armor, no royal symbolism. Just her. She wore a rugged motorcycle-style chainmail jacket, its hood up, with the vibrant colors of a setting flame—sunburst orange fading into dusky yellow. The metal threading shimmered beneath the woven patches, offering protection without glamour. Her jeans were loose, baggy, reinforced at the knees, and tucked into thick combat boots scuffed from travel. Underneath her jacket, a silver-blue shirt clung to her body like liquid light, softening her edge without dulling her spark.
Despite the contrasts in our outfits—ceremony and simplicity, battle and breath—we all stood as one before the gates of Holly Palace, each of us dressed for the event we were about to walk into… in our own way.
"What's taking her so long?" Jack muttered, the impatience in his voice barely masked. He turned back toward the palace entrance, as if staring into the gilded halls could somehow summon her faster. Funny, really—he could've just used his Internal Sense to check. But I suppose when you're as powerful as Jack Ryan, the challenge isn't in what you can do... it's in pretending not to be bored by how easy everything comes.
The great bronze doors of Holly Palace creaked open. Greta emerged with a calm, almost ritualistic grace. Draped over her shoulders was a flowing scarlet robe—not just any robe, but one woven in the ancient Wytch fashion, imbued with combat enchantments and spellwoven protections. It shimmered faintly, rippling like a living flame. Her ginger hair was pulled up tightly, secured by a red binding charm that pulsed gently with stored mana. Golden jewelry glinted against her pale skin—rings, earrings, and a layered chain across her neck, all enchanted, all purposeful. Her eyes, sharp as ever, focused on all of us.
"Greta's coming with us," I said, more for the group than for Jack.
"Yes, she is," Jack replied, voice steady. His tone had shifted—less casual now, more command than conversation. "You're about to enter a not-so-friendly place, especially given the Matriarch's current status. The Mircalla aren't just any Vampire clan—they're powerful, arrogant, and deeply indulgent. With what happened to Patricia, I wouldn't be surprised if they've unleashed more than a few monsters from their inner court. Some of their old powerhouses... haven't seen war in centuries."
He glanced toward the rest of us, then back to Greta, nodding approvingly.
"Trust me," he continued. "From here on out, you're not just dealing with Awakened Ascendants. You'll be facing ancient bloodlines, old vendettas, and more than a few forces that don't fear death. That's why you guys need a Harmonizer Ascendant. Greta's presence won't just help in your fights—it'll keep the balance from tilting too far in their favor."
We all fell silent for a moment, the weight of it settling in. Whatever lay ahead inside Mircalla's territory, it was no longer just a political visit. It was a battlefield waiting to bloom.
"Well, I'm glad she's coming with us," Lil said, arms crossed, her tone light but ready. "So... can we get this going already? How exactly are we entering Zellux?"
Jack responded by conjuring a holographic 3D map in midair, the shimmering projection hovering above his outstretched hand. The detailed layout of Ardonia and Zellux flickered into view—two neighboring regions separated by little more than a winding ravine and scattered border outposts. A glowing line appeared, threading its way from our current location to a point deep within Zellux.
"This," Jack said, enlarging a segment of the map, "is a private Hypertrain route I had installed about six hundred years ago. It cuts directly through the sublayers beneath Zellux, bypassing checkpoints and surface patrols."
A sleek blueprint of the rail system rotated above the map—sharp, clean lines with arcane nodes and defense arrays embedded into the infrastructure.
"It's a sealed line," he continued. "Only two people can activate it—me and Greta. Because my blood runs through her veins."
My thoughts flicked back to something Greta had once said—calling Jack her father. And yet, she didn't bear his name, nor did they share any physical resemblance. But as time passed, I had started to feel it—the subtle thrum of vampiric energy woven into her presence. It meant that Jack had infused his blood into her multiple times. She was a thrall—not a full vampire, not quite mortal either. A soul suspended between two natures.
I didn't know the full history between them, but the bond was real. He must have raised her as his own, and if his intent was clear, it wouldn't be long before Greta became his true blood—a newly turned Vampire, bound by lineage.
"You'll take the train into Zellux territory," Jack said, turning back to the projection.
"Wait… won't we get attacked for illegally entering?" Lil asked, narrowing her eyes as she studied the map. "Zellux isn't exactly known for playing nice."
Jack smiled faintly, his voice calm and assured. "No. My status as a Paragon grants me unrestricted travel across every sovereign nation on this planet. No border laws apply to me."
Then his tone shifted, just slightly. A flicker of warning.
"Unless, of course, the territory is led by another Paragon. In that case, I'd need to tread carefully… and request permission. But Zellux isn't led by one. Not anymore."
The map faded, replaced by silence. We all understood what that meant. Zellux was vulnerable. And we were going in.
"Still, why aren't we entering Zellux the same way we got into Adornia?" Lil asked, raising a brow. "Using a train seems... unnecessarily slow."
"That's because the key I gave you was specifically designed to bypass the enchantments on Ardonia's dome," Jack replied, arms folded. "We don't have one that works for Zellux."
"Can't you just make another one?" Lil pressed. "I mean, you're you."
"I could," Jack admitted, his tone firm. "But I won't. As a Paragon, I'm bound by a vow."
Lil scoffed. "What vow?"
"A vow not to interfere in the sovereign affairs of most nations," he said flatly.
Lil gave him a pointed look. "You've already interfered a lot."
Jack smirked faintly, unbothered. "Have I? I haven't taken any direct action to help you. Every move I've made has been through intermediaries—delegated influence, not personal involvement."
She crossed her arms. "Still sounds like interference."
"Maybe," Jack said. "But crafting a bypass key for Zellux would be a direct use of my authority. That crosses a line. The key to Ardonia was possible only because of my identity as a Varnae. Zellux doesn't recognize Varnae's rights. That means no loopholes, no shortcuts."
He gestured toward the map again. "So, the train it is. It's legal. It's fast enough. And most importantly—it doesn't break my vow."
Lil exhaled sharply, clearly still annoyed, but she didn't push the argument further. She got the message. We all did. Still, the tension between her and Jack hadn't eased in the slightest. Lil had never been one to tolerate authority well—and Jack, as a Paragon, embodied everything she resisted: control, hierarchy, rules.
"Alright," I said, breaking the silence. "We should get moving."The longer we lingered here, the more likely Lil would find another reason to argue.
Right on cue, a sleek black vehicle rolled up to the steps—a self-driving model from Jack's extensive collection. Its mirrored finish gleamed beneath the sun, runic thrusters humming quietly as the doors slid open.
Jack turned to me, his expression calm but weighted with purpose. "Do your best to win the Mircalla over," he said. "With Eduardo by your side, it should go smoothly. He shares blood with the Mircalla's—use that to your advantage."
I gave a small nod, though a tightness had already settled in my chest. Winning over the Mircalla would be anything but easy.
Eduardo stepped forward and opened the car door with a graceful bow."Ladies," he said smoothly.
I smiled at the gesture—always the gentleman—but Lil just frowned at him, unimpressed, as we climbed inside. Eduardo slid in last, settling in beside Lil, who was seated next to me. Across from us, Greta and Ben took their seats, their expressions unreadable.
The vehicle pulled away from the palace, gliding silently down Holly Street toward the main road. The ride wasn't long—twenty, maybe thirty minutes—but it passed in weighted silence. I hardly noticed the scenery; my focus was fixed on the quiet current between Lil and Greta.
It had been months since I'd really spent time with Lil. Since we'd arrived at Jack's estate, I'd buried myself in training, in goals, in grief. I thought I was giving her space—time to mourn Jen, to heal. I knew what Jen meant to her. I felt it too. But now, looking at Lil, I realized something had changed. The darkness that once clung to her like a second skin was gone. In its place was something softer—something brighter.
She and Greta didn't speak, but they exchanged small smiles. Quiet ones. Familiar ones. It should've made me happy… but instead, a bitter tangle of emotion coiled in my chest. Jealousy. Regret. Guilt. I swallowed it all down.
If Jack was family… then Greta was family too. No matter how complicated it felt, I had to treat her that way. No matter how much I wished I'd tried harder with Jen… maybe then, things would've turned out differently.
"We're here," Greta said, her voice breaking the silence.
The vehicle rolled smoothly into an underground garage, passing through several security checkpoints before finally settling into a private parking bay. The doors opened with a quiet hiss, and the air suddenly felt heavier—like the next part of our journey had already begun.
As we stepped out of the vehicle, we transitioned smoothly onto the obsidian-black Hypertrain, its surface polished to a mirror-like sheen. The moment we boarded, it felt like we'd entered another world—one of quiet opulence and refined power.
The interior was luxurious, but not gaudy. Elegant gold inlays ran along the walls, glowing softly with ambient mana-light. The main compartment opened into a spacious shared lounge, lined with Uni-monitors and reclining chairs designed for both comfort and cultivation. Further down, there were private quarters for rest and focused training, their doors engraved with subtle runic seals. Even the kitchen had a sleek, modern design, stocked with enchanted food dispensers, freshly prepared snacks, and a selection of warm meals.
"There are meditation rooms, private beds, and—oh, right—a fully stocked kitchen," Greta said, gesturing casually as she walked through the lounge. "The train should be powering up any moment now, so we've got time to rest before we arrive."
Ben wandered ahead, peeking into each compartment like an excited child on a field trip."How many rooms are there?" he asked, glancing back at Greta while poking his head into another chamber.
"Enough," she replied with a small smile. "Everyone gets their space. Jack's trains are designed to handle long-haul diplomacy—and emergencies."
"So, he's an actor, a Paragon, and filthy rich," Lil said, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously, how many lives is this guy living?"
"Come on, I'll show you around," Greta offered, stepping forward with a pleasant smile. She walked alongside Lil down the lounge, casually motioning toward the compartments. "It's not all that complicated. Just well-designed."
They moved with an ease I hadn't expected—Greta explaining, Lil listening, even laughing a little. Something about it made my chest tighten.
"Hey, Ella, this is a good spot," Lil called, waving me over. She'd stopped by two adjoining rooms and was already palming the panel on one of the doors. As always, her first instinct was to think about me—what I needed, where I'd be comfortable.
But as I approached, I noticed something else. The other room she'd picked… was one next to the one Greta had already chosen.
"Thanks," I said, trying to keep my voice even. I pressed the door panel, and it slid open with a soft hiss. I glanced back once—Lil and Greta were still chatting, their heads tilted close, a natural ease in their conversation.
I stepped inside and let the door close behind me.
Silence.
And then, the weight.
I barely made it to the bed before my knees gave out, the churning in my chest collapsing inward like a tidal wave. I lay back, staring at the ceiling, my breath caught somewhere between my ribs and my thoughts.
Lil…
Now that training wasn't consuming every second of my day, my thoughts kept returning to her. Not just in passing—but relentlessly. Every word, every look, every smile.
Where were all these beautiful girls coming from?
No. No. I shouldn't be thinking like that. Lil was my best friend. The only real friend I'd had for years. My anchor. My other half.
The one I loved. As a friend. As family. And—if I was being honest with myself—something more than both. And yet… I didn't know how to say any of it. Not without risking what we had. Not when Greta's presence made it all the more complicated. I closed my eyes, but the storm inside me refused to settle
There was a knock at the door.
Reluctantly, I pulled myself up from the bed and opened it. Eduardo stood there, his expression calm but serious.
"Eduardo," I said, surprised.
"I just messaged my cousin—Rafael," he replied. "He knows I'm on the way with you. According to him, things in Zellux are… tense. Most of the family's returning home."
"Rafael… he's—?"
"The son of Renne Mircalla," Eduardo confirmed. "Former Governor of Zellux. So yes, technically, Rafael's Mircalla royalty."
Before I could respond, the door to the adjoining room slid open and Lil poked her head out, her gaze sharp.
"How's the situation with the former Grand Duchess?" she asked.
She meant Matriarch Patricia—one of the three Grand Dukes of the Kingdom.
Eduardo shook his head. "He didn't say. Whether he knows if she's still alive or not… he's avoiding the subject. Doesn't want to talk about it over the Uni-net."
That wasn't a good sign.
If Rafael wasn't willing to say it over secure channels, then whatever was going on in Zellux was worse than we thought.
"Do you think the Mircalla will actually meet with me?" I asked, the uncertainty creeping into my voice before I could stop it.
"I don't see why not," Eduardo said calmly. "Before I left Zellux to search for you, I made it very clear—I believed you were still alive. I argued with my aunt about it for weeks. She thought it was a fool's errand, a waste of time. But Rafael helped me sneak out."
He paused, then continued, his voice dropping slightly. "Since the assassination attempt on my grandmother, I've been in regular contact with Rafael. The Mircalla already knows you're alive. And more importantly, they know you're not aligned with the current King. That should ease any suspicion. If they hold any grudges, it won't be aimed at you."
"Rafael should be waiting for us at the train station when we arrive," he added. "That's all for now."
"Thanks, Eduardo," I said quietly.
He gave a nod and turned, walking down the hallway toward his room. As he left, I heard the low murmur of the Uni-system playing in the lounge—Ben must've found a few shows to kill time with. Eduardo's door slid shut behind him, and I was about to head back into my own thoughts when Lil peeked out from her room again, a bright grin lighting up her face.
"Hey! We haven't hung out in a while," she said cheerfully, as if the distance between us had been her doing—not mine. "You wanna come in?"
I couldn't help but smile. That was Lil—always warm, always trying. I nodded and stepped back out, closing my door behind me. But before I could even glance around her room, reality shifted.
Aeternum's cube vessel hovered mid-air, its runes flashing—then, with a soft pulse of energy, it enveloped us in light.
A heartbeat later, we were inside the cube's inner sanctum.
Lil appeared beside me, unfazed. I heard faint metallic clanging echoing through the air—steady, rhythmic, like the forging of something ancient and deliberate.
Lil cocked her head, then grinned. "That's Greta. She's using the forge lab. Tinkering with something, probably enchantments."
"You're letting her use it?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, Greta's cool," Lil said with a shrug. "She's earned it."
Then she turned to me with that familiar fire in her eyes. "So. Want to spar?"
I blinked.
It had been a long time since Lil offered to spar with me—ever since she started regularly dueling with Jen. The offer felt like a spark in my chest, like a bridge being rebuilt after months of silence.
"Aeternum, take us to the combat room," she said.
In an instant, the sanctum shifted. The walls faded to white, reforming into the pristine expanse of the simulation chamber. The floor hummed with energy, waiting.
"I heard you're using the spear now," Lil said as she stretched lightly, warming up.
I nodded and summoned the weapon Jack had gifted me. It materialized in my hand—a long, ivory spear with a Rowan-wood blade, engraved with glowing runes and subtle sigils along the shaft. It pulsed faintly with my energy.
"I realized I'm just as comfortable with a spear as a Bow," I said. "Most of my family were spearmen or archers. It also works better with my domain."
"A domain Ability Factor, huh?" Lil asked, tilting her head.
"It's more like a domain that comes with a mystical eye," I replied, activating the Boundless Eyes.
Immediately, my perception stretched outward, saturating the white space of the combat room. The entire structure came alive with runes—countless, ever-shifting symbols etched into the walls, floor, even the air itself. It was like seeing the blueprint of reality, laid bare.
Difficult to interpret, but beautiful in its complexity.
I turned my gaze toward Lil.
As always, she burned bright. A radiant force cloaked in warmth. But beneath that golden light—beneath her calm surface—I saw it.
A deep, spiraling darkness. Shadows coiled beneath her presence, like an abyss of dormant fury and forgotten grief. The contrast was jarring—pure light above, endless night below.
Lil smiled at me, completely unaware of what I saw.
And I couldn't look away. Because to me, she was stunning. Not just beautiful—breathtaking. The kind of breathtaking that made the world quiet, like time itself held its breath. Lil was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, not just in appearance, but in presence. The way she stood there, calm and strong, with light pooling around her and darkness curled beneath—she was a paradox, and I was caught in her gravity.
My heart fluttered at the mere thought of her. And with it came a flicker of something sharper—an ache, a quiet frustration at the idea of her being close to anyone but me. I didn't want to feel it. But it pulsed in my chest anyway.
The beat of my heart quickened. Hard. Fast. Loud enough that even Lil noticed.
"Are you alright, Ella?" she asked, suddenly closer than before. I'd seen her move, but somehow the emotion flooding my chest had blurred everything else. She was right in front of me now, her fingers gently brushing against my cheek.
I froze.
All I could feel was her touch.
"Yeah," I managed, trying to steady my voice. "I'm fine. Let's do this."
Lil's gaze dropped to the weapon in my hand. "That spear… it's uncommon grade."
I nodded. "Yeah. I decided to start with a lower-tier enchanted weapon. It helps me stay grounded while mastering my domain."And with that, I activated the Boundless Domain—Endless Reign—through my right eye.
My Zone unfurled across the entire chamber in a single breath, rippling through the space like a wave of authority. Every corner of the room bent to me, every runic thread aligning to my will. The air felt heavier, charged.
Lil's body tensed as she registered the shift. Her eyes widened slightly, then narrowed with a knowing smirk.
The weight of the domain would have pinned most opponents in place—its spatial suppression choking off movement. But not Lil. She stepped forward with ease, unfazed.
"That's a powerful domain," she said, eyes gleaming. "Most Ascendants have to master every branch of mana application before they can even think about forming a soul domain. But I guess having a domain-based Ability Factor lets you cheat a little, huh?"
I grinned. "Are we gonna keep talking, or...?"
I funneled a surge of power through the spear. It responded instantly—vibrating in my grip as the Rowan-wood blade shimmered with concentrated mana, runes along its shaft glowing brighter. The weapon thrummed with purpose.
Lil summoned her weapons—two war hammers, both brimming with radiant purple light. Their auras pulsed with a deep, resonant energy.
Primal Harmonics, I realized. She was channeling her harmonics through the hammers now. That was new. And dangerous.
I struck first—because Lil never would. Not unless pushed.
My spear darted forward, cutting cleanly through the air. Its trajectory was flawless, guided by my domain's predictive flow. The wooden blade gleamed as it honed in on her.
But Lil moved in a blur, sweeping her arm in a sharp arc. Her hammer shimmered, and the space between us rippled. A pulse of force cracked outward.
The spear's path ruptured midair—its momentum torn apart, the flow of energy within it scattering like a broken thread.
Harmonic Shatter, I thought, stunned. She hadn't even touched my weapon. She shattered the rhythm of the space it traveled through. This wasn't going to be easy. But gods, I had missed this.
Even as my spear veered off the path I had initially directed it along, a single thought was enough—my domain responded instantly. The air shimmered as Endless Reign reasserted control, guiding the spear back on course. The blade pulsed with renewed force, glowing brighter with radiant energy.
Lil's eyes narrowed. She raised one of her hammers and brought it crashing down to intercept, but I was ready. I channeled Radiance into the tip of my spear—the crimson-gold light erupting forward like a flare. It met the violet aura of her hammer with a sharp explosion of energy. Light clashed against light, pressure against pressure—my Radiance pushing back against the harmonic pulse of her weapon.
"So, your Radiance reinforces the laws of your domain," Lil said, her voice calm despite the force behind her strike.
Then her energy shifted. She switched from pure harmonic output to elemental infusion—one hammer began to glow with deep shadows, while the other blazed with the essence of light.
"Let's go," she said simply.
I sensed the shift in her body before she even moved. Her muscles coiled, power gathering not just in her arms, but flowing down her legs like a river of potential. That was when I felt it—wind. Elemental wind energy surged along her limb, an unseen engine propelling her forward at blinding speed. She was using Rapid Steps, but something more refined—body-cast wind magic, integrated directly into her movement.
No chant. No sign. Just flow.
Lil blurred forward. In one fluid motion, she brought down her darkness-infused hammer, the elemental shadow extending beyond the metal itself—forming a slab of crushing void energy, like a comet molded into the shape of a weapon. The force behind it was staggering, easily carrying the mass of a speeding train.
I reacted instinctively.
"Validus," I whispered.
Mana surged around me in a spiral, hardening into armor-like threads that coated my body and spear. My muscles tensed. My grip steadied.
I stepped into the force rather than away from it—my spear slicing upward, cleaving through the slab of darkness like it was paper. Sparks and shadows exploded on impact. I pivoted with the momentum, spinning my body and sending a diagonal slash downward toward Lil's open side.
But she was already there—one hammer raised, this time glowing with condensed light. She summoned a barrier mid-motion, casting a light spell directly from her weapon to meet my strike. The impact rang out like a gong, both of us holding our ground.
I didn't stop.
Twisting the spear mid-air, I spun it into a tight arc, using the momentum to drive the butt of the weapon toward Lil's midsection. She deflected it with her left hammer, but I felt the slight delay in her balance. I pressed forward.
Our weapons blurred.
Strike, parry, slide—each motion sharp and purposeful. I shifted the angle of my spear, slicing upward to catch the joint in her shoulder armor. Lil countered by flicking her wrist and dragging a band of pure light from her right hammer like a shield ribbon, absorbing the blow with a flash.
She stepped back, then vanished.
Wind spell—again, cast through her legs, no chant, no flare. Just the whisper of air displacement.
My eyes tracked the current. Boundless Eyes. Activated again. My vision widened, time stretching for a heartbeat. I saw the thread of spatial tension just behind me. There.
I turned, spear held low. Lil appeared mid-spin, her hammer crashing down like thunder.
This time, she didn't hold back. The impact cratered the floor beneath us, and the harmonic frequency within the strike shattered the air in a three-meter radius—Resonant Breaker, her signature mid-tier harmonic technique.
The ground quaked.
But my domain held firm.
I absorbed the shock through Endless Reign, redirecting the spatial pressure downward into a buffering spiral. The tremor passed beneath me, diffused, while I retaliated by thrusting my spear forward—not at Lil, but at the echo of her strike still ringing in the air.
A pulse of Radiance shot from the tip like a beam, chasing the harmonic residue she left behind. It struck just as she began her next movement, knocking her slightly off balance.
Her grin widened.
"You're keeping up," she said between breaths, voice tinged with exhilaration. "I like this version of you."
I smiled, tightening my grip on the spear. "You haven't seen anything yet."
Lil suddenly switched both hammers to darkness—Dual Void Pulse. The lights in the room flickered as the elemental darkness began to pull at the mana structure around us, unraveling ambient energy and weakening local spell matrices.
She leapt high into the air, both hammers raised like an executioner. "Harmonic Collapse!"
It was more than a strike—it was a field effect. A crushing dome of inverted frequencies and collapsing force. The very rules of flow, structure, and equilibrium trembled.
But I didn't retreat.
I stepped forward and planted my spear into the floor, channeling Endless Reign through the entire chamber.
The runes along the walls lit up. The combat room itself responded, becoming an extension of my domain.
"Reign Expansion: Vectorium Pulse!" I called.
A spiraling lattice of radiant energy erupted upward, forming a shield dome between me and the collapsing darkness. The field didn't block her attack—it rewrote the path of her descending force, folding it into a spiral that looped around me harmlessly.
Lil landed hard, sliding back several feet.
We both stood there, catching our breath.
Her smile was even wider now, eyes sparkling.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," she said, voice husky with adrenaline. "You're not the same girl I used to spar with."
"No," I said, spear still humming in my grip. "And you're not the same girl who used to hold back."
The tension between us was thick—but it wasn't anger. It was something deeper.
Respect.History.And something unspoken simmering beneath the fight.
Lil raised her hammer again.
"Another round?" she asked.
I raised my spear.
"Always."