The forest air shifted abruptly, thick with an unnatural haze. The girl—the mysterious silhouette who had burst from the smoke—raised her hands, her eyes glowing faintly with an emerald sheen. Prāṇna surged through her—or perhaps it was one of those elusive CCF Coherent Fields. Whatever it was, it made the atmosphere warp under her command.
The once-crisp night breeze now carried a stinging irritation, like invisible nettles brushing against skin and lungs. Dizziness crept in; a subtle vertigo that made the trees seem to sway unnaturally. Was it poison? Vayu couldn't tell—his senses sharpened, yet they were still blurred by a translucent green veil that shimmered like tainted mist. He stayed alert, grip tightened, focus narrowing on the haze for the inevitable attack. Sindhu, true to form, was a mess of panic: his eyes darting wildly, body twitching like a cornered rabbit. "W-what's this? Poison? Hallucinations? Never knew forests were that bad news!" he yelped, freaking out as he backed against a tree trunk.
Suddenly, from the haze, a kick materialized—a blur of motion straight to Sindhu's face. It connected with a sickening crack, sending him flying backward into a low-hanging branch. He crumpled against it, head lolling. Had he fainted? For a moment, it seemed so—his body went limp, eyes fluttering shut. But Vayu pressed on undeterred.
Vayu swung his sword at the shifting silhouette he glimpsed in the green-tinged air, the blade whistling through the mist. But it was in vain; he missed, slicing only empty space, the haze parting and reforming mockingly around him. Every strike was futile against her elusive form.
Then, a prickle at his nape—someone's presence behind him. Instinct kicked in; he twisted away just in time. A whip-sword of thorns lashed out, coiling like a living vine, its barbed edges grazing the spot where his neck had been. The girl's weapon, forged from Prāṇna-infused flora, snapped back with a hiss.
Vayu countered swiftly, sweeping low at her undefended feet. His blade connected, tripping her balance and sending her tumbling to the forest floor with a grunt.
As he moved in to deliver a silencing blow—he felt a weed-like tendril snaking up from the ground, wrapping around his leg and then his sword hand. His body locked up, paralyzed. A venomous cold raced through his veins, and the horrifying thought flashed through his mind: I can't move. His muscles turned to stone as the poison took hold.
The girl rose in a single, fluid motion, shaking off the fall as if it were nothing. Her eyes narrowed, and she lunged, delivering a brutal kick to Vayu's chest. The impact was thunderous—he flew backward, crashing through branches that snapped like brittle bones under his weight. His own ribs cracked; he was sure of it; pain flared briefly before numbness overtook everything. He could feel nothing—his body a distant, unresponsive shell as he slammed into the earth.
The girl jumped toward him in one powerful stance, her thorn-whip raised for the finishing strike.
"Hey, stop!"
The voice shouted from the side, ragged but defiant. The girl turned, her attack halting mid-swing. It was the injured Sindhu. Somehow, he'd staggered up, one eye swelling shut, clutching a fracturing Prāṇna spear—its form wobbling, half-solid at best.
He leaned against the branch for support, looking every bit the reluctant hero.
She narrowed her eyes, green Prāṇna still flickering around her. Her voice cracked through the smoke, sharp and furious.
"Who are you?! You think you can just barge through this forest. This is sacred land—you had no right to trespass here!"
Sindhu winced, holding up a hand. "W-wait!—it wasn't us!"
The girl glanced at the scorched surroundings, skepticism etched on her face. "I had been told, you dumb fool. This forest is under my watch—no intruders slip by without notice."
Sindhu, desperate, pointed a trembling hand toward the battle's remnants. "Look at him—half-dead! He was lost in the haze. A demon had him pinned. I was just... passing by. Got him out of the CCF field, finished the thing off." He gestured weakly at Vayu. "But he... he just panicked! Like a scared cat, thrashing blind. Mercy for this fool?"
"Do you think I am stupid? You think your excuses will mend what's been broken?"
"No lies! Please spare us, I assure you it won't happen again."
Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at Vayu's wounds
She exhaled sharply. "Both of you—move. You'll explain yourselves to the council."
With a flick of her wrist, she commanded the vines to retract, the crushing tendrils unwinding from Vayu as the poison's grip eased. They slithered back into the earth, leaving him gasping on the ground.
"Hey, move... can you hear me? Heyyyy..."
Her voice echoed as Vayu's vision blurred, the world fading into darkness with her words lingering like a distant call.