The wind whipped against my face as I ran, my pulse pounding against my skull.
Tessa kept pace beside me, her breathing steady, though I could feel the tension radiating from her. Diana, ever amused by chaos, moved with an unsettling ease, her eyes gleaming in the dim city lights. Camille, the most silent of us all, ran with that same calculated grace, her ice magic still lingering in the air around her, like a whisper of frost waiting to be commanded.
None of us spoke.
There was no time for words.
Because whatever had just landed in the South, whatever had made the earth tremble beneath us—
It wasn't like the others.
This one was different.
Darker.
Stronger.
And Claire was already there.
The city blurred past us, streets twisting in my vision as we passed the last remnants of fleeing civilians and guards trying to restore order. We barely slowed when we reached the Southern Gate, its towering walls standing eerily silent against the night sky.
But beyond it—
Beyond it, I could see the destruction.
Fires. Smoke curling in thick, suffocating clouds. Buildings torn open like they had been made of nothing but parchment. The once quiet countryside, now a battlefield of ashes and ruin.
And standing in the center of it all—
Claire.
She was facing something enormous.
Something that should not exist.
A monstrous figure loomed above her, its shape shifting in and out of the shadows, as if the darkness itself was a part of its body. Massive, jagged limbs pulsed with an unnatural glow, veins of molten energy twisting beneath its grotesque skin.
Its eyes—if they could even be called that—were hollow, yet burning with something ancient.
Something aware.
Not just a monster.
A creature of intent.
It had not come here by accident.
It had been sent.
Claire stood her ground, her violet eyes glowing with magic, her wind whipping around her in a furious storm. She was already in battle stance, her body tense but unwavering, her expression one of pure, unyielding determination.
I had seen Claire fight before.
I knew she was strong.
But this wasn't just another battle.
This was something else entirely.
Tessa was the first to react.
"Claire—!" She moved forward, but I caught her wrist before she could run ahead.
"Wait," I hissed.
Tessa whirled on me, eyes flashing. "Are you kidding me?! Look at that thing!"
I was looking.
I was looking very closely.
Because Claire wasn't running.
She wasn't retreating.
She was staring it down.
Daring it to make the first move.
And it did.
The creature let out a deep, guttural snarl, its very breath shaking the air. Then, without warning, it lunged.
But Claire was faster.
She twisted at the last second, the wind surging beneath her feet, lifting her above the strike. She spun mid-air, her body flipping effortlessly as she unleashed a torrent of wind-blades, slicing through the night like razors.
The attack hit.
But it wasn't enough.
The creature shrugged off the impact, barely staggering, its molten veins glowing brighter as if it had absorbed the attack instead.
Claire landed, skidding backward slightly, but her eyes remained locked onto it, her fingers tightening at her sides.
Tessa cursed violently. "She can't fight that thing alone."
Diana smirked. "Then perhaps we should join her."
Camille's ice magic flared at her fingertips. "We need a plan."
I had already made one.
I stepped forward, raising my hand—
And my crystalline bow formed once more.
The cold pulse of ice spread through my palm, the bow solidifying in seconds, its gleaming surface catching the dim firelight.
"I'll slow it down," I said, my voice smooth, steady. "Camille, reinforce my strikes with yours. Tessa, take Claire's flank—make sure she doesn't overextend. Diana, wait for the opening and go for the vitals."
No hesitation.
They all moved immediately.
Tessa broke off first, heading straight for Claire, her fire magic blazing to life as she moved to support her. Camille and I stayed side by side, ice and fire pulsing in tandem, waiting for the right moment.
The monster roared again, its rage mounting.
But now?
Now it had all of us to deal with.
I pulled back the bowstring, my ice arrow forming instantly, its tip glowing with frozen energy.
I took aim.
And then—
I let it fly.
The arrow shot through the air, a streak of crystalline frost cutting through the smoke-filled night. The moment it struck its mark—just beneath the creature's jagged ribcage—a surge of ice exploded outward, creeping over its flesh, locking into its molten veins like a parasite.
A sharp, guttural snarl ripped from its throat, its massive limbs jerking as the frost crawled along its body, slowing its movements.
The thrill of battle surged through me, the familiar rush of magic coursing through my veins like wildfire. It had been so long since I had been able to fight like this, to use my power without restraint, to feel every muscle, every pulse of energy moving exactly as it was meant to.
For the first time in weeks, I felt alive.
And gods, how exhilarating it was.
"Sera…" Camille's voice cut through the moment, low but edged with something careful. "You're smiling a bit too wide."
I turned my head slightly, catching her watching me. Her ice-blue gaze flickered, assessing, reading every detail of my posture.
She was sharp, this one.
I adjusted my stance, rolling my shoulders back, letting my grip relax around the bow as I exhaled evenly, masking the lingering grin curling at my lips.
"Don't mind me," I murmured, my voice smooth, controlled. "Focus."
Camille didn't respond immediately, but I saw the way her fingers twitched slightly, her frost magic lingering just a second longer than usual before she turned back to the fight.
She wasn't convinced.
Not completely.
But she let it go.
For now.
The creature shook itself violently, breaking chunks of ice from its limbs, its molten glow flaring even brighter in defiance. My magic alone wouldn't be enough to take it down.
Which meant it was time to finish this.
"Claire!" I called out.
She was already moving, her violet eyes burning with the same unyielding fire that had always set her apart.
"I'm ahead of you!" she shouted back, twisting mid-air, her wind magic coiling around her like a second skin.
Tessa was right behind her, fire licking at her fingertips, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Diana, patient as ever, was circling the battlefield, waiting.
Waiting for the opening I was about to create.
I lifted my bow once more, forming another ice arrow, but this time—
This time, I let fire weave through it.
The arrow pulsed, crackling between two elements, the sheer opposing forces of heat and frost screaming for dominance. It shouldn't have worked.
But it did.
Because I was the one wielding it.
I let it fly—aiming not at the beast, but at the ground just beneath it.
The second it hit—fire erupted outward, melting into the ice, sending a chain reaction of frozen spikes tearing through the earth, encasing its legs in an instant.
It was trapped.
Diana moved.
A flash of silver—her rapier striking forward, a burst of wind driving her blade deeper into its exposed chest.
The creature lurched, staggering, a raw, guttural howl ripping from its throat.
"Now, Claire!" I ordered.
Claire dove from above, wind magic twisting into a spear around her as she slammed her full force into its head.
The impact was deafening.
The creature let out one final, strangled cry before its body shuddered, cracking, breaking apart from the inside.
And then—
It collapsed.
The battlefield was still.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
I lowered my bow, letting it fade into mist.
Claire, still breathing hard, pushed herself up, brushing dust off her jacket.
Tessa sighed, rolling her shoulders. "That was annoying."
Diana flicked her rapier once, cleaning the blood from the blade. "It was almost fun."
Camille didn't say anything.
I turned toward her, and for the first time since the battle ended—
She was still looking at me.
Silent. Calculating.
As if she wasn't sure what she had just seen.
I only smiled. "Well," I exhaled, tilting my head. "That was satisfying."
Diana let out a small laugh, but Camille didn't react.
Claire dusted her hands off, finally stepping forward. "Alright, now that we're done, where's Lillian? She's gotta be going nuts right now."
Tessa sighed, stretching. "We should head back before we run into another one of those things."
Camille was still quiet.
I turned, taking one last glance at the battlefield before finally speaking.
"Let's go."
And just like that, we left the remains of the fight behind.
But Camille's gaze on my back?
It never left.
Camille's gaze, sharp and unwavering, pressed against my back like a phantom weight, as if she were waiting for something—waiting for me to slip, to reveal something I hadn't meant to.
I didn't.
Instead, I slowed my pace, falling in step beside Claire as we made our way back toward the city. The fires had begun to die down, their embers flickering weakly in the distance, but the damage had already been done. The air was thick with smoke and ruin, and the once-quiet countryside was now nothing more than a battlefield scarred by the remnants of creatures that shouldn't have existed in the first place.
Claire had been silent for most of the walk, her usual energy dimmed, her violet eyes distant.
She hadn't said much since the fight ended.
I hesitated for only a second before speaking. "How's your home? Your family?"
She exhaled sharply, shaking dust from her jacket as if trying to rid herself of more than just the dirt clinging to it. "My family was evacuated," she said after a moment, her voice even. "Thankfully. As for my home..."
She didn't finish the sentence immediately.
Instead, she let out a low, humorless chuckle, kicking a stray piece of rubble off the road.
"Turned to dust, probably."
I glanced at her.
There was no real bitterness in her voice, no anger, no devastation—just acceptance.
That was what unsettled me most.
"You don't sound surprised," I murmured.
Claire shrugged. "What's there to be surprised about? It's not like we're nobles with giant estates and land to fall back on. My family worked hard for that house, but at the end of the day, it's still just a house."
She sighed, rolling her shoulders. "As long as they're safe, I don't care what happens to the rest."
She meant it.
But I knew Claire well enough by now to catch the smallest flicker of emotion beneath her calm façade.
She cared.
She cared more than she was letting on.
I didn't push.
Instead, I nudged her shoulder lightly. "That's a mature way of looking at it."
She grinned at me, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I know, aren't I amazing?"
Tessa, who had been walking a few paces ahead, scoffed. "Debatable."
Claire gasped dramatically. "Wow. So much disrespect after I risked my life out there."
Tessa side-eyed her. "You were about to charge straight in alone. That wasn't 'risking your life.' That was asking to die."
Claire smirked. "And yet, I'm still alive."
Tessa let out a frustrated groan, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Diana laughed, twirling her rapier effortlessly in her hand as she walked. "I, for one, admire Claire's enthusiasm. It's rare to see someone so passionate about poor decisions."
Claire pointed at her. "See? Diana gets it."
Camille let out a quiet sigh, finally breaking her silence. "You shouldn't have gone alone."
Claire blinked, caught off guard.
Camille wasn't teasing her like the others. Her voice was steady, cold—but not unkind. Just factual.
"You wouldn't have won that fight on your own," Camille continued, ice curling briefly at her fingertips before fading. "And if we hadn't gotten there when we did, you wouldn't be here either."
Claire shifted slightly, grinning, but this time it was smaller. Less defiant.
"I know," she admitted, her voice quieter than before.
She didn't argue.
That was enough.
I let out a slow breath, feeling the weight of everything settle in.
The night wasn't over yet.
The battle had ended, but the war was only beginning.
And deep in my chest, something stirred.
A creeping sensation, a whisper of something still lingering in the air.
Something wasn't right.
And I had the sinking feeling that this—whatever tonight had been—was only the beginning.