The creatures' roars thundered in my chest. They were a deep, vibrating tremor that rattled my bones. It wasn’t the sound—it was the weight of it, pressing against my ribs, threatening to crush me from the inside out. My heart pounded in time with the earth-shaking tremors beneath me. Each beat was faster than the last. The creatures—too many, too fast, too monstrous—closed in. Their eyes gleamed with hunger, and they blotted out the moonlight.

My breath came in shallow, desperate gasps, each inhale burning like a searing brand in my lungs. My sword felt light, an afterthought. I was losing my strength. With a useless rattle, the SMG sat in my hands. The bullets ricocheted off their jagged scales with hollow claws. The cacophony of snarls swallowed the sounds and scraping claws. Every shot felt like a mistake, a hopeless attempt to stave off the inevitable.

I could hear Daisy and Oliver shouting in the distance. Their voices struggled to penetrate the howling chaos. But they might as well have been miles away. Panic clawed at me, tightening my chest, each breath coming shorter and more frantic. The ground seemed to give way beneath me, my legs heavy and leaden with fear.

Then—*crack*, boom. Another rift tore open. Its deafening sound sliced through the night like a countdown to disaster.

Weak. Casper’s voice slithered through my mind, sharp and mocking. Pretending to be a hero. You don’t belong here. I shook the thought away, but it clung to me, sharp as thorns. He was right. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t strong enough. But that didn’t matter. Not now.

The first creature charged, its claws gleaming like silver razors in the dim light. I swung my sword, my muscles trembling with exhaustion. But the creature darted to the side with terrifying speed. Its talons raked across my side, a white-hot streak of pain that burned through my skin. Blood surged, warm and sticky, staining my shirt, and I stumbled. The ground tilted beneath me, my vision blurred, my body screaming for respite.

I couldn’t stop now. Not when they were closing in.

A scream cut through the chaos—a shrill cry that pierced the noise like a knife. A blur of motion, fast and fluid, streaked past me. Among the creatures, a figure landed, having dropped from above. Its ferocity stopped my heart. Her sword gleamed in the moonlight. It was sleek and deadly. Its edge hummed as she carved her way through the monsters. With each strike, she moved like a force of nature, her movements swift and precise. The creatures faltered, confusion flickering in their eyes.

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“Move!” the voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

Before I could react, someone shoved me hard from behind. My body hit the ground with a brutal thud, knocking the air from my lungs. Pain flared in my side where the creature’s claws had slashed me. I scrambled to my feet, gasping for air in time to see the source of the shove.

A girl, one I didn’t recognize, stood between me and the monsters. Her back was to me. But her posture spoke of quiet confidence. It radiated strength. Her short auburn hair framed a freckled face. Green eyes scanned the battlefield with a predator's focus. She wore a fitted black vest over a gray hoodie. It was tactical gear, designed for movement. Her every step was deliberate and measured. But it was the sword that caught my attention.

It was massive—an ancient weapon, its blade shimmering with a strange blend of green and teal. The edges pulsed with energy, as though the sword itself were alive. She swung it through the air with a thunderous sound. It cut the monsters as if they were paper. The blade moved with terrifying grace, a harmony of chaos and precision. It was as if the sword and the girl were one, a seamless extension of each other.

Her eyes flicked to mine, sharp and steady. “Stay back,” she commanded, her voice slicing through the noise of battle.

Without waiting for a reply, she stepped forward. Her posture shifted into a battle stance. She took a deep breath, feeling as if the weight of her sword was no more than a whisper. “Let’s end this,” she said, her voice steady as stone as if this were something she’d done a thousand times before.

[Sacred Arts seventh form: Fragmentation Wave]

With a quick and graceful motion, she swung her sword horizontally. The blade shattered.

The edge fractured into jagged shards, exploding outward in a burst of light. A shockwave rippled through the air. Each fragment grew larger. They left cracks in reality as they tore through the atmosphere. The fragments sliced through the creatures, tearing them apart with explosions. The monsters screamed, reeling from the onslaught, but there was no escape. Like wildfire, the shockwave spread, transforming the battlefield into a blur of destruction.

I stood motionless, my heart thumping in my chest, my eyes wide with shock. I'd never seen anything like it. The power, the precision, and the pure force—it was beyond my comprehension. But amid that chaos, something felt wrong.

I reached for my power, the familiar pulse of energy I should have been able to summon. But it wasn’t there. That comforting warmth—gone. My hand clenched around my sword, but it felt hollow, an empty promise. My body screamed to fight, but a cold dread settled over me, a gnawing fear that spread through my chest like ice.

I couldn’t feel it. The power I relied on, the strength I should have had—it was slipping away, and all I could do was stand there, helpless.

The creatures pressed forward, but I couldn't move my legs. And the girl—she—had an otherworldly blade and a strong will. She had just drawn a line between fighters and those like me.

[End of Chapter]