The frost creeps along the shattered part of Ehrek’s helmet, spreading outward as he stares at Schein and Merkmal, his gaze icy and unwavering. In his hand, the spear glows faintly, an extension of his formidable will. Across from him, Schein’s massive battle axe ignites in a fierce cherry-red flame, casting shadows that dance across the battlefield. With a bellow, Schein charges, swinging the fiery axe down at Ehrek in a deadly arc.
Ehrek raises the spear horizontally to block, and the two weapons collide with a crackling explosion of sparks. The force reverberates through the ground. But before Ehrek can fully counter, he senses a new threat—a barrage of royal blue spikes from his left and a beam of energy from the right. Two more figures, glowing in royal blue, have joined the fray, casting their attacks with deadly precision.
In a swift, calculated move, Ehrek pushes back against Schein’s axe, forcing him to stagger, and then drives the blunt end of the spear into Schein’s face. Schein reels, momentarily dazed. Seizing the opportunity, Ehrek opens wormholes on either side of himself, catching the incoming spikes and beam within the portals. Without missing a beat, he redirects the attacks, and they shoot out of new wormholes aimed directly at Merkmal.
Regaining his balance, Schein charges back, his body now wreathed in a blazing aura, each swing of his axe heating the air around them. The heat radiates from Schein, intensifying his strikes as he and Ehrek exchange blow after blow. Sparks fly as metal clashes against metal, and Schein’s fury only seems to build, his fire growing hotter with each hit. In the heat of their scuffle, Schein’s flaming axe crashes into Ehrek’s armor—but the orange glow that pulses from Ehrek’s form leaves not a scratch, absorbing the impact as if it were nothing more than a glancing touch.
Seeing an opening, Ehrek moves faster than Schein can react, driving a powerful fist straight into Schein’s midsection. The force sends him skidding across the battlefield, creating deep grooves in the ground before he comes to a halt. But Ehrek has no time to savor the advantage; above him, Merkmal appears, his body radiating with intense energy. With a sharp, focused gesture, Merkmal summons hundreds of royal blue spikes, each one infused with a rewritten energy, hovering in the air before they rain down like a storm of razor-sharp projectiles.
Ehrek readies himself, his frosted armor glinting under the light of the descending spikes, prepared to face Merkmal’s onslaught head-on.
Ehrek launches himself high into the air, spear drawn back. With a fierce throw, he hurls the spear down toward Merkmal, just as a storm of rewritten spikes rains upon him. The spikes tear through Ehrek’s armor, scraping and battering him, yet he holds firm, his eyes locked on Merkmal.
As the spear closes in, Merkmal raises his hand, summoning a royal blue barrier around himself. But the spear’s momentum is relentless—it punches through the shield with an ear-splitting crack, barely missing Merkmal by a hair. The spear continues, soaring past him and into the sky, where it strikes the moon with a flash so powerful it leaves a new crater visible from Earth. Merkmal turns, wide-eyed and stunned, before teleporting back to the ground below.
Meanwhile, Ehrek begins his descent, only to be met by a pillar of flame that erupts from the ground, spiraling upwards to engulf him. Enclosed within the fiery column, Ehrek narrows his gaze and moves his hand in a calculated sweep. Around Merkmal, wormholes open, and in a deft move, Ehrek creates another wormhole within the blazing pillar, redirecting the fire through and out toward Merkmal.
Flames explode around Merkmal from all sides. He raises his arms, struggling to shield himself, the royal blue aura around him flickering under the intense heat. When the flames finally die down, Merkmal stands, singed but unfazed, brushing soot from his cloak.
Without missing a beat, Merkmal teleports behind Ehrek in a flash of blue light just as Schein charges in from the front, axe raised and blazing. Ehrek meets their assault, blocking and parrying each attack, one hand fending off Schein’s brutal strikes, the other deflecting Merkmal’s rapid blows. Each impact sends a shockwave of force and flame crackling through the air.
Merkmal’s hands begin to glow with an intensified blue hue, and each time his fists connect with Ehrek, a strange weakness seems to sap Ehrek’s strength. Ehrek reaches out, attempting to grab Merkmal, but Merkmal slips away, retaliating with a powerful strike that throws Ehrek off balance. Ehrek stumbles, his defenses faltering as Schein takes a fierce horizontal swing, his axe barely missing Ehrek as he falls backward.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Just as Ehrek is about to hit the ground, a wormhole materializes beneath him, catching his fall. Schein steps forward, his fist blazing in cherry-red flames, and blasts a searing column of fire into the wormhole. The flames narrowly miss Ehrek as he drops through the wormhole, emerging on the other side to land with a heavy thud on a wet, dark surface below.
Ehrek stands, panting slightly as he regains his footing on the endless expanse of a watery plane stretching as far as the eye can see, faint ripples spreading from where he landed. Above him, Schein and Merkmal exchange a determined look before they both dive into the wormhole, landing beside Ehrek with practiced ease. Their reflections shimmer on the glossy, dark water, and for a moment, the three figures stand motionless, their breaths mingling with the heavy air of the unknown realm.
“Do you have any idea what this place is?” Schein asks Merkmal, his eyes scanning the abyss around them, the shadows deep and oppressive. Merkmal narrows his gaze, shaking his head, his expression a mixture of determination and concern.
“But I think we aren’t alone in this massive void,” he replies, glancing warily into the darkness.
Schein’s eyes widen in shock as he turns around, scanning for any sign of life. The stillness is unsettling, as if the abyss itself is holding its breath.
Suddenly, Ehrek activates a wormhole, and a massive greatspear emerges, shimmering with moon dust. He grips it tightly, twirling the spear to shake off the dust as his armor begins to shift, the cold, lifeless aura around him pulsating with a new energy. With a predatory gleam in his eyes, he dashes toward Schein and Merkmal, gaining speed with each stride, his damaged armor adapting as much as it can.
“I found it!” Merkmal exclaims, excitement sparking in his voice.
Schein raises his axe, readying for an attack.
“There are more traits here than expected!” Merkmal snaps his fingers, and a hundred glowing traits come racing through the void, each shimmering in a royal blue hue. They swirl around him like a chaotic storm of colors. The traits appear less evolved than usual, but their potential is undeniable.
Ehrek, focused and relentless, summons another wormhole while sprinting, drawing his long sword in one hand as he hurls the greatspear at Schein. With a swift motion, Schein raises his axe to block, the spear soaring upward before vanishing into the void.
In an instant, Ehrek leaps through the wormhole, reappearing just in time to catch the spear midair. He pivots and hurls it back down at Schein, who barely has time to react. The spear plunges into Schein’s chest, pinning him to the ground with a violent thud.
Merkmal’s focus sharpens. With a wave of his hand, the Stamina traits glow and shoot out chains that wrap around Ehrek’s arms, slamming him to the ground. A group of Defense traits positions themselves in front of Schein, while Health traits gather behind to mend his wounds.
Ehrek strains against the chains, slowly rising from the ground, each step causing tremors that reverberate through the abyss. The Health traits struggle to heal Schein, but the spear remains lodged in his chest, a barrier to full recovery.
Desperate, Schein grips the spear, flames erupting from his body as he attempts to melt it free. The spear begins to glow, but the light is dim compared to the intensity of the fire raging within him.
Meanwhile, Merkmal orchestrates the chaos with a flick of his wrist. The Strength traits transform into transparent cannons, each aimed at Ehrek.
With a fierce resolve, Ehrek stabs his sword into the ground, summoning a shield-like barrier of purple and orange energy. As the cannons fire, explosions ripple against the shield, the magic intensifying with each blast.
Schein strains against the spear, finally managing to loosen it enough to shift. Ehrek seizes the moment, leaping from behind the barrier. His sword glows with orange and purple light as he swings it with brutal precision, slicing cleanly through the Defense traits and then delivering a second, fatal strike that pierces Schein’s throat.
The air thickens with tension as Merkmal’s eyes widen in horror. He activates the Rewrite button, pressing it frantically as Schein’s body drops the axe, lifeless.
Before Ehrek can react, Merkmal conjures a storm of Rewritten spikes, disappearing into the void as he leaves behind both halves of Schein. Ehrek slumps to the ground, exhaustion weighing heavily on him, the adrenaline of battle fading away.
“I’ve used too much power for today,” he mutters, his breath ragged. “Time keeps slipping away… Damn it.”
Struggling to his feet, Ehrek waves a hand, conjuring a wormhole. He steps through, collapsing as he emerges into a tranquil forest, the contrast of nature a stark relief to the abyss’s chaos. His armor shifts back to its normal state, and he finally succumbs to exhaustion, his body hitting the ground with a thud.