The entire team headed toward the abandoned village, leaping from tree to tree through the forest until they arrived at their destination. Silence spread throughout the area, broken only by the towering tree standing undisturbed in the now-deserted village. The village was destroyed, its stones scattered beneath their feet, yet the tree seemed unharmed.

“This is what the Bright Dark does… leaves nothing but lifeless rubble,” Atenyos mumbled, his face expressionless, but his eyes filled with deep sadness. This sight reminded him of his once home.

Ipsum patted his back in an attempt to cheer him up, though he too was saddened by the scene. As a ring bearer, he had also seen his fair share of heartache.

“Slash.” “Screech!”

Suddenly, they heard a noise coming from the direction of the trees. Kantara moved toward it, only to be pushed back by an extending tree branch, which struck him beneath his ribs.

“Guhhh!” Kantara gasped, the strain taking its toll as he struggled to catch his breath.

“KANTARA!” Cassian shouted, concern and anger flashing across his face. “Are you okay?” His voice was filled with worry.

Before Kantara could reply, nearly thirty-two branches elongated and began slashing toward the team with tremendous speed.

As everyone scrambled to evade the attack, Cassian rushed in, using his axe to slash through the branches. He landed a powerful blow to the tree itself.

“Thwack!”

“Craaaack!”

“Crrreeeaaak!”

“Whhhhoooosh!”

“THUUUUD!”

“Krrrsshh!”

“Boomph!”

The tree fell to the ground, its branches lying flat next to it in defeat.

Cassian had cut the tree in half. He smiled, breathing heavily as he looked at the rest of the team. “Easy, boys. Motherfuckers think a tree’s going to pose a threat to me? HA!” He said proudly, laughing.

The team eased up and went to check on Kantara.

Suddenly, they saw Cassian fly above them, crashing to the ground next to Ipsum.

“Ffffttt!”

“Thuuuud!”

“CASSIAN!” Ipsum shouted, looking at the now-unconscious Cassian beneath him. The entire team looked back at the tree.

“Squelch!”

“Creeeak!”

They watched as the tree began to heal itself, mending back together as if it had taken no damage at all.

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“It can heal?!” Marcellus exclaimed in anger and disbelief, struggling to understand how they could defeat it.

“Revoir, take Cassian to the back so he doesn’t get injured further,” Atenyos ordered, knowing that Revoir could endure damage and repel it, though too much would cause him great pain.

Ipsum and Kantara noticed Atenyos’s reasoning and exchanged a brief smile, signaling their approval of his decision.

Atenyos took his stance and activated his powers, focusing to prevent any backlash. The marks on his hands grew larger as he powered up, lightning crackling around him.

“Luterra, Elvora, Lucian, with me. We’ll attack the branches and create a path for Ipsum to burn this son of a bitch,” Atenyos said, his tone firm and authoritative. It was clear he was no stranger to the battlefield.

Kantara nodded in agreement with Atenyos’s plan, and the team charged forward.

Luterra, Elvora, and Lucian deflected and attacked the branches, while Atenyos and Ipsum worked together, deflecting and destroying every branch that came at them, protecting Ipsum and giving him the chance to strike the tree itself.

Ipsum reached the tree. His palm was so hot that the air around it seemed wavy, and water vapor evaporated from the sheer heat. He touched the tree, burning it from the ground up. As it burned, he targeted the roots, hoping to end the threat once and for all.

“Screeeeeech!” The tree let out a sound like a woman screaming as it burned down to ash.

“Good job, guys,” Ipsum said, a relieved smile on his face.

“Keep burning, Ipsum. It’s not over yet. Burn it, even to the ashes,” Atenyos said, his eyes filled with determination, making sure the tree wouldn’t rise again.

Ipsum continued to burn the remains while the team checked on Kantara, who appeared fine, and Cassian, who seemed to regain consciousness.

They returned to headquarters, where Kantara gave a briefing to Iruim about the encounter, explaining the state of the creature they had faced. He then ordered the team to meet him in the briefing room.

“So, he’s able to use his power now, huh? Interesting, that didn’t take long,” Iruim remarked, his voice filled with surprise.

“It seems all he needed was rest. But he’s still holding back. He hasn’t gone all out yet,” Kantara explained, letting Iruim know that Atenyos had more to show.

“So, the kid can use his power, has battle IQ, and can fight. And he hasn’t even shown all he’s capable of? What an intriguing little bastard,” Iruim mused, still deep in thought. “Alright, Kantara, you head back to your team. Thanks for the briefing.”

Meanwhile, the team rested in their room, awaiting Kantara’s return.

“Atenyos, you have a good eye, and you seemed calm even though we were facing a creature we’ve never encountered before. Have you had training? You don’t seem new to fighting,” Marcellus said, his tone laced with curiosity.

“As I’ve said before, my father left me his journals. I used them to learn how to fight and developed strategies for battle. As for why I was calm… I’ve seen worse,” Atenyos replied in a calm manner, though his voice carried a hint of warning, as if telling Marcellus not to pry too deeply.

Kantara entered the room. “Gather up,” he said, silencing any side conversations. “Today was an embarrassment on my part and yours, but also a great victory. We learned the value of our new member, Atenyos. His calm-headed approach, the way he handled the situation, and kept the team working as one cohesive unit was impressive. Thank you, Atenyos.” Atenyos nodded with a calm smile.

“As for you, Cassian… What the fuck was that? If you’re going to take down your enemy, don’t just boast; make sure they stay down. What you did out there was… I expected better from you,” Kantara said, anger mixed with disappointment. Cassian avoided his gaze.

“As for the rest of you, great work. I hope we can all learn from this and work towards being better. Ipsum, what you did out there was impressive as well, so thank you for that. Now, head back to your rooms. We meet tomorrow at 8 in the training grounds,” Kantara said before heading out.

“Hmph,” Cassian muttered as he left, followed by the rest of the team except Ipsum and Atenyos.

“Good job out there, Atenyos. Keep doing what you’re doing, and soon enough, you might even be able to take me on,” Ipsum said, his tone light-hearted as he prepared to leave.

“Sure, heh,” Atenyos replied with a slight chuckle, relaxing a bit around Ipsum, which wasn’t something he was used to.

They all took their leave and returned to their rooms to rest and prepare for the next day.