"..... up."

"...ke up."

"WAKE UP!"

Aric’s eyes fluttered open. The faint sound of crackling fire and distant screams filtered into his awareness. He blinked twice, adjusting to the blinding midday sun overhead, and his body tensed instinctively. His fingers curled into the dirt beneath him, the sharp scent of smoke and blood filling the air.

"Aric!" A voice cut through the haze, sharp and urgent. Lyra.

He turned his head slowly to the side, where Lyra knelt beside him, shaking his shoulder. Her emerald-like eyes were wide, panic laced in her voice. “Get up! We need to move. Now!”

Aric’s body felt sluggish, as if waking from a dream, though the coldness inside him remained ever present. As he pulled himself up to a sitting position, memories came rushing back, slamming into him like a storm.

Three months... Three months had passed since the Trial of the Founder in this world, since his fate was sealed by the relic. The relic pulsed against his chest under his armor, faintly warm to the touch, as if sensing his awakening. Maybe this is where the real Aric was defeated. But now... the current ongoing war which started over a month ago.

The War of the Shattered Veil.

A God from the realm of Aetheris had been killed, the Veil weakened, and the floodgates opened. Now Wyrd-corrupted monstrosities roamed freely across the continents. It all made sense now. The destruction, the chaos. The last three months blurred in his mind, a relentless grind of battles, orders, and death. And now... the battle had come to Harmony.

Aric snapped to full alertness as an ear-piercing screech echoed from beyond the trees.

"Now, Aric!" Lyra hissed, pulling him to his feet. "They're coming!"

In the distance, the unmistakable groan of Wyrd-touched creatures filled the air. They moved like shadows, twisted forms lurching across the shattered remnants of the city’s outer defenses. Bodies of soldiers lay strewn across the ground, and the scent of decay mixed with the choking smoke of burning buildings.

“Wyrd-touched,” Aric muttered under his breath, his voice low. The creatures had become a familiar sight, yet there was no denying the unease they stirred within him. He looked around, spotting his sword half-buried in the mud. He reached down and grasped the hilt.

Lyra wiped sweat from her brow, her gaze hardening. “They're trying to push through to the center of the city. If they break Harmony's defenses...”

“They won’t,” Aric said flatly, already moving.

The streets of a medieval city with houses are filled with tension as dark clouds gather overhead, swirling with strange energy. Shadows stretch across the ruined buildings, and an eerie silence hangs in the air, broken only by distant, echoing sounds. The atmosphere feels heavy, as if something unknown and dangerous is approaching from the outskirts, creating an overwhelming sense of unease. [https://cdn.leonardo.ai/users/0f2d04b8-7ac9-4ca4-a262-f8f6d5421ce1/generations/c459ec16-7c05-48d8-96dc-c007a0d6384d/AlbedoBase_XL_The_streets_of_a_medieval_city_with_houses_are_f_2.jpg]

The streets of Harmony are filled with tension as dark clouds gather overhead, swirling with strange energy. Shadows stretch across the ruined buildings, and an eerie silence hangs in the air, broken only by distant, echoing sounds. The atmosphere feels heavy, as if something unknown and dangerous is approaching from the outskirts, creating an overwhelming sense of unease.

Aric stood at the frontline, his cold blue eyes scanning the battlefield with an eerie calm. Beside him, Lyra was breathing heavily, her hands trembling slightly around the hilt of her blade. She had been fighting for hours, and the toll of battle was visible on her. Sweat clung to her skin, her movements were slower than usual, and her once-bright aura was dimming.

"Aric... I’m out of mana," she admitted breathlessly. "I can't pull anything from the Veil anymore. It's... gone."

Her voice held a trace of desperation, but Aric didn’t respond immediately. His gaze remained locked on the incoming horde, assessing the situation with detached precision. He could sense the struggle in her, the frustration of being unable to tap into the power she so desperately needed.

"Then stay behind me," he finally said, his tone devoid of warmth. "I’ll handle this."

Without waiting for her response, Aric stepped forward, his grip on the sword tightening. The air around him began to hum, vibrating with unseen power as he tapped into the spatial magic flowing through him. His cold exterior remained unshaken, even as the monsters came into full view.

The first creature lunged at him with feral speed, claws outstretched, saliva dripping from its distended maw. Aric didn’t flinch. He raised his sword, and in one fluid motion, unleashed a wave of spatial magic. The energy arced from his blade, tearing through the creature's body, distorting its form in the air. The beast's scream was cut short as it disintegrated into black ash, the remnants scattering in the wind.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

More came. Dozens. They charged with mindless hunger, drawn to the pure mana radiating from Aric. His movements were impossibly swift, almost a blur, as he cut through the horde. Every strike was precise, every arc of his sword releasing a pulse of raw energy. His mastery over the Veil allowed him to bend the battlefield to his will, and the creatures stood no chance.

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Lyra watched from behind, wide-eyed, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. She had fought beside many powerful warriors before, but Aric... he was something different now. His cold detachment, his calculated violence—it was terrifying, yet mesmerizing.

A towering beast, twice the size of the others, barreled through the chaos toward Aric, its massive form shaking the ground beneath it. Its skin was a twisted mass of scars and hardened flesh, and its glowing eyes were filled with malice.

Aric didn't hesitate.

As the beast swung one of its massive claws at him, Aric vanished in a blink, reappearing behind the creature mid-strike. His sword slashed in a wide arc, and as it connected, a surge of mana erupted from the blade. The wave of power expanded outward, warping the space around them. The creature's body contorted, its flesh twisting unnaturally as it was pulled apart by the invisible forces.

CRACK—BOOM!

The ground trembled as the beast was ripped apart, its body collapsing in on itself with a violent explosion of black blood and corrupted mana.

Aric landed smoothly, his expression unchanged, as the battlefield continued to erupt around him. His sword pulsed with energy, and with another flick of his wrist, he summoned a sigil in the air. The arcane runes glowed ominously before releasing a wave of destructive force, sending several monsters flying backward, their bodies breaking apart upon impact.

More came. Aric’s gaze flickered with cold precision as he met them head-on, his blade cutting through the air with deadly grace. Each time his sword struck, spatial magic tore through the creatures, warping reality itself around his enemies. He moved like a storm, relentless and unstoppable.

Behind him, Lyra struggled to keep up. She swung her blade at a smaller creature, barely managing to cut through its throat before it collapsed at her feet. Her breath was labored, her legs shaking, but she refused to back down.

"Aric—behind you!" she shouted, seeing a massive creature charging at him from the flank.

But Aric didn’t need the warning. He had already sensed it. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his position, reappearing directly in front of the beast. With a single, powerful swing, he released another arc of spatial magic. The wave of energy cleaved the creature in half, its body falling in two grotesque pieces before disintegrating into nothing.

Aric kept using the same technique fused with spatial magic to end everything quickly, this was something not many could do due to the pure exhaustion and toll using such amount of mana could cause on their body. Through Aric was different from others.

The battlefield fell silent, the creatures momentarily halted, as if sensing the futility of their attacks.

Aric continued to unleash the same technique, seamlessly blending it with spatial magic to dispatch his foes swiftly. For most, the sheer exhaustion and strain from wielding such intense magic would be overwhelming, but Aric was different. His mastery over mana, combined with his unique resilience, allowed him to push beyond the limits that would cripple others.

Lyra staggered forward, exhausted but alive, her eyes still locked on Aric.

"You... you cleared the entire line," she said, disbelief coloring her voice. "I’ve never seen anything like that."

In the distance, the city bells tolled—a sign that more reinforcements were arriving, or worse, that the creatures were breaching deeper into Harmony.

Suddenly, a deep rumbling shook the ground. From the heart of the battlefield, an enormous Wyrd monstrosity lumbered forward. It was twice the size of any creature they had faced so far, its body rippling with chaotic energy. Its blackened flesh cracked and oozed as it stomped toward them, every step reverberating through the earth.

Aric’s eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary Wyrd-touched—it was something born of pure Wyrd, an abomination sent to annihilate.

"Lyra, stay back," he ordered, stepping forward.

"But—"

"Stay. Back."

The cold authority in his voice left no room for argument. Lyra hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly moved to guard the rear.

Aric advanced. The creature’s glowing eyes locked onto him, and it roared—a sound that shook the very air around them. Aric raised his sword, but this time, he didn’t move immediately. He waited, analyzing, calculating the precise moment to strike.

The creature charged.

Aric’s muscles tensed, his mind sharp as the towering creature—a grotesque fusion of flesh and Wyrd energy—charged at him, its enormous, twisted limbs leaving deep furrows in the shattered ground. Its monstrous body, riddled with pulsating veins of corrupted mana, exuded a suffocating aura, warping the very air around it. Each step sent tremors through the earth, a reminder of the raw power it wielded.

The beast’s maw opened wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth. With a deafening roar, it hurled itself toward him, claws gleaming with a sickening glow.

In a blur of movement, Aric sidestepped the attack, his body flickering out of existence for a moment, reappearing several meters away. His cold, calculating gaze never left the creature. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a sigil mid-air, its runes sparking with spatial energy. The sigil expanded, shimmering briefly before releasing a wave of invisible force.

CRACK!

The air around the creature distorted violently, causing its massive body to twist unnaturally as the space around it folded in on itself. The beast let out a confused, guttural growl as it stumbled, disoriented by the sudden warping of reality.

Seizing the opening, Aric dashed forward, the runes on his sword igniting with a deep purple glow. With a grunt, he slashed upward, carving through the twisted air. The edge of his blade trailed a shimmering arc, ripping open the space in its wake. The beast tried to retaliate, swinging one of its massive claws toward him, but Aric had already moved. He vanished, reappearing in a blink, directly behind the creature.

BOOM!

With a ferocious swing, he released another arc of spatial magic, this time unleashing it as a violent, expanding wave. The distorted energy slammed into the creature’s back, bending its form as if reality itself was collapsing around it. The beast screeched in agony, its body flickering in and out of existence as the space around it twisted further.

It staggered, trying to regain its footing, but Aric was relentless. He leaped into the air, his sword raised high. The sigils on his blade flared brighter, and with a sharp, focused intent, he brought it crashing down. As his blade met the creature’s flesh, another pulse of spatial magic erupted, this time with more precision—targeting the core.

The beast's corrupted core pulsed violently, its defenses collapsing under the pressure of Aric’s relentless assault.

**CRACK-BOOM!

A shockwave erupted as the core shattered, its energy dispersing in a chaotic burst. The beast let out one final, agonized roar before its massive body began to unravel, chunks of corrupted flesh disintegrating into the twisted winds.

Aric landed gracefully, his sword still humming with residual power, the air around him warping slightly before settling. His breathing was controlled, eyes scanning the battlefield for any more threats.

Aric exhaled slowly, but his composure remained untouched. He turned to Lyra, nodding once.

Before she could respond, another sound pierced the air—this time, the deep toll of the city’s highest bell. It was a summons.

“The meeting,” Lyra muttered, brushing blood from her cheek. “The four families are calling for us.”

Aric stared at the horizon for a moment, eyes narrowing. The war was far from over.

"Let’s go," he said, turning his back on the battlefield without a second glance, already preparing for the next confrontation.

...