[The fall never ended.]
[At least, that's what it felt like.]
[Abaksa couldn't tell where the labyrinth ended and the valley began.]
[One moment he had been standing beneath the collapsing Chamber of Ages.]
[The next—]
[Reality tore apart.]
[Green lightning.]
[Broken stone.]
[A rift swallowing everything.]
[Then darkness.]
[Then pain.]
Abaksa Einsro— "Tch..."
[His eyes opened.]
[Poisonous mist greeted him.]
[The valley stretched endlessly beneath a sky that shouldn't exist.]
[Twilight.]
[Not day.]
[Not night.]
[An eternal sunset painted the clouds in crimson and violet.]
[Beautiful.]
[Wrong.]
[Warning: Extreme Toxic Environment]
[Poison Resistance Recommended]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Helpful as always."
[He pushed himself upright.]
[Immediately regretted it.]
[Pain exploded through his ribs.]
[His shoulder still carried the memory of Fissarn's fangs.]
[His mana reserves were nearly empty.]
[And the valley noticed.]
[Something moved.]
[Then another.]
[And another.]
[Stone scraped against stone.]
[Abaksa slowly reached for his sword.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Come out."
[They obeyed.]
[Five creatures emerged from the mist.]
[Gargoyles.]
[Or what had once been gargoyles.]
[Their bodies were twisted.]
[Mutated.]
[Cracked stone flesh oozed green poison.]
[One dragged a broken wing.]
[Another had three heads.]
[Their eyes glowed sickly yellow.]
[Mutated Gargoyle]
[Threat Level: High]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Five?"
[A pause.]
[More eyes appeared.]
[Ten.]
[Fifteen.]
[Twenty.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Of course."
[The nearest gargoyle lunged.]
[Fast.]
[Too fast.]
[Abaksa barely sidestepped.]
[Its claws struck the ground.]
[The stone melted.]
[His eyes widened.]
"...Poison."
[Not normal poison.]
[Corrosive.]
[One touch could cripple him.]
[The second gargoyle attacked.]
[Abaksa swung.]
SLASH.
[The creature split apart.]
[Green blood sprayed.]
[Some landed on his arm.]
Abaksa Einsro— "—!"
[Smoke rose instantly.]
[His skin burned.]
[The poison began eating through the fabric.]
[Corrosion Detected]
[The swarm moved.]
[All at once.]
[Abaksa stepped back.]
[Then again.]
[And again.]
[The valley floor limited his movement.]
[Too many enemies.]
[Too little space.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Not good."
[One gargoyle grabbed his sword.]
[Another attacked from behind.]
[He twisted.]
[Too slow.]
[The claw brushed his shoulder.]
[Agony.]
[Poison surged through the wound.]
[His vision blurred.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Damn..."
[The world tilted.]
[The gargoyles closed in.]
[Death approached.]
[Then—]
SHINK.
[A silver flash cut through the fog.]
[One gargoyle's head exploded.]
[Another followed.]
SHINK.
SHINK.
SHINK.
[Three more collapsed.]
[The swarm hesitated.]
[Someone stood atop a nearby boulder.]
[Red hair.]
[Bright as fire.]
[Black combat attire.]
[Light armor.]
[Dual holsters.]
[A young woman.]
[Her crimson eyes swept across the battlefield.]
??? — "Seriously?"
[She sounded annoyed.]
??? — "You look terrible."
Abaksa Einsro— "...Who..."
[The woman sighed.]
??? — "Questions later."
[She flicked her wrist.]
[Three shurikens appeared.]
[Then six.]
[Then twelve.]
??? — "Move."
[She threw them.]
[The air screamed.]
[Every shuriken struck perfectly.]
[One eye.]
[One throat.]
[One weak point.]
[The gargoyles dropped one after another.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Impossible."
[That accuracy.]
[That control.]
[She wasn't ordinary.]
[The remaining gargoyles roared.]
[Then charged her.]
[Big mistake.]
[The woman vanished.]
[Not fast.]
[Gone.]
[One moment there.]
[The next behind them.]
[Blade flashed.]
[Stone bodies collapsed.]
[The battle ended.]
[Silence returned.]
[Only the poisonous wind remained.]
[The woman approached.]
[Studying him.]
??? — "...Interesting."
Abaksa Einsro— "Who are you?"
[The woman crouched beside him.]
[A faint smile appeared.]
??? — "Naja."
[Just one name.]
[Nothing more.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Naja..."
[His vision worsened.]
[The poison.]
[The exhaustion.]
[Everything caught up at once.]
Naja— "Hey."
[Her voice seemed distant now.]
Naja— "Don't pass out."
Abaksa Einsro— "Wasn't... planning..."
[Darkness swallowed the rest.]
[The last thing he saw—]
[Red hair moving in the poisoned wind.]
[Then nothing.]
Unknown Time Later
[Birds chirped.]
[Sunlight touched his face.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...?"
[His eyes opened.]
[A wooden ceiling.]
[A bed.]
[A cabin.]
[Safe.]
[His wounds had been treated.]
[Fresh bandages.]
[Medicine.]
[He sat up.]
[Slowly.]
[No poison.]
[No gargoyles.]
[No Naja.]
[The room was empty.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Where did she go?"
[Only silence answered.]
[On the nearby table sat a small object.]
[A crimson shuriken.]
[And beneath it—]
[A single note.]
Three words.
"Stay alive, Eleventh."
[Abaksa stared at the message.]
[His heartbeat slowed.]
[Eleventh.]
[She knew.]
[Not just his name.]
[His secret.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Who are you?"
[Far away, beyond the poisonous fog, a red-haired warrior walked alone beneath the twilight sky.]
[Naja smiled faintly.]
Naja— "Looks like I found him."