Liora's heart pounded as she ran through the streets, dragging frightened villagers along behind her. Her eyes scanned every corner, hoping, praying, that her parents were among those fleeing. She didn't see them, only neighbors and strangers stumbling forward in panic. Some tripped over rubble, others collapsed from exhaustion, while a few never moved at all. Still, they kept going, driven by instinct and fear, until they reached a safe distance from the epicenter of the chaos.
From where she stood, she could see him — Kaelith. His presence was unlike anything she had ever felt. His aura wasn't just powerful; it radiated destruction itself. It was terrifying and yet… she found herself rooting for him. He was the only force standing between her world and annihilation.
A shadow flickered beside her. Liora jumped slightly, her heart skipping. But relief flooded her when she recognized the woman standing there — May, her father's old friend. The huntress had been the one to slay the first giant lizard. Slender, deadly, her movements refined and precise, she exuded lethal efficiency. Liora realized immediately why May had struggled against the sheer numbers now threatening the city: her speed and skill couldn't overcome overwhelming odds alone.
"Liora, how do you know that boy?" May asked, her piercing gaze making Liora hesitate.
"That… is a long story," Liora replied, facing the battle. She didn't want to answer, not here, not now.
"Good," May said with a faint smile, her attention returning to the battlefield. "After this, I'll have all the time in the world to listen."
---
The two vanished almost instantly, traveling through the chaos at a speed that would be invisible to any untrained eye. They reappeared and exchanged blows with the monstrous leader, striking and dodging as buildings shattered around them. Time itself seemed to slow as shockwaves rattled the air, dust and debris forming a storm around their feet.
The boss monster, a towering humanoid riding a massive lizard, tried relentlessly to land a strike on Kaelith. But Kaelith didn't even lift his weapon — he blocked every blow with his bare hands, his aura a living shadow of menace. Greenish-blue veins popped along the monster's arms in fury as it imbued its Trident with energy, striking Kaelith violently. He flew backward, crashing through broken buildings, yet remained unharmed.
"Do you take me for a fool?" the monster roared, voice echoing across the ruined city. Energy crackled along its weapon as it attempted a flurry of attacks. Smoke and dust swirled, hiding Kaelith from sight.
May's voice was tense. "He's getting beaten up!"
Liora shook her head, eyes sharp. "No, he's not."
May glanced at her, confused. "And how do you know that?"
Liora didn't speak. She simply pointed.
Through the haze, May saw him — Kaelith, sitting at the front gate as if he were bored, eyes nearly closed. The boss monster paused, shocked. It had landed strike after strike, convinced he was weakening the stranger. But here he was, calm and unmoved, an aura of dread radiating from him like a living predator.
Kaelith's lips curled into a faint smile. Whispering, his voice a soft shadow in the monster's mind, he said, "Do you understand now?"
The creature flinched violently, stumbling backward as whispers rose from the shadows. Kaelith was no longer sitting — he floated effortlessly above the ground, untouched, untouchable. Its own attacks seemed meaningless against him. The monster's breath hitched, realizing that the hunter it thought it was threatening had become the true predator.
"Looks like you understand now," Kaelith said coldly, cracking his body audibly. "I attack, and you survive… if you can."
From the ruins, a lizard creature tried to launch another assault. Kaelith's eyes, sharp and unwavering, followed its every movement. The monster roared, calling its minions, attempting to force them into a frenzy. Their eyes glowed red, turning violent and uncontrollable, but Kaelith simply smiled, preparing to strike.
And then — a new presence appeared. A man with a black sword, moving with impossible speed across the walls of destroyed buildings, slicing through monsters as if they were nothing. The wind from his strikes cut through half of the beasts in seconds.
Kaelith's sharp eyes recognized him instantly: Arven. The same aura he had sensed long ago in the human world, now awakened and unleashed. The two exchanged a single, understanding nod — a silent agreement to fight together.
Liora's heart leapt. Her father… was not what she thought. Trained, deadly, yet human. And now she understood why May, the other hunters, and the few surviving villagers revered him.
---
Kaelith returned his attention to the boss monster, who had been screaming in fury and fear. With a controlled motion, he tore its neck, forcing its final breath. "Why help the humans?" it rasped, dying. "Why involve yourself?"
Kaelith's eyes softened slightly, only for a moment. "Because my own kind betrayed me," he said.
---
Liora watched, tears prickling her eyes, as she felt a surge of warmth and pressure at her chest. She looked down, stunned — a symbol had appeared, glowing faintly against her skin.
The Eclipse Emblem.
A dark crescent intertwined with a pale moon, shimmering softly with shadow and light. She felt a heartbeat beneath it, rhythmic, pulsing — and inside, the Heart Emblem, glowing like a soft, warm pulse beneath the Eclipse.
No one else saw it. Only Kaelith and Arven did.
Kaelith's eyes widened slightly, recognizing the impossibility. "This… should not exist on a human."
Arven's face went pale, shock and awe mixing. "Impossible… the Eclipse… and the Heart. It's… her."
Liora felt the bond intensify. She could sense Kaelith's thoughts, the weight of his memories, his pain, the primal fury he barely restrained. And yet, beneath it all, something fragile and human whispered — the bond's warmth.
The battle continued around her, monsters still charging, but time seemed to pause for a second. The emblem's light marked her as something ancient and pivotal — a bridge between worlds, a key to a fate that no one alive had dared imagine.
She swallowed hard, realizing she had been chosen, whether she wanted it or not. Kaelith, Arven, and now she herself stood at the center of a war that had begun long before she was born — and the first threads of prophecy had woven her tightly into it.