The courtyard of Legion Academy was a flat, cracked expanse of stone, the early sun a thin, sickly yellow filtering through the high, iron‑spiked walls. A humid mist clung to the ground, carrying the sour scent of wet stone and old incense. The air felt heavy, like a breath held too long.
Natasha Brights moved through the throng of students with her shoulders hunched, heart thudding against her ribs. Her forehead creased, a thin line of sweat beading at her temple. She scanned the rows of training dummies, the flagpole, the cracked arches—searching for Raven.
_Breathe, breathe, breathe._ The rhythm was frantic, a drumbeat she could not silence.
She passed the old water pump, its rusted handle squeaking in the wind, when a voice stopped her cold.
"—he'll die if I don't finish it tonight."
Victor stood a few feet away, back turned, hands clasped behind him. He muttered to the empty air, eyes glazed, a smile twisting his lips.
Natasha's breath hitched. Her hand flew to her throat, nails digging into the skin. A flash—
Sand swirling, Jane's blade flashing green poison. The professor's voice, a warning: "Do not intervene, Natasha."_
_Raven's silhouette, a flash of violet light, slamming his shoulder into the sand vortex, pulling Jane's blade away, saving her from the poisoned cut. His eyes, fierce, whispering, "Stay alive."_
The memory slammed back, heat surging through her veins. Fear sharpened into rage.
Victor turned, eyes meeting hers. "You—?"
She swallowed the tremor, voice low, "Victor, what are you planning?"
A cold grin. "You'll see."
She stepped back, heart, the world narrowing to the pounding in her chest.
"Victor, you're going to kill him," she hissed.
A sudden gasp,Jasper appeared from behind a broken column, his coat torn, eyes wild.
"Nat, we have to move. Now. Victor's planning something with the Abyssal Gate."
Natasha's fear cracked, replaced by a fierce resolve.
The command hall was a vaulted chamber of stone, maps strewn across a massive table, candles flickering. Commander Aetos stood beside Colonel Lira, a middle‑aged woman with a scar slicing her left cheek.
Aetos stared at the glowing rune on the parchment, his hand trembling ever so slightly.
"Sir, the gate—" Lira began.
A sudden, blinding light burst from the rune. Aetos' back arched, breath sucked in, a gasp that sounded like a dying animal. His eyes rolled back, white, then a flash of images—
_Fire. Screams. A crown of ash. A weapon falling._
His body shook, muscles spasming. Lira stepped forward, terror flashing across her face.
"Commander!"
Aetos snapped awake, gasping, sweat drenching his uniform. He stared at the faces around him—Colonel Lira, Captain Darius, the dignitaries of the Five Clans.
"Commander, what did you see?" Lira whispered, voice shaking.
Aetos opened his mouth, voice a rasp, "I… I saw…"
He swallowed, throat bobbing. The room fell into a hushed roar.
"Who?" Darius demanded, hand on his sword.
Aetos' hand clenched, knuckles white. He trembled, eyes darting, then...
Outside the fortress walls, the Abyssal Gate roared to life, a vortex of black flame and crackling energy. The ground trembled; the sky turned a bruised violet. Legion soldiers formed a ragged line, banners fluttered like dying birds.
Commander Salem stood at the front, his scarlet cloak billowing. Mira—bronze rank, her sword humming with a faint blue aura—stood beside him, eyes narrowed.
"Hold the line!" Salem shouted.
The gate shuddered, a deafening crack, then—
A mountain of fur and scales erupted. *A demon bear*, ten storeys tall, its hide covered in iridescent scales that reflected the dying light. It roared, a sound that shattered stone.
Mira's heart hammered. _I can't die here._ She stepped forward, sword raised.
"End this!" she yelled, voice echoing over the roar.
She darted, a flash of lightning. Her blade sliced across the bear's flank, nothing happened except a force that repelled her.
nothingbut a shallow gash, a spray of black ichor. The beast swiped, claws rending the earth, sending soldiers flying.
Salem thrust his staff forward, a burst of fire exploding from the tip. It brushed the bear's chest, flickering out like a candle in a storm.
"Retreat!" a soldier screamed. "We're dying!"
Salem's eyes burned. He saw the bodies of his men, torn, blood staining the stone. His mind fractured_quit, give up._
Mira, breath ragged, shouted, "You're a coward, Salem!"
She lunged again, her sword a blur, invoking a Tempest Strike, a vortex of wind and lightning spiraling around her blade. The bear roared, swatting her aside. She tumbled, landing hard on the broken flagstones, a gasp escaping her lips.
Victor watched from the shadows, a cruel smile forming.
The bear reared, its massive jaws opening to swallow Mira. She rolled, pulling a hidden rune—Starlight Burst. Light erupted, momentarily blinding the beast.
A deafening crack. Blood splattered—who?
The bear staggered, a guttural howl tearing the night. Its massive paw swiped, sending *Salem* flying into a wall of flame.
Silence fell, broken only by ragged breathing. The gate sputtered, flames dying.
Mira lay on the ground, a crimson bloom spreading across her chest. Her eyes fluttered, a faint smile.
Aetos, still shaking in the command room, whispered, "…."
In the ruins, a lone figure emerged from the shadows,Raven, eyes dark, rune pulsing. He stared at the fallen, his voice a whisper:
"Who… did I lose?"