Xiver and Maria collided in midair, the mountain floor shattering beneath their impact. Desperation clawed at him as he forced the ground beneath her feet into slick mud, hoping to make her slip. Maria, her instincts honed even in dreams, leapt over the trap with fluid grace, only to be caught by a sudden flame attack that licked across her face. Xiver slid beneath her, sending a water arrow straight into her leg, his lungs burning and chest heaving with every strained inhale. Using air magic, he propelled himself backward, kicking up a cloud of dust from the earth to mask his retreat.
But Maria's eyes were sharp. The moment she sensed his presence, she advanced, and the moment she neared, Xiver's explosive trick hit—powder hidden in his clothing ignited by his interaction of fire and manipulation magic, creating a sudden burst that scorched her face. She spat, wiping her vision clear, and focused on sensing his mana. Xiver, sweat dripping from his brow, climbed desperately up the mountain toward Martha and Amelia, but Maria was relentless. She unleashed a wave of flame magic, forcing him off balance. Water magic spat from Xiver's hands, slowing them both, but he still managed one desperate gambit: filling his cheap sword with gunpowder and sending a fireball into it as he plunged toward Maria. The explosion rocked her backward.
"What was that about?" Maria demanded, her voice calm but edged with annoyance. "You throw your last chance of winning for what?"
"For victory," Xiver spat, chest heaving, sweat and blood streaking his face. He pushed himself past exhaustion, his limbs trembling under the weight of his body and magic.
As they fell, Maria's attention was pulled by a cracking egg beneath them. Amelia emerged, shaking the sticky residue from her eyes, but Maria's fury didn't pause. She sent Xiver slamming into the mountain floor with a force that made him taste dirt and rock. Air magic lifted Maria toward Amelia, and she prepared to strike.
"Maria… why?" Amelia called, her voice trembling, but Xiver pushed his fear aside.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, but your resistance leaves me no choice," Maria's tone was sharp, precise, killing any warmth. Amelia's eyes narrowed as she unleashed a sleeping attack—but it barely grazed Maria. "Did you really think weak magic could win?" Maria scoffed, advancing.
Xiver's heart pounded as he saw Amelia poised to intervene. She wasn't trained to survive against a level 30 threat. Before Maria could strike, Xiver slammed a burst of flame under his own feet, propelling himself into her stomach. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE AND GET MARTHA WITH YOU!" he roared.
"No way, I'm not leaving you!" Amelia yelled, but Xiver's tone left no room for argument. "I'M NOT ASKING!"
Maria's fist lunged at him, and he barely dodged. "I SAID FUCKING LEAVE!" he yelled again, teeth gritted, lungs burning, every nerve screaming from exhaustion. Amelia hesitated, then used her strength to break the shell surrounding Martha, lifting her safely onto Jack.
Xiver didn't wait. He used ground magic to collapse a portion of the mountain, creating a barrier between Maria and Amelia. Maria simply smashed through it with two punches, advancing like a storm. Xiver acted fast, digging a sudden hole beneath her path, and she tumbled into a lower cave, hissing in irritation.
"Amelia! I NEED YOU TO RUN! I WILL FOLLOW!" Xiver shouted, chest heaving, vision narrowing as the adrenaline and mana drained him.
"I… I can't leave you!" Amelia protested, but she knew better. She had lived with him long enough to know he didn't bluff. "Our only chance is for Martha to get to a safe place and stay awake until you can come back!"
Amelia nodded, breaking the egg shell to free Martha. Xiver assisted her onto Jack's back, urgency thrumming through every motion. As they descended the mountain, Xiver turned toward Maria and the Fate Dragon still lying in wait. "Take Martha and go! Get help!" he shouted, but his eyes were fixed on the threat ahead.
Amelia hesitated, whispering apologies as she rode Jack with Martha. Xiver clenched his fists, forcing his body forward, breath ragged, chest burning. "You asked me once who I live for," he muttered to her retreating back. "When I return, I'll tell you."
The mountain was silent behind them, except for the low, threatening rumble of Maria and the Fate Dragon, waiting, patient, and deadly. And Xiver, level 14 against a world that had stacked against him, knew this fight wasn't about strength—it was about surviving long enough to turn the tables.
I staggered, gasping for air, as Maria appeared behind me, her claws and wings slicing through the air with terrifying precision. She kicked me across the field, and just as I struggled to get to my feet, a hammer-like kick came down—but it was a fake. My mirror magic had fooled her into striking my reflection, a copy that dissipated in a shimmer of light.
"For a half-human, half-dragon, you're pretty weak," I muttered through gritted teeth, pain shooting through my ribs. I clapped my hands, sending a piercing water attack toward her legs. She leapt over it effortlessly, landing a punch I narrowly dodged, and we immediately began exchanging blows. Each hit left me winded; each dodge burned my lungs, my muscles screaming with fatigue. I aimed for her stomach; she aimed for my chest. Our fists collided, our heads bumped, and I barely managed to twist out of a strike that could have shattered my ribs.
"Mirror magic is a flawed magic. You can see the difference between the real and the fake. Just a waste of mana," she spat, glaring at me.
"Yeah… but against someone like you, I have nothing else," I wheezed, sweat dripping into my eyes. She prepared a massive fireball, and I tried to slow it with water magic—but it barely touched her. Desperation clawed at me as she appeared right beside me, swinging massive punches that pounded into my body, leaving bruises and broken ribs forming beneath my skin. I slammed my palm into the ground, summoning divine magic from the plants, but she stepped on my hand. Pain exploded up my arm, and I screamed, tasting blood.
"Wanna hear a secret?" she hissed, pressing down harder. "I will kill everyone you love… slowly."
"Th-THAT'S THE MOST CORNY THING I HE—AGHHHHHH!" I roared, struggling to breathe, my vision blurring as I clawed for control. She began gathering fire in her hand, the heat searing the air around me. I tried to run with mirror magic, but she shattered it in an instant.
"Useless," she sneered—but then the Fate Dragon spoke. Its deep, rumbling voice froze her mid-attack.
"My child, for you I can grant the power you seek, but you must share the same blood as I," the dragon said.
Pfft. "So you're giving him a chance to survive? How cheap," Maria sneered.
"You must be patient, child. We must grow stronger than before. Xiver, what's your answer?" the dragon asked.
"FU-CK YOU, DICKHEAD!" I coughed, gasping for air, but my words carried the defiance that burned inside me.
Maria's face twisted with irritation. "See? Just a worthless—"
I seized the moment, combining mirror, fire, and air magic to reflect a blinding flash of light into her eyes. "UGHHHHH! YOU SON OF A BITCH IL FUCKING KILL YOU AND EVERYONE YOU LOVE YOU FUCKING HEAR ME!" she screamed, staggering as I bolted. I ran for cover under the forest canopy, lowering my mana to zero to hide my presence and desperately siphoning energy from the plants with divine magic, hoping Amelia would rescue Martha and awaken her in time.
The ground beneath me shook as Maria roared in fury, her footsteps smashing roots and rocks. I drew ragged breaths, my body trembling with every movement, but I could feel a flicker of hope—if I could survive until Amelia completed her task, maybe, just maybe, we had a chance.