As the swirling darkness enveloped the battlefield, Lilith and Diana struggled to make sense of their surroundings. Ginro's power, "Burial: The Punishment," had plunged everything into a cold, inky blackness, obscuring their vision and heightening their tension.
"I-I can't see a thing!" Lilith's voice trembled, her usual confidence shaken.
"Careful," Diana warned, her tone steady but laced with apprehension. "It's his 'Burial' power. We don't know what he's capable of."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Lilith scoffed, trying to dismiss the creeping anxiety. "There's no way he can use that kind of power—he's not even one of us!"
Diana hesitated. "That might be true," she admitted, her eyes narrowing as she tried to focus on any sign of movement in the suffocating dark.
They stood poised, tense, their senses heightened, waiting for Ginro's next move. The silence stretched, taut and unnerving. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the darkness dissipated, revealing the barren landscape once more. But Ginro was nowhere to be seen.
Lilith and Diana both gasped, scanning the area frantically.
"He's gone," Lilith said with a bemused smile, brushing a lock of hair from her face.
Diana, still alert, murmured under her breath, "I can't feel his presence anymore... Now then?"
The two women exchanged a glance, their smiles subtle but knowing. They had survived Ginro's mysterious power, but their curiosity about what had just happened lingered.
Far away, Ginro was running—running as fast as his legs would carry him.
"No way... No freaking way I did all that!" His breath came in ragged gasps as the memory of the fight played in his mind. "I regained consciousness when my arm reattached and then... and then—"
The thoughts swirled in his mind, disbelief clouding his focus. He still couldn't comprehend the magnitude of what had transpired.
"But the power I used earlier... it's the domain I saw when I met the Black Shadow in that other realm..." His voice trailed off as the memories of that encounter flooded his senses.
His racing thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of distant shouting. Ginro slowed, his ears perked, trying to discern the source. Changing his course, he followed the noise until he crouched behind a bush, peering out at the scene unfolding before him.
A grand carriage, enshrined with intricate details, was surrounded by soldiers locked in battle with a group of ruthless bandits. One by one, the soldiers were cut down without mercy, leaving only two bloodied defenders standing guard at the carriage door, barely clinging to life.
Ginro's heart pounded as he watched, his mind racing. "What's happening here?" he whispered to himself.
Inside the carriage, a woman's voice rang out, clear and commanding despite the danger. "Stop! I'll come out! Don't hurt my soldiers any more!"
One of the remaining soldiers, his voice choked with desperation, protested. "My Princess! You can't! It's too dangerous!"
But the woman was resolute. "It will be fine."
As the door creaked open, the bandits froze, their cruel grins turning lecherous as they beheld the figure stepping out. The princess was breathtaking, her silver hair shimmering in the dim light, her crimson eyes piercing yet eerily devoid of life. Her blue gown clung to her, outlining her graceful form, but her eyes—her eyes told a different story. They were hollow, drained of spirit.
"Woah," one of the bandits whispered, his voice dripping with lust. "You should've opened that door earlier. Maybe we wouldn't have killed your guards so quickly."
"Yeah," another chimed in, licking his lips. "How about you start taking off those fancy clothes, princess? We're gonna have ourselves a real party."
One of the last soldiers, a woman with short-cropped hair, struggled to her feet. "Bastards!" she spat, lunging at the bandit leader.
But the leader, towering over her, easily swatted her attack aside, grabbing her by the neck. "Fancy little soldier, aren't you?"
The woman's helmet fell off, revealing her defiant glare. In a final act of defiance, she spat in his face.
"You bitch!" the bandit leader snarled, throwing her violently against the carriage, where she crumpled next to the other soldier.
"No!" the princess cried, her voice trembling for the first time.
"Kill them!" the leader barked. "But leave the princess. She's going to be my little slave!"
The bandits began to advance, their laughter cruel and mocking, as the princess trembled, her hand twitching subtly as she prepared a hidden spell. But just as she was about to unleash her magic, a rustling came from the bushes.
"Umm... I can help a little if you want," a voice said.
The princess yelped in surprise. "Gyaaah!"
It was Ginro, suddenly standing beside her, his face full of awkward uncertainty. Before she could react, he swatted the spell she'd been preparing away—and directly into his own face.
Ginro went flying, crashing into the bandit leader, knocking both of them to the ground.
"...Ow."