Tomorrow Morning:
Beta awoke with a start, realizing that Ossa was no longer beside him. His gaze darted around the empty room before he spotted Ossa in the distance, preparing for battle. Ossa was strapping on his two swords: Rei Karl, a blade as red as blood, forged from human sacrifices, and Chimamire Fol, known as the "Bloody Flower."
Beta's instincts told him to stay put, but something urged him to follow. He could sense the danger, yet he knew he needed to be there. Stealthily, Beta trailed Ossa, careful not to alert him. As they reached a mist-covered lake called Lanetli, Ossa came to a stop, gripping Rei Karl tightly as he scanned the water's surface.
Ossa called out into the silence, his voice resonating with a challenge. "Show yourself, witch! Enough hiding!" With a swift slash of Rei Karl, he sent a wave of energy slicing across the lake. "Blitz Slash—Redeem of the Abyss!"
The water trembled, then parted, revealing a figure rising from the depths. The water twisted around her, forming a shroud that both concealed and revealed. She was otherworldly, with blue hair cascading like the ocean's waves and a haunting, hollow gaze that spoke of centuries of sorrow.
"So, another foolish boy come to die?" she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "You know I hunt your kind."
Ossa stepped forward, undeterred. "I know. That's why I'm here. Your tyranny ends now." His voice was steady, but his grip on the sword was tighter than ever.
Julia's smirk widened. "Brave words for a dead man walking." With a flick of her wrist, the water transformed into sharp tendrils, lashing out at Ossa like hungry vipers. He leaped back, narrowly avoiding the deadly assault.
As Ossa squared off against Julia, Beta watched from the shadows. Though Julia sensed his presence, she dismissed him as a non-threat, her focus remaining on the swordsman in front of her.
Ossa lunged forward, Rei Karl glinting in the morning light. He aimed for her heart, but she parried effortlessly, her water shield absorbing the blow. In a fluid motion, Julia retaliated, sending a tidal wave crashing toward him. Ossa dove to the side, rolling to avoid being swept away. The ground was soaked, the air thick with the metallic scent of magic and damp earth.
"I'll make you regret crossing me!" she hissed, conjuring a torrent that twisted and coiled around her like a serpent. She was a storm incarnate, and Ossa was in its eye.
"Do your worst!" Ossa shouted, his voice unwavering as he readied Chimamire Fol in his other hand. The two swords glowed ominously, one with the warmth of fresh blood, the other with a dark, suffocating energy. He unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one met with a crash of water that echoed through the forest like thunder.
Julia dodged and weaved, moving with an ethereal grace as if she were one with the water itself. "You're nothing but a bug to be squashed," she sneered, sending a wall of water barreling toward him. Ossa swung his swords in a crisscross motion, splitting the wave in two as he advanced, inching closer to the witch with each deflected strike.
Suddenly, Beta stepped forward, his presence no longer hidden. "Need some help?" he called, a grin spreading across his face.
Ossa glanced over his shoulder, his expression a mix of surprise and frustration. "I thought I told you not to follow me."
"Too late," Beta replied, raising his fists. "Let's finish this together."
Julia scowled, a flicker of unease flashing in her eyes. "Two against one? Pathetic."
Ossa smirked. "You've taken too many lives for us to care about fairness." He charged at her, while Beta circled to her left, both moving in perfect synchrony. With swift, calculated movements, they flanked Julia, forcing her to divide her attention between them.
Julia's fury erupted as she summoned torrents of water from the lake, shaping them into jagged spears. They shot toward Beta, who dodged with a series of agile flips, then toward Ossa, who sliced through them with precise strikes.
"You're wasting your time," Julia taunted, but there was a crack in her voice. She conjured a massive wave, her final attempt to drown them both. The water towered above them, dark and foreboding, casting a shadow over the entire lake.
"Now!" Ossa shouted, and together they sprang into action. Ossa leaped high into the air, his swords crossed as he prepared for a downward strike, while Beta rushed in from the ground, aiming low to distract her.
As Ossa descended, he unleashed a powerful slash that cut through the wave, parting it like a curtain. The force of the strike sent shockwaves through the water, shattering Julia's concentration. In that moment of vulnerability, Beta closed the gap, lunging forward and striking her side with a fierce blow.
Julia staggered, clutching her wound as the water around her began to lose shape, collapsing into the lake in a spray of mist. She looked up, eyes wide with disbelief. "No...this cannot be," she gasped, her voice a mere whisper as she sank to her knees.
Ossa landed beside Beta, his breath heavy but steady. "It's over, Julia," he declared, the finality in his voice sealing her fate.
Julia's form flickered, the darkness that had sustained her ebbing away like the receding tide. The Wo-Ha Region was silent once more, the ominous presence that had haunted it for so long finally vanquished.
Beta placed a steadying hand on Ossa's shoulder. "You did well," he said quietly.
Ossa managed a small smile. "Thanks. But I'll train harder. I need to be stronger... so I never need backup again."
The two stood in silence as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the lake where the Water Witch had fallen.
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Next Chapter: The Sphinix Theses
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