The attack didn't effect him and the transformation took hold, the grim boy's form began to twist and reshape with an almost agonizing slowness, the remnants of his former self melding with something far more ancient and malevolent. His small, skeletal frame stretched upward, his limbs elongating and his body growing taller, yet there remained an eerie hollowness to his new form, as if he was more shadow than substance. The dull, ashen skin that once clung to his bones now shimmered with a dark, otherworldly sheen, but it was thin, translucent even, revealing the hollow emptiness beneath. His robes, dark and flowing like liquid night, were embroidered with swirling constellations and patterns that seemed to move and shift on their own, as though the very fabric of the cosmos had been woven into the cloth. The patterns gleamed faintly, like distant galaxies, but the light they cast was cold, devoid of any warmth or life.
His face, now partially obscured by a crown-like halo of floating star dust and ethereal energy, retained the haunting emptiness of his former self. His hollow eyes, once small and vacant, had grown into deep, dark voids, like twin black holes pulling in the light around them. Yet within those voids, faint pinpricks of light flickered, as though tiny stars were trapped within the darkness. His mouth, twisted into that same unnerving grin, now stretched even wider, the grin itself a rift in his hollow form, revealing nothing but the endless void within. It was as if his transformation had made him both more powerful and more empty, a being caught between existence and non-existence.
In his hand, the icy spear had transformed into a massive, ornate scythe. The weapon's blade was long and curved, as sharp as the edge of the universe itself, with a crystalline surface that shimmered like the frozen void of space. Etched into the blade were faint, swirling patterns resembling galaxies, their stars and planets forever frozen in time. The handle of the scythe was as hollow as the boy himself, a translucent, spectral material that seemed to fade in and out of existence, as though it were a weapon forged from the very fabric of nothingness.
Before Zinia could fully grasp the grim boy's new form, he vanished, his movement so fast it left only a trail of cold stardust in his wake. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared directly behind her, the deadly scythe already descending toward her with the force to cleave through anything in its path. The air around them seemed to distort, bending toward the blade as if it were being sucked into the void along with everything else.
But Zinia was not one to be caught off guard. Her eyes flicked to the side, and a smirk curled on her lips as she effortlessly raised her hand, catching the scythe's blade between two fingers. The force of the attack, which should have been enough to slice through the thickest layers of diamonds, was completely nullified by her casual grip. The cold of the blade, which could freeze the soul itself, was nothing more than a mild chill against her skin.
"You really think you can take me by surprise?" she taunted, her voice dripping with amusement as she held the scythe in place. "I've seen through you from the start. You're strong, I'll give you that, but you're not strong enough." There was a playfulness in her tone, but her eyes held a steely glint that betrayed just how far above this battle she truly was.
The grim boy's hollow eyes flickered with what might have been frustration, though his expression remained as vacant and cold as ever. Without giving him a chance to react, Zinia twisted her wrist with a sudden, almost lazy motion, and the scythe shattered into a thousand pieces. The shards of the icy weapon scattered around them, disintegrating into stardust as they fell, leaving the boy momentarily weaponless and stunned.
"Now, let's get back to the real fun," Zinia said with a smirk, stepping aside to allow Mei to take the forefront once more. She didn't need to say anything more—her fingers danced through the air, and Mei was instantly in motion, his body a blur as he surged toward the transformed grim boy.
Mei moved with a renewed vigor, his katana flashing in the dim light as he engaged the hollow creature. His body, though moving with the fluidity of a master swordsman, still exhibited that unnerving mechanical precision, each motion a direct extension of Zinia's will. The katana in his hands was more than just a weapon—it was a conduit for the immense power Zinia had funneled into him. The blade blazed with a blue fire that seemed almost alive, the flames licking hungrily at the air as they clashed with the boy's icy magic.
The battlefield was now a chaotic symphony of power. Every strike of Mei's katana sent shockwaves rippling through the air, the sheer force of his blows cracking the ground beneath their feet. The blue flames that wreathed his weapon roared with an intensity that threatened to consume everything in its path, scorching the earth and sending gusts of searing wind howling through the dead forest. Each clash of their weapons was a violent explosion of energy—flames against ice, the destructive force of fire colliding with the cold, unyielding power of the void.
But the grim boy was not easily overwhelmed. Despite his hollow form, or perhaps because of it, he moved with an eerie grace, his motions almost too smooth, too perfect. He danced around Mei's strikes with a precision that matched, if not exceeded, the boy's own, his movements barely disturbing the air as he slipped through the cracks in Mei's relentless assault. Where Mei's magic tore the ground asunder, the grim boy's magic mended it with an unnatural cold, the shattered earth reassembling into glistening sheets of ice that reflected the starlight patterns within his hollow form.
Zinia watched the battle with a gleam in her eye, her fingers subtly manipulating Mei's movements like a puppeteer directing a performance. *He's stronger now, but that just makes things more interesting,* she mused, her mind racing with strategies and counterstrategies. *This isn't just about brute force. The grim boy is cunning, waiting for the right moment to strike. But I'm in control here—I can feel every thread of this fight, and I won't let it slip away.*
Despite the grim boy's newfound power, Zinia maintained the delicate balance between them, never letting the battle tip too far in one direction. Mei's attacks were powerful, relentless, but she held him back just enough, allowing the grim boy to parry and counter, keeping the fight evenly matched. *It's a dance,* Zinia thought with a smirk, *and I'm the one leading. But how long can you keep up, hollow?*
Suddenly, Mei's katana cleaved through the air with such force that it shattered the ice beneath them, sending shards flying in every direction. The grim boy leaped back, his hollow form flickering as he narrowly avoided the lethal strike. But Zinia was already one step ahead. With a sharp twist of her wrist, she directed Mei to follow up with a swift horizontal slash, the blue flames flaring up along the blade as it cut through the air.
The hollow raised his hand, and the space around him seemed to warp, bending toward the center of his palm. For a moment, it was as if the stars themselves had been drawn into the void, their light compressed into a single point. The katana collided with this singularity, and there was a brief, blinding flash as the energies met. A shockwave erupted from the point of impact, rippling through the air with a force that shook the very earth beneath them.
Zinia's eyes narrowed as she felt the grim boy's power surge, his hollow form expanding with the influx of energy. *So, you're finally getting serious?* she thought, her lips curling into a sly grin. *Good. I was starting to get bored. A hollow of your rank should be enough keep me entertained* She flicked her fingers, and Mei's movements adjusted accordingly, his katana sweeping low in a move designed to destabilize the grim boy before he could fully harness his power.
But just as the katana sliced through the air, the grim boy vanished, his form dissolving into stardust. Zinia's smirk faltered for just a moment before she sensed the shift behind her. The grim boy had reappeared directly at her back, his hollow eyes glinting with cold malice as he brought his hand down toward her, a blade of pure void forming at his fingertips.
*Quick… but not quick enough,* Zinia thought, her body already in motion. With a single fluid movement, she spun on her heel, her arm sweeping up to intercept the attack. Her hand caught the void blade in mid-swing, the darkness of it seeming to seep into her skin, but she remained unaffected, her grip firm and unyielding.
"You really thought that would work?" she teased, her voice low and mocking. "I've been playing with you this whole time. Did you honestly think you could outmaneuver me?" She tightened her grip, to the point that he couldn't even move it even if he tried.
The grim boy's expression didn't change, his hollow eyes betraying nothing as he regarded her with that same empty stare. But Zinia could sense the subtle shift in his demeanor, a flicker of something that might have been doubt, or perhaps realization. *You're starting to understand, aren't you?* she thought, her smirk returning as she met his gaze. *No matter how much you change, how much you grow, I'm on top here.*