"Is she insane?"
Grey muttered under his breath, his golden eyes narrowing at Elsa, who stood at a distance with an infuriatingly calm demeanor. "She really expects me to fight that? Alone?"
The abomination roared, a guttural sound that seemed to shake the very sky. Its molten form towered over the desolate wasteland, a living inferno that warped the air around it. The twin moons above shimmered like warped, malicious eyes glaring down at him through the heat haze.
Grey turned to Elsa, his expression an even mix of disbelief and irritation.
"Hey—" he began, intending to voice his protest. But she was gone. The spot where she had been standing was now vacant, as if she'd simply vanished into the void.
"What—?" Grey's jaw clenched as his gaze darted around the battlefield. She was nowhere to be seen. Unbelievable.
The monster snarled, its molten claws raking the ground as it lumbered forward, each step sending tremors through the earth.
Grey felt the wave of heat wash over him, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "Alright, Grey," he muttered, his lips twitching in an uneasy grin. "It's just you, this thing, and—"
Whoosh!
The beast let out a deafening roar, a wave of molten heat blasting past him. Without hesitation, Grey turned on his heel and bolted.
"Nope! Nope, nope, nope!" he shouted, his boots slamming into the scorched ground. "There's no way in hell I'm fighting that thing! You hear me, Elsa?"
The air grew heavier, hotter, the heat singeing his lungs as he sprinted. Behind him, the creature gave chase, its molten footfalls shaking the earth like rolling thunder.
Her earlier words rang mockingly in his ears.
"Go on."
"'Go on,' she says," Grey grumbled, leaping over a jagged rock.
The beast roared again, and Grey felt the heat surge closer. Ahead, a cluster of jagged boulders loomed out of the darkness like skeletal fingers reaching toward the sky.
Think, Grey. Think!
The terrain offered slim hope, but it was all he had. As he zigzagged toward the rocks, Grey allowed himself a quick glance at the monster. It was massive, its molten claws dripping fire onto the cracked earth. Flames flickered across its back, giving it the appearance of a walking volcano.
"....hope this work" he muttered sarcastically.
Reaching the largest boulder, Grey ducked behind it, his heart hammering in his chest. The ground quaked as the monster closed in, its molten glow casting grotesque shadows over the terrain.
He drew a sword from his storage rune, the golden light briefly illuminating his pale, sweat-streaked face.
"This is going to suck," he muttered, gripping the hilt tightly.
As the monster charged, Grey stepped out from behind the boulder. Timing his move perfectly, he dove to the side, letting the creature crash headfirst into the rock. The impact shattered the boulder into a spray of deadly shards, but Grey was already circling behind it.
"Let's see how you like this!" he shouted, slashing at its back with all his strength.
For a moment, hope flickered as his blade sank into the molten flesh. The monster roared, stumbling forward. But then—
Hissssss!
Grey's stomach dropped as he watched his sword melt, dissolving like wax in the creature's searing body.
"What the—"
The beast whipped around, its molten claw slashing toward him. Grey leapt back, but not fast enough; the attack grazed his side, sending him sprawling.
The pain was instant and excruciating, his ribs and arm blistering from the heat.
"damn it" he groaned, forcing himself to his feet despite the agony.
The battle dragged on, each moment an unending cycle of desperation and futility. Grey's weapons broke or melted, their twisted remains littering the battlefield. His body was pushed far beyond its limits, seared and blistered to the point of unrecognizability.
Still, he fought.
But the monster didn't tire. Its molten claws struck with relentless fury, cracking the earth beneath them. The land itself seemed to bleed molten embers.
Grey's legs gave out, and he crumpled to the ground. His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhalation burning his lungs. His once-handsome face was a melted, bloodied ruin. Smoke rose from his charred body like the last dying ember of a fire.
The creature opened its maw, a deep glow emanating from within. The heat intensified, and Grey felt his skin start to blister even more. He could almost taste the molten fire that was about to consume him, its acidic heat ready to erase his existence.
This is it.
The thought came with a strange sense of calm. His body refused to move. There were no weapons left to summon, no clever tricks to deploy. He was nothing in the face of this overwhelming power—a powerless, mana-less being in a cruel, unforgiving world.
Despite everything, a twisted smirk spread across Grey's broken lips. His golden eyes, dulled by exhaustion, flickered with faint amusement.
'Here it comes.'
Clap.