Reyna's fingers worked furiously over the compass, sweat forming on her brow as she poured more Aether into it. Nothing. No flicker of light, no surge of energy—just a dead, lifeless weight in her hands. She bit her lip, her usually steady hands trembling. "There's something blocking the signal," she whispered, more to herself than the others. "It's like… like something's interfering with the Aether itself."
The air around them had shifted—slowly, almost imperceptibly at first. What had been merely a barren wasteland of sand and heat was now... wrong. The temperature plummeted. Ethan could feel it creeping up his spine, the cold seeping into his bones. The dry, searing wind had vanished, replaced by a stillness so absolute that even their breaths felt like intrusions.
Then came the sound.
A faint, rhythmic thrum. A pulse—deep, resonant, vibrating through the very ground they stood on. It wasn't loud, but it reverberated through their bodies like a low, persistent heartbeat. Ethan's ears began to ring as the pressure built, a relentless hum in the back of his skull that grew with each passing second.
Jaxon's grin had faltered, his eyes narrowing as he glanced around, gripping his mallet tighter. "What the hell is that?" His voice, usually so full of bravado, was now tinged with unease.
Reyna's face was pale, her jaw clenched. "Stay alert," she whispered, but the fear in her eyes betrayed her calm words.
The sky seemed to darken—not with clouds, but with something more primal, more ancient. A deep shadow crept over the landscape, turning the once bright, sun-bleached wasteland into an eerie, twilight void. There was no source to the darkness; it simply swallowed everything, snuffing out the light as it stretched toward them, as if the world itself was being devoured.
Ethan's pulse quickened, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He wiped at his face, only to feel the warm, sticky trickle of blood running from his nose. His vision swam, the shadows deepening in the corners of his eyes. His heart pounded erratically, fear clawing at his chest.
Then, it spoke.
"You dare... disturb my slumber?"
The voice was ancient. Ageless. It resonated from the very earth beneath them, vibrating through their bones, a low rumble that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. Ethan felt it in his chest, a deep, resonant hum that made his heart stutter. It wasn't just a voice—it was a presence, wrapping around them, suffocating.
The sand beneath their feet began to tremble, vibrating ever so slightly. Small particles of dust lifted into the air, swirling in strange, unnatural patterns. The pulse in the ground grew stronger, rhythmic, like the beating of some enormous heart buried deep below.
Ethan could feel his legs shaking. He wanted to move—no, needed to move—but his body refused to obey. The weight of the voice pinned him in place, his limbs locked in a primal terror he couldn't control.
Jaxon opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His bravado had crumbled, replaced by a wild, panicked look in his eyes. The silence dragged on, heavy and unbearable, the tension tightening around them like a noose.
Reyna swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. "This isn't Alaric Thorn… This is worse. Much worse."
Then the darkness moved.
Not like a shadow, but like a living, breathing entity. The air rippled as if something colossal and unseen shifted just beyond the edges of their perception. The ground quaked with a growing intensity, the low hum rising into a bone-rattling roar.
And from the heart of the swirling shadows, it emerged.
A massive, towering silhouette, shrouded in darkness, its form barely visible through the haze. But as it stepped forward, the ground beneath it cracked, sending sharp tremors through the earth. The creature's body was draped in a tattered black cloak that billowed as if caught in a wind only it could feel. Its long, reptilian tail dragged behind it, leaving deep, jagged marks in the sand.
Its head was monstrous—lizardlike, yet twisted in some unnatural way, its features sharp and angular, with deep-set eyes that glowed faintly like smoldering embers. The scales on its body glistened, black and polished, absorbing the faint light around them. The creature's breath—deep and slow—echoed like a forge's bellows, carrying with it the scent of smoke and death.
It towered over them, standing still, its presence suffocating, as if the very air bent around its body, distorting and warping reality itself. And in its hand, dangling casually from a single claw, was their bag of Aether crystals.
Ethan's eyes widened in horror, his gaze slowly drifting to the other side of the bag. There, still gripping the strap tightly, was Jaxon's severed hand, blood dripping lazily from the stump.
Jaxon staggered backward, staring down at his own arm—or what was left of it. His left hand was gone, severed cleanly just above the elbow. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The wound was cauterized, a blackened stump that still glowed faintly.
The creature chuckled—a deep, guttural sound that made Ethan's stomach lurch. "These," it said, lifting the bag of crystals slightly, "are what you fight for? These pitiful... baubles?"
It flicked the bag to the ground, crystals spilling across the sand, gleaming faintly in the dim light.
Jaxon's eyes were wide, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He stumbled, clutching his arm, his face contorted in pain and disbelief.
Reyna's voice was steady, but thin. "Who... what are you?"
Its gaze swept over them, cold and calculating, lingering on Ethan for a moment longer than the others. Ethan could feel the weight of it, like a dark tendril wrapping around his chest, squeezing the breath from his lungs.
"Move... Move it, move it god damn it!" Ethan screamed in his mind, his body trembling, locked in place. Blood dripped steadily from his nose, splashing onto the dirt beneath him. Is this it? Is this how I go out?
Ava, crouched nearby, had her hand frozen on her dagger. Her wide eyes were glued to the terrifying figure before them, her breath shallow and ragged. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to get away, but her limbs refused to obey. Fear had seized her completely.
Benedict had turned ghostly pale. He, more than anyone, could feel it- the suffocating wave of Aether rolling off the creature. As someone who could sense the ebb and flow of magical energy, this presence overwhelmed him. "This... this scaly creature... Ho-how can anything like this have so much Aether?" he thought, his mind unraveling under the pressure.
Jaxon, on the other hand, was trembling with rage. His body tensed, eyes burning with fury as they darted from the stump where his arm had been severed to the creature before them. His teeth clenched tightly, a growl rumbling deep in his throat. But even he, consumed by anger, knew better than to rush in blindly. He was a brute, not a fool. One wrong move, and he was dead.
"So this is how I'm going to go out, huh?" A familiar voice, light and jolly, shattered the oppressive silence.
The crew's heads snapped toward the sound, hearts pounding in their chests. It was Reyna.
She was standing now, her posture straight and unwavering. The Reyna who had been paralyzed moments ago was gone, replaced by the leader they knew-the warrior who always seemed one step ahead. Her playful demeanor lingered for just a fraction of a second before it dissolved into hard-edged determination.
"Ava, get them home safe," Reyna commanded, her tone sharp and unyielding. There was no room for argument.
Before Ava could reply, Reyna extended her arm, summoning a swirling mass of Aether that coiled and twisted in the air before solidifying into a glowing sword. The lizard-like figure didn't so much as flinch, its glowing eyes indifferent to the display of power.
"It wants a fight," Reyna murmured, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "It wants to be entertained. That's why we're still alive."
The pulsating energy of the sword cast an eerie glow across her face, highlighting the intensity in her eyes. The creature seemed to watch her with a strange fascination, its dark, onyx-like scales absorbing the faint light around them.
Ethan's heart raced as he watched her, awe tightening his chest. So this is the power of a Hunter...
The air around them cracked, and suddenly, Reyna was gone.
CLANG!
The harsh sound of metal striking hard scale echoed through the Scorched Barren. Ethan's eyes widened. Reyna had moved in an instant, her sword crashing down with lightning speed, only to be intercepted by the creature's tail. Sparks exploded on impact, scattering across the ground.
The creature barely reacted, its tail meeting her blade with calculated precision. It hadn't budged an inch.
Ava's hands shook as she frantically fumbled with the compass. "Come on, come on!" she whispered through gritted teeth, struggling to focus as the battle raged around her. The air itself felt heavy, thick with the creature's presence.
Reyna's strikes came faster, more desperate, but no matter how she angled her sword, the creature's tail met her every blow. Its movements were fluid and controlled, a silent display of its power. It wasn't fighting back-it was toying with her, gauging how long she could last.
Each deflection sent a violent tremor through the ground, cracks spiderwebbing through the nearby ruins. The sound of shattered glass echoed from the half-buried buildings surrounding them, adding to the chaos.
With a blinding flash, the earth trembled as a massive crater formed beneath them, the intense heat instantly turning the scattered sand to glass. The first creature hovered in the air, its imposing figure casting a long shadow. Its arm was extended, a single finger pointing toward the spot where the attack had just landed.
Reyna, now panting, managed to evade the deadly blow by the skin of her teeth. Her long hair, once flowing, had been singed short by the blast. "That was close," she muttered between breaths. Fatigue was setting in, her muscles aching with each movement, but she wasn't about to quit.
"Not bad... for a human." The creature's voice slithered through the air, its tone dark and amused.
Reyna smirked, forcing herself upright. "You should see who I work for."
The creature's eerie eyes glowed with amusement. "You've entertained me well enough... for someone of your level."
Reyna's smirk faltered as she watched in horror. Smoke began to seep from the cracks in the creature's shimmering scales, curling into the air like wisps of black mist. She took a step back, her stomach churning. The scales that once armored the beast started peeling away, flaking off like ash.
"What... in the world?" Reyna muttered, her expression twisting in revulsion. She could feel the shift in the air, the immense surge of Aether pulsing from the creature as it shed its skin. What emerged from beneath was something far more sinister—a humanoid form, but still deeply alien.
Its eyes, now clearly visible, were slitted like a reptile's, glowing with malevolent intelligence. Pale skin covered its body, but the texture was still unnervingly scaly, like a smooth snake. The Aether pressure radiating from it was overwhelming. Reyna's ears rang from the sheer force of it, her bones vibrating under the strain. Yet she stood her ground, her grip tightening on her sword.
"So, this is what you really are," she whispered to herself, her resolve hardening. Her body was screaming, but her mind was still clear. If this was her last stand, she would face it head-on.
The creature's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Your will is unwavering... impressive."
Reyna's heart skipped. The voice came from behind her.
She spun on her heels, sword raised, her eyes locking onto the creature that had somehow moved without a sound. Its burning Aether energy prickled at her skin, sending shivers down her spine. The distance between them was gone—he was close, too close.
"I shall tell you my name, warrior," the creature said, a wicked smile spreading across its face. "I am Xeridian. As my master has named me."
Reyna gritted her teeth, her heart pounding in her chest as she squared up. She could feel it—he was stronger than before. His very presence was like a suffocating wave, crushing down on her with unbearable force. "Stronger than before..." she muttered under her breath, her body tensing.
But she didn't falter. Reyna had fought countless battles, faced impossible odds, and this wasn't going to be any different. She lifted her blade, the Aether coursing through her weapon, humming with lethal energy. Her eyes locked onto Xeridian, the fire of defiance burning within her.
"Well, Xeridian," she spat, raising her sword to point directly at him. "Let's see if your strength matches that name."
Xeridian's smirk grew, his reptilian eyes gleaming with delight. "Very well, human. Let's see how long you can last before you break."