Edo felt warmth suddenly filling the dark, cold void around him. The energy he had just lost, desperately shouting his last words, returned with a force as if he could scream them again. The sensation was both familiar and alien, like someone breathing new life into him.
He opened his eyes, but the blinding brightness caused him pain, as if his body had been in that void for centuries. Squinting, he tried to adjust to the light. In the distance, he saw a caravan, and inside, Leni appeared unharmed. She was focused, inspecting the contents of the wagon.
"There are no ... No crystals..." she muttered, breaking the silence. "There are valuable items here, but no crystals!."
Edo looked at her, his heart sinking. He saw what was about to happen. Despite all the grand words he had spoken earlier, his body betrayed him. His legs shook like jelly, and tears the size of pearls streamed down his face. He wanted to warn her, but his voice caught in his throat. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, though only seconds passed. Finally, through dry lips, a faint whisper escaped:
"Get down…"
Leni looked at him, confused.
"Edo? Why should I—"
Her gaze met his—eyes full of pure terror. Tears poured down his cheeks like waterfalls.
"Get down ..." he repeated, with more urgency.
"Edo, what's going on?" she asked, stepping closer.
" GET DOWN ! GET DOWN! NOW! DAMN IT!" he screamed, mustering every ounce of strength he had left.
Leni froze but immediately understood he wasn't joking. In an instant, she dove to the floor of the caravan, pressing herself flat against the ground. That decision saved her life—a split second later, a blue projectile whizzed past where she had stood, tearing through the caravan wall and leaving a massive hole. The deafening noise was overwhelming.
Edo curled up and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Not again… Not that sound again..." he whispered, trembling in fear. His imagination conjured the worst scenarios. He heard the horse, likely their only chance of escape, bolting into the darkness. Edo's thoughts were chaotic; he was terrified to open his eyes, afraid of the sight that had once nearly driven him mad.
Finally, with great effort, he opened them. To his surprise, there was no blood. None. Leni was unharmed. She stared at the hole in the caravan wall and then at Edo—or so he thought. In truth, her gaze was fixed on the source of the shot.
There, in the shadows, pulsed a blue light, gathering energy for another strike.
"Not on my watch!" Leni shouted.
She leaped forward with agility Edo had never seen from her before. Vaulting out of the wagon in a spectacular flip, she landed in a crouch, her hands touching the ground. At her touch, a massive earthen wall, eight meters thick, erupted from the soil.
Edo watched in disbelief. One thought pounded in his head: *It won't be enough.* And indeed, Leni seemed aware of this. Her movements were precise, as if rehearsed hundreds of times. She rose and extended one hand toward the wall, infusing it with massive amounts of air that filled microscopic cracks, reinforcing its structure.
Suddenly, another thunderous shot rang out. The wall exploded, shards of earth flying in all directions. From the rubble, a blue projectile emerged, resembling a streak of lightning. Though significantly slowed, it was still powerful enough to destroy anything in its path. Thankfully, its trajectory had been altered, and it embedded itself into the ground, dissolving into hundreds of glittering fragments.
Edo was speechless. Leni had displayed extraordinary composure and strength he had completely forgotten she possessed. For a moment, he forgot she wasn't just a helpless woman but a royal mage—someone for whom battling such threats was routine. Relief washed over him like a warm wave.
"How foolish was I?" Edo thought, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails nearly broke the skin. "Of course she's strong, and here I was, almost failing to save her despite knowing what would happen. I'm pathetic..."
His thoughts were interrupted by Leni's voice.
"You think I'll let you hide?!"
Her words were like a gunshot. The mage rose into the air, using magic, and dispersed the surrounding mist with a powerful gust. A wave of energy swept through the forest, clearing the area for over two hundred meters. The fog, which had shrouded the forest like a menacing veil, vanished, revealing trees, shrubs, and… him.
There he stood, the one responsible for all the chaos.
At first glance, he resembled a man, but that was deceptive. Upon closer inspection, they saw his body was almost entirely covered in brown fur, except for his chest and abdomen. He was tall—over four meters in height. His menacing red eyes glowed in the darkness, and long brown hair flowed from his head, resembling a wild mane. His hands and feet, ending in clawed fingers, looked like those of a werewolf. In one hand, he held a shimmering bow that radiated an almost hypnotic blue aura.
"Interesting... Seems I'll have to switch to close combat," the creature's deep, emotionless voice pierced the tense silence, as if entirely unfazed by the situation.
Slowly, he raised his hand, and the bow disappeared, dissolving into thin air. Edo immediately noticed something unusual—a round blue crystal gleamed on the creature's forehead, glowing intensely. It looked almost unnatural, yet its brilliance was mesmerizing.
"A core on the outside… That's a Grand monster…" Leni whispered under her breath.
Edo quickly pieced the situation together. His thoughts clicked into place like puzzle pieces. *So that's it… This is one of those larger, more intelligent beasts with external cores. He really does look human... And we just *had* to run into something like this!!!*
Without wasting time, Edo activated the power of his right eye to assess the situation and the level of danger. Familiar symbols immediately appeared in his vision:
~| Chance of death – high around 70% |~
~| Cause – powerful blow to the abdomen |~
Edo's heart stopped. His thoughts raced. I am screwed… This thing is in a completely different league.*
The beast, as if ignoring their presence, continued speaking.
"I thought leaving the caravan would be the perfect trap to gather more energy. But since my plan failed…" he sighed, a fake expression of boredom crossing his face. "Well, I'll just kill you another way."
He raised his hand, and a shimmering sword, seemingly carved from pure light, materialized in his grip. Without warning, he vanished from where he stood, charging toward Leni at incredible speed.
His strike, aimed directly at her neck, was powerful. Leni reacted instantly, ducking to avoid the blade, which sliced through the air with a deafening whoosh. The beast immediately adjusted his attack, swinging the sword downward. Leni performed a swift backflip and then, using air magic, propelled herself high into the air.
The beast, unfazed, leapt after her, soaring over ten meters high. Leni, hovering in mid-air, glared at him with determination.
"Take this!" she yelled, creating a massive gust of wind between her hands that struck the beast, slamming him back to the ground.
As she slowly descended using magic imbued in her feet, Leni drew a wand from beneath her robe. She pointed it toward the beast, and behind her, sharp fragments of stone began to form, their edges gleaming menacingly, ready to strike.
The beast looked up at her, holding his sword. He remained silent for a moment before sighing.
"Well, it seems this will take longer than I thought. You're pretty good, lady…" he said, this time with a hint of admiration, though still dripping with arrogance.
Leni didn't wait. The shards shot toward him at incredible speed. The beast, wielding his glowing sword, effortlessly deflected each one. It seemed the battle was little more than a game to him. Nothing could touch him.
Edo stood by the caravan, watching the scene in awe. His hands trembled.
"What the hell am I looking at?" he whispered, gritting his teeth. "I really thought I could help her? What can I do? I'm so pathetic…"
Memories of his last fight in the tavern flashed through his mind. Back then, he felt strong, competent. Now? He was nothing but a helpless observer.
"Think, Edo… Think!" he said aloud, slapping his cheeks to snap himself out of it. "There must be a way I can help! I promised myself I'd take this bastard down, and now I'm standing here like a fool…"
His eyes fell on the caravan.
"Wait… The caravan! There's tons of stuff in there! Maybe I'll find something… something that can help me fight!"
With newfound determination, he dove into the wagon, frantically searching its interior.
"Come on, there has to be something here!" Edo shouted, frantically searching the inside of the caravan. "I don't even need to fight, I just need to distract that bastard. That'll give Leni a chance for a clear shot!"
The boy searched every nook and cranny in a hurry. His hands brushed over various objects: rings, books, wands. Each one could be useful, but none seemed like something that could actually help him in a fight. Finally, he opened another box, only to be disappointed again. Everything seemed useless.
"Damn it, now what?" he muttered through clenched teeth, fighting growing frustration. "When it comes down to it, I can't even be helpful..."
Outside, the whistling and booming sounds of the intense battle continued. Those noises only heightened the tension, filling the caravan with a nearly tangible fear. Edo glanced at the floor, leaning against one of the boxes, when his eyes caught something in the corner —a small wooden box that had gone unnoticed until now.
"Last chance," he whispered to himself, quickly rushing toward the mysterious container. He opened it with a sudden, desperate motion, as if his life depended on it, and his eyes lit up with newfound hope.
Inside was a crossbow, along with several bolts neatly arranged beside it.
"A crossbow!" he exclaimed almost too loudly, excitement evident in his voice, but doubt quickly crept in. "But how do I use it? Is it different from a regular one? I think it's a magical weapon—it was in this caravan with other artifacts. Whatever, it doesn't matter now! I just need to help Leni."
Edo grabbed the crossbow and three bolts. With significant effort, he managed to load one bolt, struggling with the mechanism, while slipping the remaining bolts into his belt.
"Alright, you only live once," he muttered, gripping the weapon tightly.
He leaped out of the caravan, attempting to perform a epic roll like Leni had earlier, but instead landed face-first in a spectacular failure.
"Well, so much for that..." he sighed, quickly getting to his feet. "I fell flat on my stupid face..."
The sound of the battle yanked him out of his embarrassment. Leni was still fighting, now much closer to the ground. The monster, wielding a glowing, pulsating blue sword, deflected each of her attacks with almost inhuman precision.
"Wow, what a fight..." Edo whispered in awe before forcing himself to act. "Okay, no time to gawk. It's my turn to shine!"
He aimed the crossbow at the monster. His hands trembled slightly, but he managed to pull the trigger. A loud bang echoed, and the weapon shot out of his hands with incredible force, flying far away and knocking him backward. The bolt, barely fired, immediately ignited, leaving a bright streak.
The monster, startled by the noise, spun around instantly. It stopped attacking and dematerialized its glowing sword, taking a defensive stance. It seemed to sense potential danger. However, the bolt fired by Edo missed horribly, landing far from its target.
For a moment, an eerie silence fell. The monster looked at the boy, its eyes filled with pure murderous intent.
"Damn it, I screwed everything up..." Edo thought, panic gripping him. "Not only did I fail to help, but now I've drawn this thing's attention..."
His thoughts were interrupted by Leni's voice, cutting through the tension:
"Thanks, Edo!"
The monster turned sharply to face the mage. Taking advantage of its distraction, Leni was already right above it. She leaped high to reach its head level, her hand encased in stone as if it were entirely made of it, swinging directly at the creature's forehead. She aimed for the magical core pulsing on its brow like a beating heart.
Time seemed to slow as Edo watched in a mix of awe and relief, hoping this would be the final blow.
However, the monster managed to block her strike, deflecting her attack with its bare hands. Its counterattack was swift and precise, as if it had anticipated her move. Then, with a single powerful shove, it pushed her far away. Leni landed several meters away, barely managing to stay on her feet. The force of the blow was so great that she kept sliding backward, leaving tracks in the dirt with her boots.
"Alright, that's enough time to deal with this nuisance," the monster said, its voice cold and filled with certainty. "I don't sense any energy from you, so killing you would be a waste of time, but I won't let you interfere again."
With those words, it began advancing toward the boy, its steps heavy but deliberate.
"Damn it, I'm screwed..." Edo thought, watching the monster's figure close in. He knew he didn't stand a chance in direct combat. But he had a task—he had to survive. Just three seconds, nothing more. That would be enough for Leni to attack again.
Desperately, he focused on his power, activating his right eye.
~| Chance of death: very high, around 95% |~
~| Cause: blow to the chest |~
"This is bad... Now that it's fully focused on me, the probability has shot up. With odds like this, I don't stand a chance. I have to find a way to lower that percentage, or it's over..." he thought, feeling his heart race and his breathing grow shallow.
"Edo, run!" the mage shouted, her voice cutting through the tense silence. She hadn't fully recovered from the earlier blow but was already moving toward the monster.
The monster, however, wasn't planning to wait. It was getting closer. Edo had only one option—to endure those damned three seconds.