The air cracked with impact as Rowan's broken spear clashed against Eri's reinforced arm. The force sent shockwaves through the ruined apartment, shattering what little furniture remained and rattling the fragile walls.
Rowan didn't hesitate.
She pivoted, her grip shifting as she aimed a quick, calculated strike at Eri's ribs. Eri twisted, roots surging up from the floorboards, coiling around Rowan's legs. But Rowan was faster—she leaped, flipping over the entangling vines mid-air, landing behind Eri in a crouch.
Rowan smirked. "Not bad. I give you about... 3 points for that move."
Eri exhaled through her nose, fingers curling. "You talk too much."
She lunged.
Her entire body was a weapon.
Her speed was terrifying—Eri closed the distance in a blink, her elbow lashing out toward Rowan's skull. Rowan barely managed to duck, feeling the wind from the attack whip past her cheek.
Eri followed up with a spinning kick, enhanced by the creeping roots reinforcing her muscles. Rowan blocked, staggering from the impact, but retaliated in an instant—slamming the blunt end of her broken spear into Eri's stomach.
Eri skidded back, boots digging into the wooden floor.
Rowan rolled her shoulder, adjusting her grip on the weapon. "Okay. That was a good one."
Eri grinned. "Start taking this seriously, or you'll see what happens when I stop playing."
The floor erupted.
Thick, writhing roots burst upward from the ground, seeking Rowan like living chains. They twisted, coiled, struck—attempting to bind her limbs, to shackle her to the floor.
Rowan leaped, flipping onto a collapsing bookshelf, then lunged again, her broken spear slashing clean through two of the roots before rolling onto the floor.
A third wrapped around her ankle.
Rowan twisted, shifting her weight just enough to turn the hold into an advantage.
She used the leverage—vaulting herself forward, spear in hand—bringing the jagged edge toward Eri's exposed shoulder.
Eri barely caught the attack. Her enhanced arm snapped up, roots solidifying into makeshift armor as the jagged weapon scraped against her defense.
The roots recoiled, tightening like a coiled muscle.
Then—Eri pushed back.
Rowan was sent flying. She hit the ground, tucking into a roll before springing back to her feet. Eri was already on her again.
Their movements were a storm of clashes and counterattacks, neither gaining full control.
Rowan had the technique. Years of training. Precision. Even with a broken weapon, she fought like a master—using momentum, speed, and positioning.
Eri had raw power. Improvised, ruthless, and relentless. Where Rowan calculated, Eri overwhelmed. Every strike was reinforced with sheer force, every missed opportunity immediately followed by another crushing blow.
They were too evenly matched.
The moment one gained the upper hand, the other snatched it back.
Roots lashed. Spear slashed. Boots struck ribs. Fists cracked against reinforced bone.
The room crumbled around them with every collision.
And then—
Lila moved.
She hadn't breathed since it started, her body pressed against the farthest corner of the adjacent room. She had made herself small, invisible.
But she had seen everything.
She had seen Rowan throw herself between the enforcers and her back when they had first been separated from Aiden.
She had seen Rowan pull her through the shattered back window of the apartments, dragging her into cover.
She had seen Rowan stand her ground when Eri first appeared, refusing to let Lila get caught up in another battle.
Rowan had been protecting her.
Now—
Now she saw Eri breaking the floor apart beneath Rowan's feet, trying to drown her in shadows.
She saw Rowan struggle—slower, breath heavier.
She wasn't going to last forever.
Lila couldn't stay quiet anymore.
Her voice rang out.
"STOP!"
Eri hesitated.
Rowan took the opening—crashing the blunt end of the spear into Eri's side, sending her staggering back.
Eri growled, twisting mid-fall, but before she could counter—
She locked eyes with Lila.
Everything stopped.
The shadows curling at Eri's feet recoiled.
The creeping roots along her body withered.
Her jaw clenched.
"You…" Eri breathed, eyes wide. "What the hell are you?"
Lila's throat tightened. She knew what Eri meant.
The Core's influence. The taint it left in her. The thing she tried so hard to ignore.
Rowan pushed herself up, panting. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Eri didn't answer.
She was staring at Lila, as if she were prey about to be devoured.
"You don't have to fight us." Lila said desperately trying to break the silence. She swallowed hard, "we are not your enemy."
Eri's lips pressed together.
Rowan glanced between them. Her stance remained tense, but the sharpness in her eyes softened. "Hold on." She gestured vaguely at Eri. "This is the girl from your visions?"
Lila nodded. "Yes this has to be."
Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Well..."
Eri arched a brow. "Well What?"
Rowan let out a low chuckle, shaking her head. "You just—" She shrugged. "I expected more gloomy."
Eri scoffed. "Oh, screw you."
Rowan smirked. "Just saying. You fight like a total berserker class."
Eri crossed her arms. "And you fight like an 'I talk too much' class. How about coming at me with your toothpick not broken next time."
Rowan opened her mouth—paused—then muttered, "Okay. Fair."
Lila stepped forward cautiously. "Eri, look we got off on the wrong foot. We're here to find Carlos hoping he would lead us to you guys but—"She hesitated. "Since you're here, does that mean Marisol is too."
"Yes I ran ahead but she is here." She said the slight concern caught in her voice. A fire of disdain could be seen in Eri's eyes, "As you can see we are taking care of a little mess right now".
Rowan picked up on this before stepping forward. Her words ladled with irony, "Oh yeah... I definitely would call a full on horde of monsters little."
"You still haven't said anything to convince me."Eri said, rolling her eyes, "how do you even know about us anyways."
Lila hesitated. "I saw something. A vision. From Sylva sending you here. At Garrison's house."
Eri's entire body stilled.
Rowan noticed it too. "Can't dispute that one, now can you?"
Eri exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand through her hair. "If Sylva is showing her visions… then it must mean she meant for all of this to happen."
Lila's stomach twisted. "What do you mean?"
Eri's gaze darkened. "Things were so different the first time... all the details are beyond my predictions now."
Rowan frowned. "Yeah well let's get back to your group. So we can find Garrison and Aiden. We really need to figure this all out"
Eri's expression dropped. For the first time, she looked shaken.
She shook her head. "They are here. No, they can't be here. Not today."
Rowan's brow furrowed. "Why?"
Eri's voice was tight. "Because in my timeline, this is the day they both die."
A sudden BOOM ripped through the tension.
Bullets tore through the room, shattering drywall, spraying debris across the floor. The fight was over. The real battle had begun.
Carlos stepped through the dust and ruin, an auto-rifle in his hands. Behind him, his enforcers prowled in, dressed like a gangland nightmare—shotguns, pistols, and knives glinting under the dim light, all aimed at them.
Rowan moved first. Her broken spear snapped up, but she had no cover.
Eri threw up her hands. Roots erupted from the walls, but the bullets ripped through them before they could take hold.
Carlos sneered, his voice ringing above the chaos.
"Give up. You have nowhere to hide."
More gunfire.
Then—darkness.
Mephisto dropped from above, slamming into the center of the room like a wrecking ball.
His shadows expanded, swallowing the hail of bullets in an instant, redirecting them away.
His cane spun in his grip, a dark vortex forming around him. The sheer weight of his presence was suffocating.
Carlos clicked his tongue, backing into the hallway. He never fought fair.
His enforcers spat curses in Spanish, guns raised, stepping forward like a death squad. They unleashed a fresh wave of gunfire—but it was useless.
Mephisto moved like a phantom, weaving through the attacks.
Then, he struck.
A single swing—his blackened aura twisted into spectral wings, their feathered edges sharp as razors, lashing out, snapping necks, and hurling bodies like discarded props on a stage.
A massacre.
The surviving enforcers hesitated.
Carlos didn't hesitate. He cursed under his breath, already backing toward the exit. He wasnt ready to fight his creator one on one—he only fought to win. And this? This was a loss. With a sharp pivot, he vanished into the smoke.
Mephisto exhaled, straightening, his eyes glowing brighter than ever.
Lila, shaken, turned to him. "We have to find Aiden and Garrison."
Mephisto's expression was unreadable. He didn't even look at her. "Of coarse, my liege. I'll clean up here first."
His shadows coiled and snapped outward again, consuming the last of Carlos's enforcers in a single movement.
He was injured, but not stopping. But who knew how long that would last .
Eri, still catching her breath, stared at the destruction.
For the first time in a very long time, she seemed unsure what to do.
She clenched her fists. "This… I made everything worse."
Rowan didn't wait. She grabbed Lila's arm. "We're leaving. Now."
Eri looked back one last time before following.
None of them realized—the worst was yet to come.