The Heart Nexus pulsed with unrelenting tension, its warped battlefield bathed in an eerie, otherworldly glow.
Luke could barely hold himself up, his arms trembling from blood loss, his head clouded with exhaustion. Kuro was thinning out, his once-impenetrable recovery form beginning to flicker, the consistency of his liquefied body becoming unstable.
And Ashtor—Ashtor controlled everything.
The cycle continued.
Ashtor attacked.
Kuro intercepted.
Ashtor vanished.
Again.
Again.
Again.
An unending loop of pain, a slow, methodical breakdown of their will. Ashtor was dismantling them, piece by piece. And he knew it.
Yet—something was off.
The air itself felt different. Thicker. Heavier.
Advent poured from Eleanor like an overflowing river, saturating the battlefield with something raw, something primal.
She stood on the ruined platform above them, her body still, her presence devouring the space around her.
Her eyes—cold, hungry—scanned the battlefield.
And then—she spoke.
A whisper, quiet as a breath, yet it cut through the chaos like a blade.
"I see you."
Across the battlefield, Ashtor continued playing with Kuro and Luke.
His mind was full of nothing but pleasure. His Essence, Intangibility, made light go through his body, rendering him imperceptible.
No one should have been able to see him.
And yet—Eleanor's eyes were locked onto him, her gaze unwavering.
Her lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk.
She had found him.
She had hunted him.
Eleanor barely heard the sounds of the battle around her. She barely felt the tension of her bowstring or the warmth of her own breath.
Because the world had changed.
The moment her Essence evolved, her sight had become something new—something beyond human.
She saw heat.
Luke, Kuro, even herself—they all burned with warm hues of red, orange, and yellow. Their life pulsed within them, shifting with every breath, every motion. The battlefield itself was a sea of blue and violet—cold, lifeless. The structures, the shattered debris—none of it mattered.
And then—there was Ashtor.
He had thought himself invisible. But he wasn't. His body still radiated heat. He was still breathing. His blood still flowed beneath his skin. To Eleanor, he wasn't invisible at all. He was a blazing beacon of red amidst an ocean of frozen blue. She lifted her bow.
Ashtor was moving toward Luke, his blade already raised for the kill. Kuro, barely holding his form together, tried to intercept.
The cycle was repeating.
But Eleanor had already broken free.
She pulled back the string.
Exhaled.
And let the arrow fly.
A wet, sickening sound echoed across the battlefield.
Ashtor staggered, his body jerking violently as an arrow buried itself deep into his left eye. A ragged gasp tore from his throat. Pain unlike anything he had ever known consumed him.
His free hand shot up, clutching at the wooden shaft protruding from his face, his fingers trembling, blood already pouring down his cheek. He couldn't see. He couldn't think.
His mind screamed at him to phase, to turn intangible and escape the pain—but he couldn't. Because if he phased—the arrow would slip out. And he would bleed out in seconds.
Ashtor had gotten cocky. He hadn't bothered blocking. He hadn't played it safe. And now—he was paying the price.
The momentary silence was deafening. For the first time since the battle began, the loop was broken. Kuro, his body still flickering, took in a slow, deep breath. The pause gave him time. And time was all he needed.
The red tendrils of his liquid form thickened, solidified. His body reformed faster than before. His core stabilized, his strength returned. He was back. In one swift motion, he grabbed Luke and leapt away from Ashtor's reach, landing beside Eleanor in a blur of motion.
Luke, still breathless, turned his gaze toward Eleanor. His body ached, his arms burned, his mind was screaming at him to process what had just happened.
Eleanor had shot Ashtor coming out of his phasing form.
She had seen him. She had pierced him.
Luke exhaled. "God damn!."
Kuro, his body still adjusting, narrowed his eyes. "You saw him?"
Eleanor gave him a sideways glance, her lips quirking up in amusement. "Obviously."
Kuro raised an eyebrow. "How?"
Eleanor tapped the side of her head. "I don't know, everyone looks orange and red, while everything else is blue."
Luke blinked. "Infrared vision? You mean you can actually see—?"
"I can see heat signatures." She rolled her shoulders, following what resonance told her, the tension in her body easing. "Turns out Ashtor still needs warmth to live. And warmth means he's not as invisible as he thinks."
Luke let out a breathless laugh. "That's insane."
Kuro, arms crossed, smirked. "And incredibly useful."
Eleanor stretched her arms. "Right? I'm thinking of calling it 'Predator's Vision.'"
Luke snorted. "Of course you are."
Eleanor shot him a cheeky grin. "What? It fits. I am a hunter."
Kuro chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. But we're not done yet."
Their gazes shifted. Across the battlefield, Ashtor stood trembling. His breaths were shallow. His hands still clutched the arrow in his eye. He was alive. But he was not winning anymore. For the first time—he was the prey. Eleanor tilted her head, her smirk never fading.
"Now…" she exhaled, stepping forward, bow still in hand. "Let's go hunting."