Jax stood atop a rocky outcrop, surveying the carnage below.

Blood. Screams. The beautiful symphony of war.

Demons clashed against elves in brutal combat. Steel met claws. Magic met darkness. Bodies fell on both sides.

And Jax?

He was living his fantasy.

"THAT DEMON! THE PURPLE HORNED ONE! HE'S ESCAPING AT NINE O'CLOCK!"

He pointed dramatically.

"CUT HIM OFF! FLANK FROM THE LEFT!"

Nobody listened.

Not a single soldier even glanced his way.

"ARCHERS! FOCUS FIRE ON THE REAR GUARD!"

Still nothing.

'Whatever. I'm still the king in my heart.'

He grinned and continued shouting commands that nobody would follow.

Below, the battle was reaching its conclusion.

The demons were powerful- terrifyingly so. Their magic had initially sent waves of fear through the elven ranks.

But power meant nothing against numbers.

Fifty demons.

Five hundred soldiers.

Math was undefeated.

The commander had handled the initial panic perfectly. When her soldiers hesitated, she dove straight into combat. Showed them these monsters could bleed.

And now?

Total dominance.

The demons were being pushed back. Slaughtered. Overwhelmed.

Jax's eyes scanned the battlefield.

And landed on Astrid.

She was... angry.

No. Beyond angry.

She was FURIOUS.

Her movements were violent. Aggressive. Like she was trying to kill something more than just demons.

'What's her problem?'

Jax watched her magic manifest for the first time.

From thin air, metallic substances formed around her. Dark crystalline structures transparent but somehow menacing. Like glass forged in hell.

She was turning her mana into anything she wanted. An absolutely cheat power.

Dozens of spears materialized.

They hovered around her like a halo of death.

Then launched.

A demon who had been focused on the soldiers ahead never saw it coming. The spears rained down on him from every angle. Piercing. Impaling. Shredding.

He collapsed in a pool of his own blood.

Jax whistled.

'She's definitely venting something. My guess? Still salty about getting captured before.'

'Poor Astrid.'

He had no idea he was the actual cause for her wrath.

Now only two demons remained.

Astrid turned toward the last standing threat. Chains materialized in her hands. Dark. Heavy. Lethal.

She prepared to launch.

But this demon was different.

He was fighting the commander in single combat.

And winning.

His weapon was some kind of gauntlet fitted with razor claws. Each finger ended in a blade that gleamed with cursed energy.

The commander's spear was being blocked at every turn. Her strikes parried. Her thrusts deflected.

Several soldiers had tried to intervene.

They lay dead around the combatants.

The demon moved with supernatural grace. Blocking the commander with one hand while slaughtering anyone foolish enough to approach with the other.

Astrid charged from behind.

Her chains shot forward like striking serpents.

The demon sensed it.

Without even turning, he tilted his head. His long horns curved backward like a ram's, caught the chains and redirected them harmlessly to the side.

All while still blocking the commander's attacks from the front.

But the commander was clever.

In that split second when his back was exposed, she signaled.

A single gesture to the archers positioned on the hillside.

Then she dove away.

TWANG. TWANG. TWANG.

Hundreds of bowstrings released simultaneously.

The sky darkened with arrows.

A rain of death descended toward the demon.

He couldn't block this with claws.

But instead of fear, he laughed.

Then turned.

Toward Astrid.

Who was still in the kill zone.

The arrows were coming for her too.

'No—'

Astrid's blood ran cold.

Her anger—her stupid, blinding anger had put her directly in the crossfire.

The demon charged at her. His hand reached for a pendant hanging at his chest.

He shattered the stone within.

Dark energy pulsed from the stone.

His claws extended further. Longer. Sharper.

He lunged.

Astrid closed her eyes.

'Who will kill me first? The demon or our own arrows?'

She waited for pain.

It didn't come.

Instead, warmth.

Her head pressed against something solid. Arms wrapped around her.

She looked up.

Jax.

He had anticipated the demon's smile. Moved the moment he saw that twisted grin.

And as the demon closed in—claws inches from Astrid's face, Jax's blade swept from behind.

One clean cut.

The demon's head separated from its shoulders.

The body crumpled.

But Jax's expression wasn't relief.

His jaw was dropped. Eyes wide. Staring downward.

Astrid followed his gaze.

The demon's head lay at their feet.

But the ground beneath them had changed.

A void.

Pure darkness. Swirling. Pulling.

Like a hole had opened in reality itself.

Jax tried to move.

His legs wouldn't respond.

'Shit.'

He wasn't scared of the arrows. He could have dodged. Used his skills. Grabbed a corpse as a shield.

Used anything to survive.

But he couldn't move.

The void was pulling them down like quicksand.

The arrows descended.

Closer.

Closer.

And then they just vanished even before a single arrow could hit.

Darkness.

They emerged outside a small cave.

Dense forest surrounded them. Unfamiliar trees. Unknown territory.

The demon's severed head rolled to a stop nearby. Still wearing that damn smile.

Astrid was still pressed against Jax's chest. Her fingers clutching his shirt. Trembling.

'Well. This is awkward.'

[An hour passed]

The cave provided shelter from the cold wind outside.

Jax crouched by a small fire he'd built, feeding it more wood.

Behind him, Astrid sat on the ground.

Shaking.

Her dress wasn't designed for wilderness survival. The thin fabric did nothing against the creeping cold of the forest night.

She hugged her knees. Teeth chattering.

Jax glanced back.

Sighed.

He stood. Walked over to her.

And pulled off his shirt.

Astrid's eyes went wide.

"W-What are you—"

He draped the fabric over her shoulders.

"Relax. I run hot anyway."

She wanted to protest. To throw it back in his face. To maintain some dignity.

But the warmth was immediate. His body heat still clinging to the fabric.

She pulled it tighter around herself.

Then made the mistake of looking at him.

Jax stood before the fire. Shirtless. The flames illuminating his form.

He wasn't bulky. Not the grotesque mountain of muscle some warriors cultivated.

His body was lean. Defined. Every muscle visible but not exaggerated.

Broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. Chest sculpted like it had been carved by an artist with very specific fantasies. Abs that caught shadows in all the right places.

The kind of body that made you want to run your fingers across it just to confirm it was real.

Astrid's face heated up.

'Stop staring. STOP STARING.'

Her eyes refused to cooperate.

Then Jax spoke.

Then Jax said, "Oh god, it's really funny how you act all fierce with that brittle body."

The warmth in her cheeks shifted from embarrassment to anger.

She pouted.

Jax laughed.

"See? That's exactly what I mean! All your tough-girl acts always end up hurting my stomach!"

He clutched his abs dramatically.

"I can't take it! The gap between your attitude and your actual threat level is too much!"

Astrid's glare intensified.

Jax held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Now, now. Don't punch me so hard that I have to find a healer for YOUR hand in this dense forest."

Insult after insult.

Mockery after mockery.

If this were anyone else, Astrid would have already broken their nose.

But this was Jax.

The man who had saved her life. Twice now.

The man who had seen her naked and done nothing.

The man who called her a child while simultaneously treating her with disrespect that she had never had before.

He was infuriating.

Confusing.

Impossible to understand.

Her anger faded.

Replaced by something else.

Curiosity.

She let go of her ego. Her pride. Her stubborn need to always appear strong.

And asked the question that had been burning in her mind since that morning in her bedroom.

"Professor..."

Her voice was soft. Hesitant.

Jax raised an eyebrow.

She took a breath.

"Professor... who really are you?"

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