Left, right, left... step by step, I danced around him. Our weapons clashed again and again, the sound sharp and heavy in the air. I had never fought like this before, never pushed my speed to its limit just to leave a single mark on my opponent. Yet his movements kept up with mine, each strike faster, heavier, more precise. His eyes grew colder, sharper. I couldn't afford to lose. I had to help Elira and Beelzebub.

Speaking of them, a quick glance to the side showed the tiny hamster sinking his teeth into a man's neck, his fur bristling with energy. A second later, an arrow whistled toward him. Beelzebub darted aside just in time, the arrow slamming instead into the chest of the man he'd bitten. Blood splattered across the ground.

Friend killed friend; or were they ever friends? None of them seemed to care. The one who'd loosed the arrow didn't even flinch, already reloading to shoot again. Beelzebub twisted through the air, mocking them with shrill squeals that echoed across the clearing. His movements were erratic but deliberate, each attack brushing past the hunters to infect rather than kill. I caught a flash of crimson energy pulse from his tiny fangs.

He had activated his skill: {Crimson Parasitism}. The curse spread through their bodies like wildfire, weakening them while feeding strength back into us. I felt the heat of my own wound start to cool, the pain fading as the skin began to knit itself closed.

A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Good little hamster.

Elira did not stay idle either. After blocking the first wave of arrows, her mud wall crumbled with a low rumble, and from within its cracks burst a wild fire that raced through the forest floor. Flames swept outward, licking the roots and branches, turning the air sharp and dry. The smoke curled high, wrapping around us like a veil. The forest came alive with noise, creaking and snapping, as if the trees themselves gasped for air.

Another strike of fire followed, spreading wider. I could barely see her through the smoke, but I knew she had done it on purpose. It wasn't random. She wanted to give me space to move, to take the lead against the one who radiated strength far above the rest. Her magic twisted the battlefield in my favor, turning chaos into cover.

Wind gathered at her call, swirling into fiery orbs that launched into the crowd. Each impact came with a deep, muffled thud, and heat washed across my face. Some fell screaming, others stumbled and rose again. The fire wasn't enough to kill them, but it split their lines, pushed them back. Eight still stood, their movements sharp, trained. They regrouped quickly, forming a half circle, the glint of crossbows and steel flashing through the smoke.

"If you look away, I might hurt that pretty face of yours, young lady."

His voice cut through the crackle of burning wood, calm and mocking. The sound came from everywhere at once. I turned sharply, but he was gone. His dagger had vanished into thin air, and with it, his presence. My pulse spiked. The forest noise grew distant, replaced by silence so thick it pressed against my ears.

I shifted my weight, every muscle coiled, the skill {Shadow Step} pulsing at the edge of my control, ready to trigger the moment he appeared. The ground beneath me vibrated with the hiss of burning roots. The air smelled of ash and iron.

But he didn't come for me.

My gaze darted through the haze, and then I saw a ripple behind Elira, darker than the smoke. A shape emerged, a man's outline forming out of nothing, his shadow stretching across the glowing embers. Two blackened hands reached forward, ghostlike, and slid over her eyes.

"Peek-a-boo," he whispered, his voice brushing the back of her neck.

The world seemed to freeze. Her body jerked, her magic faltered, and before I could take a step, he was gone again. The space he had occupied folded into itself, the air snapping shut. The smell of smoke lingered, but they were both gone.

"No!" The word ripped out of me, raw and heavy. I turned in every direction, but the forest only answered with the hiss of dying flames and the echo of my own heartbeat.

They came here for me. I had heard them say it. So why her?

Is this John's doing? Some twisted trick to drag her back? To make me watch while he breaks what I care for?

My fingers clenched around the scalpel. The forest burned around me, embers falling like red rain, and I swore, if he hurt her, I would make every one of them bleed for it.

I turned my head from side to side, searching for where he might emerge as the rest of the party pressed in. Their weapons aimed for my heart. Beelzebub did what he could to weaken them, but enough strong ones remained that the numbers still terrified me.

I could maybe kill four, maybe five if I was fast and lucky, but by then Elira would be gone. When would I get her back? What would they do to her for betraying John? Those thoughts slammed through my skull, my heart hammering like a steam train.

Something in me snapped, something that had never been there before, a new storm in my chest. A protective urge rose up, one I had never felt for anyone. Maybe it was because she had become my first real friend in this world, or maybe something deeper was brewing that I did not yet understand. But in that moment, I knew: I would burn the world for Elira.

"I'll slaughter you all!" I roared as anger overflowed. I vanished with {Shadow Step} and my wings, collapsing the distance in a blur of motion. Fire licked at my skin but I cut through the flames without care. Today the world would drink crimson, and I would tear her back from whoever dared touch her.

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