Zara's growl echoed, her massive form charging, curse marks glowing crimson against her sweat-slicked muscles.

Her axe came down hard, severing a beast through the thorax, black ichor spraying.

Another snapped at her side, and she pivoted, her leg trembling with pain, turning the movement into another killing blow, her silver hair plastered to her forehead.

"Keep up!" she barked, her blue eyes fierce.

Lysette stood behind, her glowing staff raised, her white robe clinging to her thighs.

Her light magic flared weakly, but a burst of radiance struck a beast's face, disorienting it with a crack of blinding light.

Her emerald eyes cut through the chaos, her defiant scowl unwavering despite her curse's lingering toll.

"Behind you!" she shouted, her voice sharp.

Leon spun, a beast mid-lunge, its claws gleaming.

His legs refused to move, time slowing—until Terya's hand gripped his wrist, her touch warm, steady.

"Focus," she said, her green eyes locked on his.

"You're not alone."

Her other hand stayed lifted, wind spiraling as cover.

Leon closed his eyes, the screeches, the stench of blood and webbing fading.

He pictured a spiral—light and wind entwined, Terya's bond anchoring him, the Starbloom's glow pulsing in his chest. He inhaled, then cast.

A glowing wind arc surged from his palm, lancing through the mist, striking a shadow-beast across the shoulder.

It howled, reeling back, the tide shifting.

Zara cleaved two more legs off another, her axe a blur of silver and red. Lysette disoriented a third with a flash of light, her staff trembling but steady.

Terya protected Leon's flank, her daggers carving through webs, her grin fierce.

The beasts hissed, skittering into the shadows as suddenly as they'd appeared, their glowing eyes fading into the mist.

Silence returned, broken only by the group's ragged breathing and the sizzle of venom eating through a nearby tree.

Leon sank to his knees, panting, blood slicking his arm, the venom's numbness fading, leaving throbbing pain.

Terya dropped beside him, her hand brushing his, her green eyes warm.

"You did good," she said, her voice soft but firm, her leather top torn, revealing the curve of her chest.

Zara passed, her axe resting on her shoulder, her curse marks pulsing faintly.

"You're learning," she said, her blue eyes approving despite her grimace. "Just faster, next time."

Leon exhaled, the echo of fear dulled by a pulse of light and wind in his chest, Terya's touch and Zara's nod anchoring him.

Lysette's gaze lingered, her emerald eyes softening, a subtle nod of respect passing between them.

The Bloodweave's whispers hissed faintly, the crimson mist curling, but the group stood together, ready for the enclave ahead.

__________

The campfire crackled weakly under the blood-weeping trees of the Bloodweave, its flickering light casting jagged shadows across the gnarled trunks, their bark slick with sap that shimmered like molten rubies.

The forest was quiet for once—no shifting roots, no distorted illusions, just a heavy silence that settled into the bones of those who carried old pain.

The crimson mist hung low, curling like ghostly tendrils, its whispers muted but ever-present, a soft hiss beneath the crackle of the fire.

Zara sat apart from the others, her muscular form hunched slightly, elbows resting on her knees, her massive axe propped against a nearby trunk.

The curse marks along her arm glowed faintly in the firelight, no longer flaring with searing pain but a constant, throbbing reminder of the Crimson Veil's hold.

Her silver hair, damp with sweat and streaked with dried sap, framed her face in wild curls, catching the red glow.

She stared into the flames, her blue eyes distant, unreadable, her jaw tight with unspoken weight.

Leon watched her from across the camp, seated on a moss-covered log, his fingers idly tracing the hilt of his reforged dagger.

His linen shirt clung to his sweat-soaked chest, the light and wind magic from Lysette's ritual and Terya's bond pulsing faintly, a quiet hum beneath the forest's oppression.

Terya leaned against him, her thigh pressing gently against his, her leather top clinging to her curves, her blonde hair catching the firelight.

Her green eyes flicked to Zara, a mix of concern and curiosity softening her usual mischief.

Lysette stood nearby, arms crossed, her white robe dirtied but luminous, her emerald eyes shifting between the trees and Zara, her light magic casting a faint glow around her.

Leon broke the silence, his voice gentle but steady.

"Zara," he said, leaning forward, "you don't have to tell us anything. But if you want to… we're here."

Her blue eyes flicked to him, sharp and guarded, then back to the fire.

For a long moment, silence stretched, the crackle of the flames the only sound.

Leon thought she wouldn't answer, her stoic facade as unyielding as her axe.

Then she spoke, her voice low, rough, like gravel worn smooth by pain.

"I was a mercenary," she said, her gaze fixed on the fire.

"Took contracts others wouldn't touch. Dangerous work. Bloody work. But I was good at it. Better than most. And I had someone. A partner. We fought side by side, slept under the same sky, shared scars and stories. I thought…" Her jaw tightened, the firelight catching the twitch in her cheek.

"I thought he loved me."

Terya cursed under her breath, her hand tightening on Leon's arm, her usual smirk gone.

Lysette's eyes narrowed, her fingers clenching around her staff, a spark of light magic flickering.

Zara laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that cut through the silence.

"He didn't. When a Veilbound sorcerer offered him power, he sold me. Just like that. Gave me up for a drop of corrupted magic, a promise of strength." Her voice cracked, just slightly, her hand clenching into a fist.

"The sorcerer bound me to the Crimson Veil. Said I had potential. Said I could be more than a blade-for-hire. Said I could be his weapon."

Leon moved closer, slow and careful, sitting beside her on the damp ground, the scent of sap and rot heavy in the air.

He didn't speak, his presence steady, his hand reaching out to rest over hers, warm and grounding.

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