The sound of flesh tearing rang out. The demon's blade met human flesh—but it didn't belong to Amon.

Kaelra had stepped in between.

The blade pierced into her left shoulder. She didn't block it with her sword, because she intended to use it to cut down Kalrik.

Her sword slashed horizontally.

Kalrik's sword was still embedded in her shoulder.

"Damn—"

He stepped back. The blade came out of her flesh—but not cleanly. A deep horizontal cut formed on his chest.

"Ahhh!"

Just then, Harvey came beside him, slashing vertically at Kalrik's left shoulder.

Kalrik turned slightly aside, avoiding it.

His hand extended toward Harvey's heart. His nails elongated, blazing with red aura.

Ready to tear into his chest.

But another arrow struck his hand.

"Fuck!" he screamed in pain.

Amon was already standing and yelled, "Hold him. Both of you!"

Hearing Amon, Harvey didn't wait. He dropped his axe and tightly grabbed Kalrik's left arm, the one reaching for his chest. Locking it with both arms.

Kaelra dashed forward. The demon's blade dug deeper into her shoulder, coming out from the other side.

"GAH—!"

Pain shot through her entire body. She bit her lip.

But she didn't stop.

Seeing her still moving, Kalrik decided to kill her immediately.

"I will kill you all."

He was still holding his blade with his right hand. He twisted it and brought it down, tearing through her flesh from the inside, moving toward her chest.

SPLASH.

Blood sprayed from her body like a fountain.

But she still held on.

She grabbed his right arm tightly, keeping the sword embedded in her body, and grinned.

"Caught you!"

Kalrik's eyes widened.

Three arrows struck his back.

"Aaahh!"

Mira was on her knees, having overused her mana. She had drained it completely. Blood flowed from her nose and eyes.

Standing in front of Kalrik was Amon.

His sword was held in both hands. Shadow wrapped around its blade, dark smoky trails flowing from it.

His dark eyes were clear now. There was no hatred or anger.

Amon was smiling happily.

At this moment, there was only one desire in his eyes.

Death.

He kicked off the ground and thrust his sword forward.

"No—" Kalrik used all his remaining mana to explode his aura outward.

But something came from behind him.

Swiisss!

SPLASH!

CRUSH!

"Ahh!" Kalrik's eyes went wide. He felt something crash against the back of his head, tearing into his skull.

He understood.

The hatchet of the boy in front of him had struck his head from behind.

His eyes met a dark pair of eyes.

The sword thrust into his chest, tearing through his heart.

Blood spilled from his mouth.

For a moment, no one moved.

They all remained standing exactly where they were, as if time itself had stopped.

Kalrik's body stood frozen, his sword slipping from his grasp. The red aura around him flickered… then shattered like broken glass. His eyes lost their light. His body trembled once and then collapsed.

Kalrik was dead.

The forest fell into an eerie silence. No mana clashed. No steel rang. Only the sound of ragged breathing remained.

Mira's knees finally gave out.

She dropped to the ground, her bow slipping from her fingers. Her chest rose and fell weakly, her eyes half-open, barely conscious as exhaustion completely consumed her.

Harvey tried to take one more step.

His broken shield lay nearby. His axe slipped from his hand.

His legs failed him.

He fell forward heavily, hitting the ground with a dull thud, blood pooling beneath him as his body finally shut down.

Kaelra remained standing for a heartbeat longer. Blood soaked her clothes. Her grip loosened around her sword. She was slowly dying. But she didn't mind that at all.

Her strength ran out.

She collapsed to her knees… then fell onto her side, unmoving, her breathing shallow. Sword was still inside her.

Only Amon remained.

He stood there for a second, staring at Kalrik's lifeless body.

The shadows around him slowly receded. His sword slipped from his numb fingers.

His legs trembled. Then Amon fell backward.

He hit the ground on his back, staring up at the darkened sky through broken branches.

His chest rose painfully as he struggled to breathe.

The battle was over. They had survived. Not all of them but they still survived barely.

Amon's breathing grew weaker.

The pain that had been screaming through every part of his body slowly dulled, fading into a distant echo. His vision blurred, the sky above breaking apart into dark fragments.

His fingers twitched once.

Then even that strength left him.

The sounds of the forest disappeared. The smell of blood vanished. The world went dark.

Amon lost consciousness.

—

He didn't know how much time had passed. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Days.

There was no way to tell. Slowly, painfully, awareness returned. Amon groaned softly as his eyes fluttered open.

Pain hit him instantly.

It was everywhere deep, crushing pain that felt like it had settled into his bones. His chest burned when he breathed. His limbs felt heavy, numb, and weak.

Something was wrong. Very Cold.

His back was pressed against something hard and freezing. It was like metal.

That realization made his eyes snap open wider. Amon tried to move, but his wrists didn't respond.

Clink.

A sharp metallic sound echoed as he lifted his hands slightly.

Chains. No...handcuffs.

Thick metal cuffs were locked tightly around his wrists, connected to metal bars. His arms were restrained, held in an uncomfortable position.

"What…?" he whispered hoarsely.

His throat was dry. His voice barely came out.

He turned his head slowly, every movement sending pain through his neck and shoulders.

This wasn't the Black Forest. He wasn't on the battlefield.

He was inside a cage.

Metal bars surrounded him on all sides, cold and solid. Beyond them was a dimly lit interior. Fabric walls, faintly swaying. There were more metal cages around him. But they were empty.

A tent. A large one.

The air smelled of iron, oil, and something sterile. The ground beneath him was metal, not earth. There were faint runes etched into the bars dull, inactive-looking, yet oppressive.

His heart skipped. Amon tried to gather mana instinctively. Nothing happened. No response.

He tried again, forcing himself to circulate it. Still nothing happened.

His mana felt sealed, smothered, as if something heavy had been placed over it. The mana that always answered him were completely silent.

Panic crept into his chest. "I can't… use mana?" he muttered.

He pulled against the cuffs.

Clank.

They didn't budge. They were cold. Heavy. Suppressive. Anti-magic.

Realization hit him like a blow. He was restrained. He was imprisoned.

Amon's breathing quickened as confusion and unease flooded his mind.

'How did I get here?'

'Where are the others?'

'Are Harvey, Mira, Kaelra… alive?' He thought.

And most importantly.

"Where the hell am I now…?" He muttered. The metal bars stood silent.

The tent swayed slightly.

And somewhere outside, distant footsteps echoed, growing closer.

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