Aethelos Pain and Blood

Smoke was still rising from the destroyed base when Nayb arrived. Amid the rubble stood two figures. · Zakrom. · Eliana. · “You…” His voice was low, heavy with fury. “You attacked the base.” · Zakrom brushed the dust off his shoulder, wearing his usual smile. · “Wars aren’t fought only in the forest, prodigy.” · Nayb charged forward. Light was already burning around his fists. Just then, a figure appeared beside him, walking with steady steps as an earth aura vibrated beneath his feet. · Brock. · “I’ll take her,” he said, keeping his eyes fixed on Eliana. “You deal with the other one.” · Nayb nodded once. · The battle erupted. · Nayb and Zakrom clashed first. Darkness against light. Fast, precise, brutal strikes. Zakrom was more aggressive than he had been in the forest, but Nayb was still one step ahead. Every Shadow Roots attack was cut down. Every advance was anticipated. Within minutes, Zakrom was already staggering, his left arm rendered useless and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. · On the other side, Brock was fighting Eliana. · It wasn't a battle of brute strength. It was a battle of timing. · She moved as if the battlefield belonged to her. Brock countered with powerful strikes and solid defense, blocking her attacks, pressing forward, and trying to close the distance. They were evenly matched—neither one was willing to give ground. · Until Zakrom dropped to his knees for the second time. · Eliana noticed. · Her eyes hardened. · “Shadow Wave!” · A wave of darkness exploded from her body in every direction. Brock tried to raise an earth barrier, but the blast was too wide. His body was ripped off the ground and hurled into the distance, disappearing into the smoke and rubble. · Eliana wasted no time. She appeared between Zakrom and Nayb, her dark aura condensing into a dense sphere. · “Explosion Dark!” · At the peak of his adrenaline, Nayb refused to retreat. Light erupted from both of his hands at once. · “Explosion Light!” · The two explosions collided at the center. · The sound was deafening. The ground split apart. A shockwave swept across what remained of the base. · When the light finally faded, all three were still standing—barely. · Nayb was breathing heavily, his gaze fixed on Eliana. She was kneeling beside Zakrom, one hand pressed against the boy's chest, her expression exposed for the first time. · Concern. · Real fear. · Nayb tilted his head. · “Boyfriend?” · Eliana raised her face. Her answer came out sharp, almost offended. · “Brother.” · Not by blood… but in every other way that mattered. · Nayb fell silent for a second. Then his smile softened, weary and faint. · “Okay. · I'm not a monster. And I don't want to tear a family apart. · If you leave now, I won't kill either of you. · But if you try to pull another cowardly stunt like this… I won't show you any mercy.” · Eliana stared at him for several long seconds. Then she slipped her arm beneath Zakrom's shoulder and struggled to lift him to his feet. · Before turning away, she spoke quietly, almost as if the words had escaped her against her will. · “I shouldn't be saying this to an enemy… · But thank you.” · The two disappeared into the smoke. · Moments later, Brock reappeared, limping, his left shoulder burned by residual aura. · “That… bitch sent me flying!” · Nayb was still staring in the direction they had fled. · “They got away. · But don't worry. · What matters is that we're all alive.” · Brock stopped beside him, breathing heavily. Together, they stared at the wreckage in silence. · The war was no longer confined to the forest.