Caelum lay on a rocky surface amidst the crumbling ruins, yawning as he lazily tossed small stones into the air. Boredom had settled deep into his bones, a rare feeling in the chaotic war-torn land of Abyssia. His violet eyes tracked the pebbles as they arced and bounced off the uneven ground.

  "Well, this is peaceful," he thought, stretching his limbs. He wasn't sure exactly how long this peace had lasted, but by his count—based on the daily battles—it had been about a week. A whole week without his so-called "archenemies," Lucielle and Varithra, hunting him down.

  "Are they dead? Or did they finally give up on me?" The thought flickered through his mind, but instead of relief, he felt a twinge of something else. Disappointment? Maybe. As much as they were enemies, they were the only people who actually spoke to him, even if their words were threats and taunts. It had been… lonely without them.

  There had been the occasional Luminaran or Nyxaran soldier who stumbled upon him, but they were few and far between. Those who did find him were swiftly dealt with in minutes. None of them had Lucielle’s uncanny ability to track him or Varithra’s relentless persistence.

  His musings were cut short by the sound of footsteps.

  Caelum exhaled and slowly sat up. "Someone found me early today," he muttered to himself. The war horn had only sounded a few hours ago—it was unusual for anyone to track him down so quickly.

  But when he turned his gaze toward the source, he froze.

  Lucielle.

  He blinked in disbelief, then a slow smile tugged at his lips. "I thought you were dead."

  "In your dreams," Lucielle shot back without missing a beat.

  Caelum tilted his head. "Maybe you gave up on killing me and suddenly changed your mind? Or is this some new strategy? Attack me once a week now?"

  Lucielle’s golden eyes narrowed. "None of your business."

  "It’s very much my business, considering you’re here to kill me."

  Lucielle didn’t answer. Instead, she extended her hand, and from thin air, a blade of solid light materialized—her Aetherforged weapon.

  Caelum sighed and summoned his own Aetherforged sword, its brilliant form taking shape in his grasp. He caught the slight shift in Lucielle’s expression—her brows furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

  "Change it to Umbracraft," she ordered.

  Caelum raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  Lucielle’s voice grew sharper. "Your blade. Change it to Umbracraft."

  He glanced at his sword, the glowing construct of pure light. He knew it couldn't kill her—just as her weapon couldn't kill him. That was the nature of their cursed blood. But why did she care what weapon he used?

  Caelum smirked. "Nope. Not gonna do it."

  Lucielle’s grip tightened on her sword. "Then I’ll make you."

  She lunged.

  Caelum braced himself, but before their blades could clash, another set of footsteps echoed through the ruins.

  Lucielle immediately halted, turning toward the newcomer, her expression darkening into something more furious than before. "You."

  Varithra stepped into the ruins, her violet eyes glinting with amusement. "What, are you stalking me now, Lucielle?"

  Lucielle scowled. "You always show up right after me. Are you following me?"

  Varithra merely shrugged.

  Caelum, watching the exchange, let out a chuckle. "Well, this is familiar. But I have to say, I expected you two to stand together and attack me, not… whatever this is."

  Something was off. Usually, the two women worked in tandem—different, yet synchronized in their shared goal of hunting him. But now, they stood apart, their stances tense, their eyes locked onto each other as much as him.

  He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but before he could get the words out, Varithra hurled her Entropic flame straight at Lucielle.

  Caelum barely had time to process it before Lucielle dodged, her movement fluid, almost as if she had anticipated the attack. Without hesitation, she surged toward Caelum, her Aetherforged blade swinging.

  Caelum barely managed to block the strike, gritting his teeth as the force of it pushed him back. He parried just in time to see Varithra dashing forward, flames swirling around her arms. She spun, sending a concentrated lance of black fire toward Lucielle, who sidestepped with practiced ease.

  Lucielle retaliated, slashing the air and sending a crescent arc of pure light toward Varithra, who countered by raising a wall of flame. The moment it shattered, Lucielle closed the distance, her blade meeting Varithra’s own flame-formed sword in a deafening clash. Sparks flew, heat and light colliding in bursts of energy.

  Caelum exhaled, shifting into an aggressive stance. "Alright, enough of this."

  He lunged, targeting Lucielle first, forcing her to disengage with Varithra to block his blow. At the same time, Varithra swept low, flames bursting around her feet as she pivoted and struck at Lucielle’s exposed flank. Lucielle barely managed to parry both attacks, her movements swift yet strained.

  The fight exploded into chaos.

  Lucielle’s strikes were sharp, precise, and unrelenting, each swing meant to overwhelm. Varithra countered with fluid, unpredictable movements, her fire shifting shape mid-attack. Caelum was forced to weave between them, switching between offense and defense as their battle spiraled into a deadly dance.

  Varithra threw a whip of black flame at Lucielle, who severed it mid-air with a slash of her light blade. In that instant, Caelum lunged, his Umbracraft blade forming at the last second to strike. Lucielle barely deflected it, but the impact sent her skidding back.

  Varithra used the moment to charge Lucielle head-on, their weapons colliding with a shockwave that cracked the already fragile ruins beneath them.

  Caelum, sensing the inevitable collapse, cursed. "You two are going to bring this whole place down!"

  Neither of them paid him any attention. They struck again and again, their battle growing fiercer with each passing second.

  And then, in one final explosive moment, all three of them lunged at the same time. Caelum’s blade met Lucielle’s, his other arm intercepting Varithra’s Entropic flames. The impact sent a tremor through the ruins.

  The ground groaned.

  And then it collapsed.

  The ruins crumbled, the abyss beneath swallowing all three of them into darkness.

  Caelum had just enough time to think, "Well, that’s not good," before the void consumed them.