The valley was quiet before the chant began. Wind drifted through the tall grass, carrying the smell of pine from the tree line and the distant sound of running water. Thin morning light clung to the surface of the cliffs and made every surface shine pale gold.
Aberrane stood in the center of it all. Her breath slowed. Her eyes narrowed.
"Hagnirmus Natepecak. Hagnirmus Namoyagnap. Hagnirmus Ajaw. Hagnirmus Gnahdep."
Light rose along her skin like threads of dawn. It grew brighter until her armor dropped from the sky in pieces, each plate striking against her with a solid metal weight that echoed across the valley. The sword formed last. It hummed gently, as if pleased to be held again.
When she moved, the earth answered. The grass flattened. Dust swept away from her feet. A sharp crack sounded through the field as the ground split where she launched.
She reached the old man in a heartbeat.
Her sword cut through the air in a clean, fast line.
Nothing.
The old man stood several yards behind her. His robes fluttered slightly in the breeze. He did not speak. He simply watched her.
Aberrane slid to a stop, boots grinding stone into powder.
She moved again. A slash of light tore a scar through the earth. Another swing cut a spruce tree neatly in half, the top falling with a soft, almost gentle thud.
Still, she touched nothing.
The old man stepped lightly. Each step caused the ground beneath him to divide into precise cubes, soft dirt shaping itself into geometric fragments. Even the drifting motes of dust in the air seemed to separate cleanly when they passed near him.
Aberrane realized what was happening.
The thin shimmering around him was not heat. It was Mana Mist. A second set of senses.
"He feels everything I do. Every shift of weight. Every intention."
The wind swept across the field, bending the grass. A raven croaked from somewhere near the woods, startling itself when another line of the earth split into ribbons.
Aberrane smiled, though her breath now came heavier.
"Fine. If you feel me coming, then I will move too fast to feel."
She launched again. Light trailed behind her in a long streak, like a comet burning across the ground. The force of her strikes sent loose soil flying and ruffled the treetops.
She swung a broad arc at him.
A crescent of pure light tore across the space between them. The old man raised his palm, calm as still water, redirecting the wave in a clean curve.
The beam returned toward Aberrane like a thrown blade.
"Refract!" she shouted.
The wave bent upward, slicing through a passing cloud. A soft rain of pale mist drifted down from the wound in the sky.
Her chest burned now. Her legs felt heavier with each movement. A sob of frustration was building in her throat.
"I will not let you walk away from what you did!" she screamed. The words tore out of her, raw and unshaped.
The old man finally moved with intention.
He raised his hand.
The air around Aberrane shifted. Thin white lines formed a cage around her, sharp as glass edges.
She had one chance left.
"Hagnirmus Natepecak... Hilak."
The world exploded into movement.
Her body broke the sound barrier. A white ring rippled outward across the valley, sending dust and dead leaves swirling into the air. Birds scattered from the treetops in a frantic rush. The cliffside groaned under the force.
Her sword was already inside the old man's stomach.
Neither spoke. Both simply existed in that moment, suspended in silence. A breeze stirred the field. The blades of grass swayed as if bowing.
The old man exhaled once, long and quiet.
He looked at her not in anger, but understanding. Then he fell.
Aberrane tried to stop, but her body did not respond. Her momentum carried her off the cliff. The world tipped. Blood burst from her nose and eyes. Pain surged through her chest and limbs, too intense to think through.
"So this is it," she thought as the sky spun above her.
"At least Nyata is safe. I do not know why that means so much, but it does."
A hand closed around her wrist.
She opened her eyes to see Nyata leaning over the ledge, dirt under his nails, arms shaking as he held her with everything he had.
"You were incredible," he panted. He looked terrified and amazed all at once. "I have never seen anyone fight like that. Not in my life."
Aberrane blinked, dazed.
Her face warmed before she could stop it.
"R-Really? I looked cool?"
Nyata laughed under his breath. A soft, relieved laugh.
"Yes. You did."
Her eyes fluttered.
This time, she let them close.