The jungle held its breath.
Aldren stood at the base of the staircase, eyes gleaming with anticipation. His coat swayed lightly in the breeze, the metallic key now gone, tucked away by some spatial magic. He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders, like he was waking up from a long nap.
"You kids better be worth the effort," he muttered, almost bored. "I hate wasting energy on scrubs."
Lucian didn't wait for the first move. With a roar, he unleashed a blaze of fire straight down the staircase, the air shimmering from the heat. Aldren moved fast. He vanished from sight for a split second and then reappeared midair, his foot slamming down toward Lucian. The ground cracked under the force of the landing, sending Lucian skidding backward.
I began drawing my Pure Essence. Terra rushed in, her blade glowing green under the effects of Gale Ward. She clashed blades with Aldren, Essence sparking at the impact. He parried easily, spinning and lashing out with a sharp elbow that caught her across the chin, sending her tumbling.
"Toho!" I shouted.
"On it." He stepped forward, eyes glowing faintly blue.
Future Sight
Toho's pupils shrank. Time blurred around him. He dodged a sweeping kick before it happened, his fists flying forward into Aldren's side. The Mark grunted, surprised, and finally took a step back.
"Oh?" Aldren grinned, wiping blood from his mouth. I launched in, flanking Aldren's blind side. The man twisted faster than expected, but I still managed to land a solid punch to his ribs.
We had him outnumbered. We had power. But Aldren had the experience. Lucian shouted, unleashing another wave of fire. Aldren snapped his fingers.
Spatial Shift.
The flames curved unnaturally, redirected into the trees behind us. Aldren lunged forward again, suddenly shifting directions mid-strike, aiming a precise palm thrust at Toho's chest. But Toho had already moved. He pivoted to the side before Aldren even finished the motion, sliding under the strike and planting a sharp uppercut into Aldren's gut. The blow forced the older sorcerer to stumble back, momentarily winded.
Toho didn't stop. He pressed forward with two quick jabs, followed by a sweeping leg kick. Aldren's eyes narrowed, finally registering it.
"…You're not just fast," he said quietly, ducking under the next strike. "You're reacting before I move." Toho's eyes remained locked, glowing faintly again as his pupils dilated. Future Sight was still active. Sweat beaded along his temple from the Essence drain, but he held his ground. I watched from the edge, recognizing the shift in Aldren's posture.
"Interesting," Aldren muttered, voice low. "A few seconds. You're seeing a few seconds ahead."
Toho's Innate Technique: Future Sight - Allows the user to glimpse into the future at the cost of Essence and energy. The range of Future Sight can be extended at an additional fee, a price greater than Essence or energy.
He vanished again, reappearing behind Toho. But Toho ducked under the surprise strike, turned, and countered with a knee to the ribs. Aldren blocked it just in time—barely. His smirk was gone now. He stepped back and raised both hands. Spatial energy twisted around his arms like transparent bands of steel.
"Alright then," he said, tone sharp and clipped. "No more warm-up."
Lucian fired again, flames crackling wildly. Terra flanked left, blade gleaming with Gale Ward's wind-enhanced edge.
Toho panted beside me, hands clenched. "I've got another minute, maybe less, of Future Sight left… then I'm tapped."
I nodded. "We'll make them count." Aldren brushed ash off his shoulder. He exhaled slowly. The ground around him shimmered—just slightly. Not a shockwave. Not a dome. Something smaller. He held out his right hand. Symbols burned into his forearm lit up, glowing with shifting blue light that pulsed in and out like a heartbeat. Space itself twisted subtly around him, like the air didn't know where to land.
Aldren's Innate Technique: Phase Break - Allows the user to "shift" specific parts of their body or objects partially out of sync with physical space for split moments. While active, Aldren can phase his attacks through matter, dodge blows without moving, and strike with unnatural angles, like he's fighting from two places at once.
He moved. This time, Toho didn't see it. Aldren's fist phased through Terra's blade, literally passed through the metal like it wasn't there, and slammed into her stomach. She flew backward, gasping, winded.
Lucian roared, casting a wall of fire to block Aldren's follow-up. But Aldren stepped through his it, shimmering as it phased past the flame.
Toho's eyes went wide. "It's not teleportation. He's still here, but… he's off-beat."
"Can you read it?" I asked.
Toho activated Future Sight again. His breath caught in his throat.
"Just barely."
He dashed forward, fists up. This time, he was less aggressive, reacting rather than striking. Aldren blurred forward, throwing a punch that should've connected with Toho's jaw. But Toho had already ducked. Future Sight danced behind his eyes, just two seconds ahead. He caught Aldren's wrist, twisted, and went for the ribs. Aldren phased—his body slipping slightly out of sync—and the strike passed through empty air. Then Aldren countered with a roundhouse kick that did connect, sending Toho staggering.
I charged in next, coating my arms in reinforced Pure Essence. I waited, letting my instincts carry me, watching not Aldren's body, but his timing. He struck, but I feinted backward, baiting the phase. Just as his hand flickered, I reached low, scooping earth into his eyes before he fully rematerialized. He cursed, blinking hard. Lucian didn't waste the chance.
"EAT THIS!" he screamed, launching a compressed fire lance aimed right at Aldren's chest.
Aldren twisted, starting to phase, but Toho lunged instantly, locking Aldren in place by pinning his shoulder. The fire lance hit full-on. An explosion of heat roared across the staircase. The force hurled all of us backward, debris flying. When the dust cleared, Aldren knelt, coughing, smoke rising from his coat, which was now torn and half-burned. He rose slowly, scorched, but alive. His breathing had changed. Deeper. Controlled. He looked around at the four of us, then at Toho specifically.
"You… with those eyes. That's your Innate, isn't it?" Toho didn't answer. He was sweating hard now, swaying slightly. Future Sight was eating at him. Aldren's lip curled. "Annoying technique. I should've killed you first." He snapped his fingers, and the air shimmered around his arm again.
Phase Break reignited.
This wasn't over. Aldren blurred forward again—faster, more brutal now. His Phase Break crackled across his limbs like glitching light, flickering between reality and something more profound. Every step he took left behind an echo of motion, like time couldn't keep up. Toho was breathing hard, his vision flickering. Future Sight still pulsed in his eyes, but it was weakening. I moved.
Before Aldren reached Toho, I intercepted, arms crossed, Essence brimming. His punch phased through my initial guard—just like before—but this time, I had anticipated the exit point. I twisted and threw an elbow into his side the moment he solidified. Aldren stumbled, and I didn't let up.
"Let's see how solid you are when I break every piece of you!" I shouted. A flurry of Essence-infused blows followed. I used the terrain, kicked off the staircase wall, spun mid-air, and landed a knee to his back. He rolled forward, trying to phase, but Toho caught him. Just long enough. Just one second of resistance. Lucian joined from the side, fire swirling between his palms, then unleashing it like a blast cannon.
Terra dashed in behind the explosion, wind-cushioned steps silent, blade slashing with surgical grace. For a brief moment, we were in sync—blows landing one after another. Our coordination, even though it was rough, was starting to overwhelm him. He roared, Essence surging in all directions, blasting us back with a spherical force pulse. He dropped into a crouch, panting, blood leaking from a cut above his brow.
His coat was in tatters now. His Essence shimmered erratically. He was tiring too.
"Dammit…" he muttered.
I rose to my feet, breathing hard. Aldren tilted his head, cracking his neck again. My hands curled into fists. My Essence Pool was becoming shallow.
Behind me, Toho staggered and fell to one knee, gasping. "I'm… I'm out," he muttered. "No more Future Sight. I'm blind now." Lucian was still recovering. Terra had a cut across her arm and breathed in sharp, pained bursts. That left me.
Aldren looked up the staircase toward the temple gates. Then back at me. My heart pounded. I could feel my Innate Technique gnawing at the edges of my control. That cold, pressure-filled thing locked deep within. I took a step forward. My fingers twitched with the temptation.
The others were watching. Terra, bloodied, blade shaking. Lucian, proud but cornered. Toho spent but was still beside me.
Aldren raised his hand, Phase Break flickering back to life. I exhaled slowly.
Should I use it?