đ
The palace trembled.
Not from an earthquake.
Not from war.
---
From them.
---
Cracks spread across the marble floor beneath Rosy's feet, thin at firstâthen deeper, splitting like veins under pressure.
The chandeliers above swayed violently, chains clinking in sharp metallic rhythm.
---
But neither of them moved.
---
Rosy stood in the centerâ
Her aura unstable, raw power bleeding into the air like something that refused to stay contained.
---
Across from herâ
Her father.
Still.
Untouched.
---
Calm.
---
"âŠYou're leaking," he said quietly.
---
Not mockery.
Not concern.
---
Observation.
---
---
Rosy's fingers curled slowly.
---
"âŠThen stop me."
---
A pause.
---
Thenâ
---
He moved.
---
---
No warning.
No buildup.
---
One stepâ
---
And he was in front of her.
---
---
His hand reached outâ
Not to strikeâ
---
But to grab.
---
---
Rosy reacted instantly.
---
She twisted sidewaysâ
His fingers brushing past her shoulderâ
---
And counteredâ
---
Her blade flashed upward.
---
---
Steel met skinâ
---
And stopped.
---
---
His hand caught the blade.
---
Bare.
---
---
The soundâ
---
Was wrong.
---
Not metal cutting fleshâ
---
But something harder.
---
Something unnatural.
---
---
"âŠYou still rely on weapons," he murmured.
---
---
Her eyes narrowed.
---
"âŠAnd you still underestimate me."
---
---
She pulled backâ
Spunâ
---
And struck againâ
---
Faster.
---
Sharper.
---
---
This timeâ
---
He didn't block.
---
---
He disappeared.
---
---
Her blade cut through empty air.
---
---
A shift behind herâ
---
Too late.
---
---
A force slammed into her backâ
---
Not physicalâ
---
Something deeper.
---
---
She was thrown forwardâ
Sliding across the cracked floorâ
---
But she didn't fall.
---
---
She stopped herselfâ
Boot digging into the groundâ
---
Her breath steady.
---
---
"âŠSpatial manipulation," she whispered.
---
---
Behind herâ
---
"âŠGood," he replied.
---
---
"You're noticing."
---
---
She turned slowly.
---
---
"âŠYou're not human either."
---
---
A faint smile.
---
---
"I never claimed to be."
---
---
The words lingered.
---
---
But she didn't have time to process them.
---
---
Because he moved again.
---
---
Faster this time.
---
---
The space between them distortedâ
---
And suddenlyâ
---
He was everywhere.
---
---
Multiple afterimagesâ
---
Noâ
---
Multiple presences.
---
---
Each one real.
---
Each one dangerous.
---
---
Rosy's eyes sharpened.
---
"âŠTricks won't work."
---
---
"All of them are real."
---
---
The answer came from everywhere.
---
---
And thenâ
---
They attacked.
---
---
Simultaneously.
---
---
Rosy moved.
---
---
Her body reacted before her thoughtsâ
---
Dodging oneâ
Blocking anotherâ
Twistingâ
Strikingâ
---
---
Her blade clashed with multiple attacksâ
---
Each impact heavier than the last.
---
---
"âŠYou're testing me," she said.
---
---
"Yes."
---
---
"And if I fail?"
---
---
A pause.
---
---
"Then I'll seal you again."
---
---
Her eyes darkened.
---
---
"âŠTry."
---
---
Something snapped.
---
---
Not outsideâ
---
Inside her.
---
---
The pressure around her surgedâ
---
Violent.
---
Uncontrolled.
---
---
The floor beneath her shattered completely.
---
---
And thenâ
---
She stopped holding back.
---
---
Completely.
---
---
The air exploded outwardâ
---
A wave of pure force tearing through the hallâ
---
Shattering columnsâ
---
Breaking wallsâ
---
Destroying everything in its pathâ
---
---
Except him.
---
---
He stood untouched.
---
---
Watching.
---
---
"âŠBetter."
---
---
But Rosyâ
---
Was already moving.
---
---
She vanished.
---
---
Not fastâ
---
Gone.
---
---
And reappearedâ
---
Right in front of him.
---
---
Her bladeâ
---
Already mid-swing.
---
---
This timeâ
---
He didn't block.
---
---
He stepped into it.
---
---
The blade passed throughâ
---
But not cleanly.
---
---
Space bent around himâ
---
Twisting the strikeâ
---
Redirecting itâ
---
---
Her attack landedâ
---
On nothing.
---
---
"âŠYou're still thinking like a warrior," he said.
---
---
"And you're still talking too much," she snapped.
---
---
She shiftedâ
---
Changed her stanceâ
---
And thenâ
---
Her hand lifted.
---
---
Not her sword.
---
---
Her hand.
---
---
The air around it distortedâ
---
Darkâ
---
Heavyâ
---
---
And thenâ
---
She pushed forward.
---
---
The space itself cracked.
---
---
Not physicallyâ
---
Conceptually.
---
---
A pressureâ
---
Unnaturalâ
---
Crushingâ
---
---
Even heâ
---
Paused.
---
---
"âŠNow thisâŠ"
---
---
His eyes sharpened.
---
---
"âŠis new."
---
---
The force slammed into himâ
---
Forcing him backâ
---
Not farâ
---
But enough.
---
---
The first step he had takenâ
---
Backwards.
---
---
Silence.
---
---
Rosy stood still.
---
Her hand still raised.
---
Her breathing steadyâ
---
But her eyesâ
---
Burning.
---
---
"âŠYou can't control this," she said.
---
---
He straightened slowly.
---
---
"âŠNo."
---
---
A pause.
---
---
"But I can stop it."
---
---
The moment the words fellâ
---
The world shifted again.
---
---
Darkness spreadâ
---
Faster than beforeâ
---
Wrapping around everythingâ
---
---
Chains reappeared.
---
---
Stronger.
---
Heavier.
---
---
Trying to close again.
---
---
Rosy felt it instantly.
---
---
The pressureâ
---
The restrictionâ
---
---
"âŠNo."
---
---
Her voice dropped.
---
Lower.
---
---
Colder.
---
---
"I'm not going back."
---
---
The chains tightenedâ
---
Trying to pullâ
---
To suppressâ
---
---
But this timeâ
---
She resisted.
---
---
Fully.
---
---
Her power surged againâ
---
Clashing against the sealâ
---
---
Cracks spread through the chainsâ
---
---
"âŠYou're forcing it," he said quietly.
---
---
"Yes."
---
---
Another crack.
---
---
"And if you lose control?"
---
---
She didn't hesitate.
---
---
"I won't."
---
---
The chains shattered againâ
---
More this timeâ
---
Louderâ
---
---
The force exploded outwardâ
---
Breaking the hall furtherâ
---
---
And in that momentâ
---
Something else appeared.
---
---
Between them.
---
---
A presenceâ
---
Familiar.
---
---
"âŠYou're both being dramatic."
---
---
Silence.
---
---
Rosy froze.
---
---
Her father's gaze shifted.
---
---
And standing thereâ
---
Between themâ
---
Was him.
---
---
The man who had been watching all along.
---
---
"âŠYou chose the worst possible time," her father said calmly.
---
---
A faint smile.
---
---
"I disagree."
---
---
His eyes movedâ
---
From fatherâ
---
To daughter.
---
---
"âŠI think it's perfect."
---
---
Rosy's breath slowed.
---
---
"âŠWho are you?"
---
---
He smiled.
---
---
This timeâ
---
Not teasing.
---
Not playful.
---
---
Dangerous.
---
---
"âŠYou really don't remember."
---
---
A pause.
---
---
"âŠThat's disappointing."
---
---
The air shifted againâ
---
But this timeâ
---
Not from her.
---
Not from her father.
---
---
From him.
---
---
And it wasâ
---
Different.
---
---
Older.
---
---
"âŠThen let me remind you," he said softly.
---
---
The moment his voice droppedâ
---
Rosy's vision flickered.
---
---
A flashâ
---
Fireâ
---
Darknessâ
---
Andâ
---
Him.
---
---
Standing beside her.
---
---
Not as a stranger.
---
---
But as something else.
---
---
Something far more dangerous.
---
---
Her breath hitched.
---
---
"âŠYouâŠ"
---
---
The memory almost surfacedâ
---
Almost.
---
---
But not fully.
---
---
He stepped closer.
---
---
"âŠYes."
---
---
A faint smile.
---
---
"Me."
---
---
Silence.
---
---
And suddenlyâ
---
The fightâ
---
Was no longer just between two.
---
---
It had become something else.
---
---
Something far more dangerous.
---
---
End of Chapter 16