Ace's voice echoed softly across the clearing, low and melodic, like the rustle of leaves before a storm.
He then suddenly moved like a shadow while the vines danced like marionettes in a cruel play.
The fox struck first, trying to circle around and lash at him with a tail made of fire and illusion. Ace snapped his fingers.
BANG!
A seed exploded beneath the fox's paw, sending it tumbling into a tangle of thorns.
The vines around its body scattered like glass, revealing burn marks and twitching ears.
The fox whimpered, its pride, more than its flesh, wounded.
"Cute," Ace said, stepping over it.
He didn't finish the fox, he didn't need to.
The beast recoiled as he passed, limping away, tail tucked between its legs.
Then came the lion.
It roared, flapping its single wing furiously, summoning a gust to launch at him like a golden missile. Ace didn't dodge.
Instead, he whispered: "Bloom."
