Char's vision swam with the afterimage of Davin's burning hands, the golden light still sizzling in his retinas. Renna had recovered, already drawing her twin daggers, their obsidian edges gleaming in the fractured glow of the room.
Davin didn't wait.
He lunged, a beam of searing light bursting from his palm. Char barely twisted out of the way, feeling the heat scorch the air beside his cheek. A blast like a miniature sun detonated behind him, splintering more of the decrepit house, sending wooden shards skittering across the floor.
Renna was faster. She ducked low, dancing around the beams, then surged forward. Her dagger flashed in the dim light, aimed straight for Davin's ribs—
—But his skin glowed.
A sudden burst of radiance pulsed from his body, an instinctive shield of pure energy. The moment Renna's dagger touched his side, it met resistance, like striking a wall of solid light. She hissed in frustration, but before she could react, Davin twisted, throwing an elbow into her stomach.
Renna gasped, stumbling back.
Char saw his opening.
He shot forward, steel whispering from its sheath—his blade catching the golden glow of Davin's magic as he slashed down.
Davin met his strike with a palmful of light. The energy clashed against Char's sword, sparks flying as magic met metal. Char gritted his teeth against the pressure—Davin's raw power felt like pressing his blade against the sun itself.
"You knew we were coming," Char grunted, pushing against the light.
Davin grinned—a wicked, knowing grin.
"Of course I did."
He shoved Char back with an explosive pulse of golden force, sending him sliding across the floor. Char barely kept his footing.
Davin rolled his shoulders, the light in his palms dimming, but his smirk growing. "You think Rook is some helpless outcast just waiting to be used for information?" He laughed. "He told Ishmael about me. And then? He told methat Ishmael would tell you."
Char's stomach dropped.
A trap.
Davin saw his realization and chuckled, his fingers sparking with fresh golden flares. "I knew exactly when you'd come. And I was ready."
Renna wiped her lip with the back of her hand, then scoffed. "That bastard."
Davin didn't give them time to think.
With a snap, he unleashed another radiant wave.
It wasn't a blast this time—it was a flood of golden light, surging outward in a dome. The wooden walls ignited from the sheer heat, the glass in the windows shattering as the very air itself trembled with power.
Char barely managed to raise his sword in time before the wave engulfed them.
He grit his teeth as the magic slammed into him, pushing him back, forcing him to hold his ground as the golden fire burned through the ruined house—
And then—
Everything exploded.
The explosion tore through the walls, sending wooden beams and shattered glass flying into the misty streets outside. Char barely had time to grab Renna and throw himself through the gaping hole before the whole structure collapsedbehind them, sending up a plume of golden-tinged dust.
They landed hard on the cobblestone street, mist swirling around them. Char's ears rang. His muscles burned from the repeated shocks of Davin's magic. Gods, he was strong.
Renna groaned beside him, already pushing herself up, but Davin stepped through the smoldering wreckage unscathed.His boots crunched over embers as his golden aura pulsed around him, his expression one of pure control.
"You're out of your depth, kid," Davin sneered.
Char barely had time to parry when he attacked again.
A blinding streak of light shot toward him—too fast. He dodged left, but the beam still grazed his shoulder. The sheer heat of it felt like molten iron, scorching through his coat and singing his skin beneath.
Renna lunged.
She went low, blade flashing toward Davin's thigh—but he was faster.
A burst of golden force erupted from him, catching her mid-motion. The impact lifted her off her feet, sending her crashing into a stone wall. She slumped to the ground, unmoving.
"Renna!"
Char's stomach twisted, a cold feeling of ice rippling through him. Was Renna OK? It looked like she cut her head open as she had slammed into the concrete. He feared for her life.
Davin exhaled, his power still rippling. "One down." His voice was reverberating like he was some sort of god. And from how much his attacks hurt, Char wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't far off.
Char swallowed hard. He had to focus. Renna was out. It was just him now.
His hand tightened around his sword. Think.
Davin was relentless. His magic was overwhelming—but it had a limit. The way he fought, the way he burned through energy like a sun, meant he couldn't keep this up forever. It seemed like something that would be overwhelming for a short period of time, before that time limit ran out and all his power faltered.
Char just needed to outlast him.
Or…
A different approach.
Davin smirked and raised his hand for another attack, but Char took a slow, steady step back. He focused.
Beneath his ribs, just past his heart, he felt it—the ember of power still waiting, still burning.
And he called to it.
Flames flickered into existence before him—not normal flames. Blue. Ethereal. Alive.
A book formed in the air, its pages fluttering as if caught in an invisible wind. Each letter scrawled across the parchment burned like the words of fate itself.
Davin's smirk flickered. His confidence cracked.
"What… the hell is that?"
Char exhaled. The book flared brighter.
"Author's Note."
The fight had just begun.
*
The air crackled with energy as Char's Author's Note blazed brighter, its ethereal blue pages flickering with unwritten potential. His pulse thundered in his ears. This was it. No more playing defense. If it was just a one-on-one, with Renna out of the picture, he had nothing left to fall back on. He had to use everything he had.
Davin's golden aura pulsed as he prepared to strike again—but then a shadow leaped through the mist.
Elyan.
Her twin daggers flashed like fangs in the low light, her entire body a blur of movement. She was furious.
"You bastard!" she snarled, her voice raw with rage as she closed the distance between them.
Davin barely had time to pivot before she slammed into him with all the force of a storm, her blades biting into his golden barrier. Sparks erupted, but she didn't relent. She was ferocious, precise, relentless.
Char had seen Elyan fight before, but never like this.
She didn't hesitate. Didn't hold back. Every strike was a killing blow, every movement was pure, trained wrath.
She was fighting for Renna.
Davin staggered, forced onto the defensive for the first time. Char saw the opening.
His burning book flipped a page.
The skill ignited in him like wildfire—Crimson Armor. A rush of power poured into his limbs as red, jagged plating crystallized over his body, protecting him like an extension of his own will.
Davin barely had time to react before Char was on him.
He struck, his sword colliding with Davin's glowing defenses. The impact shattered the air, sending out a concussive wave that rattled the stones beneath their feet.
Elyan came from the other side, her blades singing through the mist. Davin ducked, but Char was already moving, predicting the dodge, adjusting.
The book's pages burned.
Char twisted his wrist mid-swing, his blade flashing in a red arc—Crystalline Manipulation.
A spear of pure crystal erupted from his palm mid-strike, extending his attack in an instant.
Davin gasped as the crystal spear pierced through his golden aura, slicing across his ribs.
He stumbled. His radiance flickered. Char hopes their combined saturation attack would work out. They kept it up, slashing and slashing, Davin cursing and blasting beams of scorching sunlight.
For the first time, fear crossed his face.
"Tch—!"
But he wasn't done yet.
A sudden explosion of light burst from his core, blinding.
Char shielded his eyes, but Elyan growled in frustration, thrown back from the sheer force of it.
Davin lunged. His fist, wreathed in sunlight, crashed into Char's chestplate. The impact sent him skidding back, his feet carving trenches into the stone.
Char coughed, tasting blood. His armor had held, but the force alone was enough to bruise.
Davin panted, gripping his wound, his face twisting with effort. He was tiring.
Char saw it. Elyan saw it.
And then—
A whistle.
A shadow leaped down from the rooftops.
Renna.
Her eyes were steely, her face pale but determined. Blood trailed from her forehead, but she moved with practiced ease.
Davin barely had time to turn before she landed behind him.
Her dagger found his back.
The blade plunged deep.
Davin gasped—a raw, choking sound. His entire body went rigid as his golden aura shattered like broken glass.
He collapsed to his knees.
Char, Elyan, and Renna stood over him, their breaths ragged, their bodies bruised and battered.
Davin's eyelids fluttered, his consciousness fading.
They had won.