Egril Hollow – The Obsidian Forest Edge
A suffocating silence hung over the obsidian trees, their glassy black bark reflecting shards of moonlight like fractured mirrors. The air tasted metallic—thick with ancient power and forgotten sorrow.
Y/N stood at the forest's edge, eyes narrowed, heart pounding with the weight of the last battle still fresh on his skin. Beside him, Diana adjusted her stance, daggers gleaming faintly as she scanned the dark woods.
Masumi exhaled a slow breath, sparks flickering softly from his fists.
Masumi: "Feels wrong here. Like the forest's watching… waiting."
Erza tightened her grip on her sword, her armor reflecting the cold moonlight.
Erza: "Stay alert. The Broken Circle won't be waiting for us to rest."
Gray conjured a thin veil of frost around them.
Gray: "The last thing we want is to walk into a trap."
Y/N's gaze drifted deeper into the forest, where the shadows seemed to twist and pulse. Somewhere beyond those black trunks lay the Bastion—the heart of the Circle's power, and their next battle.
Y/N (whispering): "This ends here. One way or another."
The forest answered with a whisper of wind—and a crackling surge of magic.
⸻
Deeper into the Forest
They moved cautiously, every footfall muted by the unnatural stillness. The obsidian trees loomed like silent sentinels, their branches brittle but strangely sharp, almost like shards themselves.
Diana paused suddenly, holding up a hand.
Diana: "Runes. Embedded in the bark."
She pointed to faint, glowing lines tracing ancient sigils across the trees' surfaces—barriers, wards, traps.
Erza studied them.
Erza: "Protective magic. But twisted. The Broken Circle is reinforcing the forest itself."
Masumi stepped forward, sparks bursting from his fists as he shattered a rune with a punch. The forest seemed to recoil, leaves shuddering though no breeze stirred.
Gray cursed softly.
Gray: "They're draining the life here. This place is dying—fast."
Y/N crouched beside a fallen branch, his hand brushing over faint scorch marks that glowed green.
Y/N: "This is their path. They've been bringing something through here… something dangerous."
Suddenly, a low hum vibrated through the ground. The group tensed.
Diana's eyes flicked to the shadows.
Diana: "Movement."
Five figures stepped out from the darkness—cloaked and hooded, faces hidden beneath twisted masks of bone and vine. The Broken Circle.
The cultists advanced slowly, weapons crackling with green flame.
Masumi cracked his knuckles.
Masumi: "Ready yourselves!"
⸻
Battle in the Shadows
The fight erupted like wildfire.
Y/N's flames roared, striking cultists before they could close the distance, green fire lashing out in deadly arcs. Diana darted between opponents, blades flashing like lightning, cutting through dark robes and enchanted armor.
Erza summoned swords from thin air, spinning them in a deadly dance, while Gray froze enemies solid with precision ice shards.
But the cultists fought with desperation—and the forest seemed to aid them. Vines whipped out like serpents, shadows stretched and tangled, trying to ensnare the team.
Y/N growled, feeling the pulse of the shards in his pocket burn hotter. His Dragon Slayer instincts screamed.
From the midst of the fray, one cultist stepped forward—a tall figure cloaked in black and gold, the Cultist Leader himself.
His eyes burned with cold fire.
Cultist Leader: "You cannot stop the awakening. The Bastion calls for its master. The Verdant Flame will rise."
Y/N met his gaze, green fire flaring in his own eyes.
Y/N: "Not if I have anything to say about it."
With a battle cry, Y/N surged forward, flames clashing against the Cultist Leader's dark magic.
The forest trembled.
⸻
The Heart of the Bastion
After the cultists fell, the group pressed forward, exhaustion heavy but their resolve unbroken. Deeper and deeper into the obsidian forest, until the trees thinned and the ground opened onto a massive crater—the Bastion itself.
In its center, a monolithic altar pulsed with corrupted green light. Around it, four towering shards floated in a perfect circle, chains of magic connecting them to the altar's core.
Y/N stepped forward, fists burning.
Y/N: "This is it. The last Seal."
Suddenly, a voice echoed—cold, ancient, and full of malice.
Voice: "So close… Flameborn."
The Cultist Leader reappeared on the altar, flanked by several robed figures chanting in a forgotten tongue. The air thickened, the magic of the Bastion awakening.
Erza readied her sword.
Erza: "Stop them now—or lose everything."
Y/N's flames surged to a roaring inferno.
Y/N: "Let's finish this."