The forest was unnaturally quiet.
Even the insects had gone still, as though the trees themselves were holding their breath. Moonlight filtered through a thick canopy of leaves, casting fractured silver patterns across the forest floor.
Raen Xirian moved silently through the underbrush, one hand resting on the hilt of his saber, Vorruk, which now hung heavier at his waist — not in weight, but in presence. Each kill had deepened its bloodlust. It no longer felt like a weapon, but a predator, one only barely restrained by Raen's will.
He paused atop a moss-covered rock, scanning the surroundings with narrowed eyes.
"We should've seen something by now," he muttered. "Too quiet."
Behind him, Eyla Veiryn, her aura carefully reined in, landed lightly on a nearby branch. Crimson-gold feathers shimmered briefly before dissolving into flame.
"They're here," she said calmly. "Watching."
From the base of a nearby tree, Sylva stood quietly, one hand pressed to the bark. Frost coiled along her fingertips.
"Eight auras," she whispered. "Spread in a circle. Moving as one."
Raen's eyes sharpened.
---
Cultivation Levels
Raen Xirian: Peak Soul Tempering Realm – 9th Vein Layer
Eyla Veiryn: Unknown – Phoenix Bloodline Awakening Phase
Sylva: Soul Remnant State – Incomplete Core
Skyborne Operatives: Mid to Late Foundation Condensation Realm
Raen's jaw clenched. Their base strength alone outmatched him. Only Eyla's presence and Sylva's spiritual domain gave them a fighting chance.
"They're Foundation Realm," he whispered. "At least six of them are stronger than me."
"Which makes this a bad match-up," Eyla said with a small smile. "Or a great opportunity."
"To die?" Raen grunted.
"To grow," she replied simply.
---
Moments Before the Battle
Raen knelt and pressed his hand to the ground. The cauldron within stirred, resonating with the soil soaked in spiritual tension.
He fed it three Blood Vein Recovery Pills, crushed and infused with his Soulbound Flame. In return, the cauldron released a single Pulse-Stone Vine Seed, flickering with faint red veins.
"You're planting now?" Eyla asked, raising a brow.
"No," Raen said. "I'm setting the table."
With a controlled breath, he planted the seed in the earth beneath a dead tree, then poured a few drops of beast blood over it. Within seconds, the ground quivered. Roots stretched out unseen.
"Let them step there."
He stood slowly. Vorruk began to whisper — not in words, but in a language of slaughter Raen now instinctively understood. Each breath prepared the blade.
Eyla stretched, her bones cracking. "I'll take the left three. You handle the baited ones. Frost girl watches the rear."
Sylva nodded once, eyes glowing with silver mist.
---
The Skyborne Strike
A silent whistle.
Then movement — rapid, silent, efficient.
From the shadows leapt eight figures clad in dusk-grey robes, each marked by the Saint Sigil of Skyborne, shaped like a pair of divine wings wrapped in chains.
They didn't announce themselves.
They attacked.
Raen spun, slashing low as two assassins darted from the left. Vorruk screamed as it met steel — then sliced through it. The saber devoured the first attacker's sword, then his chest, with terrifying ease.
The man staggered, coughing blood. His eyes widened as his life force was ripped into Vorruk's edge.
"Soul Tempering Realm? Impossible…"
Raen didn't answer. He was already moving.
Another assassin stabbed from behind, a hooked dagger laced with shadow poison. Raen twisted, letting the blade graze his shoulder — pain flared — but he dropped low and swept his saber across the enemy's legs.
CLANG!
Too late. The assassin's body struck the trap node — the Pulse-Stone Vine activated.
Thorns exploded upward, impaling him in four places. He shrieked before being pulled underground by coiling roots, his body disappearing into the earth with a sickening crunch.
---
Sylva's Domain
At the back of the formation, one Skyborne assassin reached Sylva — the weakest link.
She looked up.
"You shouldn't have come close."
Her eyes flashed silver.
The assassin's limbs froze in place — not from physical frost, but from soul-stopping cold. He gasped, unable to move, his breath frosting mid-air.
Sylva stepped forward and tapped his chest.
Tink.
The man's body shattered into crystal shards, then dissolved into nothing.
---
Raen vs the Commander
Only two enemies remained.
One of them stood apart from the others, cloaked in silence, his face hidden beneath a bone-white mask.
Raen locked eyes with him.
"You're not Foundation Realm," he said quietly. "You're higher."
The masked man didn't speak. He simply unsheathed a black saber and vanished.
Raen's eyes widened. He raised Vorruk, catching the blow just in time.
CLAAAAANG!
The impact threw him back thirty steps, his boots carving trenches into the earth. His arm trembled from the force.
"Too fast," he whispered. "Too strong."
The masked commander didn't pursue. He waited, blade low.
Eyla landed beside Raen, expression serious.
"He's no scout. He's Saint-trained. Don't engage alone."
Raen panted. "He's not attacking."
"He's measuring you," Eyla said. "Analyzing your saber. Your core. He's not here to kill you… not yet."
The masked man turned and vanished into the trees.
---
Aftermath
The battle ended in silence.
Six Skyborne assassins were dead. Two had escaped — one heavily injured, one unfathomably strong.
Raen slumped against a tree, bleeding from three shallow wounds. Eyla stood guard beside him. Sylva floated nearby, radiating cold mist.
"He'll be back," Raen said between breaths.
"Yes," Eyla replied. "With more. And stronger."
Sylva's voice was soft. "They want what's inside you."
Raen looked at her.
"Then they'll have to dig it out of my corpse."
He looked down at Vorruk, which pulsed softly in response. The blade's surface shimmered — dark, yet alive. It had drunk deeply tonight.
---
[Cauldron Update]
Enemy Blood Essence Collected: 6
Vorruk Growth Stage: 2.1 – Sated
New Ability: Blood Pulse Slash – Stores kinetic energy from last kill, released in next strike
Soul Garden Update: Pulse-Stone Vines matured
Cultivation Progress: Approaching Minor Breakthrough to Core Incubation Realm
Raen closed his eyes, letting the cauldron's warmth soak through his marrow.
"I'm not strong enough yet," he murmured. "But I will be."