Red rain poured violently, soaking the blood-stained headstones of a graveyard forgotten by time.
A skeletal fist whipped past Rei's jaw. He dropped low, palms slamming into the mud as mud clung to his fingers. Flames burst from his legs, and his boots collided with the skeleton's chest. Bone cracked and caught fire, but the rain smothered the flames instantly.
The skeleton vanished into the ground as if it were a ghost, phasing into the earth. Rei barely had time to react before a bony hand shot up from the earth, wrapping tight around his boot.
"Shit!" he muttered as flames surged down his leg, reducing the hand to ash.
He jumped back, landing in a crouch, breathing heavily. The graveyard had fallen silent.
"Where is it?" he whispered.
He leapt himself onto a headstone just as a hand ripped through the soil below, clawing its way upward. The skeleton pulled itself free with unnatural speed.
Rei blinked twice and the skeleton was already in front of him.
He raised his arms and blocked a punch, but the skeleton feinted. It dipped low and drove its knee into Rei's stomach. The impact forced the breath from his lungs and bent him forward.
Gritting his teeth, Rei twisted to the side as the skeleton followed up with a sweeping elbow. He ducked under it, caught the creature's arm, and twisted hard. The joint cracked, but the skeleton didn't react.
It countered immediately with a barrage of jabs. Fists snapped through the air, and Rei dodged with narrow slips. He stepped in, twisted his hips, and drove a flaming uppercut into the skeleton's jaw. Bone splintered and fragments flew across the wet stone.
The rain hissed against the heat of his aura-infused fists. Mud splashed beneath their feet as they circled each other.
The skeleton lunged, its bony arm snapping forward with a jab aimed at Rei's jaw.
Rei sprang back, flipping midair as the strike missed by inches. As he landed, the skeleton raised its scorched arm. The ground trembled. From a nearby grave, a loose femur clawed its way through the mud and snapped onto the skeleton's arm, fusing into place. Creating another hand from another bone.
Rei's eyes widened. He retreated further, boots sloshing through thick mud.
'It can reattach itself? The bastard doesn't even have aura, and it can still do this?'
He barely finished the thought before the skeleton vanished into the soil. Rei's aura flared, a deep azure glow wrapping around his frame. He closed his eyes and listened. A twig cracked.
He spun and threw a punch toward the sound, but all he struck was a withered hand hanging from a tree. Its bony fingers clutched a bundle of twigs. His gut twisted.
Flames erupted around him. He leapt back just as a hand burst from the mud below, instantly caught in the fire before turning to ash. The rain hissed, washing away the flame.
A leg shot out next. The skeleton dragged itself from a fresh grave, empty sockets locking onto Rei.
It raised its arms. All around them, headstones shuddered. Dozens of bones tore free from the ground, floating in the crimson rain before spiraling toward the skeleton. They twisted midair, interlocking, and forged a massive greatsword entirely from bone. The blade towered over the creature, wide and serrated along its edge.
It shouldn't have been possible. That thing was all bone. No flesh, no weight, and should have no real strength but it hefted the weapon like a dagger.
Rei blinked. "Oh, what the fuck is this?" He glanced left, spotted his katana, and launched himself toward it. He landed hard in the mud, the back of his tunic soaked as his hand gripped the hilt. The skeleton moved fast. Within two seconds, it was there, swinging the massive blade down with brutal force as quick as if wielding a dagger.
Rei rolled, ignited his blade, and raised it to meet the strike. Sparks flew. Fire met bone. But the bones didn't burn this time. One near the hilt shimmered red.
He kicked up with both legs, smashing his boot into the skeleton's knee. The leg burst into flame and crumbled to ash, causing the creature to collapse into the mud.
Rei pushed to his feet, chest heaving. He drove his katana downward, aiming for the heart of its ribcage.
Just before impact, several sharp bones burst from the ground, wrapping around his blade and yanking it down into the mud, jamming it tight.
Rei's eyes shot up. Another bone shot into the skeleton's torso, fusing where the leg had been. It began to rise again. He tore back just as the greatsword came crashing down. Mud exploded from the impact, worms and roots flung into the air.
The skeleton dropped the sword. Its arms shifted as the bones from the greatsword collapsed and reformed around its fists. Massive gauntlets now covered its hands.
Without a sound beyond the squelch of skeletal feet pressing into the mud, it charged forward, fists swinging.
Rei ducked low, slid across the slick ground, and rolled behind a headstone just as a punch shattered it in half. He circled wide, boots sinking with each step, flames flickering along his shoulders. He raised his hands, swallowing hard as his eyes locked on the creature.
The skeleton stared back, then mirrored Rei's stance. It raised its fists beneath the bone-forged gauntlets. The two stood still, several paces apart, eyes locked, waiting for the first move.
Rei swallowed hard, locking eyes with the skeleton. His gaze flicked briefly toward his katana, still stuck in the mud a few steps to the left of the creature. The moment he looked away, the skeleton lunged, closing the distance without hesitation.
It rushed in, fists swinging. Rei sidestepped to the left, avoiding the strike by a single inch, and drove an elbow into the side of the skeleton's neck. Flames erupted from the impact, and part of the neck crumbled to ash. The creature staggered but didn't fall.
Rei blocked a retaliating swing with his forearm, the impact jarring through his bones. He gritted his teeth from the pain he felt in that one action but retaliated with a low kick to the knee joint, breaking the limb inward. As the skeleton collapsed to one side, Rei twisted into a spinning heel kick, slamming it across the skull. Bone fragments scattered into the mud.
Not wanting to drag the fight out, Rei stepped forward and stomped down onto the center of the skeleton's chest. Flames burst from his boot, surging across the skeleton's body. The rain hissed and sizzled against the blaze, steam curling up around them.
Despite the rain's efforts, Rei kept igniting his leg, pushing more aura through it. His chest tightened from the strain. Gritting his teeth, he groaned and forced the energy out, refusing to stop. The flames roared to life, engulfing the skeleton until its entire frame lit up, the bones crackling and falling apart.
He finally pulled his foot free and stumbled back. His breath came in sharp gasps as he walked to his katana while limping. He dropped to one knee and grabbed the hilt, yanking. It didn't budge.
Once. Twice. On the third pull, the blade came free with a wet snap from the mud.
"W-what... the hell is up with this cursed place!" Rei shouted, coughing up blood. He lifted his tunic and winced. A massive bruise stretched across his abdomen, marking the spot where the skeleton had kneed him.
He let the tunic fall, eyes drifting back to the burned bones still smoldering in the mud. With a final glare, he turned and began to limp deeper into Grave's Valley, rain pouring around him as fog began to roll in. Rain poured harder, thunder booming in the distance while Rei disappeared into the mist.
...
Over an hour had passed, and Rei Alvor now stood before a looming structure of rusted steel. The entrance was framed by the remnants of a sepulchral gate, its twisted iron bars cracked and bent like skeletal fingers reaching skyward. Behind it loomed two massive iron doors, each tarnished with age, their surfaces blotched with something that looked almost like dried blood. A wide plank of darkened steel stretched across the doors like a sealing brand, bolted in with thick, corroded rivets.
Rei narrowed his eyes. With a faint surge of aura, his vision sharpened.
Etched across the steel plank was a long, flowing symbol, winding from one end to the other like a serpent consuming itself. The lines shimmered faintly, moving in slow, undetectable shifts. The design seemed to fold into itself in recursive waves, pulling the gaze deeper the longer one stared. Embedded within were tiny crimson petals. Fine, spidery carvings twisted around the petals like veins or thorns, encasing them in a design that almost breathed with intent.
Rei stepped forward, passing beneath the broken gate.