Perfect 👑
Now we deliver Episode 28 = First real battle outside the empire + controlled use of her new power
This is where readers think: "She's not the same anymore."
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Episode 28 — Hunters Learn to Fear
The wind moved first.
Sharp.
Warning.
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Aria didn't wait.
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She stepped forward.
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The air tightened instantly.
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Not explosive.
Not chaotic.
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Controlled.
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The hunters noticed.
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Their leader smiled slightly.
"…Interesting."
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Selene leaned casually to the side.
"Don't die too fast. I'm just starting to enjoy this."
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One of them moved.
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Fast.
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Too fast for a normal soldier.
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A blade flashed toward Aria—
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And stopped.
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Mid-air.
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The pressure caught it.
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The hunter's expression changed slightly.
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"…Not bad."
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Aria's eyes didn't move.
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"Your turn is over."
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The air pushed forward.
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Not a blast—
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A force.
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The hunter was thrown back instantly.
Sliding across the ground.
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The others reacted immediately.
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No hesitation.
No fear.
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Good.
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That made them dangerous.
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Two moved at once.
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One from the left.
One from behind.
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Selene didn't interfere.
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She watched.
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Because this mattered.
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Aria didn't turn.
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She didn't need to.
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The wind shifted behind her—
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And the shadows followed.
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The ground beneath the second attacker darkened—
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Then snapped upward.
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His movement broke mid-step.
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Balance gone.
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Aria turned slightly.
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Just enough.
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The air bent again.
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And both attackers were thrown back.
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Hard.
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Selene let out a low whistle.
"…Okay, that's new."
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The leader didn't move.
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He watched.
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Carefully.
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"Combination control," he murmured.
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Aria stepped forward again.
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Each step steady.
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Measured.
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"You're not from the empire," she said.
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"No."
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"Then why are you here?"
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The leader smiled faintly.
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"Same reason everyone else will be soon."
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That wasn't a good answer.
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The wind sharpened.
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Aria's patience thinned.
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"Say it clearly."
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The hunter's eyes gleamed slightly.
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"You're worth a lot."
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Silence.
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Selene blinked.
"…Oh."
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Aria's expression didn't change.
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But something inside her did.
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"They put a price on me."
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"Yes."
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"How much?"
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The hunter smiled wider.
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"Enough for people like us to come from very far away."
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The shadows deepened slightly.
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Not unstable.
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Focused.
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Selene crossed her arms.
"Great. Now we have bounty hunters."
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Kael wasn't here.
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The empire wasn't here.
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Only this.
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Aria exhaled slowly.
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"Then you should leave."
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The hunter laughed softly.
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"That's not how this works."
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All five moved at once.
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Faster.
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More coordinated.
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This time—
Serious.
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Aria didn't retreat.
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She stepped forward.
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The air compressed sharply.
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Stronger than before.
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Denser.
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The ground cracked beneath her feet.
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Selene's eyes narrowed.
"…She's pushing it."
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The hunters attacked from all sides.
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Blades.
Movement.
Speed.
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Aria raised her hand—
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And stopped everything.
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Not completely.
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But enough.
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The air locked their movements for half a second.
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That was all she needed.
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She moved.
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Not fast—
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Precise.
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One step.
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A shift of pressure—
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Two hunters dropped instantly.
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The shadows surged—
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Not wild.
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Directed.
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Wrapping around another attacker's legs—
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Pulling him down.
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Selene smiled slightly.
"…She's learning fast."
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The leader moved.
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Finally.
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Faster than the others.
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Stronger.
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His blade cut through the pressure field—
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Breaking it.
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Aria's eyes sharpened.
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That was new.
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He reached her.
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Close.
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Too close.
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Their attacks met—
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Air against steel.
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Force against force.
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For a moment—
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They were equal.
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Then—
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Something shifted.
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Aria didn't push harder.
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She changed.
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The pressure dropped—
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Suddenly.
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The hunter moved forward—
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Expecting resistance—
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And found none.
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That was the mistake.
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The shadow surged upward—
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From below.
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Fast.
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Silent.
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Wrapping around his arm—
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Locking it in place.
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His eyes widened.
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"…What—"
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Too late.
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The air returned—
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Stronger.
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Focused.
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Impact.
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He was thrown back.
Harder than the others.
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Silence followed.
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The remaining hunters didn't move.
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Because now—
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They understood.
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This wasn't a target.
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This was something else.
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The leader pushed himself up slowly.
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Breathing heavier now.
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His smile was gone.
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"…We'll come back."
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Aria didn't respond.
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"Next time," he added quietly,
"There will be more of us."
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Selene waved casually.
"Bring friends."
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The hunters retreated.
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Fast.
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Gone within seconds.
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Silence returned.
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Real silence.
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Aria stood still.
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Her breathing steady.
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Her control—
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Holding.
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Selene walked up beside her.
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"…Okay."
A pause.
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"That was impressive."
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Aria looked at her hand.
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Then at her shadow.
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Both still.
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Both listening.
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"I'm getting better."
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Selene smirked.
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"That's one way to say it."
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A pause.
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"You scared them."
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Aria looked ahead.
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Toward the road.
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Toward what was coming next.
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"They should be scared."
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The wind moved again.
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Calm.
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Controlled.
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But stronger than before.
Because this time—
Aria wasn't the one being hunted anymore…
She was the reason hunters would start thinking twice.