The creature moved first.
It vanished.
Not into the shadows—
but through them.
A blur of motion tore across the ground, cracking dirt beneath its weight. The air itself seemed to split as it lunged straight for Sora.
"Left—!"
Johan's voice cut through the night.
Sora didn't think.
He moved.
His body twisted mid-step, barely avoiding the creature's claw as it tore past him, shredding the remains of a wooden post behind him.
"…Fast," Sora muttered, sliding across the dirt.
Johan raised his hand—
Aether surged outward.
Not wild.
Not explosive.
But precise.
A controlled pulse struck the creature's side—
BOOM.
It didn't send it flying.
But it slowed it.
Just enough.
Sora exhaled slowly.
His grip tightened on the wooden blade.
"…Guess I can't hold back forever."
Johan glanced at him.
"…What are you—"
Sora didn't answer.
Instead—
he lowered his stance.
Closed his eyes for a brief second.
And for the first time—
he reached for it.
It wasn't smooth.
It wasn't controlled.
It wasn't elegant.
It was there.
Burning.
Wild.
Unstable.
A faint heat spread from his arm.
Then—
his sword.
FWOOSH.
Flames flickered to life.
Unsteady.
Flaring and shrinking at the same time.
But real.
Johan's eyes widened slightly.
"…So you can use it."
Sora smirked.
"…Barely."
The fire wrapped around the blade unevenly, sparks flying off with every movement. It wasn't controlled like Johan's aether—
it was raw.
Unrefined.
Dangerous.
The creature turned.
Its glowing eyes locked onto Sora.
This time—
not just as prey.
But as a threat.
"…Good," Sora muttered.
"…Come here."
It lunged.
Faster than before.
Sora stepped forward—
not back.
Their movements collided.
CLANG—
But this time—
it didn't stop there.
CRACK.
Flames burst on impact.
The creature's armor—
blackened.
Burned.
It recoiled violently.
Letting out a distorted roar.
Sora grinned.
"…There it is."
Johan moved immediately.
"…The heat is weakening its defense."
He raised his hand—
Aether flowed.
Precise.
Controlled.
The ground beneath the creature shifted—
its footing destabilized.
Sora dashed in again.
Fire trailing behind his blade.
Unstable—
but stronger.
"…Don't waste it," Johan said.
Sora swung—
but this time—
not wildly.
He adjusted.
Mid-strike.
Remembering.
Learning.
The blade struck the same cracked point—
SHATTER.
A larger fracture spread across the creature's armor.
The flames dug deeper.
Burning through the hardened surface.
The creature snapped back—
its movements becoming erratic.
Faster.
More violent.
"…It's panicking," Sora said.
Johan nodded.
"…Then we finish it."
The creature vanished again—
Reappearing behind them.
Too fast.
Sora turned—
just in time.
Their eyes met.
Man.
And beast.
The creature lunged.
Sora stepped in.
Fire flared.
Brighter.
Hotter.
Unstable—
but determined.
"…Let's end this."
Johan moved at the same time.
Not ahead.
Not behind.
Beside him.
Aether gathered—
not as a blast—
but as pressure.
Guiding.
Restricting.
The creature's movement—
slowed.
Just enough.
Sora swung.
Flames erupted.
CRASH.
The blade cut through the weakened armor—
shattering it completely.
Fire burst through the fracture—
spreading across the creature's body.
It froze.
A distorted roar escaped—
then—
silence.
The massive body collapsed.
Heavy.
Still.
The flames faded slowly from Sora's blade.
Flickering.
Unsteady.
Then gone.
Sora exhaled.
"…Tch… still hard to control."
Johan lowered his hand.
The aether around him disappeared.
"…But effective."
Sora smirked.
"…Don't get used to it."
Johan almost smiled.
"…Likewise."
Behind them—
doors began to open.
Slowly.
The villagers stepped out.
Careful.
Uncertain.
Then—
relief.
"…It's gone…"
"…They defeated it…"
"…We're safe…"
Sora rested his sword on his shoulder.
"…That was fun."
Johan didn't respond immediately.
His eyes were fixed on the creature's remains.
Burn marks.
Fractured armor.
Something unnatural.
"…This wasn't normal," Johan said quietly.
Sora glanced at him.
"…Yeah."
He looked at the corpse.
Then at his own hand.
"…That thing wasn't just strong."
A pause.
"…It felt wrong."
Johan nodded.
"…Because it was made."
Silence fell once more.
But this time—
it wasn't calm.
Because somewhere—
beyond the forest—
someone had created that creature.
And Sora's flames—
for the first time—
had answered something beyond instinct.
Not control.
Not yet.
But something far more dangerous.
Power.