The snow had started to fall again. Soft white flakes fluttered from the dark sky, quietly settling over the scorched ground. The air still crackled faintly from the lingering energy of the fight. The wind carried the bitter scent of ash and blood.
Kael stood over Mira's headless body, his sword still gleaming red from the clean, decisive kill. Her blood pooled beneath her, soaking into the snow, dyeing it a deep, sinister crimson. The silence after the execution was suffocating, broken only by the sound of Kael's heavy breathing.
His face was blank at first, his chest rising and falling steadily. Then slowly, that expressionless mask cracked, twisting into a crooked, eerie grin.
"Tch... finally quiet," he muttered, spitting to the side. He turned his gaze toward the destruction around them—burned trees, ruptured ground, and scorched craters from Mira's relentless magic. The land had been torn apart by their battle.
He looked at his hand, flexing his fingers. The Stone of Eternity still glowed faintly, and his body remained unscathed. Not even the searing flames or violent explosions had left a mark. Mira had pushed herself to the brink, unleashing torrents of fire, molten spikes, and chaotic hellfire spells, but it had all been for nothing.
Kael stopped using the Stone of Eternity. As soon as he did, the glow faded and the stone turned dull, losing all its color and becoming ashen. A hint of doubt crossed his face.
"Did it lose its power?" he muttered. The God of Time could use it again and again, but maybe it wasn't the same for him.
"So each thing can be used once…" he sighed.
A bitter look flashed in his eyes. He was a little upset. Mira wasn't even strong enough to deserve using such a move, but he had wanted to try it once.
"Whatever… choices have consequences, so does gambling," he said softly. "Who knows… maybe my guess is wrong."
Kael looked at Mira's headless body. He grabbed the head and said loudly, "Devour!"
A powerful surge rushed into his body. He hadn't eaten a good soul in a while, and now it was time to feast. His eyes glowed as the corpse started breaking apart. He let the remains go and opened his panel, which he hadn't checked in some time.
Pathway: Malefic Aberrant
Devour [B+], Swordsmanship [B+]
Lunatic of Veydrin, Cursed Devour
Swordsmanship B+, Hexbrand B+, Maledict Counter B+, Curse Resistance B+
Kael clicked his tongue in disappointment. "I thought I would reach A…"
He remembered that each rank had its own range. B- meant stats between 100–150, B was 150–200, and B+ was 200–250.
"Damn! I need more fuel…" he said, his voice cold.
Just then, Iris walked up from behind.
From the snow-covered slope, Iris descended.
She was followed by a group of Ice Elves, their pale hair and sharp ears distinct in the darkness. They moved in silence, but their eyes were wide with awe and disbelief.
"It's over?" Iris whispered, though her voice carried.
Kael met her gaze, then looked down at Mira's corpse. "Yeah. She won't be talking anymore."
She saw him holding his sword and asked, "You don't look pleased."
Kael turned his head slightly, glancing at Iris. His eyes still glowed faintly from the devouring process, a faint mist of dark energy curling around him like smoke from dying embers. The grin on his face had vanished, replaced by a bored, dissatisfied look.
"I was expecting more," Kael muttered, flicking blood from his blade. "She screamed a lot, burned bright, but it was all just fire with no real heat."
Iris stopped a few steps away, her eyes briefly falling on the blackened patch of earth where Mira's body had crumbled into nothing. The ground was scorched, split with cracks from the earlier blasts. Ash still drifted in the air like snow.
"You used some kind of secret,power" Iris said carefully, watching him. "Was it worth it?"
Kael looked at the now dim, gray husk of the stone in his hand. He tossed it into the air and caught it lazily.
"Who knows?" he said, voice low. "It worked. But it died." He stared at the stone for a moment longer before shrugging. "Maybe it was meant for gods. Not freaks like me."
Iris frowned slightly. "You knew it might be a one-time thing?"
Kael gave a crooked smile. "I did. I just wanted to see what would happen."
He slipped the dead stone into his coat pocket and turned away from the battlefield. All around them, the ground was ruined. Trees had been flattened by shockwaves. Craters lined the Earth like open wounds. The sky still shimmered with leftover magic, warped and bruised by Mira's last desperate attack.
"She gave up her life force," Iris said. "I could feel it burning off her body. She pushed herself until nothing was left."
Kael's footsteps crunched over blackened dirt. "And it still wasn't enough," he replied flatly.
Iris walked beside him now. "You said you needed more fuel. Are you planning something?"
Kael's lips twisted into a cold grin. "Hmm! I need to reach A-rank fast. The real monsters haven't even shown up yet."
They both stood there, facing the wind that carried ash and dust through the air. The silence was only
Kael turned to walk away, but he stopped after just a few steps. Something felt wrong. Not with him, but with the atmosphere.
He slowly turned his head. A cold presence lingered in the distance.
One of the elves stepped forward and stopped beside Iris. "That was... an A-rank mage. I thought she would kill him for sure."
"She tried," Iris replied, her tone somber. "But something about him... he was like a monster. Even as she went mad, throwing everything she had, he didn't even flinch."
The Ice Elves stared at Kael as he sheathed his sword with a heavy clink.
Kael noticed their gaze and muttered, "If you're going to look at me like that, at least offer some hot food while you're at it. I'm freezing my balls off."
Instead, Iris slowly approached, her steps cautious. She looked at the battlefield, at the craters and scorched marks, and finally at Mira's remains. The sight made her swallow hard.
"What was that glow earlier? Around your hand?" one of the Elves
asked as he walked away.
Kael didn't answer immediately. His eyes lifted toward the night sky.
The elves whispered among themselves.
Kael turned to Iris. "We should move. This place stinks of death. And I'm sure she wasn't the only one around."
Iris nodded. "I'll have scouts sweep the perimeter. If she had companions, we need to know."
Kael stepped past her, his coat brushing her shoulder. "They better be smarter than her, or they'll end up the same way."
As he walked through the ruined terrain, his boots crunched softly against the red-stained snow. He didn't look back.