Fall IV

I had to stop him. I had to fight back.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stay still, ignoring the searing pain radiating from the burn in my stomach. Drake's arrogance was blinding him, making him think I was already finished. I just needed to wait for the right moment.

'Just a little closer,' I thought, my eyes narrowing. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, but I clenched my fists, steadying my breath, and kept my focus. The flickering light of Lucent Harmony inside me began to stabilize, ready to activate when the time was right.

Drake's sneer deepened as he turned his attention away from me, moving toward Seraphina. His steps were slow, deliberate, like he was savoring his victory. He licked his lips, reaching out to touch her, his fingers sparking with purple lightning.

"You're next, princess," he muttered under his breath, reaching closer and closer.

Seraphina's eyes widened, her body tensing as Drake closed in. Cecilia and Rachel were trying to break free from Luke, but his black mana kept them restrained. Seraphina's gaze flicked to me, her breath caught in her throat. She was powerless right now.

But I wasn't.

The moment his hand inched closer to Seraphina, I moved.

'Now!'

With everything I had left, I called upon the full power of God Flash: Absolute. The world around me slowed to a crawl as Lucent Harmony surged through my veins, amplifying my mana to its peak. My sword hummed with power as I disappeared in a blur of light.

Before Drake could even react, I reappeared behind him, my blade crackling with lightning, cutting through the air with unmatched speed.

The impact was instantaneous—or it should have been.

But Drake reacted faster than I'd anticipated.

"Haa," he sighed, his voice calm, almost disappointed. His blade crackled with purple lightning, meeting my God Flash head-on with his own attack.

The force of our clash reverberated through the air, and I grunted as I tried to push him back, my sword vibrating under the pressure. But it wasn't enough. Drake's strength overwhelmed mine, his lightning-infused strikes carrying a power that far surpassed my own.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to back down, but in that split second, I knew—he was over-powering me.

Thinking quickly, I manipulated gravity, shifting the weight of my body and sword just enough to deflect his strike. My blade sliced into his shoulder as I twisted away, narrowly dodging his retaliatory blow. The sharp crackle of lightning trailed behind me as I landed a few paces back, barely keeping my footing.

Drake winced but remained eerily composed, his eyes gleaming with malice. "You can't even hide your killing intent, Arthur," he clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. His purple lightning flared around him, taking control of the battle's tempo.

I could see it in his movements. He was gauging my every reaction, his strikes calculated, precise—far too experienced for someone his age. With each flick of his sword, his attacks grew faster, more aggressive.

I danced around his blows, using every ounce of mana I had left to dodge the purple lightning that seemed to flash from every angle. My instincts screamed at me to keep moving, to avoid the incoming strikes, but his relentless assault left me little room to breathe.

"Is this the best you've got?" Drake taunted, his voice smooth, cold. "I expected more from you."

I barely managed to deflect another strike, the sheer force of it rattling my bones.

"You think you can win against me with half-hearted attempts like that?" His voice was almost casual as he spun his blade, purple sparks flashing from its edge. He was toying with me, and he knew it.

But I wasn't done.

I adjusted my stance, gripping my sword tighter as I channeled more mana into Lucent Harmony. The light from my sigils flared brighter, intertwining with the mana around me as I prepared for another round.

Drake's grin widened, as if sensing the surge of energy. "Oh, you want more?" His eyes darkened, and the purple lightning surrounding him intensified, dancing wildly around his body. "Then let's see if you can handle this."

Before I could react, he lunged at me again, faster this time—too fast. I barely managed to raise my sword in time to block, the impact sending shockwaves through my entire body. My arms trembled under the pressure as I struggled to hold my ground.

Drake's sneer never left his face. "Too slow, Arthur."

In that moment, I knew—if I didn't do something drastic, I wouldn't last much longer.

I had to find an opening, and fast.

Drake's assault didn't let up.

Each strike of his blade came with a surge of purple lightning, crackling with energy that seemed to tear through the air itself. My arms trembled as I parried blow after blow, each impact sending shockwaves up my bones, threatening to knock my sword from my grasp.

"Getting tired already?" Drake sneered, his blade flashing towards me again, the air sizzling with his power.

I gritted my teeth, narrowly dodging his next attack. My breath came in ragged gasps, and sweat dripped down my brow, stinging my eyes. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, the weight of fatigue pulling me down like chains. Lucent Harmony flickered weakly across my skin, the mana coursing through me barely holding together under the strain.

It wasn't enough. Not against him. Drake's power—no, the demonic energy coursing through him—was too much. He was stronger, faster, and that black mana twisted his abilities to an unnatural level.

I deflected another swing of his sword, barely managing to sidestep the purple lightning that followed. My vision blurred for a moment, and I felt the sting of the gash on my stomach still bleeding through Rachel's healing magic. I was running out of time. My body couldn't keep this up.

"Is this it?" Drake taunted, his voice ringing in my ears like a death knell. "Where's that fire from before, Arthur? You're not even putting up a fight now."

He lunged again, his movements a blur. I moved to block, but I was too slow. His blade slashed across my chest, the force sending me skidding across the floor. I hit the ground hard, gasping for breath as pain seared through me. My vision flickered, black spots dancing in the edges of my sight.

I struggled to push myself up, my arms shaking beneath me. But my body was reaching its limit. No matter how much I pushed, I knew I couldn't overpower him. Not like this.

Drake approached me slowly, his grin widening with each step. "You're pathetic," he spat. "All that talk, all that reputation—and this is how you fall?"

I forced myself to stand, my legs barely holding me up as I faced him. But the weight of his mana crushed down on me, suffocating. My sword felt heavy in my hand, like it was made of lead. I couldn't win like this. There was no way.

But I couldn't give up. Not yet. I had to protect them. Rachel, Seraphina, Cecilia—I had to stand my ground.

"Get up, Arthur!" Luna's voice echoed in my mind, sharp with urgency. "You can't lose here!"

But I could feel it. The walls closing in around me. My mana running dry. Drake's power was overwhelming, suffocating. And the demonic aura that radiated from him—it felt unstoppable.

Suddenly, I felt it—something deep within me, stirring. A pulse of energy that wasn't my own. It was faint at first, almost like a whisper in the back of my mind. But then it grew louder, stronger, like a heartbeat hammering inside my chest.

'What…?'

I staggered, clutching my head as the world around me seemed to shift. The air felt different, heavier, almost bending under the weight of something I couldn't quite grasp. Time itself seemed to slow, the edges of reality warping around me.

It was now or never. I grasped at everything before me and peeled it away, uncovering the truth. The truth that I simply could not lose. The truth of my second Gift.