Unfamiliar

"You guys target the limbs and kill any ants that try to get close to the Queen! I'm going to try to pierce its abdomen in one go!" Raven shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. Her mismatched eyes burned with determination as she tightened her grip on her katana, the faint cracks on its surface ignored in the heat of the moment.

The Queen's swarm surged again, an endless tide of chittering mandibles and glistening black carapaces. The ground quaked under the sheer volume of their charge, but the party held their ground.

"Understood!" Argus roared, hefting his axe. "[Earthbreaker Cleave]!" With a mighty swing, he sent a shockwave through the ground, shattering the legs of several ants and creating a brief gap in the swarm.

"I'll cover you!" Kara yelled, her staff glowing bright. "[Infernal Cyclone]!" A vortex of flame erupted around her, incinerating ants in a swirling inferno and holding the line against their relentless advance.

"Going for the legs!" Dren called out, his figure vanishing in a blur as he activated [Shadowstep]. He reappeared beneath the Queen, his daggers flashing. "[Venomfang Strike]!" His blades sunk into the soft joints of her massive forelimbs, eliciting an enraged screech from the beast.

Serine loosed a rapid volley of arrows from her enchanted bow. "[Piercing Starfall]!" Each arrow split mid-flight, raining down like meteors onto the Queen's limbs. Her accuracy was impeccable, and the projectiles tore through layers of chitin, slowing the Queen's movements.

As the others kept the Queen occupied, Raven activated [Umbral Surge], dark mana enveloping her as she sprinted forward. The world around her seemed to blur as she focused entirely on the Queen's abdomen. It was her weak point, the source of the creature's mana core. If she could pierce it, this battle would be over.

She darted through the chaos, slicing through smaller ants with ruthless efficiency. Her katana carved an arc of shadowy light with each strike, but she kept her focus on her true target.

"Almost there," she muttered under her breath, leaping over a collapsing ant's body and closing the distance to the Queen. Her mana surged, and she channeled it into her blade. "[Void Edge]!" The katana gleamed with an otherworldly light, its edge humming with destructive energy.

The Queen turned her massive head toward Raven, her glowing compound eyes narrowing. She screeched, and her remaining forelimbs slammed down in an attempt to crush the approaching swordswoman. Raven twisted mid-air, narrowly evading the attack as she soared upward, aiming her blade directly at the abdomen.

"This is it!" she yelled, driving her katana forward with all her might.

The blade struck true, colliding with the chitinous armor of the Queen's abdomen. But instead of piercing through, the katana met an unyielding force. A bright blue aura erupted from the point of impact, and a deafening crack resounded through the cavern.

"What?!" Raven gasped, her eyes widening as the reinforced armor absorbed the blow. Her katana trembled under the strain, the cracks along its surface spreading rapidly. In a flash of mana, the blade shattered into fragments, the shockwave knocking Raven backward.

She hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of her as shards of her katana rained down around her. Pain shot through her arms as she struggled to rise, her mind racing. "That shouldn't have happened..."

The Queen let out a triumphant screech, her mandibles clicking as she advanced. The reinforced armor over her abdomen shimmered, glowing with a layer of dense mana. This wasn't just defense—it was an active ability, a countermeasure against direct attacks.

"Raven!" Kara screamed, launching a barrage of fireballs to hold off the advancing ants. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine!" Raven called back, though her voice was strained. She scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding. "But my blade... it's gone."

"Gone?!" Argus bellowed, swinging his axe to keep the swarm at bay. "What do you mean gone?!"

"It shattered," Raven admitted, her fists clenching as frustration and disbelief swirled within her. "Her armor is reinforced by some kind of mana shield. Direct attacks won't work."

"That's just great," Dren muttered, his daggers flashing as he sliced through another wave of ants. "So what now?"

Raven's mind raced. She had miscalculated, and now they were at an even greater disadvantage. The Queen's defenses were impenetrable by conventional means, and her swarm continued to grow.

Raven gritted her teeth as she stared at the shards of her shattered katana scattered across the ground. The Queen loomed ahead, her reinforced abdomen glowing with a shimmering blue aura of mana. Swarms of ants surged around her, an unending tide of chittering bodies and snapping mandibles. The party was battered but resolute, their breaths ragged as they fought to maintain their ground.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Kara yelled, her voice strained as she unleashed another torrent of fire to incinerate the advancing swarm. "[Infernal Cyclone]!" Flames roared around her, but even the intense heat only slowed the ants momentarily before more took their place.

Argus swung his massive axe in a wide arc, his muscles bulging with exertion. "[Earthbreaker Cleave]!" The ground split beneath his feet, crushing several ants under a cascade of debris. "We need a plan, and we need it now!"

"I'm working on it!" Raven shouted, ducking under a lunging ant and smashing its head with the hilt of a broken dagger she'd scavenged from the battlefield. Her mind raced, replaying Mavis's words. They needed to overload the Queen's armor by attacking her core and limbs simultaneously—but the relentless swarm was making it nearly impossible to coordinate.

"Raven!" Serine called, loosing a volley of arrows from her bow. "[Piercing Starfall]!" The arrows split mid-flight, striking several ants at once. "What's the plan? We can't hold this line much longer!"

Raven clenched her fists, her gaze darting to the Queen's abdomen. Even if they could manage a coordinated assault, what would she use to strike the core? Her katana, the weapon she had trusted for so long, was gone. The cracks in their strategy were growing, and the ants showed no signs of relenting.

Dren appeared at her side, blood trickling from a gash on his arm. "[Shadowstep] won't hold these things off much longer," he said, his voice calm but grim. "If you've got a miracle, now's the time to use it."

"I know!" Raven snapped, frustration boiling over. She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to focus. Her mismatched eyes glowed faintly as she activated [Dark Mana Perception], scanning the Queen's mana flow. The shimmering aura around her abdomen pulsed with concentrated energy, but it flickered faintly whenever her limbs were struck.

"Her limbs!" Raven yelled to the others. "Focus on her legs! Every time you hit them, her armor weakens for a moment. We need to capitalize on that!"

"On it!" Argus roared, charging forward with his axe raised high. "[Titan's Wrath]!" His weapon collided with one of the Queen's forelegs, sending a spiderweb of cracks through its chitin.

Kara unleashed a flurry of icy shards from her staff. "[Glacial Barrage]!" The freezing projectiles struck another leg, slowing the Queen's movements as frost spread across her joints.

Dren darted in and out of the fray, his daggers flashing as he targeted the softer joints of the Queen's legs. "[Venomfang Strike]!" he called, his blades dripping with a paralyzing toxin.

Serine's arrows rained down, finding their marks with pinpoint precision. "[Eclipsing Volley]!" The magical projectiles glowed with a silvery light, embedding themselves in the Queen's limbs and amplifying the damage.

The Queen screeched in rage, her movements growing more erratic as her limbs buckled under the party's assault. But the ants around her seemed to sense their Queen's distress, and their attacks became even more frenzied.

"We're getting overwhelmed!" Kara cried, her flame spells faltering as exhaustion took its toll.

Raven leaped to her side, dispatching an ant with a swift blow. "Hold the line!" she ordered, though her voice betrayed her own mounting desperation. She looked back at the Queen, her reinforced abdomen glowing brighter as the creature funneled mana into her defenses. They were running out of time.

The Queen reared back, her massive form towering over the party. With a deafening screech, she slammed her forelimbs into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent everyone sprawling.

Raven struggled to her feet, coughing as dust and debris filled the air. "This isn't working," she muttered, her fists trembling. "We can't hold this..."

"Then let me handle it."

A commanding voice rang out, cutting through the chaos like a blade. Raven's head snapped up, her eyes widening as a figure stepped into the cavern. Flames danced around her like a living aura, her crimson hair glowing like embers.

Raven's breath caught as she saw Celia step into the cavern. Her crimson hair, blazing like wildfire, and her orange eyes radiating fierce determination were unmistakable. But as Celia's gaze swept over the battered party, her expression was one of focused indifference—no recognition, no warmth that Raven had once known.

For Celia Vermillion, her sister was dead.

"Whoever you are," Celia's voice rang clear and commanding, "you're in over your heads. Step back before you all end up as ant food."

Raven's heart clenched, but she pushed down the wave of emotion threatening to break her focus. Now wasn't the time for personal revelations. To Celia, she was Wraith, a stranger. Nothing more.

The Queen hissed, her mandibles clacking as if sensing the overwhelming threat of the newcomer. Celia's presence burned through the cavern, the heat of her mana palpable even from a distance. Her silver-edged longsword ignited with flames that twisted and danced like living serpents.

"Fall back," Celia ordered, not sparing them another glance. "I'll deal with this."

The party exchanged uneasy glances, but the sheer confidence in her tone left no room for argument.

"She's… not joking," Serina muttered, retreating to the edge of the cavern with the others.

Raven hesitated, her mismatched eyes fixed on Celia. It had been years—years since she'd heard that voice, seen that figure in motion. But the Celia she knew would never walk past her without a word.

"Move!" Celia barked, her eyes locking briefly onto Raven's. For a moment, Raven thought she saw a flicker of something—a faint trace of familiarity. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by Celia's unrelenting focus on the enemy.

The Queen shrieked, her reinforced armor glowing ominously as she funneled mana into a desperate last stand. Swarms of ants rushed toward Celia, an unrelenting tide of chittering fury.

With a single sweep of her blade, Celia unleashed a wall of fire that roared through the cavern, incinerating the advancing ants in an instant. "[Infernal Barrage]!" she called, her flames breaking through the swarm with ruthless efficiency.

The Queen reared back, her mandibles clashing as she prepared to strike. Celia dashed forward, her movements precise and unwavering. "[Crimson Radiance]," she intoned, flames spiraling around her blade as she struck one of the Queen's forelegs. The reinforced armor buckled under the heat and force, the leg collapsing with a sickening crack.

The Queen screeched, her movements faltering as her defenses began to crumble.

"She's incredible," Dren murmured, awe in his usually stoic tone.

"She's making it look easy," Serina added, her bow slack in her hands.

But Raven wasn't watching the fight in awe. Her gaze lingered on Celia's face, searching for any sign of recognition. She found none.

Celia pressed the attack, her fiery strikes relentless. The Queen's remaining limbs gave way one by one until the massive creature lay sprawled, her reinforced abdomen glowing brighter than ever.

"It's her core," Celia muttered, gripping her sword tightly. She raised the blade high, the flames around it intensifying until the cavern was bathed in a searing crimson light. "[Infernal Zenith]," she declared.

A wave of fire erupted from her sword, engulfing the Queen in a torrent of heat and destruction. The armor around the Queen's abdomen shattered, and the creature let out one final, deafening screech before collapsing into ash.

The cavern fell silent, the oppressive heat dissipating as Celia sheathed her sword. She turned to the group, her gaze sharp but unreadable. "That should take care of the worst of it. If you're smart, you'll turn back now. The deeper levels of this dungeon aren't for amateurs."

Raven opened her mouth to speak, to say something—anything—but the words caught in her throat. What could she say? I'm your sister? I'm alive?

Instead, she nodded. "Thank you. We would've been overwhelmed without your help."

Celia's sharp gaze lingered on Raven for a beat too long, her orange eyes narrowing slightly, as though she were trying to decipher a riddle that had suddenly presented itself. Yet, whatever thought crossed her mind, she chose not to voice it. Instead, she turned on her heel, her crimson hair swaying like living flames with each purposeful step.

"As for you, the girl with the mismatched eyes," Celia called out, her voice carrying an edge of appraisal, "you're not too bad. If you're ever looking for something more challenging, consider joining the Pillars."

Raven blinked, taken aback. "I'll think about it," she replied cautiously, though she had no idea what the Pillars were.

Celia's lips curved into the faintest of smirks. "Good. What's your name?"

"Wraith," Raven answered without hesitation.

Celia gave a small nod of acknowledgment, but whatever flicker of curiosity lingered in her gaze, she quickly buried it. Without another word, she disappeared into the cavern's shadows, her figure melting into the darkness as though she were never there.

Raven stood frozen for a moment, her breath catching in her throat.

"She's a legend," Kara said, breaking the heavy silence. Her voice held a mixture of awe and disbelief as she stared at the charred remains of the Queen ant.

Angus grunted in agreement. "She made that look easy. I didn't even get to swing my axe once."

Dren, usually quiet and detached, let out a low whistle. "That's not just strength—it's mastery."

But Raven said nothing. Her thoughts were a storm of emotions she couldn't begin to untangle. Celia, her sister, was alive. She was stronger than Raven had ever imagined, a force to be reckoned with—but to Celia, Raven was a stranger.

"Mavis," Raven whispered mentally, her tone tinged with sorrow. "She didn't recognize me."

"She wouldn't," Mavis replied softly, his voice a gentle balm against the sting of her realization. "To her, you're gone. Dead. You've been given a second life, Raven, but it's a new one. You'll have to decide what to do with it."

Before Raven could reply, she felt hands grip her shoulders from behind.

"Serina?" Raven muttered, startled.

Serina's eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned in, her face close enough that Raven could see her flushed cheeks. "Do you even realize what just happened?"

Raven frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You just got invited to join the Pillars!" Serina exclaimed, her voice an octave higher than usual.

Raven's confusion deepened. "I don't even know what the Pillars are."

Serina looked at her as if she had just admitted to not knowing what fire was. "Are you serious? How can you not know about the Seven Pillars of Hope? They're practically legends! Each one is a prodigy, the strongest of this generation. They're all either seven-star or eight-star warriors, mages, or Dualists. Some even say Celia Vermillion is close to becoming a nine-star. And she just offered you a spot!"

The weight of Serina's words settled heavily on Raven's shoulders. Seven-star? Eight-star? That level of power was nearly unheard of, the kind of strength reserved for only the most exceptional individuals. And yet, Celia had deemed her worthy of an invitation.

Angus crossed his arms, his grin widening. "Well, Wraith, looks like you're moving up in the world. Don't forget about us little people when you're famous."

"I'm not famous," Raven shot back, her voice tinged with exasperation.

"Not yet," Kara interjected, her glasses glinting in the dim light of the cavern. "But if Celia thinks you're Pillar material, you're not far off."

Raven's thoughts churned as the others chattered excitedly. The invitation felt surreal, almost like a dream. But more than that, it was the way Celia had looked at her—as though she were an enigma that didn't quite fit.

"She doesn't know who I am," Raven murmured under her breath.

Serina tilted her head. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Raven replied quickly, shaking her head.

But inside, a storm of emotions brewed. Celia might not have recognized her, but something had sparked in those fleeting moments. 

'Whatever, I'll just wait and see what the future has in store for me.'