Clash of components

Nycteris barely had time to react before Trinity's twin daggers carved through the air behind it, the space between them warping as he reappeared in an instant. His blades moved like liquid shadows, cutting in precise arcs aimed for the guardian's vital points. But the moment his strike landed, something unnatural occurred.

A burst of magical energy pulsed from Nycteris's form, and Trinity's daggers slid off as if striking an impenetrable barrier. The owl twisted in the air, golden eyes locking onto Trinity with an eerie awareness.

"It adapted already?" 

Trinity thought grimly, vanishing before the guardian's claws could rake across his torso.

Zayn, seeing the momentary distraction, shot forward. He gathered the wind around his legs, amplifying his speed as he leaped. His palms ignited with a spinning vortex of compressed air, and he slammed them both toward Nycteris's back.

The explosion of wind sent tremors through the chamber, the sheer force rattling the towering bookshelves. Dust and old parchment fluttered like dying embers. But as the air cleared, Zayn's stomach dropped.

Nycteris remained mid-air, wings outstretched, unmoved. The only sign it had even been hit was the faint shimmering ripple of energy fading from its feathers.

Then it struck back.

With a single, resounding beat of its wings, the very space around them warped. Zayn felt the weight of the world shift his own body was suddenly impossibly heavy. His knees buckled, his breath hitched. It was as if gravity itself had been multiplied.

Trinity, still mid-teleport, found himself slammed to the ground as the force distorted his landing. He barely managed to roll as Nycteris swooped down, claws glowing with an ethereal light. A fraction of a second too slow.

A searing pain tore across Trinity's side as Nycteris's talons ripped through flesh. A sharp grunt left his lips as blood splattered across the stone floor. He gritted his teeth, willing his body to move before the owl could follow up.

Zayn, struggling against the crushing weight, focused.

"Air is weightless. I control air. That means..."

He exhaled sharply, twisting his hands. The gravity's effect lessened as a bubble of manipulated wind surrounded him. His body felt lighter barely enough to move, but it was something. With a sharp whoosh, he lunged to Trinity's side.

"You okay?" he gasped.

Trinity wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. 

"I've had worse." 

His hair covering his eyes but you can see his eyes turned dark flicked up, watching as Nycteris hovered overhead, observing them. The ancient guardian was studying their movements, adapting its strategy.

"We need to stop playing defense," 

Trinity muttered.

Zayn gave a breathless laugh.

"Then we need a plan that doesn't get us killed."

Nycteris moved.

There was no time for a counterattack just an explosion of magic from its core, sending streaks of energy cascading outward.

Zayn reacted first, arms crossing as he conjured a barrier of wind to deflect the brunt of the force. Trinity vanished, reappearing several feet away, daggers spinning between his fingers. But as the dust settled, a sharp stinging pain laced through Zayn's ribs. He looked down three deep gashes had been burned into his side, as if the energy had bypassed his defenses entirely.

Trinity wasn't unscathed either. A shallow cut ran down his left arm, his jacket sliced clean through. He clenched his fist, ignoring the dull ache.

"This isn't working!"

 Zayn gritted out. 

"It's too strong..."

Trinity's eyes narrowed, calculating every possibilities, but Zayn's wind could redirect attacks, but it couldn't land a solid enough blow against an opponent that absorbed and adapted.

Nycteris let out a deep, reverberating call. The chamber trembled, and the two fighters tensed. It wasn't over. Not even close. And neither of them knew how long they could last.

Nycteris's cry echoed through the chamber, an eerie sound that sent a chill down both of their spines. The air itself seemed to vibrate with raw magic, and for a brief moment, everything was still.

Then, it struck again.

Nycteris folded its wings and dove, talons gleaming with the same ethereal energy that had wounded Trinity. Zayn barely had time to react before the owl was upon them.

Trinity vanished then reappeared behind Nycteris, his daggers already in motion. The blades blurred through the air, aiming for the guardian's wings. Zayn, still feeling the lingering effects of the gravity magic, forced himself to move. He twisted the wind around his body, launching himself sideways to avoid the owl's strike.

But Nycteris had learned. Its form shimmered as Trinity's daggers made contact only for his weapons to slide off once more. A pulse of energy erupted from its body, sending Trinity skidding back across the stone floor.

Zayn gritted his teeth. 

"Think! damn it! There has to be a way!"

His eyes darted to Trinity, who was already pushing himself back up. Blood trailed from his side, staining his dark clothes. Trinity's expression was unreadable, but his grip on his daggers was tight.

"We can't keep trading blows..."

Zayn exhaled sharply, forcing the wind to swirl around his arms. If their attacks couldn't break through Nycteris's defenses, then they needed to disrupt its power itself.

"Trinity!" 

Zayn called, his voice tight. 

"We need to hit it at the same time! Full force!."

Trinity met his gaze, understanding passing between them in an instant. No hesitation

Without another word, he moved.

Zayn's wind surged, wrapping around his body as he shot forward. At the same time, Trinity flickered, his teleportation blurring his form as he repositioned midair.

Nycteris turned to counter too late.

Zayn struck first, hurling a concentrated burst of wind toward the owl's core. It wasn't just an attack it was a vacuum, pulling at the very energy shielding Nycteris.

At the exact moment the guardian's barrier flickered, Trinity was already there.

His daggers plunged forward, both blades piercing deep into Nycteris's chest.

A terrible screech tore through the chamber. Nycteris's body convulsed, its wings twitching as the magical energy within it shattered. The golden glow in its eyes flickered, then dimmed.

Zayn landed hard, panting, watching as Nycteris collapsed to the ground in a heap of feathers and fading light.

For a moment, silence.

Then, a voice low, ancient, and filled with something that sounded almost... regretful.

"You do not understand..." 

Nycteris rasped. Its golden eyes, dulled but still wise, turned to Zayn. 

"This is...not what you think..."

Zayn felt his breath catch. His fists clenched as he took a step closer.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

But before Nycteris could answer, a blur of motion.

Trinity's dagger struck deep into the owl's throat, cutting off its words.

Zayn's eyes widened.

"Trinity-"

The assassin yanked his blade free, stepping back as Nycteris's body went still

"It was stalling, maybe it was trying to get reinforcements and it have to be done." 

Trinity said before flicking the blood off his dagger

Zayn's jaw tightened. He looked at Nycteris at what was left of it

Trinity disperse his daggers and looks at Zayn 

"Door has been opened, there should be a way to be with the others"

Zayn looks at the other side and saw a huge gap on the wall leading a stairs upstairs. He looks at Trintiy but he gestures that he go first, Zayn was a bit hesitant but listens to what he says because he did swollen loyalty to him...

Zayn runs away and starts looking for the others and as for Trinity he looks at the dead Nycteris...

But a few seconds of looking at it the body suddenly disappeared but then suddenly another gap appears on the other side of the wall but instead of it leading upstairs it goes down.

Trinity descended the staircase, his boots making no sound against the ancient stone steps. The air grew heavier, thick with the scent of old parchment and something else something lingering beneath the surface, like a whisper of forgotten power.

The chamber he stepped into was vast. Shelves stretched endlessly into the shadows, filled with tomes bound in worn leather and adorned with faded sigils. A single, dim light pulsed from the center of the room, casting eerie shadows across the walls.

Trinity exhaled slowly. He didn't have much time.

His fingers twitched, summoning a dagger into his hand, but not to fight. Instead, he moved toward a nearby table where an ancient book lay open, its pages glowing faintly.

With a swift motion, he reached for the book and began flipping through the pages. The text was in a language he barely recognized, but the diagrams the symbols of barriers, seals, and something buried beneath spoke louder than words.

Then he found it.

His expression darkened as his eyes scanned the page.

"Hmm...I see" he muttered.

Without another word, he tore the page from the book, folding it swiftly and tucking it into his jacket. He glanced around once more, ensuring nothing had changed, before he turned back toward the stairs.

"This place would be valuable in the future..."