15- What’s… a human doing here?

Sorey burst into laughter as she gained altitude. "Oh, I haven't even started." She raised her wings and, with a powerful beat, unleashed a howling tornado that roared toward Fenya.

The elf bent her knees, her palm touching the ground.

"Arma Verdis!"

Roots beneath her feet erupted at dizzying speed, intertwining to form a dense wooden wall. The tornado slammed into the barrier, shaking it like a reed in a storm, but it held firm.

Fenya didn't waste a second. She extended her arms in an arc, and a massive whip of vines formed in her hands. With deadly precision, she lashed it toward Sorey. The harpy dodged the first strike with an aerial spin, but the second whip coiled around her ankle. Fenya yanked hard, and Sorey was ripped from the sky.

The harpy hit the ground with a heavy thud, but before Fenya could tighten her grip, a whirlwind exploded around Sorey, shattering the vines. She sprang to her clawed feet, her face twisted with rage.

"Enough!" she screamed, and a barrage of wind blades shot toward Fenya.

The elf spun on her heel. Each wind blade was blocked by a root surging from the ground.

The wind roared, forming an invisible spear poised to pierce everything. Yet Fenya stood still, her unnatural green eyes calmly fixed on the harpy.

"Arkh'vayla," she murmured, raising her hands.

The ground quaked beneath them. The massive trees around the clearing came alive, their branches twisting into a dense lattice. A colossal cage closed around Sorey, the branches tightening like a giant hand. The harpy tried to take flight, but the wind she summoned had no effect on this living prison.

Sorey clawed desperately at the branches.

Fenya, breathing heavily, approached slowly, raising an arm. She clenched her fist, and the cage constricted brutally. A scream of agony tore through the battlefield, then silence fell, heavy and oppressive.

Fenya placed a hand on a nearby trunk, leaning to catch her breath.

But amid the debris of trees and fallen attackers, a chilling shiver ran down her spine.

A guttural rumble echoed.

A swirl of wind and darkness gathered around Sorey's body. The harpy's claws glinted briefly before her dark plumage transformed. Under Fenya's widening eyes, silver scales emerged, gradually covering her body. Her wings broadened, their tips sharpened like blades. Her golden eyes intensified, burning with an otherworldly glow.

Sorey rose slowly, a cruel smile revealing longer, sharper fangs.

"What an abomination," Fenya whispered, her brows furrowing as disgust flashed in her gaze.

The harpy laughed, a cruel, piercing sound. "Abomination? No. Call it ambition." Her voice was deeper, raspier. "Recognize strength, submit to it, and gain a share of power in return. That's the essence of evolution. You stand before a superior harpy. A new breed."

Fenya opened her mouth to retort, but before a word could escape, Sorey vanished in a flash. Fenya felt a violent impact in her stomach before she could process what happened. The force doubled her over, a spray of saliva bursting from her lips. Before she could straighten, a searing pain exploded in her temple. A swift, precise kick sent her crashing to the ground, her back slamming into the earth.

She tried to roll aside to dodge another attack, but a massive shadow loomed above. A troll raised its enormous foot to crush her.

A root shot up suddenly, piercing the creature's chest with a sinister crack. Fenya scrambled to her feet, panting, but a deadly chill gripped her—Sorey was behind her.

The harpy seized Fenya's hair, yanking her head back before whispering in her ear, "Your people will be crushed today."

She hurled Fenya to the ground like a ragdoll, her cruel laugh echoing through the clearing.

Fenya raised a hand to summon a defense, but Sorey grabbed her arm with brutal force. A sickening snap rang out. Pain tore a scream from Fenya as her right arm broke under the pressure.

Sorey didn't stop. Her razor-sharp claws raked Fenya's side, leaving a trail of blood.

"Look at you, frail and pathetic," the harpy spat, grabbing a fistful of Fenya's hair and ripping it out. Brown strands fell to the ground, mingled with blood.

Fenya staggered, her legs buckling under unbearable pain. Sorey raised a foot and kicked her face, sending the elf crashing against a tree.

The wood splintered under the impact, and Fenya collapsed to her knees, her vision blurring. Yet despite the pain, her lips weakly murmured, "Alya… Therys…"

As if answering, massive roots erupted from the ground around Sorey. They wove together in an almost vengeful surge, coiling around the harpy's wings and legs. The creature let out a furious cry, thrashing with savage strength. Her claws slashed the air in a frenzied dance, but the thick, resilient roots held, gradually pinning her down.

Fenya, swaying, mustered her strength to raise a trembling hand.

But as she focused her energy, a brutal pain shot through her arm. A sickening crack echoed, and a jagged fissure appeared in her palm. The agony was so intense that a scream tore from her lips, shattering the silence.

The roots, as if sharing the elf's suffering, seemed to falter. Their grip on Sorey loosened, then collapsed entirely, falling to the ground in a lifeless heap.

The harpy, now free, landed heavily before rising, her icy laugh ringing through the clearing.

"Pathetic," she mocked, stalking toward her prey, a cruel smile stretching her lips.

She seized Fenya's chin with a brutal grip, forcing the elf to look up. Her cruel face leaned close, and in a degrading, mocking gesture, she slowly licked Fenya's bloodied cheek.

"What a waste to kill you," she murmured, her voice thick with sadistic satisfaction. Then, stepping back slightly, she raised her hand, her claws glinting with murderous intent. "But it's time to end this."

She swung her hand down in a swift motion, but at that moment, a gust sliced through the clearing. A gleaming blade appeared from nowhere, passing so close to Sorey that she felt the sting of the wind against her skin. Startled, she leaped back, her golden eyes narrowing in cold fury.

A sleek, dark figure had appeared between her and Fenya.

It was a young man.

He held a sword and seemed neither afraid of the harpy nor fazed by the surrounding carnage. His tone, almost casual, broke the silence.

"Hope I'm not too late."

Sorey didn't hesitate. With a furious cry, she summoned a devastating wind blade and hurled it at him. But, to her shock, the figure didn't move.

The attack seemed about to hit, but at the last second, Sorey lunged. With a swift motion, she intercepted her own wind blade, her claws slicing through it in a burst of light.

"What?" she exclaimed, spinning around.

The young man was gone.

A chill ran through Sorey as she sensed a presence behind her. Before she could react, a blinding sword strike hit her back, sending her crashing forward. She hit the ground but flapped her wings to rise.

Rage now contorted her face.

"Show yourself, coward!" she roared, her eyes frantically searching for the intruder.

Before she could finish, he was there again, appearing midair, his sword descending with terrifying precision.

"Impossible!" Sorey screamed, but she was powerless.

The blade cleaved her body in two with a fluid motion, as if slicing fabric.

Her cry faded into a gust of wind and black feathers, her body collapsing in silence.

An oppressive calm settled over the scene.

The young man sheathed his sword with a slow motion. He turned to Fenya, still lying on the ground. The elf, nearly spent, fought to stay conscious, her vision growing hazier.

He approached, crouching beside her.

"It's alright now," he murmured softly.

Fenya, barely able to speak, lifted a weary gaze to him. Her trembling lips formed a near-inaudible question.

"What's… a human doing here?"

Her eyes closed before she could hear an answer. Darkness enveloped her, and she slipped into unconsciousness.