CHAPTER 35: Teamwork

The air vibrated with tension, the whistle of the wind accompanying the lingering echo of the threatening slash. Lian crouched low, his heart pounding in his chest, as a lock of his hair slowly fell to the sand, severed by the unseen blade.

Seline, a few meters away, had her eyes narrowed, mana swirling around her in spirals of water ready to strike. The unknown swordsman's voice rang out again, cold and sharp as his blade.

"Not bad, kid. You dodged by a hair," the man said, emerging before the duo. He could no longer stay hidden; after all, he wanted a fight, not senseless killing.

He was tall, with a muscular build, wrapped in a tattered black tunic. A long, thick sword gleamed in his right hand, its metal etched with faint runes glowing green. His steel-gray eyes scanned them with a mix of curiosity and disdain, a predator sizing up his prey.