The moment he activated Soul Eyes, his head throbbed.
He ignored the pain and scanned the tree, spotting a white flame hidden within its depths.
But as soon as he caught sight of it, a black whip shot forth from the tree, as if it sensed him.
Draven deactivated Soul Eyes, darted to the left, and lashed diagonally with his whip, using Psyche Weave. The whip silently smashed beside him, while his whip crackled through the air, multiplying as it moved.
It sliced through the clustered leaves and branches in its path, blitzing toward his target.
The lady bounded from the tree just moments before the whip cleaved the branch.
Draven fired his arrow at her that moment.
In mid-air, she raised her arm across her chest to intercept the arrow.
The arrow drove into her arm, and she fell with a thud, toppling stiffly like a statue. Draven whipped Phantom Lash at her while recalling the arrow.
The whip closed in and snapped at her, leaving a trail of afterimages.
Just as it was about to slam her into the ground, she flipped back into a crouch, tanking the hit with her shoulder. She buckled under the strike, accompanied by a thunderous metallic clang.
Draven, having infused his arrow with the last of his Soul Vitalis, volleyed another shot. He held his breath, not blinking, as he watched the arrow streak toward her face. Only the arrow filled his vision; time seemed to freeze.
But just as it was about to connect, a shield materialized in front of her, and the arrow impaled it with a loud bang!
She darted out of the way of the flung shield and whipped at him.
Draven retracted, narrowly avoiding the whip as it swept past him, snapping a tree trunk in half. But she lunged at him, her whip arcing back just as he recalled his arrow.
He sidestepped and drew the arrow. The whip split a gash in the ground beside him. He was ready to fire again when the whip snapped up at his waist.
'Damn! No physics!'
Draven scurried away just in time to evade it.
But that was the last moment of respite as she stormed at him in a fury of strikes, interrupting his aim.
Her whips moved with incredible speed and agility, like a living serpent—twirling, snapping, elongating, and lashing out again and again. Deep gashes marred everything her whip struck.
Like a boat tossed in a storm, Draven sidestepped, ducked, twisted, and leapt, narrowly avoiding the relentless assault. His eyes locked onto the blurry whip, trying to bury him under its frenzied attacks. He didn't dare blink. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead; his mind raced.
'Left!'
He thought, but his body was too slow to react, and the whip ripped through his shoulder armor.
He endured the pain with clenched teeth, refusing to stop as he continued dodging the follow up. He tried to distance himself from her, but her whip was long and capable of elongating, keeping him in close quarters. There was no opportunity to shoot.
'I can't keep going like this! If it weren't for my focused state, I would have already died. But I'm still at risk if this continues. My body is—'
A strike to his chest disrupted his thoughts.
He faltered but spun to avoid the next blow.
'...Can't keep up. I just need to get a perfect shot. I have two shots left, so I need to make them count. How do I escape?'
His eyes scanned his surroundings for anything useful. He tanked another strike while distracted and could only groan as he pressed on.
Then he spotted his whip hanging from a tree. A gleam flashed in his eyes.
Draven dismissed the whip and retracted his body, evading a strike.
Just as he twisted back and summoned his whip, she attacked again.
The whip shot toward his face. He dropped into a crouch while pulling his bow, the whip swinging above him.
She was about to lash out again but wavered when his whip materialized in front of him.
'The opening!'
Draven pulled back hard.
"Wait!" she called out, shooting back to distance herself from him.
He released the shot without listening. In a blue flash, the arrow drove into her chest.
She raised her hand to grab the shaft, but he quickly recalled and nocked another shot, ready to deliver the finishing shot.
'One last shot!'
"Wait!" she yelled urgently.
She caught the shield that materialized in front of her, making Draven grimaced beneath his mask.
"Why don't we both leave? You've already injured me enough," she suggested, still hiding behind the shield.
He studied her for a tense moment. Blood seeped from her left arm and chest where his arrow had struck, smearing her black armor with deep crimson streaks.
And a side peek at his arrow, noting the meager Soul Vitalis flickering like a fading ember, struggling to hold its glow.
'It might not be enough for one strike.'
"Fine," Draven agreed.
He watched her intently, arrow ready, as she stepped back from him. Abruptly, she paused after a few steps. His chest tightened.
"Give me the whip, and I will leave. As compensation for almost killing me when you offended me first," she demanded, her tone chilling.
Draven was about to agree, considering his dwindling Soul Vitalis, but bit his tongue, tensing his body.
"What's your answer?" she pressed.
Drawing a deep breath, he squinted and replied calmly, "Either you leave now, or I bury you here."
She chuckled. "Are you sure you can bury me?"
"Three…"
He counted in reply, pulling his bow tighter.
"Two…"
He added strength to his draw.
"Are you sure you want to do it?" she threatened.
"On—"
"Okay." She cut him off. "I'll leave."
She withdrew while hiding behind her shield, backing away until she was far from him. Then she spun and dashed deeper into the fog.
Draven's eyes never left her. His arrow remained trained on her.
Suddenly, her silhouette split into two and dashed in a 'V' direction.
He arched his eyebrows.
When he could no longer see her, he dismissed his whip and retreated toward the entrance, watching the depths for any signs of movement. His arrow was still nocked.
Minutes later, the Soul Vitalis flickered out, dispelling the radiance of the arrow. He turned and bolted for the entrance.
Draven rushed out, finding no one present. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the Haven. As he neared, he hid beside his regular spot, scanned the area, and quickly swapped his armor. Then he plopped down on his butt and let out a long sigh of relief.
'That was close. When I almost agreed to give her the whip, her grip tightened around her weapon. Even injured, she wanted to lure me closer. What a psycho.'
Draven mentally reviewed the situation, recreating the scene. After pondering for a few minutes, it clicked.
'Either that, or she must have noticed I wasn't controlling my whip as she was leaving, so she threw out the question to confirm if I was on my last leg. If I'd chickened out and agreed…' He shuddered. 'She would have attacked. Why was she hell-bent on killing me? I'm not a lifelong enemy! Even with the threat of a Third Order!'
He shook his head, feeling a bit dizzy. He couldn't tell if it was from thinking too much or sheer exhaustion, but he felt a light throb in his head.
'I need to sleep.'
Staggering to his feet, he ran his fingers through his hair, cleaned his face, and approached the Haven. It looked a bit scanty.
Draven didn't waste time and went straight for the mirror.
When he got to the other side, he changed and headed home.
He didn't have the energy to think and crashed immediately. Hours passed.
Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and he jumped up, gasping for breath.
He didn't have time to stabilize himself. His panel was blinking red in his vision, displaying a few words:
[THIRD SOUL AWAKENING: 1%]
'What the…'