Ashleen landed on a high perch, scanning the chaotic cityscape below. Her eyes darted between targets—twenty orcs in total. She had memorized their positions from past attempts. Five appeared childlike, fifteen more mature, and towering above them all—though absent right now—was the one she had identified as the leader.
In her last premonition, she'd fought alongside others, rationing her mana to avoid collapse. They'd managed to eliminate the bulk of the horde, but just when victory seemed certain, the leader had arrived—and turned everything into ash.
This time, she wasn't waiting.
She wanted the leader to show up early—to force it out by threatening what it held dear. She knew it was risky. She didn't know if she could win alone. But bringing others in had only ended in loss. This time, she'd do it solo.
I have to, she told herself, the memory of those deaths still raw.
She was just about to act when a quiet bell rang in her head. The healer. The lady who might still be sleeping. Head-slapper, she cursed mentally. She couldn't turn back now.
Still, she whispered, trying her luck: "Healer lady… get up and protect yourself."
To her surprise, it worked. The woman startled awake, the System's sudden alert—Protect Yourself—pulling her from slumber. She looked out the window and gasped. The horizon was burning. Chaos bloomed in the distance. A crimson cloud pulsed atop the tallest building like a throbbing heart.
Far away, Anik and the others followed a System-generated arrow guiding them toward the center of the conflict. Anik's jaw clenched. He remembered Ashleen trembling after her premonition. Whatever she'd seen, it hadn't been good. Judging from the distance to the red storm, they were at least fifteen minutes away.
Ashleen didn't have fifteen minutes.
She knew from experience—ten loops, maybe more—it took seventeen minutes for help to arrive. Too late.
She needed to end this before anyone else got hurt.
She had already mapped a rough plan while still in Anik's arms. Somehow, being held had cleared her mind. Everyone said hugs were comforting, but she hadn't expected it to bring such sharp clarity. The warmth still lingered. It anchored her.
I can do this, she reminded herself. Again and again. A mantra to silence the tremor in her bones.
Below, the orcs ran wild. Children-like ones played with terrified civilians as if they were toys. The adult orcs roared and smashed, competing with each other in mindless glee. Ashleen had seen this scene over and over, but her heart never hardened to it.
She exhaled. Deep and slow.
Then stepped forward.
The air shifted.
A wave of silence swept over the battlefield. Then—cheers. From the civilians. They had noticed her.
In an instant, three of the orcs were lifted off the ground, writhing mid-air, screaming in pain. Ashleen's eyes blazed. Originally, she'd targeted the adults. But once her power flared, something inside her twisted. Her aim shifted—to the children.
Orcs hesitated, retreating for a heartbeat. But when they realized who was under threat, they charged.
Ashleen raised her hand. No fear. No tremble. An invisible wall rippled to life in front of her. The charging orcs slammed into it, stunned. One, faster than the rest, broke through. It sprinted toward her like a beast unleashed.
Ten feet.
She watched it approach, unblinking.
Nine.
Still motionless, her grip on the levitating orc-children tightened.
Five feet.
Screams pierced the air as her mana crushed the children further.
Four.
The orc's fury boiled into madness.
Three.
Its arm stretched forward, claws gleaming—ready to rip her apart.
Ashleen smirked.
Pierce.
The charging orc's outstretched arm drove straight through the bodies of three kid-sized orcs. Two died instantly. One screamed.
Cheers turned into horror. The civilians were no longer sure who they were afraid of.
Orcs stopped in their tracks, howling in disbelief. Ashleen rose higher, drifting above the battlefield, a sadistic smile playing on her lips.
She dropped the wounded child-orc.
A voice echoed: "Ashleen! Behind you!"
Without turning, she hurled the injured orc backward—smashing it into an ambusher mid-leap. Both collapsed in a heap.
I don't need your warnings, she thought. But since you're my 80% power source, I'll allow you to join.
With a flick of her fingers, she reinforced the wall—only now it kept humans out, not orcs.
Anik saw the change. He reached the wall and cursed. Others stood behind him, baffled.
But Anik didn't stop.
He ran.
He knew this wasn't just a barrier. It was a message. Prove yourself. It was not Ashleen, but the demon within.
His eyes narrowed. He prepared for impact—3… 2… 1—
He passed through.
The wall rippled like silk around him, then slammed shut. He crashed into the ground from the inertia, rolling through dirt and debris. Orcs noticed. Seven turned toward him at once.
Anik didn't wait. He fought.
Ashleen watched him, eyes narrowed. She saw the arc of his blade, the burst of mana from his palms. One orc fell. Then another. He moved with precision—more skilled than she thought.
Once or twice, she intervened. A redirected projectile. A tangled vine snaring an attacker. Nothing obvious. Nothing overt.
Eventually, he carved a path through and reached her.
She looked at him coolly.
"You're late."
Anik wiped blood from his lip. "You made it difficult to RSVP."
He stood beside her.
On the edge of the battlefield, Akansha finally arrived—only to slam against the wall.
She gasped, staggering back. "No… why…?"
She pressed her hands against the barrier. It didn't yield.
Inside, she could see Ashleen—changed. Unrecognizable. Floating like some dark god, casting judgment. Beside her, Anik fought monsters that dwarfed him in size.
Akansha trembled. She wasn't just locked out. She was useless.
Powerless.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away.
Let me in, she thought. Please. I need to help. I need to… But the wall remained firm.
Then the ground shook.
A wave of pressure swept over the battlefield. Civilians collapsed. Even Akansha fell to her knees, gasping for air.
The sky dimmed as a massive silhouette emerged from the smoke.
The leader had arrived.
Ashleen's smile deepened. Finally.
She could feel the hunger behind its steps. The madness. The joy of domination. It wasn't just a brute—it was an apex predator.
Anik stared, momentarily stunned by its sheer size.
Then, simultaneously, the orcs cheered. Their morale surged.
They attacked again, all at once.
Ashleen raised her hand and flooded Anik with mana.
He gasped as it surged into him. She didn't look back.
She didn't plan to make things easy for him. Only to keep him alive.
Then she stepped forward, facing the monster she'd seen only twice before despite dozens of premonitions. Her body thrummed with anticipation. With purpose.
She could kill it.
Or she could enjoy the fight.
Either way, she was done asking questions.
Akansha, still outside the wall, watched in helpless awe and fear. Her hands balled into fists. Her voice caught in her throat.
"This can't be Ashleen... She-- this doesn't feel right..."
But next to her, a small child didn't even flinch. He stared at the leader with calm, unwavering eyes, as if the orc were nothing at all.