The Dark Forest was silent. The branches stood frozen, as if afraid to break under the weight of the stillness. The air was thick with moisture, mingled with the metallic scent of blood. The earth still remembered the battle that had taken place earlier, and now it absorbed every drop of crimson liquid.
Lenor walked ahead, his steps silent, like a shadow. Ragnar followed, stepping heavily, leaving deep prints in the wet soil. Both felt it — something had awoken.
The air trembled. The ground pulsed with barely noticeable tremors, as if nature itself was holding its breath in fear.
In the distance, in the black abyss of the cave, red runes began to glow.
—"This will be a long night," grumbled Ragnar, twisting the hilt of his sword.
Lenor didn't reply. His gaze remained fixed on the darkness that had thickened at the entrance to the cave. The fire in the runic symbols flared brighter, shimmering with an eerie glow.
The earth trembled.
A sharp wind cut through the forest, scattering leaves. Somewhere high above, something heavy shifted, scraping its claws against the stone.
A rumble.
Lenor tightened his grip on his sword hilt. Ragnar felt the air around them thicken, as if the very space was narrowing.
—"A wyvern... and something else," Lenor said coldly.
Then everything fell silent. Only the tension remained in the air. It waited.
One moment.
BOOM!
Flames erupted in the darkness, bursting from the cave's entrance. Hot waves of fire shot upward, mixing with sparks and fragments of stone.
In the fire, it appeared — a massive wyvern, its skin resembling molten metal, its eyes burning with a dark light. On its back stood a demonic mage.
Lenor met his gaze.
—"Ah, just the one I wanted to see..." the demon began.
His voice was like a snake's hiss, filled with predatory satisfaction.
Lenor slowly shifted his hand on the sword hilt. Ragnar smiled and slightly tilted his head.
—"Oh, yes. This will be fun."
Lenor's eyes met the demon's for the second time.
The battle began.
The wyvern soared into the air, its enormous wings spreading wide. Its roar swept across the forest, causing the trees to sway.
Fire!
Flames erupted from its maw, scorching the earth. Lenor sharply dodged, his body moving fast, almost soundlessly. The blade of his sword gleamed, cutting through the wave of fire.
Ragnar did not retreat. His sword cut through the air, slicing through the flames, and he continued his attack.
The demon dissolved into shadow.
Lenor felt its movement even before it appeared behind him. Shadow magic. He didn't look back — he simply made a quick slash with his sword.
Nothing.
—"Fast…" the demon's voice sounded right next to him.
Lenor leapt sideways. The black blade pierced the spot he had just vacated, leaving a dark line in the air.
Meanwhile, Ragnar had already swung his sword, meeting the wyvern's attack. A deafening clash. The force of the impact cracked the ground beneath their feet.
Lenor's eyes narrowed. The demon wasn't just fast — he was also attacking chaotically. Blow after blow, shadows shifted, appearing where they shouldn't have been.
The wyvern lashed out with its tail, destroying a stone boulder.
Ragnar dodged and then leapt forward, bringing his sword down over his head. He plunged directly into the heart of the attack. His strike wasn't just physical — it was a blow that shattered space.
The blade met the wyvern's skin.
Lenor sensed the moment. He moved forward.
His sword cleaved through the darkness with lightning speed, almost imperceptibly cutting through the space. The demon vanished, but this time, Lenor was ahead of him.
The blade sank into flesh.
The demon stepped back a few paces, glancing down at the gash on his chest.
— "Not bad…" — he ran his finger along the wound, and it disappeared.
Lenor didn't respond.
Ragnar struck again.
This time, the wyvern screamed.
The darkness around them thickened, compressing the space, as if the night itself had surrendered to the demon's power. His figure dissolved into shadows, but even unseen, he pierced Lenor with a sense of inevitable danger.
A sudden flash! The shadow exploded into a fiery whirlwind, emerging from nothing. Lenor barely managed to dodge, his body reacting faster than his mind. A sharp pain ran through his shoulder — a barely noticeable cut from the black blade that had materialized out of the void.
— "You're slowing down…" — The demon appeared for a moment, his eyes glowing with a predatory purple, and his smile was full of pleasure. — "…and I'm just getting started."
The wyvern crashed to the ground, raising dust and shattered stone. Its massive body trembled with pain — the wound from Ragnar's strike was bleeding, but the beast didn't stop. It rose again into the air, sharply turning, and with its jaws open, it released a stream of black fire.
Ragnar laughed. The laugh of a fearless warrior already tasting the thrill of the battle.
— "Oh, you decided not to run?!" — he roared, pressing himself into the ground and launching upward. His body exploded with energy, and his sword, gleaming from the powerful strike, cut through the dark fire, cleaving it in half.
The wyvern howled, its eyes wide in surprise — Ragnar was already in front of it, his blade descending with incredible force.
THUD!
The scales cracked, the wyvern's body shuddered, and it tried to retreat, but it was too late. Blood splashed into the air, mixing with the smoke.
Lenor seized the moment. His gaze pierced the darkness, sensing where the demon was. A sharp movement — and his sword sliced through the air, cutting through the very point where there had just been emptiness.
The demon appeared at the moment of impact — it was a trap!
The black blade flashed.
— "Do you really think you can reach me?!" — The demon smirked, but in the very next moment, his expression changed.
Lenor adjusted his grip on the sword.
His strike passed straight through the shadow illusion and struck the true target! The demon's black cloak was torn, leaving behind a bright red line of blood across his chest.
The demon recoiled, his eyes narrowing.
— "How…?" — He trembled for a moment, as if not believing what had happened.
Lenor breathed heavily, but his face remained calm. He had finally read the rhythm of the battle.
— "You're fast," — he said quietly. — "But you're predictable."
The demon gritted his teeth. His body was engulfed in dark energy, pulsing in sync with his heartbeat. Something was changing.
The wyvern made its final desperate lunge, trying to throw Ragnar off its back. But the warrior had already anchored himself.
— "You don't understand…" — Ragnar whispered, gripping his sword with both hands. — "…I've already decided how to kill you!"
The ground beneath them trembled.
Magical energy filled the air, tearing at the fabric of reality.
A sudden explosion of energy tore through the air. The darkness surrounding the demon began to pulse from within, radiating waves of raw, uncontrollable power. The space around him twisted, the shadows howling like living things, and his eyes flickered with cold, otherworldly light.
Lenor quickly stepped back, feeling every cell of his body warning him of danger. But now, he couldn't retreat. This fight had to end here and now.
The demon blazed with light, his dark cloak fluttering in the unseen wind.
— "Still holding on?" — His voice had grown low and deep, as if the darkness itself was speaking through him. — "Then I'll show you what true darkness is."
Lenor gave a barely noticeable smile, pressing his fingers to the hilt of his sword. His eyes glowed with confidence.
— "You've already shown me your darkness," — his voice was calm. — "Now, look at my light."
Lenor's blade blazed with white fire, cutting through the surrounding gloom. He no longer hesitated.
A swift movement!
The demon made a sharp lunge, trying to catch Lenor by surprise, but he vanished from sight. Only fleeting glimpses remained in the air. Too fast! The demon didn't have time to react.
Suddenly — BAM!
Lenor appeared above his opponent, his sword crashing into the ground beside the demon's feet, creating a powerful explosion of energy that sent the enemy flying back.
The demon flipped in the air and landed on one knee, breathing heavily. His hands trembled.
— "I-I can't believe it…" — His gaze was filled with fury. — "YOU CAN'T BE THIS FAST!"
Lenor didn't respond. He was already moving again.