The screams began to fade.
Not all at once.
They receded layer by layer, until only a faint trembling remained in the air. The energy that had filled the area moments ago slowly collapsed inward, as if something unseen had pulled it back into itself.
A heavy silence settled.
Ryan tried to steady himself. His body still refused to obey him, and the pressure crushing his chest had not fully disappeared. Eileen breathed with difficulty, a dim blue glow lingering around her fingers, unstable but not yet gone, while Sera stood beside her, her eyes fixed on the black figure ahead of them.
The mysterious sorcerer did not move.
He simply watched.
His gaze shifted between them slowly, without urgency, as if reading something they themselves could not see.
Eileen's voice came out low, strained.
"Ray... can you still stand?"
"...Yes," Ryan answered, forcing the word out.
Sera didn't look away from the sorcerer.
"He's not attacking... why is he waiting?"
Before anyone could respond, Siron spoke.
His voice was calm.
"So... what have you decided to do?"
The mysterious sorcerer smiled faintly. A cold smile.
"I haven't decided yet."
He paused, then added quietly,
"I'm still thinking about what to do with the three of you."
Their expressions stiffened instantly.
Siron hummed softly.
"Hm."
Then, without sympathy, he said,
"Why not end it now?"
Blue light flared around Eileen before she consciously reacted. The energy gathered unevenly, spreading outward into a fragile barrier that trembled as it formed around them.
The sorcerer watched the movement and chuckled softly. Siron smiled as well.
"Look at them," Siron said mockingly.
"They're preparing."
"Of course," the sorcerer replied without looking away.
"That is the expected response."
He slowly raised his hand.
No staff.
Just a small movement of his fingers.
The air in front of him warped, dark magical shapes forming silently before drifting toward them.
They struck the blue barrier.
At first, it held.
Then the light began to thin. The blue glow weakened at the edges, dissolving as if the magic itself were being pulled apart from within.
Eileen's eyes widened.
"What is—?"
The barrier collapsed.
The second attack followed immediately. Sera stepped forward, red sparks bursting from her hands as she collided with the incoming force. She stopped it—but the impact threw her backward.
Ryan tightened his grip on his staff and gathered what little magic he had left, barely deflecting the third strike. The impact made his arm tremble violently.
It wasn't a full-powered attack.
But for them... it was enough.
The sorcerer lowered his hand.
"Good."
He said it as if noting an observation.
Ryan lifted his head with effort.
"Who are you?" he asked, breathing unevenly.
"What do you want from us?"
No answer.
The sorcerer stepped forward.
One step.
The ground did not shake, yet the air grew heavier. A primal sense of danger tightened around them. With every step he took, fear grew—not because he attacked, but because they knew they no longer had the strength to fight again.
Eileen tried to gather the fading light again, but the energy flickered weakly at her fingertips before breaking apart, refusing to take shape.
Eileen " my energy... it's fading "
Sera " me too... I can't release my magic. It's getting weaker."
The sorcerer stopped in front of them.
And suddenly—
he disappeared.
Not gradually. Not a movement that could be followed. One moment he stood before them; the next, he was gone.
Their breathing halted.
Sera turned quickly, searching in every direction.
"Where did he go?"
Eileen lifted her head , her gaze sweeping the area as she searched for the mysterious sorcerer. " there was no trace of him "
Ryan didn't move.
Something was wrong.
The pressure that had vanished moments ago returned—but this time, it came from everywhere at once.
The air thickened. The silence itself became unbearable.
Siron didn't move either. A small smile appeared on his face, as if he already knew what would happen next.
A step.
No one heard it, yet the ground trembled faintly beneath them.
Eileen turned sharply.
"Ray—"
She didn't finish.
The energy appeared between them.
Not as light. Not as smoke.
A black void formed for a brief instant, compressed inward—and from within it, a body emerged.
The mysterious sorcerer now stood among them.
Close.
Too close.
His presence alone froze their bodies.
Sera's eyes widened as she instinctively stepped back. Eileen tried to move, but her body stalled midway, as if the weight in the air pressed her in place.
Ryan felt the air disappear from his lungs.
Only one step separated them. He could see the dark energy moving slowly around the sorcerer, breathing like something alive.
The sorcerer looked only at Ryan.
A long, examining gaze. Not angry—just deeply unsettling.
Then he slowly raised his hand.
His finger stopped in front of Ryan's chest,
And pressed.
It wasn't physical.
The energy entered directly into Ryan's chest.
His body convulsed violently as his breath was torn away. A crushing weight slammed onto his lungs, as if the air itself had been stolen from him. His knees gave out instantly, and he dropped, one hand hitting the ground to stop himself from collapsing completely. A harsh cough escaped him—followed by blood striking the dirt.
The world began to fade.
The sorcerer remained standing before him, watching silently... as if this outcome had been expected.
Sound disappeared.
Not suddenly—but as though something inside his head had been shut off.
Ryan bent forward, struggling to breathe. He opened his mouth, trying to draw air in, but heard nothing.
No shouting.
No magic.
No movement.
Only silence.
And for the first time, Ryan realized he could no longer feel the battlefield around him .