The training courtyard was a furnace of dust and effort. Erin's lungs burned, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he parried another of Zoro's lightning-fast strikes. The veteran warrior didn't even look winded; he moved with the cold, rhythmic precision of a ticking clock.
"Again," Zoro commanded, his voice like grinding stones. "Your Light is flickering, Erin. If you can't hold your focus in a courtyard, you'll be a corpse in the Abyss."
Before Erin could raise his practice blade, a soft voice broke the tension.
"The Guildmaster doesn't like to be kept waiting, Zoro. Even by his favorite student."
A young girl, Sara, stood at the archway. She was a runner for the Guild, barely twenty, with a smile that seemed to pull the shadows out of the corners of the stone walls. She walked over, handing a sealed scroll to Zoro. While the swordsman broke the wax, Sara turned to Erin.
She reached out, her fingers catching a stray thread on his tunic, tucking it back into place with a gentle pat. "You look like you've been dragged through the mud," she teased, offering him a small, cool flask of water.
"It's... harder than it looks," Erin managed, his face flushing.
"I believe it," Sara said softly. Her eyes were bright, full of a hope that felt rare in this city. "When the 'old man' is done with you, come find me at the market square. I'll show you where the best bread is hidden. It's a promise, okay?"
Erin took the flask, his heart steadying for the first time all day. "I'll be there. I promise."
Zoro grunted, tucking the scroll into his belt. "The Guildmaster wants a report. Erin, stay here and—"
BOOM.
The world turned into a roar of fire and falling stone. A massive explosion ripped through the outer wall of the courtyard, sending a shockwave that threw Erin to the ground. Dust choked the air, turning the sunlight into a sickly orange haze.
Through the settling debris, a shadow emerged. It was towering, its skin the color of bruised meat, clad in rusted, spiked plates. The 4th Demon Commander. The lowest of the elite, but to a human, a god of slaughter.
Sara was closer to the breach. She was coughing, trying to scramble to her feet, her eyes wide with terror.
"Sara! Run!" Erin screamed, his Light flaring instinctively.
But the Demon was faster. With a sound like a wet snap, its massive clawed hand shot forward, snatching Sara from the ground. She didn't even have time to scream. In one casual, horrific motion, the Commander opened its maw.
The promise of the market square—the bread, the smile, the hope—was gone in a single, sickening crunch.
"NO!"
The sound that left Erin's throat wasn't human. His Light didn't just glow; it erupted. A blinding, jagged pillar of white fire surged around him as he charged. He didn't see Zoro's hand reach out to stop him. He didn't see the Demon's tactical shift. He only saw red.
He swung with everything he had, a reckless, wide arc of pure energy.
The Commander didn't even flinch. It sidestepped the clumsy strike and drove a massive, armored knee directly into Erin's chest.
CRACK.
Three of Erin's ribs shattered instantly. The air was punched out of his lungs, replaced by a white-hot spike of agony that felt like a Brand. He hit the stone floor, his body bouncing once before sliding into the dirt. He tried to breathe, but only a wet, gargling sound came out. He was helpless, his vision blurring as his Light flickered and died.
"Pathetic," the Demon growled, stepping toward the broken boy.
Suddenly, a blur of steel intercepted the Commander's path.
Zoro stood there. He wasn't glowing. He wasn't screaming. He was a statue of ice. His blade hummed with a low, terrifying frequency.
"You chose the wrong courtyard to feed in," Zoro whispered.
The fight that followed was a blur of high-level mastery. Zoro moved like a ghost, his blade carving deep, smoking rifts into the Demon's hide. For every strike the Commander threw, Zoro returned three. The Demon roared in frustration, its blood—black and acidic—hissing on the stones.
Severely damaged, one of its horns sheared off and its chest heaving, the Commander realized it was outmatched. With a desperate, dark burst of energy that leveled the remaining pillars, it vanished into a cloud of foul smoke, retreating toward the wastes.
Silence returned to the courtyard.
Erin lay in the dirt, clutching his side, tears of pain and failure streaming down his face. He looked at the spot where Sara had stood moments ago. There was nothing left but a small, torn piece of her sleeve.
Zoro didn't move to help him up. He stood over Erin, his sword still dripping black ichor.
"Your rage gave you power," Zoro said, his voice cold and disappointing. "But your lack of focus gave the enemy your life. Remember this pain, Erin. It is the only thing your 'hope' bought you today."