The first movement came without warning.
Steel flashed.
Cid barely turned in time—
A blade scraped across his side instead of opening him up. He twisted, stepping back, instincts firing faster than thought.
Too clean. Too coordinated.
Not a mistake.
An attack.
Three of them closed in at once.
One from the front—fast, precise.
One circling left—light on their feet.
One hanging back—watching, waiting.
Cid exhaled slowly.
So this is how it is.
The first strike came again. He parried—barely. The impact traveled up his arm, forcing him back two steps. Before he could reset, the second attacker moved in, low sweep—
Cid jumped. Late—but enough.
He landed wrong.
The third moved instantly.
Pain exploded across his shoulder as something struck him from range—sharp, controlled, deliberate.
Cid staggered.
Not random.
They weren't rushing him. They were testing him. Pressuring. Cutting off options.
Training.
Just like before.
Except now—
They meant to kill him.
Cid steadied his breathing.
Then he moved.
This time—he didn't react.
He read.
The front attacker stepped in—Cid shifted early, redirecting the strike instead of blocking it. The second came low again—predictable now—he pivoted, avoiding it entirely.
Cleaner.
Faster.
Better.
A strike came from behind—
Cid ducked.
Too slow.
It clipped him anyway.
He slid back, boots scraping stone, chest rising and falling.
They were still faster.
Still stronger.
But not untouchable.
Not anymore.
Across the chamber—
They watched.
Ava's gaze was sharp. Calculating.
Darius stood still, spear resting lightly in his hand. No tension. No urgency.
Just observation.
Always observation.
Cid wiped blood from his lip.
Laughed—quiet, breathless.
"...You're watching too much."
No one responded.
He glanced past the fighters. Straight at Darius.
"Worried I'll become something you can't control?"
A flicker.
Small.
But there.
The pressure in the room shifted.
The next exchange was faster.
Cid moved first this time. Closed distance. Forced the front attacker back—unexpected. The second hesitated—
That was new.
Cid pressed.
Strike. Turn. Adjust.
He was learning.
Too fast.
Darius' grip tightened—just slightly.
Enough.
The moment broke.
"Fall back."
The three disengaged instantly.
Clean. Disciplined. Obedient.
Cid's eyes narrowed.
…So that's it.
Darius stepped forward.
No rush. No wasted movement.
The air changed.
Cid felt it immediately.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Danger.
Real danger.
"...You adapt quickly," Darius said.
Calm. Certain.
"That's what makes you valuable."
Cid forced himself upright. Muscles screaming. Vision slightly blurred.
"Then come see it up close."
Darius didn't smile.
Didn't react.
He simply lifted the spear.
Lightning answered.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
It coiled along the weapon like something alive—bright, concentrated, silent for just a moment—
Then—
It moved.
Cid tried to react.
He really did.
His body shifted. Muscles fired. Instinct screamed—
Too slow.
The world went white.
Impact.
Sound disappeared.
Pain
It tore through him—clean, absolute, overwhelming. His body hit the ground hard, skidding across stone, breath gone, nerves screaming.
Smoke curled from his skin.
Cid couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
His mark burned.
No—
Not burned.
Surged.
Heat flooded his throat. Spread through his chest. Violent. Unstable.
Something inside him—
Moved.
For a second—
Just one—
Lightning answered.
Not outside.
Inside.
Uncontrolled.
Raging.
Wrong.
Cid's body jerked.
His vision fractured.
The power rose—
And then—
Collapsed.
Gone.
Silence.
He lay there.
Broken.
Breathing shallow.
Empty.
"…Still incomplete," Darius said.
Footsteps approached slowly. Measured.
"No control. No stability."
A pause.
"But potential…"
Another step.
"…worth harvesting later."
Behind them—
No one noticed her move.
Ria's hands trembled.
Eyes wide. Breathing uneven.
Move.
She couldn't.
Move.
Her magic wasn't for this.
She slowed things. Supported. Stayed behind.
That's what she was.
That's what she—
Cid didn't move.
Something cracked.
Not outside.
Inside.
"…No."
Barely a whisper.
Her hands lifted.
Vines crept along the ground—silent, subtle—slipping into cracks, weaving through broken stone.
Not attacking.
Positioning.
More.
Faster.
Deeper.
No one noticed.
Ria's breath hitched.
"…I won't…"
Her fingers clenched.
The vines tightened.
Pulled.
Shifted—
The ceiling answered.
A deep, violent crack split the chamber.
Everyone looked up.
Too late.
Stone collapsed.
Chaos exploded.
Dust. Debris. Impact.
Vision gone.
Sound shattered.
In that single moment—
Ria moved.
She reached him. Dropped beside him.
He was barely conscious.
"Cid—!"
No response.
The vines wrapped around them both.
Pulled.
Dragged.
The ground gave way beneath the collapsing stone—an opening forced, unstable, narrow—
But enough.
They fell.
Darkness swallowed them.
Above—
The collapse settled.
Silence returned.
Darius stood still.
Unmoved.
Unharmed.
Watching the dust settle.
"…He's alive," one of the members said.
A pause.
Darius turned slightly.
Eyes cold. Certain.
"Good."
Another glance—toward the broken ground.
"Let him run."
"Fear will grow him faster."
And somewhere below—
In the dark—
Cid's mark pulsed again.
Weak.
Unstable.
Waiting.