“Veil of Corruption”

Luneth walked with unhurried steps, her long black coat swaying gently with each movement. Each bootstep was deliberate, the leather softly pressing against wet stone, the sound swallowed by the damp night air. At her side, Kaori adjusted the strap of her scabbard, the weight of her Longsword resting against her hip. The silver-chased hilt gleamed faintly in the lamplight, catching just enough glow to hint at the fine craftsmanship without boasting Behind them, Daelric-the lone man of their trio-moved with a predator’s ease. 

His sword rested casually against one shoulder, the runed blade wrapped in cloth to keep it from catching the light. Even at rest, there was a readiness in the way he carried himself, like every step was a coil waiting to spring.

Luneth caught the words but didn’t break stride. She preferred when people talked about them in hushed tones-it kept distance between them and those who didn’t belong in their path. The weight of unspoken reputation could part crowds faster than any blade.

“Demon activity… Southwood perimeter,” he said in a low tone. “Not the usual kind, I take it?”

Daelric gave a faint, knowing smile. “If it were the usual kind, you wouldn’t be sending us.”

They passed through the gate, the city’s warm lamplight falling away behind them, swallowed by the deepening dark. Ahead, the road stretched into misty lowlands, flanked by crooked fence posts and tangled thickets. The moon hung low, a pale slice of silver framed in drifting clouds. The damp earth smelled of moss and rain, and somewhere far off, the faint rush of a river whispered beneath the wind.

By the time they reached Southwood, the air had changed. The night was still, but not peaceful-more like the forest was holding its breath. The usual nighttime chorus of crickets and owls was eerily absent. Not even the rustle of small creatures disturbed the silence.

“Dead quiet,” Kaori murmured, resting a hand on her sword hilt. “Never a good sign.”

Daelric lowered his sword from his shoulder, grip tightening around the hilt. “We stay close. No wandering off. We find the source, we end it.”

Luneth gaze swept to the tree line. The shadows here felt thicker than they should be, clinging to bark and earth like tar. A faint taste of corrupted mana lingered in the air-subtle, butter, and wrong. She let her awareness drift outward like a ripple in a pond, brushing against invisible threads of energy.

The forest didn’t just feel tainted: it felt… watched. They moved deeper into the woods, boots muffled by the thick carpet of damp leaves. The moonlight barely pierced the canopy, pooling in silver fragments along the path. Every few steps, Luneth sent out a subtle magical pulse, a quiet tasting of the air for those threads of corruption.

It didn’t take long for the first one to appear. A blur of movement in the dark-then a guttural snarl. The demon stepped into a shaft of moonlight, skin stretched too tightly over its bones, eyes burning faintly red. Its jaw hung slightly open, a faint hiss escaping between crooked fangs.

“Seiryu no Kaze!” Kaori’s blade flared with azure light as she dashed forward, wind curling around her like a living thing. She cut an arc that left a shimmering trail in its wake. The demon twisted to avoid the strike but wasn’t quick enough-the edge bit deep into its shoulder, spraying black ichor that steamed as it hit the earth.

Daelric sword followed a heartbeat later. “Pierce Fang!” His blade glowed crimson as it drove clean through the demon’s chest, pinning it to a tree before flaring with molten light, the blast searing the wound open with a hiss like wet stone on a forge.

Luneth lifted her hand without a word.

“Arkanis Fulmen.”

A pale sphere of lightning streaked from her palm, striking another demon mid-lunge. The impact cracked like a thunderclap in the enclosed woods, and the smell of scorched flesh spread as the creature crumpled, smoking.

They didn’t stop. Southwood was crawling-two demons, then three, then five-each more vicious than the last. The air grew heavier with every encounter, the oppressive mana sticking to their skin like humidity, except it drained rather than nourished.

Kaori’s blade cut silver-blue arcs in the moonlight, each strike accompanied by the whisper of displaced air. Dealric’s swordwork was relentless, his swings tight and efficient, forcing enemies into tight clusters for Luneth’s magic to finish in clean bursts of destructive light.

The rhythm became a strange kind of dance-Daelric would drive a demon left, Kaori would intercept with a wind￾cleaving strike and Luneth’s magic would end the movement in a blaze. Their breathing fell into unspoken timing, the flow of battle carrying them forward.

Still, Luneth noticed the signs-Daelric’s shoulders were tightening, his steps just a fraction slower; Kaori’s swings were still precise but no longer quite as fluid. The mana here was leeching their strength, every movement costing more than it should.

The real threat hadn’t shown itself yet.

It arrived at the ruins. Half-swallowed by forest, the crumbling archway loomed like the ribcage of some long-dead beast. The stones were slick with moss, the air colder here, heavier, thick enough to taste. Every breath wanted to pull damp cloth into the lungs.

The first roar shook leaves from the trees, scattering them in a rattling wave. From behind the arch, it emerged-a towering demon, plated in jagged black armor, its skin a patchwork of muscle and bone. Its claws were longer than swords, each step cracking roots and sinking deep into the soil. Black runes pulsed faintly across its form, and the air shimmered with regenerative magic, distorting like heat haze.

“That,” Daelric said slowly, eyes narrowing, “is new.”

“It’s not alone,” Kaori warned, her gaze snapping to the shadows. Lesser demons slithered into view-half a dozen, their movements twitchy and eager.

The big one roared again, the sound vibrating in their bones.

The lesser demons rushed first. 

“Renzoku Kaze-Giri!” Kaori’s strikes came in rapid succession, her blade a blur, cleaving a demon cleanly in half before spinning into the next. Daelric intercepted another mid-charge, his sword crashing through its neck with a wet, decisive crunch.

Then the plated demon struck. Daelric’s “Rending Arc!” rang against its armor like steel on steel. Sparks flew-no damage. Kaori’s “Ignis no Tatsumaki!” summoned a tornado of flame around its torso, but the fire only curled uselessly over the plating before fading. Worse-the shallow cuts she’d made were already sealing, fresh muscle knitting under the armor.

Luneth’s mind raced. Plated armor + regeneration. Both had to be broken in one decisive sequence. “Keep it busy!” she called. Her fingers wove through the air in deliberate, ancient rhythm. Shadows on the ground began curling toward her boots, stretching unnaturally long.

The demon lunged. Daelric ducked under a massive claw, countering with “Scarlet Wolf Fang!”-his sword carving a glowing red arc across the demon’s side. It staggered but kept moving, the wound already tightening.

Kaori spun into position. “Hiryū Ranbu!” Silver wind struck like a hurricane, battering the demon’s head back. Its footing faltered just enough. 

Luneth’s eyes sharpened. “Oblivion Lance!”

A thin beam, of violet white tore forward, striking the demon’s arm. There was no explosion-just absence. The limb ceased to exist, erased cleanly.

The demon shrieked in rage and pain. Daelric didn’t hesitate. “Crimson Fang Breaker!” His sword plunged into the exposed chest, molten light blasting outward. Kaori followed instantly-“Fulminea Tempestas!”-bolts of lightning raining down in rapid succession, hammering the open wound.

For a moment, it seemed enough. Then the runes along its body flared, bathing it in pulsing red light. Flesh and plating began reforming at impossible speed. 

Luneth’s lips curved faintly. “Not this time.” She extended her hand, voice low and cold.

“Accelerare Decandentia.”

The black plating began to bubble, then crack, years of decay compressed into heartbeats. The flesh beneath shrivelled and split.

“Now!” she snapped.

Daelric roared, poring everything into “Lux Severus Maxima!”-a final strike that split the demon’s chest wide open. 

Kaori’s sword blurred, her magic surging into the wound, ripping through the core in a violent crack of energy.

The demon froze mid-air. Them it toppled like a fella tree, shaking the earth. The lesser demons scattered back into the forest’s deeper shadows. Daelric lowered his sword, panting. “That was… something.”

Kaori gave Luneth a sidelong glance. “You barely broke a sweat.” Luneth only smiled faintly. “We all played our part.” They turned toward Everveil. The forest was silent once more, but it wasn’t the kind of silence that felt safe. Luneth lingered at the treeline, her gaze sweeping the darkness like she was waiting for something else to step forward.

Not tonight. But soon.

She would make sure word of this night reached exactly to who needed to hear it.

Later, as they crossed back into the lamplight of the city, Daelric and Kaori walked ahead, speaking quietly. Luneth hung back, her thoughts moving like chess pieces in the dark.

Every step… exactly as I planned. Soon, the game will begin. 

Her fingers brushed the hidden sigil sewn into her cloak-the one even her teammates didn’t know existed.

“Soon,” she murmured, “all threads will tighten. And when they do… the Abyss will answer.”

The moon dipped lower, bowing to the one who held the clock.