When Elements Bend

Gaza's breaths came in ragged bursts, fury burning through his widened eyes as he realized his elemental supremacy was being turned back on him.

"So then... you really can absorb magic?" he snarled.

Loid's eyes gleamed as the flaming sphere in his hand twisted and flickered before dissipating. "Something like that."

He smirked.

"Now, let's see what else you've got."

Shifting his stance, his left palm wreathed in a thick, dark miasma that churned and folded in on itself, hungry and waiting.

Seems I can't hold absorbed energy for long... is it because it isn't coming from my own mana pool?

A cruel smile spread across Gaza's face.

"Oh, you'll see."

He slammed his hands together.

The clouds above the village roiled violently, and a jagged streak of lightning tore across the sky, hissing as it arced toward Loid.

He raised his palm, dark-violet mana coiling like a spinning void as the bolt struck his Devour aura, the lightning spiraling inward, swallowed whole.

The air sizzled, ozone filling every breath, yet not a hair on his head stirred, nor did a single bead of sweat mar his calm.

Before Gaza could react, Loid lunged, closing the distance in a heartbeat, lightning already streaking along his arm as the ground shattered in a trail beside his feet. He grinned with excitement.

I always imagined doing this one day!

But Gaza was ready.

His weapon glowed blue, and water erupted around it. The moment Loid's lightning-charged hand was about to connect, the water engulfed his strike, twisting tightly around his arm.

Loid's eyes widened in shock. Gaza had anticipated him perfectly. Before he could even process it, the water surged upward, dragging him along.

Gaza swung his magical item, water swallowing and spiraling with Loid trapped inside, the momentum tightening with every rotation. Then, with a precise flick, he snapped the weapon forward, hurling Loid across the sky, spinning him violently as the air screamed past.

Even as he spun through the air, the world blurring around him, Loid caught sight of Gaza already charging multiple fireballs, arcs of flame streaking toward him.

"Clever bastard," Loid muttered.

"Just die already!" Gaza roared.

Muscle memory and instinct took over.

Twisting midair, Devour flaring. Dark-violet energy spiraled around his outstretched hand, snatching the incoming fireballs and drawing them into a dark, pulsing vortex.

The weight vanished, but gravity didn't.

He dropped.

Loid snapped his body straight, wrenching control back into the fall. He hit hard, boots slamming into the dirt as he absorbed the impact. A sharp, sudden thrum ripped through his left arm, biting every nerve and muscle. He tightened his jaw for a second.

Charlotte instinctively stepped back, still unable to believe the spectacle that unfolded before her. And at this point, she even stopped trying to even make sense of it.

"You know, Gaza... you're actually interesting," Loid said casually, masking his irritation.

He opened his palm.

The gathered energy compressed, layers folding inward until it became a blinding sphere of pure mana, crackling with absorbed fire and lightning.

Gaza's bewilderment twisted into terror.

"No... this isn't possible! Am I... losing... to a nobody?"

"You will," Loid said. "If you don't block this."

With a sharp motion, Loid hurled the sphere forward as it detonated midair. 

A controlled explosion of converged elements tore toward Gaza in a roaring surge. He threw up his barrier in panic, but the impact shattered its edges, debris and burning energy ripping through the weakened defenses.

The ground quaked weakly.

Dust rose first, then more splintered wood peeled from the huts, spiraling into the air. Gaza staggered back, coughing, a thin bead of blood trailing down his temple.

Elisia's smirk widened.

Let's see how far you can push him, Mr. Captain. This can't be all you've got, she thought, daring him.

As if answering her unspoken challenge, Gaza growled and clenched his item. Lightning sparked across his armor, while water from the nearby lake began to churn. It rose in a surging wall, twisting and compressing until it became a raging vortex of lightning-infused water aimed straight at Loid.

The roar of water and the crackle of lightning surged toward him.

Loid clicked his tongue in frustration.

Dammit, he's still going?!

His fingers twitched. Then he thrust his palm forward.

Devour flared, hungry as ever.

Dark-violet mana collided with the lightning-laced torrent in a violent clash of blue and black. The vortex bucked, warping as it was dragged inward until the entire assault was swallowed whole.

Pain throbbed up Loid's arm, sharp and insistent. He bared his teeth, then forced it down, refusing to give Gaza even a hint of weakness.

He straightened, shoulders squared and let a forced smirk settle on his face.

"You really think spamming attacks is going to change anything?" he said, almost teasingly.

Who am I to talk? I'm spamming this Devour thing too, honestly.

Gaza's jaw tightened, lightning still crackling across his magical item, and deep down, the realization that he might lose sank in even further. No matter how much he adapted, he kept coming up short.

The first crack of defiance from the village broke the silence. Shelly barreled from her doorstep; tiny fist planted on her hips.

"Go, big bro! Beat the bad man!" she shouted, fearless and bright.

Then the chief stumbled out behind her.

"Vanquish that tyrant!" he roared.

One by one, village doors creaked open.

Faces that had once held fear and fragile hope now hardened with determination as they stepped out, standing before their homes, out in the open, surrounded by mingled dust and scents Loid could no longer distinguish.

A voice whispered, "Go, Nova..."

Then another.

"Show him who's boss."

The words gathered, stacking, rising, until one cry rose above the rest.

"For Ethan!"

The chant cut through the village — ragged, desperate, alive.

Charlotte's breath caught, not from the noise, but from what it stirred. She realized that the hope they had been denied for so many years had finally reignited, brighter and stronger than ever.

Her mind slipped backward.

To a night that smelled of smoke and iron. To hands too small to stop the bleeding. To Ethan's weight sagging in her arms as she held him, terrified of what the next breath might bring.

"Char... Charlotte... don't cry..."

The words weren't spoken now. They were remembered, every break, and tremor burned into her. She had mentioned them at the grave, but at the time, Loid couldn't hear her properly.

"You... you and the others have to hang in there... don't lose hope..."

Her vision blurred as the memory pressed closer.

"I've met powerful... mages in my travels. Even if I... die here... don't give in... I believe someone will come... Someone strong."

The chant surged again — Go, Nova! — dragging her back to the present.

"When they come... welcome them with open arms. They'll be the ones... to break the shackles... so... just hang in there... okay?... sis..."

The last image she held was his smile, wide and shining brighter than the fear or pain around them, just before he took his final breath.

Charlotte exhaled shakily. A tear slipped down.

Loid stood at the center of the square with that same feigned smirk, his eyes locked on Gaza, unmoved by the crowd. He knew he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do. If he showed the people even a hint of weakness, they wouldn't believe in him, so his performance — hiding the pain and projecting unwavering confidence...

Had finally paid off.

Charlotte's whisper was barely audible.

"Ethan... I think... I think..."

A faint, tearful smile formed.

"...they're finally here."