Darkness roared.
Inside the dome, the forest no longer existed as it should. Trees were reduced to warped silhouettes, their shadows stretched and twisted into unnatural angles as **Elliana and Kaela moved through the black like opposing forces of will**.
Steel rang.
Shadow screamed.
Kaela struck first—her blade flashing upward in a precise arc, mana compressed so tightly it **split the darkness apart** as she advanced. Elliana met it head-on, shadow-forged steel colliding with mana in a violent shriek that sent ripples tearing through the dome itself.
They didn't retreat.
They *slid*.
Elliana vanished mid-clash, reappearing behind Kaela in the same breath, a shadow dagger driving for the base of her neck. Kaela twisted at the last instant, blade reversing in a brutal backhand slash that carved through empty air—
—and clipped Elliana's shoulder.
Black blood scattered, swallowed instantly by the darkness.
Elliana didn't slow.
Shadows erupted from the ground, coiling around Kaela's legs, seeking to bind, to drag her down. Kaela slammed her foot into the earth, mana detonating outward in a sharp pulse that **shattered the shadows**, sending fragments of darkness spiraling away like torn cloth.
Their eyes locked.
No words.
Only intent.
They collided again—faster now. Elliana's movements blurred as she stepped through shadow after shadow, her presence folding and unfolding around Kaela in rapid succession. Kaela countered with ruthless efficiency, her blade always in the right place, mana flaring just enough to keep the shadows at bay.
Each strike was meant to kill.
Each parry meant survival.
The dome **throbbed**, reacting to the pressure of their clash. Darkness surged and recoiled, while rain beyond the barrier hung frozen in place, suspended by forces it could not touch.
Then—
The darkness **shifted**.
Not surged.
Not reacted.
It **parted**.
A presence cut through the dome like a blade through silk.
Kaela's instincts screamed.
She twisted—
Too late.
A shadow **erupted behind her**, condensing into solid form within a heartbeat.
Draven.
He came out of the darkness as if it had *thrown* him forward—no warning, no sound, both blades already in motion. His body was low and coiled, momentum perfectly aligned as he **launched straight for Kaela**.
The first strike aimed for her spine.
The second for her throat.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
Elliana felt it instantly.
Her shadows **answered**, surging in response as mother and son moved in terrifying synchronization.
Kaela barely managed to raise her blade, mana flaring violently as she turned to meet the sudden assault—
Steel, shadow, and mana collided in a blinding fracture of force—
—and the dome **shuddered**, darkness screaming as the balance of the fight was violently, irrevocably broken.
Draven was back.
And Kaela was no longer fighting one monster—
—but two.
The rhythm of the battle **changed** the instant Draven joined.
Not louder.
Not messier.
Sharper.
Elliana and Draven moved as if the darkness itself were **passing commands between them**—no words, no glances, only instinct honed into lethal harmony.
Draven struck first.
He hurled one blade without slowing, the dagger spinning end over end through the black. Kaela deflected it on reflex—
—and Draven was already there.
The moment the dagger glanced off her blade, the shadows **bent**, and the weapon curved back midair. Draven caught it behind his back without looking, momentum flowing seamlessly as he reversed his grip and slashed upward for Kaela's ribs.
Kaela twisted away, mana flaring—but Elliana was already moving.
A shadow blade flashed in from the opposite angle, forcing Kaela to parry high—
Draven's kick slammed into her knee.
Bone **cracked**.
Kaela skidded back through the darkness, boots carving trenches in the earth as she recovered, blade snapping back into guard. Her breathing remained controlled, but her eyes sharpened—calculating, adjusting.
They didn't give her time.
Elliana vanished, reappearing above in a silent executioner's descent. Kaela raised her sword to block—
—and Draven **threw his blade again**, this time low.
The dagger skimmed the ground, slicing for Kaela's ankle.
She leapt—
The blade **turned**.
Midair.
It snapped upward under Draven's command, clipping her calf as Elliana's strike crashed down. Mana exploded outward as Kaela barely deflected the killing blow, the force driving her into the ground hard enough to crater the earth beneath her.
Draven landed beside her.
Caught the returning dagger.
Switched grips.
Stabbed.
Kaela rolled, the blade missing her heart by a breath, carving a deep furrow through her shoulder instead. Blood sprayed, glowing faintly with mana as she twisted to her feet, blade coming up in a savage counter.
Elliana intercepted it.
Steel met shadow, sparks scattering like dying stars as Elliana locked Kaela's sword in place. For a fraction of a heartbeat, Kaela was held—
—and Draven moved.
He slid in close, too close for a full swing, his elbow smashing into Kaela's ribs, followed by a brutal knee to her abdomen. Mana sputtered as the air was torn from her lungs.
She staggered.
Didn't fall.
Instead, she slammed her forehead into Draven's face, mana detonating point-blank. Draven was hurled back, skidding through the darkness—
—but the moment he stopped, he **threw**.
The dagger left his hand like a thought.
Elliana caught it.
Turned.
Threw it back.
Draven appeared beneath it, catching the blade mid-spin and turning the motion into a rising slash that forced Kaela back once more, her guard fracturing under the relentless pressure.
They were dismantling her.
Not overpowering—
**outpacing**.
Every deflection became a trap.
Every retreat, a narrowing cage.
Elliana's shadows closed in, limiting Kaela's space, her footing, her angles. Draven's blades filled every gap, never striking the same line twice, never allowing rhythm to form.
Kaela's breathing finally hitched.
For the first time, frustration flickered across her face.
She wasn't losing to strength.
She was losing to **coordination**.
Elliana's voice cut through the darkness, calm and deadly.
"Now."
The shadows surged.
Draven moved.
And Kaela realized—too late—that every step she had taken had led her exactly where they wanted her.
The battle **didn't slow**.
If anything, it tightened.
Draven moved faster than ever—shadow step chaining into shadow step, blades flashing in arcs so tight they screamed through the darkness. He cut, redirected, vanished, reappeared. Every motion was lethal.
And yet—
He felt it.
A fraction.
A breath.
A gap he couldn't quite close.
Elliana and Kaela were still **faster**.
Not by much—but enough.
Draven noticed the pattern before he consciously admitted it. The moments where Kaela's blade should have taken his throat—but didn't. The times her counter was *there*—then subtly redirected. The way shadows thickened just enough at his flank, slowing an incoming strike by a hair's breadth.
Elliana.
She was **covering** for him.
Every time Draven overextended, the darkness compensated.
Every time his timing slipped, Kaela's angle bent.
Every time his speed fell short, Elliana was already there.
Draven's jaw tightened.
*Damn it.*
He twisted through another exchange, catching his dagger mid-flight and slashing for Kaela's neck. She blocked, mana flaring violently as she shoved him back—
—and Elliana was instantly between them, shadow blade locking Kaela's sword before it could follow through.
Draven landed, boots skidding.
*I'm still too damn slow.*
Not weak.
Not sloppy.
Just… not there yet.
His breath came harder now, chest burning as he chained movement after movement. Shadow step pushed him further each time—but it was no longer effortless. Muscles screamed. Reactions remained sharp, but the cost climbed.
Elliana felt it.
She adjusted without a word.
Her shadows grew denser around Draven's movements, subtly reinforcing his steps, shortening his travel through space. Where Draven vanished, she *pulled* him forward. Where Kaela struck, Elliana intercepted half the force, leaving Draven to handle the rest.
Kaela noticed.
Her eyes narrowed.
She changed tactics—stopped pressing Draven directly. Instead, her strikes angled *around* him, targeting Elliana through him, forcing decisions. Forcing sacrifices.
Elliana took them.
A blade slipped past Kaela's guard and opened Elliana's side. Black blood hit the ground.
Draven felt it like a punch to the gut.
"Ma—"
"Focus," Elliana said calmly, already moving. "I've got you."
The shadows surged again, harsher now, more oppressive. The dome responded, darkness thickening as Elliana pushed harder, her breathing growing heavier despite her steady voice.
Draven clenched his teeth.
*She's carrying me.*
The realization burned worse than exhaustion.
Kaela pressed in, relentless, mana blazing as she forced Elliana to keep compensating—keep covering—keep paying the price.
Draven shifted.
Changed.
He stopped trying to keep up.
Instead, he let himself **fall behind**—by design.
A half-step slower than instinct demanded.
Kaela saw the opening.
She lunged.
And Draven smiled.
The moment Kaela committed, Draven vanished—not forward, not sideways—but **down**, melting into Elliana's shadow. Kaela's blade sliced through where his throat had been—
—and Draven erupted from behind her, both blades crossing for a killing strike.
Elliana's shadows snapped tight, locking Kaela in place for a heartbeat—
Just one.
Enough.
Draven moved.
Not faster than Kaela.
Not faster than Elliana.
But fast enough.
And this time—no one was covering for him.
This was his strike.
And it was going to count.