The wind howled.
heel slipped.
For a fraction of a second, the world tilted—sky becoming ground, ground becoming sky—and then gravity took him.
He fell.
The cliff face rushed past in a blur of stone and snapping vines. Leo twisted his body midair, smashing into a jutting rock, the impact driving the air from his lungs. Pain exploded through his ribs, but his hands moved on instinct, fingers clawing into roots and cracks, slowing—but not stopping—his descent.
Above him, laughter echoed.
"You really think a fall will save you?" the Shadow's voice drifted down, amused.
A dark blur plunged after him.
Too fast.
Leo's heart hammered. He kicked off the cliff wall, flipping and landing hard on a narrow ledge. Stone cracked under his feet. He barely had time to raise his arms before the Shadow struck, a palm coated in corrosive darkness smashing into his guard.
Boom.
Leo flew, slamming into the cliff again. Something inside him shifted—organs jolted, bones screaming—but he stayed conscious.
Not because he was stronger.
Because he understood something.
As he struggled to rise, gasping, Leo felt it—the violent clash between energies. The Shadow's power wasn't random. It vibrated. Pulsed. Moved with a rhythm.
"…Resonance," Leo whispered.
The Shadow paused.
"Oh?"
Leo's breathing slowed. For the first time since the fight began, he stopped reacting blindly.
Internal energy surged within him, no longer wild. He adjusted it—minute changes, tiny alignments—until it matched the frequency of the energy crashing down on him.
The next strike came.
Leo thrust his spear.
The collision didn't explode.
It passed through.
Shockwaves rippled instead of shattering him, dispersing into the cliff face. Leo skidded back, arms numb—but alive.
The Shadow's eyes narrowed.
"You're learning mid-battle," he said softly. "Troublesome."
Leo didn't answer.
He moved.
One step became many. Each motion flowed into the next, his body acting a beat ahead—Single Step chaining seamlessly with the 72 Movements of Heaven. His spear no longer fought the Shadow's power head-on.
It echoed it.
Matched it.
Redirected it.
DINGEnergy Resonance — ComprehendedAbility to align internal energy frequency with external forces, enabling manipulation, mitigation, and redirection.
DINGArt of Spearmanship — Lv 2
DING72 Movements of Heaven — Lv 2
Leo landed on another ledge, chest heaving, blood running down his chin. He was battered. Outmatched. One mistake from death.
But no longer helpless.
The Shadow floated across the broken air, darkness curling around him.
"…Interesting," he said. "Very interesting indeed."
Leo tightened his grip on the spear, eyes sharp despite the pain.
He couldn't win.
But now—
He could survive.