Realmshift: Triad Ascendancy.

Unbalanced scales.

[ARKANE]

"Let's keep moving," I said as we pushed deeper into Ashen Grove. The further we went, the worse it got—the heat rising to unbearable levels, far beyond anything my powers could suppress. I was fine; I could endure it. But when I glanced at Ren and Lyra, I could see the strain on their faces. Still, they held strong, and I felt a flicker of admiration for their determination.

Doran, too, was doing his best to stay composed, though I could tell he was struggling just as much.

Eventually, we came across a steep slope—our only visible path forward. We decided to slide down. I went first, followed by Doran. Lyra jumped in with a grin, her energy still somehow intact despite the heat. Then came Ren, who paused at the top, looking down at her.

"Which one of us is the girl again? How did you make that jump?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he slid down after her.

Lyra shot him a deadpan look. "Hey, you myogenic. Arkane's a girl too, and she's stronger than all of us."

I cracked a smile, slightly embarrassed by the truth of her words. Those two had a chemistry I couldn't ignore. And even though I hadn't planned on turning this into some kind of friendship-building journey, I found myself intrigued by them—maybe even drawn in.

However, that light moment shattered instantly as a deafening, blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest. My eyes widened, and I whipped my head toward the sound—feeling the others do the same instinctively. Emerging from the darkened depths of Ashen Grove was a monstrous horde—twisted, melted creatures, more grotesque than the ones we had encountered before.

They were abominations. Some towered above us, limbs grotesquely stretched or swollen. One had a single, massive eye bulging from its misshapen head, and an arm so long it dragged across the scorched ground like a slab of flesh. Others were unrecognizable—some barely humanoid, some crawling like beasts, their flesh fused with bone and black ooze. The forest behind them seemed to tremble with their approach.

Without hesitation, I activated my Sharingan. My vision sharpened, the world slowing as crimson spirals spun into place. Lightning crackled in my hand as I summoned Thunderclap Edge, my blade surging with electric power. The air sizzled around it, arcs of lightning lashing outward. I could feel the others' gazes flick toward me—eyes wide—but the moment passed quickly. We didn't have time to marvel. We had to survive.

Ren was the first to move. With a blur of motion, his twin blades flashed in and out of sight, slicing through the front line of enemies like ribbons. He moved with shocking speed, dashing between monsters and cutting them down before they could react.

Lyra stayed close, her staff spinning with controlled precision. She remained on the defensive, intercepting lunges and strikes that slipped through our formation. Her spells shimmered at the edges of her staff—small barriers of shimmering light that deflected claws, teeth, and crude weapons. Her focus kept us from being overwhelmed.

Doran roared, lifting his massive sword with both hands. With one wide, sweeping slash, he cleaved through a cluster of enemies, their bodies torn apart mid-lunge. Each of his strikes shook the ground. He fought like a wall of iron, unyielding despite the heat and chaos.

I dashed forward, weaving through the throng. The Sharingan guided me, letting me predict their erratic movements. I struck one creature across the chest, lightning bursting through its body as it screeched in agony. Another lunged from my blind spot, its jagged claw aimed at my back—I sidestepped at the last moment and drove my blade into its throat. Sparks exploded from the wound.

More poured in. I ducked beneath a heavy blow from a monstrous fist and retaliated with an upward slash, slicing clean through the attacker's deformed torso. Electricity surged from my blade into the surrounding enemies, stunning them momentarily.