Gangster Hybrid

Reappearing beside them with a grin, fist mid-swing, Aldric raised his arm just in time as the blow came crashing down. He managed to block it—but the sheer force sent him flying backward through the air.

Draven turned sharply—only to see Lyriana's left leg already raised high above her head.

She brought it down like a war hammer.

"Hmm," Draven muttered. He reacted instantly, dodging with a quick, almost silly sidestep to the left. Her foot crashed into the stone where he had just been standing, the impact shattering the ground and sending cracks webbing outward.

Draven grinned.

Without hesitation, he swung his right arm, launching a powerful strike toward her. Lyriana twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding it. Her right leg was already in motion—mid-swing—as she retaliated with a vicious kick.

Draven caught the movement from the corner of his eye. He raised his hand just in time, shielding the side of his face.

WHAM.

Her leg connected hard. The very air shook.

Then, out of nowhere, Aldric reappeared at Draven's flank—fist already mid-swing.

"Fuck—!" Draven growled, bracing for impact.

BOOM.

Aldric's fist hammered into his ribs. The shockwave rippled through Draven's body. Blood spilled from his mouth, but his resolve didn't crack.

He twisted, shoving Lyriana's leg away while simultaneously swinging his left arm to catch Aldric's fist.

But Aldric smirked.

"Brat... that's not happening again," he said, pulling his arm back just in time.

Draven's bloodied lips curled into a grin. He stepped in, grabbed a fistful of Aldric's hair, and leaned in close.

"Got you," he whispered.

Aldric's eyes widened—CRACK!—Draven's knee smashed into his face, blood spraying across the ground.

Even as Aldric's face began regenerating, Draven didn't wait. He followed with a savage left hook, the impact launching Aldric backward like a cannonball.

Before Draven could catch his breath, Lyriana was already moving. She spun and sent her leg arcing toward his head. He ducked just in time, grinning as their limbs collided again and again in a dance of speed and fury.

The three warriors clashed—Draven, Lyriana, Aldric—locked in a violent storm of fists, feet, and relentless momentum.

No words.

No mercy.

Only motion.

---

Four Years Later

High above the castle, Kaelen—Draven's father—floated in the sky, robes snapping in the wind like banners of war.

Below, on the training fields, Draven, Lyriana, and Aldric stood together. Resting across Aldric shoulder was the massive corpse of a wild boar—its tusks shattered, its hide scarred.

But their eyes weren't on the kill.

They stared at the sky.

From the horizon, three colossal airships emerged—towering behemoths of blue and white, engines roaring as they approached like ancient titans.

Kaelen raised a hand.

Above him, the clouds twisted.

Dozens—then hundreds—of blades forged from blood magic appeared in the air, glowing red like cursed lightning. Each one sharp enough to cut through steel, humming with power.

With a flick of his wrist, the blades launched—a furious storm of crimson death hurtling toward the ships.

---

**(How we got here will be revealed in the next chapter. Keep reading—thank you!)