Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series

The forest had never felt so still. And yet, every leaf, every tree, seemed to vibrate with pressure, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

Karro stood at the center of it all, silent, his presence alone warping the air. Blood shimmered around him like liquid mist, rising in coils from the ground like smoke. The magic pulsing from him was ancient and thick, and every part of Aiden's body knew: they were facing a monster.

Aiden could barely keep upright.

His bones ached.

His left arm hung limply, fractured from the fall he hadn't even recovered from. His ribs were cracked. Every breath felt like fire. He wiped blood from his lip, but more replaced it instantly. Still, he kept his eyes on Karro.

Beside him, Emmeranne was no better. Her skin was pale, and her sword arm trembled with the effort of just holding the weapon. Her breathing was shallow, wheezing slightly. The fatigue in her body was already visible in her steps, but her eyes stayed locked on Karro.

Karro's voice broke the silence. "What a shame," he murmured, his dark eyes resting on Aiden. "A Chase… reduced to this. Your family must be proud."

Aiden didn't answer. The words hit like knives, but he refused to let Karro see how hard they make him feel. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the trembling in his legs, and steadied his flames around his right hand.

Emmeranne whispered just loud enough for Aiden to hear, "We need to strike together. You draw his defense high. I'll take low."

Aiden nodded, not trusting his voice to hold steady.

Then they moved.

Aiden charged forward, his flames flaring wildly around him. He threw his good arm out and launched a stream of fire directly toward Karro's chest. The other Magi didn't flinch.

With a flick of his hand, blood surged from the ground and formed a thick wall in front of him, absorbing the flames in a hiss of steam.

But it wasn't meant to hit.

It was a distraction.

Emmeranne was already midair behind the wall, her body low and blade gleaming. She slashed at Karro's exposed side with all the strength she had left.

Karro turned just in time, catching the blade with a wave of blood that shot from his palm and coiled tightly around her weapon. It held the sword mid-swing, tendrils snaking up toward her wrist.

Aiden didn't hesitate. He ran in and ignited the ground beneath Karro, searing the earth to create an explosion of heat and light.

The blood holding Emmeranne hissed and evaporated from the sudden blast. She landed hard and rolled back, her sword finally free, though her breath was ragged and shallow.

Karro stepped through the smoke, unharmed. His coat was scorched, and there was a shallow cut along his jawline, but he smiled anyway.

"Clever. But not clever enough."

He raised both hands. Blood erupted from the forest floor like geysers.

Aiden shoved Emmeranne to the side as a crimson spike shot from beneath them, narrowly missing their feet. He gasped from the motion, his ribs flaring with white-hot pain. He dropped to his knees, but he wouldn't stop.

He couldn't.

"I won't let him win," he breathed.

Emmeranne crouched beside him, eyes narrowing. "Then we have to break his focus. Just for a second."

Aiden turned to her. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

She looked at him, then nodded.

Aiden rose to his feet and lit his entire body in flame. It wasn't controlled- not the way Professor Anwar had taught him. This was raw, chaotic power, burning from his emotion, not his training. He ran forward like a comet, fire blazing around him in reckless arcs.

Karro lifted a shield of blood, ready to intercept.

But this time, Aiden wasn't aiming for him.

He stopped short, kicked up dirt and ash, and shot his fire straight into the trees. The explosion burst above Karro's head, forcing him to raise his arms and glance upward for just half a second.

That was all Emmeranne needed.

She was already airborne, her sword spinning, thrown like a spear.

The blade flew cleanly through the distraction and grazed Karro's shoulder again, this time deeper. He snarled and twisted, blood pouring from the gash.

Then, suddenly, the air shifted.

Karro let out a breath. His power surged, more dangerous now. He extended his hand, and the blood that had soaked into the earth vibrated.

"You're annoying," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "Let me fix that."

The vines of blood shot upward again, wrapping around Aiden's legs and pulling him down. He fell hard, gasping, unable to move as more blood coiled around his chest and throat.

"No-" Emmeranne ran to him, but another lash of blood slammed into her side and hurled her against a tree.

Aiden struggled against the grip, coughing violently.

Karro walked toward him slowly. "You're not a warrior," he said, crouching in front of him. "You're a relic. A name. A dying fire in a dying bloodline."

Aiden gritted his teeth. "Then burn with me."

He summoned the last of his strength and let the fire explode from his chest in one final burst.

The vines burned away. The ground scorched black.

Karro staggered back, shielding himself, but Aiden didn't stop. He crawled toward Emmeranne, who had pushed herself back up and was already reaching for him.

"We're not done," she said, even though her voice shook. "Not yet."

The forest split with sound and fury. Trees swayed as though the wind itself were trying to flee the fight. The ground trembled under Karro's magic as blood surged in torrents around him, moving like rivers possessed. His coat whipped around him in the storm of energy, and his eyes, glowing with that deep, ancient red, locked onto Aiden and Emmeranne with loathing and amusement.

"You still think you can win?" Karro asked, tilting his head. "You're barely standing."

"But still standing," Aiden spat, fire sparking from his mouth with every syllable.

Karro didn't give a reply. Instead, he thrust his hand forward, and the blood that had soaked into the trees and ground erupted again. Tendrils rose like spears, each one a whip lashing through the air, hunting them down. Aiden grabbed Emmeranne's arm and pulled her with him into a roll. A crimson lash struck where they had been a second ago, splitting open the ground in a burst of crimson mist.

"Split!" Emmeranne shouted as they landed.

Aiden sprinted left, weaving through debris, smoke trailing from his heels. Emmeranne darted right, sliding low beneath a jagged rise of earth. Karro's control was seamless- the blood followed both, but they stayed a step ahead.

Emmeranne slashed through a vine of it with her blade glowing faintly violet, and Aiden hurled flame after flame to burn away the whips snapping too close.

They couldn't win on strength.

Not like this.

But maybe they didn't need to.

Emmeranne's voice rang across the clearing: "Drop now!"

Aiden didn't hesitate. He dropped to his knees and slid across the dirt, coating himself in a wall of flame as Emmeranne launched herself over him and twisted midair. Her blade spun with unnatural precision- a spiraling arc of silver light. It cleaved through a crimson spear heading for Aiden's throat, severing it in one clean slice.

Aiden rolled up, flames spiraling around him again.

"Thanks."

"Next time, duck faster."

Karro snarled and raised both arms.

Aiden wiped the blood from his mouth, flames coiling around his hands, weak but still burning. His ribs ached with every breath, bones likely fractured. Still, he stood.

In a blur, crimson tendrils lashed out from Karro's feet, snaking toward them with razor-sharp precision. Aiden raised his flames as a shield, but they were too many and too fast.

"Move!" Emmeranne's voice rang through the clearing.

Aiden turned to see her already gone. In the next second, she reappeared mid-air behind him, grabbed his collar, and teleported them both several meters away. They landed with a thud behind a toppled tree just as the blood spikes impaled the ground where they'd stood.

"You good?" she asked quickly.

"Everything hurts and I feel like I'm gonna die."

"Good. You're still conscious."

Karro strode through the smoke, blood weaving around his arms like living ropes.

"I grow tired of this," he said, lifting his hand.

A massive pulse of energy tore through the ground, and the forest split open beneath them.

Emmeranne vanished again.

She blinked across the battlefield, appearing and disappearing in flashes of violet light, slashes of her sword cutting through the tendrils chasing her. Aiden followed up with bursts of fire wherever she struck, creating brief openings in Karro's otherwise seamless defense.

"Go!" Emmeranne shouted.

Aiden threw a column of fire high into the air, and in the glow of it, Emmeranne reappeared above Karro, sword poised to strike.

Karro looked up, eyes narrowing. "Predictable."

He threw his arm upward, and blood spears launched

toward her.

Too late.

Emmeranne vanished in a flash, reappearing behind Karro in an instant, and struck. Her blade slashed across his back, sparks flying as it met his armor-like coat. Karro staggered forward, growling.

Aiden unleashed a sweeping wave of flame at his front.

The blast caught Karro in the middle, pinning him between fire and blade.

For a moment, they thought it worked.

Then the flames parted.

Karro emerged, smoke curling off his shoulders, the blood around him surging like an ocean tide.

He was smiling.

"You think teleportation will save you?" he hissed, extending both arms. "I'll flood this forest with your blood."

From the shattered ground, blood erupted in every direction, crashing toward them in a crimson wave.

Emmeranne grabbed Aiden again, teleporting them backward, but the magic took its toll. She stumbled as they landed, coughing hard, sweat pouring down her face.

"I can't...keep jumping," she breathed.

Aiden steadied her, even as his body cried out in agony. "Then we end this. Now."

They nodded to each other.

Emmeranne blinked behind Karro and slashed.

He blocked.

Aiden struck from the front with fire.

Karro dodged but not in time.

The flame grazed his shoulder, the sword cut across his leg. The blood around him spasmed like it was connected to his nerves.

The two stood, shoulder to shoulder now- burned, bloodied, but unbroken. Emmeranne's sword hummed with energy. Aiden's flames sparked in sync with her breath.

Karro lifted his hands to end it.

"I... I don't have a lot of energy left." Emmeranne muttered.

Aiden nodded in reply, his hands shaking so hard he felt like they can't hold on.

"Fuck it. I'll die than just let him win easily."