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A dull roar of wind swept across the vast plain, the only sound in the crushing silence that had fallen. Joy’s glowing eyes were wide, fixed on the figure standing before her.
Patience stood with a grin etched on her face, her eyes glowing with a faint, predatory red. A small, hungry orange light seed to halo her entire fra. The cataclysmic power crawling beneath Joy’s own skin, a storm fighting to tear free, suddenly felt small, overshadowed by a sheer, dominating presence that pressed against the air itself.
ters away, the woman radiated a pressure that was almost visible. The space around her shimred and distorted, like invisible heat waves rising from a desert, a silent testant to the furnace burning within.
Patience took a step forward, then another, leaving the small crater of her arrival. Her boots t the green grass.
Ssst....
Where her foot fell, the grass withered, it burned. A perfect circle of black, charred earth spread two ters in every direction from her, the vegetation incinerated in an instant by her re presence. The air filled with the sharp, acrid scent of ozone and scorched soil. She took another step, leaving another circle of death in her wake, an advancing pattern of annihilation.
“Wow,” Patience said, her voice bright with genuine fascination. “You really are a humanoid monster. I’ve never seen anything like you. A goblin… but a girl?” She tilted her head, her grin widening. “Interesting.”
Another step. Another blackened circle etched into the plain, bringing her closer.
Joy’s body moved into a fighting stance without conscious thought, right leg sliding forward, fists raised, teeth clenched. It was the sa stance she had seen Tyler take, a shape of readiness now etched into her own instincts.
Patience continued her slow, burning walk forward, but her glowing eyes flicked to the side, landing on the broken form of Anna. Her grin widened into sothing unnervingly delighted. She brought a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle that leaked through her fingers.
“Oh my goodness,” Patience cooed, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “What have they done to you? A Pale Reaper, beaten to a pulp…” Her gaze swept back to Joy, sparkling with genuine, terrifying appreciation. “You all must be so much fun.”
Joy didn’t advance. Instead, she took one step back, then another, her stance shifting from offensive to protective. Her eyes darted behind her a quick, worried glance at Tyler’s unconscious form before snapping back to the advancing threat.
On the ground, Anna’s blood-caked eye finally registered the voice. A cold tremor ran through her, cutting through the pain.
*Oh, no… Why her? Of all the people they could send… they sent her? This isn’t even a mission for her level…*
This wasn’t just fear of power; it was the dread of known catastrophe.
Ignoring the agony in her ribs, Anna dragged herself forward until she was clear of the crater's edge. She could see Patience perfectly now, the recognizable grin, the heat shimring around her like a desert mirage.
"Miss," Anna gasped, her voice raw. "What are you... what are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Patience replied, her head tilting with mock curiosity. "You sent a signal. I responded. I ca here to *help*."
"But this mission is for Pale Reapers," Anna insisted, coughing. "Not for Heroes."
Patience burst into laughter, a short, sharp *"Pfft-hahaha!"*
"For Pale Reapers, you said? Look at you. You can't even stand. What makes you think another Reaper could handle this?" Her grin turned into a sneer. "You look pathetic. I can't believe you were actually defeated by a monster."
Anna's eyes widened. "What? No, it wasn't that monster, it was—"
Flas erupted beneath Anna in a soundless, concentrated *thump*. There was no scream, only a sudden bloom of orange and white, and then she was gone, reduced to a fine, gray ash that scattered on the wind.
Joy’s expression froze, then crumpled into pure fear. Her eyes trembled, unable to process the casual obliteration.
"I don't need to hear it," Patience said, examining her fingernails. "You'll spoil the surprise. You can explain it to my sister when you get there." She cracked her knuckles, the sound like snapping twigs in the sudden silence, and turned her full, grinning attention to Joy.
"...Right. Nothing to disturb us now. Ti to actually see what you're...."
She stopped. Her head tilted, the grin fading into genuine, bewildered surprise.
"...Huh?"
Her eyes were fixed on a point just above Joy’s head. Hovering there, faint and smoky, was a simple, impossible designation: Lv 1.
"How are you a Level 1?"
Joy frowned, her fear montarily overshadowed by surprise. How did this woman know? She thought only she knew that.
"The power radiating off you," Patience continued, taking a casual step closer, "that's not Level 1 power. That should be… 300 and up. I assud that's why Anna failed." Her glowing red eyes flicked past Joy to Tyler's unconscious form. "Or was she defeated by the one unconscious behind you?"
Joy's heart hamred against her ribs. Patience had known Tyler was there the whole ti, and had ntioned him with the casualness of soone noting a piece of scenery.
Patience tapped a finger on her chin. "Ah. That's probably what she wanted to tell . Oh well." She shrugged, the motion sending a small wave of heat across the charred ground. "Doesn't matter."
She took another step, the grass blackening beneath her boot. "Co on," she said, her voice a low, thrilling taunt. "Are you just going to stand there? You're his pet, aren't you? He's unconscious Aren't you going to fight for him?"
Joy's body tensed, and she shifted backwards, edging closer to Tyler. As she moved, the colossal energy inside her seed to claw at her veins. It was actively draining her, a constant, strenuous pull that made her muscles burn and tremble as if she'd been holding up a collapsing ceiling for hours.
"If you won't start, I will. And don't expect rcy. I'm going to enjoy this. I'll make sure you last."
Joy held her breath, then surged forward. She vaulted from the crater, landing on the scorched plain outside.
Patience giggled. "There we are! Co on, you're Level One, so I'll make it easy. You're interesting. I'll let you take the first shot." She spread her arms wide, leaving her torso completely exposed. "Here. Hit wherever you like. I'm wide open." A small, excited giggle escaped her lips, her eyes glowing with radiant red light.
Joy's mouth fell slightly open in shock. She hadn't expected her enemy to invite the attack.
"Co on!" Patience barked, her voice brimming with impatience. "What are you waiting for? I'm giving you a free hit. Use any trick, any skill, any move you want. Even a weapon! Just do it!"
The command snapped the last thread of Joy's control. The power she had been straining to contain roared to the surface. Her right leg slamd down, and a small, violent purple explosion erupted beneath her foot, launching her forward like a projectile. She pulled her right fist back, and all the swirling violet light that had been glowing across her skin vanished, sucked inward and concentrated into her clenched hand, coalescing into a single, pulsing point of annihilating force.
Patience watched the fist co, her grin widening in anticipation.
Joy struck her squarely in the abdon.
Boom!!!
A detonation of purplish-black light erupted from the point of impact. Patience was blown backward, skidding across the charred earth before being launched slightly into the air. Her eyes flew wide, not with pain, but with raw, electric shock.
The force of the blow was painful, a deep, bruising concussion. She could feel her body absorbing that raw kinetic energy, converting it into the familiar, welco heat that fueled her. But woven into that force was sothing else, a cold, corrosive, foreign energy that slipped through her absorption like sand through a sieve. It was this alien residue that stole the breath from her lungs and hurled her skyward.
She twisted in the air, landed roughly on her feet, and stumbled back several paces. One hand clutched her abdon; the other trembled as she held it to her chest. Her eyes were wide with bewildered, ecstatic revelation.
Joy stared, her own shock just as profound. The energy she released… it should have done more. Far more. The land in front of her should have been eviscerated, turned into a smoldering crater. Instead, it felt like she had fired a cannon and only heard the sound of a slingshot.
Patience stared at the ground, a smile touching her lips. "That... actually hurt. What was that? I couldn't even absorb so of it." A slight, intrigued giggle escaped her.
But as her gaze shot up to et Joy’s, her eyes widened.
Joy was slumped on the grass, motionless. She looked completely unconscious.
"What? No," Patience breathed. She blitzed forward, appearing in front of Joy in an instant. Joy’s eyes were closed. The mana in the air around her was dormant, still. This wasn’t a trick.
"Damn it," Patience spat, her excitent curdling into frustration. "Co on, wake up! Just when I find sothing interesting…" She grabbed Joy by the shoulders and shook her. "Wake up already!"
She let go. Joy’s head hit the ground with a dull thud.
"Seriously?" Patience raised a hand, instinctively wanting to slap her awake, but she stopped. From just touching and shaking her, Patience had already read Joy’s defenses. They were decent, but pitifully inadequate. A slap would kill her outright. She was far too weak.
Patience’s eyes snapped forward, landing on Tyler.
She blurred across the distance, appearing over his unconscious form. He lay on his back, utterly vulnerable. A new smile spread across her face.
"Well," she muttered, her voice regaining its eager edge. "The master is always more powerful than their pet, right?
Patience’s smile widened into a grin. "Yes. This ans you are even more powerful."
She leaned over Tyler’s unconscious form, her gaze analytical. Her hand ca to rest on his bare chest, her fingers tracing the lines of his pectorals. "What a… specin," she murmured, almost to herself. "Built for strength. For agility." Her eyes scanned for wounds, finding none that explained his collapse. "Not a scratch on you… so why are you down?"
Her stare lifted to his face. "Handso, too," she noted with a clinical sort of appreciation. "They said you are the Shadow Hunter." A low, thrilled giggle escaped her. "Oh, man... I can't wait to face you."
The glee faded slightly as she registered his state. "But you're unconscious. Tch. Fine." Her decision was instantaneous. "I'm gonna have to bring you back with ." Her gaze flicked to Joy’s limp form. "Along with your pet."
She straightened up, planting a foot firmly on the ground beside Tyler’s shoulder, her posture declaring ownership. "Its decided," she announced to the empty plain, her voice bright and final. "You're both coming with ."
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