CHAPTER 12 â BIRTHRIGHT TO FREEDOM: PART IV
âThe Demon of Duskhorn -- Howâs it feel⦠the hunter becoming the hunted?â
Day 231 of the Twelvefold Cycle Era of Concordance, Year 812
Nightfall â Flamerest (September), Black Fang â Whining Moon Training Grounds
----------------------------------------
The storm that had lingered for days had finally burned itself down to a drizzle, but the air behind the Whining Moon was thick with the memory of rain. Mud pooled in the stone cracks, and every breath tasted of cold iron and damp wood. Lanterns sputtered along the wall, their flame-light refracted by haze and flickering shadows. The training grounds, ringed by warped fencing and leaning outbuildings, had become a stage one where each breath, each twitch of muscle, seemed to echo across the tight-packed crowd that had spilled out from the tavern's rear doors. Guards in patched leathers, Ethel's men, silent and broad-shouldered, watched the perimeter, hands close to their hilts, eyes shifting with every stranger who tried to slip through the side gate.
Ruki stood near the ring's heart, boots scuffed and hair pulled messily back, her fox ears twitching beneath a battered hood. She wore her fitted brigandine now, not the blood-streaked rags from her escape, the plates engraved with Kaelira's sigil at the left shoulder, faintly catching the flicker of lantern light. Her armor was still clean, save for a smear of dust and the fresh scrapes at her elbow. Her stance had changed: shoulders square, feet planted, every inch of her posture promising she belonged exactly where she stood. The aftershocks of the training grounds' earlier clash her near-defeat, Juizio's reckless blows still hummed beneath her skin. Mana crackled in the space between her hands and the ground, subtle but present, a low, electric tension waiting to be unleashed.
Selene leaned against the fence's far end, arms crossed over the deep blue sash of her Tachi Trade Company uniform, the golden insignia stitched at her collar gleaming in the low light. Her skin glowed warm against the pale lantern-flare, hair cropped short and coiled tightly at the nape. Her eyes sharp, intelligent, never missing a movement, studied Ruki, but her mind ran two beats ahead. She was writing her own story as she watched: every decision, every risk, every potential fallout. "This is the most reckless thing we've done," she thought, fingers drumming the worn wood beneath her. "But it's the only move left. The propaganda must hold. Ethel and Kaelira wouldn't have let this happen, but they aren't here. If the Order or Victor suspects we're hiding her, the Whining Moon will burn. If we can sell the story, maybe just maybe we buy enough time to save the rest." Her breath steamed in the air, nerves jumping beneath the mask of calm.
Toshiro, the Gazette writer, hunched over his parchment at a crooked bench just outside the ring, sleeves rolled back and ink smudging the side of his hand. His pen hovered uselessly. The moment Ruki's spell had bloomed, the field had changed. Now, a dense, shifting mist, thick as storm-breath and cold as nightfall, pressed at the edge of his sight. He squinted, trying to mark the action, but the fog pressed back, muting color and muffling sound. "How am I supposed to record what I can't see?" he muttered, glancing up at Selene. Her lips twitched, just barely a sardonic sympathy. "Listen to my voice," she murmured, moving to his side. "I'll narrate what matters. The rest is for the city's imagination. Make it work, Toshiro. We need the right rumors tonight." She gripped his shoulder, grounding him in the moment.
Willow stood behind Selene, arms wrapped tight around her midsection, one foot propped on a warped stone. Her skin, green, veined with paler streaks, half-goblin, half-human, shone faintly with sweat, and her mismatched eyes flicked constantly between the haze of the field and the knots of guards at the perimeter. The scroll from Malifour was hidden beneath her sash, one hand pressed so tight against it that her fingers shook. "This is madness," she thought, teeth clenched, the taste of panic bitter in her mouth. "A duel in the open? With Ethel gone and the Order sniffing for any excuse to storm us?" Every so often, she caught Ruki's outline in the Mist, just a flash of movement, a silhouette lit by arc-light. Her gut twisted. "If she loses⦠if the Syndicate men report anything back to Mira⦠we're all dead. If Malifour comes back⦠if Graxar's scouts show up⦠damn it, I can't go back to the swamps. Not after what happened to Father. Not with the relic gone. This can't be the end." She wiped rain from her brow, knuckles scraping her temple.
Around them, the training yard pulsed with tension. The rain had driven most of the tavern's crowd out to the fence line, pressed elbow-to-elbow, hooded against the lingering damp. Syndicate men in blue stood at the back, eyes narrow, arms folded, faces unreadable. Every now and then, one leaned to whisper to another, fingers tapping quick code against their bracers. A pair of Black Fang's merchant guards watched from the edge, exchanging nervous glances. One picked at a battered coin purse, as if hoping to wager on the outcome but unsure where to place his bet. Thunder rumbled overhead, making the lanterns flicker as boots scraped nervously in the wet mud.
Juizio circled the center, hands loose at his sides, movements easy but every muscle wound tight. He was tall, built broad across the chest, and his furred ears lay back in concentration. His gaze cut through the fog better than most, sharp enough to catch the briefest glimpses of Ruki's stance, the flash of lightning along her boots, but still forced to trust in sense more than sight. "She's good," he thought, a crooked grin flashing as he felt the static building beneath his feet. "This is no rookie. She wants to control the field. So be it. That's when things get interesting." Each exhale left a curl of steam in the damp air, mingling with the heavy scent of wet stone, woodsmoke, and sweat.
Ruki's UI flickered, the Mist of her field spell feeding off the last dregs of her mana reserve.
> [SYSTEM INTERFACE: RESTORED]
>
> Status: Ruki Yusato
>
> Class: Beast Lord
>
> Level: 14
>
> Mana: 800 / 950 (Unstable) (Illusion Mist â Field Active)
>
> Health: ~550 / 700 (Bleed: Suppressed, Debuff: Minor Fatigue)
>
> Stamina: 425/500
>
> Status Effect: Mist Field â ENEMY PERCEPTION -80% (Non-Allies, Save vs. DEX/INT)
The fog, a true Tier 5 spell, was more than visual. It weighed on the air, distorting sound, making every sense unreliable. Even those with trained eyes, Willow, and Selene could only catch glimpses when lightning flashed from the DuraCast earrings or when Ruki moved with deliberate force. To most, the fight was a rumor, a flurry of silhouettes, the sound of boots scraping stone, the low thrum of power that made skin prickle and hair stand on end.
Juizio's smile widened, teeth flashing. He swayed on the balls of his feet, eyes half-closed, letting his other senses feed him what the Mist tried to take away. "I can feel her. The way the air shifts, the buzz on my skin⦠It's beautiful. Only a real fighter makes you guess and gamble at every step." He flexed his hands, claws glinting. "I don't care if I lose. I care if it's worth remembering."
As the fight continued, Ruki knew she could not play defense anymore. She had to do two things here for her plan to fall into play.
"I need to make them think we aren't allies⦠even if I leave this place, Victor will for sure come here and burn this place down to the ground looking for me, and then that would put everyone in danger. I have to force them to think I'm going solo."
Ruki thought to herself as she dipped into the hidden mist spell that she created. Her body burned; keeping the spell open wasn't like the game. She felt her mana draining; her body was boiling as if she had a fever. She felt the weight of using it.
"I have to finish this quick. I can't keep this Mist up too long, or I will kill myself and Mar-Marâ¦" Her hand landed on her chest as she thought of the beast that was asleep inside her. The sensation was raw, every muscle tense, her pulse a dull roar in her ears.
A blue interface shimmered, showing her former menu screen, reminding her it wasn't Untold Eternity anymore; it was real.
> [SYSTEM INTERFACE]
>
> Profile
>
> Map
>
> Equipment
>
> Crafting
>
> Skill Tree
Ruki scanned over the familiar UI that she once mastered and waved her hands over the skill tree tab. "Holding this Mist in team fights would be great, but in 1v1s, it only bought time, and Juizio's vision and hearing may have gone out, but he would easily smell the blood in the air. I won't be able to hide for too long; I need to set up my next move," she thought to herself as she scuffled to her feet, her body burning.
Her skill reappeared before her eyes once as she ducked behind a beam pillar connecting the Whining Moon. "Would you really go as far as destroying the building?" was her thought when hiding as she continued to view her skills before realizing she controlled the battle, but it also made her feel like a cornered rat because once she ran out of mana, the hiding was over.
"Oh, this is no fun. You're hiding⦠You know I can smell the fear on you, little one⦠why not fight head to headâ¦" Juizio chuckled, amused that she would go this far. He could tell she was hiding somewhere near the pillars. Still, with the building being there, he knew risking attacking there meant dealing with Ethel and Selene, and that wouldn't be worth a spar at all.
"We can play your game of cat and mouse, but you will have to run out of mana eventually." He bumbled around the Mist, acting as if he didn't know the direction of Ruki. "I bet she doesn't last this strong spell for more than five minutes," he thought, crossing his arms, hoping to hear the girl respond somewhere in the Mist.
"I'm not dumb. Why would I speak and give my location up⦠if I didn't have you already marked, you would have given up yours⦠You just think I'm cornered, well⦠this is why you should have finished me when you had the chance⦠"she thought to herself.
[Skill Activated: Flicker Shock]
Ruki raised her hands up like a gun, like one of the little kids she used to hear running in and out of her hospital room playing cowboys and bandits with their fake finger guns. Her finger lit blue and electric, and then she whispered out loud. "Who said anything about running?"
[SYSTEM ALERT ELECTROSTATIC]
> Flicker Shock + Illusion Mist has combined. All enemies of the caster will now take consistent damage while within the Mist; also, every three seconds, a stun will occur if the enemy remains in the zone. Due to Shade Mark Sigil being active, the only enemy that will take damage is User: Juizio. (22 meters radius)"
The system notification echoed in Ruki's mind as her smile slowly crept across her face, sweat running down her temple. She held her breath, letting the cold dampness of the Mist wrap around her, anchoring her in the present. Flicker Shock thrummed out of her fingertips, igniting a fury of electrical waves throughout the Mist.
> [SYSTEM INTERFACE: FIELD STATUS]
>
> Electrostatic Field (Active)
>
> Enemy: Juizio [MARKED â Shade Sigil]
>
> All Non-Allies in Zone: Damage HP/ per tick; Stun: 3s interval
>
> Target Exception: Juizio (ONLY) â All Damage Redirected via Shade Mark
>
> [Tick Interval: 1.5s] | [Next Stun: 2.9s]
Lightning crackled around the Mist so sharply and real she could taste the copper on her tongue, almost see static arcing along her brigandine's edge. Every sense told her the field was a dangerous smell, sound, and sight, all warped by the Mist, yet she saw the faint shimmer of energy trailing through the air like tiny fireflies. To anyone else, the Mist looked like a suffocating thunder cloud veil. To Ruki, numbers danced behind her eyes.
> [SYSTEM FEEDBACK]
>
> Juizio â HP: 92% [Minor Shock]
>
> [STUN: 2.7s Remaining]
>
> [FIELD: DANGER ZONE â Allies Protected]
A faint blue pulse flickered at the edge of her vision each time the field ticked. Every time Juizio tried to move, the spell caught him first with a subtle tremor, then a hard jolt, his body lurching as if the earth itself rebelled beneath his feet.
He grinned. It was wild, manic, the kind that only surfaced in real danger. The crowd, unable to see the actual battle, flinched back as the field hummed louder, lanterns sputtering. Some coins dropped from numb fingers as the electrostatic charge numbed the crowd's skin and tongues. A few of the Order of the Fang guards shifted uneasily, fingers tightening on weapons, now more wary than amused.
Toshiro's hands trembled, ink splotching his page. "She's⦠she's turned the whole field into a death trap," he whispered. "But⦠only him, how�"
Selene stepped forward, voice calm and precise for the benefit of everyone within earshot, her mind working three angles at once, mouth playing propaganda, eyes running tactics.
"She's marked him with a sigil earlier. That's not just fog, that's a linked field. It's layered magic, not wild casting. Every bolt, every pulse, every shock is locked to him. See how she hasn't hit a single bystander? That's intentional. She's smart. This is higher-level sorcery than I've ever seen on the street." But inside, her thoughts spun fast. "Is this the right move? Maybe the Syndicate does see her as a threat, but also as a prize too valuable to simply kill. But gods⦠Ruki, if you overextend and collapse now, everyone here pays the price. Hold your ground. Don't lose it nowâ¦" Selene thought to herself nervously while her eyes did not part from the fight.
Willow's eyes widened, the Mist's blue flash reflected in both irises. She'd seen wild spells before, but nothing so surgical, so precisely controlled. Her heart hammered in her chest. She clutched the Malfur's scroll tighter, knuckles white, ready to use the scroll at a moment's notice if it meant repaying the debt Ruki had incurred.
Juizio, inside the Mist, laughed even as the stun timer hit him again, his body seized for a fraction, muscles spasming. The UI pinged red behind Ruki's eyes:
> [SYSTEM â ENEMY STATUS]
>
> Juizio â HP: 86% [Shocked - Tick Damage]
>
> [STUN: 0.8s Remaining]
>
> [Resisting: Partial]
He bared his teeth, tail twitching with anticipation. The air was a battlefield, and every step he took sparked against the stones.
"You've trapped me, fox-girl⦠clever. But you know, that just makes it a hunt." His voice echoed out, low and amused, but the next tremor forced him to one knee.
The crowd, packed tight at the fence, pressed forward with a mixture of awe and fear. Some ducked behind friends; others tried to peer through the shifting haze, unsure whether to cheer, scream, or flee. The Syndicate men at the back stiffened, no longer placing bets but trading sharp looks, hands drifting to coat pockets.
Selene, still narrating for Toshiro but projecting for the whole yard, raised her voice. "You wanted a headline, Toshiro? Here it is: Beastkin uses a deadly, unregistered spell, a field-wide attack. Not even the Order's top casters have risked field magic in the city for years. She's gone rogue. The Whining Moon bears no responsibility." Her words rolled out like an official statement, but inside, she felt the gravity. "If I don't sell this, they'll burn us all. If I do⦠she might become the most wanted person in Black Fang."
Toshiro scribbled furiously, words blending with the hum of field energy:
"Understoodâ¦" he didn't like writing fake news. Still, it was Selene and the Tachi Trade Company that saved his house from ruin and helped his family greatly. This would be the only time he would go against his way as a writer, he thought as he scribbled away on his parchment.
Selene continued to watch, thinking, "This is the best bad solution we've got."
> [SYSTEM â INTERNAL MONOLOGUE]
>
> Combo Achieved: Shade Mark Sigil + Illusion Mist + Flicker Shock
>
>
> Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
>
>
> Effect: [22m Electrostatic Killzone] â Single Target Only
"He's the only one taking damage. That's why I risked letting him hit me before. Needed the mark.. Now, all I have to do is snipe, and the field works for me. If I'd missed," her thoughts went dark, thinking of the worst situations that could have happened if this spell was hitting everyone.
Ruki crouched lower behind the pillar, feeling the strategic rush of a familiar, feral thrill, the same rush she got baiting elite players into a crossfire in her past life, but deadlier here, with lives on the line. Every UI update was a pulse of adrenaline; numbers flickered in her vision, heartbeat synced to the countdown.
> [COUNTDOWN: Field Duration â 3m 44s]
>
> [Juizio: HP 83% â STUN TRIGGERED]
Juizio grunted as another surge of lightning raked his limbs, his silhouette blurring in the haze. He dropped into a crouch, muscles coiled and ready, fur bristling, nostrils flaring to catch her scent. He couldn't risk smashing through the stone pillars. Ethel's wrath was legendary. But he couldn't sit here and take the beating, either.
He barked laughter, wild and reckless, the sound echoing across the rain-soaked training ground. "You like games, girl? I can play too. Let's see if you can keep up."
> [SYSTEM â DANGER]
>
> Enemy HP: 81% [Stun Recovery Imminent]
He's going to charge. I've got one shot before he adapts. Time it right. Don't choke. Ruki thought to herself as she prepared to lace her spells to finish it.
Selene, with all eyes on her tavern workers, Syndicate men, even Order guards, kept up the ruse, every syllable crisp, authoritative.
"She's gone rogue. The Whining Moon isn't responsible."
Her gaze caught Willow's, a silent nod passing between them. Willow understood: this was theater, but the stakes were real, real blood, absolute risk, real loss if Ruki failed.
Willow's jaw tightened as she watched the field.
Ruki⦠I get it now. She's forcing their hand, making herself the bait. Not just to save us, but to buy time for everyone else to run if this goes bad. We need to chat⦠When this is over, I have to tell her about the relic. About Father. Maybe she can help, Willow thought, worry gnawing at her, fingers squeezing the scroll beneath her sash.
The Order of the Fang men by the gate exchanged tense glances, sweat beading under helmet brims. One muttered, low but urgent, "We can't let this go on much longer. That's not a legal caseâ¦"
Ruki's focus narrowed, her UI blurring out the noise of the panicked crowd. One more strike combo lined up. Her heart hammered with the promise of victory, but also the burn of every drop of mana left in her veins. She whispered to herself, voice just a ghost beneath the crackle of the storm. "Not a game. But I'm still the best damn tactician in this world, too."
> [SYSTEM STATUS â FINAL]
>
> [Field Tick: 1.3s â Juizio HP: 79%]
>
> [Next Stun: 2.6s]
>
> [Mana: 610/950]
>
> [Field Combo: Stable. Duration: 3m 31s]
>
> [TARGET: LOCKED]
The field pulsed, arcs of blue-white lightning flickering in the fog, Ruki's silhouette vanishing and reappearing with each fresh surge. The tension across the training grounds was electric; every breath in the yard seemed to sync to the UI's invisible countdown. This was no longer just a fight; it was the turning point, a night Black Fang would remember.
Juizio's body jerked violently as another stun hit. He barked a raw, wild-eyed laugh, the Mist swirling around him like a living shroud. Then, with a guttural snarl, he slammed a fist into the ground, claws sparking against fractured stone.
[SYSTEM ALERT: ENEMY SKILL ACTIVATION â CRESTBOUND FORM: BLOODHUNT]
A blinding flare of scarlet-black mana ballooned outward in jagged halos. The ground didn't just crack; it buckled, stone tiles splitting, muddy water leaping from every rut. The air itself flexed with pressure, dropping so fast that ears popped and loose shutters banged against window frames. For a heartbeat, everything stilled: no one could breathe, voices caught in throats, bodies pressed instinctively toward the earth.
Then the fear hit.
It rolled off Juizio in a tidal wave, primal and animal, pinning even hardened killers to the spot. Eyes widened, teeth chattered, and a merchant at the back threw up from the suffocating dread. Magic users in the crowd felt their wards snuff out, like candles lost to a gale. Even Order of the Fang guards stumbled, gripping blades with bone-white knuckles, unable to look away.
Somewhere, a lantern crashed to the ground. The flame hissed out instantly, snuffed by a draft that sucked all warmth from the air.
At the edge of the ring, Syndicate men broke ranks, shoving for space. "Move, MOVE!" one yelled, voice cracking. Another tripped, splashing into a puddle, boots slipping as the earth quaked.
Only then did the exodus begin, dozens at first, then all at once, a stampede to the alleys. Boots hammered flagstones, panicked shouts echoing off the courtyard walls. A woman grabbed her child, pressing the girl's face into her shoulder as she bolted for shelter. Coin purses, hats, and even swords were abandoned in the mud.
Inside the training yard, every breath stank of churned earth, hot stone, and the bitter tang of burnt wax and extinguished flame. Rain began to fall again, heavy, erratic gusts, slapping at exposed skin and filling every hollow with cold, muddy water.
Selene's body tensed, a cold sweat tracing down her spine. With a sharp flick, she pulled back her sleeve, exposing the runic script and faded tattoo bands up her forearm, sorcerer's ink, jagged, still crackling with stored power, and her sealed ring, the one that could control Juizio if he lost it. Her eyes locked on Juizio, and her voice dropped to a whisper, only Toshiro and Willow close enough to catch the edge of fear:
"If he loses it here, we all die. I will seal him, but I want to see how she responds⦠Toshiro, you should get back," she thought, unwilling to let the Syndicate get eyes on her magic through the Gazette's next issue.
Toshiro didn't hesitate. He scribbled the last of his notes and scurried back near the pillars.
Willow pressed herself against cold, rain-slick stone, heartbeat thundering in her ears. The air reeked of panic, sweat, and singed earth, boots scraping for traction, Selene's pale knuckles white against her own sleeve. Inside, her thoughts spun wild: This isn't like me to worry about someone⦠I should have already left⦠I'm not afraid this time, what the hell? Why do I want to stay⦠Maybe it's hope⦠Her mind churned, teetering between flight and the strange urge to see this through.
Juizio stood at the epicenter of chaos, veins bulging, fur wild, eyes burning so hot they seemed to cut the Mist itself. Each footstep sent a shock through the ground; stone trembled, windows rattled, and overhead, crows scattered from the rooftops with harsh, startled cries.
Selene's magic burned in her veins, sweat trickling down her back even as cold rain lashed her. She looked at Ruki's eyes, narrowed, all calculation, desperate for a sign it wasn't too late. The scent of old ink and burnt resin drifted up from her arm as she gripped her spell ring, ready for anything.
Ruki's mind raced. Her legs tensed, boots braced against the rooftop's slick edge, senses honed to a razor edge. The world felt bigger, darker, the sky above boiling and furious. Mana hummed painfully at her temples as she fought the urge to run. She forced herself to stand because everyone else was already gone.
Juizio's mouth curled back, fangs bared, his body swelling with new power. When he spoke, it was half growl, half taunt.
"You wanted a real fight, fox-girl? Then let's see you survive."
He charged stone and mud flying with every bound, the ground behind him shattering, fragments spinning into the rain. The echo of his footfalls rolled off the buildings, making glass tremble in their frames.
Ruki's instincts exploded into action, every nerve screaming urgency. She snapped her left arm up, channeling magic through her brigandine:
> [Skill Activated: Hollow Step]
>
> [Cooldown: 2.2s]
A surge of kinetic force shot through her. She soared, boots skidding along rain-slick tile, hands clawing for grip atop the Whining Moon's sloped roof. Rain lashed her face, sharp and cold; she breathed in old slate, living lightning, the faint sweetness of moss clinging to ancient stone.
Down below, Juizio's Crestbound aura seethed, red and black tendrils tearing fissures in the yard. Each footfall thundered like a drumbeat. Debris rattled off the eaves; a broken beam tumbled away into the darkness.
Ruki steadied herself, crouching low. Thunder rolled through her bones, her muscles twitching on the edge of seizure. She drew a shaking breath, tasting the sharp, metallic bite of rain at high altitude.
Selene stood rigid, arcane script burning blue along her arm. She muttered under her breath, breath fogging in the night air, "Come on, girl. Don't freeze. Show us what you're really made of."
Lightning danced along the edges of Ruki's armor, the Duracast earrings blazing, every rune searing with Elven light. A hush swept over Black Fang, nothing but the hammer of rain and the distant, thunderous muttering of a spell about to break the world.
Let's end this, Ruki thought, her pulse a war drum.
Her hand rose, trembling, to the sky. Mana poured from every pore.
> [SYSTEM: LEGACY RELIC ACTIVATED â DURACAST EARRINGS]
>
> Effect: Spell Cast Time Reduction, Amplified Output.
>
> Cooldown: 1/day
>
> Caution: Mana Overstrain Imminent.
>
> [UI NOTE: Select Spell Target Area]
A massive, spectral circle unfurled above the field, its edges cutting across rooftops, the far side vanishing into Black Fang's maze. Lightning swirled, thunder boomed, and all around, the city held its breath for the demon they'd remember as the storm.
Ruki steadied herself atop the slick, rain-soaked slate of the Whining Moon's roof, every inch of her battered body trembling between exhaustion and anticipation. Rainwater streamed down her cheekbones, mixing with sweat and the coppery taste of blood lingering at the back of her throat. Every muscle felt lit by static, veins screaming as she forced power from somewhere deep, deeper than she'd ever dared reach before. Down below, Juizio's Crestbound aura tore at the air, wild arcs of red-black energy flickering through the haze, ripping open the already-ruined training ground. It felt like the storm itself had become a beast, bending to the will of two monsters, one above, one below.
Tonight, it wasn't just a fight.
It was a broadcast. A warning shot for the entire city and the world beyond. But in Ruki's mind, it was survival. Nothing more.
> [SYSTEM INTERFACE: ALERT]
>
> Mana: 492 / 950 (Danger: Overdraw Imminent)
>
> Stamina: 213 / 500 (Warning: Fatigue)
>
> Field Effects: Suppressed (No Mist)
>
> Duracast Earrings: READY (Elven Resonance Detected)
>
> Crestbound Spell Available â Storm Veil Howl (Tier 7)
>
> Target: 75m radius â Centered on Juizio
>
> Projected Mana Cost: 450 (Minimum, Overcast: Severe)
She could taste ozone and rain, metal and memory like biting down on a battery as a kid. The air around her buzzed with electricity, tiny blue sparks crawling up her arms from the earrings' runes, which burned so bright she could barely see the world beyond the afterimages. Every nerve was stretched to breaking, breath coming sharp, shallow, as if the very act of drawing mana threatened to shatter her bones.
Lightning fractured the sky above, painting Black Fang in streaks of violet and blinding white. Windows on the far side of the city rattled in their frames; the lanterns strung across alleys guttered, blue-lit shadows writhing in every puddle. The crowd below had all but emptiedâthose with any sense already pressed flat against stone walls or gone, sprinting for the market lanes.
Juizio bared his fangs, body tensed so tight the ground cracked beneath his claws. His eyes, feral, golden, no longer playful, met Ruki's above. The Crestbound aura that rolled from him was almost a living thing, warping the rain, snarling in the air.
She didn't expect him to break the stun lock. That changed everything.
> [LEGACY RELIC: DURACAST EARRINGS â ELVEN ARTIFACT ACTIVE]
>
> Cast Time Reduction Engaged.
>
> Power Output: Doubled (Temporary)
>
> Risk: Mana Collapse (Severe)
The air crackled with raw potential. Selene, on the muddy ground, stood rigid, every line of arcane script along her forearm burning cobalt, rain sliding down her brow. One hand hovered over Ethel's control ring, ready to bind Juizio if his berserker edge snapped, the other clutching her own spell tattoo tight enough to draw blood. She caught the scent of ozone and fear.
Willow, snapping out of panic, saw not just the battle, but the bounty. Her mismatched eyes darted from the carnage to the loot: bags of coins, jewelry, and dice scattered in the mud by fleeing gamblers. "Well, somebody's gotta pay for all this damn stress. I'll take 'generous donation'," she muttered, scooping coins into her cloak, fingers moving fast, street instincts blazing. Sarcasm was her armor, but the tension underneath was pure mission: every copper brought her closer to her father's relic.
Ruki's UI pulsed in her vision, the targeting ring now spinning like the barrel of a loaded gun. The Duracast earrings, the legacy relic that made this possible, let her feel the structure of the spell, the way runes snapped together. Instant cast, full charge, but at a cost that could flatten her for days.
> [Storm Veil Howl: Tier 7 Crestbound â INITIATE CAST]
>
> Warning: Mana Collapse. Physical Collapse Probable. Projected Casualties: High.
>
> Override: DuraCast Legacy â Cast Time Halved. Maximum Output Engaged.
>
> Target Confirmed. Press to Cast.
She hovered at the brink, every drop of mana screaming to be unleashed. Lightning built and danced around her fingers, crawling up her arm, snaking through her hair, casting wild shadows across the rooftop. For a moment, Black Fang became day-lit lanterns flickering out as spectral light flooded every alley.
She wasn't trying to win. She wasn't trying to destroy. She was countering a disaster, making sure this didn't end in bodies and fire.
The demon in the storm was ready to be born. She locked eyes with Juizio, now silent, braced, his bravado burned away. His crestbound form was a risk to everyone here, and she knew it.
If she dropped this spell, she'd take down half the district. But if she didn't, there'd be no way to spin the Whining Moon as uninvolved.
Ruki raised her hand, veins etched in blue-white fire. The spectral spell circle above her head blazed so bright the clouds parted, a living map of runes and sigils inscribed on the night sky. For a heartbeat, time slowed to nothing.
> [SYSTEM â CRITICAL: STORM VEIL HOWL CHARGE AT 99%]
>
> Mana Draw: 410... 420... 450... (Warning: System Overload!)
>
> Overcast Option: ENABLED
>
> Confirm Cast: [Y/N]
She almost slammed her palm down, felt the spell reach critical mass, the elemental wolf's jaw yawning above the city, ready to tear down everything.
But in the final instant, her vision tunneled. She saw the tavern. She saw Willow's shoulders hunched over a haul of coins, face lined with years of loss, eyes determined. She saw Juizio, not as an enemy, but as a survivor, one more piece on the board. She saw herself: a girl run ragged, always someone's tool, about to become the villain in someone else's story.
And she stopped.
The spell collapsed inward, no explosion, just a detonation of silence. All that energy coalesced, then shattered into a million sparks, raining down as harmless light.
> [SYSTEM: Storm Veil Howl â CANCELLED]
>
> Mana: 94/950
>
> Status: Severe Fatigue
>
> Title: "Demon of Duskhorn" Rumor Unlocked
Selene, fingers trembling, let the magic fade from her arm. The world seemed to shudder as the pressure vanished.
"Everyone saw that," she murmured to Toshiro, who scribbled in a frenzy, unable to capture more than a fraction of what just happened. Selene's eyes tracked Ruki's every move, clutching the folded note in her pocket, proof, for anyone who asked, that the real plan had been made in whispers and ink, not in fire and thunder.
Ruki dropped from the roof, boots splashing down hard. Her legs buckled; she caught herself on a broken fence post, every muscle twitching, vision dancing with blue static. Pale, shivering, but upright, she'd survived.
A blue system alert pinged in her mind's eye.
> [SYSTEM â TIME UPDATE]
>
> 00:00. Midnight â Flamerest, Day 223 of the Cycle
>
> Interface: Incoming â Mar-Mar, White Veil (Soulbound Status: Restoring)
At the edge of her awareness, Mar-Mar's presence returned not loud, not boasting, but deep and steady, a mythic tide rolling in.
"I've been watching, Ruki. Even dormant, I see more than you know. This path? It's yours to walk. Just remember the world notices what you do, even when you don't mean for it to."
His voice wasn't judgment or pride, but the weight of consequence. Not every choice can be remade.
She exhaled, feeling the ache in her bones, knowing what she'd done. "I know. I didn't want this. But if it keeps them safe, I'll take it."
Willow arms loaded with coins and prizes flashed a crooked grin, sweat-matted hair sticking to her forehead. "You got your demon, Black Fang! Now clear the damn way before the guards come crying to their mothers!"
But as she moved to Ruki's side, her voice dropped. "We really gotta talk, fox. This city ain't safe, and I'm not about to lose the only person here who fights fair."
A low whistle split the night from the alley, Ethel's men, voices echoing: "Order of the Fang coming, get out now!"
Selene snapped, voice slicing through the last shreds of awe:
"Ruki, Willow, move. Alleyway, now!"
Toshiro, ink-stained and wild-eyed, tucked his notes under his arm, glancing back at Selene. He was the witness, the one who'd sell the story to both factions, the shield that kept the Order off the Whining Moon's back.
Ruki nodded at Willow, her own pulse a war drum, senses blurring at the edge of blackout. "Go. I'll follow."
Willow, pressing close, hissed in her ear, "Next time, don't wait for the encore. Some of us have debts, you know?"
Rain hammered down as Ruki and Willow vanished into the backstreets, every muscle in Ruki's body shaking from fatigue, adrenaline, and something closer to defiance. Behind them, the city howled with sirens and the shouts of guards, but for a few seconds, all she heard was her own breath and the echo of the life she'd just burned away.
Mar-Mar's voice came, low and weighty, "Freedom's a road nobody will hand you. Every choice you make here leaves a mark on the world, and on you."
Ruki glanced at Willow, at the loot clutched in her friend's arms, at the glow of the storm dying in the alley behind them. The Freedom she'd fought for wasn't just for herself; it was for every kid in this world who'd ever been used, sold, or left behind.
She kept walking, boots splashing in the gutter, jaw set against the wind. "No more being a pawn in someone else's games, I'll take whatever comes on my own terms. The world didn't need another queen or another puppet on a throne. It needed someone stubborn enough to survive, and just reckless enough to break the rules," Ruki thought, remembering what the goddess said upon arriving here.
"If survival is my rebellion, then I'll live loud enough to drown out every Order, every chain, every name they try to give me. Let them come. I've bled for this Freedom, and I'll bleed for it again if I have to."
END OF CHAPTER 12
----------------------------------------
CHAPTER 13 BIRTHRIGHT OF FREEDOM PART: V
âLet the world chase its monsters and queens. I only want a life no one else can claim. If that makes me dangerous, so be it.â