Boom! An explosion shook her from her reverie. Large, dark shapes burst skyward far to the right, above the canopy. She staggered, struggling to regain her senses, when a shadow loomed over her. She reacted instinctively, grabbing a handful of sandy ground and flinging it blindly at her assailant. Without waiting to see if it hit, she rolled away, trying to avoid the fast-approaching sword.

  Her desperate attempt worked; he snarled, stumbling as he lost control of his blade, but not before it grazed her shoulder. The sharp pain made her cry out as she hit the ground.

  Clutching her injury, Venira tried to make sense of what was happening. Why is he attacking me? She glanced around for her staff, spotting it just a few feet away. It wasn’t far, but it might as well have been miles with the way her body felt frozen in place.

  Edan wiped furiously at his eyes, growling low in his throat. Whatever was in the sand had clearly irritated them, slowing him down. “You’re going to regret this,” he spat, advancing toward her with heavy, deliberate steps.

  Venira gritted her teeth, forcing herself to move despite the pain. Her breaths came in sharp, ragged gasps as she crawled forward, reaching for her staff. Its weight felt comforting in her hand, grounding her. There was no time to think. “Lux stellarum!” she shouted, raising the staff. A blinding light flared at its tip, forcing Edan to shield his eyes. Seizing the chance, she rolled to her knees, barely avoiding another swing of his sword. The blade struck the ground just inches from her, sending chunks of dirt flying into the air.

  She staggered to her feet, her eyes darting around desperately for an escape. Running back to the tunnel wasn’t an option—she’d be an easy target in the confined space.

  “Stay put, damn it!” Edan roared, his voice filled with frustration. “There’s nowhere to run.”

  He shifted to block her path toward the exit to the upper stratum, unwittingly giving her the opening she needed. Venira had already decided to make for the opposite direction. Sweat streamed down both their faces, though Edan seemed far less affected.

  “You wish!” she shouted over her shoulder, though her voice trembled. “I might be a lower level than you, but I’ve got my tricks!”

  The two circled each other in a slow, tense arc. Venira ended up with her back to the flower and the wilderness of the expanse, while Edan stood with his back to the tunnel. She inwardly cringed at how obvious her bluff sounded. The number of spells she could cast could be counted on one hand—with a missing finger .

  “We’ll see about that,” he sneered.

  Before he finished speaking, Venira had already turned and bolted toward the dense forest. Edan followed, his speed increasing. She barely made it a few strides before her foot caught on a root protruding from the soil. She fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes—“Uff”— taking the air out of her for a second. The hat which was on her head up until a moment before fell silently, perfectly positioned on her rear.

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  A chuckle escaped Edan as he slowed his approach. “Pathetic,” he muttered, amused at her apparent clumsiness.

  Venira rolled onto her back, her staff raised and mana already gathering at its tip. Her breath came in short gasps, and her voice wavered as she began chanting.

  “Saltare in margine ferri...”

  Edan’s grin vanished. Realizing her intent, he dashed toward her, his face twisting with murderous intent.

  Her voice grew stronger, her hand trembling as the spell charged. The light at the staff’s tip throbbed like a heartbeat, growing brighter with every word.

  “Sculpere omnia quae ante me stant...”

  He was closing in fast—too fast. Panic threatened to overwhelm her as she pushed through the final words. However, the spell was timed perfectly. She saw the moment realization dawned in his eyes as he shifted his sword into a defensive stance, bracing himself.

  “Ex mandato venti, feri vere—Ventus Gladius!”

  The blade of wind erupted from her staff, slicing through the air with a deafening roar. Edan raised his sword, angling it downward to deflect the spell.

  The wind blade struck with the force of a hammer, slamming into him and carving twin furrows in the soil as he skidded backward.

  Seeing this, Venira tried to get up. Her body was feeling numb due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins and was breathing rapidly as if she just finished a twenty mile marathon. She was panicking when she saw in her mind’s eye that a third of her mana went in that one spell due to poor focus. When the spell didn’t show any signs of dispersing, he plunged his sword into the ground before him with all his strength and braced against the force.

  The wind blade was cut in two and passed harmlessly by him, however the gush of wind that came with it made it impossible to look forward. His feet were swiped off the ground, threatening to fly away for two seconds. Then he abandoned his sword, lunging toward her with another burst of speed. She didn’t have time to react.

  They collided, Edan pinning her to the ground. His hand clamped onto her injured shoulder, making her cry out in pain.

  “You’ve been a thorn in my side for too long,” he growled, his fist slamming into her face.

  The first blow left her dazed. The second sent stars dancing in her vision. Blood trickled from her nose as she weakly clawed at the ground, searching for anything she could use to fight back.

  “Why?” she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why are you doing this?”

  Venira’s good hand skittered around her, trying to find the sandy ground she had used previously, but it was hard and unyielding. Where did I get that sand from? She tried to cast another spell but couldn't focus due to the throbbing pain in her head. The wooden staff was out of her reach as well.

  "You see, I can’t let any of you leave alive." He swallowed.

  Her body was getting weaker with each passing moment, lingering on the verge of unconsciousness.

  "Now that I know this map is not a fake, I can’t let any of you live knowing this. Ah, and don’t worry about the other two. The stone I gave them It’s just an overcharged magic stone. Surely you heard it. It was quite an explosion."

  He unhooked a knife from his back. “Anyway, it’s time to end this.” His blade was gaining a red sheen to it by the second.

  With her last strength, she tried to escape from under him, but it was hopeless. He was more heavy than he looked and casters were weak to close physical attacks; she knew this. She closed her eyes, afraid to even look at Edan's murderous face as he raised the knife, poised to stab her hearth.