His hands gripped her waist, snapping her back to awareness—but amid the chaos, it felt inevitable. They fled with nowhere to run. Reo had never strayed far from his village, only wandering nearby trails. A bridge loomed ahead."No way," she gasped. "We'll leave our continent and cross to Aquaris—Sadalmelik's domain."They dashed across the long span. No soldiers guarded it, thanks to the shaky alliance between their lands and Aquaris's twin empires: Sadalmelik and Sadachbia. They plunged into Sadalmelik's rainforest, midnight chill seeping through the canopy amid eerie animal calls. Exhausted, they agreed to camp in the woods for the night.They huddled by a crackling campfire, leaning against gnarled trees. Akime sparked the conversation. "I'm Akime—'Eyes,'" she said.Reo nodded. "Reo."Chirp-chirp. Sunrise filtered through the leaves as Akime stirred, spotting the blue bird again amid the rainforest's misty beauty. Reo woke beside her. "We push through the forest," he said.They trekked out—only to stumble onto a sheer cliff.Reo froze, sensing a presence so terrifying it rattled his core. Akime looked up: a crimson shrine gate loomed, lone figure perched atop it. The figure grinned wickedly, then leaped from the gate. Akime's eyes widened.Mid-air, the jumper whispered, "Spirit of Sadalmelik."Akime below breathed, "The prodigy..."Lightning CRACKED! Everything flashed white. A yellow dragon materialized—red eyes blazing, scream shattering air. The transformation shockwave hurled Reo and Akime off their feet.Akime crashed into the woods. Reo slammed against a tree, ribs screaming, but staggered up and charged the dragon. The jumper laughed wildly. "You brat!" They collided at full speed.It's over, Akime thought, sprawled in underbrush. Reo can never match Sadalmelik's full power.Reo's senses sharpened for battle. He dodged claws, glaive slicing deep into the dragon's cheek—black blood sprayed.The jumper sneered. "You're done." The wound sealed instantly. Sadalmelik unleashed an energy burst, flinging Reo backward. He skidded across rock but forced himself upright, gasping. I have to outsmart it. Can't win with force.He scanned upward—but the dragon blitzed lightspeed, tackling Reo into the cliff face. Stone exploded.As the dragon charged toward Reo, the jumper shouted mid-air, "I am the almighty wielder of Sadalmelik's dual blades—spirit of Sadalmelik! I am Mizu!"He laughed, raising his blades to finish Reo. But another light cracked—the spirit of Polaris.Dragon and Mizu both recoiled. Polaris materialized lightning-fast, aura crackling. Same appearance as Reo, but eyes burned with sharp killing intent.Polaris charged. Sadalmelik roared forward. Their collision unleashed a thunderous shockwave, shaking the cliff. Dragon and star spirit clashed at full power—blinding streaks tearing skyward.Akime staggered to her feet, staring upward. Two lights collided too fast to track. Sadalmelik screamed lungs raw; Polaris stayed calm, concentrated. The air felt ready to vaporize.Suddenly—a white blur zipped in, snatching Mizu's neck and slamming fingers deep into Polaris's eyes.The white figure's voice cut through chaos: "Enough. Both of you."

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