Visarion

"What the hell is that?" Erenyx muttered under her breath, her voice tinged with both confusion and disgust. Her eyes narrowed as she stared down the grotesque, white humanoid figure standing before her. Its body was hunched, its limbs twitching erratically. The creature's form appeared unstable, pulsating with strange energy, as though it was struggling to maintain its shape. Its serpentine-like posture made its movements unpredictable, each pulse causing its body to spasm violently.

Suddenly, it lunged toward her, its elongated hand stretching out, fingers writhing as though they intended to latch onto her. Erenyx's instincts kicked in, her body reacting before her mind could fully process the threat. She swung her arm skyward, and with a surge of Essentia, the ground beneath the creature erupted. A massive pillar of earth rocketed upwards, impaling the creature through its chest.

The figure let out a guttural, inhuman sound, but Erenyx was already moving. She grabbed her left axe, 'Kin,' and with a swift, upward swing, summoned a wave of water from the Essentia stored within the blade. The liquid force surged toward the creature's neck, severing its head with a brutal slash. The creature's head hit the ground with a sickening thud, rolling across the dirt before stopping a few feet away. Its lifeless eyes remained fixed on Erenyx, staring at her with a chilling intensity.

But before she could catch her breath, the creature's body convulsed. Tendrils of flesh erupted from the stump of its neck, twisting and writhing like snakes. They shot toward the fallen head, latching onto it and dragging it back toward the torso. Erenyx's eyes widened in disbelief as the head reattached itself, the gaping wound in the creature's chest slowly knitting back together, the earth pillar protruding from its torso crumbling as the creature forced itself off of it.

"What the hell am I dealing with out here?" Erenyx growled, her frustration mounting as she hefted 'Kin' back onto her back alongside her other axe. Her eyes never left the creature, which was already regaining its composure. Its body seemed to stabilize, twitching less now, as though it had adapted to the damage.

Erenyx's hands came together in a sharp clap. "Art of the Buddha: Earth Trap!" she commanded. The ground beneath the creature quaked, the tremors rippling outward as cracks splintered the earth around its feet. The creature glanced down, its eerie eyes narrowing as the ground began to rise, forming jagged stone walls that encased it. The earth continued to surge upward, closing in like the jaws of a great beast until it was completely trapped within a stone dome.

With a determined look, Erenyx grabbed her other axe, 'Gin,' and launched herself into the air. Her body soared above the dome, and she could feel the rush of Essentia flowing into her weapon. "Shatter!" she yelled as she descended, her axe poised for impact. She brought the blade down with immense force, striking the center of the dome. The stone structure split apart with a deafening crack, the force of her blow shattering it into a thousand pieces.

She landed gracefully in the rubble, her eyes scanning the debris. For a moment, she expected the creature to rise again, to reform as it had before. But all she saw were dozens of small white snakes, wriggling and scattering into the cracks of the earth. The main body was gone, reduced to these serpentine fragments.

Erenyx knelt down, observing the strange white snakes with a mix of curiosity and revulsion. She took out her phone, snapping a few pictures of the aftermath. "What the hell was that?" she muttered, slinging her axes back onto her back. Her mind raced with questions, but there were no immediate answers.

As she stood and dusted off her hands, a thought crossed her mind. "Maybe I should get a damn taxi," she muttered, rubbing the back of her head in frustration. The road ahead, leading out of the Weeping Forest, was poorly paved and stretched far beyond the horizon. She had a long walk ahead of her.

The forest grew quieter as she continued on the path, but it wasn't long before she encountered more small beasts, remnants of the wild, untamed Essentia that pulsed through the forest. She fought them off with ease, using the opportunity to test out new combinations with her axes. She experimented with swinging both 'Kin' and 'Gin' in tandem, creating waves of water that drowned her foes while using the earth to trap and crush them.

With each battle, her confidence grew, though her thoughts occasionally drifted back to Blaid. She stopped walking for a moment, grabbing her phone again and typing a quick message to her grandfather. "Maybe I should ask Grandpa to send me some money... I kind of left without bringing any," she mused to herself, a sheepish grin crossing her face as she pressed send.

Ahead, the city of Arystel finally came into view. Tall buildings pierced the sky, their glass facades gleaming in the midday sun. The sprawling city stretched far beyond what the eye could see, a bustling metropolis that contrasted sharply with the eerie silence of the Weeping Forest behind her. But what truly caught her attention was the enormous stadium at the city's center, a colossal structure that dominated the skyline.

The Tournament of Dawn.

It was an event that drew fighters from across the world, warriors seeking to prove their strength, to test their mettle against the greatest combatants alive. Some came for glory, others for the sheer thrill of battle. Erenyx had been dreaming of this moment for years, and now, at long last, she was old enough to participate. This year's qualifier was called "The Best Hunt," though the details of the trial remained shrouded in mystery. All she knew was that failure to complete it meant no chance to fight in the tournament.

She tightened her grip on her axes as she approached the city, her heart pounding with anticipation. The path to proving her worth was just beginning, and with each step, she felt the weight of her grandfather's words. She couldn't disappoint him, she wouldn't.

Tomorrow, her real test would begin.