The air was thick with dust and smoke, swirling like ghostly veils in the dim light of the ruined stronghold. Ash drifted down in slow, lazy spirals, settling over broken stones and twisted metal like a cold, silent snow.

Sebastian’s boots crunched on the brittle remains beneath him as he moved forward, every step heavy with a mix of dread and determination. Nick padded silently beside him, ears twitching, tail flicking in nervous anticipation.

Something waited in the shadows—something alive and dangerous.

A sudden movement caught Sebastian’s eye. From the swirling smoke emerged a figure—tall, graceful, and wrapped in a cloak of ash and ember. Her eyes burned with a fierce, icy fire, cold and unyielding. The Queen beneath the ash.

Before Sebastian could react, she struck, the air flashing with searing heat as she shaped the ash around her like a weapon. Sebastian barely raised his arm in time to block, pain radiating up his forearm as shards of ash bit into his skin.

Nick yowled and sprang forward, claws extended, but the Queen twisted away like smoke slipping through fingers, evading with deadly precision.

The battle had begun.

The Queen moved with terrifying grace, each strike like a gust of burning wind. Ash erupted from the ground at her command, swirling into sharp blades and choking clouds. Sebastian ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding a razor-thin shard slicing through the air.

Nick snarled and lunged, claws raking at the ash-wrapped figure, but the Queen twisted effortlessly, her form dissolving into a haze before reforming behind him. Her cold eyes locked onto Sebastian’s, a cruel smile flickering.

“You’re persistent,” she hissed, voice like the crackle of embers. “But persistence won’t save you.”

Sebastian grit his teeth, the sting from earlier still burning along his arm. Every muscle screamed, but he forced himself to focus—watching her patterns, searching for any sign of weakness.

A sudden flash—her ash cloak thinned for a heartbeat. Sebastian seized the chance, drawing an arrow from his quiver and nocking it swiftly. His fingers tightened on the string, aiming for the exposed side.

He released. The arrow hissed through the smoky air, striking true and sending a shower of grey dust drifting down.

The Queen staggered briefly, eyes flaring with rage. She lashed out, forcing Sebastian back with a blast of scalding ash and smoke.

Nick’s fur bristled as he leapt forward, eyes blazing with fierce determination. The cat faced the Queen alone, agile and relentless. Claws flashed, teeth bared, as he darted between the swirls of ash and flame.

For a tense moment, it was a deadly dance—Nick dodging and striking, matching the Queen’s deadly grace with nimble ferocity.

Nick crouched low, eyes locked on the Queen beneath the ash. His sleek fur bristled with tension as he unslung the tiny bow strapped across his back—a perfect fit for his lithe frame. Swift as a shadow, he notched a small arrow, fingers steady despite the chaos.

With a silent whistle, the arrow zipped toward the Queen, striking a plume of swirling ash and forcing her to shift defensively. But Nick didn’t pause—he sprang forward, dagger gleaming like a sliver of moonlight in his paw.

His blade was small but deadly, a razor-sharp dagger forged for precision. Nick slashed expertly at the Queen’s ash-cloaked limbs, aiming for the fleeting gaps in her defenses. She moved like smoke, twisting and spinning, but Nick’s speed and cunning kept her off balance.

Each strike was a dance—a blur of claws, arrows, and swift dagger slashes. Though smaller and less powerful, Nick fought with fierce determination, buying precious time for Sebastian to recover.

The Queen’s next strike came like a blazing storm. A swirling whirlwind of ash slammed into Sebastian, knocking the breath from his lungs. He crashed hard against the jagged stone wall, pain exploding across his side. His vision blurred; darkness crept at the edges.

Half-conscious, Sebastian slumped against the cold surface, struggling to stay upright.

Nick kept the Queen on the defensive, darting and striking with his bow and dagger, holding her attention with fierce determination. Meanwhile, Sebastian’s eyelids fluttered, the haze in his mind thinning bit by bit.

He blinked slowly, the dull ache in his side grounding him back to the present. The distant clash of battle echoed faintly, and through the fog, he saw Nick locked in a tense duel, every movement purposeful and precise.

Come on, Sebastian, he thought, get it together. You can’t let him fight alone. Not now.

He held his bow tightly, fingers trembling as he pulled an arrow from the quiver. Nocking it with deliberate care, Sebastian drew the string back with all the strength he could muster.

As the bowstring strained against his grip, a strange shimmer flickered before his eyes—a sudden ripple, and then a blue screen bloomed in the air like a ghostly window.

The world seemed to pause, the battle fading around him as the glowing screen hovered, waiting.

The glowing blue screen pulsed softly like a heartbeat. Words appeared—simple, clear, and impossible to ignore:

“Activate: Core Resonance?”

His breath hitched. What was this? A power waiting dormant inside him? A tool, a weapon, or something more?

His fingers trembled as the prompt blinked, waiting for his choice.

If I don’t take it… what happens? The question gnawed at him.

But the pounding in his chest told him this was the moment. Drawing a deep breath, Sebastian nodded to himself.

“I’m ready.”

With a sharp pulse, the blue light surged through him, warmth flooding his veins and steadying his racing heart. The battle faded, replaced by a calm focus, as if something ancient had finally awoken within.

The blue light surged through his arm, steadying his breath and sharpening his focus. Sebastian felt power hum beneath his skin—a quiet strength waiting to be unleashed.

Without hesitation, he drew back the bowstring again, this time with ease and precision beyond anything he’d felt before.

The arrow flew true, slicing through the smoky air with a crackle of blue energy trailing behind it.

It struck the Queen beneath the ash squarely in the chest.

She staggered, eyes widening in shock as the blue light pulsed through her, breaking through the swirling ash that cloaked her.

The Queen beneath the ash staggered, her fierce eyes flashing with shock and something else—fear, maybe.

Blue light pulsed through her, unraveling the dark veil of ash that had shielded her for so long.

Sebastian lowered his bow slowly, chest heaving, feeling the surge of new power steady him.

Nick crouched beside him, eyes sharp and ready, sensing the shift in the battle.

But the Queen was far from defeated. A low, chilling laugh echoed through the ruins, promising that this was only the beginning.

The ash stirred once more, and the darkness around them deepened.

Sebastian knew—this fight was far from over.