"Welcome," he said without looking up, voice flat and uninterested.

Kaele shifted her grip on her spear, and Auren's hand tightened on his rapier's hilt.

They moved further in, eyes scanning the room for signs of danger or life.

Auren cleared his throat. "Why is there a tavern out here all alone? No travelers, no locals..."

The man shrugged, finally raising his head. His pale blue eyes bored into them, tired yet sharp. "Why not?"

Auren frowned, feeling the weight of something... wrong. The air in the room thickened, like thick fog rolling in slow and heavy.

The man dropped the rag he'd been using to clean and raised one hand in a lazy gesture.

Both Auren and Kaele instinctively reached for their weapons, fingers curling around the hilts and shafts.

The man merely scratched the back of his head, as if unaware of their tension.

"What's wrong? Here to rent a room or just waste my time?" he asked, voice low and rasping.

"Who are you?" Auren demanded, stepping forward, eyes narrowing.

The man sighed and rubbed his temple. "I'm Jihu."

"Jihu?" Kaele echoed, skepticism thick in her tone.

"Yeah, and I'm a wind awakener," he added with a bored shrug.

At the words, a sudden, violent gust exploded from his outstretched palm, slamming against them with the force of a storm.

They were slammed backward, crashing through the doorway and into the trees lining the road, leaves and twigs whipping their faces.

Kaele grunted, bruised but already rising to her feet. Auren shook his head to clear the ringing in his ears.

Jihu stood outside now, arms crossed, watching with a mixture of disinterest and faint amusement.

Kaele wasted no time. She charged forward, spear thrusting with rapid jabs like a striking serpent, each attack fluid and precise.

Jihu dodged effortlessly, weaving through the strikes as if weightless.

Auren seized an opening and slipped behind Jihu, aiming a quick strike with his rapier.

But Jihu caught the spear mid-thrust, lifting the tip and forcing Kaele's grip to falter. In the same motion, he kicked out, connecting solidly with Auren's ribs.

The wind seemed to surge through his body, glowing faintly with emerald light.

Auren flew backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack that echoed through the forest.

Kaele staggered, weaponless and stunned, watching as Jihu's eyes gleamed with cold amusement.

"Get out of here!" Auren coughed, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

Kaele hesitated, frozen in shock.

Jihu raised a hand, gathering a swirling vortex of wind in his palm, bright green sparks flickering like lightning.

The tavern behind them groaned as dust and splinters shook loose, the walls rattling under an unseen pressure.

Auren scrambled to his feet, charging forward again, but Jihu vanished into thin air.

A chill ran down Auren's spine as he looked around frantically-there was no sign of the wind awakener.

Kaele was on the ground, bruised and bleeding, eyes half-lidded with pain.

"Truly unfortunate," Jihu's voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere, cold and mocking.

Jihu's voice echoed cold and mocking, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Before Auren could even turn fully, a sudden, brutal punch crashed into his cheek, snapping his head sideways. Pain exploded through his skull as the world spun.

But this wasn't just any punch - the ground beneath Auren vanished, and suddenly he was suspended in midair, helpless, weightless, trapped by an invisible force.

Hovering beside him was Jihu, his blond hair wild, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. Green sparks of wind energy crackled around his body like living blades, swirling with a fierce intensity.

Without hesitation, Jihu slammed a fierce kick into Auren's chest. The impact sent Auren hurtling downwards at a terrifying speed.

The forest floor exploded under him with a deafening crack as he crashed into the earth. Grass and dirt shattered and flew in every direction like brittle glass breaking under the force.

Pain radiated from his ribs and spine, sharp and unforgiving.

Jihu hovered above him, arms crossed, the swirling wind still pulsing around him like a storm ready to break.

"You're just a waste of time," Jihu sneered, his voice low and biting.

Auren lay gasping, blood trickling from his lips, the ground beneath him cracked and torn as if scorched by the violent impact.

Auren lay gasping, blood trickling from his lips, the ground beneath him cracked and torn as if scorched by the violent impact. The weight of the world pressed down on his chest, each breath a ragged struggle. Pain radiated from his ribs, shooting sharp bolts that made even the smallest movement agony.

Above him, Jihu's cold eyes regarded him like a curious child inspecting a broken toy-interested, amused, but utterly dismissive.

"You still breathing?" Jihu asked, voice low and sardonic, the wind swirling around him in restless eddies.

Auren forced his eyes open, blurring focus on the pale man who floated effortlessly in the air, untouched by gravity. The broken tavern lay behind them, smoke still curling from shattered windows and splintered beams.

His own body felt like it was on fire, every nerve screaming, every muscle trembling with weakness. But the fire in his chest - the resolve - was not yet extinguished.

"What do you want?" Auren rasped, voice hoarse, lips cracked and bleeding.

Jihu shrugged, a movement like a gust stirring the air. "I'm bored. You and your friend came here, poking and prodding. I like things quiet. You disrupted that."

The pale man's blonde hair was a wild mess, strands whipping around his face as the wind caressed and tore at his cloak like a living thing.

Auren tried to shift, but a searing pain in his side stopped him. The sharp edges of the cracked ground pressed uncomfortably into his back. His hands scraped against dirt and splinters.

Kaele was on the floor, some distance away, unconscious, her spear broken in two beside her. Blood stained her cheek and smeared across her torn cloak.

"Kaele," Auren whispered, panic breaking through the fog of pain.

Jihu's voice interrupted him, cold and cruel. "She's just another body to add to the pile. You can't save everyone."

The words cut deeper than any blade.

Auren gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push up on one elbow. The world tilted, his vision swimming, but he refused to succumb.

The wind around Jihu thickened, glowing with a faint green light, sharp and electric.

"You're no match for me," Jihu said with a tired smile. "Give up."

"No," Auren said, voice barely above a whisper but fierce.

Suddenly, Jihu surged forward, the wind rippling from his limbs like lethal blades. He caught Auren's shoulder and hurled him against a nearby tree with such force the bark shredded, splinters flying.

Auren crashed to the ground again, breath expelled in a ragged cough. Pain flared through his body like wildfire. But somewhere inside, the anger smoldered - a furious spark refusing to die.

Kaele stirred weakly beside him, groaning as she slowly opened her eyes, disoriented but alive.

Auren reached out, brushing dirt and blood from her face.

"Stay with me," he whispered.

Kaele tried to sit up but winced sharply, clutching her side.

Jihu watched from a distance, arms crossed, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

"Pitiful," he said softly, his voice carrying a weight that made the air itself feel heavy.

Auren struggled to his feet, every movement agony, but determination carved steel in his gaze.

"You think this is over?" he spat. "You haven't seen anything yet."

Jihu sighed, as if bored of the entire conversation, and stretched his arms out wide. A fierce gust of wind roared through the ruined tavern, sending splinters, broken glass, and dust swirling like a storm.

But instead of launching another attack, Jihu suddenly vanished - slipping away on a breath of wind, leaving behind only the sound of rustling leaves and the fading echo of destruction.