King of magistos

Fang sat cross-legged again, now with two spent stones cracked open beside him. The second rabbit had risen just as the first, silent and obedient. It was smaller than Smoke as well as his counterpart, leaner too. But it moved well, fast and agile. Functional.

The first had been trial. The second was confirmation.

Now they ran.

Smoke darted between trees, flanked by his new siblings. The three shadow rabbits moved like phantoms through the forest brush, barely disturbing the leaves. Fang didn't need to watch them—he could feel them. His mana trailed faint threads between each one and his own core, like a Bluetooth connection.

He stood, brushing dust off his knees. They responded instantly. One flanked, one halted, one turned back toward him.

"Good," he said aloud. "connection solid. They're syncing."

He glanced toward the treeline as Isgram reemerged, a heavy sack of stones slung over one shoulder and some wood on the other.

he dwarf stopped short, watching as the rabbits weaved around each other in perfect silence. His beard twitched.

"I'll be damned," he muttered. "You actually did it. Triplets."

"More like twins and their delinquent older brother," Fang replied.

Isgram dropped the sack beside him with a thud. "That's clay, stone, and maybe iron. I think. No clue how good it is until I hit it with something."

"Which you will. Soon." Fang knelt and opened the bag, inspecting the haul. Raw, rough. But it was a start. Something to build with.

Isgram crossed his arms and looked at the rabbits again. "How long they last?"

Fang stood. "No idea. But they're stable."

"That one's licking a rock."

"Still stable."

"Your minions are dumb."

"Eat dirt."

"No need, your other rabbit is doing this right now."

They shared a quiet moment, both watching the creatures move.

Then the earth growled.

A low rumble—not sharp like thunder, but deeper. Subterranean. It rolled through the clearing.

Fang froze. The rabbits scattered instinctively, vanishing into the brush.

Isgram narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't thunder."

"No." Fang's voice was clipped. "Mana. Something big."

"I can feel it. Why does it feel familiar, though?" Said Isgram as he rubbed his beard.

Fang reached out with his mind, mana flowing to his minions. He pulled.

Return.

Within moments, the rabbits reappeared at the treeline, silent and wary. They didn't bolt forward, just lingered. Ears twitching. Heads are turning in the same direction.

Another tremor hit. Closer this time. The soil under their feet jumped.

Isgram was already crouching low. "That's not footsteps. That's something crawling."

"Or burrowing," Fang muttered.

They didn't move. Neither did the rabbits. All eyes faced the treeline.

Then the earth cracked.

From beneath the brush, near the edge of the clearing, the ground exploded upward in a violent burst of dirt and roots.

Fang and Isgram shielded their eyes with their arms, and Isgram was ready to use his magic the moment he could see the attacker.

The earth gave a final booming sound, and Dust swirled like a mini sandstorm. Then, something began to rise from the eruption site.

A silhouette cloaked in shadow, shifting with unnatural grace.

Isgram and Fang both tensed, the hairs on the back of their necks rising. The air around the creature hummed with dark energy, heavy and suffocating. A low, pulsing force washed over them, something ancient and powerful. It was as if the ground itself recoiled from her presence.

Then, she appeared.

She floated out of the hole, rising smoothly as though the earth itself was her servant. Beneath her, a metal platform shimmered. smooth and sleek.

like polished obsidian under the moonlight.

The edges of the platform were looking sharp and dangerous.

She hovered a good three feet above the ground, 

Her figure was slender, feminine, and her legs were covered by a long, midnight-black dress. As the sandstorm cleared, her face became visible. A beautiful woman, but with a chilling presence that made it impossible to mistake her for anything but dangerous. On top of her head, two small horns of a demon jutted out, curved slightly backward.

The calm elegance of her appearance was at odds with the violent eruption that had birthed her from the earth.

As the mysterious woman floated there, an unsettling stillness hung in the air. The crackling of the earth, the settling dust, and the heavy pulse of energy around her all faded into the background. Isgram was the first to move.

His eyes narrowed, watching the demoness closely as she hovered above the ground. For a moment, he said nothing, assessing her, his mind already shifting through possibilities.

Then, his presence flared.

Mana surged within him, fiery energy crackling up his arm and coiling around his fingers. The heat in the air intensified, and his hand clenched into a fist, now fully covered in swirling flames. He didn't step forward, but the fire in his grip grew.

His aura flared, putting pressure on the two mages in his vicinity.

He stood his ground and stared at Gaia, his voice low but firm.

"So, you're the rumored demoness of the forest," Isgram said, his words more of a statement than a question. "Quite the entrance. I assume that's not your best trick, huh?"

Fang remained silent beside Isgram, still watching the mysterious figure. The air around Gaia shimmered with an almost tangible weight of dark energy, but she made no move. The tension was palpable.

Isgram's fiery presence stood in stark contrast to her quiet, commanding aura. The two of them, on either side of the clearing, seemed to face off without a word exchanged beyond Isgram's challenge.

Gaia's lips curved into a slight, knowing smile. Her eyes, glowing faintly with that unnatural light, scanned both Isgram and Fang with an intense, calculating look. She hovered in place, her presence commanding, the air around her growing colder.

"Rumors," she mused, her voice soft. "I find them amusing but not always accurate." Her gaze flicked to Isgram's fiery fist, then to Fang, who stood unmoving, calm. "Though it seems I've interrupted something... interesting."

Her tone was laced with quiet amusement as she took a moment to observe the two of them. "So, what are you doing here in my forest? I do not take kindly to trespassers."

For a long moment, she said nothing more, letting the words hang in the air, waiting for a response.

Fang, despite the tension, was the first to break the silence. He straightened, his eyes meeting hers with a steady calm.

"Manners dictate that one should introduce themselves before interrogating others," Fang said, his voice steady, though with a hint of a challenge. "You know who we are, but we don't know you yet."

Gaia's smile remained unchanged, though there was an almost unnoticeable flicker of surprise in her eyes.

"Very well," she replied, her voice carrying a subtle authority. "I am Gaia, and the one you've unknowingly crossed paths with." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And if I am to play by these rules of yours, then I shall ask again—what are you doing in this forest? MY forest."

Fang didn't immediately respond, choosing instead to watch her with a cautious curiosity. 

Fang stood there, his eyes never leaving Gaia's, his body still and calculating. The presence she exuded was undeniable, suffocating in its power. But he wasn't intimidated. Not yet.

He took a slow breath, his tone careful, measured. "I am Fang," he said, the words almost a whisper as he bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. "And I'm living here in this forest, for the time being."

His eyes flickered briefly to Isgram, then back to Gaia, gauging her reaction.

"I don't have much interest in your forest, but it seems we've both found ourselves here," Fang continued. "As for why... well, I suppose it's just where we ended up."

He needed to understand more about her, her motivations, before revealing anything that could be used against him.

Isgram, still standing beside Fang, didn't take his eyes off Gaia either. He kept his fiery presence visible, his fist still smoldering. It was clear he wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation, but he trusted Fang to handle this delicate moment.

Gaia's gaze lingered on Fang for a long beat, her lips still curled in that enigmatic smile. "I see," she replied slowly, her voice heavy with curiosity. "A wanderer, then."

She tilted her head, her small horns catching the dim light filtering through the trees. The air seemed to grow colder, the energy around her pulsing stronger, like the forest itself was holding its breath.

"Tell me," Gaia said, her eyes narrowing slightly, "What exactly is it you seek in this place, Fang?"

ang's gaze sharpened as he spoke, his voice steady but carrying the weight of the statement.

"I am the representative of the god of thunder, Asu," he said, his tone even but firm. "I assume you're a chosen one too?"

There was a subtle shift in his posture as the words left his mouth, his senses on high alert. He had no idea how Gaia would react to the mention of Asu, but his gut told him that this encounter was more than just a random meeting. The way she carried herself, the power she radiated—everything about her screamed of something far more significant than a mere wanderer.

Gaia's gaze didn't waver.

"A representative of Asu, huh?" she said, her voice soft, but there was an edge to it now. "A god of thunder... interesting."

She looked at Fang for a moment longer, considering his words carefully before answering.

"I am a chosen one, yes," she finally replied, her voice measured but with a distinct chill to it

Gaia's voice was calm, but the weight of her words carried a chilling finality. "I am the chosen one of the god of death," she said, her voice low and steady, as though the phrase itself wasn't just a title but an undeniable truth. Her aura pulsed with dark energy, wrapping around her like a cloak, the air growing heavier with each word.