........

  “Friends or enemies, huh?” Neyra muttered, making her way through Veilwood.

  “I need you to check on the house, just in case someone passes through," Toney had told her earlier. "If we get lucky enough, it might be Sky.” Now, Neyra was walking through the early mist, closing in on the property. As she drew near, the sound of footsteps put her on high alert.

  She crept forward on her tiptoes, her hand hovering near the blade and dagger she always carried. “Three, two, one,” Neyra counted in her head. On "one," she rounded the corner. A figure emerged at the same moment, and their eyes met.

  “What are you doing here?” Neyra demanded.

  “I’m sorry... I thought it was abandoned,” the girl replied, forcing out one word at a time.

  Neyra looked her over, her expression hardening. “Fancy meeting an elf girl who’s a slave. You’re becoming a rare sight, you know? Be more careful.” Neyra put on her mask.

  “Thank you. I’ll leave,” the elf girl said, bread in hand. She packed her few belongings—mostly just food and some of Sky’s old clothes. They were a bit short since she was taller, but they fit her thin frame.

  An hour passed. During that time, Neyra spotted a duskwolf passing in the distance. “I need to check on the stream; my legs are hurting,” she sighed, standing up to stretch. She walked the short distance to the water, frowning as she reached the bank.

  “Seems like there’s a good connection between everyone and these females,” she mused, looking up at the cliffs. “First it was Sherlyn, then this Sky.” She stared at the heights, wondering if someone could actually survive a fall from there. She turned back toward the house.

  “Seems like our elf doesn’t want to leave after all,” she said, walking back in blindly—only to come face-to-face with a girl who matched a very familiar description. Neyra halted instantly, feeling as though she had been stopped by her own ability.

  “Sk—”

  “Who are you?” Sky asked. Before Neyra could answer, Sky unleashed a lightning-fast body combo, ending with a punch that forced Neyra to create space.

  'She’s fast,'Neyra thought. “Can I ask first—are you Sky?” Neyra asked.

  “Mmm, Sky? No. I’m Lyza.”

  “No, you match the description perfectly. I’m sorry, but you aren’t making it out of here,” Neyra said. She reached for her mask, which had the words CHOOSE written on the left and WISELY on the right.

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  “As I said, you can’t leave.” Neyra locked eyes with her. “Don’t worry, you won't be able to walk, but I’ll be fine soon. As for those punches? I’ll have to repay them with interest.” She lunged, punching Sky in the gut while simultaneously seizing her throat, never breaking eye contact.

  “I wonder what people see in my eyes... good or bad?” Neyra’s pupils widened. “Regardless, there’s not much to you. You’re beautiful, but I expected something more... Azeya-ish.”

  Neyra reached for her dagger, but her eyes went wide. 'What the—?' She barely managed to pivot, narrowly dodging a counter-punch from Sky.

  “Who is looking for me?” Sky asked, her fists clenched.

  “I’ve got to ask, too—how did you do that? I’d like to try again,” Neyra said. But the moment their eyes locked, Sky froze again. Neyra seized the opening, landing two heavy blows to the face—one near the nose and one across the teeth. “I think we can call this 'beauty control,'” Neyra mocked.

  She moved in for more, but Sky caught her with a punch to the face before grabbing Neyra’s neck and delivering a sharp back-fist.

  “So... you need to maintain eye contact. Without that, huh...?” Sky gasped, finding her rhythm.

  “And it seems like you can’t keep that up forever.” Neyra said.

  “I don’t think I like you,” Sky added before dashing in. She pointedly avoided Neyra's gaze as she threw a punch. Neyra deflected it, grabbed Sky by the hair to force their eyes to meet, and delivered a heavy kick to the chest. The blow sent Sky reeling into the dirt.

  “No... okay...” Sky whispered, scrambling up and disappearing into the woods. Neyra followed immediately.

  'She’s not far,' Neyra thought. Suddenly, her head was snapped to the left as a blow landed out of nowhere, shifting her balance. 'Where is she?' She spun around, searching the trees. Sky attempted a rear ambush, but Neyra managed to catch her gaze just in time. She landed two sharp punches to the jaw followed by a heavy blow to the body.

  Sky forced herself away, bleeding from a clean cut on her inner lip. ' I need to get back, soon,' Sky thought, her eyes tracking Neyra’s lower body.

  Sky lunged and pressed her hand over Neyra’s face, momentarily obscuring her vision. Neyra thought it was a moment of hesitation, but it was a setup: Sky followed with a brutal elbow and a leg kick. Neyra countered with a massive body punch before dropping Sky with a perfectly timed leg sweep.

  Sky’s defenses were down. Just as Neyra reached for her dagger to finish it, Alph arrived, snarling with a volume that shook the air. The distraction was enough. Sky shifted her weight, flipping the positioning to pin Neyra to the ground just as Toney arrived on the scene.

  Sky stood up without a word. Toney stood nearby, his hand resting on his sword. Alph followed at Sky’s heel as she walked away, leaving Neyra on the ground to catch her breath.

  “Seems like I was right,” Toney said, looking at the departing girl.

  “Yeah, well... now it’s about to get painful,” Neyra replied.

  ........

  “But that makes little sense. I need to see this Rheis girl,” Terry said.

  “Well, seems like I thought ahead,” Joe replied, walking toward the door. “Come in, girl.”

  Rheis entered behind Joe. “I won’t lie, you surprised me,” she said, looking at Terry.

  “Yeah, well... I expected different eyes,” Terry replied, panting as the words came out.

  “We have a lot to talk about, especially regarding these spirits,” Rheis said, taking a seat.

  “I thought it would be something else.”

  “Well, it’s only a matter of time before they start doing something foolish—or rather, before the news breaks,” Rheis said.

  “And who gave you the power to decide on my behalf?” Terry asked.

  “Mmm...” Rheis began, and the air pressure in the room began to heavy.

  ........

  “You think too much. Unnecessary thinking,” Azeya said, stepping back into a fighting stance. “Try to keep up. This time, treat each body part as an individual entity. They become more independent the faster you get.”

  'She’s twice as hard to hit because I can’t sense her, and she’s too fast. I need a way to win' Ryke thought. He watched Azeya close the distance with steady, predatory movements.

  “Leon, I’ve got news for you,” Veryn called out.

  The interruption momentarily distracted Azeya, giving Ryke the opening he needed. He surged forward, throwing a faint hook to mask his movement before stepping hard on Azeya’s foot to kill her momentum. He unleashed a four-punch combo—two hooks and two uppercuts—but Azeya weaved out cleanly. She pushed him back, stepped on Ryke’s left leg to pin him, and delivered a stinging kick with the same foot.

  “Azeya, Ryke, come hear this!” Veryn shouted again.

  “Never be predictable,” Azeya warned, grabbing Ryke by the hair as the walked towards Leon and veryn. “Though I liked the leg idea."

  What is it, Veryn?” she asked.

  “Sky. She was confronted by Neyra.”

  “Who won?” Ryke asked quickly.

  “Hard to tell, but Neyra was controlling most of the fight,” Veryn reported.

  “Anything surprising?” Azeya asked.

  “Neyra couldn’t completely stop her movements,” Veryn said, searching for

  the words. “She could... well, stop her, but it was only momentary."