Natan drew a deep breath as he stared at his hands, covered in scrapes and blisters. Time and again, he had tried to lift and master the glowing diamond sword, yet the weapon refused to accept him. Every time he gripped the hilt, a violent jolt of lightning shot through his arms. He was on the verge of giving up, but before he could voice his defeat, the air around him shifted drastically.
Outside the dwarfs' small cottage, the once-peaceful sky was quickly replaced by dark, heavy clouds. The expanse above turned a deep purple and black, as if a massive storm were about to break at any moment.
Inside, the dwarfs froze. The hair on their arms stood on end, and their eyes filled with sheer terror.
"Do you feel that?" the oldest dwarf whispered, his voice trembling. "That immense, suffocating power... this is no ordinary storm."
Natan frowned. He couldn't sense any magical force or aura, lacking the innate ability to feel magical energy. "What are you talking about? It's just wind," he replied.
"Do not go outside, mortal!" another dwarf shouted. "Great danger fills the air!"
Ignoring the warning, Natan summoned his courage, slowly pushed open the wooden door, and stepped out into the gathering tempest.
In the midst of the howling wind, a swirling mass of sparkling white dust gathered in the air. From that glowing mist, a familiar figure gradually materialized.
It was the Elven priest.
He possessed long white hair that danced in the wind and eyes that emitted a cold, blinding light that had terrified Natan once before. Before the priest even spoke, the boiling rage in his chest was palpable.
"You are wasting my time, mortal," the Elven priest said, his voice cold yet razor-sharp, echoing across the mountain. "I sent you here to retrieve what equals what you stole, not to play and wander about as if you were strolling through a town square..."
"You're mistaken... Let me explain—" Natan pleaded, but the Elven priest cut him off.
"I have no time to listen to the excuses of a thief... It seems your sister's life means nothing to you," he replied.
The Elven priest spread his arms. In the blink of an eye, he manifested giant cannons of pure light from the air—the Judgment Light, one of his legendary abilities. The first volley of radiant spheres hurtled toward Natan. Driven by pure instinct and luck, Natan ducked and rolled onto the ground. The blasts struck the massive boulders behind him, instantly vaporizing them into dust from the intense heat!
Yet the Elf did not relent, wielding the powers of both wind and light. With a flick of his wrist, the surrounding air sharpened into blades of light. Natan leapt to the right to dodge them, but he could not escape the priest's final attack—a swift bolt of sacred lightning.
BAM!
The strike slammed directly into his chest. Natan screamed in agony as his body was launched into the air before crashing hard against the jagged rocks.
The priest's wrath was far from over. Raising both hands, he unleashed a massive white aura that engulfed the entire area. The aura flashed and rained down upon the dwarfs' cottage like a giant thunderbolt from the heavens!
THE GROUND SHATTERED!
In an instant, the cottage was reduced to splinters and dust. As the smoke cleared, the only thing left standing amidst the ruins was the diamond sword embedded in the earth, alongside the surviving dwarfs, who wept in terror and grief.
The Elven priest glanced at the diamond sword and then at Natan, who lay bleeding on the ground. A mocking smile touched his lips.
"The Diamond Sword..." the Elf muttered in a contemptuous whisper. "A legendary weapon feared by many, and you dream of wielding it? Laughable. An incompetent creature like you thinks himself worthy of such power?"
With a wave of his hand, a powerful gust lifted Natan and sent him flying back, crashing beside the embedded sword and the weeping dwarfs.
Natan hit the ground beside the blade, gasping for air as blood trickled from his lips.
Hovering in the air, the Elven priest's white aura continued to glow with terrifying intensity. He looked down at Natan with utter disdain.
"Try to block my next attack, mortal," the Elven priest challenged, as a colossal sphere of destructive light formed rapidly above him. "Prove me wrong. Because if you cannot deflect this... I will end your life along with those useless dwarfs!"
Natan knelt amidst the ruined earth, barely able to breathe from the excruciating pain consuming his body. The massive sphere of light plunged toward him and the trembling dwarfs. He could already feel the searing heat burning his skin. Facing certain death, Natan squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for his final breath.
Yet, at that exact moment, the world seemed to slow down.
From the center of the blazing light, tiny, shimmering butterflies materialized. Appearing out of nowhere, they gathered in the air, gradually taking the ethereal shape of a human figure. A beautiful maiden appeared before him—his sister, in the form of a spirit.
Natan's lips trembled, his vision blurring as tears streamed down his face. "Maya...?" he whispered to himself. He wasn't sure if he was seeing his actual sister or if it was merely a hallucination from his dying mind, as he appeared to be the only one who could see the magical spirit.
Overwhelmed by shock and emotion, Natan lost his voice, unable to utter another word.
The spirit bearing his sister's image looked at him with profound love and peace. Wordlessly, her eyes conveyed a clear message. Reaching for Natan's hands, she gently guided them toward the hilt of the Diamond Sword. As his fingers touched the grip under his sister's guidance, the violent lightning that had once burned him transformed into a gentle, warm light that flowed through his veins.
Once his grip on the weapon tightened, his sister's figure slowly dissolved into the air like stardust carried away by the wind.
Natan wanted to run and search for where his sister had gone, but there was no time. The Elven priest's fatal attack was inches from his face!
With a swift motion, Natan raised the Diamond Sword and swung it upward with all his strength to deflect the strike.
BOOM!
A deafening blast of power echoed across the entire mountain. The giant sphere of light was successfully split in two and redirected! It hurtled toward the nearby forest and detonated. The sheer force of the explosion flattened half of the towering trees, leaving behind a wide clearing of smoldering branches.
Silence fell over the landscape.
The Elven priest remained floating in the air. Instead of flying into a rage over his final attack being deflected, a wide, thoroughly entertained smile spread across his face. He stared at Natan—who was now standing, holding the Diamond Sword with ease.
"So your true strength reveals itself when your life is on the line," the Elven priest remarked, appearing immensely pleased with the display. "You didn't disappoint me at the final moment."
Adjusting his luxurious cloak, the Elf looked down at Natan coolly. "You have proven you have the right to wield that weapon... A sign that you might actually fulfill my mission. But remember, mortal... this is only the beginning of your ordeals. We shall meet again."
Before Natan could demand answers about his sister, the Elven priest vanished into thin air as if he had never been part of the battle, leaving Natan standing alone amidst the ruined land.