Zael moved first.
Void Step.
The world bent—
And he vanished.
A blur through the forest, reappearing at Draven's flank with his blade already cutting through the air.
Resonance Strike.
Full force.
No testing.
No hesitation.
The strike landed.
Or—
It should have.
Draven tilted his head slightly.
And the blade passed through.
Not cleanly.
Not like air.
But like cutting through something that refused to fully exist.
Zael's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…Not physical."
Draven's grin widened.
"…You learn fast."
He moved.
Not forward.
Not backward.
Just—
There.
Then gone.
Zael reacted on instinct.
He twisted—
Barely—
A hand brushed past his shoulder.
The air behind him exploded.
A tree shattered.
Not cut.
Not broken.
Erased.
Zael skidded back, boots digging into the ground.
"…Tch."
That wasn't strength.
Not just strength.
That was something else.
Draven didn't chase.
He stood there again.
Relaxed.
Watching.
"…You're different from the others."
Zael didn't respond.
Didn't waste time.
His stance shifted.
Blade Domain expanded.
Tighter this time.
Denser.
The air around him sharpened, cutting anything that entered.
Controlled.
Measured.
Draven stepped forward—
Into it.
The domain reacted instantly.
Slicing.
Tearing.
But—
It slowed.
Not stopped.
But slowed.
Like the space around Draven resisted being cut.
"…Interesting," Draven muttered.
Then—
He punched.
Not flashy.
Not exaggerated.
Just a simple forward strike.
Zael crossed his blade.
Impact.
The ground beneath him cracked as he was forced back several meters.
His arms vibrated from the force.
"…That's not simple strength."
Draven smiled.
"…Of course it isn't."
He stepped forward again.
Zael didn't meet him head-on this time.
Void Step—
He vanished—
Reappeared above—
Blade descending—
Night Sever.
A clean, silent cut aimed for the neck.
Draven didn't dodge.
Didn't block.
His body shifted.
Just slightly.
Enough.
The blade grazed him—
And for the first time—
It connected.
A thin line appeared across his shoulder.
Dark blood seeped out.
Draven looked at it.
Then back at Zael.
And smiled.
Wider.
"…Good."
That word—
Was dangerous.
Zael didn't let the moment linger.
He pressed.
Phantom Split.
A second presence appeared beside him.
Not fully real.
But enough.
Two angles.
Two attacks.
Draven's eyes flickered between them.
Then—
He laughed.
"…That won't work."
He moved—
And both attacks missed.
Not dodged.
Not blocked.
Missed.
Like they had never aligned with him in the first place.
Zael disengaged instantly.
Distance.
Again.
His breathing remained controlled.
But his mind—
Was moving fast.
Too fast.
Too many variables.
"…He's not just fast."
"…He's shifting position."
Not physically.
Spatially.
That explained the misses.
The distortions.
The way attacks didn't land cleanly.
Draven tilted his head.
"…Trying to figure it out?"
Zael didn't answer.
Draven stepped forward again.
"…Let me help."
The world twisted.
Not violently.
Subtly.
The trees around them seemed to bend—
Not in shape—
But in position.
Zael's perception screamed.
He moved instantly—
But—
Too late.
A hit landed.
Not heavy.
Not devastating.
But clean.
His side burned as he was sent skidding across the ground.
Zael caught himself, sliding to a stop.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"…So that's how it is."
Draven didn't follow up.
He stood there.
Waiting.
Enjoying it.
"…You feel it now, don't you?"
Zael wiped the blood with the back of his hand.
His eyes didn't leave Draven.
"…You're bending space."
Draven's grin widened.
"…Close."
A pause.
"…I'm standing where you're not."
That—
Didn't make sense.
And yet—
It did.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…Annoying."
Draven laughed.
"…You'll get used to it."
Zael's grip tightened.
No.
He wouldn't.
He couldn't afford to.
Because this fight—
Wasn't meant to be fair.
Wasn't meant to be winnable.
Not like this.
Not straight on.
His gaze flickered for a split second.
Inward.
To his inventory.
To the corpses.
To Devour.
Then—
He dismissed the thought.
Not here.
Not now.
Too exposed.
Too dangerous.
Draven noticed the hesitation.
Just for a moment.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Thinking of something?"
Zael didn't respond.
His stance shifted again.
Different this time.
Less aggressive.
More controlled.
Draven's smile faded just a fraction.
"…Good."
"Adapt."
Zael moved.
But not like before.
No direct strike.
No obvious angle.
He circled.
Testing.
Observing.
Draven didn't interrupt.
Didn't rush.
He let it happen.
Because to him—
This wasn't a fight yet.
This was still—
A hunt.
Zael stepped in—
Feint.
Step out.
Another angle—
Cut—
Miss.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each time—
Closer.
Each time—
Sharper.
Draven's eyes followed.
Interest growing.
"…You're learning."
Zael didn't deny it.
Didn't confirm it.
He just kept moving.
Because now—
He understood something.
Not fully.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
Draven wasn't untouchable.
He just wasn't—
Where he seemed to be.
Which meant—
He had to force him to be.
Zael exhaled slowly.
Then—
Everything tightened.
His domain.
His stance.
His focus.
All of it—
Condensed.
Draven's grin returned.
"…There it is."
The real fight.
Zael stepped forward—
And this time—
He didn't aim for where Draven was.
He aimed—
For where he would be.
The forest around them stilled.
The air tightened.
And the gap between them—
Collapsed.
The hunt had ended.
Now—
It was a fight.
And it wasn't over.