They moved together.
Not perfectly.
Not in sync.
But with the same intent.
Interrupt.
Edrin stepped in first—
Not fast—
Not clean—
But unpredictable.
"…I'm going left—no, I'm not!" he said as he stumbled forward.
Ronan laughed. "Even you don't know what you're doing!"
"Exactly!"
The figure reacted—
But too precisely.
It adjusted for a clean movement—
And Edrin wasn't clean.
He tripped—
Shifted—
Turned the wrong way—
And ended up somewhere the figure hadn't calculated.
Kael moved instantly—
A precise strike—
Targeting the unstable point again.
The air cracked.
The figure faltered.
Lyra followed—
Magic threading into the disruption—
Holding it open—
Preventing recovery.
Ronan charged—
Full force—
A heavy strike—
This time—
It connected.
Not fully.
Not cleanly.
But enough.
The figure staggered.
Just one step.
Edrin blinked.
"…We hit it."
"Yes," Kael said.
Edrin nodded.
"…Okay."
A breath.
"…Do that again."
The figure didn't wait this time.
It moved—
Fast—
Sharper—
Less controlled.
Its hand struck toward Edrin—
Direct.
Edrin reacted—
A stumble—
A twist—
A barely avoided hit—
"…Still terrifying!"
The force grazed him—
Not cutting—
But impacting—
Real.
He was thrown back.
Rolling across the fractured ground.
"…Okay, now it hurts in a normal way!"
Lyra winced. "Edrin!"
"I'm fine!"
He wasn't.
But he stood.
The figure turned—
Trying to reestablish control—
To reset—
To regain its rhythm.
Kael didn't allow it.
He stepped in again—
Precise—
Relentless—
Striking the same point—
Again.
And again.
Ronan followed—
Not careful—
Not precise—
But overwhelming.
Lyra reinforced—
Keeping the disruption open—
Not letting the figure stabilize.
Edrin saw it.
"…It's losing control."
"Yes," Lyra said.
"That's the goal."
The figure tried to shift—
To adapt—
To find a new pattern—
But there wasn't one.
Because there was no pattern.
Just pressure.
Just interference.
Just… chaos.
Edrin smiled weakly.
"…I'm good at chaos."
Ronan grinned.
"Now you're useful."
"I was always useful!"
The figure lashed out—
A wide strike—
Trying to hit all of them at once—
But it overcommitted.
Kael moved—
Redirecting—
Ronan stepped through—
Lyra disrupted—
The attack missed.
Left it open.
Edrin saw it.
"…There!"
He ran—
Not gracefully—
Not efficiently—
But directly.
"…This is still a bad idea!" he shouted.
"No it's not!" Ronan replied.
"It always is!"
Edrin reached the figure—
Raised his sword—
And swung—
Not at the body—
At the unstable point.
The blade connected.
This time—
There was resistance.
And then—
A crack.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
But real.
The figure froze for a split second.
Edrin's eyes widened.
"…I did that."
Kael stepped in—
Adding pressure—
Expanding the crack.
Lyra surged—
Magic driving into the fracture—
Ronan struck—
Forcing it wider.
The figure staggered again—
More this time.
Its form flickering—
Not stable—
Not controlled—
Breaking.
Edrin exhaled.
"…Okay."
A small smile formed.
"…We're winning."
The figure reacted violently.
Not calmly.
Not precisely.
It surged—
A burst of force—
Pushing them all back—
Breaking the formation—
Creating space.
Edrin slid across the ground—
Barely catching himself.
"…Okay, it didn't like that."
"No," Kael said.
"It didn't."
The figure stood there—
Form flickering—
Edges unstable—
Control slipping.
And for the first time—
It didn't look like something in control.
It looked like something—
Struggling.
"Deviation… escalating…"
Edrin stood up slowly.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…That's us."
Ronan laughed.
"Best description we've had."
Lyra stepped beside Edrin.
"We're close."
Edrin nodded.
"…Then we don't stop."
The figure raised its hand again—
But slower now—
Less certain—
The void behind it trembling—
Unstable.
Edrin tightened his grip.
"…New rule."
Ronan groaned. "Again?"
Edrin smiled faintly.
"…We don't give it time to think."
Kael nodded.
"…Agreed."
Lyra raised her magic.
Ronan cracked his knuckles.
And together—
They moved again.
Not waiting.
Not hesitating.
Because this time—
The fight wasn't about surviving.
It was about ending it.