chapter 31: Sebrina

Under the veiled shroud of midnight, the carriage pressed on, leaving Sondor behind. As they navigated the desert, skirting through a canyon that seemed to hold secrets untold, Timothy's mind drifted to the forgotten lands. It had been two months since the last encounter with that enigmatic world.

"June, Moraine, I hope you are all unharmed," Timothy whispered to himself, his words carried away by the winds that swept through the desolate landscape.

In the shadowed confines of the carriage, his teammates were immersed in meditation, save for Lus, who gazed at the sky with a fascination that mirrored Timothy's contemplation. Thoughts of the forgotten lands lingered, haunting Timothy's mind like a persistent echo.

Three hours elapsed, the carriage now weaving through the ruins of an ancient city, its silhouette obscured by a dense fog. Howls and roars echoed through the mist, prompting Timothy to channel the breath within, attuning his senses to the unseen. Blue waves revealed the sounds of creatures, but amidst them emerged faint red waves, elusive and suppressed, signaling a hidden presence.

"We are surrounded, concealed in the darkness," Timothy announced, breaking the meditative silence. The team, adept Konquerors, donned their hoodies, readying their weapons without alerting the carriage driver.

As the fog enshrouded them, Timothy intermittently channeled the breath, probing for the elusive presence. An hour passed before an abrupt halt jolted them. Horses neighed in protest,and Jake investigated, revealing an unexpected obstruction.

"My Lord, the horses refuse to move," the coachman voiced concern.

Amidst the tension, Komoni reassured the coachman, and Jake, facing an unseen adversary, unleashed a commanding aura that dispersed the fog. Before them stood a figure on a rock, wearing a straw hat and a worn cape, the red glow of a suppression artifact emanating from his hands.

"Konquerors, surrender your valuables," the figure demanded, revealing a half-burnt face. Unyielding, Jake retorted, dismissing the threat of a suppression artifact. The unfolding confrontation intensified, with Timothy sensing suppressed breaths around, an ominous prelude to impending conflict.

The encounter erupted into chaos, the adversaries multiplying in numbers. Jake and his allies assumed a defensive formation, but the odds seemed insurmountable. Amidst the skirmish, Timothy faced a mysterious foe, the man with the burnt face.

Amidst the chaos, the clash of blades and the flickering glow of mystical energies painted a frenetic tableau. Jake, holding his ground, fought valiantly against a swarm of foes, his movements a dance of steel and breath. Komoni and Lus, flanking the carriage, demonstrated their combat prowess, a synchronized display of Konqueror finesse. Dan, stationed at the rear, countered assailants with precision strikes, his every movement a testament to his seasoned skills.

In the heart of the skirmish, Timothy found himself locked in a dance of death with the man of the burnt face. The forbidden breath wielded by his adversary twisted the very essence of the air, creating an otherworldly symphony of malevolence. Every clash of their weapons reverberated with the echoes of a forbidden power, casting an eerie glow upon the battlefield.

The man's eyes, one of them obscured by the brim of his hat, bore into Timothy with a sinister intensity. The other eye, a cold, calculating gaze, seemed to pierce through the fog of the ancient ruins. Half of his face was a canvas of burn scars, a testament to the dark path he had traversed, and a mysterious red cocoon enveloped his heart, pulsating with an otherworldly energy.

As the clash intensified, the man's movements became a blur, leaving afterimages of malice in his wake. He spat out three needles with a casual flick of his hand, each projectile aimed with deadly precision. Timothy, relying on instinct honed through battles past, contorted his body with a dancer's grace, narrowly evading the lethal barrage.

A palm strike from Timothy found its mark, hitting the man's abdomen and forcing him to recoil. The exchange revealed the resilience of his opponent, a defiance born from an allegiance to a forbidden breath.

"Not bad at all. Now the real duel can start," the man declared, shedding his worn-out cloak to expose his half-burnt body. Red maggots emerged from the crevices of his charred flesh, burrowing and twisting, releasing an eerie aura of death and decay. The battlefield seemed to pulse with the cadence of a forbidden power.

"He is using the foul breath. The kingdom forbade that practice a long time ago," Timothy recalled the teachings of Finn and Harmonia, a realization that added a layer of gravity to the unfolding confrontation.

The man, now transformed into a grotesque embodiment of forbidden power, attacked with supernatural speed. His claws, once human, were now twisted appendages fueled by the corrupted breath. Timothy, with a defensive posture, struggled to keep up with the ferocity of the assault.

"Power without limits! How are you going to survive this, Konqueror?" the man taunted, his voice a cacophony of deranged laughter. The battlefield became a surreal stage, Timothy desperately fending off the relentless onslaught while grappling with the unsettling aura that surrounded his adversary.

The fight reached a crescendo, Timothy's every move a desperate bid for survival. The man, seemingly invigorated by the foul breath, launched a spell with a ghastly incantation, unleashing a beam of red light that raced towards Timothy.

In the arcane theater of conflict, a maiden clad in a white chemise manifested without preamble.

"You! Why did you take so long?" Timothy inquired, his tone carrying the weight of urgency.

"I can depart if you wish," the petite figure responded, her back turned to Timothy, an air of nonchalance enveloping her.

The antagonist assailing Timothy surveyed the scene, bewildered by the unseen dialogue. A momentary suspicion lingered, as if questioning the boy's sanity.

"Have you succumbed to fear, boy? Stand still, and I shall conclude this swiftly," the assailant declared. A dark incantation unfolded, his burned flesh oozing a noxious liquid, inscribed with runes that mirrored the ground. An ominous red radiance coalesced in his outstretched palm.

"Rot of the underworld, Consume!" The malevolent beam surged toward Timothy with rapid intent.

"Watch out!" Jake's exclamation reverberated amid his relentless skirmish against ceaseless adversaries.

"Roaring chains," the girl in the white chemise proclaimed. Chains erupted from the ground, enveloping Timothy in a protective barrier of regal purple. Timothy regarded the floating girl with a blend of awe and gratitude.

These chains, unlike anything witnessed in the mortal realm, seemed to pulse with a life of their own. Each link held a faint glow, resonating with an unseen energy. As the red beam collided with the arcane chains, a celestial clash unfolded—a convergence of the forbidden and the mysterious.

The chains absorbed the malevolent energy, quivering with the strain of containing a power deemed too perilous for the living. Sebrina's gaze remained fixed on Timothy, an unspoken reassurance radiating from her lavender eyes. The air crackled with the tension of the clash, and for a fleeting moment, time seemed to suspend itself in deference to the mystic duel.

"Thank you, 'CHAINED,'" Timothy acknowledged, bowing his head with respect.

"My name is not CHAINED," she countered, a revelation that resonated with an unexpected authority.

"I apologize; you never revealed your name." Timothy spoke " I recall you exiting that colossal tree without a backward glance. It was rather unceremonious," sebrina spoke , a tinge of embarrassment coloring Timothy's expression.

"Haha, I apologize for the abrupt departure. I was rather shaken," Timothy admitted in response to sebrina's revelation.

"You don't say," Sebrina quipped, readjusting his stance timothy faced her.

"I am Timothy. And you?" he inquired, extending his hand toward the enigmatic girl.

"Sebrina," came her measured response, her frown softening at the offered hand.

"Thank you, Sebrina," Timothy expressed gratitude, extending his sword to her. However, a touch from her initiated a cascade of cursed chains that momentarily ensnared Timothy's sword and arm.

"I'm releasing the barrier now. Swiftly conclude this," Sebrina declared before vanishing. The dissipation of the chains revealed a smoky veil surrounding Timothy.

The chains, having fulfilled their enigmatic purpose, unraveled like dissipating mist. Smoke coiled around Timothy, dissipating into the ether. The battlefield, now bathed in the aftermath of her celestial intervention, bore witness to the remnants of Sebrina's cryptic powers—a lingering testament to forces that transcended the boundaries of the known.

Slashing through the smoke, Timothy revealed the fleeing assailant. Despite the opponent's astonishment at Timothy's resilience, he found himself confronted by a relentless onslaught. A child-like whisper beckoned Timothy toward unchecked destruction, Timothy acting in frenzy attacked the man relentlessly. His mind clouded by thoughts of destruction , but Sebrina's voice interjected, anchoring him from losing himself to the void.

"Timothy, don't lose yourself to the void," Sebrina's ethereal voice echoed, redirecting his focus. However, the adversary seized the opportunity to escape into the ruins.

"Thanks again, Sebrina," Timothy acknowledged, turning his attention to his comrades engaged in dispatching the final remnants of the bandits. He joined the effort, the echoes of their arcane encounter lingering in the air.