Capítulo 29: Chronomancy
Commander Thorian squared off against his opponent, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly as the air around him shimmered with the power of his Crystal Shard Aether. His foe was formidable—a masked figure cloaked in a dark aura, eyes gleaming with malice. Thorian could sense the intensity radiating from him, and even though the Commander had seen countless battles in his lifetime, this one felt different.
The enemy lunged first, his blade glinting with a dark hue, aimed directly for Thorian's throat. Thorian sidestepped swiftly, his crystal-forged sword flashing with each movement. With a powerful swing, shards of razor-sharp crystal flew from his blade, slicing through the air toward his opponent. The masked foe deflected most of the shards, but a few found their mark, cutting into his armor and drawing blood.
Thorian pressed forward, his movements fluid and precise. With each strike, more crystal shards erupted from his blade, scattering across the battlefield like shards of glass. The ground around them was now littered with sharp fragments, creating treacherous terrain for both combatants. His opponent's movements grew more desperate, his strikes more erratic as he tried to avoid the barrage of crystals.
"Is that all you've got?" Thorian taunted, his voice steady despite the rising tension. He could feel the weight of the battle in his bones, but he wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot.
The masked warrior growled in response, his dark aura flaring. He unleashed a barrage of shadowy tendrils, each one writhing and snapping like a serpent. Thorian narrowly dodged, using his crystal shards to block and parry as best as he could. But the onslaught was relentless. For every strike he dodged, another tendril seemed to appear.
Thorian's breath grew labored as he fought on, the battle becoming more intense with each passing moment. His opponent's speed and ferocity were pushing him to the limit. As the enemy closed in, a heavy blow knocked Thorian off balance, sending him skidding backward.
For a moment, he paused, his mind racing. He could feel it—the toll of age, the weight of a thousand battles fought, and the lingering fatigue in his body. He hadn't fought a battle this fierce in a long time, and now, he was cornered.
The masked figure grinned beneath his shroud, sensing victory. "You're not the legend you once were, Commander," the enemy hissed, his blade raised for the final blow.
Thorian's eyes narrowed, a flicker of something dangerous flashing in them. It was time.
He gripped the hilt of his sword, his body trembling slightly as he tapped into a power he had not used in years. Chronomancy. His greatest weapon—his ability to manipulate time itself. A dangerous Aether, one that took an enormous toll on his body, but it was his last option.
As the enemy's blade came crashing down, Thorian whispered a single word: "Slow."
Suddenly, the world around him shifted. Time began to warp, the frantic speed of battle grinding to a near halt. The masked warrior's blade, once moving like a blur, was now crawling toward him at an agonizingly slow pace. Every movement, every breath, every heartbeat felt stretched thin, drawn out into infinity.
Thorian took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling in slow motion. Chronomancy wasn't just about controlling time—it was about bending the very fabric of reality to his will. He could manipulate the flow of time around him, slowing it down, speeding it up, or even rewinding it in small bursts. But the cost was high. His energy drained rapidly with each passing second, and he could already feel the toll on his aging body.
With a deliberate, precise movement, Thorian sidestepped the slow-motion strike, his sword flashing as he countered. In this altered flow of time, his crystal shards moved with lightning speed, cutting through the enemy's defenses like butter. Each strike was a perfect hit, each shard piercing through armor and flesh before his opponent could even react.
The enemy let out a cry of pain as Thorian's final strike sent him stumbling backward, his body riddled with crystal shards. Thorian released his hold on the Chronomancy, time snapping back to its normal flow as the masked figure collapsed to the ground, defeated.
Thorian stood over his fallen foe, his chest heaving as exhaustion set in. The battlefield around him was silent, save for the faint sound of the wind rustling through the trees. He wiped the sweat from his brow, the weight of his years settling heavily on his shoulders.
He looked down at his hands, his sword still gleaming with crystal shards. "I'm getting old," he muttered to himself with a tired but playful smile. "Haven't fought like this in a long while."
He sheathed his sword, glancing at the horizon where the rest of his squad was battling. There was still more work to be done, more enemies to face, and the Vaebreta Kingdom still needed saving. But for now, he had won this battle—though he knew he couldn't rely on Chronomancy like that again.
Just as he turned to rejoin his comrades, a shadow loomed over him. Something was approaching.
*To Be Continued...*
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