Anomaly of Fate
Chapter 52: Her Flame, His Silence

Chapter 52: Her Flame, His Silence

Velren shifted his stance, rolling his shoulders as he let out a slow breath. His Codex still hovered beside him, the glowing text of [V1tal Ech0: Eidolon Veil] pulsing faintly before fading away.

This Echo—it had saved his life before. A long time ago, when he went on his usual hunt on the forest, Velren was cornered by a pack of territorial Vaelith Bears. Their snarling forms had closed in, ready to tear him apart with their monstrous claws.

And then—his body had simply... slipped away.

Not physically. No teleportation, no speed enhancement. Just... a sudden absence in their awareness. Their eyes had passed over him as if he were never there.

Velren still remembered the aftermath vividly. The way the world had felt... cold. How a strange, hollow sensation had gnawed at his core, leaving him disconnected for hours afterward.

He hadn’t understood it then.

He still didn’t.

Because Eidolon Veil didn’t work on everyone. The Vaelith Bears? Completely fooled. Fenrir and Skoll? The two legends themselves had once sniffed the air and dismissed his presence entirely.

But when he had tried using it to sneak away from Gramps’ brutal training? The old man had seen through it instantly.

What set it apart? Why did it work on some and not on others?

No clue.

But right now, fortunately—

Velren smirked.

—It worked just fine on this big bird before him.

Because if it had managed to fool Fenrir and Skoll, then a phoenix was just another oversized featherball.

"Wha—what did you do?!"

Raine let out an indignant yell, her frustration was palpable as she waved a hand at her phoenix, who was still completely ignoring Velren’s existence.

Velren tilted his head, widening his smirk.

"Who knows?" His voice carried a hint of amusement.

"Maybe your pet’s just throwing a tantrum?"

"Grrr—!"

The girl actually... growled.

With a huff, she hoisted her spear and pointed it directly at him.

"Fine then! I alone will be enough to handle you!"

Velren’s smirk twitched.

For once—just this once—he had to slightly agree with his opponent’s words.

Because the truth of the matter was...

Keeping Eidolon Veil active was draining his Ka constantly. And now, he had to fight Raine Ashford on top of that? This could turn into a disaster real fast.

For now...

Stall for time.

Until Eterna gets back.

’Where the hell is that girl anyway?!’

Velren tightened his fingers around his katana’s hilt. The weight of his blade was familiar—comforting, even—but the energy steadily leaking from him was not. Keeping Eidolon Veil active was like holding his breath while running at full sprint; the longer he kept it up, the faster his stamina drained.

The red-haired girl didn’t hesitate. With a quick motion, she spun her spear in a rapid flourish before slamming its base against the sand. Sparks crackled at the tip as heat radiated outward, and Velren’s instincts screamed at him to move.

She shot forward.

Velren barely managed to duck as the flaming spear whistled past his ear, cutting through the space where his head had been a second ago. His hair sizzled from the sheer heat.

’Tch—fast!’

Raine’s strikes were relentless. She twisted her spear mid-thrust, suddenly switching the angle as she swept it low, aiming to knock him off his feet. Velren hopped back, but—

—The sand exploded beneath him.

’Shit—!’

Heat surged through the ground where her spear had touched, turning the beach beneath them into scorching, unstable terrain. Velren gritted his teeth, mid-air with nowhere to land properly—

Raine grinned.

"Gotcha."

With a powerful upward swing, she sent a crescent-shaped arc of searing flame straight at him.

’No choice!’

Velren twisted mid-air, flashing his katana as he slashed through the fire. The burning wave split apart, but not before licking at his arm, scorching fabric and singing his skin.

He landed hard, rolling to dampen the impact before springing back onto his feet.

Raine didn’t give him a second to recover.

She lunged again, aiming her spear directly at his chest.

Velren exhaled sharply. He sidestepped, angling his body just enough that the tip barely missed his ribs. His blade snapped upward in a counterstrike—

CLANG!

Sparks flew as steel met steel.

The force of her block sent tremors up his arms, but Velren twisted his grip, forcing their weapons apart. He pressed forward, stepping inside her range, too close for her to use her spear effectively.

His katana lashed out—!

WHOOSH—!

A wall of fire erupted between them, forcing Velren back before his blade could reach her.

The girl used her Ka ouput to heat the air around her.

Velren barely had time to register the shift in temperature before Raine came at him again. This time, her spear wasn’t just hot.

It was burning.

Every strike carried a trail of fire in its wake, carving through the air with explosive heat. She was heating up the sand with each movement, creating unstable footing while controlling the very battlefield beneath them.

Velren clicked his tongue.

’Not good... I need to end this fast.’

Keeping Eidolon Veil active was getting harder. His limbs were starting to feel sluggish. His breathing had quickened, his pulse was also hammering against his skull.

And Raine wasn’t slowing down.

She twirled her spear, kicking up a spiraling vortex of flame before hurling it straight at him.

Velren’s Ka pulsed.

His form blurred.

Just as the firestorm erupted, he flickered—vanishing from sight—

—Only to reappear behind Raine.

He raised his katana—

And swung.

CLANG—!

Raine’s instincts were sharp. She had twisted at the last second, meeting his blade with her spear’s shaft, preventing the strike from landing cleanly.

But Velren wasn’t done.

He pressed forward.

Flashing his katana in rapid succession, he forced her onto the defensive, pushing her back toward the shore with each precise, relentless attack.

Raine blocked, dodged, and parried, but Velren’s movements were unpredictable, his footwork weaving between her defenses. A slash nicked her sleeve. Another grazed her cheek.

She hissed in frustration.

And then—

BOOM!

A sudden explosion of heat and force sent Velren flying backward.

He barely managed to flip mid-air, landing in a low crouch, sand spraying beneath his feet. His chest rose and fell, his Ka flickering unsteadily.

Raine wiped the thin trickle of blood from her cheek, grinning.

"Not bad..."

She spun her spear once more.

"But let’s see how long you can keep that up."

’Believe me woman... It won’t be that long, I’ll tell you that!’

Velren exhaled sharply. He just had to hold out a little longer.

Because Eterna better be on her damn way!

Just as he prepared to move again—

Out of the corner of his eye, Velren noticed it.

The phoenix, still grounded on the beach nearby, had lifted its head. Its brilliant eyes, once distant and unfocused, were now narrowing, tracking faintly in his direction. Its great wings rustled, sending a tremor through the sand, and its claws flexed against the scorched ground as it shifted its stance.

Velren’s stomach sank.

’Shit...’

’Is it because I’m... moving too much?’

Did the veil weaken with motion? With how violently his Ka kept surging through his limbs to maintain his rhythm and feints?

He couldn’t quite tell!

Just when he tensed to dodge, expecting the phoenix to rush toward him—

—the red beacon’s glow flickered.

Slowly, the light pulsed weaker and weaker, until finally—

It disappeared completely.

Velren exhaled sharply.

’Finally!’

A burst of white beacons shot up into the sky from all across the island, streaking through the air like brilliant stars.

And then, just like before—

[—ATTENTION ALL PARTICIPANTS—]

The system announcement blared across the island.

[THE SECOND PHASE HAS CONCLUDED.]

[THE FINAL PHASE SHALL NOW COMMENCE.]

Velren barely had time to catch his breath before the voice continued:

[CURRENT STANDINGS:]

[—1ST PLACE: CLASS 1-A—]

[—2ND PLACE: CLASS 1-B—]

[—3RD PLACE: CLASS 1-C—]

[—4TH PLACE: CLASS 1-D—]

Velren blinked.

Then, despite his exhaustion, he chuckled tiredly.

’Would you look at that?’

His class actually climbed to third place.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

He turned his gaze back to Raine—

And saw her stomping her foot on the sand.

"GRAAAAH!"

She jumped in frustration, clenching her fists as she practically threw a full-blown tantrum.

Velren could only watch with a blank expression.

’It’s like watching a little kid...’

After a few seconds of unintelligible fuming, Raine snapped her gaze back at him, causing Velren to tensed instinctively.

’What now? Is she still pissed? Does she want to keep fighting?!’

But instead, she pointed a finger at him and demanded—

"YOU. What’s your name?!"

Velren blinked at her in surprise.

"Uh..."

Where the hell did that come from?

"...Velren."

Raine gave him a firm nod, as if committing it to memory. Then, without another word, she hopped back onto her phoenix.

With a powerful flap of its wings, the legendary creature soared into the sky, carrying Raine away as she vanished into the horizon.

Velren stood there in silence, watching her leave.

Then, finally, he collapsed onto the sand.

"Hah... hah..." He gasped for breath, rising and falling his chest as exhaustion caught up to him.

His entire body ached. His limbs were heavy. His Ka was nearly drained.

At this point... maybe he should just head for the safe zones and sit the final phase out.

’Third place isn’t that bad... right?’

That was when he heard it—

Footsteps.

Approaching him.

Velren tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as a shadow loomed over him.

It was Eterna.

’...She’s awfully late.’

The silver-haired girl looked down at him with her usual indifferent expression.

"...You alright?" she asked.

Velren, between deep breaths, managed a wry grin.

And then, he rasped—

"What’s... the name of my... Vital Crest?"