In Karyal City, on the far corner of the outskirts, where the abandoned buildings leaned against each other and the streets were cracked and overgrown with weeds.

Seris Vale walked slowly toward the forest.

The morning sun cast pale light across the crumbling colony, illuminating broken windows and rusted signs that had long since lost their meaning.

After spending three months in Karyal City, she had finally found a way to escape without anyone knowing.

She had studied the patrol routes, memorized the guard rotations, and waited for the right moment. Today was that moment.

She entered the abandoned and destroyed colony.

The buildings here had been empty for years, their walls scarred by fire and neglect. Broken glass crunched beneath her boots, and the wind carried the scent of dust and decay.

Seris walked slowly, her amber eyes scanning the ruins.

Her senses were on full alert, stretched thin, searching for any presence, any movement, any sign that she was not alone.

She felt nothing.

No mana signatures. No breathing. No footsteps but her own.

"Phew."

She let out a small breath and continued her walk with no hurry.

The forest was close. Another few minutes, and she would be among the trees, where she belonged, where no one would find her.

Then suddenly her amber eyes turned gold.

She punched backward without warning, her fist cutting through the air.

A black-haired boy emerged from her shadow, dodging her strike by inches.

The wind from her punch brushed against his cheek, but he did not flinch.

In that same moment, the boy gestured his hand upward.

Instantaneously, shadow lightning chains erupted from Seris’s own shadow, coiling like serpents, reaching for her limbs.

Seris felt an immense sense of danger. Her instincts, which had never betrayed her, screamed louder than they ever had before.

Without hesitation, she activated True Beast Form. Her amber eyes turned molten gold.

Her fingernails extended into claws. Her teeth sharpened into fangs.

Her body moved unnaturally, twisting and bending as she dodged the chains, putting more than twenty steps between herself and the boy.

A cold sweat ran down her face. Her senses had never warned her this intensely.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The boy said nothing.

His face was hidden in the shadow of a crumbling building as he slowly walked toward her.

His footsteps were calm, unhurried, and deliberate.

Seris felt his mana signature. It was familiar. She had felt it before, somewhere, sometime.

But she could not remember when or where she had seen him.

The black-haired boy spoke softly,

"Do you remember... when we first met, what you said to me?"

His voice was calm, almost conversational.

"Your bravery is commendable, but... without the power to back it up, it is nothing but stupidity."

His footsteps continued, slow and steady.

"That is what you said to me."

Seris’s eyes widened as the memory surfaced. District Neva. The burning streets. The wraiths.

A black-haired boy had been fighting a Captain-rank wraith, badly outmatched, refusing to retreat.

She had saved him. She had spoken those exact words.

"It is you—"

Just then, the black-haired boy finally walked out of the shadows. His face was revealed.

Seris’s breath caught in her throat.

"How is this possible?"

She muttered as she took one involuntary step backward, her shoe scraping against the cracked pavement.

The boy, or rather, Cael’s Black Lightning clone, grinned.

"What is not possible?"

Seris’s thoughts ran wild. She knew this boy. She had saved him in District Neva.

But how did he have the same face as that silver-haired boy? The one who had cut off her hand.

The one who had defeated her in the Rainfall Forest. The same violet eyes. The same cold calmness.

The Black Lightning clone had only disguised his hair, leaving his face exposed.

That was his choice. His resolve.

Today, he was going to kill Seris.

Cael had been able to track her using the skill Mark Tracker, which he had placed on her when she was unconscious after their fight in the Rainfall Forest.

For months, he had sensed her presence in Karyal City, but he had never taken action.

Not until now.

He had sensed her mark moving farther and farther away.

She was trying to escape. So, he had sent his Black Lightning clone to follow her.

To kill her, if possible. Or to swap places with the main body and confront her directly.

The reason Cael wanted to get rid of her was simple. She was a variable. One that could not be controlled.

She knew his capabilities. She had seen his skills. If she wanted to, she could easily join the Council. When that happened, if she told them about his abilities, it would be game over.

He knew he was overthinking.

But it was better to be cautious than to be caught off guard.

Another reason was Seris herself. Her wild nature.

Even if she did not seek revenge now, once she grew stronger, she might come back. And that would mean more drama. More complications.

Again, he knew he was overthinking.

So, the final reason was simple. Get rid of the source itself. Then he would stop overthinking.

The Black Lightning clone grinned.

"Shall we begin?"

He was well aware that one punch from Seris was all it would take to kill him.

Her strength was monstrous. Her speed was overwhelming. Her instincts were sharper than any blade.

That said, one touch from him was all it would take to render her helpless.

Black lightning. Mana nullification.

A single contact, and her mana would be stripped away.

Punch versus Touch.

Hearing the clone’s question, Seris immediately entered the State of Resonant without hesitation.

The air around her grew heavy. Her presence deepened. Her golden eyes burned with the ferocity of a beast.

She was already in True Beast Form. Now she had added the State of Resonant on top of it.

The Black Lightning clone took one step forward.

"I kindly ask of you..."

His voice was calm, almost polite. His grin did not waver.

"...please die for the sake of my peace."