Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

Chapter 119 Elora on Rampage

Asher bumped into Rosa, nearly knocking her over in his haste. He didn't even notice how frustrated he looked until she gave him a quizzical stare.

"What did you do this time?" Rosa asked, crossing her arms. She knew that look all too well: Asher was clearly in trouble again.

"I don't think I did anything wrong," Asher replied, running a hand through his hair, still trying to piece together what had just happened.

"You don't?" Rosa raised an eyebrow, glancing in the direction Evelina had run off to moments ago. "You definitely did something. I've never seen her that mad before."

Asher frowned, genuinely confused. His mind replayed the conversation over and over again, but nothing seemed out of place. 'What could she be so upset about?'

Rosa watched him silently for a moment, then sighed, knowing she had to spell it out for him. "Maybe it was something that you said?"

"Something I said?" Asher repeated, still not getting it. "I only told her she was weak and that she needs to learn how to defend herself." His tone was casual, like he hadn't just thrown daggers at Evelina's pride.

Rosa rolled her eyes, exasperated. "And knowing you, the message was probably delivered in the most blunt, emotionless way possible." She shook her head, trying not to laugh at how oblivious he was. "Just apologize to her. She went that way."

Asher stared at Rosa, a mix of confusion and realization crossing his face. "But why? I didn't say anything wrong."

"Maybe not to you, but to her, it might have come across differently." Rosa leaned in slightly, softening her voice. "You're trying to protect her, I get that, but she probably heard it as 'You're not good enough.' You know how she is."

Asher felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He hadn't meant to hurt Evelina: he just wanted her to be stronger, to be able to fight at his side without worrying. He thought he was helping, but now he realized that maybe his approach had been too harsh.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll go find her and apologize."

Rosa smiled knowingly. "Good. And maybe this time, try not to make her feel like she's some helpless sidekick. She wants to stand by you, not behind you."

Asher nodded and turned in the direction Rosa pointed, quickening his pace. His mind raced as he considered what to say. Apologizing wasn't exactly his strong suit, and expressing his feelings? Even worse.

But as he neared the place where Evelina had run off, he found himself thinking back to all the moments they'd shared. The way she'd always teased him, her laughter ringing in his ears whenever she tried to break his stoic demeanor. He realized, with a sinking feeling, that maybe Evelina wasn't upset because of what he said about her being weak: maybe she thought he didn't believe in her at all.

When he found her sitting by the academy's fountain, head in her hands, he hesitated for a moment. She looked so vulnerable, her usual fiery spirit dulled by whatever was going through her mind.

"Lina…" Asher started, his voice softer than usual.

She looked up, her eyes puffy and red from crying. "What do you want, Asher? Come to tell me how much more I suck?"

He winced at her words, realizing just how much he'd hurt her.

"No," Asher said quickly, sitting down beside her. "I came to apologize. I… I didn't mean to hurt you."

Evelina stayed quiet for a moment, sniffling slightly as she wiped her eyes. "You called me weak."

"I didn't mean it like that," Asher said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I just… I want you to be able to protect yourself if I'm not around. You're not weak, Evelina. Far from it. I trust you at my side more than anyone."

Her gaze softened as she looked at him, and for the first time since their argument, she saw the sincerity in his eyes. It wasn't often that Asher let his guard down like this.

"Really?" Evelina asked, her voice trembling slightly, as if she wasn't sure if she should believe him.

Asher nodded, meeting her gaze. "Yeah, really. You're one of the strongest people I know, and I… I don't want to lose you."

Evelina's heart fluttered at his words, her anger and frustration fading. She could feel the walls between them slowly breaking down.

For a moment, the two sat in silence, the air between them thick with unspoken emotions. Asher wasn't great with words, but he didn't need to be. The way he sat close to her, the way his hand lingered near hers, said more than any apology could.

"Next time…" Evelina murmured, her voice soft, "Just don't be so blunt, okay? I'm not one of your combat dummies."

Asher chuckled lightly, a rare sound that made Evelina's heart skip. "Deal."

Their eyes met, and for a brief second, Evelina saw something deeper in his gaze: something he was still too afraid to say. But that was okay. She could wait.

*****

As Aiden's panicked voice echoed in the shadowy maze, Jett's focus remained laser-sharp. The situation was getting worse by the second.

"What do you mean she's going to kill us?" Aiden yelled, his voice tinged with urgency as they darted down the ever-shifting hallway.

"No time to explain. We need to move," Jett replied without looking back.

With quick precision, Jett activated his [Copy Skill], locking in on one of Elora's abilities.

[Copy Skill]

[Copied: Shadow Way]

Immediately, Jett felt the change in his perception. He could now sense the soft, ethereal footsteps the skill left behind in the dark. It was a disorienting sensation at first, like feeling ripples in the air around him. But the moment he grasped the flow of the skill, it was like a map had been laid out before him.

[Shadow Way]

[The darkness listens to you. Tell it where you need to go, and watch it guide you.]

[Duration: 30 minutes]

[Cooldown: 30 minutes]

"Alright. We gotta go," Jett said, his tone urgent as he took off in full sprint, chasing after the shadowy footsteps the skill revealed.

Behind them, the sound of crashing echoed as Elora, now in a full-on rampage pursued them with terrifying speed. Her once calm demeanor was gone, replaced by raw, unchecked bloodlust. The shadows themselves seemed to be responding to her, spikes shooting out from the walls, ceiling, and floor in unpredictable patterns, forcing Jett and Aiden to dodge and weave through the onslaught.

"What's going on? Why is she chasing us? What's with that bloodlust I'm sensing from her? Are you even sure we're going the right way?" Aiden bombarded Jett with questions, his breath heavy with fear.

Jett clenched his jaw. "I said I'll explain later, so please shut it so I can concentrate!" His irritation was clear, but Aiden could see the strain in Jett's movements as he maintained their speed, dodging shadow spikes, and holding Aiden's arm tightly to keep him afloat.

Even as they sped through the dark corridors, more hazards came their way: ice shards from Elora's dark ice attribute attacks bombarded them as they ran, each one more dangerous than the last. Jett narrowly avoided one that would've skewered them both, his reflexes tested to their limits.

"Okay, okay! I'll stop!" Aiden muttered, eyes wide, trying to catch his breath. But then, curiosity got the better of him again. "Just tell me what's wrong with my sister?"

Jett's face was grim as he deftly dodged a shadow spike that shot out from the ground, narrowly keeping Aiden from being impaled. "I didn't complete the story I told you guys earlier," he began, his voice low but steady despite the chaos around them. "Elora's living with a curse."

"What?! She's cursed?" Aiden shouted, his eyes wide in disbelief. He looked over his shoulder, just in time to see a shadowy form Elora getting closer, her attacks intensifying. The bloodlust she emitted was almost suffocating.

Aiden's face turned pale as realization set in. "Wait, if she's cursed… does that mean I'm cursed too?"

"None that I know of... You didn't steal from a witch or something like that, right?" Jett teased, his voice carrying an unsettling nonchalance despite the dire situation.

Aiden, panting and on edge, threw Jett a disbelieving glance. "What amazes me is how you can joke at a time like this."

Jett smirked briefly but kept his focus on the path ahead, dodging shadow spikes that continued to erupt from the ground. "Hey, gotta lighten the mood somehow."

"Whatever," Aiden muttered, still trying to process everything. "Just tell me what's wrong with my sister."

Jett's tone shifted, becoming more serious as he began to explain. "The deity with both ice and fire attributes, long before her infamous sibling rivalry, got sick after a battle with another deity. The fight messed her up real bad, and the dark attribute in her went berserk, slowly consuming her from the inside out."

Aiden's brow furrowed in confusion. "Okay... but what does that have to do with Elora?"

"You've heard of the Twin Temple from the game, right?" Jett asked, still darting through the hall, guiding them toward a safe passage.

Aiden's eyes widened in realization. "Hold on... I know that place! I once read about it on a forum. You're telling me it's real? That wasn't just some random prank by a gamer?"

Jett nodded grimly. "It's real. We're standing in it. And just like the post said, if you enter this temple using Elora, it triggers her cursed state. At this point, she's stronger than me."

Aiden's voice caught in his throat as he glanced back at the rampaging Elora, her bloodlust cutting through the air like a dark, icy storm. "Wait, you're saying your mistake might kill us all?"

Jett sighed, frustration flickering in his eyes. "My mistake? I didn't think it would go this far. But yeah, my stupid mistake just triggered her curse... and now, we need to deal with it before she wipes us out."

Aiden gulped, his earlier panic now mixing with dread. "Great... just great."

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Well that no good.