The golden sands of the desert stretched endlessly before them, the only sign of life being the faint shimmer in the air as the heat warped the horizon.
Behind them, the magnificent castle Lilith had built, conjured by her unearthly magic, slowly began to crumble. The energy of her spell reverberated in the air as the once-immense structure folded into itself like a building on the verge of collapse.
Neron didn't have to turn around to know what was happening. The castle was vanishing—dissolving into dust—leaving nothing but the barren desert behind.
"Are you sure about this?" Neron asked, squinting against the harsh sun as he glanced at Lilith.
She was walking a few steps ahead, her long white hair swaying in the wind, her black eyepatch covering one of her eyes. Despite the oppressive heat, she seemed completely unfazed. Her confidence radiated like an aura.
Lilith shrugged, a mischievous glint in her glowing crimson eye. "Not really, no. But I've got a feeling about you, Neron." She glanced over her shoulder, her smile never faltering. "Besides, the last thing I need is to keep living in that crumbling thing. It's time to make things interesting, don't you think?"
Neron frowned, not entirely convinced. He wasn't used to this kind of uncertainty. "And where exactly are we headed?"
"I don't know yet. But that's half the fun, isn't it? We'll find something. A place, a challenge, an opportunity..." She gave a dramatic pause. "We'll see."
He sighed, letting the desert wind catch his hair. He wasn't used to being directionless. He preferred knowing where he was going, having a plan. But then again, Lilith wasn't someone who lived by plans.
Hours passed as they walked under the relentless sun, the horizon slowly shifting as the day bled into evening. The desert was eerily silent, with nothing but the sand stretching out in all directions. No life. No civilization. Just endless stretches of sand and the occasional dust devil swirling in the distance.
Eventually, Lilith stopped in her tracks, and Neron nearly bumped into her.
"This looks good," she said, pointing ahead to a massive, jagged structure jutting from the ground. It looked like a strange combination of rocks and organic matter, as if something had built itself into the landscape rather than having been constructed by human hands.
Neron followed her gaze.
The place wasn't exactly a palace. It resembled more of a hive, a den. It was alive in its own way, but that wasn't the thing that caught his attention. It was the dense, heavy air around it that spoke of danger—monsters, lurking. There were faint sounds, low growls and the scraping of claws, echoing from inside.
"What is this place?" Neron asked, his voice hushed by the unsettling atmosphere.
"A Monster Den," Lilith answered simply, as if it were a common occurrence. "It's filled with all sorts of creatures—vicious ones, too."
He didn't waste time. In an instant, he closed the distance between them, slashing his sword cleanly through the beast's thick hide. The monster fell with a heavy thud, dead before it even knew what hit it. He turned his attention back to Lilith, who had been watching silently from the entrance.
Her face was unreadable as he walked back toward her, wiping the blade clean.
"Well, that wasn't too bad," she said, though her tone didn't reflect the slightest hint of approval.
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that it? Just keep fighting?"
She chuckled, the sound light but hollow. "For now, yes. Keep going. Let's see how much more you can do."
He nodded, stepping deeper into the den.
More monsters appeared, different ones this time—smaller, faster. They were no less dangerous. He used his abilities again, slowing their movements to a crawl, carving through them with a fluid grace he hadn't realized he had. He was in the zone, using his magic and his swordsmanship in harmony.
But as he finished off another group of monsters, he heard Lilith's voice behind him, laced with something close to disappointment.
"That's enough."
He stopped, his heart sinking as he turned to face her. She was still standing in the same spot, arms crossed over her chest.
"What do you mean, 'that's enough'?" he asked, panting slightly from the fight. "I'm clearing the place out, aren't I?"
"You are," she said, her voice cool. "But that's not the problem."
He frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
Lilith took a few steps toward him, her expression sharp now, like a teacher about to correct a student. "You're so weak, Neron. You've got all this power, all this potential, and yet you barely scratch the surface of it. You can slow down time, but look at you—your skill, your experience. You should be much further along. Your techniques are rough, your instincts sluggish. You've been wasting time."
His fists clenched, but he couldn't find the words to argue.
"Where do I even begin with you?."