A blood spear the size of a royal tower split through the mist like a crimson lightning bolt, searing into Fel's forest with a deafening crash. Trees screamed. yes, screamed. as they were torn from the earth, branches flying like startled birds, and leaves whirling into the sky in a panicked spiral.
Valen hovered just beyond the treeline, fangs bared, eyes glowing with fury, cloak whipping like fire in a storm. "FEL!" he roared.
The spear hadn't hit her directly, of course. That would've been too easy. But he had expected more damage. Much more. Instead, the forest. while shivering from the impact. seemed… unfazed? Bigger, even. The trees were taller, the sky a little dimmer, and the paths twisted in impossible ways.
His crimson eyes narrowed. "That damn fairy."
He raised both arms, blood trailing from his fingertips, shaping itself midair. With a guttural command, the very moisture in the air condensed into blood. thousands of spears forming like a macabre storm. With a snap, they rained down in all directions, puncturing bark and soil, cracking stones and ripping through the forest.
"STOP! RETURN!" Fel's voice rang out like a chime in a hurricane.
The spears trembled, some pausing mid-air as if reconsidering their life choices. but then they kept flying.
The spears hit Valen, puncturing his body, but did no damage. His blood flowed freely, but his body quickly healed the wounds, the punctures closing with unsettling speed.
Valen narrowed his eyes, focused. He sent the spears back toward Fel, more concentrated and sharper than before.
Fel's eyes glinted. "TURN TO FLOWERS."
The blood transformed mid-flight, its sharp tips curling into delicate petals before it hit the ground. The deadly barrage was now a soft bed of flowers, scattered in the breeze.
Valen froze, his brow twitching. "You've got to be kidding me."
Fel smirked, her arms crossed as she floated slightly above the ground. "Do you really think you can win this with your blood alone, fang boy?"
Valen's eyes narrowed. His fangs gleamed as he bared them, and he lunged forward, trying to claw his way through the air toward her. But before he could get too close, Fel's voice rang out again.
"WATER ENVELOPE HIM."
The forest groaned in protest, the magical energy around them shifting. Valen was ripped from the air, and the water as it splashed down to the forest floor. It flooded around him, soaking into the roots, a chilling tide.
Valen hissed in frustration, his body stiffening as the water surrounded him, washing away his control.
He immediately began to fight back, his eyes flicking between Fel's smug face and the shifting tides around him. His blood began to thicken again, rising like a boiling cauldron in the air.
Fel tilted her head, clearly unimpressed. "You know, you're making this far more difficult than it needs to be."
Valen dashed toward her with a snarl, his claws extended, but Fel raised her hand, a single finger pointing toward him.
"TURN TO WOOD."
Valen's entire body froze. He could feel the bark spreading across his skin, his flesh hardening into splinters. His limbs became stiff, twisting into gnarled wooden shapes as vines began to coil around his torso.
"No, nope, nuh-uh," Valen muttered, clenching his jaw. His blood surged, pulsing with energy. He focused all his strength on regenerating, and in a flash, his body began to shudder violently, the wood cracking and splintering away. He tore through the transformation with sheer force of will, his flesh returning to its pale, vampiric form.
Fel blinked, clearly annoyed. "You're like a damn weed."
He grinned at her. "You'll have to try harder than that."
With a vicious swipe, Valen gathered his blood and formed another sphere of crimson around her. The dome expanded, thick and pulsating with raw power. It surged with energy, wrapping itself around her like a vice, thick enough to shatter stone.
Fel raised an eyebrow. "TURN TO GLASS."
The blood in the dome turned brittle, shimmering like ice. The entire structure became transparent and hollow, "BREAK" and it collapse with a sharp ting as it shattered in all directions.
Fel stepped easily through the remains of the shattered blood dome, brushing invisible dust off her shoulder. She looked at him with a slight tilt of her head, a teasing smirk on her lips.
Valen stared at her, his fists clenched. His body trembled with the weight of his fury. "Okay, you wanna play unfair? Fine."
He pressed his hand deep into the earth, his blood seeping into the soil, flowing through the roots of the trees. The very ground beneath them seemed to pulse with energy. The forest shuddered as if waking from a deep slumber. The plants around them writhed and twisted, like they were waiting for her command.
Fel's eyes widened in realization. "You didn't-"
"I did." Valen grinned, his eyes burning with challenge. "Try commanding the forest now."
The trees groaned in protest, their roots twisting violently, the ground hissing with power. The forest trembled, as though caught between two opposing forces.
Fel sighed, her face hardening. She raised a hand high above her head. "BACK TO NORMAL."
The forest exhaled, a soft sigh as it settled back into place. The roots untwisted, the vines released their hold, and Valen's blood disappeared from the ground in an instant.
Valen collapsed backward, falling onto the grass with an exaggerated groan. "You're cheating. This whole forest is cheating."
Fel floated over, arms crossed, looking down at him with an amused smile. "You're the one who came in here throwing spears like a toddler on a sugar high."
"You Sold me!" Valen shouted.
"You trespassed," Fel countered.
"Oh you piece of sh-"
She raised a finger, her expression turning playful. "We are having dinner."
Reality Hiccupped.
Before Valen could protest, the world seemed to shift. The forest around them vanished, replaced by a long wooden table, its surface lined with moss and glowing stones. The canopy above twinkled with lights, casting an ethereal glow over the scene.
Valen blinked, his expression turning sour as he realized where they were. "What the hell-"
Fel was already sitting at one end of the table, sipping something from a goblet. She took a delicate bite of something resembling a mushroom, though it was far too perfect to be real.
Valen, now seated across from her, scowled, his arms crossed. "This is war."
Fel raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "You started it."
He muttered under his breath, eyeing the juicy and blood-soaked steak on the table. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
Fel smiled sweetly at him. "I suppose I owe you an apology."
Valen looked up, a mixture of surprise and suspicion on his face. "You just realized that?"
Fel winced slightly, her voice laced with awkwardness. "Forgive me will you?" She gestured to the steak. "I thought you might be hungry, so... here, I'm offering actual meat this time. As a peace offering, or... whatever."
Valen's eyes narrowed at the steak, but then the edges of his lips twitched upward. He glanced at her with mock seriousness. "You're bribing me with meat?"
Fel gave him a half-hearted shrug. "Maybe. But at least you won't have to turn into a flufflet anymore."
Valen gazed at her, taking a bite of the steak. "You're impossible."
Fel shrugged. "I know right?."
They sat in tense silence for a moment, neither of them willing to back down. Then, Fel broke the silence with a sigh.
"You know we're going to have to work together eventually, right?"
Valen sneered, his fangs glinting. "I'm counting on you to never do that stuff ever again."
Fel grinned, leaning back in her chair. "Not unless you start acting up."
Valen narrowed his eyes. "You're a piece of shit."
"Takes one to know one," Fel quipped.
And thus, the war paused. for now.