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 copse.


    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 nced at Lilith.


    She was walking a few steps ahead, her long white hair swaying in the wind, her ck eyepatch covering one of her eyes. Despite the oppressive heat, she seemedpletely 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 nced over her shoulder, her smile never faltering. "Besides, thest 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 ce, 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 n. But then again, Lilith wasn''t someone who lived by ns.


    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 asional 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 strangebination of rocks and organic matter, as if something had built itself into thendscape rather than having been constructed by human hands.


    Neron followed her gaze.


    The ce wasn''t exactly a pce. 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 ws, echoing from inside.


    "What is this ce?" Neron asked, his voice hushed by the unsettling atmosphere.


    "A Monster Den," Lilith answered simply, as if it were amon urrence. "It''s filled with all sorts of creatures—vicious ones, too."


    Neron couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. "And you want me to…?"


    "Clear it." She finished the sentence for him, grinning. "I''ve been wanting to test you, Neron. Your power, your skill. And this seems like a good ce to start."


    He frowned, feeling a tight knot form in his stomach. "What do you mean, ''test me''? You didn''t even tell me what you expect from me."


    Lilith gave him an almost apologetic look, though it didn''t seem genuine. "Don''t be so dramatic. Just take care of the monsters inside. Show me what you''ve got."


    "I thought you wanted to see what I could do with my [Original Magic]," he said, feeling his patience starting to wear thin. "You''re telling me to kill these things like some sort of test."


    "Exactly." She smiled, her eyes glinting. "And yes, I want to see how you handle yourself. What use is all that potential if you''re not going to use it?"


    Neron''s hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword. Even though he didn''t care for this woman''s flippant attitude, there was no denying that she had a point. She had saved his life, and whatever else was going on, he was still stuck with her.


    So if she wanted him to clear out a Monster Den to prove something, then so be it.


    He stepped forward, his boots crunching on the sand beneath him as he approached the entrance of the den. It was dark, the shadows stretching like ws into the opening. The faintest growl reverberated from within, sending a chill down his spine.


    "Remember," Lilith called from behind, her tone teasing. "I''m not going to hold your hand. This is your show. Show me what you can do."


    He took a deep breath and stepped inside, the air thick with the stench of decay and wild creatures. His senses were on high alert as he moved deeper into the den.


    The first monster appeared before him within moments—a hulking beast covered in spiny armor, with two massive pincers and glowing red eyes. It let out a guttural roar, charging toward him with startling speed.


    He drew his sword, a natural motion now, and prepared to fight. But as the monster neared, he didn''t engage immediately. Instead, he focused, reaching deep within himself.


    "[Original Magic]..."


    Time bent around him, the world grinding to a halt as he focused on the beast''s movements.


    He watched as its charge slowed, its limbs barely moving in real-time. The beast was frozen in ce, and he could almost hear the screeching of time itself. His Original Magic, the ability to stop or slow down time around his target, was always a force he tried to use sparingly.


    But here, in this den of monsters, it was perfect.


    He didn''t waste time. In an instant, he closed the distance between them, shing 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 de 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,ced 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 ce 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?."