The Divine Twins

Unfamiliar Figure

The world there looked nothing like the real world humans once lived in. The sky was red, and there were no living beings except for the creatures struggling to force their way into the real world. The streetlights no longer worked, and even if they did, he doubted the light would matter. The buildings leaned inward, cracked and hollow, as though the street itself were slowly being crushed. Windows gaped open like empty eye sockets.

Stefin stopped. His breathing slowed, his shoulders loosening as his body slipped into familiarity. This wasn’t fear. It was preparation.

Presently.

He plunged the blade into its chest. The sealing script flared briefly, burning white. The Blighted convulsed, its body unraveling into ash and shadow that scattered into the air like dying embers. Silence followed.

Stefin straightened slowly, his chest rising and falling. Blood soaked into his clothes, but the wound wasn’t deep enough to stop him. He glanced around, senses sharp.

Stefin cursed under his breath as more Blighted began to emerge.

Three shapes peeled themselves out of the distortion, larger than the first, their forms less stable and far more aggressive. One dragged a massive arm that ended in a club of hardened Blight. Another crawled on all fours, its jaw unhinged, strings of black saliva stretching between its teeth.

Stefin clicked his tongue. “Tch. I knew this was going to happen.”

He stepped back, positioning himself in the center of the street. No walls behind him. No blind spots. His blade felt heavier now, the faint hum growing more insistent.

The Blighted attacked together.

Stefin moved with brutal precision. He ducked beneath a sweeping arm, slashed through a knee, and spun away from snapping jaws. Every strike was precise, every movement born from repetition and survival. Still, the numbers began to overwhelm him. A blow caught his shoulder, numbing it. Another tore into his thigh, sending him staggering.

He breathed through clenched teeth. “Is that the best you can do?!” he shouted, adrenaline surging through him.

As if responding to the challenge, the largest Blighted raised its arm, energy condensing around it as it prepared to crush him.

Stefin rolled his eyes slightly. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” he whispered.

But then a sharp whistling sound cut through the chaos like a blade. It wasn’t another monster, nor was it a growl. It was an arrow.

The air shifted instantly as the arrow, covered in pale white light, shot straight into the Blighted’s chest, pinning it to the pavement in a burst of spiritual force. The creature shrieked, its body spasming violently.

Stefin froze for half a second as realization hit him.

Someone else had entered the Blighted Realm with him.

Far from where Stefin was battling the Blighted within the Blighted Realm, an unfamiliar figure stood tall. A white, almost mechanical-looking bow rested in her left hand while her right pulled back the bowstring with practiced precision. Without hesitation, she released the string and drew again. A white magical arrow appeared instantly, glowing faintly with a pale, ethereal light. Her presence was calm, measured, and professional.

The moment she drew the bowstring, the magical arrow formed, almost as if the weapon had been programmed that way. Without wasting a second, she released it. The arrow shot through the air and pierced a massive Blighted that had just emerged from the ground behind Stefin, moments away from snapping his neck.

The instant the arrow struck its target, Stefin jolted in shock, completely unaware the creature had been behind him. A burst of spiritual energy erupted from the impact, pinning the Blighted to the ground and forcing it to convulse violently until it finally died.

Another arrow followed. The smaller Blighted faltered under the barrage, attempting to retreat deeper into the Blighted Realm. But she gave them no chance. She drew the string once more, another arrow forming instantly. The moment she released it into the crimson sky, it split into multiple arrows midair, killing every last one of them in a single shot.

Stefin blinked in surprise. He had never seen anyone handle the Blighted like this, so efficiently, so professionally.

“Hey!” he called out, his voice edged with curiosity. “Who the hell are you?”

He started walking toward the figure, who appeared to be a girl, one hand pressed lightly against his stomach as he finally noticed the cut one of the Blighted had given him earlier.

The girl paid no attention to his words. She didn’t even spare him a glance. Before Stefin could speak again, more Blighted burst from the cracked earth and lunged forward without hesitation.

The girl didn’t hold back, nor did she waste a single second reacting. She immediately drew back the string of her bow and released another arrow into the sky. At the same time, she fought off the Blighted that got too close using only her bow, striking and shooting down anything that came within reach. Her movements were smooth, calm, and precise.

Stefin noticed she didn’t even glance at him. She acted as though he wasn’t there at all.

“…Hey! I’m talking to you!” he barked, stepping closer, irritated by the way she completely ignored him.

But even after shouting and trying to close the distance between them, he got nothing in return—not even a single glance. He gritted his teeth as he watched her fire arrow after arrow, each one finding its mark and killing the Blighted with flawless precision.

Stefin paused for a moment, studying the way she cut down the Blighted as if they were nothing more than ants beneath her feet. Even if these creatures weren’t particularly strong, the way she handled them told him one simple, undeniable truth. She was an experienced and powerful Warden.

“Damn,” he muttered with an impressed smirk. “It’s not every day you see a girl with skills this good.”

The Blighted didn’t stand a chance against her arrows. Watching how effortlessly she fought, Stefin clenched his teeth as frustration crept in, though he masked it with a smile. He moved in to intercept, but a swarm of Blighted blocked his path, leaving him with no opening. There was nothing he could do except fight back himself.

While Stefin battled the creatures on his side, the girl dismantled the Blighted on hers. With every arrow she released, another creature shrieked, collapsed, and turned to ash beneath the overwhelming precision of her attacks.

When the last Blighted fell, she finally lowered her bow and turned slightly toward him—just enough for him to see her eyes. Sharp. Cold. Unreadable.

“You… who are you?” Stefan demanded once more, his voice tight with frustration.

But like before, she didn’t answer. Not a single word left her lips. She held his gaze for a brief moment before turning away, already moving deeper into the Blighted Realm to hunt down the remaining creatures lurking within the shadows.

Seeing that she still refused to acknowledge him, his jaw tightened.

“…Yeah, I figured that was going to happen,” he muttered under his breath.

The girl moved with absolute confidence, as though she could kill these creatures in her sleep—or with her eyes closed.

Stefan followed behind her deeper into the Blighted Realm, hoping he could eventually get her to reveal who she was.

The silence between them stretched on for a while until he could no longer hold himself back and finally broke it.

“Are you going to keep ignoring me, or are you actually going to say something?” he asked.

This time, his voice was calmer and far more polite than before.