Chapter 16: Could it be... Him?
"I'm not the enemy."
The voice was hoarse and heavy—far from Ronan's usual tone.
Lex narrowed his eyes. "Why are you using that voice? I know that's not your real one," he said—sharp, though not fully defensive.
Ronan stayed silent. His eyes showed no fear—only resolve.
"Then—" Lex's sentence hung mid-air as the ground beneath them shook violently. The 4-star skeleton mage raised its clawed staff, and a reddish-purple magic circle rapidly formed beneath their feet.
Lex rolled aside just in time, dodging the next lightning strike. Smoke still rose from his body, a burning sensation crawling from bone to lungs—but he stood. Now wasn't the time to fall.
"I'm not here to mess with you. We have the same enemy," Ronan said, more firmly, more like himself.
Lex exhaled. "I bet not."
Ren and Juan eyed Ronan with suspicion. But they knew one thing—this wasn't the time to argue identity. Focus meant survival.
Before them, the three remaining skeletons formed a triangular formation—two 3-star knights standing two meters tall in armor etched with deathly symbols, and one 4-star skeleton mage floating proudly, its cloak flaring like black smoke in a storm.
That pressure... it wasn't just intimidation. It was raw energy, a gravitational pull like a black hole. Their breathing grew heavy just standing near it.