Ether: Pulse of the Forgotten

The battlefield stretched before them, an open ruin of shattered ground and scattered bones. Whatever this place had once been—forest, village, hunting ground—it was now nothing more than a graveyard. The only thing that stood untouched was the massive figure waiting at the center.

Gorran.

Kai had seen big enemies before, but this was different. The armored titan loomed over the battlefield, at least ten feet tall, his presence an immovable force. His armor, though dented and scarred from past battles, still gleamed beneath the rising sun, proof that no one had managed to bring him down. An enormous battle-axe was embedded in the ground beside him, its blade cracked but still deadly. He didn't move. He just stood there, waiting.

Kai exhaled slowly. This guy's gonna be a problem.

Behind him, the others spread out into position. Sasha nocked an arrow, Talia crouched low with a dagger in each hand, and Grant adjusted the grip on his massive shield. The rest of the settlement fighters lingered near the edge, tense and watching. The plan was simple—Kai's group would test Gorran's abilities first, figure out his weaknesses, and then the others would move in once they had a strategy.

"Think he's asleep?" Kai murmured.

Sasha let out a quiet scoff. "Try walking up to him and find out."

"Tempting," Kai said. Then, louder, "Alright, let's wake him up the fun way. Sasha, you're up."

Sasha didn't hesitate. She pulled back her bowstring, lined up her shot, and fired. The arrow cut through the air in a perfect line—until it hit an invisible force.

Kai narrowed his eyes. The moment the arrow entered Gorran's range, it slowed down. It still connected, but the impact was weak, bouncing off the titan's shoulder like it had lost most of its power.

No reaction.

"That's weird," Sasha muttered. "Felt like the shot lost speed."

"Magic?" Talia asked.

Kai clenched his fists. "Only one way to find out."

He pushed forward, wind whipping around him as he charged. His energy gathered instinctively, reinforcing his legs as he closed the gap in an instant. With a sharp twist, he unleashed a Gale Palm, aiming straight for Gorran's chest.

The attack fired clean—until it entered the same invisible force.

Slower.

Kai's palm strike dragged in the air, the wind dulling as if he were punching through thick water. It still connected, but the impact was weak, barely making Gorran flinch.

Then Gorran moved.

The titan's hand snapped out like a blur.

Kai barely had time to twist away before a massive metal fist grazed past his ribs. It was slow—but Kai's own movements felt sluggish inside the field. He tried to dodge again, but his body felt heavy, like something was pressing down on him.

What the hell?

Gorran wasn't faster than them. He wasn't warping time.

He was pulling them into his own pace.

"Kai, get out of there!" Grant barked.

Kai pushed off, but the gravity dragged at him—his usual speed was cut down, his steps feeling like he was wading through deep water. Gorran's axe lifted, slow but inevitable, arcing toward him.

Kai grit his teeth. Screw this.

He willed energy into his muscles, forcing a burst of power through his legs. His body snapped free, launching him backward just as the axe slammed down, carving a deep crater into the ground where he had just been.

Kai landed hard, breathing unevenly.

Grant rushed in, shield raised. "It's a suppression field," he called out. "Movement inside his range gets dragged down—the closer you are, the stronger it gets!"

Kai clenched his jaw.

Gorran pulled his axe free from the shattered ground, turning his gaze toward them and maybe just maybe a hint of a smirk.

And they were already at a disadvantage.

Gorran moved, and the earth trembled beneath his weight. He wasn't just big—he was a living mountain, each step a slow, deliberate quake that sent cracks splintering across the ground.

Kai had fought tough enemies before, but nothing like this. Gorran wasn't just strong; he was absolute.

And we're fighting him on his terms.

Kai forced himself to his feet, his breath steadying. "Alright," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "Big guy's got a gravity field, slows anything inside it. Means we don't fight him fair."

"You call fighting fair?" Talia shot back, gripping her daggers.

"Not my style," Kai admitted.

Gorran's head turned toward them. Then, he raised his axe.

And swung.

The air cracked as the blade sliced downward, the sheer force sending a shockwave through the battlefield. Grant threw his shield up at the last second—

BOOM.

The impact ripped him off his feet, sending him skidding back like a thrown ragdoll. He crashed into a jagged rock, his shield cracked but still intact.

"Shit—" Sasha loosed an arrow, but as soon as it entered Gorran's range, it slowed again. The massive titan barely turned his head as it plinked harmlessly off his armor.

"That field makes ranged attacks useless," she growled.

Kai clenched his fists. They couldn't dodge, they couldn't fight from range—

That meant they had to outmaneuver him inside his own field.

"Alright," Kai muttered. "Time to see how much this thing can take."

He kicked off, launching forward—and instantly felt the weight pressing down again. His speed dropped the moment he entered Gorran's range, but he was ready for it this time. Instead of fighting against it, he leaned into the momentum, letting his body ride the pull rather than struggle.

And it worked.

He sidestepped Gorran's next axe swing—barely. The blade grazed his shoulder, and even that shallow cut burned like hell.

But now, he was inside the field—right in front of the titan.

Kai's muscles coiled, energy flooding into them as he twisted low and slammed a full-force Gale Palm into Gorran's ribs.

A normal enemy would have gone flying.

Gorran didn't even budge.

Instead, the titan's gauntleted fist swung down, catching Kai across the chest.

Kai felt his ribs compress as he was hurled backward, crashing into the dirt. The breath ripped from his lungs, his vision shaking.

He wasn't fast enough.

Gorran was slow, but his attacks were inevitable. Even dodging perfectly, Kai still took damage—just being in range meant you lost.

And Gorran wasn't even trying yet.

Talia darted in next, using Kai's distraction. Her footwork was sharp, her daggers flashing as she aimed for the gaps in the armor—

But Gorran turned mid-swing, his gravity field tightening, and Talia's lunge stalled for half a second. Just enough for the titan to backhand her across the battlefield.

She hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop.

"Shit—Talia!" Sasha called, but the rogue was already groaning, pushing herself up, dazed but alive.

Kai wiped blood from his lip. We can't even move properly in this damn field. The closer we get, the worse it gets.

His mind raced. The gravity field slowed everything inside it—but that didn't mean it stopped movement entirely.

If he couldn't move fast, then he had to move right.

Gorran's axe lifted again, and Kai forced himself up, heart pounding.

Time to stop fighting the field and start using it. 

Kai's chest burned from the hit, but he shoved the pain aside. He wasn't getting time to breathe. Gorran was already moving, his axe carving through the air like a guillotine.

Kai's instincts screamed at him to dodge—but dodging wasn't enough.

The moment he tried to move, the gravity field gripped his body again, slowing him just enough that the attack almost landed.

Almost.

This time, Kai didn't fight against the force—he let it pull him. Instead of resisting the unnatural weight dragging at his limbs, he leaned into it, using the momentum to slide out of the axe's path rather than force his way free.

There it is.

The blade slammed into the ground inches from his shoulder, the impact sending a shockwave through the dirt.

Kai's heart pounded. I can work with this.

"Talia! Sasha!" he barked, eyes locked on Gorran. "We're dodging wrong—we can't resist it, we have to move with it!"

"You figured that out now?" Talia coughed, stumbling to her feet.

Sasha nocked another arrow, frowning. "And what—just let the field throw us around?"

Kai shook his head, muscles tensing. "No. We flow through it."

Gorran ripped his axe free from the ground and turned toward him.

Kai exhaled. Now or never.

He pushed off the ground—not against the force, but with it. His steps weren't his usual quick bursts of speed, but calculated movements, using the pull of gravity itself to snap him into new angles mid-motion.

He zig-zagged through Gorran's range, his body accelerating where the pull dragged him and redirecting just before the titan could predict his next move.

Gorran swung again—but this time, Kai was already out of the way before the strike fully committed.

For the first time, Gorran's head tilted slightly, acknowledging the change.

Talia watched, narrowed her eyes, then grinned. "You heard the man. Let's see if we can surf a mountain."

Sasha groaned but followed suit, moving with the pull of the field rather than trying to overpower it.

Talia dove in next, ducking under Gorran's arm as it swung wide, her body shifting with the unnatural weight. Her daggers flashed, scraping against the joints of his armor—not enough to pierce, but enough to test.

"Good news," she called, flipping back as Gorran whirled on her. "He can be cut. Bad news—it's like trying to stab a boulder."

Kai's mind raced. "Then we don't cut him—we break him."

Sasha fired a wide-angle shot, not aiming for a direct hit, but forcing Gorran to react.

The titan shifted his stance slightly—and that was all Kai needed.

He charged in again, his muscles thrumming with energy.

He'd been treating this like a normal fight. It wasn't. This wasn't about landing a clean hit.

It was about cracking open the mountain.

Kai twisted his stance, gathering all of his force—

And unleashed Air Palm.

The compressed shockwave of air carved forward, not stopping inside the gravity field like the others had.

This time, the attack moved with the suppression, slicing into Gorran's side with a grinding tear of metal.

The titan staggered.

Not much. Not enough. But he staggered.

Kai's eyes lit up.

They had a chance.

The moment Gorran staggered, the rest of the raid party moved in.

Grant, Luca, and Eryn led the charge, their weapons gleaming under the dim sky. Behind them, the other fighters followed—ten men and women who had fought and bled to make it this far. They weren't just attacking a boss. They were betting their survival on this battle.

"Go!" Grant bellowed, slamming his shield down as he charged forward. "Hit him while he's open!"

Luca, the earth mage, thrust his hands forward, and the ground split apart, sending jagged stone spikes surging toward Gorran's feet. The titan stomped down, shattering the stone effortlessly, but it bought time—just enough for the melee fighters to reach him.

A warrior swung a massive battleaxe at Gorran's side, aiming for the wound Kai had created—

But Gorran moved.

The titan's hand snapped out, grabbing the warrior mid-swing.

There wasn't even time to scream.

With a sickening crunch, Gorran crushed the man's ribs like dry twigs. He hurled the broken body aside, sending it crashing against a boulder with a dull thud.

One down.

Another fighter lunged in, a spear flashing forward—Gorran caught it with one hand, yanked the man off his feet, and swung him like a ragdoll into the nearest attacker.

Two down.

The raid hesitated.

Kai gritted his teeth. They couldn't freeze up now.

"Keep pushing!" he shouted. "Don't stop!"

Grant roared, charging in again, his shield glowing faintly as he slammed into Gorran's leg. The impact actually pushed the titan back a step.

Eryn raised her staff, fire crackling at her fingertips, and let loose a flaming spear—it didn't slow in the gravity field. The fire didn't have mass like arrows or weapons.

It hit Gorran's shoulder, exploding in a burst of searing heat.

Gorran let out a low, rumbling growl.

They're making him mad.

Kai moved again, keeping his momentum flowing inside the field. He knew Gorran was a mountain—but mountains cracked under enough pressure.

BOOM.

Gorran stomped the ground, and the entire battlefield lurched as a shockwave of force erupted outward.

Kai barely vaulted over the blast, but others weren't as lucky. Two more fighters were caught mid-step, the force slamming into their bodies with bone-breaking force. One of them collapsed immediately, unmoving. The other groaned, trying to push himself up—

Gorran's axe came down like a meteor, crushing him in an instant.

Four down.

Kai's heart pounded. The raid was getting shredded.

Talia cursed under her breath, flipping backward to dodge another slow but lethal swing. "We're losing people fast!"

Kai clenched his fists. They had to end this. Now.

Gorran's gravity field made him untouchable, but they'd already found cracks.

Kai exhaled. Alright. Time to gamble.

"Sasha!" he called. "Take the shot!"

Sasha, perched atop a nearby rock, pulled her bowstring back, an arrow glowing faintly with wind energy.

She fired.

As the arrow entered Gorran's range, it started to slow—but this time, Kai was already there.

He snatched it out of the air, his muscles burning as he twisted, redirected its momentum, and—

THREW IT FORWARD.

His energy surged through his arm, accelerating the arrow back to full speed.

It pierced straight into Gorran's eye.

The titan bellowed, a sound like a landslide crashing down a mountain. His massive hands snapped up to his face, giving them an opening—

"NOW!" Grant roared.

The remaining fighters rushed in, weapons raised.

Kai clenched his fists.

It was time to end this fight.