The cavern trembled uhe Hydra’s weight as its massive form slithered forward, dark purple scales gleaming with an ominous sheen. The e glow of its eyes illumihe darkness, and every guttural roar it unleashed sent a chilling vibration through the air.

  Helios raised his Keybde defensively, his sharp gaze fixed on the creature. “Whatever you do, Skuld, don’t cut off its head.”

  Skuld dodged as the Hydra luoward her, its jagged teeth snapping shut mere inches from her shoulder. She turo Helios, frustration evident in her voice. “Then what am I supposed to do?”

  Helios stepped back, his mind rag. “We o finish it in one go. Use your water spell to drench it—soak it pletely. Trust me.”

  Skuld’s fusion was obvious, but she didn’t hesitate. Raising her newly transformed Keybde, she began eling her magic. “Water!”

  A torrent of water burst forth from the tip of her on, crashing against the Hydra’s scaled body. The creature roared in fury, whipping its long tail as it charged toward her.

  The Hydra’s movements were relentless, its cws gouging deep into the cavern floor as it lunged repeatedly at Skuld. She ducked and weaved, her agility keeping her just out of reach.

  “Keep it up!” Helios called, watg ily as she tio drench the beast.

  The Hydra reared back, its serpentine neck coiling before it struck again. Skuld rolled to the side, her heart pounding. She tered with another Water, the spell casg over the creature and soaking its tail and legs.

  “This thing’s fast for something so big!” Skuld yelled as the Hydra’s jaws snapped dangerously close tain.

  “That’s why you keep moving,” Helios said, his tone calm but anding. He was standing further back, the creature as it writhed under Skuld’s stant assault. “You’re doing fine. Just don’t let it pin you down.”

  Skuld dodged another swipe, the cws slig through the air where she had just stood. “Easy for you to say—you’re not the o’s trying to eat!”

  Helios grinned faintly but said nothing, his focus shifting to the spell he reparing.

  Helios extended his hand, his Keybde glowing faintly as he began eling his magic. He’d melded elements before, his Dark Firaga spell being a prime example of bining darkness with fire. But this? This was entirely new.

  “I’ve ried this before. Here’s to hoping it works,” Helios muttered to himself, trating.

  He began with Blizzaga, the icy magiing a swirling, trated sphere of frost in the air before him. The cold radiated outward, and the moisture Skuld had poured onto the Hydra began to react, small crystals of iing on its scales.

  came Aerora. This spell wasn’t one he had much experieh—most battles didn’t allow for the luxury of experimentation. But now, with the Hydra focused on Skuld, he had the time he needed.

  The wind began to stir around the sphere of ice, growing into a steady whirlwind. Helios gritted his teeth as he forced the two spells together, the erging with the air currents. The swirling vortex took on a bluish hue, crag with shards of ice that formed and shattered within the winds.

  “Freezing Gale,” Helios murmured, naming the spell as it solidified. He raised his Keybde, aiming at the Hydra.

  “Skuld! Get clear!” he shouted.

  Skuld dove to the side just as Helios unleashed the spell. The Freezing Gale surged forward, a whirling storm of freezing cold and jagged ice shards. The Hydra roared in fury as the icy winds enveloped it, the shards pierg its soaked body.

  The creature thrashed wildly, its movements growing sluggish as frost began to creep along its scales. The water that had dres body now worked against it, freezing rapidly uhe relentless assault.

  Skuld watched in awe as the Hydra’s movements slowed further. Its serpentine neck, once fluid and deadly, became stiff as ice crawled up its spine. Within moments, the creature was encased in a solid block of ice, its e eyes dimming as the frost reached its core.

  “Is it… dead?” Skuld asked, her voice cautious.

  Helios lowered his Keybde, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t celebrate too early. Let’s make sure.”

  Helios stepped forward, the air around him still cold from the aftermath of his spell. He raised his Keybde again, this time eling airely new form of magic.

  Earth spells were rare, known only to a select few like Terra and Lexaeus. Helios had studied them briefly but had tempted one as of yet especially ohat he pnned oing himself. Now was as good a time as any.

  “Earth Breaker,” he said, fog his energy. It was hard because without a master handing you the essence of a spell one had to feel the element and strain to trol the new wild energy. It took a while but Helios mao get a feel for the earth's essen his own.

  A massive, jagged spike of stone rose from the ground, h in midair as Helios e in an Aero spell. The spinning winds ed around the spike, keeping it aloft and rotating it rapidly like a drill.

  Helios aimed the floating spike at the frozen Hydra. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it hurtling forward. The spinning spike struck the Hydra’s icy body with devastating force, shattering the creature into tless shards.

  The sound of crag id breaking stone echoed through the cavern as the Hydra was reduced to nothing more than frozen debris.

  Skuld approached cautiously, her Keybde still drawn as she sed the remains of the Hydra. “That was… incredible.”

  Helios allowed himself a small smile, wiping sweat from his brow. “Thanks. That was my first time trying those spells. Guess they worked but they’re not battle ready so I’ll have to work more on them.”

  Skuld turo him, her eyes wide with curiosity. “What was that magic? The freezing storm and that… spinning spike?”

  Helios twirled his Keybde idly, his expression thoughtful. “The first one was a bination of Blizzaga and Aerora. I Freezing Gale. It’s a mix of id wind—strong enough to freeze a target solid while keeping them trapped.”

  “And the sed?” Skuld pressed.

  “Earth Breaker,” Helios said, his griurning. “It’s a basic earth spell bined with an Aero field. The wind helps trol the spike, making it faster and more accurate.”

  Skuld’s gaze lingered on him, admiration flickering in her expression. “You bihem like it was nothing. How did you even e up with that?”

  Helios shrugged. “Magic is just aool we use and it's very versatile. The important thing isn’t memorizing my spells—it’s uanding how elements i. Figure out what works best for you, and you create your own binations. For you, how about trying it with something small like yht and fire spell sihey’re the ones you use best.”

  Skuld nodded slowly, grippiransformed Keybde. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  The cavern fell silent, save for the faint sound of dripping water. Helios and Skuld stood amidst the frozen remains of the Hydra, their breathing steady but weary.

  “That thing ain,” Helios said, gng around. “Let’s hope there’s no sed round.”

  Skuld chuckled weakly. “Knowing our lu this pce, there probably is.”