Helios and Skuld moved through the byrinthiunnels of the cavern, their progress marked by the falleures they had defeated and the solved puzzles left in their wake. The air was heavy with magid the faint glow of crystals lit their path as they pressed forward.

  Skuld was in her element, her new Keybde, Ravenveil Whisper, glowing faintly in her hand. The on had bee aension of her being, and her bat abilities had flourished. Each battle honed her skills further, her attacks swift and precise, her movements graceful yet uable.

  Helios leaned against a jagged wall, watg as Skuld battled a t cyclops. “She’s learning faster than I expected. Just with that little hint I gave her before she's already doing this,” he muttered to himself. Skuld’s growth was undeniable. With every fight, she unlocked more of her potential.

  Her Keybde seemed to amplify her e to wind magic, allowio coat her body and on in swirling currents of air. Wheivated this ability, her speed increased dramatically, her movements creating after-images that fused and disoriented her enemies. It reminded Helios of the and Styles he remembered from the Birth by Sleep game. Like Terra, Aqua, aus, Skuld had somehow learo infuse her body and on with enhanced power, making her an unstoppable for battle. Even Helios hadn’t figured this teique out yet here was Skuld instinctively doing it.

  The cyclops roared, its single e eye narrowing as it hurled a massive boulder at Skuld. She darted to the side, her body leaving behind a faint after-image made of wind. The boulder crashed harmlessly into the wall, sending shards of rock flying.

  Skuld dashed forward, her movements almost too fast to follow. She swung her Keybde in a wide arc, the wind surrounding her bde cutting deep into the cyclops’ thick skin.

  The creature bellowed in pain, raising its club and swinging it down with enough force to crack the ground. But Skuld wasn’t there. Her after-image faded as the club struck, leaving the cyclops bewildered.

  “Up here!” Skuld shouted from above, her voice carried by the wind.

  She hurled her Keybde in a spinning Strike Raid. The on spiraled through the air, sshing across the cyclops’ massive shoulder before returning to her hand.

  The cyclops snarled, grabbing another boulder and hurling it with all its might. The projectile sailed straight through Skuld’s figure, only to dissipate into swirling currents of wind.

  The real Skuld appeared behind the creature, catg her Keybde mid-air. With a burst of speed, she unched herself at its back, bringing her bde down in a powerful strike. The cyclops let out a guttural cry, falling to its knees before colpsing.

  Helios smirked as he watched her nd gracefully. “Not bad,” he called.

  “Not bad?” Skuld echoed, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a pyful grin. “That erfect.”

  “Someone’s getting cocky aren’t they,” said Helios turning back to focus on his task.

  While Skuld hahe cyclops, Helios focused oask at hand. He k near a vein of glowing ore embedded in the cavern wall, using his Keybde to carefully chip away at it. Hephaestus had beehis Celestial Ore was essential for crafting their new armor. But it was heavily guarded by a monstrous, immortal cyclops that had been rising again and again no matter how many times they defeated it.

  “Skuld, switch!” Helios shouted as the faint tremor of the creature’s revival rippled through the air.

  Skuld didn’t hesitate. She sprioward Helios, her Keybde already at the ready. “Got it! Gimme a sed!”

  The cyclops roared as it pulled itself back together, its body ref from shards of molten stone and shadowy energy. Its eye burned brighter than before, and it pous chest as it prepared to charge.

  Helios stood, brushing dust from his hands. “Alright make it quick,” he said, stepping aside to let Skuld take the lead.

  Skuld charged at the cyclops, her wind-enhanced movements allowio close the distan the blink of an eye. She struck its legs with a rapid flurry of blows, using her after-images to fuse the creature as it swung wildly in an attempt to hit her.

  Meanwhile, Helios k by the vein of ore once more, his Keybde glowing as he carefully extracted the material. The Celestial Ore was dense aant, requiring precise strikes to break apart.

  “Skuld, keep it distracted!” Helios called, his voice steady despite the pressure.

  The cyclops let out another deafening roar, its massive club swinging in a deadly arc. Skuld dodged, her after-images flickering as she darted around its strikes.

  “Watera!” she shouted, sending a jet of water crashing into the cyclops’ face. The creature recoiled, its eye momentarily blinded.

  “Nice shot,” Helios muttered, breaking off another k of ore and tug it away.

  The cyclops roared again, this time pounding the ground with its fists. The cavern shook, and debris rained down from the ceiling. Helios cursed under his breath, shielding the ore vein with his body to keep it intact.

  Helios stood, the bag now full of Celestial Ore. “Time to this up,” he said, summoning his Keybde.

  Skuld gave him a thumbs-up, leaping back to put distaween herself and the cyclops. “What’s the pn?”

  “Buy me some time,” Helios replied, already eling his magic.

  Skuld nodded, raising her Keybde. She unleashed another flurry of attacks, her wind-coated bde striking with lightning-fast precision. The cyclops swung at her, but she used her after-images to evade, each illusion dissipating into harmless wind currents.

  Helios raised his hand, the air around him growing cold as he summoned his Freezing Gale spell. A vortex of icy wind and jagged shards formed above him, the chill spreading rapidly through the cavern.

  “Skuld, move!” he shouted.

  Skuld dashed out e as Helios released the spell. The Freezing Gale engulfed the cyclops, the icy winds swirling around its massive form. Shards of ice struck its body, freezing it piece by piece. The water Skuld had dre with only hastehe process, the frost spreading along its limbs and log it in pce.

  Within moments, the cyclops was pletely encased is roars muffled and its movements stilled.

  Helios wasn’t do. He raised his Keybde again, summoning a massive spike of stoh his Earth Breaker spell. The jagged spike hovered in midair, spinning rapidly as it was encased in a swirling Aero field.

  “Let’s see how long it takes you to e back from this,” Helios muttered, aiming at the frozen cyclops.

  With a flick of his wrist, he sent the Earth Breaker flying. The spinning spike struck the cyclops’ frozen body, shattering it into tless shards of id stohe sound of the impact echoed through the cavern, followed by a deafening silence.

  Skuld approached cautiously, her Keybde still at the ready. “Think it’s gone food this time?”

  Helios lowered his on, a faint smile on his face. “Nope, but it doesn’t matter time to leave. I’d rather not have to fight it again.”

  As the dust settled, Helios and Skuld stood amidst the debris, their breathing heavy but steady.

  Skuld g Helios, a grin spreading across her face. “That freezing storm of yours? Pretty impressive.”

  “Thanks,” Helios said, brushing dirt from his coat. “But you did most of the work keeping it off me.”

  Skuld shrugged, twirling her Keybde. “Guess we make a good team.”

  Helios smirked, adjusting the bag of ore slung over his shoulder. “Let’s not get too fortable. We’ve still got a fe to get to.”