The final monster rushed toward them.

Luke forced himself upright and raised the spear, though his arms barely obeyed him. Yvonne stepped beside him as the fading symbols across her blindfold brightened once more.

"It attacks from the right."

Luke shifted his footing.

"No. Stay where you are."

He stopped as the monster crossed the arena.

"It’s going to hit me."

"I know."

"That doesn’t make me feel better."

"Trust me."

The creature reached them and raised both claws.

"Down."

Luke crouched, and the claws passed above him.

"Forward."

He stepped closer, moving inside the creature’s reach.

"Turn."

Luke pivoted around its side. His movement was clumsy, and his shoulder struck the monster’s ribs, but he ended up behind it.

The creature twisted toward him. Luke noticed its shoulder shift before Yvonne warned him and stepped back, allowing the claws to pass in front of his chest.

"Good," Yvonne said.

The monster attacked again.

Luke recognized the movement and tried to adjust, but exhaustion slowed him. One claw struck the shaft and knocked the spearhead aside.

The creature lunged toward his open chest.

Yvonne grabbed the back of Luke’s shirt and pulled him into her. His back pressed against her breasts as the claws passed inches from his stomach.

For one distracting second, all Luke could feel was the softness of her body against him.

"Luke," Yvonne whispered near his ear. "Focus."

"I’m trying."

"I know. Try a little harder."

The gentleness in her voice somehow embarrassed him more than the teasing had.

The monster turned for another attack. Luke recovered his footing and raised the spear while Yvonne kept one hand on his shoulder.

"High, then low," she said.

The creature lifted its claws.

Luke blocked the first attack with the shaft, but the second came toward his legs. He tried to jump back, only for his tired foot to catch against the stone and send him onto one knee.

The claws passed over his thigh.

The monster raised its arm again.

Yvonne’s fingers tightened on his shoulder. "Don’t block this one."

"What?"

"Let it come closer."

"That sounds terrible."

"I know, but I need you to trust me."

The creature lunged.

Luke waited. Every instinct told him to move, but he held his position until the monster entered his reach.

"Now!"

He thrust upward.

The spear entered beneath the creature’s ribs, and the impact drove the shaft against his shoulder. Luke nearly lost his grip as the monster grabbed the weapon and forced itself farther along the blade.

Its claws reached for his face.

Luke’s arms shook, and he could not push it back alone.

Yvonne moved behind him and wrapped both hands around the shaft. Her body pressed against his as she added her weight.

"Together," she said.

Luke planted his feet.

They pushed.

The spear tore deeper through the creature’s chest, stopping its claws inches from Luke’s face.

For one long second, nothing happened. Then cracks of black light spread across the monster’s body before it dissolved around the blade.

[Enemy defeated.]

[All initial enemies have been eliminated.]

Silence returned to the arena.

Luke remained bent over the spear while he struggled to catch his breath. His arms trembled, and every part of his body seemed to hurt. He had fallen several times, wasted mana, misunderstood Yvonne’s warnings, and nearly been thrown from the platform.

Still, all six monsters were gone.

"We did it," he said.

Yvonne stood beside him with one hand resting on his shoulder. "We did."

Black stains and deep scratches covered the stone where the monsters had attacked.

"I was awful."

"You just survived your first real fight."

"That isn’t the same as being good."

"No, but it means you did better than you think."

Luke looked at the spear in his shaking hands. He did not feel talented. He felt bruised, exhausted, and lucky to be alive.

Yvonne turned toward him.

"You made mistakes, but you didn’t keep repeating them."

"I still made a lot."

"It was your first fight, Luke. What matters is that you adjusted every time something went wrong."

Her hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek.

"Even when I was confusing you, you kept listening. By the end, you were finding openings that I hadn’t even predicted."

Her thumb brushed lightly across his skin.

"You really did well, Luke."

Warmth spread through his chest. "Thanks."

The purple light beneath Yvonne’s blindfold suddenly flared.

Her hand froze against his face as violent pulses spread through the glowing symbols. Yvonne gasped and swayed toward him.

Luke caught her around the waist. "What happened?"

Her fingers dug into his shoulder.

The arena remained empty. No monsters stood along the outer ring, and the system had already declared the initial enemies defeated.

Yvonne’s breathing grew shallow.

"What do you see?"

She did not answer.

"Yvonne?"

A thin crack appeared across the center of the arena.

Luke turned toward it as the stone split with a low grinding sound. Dark smoke began leaking from below, and Yvonne tightened her grip on him.

"Luke."

The teasing warmth had disappeared from her voice. For the first time since they met, she sounded afraid.

"Get up."

Luke grabbed his spear and forced himself upright.

The platform trembled beneath their feet as a deep growl rose from somewhere below.

"I thought we won."

"So did I."

The crack widened. Clouds churned around the arena while something enormous moved beneath it.

"What did you see?"

Yvonne’s fingers tightened around his arm. "Something much bigger than the creatures we just fought."

A claw larger than Luke’s entire body rose through the opening and gripped the broken stone. The arena groaned beneath its weight.

Luke raised his spear, though his arms were still shaking.

Yvonne stepped close beside him. "Keep your weapon up."

The crack split farther open.

Two burning eyes appeared beneath the platform.

Yvonne swallowed.

"Luke... those were only the small ones."