Gerard's gaze shifted between the light piercing the sky and the grotesque monster looming before him, its misshapen form a twisted mockery of the creatures she controlled. He clenched his jaw, bracing himself as the relentless mental assault clawed at his thoughts, threatening to unravel his focus. "So, you're more than just the beasts you command," Gerard said, his voice calm but taut, each word precise.
"Oh, don't be offended by how I look now. This is my professional look," she quipped, her tone dripping with mockery. Her grotesque features twisted into something resembling a smile, though it only added to the growing discomfort in the pit of Gerard's stomach.
*This is more than we anticipated. Why hasn't the Village Head dispatched her enemies by now?* The thought gnawed at him as he parried a vicious swipe from a clawed beast, his sword catching the brunt of the blow with a metallic clang. *Something has to change. This terrain is smothering me; I can't fight her effectively like this.*
Dodging another lunge, he glanced around the jungle. The dense, humid air clung to him like a second skin, and every movement felt heavier, slower. "Should I tell you why you're fighting a lost battle?" she teased, her tone dripping with condescension.
Gerard didn't bother answering. Instead, he lunged at her, closing the distance in a swift motion and driving his blade deep into her leg. Her monstrous body jerked as the steel bit into her flesh, but her reaction was immediate and brutal. With a guttural growl, she swatted at him with a massive, clawed hand, the strike carrying enough force to send him crashing through the thick trunks of trees. The air was knocked from his lungs as his body hit the ground hard, shattering splintered wood beneath him.
Before he could recover, a tide of beasts swarmed toward him, their claws tearing at the ground as they buried him in a writhing mass of bodies. The grotesque woman turned her attention to Enel, her beastly form towering over him.
"Oh, dear spawn, are you worried? Don't be," she cooed, her voice sickly sweet as she extended a clawed hand toward him. "They're already dead. Come with me, and you'll forget all of this." Her grin widened as she added, "Master will be so proud."
Enel was frozen, his feet rooted to the spot. His chest heaved with shallow breaths, and every instinct screamed at him to move, to run, but his body wouldn't obey. Her claws drew closer, the sharp points gleaming faintly in the dim jungle light. Just as the tips were about to brush against him, there was a sharp, slicing sound. Steel against flesh.
The woman let out a roar of pain as her monstrous hand was severed cleanly at the wrist, blood spurting in dark rivulets. She pulled back, clutching the stump of her arm as her eyes darted toward where the beasts had been. They were all dead.
Gerard stood there, his sword stained with dark blood, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. He stepped forward, placing himself between Enel and the woman. His arm rested on the boy's shoulder, grounding him. "Enel, calm down. I need you to leave. With you here, I can't fight her the way I need to," Gerard said firmly, his voice steady despite the chaos surrounding them.
Enel turned his wide, fearful eyes to Gerard. His voice came out in a whisper. "Wha... what about you and the Village Head?"
"I'll be fine," Gerard said with a confidence he wasn't entirely sure he felt. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before adding, "As for the Village Head, I don't know her current situation, but I doubt she's in trouble." There was a flicker of doubt in his tone, one Enel picked up on. But before the boy could say anything, Gerard flashed a small smile—an expression Enel had never seen from him before.
It worked. Enel's trembling slowed as he took a shaky breath. "When do I go? And where?" he asked, his voice steadier now.
Gerard nodded approvingly. "On my command. Head for the edge of the forest. Do not, under any circumstances, enter the desert. This forest borders it, and if you cross into the sands, your survival isn't guaranteed—not even the Village Head will be able to save you. Stay at the edge of the jungle. Do you understand?"
Enel nodded quickly, his legs already poised to run.
Gerard turned back to face the beastly woman. Her towering form was grotesque—nearly two meters tall with a hunched back, her long, slithering tail ending in a sharp, needle-like tip. Patches of her skin shimmered with visible scales, and her claws gleamed like obsidian daggers. Gerard's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of her severed arm—it had already regenerated, the flesh knitting itself back together as though mocking his efforts.
"Regeneration?" Gerard muttered under his breath. "This might be a bit trickier than I thought."
He raised his sword, aether crackling along its length as the blade began to glow, its radiance piercing the oppressive gloom of the jungle. The air around him seemed to hum with energy as he focused entirely on his enemy.
"Now, Enel!" Gerard shouted, his voice sharp and commanding.
Enel turned and bolted, his small frame disappearing into the thick foliage. The stray beasts had all been drawn toward the woman, leaving his path miraculously clear. As he ran, he glanced back one last time. What he saw burned itself into his memory.
Gerard stood firm, his glowing blade slicing through the dense darkness. The light from the sword burned the beast's flesh, causing her to writhe in pain. Blood poured from her eye sockets as she grinned, her jagged teeth glinting in the light. Even as her body burned, her unnatural smile remained.
Enel's heart clenched, but he turned away and kept running, his feet pounding against the earth as he focused on Gerard's words: *Stay at the edge of the forest. Stay alive.*
Enel ran, his lungs burning with each ragged breath. The underbrush clawed at his legs, and sweat poured down his face, but he didn't stop. Gerard's words echoed in his mind: *Stay at the edge of the forest. Stay alive.* He glanced over his shoulder once more, the distant flicker of aether-light fading behind him, and his heart twisted. Gerard had smiled, but Enel could sense the weight behind it—a smile meant to soothe a terrified boy, not one born from certainty.
The jungle around him grew quieter. The snarls and clashes of battle became muffled as he pushed farther away. Still, unease clung to him like a second skin. The oppressive energy he'd felt earlier lingered, a constant reminder that he wasn't safe yet. Enel stumbled over a gnarled root, nearly falling, but caught himself. He couldn't afford to fall. Not now.
Far behind him, Gerard was locked in a brutal clash with the grotesque creature. Her scaled body smoked where his aether-charged sword had burned her, but her grin was unfaltering. Blood seeped from her eye sockets, yet it didn't slow her. If anything, she seemed emboldened by the pain.
"You burn brightly, swordsman," she hissed, her voice distorted by her monstrous form. "But flames that burn so fiercely always burn out."
Gerard didn't answer. He was too focused, his sword a blur of light as he drove back her relentless strikes. But she was relentless, her claws slicing through the air with lethal speed. Even with his training, Gerard was struggling to match her pace. He needed to end this soon, but how? Her regeneration rendered his attacks temporary at best, and his own energy reserves were starting to wane.
As he deflected another swing from her clawed hand, Gerard darted backward, putting some distance between them. His mind raced for a solution. The jungle's dense foliage restricted his movements, and he had to expend more energy dodging her than he would in open terrain. He glanced around, searching for an opening—a weakness he could exploit.
"You're slowing down," she taunted, her grin widening. "Don't worry. Once I'm done with you, the spawn will have nowhere to run."
The mention of Enel sent a spike of determination through Gerard. He tightened his grip on his sword, the blade glowing brighter as he funneled more aether into it. "If you think you'll lay a claw on that boy, you're gravely mistaken," he said, his voice low but fierce.
Meanwhile, Lisa's battle had reached a fever pitch. Her vision blurred, and her body screamed in agony with every movement. Blood loss and the poison coursing through her veins were taking their toll, but she refused to back down. The leader circled her, the aura of visible aether surrounding her casting an ominous glow over the battlefield.
"You're still standing?" the leader said, her tone one of genuine surprise. "I have to admit, you're persistent. But you're running on borrowed time."
Lisa smirked, though it was lopsided and shaky. "I've been running on borrowed time for years. This is nothing new."
The leader's eyes narrowed, and she pointed her blade at Lisa. "Enough games. It's time to end this."
Lisa felt the ground tremble beneath her feet as the leader's aether surged, the energy distorting the air around her. Despite her fading strength, Lisa's mind raced. She couldn't hold out much longer, but she couldn't let her enemies claim victory here. If she was going to fall, she'd make sure to take them with her.
*Think, Lisa. There has to be something. Anything.*
Her thoughts turned briefly to Gerard and Enel. She didn't know how their fight was going, but she knew one thing: she trusted Gerard to keep the boy safe. The thought gave her a sliver of comfort, enough to push away the creeping despair.
As the leader advanced, her blade glowing with deadly intent, Lisa braced herself. Her chain hummed faintly with what little aether she could muster, coiling around her in a defensive stance. She'd fight until her last breath if she had to.
Simultaneously, Enel's flight took an unexpected turn. Just as he began to see the thinning edge of the forest ahead, the oppressive energy returned, stronger than ever. He skidded to a halt, his heart racing. The air felt wrong—thick and suffocating, as though the jungle itself was trying to stop him.
A deep growl echoed from the shadows, and Enel froze. A pair of glowing eyes emerged from the darkness, followed by another, then another. His stomach twisted as more beasts appeared, their movements deliberate and synchronized. He realized too late that the woman had planned for this. She'd cut off his escape, her minions lying in wait.
Here's the edited version of your text with improved sentence structure, grammar, and flow while maintaining the original meaning:
Enel's breath caught in his throat as the nearest beast stepped forward, its snarling maw dripping with saliva. He clenched his fists, wishing desperately that he could do something—anything—to defend himself. But he was just a boy, and he was powerless. He didn't even have an aether core, let alone the ability to unlock his gates. He didn't know what was wrong with him because everyone was supposed to possess an aether core.
People his age who wanted to become Ethers were trained to open their first gate and were subsequently sent to different Ether academies, where they could learn Ether arts suited to them and develop their abilities. Each time Enel tried to sense his aether core, he felt nothing—or perhaps something. That fleeting, elusive sensation filled him with lingering fear.
The unlocking of the first gate typically happened between the ages of 14 and 16. It took three months to open a gate under normal circumstances. Beyond that age, it became increasingly difficult and carried the risk of death—a risk that grew higher the older one got. All the boys within his age group who aspired to become Ethers had already opened their gates and were preparing to be sent to their respective Ether academies.
Enel had tried to unlock his gate countless times when he turned 14 but failed each time. He had asked Lisa what it felt like to open the first gate, hoping her description might help him. She had explained that it was like pushing a heavy rock to the top of a hill. Once the rock reached the summit, it simply rolled down on its own. With that, she felt the warm energy of aether surging turbulently through her body. At least, that was how she had described it—because everyone's experience was different. Despite these variations, one thing remained universal: opening the first gate was extremely difficult.
Lisa had told him that anyone with an aether core could sense its energy in their chest. It would feel stagnant at first, like a river dammed. But after performing the necessary tasks and unlocking their first gate, that energy would begin to flow freely through their body.
This was how Enel had come to a grim conclusion—he must not have an aether core because he could not sense anything in his chest. After countless attempts and failures, he had given up trying to open his gates. That thought lingered at the edge of his mind like a shadow he could never escape