Chase opened the door slowly, pushing it to the side with as much patience as he could muster up.
His steel sword resting in his left hand...
Descending the stairs was a man clad in black and gold armor, with the sigil of a sun carved into the chest piece as if the fire that had forged it refused to break under the carvings.
He wore a helmet fit for a true knight, but for some strange reason... Chase held no fear in his heart.
The man spoke calmly.
"You are the heir I take it?"
Chae took a deep breath.
"I am... May I ask for yours?"
The man chuckled softly.
"You may... May name is Argo, of Th- Never mind that, they call me The Sun Breaker... Do you have what it takes to kill a true commander and take the throne of the place I was destined to destroy?"
Chase gazed outside of the grand window at the edge of the room, as Michael and Equan slowly stepped in behind him, awaiting his orders as if he had already taken the throne.
"Fitting isn't it?"
Argo asked somberly.
"It is..."
Chase replied, summoning his own mask atop his face...
The Naga's scales began to form into a mask- No, a helmet... They shed their scales slowly, melting into the perfect helmet fit for what Chase has become.
He wasn't sure what it looked like, but he knew that it was strong...
"Forgive me Argo, but if I cannot hold my own, I will warn you that I will not be fighting alone past that point..."
Chase smiled softly as another door slammed open on the other side of the room.
Lithica limped through the door, but he had definitely seen better days.
Chase chuckled softly, and outstretched a hand for his strong servant.
"Stand by Lithica... Rest and heal your wounds..."
Lithica raised an eyebrow as if confused by Chase's burst of confidence.
The knight known as Argo only nodded in approval before speaking again.
"As a true king would... Do forgive me as well, I will not hold back no matter if I am in the wrong... For unlike you, I was not blessed the righteousness of being called an heir. In fact, I have no say in the matter."
Chase nodded slowly.
"Glad were in agreement..."
He switched his sword to his right hand, as Argo readied himself as well, standing on the far side of the room and at the bottom of the stairs.
"Ready when you are..."
Chase said with a grin.
Argo nodded.
Then the entire mountain shook with violence as the true power of two potential bound beings clashes at the peak of the world...
Unity...
Leo kicked the door down, only to meet with a furious gust of magic power.
"Holy shit!"
He screamed covering Neveah with his body.
"Give her to me!"
A voice called out from outside of the room, yelling over the loud clashes of metal and gods knew what else was happening behind that bright light.
"Right!"
Leo called out, walked backwards as kept Neveah from being hit by the energy.
Kaylynn took her in her arms, and instantly began to use her energy to heal the girl.
Leo looked down at his friend, and instantly felt guilt for not being by her side.
She was pale, so pale in fact that her skin was turning dark red in some areas.
'How many has she had to heal...'
Leo wondered, as he looked around, trying to get a grip on what was going on...
At his side, he spotted a strange figure wearing an ungodly amount of bandages on his face...
"Neo?"
Leo asked as loud as he could.
The boy lifted up a hand, and did not speak or even bother to look in his direction as he was fixated on the battle taking place in front of them.
Beside Neo, Poppy was wearing a bandana over her face, as she clutched the center of her chest, watching whatever the hell was happening with disbelief in her eyes.
Only then did Leo truly understand what was happening in what was one Leander's office.
"My gods..."
Leo muttered under his breath, not that anyone would have heard him if he spoke up.
Two unseeable blades were clashing at frightening speeds at the center of the room.
Flames shot everywhere from both sides, half of them were yellow, and the other half were a vibrant and warm orange fire that was far too familiar to Leo.
It was impossible to truly get a read on the fight, as both figures moved with incredible and instantaneous speed.
But Leo knew that it was a true stalemate, in fact, it was the textbook stalemate. Both Chase and this mysterious warrior were fighting a battle of honor and attrition, as neither gave in to their full powers, but both fought on equal grounds, never exceeding the necessary amount for victory...
Luke put a hand on Leo's shoulder, his bandana on Poppy's face, and his hat nowhere to be seen.
"Are you prepared?"
He asked loudly, as he squeezed Leo's shoulder.
Leo raised an eyebrow, but finally understood why everyone was acting so strange.
"I am..."
He whispered, knowing that it didn't matter whether he said yes or no to his professor's question.
Luke nodded, as he took hefty breaths, no doubt fearful of what came next.
But Leo understood now...
This was only the first phase of the battle, neither are at their full potential, and there was no doubt that Chase was weaker, as he was only a child in comparison to this powerful soldier, so Chase was going to use everything he had once the fight kicked up a notch.
Meaning that it was time that this group of fools finally fought as one...
Leo grinned, summoning his battle axe into the both of his hands.
In fact, he had never been more prepared for something in his life...