The ruins of Argos City quaked with every
strike. Light and shadow clashed like storms colliding, tearing at the very earth. The people who had not yet fled hid in cellars, clutching one another, praying that someone—anyone—would survive to see dawn.
Bin's Sword of Light gleamed with radiant fury, cutting arcs of brightness through the smog-choked air. Malakar's dark aura coiled tighter with each blow, black fire clinging to his fists and burning the ground where he stepped.
Hook and Rigor still battled in a blur at the city's edge, sparks and steel flying, the sound of their fight echoing like lightning. Hook fought desperately to keep up, while Rigor never seemed to tire—every strike of his blades calculated, merciless.
And somewhere in that chaos, Jay still lived.
Pinned against the shattered prison walls, blood streaking down his jaw, Jay leaned heavily on one knee. His chest heaved with ragged breaths. His body screamed at him to stop—to collapse and let the darkness take him. But his will burned as stubbornly as it always had.
He pressed a trembling palm against the cracked prison barrier—the wall he had already fractured earlier with his clone gambit. The energy hummed faintly, weak now from the earlier blast. He gritted his teeth. I can still break it. I can still get out.
"Running again, old man?" A cruel voice echoed behind him.
Jay turned. Julius was there.
Even wounded from earlier clashes, Julius looked every bit the monster he was. His chains writhed around him like snakes, burning faintly with searing fire.
Jay chuckled, spitting blood into the dirt. "Not running. Escaping. There's a difference."
Julius sneered. "Escape where? This city is already ours. Your friends are being crushed. The so-called 'descendant' is losing. And you—you're just delaying the inevitable."
Jay forced himself to stand. His knees wobbled, but his eyes stayed sharp. "Maybe so. But delaying is sometimes all you need."
With a grunt, he slammed both hands against the wall. Light surged from his body—pure, searing brilliance. The prison barrier screamed and cracked. Julius cursed and lashed out with his burning chains.
But Jay didn't stop. He pushed harder. "Come on, old bones… don't fail me now!"
The barrier shattered with a thunderous BOOM. Jay stumbled through the gap just as Julius's chains whipped toward him. They slashed his back, tearing into flesh, but Jay rolled forward, gasping, clutching his side.
He was free.
Julius snarled. "You'll regret that, drunkard!" He gave chase, his chains cutting through rubble like paper. But Jay was faster than he looked, darting through collapsed alleys and broken streets. Every step was agony, yet the thought of Luz, Den, and the others alive gave him strength.
I can't die here. Not until I pass it on…
---
Meanwhile, Bin and Malakar's fight raged with terrifying ferocity.
Malakar roared, unleashing a torrent of dark flames that swept across the battlefield. Bin raised his Susanoo, the massive shadow guardian cloaked in light's glow, blocking the inferno. Steam hissed from the ground, the air thick with burning smoke.
"You're still resisting me, brother," Malakar snarled. His fists pulsed with black fire. "Still clinging to the fantasy that you can 'save' me. But tell me—what happens when your light runs out?"
Bin's grip tightened on his sword. "If my light fades, I'll burn myself into ash before I ever let you take Aetheris."
Malakar smirked, though his eyes flickered—rage and sorrow swirling together. "Then ash is what you'll become."
He lunged, his claws colliding with the Sword of Light. Sparks cascaded as steel and shadow met, neither yielding. Bin's muscles strained. Malakar pushed harder. The ground beneath their feet cracked and sank.
Bin's voice was low, pained, but steady. "You think the dark chose you. But it didn't. You chose it, Malakar. You chose envy. You chose hatred. You chose to leave us."
For a heartbeat, Malakar hesitated. A flicker of memory—of him as a boy, cradling newborn Bin, promising their father he would protect him. Of laughter. Of sparring in the fields together.
Then the memory twisted. His father's voice. The power of light belongs to Bin.
The warmth curdled into venom.
Malakar's scream shook the heavens. He slammed his palm into Bin's chest, dark fire erupting. Bin staggered, but his Susanoo retaliated, its massive blade slashing across Malakar's shoulder, leaving a burning wound of light.
Both stumbled back, panting, their auras flaring wildly.
Hook, still grappling with Rigor, caught a glimpse of the brothers' duel. His heart clenched. "Bin… hold on."
Rigor struck again, his blade nearly severing Hook's arm. Hook barely blocked in time, sparks scorching his skin.
"You're distracted," Rigor taunted.
"Maybe," Hook grunted. "But I'm not the one fighting for myself. I'm fighting for them."
He shoved forward, blades clashing in a desperate counterattack.
---
Jay staggered into the outskirts of Argos, his breathing shallow. He leaned against a wall, nearly collapsing, but forced himself onward. He clutched his satchel—inside, the scroll he had given Luz's group remained.
His vision blurred. His ears rang. But he whispered, "Not yet… I still need to…"
A shadow appeared ahead. Not Julius. Not Malakar. Not Rigor.
Another. Watching silently. Cloaked.
Jay froze, his instincts screaming danger. "You… who the hell are you?"
The figure didn't answer. It simply observed, eyes glinting under the hood.
Jay's grip tightened. "Fine. Watch all you like. But tell your master… this old man's not finished yet."
With one last burst of strength, he vanished into the night, using a flash-step of light to disappear from the figure's view.
---
Back in the center of Argos, the brothers clashed again. Light and dark spiraled into the sky, painting the heavens in unnatural hues.
Bin's blade pressed against Malakar's claws, both of them gritting their teeth.
"You still don't get it," Malakar hissed. "This world doesn't need balance. It needs dominance. It needs strength. And I will be the one to rule it."
Bin met his gaze, sorrow heavy in his eyes. "If strength is all you care about… then you've already lost."
The ground split open beneath them as their powers exploded once more.
And high above, unseen by both, the same cloaked figure from Jay's escape lingered on a rooftop, whispering words only the night could hear:
"Brothers… destined to destroy one another. And when they fall, the real war begins."