Chapter 45 – Light Against the Void
The wind howled through the ruins of Caravel as Jean faced Orion beneath a sky turning gray.
She stood with Luxclade drawn, aura flaring like a white fire. Across from her, Orion held his glaive in a low stance—serene, unshaken.
"You'll die if you keep walking their path," he warned. "Let the gods fight their own war."
Jean's grip tightened. "Then they'll die too. But not before I try."
Their auras clashed first—light and steel crashing in invisible waves.
Then they moved.
Orion struck like a falling star. His glaive cut arcs through the air, impossibly fast, precise. Jean barely deflected the first blow, the impact rattling her bones. She countered with a flash of Luxclade's brilliance, slicing at his side, but he spun away, feet never touching rubble for more than an instant.
Whitney circled, growling, but Jean raised a hand. "No. He's mine."
Orion's voice echoed in the ruin. "You're strong—but you still fight for something. That makes you predictable."
He lunged.
Jean parried high, then struck low, blade searing with holy light. But Orion moved like he saw the future. Each strike met his glaive, his aura absorbing hers—nullifying it.
She realized then: his power wasn't just strength. It was control.
"You've abandoned your god," Jean said through gritted teeth. "Yet you wield divine power."
He knocked her back with a sweep, slamming her into a broken pillar.
"I wield what's left," he replied. "Just enough to defy them."
Jean rose slowly, blood dripping from her temple.
Then she whispered, "Celeste, guide me not—watch me."
And she unleashed her true aura.
A column of light shot skyward. Luxclade erupted in radiant flame, not granted—but forged from her own will. The winds stilled. Even Orion paused.
She blurred forward—faster than she'd ever moved—driving her blade toward his chest.
Orion blocked, but this time his arms buckled.
"You've made your choice," he whispered, breath caught.
Jean's voice was ice and fire. "So have you."
She struck again—and Orion's glaive shattered.
He staggered back, defeated but alive. "You're… not a servant of the gods anymore, are you?"
Jean stepped forward, lowering Luxclade. "No. I'm their reckoning."
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