The rift pulsed, growing with each heartbeat. Arcane lightning laced with black and crimson tore through the cavern walls. The three Spiral fiends were gone—banished by Ron's seal—but now something far more dangerous stirred behind the veil.
A low growl echoed from the glowing chasm. Then it stepped forward.
Ten feet tall. Wings of torn dimensional silk. A skeletal face with spiraling horns and a body forged from broken souls—The Rift Guardian. Its claws shimmered with entropy magic that could tear through time itself.
Elara's breath hitched. "That thing… it was sealed by Kamar-Taj a thousand years ago."
> "Until now," Liliane added, eyes narrowing. "Ron, we need that new form—now."
The creature lunged.
Ron stepped forward, magic swirling violently around him. Seraphina's echo whispered inside his mind: "Call the Twin Flame. Combine both realms."
Ron closed his eyes.
> "Silver Ascension: Twin Flame Mode."
A burst of power exploded from him. His body glowed white-hot, silver armor forming across his chest and limbs. Runes burned across his arms and neck, while a pair of floating wings—one black, one blinding white—formed behind him. His eyes turned molten silver.
> "Let's dance."
The Guardian swung. Ron vanished, reappearing midair and driving a fist wrapped in cosmic fire into its skull. The beast staggered but didn't fall.
Liliane hurled spiral spears at its chest, slowing it, while Elara slashed its leg with magic-forged blades. The three moved like a unit—magic, steel, and raw power in perfect harmony.
Until the Guardian retaliated.
It struck Liliane hard—sending her flying into a wall.
> "Liliane!" Ron shouted, catching her before she hit the ground.
Her breath was ragged. "Still standing... but damn, you're shining."
She grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss.
Heat. Sparks. A moment that froze the chaos around them.
Elara blinked. "Seriously? Now?"
Ron pulled back, dazed. "She's… forceful."
Elara marched past them, eyes glowing. "Then let's end this before she gets any more ideas."
With a roar, Ron flew upward, channeling all his energy into one final strike. His hands blazed with a fusion of white and black flames.
> "End of the Rift!"
The blast struck true.
The Guardian screamed and disintegrated into stardust, the rift collapsing behind it. Silence followed.
And then… Liliane grinned.
> "So, Ron. Was it the kiss or the wings that saved us?"
He smirked. "A little of both."
Elara rolled her eyes—but her cheeks were faintly red.
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