The mantle that keeps everything in order shatters into small fragments that rise upward, turning the very matter that once held it captive into a devastating blast.
The breath of life grows heavy, pulling everything toward itself and twisting its surroundings into its own image. The invisible merges with the light, and the smooth becomes hardened, taking on a colossal form. Only a moment of its essence remains, shaped as two profound spheres of light, like the ocean.
The colossal being takes shape. Its skin is an endless, straight darkness, with curves only where its body extends for attack. Its thick hands bear long fingers, and its face holds only bright, firefly-like eyes. Its form is a blend of rectangle, square, and circle, perfectly molding the structure of matter.
Standing apart perfectly formed, the immense golem observes the three figures frozen in combat stance, their bodies paralyzed by the dark mist of its breath.
The creature moves, closing its hand to strike. In that instant, Candela breaks free and lands a blow on its arm. The arm disintegrates, absorbed by the walls, and the mist disperses.
Killbit pushes himself to his limit from using too much of his power, forcing him to draw heat from the environment. Meanwhile, Beatriz lies unconscious in her own body, controlled by Henri.
"We're screwed. This golem is obviously made of gas or something similar. Beatriz would have no trouble splitting it in half by controlling its heat and gaseous form." Henri lowers his head, scratching it. "Looks like you, my dear, will have to be our sword to cut it all apart."
Candela trembles, her muscles aching. "Why couldn't he paralyze me as he did to you? And why does my mind keep diving back into those memories?" She looks at Killbit and smiles. "I'm not the focus now, but the solution, right? I need to improve control over my abilities."
"You don't have to be like this, Candela. I'm fine, just a little overheated. But it won't harm me. I'll be ready to fight soon." He stumbles and falls to his knees. "I'm fine. Don't look at me like that. Stay away—it's still too hot."
He grips Candela's arm tightly. "If you want to feel warmth, I can impale you with Beatriz's sword. I won't hesitate and I feel no pity. We need to focus on survival—you're the key." He summons his fire sword. "Use this sword against the golem when it returns—but not to attack it directly. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
"Don't assume we're friends or that you can order me around, but I'll follow your logic for Killbit's sake." As she grips the sword, an illusion of herself appears beside Candela. "You want me to use my light control to create illusions, don't you?"
"Absolutely. If you didn't have such a beautiful face and slender body, I'd call you wise. Useless little thing—Killbit, let the heat spread. We should move to where the golem's attention is drawn; it'll be easier to create illusions there." He tells Candela to duck. "If your sword absorbs too much heat, you'll get dizzy. Only Beatriz's body can endure that temperature, so I'll guide you."
Reluctant but feeling the sword grow hotter in her hand, Candela agrees. Henri climbs on her back. Killbit deactivates his power, and Henri shares his heat resistance with Candela.
Soon the colossal being, with glowing spheres on its dark face, appears again. Its body slowly detaches from the wall, making the structure imperfect once more. Henri breaks into a wide smile and is lost in memories, while Candela feels a strange connection with those eyes.
Henri raises his blue-bladed sword against the colossal beast, his smile brightening his empty face. Candela closes her eyes as her illusions advance on the golem, confusing it.
Henri delights in the blood that gushes from the beast's torn paw. The creature continues to advance furiously, but every attack vanishes in a flash of light. Beatriz's sword glows incandescent.
Teeth pierce Henri's flesh as he smiles. Blood and trapped heat escape from him. Candela moves like light, striking the golem's leg to cut it, but the beast toughens. The golem touches her and is sucked into the ground, leaving a black mist behind.
The beast keeps tearing, burning as it moves, while Henri laughs, his consciousness fading bit by bit. Candela feels increasingly linked to the heat, her illusion-creation becoming an extension of her own body.
"You learned faster than I expected. It makes me strangely happy to be just a parasite!" He sighs. "This fight recalls the intensity of my glorious past. I don't recall when my body faded away."
He unleashes a blast of heat, scattering the mist. "Don't get lost in your past, old fool. Someone commands this golem and watches us. Could it be like that bird?" He looks to Killbit. "Are the red eyes acting again?"
"I don't care right now. I'm just glad you're proving your strength to yourself." He chuckles. "Since we left, you haven't mentioned my creator's name! You're not like me, a creation, his child. You belong to yourself!"
Henri jumps off Candela's back. "I don't need to teach you more. The heat resistance lasts a few minutes—that's enough. You've reshaped yourself beyond your illusions; you're ready to destroy that golem." He laughs. "You're so much like Beatriz and me, you should be one of us."
"No, you idiot. Don't compare me to that manipulative girl." Her sword glows brightly. "I say this, illusions aside, what a joke fate plays. But Killbit, I will never let go of my devotion to Gustav—it's my first memory." She braces herself. "Just as you bear your creators' desires, just as Gustav carries his sin, I carry my first memory as my greatest treasure."
Killbit shakes his head. "Alright, Candela. I'll keep your words and grow with them. I'll help you!" His eyes glow. "I will release all the fire I've stored!"
His eyes blaze as if inhabited by flames. Killbit's body twists in agony, veins pulsing under his skin, revealing the heat he releases. Hot blood drips from his lips, burning flesh, as the red drops disappear on the ground, disintegrating instantly—like the colossal being's gift.
The sword, once red, turns black as space, absorbing all light and heat. Candela's illusions vanish from sight. A powerful strike drops the golem, its eyes perfectly exposed for Candela's finishing blow.
Dazzling blue lights are consumed by the blade of darkness, instantly turning the light to dark, absorbed by Candela's body, turning her sword crimson anew.
As Killbit moves toward Candela, his body collapses, overwhelmed by heat. His self-preserving power activates, shielding the rest of his body, and he falls unconscious.
Candela kneels, glowing intense gold as darkness penetrates her, sighing softly. Unlike Killbit's despairing image, she simply falls asleep.
Then golems burst from the walls. The sword renews its energy. Beatriz still slumbers inside, while Henri smiles widely, charging toward the golems, remembering that once he carried glory only for himself—there's no one like that now.
Candela drifts through memories.
a small and a large silhouette.
A majestic red field of roses.
A joy that fills her completely.
Is she there? Who is she? Gustav?
She doesn't know, but she wants to.