The cathedral of chains trembled like a living beast, its golden links glowing hotter, twisting tighter. The air quaked with every groan, as if the saints' faces carved into the metal wept molten grief. Each mouth sewn shut let out muffled screams that vibrated in the marrow of Andy's bones. The sound was unbearable—like prayer corrupted into a dirge.
Andy's chest burned under the pressure. His blades felt like iron anchors in his hands, heavy, shaking. The dragonblood inside him writhed, urging him to burn recklessly, to end the agony with destruction. He spat blood and held on, forcing breath into his lungs. Not yet. Not without her.
Across the suffocating lattice of gold, Nia fought her own prison. Chains lashed her wrist and shoulder, dragging her toward Kayla's shimmering form at the fountain. She jammed her staff against the links, silver light searing them, but the pressure only grew heavier. Her pendant burned at her throat, pulsing in time with her racing heartbeat.
Kayla's laughter echoed through the web. It came not from her lips but from every chain, every glowing rune. "Do you feel it?" she crooned, voice multiplied a dozen times. "The weight of eternity crushing your fragile oath? I only need to squeeze once, and your bond collapses."
The saints' eyes wept brighter.
System Alert: Host stability 15%… 12%… 10%.
Warning: Soul Link fracture imminent.
Recommendation: Emergency anchor required.
Andy bared his teeth and roared. "Not today!"
He thrust his blades forward—Dragon Veins Awakening! Fire erupted along one edge, molten and furious; water surged icy blue along the other, hissing steam into the golden lattice. He cut three chains in one swing, each bursting into sparks that showered his face.
But for every link broken, two more slithered into place. They recoiled like serpents, coiling tighter. A band slammed into his chest, burning through his tunic, searing into his skin. He screamed, vision flashing white.
"Andy!" Nia cried, her voice breaking through the suffocating din.
Her staff blazed. Arcane Amplification! Silver beams shot outward, mapping the cathedral's weak points. Lunar sigils glowed faintly across the chains, their patterns revealed only to her. "There—strike the node at the center!"
Andy's breath came ragged. He planted his feet, eyes locking on the glowing symbol etched into a knot of chains overhead. With a roar, he launched upward, aura wings flaring. He slashed in a cross, fire and water colliding into a torrent.
The node detonated, golden fragments raining down.
The cathedral shook violently, hundreds of faces twisting in silent agony. For a heartbeat, it seemed the prison might collapse—
—but Kayla raised her hand, and the fragments rewove themselves.
Andy crashed to the ground, panting, fury boiling. "Damn it—she's just toying with us."
Kayla's smile widened, fissures spreading across her cheeks, golden blood dripping. "Indeed. Do you know why mortals cannot face gods? Not because you are weak, but because you hope. Hope is delicious. It breaks louder when it snaps."
The chains surged.
One lashed Andy's arm, dragging his blade down. Another wrapped his thigh, pulling him to his knees. He strained, muscles bulging, but the bands pulsed with divine symbols, burning hotter.
Another chain coiled around Nia's waist, dragging her toward Kayla. She stabbed her staff into the earth, silver barrier flaring. "I won't let you have him!"
Kayla's chorus darkened, words dripping venom. "Child of Everhart… what do you think awaits you? Scorn. Betrayal. They already whisper—you've tied yourself to a beast. But I could give you the throne. No shame. No stain. Cast him aside, and the crown will be yours without cost."
Nia's lips trembled, her body shaking under the pull of the chain. But her eyes—silver, unwavering—flared with fire. She screamed back, voice hoarse but steady: "He is my crown!"
Silver light exploded from her staff, shattering the chain that bound her.
The System pulsed.
Bond Surge detected.
Anchor response increasing.
Stability: 9%… 11%…
Kayla's eyes narrowed. "So you cling to him. Then let us test his loyalty."
A whisper slithered into Andy's ear, layered with his dragon-self's voice. Andy… cast her aside. Let me burn for you. Alone, you could ascend—become the first Dragon God. No more chains, no more weakness. You could save everyone by yourself.
His blood boiled, flames licking his arms. For a terrifying second, the idea felt true. To be free of the weight, the fear, the risk of losing her. His knees buckled, vision going red.
Then—he felt it.
The ring on his finger pulsed.
It wasn't just heat. It was her. Her heartbeat, quick and fierce. Her breath, ragged but alive.
He clutched the ring, gasping. "I don't need to save everyone alone. Because I'll never be alone."
The Engagement Ring flared brilliantly, silver fire searing through the chains coiled around him.
System Alert: Engagement Ring activation.
Pulse synchronization in progress… 72%… 85%… 97%…
Andy and Nia locked eyes through the collapsing lattice. She raised her staff, tears streaking her cheeks, her voice breaking. "Andy—I'm yours. Always."
He gripped his blades tighter, fire surging anew. "And I'm yours. Forever."
Pulse Sync achieved. Anchor 2.0 fully initialized.
The chains recoiled violently. The saints' faces screamed silently, fissures cracking through their molten tears. The entire cathedral shuddered, unable to contain the bond blazing between them.
System Alert: Host stability 5%… 3%… 1%…
Emergency override engaged.
Bond Limit Break reached.
Silver fire and crimson flame erupted together, spiraling into one. The lattice shattered link by link, faces dissolving in a final wail as the chains collapsed into dust.
Andy and Nia surged forward, their voices uniting, echoing across the ruin:
"Eternal Soul Resonance!"
The explosion lit the night. A pillar of fire and light shot skyward, painting the moons in silver and red. Their silhouettes merged into one blazing figure, engraved against the heavens.
The golden cathedral disintegrated, collapsing into ash.
System Breakthrough achieved.
Bond Progression: Star 2 – 100% → Converted to Star 3 – 0%.
New Skill acquired: Eternal Soul Resonance.
Effect: Synchronization transcends touch, distance, illusion, and interference.
---
Andy collapsed to one knee, gasping. Nia stumbled forward, her staff clattering, and he caught her against his chest. Their foreheads pressed together, breath mingling. Tears welled in her eyes, but she smiled, radiant even in exhaustion.
"I felt you," Andy whispered, his voice breaking. "Even when everything went dark, I felt you."
Her hand cupped his face, thumb brushing the blood on his cheek. "And I reached you. No matter where they drag us, I'll always reach you."
The System chimed softly, reverently:
Bond Anchor secured.
Star 3 progression: 5%.
Their lips met—a kiss trembling, desperate, but unshakably real. For a moment, the world was fire and silver, hearts burning brighter than the chains that had tried to break them.
But the peace was short-lived.
Kayla staggered forward, her body riddled with fissures. Golden light spilled from the cracks, her gown burning away into ash. Wings of fractured gold unfurled behind her, jagged and broken, dripping molten feathers. Her face twisted, the serene smile gone, replaced by a mask of divine rage.
"You dare," she whispered, her voice no longer a chorus but a cacophony of dozens, some human, some monstrous. "You dare defy me with love?"
Her eyes blazed white-hot, fissures crawling down her arms, across her chest. The ground beneath her split, roses igniting in black fire. Statues melted like wax, fountains froze mid-air into jagged spears.
Andy and Nia rose, hand in hand, their souls blazing together.
Their bond was no longer a chain. It was a star.
And the corrupted goddess had just revealed her true form.
---