The Everhart gardens were unrecognizable. What had once been fountains and roses was now a battlefield carved from nightmare. Marble cracked into molten rivers, roses blackened to dust, statues wept gold from hollow eyes. The moons above dimmed behind a veil of corrupted radiance. The world had become Kayla's altar, her stage of judgment.
Andy staggered, blades trembling in his hands, breath shallow. His fire wings flickered weakly, unable to hold steady against the oppressive weight pressing down. Beside him, Nia's staff pulsed faintly, silver sparks crackling as her arms trembled from strain. They stood in ruins, and above them hovered the embodiment of corruption.
Kayla's true form had bloomed. Her gown had burned away, leaving fissured skin leaking molten gold. Wings of fractured light spread wide, each feather jagged, dripping fire. Her face remained cruelly beautiful, but her eyes blazed white, blinding, merciless. She was a goddess undone. Her voice was no longer human—it was dozens layered, like bells tolling in discord.
"You dare bind eternity with love? Then love shall be tested. Let us see if it outlasts divinity."
Her aura cascaded downward. Andy's knees buckled, every muscle screaming. The dragonblood in his veins clawed wildly, demanding release. His blades slipped. Not now… not here…
"Andy!"
Her voice cut through the storm. Nia's hand closed over his, their rings colliding, a spark of silver binding them.
"You're not alone. Always—remember?"
He looked up. Her silver eyes trembled, but faith burned steady in them. She wasn't afraid of his fire. She wasn't resisting it—she was opening herself to it.
For the first time, he let go.
The roar that burst from his chest was part human, part dragon. Wings of crystallized flame erupted from his back, runes burning along their edges. Scales spread across his arms, obsidian-black veined with molten red. His eyes glowed gold, slit-pupiled, sovereign. The ground ignited beneath him. A dome of flame radiated outward, the corrupted chains hissing as they recoiled. The dragonblood inside him no longer raged against him—it sang, steady and sovereign, harmonized by her touch.
System Notice: Dragon Warrior Tier 3 unlocked.
Skill acquired: Dragon Domain – Sovereign Flame.
Effect: Aura projection suppresses corruption, amplifies flame output by 300%.
Andy exhaled smoke, wings stretching wide. "This time, I won't fight you. I'll wield you. For her."
Nia's pendant blazed in answer. The Lunar Sigil seared bright across her skin, silver light racing up her arms. Her staff glowed like a beacon, hair rising in a halo. Her eyes burned with moonlight. From her back, wings of pure radiance unfurled—each feather translucent, woven of moonlight itself. Her aura calmed the warped air, pressing back against corruption.
System Notice: Celestial Light Ascension unlocked.
Skill acquired: Heavenly Aegis.
Effect: Absolute barrier projection, immunity to corruption, resonance amplification +200%.
Andy stared, awe flooding through fire. She wasn't just his partner. She was divine. She smiled faintly, stepping closer. "Together." He extended his clawed hand. She clasped it without hesitation. Their auras collided, braided, spiraled upward. A column of fire and moonlight speared the sky, their silhouettes etched into the heavens.
"You are my fire," she whispered, voice breaking but steady.
"And you," Andy murmured, chest aching, "are my crown."
The System chimed:
*Eternal Soul Resonance amplified.*
*Bond Progression: Star 3 – 5% → 12%.*
Kayla hissed, wings snapping wide. From her body erupted chains, each tipped with the face of a saint. Their mouths opened in silent hymns, chanting corruption. Andy slammed his blades down. His Dragon Domain ignited, fire sweeping across the battlefield, reshaping the floor into molten lava. Chains struck, but melted before reaching him. With a roar, he leapt, blades slashing arcs of flame and water. Three chains shattered into sparks.
Nia raised her staff. Heavenly Aegis! Silver radiance enveloped them, catching another storm of chains. Each impact rang like bells, cracks spidering across the shield—but she lifted her staff higher. "Not today!" The barrier shone brighter, holding.
Kayla sneered. "You think mortal fire and false moonlight can endure eternity?" Her arms stretched, summoning avatars: phantom saints clad in cracked gold, spears raised, chanting broken hymns.
Andy surged into them, wings trailing fire. His blades cut one in half, flames consuming it. Another lunged—he spun, wings slicing through its chest, disintegrating it in sparks. Nia advanced, silver bolts spearing through three phantoms at once. Her Lunar Sigil pulsed, mapping weaknesses. "Andy—low left!" He slashed where she directed, cleaving perfectly. Their movement was seamless—his fire guarding her, her light guiding him.
System Notice: Bond Progression: Star 3 – 12% → 18%.
The last phantom collapsed. Silence followed, heavy, suffocating. Kayla descended, her wings spread wide. Her hand condensed light into a weapon brighter than the moons. A spear. The Spear of Purity. Its aura alone cracked stone, made Nia's barrier shudder before it was even thrown.
Andy stood beside her, flames blazing. Nia's wings glowed, her staff trembling in her grip. He caught her hand, squeezed tight.
"If we fall—" he started.
She smiled, fierce and tender. "We fall together."
Kayla hurled the spear. And the night split in two.
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