The villa had barely tasted peace. The last notes of laughter over tea still lingered like ghosts in the parlor when the first bells tolled outside—not the weary chimes of morning but sharp, deliberate clangs. The air shifted. The silence of Solaris became too silent, as though the city itself held its breath. Then came the rhythm of boots on cobblestone, dozens marching in unison.
A Resistance guard burst into the hall, face pale, voice trembling. "They're here. Enforcers—priests. A whole squad!"
Lady Calia rose with measured calm, her silken robes brushing the ash-stained floor. "Then Solaris will know we do not cower." Her eyes turned to Andy and Nia. "Flameward, Lightbearer—this is your trial."
Andy's jaw clenched. He slid both blades free, the steel whispering with fire and water. At his side, Nia's staff flared silver, casting light that steadied the nobles huddling behind them. Together, they moved toward the villa's entrance as the heavy gates shook under the first blow.
The System chimed:
*Side Quest Activated: Defend Solaris Resistance Faction.*
*Failure Condition: ≥50% noble casualties.*
The warning burned in their vision, sharpening every heartbeat.
The second strike rattled the hinges, sparks spitting. A third, and the gates groaned as fire licked its frame. Priests chanted beyond, their voices a guttural rhythm feeding the flames.
Andy strode into the hall, blades raised. "Nia—shield them."
She nodded, stepping back, planting her staff into the floor. "Light Ward!"
Silver energy unfurled, wrapping the nobles in a shimmering dome. The air trembled with pressure.
The gates burst inward with a shriek of iron. Enforcers surged through—dozens armored in ash-streaked steel, eyes glowing ember-red. Their blades hissed with false flame. Behind them, priests in crimson robes raised their hands, phoenix-shaped fire gathering like wings above the villa.
Andy roared, aura flaring. "Elemental Flow—Twin Surge!"
Fire and water collided in a spiraling wave, steam blasting across the hall. The first line of enforcers staggered, but more pressed through, boots hammering the floor.
Nia closed her eyes, breath steady, as the phoenix fire crashed against her ward. Silver light flared, holding for now. But the pressure was immense, each strike threatening to shatter it.
The System pulsed:
*Light Ward Integrity: 100% → 87%.*
*Enemy Spell Pressure: High.*
Andy met the enforcers head-on. His blades cut arcs of flame and frost, scattering sparks and steam. Each clash rang like thunder, each strike met with zealot cries. Their strength was unnatural, bodies fueled by tainted phoenix ash. Andy's arms strained as he parried a blow heavy as a hammer, twisting, driving his second blade across in a fiery sweep.
One zealot fell, armor glowing, but two more surged in. Andy bared his teeth, golden veins sparking along his arms. His scales shimmered faint, the Dragon blood rising. He pushed them back in a flurry of strikes.
Meanwhile, the priests hurled their incantations. A phoenix of fire burst toward the ward, its wings spanning the hall. Nia's knees trembled, but her grip on her staff did not falter. "Radiant Seal!"
The barrier blazed silver, intercepting the fiery bird. Heat tore through the air, forcing nobles to shield their faces, but the ward held—barely.
*Light Ward Integrity: 87% → 71%.*
*Mana Strain Detected.*
Lady Calia stood with them, eyes blazing. She threw a handful of charms, silver threads binding one enforcer mid-stride, enough for Andy to drive his blade through.
"Not all nobles are useless," she spat at the zealots.
Andy grinned despite the blood dripping from his lip.
But the priests pressed harder, their chants rising. The phoenix wings above grew sharper, heavier, threatening to crush the villa entire. Nia gasped, her vision swimming.
Andy glanced back. He saw her knees buckle, sweat streak her cheek, her light flickering. His heart lurched.
"Nia!"
She met his gaze, teeth clenched. "I'm not breaking. Not while you're here."
Her staff pulsed, and suddenly Andy felt it—their Bond flooding his veins, her light weaving into his flame. His fire surged hotter, his blades sharper. He roared, Dragon Warrior Form flaring partial, scales crawling across his arms, eyes burning gold.
He tore through the enforcers, every strike amplified by her resonance. Flame and light wove in tandem, their rhythm unstoppable.
The System chimed:
*Bond Synchronization Engaged.*
*Amplification +25%.*
The tide shifted. Zealots faltered as Andy's blades seared through armor, while Nia's ward blazed so bright the phoenix fire shattered like glass. The hall glowed with silver and ember, drowning the false flame in truth.
Then the High Inquisitor stepped through the smoke. His robes blazed crimson, his staff crowned with a false phoenix crystal. His voice thundered. "Everhart's dogs dare defile Solaris with their lies!"
Andy strode forward, blades dripping steam. "Then face me and see whose fire burns true."
Their duel clashed like storm and sun. The Inquisitor's staff flung arcs of false fire, each strike booming. Andy met them head-on, his Dragon Form roaring, fire and water colliding in explosive bursts. Sparks rained across the hall.
Behind him, Nia channeled her ward into his strikes, every spell she cast weaving with his aura. Together, they pushed the Inquisitor back step by step, until his staff cracked under the weight of their bond.
"Elemental Flow—Final Resonance!" Andy roared, blades glowing with fire laced in silver. He slashed in perfect sync with Nia's radiant beam. The combined strike split the hall with blinding light.
The High Inquisitor screamed as his staff shattered, false fire imploding. He fell, consumed by the ash he had worshiped.
The enforcers faltered. Without their leader, their zeal broke. One by one, they fled into the night, leaving silence and ruin in their wake.
---
The villa was half destroyed, smoke curling from broken beams, but the Resistance lived. Not one noble dead, though many shaken. Lady Calia stood amidst the wreckage, her voice firm. "Now we are no longer hidden. The city will know we chose to resist."
Andy lowered his blades, panting, sweat streaking his scales as they faded. Nia leaned on her staff, light dimming, but when their eyes met, a faint smile flickered. They had held the line—together.
The System's voice pulsed with finality:
*Side Quest Complete: Defend Solaris Resistance.*
*Bond Progression: Star 3 — 51% → 54%.*
*Reward: Soul Harmony II (Greater Combat Sync unlocked).*
*Item Acquired: Inquisitor's Phoenix Staff (Corrupted Relic).*
Andy exhaled, sheathing his blades. "They'll come again."
Nia stepped beside him, brushing ash from his cheek. "And we'll be ready."
Their rings glowed, silver and ember twined in defiance of the false fire outside.
---