The ground shook as the Guardian moved.
Each step cracked the metallic soil, sending tremors through the twisted iron forest. Its segmented body gleamed, veins of red light pulsing beneath its armored carapace. Rows of eyes burned like molten embers, locking onto the two small figures at the obelisk's base.
Light's breath steadied, storm-grey eyes sharp. His longsword pulsed faintly, runes flickering along its edge. The pendant throbbed against his chest, answering the resonance.
Beside him, Feratinnia's voice trembled but her gaze didn't falter. "This… this is no ordinary Riftborn. It's a Guardian. A protector of fragments."
"Then it's in our way."
Light's jaw clenched. His grip tightened on the longsword.
"And I don't back down."
The Guardian roared. The air warped. Sound itself bent as its bladed arm swung down like a guillotine.
Light moved.
Steel met steel as he raised the longsword, sparks bursting in a blinding arc. The impact rattled his bones, forcing him back, boots gouging lines in the metallic soil. His teeth clenched, muscles straining against the sheer weight of the blow.
It's strong. Too strong… but I won't break.
---
The Guardian swung again, its massive blade-like limb crashing against the earth. The ground split, shards of metal scattering. Light rolled aside, breath ragged, sweat stinging his eyes.
But then—pain flared through his chest. His shoulder wound tore wider, blood flowing again. He hissed through his teeth.
Feratinnia screamed softly, clutching her own shoulder as the Bond mirrored his injury. Her knees buckled, but she forced herself to stay upright.
"Light… stop! Every wound—"
"I know." His voice was sharp, cold. "But stopping isn't an option."
Her heart clenched. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. Why does he bear it alone? Why does he fight like he's never allowed to fall?
The Bond pulsed violently, chains of silver flickering. Their pain was shared, but so was their resolve.
---
The Guardian charged, its body bending unnaturally, speed defying its size. Its bladed arms slashed, carving deep trenches into the ground.
Light barely kept up, sword flashing arcs of silver, deflecting, parrying, but each clash rattled him harder.
"Damn it—" His breath came ragged. "Not enough… strength."
The pendant seared against his skin. The longsword flickered.
More.
Light roared, swinging with everything he had. The blade erupted in a sudden burst of fire—Ember Spark, uncontrolled, blazing hotter than before. Flames trailed the swing, slamming into the Guardian's carapace.
The beast shrieked, stumbling back, its segmented armor scorched.
Light's eyes widened. "…Fire?"
Feratinnia's lips parted, awe and fear mingling. Magic. He's awakening more with every heartbeat.
---
The Guardian howled, fury shaking the shard. Its eyes blazed brighter, its body convulsing. Red cracks spread across its armor as it drew in energy from the obelisk itself.
Feratinnia's face paled. "It's siphoning the fragment! If it reaches full charge, this shard collapses—"
"Then we stop it now."
He stood firm, but his body trembled, blood dripping steadily. His storm-grey eyes burned with iron resolve.
Feratinnia's heart broke at the sight. She stepped forward, pressing her palm against his back.
The Bond flared.
Light gasped as warmth flooded him, his veins blazing with light. His wounds knit faintly, strength surging unnaturally.
Feratinnia trembled, her face paling. Blood dripped from her lip. "Go… I'll share everything. Just win."
"Idiot—" His voice broke, half snarl, half plea. "You'll kill yourself."
Her whisper shook, but her smile was steady. "Then let me die standing with you."
The chain of silver blazed, brighter than ever.
---
The Guardian lunged, blades raised.
Light moved faster than before, longsword igniting with flame and sparks. Each swing sent shockwaves through the shard, carving into the Guardian's armor. Fire trailed his strikes, sparks exploding with each impact.
The beast roared, striking back with brutal force, but Light no longer faltered. Every strike he met head-on, Bond fueling his strength beyond human limits.
Yet every wound he took, Feratinnia took too. Blood seeped from her side as if cut by invisible blades. Her breaths came shallow, but her eyes—her galaxy eyes—never left him.
Even if it kills me… I'll keep him standing.
Light's storm-grey eyes flickered with rage and resolve. Each cry of hers pierced him deeper than the Guardian's claws.
"No more… no more of this!"
He roared, slamming the longsword into the ground. Flames erupted outward in a blazing arc, engulfing the Guardian's legs. The beast staggered, screeching, as molten blood hissed against the soil.
---
The Guardian raised both bladed arms, aura collapsing into a singular strike, a blow that would cleave the shard itself.
Light's legs trembled, chest heaving, sword blazing with dying flame.
Feratinnia staggered forward, pressing both hands against his back, pouring everything she had into the Bond. Her lips bled, tears streaked her face, but her voice whispered steady.
"…Together, Light. Always together."
The pendant screamed with light.
The longsword flared, lengthening, broadening—its silhouette echoing something greater. A greatsword shimmered faintly behind the flame, not yet solid, but enough.
Light roared, swinging upward with both hands.
Steel and fire collided with the Guardian's strike. The impact shook the shard, shockwaves tearing through the forest.
The Guardian shrieked as its bladed arms shattered, body splitting, light erupting from its cracks. With a final scream, it collapsed, dissolving into black ash.
Silence.
---
Light fell to one knee, chest heaving, blood dripping freely. The sword flickered out of existence, leaving only the pendant glowing faintly at his chest.
Feratinnia collapsed against his back, unconscious but breathing. Her silver hair spread across his shoulders, her body trembling from the Bond's overload.
Light's storm-grey eyes softened as he caught her. "…Stupid girl." His voice cracked, raw with something deeper than anger.
He held her tight, lowering her gently to the ground. The Bond pulsed faintly, weak but unbroken.
Above them, the obelisk glowed steadily once more.
For the first time, Light felt it. The shard had accepted him.
---
The metallic forest was silent again. Too silent.
Then, far above, the cracked sky widened. A deeper voice rumbled through the void, ancient and furious.
"The Hybrid awakens. The hunt begins."
Light's storm-grey eyes darkened, his hand tightening on the pendant.
"…Then let them come."
---