The forest was too quiet.
Ash still drifted in lazy spirals, carried by a wind that smelled faintly of burned iron. Every breath Light drew scraped his lungs with the bitter tang of ozone and blood. His storm-grey eyes scanned the shattered clearing where the Guardian had fallen, muscles taut despite the exhaustion bleeding into his bones.
Feratinnia leaned against him, silver hair matted with sweat and blood, her breaths shallow. The Bond pulsed faintly between them—weak but unbroken—its rhythm slower than before.
She gave everything to keep me standing, Light thought, jaw clenched. His hand brushed the pendant at his chest, its surface scorching-hot as though the fragment's power had burned into his flesh. And I'm still not enough.
Beside him, her lips trembled. She felt the same weight through the Bond—his anger, his self-hatred, his fear hidden beneath iron resolve. Her heart squeezed.
Please, Light… don't blame yourself. You fought like no one else could.
But the world wasn't finished with them yet.
---
A sound like shattering glass cracked across the sky.
Light's eyes snapped upward. The fractured mirror above split wider, lines of burning white spreading like lightning across its surface. Shards of light rained down, sizzling as they struck the metallic soil. The air grew hot, acrid, the stench of burning stone and scorched metal choking his throat.
Feratinnia clutched his sleeve, her body trembling. "Another crack… something worse is coming."
The Bond carried her fear into him—sharp, cold—but Light stood firm, though his grip on his sword hilt whitened.
The ground rumbled. Something was stepping through.
From the yawning wound in the sky, a figure descended.
Unlike the beasts before, this one walked upright, armored in jagged plates of crystal and metal. A helm hid its face, jagged lines of red light leaking from the cracks across its mask. In its hands, it carried a blade forged of fractured shards, edges humming with energy.
Its steps landed heavy, shaking the earth like drums.
A voice echoed—not spoken, but understood, carried directly into their minds.
"Hybrid. At last."
Light's storm-grey eyes narrowed, teeth gritted. He hated that word—Hybrid—spoken like a title, a curse, a claim.
Beside him, Feratinnia's blood ran cold. Her body stiffened as memories clawed up her throat: burning cities, screams, the same armor marching through her world. Her whisper broke like glass. "…Hunters."
Her heart pounded, breath ragged. They found us.
The Hunter moved with terrifying speed.
He fast!
Its shard-blade swept down, sparks flying as it clashed against Light's longsword. The impact boomed like thunder, forcing Light's arms down, knees buckling. His breath tore from his lungs, teeth gritted against the crushing weight.
The Hunter pressed harder, its burning eyes glaring through the cracked helm. "Weak. Unripe."
Light snarled, twisting his stance, shoving the blade aside. He slashed back, fire sparking along the longsword's edge, but the Hunter parried with casual ease.
Feratinnia raised a trembling hand, summoning a barrier of light. The air smelled of ozone as the shield shimmered between them. The Hunter's second strike cracked it instantly, shards of energy scattering like glass.
"Stay back!" Light shouted, storm-grey eyes flicking to her for an instant.
But the Hunter lunged past him, blade sweeping toward her chest.
Light roared, dismissing the longsword and pulling a short sword into existence. The smaller weapon flashed, intercepting the strike just inches from her. Sparks burst, searing the air.
The Bond seared between them, hearts pounding in unison.
---
The obelisk behind them pulsed wildly, fragment at its heart glowing brighter with each strike. The shard-world itself trembled, fissures splitting the metallic ground.
Feratinnia's lips trembled, silver-blue eyes wide with terror. It's happening again. Another world, breaking apart before my eyes.
Tears welled as she pressed her palm against the soil, tracing glowing sigils in desperation. Light flared upward, but it burned her skin raw. The smell of singed flesh mixed with iron and ash.
"Light!" she screamed, her voice raw. "If you don't awaken more—we both die here!"
Her heart shattered with guilt even as she said it. But her Bond whispered truth: she believed in him utterly.
He is the Hybrid. He can rise. He must.
---
The Hunter struck again, its shard-blade cleaving across Light's chest.
Pain erupted white-hot. Blood sprayed, the scent metallic and sharp. Light staggered, vision blurring.
Feratinnia shrieked, collapsing to her knees as the same wound tore across her chest through the Bond. Blood stained her robes, breath choking in her throat.
The Hunter raised its blade for the finishing strike. "Die, seed of Infinity."
The pendant screamed.
Light fell to one knee, longsword fading into sparks. His storm-grey eyes glazed, body failing—yet in the silence of his mind, he heard it.
A voice, deep and endless.
"Not sword. Not flame. Break your limits. You are Infinity."
He gasped, blood bubbling at his lips. His gaze flicked sideways to Feratinnia—broken, bleeding, still crawling toward him with trembling hands.
Her eyes met his. Tears and terror—and trust.
Something within him snapped.
---
Light roared.
The pendant erupted, chains of silver lashing outward. The obelisk blazed, runes surging, resonance shaking the shard.
The air condensed around him, vibrating with the sound of metal being forged. Sparks cascaded upward as if unseen hammers struck an anvil. The smell of ozone deepened, tinged with the sharp scent of storm rain.
Light's hand rose, empty at first. But light condensed, thick and heavy, into a shape far larger than before.
A Greatsword formed, its blade nearly as tall as he was, forged of silver light and runes burning along its edge. The ground cracked under its weight though his grip held steady.
The Hunter froze mid-step, its burning eyes flickering with something new—fear.
Feratinnia's tears streamed, her lips parting in awe. He did it… The Hybrid has awakened.
---
The Hunter roared, lunging forward, shard-blade raised high.
Light swung.
The Greatsword crashed down with the weight of thunder, shockwaves ripping through the metallic forest. Trees shattered, shards of steel scattering like hail. The Hunter's armor cracked, fragments flying, molten light spilling from its wounds.
Another swing—each movement slow but devastating. The air howled, pressure rattling the ground.
The Hunter staggered, trying to parry, but its blade splintered under the force. Its helm cracked, exposing one burning eye that flickered with rage and dread.
Light's storm-grey eyes blazed, voice a growl from deep within.
"I don't care who you are. You won't touch her."
The final swing carved through the Hunter's chest. The being shrieked, dissolving into shards of black crystal that evaporated into the air.
Silence fell.
---
The Greatsword flickered, dissolving into motes of light that rained gently to the soil. Light staggered, falling to one knee, his chest drenched in blood.
Feratinnia crawled to him, silver hair falling across his shoulder, her trembling hand clutching his. Her breaths were ragged, blood on her lips, but her smile—weak and luminous—broke through her pain.
"…You stood, Light. Even against them."
His storm-grey eyes softened. He squeezed her hand, voice low, steady despite the exhaustion.
"I won't run. If I'm Infinity… then I'll decide what that means."
Above them, the cracked sky widened further. From the rift, countless eyes opened, watching.
And a voice thundered, deeper and older than the Hunter's.
"The Hybrid has awakened. The multiverse has taken notice."
The shard trembled.
---