The battle against Garras had drained Ren to her core. Her armor flickered with warning signals, cracks glowing faintly across her gauntlets. She stumbled through the ruined streets of Nocturne, clutching her side.
The lion's roar still echoed in her mind.
I can't keep doing this alone.
But the Bestia Order wasn't finished with her yet.
That night, as Ren crossed the skeletal remains of an unfinished skyscraper, she was ambushed. Garras returned, flanked by two new Feraloid generals: Cobraxis, the Serpent Queen, her body glimmering with venomous metal scales, and Ravgar, the Iron Raven, whose wings spread wide across the night sky.
The three of them cornered her at the top of the structure, the city glowing far below.
"You've fought well for a stray," Garras growled, stepping forward. "But this is the end of your hunt."
Ren raised her claws, trembling but defiant. "If this is the end, then I'll face it standing."
The three lunged.
And then—
Blue fire tore through the night.
A figure landed between her and the Feraloids, his white trench coat whipping in the wind, his helmet shining with a skeletal grin. The faint glow of a Lost Driver burned at his waist.
The man's voice was low, steady, almost cold:
"Kamen Rider… Eternal."
Ren's visor widened. Another Rider?
Eternal raised his arms. His blue flames burst outward, forcing the Feraloids back. With precise, brutal strikes, he fought them off—his strength overwhelming, his movements calm and lethal. Garras tried to match him claw for claw, but Eternal's blades cut through his mane of steel. Ravgar dived from above, only to be caught mid-air and slammed into the ground. Cobraxis slithered away with a hiss, dragging the wounded generals into retreat.
In moments, the battlefield was silent.
Ren staggered, stunned. "You… you're like me."
Eternal turned, his glowing eyes unreadable behind the mask. "No. I'm nothing like you."
But then, after a pause, he reached out his hand.
"Still… you're a Rider. That makes you family, whether you like it or not."
Hesitant, Ren placed her clawed hand in his. His grip was firm, steadying her. For the first time since this war began, she didn't feel alone.