Episode 5: The Fractured Bonds
The air of Astra Prime's twilight forests was heavy with the scent of ozone. Shreyank Raheja sat cross-legged beneath the jagged ruins of a shattered bronze monument, his body trembling with faint sparks of red lightning that danced across his veins. The Crimson Shard he had absorbed two nights ago still pulsed inside him like a second heart, its alien energy raging against his human cells.
Each breath was a battle. His skin felt aflame, and his muscles spasmed like they wanted to tear themselves apart. Yet beneath that torment lay something else—a growing strength, a seed of unimaginable power, waiting to bloom if he could survive the trial.
"Shreyank…" Ritika's voice cut through the suffocating silence. She had been keeping vigil at his side since dawn, her hand hovering close but never quite touching, afraid that even a brush might trigger another surge of uncontrolled energy. Her eyes, however, spoke of something unshakable—fear, loyalty, and something deeper she never voiced aloud.
He opened his eyes slowly. The glow in them was faint, but unmistakable—a burning crimson ring around his pupils.
"I can feel it," he whispered hoarsely, "this shard… it wants to consume me. But if I control it—if I master it—it will take me beyond Bronze."
Before Ritika could reply, footsteps echoed behind them. Parth Raheja emerged from the dense undergrowth, carrying his spear on his shoulder, his expression unreadable. He had been gone since morning, training alone.
"You push yourself too far," Parth said coldly, his eyes lingering on how close Ritika sat beside Shreyank. "Power doesn't mean anything if you lose yourself in the process."
Shreyank tried to smirk, but the pain twisted his face. "And what's your solution? Sit back, play it safe, while the others outpace us?"
Parth didn't answer. He merely looked away, jaw tight, as if he wanted to say something but forced himself not to. Ritika caught the tension immediately, her brows knitting.
---
The Rift
Over the past week, as they hunted down more Bronze-rank aliens to gather Stars, the bond between Shreyank and Ritika had deepened. She was his anchor, his reminder of humanity in the midst of chaos. But to Parth, it looked like something else—something he couldn't name but felt gnawing at his chest.
Parth and Shreyank had been brothers-in-arms since childhood. Their trust had been unbreakable. Yet now, every glance, every whispered conversation between Shreyank and Ritika felt like a knife twisting deeper.
During training, the cracks showed.
"Your guard is open!" Parth shouted one evening as they sparred. His spear slammed dangerously close to Shreyank's ribs, making Ritika gasp.
Shreyank staggered, sweat pouring down his forehead, crimson sparks leaking from his fists. "You're holding back too," he snapped. "Stop treating me like I'm fragile!"
Parth's eyes hardened. "Fragile? You're reckless. One mistake and Ritika will be dragging your corpse back to camp."
The words struck harder than the blow. Ritika quickly stepped between them, her hand raised. "Enough! We're on the same side—stop tearing each other apart!"
But the silence that followed was heavier than words.
---
The Watcher's Warning
That night, as Shreyank meditated under the stars, the Watcher appeared again. The figure cloaked in shifting cosmic fragments materialized like a shadow torn from reality itself.
"You are changing," the Watcher's voice echoed inside Shreyank's mind, smooth and unsettling. "The shard has bound itself to you, rewriting your genes. Soon you will not be the same as the boy who arrived here."
Shreyank clenched his fists. "If that's the price to grow stronger, I'll pay it."
The Watcher tilted its head. "Strength without unity is meaningless. Bonds fractured are blades turned inward. Your team trembles on the edge of division. And the Trial ahead… will exploit that weakness."
Shreyank's chest tightened. "Trial?"
A cold whisper followed, carrying across the void of his thoughts:
"The Duality Trials. Two must enter. Only one may carry the Star."
The Watcher dissolved, leaving behind silence. But the words sank like poison.
---
The Duality Trial
Two days later, deep in the ruins of Astra Prime, the team stumbled upon a massive archway carved of obsidian stone. Strange glyphs shimmered across it, glowing faint blue as they approached.
The System's mechanical voice resonated in their minds:
[New Event: The Duality Trials]
Requirement: 10 Bronze Stars to enter.
Rule: Only two challengers may participate. The victor earns all rewards.
Ritika's breath hitched. "Only two…?"
Parth's grip on his spear tightened. "It's a trap. It's designed to break teams apart."
But Shreyank's gaze hardened. He remembered the Watcher's warning.
"We need those Stars. If we hesitate, others will claim them."
The silence stretched. Then Parth spoke, his tone edged with something sharp.
"Then let's test this so-called Crimson power of yours. You and me."
Ritika froze, looking between them. "Parth—don't—"
But Shreyank stood tall, the crimson ring in his eyes blazing brighter. "Fine. Let's settle this."
---
Into the Trial
The moment they stepped through the arch, reality warped. The world dissolved into a circular arena floating in endless void, its floor made of cracked marble veined with glowing light. The System's voice thundered:
[Begin the Duality Trial.]
For a heartbeat, silence. Then the ground trembled—and their weapons manifested in their hands.
Parth twirled his spear, his stance calm but his eyes stormy. "I won't hold back."
Shreyank's fists crackled with crimson lightning. His veins glowed as if molten fire flowed inside. "Neither will I."
They clashed.
Sparks erupted as spear met lightning. The arena shook under the force of their blows. Parth moved like a phantom, precise and disciplined, every strike aimed to exploit weakness. Shreyank was raw, explosive, his new shard-born power barely under control but terrifying in its ferocity.
For minutes, neither yielded. Parth's spear grazed Shreyank's shoulder, drawing blood. Shreyank's punch shattered Parth's guard, forcing him back.
But as the battle raged, the unspoken emotions beneath it bled into their strikes.
"You think you're chosen!" Parth snarled, lunging forward. "That because of some shard, you're above us!"
Shreyank roared back, crimson lightning surging. "I fight because I have to! Because if I don't… we all die!"
Their voices echoed across the void, carrying every fracture in their bond. Ritika's face haunted them both in that moment, though she was far outside the arena, screaming their names unheard.
The System's voice interrupted suddenly:
[Warning: Trial reaching Phase Two.]
The arena split apart. Chasms of void opened, pillars collapsing into nothingness. Both fighters barely held their ground. Then, from the darkness, illusions rose—shadows of Bronze aliens, twisted and monstrous.
[New Rule: Cooperation required for survival.]
---
The Choice
They were forced to fight back-to-back. For a moment, instinct overcame bitterness. Spear and lightning tore through the illusions, synchronized as they had been countless times before. Each strike reminded them of battles fought side by side, of the unbreakable brotherhood they once had.
But the System's voice struck again:
[Final Rule: Only one may receive the Star. The other… will lose everything.]
A single Bronze Star floated at the center of the arena, pulsing with radiant energy.
Both men froze, chests heaving. The air between them was heavier than the void itself.
Parth's knuckles whitened on his spear. "So this is it. Either you… or me."
Shreyank's crimson-lit eyes softened, even through the fury. "I don't want this. Not like this."
Parth laughed bitterly. "Then step aside."
The silence stretched like a blade. Then, Shreyank whispered, "No."
They charged once more.
---
The Breaking Point
This time it was brutal. No restraint, no hesitation. Each strike was desperate, fueled by rage, guilt, and buried emotions.
Shreyank's lightning clashed with Parth's spear in an explosion that cracked the arena apart. For a moment, Shreyank felt himself losing—his control slipping, his shard energy burning him from within. Parth pressed the advantage, spearpoint at Shreyank's throat.
But in Parth's eyes, something flickered. Pain. Conflict.
He remembered Shreyank pulling him out of the wreckage back in their first battle. He remembered nights laughing under the stars, dreaming of the future.
The spear trembled.
Shreyank saw the hesitation. And instead of striking, he lowered his own fists. "I'd rather die than kill you, Parth."
The words shattered the tension. Parth's spear clattered to the ground. His chest heaved as if a dam had broken.
The System's voice thundered one last time:
[Trial Complete.]
Result: Bond over Blood.]
Reward: Both participants receive Bronze Stars.]
The arena dissolved, leaving them kneeling side by side, exhausted and broken.
---
Aftermath
When they emerged, Ritika ran to them, eyes wet. "You idiots!" she cried, pulling both into a fierce embrace. "Do you have any idea how close I thought I came to losing you?"
Shreyank met Parth's gaze. For the first time in weeks, neither looked away.
"Brothers?" Shreyank asked quietly.
Parth smirked faintly, bruised but alive. "Always."
But deep inside, Parth still felt the ache. The bond was mended… but fragile. And somewhere in the distance, unseen, the Watcher observed—its cosmic eyes gleaming.
The Duality Trials were only the beginning.
---