The aqueduct tunnels were still trembling from Kael's sacrifice when the Rift pulsed again.
The hunters barely had time to breathe before the horror's chest split wider, violet fire pouring from its maw. Its body cracked, splintering into fragments of obsidian bone and shadow — not breaking, but transforming.
The pieces re-knit themselves into something leaner, faster, more terrifying. Its antlers curled inward like blades, its limbs lengthened, claws sharpened to razors. Dozens of eyes opened across its body, each dripping Riftlight.
The air grew heavy, suffocating. The second phase had begun.
Shock and Strategy
Seren hissed between her teeth. "You've got to be kidding me. That wasn't its final form?"
Caspian's runes sparked as he tried to calculate a counter. "The Rift is feeding it directly. Every moment it remains open, it grows stronger."
Draven spat blood, his fists tightening. "Then we cut it down faster."
"Not fast enough," Eira murmured, frost misting around her. Her gaze flicked to the Rift, then to Lucien. "This thing isn't meant to die easily."
Lucien's jaw tightened. He already knew that. He could feel it—threads of energy in its body that resonated too closely with his own blood. Too familiar to ignore.
The Monster Strikes
The Riftborn horror lunged, faster than before. Its claws ripped through stone like wet parchment, chains of shadow snapping out to snare the hunters.
Vanguard scattered, Seren slicing the chains with wind blades, Ira binding limbs where he could. Kael pushed himself up, fire flaring painfully across his battered frame. His body screamed for rest, but he didn't falter.
Lucien's shadows intercepted another strike, barely halting the claws before they split Lyra in two. His silver eyes glinted, unreadable.
For the first time, their attacks collided not in opposition — but in survival.
Side by Side
The monster reared, its chest-maw glowing again with that same annihilating blast.
"Left!" Kael shouted, lunging forward, fire spiraling into a blazing spear.
Lucien moved without hesitation, shadows swirling into a jagged blade at the same angle.
Their strikes landed in unison — fire and shadow piercing into the Riftborn's chest. The blast misfired, exploding inside its body instead of outward. The creature shrieked, convulsing violently, shadows spraying across the tunnel.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Kael stood panting, flames still flickering along his fists. His head turned, golden eyes meeting Lucien's silver across the battlefield.
Neither spoke, but the look was unmistakable — a flicker of recognition. A grudging admission.
We needed each other for that.
The City Watches
Above, Velrith watched the broadcast in rapture.
"Did you see that—?!""They hit at the same time—like they planned it!""The Fire and the Shadow… are they actually working together?"
Hashtags flooded the feeds, artwork already sketching their mirrored strikes, fans speculating endlessly: enemies or allies, rivals or partners?
The agencies' PR divisions scrambled to control the narrative, but the people had already chosen the story — a pairing, a legend in the making.
Whispers in the Dark
The Rift surged again, energy bleeding across the aqueduct.
Lucien staggered, clutching at his chest. The voice coiled tighter, smoother, impossibly close.
Yes… closer. Look at him. Fire and Shadow. Together, unstoppable. You were made for more than this. Free me, and we will tear the heavens apart.
Lucien's hand trembled, shadows rippling too violently around his arm.
Kael's gaze snapped to him, suspicion sharp in his golden eyes. For the second time, he saw something in Lucien's power that didn't belong to any human.
But there was no time to confront it. The Riftborn horror roared, its wounds knitting, its power surging higher still.
Cliffhanger
The aqueduct ceiling began to collapse, boulders raining down. Caspian shouted warnings, Seren pulled Vanguard into formation, Astraeus regrouped around Lucien.
The Rift widened, spilling light into the tunnels like a second sun.
And at the center of it all — Kael and Lucien, fire and shadow side by side, staring down a monster that refused to die.
The battle wasn't over. It was only beginning.