The clash rang like thunder across the ruined rooftop. Kai's crimson aura exploded forward, colliding with Raven's wall of shadows. The impact rattled the city blocks beneath them, windows shattering as if the entire world recoiled from their power.
Lira's silver blade sliced through the dark tendrils, each swing carving light into the suffocating night. She moved fluidly at Kai's side, their rhythm almost unnatural, like two halves of a single heartbeat.
Raven's cloak whipped in the storm of energy. His smirk returned as he absorbed the shockwave. "You think love makes you strong? It makes you predictable." His hand snapped outward, and shadows surged like a tidal wave, crashing toward them.
Kai growled, planting his feet firmly. "Then let's show you how predictable we can be."
He thrust his fist forward, crimson fire spiraling outward, tearing a path through the darkness. Lira leapt into the gap he created, her blade gleaming. She spun midair, striking at Raven with precision born not of training—but of trust.
Raven blocked with his forearm, the blade sparking against hardened shadow. Still, the force of her strike made him stumble back, just enough for Kai to close the distance.
A punch blazed against Raven's ribs, searing pain ripping across his side.
"Ghh—!" Raven's smirk faltered.
Kai's voice was rough, furious, but steady. "You'll never understand… this isn't weakness. This is what it means to fight for someone else."
Raven shoved them both away with a burst of shadow, but his composure cracked. He wiped blood from his lip, eyes narrowing. "Then I'll crush that bond until nothing is left."
The air shifted. Raven's aura thickened, darker than before, swallowing even the moonlight. The rooftop trembled, shards of concrete levitating around him.
"Kai," Lira whispered, landing lightly at his side again, her breathing sharp but her stance firm. "No matter what happens… I'm with you."
Kai looked at her, eyes blazing with both fury and warmth. He nodded once. "And I'll protect you—even if it kills me."
Their hands brushed briefly, just enough for heat to surge between them.
Then, with the rooftop cracking beneath their feet, the three of them launched forward. Light against shadow, heart against void.
The night was about to decide who would break first.
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