Silver light devoured the cavern.
For a single suspended moment, the world became nothing but radiance—moonlight and heat intertwining in a violent, beautiful storm. Lyria felt herself at the center of it, her heartbeat echoing through the stone as if the cavern itself had become her pulse.
Kaelith stood before her, blade raised, his silver aura merging with the shield that surrounded them. Their energies no longer felt separate. They flowed together—his cold lunar power anchoring her blazing celestial core.
The Voidborne shrieked, its massive body recoiling as the combined light struck it.
But it did not fall.
The creature dragged its claws through the ground, carving deep trenches into crystal and stone. Its hollow chest pulsed with voidlight, brighter now—hungrier. The cavern dimmed around it, shadows stretching unnaturally toward its form like worshippers bowing.
"It feeds on fear," Kaelith said sharply. "Do not let it take yours."
Easy for him to say.
Lyria's legs trembled beneath her. The shield around her flickered with every spike of panic that rose in her chest. She pressed her palms together, trying to steady herself, trying to breathe past the overwhelming heat inside her.
Focus.
Kaelith had told her to stay with the light. To hold onto it.
But the light was not gentle anymore.
It roared.
The Voidborne lunged again, faster this time. Kaelith met it head-on, moonlight blade colliding with shadowed claws. The impact rang through the cavern like clashing bells. Silver and black exploded outward in violent waves, forcing Lyria back a step.
Kaelith moved with lethal precision, each strike clean and controlled. He severed a limb—only for it to reform in seconds. He pierced the creature's chest—only for the voidlight within to swallow the wound and heal it whole.
He could not kill it.
Lyria saw the realization flash across his face for only an instant.
Then the Voidborne adapted.
It stopped attacking Kaelith.
Instead, it turned toward her.
The creature's hollow chest widened, voidlight gathering into a concentrated sphere of darkness. The air grew heavier, colder, as if gravity itself was bending toward that growing mass.
"Kaelith…" Lyria whispered, terror tightening her voice.
He turned—and his composure shattered.
"LYRIA, DOWN!"
The Voidborne released the blast.
Darkness tore through the cavern in a roaring beam, devouring light and crystal alike. Lyria threw her arms over her head instinctively, but before the attack could reach her, Kaelith appeared in front of her, one arm outstretched.
A wall of pure moonlight erupted from his palm.
The collision was catastrophic.
Silver and void clashed with a deafening thunder, sending shockwaves through the cavern. Stone split. Crystal shattered. The ground cracked beneath their feet. Lyria felt the impact slam into her body even through the shield, driving the breath from her lungs.
Kaelith held his ground—but barely.
His arm trembled. The runes across his armor flared violently, then began to dim. The darkness pressed harder, inch by inch forcing his barrier back.
He was losing.
"No," Lyria whispered.
The word came from somewhere deeper than fear. Deeper than thought.
No.
Heat surged through her chest—wild, furious, unstoppable. The mark on her collarbone burned like living fire. Light spilled from her skin, brighter than before, pouring toward Kaelith as if drawn by instinct.
Their bond ignited.
Kaelith stiffened as the energy struck him. His barrier flared brighter, stabilizing under the sudden surge of power. He glanced back at her, shock flickering through his usually controlled expression.
"Lyria… what are you—"
"I will not let you face this alone," she said, voice trembling but resolute.
The light between them intensified, forming a luminous thread that connected her heart to his. She could feel his strength, his exhaustion, the iron discipline holding him upright. And he could feel her fear—and the fierce determination rising beneath it.
Two forces. One pulse.
The Moonbound Oath awakened fully.
Symbols of ancient silver fire spiraled around them, forming a radiant circle at their feet. The cavern answered instantly. Every crystal ignited with blinding brilliance, resonating with the bond now blazing between them.
The Voidborne shrieked, recoiling as if burned.
Kaelith turned forward again, power surging through him with renewed intensity. His blade transformed—no longer merely moonlight, but something brighter, deeper. A fusion of lunar silver and celestial gold.
He exhaled slowly.
"Our power was never meant to stand apart," he said. "It was meant to unite."
Lyria stepped beside him.
Her fear remained—but it no longer paralyzed her. The warmth inside her had changed. It was not overwhelming anymore. It felt… guided. Anchored by the steady, cold strength flowing from Kaelith.
"Then let us end this," she whispered.
The Voidborne roared and charged, massive claws raised to crush them both.
Kaelith and Lyria moved as one.
He lifted the blade. She lifted her hands. Their energies spiraled together, forming a radiant spear of fused light between them—moon and star, cold and fire, fate and will.
"For the bond," Kaelith murmured.
"For our fate," Lyria answered.
They struck.
The spear of light tore through the cavern, piercing the Voidborne's chest and driving straight into the voidlight core within. For a heartbeat, everything went silent.
Then the creature screamed.
Cracks of silver spread across its massive form, fracturing shadow and bone. The voidlight inside it pulsed wildly, then shattered like glass. A final, deafening cry echoed as the monster collapsed inward, dissolving into fragments of fading darkness.
Silence returned.
The cavern dimmed slowly, its glow settling into a gentle, steady pulse. Dust drifted through the air like falling stars.
Lyria's strength vanished all at once.
Her knees buckled—but Kaelith caught her before she could fall. He lowered them both to the ground carefully, one arm supporting her as she struggled to steady her breathing.
"It is over," he said softly.
For now.
Lyria leaned against him, exhaustion pulling at her limbs. The fierce light within her had quieted, leaving behind only a warm, lingering glow. She could still feel the bond between them—steady, alive, unbreakable.
She looked up at him, meeting his silver gaze.
"Did… we really do that?" she asked faintly.
A rare, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips.
"Yes," Kaelith said. "We did."
But his expression soon shifted again, sharpening with wary thought. He glanced toward the cavern entrance, where darkness lingered beyond the shattered crystal walls.
"This was only the first," he said quietly. "If a Voidborne has awakened… others will follow."
Lyria's chest tightened.
"What does that mean for us?"
Kaelith's gaze returned to her—intense, unwavering.
"It means," he said, "that the world has begun to remember what you are."
A distant rumble echoed far beyond the cavern. Not close. Not immediate.
But coming.
Kaelith helped her to her feet, his grip steady and protective.
"Our path will not be peaceful," he murmured. "And those who seek your power will not stop."
Lyria swallowed, her heart steadying despite the fear rising again.
She had felt the truth of it during the battle. Something inside her had awakened fully now. Something ancient.
Something dangerous.
She met his gaze without looking away.
"Then we face it together," she said.
The bond between them pulsed once more—soft, certain, inevitable.
And deep within the quiet cavern, unseen by either of them, a fragment of shattered voidlight twitched… and began to reform.