Satoro moved with a heavy, disciplined grace that belied his late fifties. Though his long black hair was beginning to catch the light of the Imperial City, his frame remained as muscular and formidable as it had been decades prior. He adjusted his black plate armor; the ancient blue markings etched into the metal seemed to pulse as he hurried toward the city gates. Beside him, the Imperial Defenders logo stood out starkly against the dark steel. Reports of a threat to the city had reached them only moments ago.
Rushing at his side was a younger defender, his brown hair reaching his shoulders, swaying with every stride. His own armor was marked with deep red sigils. They were mid-sprint, the city gate looming ahead, when the younger man leaned in, his voice breathless but light.
"Satoro, wait!"
"WHAT?" Satoro shouted, his boots skidding on the stone as he came to a jarring halt. He turned, eyes wide with surprise, staring at his companion.
The younger man stopped to face him, a wide, irrepressible smile breaking across his face. "Felice is pregnant."
The tension left Satoro's shoulders all at once. A genuine grin replaced his look of shock. "Well, congratulations! That's amazing news. Truly." He took a breath, glancing back toward the gate before looking his friend in the eye. "Do you know? Is it going to be a boy or a girl?"
"It's a boy," the man beamed.
"Good for you, my friend. Good for—"
BOM!
An explosion rocked the air, swallowing Satoro's words. The celebration died instantly.
"Come on!" the man yelled, the joy vanishing from his face as he pivoted back toward the threat. "Let's go!"
The ground beneath their feet didn't just vibrate; it heaved. Each footstep of the approaching entity was a rhythmic thunder, heavy enough to rattle the teeth in Satoro's skull. Whatever was coming, it was massive.
The earth didn't just shake; it groaned under the weight of the intruder. BOM! BOM! BOM! The rhythm was relentless, each step carving deep, jagged depressions into the roads leading to the heart of the Imperial City. Then, he appeared. A mountain of flesh and malice nearly twenty feet tall. His massive frame was draped in shadows, his face obscured by a spiked black helmet that muffled his breath into a low, metallic growl. He was a titan of dark iron and earth-toned skin, clutching a club studded with cruel spikes. With a single, lazy swing, he sent the spires of a nearby cathedral crumbling into the streets. High above, Imperial Defenders mounted on griffins swarmed like gnats, their strikes glancing off his thick hide without leaving a mark. Satoro and the younger man banked their griffins, diving through the plumes of dust and smoke. Even with the world ending around them, Satoro couldn't let the earlier conversation go.
"So," Satoro yelled over the whistling wind, "are you really going to quit the life of a Defender?"
The younger man gripped the reins, his gaze fixed on the giant's spiked club. "Felice wants me to... she wants me there for the baby. But..."
"But you don't want to quit," Satoro finished for him, cutting through his hesitation.
A small, proud smile tugged at the younger man's lips. "Yeah. I like this. I want my son to grow up knowing his father was a great Defender".
Satoro sighed, a grim look of understanding in his eyes. "I expected you'd say that. So, are you actually going to tell Felice?"
Before an answer could come, a thunderous CRASH signaled the collapse of the inner gate. There was no more time for the future; there was only the now. As they neared the giant's head, both men released their saddles and stood upright on the backs of their soaring griffins, defying gravity as they prepared their strike.
"AWAKEN... STORMRAIDER!" Satoro's voice boomed like a physical force.
"AWAKEN... SUN EATER!" the younger man roared in unison.
Violent arcs of blue lightning began to dance across Satoro's skin, coiling around his arms and surging from his fingertips. The air hummed with ozone as he launched himself forward—
Satoro brought his hands together, leaving a narrow, charged space between his palms. Blue lightning didn't just flicker; it surged straight, weaving into a physical shape. First, the long shank of a weapon materialized, followed by the heavy, devastating lead. Within seconds, the ethereal energy solidified into a massive war hammer, though violent arcs of electricity continued to scream and dance around the head of the weapon. Beside him, the younger man ignited. His hands became living torches of orange and red. As he pulled his left hand to the side and pushed his right forward, a greatsword began to pull itself out of the ether—blade first, then the handle. Fire didn't just touch the metal; it engulfed it, a violent, bright halo that hissed against the cold air.
The man took a breath, his eyes reflecting the flames of his own blade. "Satoro, I'm going with the others to the Dark Territory to fight. We have intelligence we need to investigate. If... if anything happens, look after Felice and Kiego for me." He offered a small, sad smirk.
Satoro gripped his lightning-etched hammer tighter. "Sure. Just make sure you make it back, okay?" He paused, repeating the name to himself. "Kiego... not bad."
"Thanks," the man replied, a genuine smile breaking through the tension. "Just thought of it."
They shared a final, fleeting look of brotherhood before turning back to the abyss. Bracing themselves, they took their attacking stances atop their griffins. Satoro hoisted his massive hammer over his head with both arms, the lightning illuminating his face. Beside him, the younger man raised his flaming greatsword high, the heat distorting the air around them. In perfect unison, they unleashed their power.
"VIOLENT STORM!" Satoro bellowed.
"BLAZING FIRE!" the man roared.
A deafening WHOOSHH! filled the sky as lightning and fire collided, spiraling toward their target. The combined force of their assault was catastrophic. A massive arc of fused lightning and fire tore through the sky, aimed directly at the giant's core. When it struck, the impact didn't just hit the beast—it split the very atmosphere in two. The ground beneath the giant shattered, and the resulting air pressure exploded outward with a roar greater than any hurricane. A violent gust of wind slammed into the surrounding streets, reduced stone buildings on either side to mere rubble.