Back in the Hallway
Lila clutched her bleeding shoulder, her breath coming in uneven gasps. Her gaze darted from Claus to her parents, then to the distant screams echoing down the corridor.
Her heart clenched.
"That's my brother!" she cried, her voice shaking after hearing Claus' command over the device to gun him down.
Claus exhaled sharply, dragging himself to a sitting position against the doorfra. He wiped a streak of blood from his mouth before looking at her, his expression grim.
"Was…"
"Would your brother attack his own parents?"
Lila flinched, her fingers tightening into fists. She wanted to scream at him, to deny it—to claim that sowhere inside that monster was still Orien.
A weak voice broke through the tension.
"…What did you do to my sweet boy…?"
Veyra's breath was shallow as she lay on the floor, her body weak and nearly unconscious. Her pain-filled eyes found Claus's battered form.
Claus leaned his head back against the wall, clearly exhausted.
"We didn't do anything," he muttered.
"Liar!" Lila yelled. "You brought all that strange tech earlier—"
With a frustrated growl, Claus slamd his hand against the wall, the impact echoing down the hall. His teeth clenched as he snapped back at her.
"It was to cure him, damn it! I thought I found a way to counteract the waves emitted by the cells carrying that distinct energy signature… but it looks like we'll have to run more tests."
His hands balled into fists.
It wasn't supposed to end like this.
A choked sob pulled his attention back.
Lila had turned toward her father, her hands glowing faintly with healing magic—but it wasn't working. Her green eyes widened in panic.
"His wounds… they're not closing!" she cried, pressing harder against his bleeding chest. "He's just—he's just bleeding out!"
Claus's stomach twisted.
Then it hit him.
His body stiffened. His breath caught in his throat.
His gaze snapped to Daren's wounds—the deep gashes where Orien's claws had struck.
A realization, cold and horrifying, settled in his gut.
"…Shit."
The Wastelands
The wastelands stretched endlessly beneath a night sky heavy with storm clouds, the wind howling like a restless beast.
Dust swirled around the rocky terrain, but none of it could shake the tension hanging in the air.
Alister stood across from Galisk, his father smirking.
They had arrived using an aircraft construct built by Galisk—his way of showing off to his children that he could truly build anything.
On the far side of the battlefield, Miyu and Cinder stood together.
Miyu threw her fists in the air. "Crush him, Alister! Show Father why you're the strongest!" she hollered, her voice echoing across the barren land.
Galisk placed a hand over his chest, gasping dramatically. "My own flesh and blood… betraying so cruelly?" He staggered back as if physically struck by her words. "Oh, the agony! The heartbreak! My beloved daughter has chosen my son over ?"
Miyu crossed her arms, smirking. "Tch! Sorry, Dad, but Alister's got this in the bag!"
Galisk chuckled, then smiled. "Unbelievable! Betrayed by my own daughter! I have no choice… but to make you eat those words!"
Alister sighed, rubbing his temples. As much as he loved his family, their theatrics were starting to get exhausting.
But sothing else was bothering him—sothing far more pressing.
Before they could start, he turned to Cinder. "Before we begin, darling, could you check on Mar'Garet? She said she wanted to check on the egg, but I can feel it—she's angry about sothing, and it's throwing my senses off."
Cinder nodded. "Understood. I'll be back." With a single step, she vanished through a swirling yellow portal.
Galisk cracked his knuckles, shaking his head in disappointnt. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… is this how you get distracted before a battle, Alister? Seems I'll have to teach you that battle waits for no one." He spread his arms, and suddenly—
A pair of enormous gates, forged from pure condensed golden light, materialized behind him.
Their radiant glow bathed the battlefield in golden hues, their presence alone warping the air around them.
Alister's sharp eyes flicked toward the glowing gates. The structure bore a striking resemblance to summoning gates—except instead of dragon skulls adorning their archway, they shimred with embedded stars, each one pulsing like a heart.
Interesting… he thought.
Galisk caught his wandering gaze and grinned. "Ah, wondering what this is, are you? Let's just say it's where I keep my treasure—the ones I couldn't construct with my talent." He spread his arms wide, the golden glow of his gates casting long shadows across the cracked wasteland.
"I figured I'd add a little extra flair for this spar. Can't have my dear son getting too comfortable now, can I?"
His grin widened. "I won't be holding back."
Then, with a small shrug, he cleared his throat. "Well, not entirely true. But don't expect to make this easy."
As he spoke, the gates groaned open, spilling radiant light onto the battlefield. From the shimring void beyond, golden hands erged—each gripping a gleaming sword. The weapons floated into the air, their edges razor-sharp, their hilts covered with beautiful carvings.
Alister exhaled, rolling his shoulders as the ether coursed through him. His hands clenched into fists, and in an instant, shimring gold-black scales erupted across his arms, creeping up to his elbows like a second skin.
"Good," Alister said. "Because I never expected you to." His fingers flexed, the reinforced density of his dragon scales making the air crackle around them. "But you shouldn't expect this to be easy either."
Galisk chuckled, his golden eyes flashing with excitent. "Wouldn't dare."
For a heartbeat, silence reigned.
Then—
They moved.
A single shockwave exploded from where they stood, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.
Alister shot forward like a teor, his body twisting mid-air to deliver a powerful strike. At the sa ti, Galisk surged toward him, the golden hands wielding swords forming a swirling defense around him.
The wastelands trembled beneath their clash.
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