The monastery loomed like a silent sentinel, its stone walls etched with centuries of prayer and sacrifice. Yet tonight, it was no sanctuary.
Shadows crept across the halls, whispering of bloodshed. Noah and his companions stepped into its heart, every breath heavy with tension.
The Guardians had warned of this place—of the cultists who twisted faith into darkness. But none of them expected the storm waiting inside.
Beside Noah walked his rival, Kael, a warrior who had always stood toe-to-toe with him in training. Kael's spear gleamed faintly under the flickering torches, his steps sharp and confident. Their rivalry had been fiery, yet it carried respect—two flames pushing each other to burn brighter.
The moment they entered the central chamber, the silence shattered.
BOOM!
The marble floor cracked as a monstrous figure descended from the shadows. Hooded cultists lined the walls, chanting in a tongue that made Noah's skin crawl. At their center stood a towering abomination, a grotesque fusion of man and beast, its arms ending in jagged claws, its eyes glowing red with corrupted energy.
"Guardians… you trespass," the creature hissed, its voice scraping like steel against stone.
Kael smirked and spun his spear. "Finally, something worth breaking."
Noah steadied his breathing, his hand tightening on his blade. His Eclipse Aura simmered faintly, responding to the malice flooding the room. He knew this would not be an ordinary battle.
The clash erupted instantly.
CRACK! Kael's spear clashed with the beast's claw, sparks bursting like fireworks. Noah followed in, his blade arcing with silver light. The cultists lunged from the shadows, daggers flashing.
"Noah, left!" Kael shouted.
SWOOSH! Noah twisted, his blade carving through two cultists before they reached him. Their blood painted the cracked stones. He caught Kael's glance—brief, sharp, unspoken. They fought as rivals, but tonight they fought as one.
Yet the beast was no ordinary foe. With a roar, it slammed its claw down.
BOOOOM! The ground trembled, and debris rained from the ceiling.
Kael was fast, faster than Noah expected. He drove his spear upward, piercing the beast's shoulder. The monster shrieked, staggering back—but before Kael could withdraw, its other claw lashed out.
THUD!
"No!" Noah's voice tore from his throat.
The claw punched through Kael's side, crimson spraying across the chamber. Kael coughed, blood staining his lips, yet even as his life bled out, his grip on the spear did not falter. With his last ounce of strength, he rammed the weapon deeper into the beast's chest.
"Go… Noah," Kael gasped, his voice raw. "This is your fight now."
And then, his body went limp.
The chamber froze. For Noah, time shattered into fragments. His rival—the man who had pushed him, challenged him, stood beside him—was gone.
Something broke within Noah.
His blade trembled in his hand, but it wasn't fear. It was rage. His Eclipse Aura flared violently, silver light flooding the monastery, crackling with shadows at its edges. His veins burned with a power he hadn't called, one that answered the storm in his heart.
The cultists staggered back, shielding their eyes. The beast roared, but even it hesitated under the weight of Noah's presence.
Kael's blood pooled on the stones. Noah's voice, low and raw, cut through the silence.
"You wanted a Guardian…" His aura swelled, twisting like a storm unleashed. "Then face one."
The monastery trembled under his awakening. The battle had only just begun.
✨ End of Chapter 42 ✨