The cold bit deeper.
It was the kind of cold that felt alive, creeping into the lungs, crawling along bones.
Kyle's legs were locked in jagged black ice, his muscles screaming against the pull in his veins. Every heartbeat seemed to pump more of his strength into the figure looming over him.
Gia stood between them, portal-light blazing in her hands like miniature suns. Her face was pale, but her jaw was set in a way Kyle had only seen a few times before—the kind of stubborn defiance that meant she wasn't going to move, even if it killed her.
The armored figure tilted its mask toward her.
Step aside, girl.
Her voice cracked with strain, but not fear.
"No."
The Break
In an instant, the shadows around the figure surged forward like a tidal wave.
Gia ripped her hands apart, tearing open a glowing oval of space before her—black frost slammed into it, vanishing into a spinning void before reappearing above the figure's head.
The ice rained down on it, shattering across its shoulders, forcing it to stagger.
"Now!" Gia shouted.
Kyle didn't hesitate.
He called the blood in his veins, ignoring the pain, forcing it to boil beneath his skin until it burst from his palms in a barrage of jagged crimson spears.
The figure twisted away, avoiding most—but one struck deep, embedding itself into the exposed joint of its armor.
For the first time, it recoiled.
Felix's Strike
Felix's groan from the pillar turned into a low, vicious laugh.
"Guess it bleeds after all…"
He pushed himself up, moving with that lethal smoothness that came when he was angry enough to forget pain. Two throwing knives gleamed in his hands before he sent them spinning toward the joint Kyle had hit.
They struck deep—one burying itself in the wound, the other lodging in the mask's lower edge. The figure staggered, shadows writhing in agitation.
Felix landed beside Kyle and kicked the black ice at his legs.
"Move, blood boy."
The ice cracked under Felix's repeated strikes. Kyle wrenched free just as the figure's shadows lashed out again.
The Crack in the Enemy
Up close, Kyle could see it now—thin lines glowing faintly beneath the armor's surface, as though its body was stitched together from darkness and brittle glass.
Gia must have noticed too. "The light… it's unstable there!" she called, pointing to the joint.
Kyle and Felix didn't need more explanation.
They went for it together—Felix darting low, slashing at the figure's legs, while Kyle hurled another spear of his own blood at the joint. Gia opened a small, precise portal above its shoulder, dropping a chunk of broken pillar directly onto the wound.
The crack widened. A deep, guttural sound—half roar, half static—tore from the figure's mask.
It was hurt.
The Retaliation
And then the air changed.
The cold deepened to something suffocating, heavy enough to make lungs seize. The snow at their feet lifted into the air, caught in a spiraling black wind.
You… dare.
It moved faster than sight, slamming a fist into Felix's ribs and sending him sprawling again. Kyle barely had time to block before a shadow-cloaked hand clamped around his throat, lifting him from the ground.
The pull on his power returned—worse than before, a floodgate wrenched open.
Gia's Gamble
"Kyle!" Gia's scream cut through the haze.
Without thinking, she did something reckless—she opened a portal directly into the shadows engulfing the figure's arm. On the other side, she anchored the exit into the coldest place she could imagine—a frozen lake she'd once nearly drowned in as a child.
The sudden temperature shift shocked the figure enough to loosen its grip. Kyle tore free, collapsing to one knee, coughing.
Felix staggered to his feet, blood on his lip. "We can't keep this up. We need to finish it now."
Kyle wiped his mouth, his eyes blazing crimson. "Then let's break it for good."
The three of them squared up—Gia's portals flaring brighter, Felix twirling his last set of blades, and Kyle calling every drop of blood weaponry he could muster.
The figure tilted its head, almost curious.
Then it lunged.
The cold bit deeper.
It was the kind of cold that felt alive, creeping into the lungs, crawling along bones.
Kyle's legs were locked in jagged black ice, his muscles screaming against the pull in his veins. Every heartbeat seemed to pump more of his strength into the figure looming over him.
Gia stood between them, portal-light blazing in her hands like miniature suns. Her face was pale, but her jaw was set in a way Kyle had only seen a few times before—the kind of stubborn defiance that meant she wasn't going to move, even if it killed her.
The armored figure tilted its mask toward her.
Step aside, girl.
Her voice cracked with strain, but not fear.
"No."
The Break
In an instant, the shadows around the figure surged forward like a tidal wave.
Gia ripped her hands apart, tearing open a glowing oval of space before her—black frost slammed into it, vanishing into a spinning void before reappearing above the figure's head.
The ice rained down on it, shattering across its shoulders, forcing it to stagger.
"Now!" Gia shouted.
Kyle didn't hesitate.
He called the blood in his veins, ignoring the pain, forcing it to boil beneath his skin until it burst from his palms in a barrage of jagged crimson spears.
The figure twisted away, avoiding most—but one struck deep, embedding itself into the exposed joint of its armor.
For the first time, it recoiled.
Felix's Strike
Felix's groan from the pillar turned into a low, vicious laugh.
"Guess it bleeds after all…"
He pushed himself up, moving with that lethal smoothness that came when he was angry enough to forget pain. Two throwing knives gleamed in his hands before he sent them spinning toward the joint Kyle had hit.
They struck deep—one burying itself in the wound, the other lodging in the mask's lower edge. The figure staggered, shadows writhing in agitation.
Felix landed beside Kyle and kicked the black ice at his legs.
"Move, blood boy."
The ice cracked under Felix's repeated strikes. Kyle wrenched free just as the figure's shadows lashed out again.
The Crack in the Enemy
Up close, Kyle could see it now—thin lines glowing faintly beneath the armor's surface, as though its body was stitched together from darkness and brittle glass.
Gia must have noticed too. "The light… it's unstable there!" she called, pointing to the joint.
Kyle and Felix didn't need more explanation.
They went for it together—Felix darting low, slashing at the figure's legs, while Kyle hurled another spear of his own blood at the joint. Gia opened a small, precise portal above its shoulder, dropping a chunk of broken pillar directly onto the wound.
The crack widened. A deep, guttural sound—half roar, half static—tore from the figure's mask.
It was hurt.
The Retaliation
And then the air changed.
The cold deepened to something suffocating, heavy enough to make lungs seize. The snow at their feet lifted into the air, caught in a spiraling black wind.
You… dare.
It moved faster than sight, slamming a fist into Felix's ribs and sending him sprawling again. Kyle barely had time to block before a shadow-cloaked hand clamped around his throat, lifting him from the ground.
The pull on his power returned—worse than before, a floodgate wrenched open.
Gia's Gamble
"Kyle!" Gia's scream cut through the haze.
Without thinking, she did something reckless—she opened a portal directly into the shadows engulfing the figure's arm. On the other side, she anchored the exit into the coldest place she could imagine—a frozen lake she'd once nearly drowned in as a child.
The sudden temperature shift shocked the figure enough to loosen its grip. Kyle tore free, collapsing to one knee, coughing.
Felix staggered to his feet, blood on his lip. "We can't keep this up. We need to finish it now."
Kyle wiped his mouth, his eyes blazing crimson. "Then let's break it for good."
The three of them squared up—Gia's portals flaring brighter, Felix twirling his last set of blades, and Kyle calling every drop of blood weaponry he could muster.
The figure tilted its head, almost curious.
Then it lunged.
_______