MASTERS OF THE ETERNITY
CHAPTER 22: THE FIRST SPEAR DESCENDS
The ceiling of the temple shattered like glass, shards of resonance raining down in streaks of fractured light. The First Spear hovered in the air above them, framed by the winged Order Sentinels — constructs bound not by soul, but by the cold precision of artificial resonance.
His voice boomed before his feet even touched the temple floor.
> "You were warned, Pale Twin."
She didn't flinch. "And yet here I remain."
The First Spear landed, resonance rippling outward from the impact like concentric waves, cracking the ancient stone. His armor was golden, yet dulled with the weight of command. His eyes — burning not with life, but something that had outlived it.
> "Raian Kuron. Wielder of the unstable Blade. Step forward."
Raian did, slowly. His hand gripped the hilt tighter, the Blade of Eternity vibrating with rising defiance. Behind him, Izek flared with his gravity-born aura, and Lira stepped forward as well — the mark on her neck burning with purpose.
> "You're the one who's been hunting me," Raian said. "Why?"
The First Spear's helmet retracted, revealing a pale, ageless face — unscarred, but haunted.
> "Because you shouldn't exist."
Before Raian could react, the First Spear moved — faster than light, faster than thought. His spear struck the ground where Raian had just been, detonating with a soundless pulse. The resulting shockwave sent statues flying, resonance screaming through the air.
Izek darted in, fists glowing, gravity swirling. He aimed a crushing blow at the Spear's back — only to be caught mid-air, suspended like a marionette.
The First Spear turned slightly, barely acknowledging him.
> "Gravity. Crude… but promising."
He flicked his hand, and Izek was hurled across the chamber, slamming into a pillar hard enough to fracture it.
Lira screamed and lashed out with a burst of raw emotion — her resonance flaring through the mark. The Pale Twin's hand intercepted her.
> "No. You'll lose control again."
Lira's eyes shimmered with the echo of the vision — of the First Wielder beneath. "We can't fight him… can we?"
> "Not here," the Pale Twin whispered. "Not like this."
But Raian stood his ground. The Blade pulsed harder now, the temple responding to its song. The mosaic beneath them fractured — light pouring from the name of the First Resonant.
> "I don't need to win," Raian said. "I just need to survive."
The First Spear's expression darkened. "Then bleed."
---
The clash ignited.
Spear against Blade.
The First Spear's attacks were surgical, honed by centuries of combat and war. But Raian adapted — every strike feeding into the Blade's memory, his resonance syncing deeper.
Each parry, each dodge — he learned.
But it wasn't enough.
With a thunderous blow, the Spear drove Raian into the floor, blood splashing against the sacred stones.
Izek staggered to his feet, bones creaking, aura barely holding. He stood beside Raian, face bruised but determined.
> "Together."
Raian rose slowly, mouth bloodied. "Always."
Then came the roar.
Not from above.
But below.
From beneath the temple, where the First Wielder slept.
Cracks spread outward from the mosaic, light pouring through them. A voice, ancient and full of wrath and longing, echoed through every soul present.
> "Who… dares strike my heirs?"
The temple shook violently.
The Sentinels froze. Even the First Spear hesitated.
The Pale Twin stepped forward, eyes wide with something like awe — or fear.
> "He's waking up."
And from the depths beneath the world, something began to rise.
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To Be Continued...