The Red Moon had grown restless. Its crimson glow dominated the sky, pulsating in time with the city's frayed heartbeat. Streets twisted violently now, looping back on themselves in chaotic spirals, buildings bent impossibly, and rivers of blood gushed from fissures in the pavement. Time fractured violently, moments bleeding into each other.
Adrian stumbled through a cracked plaza, chest marked with the vessel's glowing sigil. The energy inside him throbbed with every pulse of the Red Moon, whispering promises of power—and threats of annihilation. Lust, fear, and desire merged into a suffocating fog. He tried to focus, but every heartbeat brought visions of Elira fading, of phobia-monsters tearing through the city, of Kael overwhelmed by the Devil.
"Elira," he muttered, searching for her in the chaos. She appeared, partially transparent, temporal energy still flickering wildly from her prior intervention. Her hands glowed faintly as she tried to stabilize the broken streets beneath them. "We… we can't hold it much longer," she said, voice trembling.
A shrill, oppressive sound cut through the air—a resonance of the Red Moon itself. The sky cracked, and a massive wave of energy struck the city. Buildings folded in upon themselves; streets vanished into thin air; entire neighborhoods blinked out of existence, then reappeared moments later in twisted configurations. Time was collapsing under the Red Moon's will.
Kael appeared, bloodied and panting, swords drawn. "The Devil is retreating… for now," he said, eyes scanning the shattered skyline. "But the Red Moon is taking control directly. This… this is no ordinary test."
Crysmal shrieked, wings flaring uncontrollably. The dragon's emotional outburst destabilized a nearby street, sending fragments of asphalt and time-rifted debris hurtling toward them. "I… I can't stop it! Everything… everything's wrong!"
Adrian clenched his fists. "Then we fight! We control what we can!" He released a surge of vessel energy, crimson shards cutting through folding streets, dispelling small phobia-monsters that emerged from cracks in time. Each strike stabilized a fragment of reality, but the effort drained him severely.
Suddenly, the Red Moon's influence manifested physically—a colossal shadow, far larger than any phobia-monster they had encountered, surged from the sky. Its form was mutable, eyes reflecting Adrian's fears, and it moved with intelligence, striking with precision. Every step it took destabilized the ground beneath, and its roar was both a sound and a psychic strike.
Lucien and Ash emerged from temporal rifts, perfectly timed to exploit the chaos. Lucien's attacks targeted Adrian's mind, whispering doubt: You can't save her. Kael will fall. The vessel will betray you. Ash's crystallized blades struck the lattice of energy around Adrian and Elira, shattering portions of the fragile bubble.
Morwen hovered above, chanting, feeding the Red Moon's assault with her temporal magic. Streets folded into infinite loops, trapping anyone who stepped wrong, and forcing Adrian to relive moments of failure and despair.
Elira screamed, extending her hands to stabilize the collapsing lattice. "Adrian! I… I can push more, but it will… it will cost me!"
Adrian grasped her hand firmly. "Do it. We have no choice. I can't lose you again."
She pushed forward, merging her time energy with his vessel power. The lattice pulsed violently, expanding outward, cutting through phobia-monsters, stabilizing fractured streets, and halting the Red Moon's colossal shadow temporarily. The city shuddered, caught between destruction and survival.
Kael leapt into the fray, swords clashing with the Devil in a battle of light and shadow. Each strike sent shockwaves that echoed through time, fracturing the ground and destabilizing both friend and foe alike. The Devil's power was immense, threatening to obliterate anything in its path, but Kael's anchor energy held—barely.
Crysmal roared again, wings tearing at the air, creating gusts that both aided and disrupted the fragile lattice around Adrian and Elira. Tears streaked down the dragon's face as the Red Moon's pressure intensified.
Adrian felt his mind teetering on the edge. The vessel's power surged beyond control, the Red Moon whispering incessantly, promising release through indulgence, through surrender. Give in… become mine… protect no one…
He clenched his teeth, forcing control. With a scream, he released the full force of the combined lattice energy outward. The Red Moon's shadow screeched, recoiling under the power, and phobia-monsters disintegrated into shards of light. The immediate collapse of the city slowed, though cracks and distortions still rippled like aftershocks.
Lucien hissed, retreating into a shadowed alley. Ash followed, still radiating malice, while Morwen's chanting faltered, giving the heroes a momentary reprieve.
Elira collapsed into Adrian's arms, exhausted and pale. "We… we did it," she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction; the Red Moon's pulse still lingered in the air, an omnipresent threat.
Kael sheathed his swords, looking up at the crimson sky. "This is only a pause. The Red Moon's attack was direct. It tested our limits, measured us. And it's patient—it will strike again, harder. We've only survived this wave."
Crysmal landed beside them, wings folded, trembling. "I… I can't keep going like this," the dragon murmured, voice shaking. "Everything… everything's wrong, and I can't… I can't control it."
Adrian stroked Crysmal's head, chest still burning from vessel exertion. "We will keep going. Together. But we need to prepare… and soon. The next assault will be worse."
The Red Moon pulsed once more above, crimson and sentient, a silent promise of trials yet to come. Time itself trembled. And somewhere in the shadows, Lucien, Ash, and Morwen whispered, plotting, waiting for the next fracture.
The city held… barely. And the next strike would not forgive weakness.