The ground trembled beneath my feet as the last echoes of battle faded into the night. Smoke curled upward from the scorched remains of trees; blood soaked the once-green clearing. The acrid tang of iron filled my nose. For a brief moment, silence hung heavy—before the surviving beast's roar shattered it like glass.
The sound wasn't just a roar; it was a cry of fury, mourning, and wrath. The advanced-tier beast—a monstrous fusion of sinew and steel-gray scales—reared its horned head toward the sky, eyes burning like molten gold. The death of its companion had driven it past reason.
All around it lay the broken remnants of Randy's forces. Gerald's massive frame was crushed beneath a fallen tree. Eve's mana barrier had burst mid-incantation; her lifeless body lay amid the rubble, eyes frozen in disbelief. John—my teacher, once my guide—was standing, barely, his sword trembling in his hand.
He looked like a ghost of himself, drenched in blood, armor shattered. But even then, his spirit burned bright. "Fall back!" he shouted, voice raw. "Form up! Don't let it break through—"
He never finished. The beast charged, a blur of motion far too fast for its size. Its horn pierced John clean through the chest. I heard the sickening crunch, the wet rip as it tossed his body aside like a rag doll.
I froze for half a heartbeat, watching my mentor fall. A thousand memories flashed through my mind—his lessons, his laughter, his steady hand guiding mine across a practice blade. Then, silence. A deep, absolute silence that birthed something primal in me.
The beast turned its blazing eyes toward the remaining soldiers, its fury uncontained. The air pulsed with mana. Trees splintered as it roared again, unleashing a shockwave that blasted men off their feet. Bones cracked. Screams filled the night.
"Alex," I whispered. "Now it's just us."
He nodded, jaw clenched, his mana flaring a faint blue. "Let's end this, brother."
We darted from the shadows, splitting off to either side. The beast's attention shifted toward me first—it sensed the stronger mana flow. It lunged, horn first, and I barely rolled aside. The horn tore through the earth where I'd just been, sending shards of stone flying. I countered with a mana burst to the creature's flank, the energy slicing a shallow wound across its hide.
It roared again, thrashing wildly, tail smashing through trees like matchsticks. One swing caught me across the shoulder—I felt ribs crack, pain flaring bright and hot. I hit the ground hard, gasping, vision swimming.
"Alaric!" Alex's voice rang out as he extended his hand, releasing a burst of healing mana that threaded through the air, wrapping around my wounds. The pain dulled; I forced myself upright, blood dripping down my arm.
The beast turned its fury toward Alex now. Its muscles coiled; its hooves dug deep into the ground. Then it charged.
Time slowed.
I could see every detail—the way the air shimmered around its horn, the crackling mana radiating from its body, the panic in Alex's eyes.
"Move!" I shouted, but the words barely left my mouth before instinct took over. My mana surged. I dashed forward, intercepting the charge, pushing my battered body to its limit. My palms glowed, energy condensing until it burned white-hot.
The collision was earth-shattering. My blast met its charge, a shockwave ripping through the clearing. For an instant, everything disappeared into light and sound.
When the dust settled, I was kneeling in the mud, chest heaving, my body screaming in pain. The beast staggered, its armor cracked and blackened. But it was still alive—still burning with hate.
It swung its horn downward. I dodged, barely, my mana running dangerously low. The horn grazed my side, tearing through flesh. I stumbled, blood soaking through my clothes.
The beast prepared for another charge. I knew I couldn't block it this time. My limbs felt heavy; mana was draining fast.
Then Alex screamed—not in fear, but in power.
A blinding emerald light erupted around him. His mana flared outward, a torrent of pure vitality. The ground around him pulsed with life—grass sprouted, stones shimmered, even the air seemed to breathe.
His healing mana… it had awakened completely.
I felt strength surge back into my limbs, wounds knitting themselves closed as the energy wrapped around me like warm fire. Alex's eyes glowed an unearthly green, his voice steady despite the power coursing through him. "You're not dying here, Alaric. Not now."
The beast roared and charged again, but this time, I was ready.
My mana responded to his. Blue intertwined with green—a fusion of raw force and healing essence. I dashed forward, sidestepping the beast's horn, channeling the energy into my blade. With a single upward slash, I carved across its chest.
The cut was deep. Blood sprayed, dark and steaming. The beast bellowed, staggering, but I didn't stop. Alex shouted, sending another wave of energy that reinforced my body.
"Now!" he yelled.
I leapt, twisting in the air, and brought my blade down in a final arc—pure mana pouring through it like a storm unleashed. The strike landed clean, cleaving through the beast's neck.
For a heartbeat, everything froze.
Then the head fell. The massive body collapsed with a thunderous crash, shaking the forest to its roots.
Silence followed—heavy, final.
I stood there, chest heaving, blade dripping with blood and mana, the taste of iron thick in my mouth. Alex stumbled toward me, exhausted, his glow fading. I caught him before he fell, pulling him close.
"It's over," I whispered, though part of me knew it wasn't. "At least for now."
He gave a weak smile. "We survived yet again, brother."
The clearing was a graveyard of men and monsters alike. The moon broke through the smoke, casting its pale light over the carnage. I looked at the beast's corpse, then at the distant horizon where the treasure awaited.
Tomorrow, we'd move again.
But tonight, under that cold moonlight, two brothers stood amid the ruins of vengeance—bloodied, battered, but unbroken.