As the Gaiadrake prepared its strike, so did I.
Water gathered around my sword—dense, sharp, compressed until it felt heavier than steel itself. It wrapped the blade in spiraling currents, humming low, vibrating against my grip. White streaks of lightning flared along its edge, snapping and crackling violently, tearing thin scars into the air itself.
I moved first.
Instinct took over.
There was no strategy anymore. No formation. No thought.
I had to take on this beast alone.
For them.
For us.
For me.
I rushed forward.
The Gaiadrake charged at the same time, its massive form tearing across the dying earth, stone plates grinding, vines whipping wildly behind it. Its claws came down like executioner blades as I swung my sword with everything I had.
Our attacks collided.
The impact was catastrophic.
A thunderous BOOM exploded outward as water and lightning smashed against corrupted earth and stone. The force tore tree roots from the ground, pulverized stone into dust, and annihilated the forest floor beneath us. The shockwave howled through the Dratonian Forest like a screaming god.
I felt my boots slide backward, heels carving trenches into the ground as the beast pushed me back—inch by inch—my arms screaming in agony.
Behind me—
"LOOK OUT—!"
Too late.
Aelira, Varein, and Kai were blown back violently, sent flying like broken leaves. The walls of roots and earth that had separated us from Instructor Aldred and the others shattered instantly, disintegrating under the force.
I saw them—just barely.
I saw Aldred shout my name.
I saw Seraphyne's mouth open in a scream.
I saw hands reaching for me.
But I couldn't hear anything.
The world had narrowed.
It was just me.
And the guardian.
I gritted my teeth, blood leaking down my chin, muscles trembling as the Gaiadrake surged forward again. My arms were failing. My grip was slipping. Every breath burned.
Then—
The Gaiadrake roared.
Roots erupted from the ground behind me, twisting violently, forming a massive wall of corrupted earth and wood. The creature slammed into me with its full weight.
I flew.
My body smashed into the wall with a sickening crack.
Pain exploded through my chest.
I coughed violently—blood spraying across the stone as my vision blurred. My legs gave out, and I collapsed to my knees as the wall crumbled and buried me beneath debris.
For a moment…
Everything went quiet.
But this time—
I didn't black out.
I didn't fade.
I pushed myself up.
Slowly.
Pain screamed through every nerve. Blood dripped from my arms, my side, my mouth—dark red staining the earth beneath me. My vision wavered, but I forced it steady.
I stood.
In front of me, the Gaiadrake loomed.
Behind me—
Everyone was down.
Seraphyne knelt in the dirt, sobbing openly, her pink flames flickering weakly.
Varein was barely upright, clutching his shattered ribs.
Kai struggled to move, teeth clenched, blood soaking his back.
Aelira leaned against a broken stone, her arm shaking uncontrollably.
Aldred was on one knee, bleeding heavily, unable to advance.
No one else could stand.
It was just me.
All of them behind me.
Watching my back.
I swallowed hard.
If I knew today was the day I'd die…
…I should've written to Rua.
To Flin.
A bitter laugh escaped my throat.
Memories flooded my mind—
The slums of Ignis.
Cold nights. Empty stomachs.
The first sword I ever held.
The academy gates.
Class 1-S.
Laughter. Training. Pain. Growth.
I clenched my sword's handle.
"I promised," I whispered. "I promised I'd become strong."
The Gaiadrake roared again.
Thunder answered.
White lightning tore across the sky, splitting clouds apart as my aura surged outward, flooding the forest like a rising tide. Water spiraled violently around me, cracking the ground beneath my feet.
Seraphyne reached out toward me.
"RAIN—!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "PLEASE! Don't! You'll die!"
They all begged me.
Retreat.
Run.
Live.
"At least someone has to make it out alive!"
I shook my head, smiling weakly.
"I can't," I said quietly.
"What kind of knight would I be… if I ran away now?"
I stepped forward.
My aura flared again—responding to my resolve, to my desperation. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was my sword.
…Or maybe it was him.
I took my stance.
The Gaiadrake lowered itself, preparing its final blow.
And then—
I saw it.
Something glowing beneath the layers of stone and corruption.
A gem.
Purple.
Pulsing.
The Gaiadrake looked at me then—not as prey.
But as something else.
Something in pain.
It wasn't attacking anymore.
It was begging.
My chest tightened.
That gem radiated something vile. Something was wrong. My blood boiled instantly.
"…A Jaki cult," I breathed. "But which one this time.."
I didn't have time to think.
I moved.
I slashed horizontally—water and thunder intertwining violently into a devastating arc. Trees were cut clean in half. The ground was carved open like paper.
But the Gaiadrake barely avoided it.
It roared, furious, slamming the ground, vines exploding toward me, shockwaves tearing through the forest. I leapt, kicked off broken stone, twisted through the air, dodging everything by instinct alone.
Then—
Its mouth opened.
A blinding solar attack began forming.
I jumped toward it.
Too late.
It fired instantly.
"DAMN IT—!"
Then it clicked.
A lesson from Sir Zenite.
Use your enemy's attack.
I angled my blade, aura screaming, and slid along the beam—white thunder screaming as it tore against the energy. Pain ripped through my body as I screamed at the top of my lungs, kicked off the beam, then off a shattered tree trunk.
The Gaiadrake tried to swing its tail—
Too slow.
I landed on its back, slid along its armored spine, lightning tearing through the corrupted vines. With every ounce of strength left—
I slashed.
Thunder.
Water.
Aura.
Everything I had.
The blade struck the gem.
The symbol on its back shattered instantly—vanishing like smoke.
The Gaiadrake screamed—not in rage.
In relief.
It collapsed.
The forest went still.
I hit the ground and rolled—fifteen feet—before stopping right in front of my friends.
I stood up.
Barely.
Sword still raised.
Just in case.
My breathing was ragged. My body was breaking.
But the corruption was gone.
And for the first time…
The forest breathed again.