The corrupted beast roared, wings slicing through the stormy sky like thunder itself.
Ariya braced her feet on the shard-runner's shaking platform, arms glowing with shadowlight. Kiran stood beside her, sword already crackling with spirit fire.
"Hit it from the left!" he shouted, leaping into the air with unnatural speed.
Ariya focused her energy. Threads of shadow wrapped around her fingers like living snakes. As the beast swooped low, she lashed out.
A black whip cracked through the sky and wrapped around the monster's wing.
It screamed.
But not in pain—in rage.
The beast twisted midair, flinging Ariya off the runner. The wind tore past her face as she plummeted, heart hammering—
Until Kiran caught her.
He grunted, slowing their fall with a burst of spirit fire under his feet. "You're welcome."
"Not the time!" Ariya shouted.
The shard-runner crashed into a cliff edge, sparking wildly. The beast dove again, jaws opening to unleash a wave of dark flame.
Ariya narrowed her eyes. This time, she wouldn't dodge.
She raised her hand—and the shadowfire burst forth, colliding with the monster's breath in midair. The sky lit up with black and gold, a clash of corruption and control.
The creature howled, momentarily stunned.
Kiran didn't hesitate. He soared up, slicing clean through one of its wings. With a final screech, the beast fell, crashing into the broken land below.
Smoke and silence followed.
Ariya landed beside the wrecked runner, panting. "Is it dead?"
Kiran touched her shoulder. "No. But it's not chasing us anymore."
The wind shifted again—gentle this time. Soft. Familiar.
Ariya looked up. "It's still calling me."
They stared down into the crater below, where cracks pulsed with strange light. At the center: a black obelisk half-buried in stone, wrapped in glowing chains.
Kiran frowned. "That's not a rift. That's a seal."
Ariya stepped toward it. "Then why is it whispering my name?"