The fireball split the darkness.
Aiden dove aside, lightning bursting across his skin. The sphere of flame roared past, exploding against the bridge. Stone shattered, crumbling into the endless abyss.
He scrambled up, chest heaving, sparks flickering wildly. His eyes locked on the figure before him.
The stranger's cloak rippled in the heated wind, crimson patterns shifting like molten veins. His dark hair fell across his forehead. His smile wasn't playful—it was a predator's smile. The kind that made your lungs forget how to breathe.
Aiden's throat went dry, but he forced the words out anyway.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The man tilted his head slightly, like he was disappointed by the question. His voice came low, steady, unhurried.
"Elias." A pause. "Remember it. You won't live long enough to forget."
The curse inside Aiden's chest flared, runes throbbing as if they knew this name. His ribs screamed, but he clenched his fists, sparks snapping across his arms.
"Another Reader…" he muttered.
Elias stepped forward. The bridge cracked under his boots. Heat rolled off him in waves, choking, oppressive.
"You survived this long. Impressive." His gaze sharpened, cutting through Aiden like glass. "But you're burning out already. Every spark hurts, doesn't it? Every breath feels like your body's about to split open."
Aiden gritted his teeth. He hated how fucking right that was. His muscles twitched. His chest burned. His vision blurred.
Elias's eyes narrowed. "You probably killed some shadow beast and thought it meant something. Cute. The Archive isn't impressed. Neither am I."
"Yeah?" Aiden spat blood onto the stone. "I'm not here to impress you, asshole."
Elias didn't flinch. His hand rose, flame crawling lazily across his skin, coiling into a blade of fire. His voice stayed cold, merciless.
"I'm not here to kill you. If the Archive wanted you dead, you'd already be ashes. I'm here to test you. If you can't withstand me… you'll never survive what's deeper inside."
The heat intensified, the bridge glowing red under their feet.
Aiden forced lightning to his hands, jaw trembling. His chest felt like it was tearing open, but his eyes burned back into Elias's.
"Then fucking test me."
Elias's lips curled into something sharp, but his tone stayed heavy, deadly serious.
"Good."
The flames roared higher, drowning the void in a furnace glow. The bridge shook, stones falling into the abyss.
Lightning screamed up Aiden's arms, chains of crackling light snapping into existence. His curse howled inside his ribs.
The Archive itself seemed to lean in, its whispers tightening around them, hungry for blood.
And then—
Flame and lightning collided.
The abyss shook. The bridge split. Power tore into the void.
And the chapter ended.
---
Author's Note:
⚡🔥 And there it is — Aiden finally snapping back, swearing through the pain like a man who refuses to be a side character.
Elias, though? Dead serious, no jokes. Man's built like the final boss of a game you didn't even finish the tutorial for.
So tell me — who are you rooting for in this clash? Team "Angry Sparky Dumbass" or Team "Calm Murder Dad Energy"? 😂
Drop your power stones, comments, or just scream "THEN FUCKING TEST ME" in chat to hype this duel up.