The man stepped into the lantern light, his blade shifting constantly — from longsword to greatsword to spear, never staying still. Golden script flickered across his armor like unfinished lines of a story.
"I was meant to be the hero," he said, voice low but carrying. "Chosen to wield the story, to save this world. And then… they cut me. Threw me here with the garbage. And now they send a librarian in my place?"
His eyes locked on Elias, burning with resentment. "You are my replacement."
The Codex fluttered at Elias's side. His glasses glinted. "Or perhaps you were never meant to be read."
---
Arclight moved first. His blade blurred, striking in a dozen styles at once. Hunters barely saw him cross the distance before his strike split the marble floor.
Elias raised a page.
> [Manifestation: Reflective Guard.]
The shield formed, but Arclight's weapon shifted mid-strike, piercing around the barrier. Elias twisted just in time, the blade grazing his shoulder, sparks of script burning his coat.
"Too slow, reader," Arclight snarled. His next swing sent three Crimson Fangs sprawling, armor shattered.
Hale roared, charging with his axe. "Then face a real warrior!"
Arclight caught the strike barehanded. The axe blade cracked. Hale's eyes widened — before Arclight's shifting weapon slammed into his chest, sending him flying into a pillar with bone-shattering force.
"Hale!" hunters screamed.
Blood spilled down the captain's chin. He coughed, staggering but alive — barely.
---
Spirewatch mages unleashed chains of light. Arclight's body flickered with script, slipping free. Seraphine's golden flames engulfed him — and sputtered as his regeneration ate through the burns.
Her smile faltered. "He adapts… too quickly."
Arclight laughed bitterly. "Of course I do. I was meant to be perfect."
His blade shifted to a spear, skewering two hunters before they could raise shields. Their bodies crumpled, erased by glowing script.
The alliance faltered, fear spreading like wildfire.
---
Arclight turned, blade raised toward a cluster of younger hunters frozen in terror.
Lyra's eyes widened. Her body moved before thought. She sprinted across the hall, planting her staff into the ground.
"Not them!"
Violet magic flared, brighter than it ever had. A dome of shimmering light burst outward, intercepting Arclight's strike. The impact cracked her barrier, sparks raining, but it held.
Hunters gasped, shielded within her glow.
Lyra trembled, teeth clenched. She was burning through mana she didn't have. Her knees shook. The barrier wavered.
"Pathetic," Arclight sneered. His blade shifted again, hammering her shield. Cracks spread.
And then Elias's voice cut through the chaos. Calm. Certain.
"Lyra."
She looked back — and his eyes met hers. Sharp, steady, unflinching.
"You can do this."
No plea. No command. Just certainty.
Her heart surged. Heat filled her chest. She screamed, violet light erupting. The barrier flared brighter, cracks sealing. Arclight's strike rebounded, sparks flying as hunters rallied behind her.
"Stay behind me!" Lyra shouted, her voice ringing with power. "I'll hold him!"
For the first time, Elias allowed himself the faintest smile.
"Well read."
---
Elias vs. Arclight
Arclight snarled, his blade twisting into a greatsword. "You hide behind others, reader! You let them fight your battles while you rewrite from the shadows!"
The Codex blazed open, pages scattering. Elias stepped forward, calm as ever.
"I don't hide," he said. "I protect."
His Guardian flared into being, slamming its shield against Arclight's next strike. Sparks flew as blade met blade.
Elias's pages orbited faster, rewriting every flicker of Arclight's unstable style. The hall shook as the two clashed — reader and discarded hero, rewriting and broken script colliding in storms of light.
Hunters could only watch, breathless, as the true battle began.