The clearing stank of ozone and blood. Smoke coiled from the charred earth where lightning had struck, and the air hummed with the residual charge of power too great for mortals to endure.
The dragon loomed over the five, wings casting the ground into shadow, eyes like molten gold fixed upon its prey. Each movement rippled with restrained fury, every step shaking the soil as if the world itself bowed to its might.
The companions stood—or tried to.
Aerith clutched her staff, her body trembling from the strain of conjuring barrier after barrier. Zack planted his sword in the ground to steady himself, his muscles screaming. Noctis gritted his teeth, summoning another spectral blade into his hand despite the cracks in his aura. Galuf leaned heavily on his sword, blood dripping steadily from his side. Reks raised his shield once more, the metal blackened and dented from too many blows, his arm numb.
And still, they stood.
---
The dragon exhaled, a low rumble shaking the trees. Then it lunged, claws slashing downward with speed unnatural for its size.
"Move!" Zack shouted.
They scattered, the ground exploding where its talons struck. Reks rolled into a crouch, shield up, barely deflecting the follow-up tail strike that rattled his bones. Galuf roared, charging in with his sword, carving a shallow wound into its foreleg. Sparks burst from the scales, but the dragon hardly flinched.
Noctis warped above its head, twin blades flashing as he slashed across its brow. The beast snarled, tossing its head, and the young king went spinning through the air, barely blinking away before the claws raked him in half. He reappeared beside Zack, landing hard on his knees.
"You good?" Zack asked, helping him up.
"…Still breathing," Noctis muttered.
Aerith thrust her staff skyward. "Barrier—now!"
A dome shimmered just in time as the dragon's chest lit with golden fury. The world erupted in another Thundaga, the storm hammering the shield. The air screamed with lightning, tearing the forest apart, obliterating trees in flashes of white.
The shield cracked.
Zack pressed against it, snarling. "Not again!"
Reks slammed his shield forward, channeling his will into the dome. "Hold it!"
Galuf poured his remaining mana into the barrier, his roar of defiance drowned in thunder.
The dome shattered.
Lightning engulfed them, burning their skin, searing their lungs. They fell to their knees, battered, clothes scorched, weapons vibrating with the leftover charge.
And yet, not one fell unconscious.
---
The dragon hissed, almost irritated, and lowered its head.
Aerith gasped, raising her staff again. "I—I can't—"
Zack stepped in front of her, sword raised, glaring at the monster. "Then I'll take it head on!"
"Don't be reckless!" Noctis snapped.
"Too late for that!" Zack grinned, blood dripping from his lip. He charged.
The dragon swung its claw. Zack ducked under, slashing at the tendons of its foreleg. Sparks and blood flew. He rolled aside, avoiding a tail swipe by inches.
"Reks! Shield me!"
Reks dashed forward, planting himself in front of Zack as lightning burst from the dragon's maw. The blast struck his shield, nearly knocking him flat. His knees buckled, teeth grit, but he held. "Strike—now!"
Noctis warped forward in a blur of blue, spearing his blade into the beast's exposed neck. Galuf followed with a leaping slash, his sword biting deeper into the wound Zack had carved. The dragon roared, rearing back in fury, its wings spreading wide.
"Fall back!" Aerith cried, throwing up a wide barrier.
The beast's wings beat downward, sending a hurricane of wind that tore trees from their roots. The barrier shuddered but held, the companions bracing behind it.
---
The dragon circled them now, its eyes gleaming with cunning. It was not mindless—it was testing them, weighing their strength.
Galuf spat blood and raised his sword again. "It's holding back."
Zack scowled. "You're joking."
Noctis wiped his mouth. "…No. He's right."
The realization chilled them all.
But Aerith shook her head, determination shining through her exhaustion. "Then we can't falter. We fight. Together."
They nodded.
---
The dragon lunged again.
Zack charged from the left, drawing its attention. Noctis warped high, twin blades flashing as he dove for its exposed eye. Galuf pressed low, targeting the tendons in its hind leg. Reks anchored the center, shield raised to guard Aerith as she prepared a spell.
The beast's claw slammed down, catching Zack's sword. He was hurled back, ribs cracking, but he laughed through the pain. "Still standing!"
Noctis' strike pierced its eye. The dragon shrieked, thrashing violently. Galuf's blade cut deep into its hind leg, nearly crippling it.
"Now!" Aerith cried, unleashing a holy burst of light that seared into the wound.
The dragon roared, the blast knocking it backward. For the first time, it staggered.
But it did not fall.
Instead, it raised its wings and bellowed, the sky itself answering. Lightning cascaded across the clouds as it prepared its most devastating Thundaga yet.
The companions' hearts sank.
"We can't take that again," Reks whispered.
"…Then we don't." Noctis straightened, summoning all his blades, the air around him crackling with warp energy. "We end it here."
---
They moved as one.
Zack sprinted forward, drawing the dragon's gaze, his sword a streak of light. He swung with all his might, shouting: "Over here, ugly!"
Galuf dove low, slashing its injured leg again, forcing it to kneel.
Reks raised his shield and charged, slamming it into the beast's jaw, forcing its head upward. His arm screamed with pain, but he did not yield.
Aerith raised her staff high, channeling every last drop of mana into a radiant barrier—not to defend, but to focus their strength together. The dome shimmered, amplifying their combined will.
"Noctis—!" she shouted.
He warped in a blur of blue, blades orbiting him like a storm. He reappeared above the dragon's head, every weapon plunging down at once into its wounded eye and neck. The explosion of energy ripped through the clearing, sparks and blood erupting in a blinding flash.
The dragon screamed, wings flaring wide, the ground shaking as it thrashed.
Then, with a furious roar, it spread its wings and launched skyward, the storm it had gathered scattering as it vanished into the clouds.
---
Silence fell.
The companions collapsed to the ground, their weapons slipping from their hands, their bodies trembling from exhaustion. Smoke curled from their clothes, blood dripped from their wounds, and yet—
They were alive.
Zack laughed weakly, coughing. "Tell me… that counts as a win."
Galuf chuckled through the blood on his lips. "It fled. That's enough."
Reks lowered his shield, his arm finally giving out. "…I didn't think I'd survive that."
Aerith smiled faintly, collapsing to her knees. "None of us did. But… we did."
Noctis said nothing, staring at the sky where the dragon had vanished. His grip on his blade tightened. "Not strong enough," he murmured. "Not yet."
But there was no despair in his voice. Only resolve.
They had faced the storm. And though battered, they had endured.
Far away in Conde Petie, Sirius exhaled slowly, having felt every moment of the struggle through the trinkets. His lips curved in the faintest smile.
Yes. Struggle. Break. Rise again. You are ready to face what comes next.