Thanalan's heat shimmered across the dunes as Zack pressed forward, his bastard sword slung over his shoulder. The trail was easy to follow—too easy. Jackals with blackened eyes had torn a caravan apart, and the survivors spoke of a shadow moving against the sun. Zack grinned grimly. "Guess I'm not the only one looking for trouble."
In the Shroud, Aerith's staff trembled as she knelt beside a patch of dying grass. The elementals screamed in her mind, their voices jagged and sharp. She whispered soothing words, but the sickness in the earth was spreading faster than she could calm it. She stood, heart pounding. Whatever caused this, it was close.
Ul'dah's streets rang with chaos. Galuf ducked a swipe from a corrupted spriggan, his fists smashing it into motes of aether. "Blasted things don't even taste like a real fight," he muttered. More poured from the alleys, drawn toward the center of the city. He cracked his knuckles and barreled after them.
In the forest, Noctis crouched beside a torn hunter's bow. The ground bore marks of claws too large for any local beast. He tightened his grip on his spear. His chest ached—not from fear, but from recognition. The aether here felt like it did the day of the trial.
On the coast, Reks braced his shield against a Sahagin whose scales glistened with dark oil. With a grunt, he shoved it back into the surf. More shadows rose behind it, but the waves themselves seemed to recoil as if something greater lurked beneath. He planted his boots, waiting.
None of them knew it, but their paths bent toward the same place.
---
The nest lay in a canyon carved by old rivers, jagged walls rising like broken teeth. The air reeked of corruption. Bones littered the ground—beast, man, even the remains of chocobos torn to shreds.
Zack was the first to step inside, his grin fading as he surveyed the carnage. "Well… this ain't pretty."
Aerith emerged from the shadows a moment later, staff clutched to her chest. Her green eyes softened with relief at the sight of him. "Zack."
"Hey, Aerith. Looks like we're back at it."
A laugh boomed from the cliff above. Galuf leapt down, rolling his shoulders. "Hah! I knew I smelled something rotten. Good to see you lot again."
Noctis stepped silently from the other side, spear glinting in the dusk. He said nothing, but the flicker of recognition in his eyes was enough.
Reks came last, axe and shield at the ready, his face grim. "We're here. All of us."
For a heartbeat, they stood together again—the Five who had survived the impossible trial. Alone, each had walked their road. But here, in the stench of corruption, they were united.
The ground trembled.
From the canyon depths rose the Chaos agent's brood. Twisted monsters poured forth—jackals with burning eyes, spriggans dripping black ichor, Sahagin twisted beyond recognition. The Five closed ranks instinctively.
Zack slammed his sword into the earth with a grin. "Guess it's reunion time!"
Galuf's fists glowed faintly as he laughed. "Finally, a proper fight!"
Aerith's staff blossomed with lilies, light flaring. "Stay close—I'll keep you standing."
Noctis twirled his spear and whispered, "Let's end this."
Reks braced his shield, voice steady. "Hold the line. Together."
The battle roared to life.
---
Zack was everywhere, his sword cleaving arcs of holy light through the swarms. He fought without a shield, yet somehow every strike turned the monsters' attention away from his friends. Aerith's healing wove like song, her light soothing wounds as quickly as they opened. Galuf bellowed with laughter, fists cracking skulls and ribs with reckless abandon. Noctis blurred into leaps, spearing down from the sky like fire falling from the stars. Reks stood firm at the front, his shield catching every blow that slipped past Zack.
But then the air split.
The Chaos agent revealed itself.
It rose from the canyon like a nightmare—its body a shifting mass of claws, wings, and eyes, as if stitched from every monster they had ever fought. Its roar shook the walls, a sound that rattled bone and soul alike.
Aerith gasped. "This… this isn't just a beast."
Sirius's voice tore through their trinkets, sharp as steel. "To the world, it is only a monster. Do not speak its true name. Strike it down, but do not reveal Chaos."
The agent lunged. Its claw nearly took Zack in half, but he caught it with his blade, grinning even as the ground buckled under him. Galuf smashed its leg with both fists, laughing through gritted teeth. Noctis warped into the sky, then dove with spear blazing, striking its hide with sparks of dragonfire. Reks roared as he rammed his shield into its chest, forcing it back a step. Aerith lifted her staff, weaving light into a barrier that kept them standing.
The fight stretched on, every strike shaking the canyon. The agent's body shifted constantly—one moment a serpent's head, the next a clawed wing, the next a burning maw.
They fought until the sky darkened, until sweat and blood blurred into one. At last, with a shuddering roar, the Chaos agent collapsed into shadow, retreating deeper into the earth.
The corrupted monsters scattered with it, leaving silence in their wake.
---
The Five stood together, battered but alive.
Zack wiped blood from his cheek and chuckled. "Well… guess that's round one."
Galuf spat to the side. "Bah! Didn't even break a rib. We'll smash it next time."
Aerith's voice was soft, trembling with exhaustion. "It's hiding. But it's not gone."
Noctis twirled his spear once, eyes narrowed. "Then we hunt it."
Reks simply nodded, his voice low. "Together."
Above, the stars burned bright, silent witnesses to the birth of a legend.