The battlefield had become a nightmare.
The Chaos agent loomed like a mountain of shifting flesh and steel, its body sprouting wings, claws, and maws as though it had stolen traits from every monster in Eorzea. Each roar sent a shockwave across the plain, buffing the corrupted hordes behind it. Beasts fought harder, faster, more violently. The armies of Eorzea strained to hold the line, their banners flickering in the smoke.
At the center, the Fallen Five clung to survival.
---
Zack planted himself in front, his bastard sword glowing faintly with holy light. Each swing tore through flesh, yet the agent healed, the wounds sealing with black ichor. A claw hammered into his chest, throwing him back. He coughed blood, but his grin held. "You'll need more than that!"
Aerith's staff trembled as she poured healing into him. Sweat dripped down her brow, her song faltering. The light from her lilies dimmed as her strength waned.
The agent roared, and a blast of black fire streaked across the ground. Galuf shoved Aerith aside and took the brunt of it. His body hit the dirt, smoking. He laughed weakly, forcing himself back up, ribs cracked. "Still standing! Hah!"
Reks's shield shattered beneath a massive strike, the fragments scattering into the mud. He dropped to one knee, breath ragged, his axe barely holding the monster back. He felt naked without his shield, but he still stood, his stance like stone.
Noctis warped again and again, his strikes fast but desperate. Each warp drained his aether, his body screaming from the strain. He leapt high, spear blazing, only for the agent to swat him midair. He crashed to the ground, gasping.
Aerith rushed to him, hands glowing faintly. "Don't move—"
Noctis grabbed her wrist, his eyes sharp even through the pain. "I'm fine. Heal the others."
---
The agent surged again. Its claws swept wide, tearing gouges through the earth. The Five barely dodged, each already battered. Aerith's barrier flickered, then shattered with a sound like breaking glass.
For a moment, despair rippled through them.
"This thing…" Zack muttered, staggering to his feet, blood dripping down his chin. "This is just one? Just one of them?"
Reks's voice was grim. "And it's already enough to kill us all."
Galuf spat blood, forcing his fists back up. "Then we hit it harder!"
Aerith's voice cracked, trembling but steady. "If we fall here, Eorzea falls. We can't—"
The agent slammed its body into the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked them sprawling. Dust and blood filled the air.
For a heartbeat, it seemed over.
---
Noctis lay on his back, staring at the stars. His chest heaved, his vision blurred. Warp-strikes had always been his gift, his crutch. He warped faster, harder, until his body screamed at him to stop. And still, it wasn't enough. He remembered his father's voice, Lunafreya's promise, the throne that had cost him everything. Here, in this world, was he still just relying on shortcuts?
He closed his eyes, forcing his breath to steady.
Warping wasn't about fleeing. It wasn't about flailing in every direction. It was about precision. About timing. About purpose.
His hand tightened on his spear.
---
The Chaos agent lunged again, its maw splitting open. Zack braced, ready to meet the blow, but Noctis's voice cut through the din.
"Zack—open the path!"
Zack blinked, then grinned, swinging his sword in a blazing arc. The agent staggered, just enough.
Noctis warped—not wildly, but with intent. He vanished, reappearing above the monster's head. His spear blazed with dragonfire, his leap carrying him higher than ever before. For a heartbeat, the stars themselves seemed to pull him upward.
Then he fell.
The warp propelled him faster, the dragoon's dive sharpening the strike into something new. The spear slammed into the Chaos agent's skull with a thunderous crack, the explosion of fire and aether lighting the battlefield.
The monster shrieked, stumbling, ichor spilling across the dirt.
Zack whooped. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Galuf roared with laughter, pounding his fists into the beast's leg. "Knew the quiet kid had it in him!"
Reks steadied himself, axe biting into the monster's side. "Keep pushing!"
Aerith's voice rose in song, her healing surging brighter, steadier, as hope returned.
---
Noctis landed hard, spear digging into the dirt. He panted, but his eyes gleamed. "Not warp everywhere. Not waste. Warp with the leap. With the strike. That's how I'll fight."
Aerith smiled faintly through her exhaustion. "Then that's your gift. Not escape—precision."
The Five rallied, battered but unbroken. Zack surged forward, his sword blazing brighter with holy fire. Aerith's staff sang, barriers blooming once more. Galuf's fists struck like meteors, each blow shaking the agent. Reks fought without his shield, his axe carving brutal arcs, his stance still unyielding. And Noctis leapt again, his warp carrying him higher, his strikes burning deeper.
The Chaos agent staggered under the renewed assault, its body reforming slower, its roars tinged with frustration.
For the first time, victory felt possible.
But Sirius's voice whispered sharp in their minds. "Do not falter. This is only an agent. If you fall now, the true storm will consume you."
The weight of his words pressed heavy, but none of them broke.
Zack grinned through the blood on his lips. "Then let's make sure it's the agent that falls first."
---
The night burned with light and fire, the battlefield trembling under the clash of heroes and nightmare.
And though their bodies bled and their strength waned, the Fallen Five stood, defiant.
The next strike would decide everything.