The battlefield was fire and ruin. The Chaos agent towered above the plain, its body seething with corruption, limbs twisting into claws, wings, and maws. Its roars shook the air, each one buffing the horde around it. The armies of Eorzea strained to hold the tide — shields locked, spells blazing, banners trembling in the smoke.
At the center, five figures stood bloodied but unbroken.
Zack planted his feet, his bastard sword blazing with holy light. "One more round," he growled, his grin fierce despite the blood at his lips. "Let's end this."
Aerith's staff glowed with lilies, her hair clinging damp to her face. She lifted her voice in song, weaving light into their wounds, her resolve steadier than her shaking hands. "Together."
Galuf cracked his fists, every joint screaming, but his laugh boomed anyway. "Hah! Been a while since I had this much fun! Let's smash the bastard!"
Noctis twirled his spear, the fire of his new revelation burning in his eyes. "We end it here."
Reks, shield gone but axe steady, raised his weapon high. "For Eorzea. For everyone watching."
---
The agent lunged, its maw splitting open into a dozen shrieking mouths. Zack met it head-on, sword blazing. He struck once, twice, each swing cleaving through corrupted flesh. Holy light burst outward, forcing the monster back. His every movement screamed Paladin — not the shield-bearer of tradition, but a wall of light, sword and vow as one.
Galuf charged in with a roar, fists slamming into the agent's leg. His blows cracked like thunder, each one a meteor. Blood sprayed, ichor spattered his face, but he laughed through it. "Still standing! Always standing!"
Noctis warped upward, his body vanishing into a streak of blue. He reappeared high above, spear blazing. The warp carried him further, higher, and then he dropped — a Leaping Warp Strike, spear-first into the monster's shoulder. The explosion of dragonfire tore a hole through its hide, sending the agent reeling.
Aerith lifted her staff, her voice rising into a song that carried across the battlefield. Light cascaded over the Five, their wounds sealing, their bodies steadied. Her magic spread outward, touching even the armies holding the lines, renewing their courage. "Stand, all of you. The earth will not fall tonight."
Reks surged forward, shieldless but unstoppable. His axe carved into the monster's side, his stance unyielding even as its claws raked across his armor. He braced, holding the line alone as the others regrouped. "Hit it now!"
---
The Five struck together.
Zack's sword cleaved holy arcs. Aerith's staff burned with white blossoms. Galuf's fists hammered like mountains falling. Noctis's warps and leaps blurred into fire and steel. Reks's axe split through hide and bone.
The Chaos agent shrieked, its body convulsing, trying to reform. It sprouted wings to escape, but Zack leapt and slashed them down. It sprouted claws to tear them apart, but Reks caught them, axe biting deep. It spewed black fire, but Aerith's barrier turned it aside. It surged upward, but Noctis warped above, his dive driving it back into the dirt. Galuf's fists finished the motion, slamming it down with a roar.
The battlefield shook as the agent hit the ground.
---
Sirius's voice flared in their minds, sharp and unyielding. "Now! Do not relent! Strike its core!"
The Five moved as one.
Zack plunged his sword into the beast's chest, light blazing from the wound.
Aerith raised her staff, a pure beam of White Magic piercing the corruption.
Galuf slammed his fists down, cracking the monster's ribs open.
Noctis warped above, driving his spear into the opening, dragonfire exploding inside.
Reks lifted his axe high, roaring, and brought it down with every ounce of his strength.
The combined strike tore into the monster's core — a black crystal beating like a heart.
The agent screamed, a sound that split the night, shaking the stars. Its body convulsed, twisting through a dozen forms in desperation. But the Five held their ground, pouring everything into their strike.
The crystal cracked.
Once. Twice.
Then it shattered.
---
The Chaos agent's roar died in its throat. Its body collapsed, unraveling into smoke and ash. The ground quaked as its form dissolved, its corruption scattering into the wind like dust burned away by sunlight. The horde faltered, their strength gone, and the armies of Eorzea surged forward, cutting them down.
When the smoke cleared, silence fell.
The Five stood in the crater, bloodied, battered, barely standing. But alive. Victorious.
---
The armies erupted with cheers. Warriors pounded their shields. Mages raised their staves. Families wept, holding one another. The Guildmasters stood in awe, their faces lit with pride and disbelief.
But the Five said nothing.
They looked at each other, exhaustion in their eyes, then turned and walked away from the field.
Behind them, the people whispered in awe.
"The Paladin… did you see his blade?"
"The White Mage's song healed us all."
"The Monk struck like a storm."
"The Dragoon leapt higher than the sky."
"The Warrior fought without a shield, yet held the line."
Five nameless heroes.
Their names unknown, their faces unseen, but their legend already written.
---
Above, Sirius watched from the Aetherveil. Relief flickered across his features, but his voice was grim.
"One agent. One. And it nearly killed them. What happens when the armies of Chaos march in full?"
The stars gave no answer.
But below, in Eorzea, hope burned brighter than fear. For the first time, the people had seen what five unknown heroes could do.
And the Fallen themselves knew: this was only the beginning.