The world went silent for half a heartbeat.
The swirling tornado hesitated as the cloaked man stepped fully into the pasture.
Wind and fire curled around his body like two living snakes. His hood shadowed his face, but his eyes burned bright orange.
> "Pathetic," the man said softly, his voice carried perfectly over the roaring wind.
"Even my toys have forgotten their master."
The Air Guardian shuddered. Lightning flickered in its vortex.
"CREATOR…" it rumbled, "YOU LEFT US… YOU ABANDONED THE CODE…"
The cloaked man tilted his head. "I didn't abandon anything. I upgraded it."
He raised his hand — and the fire along his arm merged with the wind. A blazing cyclone spiraled out from his palm, splitting the Air Guardian's funnel cloud like a knife through cloth.
Lin, clinging to a boulder, screamed over the noise: "Hey! Stranger-danger! Could you not nuke the area while I'm still here?!"
Crystal's voice was sharp: "Energy levels rising. Advise retreat, host."
"I'm trying!" Lin yelled, tumbling sideways as chunks of compressed air exploded around him.
---
The Clash Begins
The Air Guardian roared, forming twin tornado arms and hurling them at the cloaked man.
The man simply flicked his wrist. The wind arms ignited with fire and dissolved into smoke.
Then he snapped his fingers. Flaming spears of air shot upward like volcanic vents, stabbing at the Guardian's vortex.
"Your code is still sloppy," the man muttered. "Let me show you efficiency."
The Guardian bellowed, "CORRUPTION DETECTED. PURGE THE INTRUDER—"
It unleashed a blast of pure vacuum.
The cloaked man vanished, reappearing behind the Guardian in a swirl of fire. His laugh rolled like thunder.
Lin peeked over a rock, eyes wide. "This guy's a walking Marvel crossover."
---
Funny Interlude: Lin Gets Caught
Lin tried to crawl away quietly.
A butterfly swooped past, startled by the energy clash. Its wing-blade nicked Lin's pants, tearing them open.
"Really?!" Lin hissed. "This is not the time for wardrobe malfunctions!"
Another gust of wind slammed him into a bush. He tumbled down a slope, right toward the Guardian's funnel.
Crystal deadpanned: "Congratulations. You've reached the boss's aggro zone."
Lin's voice went high-pitched: "I didn't even press 'A' to attack!"
---
The Villain Notices Lin
The cloaked man paused mid-strike, his burning eyes shifting toward Lin.
For a moment the air around Lin stilled.
> "So," the man murmured, "the little respawn rat finally showed up."
Lin froze. "Uh… hi?"
> "You amuse me," the man continued. "Survive this, and maybe I'll let you see the next level."
He flicked his fingers. A gust of wind shot Lin sideways, flinging him out of the vortex just as a giant lightning strike hit the ground.
Lin landed hard, rolling. "Oww! Could've just asked me to move!"
Crystal's tone was low. "He knows you. This changes everything."
---
Power Overload
The Air Guardian roared louder, its vortex growing unstable.
"ILLEGAL CODE DETECTED… SYSTEM FAILURE… MUST PURGE—"
The cloaked man smirked. "Too slow."
He slammed his palms together. Fire and air merged into a single colossal spear of burning wind.
He hurled it straight into the Guardian's eye of the storm.
The Guardian screamed. Its vortex convulsed, splitting into fragments of glowing wind. Lightning sprayed in every direction.
Lin ducked behind a rock, arms over his head. "I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR A BOSS RAID AT LEVEL ONE!"
---
Cliffhanger
The Guardian's form collapsed, imploding into a swirling ball of pure wind energy.
The cloaked man reached out a hand to grab it — and for a moment, the entire biome flickered like a broken video game.
Lin stared at him, panting. "You're… you're the creator, aren't you?"
The man looked over his shoulder. "Creator? Villain? It depends on who's telling the story."
He smiled, fire glinting under his hood.
"Let's see if you survive the next biome."
He snapped his fingers.
The ground beneath Lin cracked open, glowing with light.
To be continued…