The station shuddered as half the lights flickered out, plunging the platform into jagged shadows. The Warden's form thickened in the dark, growing taller, more monstrous. His mask gleamed, mocking them.
Mukul's jaw tightened. "Stay sharp! Don't break formation!"
But the Warden moved faster than they expected. A tendril lashed out, knocking Raghav's weapon from his hands. Another coiled around Ansh's leg, yanking him off his feet and dragging him across the floor. Sparks flew as his blade scraped against the concrete.
"Ansh!" Kavya cried, loosing an arrow into the tendril. The light-tipped shaft struck true, bursting with energy and severing the shadow. Ansh scrambled back, breath ragged but alive.
The Warden roared, the sound so deep it rattled their bones. "Pathetic. You think teamwork can bind me?"
He swept his arms wide, summoning a storm of shadow whips. They struck in all directions—forcing the team apart, breaking their rhythm.
Priya's charm flared desperately, shielding her from a direct hit, but the strain was visible. Her hands shook, sweat dripping down her forehead. Mukul rushed to her side, slashing away another tendril just in time.
"Hold it together!" Mukul shouted, his voice carrying the weight of command. "He wants us scattered. Stay linked!"
But the Warden was relentless. His power surged with every second; the shadows thickened. He struck at their weak points—Raghav without a weapon, Kavya exposed after her roll, Priya forced to defend rather than fight.
Mukul realised the trap wasn't just to contain the Warden—it was testing them too. Their unity was the real target.
Gathering his focus, Mukul barked, "Circle formation! Cover each other's blind spots!"
They obeyed instantly, falling into position around Priya. Kavya shifted to the rear, arrows nocked. Ansh steadied himself on Mukul's flank, blade raised. Even Raghav, weaponless, grabbed a shattered pipe to fight with.
The Warden lunged, his massive form crashing into their defence. But this time, they held. Ansh deflected a blow aimed at Mukul, while Kavya's arrows struck at the tendrils that tried to creep from behind. Raghav swung the pipe with surprising precision, knocking one back before it reached Priya.
Their coordination sparked something—a rhythm the Warden hadn't expected. Every attack he unleashed was countered, every gap filled by another's strength.
For the first time, the Warden faltered.
Mukul seized the moment. "Now! Push him back!"
Together, they surged forward. Mukul's blade slashed into the Warden's chest, glowing under Priya's charm. Ansh drove his strike low, severing another limb of shadow. Kavya's arrows rained down, forcing him to retreat a step.
The Warden roared in fury, the sound shaking the walls. His form wavered, like smoke torn apart by wind.
"You… dare defy me!" he hissed. His mask cracked slightly, a thin line down the side.
The team froze for a heartbeat—realisation dawning. The Warden wasn't invincible. He could bleed.
But the pause cost them. With one violent swing, the Warden slammed the ground again. This time, the force shattered their circle, hurling them back like ragdolls. Dust and concrete filled the air, the station trembling as if about to collapse.
When the dust cleared, Mukul pushed himself up, coughing, vision blurred. Across the ruined platform, the Warden loomed, more enraged than ever. His form pulsed, shadows rising like a storm behind him.
"We've hurt him," Mukul rasped, tightening his grip on the blade. "But this fight is far from over."
The Warden straightened, his cracked mask glowing faintly, and spoke in a voice that sent chills through their bones:
"Now… you will know despair."
And with that, the second wave began.