The explosion tore through the chamber like the wrath of a dying god.
Stone split. Light screamed. The mountain itself roared in protest.
When the dust cleared, Riku was on his knees — Eclipsera buried in the ground, its glow flickering weakly like a dying ember. Blood ran down his cheek, stinging his eyes.
"Ren!" he shouted.
No answer.
Through the haze, he saw Ren half-buried under stone debris, his breathing shallow. Mina crouched beside him, her staff trembling as she poured waves of golden light into his wounds. Arin stood protectively before them, bow drawn, her eyes locked on the smoke that swallowed the far end of the chamber.
And from that smoke, he emerged again.
Var'gon.
The General of Chains stepped through the chaos as if nothing had happened — his crimson armor glowing like molten metal, his spear dragging sparks against the ground. Chains slithered around his shoulders and waist, whispering like serpents hungry for blood.
"Still breathing," he rumbled. "Good. I hate it when they die too quickly."
Riku gritted his teeth and stood, forcing strength into his trembling legs.
He raised Eclipsera. "We're not done yet."
The General's helm tilted slightly. "Defiance? Admirable. Futile."
Chains shot from his gauntlet — faster than arrows. Riku barely managed to slash through one before another coiled around his arm, jerking him forward.
The pull was monstrous. Riku's feet left the ground as Var'gon swung him through the air like a toy and smashed him into a pillar. The impact shattered the stone and sent a shockwave through the room.
"Riku!" Mina screamed.
He groaned, the taste of iron flooding his mouth. Get up…
Ren stirred. His eyes fluttered open, barely focusing. "Kid… don't just stand there and die… fight back."
Riku staggered to his feet again, every bone in his body screaming in protest. He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up — Var'gon was already upon him.
The spear came down like lightning.
Riku blocked with Eclipsera. The clash sent a torrent of energy spiraling around them. The floor cracked. The air warped. His hands burned from the vibration.
"You think brute strength will save you?" the General sneered. "You wield your soul like a child swinging a stick."
Riku pushed back, eyes blazing. "Then I'll learn to swing harder!"
He let out a roar, unleashing everything he had. The blade erupted with light — a mix of black and white energy spiraling together. For a heartbeat, it looked like he might overpower the General.
But then Var'gon's chains surged again, coiling around Eclipsera, smothering its glow.
Riku's light vanished.
With a backhand swing, Var'gon hurled him across the chamber once more. He crashed into the ground beside Mina, who reached out in panic. "Riku, stop! You'll die!"
He looked up at her, coughing. "If I stop… we all die."
⸻
The Awakening Spark
Ren pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily on his sword. "Alright, enough of this." He reached for the Relic of Healing hanging around his neck — the small, crystal-like pendant pulsing faintly.
Mina's eyes widened. "Ren, you can't— you'll burn yourself out!"
He grinned weakly. "Better burned than buried."
He crushed the relic in his hand.
A blinding burst of emerald light enveloped him. The wounds across his body began to knit together. His eyes flared with determination as spirit-fire coursed along his blade.
"Alright, big guy…" he said, stepping forward. "Let's see how unbreakable those chains really are."
He charged.
Var'gon turned, his movements slow but deliberate. "A spark before death."
Ren's blade met the General's spear in a violent clash of light and sound. Sparks ignited the air. Every swing sent waves of heat and light across the chamber.
Arin took the chance — firing a barrage of arrows into the chains that bound the room. "Riku! Get up and find an opening! He's holding back— he's testing us!"
Riku forced his aching body upright. His sword trembled in his grip. Eclipsera… come on. You're not just metal. You're… you're part of me.
For a moment, the world seemed to dim.
A whisper echoed in his mind — faint, distant, almost like a heartbeat.
"Do you wish to live?"
Riku froze. His breath hitched.
"Then cut the chains that bind you…"
The sword pulsed once, faintly — then flared with a surge of energy so bright it cracked the ground beneath him.
"Riku?" Mina gasped.
He looked up, eyes glowing faintly silver. The aura around Eclipsera changed — no longer just white or black, but a shimmering twilight hue.
Ren turned slightly, smirking despite the pain. "Looks like the kid's finally waking up."
Riku dashed forward, faster than before. His sword clashed against Var'gon's spear — this time, sparks of silver light exploded outward.
Var'gon's eyes flickered behind his helm. "Impossible…"
The young warrior pressed harder. "You're not sending me back to the dark!"
With a shout, he released a burst of energy that pushed the General back a step — just a step, but enough to make the mountain tremble again.
Var'gon raised his spear high, voice booming. "So… the Soulbound Blade chooses its master."
"Then let us see if your soul can withstand judgment."
The mountain walls began to shatter. Chains erupted from the ceiling, whipping across the chamber. Arin rolled aside, firing glowing arrows that severed several midair. Mina's barrier shimmered under the pressure of each strike.
Ren fell to one knee, his energy flickering. The Relic's glow began to fade.
"Ren!" Mina reached for him, but he raised a hand weakly. "Don't… worry. Just focus…"
Var'gon's aura expanded — an ocean of crimson chains swirling around him like a hurricane. His voice thundered:
"You are not worthy of the Fountain of Return."
"You are still bound… by your mortal fears."
He thrust his spear forward. Chains erupted from the floor, walls, and even the ceiling — hundreds of them, streaking toward the heroes.
Riku stood at the center, eyes blazing. Eclipsera hummed with life.
"Then I'll break every chain!" he roared.
The sword's glow expanded, forming a silver arc of energy that cleaved through the incoming chains — but there were too many.
One wrapped around his arm. Another around Mina's waist. Two around Ren's chest.
The chamber filled with the sound of snapping metal and screams of effort.
Var'gon raised his spear one final time.
"Your journey ends here, Reincarnated One."
The crimson light gathered into a single point — a strike powerful enough to crush the mountain.
And just as he brought it down—
A blinding blue light erupted between them. A new presence — unseen till now — appeared behind Riku, catching the General's strike with a glowing hand.
Var'gon's eyes widened. "You—"
The figure's voice was calm, echoing through the storm of chains:
"That's enough, Var'gon."
Everything froze.
Riku's breath caught. Mina's eyes went wide. Even Ren stopped moving.
The chains fell silent.
The stranger — tall, cloaked in light — turned slightly, revealing faintly glowing eyes. "You've taken this trial too far."
Var'gon's growl rumbled the air. "He is unworthy."
"Perhaps," the stranger said softly. "But his story isn't finished."
The light exploded outward — and everything went white.