In Arknights, there are disasters called Catastrophes.
Wherever they pass, Originium crystals blanket the land, infecting people with Oripathy—a disease with no cure.
Once you're infected, your life becomes a countdown.
The pain comes without warning.
So when a Catastrophe approaches, people don't fight it.
They flee.
Catastrophes cannot be opposed.
No one even considers resisting them.
But—
"Against a mere Catastrophe, I won't back down!" a reckless outsider declared.
"Uh... is your friend in the head okay?" Talulah tried very hard to ask the Doctor politely.
"I honestly don't know," he said.
Talulah pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated.
They were nearly out of time.
The sooner they left, the safer they'd be.
She was about to drag Ember away by force—
When Ember spoke again.
"You guys go. I need to do something."
"Like what?" Star arched a brow.
"Tank the Catastrophe."
Insane.
Completely insane.
Hard-tanking a Catastrophe?
Had he lost his mind?
Talulah's brain felt like it was shaking.
And then something even crazier happened.
"Alright, then it's yours," Star said, already walking away. "Remember to tell me how it felt when you get back."
"Anything comes up, say it in the group chat," Kevin added, turning to leave.
"We'll head out first," the Doctor said, following them.
Talulah blurted out, staring at them.
"Aren't you companions?!"
The Doctor peeked back from behind Star and Kevin.
"Yeah. That's why we're leaving. We trust him."
"Oh, so it's trust between partners!" Ember covered his face, a delighted curve on his lips.
"No, it's because we know you too well," the Doctor shot back.
"Anyway—good luck!"
"Leave it to me!"
Talulah stood there completely lost.
Ember watched them go, then turned toward the sky.
Thick clouds. Lightning coiling in their heart.
"Facing a Catastrophe head-on with a mortal body... I wouldn't have dared to imagine it before."
"Though I guess I'm not exactly mortal anymore."
His laughter echoed in the wind.
Reunion gathered, loaded into vehicle after vehicle, and fled the city.
Talulah sat in the back of one truck, eyes locked on the brewing Catastrophe.
"Why do you look more nervous than we do?" Star teased from beside her.
"Uh..." Talulah choked.
"Relax. He'll be fine," Kevin said quietly.
"We're his partners," the Doctor added, chin propped on his hand as he stared into the distance. "If there were really danger, we'd break his legs and drag him back ourselves."
"Heh. I'll be the one to bonk him," Star said brightly, raising a hand.
"Good. I'll hold him down," Kevin replied.
"I'll help," the Doctor laughed.
Are you really companions?
Talulah was seriously starting to doubt it.
Star waved her off. "Hey! Don't underestimate our bond!"
Does that even exist?
Talulah remained unconvinced.
Then the wind changed.
Thunder grew louder.
Everyone in the truck turned their eyes toward the sound.
The Catastrophe was here.
Talulah stared at the city as if to burn it into memory.
The Doctor spoke softly.
"Watch, Talulah. What happens next might exceed anything you imagine."
Talulah blinked, about to ask what he meant—
And her beautiful eyes caught sight of a sun.
—
Wind whipped past Ember's ears.
Originium dust stung his lungs.
Far above the city—right at the Catastrophe's core—
A pair of draconic wings spread, stabilizing his body in the storm.
Lightning lit the clouds and etched Ember's face in harsh white.
Catastrophes can't be stopped?
Can't be beaten?
He didn't know.
But he was about to find out.
Elements raged into chaos—twisting, colliding, weaving together—
A fireball formed in his palm.
It swelled fast.
Ember lifted it overhead.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Seven—
A colossal fire sphere, nearly fifty meters across, bloomed inside the clouds.
Its heat was so terrifying it made the clouds boil away.
Everyone below who looked up saw it burned into their vision.
"W-what is that?!"
"Is that a Catastrophe reaction?"
Reunion members shouted in confusion.
"Move! Let me see!"
A man raising binoculars felt them yanked from his hands.
He was about to protest—
Then saw it was Talulah, and shut up instantly.
She cranked the zoom to the max.
Through the searing clouds, under that false sun—
She saw the figure.
"Ember..." she murmured.
The thing beneath the sun wasn't a person.
It was a dragon.
As she stared, stunned—
A hand covered the binoculars.
Darkness.
Talulah snapped back and looked up at the one who'd stopped her.
The Doctor.
"That's enough. Keep looking and you'll lose your eyes," he said softly.
"It's about to blow," Star called from outside the truck, staring up. "He kept pinging us in the chat—said don't blink."
"Guy's been bragging about how strong his Rhine is forever," Kevin said. "Now he finally gets to show off."
The sun shifted.
Everyone felt it in their bones.
It's coming.
—
At the moment the critical point hit—
Ember pointed at the sun above him.
His face was fever-bright with exhilaration.
"Witness this—my ultimate power!"
"A mere Catastrophe—disperse!"
Words of Power: Rhine!
The sun exploded.
It detonated inside the so-called unstoppable Catastrophe.
The blast lasted a full seven seconds.
With that single strike—
The sky cleared.
The Catastrophe dissolved.
—
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