šļø Scene 1 ā Descent from the Volcano
The path down the Mana Volcano shimmered under the afternoon sun. The mountain no longer pulsed with judgment, only heat.
William walked in silence, his new sword resting across his back. Alicia stayed close, eyes occasionally flicking toward him.
"So," she said, casually. "You talk in your sleep."
William blinked. "I do?"
"Something aboutā¦ 'Don't fade, Lyra.'"
He nearly tripped over a rock.
Gin walked by chewing dried fruit. "Romantic sword spirits. Classic. Happens to everyone."
Alicia raised an eyebrow. "It does?"
Gin paused. "No. Just you freaks."
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šļø Scene 2 ā Smoke in the Distance
As they reached the base of the mountain, they saw itā
A village. Small. Thatched roofs. Surrounded by farmland.
And burning.
Shinonome's eyes narrowed.
Smoke curled into the sky. People screamed in the distance.
They rushed forward.
A boy ran toward them, sobbing.
"A monster! It came from the groundāit's made of light! My sisterāshe's still out there!"
Gin's eyes sharpened instantly.
Alicia unsheathed her rapier.
William looked to Shinonome. She nodded.
"Go."
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āļø Scene 3 ā The Mana-Spike Beast
The creature towered over the far field.
A twisted beast of stone and glowing blue mana, lashing out with tendrils of unstable energy. Eyes like shattered crystals.
Villagers screamed as the creature leveled a barn with a single swing.
A girl was trapped beneath a collapsed cart.
William sprinted first, Alicia right behind. Shinonome moved to protect the villagers.
Gin stayedā¦ until a mana lash shot toward a group of crying girls hiding near the well.
They screamed.
Gin's smile vanished.
Time slowed.
> "I hate when ugly things scare pretty people."
His blade flashed.
A perfect white crescent tore through the air ā clean, sharp, silent.
The mana tendril disintegrated before it could touch them.
Gin exhaled.
> "Sorry. I hate killing things on an empty stomach."
The girls blinked. One fainted. Gin caught her gently.
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š Scene 4 ā William's Strike
William reached the beast. It roaredāswung a limb of mana.
He rolled beneath it. Alicia dashed past, cutting vines that snared the girl.
"Go!" she shouted. The girl ran.
William stood, eyes narrowing.
> "It doesn't stop. It's not alive. It's mana gone mad."
Lyra's voice echoed in his mind.
> "Then stop proving something. Protect them."
He gripped the blade.
Breathed.
Swung.
A silver-black arc exploded from his blade, cleaving through the beast's center.
The light shattered. The stones crumbled.
Silence.
Then cheers.
Children surrounded him. Villagers cried.
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š Scene 5 ā Quiet Reflections
Later, by the village well, Alicia sat beside William.
"You were amazing," she said quietly.
He looked down at his sword. "It was her. She guides me."
Alicia smiledābut her eyes were distant.
"You're changing."
He didn't deny it.
Gin dropped beside them, dusting off his coat.
"One swing. One save. One legend born."
Then grinned.
> "Now imagine if you weren't emotionally constipated. You'd be unstoppable."
William threw a pebble at him. Gin caught it. With his teeth.
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š Chapter End Quote:
> "Some blades are not drawn to cut. They're drawn to protect."