The guardian crashed down, its charred wings slicing the air with razor wind. Red sparks flickered in its joints—arcane tech fused with old magic, bound by desperation and fear.
Haruto moved first, the Nullblade drawn in a single breath. Sparks burst as the two clashed, steel and fury igniting the silence of the dead city.
The guardian struck like a machine—precise, relentless. But its movements were haunted, like it was reliving a battle long lost.
Serenya's hands flared with azure glyphs as she hurled a barrier between Haruto and the next strike. "Its magic is distorted. This thing isn't just enchanted—it's cursed!"
Lucien ducked low, sliding across broken tiles and jamming a crystal into the ground. Runes burst outward in a containment circle. "We don't have to destroy it—just stall it!"
Haruto gritted his teeth. "No. It's not attacking us for no reason."
He drove his blade into the earth, and the Nullblade rang with resonance—deep, low, like a bell tolling for memory.
The guardian faltered. Its body spasmed, head jerking sideways.
And then—it spoke again.
But this time, the voice wasn't mechanical.
It was his.
"Haruto… don't forget me."
The machine twitched violently, like something trapped inside was trying to break free. Its burning eyes dimmed for just a moment, flickering between rage and sorrow.
Then Haruto understood.
"It's not a guardian. It's what's left of me."
Lucien froze. "What?"
Haruto stepped forward. "When they split me… they didn't destroy the other half. They bound him. Into this. Into the ruins. Into the myth."
The shard pulsed in Haruto's hand, responding to the truth.
"Vel'Tharion wasn't destroyed by skyfire. It was me. Or… the part of me they sealed away."
He walked toward the creature, slowly, blade sheathed.
Serenya shouted, "Haruto, wait!"
But he didn't stop.
He reached out with the shard, and pressed it to the creature's chest.
There was a blinding flash.
The guardian convulsed, collapsing forward into his arms. The metal peeled away like ash. Beneath it, barely visible, was a figure—his face, older, worn by battle, eyes hollow with years of silence.
The other Haruto.
He looked up with cracked lips. "They made me forget… but I remembered… you."
And then, like smoke in the wind, he faded.
Haruto collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.
The shard had changed—now glowing softly, no longer obsidian but crystal-clear.
"Part of you has returned," Serenya said quietly, kneeling beside him.
Lucien looked toward the glowing spire. "And part of you… still waits ahead."