The air in Argos City was thick—burning, trembling, and pulsing with power. Aetheris itself felt like it held its breath as two brothers—Bin and Malakar—clashed with all the might their opposite destinies granted them.
Each strike of the Sword of Light against Malakar's Darkfire Claws sent aftershocks through the ruins. Trees bent. Walls cracked. The ground glowed with the scars of their power.
Boom! Clang! Crack!
"You're still holding back, Bin!" Malakar shouted mid-swing, his dark aura raging. "After all this time... after all your training… are you still hoping to save me?"
Bin slid back, breathing heavily, but his eyes stayed locked on Malakar's. "I'm not holding back because I'm weak... I'm holding back because I still believe there's good in you."
Malakar's face twisted, fury and pain mixing in his gaze. "That part of me died long ago."
Behind them, Hook was locked in a deadly game of survival. Rigor's speed was inhuman—his movements blurred like wind itself. Hook focused, heart pounding, relying on instinct as much as skill. His left shoulder still bled from Rigor's earlier strike, but his stance remained unbroken.
"Still standing?" Rigor finally asked, amused. "I'll admit... most people can't even follow my shadow."
Hook smirked, sweat dripping from his brow. "Maybe that's because I'm not 'most people'."
Without warning, Rigor vanished. Hook's eyes darted.
Above!
He raised his arms just in time. CLANG! Rigor came from the air, both blades crashing down. Hook skidded backward, blades tearing into the earth to stabilize.
"You've trained well," Rigor said, landing gracefully. "But training doesn't make you a warrior. Only war does."
"And I've seen enough of it," Hook spat, then lifted several blades from the ground and launched them toward Rigor.
The dark warrior dashed again, his movements blending with the wind. Hook could barely track him. One second behind… that's all it takes to die.
But Hook had a plan. He closed his eyes.
He felt the air pressure. The swirl. The movement of energy. And—
He spun around and swung.
Clang!
Rigor's blade met Hook's steel just an inch from his neck.
"Got you…" Hook whispered.
Rigor smirked. "Impressive."
Then kicked Hook square in the stomach, sending him flying into a wall.
Back to the brothers.
Bin and Malakar stood amidst a crater of their own making—light and darkness swirling in the sky above like battling dragons.
"You still think I wanted this power?" Bin shouted, gripping his blade. "Do you think I asked to be chosen?"
"You didn't have to!" Malakar roared back. "You got everything while I was left with nothing!"
Bin narrowed his eyes. "You chose to disappear. You chose this path, Malakar. Not me. Not Father. You."
Malakar growled, fists shaking. "You think I had a choice?!" He punched the ground. A wave of dark energy erupted outward, cracking stones and sending Bin sliding back. "Every day after you were chosen, I lived in a world where my name meant nothing. Where my future vanished!"
"Because you abandoned us!" Bin countered. "You could've stayed! Fought by my side! Trained with me! But you let your pride control you!"
Malakar's face contorted with emotion. "Don't speak of pride to me. You got the glory, the sword, the love… and I got shadows."
Bin took a step forward, lowering his blade.
"Then let me share my light with you."
Malakar froze.
"I don't want to kill you, Malakar. I never did. I want to save you—because no matter how far you've fallen, you're still my brother."
Malakar's lip trembled for just a moment.
Then his eyes burned black once again.
"No," he hissed. "Your brother is dead."
He rushed forward, claws charged with black flame, and slammed into Bin with the force of a meteor.
Bin raised his sword, grunting as the blast launched him across the battlefield.
"Bin!" Hook yelled, trying to rise.
Rigor blocked him.
"Your fight is with me."
Hook wiped blood from his mouth. "Then let's end this."
The two charged again—Hook hurling bladed projectiles and Rigor weaving between them like a blur, exchanging slashes mid-air, each blow bursting with wind and telekinetic force.
Back with Bin—he slowly stood, coughing dust, hair covering one eye.
"You never did like fighting dirty..." he said with a weak smile.
Malakar threw another dark wave. Bin summoned his Susanoo again, slicing it apart.
Their weapons met again—this time sparking light and shadow across the clouds.
And for a brief second... everything around them stilled.
The silence was deafening.
They were brothers once.
Laughed together. Protected each other. Fought monsters side by side.
Now, the monsters were inside them.
Bin's Susanoo raised its blade. Malakar charged with both fists cloaked in fire.
CLASH!
They met in a blinding explosion—light swallowing shadow, shadow cutting light.
The two collapsed away from each other, panting.
Neither won.
Neither gave up.
But in their eyes... it was no longer just a battle.
It was pain. Love. Grief. A war that started the moment fate chose one over the other.
And in the trees... above the cracked city...
A shadow watched. Cloaked. Quiet.
A third figure.
"Soon..." the voice whispered. "They'll both fall."