The Guardian's claws slashed down—Kael rolled, the stone floor cracking where his head had been a second ago. Dust sprayed into his mouth and he coughed, heart hammering.
> "Too close. Way too close!"
He scrambled back, hands shaking, clutching the glowing pen. The Guardian's eyes burned red, its armor glistening with an otherworldly sheen. Each step it took echoed like a war drum in the chamber.
Kael's instincts screamed at him to run—but the heavy door had already slammed shut.
No escape. No way out.
Unless…
He lifted the pen, its faint light shimmering. Pages of white fire hovered before him again. Words waiting to be written.
He swallowed hard, muttering,
> "Alright. If you're really my power, then save me."
He scrawled the first thing that came to his panicked mind:
"The Guardian slips on the floor."
The letters dissolved into the air like sparks—then, unbelievably, the towering beast stepped forward, its massive clawed foot hitting a patch of slick stone.
CRASH!
It stumbled—its huge body slamming into the wall with a thundering boom.
Kael blinked.
> "…No way. It actually worked?!"
A laugh bubbled out of him. But his relief was short-lived.
The Guardian roared, shaking rubble loose from the ceiling, and pushed itself up again. Its red eyes now glowed with fury.
Kael's smile vanished.
> "…Oh, crap."
He scribbled desperately:
"The Guardian faints."
The words fizzled—then vanished.
Nothing.
The Guardian charged, shaking the floor with every step.
> "So it doesn't work if I go too far?!" Kael yelped, dodging sideways. His shoulder slammed into a column—pain shot through his body. He winced, clutching his arm.
The beast raised its claw again—this one wouldn't miss.
In that split second, Kael's thoughts raced. He wasn't strong. He wasn't fast. He wasn't anyone.
But… he was a writer.
His hand shot out, pen slicing across the page with desperate speed.
"The Guardian's claw misses Kael by inches."
WHOOSH—air ripped past his face as the monster's attack barely scraped his cheek, sparks flying off the stone wall behind him.
Kael froze. Then grinned.
> "…That's it. I don't need to fight. I just need to write the fight."
He stood straighter now, adrenaline blazing in his veins. He twirled the pen in his fingers like a blade.
The Guardian lunged again.
Kael wrote faster:
"Kael ducks. The Guardian stumbles. Its armor cracks."
Reality shifted—the words became truth. The Guardian roared in pain as a jagged line split across its chestplate.
Kael's grin widened. He was actually winning.
> "Who's the background character now?"
But just as hope filled his chest, the pen flickered—its glow dimming. The pages trembled, fading like dying embers.
Kael's blood ran cold.
> "…Wait. Don't tell me there's a limit—"
Before he could finish, the Guardian rose again, armor cracked but eyes burning hotter than ever. It bellowed, shaking the chamber.
The pen in Kael's hand went dark.
His new power… already running out.
The Guardian charged for the kill.
To be continued…