The storm screamed across the valley like a living thing.
Lightning carved jagged lines through the sky, painting two colossal silhouettes in white and shadow.
Rustfang stood tall, armor gleaming wet with rain. His single crimson eye burned steady.
Across the plain, the corrupted mech — Warden Unit 03 — moved like a mountain wrapped in thunder.
Its voice was a distortion of broken circuits and rage.
> "Unauthorized relic detected. Purge protocol—initiated."
Rayan swallowed. Inside the cockpit, arcs of light danced across the control rings that circled him.
"Okay, Rustfang… I've never done this before."
> "Correction: you are doing it."
The ground trembled as the Warden charged.
Rustfang moved instinctively — no levers, no pedals — just thought.
Steel collided with steel.
The shockwave flattened trees and sent waves rippling through the flooded earth.
"Whoa!" Rayan yelled as the mech staggered back. "That thing hits like a train!"
> "Focus," Rustfang said calmly. "Let me guide your mind. Follow the pulse."
He could feel the rhythm — a deep hum inside his chest that matched the mech's heartbeat.
When he moved his hands, the massive limbs obeyed, almost gracefully.
"Alright," Rayan grinned. "Let's dance."
Lyra watched from a nearby ridge, rain soaking her jacket, hands tight around her scanner.
Every pulse of Rustfang's reactor synced with Rayan's vitals — two life signs, one frequency.
"That's impossible…" she whispered. "He's not fighting it — he's harmonizing with it."
Down below, Rustfang lunged forward, driving a punch into the Warden's chest.
The impact exploded in a burst of blue light.
Crimson energy sprayed from the Warden's cracks like molten blood.
But the enemy didn't fall.
Its left arm morphed, shifting plates forming a cannon that charged with red lightning.
> "Incoming," Rustfang warned.
"Block it!"
The world turned white.
A beam cut through the rain, striking Rustfang's shield arm. Metal screamed, circuits fried.
Rayan felt the pain — not physical, but electric — a jolt through his veins that made him gasp.
> "Damage at 37%. Recommend counterstrike."
"Working on it!"
He opened his mind wider, letting the pulse flood him.
For a heartbeat, he saw flashes — memories not his own.
An ancient pilot in silver armor. A city of light. A vow: "Ardentia will not fall."
When he came back to himself, Rustfang's body moved on instinct.
A surge of azure energy burst from its core, reshaping its right arm into a blade of condensed plasma.
Rayan smirked. "Now we're talking."
Rustfang dashed forward, faster than the corrupted mech could react.
The two relics collided again — this time, blue against red.
The blade tore through the Warden's shoulder, sparks scattering like stars.
Lyra's eyes widened. "He's channeling the Core directly! That's suicide!"
> "Stabilizing pilot resonance," Rustfang growled. "Do not interrupt."
The Warden shrieked, its corrupted core cracking.
"Rayan," Lyra shouted through the comm, "if you push further, your nervous system can't take it!"
He gritted his teeth. "Then I'll take it anyway!"
The pulse within him burned hotter.
He swung one final strike — a downward arc of blinding light that split the night sky.
When the glow faded, the Warden stood still for a moment…
…and then collapsed, shaking the earth.
Rayan slumped back in the seat, drenched in sweat.
"Did we… win?"
> "Confirmed," Rustfang said softly. "Threat neutralized."
Outside, the storm began to fade. The clouds parted, revealing a slice of moonlight.
Lyra ran toward the fallen relic, calling his name. "Rayan! Are you okay?"
He opened the cockpit, smiling weakly. "Define 'okay.'"
She laughed, half-relieved, half-terrified. "You just destroyed a war machine from another age."
"Yeah," he said, staring at the horizon, "and I think I just told the universe I exist."
Rustfang's systems powered down into standby.
But deep within his chest, something stirred — a fragment of red energy absorbed from the Warden.
Hidden from Rayan and Lyra, a symbol flickered for a moment on the mech's core: a broken circle with three slashes.
Far away, in a fortress of obsidian steel, a figure awoke.
Its voice echoed through darkness:
> "A Vanguard relic… reactivated? After centuries?"
Screens flared to life, showing the image of Rustfang standing in the rain.
> "So the Pulse has chosen again. Interesting."