The twin suns of the desolate wasteland hung low in the sky, casting long.
Eerie shadows across the dunes of bone and scorched sand.
The air shimmered with heat and latent magic, the ground littered with the remnants of ancient battles, cracked skulls, rusted weapons, and the occasional glint of forgotten armour.
Riku and Paulo sprinted across the terrain, their boots kicking up clouds of ash as they moved with urgency.
The mission was critical: reach the Obsidian Gate before Momo's forces did.
But fate had other plans.
Without warning, the shadows around them twisted unnaturally, coiling like serpents.
A sudden gust of freezing wind swept through the wasteland, extinguishing the ambient warmth of the suns.
From the darkness emerged a figure, tall, graceful, and cloaked in a veil of living shadow.
Her eyes glowed violet beneath her hood, and her presence exuded a chilling elegance.
Aliya Akamine.
Momo Yokoyama's First Commander. The Mistress of Shadows. A prodigy of umbral sorcery whose name was whispered with dread even among the Monarchs.
Riku skidded to a halt, his instincts flaring. Paulo turned, his eyes narrowing.
"Go," Riku said, stepping forward. "I'll manage her."
Paulo hesitated, "Riku—"
"Now!" Riku barked, his voice sharp with resolve, "You are the Cosmic Vessel. You have to reach the gate. I will catch up."
Paulo clenched his fists, then nodded.
With a final glance, he turned and vanished into the dunes, his aura flaring as he accelerated toward his destination.
Aliya's lips curled into a smirk.
"How noble," she purred, her voice like silk soaked in venom. "But foolish."
Riku drew his twin daggers, each blade humming with radiant energy.
Light pulsed from his body, forming a halo that pushed back the encroaching darkness.
"I'm not here to talk," he said, "Let's finish this."
The duel began.
***
Aliya moved first, vanishing into the shadows.
Riku spun, slashing behind him just in time to deflect a dagger of condensed darkness.
The impact sent a shockwave through the sand, scattering bones like leaves in a storm.
She reappeared above him, descending like a wraith, her scythe of shadow arcing toward his head.
Riku crossed his blades, catching the strike and pushing her back with a burst of searing light. The clash illuminated the wasteland, casting their silhouettes across the dunes like titans.
Aliya landed gracefully, her feet barely touching the ground. "You've improved," she said, circling him, "But light always flickers before it dies."
Riku did not respond.
He closed his eyes for a moment, centring himself.
Then he unleashed a blinding flash, forcing Aliya to shield her eyes. He charged, his daggers a blur of radiant arcs.
She danced between the strikes, her form dissolving into mist and reforming behind him.
A tendril of shadow lashed out, wrapping around his ankle.
She yanked, pulling him off balance, then hurled a spear of darkness at his chest.
Riku twisted midair, deflecting the spear with a burst of light from his palm, landing in a crouch.
"You'll have to do better than that," he growled.
Aliya's expression darkened.
She raised her hands, and the shadows around them surged like a tidal wave.
The battlefield transformed, sand turned to obsidian, the sky dimmed, and the bones began to rise, animated by her necrotic will.
Riku stood alone against a horde of skeletal warriors, their eyes glowing with the same violet hue as their mistress.
He exhaled, "Fine. Let us turn up the heat."
He slammed his daggers into the ground, channelling his inner light.
Pillars of radiant energy erupted around him, disintegrating the nearest skeletons.
He moved like a comet, weaving through the undead with precision and fury, each strike a burst of brilliance.
Aliya watched, unimpressed, "You're wasting your strength."
She raised her scythe and whispered an incantation.
The shadows thickened, forming a dome around them. Inside, light dimmed, and Riku's aura flickered.
"This is my realm now," she said, "Your light cannot reach here."
Riku gritted his teeth.
He could feel the pressure, the oppressive weight of her magic. But he was not done.
He closed his eyes again, reaching deep within. When he opened his eyes, they blazed like twin suns, "Then I'll bring the dawn to you."
He raised his blades, and they ignited with pure solar energy.
The dome trembled. Aliya's eyes widened.
He charged.
Their blades met in a storm of light and shadow.
Sparks flew, the ground cracked, and the air screamed with the force of their clash.
Each strike was a battle of wills, her darkness seeking to consume, his light striving to illuminate.
Aliya summoned a vortex of shadows, trying to engulf him.
Riku countered with a solar flare, burning through the darkness.
She screamed, retreating, her cloak smouldering.
"You think you've won?" she hissed.
"No," Riku said, stepping forward. "But I'm not done fighting."
He raised his hand, and a beam of concentrated light shot skyward, piercing the dome.
Sunlight poured in, banishing the shadows.
The skeletons crumbled. The obsidian cracked.
Aliya staggered, her power waning.
Riku stood tall, his aura radiant. "Tell Momo," he said, "the light isn't going anywhere."
Aliya vanished into the shadows.
The wasteland fell silent once more.
Riku sheathed his blades, his breath heavy, his body aching. But he smiled.
Then he turned and ran, chasing the trail Paulo had left behind.
The battle was far from over.