The dust still hung in the air from Adexander's last battle.
The silence after his Awakening felt almost… too heavy.
But destiny wasn't done with him yet.
---
As Adexander, Igris, Kael'Rith, and Velessia stood around the collapsing dungeon gates,
another presence stirred beyond the broken walls.
A low hum vibrated through the earth.
Something was coming.
> "You feel that?" Igris asked, his crimson armor rattling slightly.
Kael'Rith's silver hair glowed faintly.
His golden eyes narrowed.
> *"Not a monster... not a demon... something older."
Suddenly —
with a loud BOOM — a figure burst through the crumbling gates.
Cloaked in shredded black robes, wielding twin blades infused with crackling purple energy,
came a young man — his aura wild, chaotic, but strong.
He skidded to a halt in front of Adexander, eyes locking with his.
Both sides tensed.
No words.
Only the clash of ancient instincts recognizing each other.
---
The Sentinel appeared.
A twisted mass of living stone and steel, towering 10 meters high.
Its voice rumbled through the dungeon.
> "[INTRUDERS DETECTED.] [PURGING INITIATED.]"
Massive chains flew from its arms, aiming to capture them all.
> "Move!" Adexander barked.
They split apart instantly — pure combat instincts.
The newcomer — Kaien — charged straight at the Sentinel without hesitation, slashing through the chains with a crackle of purple fire.
Adexander smiled slightly.
> "He's reckless."
> "He reminds me of you," Velessia teased, drawing her obsidian whip.
---
The Battle Began.
Kaien danced around the Sentinel's strikes, his twin blades leaving burning marks on the stone flesh.
Igris clashed head-on, crimson aura flaring, sword against fists.
Kael'Rith unleashed silent spells, trapping the Sentinel's legs in chains of light.
Velessia's whip lashed out, severing cables and snapping joints.
And at the center,
Adexander moved like a god of war reborn.
Each step broke the ground beneath him.
Each strike shattered armor like paper.
---
> [SYSTEM WARNING: SENTINEL ARMOR 60% BROKEN.]
The Sentinel roared.
Spikes erupted from its back, firing in all directions.
One spike grazed Kaien's shoulder — blood splattered.
He staggered — then grinned.
> "Pain means I'm still alive."
With a roar, Kaien stabbed his twin blades into the Sentinel's chest, opening a weakness.
> "Adexander!! NOW!!" he shouted.
Adexander didn't hesitate.
A crimson spiral erupted from his hand — a miniature Crimson Sovereignty Burst.
The world bent under the pressure.
The Crimson spiral exploded through the Sentinel's core, tearing it apart from the inside.
The giant beast crumbled into rubble and fire.
---
Silence again.
Breathing hard, blood dripping, they stood together — victorious.
Kaien sheathed his broken blades.
He looked at Adexander, grinning wildly despite the blood on his lips.
> "Name's Kaien. Looks like I'm stuck with you, huh?"
Adexander chuckled lowly.
> "No... it's fate."
For a moment, something stirred in the air between them.
A forgotten memory.
A battlefield from a different era.
Adexander standing tall, crimson sword raised high.
Kaien kneeling before him, pledging an oath of blood and loyalty.
But the memory faded.
Neither spoke of it.
Yet their souls remembered.
---
> [SYSTEM UPDATE: PARTY MEMBER - KAIEN OF THE BROKEN FLAME JOINED.]
> [Hidden Bond Activated: Forgotten Oaths.]
> "He's one of us," Adexander said quietly to his team.
They nodded without question.
---
Later, at camp, under the shattered moonlight:
They cleaned wounds.
They shared food (Kaien nearly inhaled all of it, making Velessia laugh for the first time in a long time).
They planned their next move.
Their bond was no longer just battle-forged.
It was destiny-forged.
> "The Forbidden Gates await," Kael'Rith said, voice soft.
> "And what lies beyond?" Velessia asked.
Adexander's crimson-black eyes gleamed with fire.
> "Our pasts… our futures… and the war to end all wars."
They sat in silence, feeling the enormity of it.
Together.
Unbreakable.