Velkros' body dropped to his knees, the dry thud echoing across the rubble. Smoke rose from his wounds, and his blade slipped from his fingers, embedding itself in the ground.
Tekio watched him, breathing heavily, chest rising and falling with effort. Sparks danced around his body, pulsating with the energy that still resonated within him.
Velkros lifted his head one last time. His red eyes seemed to burn even at the brink of death. He smiled—a twisted, defiant smile, as if not even the end could stop him from spitting venom.
— Don't think… this is the end — he spat blood onto the ground. — You've beaten a shadow, kid… but there are much deeper darknesses coming.
Tekio remained silent, steady, eyes now more mature, more aware, fixed on the enemy.
— Others will come… worse ones. You will walk through hell. I see it… your fate is sealed. You'll feel the weight of every death, every choice… all your fault. You will fall, Tekio… and when you do… there will be no one to lift you.
Tekio clenched his fists. His body ached, but his soul burned with conviction.
— Then I'll learn to rise on my own.
Gradually, Velkros' smile faded. His eyes went dark, and his body collapsed onto the ruined earth.
Silence. A deep silence, as if the world itself held its breath.
— TEKIO! — Dan's voice shattered the air like thunder, emerging from the rubble alongside Stella. They ran toward him, breathless, faces marked by relief and exhaustion.
Stella reached him first. Her eyes shone with restrained tears.
— You… won. Even with everything…
Tekio looked at her. For the first time in a long while, he allowed himself a smile.
Dan arrived moments later, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.
— That was… insane. But you did it. That bastard is gone.
— There's still a lot to come — Tekio murmured, exhausted.
Before they could respond, the sound of engines echoed in the distance. Lights appeared through the dust, and vehicles advanced across the destruction. Armed men and women leapt from them, quickly clearing a path.
From among them, a familiar figure approached with hurried steps.
— TEKIO! STELLA! DAN! — shouted Nick.
Dan's eyes widened.
— N-Nick?!
She stopped in front of the group, lightly cut and dusty, but alive. Alive and standing.
— You really think I'd die that easily? — she said, with a tired but sincere smile. — I managed to fool those bastards long enough. And I called for reinforcements.
She looked at Tekio, her eyes serious for a moment.
— I came because I knew you'd need me at the end.
Tekio nodded silently, as if her mere presence returned a part of himself he had lost during the fight.
One of the soldiers stepped forward.
— We've cleared a safe route to a facility to the north. Shelter, medical aid, supplies. They need rest.
Nick nodded.
— Take them. Care for them well. I'll finish what's left here.
Dan hesitated, looking at the wreckage.
— Will it always be like this?
Stella answered softly.
— I don't know. But if it is… at least we have each other.
They climbed into the vehicle, leaving behind dust, ruins, and corpses. The engines carried them away, the sound of explosions replaced by the comforting silence of distance.
But from a distant point, atop a partially destroyed building, a figure watched everything.
Silver hair whipping in the wind, eyes hidden beneath the shadow of a hood. The figure held an ancient pendant, eyes fixed on Tekio, even from afar.
— So… he survived — she murmured, almost a whisper. — His flame is still small… but it's already starting to burn the world around him.
She turned toward the shadows behind her, where something stirred silently.
— It's almost time. When he takes the next step, nothing will ever be the same.
She closed the pendant and vanished into darkness.
— The world will change. And he… will be the spark.
Continue...