The Undying Valley stretched endlessly beneath a sky drowned in ash.
It was a land where death had long ago ceased to mean anything. Mountains of pale bone jutted from the earth like the remains of ancient titans, while storms of black dust drifted across the barren wasteland. No wind carried life here.
And yet, across that dead expanse, a small group continued onward.
There were no more than eight of them, their figures tiny against the endless wasteland surrounding them. Above their heads, two gargantuan ravens circled through the grey skies, their massive wings eclipsing entire sections of the valley whenever they passed overhead. August and Hurricane remained vigilant, predatory eyes scanning the endless mountains and ravines for any threat that might emerge.
The group walked carefully.
Quietly.
Yet despite the silence, something felt wrong.
As though the valley itself watched them.
Callum could feel it most clearly.
His hand rested loosely upon the hilt of his blade while his eyes scanned the distant mountains ahead. Every instinct within him remained alert, tension coiling through his body with each passing step.
Then suddenly,
Atherius raised his hand.
The entire group halted.
High above them, both ravens released agonising cries that echoed across the wasteland like warnings from ancient omens.
Callum's gaze sharpened.
"A big one," he muttered as he drew his sword from its holster in one smooth motion.
Atherius narrowed his eyes while studying the mountain before them. For several moments he remained perfectly still, senses focused entirely on the shifting terrain ahead.
Then, unexpectedly,
he grinned.
"Thankfully," he said calmly, "this one is too large for us to handle."
The mountain exploded.
Stone and ash erupted skyward as a colossal beast tore through the cliffside with violent force. Massive horns burst through the dust first, followed by an enormous body plated in jagged black armour resembling volcanic stone. The creature resembled a rhinoceros in shape, though vastly larger and far more monstrous, its glowing eyes burning with fury as it charged downward across the valley.
The ground trembled beneath every step.
Ceasar stared upward with mild annoyance rather than fear.
"Well," he said dryly, "that's definitely big this time."
He tapped the device attached to his wrist.
"Chrome," he called, "want to handle this one with Hachi?"
Silence answered briefly before Chrome's voice finally emerged through the communicator.
"I would rather not."
Chrome had remained stored inside Hachi throughout most of their journey. The machine's systems had only recently been recalibrated after sustaining severe damage earlier, and despite repairs, the risk of catastrophic malfunction remained dangerously high.
Still,
it had been worth asking.
But now another guardian stepped forward.
A deafening roar suddenly split the air.
From behind the group, ivory flames erupted skyward as a massive shape surged across the mountainside. Ember exploded into motion with terrifying speed, his enormous claws digging violently into the stone beneath him. Unlike most dragons, the wyvern moved less like a creature built for flight and more like a predator designed to hunt across entire continents.
His damaged wings flared behind him as he lunged.
The colossal wyvern slammed directly into the charging beast, forcing the rhinoceros-like creature into the ground beneath his sheer weight alone.
The beast shrieked furiously and retaliated, smashing Ember away with a violent strike powerful enough to shatter cliffs.
Ember skidded backwards across the valley before planting his claws deep into the earth to stabilise himself.
Then his maw ignited.
Ivory fire erupted between his jaws while he released another thunderous roar directly toward the creature, a final warning.
Retreat.
The horned beast paused.
Its burning gaze lingered on Ember uncertainly as the two monsters slowly began circling one another across the ruined valley.
The tension was immense.
Then the beast's attention shifted briefly toward the humans standing behind the wyvern.
It hesitated.
And finally,
it backed away.
Slowly at first.
Then, fully turning, the giant creature disappeared back into the wasteland, deciding the battle simply was not worth the risk of death.
Callum blinked in surprise.
"That's a first," he muttered.
Atherius nodded calmly.
"Not all creatures here are equally aggressive," he explained. "Some merely seek survival."
He turned toward the shattered mountain ahead.
"We are close now," he continued. "Let us proceed."
The others nodded and followed.
As they walked, Evelyn repeatedly glanced toward Callum with visible unease. Her hands tightened slightly at her sides several times before she finally gathered enough courage to tug gently against his armor.
Callum turned awkwardly toward her, struggling somewhat to maintain eye contact.
"Uh…" he began carefully. "Eve, is something wrong?"
Evelyn hesitated.
Her gaze shifted away.
Then back again.
Words seemed to catch in her throat before she finally forced herself to speak.
"I didn't mean to hide it from you," she admitted quietly. "About Chrome… and everything else."
She clenched her fists.
"Miss Rose told me it would be better if I kept quiet. She said telling you might break you, so…" Her voice weakened. "I convinced myself staying silent was the right thing."
She lowered her head.
"But excuses don't matter."
Callum remained silent.
Evelyn's breathing grew uneven.
"I hurt you," she whispered. "And even after all that… I still really, really love you."
Her eyes trembled slightly.
"So please…"
She swallowed hard.
"…don't leave me."
Callum stared at her for a long time.
His expression shifted through hesitation, confusion, lingering hurt, and something softer hidden beneath it all.
Several agonizing seconds passed.
Then suddenly,
he laughed.
Not loudly.
Just a weak, almost embarrassed chuckle.
Evelyn blinked in confusion before frustration immediately overtook her expression.
"Never mind," she muttered bitterly while turning away. "I didn't deserve you anyway-"
Before she could leave, Callum grabbed her hand.
Then pulled her back toward him.
And kissed her.
The moment lasted only seconds, but to Evelyn it felt endless.
Her entire body froze the instant their lips met.
When Callum finally pulled away, he smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry," he admitted. "I didn't mean to react like that earlier. I was just… confused."
His eyes softened.
"Knowing you hid it from me hurt, yeah."
Evelyn's eyes watered.
Without warning, she threw herself into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his body in a desperate embrace powerful enough to nearly crush his ribs.
Callum wheezed.
"Too much power, Eve."
Evelyn panicked and released him.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay?!"
Callum quickly raised both hands.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
Evelyn stared at him for several moments.
Then slowly closed her eyes and leaned forward again, clearly intending to kiss him once more.
"Heeeey you two!"
Atherius' voice echoed loudly across the mountain.
"We've arrived!"
Evelyn jerked away while Callum looked upward with mild embarrassment.
Ahead of them, the others had gathered near the peak of the mountain, all staring downward in complete silence.
Callum frowned.
Without wasting time, he grabbed Evelyn's hand and hurried toward the summit.
But the moment he saw their expressions,
his unease deepened.
Every face carried the same emotion.
"What the hell…" Callum muttered.
He reached the top of the mountain.
Then looked down.
And froze.
Below them rested a machine so massive it dwarfed even Hachi.
No,
"Machine" no longer felt like the proper word.
It resembled the corpse of some ancient mechanical god.
Its colossal white frame stretched across the valley floor, half-buried beneath ruined stone and ash. Entire sections of its armor had been ripped apart as though something unimaginably powerful had torn through it piece by piece. Broken wires sparked uncontrollably from the exposed internals while dying systems flickered weakly throughout the gigantic construct's body.
The machine looked ancient.
Yet even ruined, its presence remained overwhelming.
But that was not the worst part.
Buried deep within the center of its chest,
pinning the machine against the mountainside itself,
was a sword.
A blade so massive it resembled a mountain more than a weapon.
The moment Callum saw it, his breath caught in his throat.
Because the blade was not unfamiliar.
Not even remotely.
Its structure.
Its shape.
Its immense aura.
Callum's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A Blade of God…"