The world fractured in white as a hand of pure light reached out toward Helion. Without thinking, he grasped it.
A surge of overwhelming warmth flooded through his veins. His heart pounded—loud, thunderous—with power emitting from his body.
"Who are you?" Helion's voice trembled, his eyes reflecting the radiance before him.
"I am here to help. I see courage… and I must respond," the figure said. Its voice was serene—calm, otherworldly.
Zelpho staggered back, his narrowed eyes wide with disbelief.
"What is this? A spirit? It emerged out of nowhere… for this boy?"
Luminox's form shimmered light woven into the shape of something both humanoid and divine. Luminox,s light was so devine it was piercing through the clouds and eliminating darkness entirely. The thunderstorm above them fractured, flickering with static.
Zelpho's voice cracked, softer now.
"Light magic…? That's impossible. That… That shouldn't exist!"
Panic now laced every word.
But Luminox didn't answer. He simply raised his hand.
A beam of pure, golden-white light erupted from his palm, cutting through the storm clean. Zelpho leapt back, arms raised, conjuring spiraling winds to shield himself—but the light didn't stop. It pierced through his storm like it wasn't even there, forcing him back, step by step.
Helion felt it too.
The surge.
It wasn't just power—it was knowledge. Movement. Purpose.
The light didn't just flow through him… it guided him.
His arms moved instinctively. His feet found footing without thought.
For one fleeting moment, it felt like he wasn't in control—like someone else was piloting his body from behind the glow.
And then, just as fast as it came…
The cost hit.
His knees buckled.
He dropped, gasping as mana drained from his core like water from a broken dam. A wave of nausea hit him so hard he nearly vomited.
His hands trembled. They glowed faintly still—but the warmth was gone.
Now it burned.
"What's happening to me?" he rasped, vision fading at the edges. "This… hurts."
Luminox turned, light steady. Calm.
"Do not waver. The bond is young. Your Soulform is awakening—but your body isn't ready."
He turned back to Zelpho, whose stance was collapsing under the weight of the light.
Luminox raised his arm again.
A second beam—narrower, sharper, infinitely faster—fired directly into Zelpho's chest.
Zelpho screamed.
The light carved through him, lifting him from the ground and sending him hurtling backward. Trees shattered. The air crackled with static. A crater tore open where his body landed, smoke curling at its edges.
The battlefield fell silent.
Luminox hovered in the stillness, glowing just enough to be seen. He looked toward Helion—expression unreadable.
Helion tried to reach out, but his hand barely lifted.
"Wait…" he rasped.
Luminox didn't turn.
The glow around him flickered—once, then again—like a candle resisting wind.
"The mana required… was too great," Luminox said, his voice more distant now, like light echoing through time. "To manifest in full form… costs dearly."
Golden threads began to unravel from his form, drifting upward like dust made of stars.
"I cannot hold this form much longer" he said. "But the bond is made."
Helion's chest tightened. "Don't go—please, I still—"
"You survived. That is enough," Luminox interrupted gently.
His voice, his shape, his light… all of it scattered—
until nothing remained but, glowing embers fading into the wind.
Gone.
He watched the last glimmer vanish into the wind. For the first time in his life, he felt truly alone.
Helion collapsed.
His body hit the dirt—exhausted, cold, shaking.
As Helion lay on the ground, completely drained from the overwhelming surge of Luminox's power, he struggled to keep his eyes open. The battle had taken everything out of him, leaving him vulnerable and spent.
To Helion's shock, Zelpho emerged from the rubble—charred, cracked, but still alive. His eyes blazed with fury, and his body, impossibly, was already beginning to mend.
Streams of ambient mana from the air spiraled toward him, wrapping around his wounds like ghostly tendrils. The light burns faded. His form steadied. He was healing.
Helion's breath caught. How is he still standing? After everything…?
Zelpho's expression twisted into rage as a vortex of wind howled to life around him.
"I will destroy you now!" he bellowed, voice echoing with rage. "This has gone on long enough!"
He extended a hand toward the sky, summoning a massive ball of swirling wind.
"I'll take this whole mountain down!" he roared, the storm intensifying.
Helion saw the growing tempest and tried to push himself up, but his body refused to obey. An immense strain coursed through him, pinning him to the ground. He could barely move. A cold, sinking dread began to pool in his chest.
"Is this the end?" he thought, barely whispering. "Luminox!…"
He called out, desperate—but no answer came.
Luminox was gone.
And Helion was alone.
"Is it… because my mana is completely drained?" he wondered, panic rising with each breath.
He pushed again. Nothing. His limbs were like lead, his strength completely gone.
Above him, Zelpho loomed. The massive gale above his head roared with destructive force. Helion lay helpless beneath it, heart pounding not with power, but with despair.
He turned his gaze to the sky, whispering,
"Loken… I tried. I really did… I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I couldn't live up to what you believed in. And I'm sorry you wasted your… faith on someone like me."
His voice cracked, weighed down by everything he had failed to become. He closed his eyes, bracing for the end. A silent apology on his lips.
And then—
A swoosh.
Something tore through the air above him. He opened his eyes in time to see a figure descending—landing between him and the storm.
A knight.
Wearing dazzling blue armor that shimmered like snow under sunlight. A cape bearing an arched sigil flowing behind him—mark of a protector of the Arch Kingdom. His hair was light, icy blue. His eyes were the crispest shade of winter Helion had ever seen.
Relief flooded Helion. Someone had come. Someone strong.
The knight glanced back at Helion and offered a reassuring smile.
"You'll be okay. I'll handle this."
He turned to face Zelpho, with immense confidence.
My name is Syrus Elowen, Captain of the second Arch. By the grace of the Arch Kingdom, I vow to protect this land... and its people including this boy.
Zelpho sneered. "A Royal? You'll fall with him. I've had enough!"
Then, with calm and unshakable focus, he unleashed his spirit skill:
"Ice Step Vow."
The battlefield changed instantly.
The air around them shifted, like a silent winter wave had washed over everything. The storm stilled mid-motion, its spiraling fury halted like a sculpture in mid-spin. The battlefield appeared as an ice age hit.
It was reverent.
It was control.
Zelpho's storm slowed to a crawl. The entire world fell into surreal stillness.
As if time itself had halted to the knight's command—leaving only him free to move.
Helion exhausted, watched closely. Missing no moment.
The tide had shifted again.
And with it… a chance to survive.