The storm above Mount Morris had grown darker, the air thick with the clash of energies. Khaos pulsed through the atmosphere, its destructive force tearing at the mountain, but there was another, foreign power at play—a presence Aric couldn’t ignore. He knew the battle was far from over, but the weight of his situation settled heavily on his chest.
His original body stood before him, radiating raw energy. It wielded Khaos effortlessly, its blackish-grey tendrils swirling around it like an extension of its own will. Aric, on the other hand, struggled to control even the smallest burst of Khaos without risking devastation. The disparity between them was painfully clear.
Each attack was met with ease, his original self dodging and countering with strikes that shook the ground beneath them. The chain in Aric's hands hummed with energy, but it was no match for the unbridled power he faced.
"You’re not using it, are you?" the figure taunted, dodging another strike. "You’re holding back. Always afraid of what Khaos will do. Pathetic."
Aric’s chain snapped forward, but the figure caught it effortlessly, pulling him closer. With a flick of its wrist, it sent Aric flying backward, slamming into the rocky ground. His vision blurred as he gasped for breath, the pain in his chest radiating through his body.
He knew his siblings were coming up the mountain. He could feel their presence, like flickers of light in the distance. Dulce, Akali, Haelcar, and Ursa—all of them were near. He could feel their energy, their Links resonating with his own. But before he could form a plan, before he could think of how to warn them, something sharp and cold pierced through his chest.
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Aric gasped, his hand instinctively reaching for the thick metal shard embedded in his body. Blood spilled from the wound, his vision swimming with pain. The realization hit him like a hammer—his original body wasn’t just wielding Khaos. There was something else. Something darker. Something more twisted.
“For a Child of the Sun, I expected more,” his original body sneered, walking slowly toward him. “Same with you, fragment of destruction.”
Aric’s eyes widened. Child of the Sun? Fragment of destruction? None of it made sense. He struggled to stand, his legs shaking beneath him, the chain slipping from his grip as the pain overwhelmed him. Every breath was agony, but he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t let it end like this.
His original body was walking toward what looked like an altar, something metallic glinting in the dim light of the storm. It reached out with its hand, grasping onto what appeared to be a mechanical arm, pulling it free from the structure. The sight sent a wave of unease through Aric. Whatever that was—it wasn’t good.
“I need to send an example to your siblings up here,” the figure said, its voice cold and emotionless. “I can’t have you here slowing me down.”
With terrifying ease, his original body turned, eyes locking onto Aric with a cruel smile. Before he could react, before he could even process what was happening, a powerful kick struck him in the chest. The force of it sent him flying back—over the edge of the peak.
Time slowed as Aric tumbled through the air, his body twisting and turning uncontrollably. The mountain’s jagged cliffs rushed up to meet him, the wind roaring in his ears. His mind raced, panic setting in as he realized he had no way to stop his fall. He reached out, desperate to grab hold of anything, but his hands grasped at nothing but air.
The impact when he hit the mountainside was brutal, his body crashing against the rocks before tumbling down the slope. Every bone in his body screamed in pain, the world spinning around him in a blur of stone and sky. He couldn’t tell up from down, couldn’t focus on anything but the overwhelming agony that consumed him.
And then, everything went dark...