“We have to help!” Lyra shouted. She gritted her teeth, seeing the panicked looks on people’s faces.

“Care to hold off on our match?” Nikolai voiced beside her. Lyra rolled her eyes. “Hopefully, we'll see each other again, Eamon.”

Eamon stiffened. He could not move or speak. Lyra took his hand and pulled him opposite where Nikolai and the military were going.

Running by her side, Eamon managed to snap out of it. “Thank you… for that.”

She shook her head. “Of course, I would. That guy’s a jerk. Don’t listen to him; you are every bit a Locksmith. Remember: You came back, so that's what is important.”

Eamon nodded. He took in what she said to heart. “Thank you, Lyra. I’ll try to remember that.”

“Good.” She grinned. “Cause it is true. Also, I think I’m starting to build a list of rivals. So that's always fun.”

He chuckled at that.

“Now, let’s focus and save the people here.”

“Right. I have your back.” returning to himself.

Lyra and Eamon rushed through the streets of Troér, helping, aiding, and preventing Fiends from harming any citizens. They heard a sudden whip crack and saw Sly protecting a family from a gang of bulbous Fiends– the Arataka– with one large yellow eye and leather wings.

“Sly!”

Lyra jumped in the air, sent a Radiant Slash toward the Fiends, and sliced off its wings. Eamon came from behind and bashed the Fiend with an earth-shattering pulse. Sly finished it and wrapped her whip around the creatures, squeezing them until they exploded.

“Go to the nearest shelter!” Sly told the family, who thanked them before running. She turned back to Lyra and Eamon. “Good to have you two show up.”

“What happened?” Eamon asked. “I didn’t think Aratakas’ would come near a city, let alone daylight; they're usually nocturnal.”

“Exactly,” Sly confirmed. “My Denarius is on that strange Rift affecting the Fiends’ Circadian rhythm.”

There was an explosion down another part of the street.

“What can we do?” Lyra asked, frantic.

Sly smiled. “Follow me.”

Eamon and Lyra followed Sly down the city streets to see the military surrounding a giant Monosaurus Fend with rocky skin, thick, thigh-gray legs, and big tusks.

Nikolai stood among them.

“And fire!” He commanded.

The military fired their strange polygonal-shaped, spiral-patterned weapons. The creature in question was not going down, but it staggered and got hurt, to everyone's surprise—only a Locksmith could do severe damage.

“Nikolai!” Eamon managed to call out.

The blonde-haired Captain turned and smiled. “Oh, good. You finally made it, and you brought the Rosevera Whip with you. It must be fate.”

Lyra snorted. “Yeah, whatever. What kind of weapon is that? It looks like a rifle, but it’s not one I’ve ever seen.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know lil’ Ashbourne.” Nikolai grinned. “But to answer your question. The Musketeer’s Edge is in its prototype stages to improve the rifle's accuracy, reliability, and firepower to test out on Fiends before we can obtain better means of eradication. The firearms specialists in Flintlock City are prioritizing it for the military.”

Lyra gritted her teeth. She thought this might have something to do with the military taking Locksmith's positions. Surely, it is only a rumor… right?

“Don’t worry.” It was as if he could read Lyra like an open book. “I’ll allow you to share the glory, but we’ve handled this.”

“Tch, whatchu you say?” balling her hands into fists. “We don't do this for the glory we–”

Sly held her arm up to keep her back.

“Yes, for the protection of the people.” Finishing her sentence. He sighed. “You Locksmiths can be quite repetitive. And this is what you came back to?”

He directed his question at Eamon, his tone accentuated by a disapproving glare.

“Leave Eamon out of this! You want to talk about repetition. You military scum could use some semblance of a soul being the heartless war hounds the Empire lets loose.”

Had Sly not been holding her back, she would have attacked him. Giving him a shiner before the military could take her out.

Nikolai feigned hurt, touching his chest. “Lil’ Ashbourne has claws, huh? Guess you like them feisty, eh, Eamon?”

Eamon’s face grew dark, and they approached him. He grabbed the Captain by the collar and stood toe to toe with the blonde-haired giant. “That’s enough, Nikolai. Don’t speak to her like that again, or else…”

The other military were alert by Eamon’s sudden movements and were ready to attack him on sight, but Nikolai held up his gloved hand to stop them. He did not take his eyes off Eamon and smirked. He enjoyed seeing the fire in his eyes and getting under his skin, wanting to see his Black Thorn again.

“Or else what?”

Sly pushed the two men apart with a swift movement that neither one sensed.

“Alright, you kids both break it up. Not now. We have Fiends loose in the city. I don’t know what the military is going on, but if it can take down a Fiend and protect the people, we should work together.”

Lyra gasped, taken aback by her proposal. “Really? We don’t need them.”

Sly glared at her to let her know her word was final. “Having more people in your arsenal is a good thing, Lyra. Even if they are the opposition.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Ah, you wound me,” Nikolai sarcastically joked. “But coming from the Rosevera Whip, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Wiping his uniform free of wrinkles where Eamon had grabbed him.

Sly had to resist rolling her eyes. Nikolai grinned and stretched out his arm. “Since we are working together and all.”

Lyra stepped forward, pushing past Nikolai. “I’ll show you not to underestimate me.”

“Very well… lil Ashbourne.”

If he calls me that one more time. However, Lyra focused on the military people and heard them mumble as she passed, ‘Is that the Riftbreaker?’ and ‘Is she really an Ashbourne?’

Another Fiend was coming at two o’clock. Lyra inhaled and exhaled. Her sword drew its stored power. She could faintly hear Nikolai say something sarcastic, but she tuned him out.

She snapped open her eyes, charged her Essentia before going for a running stance, and leaped in the air with a perfectly executed jump. She brought down her sword with a Radiant Smash, disintegrating the Fiend in seconds.

Lyra turned and smirked. She planted her sword down into the ground, leaning against it. The military was in awe and impressed; even Nikolai did a slow clap.

“Not bad at all. Perhaps our fight will be interesting, lil Ashbourne.”

Her brow twitched. “Call me that again, and you’ll see Lumos real soon.”

“Alright, rivalry aside.” Sly broke it up before things became too intense. “Let’s just take these Fiends down as quickly as possible. I am sure guilds here have sent their Locksmiths around the city, so there should not be many left. Your military weakens them, and we finish them off. Deal?”

Nikolai shrugged. “Sounds fair. Lead the way.”

Lyra shook her head, mumbling. “Jerk.”

“Don’t worry,” Eamon whispered when he walked to her. She looked up at him to see a twinkle in his eyes that lit up his face. She blushed. “I have your back.”

Locksmiths and military raced through the city, taking out the unwanted Fiends and directing citizens to safer passages. As they headed toward the furthest western part of Troér, they saw a group of Locksmiths taking down a last group of Fiends and a few militaries.

“What’s the status support so far?” Sly asked a brown-haired Locksmith.

“It’s the Rosevera Whip!” they echoed and called out her name upon seeing her.

Nikolai approached with his military.

“Locksmith Miles at your service, Rosevera Whip,” the brown-haired guy said. “We’ve taken down the last of the Fiends in the area, and then the military had come in.”

“Good job men.”

“Sir!” the military saluted.

Sly nodded. “Good. We just finished taking down some Fiends back in the eastern district. I think it is time we circle back to the center. Continue monitoring the area for Fiends and redirecting civilians to safety.”

With that, they were off again.

“What do you think caused this?” Lyra pondered aloud. “Do you think it’s the Rifts? There aren’t even any Magycte Beasts or Veilspawn in sight.”

“It doesn’t make any sense.” Eamon mirrored Lyra’s confusion. “What would be the cause now? There’s no forest and certainly nothing negative around.”

“I don’t know,” Sly said, running beside them. “But if I had to bet Denari on it, I’d say the Children of Deimos have their names all over this. There’s something shifty going on, something otherworldly, and it does have something to do with those Rifts.”

“Care if I join your club?” Nikolai sauntered over to them by Sly.

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Sorry, not sorry, we're all filled up.”

“Well, we are working together for a brief time.”

“Hopefully, very brief.”

Once they reached the central part of the city, they saw a giant Rift growing inside, trying to pull everything and everyone inside.

Sly took action and used her whip to catch some citizens by swinging onto a ledge, grabbing onto citizens, and landing them safely. Lyra and Eamon used their Wellspring powers to take flight and scoop up anyone before they flew into the mouth of the Rift.

Now, it was time to close it.

“Lyra, let’s Sync.”

“What?” Lyra gaped at Eamon. “But we–”

He shook his head. “We don’t have a choice and…I trust you.”

Lyra’s eyes widened. She nodded. They focused on their separate Essentia and then on each other’s aura synchronizing.

Let’s go! They telepathically said.

With the willingness of their synched powers combined, they were able to move in quick succession. They managed to save the remaining citizens just as a shadowy Magycte Beast appeared.

“Go high, I’ll go low!” Eamon commanded.

“Got it!”

The Magycte called the fourth Veilspawn to get in their way, but a ranged bullet made the creature stagger. Lyra turned to see Nikolai grinned and saluted her with two fingers.

His military held back and distracted the Veilspawn.

“Gosh, I hate that smug grin on his stupid face.”

Sly whipped her whip to strike a creature, and it exploded. “Go! We’ll hold them off from here.”

Not long afterward, more Locksmiths emerged from different parts of the city to help.

Lyra focused on the Magycte Beast as it roared, waving its black tentacles.

“I go high, you go low.” She reiterated, adjusting her fighting stance.

Eamon did the same. “I’ll follow your lead.”

The air in Troér crackled with tension as the shadowy tentacles of the Magycte Beast unfurled, reaching toward the city like sinister tendrils seeking prey. The once bustling streets now echoed with the distant sounds of chaos, an ominous symphony accompanying the impending battle.

The Magycte Beast's shadowy tentacles unleashed a horde of twisted Fiends upon the city, their eerie howls echoing through the deserted streets. Lyra and Eamon, surrounded by the encroaching darkness, met the fiends head-on. Each clash of steel against monstrous flesh resonated with a primal intensity.

As the first Fiend lunged, its claws gleamed in the light, and Lyra dodged the attack. Eamon whirled his Escrima sticks quickly, delivering calculated blows to repel the assailants.

The Magycte Beast orchestrated the fiends' movements with an otherworldly cunning. Unlike any encountered before, the fiends were agile and elusive, their movements synchronized with an eerie intelligence.

Lyra and Eamon found themselves back-to-back, surrounded by a swirling vortex of Fiends. Eamon's eyes glinted with determination, his muscles tensed. Lyra gripped firmly onto Riftbreaker.

"Are you ready for this, Eamon?" Lyra's voice was steady and unwavering.

Eamon flashed a confident smile. "Always. Let's do this."

The first tentacle lashed out. Lyra danced nimbly away. Eamon dispatched another tentacle with a series of swift strikes. The Magycte Beast, obscured in the shadows, seemed to writhe in pain.

Their trust in each other was unwavering, and neither showed signs of breaking. Their Essentia resonated with a kaleidoscope of colors that enveloped them. The world around them slowed, each movement calculated with the precision of a well-rehearsed dance. Instead of flickering like a fragile flame, their connection burned brighter, an unbroken bond.

With a synchronized cry, they unleashed their ultimate move, a fusion of Lyra's Radiant Essentia and Eamon's physical prowess.

"Celestial Radiance!" They shouted in tandem.

A blinding surge of energy erupted from them, and a torrent of rainbow aura shattered the shadows. They executed a perfectly coordinated assault, dismantling the Fiends that faded into obscurity.

The Magycte Beast’s hold over the Fiends broke. The air crackled with ethereal power as the beast roared in agony, fading away.

As the brilliance subsided, Troér bathed in the dawning light of victory. Lyra and Eamon were triumphant and smiling, their chests heaving from exhaustion.

"Did we do it?" Eamon asked with strained effort.

Lyra smiled. A mix of exhaustion and triumph in her eyes. "We did." The Locksmiths, breathless and battered, stood victorious after the chaotic clash.

The citizens of Troér, peering cautiously from their hiding places, erupted into cheers.