Moments after Marge sprinted out of the sanctum, her hurried footsteps faded into silence, leaving only the resonant hum of the clerics’ chants reverberating through the chamber. Martin took a steadying breath and turned his attention back to the task at hand. The purification ritual required precision, and his eyes flicked to the glowing monitors arranged behind the grand altar where the Atlas core hovered.

Kurt and Harry followed closely behind, Despite their years of service within the Oracle Innovators, the enormity of the core and its enigmatic energy never failed to unsettle them. "This thing still gives me the creeps," Kurt muttered under his breath, his gaze darting to the monitors displaying fluctuating energy readings from the core. Even from a distance, the raw, unbridled power radiating from the onyx sphere was palpable, pressing against them like a silent storm.

Harry glanced over, his expression carefully neutral. “Well soon enough we won’t be dealing with it anymore” he replied, adjusting the strap of his field kit. His attention briefly flickered to the science division members seated near the monitors, their faces illuminated by the cold, flickering light of the screens. They were busy analyzing data streams and adjusting the delicate calibrations ensuring the core’s stability during the ritual.

Martin approached the monitors, his sharp eyes scanning the data. “Anything unusual?” he asked briskly, his voice cutting through the rhythmic chants.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, Captain” one of the member replied, but his voice carried a tinge of doubt. “Although...these spikes here—could just be residual interference from the purification field, but—”

“It’s not the time for speculation,” Martin interrupted, his tone firm. “Analyse the data.” He turned to one of the Oracle members nearby. “Where’s Will? He was supposed to be here by now.”

The member shrugged, a mixture of irritation and resignation flickering across his face. “Probably late, as usual. That guy does his own thing. No one really knows what’s going on in his head.”

Kurt, leaning casually against a console, raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, Captain, remind me again why you let him in? Science division has standards, doesn’t it?”

Martin frowned slightly but replied without missing a beat, “Because his brain has a lot to offer. We don’t always have to understand him; we just need his results. Now let’s get back to work.”

Kurt smirked but said nothing further as Martin stepped closer to the core.

The hum of energy intensified as Martin approached. He reached out to adjust one of the monitoring devices when he suddenly stopped mid-motion, a faint prickle running up his spine. The atmosphere felt...off. The hum of the core seemed to shift, becoming less rhythmic and more erratic, like a heart caught in a moment of uncertainty.

Martin’s eyes narrowed. “Hold on,” he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. His hands moved swiftly over the controls, pulling up additional readings. “Harry, double-check the stabilization field parameters. Something isn’t right.”

Harry’s fingers flew over the keyboard, his expression tightening as he began cross-referencing data. Kurt, catching the sudden shift in Martin’s demeanor, straightened up, his voice edged with concern. “Captain, what is it? What’s wrong?”

Martin remained silent for a beat, his eyes locked on the core. Its glow, once steady and synchronized with the clerics’ chants, dimmed momentarily before surging with an almost blinding intensity. A faint hum deepened into a dissonant vibration, like a warning cry echoing through the sanctum.

“The readings…” Martin finally said, his voice low and tense. “They’re unstable. The core—” He paused, his brow furrowing. “It’s reacting to something... something external.”

Kurt exchanged a nervous glance with Harry. “Reacting to what?” he pressed.

Martin opened his mouth to respond, but the answer came unbidden. A sharp, unnatural gust swept through the sanctum, extinguishing the ceremonial candles and plunging the chamber into an eerie half-light. The temperature dropped sharply, and the clerics’ chants faltered, replaced by whispers of unease.

Before anyone could react further, the doors exploded inward, obliterated by a barrage of invisible wind blades that sliced through the heavy stone as though it were paper. Debris flew in all directions, the sound of the impact reverberating like a thunderclap.

The force of the attack was devastating. Columns cracked and splintered, the sacred geometry disrupted. Some of the wind blades struck the clerics, tearing through robes and flesh with ruthless precision. Cries of pain erupted as limbs were severed, blood spattering the pristine floor. Those who survived scrambled for cover, their voices trembling as they struggled to maintain the prayer.

Two towering forms emerged from the swirling debris, their presence suffocating. Sylas and Selene - the greater hare Titans, their appearance grotesquely humanoid yet unmistakably monstrous. Both resembled black rabbits, their fur coarse and matted, their elongated limbs unnaturally sinewy. The slightly taller of the two exuded a commanding presence, its crimson eyes blazing with malevolence, while the smaller Titan moved with unsettling agility, its gaze fixed on the Atlas core.

Martin's blood ran cold as one cleric let out a piercing cry, falling to the floor in a pool of blood. “Harry!” he barked. “Protect the remaining clerics—don’t let them get to the core!”

Harry moved with precision, bone blades extending from his forearms as he intercepted Selene. The Titan lunged, its claws aiming for the cowering clerics, but Harry met it mid-stride, slashing upward. Meanwhile, Kurt took position at the rear, flicking small pebbles from his fingertips. The seemingly harmless projectiles glowed briefly before accelerating with devastating force, their mass altered by his ring’s manipulation.

One pebble struck Sylas square in the leg, sending the Titan crashing into a nearby wall. The impact left a deep fissure in the stone, but Sylas rose almost immediately, snarling, as its grotesque wounds knit back together with unnatural speed. The crimson glow in its eyes brightened, a stark reminder of its relentless nature.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“They regenerate fast,” Kurt warned, his voice tight as he launched another volley of projectiles, each stone imbued with the glowing energy of his ring. Despite the hits landing true, Sylas only seemed to grow more furious.

The Titan turned its focus to the core, its intent unmistakable. With a guttural roar, Sylas lunged toward it, claws extended to tear through the remaining clerics who still chanted desperately in the background.

“Not on my watch,” Martin growled, springing into action. Tightening his grip on the Tuning Blade, he leaped to intercept Sylas mid-air, the blade glowing with sonic resonance. He swung with precision, the blunt edge emitting a powerful ripple of sound energy that collided with the Titan’s chest.

The force of the blow knocked Sylas off its trajectory, slamming it into the floor with a deafening crash. Dust and debris erupted around them, but Martin stood his ground, his weapon vibrating with residual energy.

Sylas thrashed, disoriented but undeterred, already beginning to rise. Its regeneration was unnervingly fast, its body piecing itself together as though defying the natural order. Martin glanced back at the clerics, their chants faltering under the mounting pressure. “They can’t keep this up much longer,” he thought grimly. With a sharp exhale, he steadied himself. “If the titans get the core, everything we’ve worked for will be undone.”

“Kurt!” Martin shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. “Set up a protective barrier now!”

Kurt glanced back from the rear, his expression tense but focused. Without hesitation, he reached into his satchel, pulling out a string of talisman beads etched with glowing runes. Muttering an incantation under his breath, he tossed the beads into the air. They hovered momentarily before spreading out in a circular pattern around the Atlas core and the remaining clerics.

A radiant barrier of light erupted from the beads, forming a shimmering dome that pulsed with protective energy. The light caught the edges of the core, refracting into a dazzling array of colors that bathed the sanctum in an ethereal glow. The clerics inside the barrier momentarily faltered in their chants, their eyes widening with relief at the shield now surrounding them.

——

As Martin battled Sylas with everything he had, Harry found himself fully occupied with Selene’s relentless assault. The Titan charged at him with a blur of claws, her strikes fierce and unyielding. Harry’s bone blades clashed against her claws, sparks flying with each impact as he deflected the onslaught. Gritting his teeth, he responded with precise counterattacks, aiming to disable her limbs. Yet Selene’s speed and agility proved a formidable challenge—she evaded or parried every attempt, forcing Harry to retreat step by step under the intensity of her attack. Harry, breathing heavily, braced himself for another attack. His stance remained unyielding despite the odds. Selene snarled, her glowing eyes fixed on him as she crouched low, preparing to pounce again.

Seizing a brief opening, Harry reached into his pocket and retrieved a small, spherical device. Without hesitation, he hurled it at Selene just as she charged. The device cracked open mid-air, releasing a glowing spectral net that expanded rapidly. Its shimmering threads ensnared Selene, binding her limbs and forcing her to the ground. She shrieked and thrashed violently, her claws raking against the net, but the spectral energy held firm—for the moment.

As Selene writhed within the net’s grasp, Harry turned his attention to Martin, who was locked in a desperate struggle against Sylas. The larger Titan’s sheer power was overwhelming, and Martin was slowly being pushed back despite his best efforts. Sylas lunged forward, its claws tearing through the air toward the core, but Martin intercepted the attack, his Tuning Blade humming as he deflected the blow. The impact reverberated through his arms, but he held firm, determined to protect the sanctum.

“Harry!” Martin called out, his voice sharp with urgency. Harry sprinted to his side, his bone spikes retracting into defensive formations along his arms. Together, they launched an all-out offensive on Sylas. Martin struck first, unleashing a wave of resonated slashes with his blade. The soundwaves rippled through the air, colliding with Sylas and momentarily staggering the Titan. Harry followed up with a barrage of bone spears aimed at the Titan’s exposed flank. Some of the spears embedded deep into its hide, ichor seeping from the wounds, while others were deflected by Sylas’ massive claws.

Sylas roared in pain, its guttural cry shaking the sanctum’s walls. The combined assault slowed its movements, giving Martin and Harry a brief advantage. Sensing an opening, Martin darted in close, his blade humming with energy as he slashed at Sylas’ legs. Each strike sent a resonant pulse through the Titan’s form, destabilizing its footing and forcing it to falter.

Meanwhile, at the core’s altar, Kurt and the remaining clerics struggled to stabilize the purification ritual. The once-bright energy emanating from the core had become unstable, flickering with corrupted hues. A foul aura began to seep into the air, its oppressive weight bearing down on everyone in the sanctum.

“Kurt, what’s happening?” Martin shouted as he parried another swipe from Sylas.

“The purification’s destabilizing!” Kurt yelled back, sweat streaming down his face.

“Do something!” Martin growled, tightening his grip on the Tuning Blade. His ring pulsed with energy, synchronizing with the blade as he prepared another attack. Martin and harry glanced at each other, their unspoken understanding driving towards Slyas. Martin swung his blade upward, releasing a concentrated pulse of sound that struck Sylas’ chest in a deafening explosion of energy. The Titan staggered back, its crimson eyes flickering as the vibrations tore through its form. Harry followed up with another wave of bone spears, driving the Titan further into the sanctum wall.

Sylas snarled, its body regenerating even as its movements faltered. With a final burst of strength, Martin unleashed another resonant slash aimed directly at the Titan’s core. The vibrations ripped through Sylas, dismantling its internal structure. The Titan froze, its monstrous form trembling violently. With a guttural cry, Sylas collapsed, its glowing eyes extinguished as its body began to dissipate into shadows.

Before Martin could catch his breath, a furious screech tore through the sanctum. Selene, having witnessed her counterpart’s fall, erupted in a frenzy of rage. Breaking free of the spectral net, she charged toward the core, her claws slamming against the protective barrier with enough force to send shockwaves through the sanctum.

Kurt’s voice trembled, “The barrier can’t hold it much longer!”

The air grew thick with tension as the corrupted energy around the core began to intensify. Martin steadied his breathing and turned his attention to the frenzied Titan. He tightened his grip on his Tuning Blade, the hum of its resonance vibrating in the air around him. "Time to end this.”

With a nod to Harry, Martin led the charge toward Selene. The two moved in unison, Martin’s soundwaves carving a path through Selene’s thrashing attacks while Harry’s bone spears sought out vulnerable points on her grotesque form.

But before they could deliver the final blow, the sanctum’s atmosphere shifted. The air pulsed with a malevolent energy, and a guttural rumble reverberated through the chamber. Martin’s eyes darted to Sylas’ disintegrated remains—and froze.

Piece by piece, the Titan’s shattered body began to reassemble. Tendrils of dark energy coiled around the scattered fragments, pulling them together in defiance of death. Fur, sinew, and bone reformed, weaving themselves into a stronger, more grotesque version of the monster they had just defeated.

“No...” Martin whispered, dread coiling in his chest. Sylas’ red eyes reignited, brighter and more menacing than before. Its body now pulsed with a dark, otherworldly energy.