Ellie now stood between two of Ozymand’s seeds and Lady Audries, her silver hair gleaming under the dim light of the Ozymand maze. One of the figures stepped closer. He began to speak, his voice smooth but commanding.
“I am Oz, one of the Four Seeds of Ozymand, and behind me is my kin, Zya of the Four Seeds. Hand over the girl and the ring, and you shall all be spared.”
Ellie’s breath hitched slightly. She had heard rumors of intelligent titans—beings that could comprehend and even speak the Elysian tongue—but she had never encountered one before. The realization struck her hard: she had underestimated the threats before them.
With unwavering resolve, Ellie raised her diamond swords, their crystalline edges gleaming ominously. "You shall not have her or the ring. Under the order of the king, we are to deliver Lady Audries to the Royal Capital, and I, Ellie Camberwell, Vice-Captain of the Aegis Enforcers, shall see that mission to success.”
Oz burst into laughter, his voice deep and thunderous, reverberating through the maze. “You little Elysians truly don’t know your place. You stand inside us—inside Ozymand, one of the Greater Titans, the one that has seen empires rise and fall for centuries. And you dare to challenge us?”
Ellie stole a quick glance at Rendy and Audries, still shielded behind her diamond barrier. Then, turning back to Oz and Zya, her grip tightened on her weapons.
“I’m afraid today will be your turn to fall.”
Her resolve burned brighter than ever. The air around her shimmered as her ring resonated with her indomitable will. In an instant, her body was once again clad in glittering diamond, her stance unshakable. She would not back down.
——
Ellie’s grip on her diamond blades tightened as Oz and Zya advanced, their monstrous forms shifting with an eerie fluidity. The dim light of the Ozymand labyrinth flickered against their shifting exteriors—Oz, the bulkier of the two, had morphed into a towering titan of massive western-style pillars, his arms thick and heavy like castle ramparts. Zya, the slender counterpart, bore sharp, refined edges, her structure resembling the intricate spires of a forgotten cathedral. She moved like a blade dancing in the wind, her every step sharp and deliberate.
Oz lunged first, his massive stone fist crashing toward Ellie with the force of an avalanche. She reacted in a flash, crossing her diamond blades in front of her just in time to absorb the impact. The force sent her skidding back, her heels digging into the ancient labyrinth’s floor, sparks flying where diamond met stone. Before she could recover, Zya was upon her—her elongated, bladelike limbs striking with precision, each slash a deadly arc meant to carve Ellie apart.
Ellie twisted her body mid-air, parrying Zya’s strikes with swift counters, the ring on her finger pulsing with energy. A diamond-coated foot connected with Zya’s side, forcing the feminine titan to reel backward momentarily. But Oz wasted no time; a pillar-like leg swung toward her in a brutal roundhouse. Ellie barely managed to duck, feeling the rush of displaced air above her head.
They were strong. Too strong.
Still, Ellie refused to falter. She dug deep into her power, summoning a massive crystalline barrier between herself and Oz. The titan slammed his massive hands against it, sending cracks splintering through the diamond, but it gave her just enough time to assess the situation. Her gaze flicked toward Rendy and Lady Audries, still huddled behind her initial shield. They had to get out.
With a sharp exhale, Ellie shifted her stance. She needed an opening—something. Oz and Zya moved in unison, their synchronization uncanny. Oz was brute force, relentless in his assaults, while Zya was precision, striking at the exact moments Ellie had to recover.
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A strategy formed in Ellie’s mind. She allowed Oz to press forward, letting his hulking frame momentarily obscure Zya. With a flick of her wrist, she formed a hailstorm of razor-thin diamond shards and sent them flying toward Oz’s chest. The titan raised an arm to shield himself, giving Ellie the split-second she needed. She feinted a retreat, then spun sharply, hurtling a spear of diamond directly at Zya.
Zya deflected it, but that was the opening Ellie needed. In one swift motion, she shattered the ground beneath her feet, sending a jagged wave of crystal shards surging forward, forcing the titans to recoil. Taking advantage of the chaos, she turned her head slightly, locking eyes with Rendy.
“Take Lady Audries and run!!” she commanded, her voice resolute.
Rendy hesitated, his fists clenched. “Vice-Captain—”
“Go!”
With a reluctant nod, Rendy grabbed Lady Audries by the arm, leading her away as fast as they could go. The labyrinth twisted around them, the passages seemingly shifting as they moved, but Ellie had no choice—she had to hold the line.
Oz growled, his voice reverberating through the chamber. “Foolish girl. You would rather die here alone?”
Ellie took a steadying breath. “If that’s what it takes to protect them.”
The fight resumed with renewed fury. Oz slammed his fists down like a collapsing temple, while Zya’s sharp limbs sought any opening in Ellie’s defenses. Ellie’s movements were a deadly dance, her diamond armor gleaming as she twisted and countered with unrelenting speed. She ducked, dodged, and retaliated with every ounce of strength she possessed, but fatigue was setting in. The titans were wearing her down.
A misstep.
Zya’s blade-like arm slipped past Ellie’s defenses, slashing across her shoulder. Pain flared through her body, but she gritted her teeth and retaliated with a powerful upward slash, cutting deep into Zya’s torso. The titan shrieked, staggering back, but Oz took the opportunity to drive a pillar-like fist straight into Ellie’s gut.
The impact was devastating.
Ellie was sent flying backward, crashing through a crumbling wall of the labyrinth. Dust and debris rained around her as she struggled to get up. Blood trickled down her forehead. Her limbs felt heavy, her breathing ragged.
She had failed.
Before she could move, Oz loomed over her, reaching down. His massive hand clenched around her body, lifting her like a doll. She struggled, but his grip was unyielding.
“You fought well, Elysian,” Oz rumbled, “but this is where it ends.”
Zya, though injured, approached where Rendy and Lady Audries had run. In an instant, she was upon them, her elongated limbs snatching Audries before Rendy could react.
“Lady Audries!” Rendy shouted, lunging forward, but a mere flick of Zya’s arm sent him sprawling to the ground.
Zya held Audries up, her elongated limbs coiling around the noblewoman’s fragile frame. "Now… the ring." Her voice was thick with triumph. "Give it to us.”
Audries turned her gaze downward, her hazel eyes flickering as she beheld Ellie and Rendy—both wounded, both battered, yet still breathing. Her heart clenched, but her resolve did not waver. Though she could not foresee what lay beyond this moment, she knew one truth: they would survive. She looked at the Ring of Kismet, feeling its weight upon her hand, and silently prayed that the wheel of fate would turn in their favor.
The air grew heavy. A strange energy pulsed from Audries’ body, a deep, ancient resonance that silenced even the titans. The energy was so strong that Zya had to let her go.
Her hazel eyes, once warm, flared into a deep crimson. The red threads of destiny once again formed around her, swirling chaotically as she fell into a trance-like state. The Ring of Kismet pulsed with violent energy, its glow intensifying with each passing second.
Audries’ lips parted, and a whisper passed through the chamber, spoken like a prophecy: “Diamond does not crack under pressure.”
Then she screamed. This time, the red threads flying around her swirled upward, coiling and twisting in intricate patterns. They gathered, condensing into a massive, spectral form—an ethereal red dragon with piercing eyes and a body of woven destiny. The labyrinth trembled violently, its very foundations shaking under the weight of the summoned power. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling as the echoes of the dragon’s silent roar filled the air.
Oz and Zya stopped, their expressions twisting into something resembling satisfaction rather than fear. Oz's grip loosened, and Ellie fell to the cold, cracked floor with a heavy thud. Pain lanced through her body, but she forced herself to look up. With her remaining strength, she gazed at Lady Audries, now fully enshrouded in the trance-like state, the spectral red dragon coiling above her like a guardian of fate.
The two of Ozymand's seed smiled, their heavy voices merging into one as they spoke. "So there you are, Moraitus..."