The repetition of Vlad's name felt like a tambourine in XN's head. The two men were at loggerheads, but XN alone knew what happened to Vlad. Gradually, his humanity returned with guilt, and his heart throbbed.
Images of the past violently resurfaced. The night breeze reminded XN of a man-made tempest. The casualties caused by an entity within him. He was brutally reminded of his duality.
The migraines he tried to contain by squeezing his temples gradually diminished, while his conscience yielded to the power of the entity.
Threads of his dark purple aura progressively stretched from his body. His visage became void of emotions, with one thought governing his quiet mind:
"I can't let him die.."
".. Not without my answers!"
His last words lingered on the roof on which he perched as he took an explosive leap. The burst of his speed cut through sound, leaving a purple trace behind him.
The fists of the creature had hammered down on Reynolds.
But he was alive.
In front of him, a thick cloud of dust gradually revealed a terrifying sight: a purple-glowed iris bathed in ominous darkness.
The cloud of dust steadily faded, revealing XN. His left arm — etched with purple runes — shielded Reynolds, carving disbelief onto his face.
"..how can this be?"
XN's tremendous aura swallowed the murky green atmosphere, turning the flames purple and reducing metals within the perimeter to dust. All but Reynolds' sword.
A brief moment of silence followed as the wind calmed, with the smell of rust lingering in the air.
Then XN spoke. His effortless tone matched the quiet environment.
"Sorry, old man. But the night is still young."
From atop the creature, manic laughter broke into the intense moment.
It was Manson.
His attempt to eliminate the submissive former captain had encountered a hindrance — XN. However—
"I knew it!" Manson started.
"You look just like one of them.."
Steadily, his voice hushed, hatred dominating his tone.
"..Those BLOOM's evil dogs!"
Manson stared into space as he envisioned his people conceding to the Regis. Meanwhile, Reynolds ruminated on the past.
"How did we get to this..?"
The space around him suddenly felt like an isolated room, his thoughts loud enough to be heard by XN, who stood before him. In that mind-made silence, he heard XN's voice. His lips barely moved, yet his words broke through.
"Death is an escape. Not a punishment for your mistakes."
Then he vanished, his presence replaced by a thick dust cloud provoked by a rapid strike from the creature.
The gusts were loud and violent as the creature chained rapid, heavy attacks on XN, who gracefully avoided every strike.
His acrobatics made it seem as though he could jump in midair, while his speed overwhelmed the opponent's, creating the illusion of disappearance.
The old man stood in disbelief at the sight of what should have been impossible.
"Impossible! This is at least Theta-tier combat skill!"
His teeth chattered as his focus intensified.
The purple threads left by XN's combat prowess shone in the indigo night. In the background, gusts roared alongside Manson's frustration.
"WHY WON'T YOU JUST STOP MOVING!"
His black hair revealed blood vessels crawling toward his irises. Gradually, the redness overtook them.
"DIE, JUST DIE!"
Things unfolded as XN had hoped.
"Good. I have his attention."
The target was no longer Reynolds, but XN. From the ground, Reynolds saw the flicker in XN's right eye and understood.
"I see.. he's giving me time to clarify my thoughts."
XN avoided engaging directly in the fight while he pondered:
"Manson's one of yours.."
"I won't eliminate him, if that's your wish."
A hint of regret sketched his face, his brows slightly pinched.
"I won't cause any further hurt to these people."
Then XN closed his eyes — and with them, a drape of darkness enveloped the wastelands.
Time froze.
The moon lit purple.
Its filtered light shone upon Manson as purple threads of energy drew from his left face.
Reynolds saw it — XN's left hand pressing against Manson's face in a split second, propelling the young, vengeful soldier forty-five degrees downward toward Reynolds.
Rapidly, the darkness dissipated and a wall of dust rose from Reynolds' hard catch. Manson lay unconscious in his arms.
"Manson.."
Manson was disarmed, and peace settled. The wind whistled with sorrow, while the dying purple flames birthed hope in Reynolds — a second chance to make things right.
Behind him, stones crumbled under the composed steps of a tremendous presence.
"Move.."
It ordered.
Reynolds had witnessed XN's empathy. But the person walking behind him—
"He has the same voice.. but he looks different."
The already pungent odor intensified, its rotting scent clinging to Reynolds' lungs.
"Ugh! What's that smell?" Reynolds spoke, squeezing his nose with his clothes.
"You should watch where you stand," XN replied.
An olive drab fluid progressively swallowed the battlefield. Its sticky nature glued everything to the ground, reducing organics to a depraved state.
Reynolds looked back to the source of the odor — the creature's fetlock. Behind him, XN spoke with bare concern.
"Don't get infected. Now, move!"
Suddenly, the trace of the smell spread horizontally, split by the violent winds of the creature's strike.
Reynolds, deafened by the impact, watched from beneath his left arm — XN shielding them once more.
"He's so fast."
The sticky fluid that splashed onto XN evaporated into purple steam, burned away by his aura.
Meanwhile, XN engaged with his body-mate — the entity.
"Be fast."
"Hahaha. Finally, you understand how I function," the entity responded.
Its grave voice grew with excitement. Suddenly, a purple miasma exploded from XN, sweeping away the rotting stench. The shockwave sheared the creature's limb.
Its hollow eyes blazed red as it recoiled from XN's explosive release. Olive drab fluid oozed from the amputated limb of the roaring creature, its body still lost in darkness cast by his height.
XN walked forward, undismayed by the threat. His emotionless demeanor was accompanied by the miasma consuming the rotting fluid.
His deep breath resonated, as though every surrounding sound yielded to him. Then he whispered before vanishing:
"I'm preying on you."
His voice lingered, gradually replaced by thunderous impacts.
The creature's limbs began to dismantle at their joints, purple hues consuming the detached parts.
XN was nowhere to be seen, yet his presence was palpable. The toxicity of the atmosphere dropped, replaced by dread born of a predator. The night darkened, and the stars hid behind the smoke canopy.
It was obvious.
"He can't be a Lambda!" Reynolds thought.
The ground quaked under the crushing fall of the giant.
Nekrolyma resonated with the impact, its waters dancing to the creature's dying roar.
Reynolds could feel them — his people — praying for him. Yet the anxiety remained conflicting. His sight was hazed by a wall of dust.
"Hmm.."
The haze gradually cleared. XN stood in his original position, while the horizon was marked by the fallen, dismantled creature. An ominous purple hue rose from its wounds, consuming the olive drab fluid.
A piece of paper wavered in the settling wind, drifting toward Reynolds. His face turned pale as he read:
"..We respected our agreement. Now do your part, and we shall release your brother, Vlad."
XN — still partially possessed — kept his eyes locked on the Tera with intensity. The ominous purple flare draining from his skin gradually faded as his conscience returned.
"You know what that means," XN said.
Infuriated, Reynolds' hair glowed under the silvery moon. His wrath fueled his growing aura.
The old man gently laid Manson on the ground and walked past XN.
"You know what to do."
At XN's words, Reynolds' silvery eyes blended with the moonlight. His energy surged outward in a blinding light, shaping into a judgment dome.
Everything within was chastised, as though void itself devoured it all — all but XN, Manson, and Reynolds.
The exiled captain stood in disappointment and spoke with regret.
"This green cloth on my hilt. I tied it to remind me of the promise I made to Vlad."
He stared at the ground, hiding his face beneath his long hair.
"The handwriting on the paper.."
"It looked just like his."
He clenched his hands into wounding fists. Each drop of blood deepened his doubt.
"Is Vlad behind all this?"
The conclusion was uncertain, but the possibility was unbearable.
XN stood at his right, his silence contradicting his guilt as he watched Reynolds contemplate.
"That wasn't what we agreed on, Vlad."