Vale stood near the shoreline beside Silfur, his gaze shifting between the violently churning ocean and the growing crowd gathering behind them. People arrived in waves, wealthy nobles in fine garments standing shoulder to shoulder with slum dwellers in worn cloth, drawn together by the same desperate hope. Their voices rose into a chaotic chorus, shouting for the Royal Guard to prevail, to bring the towering horror down before it reached the city. The energy was feverish, almost celebratory, as if spectacle alone could drown out fear, but Vale couldn't share in it. Doubt coiled tightly in his chest as he glanced back at Silfur, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?" he asked, skepticism edging his tone. "You're saying this… happens often?"
Silfur let out a short laugh as she pushed herself to her feet, one hand idly gripping Azure's scales as the wyvern stirred and yawned beneath her touch. She shot Vale an amused look, her expression far too relaxed given the scale of the threat. "This?" she said, gesturing lazily toward the distant titan. "Yeah, pretty common. Deep dwellers show up about once a week. It's just been a while since we've had one this big." She rolled her shoulders, utterly unfazed by the looming catastrophe. "Relax. Even if it's a Category Five, nobody's dying today."
Vale's frown deepened, skepticism sharpening into something more focused as he searched her face for cracks. "And you're sure of that… how?" he pressed.
Silfur didn't answer directly. Instead, she tilted her head and motioned behind him. "Look."
Reluctantly, Vale turned.
At first, it was just the skyline, stone towers cutting into the sky. Then his eyes lifted higher, catching the silhouette of a lone figure standing atop one of the tallest structures overlooking the coast. Even at this distance, the posture was unmistakable.
Ares.
He stood motionless against the horizon, arms relaxed at his sides, his presence calm, detached, as though the unfolding battle were nothing more than background noise.
Vale's eyes widened slightly. "Why isn't he helping?" he asked, turning back quickly.
Silfur stared at him for a beat, then burst into quiet laughter, shaking her head in disbelief. "Seriously?" she said. "Isn't it obvious? They don't need him." Her grin widened as she gestured toward the chaos at sea. "The Guard's got this. If anything, Korin's probably stressing himself out for nothing."
Vale's jaw tightened, frustration bleeding through. "How can you be so sure everything's fine?!"
Silfur sighed, patience thinning, her tone flattening as she waved him off. "If you're that worried, do something about it," she said, nodding toward his weapon. "Your little shadow looks more than ready."
Vale followed her gaze.
Shade stood a short distance away, its towering form still and deliberate, crimson eyes locked onto the titan with an intensity that bordered on hunger. The massive creature tore through air and sea alike, claws carving devastation into the Guard's formation, but Shade didn't flinch. It watched. Studied. Waited.
Then it looked at Vale.
Something passed between them in that moment, silent, immediate, understood.
Vale exhaled slowly, a faint, incredulous chuckle slipping out despite himself. "You really want to go?" he asked.
Shade didn't hesitate.
It nodded.
Vale's expression shifted, surprise flickering, then settling into a reluctant, almost impressed grin. "Alright," he muttered. "You held your own against a Category Four… this shouldn't be that much worse, right?"
Shade stepped forward and extended a hand.
Vale took it without hesitation.
For a brief second, they held that connection, solid, grounded, before Vale spoke, his voice low but firm. "Don't die. And don't do anything stupid."
Shade's eyes widened faintly, then narrowed again in quiet acknowledgment.
The next instant, its form collapsed inward, darkness folding over itself as its body unraveled and reformed, compressing, sharpening, until it became the spear once more, resting in Vale's grip.
Vale inhaled deeply, centering himself. His stance widened, feet planted firmly against the stone as his muscles coiled, every movement was precise, deliberate. He twisted at the waist, drawing the spear back as far as it would go, building momentum through his entire body, legs, core, shoulders, channeling everything into a single motion. The air itself seemed to tighten around him, pulled into the orbit of that impending release.
His eyes locked onto the titan.
Distance. Wind. Movement. Timing.
All accounted for.
For a fraction of a second, the world stilled.
Then,
He moved.
Vale stepped forward and unleashed the throw, his entire body snapping into alignment as the spear left his hand with explosive force. The moment it departed, the air ruptured, pressure collapsing inward before detonating outward in a violent shockwave that cracked the stone beneath his feet and sent a gust tearing across the shoreline.
The spear became a streak of darkness.
It cut through the sky like a falling star, faster than sound, faster than thought, its trajectory perfectly aligned as it tore toward the distant titan, shrinking the impossible distance between them in seconds.
Vale lowered his arm slowly, his breath steady, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"…Let's see what you can do," he murmured.
The spear tore through the sky like a missile, its passage ripping a violent corridor through the air, the resulting gust slammed outward in expanding rings, kicking up sand and debris along the shoreline. Silfur raised an arm to shield her face as her hair whipped wildly around her, but instead of bracing against it, she grinned, wide, exhilarated, almost feral.
"Yeah!" she shouted over the wind. "That's more like it!"
In the span of a heartbeat, the spear crossed the distance.
Impact.
The sound arrived a fraction later, a deep, rolling thunderclap that echoed across the ocean as the weapon buried itself deep into the titan's armored carapace. The colossal creature recoiled, its massive frame shifting violently as a roar tore from its maw, the force of it vibrating through water and air alike. The spear didn't bounce. It didn't crack.
It held.
Darkness erupted from the point of impact.
Shade manifested instantly, no hesitation, no transition, one moment absent, the next already in motion. It surged upward along the titan's body with predatory efficiency, its form blurring as it climbed, his greatsword carving into the hardened shell with ruthless precision. Flames from diving dragons washed over it in sweeping arcs, but Shade moved through them like smoke, unimpeded, its strikes landing in rapid succession.
Each blow bit deep.
Each motion carried killing intent.
From the shore, Vale struggled to track it, his eyes straining as his breathing grew heavier, the strain from the throw catching up to him all at once. His vision flickered slightly as he tried to follow the rapid ascent, but the motion was too fast, too erratic. His legs gave just enough to force him down to one knee, a sharp exhale leaving him as he steadied himself against the ground.
Silfur didn't miss a second.
"Damn," she muttered, clearly impressed. "Your shadow's a vicious one, huh?"
Vale glanced at her, confusion cutting through his fatigue. "What do you mean?"
She didn't look at him. Her eyes remained locked on the battlefield. "You seriously can't see it?" she said. "It's tearing that thing apart. Every strike's doing real damage, clean cuts through the layered armor. Honestly…" she gave a short, amused breath, "…it's putting in more work than half the Guard right now."
Vale blinked, then turned his attention away from the titan, toward the distant skyline.
His eyes widened.
Ares was no longer watching the battle.
He was watching him.
Even from that distance, the weight of that gaze was unmistakable, cold and precise. It wasn't curiosity. It wasn't approval.
It was assessment.
Or atleast, that was what it seemed to be.
The moment lingered, then Ares turned, his form disappearing from the rooftop as he moved back toward the tower without another glance.
"Why is he leaving?" Vale murmured, unease settling in.
Behind him, metal clattered.
"I don't know," Silfur replied casually.
Vale turned.
She was kneeling beside a large metallic construct, her hands already moving with practiced familiarity as she adjusted its components. With a sharp motion, she shook it once, and the mechanism responded instantly, segments shifting, unfolding outward with heavy, deliberate clicks. Plates locked into place. Arms extended. Tension cables snapped taut.
Within seconds, it had transformed.
A bow.
Not a standard one, this was massive, nearly three meters in length, its steel frame thick and reinforced, built less like a weapon and more like siege equipment. Even at rest, it radiated weight.
"Probably because," Silfur added, her tone almost playful as she rose, "he knows I've got this handled."
Vale stared at her, disbelief unfiltered. "You've got it… handled?"
Silfur smiled, bright, confident, utterly unbothered. "Yep," she said simply. "I'm a hunter, after all."
She reached into Azure's pack and pulled free a massive bolt, its shaft thick, its tip honed to a brutal, penetrating edge. With steady hands, she set it into the bowstring, aligning it with careful precision.
Out at sea, the battle escalated.
Shade reached the upper section of the titan's body, its movements accelerating as it drove its blade down again and again, until, with one final, brutal strike, it severed one of the titan's colossal claws. The limb tore free, crashing into the ocean below with a deafening impact that sent massive waves surging outward in all directions.
The titan roared.
Silfur drew the bow.
Vale's eyes widened as he watched the motion, the sheer force required should have been impossible. The steel frame groaned under the tension, bending slightly as the string was pulled back inch by inch… then further… then fully. Her posture didn't waver. Her arms didn't shake.
She held it like it weighed nothing.
'That's not normal,' Vale thought, stunned.
Silfur glanced over her shoulder, catching his expression instantly.
"Surprised?" she asked, her grin widening.
Then she turned fully toward him, the drawn bow still held effortlessly, the bolt locked and ready.
"Here's a tip, kid," she said. "Anyone with rank around here?" She tilted her head slightly. "They're either packing some ridiculous ability… or they're just built different."
Her eyes gleamed, sharp with confidence.
"Go ahead," she added.
"Guess which one I am."
Then, without waiting for an answer, her focus snapped forward again.
Her stance shifted.
Her breathing steadied.
And the moment stretched,
right to the edge of release.