Night dragged on, but sleep refused to come.
The fire crackled weakly, smothered by the swamp's humidity. The mist thickened even more, slowly swallowing the faint circle of light that barely protected us.
Elias, sitting cross-legged, was still sharpening his blade, unable to sleep. The steady scraping of metal against stone matched our ragged breathing. His eyes were fixed on the sword as if it were the only truth in a world of lies.
I walked over to him.
— Planning to sharpen that blade until it disappears?
He looked up at me, surprised. Then a faint smile appeared on his tired face.
— It helps me relax. When my hands move, my mind doesn't think about what's lurking out there.
I sat down across from him, my back against a trunk torn from the ground.
— You seem confident. More than the others.
He shook his head.
— I'm not. I just don't have the luxury to be. My family… they expect me to lift them up. We're not part of Guidence's high sphere. Not powerful enough to be respected, not weak enough to be forgotten. We live in between. And me… I'm the only hope they have.
His eyes dropped to the sword.
— So I can't fail…
A heavy silence followed. I saw in his eyes something I knew too well: the fear of disappearing, the fear of being nothing.
— I thought you were just a bunch of privileged idiots, I said with a small scoff.
He suddenly raised his head.
— You think that?
— I don't really know what to think about you anymore, but you and your group… you're not like the ones who let it get to their heads. You know, I don't really know what I'm worth. But you're the first one who reached out to me… and I won't forget that.
Elias stared at me for a long moment, then let out a small, incredulous laugh.
— Heh… you're way too serious, Iron. You sure you're our age? But don't worry, you don't owe me anything.
He held out his hand. I hesitated for a moment.
Friendship, complicity, camaraderie… all of that was new to me. I had spent my whole life wearing a mask, trying only to please and meet others' expectations, never letting my true self surface.
Then I took it. His grip was firm, honest.
It was brief, but it was real.
The first chain I did not hate.
Then suddenly, a scream.
— AAAAAH !
Lyra.
We sprang to our feet. The fire flickered. Our weapons were drawn in an instant.
She stood there, hands gripping her staff, eyes locked on the mist. Her face was twisted with horror.
— Over there… I saw it…
The mist parted, slowly, as if some dreadful breath had commanded it.
And then, it appeared.
First, a massive silhouette, distorted by the fog.
Then footsteps. Heavy. Each one made the soggy ground tremble beneath our feet.
The creature finally emerged from the mist.
I saw its feet first before lifting my head until my neck nearly snapped! It had to be at least fifteen or twenty meters tall, towering over the trees.
Its body was swollen with diseased flesh, covered in pustules and black scars. Its skin looked eaten away by moisture, as if it were rotting alive.
But its eyes.
Or rather… its eye.
At the center of its deformed face, a single enormous bloodshot globe glowed like a sick lantern. It moved in every direction, searching, feeling the air. Around it were black markings, as if a curse had been carved into its flesh.
A giant.
Even more horrifying than those from myths.
It was a stinking abomination—the smell alone was unbearable.
Its breath was a cavernous rasp, each exhale releasing a cloud of foul mist. Its massive hand slammed into a trunk and snapped it clean in half.
Dorian stepped back, his daggers trembling.
— By all the gods…
Elias tightened his grip on his sword.
— A damn giant… are they serious?!
The giant let out a roar. Never in my life had I heard something so abominable.
Dead trees trembled, and the swamp water surged in waves.
I felt my Thorn vibrate in my chest, as if it recognized the creature. As if it wanted to tear itself apart in response.
Asha stepped forward, her halberd already crackling with lightning.
— Get a hold of yourselves! Our prey is right in front of us!
She was wrong. And in her eyes, I saw the truth.
We were not the hunters.
We were the prey.
The giant's roar made the mud tremble beneath our feet.
An inhuman cry, filled with pain and hatred, that vibrated through my bones.
Then it charged.
Its step shattered the wooden walkway behind us, sending splinters and sprays of sludge flying. The shockwave threw us all off balance.
— Spread out! Elias shouted.
Asha reacted first. Her halberd crackled, sending a bolt of lightning that struck the monster's shoulder. The flesh burned, but the titan didn't stop. It swung its massive arm. Asha rolled away, narrowly avoiding a blow that pulverized dozens of dead trees.
Dorian dashed behind it at full speed, his daggers gleaming. He drove the blades into the rotting flesh, but they barely sank in. A black liquid burst out, corrosive, making the metal smoke.
— Shit!
He dropped his weapons, jumping back before the creature's flesh could consume them along with him.
I clenched my fists. My power screamed in my chest, demanding release. I summoned my blade of fire. It roared in my hand, more unstable than ever, but I had no choice.
— Iron! Elias shouted. With me!
He rushed at the giant, sword raised. I followed, my flaming blade in hand.
The monster swung its huge fist. Elias slid under the blow, striking the creature's thigh with a powerful arc. The blade bit into flesh. A howl of pain shook the air.
I leapt in turn, my fire blade crashing down onto the other leg. The flesh ignited, and the foul stench of burning filled the air.
The creature staggered… then its massive arm slammed into me in an instant.
The impact sent me flying dozens of meters. It felt like my ribs exploded—and it probably wasn't just a feeling.
The monster then turned toward Lyra.
She had stayed back, hands trembling around her staff. Her gaze met the enormous bloodshot eye. She froze.
— No… no…
The monster's hand rose.
— Move! I shouted.
She closed her eyes. Her staff lit up. A wave of gentle energy burst forth, enveloping Elias and Asha. Their wounds partially closed.
She had chosen to heal rather than flee.
But the giant's hand was already descending.
I tore another blade from the fracture. This time, my wind blade, almost intangible. It vibrated around me like a piercing scream.
I ran. The air tore around my steps. I leapt, launching myself upward, lifted for a moment by my ability to fly.
The wind blade sliced through the air and struck the Cyclops' arm. A thin but deep cut opened across its skin. The monster roared and turned its attention.
Lyra collapsed to her knees, gasping… but alive.
Elias seized the opening. He leapt forward, driving his stone-coated sword into the monster's abdomen. Asha struck as well, her halberd electrifying the wound. The flesh crackled, the Cyclops convulsed.
Dorian appeared behind it, retrieving his scorched daggers to stab again at the creature's tendon.
For a moment, we seemed to be holding.
Just a moment.
The monster tore the sword from its belly as if it were nothing but a splinter. It threw it into the mud. With a backhand, it sent Elias and Asha flying into the trunks.
Then its massive eye turned toward me.
And it seemed to smile, its crooked, grotesque teeth reaching out to devour me.
A twisted, monstrous smile.
It ripped up a chunk of earth and hurled it at me like a mountain. I raised both my blades and crossed their power. The impact triggered an explosion of flames and gusts. Mud flew in every direction.
When the smoke cleared, I was still standing.
But my blades trembled, unstable, ready to shatter.
I spat blood.
— Shit…
The titan roared, its eye glowing with a dark light. Its guttural voice echoed.
— Come on, I muttered, trying to summon courage.
Then it charged again.
And I knew this fight would not end with a simple victory.
I would have to surpass myself to win.