Date: April 26, 542 years since the Fall of Zanra the Dishonored.
They retreated. Not because they were afraid — because there was no other choice. The white figure advanced slowly, and with each step, the Herald's pressure grew stronger, more unbearable. Ulviya felt her vine, her living hand, tremble, felt her spirit, her power, contract, trying to hide from this alien, hostile might.
"It's going to kill us," Rosh said, and there was no trace of his former mockery in his voice. Only cold, calm statement of fact. "One by one. Like puppies."
"Shut up," Datuk snapped, but there was no anger in his voice.
They stood in an uneven line, watching the approaching Herald, and thought the same thing. About how vast the gap was between them. About how ridiculous their powers were before true might. About how they — Pillars, Warrior, bear — were mere grains of sand, ants who dared to stand in the path of a hurricane.
Ulviya thought of Chelaya. Of how the ancient tortoise had told her: "Strength is not in rank. Strength is in what you are willing to stake." She was willing to stake everything. But it wasn't enough. Her rank, her Warrior, her vine — all of it was nothing before the Herald.
Datuk thought of Krag-Mhor. Of his mother waiting for him. Of his father who was proud of him. Of Sobra standing beside him, bleeding, but not retreating. He wasn't going to die. Not here. Not now.
Rosh thought of his dual nature. Of how he had never belonged to humans or sylvan. Of how he had always been alone. And now, with death staring him in the face, he suddenly realized he didn't want to die alone. Didn't want to die at all.
Sobra stood, ears flat, his amber eyes looking at the Herald with a mixture of longing and resolve. He felt his strength leaving his body, felt the blood from deep wounds soaking his fur, making it heavy and sticky. He couldn't fight anymore. Not in this state. But he could do something else.
---
The bear made a sound. It was not a growl, not a howl — something in between, deep, guttural, that made Datuk turn to him. Sobra looked at his friend with his amber eyes, and in their depths burned something Datuk had never seen before. Resolve. And a question.
He could not speak. Could not explain with words. But he knew how to speak otherwise. With his body. With his gaze. With a movement.
Sobra stepped forward, and his heavy paw rested on Datuk's shoulder. Warm, bloodied, it was heavier than ever, and in that touch was something that made the dwarf freeze.
"You're going to...?" Datuk began, then stopped.
He understood. Without words. Without gestures. Simply understood, because he knew his friend better than anyone. Sobra was offering him something they had never spoken of aloud. Something that was their secret, their last trump card, their only chance.
"Are you ready?" Datuk asked, and hope trembled in his voice.
Sobra gave a short, sharp growl — quiet, abrupt — and nodded his head. His silver-striped fur flared brighter, and in his eyes, amber, deep, a fire kindled — the same fire Datuk had seen only once, many years ago, when they first met.
"Then do it," Datuk said, lowering his axe. "I'm ready."
Ulviya and Rosh watched them, not understanding what was happening. The dwarf and the bear stood facing each other, and between them, in the air, something pulsed that they could not explain. Some connection, some power that grew with each moment.
"What are they doing?" Rosh asked, and confusion sounded in his voice for the first time.
"I don't know," Ulviya replied. "But it seems to be our only chance."
---
Sobra closed his eyes. His Spirit — the one that had slept in him for years, the one he had never used in battle — awoke. It was the Spirit of Possession. Not attack, not defense, not reality alteration. Something else. The ability to become part of another being.
He opened his eyes and looked at Datuk. The dwarf stood before him, his bloodied face calm.
Sobra stepped forward. Not with his body — with his spirit. His consciousness, his essence, his power — all of it rushed toward Datuk, pouring into him like water into an empty vessel. Datuk felt it immediately — warmth spreading through his body, strength filling his muscles, clarity sharpening his mind.
His wounds began to heal faster. The deep cuts on his arms and chest pulled together, blood stopped flowing, and the pain that had plagued him subsided. He felt his body grow stronger, faster, more resilient. Felt his regeneration accelerate many times over. Felt his hearing, sight, smell sharpen, allowing him to see what had been hidden.
Then the cloak appeared.
It wove from the air, from the light, from Sobra's very power. Brown, with silver stripes, it fell onto Datuk's shoulders, and the dwarf felt its weight, its warmth, its protection become part of him. The hood was raised, and on it, above Datuk's head, appeared a bear's head. Its eyes glowed with amber light — the same eyes with which Sobra looked.
Ulviya froze, watching the transformation. The dwarf, wounded, tired, almost defeated just moments ago, now stood before them, and power emanated from him. His aura had changed — it had become denser, heavier, more dangerous. He was still a Pillar, but a Pillar amplified by another Pillar.
"What... what is that?" Rosh whispered, his mismatched eyes widening.
"It's our chance," Ulviya replied, clenching her fist. Her vine, her living hand, began to grow again, forming a new whip — weak, but a chance.
Datuk raised his head. His eyes, green, bright, burned with fire, and in their depths, in their amber reflection, Sobra's gaze could be seen. Two beings, two friends, two brothers became one.
"My turn now," Datuk said, and his voice, low, hoarse, sounded firmer than ever.
He raised his axe, and the blade, reflecting the white light, flashed silver. The white Herald paused for a moment, its faceless face turning toward the dwarf, and in its stillness, its silence, there was something like surprise.
Then it stepped forward. And Datuk stepped to meet it. The battle that was supposed to be their last was only beginning. But now they had a chance. Small, fragile, almost ghostly. But a chance.