BLUE AND RED CLASH AND A PURPLE LIGHT ENGULFS THE WHOLE ROOM!
Spera darts toward the ground where I lay, shoving me aside just as the giant beast crashes down, flames licking its surroundings. The creature rises, its glowing eyes locking onto us with unsettling intensity.
"Ha... Yup, we're done," Spera chuckles, his form dimming slightly.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE DONE?! I roar in my thoughts.
"Yeah, so, he's just physically... STRONGER," Spera explains, dragging out the last word. "Sooooo, we might need to run. If you pass out while I'm fighting, I'll lose A LOT of power."
A sharp pfft interrupts him. A flaming acorn whistles through the air, hurtling toward us. Reacting instantly, Spera morphs into a slide, deflecting the fiery projectile. The acorn ricochets back, slamming into the beast. It stumbles onto its hind legs, the impact sending it crashing into a desk piled high with flaming papers.
The paper mountain collapses, threatening to bury me. But Spera, quick as ever, moves me to safety.
"I've gotten faster, stronger, and more flexible. You can get real creative with me!" he beams, clearly proud.
Great! I have SO many questions, but we need to focus on getting out of here, I think, urgency in my mental voice.
Spera nods. As he moves to pick me up, he suddenly hesitates, floating upward. "But... how?"
I've got a plan, I assure him.
The beast regains its footing, planting the flaming acorn on the ground like it's charging up for something big. Its gaze locks on us, and it charges forward.
Spera doesn't hesitate. With a burst of speed, he collides with the end of my foot, launching me into the air with a perfectly executed front flip. I soar above the beast as Spera prepares his next move.
Now, Spera, ATTACK!
"Radiant Flock!" he chirps.
Spera moves so fast it's as if there are dozens of him, each striking the beast with deafening impacts that echo like gunshots. The creature stumbles backward, its tail whipping through the air and scattering hot sparks. One spark catches Spera, who cries out in pain as his form dims. He retreats momentarily, regaining his shape.
Are you okay, Spera?
He nods resolutely as the beast retreats into a cloud of smoke, its tail's glowing sparks the only clue to its movement. The sparks turn left, disappearing into the haze.
It's time, I tell Spera.
Spera steadies me, propping me upright as he charges toward the creature's last known position. Within the smoke, we find a glowing red light—only to realize it's a red-hot coal shaped like the acorn. A trap.
The beast bursts out from under the flaming paper landslide, its fiery body dimmer but still dangerous. It readies another flaming acorn, this time aiming directly at me.
JUST AS PLANNED. SPERA, NOW!
Spera zips forward, slamming into a wheeled chair. The chair rockets toward the beast, striking its face and knocking its aim askew. The flaming acorn fires wildly, smashing into the same wall it had targeted earlier. The impact blows the wall open, and rain pours in, extinguishing the flames.
The beast writhes in agony as the water strikes its body. Its fiery form begins to crack and crumble, its roars fading into a pitiful wail.
You've been losing power this whole fight, I think, watching it dissolve. And now, with the rain, you're finished.
The creature collapses into a pile of ash, its remnants washed away by the storm.
"We did it!" Spera cheers triumphantly.
But I don't respond. My vision blurs, and I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. Lack of.... Oxygen... Its taken its toll...
The last thing I see is a shadowy figure climbing through the shattered wall. A human-shaped silhouette reaches for me before the darkness takes over.