"If you knew the attack was coming, why didn't you save her?"
"Knew? I knew nothing, I only knew her research was dangerous."
Klyve said. His tone dripping with unusual seriousness. There's no point in lying under this circumstance.
"Then you don't really care about her. Because if you do... then you would stop her from getting in that mess."
Alianna interrupted. This makes Klyve's expression turns into anger.
"Care about her?" Klyve's voice rose, the restrained bitterness finally breaking free. "You dare talk to me about caring? You think I didn't try to stop her? She wouldn't listen! Lisa always thought she could fix everything, no matter how impossible it seemed."
He took a step forward.
"I warned her, begged her to leave the academy. But no, she stayed, clinging to her precious ideals—and now she's gone!" His voice cracked, and for a brief moment, the anger in his eyes softened into something more fragile. "Do you think I don't live with that every day?"
Ren clenched his fists, stepping in front of Alianna.
"Then why are you still here? Why come back now, if you've already given up?"
"Because... even a man who's lost everything can't outrun his regrets forever."
There was a long silence, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. Klyve took a deep breath and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
"Look," he said, his voice low but steady. "If you're looking for answers, fine. But don't expect them to bring you peace. Lisa's research... whatever she uncovered, it wasn't meant for people like us. It wasn't meant for anyone."
"What do you mean?"
Klyve falls, sitting while running his finger on the ground.
"Her research was meant only for her... no one will understand it."
"Then help me understand. You say her research was dangerous, that it got her killed—but you're still here, still carrying her regret. If you truly cared, you'd honor her by helping me figure out what she was trying to achieve."
Klyve's hand paused, hovering over the charred ground as if his next words were weighing heavily on him. Slowly, he raised his head, his dark eyes locking onto Ren's.
"You think you're worthy of her legacy? That you, with your guilt and self-pity, can bear the burden she carried?"
Ren flinched but didn't back down.
"I don't know if I'm worthy. But I know I owe it to her to try."
Klyve stood abruptly, the intensity of his gaze almost suffocating.
"Then prove it. Show me the bond you claim to share with that thing."
He pointed sharply at Leizage, who growled softly in response, its massive body tensing at the perceived challenge.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying we battle. If you want answers, you'll have to earn them."
Klyve stepped back, reaching into his coat to pull out a bond stone of his own. It shimmered with an ominous red light, casting long shadows in the ruined library.
"What do you say? Old ways, no interfering with our magic, only our beast."
Ren hesitated, the words weighing heavily in the air. His eyes flicked to Leizage, he knew what Klyve was asking wasn't just a challenge to his strength, it was a challenge to his resolve, his bond, his belief in himself and what he was fighting for.
Alianna placed a hand on his arm.
"You don't have to do this, Ren."
"No... If this is what it takes to understand teacher Lynch's work… to honor her memory, then I'll do it." He took a deep breath, taking a step forward. "I accept."
Klyve's grim expression didn't falter, but there was a flicker of something else in his eyes... approval, maybe, or perhaps just satisfaction.
He nodded and turned toward the shattered remains of a once-proud doorway, gesturing for Ren and Alianna to follow.
"Come with me. We'll do this where it all began."
Ren and Alianna followed Klyve silently, Ren's footsteps echoing through the desolate ruins of the academy.
He could almost hear the laughter of students in the courtyards, the heated debates in the classrooms, and the triumphant cheers from the battle grounds. But all of that had been reduced to ash and ruin.
As they approached the battleground, Ren's heart grew heavier. This place had once been alive with the spirit of competition, a proving ground for students to test their bonds with their beasts.
Leizage growled softly at his side, sensing his turmoil. Ren placed a hand on the beast's scaled hide, drawing strength from the unspoken connection they shared.
"This was our arena," Ren said quietly, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "We had so many battles here."
Klyve stopped ahead of them, turning slowly to face Ren.
"You think those battles meant something, don't you?" Klyve said, his tone cold. "That they forged some unbreakable bond between you and your beast."
He stepped onto the cracked stone floor of the battleground, holding his bond stone high. A pulse of crimson energy shot from the stone, swirling into a dense, malevolent form. The air grew cold, and a chilling presence filled the arena.
The beast that materialized was unlike any Ren had ever seen. It was humanoid, standing tall with jagged, bone-like armor covering its entire body.
Its skeletal face was adorned with sharp, hollow eyes that seemed to pierce through the soul. In its bony hands, it wielded a massive sword, also made entirely of bone, its edge gleaming with an unnatural sheen.
"This is Hakarai," Klyve said, his voice steady but filled with an edge of pride. "A beast born from the deepest regrets of the soul. Its strength comes not from bonds of trust but from the weight of the past."
Alianna took a step back, her face pale.
"That thing... It's terrifying."
Ren stared at Hakarai, his resolve hardening at the sight of the malevolent beast.
"A bond forged from regret? That's no bond at all."
"Then prove me wrong. Show me what your so-called bond is worth."
Ren stepped forward, his hand tightening on his own bond stone.
"Leizage," he called.
The beast roared in response, its green and purple aura flaring as it stepped into the arena.
"I'll show you what's a bond truly is."
Klyve raised a hand, signaling the start of the battle.
"Let's see if you're worthy of inheriting my sister's legacy."