Arvo leaned against a tree, his breathing steady but his mind far from calm. He watched Roseiral disappear into the shadows of the forest, her figure stooped with exhaustion and something heavier he couldn't quite name. Her steps were deliberate yet weighed down, the silence between them speaking louder than any words she could have said.
He let out a quiet sigh, the tension in his shoulders loosening slightly as he turned his attention back to the battlefield. His gaze swept over the scattered remains of the monster, its grotesque limbs and jagged body parts strewn haphazardly across the clearing. The eerie stillness of the scene should have brought relief, but something gnawed at him—a sense of unfinished business that he couldn't shake.
Arvo approached the largest piece of the fallen creature, his twin blades still resting against his hips, though his grip lingered close to their hilts. He crouched low, his sharp eyes scanning the remains for any lingering signs of life. The monster's body had been split apart cleanly, its dark, inky flesh seeping into the forest floor like a spreading shadow.
He narrowed his eyes. Monsters like this don't regenerate… right?
The forest around him was unnaturally quiet. Even the rustling leaves and distant hum of crickets seemed muted, as if the air itself held its breath. He let his fingers drift to the hilt of one blade, his instincts prickling in warning.
Then it happened.
A movement. A twitch. Barely perceptible, but it was there.
Before Arvo could react, the boy monster's head snapped upright, its body reforming with horrifying speed. Jagged limbs pulled themselves together like a grotesque puzzle, and the creature's eyes burned with a feral light that sent a chill down Arvo's spine.
"What the—"
In the blink of an eye, the monster was in front of him.
Arvo barely had time to raise his arms in defense before a massive claw struck him with brutal force, sending him flying backward. He crashed into a tree, the impact shaking the ground and forcing the air from his lungs. The blades at his side clattered uselessly to the ground as he gasped for breath, his vision swimming.
"How… is it back up?" he thought, his mind struggling to piece together what he was seeing. His body screamed in protest as he tried to push himself up, but the monster was already moving again.
Roseiral, hearing the deafening crack of the tree, froze mid-step. Her head whipped around, her eyes wide as she saw the creature standing tall in the clearing. The monster's grotesque form had shifted; its limbs were sharper, its movements more deliberate. It exuded a chilling aura, its earlier paranoia replaced with something darker.
"Arvo?" she called, her voice wavering. But before she could take another step, the monster turned toward her.
In an instant, it closed the distance, its massive hand wrapping around her throat with inhuman speed.
Roseiral's feet left the ground as the creature lifted her effortlessly, her blade slipping from her hand and clattering to the dirt below. Her hands clawed at its grip, but its strength was unyielding.
The monster's eyes, now glowing with an unsettling mix of rage and despair, bore into hers. Its voice boomed through the forest, echoing with raw emotion that made the air vibrate.
"WHERE IS MY MOMMY?"
The question wasn't just loud—it was a demand, filled with a pain so deep it seemed to reverberate through the very ground they stood on.
Roseiral's vision blurred, the pressure on her throat making it hard to breathe. Her mind scrambled to process the situation, but the monster's words struck a nerve she hadn't expected. For a fleeting moment, the grip on her throat wasn't the thing suffocating her—it was the raw anguish in the creature's voice.
Mommy.
Her thoughts spiraled, the word pulling at the buried fragments of her own memories. A sense of helplessness, a yearning for something lost, threatened to overwhelm her. But then, through the haze, she saw Arvo stagger to his feet in the distance, his hand reaching for his blades.
"Roseiral!" he shouted, his voice breaking through the creature's enraged cries. But the monster's attention didn't waver. Its claws tightened, its face contorting with desperation.
"WHERE IS SHE?" it roared again, shaking her like a rag doll.
Roseiral's eyes locked onto the monster's, her lips parting as if to respond, though no sound escaped her. Her fingers trembled against its unyielding grasp, her vision tunneling as the edges of consciousness threatened to fade.
Arvo steadied himself, his twin blades flashing in the moonlight as he took a defensive stance. His mind raced as he calculated his next move. He had to act quickly—before the monster crushed her completely.
The silver glow of the rising moon bathed the clearing in ethereal light, its soft luminescence reflecting in Arvo's eyes, now a deep, mystical blue. As the lunar light poured over him, an unfamiliar yet instinctive energy surged through his veins.
Arvo moved in a blur, faster than the eye could follow, his twin blades slicing through the air with precision. The arcs of his strikes mirrored the phases of the moon, culminating in the crescent-shaped attack of Phase 5. The silvery energy streaked toward the monster like a tidal wave of light, illuminating the dark forest as it approached.
But the creature's movements were equally uncanny. It twisted and leaped, dodging Arvo's strikes with inhuman agility. Roseiral fell from its grasp, crumpling to the ground as the monster prepared its counter.
Without hesitation, Arvo redirected his momentum, a glimmering barrier of lunar energy forming between the creature and Roseiral. The translucent wall shimmered like a tidal wave frozen mid-motion, its energy radiating calm yet unyielding strength. Roseiral, struggling to stay conscious, felt the gentle warmth of the barrier shield her from harm.
The monster snarled, its jagged teeth bared as it retreated slightly, observing Arvo with a wary gaze.
Arvo adjusted his stance, his gaze sharp as he analyzed the creature. His voice cut through the tension like the edge of his blades.
"It's strange," he muttered. "A first-stage monster shouldn't be this weak. Normally, it would take ten first-stage fragmenters to bring one down. But this... this thing was so feeble that even someone without any fragmenter abilities—someone like Roseiral—could hold their own." His tone grew darker, his eyes narrowing. "Well, not considering that I'm here."
His words seemed to strike a chord with the creature, its movements growing more erratic.
Arvo's brow furrowed as his thoughts raced. Did it evolve? Could it have become a corrupted hybrid-level monster? A cold realization washed over him. Even as a fourth-stage moon fragmenter, he wasn't certain he could beat such an adversary.
The monster's voice interrupted his thoughts, a guttural growl laced with anguish.
"Why must you do this?" it rasped, its words trembling with pain and fury.
The creature's body began to shift, its form twisting and contorting as it transformed. Bone and sinew cracked audibly, its frame expanding as grotesque appendages emerged. On its head, a hideous angler-like growth flickered to life—a gruesome, distorted figure of a woman hanging above it. The figure's hollow eyes stared vacantly, her torn visage oozing despair.
The monster's voice was unsteady, a mixture of rage and grief. "If only Mommy came…"
It shook violently, its mind unraveling as it bellowed, "If you can see her and find her, then WHY CAN'T I?"
Its voice rose to a roar, the anguish in its words resonating through the clearing. "You must pay!"
The monster lunged forward, faster than before, a blur of raw, destructive power heading straight for the motionless Arvo and the recovering Roseiral.
Arvo stood his ground, his glowing eyes fixed on the approaching threat. He let out a resigned sigh, closing his eyes briefly as if steeling himself.
"I thought I'd have a free day," he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, a burst of lunar energy erupted around him, brilliant beams of light radiating outward in a dazzling display. The sheer force of the energy made the monster hesitate, skidding to a stop as it shielded its eyes from the blinding glow.
From within the radiant light, Arvo emerged, his twin blades fused into a singular weapon—a Moonlit Blade. Its edge shimmered with shifting phases of the moon, radiating an aura of overwhelming power.
Arvo dashed forward, his speed surpassing even the monster's. The creature stumbled back instinctively, its earlier confidence wavering as it watched the lunar warrior approach.
"No... NO! NO!" the monster screamed, its voice a mix of fear and defiance.
With renewed resolve, it charged toward Arvo, the ground shaking beneath its ferocious steps. The two forces collided in a brilliant clash of lunar light and dark energy, the shockwaves rippling through the forest.
From a distance, Roseiral watched, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and guilt. The shimmering barrier around her had faded, replaced by the chaotic exchange between Arvo and the monster. Her hands clenched into fists as she whispered, "This is my fault…"
Her voice broke as she spoke again, louder this time. "This is all my fault."
A firm grip on her shoulder startled her, pulling her attention away from the battle. She turned sharply, her eyes locking onto a familiar figure.
"Ryker?" she gasped, relief washing over her. "You're here! You need to help Arvo!"
But Ryker's expression remained calm, his usual composed demeanor unwavering. "There's no need," he said, his voice steady. "Arvo's handling it."
Roseiral's brow furrowed, confusion mingling with frustration. "But—"
Ryker cut her off, his tone softening. "Arvo's stronger than you think."
His gaze turned toward the battle, where lunar light clashed violently against the monstrous shadow. Then, with unsettling calm, he added, "But I still want you to kill the monster."
Roseiral's breath hitched, her confusion deepening as Ryker's words settled in. "What?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the fight.
Ryker's expression didn't change, but his grip on her shoulder tightened slightly. "This isn't just Arvo's fight. It's yours too."