The cathedral’s silence was deafening as Kressos, Ethan, and Kaela stood in the center, the weight of their mission heavy in the air. The towering walls of the cathedral stretched around them, casting long shadows as the distant rumblings of the Rift reverberated through the structure. Despite the stillness, there was a quiet urgency in the way they moved, like the calm before the storm.

  Kressos stood, his hands folded behind his back, eyes sharp, observing the two who had come so far in such a short amount of time. He wasn’t the one to lead them into battle. But the Rift had taught him one thing: to face this war, they needed to be more than allies. They needed to be a unit,a singular force of nature. And this, he knew, would be their test.

  “Before we go any further,” Kressos spoke, his voice cutting through the tension, “you need to understand what’s coming. You will face the Brutes, not as an individual, but as a team. The first trial is simple: survive. And work together.”

  Kaela raised an eyebrow. “The Brutes? I’ve heard of them. They’re not exactly pushovers, right?”

  Kressos smirked, though the expression held no humor. “No. They’re not. But this isn’t about just fighting them. It’s about fighting together. What you’ll face out there won’t be simulated. The stakes are real. You’ll need to trust each other,no hesitation.”

  Ethan’s eyes narrowed, his hand instinctively brushing the grip of his weapon. His thoughts flashed to the countless battles he had fought on his own,his training, his skills. He was used to relying on no one but himself. But here, now, there was a sense of understanding between them. Something larger than just the task at hand.

  Kressos gestured toward the door, his face hardening. “We’ll use the flares to signal them. Get ready.”

  Without another word, Kressos led them outside. The sky was dark, the air thick with the weight of what was to come. A cold wind swept across the desolate landscape, making the hairs on the back of their necks rise. In the distance, the faint sound of distorted screams could be heard,the Brutes were waiting.

  Kressos reached into his pouch and pulled out a flare. With a quick motion, he ignited it, sending a streak of red into the air. The signal was clear: the trial had begun.

  And then, the ground shook.

  Out of the shadows they came,hulking figures, massive and grotesque, their armor a twisted mockery of battle gear. The Brutes. Their eyes burned with an unnatural glow, their bodies a blend of flesh and metal, remnants of what they once were now turned into weapons of pure destruction.

  Kaela drew her Nyxveil sword, the blade shimmering in the darkness. She felt the familiar hum of the weapon, the weight of her past and her purpose merging with each swing. But this wasn’t a solitary fight. The feeling of fighting alongside Ethan,it was new, untested.

  Ethan gripped his sharpshooter rifle, the barrel sleek and cold in his hands. He felt the rush of his powers, the manipulation of time pulsing in the depths of his mind. He could bend the fabric of the universe itself, teleporting between spaces, slowing time to give him an edge. But now, he had to rely on someone else. On Kaela. A team.

  As the Brutes charged, the ground trembled beneath their feet. The air was filled with the sound of their monstrous roars, a cacophony of war that threatened to drown them. Kaela leapt forward, her sword flashing in the dark, slashing through the first Brute’s side. But it wasn’t enough.

  A second Brute swung its massive arm, a weapon grafted to its forearm. Kaela dodged, but just barely, the blow missing her by inches.

  Ethan’s pulse raced. He fired a shot,bang. But the bullet missed. He hadn’t accounted for the Brute’s movement. Too slow. Too early.

  Kaela turned, eyes wide. “Watch your back!”

  They were learning. Slowly.

  Kressos, standing in the middle of it all, cut through the Brutes like a storm. His movements were effortless, a dance of brutal efficiency. He was an animal,a force of nature,and he cut through the Brutes like they were paper, his sword carving through their armored hides with terrifying precision.

  “Stay in formation!” Kressos shouted. “Do as I do! Watch my back. I’ll watch yours. Use the clock position! Shout! Communicate!”

  Ethan blinked, the words cutting through his confusion. The formation. The strategy. They had to be a unit. They had to be a team.

  Kaela caught his eye and nodded. She made a quick hand signal to Ethan,her back to his. She wouldn’t let him down. They wouldn’t let each other down.

  The Brutes surged forward again. This time, Kaela and Ethan moved as one.

  Ethan fired, this time making the shot count, piercing through the Brute’s eye. The creature staggered back, but it wasn’t enough. It was only a brief moment of advantage. Kaela moved in,swift, like lightning,her sword cutting deep into the Brute’s side. She spun, delivering a final blow to its neck with a clean stroke.

  “Good work,” Ethan said, his voice steady despite the chaos.

  Kaela barely nodded, her focus unshaken. She wasn’t going to stop until they had crushed every last one of these monsters.

  Another Brute charged, but this time, the fight was different. Kaela and Ethan had learned. They moved in sync. Ethan manipulated time, slowing the world around them for just a moment,just long enough for Kaela to strike before the Brute could react.

  “Cover me!” Kaela shouted as she leaped, twisting in mid-air and landing a powerful blow to the Brute’s chest. Its armor shattered beneath her strike, but the beast didn’t fall.

  Ethan shot again. The Brute’s knee buckled under the force of his shot. Together, they were unstoppable.

  “Keep moving! They won’t stop until they’re all dead!” Kressos shouted as he tore through another group of Brutes. His body was a blur, his knife flashing as he dismembered the attackers with lethal precision.

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  The fight was chaotic. There was no time to think. But there was time to feel,to feel the bond between them growing, deepening with each strike, each breath. Kaela’s sword sang through the air, cutting into flesh, while Ethan’s sharp shots rang out, each one bringing them closer to victory.

  Then came the final wave. The Brutes’ leader, a towering monster with a massive blade, stormed toward them.

  Kressos charged first, his knife raised high. The leader swung its blade in a wide arc, but Kressos was already gone, disappearing into a teleportation ripple and reappearing behind the creature. Before it could react, Kressos drove his knife deep into its spine. The Brute let out a guttural scream before falling, lifeless, to the ground.

  The battlefield fell silent.

  Kaela lowered her sword, eyes scanning the remains of the Brutes scattered across the field. The night air was thick with the scent of burning flesh and the unmistakable taste of victory.

  “We did it,” Kaela said quietly, more to herself than to anyone else. But Ethan heard her. And he agreed.

  “We’re just getting started,” Ethan replied.

  Kressos stepped forward, his face unreadable. He didn’t speak, but the look in his eyes was clear. He nodded toward the horizon, where the next challenge waited.

  The trial wasn’t over. But they had taken the first step. And they had taken it together.

  As they were regrouping, Ethan and Kaela stood side by side, still panting heavily from the brutal fight. Their bodies were battered, bruised, but they were alive. The adrenaline still buzzed in their veins, but there was a moment of relief,a brief respite where they let their guard down.

  They exchanged a tired smile, their shoulders relaxing, hearts still racing but calmer now. The weight of the battle had lifted, at least for the moment. Kaela wiped sweat from her brow, offering Ethan a tired grin.

  “I think we did it,” she said, breathless. “That was incredible.”

  Ethan chuckled, the exhaustion in his voice. “Yeah, not bad for a first fight together. Seems like we make a pretty good team.”

  Their smiles lingered for a second longer, but before either of them could savor the moment, a voice cut through the air.

  “Stow smirking like a couple of schoolgirls and prepare yourselves! This is not over! Here they come!”

  The joy of victory, short-lived, vanished. Kressos’ voice was a sharp command, cold and hard, a reminder that they weren’t done yet. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and the air around them seemed to tighten in anticipation. A new wave of Brutes approached.

  The first wave had been savage, crude, like a blunt force hammer. But the air now felt different. The shift was palpable. The Brutes were coming again, but they were not the same. They were different,smarter, faster, more calculated. Something had changed. They had adapted.

  Kaela’s heart raced as she saw the new wave approach through the haze of smoke and the dying embers of battle. These weren’t the lumbering giants from before. These were creatures that had learned, honed their deadly skills, and moved with purpose. Their eyes burned with a cold intelligence. Their armor was sleeker, more efficient, more agile. Their claws glinted menacingly in the low light, sharp as razors, designed for precise strikes.

  “They... they’re different,” Kaela said, her voice tight. “What the hell happened to them?”

  “They’ve adapted,” Kressos replied, his tone low but deadly serious. “Ammon has been manipulating them, studying us. These Brutes are not the same as the first ones. They are more than just cannon fodder. Watch yourself.”

  Ethan’s grip on his rifle tightened as he took a step forward, his eyes scanning the horizon. “Great. Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse.”

  Kressos nodded, his eyes dark with purpose. “It’s not just their strength. They’ve adapted mentally. They will strategize. They will communicate.”

  The first Brute charged, faster than the ones before, its claws swiping through the air with unnatural speed. Kaela reacted instinctively, ducking under its strike and slashing upward with her Nyxveil sword. But this time, the creature blocked her strike with a precise, calculated movement, its thick arm holding steady against her blade.

  “Watch your back!” Ethan shouted, but it was almost too late.

  Another Brute appeared from the side, lunging toward Kaela with a speed that left her no time to react. Before it could strike, Kressos leapt into action. His knife flashed as he cut through the charging Brute’s arm, sending it crashing to the side with a deafening roar.

  “Focus!” Kressos shouted. “They’ve learned! Stay in formation, communicate! Keep your backs to each other. Don’t leave any gaps.”

  Ethan and Kaela barely had time to process before the second Brute closed in. Ethan fired, but the Brute was fast,too fast. It dodged his shot and closed the distance in a heartbeat, reaching for him with its giant, clawed hand.

  With a quick movement, Ethan teleported just in time, appearing behind the Brute. He fired a shot point-blank at its back, sending it stumbling forward, but the creature’s response was immediate. It turned in an instant, swiping at Ethan with its massive claws. The strike barely missed him, but the force sent him reeling backward.

  “Damn it, we need to be faster!” Ethan cursed, gritting his teeth.

  Kaela moved to his side, covering him as she sliced through another Brute’s side. The fight was escalating quickly. They were being overwhelmed,these Brutes weren’t just strong; they were fast, strategic, and relentless.

  “Stay sharp!” Kressos shouted again. “We can’t afford to be sloppy! Keep communicating!”

  With Kressos’ guidance, their movements began to sync again. They didn’t have the luxury of a breather this time. It was all or nothing.

  Kaela dodged a strike from one of the Brutes and shouted, “On your left!” just as Ethan turned and fired a shot, hitting the Brute square in the chest. It faltered for a second, giving Kaela the opening to finish it off with a swift slash to its neck.

  Ethan’s heart raced as he watched Kaela in motion. She was fluid now, each move purposeful, each strike landing with deadly precision. He followed her lead, covering her back, communicating silently as they worked together like a single, unstoppable force.

  But then the Behemoth emerged.

  The massive creature, far bigger and more powerful than any of the Brutes they had faced, stomped onto the battlefield. Its armor was thicker, its claws enormous, and its eyes glowed with the promise of destruction. It was the size of a small building, and every step it took made the ground shake.

  “Focus on the Behemoth!” Kressos commanded. “Cover me!”

  Kaela, still trying to catch her breath, didn’t hesitate. She saw the opportunity and dashed toward the Behemoth’s legs, slashing at its armored joints with precision. The Behemoth roared in frustration, attempting to swat her away, but she nimbly dodged, the tip of her sword slicing through the weaker spots of its massive frame.

  Ethan fired again, each shot finding its mark, but the Behemoth’s armor was thick. The bullets didn’t do nearly as much damage as they needed. The creature retaliated with an earth-shattering roar, swinging its arm in a deadly arc toward Kaela.

  But Kressos was there, just in time, to take the full brunt of the blow. He dove, taking the strike head-on with his own weapon, deflecting the Behemoth’s claws with precision. The sheer force of the impact knocked him off his feet, but he quickly regained his stance, eyes locked on the massive creature.

  “Cover me!” Kressos shouted again, this time his voice commanding. “Take out the legs! We can’t stop it unless we bring it down.”

  Kaela didn’t wait for an order. She lunged forward again, this time focusing on the Behemoth’s vulnerable side. With a powerful strike, she pierced its armor just under the shoulder, making the creature stagger.

  Ethan shot from the other side, his bullets creating distortions in the air as they hit their target, weakening the Behemoth’s defenses.

  Together, they worked,Ethan’s shots, Kaela’s precision strikes, and Kressos’ relentless attacks.

  Finally, with one final combined strike, the Behemoth collapsed to the ground with a roar that shook the very ground beneath their feet. The battlefield fell silent, save for the echo of their heavy breathing.

  As the dust settled, the trio stood victorious. They were battered, bruised, but they had done it. They had won.