I'll Be Waiting

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"Ah....Hahaha..!!"

Sweet, innocent laughter echoed across a field of wildflowers.

A little girl twirled between the blossoms, her brown hair catching the golden sunlight as she giggled, pure joy dancing in her eyes. Her emerald eyes traced the delicate petals of each flower she picked, mesmerized by their beauty.

Then she spotted — a figure standing at a distance. Recognising it, her tiny legs carried her forward in an eager sprint.

She tripped—

"Oh!! Careful."

But before she could fall, strong arms caught her.

"Dada! You protected me... again!!" she squealed excitedly, looking up at him with unshaken trust.

Alex chuckled, his heart swelling. "Really? I'm glad."

She nodded vigorously, clutching a flower in her small hands. With a proud grin, she held it out to him.

"Here... When I grow up, I'll protect you too!"

For a moment, Alex was speechless. His daughter's radiant smile was blinding, a familiar warmth in his chest. He knelt to accept the flower, his fingers trembling as they brushed against hers.

"Yes,"he murmured, a small smile curving his lips.

" I'll be..

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- waiting."

-Crack !

With each step Alex took, a thin layer of ice crystallized over the water, spreading beneath his feet. He moved forward calmly, his posture unwavering, as if the freezing lake were solid ground. His emerald-green eyes remained eerily composed

In his left hand, he held his splendid sword, its black scabbard adorned with intricate golden patterns depicting a mysterious, ancient creature.

His right, muscular hand hovered over the sword's hilt, fingers lightly grazing it, poised for action. 

-SCREEECHHHHHH!

A deafening shriek tore through the air. The monster howled in agony, its wretched cry vibrating through the frozen lake. Then—strangely—thick stream of water gushed from its bulbous eyes, like grotesque tears of suffering.

Its putrid, purple flesh began to churn and twist violently, an abominable, writhing mass of slime and muscle. A nauseating squelching sound filled the air, echoing like flesh being shredded apart from the inside. 

Rip.

With a sickening splurch, the membrane over its face split open like a festering wound - spraying dark thick blood in oozing spurts. The thick stench of decay spread as the monster convulsed, its massive tentacles twitching erratically before—one by one—they fell limp, drained of life, slamming against the ocean surface.

Then, from the center of its forehead, where its grotesque flesh had peeled apart—

A single, unblinking black eye emerged. Its pupil an eerie, lifeless white.

Jaz immediately shifted into a defensive stance, her body coiled like she's ready to strike. Yet, despite the horror unfolding before her, an unsettling calmness remained in her expression.

But beside her, Sol was trembling.

The sight sent a paralyzing chill down his spine. His breath hitched. His hands clenched into trembling fists as he tried—desperately—to suppress the terror creeping into his bones. 

His instincts screamed - Run

Every fiber of his being shrieked at him to flee—to turn away, to disappear, to never look back.

"Hah… Hah… Hah…"

His breathing grew ragged, his chest rising and falling in frantic, uneven gasps. Cold sweat trickled down his back.

His senses told —no, they warned him.

Something else is here.

Something worse.

His breaths quickened, but the weight in the air only grew heavier.

"It's alright. Vice Captain will handle it." Jaz's voice was steady, firm 

She placed a firm hand on Sol's shoulder, a reassuring gesture meant to steady him. She assumed his fear was directed at the monster before them. But it wasn't.

It was never about the monster.

A bead of cold sweat traced down Sol's temple. His fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms so hard they nearly drew blood.

No… No… NO! You've got it wrong…Not this monster… but… but something....

At that moment...Jaz felt something.

A weight. An invisible pressure that clung to the air, thick and suffocating. A sensation so heavy it made her pulse quicken. Instinctively, she turned her black eyes back toward the creature.

Her breath hitched. Her eyes widened in shock as she look at the sight before her.

The creature's grotesque body trembled violently, its limbs twitching as if something inside was trying to break free. Then—abruptly—it stopped. An eerie stillness fell over the battlefield.

And then—

A swirling orb of black energy began to form over its third eye.

Dark, pulsating, and insidious, the orb seemed to feed on the very essence of the creature itself. The monster's body withered as the orb drained its life, the once-monstrous form now little more than a husk.

Alex stood still, unmoving, his green eyes locked onto the spectacle.

His calm gaze narrowed and without wasting time, he quickly shifted his stance. Legs spread, knees bent. His upper body lowered slightly as he adjusted his footing, his sword poised in readiness.

One hand gripped the scabbard—tight. The other curled firmly around the golden hilt.

"Come then…" A single whisper escaped his lips.

Lifting his face, he challenged the monster. As if answering his call, the black orb pulsed—its manifestation complete.

And before anyone could blink—

-SWOOSH!

A blinding ray of energy tore through the air, surging toward them at terrifying speed. The sheer heat radiating from it vaporized the water in its path, turning the ocean's surface into a swirling mist. 

As the beam advanced, its size swelled, growing larger, wider—more monstrous. The scorching heat became unbearable, distorting the very air around it.

However, Alex stood firm. His body was already coated in a thick layer of frost, shielding him from the heat. His emerald eyes shut for a brief moment, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Phew—" He exhaled. And in that instant—

The world fell silent.

The crashing waves, the howling winds, the incoming devastation—everything ceased to exist.

All he could hear was his own heartbeat.

"Shield of Gluttony." A whisper.

In a flash—too fast for the human eye to catch—Alex unsheathed his sword. The magnificent blade sliced through the air in a swift - fluid arc, tracing a perfect circle before him.

A translucent shield materialized in its wake, its crescent-shaped border adorned with the intricate form of a dragon—the very same design imprinted on his scabbard.

Compared to the incoming beam, the shield seemed insignificant, almost laughable in size.

Yet Alex's gaze remained steady. No fear. No hesitation.

Only unwavering confidence.

"Swallow." His voice was quiet, yet absolute.

The beam large enough to consume an entire island — suddenly shrank.

But something had changed. The energy that should have obliterated everything in its wake had shifted – its course, its force — everything about it altered in an instant.

Instead of annihilating the entire crew. It curved. Twisted unnaturally, as though something was pulling it in.

Now, the entire force of the attack funneled directly toward Alex.

It condensed into a single, devastating point—aimed solely at him.

-BAAAMMMMM!

The impact detonated.

A shockwave tore through the ocean, sending ripples of destruction for miles. Towering waves rose like walls of fury. The very air quaked with the sheer force of the explosion.

"Urrghhh—!"

Jaz and Sol staggered, barely holding their ground.

The force was overwhelming.

The sheer force nearly sent them flying even as they clung to their swords—wedging them into the ice beneath their feet—it was barely enough. 

For Jaz, it was a struggle. But for Sol—it was unbearable.

His muscles screamed. His bones felt like they would shatter. But he forced himself to move, gritting his teeth, pushing his body.

With sheer will, he turned his head—his gaze locking onto Alex.

And the moment he saw him— His eyes widened in pure shock....

Amidst the chaos—

A lone silhouette stood tall.

Alex, unmoving, his back straight, his sword held firm.

And then—Sol's breath caught. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"The beam! It's––?"