Champion sword part-and

"Aaa... aaaaaaaa!!"

Arion's body was thrown down, crashing onto the cold stone floor in a vast chamber veiled in shadow. Giant pillars rose on the left and right, like silent guardians that had stood for thousands of years.

"What kind of place is this...? That... sword?" Arion muttered, panting.

At the end of the room, a faint light radiated from a crystal sword embedded in a large stone. Behind it stood a statue of a knight in full armor—his face swallowed by shadow, but his aura stirred the soul. Firm. Majestic. Dead, but never truly gone.

Arion stepped forward slowly, his footsteps echoing as if the stone walls were listening. But before he could get closer, two creatures appeared from the darkness—Abyss monsters with massive bodies and a single red-glowing eye, staring at him mercilessly.

Without warning, they attacked. Their massive forms were terrifying but slow. Arion dashed, rolled, jumped, dodging each slash and impact that shook the ground. Dust rose. Walls cracked. But Arion kept moving.

After several tense minutes passed, with labored breath and a body covered in dust, he managed to slip past the monsters. Now he stood directly in front of the crystal sword. His hands were trembling. His breath was heavy.

At that moment, the symbol on his hand—and the one Gavrilo bore—began to glow. The shining light formed patterns, connecting the two with the sword.

The monsters behind him rose again, but before they could attack, Gavrilo's armor, now floating in the air, moved on its own. With a force that shook the room, it smashed the two monsters into pieces, vanishing them into black ash.

The sword's glow flickered softly—as if calling.

Arion stepped closer. Slowly, he grasped the hilt.

The pull was gentle, like removing a needle from skin. The sword came free without resistance.

And at that moment—Gavrilo's armor detached and fused with Arion's body. A flash of white light enveloped him, wrapping his form in a new kind of protection—unfamiliar, but strangely comforting.

But there was no time to reflect. The building started to shake. The giant pillars collapsed one by one. Rubble fell from the ceiling. Arion braced himself for the end—

But the sword's light surrounded him completely.

In an instant, his body vanished from the place, saved by a power he didn't yet understand... but had now become a part of him.

Though the sword had saved Arion from the collapsing chamber, its mechanism... wasn't perfect.

He was transported out of the dark chamber—but five meters above ground.

"Again...?!"

Once again, his body fell through the air. But this time, he wasn't alone.

Gavrilo's armor still protected him, and when he hit the ground hard—there was no pain. No broken bones. Just impact, then silence.

Arion lay sprawled on the ground—right behind Aria and Nari, who, along with Savior, had been searching for him with anxious faces. The thud made them turn—and when they saw Arion suddenly fall from the sky, whole and alive, they froze in disbelief.

"Arion?!" Aria cried out, a mix of panic and relief in her voice.

No wounds. No blood. Just a boy who had just returned from the dark, holding a crystal sword that glowed with a strange light.

"What is that...?" Aria asked, pointing to the sword now in his hand.

Arion only shook his head slowly.

"I don't know either. I fell into a room—and... that sword was there."

His gaze was still empty, his mind not fully back. Strange whispers still echoed inside him. Faint voices from the darkness lingered.

The three of them stood there, trying to piece together the tangled thread of what had just happened.

But before anyone could speak further—Savior vanished.

Not left. Not ran. Vanished.

No sound. No light. No trace.

Silence fell like a curtain.

None of them could answer. No one knew where he had gone. But one thing was certain: his disappearance was no ordinary act.

Gavrilo, the living armor that had just stood so grand, had returned to its small stone form—silent in Arion's hand, as if its strength had gone back to sleep.

With minds clouded and questions unanswered, Arion decided to continue his journey.

His next destination was clear: to find the Alchemy, once mentioned by his father.

The city of Niagara awaited at the end of that road.

Without Savior, the path might feel lonelier. But Aria and Nari were still by his side—companions who hadn't left.

And in his grip, the crystal sword still glowed softly, as if guiding him toward a destiny far greater than he could imagine.