Their shared body pulsed in time with every swing, dazzling arcs of energy flaring from their fused form. Together, Jacob and Connor moved as one—Jacob's arm slashing upward in a vicious crescent of red light that seared across the monster's molten hide, while Connor twisted their torso just in time to duck beneath the creature's jagged claws.
Steam hissed from the bear's glowing wounds, and the beast—a massive, ashen-furred bear with molten fractures running down its bulk—let out a thunderous roar. Black ichor bubbled from the gashes and sizzled the grass, burning it away like acid wherever it splattered.
From across the battlefield, Markus's eyes went wide. "Who the hell are they?" he whispered, white-knuckling his sword. There was a flicker of fear in his voice. Whoever this was, they weren't normal—and this wasn't a normal fight.
"They're not part of our group," Lyle muttered, eyes narrowing, watching the conjoined twins dance between deathblows with unnatural precision. His strategist mind spun through possibilities. If they can hold that thing off, maybe we can regroup. But if they fall...
Before any decision could be made, Jacob and Connor slammed their hands together—fingers intertwining, a surge of crackling red energy swirling between them before exploding outward in a cannon blast. The force hammered into the bear's side, launching it across the clearing in a spray of molten blood as it let out a howling roar.
Connor's voice, sharp and commanding, carried over the charred field, speaking for them both:
"Get out of here! This one's ours!"
The group hesitated, caught between awe and terror—because in that moment, they knew these twins weren't ordinary fighters.
But just as Lyle took a step forward, a brilliant golden screen of light appeared before him, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
[Quest: Archon of Man — Part Two Initiated]
"You, human, are now fully initiated into the Universe. With this initiation comes sacrifice. To find the strongest and most worthy leaders, you must now surpass—and if necessary—eliminate one another."
[Objective: Defeat the rival Archon of Man to secure the survival of your group.]
A chill ran down Lyle's spine as he read the message.
Across the clearing, Jacob and Connor froze, their own golden screen shimmering and fading, identical to Lyle's.
Their gaze locked with his—two minds behind one set of eyes—and a slow, knowing smirk crept across Connor's half, while Jacob's side remained cold, calculating.
They had received the same message.
Behind them, Rowan and others shifted uneasily, sensing the shift in tension.
Lyle's hand fell to his sword hilt, jaw tight.
"This just got complicated," he muttered, as the quiet hum of magic began to grow heavier around them.
Meanwhile—
Back on the far side of the field, where the monstrous Guardian's Revenant loomed, Jacob and Connor's body trembled, a shared vision flickering in their mind:
[WARNING: Guardian's Revenant - Evolution Phase Approaching]
Estimated Time: 60 seconds.
Jacob's breath caught—it's still evolving?!
"Connor, how much longer?" Both knew the answer, but Jacob inquired out loud.
Sweat trickled down one side of Connor's face as he frowned. Through the Eternal Soul Flame Link, which bound them together more deeply than blood, their free hand burned dimly as they urgently channeled the last of the mana Jacob had provided him.
"Not long..." Connor rasped. "We need something—anything—to turn this around."
The Revenant lunged, claws wreathed in twisting black-blue flame, moving faster now—too fast. Rowan barely dodged, the razor edge slicing across his side and tearing armor like paper.
Rowan staggered, blood staining his tunic.
"We can't keep this up! Jacob—Connor—got anything left?!"
Both brothers' minds raced. Their eyes darted to their tamed beasts—Feaquill, Basilisk, Dotilda—each bruised and battered, their energies faint after earlier battles.
"Think, think!" Jacob hissed through gritted teeth, panic rising.
Then—
A new alert lit up in their shared vision:
[Fusion Option Unlocked: Guardian Beast Synthesis]
Requirement Met: Soul Bond + Shared Mana Link Active.
Fuse Tamed Beasts into a Guardian-Class Chimera?
Note: Fusion is temporary. Severe backlash possible.
Their eyes widened—one chance.
Jacob's voice came first, steady despite the chaos. "Connor, Rowan—I can fuse them. Make something powerful enough to fight."
Rowan winced, glancing at the Revenant. "What's the cost?"
Connor exhaled, weak but smirking. "Backlash. Might break us—but who cares if we're dead anyway?"
Rowan laughed bitterly. "Then do it."
Without hesitation, Jacob and Connor slammed a shared hand into the earth, channeling every shred of mana they had left into the prompt.
[Fusion Confirmed.]
Golden light exploded outward, swirling around Feaquill, Basilisk, and Dotilda. Their cries rose—not of pain, but of transformation—as bones snapped and twisted, muscles merged, and forms melted into one monstrous whole.
Feaquill's wings arced with lightning. Basilisk's venom gleamed. Dotilda's armored shell curved into jagged spines down a serpentine body.
When the light cleared, a towering behemoth stood: eight feet tall, with a long, whip-like neck, massive, clawed limbs, and wings shimmering with blade-like edges. Its eyes burned—amber, green, and icy blue—all fused.
[Guardian-Class Chimera: "Voltrask, the Bound Warden" Created.]
Duration: 5 Minutes.
Rowan blinked in awe. "Okay… I'm not even mad."
Connor, a wild grin flashing on his side of their face, growled, "Tell it to rip that thing apart."
Jacob raised their spear in unison, voice cold and sharp.
"Voltrask—engage."
The beast roared—a sound part butterfly, part serpent, part something unrecognizable—and launched itself at the Revenant. Venom and lightning swirled in its wake as its claws collided with the Revenant's burning form in a blast of raw force.
The ground shook, shockwaves tearing through the battlefield.
As Voltrask crashed into the Revenant, blades of energy tore into shadowed flesh, and Jacob and Connor let out a ragged breath, standing tall for now—but knowing it wasn't over.
At the edge of their shared vision, another warning blinked:
[Note: Phase Two will begin upon Revenant's destruction. Prepare yourselves.]
Connor chuckled dryly. "It's never easy, huh?"
Jacob smiled grimly. "Wouldn't be fun if it was."
As Voltrask and the Revenant tore into each other in a storm of lightning, venom, and fire, the twins stood ready—one body, two wills, facing whatever came next.