The hum deepened until it was no longer heard, but felt—a slow vibration crawling beneath their skin.

Moonbounce's silver aura flared brighter, and even that light seemed to waver against the Guardian's sheer presence. It was vast—an ancient echo of everything the Basin had consumed, shaped into one shifting, monstrous form.

Aria's voice was level, but there was tension in it. "Everyone knows the tale," she said quietly. "The Guardian was born when the Basin first began to rot. It devoured everything that fell into its waters—light, dark, and everything between—until it became both judgment and curse."

Sophia added softly, "And it only moves for those who disturb the balance."

Caria loaded a bolt, grimacing. "Guess we're about to disturb it real good."

The creature's surface rippled like a slow heartbeat. Then it moved.

The Guardian struck first. Long arms of mist lashed out from its shifting body, each carrying the memory of something they had already fought—the Bloom's glowing petals, the Hydra's burning spit, the Leech's draining mist.

"Keep your distance!" Aria called out. "It's copying everything we've beaten before!"

Rhys's sword gleamed as he sliced through one of the tendrils. The mist broke apart but didn't vanish; it twisted into smaller strands that whipped toward him again.

Sophia crouched, her sensor stone flickering fast. "Its mana isn't stable—it hasn't decided what to be yet!"

"Then we make it choose," Rhys said quickly. "If we push it too fast, it'll lose control."

"Good thinking," Aria replied. "Moonbounce—light! Rhys—water! Caria, cover with fire!"

The swamp flared with color. Moonbounce's silver light burned through the fog, Rhys's [Water Blade] sliced upward and struck the Guardian's chest, and Caria's fire bolts exploded against its body, turning steam into clouds of boiling heat.

The Guardian screamed—a sound that seemed to come from hundreds of voices at once. Its core flashed from white to black and then to a faint gray, like it couldn't decide what it was.

Sophia's eyes narrowed. "It's splitting—it can't hold that form!"

The Guardian convulsed, its body stretching, thinning, twisting until it became something long and sinuous. Its shape sharpened, glinting like scales under the dim light.

It lunged forward like a serpent, cutting through the fog with a hiss.

Aria spun her spear, deflecting a blow that cracked the earth beside her. "It's copying the Stormscale Serpent's movements!"

Caria fired rapidly, but her bolts only sparked across its shimmering body. "And it's got armor now!"

Sophia watched its movements carefully. "Its pattern's changed—three strikes, pause, then shift left! It's repeating itself!"

Rhys's eyes glowed gold as [Eye of the Ancients] activated. He saw the rhythm—the hidden heartbeat guiding the creature's movements. "I see it."

He stepped forward, every slash of his blade timed just behind the Guardian's attacks. Instead of chasing it, he cut into its rhythm, throwing it off balance.

"Now!" he shouted.

Aria reacted instantly. Her spear flashed, piercing through the serpent's coiling body. The Guardian screamed again, and a rain of liquid light splashed across the ground, burning wherever it landed.

Moonbounce's aura flared, forming a shimmering dome that shielded them from the falling shards.

Sophia's voice rang clear over the chaos. "It's losing control—it's trying to rebalance itself!"

The serpent's body broke apart, melting into a pool of black water that began to stir violently. From the center, thin white threads rose upward, writhing like roots climbing out of soil.

Those threads began to bloom.

Huge glowing petals unfolded—each one the size of a tree. The air filled with a strange hum that vibrated in their bones.

Caria flinched. "That sound—it's worse than the real Bloom!"

Aria steadied her breathing. "It's testing us again. The Guardian remembers the Bloom's illusions—it's showing us doubt."

Rhys raised his sword. "Then we stay focused. Don't hit what isn't real."

The petals kept multiplying, reflections of reflections, until the whole swamp looked like a glowing forest made of flowers.

Sophia closed her eyes and tuned into the rhythm. "All of them hum together… except one."

"Tell me where," Rhys said.

A pause—then Sophia's eyes snapped open. "There! North, twenty meters!"

Rhys moved before anyone could speak. His sword swept through the fog, cutting through the false blooms. Aria followed his rhythm, thrusting her spear in the same motion.

The field of petals shattered, bursting into waves of light.

When the glow faded, only the Guardian's core remained—its body trembling, flickering, almost as if it was trying to remember what it had once been. The ground rumbled beneath them.

Sophia's voice grew quiet. "It's not dying… it's remembering itself."

The petals around it melted, flowing into a perfect sphere of dark water. Inside that sphere, faint figures moved—echoes of every creature they'd defeated, swirling together into one.

Then the sphere split open.

From its center rose a tall, human-like figure, its body made of shifting mist and light. Its chest glowed faintly, like a slow, steady heartbeat.

Aria's voice softened. "So this is it… what the Guardian used to be."

Sophia nodded slowly. "The Basin's protector—before corruption twisted it."

The being looked down at them, its gaze filled not with anger but sadness. When it spoke, its voice sounded like wind rippling through water."Balance… broken… restored through trial."

It raised its hand, and the air shattered around them.

Everything warped. Rhys felt his body twist, and in an instant, the others were gone. The mist had split them apart.

He found himself standing before a figure shaped exactly like him—same sword, same stance, same eyes burning with mana.

He exhaled slowly. "So this is my test."

Somewhere far away, Aria's calm voice echoed faintly. "Prove your resolve, not your strength!"

The reflection attacked first. Rhys blocked, countered, moved in perfect sync. Each clash sent ripples through the air. Water and light burst around them, and every movement carried a question—why do you fight?

Rhys didn't answer in words. He fought with steady purpose, pushing forward until his will outmatched his mirror's. Moonbounce's glow surged beside him, a pulse of light echoing his conviction.

The reflection staggered, faltered—and with one clean strike, Rhys cut it down.

The illusion faded.

The world folded back together, and suddenly the others stood beside him once more. The Guardian remained before them, still and calm, its sorrow gone. The mist around it softened, unraveling into streams of pale light that drifted upward.

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