The ground trembled before the shadow even showed.

A split in the sky burst into fire and lightning as the hybrid descended, arcs crackling, flame rolling like waves. Stone shattered where it landed, heat and static crawling over every surface.

The crowd froze. Some staggered back as the aura pressed down on them, heavy and suffocating.

Arden's eyes narrowed. "Dual traits… and at the Vein Crown."

The beast stepped forward, its body warped with scales of ember and veins of light that sparked across its arms. Its wings stretched half-formed, flame licking along one and lightning along the other. And beneath all that distortion, its face was still clear enough.

Gasps rippled through the watching elders. One of them whispered, voice breaking, "That's… Darius. He was exiled years ago."

The hybrid's eyes burned, not just with madness but with something deeper. Rage. Grief. Revenge.

Arden felt it as the pressure closed in. "He's not just fighting us," he said under his breath. "He's fighting everything he lost."

Before anyone could respond, a shrill scream cut across the square.

"DARIUS!"

Everyone turned. An old woman was forcing her way past the guards, tears streaming down her wrinkled face. Arden's chest tightened.

He recognized her instantly. The same woman who had taken them in their first night in Greyhold.

She stumbled, clawing forward as guards tried to restrain her. "My son! Stop this! Darius, look at me!"

The hybrid gave no response, only sparks crackling brighter as its anger deepened.

She turned her tear-soaked face toward Arden.

Her lips trembled, but the look in her eyes was clear. A plea. Help me end his misery.

Arden held her gaze, silent for a heartbeat, then gave a firm nod. He turned, his expression hardening as he strode into the storm.

Nyra and Rael were already in combat with the hybrid but struggled to keep up as they were only at the vein surge realm, their attacks buying seconds at best.

Zephyra was the only one holding the hybrid's attention, her claws raking against its wings, cerulean fire roaring in bursts. But even she was forced back, lightning burning against her scales.

"Stay sharp!" Arden barked as he joined them, his shield flaring alive. He slammed it down just as the hybrid stomped, the shockwave crashing into Lotusfang Aegis and scattering in ripples. Sparks crackled over his arms, but the barrier held.

Nyra's sleeves glowed, crimson petals swirling into a veil that softened the firestorm, letting her spells bite through. "He's bending the field around him!" she shouted.

Rael grit his teeth, spears glowing with frost as he released the barrage of ice. Lightning crawled over the shards, detonating with sharp cracks. "Even his aura is fighting back!"

Zephyra roared, blue fire lashing as she lunged again, but arcs of lightning burst against her, forcing her into a snarl. She circled, waiting for Arden's command.

The hybrid's eyes locked on them, mouth parting in a roar that carried flame and thunder together. The sound rattled bones.

From the rooftops, elders leaned forward, their faces pale.

"This is suicide," one muttered. "That thing could level half the square."

Another snapped, "We cannot stand by! The boy's party will die if we leave them."

The Lord of Greyhold raised a hand, silencing them. His gaze never left the clash below, where his daughter stood among the fire. His jaw clenched, yet his voice was steady. "No. Trust him."

"You'd risk them all—"

"Look at him," the Lord cut in, his eyes narrowing as Arden's shield deflected another burst. "That boy isn't gambling. He's moving with a plan."

Arden kept his voice steady as the storm raged. "Nyra, slow its flames. Rael, force its steps. Zephyra, pressure the wings."

They responded without hesitation. Nyra's ice gales swirled, choking the flames. Rael's frost arcs struck at the hybrid's legs, forcing its footing. While Zephyra burst forward with fire-tipped claws, clashing head-on.

Still, the hybrid fought like fury embodied.

Every strike carried vengeance, every roar carried years of being cast aside.

Arden could feel it, anger burning, grief lingering beneath, and sadness buried deep. There was no balance left in him, only the storm.

The hybrid's aura surged suddenly, exploding outward.

BOOM!

Stormfire Shroud swept across the battlefield, a dome of flame and lightning that rattled the air itself. Nyra's spell cracked mid-air, Rael staggered as currents tore at his channels, and even Zephyra's flames warped under the clash.

The onlookers recoiled. One elder muttered, "Partial domain…"

Arden's breath steadied.

He pressed his palm to the ground, Crimson Root Circuits flaring as he synced with his party's life energy. The rhythm of the storm bent faintly under his will.

"Stay with me," he called. "Feel it, not fight it."

The circuits pulsed, threads of resonance guiding them. Their movements sharpened, their strikes flowing into each other.

Even under suppression, they felt lighter, as if their bodies answered instinctively to his lead.

From above, the Lord's eyes widened. His daughter's flames flared brighter, sharper, her control more precise.

Rael's movements gained weight, every strike placed with intent.

Even the beast Zephyra moved with eerie coordination beside them.

"This isn't desperation," the Lord whispered. "This is him showing us what he really is."

The others were silent, awed by the sight. It should have been impossible for a small party of vein surge to stand against a hybrid of that level, yet here they were—pushing back, refusing to break.

Arden's shield rang as he deflected another thunderclap stomp, sparks crawling over him.

His senses stayed open, not just to the battle, but to the crowd watching.

Fear, awe, doubt, anger.

He let them wash through him, marking each one, watching for the thread of deceit that would betray the traitor.

As long as he held this fight, their mask would slip.

The hybrid roared again, flames surging, lightning splitting the air. Arden's eyes sharpened, blade rising as he pushed forward.

"Then come," he muttered under his breath. "Show me everything."

The clash shook Greyhold, the storm rising higher.

And as sparks and fire lit the sky, it was clear, this battle was no longer about survival.

It was about revealing truths buried deep within the town itself.

A/N:

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