"If I die, Frodeon... make sure all my finances are sent to Milly."
"Affirmative, Master."
Machine Daddy's jaw unhinged like a mechanical abyss. Inside his maw, Abi swirled violently, condensing into a blazing meteorite wrapped in nuclear flame.
Venku's eyes burned with desperation. Frodeon shifted his armor to nuclear mode.
"FRODEON! FIRE!"
The Nuclear Blaster roared, a lance of pure destruction splitting the sky.
Machine Daddy launched his meteorite.
Two suns collided in the night sky. Light swallowed the battlefield.
But then, time froze.
The explosion hung suspended, the shockwave trapped mid-burst. Every sound died.
From the fracture of silence, Rasby appeared.
Her hands glowed as she touched Machine Daddy's chest. The monstrous armor of metal and nuclear Abi unraveled like threads, collapsing inward. What remained was only a boy.
Braxill.
He fell limp. Rasby caught him gently in her arms. Her eyes locked on his afro, his soft face, the little bear ears twitching unconsciously. For a moment she just stared, her lips trembling. Then—her mouth quivered and she broke, sobbing openly.
"I'm sorry... A child should never have to live this way. It was never Joy's intention for humans to suffer like this..."
She cradled him against her, her tears falling into his hair.
With a single beat of her wings, Rasby flew off into the frozen night.
Time resumed.
The collision erupted. Venku's Nuclear Blaster met the meteorite, tearing the world apart. The blast carved a crater miles wide, molten earth glowing at its edges. Trees vaporized. Buildings crumbled. The sky itself seemed to rip open, burning orange-white.
Levin and Pita, far at the perimeter, shielded themselves. Their eyes widened in awe.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
"What power..." Levin muttered, unable to look away.
Pita's lips trembled. "The land itself is screaming."
At the heart of it, Frodeon stood with arms spread as if shielding its master. Venku inside the cockpit panted heavily, sweat pouring down his brow.
Through cracked screens, he saw the destruction. He immediately raised his hands, frantically searching for wounds.
"Frodeon, how is this possible?"
The AI's voice was calm.
"Analysis: anomaly detected. It appears you neutralized the target while avoiding sustainable damage. Highly improbable... but not impossible."
Venku slumped back, breathing ragged. Then, slowly, he smiled.
"So this is Frodeon's true power... This is what it means to be an Elda Knight."
He chuckled weakly. "Frodeon... let's go home. I want to be with Milly."
The mech's boosters roared, carrying him back to the Royal District.
Meanwhile, in the Zoner Districts KINGHTS LIBRARY...
"Braxill! Braxill! Where did he go, was that really a portal, Iv'e only heard about that in artimancer comics, how can he just create something like that, it defies logic."
Levy sprinted through the Knight's Hall, frantic.
He nearly collided with his mother, Naggi.
"Levy!" she shouted. "Where have you been? Where did you run off to?"
Caught off guard, Levy stammered. "Uh, I was with Braxill."
Naggi narrowed her eyes. "Where is he?"
Levy scratched his head. "Uh... I don't know. We were playing hide-and-seek."
Her expression softened. "...So you two are friends now?"
Levy blurted, "Heck no! I mean... maybe." Then he bolted off again.
"Levy, wait! I made you dinner..." Her voice trailed into the empty corridor.
In another chamber, Peekol groaned on the floor, clutching his stomach.
"I knew it... those yellow cakes were made from socks..."
Gravixor lay in her room, resting, when the door creaked open. Euly stepped in, holding a cup of glowing green water.
"Mind if I come in?"
She nodded. "Yes."
He placed the cup by her bedside. "It's treatment water. It'll help."
Gravixor eyed it warily. "...Tell me this isn't socks."
Euly chuckled nervously. "Why would they show you that video? That's an extreme case. Don't worry, this is clean. Just recycled with Abi and minerals from the island."
She sat up, sniffed it cautiously, then sipped. She smiled. "...It's good."
Euly smiled in relief. "I'm glad. You're from the Bear Tribe, right?"
"Yes. My name is Gravixor."
Euly offered his hand. "Euly. Zoner Knight."
Their hands touched, and both blushed faintly.
He cleared his throat quickly. "Uh, anyway, I noticed you had an artist with you. Braxill. His power... it's unreal. He summoned an ancient dragon. That's a beast very few have seen in a life time.
Gravixor's lips curved into a soft smile. "That was nothing. He can imagine far more than that."
Euly's face grew serious. "...Do you know this? His power... it's the same as the artist Renku."
Gravixor blinked. "Renku?"
Euly nodded. "Yeah. Renku was said to be the most powerful Artist of all time. But because of his broken heart, he cursed the world. He's the reason humans and animals live in the sky."
Gravixor scoffed. "A broken heart caused all this? You can't be serious."
"It's true."
She frowned. "Humans are so emotional..."
Euly glanced at her, his voice softer now. "Maybe. But from what I can see, you care about Braxill. That makes you just as human as the rest of us."
Gravixor looked down, her blush returning. "...He's a good kid. With a dark past. At least... I believe so."