Sol stood behind Angelo and Blue, momentarily forgetting the metal shard embedded in his chest as he gaped at their creation. The Silver Golem loomed protectively over them, its massive armored arms hovering beside them, the incomplete chest piece revealing the two controllers within.

  Nova tugged at her sister's sleeve, eyeing their whirling death blade spinning between them. "Shouldn't we be worried about, you know, actually killing him?" She nodded toward Angelo. "That wasn't exactly in the mission description."

  Her sister's eyes never left the Silver Golem. "Just aim for that gray monstrosity," she replied with cold precision. "They'll block it. That's the whole point."

  Nova's face scrunched up in annoyance. "Who died and made you the boss?" She rolled her eyes dramatically before throwing up her hands. "Fine, whatever. I'll play along with your brilliant plan. But if he dies, I'm blaming you."

  The two twins positioned themselves, feet planted firmly as their creation spun faster between them. Nova's sister pointed at the Silver Golem, her voice carrying across the battlefield.

  "Let's see if your little science project can handle what we've got!" she shouted. "Hope you're ready for this!"

  Angelo and Blue exchanged a quick glance. There was no time to dodge—the Silver Golem wasn't built for speed. Angelo's jaw tightened as he positioned the construct's giant palms forward.

  "We're catching it," he said, his voice low and determined. "No other option."

  Blue nodded, his posture perfect even under pressure. "Indeed. According to my theory, the structural integrity should withstand this."

  The twins moved in perfect sync, launching their terrible spinning weapon. It screamed through the air like a massive buzzsaw, the sound alone making trees tremble.

  The Silver Golem's hands caught the weapon between them. The impact sent vibrations through the construct that Angelo and Blue felt in their own bodies. Sparks exploded outward like a metalworker's forge as the blade fought against the silver palms.

  Nova's sister's mouth fell open. "That's impossible!"

  "What the hell?!" Nova's eyes went wide with disbelief. Her hands gestured wildly at the struggle before them. "I was slicing through this stuff like it was made of butter! How is that thing still in one piece?!"

  Inside the Silver Golem, Blue and Angelo strained against the force pushing against them. Sweat beaded on Angelo's forehead and blood dripped from his nose and mouth as they fought to maintain control.

  "Hold steady," Blue instructed through gritted teeth and extending cracks. "When the rotational momentum decreases sufficiently—"

  "I know!" Angelo cut in, his eyes never leaving their target. His muscles burned with the effort, but he could feel the blade's spinning force beginning to falter.

  The moment arrived. Angelo and Blue's eyes locked, a silent understanding passing between them. With a primal roar that seemed to shake the forest itself, they commanded the Silver Golem to tighten its massive grip. The spinning blades shrieked in protest before shattering between the silver hands.

  The Silver Golem flung the broken halves in opposite directions. They tore through the forest like angry comets, slicing through tree trunks as if they were made of paper.

  Before the twins could recover from their shock, one of the Silver Golem's massive fists came crashing down. The ground exploded where they had been standing just a heartbeat earlier, dirt and rocks flying in all directions as they leapt away.

  The battle shifted into high gear. The twins dodged and weaved between the Silver Golem's attacks, retaliating with their own blows that seemed to bounce harmlessly off the silver arms. The clearing became a blur of movement and flashing powers.

  As Angelo and Blue directed another powerful swing, Blue's scholarly voice lowered to barely above a whisper. "Angelo... I believe I may have miscalculated a critical variable in our strategy."

  Angelo didn't turn his head, his focus unwavering as he guided the Silver Golem through another attack. "Yeah," he replied flatly. "I noticed."

  He paused for just a moment, then called out through their mental link. "Red! Get in there and make them slip up!"

  "Finally!" Red's puppet zoomed toward the battlefield, its mask somehow conveying sadistic glee despite being completely rigid. "Time for the real star to shine!"

  Red's excitement was short-lived. Every time his puppet got close to the twins, one of them would swat it away like an annoying fly, sending it tumbling through the air.

  From his position against the fallen log, Sol watched the battle with growing concern. His analytical mind rapidly processed everything he was seeing. Blood continued seeping from the wound in his chest, but the gears in his brain wouldn't stop turning.

  "This is bad," he muttered to himself. "They're burning through their stamina just to maintain this stalemate." He clenched his jaw as realization dawned. "The Silver Golem has an expiration date."

  Sol took a deep, shaky breath that sent fresh waves of pain through his chest. "Okay," he whispered, steeling himself. "Can't just sit here on my ass when I know how this ends."

  With trembling hands, he brought his palms together. Silver sparks danced between his fingers as he called upon his darkness powers. Between his hands, three forms of darkness took shape—a silver energy orb wrapped in flames with electricity crackling around it.

  Up in the tree, Nova spotted Sol's attempt. Her face hardened with determination as she extended her arm toward him. "Oh no you fucking don't," she snarled.

  Suddenly, Sol grunted in agony. The metal shard in his chest began driving itself deeper into his body, as if pulled by invisible hands. He managed to keep his attack contained in one palm while the other clutched desperately at the shard, fighting against its movement.

  "I...Won't... Let you!" Sol growled through clenched teeth. With a strangled cry, he gripped the metal tightly and yanked it from his chest, flinging it away. Blood immediately poured from the wound, soaking his clothes in crimson.

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  His vision swam as the pain threatened to overwhelm him. Sweat mixed with tears on his face as he gasped for breath, his silver aura flickering like a dying flame. Still, he forced his trembling hands back together, continuing to gather his attack.

  "Not sure... how I'll... even use this now," he mumbled, each word a struggle as blood continued streaming down. But he refused to give up.

  Red's puppet crashed into the tree behind Sol, splintering bark in all directions. The impact would have knocked a normal person unconscious, but the crimson construct simply peeled itself from the indentation and stood up with exaggerated, theatrical movements. Its masked face tilted curiously as it noticed Sol struggling to maintain his silver energy attack.

  "Well, what do we have here?" Red's puppet circled Sol like a curious child finding something shiny. Its mask somehow conveyed intense interest.

  Sol could barely turn his head, every movement sending fresh waves of pain through his chest. Blood continued trickling down as he kept his palms together, holding the swirling silver energy.

  "Could you... maybe... not right now?" Sol managed between ragged breaths.

  The puppet tapped its chin with one finger, its crimson eyes examining Sol's pale face and then the glowing silver energy between his trembling hands. Far away in their tree hideout, Red's actual body hung suspended from energy strings, a wide grin spreading across his face.

  "I like your style, pretty detective boy," Red muttered to himself, making Neiva cast a suspicious look at his dangling form.

  The puppet gave Sol an enthusiastic thumbs-up, the gesture so sudden it made Sol raise an eyebrow despite his pain.

  The puppet held up one finger in a "wait" gesture, its body language somehow conveying 'I've got an idea!' as clearly as if it had spoken aloud.

  Red snapped his arms upward, and the puppet mirrored his movement, hovering in midair with its limbs stretched out like a star. Neiva watched with growing concern as Red began flailing his arms wildly, his suspended body swinging back and forth like a pendulum. Before Sol's wary eyes, the puppet began dissolving into crimson mist, leaving only its mask floating in the air.

  The red mist swirled around Sol like a living tornado. He tried to track its movement, but the pain in his chest made it impossible to focus.

  "Red..." Sol's voice was barely audible. "What are you—"

  Red clapped his palms together, and the crimson mist suddenly attacked Sol's body like a swarm of angry bees. Sol braced himself for pain, but instead, the mist gathered around his bleeding wound, solidifying into something like a plug that stemmed the flow of blood.

  The relief was immediate and overwhelming. It felt like someone had lifted a crushing weight from his chest. Sol gulped down air like a drowning man breaking the surface, each breath easier than the last. Strength flowed back into his limbs as the pain receded.

  "Holy shit, Red!" Sol laughed breathlessly. "You beautiful lunatic! That actually worked!"

  But Red wasn't finished. The crimson mist continued swirling around Sol, hardening into pieces of armor that covered his body piece by piece. First came chest protection, then arm guards, then crimson boots that looked like they belonged on a sci-fi movie set. Red's gliders formed on his back, along with his rocket booster. Finally, Red's mask settled over Sol's face, completing the transformation.

  Sol flexed his fingers, testing the movement of his new crimson armor. A low chuckle escaped his lips as understanding dawned.

  "I see what you're doing," he said, admiration clear in his voice. "Gotta say, Red – not bad. Not bad at all."

  Sol brought his hands together again, the silver orb of his darkness power now stronger than before. The energy wrapped around his armored body, silver flames dancing across the crimson surface.

  "Ready, Red? I'll do it your way, just this once." Sol called out, as if Red could hear him. His left arm glowed brighter than the rest of his body, pulsing with barely contained power.

  "Lets do this!", Though Red couldn't speak to him directly, Sol felt the armor tighten around him in response, as if eager for action. The boots began to vibrate, crimson light pouring from underneath like lava seeping through cracks.

  "Here we go!" Sol shouted. The thrusters on his back and boots erupted with energy, launching him forward like a human rocket. He added his own silver flames to Red's crimson energy, creating a swirling comet tail behind him as he accelerated.

  Sol shot past the Silver Golem, aiming straight for the wind Auron. His voice rose to a battle cry that tore through the forest.

  "Take this! RED COMET!"

  The wind Auron had only a moment to register the danger before Nova leapt between them, desperately trying to protect her sister.

  "ASHLY!" Nova screamed as she threw herself into Sol's path.

  It was too late to change course. Sol's armored fist, wrapped in silver energy, slammed into Nova's metal-covered chest. Her armor crumpled like tissue paper, the Auranium under-armor that had seemed impenetrable before giving way like rubber beneath the combined forces of Sol's darkness and Red's momentum.

  The impact drove the air from Nova's lungs in a painful gasp. Both sisters were catapulted backward, crashing through trees like bowling pins before disappearing into the depths of the forest.

  "NOVA!" Ashly's anguished cry echoed through the trees as they vanished from sight.

  Sol landed heavily on the ground, his legs nearly buckling beneath him. The energy gauntlet around his fist was gone, leaving his hand smoking slightly. Sweat poured down his face, but his eyes gleamed with triumph beneath Red's mask.

  Behind him, Blue's body finally gave out. The cracks that had been spreading across his form widened until he simply fell apart like a broken vase, dissolving into blue smoke that streamed back to Angelo.

  Without Blue to help control the Silver Golem, the massive construct crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom that shook the entire clearing. Dust and debris billowed outward.

  Angelo dropped to one knee, his chest heaving with exhaustion. Blood trickled from his nose and the corners of his mouth, staining his beard with crimson streaks.

  "Is..." Angelo swallowed, his voice hoarse. "Is it over?"

  Sol pulled Red's mask from his face, gulping down air as the crimson armor began dissolving back into smoke.

  "Think so," he managed between breaths, pointing toward the forest where the twins had disappeared. "Look ahead."

  In the distance, Nova's brown aura flickered and died, leaving only Ashly's orange glow visible among the trees. They could just make out Ashly cradling her sister, her hands coming away bloody when she touched Nova's stomach.

  "Dammit," Ashly's voice carried faintly through the trees as she held her injured sister. "This isn't how things were supposed to go..." She looked down at Nova's unconscious form, her decision made. "No choice. I'll retreat... for now..."

  They watched as the orange glow retreated deeper into the forest, growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely, leaving them alone in the battle-scarred clearing.

  Angelo and Sol let their colorful auras fade away like dimming lightbulbs. They both collapsed onto the ground, their bodies finally surrendering to exhaustion. Every muscle ached as if they'd run a marathon uphill, twice.

  Red swooped down from the trees, carrying Neiva like a somewhat clumsy superhero making a rescue. The moment her feet touched the ground, she launched herself at Angelo, wrapping her arms around him in a desperate hug.

  "You're okay," she whispered against his shoulder, her voice trembling with relief. "I thought they were going to—" She couldn't finish the sentence, just squeezed tighter.

  Despite the pain shooting through his battered body, Angelo didn't push her away. He let out a tired breath, his hand awkwardly patting her back.

  "We're fine," he said simply, though the exhaustion in his voice told a different story. "It's over... For now."

  Sol managed to sit up, wincing as the movement pulled at his chest wound. Red's energy patch was still holding, but it wouldn't last forever. He looked around their campsite for the first time since the battle began, taking in the full extent of the destruction.

  Their tents lay flattened like houses after a tornado, fabric torn and poles snapped. Several of their bags had been flung across the clearing, their contents scattered across the dirt. The carefully built campfire was nothing but scattered ashes now, leaving them with only the silvery moonlight to see by. The sun had completely disappeared during their fight, as if even it wanted nothing to do with the chaos.

  Sol ran his hand through his silver-white hair, dried blood flaking off his fingers. He took a deep breath, his eyes traveling over the wreckage of what had been their home for the night.

  "Fuck," was the only thing he said, the single word somehow perfectly summarizing their situation.