A heavy silence hung over the ruins.
The beast froze—claws raised, silver eyes locked on Azure. As if the boy's defiant words had cracked through the primal instinct of the predator.
The Wild Voice — shouting in his mind: "Is this your plan? Taunt death and hope it hesitates?"
The Calm Voice — quiet as wind through a forgotten graveyard: "No... He's learning. Defiance confuses the predator. And fear... weakens the soul."
The beast snapped from its hesitation with a snarl, lunging forward.
Calm Voice: "Steady your breath. I'll rebalance your blood. What you need now is clarity—not courage."
Blood surged in Azure's veins. Pain dulled. Vision cleared.
Azure: "So I was right. You saved me earlier using some leftover power. That means if I die... you die too. You can do this again—without taking over."
Calm Voice: "You're perceptive. But this won't last. The energy that brought us here is nearly spent. When it's gone... so are we."
Azure: "Then figure something out. Fast."
He ducked as the beast smashed through rubble.
Wild Voice: (grumbling) "I still don't like this."
Azure: (dodging a flying stone) "Then don't complain if we all die."
A pause.
Wild Voice: "...Fine. One last burst. But this drains everything. No second chances. Use it well."
Heat flared behind Azure's right eye.
It glowed—deep crimson. And the world changed.
The beast remained the same, but now... faint blue pulses marked weak points: joints, the neck, the lower belly.
Wild Voice: "Target those points. Hit fast. Retreat faster. No head-on fights. Follow my orders exactly."
Azure: (steadying his breath) "Alright. Just move. Don't die."
The beast charged—air crackling around it.
Wild Voice: "Shoulder! Dodge left, roll, strike from behind."
Azure obeyed. Slid beneath the claws. Snatched a jagged metal pipe from the ground. Spun.
He rammed it into the glowing joint.
A muffled roar.
Calm Voice: "Well done. But do not linger. Fall back."
Azure rolled away, gasping.
The beast turned, enraged, and lunged again.
Wild Voice: "Rear knee. Strike and withdraw. Don't look back."
Azure ran up a wall, flipped behind the beast, and stabbed.
A second cry.
Then—darkness.
The crimson glow vanished.
Azure: "The vision... it's gone?"
Wild Voice: "Told you. Temporary. That was it."
Calm Voice: "Now, you rely on instinct. No more gifts. Only will."
The beast howled and thrashed—less precise, more violent.
Azure: (thinking) "The more it's hurt, the more reckless it becomes. I can use that. I need a trap."
Wild Voice: "Trap? I'm listening."
Azure scanned the space. A cracked pillar. A crushed car. A ceiling held by corroded beams.
Azure: "I'll bait it. When it jumps, it hits the pillar, collapses the roof."
Calm Voice: "A sound plan. But the margin for error is thin."
Wild Voice: "Take position. Wait for my signal."
Azure stepped into the open.
The beast roared—and leapt.
Wild Voice: "Now! Left! Under the car—go!"
Azure dove. Rolled under the wreckage. Came out the other side.
CRASH.
The beast slammed into the pillar.
CRACK.
The ceiling caved in.
Dust swallowed the space.
Calm Voice: "Wait... confirm the kill."
A shape moved.
The beast rose—bloodied, trembling... but alive.
Wild Voice: (grimly) "We have one shot. End it."
Azure: "How?!"
Wild Voice: "From behind. Jump. Drive the pipe up—under the jaw."
Pain blazed in Azure's limbs.
But he ran.
He leapt.
He screamed:
Azure: "DIE!"
The metal pierced beneath the beast's chin.
A choke. A shudder.
The monster collapsed.
Twitched.
Then stilled.
Calm Voice: "...It's over."
Wild Voice: (grudging) "Didn't think I'd say it... but good job, boy."
Azure didn't answer.
He dropped to his knees.
Blood dripped from his arms. His chest burned. His breath rasped.
Azure: (softly) "I'm... alive?"
Wild Voice: "Thanks to us. Remember that."
Azure closed his eyes.
And for the first time... death stepped back.