THE COLSSUS AND THE SPARK

The journey continued. For two days, Asimil and Luce walked through a sun-drenched meadow. Away from war and secrets, they got to know each other better. They shared stories, joked, and an easy, natural camaraderie blossomed between them, a small garden of hope in the midst of a dying world.

On the third day, they saw an army. It was not marching into battle, but retreating from it. Broken banners, wounded soldiers, the look of defeat etched on their faces. They hid as the legion passed, and a sense of ill omen settled over them.

They followed the path of the retreating army and came to a large village. Or what was left of it. Panic was a hurricane. Villagers were running in all directions, carrying their belongings, their faces broken with terror.

— What's going on? — asked Luce to a man who was running.

— He's coming this way! Run! — was all he shouted, without stopping.

They did not have time. In the distance, a muffled explosion sounded. An instant later, a sonic wave swept over them, knocking down several villagers and blowing out the windows of nearby huts. Luce and Asimil ducked out of instinct. Another wave came, and another, and another, and another. Then, a terrifying silence.

They thought it was over. But then, something that looked like a war horse engulfed in black flames fell from the sky like a projectile and crashed into one of the houses, demolishing it. Chaos turned to absolute terror.

In the distance, on the horizon, a figure advanced. With each step, an aura of dark, overwhelming power spread, withering the grass. It did not walk fast, but its advance was unstoppable, like that of a plague.

A feeling that Asimil thought he had begun to master resurfaced with brutal force: fear. That icy, paralyzing panic that had tormented him all his life. His muscles seized up. He wanted to run, but his feet were nailed to the ground. He could see the figure approaching, an eight-foot mass of sheer strength, and his mind could only scream. It was Goliath, the Colossus.

But then, something happened. He saw Luce take a few steps forward, stepping between Goliath and the fleeing villagers. Asimil saw her hands. They were trembling. It was not a fearless display of power. It was an act of terrifying bravery. He faced forward, a tiny spark of light against a mountain of darkness.

Seeing her fear, as real as his, and watching her act in spite of it, broke Asimil's paralysis. He was afraid, yes. He was terrified. But next to Luce, he would do it in fear. He stood beside her, dagger in hand. They were the last, pathetic line of defense.

Goliath got close enough. Without looking at them, he threw a casual punch against the ground. The earth opened up, a massive crack that swallowed several houses and, with them, the unfortunate villagers who had failed to flee.

Then, the creature became aware of their presence. It turned to Asimil. In a flash, it was in front of him. A blow to the abdomen sent him flying. Out of pure instinct, he had raised the Broken Echo Dagger to cover himself. The weapon glowed with an emerald light, absorbing much of the impact, but the brute force of the blow still left him breathless and with several broken ribs.

The battle continued. Luce was a blur of speed, her punches and kicks impacting against Goliath's massive body. But it was like hitting a mountain. He simply took the blows, unmoved. In an oversight, one of Goliath's hands closed over Luce's leg and threw her against a building.

The Colossus turned his attention to Asimil. He grabbed him by the torso and lifted him up, then slammed him multiple times into the ground. Asimil's world became a symphony of pain and darkness before unconsciousness claimed him.

— ASIMIL! — Luce's cry was one of pure desperation.

He stood up, ignoring his own injuries, and unleashed a combo of fury against Goliath's back, each blow imbued with all his energy. He succeeded in causing the giant to stagger slightly. Just that.

To demonstrate his power, Goliath roared. His body grew a little more, and from his sides, two new arms sprouted, making a total of four.

With a cruel smile, one of his four hands grabbed the unconscious Asimil. The other joined in, and began to pull, with the clear intention of tearing him in half.

Luce, desperate, with tears of rage and terror streaming down her cheeks, ran back to Goliath, knowing it was futile. Memories of her journey with Asimil.  the laughter, the calm, the silent promise to protect each otherr flashed in her mind. He closed his eyes, preparing to die trying.

He saw blood coming out. He hoped it was Asimil's.

But this was not the case.

A flash of steel and fury, bigger and faster than anything he had ever seen, flashed past him. There was a sound of bone and metal being severed. Both of Goliath's hands holding Asimil fell to the ground, still locked, before dissolving. Asimil fell heavily to the ground.

Goliath roared, a sound that was half pain, half... excitement. He looked at his bleeding stumps and then at the figure now standing between them.

He was a huge man, with a braided beard and a gigantic battle axe resting on his shoulder, his whole being radiating an aura of untamed fury.

Goliath, the Colossus, smiled. For the first time, someone had hurt him.
— You... — he grunted. You're strong.

The newcomer returned a smile that was pure savage defiance.

— And you — replied —are my warm-up. —