Echoes of the Guardian

The portal closes behind them. Kaldar, Claw, and Crystal land back in Altropolis—exhausted, scorched, but victorious.Claw: (Panting) That… was insane.Crystal: We stabilized Titan Mode, saved the armor, and didn’t fracture the timeline. I call that a win.Kaldar: (Looking up at the sky) But Bloodfang’s still out there. And he knows what I’m capable of now.Back at Orion Crest Academy…Kaldar walks through the school gates, trying to act normal. Students pass by, unaware of the cosmic battle he just fought.Mr. Sullivan (Claw): You look like you’ve been through a black hole.Kaldar: You have no idea.Mr. Sullivan: Well, you’ve got history class in five. Try not to vaporize the textbook.Kaldar chuckles, but his smile fades as he feels a strange pulse in his chest.Crystal: You feel that? Kaldar: Yeah. Something’s… calling me.The Celestial ChamberThat night, Kaldar meditates in his desert base. The Echo Core glows, and a portal opens—not through space, but through memory.Kaldar steps through and finds himself in a vast chamber of stars. A figure waits—tall, radiant, cloaked in cosmic light.Kaldar: (Whispers) Belfrost…Belfrost: You’ve done well, Kaldar. But the path ahead is darker than you know.Kaldar: Bloodfang wants to rewrite time. He nearly succeeded.Belfrost: He’s only the beginning. The Grim Stone is awakening. And Sulmento… is stirring.Kaldar’s eyes widen.Kaldar: I thought he was sealed.Belfrost: His body, yes. But his essence lingers. And if Bloodfang finds the Stone’s core… he could resurrect Sulmento’s soul.Kaldar: Then tell me how to stop it.Belfrost: You must unlock the Guardian’s Echo. A power that only awakens when the Hero accepts his past—and forgives it.Kaldar hesitates.Kaldar: I couldn’t save my parents. I watched my planet die.Belfrost: And yet you fight. That is the Guardian’s strength—not perfection, but perseverance.Kaldar kneels, fists clenched.Kaldar: Then teach me. I’ll do whatever it takes.Belfrost: The training begins now.Elsewhere…In a hidden void, Bloodfang kneels before a cracked monolith pulsing with dark energy.Bloodfang: The armor was only the first step. Soon… the Stone will awaken. And the Hero will fall.A whisper echoes from the monolith—Sulmento’s voice.Sulmento: Bring me back… and I will give you the universe.To Be Continued…