Resonance

The battle had not yet stilled, but every head turned skyward.

The relic’s pulse burst like a heart giving its final beat. A column of light ripped through the chamber above, piercing the clouds, splitting the heavens. Then—

BOOM.

The Glass Castle cracked apart. Its spires disintegrated into a thousand shards of crystal, dissolving midair into drifting motes, scattering like fireflies across the morning sky.

The shock ran through both armies at once. Crystalor soldiers froze. Weapons slipped from their hands, clattering to the streets. Murmurs turned to shouts—panic, despair. One man cried out,

“The relic’s gone! The castle is falling!”

And just like that, discipline broke. Shields dropped. Knees bent. Soldiers surrendered in waves.

The rebels… roared. The sound was thunder, primal, cathartic. Men and women who had known only the confines of Ironwood raised their voices in victory.

Nero stared at the sky, chest heaving. He couldn’t believe it.

“It’s… over…?”

Selka tackled him in a hug before he could finish.

“We did it! We actually did it!” she shouted, laughing through the tears on her cheeks.

“Wow, hey!”

Nero stumbled, dazed, but let her hold him. His hands trembled—not from fear this time, but from relief.

Heavy footsteps approached. Ravuun stood before him, towering even now, axe dragging across the stone. The warlord looked at his son for a long moment. Then, slowly, he placed one massive hand on Nero’s shoulder.

Nero stiffened. The weight wasn’t crushing this time—it was grounding.

“…Father?”

Ravuun’s voice rumbled low, softer than Nero had ever heard it.

“I was wrong.”

Nero blinked. “…What?”

“You weren’t born to rule over men.” Ravuun’s eyes flicked upward, to the titans circling overhead. “You were born to stand among them. To walk with the Aetheralyx as equals. That bond…” He squeezed Nero’s shoulder. “…that bond saved us all.”

Nero’s throat tightened. He tried to laugh it off, but the sound cracked halfway. “Hah… didn’t think I’d hear that from you…”

“When your mother told me you were different, I refused to see it.” Ravuun’s gaze was distant now, heavy with regret. “But now I understand. You were never less for it. You were more. And I am proud.”

The words broke through Nero’s chest like a spear. His eyes burned, but he clenched his jaw, nodding once. “…Thank you. Father.”

Above them, Lami landed beside Ava, both titans lowering their heads toward Nero with a cry that shook the streets. Other Aetheralyx followed, roaring in unison. For the first time, it wasn’t a sound of wrath or grief—but triumph.

The rebels cheered alongside them, laughter and tears mixing with the beasts’ thunderous calls.

Selka wiped her eyes, still grinning, then suddenly froze. “Wait a sec—what about the others?!”

Nero’s stomach dropped. “…Rokuro. Kagi. Lykos.”

Without a second thought, Selka scrambled onto Ava’s back. Nero followed, pulling himself up with his father’s help.

“We’re going after them,” Nero said, glancing once more at Ravuun.

His father nodded, no words needed.

Ava’s wings stretched wide. With a single beat, she launched skyward, cutting through the motes of dissolving crystal, soaring straight for the ruins of the castle.

As they got closer they saw them.

From the rubble, two figures emerged—Rokuro and Kagi, shoulders straining beneath the weight of a third. Rokuro’s hair tie had snapped, leaving his hair falling freely down his face. Kagi’s cheeks were streaked with scorched marks, her dress torn. But they were alive. Lykos on the other hand looked worse for wear…

“Over there!” Selka’s voice cracked as she pointed from Ava’s back. She and Nero dismounted in a rush, boots crunching against broken crystal.

Lykos leaned against them, his sleeve tied off crudely at the elbow, crimson staining the cloth. His face was pale, his breath shallow, but his eyes still burned.

“Stop fussing…” His voice was hoarse, rasping. “…this old man hasn’t kicked the bucket yet.”

Nero exhaled hard, the tension loosening from his chest. Selka wasn’t so easily convinced—she nearly bowled them over checking for a pulse. “You lost an arm! And you’re acting like you just tripped inside the Eldertree?!”

“He also gulped down a vial of that… purple thing.” Rokuro added.

“He did what?!” Nero gawked, “And he’s still alive?!”

Lykos snorted weakly. “I’ve been through worse.”

“That’s not reassuring!” Selka huffed, cheeks puffing, half crying, half laughing.

Selka spun toward Kagi. “What even happened?! Did you see Solon? What about the king? Was Draven really there—”

“One question at a time, please,” Kagi deadpanned.

Rokuro scratched his head. “King’s toast. Probably buried under what’s left of this place. Draven on the other hand…” he sighed.

“Slipped out through a portal. Bastard got away.”

The cheer dimmed for a moment. But then Nero laughed, shaking his head. “Even so… we won. Crystalor’s done.”

Selka grinned again, brushing tears from her cheeks.

Rokuro looked at the rubble where the relic had once pulsed. “Oh, uh. The relic’s… kinda broken now. So, uh, tell Ava sorry from us.”

A thunderous roar echoed above. Ava herself towards the rubble, wings spread wide, tail crushing the remains of a tower. She bellowed, and the other Aetheralyx answered.

Rokuro jolted. “That… doesn’t sound like forgiveness.”

Nero smirked, folding his arms. “That’s because they never wanted the relic back. They just didn’t want it misused. Corrupting this world any longer.”

“But wasn’t it important to them?” Kagi asked.

“It was but they’ve lived a century fighting against its corruption. They can live without it.”

Kagi let out a slow sigh. “Well, that’s… reassuring.”

Before they could catch their breath, shadows stirred along the avenues. Citizens emerged from shattered houses, gripping pitchforks, brooms, even kitchen knives. Their faces were pale, wary, caught between fear and desperation.

“Oi, oi—!” Nero stepped forward, hands raised. “We’re not here to conquer anything. You’ve been lied to long enough. The relic, the barrier, all of it—it was never protection. It was poison!”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Anger simmered. Doubt bristled.

“Who says we wanted to be liberated?” One elderly man with a pitchfork bit back.

Then, an elderly couple pushed gently to the front. Their hands trembled. Their eyes locked on the man who was being held between Rokuro and Kagi.

“Lykos… is that you…?”

Lykos froze at the sound of the familiar voice. His breath caught in his throat. “…Father… Mother…”

They fell to their knees in front of him, tears streaming unchecked. Rokuro and Kagi let him slip free, as he was swallowed in their embrace. The woman cradled his face; the man clutched his remaining hand. Neither spoke at first—only wept.

“I…” Lykos’ voice broke. “I’m sorry. For what I said that day. For leaving like I did. I thought… it was the only way to protect you.”

His mother shook her head, sobbing. His father pulled him into their embrace, holding him as though they would never let go again.

The hardened mentor, the man who had seemed untouchable, broke—his forehead pressed to their shoulders, eyes wet.

Selka sniffled noisily. “This is better than a fairytale ending…”

Nero looked away, eyes glistening, “Hmph. I’m not crying.”

Rokuro rubbed his nose, blinking rapidly. “N-not me either.”

Kagi covered her mouth, laughter slipping through her fingers. “Idiots, the lot of you.”

But even she let a tear drop.

For a moment, victory was real. Warm. Shared.

Then Selka’s curious voice cut the quiet. “So… what happens now? Rokuro? Kagi?”

The two exchanged a look. No words. Just a nod.

“We’ve still got work to do,” Rokuro said at last, clenching his gauntlet. “Draven’s not getting away.”

Kagi’s eyes glimmered, her smile faint but certain. “We’ll follow him. Wherever he runs.”

“That means…” Selka’s voice trailed off.

“You’re leaving?” Nero cut in.

Rokuro and Kagi nodded.

“Well it was about time!” Nero said theatrically, trying to mask his sadness, “It’s not like we’ll miss you or anything.”

“Nero!” Selka scolded him like a mother.

“Back on Earth, we’d call that tsundere.” Rokuro whispered over to Kagi.

“A tsun… what?” She arched her brow, perplexed.

“Never mind.”

“So you can’t stay… until the celebrations?” Selka asked meekly.

Kagi shook her head, expression stiff from regret. Selka’s face dropped too.

“A-ah… it’s not like we’re sad about it.” Nero looked away.

“But we can stay to catch a break for a while. The gate can’t be restored so quickly after its use.”

“Ah dang it! We—“

“Man, zip it!” Rokuro barked at Nero’s theatrics.

“Guess I can’t hide it, huh…” He sighed.

“Speaking of, how did Draven even open a portal in the first place? I thought only the Key could do that?” Selka raised a brow.

“Normally.” Kagi nodded, “But the rings he wore… they had Worldkey magic. Meaning that enough power from them could momentarily open a crack if the link was already weak.”

“There was a portal around here…?” Rokuro looked around.

“Seeing what Crystalor had in stock for all those years… it wouldn’t surprise me if they were hiding one of those as well.” Nero shook his head.

“But how can we be sure we’ll land in the same realm as that masked freak?” Rokuro arched a brow.

“Connections between realms are like threads. Portalia was connected to Estundia, and Estundia is connected to…” Kagi furrowed her brow, “Wherever we’re going next.”

“Damn, who makes these rules…?” Rokuro ruffled his hair in confusion, “What even was that weird magical line between us back there?”

“It’s called Resonance.” Kagi explained, “It happens when the Lock and Key are in sync. It’s because you’re being… less annoying.”

“Huh?! The hell you mean?!” Rokuro snapped.

“I think Kagi means you’re beginning to trust each other more.” Selka grinned.

Rokuro and Kagi promptly looked away, cheeks red.

Resonance, huh? Rokuro thought. He felt like was truly in sync with Kagi back there. He felt stronger, faster. Resonance wasn’t so bad, he deduced.

And if it meant that he and Kagi were heading in the right direction, then he welcomed it.

As the crowd looked at the people they were dealing with, the weeping parents, and the bantering kids… they couldn’t bring themselves to protest any longer.

The Aetheralyx roared again, the rebels cheered—but for the Lock and his Key, the next chapter had already begun.