The ground exploded upward.
Stone and dust erupted in a deafening roar as something enormous forced its way to the surface. The shockwave knocked them all off their feet; Bran squawked, feathers flying as Moss pulled himself up, coughing through the haze.
Then he saw it.
A figure, half, formed from earth and crystal, rose from the pit, a giant, its torso alone towering twenty feet high. Its body was made of shifting stone plates that pulsed faintly with veins of golden, brown aether. Two eyes of molten amber stared down at them like suns behind fog.
"By the gods…" Lyra breathed.
"Move!" Kain shouted.
The titan struck. The impact sent shards of rock flying. Moss and Dole dove aside, Bran squawking as a slab nearly crushed them.
Kain lunged forward, spear flashing. His strikes hit with precision but barely scratched the creature's arm. It turned slowly, almost curious.
Dole flung a burst of fire, the explosion lighting up the titan's chest, but when the smoke cleared, its rocky hide was barely scorched.
Cid hurled one of his flare bombs, an invention of pipes, powder, and stubborn genius. The blast sent shards spinning, and this time, the giant actually staggered.
"Ha!" Cid shouted. "Even mountains move if you hit 'em right!"
Lyra's voice cut through the chaos, calm but commanding. "Stay close! I can keep wards up, but not if you scatter!"
Moss rode Bran in from the side, slashing at what passed for a knee, drawing the creature's attention. "Now!" he yelled.
Kain vanished upward in a blur of motion, propelled by the power of his legs and spear. The titan's head tracked the motion, confused for just a moment.
Then Dole lifted his hand, fire surging again, but he stopped, grimacing. The flames weren't working. They barely singed it. He could feel the resistance, the opposing element pushing back. His pulse pounded, his eyes flicking to the faint blue aether crystal Serra had given them.
He didn't think. He just reached.
The crystal pulsed. The fire in his hand shifted hue, from orange to deep azure. He flung the spell, and a torrent of water burst forth, striking the titan across its chest. Steam hissed from the impact.
The creature reacted.
It roared, swinging wildly. One blow clipped Bran, sending the chocobo tumbling. Moss hit the ground hard. Lyra dove to his side, healing light already flowing from her palms.
Kain came down from above, his spear driving through the titan's shoulder with enough force to make the ground tremble. The beast howled, raising its arm to strike him down.
Moss, dazed but conscious, saw it, the fist rising, the shadow spreading. "No!" he shouted, throwing out his hand without thinking.
The titan froze.
Its massive stone fist stopped inches above Kain. The air hummed, the earth vibrating faintly. The creature's glowing eyes turned toward Moss, unreadable.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold still.
Then, slowly, the titan withdrew its hand. Its body began to sink, stone plates collapsing as it returned to the earth. Within seconds, it was gone, only a crater and a trembling silence remained.
Moss swayed, the color draining from his face. His heart raced once, twice, then everything went black.
"Moss!" Dole caught him before he hit the ground.
In the stillness that followed, something shifted in the nearby brush, a faint, deliberate movement. A pair of unseen eyes watched from the ridgeline before vanishing into the trees.
Lyra pressed a hand to Moss's chest, feeling the faint pulse. "He's alive… just out cold."
Kain exhaled slowly, planting his spear into the earth. "Whatever that was… it wasn't a beast."
Dole looked at the crater. "No," he said quietly. "That was something older."
They loaded Moss onto Bran, the chocobo obedient but uneasy, its feathers puffed and eyes darting toward the horizon.
"Let's get him home," Lyra said. "We've seen enough for one lifetime."
They turned back toward the settlement, the wind carrying faint echoes through the canyon, like the last fading heartbeat of the earth itself.