The riverbank didn't just crack.
It dislocated.
A massive section of earth tilted backward like a sinking platform as the guardian heaved upward, its stone limbs tearing through soil and roots with unstoppable force.
Zoya fell sideways, gripping Manraj's shoulders with both arms.
Azhar slid several meters across broken ground, shadows grappling for purchase as the riverbank caved in beneath him.
"AZHAR!" Zoya screamed.
He dug his fingers into the dirt, shadows anchoring him like claws. But he was bleeding badly, breaths short, jaw clenched as he held his ground.
The guardian rose fully now— towering
heavy
terrifyingly calm.
Its six white eyes tracked Zoya and Manraj with perfect focus.
"ERYTH," it boomed.
"THE ROOT CALLS YOU HOME."
Manraj twitched violently in Zoya's grip, the glow under his skin flaring.
"Don't listen—don't you dare—" she whispered, pulling him closer.
The guardian stepped forward.
The earth crumbled further.
Azhar hissed, "Zoya—MOVE LEFT!"
She did—and a stone arm slammed down exactly where she'd been a second earlier, pulverizing the ground.
Zoya nearly dropped Manraj.
Azhar shoved himself upright, staggered, then thrust his hand out.
Shadows surged across the bank—sharp, spear-like, angry.
They slammed into the guardian's mask.
The guardian didn't even flinch.
It simply turned toward Azhar.
"SHADOW-BEARER," it rumbled, "YOU STAND BETWEEN FATE AND ITS OWNER."
Azhar spat blood and lifted his chin.
"I've been standing in the wrong places my whole life," he growled.
"No reason to stop now."
The guardian moved.
Not fast.
Inevitable.
It swung a massive arm toward Azhar—
Zoya gasped—
Azhar didn't dodge.
He accepted the strike.
Shadows thickened around him, forming a barrier inches before impact—
The guardian's arm smashed through it.
Azhar was thrown backward across the riverbank, hitting the dirt with a bone-jarring crack.
"AZHAR!" Zoya screamed again, voice breaking.
He didn't get up.
Not fully.
Shadows flickered weakly around him, dim and trembling.
The guardian turned back to Manraj.
He was glowing again—chest burning with silver-white symbols pulsing beneath his skin.
His eyelids fluttered.
A whisper escaped him:
"…I never left…"
Zoya cupped his face with shaking hands.
"Manraj—listen to me—stay with ME—"
But the guardian reached down again.
Zoya stepped in front of Manraj, arms outstretched, Silence gathering even though her body shook violently.
"You are NOT taking him!"
The guardian didn't slow.
Its stone hand descended—
Azhar forced himself to his knees, blood dripping from his lip.
"ZOYA—NOW—LEFT—!"
She jumped aside, clutching Manraj as the guardian's palm crushed into the earth where she had been.
The riverbank shattered.
Half the shoreline sank into the water.
Zoya nearly slipped into the collapsing edge but planted her foot against a jut of stone, using her whole body to shield Manraj.
The guardian leaned down, mask splitting wider—
white light spilling out like a sun trying to escape a cage.
It spoke softer this time.
Almost… mournful.
"ERYTH… YOU ARE BROKEN.
LET ME MAKE YOU WHOLE."
Manraj stirred.
His fingers twitched—reaching.
Zoya's heart stopped.
"No… no no—MANRAJ—LOOK AT ME—!"
His glowing eyes barely opened.
Silver-white bleeding through amber.
He whispered:
"I… know that voice…"
Zoya grabbed his jaw, pulling his gaze to hers, tears stinging her eyes.
"That voice does NOT own you. You choose who you are. Stay with me—stay with YOUR people—"
The guardian raised its hand again.
Azhar staggered forward, dragging himself across the shattered ground.
"Zoya—RUN—!"
She tried.
But the riverbank shifted—
tilted—
and a massive sheet of mud slid beneath her feet.
She slipped.
She fell.
She tightened her grip on Manraj—
but they slid toward the sinking edge.
The guardian leaned down, reaching to grab Manraj as he fell.
Zoya screamed—
"AZHAR—!"
Azhar didn't hesitate.
He hurled himself forward.
Not with strength.
With desperation.
Shadows erupted from beneath him, propelling him like a black arrow across the collapsing ground.
He slammed into Zoya and Manraj—
knocking them sideways, away from the guardian's reaching hand.
The riverbank split completely.
The guardian's arm crashed into the water.
Zoya, Azhar, and Manraj tumbled down the remaining slope—mud, reeds, shattered stone.
They hit bottom hard.
Zoya groaned.
Azhar cursed under his breath.
Manraj lay still but breathing.
The guardian lifted its head—
tracking them with unblinking eyes.
Zoya pulled Manraj against her chest and whispered into his ear:
"We're not going back.
Not to it.
Not ever."
The guardian's voice rumbled across the shore:
"YOU CANNOT RUN FROM ORIGIN."
Azhar, shaking, wiped blood from his mouth.
His eyes lifted just enough to meet Zoya's.
"We're not running," he growled.
He rose—slowly, painfully.
"Not this time."
The guardian tilted its head.
The earth vibrated beneath their feet—
as if something
else was waking.
Something worse.
Zoya tightened her grip around Manraj.
Azhar summoned what little shadow he had left.
The guardian stepped forward—
and the river beside them began to rise.
The night wasn't done with them yet.