Fueled with renewed bravery after Nyx's departure, the Fallen slowly recovered its pace as its body gradually became covered in fur, its spine bending, and the glow around it thickening. With every passing second, it became unimaginably more threatening.
"This is going to be complicated."
Aside from the Center, every human whose eyes were closed would eventually turn into a Fallen, hideous creature with no trace of their former humanity. Although this one seemed to be the weakest possible tier, for someone like Finn, who couldn't use the will at birth and was still so young, this last obstacle before the boat could very well be the end of him. Two weeks were far from enough.
Finn took a deep breath, glancing behind him. A small barricade was all that separated them from the sea. He touched the ground lightly with his hand, then picked up his sword again, adjusting his stance as he prepared for the monster's charge.
The Fallen lunged at him, trying to skewer him with its newly formed fangs. Finn raised both hands to cover his face, bracing for the impact, but the instant the fangs touched his hand, he heard a crack from his left arm, and suddenly he was on the ground, rolling across the gravel.
He had expected a boost over time as the Dome took shape, but the creature's leap in strength was disproportionate.
Barely back on his feet, Finn jumped backward as the Fallen assaulted him again. He tried to move his left arm, but it barely responded.
"One arm less… as if this wasn't hard enough already."
He took the same stance again, except this time one of his limbs hung uselessly at his side.
As soon as the monster got close enough, a crimson incandescent light flared from Finn's hand. Crouching low, he dodged its fangs, counterattacking immediately by pressing his glowing hand against the creature's chest, where a small explosion blasted them both backward and exposed the creature's flank. Screams of pain tore from its throat.
"One down."
Three, that was the maximum he could use with the time he had left. Three chances to change his situation.
For the first time since the fight had begun, Finn went on the offensive. A translucent light enveloped his hand as he poured all his strength into piercing the monster's side, where its flesh was already regenerating at a frightening speed.
More cracks echoed as he shattered its ribs—but nothing more. The beast's core remained untouchable.
Before he could pull his hand free, the creature's ribs reformed around his arm, trapping it completely and preventing any retreat.
"Damn it."
Finn met the beast's black eyes again, a surge of alarm shooting through his entire body. Even stripped of fear, the thought of dying still froze his blood. Unable to use his other arm, he endured a rain of blows, each one more devastating than the last.
His whole body was bruised, consciousness slipping. In a final struggle, he pushed power into his trapped hand, trying to blow the monster apart from the inside. But before the detonation, the creature suddenly released him and jumped back, causing Finn to fall backward under the force of his own explosion.
His vision blurred as the dark side of his mask vanished and with it, his fear returned in full force. He felt every heartbeat as if it were cracking his ribs. His one intact hand wouldn't stop trembling.
The pressure crushing his shoulders made him almost want to lie down and rest. But there was far too much left to accomplish to die here. As the Fallen approached for its final assault, Finn, using what remained of his strength, prepared to summon Nyx again when a voice called out behind him:
"Duck."
Instinctively, he ducked just in time to see a shadow leap over him, a sword stabbing straight into the beast's eye before the figure jumped back.
Finn followed his example and backed away as the monster focused entirely on the blade lodged in its eye.
He threw a quick glance at the one who had, in a way, saved his lifebuying him a few more months. He looked young, with black hair, arms surprisingly muscular for his age, and a sharp face.
"Not very smart, abandoning your weapon like that," Finn said, eyes fixed on the Fallen.
"About as smart as facing that thing bare-handed head-on, I guess," the boy shot back.
"Fair point."
"Get it to come toward me," Finn said, moving without waiting for an answer, circling the monster and heading toward the edge.
With the sword still buried in its head, the beast leapt at the newcomer, who was also heading toward the cliff. Unarmed, he dove to the right, barely avoiding the creature's fangs.
"Over here!" Finn shouted from above. Taking advantage of the monster's distraction, he gathered strength in his legs and kicked the sword, driving it straight through the Fallen's skull and out the other side before withdrawing immediately.
He now stood at the very edge, with the sea at his back.
The Fallen roared againan ear-splitting scream. Then charged at Finn, who froze for a heartbeat.
"How do you kill this thing?"
Even a sword through its brain wasn't enough to stop it.
Finn glanced back at the sea, then at the creature. As soon as the beast got close enough, he stepped slightly aside. The Fallen could no longer stop its momentum and sprinted straight toward the drop but recovered at last, burying its fangs into the ground to halt its fall.
Before it could lift its head, a sword materialized at its feet, cleaving its fangs in one clean strike before vanishing on the spot.
The Fallen regained its balance and turned toward Finn, who could barely remain standing.
But before it could move, a crimson incandescent light bloomed under its feet.
"Bingo," Finn said with a triumphant grin.
A massive explosion, louder than any before, blasted the Fallen into the air before flinging it into the sea.
Without wasting a second, the two boys exchanged a look and bolted toward the harbor gate, running past scattered corpses. A final creak echoed from the ship as the entrance slowly closed.
The ship drifted away, unstoppable. Yet it wasn't enough to deter them, they sprinted toward it with everything they had, driven by despair. But it was already too late; the ship had cast off.
The two boys finally stopped, breath ragged, hands on their knees as they struggled to recover.
"Damn it…" a bitter voice said beside them.
They raised their heads. A young girl stood there—crimson hair, a fairy-like face, wearing an immaculate white dress she had lifted to run. She observed them for a moment before turning her desperate gaze back toward the ship.
The three of them stood silently, imprinting the faces of those they would have to cross this hell with.
Finn, however, looked up at the sky, where a strange boat had earlier formed from rising debris. Explosions thundered everywhere; the sky was covered in flames as all airborne machines crashed one after another.
One of them smashed into the sea right beside them, sending a deafening shockwave, followed by a blinding light. They blinked as darkness instantly swallowed everything, growing gradually more oppressive.
Under the weight of his efforts, Finn's legs finally gave out, and he collapsed onto the sand. Spread out on the shore, a defeated smile curled on his lips despite himself.
"I really have to stop making promises."
The ship was gone. On this hundredth Independence Day, the light had fled Rinosa, swallowed by the birth of the twelfth Eternal Dome.
The sun had set over the Land of the Rising Sun, and never again would dawn reach this place.