The battle outside the prison roared like an unstoppable storm — fire, sand, and vines clashing with furious intensity. Arson and Sylvia moved like two forces of nature — one blazing with destruction, the other rooted in creation — yet their movements were surprisingly in sync. It wasn't perfect, but it was powerful.
Dune's legendary sand manipulation swirled around them, forming towering sandstorms that cracked the ground and lashed out like whips. But every time a wall of sand rose, Arson burned through it with a searing blaze, and whenever Dune tried to bury them in shifting dunes, Sylvia's roots pierced through, holding the ground steady.
"Why don't you just give up?" Dune growled, his teeth gritted in frustration. "I've taken down conquerors before — your so-called 'pair' is nothing but a weak imitation of Kairo's useless rebellion."
Sylvia's emerald eyes narrowed. "You think we're just like Kairo?" She smirked. "You're not wrong."
Arson grinned, flames flickering at his fingertips. "We've spent days fighting each other, and somehow, we ended up like this — the creator and destroyer, a pair."
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
Dune's frustration deepened. He lashed out, summoning a wall of sand to trap them both — but Sylvia's vines and Arson's flames merged, tearing through the wall and sending a wave of smoke and charred earth in all directions.
The balance between creation and destruction was chaotic but fierce — Dune was holding his ground, but he wasn't gaining any.
He was stuck, battling the two of them, unable to advance toward the prison.
Meanwhile, deep inside the prison...
Glacius, Peggy, and Yuki pushed through the dimly lit corridor of the third level.
The air was heavier here, and the sound of chains clinking echoed ominously.
The guards were no longer ordinary Sand soldiers — these were the prison's elite wardens, clad in heavier armor of compacted sand, their weapons infused with earth powers.
"This is more like it," Glacius muttered, a spark of excitement in his voice.
Peggy sighed. "We're not here for fun, ice cube."
The wardens didn't waste time — one of them slammed a hand against the wall, causing a ripple of sand to erupt beneath their feet. Peggy leapt into the air, landing behind him and striking a pressure point in his shoulder with her light sword(that she created from light), while Glacius formed a spear of ice and launched it straight at another warden, freezing his legs to the ground.
Yuki held onto both of them, clinging to their arms as the battle raged on. The wardens were tougher — faster, more strategic.
"They're stronger than the last level," Peggy muttered, blocking a sand blade with her light sword.
A warden sent a sandstorm spiraling toward Yuki, but Glacius reacted instantly, forming a dome of ice around her. "Don't touch her," he snapped, his usual coldness laced with rare protectiveness.
Peggy knocked out another guard, then turned to a prisoner locked in one of the cells. "Where's Kairo?"
The prisoner, a scrawny man with sunburned skin, coughed. "Fifth level — the lowest. Security only gets worse the deeper you go."
Glacius smirked. "Good."
Peggy shot him a glare. "You're enjoying this way too much."
Glacius only shrugged, shattering the ice dome around Yuki once the danger passed. "A real challenge — it's about time."
Despite the brutal fight, they pushed through, knocking out the last warden standing in their way.
Yuki's grip on their arms tightened as they stood before the heavy stone door leading to the fourth level. "Kairo is getting closer," she whispered, a rare spark of hope in her voice.
Peggy placed a reassuring hand on Yuki's shoulder. "We're going to get him out. No matter what."
The air grew colder — not from Glacius's ice, but from the weight of what lay ahead.
And above them, the battle between Dune, Sylvia, and Arson continued to rage, the ground quaking from the clash of creation, destruction, and sand.
_ _ _
The air thickened as Glacius, Peggy, and Yuki descended into the fourth level of the prison.
Unlike the previous floors, this one was eerily silent — too silent. The corridor stretched long and narrow, the walls lined with sandstone carvings that depicted past battles of the Sand tribe. Dim torches flickered, casting long shadows that seemed to twist and move like living things.
Peggy's hand instinctively reached for her light sword, her muscles coiled like a spring. "Why does it feel like we just walked into a trap?"
Glacius, ever calm, surveyed the area with sharp eyes. "Because we did."
Before Peggy could respond, the floor trembled, and from the walls emerged a new set of guards — not ordinary soldiers, but elemental sand constructs, their forms shifting between solid and liquid, with glowing runes etched into their bodies. They were unlike anything the previous levels had shown.
Yuki gripped Glacius's arm tighter, sensing the danger even without sight.
Peggy clicked her tongue. "Seriously? Magic sand soldiers?"
Glacius didn't seem fazed. "They're automatons, not real soldiers. But that makes them worse."
"How so?"
"They don't feel pain. They don't get tired. And they don't stop."
As if on cue, the constructs surged forward like a tidal wave of sand, shifting into bladed arms and sharp whips. Glacius instantly countered with a blast of ice, freezing one construct mid-motion — but it shattered into smaller grains of sand, reforming itself seconds later.
Peggy swore under her breath. "So much for freezing them solid."
Glacius's mind worked fast, calculating options. "They're tied to the runes on their bodies — we have to break the seals or they'll keep reforming."
Peggy dodged a whip of sand, rolling to the side. "And how exactly do we do that, strategist?"
Glacius studied the glowing runes with a cold intensity. "The runes are on their chests and heads. If we destroy those, they should collapse."
He formed a narrow ice dagger in his hand. "Aim for the glowing marks."
The battle escalated — Peggy, now with a clear goal, shifted her attacks to the runes, her sword strikes and light beams fast and precise. Glacius used his ice not to freeze the constructs, but to encase their runes, hoping the pressure would cause the symbols to crack.
Yuki, despite being blind, tried to stay behind them, listening carefully and moving when needed. She could hear the sound of the soft, humming vibration of the runes — and softly whispered to Peggy, "The one on the left... its chest rune is louder."
Peggy, trusting Yuki's instincts, aimed her next attack exactly where Yuki directed — her sword slashed across the sand creature's chest, striking the rune dead center. The magic symbol flickered — then shattered like glass.
The construct collapsed into a pile of lifeless sand.
Glacius allowed a rare smirk. "Looks like you've got some useful ears, Yuki."
Yuki flushed slightly but focused on the sounds around her. "Two more... one to the right, one behind us."
Following her guidance, Peggy and Glacius swiftly destroyed the remaining runes, causing the last of the constructs to fall into heaps of inert sand.
The corridor fell silent again — but this time, it was a victorious silence.
Glacius pressed a hand to the cold stone door leading to the final level — the fifth level where Kairo was imprisoned. "We're close."
Yuki's voice wavered, a mix of hope and fear. "Kairo..."
Peggy rested a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "We're going to get him back."
With a powerful push, Glacius opened the door. The air that greeted them was heavier, darker and filled with the faint sound of clinking chains.
Kairo was just beyond this door.
And above them, the battle between Sylvia, Arson, and Dune still raged, the sky splitting with fire, sand, and vines — a violent reminder that time was running out.