The sun had barely set when Megumi found himself standing at the edge of the city park, the cool evening breeze carrying a faint scent of the distant ocean. Ava had already left for home, her parting words lingering in his mind: "You don't have to carry all of this alone, you know." But Megumi, trapped by his own unresolved emotions, couldn't shake the feeling of being isolated.
His thoughts were clouded by memories of Chloe. The death of his sister had left a hole in his heart that nothing could fill. Lythic's face was forever imprinted in his mind—the cruel smirk as he executed Chloe, the sickening satisfaction in his eyes as her life was extinguished. Megumi clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
"I'll make him pay. I'll make them all pay." The words echoed in his mind, but each time they rose, a deeper, darker part of him stirred—something primal, something dangerous.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past him, and a cold, familiar energy filled the air. Megumi's body tensed as the temperature dropped, his instincts screaming that something was wrong.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure approaching from the shadows. Lythic.
"You've been quiet for too long, boy," Lythic's voice was smooth, but underlaid with venom. "But now, the time has come for you to feel what true despair feels like."
Megumi took a step back, his heart pounding in his chest. The air grew heavier, charged with the dark energy surrounding Lythic. He had come for him, but this time, there was something else—something more sinister in his presence.
"I'm not afraid of you," Megumi managed to growl through clenched teeth, his fists trembling.
Lythic's laugh echoed around the park, his form shifting in the moonlight. "You will be."
Without warning, Lythic raised his hand, summoning a bolt of dark energy that crackled through the air toward Megumi. He dodged, but the shockwave knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing into a tree. His body felt like it had been slammed by a boulder.
Panic surged through him. This wasn't just a fight—Lythic wasn't here to kill him. He was here to break him.
"You won't break me," Megumi spat, struggling to rise to his feet.
Lythic's eyes gleamed. "Oh, but I will. And then, when you've been reduced to nothing, I'll take everything you hold dear. Just like I did with Chloe."
The words cut deep, but the dark energy swirling around Megumi was different now. His aura began to flare, igniting with an unfamiliar power. The air around him vibrated as something deep within his soul started to awaken. His heart thundered in his chest as he felt the full weight of his rage.
"You won't take anyone else—from me!"
The ground beneath him cracked, lightning arcing from the sky, crackling like thunder. His body trembled, and for a brief moment, he thought he might lose control. His senses flared with energy, and his vision was consumed by black and gold.
Megumi's body was engulfed in a brilliant aura, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity as his wings began to manifest—one black and the other white. A force unlike anything he had ever felt surged through him, crackling with a raw, untamed power. It was like he was no longer just Megumi, but something far greater, far more terrifying.
Lythic froze, his smirk faltering as he realized the true extent of Megumi's power. "No… this shouldn't be happening. You're not supposed to—"
Megumi surged forward, his movements faster than before, his strikes leaving cracks in the air. His power was overwhelming, and he was barely able to control it. His punches landed with the force of thunder, each strike sending shockwaves through the park.
"You won't take her!" Megumi roared, the energy around him spiraling out of control.
Lythic staggered back, raising a shield of dark energy to protect himself. "You're not ready for this, boy!" he shouted, but his voice was tinged with fear. "You can't handle the power of a king!"
But it was too late. Megumi had already crossed a line. The darkness and light within him merged into a single, unstoppable force. With a final, devastating blow, he shattered Lythic's shield and sent him flying back.
Lythic crashed into the ground, barely conscious but still alive. He looked up at Megumi with a mix of disbelief and fear. "This isn't over… we'll meet again, Fallen King," he rasped, his body disintegrating into a shadow as he retreated into the darkness.
Megumi stood over the ruins of the park, panting, his heart still racing. His power was still raging inside him, threatening to consume him. But in that moment, he felt a strange clarity. He had defeated Lythic, but the battle for his soul was far from over.