*Pant* *Pant*

Amalthea pushed through the dense forest, brushing aside thorny branches and thick underbrush. Her body was at its limits, but she forced herself forward, keeping her suit powered up. The brambles tore through it, embedding their thorns into her skin. 

“Just a bit longer,” she gasped, stumbling through a gap in the bushes and crashing into the mud.

The sludge clung to her hair, and the cold rain sent shivers through her. Amalthea exhaled sharply, her breath visible in the harsh cold air. She drove her fingers into the wet earth; frustration gnawed at her.

If she were in her prime, Molly would have been no challenge, no matter how long it took to take her out. But now? She could barely lift her body, which felt like lead from all the weight pushing her down. 

A desperate laugh escaped her bruised lips. “Just a bit longer, right Valerian?”

What she wouldn't give to hear his uplifting voice again. It didn't matter what he said—she just needed to hear him.

“Just a bit further…” she muttered, dragging herself onward through the dark forest where her body led her to the grounded Titan Craft. 

It was overgrown with vines, thick with what she concluded was magic. She placed her hand on the cold metal door, searching for a way to open it, but found nothing. She almost it as a bad omen, which passed with the warm wind picking up around her. Only after that sudden breeze blew through the trees did the vines stir, retreating with a faint scent of birch that reminded her of Ajax. 

“I hope he’s alright,” she whispered, stepping inside the old, rusted craft. 

Amalthea immediately made her way to the cockpit. The oppressing darkness was no stranger to her; she quickly adjusted and marched through the corridors. At the shattered command centre, she found the first goal in sight.

“Reactivate Command Centre.” 

A low hum filled the dusty room. 

“Provide Clearance Code.” 

“Atlas, Third Generation, Red Titan.” 

“...Error, not compatible with administration. Iapetus not detected. Reactivate defence mechanism—” 

“Command Override!” Amalthea shouted, halting just before being turned into melted Swiss chees. “Commense Genealogical Sequence.” 

“... Request Granted. Commencing Scan.” 

Red-patterned light flickered around Amalthea. A projector above scanned her Amalthea’s body. One minute. Two minutes. The old craft was warming up its old systems.

“Scan Complete,” the system announced, bringing back the light into the old Titan craft. “Overriding Second Generation Command to Third Generation through Genealogical Protocol. Welcome, Atlas. May the Western Lord serve you in your goals.” 

A table lit up, projecting the towering and lean image of a Titan, spear in hand. His rust-red suit exuded authority and strength—the kind of power that had protected galaxies for generations.

As the doors to the cockpit slid open and the engines roared to life, Amalthea took a deep breath. She reminded herself she was the successor of Iapetus the Piercer. 

“I am Atlas,” her voice started as a whisper, but when her helmet returned to encase her head, confidence returned. “I am Endurance, I am Strength. Holder of Worlds. I take the burden of my predecessors, and I vow to bring back the Titans.”

With her words, the Western Lord quaked, and the craft ascended into the storm.

‧. .ᯓ★. .‧

*Pant* *Pant*

Ajax struggled to stay upright, his breath ragged as Kane’s strikes continued to batter him. He wiped the blood from his bruised lip and forced himself to his feet again. But it wasn’t enough.

"Listen carefully," Hyperion’s voice boomed, breaking through the storm. "Your goal is not to overpower him, Ajax. You need to outlast him. Use the wind—flow with it. Dodge, move, and let your strength build like a storm. Let your heart guide you, not your doubt."

Thunder cracked overhead as the wind began swirling around Ajax, reacting to his growing will. Kane staggered, squinting against the sudden force of the squalls that whipped against him.

Ajax rose shakily, his legs trembling but slowly finding strength. The wind tugged at his hair and clothes, swirling around him like a shield. His fists clenched tighter.

Kane’s sneer faltered, doubt creeping into his eyes. "You’re a fool if you think you can take me down, brother."

But Ajax, for the first time in what felt like forever, met Kane’s gaze steadily. "I don’t have to take you down," he said quietly. "I just have to stand.”

With a sharp breath, Ajax crossed Lydia’s blade over Marius’ glove and crouched. “Wind Rush.”

*Thud*

Marius' glove expanded and slammed into Kane, sending him stumbling backward. Kane dug his feet into the ground, bracing himself against the force, but Ajax was already flying right over his head. His speed had picked up with the wind’s power, forcing Kane to struggle to keep up.

Lydia's blade sliced into Kane’s coat, but stopped against something solid. A shimmering red hexagon barrier projected around Kane's shoulder.

“You think I'll yield this easily?” Kane snarled, his aura flaring. 

“Deflect it with your wind,” Hyperion instructed.

An ear-splitting sound erupted through the forest, shaking the trees and blasting leaves from the branches. Ajax’s ears bled as the sound rattled through his skull. Hyperion's warning had just saved him from worse damage as Ajax raised a gust of wind to ward off the soundwave to the sides.

“This isn't magic,” Ajax thought, wincing. “What's he using?”

The world turned upside down as Kane’s fist flew toward him. Ajax couldn’t tell what was happening.

“Deflect, don't block it!”

Ajax lowered his arm just in time to redirect the punch to the side with a shove of his hand. The resulting shockwave pierced Ajax’s ear and ruptured his eardrum. Kane was not holding back.

Kane huffed like an enraged animal. “I am telling you, Ajax. This is NOT gonna end well. Relent or else—” 

“I’ll take the alternative,” Ajax replied, his body vanishing into the wind. 

Kane’s eyes darted left and right, trying to locate Ajax, but he was nowhere to be found. Even Hyperion stood still like a giant with his arms crossed. 

“Where are you, Ajax!?” Kane bellowed with the storm intensifying around them. He looked at Hyperion again. The calm blue Titan infuriated him further. “Show yourself—!” 

“I am not giving up on my dreams,” Ajax’s voice sounded from all directions. “I will become a Guardian. I will prove myself. I will fight by Amalthea’s side until the bitter end!”

Hyperion’s light shone brighter forcing Kane to shield his eyes. Roaring in frustration, Kane released a shockwave that reckoned through the earth and tore through the air, pushing aside every droplet of rain in its wake. Yet Ajax didn’t waver as he got caught by it. He was surrounded by a dome of swirling wind. 

“Hollow Space: Lacuna,” Ajax declared, adjusting his grip on Lydia’s kukri blade. “In space, there is no wind, no sound. Nothingness with no resistance. This is where I will fight, Antares. This is where I stand my ground!” 

Ajax pushed himself forward again in an obvious straight line. Kane braced, crossing his arms to unleash another sonic attack, but Ajax beat him to it. He threw Lydia’s knife, piercing Kane’s shield and embedding it into his arm. 

Kane’s counter-attack missed, and before he could recover, Marius’s glove slammed under his chin—a strike aimed at the weak point Kane had taught Ajax to exploit. 

“Good job, Ajax,” Hyperion said proudly, resting his hands on his hips. “But stay sharp. Your opponent is far from—” 

“Done?” Kane growled, resetting his dislocated jaw with a sickening crack. “Is this what’s it gonna be, Hyperion? Praising your new student just like you did with me? Until you’re bored and discard him, too?”

“What?” Hyperion and Ajax baffled at the revelation. 

Kane snapped his fingers, unleashing a point-black shockwave that disorientated Ajax. He followed up with a punch to Ajax’s gut. 

The hologram flickered. “K-K9+äa#eeee? Whaa#+”§t do yoUUUUUU mean?” static came from the black box, but the shocked surprise in Hyperion’s voice was obvious. 

Kane sneered. “I’m the discarded Titan. The one who never was.” He glared at Ajax, who was left coughing and wheezing on the ground. Kane’s voice was more venomous than any scorpion’s poison. “I told you the Guardians failed me. They will fail you, too.” 

Ajax shook as he struggled to his feet. His hand clenched around Mariu’s glove, but his heart wasn’t in it anymore. The weight of Kane’s words shattered his resolve.

Kane snapped his fingers again, sending Ajax flying. His glove cracked, its pieces scattering across the muddy ground.  Hyperion’s form vanished, leaving Kane with silent anger. 

Kane stood over Ajax, his expression unchallenged like the storm inside his heart. “I’m sorry brother,” Kane apologised. The air around his palm pulsed. “I tried to save you. Know that I did.” 

But before Kane could strike, a loud sputtering engine tore through the forest. A blinding light beamed down from above. Kane shielded his eyes. He was stunned by the sight. 

A Titan craft has come.