Amara dangled high above the ground, trapped in the Gardener’s hand of living vines. Her glow flickered, pulsing weak, her body bent in pain.Kai stood below, sword in one hand, the Seed Core in the other. His heart thundered so hard he could barely breathe. Her voice came broken, but clear. “Don’t let it take me, don’t let it win.”The petals of the Gardener’s mask unfolded, showing the abyss of faces screaming within. Its voice filled the cavern, thick and suffocating. “You cannot save her. She was mine before she was yours. Strike her down, and perhaps I will spare the rest. Refuse, and all of you will be swallowed.”The words pressed like weights into the survivors’ skulls. Some dropped to their knees. Others clutched their heads, groaning. Kai gritted his teeth. “Shut up.”But the whisper slid deeper. You love her. That is why you must kill her. Mercy, Kai. Mercy is death.The men shouted over one another, fear breaking them. “Kill her!” one screamed. “End it now!”Another pushed

The sword flashed downward, blazing with the light of the Seed Core. Kai’s roar filled the cavern. Soldiers froze mid-fight, watching, their hearts seizing.Amara lay still, her glow flickering gold and green, her eyes wide with pain and trust. The blade struck. Light exploded, brighter than anything before. The cavern filled with fire and dust, roots shrieking as they burned. The Gardener screamed, its voice shattering stone. “No!”When the light dimmed, Kai staggered back, chest heaving. His sword dripped with glowing sap, not blood. The Gardener reeled, its chest split open, roots torn. Faces inside shrieked and dissolved into smoke. But Amara was still alive.She gasped, glowing stronger now, gold pushing back the green. The cut had passed through her, but it had not killed her.Her voice came shaky but fierce. “You didn’t kill me. You cut it.”Kai fell to his knees beside her, tears streaking his dirt-stained face. “I thought I lost you.”She reached up, weak but steady, touchi

The cavern groaned above them. Cracks split the ceiling, dust rained down, roots writhed like snakes, but no one moved.All eyes were locked on Amara. She stood tall, glowing gold and green, her face caught between agony and defiance. Roots curled from her back like wings. Her eyes shifted from soft human light to alien emerald fire.Her doubled voice filled the silence. “I am Amara. I am the gardener. And only one of us will survive.”Kai’s heart was hammered. His grip on the sword tightened until his knuckles turned white.Behind him, the soldiers muttered in terror. “She’s turning. She’s gone already. No, she’s fighting it.”Rex shouted to silence them, but fear had already broken the line. Kai stepped closer, sword low, his voice raw. “Amara. Look at me. I know you’re still in there. Hold on. Don’t let it win.”Her head tilted, her glowing eyes locking on him. For a moment, the gold light pushed through.She whispered, her human voice trembling. “Kai, it hurts. It’s inside every

Her hand cut the air like fire. Kai barely blocked in time, his sword clashing against the glowing blade of her arm. Sparks of gold and green burst outward, shaking the cavern.The force threw him back, his boots dragging across stone. He steadied himself, staring at her. “Amara, it’s me.”Her face twisted. One side human, lips trembling, eyes full of tears. The other side is an alien, eyes burning emerald, and a cruel smile.Her doubled voice thundered. “Then die by me.”She attacked again. Her body moved with unnatural speed. Roots surged with every strike, forcing Kai to cut and dodge.She struck high, low, sweeping wide. Every move was both graceful and violent, as if two wills guided her.Kai blocked each one, his blade glowing brighter. “Fight it! Don’t let it take you!”Her human voice screamed between the attacks. “I’m trying! Kai, I’m trying!”But the alien voice drowned her. “She lies. She wants this. She hungers for the power. She belongs to me.”Her hand-blade struck his c

Her hand cut the air, a blade of green fire screaming toward Kai’s chest. He lifted his sword just in time. Steel met flame, the clash exploding in a burst of sparks and light. The shockwave hurled him back across the cavern. He slammed against the broken stone, his ribs cracking.He coughed blood, struggling to rise. His sword trembled in his hand, its glow fading.Above him, Amara floated, eyes burning emerald, her face calm and cruel. “She’s gone,” the alien voice whispered. “There is only me now.”Kai wiped blood from his mouth, forcing his body to move. “Liar.”The Gardener tilted her head, amused. “You cling to a corpse. Foolish. Weak. You could have been my knight. Instead, you will be my first ash.”The survivors huddled near the cavern wall, faces pale in the sick green glow. Some raised rifles, shaking. Others dropped them, muttering prayers. Rex’s voice cut through. “Don’t shoot! If you hit her, you kill him too!”Thorne laughed bitterly. His face was bloodied, his eyes w