Her Beacon (Acheron x Caelus)

Chapter Eight

In the dimly lit confines of the memory zone, Caelus fixed his gaze on the monstrous entity before him. Its claws gleamed ominously under the flickering lights overhead, casting elongated shadows that danced across the walls. The creature hovered, a mass of dark energy and malevolence, its multitude of eyes locked onto him with unsettling intensity.

'What a bizarre creature,' Caelus mused silently as he eyed the bat he had instinctively thrown earlier. His mind raced through his arsenal. 'I could use my lance... No, not Preservation. Too risky without knowing how it might react.'

Grasping the situation with a grim resolve, he decided it was time for direct action. "Ah, screw this," he muttered, his annoyance peaking as he summoned his lance and shield. The weapons materialized with a fiery display, illuminating his figure in a halo of blazing glory.

"Hey, Sparkle," he called out to his companion, who was slowly regaining consciousness on the floor.

Stirring from her daze, Sparkle rubbed her eyes and blinked up at him. Her expression was weary, but recognition flickered as she recalled their last exchange. "Hmm... Oya? I was giving you my lecture, right?"

"Yep, and you're about to do a lot more than that," Caelus replied, bracing himself. He positioned his lance for a charge, his shield raised defensively in front of him.

"Hm~ I don't know what you mea—AAAAAAA!!!" Sparkle's sentence turned into a scream as Caelus surged forward like a bullet train, the heat from his fiery aura scorching the dreamscape around them. Clinging to his jacket for dear life, Sparkle was swept along in his wake, her heart racing from the sudden acceleration.

The creature, caught off guard by the ferocity and speed of the attack, was slammed against the wall with such force that it crumbled the pillars behind it. The impact of Caelus' shield, powered by the momentum of his charge and directed by his lance, sent shockwaves through the structure.

Admiring the wreckage he had caused, Caelus noted the cracks spider-webbing across the damaged wall. The rubble of the dreamscape glitched and flickered, hinting at potential weaknesses in its fabric. 'If I apply enough force, maybe we can break out,' he pondered, contemplating the implications of exploiting these glitches for their escape.

Setting aside his strategic considerations for the moment, he muttered, "Where is my bat..." His weapons dissipated into a mist of flames, leaving him scanning the area for his misplaced equipment.

Behind him, Sparkle, ever the enigma, bounced off his back with a gleeful exclamation. "Wahahaha! That was fun! You should do that more often."

Caelus's eye twitched at her carefree demeanor as he spotted his bat near the collapsed wall. Picking it up, he turned to her with a practical tone, "Nah. First and foremost, we need to get out of here. Who knows when that thing will wake up and come after us again."

As he strategized their next move, Sparkle danced around him playfully, her voice teasing, "Oh my~ What's next? Will you carry me like a knight carrying his princess?"

"Absolutely," he replied without missing a beat, momentarily caught off guard by his own reflexive response.

"Eh?" Sparkle paused, her playful facade faltering into genuine surprise.

Before she could process his answer, Caelus swept her up in his arms, carrying her like a princess straight out of a fairytale. The unexpected gesture seemed to short-circuit her usual flamboyant persona, leaving her momentarily speechless.

"I- I was just joking!" she stammered, her character momentarily stripped away.

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