The rooftop had become a battlefield.
Broken concrete floated in the air like fragments of a shattered world.
Wind howled violently around Rive as energy poured out of him uncontrollably.
Across from him, Arin stood with a twisted smile, dark power coiling around his body like a living shadow.
Neither of them looked like the boys they once were.
They looked like predators.
Rive moved first.
His body flashed forward with unnatural speed.
His fist struck Arin's jaw with crushing force, sending shockwaves across the rooftop.
Arin staggered but did not fall.
Instead, he laughed.
"You finally stopped holding back."
He countered instantly.
A violent kick slammed into Rive's ribs, forcing him backward.
But Rive didn't stop.
The power inside him surged again.
Wind, fragments of stone, and dark ghost energy spiraled around him like a storm.
His mind was burning.
The more power he used, the more unstable everything became.
The rooftop cracked deeper.
The air itself trembled.
Arin noticed it immediately.
"You're losing control."
Rive didn't answer.
He attacked again.
This time his strike carried enough force to shatter the ground beneath them.
Arin blocked it, but the impact pushed him across the rooftop.
For a moment, even Arin looked surprised.
"That power…"
His smile returned.
"…is exactly what I want."
He rushed forward.
Their fists collided again and again.
Each strike cracked the building further.
Each impact sent shockwaves through the empty ghost city.
But Rive's power continued growing.
Too fast.
Too violently.
His vision began to blur.
The ghost world around him flickered.
The rooftop faded in and out of existence.
Arin noticed it.
And his smile widened.
"You're tearing yourself apart."
Rive's breathing grew heavier.
The energy around him became chaotic.
Unstable.
If he kept pushing this power—
He might disappear from the In-Between entirely.
But Arin kept advancing.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Waiting.
Then suddenly—
A second presence crashed into the fight.
Vikram.
His body slammed into Arin from the side with explosive force, throwing him across the rooftop.
Arin rolled across the broken concrete before standing again.
Vikram stepped in front of Rive.
His voice was sharp.
"Enough."
Rive struggled to stay standing.
"Vikram…"
Vikram didn't turn around.
"You're burning through your existence."
The energy around Rive flickered dangerously.
"If you keep using that power, you won't just lose this fight."
"You'll vanish."
Arin laughed again.
"How touching."
His dark aura expanded.
"So the protector finally steps in."
Vikram slowly raised his hand.
The ground beneath the rooftop began to glow.
Cracks spread outward in glowing patterns.
Wind roared across the city.
This time his power was far stronger than before.
His voice dropped low.
"Nature Authority."
Energy surged into the sky.
"Total Stamina Destruction."
The entire rooftop exploded with power.
Massive waves of force slammed into Arin from every direction.
The air itself seemed to collapse around him.
The impact shattered the building and sent fragments of stone raining down through the ghost city.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Dust slowly cleared.
Arin stood in the middle of the destruction.
His body was damaged.
Dark energy leaked from deep cracks across his chest.
But he was still standing.
He looked at Vikram.
Then at Rive.
His smile returned once more.
"Interesting."
He wiped the dark energy from his mouth.
"You're stronger than I expected."
His body slowly dissolved into shadow.
"This isn't over."
His voice echoed as he vanished into the darkness of the ghost city.
Silence returned to the rooftop.
The storm around Rive finally faded.
His legs gave out.
He collapsed to the ground.
Vikram caught him before he hit the broken concrete.
The ghost city was quiet again.
But both of them knew something had changed.
Far away in the darkness of the In-Between—
Arin was still growing stronger.
And the next time they met—
The battle would not end the same way.