The Divided Guardian [Cursed Anti-Hero, Progression, Dark Fantasy]

Dark clouds pressed down on Thunderclap Port like a heavy blanket, threatening to dump rain on the town below the cliff. The group stirred awake in their cramped inn room, none of them eager to face whatever the day might bring.

Red materialized near the door, his head tilted as he listened to distant sounds echoing through the inn's wooden walls. "Something's wrong," he said, his usual manic energy replaced by something darker. "I can feel it in the air—pure fear."

The others barely glanced his way, assuming it was just another one of Red's dramatic moments. Angelo sat at the small table, methodically eating a sandwich he'd prepared the night before, while Sol worked through his morning stretches before settling into the chair across from him.

"So," Sol said, rolling his shoulders to work out the last of the stiffness, "how's the Trinergy production coming along?"

Angelo swallowed his bite and shrugged. "It's coming along."

Sol knew better than to expect details without pressing. "What can you actually make with what you've got? Another scythe like before?"

Angelo glanced around the room, mentally calculating. "We've got enough for maybe half a suit of armor. Give us another day or two and we could manage a complete set."

Sol raised his eyebrows with interest. "Armor? That's different from your usual Angel of Death style."

Angelo's jaw tightened with frustration. "Yeah, well, the dramatic costume isn't worth much if it can't keep me alive. With this damn condition of mine, one solid hit from someone like Hugo could end everything." He drummed his fingers on the table's surface. "Plus, since it's mixed energy, all three of us have to work together to shape it into anything useful." He glanced toward Red, who was still hovering by the door. "And something tells me my other selves might not be thrilled about recreating my old look."

Blue's voice drifted through their mental connection, carrying its usual scholarly detachment. "Perhaps if you simply asked politely, we might consider it."

"That's interesting how it works," Neiva said as she emerged from the bathroom, having caught the tail end of their conversation. "But since it's still your energy, can't you control it at least a little bit on your own?"

Angelo leaned back in his chair with a tired expression. "I can lift it around, sure. But if I try to actually reshape it without the others, the whole thing becomes unstable. And you know what happens when Trinergy destabilizes."

Suddenly, Red tensed like a startled cat and leaped away from the door. Everyone's attention snapped to him immediately.

"What the hell is your problem today?" Angelo snapped, his patience clearly wearing thin.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Neiva gasped, pressing a hand to her chest.

Red's voice dropped to an ominous whisper. "Someone's coming. Fast."

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway, followed by the door exploding inward as Sam burst through. Her face was pale as fresh snow, and she looked like she'd been running for her life.

"Sam?" Sol shot to his feet, alarm clear in his voice. "What happened—"

"They're hanging Josef!" she gasped, struggling to catch her breath. The words hit the room like a physical blow, leaving everyone frozen in shock. "Right now, at the cliff! Hugo's called the whole town to watch!"

Angelo felt his stomach plummet. His hands started trembling, and for a moment, he couldn't find his voice. Neiva went just as pale as Sam and sank to her knees on the wooden floor.

Sol, though clearly shaken, forced himself to stay focused. "Tell us everything you saw."

Sam was still breathing hard, her words coming in rushed bursts. "Hugo gathered everyone at the cliff edge. He announced that he'd found a traitor in the town and was going to make an example of him." She paused, trying to steady herself. "I ran there as fast as I could, and when I arrived... there was Josef, standing on the edge with a rope around his neck."

Angelo jumped to his feet, panic in his voice. "Did they already—is he—?"

"No!" Sam shook her head quickly. "Hugo put the noose on him, but they're just standing there in front of the cliff. Like they're waiting for something."

Sol's expression grew thoughtful as he processed her words. "Waiting for the rest of the town to arrive... or waiting for someone specific."

Neiva looked up at Sol, her face hollow with dread. "What do you mean...?"

Sol began pacing, his mind working through the implications. "Think about it—we sent Josef to search for information about Megan. Next thing we know, he's about to be executed for being a traitor. That's not a coincidence." He stopped and faced the group. "If they already knew it was us, they'd be breaking down our door right now,"

Angelo's eyes widened with understanding. "Instead of staging a public execution and waiting."

"Exactly," Sol nodded grimly. "This is bait. They want us to come."

"So what do we do?" Neiva asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Angelo's expression hardened with resolve. "Even if it is a trap, we have to go. Josef risked everything to help us. We owe him the same."

Sol shook his head with concern. "But you just said you don't have enough for a full armor. We'd be walking in completely unprepared."

"Doesn't matter," Angelo replied, his voice carrying the weight of absolute determination. "We're screwed either way. If we wait, they'll hang him and then come for us anyway. At least this way, we might be able to save him."

He pulled out his phone and saw a message from Joe waiting:

Joe 07:36AM: "Where are you dude?! Shit's getting crazy here at the cliff, get your ass over here!"

"Good, Joe's already there." Angelo looked up at his team, his orange aura beginning to flicker around his body. "Alright, listen carefully. Blue, get out here!"

Azure smoke poured from Angelo's form and solidified into Blue's perfectly composed figure.

"Here's the plan," Angelo continued, his energy growing brighter. "First, you and Red help me convert all our Trinergy into something portable—maybe a briefcase or something that's easy enough to carry."

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Red stepped forward, his usual mocking grin replaced by a grimmer version of it. "And then what, O fearless leader?"

"Then Sol and I go to the cliff and try to talk Hugo down. You and Blue scout ahead for any obvious traps or ambushes." Angelo's tone carried the authority of someone used to making life-or-death decisions.

Neiva shifted nervously, wrapping her arms around herself. "What about me?"

Angelo's expression softened slightly, but his voice remained firm. "You stay here with Sam. You're still too new to handle real Auron combat. If they come for you two, grab her and run as far as you can."

He looked around the room, meeting each person's eyes. "Everyone understand their part?"

The group nodded, though their faces showed varying levels of fear and uncertainty.

Angelo straightened his shoulders, his aura flaring with determination. "Then let's move. Josef's life depends on us."

They sprinted toward the cliff edge, streaks of silver and orange light trailing behind them like comet tails. Angelo clutched a briefcase that looked like it was carved from pure diamond, colorful veins of energy frozen in its crystal surface. Two clouds of crimson and blue mist shot over the rooftops on either side of them, racing ahead to scout for danger.

As they reached the edge of town, their urgent sprint slowed to a deliberate march. People lined the streets now, and every footstep felt like the tolling of a funeral bell. The cliff's edge crept into view ahead, and both men felt the weight of a hundred stares pressing down on them. Neither wavered, though their shoulders tensed with each step down the empty path that led straight to Hugo himself.

Angelo kept his eyes locked ahead, his face a mask of barely controlled fury. Sol glanced sideways at the whispering crowds, noting how the Cliffhanger gang members scattered among them wore satisfied smirks. Each step forward felt heavier than the last, as if they were walking toward their own executions.

Meanwhile, Red and Blue were already ahead, using their energy vision to spot anything dangerous. That's when each of them noticed something glowing inside two houses on opposite sides of the street. Without hesitation, both fragments squeezed through small openings to get a closer look at what they were detecting.

Angelo's eyes widened as he saw what they'd found through their shared sight. Blue's view showed him Zack and Zeke positioned inside a house on the left side of the street. Both twins had their fingers shaped like gun barrels, with balls of light glowing at the tips so bright they hurt to look at directly—like staring at a welder's torch without protection. From Red's perspective, Angelo could see Veronica crouched in a building on the opposite side, her fingers formed into a V-shape with energy stretched between them like a slingshot, while her other hand held a glowing orb of energy.

Angelo leaned close to Sol, barely moving his lips. "Don't react to what I'm about to tell you. They've got snipers positioned on us from both sides. If they fire, I'll yank us out of the way."

Sol nodded tensely, his confident smile never wavering even as sweat beaded on his forehead.

Finally, they stopped within speaking distance of Hugo, who wore the satisfied expression of a predator who'd just cornered his prey.

Hugo spread his arms wide like a ringmaster at a circus. "Ah, Angel! Perfect timing. I was just about to make an example of this unfortunate fellow."

Angelo's eyes widened with rage as he finally got a clear look at Josef. The miner wasn't meeting their gaze—just staring down at the ground in defeat. His face was covered in fresh bruises, and when Angelo saw his hands tied in front of him, his stomach dropped. Three fingers were missing from Josef's left hand, the wounds still fresh.

"Why are you doing this, Hugo?" Angelo demanded, fighting to keep his voice steady. "What could he possibly have done to deserve this kind of treatment?"

Hugo's smile stretched wider, like a cat playing with wounded prey. "You wouldn't believe what we discovered. Turns out our friend here was secretly working with people who wanted to cause trouble in my peaceful town."

"Do you have any actual proof?" Angelo snapped, knowing full well what the answer would be. "Who exactly was he supposedly working with?"

Hugo stroked his beard thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving Angelo's face. "Funny thing about that—he hasn't told me yet. Which is precisely why he's received such... persuasive treatment." His gaze locked onto Angelo's like a challenge. "Of course, if you happen to have proof of his innocence, just present it and I'll release him right here, right now."

Angelo's jaw clenched so hard his teeth hurt. His hands balled into fists at his sides as the impossible situation crashed down on him. He had no such proof, and Hugo knew it. His entire posture sagged with the weight of defeat. "So it's come to this..." he muttered, then looked up at Sol.

Sol met his gaze and gave a slight nod, understanding passing between them.

Angelo turned back to Hugo, his voice carrying a new edge. "You know, that's pretty rich coming from you!"

Hugo's twisted smile faltered slightly. "Oh? And what exactly could you mean by that?"

"You're calling him a traitor?" Angelo pointed his free arm directly at Hugo, his index finger stabbing through the air like an accusation. "You're the one who betrayed this town from the very beginning. You're the bastard who stole the Heart of Geovale!"

The entire crowd gasped as one, and urgent whispers erupted from every direction.

Hugo's easy confidence cracked for the first time, and he shook his head slowly. "Of all the desperate lies you could have told," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble, "you went ahead and picked the stupidest." He turned to address the watching crowd. "Everyone here knows that case was investigated thoroughly. How could I possibly fool security cameras?"

"It wasn't you who fooled them," Angelo said, his voice carrying an ominous certainty.

Hugo started laughing, a sound like grinding stone. "You stupid boy, now you're saying it wasn't even me who—"

"It was the Light Twins!" Angelo announced, his words hitting the crowd like a physical blow.

Hugo stopped laughing immediately, his entire body going rigid as he stared at Angelo with deadly seriousness.

Angelo pressed his advantage, his voice carrying over the stunned crowd. "They created a light illusion to fool the cameras! We've seen them pull off something just as elaborate during the fight against those Infernians!"

Through Blue's shared vision, Angelo could see the exact moment when Zack and Zeke's faces twisted into expressions of pure horror at his accusation.

"That's complete bullshit," Hugo snarled, his casual demeanor evaporating entirely. "The security team would have seen something like that taking place."

Angelo felt his confidence crumble as he realized he was reaching the limit of what he could prove. "That's... because... they—" He stumbled, seeing the trap closing around him.

Sol stepped forward smoothly, radiating his trademark confidence like he'd just figured out the winning move in a chess game. "But what if the Light Twins were part of the security team?"

Angelo realized Sol was improvising, but the look of shock on Hugo's face told him to keep going.

Sol's confidence grew as he continued weaving the lie. "You had your Cliffhangers impersonate a security team! Then after you stole the Heart, you demanded payment from the town to create financial pressure."

The murmurs from the crowd grew louder, and even some of the Cliffhanger gang members looked uncertain.

"Then!" Sol raised his voice to recapture everyone's attention, "you showed up with a solution handed on a silver platter. You loaned the town money to pay back what you had stolen from them in the first place!"

For the first time since they'd known him, Hugo looked genuinely speechless. His rage was building like steam in a pressure cooker, a vein bulging prominently on his temple. "You... that's... that's complete utter bullshit!"

Angelo picked up where Sol left off, his voice growing stronger. "You knew the town could never repay that kind of debt. You've been slowly taking control of everything, piece by piece, all built on a crime you committed!"

"ENOUGH!" Hugo's ice-blue aura exploded around him like a freezing hurricane. "Enough of your horseshit lies! You have no evidence—none at all—or you would have acted on it already. All you have are desperate accusations." His energy blazed even brighter, forcing Angelo and Sol to activate their own auras in response. "Your lies have planted doubt in my people, and for that, you're going to pay..."

The air around them crackled with opposing energies as both sides prepared for battle.

"WITH YOUR LIVES!" Hugo roared, drawing his thumb across his throat in a cutting gesture.

Red and Blue, still watching from their hidden positions, saw Veronica and the twins react to Hugo's signal, taking aim. Just as the snipers were about to launch their surprise attacks, both fragments materialized directly in front of them to spoil their aim.

"What the hell!" Zack and Zeke shouted in unison as Blue appeared out of nowhere, shoving their arms upward just as they fired. Their laser went harmlessly into the sky.

"Surprise, bitch!" Red cackled as he materialized right on top of Veronica, sending her tumbling backward with a look of pure rage on her face.

Hugo noticed his ambush had failed, and irritation flashed across his features. "Screw this," he growled, then without warning, shoved Josef off the cliff's edge.

"JOSEF!" Angelo screamed, orange wings of energy bursting from his back as he launched himself forward toward The Hanger himself.