Bound by Blade and Fate [Lansoni]

The beast lunged, a blur of muscle and shadow, its glowing eyes locked onto its prey. Lancelot reacted instinctively, raising his sword just in time to deflect the creature’s jagged claws. The impact sent vibrations through his arms, but he held firm, pushing back with trained precision.

Sonic darted to the side, watching the fight unfold with a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. “Not bad,” he called. “But let’s see if you can keep up!”

Lancelot barely spared him a glance, his focus locked on his opponent. The beast snarled, circling warily before lunging again. This time, Lancelot was ready, sidestepping with calculated grace before slashing upward in a precise arc. His blade struck true, cutting through the monster’s hide and eliciting a furious roar.

But the creature was resilient. It twisted sharply, swinging its massive tail toward him.

Lancelot tensed, bracing for impact—

Only to feel a sudden rush of wind as Sonic shot past, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him out of harm’s way. The beast’s tail slammed into the ground where he had just stood, leaving a deep trench in the earth.

Lancelot scowled. “I had that.”

Sonic smirked. “Maybe. But I’m not about to let you get flattened on our first night of freedom.”

The knight pulled his arm free, adjusting his stance. “I do not require assistance.”

“Yeah, yeah. Tell me that when we’re not up against a giant nightmare monster.” Sonic cracked his knuckles. “Now, let’s finish this.”

The beast let out another roar, charging again. Lancelot surged forward to meet it head-on, blade flashing in the moonlight. He felt the weight of battle settle into his bones—the familiar rhythm of movement, the calculated precision of each strike.

But something was different.

This wasn’t a battle for honor.

Nor was it a fight for his king.

For the first time, Lancelot was fighting for himself.

And he wasn’t alone.

Sonic moved alongside him, striking with bursts of speed that kept the monster off balance. Lancelot adjusted his own tactics accordingly, timing his blows to coincide with Sonic’s relentless momentum. They fell into an unspoken rhythm, an effortless synchronicity that neither had planned yet somehow, it felt right.

With a final, well-placed strike, Lancelot’s sword found its mark, piercing through the beast’s hide. The creature let out one last, guttural cry before collapsing into the earth, its form dissolving into mist.

Silence settled over the battlefield. Lancelot lowered his blade, exhaling slowly.

Sonic dusted off his gloves. “Now that was fun.”

Lancelot shot him a look. “We have vastly different definitions of ‘fun.’”

Sonic grinned. “C’mon, admit it. You liked it.”

Lancelot hesitated, looking down at his blade. The thrill of battle still lingered in his veins, but it was different this time, there was no duty binding him, no cause greater than himself.

Just the fight.

And Sonic, standing beside him.

“…Perhaps,” he admitted at last.

Sonic clapped him on the shoulder. “Knew it.”

Lancelot rolled his eyes but said nothing.

For the first time in his life, he had no orders to follow.

But with Sonic at his side…

Maybe he didn’t need them.