Aether appeared mid-air, a blurâhis eyes locked onto the ghostly figure floating before the crack. Her form was pale and shrouded in yellowish black mist, with yellow eyes. She turned just in time.
Second 1â
He roared.
"OUT OF MY WAY!!"
In that split second, his fist collided with her face.
CRACK!
The sound burst like thunderâhis knuckles meeting her raw, ghostly face.
Her head snapped to the side, strands of her ethereal hair whipping through the air, but she didnât fall back. She took it. Her body held firm, only swaying slightly as she stared at himâstunned. For a moment, disbelief flickered in her expression. She touched her lip, then spat something dark and sicklyâlike blood, laced with a shard of a tooth.
Her expression twisted with cold amusement as her hands came up, catching his wrist mid-swing.
"Youâre strong..." she muttered with a dull, eerie calm. "But not enough."
Aether blinked. He was sure he had poured everything into that blow.
âLooks like she really was a top-tier knight back when she lived...â
Second 2â
Aetherâs foot slammed into her abdomenâ
BOOM!
She raised her massive sword just in time, absorbing the strike with a sharp hiss. Her heels dragged back, sliding across the wet floor. But she grinnedâlifting the sword overheadâthen sliced through the purple flames erupting toward her.
They parted like air, cleaved effortlessly.
Aether scowled, kicked off the ground, spun mid-air, and crashed his elbow into her shoulder.
WHAM!
She flinched. Before she could recover, his knee shot up like a bullet aimed at her chin.
Second 3â
She caught his legâone-handedâgripping tight, and with a ghostly snarl, hurled him across the space like he was weightless.
Aether flipped mid-air, barely landing in a crouch on the wet, muddy floor. Mud splashed, his boots sliding as he launched forward again with a roar.
"LET ME THROUGH!!"
His body twisted to evade her bladeâbarely. The sword grazed past him, slicing wind and leaving a crackling trail of black mist. He slid under it, came up inside her guard, and drove a punch straight into her jaw.
BOOM!!
Her head jerked backward violently.
Finally, she staggered.
Second 4â
He didnât stop.
Aether lunged, grabbed her collar mid-stumble, and yanked her forward.
THUD!
He slammed his forehead into hers with savage force. Blood sprayed from his scalpâhis skin splitâbut from her, it wasnât blood. It was something else... purplish-blue, ghostly ichor that sprayed like vapour under pressure.
"RrrghâI donât have time for this... MOVE!!"
He roared, desperate, shaking, and flung her back with all his strength.
But Starla grinned through the blood and mist.
She released her giant sword, letting it fall behind herâand with a twist of her hips, she swung her arm deep into his stomach.
BOOOOOM!!
The punch landed like a bomb.
Aetherâs eyes widenedâhis breath left him in one violent gasp.
Agonising pain shot through his torso. His feet lifted off the ground.
Second 5â
Veins bulged around his reddening eyes as something snapped inside him. His hand sparkedâcrackling with a purple blaze before vanishing mid-swingâonly to reappear as it slammed into Starlaâs face.
Then again.
And again.
Their fists collided in rapid furyâone after anotherâblows so powerful they shattered the air like glass with every strike. Shockwaves rippled around them, making the entire space vibrate like it could collapse at any moment.
Starlaâs form stuttered, glitching like a damaged projection. Her body recoiled, step by step, barely able to keep up with the speed and fury he had suddenly unleashed.
But she didnât stop.
She refused to stop.
Her blazing eyes burned hotter, the yellow flames flickering with renewed madness and will. She lifted her hand, and as if the weapon could hear her soulâs scream, the massive sword she had dropped earlier came hurtling back toward her. It spun through the air with a metallic whistle before snapping into her grasp, like it had been waitingâbound to her by something far beyond steel.
In that instant, a clear image flashed in her mind: slicing his throat open in a single brutal slash. That was how she pictured it ending.
But it didnât.
Aetherâs hands moved before thought could form. With sheer instinct and impossible timing, he caught the swordâs hilt mid-swing. The impact sent tremors through his arms, but he didnât flinch. His muscles screamed, but he didnât let go. Using the swordâs own momentum, he twisted his body and redirected the force, swinging it back toward her neck with a savage counterattack.
Chuâ
The edge of the blade skimmed her neck.
But instead of decapitating her, it only left a shallow lineâthin, red, almost mocking in how close it came.
Her hand shot up and caught the sharp blade directly, her palm digging into the edge. Purplish-blue blood oozed from the fresh wounds, dripping down her arm as she clenched the steel with trembling fingers. She stood there, breathless, staring at Aetherâblood-streaked, fierce, and silent.
"I can see it now... how hard youâre fighting..." she said quietly, voice rough but sincere.
"So go. Save her."
Aetherâs gaze locked with hers. His body swayed slightly, and for a moment, the fire in his eyes dimmed. He looked down at his hands, realising they were no longer holding the sword, just an air where the hilt was there... His soul power had already vanished.
She had seen it before he had... She knew.
And yet... she hadnât stopped him.
She had let it happen.
He didnât ask her why.
He didnât need to.
He turned away and rushed toward Nyx.
Her limbs were cracked and stiff, her skin dry like scorched earth. She clung to the slightly welded crack in the air, her trembling hands pressed against it, pouring the last fragments of herself into it.
"Hehe... w-with this... everything... eheh..." she whispered, her voice wobbling as her eyes clouded over.
Her words stumbled from her mouth like a broken lullaby, her breath ragged, her consciousness slipping.
Thenâjust as her body seemed ready to crumbleâ
"Thatâs enough," Aether said.
His voice was soft but final.
He reached out and struck the side of her neck. A gentle yet precise touch. Her body, already so weak, couldnât resist. She slumped forward, collapsing into his arms like a doll losing its last thread.
He caught her.
His eyes lifted, staring through the jagged air at the crack she had almost sealed. For a brief second, it stayed closed.
Then, slowly... silently... it began to split open again.
Sigh...
Her hard work... really didnât do much!
Aether looked down at Nyxâs fragile form resting in his arms, her breath faint but present. His gaze softened, and he asked inwardly, âSheâll be fine... right?â
[Since her essence is still inside, yes. Sheâll recover. Just let her rest a while.]
The logâs honest reply echoed in his mind, unexpectedly comforting him. He blinked, surprised it responded so clearly.
Aether let out a soft hum, then turned. Starla was already thereâstanding silently behind him, arms extended and ready to take Nyx from him. Her gaze held no words, just quiet understanding.
Without speaking, Aether gently passed Nyx into her care.
Then, wordlessly, he sat back down. His body slumped slightly as his mind re-entered the domain within.
Inside, Grace sat on the bar waiting with her usual calm poise. A small smile played on her lips, as if sheâd been expecting him.
"I assume youâve taken care of whatever ghost was lurking in there, hmm?"
Aether gave a tired nod and a soft smile.
"Now... about the crack... Is there a way to fix it?"
Graceâs smile faltered.
She hesitated.
That pause alone made his chest tighten.
His voice cracked as he stepped closer. "Please... Iâve really tried. I did everything I could to open the cage... but itâs not working. That damned cageâthose bitches gave it to me without even asking. I didnât even know where it was until it trapped you..."
He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling in his voice.
"You think Iâm just pretending to care? Faking it?"
His eyes softened as they searched her face, desperate for a sign of belief.
"..."
Grace frowned deeply. Her sharp eyes locked onto his, searchingâprobingâfor any trace of deceit, any shadow of manipulation.
But all she saw...
Was a boy.
A foolish, broken, innocent boy... hopelessly in love.
She exhaled sharply and muttered, "Sigh... fine. There is another way... butâ"
Aetherâs eyes lit up immediately. Hope flared in his face as he leaned forward, serious now, voice low but determined.
"Iâll do anything... for my love. Just tell me... Even if it means... death!"
Grace stared at him for a second longer. Then blinked.
"Youâre really an idiot," she muttered under her breath.
[+10 AP]
"...Whatever."
She shook her head, disappointed but slightly amused. Her wings fluttered behind herânot from annoyance, but maybe... just maybe... from a quiet flutter of something softer.
"The Samsara... it was part of me," she began, slowly. "But that doesnât mean I needed to be there to make it function every time."
"Oh? So it can run without you?"
She gave a firm nod, her cute head tilting confidently.
"Of course. Iâm nothing more than a worker doing her job. Though... only I can actually do that job," she added with a hint of smug pride.
Then her tone shifted, her eyes narrowing as she stared daggers at him.
"But the crack only appeared because of the sudden disconnection between me and the Samsara. If that hadnât happened... this never would have happened in the first place."
Aether felt that glare burn straight through him.
âBitch! Iâm not the one who came here!â He screamed internally.
But on the outside, he forced a sheepish grin, keeping up the act.
"Aww come on, donât look at me like that... Iâm shy, you know..."
Graceâs lips twitched in disbelief.
She sighed again, rubbing her temple, and finally continued, "Anyway, hereâs the point. To fix this... You just need to do exactly what I say."
Her expression turned dead serious.
"Just guide the souls."
"...Pardon?"