The desert monsters pressed closer to their defensive line, while mist creatures materialized from the building's stone walls, swarming the team like an endless black tide. The Team clustered near what had once been a welcoming inn, now transformed into a battlefield.
Drifter's thoughts churned as he assessed their dire situation. Between the advancing desert beasts and the mist enemies, any break in their formation would make the situation worse.
Drifter, Jaxon, Al-Kindi, Alina, Grae, Rahzarin, and Vellya moved forward, their bodies surrounded in a crimson aura, buffed from Vellya’s blood magic, as they met the incoming threat head-on.
In the rear, Luna, Alma, Leila, and Elysara stood together. Leila's hand rested near her chest, her face pale as she looked at them, but no words came. Elysara launched dark magical bolts from her bow, never once glancing at her companions.
Ahead, Friedrich duelled with Mara, mace against scythe, radiant and azure light filling the space with a symphony of celestial chimes and the crackling roar of flame, heat swirling around them.
Luna glanced to her left, finding Alma pale, her gaze cast down, not moving at all. Ice sigils near her faded as Luna rushed to Alma's side.
Her hand gently rested on Alma's shoulder. "Alma... Alma, are you okay? Stay with us."
"What should I do?" Alma's voice trembled. "Nadia is gone. If everyone's gone, I-I can't..."
Blue flames erupted beside them as Mara materialized, her scythe slicing toward Luna's exposed neck. Luna's eyes widened in shock. She had no time to dodge.
Friedrich's hovering radiant shield materialized between them, intercepting the blow with a resounding clang. Radiant light flared against the blue fire as their weapons locked together.
"You're not touching her," Friedrich growled through gritted teeth.
Mara stepped back, scythe poised for another strike. "Touch her? No, I just want to borrow her head, dear father."
"Stop, Mara." Alma's voice cut through the chaos. "Don't do this. Please, if you really care about me, call off the attack. I'm begging you."
Mara's laughter held no warmth. "Of course, big sis. For you, anything."
She raised her voice to the surrounding creatures. "Kill them all. No mercy. Except my big sis, of course."
The dark aura radiating from the desert monsters intensified. One massive creature broke through their line, forcing Grae to stumble backward as his hammer barely deflected its claws.
"Don't worry, big sis." Mara's smile turned predatory. "Once these hypocrites are gone, you'll be with Mother and me forever. You won't need to worry about anything."
Friedrich channeled his power, his jaw clenched in concentration as the Blade of Virtue sequence ran through his mind. Light particles swirled around his mace, forming translucent blades.
With a sharp gaze, he thrust the weapon forward. The blades shot out in straight beams toward Mara, streaking like lances of brilliance.
She smirked and vaulted skyward as the blast tore through the building behind her. Light flared in a blinding burst, and the structure collapsed with a thunderous crash, hurling debris in every direction.
Still airborne, she twisted with acrobatic grace, her foot flaring blue as if she stepped on unseen stairs. Her scythe shrank and warped, becoming a dagger wreathed in fire.
Friedrich lifted his left hand, unleashing radiant bolts. Luna’s shards of ice followed close behind, but Mara slipped between them, her movements fluid and untouchable.
One strike finally landed, but it met only blue fire, a doppelganger. The real Mara was already above and behind them. She flung her blazing dagger like a falling star, the weapon streaking for Friedrich’s neck with lethal intent.
"Dad! Behind you!" Alma shouted, her voice trembling.
In response, Luna’s ice bolts clashed with the incoming projectile. The impact burst into a heavy mist. The blue flames froze solid, and the dagger dropped lifeless to the ground. Luna stepped through the thinning vapor, her right hand raised, glowing sigils still pulsing as every bolt now leveled toward the airborne Mara.
Mara instantly transformed into flames, descending and melting to the ground before retreating several steps and reforming. Friedrich charged forward without hesitation. His mace crashed against her reformed dagger as Mara maintained her cruel smile. Her ferocious attacks forced him back step by step, and sweat beaded on his brow from the effort.
From the sidelines, Luna’s gaze flicked to Alma. “I know it’s hard when someone you love isn’t who you thought they were. But we can’t falter now, or this will become our greatest regret.”
She turned back to the fight, her mind beginning the sequence of Frost Nova, frost magic building in her palms. Cold light gathered around her hands, casting a winter glow amidst the dark desert.
As Friedrich glanced at Luna briefly with a nod, he stepped back four paces from Mara. Mara pursued Friedrich without hesitation, the flame dagger now shifting into a flame scythe, her lips moving as though tasting something delicious.
Luna then unleashed ice beams, exploding outward in a wide arc toward Mara. But Mara kept her smile, raising her hand. Blue flame barriers erupted from the ground in response. Ice and fire clashed in violent opposition, steam whistling where they met.
The surge of heat and cold washed over Alma, holding her still as her thoughts spiraled. Luna’s words echoed in her mind. Nadia might already be lost. Yet when her friend’s face surfaced in memory, Alma clung to something vital. Nadia would never surrender hope. She saw her again, bloodied but unyielding, carrying her to safety during the grakling assault.
The present danger crystallized around her. How foolish she had been, clinging to childhood dreams when reality demanded action. Her eyes sharpened with renewed focus. Magic surged through her as she cast an enhancement spell, ‘Exalt Surge’. Pink energy flowed over herself and her companions like liquid fire. The team felt their reflexes quicken and their strength amplify.
Mara's smirk crumbled as she met Alma's eyes. "Well, well." Her voice carried a tremor. "Too bad it has to end this way, big sis."
Alma raised her arm toward Mara, concentrating to summon Exalt missiles. The familiar tingle of magic coursed through her fingertips. But a flash of Mara's smile, that old, genuine smile, made her mind falter.
No… why now?
Pink energy flared and waned. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to focus. The taste of bitterness filled her mouth. Several pink missiles burst from her palm. Their luminous trails streaked through the air as they raced toward Mara, who clashed fiercely with Friedrich. Her eyes widened briefly before she disengaged from the knight.
Luna joined the assault. Glacialis Lanzaris. Ice sigils materialized around her like a constellation. The temperature dropped noticeably. She launched ice spears in rapid succession. The crystalline projectiles whistled through the air with a pink aura, boosted by Alma's Exalt Surge.
Mara dashed forward with flames twining around her form. Heat radiated off her body. Her expression darkened as she twisted between the attacks. The doppelganger felt useless, unable to shake off their coordinated assault. Alma's missiles tracked their target while Luna followed, pressing the attack. Desert monsters caught in the crossfire howled and crumbled. Ice particles and the acrid smell of burned sand filled the air.
With a roar like a furnace igniting, Mara soared directly at Alma, scythe blazed overhead. Barriers of pink light, ice, and radiance formed in her path. Friedrich and Luna shouted Alma’s name, their voices raw with desperation.
The scythe burst with dark power, blue fire surging outward in a cone that shattered every shield. Fragments of energy scattered like broken glass.
Mara closed in. Alma fired bolt after bolt of pink light, but Mara weaved through them with fluid dexterity, afterimages trailing in her wake. Then heat seared Alma's neck, the sudden pain making her gasp.
Is this the end?
The scythe halted just above her throat, flames starving into silence. Mara’s expression shifted, unreadable. Her teeth clenched, her grip trembling on the handle as sweat gathered across her brow.
"No," her voice barely held together. "I can't. Not her."
Friedrich suddenly charged in from behind, a blur of pink aura. His Radiant Smite was already complete, the air crackling with energy. His mace launched a powerful vortex of swirling light. The boosted strike hit Mara with a blinding shockwave.
Her barrier flared once before shattering with a sound like breaking crystal. The impact hurled Mara into a nearby building. Dust rolled outward as she hit the ground, lying motionless with blood pooling beneath her.
"Glad I made it in time," Friedrich's chest heaved, his breath coming in short gasps.
But Alma’s gaze lingered on Luna. Ice sigils bloomed above her as she readied another barrage toward the fallen Mara, frost gathering thick in the air.
Alma’s teeth clenched. A pink barrier burst into place at Mara’s side, intercepting the spears. They shattered into glittering fragments that rang against the ground.
Luna turned to Alma, questions burning in her eyes.
“Don’t.” Alma’s voice wavered, pleading. “Please.”
Luna nodded in understanding. The ice sigils dissolved, their chill sinking back into the night’s desert cold.
In that fragile moment, the fallen Mara smirked. Summoning the last of her strength, she spun a blue flame into motion, seizing the opening. It tore through the air with unnatural speed, swift and silent as a whirling top.
Crimson burst across the night. Friedrich and Alma’s eyes widened in horror.
“No!” Alma gasped.
Luna’s thoughts splintered, her face shadowed by confusion. Heat seared her neck, chased by a creeping cold that hollowed her from within. The air carried the metallic tang of blood as her strength drained away and darkness pressed close. Her body trembled, knees giving out as she collapsed onto the sand.
Mara lay still where she had fallen, her hand trembling as the last flickers of flame unraveled into the wind. A ragged, sinister chuckle slipped from her lips while blood seeped beneath her, staining the pale desert floor.
Alma rushed to Luna's side with trembling hands, her healing spells blazing to life. The pink light felt weak and insufficient against the spreading darkness of the wound. Alma’s heart pounded in her chest. She blamed herself for stopping to save Mara. As she looked at the wound again, her mind spiraled with the worst thoughts. Neck injuries are often fatal, and there’s no advanced medical equipment to save her now. But she took a deep breath to steady herself and push those thoughts away.
No, she would not… she would not die.
She focused on healing with all she had. Sweat beaded on her forehead as footsteps approached. She glanced up briefly to see Leila, her face pale with panic.
"I-Is there anything I can do to help?" Leila said, trying to be composed.
"Just... help me move her. We need to get her somewhere safe," Alma said, her gaze returning to Luna as she continued the healing spell.
Together, they carefully lifted Luna and moved her to a vacant stone bench just beside the ruined inn. Alma continued her Exalt Healing, her hands glowing with a soft pink light as she focused on Luna's wounds. Every fiber of her being was concentrated on mending the damage, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination.
Meanwhile, Friedrich charged at Mara, his rage fueling the radiant mace in his grip. Another Radiant Smite formed around the mace, blazing with righteous fury. As he swung, there came the sharp clank of metal on metal, and violet energy particles scattered like fallen stars.
Suddenly, a mist appeared beside Mara, transforming into the elven woman Archarniel, who swiftly positioned herself between Friedrich and Mara, shielding her. Archarniel's whip-sword moved with serpentine elegance, effortlessly deflecting Friedrich's assault. Golden and violet sparks scattered as their weapons clashed.
"Heh," Mara's voice came out weak but satisfied. "Perfect timing, Miss Custodian."
Archarniel summoned her bat creatures once again. They swarmed Friedrich with violet beams, forcing him back.
She raised her hand, and blood-like energy flowed from her fingertips to heal Mara's wounds. Slowly, Mara regained her footing.
Archarniel then offered Mara an evocyte recovery potion. The liquid glowed softly as Mara drank it, restoring her vitality.
"Now," Mara said as her scythe materialized once more, its edge radiating with cerulean flames. "Time for extermination, right? But my big sis, she's mine. Don't you dare touch her."
"Of course," Archarniel replied, her tone cold and professional, with no emotion touching her features. "But the black cube bearer is mine."
Friedrich quickly assessed the situation. Two troublesome enemies stood before him, and Luna was down. He glanced at the front line where Drifter and the others battled endless creatures. All but Vellya were struggling, breathing labored, sweat mixing with dust. Retreat was the only option now. The missing members might not be rescuable, but it was better than total extermination.
He called for retreat to Elysara, who quickly followed him while still firing magic arrows as they moved. Then he rushed toward Alma and Leila's side.
As they reunited, the frontline team looked briefly at Friedrich’s group and fallen Luna. The most worried expressions belonged to Alina and Drifter, fear carving lines in their faces.
Alina disengaged from combat, her sword dissolving into shards of ice as she sprinted toward Friedrich’s group. “Luna!” She turned sharply to Alma. “Is she… how bad is it?”
Alma paused, her gaze downcast as she continued healing Luna. Crimson liquid continued to fall without stopping.
"I'm trying everything but... but I can't stop the bleeding. I-I don't know if—" Her voice broke.
Friedrich rushed toward the others on the front line. "We're retreating! Now!"
He turned back to Alina. "Alina! Clear us a path, use Blauzorn Requiem!"
Alina paused, her face paling as she weighed the risks. It was her ultimate spell that would leave her vulnerable and unable to fight for some time afterward. “Are you sure?”
"I'll cover you. My oath, my life. Whatever it takes," Friedrich's expression was grim as stone.
Archarniel and Mara had already caught up to them, their footsteps echoing against the ruins. Drifter and Rahzarin moved to intercept while the others focused on the creatures.
As Alina began to step toward the enemy, the sound of slow footsteps on the sand could be heard nearby.
"Now, hold on just a moment," Vellya's voice carried unexpected wisdom, unlike her usual childish tone. The change was startling. "I've got a better plan in mind."
The others turned to look at her. She stood with arms crossed, radiating confidence despite her small frame.
Vellya's red eyes shifted to Luna's still form. "First, there’s something you should know." Her tiny finger pointed at Luna. "She won’t survive. I could see her life is fading away."
