KiAera fired the last shot she would ever take, striking the jaw of the man who had stolen her sister's humanity. The Blue-Winged Rabbit had done it! All the pain and suffering he had inflicted upon mankind—was it finally over?

The blast hit its mark, tearing the skin from the man's jaw and exposing the mechanical exoskeleton beneath. He grinned, then scowled, his glowing eyes drifting away from the last survivors who had reached the portal—a gateway to who knows where. He didn't care about them anymore, at least not right now. His rage boiled over; how could a mere vermin have managed to harm him?

The Blue-Winged Rabbit had always been a nuisance, but now she seemed to be a genuine threat. No, not her. The creature floating close to the nape of her neck, that monster's spawn. He had overlooked it, never expecting it to side with these pitiful beings. Prey was prey!

"KiAera..." whispered the small horned monster levitating at her side, "Are you certain about this?"

"You need to go. I'll handle it from here."

KiAera stepped forth, her hand reaching for her weapon.

Around her, the space station groaned, its structure buckling and tearing as the vacuum of space clawed hungrily at its failing hull. Sparks rained down, and ruptured pipes spewed clouds of vapor that caught the dim emergency lights, casting eerie halos in the thinning air.

This would be the last time she stood between her people and utter annihilation. Her heart pounded not with fear, but with pride of knowing that, if this was the end, it would be on her terms. She squared her shoulders, eyes locked on the menace.

"You think you can defeat me? I'm invincible!" screamed the mechanical menace.

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KiAera leaped, her cloak billowing as she descended, firing round after round at her target. He remained still, letting the blue projectiles ricochet off him, unharmed. Yet she did not relent, continuing with her charge.

The station continued to break apart around them. They floated on a big piece that once belonged to the main tower, a metal structure made of many panels, debris, and remnants of the machinery that had once powered the main ship. The cosmos above was stormy, with fiery blasts tainting its expanse. In the distance, a red ball of fury exploded, illuminating the small space in which the two clashed.

They clashed and clashed and clashed.

Skewered!

KiAera arms drooped to her side, dripping crimson, matching the red gleam of the mechanical menace's arm that punctured her chest—elevating her slightly as he smiled wickedly. The final confrontation was over; the Blue-Winged Rabbit had failed.

She was thrown to the side like garbage, landing not far from the portal where she gazed upon the future that would not be. Tears emerged from the last rays of her ocean-blue eyes; she smiled, pressing the button to detonate her reserve missiles. They smashed against the space station; the machine sent out of balance, breaking the floating object apart as it hurled itself into the depths below.

The portal was destroyed. Unreachable.

What did this mean? Was mankind safe?

KiAera drifted in the boundless void, spotting the mechanical menace, all faux skin discarded, and directing his finger toward her. His fingertip gleamed, signifying the finishing blow.

Her eyes widened, witnessing the little monster that arose between her and the death ray. She screamed, with no voice being heard, as the monster exploded. It was a selfless act of sacrifice but not necessary. The monster was still alive, with its tiny horns and wings intact, its tail swaying, and its face beaming.

'This is farewell, right, Ms. Rabbit?'

It all ended with a fluorescent flash, piercing her with searing pain, evoking her gradual decay. A mechanized death. She fell unconscious, drifting in the abyss of the universe, embracing the little monster to her chest, never letting it go.

Her final thought was a wish to the universe: "I want to protect them, no matter what! Allow me to continue!"

This was her final request and her final act of kindness. She hoped the universe accepted her plea, her last wish, her final desire.