Serena sprinted deeper into the woods, her heart hammering in her chest as the fiery glow of the Aegis Guild’s burning branch faded behind her. The thick canopy above blocked out the moonlight, casting dark shadows across the forest floor. Her mind raced, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. Natasha. She had to find her. She had to save her. But deep down, a gnawing fear clawed at her, warning her that she might already be too late.

The eerie silence of the forest only heightened her sense of dread. The screams and sounds of battle had fallen away, replaced by an oppressive quiet. Her feet pounded against the earth, kicking up dirt and leaves as she darted between the trees. The scent of smoke still lingered in the air, but the deeper she went, the more everything felt wrong.

Suddenly, through the smoke and shadows, Serena spotted a figure slumped against a large, gnarled tree.

“Natasha!”

Her voice cracked as she cried out, sprinting the last few feet to her friend’s side. But as she drew closer, the sight before her made her heart stop cold.

Natasha was tied to the tree, her arms bound behind her, her body limp. Her once-vibrant green eyes, the ones that had always sparkled with life and mischief, were now wide open and lifeless. Blood stained her once-pristine vanguard uniform, soaking through the fabric and pooling around her feet. Serena felt as though the ground had been ripped out from under her.

“No… no, no, no!” Serena dropped to her knees beside Natasha, her hands trembling as she reached out to touch her friend’s cold face. Her fingers brushed against her skin—chilled and stiff. The warmth was long gone.

"Natasha... please..." Serena's voice cracked, her words barely more than a whisper. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched Natasha’s body, pulling her close. She could feel her heart breaking with every second that passed, the unbearable weight of guilt and failure crushing her.

Her friend was gone.

"I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry, Natasha…" Serena sobbed, her grip tightening on Natasha’s lifeless form. She had promised herself that she would protect her, that she wouldn’t let anything happen. And now, she had failed. The crushing weight of that failure nearly suffocated her.

The world around her blurred, her mind consumed by grief. Everything felt distant, hollow. Nothing mattered except the girl she couldn’t save. Serena's heart shattered again and again as the reality sank in deeper. Natasha was gone, and no amount of tears could bring her back.

"Why...?" Serena’s voice was weak, broken. "Why did it have to be you?"

She didn’t know how long she knelt there, cradling Natasha’s body, lost in the depths of her sorrow. Time seemed to slow, the weight of the moment pressing down on her like a suffocating blanket. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. All she could feel was the overwhelming agony of loss.

But then, cutting through the silence like a blade, a cold, cruel voice shattered her world.

“She begged for her life, you know. Cried out your name as if you were going to swoop in and save her. Quite pathetic, really.”

Serena’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the figure standing just a few feet away. A woman, draped in blood-red robes that shimmered in the firelight, stood with a sickeningly smug smile twisting her lips. Her eyes gleamed with sadistic glee as she watched Serena cradling Natasha's body.

“What a touching little scene,” the woman cooed mockingly, her voice dripping with malice. “Too bad you arrived a little too late.”

Serena’s grief morphed into something far darker—rage. Hot, blinding rage surged through her veins, burning away the suffocating sorrow that had consumed her moments before. Her hands shook with fury as she slowly rose to her feet, her body trembling with the need for vengeance.

"You… did this?" Serena’s voice was low, filled with a dangerous calm that belied the storm raging inside her. Her grip on her tonfas tightened, the metal gleaming in the dim light.

The woman’s wicked smile widened, clearly relishing in Serena’s pain. "That’s right," she said, her voice lilting with cruel amusement. "And she screamed, oh, how she screamed. You should have heard her, Serena. It was music to my ears."

Serena’s vision blurred with red, her blood boiling with a fury she had never known before. The image of Natasha’s broken body, her lifeless eyes staring blankly ahead, filled her mind. The grief in her chest exploded into pure hatred. This woman, this monster, had taken everything from her.

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"I’ll make you pay for this!" Serena roared, her voice cracking with the weight of her rage. Without another word, she charged at the woman, her tonfas raised, gleaming in the dim firelight.

The woman’s eyes gleamed with amusement, her lips curling into a smirk as she raised a hand lazily. A barrier of dark energy flickered to life in front of her just as Serena’s tonfas slammed into it. Sparks flew as metal met magic, but the barrier held firm.

"Is that all you’ve got?" the woman taunted, her voice filled with mockery. "How disappointing."

Serena gritted her teeth, her muscles straining as she struck the barrier again and again, each blow more powerful than the last. But the dark magic held. The woman’s laughter echoed in her ears, a cruel reminder of just how outmatched she was.

“Shut up!” Serena screamed, her frustration mounting as she threw all of her strength into her attacks. Her arms ached, her body already exhausted from the night’s earlier battles, but she refused to stop. She wouldn’t stop—not until this monster was dead.

The woman tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with sadistic delight. "You’re just like your friend—so full of fight, so determined. But in the end, you’ll break just as easily. I’ll enjoy watching the light fade from your eyes."

Serena’s heart pounded in her chest, the image of Natasha’s lifeless body flashing before her eyes again. The weight of her loss crushed her, suffocating her. The rage inside her burned hotter, fueling her need for vengeance. She couldn’t let Natasha’s death be in vain. She couldn’t let this monster win.

“I’ll kill you…” Serena growled, her voice low and filled with a deadly resolve.

The woman’s grin widened, her voice dripping with condescension. “Go ahead and try.”

Serena stepped back, her mind racing. She couldn’t break through the barrier with brute force. She needed to think, to fight smarter. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, centering herself, recalling the training she had spent the last week perfecting. She had to stay calm. Natasha had always told her to be patient, to wait for the right moment.

Her eyes snapped open, filled with a renewed sense of focus. This was for Natasha.

With a deep breath, Serena charged forward again, her tonfas blazing with energy as she struck the barrier with all her might. The impact sent a resounding crack through the air, and for a moment, the barrier held. But Serena pressed on, pouring every ounce of her strength into the attack.

Cracks began to spread across the surface of the barrier, like fractures in glass. The woman’s smirk faltered, a flicker of unease crossing her face.

“What…?” she muttered, her eyes widening in disbelief.

But Serena didn’t give her time to react. With a final, desperate push, she shattered the barrier, the dark energy exploding outward in a burst of sparks. The woman stumbled back, her once smug expression now twisted with shock and fear.

Serena’s eyes blazed with fury as she lunged at her, her tonfas gleaming in the firelight. The woman raised her hands, trying to summon another spell, but Serena was too fast. She slammed her tonfas into the woman’s chest, sending her crashing to the ground with a scream of pain.

The woman gasped, blood spurting from the impact, staining her red robes an even darker shade. But Serena didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. The memory of Natasha’s broken body spurred her on, driving her forward. Her strikes came faster, harder, each one fueled by her grief and rage.

"You’re stronger than I thought," the woman gasped, her voice trembling with shock and pain. "But it won’t be enough—"

Serena silenced her with a brutal strike to the side of her head, sending the woman crashing to the ground. Her body convulsed before going still, blood pooling beneath her. Her eyes glazed over, her cruel smile finally wiped from her face.

Serena stood over her, breathing heavily, her heart still pounding with the remnants of rage. She had done it. She had avenged Natasha. But as she stared down at the lifeless form of the woman who had taken her friend’s life, the victory felt hollow.

Her knees buckled beneath her as the adrenaline drained from her body, leaving her trembling. She knelt beside Natasha once more, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her friend’s cold hand.

“I’m so sorry, Natasha…” Serena whispered, her voice thick with grief. “I couldn’t save you…”

The forest was eerily silent now, the distant sound of battle barely audible through the trees. Serena stayed there, holding Natasha

close, her heart heavy with an unbearable weight. Her tears fell silently, dripping onto Natasha's bloodied form as the world around her seemed to still. The victory had come too late. The woman responsible for Natasha’s death was dead, but the wound in Serena’s heart only deepened with each passing second.

For a long moment, Serena didn’t move, didn’t speak—just held Natasha close, her chest tightening with grief. Every breath felt like a battle, as if the very air around her was suffocating her with the pain of her failure. The silence of the forest was almost mocking, the once-alive woods now desolate and burned, reflecting the shattered state of Serena’s soul.

But she knew she couldn’t stay here. The battle wasn’t over. The mages were still out there, and she needed to help the others. She couldn’t let Natasha’s death be in vain.

With a trembling sigh, Serena gently laid Natasha’s body down, brushing a hand over her friend’s cold face. She closed her eyes, swallowing back the fresh wave of grief threatening to consume her.

“I’ll remember you, Natasha,” she whispered, her voice filled with quiet determination. “I’ll fight for you. Always.”

As dawn's first light crept through the charred trees, casting a pale glow over the forest, Serena rose to her feet. Her legs shook, her entire body felt like it was about to collapse, but she forced herself to stand tall. She wiped her tear-streaked face with the back of her hand and turned her gaze back toward the burning guild in the distance.

She couldn’t afford to break. Not now.

With one last, sorrowful glance at Natasha’s body, Serena turned and ran back toward the training grounds. Every step felt like it was pulling her further away from her friend, but she pushed on, knowing that she had a duty to fulfill. There were still people who needed her help.