———Alyse———

The air in the Bridge Lab is suffocating, thick with the acrid stench of smoke and blood. The endless screeching of the Spawn echoes off the steel walls, drowning out the sound of my own ragged breathing. My palms crackle with electricity, sparks dancing between my fingers as I send bolt after bolt into the writhing horde. No matter how many we destroy, more pour through the breach, a seemingly endless tide of claws and teeth.

"Keep them off me!" Kat shouts from somewhere to my left, her voice cutting through the chaos. She's perched on top of a control panel, firing arrow after arrow with deadly precision. Each shot lands true, but even her speed can't keep up with the sheer number of them.

"I'm trying!" Kylen bellows, slamming a shimmering plasma shield into a cluster of Spawn. The creatures screech as his ward slices through them, but their twisted forms don't slow.

Claire is at my back, her fists ablaze with poison as she tears through the horde with raw fury. "These things just don't quit!" she growls.

Keegan darts through the chaos like a shadow, his movements almost too fast to track. One moment he's slamming a dagger into a Spawn's chest, the next he's flipping backward into the void to avoid a swipe of its claws. "We've got to find a way to close that breach!" he yells, landing beside me. His batons twirl in his hands, leaving trails of black energy as he dives back into the fray.

"I know!" I shout, unleashing another bolt of lightning that arcs through a line of Spawn, reducing them to smoldering husks. My heart is pounding. Red and Hail are gone—through the portal and into whatever nightmare realm Vermidia was hiding in. And now we're stuck here, holding off this swarm.

A scream pierces the air, and I whip around just in time to see one of the Spawn lunge at Kat. She tumbles off the control panel, hitting the ground hard, but before the creature can strike, Claire's poison fist slams into its face, sending it flying.

"Get up!" Claire snaps, hauling Kat to her feet.

"We can't keep this up much longer!" Kat shouts, her bow glowing as she looses an arrow into the crowd.

She's right. My arms feel like lead, my power draining with every blast. We're slowing down, and the Spawn are relentless.

Then the portal crackles behind us. A burst of shimmering blue light floods the room, and my heart skips a beat. For a split second, I think it's Red or Hail.

But it's not.

It's Dylan.

His dark blue aura flares as he steps through the portal, gravity rippling around him like a storm. His hands glow with astral light, and with a sweeping motion, he sends a shockwave crashing into the nearest cluster of Spawn. The creatures are flung backward, slamming into the walls with bone-crushing force.

"Miss me?" Dylan's voice is calm, but there's a fire in his eyes as he strides toward us, his power crackling around him.

"Dylan!" I scream, relief and adrenaline surging through me.

"Guess I showed up just in time," he says, throwing a blast of dark blue energy into the crowd, sending Spawn flying.

"We thought you were still with Vermidia!" Kylen shouts, stepping in beside Dylan to shield him with his ward as more Spawn rush forward.

"Red saved me. Got here as fast as I could," Dylan replies, his voice grim. "Looks like you needed the help."

The energy in the room shifts. With Dylan here, we fight harder, faster. His powers tilt the battlefield in our favor, gravity bending to his will as he crushes entire waves of Spawn with a single motion. Kat's arrows rain down like falling stars, Claire's poison severing through group after group, and Keegan becomes a whirlwind of strikes and void-born shadows. Kylen holds the line, his plasma wards slicing through the horde like a blade.

Beside me, Dylan fights with a calm intensity, his movements precise and deliberate. Together, we push back the endless swarm, each blow bringing us closer to victory.

And then, finally, it's over.

The last Spawn collapses under a barrage of arrows and lightning. The room falls silent, save for the sound of our labored breathing.

For a moment, none of us move. Then I drop to my knees, the exhaustion finally catching up with me. Dylan is at my side in an instant, his hands on my shoulders.

"Alyse," he says softly, his voice trembling just slightly.

I look up at him, and the relief in his eyes makes my chest ache. "You came back," I whisper.

"Of course I did," he says, pulling me into his arms. "I'd never leave you."

I bury my face in his shoulder, the tension and fear of the battle melting away. "I thought I lost you," I admit, my voice breaking.

"You'll never lose me," Dylan promises, his arms tightening around me. "Not now, not ever."

The others gather around us, their faces weary but triumphant. Claire leans heavily against Kylen, who offers her a tired smile. Kat gives a small nod, her bow lowered for the first time in what feels like hours. Keegan twirls one of his daggers before sliding it back into its sheath, his usual smirk returning.

"We did it," Claire says, her voice quiet but resolute.

"Yeah," Keegan replies, glancing around at the destroyed lab. "Barely."

The relief is short-lived. The portal behind us still hums faintly, a reminder that Red and Hail are still out there, fighting their own battle. But for now, we've survived.

For now, we've won.

———Hail———

Domnik crashes to the ground, his armor dented, his breathing ragged. I stand over him, the icy blade in my hand glowing faintly, mist curling around my feet as frost creeps outward. This is it. I raise my sword, ready to end it all—ready to avenge Zenot, Zen, Mia, Eluna, my father.

But then I hear her voice.

It's a whisper at first, soft and slithering, like a breeze sneaking through a crack in the door. "Hail, you've carried this weight for so long... Let me ease your burden."

I freeze, my blade hovering above Domnik. The world tilts, my vision blurs, and suddenly her presence is everywhere. Vermidia.

My hands tremble, and I fight to shake her off, but it's no use. Her laughter echoes in my mind, and then the visions begin.

Flashes of Zenot—beautiful, serene, alive. Then the ice. My ice. It spreads like a plague, freezing rivers, choking forests, collapsing entire cities. I see the people screaming, running, their breath freezing in the air before they collapse into lifeless statues.

"No!" I roar, gripping my head as the frost explodes outward, a ring of ice spreading around me and cracking the ground beneath my feet.

"Do you remember, Hail?" Vermidia's voice oozes into my thoughts. "How your powers turned Zenot into a wasteland? How you failed them all?"

I clutch my head, my vision blurring as the ground shifts beneath me. My feet leave the earth as I begin to hover, my body radiating an uncontrollable frost.

"Hail!" I hear Red's voice cut through the haze, sharp and desperate. "Stay with me!"

But Vermidia's whisper returns, this time like a dagger to the heart. "It would be such a shame if Earth suffered the same fate, wouldn't it? If your ice destroyed another world?" She turns to Red. "Give me the DragonsBreath, Red, and I'll let him go."

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"Don't do it, Red!" I manage to shout, my voice breaking with the strain of keeping her out. "We'll find another way!"

But Red hesitates. I see it in his eyes, the flicker of doubt Vermidia is feeding.

Then her voice changes direction, slithering into Red's mind. His body stiffens, and his eyes flicker purple.

"You know the truth, don't you, Red? The real reason Domnik never followed you through the portal?"

"What are you talking about?" Red demands, his grip tightening on the DragonsBreath.

"He killed him," Vermidia hisses, her words dripping with malice.

"What?" Red's voice cracks, his eyes narrowing as they glow brighter, the dark purple deepening.

"Hail, tell him," Vermidia croons.

I shake my head, fighting her control. "Red, it's not what you think!"

"You killed Domnik?" Red's voice is low and dangerous now, his eyes a solid purple—the same shade Domnik's had when he was under Vermidia's control.

Then, without warning, Red lunges at me.

Our blades collide, the DragonsBreath sparking against my ice-forged sword. "Red! Stop! She's in your head!" I shout, but he doesn't hear me.

I block his strikes, but he's relentless, the DragonsBreath burning hotter with every swing. I counter with a blast of frost, forcing him back, but his fire scorches through the ice.

Suddenly, the ground beneath us shifts. The pocket dimension ripples as the machine powering Vermidia's madness surges into its final stages. The plains around us dissolve into the rocky peak of a mountain, the air thin and cold. I stumble as the ground crumbles beneath my feet, but Red presses the attack.

"Red, listen to me!" I shout, parrying a vicious swing.

"You lied to me!" he roars, his voice carrying the heat of his fire. "You betrayed me!"

Before I can respond, the terrain shifts again. We plummet from the mountain into an endless ocean, the waves crashing around us. Red's fire dims, and I freeze the water beneath me to keep from sinking. I lash out with my blade, ice shards spraying toward him, but he cuts through them with ease.

The battlefield changes again, returning us to the grassy plains. Domnik joins the fray, his Darkblade humming with deadly energy.

"Round four," Domnik says with a smirk, swinging his blade at me.

The three of us fight in a chaotic, shifting dance. Red's fire, my frost, and Domnik's sound blasts collide, the pocket dimension warping with every strike. Domnik summons demons from the ground, their shrieks filling the air as they swarm me.

I freeze the nearest ones, shattering them with a swing of my blade, but Red takes advantage of the distraction. His blade slices across my side, the heat searing my flesh. I grit my teeth, summoning a blast of ice that sends him sprawling.

"Red! Snap out of it!" I shout as he stumbles to his feet.

Domnik grins, slamming the ground with his Darkblade. The demons swarm again, but I summon a storm of frost, freezing the hellhole they emerged from and sealing it shut. The remaining demons vanish in a wail of agony.

Red lunges at me again and this time, I don't hold back. He has to be stopped. I send a blast of ice at him that knocks him to the ground, freezing him in place. His head slams into the ground and he's knocked out, cold.

I'm sorry Red, but I can't let you get yourself killed.

With a final roar, I turn to Domnik. "Guess it's just us now."

Domnik chuckles, raising his blade. "Let's finish this."

We clash again, but he shatters my ice-forged sword with a devastating blow. The shards scatter around me, leaving me defenseless as he drives the Darkblade into my stomach.

Pain explodes through me, but I grit my teeth, gripping his arm. Frost gathers around my hand, and I summon the last of my strength to reform the ice blade inside his chest.

Domnik's eyes widen as the icy blade pierces his heart. "Touché," he says with a weak grin before collapsing to the ground.

I pull the Darkblade from my stomach, blood pouring from the wound. My vision dims, and I fall to my knees.

Mia's voice echoes in my mind. "You're not giving up, are you?"

"I'm dying, Mia," I whisper. "What more can I do?"

"You end this," she says, her voice firm. "For all of us."

Images of my father, Zen, Eluna, and Mia flash through my mind, each face giving me strength. I press my hand to my wound, freezing it shut, and stagger to my feet.

The machine hums louder, the air rippling with its power. Vermidia stands ahead, her grin as sinister as ever.

"Seems you get a second chance, Hail," she says. "Don't waste it."

I grip the icy hilt of my broken blade. "I won't."

The moment stretches like ice cracking underfoot. Vermidia stands before me, her form shifting and twisting, cloaked in shadows that seem to dance with a life of their own. Her dark eyes glint with malice, her smile sharp and knowing.

"You can't kill me without the DragonsBreath," she sneers, her voice like a knife carving through the frigid air.

I tighten my grip on my ice-forged blade, frost creeping down its length. "Watch me," I growl.

Our blades clash in a blinding arc, hers humming with dark energy, mine radiating frost. Each strike sends shockwaves through the pocket dimension, the ground beneath us shattering and reforming like glass. She's fast—faster than I expected. Every time I swing, she twists and shifts, her form dissolving into shadows only to reappear behind me.

She leans close, her breath cold against my ear. "Do you feel it, Hail? The weight of your failure? How many more worlds will you destroy before you accept it?"

I spin, swinging hard, but she's already gone, laughing as she reappears a few feet away.

My frustration builds, and with a roar, I slam my blade into the ground. Frost explodes outward, a shockwave of ice blasting the dark cloud that circles me. The tendrils scatter, hissing as they retreat, but Vermidia is unfazed.

"You're strong," she admits, her voice laced with mockery. "But not strong enough."

We clash again, the rhythm of our fight relentless. Her strikes are precise, calculated, while mine are fueled by raw determination. She taunts me as we fight, her words digging into my mind, dredging up the memories of Zenot, the screams of those I couldn't save.

She thrusts forward, forcing me to block. The impact drives me to one knee. Her blade hovers near my throat.

"Stay down," she whispers, pressing her advantage.

I grit my teeth and swing upward with all my strength. My blade shatters against hers, the shards spraying out like icy daggers. Some hit their mark, slicing across her arm and cheek, but she only laughs, the wounds closing almost instantly.

"You can't win like this, Hail," she taunts. "You need the DragonsBreath. But you're too weak to take it, aren't you?"

Her words burn, but I know she's right. I can't defeat her with ice alone. My eyes flicker to Red, lying unconscious nearby. The DragonsBreath glows faintly in his hand, its fiery blade dormant.

Then I hear her voice—not Vermidia's, but Mia's.

"Use the blade, Hail."

Her whisper is soft yet commanding, and it sends a surge of strength through me. I lunge toward Red's body, dodging Vermidia's strike as I grab the hilt of the DragonsBreath.

The moment my hand closes around it, my body convulses. The power of the blade reverberates through me. I feel its strength coursing through my veins. Then, the weapon responds—not with fire, but with ice. The blade ignites in a cold blue glow, frost spiraling along its edge. It hums with power, resonating with me in a way that feels... right.

Vermidia pauses, her eyes narrowing. "Interesting," she murmurs, her confidence flickering. "But how?"

I don't give her time to react. I swing the DragonsBreath, the icy blade slicing through the dark tendrils that reach for me. Each strike sends ripples through the air, freezing and shattering her shadows.

The machine looms in the background, its hum growing louder, the fabric of the dimension warping with its power. I glance at it, then back at Vermidia.

"This ends now," I say, charging toward the machine.

She screams, a sound that shakes the ground, and lunges to stop me, but I'm faster. With a single, powerful strike, I drive the DragonsBreath into the machine's core. The icy blade slices through it like butter, the device shuddering violently before exploding in a cascade of blue light.

The dimension stabilizes, the warped terrain settling back into place. I turn to face Vermidia, her form flickering, weakened but still defiant.

"You think this is victory?" she sneers, clutching her side.

I grip the DragonsBreath tighter. "I know it is."

With a final roar, I swing the blade, slicing through her. She gasps, her body crumpling to the ground.

"I bet you feel accomplished now..."

"You could say that," I reply, my voice steady, though my heart pounds in my chest.

Her laughter echoes faintly. "Well, don't celebrate too soon, Hail. You're too late. It's done. Killing me was just the beginning. He... is back. None of you stand a chance now."

I step closer, the DragonsBreath still glowing cold in my hand. "A problem for another day. You killed my father. As far as I'm concerned, the battle is won."

"Maybe a battle," she whispers, her voice fading. "But not the war."

Her form dissipates entirely, the shadows evaporating into the ether. I stand there for a moment, catching my breath, the weight of her words sinking in.

The DragonsBreath dims in my hand, its icy glow fading. I glance at Red, still unconscious, and then at the remnants of the machine. For now, the fight is over.

But her warning lingers.

The war is far from over.

The DragonsBreath drops from my fingers and meets the ground. It's icy blade fading and it lies as a dormant hilt now.

The weight of the battle crashes down on me, and my legs give out. I collapse to the frozen ground, the DragonsBreath slipping from my grasp. My breaths come shallow and ragged, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. The faint hum of the fractured realm grows louder, unstable, on the verge of breaking apart.

I hear them before I see them—Alyse's voice sharp and commanding, cutting through the chaos.

"Vermidia, she's dead! We have to hurry, this realm is going to collapse into the abyss soon," she shouts, urgency thick in her tone. "We have to get them out of here. Claire, grab Red. Kylen, get Hail. Keegan, take Domnik."

My head tilts slightly, my vision blurring as I make out their forms running through the fading field toward me. The sight fills me with relief, though my strength is nearly spent.

"Domnik?" Keegan's voice is hesitant, questioning.

I hear Alyse's footsteps pause, then her softer reply. "We should bury him. For Red."

Keegan doesn't answer right away. I imagine the hesitation on his face, the silent weight of everything we've endured pressing down on him too.

The ground beneath me shakes slightly, the realm beginning to fracture in earnest now. My mind drifts, the adrenaline finally giving way to an overwhelming exhaustion. I feel Kylen's steady hands lifting me, his voice low and reassuring, but the words blur together.

My eyes flutter closed as the world around me fades. Safe now, I tell myself. I can rest. They've got me.

For the first time in what feels like an eternity, I let go.