I cut down a group of Embers soldiers, trying to save the citizens, but honestly, it’s not going as well as I would hope. Bodies of Slyphans lay strewn across the ground. Blood makes each step a muddy mess. The smell of smoke burns my nose. I teleport ahead of me, cutting down another screaming soldier. Suddenly, a massive explosion rocks the mountain; I jam my staff into the ground, keeping me from flying off from the shockwave.

“What in the Fates was that? I used my teleportation to reach the top of a chimney and found that a significant part of the city has been obliterated.

“Down goes Jinpei.” I turn and swing my staff into the voice from my left.

I turn and see nothing, but I can feel a presence. “Show yourself.”

Nothing but silence for a moment. “Hello, Alva.”

Turning, I see another face I hoped to never see again. “Tanza.”

He smirks and removes his hood. “Hello, old friend.” He bows.

Since I buried him under the Gandolin Temple, he has stayed the same—long blonde hair, blue eyes, a scrawny build, a small nose, and that stupid pointed chin. But his aura has changed; it’s more potent, and I can tell he has the same power-up Johnathan received.

“I’m guessing the Embers resurrected you also?” I ask.

“Yes.” He smirks, his old smirk that always pushed my buttons.

That similar smell of warm spiced bread wafts through the air to my nose. “You visited Enrique, didn’t you?”

“Of course, I had to have his cream cheese pastries and cajun bread. I have been dead for over twelve years and figured I’d treat myself.” He turns to face the decimated half of the city.

“This is the beginning of the New World Alva!” He sweeps his hand across the burning city

He turns to me with a maddening look in his eyes. “Alva, can’t you feel the change?” He walks up to me.

I just shake my head.

He smirks. “Of course you can’t. You are you, after all.”

“Never were much for change.” He turns away again.

I can’t say a word. Seeing him here is enough to keep my mouth shut and my feet planted. But I need to press him for information.

“So what is Phoenix’s plan?” Finally, I get the question out.

He spins and walks closer to me. “To give humanity back what we lost.”

“What did we lose?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “It’s.” He pauses.

“Unimportant for now, but the true reason I’m here is. The master sent me here to ask you to join us.”

I sigh. “Not surprising.”

His smile was always so genuine. But now, when I look at it, I see the demon behind it. “Yes, there’s no doubt how strong you are, Alva. Few could stand against you.”

“So what’s his pitch? Because if he is a god, He should know I would never turn my back on this kingdom.” I grip my staff tighter.

“He will resurrect Rhea.” I try to punch him, but it phases through.

“Of course, you’re not here,” I say, waiting for him to replace his aspect.

“Our master has blessed me, but I would never want to test my mettle against you alone. It would be absolute suicide.” He says.

“He can’t resurrect Rhea, especially with what she became after her death,” I remember that day clearly, looking into the vastness of those golden eyes with the eternal runes—eyes of power and finality. I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

“He can do anything he wishes. Our Lord is a God; he had a hand in creating our world.” Tanza would always smile, but this was one of pure devotion—not the usual smug satisfaction.

“No, we should not resurrect Rhea; it would be a global disaster.” Tanza’s smile fades.

“Can I take this as you saying no?” He raises an eyebrow.

I nod. “It was never an option.” I point my staff at him.

“No matter what, I will destroy your group of terrorists, and if I must bring down this God of yours myself, I will.”

He smirks. “What will you do exactly to stop us yourself?”

“You already used your Demise of resolution on True Ending. It will take you eight months to recharge it. A year to return it to full power.” There’s that smug satisfaction.

“That’s true, but you know for a fact Demise of Resolution is not what makes me powerful.”

“Agreed. it’s that will power of yours, but yet again by yourself you could not stand against Lord Phoenix.” Again he smirks.

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“I may not stand a chance, but Father could. Even the Four Fates could take down a god.” Now it’s my turn to smirk.

His smile fades. Everyone knows Father and the Fates are a wall between evil and the kingdom. “We have a plan for them. We are to resurrect The Council of Divinity.” I flare my aura to press down on a three-kilometer area. Even if it is just his aspect, he should feel it wherever he is.

“Those beasts must stay dead; even your God couldn’t control those walking disasters,” I say.

“Even your god should know it took Father and all the Fates to put them down.” The insane thought of that group of monsters being brought back is not something I wish to fathom.

“Our Lord can do as he pleases, and none of you can do anything to stop us!” He shouts.

“We will commit any atrocity we have to win.” He spins to look me in the eye. They glow a deep orange, just like the citizens back in Manor City.

“Be prepared, Alva Copper, for I will arise from the Embers of this false world.” Then, his aspect disappears.

“Bastard.” That voice was not Tanza’s. It was Phoenix. Just the power in that voice alone was heavy.

I breathe to quell the rage climbing up from the depths. That they would resurrect the entire Council of Divinity and The Keepers is something other than what we need right now. I’m glad Tanza still talks as much as he did because I have more information. Now, how do I stop them before they complete that idea? Time is running out. I can feel it in my bones. It’s a tingle of anxiety, making me want to resort back to my old ways before things go downhill. If She comes back, I could stop them before they go too far. If I just give in to her again.

No, I must stop thinking like that. Once, I already let her slip out once. Allowing her out again is not an option for me. That is beneath me. I can get past that feeling no matter how good it felt or how blissful the power was. I am better than the Dysfuction.

Venus’s aura on the mountain’s peak hangs over the city, charging the sky with Mzynes and causing a storm to kick up. The menacing blackness of the storm makes my skin crawl. I can smell the cool air and wind blowing in.

“Going to rain soon.”

I teleport to the peak and I am hit by the massive pressure of that creature’s bloodlust, like running into a solid wall. The scent of iron and sulfur fills the area as the rock melts from the power of the attacks and aura pressure, covering it in molten lava. I watch Venus use her wings to float above the creature, and they clash repeatedly.

Venus shoots off an arrow from her bow of Gladys made by Riot Silver, enchanted to explode any arrow shot from it. The arrows fly one after another from her bow like shooting stars. Zara dodges each shot like a graceful dancer. He laughs maniacally, a high-pitched slimy squeal that sends chills down your spine when it reaches your ears.

Venus uses a free hand to summon a wind wall, then shoots her bow to launch a volley of arrows into the wall as it flies toward Zara. Again, he dodges her attacks with the ease of a professional. It’s almost as if he can see her attacks coming before she shoots them off.

“Come now, dear Venus, you can do so much more than this!” Zara says, his voice High-pitched, and yet it comes out as a menacing growl.

Venus slings her bow over her back and flies down to engage Zara. She, from thin air, summons two swords made from the very air around us. Zara’s claws extend, and he swipes at Venus, whose weapon clings to the claws. The two colossal beings move faster and faster across the peak, leveling anything between them and their target. Zara picks up the pace of his attacks and has Venus on the defense.

I sit and watch Venus fight for her life in this battle, unsure of what to do. I promised her I would stand down. But can I just sit here and watch another friend die? Can I watch even if this one is not by my hands?

I notice a small red puddle sitting behind a rock behind Venus’s view, and then out of it rises Zara, or a clone of him. It summons some red spear and throws it at Venus, who’s distracted. Without a second thought, I teleport behind the clone and cut through its stomach. It turns its head a hundred and eighty degrees to look at me and smiles.

“Ahh, we’ve heard of you, The Mighty Reaper. We have heard your name mentioned from the deepest circles of the Hells.” Its smile is a terrifying sight, as it has nothing on its head but the smile of its set of jagged and sharp teeth.

“Yes, I heard of you from Venus. You are lucky that I cannot interfere to a certain degree, or I would crush you myself.” I say.

It crumbles back into the red puddle. “Yes, a good thing indeed, but know that Venus will die here, and she will be mine.” It falls to the ground in a rain of bloody mist.

“I know.” The war raging inside me of wanting to keep my promise to Venus. This other side of me wants to step in. Together, we could quickly put a stop to this invasion.

I take a seat, watching the battle as the only Mother figure I’ve ever had fights for her life. Emelia and the rest can save the civilians. Venus needs someone to be here for her if the worst comes to pass.

Venus and Zara continue their struggle, but the monster has Venus on the back foot. She takes her black wings and sends a massive cyclone of wind blowing Zara back just enough for her to slice off its arm. She flies up and then forwards and cuts through the beast. Its torso slides off and plops to the ground.

She stands there panting, and I almost believe the creature is dead, but then bloody tendrils slide out from the wound. They climb down its legs and touch the missing torso, then it dissolves into the tendrils, and then Zara reforms from its wound.

Venus quickly summons wind to her hand, making a blade, then she cuts its legs into multiple pieces, and the body falls lifeless. She then sends a bunch of wind blades from her hand that cut the tiny pieces into tinier pieces, and then it all blows away on a strong wind she created.

Venus takes slow breaths, looks at me, and shakes her head. I sigh, knowing she is telling me it’s not over, but faster than either of us could react, she’s stabbed through her stomach. A bloody blade comes through and drips her green blood onto the ground. Venus coughs up a mouthful of her blood.

Zara pulls out the blade and then summons an enormously long tongue and licks the blood from the blade.

“My dear, you are so much more sweet now than when I met you. Leaving you alive was the greatest decision I ever made.” He takes another long lick of the blade, and I feel my stomach contents want to come up.

Venus staunches her stomach wound the best she can and flies up to avoid Zara. “Neat trick should have figured you’d keep a piece of you hidden away.”

“You are the definition of pure power, my dear, a refined blade quenched in the fires of war. I may be incredibly resilient. But if I misjudged the strength of my enemies, I could find my end.” He bows at Venus.

“That man I fought that day was a god amongst the men on this planet. It took all I could to stay alive and get him to just bury me.” He seems to talk into our minds, as his hidden mouth does not open.

The two stare each other down, waiting for a moment, waiting for a chance to strike. The wind blows across the mountain as the storm kicks up. Venus raises her aura and puts pressure down on the entire peak. Rain begins to fall and wash away some of the blood from the battle. I can’t hear any more cries from the city. Hopefully, this is a good sign.

Venus raises a hand into the sky, and the clouds above begin to drop and rotate, forming a giant funnel to fall and cover Venus head to toe. Then, when the funnel cloud dissipates, Venus stands. Her heavy armor is gone.

In its place is now her Cyclonic armor that she wore during the civil war in the battle to retake the capital.

Zara giggles. “Yes, dear Venus, let us actually battle. Show me why I chose you! Show me why you are to be my finest meal!”

Venus opens her eyes when Zara is seconds away from attacking her. Then they glow a bright white as they punch Zara in the face, sending him flying back hundreds of meters.

“Yes, let’s end this.”