Around ten minutes after Yuna and Aelfric left Vyxora, he drove while they sat in silence. She had a peculiar daze to her demeanor. A light drizzle fell while he navigated the early morning Lyrsium streets with incredible efficiency.

This’ so strange, Yuna thought. Why—? How am I so calm? My heart’s beating as fast as I can ever remember; I can literally feel my blood coursing. My skin’s on fire, even with the suit’s cooling. Yet, I’m calm? Me? Is it nerves? I did pussy out saying anything to Val…but?

Fifteen minutes later, they sat in the car parked on the side of a street. Several buildings in various stages of repair or reconstruction surrounded them. Aelfric gained the attention of Yuna as he pointed at a theater they had parked quite a distance away from.

“I had the area looked into while driving here,” Aelfric said. “It’s a large revitalization project with budget issues that’s been stalled and it’s unlikely to be resolved any time soon.”

“A theater? Really?” Yuna said. “Just in case there’s no misunderstanding here, I’ll still fucking flay you if this is bullshit.” She glared at Aelfric. He gestured with a single upright index finger. Her face twitched.

“While I cannot guarantee Siegfried is here, please view this footage. Apologies for the low quality, I assume you’re aware of their obfuscation tech. This is an air-gapped camera recording.” Aelfric handed Yuna a holographic tablet. A video compilation played of several cultists entering or exiting the theater, albeit only ever one at a time.

“That’s one of those cunts alright.”

“Is this adequate for us to proceed?”

“Yeah, but give me five.”

“Understood. I must excuse myself briefly as well.” Aelfric exited the vehicle in stealth, disappearing into an alley.

“Weird guy.” Yuna exhaled. “I’m sure they won’t be happy.” She contemplated for a moment, focusing on the heat of her skin. She looked at the theater. Pops. I’m not ready for you to croak. Heh. Oh shit. I think I get it. This sensation. The last time I felt so calm, yet boiling rage at the same time…when you found me. I’ve always bragged about being a little badass that day. But that wasn’t it, was it? Fear doesn’t feel like the right word for it. You’ve always said ‘instinct’ - and I thought I knew what you meant. Trusting them. But this is different. Maybe you knew all along? This is understanding. They know my potential for death against that creepy fuck. But my rage is greater. The only thing holding it in check… fucking hell, you’re gonna be smug if I admit this after I save you. Let’s get this message over with.

A few minutes later, Aelfric entered the car in stealth. Yuna now had her helmet equipped. He wore a dark gray Aegis suit, helmet retracted. She looked over at him.

“You plannin’ on joining in on the fun?” Yuna asked. “Don’t expect me to help you, ever. And don’t get in my way. Can you even fight?”

“I possess capabilities similar to your own,” Aelfric said.

Yuna chuckled. “Any other time, I’d make you regret saying that.”

“It would be ideal if we could communicate, should the need arise.”

“I’m good.” Yuna exited the car and stretched while bouncing on her feet. Aelfric’s helmet equipped while he exited. He looked at Yuna, whose helmet had retracted again. “Good luck.” She waved before dashing into a full sprint. He pursued her.

Failure is not an option, Aelfric thought. This will be difficult, but I’ve studied her movements. I’ll put that knowledge to use. Hopefully.

Meanwhile, Griff drove through the streets of Lyrsium. Celeste sat in the passenger seat with a medkit in lap and Reina-bird on her shoulder.

“We’re almost in range,” Reina said. “Huh? Yuna sent a voice message? She’d been ignoring me!”

“We’d have been there already if Celeste hadn’t insisted on driving first,” Griff grumbled.

“Oh hush, you know the saying, ‘like riding a bike’,” Celeste said. “Didn’t think I’d forgotten so much…and I apologized already.”

“Yeah, well, apologize to the poor sap you almost ran over. Don’t gotta worry about that with a bike.”

“I wasn’t that close, you old grump.”

“Yuna,” Reina whimpered, a few sobs emanated from her bird before cutting out. Celeste snatched the bird from her shoulder before bringing it to her eye-line.

“Hun? What’s wrong? Did I just hear cryin’?” Celeste asked.

“I’m fine. Sorry.”

“Don’t you dare lie to me now.”

“No, really. Yuna just caught me off-guard with her message. She said some things not like her. And…”

“And what?”

It feels wrong to withhold her message to Mama, Reina thought. But I can’t risk it.

“‘I’m sure you’ll find your way here. Just in case any others come along, make sure you all stay far from the fight. This is going to require my everything’ - is a message from Yuna.”

A bittersweet grin crept along Celeste’s lips. “When’d that troublesome daughter finally mature a little? I’ve worried for so long she’d never temper it. Leon, though…”

“I’m not stupid enough to mix it up with some monstrosity capable of taking out Leon, but I sure as shit ain’t doing nothin’, either,” Griff said.

“Is that what had you bawlin’, hun?”

“I wasn’t—! Nevermind that. We’re close.” Reina hopped a one-eighty, peering out the windshield. “Should see Griff’s car any second. Please, let me recon the area before you two do anything.”

“Don’t worry, Reina, hun. I know it’s hard to picture, but we were mercenaries under your father once upon a time. We know how to gauge a battlefield. For that girl to say that, we have to respect the situation and cast aside any personal feelings in our approach. If you weren’t this little thing, you can bet I’d be locking you in the trunk.”

“Oh. Uhm. Sorry.”

“Ain’t nothing to apologize for. Just be quick.”

Griff pulled up alongside his car and hopped out. He swiftly opened the trunk and dug inside, making quite a bit of noise. Reina flew out the window and scanned the area. Celeste approached Griff, medkit in hand. He then pulled out an enormous sniper rifle he had assembled.

“Mind grabbin’ the ammo? This sonuvabitch is heavier than I remember.” Griff trembled under the weight of the gun.

“Somehow, I’m not surprised. But did you think I wouldn’t notice? Are you going to be okay?” Celeste pointed at Griff’s eyes.

“Figured you’d notice. Only surprised you didn’t say anything sooner. We ain’t got time for a lecture, though. I’m going even if I wasn’t okay.”

Celeste sighed. “Why you think I insisted? How haven’t you changed after so many years?”

“Hey now, this is a relapse, I’ll have you know.”

Celeste grabbed the ammo box, underestimating its weight at first. “That’s not the great defense you think it is.”

Reina hovered above. Wish I could just remote into Yuna’s suit, but what if I distracted her for even a second? There! She flew down to the others. “I see an obvious busted entrance at that theater.” She noticed the sniper. “The hell is that?”

Meanwhile, Yuna entered the main auditorium of the theater, dual axe transarms in hand. Bright lights illuminated the stage. The ambient light revealed much of the area in mid-restoration process. An unpleasant scent of cleaning chemicals mixed with something else drifted into her nose. Stained plastic sheets surrounded the stage. The whirl of machinery echoed as Siegfried rose from beneath the stage. Several cultists stood around the room and upper floors, statuesque. He had his usual digital face, but it appeared slightly distorted. He caught a dagger between his fingers.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Interrupted before I even speak?” Siegfried said, unmistakable agitation in his tone. “I’m rather unpleasant when my work’s interrupted, Yuna. Rude little guttersnipe, hreiwick.”

“Where is he, you piece of metallic shit?” Yuna roared. It looked as if invisible hands held her back, her body twitched. “I’ll fucking find whatever flesh you have left and rend sinew from sinew.”

“Oh? Perhaps we have something in common. Leon’s proven quite troublesome to break. He’s really gotten on my nerves, to be honest with you. But fortune favors the bold! Perhaps the daughter he, temporarily—,” Siegfried laughed mockingly in a strange emotionless tone, “saved; will loosen his tongue?”

Siegfried discarded his coat, revealing a grotesque mix of metal, cybernetics and sparse flesh. Transarm rapiers emerged from his bulky metal forearms, sliding into his hands. A folded arm resided in his chest, with a cavity next to it.

“I already know you,” Siegfried mocked with a grin. “I won’t be holding back this time. If we take too long, old Leon will incur brain damage. Well, more damage, to be precise.”

Yuna unleashed a primal roar of unbridled fury from deep within while sprinting full speed forward. She leapt onto the stage and charged Siegfried, transarm axes in hand. At the same time, Aelfric soared from above with a transarm claymore bearing down on Siegfried. Siegfried pulled back one arm, then thrust it at an almost imperceptible speed toward Yuna. The rapier point glided past her face, leaving a shallow cut. She had preemptively dodged before the thrust itself. She then swung at the outstretched arm. Meanwhile, Siegfried had stepped just out of the trajectory of Aelfric’s claymore; gravity proving too difficult for him to course correct. Siegfried’s other rapier jabbed toward Aelfric’s chest, where he deflected it with a wakizashi. The force caused him to land in an awkward manner, but he recovered quickly and retreated a few steps while guarding. As he pulled the claymore to rest on his shoulder and held the wakizashi to his chest, he glanced toward Yuna. Her axes connected with Siegfried’s arm from opposing sides, however, they appeared to only penetrate the width of the Excalium edge. She quickly retracted the axes and withdrew a few steps.

“Someone else came along with you?” Siegfried calmly pulled back his arms. “Who might you be? It’s only proper to introduce oneself. I’m sure you know my name.”

“Fuck! Cocksucker must be same shit as the suits,” Yuna said, ignoring the other two while glaring at the cuts she’d made.

“Ael—!” Aelfric yelled before stopping himself. Fool. Don’t fall for his provocations.

“‘Al’..?” Siegfried asked.

Sweat glistened on Yuna’s flushed cheeks, even as her suit continued to cool the rest of her. Her eyes remained affixed on the slight damage she’d dealt. She dashed forward, summoning every ounce of her strength into each stride, followed by the swing of her transarms. Her speed proved enough to cause Siegfried to guard, unlike their prior encounter. As they exchanged blows with Yuna on a continuous assault, Aelfric closed the distance. He made a powerful horizontal swing of his claymore at Siegfried’s hip. For the first time, Siegfried stepped back. Yuna pressed the perceived advantage. However, her peripheral caught the familiar claymore. Siegfried capitalized on the minute distraction, even while delivering a riposte to Aelfric. The arm from his chest sprang forward, rapier in hand. Time slowed for Yuna as she watched the tip pierce her left eye. She leapt back, but the rapier plucked her eye from its socket. At the same time, Aelfric deflected the riposte with his wakizashi, but it unbalanced him. Siegfried delivered a powerful kick, sending Aelfric flying into some scaffolding, which then collapsed onto him.

“Fuck!” Yuna bellowed. She clenched her left eye as tight as possible as blood seeped through her fingers. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

“Ah. I got overzealous. That was a waste of a pretty eye.” Siegfried shook his head as he inspected the eyeball before flicking it away. “How unfortunate. What distracted you, though, my dear? Are you not allies?”

Yuna continued to press a hand against her eye. She turned her head toward where Aelfric had landed. “You motherfucker, you distracted me! You better fucking survive this. We have unfinished business!”

“‘Unfinished business’?” Siegfried looked as Aelfric used the claymore to emerge from the rubble. “Oh…oh. Could it truly be? Yes. That weapon combo?”

Meanwhile, opposite the stage on a balcony, Celeste pressed a cultist into the floor, holding its arm behind their back. The medkit and ammo lay nearby. Griff stood behind, appearing quite weary from carrying the sniper rifle. Reina fluttered past at the unmistakable roar-like cursing from Yuna.

“Libertas carnis!” The cultist’s muffled cry rang out before falling limp.

Reina saw Yuna’s helmet equip. Finally, I can—, She thought. No… don’t be an idiot. I’ll only look. I won’t tell her I’m there.

“Pretty sure they’re dead, Celeste,” Griff said. “You can stop the armbar. Now, if you could, please grab your daughter before she reveals our position. This shot’s gonna be a distraction at best if we’re lucky. Lose that surprise, and I’ve lugged this hunk of junk here for nothin’.”

“Were you always this tiresome?” Celeste asked. She grabbed the hovering Reina, then sat behind the solid railing of the balcony.

“Yeah.” Griff laid the rifle down while sitting as well. He put a cigarette in his mouth and motioned as if to light it.

“The heck’re you doing?”

“Just an old routine. Quiet.”

Clear agitation swept across Celeste’s expression. She may have clocked Griff were she not holding Reina. She shifted into peering over the railing, holding an inert Reina-bird in her hand alongside her own eye-line.

“What? Where am—? Mama?” Reina-bird’s head twitched about, stopping at Celeste. “Mama! Yuna! She—. She’s lost an eye, and she’s burning up! The suit’s even struggling to cool her.” Celeste moved to stand, yet appeared to encounter significant invisible resistance. She inched upward until she felt Griff pull down onto her shoulder.

“C’mon Celeste, you’re too sharp for your memories to have faded,” Griff said. “You know you can’t intervene in such a battlefield. Not yet.”

Celeste pushed herself back below the railing. “Fuck.”

“Mama? I sent you her biometrics. What should we do? I don’t…” Reina said.

Celeste’s gaze sharpened as she watched Yuna. “I had to wait like this many times in the past. Waiting for your father to overcome odds not in his favor. It’s a miserable sight we’ve no choice but to endure until the end, whatever the outcome.”

“Don’t worry,” Griff said. He had set up the rifle and took aim at Siegfried. “This fucking monster killed Tau. Took Leon. If Yuna fails, my last breath will ensure you get a chance to get her out. I swear it.”

“But you don’t know Tau’s—!” Reina said. Celeste’s thumb pressed against where Reina’s voice emanated, muffling it.

“This’ no place for wishful thinking, hun. I’ll hear no more of it.”

Muffled murmurs quieted from Celeste’s thumb. “Trust your sister, hun. Where’d that unfaltering confidence in her go? She’s always running hot. If I know our Yuna like I think I do, I can imagine the depth of her anger.”

Celeste watched as Yuna closed the distance to Siegfried in an instant, wielding both axes in a flurry of strikes. Her movements fused into an imperceptible blur. She pressured Siegfried so much that he started defending with both arms. As seconds passed, they reached a stalemate.

“Look. Your father was right,” Celeste said. “Emotions tend to get you killed on the battlefield. But our Yuna’s a rare breed. Rage, true rage, focuses her. It’s not compromising her. We have to wait for our own moments.” She removed her thumb. Reina made no sounds.

Aelfric re-entered the fray, both weapons in hand. He wasted no time attempting to take advantage of Yuna’s assault. They forced Siegfried onto the defensive entirely.

“So, any idea who the fuck the third wheel is?” Griff asked.

“Those weapons…it can’t be?” Reina said.

“Weapons? Wait. What about Alphonse? Where’s he?” Celeste asked.

After several minutes of intense combat, Siegfried had started repositioning himself. He spoke multiple times, but the clang of metal drowned him out with ease. Their pressure on him grew as Aelfric synchronized his attacks more and more with the unrelenting rhythm Yuna had established. They both managed a few glancing blows to Siegfried. However, each paid the price with a rapier piercing into their suits. The wounds proved shallow, though, and the suits mended the holes. A few more minutes passed. Fatigue emerged in Yuna and Aelfric’s movements. They exchanged a glance. Yuna made a slight nod up. They both delivered heavy deflections to attacks from Siegfried and a moment later, dashed inward, swapping their directions. They hard stopped at Siegfried’s flanks, so much so their boots damaged the flooring.

In a synchronous movement, Aelfric leapt while Yuna dived. A great deal played out in the following seconds. The lower half of Siegfried’s arms opened. Aelfric’s claymore cleaved into Siegfried’s neck, but only a quarter. Thin mechanical arms rocketed out from Siegfried’s arms, imperceptible to the naked eye. Yuna had both axes primed to cleave into Siegfried’s leg, which she had damaged earlier that night. However, only one axe made contact. It penetrated far until the same leg weakly kicked Yuna away, sending her tumbling. Her other arm meanwhile had been severed entirely, lying on the ground near Siegfried, still clutching the axe. At the same time, Siegfried backhanded Aelfric, sending him flying while one of his legs fell to the ground. The thin arms hung, appearing frail while holding transarm katanas, now coated with Yuna and Aelfric’s blood.

Siegfried wobbled. Boom! A shot echoed. The auditorium amplified the sniper rifle firing tenfold, overshadowing any sound from the combatants. It hit Siegfried. It caused zero damage, however the kinetic force unsteadied him further. Boom. Another shot. He appeared to step forward in defiance. Another shot. He stared at Yuna, who had only been kicked a short distance away. That same leg wobbled, as if it would give way any second. Another shot. He leaned into it while brandishing a rapier. He thrust toward Yuna. Suddenly, Aelfric’s wakizashi soared through the air into the jawline of Siegfried’s head, piercing it and sending fragments flying. Some indiscernible fluids splattered out. Another shot. Siegfried reeled back. Meanwhile, Reina-bird had been jetting toward Siegfried.

“Move, Yuna!” Reina’s voice resounded in Yuna’s helmet to a deafening degree.

The suit had already begun closing where Yuna’s arm had been severed as she rolled a short distance away, leaving a trail of blood. As soon as Reina reached Siegfried’s face, she exploded. The blast finally sent Siegfried backwards. Several more shots pierced the cloud of debris left by Reina-bird. With a loud crash, Siegfried fell. His weakened leg and the weight of the claymore caused him to land awkwardly, tilted. Barely a moment after hitting the ground, Yuna appeared overhead. Her entire body heaved in exhaustion, yet in her hand, she held her severed, clenched fist, which still held her other axe. She swung without hesitation into the claymore. Over and over. Cleaving it further and further. Fluids with a hint of blood splattered with each furious blow until she decapitated Siegfried. She continued to swing, driving the claymore into the floor. Celeste soon appeared and stopped her with little effort. Griff lagged a short distance behind, struggling to breathe. He stood over Siegfried’s head, which appeared to flicker. Griff pulled out the wakizashi from Siegfried’s jaw, then thrust it with all his might into the decapitated brain.

“Ain’t…you ever… seen a zombie flick?” Griff collapsed to the ground in sweaty exhaustion.