The whole city held its breath. The Kravyrian puffed smoke from its wide-open fangs. A creature as alive as it was angry. The cadets hid behind crates and walls of half-collapsed buildings. Even Yirul had disappeared who knows where.

Only Mark, with his sword in hand, charged at the enemy in a desperate cry. He brought the blade down on one of the massive metal legs that anchored the Kravyrian to the ground; there was a small burst of electromagnetic energy when the weapon struck the enemy, but the recoil forced Mark to step back. The machine had not taken any damage. It didn’t even seem to notice anything.

Ember gripped the hilt more tightly. The bracelet was a silent weight on her wrist. Dust and smoke burned her eyes, making each breath feel labored.

The Kravyrian moved again. This time, it didn’t slide across the ground on its wheels. It lifted its two massive front legs and slammed them to the ground. It emitted a metallic roar as loud as thunder. The city trembled. Ember leaned against the railing behind her, but it crumbled under her fingers.

Some of the crates protecting the other cadets exploded in a shower of splinters. The cadets were without cover. Viola and Ciel lifted their heads, their giant, bulging eyes; they held hands. Oscar cried in a corner, while Alicia patted him on the back, trying to get him to move. Jason was the only one who stood up, his fists clenched and his jaw tight, a bundle of tensed muscles.

They were all afraid.

What do you hope to do alone? You're all screwed.

You’d be better off running and finding shelter.

Ember shook her head to push those thoughts away. She couldn’t panic. It wouldn’t help.

The dust still lingered in the air, surrounding the Kravyrian in a cloud. The machine moved again, each stomp against the ground shaking the entire city. It slammed a blow into Mark, who shielded himself behind the electromagnetic shield, but let out a grunt as he slid backward. He slammed into what was left of the railing. It crumbled. He waved his free hand, trying to grab onto something to avoid falling.

Let him fall.

Ember hesitated for a fraction of a second. It would have been so easy. But his screams pierced her ears. Like a claw, his voice gripped her heart and began to scratch.

Ember grabbed him by the arm. She felt Mark stiffen, his wide eyes staring at her. She pulled him up with a grunt.

He didn’t even thank her, not that she expected anything different. With a scornful growl, Mark charged again. A fool with no strategy, what did he hope to do against a machine the size of the Kravyrian?

Oscar had stopped crying by now; sword tightly gripped in hand and jaw clenched, he watched every enemy movement. Bloodstains decorated the front of his uniform. Jason did the same beside him. They seemed to be waiting for something. Courage, perhaps. Or maybe just a glimmer of hope.

The light from the spinning coil in the glass made them look like ghosts. Like a vision of the future showing what they would soon become.

The coil.

Phoenix had ordered them to destroy all the magic receivers. It wouldn’t be a solution, but perhaps it could be a start. Maybe this would weaken the metal monster.

The Kravyrian let out another one of its roars, then lunged forward. It smashed through everything in its path. The remains of the crates flew in every direction. Viola and Ciel moved in time, throwing themselves aside; they rolled on the ground and got up, coughing. Alicia, however, froze. The Kravyrian bore down on her with its massive bulk, not even slowing down.

Someone screamed her name. A tear in the air.

Then the sound of flesh and bones crushed under metal. Ember covered one ear with her free hand. Hot tears streaked down her cheeks.

Alicia was gone. In her place was only a dark stain. She had been a person, and now she was nothing but a mush. Ember breathed almost laboriously, every breath becoming heavier.

It could be you.

A thought slipped through the cracks of her rationality. It gave her the image of herself, eyes wide and lips parted, calling Lightara’s name just before the Kravyrian ran her over. And then, Lightara herself became that stain on the ground.

Nothing but a stain.

No. Stop it, she’s still alive. She has to be.

The sound of the machine’s screeching metal brought her back to the present. Ember bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted the metallic flavor of blood. They had to move, or they would all end up the same way.

Mark kept attacking without a plan, howling as though possessed.

Ember hated him. She hated him because, even in this mess of a situation, he was the only one who dared to find the courage to move. The only one with the strength to fight, to try, to resist.

Another stomp made the ground vibrate. It reminded her that there was no time for hesitation.

Focus.

The first step was the hardest. Her legs didn’t want to move, her feet stuck to the ground. Ember gritted her teeth and, finally, there it was, the first step. Then the second. The third. And before she realized it, she was running toward the magic receiver.

The shrill screech of the metal grew sharper. Ember looked up just in time to see one of the spikes fly off the monstrous machine’s body. “Shit!” she muttered, flipping sideways. The projectile slammed next to her in an explosion and a rain of dust.

Ember got back up, coughing. She kept running. She could feel her comrades’ confused gazes on her.

Don’t think about them. Not now. Focus on your target.

It was Lightara’s voice guiding her. It felt like she could hear her, inside her.

More shots exploded. Ember narrowly avoided them. Until she reached the magic receiver and raised her sword. In one fluid motion, without breaking her run, she slashed through the glass and the coil inside. Warm energy surged from within. The glass shattered, and the magic inside expanded into a glowing blue mass.

It imploded in a flash. The shockwave sent Ember flying through the air. She landed on the ground, still vibrating from the impact. Her ears were ringing, the sounds distant and indistinguishable. She stood up with a grunt of pain, her knees trembling. The Kravyrian was still there, roaring through the plumes of smoke rising from the crater where the magic receiver had been.

It moved again, stomping its legs to the ground. But it was slower, as if it had suddenly remembered the weight that came with such enormous size.

The others noticed too. One by one, they found the strength to act. Oscar was the first, mimicking Mark by charging at one of the metal legs. Then it was Jason’s turn. Ciel and other archers launched arrows that exploded with electromagnetic energy when they hit their target. Viola threw a cloud of debris at the machine’s gaping jaws.

The Kravyrian struggled to move, but it didn’t give up. It launched another couple of spikes. The archers were forced to stop shooting to avoid being crushed. Some swords were thrown away with a push of its legs.

It’s still not enough. We’re just tickling it.

They needed to find the weak point of that mass of metal. Or a strategy that could cause enough damage to stop such a massive machine.

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Ember looked up at the sky. Lumen was flying above the smoke and dust, a little iron dragonfly buzzing high. Maybe it was a vain hope, but she had to try. She ordered it to fly through the remains of the city while she hid behind the remnants of a crate. She leaned against it, panting and coughing. Instead of a holographic map, the images from Lumen’s recordings appeared before her.

Ember squinted as a small holographic representation of the main square appeared before her. It was a crater of destruction, where the remains of Ysnian machines lay scattered around. Some of the buildings around the square were still intact, but most had collapsed into giant, fallen forms, leaving exposed skeletons of beams and pipes. Blue sparks flew from tangles of hanging cables.

Lumen moved a bit further, as the rumblings of the Kravyrian deafened Ember. It was then that the drone’s images captured something interesting: a tangle of flashing cables and pipes hanging from a semi-collapsed tower. They swayed lazily, like snakes waiting. They ended in large connectors flashing with blue energy.

Whatever their original purpose, they were still active.

Close by, just a few meters from the tower’s base, Lumen showed her a large crater full of metal remains and conductive materials.

Ember bit her lip. A plan as crazy as it was risky flashed into her mind. She stood up, her body creaking with pain.

She couldn’t do it alone. She stepped out from her hiding place, her ears still ringing from the explosion and the clamor of battle. She looked for Ciel and Viola before anyone else, the blood pumping anxiety through her veins. She relaxed slightly when she saw them far from the Kravyrian, shooting arrows and debris from the battlefield. Oscar was attacking fiercely, along with other cadets blinded by rage and desperation; Jason played a more cautious dance, only bringing down his sword to regain distance; Mark kept shouting and striking, but he was losing speed.

He was starting to tire. Yet, he didn’t give up.

Ember hated seeing that determination, which, as foolish as it was, made him such a brave soldier. Phoenix's protégé showed all his worth.

It’s your turn. For Lightara.

She reached Ciel and Viola, with her shield raised to protect herself from any sudden attacks. "I have a plan!" she shouted, trying to overpower the chaos of the battle.

Viola was the first to stop, her hands raised, her gloved fingers spread to command a shower of stones. "A plan?"

Ciel shot one last arrow before turning her attention to Ember. "Emby, if you get us out of this mess, I swear I'll shower you with kisses."

"Eh?" Ember shook her head to clear the image away. "No, I hope... I hope it works. But I need everyone’s help."

The Kravyrian launched another spike. The archers scattered in a sea of screams. No one died this time.

Viola cursed, her fists clenched. Stones and dust flew around her like a shield ready to explode. "What’s this plan?"

"We need to lure the Kravyrian into the main square," Ember said, raising her arm to point beyond the destroyed balustrade. "There’s a tower full of cables. We can use the cables to trap the Kravyrian, but we need to bring it down first."

"How do we make a tower fall?"

"With electromagnetic arrows. If we target the right joints, it should be enough." Or so she hoped. There were no certainties. "But we need the Kravyrian to be near the base of the tower when it falls."

"It’s suicide," Viola commented flatly. The next moment, she threw a half-smile at the other two. "But at least it’s a plan."

Ember nodded. "You need to help me convince the others to cooperate. I... doubt they’ll listen to me." She turned toward Mark, watching his face twisted in a sharp expression of despair. He kept striking and striking, even though the only effect was annoying the giant machine.

"I’ll take care of warning the other archers," Ciel said, before heading toward the other cadets armed with bows.

Viola let out a deep sigh. "Looks like it’s up to us to convince the blockheads."

"Any ideas?" Ember asked.

"As much as I hate to admit it, we need to tell Mark the plan."

A shitty idea. Ember would have preferred throwing herself over the railing and letting herself fall into the square instead. But if she wanted to survive, if she wanted to help her comrades, if she wanted to find Lightara... she had no choice. "I’ll go," she said to Viola, pressing the button on her cloak’s clasp. She closed her eyes, the image of Lightara in the woods flooding her mind; Ember followed the rhythm of her breath until she was sure it was steady.

She moved quickly, slipping past the other cadets fighting without a clear strategy. In the chaos of bodies, weapons, and noises. Until she was behind Mark and grabbed his uniform to get him to stop.

"What the hell?" He rebelled, twisting away. Ember let go of her grip, and he nearly fell on his backside. She had to suppress a smile.

"Mark, I have a plan." She deactivated the cloak.

Mark widened his eyes, as though he couldn’t believe what was in front of him. "I don’t give a damn about your plans, nerd."

He’ll never follow you. No matter how much you insist. Get over it.

Meanwhile, Ciel led the archers down a winding path toward the square. They ran in a line, following Ciel’s orders as if they trusted her blindly. Or maybe they were just too terrified to refuse. After all, they didn’t have many other chances of surviving.

"Where are those cowards going?" Mark snapped.

Ember tightened her grip on the sword’s hilt. Assert yourself, damn it. "We need to lure the Kravyrian to the square. There’s a tower there, and we can—"

"Lure it to the square? You want to die, Leroy?"

"The girl’s right." A male voice silenced him. Yirul reappeared from nowhere, an electromagnetic energy armor wrapping him in a constant hum. "Using the terrain is our only chance. This beast won’t go down with a couple of sword strikes."

Mark didn’t respond at first. Ember watched him tremble, his jaw clenched, his posture rigid. Until he screamed with the fury of an animal, raising his sword above his head. "Let’s lure it down! Follow me!" He cast a cold look at Ember before rushing forward to follow the archers.

Jason, Oscar, and all the others went after him without hesitation. Ember and Yirul did the same, while the Kravyrian howled with its metallic voice and slid its wheels along the road.

It was slower than before. Impossible to tell if it was the result of the destroyed magic receiver or the numerous strikes that had damaged its armor.

"Under that tower!" Ember pointed to the target for Yirul, who nodded and took charge of the operation. He commanded the cadets to attack the machine to draw it in the right direction. Ember joined them, throwing stones and debris to distract the monster. Viola, on the other side, was doing the same.

The Kravyrian moved toward the base of the tower, sweeping everything in its path, turning the remains of smaller Ysnian machines into metal sludge.

"Now!" Yirul shouted.

The archers shot their arrows. The darts whistled through the air, hitting the upper joints of the tower, where the structure was more fragile. The tower trembled, but stayed upright. Resilient.

"We need more power!" Ciel yelled.

Ember searched the joints with her gaze. Think, think. How could she increase the power in a short time?

"Vi! Can you use your gloves to boost the arrows' strength?"

Viola kept running and looked at her hands for a couple of seconds. "I can try."

They had to make it work.

When the archers shot again, Viola pointed both palms to the sky. The arrows slowed for a fraction of a second, then shot toward the tower with renewed fury. The structure groaned and began to collapse, the roar masking the sounds of the Kravyrian.

"Back!"

"Move!"

"Help!"

The cadets’ cries were muffled by the din. Ember threw herself to the ground as the tower fell onto the Kravyrian. A boom shook the square. Dust and debris lifted into the air.

Only when the air cleared did Ember dare to get up and see the result. The cables had wrapped around the Kravyrian’s legs and massive body. They climbed over it like tendrils, holding it in place.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Ember grabbed the ends of some cables and pulled them toward the crater full of conductive debris. She didn’t need to explain what she was doing; the others understood. Before Yirul could shout the command, Jason had already started to imitate her, followed by Viola and Oscar. With desperate coordination, they worked together to create a lethal circuit, while Ciel and the other archers kept the Kravyrian at bay with their arrows.

It was Mark who pushed the connector and completed the circuit.

There was a crackle, then a blinding light. The cadets ran off, keeping their distance. The energy discharged into the crater, rising with a devastating shockwave across the Kravyrian’s body.

The monster’s final roar was the worst. A metallic wail that vibrated in the air for a long time.

Then came the silence. The Kravyrian no longer moved, its red eyes extinguished. The whistle of the wind blew through the still-standing buildings. Lumen buzzed slightly higher, watching over that eerily quiet scene.

The cadets didn’t have the strength to celebrate. They all stood there, staring at the remains of the machine that had erased two of their comrades from existence.

Ember felt the heat of tears rise to her eyes. She wiped them away before they could fall down her cheeks. She had made it. She had done something to save her comrades, with everyone’s help. And yet, victory, she realized, didn’t have the triumphant sound of fanfares.

Victory had the bitter taste of blood.