She screeched—a cry of celestial fury—and in her wake, an ocean of radiant light cascaded upon the world.
The phoenix blazed, not merely with fire, but with righteous indignation. Her form, incandescent and divine, pulsed with the wrath of a being born from purity itself. The light she unleashed consumed everything it touched—not leaving ash, not bone, not even dust. The wicked did not burn… they were erased, dissolved into the holy conflagration as though they had never been.
And yet, amidst the apocalyptic radiance, the innocent were spared. No—more than spared. The children, untouched by corruption, were bathed in healing warmth. Where flame should have devoured them, they were invigorated instead, filled with newfound vitality and strength.
The ascended warriors leapt from rooftop to rooftop, their bodies strong enough to escape the initial tide. But even the city itself betrayed them—buildings began to sag and melt like wax under her gaze, toppling with agonized groans.
They responded in kind, loosing a flurry of arrows upon the phoenix. Each shaft was wreathed in force and precision—but most dissolved in midair, consumed before they reached her. A few struck true, piercing the avian Terror's body.
Kai gasped in horror. He saw golden ichor spill from her wounds, molten like liquid sunlight.
But then—something changed.
The arrows… they were melting, too? The golden blood shimmered, then hissed, and the wounds sealed. It was as if the very light she wielded refused to let her die. The sea of flame rose, welcomed the broken shafts, and returned them as strength.
The phoenix—Hemera—lifted her gaze. Her eyes were calm. Cold.
And Kai… Kai felt his despair melt away.
The fire that had licked his skin and blackened his flesh began to twist, to change. The agony receded. What had moments ago been death now felt like rebirth. The pyre transformed, not into execution, but exaltation. The flames danced across his ribs, realigning bones, knitting muscle. His legs—once charred and ruined—shimmered with light and were whole again.
Kai stared at his limbs in disbelief. Not only was he healed, but something more stirred within him. His body thrummed with power. His soul blazed brighter. Strength—real, radiant strength—now coursed through his veins.
But the phoenix's light had dimmed.
And he understood.
She gave that to me… she weakened herself to save me.
Above, Hemera faced two ascended warriors. Stronger than her. Deadlier. But Hemera was no ordinary beast—she was an Awakened Terror, born of celestial blood. A descendant of the Sun God himself.
Her eyes flicked briefly to Kai. Then she turned her full focus to the enemy.
She felt it—a sickness in her heart. Not physical, but spiritual. Revulsion. Horror. How could they do this? How could her kin—the dragon—allow this atrocity to unfold? To stand by while innocents burned? To submit to madness and idly watch the world rot?
She and the dragon shared divine blood. The Sun God was their ancestor—mother, father, it mattered not. Their lineage was the same. Yet one chose to burn with justice, and the other chose silence.
Aren't we supposed to be beings of light? Bearers of hope? Creatures of compassion?
And yet… this.
Hemera's fury roiled in her chest.
Desire—yes, it could inspire courage, birth virtue. But here, twisted by Hope's corruption, desire had become a mirror to humanity's vilest sins. Their depravity wasn't hidden anymore. It bared itself before her like a festering wound.
And in that moment, she understood something she had never dared to contemplate.
Is this… the world Klaus sees?
She had always known his soul was marked by the Law of Original Sin—tethered to all that is forbidden, cursed, and unclean. But now she felt it. Saw it. The malignancy hiding in men's hearts, the rot beneath smiles, the filth beneath the surface.
Even those he loved… he saw their flaws. Their cruelty. Their hidden shame.
How have you not gone mad, Master?
How have you not abandoned them? Hated them?
How have you not broken beneath the weight of this world?
Her luminous form flared with divine light. She soared high, wings stretched wide, flames trailing behind her like the tail of a comet.
Then, without hesitation, Hemera folded her wings.
And fell.
The Ascended warriors were far stronger than Hemera had anticipated. These were no ordinary elites—they were the proud vanguard of the Ivory City. She didn't have much time. Before reinforcements returned—before the Ivory Dragon himself emerged—she had to rescue Kai and flee.
Hemera and the Dragon shared the same divine bloodline, both descendants of the Sun God. But while she was merely an Awakened Terror, Sevirax was a Transcendent. The disparity between them was insurmountable. If Sevirax arrived… she would perish. And Kai would follow her into death, without hope, without mercy.
Worse still, the city housed not one, but two Transcendents. The Sun Prince—Sevirax's younger brother. If that towering colossus were to appear… annihilation would be instantaneous.
Hemera could not afford hesitation. The two Ascended warriors had to be dealt with swiftly. She had to retrieve Kai and escape before the noose closed.
She could have left on her own. But once they realized her objective was Kai, they would act cruelly, just as her master had once warned her: "They will play dirty." Likely taking Kai hostage, forcing her surrender, and delivering both of them to the dragon's jaws.
So she pretended he was nothing. A stranger. If she showed even the slightest hint of care, they would strike him down without pause. Even if she managed to grab him and flee, the risk was too high. She knew nothing about the full extent of her enemies' abilities.
Thus, she fought alone—an inferno of furious blue flame, spiraling through the skies. Yet she was weakening. Her descent had healed not only Kai, but the innocent children caught in the blast. The Ocean of Light—her greatest weapon—was also her greatest burden. An all-consuming miracle that drained her soul with every second it remained unleashed.
She dodged arrows with desperate elegance, diving and twirling, wings slicing through the air in a dance of urgency. She couldn't afford another wound.
One of the Ascended unleashed his ability—stones trembled and surged toward him, molding into a monstrous five-meter giant of fused rock. From its hand, a stone sword materialized, and it swung with ruinous force.
Hemera halted mid-flight, her wings clapping backward just in time to dodge the slash. Then she dove, talons glowing with divine heat, and struck the golem's chest. Stone turned to lava beneath her wrath. The rock giant staggered.
With a piercing screech, Hemera tore into him—molten rock pouring from his chest like blood. She was moments away from the killing blow when a glacial arrow lanced through her wing.
Still, she did not stop.
More arrows came. She bled. She burned. And yet she fought. Digging deeper, tearing faster, her talons and beak rending the golem's body. Her healing grew sluggish—slower. Cold. Ice arrows. One of them could imbue his strikes with freezing essence.
It didn't matter.
She would endure.
The rock giant managed to regain his footing and seized her wings—ripping them clean off.
Hemera plummeted, crashing into the pool of lava she had created. The Ascended warriors exhaled in relief—too soon.
Then the lava erupted.
Boiling gold surged skyward, engulfing the golem like a wrathful tide. He was hurled backward, colliding with a building that trembled beneath the assault.
Too late, he realized what she was doing.
Hemera wasn't trying to kill him. She was trying to throw him from the floating island.
The building crumbled, unable to withstand the radiant flood. The golem's body was swept away, vanishing into the abyss below. The Ocean of Light cascaded after him, a river of molten gold pouring into the void, gleaming with divine fury.
Let the abyss finish what she couldn't.
Turning her gaze to the second warrior, Hemera rose once more. Wings restored, but faint—dimmed. Her flames flickered weaker now. Yet it didn't matter. With the rock giant gone, the archer had no shield. He was exposed.
The archer leapt across rooftops, loosing arrow after arrow. His breath was ragged. Fear twisted his face, but he didn't stop. He felt it—he had a chance. The giant had been a bad match for her, but he had the advantage. Cold against flame. Precision against fury. Her healing was slower now, and she was cautious, hiding in the ocean's glow to recover, then bursting forth in sudden attacks.
He was right to believe he could win.
Until—
"Aghh!"
Blood gushed from his throat. He staggered, hands grasping at his neck in stunned disbelief. An arrow was embedded there. His vision blurred. He looked up—
Kai was floating above him, bow in hand, his expression unreadable.
Then it clicked.
The Phoenix's true objective was never to win the battle. It was to buy time. To protect the centurion.
And now... the ascended warrior choked on his own blood, collapsing before the Ocean of Light surged forth once more—claiming him in a final, sacred tide.