LYRIAN AND REONE
They stayed hidden in the shadows, watching the Sisterhood from a distance.
Nivara knelt beside Damon, her hands glowing faintly with unstable resonance as she tried to heal him.
"Come on, Nivara. Hurry it up-we don't have time for this," Caelynn snapped impatiently.
"Yeah," Veyra added coolly. "We may have slowed down Lyrian and Reone for now, but that may not last forever."
Nivara glared up at her sisters. "We can't leave with him like this. He's barely breathing. Just one more moment."
"Fine," Caelynn huffed, folding her arms.
Veyra rolled her eyes. "He's becoming more trouble than he's worth. First he disobeys orders, attacks Rhys, and risking all of us-and then he doesn't even finish the job."
Caelynn tilted her head. "Agreed. He's a liability. I only hope he's strong enough to pull his weight at the Temple of Echoes."
"He will be," Nivara insisted, her voice trembling with exhaustion. "He just needs time."
A moment later, she sagged forward, wiping sweat from her brow. "He's good to go."
"You don't look good," Veyra remarked, her tone uncharacteristically worried.
"I'm fine," Nivara lied, swaying slightly.
"You burned up most of your strength healing him," Caelynn warned. "That was reckless."
"I couldn't just let him die," Nivara murmured. "He's essential. Without him, our plan will never succeed."
From their hiding place, Lyrian and Reone exchanged a tense glance.
"Temple of Echoes?" Lyrian whispered. "And taking over the entire magic dimension?"
Reone's jaw tightened. "Looks like they're back to their old tricks."
They turned their attention back to the Sisterhood.
"Let's move," Veyra said sharply. "Before anyone finds us."
Veyra and Caelynn moved towards the weakened pair,ready to act as their support.
Lyrian and Reone nodded at each other,before stepping out of the shadows.
"I dont think so, Sisterhood." Lyrian's voice rang out-steady and cutting.
Veyra and Caelynn spun around in shock.
"Lyrian and Reone," Nivara sneered. "Persistent little pests, aren't you?"
"How did you escape my illusions?" Caelynn demanded, narrowing her eyes.
"Guess we're tougher than we look," Reone said, drawing his sword. "As you're about to find out."
Lyrian didn't wait. Her hands shimmered with blue resonance, and she shouted, "Sound Crush!"
The air rippled violently as her attack slammed into Veyra, hurling her backward into a stone wall.
Caelynn retaliated, splitting into three identical illusions that fired dark blasts at Reone. He blocked one, sidestepped another, then slashed through the last two-finding the real Caelynn crouched low.
She ducked his blade, but he caught her with a swift kick to the ribs. She hit the ground hard.
"You should've stayed dead," Reone growled.
Caelynn smirked, coughing. "Im sensing that you're still angry about your mentor. What was his name-Varek?"
Reone's fury ignited. "Don't you dare say his name!" he shouted, lunging again.
Caelynn smirks when she succesfully uses Reone's anger to manipulates him. An illusion flared behind him and struck, slamming him to the floor.
"Reone!" Lyrian gasped, racing to him.
Caelynn raised her hand for another strike, but Lyrian unleashed a piercing sonic wave that shattered the illusion and sent Caelynn stumbling back, clutching her head.
Lyrian knelt protectively beside Reone. "If you want him, you'll have to go through me first."
"So much for us not exerting ourselves,"Veryra says stepping beside Caelynn.
She had clearly recovered from Musa's attack.
She then looks at Lyrian."You think you can take us both?"
"That's exactly what I think," Lyrian shot back.
"Big words," Nivara sneered. "Let's see you prove it."
They attacked together-wind blades and dark blasts cutting through the air-but Lyrian shifted her sound frequency, shattering both attacks midair. The explosion blew harmlessly apart.
Then she screamed again-a sonic burst so powerful it sent both the dark sylphs to their knees.
On the ground, Nivara watched, terror rising in her chest. They were losing.
Her gaze drifted to Damon's pale face, and her heart clenched. "No..." she whispered. "I won't lose you."
She pressed her lips to his forehead. "I'll be back, my love."
Her body trembled, her raw resonance unstable now-but love drove her forward. She rose, eyes blazing with wild light.
"Enough!" she shouted.
Her hands surged with chaotic energy. The air warped, resonance sparking in violent bursts.
Caelynn gasped when she was her sister.
"Nivara stop, stop!" Caelynn yelled.
But it was too late. Nivara released the blast.
Lyrian barely had time to drag Reone behind the nearest wall. The explosion shook the entire fortress, sending debris crashing downyrian barely had time to create a shield.
When the dust settled, Nivara was on her knees, trembling. Veyra and Caelynn peeked out from behind a shattered pillar, coughing.
"Nivara!" Veyra ran to her. "Are you insane? You almost killed us!"
Nivara blinked weakly. "D-Damon... is he all right?"
"He's fine," Veyra said,sparing the guy a glance. "You fried everything except him. Lucky him."
Caelynn hesitated, quietly realizing that Nivara's feelings had unconsciously shielded him.
"We're leaving," Veyra ordered. "Now."
Caelynn nodded, slinging Damon's arm over her shoulder while Veyra hauled Nivara to her feet.
But before they could they could fly out the window-
"Where do you think you're going?" Reone's voice cut through the smoke, rough but steady.Lyrian was next to him.
"We're done here," Nivara hissed. "Sisters!"
Caelynn snapped her fingers, conjuring a thick emerald fog that swallowed the room.
"Not again," Lyrian groaned as the mist blinded them.
When it cleared-the Sisterhood and Damon were gone.
"Where did they go?" Reone asked, scanning the wreckage, breathing heavily.
"They escaped," Lyrian said, frustrated.
Reone cursed under his breath, clutching his ribs.
"Reone!" Lyrian caught him before he fell.
"I'm fine," he muttered. "We have to go after them-"
"You're in no shape to fight," Lyrian said firmly. "And they're long gone."
He clenched his fists. "I can't believe Damon slipped away again."
"This isn't on you," Lyrian said softly. "We both let them get away." She hesitated. "But I think I know where they're heading."
Reone looked up. "Where?"
"Remember that Caelynn mentioned a place Temple of Echoes.I think that's where they're headed next," she said.
Reone nodded, grim determination flickering through the pain. "Then that's where we're going."
But then he clutched his abdomen, groaning in pain.