Ais lay on the cold ground, her blood pooling beneath her. The wound in her stomach throbbed with every beat of her heart, the edges of her vision darkening. She could hear the distant sounds of battle, of her friends fighting, of Baobhan Sith laughing.
She could not move.
Her fingers twitched against the stone, trying to find purchase, trying to push herself up. Her body refused.
'So this is it...'
The thought drifted through her mind like smoke. She thought of her mother—Aria, the Great Spirit of Wind. She thought of her father, Albert, the hero who had loved her mother and then lost her. She thought of the years she had spent alone, searching for answers, searching for strength.
She thought of Damien.
'He would be sad, wouldn't he?' Her vision blurred.' He would be so sad that I am gone. That I failed. That I could not protect them.'
Her eyes began to close.
Then she remembered his voice.
"You all are standing side by side with me in my biggest challenge. So be proud of yourselves. You have earned it."
Side by side.
'Did I truly earn that place?' she wondered. 'Or was he just comforting me?'
She thought of all the battles she had fought. All the monsters she had slain. All the times she had pushed herself beyond her limits to grow stronger. She thought of the dungeon, of the corruption, of the endless, brutal fights that had shaped her into who she was.
Damien did not give empty comfort.
He spoke truth.
And if he said she had earned her place beside him, then it was true. She had earned it. She was strong. She was worthy.
Her eyes opened.
The pain was still there, screaming at her, demanding she submit. But she refused. She would not submit. She would not surrender. She would not let this monster take her, not when she had so much left to do.
Something stirred inside her.
A warmth. A power. A memory of wind and sky and freedom.
'Mother...'
Her eyes turned green.
Green like the forests of her childhood. Green like the wind that had carried her mother's voice. Green like the power that had been dormant inside her for so long.
Her body lifted from the ground.
The wound in her stomach began to close, flesh knitting together as green aura engulfed her. A whirlwind erupted around her body, spinning faster and faster, lifting debris and dust into the air. The wind howled, carrying her higher, carrying her toward something she had always known but never fully understood.
She was Ais Wallenstein.
But she was also something more.
The whirlwind exploded outward.
When it cleared, Ais hovered in the air, her golden hair floating around her face. Her eyes were pure green now, glowing with ancient power. Behind her back, eight wings of spirit fairy light spread wide made of wind and leaves, translucent and ethereal. Her sword Desperate had transformed, extending into a blade of pure wind, its edges sharp enough to cut the sky itself.
Baobhan Sith paused.
She had been toying with Tiona, her clawed finger tracing a thin line across the Amazon's stomach, readying to activate Failnaught. She had been enjoying the game, savoring the fear, the pain, the desperation.
Then the green light filled the clearing.
Tiona's wound healed. The gashes on Finn's side closed. Anya's arm mended. Chloe's bleeding stopped. Even Ais's stomach wound disappeared, leaving only unblemished skin behind.
Baobhan Sith looked up.
Ais floated above her, wings spread, eyes burning with green fire. The wind swirled around her like a living shield.
The monster grinned.
"Finally," she breathed. "Someone strong enough to challenge me."
.....
Ais descended.
Her eight wings of wind and leaves carried her forward in a blur of green light. Her extended blade of wind swept toward Baobhan Sith's throat. The monster raised her claws to block and was pushed back for the first time, her boots carving trenches in the stone.
Baobhan Sith's eyes widened. "Oh my."
Ais pressed the attack.
Her blade became a storm! slashing, thrusting, carving arcs of green energy across the battlefield. Baobhan Sith danced around each strike, her claws deflecting what she could not dodge. But for every block, another strike came. For every dodge, Ais adjusted.
The wind howled around them, carrying Ais faster, higher, more unpredictable.
Baobhan Sith's grin widened. "Now this is fun!"
Her claws shot forward, aiming for Ais's ribs. Ais twisted, the tips grazing her side. A thin line of blood appeared
And instantly healed.
Baobhan Sith's grin faltered. "Oh?"
Ais's blade swept toward her neck. The monster ducked, rolling to the side, her claws raking across Ais's thigh. Another wound. Another instant heal.
"Interesting," Baobhan Sith mused, rising to her feet. "You can heal my wounds? How?"
Ais's wind blade caught her across the chest. Blue blood sprayed.
Baobhan Sith staggered back, her hand pressing against the wound. She looked at her fingers, then back at Ais.
"Quite the power you have awakened, little Wind Spirit." She licked the blood from her claws. "But let us see how many times you can heal before the pain slows you down."
She lunged.
The battle became a blur of green and pink.
Ais's wind blade carved through the air, leaving trails of green light. Baobhan Sith's claws moved in a frenzy, each strike aimed at a different part of Ais's body. The monster was faster so much faster but Ais's wind carried her, guided her, allowed her to anticipate each blow.
They clashed across the battlefield, their movements too fast for the others to track. Sparks flew. Blood sprayed. Wounds appeared and healed just as quickly.
Baobhan Sith raked her claws across Ais's shoulder. Ais grunted, her wings faltering for just a moment before the wound healed. She retaliated, her wind blade carving across Baobhan Sith's side.
The monster laughed.
"Good! Very good! But you are slowing down already."
She drove her heel into Ais's stomach. Ais gasped, the wind knocked from her lungs. She crashed into a pillar, stone cracking around her.
A new wound opened on her ribs...she felt it before the pain hit. It didn't just sting.... it burned, a searing agony that made her vision swim. The wound had deepened. Baobhan Sith had successfully landed a deeper blow.
Ais forced herself to heal. Flesh knitted back together, but the pain lingered longer than before.
Baobhan Sith smiled. "I noticed that."
The monster pressed her advantage.
Her claws became a blur of motion, each strike aimed at a different part of Ais's body. Shoulder. Ribs. Thigh. Stomach. Ais healed each one, but the pain built in her mind, a growing pressure threatening to overwhelm her.
She struck back. Her wind blade carved a deep gash across Baobhan Sith's leg. The monster stumbled, but only for a moment. Her claws found Ais's arm, and the wound widened before Ais could heal it.
Ais hissed, the pain sharp and immediate.
She was slowing. She knew she was slowing. The healing was taking more out of her each time. The pain was accumulating, building, wearing down her focus.
The wings of wind and leaves still held strong, but their glow was flickering.
Baobhan Sith's grin was almost fond. "You are fighting beautifully. I truly mean that. But you cannot outlast me. You know that, right?"
Ais said nothing.
She threw herself forward, her wind blade extended like a spear. Baobhan Sith sidestepped, her claws raking across Ais's back. The wound opened deep, wider than before, and for a moment, Ais's vision went white with pain.
She healed it, but the delay was longer this time. Too long.
...
The others watched in horror from the side lines. Tiona clutched her sister's arm. Finn's face was pale. Cassandra's healing magic flickered, useless against Baobhan Sith's curse power.
"She is losing," Gareth whispered.
"No," Riveria said, her voice hoarse. "She is not."
...
Ais rose again.
Her wings flared with renewed energy, green light washing across the battlefield. She could feel her mother's presence...Aria's presence...pushing her forward. Encouraging her.
'You are strong' she heard. 'You are worthy. You are my daughter'
Ais's eyes burned.
She threw her wind blade like a javelin. Baobhan Sith dodged, but the blade curved mid-flight, returning to Ais's hand. The monster's eyes widened.
"Wind...."
Ais was already there.
Her blade drove through Baobhan Sith's chest.
The monster looked down at the wind blade protruding from her heart. Blue blood spilled across the ground. She coughed, a soft, almost amused sound.
"Oh," she said. "That was clever."
She raised her claws to strike
Ais spun, her blade carving upward. The wind tore through Baobhan Sith's throat, separating head from shoulders in a spray of blue.
The body crumpled.
Ais landed, her wings dissolving into green light. Her eyes flickered from green back to gold. Her extended blade shrank to its normal size.
She stood over Baobhan Sith's body, breathing hard.
Silence.
Then Tiona screamed, rushing forward. "AIS!"
Ais stumbled, catching herself on Desperate. She looked at Tiona, at the others, at the body of the monster at her feet.
"I am okay," she spoke as she fell face first
Tiona wrapped her arms around her quickly, and saved her from falling
Ais closed her eyes.
The wind carried her mother's voice one final time.
'You have earned this, my daughter. Be proud.'
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