Just.
Die!
Violence, and all its sacred melodies, were but a jumbled mess to Sonera. The many voices of all she once held in her gaze emerged as a chorus within her fractured mind. United, they whispered her name.
Sonera.
Sonera.
SONERA!
Her vision had blurred. Every sense the disciplined assassin once relied upon had become nothing but noise. All she could remember was her foe - that hated Psion hovering before her in defiance of both blade and bond.
Perspective, of course, was a fickle thing. Sonera reckoned she was in a drunken stupor, losing ground by the second. It was only Yrix who could bear witness to her advance.
That muddied blur came not from a lack of sense. Sonera was simply moving that fast. Her flurry, beyond even the measure of Yrix, had smothered the ruined field in a series of reality-bending gashes.
Time itself had frozen. Sonera was a mere trace, trapped somewhere with nothing but hate to guide her. Yet when she emerged, blade in hand, a single drop of sweat resumed the timestream.
It struck her all at once - the consequence of her effort.
Sonera.
The girl fell to her knees. Sundred and broken, she gazed up at the sky to find distant shards of glass floating in the distance.
"Yrix," Sonera muttered to herself, detecting a footstep from behind.
That sudden crunch of sand was like a revelation. The mindscape was dispersed. And Yrix was no longer levitating.
"Yrix!" The assassin reeled around, gritting her teeth.
A sharp fist caught Sonera on her chin, sending the frail girl tumbling into a pile of ash. She could feel the weight of her blade lift from her hand. It had shattered into pieces.
No matter.
A broken edge will suffice.
The Arch-Flayer did not respond. She was without an Ambience, grounded like a mortal on the sandy remains of her colosseum. Yet still she continued.
Promises had been made. One of them had to die. Yrix would not run, however easy such a task might have been.
"You!" Sonera charged forward. "Mother!"
Yrix squinted at her student with pure acknowledgment. There was but one final test she had to offer. Lifting her arms, she froze Sonera in place with a Psionic grasp, squeezing the girl with all the might of an Arch-Flayer.
Sonera's spindly wings writhed in response as she began to mount a resistance. Her shadow, quivering in the light, took the shape of Neirophen - larger and more ominous than ever before. And so she pushed.
Sonera.
Lila's voice, shrill and cheery, stroked Sonera's neck.
Sonera.
Ivy's smooth cadence rubbed against her hands.
Sonera.
Lunae's song pierced her heart.
Finish this.
Sonera fought with every last morsel of her life. She pushed, and she pushed, until finally a single stride had been made. Not even the Flayer's gaze could stop her.
A swirl of voices overtook her pleasant meditation. Strength flowed anew through Sonera's bones.
She could hear her own joints snapping. Tearing. Rending into nothing.
And then nothing. Nothing at all. The Psionic force was gone.
Sonera panted, clutching her broken blade. She had a chance. One chance.
The girl screamed, leaping forward like a lion on its prey. She plunged, finding her mark with a bloodied edge. Again and again, Sonera stabbed. Only when her strength gave out did she take a moment to look. To think.
"I-." Sonera blinked.
Yrix knelt before her, gazing up at the girl through splatters of purple blood. She was like a broken statue. Limp and lifeless.
"T-thank," her eye twinkled with the gratitude of a mother. "You-."
The Arch-Flayer's soul, empty as the day it first stared into Sonera, flickered, then went dark.
It was done.
Ash fell upon Sonera's bare shoulders like snow. She froze, kneeling on Yrix's lap with equal vitality. A single tear fell down her cheek.
"Ngh," Sonera grunted before collapsing.
She fell onto her back, eyes shut and face still. Her heart beat slower. Until at last, after so much strain, it too fell silent.
A faint wind trickled into the ruined arena. The distant cannonfire roared across the clouds. It was the end.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A pool of blood trickled into the crater. Then came a torrent, beyond what even a beast could afford to lose. The crackling of flames reflected off his helmet as Premus sat like a ruined machine, staring up at the stars in solemn acceptance.
The Riven's strike had hit him dead-center. No amount of armor or stalwart resilience would absorb such a blow. His allies were practically turned to ash. But Premus did not weep. He knew exactly what would transpire upon his death. The Executor's armor was rigged to a signal.
"Do…what must be done," he muttered to himself, hoping whoever survived nearby would understand. "No regrets."
The Daregen's voice became labored until he drew one last breath. Premus was dead. His armor, however, had sparked to life. A series of red and orange lights blinked in rhythmic motion, growing faster and faster before coming to a sudden end.
Exeuctor deceased.
Checking.
Arch-Flayer deceased.
No further command structure detected.
Activate Infernum Protocol.
Alia and Rena heard no siren as they scuttled across the sewers. Mina, on the other hand, was certain of a strange disturbance. She checked her rear just to make sure the pursuing Xenquar hadn't broken past the wall of ice.
"Shit," the girl kicked at the pool of water beneath her. "Run."
Rena squeaked, her voice wavering. "I thought you sealed them off!"
"Not that. They've gone quiet."
"What?!"
"Everyone has a backup plan," Alia interjected. "Move!"
Streaking overhead, Lila failed to notice the fleet's movement. She was far too busy attempting to avoid annihilation from a trail of interceptors. Clever tricks and barrel rolls, as it would seem, didn't quite make the cut like in the movies.
"I've tried everything!" Lila scoffed, trying to gain altitude through a stream of red plasma. "Who even are these guys?"
She was constantly wrestling with her own inexperience, asking and answering possible queries as if the Earthling were in a test.
"Can't just go sub-light and leave." Lila shook her head. "Serix says that's ass in a dogfight. You lose all your evasive measures in exchange for the speed."
Ivy was still asleep. But suddenly, she stirred as a wave of Psionic energy struck the ship. Something was wrong. Someone had died.
Lila jolted from her seat, losing control of the ship as she clutched her head.
"Aaah!" She screamed. "W-what?!"
The electromagnetic interference fortunately scrambled her opponents as well. They shared no connection with the Psionic screech. But all the same, its death throes had tossed them into the blender.
"W-who," Lila stammered.
It was Ivy whose faint moans confirmed her fear. "Yrix…"
Yrix was dead.
Lila didn't have time to process her feelings, nor why she was grieving at all. The interceptors wouldn't take long to recover. She had to focus. And as if the situation wasn't dire enough, Lila noticed a shadow looming overhead.
Premesus's ship, having descended upon the Aerie, began tracking Lila's feeble resistance. The entire keel, bristling with point defense cannons, lit up like a Christmas tree. Lila was the target, though not remotely a primary concern.
"What the fuck!" She struggled. "Ivy, hang on!"
The Earthling had been completely overwhelmed. If not for the Riven's shielding, she'd be a ball of flame by then. Her time was running short.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunae gasped, opening her eyes. The cold wind of the night woke her from slumber, along with the revelation that Yrix's mindscape was gone. That could only mean one thing.
"S-Sonera!" Lunae groaned.
Her senses were confused. Someone had died. She felt the Psionic death-pulse.
"Sonera!" She screamed again, hoping the assassin would hear her.
No luck. Lunae would have to make her own. But as things were, she was broken.
"Aa-aaugh!" The princess struggled, crawling forward on all fours. "S-Sonera…"
The image of the gorgeous ballerina flashed in her mind. She had to know, one way or the other. But as Lunae continued to thrash, a familiar warmth finally crept into her mind.
Sonera had won. Yrix was dead. Lunae could only choke on the revelation. But she knew the dangers of false hope. Sonera may have been nearby, but her presence was faint.
"Lunae," she barked at herself. "Lunae!"
Lunae mustered the strength to crawl forward. Lifting her head, she could barely make out two figures in the distance. That was enough to know.
"Please," she coughed. "Don't…leave me."
It didn't take a sage to discern Sonera's condition. She was practically dead. But Lunae refused to accept it.
There was a tale.
As old as her mother.
About the Infestare fated to lose their star.
Brilliantly, they would burn.
But in victory, they would end.
Lunae was not her mother. She was not her people. There had to be another ending.
"Sonera!" She wailed.
With great labor, Lunae reached her partner. But the girl had already gone cold. Lunae could only cradle Sonera's body with tears in her eyes.
So beautiful.
So tender.
The Radiant Ballerina.
Lunae could not hope to live with regrets. She knew what had to be done.