Damon dropped back down into the courtyard, the shards of glass crunching beneath his boots, a grinding sound of shattered peace. Valora immediately gestured Damon and Cythera into a secluded corner, ensuring the continuing class couldn't overhear the dark undercurrents of their conversation of power.
"What was that overwhelming feeling just now?" Valora asked sharply.
Cythera crossed her arms, analysing the sensation. "It was… It felt satisfied."
Valora shook her head, her gaze distant and worried. "No. It felt more eerie. Like something old just woke up."
Damon exhaled slowly. "It was dangerous. That's all I know."
Valora's expression hardened into a grim mask. "Whatever it was, you tell no one. Not yet. Only the Queen and the Tutors should know this information."
Cythera nodded. "That's the plan."
Valora left quickly to continue her lesson, her mind clearly elsewhere.
Rika approached them then, a deep sense of worry showing beneath her attempt at casual composure. "Long time no see," she said softly.
Damon smiled, finding a short peace in her normalcy "How's Woewyn treating you?"
"Better than Earth ever did," she shrugged, a spark of defiance in her eyes. "What can I say?"
Cythera gave her a rare, sincere nod. "Good."
Rika's gaze flicked nervously between them, sensing the electric tension. "But… are you two really alright? You both seem—"
Damon placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We're fine. But you, how did you go from shooting hoops to… this level of power in months?"
Rika managed a genuine laugh. "Tolrex has taken it upon himself to train me. Strictly. There are no off-days."
"Good," Damon said, and she smiled, jogging back to her sparring partner.
He turned to Cythera. "Draven said we should meet him at the castle after school. All of us."
Cythera brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "This is our last class. So… soon it is."
After class, they picked up Nyra, keeping their conversation light and acted normal during the drive. Damon folded the massive Aethersprint Runner into its card form, and the three of them—Damon, Cythera, and Nyra—entered the royal court.
Bravira, Varnex, Draven, and Thorpax were already waiting. Queen Thessa sat on the throne, the weight of a being a Queen heavy in the worry shadowed behind her eyes.
Draven motioned for Damon and Cythera to sit. He wore an expression Damon hadn't seen before. Almost brotherly, protective, and strained.
He looked directly at Damon. "Do you remember the woman I told you gave me this scar?" He lifted his hand, revealing the faint, inkless scar that looked more like a line of pure, faded art of a memory than skin damage.
Damon nodded, a cold sense of dread already creeping in. "Yes."
Draven inhaled slowly, bracing himself. "…She's back."
Silence descended upon the entire court, thick and crushing, tightening like a noose around every neck in the room.
Cythera's voice was unnaturally quiet. "Who is... she, Draven?"
Draven's clenched his jaw lightly. He looked out the window, with his gaze distant, as if staring at a painful, beautiful memory.
"Velmira wasn't born a monster," he said, his voice low and wounded. "She isn't one either. People tend to forget that."
He folded his arms, his posture steady but his voice and expression were wounded.
"She came from a noble house. They were known for pretty smiles, pretty eyes and prettier lies. She had all those features. Her green eyes made every liar in the room shake. She could see straight through you. It was… annoying. At first it was just annoying, as we grew closer I began to enjoy that disturbance."
A ghost of a half-smirk flashed and instantly died on his lips.
"We met on a battlefield. She insulted my footwork and I insulted her mouth. That was… our beginning."
He touched the scar lightly, reverence mixing with regret.
"She gave me this. Said I was getting arrogant. I was. I still am... I think."
He let out a sharp breath.
"I think I loved her from that moment."
He met Damon's stare, the confession hanging heavy in the air.
"And she loved me."
His expression darkened completely.
"But she saw cracks in Woewyn before the Queen became Queen, mostly because her family was massacred by royalty. Unjustly, though her father did start the chaos, they were things I should've helped her with. She wanted change. Freedom and peace after that happened. She asked me to join her. Saying we could burn the old world down together, and build something better from the ashes."
He shook his head, the betrayal still fresh. "I loved her. But I couldn't betray what I swore to protect."
A quiet pause.
"So she walked away." Then, softer, more tragically: "Her war is with Woewyn… not with me."
Thorpax shifted uncomfortably. "Brother, what are you saying?"
"You know exactly what I'm saying," Draven replied, his eyes sharp and pained.
Queen Thessa leaned forward, her voice demanding. "Regardless of your feelings, your allegiance is here. Would you watch the world you've helped build fall?"
Draven swallowed hard. "No."
Bravira stepped up, arms crossed, her eyes narrowed in fierce loyalty. "Velmira blinded herself with 'salvation.' She couldn't wait for better rulership which was soon to come. The Queen and King Thalor—."
Before Bravira could finish, they all felt it. A wind. Cold. Calm. An unnerving stillness filled with eerie, absolute resolve. This wasn't just power, it was purpose.
The heavy royal court doors blasted open without being touched.
One footstep.
Draven stood instantly, his composure shattered.
Second footstep.
Damon's daggers formed in his palm; Cythera summoned twin ice blades in her palms. Bravira's fists lit white with contained fury. Thorpax's stone formed beside him, preparing to be launched. Varnex conjured burning spheres of fire. Even Nyra was ready with flame, her eyes wide but determined.
Third footstep—
And all of them flashed forward, stopping with their attacks inches from her face.
Velmira.
She stood untouched.
Tall. Lean-ish and curved in most parts. Deadly elegant as she was beautiful. A black suit clinging to her like a living shadow, veins of neon emerald green tracing down her curves. Silver-white hair cascading around her, green eyes glowing with chilling clarity. A ring coiled around her finger, ending in a razor point.
Her aura was pure beauty sharpened into danger. The kind you know will kill you, but you still yearn for.
Draven froze. Not in fear, but in heartbreak.
His voice cracked, the word barely a sound. "…Velmira."
"STOP!" Queen Thessa snapped, the command slicing through the tension.
Everyone withdrew, but slowly and unwillingly. Nyra noticed the small, brutal scene. "The guards… they're knocked unconscious outside. We didn't even hear her fight them…" She thought.
The room went brutally silent.
She winked, a cold, seductively mocking gesture. "You didn't even sense me, Bravira. You're the blind one."
Bravira nearly struck her despite the Queen's presence. But she obeyed the Queens command.
Velmira stepped forward, hand across her chest, and performed a deep, respectful bow. "Your Majesty."
Queen Thessa nodded, a painful gesture of respect between two titans locked in fate.
Velmira straightened. "I'll skip the unnecessary theatrics, Your Majesty. I'm here to declare war. Out of respect for the old ways, I speak plainly. Whether you accept it or not… there will be a reckoning. I have my terms. You should have yours."
Varnex growled, summoning a large sphere of fire. "This is not some game. How dare you march in here—"
She turned her head lightly, dismissing him with an almost bored glance. "You still haven't lost that giant tummy, Varnex. My victory chances look better already."
Bravira immediately stepped between the Queen and Velmira, eyes burning with protective rage. "Leave. Now."
Velmira smiled thinly. "Only one person in this room truly matters. And it isn't you."
Bravira's fists almost bled from how tightly she clenched them.
Queen Thessa raised a tired hand. "Enough." She remembered when Velmira used to fight for Woewyn. It was glorious, she thought.
Velmira shifted her predatory gaze to Queen. "I came to the festival to assess the Chosen One. I see now my luck is good. He's still small."
"Y'know it's rude to speak to someone in third-person while degrading them. I'm standing right here," Damon muttered.
Velmira turned and approached him, close enough that he could feel the cold, electric hum of her aura. She gently cupped his face.
Damon froze, his defences momentarily collapsing, the seductive power of her soft touch almost making him melt.
Nyra and Bravira yelled at the exact same time, "WAKE UP!"
Damon snapped back, jumping a full step away, heat flooding his face.
Velmira chuckled, a deep, musical sound. "Cute boy. Like Draven."
Her eyes locked with Draven's. It was a drastic combination of a heavy, longing, accusing, and grieving stare. A complete narrative of their failed love in a single moment.
Damon broke the tension before Draven could speak. "What are your conditions?"
Velmira looked at him with genuine interest. "One. I don't care how the war plays out except in securing my victory. I want to fight Draven."
Draven's breath hitched, the challenge a personal and painful invitation.
Damon stepped forward, seizing the high ground. He looked at the Queen and she nodded. "Only if the war happens outside Woewyn."
Velmira raised a wicked brow. "Why would I willingly do that?"
"Because you can't rebuild a kingdom with no people," Damon said, his voice flat. "Or with people broken into slaves. You wanted change, not genocide. Right?"
The entire room was silent. Velmira paused for the first time, her green eyes calculating. "…Wise."
She crossed her arms. "Where?"
Damon shrugged, meeting her gaze. "Eternum's orbit has a planet for a fight."
She laughed softly, shaking her head. "One planet will not contain this war. Draven hasn't shown you his true strength. Nor mine."
"Then use all the planets and moons you need," Thessa countered. "But Woewyn stays untouched."
Velmira smirked, the deal sealed. "So be it."
She bowed to the Queen once more. "Prepare your people, for a reckoning comes."
She vanished in a swirling, echoing blast of emerald wind.
Silence. Heavy. Crushing.
Nyra whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "She felt… unstoppable."
Cythera murmured and sighed in relief, "Indestructible will. That's the perfect word."
Bravira practically shook with contained rage. Draven, however, simply lowered his head.
"Damon." His voice sounded older, and sadder. "What have you done?"
Everyone stared, confused by Draven's reaction.
Draven clenched his jaw, his eyes blazing with dark foresight. "We shouldn't have agreed to her terms. You don't understand. Damon doesn't know about the Brothers."
Bravira froze, a cold terror filling her eyes. This wasn't fear, but the remembrance of its embodiment.
Queen Thessa slowly leaned back on the throne and facepalmed, a hint of fear showing on her regal face for the first time that day.
Draven continued, the words a dire warning. "Knowing Velmira, she's already made a deal with them. Or worse, she woke them up. And if they're with her… this war is far worse than you could possibly imagine."
Damon frowned, the dread tightening in his stomach. "Who are they?"
Before Draven answered, Thorpax asked quietly. He unfolded his arms. "Damon… has Earth ever noticed stars doing strange things?"
"Yeah," Damon said instantly. "But you'll have to be more specific."
Meyren and Seren entered, their faces grim. "Damon," Meyren asked, her voice low, "has Earth recorded star flickers? Gravitational waves from nowhere? Gamma bursts without a supernova?"
"Yes," Damon confirmed, the unexplained phenomena suddenly clicking into place. "But all those events have no official explanation."
Seyren nodded grimly. "One was caused by the Brothers."
Damon's stomach dropped like a stone.
Bravira continued, her voice heavy with the memory of combat. "They destroyed a sun near Earths solar system just to provoke Woewyn. Destroying that sun caused a chain reaction that affected Earth in those ways."
"Their goal wasn't just to destroy the sun. They enjoy the thrill of battle so much that they chose Eternum's very enemies, starting with Woewyn." Varnex added, his usual arrogance gone. "Earth's sun was slightly smaller compared to it, but still... the resulting chain of reactions destroyed its entire solar system."
"And we fought them," Thorpax added, his voice gravelly. "For days. We pushed ourselves to the absolute edge."
Damon stared at the elite of Woewyn. "Who stopped them?"
Queen Thessa lowered her gaze. "Your father."
Draven ran a desperate hand through his hair. "They don't know he's dead. But Velmira does. And she'll use them. Perhaps they now know he's not around to stop them, which is why she's marching now."
My father... did that? Damon whispered, the thought overwhelming him. "Is there no one who can fight them?"
Bravira answered with bleak finality. "There's us. And the Queen. But she won't be fighting."
Queen Thessa said, "I will fight—"
"No." Nyra's voice was surprisingly steady and mature. "Mother, if you die, Woewyn will collapse. That's a loss we can't afford."
The Queen paused, accepting the logic.
Damon lowered slightly his head. "I'm sorry. For agreeing to her terms, I should have let try you convince her first."
Draven sighed, a hint of his old affection returning. "No. Varnex is right and we couldn't stop her anyway."
He stepped away, his mission refocusing. "Come. I know where she is. We can track her now and see what she's up to."
Nyra grabbed Damon's sleeve. "I'm coming too. I need to see what we're up against."
Draven nodded, the urgency overriding protocol. "Fine."
Later...
Wind curled around the ruined structures somewhere on Eternum, whipping up grey dust that smelled of ancient decay. Velmira stood under the outer roof of a building with shattered pillars, her black robes flowing like dark smoke.
The sight reminded Damon of a Hercules cartoon he watched as a child.
Hercules held up similar pillars for Atlas with the strength he also used to mistakenly kill someone, then went into exile to purify himself with the same strength. Damon thought. It all depends on what you choose to do with your gift.
Draven appeared beside her, without a flash, simply there. She took in a deeper breath without turning to him.
Charged silence seemed to replace the air in the atmosphere around them.
He broke the silence "Well," he said quietly, "it's been a while."
She smirked, not turning her head. "You're still handsome."
He shrugged, trying to keep the mood light. "Woewyn has good food."
She finally looked at him, her eyes sharp. "Too bad it's going to crumble."
"Not if I'm alive."
She sighed, head face down, the sound carrying genuine sadness. "That's why you're my weakness."
Draven's face softened. "And mine is you. But how can I trust someone who wants to destroy our home?"
She smiled lightly.
Then suddenly pushed him against a cracked pillar in one effortless, breath-taking motion.
Her razor-pointed ring traced the line of his cheek. "I'd hate to scar you again."
He met her eyes, challenging her. "I'll take any mark from you if it's out of love... If you're still capable of it."
Her voice dropped, thick in velvet, rich in history.
"It's either you believe I love you, Draven, or you believe I'm a liar. Do you think I'm lying, Draven?"
Draven flipped her, pinning her chest against the pillar, holding her one of her arms behind her and the other locked above her head. His lips brushing her ears from behind. "Liars are bad girls, and you're not exactly good either."
She raised a brow, the ultimate seductress. "Your nasty tongue doesn't suit your face. Besides... you've always liked bad girls."
She shoved him back with a burst of emerald power, and the spar began. It was a dance of pure, contained fury and affection. A honeycomb of quarrel, where every strike was half flirtation, half fury.
Her blade grazed his shoulder; his hand caught her wrist. Their eyes locked, saying I want you. Their bodies moved saying You must be stopped.
Sooner than later she landed sitting directly on him, her breath warm, her hands pressed against his chest. Faces barely apart.
"You lasted longer this time," she whispered, her voice heavy with double meaning.
Damon read her tone from the shadows, covering Nyra's ears with his hands immediately. "Seriously, c'mon—"
Velmira threw her head back and laughed, a genuine, joyful sound that cut through Damon's fake desolation. "In battle, Damon. His stamina is infinite when it comes to—"
"VELMIRA!," Draven interrupted loudly, flushing crimson.
Varnex appeared, landing hard beside Damon. "I knew we couldn't trust you alone, Draven."
Velmira looked down at Draven one last time, her expression suddenly vulnerable.
"Next time Draven," she whispered, her voice heavy with warning, and brushed a hair on his face "don't let me win."
She vanished instantly into swirling emerald wind.
Draven lay flat on the ground, his heartbeat wild, staring straight up at the dark sky of Eternum.
"That was..." he said breathlessly, ignoring Varnex completely, "fantastic."