Luka clutched his fresh wound and began to laugh, but this time, his laughter was weak and did not manage to conceal the clear exhaustion weighing heavily on his body. His fingertips and his feet were visibly trembling.
Asari's voice was sharp with urgency "What have you done, you ugly thing?"
Rem answered calmly "Nothing much to note. Just using a simple family heirloom."
Rem immediately lunged towards Luka, delivering a rapid sequence of strikes from all sides. Evading these blows became extremely difficult for Luka because of the dangerous presence of Point Zero attached to Rem's right hand.
The battle became a trap: Every time Luka managed to dodge a strike from Judgment Blade, Point Zero would scrape him, burning his skin. And every time he successfully pulled back from treacherous Point Zero, sharp Judgment Blade would graze him, tearing deeper into his muscle.
Asari did not wait, he surged forward as well. They began to push Luka backward across the battlefield with a perfectly synchronized flurry of attacks, forcing Lucka to lose ground.
As the heavy attacks continued to pound Luka, Rem felt a sudden, terrible feeling in his body—as if a sharp knife was piercing his heart. Rem knew exactly what was happening: he could feel the Rot seeping into his internal organs.
"We have to end this fast..." Rem forced the words out.
"Don't worry about telling me that," Asari responded, breathing hard.
The armor of Wind Path was visibly shredding, piece by piece. The Enza barrier it provided could no longer hold steady. Asari had reached his limit, and Soul Tamer form would not last much longer.
In contrast, Lucka was still overflowing with savage, raw energy, ignoring the many critical wounds covering his body. Blood streamed from every cut, and bones were visible in some places, yet he kept fighting fiercely.
Luka was deep in Soul Tamer state, acting purely on instinct. All he did was snarl, roar, and scream every time he took a hit or landed one.
With a swift, desperate move of Wind Path's blade, a massive, transparent dome instantly formed, trapping Luka, Asari, and Rem inside.
This dome was made of intensely swirling, raging winds. The force was so huge that it blocked Lucka's devastating attacks, constantly shoving and throwing him back toward the center.
"Welcome to Sky Prison," Asari announced, his voice thin.
Clear, non-physical chains dropped from the top of the dome. These chains bound themselves deep into the Enza essence of both Lucka and Asari. Luka couldn't break them because they weren't material.
The aura of both fighters was instantly sucked out through these chains, which absorbed it and spread it around the dome. The surrounding strong winds took on the swirling colors of their combined, draining auras.
"I'm sick of this, I want to leave," grumbled the Wind Path spirit, whose aura was visibly draining fast. His white hair was already starting to vanish.
"What exactly is this thing?" Rem asked, confused.
"It is the Wind Prison ability. It links Asari's body and the chosen opponent to the prison's core. The prison then aggressively drains Enza from both bodies. It only works if Asari and the opponent are both in Soul Tamer state."
"Why did he use it if it drains his own Enza too?" Rem questioned, worried.
"I'm just as surprised... My whole presence was about to disappear before Sky Prison could start. It seems Asari is betting everything on these final moments. And if his personal gamble fails... then his final bet is entirely on you."
"On me? Why?" Rem asked, feeling the pressure.
"You have absolutely no Enza. This means you can move freely and use any power from that sword, and Sky Prison will not register or drain you. So, if I vanish first, and Asari collapses... he wants you to finish the fight he started."
"But Lucka is extremely strong, and the Rot is eating me from the inside. I don't think I can keep my aura active for much longer; I might give out at any second," Rem admitted, his voice strained.
"It won't need to be for long," Wind Path stepped closer to Rem and put a hand on his shoulder. Both Rem's and Asari's bodies were terribly injured, while Lucka was still full of savage energy. Still, Wind Path smiled.
"Asari trusts you, which is why he activated Sky Prison and risked his life. And while he trusts you, I don't know you well enough to trust you. But I do know you can do things no one else your age can do."
Rem remained silent, accepting the trust placed in him.
"You kept up with my immense speed, and you bravely helped me when I was in trouble. Therefore, even though I barely know you, I am now entrusting you with this fool Asari's life... because you deserve to protect him, and because you can protect him."
After these strong words, Wind Path charged forward with a final burst of speed and violently clashed with Luka in the center of the dome.
Each brutal impact made Wind Path's body shake violently, and the Enza fragments holding him together broke apart and vanished.
Wind Path felt overwhelming exhaustion, struggling to breathe. His white hair was already turning halfway back to Asari's natural black.
With one final, powerful punch from Luka straight to Asari's chest, Asari was thrown toward the edge of Sky Prison. His body slammed hard against the boundary and he dropped to the ground, coughing and desperately holding his damaged chest.
With unimaginable effort, Wind Path forced Asari to stand, and he spun the sword in a full, graceful rotation.
Luka launched himself with a roar towards Wind Path. But Wind Path gently closed Asari's eyes and took a deep, calming breath.
Before Lucka could reach him, Asari's body instantly disappeared, passing him like a soft, quiet breeze, and reappearing directly behind the enraged Luka.
"Calm Breeze..." Asari whispered the name of the technique.
Asari slowly, deliberately slid Wind Path back into his scabbard. The moment Wind Path clicked shut inside his sheath, a stream of blood shot high into the air from Luka's back and chest. The cut was deep and fatal.
Asari immediately collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious. Soul Tamer form and Wind Path spirit had entirely left his body, leaving only the injured and utterly drained Asari.
Blood poured nonstop from Luka's body as he desperately tried to stop the severe bleeding, but it was useless. The massive cut across his chest continued to bleed until the light began to leave Luka's eyes.
With Asari's fall, Sky Prison instantly dissolved, finally stopping the draining of Enza from Luka. The chain bound to his soul vanished.
Luka managed a weak, blood-stained smile, but even that small movement caused him huge pain.
The bones of his hands were exposed, his stomach was torn, and the bones in his shoulder and legs were shattered, yet he fought against the sudden need to sleep.
Luka slowly turned toward Rem, surprised by the strange, lowered posture the boy was in.
Rem was bowed forward, his swords—Point Zero and Judgment Blade—raised backward in a cross shape. His head was down, eyes closed in total focus.
"A Song..."
As soon as these focused words were spoken, a gentle, cool breeze passed next to Luka. This was not a sword attack, but a natural phenomenon carrying Rem's power.
What Luka saw next was only the sky. His body was already falling, and his blood was still hanging in the air.
Luka strained to look back. Rem was slowly sharpening his two swords against each other, a final, deliberate movement. Then Rem, too, succumbed to his wounds and fell to the ground, immediately falling into unconsciousness.
Luka fought the sudden, heavy drowsiness. His claws and fangs faded, shrinking back to human size as he closed his eyes, unable to stay awake any longer.
"Don't close your eyes... you'll die," Luka repeated to himself, but it was hopeless; his body had reached its breaking point long ago.
A series of intense, painful memories flashed before Luka's eyes as he finally closed them for the last time.
...
Little Luka was part of the simple tribes living near the Arashia Forests with his mother and father.
The men often went hunting near the Araniga borders, leaving the women and children at home.
One day, Luka and his father returned from the hunt, and found only the bodies of the women and children.
Soldiers of the kingdom had carried out a brutal attack, killing everyone, even though they knew the men were away.
Luka was instantly filled with rage, unleashing his Soul Tamer form as he looked at his mother's body, covered in blood and dirt.
Luka's father wept, holding his wife, while Luka, driven by hatred, followed the soldiers' tracks.
In every village Lucka passed, the people were dead. Luka continued to follow the path of death, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Why is this happening!" Luka screamed to himself. He knew the King disliked the tribes, but never expected such cruelty.
Lost in destructive thoughts, Luka finally reached the soldiers' group. They looked at him with hatred.
"Look, it's one of those monkeys! Why are you still alive, scum! We told you to leave this land, but you refused!"
Before the soldier could finish, his head was instantly cut off, along with the heads of dozens of others.
After the massacre, Luka sat on the pile of bodies, looking at the empty sky.
A gentle breeze touched his blood-soaked cheek. It was the effect of winds he sensed, Asari and the ghosts of Arashia had arrived.
Luka fought them with all his strength, hoping to return to his family, but he was defeated and buried deep inside a mountain.
Luka survived on mud and worms. His Enza was broken due to the severe wound he got fighting the ghosts.
After his body healed, Luka left the cave and ran back to his village.
He found nothing, no family, no father, no village. Everything had been completely wiped clean.
With deep hatred for the King, Luka ran towards the capital city. On his way, he met Ramona's convoy... so he destroyed it.
***
Multiple sounds reached Luka's ears as he slowly woke up. He heard horse hooves, carriage wheels, and the voices of four people.
Luka slowly opened his eyes. He was inside a carriage with a small girl , a black-haired boy , and the girl he recognized.
Ramona looked at him with clear fear, while Nadya and Rem smiled. Asari glared at him with an annoyed expression from outside.
"Did we really have to bring him!?" Asari yelled at Rem.
"Yes, we did," Rem replied simply.
Rem looked at Luka, and their eyes met.
"Who do you want revenge on? Us?" Rem asked.
"The King of Arashia," Luka answered.
"Help me achieve my goal... and I will help you kill the King of Arashia," Rem proposed, holding out his hand.
"Why say that? I tried to kill everyone here," Luka asked.
"That's wrong! You didn't try to kill me!" Nadya chimed in excitedly.
"See?" Rem smiled at Luka and extended his hand. Luka, broken and lying on the floor, shook Rem's hand, sealing the unexpected alliance.
Everyone shared a small, light laugh. Asari looked forward. The Arashia Forests were behind them, and the border with Araniga was now visible.
"Here we are," Asari muttered.