TIME PERIOD: NINE MONTHS UNTIL THE EMERGENCE
Infinity.
Endlessness.
A blackness stretching beyond sight.
No ground.
No sky.
No stars.
Only silence.
Sam drifted through it weightlessly.
His eyes slowly opened.
Pain immediately followed.
Not the pain of torn flesh.
Not the pain of broken bones.
Something deeper.
A hollow ache buried somewhere inside his chest.
The moment he became aware again, the memories returned.
Persephone.
Maria.
The cottage.
The explosion.
Xavier.
Errya.
His breathing quickened.
No.
No, no, no.
His head snapped around wildly.
The endless void answered him with silence.
A familiar hand suddenly wrapped around his.
Sam froze.
The darkness rippled.
Then she emerged.
Slowly.
As though the void itself was allowing her to exist one final time.
Ender.
Relief hit him so hard it almost hurt.
His mouth opened immediately.
Nothing came out.
Not a sound.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Panic entered his eyes.
Ender's smile was small.
Sad.
She already understood.
"You want to know what happened."
Sam nodded immediately.
"If they alive?"
He nodded again.
Faster.
Desperately.
"If Maria safe?"
Another nod.
His breathing became uneven.
"Can you go back?"
His entire body shook.
Ender's expression broke.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Just enough for Sam to realize she wished she could answer.
"I know."
Her voice was soft.
Painfully soft.
"I know exactly what you're asking."
Sam stared at her.
Waiting.
Begging.
Ender slowly lowered her eyes.
And for the first time...
She didn't answer.
The realization hit harder than Persephone ever had.
She couldn't.
Or wouldn't.
Neither possibility comforted him.
Around them, darkness slithered across his ruined body.
Black tendrils emerged from nowhere, weaving through torn flesh and shattered bone.
His missing arm slowly began reforming.
The process hurt.
Gods, it hurt.
Yet Sam barely noticed.
His attention never left Ender.
Because something felt wrong.
Something felt different.
She looked weaker.
Fainter.
Like a candle nearing the end of its wick.
Finally she spoke.
"Your encounter with the Baleful Witch was successful, my chosen."
Sam's expression changed.
Successful?
He had nearly died.
His entire body trembled.
Ender gave a small, humorless laugh.
"Yes."
She knew exactly what he was thinking.
"It does not feel very successful."
The darkness continued stitching his body together.
Ender stepped closer.
"Persephone damaged more than your flesh."
Her voice lowered.
"She damaged the bridge between us."
Sam's stomach dropped.
No.
Ender nodded slowly.
"As time passes..."
She swallowed.
"...our connection will continue to deteriorate."
The words struck him harder than any wound.
For years she had been there.
When he was alone.
When he was frightened.
When nobody else understood.
Ender was always there.
A constant.
A voice in the dark.
And now—
Now she was leaving too.
Sam grabbed for her hand.
Not wanting her to disappear.
Not wanting to lose another person.
Not again.
Ender squeezed his hand tightly.
For a long moment neither spoke.
Neither moved.
The void itself seemed to hold its breath.
Finally Ender stepped forward and pressed her forehead against his.
"You've always hated being alone."
Sam froze.
A painful smile crossed her face.
"I know."
The words were barely a whisper.
"I know better than anyone."
His throat tightened.
He wanted to tell her he wasn't afraid.
Wanted to be strong.
Wanted to reassure her.
But he couldn't speak.
And Ender saw straight through him.
"You are terrified."
The honesty hurt.
Because she was right.
He was terrified.
Ender closed her eyes.
"If I could promise you everything will be alright..."
A pause.
"...I would."
When she opened them again, ancient sadness lingered within them.
"But I can't."
Sam lowered his head.
The silence between them felt heavier than the void itself.
Then Ender gently lifted his chin.
"Listen carefully."
The urgency in her voice returned.
"There is someone you must find."
"Aelina Naltik."
The name echoed through the darkness.
"If you speak her true name..."
Ender smiled faintly.
"...she will listen."
Sam committed the name to memory immediately.
Aelina Naltik.
Aelina Naltik.
Aelina Naltik.
Ender continued.
"She can restore what Persephone damaged."
"She can reconnect us."
Hope flickered within him.
Small.
Fragile.
But real.
Then Ender's expression softened once more.
"And Almos."
Sam blinked.
Ender laughed quietly.
"You still think he's cold."
The faintest smile touched Sam's face.
Ender shook her head.
"No."
Her voice became distant.
"Just wounded."
A pause.
"He carries guilt older than most kingdoms."
Another pause.
"He believes he failed."
Sam stared.
Ender squeezed his hand again.
"You need him."
A small smile appeared.
"And despite what he says..."
Another squeeze.
"He needs you too."
The darkness around them began to thicken.
Faster now.
Ender's form flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Panic surged through Sam.
No.
Not yet.
Please.
Not yet.
Ender saw the panic immediately.
And for the first time in years...
The goddess abandoned all pretense.
She stepped forward.
Pulled him into an embrace.
Sam froze.
Then immediately held onto her.
Tightly.
Like a child afraid of being abandoned.
Like someone drowning.
Like someone who had already lost too much.
For several seconds she simply held him.
Nothing else.
No prophecy.
No gods.
No chosen one.
Just Ender.
And Sam.
Finally she pulled away.
Then kissed his forehead.
A simple gesture.
Gentle.
Warm.
Final.
The darkness climbed higher.
Her form was beginning to disappear.
"It is a violent world outside, my chosen."
Her voice was fading now.
"But you are not as weak as you believe."
More darkness.
More fading.
"I'll be with you every step of the way."
Her smile trembled.
"Even if you cannot hear me."
The void began swallowing her completely.
Sam reached for her.
Desperately.
Ender reached back.
Their fingertips brushed.
Then separated.
One final whisper drifted through the darkness.
Barely audible.
Yet somehow louder than anything else.
"I'm proud of you, Sam."
And then she was gone.
Within moments, Sam's vision faded as darkness swallowed everything around him. Yet Ender's final words lingered like a beacon against the growing isolation.
Suddenly, he was back inside the portal.
Light and shadow twisted around him in a violent storm. Strange whispers echoed through the vortex, unintelligible yet filled with urgency and dread. Lightning flashed through the chaos, briefly illuminating distant worlds and impossible landscapes before they vanished once more into the swirling currents.
Sam felt himself pulled in every direction at once, caught within a raging river of color and sound. The roar of the vortex threatened to overwhelm his senses as the currents carried him onward.
Gradually, the chaos began to fade.
Below him, a vast forest emerged through the mist. Towering trees stretched toward the sky while the distant rush of a river echoed through the wilderness. The scent of damp earth and moss filled the air.
Then the portal expelled him.
Sam hit the ground with a soft thud.
Warmth immediately spread throughout his body. The wounds inflicted by Persephone vanished as torn flesh mended and aching muscles relaxed. Within moments, he felt whole again.
Slowly rising to his feet, Sam took in the unfamiliar landscape. Awe and anxiety battled within him. He was alive.
But he was alone.
Xavier was gone.
Errya was gone.
Maria's fate remained unknown.
A sharp loneliness settled in his chest.
Then something caught his attention.
Before him stretched a field of red roses, their crimson petals shimmering beneath the sunlight like a sea of scarlet fire. Sam knelt and brushed his fingers against them, finding unexpected comfort in their familiar beauty.
Beyond the roses swayed tall fields of golden bahia grass. The stalks rolled with the wind like ocean waves, their gentle movement bringing a rare moment of peace amidst the uncertainty.
For the first time since leaving the cottage, Sam allowed himself a breath.
The world was unfamiliar.
But it was beautiful.
Sam brushed his fingers through the golden stalks surrounding him.
Bahia grass.
His stomach dropped slightly.
"The Giant Forest..."
The realization sent a chill through him.
Errya had spent years teaching him about the world beyond the cottage. The Giant Forest was one of the few places she repeatedly warned him about.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
Dangerous.
Sam slowly turned in a circle.
Something immediately felt wrong.
The White Lotus should have been visible.
Even on the cottage, Sam could tell that the colossal flower towered above most of the forest canopy.
Yet all he saw were trees.
Endless trees.
Their trunks rose like pillars into the heavens, vanishing into a sea of leaves far overhead.
"Where's the..."
His voice trailed off.
Either the maps were wrong.
Or he was much deeper in the forest than he wanted to be.
A distant shout suddenly shattered the silence.
Sam froze.
Another shout followed.
Then another.
His body immediately dropped into a crouch.
Years of training took over before conscious thought could catch up.
"Find her!"
The voice echoed faintly through the trees.
"Where did she go?!"
Another voice answered.
"Maybe she went this way!"
"We have to find her before she gets away!"
Sam's hand instinctively moved to Stormglass wrapped around his back.
The familiar weight steadied him as he slung it over his shoulder once more.
Ready.
He took a slow breath.
The smart decision was obvious.
Find higher ground.
Locate the White Lotus.
Head toward civilization.
Avoid trouble.
Another shout echoed through the forest.
Sam stared in the direction it came from.
Then sighed.
"Or..."
He adjusted the sword at his waist.
"...I could go see what that whole mess is about."
The fact that he was actually considering it told him exactly what Xavier would say.
Sam groaned.
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
Then he started moving toward the shouting anyway.
Curiosity won.
Despite every warning Xavier would have given him, Sam quietly moved toward the commotion.
He slipped through the bahia grass and towering trees, keeping low and careful. Years of training exercises made moving silently feel natural.
The shouting grew louder.
Then he saw them.
Sam immediately ducked behind a tree.
Black cloaks.
For a moment he simply stared.
He had read about them countless times in Errya's library.
Stories.
Reports.
Sketches.
Warnings.
Yet somehow seeing them in person felt entirely different.
Dark cloaks draped over layered survival gear.
Weapons hanging from belts.
Hoods pulled low over watchful eyes.
They moved through the forest with practiced familiarity, weaving between trees like hunters following a trail.
Not soldiers.
Not explorers.
Hunters.
A chill ran down Sam's spine.
"So they're real..."
His eyes tracked the group carefully.
They seemed agitated.
Searching.
Several pointed deeper into the forest while others examined tracks in the dirt.
"Find her!"
One of them shouted.
Another quickly responded.
"Spread out!"
"She can't have gotten far!"
Sam frowned.
Her?
His thoughts immediately jumped to Maria.
The possibility alone tightened his chest.
No.
That didn't make sense.
Did it?
He adjusted his grip on the trunk and watched a little longer.
The Black Cloaks moved with surprising discipline.
No confusion.
Just purpose.
Which made one thing very clear.
Whatever they were chasing...
They were taking it seriously.
Very seriously.
Sam slowly took a step backward.
Then another.
The smart thing would be to leave.
Find the White Lotus.
Find civilization.
Avoid whatever was happening here.
That was the smart thing.
Unfortunately...
Sam had never been particularly talented at ignoring mysteries.
He glanced once more toward the searching Black Cloaks.
Then sighed.
"...Xavier would be so disappointed in me right now."
And yet he continued watching.
Sam slowly took another step backward.
A twig snapped behind him.
Too late.
Something slammed into him from above.
The world flipped.
His face smashed into the dirt.
A bare foot crushed the back of his head before he could react.
Pain shot through his skull.
A blade hovered inches from his face.
Cold.
Silver.
Deadly.
His breath caught.
The weapon was unlike anything he had ever seen.
Its handle resembled a dragon's scaled body twisting around itself. Ancient runes glowed faintly along twin curved blades, while a small dragon head sat between them, its eyes burning with an eerie blue light.
The weapon seemed alive.
And the white-eyed woman holding it looked more dangerous than the weapon itself.
Blue eye.
Horns.
Bandaged skin.
Predatory grin.
The same woman from before.
The same monster from the casket.
"Found you."
Her raspy voice carried genuine excitement.
Not relief.
Not anger.
Excitement.
Like she had stumbled across a favorite toy.
Sam's heart hammered.
The blade edged closer.
Instinct took over.
He twisted violently.
The foot slipped.
The pressure disappeared.
Sam rolled.
The kenosi came down.
CRACK.
The forest floor exploded where his spine had been moments earlier.
"Shit!"
Sam scrambled to his feet.
Another strike immediately followed.
He ducked.
The blade sliced through a branch above his head.
Another swing.
Another dodge.
Another.
And another.
The Aireon paused.
For the first time, she looked surprised.
"You are more slippery than I anticipated, rabbit."
Before Sam could respond, she lunged again.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Stormglass flashed from its sheath.
Steel met steel.
Sparks erupted.
Sam redirected the strike downward and planted his foot on the weapon's handle.
For a brief moment they froze.
Face to face.
"Enough!"
Sam shouted.
"What are you trying to kill me for?!"
The Aireon blinked.
Actually blinked.
As though the question confused her.
Then she smiled.
Wide.
Honest.
Terrifying.
"Because killing is fun."
Sam stared.
"...What?"
"I don't care who has your allegiance."
She shrugged.
Then lifted both Sam and the kenosi off the ground.
His eyes widened.
"What the fu—"
She grabbed his leg.
And threw him.
The tree cracked when he hit it.
Air exploded from his lungs.
Pain erupted through his back.
For several seconds he could do nothing but gasp.
The woman watched him from across the clearing.
Waiting.
Excited.
Patient.
Like a predator waiting for wounded prey to stand back up.
Sam slowly pushed himself upright.
His entire body hurt.
She tossed me.
Like I weighed nothing.
The realization sent a chill through him.
Persephone had felt strong.
This woman felt worse.
Because she knew how to fight.
And she wasn't holding back.
She was trying to kill him.
Sam tightened his grip on Stormglass.
No.
He couldn't afford to panic.
Not now.
Not after everything.
Not after Xavier.
Not after Errya.
Not after Maria.
Slowly, he settled into a fighting stance.
The Aireon noticed immediately.
A grin spread across her face.
Then she began pounding her chest with her free hand.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A challenge.
A declaration.
A promise.
Sam swallowed.
She was insane.
Actually insane.
One honest thought entered his mind.
She's scary.
The woman pointed kenosi directly at him.
Her eye gleamed with excitement.
"I like that look in your eyes, rabbit."
The Aireon exploded forward.
One moment she stood still.
Next, she was in front of him.
Kenosi flashed toward his ribs.
The lightning blade formed before Sam consciously understood what he was doing.
Sam barely caught the strike with Stormglass.
The impact rattled through his arms.
Before he could recover, The Aireon twisted and drove her elbow toward his jaw.
He ducked.
A knee immediately followed.
Then a kick.
Then another slash.
She never stopped moving.
Never stopped attacking.
Growls escaped her throat between strikes. Sharp hisses. Low snarls. The sounds of something hunting rather than fighting.
Sam gave ground.
Stormglass met Kenosi again.
And again.
And again.
Sparks erupted across the clearing.
She's using everything.
Arms.
Legs.
Elbows.
Knees.
Even her head threatened to become a weapon.
There was no rhythm.
No pattern.
No discipline he could recognize.
Yet somehow every movement flowed perfectly into the next.
It was chaos.
Refined chaos.
Sam adjusted his footing and narrowly slipped beneath another slash.
His own style couldn't have been more different.
Xavier had drilled precision into him for years.
Control.
Timing.
Adaptability.
Observe.
Adjust.
Survive.
While The Aireon fought like a wildfire, Sam fought like someone desperately trying not to be consumed by it.
Stormglass slid against Kenosi.
Sam redirected the strike and attempted a counter.
The Aireon twisted around it.
Too fast.
A grin spread across her face.
She was enjoying this.
Far too much.
Their blades collided again.
For a brief moment, they stood face-to-face.
Close enough for Sam to finally study her.
Horns.
Wrappings.
Blue eye.
The wrappings looked disturbingly familiar.
Almost identical to Whisperer's.
What is she?
She looked human at first glance.
Until she didn't.
Every feature seemed slightly wrong.
Slightly sharper.
Slightly more dangerous.
As if humanity had merely been the starting point.
The Aireon noticed him staring.
A knowing smile crept across her face.
Then she deliberately shifted her stance.
An invitation.
A challenge.
Come on.
Show me more.
Sam narrowed his eyes.
Fine.
He stepped backward.
One step.
Then another.
Feigning hesitation.
Feigning uncertainty.
The Aireon immediately lunged.
Exactly what he wanted.
Stormglass flashed upward.
A counterstrike already waiting.
At the last possible moment, The Aireon stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
Then casually leapt backward.
The counter cut through empty air.
Sam blinked.
She saw through it.
The realization was almost insulting.
Several yards now separated them.
Both breathing harder.
Both watching.
Neither willing to blink.
The forest suddenly felt quiet.
Sam lowered Stormglass slightly.
"Are you the one they're looking for?"
No answer.
"Did you do something to them?"
The Aireon's expression immediately soured.
A visible irritation crossed her face.
"You ask too many questions."
Her grip tightened around Kenosi.
"Reminds me of the Purified."
Sam frowned.
"That's not an answer."
"No."
A savage grin returned.
"It isn't."
Kenosi rose.
Blue light flickered from the dragon eyes embedded within the weapon.
The Aireon's pulse visibly quickened.
Like she had already forgotten the conversation.
"Let's get back to fighting."
The Aireon raised her fist.
For a brief moment, the forest became still.
Then she drove it into the ground.
The world exploded.
The earth beneath her shattered outward in a violent ripple.
"DAMN IT!"
Sam threw himself backward.
Too slow.
The shockwave caught him and launched him into the air.
His stomach lurched.
The sky spun.
Then a tree stopped his flight.
Hard.
Pain erupted through his back as he crashed into the trunk and tumbled into the dirt.
Before he could recover—
"DIE!!!"
The Aireon was already above him.
Kenosi descended.
Sam rolled.
The twin blades slammed into the tree instead.
CRAAAAACK.
The massive trunk tilted.
Sam stared.
The entire tree was falling.
"Oh, come on."
He scrambled away as the giant crashed into the forest floor with a deafening roar.
Dust exploded everywhere.
Leaves rained from above.
When the cloud settled, The Aireon stood on the opposite side of the fallen tree.
Grinning.
Sam looked at her.
Then at the tree.
Then back at her.
His expression was completely flat.
"Listen."
He pointed toward the tree.
"I am not your enemy."
The Aireon tilted her head.
"We don't have to fight."
"But I want to."
She immediately vaulted over the fallen trunk.
Her spinning hook kick slammed into Sam's shoulder before he could react.
The impact nearly spun him off his feet.
Sam stumbled backward and raised Stormglass.
The Aireon's eye gleamed.
"Your skin feels tough."
Her grin widened.
"Good."
Kenosi screamed toward him.
Stormglass met it.
Steel shrieked.
The force rattled his entire body.
"You won't die so quickly."
Their faces drew close.
Close enough for Sam to see the excitement in her eye.
Close enough to realize she meant every word.
"Stop!"
Sam shoved against Kenosi.
The Aireon leaned closer.
Then tried to bite him.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
Sam threw himself backward.
The blunt end of Kenosi immediately slammed into his chest.
The air left his lungs.
His grip loosened.
Maria's sword slipped from his shoulder and hit the ground.
Sam staggered.
Headbutted The Aireon.
Rolled away.
Barely avoided another slash.
He rose unsteadily.
Chest burning.
Vision blurred.
The Aireon advanced.
Still smiling.
Still enjoying herself.
And suddenly Sam understood.
She wasn't going to listen.
She wasn't going to stop.
She wasn't going to leave.
She was going to kill him.
The realization settled into his chest.
Cold.
Simple.
Certain.
If I keep treating this like a misunderstanding...
I'm going to die.
Images flashed through his mind.
Xavier.
Errya.
Maria.
Ender.
Gone.
Missing.
Lost.
No.
Not yet.
He had questions that needed answers.
People he needed to find.
Promises he hadn't fulfilled.
He couldn't die here.
Not in some random clearing.
Not at the hands of a lunatic Aireon.
Not now.
Not before he knew.
Something deep inside him answered.
Electricity sparked across his fingers.
The Aireon stopped.
Her eye widened slightly.
For the first time since the fight began—
She looked curious.
Yellow lightning erupted across Sam's arm.
Not smooth.
Not controlled.
Violent.
Wild.
The air cracked.
Electricity condensed around his hand.
A jagged blade of living lightning formed.
Unstable.
Crackling.
Real.
Sam stared at it.
His breathing was ragged.
His heart hammered.
The blade hummed like a living thing.
Across the clearing, The Aireon's grin slowly widened.
"Oooo, what's this?"
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Excitement.
Pure excitement.
"About time things got more…violent."
She vanished.
Blue flames flickered across her eye.
The world blurred.
Sam's head snapped sideways.
A sound.
Behind him.
He turned.
Nothing.
Then another.
To his left.
Nothing.
Again.
Again.
Again.
She wasn't moving.
She was disappearing.
Teleporting.
A punch exploded against his jaw.
The world flashed white.
Sam staggered.
The lightning blade shattered instantly.
Fragments of electricity scattered through the air.
The Aireon pointed and laughed.
"Haha! Dumbass!"
Sam wiped blood from his mouth.
And realized this fight had somehow become even worse.
Sam spat blood into the dirt.
His jaw screamed.
His ears rang.
The world tilted slightly as he struggled to stay upright.
The Aireon's laughter only made it worse.
She vanished again.
Sam immediately grabbed Maria's sword from the ground.
The familiar weight steadied him as he wrapped it around his shoulder once more.
Not much.
But enough.
A sound.
Behind him.
Sam turned and swung.
Stormglass whistled through the air.
The Aireon had already retreated.
Her eye widened slightly.
Interesting.
The rabbit was adapting.
Sam lowered his stance.
Breathing hard.
Watching.
Listening.
If he couldn't see her...
He would hear her.
The Aireon's smile widened.
Then azure flames ignited around her fists.
The forest temperature immediately rose.
"Oh, this should be fun."
She exploded forward.
The first punch slammed into Sam's ribs.
Something cracked.
Pain erupted through his side.
The second strike lifted him off the ground.
The third sent him stumbling backward.
Then came the backfist.
Blue flames streaked across his vision.
The impact spun him around completely.
Sam barely remained standing.
The Aireon didn't stop.
She never stopped.
An uppercut snapped his head backward.
A body shot folded him over.
A knee buried itself directly into his face.
CRACK.
Sam's feet left the ground.
The tree behind him caught him before the earth could.
He slid down the trunk.
Dazed.
Bruised.
Burning.
His face throbbed.
His ribs screamed.
His lungs struggled to draw breath.
The Aireon stood over him.
Looking almost disappointed.
"Get up."
She twirled Kenosi lazily.
"We're just getting started."
Sam glared up at her.
Somewhere between the pain and exhaustion, he had begun to hate that smile.
Then—
Something moved.
The Aireon noticed it first.
Her expression immediately changed.
The playful excitement vanished.
A flower bloomed.
Pink petals emerged from the forest floor between them.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds dozens of flowers erupted throughout the clearing.
Sam blinked.
Confused.
"What?"
The flowers began glowing.
Softly.
Beautifully.
The Aireon's eye narrowed immediately.
Recognition.
Not fear.
Recognition.
The surrounding flowers suddenly exploded.
Petals shot through the air like razor blades.
The Aireon vanished.
A blue blur streaked backward as countless petals shredded through the space she had occupied.
The forest erupted.
Trees were carved apart.
Leaves exploded from branches.
The ground was torn open.
Sam stared.
His brain struggled to process what he had just witnessed.
The petals drifted harmlessly around him.
Avoiding him entirely.
Someone was controlling them.
Precisely.
A figure emerged from the trees.
Black cloak.
Pink hair.
Calm eyes.
Olivia.
Unlike the Black Cloaks Sam had observed earlier, she wasn't rushing.
Wasn't shouting.
Wasn't panicking.
She walked into the clearing as though she had already decided how this encounter would end.
Flowers bloomed at her feet with every step.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
The clearing slowly transformed into a garden.
They burst from the ground beneath the Aireon's feet, their roots twisting through the soil before reaching for her.
Sam stared.
That looks familiar.
His eyes followed the vines as they moved.
The way they grew.
The way they responded to Olivia's movements.
For a moment, Sam forgot where he was.
The flowers reminded him of Maria.
Then the vines snapped toward the Aireon.
Sam's expression changed.
No.
Maria's flowers had always felt warm.
These felt different.
More controlled.
More deliberate.
But the resemblance was impossible to ignore.
Beauty that could become something terrifying in an instant.
Is she...
He stopped himself.
No.
That couldn't be right.
He didn't even know what Maria was.
He only knew that whatever Olivia was doing...
It looked almost exactly like her.
The Aireon landed several yards away atop a fallen trunk.
Kenosi resting across her shoulder.
Both women stared at one another.
Neither spoke immediately.
Sam looked between them.
Then back to The Aireon.
Then back to the newcomer.
Olivia's gaze shifted toward Sam briefly.
She took in:
the bruises
the burns
the blood
Stormglass
Maria's sheathed sword
Then looked back toward The Aireon.
"You look terrible."
Sam frowned.
"Thanks."
Olivia ignored him completely.
Her eyes remained fixed on the Aireon.
"You're an Aireon."
Sam blinked.
"An Aireon?"
Olivia glanced at him.
"You've never seen one?"
Sam shook his head.
"I thought they were extinct."
Olivia's expression hardened.
"So did everyone else."
The Aireon snorted.
A grin slowly returned to her face.
"Mhmm."
She adjusted Kenosi.
"You're stronger than the others."
Flowers continued blooming around Olivia.
Quietly.
Patiently.
Like predators waiting beneath still water.
"And you're exactly where you're not supposed to be."
For the first time since the fight began, The Aireon looked genuinely interested in someone other than Sam.
Which immediately worried him.
A lot.
More flowers bloomed around her.
Waiting.
Watching.
Ready.
The Aireon glanced toward Sam.
Then toward the newcomer.
A decision was made.
Without another word, she turned and sprinted into the forest.
Blue flames erupted behind her as she disappeared between the trees.
Gone.
Just like that.
Still dazed from being kneed in the face, Sam blinked rapidly.
His ears rang.
The clearing spun.
When he finally managed to focus, The Aireon was already disappearing into the distance.
A blue blur racing deeper into the Giant Forest.
Sam stared.
Then laughed once.
Half delirious.
Half relieved.
"She..."
He leaned heavily against a tree.
"She ran..."
A beat.
"The bitch ran..."
The woman finally turned toward him.
Flowers continued drifting lazily around her.
A long silence followed.
Then:
"You fought her."
Sam blinked.
"Apparently."
The woman ignored the joke.
"You survived."
That sounded significantly more surprising.
Sam frowned.
"Thanks."
The woman folded her arms.
Flowers immediately curled around her boots.
"What do you know about the Aireon?"
Sam stared at her.
Then pointed toward the forest.
"What do I know?"
"She punched me through a tree."
A pause.
"Then she tried to bite my face."
Another pause.
"I feel like I'm the one who should be asking questions."
The woman remained completely expressionless.
Which somehow made it worse.
"You don't know who she is."
Sam slowly shook his head.
"I've never seen anything like her in my life."
For the first time, the woman reacted.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Flowers stopped moving.
The forest became strangely quiet.
Then she took a step closer.
"Just who are you?"
Sam hesitated.
A week ago that question would've been easy.
Now?
Now he wasn't entirely sure.
So he settled on the simplest answer.
"I'm a survivor."
The woman studied him.
Long enough to become uncomfortable.
Then her gaze shifted.
The lingering sparks dancing across his fingertips.
The remnants of the lightning blade.
Something flickered across her face.
Recognition.
Sam immediately pointed at her.
"No."
The woman blinked.
"What?"
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"That thing where someone notices something important and then refuses to explain it."
For the first time, a smile threatened to appear.
It lasted less than a second.
"You're strange."
The woman sighed.
Then finally offered her hand.
"Olivia."
Sam looked at it suspiciously.
"You planning to throw flowers at me too?"
Olivia slowly lowered her hand.
"Maybe."
"Maybe..."
Sam stared at her hand for a moment.
Then at her.
Then back at the hand.
"That isn't exactly reassuring."
Olivia shrugged.
"It wasn't meant to be."
After everything that had happened in the last hour, Sam wasn't entirely sure why this was the thing he chose to trust.
Maybe it was exhaustion.
Maybe it was the fact she had saved him from The Aireon.
Maybe it was because she seemed significantly less likely to bite his face.
Whatever the reason, he reached out and shook her hand.
Olivia's grip was firm.
Steady.
Normal.
For a brief moment, Sam relaxed.
Then he looked down.
Roots.
Dozens of them.
Tiny flowering roots had silently emerged from the soil while they were talking.
They coiled around his boots.
Around his ankles.
Around his calves.
Thickening by the second.
Sam froze.
Olivia's hand was still shaking his.
A sly smile slowly appeared on her face.
The realization hit him immediately.
"You..."
The roots tightened.
Not enough to hurt.
More than enough to stop him from running.
"You tricked me."
"Yes."
Sam looked genuinely offended.
"I thought we were having a moment."
"We were."
"Olivia."
"Sam."
Sam froze.
"I never told you my name."
Olivia blinked.
Then glanced toward his chest.
Sam followed her gaze.
Pinned to his shirt was a small stitched name tag.
SAM.
A long silence followed.
"...I got punched in the head really hard."
"Several times."
Sam sighed.
The roots tightened further.
"Seriously?"
Olivia released his hand and stepped back.
Flowers bloomed lazily around her feet.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Sam pointed at the restraints.
"I feel like this sends mixed messages."
Olivia ignored him.
"You fought an Aireon."
"Against my will."
"You survived."
"Barely."
"You manifested... lightning."
Sam immediately stiffened.
Olivia noticed.
Interesting.
"You're coming with me."
Sam folded his arms.
Or at least attempted to before his bruised ribs protested.
"Do I get a vote?"
"No."
"That's disappointing."
Olivia's smile widened slightly.
The kind of smile that suggested she'd already won the argument before it began.
"I unfortunately have to bring you in for questioning."
Sam groaned.
"By who?"
The flowers surrounding Olivia swayed gently in the wind.
Her answer came immediately.
"Master Gahdu."
Sam frowned.
"I don't know who that is."
For the first time, Olivia looked almost sympathetic.
"That probably makes this easier."
Sam's eyes narrowed.
The vines around his arms tightened.
He pulled.
Nothing.
Olivia watched him struggle.
"Don't."
Sam ignored her.
Electricity flickered across his fingertips.
Olivia's expression changed.
"What are you—"
CRACK.
A burst of yellow lightning tore through the vines.
Sam dropped to the ground.
He didn't wait.
He ran.
Olivia stared after him.
"He's fast..."
A figure landed effortlessly on a nearby branch.
The limb barely moved beneath his weight.
A Theran male.
Calico fur peeked from beneath the edges of his Black Cloak in patches of orange, white, and black. Sharp feline ears twitched atop his head as his green-and-gold eyes followed the path Sam had taken through the forest.
Even standing still, he carried himself with an almost lazy confidence.
Like a predator that had never needed to rush.
Suave.
Another figure landed several branches lower.
The branch groaned.
Not because she was heavy.
Because of how much force she carried into the landing.
A female Theran.
Most of her body remained hidden beneath her cloak, but her powerful legs were impossible to miss. The muscles beneath the fabric looked capable of launching her through the canopy itself. Every movement carried the coiled tension of a hunting beast preparing to spring.
Genevieve.
Neither appeared particularly concerned.
Which somehow made Olivia more annoyed.
Both looked toward the direction Sam had disappeared.
Then back toward her.
Suave tilted his head.
"You lost him?"
Olivia glared.
"I wasn't expecting him to be so fast."
Genevieve watched the distant movement of swaying branches.
A low whistle escaped her.
"Neither was I."
Another figure dropped from a branch above.
Unlike Suave's graceful landing or Genevieve's heavy impact, Leano hit the branch hard enough to make it shake.
Leano.
Short.
Rugged.
Built like someone who had spent most of his life fighting things bigger than himself.
Strands of striped black-and-white hair spilled from beneath his hood. Animalistic ears twitched constantly, catching every sound in the forest. Thin whiskers framed his face, and the long claw-like nails at the ends of his fingers tapped impatiently against the bark beneath him.
Everything about him looked tense.
Ready.
Like violence was always one bad decision away.
His eyes immediately tracked the path Sam had taken.
Then the broken flowers.
Then Olivia.
A few seconds passed.
"That doesn't make sense."
Olivia groaned.
Suave smirked.
Genevieve rolled her eyes.
Nobody asked.
Leano usually answered his own questions anyway.
"He got hit by the Aireon."
Silence.
"He got caught by Olivia."
More silence.
Leano's ears twitched.
"Then he ran faster."
Suave scratched the back of his head.
"...When you put it like that."
"It doesn't make sense."
Genevieve shrugged.
"Maybe he's stubborn."
Leano snorted.
"Everyone's stubborn."
His claws scraped lightly against the branch.
"Something's weird about him."
Olivia folded her arms.
"I noticed."
Leano shot her a glance.
"No, you noticed after he escaped."
That earned him a glare.
Leano didn't seem particularly concerned.
His attention was already back on the forest.
Watching.
Waiting.
Ready to chase.
The forest fell silent.
Not completely.
The wind still moved.
Branches still swayed.
But the conversation died.
A young man stepped from the shadows.
Slim.
Pale.
Dark markings crawled across the exposed portions of his skin like living ink.
Unlike the others, he wore no traditional Black Cloak.
Only a wide hood that concealed most of his face.
Yet nobody missed the brown eyes staring from beneath it.
Sharp.
Focused.
Tired.
The moment he appeared, everyone straightened slightly.
Not because they feared him.
Because they trusted him.
"Owen."
Suave sounded relieved.
Olivia folded her arms.
Genevieve sat up straighter.
Even Leano stopped staring into the forest long enough to acknowledge his arrival.
Suave gestured toward the trail Sam had left behind.
"Olivia did her best."
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"But the guy was beyond all our expectations."
Owen didn't answer.
His attention never shifted toward Olivia.
Or Suave.
Or anyone else.
Instead he crouched beside the broken roots.
The flowers.
The disturbed soil.
The path Sam had carved through the forest.
Silence.
Several seconds passed.
Leano watched carefully.
Owen touched the ground.
Then glanced toward the direction Sam had fled.
"Young."
The statement seemed random.
Nobody interrupted.
Owen stood.
"Injured."
His gaze moved toward Olivia.
"You restrained him."
Olivia nodded.
"Briefly."
"He escaped."
"Yes..."
Another pause.
Owen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then:
"He manifested lightning."
Olivia blinked.
"You can tell that?"
"The roots are scorched."
Everyone looked down.
Sure enough.
Tiny burn marks ran along the severed roots.
Suave whistled.
Genevieve frowned.
Leano looked irritated.
As if Owen had simply confirmed something he didn't like.
Owen remained silent.
Thinking.
Processing.
Then his head tilted slightly.
A small movement.
Barely noticeable.
The shadows beneath the surrounding branches shifted.
Crows.
Dozens of them.
Watching.
Waiting.
Listening.
One landed nearby.
Then another.
Then another.
Four eyes stared down from each black-feathered face.
Owen's eyes slowly darkened.
Brown disappeared.
Black remained.
The forest vanished.
From Owen's perspective, the world fractured into dozens of viewpoints.
A crow perched high above the canopy.
Another watched a riverbank.
Another followed broken branches.
Another tracked movement through the undergrowth.
Then—
Sam.
Running.
Still running.
Despite every reason he should have collapsed.
Owen blinked.
His eyes returned to normal.
"I found him."
The response was immediate.
Genevieve rose.
Suave grinned.
Olivia released a long sigh.
Leano crossed his arms.
"What is he?"
Owen looked toward the forest.
Toward Sam.
Toward whatever destiny had just crashed into the Giant Forest.
For a brief moment, something resembling curiosity crossed his face.
Then it disappeared.
"We'll find out."
He turned.
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
Only direction.
"Let's go."
Somewhere deeper in the Giant Forest, Sam's unnatural speed carried him through the trees.
Branches whipped past.
Roots blurred beneath his feet.
Ahead of him, the Aireon glanced over her shoulder.
Her eye widened.
Then narrowed in annoyance.
"Still want more, bakana human?"
"B-Bakana?"
Sam nearly stumbled.
"What the hell does that mean?"
The Aireon rolled her eye.
"Doesn't matter."
Sam pointed accusingly while still running.
"Why didn't you tell me you were an Aireon? I thought your kind was extinct!"
The Aireon groaned.
"Worst. Chase. Ever."
She suddenly spun.
Kenosi swung.
Sam slid beneath the strike.
The weapon carved into a tree behind him.
Before he could recover, the Aireon grabbed his throat.
A moment later he was flying.
CRASH.
A tree stopped him.
Pain exploded through his body.
The Aireon was already there.
A fist rushed toward his face.
Sam dodged.
Barely.
She caught him anyway.
One hand on his forehead.
The other on his chin.
Then threw him skyward.
Sam immediately regretted existing.
The Aireon appeared beside him.
A punch folded him in half.
Another sent him spinning.
A kick drove him back toward the earth.
BOOM.
A crater formed where he landed.
Sam wheezed.
The sky looked nice.
The Aireon landed atop him.
The crater deepened.
Dust settled.
"I have to kill you now, Rabbit."
Sam groaned with a frown.
"I thought you were trying to do that the whole—"
She twirled Kenosi lazily with a grin.
Sam glared up at her.
Somewhere between the pain and exhaustion, he had begun to hate that smile.
Then—
A flower bloomed.
The Aireon noticed first.
Within seconds, flowers spread through the clearing.
Sam blinked.
"These flowers again?"
The Aireon's eye narrowed.
Recognition.
The flowers brightened.
Then vines erupted from beneath the earth.
They didn't attack the Aireon.
They surrounded her.
One vine snapped toward her ankle.
She jumped.
Another reached for her wrist.
She twisted away.
A third rose directly beneath her.
She kicked off it before it could close around her.
Sam stared.
The flowers weren't attacking randomly.
They were herding her.
A calm voice came from the trees.
"Don't let her reach Sam."
The Aireon looked up.
Olivia stepped into the clearing.
Flowers bloomed around her feet with every step.
She didn't rush.
She didn't need to.
Her battlefield was already growing beneath everyone's feet.
The Aireon landed atop a fallen trunk, Kenosi resting across her shoulder.
Her eye narrowed.
"You again."
Olivia said nothing.
She simply raised one hand.
A ring of flowers opened around Sam.
A soft glow passed through him.
The pain in his ribs eased slightly.
Sam looked down.
"...Did you just heal me?"
"Enough to keep you standing."
"Oh."
Sam looked toward the Aireon.
"Could you do more?"
Olivia's eyes remained on the Aireon.
"No."
The Aireon snorted.
A grin slowly returned to her face.
"Mhmm."
Blue flames flickered around her shoulders.
Olivia's expression remained calm.
"You aren't escaping again."
The Aireon grinned wider.
"Then make me stay."
She vanished.
Olivia's eyes sharpened.
The flowers reacted first.
Roots erupted from the ground.
The Aireon tore through the first set.
Then the second.
Then the third.
But each destroyed root gave Olivia another piece of information.
Speed.
Direction.
Timing.
Olivia wasn't trying to overpower her.
She was learning her.
The Aireon realized it.
And immediately changed direction.
A blur shot toward Sam.
A shadow crossed the path.
Genevieve landed between them.
The impact cracked the earth.
Sam blinked.
"Where did you come from?"
Genevieve didn't answer.
Her eyes were fixed on the Aireon.
The Aireon swung Kenosi.
Genevieve ducked beneath it.
Her leg swept low.
The Aireon jumped.
Genevieve was already moving.
She planted one foot against a tree.
The trunk groaned.
She launched herself sideways.
A spinning kick slammed toward the Aireon's ribs.
The Aireon blocked.
The impact sent her skidding across the clearing.
Genevieve landed lightly.
Then immediately advanced.
No wasted movement.
No standing around.
Approach.
Explode.
Strike.
Reposition.
Again.
A knee.
A sweep.
A jumping kick.
A spinning heel.
The Aireon dodged each attack by inches.
Genevieve wasn't trying to catch her.
She was controlling where she could go.
Every time the Aireon moved away from Genevieve, Olivia's flowers were waiting.
Every time she tried to move around them, Genevieve was already there.
The Aireon clicked her tongue.
"Zhakar."
Genevieve's ears twitched.
"Oh? That doesn't sound very nice."
Genevieve lunged.
The Aireon swung Kenosi.
Genevieve ducked beneath the blade and drove a knee toward her ribs.
The Aireon caught her leg.
Genevieve's eyes widened.
The Aireon smiled.
"Got you."
Genevieve immediately twisted.
Her other leg slammed into the Aireon's shoulder.
She released Genevieve.
Genevieve landed on one foot.
"Okay."
She grinned.
"Definitely fast."
The Aireon launched herself backward.
Exactly where Genevieve wanted her.
A thunderous crack split the clearing.
BOOM.
The Aireon twisted.
A projectile tore through the space beside her.
It struck a tree behind her.
The bark exploded.
She looked toward the sound.
Leano stood several yards away.
Compact firearm raised.
His ears twitched as he tracked her movement.
"Got you."
The Aireon snarled.
Leano fired again.
BOOM.
She moved.
The projectile missed her by inches.
It wasn't random.
Leano had fired where she was going to be.
His eyes followed her feet.
Not her body.
Her footing.
Her direction.
Her escape routes.
"She's favoring her right."
Genevieve immediately shifted left.
Olivia's flowers opened on the right.
The Aireon changed direction.
Leano fired.
BOOM.
She twisted away.
The projectile tore through a tree.
Leano clicked his tongue.
"So this is an Aireon."
The Aireon hissed at Leano.
She breaks into a full blown sprint, running on all fours.
Leano didn't panic.
He lowered the firearm.
The Aireon expected another shot.
Instead—
Leano met her.
His claws came out.
She blocked the first slash.
Leano ducked beneath Kenosi.
His teeth snapped toward her forearm.
The Aireon jerked away.
Leano didn't pursue.
He stepped back.
Created distance.
Raised the firearm again.
His entire style changed in an instant.
Close when necessary.
Far when possible.
The Aireon realized it.
"So that's your trick."
Leano grinned.
"Yeah."
BOOM.
She moved.
Another shot.
Then another.
Each one forced her farther into the battlefield.
Toward Olivia.
Toward Genevieve.
Exactly where Leano wanted her.
The Aireon suddenly changed direction again.
Up.
She planted one foot against a tree and launched herself into the canopy.
Leano looked up.
"She's going vertical."
A laugh came from above.
"Finally."
Suave dropped from the branches.
He landed behind her.
No impact.
No wasted motion.
Just a soft shift of weight.
The Aireon spun.
A dagger flashed.
She knocked it away.
Another dagger came from the opposite angle.
She ducked.
Suave was already gone.
"Aireons haven't been seen in decades."
The Aireon's grip tightened around Kenosi.
"Decades?"
The Aireon looked up.
Nothing.
Then—
A blade flashed beside her ear.
She twisted away.
Suave landed on a branch above her.
One hand rested casually against the trunk.
His tail swayed behind him.
"You're the first one I've ever seen."
The Aireon glared.
"You're an animal too."
Suave smiled.
"Haha, yeah I guess we are."
She lunged.
Suave jumped.
"Theran is the proper term though."
The Aireon followed.
Suave landed on another branch.
Then another.
Then the trunk.
Then the ground.
"Theran."
"What's that?"
Leano stared at her.
"You don't know what Therans are?"
"No."
He never stayed in one place long enough for her to catch him.
Every movement forced her to turn.
Every turn exposed another angle.
His daggers weren't aimed at killing her.
They were aimed at where she could move.
One pinned a strip of her clothing to a tree.
Another struck the ground beside her foot.
A third landed behind her.
The Aireon stopped.
She looked around.
Flowers below.
Genevieve ahead.
Leano at range.
Suave above.
For the first time, she understood.
They weren't trying to overpower her.
They were closing the forest around her.
Her grin returned.
"Finally."
Blue flames erupted around her body.
The flowers nearest her blackened.
Olivia's eyes narrowed.
"Everyone back."
The Aireon slammed her foot into the ground.
Fire exploded outward.
Genevieve jumped.
Suave vanished into the canopy.
Leano rolled behind a tree.
Olivia raised both hands.
A wall of luminous flowers erupted from the earth.
The flames crashed into it.
The barrier bent.
But held.
Olivia gritted her teeth.
The Aireon pushed harder.
The barrier cracked.
Olivia immediately shifted her stance.
The flowers beneath Genevieve's feet brightened.
"Go."
Genevieve understood.
She launched.
Her body became a projectile.
She cleared the barrier and came down with a devastating axe kick.
The Aireon twisted.
The kick missed her head.
It struck her shoulder.
The impact drove her into the ground.
Before she could rise—
BOOM.
Leano fired.
The Aireon rolled.
The shot struck the earth where her chest had been.
She sprang upward.
Suave was waiting.
He dropped from the canopy with both daggers drawn.
The Aireon crossed Kenosi.
Suave twisted around her.
One slash.
Two.
Three.
Then he disappeared again.
She turned.
Nothing.
A flower bloomed beneath her foot.
Olivia's voice came calmly from behind her.
"Got you."
Roots erupted.
They wrapped around the Aireon's ankle.
Then her wrist.
Then Kenosi.
The Aireon roared.
Blue fire surged.
The roots burned away.
But the moment they did—
Genevieve was already there.
A knee drove into her side.
The Aireon flew.
Leano fired.
She twisted.
Suave appeared above her.
She blocked.
Olivia's flowers bloomed below.
The Aireon landed.
Surrounded.
Breathing heavily.
Kenosi rested against her shoulder.
"You people ask a lot of questions."
Leano reloaded.
"You're the first Aireon we've seen in decades."
"And?"
"You're unusual."
The Aireon narrowed her eyes.
"You don't know anything about me."
"That's why we're asking."
She stared at him.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then she said:
"...I don't know either."
Leano's ears lifted.
Genevieve looked at her.
Olivia's expression softened slightly.
"You really don't know?"
The Aireon shook her head.
"I know what I am."
She looked down at Kenosi.
"That's it."
Then—
A crow landed on a branch.
The Aireon's smile disappeared.
Another crow.
Then another.
Four eyes stared down from each black-feathered face.
The forest grew quiet.
Olivia lowered her hands slightly.
Genevieve stopped advancing.
Leano's ears twitched.
Suave glanced upward.
"He's here."
The crows fell silent.
The others immediately knew what that meant.
Owen had arrived.
He didn't look at the Aireon first.
He looked at the battlefield.
Burned flowers.
Broken trees.
Spent ammunition.
Blood.
Footprints.
Every escape route.
Every angle.
His eyes moved once.
Twice.
Then settled on the Aireon.
She immediately recognized the difference.
The others had been fighting her.
He had been watching her.
Owen crouched and touched the ground.
A burned root.
A footprint.
A broken branch.
He looked toward Leano.
"She changes direction before your shots."
Leano frowned.
"Yeah."
"Because she watches your shoulders."
Leano glanced at his firearm.
Owen looked toward Genevieve.
"She avoids your left side after the first kick."
Genevieve's ears lifted.
"Why?"
"Your recovery is slower when you pivot."
Genevieve frowned.
Then smiled.
"Good catch."
Owen's gaze shifted toward Suave.
"She's started predicting your vertical attacks."
Suave's smile faded slightly.
"Already?"
"Yes."
Then Olivia.
"She burns the roots before they tighten."
Olivia nodded.
"So?"
"So don't give her roots."
Olivia understood immediately.
The flowers around the battlefield changed.
Instead of wrapping around the Aireon—
They bloomed farther away.
Creating corridors.
Blocking exits.
Separating terrain.
Owen's eyes darkened.
The crows above shifted.
His entire battlefield changed.
The Aireon looked around.
She suddenly realized what had happened.
Every route had been accounted for.
Every escape.
Every blind spot.
Every piece of terrain she had been using.
Owen wasn't entering the fight.
He was finishing the plan.
His voice remained calm.
"Hold."
The others looked at him.
Owen's eyes stayed on the Aireon.
The Aireon tightened her grip on Kenosi.
Blue flames flickered around her.
For the first time since the fight began—
She looked uncertain.
And Owen noticed.
Of course he did.
His gaze drifted across the battlefield.
The burned flowers.
The shattered trees.
The blood.
The exhaustion.
Then finally settled on The Aireon herself.
Her torn wrappings.
The bruises.
The scars.
The look in her eye.
Several seconds passed.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Then Owen sighed.
A tired sigh.
The kind somebody makes after finally understanding a problem.
"You think we're here to bring you back."
The Aireon froze.
The words hit harder than Genevieve's kicks.
Harder than Leano's shotgun.
Harder than Olivia's roots.
Something dangerous flashed across her face.
Fear.
Then anger.
A lot of anger.
"I won't."
Her grip tightened around Kenosi.
"I won't go back."
Nobody laughed.
Nobody mocked her.
The Black Cloaks simply watched.
Owen nodded once.
"As expected."
The Aireon's eye twitched.
The response confused her.
That confusion quickly became rage.
"I said I WON'T GO BACK!"
Blue fire erupted outward.
The surrounding inferno surged.
Trees bent.
The ground cracked.
Kenosi screamed in her grasp.
For a brief moment the pressure returned.
Wild.
Ancient.
Broken.
Sam immediately recognized it.
The same feeling.
The same wrongness.
The same overwhelming force he had felt when she fought him.
Genevieve lowered her stance.
Leano finally emerged from the trees.
Covered in dirt.
Holding his shotgun.
Suave's grip tightened slightly.
Olivia's flowers recoiled.
Only Owen remained unchanged.
"You escaped."
The Aireon's breathing tightened.
"You don't trust anyone."
He took another step.
"So anyone who gets close looks like another cage."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The Aireon stared at him.
Her breathing became uneven.
Something inside her hated hearing those words.
Because they were right.
Too right.
"You don't know anything about me."
Owen tilted his head.
"No."
His answer came immediately.
"But I know enough."
The flames surged again.
The Aireon roared.
Then charged.
Not at Genevieve.
Not at Olivia.
Not at Suave.
At Owen.
Everyone moved at once.
Genevieve launched forward.
Suave vanished.
Leano raised his shotgun.
Owen raised one finger.
Nobody moved.
The entire battlefield froze.
Not physically.
Instinctively.
Owen's eyes darkened.
The crows fell silent.
Even the wind seemed quieter.
Owen looked directly at the Aireon.
She tightened her grip around Kenosi.
Blue flames flickered around her body.
Genevieve lowered her stance.
Leano stopped advancing.
Suave remained perched above the battlefield.
Olivia's flowers stayed perfectly still.
Nobody questioned him.
Nobody needed to.
Owen had learned enough.
"Don't attack her."
The Aireon's eye narrowed.
"What?"
Owen didn't answer her.
His gaze moved across the battlefield.
"Make her move."
Genevieve's expression shifted.
She understood first.
Suave's smile returned.
Leano adjusted his grip on his weapon.
Olivia raised one hand.
The flowers began blooming again.
Not around the Aireon.
Around her escape routes.
The Aireon slowly looked around.
She understood.
They weren't going to rush her.
They weren't going to give her another target.
They were going to make her choose where to go.
And Owen already knew where she would go.
The Aireon's flames flickered.
She looked at Owen.
Really looked at him.
He wasn't attacking.
He wasn't threatening her.
He was simply watching.
Waiting.
Then Owen spoke.
"We aren't your enemy."
For a moment, The Aireon almost believed him.
Then the world tilted.
The blue flames flickered.
Her vision blurred.
Her legs trembled.
Exhaustion finally collected its debt.
Kenosi slipped slightly in her grip.
She tried to raise it again.
Failed.
Tried again.
Failed.
Her eye narrowed.
"...I'll kill all of you anyway."
Nobody responded.
The Aireon took one step.
Then another.
Then collapsed face-first into the dirt.
Silence.
A long silence.
Then from somewhere nearby:
"...Did she just fall asleep threatening us?"
Sam.
Everyone turned.
The battered outsider slowly lowered the hand he had raised.
"...Ah, should've stayed quiet."
Nobody laughed.
Except Genevieve.
Who immediately burst out laughing.
To Be Continued.