"A-Aether?"
Nightfire muttered the name in a fragile, hopeful tone, her voice barely carrying through the chaos.
She squinted through the blinding light, forcing her eyes to adjust as she searched for the familiar presence she wanted so desperately to see.
But when her vision finally cleared....
Before her stood no man, but a raging manifestation of reddish-golden flames. They roared like a living storm, twisting violently in the air, radiating heat and fury that pressed against her skin.
Thalia stood at the heart of those flames, her forehead split and bleeding, her body riddled with wounds that stained her clothes.
Still, she stood tall, one arm raised as power surged through her veins. A violent burst of reddish-golden fire erupted from her palm and slammed head-on into the blue energy beam firing from the tall metallic figure's gun-shaped hand.
