The city burned in a hell of fire and despair. Flames devoured the southern district as if the abyss itself had decided to take root there. Screams tore through the air, a macabre symphony mingling with the suffocating stench of sulfur and blood — a dense smoke clinging to the throat like poisoned dust.
Amidst the chaos, Jouki stood motionless, almost ethereal. Her cold, empty gaze swept the battlefield as if everyone — men, soldiers, the world itself — were mere disposable pieces in a game where she was already the sovereign queen. The darkness around her pulsed like a sinister heartbeat, alive and threatening.
Dan advanced, resolute, followed closely by Stella. Her eyes, once soft, now burned with a fierce golden light, an inner flame on the verge of eruption. Behind them, the Sif battalion aligned — wounded, exhausted, yet with a fierce determination that seemed to challenge even death itself.
Harun, one of the captains, took the first step, his blade vibrating with kinetic energy. In a somersault, he tried to slice Jouki from the side, but barely had his sword cut through the air when a black spear emerged from the ground, piercing him mid-spin. His body collapsed, swallowed by the smoke that seemed to grin.
— She senses intent — one of the Sif warned, voice thick with visceral fear. — Be careful!
Stella roared, light erupting from her like a sun breaking the night. Golden chains cut through the air, forming intricate geometric patterns that constricted Jouki with calculated brutality. Clones of light descended from the sky, attacking in unison — sacred arrows falling in perfect harmony.
But it was useless.
From Jouki's shadowed body, black flames erupted like an explosion, consuming Stella's light and extinguishing it in an instant.
Even so, Dan noticed Stella's evolution and felt a surge of pride within himself. She was fighting with greater freedom and grace, shining like the light she had always been.
Then he joined the fight. His weapon burned with blue flames, a contained comet about to unleash. He dodged the black thorns sprouting from the ground, cutting them with deadly precision.
— We can't afford to miss! — he shouted, striking Jouki with a lateral blast. The impact threw her back several meters.
For the first time, Jouki staggered. Not from pain, but as if calculating the true scope of this new threat. Her face suddenly turned toward Stella.
— Light… innocent energy trying to be aggressive. Pathetic.
She raised her hand, the eyepatch pulsing a threatening red.
Before anyone could react, dozens of black spikes sprouted around her like an inverted flower of death. A soldier tried to block with his crystal shield — crushed to pieces. Another attempted a rear strike — his head pierced before he could utter a sound.
Stella roared, her light swelling to blinding brilliance. She leaped, her sword cutting through the air and ensnaring Jouki once more. A beam struck the enemy — for a moment, it seemed victory might be theirs.
Dan focused to the utmost. Blue flames exploded around his body, his eyes glowing like cosmic coals in fire. He surged forward with all his strength against Jouki. The impact was brutal.
There, in the middle of the street, the deadly duel began.
Flame against flame.
Protection against destruction.
Two forces, almost identical yet opposed, collided in a savage dance of power.
Jouki assessed coldly.
Why hold back?
You have the power to consume everything…
Dan's blue flames intensified, and both retreated to unleash a blast, colliding in an explosion of light and shadow.
Amidst the clash, Dan was pulled into a memory.
A silent field under an orange sky.
Mei watched him, arms crossed, while Tenklyn flicked a cigarette to life — the flame dancing between them.
— Do you understand what you carry inside, Dan? — Mei's voice was firm, laced with sadness.
— If you release it all, it will destroy… and there will be no return — Tenklyn added, eyes fixed on the flame. — This flame isn't yours alone. It's alive… and it wants to burn you.
Dan blinked, returning to the present.
Jouki's sharp voice cut the silence:
— I feel your flame screaming. It hates you for holding it back. Release it. Kill me. Let us burn together.
Dan retorted, voice steady, looking at Stella:
— You provoke me because you know that if I unleash it, not just you, but everyone here will be in danger.
— I won't give you that satisfaction.
Jouki replied with an icy smile:
— Then suffer.
The flames dissipated.
Time froze.
Jouki vanished in the blink of an eye — reappearing behind Stella. Her black blade erupted like an invisible spear, piercing the girl's stomach. A dry, brutal sound. Blood ran from Stella's lips, her eyes wide in pain and shock.
— You shine beautifully… when you're afraid — Jouki whispered, before driving the blade into Stella's hand as well, pinning her to the ground with a spike of solid energy.
— STELLA! — Dan screamed, rushing to her aid.
His eyes burned, his skin seared from within. His bracelets began to crack. The flame within him roared, wild and untamed.
He was about to release everything — his eyes trembling, almost beyond control.
But a light touch on the nape stopped him.
— I'm sorry, my boy. Not yet — a cold, clinical voice said.
Wounded but alive.
Dr. Isha emerged from a dark portal, and before Dan could react, a needle pierced his neck. Cold blue liquid flowed into his bloodstream.
Dan fell to his knees, body faltering.
— No… not now… please…
His strength abandoned him, the once-living flame flickering.
— I still need you whole — Isha said, a cruel smile behind the mask. He waved, and two hooded figures emerged from the portal, seizing Dan firmly.
Stella, still conscious despite the pain, witnessed everything. She wanted to scream. To run. To stop it.
But her body refused.
She only wept. In silence.
Then she fainted.
The field plunged into absolute silence. Only the flames, death, and emptiness remained.
Jouki walked to where Dan had been moments before. She looked at the blood on the ground, as if observing an unfinished work.
— One day… he will truly burn — she murmured, disappearing into the shadows.
The wind howled through the oppressive silence of the aftermath.
Stella's sword remained embedded in the earth, where the soldiers' bodies lay.
And from eyes once sharp and powerful, tears and blood ran freely.
To Be Continued...