08:15 – Obsidian Wing | Dormitory Roof – Dawn
The dormitory roof was a battlefield of frost and fire. Ice from Liora's last spell still clung to the black glass tiles; Cassia's embers smoldered in the cracks. The triple moons bled into sunrise, painting the sky in bruised violet and molten gold. Arya stood at the edge, Level 153, Taker Uniform V10 still dripping from the Void Citadel's shadow-ichor. Her brand pulsed like a war drum, a second heart that beat for vengeance.
Six dragons—Ruby, Storm, Thunder, Specter, Echo, Void—circled overhead in perfect formation, wings casting shadows over the cohort. Their eyes glowed with loyalty, not hunger. Mireille, Level 30, clutched the reassembled ledger like a holy relic, her silver hair matted with blood and ink. The final page glowed:
"DUAL CORE FUSION = GODHOOD OR RESET. JONATHAN'S KISS = TRAP."
Alexander's hand rested on Arya's shoulder, runes crackling with storm-light. His voice was low, steady. "He's coming. Full legion. Now."
The sky cracked.
---
08:20 – Jonathan's Ultimatum
A Void Rift tore open above the dormitory, a wound in reality that bled darkness. From it emerged the Tier-10 Chimera—a nightmare of dragon, behemoth, and succubus, wings of shadow, eyes of molten gold. Its roar shook the tiles, sending cracks spider-webbing across the roof. Jonathan Andrew rode its back, Level 172, cloak of living void, eyes black holes that swallowed light.
His voice boomed, amplified by the System, but it wasn't mechanical—it was human, raw with desperation:
"ARYA ALLISON. KISS ME. FUSE THE CORES. RULE ELYSSARA AS GODS."
"REFUSE… AND I BURN THIS WING TO ASH."
Crystal orbs swarmed, live-streaming to every screen in Elyssara. The cohort tensed—Liora, Cassia, Velira, Sable, Eris & Nyx, Milo & Lena, Gilgamesh. All Level 40+, all hers. Their eyes reflected the same fire that burned in Arya's chest.
She stepped forward, brand blazing. The wind whipped her hair into a banner of obsidian and starlight. "You want my kiss?"
Jonathan smiled, teeth sharp as broken glass. "Yes."
She laughed—cold, sharp, final. The sound cut through the roar of the Chimera, through the screams of the legion pouring from the rift.
"NEVER."
***
08:22 – The Enemy Flag
The System didn't scream. It wept.
A crimson flag unfurled in the sky, stitched from shadow and blood. ENEMY FLAG: JONATHAN ANDREW. The dormitory wards shattered like glass under a hammer. Tier-10 Chimera roared, shadow tentacles lashing. Jonathan's Legion—five hundred Tier-7+ Shadow Beasts—poured from the rift, a tide of darkness that swallowed the dawn.
Arya felt the flag settle on her shoulders like a mantle. Not a curse. A crown.
---
08:25 – The Chimera's Fall
The battle began with a heartbeat.
Arya mounted Echo, the Nightmare Dragon, her thighs clamping scales that burned like starlight. The dragons moved as one—Ruby breathed fire that melted shadow into glass; Storm crackled lightning that fried tentacles into ash; Thunder rammed the Chimera's chest, cracking ribs of void; Specter phased through its core, eating its essence; Void swallowed its shadow clones whole.
Gilgamesh became a golden blur, speed runes igniting as he carved runes into the Chimera's spine—paralysis sigils that made its wings seize. Velira teleported inside its maw, daggers flashing, carving a path to its brain.
Cassia's Inferno Whip lashed out, burning the succubus face into screaming slag. Liora froze its blood mid-air, turning it into crimson icicles that rained like spears. Sable's shadows pinned its wings, spreading them like a butterfly on a board. Eris & Nyx fused into their four-armed form, tails lashing its eyes until they burst. Milo & Lena raised their hands, dual-casting a telekinetic cage that crushed its ribs.
Arya dove Echo straight into the Chimera's heart. She pressed her brand to its core—dragon Tamer Rank SS. The beast submitted, dissolving into a Tier-10 Chimera Dragon "PHANTASM" that knelt at her feet, wings folding in surrender.
The legion faltered. Jonathan's eyes widened—fear.
---
08:35 – Velira's Sacrifice
Jonathan roared, a sound of pure rage. He raised his hand, Mana Leech stealing fifty levels from his own legion to fuel a Void Nova. The blast hit the dormitory roof like a meteor.
Velira teleported in front of Arya—daggers raised, eyes fierce.
The nova tore through her.
Her body dissolved into shadow petals, each one carrying a memory: the first time she taught Arya to pick a lock, the night she confessed her love in the baths, the way she smiled when Arya tamed her first dragon. Her last words were soft, meant only for Arya:
"Worth it."
The petals fell. Arya caught one—Velira's dagger rune—and roared. The sound shook the sky, cracked the rift, made the moons tremble.
---
08:40 – Jonathan's Retreat
Jonathan's eyes widened—fear, real and raw. Arya's brand exploded with light, a beacon that burned away the shadows. The Nemesis Aura settled over her like armor, Vengeance like a blade.
He fled through the rift, the Chimera's corpse collapsing behind him. The legion followed, retreating into the void. The sky sealed with a sound like a sigh.
The roof was silent except for the wind and the soft sobs of the cohort.
---
09:00 – The First Taker Death
They carried Velira's petals to the baths. The water was cold now, the mana-infused glow dimmed to a funeral blue. Arya knelt at the edge, the dagger rune clenched in her fist. The cohort formed a circle, hands linked.
Liora's ice cracked as she cried. Cassia's flames guttered out. Sable's shadows curled around Arya's ankles like a mourner's veil. Eris & Nyx held each other, tails limp. Milo & Lena's dual telekinesis faltered, their hands trembling.
Alexander knelt beside Arya, his voice broken. "She was the first to believe in you."
Gilgamesh punched the marble, cracking it. "I'll run to the edge of the world and drag him back by his throat."
Mireille opened the ledger, her voice steady despite the tears. "Velira's last entry: 'If I die, tell Arya she was never alone.'"
Arya stood, the dagger rune glowing in her palm. She pressed it to her brand. The rune merged, becoming a scar of shadow and steel.
"Jonathan wants a war," she said, voice steel. "He'll get a funeral"
---
10:00 – The Enemy Flag's Promise
The System spoke, soft as a whisper:
"ENEMY FLAG: JONATHAN ANDREW. DEATH OR DOMINATION."
The dormitory rebuilt itself—runes knitting glass, wards flaring back to life. The cohort trained harder, loved fiercer, lived for Velira.
Arya stood on the roof at dusk, Phantasm curled at her feet. The brand pulsed, a second heartbeat that whispered:
Pain is just another kind of kiss.
And Jonathan's kiss will be his last.