Heya me again not gonna lie I didn't expect this side story to be this long i thought it's gonna be like 4 or 5 chapters max....
But it's actually 7 chapters to finish this Side Story but oh well next chapter gonna be back to main story with Ferry and Celeste
Don't forget to give me your feedback on this chapter Thank you ~
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While Lyria is focusing on using her power the blazing flames grow larger and larger causing some of us to step back.
"It's so hot... Rei, Lyria, I can't do anything this time, so I'm leaving it to you both" Katalina says then moves away heading towards Vyrn who is watching us from a distance after being thrown by the wind earlier.
"Sure, leave it to us," I reply to Katalina then turn to Therese, who is standing to my right.
Therese is still helping me stand, but I can see from her expression that she can't withstand the heat from Phoenix. "Therese... it's better if you step back with Katalina. Don't push yourself."
"But..." Therese doesn't want to leave and wants to help, as it is in her nature to like helping others.
"Yes, leave it to us, Therese. You should step back before the heat gets stronger," Djeeta says to Therese.
"...Alright...." Therese responds quietly, reluctantly letting go of me.
After doing so Therese looks at me then at Djeeta and Lyria. "Please, save this island" she says then heads towards Katalina.
With Therese gone it's just me, Djeeta, and Lyria, who is still concentrating.
Not long I see Lyria's long blue hair start to glow and float behind her.
"Draw your final breaths... and prepare to be wreathed in the flames of your demise!" We suddenly hear Phoenix's voice, sounding extremely angry from inside the pillar of fire in front of us.
The pillar of fire grows larger and thicker and the flames becoming more intense.
"Damn, she's really angry," Djeeta says while watching the tower of fire.
"Well, she has a bit of a grudge against Astral... and she recognized my race when we met."
"Rei, I'm ready!" Lyria says that drawing my attention to her.
I see the crystal on her chest glowing brightly along with her long blue hair. "Now it's your turn, Rei," Lyria says while reaching out her hand to me.
I can see Lyria looking at me with a very serious expression. It's rare to see her like this because she is always smiling and cheerful making others happy when she talks to them.
But this time she has a very serious look that I'm sure other people wouldn't expect from her.
"Fufufu" Thinking about all that makes me chuckle a bit as I take her hand.
"Why are you laughing Rei?" Lyria asks me while tilting her head in confusion.
"It's nothing, I just remembered something funny," I reply, then turn to look at Djeeta.
Understanding the meaning of my glance, Djeeta shakes her head, "I'll stay here and help you stand."
I just nod allowing Djeeta to stay here Compared to Therese, Djeeta's body is much stronger due to the Boundary Power within her.
"Alright Lyria, let's begin," I say to Lyria then face forward.
"Yes!" Lyria tightly grips my hand.
I released my four black wings and Lyria starts her incantation.
"The winds send forth their whispers!" One of my wings turns green.
"The flames sing out their cries!" Another wing turns red.
A strong wind emanates from us, causing Katalina and the others to brace themselves.
"Wow..." Therese admires my glowing wings.
"Beautiful, isn't it? I'm always in awe when I see them do this," Katalina says while smiling.
"Hahaha, that's my best pal number 2 right there! Go for it, beat that bird!" Vyrn cheers us on.
Djeeta just smiles, feeling more determined to master her Boundary Power and match us.
"The waters proclaim their speech!" Another wing turns blue.
"The earth yields up its warmth!" The last wing turns brown, completing the transformation.
I can feel the power of Tiamat, Leviathan, Yggdrasil, and Colossus flowing through my wings.
"I'm ready anytime!" Lyria shouts.
Without hesitation, I channel all that power into Lyria.
The crystal on Lyria's chest begins to glow in multiple colors, mirroring my wings. "Primeval dragon..."
A dark blue portal forms behind us its inside is so dark I can't see inside it.
"Child of dark flames..." The crystal on Lyria's chest glows even brighter.
"*Screeech!*" Phoenix nears the end of her resurrection making the blazing pilar of fire more intense.
"Hehehe, too bad you're late!" Djeeta taunts while stuck out her tongue to Phoenix.
"Thy name is... Bahamut!" Lyria opens her eyes and using her left hand that is gripping mine to raises it upward.
A blue light emerges from the portal behind us ascending into the sky. As it rises it takes the form of a colossal dragon.
The dragon even larger than Phoenix, appears shackled with its mouth covered by something.
[IMAGE]
Lyria and I exchange smiles, then direct our hands forward. "Catastrophe Nova!"
Bahamut easily breaks the chains binding its hands and the cover on its mouth. "*ROOAAAAARRRRR*"
From deep within its throat a light gathers rapidly moving toward its mouth.
*BOOOOOOMMMM* Bahamut unleashes all its energy in a massive beam directed at Phoenix.
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It's been a week since we defeated Phoenix. After Bahamut killed Phoenix, Lyria quickly absorbed her power and finally Phoenix disappeared from Port Breeze.
Since then we as Skyfarers have been helping the townspeople clean up the destruction caused by the monster attacks.
Many people lost their lives during the incident, and the festival has been canceled indefinitely.
This past week, we have been incredibly busy helping them, from helping to bury the dead to Lyria healing the injured.
Now I am on a high hill enjoying the view of Port Breeze. I am resting because I am exhausted from helping them non-stop.
Since my body is stronger than an ordinary human's, I went overboard helping them and I haven't slept in four days. I've been clearing debris and carrying a lot of people to Lyria.
"So, this is where you are, Rei," I hear Therese's voice.
I open my eyes and turn to her. "Yes, the view from here is beautiful, so I decided to rest here."
Therese walks over to me until she's beside me and finally sits down next to me.
After sitting, she turns to me and pats her lap which confuses me. "Hmm?"
But seeing Therese's very red face, I know what she means, so without further ado I shift to lay my head on her lap.
"Djeeta said I could thank you by doing this..." Therese says in a very soft voice.
She is really embarrassed while doing this, but I won't refuse because who would turn down something like this when it's offered to them?
"Yes, this is nice... I feel very comfortable," I say while closing my eyes to rest.
We both just sat there silently while enjoying the cool breeze while Therese gazed at the view in front of her.
"You know..." After a while, Therese began to speak.
"I never expected my day would turn out like this... Every year, I come here to participate in the dueling event at Casino Liner because it's the one place where I can go all out without holding back..."
"The feeling when I'm holding my sword is like... something I really love. The adrenaline fills my body, and then I swing my weapon to defeat my opponent..." Therese continued to talk to me.
I stayed quiet, keeping my eyes closed and listening to what she had to say.
"And this year, I thought it would be just like the previous years where I'd fight, win, and then go home as usual..."
"...but who would have thought I'd bump into a silver-haired man who turned out to have strange powers and even wings," Therese said, laughing a little as she thinking about it.
"Well, sorry for my weird powers," I said to her jokingly.
Not long after, I felt Therese's hand touch my hair and start to gently stroke it.
"And of course... I'm grateful for you and your friends' help in taking down the monsters and the primal beast, but there's something else I want to thank you for..."
"Thank you for saving this town and helping so many of its people. I already thanked Djeeta and the others, but they said I didn't need to do anything for them and suggested I come to see you..."
Therese continued to gently stroke my hair. "Since they didn't want me to thank them, I will thank you instead." Therese stopped stroking my head and covered my eyes with both of her hands.
Slowly, she moved her head towards mine, and I felt something soft touch my lips.
We stayed in that position for a few moments, then the wind blew again, causing Therese's long hair to sway.
The flames of love can never die—from the ashes they shall rise again like the Phoenix.
Festival of Falling Flame
The End