Zira walked the streets of Dragon's Roost alongside Avol and his father, her mind restless with concern for Alden, Ember, and me. "Are you sure my friends will be alright?" she asked, her voice betraying her nerves.
Avol nodded eagerly. "Of course! The doctor's the best around. He'll cure their sickness as well as anyone can."
Zira gave a small smile, though her worry still lingered.
As they continued walking, Avol glanced up at her and asked, "Hey, Zira, any chance you'd let us take a look at Ember's ark? That thing's incredible."
Zira hesitated. "Ember's ark? I'm not sure that's a good idea. The ark gets... temperamental when people try to stand on the platform."
Avol's eyes lit up, and he fiddled with his fingers as he tried to convince her. "Please? It's so cool, and I thought maybe the little ones could play on it." He gestured to a group of children behind him, all looking up at her with wide, pleading eyes.
Zira paused, glancing at their innocent faces before chuckling softly. "Alright, fine," she said, giving in. She led them out of town, toward the waterfall mountain where she had left the ark waiting.
"Heh, this gullible bitch. Once I get those wings, I'll end her first," Avol thought with a sinister smirk as the children ran excitedly toward the ark.
"Hey, Zira," he called out, glancing at the sparkling stones along the path. "These are some nice crystals. Think I can keep a few?" He tried to sound casual, masking his true intentions behind a friendly grin.
Zira, still oblivious to his thoughts, chuckled and waved her hand. "Sure, take as many as you'd like. It's Ember's magical power but I don't think they'll hurt you."
Avol's grin widened. As he approached the ark, he carefully chipped off a few crystal shards, his eyes gleaming with a quiet triumph. He handed them over to his father, their silent exchange filled with knowing glances.
Avol chuckled softly, his voice unsettling as he stared at the ground. "So, you said you were the vessel of Zephyra. I didn't really believe all that... until I saw you and your friends."
His words carried an eerie weight, making Zira shift uncomfortably. "But you know what's surprising?" Avol continued, his tone suddenly more sinister. "Pyra, the Phoenix of Rebirth, always comes back. She's all about rebirth... so would she even need a vessel?"
Zira's heart lurched, her pulse quickening as she processed the question. "W-what are you getting at?" she stammered, her unease growing.
Avol placed a finger on his chin, his gaze cold and calculating. "And how strong was Vex? The vessel of Umbra?" he asked casually, as if discussing the weather.
Zira's breath caught in her throat. Slowly, she turned to face him, dread creeping into her bones. "I never mentioned the vessel of Umbra... How do you know him?"
As she spoke, Avol's expression twisted into something cruel, and the children around him—all of them—stared at her with cold, unnerving smiles. A chorus of eerie, maniacal laughter erupted from their lips, filling the air until it abruptly stopped, leaving a suffocating, deafening silence.
Zira's skin crawled as the twisted grins lingered on their faces, an unspoken threat hanging in the air.
Back in the infirmary, I was out cold, completely unaware of the nightmare unfolding. The doctor stood over me, staring with a twisted fascination. "Is it true? Was he really reincarnated? The serum never lies..." he muttered to himself, eyes wide with a strange mix of awe and dread. His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp creak as the door swung open, and Avol's father stormed in.
"I got them!" Avol's father hissed, his voice brimming with excitement. He shoved the shards into the doctor's trembling hands. "Let's get to cutting off the wings."
The doctor hesitated, glancing at me before whispering, "He... he told me something about himself—"
"I don't care!" Avol's father snapped, his voice venomous. "Just get to cutting!"
The doctor, his hands shaking, nodded and reluctantly pressed the jagged crystal shards against my wings. A low, guttural sound escaped his throat as the sharp edges tore into my flesh. I couldn't feel it, but my body jerked as he began to carve. The sickening crunch of bone followed, and the sensation of something being forcibly pulled from my back sent a wave of nausea through my unconscious mind.
As the wings were ripped free, the tearing sound echoed in the sterile room, leaving two gaping holes in my back. Golden blood dripped down my sides, and the doctor froze for a moment, staring at the empty spaces where my wings once were. His hands were soaked, his face pale, as if he too was haunted by what he had just done.
The doctor placed the severed wings aside, his fingers trembling as he washed the golden blood from his hands. He scrubbed them harder than necessary, as if trying to erase the horror of what he'd just done. After drying them, he turned, his voice shaky. "Alright, let's get to the oth—"
A sudden chill filled the room, an unnatural cold that crept into his bones. He froze, heart pounding, and slowly turned to face the source. Standing there, bathed in shadows, was Alden—or what should have been Alden. His eyes were pitch black, devoid of any humanity, wings spread wide and casting a menacing silhouette. In one hand, he held the severed head of Avol's father, blood still dripping from the neck.
A twisted grin spread across his face, but it wasn't Alden who spoke. "Ahh, it's so good to be out in the light again," the voice crooned, dark and mocking. The doctor stumbled back, his eyes widening in terror as he realized.
This wasn't Alden. It was something far worse.
"I don't understand it," the voice continued, a sinister gleam in its eyes. "But I've awoken inside my vessel."
This was Nocturne Raven without Sagea's influence—without any semblance of restraint or humanity. Pure, unfiltered evil. The dark creature standing before him held no mercy, no compassion, only the twisted hunger for destruction that had defined him in ages past.
The doctor's breath hitched, and the room felt like it was closing in, suffocating under the weight of the wickedness now released.
Nocturne drove his knee into the doctor's face with a sickening crunch. Before the man could even react, Nocturne reappeared above him, stomping him into the ground with brutal force. The doctor's face turned into a bloodied mess, teeth scattering across the floor. Nocturne casually dusted off his hands, his dark eyes shifting to my unconscious body.
He approached me, tilting his head. "Hmm, eons have passed since I last walked the earth. Sagea's vessel… we're long overdue for a rematch, old friend." His gaze then fell on the moonberry serum glistening on a metal plate. A wicked grin crept across his face. "I believe this is what woke me."
He injected the serum into my neck, and my feathers shimmered, turning golden. But I remained unresponsive. Nocturne raised an eyebrow. "That didn't work as I expected… but I can feel a surge of power." Spreading his wings, he soared through the ceiling, vanishing into the night.
In the golden room, Shina called out to me, but her voice wavered as she glanced up at Sagea's form. "Oh, there you are, Gaian." Her unease grew when I remained silent, simply staring at her. "Uh… how is everything in Dragon's Roost? Did you manage to escape?"
Sagea's form tilted her head, resting her chin on her hand. "I'm waiting."
"W-waiting for what?" Shina asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"For you to bow before your divine goddess," the figure responded, her voice devoid of warmth. In that chilling moment, the truth was revealed—this was Sagea's true form. Soulless. Not a person, but a pure, overwhelming divine presence.
Sagea severed the connection between me and Shina without hesitation. She then stirred in my body, sitting up and flexing my limbs, testing their strength. "Gaian is definitely worthy," she murmured, glancing down at the wings that lay discarded on the floor. Her expression twisted with disgust. "Those filthy creatures... they actually believe cutting off his wings will grant them immortality? Fools. They'll only rot away."
As she stood, the severed wings began to dissolve, crumbling into fine dust. Sagea cracked my back and stretched, and with a fluid motion, two ethereal wings sprouted, not from my back, but from her arms. The wounds on my back sealed themselves as if they had never existed. With a mighty flap of her new wings, she ascended into the air, the force of her takeoff obliterating the infirmary beneath her.
Meanwhile, in the town, Zira darted between the frenzied townspeople, her super speed allowing her to narrowly evade their relentless assaults. "What's gotten into you all?!" she cried, her voice edged with frustration. But the people's expressions were twisted, their eyes empty of reason.
"If we take your wings, we gain immortality!"
"I just want to kill!"
"We don't need a reason to dewing our own kind!"
Their voices were cold, dripping with malice, their sadistic grins chilling her to the bone.
Zira continued weaving through the frenzied crowd, dodging every wild swing and stab with an urgency driven by confusion and fear. Her eyes suddenly caught a dark figure emerging from the shadows—Alden, or rather, Nocturne. His wings spread wide like a harbinger of doom, his face obscured by shadows.
"There! Take his wings!" one man yelled, and a mob surged forward, eyes glinting with greed and madness.
But before they could even reach him, they were on the ground—broken, bloodied, and motionless. Nocturne didn't slow his pace, stepping over their bodies with a disdainful sneer. "Who gave you the right to breathe the same air as me?" His voice was venomous, dripping with malice.
He stopped in front of Zira, who stared at him in horror. "Alden! That was too far!" she shouted, her voice shaking with both rage and desperation.
Without a word, Nocturne grabbed her, stabbing her neck with a syringe of the serum. Zira gasped, her body spasming as if electricity coursed through her veins. Before she could react, Nocturne's shadow assassin materialized and punched her with a force that sent her crashing through the walls of a nearby building. The impact left her buried in rubble.
As the dust settled, Zira's form flickered, her body moving at impossible speeds, appearing and disappearing in rapid flashes. Slowly, she rose, her silver wings unfurling with an unnatural elegance. Her eyes, once filled with fear, now glowed with a cold, predatory light.
"Long time no see, Nocturne," she said, her voice no longer her own, but layered with an eerie echo. It was then revealed—Zephyra, the Falcon of Speed, had taken control. The speed of her movements and the ethereal glow of her wings made it clear this was no longer the Zira they knew.
The battlefield had just become far more dangerous.
Nocturne vanished into the shadows, reappearing silently behind Zephyra with lethal intent. He swung a brutal kick toward her, but his foot passed through her blurred form, phasing as if she were nothing more than a mirage. Zephyra smirked, spinning with lightning speed to deliver a devastating falcon punch.
But Nocturne's dark instincts kicked in. With flawless reflexes, he dodged the blow and, in a swift counter, flipped her into the ground, slamming her face-first with bone-crushing force. The ground cracked beneath the impact. He leaped into the air, intending to crush her completely, but Zephyra moved faster than a blink.
In a flash, she gripped his shoulder mid-air, her wings shimmering with violent energy. With blinding speed, she unleashed a barrage of blink strikes, her fists landing so fast they became a blur of light, each strike ripping through Nocturne's defenses and leaving his form battered.
"You need to remember something, Falcon," Nocturne sneered, wiping the blood from his mouth. "You're only the fastest because speed was all you had." In an instant, before Zephyra could react, he slashed across her neck with a shadowy blade.
Her eyes widened as she touched her throat, feeling the warm flow of silver blood. "And you're only second-in-command because Sagea thought you'd throw a tantrum if she didn't give you power, you big baby." She cackled through the pain, her voice dripping with mockery. With a surge of speed, she delivered a devastating falcon punch, launching Nocturne into the ground.
But Nocturne was ready. He redirected the blow, rolling with it, and with a swift counter, kicked her hard into the ground. Not satisfied, he descended like a dark storm. Elbow, punch, elbow, punch—each blow landing with vicious precision, driving her deeper into the earth. The ground shook as the relentless assault continued, a pool of Zephyra's silver blood spreading beneath her, her once-proud form beaten into submission.
Nocturne drew back, ready to strike again, but something felt wrong. He glanced at his arm—his hand was missing. His gaze snapped behind him, where Sagea, now using Gaian's body, stood gracefully holding his severed limb.
"You always take it too far, Nocturne," she said with a soft, mocking laugh.
Fury twisted Nocturne's face as he dissolved into shadow, reappearing behind her in an instant, his leg already mid-kick. But Sagea moved faster—before he could land the blow, she vanished, only to reappear above him, balancing effortlessly atop his head.
With a smile that radiated superiority, she transformed his severed hand into a fist and drove it downward, smashing him into the ground. "You dare raise a hand against your divine goddess?" her voice was filled with serene menace as she hovered above him, unbothered by his defiance.
Sagea's eyes shifted toward the puddle of silver blood where Zephyra had fallen, but something was wrong—Zephyra was gone. A blur of motion streaked toward her as Zephyra reappeared, unleashing a flurry of blink strikes. Sagea dodged each attack with effortless grace, her movements fluid and untouchable.
"What's this now? A tigress trying to catch me?" Sagea mocked with a smirk, easily evading another strike. "How foolish of you."
Nocturne reattached his severed hand and, without hesitation, wrapped his arms around Sagea's waist from behind. At the same moment, Zephyra unleashed a relentless barrage of blink strikes, her speed blurring her movements into millions of attacks.
But in an instant, it became clear Sagea hadn't been touched. Every strike had landed on Nocturne instead, his body absorbing the brutal assault. Sagea smirked mockingly. "Grabbing a lady's waist without permission? How uncouth."
With a sickening crack, she twisted Nocturne's wrists, shattering them effortlessly. Then, in one swift motion, she swung him around with blinding speed, using his body as a weapon, forcing his legs to collide with Zephyra in a devastating kick.
Sagea's feathers expanded, shimmering as she smirked. "What's wrong with you two? No matter what, I'll always be the strongest."
This was it: a clash of titanic forces between three celestial birds. But what stood there weren't the celestial beings themselves—their souls were long gone. Instead, their raw, unchecked power had taken over, leaving their vessels as empty shells. What remained on the battlefield was not them, but the feral, uncontrollable might of their celestial powers, locked in a vicious, soulless war.
Zephyra moved first, unleashing a barrage of blink strikes toward Sagea and Nocturne, but they blocked her attacks with ease. The battle erupted into a blur of speed, darkness, and brilliant golden light.
Sagea's radiant feathers shimmered as she retaliated, sending a storm of razor-sharp quills flying through the air. Nocturne countered with a horde of shadow assassins, their forms flickering in and out of existence as they lunged toward Sagea and Zephyra.
Zephyra, a silver blur, weaved between the assaults with impossible speed, delivering precise strikes to both of her foes. One hit landed squarely on Nocturne, sending him reeling, but he recovered swiftly, his dark aura growing stronger as he summoned more shadowy minions to overwhelm her.
Hovering above the chaos with regal grace, Sagea's golden wings flapped slowly, energy crackling in her hands as she conjured a brilliant sphere of light. With a swift thrust, she hurled it at Zephyra. Zephyra dodged, barely escaping the explosion that left a crater where she once stood.
Sensing an opening, Nocturne used his shadow step to appear behind Sagea, ready to strike with a flurry of feathered blades. Sagea, ever aware, turned her head, smirking as she vanished and reappeared behind him, delivering a brutal axe kick that sent him crashing into the ground.
Sagea pressed the advantage. As Nocturne struggled to rise, she kneed him hard in the back, keeping him pinned. "You always underestimate me, Nocturne," she taunted, her voice filled with power. "It's your biggest flaw."
Zephyra, seeing her chance, blurred toward Nocturne, aiming to finish him off. But Sagea was faster, intercepting the punch with her golden feathers, the impact sending shockwaves across the battlefield. The ground cracked beneath them, the sheer force of their clash ripping the earth apart.
Nocturne reappeared behind Zephyra, delivering a vicious kick that sent her hurtling across the battlefield. He snarled, his voice seething with frustration. "I can't believe those damned vessels let us get captured in the first place!"
Before he could continue his assault, Zephyra gathered herself, her eyes narrowing with focus. Time seemed to slow around her as she whispered, "Time dilation." Her movements became ethereal as she advanced toward the others, each step deliberate and calculated.
Zephyra aimed a strike at Nocturne, but Sagea saw it coming, smirking once again. "She can move in stopped time? Impressive," Zephyra thought, panic rising in her chest. Before she could react, Sagea chanted, "Eclipse Surge; Awakened. Sun Surge." In an instant, she was upon Zephyra, delivering a storm of nearly a million strikes in the blink of an eye.
Zephyra barely managed to defend herself, her body battered from the onslaught. Each hit was like a sledgehammer, threatening to crush her entirely. Gritting her teeth, she summoned a powerful gust of wind to throw herself backward, creating some distance. "You think I'm done? Think again!" she growled, her silver wings flaring as she prepared for another round.
Suddenly, the battlefield was surrounded by townspeople, their faces twisted with fear and anger, weapons raised. One man rushed toward Sagea, but she caught his weapon mid-swing, tossing him effortlessly into a nearby building. The crowd hesitated, clearly realizing they were no match for the celestial forces.
"Come on, people!" a villager shouted, rallying the others. "That person gave us the chance of a lifetime! We just need to finish these three!"
Sagea glanced around, unbothered, and crossed her arms. "And when you say 'that person,' are you referring to—?" Her words trailed off as she spotted a figure in the crowd holding Ember's body. Her eyes gleamed with genuine interest. "Eeeeeeh, the descendant of Emberlyn?! She's so cute!"
One man, trembling, raised his voice. "Stay back! We have your archangel! If you try anything, we'll—" Before he could finish, Nocturne appeared behind him, driving a blade into the man's back. Ember's body flew through the air, landing in Sagea's arms.
"So? It's not my archangel," Nocturne sneered, kicking the lifeless body away. "Why should I care?"
Zephyra swept forward in a blur, cutting down several villagers with ease. Her voice dripped with disdain. "The Dragon's Roost has always been a facade. Even in death, I watched over this place. These people aren't the noble beings they pretend to be. They dewinged anyone who wandered into their territory, all while living atop the very ground where we fell."
Sagea's voice grew cold as she addressed the remaining citizens. "Before we return what is rightfully yours, you'll first cure their sickness. Then we'll decide your fate." Her aura crackled, a storm of power barely contained. "This is your last chance to redeem yourselves. Fail, and you'll face the wrath of forces beyond your comprehension."
The villagers exchanged nervous glances, their earlier courage evaporating under the crushing weight of Sagea's presence. The air was thick with tension as they scrambled to obey, knowing they were outmatched.
Later, aboard the ark, silence hung heavily. "The Dragon's Roost was a nightmare," I muttered, my voice laced with exhaustion. "From the sickness to losing my wings and watching Sagea, Nocturne, and Zephyra use our bodies like puppets. I never felt so helpless." I stood slowly, my back aching where my wings had been ripped away. The bond between Shina and I felt severed, leaving an emptiness that lingered.
Alden approached, placing a hand on my back, only to pull it away quickly when I winced. "Sorry about that!" he said, chuckling awkwardly. "So, how does it feel to be grounded like Ember?"
Ember immediately pecked his leg. "I heard that!" she snapped.
Alden scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry. But hey, Gaian, you should check on Zira. She's been acting...off." He nodded toward a distant room. I nodded back, though not without wincing as he patted my back again. "Ouch!" I groaned, and he laughed.
I made my way to Zira's room, knocking softly before entering. The room was steamy, filled with the sounds of Zira grunting as she powered through an intense set of push-ups. I wrinkled my nose as the smell of sweat hit me. "Uh, Zira? Are you okay?" I asked cautiously.
She growled between reps, her voice rough. "I'm fine, Gaian."
I sighed and sat down beside her. "We should talk about Dragon's Roost."
"What's there to talk about?" she grumbled, her pace never slowing. "I was celebrated for saving crops, then caught in their trap. That kid Avol, I should've known he was trouble. I'm ten feet tall, silver-furred, with wings. All I'm good for is being Zephyra's vessel."
For a moment, I stayed silent. Then, without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her in a hug. She stiffened, clearly surprised, but slowly relaxed into the embrace. "You're more than just a vessel, Zira," I whispered. "You're a warrior, a friend. Don't let what happened define you."
She hesitated before letting out a shaky breath. "Thanks, Gaian. It's just...hard."
"I know," I said softly. "But we've got each other. We'll get through this together."
She smiled, a flicker of gratitude in her eyes, then picked me up in a bone-crushing hug. "Together," she echoed, cracking my back painfully in the process. "Ah! Why does everyone keep going for my back?" I groaned.
As she set me down, Zira chuckled, her spirits lifting. She shadowboxed the air with rapid punches. "Hey, Sagea may have beaten Zephyra, but remember, I'm still 1-0 against you."
I chuckled, catching sight of the scars on my back in the mirror. With a deep breath, I reassured myself. "Wings or no wings, I'm still the captain."
A short while later, I stood at the bow of Ember's ark, gazing ahead with renewed purpose. "Alright, everyone! Look sharp! We're back on our feet and ready to roll. Our next mission: find the remaining celestial birds!" I announced with a flourish. "And with me as your divine leader, victory is guaranteed!"
"Why is he talking like that?" Ember muttered from the helm, steering the ark.
"He's trying to sound all regal, like Sagea," Zira replied with an irritated purr.
Alden groaned, slumping into a chair. "Yeah, well, it just makes him sound like a pompous ass."
I clicked my beak owl-like in protest. "That's not true! I've always been the epitome of elegance!"