A shining shard flies through the door, followed by the sound of footsteps. Fia's heart pounds as the footsteps grow closer. The entire floor changes color from white to red as the source of the disturbance comes into view.
A man in red, holding a woman, steps through the door. The room's temperature soars a little as the man emits waves of heat from his glowing red veins.
Fia is shocked, staring at the man. She readies her fist, channeling a shockwave. The man speaks, his voice desperate, "Please… save her…"
Fia holds back her attack and looks at the woman. Her eyes widen as she assesses the situation. She then looks back at the man and says, "She's already gon-…" Fia's face turns pale as if she has seen death itself.
An action is always faster than a reaction, but in that moment, Fia's reaction transcended human limits.
Without a second thought, she grabs Seeker from the bed and jumps through the window, shattering the glass. Using her power, she creates a backward shockwave to slow their descent, landing safely on the ground.
But was it enough?
Fia backs away from the Sanctuary while holding Seeker. In a split second, an explosion erupts from behind her, sending both her and Seeker flying.
The Sanctuary explodes from top to bottom, scattering debris across the city.
Rain continues to fall, and a few droplets seep through the wreckage, touching Fia's face and waking her up. Her face is scratched, drops of blood mingling with the rain.
The city remains shrouded in darkness, the clouds blocking out the sun.
Fia stands on her feet, looking left and seeing the devastation. Many buildings are destroyed, rubble and debris littering the streets.
She looks right, witnessing even more destruction. Seeker is nowhere to be found. Her heart starts to pound, echoing the chaos around her.
From the direction of the explosion, a figure emerges—a gaint as tall as the Sanctuary.
There he stands, towering over Fia. Fear grips her heart as she clenches her fist, her eyes wide with worry. She channels her power and throws a shockwave at the gaint. The shockwave hits, clearing the dust, but the gaint remains unmoved. After the hit, the giant opens his eyes, which shine a menacing red.
An Anathema occurred.
The giant roars. Lava starts to drip from every vein, causing the atmosphere to heat up. The air around is thick with the heat radiating from the titan, making it harder to breathe.
The toll of using so much power in one day is evident. Fia's legs grow weak as she collapses to her knees, utterly drained, her face a mask of shock, fear, and despair.
The giant took its first step, the ground trembling and the heat intensifying. A 30-meter behemoth, its hand morphed into a long, dripping lava sword. Its eyes glowed red as it stared down at Fia.
Just then, a voice came from behind Fia. "I hastened forthwith upon mine eyes,". She turned to see a figure, who continued, "Fia, rest assured, for I, Beyond, am at thy side."
Beyond, a man with long golden hair, clad in white armor and a flowing cape, unsheathed his sword from his back. He stood beside Fia and planted the sword firmly in the ground, his blade shining with a golden light.
"I beheld thy light, and into its glow I didst venture," he said, kneeling with his hand on the sword, trusting it into the ground. "Thou hast gifted me thy strength, I thank thee. May thy strength bless all." He then stood, pulling his sword from the ground.
The sword's light shone even brighter as he pointed it to the sky and shouted, "May thy light bless the world!" With a powerful swing, a golden laser beam shot from the sword, striking the giant, slicing through its molten form with precision.
The giant let out a thunderous bellow as it was split in half, the two halves falling away from each other.
From the molten core of the giant, two figures emerged, stepping out of the cooling lava. One was a woman, her form graceful and ethereal, with hair that flowed like liquid gold. The other was a man. Together, they fell amidst the remnants of the giant.
The place where the giant fell looked like an erupted volcano.
Beyond helped Fia to her feet, her face filled with sadness as she wandered off to search for Seeker. Beyond stood there, kneeling and muttering a prayer. Then he rose, his expression solemn, and walked towards the gates.
Amidst the remnants of the giant, a cough echoed through the destruction. His breath was heavy as he woke up, disoriented and aching. He looked left and then right, his heart pounding with urgency. There she was, lying beside him, her form still and fragile amidst the chaos. He coughed again, his throat raw, as he crawled over to her, gently shaking her shoulders. "Cinthya… Cinthya… please wake up," he pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation.
Her eyes fluttered open, revealing irises as green as a garden in spring. "Bruno…?" she whispered, her voice weak but filled with recognition.
"Yes… yes, it's me," he replied, a smile breaking through his tears. Relief washed over him, mingling with the sorrow and fear that had gripped his heart. "Cinthya…" He paused, his voice trembling with emotion, his eyes searching hers for a glimmer of hope.
to be continued...