“Lia… you look more terrifying,” Selene remarked with an amused thought, her eyes lingering on Lia’s now more mature and… strikingly dangerous appearance. There was a bloody, almost seductive allure to her presence, something both deadly and captivating.
Lia smiled darkly, replying with a sarcastic edge, “Look at you… curvier than your mother. I’m sure everyone’s eyes will be glued to you.” She gave Selene a once-over.
Selene blushed lightly but then winked mischievously, “I’m honoured,”
With this… She was well aware of how enticing it made her, especially to him…. Aether!
Just the thought of how much he would want her made her giggle with delight. “Hehe~”
Lia shot her a strange look, a twitch in her lips as she mumbled, “That smile… It’s oddly familiar to Aether’s.” She squinted suspiciously, studying Selene’s demeanour.
Selene’s blush deepened, but she only winked again, “Are we?” A smug grin plastered on her face as she leaned in slightly.
She had learned many things in the game during those long four years, and that included how much she missed Aether so dearly.
Lia shook her head, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Selene’s growing resemblance to Aether…. It was unsettling!
Selene sighed inwardly.
Four lonely years.
As much as she had grown stronger, smarter—more dangerous—nothing could fill the void Aether had left.
She ached for his presence, for his touch. She wanted him, needed him, ‘Four years without him feels like an eternity,’ she thought bitterly. She had dreamed of being with him, of all the moments they could’ve spent together… intimate moments, wild fights, passionate reunions—but those thoughts had to be pushed aside.
There would be time later. She’d make sure of it. ‘When this is over, I’ll make sure we have four weeks of uninterrupted time. Four weeks… and I’ll never let go again.’
Four Weeks? Love making? Possible?
There was always a first time, after all.
Lia’s lips twitched as she observed the smirk lingering on Selene’s face.
She, too, had her own regrets. Six years in that cursed game, fighting, surviving, only to be thrust into one hell after another, ‘Seriously… Are they for real?’ she mused, remembering her own past self, a naive version of herself, blindly fawning over Kai, like an idiot who couldn’t see the warning signs.
Lia clenched her fists, her thoughts darkening as she recalled the painful memories, ‘I don’t regret it,’ she reminded herself, though the words of the game’s twisted logic still echoed in her mind.
It had tried to manipulate her into doubting her choices, into thinking she had made a mistake leaving Kai for the sake of her future, ‘Everything is a lie!’ she mentally screamed.
If it weren’t for Aether’s steady presence…. who gave her a shoulder when she needed it… his unwavering belief in her, and the strength he’d given her… she might have been trapped in the past forever, ‘I’m not going back there. Ever again.’
She would never visit the summit again.
Just then—
“Hello, Ladies~” A haughty voice interrupted their thoughts.
Both women turned sharply, their gazes landing on Jack Sparrow. He stood before them with a small, smug smile, exuding a dangerous calm.
“What do you want?” Lia asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Something felt off… very off.
Jack smiled gently, a sinister edge creeping into his tone, “I hope your family will visit me soon… upon your death.”
Lia’s face darkened instantly. “What the hell do you mean by that?” she snapped, her instincts screaming danger. Before she could finish her sentence—
Jack disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared, thrusting his sword toward Lia’s heart with lethal precision.
Tang!
Selene reacted faster than lightning, summoning an ice spear that blocked Jack’s attack just in time. The impact blasted Jack back a few steps, his face twisted in mild surprise.
Jack glared at Selene, “I’ll give you one chance… run away now, or you’ll die here, along with that daughter of that bitch!”.
Selene’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “I see…” she muttered, her gaze locking onto Jack’s, “But before I go, I heard you hurt Aether.” Her tone was icy, and her once clear eyes turned pitch black, swirling with anger and intent.
Jack’s heart skipped a beat, He quickly steadied himself, trying to mask his sudden fear, “That slave? So what? What can you—”
Chucckk
Before Jack could finish his taunt, he felt the sharp sting of something grazing his neck, dangerously close to severing an artery.
His eyes widened in shock.
“Tsk, tsk,” Selene clicked her tongue in annoyance, her hand raised from where she had just thrown an ice spear with terrifying speed, “I really need to work on my accuracy,” she mused.
Jack’s hands flew to his neck, trembling. Blood trickled down his fingers as he stared at Selene in disbelief, “YOU BITCH!” he roared, fury replacing his shock as he lunged toward her, murder flashing in his eyes.
Before he could reach her, Selene and Lia moved in perfect synchrony, their hands clapping together as if switching.
In an instant, Lia’s form dispersed into a cloud of crimson particles, swirling around Jack like a bloody storm. Jack frowned, confused, not feeling anything at first… but then a stinging sensation crept across his body, growing more intense by the second.
His eyes darted down, and he gasped. His skin was covered in countless tiny cuts, each oozing blood… as tiredness washed over him.
The red particles reformed into Lia, who leaned casually against Selene’s shoulder with a smug grin on her face, “What’s wrong? Is that all you’ve got?” she taunted.
Jack’s lips curled into a twisted snarl, his eyes twitching with barely contained rage, “Don’t worry,” he spat through gritted teeth, “Your body will have more holes than you can count by the time I’m done with—”
Chucckk!
A second ice spear pierced his leg. He let out a pained groan, falling to one knee as he clutched his wound.
“Hmmm… good,” Selene remarked, her voice cold and detached, “My accuracy’s getting better, though I was aiming for your heart. Oh well…” She shrugged indifferently.
Jack, panting and drenched in sweat, clenched his fists, fury and pain surging through his body… then, “ARCANE!!”
Meanwhile…
Aria stood tall, her expression unreadable as she aimed her arrow directly at the fallen J1, whose hands and legs were pinned to the ground by her previous attacks.
The sharp arrowhead glinted dangerously in the fading light, mere inches from J1’s bloodied face.
“Who are you?” Aria asked, her voice flat, almost indifferent, her icy gaze betraying no emotion.
J1, his face smeared with blood and dirt, looked up at her, struggling to form words. “N-Not bad… to corner me like this,” he muttered weakly. His eyes shifted subtly, glancing past Aria’s shoulder where J2 was slowly regaining consciousness behind her, rising silently to his feet, hoping to catch her off guard.
Aria tilted her head slightly…. Her sharp eyes flickered with amusement, “You’re one of Jack’s puppets, aren’t you?” she asked.
J1 flinched, his eyes widening in surprise.
“No need to look so shocked,” Aria continued, her lips curling into a faint smile. “He was the last one to try that cowardly sneak attack before vanishing… and I’ve heard enough about puppets that caused chaos in Academy.. to put two and two together.”
J1 grinned weakly, blood oozing from his wounds, “Good, then you don’t need to kno—”
“Oh, now I really want to know why you tried to kill my Aether.” Aria’s voice dropped, her eyes darkening into something far more menacing, more void-like than J1 had ever seen. It sent a shiver down his spine, and he felt cold sweat forming on his back.
Her arrow grazed his forehead, the sharp point leaving a thin line of blood. “Come on, tell me,” she demanded, her tone deceptively sweet, though her eyes were anything but.
J1 looked up into her eyes, the darkness swirling in them, making him gulp hard. His eyes darted briefly to J2, who was silently creeping up behind Aria, preparing to strike her down with a hidden blade.
BOOM!!
J2’s head exploded in a mess of gore, splattering the ground, as Aria, without even glancing behind her, had drawn and fired her arrow in the blink of an eye, sending it straight through his skull. In the next instant, her bow was aimed squarely back at J1.
“Now, tell me,” she growled, her patience wearing thin.
‘Shit! She’s way stronger than we calculated,’ J1 thought, panic flashing in his eyes.
Just then, something inside felt weird and the smirk returned to his face.
Aria frowned, sensing something was off, and moved on instinct.
Bang!
Chuckkk!
A bullet tore through her collarbone… She gritted her teeth, barely registering the pain before—
Bang!
Chuckkk!
Bang!
Bang!
Chuckkk!
Bang!!
More bullets ripped through her flesh, piercing her body from different directions. She tried to dodge, to move away from the shots, but the attack came from both sides. The bullets were impossibly fast, faster than she could track or sense.
J1 watched her stagger, smiling viciously as he saw J3 and J4 emerge from the shadows, both firing powerful rounds at her.
Aria’s body was being riddled with holes, her movements sluggish as blood poured from her wounds.
Just as J3 and J4 prepared to fire the final explosive bullet, Aria, with a body trembling from blood loss, took aim with a single arrow.
Thwack!
Headshot!!
J3 dropped to the ground, dead before he hit it.
“Damn it! This bitch!” J4 cursed, fury and desperation flooding him. He raised his gun again and fired, aiming directly for her head. One bullet after another flew toward her, a barrage meant to finish her off.
Aria, swaying on her feet, tried to dodge, but her strength was fading. Her limbs were heavy, and her vision blurred.
In the chaos, J1 managed to pull himself up and drove a knife into her leg, pinning her to the ground.
“Arrgh!” Aria groaned in pain as she swung her bow with all the strength she could muster, slamming it across J1’s face.
J4, seeing his chance, lined up the shot. With cold precision, he fired off a rapid series of rounds aimed straight at her head.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The bullets whizzed toward her, a deadly blur of steel, all aimed at her forehead.
Aria’s eyes widened in horror as she realized the inevitability. Her body was already too damaged to dodge, too drained of strength.
‘Is this… how it ends?’ she thought, her mind racing.
But then—
Sshhhhh
A sudden, blinding blur zipped past her, faster than anything she’d ever seen. It moved so quickly that for a moment, it felt like time had stopped.
Thud!
Aria blinked, her breath catching in her throat as she saw a massive form collapse to the ground in front of her.
“K-Kaelen?” she gasped, her voice trembling in shock.
There, lying in a pool of blood, was Kaelen… his body in its massive wolf form, now riddled with bullets. Blood gushed from his wounds, staining the ground beneath him. Slowly, his body began to shift, the fur retreating, his limbs shrinking back as he transformed back into his human form.
Kaelen lay there, battered and broken, his breathing shallow but steady. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at Aria with a weak, pained smile, “I… I’m sorry…” he whispered, his voice ragged and strained, “For… for what I did before… in the contest. I almost killed you… forgi….” He wanted just to repay what he did to her.