REONE
Reone woke up freezing.
Cold burned through his clothes, through his skin, straight into his bones.
Reone opened his eyes slowly, vision blurred and swimming. Through the haze, he was able to see the jet toppled over nearby and Seren slammed against a tree.
It all came back to him in a rush.
How the avalanche had fallen down on them before anyone could so much as think of a plan to protect themselves from it.
"Shoot…" he muttered, groaning as pain flared through his shoulders like fire.
His thoughts went instantly to Lyrian.
Where was she?
He tried to lift his head to search.
It barely moved before a boot pressed it back into the snow, pulling a sharp cry from his throat.
"Stay down a little longer, Reone."
The voice was calm.
Cruel.
Slightly amused.
Reone froze, every muscle going rigid as he recognized it.
"Damon," he breathed, painfully turning his head in his direction.
Shock barely covered his reaction to Damon's presence—and his appearance.
His mouth hung open, feeling more than a little disturbed.
Damon stood a few steps away, cloak dark against his blue-brown skin, yellow Diviner eyes glowing faintly in the white glare of snowlight.
Reone's hand moved on instinct toward the Spiral Blade strapped to his thigh.
Damon noticed immediately.
His posture shifted—wary and controlled.
"I've missed our fights too, Reone," he said lightly. "But I'm afraid I can't right now. I'm here for someone else."
He turned away without another word.
Reone's heart slammed violently in his chest.
Not here for you.
Then could it be—
Lyrian.
Panic exploded through him.
"Damon!" Reone tried to push himself up, but his body refused, pain locking his muscles in place. "Damon!"
Damon didn't even look back.
Reone's breath caught when Damon stopped beside a figure half-buried in the snow.
Anika.
Unconscious.
Still.
Damon's three fingers slipped beneath his cloak.
A blade appeared in his hand, dark metal glinting coldly.
Reone's blood went cold.
Realization hit like a storm.
It was Anika..
"No!" Reone screamed. "No—!"
Damon knelt and raised the blade above her chest and struck.
---
Damon froze as the blade hit something hard. He applied more effort to the handle, trying to break through it.
It didn't happen.
Anika's eyes snapped open,at that moment when, with a frustrated groan, Damon lifted the blade and aimed again.
Anika sucked in a sharp breath at the sight before her, horror flashing across her face—and her hand moving instinctively.
Snow flew into Damon's eyes.
He recoiled, swearing under his breath.
Anika rolled away before scrambling to her feet, breath ragged. She looked down at the metal necklace her father gave her when they departed, realizing that it had saved her.
She took back all the negative comments she had made about her father and his ridiculous necklace.
Reone's chest heaved in relief as Anika steadied herself and seemed alright.
Anika then raises her fists,looking at Damon.
Damon straightened slowly, fury burning in his eyes like fire under ice.
"So," he said coldly, wiping snow from his person, "the Diviner girl is a fighter."
"You got that right," Anika snapped. "And it's Princess Diviner girl to you."
Damon froze.
For the first time, real shock crossed his face.
"A princess? Really?" he asked sharply. "Of what?"
"What do you think, genius?" she shot back. "Diviners."
Damon was stunned into silence.
Anika continued, voice steady despite the fear in her chest.
"So who are you—and why are you trying to kill me?"
For a moment, Damon said nothing.
He studied her.
Truly studied her.
Then something shifted behind his eyes—realization, recognition, something darker and more dangerous.
"I'm Damon Aerys," he said slowly. "Rightful King of Echian."
A cruel smile curved his mouth. "I believe your friends have mentioned me."
He lunged before Anika could respond.
She ducked, driving her fist into his ribs with all her strength and twisting away.
Damon grunted, stumbling half a step.
"Prince Damon," Anika shot back, circling him, eyes sharp and alert.
"The one with delusions of grandeur and a recent rib injury. Yeah, they mentioned you at one point."
Her gaze narrowed at him. "But I don't remember anything about your Diviner-like appearance."
Damon straightened.
Smiled.
"Oh, this?" he said quietly. "It's new."
Then: "And it's not just our faces that match, Princess."
He lifted his blade.
"It's our blood."
Anika's breath caught.
Understanding slammed into her like a physical blow.
"That's why," she whispered. "That's why you're targeting me. So you'll be the only one with access to the Trident."
Damon's smile widened before he lunged again.
"There can only be one."
Anika reached into her wrist sheath for her blade and swung with all her might.
Steel met steel.
The clash rang through the frozen forest—sharp, violent, echoing—as blades struck.
Again.
And again.
Reone lay helpless in the snow, watching the fight unfold, teeth clenched, anger and fear burning in his chest.
"Get up, Reone," he muttered.
He dragged in a breath and forced his body to move, muscles screaming in protest. With a raw yell, he started to push himself up—and then hands caught him, steadying him.
Seren.
"Reone," she said. "Are you okay?"
He nodded, even as pain tore through him.
"Where are Mia, Lyrian, and the others?" Seren asked urgently.
He turned to her, breath uneven.
"Don't know—but we have to help Anika."
Seren glanced back at Anika, who was barely dodging Damon's attacks.
"You're right," she said. Then paused. "Here's the plan. You look for the others. I'll go help Anika."
Reone hesitated—instinct screaming to fight—but Lyrian's face burned in his mind.
"Go," he said. "Don't let him hurt Anika."
Seren nodded and hurried to the fight without another word.
"Transform."
Light exploded around her.
Her eyes ignited.
Wings unfurled.
Her form shifted, glowing.
She reached toward the snow—it lifted, melted, transformed into water.
With a violent motion, she launched it forward.
The high-pressure blast slammed into Damon, throwing him away from Anika just as he was about to strike—but he stayed standing.
"Thanks, Seren," Anika called.
Damon just groaned.
"Ugh, Sylphs," he growled.
"Annoying, aren't we?" Seren smirked.
She ripped a massive chunk of ice from the earth and hurled it at him.
The attack might have worked if it hadn't shattered before it reached him.
Seren's brows furrowed—confused as to what caused this.
Looking at the sky, confusion turned to shock.
"Sisterhood!" she exclaimed.
"Are we late to the party?" Veyra said, Nivara and Caelynn behind her.
"You are," Damon hissed, glaring at them.
Nivara couldn't help feeling guilty.
"Oops," Veyra said, shrugging in a carefree manner. "Our bad."
"Since when are corpses so talkative, Seren?" Diamond snapped, emerging from the forest, transformed and annoyed. Sire followed, bruised but with a fierce expression.
Veyra's expression darkened when she saw them.
"Oh right—I forget that we were supposed to be dead."
She smirked with her sisters.
"What can I say? Death didn't suit us."
"We're back, Diamond," Nivara said brightly. "And we're staying."
"We'll see about that," Sire growled, drawing his sword.
Dark energy then surged from Caelynn's hands in the group's direction.
"Shield of Light." Diamond raised a barrier, dispelling the attack.
Caelynn frowned when she saw this. She prepared for the next one.Her sisters too. Diamond and the others did the same.
Chaos erupted.
---
Amid it all, Reone searched desperately for the others.
"Lyrian, Mickey—guys!" he shouted.
He didn't get a response.
Then he saw a hand protruding from the snow.
A girl's hand.
"Lyrian," he whispered, rushing forward.
He knelt, grabbed it, and pulled.
But the face didn't belong to Lyrian.
"Mia!"
He shook her gently, trying to make her regain consciousness.
"Mia. Wake up. Mia!"
Her eyes fluttered open. "Reone…"
"Yes. It's me. Are you okay?"
"For the most part," she said, wincing.
Reone wasted no time lifting her up with his hands—only to have to shove her back down to avoid a sphere of energy tearing past them, which obliterated a boulder instead.
"What was that?" she gasped.
"Damon and the Sisterhood are back," Reone answered grimly. "Come on."
Mia steadied herself—and then she saw the battlefield.
The clash of power.
Magic colliding.
Bodies in motion.
And then she saw him.
Damon.
She honed in on him.
The man who had haunted her thoughts since the day he attacked her wedding.
The man who had left her husband half dead.
The man who had shattered her life in a single act of violence.
A cold, lethal stillness settled in her chest.
Her grief didn't rise.
Her fear didn't rise.
Only two things did.
Rage.
Revenge.
She needed him to feel how she felt, the suffering she had endured because of him.
At that moment, a voice cut through the chaos.
"Guys, come help! Lyrian is in trouble!"
Reone froze beside Mia, hearing the voice.
"Mickey?" he called urgently. "What's wrong with Lyrian? Where are you?"
"Over here—by the jet!" Mickey shouted. "Lyrian's trapped under it!"
Reone's blood went cold.
He spun toward the jet.
Then he saw him behind it—Mickey, beckoning him frantically.
"I'm coming," Reone shouted. "Just—hold on!"
He turned to Mia.
"Let's go. This might need us both," he said seriously, fear breaking through his voice. "Come on."
He took a few steps toward the jet.
Then stopped, realizing Mia wasn't behind him.
"Mia?"
He turned.
She was walking in the opposite direction.
Toward the fight.
Toward Damon.
"Where are you going, Mia?" Reone yelled. "Lyrian needs us!"
She didn't look back.
Didn't slow.
Her mind was already somewhere else—locked onto one target.
Damon.
Power rippled through her body as she began to transform.
Reone stood frozen in the snow, watching her go—torn between fear, disbelief, and the sick realization that Lyrian's concerns about Mia might not be all that unfounded.
Mickey's voice echoed again—sharper now, edged with panic.
"Where are you, guys?"
At this, Reone forgot all about Mia and made his way back to the jet.
Toward Lyrian.
---
He found Mickey trying to lift the jet to no avail.
Primi and Nova were doing the same, boots digging into the snow, muscles straining, breath coming out in white clouds.
All of this with no result.
Lyrian's body lay in the snow, half trapped beneath the twisted metal of the jet, eyes closed, black hair dusted with frost.
Reone dropped to his knees beside her head, panic flooding his chest.
"Lyrian," he whispered, gently touching her cold cheek. "Lyrian…"
"She's unconscious, Reone," Nova said quietly, emotion threading her voice.
A heavy weight settled in Reone's chest.
The implications hit him hard.
"Come help us with the jet," Primi urged, breathless, voice strained.
Reone forced himself up from the snow, nodding, urgency overriding the pain in his body.
He needed her out.
Now.
He shoved his hands into the snow, found the edge of the jet, and applied all his Legion strength to it, pushing upward with the others.
Nothing.
The jet didn't so much as budge.
But they didn't stop.
They grunted. Strained. Pushed harder.
Hands slipping on ice and metal.
"This is pointless," Mickey snapped in frustration, stepping back. "We aren't strong enough."
"Nova," he said desperately, "isn't there something you can do with your magic? A spell?"
Nova released the jet, shaking her head.
"I tried, remember?" she said, voice tight. "It didn't work. The mass of the jet is too dense for one Sylph."
"Well, we can't just give up," Reone snapped, letting go and turning on him, panic sharp in his voice.
"We're not," Mickey said back. "But the fact is—we can't do this by ourselves."
---
AUTHOR POV
In the meantime, the fight between Anika and the others and Damon with the Sisterhood raged on.
It was four against four, and they were evenly matched.
On the ground, the team of Anika and Sire held their own against Nivara and Damon, neither side ever seeming to gain the upper hand.
In the air, Diamond and Seren countered Veyra and Caelynn's attacks, but couldn't land a clean strike of their own.
Caelynn saw Mia before anyone else.
She immediately conjured a clone to intercept her.
"Mia, missed us?" she said, firing energy in her direction.
Mia didn't even look at her.
She formed a shield, remembering Caelynn's tricks—and simply radiated her firepower outward, intensely.
The clone disintegrated instantly.
The real Caelynn, locked in battle with Diamond, gasped in anger.
She sent four of her remaining clones at Mia to slow her down, weakening herself significantly.
"Guys, we need to get out of here," she communicated to Damon and her sisters through their telepathic link.
"Mia is here—and she is not happy."
"My cousin's wife?" Damon snapped angrily, countering Anika's kicks.
"Who cares if she's here?"
He growled as he dodged Anika's relentless attacks, fury burning in his chest—wishing he still had his wizard powers.
This fight would've been easy.
"Well, you should," Caelynn replied.
"Because you're her target. Apparently her husband is in a coma because of you."
"Rhys is still alive?" Damon said darkly.
The distraction gave Anika the opening she needed—she slashed his arm.
Damn, he thought, focusing again.
"Rhys is alive, but barely," Caelynn answered. "I'm not getting details. The point is—she has enough rage and power to tip the scales of this fight."
"I am not leaving until that Diviner girl is dead," Damon insisted.
"The way things are going," Nivara cut in, "we might not be leaving at all."
She could feel Damon's fury at her words, even without the telepathic connection, and immediately stopped talking.
Veyra did no such thing.
"You're right, Nivara," Veyra said, teeth gritted.
"This was a terrible idea. I don't know what possessed me to follow you."
"I do," Damon replied coldly. "The thought of obtaining the Trident's power. Which we're not getting if she's still alive."
"Not if we get to it first," Caelynn reasoned. "Then she won't matter."
"Listen to us," Nivara said softly.
"We'll live to fight another time, my love."
"Stop calling me that," Damon shouted.
The anger distracted him.
Anika clipped him again.
Nivara gasped in her own fight, freezing for half a second due to the unexpected harshness of his tone.
Sire almost ran her through, but she blocked the attack just in time.
"I can create a distraction," Caelynn said meaningfully,
"but only if we're all in agreement."
"We are, right, Damon?" Veyra asked sharply.
At that moment, Damon was clashing blades with Anika—fruitlessly.
"Fine," he snapped.
"Thank you," Caelynn said tonelessly.
She closed her eyes.
Green fog immediately surrounded the battlefield.
Anika found herself slicing the fog instead of Damon.
"Where did they go?" Anika asked as Damon seemed to vanish in front of her.
"They're escaping," Sire said.
"No—not this time," Mia said, after Caelynn's last clone disappeared, rising into the air where the fog was thinner.
The other Sylphs were about to follow when Reone's voice rang out.
"Guys—come help!" he shouted desperately.
"Reone?" Diamond said, scanning the battlefield.
"Lyrian is stuck under the jet," he called. "We need help getting her out!"
"Lyrian's in trouble?" Seren said, panic rising in her voice.
"Yes," Reone confirmed. "Come help us get her out."
"But Damon and the Sisterhood are getting away," Sire said.
"Lyrian is more important," Reone snapped—hoping, desperately, that unlike Mia, this would be true for them too.
The fog began to thin.
Anika looked at him.
"He's right," she said.
"Let's go to Lyrian."
No one disputed this, though they all wanted to go after Damon and the Sisterhood.
They all turned and rushed in Reone's direction.
Seren stopped and looked back.
Mia was still hovering in the air.
"Mia, come down," Seren called.
"Lyrian needs our help."
"I see them," Mia whispered.
"You aren't getting away this time, Damon."
Her voice wasn't loud—but it was alive with something obsessive and dangerous.
She shot forward.
Seren stood there for a second, confused and deeply unsettled by this, but knowing there wasn't any time to ponder it, she turned and went to help Lyrian.
---
"Alright," Mickey said quickly,
"Here's what we're going to do. The Sylph girls simultaneously perform a levitating spell, while the rest of us lift the jet."
"Let's do it," Seren said.
Everyone got into position.
The girls closed their eyes and began the spell.
Everyone else reached under the jet and lifted.
Finally—there was movement.
---
Meanwhile, Damon and the Sisterhood ran through the forest, forced to flee on foot to avoid detection. They all knew that their plan wasn't working.
"Mia's on our tail," Nivara warned.
"Then let's lose her, shall we?" Damon said.
"Leave that to me," Caelynn said, stopping suddenly.
"I'll meet you guys later."
"What are you going to do?" Veyra asked, looking at her.
"Just let me handle this," she repeated darkly.
Veyra didn't think twice about it, continuing to run.
After she was alone, Caelynn took a deep breath before turning back the way they had just fled from, a mischievous smile curving her lips as she did.
Then—
Her form changed.
And she became Damon.