Helio stared in awe, his hand resting against the inner walls of the barrier. His brows furrowing in confusion, before he shook his head and took steps backward.
He turned his head towards Nada and Sasha.
"Didn't Aefia have the fire element?" He asked.
Nada finally turned her head. "I thought so... But it appears she has the Space Element too. I am shocked too. And she mentioned something... 'Ultimates'. I don't know anything anymore."
At the same time, the barrier fell. Her eyes locked at them once before she glanced back at the auctioneer.
"You! You monster!" She shouted, clawing at her skin. "I-It burns! My skin burns from the inside out! And I can't stop it! What is this power you have?!"
Aefia didn't answer. Instead, a sharp wind blew harshly over the terrain they were standing on.
She took a few steps forward, her bare footsteps—where she stood on her toes with two blocks of heels holding her up, red and black feathers resting against the back of her ankles—leaving behind constellations that flickered and then vanished.
She was walking as if gravity was barely there, her hair flowing as if she were submerged in water.
She extended her right hand out in a sharp motion, her twin blades gleaming bright.
Aefia lunged forward violently, her blade inching closer within milliseconds. The auctioneer raised her hand, catching the blade with her claws and pushing her backwards.
Though the second blade followed immediately afterwards.
Aefia was relentless. Her attacks getting stronger and stronger with every strike. Her eyes were observing every move like a hawk.
Did the facility finally succeed? The auctioneer thought to herself, extending her hand forward to reach for Aefia's slender neck.
She managed to catch her. Aefia smirked back mischievously.
She raised her leg, planted her heels into her stomach to make some distance. She skidded back, kicking up dust.
At her side, she gripped her sword tighter, pulling it up to her shoulder-level, and swung it violently in thin-air.
The sky behind the auctioneer ruptured. Her eyes widened in panic. Aefia's blade soared way too fast as she emerged from the tear.
She gripped Aefia's arm out of instinct, pinning her in place as she used the remaining of her powers upon her domain.
The ground beneath them shook. She yanked her arm away from the boss and leapt backwards—dodging the sharp, hard ground directed towards her.
Aefia simply raised her hand again, the spikes dissolved back to the ground. The boss was left speechless and helpless.
She took steps forward. "If you know proper science... You will understand that the Space element comes with Time-related skills. The term space-time... It should be clear to you that if I can control space, I can use it to bend time too. I can cause the past to happen in the present if I want."
The auctioneer gulped, raising both her telling hands up.
Her jaw clenched so tight, a muscle jumped. "But I am not ready to give up yet."
"Don't worry... You will be." Aefia raised her index finger to near her face, her eyes flashing a bright red as multiple red wires wound around it and spread towards all direction.
She pointed it hand with the wires at the auctioneer. The ground beneath her vanished into an endless space. She was wound up tightly so that she couldn't move a single inch.
At the same time, Aefia raised her sword one last time alongside the dragon's blood. She slowly walked over, gripped her chin and pulled it wide open.
Using her teeth, she pulled off the cork and spit it to the side before pouring the entire thing into the auctioneer's mouth.
The woman immediately gasped, trying to fight against her until the last drop too fell into her mouth.
"You had hidden your true form from us so that even if I kill you... You will still live. The same goes for that nobleman who was the detective. If you know it well, this dragon blood will bring out your true form to me... Including the weakness and point of injection."
Aefia looked down mercilessly at the woman, shoving her face away and pulling her hand back as if she was burnt.
She took steps backwards from the woman—who was shrieking like an animal. Her eyes glowing bright orange and many pair of wings wrapped around herself. A crown of shattered crystals surrounding her head.
Snap!
Her wings extended to their full span around her, spreading outward to nearly block the only remnants of the moon's brightness—which cast a shadow over the ground. This time... Her face wasn't Aefia's. She looked like a stranger.
Aefia stared upwards, no reaction on her face. Her eyes tracking the stance if the woman like a hawk. Then her gaze locked onto the woman's neck.
She reached out to her side, a dagger appeared right into her grip—her golden pupils flashing bright as the sky suddenly started to change from day to night and then back to day, the speed increasing the more time passed.
Eventually, the moon and the sun looked stuck in place though the colours kept changing.
She lunged forward. Her footsteps left stars flickering, but that wasn't enough to keep track of where she was.
The auctioneer narrowed her eyes at Aefia as she grazed past her shoulder. Her hand raised and forming an orange or of light, and threw it at her direction.
She blocked it, tilting her head back to the side—the orb soared right past her nose and collided with a tree, which instantly blew up and shattered into pieces. She smoothly stepped away as the splinters engraved themselves into the ground around her.
She folded her elbow until the blade was at the same line as her eyes, then threw it through the air towards the auctioneer.
The woman caught it, gripping it by the shape edge until it drew blood—but it was the perfect time for distractions.
Aefia appeared right in front of her with her fingers wrapped around the hilt of the blade. She raised her leg and kicked her hard—sending her colliding into the ground while clenching the place she hit.
She landed onto the ground, soundless while taking slow steps towards the fallen woman. Though, she wasn't quite dead.
The woman gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing as the ground tore itself and spikes tore right through the gap.
Aefia countered it by doing the same thing, crashing them using her own obsidian ones.
The auctioneer scrambled back onto her feet, already running tired.
"Fine... If you want to play it that way... Let's do it so." She raised her hand and lunged at her. Her claws extended towards her.
She didn't move an inch.
The nail scratched through her skin. But blood didn't fall like from normal wounds. It only revealed another patch of that same starry pattern.
The woman realized a little too late. Though she managed to step back for the incoming blade to leave only a minor wound. She reached her hand up to stop the dark blood at her shoulder.
Argh! She is... Getting more powerful! And I can't kill her while she is using her forms! She isn't even bleeding and there is no injury stopping her! How am I supposed to deal with her?! Deal with a person who caused the moon to explode?!
Aefia took slow steps forward, glaring down at the woman with her golden pupil.
The auctioneer paused. Her face softening up as she stood mesmerized.
Thinking of which... How many people have a golden pupil? It feels like staring right into the sky, and imagining what the stars would look like up close...
She slowly raised her index finger. "How is it so..." She absentmindedly asked while pointing at the pupil. "Is this an attribute a person gets if get assigned the HBV(BS-H) dose?"
Aefia folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Why? Are you curious?"
"No... But just wondering if I can rip it off and put it on my own eye socket." The woman answered, lunging forward with a sword that was crafted straight from scared, black, scorched wood with thorns along the edges.
She managed to lift the flat side of her blade to stop it from impacting her skin. She used whatever strength she could muster up to throw her backwards another time.
She looked up when she managed to create some distance—barely getting out of the range of the next attack. Then, something about the auctioneer's expression changed.
"Why..." The woman asked, in between her strikes.
"Why what?!" Aefia grunted back.
"Why did you betray us?!" She shouted, swinging harder. "You were supposed to be one of us! Why did you turn your back to us?!"
Aefia's mind stalled. What is she...?
"You fucking monster! Why would you do that?! And to think... You would..."
Damn it! She has gone insane! She shouted into her mind. What could have possibly snapped inside her mind that made her this way?!
"Sofia..." The woman muttered.
Aefia leaped backward, skidding to a halt as she watched the auctioneer paused entirely. Her body locking up in shock at the name. Could it be that she is thinking I am someone else?
"And now... Your name is Aefia..."
"..."
"Why did you leave...? Like that? We thought you died... But you are still alive. Aren't you?"
"..."
"That day... We all struggled. Only you left us. And for what? To protect that cousin of yours who you yourself said betrayed you?!"
In the far distance, Nada, Sasha and Helio listened in stunned silence.
Could it be? 'That day' refers to the day she was found by my door? Helio thought to himself bitterly.
Something in Nada's gaze turned into a moment of realization and horror. Her eyes widening—hollow and suddenly filled with rage.
Aefia's head turned towards them. Her form dissolving as her brows furrowed in anxiety every creeping second. Don't get the wrong idea... Please...
Iam innocent in all of this. I swear...
At that exact second, the woman lunged.
Aefia's gaze snapped right back at her in frustruation and she raised her blade a final time.
"I am never forgiving you for this!" She muttered under her breath as her blade went clean through the auctioneer's throat. Dark blood splattering onto the ground and the auctioneer immediately shrivelled into dust.
"Let's go..." Sasha yanked both Nada and Helio by their elbows towards the portal that was already open. "The exit only stays open for a limited time."
Aefia took three seconds to collect her breath, before she dropped everything and ran towards the others—her hand reached out to catch up with them.
Sadly for her, her form dissolving meant her injuries would be back.
Her left hand clenched over her heart which suddenly felt painful. Though she bit onto the inside of her cheek and ran faster. Her eyes were fixed at the back of Nada's head.
Nada I am sorry! I said nothing of that sort and that beast is lying about everything! Even if... I would have never meant it!
She managed to reach forward in time and grab onto her cousin's arm. Her steps stomping as she tried to slow down and opened her mouth to finally spill the truth.
"Nad—"
Instead...
Shove!
Time slowed down for Aefia. Her eyes tracked over her cousin's betrayed face as she was pushed backwards into the collapsing dungoen.
Nada stared back at her without an ounce of hesitation. Aefia's mind raged.
Nada...? I am innocent... I swear...
Nada... Please... Just listen to me!
SOMEONE LISTEN TO ME! I AM INNOCENT!
It wasn't like anyone would even care to hear anymore. They only saw what was told by someone a complete stranger... To a person who was so eerily familiar to them.
Aefia's eyes brimmed with tear in frustruation. Then locked onto Helio's as he was dragged into the portal.
"YOU STUPID FOOL! TELL THEM THE TRUTH! I COLLAPSED IN FRONT OF YOUR DOOR BECAUSE I WAS HESITANT! WHY WOULD I ASK FOR HELP FROM YOU WHOM NADA TRUST IF I WAS NOT INNOCENT?!"
—is what she wanted to say.
As normally, she couldn't make it in time. So she gave up. Her eyes turning hollow as she succumbed to her fate.
None of them moved because they all assumed the same.
Aefia was gone and came back bloody because Aefia met up with that woman and teamed up against Nada.
But they failed to recognize... It could have been the novel that beast had read to turn them against her. Afterall... In there... Nada killed Aefia.
But was it in the real life? If Aefia was so desperate to change the fate so she wasn't killed at least by Nada?
As the dungoen exit was closing, Helio turned around once. His eyes locking onto her face one last time.
"Stop looking at me... I hate you. All of you..." Aefia muttered under her breath before closing her eyes.
***********************
First draft: 20.11.2025
Rewritten: 27.10.2026