The roaring crowd surrounded the colossal arena of Telkha, waving flags high for both teams locked in battle. And yet, the war raged on.
“Ying!”
“YING!”
“YO, RED HAIR!!!”
“Ying!”
She darted across the battlefield, assisting her team from every angle—above and beneath the trees, around stone statues, over bridges that separated the lake from the arena wall. She pulled back her bow, exhaled slowly... and loosed. Her arrow struck true.
Meanwhile, Myke and Jug clashed with Ronald and his ally, Sam—fueling the fire of the spectators. Every chain Myke landed, every strike Jug delivered, every shout from Ronald and Sam—it only amplified the heat of the brawl.
Elsewhere, Hennah and Tela faced off. The two witches stared each other down like cowboys in a dusty standoff, neither blinking. Even as blood from Myke and Jug's skirmish splattered near them, they didn’t flinch.
Far beyond the Sheilsh Hyshen Core, two warriors danced in a whirlwind of blades and flame—Ming and Vehra. Their duel burned like a blizzard of inferno, neither showing signs of slowing. Each step forward or back shook the ground, their attacks defying gravity.
Without realizing it, they created a massive flame tornado that forced the crowd to shift to the opposite side of the arena just to keep watching.
“MING!!!” Jug shouted.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen in training,” Ronald muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I thought—” Sam began.
“…Welp,” Myke sighed, “they’ve unleashed hell.”
And still, Tela and Hennah remained perfectly still. Not a single blink.
Ying reappeared beside them, nearly collapsing—Myke caught her just in time.
“Jug?” she groaned.
“No pillow, Lyo.”
“Ronald?”
“Me neither.”
“Sam?”
“YOU THINK I’M A MAID OR SOMETHING?!”
“Just asking,” Myke replied calmly. Then he glanced at Tela and Hennah… but said nothing.
Suddenly—rustling. Leaves flew. Both Valirion and Cinder’s Petal instinctively raised their guard… except the witches.
Out of the trees came Kana, sprinting like death itself chased her.
“BAD IDEA!! BAD F*CKING IDEA!!!” she screamed.
“Kana?” Ying blinked.
“I was saying the same thing,” Jug and Myke said in unison.
“Long story, Valirion. Long, long story,” Ronald added as embers sparked in the sky behind them.
“Ron…” Sam warned.
“…Run.”
Everyone took off—both teams, both sides, scattering—while Hennah and Tela still stood there like predators waiting for prey to twitch.
Makswara: “Oh no. This is not good.”
Sheyla: “CALL FOUR!! CALL FOUR!!”
Makswara: “SHUT IT, BUOI!! I’M TRYING!!”
The crowd had fled. Valirion and Cinder’s Petal had vanished.
Inside the arena, chaos brewed—moments away from detonation.
“Too slow… too quick,” Vehra muttered.
“Too much feint—I’ma faint,” Ming panted.
“Footwork!!” Vehra warned, sweeping her leg. Ming caught the motion and blocked, countering with her own sweep.
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“Right, right, left, right!!” Ming shouted.
“Left, right, right, left!!”
As the battle cooled, flames receded outside the arena.
“Did Ming win?” Jug asked.
“Nah. I bet Vehra,” Ronald replied.
“Heh, wanna bet, bro?”
“100 coins.”
“200.”
“150.”
“145.”
“Deal.”
“Amen,” they said in sync.
The arena was scorched black. Ash coated the ground and stands. Cinders still burned. Embers still floated.
Vehra and Ming sat back-to-back, blades planted in the ground, chests heaving.
“Well, guess I’m paying for the destruction,” Vehra muttered.
“I’ll cover the Hyshen core,” Ming replied.
“No, I will.”
“No, me.”
“Me.”
“ME.”
As the sisters bickered about footing the bill, Tela and Hennah still hadn't moved.
A single ember drifted between them—and sparked.
“AH F*CK!!” Tela flinched.
“Blegh~” Hennah stuck out her tongue in victory. “Stare game, won.”
“You IMBECILE!”
“Fair game, girl!”
“Shut it, short hair!”
“DON’T CALL ME SHORT HAIR, YOU BRAIDED EARTHWORM!”
“EWW—NO, YOU SHUT UP, WITH YOUR SPEAKER STUCK IN YOUR THROAT!”
“I AIN’T DEEPTHROATIN’ A MICROPHONE!”
“THEN STOP!”
“NO, YOU STOP!”
“FHALA SELTA SHOOOO!!” Hennah roared, blasting Tela into the Sheilsh core.
Destruction again.
Vehra and Ming? Still arguing.
“Me.”
“Me.”
“ME.”
Outside of the Telkha, where the emergency units arrived in time to treat the crowds who is lightly severed from it, including Ying herself. Soon, Kana slowly approach to her, keeping her hands on the from and holding, hesitated to talk with Ying.
"Oh?" Ying noticed. "Kana,"
Kana flinched and walk away quickly.
As Ying was about to chase her, Ying suddenly feel the stunned in her body, and soon she blacked out.
"Ying?" Myke from afar saw her sudden passed out and when straight to her. "Ying? YING!"
As Ming and Vehra arrived while carrying Hennah and Tela, they also noticed Ying sudden collapse.
Ying's eyes goes white, no reaction, yet still blinking.
"Ming! Help me!! HELP HER!!" Myke plead.
"Heh, what a sober," Hennah scoffs. Soon got knocked by Ming from the the back.
Soon, she throw Hennah back, and kneel on Ying, and do so Vehra. "She's..." Vehra paused, and stare to Ming.
"She's what?" Myke demanded.
"Let her breath." Ming said.
"Yarah....Ghon," Vehra whispered. (Girl...breath)
Ying bare listened, and she breath slowly this time.
Ming stare at her, her hair slowly lowered. As Vehra sense, she touch Ming's her hair, it's slowly turning to white. "Elaisi...nalo!" Vehra said, and Ming snapped back.
"Sorry..." Ming said.
"We need to get in what she sees," Vehra said.
"How?" Myke said.
Ming turned her head to Hennah as she's showing off her tattoo to Tela. As she noticed, she felt off. "What?!"
A complete void. Absolute darkness.
No light escaped the molecule of the darkest matter.
“Hello?” Ying called out. “Oh... I can talk… but… where’s my body?” she noticed.
She looked around—nothing.
“WHERE’S MY BODY!? HELLO!?”
“Heed...” a growling voice emerged.
“W-Who are you?”
“Inalla... Delara... Selvira... Valeria... Elion... Lysara... Avenya... Exara...”
“What?”
“Inalla (You)... Delara (I)... Selvira (Her)... Valeria (Him)... Elion (Light)... Lysara (Dark)... Avenya (Hope)... Exara (Death)...”
Crimson eyes flared open in the darkness, staring at her. Ying froze, stunned, unable to move. Slowly, the figure walked toward her—the eyes coming closer—then white hair, sharp teeth... and an eerily familiar face.
He looked like Thalulah.
“A-Aiko?!” Ying gasped.
The man paused. He scanned her, top to bottom, then locked eyes again.
“You… met her,” he whispered.
Ying nodded. “In... the forest...”
As she looked more closely—his neck... it was severed.
“Are you—”
“Nonsense,” he interrupted coldly. “She’s dead.”
“Dead...?”
He glared at her, one hand rising as if to choke.
“Don’t ignite the flame in me...”
“Akira...”
A soft voice echoed from afar.
He froze.
He turned. There—standing in the darkness—was Ming, tears falling silently down her cheeks.
“Akira... Itto?”
“Lisa... Fujiwara...” he said, his voice trembling.
“Lisa...?” Ying echoed, stunned.
Akira walked toward Ming. She didn’t move.
And when he reached her, the first thing she did was lean her head onto his shoulder.
“You… live,” he said.
“Delara ava senya telrha gha...” (I’m not the same anymore...)
Akira wrapped his arms around her. He leaned in, softly kissed her ear, and let her feel his breath.
“Elyssa...” he whispered.
Ming’s hair turned white. Ying braced herself—afraid it would become another destructive scene like the one in her dream.
But instead… she felt grief.
Ming’s arms wrapped around Akira. Her scars were visible, red-stained blood still fresh on them.
“Did I... C—”
“You converged the world… where I didn’t deserve it… dear,” Akira said gently.
“Ghulra vunya shul dhu ghu.” (Yet you still let the world live and burn again.)
“I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, Ming’s voice echoed in three layers—as if multiple souls were speaking.
She lifted her head.
Her hair was now red, black, and white.
Her eyes—red, yellow... and black.
“I shouldn’t have let you die,” she cried.
“It was necessary.”
“NO—! I DON’T WANT TO KILL YOU ANYMORE!!” Ming screamed.
Silence.
“I LOST OUR DAUGHTERS… I MADE MELANIA BLIND… I MADE MAX FORGET WHO HE WAS… I DON’T WANT TO BE MYSELF ANYMORE!!” she wailed.
Akira gently kissed her forehead. Ming collapsed in his arms, sobbing.
“My love ember of all realms…” he whispered.
“Takeru is still out there. And he won’t rest… until you return and finish what you started.”
“But… I need you…”
“You already have me,” Akira said—his gaze shifting to Ying.
A quiet truth passed between them.
Ying… was his heir all along.
Ming rested her cheek against his, eyes now on Ying.
“I’m… not ready to train her the way you trained me.”
“But you will.”
Akira gently lifted her chin and kissed her lips.
“Ew. Gross,” Hennah’s voice cut in as she used her fingers to link Ming’s head to Ying’s.
“What do you mean gross?” Tela asked.
Hennah pressed her toe to Tela’s forehead, letting her see it directly.
“Ewww—they kissed!”
Ying and Ming jolted awake.
“Ying!” Myke rushed to her side, his voice full of concern.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m okay,” Ying replied, still dazed.
Suddenly, Kana was there—seated beside her, pulling her into a hug.
“I’m sorry… for what I did, Ying.”
“It’s alright,” Ying said gently, then glanced toward Ming.
She looked completely normal.
As if… none of it had happened.
Ying was about to speak.
But chose silence instead.
