Iona, the twin world of Eos. Torn asunder by a cataclysmic event, only two survived. King Fellux Naxan Valtreus and his daughter, Makina Hexxus Valtreus, fled to Eos and found sanctuary. As the last survivors who carry the blood of the mighty dragon...
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It unlatched its sharp claws from the stone ceiling and spread its wings. It landed a few feet from her with another sinister screech. She prepared herself to battle the daemon that towered over her.
The camazotz flexed its slim, bone-like fingers. With a hiss, it stretched out its wings and flew towards her. She brought her sword up and blocked its attack. Her blade clashed with its claws. It used all of its strength to push against her, forcing her back. She gritted her teeth and pushed back, but it was much stronger than her. The only way out of her current predicament was to freeze time, and so she did.
The hands of time froze. Makina ran behind the creature and slashed at the bend of its legs before time resumed. The creature shrieked and fell to the ground. It was in pain, but that doesn't stop it from running away. Its legs were useless, but not its wings. Black blood trickled from the wounds on its legs as it soared around her.
She watched it closely and analyzed its flight pattern. Swinging her blade, she created an arc of air. It blew the daemon back but dealt no damage. Channeling more of Aos' power, she created a windblade. The magic sliced off one of the creature's ears, which angered it. In the blink of an eye, it swooped down and caught her off guard. It grabbed her by the throat and slammed her body against the wall, pinning her to it.
Makina gasped as her airways were crushed. She felt its sharp claws digging into her neck, breaking the skin and keeping her from breathing. Its grip was tightening by the second and she feared it would snap her neck before it suffocated her.
She gripped her sword tighter and jammed the blade into the camazotz's gut. It shrieked in pain and released her. She yanked her blade out of its body as she fell to the ground, coughing. She rubbed her sore neck and contemplated healing herself, but there was no time. The daemon that was bleeding from its missing ear, legs, and gut recovered. She was shocked to see it hadn't died from blood loss.
It flew at her again.
Makina created a rift in front of her just before it could reach her. The daemon reappeared halfway across the room and wound up slamming into a wall. She wanted to laugh but her throat hurt too much. She got to her feet with another cough. She held Rift Cutter by her side and wondered what her next move should be. Should she use Eko's armor? Or perhaps another rift? What about freezing time again?
All of a sudden, she heard the voices of Zin and Zen in her head. She listened closely to the twins' instructions. Focusing all her energy on the Ionus Sphere residing within her body, she unsealed the fifth and sixth chambers. She saw the daemon had recovered and was heading straight for her. She continued to focus until she felt a warm sensation.
The twin serpents of time and space emerged from her body and surged forward towards the creature. They intertwined together, roaring in unison. Bodies interwoven like ribbons of black and silver, Zin and Zen warped time and space around the camazotz. The creature's shrill cries echoed through the mine as its body was torn asunder. It was dead.
Zin and Zen unwound their bodies from one another before shattering into shards of black and silver. The shards soared towards the princess and pierced her body, but it didn't hurt. The shards were absorbed into the Ionus Sphere, meaning the twin serpents were back in their chambers. She sealed the two chambers.
Feeling an overwhelming sensation of exhaustion, Makina collapsed to her knees. She plunged Rift Cutter into the ground to support her. Her body slumped forward as her hands remained gripping the hilt of her blade. She felt the familiar warm sensation of blood seeping from her nose and eyes but didn't bother wiping it away. She was too weak from calling upon Zin and Zen to even lift a finger. All she could do was grip her sword to keep the rest of her body from collapsing. She felt her consciousness beginning to slip away, but she tried to stay awake.
She closed her eyes for a second. They slid open when she heard a noise. She couldn't look around but knew what the sound was. The feeling of a gentle and warm hand being placed on her shoulder made a wave of relief wash over her. She heard Noctis calling her name. However, she was too weak to respond and her throat still ached from being choked by the daemon.
Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto caught up to the prince after he had warped down to Makina. They arrived the moment the princess' grip on her sword slipped and her body fell. Fortunately, Noctis had caught her in his arms. He cradled her body against his.
"Wh-What was that? Is she okay?" Prompto asked worriedly.
Ignis checked on her. He saw the blood trickling from her nose and eyes. What also grabbed his attention were the shallow gashes and red mark on her neck. He moved to other parts of her body but found nothing. He saw her breathing was normal and sighed in relief. "She'll be fine."
"Whatever she did, it killed that nasty daemon and wiped her out," Gladiolus said. He then met Noctis' distraught gaze. "Prompto and I will watch over her. You and Iggy go find that royal tomb."
Noctis had forgotten why they were here in the first place when he noticed Makina was missing. He looked down at her unconscious form before reluctantly nodding. "All right." He carefully handed her to his shield. He stood up and left with Ignis but not before he glanced worriedly at the princess.
Gladiolus held the girl against him. Prompto looked around to make sure no daemons would ambush them. When the area was clear, he kneeled next to the shield with his sapphire gaze locked on Makina. "I wondered what happened to her."
"Don't know," Gladiolus said. "Guess we'll figure that out once she wakes up."
Ten minutes later, Noctis and Ignis returned. They had claimed the royal arm remaining nearby and were ready to leave. Gladiolus carefully hooked an arm under the princess' knees and around her back. He then gingerly lifted her into his arms.
"It would be wise to return to the haven as soon as possible so we may tend to Makina," Ignis stated.
"Let's get the hell outta here," Gladiolus gruffly said.
