Ayame woke up when the sunlight entered the apartment. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, nor did she know how long she had been sleeping. She looked up and noticed Coalt sleeping beside her, still holding her close to him. They were so exhausted that they had fallen asleep on the floor with the same clothes on from yesterday.
Shortly after, Coalt woke up and they looked at each other with sore eyes. For a moment, Ayame wanted to believe that yesterday was just a dream, but the memory of their fight was engraved in their bruised bodies.
"What should we do?" Ayame asked Coalt in a low, hoarse voice. He shook his head slowly.
"I don't know."
If only for a moment, Ayame wanted to run away from her memories of last night. Right now she had no will to stand up, she had no courage to face the outside; she was scared of their future. "What about work? It's Monday already; we are late."
"Forget about work. We need to survive Kira first."
His response made Ayame feel a slight relief. He was always the one with the harsh reality-check replies, so that meant he still had a grasp on his own sanity at least. Still, he made a good point there – the fate of the world was going to be settled on a common and boring Tuesday, and it would depend on them if there would even be a restaurant to go back to or not.
The girl sighed. "We look awful."
The couple wished they could simply pass time on fast forward, or sleep two days in a row and wake up after the end of the world. They didn't want to face their destiny, but they soon began feeling the weight of anxiety growing in their chests as the minutes kept slipping away. They simply couldn't ignore it, and even through the pain and fear, they stood up to face their last day.
Like Coalt had suggested, they first phoned their workplaces and explained that they would be absent for the next few days. It didn't matter what excuse they gave, or if the bosses were angry – no one would be around to care if they failed. Then, after a necessary shower and a change of clothes, they decided to go to the orphanage to catch up Midori on the terrible events of the day before.
It was almost midday when they arrived at the old house. They rang the bell and Midori opened the door with a mask of a smile on her face, expecting a neighbor. When she saw that it was them, her smile dropped and she embraced them both.
"I'm glad to see you. I was so worried!" The lady only knew about Kairi's fate, so for the last hours she had been worried sick about them.
"Midori, I'm sorry!" At the sight of the good old woman, Ayame's chest felt heavy, and she began to sob again.
"Now, now, my girl. Your eyes are tired of crying. Go to my office; I'll prepare tea for both of you." Midori hurried them in, and they waited in the small room she called her office.
As promised, Midori came back with the tea to warm the devastated teenagers. The old woman was experienced and she knew they had been through difficulty; even the strong-headed Coalt was visibly shaken. She still didn't know what they were going to tell her, and she didn't rush the subject as she kept their attention on the hot drink warming them from the inside out. She wanted them to grasp on this feeling to ease their hearts, even if just a little.
When Ayame felt a bit better, she finally told Midori what had happened the day before. The shaman had guessed the right location of the box and the ring bearers found its hideout. However, so did Kira. They tried to stop the brute man, but he beat each one of them and escaped with the box. The two were alive only because Kairi had used her last strength to protect them.
"What should we do now? We have failed... We failed our friends. We failed in our job to keep the box safe. And now..." Ayame's voice trembled. She had cried so much that she was finally running out of tears, but the pain in her heart didn't stop.
Midori heard them say how another one of their supporters was lost, and now their hopes and beliefs were crumbling. She regretted that those young people had such a burden on their shoulders. It wasn't just the fate of their friends in their hands anymore, but of the whole world.
The woman adjusted her glasses and gave them a determined look when they asked her what to do. "It's obvious what you should do: you must keep fighting until the end."
They looked at her in puzzlement. That wasn't exactly what they wanted to hear. "But this is a fight we can't win!" Coalt pointed out, "Facing Kira head-on won't work. It never has."
"Not giving up is the least you can do." Midori kept her composure. "Whether you win or lose, the result is irrelevant. What is important is that you must try."
"But then everyone might suffer–" Ayame was cut off by the old woman.
"If you don't go and fight, everyone will suffer just the same. But if you have a chance to stop him, however slight, you must take it." The woman felt bad for saying such things, but she knew they had to hear it. "Running away isn't an option. You tried to keep this situation from happening and you failed. Now you need to prepare yourselves to stop this man."
The two stayed quiet. Ayame looked at Midori, feeling confused and sick in her heart, while Coalt stared at his own hands. They had no words to argue because, deep down, they agreed with her. They were frightened of their certain deaths in a matter of hours, yet, it was their responsibility to fight. It had been their responsibility since the first day they had used the power of their rings.
Midori sighed and collected the teacups to clean them. "I'll give you some time to think." And she left them alone.
The old woman didn't leave them for too long. When she returned to her office, Coalt and Ayame were still sitting in their chairs, pale, quiet, and thoughtful, but prepared with a reply.
"We've decided to fight," Coalt said without much emotion on his tired expression, so Ayame proceeded to explain the idea they had.
"Before he escaped, Kira mentioned that he wanted to see me at Tokyo Tower; only me. He dismissed Kairi and summoned a monster that was meant to kill Coalt." She paused for a moment as the frustrating memories of that fight washed over her. "We thought about distracting Kira while Coalt appeared alone to face him. I'll stand nearby, hidden, while Coalt pretends that I died instead of him. Once they begin to fight, I'll prepare for a sneak attack to finish Kira at once."
"We're going to have to kill him... We can't risk letting him have his way," Coalt said. His eyes reflected anger because he didn't like the idea, but they couldn't think of anything better. They were risking their lives for something no one else would recognize, and Coalt sincerely didn't mind that, but he still felt bad for lowering himself to their enemy's level.
"I see." Midori also lowered her gaze. She didn't want them to notice that she pitied them – it would only make them more uncomfortable. "It's a starting point." She sat down. "So the battle will be tonight? This explains why the weather forecast is sending an alert about a coming hurricane; it looks like it will pass close to Tokyo."
"A hurricane alert?" Coalt found that oddly sudden.
"Sometimes, supernatural events are noticed by humans as some natural disaster," Midori explained. "I believe this hurricane is related to the man you're after, and, whatever he plans to do tomorrow, you two need to stop him."
Coalt and Ayame nodded silently, and continued to stare down at the floor. Midori noticed they were growing paler at the thought of the coming fight, so she offered the best help she could.
"Since you are already here, I would like to invite both of you for lunch. What do you think?"
She finally managed to have them look up to her after her sudden request. However, Ayame smiled gently at her and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Midori. We are not in the best mood. It would feel a little...forced." With that said, Ayame stood up from her chair. "I think it's better if we go now."
Midori frowned for a second, because she really wished that they would stay. They were heading to the door when the old lady pulled them into a bear hug, and not even Coalt tried to resist.
"All I wish for you two is good luck. Be brave."
"Thank you, Midori. Thank you for all your help," Ayame said in a sobbing voice.
"No, the one who should be thankful is me. You are the ones giving all the effort."
After the farewell, they wondered if they were ever going to see the old woman's face again.
Coalt and Ayame had mixed feelings of wanting the time to pass faster so that they could be over with it quickly, but they also didn't want the seconds to pass – each one meant they were seconds closer to their final destination.
They walked aimlessly through the streets, unsure of what they were doing exactly until they noticed that the sun was already setting. The two stopped to watch the sun disappear behind the buildings one last time, giving over the task of illuminating the sky to the stars. Only then they headed back to Ayame's home to rest and prepare themselves.
The alarm clock rang loudly. It was 2 a.m.
It was dark, and it was windy. Coalt and Ayame weren't sure if they woke up with the sound of the alarm or with the sound of the wind blowing wildly outside. They looked out the window and couldn't see a single star; only the sky covered in black clouds. But those weren't rain clouds, nor a hurricane, as most people would see it. The two ring bearers could see that it was all magic: dark, powerful, and a reminder of Kira's ominous presence.
The time had come; they quickly changed into the clothes they had chosen, forced a slice of bread down their throats, and headed out into the storm. There are places in Tokyo that never sleep, but that wasn't the case tonight. There was hardly anyone brave enough to venture outside.
In the streets, they learned that the subway had stopped and there were no taxis or buses running. Coalt didn't foresee that simple inconvenience, but it wasn't a problem they could easily overcome.
"What do we do now?" Ayame scratched her head as she tried to think of something.
"I have an idea." Coalt took her hand and dragged the girl to a well-known place.
"Woah! Wait!"
Ayame lived near the commercial street where she worked, and a little further down was Coalt's old work place. Walking at a good pace, they reached the closed restaurant in minutes and Coalt hopped the locked fence into the back alley.
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Coalt appeared with the old motorbike and keys in hand.
Ayame gasped, "Are you really stealing your ex-boss' bike?"
"It's not really stealing if I plan to give it back, right?" Coalt tried to excuse himself. "The old man is so confident that no one has an interest in this piece of junk that he always leaves it in the back of the restaurant." The manager kept his spare keys in the most obvious of places: under the back-door mat.
Coalt kicked the engine to life and looked at Ayame, waiting for her to climb on. "Come on, do you have any better ideas? The world is freaking ending!"
Ayame sighed. She didn't have a better idea. So she got onto the bike behind him and held tight, a little frightened about riding a motorbike for the first time. If the weather was nice and warm, if the sun was high in the sky, if the birds were singing, and if they weren't heading straight into a deathtrap, then yeah, the situation could have been romantic - but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
Once Tokyo Tower was in their sight, they noticed that the omnious clouds swirled around it like there was some invisible force concentrated there, warning them away. They knew it had to be Kira, so Coalt stopped the bike some good meters away from the tower. They approached it carefully by foot, not taking the main path in the hopes they could avoid being spotted by their enemy. Both were already transformed, with their blood tingling as they waited for some sort of monster to jump at them, but nothing happened. They advanced slowly until it was time to split paths.
Turning to Ayame, Coalt said, "I'm going to face Kira alone as planned. Find a good spot while I distract him."
"Just be careful. Don't do anything stupid." Ayame felt uncertain about this approach. They could only defeat Kira if they worked together, and leaving Coalt to face him alone, even if only for a short moment, made her worry.
"I'm not, because I'm counting on you." Coalt leaned in to kiss her forehead, a gentle kiss, before he stepped away. But Ayame wasn't satisfied with that and wrapped her arms around him to stop him. She was trembling, afraid to let him go and never be able to embrace him again, to feel his warmth.
"It's not enough! Coalt, promise me that you'll get out of this alive."
Why did Ayame have to do that? Coalt's little determination was shaken as he hugged her back. "Only if you promise me as well. Promise me that we'll see the sun again, together."
Such promises were unfair; they knew the other wasn't sure if they could keep their word. Still, it was their little hope, their only reason to continue fighting until the bitter end. They sealed their pledge with a long kiss - knowing that the moment it ended, they would have to depart. It was their last struggle to hold onto what was dear to them, and it was determined when they couldn't hold their breaths any longer. They looked at each other one more time, both had a pained smile until Coalt finally turned around and left.
No more words were said. No more words needed to be said.
Tokyo Tower was a high, orange and white metallic structure piercing the sky. It was the tallest building in the surrounding area, which highlighted its enormity even more. The communication tower was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the similarities were obvious.
Despite being a well-known tourist spot, it was closed and empty due the late hour. The concrete expanse was empty except for one lone visitor standing at its base. Kira was in plain sight, and under his feet stretched a wide radius of intricate inscriptions that had a faint glow that only added to the eerie atmosphere. The transmutation circle was his preparation for the return of his Goddess and, in the center of it all, sat the tiny Pandora's Box.
The man's delighted expression soon disappeared at the sight of the approaching boy. "I thought I made myself clear that you are not invited," he said with distaste. "I just want the girl; where is she?"
Coalt gritted his teeth and his scythe appeared in his hands. "She is dead," he lied. "She died while protecting me against that skeleton monster." He tightened his grip on his weapon. "It's all your fault for summoning that thing!"
Kira found this odd. He wasn't pleased with the news, but shrugged it off. "It's not my fault that you were so incompetent, your girlfriend had to sacrifice herself for you."
"You bastard!" Coalt charged him, fueled by very real hatred. Even if the part about Ayame was only a lie, Kira was the cause of all their trouble and despair – it wasn't hard to play this role.
Kira sighed and his twin black swords appeared in his hands. "Fighting until the end to have your revenge, that's so cliché. I was expecting something more fun," he said calmly, blocking Coalt's heavy scythe and pushing him away. "You can try as much as you want, but you won't be able to stop the birth of a new Goddess."
The speed of Kira's moves were frightening; even if he wasn't able to deliver fatal wounds, the dark magic emanating from his swords would make any cut painful. Coalt had successfully blocked all of his attacks and jumped away from his last slash, grinning at the man when he didn't land a single hit on him. However, his smile soon disappeared when he felt something burn in his chest. Looking down, he had a superficial cut that was aching more than it should have. The kamika was puzzled because he was sure he had escaped.
"Don't be so shocked; you already know our levels are different." Kira walked slowly toward him. "Actually, you and the girl are about equal in physical and spiritual development, but Karina has no interest in a body like yours. In a situation like this, my Goddess would still prefer me over a pretty-boy like you, hehehe."
Kira found this all very funny. A sacrifice was necessary to resurrect Karina – she needed a new body, and, in the case that Ayame couldn't be used, Kira would willingly let his love steal his own body. Even his devotion was pure insanity. "Enough talk. All I need to do is get rid of you. It's nearly time to begin the ritual!"
The man brushed his long hair away from his eyes and suddenly advanced to finish Coalt off, his swords covered with black flames. The brunette held firm on his scythe and ran toward Kira, his blade covered with fire. Both yelled when their weapons clashed; the mix of the two fires caused an explosion and Coalt was tossed away, stopping after rolling a few meters on the ground. He had no time to react when Kira suddenly jumped at him, his blades ready to pierce his flesh.
"Die!" Kira yelled victoriously, but before he reached the fallen ring bearer, he was suddenly hit by lightning.
Coalt looked in the direction of the attack and saw Ayame running toward them. No, it's too soon! he thought, and stood in a hurry to reach Kira.
Ayame had been hidden behind one of the tower's pillars and watched their fight, trying to decide when the best moment to jump in was. The decision was made for her when she saw Kira gain the upper-hand, and she couldn't wait to see if Coalt would be able to escape that situation or not – she had to react to save him.
Did she screw up their strategy? Maybe. She wasn't able to deliver a fatal blow on Kira, but there was still a chance. They only had to land one decisive blow and all this would be over. Their goal was simple, their target was paralyzed for a short moment, yet, why was it so hard to accomplish?
Kira stood up, breaking free from the stupor and saw both ring bearers aiming their blades at him. He was able to escape Coalt's scythe at the expense of having his side caught by Ayame's moon-blades.
"Again!" Coalt yelled and both suddenly turned around to attack Kira once more. They couldn't give him time to think or counter, they had to take him down quickly. Kira gritted his teeth as he tried to escape their rush, avoiding Coalt's scythe once more, but suffering another slash from Ayame's weapons.
"You won't escape!" Coalt summoned more flames while Ayame charged her blades with electricity. They managed to corner the man against one of the metal pillars; the fire and lightning walled him in on both sides, and the couple stood in front of Kira – it was time for their final strike.
The last thing they saw wasn't a look of fear on the man's face; it was a smirk. Like a cornered animal, Kira made a desperate move, jumping forward to grab both their heads and pressing small black fireballs in their faces. Getting the two by surprise, the strong man took both off balance and smashed their heads on the floor. He released them only to hear both gasping for air as they felt the flames burning their throats.
This cursed fire was the same he had used in their previous encounter. It wasn't enough to kill them instantly, but they were suffocating. Kira calmly walked between the two, watching them squirm and cough in an attempt to breathe, while their hands covered their aching eyes due to the smoke.
Kira grabbed the girl and dragged her to the center of the transmutation circle. Ayame cried out in fright, aware that it wasn't Coalt who was dragging her around. She struggled to break free from his grip, but the lack of air weakened her.
Coalt heard Ayame struggling. "Damn you –" he coughed "– Kira!" he managed to say as he sat up and opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he saw the man depositing the girl in the circle and then turning back to him. At this point, the black flames had dissipated and they were recovering their senses; as Coalt tried to stand up, Kira began clapping his hands in pure enjoyment.
"I thought we were going to have a boring duel, but you really managed to make me feel my blood crawl under my skin for a second there. Too bad you won't have a second chance to improve on your tricks and lies." The man seemed to be in a good mood despite the few wounds he had incurred. He didn't mind those if it meant that Ayame was captured for his Goddess.
When Ayame was able to open her eyes, she saw that Kira had his back to her. She didn't think twice, but threw herself at him with weapons raised, ready to stab him through, but she never reached him. Instead, she slammed into an invisible barrier between them.
"Oh, don't damage your cute face; Karina won't like it," he warned the girl when he heard her bumping into the light barrier. "You are not able to leave the circle once you have entered it – whether of your own free will or not." Kira pointed at the magical inscriptions surrounding her. "It was made especially for you. Now, be patient and it'll soon be your turn to shine." The man cleaned his bloodied hands on his coat before his black swords reappeared.
Coalt gritted his teeth, frustrated that their strategy had failed and now Ayame had fallen into Kira's hands. He had planned this trap to hold her since the beginning, and now he only had to get rid of the last obstacle in his way: Coalt. But the Quetzalcoatl demigod wouldn't back down so easily.
In the God's realm, things were strangely frenetic for a place that should have been as boring as you could get. The five ring bearers fought tirelessly against Karina's spirit, never sleeping, never eating and never stopping. Nevertheless, they weren't devoid of all sensations: they felt every slash, every hit, every explosion and every burn in their skin and bones, only to be reminded that all of it was only an illusion in their heads.
Arika advanced towards Karina with great speed, but the woman was able to avoid the girl's claws by moving aside in the last moment. However, she didn't see Lukas, who got a firm grip of her arm and with a swift move he flipped her and tossed her under him. Usually this move was to toss someone to the ground, but in this place there was no ground for her to hit. Karina continued falling down, where Jasmet's magic and Luna's arrows were aimed right for her.
Without giving the woman a break, Risa and Arika advanced on two sides with sword and claws. Karina tried to escape their attacks, only to fall one more time right into Lukas' powerful fists. At first the Italian boy was a little conflicted in hitting her, but after what she had put them through, all the pain she had inflicted on his friends, he had no remorse anymore.
Karina yelped and grunted as she wasn't able to escape their attacks. What annoyed her most was how they were actually predicting her moves. The group had reached a nice sequence of attacks and were making her look a complete fool. She wasn't sure how they were able to accomplish such coordination, it seemed to come naturally when they were together.
Was it another effect of the rings?
Since she had never had to deal with this many magical users together, she didn't know they could reach such a level of strategy and synchronization. All this time she thought they were simply using raw power to escape her plans, but maybe there was something else that she didn't take into consideration?
Lukas delivered three satisfying punches until Karina sparked an explosion between them, tossing each one to the opposite direction. As she stumbled backwards, a waiting sword pierced her chest and Karina looked over her shoulder to see the Selene's demigod right behind her.
Karina's anger made her eyes black; even if she couldn't use her illusion power anymore it still made Risa's spine shiver in fear. That was her cue to get out, but when Risa tried to pull back her sword, Karina held it in a firm grip at the point of the weapon that had impaled her chest.
"Risa, let it go and move away, now!" Luna shouted at her, her bow stretched and ready to shoot.
The little girl looked in confusion at Luna up above her - without her sword she couldn't help. That split second of distraction was all Karina needed. She freed one hand from her hold and pointed two fingers above her shoulder. When Risa looked at Karina's back again, she noticed the power gathering on the fingers too late, and a thin laser-like beam hit her. It was like being shot by a needle and the girl yelped in pain as she covered her face.
Karina turned around as she removed the sword from her chest, wanting to inflict more pain on Risa with her own weapon, but the sword seemed to refuse being held by her and burned her hand.
"Damn you!" said the voice above and Karina flinched for a moment when an arrow crossed her shoulder. She saw Luna looking down at her and tossed the sword at the blonde girl. Just because Karina couldn't use the blessed weapon, didn't mean she couldn't throw it.
The Artemis Kamika wasn't expecting that, and didn't back away in time before the sword carved into her leg. Karina felt Arika's next attack approaching her left as well as Jasmet charging a magic attack. She stepped aside when Arika passed her, but this time she held onto the Wolf girl's arm and made her turn around, using the girl's own speed against her and tossing her towards Jasmet and her magic.
Lukas appeared under her, grabbing her feet and pulling her down. Karina was expecting him as energy gathered in her hand and, when, she stood eye to eye with the boy, both slammed their hands into the other. Lukas aimed at the arrow lodged on her shoulder, forcing it to pass through her to inflict more damage, but the next second he was once again blasted far away with the explosion that burned his chest and stomach.
Karina yanked the rest of the arrow, burning it as pain numbed her shoulder. She quickly noticed that the group was taking a little longer to recover their breath and she smirked. Without time to lose, she shot a rain of thin lasers at all of them. She had to keep them crippled and under control. However, Jasmet was able to protect herself by casting a magical barrier at the last second. Her staff glowed as she prepared another attack.
"Karina, I'm going to end this now. I can't let you continue!" Jasmet tried to sound bold, but Karina could hear the desperation in her voice. The woman's grin only widened at the challenge of the lonely ring bearer while her companions struggled to recover from their pain.
In the same moment, both shot a beam at the other, and the two magic forces collided midway to their destinations, creating a shock wave as one power tried to negate the other. Jasmet cried out as she poured all her might and strength in that one blast. She knew she had to end this quickly; she had to, because she couldn't stand this any longer. She was fed up with this nonsense.
"How cute, you think you can overpower me," Karina said as she easily increased the intensity of her power, her beam quickly engulfing Jasmet's. It hit the girl, enveloping her and Arika in one strong blast.
Meanwhile, Luna was busy yelling and swearing her lungs out as she tried to remove the sword lodged in her tight. She thought she would be able to do it in one quick yank without much pain, but she was sorely wrong.
"Fuck all this shit! I hate this. I hate all of this! Screw all this god-fight! Why am I still doing this? Shit." She froze the moment she finally had the sword freed in her hands: paralyzed by the pain and by Risa's eyes on her. She didn't see when the girl had woken up, all she knew was that Risa looked at her with watery eyes. Luna felt bad for a moment, was Risa blaming herself for the pain her sword inflicted on her? "Risa, it wasn't your fault."
"I'm tired too," the little girl whimpered. "I just want to see my mother, she needs me. But we are stuck here forev-" Karina had attacked them with a shower of lasers.
With Selene's silver sword in her hands, Luna was able to deflect most of the beams that passed through her, aside from a few that hit her arms and legs. Luna gasped, looking down at her unconscious friend near her. A sisterly feeling rushed through her, wanting to comfort the little girl in her arms and make her stop crying. The problem was that Luna was crying herself.
She felt a shock wave and saw Jasmet facing Karina on her own. She tried to stand up and go to them, her legs shaking and her arms weak. She took a deep breath. They were running out of time.
Luna exhaled, her bow stretched and ready. They were supposed to contain Karina, even if it meant to keep attacking her. The plan was simple, so why were they failing every time? Were they really accomplishing anything?
The Artemis' hunter was shaken of her thoughts by an explosion. When she looked down, she saw Karina staring at her, grinning. Luna shouted in fright and released her arrows, greeting that monster in human skin with a shower of sharp metal. Karina didn't move an inch as she concentrated power around herself, black and purple flames surrounding her, spiraling with intensity and knocking the arrows out of their trajectory. Not even one hit their target.
Karina smiled at the look of panic on Luna's face.
Lukas gasped as he came to. The last blast had tossed him quite a distance from the others.
How long has it been? Lukas thought as he saw Karina turn the table on them again. How long are we doing this? Why? Why can't we simply stop her? The boy couldn't help as frustration rose up in his chest. What is the point of all this? But his thoughts were broken when Karina unleashed another devastating laser attack.
Lukas yelped as paralyzing pain cursed his body, and his mind drifted again as he heard distant shouts: his friends continuing in their useless struggle. They would manage to contain Karina for a short moment, only to have her go on a rage and stomp them all down. Then they manage to turn it around, only to lose it again.
Over and over again.
Another cry echoed and Lukas opened his eyes, startled. Karina was holding Luna by her neck with both hands, trying to strangle her. Lukas' doubts suddenly disappeared as he remembered why they were fighting. They needed to stop her, stop her from inflicting pain not only on them, but also on the entire world and on the ones they cared about.
It looked like he was the one who had to create the opening and Lukas accepted the responsibility. He gave a shout as he summoned his strength and will, then charged at Karina. He was greeted with a beam perforating his chest, however, to Karina's surprise, Lukas didn't stop. A moment later and he slammed into her at full speed.
Lukas succeeded in tossing Karina away from Luna and, still on the spiteful woman's tail, he moved behind her and locked an arm around her neck. With his other hand he twisted her arm against her back, immobilizing Karina completely.
"Now!" Lukas shouted so everyone could hear him, but nothing happened. Panting, he looked around, finally seeing that the girls were all down, writhing and crying. "Someone? I got Karina on hold. Attack now!" But Lukas paled as they cringed instead. "What is going on?"
Karina began laughing, "You were quite impressive back there, you were able to do just like me and start ignoring the pain inflicted here. Such strong will. Too bad you are too late."
Lukas tightened his arm around her neck, trapping her laugh in her throat and demanded. "What have you done to them?"
"I did nothing, I just waited," Karina said in a hoarse voice, but her smile continued. "To endure this pain only drives mortals insane. Look at them. They are nothing more than broken dolls once their psyches were shattered. Our little fight has no point and no winners, until one side gives up. Unfortunately for you, I have already endured such a long existence that this suffering is nothing for me. As for you? I'll corrode your will until you all become empty puppets."
With that said, a dark energy surrounded her and Lukas.
Then the boy screamed.
So this is it. Lukas thought as his body was covered in fire, burning alive yet surviving the agonizing experience. It is indeed impossible. We can't do anything.
The fire had vanished, but Lukas couldn't move. He thought his skin would be coal by now but when he managed to look at his hand, it was perfect, so why did he still feel his entire body burn?
His vision was blurry; all he could see was Karina's tall figure hitting someone to keep them under her control. He closed his eyes as he fought against a tear forming in his eye, his hand clutching his chest as he felt his heart hurt, pounding weaker in his chest.
He didn't want to admit it. What about Coalt and Ayame? What about his sister in Tokyo? And his mother and other sisters in Italy? Was he abandoning them? Lukas opened his eyes again and looked around him, only to find his friends not moving. They were struggling to keep their minds together and they were failing. Lukas knew he had to fight, but he couldn't do this alone.
Probably the others were thinking something similar... hopefully.
They had to stay together, but Lukas didn't know how. What else could he do? He felt his heart pound even slower, as if it could give up out of disgust.
'You'll guarantee that no one's heart will falter.'
Aphrodite's words echoed in his mind and Lukas' eyes opened, glowing.
Karina was having too much fun listening to the girls squirm in fright as she approached them, especially when she had her eyes black. She was savoring her moment of victory when she noticed it.
She felt a sudden warm burst and turned around, her smile disappearing from her face when she saw, too late, that the boy was awakening. His body was glowing with a warm and golden light. He was standing looking at her; no, past her, to his friends.
"I've found Aphrodite's strength... Vigorous Heart!" He had his hands positioned in front of his chest, as if he was holding a glowing and pulsating orb. Everyone could feel the pulses and a comforting warmth covering their bodies. Their cold and broken souls gladly accepted the warm feeling; it was reassuring and comforting. It was like their own hearts had also been stopping. But now they were beating with all their might again, returning the energy and will that they had lost.
Karina could not see or feel the pulsating golden waves. She gritted her teeth when she saw all the kamika standing up one by one, and she knew she had to stop the boy before he could erase all her work. She pointed two fingers at him and shot a precise and deadly laser right between his hands, through his chest.
She grinned when she saw the boy close his eyes and bend down at the impact. However, he kept his hands still, with the orb pulsating continually and shortly after he straightened again as he looked at her. Karina gritted her teeth and shot multiple beams at him, one stronger than the other as they exploded right in his face, but the boy simply absorbed all of her attacks. His eyes kept glowing, concentrating through the afflictions and ignoring Karina's advances. He wouldn't lose his focus anymore; he would endure all of it until all of his friends could stand on their own.
Karina flew at him and tried to forcefully take the glowing orb between his hands, but it wouldn't move an inch.
"You cannot take my heart away from me," Lukas said in a strange, faraway voice. "You can beat me as much as you want, but your attacks are useless against the power of my heart."
"You brat." Karina jumped backward and raised both her hands, gathering power for a massive blast. "Then I'll vaporize you entirely!"
However, Karina wasn't able to release her attack, because a shower of arrows struck her arms and back. She turned around to face Luna, snarling in anger, but a silver slash passed through her, and then something slashed behind her knees, cutting them and making her fall.
She looked with hatred at the Artemis, Selene and Wolf demigods who stood in front of Lukas to protect him.
"Don't you forget about us!" Arika barked at her.
Luna placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled at him. "You did well. We'll be okay now. You can relax."
Lukas smiled at her words and closed his eyes. The warm glow around him faded and the golden orb in his hands disappeared. Now that he was able to return to himself, he realized his body was more broken than before, if that was even possible – but, at the same time, he felt satisfied. He had protected his friends, and now they could face their destiny.
"Nothing can stop us now. Karina, you won't win."