A sudden thunderclap split the heavens.
Khalid's head snapped upward.
The clouds above churned violently as golden light tore through the night sky.
Then something moved.
Fast.
Far too fast.
A sharp pain suddenly burned across his cheek.
Khalid stumbled back.
Blood trickled down his face.
His eyes widened.
He hadn't even seen the attack.
The smile he wore moments ago slowly disappeared.
A massive shadow descended from the sky.
Golden wings stretched across the darkness, blotting out the moon itself.
Aurelios landed between them.
The impact shattered the earth.
Cracks raced across the rocky ground as dust and debris erupted outward.
Atop the ancient familiar stood Aria.
Silver hair danced wildly in the wind.
Her nightgown fluttered around her bloodstained figure.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Khalid slowly wiped the blood from his cheek and looked at the crimson stain on his fingers.
Then he laughed.
"Quite an entrance, Princess."
His voice remained playful, but his eyes had become cautious.
This was not the Aria he remembered. Not the girl who hesitated. Not the girl who forgave.
Aria stepped forward.
The ground beneath her feet cracked.
"Maybe."
Her voice was calm. Dangerously calm.
"It'll also be the last thing you ever see."
The smile vanished from Khalid's face completely.
For a split second, something ancient stirred behind his eyes.
The air grew heavier.
Black energy slowly seeped from beneath his feet while golden flames gathered around Aurelios.
Two powers. Two monsters.
Standing opposite each other.
The mountains trembled.
The sky darkened.
Even nature seemed to recognise that something catastrophic was about to happen.
"Don't tell me you're upset because you lost your little boy toy."
Khalid's laughter echoed across the mountain.
The words had barely left his mouth before the world exploded.
Golden light erupted around Aria.
The cliff beneath her feet shattered.
Aurelios roared.
Thousands of golden feathers burst into the air like fragments of sunlight.
Khalid's smile disappeared.
For the first time, he sensed danger.
Real danger.
Aria raised her hand.
A golden arrow materialised from pure aura.
The surrounding air warped from the amount of power gathering into a single point.
Then she released it.
The arrow vanished.
The mountain behind Khalid exploded.
A deafening boom shook the heavens.
Khalid twisted at the last second.
The arrow tore through his shoulder instead of his heart.
Blood erupted across the rocks.
A second later the entire cliff face behind him collapsed.
Boulders the size of houses rolled down the mountain.
"Oops."
Khalid looked at the wound.
"That actually hurt."
Darkness immediately flooded the battlefield.
The shadows beneath Aria stretched unnaturally.
Black hands erupted from the earth.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Skeletal fingers clawed at her legs and arms.
The mountain itself seemed alive.
Every shadow became a weapon.
The dead reaching for the living.
Aria didn't move.
Golden flames ignited around her body.
The black hands screamed.
One by one they melted into ash.
The ground beneath her exploded outward.
The shockwave alone erased half the mountain slope.
"You always attack from behind."
"Unfortunately..."
Golden light flooded her eyes.
"...that doesn't work on me."
She disappeared.
Khalid's instincts screamed.
Too late.
Aria appeared directly in front of him.
Her fist connected with his stomach.
The impact bent his body.
The air burst from his lungs.
A crater hundreds of feet wide formed beneath them.
Then she hit him again.
And again.
And AGAIN.
Each strike sounded like thunder.
Each strike shattered more of the mountain.
Khalid was thrown through three separate cliffs before finally stopping.
Blood covered his face. His ribs cracked. His vision blurred. Yet he smiled.
The darkness behind him moved. The shadow of Beliel.
A giant hand emerged from the void. Larger than a castle.
It descended upon Aria. Aurelios spread his wings to shield her.
The black hand struck.
Everything within hundreds of meters was reduced to dust.
For several seconds nothing could be seen.
Then golden light pierced through the darkness.
Aurelios emerged.
Untouched.
The golden familiar looked more like a sun than a living creature.
The shadows around him hissed.
Retreating. Afraid.
For the first time, Beliel felt threatened.
By the time he sensed her presence again—
Her hand was already around his throat.
His body slammed into the cliffside.
The impact sent cracks racing through the stone.
Aria tightened her grip.
"Did you call him a boy toy?"
Her voice was terrifyingly calm. Khalid clawed at her wrist. His breathing became ragged.
His vision blurred. The pressure on his throat increased.
Then suddenly— Something changed.
The darkness vanished. The arrogance disappeared.
And the person looking back at her seemed entirely different.
"A-Aria..." His voice cracked.
Weak. Confused. Human.
"Please..."
He coughed violently.
Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"It wasn't me."
Aria froze. For the briefest moment, she wasn't looking at a monster.
She was looking at Khalid. The real Khalid.
The hesitation lasted less than a second.
But it was enough.
Pain exploded through her chest. Aria gasped.
A black blade had pierced through her body.
Straight through her heart.
She staggered backward.
Blood filled her mouth.
The darkness behind Khalid twisted violently.
Like a living creature. Like something trying to claw its way free.
Realisation struck her immediately.
Beliel.
The demon had never truly been Khalid.
It had only been wearing him.
Using him. Manipulating him.
Golden light exploded around her.
A second arrow appeared in her hand.
Without hesitation, she drove it into Khalid's chest.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Every strike filled the night with golden light.
Every strike shook the mountain.
"Do you feel it?!" Aria shouted.
Her voice broke. "Even a little?!"
The grief. The loss. The pain. The loneliness.
All of it poured out with each blow.
The black mist continued fleeing into the darkness.
And for the first time—
Aria understood.
She wasn't killing the true enemy.
She was killing what remained of Khalid.
The prince's eyes slowly found hers.
The hatred was gone. The arrogance was gone. Only exhaustion remained.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I'm sorry..."
The words were barely a whisper.
A final breath. A final regret.
Then the light faded from his eyes.
And Khalid was gone.
The mountain became silent.
Aria stared at him.
The golden arrow slipped from her fingers.
Something was terribly wrong.
And whatever had truly destroyed her life—
Had just escaped.