Scene: Reaper Twins' Last Stand (Gara's Death)
(The team is ready to leave the sanctuary. The Reaper Twins and Soulhunters ambush them once again.)
Battle begins.
Gara uses her Light Magic to shield Marine while others fight.
Reaper 1 throws a dark spear towards Marine.
Gara sees it and yells—
> "Marine!! MOVE!!!"
She pushes Marine out of the way and takes the spear through her own chest.
Gara (blood dripping): "You're not... allowed to die before me, idiot."
Marine screams in rage, her powers flaring out of control. The ground shatters, air warps, and time slows.
She looks into Gara's eyes one last time as Gara smiles faintly—
> "You're going to change everything… my star."
Gara dies. Her body turns into a glowing butterfly and fades.
Marine (screaming): "ENOUGHHH!!!"
She unleashes a lightstorm of Aether Flame, wiping out the Soulhunters and heavily wounding the Reaper Twins.
The group has finally left Airoma, Marine's hidden forest village, and now they've entered the floating city of Aeravell — a place that hides in the skies, powered by ancient wind spells and cloaked in ever-shifting clouds.
Megum (checking his scanner):
"Energy levels are stable… looks like we're safe for now."
Isaka (narrowing her eyes, scanning the air):
"No. We're being followed."
Marine (startled):
"What? Who would follow us here?"
Isaka:
"I can't see them, but I can feel them. Their Aether signature is faint… but familiar."
---
Scene: The Watcher in the Fog
High above, on a misty rooftop, a shadowed figure watches silently. His cloak doesn't move in the wind. His presence emits a cold flame.
The Shadow (muttering to himself):
"She walks among them… still unaware of what she holds. Perfect."
He vanishes into the fog.
---
Scene: Isaka's Memory Flicker
Back at the inn, as Marine sleeps restlessly, Isaka stands by the window, scanning the quiet city.
Isaka (to herself):
"This energy… it feels like him…"
A sudden jolt—an old memory crashes into her mind: a towering man wrapped in chains, eyes burning red, speaking in a voice that shakes the sky.
> "I will take everything. Even her."
Isaka clutches her chest, blinking away the vision.
---
Scene: Planning the Next Move
Morning comes. The team gathers at the inn's hall.
Luci (frustrated):
"So what now? We just keep running city to city?"
Kazuya (serious):
"We're not running. We're redirecting them — leading the enemy away from Solunaris. If they find the sanctuary now… we lose everything."
Marine (softly):
"But… are we really safe here?"
Isaka (gently):
"No. But you're not alone anymore."
They step onto an old magical rail-car, now heading to the next key location: the Ruins of Elun'Thar, a forgotten place said to echo the voices of the Aether Tree.
---
Scene: The Sky Watches
As the rail-car moves forward, a strange silence settles across the clouds. High above, for just one second, a giant crimson eye opens in the sky… watching.
> Unknown Voice (Black Kai):
"Soon."
The eye vanishes.