Scene: The Day Hokori Strikes – Kimashi Descends on Airoma
The sky over Airoma turned from blue to gray. It wasn't the weather. It was the pressure — like the universe was holding its breath.
Inside the village, the team was scattered. Kazuya had left early, heading into the unknown to investigate a strange dark energy signature rising somewhere in the stars.
Marine, Isaka, Luci, and Megum remained, keeping the village under watch.
And then... the air cracked.
Not thunder.
A presence.
The barrier of Airoma shimmered, then split open like paper.
Kimashi, son of Hokori, walked in — tall, cloaked in corrupted flame armor, glowing red marks etched across his chest like war tattoos. His aura crushed birds mid-air. His eyes? Dead. Focused.
Marine (startled):
"Who... is that?!"
Isaka (sensors blaring):
"Unidentified Aether spike incoming — magnitude: extreme. Everyone stand back."
Kimashi (voice low, echoing):
"Marine Aetherius. You were supposed to be delivered to my father. Alive."
He raised one hand — a flame-shaped blade formed in his palm.
Isaka (stepping forward):
"You'll have to go through me."
---
Scene: Isaka vs Kimashi – Rage vs Programming
Isaka's shields flared with golden light. She launched herself at Kimashi with a sonic blast, striking his armor hard enough to create a shockwave.
But Kimashi didn't flinch.
He countered — slamming Isaka with a flaming elbow strike that sent her flying into a stone wall. Sparks burst from her joints.
Isaka (panting):
"He's... above Hokori's generals."
She launched again, dual-blades out now, spinning like lightning. She slashed across his chest, but her blade melted on impact with his Aether.
Kimashi (calmly):
"You're outdated."
Boom — he drove his knee into her stomach plate, then fired an energy pulse point-blank.
Isaka flew across the battlefield, her systems overloading.
---
Scene: Marine Cornered
Marine ran to Isaka, trying to lift her. Megum and Luci tried to interfere — but Kimashi held them back with a wave of cursed pressure.
The ground beneath Marine cracked. Kimashi walked slowly toward her, now holding a glowing dark Aether dagger.
Marine (trembling):
"I won't go with you…"
Kimashi:
"You were never meant to choose."
He raised the dagger—
---
Scene: The Angels Descend – Jasmine & Silvey
Suddenly— BOOM.
The clouds above Airoma split in two, ripped apart by divine energy.
Two blinding forms dropped from the heavens — wings like galaxies stretched behind them.
Jasmine, wild and fierce, flipped mid-air and cracked her golden whip down toward Kimashi.
Silvey, glowing silver-white, descended like a meteor with her Aether Spear drawn, divine light radiating from her like a shield of the gods.
The whip coiled around Kimashi's arm mid-strike, stopping him inches from Marine's face.
Jasmine (snarling):
"Back. Off. Demon brat."
Kimashi (growling):
"What are you…"
Silvey (landing gently in front of Marine):
"She is under divine protection now."
She extended her hand — a barrier formed around Marine and the collapsed Isaka.
Kimashi's expression, usually calm, flickered. He felt something. A threat.
He took one final glance, and then retreated into smoke, disappearing with a vortex of flame.
---
Scene: Aftermath — A Forgotten Name Remembered
Marine stood in silence, shielded by Silvey's glow.
Her heart was pounding — not just from fear, but from realization.
That voice… that light… that presence…
> "You will never fall... because she is with you."
Marine (softly):
"You… you're the one."
Silvey (nodding gently):
"I am. And I always have been."
Jasmine (grinning):
"She took you long enough to realize that."
Just then — the ground shook again.
A portal opened nearby — golden, steady.
Kazuya stepped through.
He was panting, blade half-drawn, sensing the left-over energy.
And when he looked up — he froze.
There she was.
Silvey.
She turned slowly.
Their eyes met.
Kazuya (in shock):
"Silvey…?"
She nodded.
A smile. A tear.
And a whisper carried in the wind—
> "Hello, love."
Scene: The War Table in Airoma – A Choice to Make
The skies above Airoma had calmed, but the weight of what had just happened still pressed on everyone's chest.
Inside the old council chamber of Airoma — now repurposed as a strategy hall — the group sat in silence. The only sounds were the soft humming of Isaka's damaged core as Megum worked quietly on her systems.
Marine sat at the far end of the long wooden table, arms wrapped around herself, eyes staring at the floor. Kazuya stood with arms crossed, deep in thought, while Silvey and Jasmine stood nearby — silent sentinels, their presence both divine and grounding.
No one spoke for a long time.
Then Jasmine broke the silence.
Jasmine:
"We can't ignore what happened today. Kimashi wasn't testing you. He came to take her. And next time, he won't be alone."
Kazuya (sternly):
"I should've been here."
Silvey (softly):
"No one knew he would strike so soon. Even angels cannot predict everything."
Kazuya didn't answer. He was staring at Marine, trying to read her expression. She still hadn't spoken a word since the attack.
Silvey turned to Kazuya.
Silvey:
"She's not safe here anymore."
That sentence echoed in the chamber like thunder. Marine looked up slowly.
Marine (quietly):
"You're saying I should leave?"
Jasmine (firmly):
"You need to. You've survived longer than any Aether Core before you — but now, every force in this universe knows you're alive. That changes everything."
Silvey (calm, measured):
"If she comes with us, she will be beyond Hokori's reach. The realm we dwell in… they can't follow us there. Not even Kai."
Kazuya clenched his fists.
Kazuya:
"And what happens if she goes with you? You train her? Hide her? For how long?"
Silvey:
"For as long as it takes. Until she becomes what she's meant to be."
Megum (finally speaking):
"And what exactly is she meant to be?"
Silvey looked at Marine. Her gaze was not just gentle — it was proud.
Silvey:
"She is the last living key. Aether was never just power. It was balance. Soul, emotion, memory. She was created… to restore what Hokori and others tried to consume."
Marine sat back slowly, processing it all. Her hands were shaking, but her voice was steady.
Marine:
"You mean… I was never meant to be just protected."
Silvey:
"You were meant to choose. And now, that choice is here."
Another pause.
Jasmine stepped forward. Her wings folded behind her back, voice uncharacteristically soft.
Jasmine:
"Come with us, Marine. We're not asking you to run away. We're asking you to rise — somewhere safe, somewhere your power can bloom without being hunted."
Isaka (still weak, but speaking):
"She's not ready."
Silvey:
"She's more ready than any of us were."
Kazuya turned away, walking to the window. Outside, the trees of Airoma gently swayed in the fading light.
Kazuya:
"She's just a child. No one should have to carry what she's carrying."
Silvey (from behind):
"Then teach her how to carry it. But don't stop her from becoming who she was born to be."
Kazuya closed his eyes.
Marine (quietly):
"If I go… will I ever come back?"
Jasmine (with a half-smile):
"Not as the girl who left."
Everyone turned to her.
Jasmine:
"You'll come back as something else."
Silvey:
"You'll return… when the world needs you to."
Scene: Departure from Airoma
The time had come.
Marine stood at the edge of Airoma, the winds howling through the cliffs as if whispering final goodbyes. Her bag was light, but her heart was heavy.
Silvey stood beside her, dressed in silver and white, her wings calm and radiant.
Jasmine, as always, stood a few paces behind, eyes alert, golden whip wrapped loosely at her side.
Marine turned around, seeing the others in the distance — Isaka, Megum, Luci, and Kazuya. Kazuya had said nothing when she made her choice. He only nodded. His eyes said the rest.
Silvey stepped forward and held Marine's hand.
Silvey (softly):
"This will not be easy. But you'll be safe with us… until the day you rise."
Marine (quietly):
"I'll come back. Stronger. For all of you."
Jasmine:
"Let's move. The veil won't stay open forever."
A portal shimmered ahead — golden and glowing, leading to the realm of the angels.
They stepped through.
---
Scene: Ambush in the Skies
The skies of the angelic path shimmered like crystal, suspended above space, unreachable by mortal beings. But tonight… it cracked.
As they crossed the bridge of light, a sudden darkness swirled at the edge of the realm.
Jasmine (eyes narrowing):
"…Something's wrong."
The air shifted — violently. The wind turned cold.
Then, from a fracture in the sky, Rogan emerged.
Towering. Monstrous. Armored in ancient steel etched with angelic sigils — all of them crossed out in black. His presence made the light around him flicker and die.
He was Hokori's eldest son. The angel killer. His sword had tasted the wings of a hundred guardians.
Rogan (grinning):
"Running so soon, little Aether Core?"
Marine gasped.
Jasmine (to Silvey):
"Get her out of here. I'll hold him."
Silvey:
"No. We do this together."
Rogan raised his greatsword and pointed it toward Marine.
Rogan:
"She belongs to my father. And your wings won't stop me."
Then it began.
---
Scene: The Fall of Angels
The battle was unlike anything Marine had ever seen.
Jasmine struck first, her golden whips cracking through the air like thunder. They wrapped around Rogan's blade, pulling it aside as she dashed in, blades spinning.
Silvey followed, radiant and precise, her spear jabbing with light so pure it blinded the skies.
But Rogan was built for war.
He slammed his greatsword into Jasmine's chest. She blocked — barely — and was hurled across the sky.
Silvey flew in low and sliced across his arm — a clean cut.
Rogan (growling):
"Good. I wanted it to hurt."
He roared, releasing a burst of corrupted energy that tore open the path. The golden road shattered. Marine screamed as she slipped, catching onto the edge of a broken platform.
Jasmine recovered, dragging herself up, wings damaged. She pulled Marine to safety just in time, before being tackled by Rogan.
Jasmine (yelling):
"Silvey—!"
But it was too late.
Silvey charged, spear glowing brighter than it ever had before. She drove it into Rogan's side — he howled, falling to one knee.
Then he smiled.
And struck.
Rogan's blade pierced Silvey's heart.
The light in her eyes flickered.
She looked at Marine one last time.
Silvey (whispering):
"You have to run…"
And then — she collapsed.
Marine screamed.
Jasmine let out a cry of pure rage, launching herself at Rogan, striking with everything she had. Whip, blade, fire — a fury so bright it lit the darkened sky.
But Rogan — wounded, burning, half-crazed — caught her mid-swing and slammed her down into the stone. Her wings snapped.
Rogan (grinning through blood):
"Two more angels for the pit."
He stood slowly, dragging his sword toward Marine, who was frozen in shock, her knees bleeding from the fall, her mother's pendant still clutched in her fist.
Marine (whispering):
"No… no more… please…"
Rogan raised his sword.
---
Scene: The Flame That Shouldn't Return
And then — a roar tore through the heavens.
The skies ignited.
From a swirling rift of burning flame, a figure stepped forward, cloaked in fire, eyes burning like the core of a dying star.
Black Kai.
Rogan (stunned):
"You…"
Kai didn't answer.
He landed between Marine and Rogan, slowly lowering his hand to the hilt of his blade — a dark blade wrapped in the souls of four Aether Cores.
Rogan laughed.
"Come to finish what my father started?"
Kai's expression didn't change.
Kai (coldly):
"I didn't come for you."
Rogan (grinning):
"Then step aside—"
Kai:
"But I'll kill you anyway."
They clashed.
The sound shattered the clouds.
Blade against blade. Power against fury.
Rogan was strong, brutal — but Kai was something else. Calculated. Controlled. Every strike he delivered hit like a falling star.
Rogan roared and swung wide — Kai vanished and appeared behind him, stabbing through his armor.
Rogan (choking):
"You protect her now…?"
Kai (quietly):
"No. I protect balance."
And with one final strike — Kai ignited his sword from the inside out.
Rogan screamed — consumed in white-hot fire — and was gone.
---
Scene: Aftermath
The battlefield was quiet.
The light had returned.
Marine sat still, tears frozen on her cheeks. The bodies of Silvey and Jasmine lay nearby, light slowly fading from their forms.
Kai turned to her, his expression unreadable.
Marine (through tears):
"Why…?"
Kai (without turning):
"Because I said it once… I don't kill without reason."
And then — like smoke — he vanished.
Leaving Marine surrounded by death… yet alive.