Chapter 53 – When the Tide Breaks
The air changed.
Not subtly—violently.
Naëlle felt it before she saw it. The pressure pushed against her water armor like a rising tide meeting a cliff. The ground beneath her skates cracked, veins of red energy crawling across the stone as Afre and Ravena released their true presence.
This time, there was no restraint.
Ravena's aura poured outward like ink dropped into water—dark purple, thick, suffocating. It wrapped around her body in slow spirals, feathers of shadow-ink drifting in the air like falling ash. Afre's power followed, heavier, sharper, crimson-red lines pulsing around his limbs like veins carved from blood itself.
Naëlle swallowed.
Her heart hammered in her chest.
Afre cracked his neck, eyes glowing faintly. "We're done wasting time."
Ravena stepped forward, lifting one arm in front of him without even looking back. "I'll handle her."
Afre paused, then smirked. "Try not to break her too fast."
Ravena's lips curled into something elegant and cruel as she looked at Naëlle. "Disciple of Legba," she said softly, voice smooth like silk dragged over a blade. "We're going to teach you a lesson."
Before Naëlle could respond—
Ravena vanished.
Not dashed.
Not leapt.
Vanished.
Naëlle's instincts screamed.
"Water Shield!"
She fired a compressed orb toward Peterson without turning, the bubble snapping into place around his body just as Ravena reappeared in front of her—already mid-strike.
The impact hit like a battering ram.
Naëlle was thrown backward, water skates grinding sparks across the ground as she barely kept her balance.
"Too slow," Ravena said, appearing again—this time at Naëlle's side.
Naëlle twisted, guns already forming in her hands.
"Water Bullets!"
The air filled with sharp, condensed rounds. The shots screamed forward in rapid succession, tearing grooves into stone and trees.
Ravena moved like smoke.
She weaved between the bullets, some grazing her shoulder, one tearing a line across her thigh. She didn't even flinch.
"Oh?" Ravena glanced down at the wound, then back up, smiling. "You can bite."
Naëlle gritted her teeth and kicked off hard.
"Water Skate—full speed!"
She shot backward, circling the battlefield in a wide arc, water skates leaving glowing trails behind her. As she moved, she raised her arms.
"Summon—Water Avatars!"
The ground rippled.
Three figures rose from surging water like crowned soldiers pulled from the sea itself.
The Guardian took position in front of Peterson's shield, massive water-shield locking into place.
The Lancer lowered its spear, stance sharp and disciplined.
The Crusher hefted its hammer, water muscles tightening.
Ravena laughed—soft, amused.
"How adorable."
She slammed her staff into the ground.
Dark-purple energy burst outward.
The Lancer charged.
Ravena flicked her wrist.
Shadow-ink erupted from the ground, wrapping around the spear mid-thrust and snapping it in half. The avatar staggered, form destabilizing.
The Crusher followed, hammer crashing down.
Ravena stepped into the swing instead of away from it. Her palm struck the hammer's head.
The impact detonated.
The Crusher avatar exploded into mist.
Naëlle's breath hitched.
"That hammer had enough force to shatter a gate…" she muttered.
Ravena turned her gaze back to her. "And yet here we are."
Naëlle didn't stop.
She raised both guns, water pressure spiking.
"Water Stream Shots!"
Twin lances of razor-thin water erupted forward, carving the battlefield apart. Trees split cleanly. The ground peeled open in long, screaming scars.
Ravena raised her staff.
A translucent, inky shield formed just in time.
The streams slammed into it, screaming as they sliced—but didn't break through.
The force pushed Ravena back several steps, boots digging trenches into stone.
Afre let out a low whistle. "You sure you got this?"
Ravena smirked without turning. "I said I'd solo her."
The shield dissolved.
Ravena moved.
This time, Naëlle couldn't track her.
A blow slammed into her ribs.
Her armor absorbed part of it—but not enough.
Naëlle gasped, air ripping from her lungs as she crashed into the ground.
Before she could rise, Ravena was on her.
Kick. Elbow. Palm strike.
Each blow landed with precision, disrupting water flow, cracking armor segments apart.
Naëlle rolled, barely forming a partial shield in time.
"Water Spear!"
The weapon formed in her hand as she thrust upward.
Ravena caught it.
Barehanded.
Dark ink wrapped around the spear, crawling up its length and into Naëlle's grip.
"You rely too much on momentum," Ravena whispered, yanking hard.
Naëlle was pulled forward—straight into a knee to the stomach.
She slammed into the ground again.
Her water armor flickered.
Energy drained fast.
"Get up," Ravena said calmly. "This lesson isn't finished."
Naëlle pushed herself to her knees, breathing ragged.
She glanced toward Peterson.
The bubble shield was still intact.
Good.
She forced herself up.
"I don't need to win," she said hoarsely. "I just need to protect him."
Ravena tilted her head. "A noble thought."
Then she appeared behind her.
A sharp blow struck the back of Naëlle's neck.
Everything spun.
She collapsed.
Her skates dissolved. Guns evaporated. Armor shattered into falling droplets.
She tried to move.
Her body didn't respond.
Her vision blurred—but she could still see.
Through the haze, she saw Afre walking calmly toward Peterson.
"No," she whispered.
Afre knelt beside the shield, placing one hand against it. Red energy pulsed.
The bubble cracked.
Afre smiled. "There you are."
He placed his palm against Peterson's chest.
The medallion reacted.
Light flared.
Naëlle's heart screamed.
She tried to speak—tried to move—but her body refused.
"Stop…" she whispered weakly.
Afre's power intensified, a slow pulling force forming.
Naëlle felt it even from here.
The medallion was being extracted.
Tears welled in her eyes.
She dragged her gaze toward Peterson's face—unconscious, unaware.
"I'm sorry…" her voice trembled. "Peterson… I'm sorry… I failed you…"
Her vision dimmed.
The last thing she saw was Ravena standing over her, expression unreadable.
Then—
Darkness took her.
End of Chapter 53