Far beyond the bustling sanctuaries and glowing cities of the heavens, three Zehirah marched toward a nearby village. Their laughter echoed like twisted horns in the wind—cruel, eager, ready to devour anything in their path.
The clouds swirled high above them, untouched by sunlight. The earth beneath their clawed feet cracked with every step. Then—
Without warning, four radiant swords of light shot down from the heavens.
They struck the ground in perfect formation—one at each corner—slamming into the earth around the demons with divine force. A low hum followed, rising in intensity as energy surged between the blades.
A purplish-white barrier shimmered into being, sealing the three Zehirah inside.
"What is this?!" one of them barked, slamming his clawed fist against the glowing wall. It didn't budge.
"This has to be the work of a Velari," another growled, baring his fangs. His eyes scanned the skies, his stance widening.
Then the heavens answered.
Thunder cracked above like the roar of the Creator Himself—and from the clouds descended a radiant figure.
Taliyah.
She hovered just above the ground, her long coat drifting in the windless air. A purplish galaxy-like aura cloaked her from head to toe, the stars within it swirling with divine fury. Her eyes glowed white-hot—calm, unreadable.
The Zehirah tensed.
One of them—too proud, too stupid—let out a snarl and charged straight at her.
Taliyah's eyes narrowed.
In a single breathless motion, she launched forward to meet him.
The two forces collided like twin comets, a shockwave rippling outward as dirt, energy, and light burst across the battlefield.
Miles away, Iris tore through the sky, wind screaming past her ears as she pushed herself faster than ever before. Her mother's power called to her like a beacon—an overwhelming, soul-deep presence that burned even from this distance.
Thunder rolled above her, but she didn't flinch.
Another light streaked beside her, golden and steady.
Gabriella.
She flew in calmly, effortlessly catching up to Iris. Her eyes were focused, calm—but her presence commanded attention.
"You're not stopping me, Gabriella!" Iris screamed, her voice sharp and wild with panic. "I will help my mother!"
"I'm not here to stop you, Iris," Gabriella replied, her tone even.
"Then why are you here?" Iris shot back, still flying at full speed.
"I want you to see Mrs. Taliyah in action," Gabriella said, her voice carrying a strange gentleness. "Maybe then you'll understand why she was trusted to do this alone. But—" she lifted one finger, firm but gentle, "you have to promise me you won't jump in unless I give you the okay. If not, I'll have to drag you back to Headquarters. Understand?"
"Fine," Iris grumbled reluctantly.
Still… she felt a little better knowing Gabriella was there. Just her presence steadied something in Iris's chest.
With Gabriella here, I don't have to worry about her dying, she thought. That gives me some comfort, but I gotta make sure she's okay.
"Okay, let's hurry up!" she said aloud.
They arrived just in time to see Taliyah surrounded by all three demons, each one towering and snarling like starved beasts. The dark landscape crackled with embers and shadows, a scorched field of blackened stone and burning mist. The barrier still shimmered faintly behind them, keeping the chaos contained in a cage of divine light.
"See! She needs us!" Iris shouted, stepping forward, her body tensing as she prepared to leap through the barrier.
"No, Iris. Relax for a second and breathe," Gabriella said calmly, placing a gentle hand on her arm.
Iris hesitated, her breathing sharp.
"Now watch your mom closely," Gabriella continued.
"But—" Iris began.
"Notice how she's not struggling. I know you've seen her move faster than that, right?"
"Well, yeah, but…" Iris murmured, her eyes locked on the battlefield.
"Trust me," Gabriella said softly, her gaze unwavering. "She's not even trying right now. So watch her… and see why she's in the 2nd seat."
Her voice held a quiet confidence that Iris couldn't ignore. Gabriella's eyes sparkled, not with worry—but with admiration.
Iris slowly turned back to the battle.
Taliyah stood at the heart of the storm, calm and centered, her coat drifting in the wind like a celestial banner. Around her, the demons snarled and shifted, encircling her like jackals, their claws dragging across the ground, ready to pounce.
The tension in the air snapped.
All three charged at once.
In an instant—Taliyah vanished.
A shimmer of light, and she was gone.
She reappeared behind the first demon, her hand raised and glowing with concentrated radiance.
"Nova Star," she whispered.
A small, multi-pointed star of divine light flared into existence and embedded itself in the demon's back.
BOOM.
A brilliant explosion followed—an eruption of holy light that hurled the creature across the battlefield. It slammed into the ground with enough force to leave a deep, scorched crater where it had once stood.
Before the smoke cleared, Taliyah was already in motion.
She spun sharply and drove her foot into the second demon's gut. The impact launched the monster like a cannonball, its massive body crashing through a jagged boulder. The stone shattered on impact, sending fragments raining across the field.
The third demon lunged, claws extended in a vicious arc.
But she was faster.
Another Nova Star spun from her hand, this one landing at its feet. It detonated with a radiant pulse, the explosion flinging the creature high into the air like a broken toy.
Taliyah appeared beneath it in the blink of an eye, both palms raised and pulsing with celestial power.
"Starlight Beam."
A colossal white beam erupted skyward from her hands, engulfing the demon midair. Its body didn't fall. It didn't scream. It simply disintegrated—reduced to glittering stardust.
She turned now to the second demon—the one she had kicked through the boulder. It was still struggling to rise.
She appeared before it, eyes aglow.
With a single stroke of her hand, she sliced through the air.
The attack phased cleanly through the demon's chest—silent, graceful, final.
A ripple of force followed, splitting the creature in half. It didn't even have time to cry out before its body faded into light and vanished.
Only one remained.
The first demon, battered and crawling to its feet, bellowed in rage. Crimson energy erupted from its core, and its corrupted mark pulsed violently with chaotic power.
"You damn Velari!" it roared. "Do you think Olyith the Great can be defeated so easily?!"
Taliyah tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable, her voice flat.
"Huh… I'm surprised you're still alive."
Olyith's aura detonated outward, a surge of demonic force rippling across the battlefield. The ground beneath him cracked and split, glowing red lines forming beneath his feet as the corrupted power surged upward like a volcano of hatred. He shot toward her like a missile, screaming in fury.
Back outside the barrier, Iris gasped, her hands clenching at her sides.
"Mom…"
Gabriella's voice remained calm, but her eyes gleamed—pride and awe quietly flickering in her gaze.
"Watch closely, Iris. This is what true power looks like."
As Olyith barreled toward her with reckless force, Taliyah exhaled softly. Her feet touched the ground, gentle as falling petals. She closed her eyes.
"Shinsei… Reika."
A blinding burst of divine light erupted from her body, the sheer force blasting Olyith backward through the air. The entire battlefield lit up—radiance poured in all directions as her Shinsei took form.
Golden armor wrapped her limbs in luminous layers, intricate and celestial. A glowing starburst crest formed behind her head like a divine halo, its rays pulsing with celestial rhythm. A massive Divine Sword materialized in her grasp, blazing with white-hot energy that bent the air around it.
Taliyah's eyes opened—now glowing brighter than the sun.
"She's unstoppable in this form," Gabriella said with a soft, almost reverent smile.
Iris stood speechless, her eyes wide.
"Her Shinsei… It's… incredible."
Olyith staggered midair, blinded and dazed. Where did she go?! he thought in a panic.
She answered his question by appearing directly in front of him—silent, sword mid-swing.
CRASH!
The blade slammed into him, hurling his body even higher into the sky.
Taliyah appeared above him, eyes blazing, blade already moving. Slash after slash rained down. Each strike exploded on impact, radiant bursts tearing through the heavens. The sky itself cracked under the weight of her fury—thunder trailing behind every divine blow.
Olyith was helpless. His body convulsed with every hit, torn apart piece by piece.
Then she stopped—floating high above, her sword raised toward the heavens.
"This ends now."
Behind her, the clouds parted, and from them formed a massive cross of light—glowing, holy, divine. Her sword absorbed the light in full, becoming a beacon of impossible brilliance.
"Heavenly Impact!"
She dove.
Like a meteor falling from the highest peak of the stars, she streaked toward Olyith—her blade cleaving space itself. The moment it struck, the world lit up. A cataclysm of light engulfed the demon, the battlefield, the sky.
BOOM.
The explosion rippled across the region, a towering blast of celestial radiance. And then… silence.
When the light faded, all that remained was a crater—its edges still glowing, the air still humming with divine aftershock. Gentle particles of light drifted down like snowflakes.
Gabriella smirked and nudged Iris gently.
"Well… aren't you going to check on her?"
Iris blinked, startled. Then quickly nodded, her body moving before she could think. She darted across the battlefield, the wind rushing around her.
"Mom!" she cried out.
At the center of the crater, Taliyah stood untouched.
Her Shinsei dissolved gently into stardust, floating away into the heavens. Her eyes turned toward Iris—soft, loving, and calm.
"Iris?! What's wrong?" Taliyah asked as she embraced her daughter tightly.
Iris buried her face into her mother's shoulder, her voice choked with relief.
"I was so worried about you… but that was amazing… You were amazing!"
"I'm okay, sweetie," Taliyah said gently, brushing a hand through Iris's hair. "You gotta have some more faith in your mother. And in Indra too. He's stronger than you think. Give him a chance."
Iris pulled back slightly, eyes blinking with surprise.
"How'd you know I was…"
Taliyah smiled softly, resting her hand on Iris's cheek.
"I know you very well, Iris. I know you're upset about Uriel—but you don't have to take it out on Indra."
"…Yes ma'am," Iris murmured, lowering her gaze.
Gabriella landed beside them with a casual grin, arms folded, her eyes twinkling.
"Well, I'm just glad you didn't blow the whole place up."
"Not this time," Taliyah said with a laugh, her expression relaxed now that the danger had passed.
"So… is everything okay here?" Gabriella asked, her voice returning to its usual calm rhythm.
"Pretty much. You seemed to be in a rush," Taliyah replied, glancing toward the sky Gabriella had come from.
"I have to get back to Indra. We were in the middle of a mission. Killian may be involved."
Taliyah's expression turned serious. "Oh, I see. Would you like me to come with you?"
"No, ma'am. You'll beat everyone too quickly. Where's the fun in that?" Gabriella said, grinning as she stepped back, ready to take off again.
She turned to Iris.
"Iris, what are you going to do? We're heading to Varis. You wanna come?"
Iris looked at her mother, then back to Gabriella.
"I think I'll stay with Mom. There's a lot I could learn from her."
"Okay then. So I'll see you later," Gabriella said, lifting into the air.
"Yup! Make sure you bring me back something, okay?" Iris called after her.
Gabriella gave a confident smirk mid-air.
"I'll bring you back the best of the best."
As she accelerated skyward, Iris cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted, "DON'T FORGET!"
Taliyah chuckled softly, resting a warm hand on Iris's shoulder as the wind settled once again around them.
"Don't worry. She'll be fine. Gabriella has the potential to be stronger than all of us."
"Really?" Iris asked, turning to her mother.
"Yes. That's why she's watching over Indra. One day she'll surpass me. And so will you. So have faith."
Iris smiled then—genuine and bright. For the first time in days, her heart felt lighter. The storm inside her had begun to calm.