The unknown airship followed us beyond the northern wall.
It was then that I discovered that escape from Aetheria was not as simple as I thought. If anything, the battle outside the city was far more dire as the surrounding wastelands had nothing to offer in terms of shelter and cover.
Vexa was watching the radar.
"That thing shouldn’t be following us," she muttered.
I peered out the back window.
The silhouette of an enormous airship took shape beyond the glass.
It looked more like a floating fortress, as dark armor plating ran along the craft’s underbelly, its great metallic wings stretching endlessly from either side of the vessel.
"Do you know what it is?" I asked.
"No," she replied.
"That’s not reassuring."
"It isn’t meant to be."
Nyx sauntered to the rear observation window.
"Can we outrun it?"
Vexa merely shook her head.
"Not for long."
Cyra’s brows furrowed as her irises glowed faintly blue.
"It’s not following the ship," she said suddenly.
I turned to face her.
"What?"
"It’s following me."
The cockpit fell silent as I stared at her dumbfounded.
"Why would an unknown warship follow you?"
She gave no response, only staring at her hands, her fingers twitching slightly.
The Aether within her veins pulsed a deep blue before her skin turned pale.
"I think I know," she said quietly.
"You never told us everything," Vexa said.
Cyra looked up at her.
"I didn’t know everything myself."
The Iron Wraith rumbled as something else was fired from the pursuing vessel.
A shell streaked overhead before vanishing into the distance of the wastelands below.
"Testing the ranges, I suppose," Vexa muttered.
Nyx rushed to the weapons console.
"Can we fight it off?"
Vexa let out a bitter laugh. "We have a stolen ship and a single functioning cannon."
I glanced back at our vessel.
"One cannon?"
"Two," she corrected.
"That sounds better."
"The second one’s broken," Vexa added.
"Never mind then."
Another shell soared over the Iron Wraith, rolling the ship slightly.
I stumbled towards the console Cyra nearly fell over in the process.
As I steadied her, a strange sensation coursed through me.
It wasn’t a heartbeat but something much deeper.
Something far older. The System appeared before my eyes.
[Unknown energy detected.]
[Target analysis: Cyra Valt.]
[Aether Seal integrity: 61%.]
[Warning: Foreign Aether Core instability.]
My gaze snapped to Cyra’s face.
"Cyra."
She looked at me.
"What is it?"
"Your Aether core."
Her face drained of color.
"You can see it?"
"Apparently."
Nyx looked between us.
"What’s wrong with her?"
I didn’t immediately respond as the System continued its analysis.
[Core damage detected.]
[Core structure: 43% damaged.]
[Core function: Suppressed.]
[Possible overload: 18%.]
"What happens if it overloads?" I asked.
Cyra exhaled shakily. "I die."
Vexa gripped the wheel tightly.
"How long does it take to get there?"
"I don’t know," Cyra admitted.
The System flashed another warning on the console.
[External interference detected.]
I turned to the unknown warship.
"They’re interfering with it," Cyra stated.
"They’re using an Aether resonance weapon," I said.
The Iron Wraith trembled again as Cyra’s legs gave out beneath her.
I caught her as she collapsed into my arms, a burning sensation radiating from her body.
"Cyra! Are you hurt?!"
"Don’t touch the Core," she warned.
"I wasn’t planning to," I shot back. "You’ll only make it worse."
The System appeared before me once more.
[Emergency stabilization available.]
[Required: Direct System synchronization.]
The suggestion alone made my heart pound in my chest.
"System."
[Awaiting command.]
"Can I stabilize her?"Is it possible?"
[Possible.]
"How?"
[Establish contact with target’s Aether Core.]
[Risk: Severe.]
I looked at Cyra, then back at the radar.
The unknown ship was getting dangerously close.
"How severe?"
[Failure may result in permanent Core damage.]
Cyra looked at me.
"What are you thinking?"
I let out a humorless chuckle.
"Something stupid, apparently."
Nyx was the one to answer. "Obviously."
I pushed my palm against Cyra’s chest. She flinched at the sudden contact.
"Riven - "
"Trust me."
Her eyes widened in alarm as the System engulfed us both in light.
Suddenly, the cockpit was gone, replaced by a vast expanse of blue.
It reminded me of an ocean, though there was more to it, something deeper.
At the center of it all was a massive structure, the Aether Core.
It was beautiful, if not for the countless cracks running through its surface and the shadows that writhed hungrily at its edges.
Several chains of light barred the way to the Core, the Aether Seal binding Cyra’s power.
"What the hell is this place?"
Cyra appeared beside me, her features oddly ethereal.
Her silver hair flowed like water around her shoulders. "You entered my Core."
"I didn’t know I could do that."
"You shouldn’t be able to," she replied.
I looked at the broken Core. "What happened to it?"
"Nothing," Cyra said quietly.
"My family did this to me." She stepped forward, running her fingers along one of the glowing chains barring the way to her heart.
A vision overtook my senses, showing me a burning manor, the screams of people long gone, and a girl no older than ten standing amidst the chaos, her eyes burning with an eerie blue glow.
"You did this?" I asked when the vision receded.
Cyra looked away. "I was afraid.
" The memory faded away. "They said I was a monster." I turned my attention to the chains once more.
"They locked you away."
"They were afraid I’d destroy everything," Cyra said. She took a step closer. "I want to be free of this."
The System materialized before me.
[Target analysis complete.]
[Core Type: Aether Sovereign.]
[Classification: Forbidden.]
My eyes nearly popped out of my skull. "An Aether Sovereign?"
Cyra looked at me, surprise etched across her face. "You know what that is?"
"No," I replied.
"Neither do I."
The System continued its analysis.
[Potential evolution path detected.]
[Aether Sovereign → Aether Witch.]
[Required: Core Restoration.]
[Required: Seal Removal.]
[Warning: Unauthorized restoration may trigger catastrophic discharge.]
I looked at Cyra’s Aether Core, at the chains barring the way to her power.
Then, I looked at Cyra herself. "I can fix it."
She looked at me, surprised. "Can you?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Then let me."
She hesitated. "What if it hurts?"
"It already does," she replied.
Her brows furrowed. "I’ve hated living with this thing inside me for seven years."
She pressed her palm to my chest.
"If you can take it away, I want you to."
The System appeared once more.
[Beginning emergency stabilization.]
I placed my hand over the damaged Core. Instantly, pain lanced through me, making me gasp in shock.
The Core fought me, the cracks growing wider as tendrils of dark energy lashed out at my arm.
I nearly pulled away, only for Cyra to grip my hand tightly.
"Don’t let go!"
"I wasn’t planning to!"
The System worked its magic, mending the cracks one by one.
It was as if a part of my soul was being fixed.
One by one, the chains barring the way to Cyra’s power broke away.
[Core stability: 49%.]
[Core stability: 57%.]
[Core stability: 64%.]
Cyra cried out in pain as the entire space around us trembled.
"Stay with me!" I urged.
"I am!" She gritted her teeth through the anguish.
Finally, the last chain snapped away, sending a wave of blue light erupting from the Core.
I was sent sprawling as the world around us faded to darkness.
When the light finally dissipated, I found myself back in the cockpit with Cyra lying beside me.
The Iron Wraith was no longer shaking.
Vexa looked at us in bewilderment.
"What happened?"
I looked at Cyra, who slowly opened her eyes.
A familiar blue light surrounded her, though it no longer seemed to be consuming her.
The System appeared before my eyes.
[Emergency stabilization complete.]
[Aether Core damage reduced: 43% → 12%.]
[Aether Seal integrity: 61% → 8%.]
[Target potential increased.]
[New evolution path unlocked: Aether Witch.]
I stared at the last message before looking at Cyra.
Her irises were a solid shade of blue as she sat up, smiling faintly.
"I can feel everything."
Suddenly, the ship lurched violently as the unknown warship drew close.
Vexa frowned at the radar.
"They’re almost on top of us."
Nyx raised her weapon. "Guess we’re fighting them off."
Cyra stood and faced the approaching vessel.
"No," she said simply.
"I’ll fight them." I stared at her in shock.
The timid girl who had haunted those halls with nothing but fear had gone - vanished with the chains barring the way to her power.
In her place, something else stood, something far greater.
A monster long caged, now set free.
The System appeared one final time.
[Target Evolution: 8% Complete.]
[Further evolution requires Core restoration.]
I smiled as the battle was far from over.
However, for the first time, I wondered who would be the most feared when the dust had settled.
Because the woman who had been called a monster by everyone but herself was finally becoming one.