My third death came as I had expected it. It was painful and brutal enough to give me nightmares for the next three years or more.

  I open my eyes and roll off my back. There is a small bright flame in the center of the cave to keep us warm as we rest, as tomorrow is the day we finally make it to the Spire. Nico is asleep in the corner. He hasn't moved for hours as he's the one who attempts hunting in hopes that the system awards him with magic items. Seeing his decapitated head alone did not bring me the joy I expected.

  I stand up, stretch a little, and walk to the cave's entrance. I stare at the Dark Spire ahead while rubbing my chest as though my mind can tell that what's happening is all kinds of wrong. It knows that in a few hours, we’ll die there because we’re not prepared enough.

  ‘I will have to kill Sasha immediately because avoiding her is nearly impossible. Her ability has to deal with strength and durability, including the air bullets. We have to destroy the rig first, then deal with everything else later.’

  I use the Whispers of Agony and call Tessia from wherever she's hiding. At a glance, she can tell that something has changed about me. She made an odd expression. But before she asks, I beat her to it with a difficult question. “How do we beat Nexus Being as Dormant humans?”

  “You can’t. While you rely on holding your breath to channel energy, a Nexus Being doesn’t always need to hold their breath. On top of that, Nexus Beings have abilities that you don’t have.”

  "I already know that. What I want to know is if there is a slim chance that we can beat a Nexus Being.”

  There are various ways to beat someone who is much superior to you. Nico and I had thought through those various ways before stepping into the Dragon Spire territory. What makes this time even better is that I know details about her armory, powers, and wear the doorway is located.

  We don’t need her. This time.

  After a brief silence of just a minute, Tessia speaks to me again, her eyes beaming. “There is a slim chance. Nexus Beings have a cool-down whenever they use their abilities. A cool down of exactly 3.5 seconds...I think.”

  She snaps her ghostly fingers and laughs lightly. “I can’t believe I forgot that.”

  Later, I explain to Nico when we’re discussing how to face an enemy that has already become a Nexus Being.

  He stares at me, bewildered by this important bit of information. “How did you figure it out?” his eyes are glinting in the cave’s light.

  “I read it somewhere,” I reply, my lips curved into a smirk. To many, 3.5 seconds is too little. But to us, these seconds decide whether we live or die. To kill Sasha, we needed to act fast and get rid of the gravity rig on her suit first, and rob her of her ability to fly. Once that happens, I will distract her while Nico attacks as soon as she begins to cool down after I lead her into using her ability.

  It was a solid plan. And with my knowledge of the future, it seemed unstoppable.

  The next day, we made it to the Dragon Spire. Everything happens just as it did. And once again, Sasha’s explosive entrance is what alerts us.

  As soon as she gets close to us, I don't grant her the opportunity to speak.

  “Now!” I bellow.

  With that, Nico uses his gauntlet to create green poison tentacles that grab her by the armor and forcefully pull her down. I'm betting on Nico's poison to weaken her enough for someone like him to handle.

  “What the…" Sasha ace twists to a confused one. The poison tentacles corrode her suit, and her eyes start to turn bloodshot as the poison becomes airborne at the same time.

  Nico then yelps and plummets her into the rocky terrain.

  Good. I don’t waste a heartbeat or a breath to begin my counter strike. My Ether bursts, and I summon an avatar and charge into the dust cloud, which is giving us a small advantage by messing with her spatial awareness. And since everything has happened so fast, she must be trying to put the pieces together.

  'Die.'

  I’m just about to destroy the rig casing with Horus Agony when she lets out a roar that banishes the dust with a blast of wind that sends both me and my avatar flying through multiple rocks.

  "I've had enough of this." Her ether explodes. It shatters the poisonous tentacles, freeing her from Nico's poison binds. She then starts to float off the ground. Her face cold as death. “Traitors of Ashmeal. Oh, how it hurts me to punish his children in such a brutal way.”

  As the closest to her, Sasha doesn't take long to notice me. She grits her teeth and flies toward me with her fist ready to smash my head into a mushy mess.

  I dodge her punch and kick her right under the ribs. She moves back by a few steps. I am not done yet. I command the avatar, and it moves with a spear and thrusts with all the strength it could muster from me.

  Sasha stops it with her arm. “You got some items, interesting.” Her eyes move to the necklace laced around my neck. They shine with ancient malice as they travel to my face. “Did Adam give it to you?”

  She doesn't wait for my response to attack my avatar. Her speed is incredible as she brutally destroys it with her plasma sword.

  [Your Avatar has been…]

  Once again, I freeze when our eyes meet. The whispers from my sword disappear, and the world grows silent. Is this what staring at death feels like?

  I don’t know what to do now. Even after learning what she can do. We still can’t win this.

  Just then, as the rest of my world turned silent, Nico appeared and blocked a descending plasma sword with his own.

  “What the hell are you doing, Astrid?” he yells. “This is not the time for some deep thinking.”

  Hearing that, I blink back to my senses. The noise returns, and I regain control of my body. Her terrifying gaze had made me hopeless for a second. I inhale a great deal of air, it's dry and filled with dust particles. The ether storms up in me, granting me access to the strength I’m desperate for. I channel about 30% into Horus’s Agony and move.

  I appear behind Sasha, who is still mixed up in a fight with Nico. My blade whispers, and a torquise blue light takes over the blade’s sharper edge. With the energy merged, I swing, and a wave of energy shoots out of the weapon and hits the back of her suit. I see sparks. That confirms that my attack has had an effect.

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  Combat has never been my area. If I’m to gauge myself, my skills are slightly above average. Everyone here is more skilled than me. While they battle on the same ground, I struggle to keep up. For that main reason, I needed to learn Star Ether and how to control it. Seeing it work now only exhilarated me. If only I could make it bigger.

  Nico and Sasha immediately split after he parries her plasma sword once again. He’s holding up against her better than I expected.

  “Hahahahahaha! I see now,” she laughs. “You both had this planned, didn’t you?” Her tone was both ethereal and powerful.

  “During the first expedition, Ashmeal led the great humans in the mighty Ark. He said, “Even in the darkness of space, the souls of man shall light the path”. You two remind me of those words.”

  “What the hell happened to you, Sasha?”

  “Nothing. The truth simply enlightened me. The Constellations were born in the Veil. And from that Veil, reality was born. Ashmeal’s truth is what protects humanity in the stars. Can't you see it? He is the one true god of humanity. In fact, if you kneelt down now and prayed for forgiveness. I might hear his voice and forgive you. By granting you quick and painless deaths, of course."

  She says all of this while smiling as though she has been touched by a greater being. She's far from saving.

  Her eyes glisten with Ether. “I may not be able to fly anymore, but I am a blessed of Ashmeal. I will end all of you here. The hand of death can be guided by men. And I will guide death's hand today.”

  This is it. I brace myself. If there was ever a time for her ability, this is it.

  [The ability Song of the Wing has been activated]

  I shiver. ‘This is her power?’

  “My soul belongs to a fallen wind god. His soul has blessed me with this power. Ashmeal’s hand led me to a creature that just happened to be a corrupted god. This is a blessing.”

  With her words, the wind around us howls to life. It grows stronger, far beyond any normal gust or gale. The ground trembles beneath my feet. The dark clouds above twist apart, revealing a sulphur colored sky.

  The feeling of death grows like wildfire. This part of the realm might be even more deadlier than I had anticipated.

  I hold my breath, but the usual rush of Ether doesn't come. Instead, a strange heaviness settles over me. I cough up blood, gasping as the air in my lungs escapes. The world begins to blur.

  Nico doesn't hesitate. He blitzes past me, throwing himself into a violent clash with Sasha. Her plasma blade flares, and sparks scatter when their swords meet. His weapon is old-fashioned, its surface corroded and crackling with energy from his gauntlet.

  The wind halts for a heartbeat as the battle intensifies. Nico moves fast. Fast enough to keep up with a Nexus Being. To me, they vanish and reappear in blinding flashes. It’s proof that my eyes can’t follow them. Proof that this fight is beyond me. I need to find cover.

  'It’s hard to believe that a dormant human can keep up with her.'

  That’s when it hits me. I haven’t exhausted my abilities, haven’t pushed my technique. If I had refined my swordsmanship, maybe I could’ve helped. I know Nico can’t win this, but if he can just drain her ability…

  She activates it again, and a roaring gust tears them apart.

  Nico lands perfectly, immediately launching himself at her. Sasha grits her teeth and parries his blade like it’s nothing. Her footwork is sharp, flawless. She slides her plasma sword against his, aiming for his fingers. The strike glances off his gauntlet, and a violent shockwave throws them both back.

  Of the two, only Sasha still smiles. Her dark, alluring eyes lock onto him, void of emotion.

  Nico glances at me once, gives a small nod, then releases his Ether. The sparks fade from his body as he drops to one knee, using his sword to stay upright. That was all he could do. It was enough to buy us the time we needed.

  The countdown starts in my head.

  ….One.

  Fear dissolves. I draw in a deep breath, and Ether bursts from me like an explosion. The rock beneath my feet cracks as the energy surges through my legs. I charge at Sasha with everything I have.

  Her smile vanishes. She raises her sword in a flash. Our blades collide, my Ether meeting the heat of her plasma blade

  …Two.

  We break apart, and a shockwave ripples through the air. My arm goes numb after just one strike, yet I lunge again. I thrust; she parries effortlessly.

  “You’re slow,” she whispers as our eyes meet. I see myself reflected in them—the desperation in my stance against her calm, untouchable composure. The gap between us is crushing.

  She laughs softly, then drives her fist into my face, slamming straight into my nose.

  Blood pours as the bones around my nose crack under her strength. I’m thrown into a rock, and the world twists into a blur. The pain defies description. It's raw, consuming, and almost unreal. Even with Ether coursing through me, her punch makes me feel like I have no power at all.

  I stagger, coughing violently. My throat burns, dry and tight. Breathing becomes a struggle. It feels like I’m clinging to life by a single thread.

  She stands still, watching me. “Adam calls you his greatest creation,” she says, her voice sharp enough to cut through the ringing in my ears. “And yet, I see no greatness in those red eyes of yours.”

  “And you think I see any in yours?” I spit blood, the metallic taste coating my tongue. “How dare you turn against your own siblings, you delusional bitch.”

  I glance at the spire once before shifting my gaze back to her. After facing her twice, I’ve learned a few things—the obvious ones: she’s faster, stronger… but beneath that strength, there’s something else.

  She envies me.

  Can I use that against her?

  ‘I guess we’ll have to find out.’

  I raise my sword one more time and straighten my beaten body. It obviously groans in defiance, but I am its master. If I am going to die. Why not go out and see what happens?

  Sasha clicks her tongue. “Siblings is a word used for family members. Although you and I are children of Ashmael, you are contaminated. Therefore, a displeasure to our lord. I can not call you one of us. The ones who were cleansed and chosen.”

  “If you are so special, then why are you giving me that look?” I argue. It takes me less than a second to will ether into Horus’s Agony. The reddish blade clackles with so much star ether that its surface cracks.

  “Is there anything wrong with despising your face?” Sasha suddenly broke character. She now looks at me with disdain. “How does it feel to be born special? To be unique among unique humans? While he treated us like experiments, he treated you like his child!”

  I sigh. Three seconds have elapsed. I might as well just see what it looks like to use my pool in one battle.

  “As I said, you’re a delusional bitch.”

  [The ability Song of the Wind has been activated]

  I charge when I receive that message. The adrenaline in my body numbs out the burning sensation of focusing all my energy.

  I’m only a moment away when the wind shifts. It's subtle at first–a faint brush against my cheek—but then it grows sharper, like invisible blades testing the edges of my skin. Sasha doesn’t even bother to move. She stands calm, almost bored, her hair fluttering. She’s staring at me with a look I’ve already seen her wearing before. It’s the gaze of someone who knows they’ve won.

  I tighten my grip on Horus’s Agony. It feels heavy, useless even. But I swing it and it splits through the attacking wind, buying me some time in the process.

  Sasha doesn’t move. She just smugs and raises one hand.

  The air screams.

  I drop low just in time, the blast carving through the space where my head was a second ago. It tears into the rocks behind me. My ears ring. I run straight toward her. If I can get close, if I can just get close….

  Another gust slams into me from the side. My feet leave the ground. I hit the dirt hard, roll, cough blood, and force myself up again. My lungs feel like they’re collapsing.

  “Stay down,” she says, voice carried perfectly through the roaring wind.

  I give one more look at Nico. He’s on the ground, knocked out cold. This means that I’m on my own for the rest of the fight.

  [The Empress of Twilight says you are not strong enough]

  ‘Shut up.’ I spit blood and charge again. My body screams in protest, but I push harder. I get close enough to unleash the sword energy in one swing. It rips through the air, but Sasha doesn’t even flinch. She parries my energy with what looks like a simple swing that diverts it elsewhere.

  This is where all my hope should’ve died. But it doesn’t. I just scream and leap forward and swing my sword wildly. For a moment, I catch her off guard, forcing her to block with her sword with hers. The air between us thickens once more, turning solid, crushing my chest mid swing. My ribs crack. My feet leave the ground again. This time, I stay in the air. I know what is next, and I hope she makes it quick.

  She dismisses her sword and laughs. “I admire your spirit, Astrid.”

  The pressure increases. My bones creak. Blood seeps from my nose, my mouth, my eyes. I try to scream, but the air won’t let me. Everything turns white at the edges. The wind roars louder, drowning out my heartbeat until there is nothing left but silence.

  I hit the ground. The last thing I hear is her laughter and something about how unworthy I was of something. After that, I feel nothing.

  [You have died]