"A big white whirlpool swirling like milky cream... it was so deadly, you know? I almost lost my life just reaching that place, as if the world itself wanted to swallow whole..." Nightfire clenched her fist tightly, her face carved with effort and old terror as she tried to convey the mory.
Her words caught the attention of everyone sitting on the bed. All eyes—especially Thalia’s—were on her, silent and anxious.
"The waves of air slamd into again and again, like invisible hands trying to hurl away, but I... I refused to give in. I’ve never been one to back down, not when it matters most!" Nightfire’s voice shook with defiance.
"I pushed through with every ounce of strength I had left. Each step towards the whirlpool felt like fighting through a storm. The wind scread, the air pressed so hard against , my hair whipped back, my hands were trembling so badly I could barely feel them... arrh!" She threw her hand forward, clenching her fist tighter as if she could seize her struggle from the air and show it to them.
Her whole body trembled with the mory of that impossible walk!!
Everyone in the room gulped, unable to look away. They sat forward, perched at the very edge of the mattress, hands gripping blankets as they tried to picture her battle.
No one would have believed it: Nightfire, the girl everyone thought was sneaky, soft, a little bit of a crybaby.... she had done this, fought through hell and lived to tell it.
"Did you... actually reach it?" Thalia swallowed, throat dry, eyes wide with worry and awe.
Nightfire, her fist still raised, body still shuddering, nodded slowly.
"I got close enough to touch it—to feel the secrets swirling in the heart of that maelstrom! I saw what they were hiding, what they were so desperate to protect... I was only a few inches away. My throat closed with terror, my legs felt like ice, but I wouldn’t let myself fall short, not when my beloved was waiting for . So I forced myself onward... forced myself to move... but then—" She stopped, breath hitching, and turned away, her face losing all colour as if a ghost had brushed past her.
"A-And there she was... the Queen of Succubus herself, eyes burning straight through . The mont our gazes t, every inch of my skin crawled with horror.
That was it—the single fucking mont I realised it: this was do or die!
No turning back, no one to save but myself!" Nightfire drew a sharp breath and spun to face her audience.
"I had no other choice... No! other damn choice but to fight her, to claw my way out if I wanted to live. She was furious, raging, that I—a lowly half-succubus—had made it all the way into her sacred sanctuary.
Ha! She was fucking livid, and there was only one answer: we fought. We fought with everything. We tore at each other until the do reeked of blood." Nightfire’s chest rose and fell with the mory. Her hands balled into fists, knuckles white, sweat beading at her brow as she relived each desperate second.
"She was strong! A real monster, a fucking powerhouse... but I’m not weak, am I? I’m not the girl I used to be!"
"That’s it, my girl!!" Thalia shouted, fire blazing in her eyes, nodding hard.
Nightfire’s lips curled into a wild grin. "I kicked her ass, I smashed her face, I FUCKING BROKE HER TOOTH!" She thrust her fist into the air, trembling with pride.
Nightfire had guts... and a power they’d never imagined.
They were all proud of her, truly, for fighting not just for herself but for their husband.
So proud!!
Even Selene glanced her way with sothing like respect in her eyes, acknowledging Nightfire’s presence at last.
Then, Emberlyn leaned in, "Then how co you got caught? What happened after all that?"
Nightfire flinched at the question, coughing, "Well, even as strong as I am... do you really think I could fight off two monsters at once?"
Thalia’s eyes widened, voice shaking, "Y-You an... You fought Mary, too?"
Nightfire nodded, her expression grave but full of battered pride.
The whole room seed to stop breathing, shocked silent, as Nightfire lifted her chin and tapped her nose with a smirk.
"Yeah. To tell the truth, I defeated Morgana. Her blood was on my hands. She lay sprawled at my feet, the mighty queen finally brought down. I looked at her, laughed... I couldn’t help it! Haha.
Seeing soone so untouchable fall... I laughed, and right there, I made my mistake. Mary, that wicked, treacherous bitch, snuck up behind and struck. She knocked the wind out of , right here—arrrh!" Nightfire gripped her stomach, her whole body doubling over with the phantom ache, as if she could still feel the blow echoing through her.
Thalia’s face turned grim, "Damn, that must have hurt a lot. You really took the worst of it, Nightfire."
Nightfire’s eyes trembled, shimring with the threat of tears as she nodded slowly.
"Yeah... It damn sure did,"
She whispered, forcing a smile that was all pain as she tried not to break down in front of them. Still, she managed a shaky breath, "But... I tried. I tried to defend myself, but she was too strong, and I—"
"You’d already burned through all your energy, hadn’t you?" Emberlyn cut in softly with a knowing expression.
Nightfire nodded again, her disappointnt and exhaustion etched deep in every line of her face. "If only I’d had enough power... If only I could’ve held on a little longer... tsk, tsk." As her eyes welled up, tears threatening to spill.
"I would have escaped. I could have gotten out, and... Aether wouldn’t have had to sacrifice the mountains for ... sniff, sniff... It’s all my fault. I... I—"
Everyone’s faces softened instantly. One by one, they gathered around Nightfire, forming a silent circle of comfort. They reached out, hands gentle, resting on her trembling shoulders, surrounding her with warmth and reassurance.
"You did everything you could for M—ahem our husband," Selene murmured, her voice gentle and motherly as she pulled Nightfire into a heartfelt embrace.
"You really have the strength of a fighter, you know that? I’m so proud of you," Thalia said, her own tears glittering as she patted Nightfire’s shoulder with fierce affection.
"Hmm... Hmm..." Raven humd quietly, her hand resting firmly on Nightfire’s back.
"Your willpower will always guide you, dear. You’ve proven your heart is stronger than any storm," Emberlyn said softly, pulling Nightfire into a gentle hug.
With every word and every touch, Nightfire’s tears welled up again—this ti, not from sorrow, but from the overwhelming comfort and love... and little guilt?
Well, put that thing aside!
"I-I... I don’t know what I’d do without you all. I’m so grateful to have you as my family,"
The warmth in the room grew; everyone’s faces even softer and more loving.
Just then,
Thud!
Victor stepped into the room, the door swinging wide behind him. He froze at the sight before him—everyone crowded around Nightfire, eyes watery, the air thick with emotion.
What’s going on here?
Thalia turned to Victor, her pride shining through her tears. "She really deserves a reward, you know! You better not make her sad—not after what she’s been through."
"Yeah, she almost gave her life for you..." Everyone chid in!
’What the heck is going on here?’ Victor wondered, utterly baffled. He’d only left to deliver the mountains to Mary and ca back to this whirlwind of emotion.
Maybe Nightfire had finally told them everything about what happened there.
Victor’s expression softened, sorrow mixing with guilt. "Well, it’s my fault for leaving her there... for letting her get kic—"
"ARHHHHH!!!" Nightfire suddenly shrieked.
Everyone jumped in surprise as she hurriedly waved her hands, flustered. "W-Why don’t we talk about the next situation? I an, I already told them, and they don’t need to hear it again!"
Nightfire forced a shaky smile at Victor, who blinked back, "What did she tell you?" he asked, curiosity mixing with suspicion as he glanced around the room.
Nightfire’s face was horrified before anyone could reply. She forced a cheerful tone, "Victor, you do know our ti is precious, right? Don’t waste it on silly things!" She pushed him lightly.
Victor wore an amused expression, the edge of a knowing smile flickering on his lips.
He could tell sothing intense had just happened in this room.
He’d ask for the full story later.
For now, he simply followed as the group moved to the grand eting room, where the Lyirrs and Drakhairs were already gathered, waiting for the crucial information Nightfire had brought back from her ordeal.
Everyone settled around the long, polished table. Nightfire stepped forward and, without hesitation, began to draw—her fingers sketching quick, urgent lines: the haunting spiral of the white whirlpool and the strange, looming forms of the tallic exo-skeletal bodies she had witnessed.
She’s good at drawing... didn’t she?
Lyirrs stared intently at the sketches of the tallic exoskeletons. The others leaned over the drawing of the white whirlpool.
"These are the things I witnessed," Nightfire explained, "And the containers that were holding those crates—they were filled with artificial crystals, and raw materials I recognised from the Void Empire: tals, woods, rare ores, all kinds of things." She described what she’d seen in the broken boxes scattered along her path, and the vast number of containers.
Everyone frowned.
Victor glanced at the white whirlpool. He wasn’t sure about its true scale, but its shape and strange energy reminded him of sothing he’d seen in a far-off... the kind of whirlpool that appeared when people had been kidnapped.
He was absolutely certain there was a connection.
"Was Void contacting Terra People through this thing? Like... a portal, maybe?" Victor muttered, half to himself.
Nightfire shook her head, "No, it’s not a portal. When Morgana touched the whirlpool, it... it trimd her fingers."
"Shit!" The word burst from soone’s lips.
Victor’s frown deepened, "So it’s not a portal... Then why is it there? And what about those tallic things?" he asked.
The exo-skeletal forms looked eerily familiar—like machines from old movies from the old world.
Lyirrs hadn’t taken her eyes off the sketches.
Drakhairs spoke up next, "From the looks of it, they’re definitely transporting materials. But for what purpose? And since it’s not a portal, where were they delivering all of this? As Ms. Nightfire ntioned, the sheer volu, and the residue she described... It seems they’ve been running this operation for quite so ti"
Where were they transporting those things?
Why use that white whirlpool?
And why did the numbers appear only Void and Terra Empire?
Just then, Lyirrs leaned forward,
"What if... those two exo-skeletal bodies were the actual carriers? The ones transporting the crates and materials?" She pointed at the drawing, tracing the outline of the tallic bodies with a slow, deliberate finger.
"Their structure fits—they could haul those massive containers across any kind of distance, maybe even through dangers that would kill any living being. It makes sense."
Victor humd, stared at the sketched robots—if the whirlpool wasn’t a portal for living flesh, maybe it allowed only machines to pass.
That seed possible... But—
But Lia had almost been dragged into a portal before, hadn’t she?
Wasn’t that a different phenonon?
Was this so new kind of gateway?
Were they dealing with sothing new, sothing more dangerous than before?
They had finally found one answer... but every answer only led to more impossible questions.
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