Celestia finally rose from her chair, the dim glow of the computer flickering against her face. The air was thick, suffocating, wrapping around her like chains she had carried for years. Her back faced Absynthe. The weight of her past pressed against her ribs, and for a moment, she simply stood there—breathing, trembling.
Her pulse quickened. She was not ready for this, yet the moment demanded her answer.
Slowly, she turned—not in graceful certainty, but in a messy, unsteady motion. Her balance faltered. Her emerald eyes remained downcast, hidden beneath the tangled strands of her blonde hair. Shadows swallowed her expression, but the guilt remained—a silent force dripping from every movement.
It was jealousy. It was regret. It was betrayal.
Absynthe did not move. Her blue eyes, sharp as shattered glass, pierced through the dim basement light. She had waited long enough.
She clenched her fists. Was she truly ready to hear this?
Celestia managed to keep her eyes down, refusing to meet Absynthe's desperate gaze—refusing to face the piercing blue that demanded answers.
"Why did you follow my note if this is all you wanted to know?" Her voice was measured, hiding the betrayal buried in her emerald-green eyes.
Absynthe's pulse flared like fire. "I didn't do it for you!" The words erupted from her, sharp and final.
Celestia exhaled, her arms hanging limp at her sides. "Then who did you do it for?" Her head tilted, an aggressive edge twisting the movement. Her bangs veiled one eye, but her exposed gaze burned with something raw.
Absynthe scoffed, turning her face away, clenching her fist. She wouldn't answer—not like this.
The moment nearly cracked apart—until Synthena's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"You two, stop this!" Her voice trembled with frustration, hands clenched at her sides. "This is getting ridiculous. The world is crumbling around us."
She stepped forward, eyes flashing with urgency. "We are all we have!" Her teeth gritted. "We can't afford broken trust—not now."
The silence grew suffocating.
Synthena's plea lingered in the air, but the tension between Absynthe and Celestia refused to fade.
Their unspoken fury felt louder than any words.
The sudden alarms shrieked through the basement, a crimson glow flashing across the screen.
"Beep. Beep. Alert. Alert. A security measure has been compromised."
Celestia barely had time to react. The silence shattered. Without hesitation, she threw herself down, fingers flying over the keyboard, scanning through the hacked camera feeds.
Synthena rushed to her side—but before she did, she turned to Absynthe, voice tight with urgency.
"Please... Let's hold this for another time. Just this once—do this for me." Her gaze was pleading. "We've been through too much. The least we can do is survive."
Absynthe's breath hitched. She hated this. Hated setting aside her fury. Hated working alongside Celestia. But she wasn't stupid—she knew safety came first.
"Fine...! But this discussion isn't over." Her voice was sharp, teeth clenched. She flicked her gaze to Celestia. "Are we clear?"
Celestia didn't answer. Her head merely dipped toward her keyboard, her silence an agreement as she narrowed her focus.
Synthena let out a relieved breath. For now, at least, the tension was tucked away—but it was far from gone.
She and Absynthe darted to Celestia's side.
"Talk to me—what's happening?!" Absynthe barked, gripping the edge of the desk.
Synthena's eyes locked on the screen, her pulse hammering. Something was coming.
Something none of them were ready for.
****************************************************************************************
The corrupted figure stormed toward the camera, his tar-coated hands gripping its sides, his golden eyes burning into the lens.
"Ab—by..." The name barely escaped his lips, forced out like a battle against himself.
The city center loomed behind him, distant yet dangerously close. He had made it.
Then—gunfire.
Bullets tore through the air, slamming into his shifting, tar-filled skin. They didn't stop him. They barely slowed him.
With a snarl, he ripped the camera from its post, throwing it to the ground. Sparks flickered, the screen distorting, but the feed remained—flat on its side, capturing the chaos.
Obsidion's tarred legs rushed forward, his form twisting, unstable, monstrous.
Ahead—an army of soldiers.
His roar split the air.
The screams followed.
The sun blazed overhead, but the true fire raged below—chaos, destruction, and the unstoppable force of Obsidion.
Absynthe's breath hitched, eyes wide in shock as she grabbed the computer screen, her fingers trembling. "Obsidion! Obsidion, can you hear me?! Obsidion!!"
She shook the screen violently, as if sheer force could make her voice reach him—as if her desperation could pierce through the digital barrier.
Celestia lurched forward. "Absynthe, stop! If you break it, we'll lose everything!" Her voice was urgent, but Absynthe didn't—couldn't—let go.
Synthena saw it unraveling.
She rushed in, gripping Absynthe's wrist. "Abby… Stop!!" She pulled her back just as the screen flickered dangerously. "Calm down! He can't hear you from here!"
Absynthe snapped back to reality.
Her chest rose and fell with uneven breaths, her mind racing. Synthena was right.
She swallowed. "We have to do something. They're going to hurt him."
She turned sharply to Celestia, her voice steadier now. "Where is he? Tell me."
No hesitation. No more wasted seconds.
Absynthe wouldn't let this spiral further.
They would make a plan. They would get him back.
**********************************************************************************
Absynthe and Synthena moved fast, weaving through the winding streets beyond the cabin. Their steps were silent, their presence masked by the thick air of tension clinging to the city.
Ahead, they reached the bush-covered overlook Celestia had pinpointed—a concealed vantage point offering a direct, unobstructed view of the battlefield below.
Smoke curled into the sky, painting the city center in layers of destruction. Gunfire flickered like dying stars, sirens screaming warnings across fractured streets. Military formations sprawled near the shattered remains of a mall, soldiers moving in careful, controlled shifts—ready for war.
Absynthe crouched, her fingers digging into the rough ledge beneath her. Her pulse hammered against her ribs.
Obsidion was down there. And he wasn't stopping.
Synthena's gaze swept over the battlefield, absorbing every movement, every pattern. "They're tightening formation," she muttered, voice edged with urgency. "If we don't act now, he's done."
Absynthe didn't blink. "We're not letting that happen."
Celestia's voice crackled through the comms. "You have twenty seconds before their patrols shift. If you don't move now, you lose your window."
Absynthe and Synthena exchanged a sharp look. No hesitation. No second guesses.
They moved.
They darted from the bush, splitting off in opposite directions. Every step calculated. Every move precise.
Synthena raced toward a crumbling brick wall, pressing herself against the surface. Her breath was steady, but her pulse was relentless.
Absynthe slid behind a metal barricade, her sharp blue gaze locked on the chaos ahead. Her grip tightened. Her resolve burned.
"Celestia, give me live intel," Synthena whispered, keeping her voice low.
Celestia's response was instant. "Two squads pushing forward—ten seconds before formation shifts. Use it wisely."
Absynthe exhaled sharply. "Then we move."
Silver veins pulsed beneath her skin, cosmic energy surging with her resolve.
Her eye glimmered—a fleeting glow, a whisper of power. The energy sword flared to life in her grip, crystalline edges flickering in rhythm with her emotions.
She didn't hesitate.
She met Synthena's gaze. No words. Just silent agreement.
Then—the battlefield erupted.
Synthena charged forward, her blue dust swirling into form—a legion of armored doves, shimmering, moving with lethal precision.
The soldiers barely had time to react. Some dodged. Others failed.
The doves struck with pinpoint force, rippling through the battlefield, cracking armor, sending bodies stumbling.
Then—a flick of her red dust.
Creation and destruction intertwined, a cycle of endless disruption.
Soldiers fought to hold formation, desperate, their mecha armor splintering against an unseen force.
A power unimagined. Unseen. Unheard.
They were losing.
They knew it.
"What is this power?!" A soldier stumbled back, panic spilling into his voice.
"It's—destructive… and uncontrollable," another murmured, pulse frantic.
Their fear spread like wildfire.
They began to retreat.
*********************************************************************
Absynthe didn't hesitate.
She sprinted toward Obsidion, his form a storm of fury, his body shifting—black tendrils writhing, darkened orbs hovering, red lightning crackling around him.
Then—his attack froze.
Golden eyes widened. Recognition flickered.
For the briefest second—a spark of humanity.
"Ab—by..." The name fought its way past his lips, broken, forced.
Absynthe's voice was quiet, steady. "Obsidion... yes, it's me."
The battlefield held its breath.
Obsidion's golden eyes softened—just barely. His hair faded to red, but only for a fleeting instant before snapping back into dull blood-crimson.
Then—a scream.
A raw, inhuman yell tore through the battlefield as he lunged forward again.
Synthena's eyes widened. She had lost focus.
Her dusted doves scattered. Her battle slipped.
"Absynthe!" she yelled, turning, desperate to intervene.
Then—a voice.
Deep. Commanding. A force beyond the battlefield.
"Now."
Absynthe's veins flickered—like a dying light.
For a split second, Obsidion's golden eyes burned through the smoke, locking onto her.
And then—
The missiles dropped.