Aiku coughed, blood spattering the dirt as he forced himself upright, knees trembling beneath the weight of Alister's assault. The air was thick with dust and mana residue, and somewhere deep within that choking haze, golden eyes still glowed—unrelenting, cold, godlike.
Desperate, Aiku cried out toward the flickering light in the air—where that radiant figure had once watched silently.
"Hlusturia!" he gasped. "What's happening?! Why—why do his attacks keep landing? I thought you said I was fate's chosen! The one destined to stand above all! So why… why is he just walking all over me?!"
As if summoned by despair, the golden glow shimmered violently and the divine figure—Hlusturia—materialized at his side. Wings of light curled around her form, flickering erratically. She didn't look serene as she usually did. She looked… panicked.
