A Cold Farewell

Kento and Celestia clashed again, their movements a blend of precision and raw emotion. The icy air crackled around them as Celestia's magic began to falter, her once fluid attacks becoming more desperate. Kento, now visibly concerned, parried her strikes with ease, his daggers moving in a blur.

"Celestia, stop!" Kento called out, his voice breaking through the sounds of their battle. "You're running out of mana. You can't keep this up."

Celestia's eyes were fierce, but there was a glint of something softer, something vulnerable. "I can't just give up, Kento," she replied, launching another barrage of ice shards. "You don't understand."

Kento dodged the shards effortlessly, his movements graceful and controlled. "I do understand, more than you think," he said, blocking her next strike and pushing her back gently. "You disappeared when we were kids. I never knew what happened to you. But I know you're not a murderer."

Celestia's expression wavered, the icy mask she wore slipping just a bit. "You don't know anything," she said, her voice tinged with sadness. "My sister... after she died, everything changed. I had no choice."

Kento hesitated, lowering his daggers slightly. "Then tell me. Let me help you. We don't have to fight like this."

Celestia paused, breathing heavily, her mana nearly depleted. The ice that had been swirling around her like a protective barrier now fell to the ground in melting fragments. She looked at Kento, her eyes filled with guilt and sorrow.

"Help me?" she echoed, almost incredulously. "How can you help me? You don't know what I've done, what I'm involved in."

Kento took a step closer, his daggers still at the ready but his stance less aggressive. "It doesn't matter. We were friends once, Celestia. I still believe in you. Surrender now, and we can figure this out together."

For a moment, Celestia seemed to consider his words. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and the tension in her body eased. But then, a spark of resolve returned to her eyes. "Kento, I can't," she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction. "I have to see this through."

Kento frowned, seeing the inner conflict in her eyes. "Seeing this through is going to get you killed. Please, Celestia, just surrender. We can find another way."

Celestia shook her head, though it was more of a tremble than a defiant gesture. "I wish it were that simple," she said, her voice cracking.

Kento sheathed one of his daggers, reaching out his hand. "It can be. Just trust me."

Celestia looked at his outstretched hand, her expression torn. The icy barrier around her heart was melting, and for the first time in a long while, she saw a glimmer of hope. "Kento, I..."

Suddenly, the ice wall behind Celestia shattered, and Viktor Bloodmoon, now a lich, stepped through. His skeletal form crackled with dark energy, and his eyes glowed with malevolent power. He took in the scene, his expression one of disgust.

"Celestia, what is this?" Viktor snarled. "Crowley has failed the mission. We need to leave. Kill him." he said.

Celestia's cold mask snapped back into place. "I know, Viktor," she said, her voice icy. "I'm dealing with it."

Viktor's gaze shifted to Kento, and he sneered. "This is the failure of the Salvatore family? Pathetic. I'll deal with him myself."

He raised his hand, summoning bone spears that shot towards Kento. But Kento was quick, using his powers of illusion to create multiple copies of himself, confusing Viktor. The lich hesitated for a moment, then focused his necromantic intuition, sensing the lifeforce of the real Kento - something he could easily do as a lich; he had become much stronger by dying.

Viktor launched a barrage of bone spears at Kento, who barely dodged. Before the lich could attack again, Celestia stepped in, deflecting the spears with a wave of ice.

"Viktor, stop," she commanded. "He's mine to kill."

Viktor's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing, Celestia?"

"Retreat," she ordered, her voice brooking no argument. "The mission is a failure. We need to regroup."

Viktor hesitated, his eyes flicking between Celestia and Kento. Finally, he growled in frustration and stepped back. "This isn't over," he warned, his voice grave.

Celestia nodded, her eyes locking with Kento's for a brief moment. "Go," she said softly. "Before I change my mind."

Viktor gave Kento one last glare before retreating, his form disappearing into the shadows. Kento watched him go, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions. He turned back to Celestia, who was already walking away.

"Celestia, wait!" he called after her. She paused but didn't turn around.

"Take care of yourself, Kento," she said, her voice barely audible. And then she was gone, leaving Kento standing alone, his mind now a whirlwind and his heart heavy.

As Kento stood alone, the others rushed up to him, concern etched on their faces. Constantine was holding Jane in a princess carry, her unconscious form resting against his chest. Darryl was supporting Marcus, who was visibly wounded and leaning heavily on him.

"Are you okay, Kento?" Constantine asked, worried.

Kento nodded, trying to push aside the tumult of emotions still swirling inside him. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied with a calm, steady voice. "I fought one of the enemy mages. She was strong, but I managed to hold her off."

Marcus winced as he shifted his weight, his eyes sharp despite his injuries. "Who was she?" he asked.

Kento hesitated for a moment, his mind replaying the fight and the memories of his past with Celestia. "Just a skilled ice mage," he said, omitting their personal connection. "But there's more. The necromancer... he resurrected as a lich."

"Dammit!" Marcus exclaimed, almost falling over. Darryl caught him.

Constantine's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's a lich?" he asked, looking among the others.

Kento took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "A lich is an undead necromancer who has bound their soul to a phylactery, an object that holds their life force. They can't be truly killed unless the phylactery is destroyed. The necromancer is Viktor Bloodmoon, a fugitive from the Association for years now. He had probably sealed a phylactery with his power in case he died." he concluded.

"He wasn't even at full power?! What a fucking monster!" Darryl exclaimed.

"It gets worse," Kento replied. "Liches sense lifeforce, not mana or aether. We can't fool them. Most of their attacks have physical effects too, and their summoning powers over undead are on an entirely next level. Not many necromancers can become liches to begin with."

Darryl cursed under his breath. "Great, just what we needed—an immortal necromancer who can see us coming and knows where we live."

Marcus grimaced, his hand clutching his wounded shoulder. "We need to expedite our trip to Nyx. The longer we stay here, the more vulnerable we are. We need to regroup and get Jane stabilized."

Kento nodded in agreement, though his thoughts were elsewhere. Seeing Celestia again had torn open old wounds he thought had long since scarred over. Celestia had been one of the few friends he made as a child, standing by him when others in their world saw him as a failure and a disgrace. Her sudden disappearance after her sister's death had been a blow he never fully recovered from. Seeing her now, labeled as a notorious criminal and fighting against him, filled him with a confusing mix of anger, sorrow, and lingering affection.

Darryl helped Marcus to his feet, and they all moved as a group back towards the base. Kento fell into step beside Constantine, his mind still replaying the encounter with Celestia. He knew there were more questions to answer and more battles to fight, but for now, they needed to focus on getting to Nyx. Despite everything, a part of him still cared for her, still wanted to believe there was a reason behind her actions. He hoped that, somehow, he could find a way to reach her and understand what had happened to her all those years ago. But for now, he pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand.

Constantine looked down at Jane, concern evident in his eyes. "What about Jane? She's still out cold."

Marcus glanced at her, then back at Constantine. "We'll put her in the recovery chamber until she wakes up. It's designed to help stabilize her during her Reality Break."

Darryl helped Marcus to his feet, and they all moved as a group back towards the base. As they walked, the urgency of their situation settled over them. The journey to Nyx had to be expedited, and their next steps were clear. Jane had to awaken, Kento had to go see Elias, and Constantine had to bring himself to go and say goodbye to Vicky.

Then they would finally leave for Nyx.