The Victor

The wind tendrils slithered to the ground like a tentacle, it hurled numerous rocks onto Mel. His tendrils started to deteriorate, fizzing out as his energy was draining like a sponge maintaining his spell releases.

Mel's muscles twitch suddenly, her mind tinged with a blurry recollection. She leaped out of the way narrowly dodging the projectile Alexandris threw.

A lily shriveled up on the vine, graying up, the essence it stored siphoned into Mel's eyes.

Their magic thud, the ethereal sound boomed on the collapsed cathedral. Alexandris attacked like a wild animal, hunched over while his wind tendrils pronged through her defenses.

She wiped the blood on her face, she swung her scythe onto the wild vines of wind. Mel hoped this would end the fight, it was drawn out to the point that their power began to vanish. It was a matter of time before either of them could collapse into decommission.

Another lily shriveled up. As Alexandris propelled himself up the air, swung from the spire. He lunged towards Hazel with the large sphere of pure aetheric energy accumulating towards her.

Her mind tinged, Mel's body reacted accordingly. In mid-air, Mel slashed the blood scythe into a seemingly empty space behind her. Her eyes traced Alexandris movements.

Alexandris veered as his wind tendrils threw him behind Mel. The stray blood sickle arched, slashing Alexandris, leaving a gaping wound as he hurled back to the ground.

His eyes widened, it was impossible. Where did that blood sickle come from? Blood curdled on his throat. "Arghhhh." the nobleman slammed his fist against the floor, he rose from the ground. The carapace fizzled out of existence.

"Uh oh, looks like you're out of fuel. Would you like some from me?"

Another lily shriveled.

A slash wind pierced through the rest of the church. Mel, ducked as she materialized her vines to sway through the feet of the onlookers outside. Then, Mel rushed to Alexandris, swung her scythe which Alexandris blocked with a smaller wave of wave wind.

The shrill of the wind slash could be heard everywhere. Mel accordingly kept the onlookers on ground with the ethereal vines. The blood sickle coagulated into a hook, Mel wound her weapon as another lily closed.

Alexandris's eyes were filled with horror, determination. The greenish aerologic energy formed into a long sword. He propelled a dazzling wind slash against Mel, however, the vines blocked the slash as it was erected before Alexandris even casted that spell.

To his eyes, it was infuriating. As if Mel could see the future herself. She kept avoiding his attacks, her movements were fluid as she continued to anticipate Alexandris's attacks.

More lilies shriveled only leaving three bloomed ones. Suddenly, Alexandris jumped, charging a blade with a tremendous amount of aetheric enemy flowing behind him. The energy burst into a fractal, he shouted: "Spell release: Divine Smite!"

Wind energy coalesced into ball tempest crumbling the remaining roofing the church had. Alexandris was untouchable, in exchange for a concentrated shot, he sacrificed the area of effect the spell release had! In its initial form, it could not be stopped while charging. But because he adjusted the conditions of the spell release, it got more powerful but it could be stopped. To stop the spell release, the spell chose three live targets from the onlookers. Each given an essence of a fail safe, extract the energy out of their body to stop the energy blast.

They glowed in an eye-catching green hue. She gritted her teeth as she realized what was going on.

T–this fool, how could he involve innocent bystanders… He intentionally used them as a way to stop the charging of his spell release. Tsk… fine

Mel strutted onto the center of the filled, the two remaining lilies shriveled. She stomped and took a stance, all the vines scattered on the church retreated to the handle of the scythe.

There's not enough water in the air to form a blade…

The blood sickled home onto Mel's wrist. She winced as the blood spurted out of her veins.

Due to the effects of syzygy of hydrology, her blood coagulated into a droplet suspended in air. They gathered on the tang of the scythe, the vines slithered and held the blood blade as it rushed like high pressure water.

She took a deep breath, the aura of purple energy seeped from her body. It burst into a fractal, surging through her system, however…

Mel coughed up blood. The metallic scent of her own blood leaked through her nose. Her wounds festered and even through her eyes and ears.

Crap… I went over my limit, three spell releases… that's all I can cast? She faltered for a moment, her stance broke as she slid from her own blood. Then, she pulled her body together, it felt like a sack of iron. Imperfect cracks streaked through her skin as blood seeped out.

Mel sighed. She said with a cold voice. "Let these people rejoice, away from your family or any oppressor. What Hazel wants is a peaceful kingdom without your kind, a righteous woman she is, it's hard so see you in the same pod as her. I'll give her the first step on her dream, defeating the confidant of her father. So be prepared, I won't show mercy"

"Spell Release: Future Overlap"

In an instant, the world washed its colors. All in a deluge of black and white. The crimson streak of Mel's scythe remained, the ghastly vines faded.

The slash went as far outside the Calica district. The people froze, within the lick of the blood blade.

Reality cracked like glass, the crimson blade split the line.

Severing it from the world, as he saw the alternate pretense of reality.

"This will teach you, die peasant!" The Divine Smite Plummet onto the ground, pulverizing everything into dust. Turbulent winds came after as the houses from the district were swept by the shockwave. However, before the three onlookers were consumed by the wind of destruction. The pale ghastly vines snared them, its branches bloomed into a beautiful pale lily.

Their body was dissected inside the creeping vines, the energy broke free as it was usurped by the lilies. The slashes riddled Alexandris's body with gashes, the people gasped as vines sprouted a lily inside the onlookers eyes.

Everything became a blur, as the lilies of the future converged with the lilies of the past. The release of Divine Smite did not occur. It fizzled as the three failsafes merged with the sphere. Alexandris plunged to the ground as he wondered… What happened, he could recall that he released his spell release. Reducing Mel and Hazel into dust and red mist. But it never happened, nothing did.

He noticed the lilies on the onlookers… He clenched his fist as he felt the ground pushed through his spine.

"I-it was the lilies…" His voice was shaky, frustrated as his eyes fell heavy.

Mel limped, the Bhavishyat Inversion vanished. She outstretched her arms and gestured at the remaining blood sickle on her side. It reshaped into a spear, ready to hurl as Mel decided to end the battle.

Before it hit Alexandris, a dice flew in the air. It landed at 20.

"I'll deflect Mel's attack." Hazel lumbered in its way. She wound her arm and shattered Mel's spell release. The blood splayed on Hazel as she resigned to a weak smile.

She said under her breath: "That's enough Mel… It's over." Her voice was hushed, lacking any energy to express herself. Seeing Alexandris defeated did not give her any satisfaction, it just left a tang in her heart that she could not persuade to go away.

All the blood sickles splattered onto the ground. Decommissioned as Mel deactivated her spell release. She released an exasperated sigh, she narrowed her eyes as she said: "Alright."

Mel sat on a large debris, she closed her eyes- letting the darkness fester in her world.

She's too kind for this world…

She laid on the stone under the sprawled sparkling stars. Mel giggled to himself, finding her situation funny. "This is hilarious, I really overexerted myself. I can't wait to tell this to Watson, that son of bitch will love this."

Tears crept out of Alexandris's eyes, sobbing uncontrollably, tears mixing with his blood. Hazel ruffled his hair, her face strewn with remorse. Mel observed the siblings, Hazel was too compassionate for her own good.

Was she trying to save Alexandris? Would it be too late for that?

No, it could not be. Alexandris shook as his muscles twitched in response to pain. He was cradled within Hazel's hand, seeing her blurred face amidst the golden glow of her hair.

"Brother…" Hazel muttered.

The low hum of sobs filled the air. He longed for home, somewhere he could be happy. Free from the heavy load he tried to carry. To see his siblings smile genuinely, even for a little bit. Especially him, his youngest brother who disappeared without a trace, the legacy he tried to protect. The flawless ice, the perfection through the muddied noble family.

"Hazel…" He uttered, Hazel's hands clasped his own as the moonlight pierced through the veil of darkness.