Chapter 21: Fall of the Queen.

Einar fought against several Liths with great difficulty, as he could not use his flame powers in the forest, relying only on his sword. One of the Liths spat acid blood, burning his face, and Kira rushed to counterattack but was struck by Zhofia, breaking her ribs.

Seeing this, Rosie was consumed by rage. She slaughtered the Liths nearby and threw her sword straight at Zhofia's face. Zhofia caught the blade with one hand and burst into laughter alongside the other women with her. Cerberus spat a ball of energy at Zhofia, tearing off one of her wings.

Zhofia: "Accursed hound! How can a creature like you cause me so much pain?!"

Zhofia unleashed a blast of red energy that broke both of Cerberus's legs. The team was pinned down, and Rosie saw no other option.

Rosie: "Damn it, if I don't use that, my friends are going to die."

Suddenly, a bolt of blue lightning illuminated the entire forest. Zhofia looked around, startled, as the sound of snapping branches drew closer to her.

Zhofia: "What is that?"

Isz emerged, his clothes stained with the blood of his enemies, carrying the severed head of a Lith. With a nearly uncontrollable laugh, Isz said that next time, Zhofia should send all of her lackeys against him at once. Enfuriated, Zhofia ordered the remaining monsters to attack Isz.

Isz unleashed his lightning and sword strikes, tearing through the enemies. He moved with such immense speed that Zhofia could only see flashes of lightning and blood.

Zhofia: "Why isn't their blood burning him?"

Zhofia watched closely and realized that as Isz was being injured, he was healing at the exact same time.

Zhofia: "It can't be... so you are the vessel?"

Zhofia ordered the remaining Liths to focus all their power on Isz, making it their priority to kill him before he ruined their mistress's plan.

Watching him, Rosie thought: This guy... he isn't normal. How can he move like that?

Einar: "Princess... Kira, she's badly hurt."

Rosie's eyes filled with tears as she apologized, looking over at Cerberus, who lay fallen nearby. Zhofia seized the moment, ripping apart a section of a tree to impale Rosie.

Zhofia: "Die!"

Instantly, Isz threw himself in front of her, the wooden trunk piercing through his stomach.

Rosie, crying: "Why? Why did you do that?!"

Isz let out a sharp laugh as his sword clattered to the ground. His lightning turned purple, his eyes glowed blue, and his fingernails grew sharper and longer. He disintegrated the wooden trunk, and his wounds closed instantly.

Zhofia: "Shit, accursed scout!"

Isz rushed at Zhofia and severed her remaining wings. He then leapt high into the sky, dragging Zhofia up with him. He concentrated his energy, staring right at her.

Isz: "This sky will be your grave, and you will die by the hand of the scout you failed to kill."

Zhofia smiled: "You really are handsome, Isz. I love seeing the fury in your eyes and how you act like a wild animal. But this won't last forever. She always gets what she wants, and her plan is already too far advanced... I only wanted to keep a piece of it for myself."

High in the sky, a massive explosion of lightning completely pulverized Zhofia and the remaining Liths. Isz fell back to the ground, weak but alive and entirely uninjured.

Rosie: "Isz! Are you alive?"

Isz: "Yes. Take care of Cerberus and your companions. I'll be fine, I just need to rest a bit."

Staring into Cerberus's eyes, Isz tried to use some of his energy to heal the hound, but he couldn't make it work. Rosie helped her companions up and went to find help. Isz sent a message via a scroll that reached Harpy, who immediately dispatched reinforcements and medics.

Isz, panting: "Next time, I'm going to rely more on my sword. It leaves me less exhausted, and its strikes are stronger."

Rosie returned with some of the residents to carry the wounded away. Isz was already back on his feet and mentioned he needed to change his uniform; Rosie said she did too. It felt as though a great weight had been lifted from Isz's shoulders, he had avenged part of his companions, though his journey was still far from over.

The rain began to fall as Isz placed Cerberus on a cart bound for Volny's capital, telling his friend to get better. Tears in her eyes, Rosie watched her friends return to the floating city.

Isz: "What about you? Are you going back with them?"

Rosie: "No. If you'll let me, I would like to continue this journey with you to Marina."

Isz: "Fine. Just promise that when I tell you not to follow me, you'll stay behind."

Rosie laughed and agreed.

The two rested in the small town, preparing to set off for their new objective the following morning. Isz changed into new clothes, putting on leather trousers, a jacket, and a trench coat, while keeping his hat and boots.

As the rain poured down, Isz stared up at the sky. Rosie stepped up beside him, looking closely at his face.

Rosie: "I know it's the rain, but from here, it looks like you're crying. Are you alright?"

Isz took a deep breath and replied: "Yes, it's just the rain. I like how it feels. It's like it washes the soul."

Rosie: "We're a team now, so you can tell me what happened."

Isz simply nodded, saying he was going to rest until it was time to move out.