“Cyclone to HQ, over.”

Static beep. Nothing responded. 

“Cyclone to HQ. Someone respond for fuck sakes.”

Ajay camped by the ship’s computer. Ryan was helping Ava bandage up her wounds. Kal was sleeping soundly in the cockpit. Destoria looked at the icy scenery from the inside of the ship while Athena was out there alone. 

“You know, your protocol of not pinging coordinates of Tessa is stupid. This is the reason why.” Ajay turned to Ava.

Ava used her legs to turn to Ajay while she was sitting on the floor. “It’s a security measure if any of our ships get caught by the GLF. It's the only way to ghost the entire system.”

“They should’ve responded by now. Something wrong with the comms?” Ryan went from kneeled to standing upright.

“Our frequency is sharp enough. If there’s any issue, it's the other side.” 

“Keep trying. For now, we should take turns to rest and hopefully get off this ice moon before it gets dark.” Destoria turned to them from the frosted window.

~

The winds howl violently in the distance. Snowflakes rain down rapidly down onto the ice floors of the moon. Athena, wearing a thick coat and goggles, remained unaffected by the cold but deep down she felt…fear.

All the hours of training she endured. All the enemies she had defeated. Nothing came close to the sheer power of Monarch. She stood in disarray as her eyes sank into the white oblivion around her before,

“How pathetic.”

She turned in an instant behind.

“I broke you before the duel was finished.” Monarch stood behind her with his hands tucked underneath his cape.

“How…did you find us?” She took steps back as her hands glowed in her signature blue aura.

“I am here, and not here. I suppose your teacher did not teach you such a thing?” 

Athena frowned in confusion.

“Thought not. The rules of combat for us energy wielders that swore to our respective codes are comprehensive. One of which was that our auras are tied together in a duel. And untied when one wins and the other loses. Due to that, we are connected momentarily.”

“What devilry is this? No such thing exists within our parameters!” She went into an offensive stance, though without her blade.

“That was because no one left a duel incomplete. It is our duty to finish what we started.”

“What you started!” Her eyes then glowed.

“And I pulled you in, which makes you a slave to my torment.”

She then charged forward, priming a punch. Unfortunately, it backfired. She went through Monarch and impacted the ice floors.

“What?” She looked back to Monarch. “Our auras are tied. We appear as premonitions to each other. Of course, only I was able to tap into it because you lack knowledge. Rest assured, I will find where you all are and end this.” Slowly, Monarch faded away into the wind. “Athena?”

Her eyes opened. Yet again she dozed off into her mind. She turned to see Destoria by her shoulder.

“You alright?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never felt genuine fear in so long. It feels new yet daunting.”

“If you’re not scared, then you’re not sentient. Everyone fears.” Destoria then walked forward to her side.

“Orion said that.” She turned to Destoria.

“Yes. Yes he did.”

“You think he would be disappointed? I am probably the only one capable of stopping Monarch yet I failed.”

“Don’t think like that, Athena. There’s a lot of pressure on you and it is fine that you stumble once. Orion would be jealous to know that you wounded such a powerful being.” She chuckled.

“I miss him.” Athena replied softly.

“So do I. He would want us to keep fighting. Fight for what he once fought for. The people you love.”

“Oi, uptown girls!” Kal shouted to them from the ship. “We have a ping. We gotta go!”

~

“Strange, only one responsive.” Ryan commented.

“One means…” Destoria slowly turned to Ajay and Ava.

“Danger.” They both replied at once.

“Can’t be. There’s no ships around the atmosphere.” The ship approached from deep space as it travelled at a steady pace straight for Tessa.

“Cor…Corporal Felix to Cyclone.”

Ryan then jumped to his seat as he activated comms.

“Corporal. Sit rep. What the hell happened?”

“I’m sorry, Sir. I am so sorry…” His voice faded.

As the ship passed through the clouds, they approached the destroyed fortress. A moment of silence filled the entire cockpit as they slowly landed in the center of it all. Once a hive of buildings filled with heroes now up in smoke and rubble.

The ramp lowered as Cee-G and Ryan went aerial, patrolling for nearby survivors.

Kal began flipping rubble from rubble to find the buried Corporal. Ava was running around the destroyed fortress finding survivors with her eyes drenched in tears. Destoria rested on the ramp of the ship, accepting defeat. 

Athena’s knees rested on what little grass remained inside the fortress compound. Her eyes closed with tears and she tried her hardest to meditate. To clear her mind. To not be scared. But to no avail.

Her eyes opened as the sun rays that shone through the smoke reflected on her wet blue and yellow eyes.

“I failed.”

END.