Darkness closed in, the shadow's blade lunging forward, its sharpness promising only death. Seraph's vision blurred with exhaustion, her arms trembling as she struggled to lift them in defense. The creature's form twisted and contorted, its mass a writhing storm of blackened malice.
Then came the light.
Twin beams of burning red heat sliced through the air, obliterating the shadow before it could even touch her. The darkness scattered, disintegrating into nothingness with a sound like glass shattering.
Seraph's chest heaved, her lungs sucking in ragged breaths as she stared in disbelief. The battlefield was littered with blood and broken bodies. New York had become a hellscape, its towering structures torn and battered, its streets drenched in the stench of death. And yet, in the midst of it all, the shadow army had been reduced to ashes.
Then she saw him.
Descending from the sky with the grace of a god, Knox landed before her. His body radiated power, the air itself bending around him with the force of his presence. His eyes were blank and expressionless as always, yet somehow even more unnerving now, their hollow depths seeming to pierce through her very soul.
Luminara's voice rang softly in her mind, her tone flooded with relief. ["Seraph, he's back."]
Kaelina chimed in, her voice like the sweet hum of digital bells. ["You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice again, Luminara."]
Luminara's warmth spread through Seraph's weary body. ["And yours as well, Kaelina. Welcome back."]
To Seraph's utter shock, Luminara's presence felt almost... overjoyed. She'd never heard her express such genuine emotion before.
Knox's expression flickered with mild surprise as Seraph abruptly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a fierce embrace. For a moment, he simply stood there, rigid and confused. Then he hesitantly patted her back.
"What's going on?" he asked, his voice as monotone as ever.
Seraph pulled away, her eyes wide and brimming with exhaustion. "We were winning the war, Knox. The Syndicate was turning the tides, and then those... shadows appeared. They came out of nowhere and started massacring everyone. It's been chaos."
Kaelina's voice tightened, the sweetness tainted by anxiety. ["They're close. The Five. They're here."]
Luminara's tone mirrored the same concern. ["Yes. And those shadows were their doing. Nothing else could conjure such horrors."]
Seraph's fists clenched. "Don't those people have any regard for who they kill?"
Silence.
The hesitation in Luminara's response was almost painful.
["Those... aren't people anymore."]
Seraph's blood ran cold. "What?"
Luminara's voice was gentle, motherly even. The kind of tone a parent might use when explaining something terrible to their child. ["The reason why there are only five Divine Systems... is because they don't allow any other systems to advance to the Divine rank."]
Kaelina continued with grim certainty. ["When someone gains a Divine System, they are no longer themselves. The system takes over their body and mind, making it its own. The human soul is terminated, wiped clean from existence. What remains is nothing but a vessel. A puppet for them to use."]
Seraph's eyes widened, horror clawing at her throat. "So... all this time... They were just systems?"
Kaelina's voice was firm. ["Yes."]
Knox's gaze narrowed, his attention focused on the distance where the shadows had come from. "If they're just systems using bodies, how do we destroy them?"
["The body needs to be obliterated completely,"] Luminara replied, her tone edged with desperation. ["Every subatomic particle must be destroyed without any chance of regeneration."]
Seraph's shoulders sagged. "But we don't have anything that can do that. We're not powerful enough."
Knox nodded, his expression unreadable. "We'll worry about this later. Right now, I need to take care of these shadows."
Before she could protest, he shot off into the sky, a blur of speed and raw power. The air shattered from his acceleration, leaving her stumbling backward. Within seconds, Knox's form darted across the city like a living comet, tearing through the shadow creatures with ferocious precision.
Wherever he struck, the darkness dissolved, leaving only silence in his wake. The efficiency of his attacks was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Within moments, the entire swarm of shadows had been annihilated.
Knox returned to Seraph's side, his expression as hollow as ever. "That was fast."
Seraph swallowed, her throat dry. "How did you do that?"
Knox's lips twitched into something resembling a smirk. "I was at the core of the sun."
She blinked, dumbfounded. "What?"
He shrugged. "Kaelina gave me Superman's powers. Made me Kryptonian."
She gaped at him. "That's... That's not fair. All you need to do is be in the suno to get stronger."
"Yeah, but it's not like I got the full 100% at the start," Knox replied, his voice casual, as if he hadn't just returned from the depths of a star.
Luminara's voice came softly. ["Seraph, you need to go back to the base and heal. Your body is still suffering from extensive fatigue and damage."]
Knox nodded in agreement. "Luminara's right. You've been fighting like hell while I was gone. You need to rest. I'll handle them."
"But—" Seraph started, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
He shook his head. "You can join me when you're fully rested. For now, focus on healing. And... Thanks for making sure we didn't get wiped out when I was gone."
She stared at him, her expression softening. "We're partners, right?"
He nodded, his features calm and composed. And then, in an awkward motion, he reached out and hugged her. Not with hesitation, but with something that almost felt like gratitude.
Seraph stood stunned for a moment before her arms encircled him. The embrace lasted only a few seconds before Knox broke away and shot off into the sky once more.
She watched him disappear into the stormy horizon, her heart still pounding. And for the first time since the battle had begun, a smile found its way to her lips.
Then she took off, her wings of light flaring behind her as she flew back to the base.