“ze…” Arabe choked back a sob; her eyes fixated on ze’s unmoving body. She didn’t need words; the truth was discernable. zey dead before her, just as the prophecy had foretold.


    Consumed by overwhelming grief, Arabe let out an ear-splitting screech, her fingers clenching the bars of the now-visible cage. “Please, no,” she whispered, shaking her head, tears streaming down her pale face. How could life continue without him? How could she possibly defeat Sandro without ze? How could she…?


    “You’re cruel!” she yelled, her voice reverberating through the room. “So cruel for taking him away from me!” She cast her gaze around the dimly lit space, a desperate search for any god or goddess in charge of the phoenixes. Even for any of her predecessors but it was futile.


    They had witnessed ze’s final moments as they had her father’s. A fresh wave of grief coursed through her, and she shuddered, tears flowing until they couldn’t anymore. Her sobs ebbed into quiet whimpers, leaving her eyes red and swollen.


    Arabe stood numb, her gaze fixed on ze’s lifeless form, struggling to grasp the extent of the tragedy that had unfolded.


    ze was truly gone. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks as she grappled with never experiencing his presence again. His drawled nickname ‘Be’ would never touch her ears, his infectiousughter would no longer resonate, and his face would never again illuminate with that captivating smile. The idea of never feeling his warm embrace or sping his hand was an unbearable weight.


    Arabe reached out a hand toward ze, but it was ineffective  all she could do was gaze at him. Resigned to her inability to touch him, she decided to express her emotions through words.


    “ze. You promised… you promised you’d never depart. Forever together, you vowed-” Her words were overtaken by another wave of tears that spilled from her eyes as she sobbed. “You said you wouldn’t leave, ze. Please, don’t. I can’t survive without you.”


    “If only, if only I had listened to Orga and stayed in the cave,” she muttered to herself. Bitter thoughts haunted her mind, reying her actions and decisions over again.


    Yet, if she had been stronger, ze would still be alive. She had thought herself invincible after beating Orga, believing she could face any challenge. But Alessia had shattered that illusion. Her weakness paved the way to ze’s death, and this reality surged within Arabe as anger.


    Alessia approached, a wicked grin etched across her face as she gripped both sides of the cage. “What’s wrong, dear sister? Is the truth finally sinking in? You’re powerless against me,” she taunted.


    Gritting her teeth, Arabe’s eyes zed with fury. “I won’t spare you, Alessia. Whether by blood or not, you will pay,” she vowed.


    Alessia’s lips curved into a dark smile. “I could say the same, Arabe,” she retorted. “And I enjoy the thought of breaking you. I used to believe you were untouchable.”


    Janice observed the tense exchange with a sense of dread. Fear of Alessia’s wrath silenced her as she hesitated to provoke someone whose powers remained a mystery. There was no room for preaching peace, for Alessia’s mental state was unstable, and she couldsh out at any moment. Hence, Janice remained quiet, keeping close to Alessia, hoping to evade the impending conflict.


    Alessia raised her hands into the air, and Arabe observed the wind gather around her again, coalescing into an energy vortex. The wind took on tangible form, molding into a cage constructed entirely of air.


    Arabe sensed its descent, despite her existing confinement. The bars of this new cage were thin yet imprable.


    “Alessia, what the hell?” Arabe yelled, rushing to the bars and pulling on them with all her might, yet they remained as immovable as the previous ones.


    But that wasn’t the extent of it. Alessia extended her hands towards Arabe, and the wind converged into a long chain that wound tightly around Arabe’s body.


    Arabe struggled against the chain’s unyielding grip, but it held her fast, constricting like a vice. Gasping for air, it felt like her breath was being stolen.


    Alessia smirked, a self-satisfied expression spreading across her face. “Now you won’t be able to escape. This should keep you at bay, sister,” she sneered. “I wouldn’t want you to meddle in my ns again.”


    Arabe fought against the unrelenting chain, her efforts proving futile.


    Her eyes narrowed, and then a low growl rumbled from her throat. “Alessia, release me from this cage right-” Her words were abruptly cut off as a sudden surge of energy coursed through her, sending her body into uncontroble convulsions.


    Initially gripped by terror, Arabe found an odd sense offort as the strange sensation intensified. It was as though something dormant within her was awakening and asserting its power.


    A rush of wind erupted from her, stirring up debris in the room. Her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped her lips as an unfamiliar sensation held her back.


    To her astonishment, she saw it – a wing.


    A bloody wing!Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    It was growing out of her!


    Speechless, she watched in horror as it continued to expand, pushing through her skin to unfurl behind her.


    Just as she thought it was over, an unbearable pain, unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, seared through her. It ripped across her back, forcing a cry of agony from her lips. Every muscle in her body contorted as she struggled to remain upright.


    “Fuck!” she screamed, biting down on her lower lip so hard that it drew blood.


    A few secondster, the pain subsided as if it had never happened.


    “What’s happening to me?” Arabe whispered, her voice quivering.


    To her astonishment, she observed the metal bars starting to dissolve as she clutched them with her hands.


    With caution, she eased herself out of the cage, an overwhelming warmth coursing through her veins. The heat within her intensified, her gaze drawn inexorably to the mes dancing around her. Then, as if by some enchantment, the fires surged forth with intensity, as if the ancient power of the Phoenix spirit had ignited within her.


    Turning slowly, Arabe fixed her eyes on the two majestic wings-ming red and shimmering gold. Her heart raced as the realization struck her: she possessed the ability to manifest wings, just like Orga.