Chapter Five.

Neith descended into the room, pointing her staff at Tokio. "I'll ask again, who sent you?"

"I don't owe you any answers." he retorted.

Dayle growled, "Tokio, you shouldn't appear so weak. It doesn't suit you."

"Quiet, Dayle." Tokio fired back. "Do you have any idea who she is?"

"An old lady?" Dayle replied, puzzled.

Tokio gave him a frustrated look. "You're completely clueless, that's Neith."

Neith's grip on the staff tightened as she clenched her jaw. Dayle furrowed his brows. "Is she really the strongest warrior of Rieti?"

Tokio nodded, "I can't believe you're still alive, Neith." He turned to Sira. "Is this girl your disciple? Her aura is quite annoying."

Sira stayed silent. She didn't want to provoke Neith further by saying anything. After all, this situation was her fault.

Neith's gaze bore into him. "She's not your concern; You're dealing with me."

Tokio sneered. "You sure about that? I beg to differ."

Suddenly, small flames burst from his claw tips, emitting intense heat that swept over his body incinerating any dust or debris.

"I'll take great pleasure in ending you." Tokio said to Neith.

Neith raised her staff, ready to strike.

Sira screamed in her mind. "Don't!"

Tokio turned to Dayle. "Where's Bose?"

"He's in the compound, battling their creature." Dayle responded. The flames on Tokio's retractable claws intensified. "Alright, enough games. Let's finish this."

In the compound, Bose and Blu engaged in a fierce battle. Blu roared loudly, slashing her claws into his chest, pushing him back. He tumbled into the garden and then fell into the pond, water splashing around. Blu's attack left deep, bleeding claw marks, and he touched the blood with his fingers. "Interesting," he said with a grin. Standing up, he groaned as a gust of wind tousled his hair. Blu licked her bloody paw, then circled him and leapt once more. But this time, Bose dodged, sliding toward her tail. Blu's tail flicked, narrowly missing him. She stalked closer, hissing softly.

Bose's eyes glowed green as he summoned his magic. His glowing fists unleashed a wave of energy, slamming into Blu and sending her sliding across the farm until she collided with a scarecrow. Blu let out a pained shriek and shook herself off, leaping back to her feet.

Bose smirked and summoned more spikes from the ground, hurling them at her. Blu dodged, but one of the spikes tore through her fur and pierced her side as she fell. She let out another howl of pain. She tried to get back up but couldn't.

Bose charged at her, preparing to strike again. But before he could strike, Blu's horn glowed, creating a protective barrier that disintegrated the spike upon contact. She scrambled to her feet, but she staggered and fell once more, blood dripping onto the ground from her side. Bose observed her struggle to stand. He then lowered his hand, turned, and walked back to the house.

Just as the battle reached its end, a sudden explosion rocked the compound, sending shockwaves through the air. A part of the cottage exploded in flames, knocking Bose to the ground. He winced, holding his chest, and tried to stand. Black smoke filled the air, blinding him. Bose shielded his face with his arm, coughing. Clutching his chest, he rushed to the cottage. He quickly looked around the room and gasped at the condition of his comrades.

The fire had engulfed more than half of the room. Dayle laid motionless beneath a shattered shelf, large glass shards pierced in his back, surrounded by burning debris. Sira sat beside him, her back against the wall, gasping for air.

Her upper body and face were covered in cuts, and a dagger was lodged in her thigh, causing profuse bleeding. She tried to heal herself, but she couldn't. Tokio stood before Neith. He had lost an arm to her. The stump hung limply at his side, bleeding profusely.

Neith stood holding her staff, showing signs of minor injuries and fatigue, her expression emotionless. Bose let out a soft chuckle as he sat near the broken window, leaning against the wall. "This was supposed to be easy." he said calmly. "But they're all monsters," Bose laughed again and winced, still holding his bleeding chest. He mumbled, "Beaten by a cat. How pathetic," and then closed his eyes.

Tokio fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding stump. Neith crouched in front of him, her wide red eyes fixed on his face. "Underestimating me will be the end of you." She reached out, grabbing his throat and pulling him up to her eye level.

Tokio smiled and said, "You're wrong to think i value my life." he choked out hoarsely. "Even if we die here, others will come!" She let go of his neck and grabbed a hold of his stump, squeezing it. He screamed in agony.

Neith continued, "If you won't tell me which member of the council sent you, I'll have to torture it out of you." She pressed harder on the stump. He fought to move it, but he failed. Neith stared into his eyes, smiling gently. "How long will you resist?"

He remained silent, and Neith increased the pressure, causing him to cry in pain.

Suddenly Sira collapsed, falling face first into the fire. Neith froze and let go of Tokio as Sira began choking violently. Smoke and embers swirled, thickening the air and obscuring the vision of both Tokio and Neith. Neith took a shaky step back and waved her staff, extinguishing the fires. Once the smoke disappeared, Neith ran towards Sira, helping her sit up. Sira coughed roughly, trying to clear her lungs of smoke. Tokio crawled away, trying not to choke on the smoke.

Sira brushed some hair out of her face and took deep breaths. Neith's eyes widened in shock as she checked Sira's condition, noticing the sizzling wound on her thigh and bulging veins all over her.

"Vek'ran" Neith mumbled. Tokio, positioned in a corner, tore his sleeve and wrapped his stump, wincing in pain as it rubbed against his skin. He reached for one of his retractable claws nearby. Sira screamed as the wound on her thigh kept sizzling. She tried to take out the dagger.

"Sira, don't take it out! Let me!" Neith yelled. Sira nodded.

"Neith, I'm-"

Blood splattered across Sira's face, causing her to shudder as she touched it. She looked at her bloodied fingers and then up at Neith, who was smiling despite the blood dripping from her mouth. Tokio had set his claws ablaze and shot them through Neith's chest.

"Here, this will help you heal faster." Neith said softly as she removed the dagger from Sira's thigh and placed her hands over the sizzling wound. Her voice quivered as she whispered, "I'll save you, no matter what. You must survive."

Sira swallowed hard, tears filling her eyes. "Neith, you're bleeding." she stammered.

Neith looked down at her chest, where each claw had penetrated, staining her dress with blood. She managed a smile for Sira, then at her own wound, her breath quickening.

"Sira..."

Neith fell to the ground with a thud.

******

"Neith!" Sira screamed. She rose slowly, her eyes filled with horror, and clung to Neith. "I'm so sorry," she wept, but Neith was gone, unable to wipe away her tears. She held her breath, terrified and struggling to accept what had happened. Neith's body slowly burned away before her eyes. The only thing remaining was her charred skeleton, a pile of ashes on the floor and her staff.

Sira held some of the ash on her hands and sobbed quietly. She stared blankly at the pile of burnt remains. Tokio approached her, knelt by her side and stared at the ashes with a cold expression. He gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Sira's forehead, then smirked and said, "You're next."

Sira's lips trembled and her chest felt heavy. "What have you done?" her voice shook with anger..

Tokio chuckled softly and stood up, dusting off his pants. He stared at his stump as he lifted it and looked back at Sira. "I took revenge for my arm."

Her eyes narrowed in rage as anger coursed through her. "How could you?" The amulet around her neck glowed intensely and released a burst of energy that struck Tokio in the chest. He tumbled to the ground, struggling to breathe. Sira's eyes blazed a fiery red, and the amulet's glow grew even stronger.

Sira screamed, "How dare you, TAKE NEITH AWAY FROM ME?" She extended her hand, levitating Tokio towards her. He grunted and struggled, trying to break free. Sira attempted to stand, but collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, and releasing Tokio. Her thigh throbbed with pain; it hadn't fully healed.

Tokio taunted with a chuckle, "What's the matter, brat? Can't heal yourself?"

After a few moments, the amulet's glow gradually faded. Sira scraped the floor with her fingers.

Tokio continued. "Getting killed by the emperor is better than getting killed by you."

Sira growled. He walked towards the shattered window, briefly pausing to grin back at her. "Don't think you'll be safe even for a second. The council won't let you live."

With those words, he jumped out of the window. Tokio saw Bose's body against the wall, his head down, unmoving. Tokio clenched his jaw and walked towards Bose. "Bose…" he murmured, looking down at him. Tokio placed a hand on Bose's head, closing his eyes briefly. "See you soon.." He turned around and walked away.

Sira groaned loudly. She screamed while repeatedly punching the ground until her knuckles bled. Despite the pain, she continued to punch and scream, her bloodied fingers clawing at the floor.

She was so exhausted, so hurt, so broken. Sira felt numb. Tears streamed down her face.

She despised her weakness for letting someone take Neith away. She wished she had killed Tokio. And yet…

Sighing heavily, her shoulders slumped. She felt drained. It hurt, her whole body hurt. She stared at Neith's staff, and then at the bones and ashes. She couldn't save Neith. She was always weak. Even after all her training, she never stopped being powerless.

The tears flowed faster. She buried her face in her arms. She reflected on the suffering, the hiding, all she endured, simply because it seemed easier..

She sobbed quietly. Nothing felt real and nothing seemed to matter anymore. Nothing at all.

Everything she loved and cared for was gone.

She tried to stand up again, stumbling on weak legs. But despite her weakness and pain, she still managed to walk towards the door. Slowly opening it, she stepped out into the compound. She staggered toward the ruined farm where Blu was. Blu, limping, approached her, meowing. Sira stroked the cat's head. "Blu…"

"I failed to protect you too".

Blu looked at her sadly and nuzzled her head. Sira closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out everything else. She wanted to kill those who had done this to her, to them.

The image of Neith lying lifeless haunted her. Overwhelmed, she collapsed to the ground and fainted.

*******

Emperor Luke stood on his balcony, deep in thoughts. His wife, Isobel, in her royal night attire, opened the big glass door and approached him, hugging him from behind. "My Lord, does that incident still bother you?" she whispered softly. The Emperor pulled her around to face him and gave her hand a gentle kiss. "I can't help it. The balance of our world is at risk, or worse, something greater might occur if I...." His wife put a finger on his lips, interrupting him. "No matter how dire the situation, nighttime is for rest, not worry." Emperor Luke sighed and removed her finger. "Yes, my love. You're right."

"I am. But i know you won't stop worrying. Please, try to relax." Empress Isobel pleaded, brows furrowed in worry. Emperor Luke mustered a smile and his wife gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night." she said and retired back to bed.

The emperor sighed and turned to see Tokio bowing before him. Emperor Luke looked at him from head to toe, taking notice of Tokio's injuries and his missing arm. He frowned. "Tch!" he said.

"Go on, tell me how you failed."

Tokio bowed lower, "Your Imperial Majesty. During our mission to eliminate the girl, we encountered another person with her, Neith." He said. Emperor Luke's expression turned pale when he heard Neith's name. "That woman is still alive!?" He bellowed. Tokio, still bowing, shook his head. "She was alive but I killed her. All that remains are ashes and bones." he responded. The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, hand on his chest. "Good job! Things could've gone terribly if she had survived. What about the girl?"

Tokio paused briefly before answering. "Despite trying our best, we couldn't get rid of her. Neith's involvement further complicated the situation. Bose and Dayle lost their lives, leaving me as the only survivor."

"I've heard enough." The emperor stopped him.

"You're aware of the consequences of failure, are you not?"

Tokio, maintaining his bow, replied. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I'm fully prepared to face death."

The emperor turned away from Tokio. "You served me well, Tokio." he said coldly.

Tokio smiled, then took out a dagger and slit his throat. He fell to the ground. The emperor turned and looked down at Tokio's body. He extended his hand and clenched it to a fist. Tokio's body sank into the ground and the ground covered up.

The emperor yelled and slammed his fist on the wall, causing a small crack. Emperor Luke gritted his teeth and stormed into his room.