Just Extra

The air got heavy. It felt thick, like it was full of power waiting to burst. The two-element wolf planted its big feet firmly on the broken ground. Its whole body became a spinning center of energy. The left side, blue and cold, glowed with a sharp, icy light. The right side, red and hot, burned with deep, angry fire. Steam rose from the line down its spine—the place where fire and ice met. It hissed and spit like a hot stone dropped into water.

The beast lowered its head. Its mouth opened wide. Inside, you could see teeth—half made of ice, half made of fire. Deep in its throat, a dangerous mix of blue and red energy swirled together. It formed a ball of pure destruction. This was its last attack. It was putting everything it had into this one hit.

Selira saw what was coming. Her face was already pale from pain and blood loss. Now it turned even whiter. She knew she could not run away. Her hurt leg would not let her move fast enough. Her only chance was to stand and face the attack. She had to hope her defense would hold.

With a look of strong will in her eyes, she reached for her storage ring. Her fingers moved fast. She pulled out not one, but three talismans. They were all the same—thick paper with silver symbols drawn in complex lines. These were her best defensive talismans. She saved them for when things got truly bad. This was that time.

She did not use them one after another. She used all three at once. She spoke the command words quickly, almost gasping for breath. The talismans burned up in her hand. They turned into silver dust that blew away in the wind.

In front of her, three thick white walls of energy appeared out of nowhere. They stood side by side. Each one glowed with a strong, safe light. They were semi-transparent, like thick ice, but they felt solid and strong. They were the strongest shield she could make.

Just in time.

The wolf let go of its gathered power.

A huge beam of mixed fire and ice shot from its mouth. It was not smooth or clean. Fire and ice fought each other as they traveled. Fire wanted to grow and burn everything. Ice wanted to shrink and freeze everything. The result was a twisting, screaming column of pure destruction. It tore across the space between them.

The attack hit the first white wall.

The wall held for just one heartbeat. Its light shone bravely against the storm. Then it cracked. Lines spread across its surface like broken glass. With a sound like shattering crystal, the first wall broke into a thousand pieces of fading light.

The beam, now a little smaller but still very strong, hit the second wall.

This wall lasted longer. It pushed back against the attack. Its energy tried to take in the force and calm it down. For two full seconds, it held. Selira watched with wide eyes. A small hope grew in her chest. Then the second wall also failed. It exploded into a shower of white sparks. The fire and ice ate them up fast.

The beam, now only half its original size but still deadly, struck the third and final wall.

This was her last defense. Selira put all her remaining strength into it. She poured the last drops of her universal essence into the talisman's power. The third wall glowed brighter. It stood firm against the attack. Fire licked at its surface. Ice tried to freeze it solid.

For three long seconds, it looked like it might hold.

Then cracks appeared in the middle. They raced to the edges fast. With a final, groaning sound, the last wall broke apart.

The weakened but still dangerous beam hit Selira full in the chest.

The force lifted her off her feet. It threw her backwards through the air. She landed hard on a patch of smooth ice twenty meters away. Her body slid another ten meters before stopping. Smoke rose from her chest where the fire had burned her clothes and skin. At the same time, frost spread across her arms and chest where the ice energy had touched her.

She did not move.

High on the hill, Minerva's hand tightened into a fist. "Now," she said, her voice sharp and clear. "Attack the beast. It has used everything. It will not see you coming."

Naviga did not need to be told twice. She was already moving.

Her foot technique, the Phantom Moon Steps, started without a sound. She seemed to flow down the hill instead of running. Her body became a blur. In her hand, her sword, Black Death, appeared. The dark metal looked like it drank the light around it.

The wolf was tired. Its sides heaved with big, slow breaths. Its head hung low. The glow in its eyes was dim. It had put all its energy into that last attack. Now it was weak. Its body was drained. It did not hear Naviga come from behind. It did not feel death approaching.

Naviga reached the beast in seconds. She did not shout. She did not cry out. She was silent—a shadow of death. She jumped high, using the last of her Phantom Moon Steps to get height. Then she fell onto the wolf's back. Her sword pointed down.

Black Death pierced the exact spot on the wolf's spine where fire and ice met—the same spot Selira had hurt with her whip. The sword went in deep, through fur, skin, and muscle, until it found the beast's core.

The wolf screamed. It was a terrible sound—full of pain and surprise. It tried to twist around. It tried to throw her off. But the sword in its spine made it too weak to move well.

At that same moment, Minerva acted.

She ran down the hill. Her own sword was already in her hand. Scorching Tyrant glowed with a fierce, red light. As she ran, she gathered her fire energy. The air around her wavered with heat. She reached the struggling beast just as Naviga pulled her sword free and jumped back.

Minerva did not stab. She swung her sword in a wide, horizontal arc. A wave of pure fire energy flew from the blade. It was not loose flame. It was a focused slash of heat. It hit the wolf in the same wounded area.

The fire met the exposed ice and fire inside the beast's body.

The reaction was fast and violent.

The wolf's body stiffened. Its fire side blazed with sudden, wild heat. Its ice side flashed with cold so deep it burned. The two warring elements inside it, now without the beast's will to control them, turned against each other.

The creature thrashed on the ground. Its legs kicked uselessly at the air. A gurgling sound came from its throat. Its eyes—one blue, one red—lost their focus. For a brief second, its gaze found Naviga and Minerva. There was no thought in that look. Only deep, animal pain. Then the light in its eyes went out.

The great body went still.

The fire on its right side flickered and died. It left behind blackened, smoking fur. The ice on its left side melted away. It showed wet, blue skin. The strange duality that had made it special was gone. It was just a large, dead wolf.

For a moment, the only sounds were the crackle of dying flames and the hiss of melting ice.

Then Naviga was running towards Selira's still form.

She knelt beside the young girl. Selira was unconscious. Her breathing was shallow and quick. The front of her combat suit was burned away. Red, blistered skin showed beneath. Over this, a thin layer of frost clung stubbornly. It made the injury look even worse. Naviga checked for a pulse at her neck. It was there. Weak and fluttering, but it was there.

Naviga took a healing potion from her own storage ring. It was a high-quality one. A deep blue liquid in a glass vial. She uncorked it with her teeth. Gently, she lifted Selira's head with one hand. With the other, she poured the potion into her mouth.

Most of the liquid went in. Selira coughed weakly, but swallowed automatically.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, a faint red glow started to come from Selira's skin. It was especially bright around her worst injuries. It was her Bloodfire Element. It woke up because of the healing potion and her body's desperate need to live. The glow focused on the burned and frozen flesh on her chest. Slowly, very slowly, the blisters seemed to shrink a little. The red color of the burn faded to a healthier pink. The frost melted away completely. It left behind wet skin.

The healing was slow, but it was working. Her own power was fighting to keep her alive.

Minerva walked up. Her sword was now stored away. She looked down at Selira. Her face showed no emotion. "She is strong," Minerva said quietly. "Her bloodline power is active even while she is unconscious. She will live."

Naviga nodded. "Indeed Miss, We should wait for her to wake up. We cannot move her like this. The healing needs time to work."

She carefully slid her arms under Selira's shoulders and knees. The girl was light. Naviga lifted her without effort. She held her securely against her chest. Selira's head lolled against Naviga's shoulder. Her black hair stood out sharply against the white of Naviga's dress.

They walked away from the battlefield. They left the dead wolf behind. They returned to the high spot on the hill where they had watched the fight. It was a safer place. It gave them a good view of the land around them. If more danger came, they would see it.

Naviga sat down. She leaned her back against a large, smooth rock. She arranged Selira so the girl's head rested in her lap. She made her as comfortable as possible. The red glow of Selira's bloodline healing kept pulsing softly. It was a small beacon of life in the quiet, cold world.

Minerva stood watch. Her eyes scanned the ice fields and distant trees. The world was quiet now. The loud, violent sounds of battle were gone. All that remained was the soft whisper of the wind over ice.

The only movement was the slow, steady rise and fall of Selira's chest as she breathed. And the faint, healing light that played over her wounds.

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