The world outside the orphange was quiet and calm but inside the walls of the rophange was like really a differ world which don't match the vive of outside.
"Hey! What are you doing, Leo? Do it fast. You know they will come soon" Juliet scolded Leo, though there was tension a warmth in her voice than rudeness.
She and Leo were preparing the door with lanterns of fire.
"I am doing it, yeah? So please stop ordering me Juliet. And don't forget, i am a year elder than you, so call me brother instead of using my name".
"Yeah, yeah. If you didn't had fire magic then i never asked you for it" she breathed, shaking her head.
"What you just said" Leo asked, filding his hands now, gaze locked to her.
"Oh Leo, stop scaring her with those scariest eyes of yours"Julian chortled, a kitten on his hand, sleeping peacefully.
"It would've been a little helpful if, instead of playing around with your Marma, you had actually given me a hand". Leo drawled, while Juliet were exchanging glances with Sofia.
'These two! They start again. I am going now' Juliet said to Sofia.
'I also don't want to watch them like this. But do you realize something?' Sofia asked instead.
'What?'
'Your `Telepathic´ power, it's improving and i could hear you clearly this time. It's a kind of impressive'. Sofia admitted,watching Leo and Juliam debating on their words.
"Hey you two! Can't you stay silent so a second. Do your task fast or i will have to do it myself?" Alaric growled, carrying a basket of rice in his hand.
"Alaric, some people never understand, how many times you try, though they don't have mind even to understand" Theo smirked.
"Julian, stop playing with your kitten or i woll lock you inside the dark room for a whole day" Alaric threaten him.
"Oh big bro, he is not a kitten, call him Marma" Julian purred.
"Giving him name doesn't mean he is not a kitten" Matteo shake his head, chortled at Julian.
'See, all fools are here. I don't understand of the boys' Juliet drawled, her hand on her temple now.
"What's happening here? Why she much noise is coming?" Sister Isabel asked, a basin of food on her hand.
"I think these children needs treatment again, don't you-
Mia stopped mid sentence, sensing the shift in the air. "Something powerful is coming-".
The front door craked open, revealing a group of powerful Monsters and Demons.
Mia was the one first, standing between the Monsters and the children, while sister Isabel, Fiona, Evelyn and Matilda were after her-a feet away, covering the children's.
"Where are the chosen one?" The leader of the group hissed.
"No one is here you looking for!" Sister Mia snapped. Hands already in position to strike.
"I want them at any cost. Give them to us simply, or-
The demons charged.
Sister Matilda was first to charge, used wind deflection to push a demon back. Sister Fiona used Scent thread to makes the surrounding calm. Sister Evelyn used barrier roots, to block the path of the demons but the leader was powerful to broke the barrier with just an attack.
Lina gasped, while Elena and Sofia made a water barrier to stop an attack from a monster, growing towards them. Leo used his cast a spell to trap a demon and Julian nodded to Marma, he release Aether, binding his with Marma's and Marma's size grew into a giant and then Marma gulped the monster.
"These children" the leader snorted in amusement, "but they can't survive today" he quipped, lips curled into a smirk as he watched them.
"Before that, I swear, as long as I draw my breath, I will never let you lay a hand on them. If you wish to test me-then come forward!"
She bit her thumb until blood welled, then smeared it across her palm in a jagged circlem. The rune flared a deep green. Slamming her hand against the ground, she whispered, "Awaken".
The earth cracked. From the fissures crawled swarms-centipedes with bodies as thick as tree trunks, locusts with wings like glass blades, and a mantis towering into cavern roof. Their bodies twisted, warped by her Aether, condensing into a humanoid form:a colossal insect puppet, towering, faceless, limbs sharp as scythes. It's chitinous shell gleamed like blade steel.
"So this is your powers, huh? Impressive".
Never misunderstood your enemy by weakness, and never betray your friends on the battlefield" Sister Mia answered.
The leader snorted. With one swing of it's molten hammer-fist, the cavern floor splintered, throwing her back. The puppet lurched forward, intercepting the blow. The impact thundered, cracking its carapace but holding.
Sister Mia staggered to her feet, wiping blood from her mouth.
"Mia!" Sister Isabel shouted, but Sister Mia lifted her hand, stopping her "I am fine. Take care of yourself and the children".
Her eyes glowed faintly, pupils narrowing to insect slits as she reached deeper into her bond. She whispered in a language that hissed and clicked, and the swarms responded-beetles and spiders crawling into the puppet's cracks, stitching the wounds, reinforcing it's shell.
The leader snarled and raised it's barrier-a shimmering field of violet flame. She knew what that meant:her deadliest technique, injecting venom through her swarms, would fail. Still, she smirked.
On the other side, A demon attacked on Sister Fiona but she blocked in time with her leaf Armor and while her bird mimic a growling sound to distract the demon and sister Isabela's Alve cage the demon in wall of leave, absorbing his Aether and then Theo plunged his air on the demons neck, tearing him apart.
"You think your barrier makes you untouchable? Then bleed by my hands instead".
Sister Mia darted forward, unnaturally fast, shadows of wings fluttering at her back as if the insects lent her their speed. The puppet mirrored her movements, scythe-arms slicing through the cavern. The Leader blocked one strike with it's fiery shield, but the second scythe cut deep into it's shoulder, spraying molten ichor. The leader bellowed, swiping the puppet aside.
Seizing her chance, she whistled sharply. Tiny gnats slipped past the cracks of the monster's flaming shield, invisible in the chaos. They crept towards it's ears, it's nostrils. Her lips curled into a grin.
The leader demon roared again, clutching its head. Not enough to poison it fully-but enough to distract, enough to weaken.
She pressed her palm together, voice low and venomous: "shatter him, venom veins".
The puppet surged once more, slamming both scythe-arm down in a final, crushing blow. The demon caught them-barely. The cavern quaked, dust raining down. The two forces locked, neither yielding.
Her knees buckled, sweet pouring down her face. Her bond strained;blood dripped from her nose. She knew it-she wasn't stronger than him but she could outlast him-she has to-because every life in this orphange is her responsibility-because she is the strongest among them.
As the last of her swarm gnawed through the monster's barrier from below, the puppet's blade sank deep into it's chest. The demon roar turned into a gurge. The light in it's eyes turned dimmed. Sister Mia just took a breath of relief and fell to her knee when she suddenly shouted.
"Sister Isabel, now!".
Sister Isabel didn't understood that why suddenly Sister Mia commanded but she knew about Mia's instinct and it never lie.
Sister Isabel turned to the children and cast a spell "Camouf range"and the children turned into plants within seconds and that's when the demon's head cut off from his body and a beast appeared on the door.
Mia already knew that something powerful is coming near, but didn't think it would came too fast.
'My insects couldn't even detect when he came here. He is too fast but more than that... his aura, it's too powerful and consuming that it's even consuming my Aether. I can't... i can't stand now. The gravity of his aura... it's too much for me to handle' Sister Mia thought.
A insect said "He is blind, he could only attack when he detect your Aether but you can't use it because one step, one motion…and you would die".
"But what i do-
The beast crushed the spider suddenly under his feet.
Mia was startled but could for long because the beast lift her through her neck into the air. She was struggling for air but could but then Matilda attacked on the beast but least out by killing from his hand.
The children again turn into their normal form and with a single slash of his black sword, he killed all of them.
Mia cough for air while the beast were again turning to her but Fiona distract him with the mimic of footsteps but the beast caught her; he could saw Aether than believing in sounds. The beast throw Fiona on the far wall and blood gushed from her mouth, and the spine of her backbone broke by the attack.
First time sister Isabel and Sister Evelyn felt fear. Their hands were shaking from fear. They knew they can't defeat him, they can't escape him but when they blink, the next second, the Beast already cutted them off into half.
'So, his powers grew from fear' Sister Mia thought, still struggling for air.
The beast clapped and the whole orphanage were on fire.
Outside of the Orphanage, Maria, Miata and Nora saw the orphange on fire.
"What's happening? How... how could this even be real" Maria whispered, rushing inside the orphange, Miata and Maria following her.
When they entered the door, they saw fell monsters on the ground, Sister Isabel, Evelyn and Matilda already dead, while Sister Mia and Sophia injured on the ground and before them was a beast.
"Sister Mia" Maria gasped.
Sister Fiona's and Mia's eyes fell to them. And Sister Fiona said "Use it, now!".
Sister Mia nodded, casting a spell while the beast caught her by throat again but this time she didn't struggled but only focused on the spell and the beast throw her on the wall and her last Aether finished with the spell and she slowly closed her eyes with a smile while sister Fiona cried. A portal open to Maria Miata and Nora consuming them inside and when it open again, revealed a quiet forest.
Maria fell to her knees, still in shocked and fear. She it the ground that hard that her fingers start bleading. Miata grabbed her arm, and whispered "don't blame yourself" where Nora was already crying.
Then, watching down to her hands, she sobbed " I...I promised them. I swore I'd protect them, that I'd never leave their side but-"
Her voice cracks, breath hitching "-but I just... watched. Watched them die right in front of me. Their blood... it's all burned into me. And me? I couldn't even move. My legs gave out, my body shook, and all I could do was... step back. Step back-like a coward".
Her hands trembled, clenching uselessly at nothing. "Why am I so weak? Why... why couldn't I save them-didn't? What use is a promise... when I couldn't even take a single step forward?"
"Don't...don't cry" Miata murmured, though her own tears were falling.