The eastern quarter of Alexandria was chaos wrapped in smoke.
Fires burned where the monsters had torn through the market stalls, their claws setting timber aflame as though the wood itself feared them. Sparks leapt from collapsed homes, drifting upward into a sky hidden by thick black smoke. The moonlight was gone, swallowed whole, and only the flicker of torches and the hellish glow of burning streets gave shape to the nightmare.
The women of Alexandria—sword and shield warriors all—fought with unyielding courage, their armor battered and dented, their shields locked as they tried to form ranks against the tide. They were veterans of discipline and tradition, raised to protect their kingdom, but tonight the monsters were endless.
Their shields splintered. Their swords dulled. Their bodies bled.
And through the smoke, cries of the wounded filled the alleys. Soldiers dragged themselves across the stones, their blood leaving trails behind them. Civilians clung to one another in corners, their prayers drowned by the roars of beasts.
---
A young soldier lay on her back in the shadow of a broken wall. Her sword lay shattered beside her, her shield crushed beneath the weight of the enemy she had barely turned aside. Her chest heaved, her hands pressed against the wound tearing across her side. Warm blood seeped through her fingers. Her vision dimmed.
This is where I stop… she thought, despair curling in her chest like ice.
Then—light.
Soft, green, warm.
At first, she thought it was the moon breaking through the smoke, but no—it moved, glowing like a star carried on two gentle hands. A figure knelt beside her, chestnut hair falling across her face as she leaned in, staff glowing bright enough to chase the shadows away.
"Hold still," the woman said softly, her voice calm and steady, even amid the chaos.
The soldier felt warmth seep through her body. The pain dulled, the bleeding slowed. Her ragged breaths became steady, her wound knitting closed as if time itself had reversed.
She gasped, blinking up at her savior. "Who… who are you…?"
The woman smiled faintly, kindness shining in her green eyes. "Aerith. Now rest. You've still got life in you."
And with that, the despair faded.
---
But the light drew predators.
A roar split the air. A hulking beast barreled forward, its maw wide, its claws gleaming in the torchlight. It charged straight at Aerith, eyes locked on the glow of her staff.
The soldier tried to scream a warning, but her voice caught in her throat. No—she'll be killed—
Steel rang out like a bell.
Another figure appeared in front of Aerith, his blade intercepting the monster's strike. Sparks exploded as sword met claw. He was older, his armor battered, his face lined with years of battle, but his stance was unbreakable.
He shoved the beast back with a roar of his own. "Focus on your work, lass! I'll keep them off you!"
Aerith nodded without fear. "I trust you, Galuf."
---
The two moved as if they had always fought side by side.
Galuf's sword cleaved through the night, every strike pushing back the tide. His shield slammed into beasts with bone-breaking force, keeping them from ever reaching Aerith. Where his age showed in staggering steps, his determination burned all the brighter.
Behind him, Aerith glowed brighter with every life she touched. Her staff shimmered with barriers of light that wrapped the wounded, healing their cuts, sealing their broken bones, and turning despair into hope.
A soldier who had collapsed moments before gasped as her broken arm straightened under Aerith's magic. She staggered to her feet, her eyes wide.
"She gave me back my strength," she whispered, voice cracking.
Another soldier, shield raised beside Galuf, shouted, "And he fights like his life's worth less than hers. He protects her like she's the only thing keeping us alive."
---
The civilians hiding along the walls saw it too.
A mother held her daughter close, both trembling, soot streaking their faces. The girl's wide eyes fixed on Aerith, who knelt glowing like a star in the dark.
"Mama," the girl whispered. "She looks like a flower."
Her mother nodded faintly, tears running down her cheeks. "And that man—he's the thorn that keeps the flower safe."
---
The monsters pressed harder, drawn to Aerith's light. Dozens roared together, charging in a wave that rattled the stones. Their claws scraped sparks from the cobblestones as they hurtled forward.
Galuf spat blood from a cut across his cheek, raising his sword high despite his trembling arms. His voice bellowed like thunder, echoing across the eastern streets.
"Come on, then! If you want her, you'll have to go through me!"
The soldiers around him, battered and exhausted, felt the fire reignite in their chests. They slammed their shields together, forming ranks again.
"For Alexandria!" they roared.
---
Aerith lifted her staff, her voice calm but unshakable. "Fight knowing you're not alone. I'm with you."
A barrier shimmered outward, wrapping around the soldiers in a dome of light. The monsters struck with claws and fangs, but their blows shattered harmlessly against the magic.
The soldiers gasped in awe. "She's shielding us!"
"Strike back! Push them!"
Their voices rose, their swords flashing as they drove the beasts back with renewed fury.
---
Galuf laughed through the smoke and blood. "That's it! Show them your teeth, girls!" His blade sang as it cut down two beasts in a single sweep. His shield rang like iron as it intercepted another blow.
Behind him, Aerith's staff flared brighter, her magic reinforcing his stance, her presence a calm that steadied his fury.
"Still with me, lass?" he called.
Aerith looked up, her smile radiant even in the night's despair. "Always."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Then I'll keep swinging until this old body breaks."
---
The young soldier Aerith had saved earlier rose to her feet, her sword steady, her heart burning. She raised her voice until it carried across the street.
"For them! For Alexandria!"
Her cry spread like fire through dry grass.
"For them!" others echoed.
"For Alexandria!"
The eastern district shook with their defiance.
---
From the alleys, wounded soldiers staggered to their feet, gripping swords they thought they'd never lift again. Civilians pressed closer, no longer cowering but staring wide-eyed at the sight before them:
A woman who healed the broken with light.
An old warrior who refused to let the darkness touch her.
Together, they turned despair into hope.
---
High above, Sirius stood at the deck of the Aetherveil, his arms folded as his gaze followed the threads below. Aerith's thread glowed like a flower in bloom, radiant and delicate but strong. Galuf's thread was weathered, frayed at the edges, but steady as stone, woven tightly with hers.
"This is their gift," Sirius murmured. "Hope. One heals. One shields. And together, they remind the people that the night can be survived."
---
The monsters faltered, their charge broken by renewed shields and glowing wards. The civilians moved safely behind the lines. The wounded stood again, voices raised in defiance.
The eastern quarter of Alexandria still burned—but it had not fallen.
---
By the time the tide slowed, the people of Alexandria carried the memory burned into their hearts:
The staff that healed.
The thorn that guarded.
Aerith and Galuf—the light and thorn of Alexandria.