the queens arrival
In a dark, shadowy place, two siblings stood facing each other. The air between them was thick with tension and unspoken history.
“How are you even talking to me right now? You’re dead, Griffin,” Natalia spat, her voice laced with disgust.
Griffin's cold, hollow eyes gleamed in the dim light, unfazed by her tone. “It doesn’t matter how, but to think you still side with those monkeys… it makes me sick to my core,” he sneered.
Natalia’s expression twisted with fury. “I want to kill our family. They made us what we are, made us suffer for their sick experiments.”
Griffin's lips curled into a wicked grin. “So in the end, you agree with them,” he taunted. “I can’t wait for Rex or those two girls to kill you.”
Natalia's eyes flared with anger, but before she could respond, the vision of her brother vanished, snapping her back into reality.
In the real world, Amber launched her spear toward Natalia, who swiftly blocked the attack with her whip. The force of the strike sent a jolt through her arm. “She’s quick! Trying to catch me off guard, huh?” Natalia thought, her eyes narrowing as she gripped her whip tighter.
Before Natalia could respond, an arrow whizzed through the air, slicing across her mouth with deadly precision. Blood sprayed as the arrow, fired by Baluka, hit its mark. But before the wound could even settle, Natalia’s lips healed, the flesh knitting together as though it had never been cut.
“You’ll pay for that,” Natalia growled, lashing her whip toward Baluka, who was already in motion.
“Sand Style: Sandstorm!” Baluka shouted, summoning a swirling vortex of sand that caught the whip midair, slowing its speed. The sandstorm raged, giving Baluka just enough time to dodge.
Seizing the opportunity, Amber charged forward. “Lightning Style: Lightning Blast,” she thought, swinging her spear fiercely. Sparks of electricity surged through the sandstorm, turning the grains into razor-sharp particles charged with violent energy. The storm ripped through Natalia’s body, shredding her flesh until only bones remained.
As the sandstorm settled, Amber noticed the eerie white flames surrounding Natalia’s neck. They danced protectively, shielding the vital area.
“Her flames are guarding her neck… that’s the only way to kill her,” Amber realized, her heart racing as she prepared for the next attack.
Suddenly, Natalia’s body began to regenerate rapidly. The white flames closed around her, restoring her skin and clothes. Within moments, she was whole again, more enraged than ever.
“You’re both dead!” Natalia roared, her whip morphing into a sword. The blade gleamed as she lunged at Amber with a murderous intent, swinging with all her strength.
Amber braced herself, spear raised to block the strike. The sheer power of the blow sent tremors through her arms, but she held her ground, gritting her teeth. Their weapons clashed, sparks flying, as the force of the impact created shockwaves.
Meanwhile, from a distance, Baluka was already drawing her bow, her arrows aimed with deadly precision. As Natalia kicked Amber away and mocked, “You have horrible aim!” Baluka simply smiled.
“I never miss,” she said confidently. Her arrow curved through the air, seemingly missing its mark—until it circled around a building and struck Natalia in the back with explosive force. Natalia’s body was shredded by the impact, leaving only her skeletal frame once again exposed.
The explosion sent Natalia stumbling right in front of Amber, who smirked as her spear crackled with energy.
“Lightning Style: Lightning Crash,” Amber thought. She swung her spear with full force, plunging it into Natalia’s chest. The spear surged with electricity, sending lightning coursing through Natalia’s body, frying it from the inside out.
The lightning blast knocked Natalia out cold.
"End this now!" Baluka yelled, her voice frantic.
Amber, spear raised high, was about to deliver the final blow, aiming to sever Natalia's head. But before the strike could land, a hand caught the blade mid-air. Both Amber and Baluka froze in shock, their gazes traveling up to see a woman standing before them, effortlessly holding the weapon.
"Who is she? And this presence... I'm so cold and scared right now," Amber thought, a chill running down her spine.
It was Luna.
"You disgust me," Luna said flatly, her voice devoid of emotion. Without a moment's hesitation, a laser beam shot out from Luna’s other hand, striking Amber directly in the head, followed swiftly by another aimed at Baluka. Both girls collapsed to the ground, their bodies hitting the dirt with a sickening thud.
Natalia stirred awake, her vision blurry but gradually focusing on Luna’s imposing figure.
"My queen, I didn’t notice you," Natalia said weakly, her voice filled with reverence.
"Be quiet," Luna replied, cutting her off. "I told you before, your body isn’t ready to handle the Yeager blood and your flux energy yet."
Natalia looked down, ashamed, but Luna’s attention had already shifted. "I didn’t kill those two," Luna continued, her tone matter-of-fact. "As soon as I grabbed the spear, the other one used her sand to create illusions. They’ve already escaped."
Far in the distance, Amber and Baluka were running for their lives, blood pounding in their ears.
"I almost died back there!" Amber yelled, her voice still trembling.
"Same! Her flux energy was so strong, it nearly killed me!" Baluka added, her face pale with fear.
Amber quickly activated her communicator, contacting Leon. "Leon, Luna’s here! Are you almost done?" she asked, desperation creeping into her voice.
"Almost. It's about to start, but you two need to get out of there. Get back to Tokyo, now!" Leon’s voice came through sharply.
"We’re not going to leave you behind!" Amber protested, her grip tightening on the communicator.
"That’s an order, Amber! Get out of here now! Ash is dead, and more Yeager ranks will be arriving any minute. Run!" Leon’s voice cracked with urgency.
Amber stood silent for a moment before reluctantly responding, "...Understood." She exchanged a look with Baluka, both of them nodding grimly before they turned and ran as fast as they could.
As Leon prepared for the next step, his communicator buzzed with an urgent call. "Rex?" he asked.
A frantic female voice responded instead. "WE NEED BACKUP!" she screamed.
"Who is this?" Leon asked, confused.
"Rex’s future wife—I mean his friend! We need backup now!" she yelled again, her panic clear.
"Understood. I’ve got your coordinates," Leon replied, quickly marking down their location.
Meanwhile, the air grew thick with an oppressive energy. Leon and Nur exchanged uneasy glances, both sensing the approaching danger.
"She’s... here," Leon muttered under his breath, his heart racing.
"Leon, start up the portal!" Nur yelled, eyes wide with urgency.
"Nur, jump through now!" Leon commanded, frantically working the controls.
"Understood!" Nur called back, sprinting toward the portal just as its glowing light began to dissipate. But as the light vanished, the dark hallway beyond revealed something far more terrifying—Luna, standing right in front of Nur, her eyes cold and unforgiving.
The hallway was plunged into a suffocating silence, broken only by the soft echo of Luna’s footsteps as she slowly advanced.