Iris was soaring through the sky, unleashing a barrage of flames upon Jevan, who blocked them with the massive blade of wave blade. Fireballs rained down from above.

Jevan sent a flurry of water blades at her, but she waved her hand and they vanished instantly. He tried calling her name, but as always, there was no response.

She kept flying, releasing fire wildly, her eyes overflowing with tears that evaporated before they could touch her cheeks. She didn't want to hurt Jevan. She tried to resist, but her body no longer obeyed her commands.

Jevan tried to use water to lessen the flames' intensity, but it was pointless.

His muscles began to weaken, his bones too, yet thanks to his Authority his body was healing rapidly. He looked up at the sky, at the blazing wings carrying Iris higher, and a reckless thought struck him. "If she can fly with wings of fire, maybe I can fly with wings of water."

He focused his strength and raised Wave blade. Water surged from the blade, wrapping around his body, slowly shaping into wings of water. The next moment, he shot upward into the sky.

Jevan darted like an arrow toward Iris, who responded by charging down at him. She formed a spear of fire and struck. Wave blade blade clashed with the spear in a fleeting instant.

Jevan was knocked slightly back, but Iris gave him no time to recover. She hurled a series of fiery spears at him. Jevan swung his sword swiftly, deflecting them all, but a sudden strike slipped past his guard and sent him crashing violently to the ground.

He fell, yet quickly rose again, summoning a water vortex and launching it at her. Iris retaliated with a massive burst of fire, and the two attacks collided in the skies above.

Below, behind one of the buildings, Lionel Gray was watching in silence. His face was grim, unable to hide his concern. This battle was entirely outside the scenario given to him by the Sixth. A clash of this scale was never supposed to happen. And Jevan was never supposed to be here at all.

Lionel had undone the seal of the system piece Wave blade, assuming Jevan wouldn't withstand the consequences, that he would collapse under the pain. Yet Jevan not only survived, but wielded the weapon as though he had been using it for years.

Wave blade was no ordinary piece it was one of the higher tier ones, requiring extreme compatibility and long experience to master. The irony was that, according to Lionel's information, Jevan had never wielded any system piece before.

He knew his presence here would inevitably draw the attention of the Bureau of Investigation. They were probably already on their way. The thought of fleeing crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. If he ran, the Sixth would turn him into the protagonist of his next play and protagonists in his plays never met happy endings.

So he had no choice but to stay and watch in silence, hoping the fight would end soon.

***

At the Bureau of Public Investigation.

Inspector Cornelius Wright received an urgent assignment in the Lower District, after traces of an Authority battle suddenly appeared there. Normally, the Bureau didn't bother with such incidents. Battles between Inheritors were common in that area it was practically their safe haven.

But this time was different. The traces pointed to a conflict of at least level six in severity.

The mission should have gone to Inspector Edward Graves, but he had yet to return from his last case investigating the village where the inhabitants lost their minds and began slaughtering one another.

Cornelius slipped on his gloves, assembled a squad of elite forces, and headed straight to the Lower District.

***

Jevan staggered back under the rain of flames from above, then launched forward again, wrapped in a watery barrier as he tried to break through the fire encasing Iris.

But as he drew closer, the flames around her expanded, blasting him away. He crashed to the ground, but rose once more. His body was deteriorating rapidly, his Authority barely able to mend the damage inflicted by wielding Wave blade.

Meanwhile, the flames surrounding Iris swelled, taking the shape of a phoenix soaring in the sky. Yet Jevan didn't retreat. He gathered what little strength he had left and pushed forward again, charging into the inferno.

The fiery waves shoved him back, but he pressed on. His watery wings were disintegrating, his skin peeling. Still, he refused to stop.

Iris saw him, utterly helpless to intervene. When she saw him wielding Wave blade, every remaining shred of doubt in her vanished. This was surely the masked man who had once saved her. And now, it seemed she would be the cause of his death.

Rage welled up inside her at herself, at Valentine who had caused all this. Her flames surged even stronger, forcing Jevan back again. But he soon returned, his body aflame, yet moving forward.

For the first time in months, Jevan felt true pain a pain that pierced his bones and reached his soul. Even so, he didn't stop. It wasn't the will of the original Jevan… or maybe it was? For a moment, the thought crossed his mind that perhaps she had known the original Jevan. But he quickly cast it aside. It didn't matter. What mattered was not letting her burn before his eyes.

He pressed closer, pushing through the fire until Iris was only a few meters away. She launched a fireball at him, but he didn't block it. He couldn't. It struck him directly, yet he kept flying until he reached her.

She prepared to strike again, but when her eyes met his scorched face and weary gaze, she froze. She couldn't attack. She couldn't even move.

He drew closer and said,

"Wish for survival, Iris."

She tried to speak but couldn't. At last, after several attempts, she whispered hoarsely,

"I wish to survive."

Several seconds passed, nothing happened. Jevan let out an empty laugh, then muttered,

"That's why I hate gambling."

In that moment, the last trace of hope left his chest. He could no longer retreat his body was in ruins. If he tried to pierce through her fiery barrier again, nothing would remain of him but ash. He accepted fully that survival was no longer an option. This time, death was certain.

He turned to Iris, sighed, and spoke in a weary voice,

"Do you have any last wish? Before we burn? Say it, who knows? Maybe a miracle will grant it."

When she didn't answer, he continued,

"And preferably something simple."

Then Iris managed to say faintly,

"I wish you would stay alive."

A scorched smile curved Jevan's lips as he replied,

"I said a simple wish, and I also said it should be for yourself, not for someone else."

Silence hung for a moment before Iris murmured,

"I wish not to die burning."

Jevan couldn't respond immediately. He looked down at Wave blade in his hand, studying it quietly, before finally saying,

"I think I can grant you that wish."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.