So… this is how it ends.

It's sad…

Very, very sad.

Ayu felt his embrace, his arms holding her tightly. At least she had this in her final moments.

She had sent him everything she wanted to say and show, hoping it would ease his pain. But… he still wanted to push through, still clinging to some desperate hope.

She mused about a miracle. It would be nice…

She truly wanted to live those memories she had sent him. She wanted to see her father again back on Earth, to laugh with her uncle Weng. There was so much she still wanted to do. So many dreams. But alas… fate seemed to have other plans.

Then, she sensed it—a wave from him. His intent was clear: magnetize her gauntlets and push upward.

Confusion flickered through her. She knew how little she could pull up—it was nowhere near enough to lift even her own weight, let alone make a difference here.

But… she complied. There was nothing to lose. They might as well give it everything they had.

She focused hard, channeling her waves, directing all her strength into her gauntlets. She pushed upward with everything she had. The effort strained her, but she felt it—the shift.

They were still falling, but the downward pull weakened slightly. The force dragging them into the void lessened.

But it wasn't enough. It was still far—far from being enough.

But as her thoughts dampened and hope seemed lost, she felt his body—it was growing hotter. Alonso's body now burned like pure fire, enveloping her in an even tighter embrace.

Her arms were pressed against his so hard she nearly had to grit her teeth. She was about to send him a signal to loosen his grip when…

Something changed. Something shifted dramatically.

This intensity…

Even though the waves he was generating weren't directed at her, she could feel their aftermath. It was like a massive vortex of pulses converging in his gauntlets. It was… incredible.

And suddenly, she felt it—they were no longer accelerating downward. No… they were slowing.

Her mouth fell open in astonishment. What is happening?

She didn't understand. Why does Alonso feel like fire? Why are his waves so powerful?

But they kept slowing… and slowing.

And then… they stopped.

For a heartbeat, the world froze.

Suspended. Mid-air.

They floated in what felt like a dark, endless sea, the jagged edges of the falling land below barely visible. Above them, a hole in the darkness revealed the sky, distant and impossibly far, like a beacon of light.

Around them, the jellyfish swirled, a vortex of ghostly forms converging from every direction, their luminous tendrils undulating like waves, closing in.

Just the two of them—weightless, holding on to each other.

Flying.

Her focus faltered briefly, and for an instant, she felt the downward pull return. But she snapped out of it, steeling herself, and pushed upward with everything she had.

And then… they began to rise.

Slowly at first, but the pace steadily increased.

It's incredible!

Alonso was flying!

Her emotions flipped entirely, a rush of exhilaration sweeping over her, even as a small smile tugged at her lips. She pushed upward with all her strength, determined to help him.

They were truly flying upward!

There was hope!

She wanted to turn, to meet his eyes, to tell him just how incredible he was.

But no—no distractions. She gritted her teeth, her resolve hardening. If they made it out of this alive, she would let everything she was holding back pour out then.

Slowly, they kept rising, but the jellyfish were closing in. Closer and closer.

One thought consumed her. Will we make it in time?

They were flying faster now, the hole above growing larger. For a fleeting moment, hope surged in her chest. Maybe… maybe we'll make it.

But then she saw it.

The first tentacle of a jellyfish lashed out toward them.

She panicked, trying to move to defend him, but his grip was too strong. She couldn't move a muscle.

And yet… her body knew. That tentacle wasn't going to hit her. She didn't understand why—it was clearly coming for her.

Then they spun sharply in the air. Alonso's back faced the tentacle, taking the full brunt of the strike.

The shock surged through him, the crackle of electricity lingering in the air.

She screamed, her voice raw and broken.

Why! Just leave me! Please!

The pain she felt was worse than anything that could have hit her. She would have taken a hundred blows for him. No… please no.

But he didn't flinch.

He just kept going. Pushing upward. Faster.

He got out of range of that jellyfish, but there was another one above them, ready to strike.

CRACK!

He turned again, shielding her, taking the full force of the blow.

Let me go! You can fly faster! Live! Please…

Ayu couldn't take it anymore. The suffering was too much. Her throat burned raw from her cries.

All she could do was keep pushing upward and sobbing, watching the man she loved more than anything take blow after blow.

Why… why is the world so cruel?

But he didn't stop. Strike after strike, he endured, pushing them higher and higher, gaining more speed with every agonizing second.

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Ayu could no longer see clearly, her vision blurred with tears. Everything was hazy. Her entire world had narrowed to one thing: pushing upward.

Seconds passed. She kept pushing. Kept sobbing.

And then… something shifted.

She blinked, her blurry vision making it hard to focus. Was it real? An illusion from so much crying?

She looked up.

There it was…

The sky.

Her breath hitched. No more jellyfish. No more dark void. Just… the blue sky.

Her red, tear-streaked eyes widened. Her body froze for a moment, waves faltering slightly.

We… we… did it?

The sky… it was… beautiful.

He… he had done it. He had held her in his arms… and flown. He had flown to the skies and saved her.

Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Only tears.

Then suddenly, she felt it—they were falling.

Alonso?!

Her heart raced as she pushed upward and to the side with all her strength, trying to stabilize them.

But then she noticed—they were already angled toward solid ground.

He planned it. Even in this state, he had made sure they would land safely.

But… he was coming down too fast.

She pushed harder, but there was only so much she could do against gravity. Moments later, they crashed hard into the ground.

Dust exploded around them, and she tumbled across the terrain, rolling to a stop. Her body was drenched in sweat, her skin burned slightly. But she didn't care.

She scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward him.

He was lying motionless on the ground.

"Alonso!!" she screamed.

Her voice cracked as she reached him. His mask was shattered, pieces scattered around him, and for the first time, she saw his face.

It was covered in blood, streaming from everywhere. His eyes were unfocused and milky white, blood seeping from them, his nose, and his ears. His skin radiated heat, smoke rising from his body, the acrid smell of burnt flesh filling her nose.

She fell to her knees and cradled his head in her hands. She shouted his name again, desperate, but he didn't react. He didn't move. She couldn't even feel his breath.

Her trembling hands tore away the remnants of his mask and battered armor, revealing the damage beneath. His back was a horrific mess—jagged, grotesque slashes crisscrossed his skin, blood dried around them, while the flesh was charred from the electrical strikes of the jellyfish.

Her tears fell uncontrollably as she held him closer. No… no, please… not like this.

She pressed her ear to his chest, desperate to hear something—anything. But there was nothing. No sound. No heartbeat.

Her breath hitched as panic surged through her. Her tears fell harder, her vision blurring as her hands trembled.

"No… no…"

She cried out, her voice cracking, but she didn't stop.

With shaking hands, she placed them on his chest and pushed downward, hard.

Again.

And again.

"Come on… Alonso…"

Her sobs wracked her body, but her hands kept moving. She pushed with everything she had, her tears dripping onto his bloodied skin.

She tilted his head back, gasping as she pinched his nose and pressed her lips to his, forcing her breath into his lungs.

Then she went back, her palms slamming into his chest.

One. Two. Three…

She counted in her head, the world around her fading.

Please… please…

But nothing came.

Her sobs grew louder. Why… why…

She kept pushing, kept repeating the procedure, her movements frantic, desperate. But still, nothing.

Then, she sensed it—the massive jellyfish emerging from the gaping hole in the ground. Their glowing forms loomed, their presence suffocating.

She gritted her teeth, wiping her tears with a trembling hand. She bent down and carefully lifted Alonso, pulling his limp arms over her shoulders and gripping them tightly across her chest.

She crouched low, securing his weight as his chest pressed against her back. Wrapping her arms around his legs to stabilize him, she braced herself.

He was heavy—his body felt like lead—but it didn't matter.

Her knees threatened to buckle, but she forced herself up, gritting her teeth against the strain.

She started running, her breaths ragged. The jellyfish grew closer, their ominous glow casting eerie shadows around her.

She didn't care. She had to make it out. She had to get him out. She had to escape the Riftflow.

But as she ran, she realized she was too slow. They were gaining on her. She wouldn't make it in time.

She pushed herself harder, every muscle screaming as she screamed at herself, Faster! Move!

Then, without warning, she leaped to one side, just as a tentacle lashed out, striking the spot she had been standing a fraction of a second before.

But the dodge was clumsy under Alonso's weight. He was much heavier than her, and the unfamiliar burden strained her body.

The awkward movement threw her off balance, costing her precious momentum. She stumbled, her footing faltering, as more tentacles loomed, closing in.

Her body hesitated, uncertain. Her instincts failed her. She knew—the next strike couldn't be avoided.

Gritting her teeth, she turned sharply, using her armored gauntlets to block the tentacle.

The impact sent a jolt of searing pain through her body, forcing a scream from her lips. But she used the force to fling herself backward, twisting mid-air before landing, and pushed forward, running again.

It was excruciating—every nerve felt aflame—but worse than the physical pain was the thought that Alonso had endured this so many times for her.

She tightened her grip on him and kept running, tears mixing with sweat and blood. But the gap wasn't enough. She couldn't create enough distance.

Another tentacle shot toward her. She sidestepped just in time, narrowly avoiding it. But then another jellyfish appeared from the side. She couldn't avoid this one.

She sent her buckler flying, deflecting the attack with a desperate throw.

She kept pushing forward, her breaths coming in ragged gasps, but they were relentless. More tentacles lashed out. She couldn't dodge them all. She threw her sling, defended with her sword, but eventually, she had no choice but to use her own body.

Her knees slammed against the ground as she shielded Alonso. Her arms bore the brunt of another strike. Her chest absorbed the impact of yet another blow.

The shocks coursing through her body threatened to paralyze her. Her mind screamed in agony, but she bit down hard on her lip, drawing blood, the metallic taste grounding her as she forced herself to keep moving.

Her skin burned. Blood and ash coated her body. But she held him tightly, her trembling hands refusing to let him go, even as the pain threatened to consume her.

She kept running, her mind fixated on a single thought: keep moving.

But… they loomed closer.

And closer.

Suddenly, her body told her.

No matter what she did, she was going to get hit.

Without a second thought, she turned around, positioning herself to take the strike. She made sure it would hit her—and not him. Even if he wasn't breathing, even if his heart wasn't beating… even if all that remained was his lifeless body… she wouldn't let him suffer another scratch.

The tentacle lashed out with blinding speed, slamming into her chest. The impact drove her backward, her boots skidding against the ground as she struggled to keep her balance. Blood sprayed from her mouth as the breath was knocked out of her lungs, her body hunching slightly under the force.

Her already broken armor cracked further, jagged pieces pressing painfully into her skin. Her vision blurred, and pain coursed through her body as she coughed violently, crimson streaking her lips. Every breath felt like a battle, her chest aching as if it might cave in.

But she stood firm. Her legs trembled beneath her, but she didn't fall.

And then… a small, defiant smile crossed her face.

She gripped her sword tightly, raising it once more, and gently laid Alonso on the ground behind her.

The swarm of giant jellyfish stretched endlessly before her, their ghostly forms rippling as they loomed over the barren land.

If this is where it ends… so be it.

Let's die fighting together… my love.

She stared at the overwhelming army before her, unflinching.

Bring it on!

But then she felt it.

A sharp sound slicing through the air, swirling fast with the wind.

It zipped past her, and slammed directly into the first jellyfish before her.

Her mouth fell open as she watched the creature take the hit square in its core, collapsing instantly. The sheer momentum of the projectile tore through, striking another behind it and scattering their formation.

Then, a loud voice rang in her mind.

"Ayu, RUN!"

She gritted her teeth, her jaw tight as she turned, hoisted Alonso onto her back, and dashed forward again.

Her legs burned, her breath came in ragged gasps, but she pushed harder.

And then she saw them.

In the distance, she saw them—Imani, Arjun, Wang, Lukas, Chiara—all of them, running toward her.

They had come.

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