The storm howled through the ruined city. A blizzard born from Neve's will blanketed the battlefield, turning streets into sheets of ice and buildings into frost-bitten ruins. Snowflakes scattered like ash, and amidst the freezing wind, a violet glow flickered—a single flame burning against the void.
Jessie stood in the snow, katana in hand, unmoving.
Her right eye burned with purple fire, curling like smoke around her face. Her breath came slow. Steady. Cold. She didn't flinch as a monstrous silhouette began to take shape through the haze.
Boots crunched snow.
A towering figure emerged, dragging a massive black-iron axe behind him, carving deep grooves into the earth. The cloak he wore fluttered like wings, but underneath he was shirtless—muscles carved like marble, skin pale and scarred. His smile was sharp. Too wide.
Eros:"Now that's a sight. A pretty one, too. You took out my slaves… that means I get to play with you myself."
Jessie didn't respond.
Her gaze remained fixed on him, unblinking.
Eros:"No name? Come on, don't be shy. You're gorgeous. That fire in your eye… What even are you? You're not human. Not anymore. I want to rip your secret out with my teeth."
Jessie (calmly):"If you think I'm going to run or beg, you've already lost."
Eros (grinning):"Begging? Nah. I'd rather you got on your knees and—"
Shhh-clk.
A burst of violet flame streaked across his chest.
The wind hadn't even caught up to the sound of the slash yet. Eros blinked. Blood splattered in the snow.
Then he chuckled.
Eros:"Cute. Got some bite."
Jessie (voice low):"I haven't even drawn blood yet."
With an explosion of speed, Eros vanished—then reappeared behind her. Before she could react, he slammed a fist into her side, launching her through a crumbling stone wall. Jessie coughed as rubble fell around her, only to find his axe already descending toward her skull—
A blade intercepted.
CLANG.
Parrying with ferocity, her foot sweeping into Eros's ribs. They exchanged three rapid blows—metal screamed against metal—before he grinned and leapt back.
Jessie (wiping blood from her lip):"Tch… not bad. You're not just muscle."
Eros (twirling his axe):"You've got fire. Real fire. But you're still breakable."
He raised his axe overhead—and unleashed a torrent.
A crimson slash, wide as a city street, carved through the blizzard. Jessie ducked, the force of it ripping rooftops from buildings and splitting the earth in a straight line that stretched all the way to the ocean. The distant sound of waves boiling echoed through the night.
Jessie stared at the destruction, heart pounding.
Jessie (thoughts racing):"That wasn't an attack. That was a message."
She inhaled. Closed her eyes.
The wind calmed around her. The flame in her eye brightened.
Jessie (aloud):"I see now. You're powerful. But you rely on fear. You broadcast your strength, hoping I'll fold."
Eros (chuckling):"You say that like fear's a weakness. It's a gift. And you? You're still standing in front of a goddamn vampire warlord in heat. Cute, but suicidal."
He blurred forward again. She sidestepped, but he caught her with a brutal knee to the ribs. Jessie gasped—crumpling—before his hand seized her throat.
He lifted her, dragging her closer, their faces inches apart.
Eros (whispering):"You think I care about the blood moon? Even without it, I'd crush you. You Vandors are all the same. Weak. Pretending to be soldiers, when all you are is prey."
Jessie (smirking through the pain):"Keep talking. You'll be ash before you finish the sentence."
Eros:"Still got that fire… but it's dimming. You're breaking. Can you feel it?"
Jessie (grinning wider):"No. But you will."
Her leg snapped up.
CRACK.
A clean hit.
Eros's breath caught. He stumbled back in pain.
Jessie didn't hesitate—she exploded.
A blast of violet fire ignited beneath her feet, launching her skyward. She rocketed into the air, catching Eros off guard as her katana flashed through his torso—this time, slicing clean through flesh and bone.
A gaping wound tore open across his stomach as she ascended far above him. The sky turned purple from the blaze radiating off her body. Civilians looked up in awe as a violet light danced through the clouds, transforming the blood-red sky into something transcendent.
Hovering above him, katana raised to the heavens, her entire body ignited in purple flame.
Her voice echoed across the world:
Jessie:
"Flamecall: Violet Judgement."
She became a meteor.
She streaked down like a divine retribution, her flames painting streaks across the sky. Eros roared, summoning blood magic, stacking barriers thick as mountain walls.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
She smashed through them all—each layer crumbling under her wrath. Her flame only grew. Her hair floated like violet embers, her eyes blazed with unfiltered fury.
Eros saw her coming.
And in that final moment, he didn't smile.
He prayed.
A blinding impact.
A violet sun erupted in the sky.
The explosion shook the atmosphere. A thunderclap followed, spreading a gentle breeze down to the civilians below—a hush fell over the city. Not of fear… but reverence.
Ash and snow fell like petals.
As the smoke cleared, Jessie hovered high above—flames dimmed, blade still crackling.
She exhaled.
Jessie (to herself):"Neve… Ingress… you better be done soon. I'm just warming up."