The bustle in the streets of Capital City was different that night. The tournament had ended, but its echo still coursed through every corner of the city. In taverns and alleyways, in torchlit squares, everything revolved around the same thing:Princess Blair had returned.
Some drank and sang as if they had witnessed a miracle. They raised cups of wine, waved improvised banners with Azoth's Phoenix emblem, and shouted her name with pride. Others, however, cursed her as a traitor. They swore loyalty to the "true king," Zeknier, and hung black cloths bearing his symbol on doors and windows. Capital City was split in two, and for the first time in years the air was thick with unbearable tension.
Inside the inn, however, the silence was the opposite of the chaos outside.
Asori lay in bed, wrapped in blood-stained bandages. His skin was so pale it looked like marble, sweat beading on his forehead as though he burned from within. Every breath was a ragged gasp, like blades tearing his lungs. The veins in his arms seemed to smolder beneath the skin, as if the Astral itself was trying to consume him.
The brutal fight against Kael, the awakening of the Hakiri, and the discharge of the Delta Burst had pushed his body beyond its limits. He wasn't a warrior resting after battle: he was a boy struggling not to cross the line between life and death.
Blair sat at his side, her eyes fixed on him, stroking his sweat-soaked hair. More than once she had tried kissing him, desperate, trying to invoke the Sweet Kiss. But nothing happened. The venom inside her blocked her Astral, rendering every attempt useless.
She had never seen him like this since that night in the forest, when he had nearly died the first time they met. But now it was worse. Because Asori wasn't the boy running from the world anymore—he was the warrior who had put his life on the line again and again for her, and he was paying the price.
Blair pressed her lips together, helpless.
At the nearby table, Mikan and Mikrom argued, their faces tense.
—The city is split in two, —Mikrom muttered, tapping the wood—. Half of Capital cheers the princess's return, the other half calls her a traitor. And both sides are organizing faster than we imagined.
—That means we can't trust anyone, —Mikan shot back, arms crossed—. And you, big guy, I guess you know you're stuck with us. You stood by us in the arena—now you're marked as part of the resistance.
Mikrom sighed, shrugging.—Guess I don't have a choice. Zeknier already knows about Blair and Asori. And if Jason was telling the truth… he knows I'm the bearer of the Earth Orb too. I've got no option but to leave the city and regroup as soon as possible.
—No escape for you, —Mikan quipped, sarcasm masking her concern.
In the corner, sitting on the floor with her knees hugged to her chest, Aisha listened in silence. Her wide, clear eyes reflected fear… but also a spark of resolve. She looked at Asori with tenderness and compassion, as if his suffering pierced straight into her heart.
—He won't last much longer like this… will he? —she asked in a trembling voice.
The silence that followed was harsher than any answer.
Blair bit her lip until her voice cracked:—The Sweet Kiss… it's the only thing that can heal him. But as long as this venom is inside me… no matter how many kisses I give him, nothing will work.
Asori, in the haze of his fever, mumbled something unintelligible. Just a faint don't leave me… that tore Blair's heart apart.
Aisha rose slowly and stepped toward them, barefoot, unsteady.—Then… if I heal you, Princess… you'll be able to save him.
Blair blinked in confusion.—What?
—My power… —the girl said, placing her hands on her chest—. I can heal. They forced me to. I healed wounded soldiers, sick nobles… even animals for their cruel games. If I heal you, the venom will disappear… and your Astral will flow again.
Mikrom's eyes widened in disbelief.—You mean Darian used you as a tool?
Aisha lowered her head in shame.—Yes. I only survived because they needed my power. But when someone tried to… go too far… and I defended myself, he always punished me.
Mikan shot to her feet, furious.—Those bastards! Using you like that… that's unforgivable!
Blair swallowed hard. A spark of hope lit inside her, but fear remained.—Can you really… do it?
Aisha lifted her gaze. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but her resolve was pure.—Let me try, Princess.
Blair hesitated. She didn't want the girl to suffer anymore. But the faint, broken sound of Asori's breathing forced her decision. She knelt before Aisha, fists clenched.—All right. Do it.
Aisha placed her small hands over Blair's abdomen. A golden light began to shine—warm, trembling—like a river held back too long. Blair arched her back with a muffled gasp as she felt the venom breaking inside her, dissolving drop by drop.
The glow grew, filling the room with comforting heat. Mikan and Mikrom fell silent, stunned. Blair, tears in her eyes, clasped the girl's hands and pressed them gently.—You're not alone anymore… never again.
Aisha's tears fell, mingling with the light. Each spark seemed to carry not just energy, but years of pain released in that moment.
At last, the glow faded. Blair collapsed to her knees, gasping, her hand over her chest. The Astral… it flowed in her once more.
Aisha slumped back, exhausted, sliding against the wall.—Did it… work?
Blair looked at her with boundless gratitude and nodded. Without hesitation, she turned to Asori.
—Asori… —she whispered, stroking his face. She kissed him softly, pouring into it all the love pent up over days of helplessness.
The Sweet Kiss shone. A white light coursed through Asori's body, sealing wounds, closing cuts, extinguishing the fever consuming him. He breathed deeply, as if surfacing from an icy abyss, and slowly opened his eyes.
—Blair… he murmured, voice hoarse.
She hugged him tightly, crying into his chest.—Don't you ever scare me like that again… never.
Asori, still weak, smiled faintly.—I'll try… but trouble always seems to find me. That's how I ended up with you, isn't it?
Blair laughed through her tears, swatting him lightly on the shoulder.
Mikan snorted, arms crossed.—Well, well… you two look like a married couple already.
Mikrom smirked.—Don't let it get to your head, kid. But… you gave us one hell of a scare.
Blair held Asori's hand tightly and wouldn't let go.—Rest. Tomorrow we'll talk about what comes next.
He closed his eyes again, this time at peace. Blair tucked him in, then extended her hand to Aisha, pulling her close. The girl, still trembling, nestled beside them as if she had finally found a home.
Outside, the city still burned with arguments and opposing banners. But in that room, for at least one night, fire, wind, and light came together.And that little refuge shone brighter than any shadow.