the fight against Fianna(3)

The cavern trembled under the sheer intensity of the battle. The once-solid ground had been reduced to a cracked, scorched wasteland, rivers of molten rock snaking through the battlefield. The air shimmered with heat, making every breath feel like inhaling fire.

Ava stood in the center of it all, her daggers glowing with molten energy, flickering wildly like a storm barely restrained. Her muscles ached, her breathing was ragged, but her will remained unshaken. Across from her, Fiona stood completely at ease, brushing embers off her tattered cloak as though they were mere dust.

The only sign of Ava's attack having any effect was a faint scorch mark on Fiona's cheek—barely a scratch.

Fiona smirked, rolling her shoulders.

Fiona:

"You're pushing harder than I expected, Ava. But you're still not there yet."

Ava clenched her fists, her heart pounding like a war drum. Every attack she threw was shrugged off. Every strike that should have burned, should have seared, barely left a mark. It was infuriating.

"Damn it… she's barely taking me seriously!"

Behind her, Marco and Nico had managed to stay in the fight, though not without difficulty.

Marco's ice-covered gauntlets hissed with steam, struggling against the overwhelming heat. He had been reinforcing his body with ice magic, but against someone like Fiona, his magic felt like throwing snow into a raging inferno.

Nico, standing beside him, was barely faring better. His water magic twisted around him in a desperate attempt to keep him cool, but the moment he tried to launch an attack, the water evaporated before it could even reach Fiona.

Marco's eyes met Ava's, his expression tight.

Marco:

"We have to hit her together! Ava, don't hold back anymore!"

Nico nodded, wiping sweat from his brow.

Nico:

"Right! We're done playing around!"

Ava exhaled sharply. She wasn't holding back. This was her full power. And yet—

Fiona sighed dramatically, stretching her arms as though she were bored.

Fiona:

"Oh? You three still have fight left? Well then—"

She vanished.

Ava barely had time to react before—

BOOM!

A shockwave of force exploded in front of her as Fiona's fist slammed into her stomach, faster than the eye could track.

The impact sent Ava rocketing backward. Her body crashed through three magma pillars before slamming into the burning ground, skidding across the battlefield with a trail of flames in her wake.

Marco and Nico barely had time to react before—

CRACK!

Fiona appeared between them in an instant.

"Too slow."

Her foot connected with Marco's ribs, launching him through the air like a ragdoll before he collided with a boulder, shattering it on impact.

Before Nico could cast a defense, Fiona spun and struck his shoulder, the sheer force twisting him mid-air before he crashed against the cavern wall, coughing up blood.

Ava groaned, pushing herself up from the molten ground, blood dripping from her lips.

Ava (gritted teeth):

"Damn it… she's too fast!"

Fiona stood in the middle of the battlefield, completely untouched. She sighed, running a hand through her hair, the flickering golden embers reflecting in her eyes.

Fiona:

"That's it? I expected more."

The words stung more than the hits.

Ava clenched her fists. She refused to lose like this.

Then—

Something inside her shifted.

Ava's breathing slowed. The pain in her body faded, not because she was healing, but because something else had overtaken her senses.

Her flames—the power she had wielded all her life—felt different.

No longer wild. No longer uncontrollable.

It was sharpening. Refining.

For the first time, she felt the heat, not as destruction, but as something deeper—something pure.

A memory surfaced.

She was young. Training in isolation. Pushing her body past its limits, day after day, chasing something she could never grasp.

And then—

A voice. Soft yet firm.

"Flames aren't just destruction, Ava. They're rebirth."

Her fingers curled.

A spark ignited at her fingertips.

Not orange.

Not red.

It was blue.

Fiona's smirk vanished.

Fiona (muttering):

"Oh?"

The cavern shifted. The temperature didn't rise—it collapsed. The heat condensed, forming an invisible storm of energy around Ava.

Marco, still groaning as he tried to stand, immediately felt the change.

Marco (shocked):

"Her flames… they're not burning hotter. They're… condensing?!"

Nico, holding his injured arm, swallowed hard.

Nico:

"This is… something else…"

Ava opened her eyes.

They glowed a brilliant azure.

Her daggers melted away, replaced by two long blades of pure blue fire.

For the first time, Fiona's playful smirk faded into something more serious.

She was intrigued.

Fiona:

"Now… that's interesting."

And then—

Ava vanished.

BOOM!

Ava reappeared above Fiona, blue flames roaring around her like an inferno made of lightning and steel.

Fiona barely had time to dodge before—

SLASH!

Ava's blade cut across her arm.

Fiona's eyes widened.

For the first time, she bled.

A thin line of crimson dripped down her forearm.

For the first time, Fiona felt a flicker of thrill.

Ava twisted mid-air, flipping over Fiona and slamming a fiery kick into her side.

BOOOOOM!

Fiona crashed into the cavern wall, her body carving through solid stone before she finally stopped.

A silence fell over the battlefield.

Marco and Nico stood frozen.

Marco (stunned):

"She actually landed a hit on Fiona."

Nico (voice shaking):

"Not just a hit… she overpowered her."

The dust settled.

Fiona emerged from the rubble, her cloak in tatters, her arm still bleeding.

She touched the wound. Looked at the blood. Then—

She laughed.

A deep, amused, hungry laugh.

Fiona (grinning like a predator):

"Oh, Ava… you just made things a whole lot more fun."

She flexed her fingers.

The air shattered.

Golden flames erupted, spiraling outward in a massive storm of light.

Ava took a deep breath, her blue flames swirling around her.

She knew.

This wasn't over.

The cavern shook as the two flames clashed.

Sapphire fire and golden infernos spiraled through the battlefield, warping the very space around them. The molten ground cracked, splitting apart under the force of their power.

Ava's new form had changed everything.

But Fiona—

She wasn't even using her full power yet.

Fiona smirked, rolling her shoulders as golden embers danced around her.

Fiona:

"Now let's see how long you can last."

And then—

BOOOOOM!

With an explosion of power, the real battle began.