The battle seemed over—Vael lay broken at the center of the shattered dome, his body twitching as the roots around him writhed in pain. But Yuki didn't lower his guard.
Neither did the others.
Elira's voice was calm but cautious. "That was too easy. Final bosses don't die *before* the final phase."
Vael's cracked lips curled upward. "Sharp as ever, little moon witch…"
The ground *lurched*. From the center of the chamber, something began to stir—no, *someone*.
A cage of gnarled roots rose, unfurling like a blackened flower. Inside was a girl.
Her silver hair shimmered like starlight beneath layers of tangled corruption. Her eyes were closed, lips parted as if caught in an eternal sleep. Chains of bark and blood wound around her limbs, pulsing with sickly green light.
Aeris's voice cracked. "No…"
Rin gasped, stepping forward. "That's… her. The sister you told me about."
Aeris didn't speak.
Vael laughed, wheezing. "Oh yes… the 'lost' sister. Such a pure soul… so much easier to manipulate. I fed her lies, drowned her in dreams of betrayal and abandonment. Now… she's *mine*."
The girl's eyes snapped open.
One was silver. The other, glowing emerald—tainted by Vael's influence.
"Target acquired," she said in a flat, inhuman voice. "Enemy: Yuki, Draconis Primordialis. Order: Eliminate."
Sylvaeria's heart clenched. "She's not herself. That's not who she really is!"
Yuki stepped back, narrowing his gaze. "Another puppet?"
"No," Vael rasped, crawling toward the girl's feet like a reverent priest. "She is *my masterpiece*. Not beast nor spirit… but a vessel of perfect balance. Soulbound to the Heartroot. She will replace me. She is *Queen Thorn*."
The girl moved.
In a blur, she was in front of Lumi.
*CLANG!*
Steel clashed as Lumi barely blocked a blindingly fast dagger swipe—one she hadn't even seen coming.
Lumi staggered back. "Whoa—she's fast. And I mean, 'I can't even joke right now' fast."
"She's faster than *me*," Aeris murmured, watching with wide eyes. "And I've never lost a duel in my life."
"Wonderful," Elira muttered. "She's pretty, brainwashed, and can probably kill us all before lunch."
Rin looked between everyone. "We're not gonna hurt her, right?"
"No," Yuki said firmly. "We're going to *save* her."
---
### **Queen Thorn's Arsenal**
Yuki charged forward, claws burning with his divine flame—but the girl danced through his strikes like mist, vanishing and reappearing behind him, her daggers dripping with venomous green light.
Each strike wasn't meant to kill—it was meant to *disable*. To bind. To *claim*.
"She's using assassin arts... enhanced with spirit corruption," Elira observed, launching **Mystic Veil** to protect Yuki's flank. "And something else... a mental tether. Like a hive-mind link."
"Can we break it?" Sylvaeria asked.
"Only if we sever the connection to Vael's Heartroot."
Rin stepped forward suddenly. "I… I can feel something. She's calling out. She's still inside."
Aeris turned to her, startled. "You… can hear her?"
Rin nodded slowly. "I think… I can reach her."
---
### **Rin's Stand**
The others held off Queen Thorn with defensive strikes, never going for killing blows. Yuki led the charge, keeping her focused on him while Lumi and Elira worked together to form barriers and suppressive fire.
Meanwhile, Rin stepped through the chaos.
She knelt in the center of the battlefield, placing her hands on the corrupted earth. Light poured from her palms—pale, soft, yet unyielding.
**Kindred Soulcall.**
An ability Yuki had granted her when she became his companion. A bridge between linked spirits.
A whisper reached her mind.
*"Who… am I…?"*
*"Your name,"* Rin whispered aloud, *"is Kaela. You are Aeris's sister. And we're here to bring you home."*
---
### **A Tear in the Thorns**
Kaela's steps faltered.
Yuki landed a light blow that should've knocked her aside—but she didn't counter.
Instead, her blade shook.
The vines pulsing around her began to *writhe*, resisting Rin's light. But Kaela's expression twisted—not in anger, but pain.
"I… remember a lullaby," she whispered.
Aeris stepped forward, voice trembling. "It was the one about the silver fox and the moon garden… you always loved that one…"
Vael shrieked. "NO! You are *mine*! You are—!"
"*I am not yours!*" Kaela roared.
With a cry, she plunged her dagger into her own thigh—severing the vine tether binding her to the Heartroot.
A burst of emerald and silver light exploded outward.
Vael's form *disintegrated*, the last of his strength feeding back into the Heartroot—now crumbling.
Kaela collapsed.
Yuki rushed to catch her.
"I've got you," he said gently.
Her eyes fluttered open. This time, both were silver.
"…you're warm," she murmured.
Aeris knelt beside her, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"Welcome back, sis."
---