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Za'Fia coated her body in a thick layer of spirit energy and applied the intensity of her flames for a bonus element. She and Verin's fists clashed, and Za'Fia's spirit enhancement cracked, but she mended it almost immediately each time. This happened repeatedly as they exchanged blow after blow, sending flames shooting off as the sky blurred by their speed. Za'Fia was so focused on avoiding being hit and trying to successfully find an opening to land a solid blow that she hadn't noticed they were quickly approaching a populated city until they crashed through one of its tall buildings.
Finally, the two untangled from each other and floated a hundred feet in the air, surrounded by screaming people below as one of the buildings crumbled from their impact. Luckily, however, Za'Fia couldn't sense any humans within it. It appeared to have been empty.
Za'Fia glanced below.
This is getting out of hand. I need to get us out of here before we accidentally kill someone.
"What's this? You care about the safety of these cretins now too?" Verin called out across the sky.
"Why?" She pointed a palm at a nearby building and released enough power to crush it entirely, including the innocent people who were still inside.
Za'Fia glared at her silently, but she kept her flame under control.
"Wh—" she began but was cut off.
"I hope you don't expect any justification. I won't impose something relatable, like whether they feel remorse when they swat a fly or kill an ant. Or perhaps when they feel the crunch of a roach as it's crushed beneath their feet. All while knowing they don't because the humans view themselves as superior and them as pests whose deaths are inconsequential. That drivel is something my dear Avarice may believe. But there is no vindication for why I do it. None other than the simple fact that I enjoy it. The screams, the desperate looks in their eyes, them clinging to any sign of hope as death approaches them..."
Verin rose higher in the sky. "That feeling has become my sole bliss. To me, it's the only good thing a human can produce."
Verin generated a film similar to the one Za'Fia had seen back when Verin crushed one of the Holders. Except this time, the film grew much larger until it hung over several blocks. Za'Fia felt Verin charge it with tons of energy as she watched the tops of buildings start to crack and crumble under weight.
With horror, Za'Fia realized what Verin was doing.
She's going to destroy an entire chunk of the city...
Za'Fia knew that she was no stranger to killing, but this...she'd never intentionally condemn innocent people to death.
She looked up and gauged whether or not she could break through the increasing gravity field, but she concluded that it would be impossible without transforming. Even if she wanted to do so, transforming this close to humans would only increase the number of casualties.
"You place so much care for these humans; are you willing to die with them?" Verin yelled from above as Za'Fia felt a spike in pressure in the air.
In a fraction of a second, Za'Fia used all her speed to fly in a direction—any direction so long as it was away from the radius of Verin's power. Even at full speed, she had barely escaped before the intense gravity suddenly let up after leaving Verin's reach.
When she turned around, she saw the damage done. She hovered over to see an enormous bottomless hole where several blocks had just been. More buildings continued to crumble and fall over into the pit.
Za'Fia looked across the hole at Verin in distaste.
Verin sighed in ecstasy.
"You don't know how good that felt. After so long of staying undercover...it's been millennia since I last unwound."
Za'Fia blasted her with multiple rays of heat, but Verin's clad of gravity fended off most of them.
"Fine. If you want me to fight you seriously, follow me," Za'Fia stated and turned to fly off, but she turned back around when she felt Verin's energy had moved further into the city.
There was an uproar of screaming again as Verin flew straight through buildings while cackling, ignoring Za'Fia's attempt to lure her away. Several more buildings with people still inside began to topple.
Za'Fia didn't know what to do. Under Alissia's leadership, they were supposed to preserve life as best they could, but how? Her abilities weren't suited for rescue at all. There was no way she could save everyone before those buildings fell.
Through her muddled mind, Za'Fia noticed a higher-pitched scream. Looking below, she saw a green spot. It was a child frozen in fear as some debris from a tumbling building was about to crush him.
For the first time ever, something welled within Za'Fia—a protective urge unfamiliar to her. Za'Fia darted over to swoop the kid up. She successfully managed to get the kid out of harm's way. She stepped back to examine him when they skidded to a stop somewhere nearby.
The poor kid was trembling terribly, unable to say a word. He couldn't have been more than 9 or 10 years old. He clung to a see-through backpack with several folders and comics in them.
"You okay?" Za'Fia asked him as she patted the boy down, ensuring there were no wounds the boy's adrenaline may have been blocking him from feeling.
The kid nodded. When he finally realized he had been saved, he spoke. "You're really pretty."
Za'Fia flashed him a genuine smile, something Za'Fia had just realized she hadn't done in a while.
"Thanks, handsome. Can you answer some questions for me? Are you sure you're okay? You don't hurt anywhere?"
"Umm," he turned his hand and revealed he was bleeding a little. "Just this, but I'm a big boy now, so I didn't cry!"
He smiled and patted himself on the chest.
"I saw you fly! Are you a superhero?"
The boy's eyes were wide with excitement. Za'Fia found it incredible how quickly he forgot about almost being crushed. Za'Fia shifted her gaze down to the comic books in the boy's bag.
"Something like that."
"Are you fighting a villain?"
"Hm, a villain...I suppose—"22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbBVG8TBPz
22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fAm6az7at
