Her Beacon (Acheron x Caelus)

Chapter Seventeen: Redeemed but Hopeless

Normally, when the world teeters on the brink of disaster, a common threat unites all—heroes and villains alike band together, ensuring their survival for another day.

But here...

Caelus gulped and shuddered, his voice tinged with disbelief, "How did things turn out this way..."

What unfolded was not an alliance but a confrontation. Two women faced off, their conflict spurred not by collective danger but personal stakes or the affection of one man.

Caelus found himself ensnared in the middle of their tumultuous showdown.

To his left, Firefly wielded a device that radiated intense heat. The air shimmered with the scorch of her anger, capable of melting asphalt and vaporizing any objects unfortunate enough to be nearby.

If not for the protective enchantment of the dreamscape, Caelus was certain he would have dissolved into nothingness alongside the disintegrating scenery.

On his right, the atmosphere was equally oppressive, charged with a bone-chilling cold that harbored a sharp, electrifying edge. Anything electronic in the vicinity was instantly fried.

Any movement, even the slightest twitch, risked slicing him into countless pieces.

Acheron stood with her Odachi sheathed yet poised, a threat to unleash a blade so sharp it could sever the very fabric of reality.

Caelus darted his gaze from left to right, attempting to defuse the escalating tension with a pleading expression. However, the women were engrossed in their standoff, paying him no heed.

Opting for diplomacy, he ventured, "Umm... guys? Can we talk this out, please?"

Acheron and Firefly turned to face him, their eyes blazing with the fury of fire and lightning.

"No," they replied in unison.

Caelus visibly slumped at their curt dismissal. He glanced at Misha and Clockie; the former was struggling to hold back tears, while the latter seemed amused by the unfolding drama.

Firefly redirected her focus to Acheron, her fingers inching toward the grip of her Odachi.

"You ask what I intended with Caelus? I was merely trying to assist him," the Stellaron Hunter declared confidently.

Acheron advanced a step towards Firefly, her tone dismissive, "Assist him? At such a conveniently vulnerable moment, stepping in when he is lost and his partner absent?"

Firefly, visibly irked, countered as she too stepped forward, "I acted because I saw an opportunity to guide him as he contemplated his next steps."

Pausing, Firefly's device glowed ominously green, "From your tone, I infer you're his partner. Yet, you weren't there for him. What kind of partner overlooks such a duty?"

Acheron bristled at the accusation, electricity crackling around her as she moved closer, "And you? A stowaway who has lurked for weeks, repeatedly failing to capture his attention. Did you require a crisis to ensure his undivided attention?"

As the argument escalated, Caelus felt the gravity of the situation; the specter of death loomed, both tantalizingly close yet far, bound within the volatile fury of the two women before him.

Firefly's eyes began to emit a green glow as Acheron's verbal jab struck a nerve. Indeed, since her arrival in Penacony, not much had gone according to plan.

The script laid out by Elio? It had faced countless delays, each one caused by unexpected interruptions from all corners, with every unfolding event further postponing her anticipated outcomes.