Age of POWERS.

The Showdown: Last part - Episode 15

The sky was thick with clouds, casting the battlefield in shades of gray as the winds howled and clashed against distant flames. Kei pressed on through the chaos, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She felt Teri's power growing closer with every step she took, his fiery aura like a beacon drawing her in. But what awaited her when she reached him?

Her heart pounded harder with each moment that passed, her breath catching in her throat. Was this a trap? Had Teri really come back for her—or was he here for something far more dangerous?

As she moved through the fog of war, her icy aura swirling in a protective vortex, her thoughts kept drifting back to the time they spent together. Teri had always been the one to ignite something within her, a fire she couldn't quite extinguish, no matter how hard she tried. And now, the flames of their past were threatening to consume her once again.

Finally, she reached the edge of the battlefield. The winds suddenly died down, the sound of clashing swords and crackling energy fading into the background. In the distance, through the thinning mist, she saw him.

Teri.

He stood there, tall and imposing, his flaming aura burning bright against the gloom. His back was to her, but she could feel his presence like a physical weight pressing down on her chest. Her heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, all her doubts vanished.

Kei stepped forward, her voice breaking the silence between them. "Teri..."

He turned slowly, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine. His once-warm gaze was now hard, unreadable. The familiar warmth that used to fill the space between them was replaced with something colder, darker.

"Kei," he said, his voice low and rough, as if he had been carrying a heavy burden for too long.

The distance between them felt impossibly vast, though they were only steps apart. Kei swallowed hard, her chest tightening with a mix of relief and fear. "I felt you. I knew you were here."

Teri's eyes flickered with something—regret, maybe—but he didn't speak right away. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the horizon, his flames burning hotter around him. "You shouldn't have come, Kei."

Her heart clenched at his words. "You disappeared, Teri. You left without a word, and now you're telling me I shouldn't have come?" She took another step toward him, her voice trembling. "I need answers."

He didn't meet her gaze, his jaw clenched tight. "I left to protect you."

"Protect me?" Kei's voice rose, frustration bubbling to the surface. "From what?"

Teri's flames flared, casting shadows across his face. "From me."

For a moment, Kei was stunned into silence. She had expected anger, maybe even hatred, but not this. Not the man she knew withdrawing so completely, so coldly.

"I made a choice, Kei," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of his confession. "A choice to gain power. Power that came at a cost. And that cost... was you."

Kei shook her head, taking another step forward. Her eyes searched his, looking for the boy she once knew beneath the hardened exterior. "You think leaving me was protection? You think I wouldn't have fought with you, that I wouldn't have stayed?"

Teri clenched his fists, his flames swirling more violently around him. "You don't understand. This power—it's dangerous. It's consuming me, Kei. If you're near me, it'll consume you too."

Kei's heart ached at his words, but she refused to back down. "I don't care about the power, Teri. I care about you. You don't get to decide what's best for me. You don't get to leave and expect me to just walk away."

Teri's expression softened for a split second, the flames dimming slightly as he looked at her. "I didn't want you to suffer because of me. I thought... if I left, you could move on."

Kei shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "How can I move on when my heart is still with you?"

The tension between them crackled like electricity in the air. Teri's resolve seemed to waver as he took a step closer, his eyes softening, his guard faltering. For a moment, it felt like the years between them had vanished, like they were back in the days when things were simpler, when they fought side by side without the weight of the world pressing down on them.

But the moment was fleeting. Teri's flames roared back to life, and his eyes hardened once more. "It's too late, Kei. The power I've gained—it's not something I can control anymore. I'm dangerous."

Kei clenched her fists, her icy aura swirling around her in response. "Then let me help you. We can fight this together."

Teri's gaze flickered, but he shook his head. "No. I've made my choices, Kei. And now... I have to live with them."

The distance between them felt insurmountable again, the weight of Teri's words sinking in. Kei's heart shattered, but she refused to show weakness. "If you think I'm going to let you walk away again, you're wrong."

Teri's flames danced around him as he stepped back, the distance between them growing. "I'm not the same person you knew, Kei. I'm not someone you can save."

Kei's eyes glistened with unshed tears, her voice steady and full of determination. "You are to me."

For a brief moment, something flickered in Teri's eyes—an emotion buried deep, one he couldn't quite suppress. But he quickly looked away, his flames burning brighter, more intense.

"I can't stay," he whispered, the regret heavy in his voice.

Kei's heart raced, her mind spinning with the weight of his words. She couldn't lose him. Not again. Not like this.

As Teri turned to leave, Kei's voice broke through the storm, strong and unwavering. "Teri, I love you."

Teri froze, his back still turned to her. The world seemed to hold its breath as the silence stretched between them, heavy with the unspoken emotions they had both been hiding for so long.

Kei's chest tightened, the vulnerability of her confession hanging in the air. She had said it. Finally. But what would he say? Would he walk away, leaving her words to drift in the wind, or would he turn around and face the truth they had both been running from?

Teri's flames dimmed slightly, his shoulders tensing as if the weight of her words had struck him deep. For a moment, Kei thought he might turn back to her, that he might finally open up, let her in.

But instead, Teri whispered, his voice barely audible over the wind, "I'm sorry."

And with that, he vanished into the flames, leaving Kei standing alone in the storm.

Next time on The Showdown: Last part – Episode 16

Kei is left shattered by Teri's departure, but she isn't willing to give up on him. As the war against the Storm Guardian rages on, Kei must make a choice: focus on her mission or follow her heart. Meanwhile, Teri's power begins to spiral out of control, leading him down a dangerous path. Can Kei save him before it's too late?

Find out in The Showdown: Last part – Episode 16: The Path of Flames.