Fighting Spirit (The Final Barrier)

The War Part VI (The Breaking Point)

Gabriel held his fiery gaze boring holes into Wayne and his mother. Wayne's mother held eye contact, seeing his fiery orange aura reaching the clouds. She glanced up and saw her own purple aura nipping at the clouds around the same level. His spiritual energy is massive, he may even eclipse my own. She turned her gaze to her son seeing his face wrinkled in frustration. Wayne sighed, turned and looked at his mother expectantly 

"What do you suggest we do?" his mother spoke but with a hint of guidance 

"Let them mourn Kevin like I said, lets keep their mental state as stable as possible; it would be a pain if they unlock a new form of power." she said in almost a whisper.

The battlefield was silent. Kevin's lifeless body lay before them, still and fragile. His friends surrounded him, their hearts heavy with the loss, their spirits dimmed by the weight of the moment. Gabriel stood at the forefront, his fists clenched tightly, his body trembling with rage. Flames danced along his skin, reflecting the seething fury within him. His usually controlled temper had shattered, and his fiery aura pulsed with the intensity of an impending storm.

Sofia approached him, tears streaming down her face as she reached for his shoulder, pulling him close. "Gabriel... we can't lose ourselves now," she whispered, her voice choked with sorrow. "Kevin wouldn't want this."

Ramona and Ennui joined them, embracing Gabriel and each other as they mourned. Ennui's gaze lingered on Kevin's lifeless form, a glimmer of unspoken feelings flashing across her face. Her voice, thick with emotion, was barely more than a whisper. "We'll make this right. We'll end them here and now... for Kevin."

They pulled away, steeling themselves, and turned their attention to Kevin's mother and Wayne. Kevin's mother regarded them with a cruel smile, her twisted features oozing malice. She turned to Wayne, who stood at her side, uncertain but loyal, waiting for her guidance.

"Wayne," she began, her voice a mocking whisper as her eyes settled on Gabriel, "do you see that one?" She pointed, her finger almost lazily tracing the air toward Gabriel, who now glowed with a ferocity that seemed boundless. "His energy... it reaches the heavens. Brimming with the light of a supernova, so bright it almost hurts to look at. And light... that is our weakness."

Gabriel's eyes flashed, his flames surging as he felt the weight of her words. Light, his light, could be the key to bringing her down.

Wayne swallowed, his own doubt visible, but he nodded. "Yes, Mother," he said, though his voice lacked conviction. His shadow powers seemed to waver as he absorbed the threat they now faced.

In the next instant, Gabriel lunged forward, fire blazing around him, each punch carrying the weight of his anger. Sofia moved alongside him, her body transforming, her instincts sharpening her attacks. Ramona chanted a spell, her hands glowing with vibrant magick, while Ennui's dark energy flickered, preparing to launch her own assault.

Wayne found himself outclassed quickly. The girls attacked him in unison, weaving in and out of his shadows, their combined strength overpowering him. His movements grew frantic, desperate, his shadows no match for the relentless barrage of attacks. Each strike they landed was a reminder of the brother he'd lost, and for a moment, he doubted his decision to stand by his mother's side.

Gabriel's focus, however, was on Kevin's mother. He was astonished at her strength, realizing just how fierce her power was—and how much Kevin must have struggled to stand against her. "Kevin," he whispered, determination burning in his eyes, "you held her back this long... I won't let your sacrifice be in vain."

But as Gabriel prepared to strike again, Kevin's mother tilted her head back, a sinister glint in her eye, and began to heave as if choking on something. Her throat and abdomen stretching abnormally large as her body wretched more. Then, with a sickening sound, she regurgitated two twisted figures. Jay and Michael fell to the ground, their demonic forms marred by dark energy, their eyes brimming with malice.