FALTER

CHAPTER 58: ...and now you see my end.

As the glowing ball of fire crashed into the church, a plume of dust erupted outwards from where it landed. Miraculously, the glowing magic surrounding it caused all the black drool in the church to squeal and wither away, and then the building itself came back together. Every crack repaired, every piece of debris floated back to its old place and even the candles lit themselves.The glow subsided and the young hero came into view. He was carrying his best friend in his arms and let her down gently, which stirred her awake.

As Ari opened her eyes, she felt suffocating. Instinctively reaching for her face, she realized it was now covered in a helmet. She immediately looked down at her Drive - which seemed to have stopped sparking - and then back up.

Instead of seeing her oldest friend clad in that same demonic armour, she found a hero shining with all his might.

Falter had changed completely, now resembling the very opposite of a demon. The crest on his head had enlarged, the two massive antennae now curling inwards. His eyes and grin remained, though now looking more mischievous than ever. The yellow scarf and black under-suit had both been replaced by a brilliant white fabric, sparkling with glitter. As the wind around picked up, Falter's scarf roared behind him, resembling two large wings.

"Ah, looks like it really went above and beyond," His smile was visible in each syllable of the sentence. Ari looked incredulously through the lens of her helmet at Imti's Drive. All three petals on it were now open, and the gemstone inside was roaring with power, letting out bursts of golden particles every now and then. "Gave you an upgrade, too!"

Ari tried to get up, but she stumbled under the weight of her own armour. She didn't appreciate the feeling of so much on her skin; the armour had replaced her coat, which she used for its ignorable texture.

The building rumbled as a sound echoed from the roof. Scratching followed as a claws dug through the solid concrete, followed by the rest of the rest of Azrael's body contorting its way into the church.

Sirens rung in Ari's mind as she tried to fight back the chills from the terrible sight. Its gangly limbs dug into the ceiling as the monster crawled with spider-like movements towards them. However, its face was unmoving, the frozen expression on it directed at the duo.

It dropped to the floor, landing surprisingly gracefully on its now mutated feet. At the moment, Azrael didn't much resemble the smooth-talking imitation of a human they had been at the beginning of the battle. It was taller now, every limb stretched unnaturally. Its ribcage poked out from underneath calcified flesh, while its wings now stooped lower, shedding its excess weight. They loomed over Azrael like another pair of arms as it pointed at Falter.

"Mother," Its voice sliced through Ari's frazzled senses. The long lanky finger lowered towards the Drive. "So you've awakened."

Mother? The thought echoed between both of them, but before they could process it, the monster moved in the blink of an eye. It stood between the two of them, both claws outstretched. Drops of blood dripped down to the end of its nail, which it flicked away.

This time, however, Falter didn't clench his teeth in pain. He didn't even move.