"Mom?" Aria muttered in a horrified tone as the dim light slowly settled down. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she took in the sight before her.
She saw her mother... her once calm, composed, and loving mother, now standing still, staring at Aether with cold, indifferent eyes. It was as if all the warmth and sanity had been stripped away from her, leaving behind only emptiness and something far more terrifying.
Aria instinctively took a hesitant step forward, her heart pounding. But before she could even get close—
"SCRREEEECCCHHHHH!!"
A deafening, monstrous screech tore through the air as Maelona's wings flared open, pulsing with an eerie blue energy. Then, without warning, she flipped her body and shot toward Aether at blinding speed, a streak of pure destruction!
