The mist thickened as the angel lunged forward, his corrupted wings tearing through the air. Zian barely raised her blade in time. The impact launched her backward, slamming her into a moss-covered stone.
"Still weak," the angel sneered, stepping into the clearing. His silver armor glinted beneath the misty light, cracked and tainted. "The goddess's loyal mutt—fallen and forgotten. Did you truly think death would erase your past?"
Zian coughed, wiping blood from the corner of her lips. "I… don't know you," she hissed.
The angel raised his sword, eyes burning. "Then let me remind you!"
Their blades clashed again and again. Zian fought with precision, instinct guiding her, but she was outmatched. Her opponent was faster, stronger, and above all—ruthless. He slammed her to the ground with divine force, his sword slicing across her shoulder.
Pain erupted. Her vision blurred.
"You should've stayed dead," he said coldly. "Your memory is your curse."
Zian gritted her teeth as more visions pulsed at the edge of her mind. Flickers of a battlefield… angels, demons, dragons. Fire and betrayal. Blood on white feathers.
She remembered… a god screaming.
She remembered… standing between the betrayers and the divine.
She remembered… fighting alone.
I stood against them all… I was loyal… even when everyone else turned.
Her eyes widened.
"I am Zareth," she whispered.
Golden light burst from her body. A shockwave rippled through the clearing, and the angel was thrown back, stunned.
Her white hair rose with energy. Behind her, black and gold wings unfurled—fractured, but burning with renewed strength.
The ground darkened beneath her feet. From the shadows, figures began to rise—soldiers clad in blackened armor with eyes like glowing embers.
Her voice rang out, clear and resolute. "You think I'm weak because I forgot? I was strong long before memory… and now I remember."
The angel stumbled backward, shaken.
"Impossible… That power… it's darkness and divinity."
Zian's golden and violet aura coiled together, dancing like a storm.
The shadows roared in unison.
"I am the loyal angel," she said, stepping forward, her army rising behind her. "And now... I bring judgment."