"You think she's a Phoenix, like her father?" Billy asked.

"We'll see,"

"Wait, don't tell me you plan to kill her and see,"

"I wouldn't have to if there was another way," Arya said, a white bubble formed around her, for Aura navigation. 

(Tip: Witches use Aura navigation not only to find beings but also to initiate astral projection in order to be able to touch or harm them. Even if they use their full power to almost teleport somewhere, nature can find its balance and extract energy from the witch itself. A powerful witch like Arya could lose half her power in this astral projection.)

"You know you can lose a huge chunk of yourself if you try to use astral projection to kill her,"

"But that is where the advantage lies,"

"What advantage?"

"I can extract her power before I kill her and return to where I came from, using the same projection,"

"That way, I'll have unlimited power as compared to the nature,"

Billy looked away, sighing. 

But nature always finds a balance. I hope you realise that, sister.

***

"Oh believe me when I say she's coming for you," Julia said, crossing her arms, and leaning onto the doorframe. 

"I know. That is exactly why we will fight her together," Calice tried to conclude.

"Just the four-" Before Julia could say anything, she suddenly began choking, as red began spreading across her chest. 

Their eyes pierced at her in utter horror as her body relieved itself before the desiccation began spreading throughout her body. 

Guk! Argh! 

She grunted before a hole made its place in the centre of her chest. She slowly dropped to her knees before her upper body thumped onto the floor, her eyes staring right ahead. 

"Julia!" 

Calice exclaimed and rushed to turn her around, taking her head onto her thighs. 

"What the hell just happened?" Julian exclaimed, about to hyperventilate, trying to figure out whether she'd come back to life or if this was goodbye. 

"What's wrong with you though?" Yoongi pointed at Julian, everyone's attention directed towards him. 

"You're glowing?!"

"Yeah, it happens when someone summons me,"

"That means it's just working,"

"What do you mean?" Yoongi frowned. 

"I'll explain later, help me put her on the couch," Chris leaned to wrap Julia's arm around his shoulders as Yoongi did the same. 

"Now what?"

"He's going to disappear in a few minutes, drink this," Calice handed Yoongi a vile full of blood. 

Yoongi opened it and took a shot. 

"That burns even more than hellfire!" Yoongi's face turned into a disgusting frown. 

"Of course it does, it's my blood," Julian disappeared into thin air after saying that.

Chris pushed the start on the timer on his phone, set to five minutes. 

"Alright, in five minutes, the blood you drank will begin to mix in your bloodstream and when that happens, you'll begin burning up because of the phoenix fire. When that happens, turn immediately or else it will melt,"

"What happens after we turn?" 

"We get drawn to Julian, dead or alive,"

"What happens after we turn back?"

"The blood vanishes from your bloodstream,"

"How?"

"You see, when we turn we use energy from our aura. When our bloodstream has another source of energy apart from our aura, it mostly gets consumed in about five minutes," Chris explained. 

"So I guess once we turn with his energy in our aura, we end up using his power along with getting drawn to him?" Yoongi figured. 

"Yes, and we can only keep using it until we assume our wolf form," Calice confirmed. 

"Wait but is it just the three of us now?"

"Don't worry about that, we didn't spend three days partying,"

"Phew! I'm starting to get annoyed!" Chris fanned himself as he began burning up. They all huffed as four minutes ended and they took their jackets off. 

Yoongi looked at Chris's tricep, a familiar tattoo coming into view. He looked at Calice's arm, the same tattoo on it. 

"YOU GUYS DID NOT-" 

"Later, Yoongi," The two love birds looked at each other and blushed. 

"Alright, about 30 seconds left," 

They leapt out of the balcony into the woods and turned, all the space in their eyes turning golden. They growled as their wolf canines gritted themselves together. 

You're never consuming another protector ever again, Arya. 

***

"H-how did you come back?"

Julian huffed as blood dripped down the side of his forehead, his energy and power reaching a new level of low. He clutched his shoulder, relocating it and stood upright again. He looked at the white-haired devil in disguise and twirled his fingers, a gold spear, about his arm's length forming between his fist beside his hips. His black suit ignited itself with fire as he rushed further and swung the spear into the air, leading towards the witch's head.

"Foolish Phoenix,"

The spear was reduced to ashes as it hit a void a foot away from her face. She smirked as her palm lit up with silver fire, her eyes glowing with the same as she took her hood off. She spread her palms and closed her eyes before a massive gush of wind blew through the woods, almost uprooting the trees and causing the Phoenix's fire to set itself ablaze even more.

"You have no idea,"

His suit reduced slowly with his fire, revealing his armour from within, his staff coming into view and his wings pushing themselves through the skin on his back. A huge mix of lightning struck the ground he stood upon as his eyes lit up with golden light.

"Oh, how easy it is going to be to grab all this power,"

The witch was about to extract the Phoenix's powers from him but suddenly got caught in a timeless fire.

"RRRRRRAAAARGHHH!"

Her screams echoed across the woods as she tried to put it out.

If only the ashes of my spear weren't scattered all across your formation. 

The fire stopped as he stomped towards her. He grabbed her hair but stopped all of a sudden. 

"I don't deserve to live. I must atone for my sin," 

He clutched his chest as he felt like something was hammering it. He widened his eyes and looked at her. 

"You think it's that easy to kill me?"

"You killed my daughter?"

"And took all her split energy,"

Before Julian could say anything, Arya plunged her hand into his chest, slithering her fingers around his beating heart. 

"God even your heart is hot from your fire," 

A sudden silver cut approached from her stomach as her burnt skin reduced to ashes before withering off and revealing her fresh texture. 

"Just so you know, the moment you die, I'm taking all your energy,"

Her fist tightened around the heart before she ripped it out without any effort. His eyes kept staring at her as his body dropped onto the grass, lifeless. 

"Now, before you awaken..."

She extended her hand towards his body, her palm facing downwards. Silver smoke poured out as her pupils turned silver, a pair of silver scars lightening under her eyes each. She grunted slightly as if trying to pull his golden essence into her palm. His body was illuminated with golden light, stretching towards her palm. 

Guk! Ugh! 

the corners of her lips decorated with thick blood strings, she looked down, a fist covered with blood stabbing right through coming into view. 

ARGH!

The arm withdrew itself as she got pushed forward, tripping, and covering her wound, staring at the figure before her in shock. 

"Calice?" Her voice made it through her coughs. 

"You really thought you could surpass me?"

Calice walked towards her lethargically, one step after another. 

"And you really thought you knew it all?"

Calice frowned, realising the witch had enough strength to speak. 

"You think you got done with a noble deed saving that baby back then?,"

"The hell do you mean?

Calice knelt before pulling on the witch's collar. 

"The baby you left at the doorstep that night, was raised by my mother,"

"He's a witch?"

"Yes, he's the one they call Billy,"

"I knew he'd be in on this!"

Arya burst out into laughter before coughing brutally. 

"What in hell is so funny?!"

She looked down, catching her breath and looking up slowly, an expressionless facade covering her nonchalant one.

"What's funny is that you also know him by another name,"

 "Who?"

"Rake,"

~To be continued