[center][h2]Last Dance[/h2][/center]
[center][b]Akime[/b][/center]
[center][i]Wind Wild[/i][/center]

Akime was pretty content in Lazarus’ arms, even if she could think of better ways they could be spending their time together. The appearance of the bride and groom on the dancing floor reminded her why she had to behave. They were both elegant and beautiful and deserved every ounce of happiness in this world and every shred of support she could give them. The love and warmth that was radiating from them was pure magic to her senses and unlike any other she had felt before. Well, it wasn’t entirely alien. 

She was staring at the corner of his lip, the part that was quirked upwards, something making her too embarrassed to meet his eyes. Maybe it was the proximity of such a colossal love that dwarfed any other. Maybe it was the speed at which her own feelings were growing, as if by being close to him, Lazarus’ essence was intoxicating her own. Or perhaps it was just the mixture of vodka, gin and rum that made her feel like she was drifting over the floorboards rather than dancing on them. Either way, she couldn’t complain. 

Not until that little smile on his lips dropped. Then some cacophony washed away the music and Akime’s senses compelled her to look up. 

“Oh-hooooo~” A grin spilled over her lips as she saw the first intruders. “They even made sure we have entertainment after the dance!” She didn’t seem at all worried when she let go of Lazarus just to bend over and start to clumsily rip shreds of her bridesmaid’s dress to get to free her legs. But something was off. A slightly nauseating feeling. 

Something else was going on. The people on the dance floor seemed to be dispersing. And the Masters and Mistresses were far louder than she’d like them to be, for some reason congregating on the deck behind her. She couldn’t make sense of it. Surely they realised that the hunt would be more fun if they scattered instead. Then Christian roared his voice no longer human and it made Akime cringe and frown with frustration. Her brain felt mushy and didn’t seem to like loud noises in its current state. 

And then the world breaker shattered the skies and the impact of its essence against hers was that of a bullet-train colliding with a tree. It brought her to her knees with a yelp as the aura she had spread out over the whole Blackwing and beyond fractured – something that shouldn’t be possible. Something that only Urthar had been able to achieve before. Akime hissed in pain as she instinctively retracted her essence for the first time in a millennium and gripped her forehead to prevent it from exploding. 

When she looked up at the beast, tears of pain smeared her face with dark graphite streaks and there was finally recognition in her eyes. “This is bad.” She whimpered, shakily getting to her feet. “Really bad…”