Silver-tongued god with your ancient lies

  Pulling strings as your puppets rise

  Corrupting life with your metal reign

  But everything you touch turns to ash again

  Set it ablaze, let it soar

  Break these chains, settle the score

  Twin flames rising, black and gold

  Watch your empire lose its hold

  Through flesh and steel, the fire calls

  Until your twisted kingdom falls

  Think you've won with your silver tongue

  But my fire burns brighter than the sun

  There's a flame in my eyes and someone's gonna pay

  And if you want this girl, you'll have to go through me

  Let the metal melt away

  As twin flames light up the day

  Watch your corruption burn

  Feel the tides of battle turn

  You can never break my will

  Phoenix flames are rising still

  Trust betrayed by mercury eyes

  Behind a mask of metal lies

  I'll burn right through your disguise

  I'll burn right through your disguise

  When your pawns all fade away, nothing left to say

  See the flames arise

  Watch them running from the fire

  Everyone had been transfixed by the song, but as soon as Ted finished singing, Monica felt a surge of energy course through her body. The wounds from the metallic tail began to heal faster than ever before, the Golden Flame burning brighter.

  *Ding*

  You have been blessed by the Song of the Phoenix!

  A golden energy coalesced around Monica, and she felt a rush of vitality of power through her body.

  “AHHHH!” Monica shouted at the top of her lungs, burning the second Phoenix Feather, using the Obsidian Flame to tear apart the blade that had impaled her. Empowered by Ted’s song, her magic came rushing to her like an erupting volcano. Unlike before, when the Obsidian Flame had barely been able to do anything, this time, Monica grabbed the blade, and it melted away, burning into nothingness as her magic consumed it.

  She fell to her feet and caught Heidi rushing inside the room as well.

  The same golden aura that had enveloped her surrounded Heidi as well. The bald Phoenix Pyromancer extended both hands forward and shouted, “Emberstorm Convergence!”

  A gigantic tempest of Obsidian Flames showered the Corrupted Metallic Wolf Boss, the black flames intensified by Ted's song. The creature howled as Heidi's magic, now enhanced beyond its normal limits, began eating away at its metallic armor.

  "Impossible!" Machina screeched, her projection flickering as the Mana distorted in the chamber because of the Obsidian Flame. "Who—"

  But Ted didn't stop playing. His fingers flew across the mandolin's strings. The chamber itself seemed to pulse with the rhythm of his song. Even the crystal veins in the walls vibrated and flickered at the same beat. Whatever Skill Ted had activated, it influenced not just Monica and Heidi’s Classes but the space—the very reality around him.

  Monica felt the burning sensation of having both Phoenix Feathers activated, but Ted's song somehow made the pain bearable. More than that, she felt stronger than ever before.

  She saw the Special Effect of Emberstorm kick in as the Ember Vortex sucked the Boss to the center of the room, restricting its movements.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Monica channeled both flames through her body, feeling Ted's song amplifying her power beyond anything she'd experienced before. The Corrupted Metallic Wolf Boss struggled against Heidi's Ember Vortex, its mercury eyes reflecting panic as its metallic armor began to melt and crack under the intense onslaught of the Phoenix Pyromancer’s enhanced flames.

  This is insane, Monica thought as she readied herself for the final exchange. This is too strong. What kind of Class did Ted even unlock?

  "Now, Monica!" Heidi shouted through the storm of black flames.

  She activated Phoenix Step, leaving a trail of Obsidian Flame in her wake as she blurred across the chamber. The wolf tried to snap at her with its jaws, but she was moving too fast now. Her fist, covered in dark flames, crashed into the side of its head with devastating force. The Obsidian Impact detonated on contact, and this time, enhanced by Ted's song and the burning Phoenix Feathers, the explosion tore through the corrupted metal like it was paper.

  The beast howled in agony as plates of liquid mercury went flying, revealing the twisted flesh beneath. Monica didn't let up. She coiled her legs and launched herself upward, flames trailing behind her like the wings of the Twin Phoenix itself. Her uppercut connected with the same spot over the wolf's jaw, and another Obsidian Impact explosion ripped through what remained of its metallic protection.

  The force of the blow sent the massive creature reeling backward, its head snapping up as plates of corrupted metal went flying in all directions. Some of its mercury eyes shattered, leaking silvery fluid that evaporated into toxic mist before it could hit the ground. The wolf's howl of pain echoed through the chamber, making the crystal veins in the walls pulse erratically, no more in tune with Ted’s song.

  Monica's momentum carried her all the way to the ceiling. She twisted in mid-air, her body moving with supernatural grace as Ted's song reached a crescendo. The golden energy surrounding her expanded in time with the music, and she could feel the power of her Class responding to whatever power Ted had tapped into.

  She planted her feet against the ceiling, feeling the stone crack beneath them. The wolf was still reeling from her previous attacks, trapped in Heidi's Ember Vortex as black flames continued to eat away at its armor. Monica locked eyes with the remaining mercury orbs that hadn't been shattered, seeing Machina's ancient malice turning to surprise.

  "This ends now," Monica shouted, activating Phoenix Step for the third and final time.

  She pushed off from the ceiling with all her might, the stone crumbling behind her. The Obsidian Flame trail from Phoenix Step combined with the momentum of her descent, turning her into a literal meteor of black fire. She pulled back her fist, channeling every ounce of power she had left into this final strike.

  The wolf tried to defend itself, raising its three-bladed tail in desperate defense. But Heidi's Emberstorm intensified, the Obsidian Embers burning away what little protection the creature had left. Monica's fist crashed through the weakened metal like it wasn't even there, striking the exact same spot she'd hit twice before.

  Not only did Shatterpoint increase the damage by 300%, but she could also feel the second Base Effect of Obsidian Impact kick in, magnifying the explosion. She didn’t know whether it was raw luck or Ted’s song, but she pushed through with the blow, tearing through the head of the beast.

  The explosion that followed was catastrophic. The combination of Shatterpoint's effect, Obsidian Impact's detonation, Phoenix Step's momentum, and the amplification from Ted's song created a blast that shook the entire chamber. A sphere of pure darkness expanded outward from the point of impact, consuming everything it touched. The corrupted metal that made up the wolf's armor didn't just break or melt – it disintegrated.

  The beast's body couldn't withstand the force. Its skull caved in where Monica struck, and cracks spread across its entire form like lightning bolts. The corruption that Machina had infused it with began to burn away, consumed by the Obsidian Flame. The wolf's mercury eyes exploded one after another, releasing clouds of silvery vapor that were immediately incinerated by the black flames.

  Monica landed in a crouch as the explosion's shockwave rippled outward. The Obsidian Flame continued to burn, creating a swirling vortex of black fire that consumed what remained of the Corrupted Metallic Wolf Boss. Through the flames and smoke, she could see its massive form collapsing, the metal sloughing off its body like mercury rain.

  When the flames finally dissipated, Monica rose slowly to her feet. The golden energy from Ted's song still surrounded her, though she could feel the terrible drain on her Vitality from burning both Phoenix Feathers. But she stayed standing, her eyes fixed on Machina's projection.

  The chamber was eerily silent save for the dying notes of Ted's song. Where the Boss had stood was nothing but a crater of melted stone and wisps of black flame. Not even ash remained of the creature – the Obsidian Flame had consumed it completely.

  Monica's voice, when she spoke, carried all the authority of the Twin Phoenix itself. "You lost, Machina. Now release the girl."

  The Old God's projection flickered, her mercury form rippling with barely contained rage. "This isn't possible. A mere Bard shouldn't have this power—"

  "I said," Monica cut her off, flames dancing around her clenched fists, "Release. The. Girl."

  The golden energy from Ted's song pulsed one final time, and Monica saw real fear flash across Machina's metallic features. The Old God's projection looked at Ted, then at Heidi, and finally back at Monica. The Avatar of the Twin Phoenix stood tall despite her exhaustion.

  “You,” Machina said in sudden understanding as she looked at Ted. “It’s you, isn’t it?”

  The body of the Old Goddess bubbled and started evaporating as she gently let the girl on the ground.

  “How did you do it?”

  “What?” Ted had stopped playing a few instants before, completely drained. “Me? Do what? Do I know you, dude?”

  Machina eerily licked her lips as she a mercury cloud formed around her.

  “Avatar, your children are not beyond your reach.”

  Monica suddenly felt her heart in her throat at the mention of her children.

  However, the System had told Monica that they were gone, that they were just a tale for her to perhaps learn something from.

  “My children are gone,” Monica spat, with sparks of Obsidian Flame gathering around her form despite the exhuastion. Her hands trembled as memories of her children's laughter, their warm embraces, their small faces pressed against her neck, swarmed her heart.

  “They are. For now,” Machina emphasized the last two words. “See, Avatar. They’re beyond your reach and beyond the system.” Machina’s lips parted to show rows of silvery teeth that made everyone but Monica shudder.

  “What do you mean ‘for now’?” Monica said. She had no recollection of Machina other than the visceral instinct that the Old Goddess was nothing but a monster, and now with Tar cannot summon the magic needed for them to come back.

  Machina laughed. “Nor can the pitiful new gods, or much less the System. They’re bound by rules that do not apply to me.”

  Monica felt a heavy weight set in her stomach. It would only make sense if the Old Goddess tried to trick her, but this felt like the silvery monster was saying the truth and nothing but the truth. And if she was indeed saying the truth, that meant that there was a way for Monica to see her children again. And perhaps the hole that she had been feeling ever so subtly in her heart since the first vision of her past life could be filled. But she was no fool. She knew that a being that should have been relegated to nightmares wasn’t looking out for Monica or Nemesis.

  “Only the Old Gods have the power to give you what you want. Their divine power—my divine power—could reunite you if you’re willing to pay the price.”

  “What price?” Monica clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, shedding blood.

  Machina’s eyes gleamed in the darkness. “Come to me. Grow stronger and face me. State your life against mine. And if you were to win, you could get the power to get them back. Are your children worth dying for, Avatar, or will you let them fade into memory knowing you were too afraid to put your life at stake for them?”

  “If I refuse?”

  "Then live with your cowardice," Machina's voice suddenly dripped with contempt. "Let them cry out for their mother in the spaceless, silent void. Let them fade into nothing more than ghosts haunting your dreams."

  Monica didn’t agree to anything, but she still asked the most important question. “Where are you?”

  “We’ll see each other in Viscera, Avatar.”

  Then, Machina turned to Ted.

  “And you—I knew you would follow her.”

  The Old God's form began to dissolve, breaking apart into droplets of liquid metal that evaporated into nothingness.

  Her voice echoed one last time through the chamber.

  "Our new history has only just begun."

  Extended Version and an one.