(No no no no no!)
.
Aisha gasped for air as she reached a hand out weakly towards the cacophony of sounds in front of her, the faint, warbly sounds of shouting and screaming accompanied by the harsh crackling of fire, and the clashing of fists and weapons.
.
Aisha herself could barely even stay conscious, her eyes not working, but her mind conscious enough to recognize that her body had been blown into pieces by the explosion.
.
Her chest filled with panic, at the thought that - very easily, whoever had caused the blast could easily kill her right now - even her regeneration had limits - it was impressive that she was even still alive, missing likely, most of her torso at the very least. She could barely hear, much less see - for the first time in a long time, she was vulnerable, she could-
.
(No!) A garbled voice protested in her head. (Your friends! Kaya -)
.
Aisha's stomach sank, that was right, her friends, they couldn't regenerate like she could, she had been closest to the blast, but-
.
"Y----r---------mn------ss---tt-----er-----b----ard!"
.
Her hearing was the first sense to regenerate, as the sound of burning became more vivid, accompanied by the shouting that followed. It still felt like Aisha was submerged in water, a fact that filled her body with an intense feeling of frustration, filling up her chest with a sensation similar to drowning - she needed to know what was going on, she needed to know if her friends were safe, she needed to -
.
"-------s----rry ---- me---an---to-"
.
"Don't play word games with me, bastard. You're dead."
.
Kaya's voice cut through the warbling like a knife, and all at once it was like Aisha had risen out of the water, the deafening noise of arcane magics clashing, explosions, and fire assaulting her ears, but despite the pain in her head, Aisha felt a pang of relief enter her chest, knowing that Kaya was in good enough shape to yell, although, her mind still raced, thinking about Rennala and Liberta - Liberta was far enough from the group to survive, probably, but Renna…
.
"Hey, you don't have to take it so personally. You would know, most of all."
"Shut up! Don't try to distract me!"
.
The next sense to return was Aisha's eyesight. Blurry, and a mess of red and orange, but as the sounds of shouting grew louder and louder, her eyesight began to focus, seeing two blurry figures in the distance, one tall and white, the other short and dark - one was Kaya, she was pretty sure, but the other…
.
"...'m nothing like you!" Kaya shouted, her voice - Aisha froze in shock, sensing desperation in her voice - she'd never heard anything like it before from her - but more surprising…
.
The tall figure fighting Kaya… was Kyu. The tall, agreeable mage, even now, as he retreated from a hail of blows, wore a smile, even as gashes tore into his clothes, cutting open his arms as he held up his hands to protect himself from Kaya's flurry.
.
(What's going on?) She demanded from Aiushtha, as if she knew - and her demand was only met with silence, as conflicted feelings rushed through her chest. Her instincts told her that the defenseless-looking man, retreating pitifully with his arms held up in a guard, should be the one in the right, but another part of her told her that no, Kaya was her friend, and that she should trust her-
.
"Why do you hate me?" Kyu grunted, his light tone undercut by his pained exertion. "I've always wondered. Are you just a distrustful person?"
"Just stop talking!" Kaya shouted in frustration, landing a solid blow onto Kyu's face, his cheek splitting open. "Just die, dammit! Just DIE!"
"Is it something I did?" Kyu asked, blocking a strike with an open palm. "Something about me? Or, I guess, if you don't know, that's also fair…"
.
Aisha frowned, her eyesight fully healing, the regeneration now beginning to reconstruct her damaged arm - distinctly, she saw her blown up lower half a few meters away from her, and she knew that she should crawl over to it and accelerate her healing, but she felt a compulsion to continue watching the fight. Something was wrong - why did Kyu look so calm, when he was losing the fight so objectively, and why was Kaya so desperate?
.
It was like… they knew something that she didn't.
.
"Whatever." Kyu sighed, before stretching his arms out, a massive explosion erupting out of his hands, the leather on his gloves melting away and charring the skin underneath. Kaya herself was able to dodge with ease, although there was now a distance between them, leaving the short girl to snarl upwards at Kyu's amiable expression.
.
"I can take a hint." He shrugged, before, at a speed that seemed unnatural for a man his size - rushing towards Kaya, launching a sweeping kick that the girl barely dodged.
.
Aisha's eyes widened as the fight resumed, only this time, Kyu was the one moving, his body unnaturally nimble when his strikes looked so incredibly heavy - he advanced slowly on Kaya, who was left on the defensive, her small stature ill-suited towards blocking a man easily three times her weight -
.
But still, it seemed like Kaya had the advantage - and despite being on the defensive, Kaya looked like she was dodging each blow with ease, and in fact, Aisha spotted, in Kyu's blindspot, Kaya had that glint in her eye - like she had seen something good, an opportunity to strike.
.
After a particularly wide swing, Kaya ducked underneath Kyu's arm, and despite the arm that rose to block her fist, the tall man was far too slow to dodge the sharp crescent of energy that was aimed at his throat. The blow landed true, and even as the flesh split underneath the razor-sharp blade, Kyu's mouth never dipped below a pained smile.
.
Kaya gazed smugly at Kyu as he gripped his throat with a burnt hand, blood spewing out between his fingertips as he stumbled slightly. Kaya opened her mouth to gloat-
.
"KAYA!" Aisha screamed. "WATCH OUT!"
.
Mouth opening with shock at Aisha's voice, Kaya hesitated slightly - leaving her wide open for Kyu to drive a kick directly into Kaya's side, the sickening noise of bones cracking, and the wind being forced out of lungs reaching Aisha's ears, as Kaya was sent crashing to the ground a few meters away, gasping and choking for breath. She didn't stay inactive for long, though - even as pain wracked her body, she made sure to watch Kyu out of the corner of her eye, ready for if he went for a second attack, somehow - he should have been dead!
.
Kyu removed his hand from his throat to reveal an ugly, burnt mass of flesh and blood on his throat, his hand still steaming with heat. Tears and sweat dripped down his face, but somehow, the man was still smiling slightly - even as he began to rush towards Kaya, with the intent to keep her on the ground.
.
Aisha's eyes widened as she realized that Kyu had cauterized his own throat closed with fire magic - burning not only his neck, but his hands as well - in fact, Aisha realized, his hands had already been burnt by the explosion earlier - those tears, and the sweat weren't from exertion, but from pain.
Aisha rushed towards her lower body, even as Kaya quickly recovered from her hit - a new dread began to fill her stomach - she needed to get up quickly and help Kaya, her opponent -
.
Kaya raised her arm towards Kyu with a clawed hand, hands trembling with fear and exertion, she began to rise to her feet, but quickly was forced to dive again, as Kyu brought a hand down, a stalactite forced out of the ceiling of the cave, the stone formation shrouded in black mana.
.
But Kaya was not nimble enough to dodge again, a second stalactite ripping out of the cave roof and smashing into her arm - and Aisha felt her stomach turn again as she heard the sound of bones breaking again - this time accompanied with a cry of pain -
.
Kyu closed the distance on the small girl and threw a punch, Kaya deflecting it with exertion - but as the fist sailed away, and Kaya moved behind Kyu, the sound of an explosion rang out through the cave.
.
And along with it, Kyu's momentum was suddenly sent in the complete opposite direction, and his elbow smashed into the side of Kaya's head, sending the girl reeling.
.
And Aisha was helpless to watch, scrambling up to her feet but not nearly close enough, as a black shard formed in Kyu's hand.
.
"NO!" Aisha screamed, her voice panicked, begging. "DON'T!"
.
But Kyu just flashed her a wry smile as he plunged the shard into Kaya's stomach, letting the girl fall to the ground in a puddle of blood.
.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Aisha roared, red streaks beginning to leak out of her reconstituted body as she leapt towards Kyu, blood streaming down her eyes, and her skin beginning to harden into ugly, darkened scales.
.
Only to be forced to dig her heels into the ground as Kyu grabbed Kaya's limp body, holding it in front of him as a human shield - he spat out a bit of blood from his mouth as he panted for breath, his mangled right hand curling in pain. Aisha screamed in frustration, the desire to rip Kyu's body in half searing hot in her stomach, but it was quashed by the overwhelming grief and panic she felt, seeing Kaya's lifeless, limp expression.
.
"Sorry." He panted. "I don't want to do this, but - I don't think I could live against you in a fair fight. Just need… auhH - just gotta catch my breath…"
.
"YOU were responsible for the explosion!?" Aisha demanded, eyes flitting between Kyu's face, and Kaya's bleeding body, panic fully setting into her chest. "WHY!?"
.
"It's…" Kyu gasped for air, his bangs matted with sweat. "I was… hah… hah. It's just a job. It's nothing… nothing personal, really. Oh that sounds really edg-"
.
"Weren't you friends with them!?" Aisha snarled. "You killed them, you KILLED KAYA, for a JOB!?"
.
Kyu took a shuddering breath, and his exhaustion seemed to abate, his breaths starting to become even. The smile on his face turned wistful, twitching as if he wanted to frown, but some force was keeping his face frozen into that expression.
"...You said yourself." Kyu said, laughing softly. "The people you hang around with… that doesn't mean that they're your friends."
.
"You sacrificed them like it was nothing!"
.
"...Well, I didn't want to."
.
Kyu's arm lowered, and Aisha instantly launched an attack, a clawed hand reaching directly for the taller man's throat, only for her arm to be grabbed out of the air, her claws a millimeter away from Kyu's throat.
.
"I'm glad you're alive, kind of." Kyu laughed, strain entering his voice as he struggled to keep Aisha's arm away. "Oh - you're strong, damn - "
.
Kyu, with a grunt of exertion, threw Aisha's arm away, his entire body straining with force, but only managing to move the girl's hand away a few inches, Aisha's clawed fingers ripping open the other side of his face, leaving both with massive gashes.
.
He quickly backed away, jumping backwards in a wide arc, attempting to put some distance between the monstrously strong Aisha and himself, but found a sharp claw once again aimed at his throat, accompanied with a chilling, murderous expression.
.
"Those are some scary eyes." He panted, as he continued to dance around, just barely dodging Aisha's wild, furious swipes, his movements frantic. "I'm kind of sad."
.
"SAD!?" Aisha spat, everything about the tall man making her more furious, her voice going guttural with rage, her throat straining. "YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS! I'LL RIP YOU APART- I'LL - I'LL"
.
"For what it's worth." Kyu hissed, as Aisha's claws tore through the skin of his leg, drawing blood, but smiling anyways. "Liberta and the other one should still be alive. But regardless - I really did want to be friends with you."
.
Kyu's light tone, and that damn fucking smile, made Aisha's blood boil. She hated him, despite the pang of relief that she felt, hearing that the others should be alive, but she hated that she believed him, hated that he still seemed so confident, so damn sure he would win. She hated how he kept saying he wanted to be her friend, despite the murders he just committed - and she hated that he sounded so sincere, despite how he was clearly just fucking with her -
.
Aisha's hands continued to claw savagely at Kyu, her hands ripping through the stone of the cavern like paper - dust flew everywhere, and Kyu winced as a few loose stones pelted his face, and yet, that amiable expression never left his face, calm and light. It infuriated her, how he looked so calm, after killing Kaya, he needed to PAY, he needed to SUFFER!
.
The air itself began to respond to her rage, rushing into herself like a vacuum - Kyu's eyebrows rose, seeing Aisha's eyes glow to a raging intensity, red eyes and black scales glimmering in the light of the inferno around them.
.
"Oh. I was right." He smiled. "You are just like me, huh."
"SHUT UP!"
.
Aisha lunged forwards at a blinding speed, ready to rip Kyu's heart out of his chest, but was, this time, met with a counterblow to the side of her chest, the tall man's boot clanking off the side of her scaled torso. He grunted, frowning, although his eyes caught on the cracks that formed from the impact. And when Aisha went for his heart again, he leapt up into the air, another explosion reverberating through the air - and this time, Aisha was the one to dodge, ducking narrowly under a concerningly fast kick aimed at her head.
.
"You know, I really like the idea of explosions." Kyu panted, wobbling slightly as he stilled his rotation, finding purchase on the ground with his left hand. "By themselves… the fuel could fit in your hand. And if you were to simply light some starter, then all you would get is a sad little flame. But condense it, compress it - control it - then you get a force that's unable to be matched by any natural release of energy."
.
Aisha angrily launched a punch at Kyu's head, but found her arm's momentum stopped, fire spewing out of the back of the mercenary's arm, propelling it forward like the boosters on a rocket.
.
"People fantasize about flight. About reaching the skies, a place out of reach for human hands. The domain of the birds, the angels." Kyu grinned softly. "But I reject that idea. The idea of something out of reach? I hate that."
.
Fire erupted out of Kyu's body in a torrent of force, as he was finally able to overpower Aisha the slightest bit - throwing her backwards a good meter - and this time, he was the one to launch an attack, leaping towards Aisha in a high arc, twisting his body into a devastating roundhouse. Fire streaked out of his body freely, accelerating his kick, and when the shin of his leg met Aisha's arm, her scales cracked, revealing the soft flesh underneath.
.
Aisha's mouth curled into a snarl at the slight aching, her rage blinding all other thoughts. She continued to throw herself at the tall man, hands ready to tear, rip, anything - she wanted to destroy him, she wanted to-
.
"You know something funny?" Kyu said casually, rubbing his shin in pain. "When I first met Kaya, she never trusted anyone."
.
"Shut up." Aisha spat, her eyes going cold with fury, as her hands began to tremble with both power, and anger.
.
"I can understand why she would open up for you, though." Kyu laughed. "I'm kind of jealous! I thought she was cool."
.
A torrent of black energy spewed out of Aisha's hand, released in a wild jet of pure, chaotic energy, eating away at even the air around them - even more wild and unconstrained than usual, it ate through the barrier that Kyu projected with ease, catching him in the sides, as her mana began to carve away at the rocks near them, causing the cavern around them to shake and tremble.
.
"Sorry." He apologized, taking a quick glance at the mad destruction behind him. "I guess this probably isn't the time."
.
Without warning, Kyu began to rush in, jumping in a huge arc to avoid the blasts of pure destructive energy. Weaving between strikes, he threw another kick at Aisha's head, which she didn't even bother to block, grabbing madly at the appendage to try and rip it off his body.
.
But annoyingly, Kyu managed to retract his body, breathing evenly and holding a loose stance -
.
(That's Kaya's fighting form.)
.
Aisha's eyes widened, shock pulling her out of her rage suddenly. That closed, but loose stance… his careful, nimble dodges… those were Kaya's movements.
.
(Does he… did he know more about her than I did?)
.
Jealously and grief burst into Aisha's heart at the thought, but -
.
(You have to calm down.) A second voice echoed.
.
Yeah. She was right. If she continued the way she was currently, she would never kill the bastard… she would never avenge Kaya.
.
(Grieve later. For now, just kill him.)
.
(Rage isn't going to help.)
.
(Kill him)
.
(KILL HIM!)
.
"Oh. I take it back. Now those are some scary eyes."
.
Aisha took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and when they reopened, a new expression was born, with the same rage, but without the anger. Coldness radiated out from her as she stretched her hands out, electricity crackling between her fingertips. And with a huge, popping explosion, the energy rushed outwards, and when Kyu blinked, two huge walls of green energy flanked his sides, sparking and popping chaotically.
.
Aisha brought her hands together and the walls began to close in on the tall man, who grinned as he marveled at the energy beside him.
.
"Whoa! I read about this!" He said excitedly. "These are the same principles that they use in the machina chaos shields! That's really impressive!"
.
Aisha didn't bother answering, merely observing as her magic began to close in on him. He had two options. Either stand still and be evaporated by the electrical current, or face her and rush into a head on battle.
.
"You've kind of forced my hand, huh."
.
Aisha tensed her body as Kyu began to rush towards her, his body slightly favoring his left leg and turning his running form into a shambling dash. It was almost pitiful, the way his body was so completely destroyed, and yet, he still continued to grin.
.
This time, when Kyu's flying roundhouse came at her, Aisha ducked under him, letting him sail over her head as she began to pull mana from the environment into herself, energy screaming and pulsing. And when Kyu launched his second kick, Aisha let the energy loose behind her, propelling her arm at uncontrollable speeds - and when she met Kyu's leg, there was an ugly cracking, as pebbles fell on her shirt -
.
Aisha's brows furrowed as the rock reinforcement crumbled away on Kyu's leg, as his own eyes widened with delight.
.
"You're copying me!" He laughed. "Nice! I get to see what it's like on this end!"
.
And suddenly, Aisha realized - he didn't know Kaya's fighting moves, he had copied them just by watching her fight. Just like how he had imitated Aisha's armor, how he had such mastery over elemental magic -
.
But it was of no concern to her. And she couldn't help but smile in sick satisfaction as Kyu began to tense his hand, the air around him beginning to distort -
.
And instantly, his arm burst open in a grisly shower of blood, prismatic light cutting open his forearm in a kaleidoscope of burning light, and as Kyu's expression flickered in pain, Aisha watched as his arm was burned from the inside out, turning ugly and red.
.
"Ouch." He grunted, his voice straining with exertion, and pain.
.
And yet, he didn't stop drawing energy into himself, and, to Aisha's surprise, he raised his destroyed arm, flinging it at Aisha's head in a wide arc.
.
Aisha snarled. Yeah, she supposed if he was going to lose his arm, he would at least get one last use out of it - but even if he could copy Aisha's strength, he was no match for the original.
.
But as her own fist began to sail towards his to meet his strike, a bit of doubt nagged in her head, and despite herself, a bit of panic began to settle into her chest - what if this wasn't a desperate last measure? What if she was playing right into his hand?
.
What if Aisha was going to lose? Maybe she should dodge instead - no, it was too late!
.
Maybe this was his plan, to have her second guess herself - his punch could be a feint - but no, he had fully commit himself to the motion -
.
And for a split second, Aisha felt real fear in her heart, a sinking feeling settling into her stomach. She couldn't read him, that damn smile - how could he still smile, even as his body was torn apart, even as -
.
But when Aisha's fist met Kyu's, her hand felt resistance, and then… suddly, the resistance faltered, as Kyu's arm shattered under the force of her blow, his bones cracking and splintering.
.
Aisha was hit with a wave of confusion - she really thought -
.
And then, suddenly, blood spewed out of her mouth, and an immense pain began to radiate out from her stomach.
.
She looked down in shock, at where Kyu's other arm was embedded into her stomach, the vestiges of natural magic still leaving his other arm, just as burned, mangled and destroyed as the first.
.
(He… he sacrificed both of his arms. One as a feint. And the other to pierce my scales….)
.
(I… lost?)
.
Blood still leaking out of her mouth, Aisha raised an arm as a last resort - an actual last resort - but the beam of mana flew past Kyu's head as she was shoved to the ground, and quickly, Aisha found herself with a shard of black glass lodged into her neck, her body losing all feeling.
.
Kyu stood victorious over her. Limping, with one arm mangled, with the other completely destroyed and useless. Face cut up and bleeding, while his neck now held a massive, ugly scar across the length.
.
And yet, he was still smiling.
.
"Like I said." He panted. "I couldn't beat you without everything I had."
.
"..."
.
"I'm real-"
.
Instantly, Kyu dipped to the side as a massive lance of crackling lightning pierced through the space where he once was. He fell to the ground, quickly bracing himself with the elbow from his left arm - he stumbled slightly, but eventually managed to stumble his way onto his feet, little pebbles embedded in his body where he had taken the dive.
.
And his eyes met Liberta's, wide and terrified, and he could only offer a sad, wry smile to the elf standing on a ledge above the battlefield, Rennala's body slung over her shoulder. Aisha felt an immense relief as she saw - first Liberta, and then, as Rennala groaned slightly, a ghastly wound in her stomach, but still… alive.
.
"...Kyu?" She whispered.
.
"...Hi, Liberta."
.
"...Why?"
.
Kyu's face seemed to freeze in place as he stared into Liberta's hurt expression.
.
"I remember you once said…" He sighed. "That it is within the right of all human beings to pursue what they desire."
.
"So what!?" Liberta asked, her voice slowly getting more and more angry. "You wanted this?"
.
"Would you even believe me if I said no?"
.
"WEREN'T YOU MY FRIEND!?" Liberta shouted desperately. "DIDN'T WE-"
.
"What's my last name, Liberta?"
.
"...Wh-"
.
"I'm sorry." Kyu said casually. "But we aren't friends. I had fun with you. No, we had fun together. But I've seen you care about other people…"
.
His eyes flitted over to Rennala's body.
"And I'm just not one of them." He finished. "I can understand feeling angry, but… please don't misunderstand."
.
"GO TO HELL THEN!"
.
Rennala snarled as she formed another massive lance of lightning in her fist, the projectile crackling and buzzing with anger. Without hesitation, she threw it at Kyu - who attempted to dodge, but just wasn't fast enough, catching the projectile in his right leg, taking a huge chunk out of the limb. He fell to the floor, but quickly braced himself with his only remaining useful limb, as he turned to face Liberta again. Aisha watched as he packed the wound in his leg with rocks, forming a clumsy brace out of mana - but still,
.
"Oh, Liberta." He panted, his face matted with sweat. "You're still holding back, huh."
.
Liberta's face grew red with fury, and this time, her fist clenched as the mana around herself began to burn red with anger, the air itself growing red and sparking with flames.
.
Only for her expression to falter as Kyu dragged himself to Aisha's prone body-
.
"JUST BURN ME TOO!" Aisha screamed. "DO IT!"
.
Liberta hesitated. "B-but-"
.
"JUST DO IT!"
.
And with Aisha's words, Kyu smiled his biggest smile yet, as he laughed with his whole chest, soft and gentle and yet wrong, not even bothering to try and shield himself as Liberta's flames engulfed him, blotting his entire body from view. Aisha grimaced as the embers hissed and licked at her exposed body, and yet -
.
"YOU CAN'T HOLD BACK!" She screeched. "HE'LL-"
.
And Aisha was helpless to watch as another one of her friends was maimed - as one second, Liberta stood firm on her ledge, and in the next, she was screaming in pain, clutching the stump where her left arm used to be, her flames dissipating to reveal Kyu. His face looked horribly burned, along with most of his exposed skin - or at least, what was left of it, and for once, his smile dissipated, for a pained grimace. It was almost comical - for a normal person, they would be screaming from those injuries - and yet, Kyu's expression looked like he had stubbed his toe - and yet, Aisha could tell he was getting weak, his knees trembled slightly, and his breaths were heavy.
.
"I… Ugh…" He wheezed weakly. "That hurt… We can call it even… yeah… Urk…"
,
"You're dead." Liberta whispered coldly, eyes teary with stinging pain. "I'll burn you alive, slowly - I'll-"
.
"Maybe… Maybe… it's time right…? God, they're finally fucking here…"
.
Aisha's ears twitched, hearing the sound of footsteps - And her heart sank, as in the opening of the cavern, a vanguard of at least a dozen armored men appeared - and in the center of the formation, it was -
.
"You… you're working with them?" Aisha snarled, her eyes red with fury at the sight of the captain of the assassins that had been plaguing her and her friends, ever since she had entered the capital.
.
"Not by choice…" Kyu grimaced, as he shambled past the ninja, ignoring the horrified glances that the warriors shot him. "You're all late… please show a bit more respect in the future… go do whatever the hell that stupid asshole wants."
.
One of the mercenaries walked up to Kyu, bandages and salves in hand, but he waved the man off.
.
"I just need to… sit down…" He wheezed, as the rest of the mercenaries began to fill into the room. Liberta looked down, her face a mix of fury, and despair, but even still, she raised her arm to cast a spell-
.
"Libba!" Aisha shouted. "Just… just stop… He won. We… please don't…"
.
Aisha had never felt more bitter in her entire life. But she still could save Liberta and Rennala, there was no need for them to pay for her sloppiness. At the very least… even if… even if Kaya…
.
"I'm sorry." She croaked. "Kaya…"
.
"Escort them out." The ninja captain ordered. "Don't remove the spike from the short one. She'll kill you."
.
Liberta's expression turned ugly and hateful, and Aisha felt panic re-emerge as she raised her remaining hand, lightning crackling between her fingertips.
"You must be INSANE if you think I'm going to just LET YOU LEAVE HERE, AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"
.
"LIBERTA, NO!"
.
But Aisha could only watch, again, as her stupid, stupid, impulsive teammate, raised her hand - and she could already see the two mercenaries behind Liberta, ready to cut her down, and Aisha could only scream -
.
But just as quickly, the two men were cut down, a flash of steel flitting across her vision, and Aisha had never thought she would have been so happy to see cyan in her entire life.
.
"Don't give up, miss Aisha!" Akane shouted from behind Liberta, and soon after, the sounds of fighting erupted from the mouth of the cave, as guardsmen began to engage the mercenaries in combat - Aisha heard the sounds of shouting and fighting, but when the spike was removed from her neck, and she could feel her body again, none of that mattered to her, instead, she singlemindedly made her way into the center of the cave, carving away mercenaries viciously. She could only see one thing. The only thing that mattered in that moment.
.
.
.
"...I'm sorry, Miss Aisha."
.
Aisha could only clench Kaya's body tighter in her arms, the light already gone from her eyes. The body was cold, and despite all of Aisha's efforts, closing her eyes and mouth, she couldn't get rid of the distressed expression on the girl's face.
.
"No no no…" She whimpered, clenching her teeth. "No… not… please…"
.
"Aisha…"
.
"I can still feel it." She whispered, pressing her face into Kaya's firm chest. "Her soul… I… it feels so warm…"
.
"..."
.
The cave was completely silent, as Liberta and Akane, for once, were completely silent. Aisha's anguished cries were the only sound that dared echo in the cave, even the soft trembling of the stones were silent in her grief.
.
"Grnrnuh…" Rennala moaned from the ground.
.
"You okay?" Liberta whispered, taking a quick glance at Aisha before returning her attention to their still living, very miserable friend.
.
"It hurts…" Rennala choked out. "Libby…"
.
Liberta let Rennala rest her head on her lap, taking one more furtive glance at Aisha - but the girl was too absorbed in her grief, and Liberta sighed, stroking Rennala's head in her lap.
.
"What happened?" She whispered. "Why is Aiahs… where's your arm? Where's…
.
Suddenly, realization set in, and Rennala's pain turned secondary to the feeling of dread that set into her stomach.
.
"Oh no."
.
"I can still feel it…" Aisha mumbled. "I can feel… the regret… the yearning… she should have lived…"
.
"There's nothing we can do about it anymore." Liberta said hesitantly.
.
"..."
.
"
Aisha was uncharacteristically silent, as the grief began to subside, replaced with a different emotion. Her face became contorted in thought, as she -
.
"Aisha." Liberta furrowed her brows in concern. "No."
Akane raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding the shift in the air. "What?"
.
"I could…" Aisha hesitated as she looked upwards, her eyes full of desperation, and hope in equal parts. "If her soul -"
.
"Wait." Rennala balked. "Aisha, you can't be thinking of trying to…"
.
Her words tapered off. Akane shot the group a puzzled look.
.
"...I can't agree with this either." Liberta whispered, her voice unusually solemn. "You don't know what Kaya would want."
.
"But I can feel it!" Aisha insisted desperately. "She- she wanted to live, she wanted -"
.
"It's not right!" Rennala cried, wincing at the pain that lanced through her body, at the brief movement of exertion. "Aisha, you can't!"
.
"I've done so much worse." Aisha whispered. "This is for her. It's my fault, I have to make it right-"
.
Aisha rose to her feet, still clutching Kaya in her arms, tight to her chest. Her expression was pained and desperate, though firm and determined. But she still stopped, wheeling around when she felt an arm on her shoulder.
.
"What!?" She cried frantically, staring into Akane's concerned expression, not quite able to meet her eyes. "You too!?"
.
"No, i…" Akane hesitated. "It's far beyond my right to criticize you for being stubborn. But I would instead urge you to consider… the people here who need you."
.
It seemed like it was the first time Aisha actually looked at Rennala and Liberta, bloodied, cut and dirty, one with a missing arm, and the other with a huge gash in her side, still raw and bleeding.
.
But once Aisha took another step, the entire room knew that her mind was set.
.
.
.
The sun was set as Aisha arrived to her location, her head low, her voice shaken and broken, as she prostrated herself, begging. Her head almost touched the feet of the golden sandals of the goddess in front of her, but she didn't dare, just in case the woman would take offense from the fey's blood-matted, dirty hair.
.
"Please… Please save her."