The Harrow stood in silence, observing the horizon as the growing storm billowed around it. Rena approached slowly from behind, her form no longer obscured by Alia's power. She had spent what felt like a lifetime imagining what she would say to the creature.
Her time had come.
The Harrow turned slowly, aware of her presence from the start. It stretched out a spindly hand, demanding that the girl speak up. There was only one word it needed to hear.
Rena stared into its blank face, allowing her guilt to fully consume her. But in that pit of dread, she was reminded of what she still had.
What Yrix had taken from her.
"Lin." She whispered.
That was the name of her son. The same child that she nearly destroyed before it could be born. And the cherished love now abandoned thanks to the Arch-Flayer's machinations.
A mother's pain.
The Harrow's face unfolded, revealing a pit of sickly energy that broiled within. A grabled scream erupted from its mouth, exuding the same rage it had shown Ivy. Its voice, akin to a shattered melody, promised Rena only one thing.
Death.
"Not yet." Alia stepped in between the Harrow and its prey the moment it lifted its staff. "Even you yield to time."
The dancer offered up no weapon, but when the black lance bearing the visage of Rena's young child came screaming towards her face, time came to a standstill. A bladed edge scraped against her brown cheek, and her body became enveloped in a purple hue. Her fists, encased in the same energy, came hurtling back at the Harrow as the world around her remained frozen in place.
"Huh?!" Rena gasped, watching as the Harrow skidded backward.
In her eyes, it all happened in a flash. But the Harrow could fully comprehend what happened. Alia used her Psionic ability to perfectly dodge its attack and harness its momentum into a brief spell of her own.
The Harrow levitated in the air, spinning its staff around its frail body before sending an arc of yellow energy towards the dancer. She nimbly evaded the attack just before it could transform into a snare, catching and restraining the debris around its impact. What Alia hadn't accounted for, however, was the nature of her enemy's follow-up.
Just like before, a black lance nearly plunged into her skull, and she cast the same spell in retaliation. But just before her counterattack could land, she realized the unfortunate truth.
It dodged.
The Harrow disappeared in a flash, reforming its body behind the dancer before kicking her in the back with the tip of its heel. Alia's body vanished into a sea of butterflies, recollecting herself a few feet from where she stood. She had successfully evaded the brunt of the attack, but the weight in her step had altered.
Her enemy was unsurprisingly spotless, even after Rena's chakram bounced off its head. Alia never did know the details of the Harrow's armor, but it seemed nearly impregnable. For that reason alone, she needed the other girls.
The Harrow planted its staff on the ground, using it as a pole to swing its body around and kick Rena to the ground. Its agility was unmatched, allowing it more than enough time to dodge Alia's empowered kick by bending backward just as her heel sailed past its face. But unlike before, it had no intention of giving the girls time to reflect.
Rena screamed as she was held aloft by an invisible grasp. The girl attempted to throw her chakram, only for the Harrow to catch it and shatter the construct in its hand. If not for Alia's intervention with a Psionic push, she would have been ended then and there.
- - - - - - - - - -
"H-hold on!" Lila stammered, losing her footing, the moment she reached the same ground as Ivy. "Rena needs our help real fast, she-."
The heiress threw herself at her companion, sweeping her off her feet with a tight hug while planting a series of gentle bites around her neck. Her hands, clenched into a claw-like hold, scraped against the Earthling's neck with desperate fervor. Ivy's heart demanded it happened that way.
It was her chosen path. The only one that could ever bring her home.
Sonera's fate was no different. Just as soon as Lunae's feet touched the ground, she let go of Lila and pulled Sonera in with a Psionic grasp, taking hold of her face and pressing it against her own before scrubbing the bloodstains off of its smooth surface with her tongue. All Lila and Sonera could do was struggle and groan as their faces turned red.
"Sonera!" Lunae cried.
"Don't ever leave me like that," Ivy growled. "Don't you even dare."
The moment Sonera was clean, thanks to the unusually efficient work of Lunae's tongue, her face became buried in the girl's bountiful chest as she was held even closer. Her muffled resistance was soon followed by a sharp yelp from Lila as the heiress tugged at her ear.
"Do you hear me Lila?!"
"Y-yea!" The Earthling whinced.
"Very well then." Ivy huffed before planting a kiss on Lila's nose. "Let's go help that big dummy."
The heiress gestured for the others to follow, only to stare in disbelief as Lunae continued to smother Sonera. Something about the shamelessness of those two really ground her gears. Of course, Lila could never say anything about it out of fear of swift retribution.
"Right." Lunae breathed in a sigh of relief before releasing Sonera. "Of course."
Sonera blinked wildly. She didn't at all expect to be greeted in such a manner, especially after what she did. But that was a conversation for another time.
"We do this together." Lila nodded.
"Together." Sonera coughed.
The group stood together at the edge of the storm, staring at its center as the air around it began to flicker with energy. They knew Rena and Alia wouldn't last long on their own. But with a bit of help from Lunae, they at least had time to plan.
"Wombo combo?" Lila pressed her fingers together.
"Whatever that's supposed to mean." Ivy groaned.