A golden phantom swept across the rooftops.
Ais Wallenstein moved like a streak of light, her blond hair trailing behind her as wind pressure rippled around her form.
Her eyes darted left and right, sharp and unblinking, her sword already drawn... every sense honed to its limit.
Below.
A plant monster lurked near an alley, its massive body scraping against stone as it slithered forward.
Ais didn't hesitate.
She kicked off the rooftop and shot downward.
"Waaa!"
A child ran across the street in blind panic, tears streaming down their face.
Their foot caught on a broken stone and they tumbled forward, scraping their hands against the ground.
"Mommy!"
The monster reared back, its maw opening wide.
Ais's expression hardened.
Her legs tensed further... muscles coiling like drawn bowstrings... and she accelerated once more, pushing her body beyond its previous limit.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
Silver arcs flashed through the air, clean and precise.
The sword sang as it moved, and in the blink of an eye the plant monster was carved apart, its body collapsing into severed vines and petals that hit the street with dull thuds.
Ais landed lightly between the child and the remains, sword lowered.
For a brief moment, she watched.
The child's mother came rushing in, scooping them up and holding them tightly as sobs of relief poured out.
"I was so scared...!"
"I know, I know..."
Tears streamed freely as she hugged her child with all her strength.
"Thank you."
The woman said, voice trembling as she looked at Ais.
Ais met her gaze for a second... long enough to register the relief, the gratitude... then simply nodded, her face as calm and unreadable as ever.
The next moment, she was already gone.
A burst of wind marked her departure as she dashed off once more, golden hair flickering between rooftops as she searched for the next threat.
Then...
Boom.
Her ears twitched.
A distant explosion rolled through the city, sharp and unmistakable.
Ais skidded to a halt atop a rooftop, eyes narrowing as she turned toward the source.
Without a word, she shifted her footing and changed direction.
Whatever had caused that explosion... it wasn't something she could ignore.
...
Pain slammed into her back as Lefiya hit the ground, air ripped from her lungs in a silent gasp.
The sky spun above her... blue, stone, smoke... before blurring into a mess of afterimages.
Her ears rang violently, a high-pitched whine drowning out everything else, even her own ragged breathing.
'...I messed up.'
The thought surfaced sluggishly through the haze.
Her staff clattered across the street, skidding out of reach.
"Damn it!"
Tione forced her way through the vines, she tore them aside with brute strength alone.
She didn't bother to look back... her eyes were locked on Lefiya's crumpled form.
"Tiona! Cover me!"
"Already on it!"
Tiona darted in from the side, snatching up a chunk of broken stone and hurling it with all her strength.
The projectile slammed into the monster's head, knocking it off course just enough to buy them a second.
A single second was all Tione needed.
She crashed into the plant monster like a battering ram, driving it back with a feral roar.
Vines wrapped around her arms, thorns biting into her skin, but she ignored this and tore them apart.
"Stay away from her!"
The monster shrieked as it was forced back, but more of them were already closing in, drawn by the lingering traces of Lefiya's unstable magic.
On the ground, Lefiya tried to move.
Her fingers twitched.
Her vision swam.
'Stand up...'
Her body didn't respond.
Tears stung her eyes... not from pain, but from frustration. From fear. From the crushing realization that she had become exactly what she had sworn not to be.
'A burden.'
"I... I can still—"
Her voice came out hoarse, barely audible even to herself.
She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to breathe through the ringing in her ears.
She then shifted her gaze to a plant monster that was heading her way, its massive body dragging along the ground, vines scraping against stone as its hollow gaze locked onto her... cold, instinctual, as if she were nothing more than prey.
'N-no...'
Her breath came out shaky as she turned her body, palms scraping against the street as she tried to crawl away.
Every movement sent pain shooting through her limbs, her strength draining faster than her fear.
'It's the same.'
That thought struck harder than the pain.
It was then doubt began creeping in, slow and suffocating, wrapping itself around her chest.
'Nothing has changed.'
Her fingers trembled.
'I... I am still a burden.'
No matter how much she trained.
No matter how hard she tried.
'I just wanted to become strong enough... to fight by her side.'
In her mind, an image surfaced unbidden... the slender back of the Golden Princess, shining as she cut through monsters without hesitation, always moving forward, never looking back.
The one who had once saved her life.
And in that moment, Lefiya hated herself.
For being weak.
For being scared.
For still needing to be protected.
'I hate this.'
She grit her teeth, a sharp sting filling her mouth as blood began to drip from the corner of her lips, splattering onto the stone beneath her.
Forcing herself to look up, Lefiya's vision swam... but what she saw made her heart sink even further.
Tione and Tiona.
Both of them were bound tightly by thick, writhing vines, muscles straining as they tried to tear free and force their way toward her.
"Damn it—!"
"Lefiya!"
Their voices reached her, strained and desperate.
But it was already too late.
The monster had closed the distance.
Its massive jaws opened wide, rows of sharp, uneven teeth glinting as they descended toward her, its foul breath washing over her face.
There was nowhere left to run.
Lefiya slowly closed her eyes.
As if... accepting her fate.
But then...
The expected pain never came.
swoosh
The sharp sound of air being cleaved apart made her eyes snap open.
The monster in front of her split cleanly in two.
Its severed body crashed to the ground in heavy, wet thuds, lifeless vines twitching as dust and debris billowed into the air.
Lefiya's eyes widened.
'Ais?'
Her head snapped up instinctively, her heart leaping as she searched for that familiar golden figure.
The one who always arrived at the last moment.
However...
What greeted her instead were a pair of calm, piercing purple eyes.
Black hair.
A figure standing between her and death.
"You look like a mess."
The words were blunt. Flat.
There was no comfort in them... no gentle reassurance.
Because the speaker knew she didn't need pity right now.
Lefiya's eyes trembled, light flickering within them.
"Stand up," he said.
"Try again."
His gaze didn't waver, didn't soften.
"Or is your resolve so weak that you already gave up with just this?"
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