Hikaru and Aura had both landed on one of the many battlements along the outer edge of the magic academy, when they noticed a tower being ripped from its base.

Rising high into the sky, the tower had been separated from its first floor. There was no clear sign of what or who was behind this. Nor how they were doing it.

Both Hikaru and Aura watched in pure shock as the tower was carried away into the rain. Higher and higher until it was barely visible from where it stood at the very peak of Theta. The relentless rain majority blocking it from view.

"What the-" Hikaru began, when another crash of thunder drowned her out completely. Taking a look at Aura, she noticed that the black-haired girl had the same shock and disbelief on her face.

She then turned her gaze back towards the Arena, where the lightning and thunder were at their strongest.

She needed to get there. However, she also needed to help Aura find Phi.

Turning back to look at Aura, she could see the worry lines on her face, the stress that was threatening to consume her.

At any moment, Aura would collapse. So even though Hikaru desperately wanted to save Raiden, she couldn't.

She could never put herself over others.

It was impossible for her. Even if it meant that in the end, she would end up losing when others won.

Silently saying a prayer to herself, she decided to put her faith in Raiden. In the idea that he would be able to hold on just a little bit longer.

"Aura. It's time to hold up that condition I mentioned."

At her name being called, Aura's mind returned to reality, and she nodded. "Right."

As they began to move, heading towards what used to be a tower and now was only a first floor, Aura began to speak.

Hikaru didn't know where in the story she would start from, only that she needed Aura to do this.

As long as Aura's mind was distracted, she wouldn't be able to drown in her own stress and worry. It would keep her mentally stable.

"I've known Phi for a while. Before I had even started coming to Theta. When I was in middle school. We meet a birthday party. I'm not sure why I had been invited. I think it was just more of a gesture than an actual invitation. I wasn't really good with people. I didn't have many friends. My parents were so excited to hear that I got invited to a party that they forced me to go. They wouldn't hear anything else."

As Aura spoke, her expression fell a bit. Her voice was strained.

This was obviously not something easy for her to remember, let alone speak about.

Hikaru almost wanted to tell her that she didn't have to do this, but before she could speak, Aura continued.

"So here I am, at this part where I have no friends, and I'm much to awkward to make any. Everybody's getting drunk, or high, or......" She didn't finish that sentence. "I ended up just standing in the corner with a fruit punch. Leaning on the wall and watching the clock. Eventually, this girl with blonde hair ended up standing next to me. Phi. At first it was awkward. And then I noticed that she was wearing a shirt that had my favorite band on it. Of course, I had no idea how to start the conversation, and I ended up muttering some of the lyrics of one of their songs to myself."

"Phi ended up overhearing, and like a master, she initiated the conversation. She drew me in, and we ended up spending the entire rest of the night talking about this band. I ended up completely geeking out, and I'm surprised that she didn't get weirded out. But for the first time, I felt seen. Not alone. Visible" Aura's eyes had begun to light up as she talked about Phi. They were full of admiration.

"She was so, calm. Collected. Cool. And smart. She was really smart and nice. She loved lollipops. A random thing, but she loved them. She would even collect them. Keep the wrappers. She always had one in her mouth. When I asked her, she said it was to, 'fill the void.' I didn't realize at the time but it was a reference to a line from one of their songs. I ended up liking her even more after that."

Hikaru couldn't help but break into a small smile as she saw the expression that dawned over Aura's voice as she spoke about her friend in honest. Just reciting the little things made her smile. She was remembering all of their memories. And the expression on her face was one that said they were all good memories.

"We ended up going to the same grand magic academy. We picked up right where we left off. That's another thing about her. We're always on the same frequency. Even if she kept to herself a bit..."

"Kept to herself?" Hikaru asked. The question was a mix of her wanting to know more, and also a bit of her trying to keep Aura talking. As long as she was talking, she couldn't be overwhelmed.

Aura continued. "She didn't like to talk about her past, or anything having to do with her parents or past friends. In fact, according to her she didn't have many friends. That never made sense to me. She was such a great and funny person. When she did open up, it was always asking about love. What was true love? What did it feel like to be loved by somebody?"

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Hikaru's brow furrowed.

"Someone always asking about love-"

"Probably didn't get much from their parents." Aura said sadly. "I know Phi agonized over it, and that was part of the reason why I was always by her side. I never wanted her to get so caught up in her own bad past that she would ever come to the conclusion that no one ever loved her. She made me feel visible back in a time when I thought I'd forever remain invisible. So, I made sure that she would always feel loved and stuck by her side."

Hikaru could feel her own heart melting at that description of their friendship. It was pure. They both helped each other in their darkest hours. Neither letting the other down. Two people who meet on a whim, becoming the best of friends.

She wondered if she could do the same for Raiden.

Drag him back unto his feet.

They were just a few feet away from what remained of the tower that mysteriously floated away.

"But sometimes I feel like I'm getting in her way. That because I'm always around her, she doesn't get a chance to make even more friends. I'm sure other people would love to be her friend. However, because of me, she's missing out on those opportunities" Aura grabbed unto her own arm. "I sometimes feel like, she deserves better.

They arrived at the ruins just as Aura had finished speaking.

The remains of the first floor were completely empty, except for two things.

A lollipop sticks and wrapper on the floor. Drenched by the rain.

And a message carved unto the wall with fingernails.

"VOID"

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※ ※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　

Both Phi and Shindo had yet to move from their spots after the last exchange they had.

They had both agreed to the fact that they were allies.

Despite that, there was still an awkward silence between them that neither were very anxious to broach.

On the inside, Shindo chided himself for being so socially inept.

On the inside, Phi chided herself for the exact same thing.

Finally, after a few moments of building courage, Shindo turned around.

"I-"

"I-"

They both spoke at the same time, their faces only inches away from the others.

They stared at each other for a few more seconds than was socially acceptable, before-

"I'm sorry." Shindo said while bowing.

"I'm sorry!" Phi said, while bowing.

After a few more seconds, both stood up.

"Did you bow lower than me just to make a point?" Shindo asked, turning around and trying to act all high and mighty.

"You're only saying that because you felt insecure about your own apology." Phi said, while turning around and crossing her arms, doing pretty much the same thing.

"So, were in the business of copying now?" He asked incredulously.

"I was just about to ask the same thing." Phi said.

They stood like that, backs towards each other for a few moments.

Shindo was still internally beating himself up for being so stupid. Why couldn't he just turn around and have a normal conversation.

He was grateful to have another ally. Someone who didn't hate him or fear him.

And here he was making them hate him.

After a few more seconds, Phi broke the silence. "Obviously you still don't trust me. So how about this, I'll tell you a little bit about me. Maybe then you at least be able to stand me."

Shindo didn't say anything, so Phi took this as a sign to speak.

"I was always pretty bad with people. I never understood them, and I ended up alienated from my classmates."

From the first two lines Shindo could already begin to relate to her. He dropped his shoulders a bit and listened to Phi's words closer.

"So, it was a shocker when I ended up invited to this party. Guy ends up trying to hit on me, using the fact that he even decided to invite me as the premise for me to accept. During that time of my life, I didn't understand love. I didn't know what it truly was. I couldn't grasp it, and I had nobody to show me. I didn't feel anything for that boy, and I never have I felt anything for anyone else. Any pull. Any attraction. Any familial affection. It was all foreign."

Shindo wished he could have turned around to see Phi's facial expression.

Behind him, Phi had begun to pace in the rain. She removed the lollipop that had been reduced to a stick from her mouth, allowing it and its wrapper to fall to the floor.

They were drenched within seconds.

"So, I went to the corner. There I ended up meeting a girl. She had also been standing in the corner, but it looked like she was just taking a break from the party. I wanted to start a conversation with her, but I couldn't say anything. I didn't know what to do. That's when she ended up muttering lyrics of a song from my favorite band. That was when I realized I was wearing a shirt of the band, and I put two and two together. She had seen the shirt and began muttering the lyrics. In invitation."

"She sounds smart." Shindo commented.

Phi smiled. "She is. After hearing that, i got so filled with joy that I ended up blurting out my words out of nowhere. Somehow, we ended up in a conversation. We spoke for the entire rest of the party. At the time, I thought she must have hated me, because I was just rambling like a geek the entire time. That was the closest I had ever felt to understanding a person. Truly."

Phi stopped pacing by a wall. "Over time, we spent more and more of our days together, and every day I spend with her, the better I felt. She was funny. Always smiling. Energetic. Charming. And she always had a new way to spice things up. Once she asked me why I always had a lollipop in my mouth."

Phi paused for a few moments. The sound of scratching could be heart. "I ended up telling her a half-lie half-truth. That it was to 'fill the void.' It was half true, but half of it was just me making a reference to a line from our favorite band's songs. When she figured it out, she ended up talking about it for the whole day. Listening to her talk, I really noticed how smart she was. How much she paid attention to every detail."

The scratching stopped.

"Every day I spent with her; I came closer and closer to understanding what love was. What it meant to be loved and experience it. I loved to hang out with her. However, that was also when I began to think. She deserves so much better. Such a kind, sweet, caring person. She was wasted on me. She did so much for me, and yet I did nothing for her. At some point, I began to wonder,"

At this point Shindo had turned around.

Phi was standing next to the wall. On the wall, the word, VOID had been carved into the wall with fingernails.

Phi began to lift up her shirt, all the way until her upper chest, and Shindo could see the faint pink laces of her bra.

Along her stomach was a scar that started from her right hip and carved up her body in a crescent like ark that disappeared under her shirt.

Phi was staring at Shindo with whimsical eyes.

"Maybe SHE deserved better."