The flow of time has always been relative to the perception of humans. Like, when we constantly move our bodies and minds, time itself will flow at the same speed as we perform our actions. It’s a theory of mine, anyway, like how a boring lecture would always drag out time longer than it should, or doing something fun would make it shorter. Something like that. It’s a matter of perception.

“Akuma! Wake up, Akuma!”

As I lay unconscious in the darkest part under the cliff I fell earlier, only now do I realize how powerful your subjective view can affect the world around you.

Darkness clouds my weakened vision in its pitch black shadow, devoid of any ray of light. My ear can only hear the dripping sound made by droplets of leftover water from somewhere in this dark cliff. One drop per second. It’s annoying indeed, but only thanks to that annoying sound that I know I’m not dead…as least not yet.

Time passes, but I can’t have any firm grasp on how long has it been. Hours? Minutes? In the depth of the darkness, they are all relatives to my sense of time. A second may feel like a minute. A minute may feel like an hour. An hour may feel like an eternity. One can say this is an eternal hell of time, with its punishment being unable to do anything, at all.

“Let’s see…Only a few broken ribs. Seems like the 「Body Armor」 worked.”

I try moving my hands to no avail. The best I can do is moving my fingers. I have no strength left. I can’t check my body, but I guess it’s a mess right now. I think it’s a miracles that I’m still alive, though the question is…for how long.

“It’s going to hurt a bit. But this is for your own good.”

Come to think of it, something is still bugging me. I remember being stabbed in the chest by that piece of shit called Basatan. But I didn’t “actually” get stabbed, rather, that stab pushed me away to the cliff instead. It’s like being rammed by an incoming truck rather than being stabbed. I guess I should feel lucky when I got away from becoming slice breads with only a few broken bones.

But then again, what is worse, being stabbed to death, or having to lie waiting until your body gives out under the darkness?

I can feel the sound of my heart. It’s beating, slowly. Thump thump, thump thump. A dance of life, but it’s slowly stopping. Like every dance will have its end, every life will eventually fade away. Yeah, why bother to continue living, to continue dancing in a stage without music and spectators? Why bother…

“qɒin qɒin ǫo ɒwɒy. ⅃iʇɘ liʇɘ ɔomɘ ƚʜiƨ wɒy.”

“!!”

Suddenly, I feel something rising from deep inside my body. A surge. A burst. Before I know it, I begin to spit out blood and start coughing. The eyes that can see only darkness start working again. And with those eyes, I see Deborah, who’s holding a flame in her right hand, and my back in her left.

The girl looks worried. There’s a drop of blood on her face, presumably my blood from my earlier spit. But the girl doesn’t pay any heed. Like a goddess, she descends to the darkness with light in hand to save this lost soul of mine, but this is after she almost cast me away to hell. It’s rather hard for me to sort out my feelings right now, but then again, I should worry about my body first.

“Can you hear me, Akuma…?”

With my remaining strength, I nod in response.

“Why am I…still alive…?”

“That’s not something you should concern about right now.”

It doesn’t hurt to be friendly once in a while, you know?

“Can you walk?”

Says Deborah. I try to move my legs, but then again, it proves to be useless for now. The girl sees it, and just sighs.

“Tch. Your body is so weak, healing spell actually gets less effective to heal you.”

As much as I want to make a comeback at her, with my current state, I’m afraid I can’t afford even that. It’s sad, really. Once again, I focus all my strength to my legs and arms, but it proves to be futile just like before.

“Geez. Just hold on tight.”

Suddenly, Deborah holds my arm and pulls my body up. Before I know it, the girl has already gave me a piggyback ride on her back. A piggyback ride of all thing. A man’s pride? What is that? You’ll lose what is called a man’s pride the moment a girl gives you a piggyback ride.

“Ouch ouch!”

Her sudden move surely isn’t the best thing for my broken bones.

“Stop whining. If you’re a man then try to act like one!”

I didn’t remember introducing myself to her as Rambo.

“Your wounds will completely healed in about five minutes. Until then, bear with it.”

Without giving me time to answer, Deborah begins walking with the small fire in her right arm as a guiding light. The walking part however doesn’t last long. When she gets familiar to the track, Deborah suddenly switches to running. Despite carrying a man on her back, Deborah doesn’t have any difficulty maintaining her running speed. Just what does she eat everyday to get such strength?

“Seriously…seriously! Just how foolish could you be? If you crossed that river then this wouldn’t happen to begin with!”

As she continues to carry me on her back, Deborah speaks.

“I’ve never asked you for this. I’ve never expected great things from you to begin with. Then why? Why are you trying so hard…for someone like me? Do you love to be a knight in shining armor that much? Answer me…please.”

I fall into silence as I try to sort out my thoughts and feelings.

“I didn’t do this for you…I do this…because…I don’t want to be a burden…to anyone.”

I’m saying this line as I am carried by Deborah on her back. Ironic, isn’t it.

The girl…ever since her meeting with the Headmaster, she looked like she was tormented because of the choice over my fate given to her by the Headmaster. To join this fight, or to let me get kicked out. She has the power to decide one of the two. But this girl…she’s stubborn, too stubborn for her own good. She tried to make a third option, one that doesn’t involve fighting in any form, and she failed even that due to my own stubbornness. So she resorted to her last trick, that was fooling me to forfeit from this fight. I don’t know how’s that gonna help me, but I think the girl has her reason. But, I can’t deny the fact that she’s treating me like a burden, her burden.

Yes, one can say every action she did was for my own good. But, did she even ask whether or not I wanted to be saved? I’m perfectly willing to share her burden, and yet, why did she continue to give me her pity? If she’s being honest for once, maybe all of this…would never happen.

But, maybe, the girl has her points. Look at how wounded I am, it’s a miracle I haven’t died back then. And I should be the last person in this world to give her a lecture about stubbornness. In the end, neither of us have the right to judge the other on their choice.

“I don’t want to hear something like “I’ve never expected great things from you” ever again. It’s…painful, and hurts more than physical pain to my body.”

What good is your life when no one expected anything from you? When people gave up hope for you, is it any different than being dead? What is the worth of an existence without a meaning, without a purpose?

Please, never say anything like that to me again.

“I see…”

After her line, Deborah falls to silence. We put our our conversation to a halt, probably because of how awkward this has become. Maybe it’s because she realizes how foolish she was, and because I myself also realize how equally foolish I was. For once, we have a common ground about something.

Deborah continues to run, up until we see the sight of sunlight. Finally, we escape from the dark cliff. Outside of the cliff are parts of the forest. This means we’re still around within the competition’s battle zone. It’s entirely possible that we may get attacked from this point forward, so in other words, we have to be careful. As long as the opponent isn’t someone with a personal grudge like Naranath, maybe we can make it out of this place in one piece.

“What took you guys so long? Having some lovey-dovey conversation?”

Me and my goddamn mind! Speak of the Devil and the Devil shall come.

Several trees get torn down as Naranath’s familiar makes its entrance, followed by Naranath leisurely walking behind. The armored crab clangs its pincers, eagerky waiting for the orders to tear us to shreds. When I take another glance at the crab, once again I find no significant damage in its body, proving the futileness my pipe bombs.

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Like winning this competition?”

Before I can get a chance to bark something, Deborah takes away the initiative and opens her mouth.

“By which you mean playing tag with some light balls? I’m sorry, but I have no reason to win this shitty competition. My goal has always been this from the start.”

Naranath snaps his finger. The armored crabs suddenly walks to our front and ready its pincers. However, it hasn’t attacked us, not yet.

“Why so angry? Did this guy steal your girl or something?”

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Deborah asks with her annoying smirk on her face, which somehow also annoys me as well.

“Close enough.”

Naranath answers with the most unexpected response.

“What? Seriously?”

Deborah suddenly turns her head to my face to look for an answer.

“Don’t ask me.”

I reply.

“You have a knack for getting in troubles, do you know that?”

Says Deborah.

“Yeah, sometimes I wish I could share this talent of mine to others.”

Our little chatter is short-lived as Naranath starts yelling once again.

“Shut your trap! He took my prey away, so I’ll take his life instead! Now move away, girl. This doesn’t concern you. You and I have no business with each other.”

I have a feeling Naranath will gladly order the crab to stab both of us the moment the chance presents itself. However, due to the rule about forbidding masters from fighting each other, and since I’m behind Deborah’s back, Naranath can’t freely attack Deborah without landing himself some sort of punishment. That means Deborah is now the only thing that stands between me and death. This makes me a failure of a familiar, of course.

“Doesn’t concern me? He’s my familiar, goddamn it!”

Deborah yells. She looks pissed, very pissed.

“So what? Does that familiar of yours actually act as your familiar? Does he actually obey your words, and do as you say? Why should you care for something that doesn’t care about you? Don’t make it harder for me now. I can reach him, and I will reach him, whether you like it or not!”

“Do you actually think I’ll just stand aside and watch you do as you like ?”

Naranath puts on a wicked smile as he once again answers Deborah’s question.

“I’m sure you don’t want to get expelled for a familiar like him.”

“You think I care?”

The small fire hovering on Deborah’s right arm suddenly bursts into a flam the size of a human’s head. Incidentally, several trees around Naranath’s direction are set on fire at the same moment Deborah turns up the heat of her fist. It’s pretty jarring to see her right arm is unharmed despite her hand is literally on fire, but right now, I can only feel amazed as I see the famed Flame Dragon bares her fangs.

“I don’t care about your goals or your motive. I don’t even know who you are to begin with. But it doesn’t matter who or what, for those who dare to harm what belongs to me, be prepared to face my wrath! You’re not gonna walk out of here alive!”

The threat of being expelled doesn’t flinch Deborah even just a bit. Naranath is stunned by her threat. Yet the guy doesn’t seem to be the type who would give up from mere threats like this. Believe it or not, but I think the guy has a clear advantage in this situation. His familiar may kill me and get away scot-free due to the loophole in the competition’s rules. But if Deborah attacks his familiar, she will be punished for breaking the rules. Knowing the Headmaster, Deborah will surely get expelled (along with me, provide I survive afterward). That is a scenario no one want it to come true.

“Deborah! Stop! Try to think about this carefully!”

However, my voice can’t reach her. The girl is totally in battle-mode right now. Her stare is intensively focused on the armored crab, along with a grit of anger. She’s letting her wrath cloud her judgement!

“It’s too bad. No one would want to see Lord Dargoth’s granddaughter being expelled from Melas!”

“I don’t freaking care!”

The girl shouts. She’s so gung-ho to the point it hurts. Yep, this is bad, real bad!!

“Then, we don’t have anything left to say. Go, Basatan!”

The crab gladly obeys the order from Naranath. With all its might, the crab runs toward us with full force. As a counter measure, Deborah gathers even more flame to her fireball, making it even bigger than both of us combined. I can feel the heat very well, but Deborah is completely unfazed despite holding a fireball the size of a giant rock in her right hand.

“Deborah! Stop! This is real bad! Stop stop stop stop!”

Am I really that useless? Can’t I stop someone from fighting my battle? Why do I have to be so powerless in the times that count!?

Slowly, Deborah goes into her fighting stance. She’s ready to throw her fireball at the armored crab. The moment her fireball hit the crab, it will be over for both of us.

Can I only watch how our doom unfold!?

“Stopppppppp!!!!”

That’s not my scream. That may sounds like what I should be screaming right now, but that’s not my scream.

From the forest, a shadow emergs, right at the moment before the impact between the armored crab and Deborah. That thing is large, it’s roughly the size of that armored crab, and that crab is already damn big to begin with. When that thing takes its entry, it rams itself right into the right side of the crab and blows it away. Deborah also stops her attack when she sees that thing.

That creature is a spider. A very big black spider and a total nightmare to those who have arachnophobia. However, the spider doesn’t seem to be an enemy. It’s facing toward Naranath. On top of the spider, there is a girl with purple hair. As she stands firm on the spider’s back, the girl loudly shouts.

“Stop right there, both of you!!!”

“Amadia…”

I mumble. The girl gives us a quick glance before turning her total attention to Naranath.

“Stop this right now, Naranath! If you want me, then here I am! This is our personal problem, don’t get them involved in this!”

Naranath grits his teeth and clenches his fist. Paying no heed to the girl, he shouts orders to his familiar. The crab quickly responses and runs to his side when it gets its footing back, still looking unharmed despite taking the full force of the spider’s ramming.

With the appearance of Amadia and her familiar, this whole affair suddenly becomes a lot more complicated.

“Shut up! All of you…just die and die!”

No negotiations, no lectures about a higher cause. The fight continues the moment Naranath gives his familiar the order to kill. This time, the armored crab brandishes its blade-pincers. It takes a lunge at Amadia’s giant spider. However, if I can see the attack coming even at my position (behind Deborah’s back), then there’s no reason for Amadia to not seeing it coming.

“Atlach-Nacha!”

The huge spider suddenly jumps. From thirty meters above the ground, it points its rear toward the armored crab and shoots several web bullets. The spider webs hit the crab with force as strong as a real elephant gun. However, all they managed to do are gluing the crab to the ground instead of dealing any significant damage. But maybe that is Amadia’s intention all along, as her spider falls to the ground and smashes the crab on impact.

“Did that work?”

I comment. As spectators, Deborah and I can only watch in awe of how the battle unfold. The drop attack from the spider leaves the surface full of dust, covering the aftermath of the fight. However, we don’t have to wait long to see the after result: The crab is still as strong as ever, and it retaliates by stabbing the spider’s body in return. The crab begins struggling to get away from the big spider, making the scene look like a rodeo ride with a spider on top and a crab at the bottom. As comedic as this is, it’s not the time for me to have a laugh.

“Run, you two!”

Amadia shouts as she narrowly escapes the crab’s blade-pincers. Her words helps us realize it’s not time for us to stand idly. But to run away when she’s fighting for our sake? Really? Am I once again powerless to do anything for myself, for others?

“Tch.”

Deborah tuts. She begins to run away, with me on her back. Neither of us are unable to say anything as the fight between the familiars is still going on behind our back. Before long, we can no longer hear any other sound aside Deborah’s footsteps.

Is this how it’s going to end?

Deborah keeps running and running. I have a feeling that with every she steps she take, little by little, everything I believed in begin to fade away. My ideal of not being a burden to anyone. My quest to be someone that people can rely on. My purpose to gain myself pride and honor. Yet, I can’t even muster enough courage to do the right thing, to do what I’m supposed to do right now.

“Are you content with this?”

“…?”

Suddenly, Deborah lets out a voice. Slowly, slowly, she stops her track and eventually stops moving. She doesn’t look back, and just content with hearing my answer alone.

“You, who have tasted the fear of death. Right now, you have the right to choose your fate. One word, and I’ll carry you outside of this battleground, but what awaits you after that…is the consequence that you’ll have to face by yourself.”

Says Deborah.

“But…if you don’t want to do that, if your heart’s telling you this is not the right thing to do, then show me your will. Show me…your resolve, Akuma.”

“…”

I fall into silence as I try to sort out my thoughts. Wait, what I am thinking? Do I even NEED to think about this!? My answer has always been with me from the start, and it’s definitely not “Running away”!

“Let me go, Deborah.”

I say out loud.

“You sure?”

“Let me go!”

I shout out loud.

“Sure.”

In true Deborah fashion, immediately after her short response, Deborah drops me to the ground without giving any prior warning nor help. Well, maybe that’s exactly what I need right now, a pump to remind myself of my moment of weakness.

I pour my strength to my weakened legs and arms. This time, I won’t let them fail me! Get up, goddamn it!

“Never again…I’ll let others fight my battles…for me!”

My left arm pushes my upper body up.

“Not you. Not Amadia.”

With my right leg as a fulcrum, I push my remaining body off the ground and once again pridefully hold my head high to the sky as I stand firm with my own two legs.

“Not anyone. Not anymore.”

However, my mortal body still wants to fail me again. My right leg gives out and almost make me fall again…if not for Deborah’s arm holding me back and giving me some help to continue standing.

“You may want to fight your battles. But it won’t hurt to get yourself some supports, right?”

I’m amused. To think Deborah of all people is the one who is spouting lines like that.

“Right. Let’s go back.”

With Deborah’s help, we turn back to the direction of the fight. However, it seems like the fight can’t afford to wait, so it decides to come to us instead.

From afar, a spider suddenly flies to the area nearby. However, its landing isn’t exactly good. This is very familiar to how the fight between the crab and the bear earlier ended. Let’s hope the worst didn’t happen.

“Amadia!”

I shout. Together with Deborah, we walk to the site of the crash. When we get there, the spider is lying inside a small crater created from the impact, with its body’s covered in stab wounds, along with several missing legs. Its master – Amadia – isn’t far away from the spider. She’s also lying on the ground. The girl may be unconscious, but her twitching body indicates she’s still alive.

“You go to look after her familiar. I’ll check out Amadia.”

Deborah doesn’t question my words. Between the two of them, the spider sustains more injuries than its master. It may die if it doesn’t has any emergency medical attention right now, and between the two of us, Deborah is the mage with more proficiency in using healing spells.

As Deborah begins to take a look at the spider, I also walk to Amadia’s direction. With my hand, I hold her upper body up from the ground and begin giving a wound check. Aside from a small bleeding on her head due to impact with the ground, there seems to be no serious external injuries. But I shouldn’t be optimistic at this moment.

“Sorry…I screwed up…”

Slowly, Amadia mumbles. She’s breathing heavily. I need to do something.

“It’s okay. We’re here for you.”

Quickly, I reach for the syringes inside my cloak and get a pain-killer medicine out.

“This may sting a little.”

With my syringe, I inject the pain killer to the girl’s arm. She grunts for a second, but the girl calms down after the medicine’s effect kicks in. Slowly, Amadia regains her conscious back.

“Why didn’t you run?”

Still in the middle of regaining her breath, Amadia ask.

“Well, I just want to tell you that I still haven’t done making your present in time. So, I’m sorry.”

The girl just gives me a weak laugh in reponse.

“Really? I’m mad, you know. I thought…you forgot.”

“Almost. I almost forgot. But don’t worry, I’ll definitely give it to you.”

I answer.

“You better be.”

Once again, the girl smiles. I can only smile in return to comfort the poor girl

After Deborah is done healing the spider, she instantly turns to Amadia and casts a healing spell on her as well. Obviously, she does a better job with her healing spells than me and my pain-killers, but hey, it’s something. Though, I’m a little worried about the healing of the spider. Let’s hope that the rules will tolerate the act of a master healing another’s familiar.

“We don’t have much time. Naranath and his familiar will soon find us.”

When Amadia is recovered, she begins telling us of her earlier battle. Apparently, none of her attacks worked so far. That crab is as tough as a tank. No matter how strong she rammed, that crab didn’t even flinch. All she did in that fight was getting her familiar a bunch of wounds on its body.

“This is futile.”

Says Deborah. I know she may be able to defeat that thing if the rules didn’t bind her hands, but life isn’t that convenient, isn’t it? Time is running out. I guess I can throw away a hope to win this competition the proper way, but ain’t no way in hell I’m gonna walk out of here without getting my payback to that piece of crab.

“No, it’s not.”

Deborah, and Amadia as well, look surprised as I reply.

“Amadia’s fight, and my defeat. All of them were not in vain.”

I may lost a battle, but ain’t no way in hell I’m gonna lose this war!

“That means…?”

I nod to reply Deborah’s question.

“I have a plan that may defeat that thing. But it can only work with the combined effort from all three of us.”