"I've told you to get away from that girl!"

I could hear a voice, somewhere around me...

"And I've told you that you don't get to boss me around."

Now, a familiar voice...

"For the last time, get away from that girl!"

My eyelids twitched, rejecting my attempts to open them. But, finally and abruptly, I opened them, snapping myself up. Sat on the ground, I inhaled air into my lungs, as if I had emerged from the waters, craving for air.

"I'm... alive?" I asked myself internally.

"How are you feeling, Snowflake?"

"Huh?" I turned to my right, seeing Crimson with a smile gracing her face, while her hand rested on her hip. "I..."

"Crimson!" on my left, another girl shouted.

I turned my head; on my left stood a man and three girls, all of them members of the Golden Lucenti, and on my right: Crimson, with Jerald and Caligo standing behind, unsure on how to act. In front of me... the demon. It looked like it was satisfied, or... mad? Displaying what looked like a distorted grin. Surely, this time as well, the others couldn't see it.

I then turned my gaze to my hands. "My arm... and my leg... what?" Chaos persisted inside my head. Both my arm and leg were attached to my body as they never got severed, and my head as well.

"What?" Crimson regarded the girl who shouted from the other side. All of them kept their distance from me, except for Crimson, who was slowly moving towards me.

Just like the first time I died, my brain was working very slowly. So, death was really the cause of it... But I quickly adapted to it, my eyes catching more information.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?! Get away from that girl!" the other girl shouted in response to Crimson.

The sun was beginning to rise; some time must've passed since the Reapers attacked me.

"Wait..." I pondered. "The Reapers... where are they?!"

I turned around; the Reapers were dead! All of them scattered around, their bodies smashed, their expression frozen in fear...

"How many times do I have to ignore you to make you understand I couldn't care less about what you say?" Crimson shot back to the girl.

I almost forgot how Crimson's voice was higher, fiercer, and somehow, even tinted with slight annoyance or fury when she referred to other people, revealing her dominating nature. With me, instead, she used a far gentler and softer approach.

I faintly shook my head; that was not important.

"Watch your mouth, Crimson!" the man on the other side interjected. "I won't tolerate you insulting my members."

What happened here? How were the Reapers dead? How was I, once again, still alive?

"Oh? Is the Prince feeling haughty today?" Crimson provoked.

What's the Silver Witch? What's my mother?

"You're testing my patience, Crimson!" the girl kept shouting. "You can sense mana, can't you? Don't you see that girl is releasing an abnormal amount of it?! She could've manifested a Distorted Mana Zone alone by now! She's dangerous!"

What am I, exactly?

"I get it, really, you're a coward. Now can you shut up?" Crimson dismissed the other girl just like that.

And why...

"Are you also going to ignore all the corpses around her?! Are you blind or something?!" the other girl literally screamed.

Why...

"You act as if it's strange seeing corpses around here. Did you forget almost the whole city died because of these monsters?"

Why are they...

"She clearly killed them!"

SO NOISY?!

"SHUT UP!" I felt like my head was about to explode, clutching it tightly between my palms as questions kept on flowing endlessly through my mind. So, I screamed.

As I screamed, some of the leaves surrounding me lifted from the ground, as if a gust of wind had just blown through. Right after, the girl on the opposite side grabbed her codex in hand, opening it as fear painted her face. Crimson took a step forward, retaliating in the same manner, but with a wide grin; she sought the battle.

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"Enough, everyone," one of the girls of the Golden Lucenti stepped forward, placing herself between the two, slowly approaching me.

"Melissa!" her guild member called. "Are you really approaching her?!"

"I am," she replied. "She doesn't seem as dangerous as we thought."

"You're the one that said her mana is alarming!"

"And it is. But to my eyes..." she said, coming to a halt right in front of me, "she just looks like a scared girl." She then extended her hand towards me to help me up. "Can you stand?"

I gave this girl a closer look; she was quite the intriguing one. Just like Crimson, she had a hovering orb around her, but it resembled a metallic ball. Her ponytail kept her long black hair tidy to make sure it didn't get in her way, and her eyes had the same golden shade of her glasses resting atop her head.

I reluctantly reached for her hand, but before I could grasp it, Crimson crouched behind me and lifted me with her arms instead.

"Can I really approach? Is it really okay?" the other girl suddenly shouted from behind.

"You all can come; her mana is fine. Besides, it's stabilizing," Melissa replied.

"I'm still not working with her, okay?!" the other girl added, slowly approaching, but still keeping her distance.

Looking at the members in front of me, all of them were a peculiar bunch, to tell the truth. The girl who screamed was not interesting, but there was another that never opened her mouth, nor her eyes as well, actually. Yet, she clearly knew where she was heading. A short and gracile one with striking and flashy pink hair that immediately caught my attention, and a little pet in hand looking like a small and fluffy ball. The man, instead... was the Prince.

"Would you mind explaining what happened here?" the Prince asked.

"There is no need for any explanation," Crimson immediately interjected. "Knowing what happened here will be of no use in clearing the areas ahead."

"I wasn't talking to you," the Prince replied in a spiteful tone. "And I disagree. Knowing what happened to these people will surely help us progress through this forest."

Crimson gave a smile in response; I had already seen that look in her eyes before... when that manservant dared to talk back at her. She was ready to say a few words to the Prince as well; I could tell. But as she inhaled to speak, everyone was unexpectedly taken aback.

"These matters art not worthy of such quarrels," the short girl suddenly spoke; even her comrades seemed surprised.

"Abby?" the Prince regarded her.

The girl, still keeping her eyes shut, turned toward the Prince. "Forgive my audacity, Prince. I dare not presume to dare thy words, nor thy judgment. I'm well aware thou dost prioritize the safety of thy people. However, I humbly beseech thee to reconsider, just this once. This maiden is visibly shaken, I do not ask thee to ignore her plight; we must work together, after all, but I do entreat thee to turn a blind eye, just this once, and continue with our task." The girl, her voice soft, barely audible, gently bowed.

The Prince looked at her, agape, before clearing his throat, raising his hands. "Please, raise your head, Abby..." He then turned to look at me and Crimson before shifting his gaze to the girl once again. "I..."

"Watch out!" Suddenly, Jerald's shout caught everyone's attention.

Right after, the ground began to tremble; a big, rounded dark-blue monster charged towards us as it ran through the woods. Specifically, in my direction.

"Emarginferno," Crimson cast, engulfing the monster in a blast.

However, the monster emerged from the smoke seeming practically unscratched. Getting dangerously close to hurling at me. Reflexively, my arms moved in front of my face as a shield.

I could hear Crimson emitting a 'tch' before she went at it again. "Fuoco Fatuo."

With that, a chain of explosions unfolded. I slowly lowered my arms, finding the monster successfully reduced to ash.

"It seems the amount of mana she released is beginning to attract the attention of faraway monsters," Melissa remarked, bringing her hand on her hips.

"The way this area was already devoid of them is suspicious as well," the Prince added.

"Well, I've just employed two of my spells to save you from a situation you made possible. I believe we can resume our task now," Crimson retorted, mirroring Melissa's demeanor.

"I made it possible?!" the Prince shot back, offended.

"Prince..." Abby murmured.

The Prince's gaze shifted to Abby, and he groaned before glancing at Crimson with a frustrated sigh. "Let's just get over with this area..." he finally said, stepping away.

"I'll keep an eye on you!" the loud girl exclaimed, following after the Prince.

Crimson seemed satisfied as she observed them go. She then turned her attention toward me. "Snowflake?"

"Hm?" I slightly raised my head to meet her eyes.

She was affectionately holding my arms. "Are you alright?" she asked. "You're trembling."

"Ah..." I averted my gaze, now looking at my hands, before clutching my arm tightly, attempting to immobilize myself.

I was trembling as I had never trembled before; the vision of that monster charging at me and the Reaper's knife kept flashing in my mind. Yet, despite my efforts, I couldn't stabilize myself. My hands, my arms, my legs... they couldn't stop shaking! I could hear my heartbeat. How could it beat so fast?!

What a wonderful sensation! Ah... I loved that sound! The amount of blood pumping through my veins couldn't have been healthy, surely. But I didn't care. I loved every second of it!

But then why...? Why was my body refusing to move? Why wasn't my own body answering my own commands?!

"This is really it...?" I pondered as I stared at my trembling hands. "My body is really... traumatized..."

Just like the first time with the dragon, but worse.

"Hey, are you alright?" now Caligo asked me, leaning in to observe my expression.

"Um..."

"Let's give her some space," Crimson said, slowly and gently pulling me away. "Sit for a bit, Snowflake."

- - - - - - -

I proceeded with the task, my legs automatically moving in their direction, even as my mind wandered elsewhere.

Bianca was there... Why?

"Abby?" Melissa called me.

"Yes?" I responded, tilting my head towards her voice.

"Are you alright? You seem... distracted," she continued.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask as well!" Mereoleona added. "I've never heard you talk so much! And to defend a girl you never met?" Her voice came petulantly into my ear.

"Oh, I apologize. I really just aimed to ease the tense situation, but it seemeth that in my efforts to calm the waters, I've done the exact opposite," I lied.

"Don't worry, Abby. I didn't mean to make you feel bad about it. I'm just surprised, that's all," Melissa assured, patting my head.

I still remember thy words, O Savior. But I wonder, is she worthy to be considered thy successor? Is that why Bianca is here?

"What's that maiden's name?" I asked.

"Argenta of the Abyss Reavers," Melissa replied. "She was at the Royal Palace."

Argenta... I shall remember thy name. But I wonder, art thou truly worthy to carry on Her name? Or am I just seeking warmth from a false flame, which hath radiance but no heat? Couldst thine ambitions stretch even farther than Hers...? You, that risest from the earth like a phantom...

O Savior... I would fain aid thy creature, somehow...