Three water spears come from the other side of the cave, slicing the air, only to be met by a shield of debris and rocks, and Alexander returning the fire himself.

Taking advantage of the moment, Tomoe slips to the side, taking cover behind some stalagmites. Crouching and still moving, she touches the stalagmites to raise them into the air, and then throw them at Alexander with full force. Alexander raises his white Aura, blocking them, and then breaking them apart, adding to his own power.

Raising the tentacle-like arms, Alexander realizes with them a sweeping move, cutting all the stalagmites at ground level, growing the tentacles even bigger and revealing Tomoe’s position. Having his sights on her, he fires multiple shots, breaking the sound barrier in the process.

Amelia manages to put herself in front, on time, and drawing her sword, she deflects the rocks being thrown in that direction. Before she could’ve reacted, Alexander lunges forward. He throws first a right hook that Amelia manages to deflect with her sword, then a left hook, which Amelia is successful in deflecting, but this time she is taken out of balance. A lighting-fast low kick follows which lifts Amelia in the air, followed by an elbow hit, that sends her flying against the wall and makes Amelia lose her sword.

Picking Amelia’s sword by making it float, Alexander raises it against Tomoe, but a water spear attack from behind makes him turn and swing downward at his back, splitting the water spear in two. Raising the tentacles, Alexander lifts Tomoe into the air, trying to cut Tomoe’s throat but struggling with it since Tomoe engaged her blue Aura.

Bran runs right up front Alexander, at which Alexander closes the distance again, shooting bolts from his feet in all directions and throwing a bolt into the air. In this very moment, Bran water tames with all of his strength against Alexander’s right feet, holding all the weight, and managing to make him lose equilibrium, which makes the bolt’s aim lose precision, allowing Bran to safely dodge it.

From behind Bran, Lorelei comes forward, water taming from the ground a water spear at close range in the trajectory that Alexander is falling, hitting him cleanly in the chest, making him twist in the air.

Moving closer and preparing the next water spear as Alexander is twisting in the air, suddenly, Alexander puts an arm on the ground, stopping the momentum that his body carried. Using the momentum that the tentacles carried as they twisted with him, he throws them against the ground, sucking up the water, and swinging Amelia’s sword against Lorelei.

Throwing a water spear from behind Lorelei, Lady Aquamarine manages to slow down the sword’s speed and trajectory. Still, the sword reaches Lorelei’s right leg, making a deep cut in it, breaking her defensive Aura in the process.

Using the water to move Lorelei aside, Lady Aquamarine moves forward, throwing multiple water spears at Alexander. Crouching, Alexander meets the water spears with high-speed rocks, stopping the momentum of the spears in the air. Standing, a visible purple can be seen in Alexander’s chest where the water spear previously hit him. Lady Aquamarine throws more water spears, only for Alexander to grab Bran, who is close by, by the leg, and raises him to use him as a shield while making other high-speed rocks attack.

Running forward, Alexander closes the distance between him and Lady Aquamarine up to about three steps. Joining together the tentacles, Alexander blocks Lady Aquamarine’s escape routes by blocking up, left, right, and any space in between. Creating this corridor, he joins some more tentacles to hit Lady Aquamarine in a frontal attack, together with Bran and Amelia’s sword.

Raising water at her feet, Lady Aquamarine creates a strong wave from below, managing to lift the tentacles a bit, and riding the wave to dodge the tentacles by going under them, grabbing Bran in the process. Seeing the slight change in direction, Alexander raises a rock into the air and jumps onto it at the same time that Lady Aquamarine appears were he was just moments ago. Adjusting, Lady Aquamarine throws a water serpent against Alexander, while Alexander throws with all of his strength the rock that he just elevated, smashing the water serpent in the process. Lady Aquamarine dodges to her left, but not fast enough, with the rock hitting her, eliminating a good chunk of Aura while sending Bran flying away.

Standing once more in the ground, Alexander fires electric bolts into the air, hitting Lady Aquamarine in the process. Falling to the ground, Lady Aquamarine becomes unable to move.

“Goodbye, Tomoyo.” Alexander says as he throws another bolt which such strength, that is echoes in the cave, affecting everyone’s equilibrium, sending Lady Aquamarine against the wall, with her Aura broken.

“Nooooooo!” Lorelei screams and starts throwing spears made of her own blood against Alexander. Throwing high-speed rocks, Alexander intercepts some of these blood spears, while others he blocks with his Aura and the tentacles. Then, raising the tentacle with which he is holding the sword, he throws it against Amelia, but it is here that he finally notices that the sword is gone.

Turning towards the other side of the cave, Alexander sees Amelia, back with the sword. Tomoe, behind her, and Bran beside them. Throwing a high-speed rock against Lorelei, she manages to take the hit with her Aura, but it broke in the process.

“I can see now how I could have been a handful, Cotton.” Amelia says, with a wry smile.

“It is a bit late don’t you think? Thank Hazuki my mom managed to get your sword back…” Tomoe says, snorting. Taking her Aquamarine ring off of her hand, she infuses it with a little bit more Aura.

“You’re ready Lia?” Tomoe says.

“We will all die if the fight continues. It is now or never, Cotton. Do you even remember how it goes?”

“I couldn’t forget it.” Turning to Bran, Tomoe adds “We need a clear path between us.”

Bran only nods.

Alexander lunges forward, again, closing the distance fast with long, fast steps. Suspecting something, he throws high-speed rocks and three tentacles against Amelia, which Bran intercepts with water spears, running out of Aura.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Tomoe then covers her eyes, and Amelia yells “NOW!” engaging her white Aura, launching a blinding white light everywhere, blinding Alexander in the process.

Amelia then closes the distance left between them in a moment, while Tomoe throws high the Aquamarine ring over Amelia’s head. Putting a hand on Alexander, Amelia dispels his white Aura with hers and stabs him right through the stomach, the point of the blade showing at his back.

Turning down, Alexander gives Amelia a strong downward right punch, Amelia hitting the ground, gone almost completely limp. Alexander moves to finish her, but something weird catches his sight: Amelia is smiling. Raising her hand, she points upward.

Following her finger, Alexander sees the Aquamarine ring over him enveloped already in blue light. Then, in an instant, it vanishes, giving place to Tomoe, who puts a hand on Alexander’s forehead, a move that he tries to prevent but his Aura didn’t reform yet. Then, Tomoe changes Alexander’s gravity vector, making him float and fall upward with the mass of an elephant.

Tomoe falls to the ground, and Alexander falls to the ceiling, where the strength of the impact makes him explode in the process. The impact cracks and opens a hole in the ceiling, letting the light of the sun enter the cave, removing almost all traces of Alexander’s body.

He… he… is done…

Tomoe stays there, contemplating the hole from where the light now comes into the cave.

“We did it!” Tomoe can hear Amelia’s cry of victory.

Incorporating, Tomoe walks in four to were Amelia is. The new God Ray that lights now the cave partially hits Amelia’s face.

“Lia…” Tomoe says, giving a smile.

“We did it, Cotton.” Amelia says, having gone soft-spoken but still letting a chuckle escape.

“Yes.” Tomoe snorts “We finally ended this.”

“We did, indeed.” Amelia says.

Both girls giggle. Then, Tomoe takes Amelia’s hand, with her eyes giving a sorrowful expression. It is then that she realized, maybe true strength doesn’t lay in being able to prevent all sad and harsh moments like this one in life but being able to live through them and coming out the other side without losing herself… being able to make peace with your pain and heal your sorrows.

“Lia.”

“What is it, Cotton?”

“What do you want to do when we get out of this place?”

“Hmm… that is a good question.” Amelia coughs as she grows pale by the second “I would like to take some time off.” She gives a soft smile “Doubt it will happen, I mean, we need to free our home from the Cinders, and the rest of the invading army, but it would be good, you know?… Then, when that time ends, I would like to go back to work.”

“You… always a workaholic…”

Amelia chuckles “You got me there.”

“Isn’t there anything else besides work in your life?”

“Well…” Amelia thinks. For a moment she stays silent until she comes back with “Maybe, it would be good to start a family,” her eyes get glossy “finding a husband, having children.”

“… Sounds nice.”

“Indeed…” Amelia says, then adding “Cotton, I know what you are doing.”

Tomoe doesn’t answer, tears start rolling over her cheeks.

Amelia smiles “I will not tell you not to cry,” Amelia coughs “but I’ll have you know, I died living my dream…” she takes a deep breath “giving my life to save others that… can’t protect themselves… especially those that think they don’t deserve it. I… I… don’t regret a thing, and I don’t want to start wishing for what could’ve been.”

A tie forms in Tomoe’s throat. Tears continue to roll.

“Cotton…” Amelia coughs, again and again, and tears start rolling over her cheeks too “cinders are supposed to be put away, don’t you know?”

Tomoe smiles “There you go, trying to play the smart and tough and failing at it.”

“What can I say?” a big smile appears on Amelia’s face, showing her teeth “Looking back, I… have lived a good life.”

“I agree.”

Growing cold, Amelia says “Cotton… actually, I do have a regret. Could you help me with it?”

“What is it Lia?”

“My mom. Cotton, take this.” Amelia says as she struggles to raise her hand to Tomoe. On her hand, a concentration of white Aura appears.

“Lia… you…”

“Please… accept my Aura, Cotton. I can’t withstand the thought of the curse inside me making my white Aura disappear… Don’t want to give that bastard the win by the end.”

“Is that the favor?” Tomoe says as she moves her right hand closer to that little white flame.

Amelia shakes her head “Not only that. Please, take it Cotton, take my white Aura within yours, and… bring me to my mother, since I will not be able to see her anymore.”

“Lia…”

“I… it just… it has been so long. It is the only regret within me. Please Cotton, do this for me. I want to go in peace.”

Making a little blue Aura appear in her right hand, Tomoe takes her hand. The blue Aura of Tomoe and the white Aura of Amelia join together. The entire blue flame of Tomoe turns from blue to white.

“I’ll… do it, Lia.” Tomoe says as the knot in her throat becomes tighter. More tears start rolling over her cheeks.

“Thank you.” Amelia goes even more soft-spoken. Her body turns completely cold, but even so, a smile appears on her face “then, I got no regrets left. I lived a good life, after all.”

“Indeed, indeed you have.”

“Cotton?”

“Lia?”

“The white… it suits you.”

Tomoe snorts “Thanks.”

“Thanks to you, Cotton.”

“Why?”

“For being friends with such a strange girl.” Amelia smiles even more. The god rays completely leave her face, shining completely now on Tomoe instead.

“It is my pleasure, Lia. Thanks to you too for being friends with such a shy girl.”

Amelia giggles “Indeed,” her voice tones even lower “the white… it suits you the most… Cotton…”

And with the last breath, Amelia, slowly, closes her eyes and welcomes death with a peaceful smile.

For the next minutes, in that cave, while Lorelei heals Lady Aquamarine and Oscar wakes up, only the sobbing of a girl, embracing the dead body of her closest friend, could be heard, as the god rays make her hair shine and her white Aura envelops her, moving like gentle waves.