I couldn't see anything anymore, only hazy shapes moving around in front of me as my vision blurred.

I felt cold.

Numb.

My body was growing colder and heavier by the second, and my eyelids felt so very, very heavy. I was exhausted beyond belief, and every breath I drew sent sharp pains shooting through my body as it shuddered with effort.

Everything hurt. But it felt so far away. Like it wasn't really happening to me. My brain felt like it was full of fog. Like someone had stuffed cotton balls in my ears, and my tongue was leaden in my mouth. My eyes burned. I could smell blood and smoke and ozone and frost, but none of it mattered.

I could vaguely make out the monster that'd attacked me separating at its waist, as flashes of red light seared through its body in rapid succession.

Then, a gust of air rushed past my face, and a pair of strong but soft arms wrapped around my body and pulled me into a crushing embrace.

I tried to speak, tried to say something. Anything. But nothing came out. Nothing happened.

"Hey! You! Hey... idiot!"

I could barely make out a frantic, angry voice calling out to me as a pair of soft hands shook me gently.

"You're dying! You have to stay awake!"

I heard her, I think. But I couldn't understand. Couldn't comprehend what was happening. I felt so tired. I just wanted to close my eyes and rest.

I felt her arms tighten, holding me closer.

"Don't you dare close your eyes! I swear I'll kick your ass if you do! I'll kill you! You aren't allowed to die!"

Everything hurt. My mind was hazy.

But she was so warm...

A warm, pink glow filled my vision and the dull throbbing of pain began to ebb away slightly.

"Please..."

Her words were quiet now, barely more than a whisper.

"You don't get to die on me just like that... please... It's not fair."

I felt something wet land on my face. It was salty, and hot, and it felt like rain.

The world started coming into focus again. My breathing eased, my eyelids didn't feel as heavy anymore, but the burning agony returned. It was a surreal experience, and it didn't feel real at all. Everything seemed so far away, and so close, all at once.

A familiar face began to return, her long platinum blonde flowing in front of my face, tickling my cheeks and forehead. She looked like an angel, her eyes glistening with tears as she continued to pour a stream of healing energy into me.

It took a second for me to register that she was crying.

That it was her tears landing on me, that it was her voice speaking to me.

"You can't... Please stay awake. Not like this."

It was the most heartbreaking sound I'd ever heard in my life. The pain was back, but it felt like it'd dulled considerably compared to before. My body felt weak and cold and tired, but the haze that had been clouding my thoughts lifted just enough.

Her eyes were puffy, and filled with an overwhelming sense of despair. But all I could think about was that she looked off.

I didn't know why. I didn't know what caused her to look so strange.

Her tears streamed down her cheeks and splashed onto my face as my eyes fluttered open and closed.

It took me another second to realize why she looked off.

One of her eyes was glowing red, not its usual light brown. Her shimmering platinum blonde hair was streaked with black lines so dark that it seemed to swallow up all of the light. She wore a black cloak, with a red corset over the silver dress she usually had on, and she looked like she was two or three years younger than what she was supposed to be.

She was sobbing as she tried desperately to keep me alive with the weak, faint pink magic she was using to stem my bleeding and heal me.

It was a drop in an ocean, a tiny bandaid for the gashing wounds in my neck, shoulder, and arm, and I knew she was probably feeling even worse for not being able to do anything.

I didn't want to die either, but I couldn't muster up the strength to keep going, or to reassure her that it would be alright. Because I didn't know. And I was tired. So tired. I just wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to go to sleep.

The girl who'd saved me, whose face was streaked with tears, looked at me with such pain. Such anguish.

She looked so different, so sad, and so desperate. It hurt just as badly as my injuries.

Red eyes... Black hair...

I hadn't recognized her before.

It felt like my brain needed a reboot.

But I knew those eyes, and I knew that voice, and I knew those lips and that face. She looked different from usual, and yet... I knew. It was like she was halfway between two disguises and transformations.

Even before my Aura Sight flickered on.

And I'd never been happier to see a face before.

I reached up weakly with my left arm. The side that hadn't been mauled by the creature.

My fingertips brushed against her cheeks, and she let out a soft, strangled gasp at my touch.

"You look better with brown eyes... sis. Should... should've just talked to me from the beginning."

I should've known.

The pieces were right in front of me and I couldn't see them.

It had to be her, didn't it?

She was a magical girl too. A strong one.

Of course she came to find me. How didn't I piece it together earlier?

'Elysia' trembled as she met my eyes.

She choked on a sob as her face contorted and twisted, her expression a mix of anger, fear, relief, and joy. A myriad of emotions that seemed to flicker in an out of her face as quickly as the blink of an eye.

She looked so conflicted. Like she was wrestling with her own inner turmoil, and I knew why. I understood why.

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"Hey... don't cry. Please."

Her eyes went wide with disbelief and her brow furrowed in frustration as she shook her head and the pink light flared slightly, healing the wounds that riddled my body.

"What? You want me to be happy you almost died, you jerk? What is wrong with you!?" She hissed as she continued to frantically heal me. "Do-gooders like you make me sick. I can't stand people like you. I told you I'd come kick your ass if you got yourself hurt!"

I chuckled weakly, ignoring the pain and coughing up some blood, and her eyes went wide as she panicked again, her healing light flickering.

I sighed weakly, feeling my body grow heavier and heavier. "I'm glad I got to spend time with you. I... I wondered if I would have to go out of the way to find Dark Princess Eris after I figured it out. I guess there was a reason she didn't show up again, though..."

"Si— Lux!" She hissed, her eyes wide with panic as tears continued to roll down her face. "Shut the hell up. I'll beat your ass when you get better. Just shut up! Stop talking!"

"You should stop talking. Hehe... it looks like your accent slipped. You were supposed to be Elysia... weren't you? I guess that's out of the bag now." I coughed and laughed, ignoring her panicked expression and the dull pain.

There was something about blood loss and mortal wounds that made things... funny in a twisted way.

I reached up and wiped away one of her tears with my fingers, and I smiled.

"'Nyehehehe! I am graced by the presence of the Queen of Discord! Seriously. Where'd you come up with that getup and gimmick?" I chuckled again. "You're an adorable goofball. You know that? I'm glad I got to know you, just a bit."

The pink glow around her flickered again, but it was stronger this time, as she bit down on her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut. Her entire body trembled, her hands tightening on me as I felt my wounds slowly stitching themselves shut.

"It's... it's not enough. You're bleeding too much. You're still hurt too bad... Please just... don't go... I can't let you go too..." She whimpered.

I closed my hand over her arm. It was the best I could do with my injuries, but I tried to smile. Tried to show her that everything was fine.

"Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault," I whispered. I looked at her with a gentle expression and smiled softly. "I don't know if I'm gonna make it... But don't blame yourself."

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down at me with wide eyes.

And then, she broke.

She threw her head back, letting loose an inhuman scream of anguish, and her Aura burst from her in a wave of pink light.

The entire battlefield was illuminated as she wailed, clutching onto me like her life depended on it as she screamed for all the world to hear. It was an anguished, pained sound. One filled with despair, pain, and a desperate plea for help. It shook the very air around us and sent shivers down my spine.

"Please... anyone... I'll give you anything you want, just please, please help me! Help us! Tsukuyomi. Bastet. Hephaestus. The fucking Buddha. Mithra. I don't care! I'll pay any price. Just please... please save her! Anyone!"

She was crying now, sobbing uncontrollably into my chest as I slowly began to lose consciousness again. My eyes felt so heavy...

I took a deep breath, the pain still wracking every inch of me as my blood stained her clothes. "I—"

A snarl and a howl echoed behind her, and for the first time, I noticed a pink barrier encircling us both, shimmering with a pink, translucent light that glowed in the darkness around us.

I panicked and tried to raise my hand to warn her.

To push her away. Anything. I was too exhausted and delirious to do anything.

A clawed fist punched through the barrier, shattering the fragile shield of magic that separated us from the horde outside. The snarling maw of the now vivisected centaur loomed above her as it launched itself at her off one arm, readied to strike.

It was a few inches away, its jaws wide and slavering with anticipation, before I reflexively threw everything I had left into my arm. I screamed, firing a brilliant golden beam of light carved into its body, blasting it to cinders.

I lowered my good arm, eyes wide from the sudden second wind from the adrenaline, before letting my arm fall to my side.

She turned, glowering with fury as her cloak flapped behind her, and she thrust her hand out toward a now-oncoming horde attracted by her scream.

But before she could do anything, a rain of meteors came crashing down on the oncoming horde from above.

A torrent of plasma and searing heat rushed out of the flaming rocks, exploding like an erupting volcano. It washed over everything around us in a wave of crimson and scarlet that burned away the darkness of the mist and miasma.

And for an instant, the entire world was filled with light.

My sister's scream echoed through the battlefield as the blast enveloped everything in an explosion of light, and the creatures that were surrounding us were reduced to ash in seconds.

As the blast ended and the light faded, I saw that the ground was scorched, the mist and miasma burnt away, and all of the creatures that were within fifty meters of us had vanished.

A renewed barrier surrounded us once again as the ash settled around us, and Elysia looked over her shoulder and glared.

A blonde girl with a yellow witch's hat and long, curly hair, wearing a black and yellow frilly dress and carrying a staff that looked like it was tipped with a burning star, floated in the air on a broom, smirking back at Elysia.

And then, a soft, melodic voice rang out across the battlefield as dozens of monsters around Elysia's barrier snarled, throwing themselves against the pink dome with primal fury.

"Heavenly Father, who heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds, let thy light shine upon us now. Let thy healing light wash away our suffering, our sins, our burdens. Grant us peace in this life and in the life beyond."

The voice was clear and soothing, cutting through the chaos like a beacon. I squinted through the haze and saw a radiant figure kneeling on a hill nearby. A petite girl with angel wings, her blonde hair cascading around her like a golden halo, and eyes as blue as the clearest sky. A soft golden aura enveloped her, illuminating the darkness.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Let thy will be done, and let mine enemies be struck down in thy name. For thou art the Lord of lords and the King of kings."

She raised a hand, her palm shining a brilliant gold, and a beam of light burst out of her, bathing the battlefield with golden light.

"Thou art blessed, oh Lord our God, who has given us the gift of love, grace and mercy. May the holiest light shine down on a humble servant and grant her strength, so that she may strike down these abominations, and drive away these evil beasts from our lands. May the light of the world be revealed and the darkness be cast aside."

Elysia's eyes widened, her mouth agape as the girl continued to chant, her voice rising to a crescendo as her spell reached its climax.

"And when these beasts have fallen and when this battle has ended, let the light of the world shine upon the darkness that surrounds us. May this light be the salvation of our souls, our bodies, our minds and our hearts. Let this light shine on all of mankind and let it reveal to us the truth that lies within, so that we may know what is right, and what is wrong. And let this light shine upon the darkness and the shadows and reveal the evil that lies within."

The pillar of golden light grew wider and wider, and the light grew brighter, and brighter, until the entire world seemed to be lit up by it. The monsters shrieked in pain and fury, clawing and scrabbling desperately to escape, but it was futile.

They couldn't run, couldn't hide. The beam of holy light washed away all of the monsters on the hill, leaving no trace of them, save for the ash and scorched ground.

"May this light be our salvation and our guide. May this light be our strength and our courage. And may this light be the hope of all who suffer, for this light is the light of the world, the light that reveals all that is hidden, and the light that will guide us home... Amen."

The angel slowly opened her eyes, looking out over the battlefield with a smile on her face. Her wings flared, and she leapt off of her perch, floating gently through the air as she flew down to where I was, her wings beating rhythmically with each flap.

My vision blurred. My eyes were so heavy...

"Hey, you, dumbass! Wake the fuck up! What did I just tell you?" I could barely make out a familiar, teary-eyed girl in front of me as my eyes fluttered and closed. "Open your eyes, dammit!"

She held my face in her hands and pressed her forehead to mine, tears streaming down her face and mixing with my blood.

"I swear, if you die here, I'm going to fucking kill you... I'm going to revive you and then kill you all over again..."

I heard the flutter of wings as something touched down beside me.

"Please... Please, save her..." My sister's voice cracked as she begged, pleaded with someone to do something, and my eyes began to close once again, my breathing shallow, ragged.

But a gentle voice called out, and a soothing hand rested on my chest.

I tried to force my eyes open. Just one last time, as my body gave up on me and I fell unconscious.

"Blessed Saint Raphael... Archangel of healing, guide us towards the path of wellness. With your divine light, mend our wounds and restore our spirits..."

I closed my eyes as I fell into the darkness.

I knew that voice.

I was sure of it. It was a kind, familiar, gentle voice.

What was her name again?

Everything was so heavy.

I was so tired.

I wanted to sleep...

So... very tired.

My body felt heavy. My eyes were closed.

It was all so much effort to just breathe.

What happened?

Where was I?

What was going on?

Was it a dream?

Did I really have a sister?

Would Al be alright without me?

"Divine Art..."

A gentle whisper in my ear.

"Grand Healing."