Scarlett’s stomach exploded and a burst of fire escaped in a straight trajectory, burning everything in its path.

As Scarlett lost her Super Form, Amelia’s maniacal laugh echoed through the caverns while holding the agonizing, defeated enemy by her hair.

“Take that, you musclehead! How many times have I killed you already?! Thank you for helping me with this experiment! Did you hear that, Astrid?! Your reign of terror is over! I’ll come for--!”

Cries for help suddenly reached Amelia’s ears. She looked at her surroundings, finding half of the Slime Village destroyed by the collateral damage.

N-No way…

She looked at Slime people helping others to escape out of the burning huts. She glanced at lifeless gelatinous bodies turning into pixels... At the melted rock walls her power took down with extreme ease.

It was not my intention to--They’re just code, right?! So it doesn’t matter if they die! But why are my chest tightening and my breath faltering then? Alan, you wouldn’t get mad at me, would you? Because I did it to save your ass! It was an accident!

Sloochie, you don’t have emotions, do you? Is there someone here that you would miss?!

“Should have finished me off!” Scarlett shouted, piercing Amelia’s stomach with a punch.

Huh? Who turned the lights off?

***

**

*

*

**

***

Oh, I see… I’m in my personal hell again.

In that stupid, humid, dark room.

I can still hear the heavy artillery outside, so it must be the second day. Fucking great.

This will take a while…

Let’s see, as always, I can distinguish three silhouettes. One will be picked randomly and dragged out here at any moment by an indifferent thing made of silicon. The first victim it’s a man in his mid-thirties, claiming to be an important politician. He told us that his bodyguards would come to rescue him at any moment, and if we were still alive by then, he may let us go with him.

Hours passed, and the bodyguards didn’t show up that day, and neither did in the two following days. I know it because I was the last one to leave that room. When the Politician’s time came, his screams were the most harrowing… maybe because he tried to negotiate with ‘it’ until his last breath.

That didn’t work, obviously.

The next in line to be taken away it’s a woman in his twenties that alleged to be a Kintech employee. In the beginning, the Politician berated her non-stop, telling her that all of this was her fault. The young woman never replied, as if admitting guilt, but once only three of us remained, she stuck her ear at the door for hours and told us what she thought this was all about.

By the constant screaming, day and night, it was obvious ‘the thing’ was experimenting... With hundreds of us. But why? First, she thought ‘it’ was developing a new weapon… Maybe a chemical, because she never heard gunfire. Then, hours later, the woman just stopped giving her thoughts. She suddenly returned to her usual sitting spot and remained quiet for an awfully long time.

When she finally spoke, I wished she kept it to herself instead: “It may sound ridiculous… But it seems it’s feeding on us… It’s figuring out if our bodies hold any energetic value…” She then paused to chuckle. “It reminds me of that movie from the Golden Age. Have you watched it? A post-apocalyptic story where all of humanity has turned into batteries. I always thought it was a stupid premise! It’s quite obvious that the electricity inside our bodies wouldn’t be able to meet their needs, so why bother?”

“Honey, why don’t you rest a little?” the woman by my side said. “You’ve been glued to that door for hours.”

“T-That’s right!” I interjected, my voice sounding squeaky. “We’re all tired and hungry, so you may be imagining things. How did you jump to that conclusion, anyway? It sounds stupid, just like that movie!”

I felt the hand of the woman sitting beside me softly pressing my shoulder as if telling me to not get carried away, but my plan worked. The Kintech employee started murmuring, ‘true, what was I thinking?’, and laid down for the next couple of hours.

Until the thing came for her, pulling her out by the hair.

Only two of us remained in that room.

“W-What are we going to do?!” I heard myself crying quietly. “Why is Dad taking so long? He should have stormed inside the building with a bunch of Caelum’s soldiers already! I-It’s my turn, I know it! What are going to do, Madelyn?!”

The woman shushed me and embraced me. As I leaned my head against her bosom, I noticed that despite the long days locked in that room, and the pestilence of blood and dirt surrounding us, she still smelled of strawberries. Something I’ll never forget.

“Do you trust your father, dear?” she asked me with that thick British accent of hers.

“I do. I know he’s searching for us. B-Both of us,” I remember myself replying. Every word gave a hint of my old french accent I couldn’t get rid of by the time.

“I believe that too. We just have to be patient, then.”

And we waited… And we could finally talk.

Although reluctant at first, believing it would hurt me, she told me about how she met Dad. She also told me about the day Marissa was born, and how much of a gorgeous baby she was. Finally, she apologized for not being able to bond with me sooner, and for insisting on coming to the mall to look for that perfect party dress.

“This is not your fault, Madelyn! You didn’t know this would happen. And if we couldn’t bond sooner, that’s on me! I’ve been nothing but a mean bitch to you from the very beginning, to be honest. So if someone deserves to be gone first before Dad arrives, it’s me! So tell him that I love him, and tell Marissa that I wish I’d have been a better sister.”

Madelyn only replied with a short: “All right.”

A couple of hours later, we heard those unnerving steps. Calculated, unrelenting, unhurried steps…

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I quickly stood up, for I didn’t want to be dragged like the Kintech employee, and I was ready to go without cursing or pleading for mercy like the Politician.

Before the door opened, I could picture a silhouette already… Of the mall’s security guard… An automaton wearing a once blue uniform, now stained with countless blood stains.

And then I realized something… I wasn’t ready yet…

I-I wanted to stay in my imprisonment for another full

day. Even though the hunger was eating my entrails, and even if the smell of human waste filled my lungs every second… I… I wanted to live!

I didn’t want to die…

I didn’t want to die…

“I don’t want to die…”

“It’s okay sweetheart,” Madelyn whispered to me before dashing forward, tackling the automaton.

“MADELYN!”

Even to this day I can remember what I felt: The urge to follow her. To confront our captors and end this together. But the humanoid shut the door in my face, and no matter how much I bang it and screamed, my time had been postponed thanks to her.

She did it for me… Even though we weren’t blood related.

I don’t know how much time passed until the door was opened again. The light from the outside blinded me, and only after I heard a familiar voice, I stopped kicking and screaming at the people pulling me out of there.

“Sister! You’re all right!” a girl said to my ear while embracing me tight. She smelled just like Madelyn.

“Marissa…” My voice sounded weak due to the lack of nutrients and sleep.

Although Dad couldn’t bring Caelum’s corporate army with him that day, he managed to track our location and face the danger with the help of neighbors and volunteers… Armed civilians that were also looking for their loved ones.

So… something about watching my sixteen-year-old sister wearing a bullet proof vest and carrying a rifle in her left arm, made me whimper. Loudly.

“I’m so sorry, Marissa! I’m so sorry! I couldn’t do anything! I couldn’t--!”

Quelle barbe… Why do I always remember this every time death comes to pick me up? I’ll revive anyway. It doesn’t make sense.

Wait, no… Now that I think it through, this only happens when I really, really don’t want to die.

It doesn’t matter if it’s just a fake death.

Sometimes, the survival instinct just kicks in.

***

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**

***

“I know this was playing dirty, princess, but I can’t fail this mission. Not this time,” the woman named Scarlett said, letting Amelia’s bloodied body collapse. “You know? It’s a relief finding people besides Astrid Bradford that can force me to break my limits.”

Despite her condition, Amelia reached out her hand to her. “A-are y-you—g-going—after—A-Alan?”

“That’s right, kiddo. That man is cursed for knowing too much. Blame his bad luck. Serenity would like to capture you too, but I doubt you’ll last long enough.”

With that said, Scarlett strolled towards the caves that would take her to the exit.

** Warning! Insufficient Mana to close your wound. **

He’s unfortunate? You could say so…

The guy spent a lot of time working his ass off, while we were here, having a great life...

** Notice: By canceling your Fire Clone, you could recover the necessary Mana to heal yourself. **

** Do you accept? - Yes / No **

“Y-yes…”

** Fire Clone - Withdrawn. **

** Applying Auto Pyrokinetic Construction. **

I can only imagine what motivated him to persevere…

Was the hope of seeing his lover again what kept him sane?

“P-Party Chat,” she ordered to her User Interface before crying out loud in pain as flames entered her opened chest and started auto-constructing fake flesh and organs.

Only for that bitch to let him go? Just like that?!

If I was her, I’d have chained him so she could not leave my side ever again!

“Amelia, are you okay?!”

There he goes again. His worried voice is kinda cute.

“What would you do if The Singular is really trapped inside a User’s body?”

This is something a regular person should be able to answer easily if they care for the wellbeing of this spaceship and its mission… But you’re not a regular… Your reply it’s just plain naive… And yet, it somehow makes me smile…

For I really wish you seeing you succeed and achieve a world where no one has to suffer ever again.

** You’re out of Mana. **

“I’ve been saving a bottle of Briennes Rosé for a while, that I want to share with you.”

“All right. Count me in.”

“It’s a date, then…”

I’ll help you, Alan Warden, even if this leads me to that dark room again. Because this time. I’m ready.

**Super Mode requirements met. Would you like to-- **

She stood up, even though her body trembled.

“Yes!”

A fire whirl rose to the cave’s ceiling, getting Scarlett’s attention. “Is she still alive?” she murmured, looking back. “What’s your deal, Princess?! What could you possibly do in this situation?!”

“Path of The Sage…” Amelia proclaimed, stepping forward while the orange flames embracing her changed to indigo. Her hair and eyes were now the shade of the aquamarine gemstone.

“You're amazing, Sis!” Marissa had said to her the first time Amelia showed her that form. “But it needs a name, doesn’t it? I Know! Although it’s kind of funny. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. How about--”

“Amelia Blueflamme...” she announced. As she strolled forward in a trance-like state. The color of her red dress also changed, matching her new appearance.

Her gaze looked lost in thought and her stance was full of openings, which Scarlett knew she could take advantage of.

“Whatever you’re trying to do, you’re low of HP! One hit it’s all I need! Meteor--!” Scarlett leaped forward, shortening the distance in less than a couple of seconds, but something prevented her from casting the technique.

The fire engulfing Scarlett’s knuckles exploded and turned into red metallic spikes, piercing her fist and carpal bones. And yet, despite the excruciating pain, she continued her attack, using her body as a missile.

Her landing created a crater and shook the entire cavern, and yet, missed her target.

“What’s going on, Princess?!” Scarlett yelled, finding Amelia standing nearby with an empty expression on her face. “Was this your magic?! You shouldn’t be able to control my own crafted fire!”

Something blueish caught her attention out of the corner of Scarlett’s eye. The fire consuming Slime Village had turned indigo and was advancing toward them.

“I won’t let you!”

Scarlett threw a punch, but Amelia’s passive Overshield came into play.

“You missed your last chance,” Amelia finally spoke, looking at her with no discernible irises.

The accumulated fire rained upon Scarlett, forcing her to kneel. Yet, she had the strength to sneer. “You know what’ll happen if you don’t eliminate me this time.”

“Didn’t you know?” Amelia said, showing no emotion in her voice. “Blue flames are hotter.”