Accompanied by the prince’s most trusted knight, Elena walked the seemingly endless halls that formed the Royal Palace. Once again, the man let out not even a single word, his lips impossible to make move no matter how many curious glances Elena threw his way. He was a stone golem, not a hint of emotion displaying on his face.

Is this entire workforce made of iron, or something?

In any case, Elena didn’t want to converse anyway. Nor did she want to pay attention to the walls and ceilings that surrounded her.

Her heart was living in the past, stuck in the scene of heroism she’d been the protagonist of. Cordelia’s eyes contained the beauty of ice within them, and they had Elena’s whole body frozen, the euphoria of the moment unable to melt away. It was as if a magic spell had been cast on her, one that caused her to relive that scene over and over in her head.

All that’d happened was she’d learned Cordelia’s name, but even something as simple as that was an achievement to one like Elena, who never accomplished anything. Her heart could not avoid pounding at the possibility of what was to come, of her actions having struck a chord within the heart of such a beautiful girl.

Sinking ever deeper within the sea of her mind, she wasn’t paying attention to the road ahead of her.

“My lady!” Thales cried out with his left hand stretched out, too late to do anything.

Elena’s right foot disappeared, and a second left one seemingly took its place, as her sense of balance was shattered by the sudden drop-off. It was the first step in a long stairway that led down to the first floor of a large, central hall. Elena went down it in the clumsiest (and most fitting for her) way possible, blitzing down the stairs as she desperately stomped the ground to regain her balance.

It was a waste of effort, as her body began inching forward, her face soon to pay a visit to the cold ground…

…instead, her back was kissed by a gust of wind, and her chin landed on the shoulders of a man who was taller in stature, but who stood on a lower step. Her torso was caught by the grip of bony hands, the touch of some sort of metallic object feeling up her abdomen.

Like it was just another day for him, Thales spoke with a solemn voice. “Prince Charles would be mad if anything were to happen to you. Please be more careful.”

Somehow, Thales had run down the stairs faster than she did and managed to prevent her from face-planting into the hardwood that composed the lower floor. Considering the wind she’d felt earlier couldn’t be natural, it was likely he had abilities not too dissimilar to those that Miles had displayed earlier.

Elena instinctively wrapped her arms around his body, which were appropriately cold for a man of his age. She pulled back and stood straight, getting a better, more direct look at the knight’s face. He sported a gray, finely-shaved goatee, and his right cheek was adorned with the faint scratch of a battle scar. His eyes looked tired, but his pose was firm, all compounding to the aura of a battle-hardened veteran who still had fuel in the tank.

“I’m sorry. I was just stuck in my own head, I guess.” She bit her tongue once she was done with speaking, sure that an awkward silence was soon to follow. It was an excuse so bad as to not be an excuse at all, despite being in fact the truth.

“There is no thought so important as to ignore your own safety. Especially one from a precious woman as yourself.”

His words were stern, but drenched in an air of politeness. Elena frowned for a second at the random mention of her gender, but because it was drowned out by a compliment it quickly evaporated within her mind.

“You’re right, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

A large, wooden door opened behind them, the outside world’s light seeping into the walls of the palace. The hardwood beneath their feet was composed of black and white tiles, their pattern bringing a chess board to mind. Another chandelier hung above their heads, albeit one far larger and more elaborate than the one found in the room of her awakening, each candle held in the hands of figures of naked women that adorned the bowl.

As her eyes perceived the sun’s light for the first time since waking up, Elena took a second to actually breathe in the situation she was finding herself in. Scratching her head, she stared up at Thales, who gazed dashingly into the distance, mind focused on a goal that stretched beyond the limits of the palace’s walls.

“Umm, excuse me if this comes across as rude,” Elena asked, slurring her words, “but, where exactly are we going?”

“Prince Charles was dissatisfied with your choice of attire,” Thales answered, disregarding any sort of subtlety. “He wants his future bride to look as dazzling as possible during the night of the ball, and he’s concluded that no dress currently found within the Royal Wardrobe is up to the task.”

“I see. I guess this dress isn’t THAT fancy in the large scheme of things—wait, did you just say—”

“Ah, it appears Adolf has just arrived.”

Thales ignored Elena’s further questioning, and instead began strolling forward. “Please, follow me.”

Elena didn’t hesitate to walk along, but her mind was still flabbergasted by those words.

Future Bride.

At no point had Elena consented to being the holder of that title. She knew barely anything about Prince Charles, and he knew barely anything about her. Plus, that name sounded stupid, bringing bad memories of royalty from her world. And yet, his most trusted knight spoke of her being his bride with the calm one states that the sky is blue.

Of course, the possibility existed that Charles knew the original owner of her body. But considering the cold reception the staff seemed to give her, that was unlikely. Besides, hadn’t Annalise referred to herself as his fiancée? What was going on?

“Good day, Sir Thales. And nice evening to the new and beautiful maiden. May I have your name?”

The man’s question—Adolf’s question, to be precise— shook Elena out of her trance. He wore a fine black suit with a purple tie, and a top hat in his head. He was shorter than Thales, but still stood a head above Elena.

Realizing she’d remained silent for a tad longer than was comfortable, she apologized, then replied with a warm smile. “Oh, apologies, you startled me for a bit. You may call me Elena. Just Elena.”

Adolf gave a polite smile of his own, then gave his own name. “Pleased to meet you, lady Elena. Perhaps Thales already told you this, but my full name’s Adolf Hitler.”

“...”

Elena’s face, once wearing the warmth of a smile, froze like an icicle at the man’s utterance of his name.

“E—excuse me?”

“I understand your confusion, My Lady,” Thales chimed in, catching Elena’s bewildered face.”

“You do?”

“Adolf over here hails from a land outside the Three Big Nations, so I understand his name may sound unusual to your ears.”

Ah yes, clearly. THAT’s why I was worried.

“Sir Thales is correct. I come from the humble territory of Belngich.”

“Let me guess, you had a neighbor called Goebbels?” Elena snarked.

“Well, yes, how did you know?” Adolf asked, intrigued.

She cast her gaze aside. “Just a hunch,” Elena muttered under her breath. She crossed her arms and began inspecting his body and clothes in detail, dreading the possibility of catching wind of any unsightly symbols.

Of course, the judgment she was currently casting might be a tad unfair. This was a different world, one with a different history and naming conventions. It was perhaps unjust of her to assume the worst of this seemingly innocent man, just because he happened to share a name with the most evil man from her world.

At the same time, it’s not like her reaction was devoid of logic. She still couldn’t say for sure if this world she’d been transported to was that of a novel, game, or some other kind of fictional tale. Were it so, a man sporting such a name was worthy of the highest levels of suspicion, for even if he wasn’t on the same level of villainy as… well, as Hitler, it was nonetheless a telltale sign from the author that he was not a man to be trusted.

Plus, top hats like that were tacky, anyway. Can’t trust a man wearing one.

“By the way,” Adolf said, bringing his face near Elena’s and placing his hand to the side of his mouth, “I am aware of the rumors circling about you. Just between you and me, you do not need to worry. You’re welcome inside my carriage.”

Gripping the neckline of her dress, Elena brought voice to a question she may come to regret. “Rumors? About me?”

“You know, about being a Marked. As I said, you don’t need to worry. I will not stand for discrimination!” said Hitler.

Okay, this is getting stupid now.

But no matter how goofy the source of this information was, there was value to be gained from paying heed to his words. They seemed to confirm at last that the Marked everyone constantly talked about were indeed outcasts of the world. Worst of all, it seemed she belonged to it, meaning she was essentially playing her new life in Hard Mode.

“Anyway, please accompany me.”

The three of them stepped through the door. A straight road painted gold guided them to the front gate, the vast green of the Royal Gardens surrounding them to the left and right. Adolf, whom Elena internally now preferred to call “Mr. H”, rushed ahead of Elena and Thales, stepping through the open gate.

“Here we are. Please wait inside, my lady.”

He opened the door to his vehicle. It was a machine familiar to Elena, in more ways than one. It resembled a traditional carriage you’d see in a museum, but it lacked the animals required to push it. Instead, from the window she could see a steering wheel for a driver, not unlike a modern car.

This was the second time Elena had been privy to such a vehicle, and since she was now lucky enough to be able to talk with a driver of one, she wasted no chance to give word to her curiosity.

“How is this thing powered, exactly?”

Mr. H grinned. “Only the finest Wind Crystals in the entirety of Luzterna! It’s amazing what the Royal Family’s budget can allow!”

“Wind…Crystals…” Elena poked her lips with her fingers.

“Have you never seen one?” Mr. H asked as he tilted his head and furrowed his brow.

“Umm, no. I was very… umm, very, very sheltered as a kid, yes, so I never got to learn many things.” Elena minced her words as she built her lie. Granted, it was true that she was very sheltered in a lot of ways, but that was not the reason for her ignorance.

“Well, I could show you,” said Mr. H, “but I think the Kingdom’s greatest Sword Dancer is a better candidate.”

Mr. H side-eyed at Thales, who stood with his arms crossed, anger brewing on his face. “I do not respond to that title,” he said solemnly.

“Come on, stop being such a killjoy! Give the little miss a fun show.”

“You think I have the time and energy to dance like a monkey for you?” Thales said, looking at Mr. H straight in the eyes and with anger in his voice. Elena could not help but raise her eyebrows, at seeing the stone golem show even the most basic emotion.

“Well, you do have time, that’s for sure. You are the one who insisted on bringing that girl along, so we still have to wait.”

Elena was confused. “Huh? Who’s that girl?” Surely, it couldn’t refer to her. After all, she was already there.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll do it.” Thales let out a defeated sigh, his eyes rolling like clothes in a washing machine. “But just know I’m wasting precious Wind Crystals because of your idiotic behavior.”

Mr. H just laughed loudly in response, while patting Thales’ back. “Good thing the King pays for them. Hahaha.”

“Idiot,” Thales curtly said.

Elena meanwhile was blessed by a small grin. It was amusing how quickly the cold robot had turned off the polite module of its programming. It appeared these two had been acquaintances for a long time, and Thales’ knightly attire wore off a tad when in the presence of Mr. H.

Once the thunderous laughter came to an end, Thales began a slow walk away from his two companions. Knight mode was back on, as each step he took had the firm quality expected of a man of the military. Without turning around to face Elena and Mr. H, a chant began spilling out of his lips.

“Oh Wind God, you who wash this land with your love. Give my blade the will to become wind.”

His right hand reached for the scabbard hanging by his waist. His fingers kissed his blade’s hilt, and no later than that, a strong gust of wind began to shape the air.

It’s just like what Miles did back then.

The nearby bushes and trees began to dance, their leaves struggling to hang by, to not be swept away by that overwhelming force. Thales’ hair too had spiked up, caught in the ensuing hurricane.

He himself, however, stood resolute, his voice carrying on with his proud song. It was a song devoid of melody, yet its power was no less.

“Let me dance along with my blade. Let me be and also not be, to feel your love through my blade.”

Thales’ body began to vibrate. The saber left its hiding place and was drawn, carving a path through the air as it sought its destination. He pointed its tip skyward, both his hands gripping desperately onto its hilt. The impression was that had he any less strength, the blade would burst upward like a rocket.

The winds continued building themselves around Thales. A swarm of many different winds surrounded his body, some cold, some warm. They all came together and used his body as a meeting ground— a melting pot of sorts, where all these disparate winds blended as one under the control of their new master.

Such was the strength emanating out of the Sword Dancer, a strength only those worthy of wielding the power of the gods could reach.

“Let me become one with the wind!”

Thales words brought end to his chant. And those words became truth—for the man truly became one with the wind.

“What?”

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Elena’s eyes hadn’t even blinked, yet their view of Thales, the Sword Dancer, vanished before them.

The man who was now wind had begun to move. To the eyes of the common man, this was a fact impossible to perceive. Nonetheless, the man blinked out of sight, a floating trail of green energy the only remaining proof of his existence.

Elena’s skin writhed for a moment, freezing at the taste of the chilling explosion of air Thales had just released. Her knees felt weak, burning with a desire to jump and be swallowed upward, to spring forward into the sky, becoming lost in a sea of clouds.

Being in close proximity to a Sword Dancer was all it took, for her spirit to begin to wander. To savor for a second the power belonging to the beings who ruled it all.

“And that’s it.”

With a voice so monotonous as to qualify for sleep-aid, Thales laid his sword to rest. He slotted it into the scabbard completely casually—or at least, as casually as possible for a knight like him. The scattered winds immediately regained their calm, and the shining sun blessed them with its usual heat.

Like a paused movie, it felt like time had ceased moving. Now, the man who had just been one with the wind stood solidly like stone. His elegance, however, had been tarnished by his adventure as the wind, as his uniform was now decorated by more than just medals. Little green leaves spread themselves across his body, some right by his neck and others all the way down to his trousers.

None perturbed the man, whose face portrayed nary a smile—and in turn, made the situation far more comical.

“You hit the head on the trees a bit there, old buddy?” said Mr. H, winking his left eye at Elena.

“Performing the Dance of Wind Union is a task of significant challenge even to those experienced in the art of the Sword, such as myself. Also, I am not your buddy.”

Elena was a bit thrown off by his bitter tone. Apparently, these two were not as close as she’d estimated.

“Hehe, I suppose you ain’t! But come on, we’ve been working together for so long… I thought we were more than that.”

“Shut your mouth.”

The exchange between them was admittedly amusing, but a more important thought sprung to Elena’s mind. “Umm, by the way, Sir Thales. Can you also use fire?” she asked, in a straightforward fashion.

The startled look Thales gave as a response told her maybe it wasn’t such a straightforward matter at all.

“This guy? He can’t even light up a kitchen, Hehehehe.”

Rolling his eyes at Mr. H’s joke, Thales turned Knight mode back on and responded to Elena. “Well, I am indeed able to use firearms, if that’s what you mean. But if what you’re asking is if I can perform the Fire Dance of the Sword God, then I am afraid I must disappoint.”

“Most swordfighters are lucky to even master one! Only those truly blessed can become a dancer in more than one element.”

Raising his chin slightly, Thales was now the one to raise a question. “Are you interested in the power of Fire, Lady Elena?”

“I just happened to know a guy who could in fact also shoot fire from his sword, as well as do something similar with the wind, so I thought maybe…”

Her saliva began traveling down her neck at record speed, as intense stares hounded her from two directions. Mr. H and Thales reacted with shock at Elena’s casual confession, exchanging communicative glances with one another, accentuated by small nods of the head.

I put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I?

“A man able to be one with both wind and fire,” broke the silence Mr. H, stroking his white beard. “There is only one man in Luzterna who fits that profile.”

“W—Who?” asked Elena, sweat building down her neck.

“Miles of the Dead Sea Pirates,” Thales said, slurring the sound of Miles’ name. “He and his band of ruffians have caused many a ruckus to the Kingdom’s forces.”

“Ah yes, the Queen’s lapdog, or so the rumors say,” Mr. H added. “A formidable threat in battle, and with the only ship able to sail the Dead Sea, he proves quite the hard rat to catch, wouldn’t you say?”

As they talked between themselves, Elena could sense her pulse begin to leave her. Her thumbs began to ache from how hard she was hunching her fists, and the red of her lips seemed to cower inside her mouth, due to the force with which she was pressing them together.

The beautiful young man of blue eyes she’d met, the one who’d saved her from a cruel doom. It was he who was now the target of vile words.

Not unlike earlier at the tearoom, Elena wanted to clap back and shut those disgusting sounds off.

“...”

But when reminded of the power that man wielded, it was a feeling that left as soon as it came.

I thiiiiink Miles will forgive me for this one

Not that he’d even find out about this. In fact, who knows if she’d even get to ever see him again. But she still felt a sense of guilt about her inaction. She wasn’t blind to the resemblance between the scene taking place and the one from before: a bunch of lowlifes blabbering on and on about two people of eyes as pristine as a sparkling sea, who Elena knew were not deserving of such slander.

Of course, knew was perhaps too strong a word. He didn’t know much of either Miles or Cordelia. Yet she couldn’t help herself from jumping at Cordelia’s defense, caring little for harm or foul. Hence, her hesitation at doing the same for Miles, who if anything she knew a bit better, was a contradiction within her being. Faced with the same itch from before, she could now control her own body, prevent herself from acting in a way that could prove unwise.

There were several possibilities as to why this could be the case. But there was one reason she chose to believe in above all others, one that brought her an uncanny sense of comfort.

I guess I really do like girls, after all. Tehee.

That sly comment to herself came accompanied by a smirk. But under the guise of a cheeky joke hid a cold shovel, with which she could dig at her own buried pains. Hence, that smirk of hers began slowly fizzling out bit by bit, as the arrival of old memories warped it into a frown.

“Forgive my delay,” intruded the voice of a girl. Both Mr. H and Thales turned to look her way, and so did Elena a second later, after crawling out of the hole that was her mind.

“Cordelia?” Elena could not hide her shock, her hand brought to her lips in a goofy manner. “You’re coming with us?”

“Of course. Miss Cordelia is inseparable from Thales.”

“That is correct. I shall be of service to Master Thales,” said Cordelia without blinking.

While displeased with her formal tone, Elena could not disguise her excitement at the prospect of spending more time with Cordelia. Elena began giving little claps of her hands in quick succession, as well as showing her teeth with a gleeful grin.

“So, let’s waste no more time. Please, get on the back of the Carriage.”

“Is Cordelia also going on the back?”

“Affirmative,” Cordelia said.

Her face lit up, Elena hesitated no further, getting into the vehicle without any more haste. Cordelia sat right next to her, their breaths close enough to mix.

Once everyone was ready, Mr. H got on the driver’s seat and stepped on where the accelerator would be in a car. As he did, wind began surrounding the vehicle.

“Now, lady Elena, let me show you the power that the Goddess has blessed us with.”

The Carriage began moving, slower than Thales earlier today but about what you’d expect from a car.

“Oh, I guess the crystals can also be used to power machines!” Elena said, impressed. Through the use of the crystals, it seemed this world had achieved a level of technology not unlike that of her world.

“Very observant! That was the last gift our beloved Goddess left us with. Machines that allow us normal people to harness the power of Magic.”

“Magic? There’s magic in this wor—err, in this Country?”

“Only the Marked can make use of Magic, but it is true,” Thales explained from the front seat. “After the Battle of the Barrier, casting magic became taboo.”

Thales name-dropped what sounded like an epic battle, piquing Elena’s curiosity but not to the point of inquiring further about it. There was only so far she could push her “fish out of water” excuse before crossing the line into absurdity. Besides, her interest in the conversation was waning, as her focus lay outside the windows.

Unlike before, Elena found herself in the richest area of the city. Hence, the people roaming the streets were clad in elaborate wear, the men wearing suits and top hats while the women walked in colorful yet elaborate dresses.

The nearby buildings stood out for their bizarre architecture. Many could be identified as luxurious homes, featuring large gardens and several floors of height. Yet they also drew the eye with odd features, such as pairs of uneven windows and ceilings that were smaller than the perimeter of the house they were meant to cover.

Wouldn’t this cause rain to flood the inside? Elena pondered, befuddled.

Then again, if rich people here were anything like in her world, odds are that the point of properties such as these was not to serve as a practical living space. Rather, they were meant to bring other wealthy eyes towards the house’s owner, for they served as artistic statements first and housing second. In other words, they were glorified, expensive paintings, a way for their owner to present themselves as an appreciator of the fine arts.

“Blagh.” The disgust Elena felt caused her mouth to rot. She no longer could stand looking at such disgusting opulence. Especially not when such a lovely sight was what met her upon returning her sight to the inside of the carriage.

Cordelia stared forward, her eyes seemingly devoid of life. Observing her profile, Elena took notice of the girl’s tiny nose and dry lips, as well as the tiny shape of her delicate hands as they rested atop her knees.

Becoming aware of Elena’s less-than-subtle staring, Cordelia slowly turned her head. In an instant, the blue that filled her eyes changed its meaning. Before, her eyes wore the blue of winter, cold and hollow like a deadly snowstorm. But the second both their eyes met, it was as if the water of life began to flood into her irises, as the void of her pupils grew in size. The left edge of her mouth started to shiver, as if a smile was attempting to form.

With a swift motion, Cordelia’s head returned to its previous position, and the girl attempted to morph back into her doll-like self. However, cracks began to show in that facade, as her cheeks burned red with embarrassment. One more shy, curious glance was thrown at Elena, who met it with a cheeky grin and a tilt of her head.

Elena could feel a bond had begun to form between her and the girl. There had been no words exchanged between them, but that was because there was no need for them. Her beating heart was so loud as to make any other sound superfluous. The blood pumped by said heart carried her joy; every vein in her body was bursting with pride, knowing it was she who was the sun to the beautiful blue flower sitting next to her, the reason the flower began to bloom.

It was perhaps a bit presumptuous of her, but she began to picture a future between the two of them. Where slowly but surely she helped Cordelia break out of her shell, and soon those faint exchanges of stares became exchanges of kisses, and maybe even they could…

So entrenched was she by her daydreaming, that she failed to perceive the touch of a hand gripping the back of her dress. What did break her out of her trance was the figure of the girl beginning to diminish in size.

Had she done something wrong? Why was the frame of that girl she’d come to adore eluding her all of a sudden?

At that moment, the entire outside of the carriage came into view.

“What the—”

Her body collapsed to the ground, before forcibly being raised back up, as the barrel of the same gun-like device from her first day on this world began poking the side of her head.

Her eyes scrambled in desperation, attempting to make sense of the events transpiring. A large crowd of people had surrounded the carriage, blocking the road with their bodies. The protesters carried picket signs and flags, though Elena could not tell what their message and patterns were. Many of them had tattoos on their faces, others on their arms and legs.

It appeared it was a protest held by a group of those referred to as the Marked.

“Dogs of the Royal Family. Surrender yourselves, or the girl’s brain is toast.”

The booming voice making that threat originated from behind Elena. She couldn’t bear witness to their face, but she could see and feel the touch of their hand as it blocked her mouth. It bore long nails and slim fingers, meaning it was likely the hand of a woman.

Mr. H, Thales, and Cordelia promptly got off the carriage. The three of them stared with concern at Elena, who’d been taken as a hostage.

“What are your demands,” asked Thales, his hand hovering over the handle of his blade.

“I’d leave your hands where I can see them if I were you, buddy,” the woman said, pointing her gun at Thales. “Any wrong move and the lot of you will regret it.”

Thales glared at Elena with a grumble before admitting defeat, letting out a sigh and raising his hands up in the air. His stern glare was one with purpose, one that Elena understood, for her eyebrows raised in response. It was an anger born of the realization that were Elena not there, a man of his skill and strength would be able to easily combat the threat posed by these protesters. Instead, her being used as a human shield meant he had no choice but to comply with the woman’s demands.

“Very good. Now you two—” she pointed at Mr. H and Cordelia— “follow along.”

Mr. H wasted no time obeying her orders, shivering in place as his arms reached for the sky. Cordelia, meanwhile, was slower, her body motions drenched in hesitation. Her eyes did not grace the woman with their presence, instead their focus relegated exclusively to Elena.

Once again, both their eyes met.

She couldn’t bear it.

The pride once filling her body had vanished. She could not allow herself to host any pride, when she’d committed such a sin. The sin of tarnishing the beauty of those eyes, filling them with worry and anxiety.

In an attempt to regain her pride, her body began to resist. She tried fighting against her captor, shaking her body and throwing a reverse headbutt.

“You little—”

A mighty punch made impact with Elena’s right cheek, drops of blood flying as her body fell to the ground. A boot stomped on her back, as that croaky voice penetrated her eardrums.

“You have guts, little girl. I respect that.” As she finished saying that, the woman raised her foot, then crashed the weight of her boot onto the back of Elena’s head. “But you are also incredibly stupid, as to be expected of noble trash.”

“Elena!” Cordelia cried out, distraught.

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on hurting her,” the woman reassured. “It’s you lot I want gone.”

Elena’s eyes could barely see above the ground. Her thoughts were scrambled by the pain of having her brain stepped on. Her breathing had fastened, her legs could do no more than flail without a point, and her body had been denied of motion.

Despite this, she had one last ace up her sleeve. A power only she could wield, which she wasn’t even sure she did in fact have, but on which she was willing to gamble everything.

There remained one part of her body that was free to move. With her hands, she began to pound at the foot of the woman standing on top of her.

“Hahahaha,” laughed the woman. “Are you really that willing to die?”

There was no intent on Elena’s part in actually harming her. Elena’s sole intent was to serve as a distraction, a ploy to bring the woman’s attention onto herself. Even if this resulted in the loss of her life, thanks to her power it’d be a more than worthwhile sacrifice, so long as it guaranteed Cordelia’s safety.

The woman pointed her gun downward at Elena. “Well, if the noble worm is so desperate to die, then I’ll be happy to—”

“Llenar tierra de lágrimas!”

“What!”

The woman was interrupted by an unexpected chant. Elena was also caught off-guard by hearing random Spanish used in this world; but perhaps what shocked her most was whose voice had been responsible for uttering those words.

“You traitorous scum!” The woman stepped off Elena’s body, and began walking toward Cordelia. “How dare you cast magic against your own people!”

Elena now had the strength to look upward. The gun’s barrel was aimed at Cordelia, whose arm tattoo was glowing, a blue aura stemming from it. Without missing a beat, the woman pulled the trigger and a fireball began to form, before propelling itself forward toward Cordelia.

“N—Nooo.” Elena could do nothing but watch helplessly.

“As if!”

A wind blew, and the projectile made of flame was cleaved in two, each half spiraling through the air before striking the floor. Thales had reacted to the woman’s shot, and blocked the attack by cutting through it with his sword.

“Tsk. Everybody, retreat! We don’t know what that spell—”

She couldn’t finish her alarming order, as her body stood motionless, her mouth wide-open.

A stream of water began pouring from the sky toward the earth, essentially turning the street into a river.

The stream shoved all that lay in its path; the protestors, the carriage, the streetlights. Living or inanimate, the current didn’t care in the slightest. They were all whisked away by that unstoppable force. The woman dropped her weapon and began attempting to run away; it’d soon prove fruitless, for it was inevitable for the water to catch up and whisk her away.

“Elena!”

Before Elena, who remained laying on the floor, could make sense of what was going on, Cordelia leapt toward her.

The two of them shared an improvised hug. Elena pulled Cordelia into her embrace, wrapping that skinny body with her arms.

Time froze. The walls surrounding her vanished. As she felt Cordelia’s body weigh on her, all she knew was she couldn’t let go of her.

She couldn’t allow for that frail body to be harmed. Whatever happened, she wanted to protect her, to hold on tight to her, no matter who or what got in their way

She couldn’t bear with tragedy befalling such a beautiful girl.

She couldn’t bear going through that again.

Elena held on to Cordelia’s body as hard as she could, as the flowing water washed them both away.

—

Was this death?

Who knows. It didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that she wasn’t with her right now.

The body of that girl, so fragile yet pleasing to the touch. She couldn’t feel that girl’s skin caress hers.

That was a feeling worse than death. Worse than any circle of hell.

If she could change that, then it would be worthwhile to wake up. To return to this cursed world filled with suffering. If it was for a chance to hold her hand and kiss her lips, she’d be willing to face it all.

Hence, she had no choice but to open her eyes.

—

“You’re finally awake.”

The image of the world drew itself before Elena. A ceiling carved with drawings of some sort of woman was what first met her. Soon, her eyes would begin inspecting what lay to her left, and she’d see some sort of altar. Then to her right, a large wooden door, with a red carpet adorning the floor.

“Waaaaake up!”

With a raucous shrill, the woman speaking at Elena hurled a bucket of cold water at her. As in, the wooden bucket struck Elena’s nose, and then the water spilled all over her.

“What the hell are you doing?” Elena asked, as she quickly got on her feet, her whole body now soaked.

“Well, you see, I wanted to wake you up, so I filled a bucket with water. But since I knew it was water what’d made you pass out in the first place, I thought that’d only make things worse. So I decided to hit you with the bucket itself instead!”

It was flawed logic, but it could be said to be logic. Well, if you ignore that physics make it unlikely for the water to not spill out, that is.

“Okay, I’m awake. You happy? And who are you any—”

Her sentence was cut short by her own memory.

The woman ran her hand through her long, blond hair. “Well, it seems my identity remains a secret to you. Let me introdu—”

“Your name was… Lucía!”

That strange lady she’d met on her first day in this world—they had once again come face-to-face.