The boy who held superhuman strength had launched his fist forward. Unbeknown to him, the impact had been taken by the Wheel of Fortune and bounced back with its force amplified three times. At that moment, a certain girl had stepped in the midst of that battlefield.

Before this destructive impact could reach Starr, Wish had taken the hit directly.

The disturbing pain spreading throughout her body, the way her limbs wouldn't respond to her orders anymore, it was something she was all too used to, and it could only mean one thing: this had been mortal damage.

For just a split second, anyone that looked at her would see a wide gap between the girl's shoulders and all the way down to her waist, her blood and internal organs all spilling down into the cold floor. Yet, that gruesome image would dissipate in the blink of an eye, almost as though it never happened. Her body being whole and undamaged at a time like this could only awaken a primal fear in her heart. This meant that the gears were already in motion, the power of her dormant ability, World End, had been activated.

The terror of seeing so many lives lost before her eyes, the relief of pain going away, it all mixed into a revolting disgust. Even back then, no matter how many times she tried to control that power, no matter how much she begged it to stop, once its effect was released, there was only one thing she could do.

"Run away!! Get away from here as fast as you can!!"

Stabbing her blade into the ground, she yelled at those who stood behind her. Her last bet was for the others to get away before it was too late. Yet, Ryuusei and Estelle had frozen on the spot, neither knew how to react and listening to Wish's orders like that wasn't so simple.

It all happened too fast, the image of Wish missing a chunk of her body and bleeding out was burnt into their minds, yet she was now telling them to run away.

Had they seen a wild monster or an incredible attack coming their way, it would have been easier for them to react, but there was no sign of immediate danger. What were they supposed to run away from? From Mirage? That's what made the most sense, but it wasn't enough for their bodies to start moving fast enough.

The first one to react was Starr, he had been standing the closest to Wish, and he could tell by the unusual panic reflected in her face that she was being serious. He turned around and prepared to sprint away, but would he make it in time? At a time like this, how fast would be fast enough? How much distance would be safe enough?

More importantly, even though Wish had seen many others disappear this way time and time again, she didn't fully understand the rules behind this power either. How was the target chosen? Was running away the right option?

Even if there was nothing there, the moment Starr began to run, he felt like prey running from a predator. It was as almost as if there was something fearsome closing in, something that couldn't be seen by the human eye. Everything was moving in slow motion for him and consuming him. He couldn't even see what expressions Ryuusei and Estelle had as he moved closer to them.

Before his consciousness would completely collapse, Starr was pushed away and down into the ground. As he fell, the pressure coming after him instantly disappeared.

The metallic noise of a sword leaving its sheathe reached everyone. The one who stood in the space between Wish and the other three had been the maid, Elizabelle.

There wasn't any visible attacker, but the maid could sense it all too well. Prepared to strike back, she released a slash forward as her blade began to glow with violet light.

(As I thought.) Having witnessed this power before, something clicked for that battle expert. (This goes after whatever has the mo-)

But her thoughts were cut short.

As though it had been engulfed by fearsome fangs and crushed, her blade broke apart into little pieces. Of course, that wasn't the end of it. She could clearly sense an aggressive intent coming after her even now. Whatever had caused that much damage was coming after her next. Goosebumps spread all over her arms, she felt like they were being wrapped up by something invisible.

With a loud yell, the maid released a powerful flash of golden light from the palm of her hands, forcefully pushing back the merciless predator. This was the raw power of Alchemy that she had mastered. It would be difficult to tell for everyone else, but it was clear to the maid that her alchemy was being devoured at an alarming rate. She could only continue to focus and let out more and more power, she had to keep it up until that thing was completely satisfied.

Wish was at a loss of what to do, her heart was beating fast, and she had a hard time controlling her breathing. She knew she needed to do something to help Elizabelle, but at the same time, when glancing at the other side, she could see Mirage standing there just a few meters away.

Mirage couldn't react either at first, she could only witness as the power who had taken everyone away was released before her eyes once more. But this wasn't the time to stay idle, her instincts told her that she had to move, she couldn't stay here for much longer, she had to get away, she had to get away or else...

Taking a deep breath, Mirage turned around and began to run in the opposite direction.

Wish took a step forward the moment she saw this, but she wasn't able to follow her, her body was rejecting the idea. Her voice wouldn't come out even if she tried calling out to her. What should she do? Should she go after Mirage, or should she help the people before her eyes? Should she save an old connection, or should she fight to protect these new ones?

Holding her breath, Wish had made her choice. It wasn't the time to hesitate. She turned her sight away from the running Mirage and towards the struggling maid. Elizabelle had begun to cough violently, and the light coming out of her hands was getting softer and softer.

A life for a life, that was the sort of power World End was. But somehow, Wish wanted to believe that this wasn't the end. She couldn't tell if it was because she was clinging to false hope, or because her sixth sense was showing her the right path. Still, somewhere in her heart, Wish was convinced that there was still a way to escape this situation. For now, she had to act.

Slowly but surely, Wish began to move towards the struggling alchemist but–

"Don't get any closer! This thing seems to come after anything that has the most Luminescence, and unless you can generate some on your own, you will only get in the way!!"

The most Luminescence? Elizabelle's words were confusing for everyone to grasp properly. Still, it wasn't hard to guess that she was creating some sort of energy by letting that golden light out of her hands. No matter how strong Wish was, that was only physically, there was no way for her to do something like that. Was she simply useless at a time like this? Of course not, accepting a hopeless outcome wasn't like her. She had to do something.

Come to think of it, last time, this attack was taken by the barrier after Elizabelle dealt mortal damage. Did that barrier had Luminescence? It wasn’t the first time Wish heard that word either.

As she followed this train of thought, glancing at the bracelet on her wrist had given her a glimmer of hope. She had the tool used to create that barrier, she could save everyone like this.

"Luminescence!" Wish yelled into the bracelet, calling out for the same activation word the maid had used before.

But nothing happened.

Was there something else that activated the barrier? The blonde tried pressing many buttons on her bracelet at random, but nothing was happening. Moreover, once she glanced up to look at the maid again, she could see Elizabelle's fingers trembling, red drops were falling on the floor, and a red stream was flowing down her arm. Whatever this attack was, it was slowly but surely breaking through her defenses.

Desperate, Wish took another step forward.

"I already told you not to-!" "Use this!"

The maid's warning was cut short the moment she saw something flying her way. It was a large blade with four red petals spread around the handle, and a metallic hilt that looked like it was made by the hands of science. This was the Scarlet Satellite.

If this blade let Wish wield a small portion of the power of Wind Alchemy simply by getting close to the maid, then what would happen if this maid in question were to hold this weapon in her hands?

"Heh." Elizabelle silently smiled to herself as she gracefully caught the sword in mid-air.

Immediately, the four petals that decorated this blade burst with a radiant purple light. With a smirk, Elizabelle tightened her grip, looked at the blonde girl and spoke an absolute order: "Protect everyone!!"

A strong current of wind began flowing around Elizabelle, the morning skies were swallowed up by stormy clouds. The sudden phenomena would be enough to alarm anyone, but Wish could tell something else was coming.

Protecting everyone at a time like this had been a tall order. Estelle and Starr were still hurt from their previous battle, and May was badly injured, this meant the only one she could ask for help at a time like this was...

"Ryuusei! I'll leave Maymay to you!!"

The spiky haired boy nodded and acted immediately. He ran towards the injured May, held his breath after looking at how badly bruised her body was, and embraced her with his arms. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew running away would be no use. Even though he wasn't the best when it came to fighting, if he could become a shield for someone, then he would protect them till the end.

Without wasting a second, Wish dashed in the direction where Estelle and Starr were.

"Use your strength to grab onto something!"

Starr's instructions were clear and easy. Perhaps because he wanted to protect them in his own way, or because it was reassuring for him to have them close, his first reaction was to run towards Ryuusei and May. Holding to the electricity pole next to them would be the best course of action, that's what he thought, but his legs were moving slower than expected, things weren't moving along according to plan.

Meanwhile, the pink haired girl frantically looked around, completely at a loss of what to do with herself. First, they had been fighting Mirage, that much had been clear to her, but once this blonde girl appeared nothing made sense to her anymore. What was that maid fighting against, and why was everyone taking action right now? The way the wind was strengthening, and swirling around them was also alarming. That blonde had told them to run away before but... no... that's right, this time she should get out of here while she still could.

Yet, there had been a reason why Wish had sent Ryuusei to help May. Even though the pink-haired girl was still standing thanks to the adrenaline rushing through her body, she looked pale, was limping and looked like she would be carried away by the wind at any moment now.

"Hold on tight!"

The moment Wish's words reached her, Estelle realize she had been picked up like a princess by the blonde girl. This would usually be enough for Estelle to lose her temper, but she felt relief. For some reason, those arms felt safe.

Of course, the time to relax came to an end almost immediately.

Wind burst into all directions with Elizabelle as the source. Everything was pushed back like a fan being turned on in front of a lot of dust. Most of the debris from the previous fights all began to shoot out into all directions like projectiles.

Starr forgot how to breathe the moment a large boulder landed right next to him. He continued to force his legs to move onward, but the pole he tried to hold unto looked so far away, and soon, his body was carried away by a strong gust before he could give the next step.

At that moment, Ryuusei caught the boy with one arm and pulled him under his body, shielding him along with May while holding unto them. Many rocks, and even a metal pipe hit his back, and torso, but Ryuusei wouldn't let go of them. As long as he could protect them, it was fine.

As this happened, Estelle could only cling unto Wish who was frantically moving. With her back against a tall skyscraper, Wish kicked up what looked a large piece of concrete from a torn up wall. With the wind going against them, the large broken wall came flying right back at her, but she stopped it with her leg. Surprisingly, it worked like a good shield from other incoming projectiles, but the more debris piled up on the other side of that shield, the more pressure it put on Wish's body. If this went on for too long, she'd be squished flat.

With the force of the wind intensifying, a menacing light shaded the world in a warm violet color as it all gathered on the tip of the Scarlet Satellite.

As the storm intensified more and more, the sound of space itself breaking apart resounded across the city, and then, everything fell into a calm silence.

The raging wind and all the power that had been released all disappeared in an instant. It had all been crushed apart by the power of World End. In exchange, that deadly force had finally come to a stop.

That should have been the end of it. Immediate danger had ended, they could all finally relax and take their time to put themselves together, but there was something no one was accounting for anymore.

Mirage.

What kind of weight had built up in the heart of that irregular after seeing the person most precious to her after so long? Moreover, there was something that was clear and fresh in her mind. The one that had dealt mortal damage to Wish just now was her. The hands that had caused this situation just now had been her own. All the terror and the sadness that she had been carrying all these years mixed with her blinding rage, and then... it was all released.

☆

The sound of metal hitting the cold ground echoed through the city as Elizabelle let go of the Scarlet Satellite and knelt down on the floor. Even though the crisis had been averted, the toll that it took on her body was far too great. She could only look at her surroundings while barely holding unto her consciousness.

Estelle breathed a sigh of relief the moment Wish let her down and promptly sat on the ground, her legs had really given out at this point.

"Are you hurt?" Starr was hesitant to ask the moment Ryuusei let go of both him and May.

The spiky haired boy, however, was too distracted to give out a proper answer. He continued to close and open the palms of his hands, confirming that he was still alive. There were various spots on his arms, back, and the back of his head that felt unusually warm. How was he still conscious? He could hardly understand, even the time Wish had hurled him into the ground when they met had a greater toll on his body, but this time the pain he felt was very little.

"Ryuu-" "Is everything okay? Did you get separated from your family?"

Starr's voice was drowned out by Ryuusei's who finally reacted. The questions asked by the spiky haired boy were quite normal, kids getting separated from their families in the city was something he'd see a lot after working together with Mirage.

Yet, even though his words were filled with care and kindness, they stabbed Starr like sharp knives. Ryuusei's voice, the look in his eyes, he knew for a fact that his brother wouldn't joke around this way, not at a time like this. So then, why?

Unsure on how to respond, Starr silently shook his head once before standing up and shaking the dust off his clothes. It was fine, even if Ryuusei didn't recognize him, it was fine.

Things had calmed down. If it wasn’t because of the dark skies and cold wind that continued to dance around them, it would be hard to believe any of this had actually happened. But even now, something was tugging at Wish's heartstrings. The expression Mirage had in her face after running away wasn't a happy one. Even after all this time, that was an expression Wish could easily recognize. As much as she was trying to ignore it, there was a lingering regret stabbing into her heart like a thorn. She should have run after her, she wanted to run after her. After all, after all this time, she was so close and yet...

Trying to shake away these thoughts, Wish walked towards the maid where everyone had gathered.

"We should get away from here." Ryuusei suggested as he carried May on his back. "We need to treat this person as soon as we can."

"We need to... get to Noa." Elizabelle forced herself to speak, but her voice was very faint.

"Hold on, don't push yourself."

The spiky haired boy let May down next to the maid and hurried to check on Elizabelle's pulse. He wasn't nowhere near close to a medic, but he had learned enough to check on vital signs and perform basic first aid thanks to helping Mirage look after the citizens.

"Noa?" Wish crossed her arms. To think so many people ended up getting hurt this much, it wasn't something easy to accept.

That being said, Noa was definitely a name that she had heard before. Wait a second... it was the person that had gone after her and Faith earlier, wasn't she?! Mobilizing so many injured people could be hard, but if she could get in touch with Faith then maybe there was a way to make things easier, as much as she hated asking for his help, she had to swallow her pride this once.

The blonde pulled her smartphone out of her pocket, she looked at Ryuusei checking on the maid while Starr helped Estelle slowly stand up again. She was quick to reach Faith's number through the fast dial, and the call connected after a single ring.

"Hey-!"

Wish went silent before she could finish talking.

She was startled by a strange sound coming out from the other side of the line. It was like morse code, mixed in with a melody so loud it became distorted and drowned everything. Slowly but surely, she was able to make out a voice trying to say something; the voice was really deep and spoke slowly. That was definitely not Faith's voice.

The background noise all around her vanished into thin air, her full attention had been directed to the voice coming out from her golden smartphone. It was difficult to understand what it said, the few words she could listen to wouldn't register in her head as any words she recognized, this voice would hardly register as human to begin with, and then, Wish's phone flew up across the air.

In one swift motion, she had let go of her phone, ducked to pick up the Scarlet Satellite from the floor, and swung her blade to stop a heavy impact coming her way.

Her enemy almost looked like the root of a tree in giant size, yet its body was a mix of black metal, broken glass and hard stone.

Upon catching Wish's phone with her hands, Estelle took a closer look at the sudden threat that had appeared. The root connected to one of the tall buildings next to them, not only that but all the structures surrounding the city started to grow in size, shooting up into the skies.

Wish slashed the root with ease, making it drop lifelessly to the ground, but this was only the start. Endless branches and leaves all began to sprout from the ever-growing buildings at an alarming speed. A bizarre jungle was spreading all around them as all the buildings began morphing into menacing trees with brown and green autumn leaves, all holding a faint glow of light inside them. It looked like a world created by a mix of science and nature.

Yet, that world had been created to get rid of those who should have never stepped into it. Just like before, another thick and sharp root shot up from the ground, flying towards Wish's group as suddenly as it appeared.

Even though she managed to stop the attack with her blade, a second root flew past her and towards the spot where the fallen maid was lying down.

"It's up to you now."

That was the maid's final order before she pushed Ryuusei away and slammed the palm of her hand into floor. With her final remaining strength, Elizabelle released the last of her alchemy, creating a large and beautiful violet crystal that engulfed her body along with May's. The moment the roots touched the crystal, they were shattered apart, never reaching their target.

Wish clicked her tongue. For something like this to happen, it was obvious to her who could be behind it. If someone could change the world like this, it definitely had to be Mirage, but for it to change this much... That being said, where could she start? The roots spreading all across the ground continued to shoot out relentless attacks from all directions. Even though she could protect herself, the other three around her were hardly in a position to keep up with this.

"Wait! Don't move!" Ryuusei shouted, taking a solid grasp of Wish's shoulder just as she slew another enemy apart.

"This is just like back then..." Starr spoke in a soft tone.

Wish slowly tilted her head, even though it was odd for Ryuusei to stop her at a time like this, the attacks did stop the moment she stopped moving.

"Remember the police station?" The spiky-haired boy promptly explained. "This... feels really similar. Back then, Mirage had done something to change an empty hall into a room full of traps, and I'm sure they were all set to activate only if you were to trigger them somehow."

"Those traps were set by Mirage?" Starr could only remember very somber memories from adventuring through those with Faith, and even then, that seemed to be on a much lesser scale than this. "Wasn't Wish the one who set them up?"

"Not really, I messed around with what I found but– so that was Mirage, huh. This does look as cold as that."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!!" Estelle cut in, being extremely careful not to move a single finger. "I don't know what you are all going on about, but shouldn't we start by getting out of here first then!?"

Wish crossed her arms, she did see Estelle's point but...

"If this place is full of traps, the moment we so much as move a step forward, they will come after us." Ryuusei shook his head. "Maybe we should just stay here and wait for things to go back to normal?"

"And what makes you think things will go back to normal in the first place?!" Estelle refuted and ruffled her hair in stress. "Ahhhhhhh this is the worst!! I want to go home!!!"

"Calm down, calm down!" Ryuusei was growing nervous by Estelle's sudden movements. "This is happening because of Mirage, right? She must definitely have a reason so let's just wait for her to–"

"No." Wish refuted Ryuusei immediately. "I agree that this is Mii's doing, but do you really think she'll be able to stop this? Isn't she in trouble?"

"Huh? Don't worry about it, I'm sure Mirage–"

"She wouldn't do something like this! Do you really think she would create a situation where she'd put unrelated people in danger? If it's Mii, she'd definitely find a way around it before it comes to this!"

The boy couldn't understand why Wish could talk like that about his friend, but he knew she was spot on, it's true that Mirage wouldn't do something like this.

It was easy to tell by looking at his surroundings. Even though the city was supposed to be empty, there was no guarantee that there wasn’t anyone inside any of these buildings. If things kept going like this, even more unrelated people could end up getting fatally hurt.

Before he could think of a response, the ground below them began to tremble violently. This happened because Wish had stomped her foot down as she talked without realizing it. She could hardly react as her body was carried into the skies by a large tree that had begun to grow from under her feet.

Unlike the trees made from the towering buildings around them, this one looked a lot more natural, but it's growth was even faster. Wish looked around as Estelle's screams reached her from a few branches below, it seemed that only Ryuusei and Starr had managed to remain safe on the ground.

"Look for her, we have to stop her before she hurts herself!!"

Wish's voice reached Ryuusei before she had gone completely out of sight.

The spiky haired boy clenched his fist. If it was true that Mirage had no way to stop this anymore, then she was clearly in danger. It wasn't the time to stand around in fear anymore.

After yelling at Ryuusei in hopes that he could reach Mirage faster, Wish knew she had to get out of here fast. She was growing dizzy and it was getting harder to breathe at this height. The branches were very large and thick enough to work as good footing, and they continued to grow all over the trunk in many different directions. Putting her sword back into its hilt and inside her pocket, Wish began jumping down into the branches below.

She continued descending at a dangerous speed, using her arms to hold onto the wide branches below to stop herself from falling all the way down in one go. She could soon see Estelle just two levels below where she stood, but the next jump didn't go as smooth.

After all, in this artificial jungle that Mirage had created, moving meant activating more traps. The moment Wish jumped, many vines shot from above to tangle her left leg and her arms. Instead of struggling, she forcefully tore them apart with a wild swing but missed her landing as a result.

"No, no, no, no, no." Estelle desperately clung to the trunk of the tree while sitting on top of a branch. "This can't be happening, you have to be kidding me!!"

But the moment she screamed out, she saw the figure of a tall blonde falling through the air in front of her. She hesitated to do anything for a moment, thinking Wish would just cling unto the branch below to stop her fall, but panicked the moment she realized Wish had completely frozen over in place.

It was strange, even after experiencing death countless times, the sensation of falling like this scared Wish even more. The thought that she would find herself in an empty world once she reached the end, the thought that she would lose everyone no matter what she did. All of this clouded Wish's mind at times like this.

"Wait, wait! Please hang in there!!"

As a warm hand took a solid grasp of her wrist, Wish's fall came to a stop. It was a weak and gentle pull, but it felt like being pulled out of the ocean after almost drowning.

Looking up, Wish could see the figure of a slender girl with long pink hair.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Estelle had flung herself into the branches below and took hold of Wish in time. Of course, her landing hadn't been flawless either. The moment she fell down, she hit her stomach against the solid wood of the tree, and all air almost left her lungs.

She had stopped Wish's fall but it was only for a moment. The blonde girl had proven to be way heavier than what she looked like, it wasn’t any normal human weight by any means. To Estelle, it almost felt like pulling up a car with her bare hands, she definitely couldn't hold on for much longer, and soon, she was dragged down along with Wish.

But that was okay, her efforts had been enough. Thanks to being snapped out of her somber thoughts, Wish could move her body freely again. She extended out her arms, catching Estelle and holding her tightly before using her feet kick one of the nearby branches. Using the extending tree as footing, Wish then hurled her body into one of the skyscrapers that had grown just meters away from them, crashed through a window, and landed inside, sliding across the floor until an old fridge stopped her friction.

"Are you okay?"

Wish asked after slowly letting go of Estelle, but the pink haired girl wouldn't let go of her.

"W-Wait..." Even though Estelle's voice was soft and barely audible, it was clearly shaking. "Let me stay like this for a little longer."

"Hm?"

Taking a deep breath, Estelle pushed Wish and crossed her arms, looking away embarrassed.

"N-Nevermind!!"

"Seems like you are good, huh?" Wish sounded as carefree as ever. "What's your name?"

"Huh?" Estelle was being thrown off by this girl's pace, this definitely wasn't the time for introductions at all! Then again, it was hard not to answer as Wish stared at her with such an expectant expression. "Estelle, you?"

"I'm Wish!"

Huh...? This person was that Wish? After hearing about her from Starr and May, Estelle had the image that Wish was just some wild delinquent. Instead, it was actually a really good-looking girl? If it wasn't because of her wild attitude, anyone would definitely think Wish was a really refined lady. This was so conflicting, then this meant that... this was the same girl who stole her first kiss?! Estelle was still irritated by that, but maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

"No, no, no, no." Estelle shook her head, talking to herself out loud. "I can't be so easy!!"

"Easy?"

"N-nevermind that!!" Estelle immediately covered her mouth and shook her head again.

"Ah... I don't get it, but all that fidgeting is kinda cute, I like you!"

"Don't say things like that so casually!! Think about my poor heart!"

"Does your heart hurt? Are you feeling okay?" Wish moved in closer, placing the palm of her hand against Estelle's chest to feel her heartbeat. Not only that but her face was so close, at this rate, Wish would surely kill her before all the dangers from the outside got the chance.

"I'm fine! I'm perfectly fine!!"

Estelle smacked Wish's hand away and stepped back while trying to ignore how red her face had gotten.

"That's a relief! We really should get going then, I'm worried about Mii."

"This Mirage person, is she really important to you?"

Estelle couldn't help but feel like she was making a really weird question, but Wish didn’t really mind too much.

"You could say so!" She laughed nervously while scratching her cheek. "She is someone... I haven't seen in a very long time, so there are many things I may not know about her anymore but, I don't want her to get hurt."

The idea of helping someone that had put them through so much danger and stress didn't sit well with the pink haired girl, but Wish's words seemed sincere. Glancing at Wish, Estelle brought her hand over her lips as she gave everything some more thought.

"In that case, then... please go help your friend, and I'll stay here."

"No! It's dangerous up here, this place could crumble at any moment!"

Looking at the environment around them, Wish wasn't wrong. Even if they were inside what looked like a small apartment, the walls and roof were slowly being taken over by artificial tree roots. Moreover, whatever solid parts of the building remained were all cracked, and the floor below continued to tremble at random intervals.

"I know that, but! I'm only going to slow you down so...–"

"I refuse!"

"Listen! Listen to me please..." Estelle couldn't understand why she was acting like this herself. Perhaps facing so much stress and finding herself in a situation so close to death made it easier to open up, but it was too late to stop herself. "You have someone you care about, and something to look forward to. I'm sure it's the same for those boys, and even for that Mirage person but, I don't really have anything. Whether I make it out of her or not, it won't matter, because I don't really have a goal or purpose. So please prioritize those who do!"

Wish remained silent for a moment as she tried to process the girl's words. A silence that felt eternal for Estelle.

"That's okay." The blonde stepped closer. "If you don't have a goal right now, let's find you one once we get out of here, that will be my next goal!"

"Why would you do that for m–"

"Once this is over, I won't have a real purpose either. Once that happens... it'll be reassuring not to be alone, you know!"

Those words had been too much. To think she could find someone like that, was it really okay?.

"So then, let's go?" Wish extended out her hand.

"Fine." Estelle pouted as she agreed with a flustered tone.

☆

"Wish said to find Mirage but..."

Cold sweat rolled down Ryuusei's forehead. He stood next to the crystal that protected Elizabelle and May. Even though the maid's efforts had been a great asset to keep herself out of danger, Ryuusei noticed the crystal was slowly cracking. He didn't know how much longer that absolute defense would last.

If he didn't go after Mirage, this dangerous world wouldn't rest until everyone inside was annihilated. What if he left this place and Elizabelle's barrier shattered? Neither her, nor May were in any state to protect themselves right now.

"Let's go."

Starr was the one who spoke and began to step forward. The boy had noticed the cracks in the crystal too, but he knew listening to Wish might lead to a solution. The way the blonde had been taken away was alarming, but he trusted that she would come back unharmed sooner or later.

"Wait!" Ryuusei called out to him. "You should stay here. I know it must be scary to get separated from your family but I'll make sure you can get back to them. So please stay here and be safe, kids shouldn't have to face dangerous things lik–"

At that moment, tree roots ran towards Starr, reacting to his movement; but the boy took grasp of one and pulled it out of the ground irritated before throwing it away.

"I'm going."

Starr's voice was unusually cold. Was this kid mad at him? Ryuusei could only imagine it was because this situation was getting to him. With that impressive strength, maybe he could look after himself, but Ryuusei still didn't like the idea of putting him in danger.

"O-Okay, let's go, but let's think of a plan first. Wandering aimlessly won't help too much."

"Okay."

"I know finding Mirage is important, I want to help her too. It's just that, I need you to look for something else just in case."

Starr raised an eyebrow as he stared at Ryuusei with cold eyes. He was trying his best to act normal, but it was getting really difficult.

"The traps in the police station had an emergency shutdown core, just in case things went wrong. If Mirage created this under a similar concept, there might be one here too. The core there was really just a computer, but maybe there's something like that here too."

☆

Ryuusei and Starr dashed across the city in the direction where Mirage had run off to. Staying to fight would have taken too much time, especially since there was no end to these enemies. Instead, both moved forward as fast as they could while trying to avoid these attacks. As they advanced, a barrage of roots followed, shooting towards them from multiple directions.

Whenever these roots blocked his path directly, Starr punched them away, so admittedly Ryuusei was the one having the most trouble. He continued getting hit more than once, the branches had gone after his legs and his torso, swaying him to the side and bruising his body, but his feet remained firmly planted on the ground. He struggled to retain his balance and dash away before any fatal attack could get him. Even if it was working for now, he didn't know how long his stamina would last at this rate.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Just where was Mirage? How much longer did he have to go through this mined field?

Looking at the layout of this deathly jungle, he could see what looked like one of the city's main streets not too far from where they were. The streets were surprisingly less infested with trees, and the electricity poles seemed to be intact.

"Hey!" Ryuusei called out to the boy, just now realizing he didn't even know his name "Let's go to that street! Maybe it'll be easier to proceed from there!"

"R-Right!"

Starr nodded after looking at the spot where Ryuusei was pointing. Even if his strength was helping him clear the way, this situation was way too scary for him. Not only did he have to stop the sharp roots that came at him, but he also had to watch his footing to evade surging trees like the one that took Wish.

The fact that he was stuck with Ryuusei was making him nervous too. He was well aware that no matter how many good intentions his brother might have, he was ultimately powerless when it came down to it. At times like this, he deeply wished it had been Faith who was here instead, after all, it was thanks to him that he had made it out from the traps at the station in one piece.

Ultimately, this wasn't the place to get caught up with thoughts like these, and Starr would soon learn about it the hard way. Even though he was only a few steps away from reaching the main street, the scenery began to move further and further away as his legs got caught up by one of the vines that had been chasing him.

His first reaction was to try using his hand to attack the vine and get himself free, but his palm couldn't even reach the evil greenery as it entangled his arms and prevented him from moving. In an instant, he was forcefully pulled back into the depths of the jungle.

"Stay still!" Ryuusei's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as his body came to a sudden stop. "I will get you out of there, so please don't move."

The reason why Starr wasn't being carried away anymore was that Ryuusei had taken hold of the vine with his hands. Of course, the enemy continued to struggle, trying to pull Starr away, but the spiky-haired boy wasn't about to let go.

"All these traps activate with movement." Ryuusei tried his best to speak out as calmly as possible. "So the more you move, the more these vines will wrap around you."

The young boy held his breath and stared at Ryuusei who desperately buried his fingers into his arms to prevent him from being carried away.

"I know we have to advance fast, but you need to go slow and careful about it." Even at a time like this, the kindness in Ryuusei's voice was more vibrant than his fear. "So once you reach Mirage, tell her that Ryuusei wants her to put a stop to this because others are getting hurt, she will definitely do something about it."

There was something about those words that Starr didn't like one bit. Yes, this was the same Ryuusei he had known for a long time. He could see the selfless person who would get stepped over by everyone standing before him. That was something that Starr didn't like, he didn't like the way he would give up his own happiness for the sake of others. That's part of why he had chosen to go with the organization in the end, he didn't like seeing someone who couldn't stand up for himself, someone who continued to get used by those he could hardly call family. It irritated him, and yet, feeling that way also made him feel guilty.

In that moment, Ryuusei stomped his foot into the ground with a lot of force. Following the strong, and sudden movement, the vines all left Starr and tangled around Ryuusei like a cocoon.

The short haired boy gasped in shock as his brother began to get dragged away into the depths of the jungle at an alarming speed. Before Starr could run after him, a tree began to shoot up in the spot where Ryuusei had been standing before, just like the one that took Wish away.

What should he do? No, he had to move and figure out something as he did. He had seen people who could do that beforehand, if it was any of them they wouldn't run away. If he wanted to be like them, then he wouldn't run away.

Desperate, Starr jumped into the surging tree, which began to carry him upwards faster than an elevator. With his trembling hands, he tore off the branch where he stood, and launched himself downwards. Every fiber of his being was screaming in fear, his voice was yelling, but he couldn't even realize it. He had to focus, he had to do this.

Using the tree branch as a spear, Starr stabbed into the vines that writhed around on the muddy ground while carrying a large lump with them. Almost like a hurt snake, the vines jumped up, letting go of Ryuusei and jumping towards Starr as if to devour him. With another loud yell, he pulled the branch out of the ground and slammed it into the enemy, sending a large bunch of vines flying away into the distance.

"If you want to tell Mirage that," Starr spoke as he desperately tried to hold back tears. "Then tell her yourself."

☆

A red-gold motorcycle ran across the city surrounded by artificial greenery. Even if Wish hadn't been in Glint City for too long, the overall landscape was way different and unfamiliar. It was like traveling across a wild jungle with luminescent trees that lit up the stormy skies. Outside of the danger, it was a rather pretty sight thanks to how surreal it all was.

Estelle clung tightly unto Wish's waist while forcing herself to keep her eyes open. The speed in which they were traveling was by no means safe, but slowing down wasn't an option either. After all, traps were being constantly triggered all across the place. Tree roots and vines were all chasing the bike at an unreal speed; if they were to catch up like that, it would definitely be fatal for them.

"W-What is this place anyway?! Is it like an illusion?" Estelle tried to keep her thoughts away from the sinking feeling in her gut by initiating a conversation.

"Hmm, yes and no! It does feel like an illusion, but I think everything is real. If you get hit by something here, it still hurts, no?"

"I guess so..."

No matter how much she tried convincing herself this was real, it all was like being stuck in a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

As they moved away from some of the trees and into what remained of the city’s main streets, Wish could sense something coming her way. Ready to dodge any incoming attack she prepared to move to the left but...

"Move to the right!"

Estelle yelled, and Wish followed her orders without thinking. At that moment what looked like a large firework shot from her left side and exploded into the trees behind them upon contact. She couldn't see what the projectile was due to its sheer speed, but it seemed to have come from a strange, blue plant just ahead.

Wish's hands took a harder grasp on the handles of her bike. Her sixth sense had never been wrong, but this time it would have sent her right into a fatal attack. Was this place messing with her senses that badly?

"Move to the right now!"

She did as Estelle said, only to see the plant bury into the ground, and come out on her left side. Its petals opened, revealing what looked like metallic fangs that made the opening of a cannon, and with a blast, another projectile was released from within.

"Estelle, you are amazing!!"

"S-Shut up and keep going!! To the left now!"

"You got it!!"

Following Estelle's instructions, Wish's bike moved in zigzag before spinning in U-turn to avoid a series of blasts coming in multiple directions. It was as though she danced across a field of colorful fireworks. Riding over larger tree branches, both grained some height and used it as a ramp, jumping into another section of the city to avoid getting caught by the rain of blasts.

(Hang in there, Mirage!)

Filling herself with confidence, Wish looked ahead and accelerated once more.

☆

The two boys had ended up riding on top of a car. Even though the main street looked safer, the moment they stepped in, multiple cars parked around had frantically tried to run them over. With no way to escape, both had struggled until they managed to get on top of a much slower, old blue car, which now continued to run and spin around in an attempt to get them off.

"I can't do this, I can't do this anymore!!" Ryuusei screamed as he tried to hang onto the car for his life.

"Isn't this good? We can move forward easier this way!" Surprisingly, Starr wasn't too bothered. After all, he was really good with wild attractions at amusement parks.

"There's nothing good about this! I want to get off this thing!!"

Glancing around at the environment around them, the car had driven back into the jungle, and with the traps activating, it traversed across a deathly land of growing trees and vines all chasing after them.

"It's okay, Mr. car is trying his best!"

"His best to get us killed!"

But as it moved deeper in the jungle, it didn't take long for the car to come to a sudden stop as it was stabbed into the side by massive wooden spike. At that moment, the car flipped over, catapulting the boys further into the jungle.

Their screams echoed all across the deathly maze as they fell down some branches, and then began to slide down what looked like a hill leading to the center of a crater.

More and more wooden spikes coming out of the solid ground tried to get them, but the speed at which they descended was fast enough to save them. With a loud thud, both finally came to a stop as they reached the center of the crater.

"This has to be it!" Ryuusei stood up, forgetting about the pain in body due to the rising excitement of what he witnessed here. "This has to be the security core!!"

Starr looked around while sitting in the middle of the crater. Three pillars towered around them placed like a triangle. The more he looked at them, the more they looked like strange, advanced technology with the blue lights that ran across them in different linear patterns.

"If this is anything like the station, you should need to enter a password to stop the traps."

The spiky haired boy walked towards one of the pillars and saw what looked like a large, fancy keyboard attached to one of them. They keyboard was unusually large, matching the oversized pillars, and each key was almost the size of his hand. Above, there was a wide screen that showed a flashing danger signal.

Starr approached Ryuusei, staring at the flashing symbol while being cautious of his surroundings. Unlike all the traps that had tormented them up till now, everything here was eerily silent. It was almost too quiet, almost like anything could jump at them at any moment.

Upon Ryuusei pressing a key combination to make the password box appear, the danger signal went away and was replaced by an empty box to enter the password. What caught Starr's attention was what was above that box, the words: "Attempts left: 3" read in red letters.

"Are you sure you know the password?" Starr made sure to ask before Ryuusei could do anything, three tries was way too limited after all.

"It's fine, the security system at the police station had a limit of three tries as well, I'm sure it's the exact same system."

The boy's fingers quickly moved across the keyboard, but the moment he entered the password the screen flashed red with a message reading:

Error - Attempts left: 2

"Wha–"

"I thought you knew the password!"

"I did, but–"

Suddenly, a large metal bar shot out from the towering structure before them, slamming Ryuusei's body and sending him flying until he crashed into another pillar on the other side.

"Ryuu!!" Starr called out as he turned around.

To further remind them of what kind of place this was, metallic spikes began to shoot up from the ground, some coming out too close to Starr for comfort.

"Wait!" The spiky haired boy coughed, struggling to let his voice out as he knelt down with a hand holding his gut. "Don't move, we need to stay still."

Starr gritted his teeth. He had learned all too well that any kind of sudden movement could mean trouble in a place like this. Moreover, they only had two attempts to enter the password, could they really afford to keep trying here, or should they continue to look for Mirage instead?

"Please give a moment." Ryuusei slowly stood up again. "I need to think."

"What was the original password?"

It wasn't much to go off from, but maybe learning Mirage's original intention could give them a clue.

"I didn't think much about it before but... the usual password was "Shuu.""

Starr went silent as his eyes darted around. There was no way a password like that was a simple coincidence, was it? Even though it was a word he had never heard before, it was eerily familiar, to the point it made him think of the person who had made a great impact on his life. Could that password have really been connected to that girl? If so... what was something that really stood out about Wish, or something that she brought up a lot? Was a hunch without basis like this worth a shot?

"The moon?" Starr suggested.

"Huh, wait, if it's Mirage then." With his leg limping a little, Ryuusei made his way back to the keyboard, being careful to avoid triggering any more traps. "Let's try "Eclipse.""

Error - Attempts left: 1

This time an attack had been launched towards Starr. Little metalic doors had opened from the technologic pillars and shot out what looked like a large, round projectile made from steel and glass mashed together.

Being caught off guard, Starr turned around but there wasn't enough time for him to launch his fist forward before the impact would hit him. Instead, Ryuusei stepped in front of him, crossing his arms in front of his body to use them as a shield.

The impact was way heavier than anything Ryuusei could have imagined, and yet, it also hurt less than he had expected. Then again, even though his arms were spared from getting broken, the impact had still bruised his skin hard enough to draw blood and forced his body into the floor.

Immediately afterward, this time, the metallic pillars had begun to shoot lasers in all directions, forcing Ryuusei to duck behind a spike to protect himself, while Starr could only get as close as possible to the keyboard, hoping for the best.

"I don't think we should keep trying to–" The young boy was starting to think it might be better to get out of here while they still could.

"Please give me a moment." Ryuusei insisted. "This time I'll definitely get it right."

But even if he said this, the relentless attack from the lasers bursting into all directions, lifting up dirt and smoke that enveloped everything wouldn't stop.

"Mirage is your best friend, right? Did she ever mention this "Shuu" thing? Did she ever tell you anything that stood out? If nothing else we can still try her birthday or–!!"

"Something that stood out..." Ryuusei whispered to himself.

It was hard to tell whether something truly stood out or not as he was too used to dealing with Mirage. That is exactly why this situation was so scary to him, he might only have known her for only a few months, but that was enough for him to consider her a close friend. Yet, the more he thought about it, it was as though Mirage had now turned into a stranger who he hardly knew anymore. But if he really had to dig deep, there was something that made him curious.

Mirage would always bring up someone called "Shuu." When he first met her, it did stand out how much she'd bring up this person, but at the same time, it'd be on very random comments in the middle of a casual conversation, something that never gave him the chance to ask until he got used to it. But if he were to think about it, there were many examples where this happened:

"Do you really have to take the tomatoes out of your burger, isn't that a waste?"

"Hm? I don't really like them, though if Shuu was here, she'd eat them without hesitation!"

"Today is so cold, I picked the worst day to do my laundry! I couldn't even get to wear my jacket!!"

"Heh, you sound just like Shuu. Is it really that cold? Here, let me lend you a sweater."

"Mira! A-Are you sure about setting up all these traps, isn't that too much for an empty station?"

"You never know when you might need them with the way things are, though if Shuu was here, I'm sure she'd love to mess around like it was a fun theme park."

Not only that, but thinking about earlier, the way Wish spoke about Mirage was definitely as though she knew her. Ryuusei felt stupid for not realizing something so simple up till now.

"Are you done thinking already?! I-if you don't hurry then I'll just–"

"I know what the password is!!"

☆

"Are you sure we are going in the right direction?! I feel like we've traveled too far."

"I hope so!"

"That's not a good response!!"

As Wish and Estelle argued, a solution had finally arrived. With a bursting noise, a gust of wind spread across the jungle as a massive pillar of light burst from the ground behind them and into the skies.

"Wish! That's–"

"Yeah!" The blonde smiled as she took a glimpse through her bike's mirror. "That's probably where she is! Though that's weird, I swear I thought we already passed by there."

"Either way, I think it's better than wasting our time wandering around– make a wide turn to your left!"

"Yeah!"

Wish avoided two wooden spears that shot from below the ground on the spot where she previously was, and turned around to move towards the light. It was a few meters away, but it shouldn't take her too long to reach it.

After getting closer and closer, she reached an area that had less trees, looking more like the regular city. However, the enemy she had to face this time were a group of electricity poles that were spread all around. The cords of the poles were all unattached, and they wriggled around as though they were a living creature.

The moment Wish approached, some cords began to chase her, trying to get a hold of her bike while others released a surge of lightning that ran towards her in a zigzag. The city was illuminated by the massive walls of electricity that closed her path, trapping her in the midst of a labyrinth.

“Where do I dodge now!?”

“Above? I don’t know, I don’t think we can!!”

“Above it is!!”

Wish pulled on the handles on her bike, using a piece of broken wall on the floor to jump upwards and dodge a low wave of lightning; then she spun around, riding into another tree branch, and violently flinging the bike upwards again, spinning in circles twice across the air before she could land again right in front of a tunnel that led closer to the surge of light.

☆

"I wonder if things were always supposed to be this way."

Mirage's thoughts wandered as her voice echoed all around her. She couldn't help but feel sick at all this anger, she didn't like it, she couldn't stand herself. This isn't what a hero would do, she knew that really well. Maybe, it was already too late. Maybe, she already went too far.

If things were going to turn out like this then... what was everything up till now for?

What had been the point to living in a world as cruel as this?

"If this is how things were going to turn out then," Mirage placed her fist against her chest as she closed her eyes. "This world should just fall apart."

☆

Just as with the jungle outside, there were lights illuminating the tunnel coming from the artificial tree branches that had been entangled all around the walls.

Thanks to how narrow the tunnel had become, Wish and Estelle had been forced to dismount the bike. It was barely enough for both girls to walk side by side. As they advanced, their footsteps echoed along with the eerie sounds of branches slowly moving towards them.

"Did I already tell you I hate this place?" Estelle sighed as she clung unto Wish's arm. "Because I really hate this place."

"Yeah, the smell is really dry and this tunnel is a lot more red next to the forest's blue, I don't like it."

"No, I don’t see anything red here."

"Hm?"

"You know what, nevermind. Let's just get this over with." Estelle sighed and then jumped startled the moment a beeping noise came from Wish’s bracelet.

Curious, Wish immediately looked at the odd accessory around her wrist. The small screen on the front lit up for a second before going dark again. It gave her the impression of a phone letting her know the battery was now fully charged again, but there was no way to tell for sure.

“That bracelet...”

Wish looked at Estelle who was intently looking at the device before looking into her eyes. Somehow, the overall aura of the girl before her felt different. She could feel a much heavier presence, and she could swear the girl’s honey yellow eyes had slowly shifted into a bright golden tone for just a moment.

Drawn into the girl’s glance, Wish could only listen as a slight smirk formed around her lips.

“Shall I teach you how to use it?”

☆

After a few minutes, both continued to walk deeper into the tunnel.

“Estelle, I didn’t get most of that!! Can you please explain again?”

“Like I said… I have no idea of what you are talking about!! I never explained anything!!”

“Don’t be like that, you just–!!”

To her frustration, multiple vines shot from the walls, attempting to entangle them and stop them from moving, but their efforts proved useless against Wish’s weapon. Soon, a new sound reached them. Something was getting closer and closer. It didn’t take long before both caught glimpse of what looked like a large boulder coming their way faster and faster from behind.

“Of course, it’s really is like the traps at the station! It looks just like the one from that one movie!”

"This isn't the time to be impressed!! Let’s get out of here!!"

Estelle yelled in panic, if they were to get away they had to start running now. After all, the tunnel was narrow, and the rock fit in perfectly with no way for them to escape.

As the boulder continued to chase them, both began running deeper and deeper across the tunnel, but the further in they went, the more intense the traps became. Multiple thin, and metallic stakes shot from the floor all the way to the roof of the tunnel, one single misstep and they could be easily sliced apart as they continued to advance.

To their dismay, even with these new hazards blocking the way, the boulder wouldn’t crush them as it passed by, but instead, it absorbed them, becoming a larger mass of debris that was starting to force the tunnel to crumble, making pieces of the roof to rain from above.

Luckily it wasn't long until they could exit the tunnel, they could already see the brighter light coming out from the other side, just a little longer and they could finally be out.

Running with all her might while avoiding so many obstacles required a really superhuman feat, even though she had been carried this far by her adrenaline, Estelle’s body had gone too far beyond its limit.

With her legs giving up, the pink haired girl fell to the ground, barely avoiding another stake as it grazed her skin.

The moment Wish noticed this, she turned around, at this rate she had no choice but to try and stop that boulder with her own hands to give Estelle enough time to get back up but...

"Sorry..." Estelle's voice was trembling. "I don't... I don't think I can move."

What could she do? Should she pick up Estelle and run? Did she have enough time to do that? The boulder was already way too close, and the metallic stakes were blocking her way from getting to her fast.

Desperate, Wish jumped to stand in front of the girl and cover her, but at that moment, another figure had jumped alongside her. At the last second, a young boy had entered the tunnel from the other side and launched his fist towards the incoming attack. With a loud noise, the stone burst into pieces, giving Wish enough time to pick up Estelle and exit the tunnel.

☆

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I can hardly feel my legs!"

The pink-haired girl slowly advanced across the road outside the tunnel while she rested her arms on Wish and Ryuusei's shoulders as they helped her walk.

"No, I think that's pretty much normal in this situation. I can hardly understand how I'm still standing myself." The spiky haired boy sounded relieved to confirm the others were safe.

"How did you guys even make it all the way here?"

"Long story." "I have no idea..." Ryuusei and Starr both responded at the same time.

"By the way," Starr couldn't help but to voice his curiosity. "Wish, are you friends with Mirage?"

That was a very difficult question to answer at a time like this. Even if they were close before, could they still be considered friends? If it was up to Wish she wouldn't hesitate to say yes but... did Mirage still feel the same way?

"Something like that!"

"I don't understand why Mira is doing this, but we should be almost there, that light appeared after we entered a password so it's either Mirage or another part of the emergency shut-down system in there."

"Hm... I don't really get it, but you did a great job!" Wish nodded at Ryuusei and ruffled Starr's hair.

"I don't get anything!!" Estelle sighed. "I can't wait to wake up from this nightmare and go back to my warm and cozy bed. Can this just end already?"

"I hear you." Ryuusei nodded solemnly before looking at Starr. "I know it's a little late to ask this, but just to make sure no one else is in danger... did you actually come here alone, or did a friend or someone from your family come here with you?"

"Annoying." Starr muttered under his breath. "I-I'll have you know that I came with my big sister here!"

The boy was fast to cling unto Estelle's arm.

"Eh?!"

"Is that true? Not to be rude, but, aren't you Asian? And she doesn't look–"

Estelle looked at Ryuusei's suspicious expression and then looked at Starr's face which was practically begging her to play along.

"T-That's right!" Estelle let go of Wish and Ryuusei, feeling good enough to stand on her own again. She wasn't sure of why Starr needed to lie, but after coming this far together she didn't really care anymore. "He's my little brother and we came here together, do you have a problem with that, huh?!"

"N-not really, sorry, that's okay..." Ryuusei was easily intimidated by Estelle's tone, even though it was mostly a result of how tired she was of everything.

"Wait." Wish cut in. "But isn't Ryuusei your–"

After looking at Starr's gestures, Estelle was quick to cover Wish's mouth to stop her from speaking, and then placed her elbow on the blonde's shoulder, pretending that never happened.

"A-Anyway, aren't we almost there?"

Looking at the road ahead, that was true, the surging light was getting closer and closer. Thankfully, the traps had also slowed down after getting out of the tunnel, but one last obstacle still stood in their way.

This road had suddenly started to ascend like a ramp, making it more like a mountain climb. However, it had also split at its top, with the other side of the road descending into the light. Reaching that point required her to complete an impossible jump of a few meters, and that was if she managed to traverse this road in the first place. With the trap filled tunnel not so far behind, there was no room for her to take any impulse with her bike either.

“I’m going.” The blonde didn’t hesitate. “You guys don’t have to push yourself to get past here, but I’m going!”

"Go. I know there’s no way for me to make it but–" Ryuusei took a deep breath and placed the palm of his hand on Wish's back. "If it's you, I'm sure you can do it."

"We've pulled a lot of crazy things to get here." Estelle gently rested her fingers on her back, next to Ryuusei’s hand. "You can handle one more, right?"

"If that’s what you want to do, you have my support!" The last one to place his hand on top of all the others was Starr. "So please go on and save someone who needs you!"

"You got it!" Wish took everyone's feelings and steeled herself. "I will save Mii no matter what!"

Looking at each other, the other three nodded. Focusing all their last remaining strength, they began pushing Wish's back as they ran uphill across the broken road.

As everyone's yelling voice spread across the city, once they reached the peak, they gave the blonde girl one last push as she jumped across the wide gap and crossed beyond the abyss.

☆

Mirage had dreamed about a world of heroes where everyone could live in peace. She had wanted to dedicate her life to protect everyone, but more than anything, she wanted to be strong enough to protect the one she cared for the most.

And yet, it was her own hands that had ended up hurting her.

She couldn't help but wonder, was the world really this cruel, or had things only gone wrong because she was around? Had everything been her fault from the very beginning?

Would this be a world that was better off without an irregularity like her?

Drowning in her negativity was oddly comforting. If she surrendered herself to a world where nothing mattered anymore, then maybe she could finally be at peace.

And yet... even after all this, even now, that radiant warmth had finally reached her.

"I finally found you, Mii."

An all too familiar voice reached her and snapped her awake from her slumber. The one who stood before her, holding her wrist and staring into her teary eyes had been none other than Wish.

"Why did you come here?! Why are you here?! You have to stay away!!!!"

Mirage forcefully shook her wrist away and reached for her hook to escape as fast as she could. Yet, something odd happened. A strangle bracelet had appeared on her wrist on the spot where Wish had touched her.

In seconds, metallic fragments started swirling in midair around their wrists as both bracelets activated. Before Mirage could escape, Wish spoke the activation code.

"Luminescence!"

Light shot up and swayed above them like a pendulum. A great barrier was now surrounding the distorted environment where both stood– it looked like a wide platform floating in midair with a fountain of silver light surging from below, making sparkles rain from above like falling stars.

"What did you do?! You aren't supposed to be here!! You–"

"Mii..."

"If it's come to this, then, then– I'll drive you away by force!!"

"Mirage! This isn't like you! If you want to fight so be it, I'll snap you back to reality!"

At that moment, words appeared on the holographic screens coming out of the bracelets, accompanied by a high, ringing noise.

----------------------------------------

WISH VS MIRAGE

LUMINESCENCE

----------------------------------------

"I'll force you back into a world without me!" "I'll show you a world without you has no meaning!"

Her body was trembling, but if she couldn't run away, she would end everything with her own hands. Sending the first attack, Mirage launched herself forward while throwing a low kick. Wish was quick to jump, hurling the hilt of her blade forward before grabbing it in midair, and turning around with a swing.

Red sparks flew as her blade crashed into Mirage's bandaged arm– the place where the Wheel of Fortune resided.

"Why do you have something like that?! It's not supposed to be like this, you shouldn't have any connections to that world!!"

"Mirage, that place isn't anywhere to be found anymore, it's gone! We are finally free so we finally can–!"

"It's not!"

The brunette slammed Wish's blade to the side with her arm and closed in with her elbow, landing a blow at the center of the blonde's chest.

"I have seen it. I have experienced it! That kind of malice is still infesting the world, and just because we escaped, it doesn't guarantee there aren't others suffering all the same!"

"And that's exactly why!" Staggering, Wish swung her blade forward, forcing Mirage to step back. "Losing your cool and hurting others will get us nowhere! Open your eyes and calm down!!"

That's not it, that's not it, that's not it!! Mirage could only grit her teeth, unable to respond. She knew Wish was right, she knew she was acting out of line, she knew she should stop this, she knew everything all too well. There was no reason for things to come to this. It didn't have to be this way, and yet, she couldn't stop her body. She couldn't stop her rage, she couldn't stop the pain in her heart. Be it Wish or anyone else, if she could destroy it all, then it would all be over.

Wish had no way to tell what Mirage was thinking, she had never seen this side of that girl, but it wasn't entirely unfamiliar either. Even back then, she could sense a deep seed of negativity behind her smiles. She had always thought that seed wouldn't bloom, and now, she had no idea of what to do but to press onward.

As Wish continued to release multiple slashes with her blade, it made it harder and harder for Mirage to close the gap between them. For a professional like Elizabelle, Wish's movements were amateur at best with wide openings behind them, but for anyone else, they could turn deadly. Every swing was heavy and covered a lot of space as Wish stretched her body forward. Their speed was remarkable as well, with a new swing coming Mirage's way before she had barely avoided the previous one.

Forcing herself to close the gap, Mirage swung her bandaged arm to stop the blade's trajectory once again. A sharp shockwave spread across her body, but the Wheel of Fortune couldn't be cut down so easily.

Yet, the moment red sparks flew as both came into contact, something shook Mirage to her very core.

"Scarlet Outbur–!"

An unpleasant shiver ran down Mirage's spine and sunk into her gut as she listened to Wish's words. With her adrenaline rising higher and higher by the second, Mirage swung the blade away, removing her arm as fast as she could before launching a punch with her right fist.

Wish blocked the hit with her right arm before swinging her blade downwards like a crescent-moon with her left, with this, Mirage jumped up to avoid the low slash, landed with her hand, and threw two upward kicks as though she was breakdancing. One kick hit Wish's shoulder, forcing the arm with her weapon away while the other one went higher up, landing a clean hit on the side of her head.

Immediately, Mirage got up, launching another strike with her fist in the center of Wish's face. The blonde took the hit directly, and Mirage could only swallow and hold her breath as those odd-colored eyes stared menacingly at her. Even with blood oozing out of her forehead from the previous hit, her fighting spirit was far from breaking.

Before Mirage could pull her fist away, Wish intertwined her arm with hers, pulling her closer and slamming her forehead against Mirage's. As the brunette staggered for a moment, Wish dashed forward, burying her knee into the girl's gut before swinging the hilt of her blade against her face, but it was stopped by a punch against Wish's wrist.

Planting her feet on the ground, Wish released a swing of her blade forward, but it was parried by Mirage's left arm. As she saw the brunette jump high up to land behind her, Wish turned around with an upward swing that was barely stopped by the Wheel of Fortune.

"Scarlet Outb–!!"

"Tch. What the hell are you doing!?"

Mirage pulled her arm back and jumped backward as fast as she could, only to find her back soon hitting the solid wall of the barrier. The Scarlet Satellite was a major problem, even if she managed to stop the sequence in time, it made her feel really dizzy every time Wish tried to do that. Of course, she was well aware Wish had no recoil for every attempt, after all, the Scarlet Outburst was a Velvet Burst that was created with Wish as a base. Unlike Phantasmagoria, however, it wasn't something she could use on her own.

With her blade in a fighting stance in front of her body, Wish glanced at the small holographic screen by her wrist, it showed the data of everyone she had connected with before.

In yellow letters, the name "Ryuusei Uehara" appeared, and below she could see the name "Elizabelle Elaitea" flashing red. If what Estelle explained before was correct, adding what Ryuusei noticed about her barrier, this was really bad news. She had to hurry and stop this fast.

"Even if I told you, I know you won't listen, you never do!" Frustrated, Wish had given up on reasoning with Mirage as she launched herself forward.

"Shut up, shut up!! You are the last person who can ever say that to me!!"

Steeling herself, Mirage moved her arm forward to defend herself, and red light sparkled around as the Scarlet Satellite came in contact with the Wheel of Fortune.

"Scarlet Outburst!"

At that moment, a loud, crashing sound resounded in that silver world. The Scarlet Satellite aimlessly flew across the air, and Wish was hurled all across the fountain of light and into the other side of the barrier.

"I'm the one who won't listen?" Mirage glared at her, holding her arm with her right hand. She had released all the built-up damage in the Wheel of Fortune against her blade. "If you had gone away as I said at the start, this wouldn’t be happening!!"

No matter how much Mirage wanted to stop herself, no matter how horrible she felt for her actions. She could only listen to her voice spill out the rotten thoughts that had drowned her heart for long.

"If only you had left me alone from the very start!! If only you had just let me go back then, then–!!"

Stinging pain spread across Mirage's body. Her back had hit the wall of the barrier at full force, thanks to a sudden impact.

"Shut up."

Wish's words were as cold as the expression in her face. She had moved here so fast that Mirage hadn't even registered the incoming danger.

Even if fighting like this is something that had been normalized for them even when they were children, the naive girl she knew from back then was nothing like the Wish who stood before her now.

Usually, there was no way for anyone to know this unless they experienced it firsthand, but disarming Wish could turn into a great mistake. After all, the moment the Scarlet Satellite hit the floor, it had cracked the very earth itself and sunk down.

"You still don't get it, do you?! This isn't just about me or you anymore, you are putting others in danger! Where is the hero that would save everyone?! Where is your justice in that?!"

Mirage's nails sank into her palms as Wish pulled her by her collar and hurled her away from the barrier's wall. Without her weapon, Wish moved at a speed that could no longer be called human.

There was no way to defend against that so easily, even Faith, whose ability was perfect to counter such an attack, had come short against Wish when she got serious.

Trying to defend herself with the Wheel of Fortune had been useless, in an instant, Mirage's whole body was hurled upwards as a solid kick landed against her center of gravity. Even if she was sturdy and had a high tolerance for pain, Wish's attacks were heavy enough to force Mirage's breath away.

Before Mirage could land back into the solid ground, she was hit with another kick and another one. Pushing herself upwards through her sheer force alone, Wish continued to elevate Mirage's body high into the air with a consecutive barrage of attacks.

With every single hit, cracks started spreading all across that fountain of light, revealing the regular Glint City that once resided there.

And then, taking a solid grasp of her arm, Wish swung Mirage across the air, sending her crashing into the ground with a disturbing, cracking noise.

At that moment, the world created by Mirage had completely broken apart, and instead of that silver fountain, the barrier now surrounded what looked to be a wide and open playground.

The brunette could hardly catch her breath as she knelt down on the floor. Even with the Wheel of Fortune absorbing most of the damage, her legs were refusing to get up again.

"It's over, Mirage!"

Clenching her fist, Wish ran forward, ready to land the decisive blow.

A solid impact then echoed across that lonely playground, and Wish blown away, her back hitting against the pole of a street lamp.

"That hero isn't here anymore, Wish. She was never here."

Mirage stood up.

The world she had created was the result of her Diffused Phantasmagoria– the power to alter the filters for an object or place for everyone. Now that this had been broken apart, this meant that her regular Phantasmagoria was no longer sealed, and as long as Wish was in her line of sight, she couldn't escape it.

Just as Mirage's DV Burst was the Wheel of Fortune, Wish's DV Burst was World End. Mirage was well aware of how fearsome that ability was, but it didn't mean Wish was unbeatable either. After all, unlike the Wheel of Fortune who accumulated damage, Wish's ability was useless unless she was actually killed. Moreover, Wish was never able to develop a regular Velvet Burst she could use on her own, so there was nothing she could use to rival Phantasmagoria.

Wish shot towards Mirage with her remarkable speed, but the brunette had ascended to the skies to avoid the hit. Now that the environment had changed, Mirage could use her hook on the light and electricity poles around the playground to gain altitude.

After spinning across the air, Mirage threw a flying kick that Wish stopped with her arms, only for a roundhouse kick to slam her face from a completely different direction and throw her body into a grid of steel poles that kids used to climb and play. The Mirage she blocked, of course, had been created with Phantasmagoria.

As someone who relied on her sixth sense to defend against danger, this ability gave Wish a big disadvantage as it completely threw her off. After all, Phantasmagoria didn't create illusions; instead, it was like turning different layers on and off on a canvas, so as long as Mirage placed actual danger her way and then swapped it around, Wish’s sixth sense would register it accordingly.

Spitting up the blood in her mouth, Wish tried getting up, only for her arms to get tangled up by the steel poles that started to move. Unable to free herself, her breath left her lungs as Mirage landed a proper flying kick against her gut that sent her sliding down into the ground with the poles now gone.

The blonde could barely dodge the second flying kick by rolling to the side, this time, she had tried to do the opposite of what her senses told her, just as Estelle had recommended before, but it was something easier said than done.

She dashed towards the spot where Mirage stood. She didn’t have to believe in her senses, she had to do the opposite. She had to force her body to react manually despite her battle senses always running automatically. This time, the moment her fist was launched towards the fake Mirage, Wish spun around and immediately switched to a defensive stance, blocking her body with her arms and legs.

As expected, a great impact that came out of nowhere hit her arms. Even if there was nothing but empty space there, that was where the real Mirage was standing. Without hesitation, Wish countered the blow by throwing a punch in the direction where the attack had come from. Caught off guard, Mirage took Wish’s fist which had been enough to dislocate her right shoulder.

With Phantasmagoria momentarily turning off due to the pain, Wish gave chase to the target before her. It took less than a second for her fingers to bury into Mirage’s neck, before the brunette was slammed into one of the slides, completely breaking it apart by the sheer force of the impact.

Mirage coughed out in pain, forcing Wish to let her go by changing her perception into one of a horde of snakes that wrapped Wish’s arms before biting into her shoulder.

The brunette knew she had to use this chance to hide her presence and regain her breath, but Wish was a terrifying monster as expected. She had forcefully pulled the snakes away with her hand, hurled them away, and resumed to dash towards the brunette.

Mirage prepared to use her Phantasmagoria again, but was caught off guard as Wish ran past her and towards one of the swings around them. Stepping on the swing, Wish propelled herself high into the skies, and her figure went out for sight for just a second as she hurled her jacket at Mirage.

The brunette jumped to the side while staring intently, only for her arms to be grabbed from behind. Wish’s speed was truly terrifying. Of course, Phantasmagoria isn't something that Wish was completely ignorant about, it was something Mirage had tried to develop ever since they were young. So she knew that blocking Mirage's line of sight was the key to counter such a deathly power.

Desperate, the brunette began to strike Wish with her elbows, but it was hard to move her arms. She struggled to turn her head around, all she had to do was to take a look at Wish, but before she could act, Wish released a massive barrage of attacks. Consecutive kicks and punches all went after Mirage mercilessly. The brunette turned around and jumped back to try avoiding it, but Wish's speed closed the gap in an instant, moreover, Wish had now closed her eyes, shutting down any images Phantasmagoria could create.

She had to keep going, no matter what her senses told her, no matter what she felt. This was her last chance; if she fell for Mirage's technique again, it would all be over.

Distressed, Mirage could only try guarding herself using the Wheel of Fortune, but even that proved difficult. After all, this wasn't a simple flurry of attacks. With every single punch that landed against Mirage's arm, Wish's movements accelerated even more. Every hit had her full weight behind them, and any regular person would be rendered unconscious by a single one of them.

How could she break out of this? Mirage found herself being continuously pushed back more and more. Little did she know, this Acceleration Rush was the same attack that even that prodigy had fallen against time and time again. It was only a matter of time before her defenses broke, she was too busy trying to dodge or defend for the Wheel of Fortune to counter these hits, and then...

"It hurts, please help me, Shuu!"

That had been the voice of a young Mirage, a voice that hadn't reached Wish in years.

☆

"The city came back to normal, Wish did it!!" Starr felt relieved, he knew that if someone could do it, it was her.

"Yeah! I'm sure everything will be fine now!" Estelle was also overjoyed.

Despite this, Ryuusei had an uneasy feeling as he ran along with the others. Now that the city was back to normal, they had been able to proceed through the path Wish had taken, but the barrier of light he saw in the distance had an ominous feeling to it. It was the same barrier that appeared back when Wish fought Elizabelle.

And then, everyone's cheers felt into a sudden silence.

The moment they stepped closer, the barrier around them shattered into pieces and Wish's body was sent flying across the air, crashing face down at their feet.

Her body was bloody and tattered. She was in no condition to stand up anymore.

Standing before them, they could see Mirage, whose eyes were filled with bursting rage. Even if she looked just as hurt, it was clear who had managed to prevail.

"Mirage!!" Ryuusei called out to her. The three had quickly stepped in between Mirage and the fallen Wish. "What are you–?!"

"Ha...hahaha." The brunette laughed, but her smile disappeared in a second as she scratched her hair in distress. "It's just one after the other, isn't it?! What the hell are you doing here, Ryuusei?!"

"Calm down, Mirage. Please listen, after your call last night, I–"

"Call? I never called you! You shouldn’t be here!! Didn’t I tell you?! To simply look after the station?! To stay out of danger?! Why are you standing before me right now?! Why are you involved in this?!”

“But I thought you...–”

“You know what?! Either way, it doesn't matter!! It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!! It's all over!!"

Ryuusei’s hands were violently trembling. He had no idea how to react. The last thing he would have ever expected was to see such an expression on Mirage. This was his best friend, the person he could rely on the most. Somehow, this was worse than going through that artificial jungle full of danger.

"Let's talk things through, Mirage, please. You don't have to do this, everything will be okay."

"And what if I do? What if I crush everything and everyone here? What are you going to do about it?" The brunette laughed. "Are YOU going to stop me? Are you serious, Ryuusei? Do you think you can do anything against me?"

The other two could only stare in silence as Ryuusei bit his lip. With his cold, shaking hands, Ryuusei reached for his pocket. There were two small items inside, a star-shaped charm, and a translucent stone.

Hesitant, he grabbed the final translucent stone he had received from Mirage herself. He didn't know what he could do with this, but if it let him run away to defuse the situation, that was fine too.

"What? Do you think that Phantasmagoria Stone will change anything? Are you going to run away like a coward? Hah, go ahead and try then!" Mirage took a step forward. The Wheel of Fortune was fully charged and ready to release its destructive power. "As I said, it's all over! If she couldn't stop me, no one can! There is no place in this world for me anymore, so I will end it! If you are going to stand in my way, then prepare yourself!!"

At that moment, Mirage shot forward, and Ryuusei crushed the stone in the palm of his hand as he shut down his eyes. That stone had a portion of the power of Phantasmagoria hidden within, that’s why he had been able to escape at desperate situations by altering what others saw, but this was different, it was useless against Mirage who could dispel it in an instant.

There was nothing anyone could do anymore.

That’s what Mirage was utterly convinced of.

"That's wrong, Mirage."

The brunette's eyes opened wide, and her body froze over as a familiar voice reached her. The moment she dispelled the power of Ryuusei's stone, she could see Wish standing a mere step before her. Even with her tattered body, even with her broken spirit, she hadn't given up yet.

At that moment, a sharp light burst from inside Ryuusei and Estelle’s pocket, as well as from Starr’s necklace. It was coming from the star-shaped stones that Wish had given them as good luck charms, and that brightness all trailed towards Wish like faint starlight.

The power of great strength that could break through anything, great defense that could protect anything, and great technique that could see through anything, all rested in the palm of her hands.

“It’s useless, Wish!! It’s all over, I’m not a hero who can save anyone, I should have never existed in this world, and you should have never gotten close to me!!”

With this, Mirage released the Wheel of Fortune against the frail blonde who could hardly stand anymore, but her fist was stopped by Wish’s palm as though it had hit a solid wall.

And then...

"Mirage, if you really intend to lose yourself and live thinking you don't have a place in the world then..." Wish clenched her fist tightly, and her hand shot forward like a comet followed by a trail of radiance. "I won't let that come true!!"

That's right. Just as Mirage's Velvet Burst was Phantasmagoria, Wish's Velvet Burst was...!

A trail of starlight followed Wish's fist as it all burst into one final attack, and Mirage’s body was flung high up into the air.

(I knew it, if it's you then maybe...) Mirage faintly smiled as her consciousness faded away. Even after all this time, the radiance she refused still reached out to her. Even after all this time, could she still be saved? At that moment, she could only remember her biggest regret: not taking Wish’s hand back then. (Thank you, Shuu.)

As the rays of sunlight reached them, Mirage’s body lied down on the ground and Wish finally collapsed. At that moment, the remaining three were enveloped by a warmth that was returned to them.

With nothing but the sound of the calm morning breeze surrounding those who had witnessed everything, a peaceful morning had finally reached the City of Light.