Claire
Claire and Dieter charged towards each other, dashing across the arena as the surrounding audience cheered wildly.
Claire commanded the heat within her, causing it to flood throughout her body and into her muscles. Energy filled her bones and tendons as well, bolstering them enough to withstand the additional strength she now wielded. Doubling her speed in an instant, she reached Dieter less than a second after the match had begun.
Anticipating the attack, Dieter stabbed the sword in his hands into the ground at the last second. Claire flooded her weapon with additional energy, causing the blade to begin vibrating and glowing even brighter than before. Skidding to a halt in front of Dieter, Claire swung her Circuit through Dieter's makeshift shield and shattering it into a burst of orange sparks. Using the sparks of his shattered Circuit as a temporary cover, Dieter rushed forth with a newly formed greatsword in his hands as he swung it in an upward arc towards Claire.
Shifting her weight to the right, Claire allowed the blade to pass by harmlessly. Falling back and planting one hand on the ground, Claire kicked into her opponent's stomach, sending him sliding across the ground on his back and kicking up a cloud of dust around him.
Rolling over his armored shoulder with a clamor of steel and rocks, Dieter quickly recovered just in time for Claire to fall upon him again, who had leapt after him as he slid away. Claire brought her blade down towards Dieter as he summoned another greatsword in his hand to block the strike. The blades collided with enough force to cause wind to buffet the surrounding area, kicking up another low cloud of dust. Placing her foot on the tip of Dieter's Circuit and grabbing onto the pommel with her left hand, Claire planted the end of the weapon on the ground with her body weight as she raised her weapon again. With another burst of sparks, she cut through the greatsword and down towards Dieter.
Claire and her blade struck the ground as Dieter released his Circuit and rolled away, barely evading her attack in time. Standing up in a swift motion, Dieter grasped at his chest to ensure he hadn't been wounded, finding a shallow groove carved through the chest of his armor. Standing only a few feet from the arena wall, Dieter focused his attention on Claire once more as his Circuit formed from his palm once more. Dropping low, one hand on the ground and her blade behind her, Claire launched herself forward once more. She spun in the air as she swung her sword, bringing her Circuit down to meet Dieter's with a flash of light.
As soon as the blades clashed, she kicked off of the flat of his sword, backflipping away from Dieter. She landed about fifteen feet away from her opponent, the wound in her left ankle beginning to trickle blood onto the dirt beneath her. Gritting her teeth, the pain caused her to hesitate for just a moment.
Taking the opportunity, Dieter spun around and released his greatsword at the end of his rotation, sending it spinning as it sailed towards Claire. The weapon audibly cut through the air as it moved, suddenly bursting with a pale orange light and sinking towards the ground as if it had suddenly grown much heavier. Rolling away, Claire felt the wound on her ankle begin to tear, leaving a few drops of blood on the dirt behind her.
There was a crash as the sword struck the ground, leaving a small crater around the spot where it had landed. Judging by the size of the impact, he had used a skill to increase the weight of his Circuit just before the impact. Focusing inwards, she focused on the energy flowing through her body.
I don't have much left in me now, about half or so, she thought, examining Dieter as he summoned another blade and readied himself to throw it as well, I have to end this quick, before he wears me down any further.
Steeling her nerves, Claire lowered herself to the ground once more, flooding her legs with energy as she jumped forward again. Dieter must not have expected her to rush him, and the blade soared over her head. Rushing to summon another blade, he brought it in front of him to block the incoming attack. She sailed through the air as she moved, close to the ground but not making contact until she reached her target.
Landing in front of Dieter, she skidded across the dirt as she struck the ground with her hand. Digging her fingers into the hard dirt, she felt her fingernails crack and begin to bleed. Dulling the pain with a short rush of energy through her hand, she used the ground to pull herself around Dieter's guard, sliding across the ground and coming to a halt behind him. Pushing off of the dirt with her legs and one hand, she swung her blade upwards towards Dieter's back.
At the last second before her weapon made contact, Dieter looked over his shoulder and met her gaze, blinding her with a flash of orange light and a sound like a church bell's ring. Her Circuit struck something hard, and was deflected. Blinking away the spots in her eyes, she saw the greatsword that had formed in Dieter's hand, pointing towards the ground and defending his back from her strike.
Claire felt Dieter attempt to shove her blade away from his back, but she held her weapon in place. She had the advantage of leverage, and grabbed the handle of her Circuit with her left hand as well. Pushing down on his blade, Claire felt his traction on the dirt begin to give. With one last shove, she slammed her Circuit into the ground, shoving Dieter forward and into the dirt.
Jumping forward, Claire abandoned her Circuit and formed a new blade above her head, bringing it down on Dieter. Before her attack could land, Dieter kicked out at Claire's legs, throwing her off balance and falling forward. As she fell over him, he struck outward with his fist, attempting to connect with Claire's jaw.
Dropping her Circuit to eye level, she blocked the incoming strike with the flat of her blade, preventing him from severing his fingers on the weapon. She was thrown back a dozen feet as her Circuit shattered, rolling and skidding across the dirt as she landed. Looking up, she saw that Dieter had stood, holding his Circuit in both hands while breathing heavily.
Claire's hands shook as she gripped the handle of her Circuit, her heart pounding in her chest as it struggled to keep up with her movements. She gulped down fresh air as she wiped the sweat from her brow and stared Dieter down. The two fighters watched each other closely, both of them realizing that they had been smiling throughout the fight. At this moment, neither of them cared about the title or the tournament. All that existed was the fight, and the opponent in front of them.
"Alright Dieter, let's finish this!" she shouted, challenging him aloud as she formed her Circuit in her hands, "Let's see if you can withstand my best!"
Dieter's strength may have been infamous, but Claire knew he couldn't overpower or dodge her when she used her skill. Realizing her intention and choosing to defend, he flipped his sword around and plunged it into the ground. The blade flashed with light as it gained weight, sinking another few inches into the dirt. Then, summoning two additional swords in each hand, he performed the action twice more. With the three swords stacked in front of each other, he formed a thick wall in front of him. Summoning another pair of greatswords, he held them in front of himself in a cross, creating a makeshift wall of blades between him and Claire.
At the same time, Claire dropped her stance to the ground, bringing her blade behind her and holding it with both hands. The end of the sword pointed back, the blade begun to vibrate and glow brighter as she activated her own skill. Flooding her weapon, her arms, and her legs with even more energy than before, the blade of her Circuit grew in size. She could feel the surrounding air begin to heat up and vibrate, a faint orange aura gathering around her body as she felt the energy and blood within her begin to boil and expand. The edges of her vision tinted red as she felt the veins in her eyes rupture, a smile across her face as she faced down Dieter.
The two faced each other for a single second, watching each other closely.
With an explosion of light and energy, Claire shot forward in an instant. She sailed over the dirt of the arena as the wound in her ankle exploded open with a burst of blood, a cloud of dust and droplets of blood following behind her a fraction of a second later. She left a trail of orange light behind her as she moved, reaching Dieter in an instant. Swinging her blade as it crackled with energy, their Circuits clashed.
There was a flash of light and a sound like shattering steel as the arena exploded with dust and light in all directions, shaking the ground from the impact and sending the vibrations traveling up the coliseum walls. The crowd was buffeted with wind from the impact, the air that Claire had pulled behind her as she moved now rushing into the center of the arena. The surrounding crowd fell silent as the cloud of dust around them both began to clear.
Claire kneeled on the ground, her body violently reeling from the recoil that her Boost skill caused. She could feel her bones and tendons creaking, on the verge of breaking or snapping from the sudden stress.
That's it, I'm done, She thought, breathing heavily and with a smile on her face, If he's still up after that, then this fight's over for me.
Ignoring the protests of her body, Claire shifted her weight onto her Circuit as she stood, digging the blade into the dirt as she did. Using her hand to try to clear the dust from her eyes, she began scanning the cloud of dust ahead of her for any signs of Dieter.
Scattered across the ground ahead of Claire sat a collection of semi-transparent and glowing orange fragments, pieces of Dieter's Circuits after being shattered. One by one, they burst into sparks and disappeared. Watching the dust continue to clear, she saw Dieter's form on the ground ahead, lying with his back against the far wall of the coliseum and unmoving.
Claire could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she watched a pair of women dressed in white drop into the arena, sprinting over to Dieter's unmoving form. After a few seconds, they looked up to the royal booth and made a signal with their hand.
"Dieter Warren is unconscious!?" the announcer shouted, "That means… Claire of Highmaw is the winner..."
Pushing against the ground with her blade, she straightened her back and squared her shoulders, ignoring the pain that assaulted her as both her energy and the adrenaline in her veins ran dry. Pulling the sword from the ground, she pointed it skywards in a gesture of victory, a smile across her face as she swept her gaze across the crowd.
The coliseum was silent for just a moment, before a cacophony of cheers erupted from a single point in the stands. Claire allowed their cheers to wash over her, but they were quickly drowned out. One by one, spectators began to shout down towards her.
The sudden wave of protests scattered over each other, their meanings being lost in the tide of noise that fell upon the arena. Even so, Claire could hear the hatred, the disgust, the disbelief in their voices as they shouted. Slowly the shouts spread across the coliseum, until the majority of the crowd had begun to shout and jeer.
One spectator at the edge of the arena stood and threw their wooden mug of ale towards Claire, the beverage landing only a few feet from the arena's edge, but sending the rest of the crowd into a frenzy. She watched as more and more of the crowd began to throw various objects into the arena, most of the coliseum's security doing little to contain the chaos.
Claire allowed her Circuit to drop to her side, bursting into sparks as it disappeared. Looking up to the sky, she saw the sun still directly above, a burning pain in her eyes as she met its searing gaze.
"I guess I should've expected this, huh?" she whispered to herself, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks, her smile remaining unfazed.
Dropping her gaze to the ground, her tears fell to the dry dirt beneath her feet. Then, slowly fluttering into view, was a single bright red flower. It had a cluster of what looked like multiple crimson flowers growing from a single stem, a collection of thin red stamen sprouting from various points between the flower's petals.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she bent down and plucked the red spider lily from the ground, twisting it around in her hand as she searched for the person who had released it. The crowd continued to shout and throw their refuse into the arena, but Claire's attention rose to the largest booth in the coliseum, where a small collection of identical flowers fluttered through the air towards her.
The royal booth was large and open, without any lights to illuminate the interior it. The area within was covered in shadow, crimson flowers continuing to spill forth from the darkness within. The flowers unnaturally twisted in the air rather than falling, as if the wind had been commanded to carry them to fall around Claire. Slowly, the surrounding crowd began to notice the flow of crimson, their shouts and insults diminishing until silence took the coliseum.
The air in the coliseum felt electric from the tension, the silence suddenly cut by the sound of slow applause from the shadows of the royal booths. Claire watched as a pair of glowing orange eyes shone in the darkness, like little spots of hellfire. The Empress's form was revealed by the sun's light as she stepped forth, still applauding slowly as she looked down at Claire.
"Applaud!" her regal voice sounded, needing no assistance to echo across the coliseum and stunning the audience, "Should such incredible strength not be celebrated!?"
Reluctantly, the spectators around the coliseum began to clap at the Empress's order, the sound growing until the entire audience applauded as one. No longer stifled by the crowd's shouting, Aike's cheers could be clearly heard across the arena.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Dropping heavily to one knee, Claire bowed her head to the Empress of the Astus Empire, Tyrsyss Amon.
The audience's applause continued as the Empress moved forward, stepping off of the royal booth's edge and falling into the arena. As she approached the ground, a flash of orange light obscured her figure for a moment before dissipating a moment later, revealing the Empress on the arena's floor without injury.
She stood tall, almost a full foot taller than Dieter. Her pitch black hair fell down her back and framed her body as it hung only a few inches from the dirt. Her skin was deathly pale, standing in stark contrast to the beautiful black robe she wore. Crafted from the finest felt, the cloaks were covered in twisting designs of black flame, the design's texture allowing it to stand out against the coat of matching color. A collection of thin golden chains and buttons decorated the coat, the thin and decorative chains hanging from her neck and wrists. Claire dropped her gaze to the ground as she approached, listening to the sound of the dirt crunch beneath her black leather boots as she approached.
"You may raise your head, Claire of Highmaw," she said, her voice smooth and welcoming as silk, yet deep and with enough authority that demanded all who heard it to obey.
Claire raised her head to meet the Empress's gaze, feeling her breath catch in her throat when she did. The first thing she noticed were her eyes, glowing with a sharp orange light as they examined Claire closely. At the center of her eyes, a pair of twisting and shifting braided rings of crackling energy surrounded a thin six-pointed star-shaped pupil, flickering and shining as the Empress examined Claire. Looking into those eyes filled Claire's body with a feeling like her blood had turned to lead, causing her to focus on the Empress's lips instead.
Her skin was pale, her face angular and sharp. She was beautiful in an otherworldly way, like the visage of a merciless yet kind god as she looked down at one of her subjects, deciding their fate. Claire shuddered from head to toe, the Empress's presence pressing down and smothering her own.
"Congratulations on your victory, Claire of Highmaw," She said, her voice now washing over the audience with the help of a small white gemstone pinned to her collar, sending her voice to speakers across the coliseum, "I, Tyrsyss Amon, hereby name you as the Champion of Highmaw by my right as the seventeenth monarch of the Astus Empire. If any wish to challenge my decision, you may challenge my word directly."
The weight of the Empress's words hung in the air for only moment, the gravity of her claim making Claire's blood chill. If anyone were to challenge her word directly, it'd mean a duel with the Empress herself.
Is she really putting that much faith in me? Claire thought to herself, bowing her head once more in a show of thanks and respect.
A shadow fell over Claire as the Empress stepped forward again, then kneeled down in front of her. Claire felt the Empress's hand rest on her shoulder, the cold touch of her skin chilling Claire even through her clothes. She lowered her head, speaking into Claire's ear as she did.
"Go. You need to rest and recover after today," She said, her voice suddenly much warmer and kinder than before, "You and your family will meet me in the Gilded Palace tomorrow, at sunset."
Claire glanced at the Empress's face without moving her head, watching as she released the white gemstone on her collar, allowing her voice to transmit to the audience once more. She stood and turned away from Claire, paying no mind to the dirt, sweat, and blood that stained the hem of her coat.
"Now!" the Empress shouted, her voice rolling over the coliseum and the city beyond, "Let the festivities begin!"
The majority of the crowd erupted into cheers, the Empress declaring the beginning of a week-long festival throughout the city. Noble families and a large portion of the upper class still refused to cheer, instead filing out of the coliseum while remaining silent. Turning back towards Claire, the Empress's face remained as cold and emotionless as before, but with a glint in her eyes that Claire couldn't place. Turning and walking away, the Empress disappeared through a service tunnel at the far end of the arena, sinking into shadows once more. Stunned by the events that had transpired, Claire heard a familiar voice shout from behind her.
"Aike, wait!" Yua's voice carried across the arena, causing Claire to turn just in time to see her younger brother drop fifteen feet into the arena, rolling to break his fall.
Stumbling and tripping onto his face, he quickly picked himself up and began to sprint towards Claire. Quickly wiping the remaining tears from her eyes, Claire put on a smile as she shakily stood. Her legs shook as she stood, her bones and tendons creaking as she stepped towards Aike.
As she walked, her body continued to protest violently. She smiled wide, her heart soaring like never before. Even if they weren't completely accepted in Highmaw, they had come further than ever before.
"I did it," she whispered, her voice raspy and strained, "Aike, I-"
The world around her twisted as she stumbled, but refused to fall. Aike skidded to a stop in front of her, his hands out and ready to catch her if she fell. Gritting her teeth at the sight, she straightened her back and stood tall, looking down at her little brother with a smile across her face.
He was only a few inches shorter than she was, and had a messy head of dark brown hair. His eyes were a similar shade of dark brown, and were wide with worry. His face was still somewhat childlike in its shape, but beginning to sharpen with age. For a boy his age, his shoulders were broad, and his arms were thick with muscle accumulated from labor. Even so, he was still small compared to most people around him. He still wore the old demon skin jacket she had given him, the one that had belonged to their mother before she died. Looking him over, she felt a surge of pride in her younger brother, who had managed to grow up strong despite her failures.
"You need to be careful, you're-," Aike began, but was cut off when Claire stepped forward and threw her arms around him.
She lifted Aike off the ground, spinning around and laughing aloud as she hugged him close. She could hear him protesting in her ear, but she didn't let him go. At this moment, Claire was more alive than she had been in her entire life. Even as she felt the tendon in her ankle give out, causing her to fall to one knee, she still held onto Aike.
"Are you okay!?" Aike shouted as she fell, a worried look on his face.
"I'm fantastic!" she laughed, her voice still weak and raspy, "I couldn't have done it without you, Aike"
She hugged him close again, looking over Aike's shoulder as Lillian sprinted towards them both. She was gasping for air as she ran, moving slower and slower by the second.
"C'mon, I have to go get patched up," she said, forcing her legs under her as she stood once more.
Aike looked up at her, his eyes wide and full of worry as she grabbed his hand and begun leading him towards Lillian. Looking forward, Lillian had doubled over and was trying to catch her breath. Taking a few steps forward, she felt Aike suddenly grab her arm. Pulling her towards him, he helped support her weight on his shoulder and continued to move towards Lillian.
"Thank you," he said, his voice quiet as he walked.
"For what?" Claire asked, lowering her head to get a good look at Aike's eyes.
He turned away from her, "...Nothing, I'm just glad you aren't hurt, or worse," he muttered, his voice just barely loud enough to reach Claire's ears.
Laughing, she ruffled his hair with her free hand, pain shooting up her arm as she did, "Too bad, you're stuck with me for a long while!"
Approaching Lillian as she jogged towards them, her voice came forth as ragged gasps.
"Are you...alright?" She gasped, gulping down air as she spoke in an attempt to catch her breath.
"I'll be alright Lily, just breathe!" Claire said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, "I'll need attention, but I doubt it's anything too serious".
Dropping her black leather bag and placing her hands on her knees, Lillian took a few deep breaths before responding, "That's good then, but I still need to do a full examination as soon as possible. Aike, move her to the waiting room".
With a nod, Aike began walking Claire towards the room she had emerged from before the fight, the large iron gate help open for their arrival. Lillian followed them, walking circles around Claire as she inspected her condition.
"That'll need sutures. I'll need disinfectant for all of these here, and this should be fine with just ointment. She'll need a couple of solvents, at least three," Lillian muttered to herself, taking mental notes on the wounds she could see.
The trio entered the cool tunnel, escaping from the harsh midday sun. Entering the combatant's waiting room, they found someone waiting for their arrival.
She stood at a square five feet tall, her chocolate brown hair tied up in a bun and covered with a white cap. She wore a maid's attire, the long black dress and white apron hanging around her ankles. Her skin was light in color, with an array of darker freckles across her nose and the tops of her cheeks. She wrung her hands nervously as she waited, turning to face the group as they entered the room.
She bowed and curtsied mechanically, as if reciting the rules in her head while she moved, "Hello Miss Champion, my name is Diane. I've been sent by Her Majesty to help with tending to your wounds"
As she raised her head to look at the three of them, she was visibly shaken. Claire couldn't help but feel sympathetic for her, especially with how nervous she seemed.
"Please, just Claire is fine, and I'll gratefully accept your help," Claire responded in her hoarse voice, bowing her head slightly in response.
Smiling at the kind answer, Diane's shoulders visibly relaxed.
"Alright Diane, listen to my orders and follow my example," Lillian said in an unfriendly tone, moving to one of the benches and attempting to push it against the other, "If you pay close enough attention you might learn something new!"
Lillian shoved against the bench with all of her strength, but it was made from bent and twisted steel, not moving an inch as Lillian struggled against it. With a polite smile, Diane bent over and helped move the bench, making just enough room for Claire to lie down across the wooden seats.
"We'll take care of the urgent wounds here, then finish up back at my place," Lillian ordered, "I don't have all of my tools on me at the moment, so we'll have to make do until then"
With Aike's help, she obediently laid down on the benches, looking into the fuzzy light of the white crystals that hung from the ceiling as Lillian and Diane began their examination.
"Alright, I'm putting you under now," Lillian said, pricking Claire's arm with a thin needle, "You'll be out for a few hours at least, so leave it to us until then"
The anesthetic rushed through her veins, a veil of sleep falling over her mind as her eyelids grew heavy. As Claire's consciousness slipped away, she felt a moment of panic, hoping that all she had just witnessed would not be a dream.
----------------------------------------
Lillian Grue
"She'll be alright for now," Lillian said, wiping the sweat from Claire's brow as she spoke, "She'll need some time to rest. You two can stay here while she recovers, just pick whatever room you want".
Aike sat on a simple wooden stool next to Claire. The four-poster bed she laid on was covered in white sheets and surrounded by white curtains, the smell of disinfectant in the surrounding air. Lillian stood from her own small stool, gathering the bloodied cloths and pushing the curtains aside as she stepped away from the bed. With a bit of reluctance, Aike also stood and followed.
The room they now stood in was large and rectangular, with walls of dark stained wood and hand-crafted furniture populating the empty space. The walls were bare, and a single large window took up the southern wall, providing a wide view of Highmaw. Lining the entire wall beneath the large window was a glass countertop, supported by steel legs and treated against chemical corrosion. Various beakers, bottles, vials, and instruments crowded the countertop, making up Lillian's personal research lab. Altogether, the room was one of many in the Grue manor, but the only one that was currently in use. Looking out the window, she could quickly pick out Claire's home among the small buildings near the westernmost wall. It was small, and blended in with its surroundings well, but she could never mistake it for anything else.
Moving to a large metal sink that had been built into the glass countertop, she dropped the bloodied cloths and turned the tap. As cold water fell from the faucet, Lillian turned and looked towards the bed. There Aike, stood with one hand on the curtains and looking at his sister's face, slowly closing the curtains after a few moments.
"How did she end up like this?" Aike asked, closing the bed's curtains and obscuring Claire from her view, "I never saw her get hit, but she's covered in fresh wounds"
Lillian remained silent for a moment and closed her eyes, her ears straining to hear the sound of Claire's breathing, "I'm not sure, I couldn't see her through the dust for most of the fight, I wouldn't be surprised if he had hit her while she was blinded"
Aike didn't respond, his hand still on the curtain. The two of them never really spoke unless Claire was around as well, which made an awkward air settle between them as silence filled the room. Turning back, Lillian shut off the flow of water, which had soaked the cloths and turned a pinkish color before falling down the drain. A minute passed while she examined the cloths, a crimson pattern seeping from them and sliding towards the drain as well.
"I'm heading home," Aike said, his words cutting through the silence, "I'll grab some fresh clothes and a few things for her to read when she wakes up"
Moving to the door, he grabbed the old jacket that he wore, slipping it over his shoulders and rolling up the sleeves around his wrists.
"Alright, can you grab some food as well?" she said, reaching into her purse and tossing a couple of coins towards him, "Make sure it's easy to eat for Claire"
Turning and catching the coins, Aike looked down at his hands. His eyes went wide at the sight of the gold coins shining in his palm, looking up at Lillian with a surprised expression.
"I can't- Claire always says-" he began, Lillian cutting him off with a sigh.
"It's fine, it's from my research fund," she said, turning towards her countertop and beginning to sort through her gleaming medical equipment, "I can have her pay me back if she insists, but sometimes she need to just accept the help whether she wants to or not"
Aike was silent, before muttering a quiet "Thank you," and disappearing through the door. Sighing aloud, Lillian turned towards the bed once more.
"So what did you want to talk about while he was gone?" Lillian asked aloud, hearing the bedsheets shifting in response, "You wouldn't have pretended to be asleep otherwise"
"How could you tell?" Claire's voice emerged from the bed, the curtain slowly sliding open and revealing her form.
"Your breathing was uneven," she answered, moving towards the bed and taking the curtains from Claire, sliding them open a few more feet. Looking over Claire, Lillian quickly examined her condition for any signs of new wounds.
She was wrapped in bandages, small red spots in various places across her arms and torso, more hidden beneath the blanket that covered her legs. Dark circles lined her eyes, signs of the exhaustion she had suffered from as a result of using Boost. As far as she could tell, she was recovering as quickly as she usually did.
"So," she said, not looking Lillian in the eyes, "How bad is it?"
Lillian felt her heart twist at the question. The diagnosis had been replaying in her mind over and over since she had first examined Claire, as if her mind was forcing her to accept it as reality.
"Not good," Lillian said, her voice cracking as she held back her tears, "If you keep using Boost like you have been, you won't survive to see next year"
Claire was quiet for a moment, then looked into Lillian's eyes with a serious expression, "How many more times can I use it?"
Lillian rushed forward, the bed creaking from her additional weight as she slapped Claire across the face. With one hand on her cheek, Claire slowly looked back at her with a shocked expression.
Tears streamed down her face now as she grabbed Claire's collar and shouted, "What the hell are you thinking!? Why are you in such a rush to destroy yourself!?"
Claire dropped her gaze, still rubbing her cheek where Lillian had slapped her, "I just-"
"You just what!?" Lillian shouted, gripping Claire's shoulder with her other hand, "You think you tearing yourself apart is the answer!? What is Aike going to do if you die!?"
At the mention of Aike's name, tears formed at the corners of Claire's eyes.
"What am I going to do...?" Lillian whispered, her forehead dropping and resting against Claire's chest.
Lillian shuddered as she tried to hold back her tears, still clutching onto Claire like a child. She felt Claire's hand rest on her back.
"I'm sorry Lily, I-," Claire said, her voice cracking as she pulled Lillian into an embrace, "I guess I'm just tired after the fight"
"You already did it Claire," Lillian whispered, just loud enough that she knew her friend could hear her, "All you need to do from now on is live"
"Alright," she said, pulling Lillian into a tighter hug, “Alright”.