Tasha was beside herself with excitement. She had been called to have a private meeting with Elissa. Near skipping her way to the ruined arena where she first really met her. Arriving, she was surprised to see no one was there.

Looking around the stands hoping to catch sight of her, she only found a man and woman she didn’t recognise. The only thing she could tell was that they were exceedingly dangerous. Each radiated an aura of pure death that was palpable from even where she was standing.

“I think she can feel us?” the man said, turning to the woman.

“I sure hope so,” the woman replied as she hopped off her seat and began approaching Tasha.

“You’re Tasha, right?” the woman asked, offering her hand. “My name is Casandra,” she said with a smile that cut off the hostile aura she was radiating. Tasha looked at the hand apprehensively, refusing to take it.

“I would much rather not shake your hand. Where is Lady Elissa? I was told she would be here and wanted to see me?”

“Gods, it’s worse than she said in her letter,” the man said, hopping down from his seat and joining the woman.

“Who are you?!” Tasha demanded as she retreated a step preparing a defensive posture.

“Tasha, we aren’t here to hurt you,” the man reassured.

“I know with everything that has happened recently; you are probably on high alert,” Cassandra added.

“Then why are you here?” Tasha asked, not letting her guard down.

“To help restrain you,” the man replied, moving in a blur of motion and locking Tasha’s arm behind her back.

“Enough!!” a voice boomed from the entrance. A voice Tasha recognised.

“Lady Elissa?!” Tasha muttered, hope soring in her heart.

“I asked you not to hurt her. Restraint is if she becomes violent,” Elissa commanded. Immediately the two stood down.

“Lady Elissa… What is going on? I know you must’ve drawn these villains to the arena so we can beat them together?!”

“Wow… I thought Alex was exaggerating… if anything, he is understating…” Elissa said, pinching the bridge of her nose in a very Alex fashion.

“Tasha… I will be the first to admit I am not the sharpest tool in the box. That I will let my love overtake me,” Elissa paused as she looked at a confused Tasha.

“But you are going way too far. You have gone from admiration to stalker-like obsession. Alex put it down to a school-girl crush, something that would pass. At least he hoped it would till he mentioned necrosmoke and its killing touch, and you expressed how you wished to use it.” Tasha could feel her pulse quicken as her idol. The woman who she near worshipped looked at her with disgust.

“Tasha, I called you here to tell you to your face. I will never love you. I will, at best, tolerate you because you are one of my dearest Alex’s students. But I want it to be clear I find your obsession distasteful. There is only one who I wish to have truly devoted love from, and I already have it.”

“From me, my lady?!!” Tasha asked, panic fully taking over her very being.

“No, Alex! You are to me, at best, a name he may mention every so often.”

“I UNDERSTAND, MY LADY!!! WE MUST KEEP OUR LOVE SECRET!!!” Tasha cried out, refusing to accept the reality.

“NO!!!” Elissa roared as she smashed her fist into Tasha’s stomach. “There is no love Tasha… None… The more you try, the more disgusting I find your presence.”

“P-please don’t lie, my lady… I worship you!” Tasha begged, tears already rolling down her face.

“You want my pity now?!” Elissa asked.

“No, my lady… I mean, yes, my lady. Any affection you offer, I will gladly-” The man, this time, struck her.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Alex doesn’t know about this. If he did, he would defend you. He’s like that to a fault. Show mercy till it is no longer tenable. I, however, have no such restraints.”

“If I can’t be with you, then…” Tasha couldn’t even finish that sentence; she would never hurt Elissa.

“I think that's enough, Lissy,” a voice declared, walking in from the entrance.

“Mimi?” Elissa asked, turning to the person.

“When I heard you borrowed a few of my troops for an intervention for one of my baby bros students, I had to come to see the show,” Mimi said with a smirk that reminded both Tasha and Elissa of Alex’s smirk.

“Aren’t you meant to be in jail, ma’am?” the man asked, confused at Mimi’s presence.

“Oh Dorian, isn’t it cute you think I wouldn’t just walk out? Shocking lack of reinforcement on the outer walls.”

“Ma’am, you were in an underground cell?” Cassandra asked, equally confused.

“That might be why it wasn’t reinforced. Regardless if you hurt this girl one more time, I will tell little Alex,” Mimi’s warning was clearly genuine.

“But that doesn’t solve what to do with you now, little Tash, hmmm?” Mimi asked as she crouched down to look Tasha in the eyes.

“Can you forget about Elissa?” Tasha vigorously shook her head no.

“I could never. Even death wouldn’t stop my love,” Tasha focused her gaze on Mimi, refusing to break.

“Well, let's put that to the test, shall we?” Mimi announced as if she were performing for a full arena.

“Gods, why does she need to put on a show even when no one is watching?” Dorian muttered to Cassandra.

“Think it's a bloodline thing. My investigation into her brother reports he is similar.”

“Gods, there's two of them?”

“Ahem, as I was saying,” Mimi said, leaving her subordinates to realise their quiet conversation wasn’t as quiet as they had believed it was.

“Little Tasha. Alex would be awfully sad if you died. He is the sort who would laugh off even murder attempts on himself, and believe me when I say this, he has. But he would never forgive me if I killed you. So I shall do the next best thing. I shall kill your love for Elissa.”

“Huh?” Elissa was confused now.

“You know, when she laughs, she snorts like a pig.”

“MIMI?!!”

“Pigs can be cute!!” Tasha protested.

“She snores really loudly. Like so loud when we were in jail together, the guards thought she was choking.”

“MIMI, STOP IT!!!”

“I could wear earplugs!!”

“I heard she’s into really kinky stuff.”

“I TOLD YOU THAT IN CONFIDENCE!!!”

“I will just learn to love it,” Tasha said, refusing to break.

“She has lost to me in a straight-up fight,” Mimi added, seeing embarrassing her future sister-in-law was a bust.

“SHE WOULD NEVER LOSE TO-” Tasha’s protest was cut off midsentence as Mimi vanished and reappeared with her fist in contact with Elissa’s chest sending her flying out of the arena.

“Oh, look at that,” Mimi said, shielding her eyes as she gazed into the rough area of the stands Elissa flew over. “A home run.”

“HOW DARE… WHY DID… WHY CAN’T I…” Tasha broke down in tears.

“Tasha, being a fan is ok. But you are taking it to a whole new level. You are taking it to a level that even your idol finds disgusting. So I’ve come with an ultimatum. Give up your crazy stupid love…”

“I can’t…”

“Give it up, or I will use this,” Mimi took out a dainty silk glove with flowers embroidered on it. “Little Yuu made this for me. It was a rush job, so not as armoured as I’d like. But this has a forget enchant. I had her code the forgetting to be solely regarding Elissa.” Tasha’s eyes went wide with panic as she tried to scramble back, only to find Dorian and Cassandra waiting to stop her.

“Forget your love… or really forget your love…your choice.”

“Why can’t I love her?” Tasha asked between sniffs.

“You can. Just not in the way you have. I even spoke to that old bastard that abducted my baby bro about you. He said you were an exemplary student till Elissa returned with my brother. You are funking up your brain with Lissy.”

“But… when I was young…she saved me… I would’ve died to that… she killed it and saved me… I don’t want to forget that…” Tasha said, beginning to hyperventilate.

“Tasha… it may be best if you choose the glove… you are letting your obsession dictate your life. That isn’t healthy.”

“I read about you, though!!” Tasha shot back defiantly. “You obsessed over dying in battle and becoming a valkyrie!”

“I will admit that I did… But I have changed…” Mimi felt the gazes of her subordinates drilling into her. “Mostly…”

“But Tasha, I never let it control me. I would willingly die in glorious battle. But not in a way that left my allies behind to die. What did you do when you went in the sewer? You abandoned your friends. What did you do when you got a mysterious message claiming to be from Elissa? You came here unarmed and alone. Can you not see how dangerous and unhealthy that is?”

Tasha could only lower her head and bite her lower lip in frustration. She wanted to deny it. Scream that Elissa was actually here. But this was a trap. She had abandoned her friends for something so foolish. She was a bigger idiot than anyone ever.

“I’ve made my choice… I choose…”