Morrigan reached her hand out, trying to redirect the water around her, but it only responded with small bubbling. She groaned as she strained her hand, trying to manipulate it but failing. Screaming in frustration she finally lifted it, using her fire power to turn it into billowing steam that filled the room in its suffocating humidity and bleak white.

Everyone's vision now obstructed by the steam, Morrigan ran toward Elizabeth until there was an abrupt trembling beneath her feet. She paused for a moment to steady for herself and saw the tile floors and dirt beneath break up from the floor in sheets as it raced toward her, abruptly enclosing her in the compacted dirt.

“No…” Morrigan whispered, banging against the dirt ball that imprisoned her. “No, no, no, no, no.” She dug her elbow repeatedly into it, healing it every time the skin would tear off, but she couldn’t get out. The burning plastic had solidified onto the bottom of her feet now, throwing off her senses.

Her eyes darted around the inside of the ball, desperately trying to find a way out. She calmed down her breathing for a moment, using her powers to bulk up her muscles and strengthen her bones before she rammed into the wall again, this time feeling it crumble away. “Damnit!” she cried, barely able to stop herself from giving up. She blew steam inside the dirt prison, holding her breath as the inside became drenched with water. She threw her body at the ball again before finally breaking free, looking around for Elizabeth.

Her eyes widened when she saw Elizabeth alone on the ground, a pile of blood surrounding her as Juro and Bruno were knocked back, using fallen and paralyzed bodies for cover against the earth Leith’s massive destruction.

“Elizabeth!” Morrigan cried, bending down to hold her. Her heart was still beating — goddamnit, General Kristiansen chose to leave her alive, humiliated and broken.

She was healing Elizabeth’s extensive injuries and Elizabeth’s breath finally steadied. Elizabeth’s wine-red blood had stained her gold dress, and the sequins now glittered in her own suffering. Elizabeth grabbed Morrigan closer. “Lilith is dying,” she croaked out, screaming through the pain as her entire body heaved.

“Stop talking.”

“Lilith never died. She’s been here this entire time, Morrigan.” Elizabeth had a look of utter fascination and violence that battled within her eyes.

“Shut up, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth tried to hold onto Morrigan’s shoulders, her grip strength finally returning, even stronger than before. Realizing she was about to talk again, Morrigan snapped, “Damnit, Elizabeth, Juro and Bruno need you right now! So get up and help them when you’re actually needed!”

Morrigan sprinted back toward the earth Leith, spewing fire as Bruno lifted Juro back to his feet in the background. The Leith’s skill was simply unparalleled; his range warranted that he could sit back while Morrigan would have to constantly run forward, only to be victim to fatigue and forced back.

“Please, stop fighting!” That ethereal voice permeated through the destroyed room, almost seeming to repair it with her human magic. Her parents were long gone, having already evacuated, but Alyssa chose to come back into the crossfire for those she loved. “Please, stop!” She holds a paralysis gun between her trembling hands, the gun jangling as it was being tossed back and forth. Bruno stood just beside her with Juro, Elizabeth finally joining again.

Morrigan stood, panting on the side as the Leith finally redirected his attention toward Alyssa. “You’re with them?”

“I’m sorry,” she cried, and tears finally streamed down Alyssa’s face freely, her lips parting almost in silent laughter. Through her vicious tears she almost looks enlightened, freed, as she pointed the gun at the Leith. She chokes through tears, voice horse yet delightful: “I’m sorry.”

She fired the gun as he lifted a wall before him — but he was too late. The gun pierced the flesh of his arm as he stumbled back, his movements already slowing. Elizabeth jumped up, throwing a knife at his neck as it sliced right through, his blood pulsing outwards as if it were sprinkling a lawn, gushing and gushing forward as his eyes began to glaze.

Before his eyes blew out like a match, they seemed to burn stronger momentarily as the ground beneath him exploded into countless spikes. Bruno looked at Juro’s eyes widening as a spike was sprinting toward his face; Bruno shouted, “Juro!” as he shoved Juro down onto the ground, squeezing his eyes shut as he braced for the pain that would soon greet him.

Bruno cried out when he suddenly slammed into the ground on top of Juro. In a complete shock, head pounding and ears ringing, he slowly rolled over, groaning as he pushed himself onto his back, his vision sparkling with black spots that reminded him of the night sky speckled in dots of snow. He suddenly heard a vicious shriek and his eyes widened before he brought his hands to his face and realized it was him that was screaming — him that was screaming because he stared up at the spectacle in front of him illuminated by the sinful moon and knew it was all his fault.

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Alyssa hung from a spike that had completely passed through her, her body limp and arms swaying below her as if they carried a will of their own, trying to detach and leave the rest of her hanging. As if something was so sickening inside of her that her own body tried to run from her, even in moments where the moon cast its cruel judgment upon them. Her blood trickled down in horrifically loud splatters, looking black in the dark lighting.

If I ever seem exhausted, will you grab my hand and pull me into the snow again? Would things have been different if I said it? Coward. I am.

The spikes retracted back into the ground as Alyssa’s body fell with a heavy thump, her head bouncing off the ground as she limply rolled over. Her bloodied cuticles were fresh.

nonononoNONONONONO. Bruno grabbed her in his arms as she took in shallow breaths, her eyes quickly fading. “Save her,” he screamed, looking at Morrigan simply staring from the distance. “Save her! Save her!” He cried as he held Alyssa close to him, her tears planting themselves on her face as they joined her own.

Morrigan seemed to finally jump back to reality as she leaned down and touched Alyssa, her wounds quickly healing over, but that vacant look remained in her eyes. She turned toward Bruno and reached up a hand before her eyes continued to fade and fade until they weren’t human anymore, they weren’t anything but just eyes and no matter how hard Bruno looked into them there was no Alyssa there anymore, just eyes. Only vacant eyes.

“Save her, damnit! Can’t you do it!”

“I am!” Morrigan screamed her voice shrill as she started choking out her own words. “I am! I am! I’m doing it!” I am, I am, I am.

Elizabeth stood behind them, staring at the scenes, but her vacant eyes still had enough room for Elizabeth to coincide. Alyssa’s eyes did not. Alyssa’s had no more room. I killed a Leith by myself. The General couldn’t even kill me. I am strong. I am strong. I am strong.

“Save her,” Bruno shrieked, spit flying at Morrigan as Alyssa’s body seemed to cave into the ground. “Save her!” Something so horrific in Alyssa’s eyes made Bruno leap back in utter horror and shock as he gagged in his mouth, unsure of where his tears met his runny nose or his mouth as he screamed.

“I am!” Alyssa’s body healed over fully except for her eyes and her voice was gone now too even from their minds and now everything began to bubble beneath her skin. Her skin seemed to boil as each cell almost erupted as she melted beneath Morrigan’s hands, blood and puss and pink flesh flowing out until she was reduced to nothing less than a forgotten voice and eyes. “I am! I am!”

I am strong. I beat them myself. I don’t need anyone to save me. I am strong. Stronger than all of them together.

Juro stood, staring at Morrigan destroying Alyssa while Bruno screamed for her to do more, to fix it, while Elizabeth stood as a husk behind them, her eyes vacant but still with enough room for Elizabeth. Alyssa’s did not have enough room. Not anymore. Not even for Bruno. Blaring sirens quickly encircled the surroundings as Juro finally grabbed Morrigan’s shoulders.

“We need to go,” he pleaded, avoiding the burning flesh of Alyssa on the ground. “They’re back.”

Juro finally understood all of Alyssa’s strange answers and the story with Bruno. Alyssa loved the world so much that, whenever it hurt her, she took it out on herself. Because she was too selfless to ever take it out on the people around her.

“Nothing’s changed! Nothing! Nothing at all!” Morrigan screamed as she grabbed onto Juro. “After all of this, all of this. Nothing’s changed! You still can’t do anything! You still let your father die, Alyssa, everyone! Nothing’s changed!” She screamed at Juro, the fabric of his sleeves tearing.

Her sobs suddenly turned into manic laughter as she rolled over, clutching her stomach as tears continued to stream down her face. “It was plastic! It was plastic, Juro. Don’t you get it?! It was plastic all along! It was never even fucking real! It was always fake, a facade,” she screamed through her laughter, barely able to sneak in breaths.

Goddamn him. Goddamn him. I don’t need him. I am stronger than him. Goddamn him. Elizabeth strut forward, picking up her knife that lie next to the slain Leith as she charged toward Juro. “Goddamn you! Who do you think you are, you goddamn bastard!”

“You killed her,” Bruno screamed, “I killed her. It was me. If only she never met me, then she could be here!”

Juro wrestled against Elizabeth as Morrigan laughed maniacally behind him. He grabbed the paralysis gun from the holster, pressing it against Elizabeth and firing it. She quickly went limp and fell to the ground. He quickly whipped around and fired it at Morrigan as she, too, collapsed, muttering “me, too? Me?” before succumbing.

If I ever seem exhausted, will you grab my hand and

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