The beam of light charged towards Lavender's assailant. Yet before the ray was able to reach her, a gust of wind whirled towards her light.

The forces of light and wind challenged each other in a flurry of motion. Over time the wind quickened in speed and compacted against the light, spinning faster and faster until it formed into a spear like shape. The light compressed against the wind in a similar manner as it began shining brighter; emitting a harsh luminescence.

The force of nature rotated at such a high speed that it became dense as the rain spun off of the wind spear and propelled into the ground. A scatter of small dents formed from the momentum behind the wind.

The light constricted against the rotating flurry of nature as the sound of the gust sharpened. In an explosion of light and wind, the beast specters blocked their eyes as the forces tore each other apart.

A moment after the initial flash, Lavender quickly opened her eyes and saw her light deconstruct into particles. They floated towards the sky before dissipating into the blue. In a similar manner, the swirling wind began to fade before vanishing into nothingness.

“Garnet!”

With a voice of relief the green haired woman called out to her benefactor. A calm woman dressed in worn garbs appeared before Lavender's eyes. She was surprised to see her large dark pupils and ruby red lips similar to the color of blood. It was almost as if she were a member of her clan, but her ears were far too pointed to be anything but an elf.

“Lunares. I’m glad you are well. On the other hand, to this child…”

The elven woman had a bow in her hands, with an arrow prepared and nocked against the vampire.

“Oh my~two beast specter magus?”

Lavender spoke with faint admiration and caution. To have known to have two exceptionally powerful magus at hand…Lavender narrowed her eyes.

It was fortunate for the tree branch woman that she had someone with her.

“How wonderful. It’s a shame though the two of you missed the mark just by a little~ you should’ve come with at least one more just as strong.”

With a teasing tone, Lavender quickly took into account of their abilities.

Lavender knew the tree branch woman–that she now knew was Lunares– was better suited for subterfuge from the background rather than attacking an opponent directly. Despite that Lunares was foolish enough to believe she could face Lavender head first.

Lavender's range of senses expanded far beyond an average human or beast specter. To have caught Lavender off guard, Garnet must've been lying in wait far beyond the Lazuli riverbank before she began fighting the tree beast specter.

With her senses concentrated on Lunares, she could not divert her attention to her surroundings which allowed the elven archer to catch her off guard.

Yet despite the careful planning between the two, Lavender could not praise either of them for their actions.

Had Garnet allowed Lunares to get injured, Lavender would've been caught off guard by her wind. She would've been eliminated from the battle and it could've been the end of it.

To stand in front of her with Lunares, and to still expect to defeat her or leave safely was thoughtless to say the least. The element of surprise was no longer leverageable.

Garnet ignored her comment and continued speaking.

“Vampire. Your crime is taking a member of the Fons Silvae. As a guardian of the beast specters, your presence will be eliminated for their safety.”

In a calm tone, the elven woman voiced her verdict at the young girl. Despite that, Garnet's eyes suggested anger which was at odds with the nonchalance of her face.

With a small faked pout, she played cute as she responded to the elven woman.

“If you're talking about that merfolk, he was the one who attacked me first. If anything I spent a lot~ of time cleaning up the monsters around here."

Lavender couldn't help but ridicule the reasons behind their attack.

From a numerical perspective, she had undoubtedly saved more lives than the sole fish she killed. She had killed numerous monsters that would've gone on to injure or kill the tribes that lived here. Yet looking at Lunares' dark face and the silent refutation of Garnet's eyes…these two seemed like the irrational sort.

“...Lunares.”

Garnet’s tone was urgent as she narrowed her eyes and locked her vision onto the young girl. Those dark eyes of hers held an unflinching intent similar to a predator's. A predator on the hunt for prey.

The elf's muscles went taught with strength. With the sharp twang that was similar to the pitch of a whistle, the arrow sped towards the young girl with violet eyes.

With a gaze of anticipation and amusement, Lavender moved away from the arrow. The inertia behind her swerve sent Lavender hurtling towards the grass, but the quick girl used a hand to balance herself as leverage. Her legs swung towards the air as her upper body neared the ground. Her legs shot above her head into a cartwheel. Her back was heavily arched with an inhuman flexibility as she darted her eyes towards the attack that landed on a tree.

The thudding of the collapsing wood behind her followed. A shiver of excitement and anxiety shot down Lavender's spine.

She was strong, far stronger than she believed. The magus she knew had spent the majority of their time developing their magic and neglected the training of their bodies. The generalization was not what this elf archer fell into. In conjunction with her wind abilities, Garnet's defense and offense were remarkable enough that the young vampire knew she would lose this battle if she fought them directly.

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

It seemed that two was more than enough against her.

Her mind quickly whipped around in calculation. There was a change of plans.

She sped towards Lunares who looked at her with those ominous green eyes of hers. With an air of harsh indifference, Lunares shot her wood bindings at Lavender's feet once more. Yet this time, the vampire was prepared.

She disregarded her injured feet as she charged through the bark that failed to hamper her movement. Bloody and bruised, her feet burned in pain but Lavender ignored the burning sensation in her limbs as she neared her target in the floral dress.

Lunares flinched in shock when Lavender bulldozed through her offensive. The tree beast specter backed away quickly after realizing what Lavender was doing. But it was too late for the tree beast specter as Lavender circled behind her.

Those green eyes of hers widened in disbelief before she was pulled by her arm.

As she hoped, the delicate woman fell right into her grasp. Lavender slid her fingers through the upper side of her chest, causing Lunares to flinch before Lavender finally arrived and clenched around her neck.

With a triumphant expression the vampire squeezed and constricted Lunare's throat as she struggled hopelessly. She coughed and desperately clawed at Lavender's hands to no avail.

“As I thought, your body isn't quite as strong~ too bad for you.”

Lavender caught Garnet’s gaze and smirked. The lady archer was seemingly calm but her bow was lowered now. Looking into those dark eyes, Lavender realized those beautiful eyes of hers were pleading with her not to harm Lunares.

It vaguely reminded her of a foolish girl she sucked dry. Those wide eyes of her that were filled with a stubborn conviction of self control and devotion to a purpose beyond their own interests. It was a selflessness that was foreign to Lavender's understanding of rationality.

It was the gaze of someone who refused to abandon their morals, who refused to admit that sacrificing others was necessary, who lived believing in an ideology...and there was nothing more predictable to the vampire, than someone shackled to those straightforward motivations.

“Garnet…Garnet? Garn. You’re beautiful and pure. But unfortunately…”

Lavender whipped her right hand forward with her staff.

“Caecus!”

A blinding glare shone between the three of them. Caught off guard, the archer winced in pain as she momentarily covered her eyes.

“I’m more resplendent.”

Lavender was convinced she could outlive the woman with many burdens.

Lavender easily let go of the similarly blinded Lunares and ran. It would be foolish to attempt to fight them, although Lavender was sure she could take Lunares. But if she dared to do so…and if Garnet was able to get away after she killed the tree tribe beast specter…

Lavender narrowed her eyes in exasperation. The emotional ones were harder to deal with in a few ways.

With those desperate wide eyes of hers trained onto Lavender's amused purple pupils, she knew that Garnet would never, never let her go if she killed her.

—

“…she ran off.”

With a hint of annoyance Lunares watched as the shadow flitted far away from the two of them.

“Should we pursue?”

Turning her head to Garnet, Lunares looked at the archer inquisitively for her opinion.

Even so, the lady archer hesitated to chase the vampire. With her red lips pursed together, Garnet responded.

“No, it would be best not to. Judging from how she was still able to move despite her injuries, she seems as though she's a pure blooded vampire. Those beast specters aren't native to the Fons Silvae. We lack information about her kind and the extent of her abilities."

With a concerned expression Garnet looked at Lunares as if her hands were tied.

Disappointingly, Lunares didn’t receive the answer she wanted. At the same time she wasn't surprised the cautious guardian of the forest favored staying away from Lavender. Yet...to leave Warea unavenged...it brought immense displeasure to her.

"More than that. Are you alright Lunares?”

Garnet’s tone was worried as she asked her companion about her injuries. Lunares knew that the gentle archer wouldn't risk sending her in harms way. With a sigh, Lunares decided to give up on pursuing the vampire with the violet eyes.

“I'm fine, Garnet. Sorry to trouble you. I know you’re busy with the rest of the operations, especially since the attack was planned in a state of emergency…”

With an embarrassed look, Lunares shyly apologized and elicited a small smile from Garnet.

“Lunares, thank you for being thoughtful, and holding in your frustration. There is still much we can learn and prepare for. Which is exactly why we need to make sure we defeat her the second time.”

Garnet gave a small smile after eyeing Lunares up and down. After carefully looking through the branches on her head and detecting no signs of damage, Garnet hummed contently.

Yet soon after, her happiness faded into a somber expression when she noticed the corpse of Warea.

With a numb gaze, Lunares regarded the body of the fallen beast specter. Despite her desperate wishes, her grief for her fallen people continued for years and years. The ache of sadness faded with each passing, and instead all that was left was a sense of emptiness.

She lived on in spite of their deaths.

So instead she made a promise to the ones who could no longer fight. To carry forth their ambition and to make their loss meaningful. For a day where beast specters, no, the Fons Silvae could be free of humans and enemies as a gift to her graves.

Looking towards Garnet, she felt the breadth of the forest all around her. The trees shook their leaves to and fro in the wind. The birds stilled their chirping, and the sound of the rain muted itself for the last journey of the dead into the afterlife.

Garnet walked to the corpses of the monsters and the merfolk beast specter. Without flinching, she lifted the remains of the dead man. She carefully studied his face, as if she were trying to engrave his face into her memories.

After a moment of silence where she tried to perceive the essence of the person that once inhabited the body, she opened her mouth slowly.

"A strong person, who fell in battle to protect the Fons Silvae. May his soul find peace in Arcania, where his soul will be forever freed from fate.”

With a soft tone, Garnet gave her last farewells to the merman who met his end at a young age. She carried him to the riverbank and laid him into the waters with a peaceful expression on her face.

The transparent waters of the lake ran over the merfolk’s body. The gashes of blood seeped from his wounds and spread across the surface of the Lazuli, as if he were painting her in his colors for a final time.

His body laid there in the water for a moment as the two watched Warea float within the lake. But the Lazuli did not keep them waiting for long.

Starting at the edge of his fingertips, threads began to visualize on his body. The delicate lines were a vibrant gold color that covered the entirety of his skin. His whole body began to shimmer in its color and brought a momentary semblance of life to his face.

In a burst of light, the golden threads soared into the sky as Warea’s body began to unravel from existence.

It was most likely Lunare’s illusion, but she thought that Warea was smiling in relief as he slowly vanished from the Lazuli river. It was a well deserved rest, after years of guarding the forest with her and Garnet. The two of them would continue in his stead.

The women stood by the banks of the Lazuli and were reflected in its water. A crouched figure was next to the faint outline of another, who listlessly stared into the Lazuli's depths.

Standing still in silence, Lunares watched as a leaf fell into the Lazuli and formed a small ripple across its surface. Without her knowledge, the rain had stopped falling. The light bands gently faded from the epicenter before the lake was still once more.

The wind shifted. Brushing the leaf through the pond, it floated through the waters and neared Lunares. As she watched the leaf move, Garnet broke the silence.

“Lunares. It’s…time to go back to the others.”

Her voice was soft and carefully nonchalant.

Lunares opened her mouth to respond in turn, but her voice refused to come out. She struggled for a moment and then some before closing her mouth. She swallowed the heaviness that lingered inside of her lungs before opening her mouth once more.

“Yes. Let’s go back.”

Her voice came to her in a strange tone she wasn't able to control.