Susie had tried her best.
Growing up, her best friend Hannah had a dream. Hannah wanted to become an Arcane Knight. And Susie? Well, she just wanted to be with Hannah, and so naturally Hannah's dream became her dream as well. If Hannah wanted to become a Knight, then Susie decided she'd be one as well.
When Hannah's lack of talent became obvious, Susie had a new goal. She would become so strong that she could support not just herself but also Hannah. She would show the world that she was worthy of becoming a Knight and use that position to ensure that Hannah would be one, too, so they could be together forever.
Her dream was to fulfill Hannah's dream.
So, when fate finally showed its face, Susie knew her dream was dead. Her Core just couldn't handle it. At first, she was seen by many as a prodigy. She had a seemingly endless amount of mana and could pour it into her spells, mastering and powering them up far greater than any mage on the same level as her should have been able to do.
Talent. They said she had real talent, but in the end, it was just pure luck. She had been blessed with part of a Golden Core, and that was the actual reason she seemed so strong. She literally had more mana than anyone else. Even a fraction of a Golden Core was enough to give her levels similar to that of a real Arcane Knight.
She was truly blessed.
And then it flipped.
She was truly cursed.
Her powerful Core became her weakness. Her body couldn't handle all that energy. Neither could her soul. The pressure mounted and mounted, and she eventually broke like glass that could never be put back together the same way; whatever old talent she had was gone.
And to make matters worse, Hannah's dream was forced to end as well. Hannah became a magical mutant. Her friend was transformed into something she shouldn't be.
And it was all 'his' fault.
Susie gritted her teeth, feeling them crack inside of her jaw, and she flexed her fingers. Her old way of fighting, simply casting high-level spells, was over with, but she had a new way now. The air around her cracked and hissed as raw golden mana swirled into existence and formed into an orb the size of a soccer ball.
People with Golden Cores could create millions of them, all hundreds of times bigger, but her fraction of a Core wasn't strong enough to do that. Even making a single orb had been impossible until Davi showed her that strange movement technique.
How ironic, she was about to use what he gifted her to put him down like the rabid dog he was. "Die, you son of a bitch!"
Davi turned just in time to see the swarm of orbs as they blasted toward him. They spun through the air and ignited.
He had taught this method to Susie so it could save her life, or at least extend it and help her out. It would remove some of the pressure that was naturally building up in her body. Part of him knew this was what would happen. He wasn't stupid. After all, he basically gave a loaded gun to someone who hated him.
As the orbs got closer and closer, time seemed to slow down, and he watched as they neared him. Each one had a tremendous amount of mana behind it. Enough to flash-fry him if it touched.
'It wouldn't be a bad way to go, I suppose.' It almost seemed funny. He died because he told someone who hated him how to kill him. On top of that, he did kill this person's father. Those who take a life should be ready for their own life to be taken by someone with more power. 'More power… It always comes down to that.' Still, no matter how tempted he was to close his eyes and allow himself to die, there were people that he still wanted to help and people who cared about him. "Row Shadow Armor."
Already being in the vault meant all the items were there, and he could simply call out to them and bring them to him. The space of the vault shifted and distorted as he brought Storymaker to him, and his shadowy armor blazed out around him, covering him from head to toe.
The sight of the armor actually made Susie freeze, her eyes going wide. She had never actually seen the "good" Ebony Knight that saved Daisy. Now that she stood before this being, and those fiery blue eyes gazed at her, she was starting to see how her father lost to him.
Davi's arm slashed out with his sword, hitting several of the golden orbs and batting them away from him. They exploded in the distance, like miniature bombs, and he dodged the rest, which went blaring past him, blowing up miles away, as he twisted the space of his vault.
Once all the orbs were gone, Davi stared Susie in the eye, then he twisted his sword so he could use it as a club and began to approach.
Susie let out a strange cry, a mix between rage and fear, then lifted her hands up. She let out a yell, and more of those explosive orbs began to spawn. Now that she had Way of Self Iron, as long as she had mana, that pressure that would be forced onto her body would be yanked out of her body and turned into these orbs, and she had a lot of mana.
More and more orbs began to fill out the air around her until there were nearly a hundred of them. Susie stomped on the ground and thrust her arms forward, letting out a battle cry as she fired them all toward Davi.
Davi flared his own mana up to its limit, and he sprinted forward. His vision became a sea of gold, so he did what he did best and began to slash into everything that appeared before him. Faster, faster, faster, his mana kept flowing, only growing and growing as he used all his power and then simply reset it with Old Bird's Flapping Wings.
He was moving like a literal blur, cutting through all the golden orbs before they could explode on him.
Susie's eyes bounced back and forth, and she felt dizzy as she tried to keep track of him. Even after learning a new way to use her mana, even after doubling her resolve, even after using a barrage of attacks, she still failed to realize that she was fighting an Arcane Knight. She was fighting Davi Hawker, the hero of Daisy. And the hero always wins. That's how it goes in stories.
"Stay still!" Susie screamed.
"I'm good." Davi cut into another golden orb. "I'm glad you're staying put, though. I'll be with you in a moment."
Susie took a nervous step back and felt her rage grow. "Don't mock me!" The orbs glowed and shimmered, then, to her shock, they compressed themselves down to a thin beam, doubling their speed but lowering the attack. She stared down at her hands, wondering what else she could do, before pointing toward Davi and firing several of the new beams out.
One of them slammed into Davi's shoulder, and he felt the explosive force of it pierce his armor and stab into his shoulder, but he fought through the pain. Stepping forward, he avoided more of the beams and then brought his hand up and then back, pointing the sword behind him.
Susie's eyes widened when she saw what he was about to do. Sure enough, Davi stepped forward as hard as he could and threw his sword!
Storymaker flung through the air rapidly spinning, and it tore through more of the beams and orbs as it neared Susie. She squeaked as it approached her, and the blade almost stabbed through her, but she managed to duck down just in time.
The sword flew uselessly past her.
"Ha!" More golden orbs filled the air around her, and Susie stood back up, bringing her arms back. "Let's see how you do without your sword now-"
Pain exploded through the back of her head as Davi twisted the space of his vault and simply moved the sword's direction to be behind her. It was still mid-spin, and the crossguard came down hard on the back of her head, keeping all of its momentum. If not for her raw mana, her skull would have been cracked open.
As the sword met its target, the orbs all flickered and fell to the ground around Susie. They all glowed and were about to explode on their master, who was stunned and unable to think clearly.
"Row Shadow Robes." Davi used his spell just in time as the orbs all blew up around Susie.
Susie felt herself be washed over by a wave of pure golden mana, which would have melted the flesh from her bones, but somehow she was protected. She felt something settle onto her skin, and she glanced down in confusion.
She wore a black, shadowy witch outfit. It was a shoulderless, sleeveless black dress with swirling ribbons running around it, a skirt that was far too short for her taste, and knee-high boots. She even had the standard pointed hat.
The outfit somehow produced a powerful defensive barrier over her, thanks to a Vow that the creator made. Part of the Vow was that it only worked properly when placed onto a woman. The other Vow was that it removed the clothes they had on before.
Whoever made the spell was a pervert. Davi respected him greatly.
"W-Why am I in this?" Susie asked. "Are you into witch girls?"
"Yes." Susie's eyes widened when she saw how close Davi was to her. Before she could react, he brought his fist back and rammed a punch directly into her face. He hit her hard enough to ram her head into the ground, the platform now sporting a large and jagged crack across it from how hard the blasts damaged it. "I also believe in gender equality, so I punched you as hard as I would a man." Davi gave her a thumbs-up.
"I hate you so much." Susie groaned out.
"Well, take it from me. Hate isn't enough sometimes." Davi's helmet bubbled and then melted into the rest of his armor, revealing his face. He held his hand out, and his sword reappeared in it, the blade being pressed to Susie's neck. "Why don't we call it here? You need to rest and heal up. You can kill me another time."
"W-Why?" Susie asked weakly. "Why'd you show me how to do that? You had to have known I'd use it to kill you? Why are you being so casual about that as well? Why aren't you just killing me like you killed my father?"
Davi's blue eyes met hers, and he stared at her with what she thought might have been pity. "I guess I'm a bit psycho." Davi lazily shrugged. "Maybe part of me feels like death is a fitting end or something I deserve. There are times when I think that it would all be a bit easier if I just gave up and died. At the very least, it would make things like stress and pain not matter anymore."
"So, then why don't you do it?" Susie glared. "Why don't you do us all a favor and kill yourself?"
"Because that isn't a favor." Davi shook his head. "And, because I think it wouldn't be right." Susie felt a bit shocked when she saw the sudden emotion that was present in those dull eyes he had. "There are so many people who are also suffering or hurting. People like you, or those girls. People who have a reason to give up. But none of you have. So how can I? Maybe it's just my cowardice, but I see these people, and I think that if they're worse off than me and still going, then don't I lack the right to give up? So I'll persevere and press on, and see what life has in store for me. Maybe things will get better, maybe they'll get worse, or maybe nothing will change, and my way of self will continue to just be. Even so, if I can put one foot in front of the other and watch these other people who all have the strength to keep going, then I will still be here and be me. It's for this reason I won't simply sit still or allow you to take my head. If you want me dead, then you also must live so that you can see it another day."
Susie's fists clenched at her side. She was still lying in a small crater of stone, more cracks spreading throughout the platform she and Davi stood on, and his blade pressed into her throat just enough to draw a thin line of blood.
"Just kill me then? I don't understand why you won't. You talk about what reason you have to keep going, but why let someone like me exist after knowing what you did? Is it guilt? Do you feel bad for murdering my father?"
Davi frowned. "Of course I do; I never feel good about taking a life, but Garon tried to take mine, so I took his."
Susie's eyes widened in shock. One of the reasons she had been so sure that Davi had murdered her father was because he said he did, and she possessed a skill that told her when someone was lying.
Davi just told the truth. Her father tried to kill him? He had been just defending himself from her father?
"Those who kill should be prepared to be killed," Davi muttered. "I killed, so I don't see anything wrong with you trying to kill me. At the end of the day, the one with more strength wins, and currently that is me, but maybe if you keep living, keep surviving, and keep growing, you'll be the stronger one, and you can claim my life. Sure, I could kill you here and now to stop that, but as for why I don't do that, it's simple. You're one of the people I also respect. I admire you a lot for making it this far."
Susie felt her world break. She felt her foundation crumble just a bit, and some of that steel in her heart melted away. "You know, this isn't going to change anything." She said quietly.
"I know." Davi gave a sad nod.
"Even if you had a reason, even if you are a person whom I might have also once respected, I just can't accept it." Susie shook her head. "You killed my father. So, I will kill you and get revenge. Knowing that, are you still fine with letting me live?"
"I am."
"Then, you understand why I have to do this." Susie brought her hands up and formed a golden orb into them. Davi's helmet formed back on to protect him, but she didn't launch the attack at him. "I win."
The orb fired, but it didn't go up. It rolled out of her hands like a ball and smashed into the platform that they stood on. Golden energy filled the cracks, and Davi's eyes widened as it exploded, and both he and Susie were plunged further into his vault.
She let out a mad cackle as she fell. "What was it you said? If I got off the platform, we'd both be dead? Well, looks like we're off it!"
A loud bird cry filled the abyss, and Susie found herself staring into an ocean of blue fire. The flames expanded and twisted, and she now stared at some mass of darkness that was hundreds of different hawk heads, all twisted and fused together, with jagged wings and talons.
More of those strange birds filled the darkness that was swallowing her deeper and deeper, and she felt an intense chill go up her spine. It was like she was in the ocean, and she was sinking straight down into the depths, only instead of a crushing force, she saw a sea of beaks, which were all opening, getting ready to devour her as she dropped and dropped.
Davi cursed and used his control over the vault to fire himself forward. He blasted out like a bullet, launching himself at Susie. His plan was to grab her and then force the entrance to be next to them so they could escape, but Susie had other plans. She knew enough about him, and so she had a feeling he'd try to rescue her.
Susie was about to reach the birds, who all cried out and were rising towards her, but before she fell into their clutches, Davi appeared before her and managed to wrap his arms around her waist.
"I got you-"
"No! I got you!" Susie jammed her hand into his stomach and fired out another orb, blasting a baseball-sized hole straight through him.
Davi felt his armor shatter, and the blast came out of his back, causing a mouthful of blood to erupt from his helm. Despite the pain he was in, he fought through it and twisted himself, shielding Susie, as he forced the door to the vault to appear, and the two of them tumbled out into the real world.
Once they were out, Davi tossed her away and grunted as he felt his blood leaking out. Susie was the worst kind of fighter, because she was like him. Someone who didn't care what happened to themselves, just as long as they could take the enemy out.
"Die… Die, die, die!" Susie began to stand back up on wobbling legs. "You have to die!"
"That's enough!" Suddenly, Susie felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind, and she nearly dropped to the ground as someone tried to tackle her down. "Please! Susie! Stop!"
Susie froze, her eyes wide and wild, and she managed to turn her head slowly. She found herself looking into Hannah's tearful eyes.
Hannah was the same age as Susie, being a young woman. She had short, chocolate brown hair, and her pale skin was peppered with white scales. Her eyes were also snake-like, being yellow and far bigger than they would have been.
"H-Hannah?" Susie breathed out. "What are you doing out of the hospital-"
"I could ask the same thing from you!" The girl's arms grew tighter around Susie. "Stop this, now!"
Susie's look grew conflicted, and she stared back at Hannah and then at Davi, who was on his feet again. By now, several guards and a majority of the town had also arrived. They had all been looking for the two of them.
"L-Let go of me, Hannah," Susie demanded, though she didn't force herself out of Hannah's embrace. "I have to kill him. I have to avenge my father!"
"He's going to kill you!" Hannah cried back, not letting go. "I don't want you to die!"
Susie shook her head. "H-He said he wouldn't! He said he respected me and that he didn't want me to die! That means I can kill him and not have to worry about my own life being taken!"
"Listen to yourself! What are you even saying, Susie? You wanted to be a Knight just like me! You were even better at it than I was! Knights don't talk about killing foes that won't fight back! That's wrong!"
"This man took my father from me! I don't care if it's wrong! He deserves to die!"
"He saved my life!" Hannah countered. "Not just mine, but all our friends! He even saved your life! If it weren't for him, I would be dead! Don't you care about me? Because if you do, you'll care that he saved me as well!"
Susie froze for a moment, and her eyes filled with more conflict. "I-I I-You're trying to manipulate me!"
"I don't want to lose you, you idiot!" Hannah was openly crying now. "If you do this, you won't be able to come back from it. You'll be branded as a criminal! This Knight might not kill you, but what about the others?"
Susie stood there for several moments, her mind racing. Her body grew rigid. "Hannah… I'm sorry." Her mana flared up, the golden energy shoving the mutant girl off of her, and Hannah crashed to the ground, letting out a cry. "Now you die!" Susie raised her arms, generated an orb the size of a small car, and fired it toward Davi.
Davi watched the orb fly toward him. Usually, he'd dodge it or cut through it, but there was an issue. There were a ton of people behind him who would be hit, and unlike in his vault, he couldn't simply control where the orb ended up, meaning if he did anything rash, the people of Daisy would die.
The guards seemed to recognize this fact also, as they rapidly threw themselves in front of the civilians, prepared to take the blast themselves. Luckily for them, they didn't have to.
"Row Shadow Vault." He had one more trick up his sleeve.
The vault opened, and from its depths something was shoved out, directly in front of him. Screams rang out when they saw a familiar snake, but it was long dead. The frozen corpse of the monster that nearly brought an end to Daisy appeared just in time to take the orb's blast. The remains shattered into bits as the explosion went off, but it managed to block it all.
Before Susie could fire another one off, Davi forced his mana into his legs and leapt forward. He raised his sword up, and his eyes met Susie's. He hadn't planned to kill her. He really didn't. When it was just between the two of them, he was okay with his life being taken, but she just endangered the entire town. "Sorry." Davi swung his sword, aiming to take out her gut.
Blood spilled out, and Davi's face paled as he stared at Hannah's face. The girl somehow managed to shield Susie with her own body.
"H-Hannah?" Susie blinked, barely processing what she was seeing. Her eyes were transfixed on Hannah's back.
"I-I just want it to end," Hannah said weakly. "This fighting. Please let it be over-" Blood erupted out of her chest and mouth as she collapsed backwards, landing in Susie's arms.
"Hannah!" Susie screamed, her eyes wide with horror. "Hannah, no! Why did you do that?! Hannah! Row Flame Feel! Row Flame Feel! Hannah! Hannah!"
Davi numbly stared down at the two girls, then glanced at the blood-soaked Storymaker. It wasn't a shallow wound. The moment Susie put her own people in danger, just like her father had, he went for the kill, but it wasn't her who received the penalty, but rather an innocent person.
He grabbed his shaking arm and put his sword away. "What did I do…"
Susie seemed to have forgotten him and kept trying to heal Hannah over and over again. One of the guards ran to get a doctor, but it didn't seem like there was much that could be done. The wounds had been deep enough to reach her organs.
Just when all hope seemed lost, a hand placed itself onto Susie's shoulder. "Move." Susie was yanked away, and Davi stared down in surprise at Alice Ward. She had returned and didn't seem to care how bloody her expensive trench coat was becoming as she placed her hand on Hannah's stomach. "Vil Light Enclosure."
A bright white light seeped out of her palm. It was so intense that everyone had to look away. The light kept growing, getting brighter and brighter, and when it finally ended, the spot that Alice touched was fully mended and healed, a jagged scar being all that remained.
Hannah's eyes shot open, and she breathed heavily, alive but terribly injured. Davi let out a sigh of relief. Alice checked the girl's pulse, then turned to Davi. "We're going to need to have a long chat."
"...Okay…"
"As for you." Alice turned to look at Susie, who was still hyperventilating. "Suits."
A meaty fist came crashing down directly onto Susie's head as Suits punched her as hard as he could and knocked the girl out.