His heart gushed out blood. He only had a couple of seconds before his life faded, but that was all he needed.
A string rushed out from his very soul as his true aspect activated.
He couldn't win, but he couldn't die yet either.
He didn't know what would happen, but he could worry about that in the future.
Instead of just grasping one missing part, he grasped everything. On the brink of death, he grasped everything that encompassed the creature.
With a greed that could rival Pearl Divers, he took everything from the abomination.
---
Brushing her silver hair out of her face, she leaned back against a large piece of coral. They were also surrounded by coral — it was a coral cave of sorts.
The "they" in question being Nephis and Cassie. Cassie's head was laid down on her lap, sharp breaths going in and out. Though she had been healed by Nephis, it seemed she was undergoing a vision. What that vision entailed, she could only hope it involved a black-haired boy.
They hadn't eaten in days due to the possibility of that creature still being outside. But there was also a chance that a black-haired boy was outside waiting for them.
Cassie couldn't keep watch due to obvious reasons, so she had had no sleep during this time. It didn't help that the echo she had was destroyed, leaving them practically defenseless.
In the end, they had little choice but to leave soon. Seeing Cassie's eyes flutter open, she decided there was no better time than now.
"Come on... let's—"
"Has Sunny come back yet..?"
Nephis bit the insides of her cheeks. Despite everything, despite the hope she held, she knew the truth.
Sunny was dead.
There was no other way to put it — they both knew when their eyes met.
Glancing at Cassie, she tried to speak.
"He is alive."
Before she could speak, Cassie's voice came before hers.
Cassie wasn't the type of person to randomly cling on to things. Well, maybe she was — but only did it in secret.
But what she did know was that Cassie was a seer.
And if Cassie had just had a vision...
Rushing out of the coral cave, holding onto Cassie's arm, Nephis ran out toward the previous battlefield.
---
The battlefield was clear; only the dried-up blood remained. Had he somehow limped away?
Suddenly, a fear overtook her body as she grabbed Cassie, jumping back. Something had shot out like a bullet, landing in the spot they were just in — the smoke clouds concealing what it was.
But before she could attempt to run, the being swept the smoke away, revealing its form.
It was shorter than Nephis but slightly taller than Cassie. Red armor encompassed its entire body, just like the previous one.
But this time, she could make out what was under the armor due to the cracks in it.
She could only mutter a name.
"Sunny..?"
Reaching out her hand at him, a spike shot out, causing her to recoil. Then she noticed how he wasn't just in armor — no, rather most of his body was replaced with the armor itself.
So that's how he lived...
Deciding to test the waters, she shot out flames at him, causing shadows to rise in a wall, blocking them. Cassie summoned a memory before throwing it in his direction. He instantly locked on her, rushing toward her halberd in hand.
Nephis shot flames at him once more, only to be met with his body grotesquely bending to kick her away.
The blow was weaker than the original creature, but nonetheless, it packed a punch. Before she could get up, Cassie was upon him, her blade summoned once more.
But instead of stabbing or slashing him, she spread her arms wide and hugged him...
No, she wasn't hugging him — she was holding him in place, even if it was for a couple of seconds. Spikes shot out, impaling her arms and legs, causing a rush of panic to flood Nephis's mind.
Shooting out flames of healing instantly, they engulfed not only Cassie but also Sunny. For the first time, a noise came from him.
That noise being a scream.
It only grazed his upper arms, though, but that was enough for Nephis to see. The parts the flames of healing had grazed had once again regained their human form.
She wasted no time rushing toward him, ignoring the spikes shooting into her body before using her taller stature to scoop him up in a hug.
And then she set herself aflame.
---
As the flames faded, two figures stood.
One — an armored, silver-haired girl.
And the other being a naked, black-haired boy.
Approaching them slowly was a blind blonde girl.
"Are you okay, Cassie? Next time, please tell me your plan. That was quite the scare."
Cassie smiled before her hand found its way to Sunny's hair, as if confirming it was him.
"I didn't have a plan. I was just hoping it worked out, and if it didn't, I would have died."
Her body recoiled from shock. Was this the weak and feeble blind girl from the academy? Or perhaps this was how Cassie had always been — this side of her hidden by her humanity. Or perhaps, just like them, she also lacked humanity but could just hide it much better.
Still, that wasn't the main issue. In her arms, the naked body of Sunny was still passed out.
For some reason, her hand instinctively went to his hair, just like Cassie's had. Petting him like he was some sort of dog, for the first time, she was glad Cassie was blind.
Because if she wasn't, she would see Changing Star's flushed face.