The Bonds Between Love and War: Part 3

The fragment melted away as a final glass-like fragment began to shine. This time, Brendan stood in the center of a fully illuminated lab room. Computer monitors aligned in rows spanned the back half of the room; large television screens were securely mounted to the walls in the front, their bright OLED displays overpowering the ceiling lights.

To his surprise, Aria was standing around a large holographic table—she looked a little older, more tired. Displayed on the table’s surface was a detailed map of latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates overlayed on a map of the Earth. In the upper right corner, a satellite feed revealed live footage of a small gas station, nestled just off a highway, though it was eerily quiet; in fact, the windows were covered in dust and the grass was beginning to grow through the rocky outcropping in the back.

“I assume you’ve done what I asked?” Ahzef’s voice came. “I’m sure you understand the importance of this task.”

“Yes. I’ve traced the landing spot of the neriolite, as requested,” Aria said. She bowed out of the way as Ahzef approached the table map. “It’s kind of almost in the middle of nowhere.”

“And the position of the girl?”

“I don’t have an exact lock on her position, yet. Apologies.”

Ahzef shrugged. “Only a minor inconvenience,” he said, dragging a virtual keyboard across the screen. “You’ve done more than enough. I’ll have Cherri prepare for her eventual arrival. You’re free to return to your room.”

Brendan crept closer to the table, anxious to get a better view of the satellite feed. Unsurprisingly, it was the same gas station where they’d lost Lacia, the catalyst for everything they were currently embroiled in. He surmised the current fragment was relaying the moments before Lacia’s abduction. Curiously, he decided to follow Aria back to her room. If anything, he wanted to know what happened next, but he also wanted to know why they’d been tracking Lacia.

With one hand on the wall, she made her way down the hall as sleep began to dominate the remaining waking minutes of her day. She jiggled the door handle, attempting to remove the final obstacle that stood between her and her bed—a monumental task for her sleep-deprived body. Her eyes rolled, but she summoned the energy needed to push through the entrance, miraculously finding the cottony comfort of her bed as sleep stole her away.

With Aria asleep, Brendan took in the familiar sights of her room, though not much had changed. The crater in the floor had vanished, but other than several different sets of medical attire, skewed across the bed comforter and desk chair in the corner, everything else remained the same except for a tiny sheet of paper covered in tallies. Was she counting the days she’d been on the ship, waiting to leave?

“You can erase the physical trauma,” he said softly, “but the mental pain never leaves you. It’s something that is etched into your soul. Ahzef may have broken her bones and fragmented her mind, two things I’ll never forgive but,” he stooped down next to her bed, whispering softly, “the way he broke your heart is something I’ll make him suffer for just as much as you did, and that’s a promise.”

The unlatching of a lock reverberated through the hall several doors down. The clatter of shoes and rush of a wheeled metal cart promptly followed suit. A couple hard knocks at her door announced the arrival of a new guest.

Aria managed to utter a half-conscious combination of “Open bed,” and, “Sleep in door.”

Cherri poked her head through the small opening. “It’s time to change shifts— What the hell happened to you?”

“Huh?” Aria mumbled, still half-asleep as she lifted her head from a drool-stained pillow. Cherri entered the room, casting Aria’s reflection through a small mirror: dark circles under her eyes, thin cheekbones, an oily complexion, and tangled, caramel hair. “Oh. Yeah, I look a little rough, I guess. Ahzef has had me in the lab for the last three days. The only sleep I’ve been able to get was a ten-minute nap yesterday when he wasn’t looking.” She briefly sniffed her clothes, wrinkling her nose. “I haven’t showered since before lab either.”

“Your hair’s a mess, too,” Cherri added. “Go take a shower, and I’ll help you with your hair when I’m done with the girl. Ahzef got lucky. He found her right next to the neriolite.”

“Lucky him,” Aria mumbled. “Are you sure you can cover for me? I’m supposed to be on duty later tonight.”

“Yes. I’ve got it covered. Go— Get cleaned up. I won’t take long.”

Aria’s voice was endearing. “Thank you, Cherri. I really appreciate this.”

“I’ll drop by when I’m finished,” she said as she waved Aria bye, a rush of black hair exiting the doorway. “Oh, and if Ahzef asks about the shift change, I have that covered, too.”

Brendan furrowed his brow. “I know Aria, and manners aren’t exactly her strong suit. The way she thanked Cherri was interesting and very unlike her. I’m kind of surprised she didn’t punch Cherri for telling her she looked like hell. Unless,” he paused, “that’s just something she did with me?” He chuckled. “Well, either way.”

Regardless, despite the brief exchange, he concluded two things: either the memory erasure by Ahzef had altered parts of her psyche and her memory fragmentation was far more subtle and complex than he realized, or the relationship between Aria and Cherri was all a façade, a show for Ahzef, but if that were the case, why? What had he threatened Aria with? Was Cherri her replacement? Was he planning to get rid of her, for her past subordination? Aria was a social butterfly for as long as Brendan had known her. While, as he’d seen, much of that had changed after the accident, it still seemed strange she was so unopposed to Cherri. He wondered how that dynamic had changed over the last couple of years, if at all.

“Lyra, or should I say, my dear Millee,” he enthused, “was a prime example of her refusal to deny someone else’s kindness towards her, but it still bothers me she duped me and Aria like that.” He walked towards the door, surprised to find he could squeeze through the small opening Cherri had left. “So then, that should mean Cherri will be in room 009, judging by the earlier sound of the lock.” The sound of a roller bed turned the corner. “Speak of the devil.”

He caught sight of Lacia, tormented by what must have been a horrible nightmare. Matted hair stuck to her sweat-drenched forehead; he’d never seen someone look so close to death before in his life. His heart sank. He felt responsible for failing to protect Lacia and Mana, having been the most adept of the three at the time. To find out that Lacia had become a plaything for Ahzef made him uneasy, but he knew, for her to endure everything she had for so long, made her the strongest out of everyone in the group. When the time came, she would be the thing that kept the world from falling apart. As the roller bed carted past him, Lacia in tow, he decided to test the limits of the memory fragment. How far could he wander, and how much of the past would he be able to see?

He watched as Cherri spoke into a small voice recorder. “009 is secured. Taking blood samples now.”

“Very good. Thank you, Cherri, but where is Aria?” Ahzef questioned as he pushed the door open.

She waited a few seconds before responding. “She said she wasn’t feeling well, and I can confirm she didn’t look good, sir.”

“Alright, well as long as 009 is in our possession, I suppose I can allow some fluidity with your schedules.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said before slipping the device back into the pocket of her pants. “Best we do this properly. Wouldn’t want Aria losing focus during such an important moment, you know?”

She finished positioning Lacia’s bed, locking the bed wheels and raising the guard rail, subsequently securing an electronic armband around her wrist. Body temperature, heart rate, and even blood oxygen levels were displayed across the center of the screen. The numbers 009 scrolled across the top like some kind of new high score at an arcade machine. With a small click, she locked the guard rails almost as if they were the bars of a prison cell—cold and steely.

“God, you look worse than Aria,” Cherri muttered. “I know I said I’d take over for her, but I really hate dealing with other people.” She groaned. “You’re whiter than snow and all scrapped up. I mean, the least that lazy…” She popped her head into the hall, making sure she was alone. “The least that lazy bastard could have done was clean you up first. All covered in dirt and dried blood… Gross.”

The device in Cherri’s pocket beeped: a memo from Ahzef. “When she’s cold enough, bring her to the lab, and I’ll do her cold-blood draws.”

Cherri drew an infrared thermometer from a side cabinet. “I lowered the thermostat, but she’s sweating like crazy. I’m not sure her body temperature will drop for a while like this…” She did a double take. Unless she was reading the thermometer wrong, Lacia’s body temperature had dropped, despite the fever. “Wait. She’s feverish, but her body temperature reflects hypothermia rather than infection.” Another chirp from her pocket made her roll her eyes. “Ahzef again. Just can’t let me do things my way.”

“Please bring 009 to the lab immediately. I think we’ve stumbled upon something very fascinating.” The device fell silent once more.

“Are you for real right now? I just got her in here and locked the bed in place. What does he want me to do? Push her all the way up the hall and back again?” She groaned. “I walked into this one, I guess.” She rolled Lacia out of the room and came face to face with Aria. “I’m almost done, and then I’ll stop by your room, ok?” she said, pushing past her.

“That’s fine, but something doesn’t feel right, Cherri,” Aria said nervously.

She stopped. “What do you mean?”

Aria pursed her lips. “Mmm… I don’t know how to describe it exactly, but it’s kind of like when you’re in a thunderstorm, and you can feel the pressure drop. Something is happening.”

Cherri placed a hand on her hip as she looked Aria up and down. “You’re probably just exhausted,” she said, pushing her bangs up to check her temperature with her hand. “Do you feel warm?”

“I’m serious, Cherri,” she pleaded. “What we’re doing, it doesn’t feel right for some reason.”

“I think it’s your fever talking, Aria.” She angled a thermometer at her forehead before turning it around for her to see. “You’re running a 38-degree temperature—102 Fahrenheit. Go back to bed and rest. We can do your hair another day.”

“But— Cher!”

“Look, Ari,” she whispered. “There’s no doubt this is some super sketch stuff, but crossing Ahzef would be a mistake. Go. Back. To. Bed.”

Reluctantly, Aria hauled herself back towards her room. “I get that, but I still don’t feel good about this,” she said, stopping just outside the door.

Cherri sighed. “It’s been four years and you’re still like this. When will you learn, Ari? Questions are your worst enemy here.” She pointed Lacia’s bed back up the hallway. “Get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you later.” Lacia and Cherri disappeared behind a set of double doors leading back to the lab.

“This is news,” Brendan noted. “Lacia reacts adversely to neriolite, the same stone we talked about back at Madam Lucero’s shop.” The puzzle in his mind finally had one more piece. “But no one knows why she reacts adversely. I get the feeling this is a Millee question, too.”

He walked back into Aria’s room to find her scribbling away on a sheet of paper, a drawing of some sort. A large sphere near the top was labeled Earth and another next to it was labeled with a series of question marks. Below the two was a rectangular polygon that had been lightly shaded. Several labels were attached to it: Underworld, Dimension X, Reverse Earth.

“Cherri knows something, but what? Their conversation sparked something in her—she wouldn’t be drawing this, otherwise,” Brendan said, leaning over her shoulder to get a better view. “She’s got Earth right, and I’m sure the sphere next to Earth is Chiipha. More than likely, this rectangular piece is the Reverse World, but how would she even figure any of that out to begin with?”

The third memory fragment pivoted. This time, Brendan found himself inside an operating room. At the helm was a man he didn’t recognize, dressed in a blue surgical gown and gloves—likely the head doctor or some surgeon. Aria stood off to the side, out of the way, donning a surgical mask, gown, and gloves—a very hospital-like attire. Despite her collected appearance, her mind was probably in overdrive; she’d figured something out, as was evident by her drawings. But what?

“I knew it!” Brendan jumped at the sound of her voice. He quickly realized he was hearing her thoughts again. “Those ragged journals were good for something, after all.”

“She still remembers the journals, but not the accident, or why she’s even here in the first place? Just how precise was Ahzef in erasing certain memories?” Brendan wondered aloud. Based upon Aria’s own realization, he didn’t have to guess who was on the operating table. “There was something about Lacia that had Ahzef so fascinated and still does. The neriolite almost certainly has a role to play in all of this, but what role is it?”

Aria’s thoughts continued. “Her wound is from a foreign object that she had zero access to on this ship, which means that what I felt yesterday wasn’t from a fever. Her physical body remained here, but her soul left and inhabited another version of herself. At least, it was probably something like that, anyways.”

“Retrieval nets and scope, please,” the surgeon called.

Aria handed him an endoscopic device and small concave net. “She definitely didn’t go anywhere here on Earth. It’s far more likely she crossed a dimensional parallel to another world entirely.” Moments later, she had an epiphany “That’s it! I remember what that place was called, in those journals. One of the essays talked about a place parallel to Earth called Chiipha, but I never would have thought travel between the two worlds was possible!”

Without warning, Millee’s face came within inches of Brendan’s as her hair dangled to the floor. She hung upside-down from the ceiling lights like a child from a set of monkey bars. Her eyes glittered with excitement, eager to share some new piece of information with him.

“Hello again! Hope you didn’t miss me too much.”

Brendan closed his eyes and shook his head, smiling. “We’re going to have to have a serious talk about this little-girl-behavior of yours when all is said and done.”

“Did you just call me a little girl? I’m a radiant twenty-two years of age, thank you,” she retorted.

“Yes, and I love that for you, but how about you explain why you just randomly decided to drop in?”

“Oh, yeah.” Her face reminded him of the students in his Algebra 2 class back in high school; they’d find themselves stumped on a seemingly impossible-to-solve equation for half the class before eventually solving the problem. “I came to tell you there’s one more pivot coming but be careful about venturing too far out of the memory sequence. While you do have some free reign, too much moving around could alert Ahzef to our presence.”

“Late to tell me the important things as always,” he sighed. “Alrighty then, let’s suppose he figures us out—that we’re digging around in Aria’s past. What happens then?” He smoothed his hand over the ribbon-blade, caressing the silken, but deadly, fabric.

“We’d have no choice other than to fight. But, Brendan,” she cautioned, “Ahzef is much more powerful than even I realized. Using the power of the Holy Grail might be the one advantage we have, or whatever the grail actually is, but don’t fall back on it.” She twirled down from the light. “The grail legend is that it can be anything of the wielder’s choosing. Therefore, they should choose wisely, but whatever it is now is… different. We don’t know anything about that weapon of yours.”

“Well, let’s say, for a minute, we don’t win. What’s our plan B?” he countered.

She looked him straight in the eyes. “Brendan. There is no plan B.” He opened his mouth to speak but Millee put her hand up. “Let me put it to you this way: if plan A fails, plan B is praying for a miracle.” She snapped her fingers, pausing the memory fragment.

He looked away. “From what I’ve gathered over the last two years, the devils are after something that requires the power of both Earth and Chiipha’s princess. If only we knew what that something was,” he said. “Ahzef wants to rewrite the world. Mikaun wasn’t lying about that, but that’s not the end-goal. So, what is? Especially if we’re dealing with primordial goddesses.”

“Your friend, Licht, is way more versed in this stuff than me, and I believe he has a certain book that might just have the answers we’re looking for.”

The hair on the back of Brendan’s neck stood up. Without hesitation, he constructed a large shield of mana, its orange glow ironically soothing. It was only for a split second, but something had changed. Not only had the pressure in the room dropped, but it was also growing colder by the second.

“I know you said no plan B,” he shouted, “but we have company, and not the good kind. Like the in-laws kind.”

“What are you talking—”

A barrage of dark energy blasted the shield as multiple orb-like objects attempted to burrow their way through. The orbs exploded with tremendous force as they collided with the shield’s magical barrier, the collision between the two opposing forces disrupting the memory fragment like creases in paper. Each new explosion only added more creases, threatening its integrity. The shield would hold, but anything more powerful than what was currently being lodged at him and it would shatter like stained glass.

At first, it seemed strange that, albeit powerful, the orbs weren’t causing any direct harm; in fact, as his mana ebbed into the shield, it almost felt too easy. Only a devil could volley such powerful, malevolent attacks, and in such frequent succession, so why weren’t they pressing him more? It wasn’t until his shoes squeaked against the linoleum floor that he realized what was happening: he was being forced into the back wall. He needed room to move, but if he was pinned between the shield and the wall, he would be unable to counter any future, more powerful attacks—there was also Millee to worry about.

“I can take maybe two more of those before this shield starts to crack. I can’t funnel mana into this thing forever. We definitely won’t leave here alive like that. Tell me you have a plan C or something, because we have maybe a minute before I’m against the wall, and I don’t see any miracles around.”

“Working on it, but I’m a bit low on mana after teleporting you and Aria,” she said, hands arcing in large swoops. Letters burned in the air, a haphazard teleportation spell, before dying out moments later. “Ugh! I don’t have enough mana for another spell like that! What we really need is a change of scenery. We can’t fight here, or we run the risk of corrupting the memory fragments! Long story short, if a memory fragment becomes corrupted, it becomes unusable—a twisted, nightmarish alteration of the original copy.”

Brendan gritted his teeth, temporarily discharging the shield. A shadow-cloaked spear whizzed past his head, just grazing his ear; he could feel the trickle of warm blood drip down the side of his neck. While Ahzef’s bloodlust offered a non-magical means of detection, it was only so effective, and it lacked the same algorithmic-like prediction that actual magic-based detection had. He knew Millee was right: they needed space, way more than what the cramped operating room could offer. He ran his fingers through his hair as he pushed his bangs out of his eyes. Copious amounts of oxygen flooded his lungs as he took a sharp breath.

“You boys and your long hair. You never know what to do with it or when to cut it.” She ran over, quickly pinning his hair back with a spare clip. “Now find us somewhere else to be, and I’ll find a way to get us there!”

“Oh yeah—that’s way better. Thanks for that,” he grinned. “But why did you have a spare clip on you?”

“More thinking, less talking.” An idea crossed her face. “Wait. Brendan, use a mana tag! When I move, I’m taking Ahzef with me, but I won’t be able to bring you with me right away. The mana tag will allow you to follow us using your own mana, later.” She frowned. “I only have enough mana to teleport one person right now, and seeing as Ahzef is after both princesses, he’ll follow me before he does you—I can’t take all three of us at once.”

“That’s such a stupid ass idea, but it’s just like you—the girl always putting others before herself.” He rolled his eyes, reactivating the shield with a final push of mana. “If you only have enough to teleport yourself, how are you expecting that damn devil to know where you’re going, and how are you planning on going from zero to one hundred with your mana?”

“As Chiipha’s princess, I have a naturally higher affinity for magic, so I can store more. While I don’t like to tap into my reserves, I don’t really have a choice. If I deplete all of my magic… If I don’t take him with me, or at least give him hints on how to find me, and we all die, that means no more hot dates, all-nighters in the local arcades, and—”

“Right,” he chuckled. She’d already moved onto food—something about a homemade red sauce over corn. “I’m not particularly hungry, but that sounds both enticing and deadly. And here I thought I was the one being ordered around.” He shot a small mana-filled arrow of pure light into the fabric of her hoodie. “You’re tagged. Now, get going. Head to the Chiipha desert where Aria is. She can back you up until I arrive, but it’ll be a minute before the tag sends me your location, so be careful.”

She nodded, promptly attempting to provoke Ahzef. “Hey,” she shouted, “let’s say we take this party somewhere else. What do you say Mr. Devil?”

“You’re full of yourself, Princess. Return Aria to me, and I’ll let you both off with a painless death. Well, not you. I’ll take pleasure in skinning you alive and using your crushed bones as seasoning for my end-of-the-world meal.”

Ahzef walked through the open doorway, but his appearance differed from what Brendan was used to: his hair had been slicked back, and he’d swapped the pressed suit from the Gila border gate for what looked to be an unwashed pullover and tattered pants as black as the shadows that poured from behind him. Moreover, the bags under his eyes and scowl across his forehead warranted a tired look. If anything, he looked like he’d been trying to wrangle a bunch of unruly children to no avail.

“Tch. So… It looks like we were worried about the wrong you,” Brendan said. “No bother. You look pretty worn out, pal. Not sure you’re up for what’s next.”

Ahzef lunged towards Brendan at such velocity Millee’s eyes couldn’t keep up, but it wasn’t the devil’s speed that astounded her—it was Brendan’s masterful focus. His eyes followed every move the devil made, parrying every shadow-like blade with his own ribbon-blade; he could move the blade’s ribbons at-will, successfully negating every attack that came within six inches of his body. Not only that, but he’d also regained the ground he lost from Ahzef’s earlier attacks; the tide had changed—he was the one forcing Ahzef back now.

Mille was in awe. The boy that stood before her had so much newfound confidence, and the way he held himself was so graceful and full of poise. His movements were as fluid as water, lacking any and all rigidity. His mana soared, flourishingly elegant and rich. Every parry, every attack he managed to negate, was precise, creating openings in Ahzef’s own defenses. He could counterattack at any time, but he didn’t—he was in complete control of who attacked and when. For a second, she thought she felt her heart flutter—she’d never seen anyone with such command, and it sent her heart and mind into overdrive—she almost didn’t recognize him.

“You’re too slow.” Brendan held Ahzef’s bony fingers back with just a finger of his own. He grabbed the devil by the throat, slamming him into the ground as he followed up with a stout kick to the chest. “That’s for Aria, and she’s not your property,” he seethed.

A booming chuckle thundered from Ahzef’s throat. “I felt that! Very well! Let’s—”

Brendan unsheathed the remainder of the ribbon balde for less than a second, somewhere around the time it took for Millee to blink. A rush of wind forced her own feet to slide across the floor and into the back wall. The overwhelming force of Brenda’s movements displaced so much matter around him the air crackled.

“Mille, now!”

Magical energy turned the hair on the back of her neck into static-like needles, heralding the arrival of a powerful spell. Clasping her hands together, she conjured the magic between her fingers as it streamed from their tips like water. A silver pool began to shimmer in the air in front of her, sloshing around as the magic fed off her mind, recreating a near-image of the present. So long as time had not moved too much in the present day, she could contain Ahzef to the barren desert while she waited for Brendan to join her—a grueling wait, considering she was still replenishing her mana from the earlier teleportation. Still, she estimated she had about five minutes worth of mana if she had to go all-out.

“A shame. I’ll have to see how open Aria is to filling Brendan in on the rest of the details of this final memory fragment. If she remembers.” She unclasped her hands, sending a warm surge of magic through the air. “Now, reveal the present to me.”

Desert browns grew increasingly saturated as the desert, fuzzy at first, came into view. Lesser amounts of yellow and orange filtered into the magic-pool, blips against a moonless night. She exhaled sharply, relieved to find the present still intact. Filtering a little more magic into the pool, it became a mirror image of the desert where she’d found Brendan. The sandstorm was still rampant, but it had lessened enough to reveal the occasional glimpse of a starry sky—the weather was clearing just in time.

Without hesitation, she funneled the energy from the storm, combining her magic with the entropy of the world. The saturated colors suddenly faded to stripped-down versions of white and grey as both the portal and memory fragment resembled a comic panel: thinning black outlines and white space. Chaotic entropy and rich magic energy collided, an electric surge overtaking the room as outlines grew more intense before the white space transformed everything into an empty white panel void of information. A deafening crack tore through the memory fragment and the portal, sound bleeding through the dimensions like thunder through the walls of a house.

Millee’s spell was powerful—so powerful a small trickle of blood dripped from Brendan’s ears as he pressed the hair on his arms down. He could still feel the lingering static in the air, sparks popping around him like blue fireflies.

“God— She has an incredible amount of power. Like, that’s actually crazy.” With Millee and Ahzef gone, he took a moment to catch his breath and replenish some mana. “These girls are going places, I swear. We would be completely lost without them. Like, there’s no way I’d ever have the power to perform such high-level magic.” He cracked his knuckles, smirking. “Or so I say. Either way, just another minute before it’s my turn to show off.”

***

After what felt like eternity, Mille finally dug her toes into the warm, Chiiphan sand, frowning. The sensation of sand trapped between her toes, having burrowed into her shoes, was unpleasant as she quickly took them off, sending them to some unseen magical storage. Ahzef should have followed her—as long as she’d cast the spell correctly. A moment later, the soft thud of a body hitting the sand eased her fears—she did, indeed, manage to bring the devil along.

“I wouldn’t have been able to bring him here without your help, Brendan,” she mumbled. “Thank you…” Sand swirled at her feet, excited by the presence of her mana as it permeated the environment around her. “I didn’t want to intervene the way I did, but I can’t think of a better way to start putting the pieces of this little group together again.” With a loud clap, the same battering sandstorm from earlier finally ceased, revealing dark thunderclouds overhead. “I am so tired of sandstorms. If it’s going to rain storm, so be it. I can fight him in the mud, but before I do that… Aria, Brendan is trusting us to play with Ahzef for a bit. Think you could back me up?”

As expected, Aria’s head rose above a nearby dune several feet to her right. Her face and hair were plastered by a thin layer of sand as it subsequently poured from her clothes like a wet rag. She wiped the sand from her face before turning to face Millee with a somewhat disdainful frown.

“Sorry, bestie. I know I have some explaining to do, and letting Brendan into your memories probably wasn’t a fun way to remember those repressed feelings, but—”

“It’s fine,” Aria said, sighing. “Since the two of you have me at a crossroads, I think it’s time I make a decision, anyways.” She had two choices: either keep running from the past she’d forced into her unconscious mind or walk headlong into the future—no matter how uncertain. She brushed what remaining sand she could from her clothes. “These tears of pain and sadness won’t define my life any longer. They can’t. There are people I care about, and running from the past only hurts everyone.”

A faint, white light embellished her figure as she allowed her own mana to surge. An outfit of artful rebellion emerged from the radiance, bold and expressive with a striking hairstyle change to top the look off: messy, caramel waves caressed her back, falling even with the back of her right leg in an elongated ponytail. Held up by an ornate hairbow and associated pins, the fiery red and black accessory struck a delicate balance between passionate emotions and the darkness of the past. She allowed her bangs to hide her forehead, with a little extra length on the left side falling even with her neck. Red and black armband-like sleeves dangled from her wrists, caressed by the wind like forgotten memories.

A bandage-look crop-top precariously revealed her midriff without worry with a similar asymmetrical skirt wrapped around her hips, held together by an oversized waist cape that came together via a similar oversized bow in the back. Saturated with the same sunset red, midnight black, and an embroidered, white floral patterning, its length lightly brushed the back of her ankle. A pair of black, asymmetrical thigh-highs hugged her legs, held by white holds-ups—even her sandals defied her usual modesty, straps winding around her ankles and across the arches of her feet.

Twisting around, she admired the fluidity and vulnerability of her new outfit. “Pull yourself up and look at me, Ahzef. Do you see this?” She wove her hands across her body. “This outfit represents the new me, one that is able to live with her past despite the grueling years you took advantage of. I’m not afraid anymore, and I want the boldness of this outfit to symbolize that.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ll become the heroine of my own story, and that starts with making you beg for the mercy you won’t receive. All those years of suffering, I’m going to make you feel every last ounce of grief you caused me and Lacia!”

“Inspiring!” Millee quietly cheered. “She’s chewing him up and spitting him out!”

Ahzef rolled over onto his side, having listened to Aria’s speech on his back. “Does the pitiful little girl I picked up, so desperate for a do-over, think she can match me, the Reverse Royalty’s strongest?” Ahzef broke out into hysterical laughter. “That’s—”

“Man, that was a good one, huh? I didn’t know you devils were such comedians,” Brendan said, matching Ahzef’s fit of hysteria. “To think that she’s not about to absolutely tear you to shreds is hilarious.” He gave the devil a surprise pat on the back.

Ahzef leapt back, momentarily oblivious to Brendan’s sudden presence. “When did you get here?” he growled. “I was on my way to wring that other boy’s neck, the one who stole my other princess with some strange magic, before you and that other girl intervened. But since you decided to meddle where you don’t belong—”

“You’re so full of helpful information,” Brendan joked, interrupting the devil. “It’s too bad Aria’s about to blow your ass to pieces.” His voice was as sharp as a knife, cutting through Aria and Millee like soft butter. It was brief, but he saw Ahzef flinch. “And,” he whispered, “she won’t be alone this time.”

“Lyra— Err… Millee, I expect an explanation after I obliterate him like I did Lucifero, the, uh, first time,” Aria said awkwardly. “Until then, will you and Brendan lend me a hand with this?”

“Ask him yourself, misses ma’am,” Millee winked. “Unfortunately, I’m low on mana or I’d give you a boost. I need to collect Licht, Lacia, and Mana still, too. Seeing as Ahzef doesn’t seem to know who I am yet, it’s best I take this time to recover my mana and find everyone else.”

“We’ll hold him as long as we can, so don’t worry,” Brendan said, easing her fears.

Aria nodded in agreement. “Someone needs to find the other three, you’re right.” She looked Millee in the eyes. “I’m a lot stronger than what I was two years ago. Brendan and I will buy you as much time as you nee—”

Brendan pulled her in for a long, overdue hug, interrupting the conversation, as he apologized profusely. He felt awful, having left her behind in the sandstorm but, most of all, he regretted not chasing after her when she was hurting the most. After witnessing the darkest days of her past, of the girl he loved, he wasn’t sure how he could ever make up for his failure to keep her head above water.

“Aria, I’m so sorry I’m left you alone back then, but I will gladly fight by your side now—no matter who or what stands before us,” he said, releasing the hug “I’ll make it up to you with an all-expenses-paid shopping spree. Promise.”

Aria tried to stifle her laughter, but she wasn’t sure how she felt: happy, confused, regretful—maybe a little touched by his sincerity? Everything was starting to make sense, though. She knew how she felt about him and, now, she knew how he felt about her. Before she realized it, she was grabbing his hands, pulling him back in for a reciprocal hug.

“I’m still your favorite little spender. That makes me happy,” she smiled, rubbing his back. “But this girl’s heart isn’t so easily swayed. Not anymore. You’ll have to do better than a star-lit café and shopping spree,” she teased.

“You guys are too cute. Thanks for letting me see that,” Mille blushed, keeping a watchful eye on Ahzef who seemed ready to die from boredom. “While you laze in those warm sands, Ahzef, I hope you’re ready for what’s coming,” she warned. “As Chiipha’s princess, I have a duty to protect Earth’s until she’s ready. This is your only warning. If you or Azael interfere with me again, I promise you’ll wish you hadn’t.”

“Such big words for such a little girl,” the devil taunted. “Did you mean to tell me you were the catch I was looking for?” he said, rising to his feet. A rabid glee filled his eyes. “This game of tag has just grown more exciting!”

She shot him a stare full of hatred and animosity. “I gave it some thought,” she replied, “and decided I’d tell you, but I’m not an easy catch. I bite—hard. It’s advantageous to me to tell you, now that you know who you’re up against.” She turned her attention back to Aria and Brendan. “I’m putting my faith in you two until I return. If you find yourselves in trouble, just ask for me. I’ll hear you, no matter where I am, but try to buy as much time as possible.”

Aria released her embrace, subsequently giving Millee an even tighter hug. “You’ll never know how thankful I am for that day at the library. Go get everyone back for us, you hear me?” She’d tackled her to the ground as her tears splashed onto her cheeks. “I don’t why I have to cry every time we meet,” she laughed, “but at least these are happy tears.”

She patted Aria’s head. “Is this the part where I tell you don’t cry? Don’t worry about me. I’ll find the other three and be right back here to help you finish Ahzef off, okay? Besides, I think a certain someone needed to come to terms with himself, hence why I showed him what I did.”

Aria sniffled. “Thanks, Millee. Don’t forget, when you get back, you have a lot of explaining to do,” she said, smiling through tears.

“I know. You’ll get the whole story, I promise.”

Aria pulled herself off Millee as she wiped her tears from both of their cheeks. Brendan nodded, giving her a thumbs up as Aria waved her off, happy she got to reunite with someone who had been more than a friend when she needed it most.

“Good luck, you two.”

With that, she vanished through a wind-whipped vortex of sand. “If we get rid of you,” Brendan said, threatening Ahzef once more, “we put an end to Nertiia’s revival, but first, venue change.”

“What do you mean ‘venue change’? I see no reason to move when the two of you will be dead within five minutes. Besides,” he said, “I think I’m going to chase the princess, seeing as she’ll lead me right to the other—”

Brendan grabbed Ahzef by the throat as he flung the devil into the horizon. “I think there’s a flatter field out that way… Somewhere,” he laughed. “I really just need out of this damn desert. It’s going to be much harder to take him without level footing.”

“You’re telling me,” Aria said, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, you’re about to see a side of me I know you haven’t seen. That devil is mine.”