Establishing a Plan

Annie nodded, smiling. Her reaction immediately drew a further response from Euwelyn, who thought the news wasn't being taken seriously.

"I-I mean it." Euwelyn turned her head away, her heart breaking as she broke the news. "In less than 7 days, you will depart from this world."

"Well, we'd best make those days count then," was Annie's spirited reply. "We've not a moment to waste, no?"

Euwelyn shook her head, unable to hide her shock. "Are you serious? Wh-What about the life you've lived? The people you've met? There's no way this is enough time to say goodbye to everything, to find closure in the things you've done! How can you be so calm about this?"

"Dear..." Annie took a moment, trying to find the right words. "When you've lived as long as I have, you learn that not everything will have a proper ending. I'm lucky to have been able to say my goodbyes properly when I left my old life behind, and I'd be happy if I got the same chance here."

Euwelyn couldn't tell who was comforting who at this point. So often, she was the one comforting somebody on their deathbed that it was difficult to process that she was the one in need of comfort now. She took a deep breath and heard it shaking, then started to cry.

"M-Miss Smith, I-I... I don't want you to leave. We've... Spent so much time together in these past few days in the town. I can't, not so soon after we met, I-I... I've already come to look up to you, it's not easy to just...!"

Annie smiled solemnly, leaning forward and hugging Euwelyn. The witch accepted the hug immediately, wrapping her arms around Annie as she started to cry. "There, there," Annie said with a soft hum. "It's alright, go ahead and let it all out...."

After a few minutes of crying, Euwelyn managed to make herself stop. It wasn't fair to anybody, but that didn't change the situation. They had to operate quickly, especially if they were to make good on their plan.

"S-So," Euwelyn managed after a sniffle, "do you... Still want to go through with the plan?"

Annie didn't hesitate. "Of course. If anything, I want to make sure it happens now."

Euwelyn nodded in return. "I commend your bravery, Miss Smith."

"Now, how is Lilin doing?"

"Lilin? I removed the needles, but she hasn't gotten up yet. I'm worried she hasn't recovered."

Annie nodded. As the two of them started to walk towards Lilin's room, Annie thought to herself. She wanted to make a request, but she knew it was selfish. In the time she had left, she didn't want to spend it finding out how Lilin would react to news of her looming death. As much as he knew she should tell Lilin, she made a request.

"Could you please spare her from the news, Euwelyn? I don't want her to hurt any more than she needs to."

Lilin was laying in the same place as before, in the same position as before. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't looking at anything. She simply stared at the ceiling, contemplating. She had felt bad before, but now? She was miserable.

"Hello, dear," Annie said with a smile as she entered the room. She quickly took a seat beside Lilin's bed, feeling her forehead as if to check for a fever.

Lilin broke her deep silence with simply a "hey." Annie couldn't see any anger or malice in her eyes, so she assumed she must be deep in thought.

"Dear... Would you like to hear more about the plan before you give an answer?" Annie asked, gently brushing Lilin's dark hair back and out of her face.

"Sure."

Annie turned to Euwelyn, prompting her to explain.

"So... As you both surely know, the throne is the source of the Demon King's power. Or, more accurately, it's what he uses to store the Mana he is constantly draining from the skies. We need to lure him out of that room. I can handle that, and the other Generals can-"

"Other generals?" Lilin asked, her expression livening up quite a bit. "Is the Fire General going to be there?"

"Absolutely," Euwelyn said before continuing. "I can deliver messages between my Clay Constructs, and there's bound to be one near the Air General. Once he's informed about the plan, he will contact the other Generals in secret. Any of the Four Generals of sound mind will join us, and I imagine that Hinata would be more than happy to assist."

"Hell yeah!" Lilin said.

"Goodness, I take it you were close?" Annie asked.

"Yeah! Remember how I told you a traveler taught me to swear? I fuckin' lied, Hinata did."

Annie sighed, but couldn't hide a smile. She had never been one much for profanities, but seeing Lilin re-energize so suddenly made her happy. If she were here longer, she'd teach her not to be such a pottymouth....

Euwelyn cleared her throat, getting everybody's attention before continuing. "Now, what's important for you two to know is that I will be leading a frontal assault with me and the other clay constructs. I will do this in the hopes that the King will leave the throne to do away with me. That will leave the throne open for you, Lilin. You need to absorb the Mana so that the King cannot use it."

Lilin stared blankly at Euwelyn, then chuckled. "Nice one."

When her laugh was ignored, realization slowly dawned on her. They were dead serious, and this was actually the plan. She laughed nervously, the reality of her need to betray her father hard to accept. She had asked specifically not to fight her father, and technically speaking she might be able to avoid it by just making off with the Mana, but... She wasn't sure she could absorb that much Mana in the first place.

"Well, like... I COULD do that, but... There's a reason he's storing it all in the throne, you know? It's not just something that somebody can just... Take like that."

Euwelyn nodded. "Precisely. Because you are demonic, you have a more compatible Core than most others. It would be substantially easier for you to withstand such a massive amount of Mana than if I were to do it- or, Aramasa forbid, if Annie did it."

Lilin's gaze fell to the floor, a shadow crossing her features. "I-I... Yeah, but...."

Annie nodded, placing a hand on the bed. "Is it that you're still unsure about this because of your father?"

Lilin sighed. She could deny it, but there wasn't a point. She looked at Annie's hand as she slowly formulated a response.
"Yeah," she said slowly. "I mean... I knew you'd be asking me to betray him, but... I was hoping I wouldn't be that big of a part of it all."

Annie nodded again, leaning forward now. "Dear, I can't ask you to fight your father, but the throne seems like something that we can't win without taking care of. Do you think somebody else could do it? Maybe Six?"

Lilin shook her head. "It wouldn't change anything if we made somebody else do it. I'd still be the person who made them do it. Besides... My dad probably thought of somebody absorbing it while he was gone for a bit, so he probably tailored the Mana to be really hard for anybody except him. Since he and I share the Blood Core type, I...."

Her sentence trailed off, but the implication was obvious. Lilin was the only person who could do this. Annie nodded, taking a deep breath herself.
"Well, dear... That part of the plan comes later. When we return to the castle, we have to make sure that we take care of anybody who might bar us from the throne room in that moment. I think many of the people there would be willing to join us and not bar us from the throne room."

Lilin nodded, still half-scowling as she mulled it over. "I... I don't know. This is all just... So much, and...."

Euwelyn glared at Lilin. "Lilin, I know there's a lot on the table for you, but please, think of all the people. You've seen the suffering here for yourself, and this is our chance to finally end that suffering. I need your help- They need your help, Lilin."

Lilin looked at Annie, her scowl turning to a nervous frown as she searched for an answer there. Annie slowly slid her hand over Lilin's, then squeezed tight.
"Dear," she said slowly, "I can't decide for you. But I promise, I'll be there for you all the way."

Finally, Lilin's heart cracked. Long shrouded in darkness, a beam of light finally touched her heart. Her resolve wasn't all there, but her heart was finally in it. She squeezed Annie's hand in return, then turned to Euwelyn.

"Fine. I'll do it- but only because I'll see Hinata again. If he's out, I'm out."