Author's Note: Finally! I finally got this chapter done! As usual, the culprit was copious amounts of schoolwork and no shortage of errands to run. But you're not really interested in that now, are you? Very well, without further ado, I present to you this latest chapter!

Chapter 11: Time is of the Essence

"You're lying!" The flame-haired youth shouted those words louder than anything I've ever heard him say before. "There's no way she'd do something like that! I know her! We know her! She's not the type to just up and leave! Admit it! You're the one keeping her locked away!"

"I have already told you: this was her decision. I had no say in the matter."

I could tell that every one of us believed the exact same thing Slash did. Myself especially, ever since Raina spoke to me through that dream.

"Slash is right! She'd never do such a thing! Not if she had a choice!"

"And what makes you all so confident of this? The time you've spent together? In case you've forgotten, I am a part of her family. I have known her for longer than all of you combined! Not to mention, I was actually there. What makes you think you know anything?"

There was a few tense chilling moments of silence. I decided to be the one to break it.

"…I know… because she told me as much."

Bewildered by what I just said, JJ inquired, "She told you, Azure? How is that even possible?"

"I didn't know how to tell you all this before but, last night, Raina spoke to me in a dream. She told me that someone was isolating her. She told me that she wanted to escape. She told me she wanted to see us again!"

"…A dream you say? I should have known." The steel-clad figure turned her head towards Wildfire's mayor. "I recall from one of Lily's reports that you invented a dream-manipulating machine in the past, am I correct?"

"…Yeah, I did. What about?"

"I myself was working on a similar project at around the same time. And I must commend your work, even if your motives at the time were… questionable… But now is not the time to dwell on that. Dream research was but one of the many fields I chose to utilize my scientific prowess. I kept none of it secret, for I did not see a real need to. But apparently, that course of action ended up working against me." She redirected her gaze toward me. "Judging from your experience, Raina must have contacted you from her dreams to give you this message, using my machine."

At last, I finally knew how she contacted me, both yesterday, and the night I first met her. "So now, will you finally admit that you're the one isolating her!"

The mechanically-suited figure raised her voice in rage. "For the last time, I am not keeping her confined! I am merely her guardian! As I have said, she is doing this of her own volition!" Elsa took a deep breath to regain her composure. "…You are right about one thing, though. The Raina I know would not even consider doing this. However, this is not the same person we are dealing with. I reiterate: ever since meeting that love-crazed stalker, she has changed. With this is mind, ponder for a moment: What if she said to you only what you wanted to hear?"

More restless silence followed while I considered her words. I had no intention of allowing any doubts to arise, but the steel-clad entity was making some potentially valid points. Could it really be that the girl of my dreams tricked me? And if so, why would she resort to this deception? I found it hard to swallow that Raina would do all this, but everything started to point toward just that… It was then I came to a conclusion.

"…Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not sure what to believe right now. I can't say with 100% certainty what the truth is… But I have no doubts about one thing: regardless of what the circumstances are, we can't turn back now! We're her friends!"

Every single one of us shouted in approval while Elsa simply just crossed her arms.

"So, I take it you all will not leave here? …I suppose it cannot be helped then. If you refuse to leave, you must be dealt with! You may be the people she calls friends, but I cannot afford to take any more chances! Drastic measures shall hereby be taken!" Immediately, her right arm transformed into the shape of a cannon. A cannon that pointed at us.

"Hey, you hypocrite! Did you forget about all that stuff you told me about destroying the town?! You'll obliterate the place!"

"Silence, Lily! Unlike you, I know exactly what I am doing! That said, I would advise you to stay out of my way, for I cannot guarantee your safety if you remain!" The flowery-garbed girl flew away in another gust of wind, as a bright ball of light formed at the end of Elsa's weapon. "As for you interlopers, I cannot allow these past events to repeat themselves! Since you at present are a threat to what I hold dear, I have no choice but to send you all… into the future with science!"

Though that last line struck me as strange, there was no time to spare a thought for it. We each doveout of the way of the blast just in the nick of time. Following the line of fire, I managed to spot one of the several leafless trees in the vicinity behind me. In lieu of the usual bare branches was a semi-circular gouge half way up the trunk. The rest was completely gone, vanished without a trace.

"Woah! Ya really aren't messin' around, are ya!"

A few more shots were fired at us, each one harder to avoid than the last. But all this dodging would get us nowhere. All of us charged forth, blades in hand, with the exception of Tiger, who was apparently very proficient in martial arts; she crouched down and went for a flying kick. Despite our simultaneous assault, the mechanically-suited figure just stood there, not making any attempts to dodge our four-pronged attack. It soon became very clear there was no need to.

CLANG!

Not a single scratch, thanks to the armor. A brief second of stillness then hung in the air, before a menacing whirring noise sounded, a metallic prelude to a giant shockwave. In the next instant, I could feel a sharp jolt travel all throughout my body, as I flew back several feet.

"My, my, such primitive attempts of warfare. This is your attempt of getting past me? I am disappointed. Disappointed that my dear niece would befriend such simpletons as your lot! Now, begone!"

Lifting my head, I managed to see the steel-clad entity charge up her arm cannon, its luminous projectile aimed straight at our silver-haired comrade.

"Look out!"

…Tried as we did, our warnings were to no avail. The shot was fired and Tiger vanished instantly.

"TIGEEEEEEEEER! What did you do, Elsa?!" My normally mellow friend's voice was steeped in panic and rage as he said those words.

"Can you not tell? I have gotten her out of my way. And you are next!"

The mechanically-suited figure charged up her weapon once again. But we weren't about to let her make another one of us disappear. The three of us charged ahead a second time in an attempt to stop her. With his block-tipped broadsword, JJ swung multiple times at the helmet of the steel-clad gunner. At the same time, I rushed forward in complete synchronization with Slash, mounting as quick an assault as we could. Elsa didn't seem to suffer any significant damage as we did so, but was forced to adopt a defensive stance. It looked to be a losing battle, but as long as we kept her from firing that arm cannon of hers, we may actually stand a chance at victory. Well, that, and provided that electrical blast from before didn't re-occur.

Slash after slash, strike after strike, the three of us managed to slowly push our cannon-wielding foe back toward the doorstep of the same pitch black residence she came from. Her armor also gradually began to crack, not being as impervious as we previously perceived. But all our rising hopes were dashed as soon she literally had her back against the wall.

"Hmph, what fools you all are…"

The door behind Elsa flung open and an immensely strong force pulled everyone inside. The next thing I know, I can't see a thing. Everything around me was pitch-black. A loud CLICK then sounded, illuminating the residence's interior in a dim light, just enough for me to discern Slash and JJ by my side and our mechanically-suited foe looming in front of us.

"I grow weary of this conflict. I would very much appreciate to end this now, but since none of you chose to back away, that end will not be pleasant. How unfortunate."

All of a sudden, the gravity in the room intensified, literally bringing us to our knees. Each of us struggled to stand back up, but the steel-clad gunner appeared to experience no difficulty whatsoever under these conditions as she walked slowly toward us, weapon charging up once more. Once Elsa got closer, she knelt down with her arm cannon aimed straight at JJ, off to my right.

"Your time has come. Farewell, Justin."

In a bright flash of light, my spiky-haired friend disappeared. Without so much as a split-second, the arm cannon charged up yet again, only this aimed at me.

"And now it is your turn, Azure."

Every fiber of my being screamed to get out of the way, but the extreme downward force prevented me from doing so. The only thing I could do was avert my gaze from the inevitable. I closed my eyes…

Splurt…

I then felt a few drops of some kind of liquid splattered onto my face. I wiped some of it off my cheek with my finger and opened my eyes. It was bright red. …Blood? I looked back up and saw the orange-haired youth in front of me, clutching a dripping wound where has left arm had been. With an anguished expression, Slash turned his head in my direction.

"…D-darn it… Th-that didn't g-go exactly how… I-I anticipated…"

He then collapsed back to the ground, still clenching his shoulder in great pain.

"Well, well, it looks like he tried to protect you. That was somewhat unexpected. Such a noble sacrifice. Too bad it was in vain… So long, Azure."

As I heard Elsa's weapon gather energy to fire again, I mustered all willpower to break free from the gravity's hold on me and ran to the entry way. The distance couldn't have been more than a few feet, but my only means of escape seemed to be miles away. Every step was heavy, every breath arduous, and every second an eternity. However, I still somehow managed to reach my destination. I finally reached out my hand to open the door… But then I felt something hit me from behind.

Everything around me faded away…