Distorted

by BookmarkAHead

"Did I cause this? Would it be better just to disappear from her life? Would she be happier?" One misunderstanding is all it takes for a jealous Eila to stay behind. Blinded by frustration, she charges head on into the enemy. When Sanya returns, she finds that everything is not as she had left it. It hurts, but it's a harsh realization that Eila could be better off without her.

12. The Reason Why I Thought I'd Die

The Reason Why I Thought I'd Die

---

Hanko, Suomus

All of a sudden, Eila was ripped from her grasp, being lifted up out of her reach, and Sanya's eyes snapped open with a start. The Suomi was completely unconscious, hanging from the blade limply. Her blue uniform started darkening into a sickening shade of red-brown, as blood leaked from the wound on her side and soaked the material.

"Let her go …" Sanya's choked voice was barely a whisper, tears streaming down her face as she reached in vain for her partner. Her plea was almost unheard over her quick, ragged breaths, as she lay on the ground, magic sparking around her as it escaped her control. She couldn't get up. Why couldn't she get up? "Please … let Eila go …"

Eila jerked, and suddenly her body was thrown to the side as Sanya choked out a desperate scream. From the corner of her eye, Sanya could see the Suomi fly through the air towards a wall. At the last second, a portion of the wall folded in on itself, creating a small alcove where Eila roughly landed. There was a harsh buzzing noise, and a blood red wall of light suddenly materialized over the opening, sealing the girl inside.

"No!"

An X-11 class witch-type hovered almost soundlessly above her. A witch forged from Neuroi metal in a mockery of a human girl. Like the one they've encountered before, this one featured a short hair structure that covered most of the faceplate, as well as a pair of long, wolf-like ears. Each of their "Strikers" featured a small wing, on which four small hexagonal weapon panels were mounted.

Sanya had only encountered a few personally, but she knew that they could be extremely dangerous, even more so than conventional Neuroi. She had also never seen one using a melee weapon like this before.

How did I not detect it?

The X-11's head was turned, and the bladed arm that had thrown Eila to the side was still raised in the air. As the faceless head turned back towards the Orussian on the ground, blade moving back in preparation of another thrust, several drops of Eila's blood fell from the blade and splashed onto Sanya's face.

The blood was like a fuel, and as soon as Sanya felt the warm wetness on her cheek, something inside of her ignited, filling her body with a burning anger that was so unlike her usual self. She slowly touched at her cheek, bringing her hand in front of her face to see the red liquid as her vision began to blur. How dare you hurt Eila? As her mind flashed back to the morning of looking at photos togethers, and the hope for the future she had felt back then, her blood began to boil. She had been through so much already! This just wasn't fair!

HOW DARE YOU?

Sanya exploded off the ground, dodging low under the readied blade and slamming shoulder first into the chest of the X-11, knocking the Neuroi up and backwards into the air. Momentarily wincing at the pain in her shoulder from the bash, she took to the air, looking around quickly. Spotting Eila in the cell, she could barely stop herself from gunning over there and breaking her out.

No, not while it's watching me.

Her body felt a lot better, as if she hadn't been fighting for the past few hours, and her magic hummed with an unusual warmth that wrapped around her in familiar, comforting aura. The aether around her felt protective, as if someone else was there with her.

Spotting her dropped Fliegerhammer nearby, she swooped down low, retrieving her weapon from the ground and rising back up to face the X-11, who had righted itself in the air, and was now advancing on her. Interestingly, instead of attacking right away, it seemed to be moving slowly towards her, as if cautious. The faceless head was fixed on her as it moved, as if studying its new opponent.

The two circled each other slowly, hovering as they waited for the other to make the first move. Sanya glared daggers into the area where X-11's face should've been as she tensed up for the fight to come. She would have to be extra careful as Witch-types had been the most unpredictable types yet. She held her ground as the X-11 seemed to advance ever so slowly.

Subconsciously, she noted where Eila had fallen, backing away to avoid collateral damage. The X-11, thankfully, seemed keen on advancing on her, and Sanya easily drew the Neuroi further away from where Eila lay.

Sliding open the panel on her Fliegerhammer while keeping one eye on her enemy, Sanya noted with disappointment at the number of rockets she had left. Not nearly enough. Looking past the X-11, she could see that Perrine was still fighting the drones coming through the door, lightning and bullets flashing from her form. Unfortunately, she'd be alone in this fight.

Suddenly, there was a ghost of a whisper in her ear. Looking up, she could see a ghostly outline of something reaching across the air towards her, passing through her body without any sort of feeling whatsoever. She hadn't been able to make out any of the words that had been whispered to her, but somehow, she knew that she absolutely had to go left.

Following her instincts, she dodged left, just as there was a red flash from the X-11's Strikers. It seared through the air in the spot she had just been, passing through the exact path of the ghostly outline. Then she dodged again at the behest of the whisper, avoiding the next laser that sought to burn through her, as more and more outlines appeared, filling the air with ghostly warnings.

As she ducked and dodged with surprising agility, avoiding all the outlines as lasers burnt through the air around her, she slowly came to a realization where it had come from. That would explain why her aura felt like that.

How is this even possible?

Gritting her teeth with determination, she decided that she didn't care how it happened; all she knew was that she now had a much better chance against the X-11. She spun and returned fire, sending a volley of rockets towards the X-11 as they engaged in a deadly dance around the room.

The X-11 was nightmarishly fast, and appeared to dodge everything Sanya sent at it. It seemed to alternate between lasers and close range blade thrusts, using them in deadly combinations that Sanya was sure she couldn't dodge without the foresight.

But, the unintelligible whisper in her ear kept her safe, like her own guardian angel. It guided her past each laser and blade, taking her through unscathed. She matched the X-11s speed as they fought, anger at the Neuroi growing with every clash. Finally, a rocket managed to land a hit on the laser panels of the X-11's Strikers, Sanya feeling a small pang of satisfaction as the energy weapons disappeared into an explosion.

The X-11 suddenly stopped in front of her, pausing as if to consider its strategy, and then promptly faded from view. Sanya's radar turned blue, the Neuroi's signal leaving her awareness, and she came to a realization.

Its cloak is letting it avoid my radar. I can't detect it! She felt a hint of panic as she scanned the empty air trying to anticipate where the attack would come from. This was bad; it could come from any direction, and now even her borrowed foresight was silent.

Suddenly she was assailed by a torrent of whispers, causing her to recoil and clutch at her head as the noise in her mind began to rise. The voices filled her head, warning her from attacks from every conceivable angle, hundreds of outlines of the X-11's blade appearing in the air in front of her, coming from every direction, each disappearing before they reach her. She could barely think straight, the storm of voices filling her head with an unbearable noise as the X-11 feinted hundreds of attacks, drowning out her own thoughts.

No wonder Eila was panicking, Sanya winced, trying to shut the voices out.

A single voice called out, more loudly than the rest, warning her of an attack from her left. At the edge of her peripheral vision, she saw the air shimmer as the X-11 uncloaked suddenly, rocketing towards her at high speed with its blade out. She spun away from the thrust, feeling the rush of air as the blade nicked her sleeve, and the X-11 blazed past her, disappearing from view once again.

It attempted a few more attacks from different directions, using the same strategy, before Sanya decided she had had enough.

When the X-11 appeared next, the Orussian let loose a volley of rockets at varying angles at the approaching Neuroi. As soon as the last rocket left the chamber, she dropped the weapon, speeding towards her projectiles.

The X-11 adjusted its flight path, seemingly intending on speeding through a gap in the rockets. But that's exactly what Sanya had wanted. Tuning her borrowed foresight for offense instead, she predicted the intercept window and slammed into the X-11 before it could dodge, grabbing it by its metal neck. She could feel the Neuroi's thrusters firing wildly to escape the hold, but her own velocity was greater, and she dove down towards the floor.

Sparks flew as the X-11's body ground against the floor underneath Sanya's weight, ripping pieces off the witch-type's back as they slid. The X-11 rapidly cloaked and decloaked, but Sanya already had a firm hold on it, preventing its escape. They came to stop around 100 meters away, with the Orussian straddling the machine. She fired her Strikers, pinning the X-11 to the ground as it tried to rise.

The Neuroi attempted to draw back its bladed arm, but Sanya grabbed it and pinned the weapon to the ground with her free arm. She let go of the X-11s neck, and without hesitation, reached for her belt. Her fingers finding and gripping the metal grip of her Tokarev-33, she flipped the safety off, racking the slide one handed with one smooth motion as she brought the barrel down, resting it against the metal chest of the X-11. Squeezing the trigger, she unloaded the entire magazine, feeling the gun kick as the weapon fired point blank into the X-11.

The bullets smashed through the black metal mercilessly, carving a jagged hole in the Neuroi as it let out a metallic screech. Just as the red glint of the core appeared, the Neuroi seemed to melt into the floor itself, leaving her hands empty and frustrated. Taking a moment to catch her breath and reload her Tokarev, she felt her anger disappear as her thoughts turned back to Eila.

Sanya's mind was a blur as she rocketed off towards Eila's location, wracked with worry. It had taken longer than she had liked to fight the X-11, and there was no telling how Eila was doing with her injury.

In her haze, she almost collided with something coming towards her. A flash of blond in front of her revealed an exhausted and very worried Perrine. Her hair was even more of a mess, and her tunic and skin sported several burns and cuts from shrapnel.

"Sanya! Are you alright?" she fussed over Sanya upon seeing the Orussian's injuries. Tossing her blond hair over her shoulder and out of the way, she began to check over Sanya's wounds, still out of breath from her own battle, "I thought the drones would never end!"

"We need to get Eila! She's hurt!" Sanya choked out as she shook off her friend and raced towards the Suomi. The adrenaline from the fight was finally leaving her, and she suddenly felt weak as the gravity of Eila's situation returned to the forefront of her mind. Perrine squeaked in surprise, before turning and following.

Please be okay, please be okay! I need still you, Eila!

The red wall covering the alcove was still there, buzzing condescendingly as it barred the path between her and her beloved. The two witches could see Eila laying on her side in the alcove. The Suomi was facing away from them, not moving at all, save for shuddering movement of her side as she breathed haltingly. Her familiar ears and tail had retracted, and her Strikers had disengaged themselves from her legs, sliding partway off. The light blue uniform that was underneath her was reddened with blood, and Sanya could just barely see a dark pool of blood forming under the Suomi, furthering her hysteria as her heart rate shot through the roof.

"Eila!"

With only Eila on her mind, Sanya flew up in a panic, pressing her hands against the light wall without thinking. As soon as her skin touched the barrier, Sanya was suddenly struck with a red-hot bolt of pain due to the heat, causing her to recoil and cry out, tears stinging her eyes as she clutched her hands. She could feel an arm curl around her midsection as Perrine quickly yanked the girl away from the barrier.

Though the barrier had hurt, it was nothing compared to the panicked, icy feeling that filled every inch of her body as she realized she couldn't get to Eila. Bringing up her hands to her face, she felt them shaking badly, and stared helplessly at them.

"Move back, Sanya!" As soon as the Orussian was clear of the barrier, the sound of gunfire filled the air as Perrine unleashed a burst of .303 rounds into the light wall. The bullets were stopped cold, sticking halfway through the barrier, smoldering from the contact until they melted into pools of hot metal. Turning her Bren, she tried the wall beside the alcove. The bullets could break through, but the surface regenerated much too fast for them to be able to reach Eila safely.

"Tch!" Slinging her Bren onto her back, Perrine drew her rapier, fortifying it with electricity as she did so. The sword glowed blue in her hand, sparking as electricity coursed through the metal. Gritting her teeth, she reared back, before lunging forwards and a flurry of stabs with the weapon at an unbelievable speed. Her sword was a blur of electricity as it impacted the barrier, its tip crashing off the unyielding surface each time with a series of sparks. "Break. Merde! BREAK!"

When it was apparent that it wouldn't shatter, the blonde drew back, hissing curses in Gallian as she gasped for breath. Sweat ran down her face, dampening her uniform, and she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

Sanya, who had been watching with a dying hope, felt her heart break. She looked wildly around for her Fliegerhammer, but after remembering she had used the rest of the rockets on the X-11, threw herself back onto the barrier. As pain surged through her, she gritted her teeth as tears welled up in her eyes, willing herself to break through the light. She had to get to Eila! She just had to!

She felt a hand firmly grip at her shoulder and throw her backwards once more, this time more forcefully. Righting herself in the air, she blinked through her blurry vision, confused and annoyed at the offender.

"Do you want to die, Sanya?!" Perrine had rounded on her, glaring at her fiercely with a measure of disbelief in her expression, tears in the corners of her own eyes. The dirt on her face was streaked from the water. "Do you?"

"I-I need to get Eila!" Sanya desperately tried to dive past her friend, but Perrine threw herself between the Orussian and the barrier, blocking the way.

"Not at the expense of your own life! What would Eila say?" Perrine closed the gap between them, grabbing at her friend's wrist firmly. Her amber eyes smoldered as they burned holes into Sanya with worry.

"Eila got hurt protecting me from the witch-type!" She swiped at her own tears with her free hand, as she began to choke up once more. "I need to get to her! She's hurt! She needs me!"

"We can't break the barrier by ourselves!" Perrine challenged adamantly, before softening her gaze. Suddenly, she pulled Sanya tightly against her, wrapping the smaller girl into an embrace. Sanya weakened as Perrine's warmth encircled her, and she surrendered to the comfort, sobbing. She could feel the other girl taking deep, shuddering breaths, as if trying to fight off her own tears.

"I promise you." Perrine drew back, looking evenly into Sanya's eyes. "We WILL come back for her. After we destroy this accursed shield generator, we'll bring everyone we can and break her out. I promise."

Then the Gallian's gaze steeled once more, looking deep into her own, as if desperately willing the Orussian to understand. "But you have to be strong."

Strong? How could she be strong now, when everything was going so wrong? She was on the edge of going crazy and wanted nothing more to throw herself back on the barrier, rip through it, and rescue the girl she loved. Eila couldn't die! How could she ever be happy again without her?

Sanya wanted to scream. Wanted to rip apart the entire Neuroi with her own hands. She wanted to cry. But Perrine kept her hands on her shoulders, and the Gallian's steady presence began to calm the girl down, little by little.

As her head cleared, she saw the reasoning in Perrine's pleas. If even the Gallian's lightning couldn't blow apart the barrier, what chance did they have by themselves? They would need much more firepower. As much as she didn't want to leave, Perrine was right; they would need help.

Finally having a plan, determination returned to her body as she swiped away the last of her tears and gave Perrine a solid nod of understanding. Her entire self was already focusing on the goals at hand.

Get the generator. Get backup. Get Eila.

Perrine nodded with relief, releasing the smaller girl from her arms. She turned Sanya away from the alcove, as she spoke over her shoulder, "We'll be back, Eila. I promise." When Sanya made a move to turn around, she gently stopped her, ushering the Orussian along flying alongside her as they headed towards the dropped bomb. "Don't look back."

Sanya's heart was screaming at her to look back, to go back and be with Eila. But she knew, deep down, if she looked back, she would break. And judging by Perrine's pained expression, she knew that the Gallian was not much better off.

[Distorted]

From atop the deck of the Graf Zeppelin, a lone figure watched the battle continue from afar, hands clasped behind her back. Paying no mind to the various aircraft thundering by on the flight deck, she instead focused on the distant conflict, a troubled expression gracing her features. The conflict had now entered late afternoon, though the grey clouds above showed no change from when they'd first arrived.

Ignoring the black shapes of the Neuroi hulls for now, she focused her attention on the capital class, the vessel that seemed to be occupying more and more of the sky as it creeped towards the coastline.

Both her hair and uniform fluttered as she bowed her head and activated her magic, closing her eyes. A red glow envelops her form as the ears and tail of a grey wolf sprout from her body. Breathing in deeply, she opened her eyes. Through them, the colours of the world around her had faded to monotone. The deck below her feet turns white as she raised her eyes back to the sky.

A whole wealth of information unfolded itself in the sky in front of her. The little specks in the sky had started to shine white, standing out against the dark background. Tiny words appear above each flying speck. Though too small to be seen over that great a distance, she knows what they say. Tiny words, naming every brave soul in the air, telling her their distance, speed, direction, and position.

Compiling this information in a blink of an eye, she suddenly had a bird's eye view of the entire battlefield, despite being many kilometers away. She noted, with a hint of sadness, as the markers for a few pilots blinked out of existence. The combined air force would take the brunt of the casualties today, as the planes were not agile enough to block or even dodge laser fire. But the pilots were doing their part, and there would be a time mourn every brave soul that took to the air that day, never to return. But that time was not now.

Even Mio was up there, flying a borrowed BF 109, refusing to sit back and watch. The Fuso swordswoman had been assigned to the Tirpitz initially to oversee the defense of the warships, but apparently couldn't take the sight of the air force being shot down while she looked from afar. She had appeared back at the Graf Zeppelin, and after a brief argument, Minna had let her fight. It had broken her heart to see Mio get into the warplane after giving her a kiss, knowing that she may not return, but Minna knew that she couldn't stop her partner.

And so it went. Though they took their fair share of losses, she noted with a grim approval that a greater number of Neuroi signals were blinking out of existence. The escort had been significant, and there were far, far, too many of them, but the combined forces seemed to be thinning out the ranks considerably.

But what did it matter if the main target could still not be scratched? Turning back to the capital class Neuroi looming in the sky, she wracked her mind, trying to formulate a plan. She had desperately wanted to send more witches inside to increase their chances, but the forces outside were already struggling as they were, being vastly outnumbered by the overwhelming number of Neuroi sent to escort the carrier. She had already scrambled the 507th for backup, but it would be an hour or two before they arrived. Who knows if it was already too late?

A hint of regret tugged at Minna's conscious as she focused on the three dots blinking faintly within the capital class, regret at sending those three witches into unfamiliar territory. Had she sent them to their deaths? She started raising her hand to her earpiece as she started trying to hail them once more. Just like before, she was met with only foreboding static.

They were alive though, their signals moved around as they navigated the beast, and therefore the hope of success for the operation was alive as well. She would never be able to forgive herself if those three perished. Minna felt a sudden a pang of concern as Juutilainen's beacon became motionless and start to blink fainter.

"How's the situation, Commander?"

Minna's vision returns to her own body as she turned around at the sound of the voice, piercing through the distant rumble of battle. She doesn't need to look at the tag floating above her to know that it was Edytha that had come up behind her, snapping her a salute. The Karlsland instructor had only flown a short while with her squadron, aiding where she could before having to return on the account of her weakened body. The white-haired witch had taken it upon herself to aid Minna with various matters while she recuperated.

Minna returned the salute before replying with a sigh. "Not as well as I'd hoped. We're losing too many men, and we're running out of time. It's going to reach the coast in about an hour." She beckoned for the instructor, indicating the spot beside her as she deactivated her magical ability. Colour slowly returned to her world, and her magical aura slowly faded away.

"And what of our 'Reckless Crows'?" Edytha stood alongside her fellow Karlslander, adopting an "at ease" stance as they both turned back to the battle.

"Still on the move. I'm hoping we see results soon."

"And if we don't?"

Minna cast her a sidelong glance, not replying. The question hung heavy in the air between them. Edytha had asked it, yet she knew that everyone already knew what would happen if they couldn't stop the capital here. The invasion of Suomus would be inevitable. How many lives would they lose if the Neuroi were to secure a foothold here? The situation was grim, and Minna could see it in the faces of everyone that had gathered to fight.

Understandably not getting a response, Edytha continued, "The Maavoimat, along with a squad of Suomi tank witcheshave finished fortifying the coastal defenses and have established a foothold. The men from the Red Army have also deployed and are reinforcing them with an armored regiment."

"Good. I pray they will be ready for the fight ahead." Minna paused for a moment, before turning to face her companion, her voice softening. "I trust your judgement. Tell me, Edytha. Do you think this was the correct course of action? Speak freely."

"With the resources available? I would've done the same thing." The witch hesitated, returning her gaze, before continuing quietly, "Our enemy is unpredictable. There's no way anyone could've seen this coming."

"And Reckless Crows?" Minna pressed, eyes studying the white-haired witch carefully, expression unreadable.

Edytha thought for a moment, before replying. "It was a … necessary risk. You really had no other choice at this point. Although I'm sure Lemare would take issue with your choice in personnel, concerning a certain recovering patient."

Minna's expression softened, giving Edytha an tired smile. "It's good to hear that coming from you." She gave a long sigh, looking down at her hands. "That being said, we're still in trouble, at least until my Crows find what they're looking for." She activated her magic once more, returning to the bird's eye view of the distant battlefield. She was surprised to see that Sanya and Perrine's signal were moving further away from Eila's, which remained in the same place as before. Did something happen to Eila, or was she just covering them?

"What are your orders?" came Edytha's voice.

Being shaken from her thoughts, she took a moment before replying, eyes never leaving Eila's faint signal. "I'm pulling everyone back to the coast. All ships are to bear south to avoid the Neuroi's path, but the aerial elements will continue fighting. We will not back down."

"Affirmative."

"And Edytha?"

"Yes, commander?"

"Please check in with the techs and make sure my gear is ready. It's about time I rejoin them."

"Of course."

Minna could hear Edytha's footsteps fading away. Still watching Eila's signal, she breathed a sigh of relief when the blinking dot started to move once more, headed in the direction of her fellow Crows. Satisfied that Eila appeared to be fine after all, she switched off her magic. Giving one last look, she turned on her heel, making her way back to the bridge.

[Distorted]

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[Distorted]

Sanya couldn't help herself from looking back over her shoulder every few seconds or so, looking back into the inky blackness where they had left Eila alone in that cell, lying on the cold metal floor. Her heart had been screaming at her the entire time she and Perrine had flown, getting louder and more painful the further they got from Eila.

How dare you leave her?!

Do you even love her?

You're leaving her to DIE!

No! We can't get her out ourselves, so we'll destroy the generator and have the others come help us!

Sanya bit back another sob as she waged an internal battle with herself. Every time she repeated the plan to herself, she started to believe it less and less. Her heart yearned for her to turn back, go back, and try breaking Eila out again. Maybe there was something she missed! Some switch, or some weak point that could rid them of the shield that separated her and Eila! Deep down, she knew it wasn't true, but it didn't stop the doubts in her mind, assaulting her with all the what-ifs and other doubts.

Instead, she forced herself to focus on Perrine, who had been flying beside her. She grounded herself in Perrine's relatively calm state, desperately allowing the determination that surrounded the Gallian into her own body, so that she too could be as confident and as certain as her friend.

Sanya never had much confidence in her own self. She had confidence in her combat abilities, that was sure, but everywhere else, she always just seemed to blend into the background. Not making much of splash with anyone, not being noticed. But with Eila, she felt important. Under the Suomi's gaze, she felt special. She felt like she could amount to something more than just a witch who was good with a rocket launcher.

But with Eila gone, her confidence was dipping into the negatives, and if not for Perrine, Sanya knew she might've broken down completely in front of that red barrier, unable to rescue her love. So, she owed it to her dear Gallian friend to try to keep herself strong, and not dash back to Eila.

At least for now.

Perrine had taken the lead for them, deciding on where to go as they followed the origination of the pulses against the wall. Even now, despite her face streaked with dirt and tears, there was no trace of panic as Perrine soldiered on with determination.

Sanya looked down momentarily as she shifted the bomb in her grip. She wasn't bothered by the weight of it, due to carrying the equally heavy Fliegerhammer as her main armament to begin with. Having left behind said weapon due to its lack of ammunition, she had insisted on shouldering responsibility of carrying the bomb to their destination. The foresight from Eila (which Perrine seemed shocked that she had), would help her keep it safe. Other than that, she had slung Eila's dropped KP/-31 onto her back, and still had her Tokarev. Besides, she felt that it was her responsibility she owed after being saved to take over Eila's role.

The foresight, which still emanated Eila's comforting aura around her, in addition to carrying the KP/-31, made Sanya feel a little better. It was as if Eila was still with her, watching her back like she always did. Protecting her.

But now it was time for Sanya to protect Eila.

They had been flying for several minutes, having exited the shaft where they had left Eila, flying down another long shaft identical to the previous one before ascending a tall room, searching for another entrance. Thankfully, there had been no further swarms of drones harassing them. Better still, no sign of any further X-11s. They could only hope that it had been the sole guardian of the ship, though the concept seemed scarily unlikely, and left them both on high alert.

Suddenly, Perrine changed course, heading towards one of the entry ways in the middle of the room as Sanya angled herself to follow her.

"I think we're close!" There was a hopeful excitement in Perrine's voice. A hope that the whole ordeal would soon be over. The Gallian pointed through the entry way they were hovering in front of. "Look!"

Sanya peered into the room. A single pillar dominated the center of the room, rising up out of sight, but otherwise looked unremarkable. Were they really close? How could Perrine tell? Just as she was opening her mouth to ask, a flash of cyan light pulsed down from the unseen top of the pillar, transferring itself into the surrounding walls. Half of the pulse came their way, while the other half went in the other direction. Sanya could feel her spirits lift. It must be a conduit! They were truly at the center!

As one, they both gunned their Strikers, soaring into the room and spiraling upwards, ascending up and around the conduit. Sanya's anxiety rose. They just had to destroy this as quickly as possible so they could go back for Eila!

Perrine signaled to halt, just as they were about to reach the lip of the opening of the shaft. She hovered close to the wall, and Sanya could see she was examining something. "It's this again …"

Upon closer inspection, she realized that Perrine was looking at a gap in between the lip and the walls below as she muttered to herself. It was the same size gap as they had seen before breaking into the main interior to the Neuroi. Though it was indeed strange, Sanya couldn't wait; she had to find the generator. She fired herself upwards, as a surprised Perrine turned to follow soon after.

The two witches emerged into a huge interior, far larger than any of the rooms they had been in previously. There were tens of pillars reaching towards the ceiling, and several of the passive drones they had encountered before were just floating in between and around them. The conduit they had been following continued higher into the room, attaching itself to the ceiling, where they witnessed another burst of pulses emit from a platform on the pillar near the ceiling.

The two rocketed upwards, dodging past the wandering drones, until they reached the platform, Sanya sweating with anticipation. Their hearts soared when they reached the platform, seeing what it contained.

"We found it …" Sanya breathed, relief evident in her soft voice.

Seven ice blue crystals, shaped similarly to the typical Neuroi core, sat upon the platform, attached to a strange circular device, spinning in midair. The crystals periodically flashed in unison, sending out waves of energy down the conduit and along the walls, travelling towards the exterior shields. It was the generator.

Sanya hefted the bomb, starting towards it with the intention of planting it, but Perrine held up a hand.

"Let's see if we can save that, Sanya." Perrine took aim with her Bren. Firing a short burst, two of the blue crystals shattered into oblivion, energy dissipating into the air. The generator kept spinning, unaware or uncaring of its lost crystals. "They don't seem to be protected that well." She jerked her head towards the remaining crystals encouragingly. "I'll let you do the honours, if you wish."

Sanya nodded, unholstering her Tokarev from her belt with her free hand. Taking careful aim, anticipation building, she shattered each crystal with one well placed shot each, until none remained. The generator, having lost its power sources, spun down slowly. The background hum of the shields slowly died down as it lost energy. Just to be sure, Sanya emptied the rest of the magazine into the generator itself, tearing it to scrap.

That being done, she dropped her arm to her side in relief, holstering her weapon. Now maybe the forces outside could do some real damage.

No sooner had she let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Sanya noticed a blood red light wash over the two, out of place from the other cyan lights of the interior. She heard Perrine's sharp intake of breath as she raised her head to discover the source of the light.

"The … core?"

To her bewilderment, a large Neuroi core was currently hovering in front of the two, emitting a red glow throughout the room. It seemed to vibrate the air around it as it swayed from side to side as it spun, as if daring them to attack.

And attack they did. Sanya drew the KP/-31 in one swift motion, and in a flash, both girls were levelling their guns at the floating crystal. A second later, the sound of gunfire split the air as they both pulled their triggers.

The core moved at an impossible speed, zig zagging backwards away from them until it was at least fifty meters away. There was a metallic screech, and the two witches looked on in disbelief as a horde of the worker drones from below suddenly rose up, gathering around the core. There was an angry buzz as the core slowly disappeared beneath a shell of the smaller drones. The surface rippled slightly as the mass floated in the air.

"What the h-..?!" Perrine didn't get to finish before two drones were suddenly launched from the mass at them, as if fired from a cannon. The two witches scattered as the drones impacted the ceiling above them with a metallic clang, staying there for a second before speeding back to the mass. The two returned fire, diving back down into the room.

Bullets clattered against the shell the core had build around itself. Whenever one drone was destroyed, another would rise up to fill the gap, denying them a clean shot at the core inside. In return, the mass continued launching numerous drones at them. At that speed, just one would be enough to doom them. Thankfully, Sanya still had the foresight, and Perrine seemed to have little issue in dodging them.

The witches danced around the mass, trying to take shots from different angles and catch the core unawares. There was no luck to be had, however, as the 360-degree coverage with the drones blocked every single angle. Sanya watched as Perrine tried to get up close, but the mass formed an extra wall and writhed dangerously, threatening to smash into her with its numbers, and the Gallian quickly abandoned that plan. Instead, she sent out a fork of lightning. But as the lightning chained between them, the drones refused to be destroyed, merely freezing in place as they were electrocuted, before continuing their defense.

The two swooped around the various pillars in the room, doing their best against the onslaught. Thankfully, due to its shell of drones, the core no longer displayed the frightening speed it had previously, and the witches were able to cross to the opposite side of the room, putting some distance between them and the mass.

"Just what is this?" Perrine gasped out, catching her breath. "I've never seen a core like this before." Pulling the magazine out of her Bren and inspecting it, she sighed with disappointment, tossing the empty magazine away and slinging the weapon onto her back. "And apparently I'm now out of ammunition. That was my last one."

Sanya nodded, worry returning to her face. They hadn't been able to touch the core; there were just too many drones in the way. And if their guns couldn't reach it before, how could they defeat it with only Eila's KP/-31? They couldn't just wait until their allies outside forced their way inside. Unless …

Sanya looked down at the bomb she was still carrying. They hadn't had to use it on the generator, so maybe it would be of use here. She needed to get the job done. For Eila's sake. For everyone's sake.

"Perrine, what kind of charge is this? Impact, or timed?"

Perrine looked up, surprised. "The tech that gave it to Eila said it was a timed one, and the fuse can be set for up to 30 seconds." She tapped her finger to her chin thoughtfully, "Although it'd be quite risky to use it on this thing; those drones are really sturdy. Are you thinking of blowing a hole in the shell?"

"No, I want it right next to the core." Sanya announced, determination in her face as she rose into the air. Opening the panel to arm the bomb, a plan began to formulate in her mind.

"What are you planning on doing?" Perrine asked, apprehension apparent in her voice. "We can't shoot into it, so how are we going to get that full-size bomb inside of it?" Nevertheless, she rose up beside Sanya.

"Trust me. Distract it and use your lightning when I say."

"My poor hair." Perrine sighed before straightening up and giving Sanya a solid nod. "I'll be right behind you."

Setting the bomb to its maximum fuse time, Sanya activated the countdown and slid the panel shut. Nodding to Perrine, they rocketed off, back towards the core.

30 seconds.

They weaved in and out between the pillars as they approached the mass, drones crashing down all around them. Sanya made half a circle motion with her index finger as they neared the mass.

"Go around and hide for 10."

Perrine nodded, a worried expression gracing her features, veering off to the right and disappearing around the pillars.

20 seconds.

Sanya stayed her course, heading straight for the mass. She could see the core firing drones in Perrine's direction as well, the trajectories getting further and further until Perrine seemed to be on the opposite side of the mass. The drones stopped flying as Perrine was lost from sight.

Using her foresight, Sanya managed to continue dodging every drone thrown at her as she closed the gap. The mass began to gather more and more drones on her side, forming an additional wall in the anticipation of an attack. She fired wildly with the KP/-31, trying as best as she could to stabilize the gun while keeping an eye on Perrine's side.

It was getting to be nearly impossible to dodge at this close of a range, even with foresight. She could feel the rush of air as the drones skimmed her clothes. Counting down in her head, she swung to the side of the mass, just as Perrine broke from cover on the other side.

10 seconds.

"Now!"

Perrine, upon hearing the signal, spread her arms as lightning arced in every possible direction. It latched onto the drones that had just been launched at her, electrocuting them and freezing them in place for a half a second. The lightning forked, jumping from drone to drone until it reached the mass, lighting up the shell with pure electricity.

Half a second was all that Sanya needed. Focusing her foresight on the frozen drones on Perrine's side, she swung the bomb with all of her might, hitting the release switch as she did so. The bomb flew free from the carrier, spinning through the air rapidly until it impacted the back of an electrocuted drone. It ricocheted with a might KLANG and soared into the tiny gap of the mass the launched drones had left.

0 seconds.

There was an ear-piercing screech as the core found itself joined by an unwelcome explosive inside of its shell, but there was no longer any time to react as the charge reached the end of its fuse, detonating the payload inside.

Sanya shielded her eyes as the bomb went off with a deafening explosion, sending her flying backwards as her shield was battered by the debris of a hundred destroyed drones. She hit a pillar, grunting in pain at the force of the impact. Sliding down to the ground, she suddenly felt the entire ship tremble, tilting upwards as cracks began to appear in the ceiling above her.

Perrine swooped in, and together they held their shields together as the ceiling collapsed around them, letting the light from the sky in and sending huge chunks of debris showering to the metal floor below, only to disintegrate to dust. The noise was thunderous, metal grinding and impacting against metal, and Sanya felt like she would go deaf. She felt the pillar she was leaning against fall away, and a rush of cool air against her back.

After what seemed like an eternity, the noise stopped. With ears ringing, the two looked up to survey the damage, squinting as their eyes adjusted from being in the darkness for so long. Several hundred meters worth of Neuroi armour had disintegrated around them, leaving them in the open air. The grey skies were a welcome sight, and the light rain felt refreshing against their sweaty skin. Though the Neuroi metal beneath them was still intact, the ship was still rumbling, hopefully signalling its end.

Perrine turned to Sanya, beaming with relief. "That was quite a daring plan, Sanya! But it worked!" The girl sneaked in for a joyful hug, squeezing the Orussian tightly.

Sanya nodded in a daze, her body weak with relief. She had bet everything on that maneuver, and to her relief, it had unfolded just as she planned. She didn't want to think what would've happened had she failed. But there was another, more important matter to attend to than thinking about what-ifs.

Returning Perrine's hug, she drew back, rising back into the air as she slipped the strap of the bomb carrier off, letting the empty and now useless device fall to the ground. "We have to get Eil-"

"Crow 2, this is Wilcke. Come in!" their earpieces suddenly crackled to life, both startled by the unexpected noise.

Perrine raised a finger to her ear. "This is Crow 2-1. You don't know how happy we are to hear you, Commander."

"Thank goodness … "Both of them could hear in the immense relief in Minna's normally steady voice when she heard their reply. So relieved in fact, that she seemingly forwent radio procedure. "The feeling is mutual, Clostermann. Believe me. I'm glad to have you three back. "

"I'm happy to report that, per our objectives, we successfully found and destroyed the shield generator. Sanya here also managed to destroy the core." Perrine winked. "How's it looking down there?"

"We saw the explosions from down here, good work. Unfortunately, it seems that the Neuroi is still mobile."

The Neuroi is still moving? How could this be? Sanya witnessed the destruction of the core with her own eyes! How could the Neuroi still live? Perrine had a similar, shocked expression, and the two of them were looking around in panic at the metal beneath them. It wasn't disintegrating. The rumbling they heard had not been the carrier falling apart. It was as if …

"The gap …" Perrine breathed, eyes widening in realization, looking at Sanya.

Sanya's heart sank. It was all coming together now. The empty space between the metal walls, that had had a faint wind rushing through them. The gap they encountered near the beginning, and the one they encountered at the end had been connected. Dread rose up in her body as she realized what had happened.

"The armoured shell was a separate Neuroi … " Perrine finished, trailing off as the implications hit her.

"That explains it." came Minna's grim voice. "We saw the top explode, and the outer layer disintegrate. The ship started flying upwards, out of the range of our ship's guns."

Sanya looked around and noticed that the horizon was now a diagonal line. The inner Neuroi was now indeed climbing higher and higher, no longer armoured by its companion.

"I'm sending Lemare up to you three. Just in case one of you needs medical attention. Recommend you fly down to meet her."

Hearing "three", Perrine shot a concerned look at Sanya. "Actually, can you send a few more than that? We're going back in, and we need some backup. There's an opening on the top; tell them to meet us inside."

"I understand your urgency but waiting for backup will be the safest option. Lemare can help restore your strength as well."

"Yes, but Eila was critically injured and trapped. We need to get to her ASAP."

There was a pause on the line, before Minna spoke back up, "Juutilainen? Her signature was following you this entire time."

Sanya froze.

"I can see her there nearby." A hint of confusion in Minna's tone. A pause. "She's not answering, though."

"That's … impossible. There's no way … in her condition … " Perrine struggled to find words as both she and Sanya spun around, scanning the horizon. "She's not here … where is she?"

Another pause from Minna. Longer this time. They both knew she was studying the map provided by her magic. Finally, she spoke, "She's moved north-north-east of your position. 300 meters out. Stationary." There was an edge of uncertainty in her voice.

Slowly, the two turned towards the direction Minna had indicated. The rain obscured their vision, blocking any sight of Eila.

"Affirmative; moving." Perrine said, simply. She took Sanya's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before pulling her in the direction that Eila was supposedly in.

Sanya could feel hope bubbling up in her chest. Maybe Eila had escaped by herself! And if she had, that means she could still fly! She was safe! Sanya took the lead, gliding towards Eila's apparent position, happiness in her heart.

But with that happiness came a crushing doubt. A doubt that she so desperately wanted to ignore, but hung heavily on her mind, enough to cause her to slow down, hesitating. Perrine's expression mirrored her own doubts. The Gallian looked unsure as she stared ahead, amber eyes studying the sky before them. They had both seen Eila's condition before leaving her in the alcove. It would be nothing short of a miracle for her to recover in that time. But miracles could happen, right?

200 meters to go.

How?

How was Eila out? If they had not been able to break the wall, how had Eila, in her wounded and weakened state, manage to escape without a weapon? Plus, the Neuroi below them where Eila had been trapped was still intact; only the outer armour had been destroyed. So where did Eila escape from?

150 meters to go.

The wind whipped against the two witches, cold wind stinging their faces as they flew.

100 meters.

And that's when they saw her. Eila was hovering in the air, a short distance from them. The girl was facing away from them, her sky-blue uniform barely visible against the backdrop of the skies.

At the sight, Sanya's heart soared, all her previous doubts just a distant memory as relief flooded her body, wiping away all the fatigue that had been weighing her down. Her beloved was alive! Not only that, she felt well enough to fly!

75 meters.

Her eyes began to blur with tears as she flew further ahead than her startled partner, eager to take Eila into her arms again. Her heart was yearning once more. To be held in turn by those protective arms. To see her concerned purple eyes looking down on her. To feel her warmt-

Sanya jerked in the air, as her wrist was caught in a tight grip. She turned, confused, the see Perrine had caught up to her, and now had the Orussian's slender wrist in a vice grip, knuckles going white from the effort. The Gallian was staring straight at Eila, wide eyed.

"Perrine? What's wrong?" Sanya asked uncertainly. Her friend's behaviour was starting to unnerve her, and though she tried to free her wrist from her, the Gallian's grasp was iron, holding Sanya in place.

"Not good." Perrine murmured almost imperceptibly. She looked like as if she had seen a ghost, her face had paled, and there was a hint of fear in her features. "Not at all."

Sanya looked back up, ice running in her veins with realization. Her breath caught in her chest as Eila started to turn towards them.

[Distorted]

It wasn't that much of a victory, as the threat still stood, but it was a victory that Minna would savour, regardless.

She had rejoined the battle not too long ago, immediately taking charge of their remaining forces as they fell back to the coast. There was still way too many Neuroi than she was comfortable with, but under her leadership, a series of well-coordinated strikes had been made, wiping out a large chunk of the Neuroi escort.

Thankfully, they had not lost a single witch. Athough a few of them had been shot down and subsequently rescued from the cold waters of the Baltic, including a very pissed off Kanno, who had punched right through two Neuroi before crashing into the third and damaging her Strikers. There was very little rest to be had before rearming and returning to the air within the hour. The same couldn't be said for their conventional forces, as they had lost over 50 percent of their air force, and morale was dropping rapidly at their inability to fight this seemingly invincible Neuroi.

With the capital class closing on the coast, and no sign of Crow 2 aboard the carrier, Minna had no choice but to issue the order to fall-back to the combined forces gathered on land. Most had complied without question, some had even welcomed the order. Others were understandably upset, and vehemently refused to back down from their posts. It took quite a bit of persuasion and reassurance that they were not in a full-on retreat to get the most stubborn to comply.

The witches of the 501st and 507th were exhausted, having been on the front lines fighting the swarm for most of the day. Even with the occasional rest on Graf Zeppelin, there was a looming fatigue that none of them could seem to shake. Tensions were running higher than ever as the Neuroi closed in on the coast. The slowly darkening sky only served to escalate desperation in the defenders.

The Graf Zeppelin and her escort had turned towards the south, moving themselves out of the warpath of the capital ship. The Tirpitz and Admiral Scheer were to continue their assault for as long as possible, sailing alongside the Neuroi until they could go no further. At least, that was the plan up until the explosion had occurred.

Minna and a few of her 501st witches had just wiped out a trio of large types, when there was a distant boom in the direction of the capital. Looking over, she managed to see a flash of light on the top center of the vessel.

All at once, the shell began to crack, and her heart soared. Her Crows had survived! The blue shield suddenly appeared for a split second, before distending and shattering into tiny pieces. Large chunks of Neuroi metal began falling off the craft, disintegrating into nothingness. While there was some excited chatter on the comms, with some witches cheering, it was all tempered when they realized that only the outer shell had broken off; there had been a smaller, but no less gigantic vessel hiding under all that armor, and it burst forth like a snake shedding its skin.

She had quickly ordered the warships below to recommence artillery on the hull of the newly exposed vessel but was quickly disappointed when the capital's nose moved upwards, and the vessel began to rise out of range of their guns.

Soon after contacting her Crow squad, explaining the situation and for some reason helping them locate Juutilainen, she knew there was still more work to be done.

Minna had fallen back from the battle, meeting up with Edytha about a kilometer out, where they were relatively safe and could converse uninterrupted.

"So, what's the plan for that?" Edytha indicated the still rising ship. It was getting dangerously close to the coastline and was already far out of range of any guns they had on the ground.

"There's no choice." She replied, eyes still following the ship as it climbed towards the clouds. "With the Tirpitz and the Admiral Scheer at a safe distance, I'll be sending the 501st up to deal with it and moving the 24th Suomus Air squadron to reinforce the 507th."

Edytha nodded in understanding. "With the shield and armour gone, us witches should be able to deal with it."

"Yes, we can only hope …" she trailed off as something caught her eye.

Multiple black shapes had suddenly appeared from the underbelly of the rising carrier. Two giant spheres were ejected first, landing further out. The ones that followed were of varying sizes, but all of them crashed down into the waters near the coast, creating large splashes as they disappeared beneath the waves.

"What was that?" the instructor had spotted the shapes too. More and more poured out of the carrier, dropping into the waters far below.

Minna's heart sank as she activated her magic to consult her map, dread rising in her chest. Thousands of Neuroi signatures filled her vision. Countless infantry-types, and hundreds of heavy-types populated the waters near the coast, all moving towards land.

"A ground invasion." She replied shortly.

Before Edytha could reply, they noticed movement in the waters where the first two spheres had fallen. Just like out of a nightmare, huge spindly legs rose up out of the water, before crashing back down. Only a few seconds later, two super heavy-types, giant four-legged walkers, rose out of sea, rising into the sky as they stood to their full height.

"Sohn einer Hündin …" Edytha swore under her breath, as the walkers began their slow crawl towards the coast, creating large waves with every step they took. There were the sound of distant booms and flashes of light from down below as the coastal batteries opened fire on the Neuroi units rising out of the sea.

Minna said nothing, instead turning and gunning towards the Graf Zeppelin with Edytha in tow, as she issued new orders to the panicked soldiers through her radio. They had failed. The Neuroi had reached the coast. All that was left was to fight their hardest to prevent them from getting any further. She could only hope that the soldiers on the ground were prepared.

[Distorted]

No …

No … this is all wrong!

Sanya could only stare in horror as Eila turned to face them fully. Ugly black Neuroi metal was sprouting from the blade wound on Eila's side. Her uniform was still darkened with dried blood, but the skin underneath was different. The metal had grown, long tendrils of the black material covering most of the girl's skin on the right-hand side. A blade, not unlike the one she got stabbed by, was fused to her right hand. Her Strikers had been fully Neuroified, now jet black, with glowing red panels on the wings.

Eila's normally cheerful purple eyes were vacant, as they stared right through the two without seeing. Her right eye, surrounded by the metal on her face, had turned black instead, the normal purple iris turning into a piercing orange. The red glint of a Neuroi core peeked out from inside her blade wound, where it had been embedded.

Why is this happening? Is it because we left her?!

"Commander! We need backup!" Perrine was speaking steadily, though there was a hint of panic in her voice as she hailed Minna. "Eila's been infected and looks to be hostile!"

Sanya's mouth opened and closed fruitlessly, as she tried to form words, tears coming to her eyes as she beheld her beloved's corrupted form. Wordlessly, she started to choke up as she began making her way towards Eila, hands outstretched.

"Eila, Eila …" she called weakly, as her partner, her friend, her love, looked on impassively. To her horror, the metal on Eila's right arm began to ripple, extending itself downwards until there was an entire blade fused to her forearm.

Eila slowly circled to the right, keeping its head in Sanya's direction as she did so. The movement was eerily familiar.

Sanya's heart almost stopped as she came to a harsh realization. The blade. The movements.

It was the X-11 from before. The monster had fused itself to Eila.

The Suomi twitched, and suddenly Perrine was in front of her, arms outstretched with her shield raised, and a barrage of red lasers blossoming from Eila's Strikers crashed against the barrier. Perrine grunted with effort as her shield flashed with each impact.

"How dare you?" Perrine hissed through gritted teeth as she held the barrier against the assault, shield flashing wildly against the onslaught. With effort, she turned her head towards Sanya. "We need to get that core out of her!"

That's right, the X-11 was the reason Eila became like this. Removing its core from her would save Eila. Rubbing her tears away with a fist as her blood began to boil, she gave a solid nod to Perrine, filled with a cold determination.

Sanya launched herself to the right, and Perrine rolled to the left. Without a second of hesitation, Eila immediately took off in pursuit of Sanya, diving after her as Sanya gunned herself away from the Neuroi. Tailing close behind her, it fired a volley of lasers, which the Orussian rolled to dodge. The scent of burning reached her nose as the lasers seared the air.

So, you remember me. A grim look swept over Sanya's face as she looked over her shoulder at the pursuing girl. The way Eila seemed to stare right through her was unnerving.

In one smooth motion, she unholstered Eila's KP/-31 from her back. Just destroy the core. Just like any other Neuroi, right? She took a deep, shuddering breath. No. Definitely not. This was the polar opposite. What if she hit Eila's body instead? She didn't want to hurt her! Even with the foresight, taking a shot felt too risky.

Hearing the other girl gaining on her, she made a split-second decision. Just fire a single shot at the core. It was exposed. Surely one bullet would be enough to shatter it and free Eila, right? And if she happened to miss … One bullet won't kill her. Steeling herself, Sanya spun her body, levelling her weapon at the incoming girl.

But as Eila's emotionless face appeared beyond her iron sights, Sanya felt herself freeze up. There was just no way she could fire on Eila. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting Eila in any way. What if she accidentally killed her? How would she be able to live with herself? A hundred such thoughts ran through her head.

Eila raised her bladed arm, couching the ebony weapon as a knight would a lance, the point of the wicked blade aimed straight at Sanya's heart.

A burst of lightning from below sent the Neuroi into an evasive roll as Perrine swooped up. Ultimately, it wasn't enough to divert its course, and suddenly Eila was right on top of the motionless Sanya.

The Orussian barely dodged out of the way, the blade piercing the air where she had been moments earlier.

I can't just do nothing! Sanya rolled, raising her shield as a volley of lasers erupted from Eila's Strikers. As the lasers clashed against the barrier, she could see that Eila was simultaneously attacking the Gallian, preventing her from advancing. Surely attacking her Strikers won't hurt her …

She dove downwards, firing a burst at the weapon panels on Eila's Strikers. Eila dodged, lunging for another strike, accompanied by a volley of lasers fired in the other direction, keeping Perrine from closing the distance. This dance continued, Sanya backing up with the Neuroi in hot pursuit.

Finally, a lucky volley smashed into Eila's right Striker, tearing into it and destroying the weapon panel. The engine stuttered but managed to stay operational. Eila paused for a second, as if assessing the damage, before pouncing forwards at a nightmarish speed.

Sanya barely got her weapon up in time to block the slash, catching the blade in the wooden stock of the KP/-31. The Neuroi was strong, and she could feel the blade forcing its way through the wood slowly. She grit her teeth as she held the blade back, eyes searching wildly for a way out. Realizing which way the barrel was pointed, she pulled the trigger, smashing the other Striker's weapon panel with a hail of gunfire.

The gun is suddenly ripped from her hands as Eila retracts the blade, tossing the weapon down into the sky below.

"Move, Sanya!"

Perrine dashed forwards, stabbing her rapier forwards with one swift, practiced motion. There's a blur of motion as Eila unexpectedly turns towards the stab, raising her uninfected arm. Perrine's eyes widened as she tried to divert the strike.

But it's too late, and to Sanya's horror, the sword pierced into the flesh of Eila's arm, stopping the tip just centimeters before the core. The Neuroi is using her body to defend the core! A spike of anger shot through her. How dare it injure Eila further?

Perrine growled, lunging forwards with her free hand, aiming at Eila's face. Eila is too quick, however, and spins away, knocking the blonde several meters backwards in the air.

The Gallian quickly righted herself, turning her body swiftly to keep Eila in front of her. In one smooth motion, she flicks her rapier off to the side, Eila's blood spraying off the blade. Intentionally averting her eyes from the sight, she slid the rapier through the crook of her arm, wiping the rest of the blood off on the sleeve.

"Ugh … playing dirty, are we?" Perrine snapped, breathing hard as she adjusted her glasses and glared daggers at Eila, readying for the next clash. Not a second after she raised her blade did Eila charge forward, weapon raised.

Flashes of light and the ring of metal on metal echoed through the sky as the two clashed. Their weapons were a blur of movement; with Eila's relentless assault and the Gallian's parries.

Perrine was clearly on the defensive, and Sanya could see that the girl's strength was fading. The blonde was backing up more and more as Eila advanced, and her parries were getting slower and slower. Sanya hurriedly gunned herself towards them, panic rising.

Finally, after a few close calls, the Neuroi made a wide sweep with its blade, knocking Perrine's sword sideways amd leaving the exhausted Gallian completely open to attack. Pulling back, the Neuroi lunged forwards, blade raised for a death thrust.

"No!" Desperate, Sanya hurled herself in front of her friend.

SHNK

Sanya nearly blacked out from the pain as the blade pierced her side, running her through. She could barely think straight, and she slumped on the blade, suspended in the air. Something rose into her throat, and with a painful choke, she coughed violently, blood splattering onto the motionless Eila in front of her.

"Sanya!" Perrine's horrified cry sounds out behind her. The Gallian appeared from behind her, a cry leaving her throat as she aimed a stab at the core once more. The Neuroi once again threw Eila's free arm in front of it, blocking the thrust with flesh.

"Shock her!" Sanya couldn't bear to see Eila take another stab like that.

With both of the Neuroi's arms occupied, there's no defending itself as Perrine grabbed its shoulder, sending a few volts of lightning through the girl. The electricity travelled throughout Eila and up the weapon, and Sanya gritted her teeth as she was shocked as well, holding onto the blade and trying not to black out from the pain.

There's a loud cry from Eila, causing Perrine to pull back the assault. The Suomi blinked rapidly, looking around in a daze. She looked down at herself, seeing the Neuroi shell coating her, and seemed to come to a realization, terror becoming apparent in her face.

Settling her gaze on Sanya, her expression turned to pure horror as she realized the Orussian was impaled on the end of her bladed arm. "S-Sanya!" Tears began to form in her eyes as regret filled her face, "I'm … I'm sorry!"

Sanya managed a weak smile through the pain blurring her vision. "It's … it's okay." She reached out, putting a shaking hand against Eila's cheek. "I'm just … so glad to see you again …"

"Just … just end it!" Eila choked out with a sob. Tears cut wet paths through the dirt and dried blood on her face, "Before I hurt you more!" Her whole body was shaking, wracked with sobs. "I can feel it coming back! Quickly!"

"I won't do it! I won't let you die, Eila!" Sanya surprised herself with the volume and conviction in her voice. But strong feelings began rising in her body, and every one of them was against hurting Eila. "You're always protecting me! Now it's my turn to protect you!"

"It's fine, Eila! We'll help you!" Perrine was breathing hard, trying to recover. Her extended magic usage was taking its toll on her, and the Gallian looked like she'd fall out of the air at any second.

"No! Run, before I hurt you!" Eila plead through her tears and began to shakily withdraw the blade from within Sanya.

"I'm not going anywhere." With that, Sanya removed her Tokarev from her belt, taking careful aim, even as the blade cut into her skin as it retracted. She wouldn't hesitate this time. Slowing her shaky breath, she fired a shot into the core.

As soon as the bullet impacted, Eila let out a cry, gunning herself backwards, away from Sanya. The blood red crystal had fractured, but hadn't broken, instead flashing wildly. Black metal began to accelerate its growth over her skin as the Neuroi fought for control.

Sanya's vision dimmed as the blade slid out of her side, causing her to double over in pain. She clutched at the wound, feeling hot liquid coat her hands. Through her blurry vision, she watched with horror as Eila convulsed, seeming trying to fight the influence.

With a loud cry, Eila suddenly gunned her Strikers, firing herself upwards. She writhed in agony, trails of debris coming off from her damaged Strikers as she ascended.

"Eila!" Sanya attempted to give chase but doubled over in pain as her wound screamed in protest. A dizziness came over her, and she could do nothing but watch through blurry eyes as Eila soared higher and higher out of reach. She cursed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sanya noticed Perrine making her way over. The Gallian slung Sanya's arm over her own shoulders, keeping the Orussian from falling out of the air. Sanya's Strikers were spinning a lot more slowly now, as her magic waned from exhaustion.

Perrine was drenched in sweat from her fight and looked absolutely exhausted. Her blue tunic was torn in several places and covered in blood. Sanya didn't look much better. Although the blonde gave a small smile to Sanya, she couldn't seem to be able to catch enough breath to speak.

"Found you!" A new voice rang out. A frazzled looking Georgette suddenly swooped up from below them, eyes filled with concern as she looked over the two.

"Lemare. So good to see you." Perrine managed weakly.

"Likewise. Sanya's looks worse. I'll start on that." The twintailed healer flexed her fingers as she closed in on Sanya. A blue glow appeared from her palms as she pressed them softly over the Orussian's wound, and magic began to flow into the damaged area.

Sanya initially recoiled from the sting of the contact, but soon relaxed as a warmth seemed to envelop her body, emitted by the healer's hands. She winced at the odd feeling of her body reattaching itself back together with the aid of magic, and she could feel some strength return to her as she was healed. Not enough, but it'll have to do.

"Hope that's alright." Georgette looked on with concern as Sanya was released from Perrine's support, gingerly feeling around where the wound had been. "It's temporary. Luckily it missed all your vitals, but we'll have to get you out of the air for some proper healing." She moved to Perrine, the glow of her magic already appearing around her hands once more as she started on the Gallian.

Sanya shook her head. "I've got to go after Eila."

"Not in your condition." Georgette's eyes flashed. "Leave it to the others."

"No." Sanya insisted, determination in her voice. She was already making her way up in the direction Eila had gone. "I have to go to her now." Wincing at the dull ache of her repaired wound, she didn't wait for a reply as she fired her Strikers, shooting up into the air.

"Hey! Wait!" Georgette called after the increasingly distant Orussian. She made to follow but felt a hand on her arm.

"Don't worry about her." Perrine smiled weakly as she gazed wistfully at her departing friend. "She may not look it, but she's a fighter. She'll be fine."

Georgette gave a huff of reluctant affirmation as the two watched Sanya disappear into the sky.

[Distorted]

PAINpainBroKenPaIN HURts damAGEHUrts BUrnS SkiN BURNS BUrnSHUrtS

EScaPEesCAPE LEAveEsCapE

caN'THURT SaNyaPerRINE FriENDS STop nNO NOnonono baD

GEtOUT geTOUt myHeaD MinEmINEMINE LEAvELEaVE MyHeAd GETOUT GEtOUT GEtOuT

MuStPrOtect ProTeCT PROTECT PROTECT SAnYa PerRIne PROTECT PROTECT PROTECT

LeAVE LEaVe UP UP UPUP UP TOwEr SPAcE SkY GO GO

alone ALONE aLone dIE aloNE ALONE ALONE

[Distorted]

Raindrops crashed relentlessly against Sanya's face as she raced desperately after Eila's fleeing form. With her free hand, she swiped at the water blurring her vision, hissing in pain as the wound on her stomach gave off a red-hot spike of pain from the exertion of flying. She wobbled as she clutched at her midriff, noting the blood staining her hand as she pulled it away. Despite Georgette's healing, she had probably just reopened the wound, and was now paying the price. The pain only grew the further she ascended, and the edges of her vision were growing dark.

With much effort, Sanya grit her teeth and pushed the pain to the back of her mind, even as she bit back tears. Instead she turned to focus on Eila, whose form was barely visible amongst the sheets of rain and cloudy sky. Small chunks of debris crumbled from the Suomi's damaged Strikers, flying off into the sky as the girl flew erratically upwards. The Strikers themselves were smoking, even shutting down for split seconds before reluctantly sputtering back to life.

"Come on, come on …" Sanya pleaded with herself.

Despite putting all of her energy into her Strikers, Sanya just could not seem to catch up to Eila. Her legs and chest were burning from the exertion, and she could feel her Strikers faltering under her waning magic. There was just no way she could reach her. No matter what she did, she couldn't reach her.

Tears jumped to her eyes as Eila slowly pulled away from her, up into the clouds. She would surely die if Sanya didn't reach her. Sanya reached out her hand in a vain attempt to reach out across the space between them.

Every moment they had spent together flashed before her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to keep living those moments with Eila, but as the distance between them widened, that hope began to fade. There would be no more moments. No more of Eila's warmth. No more of waking up beside her. No more happiness. She'd never see Eila again.

She wanted to call out, but she had no energy.

She faltered, and her Strikers stopped.

Suddenly, she yelped as something collided with her back, carrying her up into the air at a high speed. Struggling to look behind her, she was shocked to see a white-haired girl pushing her from behind, a determined expression on her face.

"N-Nikka?"

"I was wrong, Sanya!" The girl barely looked at her, gritting her teeth as she pushed them to higher and higher speeds. Tears were streaking down the girl's exhausted face. "I was wrong to try to take Eila from you!"

Sanya could see Eila's distant form suddenly appear once more in the distance, as Nipa carried them upwards. She could feel the air grow thin as they passed into the upper troposphere. Breaking through the cloud cover, they emerged into open air.

"I love her! I loved her! But I know how happy she's with you!" Nipa continued through a choked voice, still not meeting Sanya's eyes. "And you know what? I've decided!" She finally raised her eyes, meeting Sanya's evenly. "She chose you, and I'm going to support her with everything I've got! Whatever it takes!"

Sanya's eyes widened.

"So SAVE her, Sanya!" Nipa was freely crying now, choking out her words as tears rolled relentlessly down her face. Her eyes were pleading. "Save the one we love!"

With that, she grabbed a hold of Sanya's hand, gripping it firmly. Sanya felt the presence of magic in Nipa's hand, as her once-rival offered her the strength to continue. The strength to save the one they both loved and wouldn't hesitate to die for.

"Thank you …" Closing her eyes, Sanya allowed Nipa's magic to flow into her, feeling a small bit of her strength return. Enough to continue. She could feel the determination flowing through her.

Giving a nod, Nipa, with a cry, flung Sanya upward towards Eila, even as her own Strikers faltered.

Sanya gunned her engines, using Nipa's borrowed strength, and shot through the sky, rapidly closing in on the fleeing Suomi.

[Distorted]

Almost there!

Relief flooded her entire body as she finally grabbed onto Eila's hand. It was slippery, slick with the Suomi's blood. She tried her best to ignore just how much of it there was.

"Eila …" Sanya whispered out hoarsely.

Eila turned in surprise. Her eyes were wild with fear, darting every which way frantically, seemingly unable to focus on anything at a time. Upon seeing it was Sanya holding on to her, Eila tried to shake her off weakly.

"Let me go." her eyes pleaded.

Sanya shakes her head and grips Eila's hand tighter. It's painful to speak, it's painful to do anything. But nothing pained her more than seeing her love suffer. Her wound burned and screamed in protest as she, with great effort, hauled herself up to be face level with Eila.

Eila was in a far worse state than before. Her skin was much too pale and was freezing to the touch. The girl was visibly shaking, taking deep, shuddering breaths as she tried in vain to breathe. Blood leaked out from under her tunic, as well as her mouth, which was hanging slightly open.

She was fighting the Neuroi with all her might though. The outer edges of the metal were fracturing and falling off as it tried to spread. Even so, more rose up to take its place, and the infection was slowly pushing Eila back, threatening to consume the girl whole. Her left eye had also become black with a piercing orange iris. Worse still, the core was no longer visible, having been covered by the black shell.

Once again, Eila shook her head, panic evident in her face, and tried in vain to push Sanya away from herself. She weakly scrabbled at Sanya's grip with her free hand. Throughout all this, she had continued her climb into the sky, even with the Orussian's additional weight. The air was getting thinner. Her eyes pleaded for her partner to leave.

Although she felt like she had absolutely zero strength left in her body, Sanya found it in herself to keep her grip on Eila's hand. Tears began flowing down her face as she took in the sight of her battered partner. To see the one she loved dearly suffering so much absolutely devastated Sanya. She ran her free hand, shaking, over Eila's features as gently as she could. Brushing the girl's bangs out of her face. Wiping the blood from her face. Cupping Eila's cheek gently, she turned the Suomi's face towards her, looking deep into her eyes as she tried not to break down herself.

"I'm not leaving you." Sanya's voice cracked. "Not again. "

Eila stared back at her, breathing raggedly. Tears ran down her face as she tried to speak, but instead coughed up some blood violently.

"Not ever." Sanya wrapped her free arm around her love, pulling Eila against her. Her fingers instinctively recoiled from the freezing Neuroi metal, instead moving to Eila's back, stroking it softly as the latter began to calm down. Burying her face into the Suomi's neck and inhaling her scent, she felt her heart swell.

Why did it have to happen to her? Why did Eila have to suffer so much? Eila deserved so much more than this. Eila deserved to be happy, not slowly dying in the freezing cold.

Had she ever held Eila so tenderly before? How many times had she held herself back from doing such a thing? How many opportunities had she wasted, swept away by the passage of time?

She desperately wished that they could be anywhere but here. Anything but this.

Sanya squeezed her eyes shut.

BANG

Eila jerked against her suddenly, letting out a cry. "Ah … agh…" She choked out into Sanya's shoulder, barely audible. Her grip tightened around Sanya.

BANG

Another jerk. Sanya gritted her teeth, tears stinging her eyes.

BANG

The outer shell shattered, revealing the blood red core buried in Eila's side.

CLICK

Sanya tossed her spent Tokarev away, sending it spiraling into the skies below.

"I'm sorry Eila …" she whispered, steeling herself for a second before plunging her hand into Eila's side, closing her hand around the smooth edges of the core. It was hot to the touch and began to flash wildly at the contact.

Eila began to thrash, letting out cries of pain as Sanya struggled to remove the core. Her Strikers began to fire wildly on their own accord as the Suomi lost control of her magic, the escaping energy sparking in the air around them as they soared even faster upwards.

The core was burning red hot now, singeing Sanya's hand as she gripped onto it. The pain was intense, more than anything she had ever felt. She could feel her vision going white as it poured molten lava throughout her veins, the pain reaching every fibre of her being. She could barely stay conscious.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry" was all Sanya could cry out, over and over again as she pulled, tears flowing down her face. She held Eila tighter and tighter as the girl thrashed and screamed soundlessly in agony at the assault.

But, little by little, it began to give way.

Then, in a shower of blood and shards of black metal, the core was free.

Sanya reared back, holding it aloft. With a cry, she crushed it within her bloodied fist. A hundred shards cut into her skin as the core shattered with an ear-piercing screech. She ignored the pain, dropping her hand to her side as the crystal slowly disintegrated into the sky.

Eila had frozen. A thousand fractures suddenly appeared on the metal creeping over the girl, and after a second, the Neuroi shell shattered into a million pieces, scattering into the winds. The Suomi's eyes, wide with pain, suddenly closed as she blacked out, and her body went limp. Magic wildly sparked through the air as it left Eila's still body.

"Eila …!" Sanya reached forwards, taking the girl into her arms. She could feel her own magic begin to leave her control. She squeezed her eyes shut as the torrent of emotion finally gets the most of her. She grabbed at Eila, cradling her love as close as she physically could. "I'm right here … I'm here." she sobbed, stroking at and kissing at Eila's pale hair. Finding Eila's wound, she pressed down on it, trying to stem the loss of both blood and magic. "Please don't die … please don't die!"

As soon as she made contact, her magic sparked against Eila's, causing her vision to go white.

[Distorted]

There was only silence now.

Silence, as she looked up the endless tower into the cosmic ocean, filled with millions and millions of tiny lights.

She can see Eila once more, up the tower.

But unlike before…

The distance between them … is a lot smaller.

There's nothing stopping her as she makes her way up the tower. Eila no longer fades into the distance.

There's a happiness in her chest as Eila turns to her. Her love fixes those purple eyes on her and smile of surprise blossoms across her face. She reaches out.

She feels Eila's magic from within her return to its rightful owner, and she thanks her love for the gift that helped keep her alive.

The second their hands touch, the time slows to a halt. One by one, the stars above blink out of existence, and the world around them fades to nothingness. There's nothing left, just the two of them, in their own secret world.

An infinite number of memories flash through Sanya's head. Memories of her own life. Memories of the two of them together. More memories, memories of Eila, that are not her own.

She feels everything. Everything that Eila had felt. Waves of emotion crash over her, drowning her in every type of feeling. Happiness, sadness, anger, pain, jealousy, concern, surprise, joy, adoration.

Love.

Love floods every memory with an overflowing light, connecting the two in ways they never realized. It hid in plain sight. Every touch, every gesture. A love that they never knew would be returned by the other.

A single instant, frozen in time, they are connected, living a lifetime of memories. The sad ones. The worst ones. The best ones. The happiest ones.

A surge of energy courses through their veins as their magic meet and interweave with each other, filling each other with their entire beings. Stars blind them as the entire world explodes back into reality, firing them into sky, hand in hand, at speeds they could barely fathom.

Their strands of aether and fate intertwine forever, into an inextinguishable covenant. An unbreakable bond.

And they've returned to that place they visited so long ago. A place where Eila had confessed her love, but the words had not reached Sanya. Together, they look down upon the world, as they did so long ago.

Higher than the sky.

[Distorted]

A field of stars fill Sanya's vision as her eyes slowly open. Wonder filled her heart as she reached a hand upwards, grasping as the points of light as if she could pluck them from the sky. Unlike the turmoil of battle far below, it was so quiet here.

Another hand entered her vision, grasping her hand weakly. Sanya tore her eyes away from the sky, finding Eila at her side, nestled in her arms. Their Strikers were gone, disengaged at some point due to the lack of magic. Eila's Neurofied Strikers had somehow carried them into the low stratosphere, into their own little world.

"I remember this ..." Eila smiled weakly, gazing upwards. There was a wonder in her own eyes, along with what looked like relief. The stars reflected in her eyes, making them shine brightly as she took in the sky above.

"Eila …"

"I … remember." Eila whispered, lowering her gaze to Sanya. Tears glistened at the edges of her eyes, and pure emotion swirled around in her purple irises as they stared deep into Sanya's. "Everything …"

She remembered.

Sanya couldn't speak, staring wide eyed at her partner as the words settled in. A torrent of emotion tore through her entire being as she took in the words that she thought that she may never hear. They carried a finality, as if to say that her troubles were now over.

"I'm … glad… " Sanya's eyes filled with tears, and a teary smile broke out across her tired face. Pure relief filled her body, and she felt lighter than ever before. "Thank goodness …"

Eila remembered.

Sanya took Eila into her arms, being careful around both their wounds. Embracing Eila, she laid her head on the Suomi's shoulder, squeezing as close as she could to the other girl as a contented happiness flooded her being. A happiness at finally sharing a hidden love together, filling her with warmth.

"I love you …"

A simple string of words, though as Sanya spoke them, a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. Practiced many times, but never uttered, there was else nothing truer in the whole world than that simple sentence. Years of feelings, struggles, and love packed into just three words.

"Yeah … " Eila's eyes closed, as tears ran down her bloodied face. Her own watery smile blossomed across her face, and Sanya could think of nothing more beautiful. Tears began to roll down their faces as they floated there, smiling at each other through choked sobs. "I think … I think I knew. Maybe I always knew."

"I can see it now. It was always there, wasn't it? Guess I didn't really know until now …" Eila chuckled at the absurdity of what had previously been a monumental obstacle. "I was so scared." She looked sheepish. "I'm sorry I ran away."

"It's alright …" Sanya giggled.

How could she be angry? Eila running away had led them to this moment, finally sharing their hidden love, so did it really matter what path was taken, now that they had arrived at the destination?

"I love you too …" Eila pulled back from the embrace so she could see Sanya's face. Her face was tired and battered, but a gentle smile shone through as she gazed into Sanya's eyes, slowly leaning forwards until their foreheads were touching. For a second, she said nothing more, and the two just gazed each other happily.

"More than anything ..."

Their lips came together, connecting into a soft kiss. One that both had desired for much too long. A sudden warmth from the contact erupted in their bodies, filling their hearts up with love until they were fit to burst. And burst they did, only to fill once more as they lost themselves in each other.

Bloodied, injured, and exhausted, in the freezing atmosphere, and yet there was nowhere they'd rather be.

Here, at the apex of the world, Sanya felt complete.

They felt a pull as gravity took a hold of their bodies once more, calling them back home. Their magic began to spark as it left their bodies to swirl and dance in the skies around them, wreathing them in its radiant glow.

Even as the winds rushed around them from their descent, and the stars retreated into the sky, Sanya's eyes stayed on Eila's smiling face, going over every detail, every little feature. Eila seemed to glow with a brilliant light, and at the edge of her vision, she could see that she too shared the same light. She felt her strength start to fade, and though she tried as hard as she could, she couldn't hold onto consciousness.

But she could still feel Eila's warmth, comforting her, enveloping her. It made her feel safe. Like it always had. Like it always would. Through whatever would happen.

Briefly, she wondered what would happen. She then realized, it didn't matter much. As long as she was with Eila.

Maybe …

Maybe it's okay like this …

As they plummeted back to Earth, wreathed in blinding light, her eyes slowly closed.

[Distorted – End of Chapter Twelve – The Reason Why I Thought I'd Die]