She knew what was coming, but she still screamed and fell on her knees when the pain hit.
Get up. Go up.
Palms pressed against the ground, she repeated the two words to herself on a loop, as she forced herself to bolt up, and begun a running leap. The speed and force that propelled her upwards had far surpassed her expectation. For a second, she felt like she was being shot out of a cannon barrel.
She barely made a kick on a broken pillar in time, propelling herself towards a nearby rock and stopping the incoming fall. Burning heat spread through her body as she crash onto the solid surface, coupled with crippling exhaustion that weighed her limbs down like a layer of lead.
No, she couldn't stop. Keep up the momentum, keep going.
She could see the streaks of golden energy in the air now, tangling with the dark blue flames, growing out of the rifts below like wild vines. When one surged towards her direction, she made a flip in midair, narrowly dodging the ripples in space-time that sent forth a rain of debris, as she landed on another stepping stone. Without even seeing it, she leaped away at the tremor, a second before the stone crumbled apart under her weight.
Aren't they just like falling books?
She sped into a blur, senses firing on all cylinders. As she kept running and jumping, the pain in her body was shifting into something else. It still hurt, but in a good way, like when she was little and spent an entire afternoon trying to climb to the top of a building. The soreness in her muscles was screaming for her to quit, yet she knew these were lies.
She was close, so close, and no one could stop her, and it may look scary, but once you make the leap, you'll feel like flying—
A stab of panic. Danger. Someone else was in danger. Her sight zoomed in on the golden silhouette above, slipping to the very end of the rope, fingers releasing their hold.
The silhouette fell, in slow motion. In a split second, she launched herself towards the falling body, and caught her in her arms, like a bird of prey snatching up a pigeon in midair.
They fell together, sailing past another wave of scattered debris, spinning at a dizzying speed. But nothing could clog up her senses now. She kicked the right rock, steering them towards the largest platform in sight.
Her vision went dark for a second, as she slammed into the rock, and Clancy slammed into her. The impact was barely felt. She could hear their heartbeats, how Clancy's had a sharp increase in speed, as they scrambled back up and caught sight of each other.
Another streak of dark blue energy flashed above them, accompanied by a shrill screech. Her body reacted before her conscious thought, slicing through the falling form, reducing it to a spray of ink with an arching cut. Only after she shook the ink off the blade did she realize she was holding a glowing scimitar, instead of her regular blade.
With a swift motion, it went away. She gestured for Clancy to get onto her back, in complete silence. The power surging through her veins was blocking out her words, urging her to keep moving, to never stop moving.
Then she leaped down the edge, falling towards the glimmering blue crystal at the center of the vortex. Even with someone's weight on her back, she was as light as a feather.
Time itself seemed to grind to a halt. This clarity of senses was greater than anything she had ever experienced. Gone were the chaos, silence, and darkness that obscured everything; she was simultaneously seeing the little golden amulet in a clump of mud, the ghost's translucent form, and hearing the muffled complaints coming from below.
Some snippets weren't from the present times. A waterfall, a lavender feather on an adventurer's hat, a familiar amulet swinging above white tabards and chainmail armor. The happiness that accompanied them was real, so real, and it was mingling together with her own, as she leaped and spun and cut through more falling phantoms on the way down.
She was mirroring another person's steps. Yet she was free, freer than ever before.
Something landed behind Rei.
It was nothing new. With each flash of golden light, things would rain down from above, from little pebbles to rocks that were larger than her head. This one, however, was groaning. She couldn't turn her head around, which only made the noises more terrifying.
"Oww. Fuck. Two random teleportation in a row?" Finally, she heard a low gasp, "I'm really...too old for this shit."
Footsteps. Rei had no idea who they were, but they were moving away from her. Abruptly, the sound stopped, followed by a thud.
"Darn, kid. You could've used your epic gravity-defying skill while we were up there. Just saying."
"I didn't know I had to—" A sigh, "Keep an eye on her for me."
"Where are you going?"
Even with an extra dose of anxiety and worry in it. 'Red Storm's voice was unmistakable. Of course she'd also be trapped here, as the first person to discover their hiding spot...
"Back up there. She's the only one that needs saving now."
Before anyone could retort, there were more rapid footsteps, followed by a "swoosh" sound. Then, silence. It lasted for a long, long interval, and only the heavy breathing of the two remaining people could be heard. They are never going to notice me or Lynka at this rate.
Then, the older woman with the raspy voice suddenly let out a cough.
"Wait. Are these two the kidnappers you were after?"
Ruffling. The woman was moving towards her now. "The one who's, well, on fire is dead, from the looks of it. What a bummer. Can't even get anything good off a body like that..."
Three green dots circled to her front. At first glance, it didn't even look human.
A primal panic surged through her, followed by a wave of dark energy. The moment it erupted out of her body and shot forward, her vision cleared up.
She caught sight of the woman again, lying on the ground. No, heavens, she didn't mean to, she failed to hold that power back again, and if someone was dead because of her—
In one swift motion, the woman rolled away and stood back up.
"Woah. Something's still alive in there," she said, and reached for something on her hip, "You think this one will be immune to bullets too?"
"No. Don't shoot."
Just before her panic could make the power go bonkers again, 'Red Storm' was there, glancing down at her. Rei could still see the dried bloodstain on her face under the dim light, and she was wobbling slightly.
"Are you really really sure?"
"Yes. She's on our side. How she ends up here, though, I have no idea."
'Red Storm' cautiously reached a hand towards her, but drew back the moment she touched her shoulder, wincing. She must've been burnt by that energy. If Rei could talk, she'd be apologizing frantically now.
"Can you talk?" She paused, "One blink for yes, two for no."
Rei was about to blink, when she caught a glimpse of the woman wearing goggles, kneeling down besides Lynka's body. She leaned forward, but before she could touch her shoulder, Lynka's form crumbled into little light particles, like it was made of sand.
Rei's eyes widened. This couldn't be good. Yet, no matter how hard she was screaming inside, she still couldn't make a single sound come out of her throat.
"Well, that happened—" The woman's musing came to an abrupt halt, as a pair of scarlet eyes appeared in front of her. "Darn, why's everything in this place not quite dead yet? Hey there, spooky eyes thing."
"Can you hear me?" 'Red Storm' asked her again, but soon glanced away when another thud came from behind them. There was a look of relief on her face, as she stood up and disappeared at the edge of Rei's vision.
"I'm back!" The third voice announced, "Yeah, I went to grab the ghost lady, before you start scolding me, I just want to say—" A yelp. "Ow. Uh. Sorry, I'm not running off again. You can let go of me now, I'm seeing something very concerning over there—"
A shadow drifted past Rei, and came to a halt right in front of her. A translucent shadow wearing a witch hat.
"Why are you..." The ghost shook her head, as she bent down next to her. "Never mind. I think I should stop trying to find any kind of logic behind these chance encounters. What happened to you?"
Rei blinked as fast as she could, because that was the only option available to her. Whether Verdna understood it as "I've seized back the power that once made me go insane and is in horrible agony now", she had no idea, but the ghost did nod in response before gliding away.
"Attention, please? There's an injured person over here!"
Her announcement was met with a low "Uh-huh". Soon, 'Red Storm' appeared again, this time with a girl at her side, wrapping an arm around her and helping her walk. As they gathered around her, Rei could see the girl's eyes glowing bright gold, as well as the pointy crown thing floating above her head, and the amulet dangling on her neck.
"Uh, is she under a paralysis spell? I have no idea how to treat something like that," the girl said. "Should we move her? Carry her? Any suggestions?"
"You are asking the wrong person, kid." The woman's cheerful voice came from afar. "Auntie does first-aid by slicing throats. So her unlucky buddies wouldn't get taken alive."
"Why, thanks for your very helpful input! Now let's try to get a suggestion from someone who's not a complete psychopath!"
The girl was about to lift her to a sitting position, when she was yanked back by 'Red Storm', who had been holding a hand to her forehead in silence for a while now, as if fighting the urge to doze off.
"Don't touch her. I tried. That aura is harmful."
"Okay, I see." The girl squinted at her. "Wait, is this the same energy that's swirling all over the place? If so..."
In the fraction of a second, a golden blade materialized on her right arm. "Maybe I can cut it out?"
Before the other two even noticed Rei's rapid, desperate blinking, they shook their heads in unison. 'Red Storm' was grabbing the girl by the arm now, ready to pull her back for a second time.
"No, I'm serious! I know you can't see it, but the Gold Energy that's coming out of the rift, it's been holding its own against the dark blue one pretty well, so maybe—"
"You are not a real doctor, young lady!"
Another tremor shook the platform, just as the darkness blocked out Rei's senses. Whether it was that power going wild again, or something else, she had no idea. All she saw was 'Red Storm' and the girl being thrown backwards and landing on their side, before a blinding flash of light erupted out of the Sharecite crystal.
When the light was gone, no one was looking at Rei anymore. Their heads were turned towards the crystal, and the little silhouette floating besides it. Under the shadow of that black hoodie with cat ears, only the bright scarlet color of her hair was visible.
But, despite the way she glanced around the place, like a scared, lost kid searching for a familiar face in the crowd, her presence felt wrong. She was almost real, but not truly...there.
"...Flare."
The same word escaped out of two people's lips, after a long silence. Rei had no idea why the girl would know who that kid was. But that second voice was Lynka's.
"Ouch. That energy..." Verdna's voice came from behind her. Seconds later, she was besides 'Red Storm'. "And I thought I'd gained enough unwanted knowledge about ways to harm the incorporeal. Are you two alright?"
"Lynka?" The kid—Flare turned around, just as the floating eyes phantom approached her. Behind them, Rei could vaguely see the woman's silhouette, just kneeling there, as still as a statue.
"Where am I? No, what happened to you?! Did she—"
"Sheesh. You must be so scared. Don't worry, I'm still here," Lynka whispered. "Sustained by the last tiny bit of faith. But I wouldn't be here for long."
"...Why?"
"Because you will take my Shares for yourself, and live again." A pause. "Not as a CPU of Tari, or Lady Cyan Heart's successor, but as a regular kid in a world without war and conflict, unburdened by a legacy that no one is ever meant to bear."
The eyes phantom floated even closer, as if she was about to fuse into Flare's form, before the kid dodged away, frowning.
"And you'll disappear. Forever."
"I'll still be part of you," Lynka replied. "And I won't regret it. My life is nothing but an endless string of failures, and, without my...respect for Maria, and later, my love for you, I'd have ended it all long ago."
Flare opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"Now that you are here again...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I left you behind to die alone, because I was too weak, and couldn't even beat Panason's Oracle. So please, let me make up for it, for not keeping my promise. For every single time I've been an awful sister."
"Did you not remember it," Flare mumbled in a barely audible voice, "When I said a future without you wasn't one worth living in?"
"Of course I do. But—"
"No! I've heard everything, while I was...in there!" She pointed at the Sharecite, "Your older sister is a terrible jerk! Respect? Respect? She doesn't deserve any of it! She's the one who made you feel like you're nothing, who forced you to smile while she treated you like garbage, isn't that right? No wonder you could never get mad at me when I did things wrong!"
"I...that's my fault, really." The eyes phantom blinked. "I never wanted you to feel everything I'd felt, but in the end, my baggage still became yours. I didn't even notice it, until after I was brought back, and had the chance to look back at everything."
A sad chuckle. "Really, how could someone who never knew what love was...love anyone in the right way? Make a new life for herself, even though there's nothing in her life that's worth living for, except for a single person? Yet I'm the one who gets to start over. What a cruel joke."
Flare's lips were moving, her chest rising and falling with each rapid breath. Rei couldn't hear a single word, however.
"I know this is probably the worst time to act like a strict sibling. But please, listen to me for once. Take what you deserve, and be happy. That's my only wish."
The eyes phantom drifted towards her again. It came to a halt when Flare let out a scream, holding her arms in front of her chest and shaking her head like mad.
"No way! You deserve to be happy too! No, you deserve to be alive!"
"I..." There was a real, desperate agitation in Lynka's voice now, "You still don't get it, do you? As long as I'm alive, I won't be happy! I can never be free of the past, free of myself, so just let me do this for you! For someone who is actually a good sister, even though she should never have to act like one—"
"You are not doing this for me! You are doing this for MARIA!" Flare shrieked, fists clenched, "She thought if you weren't useful to someone, if you didn't want to become the bully she was, then you shouldn't be alive at all, and she's WRONG! No one is asking for you to sacrifice everything for me! Hell, I never want that from you!"
The eyes phantom flickered and backed away, as if being struck by a heavy blow. Seeing that, Flare put a hand to her mouth.
"T-That...came out a little too mean. I'm not saying I never wanted to be with you, or that I thought you hated me! You are still the best big sister you could be, despite everything." She glanced away. "I-It's just, you don't have to be useful to be alive. Just being...you is enough. If there is one person you should've loved more, it is yourself."
"She's right!" The girl, who had been sitting there in silence, suddenly stood up and started shouting, "Look, I know you two have some horribly messed-up lives, but it's a really awful thing to sacrifice yourself for someone without asking them first, you know? You aren't doing them a favor! You just aren't!"
"You can hear them?" 'Red Storm' and Verdna turned towards her at the same time.
"You can't?" She frowned, before slapping her forehead, "Darn, must be the enhanced senses again..."
"I can hear them too," Verdna mumbled. "But I thought that was just by virtue of me being dead."
"I-I understand where you are coming from. I really do." After a long silence, Lynka spoke up again, her voice a quiet whisper. "But I'm afraid it's all too late now. I've come so far, dragged enough people into my foolish, hopeless quest. And now that there's only one thing left for me to do, I can't just part with you, a-and give up on you like that. I can't, I can't..."
She was struggling to squeeze out words between sobs now. "I've only...gotten another chance to see you again, and now, now I have to watch you die? I'm sorry, please forgive me, I just can't...do this to you!"
"I-I don't wanna leave you, either," Flare sniffled, after wiping away her own tears with her sleeves, "But I know one thing. You want me to have a happy life. That's not gonna happen, if I lived, knowing that I agreed to let you die, thinking that your life is worthless and you don't deserve a chance at being happy."
"...What should I do, then?"
After a long silence, Flare smiled, and stretched her arms out in an embrace.
"If you have to give your life, in exchange for mine...well, my life is my own, and only I can decide what to do with it! I've already given it for Tari once, and now I'm giving it back to you."