The Color of Hesitation

The wood of our practice swords connect. With a snap, it flies out of my hands landing in the sand a few feet away. They don't relent, their sword snapping against my stomach next. With an oof I stumble backwards and down into the sand. "Come on Clancy!" Etihvv whines. They sling the fake sword over their thin shoulder. With a turn of their heel, they collapse next to me. Laughter bubbles from their lips as the golden sand mixes in their white hair. "Is it just me, or are you getting weaker?"

"No." I push at them, "you're getting stronger!"

"Nah you're just getting weaker." Etihvv teases, laughing loudly. They swing the sword lightly, hitting me where they hit earlier. I grunt and sit up. I can feel the sand trickling down my back, resting in the wrinkles of my clothes.

"I've got to get going, I'm on cleaning duty again." I sigh loudly. I pull Etihvv up and retrieve the lost practice sword. I slash the weapon through the air, feeling its power through my muscles. "Next time! Next time I'll get out of cleaning duty."

Etihvv laughs again, a melody I wouldn't trade for the world. I join in as well, our laughter bouncing against the golden sand dunes.


"Etihvv…" Clancy takes a step forward. Her eyes are wide, mouth agape. The person waves again, stepping from behind the short pillar. Etihvv, who were they? I eye Clancy with worry, what's going on? "You… you…" Clancy repeats the word, getting closer to them.

"I died?" Etihvv stops. Died? I back away from the two of them. "Wrong! I didn't die!" Etihvv places a thin hand over their heart. They thump the hand twice. "Except in here, but that's not really death is it?"

"Vermillion? What's going on?"

"Nothing that really concerns you," Etihvv makes a shooing motion with their hand. They weren't really wrong, but I don't like their tone. I frown and take a step towards the oddly silent Vermillion. Her red eyes seem dull, not fitting her sharp face. I call her name again. No response. She stares at the new comer.

I grab her shoulder, squeezing it tight. She finally responds her mouth opening. Tears pool at the edges of her eyes till the dam breaks and she begins to sob. "I-I thought you- you all we're dea-dead." She stumbles over the words between sobs. Her gloved hand grips mine. Despite the tears, she's smiling.

With her other hand she wipes furiously at the tears, but they don't stop. Etihvv crosses their arms, their eyes narrowed. They grind their teeth watching the display of emotions without words. Something wasn't right. "Why are you crying?" It's not asked with concern. They stomp forward, towards Vermillion. "You're a traitor!"

Traitor? Vermillion stills. I squeeze her hand again, eyeing Etihvv warily. Who are they exactly? "What are you talking about?" I grit my teeth. Etihvv scowls and crosses their arms again.

"I thought I said it doe-"

"I don't care whether or not it involved me." I cut him off. My hands curl to fists at my sides. "I'm Clancy's friend so it involves me now." Both occupants are taken back by my words. Vermillion stifles her crying, taking a huge gulp of air. She calls my name, voice as watery as her tears. I glance at her then continue to stare at the shocked Etihvv.

"I'm her friend too, right Clancy." They stare pass me, to Vermillion.


"Congratulations." I grin. Etihvv displays the letter proudly in their hands. The bright red and orange prints stark against the pale blue sky. They twirl in the sand showing it off to the sky, as if it cared.

"You're looking at the next Pretty Cure." They shift to ready position: back straight, arms tucked behind, feet together. Despite the serious stance, they wear a goofy grin. I laugh and shove them into the sand. A cry leaves their lips as they tumble down the dune.

"The next Pretty Cure aren't looking too good." I tease jumping down after them. The golden sand shifts beneath my shoes, clouds of it puffing into the air.

"Fowl gray scale." Etihvv jumps to their feet as I near them. They leap back, brandishing their fake sword. "I shall purify you in the name of the Land of Canvases." They slash the sword through the air for extra measure. The welts I've received from it flare in remembrance.

I slide down the last part of the dune brandishing my own sword. "Purify? Don't make me laugh!" I adopt a defense position. Despite the playful scenario, my muscles are taut. My eyes narrow, watching for their first move. Etihvv eyes glance over me, their thoughts the same, then widen.

"Wait!" They drop the sword in the sand. "I'm going to be late for the ceremony!" Etihvv begins to run. Their destination is a golden gate that glitters in the sun. With a sigh, I sheath my fake sword. Picking up their own, I run after them.

"Don't close that gate Etihvv!"


"Of course." Vermillion pushes past me. With one last wipe of her glove, the tears are gone. "Etihvv…" She pauses in front of them. Even with her boots, she's shorter than them. The top of her head reaching their chin.

"If we're friends why'd you abandon me Clancy?" Their voice cracks. Tears pools at their silver eyes. "Answer me that."

"I…" Vermillion doesn't answer. Her fingers pull at her shirt, ripping holes at the bottom. Her body trembles. "I didn't…"

"Clancy." I call her. She pays no mind. Etihvv reaches their hand forward. The Pigment at her neck lifts in the air. Blacks and grays swirl in the once clear stone. The colors swim, darkening it. Was it being corrupted? I look over to Etihvv. Their dark brown skin is draining away at the fingertips. "Get away from them." I order Vermillion.

Vermillion doesn't hear me, lost in her own world. She mouths words, but no noise comes out. The Pigment darkens further as Etihvv's fingers touch it. Her transformation is beginning to come undone. There's no fancy sparkles or flashes of light like usual. Dark red wisps of smoke rise from the dissolving clothes. It collects, a dark storm cloud over her head.

I rush forward. Slamming my hands flat against their chest, I send Etihvv flying backwards. They let out a squeak of surprise falling onto their butt. My hands are fists at my side. The rest of the colors disappear from them. Their completely gray unlike the other Monochrome lackeys. They lean against the pillar. "You're butting in where you're not wanted, you know."

"I don't care." I take a step forward. "Who are you really?"

"Etihvv," They raise an eyebrow. "Weren't you listening?" Their voice is light. A certain playfulness tints their words. It pisses me off. Was this a game to them? My eyes travel from them to the pillar. From this angle I can see seven indentions in the stone. Each one looks about the length for a Pigment.

I suppose that's the cleaner. My hand slips in my pocket, fingertips brushing the corrupted Pigment. Etihvv stands, their eyes flickering to behind me. Clancy. I look behind as well. The last of her transformation disappears. The smoke wraps around her head. A red haze obscuring her face. The Pigment at her neck is completely black. It floats down, dead at her chest. The red haze disperses, revealing her wide silver eyes.

"You're one of Monochromes." Clancy shakes her head. "No. Not you." She takes a step back, but slips. She slams into the ground with a hollow thud, her eyes staying on Etihvv.

"Yea. I am." The person in question rubs at the back of their head. So nonchalant. I grit my teeth.

"This is a joke!" Clancy screams. Her hands curl into fists. "This has to be a joke." I clench the Pigment in my pocket tighter. I was caught between the two; literally as I was standing between them. Clancy bangs her fist against the cold tiles. "Please be a joke." She begs. Tears drip down her sharp cheeks. They're tiny droplets on the floor.

"No joke." Etihvv circles around me. "I wouldn't joke like this to you." They stand over her, shadow engulfing her body.

I back away, closer to the Cleanser. I pull the Pigment out of my pocket slowly. My eyes watch the small of their back. One move, one wrong move and I would defend Clancy. The thought makes me feel stronger, makes me feel like I know what's happening. The Pigment in my hand reacts, I can feel it. Energy pulses beneath my fingers. Without turning my gaze, the stone works itself into one of the indentions. It feels like I'm at the beach. In this case its energy I feel instead of water. Like a wave it laps gently at my hand. It draws me closer, the foaminess tickling my palm. The energy itself travels like a shiver over my body. It engulfs me.

I feel lost in this feeling. Clancy and Etihvv are talking, but I can't make sense of what they're saying. At my angle, all I can see is the enemy's back. Their shoulder's shrug, their head tilts.

"We're still friends, aren't we?" I catch the words through radio fuzz. Friends? Them? My teeth grit more. "Hand over the Pigment and we won't have to fight."

"You'll like that, won't you?" Blood roars beneath my skin. How dare they! How dare they. After calling her a traitor and making her cry. I rip the Pigment out of the Cleanser. The bright blue stone glitters in the room. Etihvv turns, their eyes wide.

"Another Pigment?"

"The only one you're fighting is me."

"Precure Primer and Gloss." The familiar feeling washes over me. Like cool water pouring down my head, trickling down my body. Energy floods beneath my skin, washing away any fatigue.

"The Color of the Unforgiving Earth! Cure Aero!" I point towards the offense.

"Cure Aero," Etihvv tenses.

Tension rolls across my shoulders. My stomach is in knots, making me feel wound up. Etihvv is tense as well. One of their hand goes for the pocket. No, something above their pocket. Out of thin air, they produce a sword. It glints in the thin light provided by Clancy from earlier. The edge looks deadly sharp. They adopt a defense position, the tension melting from their body.

My heart drums in my ears. Afraid, I was afraid. My body won't stop shaking. Unlike the Dead-Colors, this was a person. Someone like Clancy, trained in combat.

I can't breathe.

They shift their position, readying for anything. I can't move. This was different. I can feel their eyes staring though me. If I attacked them, they could certainly deal twice the damage I give. In a flash, they disappear. On instinct, I push back.

Something silver flashes through the air. The ground where I stood crumbles. A large black scar opens in the floor. Etihvv appears a second later. Their feet barely touch the ground they've cut before they disappear again.

I land, mind racing. Where are they? They're gone? How? What's happening? The thoughts jumble. I feel a tremble of energy to my left. I dodge again, watching the silver flash. I land quicker this time. Pushing off my toes, I launch to the reappearing Etihvv.

The sword glints in their hand. The blade gleams silver. I dodge to the right. Etihvv makes no move, the sword gripped tight in one hand.

I land across the room. I gulp for air, even though it's barely been a minute.

"You can't fight me if you're afraid." Etihvv slashes the sword through the air. I brace, ready to dodge. But no weird silver energy appears. They were right. My eyes are drawn to the blade. The thought of that ripping through my skin. I can almost picture my blood on that blade. My insides twist so much I want to throw up.

But Clancy. I look over to her. She looks distraught, heart broken, destroyed. I have to do something.

"Clancy!" I yell. Her hair shifts covering her face. "Cleanse your Pigment!" I order. Out of the corner of my eye silver flashes. I leap to the left, dodging the blade by mere centimeters. I can feel the air off the blade. Etihvv dances around me, blocking my view from Clancy. From my blurred vision, I don't see her move.

"Didn't you say you'd save this land? No matter what!" I scream louder. Please, let my words reach her. Let them reach her like hers' reached me. I pray. "Clancy!" I launch a counter attack. My fist cuts through the air, missing Etihvv. They slide to the side and slash with their sword. I cut through the air, moving to recover.

Dear mom, do you have any advice for this? I survey the area. Clancy is still on the floor. She watches the fight, but doesn't make a move to join in. Etihvv themselves watches me, waiting for an attack. They shift the sword in their hands. I don't know if she had any advice regarding fighting aliens with sharp swords.

In a silver flash Etihvv is gone. I leap to the side, watching the ground come up in torrents. As always, they land amidst the wreckage and move to chase me down. I guide them away from Clancy. Leap by leap. If she didn't have the strength, mentally or physically, to help then I'll keep this away from her. It's the least I can do.

My glove splits in half. Blood spurts from my forearm. I howl in pain. My feet catch the latest scar on the floor sending me to the ground. Blood pulses and dribbles across the crisscross design of my glove, turning to puddles on the tiled floor. I grasp the cut with my other hand. The blood wells up between my fingers. This was serious. They were serious. It hits me a second time.

This wasn't some game. This was a real fight. Etihvv rushes forward, their flats slapping the only sound. I stumble backwards, barely dodging the blade. I dodge over and over the blade grazing my arms. They're trying to trap me. Each slash makes me move back. The wall of the domed room nears my fleeing back.


This couldn't be happening. My heart rams in my chest, blares in my ears. Etihvv runs next to me, one hand on their sword. Their real one. My hand rests on my own dagger, the red tipped jewel digging into my sweaty palm. The rest of the platoon was already fighting; scattered across the battlefield. As far as the eye can see and more Dead-Colors roam the area, stomping their feet, soaring through the air.

"We have to find Sienna." Etihvv leaps over a large hole. Never slowing. I nod and cut across the field. My eyes scan the area for the orange clad girl, but all I see is gray. Gray, black, white. The colors of the Gray-Scaled Kingdom. The colors of our enemies. This… this is what I've been training for. I leap over a large hole. Etihvv unsheathes their sword and points towards the horizon. They yell over the cacophony of battle- 'There! She's over there!'

Sienna. No Cure Sienna flips over a Dead-Color. Orange dust swirls in a torrent swallowing it. She lands with a pose, her pigtails flaring behind.

"Cure Sienna," I stop beside her. She turns, orange eyes narrow.

"Slow them down. Not one passes." She orders. With that she runs off, a trail of orange behind her. Stop an entire army. I feel the ground quake beneath. My breaths come out as gasps. The dagger in my hand slips out of grasp. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't d- Etihvv grips my shoulder, their hand shakes like a leaf caught in a storm.

"We're rookies. We can't do anything." My voice breaks. A peal of thunder sounds across the field. "We have to…" have to what? Etihvv grips my shoulder harder.

"As the newest Pretty Cure I can't not do anything." They swear. Their face steels, their hand stops shaking. A Dead-Color advances towards us. Slowly it lumbers-closer and closer. Etihvv points their sword, a challenge, and swipes the blade through the air. "Clancy, we have to do something." Despite the confident stance they wear, their voice is hollow. I slip to my knees. I feel like retching. Smoke and the smell of paint fills the air. My hands paw at the ground for my dagger.

I can't.

I'm scared.

The Dead-Color lumbers forward and raises a meaty arm. It brings it down, slamming the ground where Etihvv once stood. They spin through the air and strike. A slip of red cuts into the Dead-Color, the ground behind it slicing open as well. In a flash the Dead-Color is gone.

The scar in the earth is still there.

I grip the dagger harder. 'If I can do it, so can you.' Etihvv had proudly stated. Their ceremony robes swirled around them. 'If someone like me can become a Pretty Cure so can you Clancy.' They picked at the bright red sash across their chest, a sad smile on their lips.

My resolve hardens. Lurching to my feet, I bring the dagger close to my heart. There's no end to the targets. We have to destroy each and every one of them. A final stand. A cat like Dead-Color slinks forward. Its claws dig into the soft earth. The smirk all cats wear is proud on its face. Even if I wasn't a Pretty Cure, I could kill it. The beast leaps forward. I brandish the dagger and cut through the air. A slice of silver energy speeds forward meeting the cat midair. Etihvv takes the cue and cuts with their own sword. Another one cleansed. "As a team Clancy." They outstretch their hand.

"As a team Etihvv." I clasp my hand around theirs. The ground quakes again, the cuts in the ground becoming larger. I let go of their hand and block a strike from a Dead-Color. Its distorted limbs stretch from across the battlefield. Etihvv is a flash in dismembering it. A team. We couldn't go down if were a team.

The Dead-Color retracts it's shorten limbs, letting out a discordant scream. I block another attack falling into a messed up routine. Block. Stop. Dismember. Block. Stop. Cleanse. Red energy flares across the gray scaled fields. Like a snake, Etihvv slips into the chaos. Striking from below, from the sides, they lie waiting for an opportunity. They're draped in the colors of red; it stains their face, their clothes. Fitting as they were the new Cure Vermillion.

A flash of orange draws my attention. Cure Sienna stops three Dead-Colors with a wall of orange energy. She collapses to the ground, her golden pigtails obscuring her face.

"Sienna!" I scream. My voice is lost in another scream.

Turning, everything slows. Etihvv is twisting in the air, mouth agape. Their sword is glinting red, but it's not fast enough.

Things lurch into fast forward. Four Dead-Colors swarm them, throwing them down to the ground. They don't have time to scream.

"…Etihvv?" If the world wasn't already gray, it would have been then. The Dead-Colors overtake the limp body hiding it from view. All I see are their disgusting, twisted, backs. "Etihvv?" I call their name again. In my hollow chest. I knew. I knew they weren't getting up. Even if I called their name, they would not respond. The thought swims in my brain.

Etihvv isn't getting up.

My feet are moving before I register it. My whole self feels numb like I'm not fully there.


I duck down, dodging the blade. It sinks into the wall with barely a sound. My body moves on autopilot. I run along the wall. Away from everything. Etihvv struggles with pulling their sword out. I cut away from the wall and towards Clancy. She hasn't moved during this whole action. She stares in a daze watching everything as if it wasn't real. But it is real. The throbbing pain in my arm clarified that.

"Clancy, come on." I slide to the ground. I wring my hands, bloody hands, on her shoulders. I give her a shake trying to bring her back to the real world. "Isn't this your duty?" I think back to the other day in my dorm. In the evening sun she looked like she was on fire. Her emotions bared their teeth, sinking into my skin as she yelled at me. "Don't you want to fix your home?" My voice cracks.

Don't make me fight alone. Don't drop me now. We were teetering on the thin ribbon. Clancy is holding me at an arm's length, fingers brushing mine. The sun is behind me, thin and lost in the haze of clouds. Despite that her face is shrouded in shadows. I reach forward, but she moves back.

"Clancy isn't this your duty?"

"I wasn't even supposed to be there." Clancy croaks. She lifts her head. Her eyes are fixed behind me. "I left them. I left both of them."


I glide through the castle in a daze. The people there go on with their lives oblivious to what's happening. Not oblivious; there's a tension in their shoulders, in their frantic movements. I pass through them. A ghost. I can't focus on anything. My feet just move on their own.

The large ornate doors to the Chroma room comes to sight. The doors are slightly ajar. The guards lie in a pool of their own sticky black blood. I step over them, my thin hand pushing the thick door open.

I feel like my hand should have stained the holy door. It would give some proof that I was there, that I wasn't supposed to be there. But all that happens is a slight squeak and the brush of cold air on my sweaty skin. There's a long hallway, not the dome room. I pass through the thin hallway quickly. There's nothing on the walls, no windows, no art; nothing. All it is, is an ordinary hall leading to an ordinary door. This door is slightly open too.

I push that open as well. I should be quaking in fear, or something, that I've entered the holy room without permission. That I left all my comrades behind to die like Etihvv. All I feel is numbness. A numbness and a slight pull at my abdomen. The pull that led me here.

There's only three Pigments floating around the room. The other four are with the current Pretty Cure: Cure Sienna, Cure Lilac, Cure Indigo, and Cure Citrine. The red Pigment makes my insides feel like a cavern: hollow. A man stands in the middle of the room. He's tall, impossibly tall, and draped in a heavy coat. The hood is lined in a thick fluff that covers most of the back of his head. At the creak of the door he looks my way.

Monochrome. The man turns fully. The thick fluff of his jacket covers the bottom of his face as well, hiding his expression. His sharp curled bangs almost cover his eyes. While his hair is white, the tips are black. He says nothing, just turns away and returns to what he was doing before. Was I so insignificant that I didn't matter? Was it he couldn't be bothered to even rid of me? There's someone behind him, but I can't see who.

None of this really mattered. I should feel something standing in the same room as the enemy, but again. Nothing. No palpitations in my heart. No gasps. Just a dull pain in the hollowness. The Pigments spin in the room slowly, their lights dancing across the curved walls. The blue Pigment passes overhead and I feel an immense sadness weigh on me.

That would have been mine. It's the pair to the red one. The pair to Etihvv's.

It reminds me of something they said. Before the ceremony, before all of this happened, Etihvv looked solemn. I mentioned being their partner, being the next Cure of the blue Pigment and they frowned. 'You don't know. We could not be partners.'

'Do you not want to be partners?' I shifted against the wall feeling my chest tighten. 'Is there something wrong with me being your partner?'

'Of course not. I...' They paused getting a weird look on their face. They looked torn, as if some secret was going to spill forth. 'I think we're not going to be partners, not for a while.' They slumped against the wall. I didn't press further, but now I wish I had.

"Well Queen." Monochromes voice is oddly smooth. I would have imagined it scratchy or with an accent. "This is the end. Give in and we won't kill any more of your troops."

The green Pigment passes over head. A surrender? Death. Etihvv's limp body comes to mind. I can see it vividly. They hit the ground. They don't get back up.

"You cannot have the Pigments." The Queen's voice is young. She's our youngest queen, barely twenty, and has not been enthroned for more than half a year. Then this happened. "The Land of Canvases guards the Pigments, keeps the worlds in bal-"

"Enough." Monochrome sharply silences her. "You've lost. Give. In."

The red Pigment is passing close by. My eyes latch onto it. The silent battle between the Queen and Monochrome goes on. My fingers reach up to touch the Pigment. This was theirs. This was supposed to be theirs. Etihvv.

My hand curls around the Pigment.

My vision floods red. Fire curls under my skin, igniting my veins. It lights in my empty belly, burning every other feelings into a crisp. Passion. Anger. Courage. Rage. Determination. Radiance. I feel the inferno of those feelings under my skin.

I gasp, feeling the embers light up my throat. It should hurt. I should be screaming as it feels like I'm on fire. But I don't. I feel those emotions pass through me, the haze of red returning to normal.

Both the Queen and Monochrome stare at me. She moves first. Raising her staff, the bright crystal on top shines in the room. Monochrome barely has time to move before he's encased in a bright iridescent cage. "Quick. Grab the other Pigments!" The Queen orders.

I only have time to grab the blue one before Monochrome breaks out of the cage. He whirls on the queen his hand grabbing at her.

I turn from the fight and run down the ordinary hall. A scream echoes around me, high pitched and feminine. I cover my ears and continue running.


Clancy seems like an empty husk in my arms. All that fire, those smiles, are gone. "I left them. I left the Queen." She blubbers.

"That doesn't matter now!" My anger is swelling. This wasn't her. This isn't Clancy. "You still have the chance to fix everything." The sound of metal slicing through stone draws my attention back.

"There will be no fixing this." Etihvv roars. This was becoming one of those 'between a rock and a hard place' situations. Clancy wasn't going to help, not now. Her Pigment is dead. Monochrome's lackey was supposed to be dead? They knew Clancy? We're friends? I didn't get that part. They were seriously strong as well. My arm throbbing in pain is testament to that.

I stand from Clancy. "I want you to look at me Clancy." Through the haze of whatever she's experiencing she looks up. "What are you fighting for?" I meet her eyes. Startling silver to my brown. "Are you giving up?" I don't doubt for a second that she'll get up. Maybe not now, but she will get up. She'll fight with me like I fought with her. For once, I have trust in another person. It's an odd sensation to have when you've never experienced it before.

Etihvv launches forward. I dodge the swipe of the sword, but not the kick at my stomach. The pain resounds through my insides. I shoot backwards and slam into the ground. I feel it crack beneath my body.

Air leaves my lungs in a woosh. I lie there dazed in the crater. If I wasn't Aero then I would probably be dead. I struggle to stand. My arms tremble and I feel like throwing up. Nothing comes up, but a retching noise. A foot slams into my side sending me across the room. The world spins before my eyes. Pain blares in my side. I hit the ground again. I roll over and over till I stop on my back. The world spins violently before my eyes.

"This can't even be considered a fight." Etihvv snorts. Amidst the spinning I can't pinpoint where they are.

I can feel the other Pigment being cleansed. A wave of heat passes through the room like a wave of summer wind. I grin despite the pain. In Pretty Cure form my pain vanishes quickly. I stumble to my feet. Clancy stands beside the Cleanser. She doesn't look to be experiencing anything, her face impassive as it was on the floor. In fact, she's not even touching the Pigment. She backs away from it.

"Clancy?" I speak simultaneously with Etihvv. I glare in their general direction, them doing the same. Again, at the same time we look towards Clancy. She doesn't look at us, doesn't look at the Pigment. Something inside falters, my belief, my trust, my heart: I didn't believe in her. I couldn't trust my partner. Not fully. Something about her shakes me to the core. That little prick of uncertainty gnawing at my heart.

My lips are dry. It's an odd thing to think about with all this going about, but my lips are dry. I stare at the bloody hand prints on her shoulders. The ones I left. I focus on all the little details, the things that don't matter. The slow settling of my heart as it falls. The slight breeze from the hole in the roof.

"As a team Clancy, right? We're gonna be partners now." It's not me who speaks. Etihvv steps forward. The sword is gone from their hands. They seemed relaxed as if they had complete control over the situation.

"Clancy-" I can't get more than a word out. Hands grip around the collar of my cropped shirt. Etihvv's gray hands turn bright silver.

"I'll get rid of this for you." Their voice has an odd cheerful note to it.

On that ribbon, Clancy lets go of my hands. I teeter on the edge feeling the world narrow before my eyes. Clancy is hesitant to let me go, her hands still outstretched for mine.

Silver flares in my vision.

On the last second, as I tip over into the wide mouth of nothingness she moves.


Afterword: Woooo…. I'm tired. I've been trying to write at least a thousand words a day so I can get these out faster. I tried to work flashbacks into this chapter, but I don't know how that went.

This arc of the story is coming to an end and should be done by next chapter. This is also about as far as I've planned lmao.

So leave a comment, constructive criticism, thoughts, or anything. I would love to read some new comments haha.