So a number of you noticed, before I revealed it in chapter 13, Platina's name. You rearranged the letters, and they spelled out Glacia's name. Yes, I planned this out. And congrats to those who noticed it!
Chapter 15
Descendant
"But...that can't be right," Arania said weakly. "Her name...the day she arrived...the eyes—"
"Platina...she knew Glacia?" Beth mumbled.
"That's impossible," Vóreia spoke, trembling. "Because if Glacia knew Platina, I would have known too."
"And Platina...she told us she was a slave in the mines," Millianna remembered.
Sasori tilted his head at the jester. "Avian, what are you—?"
The Imperial Guardian of the East paid no attention to the gladiator. "Twister!" he bellowed, sweeping one of his arms out.
The wind picked up violently, but Kagura and Platina held their ground.
Kagura turned her head in the silver witch's direction. "Platina, do you have anything to say about this?"
"..." Platina brandished her sickles, but didn't strike. Not yet. She glanced back at Kagura. "What good vould it do if I told you my past now?"
"I think it would make all the difference, Platina," Avian sneered in her ear. Platina spun around, her sickle only scratched the jester's tie. At the same time Avian dodged the attack for his head, Kagura swung Archenemy. But the air mage jumped, somersaulting across the arena to Sasori's side.
"I don't know what your ties are to Platina," Kagura said in a low voice. "But she couldn't have any ties to Glacia. Platina was a slave."
"Miss Mikazuchi—you actually believe her silver tongue?"
Kagura hesitated for a moment.
"Oh, for the love of—Avian, what's going on?" Sasori huffed.
"Our silvertongued friend here is quite the con artist," Avian chuckled. "Then again, all of us were. And still are."
"Silver Make: Legion!" Platina yelled.
The familiar silver seal reappeared before Platina. An army of soldiers stormed from it, charging towards the Imperial Guardians.
"Sasori!"
"Right!" Sasori took a deep breath. When he opened his mouth, he spat a large amount of poison at the silver warriors. The precious metal tarnished under the corrosive substance, rendering them immobile.
"It was the year X779, when Glacia was six," Avian drawled.
"Avian," Platina called out, making a beeline for the Imperial Guardian. "Will you learn how to shut up!" she finished, using her sickles to mince him. Again, he dodged her attack.
Sasori appeared behind her and breathed a purple smog from his mouth.
"Platina!" Arania yelled.
As if in response, Platina burst from the cloud, unaffected by the haze.
"You were a pretty little doll child, tiny and petite with cute rosy cheeks," he continued, completely unphased. "You used to play with Glacia everyday, and in the blink of an eye, the two of you were inseparable. Every time she came to the guild, you were always with her."
"'Tiny and petite with cute rosy cheeks,'" Sting repeated, trying to imagine Platina like that. The image of a bipolar six year old came to mind: one minute sweet, the next—hardcore delinquent. Sting shuddered. "The guy must be crazy."
He has to be lying, Rogue thought. I can't see how someone like her was her friend.
"But—but..." Vóreia held her head in confusion, her tails swaying left and right. That can't be right, she thought. But Avian seems so confident!
She closed her eyes, racking her mind for a memory—anything that would confirm Avian's words. But she couldn't find a black-haired girl who played with Glacia daily. I would've remembered! Vóreia reminded herself. I grew up with her, for crying out loud!
~Flashback~
"A slave...sharpshot...arriving on the same date...Something doesn't add up," Beth reasoned.
"I can only come up with two theories," Arania said, resting her elbows on her knees. "One is that Platina is Glacia herself."
"But that's impossible," Millianna said. "Glacia died, her body was never found."
"Plus, a name, blue eyes, and a date aren't enough," Beth added. "We need more proof than that."
Arania sighed. "I know...and that's why there's option two."
"And that is?"
The web mage opened her eyes. "Platina...is someone else entirely."
"Platina!" Kagura rounded on Platina, who stood solemnly. "Is it true?"
Platina met the swordswoman's eyes. "As I said before, what good would—"
SMACK! Platina hit the wall, spitting blood on the ground. On her right cheek was a perfect imprint of Kagura's left fist.
"What's going on! Kagura has just turned on her own team mate!" Chapati cried.
"Kagura, what are you doing!" Avia exclaimed.
Avian stretched out an arm to stop Sasori, an amused look on his face.
"Answer me, Platina Gaci," Kagura snarled, gripping her sword.
Wiping her mouth, Platina stood on her feet. "So what if I did?" she replied. "Glacia...she vas so pitiful. Anyone with eyes could see that. Under that silly, bubbly face...she knew what sadness was more than anyone else. The only reason why I existed was to take away those feelings."
Kagura put a hand on the hilt, her hands shaking. "How many lies," she hissed. "How many lies had to come out of your mouth until you were satisfied?"
"As many as it took," Platina replied, brushing off her jacket. "Glacia was such a pitiful existence. She was even a lab rat for—"
Platina moved away from the wall as a purple dagger nearly hit her. The blade melted away as a purple glob, dissolving parts of the wall too.
Two poison darts hit Platina's arm.
"Whoops," Sasori mocked. "My hand slipped."
"We can't have you spilling the beans," Avian agreed. Out of nowhere, he shuffled a deck of cards, pulled out five, and pocketed the rest.
Unlike the other victims of the poison twins, Platina didn't show any effects of being poisoned. Instead, she yanked the darts out of her arm, standing proudly.
"Wait, how did—"
"But seriously, you couldn't have chosen a better name than Platina Gaci?"
"Huh?"
"Gaci Platina, Platina Gaci," Avian mused, fiddling with his cards. "Platin Gacia—Glacia Patin."
Members of the audience gasped, even Kagura lost her grip.
"Then," Sasori began, "that would mean—"
"Sasori," Avian said, brandishing his cards, "let me show why your poison was ineffective against this girl!"
He threw his cards at Platina, but his attack had a double effect. Not only were the cards sharpened to a razor's edge, they created air blades that actually sliced.
"Platina!" Avia cried.
Platina's sunglasses fell to the ground, split cleanly down the bridge. Small strands of ink black hair floated around. A large slash adorned her abdomen, accompanied by a deep gash on her right arm and one on her thigh.
But Platina wasn't bleeding.
"Platina?" Millianna asked.
"You can't bleed, can you?" Avian taunted, pulling out more cards. "That sad mockery of a body doesn't bleed—it can't even cry. The only thing that allows your pathetic body to move is the will of those hateful emotions."
"Avian..." Platina growled, brandishing her sickles.
"Platina..." Kagura breathed.
"Remember," he prompted, tossing another card. For some reason, Platina couldn't move out of the way as the card sliced her cheek. "Who was it that put life into your pitiful form? Who was it—" This time, her jugular was cut open.
"No, stop it!" Beth cried at Avian, but to no avail.
"—that allowed you to exist like this? And who is it—"
This time, Avian swung his arm back. The air mimicked his motions, throwing Platina back against the wall. "—that can easily turn you back into what you were before you were ever needed?" he finished. "You're no better than Glacia. You're just as pitiful as you said she was."
"Platina!"
"Seriously, Miss Mikazuchi, next time, focus on your enemies, not your comrades!" Sasori released a purple gas cloud that enveloped Kagura.
"Kagura-chan!" Millianna screamed.
The swordswoman tried her best not to breath in the toxic fumes. But she choked on her own breath, taking in the gas as well.
"As they say—" Avian hurled the rest of his deck at the purple haze. The individual cards vanished into the cloud, each one coated with an antidote. "Sayonara!"
Within the cloud, Kagura felt hands shove her roughly out of the smog. The S-Class mage slid across the sand as clean air entered her lungs. She gasped, taking in what she couldn't before. Kagura looked back at the poison gas cloud, but began to wish she hadn't.
Platina hovered in midair, having taken the assault meant for Kagura. There was a giant, gaping hole in her stomach now, and others in her neck and arm. Her eyes were wide in something Kagura thought would never cross the silver witch's face—fear.
Platina hit the adjacent wall, her body motionless across the sand.
"Kagura-san...sorry..." Those were Platina's last words before her head rolled to the side. Her eyes were still open, but they didn't move. Like she was—
"PLATINA!"