"I want to cut off her head and take out her heart."
Chapter 5 – Rose Queen
Darkness surrounded her, completely obscuring her vision as Ragna disappeared. It was so sudden she just had one arm held out towards him before she found herself in a new area while still in the same pose.
She was in a garden of white roses and the fragrance of those flowers permeated everywhere. Nier lowered her hand and turned. There was a large castle that loomed in the distance, different from the city she had been at just previously. Though awe-inspiring, that isn't what's on her mind. It was the irritation of having been pulled away against her will from someone she deeply cherished.
"Out of all the permutations, I don't think I've ever come across you once in that entire city. And to be so quickly acquainted with the Grim Reaper… now this is something worth looking into." A voice called out to her.
Nier turned around. Before her stood a young girl holding a strange umbrella. There are two ribbons holding her hair in place while a small, red bat-like creature floated beside her. Whoever she is… Nier didn't like her.
"Everyone seems to be after Ragna…" Nier whispered, clutching Death's card tightly. "…But I won't let another bounty hunter like you have him…"
The girl smiled, though with a look of feigned shock. "A bounty hunter? You mean me? Oh child, perish the thought. I'm simply a bystander who likes to watch, nothing more."
"I don't care…" Nier continued, circling the other girl warily.
"Why the venom, girl? Have I interrupted something?"
"You and everyone else…" Nier continued, pausing to observe her reactions. She wasn't foolish enough to underestimate someone like this if she could just teleport her this quickly without much effort.
"Do mind your manners. Though I see you are no mere commoner, perhaps you need a little lesson before we can engage in a more civilized manner." The girl replied before a sudden blast of lightning shot out towards Nier.
But she was expecting something like that as a small wave of flame followed her hand, enough to block the lightning strike as she swiped it away and glared at the other girl.
"Sorcery…? Now that's truly intriguing. You're not even using Ars Magus are you?" the girl continued and sent out another bolt of lightning at Nier's way. "Though it's not a very powerful one…"
Nier dodged to the side this time, wary of her words. Was she being mocked? She had never really mastered the types of magic that had been expected from her, but to think even her abilities were being insulted again… the thought was truly making things even more infuriating.
And that was when Death reappeared with a rush, materializing in between the two fighters as she spun about to slice and bifurcate the other girl. That had been the intention at least, but a fell wind picked up that seemed to carry the other girl safely away from danger as she leaped.
Death followed and sliced down with her scythe-like hair, to which the other girl avoided yet again with a twirl to the right of the Primal. No response this time as the girl glanced at Death, appraising and studying her.
Death wheeled about and was about to attack again, though leaped back at the last second as a more powerful bolt of lightning descended from the empty sky, wreathing the other girl in its electrifying embrace.
When it ended however, Death resumed the attack without even missing a beat. Fuelled by Nier's own desire, Death became even more relentless, her attacks getting faster and faster. And also much more focused than during her battle with the Red Devil or the mechanical puppet.
Still, the issue will always be the other girl's mastery over the distance between them, always able to avoid an attack or float away with otherworldly grace. The constant attempts to close the distance always ended the same way; the gap widening or narrowing at the whim of their opponent.
But that only assumes that Death made all the moves by herself. Nier moved as well to get closer to the other girl. She used what limited magic she had to push or blast the other girl with her own deathly flames, even if she was having no luck with striking a correct target.
The cycle kept on going yet Nier was so focused that she didn't even realize how tired she was getting. She didn't even want to engage in banter with the girl. As far as she could tell, this was a mockery that she didn't want to leave alone. She truly was tiring herself out and eventually, she couldn't even chase after the girl anymore and fell down to her knees. The spikes of the rose stems within the garden cutting into her own legs.
Too weak. She was still too weak. If only she had more power.
She held herself close even as the other girl looked at her with pity in her eyes.
Death's attacks became more frenzied however, and she slashed at the other girl with continued ferocity, always placing herself in between Nier and the other girl.
"You show promise, but I fear your actions could only make things worse…" the other girl said before focusing her attention on Death. "I admire your loyalty, but are you sure it's wise to…?!"
The breath caught in her throat as Death made another slice upwards. This time the girl was forced to block as the wicked appendage sliced deep into the front of her cat-Umbrella, a screech filling the air as it was torn in two.
"Nago!" the red, bat-like creature cried out as it stared at Death with genuine fear.
But Death was soon unresponsive and returned to Nier's side. She would recuperate again to resume the conflict once more if she had to. It didn't feel like a long fight at all, but the exchange of blows were done with such intent that it used up most of Nier's energy.
And yet…
The other girl looked at them, still with that same pitiable gaze. But she soon reached up for something.
Something wet and warm flowed down from the top of her head. A dark, red liquid that marred her perfectly pale features.
The girl's eyes widened as she brought her hand back down to look at where her fingers touched. Blood… her own blood. And at the moment, it wasn't healing as fast as it could be.
"You…" the girl said and took a single step back from Nier.
Nier stared back at her, her gaze empty but at the same time spiteful as if daring her to keep trying.
The roses around her had begun wilting as well, Death's magic siphoning their life energies and transferring them to Nier for a rapid recovery. All this as the other girl watched with morbid fascination. But one can't deny there was a hint of fear there, faint as it was.
"You have been burdened with a frightening power, I see." The girl sighed and raised both hands, as if to signal a cessation of hostilities. "I may very well have acted in haste, bringing you here without so much as a warning. For that, you have…" she hesitated, "…my apologies," she ended with a curtsy.
"I just want to go back…" Nier replied.
"And I will let you do so," the girl nodded her head, "Keep the Grim Reaper close if that is your wish. But do be careful. There are many eyes beyond my own. Many of which will not be content with just observing…"
Darkness swallowed up Nier again as she and her Primal disappeared from the vampire's gaze.
Moments passed before Rachel walked over to the two, tattered remnants of her umbrella. She sighed and snapped her fingers.
Immediately, Valkenhayn appeared at her side.
"You are injured, Madame Rachel." The old werewolf pointed out.
"Not as injured as Nago. Though I've encountered… something…" Rachel answered as her butler picked up the two pieces of her familiar. "…I'm not quite certain how to describe her. One who could unwrite the carefully choreographed history of this world I suppose."
Valkenhayn frowned, applying an ointment to the wound on the vampire's forehead. "They will see only an irritant though."
"And it is the irritant that is expelled if she does too much." Rachel said and closed her eyes. "They will try to find the path of least resistance and admit few alterations. I suspect she only has one chance before everything is reshuffled. And all I can do is watch…"
"As is your duty. Today has already taken much of a toll on you."
"To be fair, it's not every day that I'm faced with my own mortality. That creature who stands with her… undying means nothing to it." Rachel chuckled. "Oh Ragna, what troubles will you face now with her at your side?"
Nier found herself on her knees, back at the same location by the drawbridge. Death had her arms wrapped around her from behind, whispering sweet comforts into her ear even as she heard the sounds of footsteps.
She looked up, relieved as Ragna ran over to her, leaning down himself to embrace her.
"There you are. I was worried Rachel would keep you for much longer." He said as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Her features took on a grim tone though, even as her hands wrapped around him. "You know that girl?" she asked.
Ragna nodded his head. "She's arrogant and looks down on everyone but she means well, I think. She didn't hurt you or anything did she?" he asked and pulled back to look at her.
"Maybe a little," Nier replied, relaxing her arms as Ragna helped her stand up. "Thank you though… for not abandoning me, even when I was gone." She looked up at him. "I don't know what I'd have done if you disappeared."
"…I have a general idea…" Ragna said nervously, his eyes stared up at Death before he shook his head. "What matters is now though. You can tell me about everything once we're at a less public location, alright?"
Nier nodded her head as Death reverted back to the form of her card. She held on to Ragna's hand as he led them away, back into the city proper.