The Line In The Sky

Estelle weaved in and out of the debris to view the pathway ahead. She had never seen so many buildings fall so rapidly, but as the spirits fell to the earth like thick hail, bricks and cement blasted everywhere in the aftermath. The atmosphere around them was dulling, the blue sky fading from view as the darkness began seeping across the clouds like a disease.

Minor blips of light flickered between them, far too diminutive to hold their own against the shadow swiftly surrounding them. Knowing they were squads heading to their assigned locations, Estelle felt her eyes harden at the awareness that this fight wouldn't be on even grounds.

Her ear buzzed with voices of The Commission, an agreement made so they would be her eyes and ears around the country. The landscape was too enormous for Estelle to understand the full scope of what was happening, and The Commission could also communicate with her squads. The heroes had been designated to evacuate the civilians and, therefore, could be dispatched to inform her squad captains of any urgent news they needed to be aware of.

As much as Estelle opposed the idea of humans being close to the battlefield, it was her only option. Since Nyx had more significant numbers, every soldier counted in the face of this war. It made her wonder if Nyx had become impatient under his lack of growth in garnering territory; he must have desired to beat her whilst she was weak and her numbers paled in comparison. He laid it all out on the table by revealing the portal to her world.

The void in the sky was a shock; if she had a second to spare, she would have marvelled that it had been above them this whole time. It had never even occurred to her it could be in the atmosphere, but it suddenly made so much sense as she recalled the conversations with her comrades.

Dashing down when she reached her assigned area, Estelle had no time to greet her soldiers, her feet hitting the concrete as the air thickened around her. Twirling as she pulled her katana out of her saya, Estelle was met with the presence of a roaring Minotaur that was heading directly for her jugular. Sliding underneath its legs, the general slashed at its kneecaps, ignoring the roar above her as blood splattered onto her gear.

The yells of her affiliates filled her ears, joining together with the snarls of darklings around her and The Commission that it evolved into a jumbling mess. She wanted to tell them to shut up, her forehead beginning to pinch due to the tension of her brows as her body moved in combat. She could see that they were migrating down the street as they started to make headway against the creatures in front of them.

Clenching her jaw as the Stalker before her turned visible, Estelle threw herself headfirst towards the opportunity. Flinching to a stop mid-strike, Estelle broadened her eyes as the sound of a gunshot rang in her ears, her body jerking to the side as the creature turned invisible, its tail smacking into her leg with so much force that Estelle's instinctive response was to blow fire in every direction. Ignoring the pained screech, her sights immediately searched for the cause, only to find the hero Snipe atop a building.

Following his line of fire, Estelle pursed her lips at the image of civilians ahead. Attempting to duck as a Batsnout swooped in from the sky to attack, the warrior cringed as more gunshots pierced her thoughts, a rabid growl eventually leaving her when she realised the beast caught her shoulder. Using her air bending to practically suffocate it, Estelle struck its core as her mind rampaged in her head. Feeling her heart stutter at the memories flashing before her eyes, Estelle breathed before barking, "Gah! Put some music on the earpiece!"

"But, Estelle-"

"I don't care! Just do it!"

Estelle didn't have time to question why the sounds were bugging her; she didn't have the space to wonder why her mind was like a hammer, badgering her like a reminder that her worse fear may be coming true. What could have changed from yesterday to cause such a reaction? Estelle was angry, tired and fed up. This was the last thing she needed right now.

Thankfully, her squads seemed to have remembered her previous commands, heading directly for the civilians who were quickly getting surrounded. Acknowledging that they had left her behind to deal with the group near them, Estelle felt like she was watching her own body move as it fought the darklings around her, her ears taking the music like it was a moment's respite. How ironic; she was covered in blood and thinking about peace. She really was screwed in the head.

By the time she had dealt with the group, her comrades had already helped the terrified people who watched on. Rushing forward, Estelle understood they wouldn't know what to do now, her mouth already ordering the music to stop. As she got a better look at the humans, Estelle sensed her stomach tightening as a woman clutched onto the closest Slyph, her face red and wet from tears, blubbering, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Expecting the Slyph to push her away, Estelle felt a strange flare of emotion flutter in her stomach as the spirit struggled to respond. The surprise was evident in his glowing eyes, a grumble eventually leaving him as he pulled himself together. "Go with the human who holds the metal weapon; he will take you where you need to go."

Taken aback by the lack of disdain in his voice, Estelle's head swivelled to follow the woman rushing towards Snipe, who was standing a few metres from them. Overseeing them begin to leave, the general didn't receive the luxury of taking a breather. Jumping when the ground violently quivered, and the sound of hissing filled the air, Estelle was slow as she pivoted to face the scene before her. A Hydra stood tall, massive in scale compared to snakes she had seen on television, yet it had three heads. She had fought a Hydra months ago when she had been forced to reveal the details of spirits to the world. What a pain, what an absolute nuisance.

"Leave it to me! Focus on the ones on the ground!" Estelle yelped as she noted the crowd of darklings rushing past its tail. The sky remained raven, so many spirits falling from her world that it looked like night. The ground convulsed from the sounds of harsh landings that were nearly deafening. Still, a comrade managed to get through to her despite her battle of cutting off one of the heads of the snake-like creature.

"This is too much! We don't have the numbers!"

Estelle knew that. She wasn't an idiot. But what other options did they have? What else could they do besides fight with everything they've got? Using her chest to be heard over the thundering noise, Estelle shouted, "We persist even in the face of failure, soldier!"

Before she could hear any responses, Estelle felt her earpiece buzz with a voice once again. How Katsuki had even remembered to charge it was beyond her, but she appreciated him a lot right now. "Estelle, the south side needs you. They're overwhelmed, and civilians are stuck in a building."

Gritting her teeth, Estelle failed to react as she managed to slice off a head, her eyes straining against its sockets as she attempted to remain focused. She could do this; Estelle was never the type to quit her duty. "Give me five minutes! Dispatch a hero to help with evacuation!"

"On it."

The instant the Hydra fell onto the ground, Estelle had already reached her comrades, her body on autopilot as she appointed a captain. She knew she could not bring anyone with her due to the number of spirits in the area. So, providing one last sentiment of encouragement, Estelle headed south to locate the trapped humans.

Eventually, finding them crowded behind a glass door, Estelle noted the blood on one of them before using her earth-bending to raise a barrier. Effectively shielding them from the fight, Estelle felt her whole body shudder as it signalled that her shoulder was in pain. Removing the thought as the werewolf swung at her with its claws, Estelle shifted, producing water from the fountain close by to stab its chest like a spike.

Flinging her body to the right as another creature attacked from behind, Estelle glanced up to find multiple arms pointing towards the trapped humans. Recognising them as her classmate, Estelle called, "Shoji! There's one injured in there! Are you alone?!"

Unable to attend to his answer due to the teeth nearly sinking into her neck, Estelle twisted as she lowered her legs, her katana stabbing it right through the gut with enough strength that the blood spurted onto her hand. Distracted as a Fireharpy swooped from the sky, Estelle disregarded the pain from her shoulder as she battled the darklings before her, pressing on, knowing there was no other option.

It didn't matter how low she was running; Estelle couldn't afford to stop. She had to keep going, no matter what. The few hours of rest did her some good, but her body was not ready to be placed in such a heavy-duty fight so quickly. Regardless of that knowledge, Estelle could only plough on.

"Go, Shoji! Get them out!" She exclaimed when a few comrades joined her in helping create some room for them to escape. They followed her commands, the thundering footsteps audible against the concrete as the group ran for their lives, yet they still managed to yell on the way out. "Thank you!"

Catching Tsu following behind them from her peripheral vision, Estelle sensed something within her ease at the awareness her classmate wasn't alone. Taking a moment to get a better glimpse, Estelle caught the injured man waving towards them despite being held up like a backpack by Shoji.

Frowning as she continued fighting, Estelle couldn't help but wonder why the hell they were thanking them. This was a situation they had caused; they had no right to receive gratitude from anyone. Yet, it never failed in making her heart clench. Maybe it was because nobody had thanked her back home, so hearing it always felt foreign.

Nobody approached her even when the war ended, never mind thanking her. It had been her duty; it had been expected of her.

Nobody spoke to her.

She could see the truth as she witnessed her comrades celebrate without her, revelling in their win without a second thought. She was no longer needed; she had completed her mission.

She left the next moon to join the humans.

Flinching when the soldier to her left gagged on his own blood as he fell to the ground, Estelle felt the snarl vibrate through her chest as she berated herself. Why the hell was she even pondering right now? Why wasn't her brain turning off like before? Her thinking was affecting the battle; she needed to pull it together.

Practically cutting the Troll in front of her in half, Estelle was fierce as she supervised those around her to move according to her words. Her earpiece was a steady stream of information, with different voices informing her of the whereabouts of squads and the various heroes being dispatched. From the sounds of it, it was going relatively well. Estelle just had to trust them; she didn't have the privilege of checking on them herself.

It wasn't just her who had weakened from the battle less than twelve hours ago. Her comrades were drained despite the rigorous training she put them through. She had noted it before; those outside her immediate squads were like babies; they had forgotten everything, making things more difficult.

Refusing the idea of her stamina being a factor in their potential failure, Estelle left the small group of light spirits to join another battlefield. Zipping past multiple establishments, Estelle saw Shoto conversing with a group of civilians and Ashido helping another with her acid. They were holding their own quite well, and Estelle could feel her heart warm and twist at the fact that they had gotten stronger.

Startling at the booming noise near her ear, Estelle jolted her head to find Katsuki blowing a Batsnout away. "Yo! Estelle! You better not get hurt out there, or I'll kick your ass!"

Opening her mouth to jab, Estelle never got the chance as a body hurtling from the sky smacked right into her back on the way down. Crashing into the ground, Estelle groaned as hurt coursed through her veins, nearly yelling, "You jinxed it, asshole!" to the cursing male flying towards her.

Using her earth bending to slam some debris on the body once she rolled away, Estelle allowed Katsuki to help her as the darkling struggled to remove itself under the rock. "I jinxed it."

"Yeah, asshole," The warrior mumbled back, rubbing her shoulder with a wince as she eyed the pout across his face.

"Tch."

Shaking her head, Estelle prepared herself to fight as the Thunderharpy began to push the rock away successfully. "Go, keep helping them. You're all doing a good job."

Stilling as his hand touched her injured shoulder, Estelle bit her lip to not make it evident as he gazed at her sternly. "I'm serious. Be careful. I don't want you disappearing on me again."

"You too, Ruby," Estelle murmured back, seeing the explosions from the corner of her eyes as he flew off. Quickly redirecting her vision to the lighting beginning to crackle around the beast, Estelle was back in the fight in a blink.

Katsuki hated leaving her in her current state, but Estelle was the strongest person he knew. That didn't stop him from feeling a pit in his stomach as he witnessed the city falling to bits around him. It felt callous. The dreary ambience filled with the moans, hisses and clamouring from these damn creatures made it feel all the more horror-like. It was as if they had suddenly been transported into the apocalypse.

It suddenly felt more real.

There would always be a difference between listening to Estelle talk and the fragments of her memories from real-life action. Blowing these ugly things away was like blowing out a party candle which refuses to go out. It was utterly useless in the face of her fight, and it frustrated him to no end.

Katsuki had seen more blood today than he had ever seen in a lifetime. There were also so-damn many of them. Estelle's squads had already saved their asses twice, and as he caught the never-ending bloodshed, he realised that Estelle lived and breathed this. She had existed in this environment her whole life, and here he was, hoping this nightmare was over as soon as possible.

It pissed him off. Estelle's world continued to piss him off.

Landing on the ground with a harsh thud, the blonde found Shoto still attempting to convince the group that he would keep them safe. Giving him a few more minutes, Katsuki could feel his blood boiling as they stubbornly refused to move. He couldn't give a rat's ass what they thought; Estelle didn't need to be burdened by more deaths because of them.

"Follow us if you don't wanna die, dammit! You're wasting our time!"

"Bakugo.."

"Momo, create some more gauze!"

"On it!"

"Ochako! Run!" Izuku screamed, rushing forward in an attempt to grab her.

Widening her eyes, the female quickly grabbed the child, using her quirk to float before the dark spirit managed to crush them. Swiftly turning in the air to shield the youngster from the scene below, Ochako winced as she observed Estelle's comrade be obliterated from existence.

Turning off her quirk when the coast was clear, Ochoko blinked in confusion as Izuku was instantly by her side, his hands holding onto her shoulders in concern as he spoke a mile a minute. "Are you okay? You aren't injured? I saw it coming, and I thought-"

"We're okay," She swiftly assured, readjusting the child in her arms so they were more comfortable.

Slumping in relief, Izuku smiled softly before gesturing to the pathway ahead, "We should go, come on."

Following him, the female couldn't help but comment, "How did Estelle manage to do this day in and day out? It's terrible."

Slowing down, Izuku nodded, his voice pondering as he responded, "Yeah, I wondered the same. As awful as this is, I can't help but feel like I understand her a lot more. I mean, it's pretty brutal."

"Yeah..."

"At least we'll be there to help her."

"We'll be there to help each other."

Turning his head, Izuku grinned, agreeing as they continued their journey.

"My balls are making them bounce away!"

"Keep going, Mineta! Get those hideous things!" Hagakure cried back.

"Jiro! What's the status!?" Kaminari yelled, his voice panicked as he tried to figure out how to approach the squad standing near them.

"More heading our way!" She called back, ignoring the group staring like they had nothing else to do.

"She can hear them? She isn't a spirit?" A soldier murmured, utterly perplexed by the human before her.

"Did you not hear Estelle's briefing? Most of them have abilities," Another soldier snapped, his eyes narrowing at Jiro in disdain.

"Hm. It's useful; we should use her for battle."

"A dirty human? We haven't stooped that low yet."

Feeling the irk mark on her face, Jiro turned with a menacing glare as she disregarded Kaminari's squeak. "I can hear you!"

Stunned by her comment, the squad had some decency to look a little embarrassed, turning away like she was invisible. The fire within her gut sparked at the image, her glower strengthening as she leaned forward. "You can't just do what you please, assholes. You're no better than us lowly humans. Estelle deserves better than you lot."

Intrigued, the squad of light spirits focused their sights back on the training hero. "Our general? What's she to you?"

Clenching her jaw at the fact her words nonplused them, Jiro snapped, "A friend!"

"They're here!"

"They aren't stopping, Estelle!"

"I know that!"

It was a tremendous and chaotic fucking mess. It had probably been a few hours of gruelling battles, and the city had been completely decimated in the aftermath. The good news was that the civilians had all been evacuated, and most heroes had left. The atmosphere had only gotten murkier the more prolonged the fighting carried on, and gods was Estelle tired.

Hunching over her katana as she used it to balance herself, Estelle stared at the fading spirits as the rise and fall of her chest began to slow down. Closing her eyes momentarily, Estelle was greeted with light behind her eyelids, a faint white buzz in her ears letting her know that she was no longer alone. Peeling her globes open, the female craned her neck upwards only to be greeted by a broad grin, black hair and wide arms like he was the gods himself.

Nyx.

His shadow covered her, an eery aura seeping out of his pores as his eyes glinted at her as if he had already won. No words needed to be uttered from his lips as he regarded her fragile state, his toxic eyes scanning over her like a speck of dust on his shoe. Estelle was all too familiar with the expression, having seen it throughout her growing up with the twisted man.

Seeing him alone was enough for her to use her katana to push herself upwards, standing straight like the perfect opposing force. The sight of him made her hair stand on end, her mind shuttering at the image of him as it tried to recall the memories of a past life. Estelle could sense the hatred in her bones for Nyx, the despair at his being alive and continuing to torture her. Hadn't he done enough to her? It was evident by the look on his face that it would never be sufficient; he lived to see her suffer, even if she was under his care.

Though some part of her would always want to see some change, Estelle knew she would never encounter some sort of regret as he gave a twisted smile. His voice was achingly sweet, filled with hidden venom that showed how little he thought of her. "Look at you, all worn out. You're just as exhausted as I imagined you to be. You've gotten weaker."

Unlocking her jaw from the clench that was beginning to sting, Estelle could not articulate a single word before her vision met the abyss above her. The air was knocked out of her chest as her back hit the tree a few feet behind her, the noise of cracking bark filling her ears as she hit the ground with a groan. Feeling his footsteps through the land, Estelle had managed to avoid the second attack as she rolled away, her eyes souring as his manic laughter began to fill the void around them.

Gods, she hated his laugh.

As she dug her nails into the soil and forced herself up, Estelle noted her wobble whilst she turned to face her former guardian. She cursed herself for not seeing his plan sooner, but even looking back on it, there wasn't an option of doing things differently. The only thing keeping her upright was her determination to finish this. She would not leave this to others alone; it would be signing their death warrant. And Estelle would rather cease to exist than let something like that happen.

Choking on her own spit as she tasted the dirt below her, Estelle scowled at the pain firing through her shoulder as his foot dug into her back with enough force it would leave a print. He had created a portal so fast that she barely had a second to react. She knew the sight must be delicious for Nyx, pure delight soaked in every chuckle as he revelled in her frail state. His laughter refused to halt, grating her ears like Hawk's awful singing to the point she wanted to scream.

She really despised him. Why couldn't he have been good? Estelle's life could have been different.

The thought seemed to fill her with something she thought had been depleted. So, taking Nyx's distraction as an opportunity, Estelle moved like lightning as she extended her hand to blow him back with ferocious air, her eyes following him as he flew back from the impact, hitting the pavement close by with enough force it cracked beneath him.

Staggering onto her two feet, Estelle wiped some of the spit on her chin before yanking her katana from the grass. Breathing heavily as she attempted to recover from having all the air leave her, Estelle glared as Nyx stood up like he was exiting his bed. The general could sense the exact outcome of the fight within her bones from his ease and confidence alone.

Estelle was going to lose.

The fate of both worlds hung in the balance and was dangling on the outcome of this battle. Yet, Estelle couldn't ignore the facts smacking her in the face. Despite spending months building her army, her numbers were still too small. It was an uneven match, and the fact that her wound had reopened wasn't lost on her. She couldn't even activate her elemental or spiritual states due to fatigue. Estelle had all the odds stacked against her; she couldn't see herself winning.

She was probably going to die.

No matter the apparent outcome, Estelle would never simply hand this world over to him. These people were better than her world ever was, and they deserved everything and more. She would not just willingly accept defeat. So, lifting her lip in disgust as he regarded her smugly, Estelle launched herself towards him, her katana clashing against his arm covered in metal, pushing down on it as she glowered into his grey eyes. She grunted when he used his strength to push her back, her free hand sharpening the rocks under his foot to spike through his flesh.

The audible hiss satisfied something deep within her, her body tensing as she prepared a fighting stance. But, she paused as Nyx regarded her, his head tilting thoughtfully as he attempted to stump the rage within his eyes. "Have you figured it out Multum magna occisio machina?"

The nickname made her heart twist, her mind shuttering like a beast being locked in a cage. She bared her teeth, her blood beginning to pump through her veins like a freight train as she immediately moved to attack. Slashing at his stomach, Estelle used his diverted attention to her advantage to set his disgusting cloak ablaze. The action aggravated him, his lips pursing as he teleported to another spot to continue speaking, "Have you figured out what abilities I have? I'm sure you've been left wondering what they may be?"

Oh, Estelle thought about it, alright. His ability to adjust his speed and strength and create portals meant he could change aspects of reality, including himself. How else would she have been transported to another world? His sticky fingers were all over the murder weapon.

His power was unlike anything she had ever encountered before. She had witnessed other beings mess with the fabric of time in small increments and even seen the ability to force others to do their bidding. His power was dangerous. He wouldn't stop at one world, but how far did his abilities go? He had limitations; otherwise, he could have wiped Estelle from existence. No, there were rules to his power; Estelle just didn't know them.

Though the likelihood of winning was extremely low, Estelle had already resolved to give it everything she had left. She had no idea where her comrades were, but the sounds of fighting in the distance indicated they were continuing the war on their own grounds. Unfortunately, it would only be a matter of time before they fell against the overwhelming strength on the enemy's side.

The two beings met in the middle, their hands meeting each other as they ducked, weaved and clashed against each other's rapidly moving frames. Nyx's portals covered the immediate area, his hands and legs entering one, only to escape another to catch her unexpectedly. Estelle couldn't detect it, her mind jumbling as it tried to figure out where exactly his attacks would land.

Her blows would hit him, but she recognised that though they were landing, they held less power than his attacks. Her katana flickered with various elemental powers, rapidly changing from flames to releasing slices of water that felt like a thousand knives. Though she held her own, the longer it persisted, the more she found it difficult to avoid every attack heading her way.

Ducking at his hand coming from her left, Estelle winced as his other fist met with her abdomen. Twisting in reflex, Estelle's flaming blade managed to strike his side as her turn caught him off guard. His face twisted at the action, his hand making a circle before she teleported mid-air. Barley having any time to react, Estelle hit the ground with a thud as she wondered how long she could continue if she had failed to avoid his portal. It indicated that her reflexes were sub-par, and her focus was lacklustre.

Feeling hands grab her injured shoulder, Estelle winced as she was forced to stand, her eyes expecting to meet dark grey only to be met with blue. Perplexed by the change, Estelle took a second to register the male before her, her thoughts eventually clicking that it was a soldier from her squad. Baffled by his presence, Estelle moved to survey the scenery around them, only to realise he was all alone. Where were the rest of her squad?

Turning back to him to question their absence, Estelle halted at the erratic state before her. His eyes were wide open to the point they could pop out; the male's mouth moved like the speed of light as he began to shake her back and forth. Craning her ears to listen to his rapid words, Estelle only managed to catch the tail end of his rambling. "-All faded! We have to go!"

Nodding, Estelle reached out to grab her katana, only to find it missing. Furrowing her brows, the female searched with her sights to see her dear weapon, her mind whirling at the fact she had it before she teleported. When she looked back up to question the soldier if he had seen it, the warrior felt everything stop as her vision focused on the being hurtling towards them.

Instantly reacting once she realised Nyx was heading straight for the kill, Estelle moved without thinking, grappling the soldier to her as she hurtled their bodies to the side. Spinning down the inclined ground, Estelle let out a wheeze of air as she slumped over the Elf's body. When the hell did he get her katana?

Letting out a whoosh of air as she was pushed to the side, Estelle wheezed at the impact on her back as she regained her bearings. The soldier had scurried to tower over her, his hand tapping her face rapidly like she was unconscious. Weekly pushing his hand away, Estelle noted how faded his voice seemed in her mind as he spoke a mile a minute. The tapping against her cheek strengthened, his hand practically smacking her into focus as he yelled in her face.

"You stupid, stupid, Cambion!"

Estelle scowled, her mind scolding his lack of formality as she couldn't find the energy to speak. Seeing her body jolting up as his hands smacked into her stomach, Estelle huffed as his tight grip on her made her feel like she was suffocating. Attempting to command him to knock it off, the general paused at his panicked eyes, her sights slowly following his line of vision only to grasp the extent of the situation.

Oh.

Her katana was in her stomach.

That wasn't good.

Dismissing the curses heading her way, Estelle rapidly blinked as she recognised that the corners of her vision were beginning to cloud. Her heart fell to her stomach, only amplifying the discomfort growing around her abdomen. She had failed; she did not have the energy to heal herself.

Meeting with dark grey, Estelle bit back her anger as Nyx threw his hands upwards in glee. Her thoughts had attempted to think of something, a way out, but all Estelle could stay on was that her own weapon was in her stomach, and Nyx wasn't injured.

"You know, I always knew I would win. But I never expected you to make it that easy for me. How pitiful. Where is the esteemed occisio machina I raised?"

Estelle didn't know. She hadn't felt like herself all day; she had failed so quickly. Estelle had never succumbed to war like this before. She was confused; she had never experienced her injuries so profoundly before; she had never felt emotions before on the battlefield.

The buzzing in her head felt all-consuming as the soldier finally let go of her injury, his body moving to stand as the verbal lashing continued. The female had nothing to say to him because his words were valid; Estelle had broken her promise; she wouldn't be able to fight like this. And so, when he gave her one last look, the general immediately understood his unspoken words, her head bobbing in acceptance before he turned away from her.

She watched him run, his feet thudding on the mud as he beelined to the exit. Something within her pinched at the image, but she knew it was the right thing to do. If he had tried to help her, Nyx probably would have killed him. Estelle couldn't blame him, but it didn't stop the ache in her stomach from pulsing as he left her body to her former guardian.

Avoiding Nyx's stare as he bellowed out a joyful laugh at the evident abandonment he had just witnessed, Estelle attempted to shuffle to her feet only to find her back meeting the soil once more. Her body felt heavy, her limbs unable to listen to the commands in her mind as she attempted to stand again. It was useless; Estelle couldn't fight against the truth.

Everything felt numb, and she could smell the blood around her. She wrinkled her nose at the tangy copper; she knew it must be pouring due to its strong twang. She would lose consciousness soon, so no matter how much she wanted to get back up and fight, she had nothing to give.

Estelle couldn't tell if Nyx was still speaking; the sounds around her had become faint. But the general knew he would watch her die slowly. He would revel in every moment that life left her, and Estelle could do nothing but accept that this would be how she faded. Forcing her eyes to remain open at the sky, Estelle held some wishful thinking as she hoped to see some blue. Yet, the female was only given the gift of purple and black, broken shards like remnants of her failed promises.

Estelle was left simmering with guilt as she bled out on the grass. She had always felt okay with the idea of death. It was a part of life, filled with pain yet inevitable. Estelle could recall when she told Izuku and Kirishima that if she died, it would be with satisfaction that she had at least fulfilled her duty.

But staring into the wicked void, Estelle felt the clawing need to take back that statement.

It was no longer the truth when Nyx was thriving. It wasn't the case when she knew Katsuki would still search for a body when there wouldn't be one. Everyone would suffer, and Estelle never wanted her class to be in pain. She didn't want to die leaving the world that treated her so kindly to the problems of her world.

Estelle never actively sought death, but she was not afraid of it. And as the body began to feel like it was floating, Estelle wished she had just a little more time. She was not satisfied with her life like before; she knew it was because of the class. It was because of Katsuki. Nothing else compared to them.

She could do nothing as her eyelids began to force their way shut. Estelle pushed back against the thick and heavy urge to finally let go and slip into unconsciousness and did everything she could to stay awake. The female had no idea why she was trying so hard; the likelihood of some sort of miracle was slim. But, something within her urged her eyes to stay open, to keep her gaze up at the sky as her body gave out on her.

And yet, as if she had finally received something good from her world, Estelle witnessed what she had wished had happened at the start in her last few moments of consciousness. She doubted it was real, some aspect of her thinking that maybe she was hallucinating from the blood loss, yet she desperately hoped it was.

She saw what she needed to see.

Light spirits.

The last images were filled with glowing white lights, overcoming the heavy wickedness filling the atmosphere around them. Like angels falling from the sky, it overtook the black completely, like a thick beam that signalled to the heroes and comrades catching the scene that the situation had finally changed.

They came.

They must have been searching for the portal. There were so many of them that Estelle could have choked in disbelief at the numbers crashing through the portal. Estelle never realised so many were trying to reach them. It was as if every member of her previous army had been notified of the impending war, rushing through to defeat another dark spirit without question.

The resounding roar seemed to reach past her foggy ears, solidifying the image she had seen like a comfort blanket that covered her entire being. She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, but it was okay. She knew exactly what was heading her way, and she could not help the small smile drifting across her cracked lips as the beating wings drew closer.

Dragons.

A choked breath of relief left her rattling chest. The realisation that they finally had a fighting chance against Nyx and his army left her feeling as if she had some sort of guardian angel. She had never expected them to come, but she was grateful.

It made it easier to accept her fate. Knowing the war could be fought without her, she could allow her death with open arms. Katsuki would be safe. Her class, her teacher, and her comrades would be safe. It was all she needed.

And so, as she slipped into the twilight of her mind, the sound of roars and metal filled her senses as she finally let go. The sounds of fighting comforted her; an awareness that it would be okay was like a final farewell to her tired soul. But she could not help but think of ruby eyes as her body turned limp and her mind calmed.

"Estelle! Estelle! Wake up! Come on! I just got here; you can't fade!"

Feeling air suddenly enter her lungs as her head whirled to the right, Estelle winced as the hand that struck her continued to shake her awake. Her body intonated for sleep, begging her to submit once again to the night in her mind, yet she fought against it, peeling her eyes open just a fraction to see the individual in front of her. Unable to keep her lucid state for long, Estelle mumbled as she slumped against the arms holding her up.

"Anwir?"