Echidna hangs around Anastasia's neck, motionless, feeling the rapid rise and fall of Ana's chest as she breathes. The ground below, the ceiling above, the walls all around—within these endless corridors of dull gray bricks, the only sign of motion comes from the quaking of the castle itself. Dust fills the air, her now frayed lavender hair has lost its luster, and grime settles on Ana's once spotless and beautiful dress. But despite how disheveled she looks, the man trailing behind her is in a far worse state.
Julius's knight uniform is in tatters, the royal white dyed red with his own blood. He struggles to do so much as walk forward, lingering in his lady's shadow. Were it not for his many buds, he'd have died long before their flight through the halls. Kua's blue glow stems the bleeding, In's white light bolsters the strength of his every step, and Nes's dark hue muffles the sound of their shuffling from any who may observe them—it's a masterful display of magic, of Julius's singular ability as a spirit arts user.
If only Echidna could provide such a thing for Ana. Julius's contracts are a mutually beneficial lifeline, granting him an invaluable service that he returns with his affection and careful tutelage. His buds push him beyond his limits and in turn he protects and nurtures them all. Together, they are stronger than the sum of their parts, whereas all Echidna can give to Ana is the softness of her fur, playing the part of a mere scarf, a burden upon Ana's back at a time when she needs every advantage she can get.
It's no wonder Ana values Julius so highly. Julius can stand on his own two feet, pull his own weight. He trusts her totally, just as she can trust in his abilities. Their bond is as unbreakable as the six contracts bolstering Julius's strength. Ana decides their path and Julius is her sword. Even as everything goes wrong, they move together as one.
The rumbling of the halls stops, and Julius's gaze lands on his lady's back. That must mean—
"Marcos must've stopped fightin'," Ana says without turning. "Any chance that duel coulda ended in our favor?"
Echidna peaks over Ana's shoulder to see Julius grimace. He takes a breath to respond, but his moment of pause is all the answer Ana needs.
Ana lets out a dry chuckle, devoid of even faux joy. She shakes her head and her lips set into a frown. "That'll be a no, then."
"Perhaps we could regroup with Ricardo's squad," Julius says, keeping his voice even, "Gather what remains of the Iron Fang to retreat. Live to fight another day, and return with reinforcements to—"
"Ta stage a rescue?" Ana finishes the thought. She retorts with her tone held steady, "Ya think his lieutenants are tha type ta leave survivors? Ya think he's tha type ta keep prisoners?"
Julius does not miss a beat. "All the more reason to find them now."
Echidna can't help but respect his optimism. Neither can she fault Ana's realism. The only one Echidna finds herself looking down upon is herself. With the captain of the royal guard likely dead, and the Iron Fang possibly the same, they have lost all the allies they came here with. Ana only has Julius as an asset now, and Echidna to lug around as nothing more than moral support.
Even then, Julius is likely doing a better job of it. He is stalwart in the face of insurmountable adversity, and though Ana met his hope with pragmatic words, Echidna is certain that Ana takes comfort in Julius's thoughts regardless. The determination in his eyes and his unyielding will to press on are what draws Ana to him, after all. They're both clever and foolhardy and persistently unwavering people. A matching pair.
Silence returns to them, and unlike all those times they spent quiet afternoons in each other's company focused on paperwork and literature with only the occasional verbal interjection, it is not comfortable. It's oppressive, with the quaking of the castle gone. An unnatural, tense absence of sound.
Of course, the silence of their shuffling comes from Julius's magic, stopping it from ringing through the vacant halls to alert any pursuers. But Echidna finds Nes's valiant efforts to be in vain. Were it possible to put aside the unease, the feeling the castle gives of perpetual unrest from the blood surely baked into every brick of its walls, Echidna would still wish to leave here at their first opportunity. Pandemonium deserves its name. This place is a death trap.
From the moment their forces entered, the information Ana had meticulously gathered, the combined military might of the Iron Fang and Lugunica's Royal Knights, their collective preparation and calculation—it was all for naught. Neither the Finest Knight or Old Cliffside proved powerful enough. Nothing within their arsenal, save the Dragonfriend Kingdom's strongest fighter, could have stood a chance against the chief defense of the Pleiades organization.
The left and right hands of the Purge King. They're terrible and familiar combatants, people Ana wouldn't trifle with unless she knew it would work out in her favor. But the man they serve—the villain so notorious that such a force was assembled for the task of arresting him—the Purge King is someone Ana could never permit the continued reign of, no matter the cost. Not after he's already taken so much.
Ana's always been well informed, and from her position on Ana's neck, Echidna was privy to all the same reports. The merchants Ana's known for years disappearing without a trace. The caravans acting erratically, breaking laws and conventions despite having good, honest people at their helm. Slavery, murder, assassination on a scale even wider than the Kararagi Ana was born into.
Echidna never once considered telling her to stand by and do nothing about it. All Echidna has ever wanted since the day they met was to support Ana, be there upon her shoulders and watch as her dreams materialize into reality. No stroke of bad luck, ill fortune, or miscalculation could deter Ana. Their chances in the Royal Selection dwindled into nothing, and Ana still seized for herself a victory of a different kind. She had Julius at her side, and that held the same value to her greedy heart as a crown.
Now, Echidna is the one sitting and doing nothing. Watching in silence as Julius suppresses his ragged breathing, as a million thoughts are surely brought to dead-ends within Ana's mind. Echidna scans the environment around them, sees the occasional window etched into the gray walls, looks at the night sky with its stars and full moon shining through. She wants to come to life on Ana's shoulders, and turn back to ask Julius to carry them out of the castle.
Or even just Ana, at this point. Echidna's life is Ana's, as they agreed all those years ago. The extent of Ana's desires, they're not such small things as to be snuffed out in this gray, hollow place. Echidna won't stand for that, not after they've come so far together. Ana will miss the feeling of her soft fur, but the world cannot be deprived of the greed of Anastasia Hoshin.
Julius stops and stares at Aro. Echidna remains rigid, as always. The green wind spirit shines bright, and Julius's eyes widen for a moment. He closes them afterward, his expression set and stern.
"Lady Anastasia," Julius says.
Ana turns to him, halting her movement. Echidna can't see what face she presents to her knight.
Julius frowns as he meets Ana's eyes. "If this is the end, then—"
"Then ya give 'em hell," Ana says, and for the last time her knight's eyes widen, reflecting his Lady's image in those yellow irises.
Placing a hand on his chest and inclining his head, Julius smirks. "As you command."
A crackle of lightning lashes through the air behind them, a flash of blue in the dimly lit halls, punctuating this final interaction between master and knight. Julius turns on his heel, unsheathing his sword in a fluid motion and bringing his spirits to surround him in a circle of rainbow light.
Ana does not stop to watch. Ana turns and sprints away from Julius, Echidna jostled on her shoulders as they go. She's said her goodbye to Julius, and there's no more room to be had for sentiments in Pandemonium.
For both their sakes, Echidna looks back. She sees Julius snapped to attention. Amidst the moonlight shining in from the window beside them and the spectrum of hues emanating from Julius's many buds surrounding him, the bloodied state of his cloak and clothes becomes an afterthought. In the end, he retains the dignity and elegance of the Finest Knight.
A blue-haired man stands across from the kingdom's one and only spirit knight, a smile wide on his face. "Oh my, staying behind to buy a tiny bit of time? How gallant and noble! Julius, what a wonderful performance!"
The man gives a brief round of applause, his eyes fixed on Julius with unparalleled intensity. There's blood splattered all over his blue kimono, and it doesn't seem to be his own. He speaks again, disappointment barely concealed under his cheerful demeanor, "Unfortunately, you're just the penultimate act this time. Center stage is not yours to hold, no matter how much it suits you."
Mana flows into Julius's sword, glowing bright with the colors of the rainbow. "Julius Juukulius," he offers.
Cecilus unsheathes his katana. "Cecilus Segmunt."
Gritting her teeth, Ana pushes forward and turns a corner at the end of the hall. Echidna loses sight of the dueling warriors, left only with the iridescence of Julius's blade lingering in her eyes. Was it missing a hue? Echidna is shaken out of the thought. The sound of metal on metal rings out and the rumbling resumes, louder and more powerful than before.
Ana moves faster now, as quick and far as her dainty legs can take her. The rise and fall of her chest is rapid. She would be sweating a great deal if not for Echidna's passive regulation of her temperature. It is a meager offering, a pittance in the face of their current circumstances. Yet, the noise of Ana's efforts do not echo through the halls to mingle with the thundering of combat.
Looking to Ana's left, Echidna finds a small black light floating beside them. Her eyes did not deceive her, for a hue was indeed missing, and perhaps the most important one of all. Without all six of his spirits, Julius is not fighting at his full potential. Lacking yin magic to slow down the speed and perceptions of his opponents, especially one as infamously quick as the Blue Lighting…
"Ana," Echidna calls out, "Julius has sent Nes with us, surely to conceal our presence." Echidna turns to look upon Ana's face. "Are you planning to find Ricardo as he suggested?"
Ana says nothing in response. They both know this means he is a dead man, and Echidna was the last to see him alive besides his killer. Ana bites her lip as she pushes herself to her physical limits, focusing her whole body into making the most of the opportunity Julius has afforded them. She's stubborn enough for the both of them now, and her silence leaves Echidna empty.
Echidna lingers in it, lacking the words and actions to do right by Julius. He was a good man, one of the best men Echidna's ever known. More than anyone in Ana's life, Echidna wishes she could have truly met him. He's held her in his grasp before, yet they have never spoken. And now, will never speak. Julius will die protecting a spirit he never knew existed.
So what does that leave for Echidna? All she can do, all she's ever been able to do, is sit and watch while Ana carries them forward to her desired future. But Echidna can at least think, and she can't help but wonder: is this it? Ana always said that time was money, but what is the price of all she's lost today? If Hoshin said that even when destitute, to look at the palm of your own hand first, then what will be left to look at after?
Echidna recalls the words Ana told her on the day they met: "Eventually, sooner or later, Echidna and I will die together. But even if we're gonna die someday, that day ain't today."
Will this one be their last?
A break to the labyrinthian gray halls comes into view: a single window to the outside, the first they've seen since Cecilus caught up to them. Ana comes to a gradual stop before it. She heaves to catch her breath, lurching forward beside the window, before coughing up all the dust she's inhaled.
This can't be it. There's surely more Ana has to show her, show the world, in grand fashion. Her struggling, gasping self is not a befitting end. So, resting one hand on the stone, Ana steadies herself and raises her back to stand up straight. What plan does she have? What's Ana's way out to end up on top?
Ana sighs, calling out to the empty space in front of her, "Ya think I'm that naive, Halibel?"
Moonlight beams through the window and seeps into the hall, casting shadows in the corners it cannot reach. From the edge of the illuminated area, a tall figure emerges from thin air, stepping into the light. Echidna watches, stiff.
"Yer always so sharp, y'know? Wish I had some candy to give ya," the wolfman replies.
The rumbling of the stones ceases, and the yin spirit that accompanied them fades from view. Nes is gone, they've been found, and the only escape left is the window behind them. Echidna knows no magic to cushion Ana's fall.
Ana speaks again to the Admirer, "What're ya tryin' ta accomplish here? Ya can't be so short-sighted ta think ya can influence the Purge King's brutality." Ana narrows her eyes at her old friend. "As Hoshin woulda said, ya can't expect the sun ta rise from the west."
Halibel sighs. "Su-san helped me out big time, and I've never been one to leave a debt unsettled. Ya should know that well by now."
Reaching into his black kimono, Halibel brushes past the fur on his chest to grab an object from his pocket. Echidna tenses, ready to jump in the way of a thrown knife. Halibel instead pulls out his golden kiseru from the folds, slow and casual. His eyes are pointed down as he moves to light the pipe.
Maybe this is their chance. Maybe this is what Ana has led them to. If Echidna can use her life to give Ana a few more seconds, then—
Ana takes Echidna close and strokes her as she has for years. Echidna's eyes snap to Ana's.
"Ya gotta get out of that there window, ya hear?" Ana says, and Echidna's breathing halts. "Get ta Banan, or Lugunica. Report back. They'll send the Sword Saint once they hear what's happened."
Halibel remains still, and takes a long drag from his kiseru. He exhales, puffing up smoke that mingles with what dust remains in the air. Echidna tries to do the same. She breathes out what she's holding in. The air comes out uneven. She feels her eyes widen. Ana's request…
She can't abandon Ana. For the majority of Ana's life now, they've had this informal contract. Ana's shown her a changed world. A world with less hardship than Echidna's seen in all the centuries she's lived. A world Ana's made even better with her every action, will keep making better. They've been inseparable. Ana needs her. With a broken gate and weakened od, Ana needs Echidna. And Echidna needs Ana. Without Ana—
Echidna does not finish the thought. There has to be another way. They will have another day. She asks, "What if the Admirer stops me? All your efforts will have been for naught."
The terms they're bound by is a promise to die together. Ana said it herself; she bought Echidna's lowest-price life. Ana promised to protect Echidna against those that seek to destroy her. All in exchange for conversation and a fluffy coat.
What's the rationale behind giving herself up for Echidna? Did she not have more that she wanted to obtain? Is this really the place she wanted to die?
Ana replies, grinning, "I'm a greedy gal, and this'll be m'last gamble."
Done smoking, Halibel places his kiseru back into his robes. With his usual joy sapped, he steps closer to Ana. "Any last words?" he asks.
"Yeah, just two," Ana says, raising her palm. Echidna reacts to the motion on instinct.
Echidna taps into the core of Ana's being. Ana's gate is defective, and it is her very od that must be siphoned to cast any magic. The price is steep, leaving Ana incomplete in body and soul. Echidna hates the cost, loathes herself even as she reaches deep and takes hold of the very essence of Ana's being. With the words on the tip of Ana's tongue, it'll take every last drop of herself to power the spell.
Ana smiles, as the totality of her life force is drained.
"Al Jiwald."
A dazzling beam of white light tears through the air and illuminates the dreary gray halls. Halibel stands only a meter away and can barely react in time. He attempts to dodge, but the beam still connects, tearing through his shoulder and burning the fur and flesh off his body. He does more than grunt in pain, the spell rending the stone behind him into molten rubble, the hall shaking with just as much intensity as it did in Julius's final duel, but Echidna does not regard any of it.
Echidna feels Ana go. She feels it through this terrible one-sided exploitation, this mockery of a real contract. Echidna hops off Ana's shoulders for the last time. She watches as Ana's corpse collapses to the floor.
Echidna's never been one for sentimentality, she's never even valued her own life. Until Ana found her, she was content to die rather than struggle against this world that sought to destroy her.
Yet, landing on the windowsill, Echidna cannot help but linger. She looks back at the woman who gave her a reason to live on. Halibel catches Ana's body, holds her in his arms, and raises his head to look up right at Echidna.
He gives a curt nod, and Echidna turns to escape. She hears a choked out phrase as she goes.
"Sorry, lil Ana."
And Echidna can't help but feel the same.