Peaceful

Rose dashed at the creature but it seems to have learnt something from her attacks before as it started to go on the defence now. The inky black liquid that surrounded it became solid. Nothing happened even after Rose hit it with her sword.

"That thing is finally using its head, huh? Things are getting interesting now. Come at me!"

Aurora watched the spectacle taking place in front of her and yawned. She hasn't recovered her energy from the time she slept earlier that day.

I want to sleep. Is there even a point of me being here? Rose is taking care of it on her own.

Just then, the creature screamed and flung Rose away again, this time, she hit the rocky mountain causing it to crack.

She used the remaining of her mana on the swords, leaving enough to just survive. She's not going to be able to use any magic until that Vial is filled, not even teleportation.

"Ooo~ that's gotta hurt. Hmm?" The creature turned its attention to her, getting ready to charge.

It's so strong. I need to destroy it before it can have the chance to harm anyone else. If it gets out of here alive, there is no telling what it will do.

But … I don't want to.

Aurora looked at the creature, pity filling her body as it took cautious steps to her. Unlike before, it isn't recklessly attacking her.

It knows.

Why am I hesitating? Is it because there are still souls in there? Or is it because I can see Miss in it?

But, this thing has no control over what it does. It only knows to kill. I need Rose here, what's taking her so long?

If push comes to shove, I'll have to deal with it. Please don't let it come to that.

"Rose!" Aurora shouted, readying her stance. She took in a deep breath, sucking in as much mana as she could from her surroundings.

The creature didn't wait for her, hitting her with its long body before she could summon enough mana. She smashed into a tree, gasping for breath as the pain in her arm throbbed while blood spilt out.

She felt something wrapped around her legs and arms, pulling her up in the air and stretching her body in all different directions. She could feel the wound in her arm tear wider as she bit back the pain.

The creature still cautiously approached her and didn't appear to have any intentions to kill her, just yet. But it is ready to rip her apart if she so much as struggled.

What do I do? Will I have to use it now? I can't let it roam free, I really can't.

I'm sorry.

Aurora began summoning her magic to the palms of her hands, the same inscriptions that appeared in the blades started to appear on her arms and face.

Suddenly, a loud piercing scream came from the creature as it began to thrash around wildly dropping Aurora to the ground. This being the third time she was thrown to the ground, Aurora just laid there.

Great. My back is definitely damaged now and I can't feel my arm either.

She looked at the blood pooling on the ground from her stretched out arm.

On the bright side, I have certainly grown taller.

"Aurora!" Rose called from the back of the creature, the blade embedded into its back.

"Oh? What do you know? You did it!" Aurora cheered as she carefully pushed herself off of the ground to watch Rose hang on to that thing for dear life.

"It's not working!" She shouted, hanging from the imbedded sword while the creature continued to thrash wildly and shout.

"You need to imbed my sword too!" Aurora shouted back.

Rose looked at the sword she held in her hands and at the one in the monster. It hardened itself again the moment she struck it, making the sword stuck there but, she may not be able to strike the sword in a second time and from the looks of it, both swords are slowly crumbling away.

"Rose! I'll take care of that, but you'll only have .5 seconds." Aurora shouted, trying not to laugh at Rose's stoic expression as she continued to be flung around like a rag doll.

"Can't you give me at least two seconds?!"

"I can't! But I'll get you one!" Aurora held up her arm hanging off the joints by muscles alone. The inscriptions were still faintly there, incomplete.

"Aurora! You don-"

"On the count of three!" Aurora shouted, ripping her arm off and charged at the creature. Standing right below it, she murmured something under her breath while avoiding being trampled by it.

"For what it's worth!" Aurora shouted at it, "I know you're not bad! So please, rest!"

Her severed arm turned to the golden specks from before and entered the creature, making its entire body turn liquid again.

As quickly as that happened, it turned back again body solidifying even harder than before. It also doesn't seem to be in any pain anymore.

Aurora felt the strength leave her body as she collapsed to the ground, clutching her shoulder from where her arm was severed.

She breathed heavily as she looked at the creature again. It's gaze on her as well but there was no empty malice anymore.

"Rose!"

"Venisti remanebis donce denuo completes sis."

The creature didn't shout or cry anymore, even as it's body melted away to be one with the earth and, as the souls slowly disappeared as well like snow in the sunlight, leaving only Rose and Aurora with a land filled with bodies.

The place remained as desolated as ever but it didn't look like a dystopian world anymore.

"Aurora!" Rose limped to her, her uniform is in tatters and her hair a mess.

Both she and Aurora collapsed inches from each other, the exhaustion catching up to them.

"I'm not cut out for this anymore!" Aurora shouted to the high heavens. "That's the reason I left!"

Rose laughed a raspy sound coming from her throat, "I thought you decided to leave because you have kids now."

"They are my pride and joy. I will do anything for them. What about it?"

"Didn't you just say- never mind. How are you going to explain that arm to them?" Rose asked, pushing herself to a sitting position and leaning against a tree.

"Shouldn't you be more worried that I will bleed to death?" Aurora asked, looking up at her.

"You'll be fine. Just be happy Jasmine isn't here."

"Yeah. Jasmine has always had to take care of us the moment a battle was done. We always gave her such headaches." Aurora laughed then winched in pain. "And don't worry about my kids. I can get a prosthetic arm and they will think I'm so cool. This is a battle, things happen."

"Yeah. I remember. She is the best healer but even she gets worn out because of us." Rose joined in. But then she suddenly stood up, grabbed her hair and cut it all off with her sword. With that final strike, the sword vanished.

"What are you doing?" Aurora asked staring with wide eyes at the hair falling to the ground.

"Ahhh~ This feels amazing!" Rose tousled her, now, short hair in pure bliss. "I miss this."

"Won't Jasmine kill you?" Aurora raised her eyebrow.

"In a battle, things happen right? There was nothing I could do as the creature grabbed my hair and I had to cut it. Don't you think so, Aurora?"

"Was that your plan from the start? Was that why you chose to undo your hair in the midst of all these?"

"Hey, I needed to benefit something from this. How do women manage with long hair, especially in battle? I just can't stand it. It gets stuck everywhere and no matter how much I asked Jasmine, she wouldn't cut my hair. Are you going to tell on me?"

"Honestly, it's none of my business. Do as you wish but I wasn't an accomplice."

"Sure. Remember when we three would be paired up for specific missions?" Rose asked, a wistful look on her face.

"Yeah, it was fun." Aurora could feel her consciousness slowly fade away as she grew weaker.

"Too bad we couldn't be a three-person team. It would have been so much more fun. I have never been so in synch with anyone during a battle besides with you."

"There's a reason everyone worked in pairs. I met so many interesting people because of that."

"Is that where you met that guy?"

"Miss's father? Yeah. Such fond memories. Wait a minute." She shot up with a sudden rush of adrenaline. Not finding Meraki anywhere she started to panic.

"Rose. Where is she?" Her breath quivered at the thought that she forgot about her.

"What do you mean? Isn't she on that tree?"

No one was there.

"I-its all my fault. M-mine. I-if o-only-"

"Calm down, Aurora. I'll just have to search for her using my magic. I'm sure she's here." Rose bent down and tried to reassure the trembling woman.

"What if they took her? What if someone took her? What am I going to do? Why? I-" Rose hit her across the chest, making her faint.

"Sorry, Aurora but you will kill yourself if you keep worrying like this. Now, where did she go?"