How to Die With Grace

"Everything's going to be okay. Alright?"

Blood poured from the stab wounds in his body. One massive glowing spear and 4 other glowing katanas pierced through his body.

And despite that, he still remained with a smile on his face. He still mustered up enough strength to say that everything was going to be okay. Even though it was painfully clear that it wasn't.

Behind Himitsu, Aurelius stood with a cold expression. However, there was a hint of satisfaction in his face.

"This is the end." Aurelius spoke with finality, and his grip on the spear tightened as he prepared to pull it out.

However, at that moment, a magic spell activated. From Himitsu's back, multiple solid lines of mana stretched out and wrapped themselves around the spear and Aurelius' hands.

Struggling fiercely, Aurelius tried to break free from the restraints; however, his attempts were futile.

In a moment he had been completely ensnared in a web of mana that held the two fighters together.

As soon as Suijin saw that, she shouted out. "Himitsu! Stop! Don't do anything else! If you do, you'll di-"

"Die? I'm already dying." Himitsu made an ill-advised joke, which didn't do anything to help Suijin's already shaky mental state.

Moving quickly, she looked toward the group of students who were standing, looking shell-shocked by everything that had just happened.

"Healers, where are the healers!" She asked frantically, and a few students with red stripes on their uniform emblems stepped forward.

"Suijin. You know better than anyone that healing magic is an extremely difficult thing to learn, let alone master. And these wounds won't be healed by anything less than masterclass healing magic. Something only those who dedicate their lives to learning it can do."

"Still! They can keep you alive! So stop acting like you're already in the grave and think!"

Just as Suijin was in the midst of processing a magic sequence, she was stopped by the sound of the ground shaking and a message blaring over the megaphones.

"Attention! Himitsu, Suijin! We're ready!" It was Ayung's voice that came over the speakers, informing everyone that they were done setting up for everything.

The ground continued to shake violently. Pieces of debris fell from the ceiling as the roof of the lobby literally began to move.

Suijin knew the Magic Academy was built with elaborate systems and architecture that allowed its different parts to shift, but wasn't this a bit much?

Breaking away from her shock, Suijin snapped her attention back to Himitsu and Aurelius.

Only to find them both gone. The only sign left was the large puddle of blood where they once stood.

"What!" Suijin! she exclaimed as she rushed outside. There, under the beating sun, she turned around and saw that the top half of the magic academy, above the lobby, had split in half, and a large cannon-like thing was beginning to peek out.

This was the 'device' that Riko and Ayung were working on with Shindo behind her back. Under any other circumstance, Suijin would be annoyed that they proceeded with an entire project involving something so large, with Shindo, all behind her back without telling her.

However, it just so happened that they were under the only circumstance where Suijin would be forced to accept it.

This machine would be their savior if it worked correctly.

Dashing forward, Suijin walked to the very edge of the elevated land that the magic academy stood on. Looking down its large beanstalk with mana strengthening her eyesight, she saw that Himitsu and Aurelius were both standing down there, still locked together by Himitsu's spell.

They had returned to the center of the life force oath. It seemed the barrier for it hadn't collapsed yet.

Suijin saw how all of the other students who had been standing there looked on in horror at the sight in front of them.

Himitsu was pierced by four different weapons, bleeding enough to fill an entire bathtub to the brim.

The Pythons had all noticed this as well, and they began to dash forward, enabling their weapons and preparing to attack.

The disoriented students who had just seen their pseudo-leader defeated right in front of them wouldn't be able to put up a decent fight.

They would be completely steamrolled, and the Pythons would emerge victorious.

The Pythons weapons and bodies were suddenly smashed against a massive barrier of magic that had been erected. The barrier was purple, and it was made out of an extensive amount of shield and defensive spells, as well as absorption magic to ensure it didn't shatter.

It was Himitsu who had erected the barrier with the remaining mana he had. And he kept it standing with everything he had. Even in this half-dead state, where his ability to process magic spells and sequences should have been significantly reduced, he managed to summon and create such a complex spell and was now using everything that he had left to maintain it.

Rushing forward, the rest of Theta's students rushed to the barrier and banged against it, desperately trying to get Himitsu to pull it down. They had noticed his state, the fact that he was quickly burning through the rest of his mana, and the way his face paled from loss of blood.

"Himitsu!" Suijin could hear the shouts of the students as she rushed down the beanstalk and towards the barrier.

She quickly joined the mass of students desperately begging that he get rid of the barrier.

However, Himitsu wasn't going to. Instead, he smiled at all of the students gathered around.

Behind the students, the massive gun that had appeared from inside of the magic academy began to charge, making a high-pitched whining sound.

The side of the gun had a line that showed it slowly beginning to fill up with mana, as it must have been being supplied from the students inside.

Briefly, Nova realized that this design was extremely similar to Minerva's gun that could absorb things and turn them into blasts.

The weapon was designed to do the same.

At any moment, the weapon would fire, and if it worked, everybody down there would be transported away.

That was including the rest of Theta's students, if they didn't move.

Knowing this, Himitsu began to speak, desperately trying to convince them.

"Listen." He had a light-hearted tone that was lined with seriousness. "It's been an honor—"

"NO!"

As Himitsu tried to give his last words, he was cut off by a harsh scream from the students. However, Himitsu pressed on.

"It's been an honor to be able to teach you all, although I think I did you all a disservice with how little I managed to teach you." He gave a sad smile as he listened to the student's pained yelling for him to drop the spell.

"I know, I know that at the moment things may seem like they couldn't get any worse, but I want you all to know that from this point onwards, it will only get better. You've seen things that you should never have seen, but I hope you use these moments to learn and grow."

"Himitsu! Stop! Just drop the spell, and we can help you! We'll fight together!"

"From this point onwards, I hope that all of you can take everything I've managed to teach you and apply it as things get better."

"Stop talking like you've already died! As long as you're alive, you can be saved!"

"I hope you all find it an honor to have been my students, as much as I found it an honor to be your teacher. I hope that everything I've said to you in some way helps you out in the future, even if it's miniscule."

"Stop! Think about this! What if your plan doesn't work?"

"Hopefully I could have delivered a 5-star lesson, because you all deserved nothing less. Even if my lessons didn't help you in any way, hopefully this sacrifice will."

Himitsu and the students went back and forth. The students were screaming, begging him to stop this; however, Himitsu was already delivering his final words.

"All of you." He gave out one last sad smile as the screams reached their highest points. "It was an honor to teach prodigies like you."

With those final words, Himitsu tipped his fedora off, allowing it to blow in the wind, as he gave a bow the best he could.

And then the gun fired.

A spell suddenly activated, Himitsu's last spell.

It teleported all of the students back to the top of the elevated Magic Academy.

The gun's ray made direct contact with the ground, and it created a massive tear in space, creating a portal.

A massive flash of light blinded everyone.

And when the light cleared, there was silence.

Everything, even the raging wall of flames, was fun.

It all had been teleported away, leaving only silence.

A deafening silence. The sun shone down brightly, in contrast to the hellish battlefield below.

There were no screams. No shouts. Not even the sound of crying.

Just silence, as their battle finally reached its end, and Theta Magic Academy had been liberated.

The P.A. system turned on.

"The battle...is over. Any able bodies, help with the care of the injured."

The battle had concluded. And the students of Theta Magic Academy had survived.

Not won. Survived.

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"KAMI!"

I opened my eyes to someone shouting my name.

When I opened them, the first thing that I noticed was the sun blazing down on me.

For a brief moment, I thought that I was back at the Chisaki Estate, and after a long day of playing with Raiden, we had both passed out in the grass of the front yard, laughing.

For a moment, I thought that the two figures who were waking me up were Mina and my mom, lecturing me about the fact that staying out in the hot sun could end up getting me sunburns.

However, when my blurry eyes cleared, I saw Ren and Homura crouching above me.

Suddenly, I was pulled into an embrace, to the dismay of my own body.

I felt an aching pain in my side, but I ignored it as I looked around my surroundings.

Homura and Ren were both hugging me, with tired expressions in their eyes.

I was sitting in the center of Theta Magic Academy's lobby, on a mat. There was a massive hole in the roof, and a massive number of students were gathered there. Many were injured, and others were taking care of the injured.

In fact, now that I looked at it, everyone had a tired, pained, hurt, or traumatized expression on their face. There was not a single exception to that fact.

And then I remembered.

Aergia.

The Python tattoos.

The battles.

The rainstorm.

My body tensed; however, Homura shook her head.

"It's okay. It's all over. All of it."

It took a moment for her words to actually register in my mind. I was in the midst of trying to stand when I finally actually took in what she had said.

"Wait. The battle is over?"

I asked her with disbelief in my expression.

She nodded her head up and down.

And then I felt the pain in my side and nearly collapsed.

If it wasn't for Ren reacting fast enough to catch me, I would have absolutely face-planted into the ground.

I looked, and I saw that my side was wrapped in bandages. And then I remembered the wound I sustained at the end of my battle with Aergia.

"So, we managed to push them back?" I asked.

Homura nodded.

Standing in silence for a few seconds, my thoughts turned to many things.

There were many things that I was thinking about, from what happened to Suijin, what happened to the battle going on in the front, and who defeated the rest of the enemies; however, something more important came over me at that moment.

"Kami, where are you going? You're injured!"

Homura asked frantically as I got up despite the pain in my side.

"I need to find Raiden! I needed to find my brother!"

I had to. If he was anything but alive and well, I don't know what I'd do. My heartbeat increased until I felt it would burst out of my chest.

Pushing past students, part of the medicine branches, as they tried to get me to sit down, I continued to mutter to myself anxiously.

"Raiden. Please be okay."

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Shindo, Hikaru, and Aura all sat in the room in silence.

None of them could believe what Phi had just said and done.

Aura especially. She was on the ground crying and pulling on her hair. Sobs racked her body, and her entire form trembled. She was in a pitiful state.

Her mind had already broken.

Shindo was on his knees, staring into the ground, still unable to come to terms with everything that he missed. Internally, he was already beginning to blame himself for what happened here.

If he hadn't let his naivety get the better of him there, they wouldn't be in this situation. Phi would have been apprehended and questioned before she got the chance to cause this much damage.

However, Shindo had failed. And Phi had escaped away, along with the Witch.

And what made things worse was exactly that.

The Witch. Despite the fact that her 5 champions had all been defeated by her and the message on the P.A. system that told them even the Pythons had been taken down, she still had a satisfied expression on her face.

As if Phi and the heart in her hands were the only things that she was actually going for. Were those two items alone enough to be classified as a victory in her book? 

Hikaru, on the other hand, was desperately trying to get Aura back on her feet; however, it was to no avail. 

Losing her best friend in such a way, the person who might as well have been her sister for how close they were, led her mind to shatter so badly that Hikaru wasn't sure it was possible to pick up all of the pieces ever. 

We have to check on everyone else! She thought to herself. 

"It's time." The headmaster's withered voice spoke. 

The restraints around him had been cut down at some point, but none of the students noticed it. 

There were large marks on his wrists where the chains had been constricting him. However, he stood tall as he put on his coat. 

"It's shameful. But it's time for me to finally make my appearance." 

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Suijin stood on the battlement of the Magic Academy. The battle had concluded a while ago. 

The mages association had arrived, and they were in the process of cleaning up, providing aid, and questioning those who were ready. They had taken the job of clearing out the bodies. Suijin had already given all of the information she could. 

She was burnt out and tired. From everything. The whole event had left her drained. Leaning against the edge, her eyes fluttered open and closed. 

A cold breeze blew on her face, and it only made her feel the tear stains on her cheeks even more.

This battle couldn't be called a victory. It was only a survival. 

The students of Theta had lost too much and suffered too much to view this as anything other than just managing to survive. Suijin especially. 

She had failed to do so much. Failed to save so many people. Failed to react quicker. Failed to stop the event from growing to such an extent. 

She had to be lectured by her underclassmen on how to ask for help. When she finally learned, it was too late. 

Raiden had been right. She couldn't do it alone. 

It was her mistake that led to Himitsu being forced to intervene and getting caught off guard. 

It was her failure to read Yuri's emotions that led him into spiraling so far that he battled recklessly and ended up losing an eye and being found halfway to death. 

She couldn't locate Raiden in time. And now he was bouncing in between life and death, and Kami was nearly going to lose her mind over it. 

Before she knew it, she was crying once more. 

Failure as a leader. Those were the only things that Suijin was currently feeling. 

She heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She tried to get ahold of herself. She didn't want to show the already suffering students her moment of weakness, but unlike Himitsu, she was unable to get control of her emotions. 

The more she tried, the more came spilling out. Soon she was bawling. Pathetically. 

She felt a strong pair of hands descend on her shoulder. 

She looked up to see the headmaster standing right in front of her. 

Even he looked tired and bogged down by mental stress. Suijin couldn't even bring herself to look him in the eyes. 

"Suijin." Despite his frail look, his voice was strong.

"I-I'm sorry! I just—I couldn't. When you were gone, I let so many people get hurt! I-I couldn't get myself together! I couldn't save them!" She began to break down as she cried into the headmaster's large cloak. 

The headmaster looked down at her with a sad expression, patting her head. 

"It's my fault! I-I-" 

"Suijin. This is what battle looks like." 

Suijin stopped speaking as the headmaster began to talk, the only sound being her echoing sobs. 

"This is what true war is. You can't control everything. You did the best you could." 

"But—but I made mistakes! I made stupid mistakes in the heat of the moment that cost people their lives!" Suijin began to shout. 

"And you made amazing decisions and spoke amazing words that saved lives." The headmaster countered. 

"I was selfish! I took all of the responsibility and pushed others away! I had to be told off in order to realize I was wrong!" 

"And you showed ultimate selflessness in your ability to change in order to save lives." 

"My decisions and my words lead to people risking their lives and dying! Mothers! Brothers! Sisters! Do you know how many people are going to cry because I wanted to play leader?" She was screaming herself raw. 

"And your choice to selflessly 'play' leader means mothers. Brothers and sisters will sigh in relief."

"But Himitsu! Yuri! Everybody who got hurt! Everybody who died!" 

Suijin could scream no more, so she began to aggressively beat on the headmaster's chest. 

"Let it all out." The headmaster said as he continued to rub her head. In his peripherals, he noticed Kaguya, waiting for him. 

"You did amazingly. You truly are a selfless and brave person. You're courageous." He whispered those words to her. 

As she continued to grunt, cry, and punch his chest, the headmaster continued to speak words of affirmation to her. 

"But don't forget everything that you've seen and experienced here. Hang on to it all. The duality of war that you witnessed here. The suffering, the pain, and the conflict. All of it. Hold on to it all, and never forget. Because that's your ticket." 

"That's your ticket to the harsh realities of the world."