When we grew tired, magic provided us with meals. The rest of the time, we remained inseparably close, not saying any more than we had to.
✦ ✦ ✦
Days passed like that, our connection unbroken. With each moment together, I felt something flowing into me from Mia—a transfer of something intangible. As the days went by, our words dwindled even more. We understood each other without needing to speak, instinctively sensing that this phase was nearing its end. How many days, or maybe even weeks, passed in what seemed like an instant…
✦ ✦ ✦
One day, after separating from me, Mia stood up, drenched in sweat. With the same soft smile she had been wearing recently, she looked down at me.
“This is the end.”
“Mia…”
“Kazu, thank you for everything.”
Wait, Mia. Don’t talk like that. I wanted to shout, to express my feelings, but I held back.
“Kazu, you’re holding an incredible amount of MP right now. You realize that, right?”
“Ah, yeah.”
So this is MP. Mia’s been sharing it with me this whole time; every time we became one, it increased.
“So, now I have many times the normal limit of MP,” I began tentatively. “But this… it’s something that only works in this space, right?”
“Right. Once we leave here, it’ll fade away. Maybe in about an hour.”
If my capacity for handling MP was limited, and this power would soon disappear, what was the point of all this?
“Kazu,” Mia continued, “I can draw power from them just once. I can use that to take you anywhere.”
“Anywhere…?”
“Yeah, anywhere in this world. I can’t do it for anyone else—just for you.”
Suddenly, I understood exactly what Mia wanted me to do… what I needed to do.
She smiled gently, taking my hand and helping me stand up. She felt surprisingly strong, formidable even.
“I understand,” I said, nodding as I strengthened my resolve. Mia had made her decision, and so had I.
“To the school mountain,” I declared. “No, to where Azagralith is. Unlike the rest of our group, I have a way to convert all this MP into pure power. With this much MP, only now do I have the chance to defeat Azagralith.”
“Got it.” Mia nodded, as if reminding herself this was the right choice. Then, she gently stroked her bare stomach.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Wait, so then…”
“I wanted this. One last time.”
The finality in her words was slowly dawning on me. I began to protest, to try and stop her, but swallowed my words. I knew it would be futile, and it would only distress Mia further.
“What will happen to you now?” I asked her.
After a brief silence, she answered, “I’ll change a bit more.”
“What do you mean…?”
“If I don’t transform properly, I can’t fully confront them. It’ll take time, not just in this space but in the real world, too. A little longer. Without it, they and the people of this world will keep inflicting unhappiness on each other.”
“But why do you need to put yourself through this…?”
Mia’s face turned serious. “It’s not like that, Kazu,” she said slowly. She shook her head, like an adult explaining a rule to a child. “I want to do this.”
“Mia!”
“It’s not about escaping or becoming a sacrifice. This is moving forward. So, please, let’s say goodbye with a smile.”
With that, Mia, the usually blank Mia smiled as dazzling as a flower newly blossoming.
✦ ✦ ✦
I got dressed and prepared the best I could. I slung the backpack over my shoulder and cast ample buffs on myself. Mia cast Fly and Wind Walk on me, and we swapped wristwatches.
Mia’s watch was a rugged black timepiece. “It’s also waterproof,” she told me with a faint smile. Meanwhile, she held my watch, a cheap one from a store, as if it were precious.
“Tell my brother to just… handle it.”
“I might get punched for this.”
“Probably, but it’ll be fine. Sorry, though.”
“It’s okay. I’ll face him properly.”
When it was time to go, I kissed Mia one last time.
“Maybe… someday,” she said quietly.
“I love you.”
“Along with Arisu, Tamaki, and Rushia, that is, right?”
“Yes.”
Mia smiled. “I’m glad.”
“So am I.”
“Then, let’s go.”
Mia closed her eyes. “Kazu, I love you, too. Always have.”
With those final words, my consciousness faded away.