◆ Awakening and Assistance
I felt the rough grains of sand on my face. I felt power coursing from my heart to my fingertips. It felt like a clean spring had welled up in the depths of a forest, nourishing life around it.
My body felt hot; my blood was literally boiling as a blinding light surrounded me. As I was crouched over the sand, four beautiful wings, longer than my entire body, sprouted from my back. Light trickled out from me in a circular arc, grazing the surface of the sand and enveloping the monsters and Minne. The light seemed to go on endlessly.
“Mother! Please give me power!” I cried, scolding my creaking body and bending my arms to clutch the sand.
The vast, golden desert was in front of my eyes as my consciousness returned to my physical body. All of a sudden, I felt the weight of my body return as well.
I stepped on the fine grains with the sole of my shoes and tried to stand back up. When I raised my head, I realized I could get back on my feet easily, like my body was defying gravity. The white wings sprouting from my back flapped two or three times gloriously, released from their shackles. I’m sure this is the protection Mother bestowed upon me.
In exchange for her life, I was given power that could be used only once. There was a gust of spring wind surrounding me in a sweet, gently floral scent for only a moment. As the divine light started to fade, the wings on my back dissolved into glittering particles of light and vanished with the wind, leaving not even a vestige of them behind. All the while, I once again fell to my knees on the sand, completely exhausted.
“Ms. Eliza…” I murmured as I looked up.
The horrific monster was nowhere to be seen. Ms. Eliza, Mr. Coldman, and an unknown boy were piled on top of each other on the ground, reverted to their human forms. Princess Minne was also on her knees, hugging her trembling body. I forced my tired body to move and practically stumbled over to Ms. Eliza.
To my relief, they were all still alive, their chests rising and falling with every breath. Her lavish, bejewled dress and her hair were covered with sand, but Ms. Eliza was simply unconscious.
“I’m so glad they’re alive…” I whispered, breathing a sigh of relief.
Unpleasant cackling reached my ears, breaking the silence.
“Ha! Ahahaha! Now I understand what Celestia’s protection can do!” Mephisto gloated victoriously. “With that out of the way, you’ve truly reverted to a literal, powerless human!”
He descended upon me from the skies like a demon visiting the human realm. He had not a scratch on him as he bent over laughing manically. It looked like he was having the time of his life.
“I thought that amalgamation of a monster was utterly useless, but it seems it had its uses,” he continued. “So, Celestia’s protection can protect you just once from the verge of death. Holy power is certainly ominous, but it’s done and over now. I couldn’t lay my hands on you because I had no idea what kind of protection you had, but now, I can kill you without holding back.”
“Don’t look down on me!” I shouted back. “You’re left without any hostages. The world’s strongest alchemist and beautiful maiden can take you down now! I’ll go all out from here!”
I staggered to my feet, but my exhaustion caused me to fall to my knees. What do I do? My magical energy and stamina have been completely sapped. I can barely lift my finger. I just want to close my eyes and fall asleep.
Mephisto floated high in the skies, distorting the space around him. Several enormous serpents emerged out of nowhere, their slimy bodies glistening under the sun. They closely resembled the ones that Aliza had summoned.
“Ah, those eyes are painted with anxiety! Very nice!” Mephisto said with glee, like he was in the midst of a dream. “If I killed you here, I’m sure I’ll get to watch Julius despair! And then he’d hate humans, and then he’ll… Ah! I’m looking forward to it all!”
C’mon, Chloe, now isn’t the time to be on the ground! I can’t die here! I can’t die for Mr. Julius’s sake and for my own sake! My mother used her life to protect mine, and I’m sure my father did the same. But what should I do? What can I do?
I was out of energy. If only I could use my anti-magic spells. I wouldn’t lose to those snakes! I gripped the sand with everything I had.
“It’s time to eat, my little ones!” Mephisto said, stroking the serpent’s jaw. “Today’s menu will be a buffet of humans!”
The serpents glided through the air and flew straight at me. I frantically rummaged through my bag. C’mon, I’ve got to have something in here! I had no time to think and grabbed my alchemy bombs.
“Stop!” Minne shrieked, her cries echoing in the air. “Stop it, Mephisto! You’ve done enough.” She had been hugging herself while crouching on the ground but was now gazing up and imploring Mephisto with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Be silent, my princess,” the demon said ruthlessly. “Your wishes shall be granted soon.”
“Enough. Y-You don’t need to anymore…” she replied.
“I need you to shut your mouth for a while.”
Several black hands emerged at Minne’s feet and crawled up toward the skies. The arms layered on top of each other and created a birdcage, imprisoning the princess within. A black arm sprouted from the birdcage and covered Minne’s mouth from behind. Her muffled voice reached my ears as tears streamed from her large eyes.
“Explode, alchemy bombs!” I shouted, throwing the red orbs that were specialized for attack toward the snakes.
The bombs loudly burst on contact with the serpents as flames licked their bodies. I was able to blow a hole through some of the serpents, but that was all. Despite their wounds, their gaping jaws opened wide, baring their sharp fangs to devour me whole. Do these snakes not understand the concept of death?
I crawled toward Ms. Eliza’s body and covered her with mine in hopes of protecting her for even a bit. I had nowhere to flee.
Is this it for me?
Mr. Julius always came for me during times like these, but Helios was nowhere to be seen in the skies. It was likely no small feat to find me within this vast desert—what’s more, Mr. Julius was busy fighting Samael. I have to win by myself, and yet…
Tears started to form in the corners of my eyes. The footsteps of despair were slowly creeping closer, prepared to pounce on my frail heart.
“Come forth from the heavens, grand messenger! Dispel and purify, breath of the divine dragon!” A powerful chant cut through the air.
Rays of light descended from the skies, piercing through the snakes. They exploded from the inside out and started to disappear into the wind. Clouds of sand and dust obscured my vision. As the dust started to settle, I saw a broom floating in the sky. Sitting atop was a lady of bewitching beauty, dressed in revealing witch’s clothes and donning a large, triangular hat. I knew her very well.
“Don’t you dare bully my apprentice, you nasty demon!” she declared in a loud voice.
“Ms. Natalia!” I gasped.
She glanced back at me and flashed an alluring smile, her red lips curled up to form an arc like the crescent moon. It’d been a good while since I last saw my master’s confident smile. She turned her broom around and gracefully flew over to me, extending her hand covered in black lace gloves.
My entire body creaked like a door with poor hinges, but I grabbed her hand and managed to stand. Her ruby-red lips were exactly as I remembered, but I felt she was slightly different when I gazed into her scarlet eyes. Admittedly, my memories weren’t clear as it’d been three years since I last saw my master.