Chapter 12 - Ride The Lightning

Lily's blade sunk into the bears neck, clearing halfway through until she abruptly jumped back. Narrowly avoiding the heavy swing of the bears claw as it continued to attack, unbothered by the sword jutting out of its head. The steel shining in the light cast by the lightning that constantly flashed above their heads. Taking advantage of its attention finally not being on her, Reina channeled spiritual energy towards her fists and charged forward, slamming them into the bears chest.

Blood spewed out of the bears mouth, yet it's movements were completely unaffected. As if it could not sense nor feel any of the damage being done to its body. Reina moved her feet to create distance once again when her feet slipped in the mud. Her eyes widened as she watched the bears paw smash into her body.

Reina watched the branches go past her in a blur as she flew away, her entire body feeling as though it were lit on fire. She barely felt when she hit the ground, how could you feel pain on top of pain? Eyes squeezed tight, she struggled to breath, each attempt feeling as though she were being run through with a sword. Tears mixed with the rain and mud on her face as fear filled her mind, wailing inside her mind 'I'm scared, I'm scared, it hurts, don't want...'

[Calm down] Shadows voice rang out, devoid of any emotion yet Reina still managed to find comfort in it.

[I won't let you die this time, you got knocked far enough away that your friend won't notice if I mend your body. Never say being bonded with a Daemon is a completely bad thing after this.]

Reina sighed in relief as she gained the ability to breath again, watching the lightning dance in the clouds. Trying her best to ignore the surreal sensation of her bones mending themselves, she listened to the calming sound of thunder that rang out a regular intervals. 'I guess it's because I'm attuned to the lightning element that I find thunder comforting, don't others think it's alarming?' Reina giggled to herself as she took another deep breath, feeling she took it for granted after all but losing the ability to do so just moments before.

[....Reina?]

"Yes?"

[I'm done]

"Thank you Shadow!"

[....Aren't you forgetting something?]

"I am?....WAH!" Reina lept to her feet and began to run off to where Lily was still fighting for her life.

[...Reina]

"What now?!"

[That's the wrong way]

"Then which way is it?!"

[The other way]

"What way?"

[Turn around!!!]

Reina quickly made her way back to the scene of the battle, torn vines and branches littered the area accompanied by numerous small craters. Lily had managed to retrieve her sword and was currently swinging between the trees as she aimed attacks towards the bears head, who was in constant pursuit. As lightning flashed overhead once again, Reina took in the bears face, it had been cut to pieces, and sitting on top of the bears head was a pair of white mushrooms. The scene was almost comical as Reina watched Lily continue to pepper the bear with slashes and stabs, always staying out of reach of any counterattack.

"Awww, Lily, my cruel sister, she didn't even light a candle for me!"

[....] Shadow was speechless, did nearly dying make this child's head go funny?

As Reina watched the conflict unfold, waiting to find a chance to help, she smelled a change in the air. The earthy smell mixed with the rain had suddenly gained a pungent, sweet aroma. She instinctively understood that lightning was about to hit their location when an idea hit her. In practice, Flow grabbed hold of the surrounding spiritual energy to assist the body in dealing attacks. The elements that naturally occurred in nature were also full of spiritual energy, her gaze wandered to the tree tops. She knew where the lightning was about to strike.

'Shadow, you said you won't let me die this time right?'

[Yes]

'Good!'

She cheated death once today thanks to being bonded to a daemon, why not exploit her partner to the fullest today? She leaped up to the top of her chosen tree and waited, readying all the energy in her body for the moment of truth. She knew when the lightning was going to descend, she just needed to be ready to grab hold of it and not let go. Glancing down at Lily's battle, the game of cat and mouse was still going on. Though as she watched, Lily seemed to notice something and looked up at her, shock flashing across her face. The moment of distraction was all the bear needed as it lept up and swatted Lily out of the air where she crashed into a heap a short distance from where Reina was standing. But Reina didn't panic, instead she glanced up to the black clouds and stretched out her hand.

"Come"

Lightning arced towards her stretched hand, her vision blacking out entirely as pain overwhelmed her senses. She was faintly aware of Shadow's voice shouting out obscenities, but all of the focus she had left was solely on the lightning rampaging throughout her body. She thought the state the bear left her in before was painful, it was a tickling breeze compared to what she was experiencing now. Her entire body was boiling, her organs were surely being burnt to a crisp, yet thanks to shadow she was still alive. So she poured all of her spirit energy into grabbing hold of the lightning, it was like a raging horse the way it bucked and charged, doing all it could to break her grasp. But Reina stubbornly held on, using all she had to force the lightning to follow the natural flow of her spirit energy.

She didn't know how long she had stood there, nor how many times she should have died were it not for shadow's help. But eventually the lightning followed the flow of her energy, only occasionally arcing out in rebellion. Once she had gotten it mostly under control, her senses returned to her, the pain the wrathful lightning inflicted on her had subsided somewhat, but it still took all she had not to scream out. Panting, she looked down at her body, realizing it was a mess. Blood was oozing out of her pores, and the arm that had made contact with the lightning was blackened, but still usable. Her thoughts were interrupted by the screeching voice of her faithful partner

[Stupid, stupid, idiot girl, you want to die right? You want to take me with you ah? Apologize to everyone on earth who went dumb from brain trauma! Even they would take you for an insane idiot!]

Reina did her best to endure her bodies state of constantly being electrocuted so that she could obediently listen to Shadow's lecture. Looking down at Lily's position, she realized that the fight had taken a turn for the worse. The game of cat and mouse had turned into the cat toying with its prey as the bear was dealing much clumsier blows that were just barely missing as Lily desperately tried to avoid it.

"I'm going now Shadow"

[Wait, that lightning inside you is only barely cooperating]

"I know"

[I can keep you alive for a minute at most, your body and soul can't take this much longer. When you kill it, you'll have to expel all of the spirit energy in your body. Otherwise the lightning will kill you, it absolutely abhors being subjugated, so you're only chance at survival is getting rid of all of it.]

Reina had no time to ask questions, merely nodding in acknowledgment she kicked off the tree and launched herself towards the bear. Before she could even blink she was before it, sparring no time she swung her fist at its body.

BOOM

Lighting arced from Reina's fist into the bears body, blowing off a large chunk of its torso. Reina gave a silent prayer of thanks to the lightning gods for protecting her ears from the explosion of thunder that erupted in front of her. The bear stood dumbly in front of her, not comprehending what just happened. Yet the bears body began to recover as fungus grew to replace the tissue that had been destroyed. Reina took a small hop backwards and her vision blurred as she ended up a dozen meters away, she blankly looked down at her body, observing the lightning that arced around her.

".....This is a bit too much for me huh"

[40 seconds]

Reina clicked her tongue and dashed forward, the bear rapidly growing in her site as she threw her foot into the bear. The sound of lightning cracking rang out again as another portion of the bears body disappeared, Reina did her best to ignore the smell of her own burning flesh as she saw her outstretched foot blacken. Glancing back, she noticed Lily looking at her with an expression of astonishment and flashed a smile towards her. Though taking in her current appearance, that probably wasn't very comforting...

The bear drunkenly swung its paw towards her, and she stretched out her hand to catch it. Lightning continuously traveled down her arm into the body of the bear, which had stopped moving completely with the exception of the involuntary twitch.

[30 seconds]

Reina sighed and smashed her charred palm into the bears face while bracing it with her other hand, and begun to gather all the spirit energy in her body. Once she felt absolutely everything bundle together, she endured the wave of nausea and sent it through her hand into the bear.

Her sight was flooded with light as the energy roared out, sound ceased to exist in that moment as she felt all her spirit energy drain out. Once it was over, the bear had disappeared completely, not even a shred of evidence of its existence remained. Blankly looking forward, she took note that the trees and land behind the bear suffered the same fate, all that remained was a black streak on the ground.

Reina slowly collapsed to her knees, panting heavily as her vision began to darken.

"Reina? Are you ok?" Lily's voice rang out in the clearing, concern and fear mingling in her words.

[Stay awake or we die, the most I can do is leave you on deaths door for a doctor to bring you back from]

Reina was on her hands and knees now putting all of her attention into breathing as she stared at the ground, watching the blood fall from seemingly everywhere and begin to form a puddle. 'If I focus on breathing I won't fall asleep right' she thought desperately to herself as the pain racking her body was accompanied by a faint chill.

"Reina?"

Lily's voice was much closer now, the concern in it evident. Reina used all the strength she had left in her body to look up at Lily, whose face turned white from shock as she looked down at her.

"Hey! Keep your eyes open!"

Pa! Pa!

Lily slapped Reina's face twice, blood scattering into the air as Reina looked back at her, barely registering that she was hit as she heaved air into her body. Worry was etched on Lily's face now, as she stood still and starred at Reina. Her face was in a word, awful. Blood and dirt covered all of what used to be a lively and adorable face, and blood continued to flow out of her eyes, nose, and mouth. Her eyes seemed to barely recognize her as she looked back at her, reaching out to stroke her face, it was still surprisingly soft. 'I've known you for a few days and already owe you my life twice over, I won't let you die.'

Lily was not a heartless person, though she had come to consider many things as worthless and not worth her time if they didn't further her own agenda. This eager little girl had given her everything to protect her despite the two being strangers, how could she not be moved by her?

'I agreed to give you my name as payment and nothing more, yet you happily claimed it as your own and wished to treat me as family. Even though I planned to never see you again when we reached the city.... Fine, you win' Lily gathered the girl into her arms and began to run out of the forest.

'If it's a sister you want, then I will become one again. I'll protect and care for you for the rest of my life, no matter how much you drag me down, I won't ever abandon you. On this worthless life of mine I swear it.'