Reflections (2)

In the far eastern territory near the borders of Selvenia, a wide open plain spanning several kilometers in size stood open as its sheer size gave any viewer a feeling of light freedom. It was a place covered in green, and grasses, and wildflowers, and wild critters.

Or at least it used to be...

"Haaaah!"

A loud yell of a warrior echoed far and wide, as a golden greatsword cleaved the air, splitting the winds apart.

ROOOAAR!!

A roar of a monster followed, as well as a gaping wound to its chest. It fell to its knees with an earth-shaking thud, as two of its arms supported its gradually weakening body, and the two others held the wound as if afraid of losing its blood.

It was a Four-Armed Demon.

"I'm not done yet!!!" the warrior leaped towards the monster, as she traversed the winds that desperately resisted her momentum. She raised her greatsword above her, and slashed down with all her momentum, her blade emitting a blinding radiance.

"Holy Slash!!"

When her blade fell, she passed through the monster, as it was cleanly split vertically in half. Blood, and all, it separated into two directions. It was one of the abilities that Divine Weapons held once it reached Level 5, and for the warrior holding the greatsword, it was the ability to split anything from beneath a certain level of strength.

She landed sliding on her feet, as she dispersed momentum from her landing. She muttered,

 "...24..."

24. It was the number of the monsters that she'd killed already, but it wasn't enough. For her, it was far from enough.

She shifted her gaze and rushed in a certain direction. Each of her steps propelled her forwards several meters within an instant, and the next moment, she was beside her target.

"DIIIIEEEE!!!!" she screamed out loud as she swung her greatsword once more, cutting one of the demon's feet. The demon let out a pained roar, and it fell to its feet. A blinding radiance lit up a tiny area around the demon, and the next instant, its head fell to the ground.

Once again, the warrior made a mutter, "...25..."

She looked around, and there were still a few more. She let out a deep breath, adjusting her mind to its peak once more...

And the slaughter continued.

◇ ◇ ◇

Arthur stood in the middle of demon corpses, as she stared at the grey skies with a dull gaze.

It hurt.

Her chest hurt.

It hurt so much, that her body felt cold.

She clenched Excalibur tightly, 'What is wrong with me..?' she thought, but no answer would just pop up. After a while, she lowered her gaze and began to move to collect the Magic Cores of the demons, however...

"You seem vexed." A voice suddenly spoke from behind.

Arthur's eyes widened, as her wariness peaked in an instant. She quickly turned her gaze around, not realizing that she recognized the voice. Her mind was too unsettled.

"Wha!?" When she turned, she suddenly saw a familiar face and an unfamiliar one. No, it wasn't unfamiliar, she just only met her once, so she didn't have much of an impression.

She stared at the two for a while, with widened eyes.

The silence continued until she finally remembered who the other girl was. Or was she even a girl? At the very least, Arthur didn't think so.

"Arkenvalle and... Lina..?"

Lina, who was the one who spoke earlier, asked in concern, "Are you okay? You seem frustrated for some reason."

Her gentle voice snapped Arthur from her daze. "A-Ah... yeah. I'm fine." She then made a small smile, "I'm really fine. Thank you for worrying."

However, Arkenvalle refuted her statement, "No," she said, "You're not fine. You're hurt, and I can feel you still can't withstand it."

Arthur's eyes widened for an instant, as she went silent.

"Your body is way weaker than what you were used to, and your mind can't fully adapt in such a short time. That's why..." Arkenvalle paused, and then continued:

"You're having trouble supressing extreme emotions, right?" Arkenvalle stated.

Arthur's mouth gaped for a while, and a wry smile then formed on her face. She made a dry laugh, "Ahahaha... Man, you got me..." she said as she scratched her head.

She then shifted her vision to Lina, as she spoke. "Some things just aren't fair in the world, right?" she spoke with a resigned smile, "I mean, I was surprised that you—his sword could turn into a stunning girl, but to think there was also someone else..."

She grit her teeth.

The pain in her chest intensified.

Arkenvalle looked at Arthur with the same expressionless face, "I know. But Lancelot still needs you. To grow stronger, he'll need your guidance. You have the talent that he lacks.

"Yeah," Arthur agreed with a heavy sigh, "I'm aware. Though it's quite cruel for the both of you to put such expectations on me though. Really, you're both merciless."

Arkenvalle didn't say anything, and silence took over. It continued for a while, until Lina spoke, "Umm... I'm not really sure what you're talking about, but Valle, why did you take me with you?"

Arthur and Arkenvalle turned to Lina at the same time, and Arkenvalle spoke, "I wanted to ask you to help Arthur."

Lina stuttered, "H-Help her?"

Arkenvalle nodded as she then turned to Arthur, "Her soul is still unstable. Can I ask your help in stabilizing it?"

"W-Wait a second," Arthur suddenly interjected in fluster, "You mean you can help me?!"

Arkenvalle turned to Arthur, and nodded, "Yes. I can't do it alone, but Lina's Guidance Tome is a Manual of the Higher-Order. She can heal souls too."

"Then what was the point of my ramblings earlier?!" Arthur exclaimed as her face began to redden.