Ash

As she and Kaori ran back into the city, she felt her power increasing with every step she took. She could hear metallic boots clanking in unison, the sign of a large group of soldiers marching towards the city.

As they ran through the old plaza, Ash saw people dressed in scholarly robes, probably mages, on the rooftops of the buildings, overlooking the street that led to their location. A short time later, the two of them were at the city's southern gates, where a line of mages and warriors stood ready.

The Saviors were behind them. Satsuhiro turned when he heard the two girls approaching.

"How are you feeling?" Satsuhiro asked her.

"Almost as strong as when I was in the portal," Ash replied. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes," Satsuhiro nodded and turned back towards the gates.

"What's the plan?"

"We decided on this," Satsuhiro sighed, "there are three checkpoints we will try to hold. This one, the Old Plaza, and the area just outside of the castle's keep, where the civilians are. Of course, the demons will be at their strongest here, so we won't try too hard to defend this spot. However," Satsuhiro said, "once they push us back to the Old Plaza, that's when the fight really begins. We need to try our best not to let them push past that."

"And if they do?" Ash asked.

"Then we evacuate the city," a voice answered behind her. It was Lord Nathan, dressed in pristine armor, walking with his hands behind his back. "You are correct in what you said earlier, upon... further evaluation, we would prefer to live another day. However, we will make the effort to stand against them."

Ash nodded.

I just hope they realize how fucked they are quick, so we can skip to the part where we run the fuck away.

"Wait," Ash realized, "why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the civilians?"

At that, Nathan laughed.

"No, no. A leader needs to be with those they plan to lead. Otherwise, it shows that the leader themselves doesn't believe in the mission. And if that's true, why should the subordinates?" He walked past her then. "They are here because they believe in me and they believe in the strength of humanity. I will honor that belief."

And so, he left them to go speak with General Ioko, who was standing ahead of his men. Ash took a deep breath as Kaori placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll fight together," Kaori said, thunder suddenly cracking above them in a cloudless violet sky, "every step of the way."

Ash looked into her eyes and nodded. Then, she took Kaori by her wrists and pulled her in, their lips meeting as more soldiers passed them by to join the others. Kaori's eyes gleamed as they separated.

Ash didn't say anything. Instead, she turned back towards the gates and kept her eyes on the walls, waiting for the fight to begin. Satsuhiro approached her.

"This might be a good time to test out those spells."

"Right."

Ash looked out onto the group of soldiers. Takomaro was already about to use a spell on them. She joined him. He turned toward her and raised a brow at the hybrid, and then wordlessly looked back at the group ahead.

She remembered the incantation for the Empowered Light spell, which she learned while studying Blessings.

"For Light of grace to reach those in need, Lumina, allow our faith to dictate the power of our words. Let no prayer we utter be left unheard. To this end, show yourself in our actions and let your brilliance be seen."

Upon finishing the incantation, Ash opened her eyes. Ahead of her, she saw something that made her gasp. The spell, which she had aimed at just one-half of the army, ended up affecting everyone. Not just the soldiers, but each one of the Saviors. Every single person near her.

What?

She looked down at her own hands.

How!?

"Well," Satsuhiro walked up to her, somewhat surprised. "That was quite the spectacle."

"What happened?"

"... If I had to guess," he put a hand up to his chin, "I'd say this is the result of two things," as Ash heard him, she noticed that Takomaro was also listening intently, "your Light affinity, and your connection to Magia. I'd say both of these things are boosting your Light magic to this extent."

That's... Ash took a deep breath. Holy shit.

Each of the soldiers looked down at themselves, then, they turned to look at the Saviors behind them. Ash didn't care to see their reactions. Instead, she looked up at her own status.

Level 11

MP: 260/300

---

STR: 50

DEX: 50

CON: 40

INT: 30

WIS: 30

L: 100

---

Alright. She thought. I'm officially as strong as I remember being when I was in the portal. So... They're coming soon, huh?

We are so fucked.

---

Kasumi

The Savior remained crouched, at an alley between two houses, her back pressed against a wall. She was waiting for the fight to start, with no real expectations that they'd win.

As she did, Takomaro walked up to her.

"Hm?" Kasumi hummed, raising a brow. "What do you want?"

"I..." He turned away, to look back at the soldiers. "Upon further analysis, it might be best if you go back with the civilians."

"What?" Kasumi pushed herself to her feet. "Why? Why now?"

Takomaro shook his head.

"I was thinking... I was thinking about Maggie," he admitted. "Satsuhiro and I have always had our disagreements, but he's consistently been right about one thing. The lives of Saviors are valuable, this is a philosophy I believe I could stand to learn from. And... The first step I'm taking in that direction is this," he looked at her with grim eyes. "You will be destroyed if you remain here."

"I could have told you that," Kasumi shrugged. "But, shouldn't I...?"

"No," Takomaro shook his head. Then, he sighed and turned away. "It's for the best if you go back, Savior. Besides, maybe you can help the civilians escape should we fail."

"I..." Kasumi looked down at the floor as even more soldiers marched through the streets. "Fine." And so, she turned away, walking onto the road and only giving Takomaro a single glance. "Good luck."

"Thank you." Takomaro nodded, half-bowing.

With that exchange done, Kasumi began walking towards the keep. It struck her that it felt almost dream-like how empty the streets were. She had never seen Pearl like this before. Throughout her whole life, Pearl had been a buzzing center of social activity. Now, it was just desolate buildings and structures acting as walls to hold back the demons as they tore through everything.

It was surreal.

As she neared the keep, a few knights spotted her and walked up to the Savior.

"Savior, where are you going? The fight is that way," one pointed to where she'd come from.

"I was ordered to see to the citizen's safety," Kasumi sighed. And then, she walked right by them.

However, as she did, she heard them whisper to each other. They weren't succeeding at being subtle.

"She's running away," one said. "I can't fucking believe it."

"Yeah, I knew she would. She's been locked up in that house for years. Why'd she fight for us?"

Kasumi simply shook her head as she kept going.

Yeah, you're right. Why would I?

Upon entering the keep, she found it was hard to take a single step deeper into it. The whole place was packed with muttering, panicked civilians all clumped up together. A knight walked up to her and she explained to him the same thing she told the others.

After that, Kasumi looked around and walked towards the first open spot she saw. She ended up sitting next to a blindfolded girl who had her legs crossed and her head lowered. To Kasumi, it seemed like this person may have been the calmest one here.

Until she looked a little closer and noticed her slightly narrowed brows and her clenched hands. Ah. She understood. It was more so that she was trying to be calm rather than actually being so.

Settled, Kasumi leaned back, her head touching the wall, and she closed her eyes.

---

Ash

There was a silence in the air. The half-demon felt cold.

Every soldier in Pearl was waiting for the moment to come. That moment where the demons would begin to siege the city and they'd all watched their homes burn in front of them. They didn't wait long though, as suddenly, a horn sounded and scouts atop the roofs looked down and said, "they're coming!"

Almost immediately after that, Ash looked up and saw figures moving in circles in the sky. What the...? They looked like black birds at first, but then, a few of them descended onto the city.

As they came into view, Ash's eyes widened. They resembled her.

Lust Demons? Ash wondered as one landed on a soldier and picked him up, flying into the sky with the soldier in its arms.

Ash checked their levels.

Level 5

MP: 10/10

Level 4

MP: 10/10

"Shoot them down!" Nathan ordered. "Mages, attack!"

Ash opened her mouth to tell the others the demons' levels, but then she closed it. What does it matter? Ash thought. They might look level 5, but their stats are way higher than what that indicates.

More came and soon, the space above was filled with arrows, demons and magical projectiles being lobbed back and forth. A few more soldiers were picked off. One mage created a spike of ice that pierced through one of the demon's heads, and they fell to the ground, dead.

"Kaori, our bows!" Ash said and the two Saviors transformed their weapons, taking aim at the incoming demons.

Beside them, Akiven, the Savior with the two blades, was watching the demons as they moved. Then, Akiven quickly burst into a sprint, leaping up into the air and catching one, slicing its neck in a spinning attack in mid-air.

Behind Ash and Kaori, Satsuhiro started to mutter to himself. Then, from his palms, whips made of flames emerged, weapons he used to strike down a couple of the demons who came close.

Their base levels are still low outside of the portal, Ash thought. That means, even if we receive the same boost, they should be weaker than me, right?

As one Lust Demon, a feminine creature that was about 210cm tall with spiraling horns and a heart-shaped symbol on her head, landed in front of Ash, the Savior transformed her weapon into a sword and ran up.

She went for a stab that the creature dodged, and then turned it into a swipe that slashed through the demon's stomach.

"ARRAH!" The demon let out a ghoulish cry and Ash finished it off with an attack that decapitated her, ignoring the EXP message that appeared above her head.

I can handle this. Ash thought. I should be able to. But, she looked back, seeing Kaori tracking demons as they flew above. Can she?

Then, a loud bang sounded off at the gate, and everyone froze.

They all looked ahead, and a scout yelled, "they're trying to break in!"

Bang... Bang... Bang... Rhythmic blows were dealt to the gate. Nathan raised an arm.

"Everyone!" Ash was surprised by how his voice reached almost every soldier there. "Get ready to move back to the Old Plaza!"

Bang... Bang... Bang...

The Lust Demons began to fly away, clearing out as the gate was struck one more time and a small hole was made in it.

"Move!" Nathan called out and the soldiers began running back. Ash and the other Saviors did the same, moving through the streets to the large open space that was the Old Plaza. As Ash remembered what the Lord of Pearl had said, this was the actual fighting ground. The place they needed to defend to prevent the civilians from being endangered.

So, as they all got to the spot, a barricade began to be set up, with carts, wagons, barrels, and anything they could use to hold the demons back momentarily.

Taking this moment to prepare herself as well, Ash used a few spells.

"May our vigor never fade, find our spirits emboldened." And with that incantation, she used Lumina's Spirit to restore the energy of everyone around her. Because of Empowered Light, and her Light affinity, the effect was enhanced to the point where everyone who had fought off the Lust Demons was back to being fresh.

Ash checked her mana.

MP: 245/300

Beside her, Takomaro looked at her with some scrutiny, not that Ash cared at all.

Ahead, the gate burst open.

Everyone stopped.

Okay. Ash thought. Fuck, it's starting.

There were so many that even though Ash wanted to check their levels, they all meshed together in such a way that made it hard for her to do so. Instead, she thought of another spell she'd learned. Sacred Ground.

"Make this field unbearable to those who commit sin freely, let Lumina's judgment purge their consciousness." And suddenly, the stone that made up the street ahead of them, where the demons were coming from, began to glow.

Their animalistic snarls turned to loud groans and bellows as they seemed enraged, charging at them even faster.

MP: 225/300

Ash herself could feel a sort of repulsion coming from the street she'd used her magic on. Does that spell affect me too? Even if I'm the one who cast it? She instinctively took a step back.

And, with roars as the signs of their arrival, the demons were here. They weren't alone though. Above, the Lust Demons had returned as well.

With a battle cry from Nathan, the fight properly began.

The demons clashed with the army and immediately, Ash could tell this was going to be terrible. Heads were being ripped off in front of her, swords were stabbing through demonic bodies, teeth were tearing into necks, she was shocked by how quickly everyone, and everything, started dying.

One thing was for sure though, the demons were winning.

So, before any of them got to her, she breathed in and said:

"This is a place of piety, let our faith be rewarded and our wounds become old memories, soon forgotten!"

Land of Grace, the AOE healing spell, triggered then, and Ash extended her hands, healing as many of the soldiers ahead of her as she could.

MP: 175/300

I'm almost halfway, already? She thought. I need to let it regenerate for a bit.

She saw their wounds closing just as the demons made them. It helped the soldiers push back a little, but they were still being overwhelmed.

That was when the Saviors came in.

Mizaki was the first, lifting her giant hammer and slamming it down on a Gluttony Demon that had approached her, popping it under her weapon like a bug. Akiven ran along the sides of a building to their right, leaping off of it and entering the fray of battle head-on, twirling in place like a whirlwind of swords. Behind everyone, Satsuhiro muttered the same incantation he had when he'd fought with Ash at the ruins, and a dragon made of fire emerged from his hands, rising up and falling on a group of demons ahead.

Ash was actually impressed, her breathing shallow as she watched with some wonder. If every soldier here were a Savior, perhaps they would actually stand a chance. However, they weren't. And so, even with all of that, the demons kept coming.

More soldiers died before Ash could even think of getting another Land of Grace spell off. As the fight drew closer to her, she figured it was time to get more personally involved. So, with her sword, she took a deep breath and looked back at Kaori.

The two locked eyes. Ash nodded and ran forwards. As soon as she got closer, a demon reached for her and nearly slammed her head with a clawed hand, but with this stat increase, Ash was fast enough to dodge the attack and respond with a stab through its chest. Then, she ducked under another swipe and rose up with a spinning slash that let the demon's violet blood splash across the street.

However, as she looked for more targets, she was caught off guard by a kick that knocked her back. She fell down and a demon mounted her. As she looked up at it, scowling, the demon raised a hand.

Only to be impaled by a swordstaff a second later.

Ash pushed it off of her and got up, seeing Kaori behind her. Kaori didn't hesitate to attack more of the enemies as they got closer to Ash. The half-demon shook her head. Focus.

And so, as the humans made their stand against the demonic forces, the battle raged on.

However, behind them, at the castle, something was happening that none of them had anticipated.

---

Kasumi

The crimson-haired Savior kept her eyes closed, waiting for her turn to come.

By that, she meant her turn to face the demons who were clearly fighting their forces already, as everyone in the keep could hear the sounds of clashing swords and screaming men in the distance.

Ahead, she started to hear some sort of a scratching sound. She opened her eyes and tilted her head.

What? Kasumi stood up with a huff, dusting herself off, and moving past the crowd. She walked up the steps of the Keep, moving through a door that led into the main part of the castle. Here, she saw other, far richer, citizens, hiding comfortably. Kasumi walked up to one of the windows.

I swear, it's like...

And then, from her right, she heard something burst open.

From one of the balconies, winged demons emerged, staring straight at them.

"GUARDS!" She called out as the demons flew towards her.

---

Ash

The fighting dragged on endlessly, and at no point did it seem like they could win. Even with Ash's abilities, even with the Saviors' help, it just felt to the half-demon like there was no end to the enemies that came from the gate ahead.

Ash was tackled by one demon and pinned down. She looked up at it and the demon hissed, sharp teeth bared above her.

However, soon, something began to change and Ash couldn't tell if it was good or bad. From her skin, a violet aura started to emerge. Her vision turned reddish and her horns began to grow.

"These fucking..." And, with every second, it got easier for Ash to push the demon off until she was strong enough to lift it and throw it off of her.

When she got back to her feet, she felt her hands changing. Claws emerged from her fingertips, and Ash growled at her target. She ran forwards, reaching it almost in an instant, and ripping its chest with her hands.

Enraged, Ash continued tearing the monster apart until she could barely see it under her. But, her form did not go away, as she turned around and quickly found more demons to fight. So, she sprinted into the heart of the battle.

---

Kaori

This was, by far, the weakest she'd ever felt.

Even more so than when she and the others ran away from Satsuhiro's home, as she had never actually tried to fight during that. Here, as she tried to find targets to engage, every time she walked up to something, she felt like she was coming dangerously close to dying.

As the soldiers were pushed back, further past the Old Plaza, Kaori tried to attack nearby demons. She failed to save one soldier who was running back beside her and was taken down before a demon promptly bit into his neck.

I... What can I even do!?

"COMING THROUGH!" Mizaki yelled, slamming her hammer into a couple of demons as she passed by Kaori. "WOO!"

The thin girl seemed careless as her hammer bounced from one enemy to another. Satsuhiro turned to face the oncoming horde and quickly cast a spell that sprayed flames in their direction.

Kaori was stunned for a moment. Every other Savior, Akiven, Takomaro, Mizaki, Satsuhiro, even Ash, were all contributing so much more to the fight than she was.

"Keep moving, blondie!" Mizaki told her.

"R-Right!"

The humans fled deeper into the city, eventually reaching the vast space outside of the keep. Here, Nathan turned towards the soldiers and cried:

"FIGHT!"

And the warriors of Pearl's last stand began.

---

Kasumi

As the guards realized what was happening, they moved towards Kasumi's location and began to fight the demons that had appeared. The nobles around her screamed, running back to where the rest of the civilians were.

As they fought, two of those citizens moved to where Kasumi was.

One was the blindfolded girl, the other was a large woman with more muscle on her than most men Kasumi had seen, dragging the other girl with her.

"What's going on!?" The large woman asked.

"Demons. Stay back!" Kasumi said.

"No chance of that, look, they're already outnumbered!" The woman pointed ahead and Kasumi followed her gesture to where the guards were being overwhelmed.

Kasumi then decided to check her stats to see if she could be of some aid.

Level 15

Huh? Kasumi blinked.

"Alright, fine. But..."

The woman charged forwards before Kasumi could finish, running up to a demon and landing a punch so heavy, it launched the demon in the opposite direction. Kasumi nodded to herself.

I have to help too.

As she was about to go forwards though, she stopped and looked back, to where the blindfolded girl had sat down on the ground. She had her legs crossed and looked like she was trying to meditate then and there. What is she doing!?

Shaking her head, Kasumi ignored her, running up to help.

---

Kaori

The Savior tried her hardest to keep up, but there was only so much she could do. A demon ran up to her and Kaori tried to plant her swordstaff in its body, but it danced out of the way and reached forwards with a claw, slashing her abdomen. The attack cut right through her armor but thankfully didn't leave anything bigger than a scratch on Kaori's torso. She stepped back and suddenly, a knight stabbed a sword through its neck.

The battle around her had turned into a frenzy. Guards were dying in high numbers, demons were being swept away by the stronger humans as now that there was more distance between them and the portal, the fight had become slightly more even. Of course, levels were important, but a weapon was a weapon and if one found itself embedded in a demon's neck, that demon was going to die.

Still, the demons were still winning.

What do we do? Should we just run? Kaori thought.

At that moment, the ground shook slightly. It was the smallest of tremors, but enough for Kaori to notice. She stopped, narrowing her brows as she tried to see why that was. Once more, then a second time, and finally, a third time it shook and Kaori saw what was coming.

"Oh, no."

Nightmares. Multiple Nightmares were walking casually towards them. She should have seen it coming, really, but she had been so focused on the other demons that she'd forgotten about this particular threat. The other Saviors quickly noticed them and so, the older ones walked out.

Mizaki and Akiven stepped out from the fight to face them.

There were 5 Nightmares in total. One had two heads and was carrying two swords, another was a woman-like figure with no eyes, holding a barbed whip. One had wings and was flying just a few feet above the ground, one was a large beast with the head of a wolf. Finally, the one at the front was the same one Kaori and Ash had seen when they were escaping the attack of Satsuhiro's house.

Kaori looked around, trying to find Ash, who she spotted in the middle of the fight, crushing the enemies she encountered. However, even she was starting to look a little tired.

That was until Ash walked away from the fight temporarily and looked upon everyone. Then, Kaori watched as she cast two spells onto the group of soldiers. One that saw everyone's energy restored, and another that closed every wound they had.

"Ash!" Kaori called out. The half-demon, in her full demon form, looked back at her with feral eyes. It seemed like she was just barely keeping herself restrained. So, wordlessly, Kaori pointed ahead at the Nightmares and Ash took the hint, running straight at them.

Satsuhiro joined her, and soon each of the Saviors had turned their attention to the incoming threats. Mizaki engaged the beast-like Nightmare, finding that it was strong enough to stop her hammer mid-swing. Akiven charged towards the woman with the whip, who stopped his run short with a crack of her weapon aimed at the ground in front of him. Satsuhiro began to prepare a spell, but couldn't execute it.

"I'm almost out of mana," Satsuhiro muttered just loudly enough for her to hear.

Kaori felt herself losing hope. Then, she saw Ash engage the same demon that had attacked them before.

And, it seemed they were on even footing. Ash dodged a few swings from a massive sword but failed to land any claw swipes as the demon stepped back, out of the way. Ash is... Kaori slowly realized. Her Demon Form is getting to her. Her attacks were becoming less accurate. The longer she fought, the less she seemed to think strategically, until something was about to occur that made Kaori's heart stop.

"WATCH OUT!" Kaori cried out as the demon raised a sword and Ash froze. It swung the blade down at her, and Ash raised her left hand as if she could stop it.

And, instinctively, Kaori extended her own arm towards Ash and cast one of the spells Lumina had given to her.

Living Sacrifice.

The slash swept right through Ash, harmlessly.

The half-demon looked down at herself, confused. Kaori stood there for a moment, her left arm extended towards Ash.

Then, from her elbow down to her fingers, her left arm simply slipped off.

Kaori fell to her knees as the pain of the blow started to sink in.

Ash looked back at her and Kaori saw her eyes widen before she passed out from the shock.

---

Ash

What...? Ash didn't understand. What did I just...?

The attack that was supposed to hurt her had instead been redirected to Kaori, as evidenced by her left arm lying on the street. Kaori followed it then, flopping down as she fainted.

And that was where Ash broke.

A spark of black thunder emerged from her body as she turned back towards the Nightmare in front of her and tackled it. The Nightmare attempted to swing its sword at her, but Ash was too quick. She raised a hand and brought it down on the Nightmare's face, slamming straight through it and hitting the stone of the road behind it.

She heard a whip crack and looked to her right. The demon Akiven had been fighting had tied up one of his legs with her barbed whip. Ash aimed a hand at it and said:

"Corruption spread, corruption launch!" A black sphere then propelled itself from her and struck the demon's chest.

Ash reached her just a split second after that. She formed a cone shape with her claws and stuck them into the Nightmare's gut, her hand emerging on the other side.

"Agh!" Ash heard a scream behind her and turned, seeing Mizaki being flung back by the swing of a Nightmare's sword, blood tracing the path she took in the air.

That moment allowed Ash to calm down slightly, looking back at the soldiers.

We're losing. She thought. Holding back her fury, she ran up to Nathan. The Lord briefly confused her for a regular demon before recognizing her as she panted in front of him.

"I think it's about time we fucking leave!" Ash yelled.

"Y-You're right, you're right! RETREAT!" Nathan cried out. "RETREAT!"

As the soldiers heard him, one by one, they pulled back, running towards the keep.

Then, Ash remembered what had happened to Kaori and frantically, she looked for her friend. She found Kaori lying in a small pool of blood.

"No, no, no, no," casually tossing an approaching demon aside, she knelt beside Kaori and cast the basic healing spell on her hand, watching the wound close quickly thanks to her Moonlight Demon trait's further enhancement of her magic.

Kaori's eyes slowly opened.

"D-Did we win?"

"Hell no," Ash told her, "get up, run to the keep!"

That seemed to wake Kaori up as the Savior shook her head and stood up. She looked down at the stump that had once held her left hand and then looked back at the demons coming from the southern gate.

"W-What about you?"

"Don't worry, I'll be there in a bit," Ash said. "I'll hold them back, just go!"

Ash was about to turn away, but Kaori grabbed her wrist. Then, she pulled Ash in for a brief kiss.

"Don't stay out here too long," Kaori told her.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go!"

Kaori nodded and then she started to run back with the others. Ash spotted Mizaki and tried to heal her in the same way, but found that the Savior had been Cursed.

"Fuck," Ash muttered. "Akiven!"

She yelled at the white-haired Savior nearby.

"Carry her back! Have a priest remove her Curse!"

"She's..." Akiven couldn't believe it. He shook his head and then nodded. "Right."

Carrying her, he ran back as Ash watched.

She looked around and saw demons chasing them, but she couldn't concern herself with those enemies. She had far bigger threats to deal with.

"I'll go with them," Satsuhiro said, "as soon as you find an opening, move."

"Yeah." Ash nodded to her and he left as well.

The only ones remaining were her and Takomaro, watching as the remaining three Nightmares began to walk towards them.

"And you?" Ash asked. He shook his head.

"I will remain here to support you, half-demon." He said, and Ash was shocked. "If those Nightmares reach the keep, they're done. We can't let them pass."

Understanding that, Ash looked back at the incoming enemies.

"Let's give it a fucking shot then."

---

Keiko

With the intruding demons fighting guards ahead, Keiko realized that it was now or never as far as her Spirit Eye was concerned. Metsumi needed her help, the citizens of Pearl needed her help and she was just a simple step away from being able to assist them.

And yet, her Spirit Eye simply would not activate.

"Iridos!" She yelled out, activating the spell that was supposed to unlock the ability, but it did not work. Lightning came from her heart and ran up to her eyes, hurting her.

AH! Why won't this...?

"What are you doing?" A voice asked her. It belonged to an older woman.

"I-I'm... I'm just trying to... It's hard to explain. Iridos!" She tried again and her eyes were burned a second time. "AGH!"

Then, she found a hand pressed to her shoulder.

"Uh, is there anything you need?"

"Heh, unless you can take me to someplace calmer, then no."

"What the hell does that mean?" The woman asked.

"I... Fine." She struggled to find her bearings, what with the people fighting to the death just a bit of distance in front of her. Still, she tried to tell this woman, if anything just so she'd let her concentrate. "I'm trying to use a meditation-based spell. But... I can't focus."

"... Would an illusion work?" The woman asked.

"An illusion? I-I don't know."

What a strange question.

The sounds of battle got louder and Keiko shook her head.

"IRIDOS!" A third time, she tried to get the spell to work but only succeeded in hurting herself again.

"Alright, how's this then. How did it go again? Uh, show this entity the realm of my creation, let my imagination become reality for just a glimpse of eternity."

"What are you...?"

But, when everything started to change around her, Keiko stopped.

Suddenly, she could smell flowers, dirt, and grass. Instead of sitting on the stone, she was sitting in a forest. She couldn't see it, but she knew she was here. What did she...? Birds were chirping around her, she could feel the sun on her skin. Her breathing slowed until she was feeling far more relaxed.

I see... An illusion. Keiko understood. It's the best chance I'll get. But, it's not enough to be here. I need to be focused.

She remembered the words of her teachers.

"Awareness. Know what's around you," she muttered.

And so, she started to paint a picture. She imagined herself sitting on a small grassy hill, overlooking a city. It was easier to believe she was here too since she could actually smell and feel where she was. It wasn't enough. It was missing something.

So, she added two final elements to it.

A pair of hands landed on her thighs and then, Keiko was hearing familiar voices in her ears.

"Keiko, are you alright?"

Kaori? She thought. Y-Yeah, I'm...

"Didn't tell us you were coming here," she heard Ash whisper in her right ear, "You tired of us or some shit?"

No, no... I just...

"It's okay, just breathe." She heard Kaori tell her and Keiko nodded. "We'll be right here with you. Just let us know when you want to go."

"O-Okay..." Keiko replied.

And so, focusing on the feeling of those familiar hands on her body, being close to the ones she had grown to like so much, she took one last deep breath.

"Iridos."

Lightning reached her eyes, but this time, it didn't hurt. The feeling was nothing short of incredible. She felt power surging into them, her back arching as she found her breath being stolen. Did... Did I...? Tearing her blindfold off, Keiko opened her eyes.

And, for the first time in her life, she could see.

Spell Gained: Spirit Eye

Passive Effect: Gain eyesight

Active Effect: See 2 seconds into the future, or see through the eyes of a chosen target.

Tears came out and slid down Keiko's cheeks.

"I... I did it..." She muttered. "I can see!"

"Y-Yeah, happy for you, but uh, help!" She looked to her left and saw a crimson-haired woman staring ahead. Then, she saw what her enemies looked like. Animalistic fangs and claws, white hair, horns, violet eyes. Keiko breathed in. Then, she took out her katana and aimed it at them.

And Keiko ran forwards, with her targets in sight.

"Iridos." This time, instead of trying to unlock her Spirit Eye she used it to activate its effects.

She saw a demon looking at her and trying to swing at her with an arm. Then, she came back to the present moment. The demon looked at her and as it raised an arm, Keiko slashed through it.

She repeated the process. Two seconds into the future, another demon, who had just finished killing someone, looked back at her and growled. In the present, Keiko stabbed through its head as it was about to do so.

I'm actually doing something... Keiko thought. I can help!

"We need to evacuate!"

A voice yelled out from behind. Keiko turned towards it. Then, she looked back at the demons ahead.

"We need to clear a path!" She yelled, letting the warriors around her know.

And so, the escape began.

---

Ash

The half-demon breathed in. Her body and armor were scratched to oblivion, but she was still standing.

One thing was certain though, she wasn't going to kill these Nightmares any time soon. Even in her Demon Form, even with her enhancements, she simply wasn't strong enough to take down all three at once. As there was a brief pause in the fight, Takomaro held her wrist.

"We need to go, we've stalled for long enough."

Her rage subsiding, Ash found her Demon Form slipping.

"Yeah, yeah... Let's..."

But before they could leave, the Nightmares began to run after them. Ash turned around and sprinted away, but Takomaro was far slower. She was just about to enter the keep when she heard a scream come from behind her.

Turning around, her eyes widened.

"Oh, fuck."

Takomaro had been taken by one of the Nightmares, but he wasn't being killed.

No, instead, the Nightmare that grabbed him placed a hand on his head and violet lightning spread throughout his body. Ash, who had been in that very position before, understood what was happening.

"You're joking..."

In front of her eyes, Takomaro began being changed into a demon. His limbs elongated, his hair turned a brighter shade of white, his muscles grew so much they broke through his clothes. Black wings sprouted from his back and then, he was let go.

It was then that Ash realized, he hadn't just changed into a demon, he'd been turned into a Nightmare.

With that visual and the knowledge of the vision she'd seen back at the ruins when she and Kaori had encountered the Nightmare there, she came to a realization.

"The Nightmares... They were Saviors?"

The demonic version of Takomaro looked up at her with violet eyes and raised a hand. Then, black lightning launched out, almost striking her body, but narrowly missing her.

And Ash got the hell out of there.

---

When she reached the keep, she found the demons had burst in already. She went in too and saw that some civilians had been killed. Ash didn't pay much attention to that. Kaori, Keiko, Satsu, Metsumi, Opah? She searched for the people she knew and found that ahead, the humans were trying to exit through the other side.

Moving through them, she killed any demons in her way that weren't paying attention to her. Eventually, she got to the group of survivors and found that knights were telling them to run through halls that led elsewhere.

Eventually, she caught up to her friends. They were already outside.

Behind her, she saw the flames that covered the city rising. She ignored it. In a field of grass, Kaori was being carried by Metsumi, Mizaki's curse having been presumably removed, she was being tended to by what few healers were around, and Satsuhiro was speaking to Akiven and Kasumi.

Ash joined them, earning a glare from Kasumi.

"Uhm, Ash?" Satsuhiro said. "Where's...?"

Ash shook her head.

"Ah. Well, shit." Satsuhiro's head lowered.

Nathan walked up to them.

"We'll need to be leaving now, the demons might not stop at the city."

"Yes, sir." Satsuhiro nodded.

The civilians were rounded up. They were gathered and led away from the burning city. As Ash stood for a bit, a hand reached for her left. Ash turned and found Kaori there.

"At least we made it out," Kaori said, though Ash could see tear marks on her face.

"Yeah."

"I... I wish I would have gotten this sooner," Keiko said and Ash raised a brow. "Maybe I could have helped more."

Ash turned around and saw Keiko standing there, without her blindfold.

"What...?" Ash walked up to her. She put her hands, bloody and all, on Keiko's cheeks and the Zayama smiled up at her.

"... Yeah." Keiko chuckled. "Not the best day we've had, but this..."

Ash tuned her words out. Her eyes looked like crystal clear roses, shining in the darkness. She couldn't help but hug her.

"... If it's worth anything," Ash said with a smirk, "you're even hotter without that blindfold."

"Heh, small victories, I guess."

Though the overall feeling was sad, the three of them shared a brief moment of celebration before they walked away.

Away from the city of Pearl, one of the brightest pieces of the Jewel Empire, lost to the demons.