The only option left was to fight. Astrid's hand still glowed, even while her arm shot back. Her fist flew; slamming the center of the monster's face, sending him back a few paces. He bellowed at the exchange. The volume caused the whole house to shake, causing Reimi and Astrid to curl for a brief moment. The monster's arms extended, getting ready to slam the two together at the door.

His hands alone were massive — they could crush them without a doubt. Astrid pushed Reimi forward and dove to the floor. The shockwave from the monster's hands shattered the wood near the front of the house. Splinters flew everywhere; cutting them both in the process. Astrid's brows started to furrow, and her bracelet started glowing intensely in response. This time the light fully engulfed the room — flashing for merely a second. When it faded, Astrid stood tall in front of Reimi, forcing the monster's attention onto her. A golden axe laid in her grip, formed from the essence of her bracelet.

The light stuck itself onto Reimi's pupils, enveloping her skin, shaving away the bits of panic that inflicted her. Monsters like this weren't scary though, not in the slightest. Why are people scared of them? The worst they could do is kill you. All the panic had come from the possibility of Astrid being hurt. An odd prospect, considering they hardly knew each other — but regardless, Reimi didn't like the thought of her being in pain.

Astrid didn't seem scared at first glance though. Her feet were firmly planted on the ground, with relaxed shoulders and a broad stance. She was ready to swing her axe, but also ready to dodge if needed.

There was a thickness to the air. Palpable. The monster slowly started to back away, opening his arms wide to engulf the entire room with a swift clap. Astrid's eyes darted around the monster's body — quickly glancing to find a weak spot. His neck was far too close to the floor, with his lanky limbs being stretched far too thin across the room. Reimi continued to stare at Astrid, keeping track of her every step. Her every breath. It was mesmerizing to her, how a human could be this in tune with a fight.

The monster snarled, exposing his many rough and jagged teeth. Black spots and holes covered the lot of them. His eyes circled around the room sporadically. The space between him and Astrid was closing — long arms no longer gave him the advantage. He flicked his head to the right; and grabbed Reimi with haste. The wind blasted against her face, being pulled at a speed she didn't know possible.

Reimi's eyes still stuck to Astrid. Death wasn't a thing to be scared of. Living was far more painful after all, at least for her.

"Shit, Reimi-" Astrid shouted.

The monster laughed, inching Reimi closer and closer to his mouth. Putrid smells spilt from the open jaws, practically suffocating her skin. Astrid darted forward, sliding her right hand up the handle of her axe. The balance between her speed and weight shifted, allowing for a more aggressive approach. The monster backed up even further, practically touching the back wall. His giant hand slammed in front of Astrid, with Reimi still in its fingers. A dry cough escaped from her lips — and they only continued to pour out.

Astrid continued to move around the room, jumping forward and backward whenever the monster made an attempt to devour Reimi. Oxygen was starting to get sparse; Reimi could feel her bones starting to snap. Time was growing thin.

The only blind spot remained behind the monster's right hand. Astrid continued to dart in sight and out of sight, attempting to sign something to Reimi. Her fingers were all straight and together — motioning straight down from above her eyebrows to below her nose. Reimi continued to watch the motion while attempting to breathe. There wasn't a lot else it could mean. It had to be... close your eyes. Next time she does it, eyes will be closed.

The monster attempted to swing his left arm, but the distance was too close for it to connect. Astrid swept behind his right hand again, repeating the same motion to Reimi. Their eyes connected for a moment... before Reimi's eyelids shut. The corners of Astrid's lips started to curve — as an orb of light channeled into her palm. Sparks enveloped the orb, with crackles entering both Reimi's and the monster's ears.

It fell onto the wooden floor. A splash of light flashed against the whole room, blinding the monster. He took his left hand to cover his eyes quickly; Reimi still couldn't escape. His neck still remained close to the floor, but now, he had no way to stop an attack.

Astrid leapt forward, bringing her axe above her head. The monster cried in a fit of desperation, opening his mouth and spitting a vile spray of stomach acid. Bits of flesh were layered all over it. Astrid shifted her arm; the axe with it, tucking her head down and spinning right under the monster's vomit. Her feet glid across the floor — the golden axe created a dancing light within the darkness. The blade tore through the monster's neck; spattering red all over the living room.

Blood trickled down the wavy black strands of Reimi's hair, slightly staining the sides of her face. The monster's fingers still gripped tightly onto her body.

Astrid exhaled, no longer holding an axe; but sliding her golden bracelet back onto her arm. "Even in death, he doesn't wanna let you go huh?" She pulled each finger away one by one. Reimi's body felt like a feather. Many of her bones were slightly chipped — and her chest felt tight. At least her skin wasn't melting. Reimi attempted to stand after being set free, but her legs wouldn't carry her. She slipped over crimson red that hadn't yet dried.

Astrid opened her arms and caught a falling Reimi. "Easy there..."

Her eyes were a bit dim, with most of her face being blocked in by shadows. The light started to come through the windows again — illuminating Astrid's back. It was hard for Reimi to make out her expression, only bits of light highlighted her features after all.

Astrid stood up, carrying Reimi with both arms. She let out a deep sigh. "I'm really sorry, I.. I should've killed it faster. A monster that weak really shouldn't have been any trouble, I'm sorry Reimi. I can heal you, don't worry, let's just step outside first."

Her voice shook a bit, clearly an attempt to hold her composure. Reimi tilted her head to the side, practically scanning every inch of Astrid's face as they stepped out into the city. Between the doorway and the direct sunlight, everything had shifted. She was expressionless. Her brows remained straight — with lips in a slight frown. There wasn't any light in her eyes either. Just... a blank face.

The contrast was a bit jarring, almost concerning if anything. She was calm, then emotional, now — whatever this is. Screams and sirens still blared throughout the city, slithering between any gaps building to building. Panic ceased to build in Reimi though. Astrid remained the only thing with all her attention. What was she thinking? How is she feeling, why does it feel sad? The urge to speak pressed behind her lips, but the words quickly swallowed themselves.

Astrid sat on the stairs to the house, gently laying Reimi's head on her lap — with the rest of her body laying against the wood. "Alright, just keep still. This might take a bit," Astrid said.

Her hands faintly glowed with an intense warmth. The feeling was similar to when they held hands earlier. All the pain slowly started to fade away, becoming a backdrop in Reimi's already busy head. There was a slight difference though, from now and then. Astrid's hands started to shake; sweat started beading up on her forehead. It slid down her temple, to her cheek, rolling off her chin — landing right below Reimi's right eye.

Maybe it was all the noise, perhaps it was fighting the monster by herself; if anything it was probably both. Reimi gently grabbed Astrid's wrists and pushed them away, shaking her head. Her eyebrows curved upwards, with a slightly deeper frown.

"Hmm...? What's wrong Reimi? Does it feel uncomfortable? I can-"

Reimi shook her head, letting go of Astrid's wrists. She wasn't sure how to ask what she wanted to without speaking — but she couldn't speak, it hurt too much. Reimi pointed to Astrid's forehead, gently poking it.

"My head?" Astrid whispered.

Her finger slowly drifted down between Astrid's brows, sliding off the bridge of her nose. Reimi smiled softly, pointing now to her ear.

Astrid's lips followed in a playful smile. "So, my head and your ear? Hmmm..."

"I've gotcha, you want to hear uhm... what's on my mind? Right?"

Reimi nodded excitingly, with a slight sparkle in her eyes.

"We're really good at this whole communicating thing huh? Go us" Astrid giggled. "But you don't need to worry Reimi, I'm alright."

"Just this whole situation is a bit stressful... and brings back some unpleasant memories. I'll be okay."

Are you sure? I'm here, you can talk to me. The words floated around in Reimi's mind, begging to be let out. Her palms felt sticky and her chest felt so tight; the desire to speak was becoming unbearable. When was the last time she heard her own voice... the last time, felt disgusting.

"Reimi? Are you okay? Your breathing is getting a bit crazy-"

A crash boomed from their immediate right. The sounds of glass shattering filled the air; being amplified by the screams of hundreds of people. The ground was practically shaking. Reimi fell off Astrid's lap; landing face-first into dead grass.

"Reimi?"

"What the hell was that" Astrid yelled.

Reimi picked herself up, feeling a bit better thanks to Astrid's healing magic. Her legs still wobbled but moving was now a feasible task. Astrid shot up from the stairs, grabbing Reimi's hand and walking to the nearest corridor — to see what had caused this quake. The destruction was much worse than they could've imagined. Buildings were leveled to the ground, leaving rubble and debris everywhere. Pools of blood stained the earth, leaking from the bodies that littered the street. A huge wall of dust stayed compact in the middle of the chaos, slowly dispersing into the sky. People were running out of it; intensely clawing into each other to move ahead.

The panic felt palpable; though there was something else... hidden away in that cloud of dirt. Its silhouette was hardly visible but the size of that beast was impossible to ignore. Large but seemingly intricate scales adorned the creature, with sharp bones protruding from random joints. They resembled large blades. A large tail swooped from behind it, creating a strong gale.

There was a faint purple glow near the very top. A slight gap split the glow into two separate lights as if the beast's eyes were creating it.

"Stay put you oversized lizard, stay. PUT." a voice shouted within the dust, with an alarming amount of rhythm sprinkled throughout the words.

A pink light danced near the ground. Springing up and diving down, shifting to the left and sliding to the right. The movements all seemed so erratic, yet beyond graceful. Though in just a second everything seemed to stop. Whatever presence the beast was emitting seemed to stop, and both the pink and purple glow grew dark.

"S-shit, my body feels so heavy-" Astrid said, crashing to the ground.

Reimi's eyes widened and her brows started to curve. She fell to the ground to try and lift Astrid back up, but it was impossible. It was as if there was an invisible mountain, sitting comfortably on her back. She wasn't budging even a centimeter. The dust blasted away a few seconds later, dissipating the center and making everything visible again. Reimi quickly turned away, while Astrid shut her eyes and mouth as tight as she could.

As the two of them adjusted themselves, two more people stood where the dust originally was. There was an intense pressure coming from the man on the right. His long black hair draped messily over his shoulders, contrasting with his clear ivory skin. He held a piercing gaze on the woman in front of him, with glowing amethyst eyes. His features were sharp and defined, giving a refined look to someone who felt so chaotic. The aura coming from him didn't feel human; it felt as if a monster borrowed its way into human skin. Menacing, with a clear goal of dominance over anything else.

By contrast, the woman opposing him gave off a very charming and flowery aura. Comforting, filled with the desire to make people feel at home. Her pink hair flowed in the wind, with ocean green eyes fixated on the man in front of her. It almost didn't feel right; to see such clear rage coming from eyes so pure. Her fair skin shined with the sunlight; being amplified by all the sweat.

Even she was on the verge of slamming face-first into the earth, like Astrid. The woman's back started to slouch over, and her knees were starting to cave in. The man's aura held an unbelievable amount of pressure. To be able to amplify gravity this much, without even using magic, didn't even seem possible to Reimi. Though it was strange. The aura was impossible to ignore, feeling it was inevitable; and its effects were also clear as day. However, Reimi was able to move freely. The voices in her head started to whisper — begging her to get closer to that man.

He looked over at Reimi, with a slight gleam of interest moving between his eyes. It didn't last long before he turned away and started walking into the distance. A smile broke on Reimi's face.

Clearly, he was evil, for all this death and destruction. For hurting Astrid and that woman too. Though the feeling of happiness was starting to grow. He felt so familiar. Reimi knew they hadn't ever met before, but his presence created so many questions. He was a monster but transformed into a human, and both felt equally real. That shouldn't be possible. Yet, it happened — and Reimi felt a gnawing relation to that fact. She was extremely curious about his existence

And needed to know more.

"Dammit, he escaped... I was hoping to hold him here until the royal guard came" the woman mumbled.

She straightened her posture, seemingly unaffected now by the man's aura. He was long gone now, with not even a trace of magic left to track him. Astrid also pushed herself up, being assisted by Reimi.

The woman turned over to face the two of them and immediately ran closer. "Oh my god are you guys alright? Hurt anywhere? I know this super sweet healer nearby I can take you there-"

"We're alright don't worry, we should be asking if you're okay miss...?" Astrid said.

"Ah gosh so rude of me, sorry! My name's Johana, Hana for short, pleasure to make your acquaintance. You guys are extremely pretty by the way like wow-"

Astrid coughed and started to smile. "I'm gonna assume you're fine then Hana, you look great yourself."

Hana took in a deep breath and exhaled, extending both her hands out. "Too kind, and yes I'm all good thank you."

Astrid grabbed her hand confidently and shook. "I'm Astrid, nice to meet you."

Reimi was a bit hesitant, not to any fault of Hana's though; she seemed lovely. Meeting new people was always just really frightening. There was no way to predict how they'd act once they felt her aura. Sometimes they might not be good at that aspect of magic, so they couldn't feel it from a distance. With a handshake though, it would be impossible to ignore.

She stared at Hana's hand, it looked so soft, but the tips of her fingers seemed a bit rough and calloused.

"Not a fan of handshakes huh? That's completely okay, it's still nice to meet you uhm"

"Reimi, her name is Reimi" Astrid said.

Hana smiled. "I love that name, can't say I've heard it before."

A wave of relief washed over Reimi, smiling at the compliment but also at the fact she could avoid the handshake. However, something was picking her brain a bit. Astrid felt quite cold, at least now talking to Hana. Granted, this was their first time meeting but still. Astrid's usual warmth was absent at the moment, and that was a bit saddening.

"Soo... Reimi, Astrid, what do ya say we get somewhere safe for the time being?"

Astrid walked out of the corridor, gently holding Reimi's wrist. "I know a place close by."

Hana followed close. "Oh uhm, okay, lead the way ma'am."

The farther they walked along the pathway, the fewer bodies covered the ground. Blood was still spray-painted against the buildings though. It all should've created a dreadful feeling, but Reimi couldn't stop smiling. The prospect of having two friends was... a dream come true.

So it was impossible not to curve her lips, even with devastation on all sides.