World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 53: Time to End Things

Chapter 53: Time to End Things

Serian was still on the ground, her mind trying to catch up with everything that was happening. ’What is this? A spell? Who is speaking in my mind?’

Leila grunted and pushed her katana against the shield again. The metal groaned, but the shield didn’t even flicker.

"What is this thing?" she snarled, stepping back. "Rura, can you get through it?"

Rura had turned back into a pink mist and she floated towards the shield. She tried to pass through it, but the mist just flattened against the surface, unable to penetrate it. She solidified again, poking the shield with her finger.

"Nope. It’s all solid. And it feels... warm."

[You can call me Auraelia,] the voice continued in her head, its tone unhurried and full of a power she had never encountered before. [And yes, you are in a predicament, so I am here to offer you an accord.]

’An accord?’ She thought. She watched Leila circle her, looking for a way around the shield. ’What kind of being has this much power? To stop her blade so easily?’

[I will help you escape this situation. In return, I want you to do something for me. I want you to stay by Nox’s side. To be his ally.]

Her breath caught. ’Nox? How do you know his name?’

[That boy has never had anyone who truly cared for him,] the voice said, and a wave of profound sadness seemed to flow with the words. [His life has been one of isolation and cruelty. The walls he has built around his heart are a fortress born from pain. Even that dark power he wields, it is a weapon forged from his own despair.]

Leila gave up trying to get around the shield and just stood there, watching her with frustrated eyes. "Are you going to hide behind your magic trick all day, princess?"

Serian barely heard her. The voice’s words were painting a picture of Nox she hadn’t seen, a story that explained the coldness in his eyes. ’She speaks as if she has watched his entire life,’ she realized. ’This power, this knowledge... this is no mere sorcerer. This is something... divine.’

[He needs a friend, Serian of Lifewoods,] Her voice was softer now, almost pleading. [He needs someone who won’t abandon him. Someone who will see the person he could be, not just the monster he fears he is. I cannot force this upon you, it is not a command. It is a request. From one who is worried. Can you be that person for him? Can you help him find something to believe in, beyond just his own strength?]

Serian looked down at her hands. Her ankle throbbed with a dull pain. She thought of Nox in the arcade, a real smile on his face. She thought of him giving her the bed in that hotel room, a simple kindness he probably didn’t even realize he’d shown. He was difficult and cold, but she had seen flashes of something else underneath. He was just a boy, a human boy who had been hurt by the world.

’Yes,’ she thought back, her resolve hardening into a silent promise. ’I will do it. I will stay with him.’

A feeling of immense warmth spread through her, starting from her chest. The voice in her head returned, full of a powerful, genuine relief.

[Thank you, child. Then let us uphold my end of our agreement.]

The golden shield in front of her suddenly flared with a bright, blinding light. Leila and Rura cried out, throwing their hands up to cover their eyes. The light was so intense it washed out all the color from the alley, turning everything white.

When the light faded a moment later, Serian was floating inches above the ground before gently falling back to the ground.

Leila blinked a few times to clear her vision. She saw the princess still standing there, but something was different about her now. Her hair wasn’t its normal color anymore, it was a deep, dark green. And her eyes, they had changed too, they looked weird with these little black squares in them.

She was holding a new sword and it looked like the handle was made out of wood.

The ground under her feet was cracking, like it couldn’t handle her just standing there.

Rura wasn’t giggling anymore. She was shaking, her whole body trembling as she pointed a finger at Serian. "Leila, I don’t like this," she whimpered, her voice small and scared. "She feels... dangerous."

Leila knew what she meant. The air around the princess felt heavy, and the look on her face was super calm, but not in a good way. It was the calm of someone looking at ants they were about to step on.

’We are so fucked,’ Leila thought, her own hand tightening on her katana.

Serian took a single step forward, and the ground cracked even more under her boot. "You were saying something?" she asked, her voice calm and even. It wasn’t loud, but it seemed to fill the entire alley. "About how this was over."

Leila swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. "Now, hold on," she started, trying to sound tough but her voice wavered. "We can talk about this, right? No need to do anything crazy."

Rura just hid behind her, peeking around her shoulder.

Serian tilted her head just a little. "I am not the one who needs to be concerned about ’crazy’ actions." Her new sword lifted, its wooden handle looking plain, but the blade itself seemed to hum with a strange energy.

Leila didn’t wait for her to attack, she just reacted. "Rura, now!" she yelled, and lunged forward, her katana aimed right for Serian’s chest.

At the same time, Rura dissolved into her pink mist and shot around to attack from behind.

Serian didn’t even seem to track them with her eyes. She brought her new sword down in a clean arc. There was a creepy silence in the alley for a second. Then Leila’s top half just slid off the bottom half with a wet sound.

Rura stared, her mouth hanging open. The bored look on her face was gone, replaced by total shock. "Leila?" she whispered, her voice shaking.

Serian was not there anymore. She had moved without a sound. She was now standing right behind Rura.

Rura turned around slowly, her eyes wide with fear. "You... what are you?" she stammered, taking a step back.

"The end of your mission," she said, her voice was completely flat. She swung her sword again, another simple, clean motion.

Rura didn’t even have time to turn to mist. She just stood there as the blade passed through her. For a moment, nothing happened, and then a thin red line appeared across her middle. She looked down at it, a confused expression on her face. Then, just like Leila, she fell apart.

The alley went completely quiet then. There was no traffic noise, no birds, nothing.

The power that had filled her suddenly left. A wave of dizziness hit her so hard she had to lean against the brick wall to stay on her feet. The dark green color faded from her hair, returning to its normal shade. Her eyes went back to normal too. The wooden sword in her hand dissolved into little golden specks of light that vanished before they hit the ground.

She slid down the wall, her legs giving out. She landed hard on the dirty ground, right next to Leila’s body.

She had won.