The words stumbled in Ayumi's mouth. How could she possibly explain the crown? If it was discovered under the three "friends" usual situation, Yuki will be thrilled to have come across a suspicious fairy - like item while Chisato would keep teasing the two girls and ask which of them was ready to get married. But those easy - going mild moments were far and distant from these strained current ones. The room suddenly got darker, shadows grew over the classroom hovering like the girl's spoken and hidden thoughts. And at that moment, Ayumi realized all of this though not under Laila's direct control, it was feeding her power and strength, and worry seized her heart about Reiha and Chiyasu, of the latter had arrived. As for the monarchy item, she had no time to explain, as it did not matter in the first place, she will reprimand herself later, but now was not the time so she calmly asked Chisato:
"I will apologize again and again for this, but you have to give me the crown!"
"I don't think I will."
Chisato's tone of voice changed, it grew darker and deeper. She held to the crown as if her life depended on it, and sneering in Ayumi's face, she was ready to break it in half.
"No, don't!"
Ayumi squealed in fear, but this only encouraged Chisato to go on with breaking it. All this disgusting nerve ending game that Laila had created was for this sole moment. Ayumi did not believe Chisato was capable of destroying such a powerful, nearly holy item, but at this particular instant she was powered by Laila's darkness and the crown began to crack in half between her fingers. Ayumi had no time to lose. She grasped another bag hitting Chisato in the face, earning another yell of shock from Yuki who rushed to the beaten girl's side while Ayumi pried the crown out of the latter's hands reassuring her:
"I will apologize for this as well, as much as you both need, but first I got to end this evil game!"
Leaving Yuki kneeling by Chisato's swollen face, the girl ran out of the room; shadows chasing her and trying to pry the crown out of her hands but she held to it tightly, thinking of the two friends she left behind and whom she will probably lose, but also thinking of the other one waiting for her to return with the crown, fighting on her own outside. The crown glistened with Ayumi's wish for everyone to be safe, for Chisato's words to be an influence from Laila's mind, for Reiha to be safe and unscathed out there in the recess, casting the shadows at bay, never able to reach to the sacred light it emanated with. She finally made it to the yard, and the scene she saw surprised her.
Reiha was not alone, Chiyasu was there too somehow and the students were sedated and tied by the latter's roots in a non- harmful way. The two fighting sides appeared to be equally matched, their battle tip toeing on a fine line of a draw. Reiha was unleashing her wind of wrath, and Chiyasu was arising her serrated roots and leafs but Laila's ax was cutting through each of their weapons mercilessly, looking slightly less tired and exhausted than the other two princesses, the thrill of the battle exhilarating her features.
"Your foul play stops right here!"
Ayumi announced her presence as she held the glittering crown between her hands. Chiyasu turned briefly at her, as she could not take her eyes away from Liala's giant weapon, lightly and quickly sweeping everything in its path, muttering as her patience had ran out.
"Finally!"
"Am I supposed to be threatened by that crown?"
Laila gibed through her fast breathing. Laying her eyes at last at what she had come after, she dashed toward Ayumi who found herself petrified at the speed with which the latter turned and changed her direction, aiming a giant black weapon at her face but she was stopped midway and pulled few steps backward.
"You wish!"
Reiha averted the situation by whirling two tornadoes around Laila's legs like leashes, aided and made sturdier by Chiyasu's roots.
"How touching, protecting your queen!"
Laila did not lose her smile or composure, enraging Ayumi all the more. This was all some sort of a twisted enjoyable game for her.
"You have played with my emotions, and my friends' emotions too for too long! You created a nice scenario but I assure you none of it is real! And I will show you now!"
The crown shone brighter than ever, making the princess of the darkness frown for the first time. But to the girl's surprise it was not at the eminent destructive attack ready to befall her at any moment, it was at Ayumi's words themselves.
"None of it is real? "
Laila inquired as if insulted. Intent on clearing the picture before she is stricken down. She explained unfazed by the beams of light hovering toward her:
"Darling, do not fool yourself, my darkness does not lie. It is not designed to alter one's feelings, just to bring them forth untainted and pure! Did you not prove that yourself with your anger and frustration with your friends back there?"
Ayumi halted her attack for a second, remembering how she pushed Chisato,so hard to her own dismay, yet at the same time the act was so refreshing in getting all the pent up anger out, not on Chisato alone, but on everything. Ayumi closed her eyes and shook her head, as if chasing the thought away, saying:
"Think of it as you like, but it will not happen again to satisfy your pleasure!"
Ayumi said out load, opening her eyes and staring at the princess of the darkness with pure rage. Laila, for the first time since revealing her presence, adopted a serious look and a firm tone. This time, she was not taunting or provoking, she was seriously asking something of Ayumi.
"You body will not handle striking with the crown's power twice, you got but one chance. I dare you, Queen Ayumi, to use that light to clear this darkness and pray upon the pure beams of Amaterasu to reveal everyone's true hearts."
Ayumi was taken aback, her hands withholding the attack for an instance that was so brief to her surroundings yet so lengthy in her mind. From Laila's change in voice and demeanor, she could sense no trap pr falsity. She understood her aim. Regarding both hers and Laila's power, though opposite, they practically worked the same to a different end. Both revealed the content of one's heart; pure or defiled, good or evil, concerned or content, wretched or blessed. Then, after the reveal the action taken depended on the wielder of that light; purify the evil and wash away the sadness, or amplify it and use it in questionable measures. If Ayumi were to use her light for that purpose, would the picture change? Would everyone stop fighting? Would there the scale of happiness and goodness outweigh the scale of despair and jealousy in these hearts, beating frantically around her?
Ayumi did not know.
"If it is but one chance I have, I'd rather not use it for something I am certain of!"
"Oh really? You're certain...."
The dark haired princess did not get to finish her sentence, a massive flash of light was head in the bound princess's way. Laila's smile faltered for a second before being engulfed in a large beam of light that sent her to the end of the recess, as both Chiyasu and Reiha's shackles dissipated along. The three watched carefully for the outcome, Ayumi hoping it was over but the other two not as optimistic, and they were right. The light scattered away, black shadows working at unraveling it like a knife through a knitted thread.
The princess of darkness rose through clouds of dust and debris while light that caused her fall dissipated slowly in tiny sparks. Laila was indeed harmed but apparently not to the degree the three were hoping for.
"I was right by not feeling threatened by you."
Laila enticingly taunted, sending the two princess of wind and earth into their fighting stance, ready to unleash their powers, only halting temporarily to read the situation for the dark aura emanating from its princess was different this time, more powerful and overwhelming; if her intention in the beginning was to reveal, now it was to control.
"That is enough playing around, you have brought forth what I was after, and now I shall take it!"
Ayumi held the crown more tightly in her hands, realizing that a mere beam or a single attack will not be enough to subdue this princess, unlike the two sisters of the stars who were easily taken down by its power. Laila stood up, putting her ax down as she raised her hands generating dark threads that extended to the unconscious students, awakening them before Chiyasu could pat her eyes, and using the power she infused them with, they shattered the roots binding them. The students and teachers awakened immediately, and attacked the other three princesses with unnatural power and strength, their blows now resulting in harm and injuries, and their speed enough to keep up with the elemental creatures. They targeted Ayumi particularly, trying to rip the crown out of her hands but the latter refused to use her power on her fellow students. Meanwhile, Reiha and Chiyasu, following her suit, attacked with minimum power, merely evading and pushing them away, standing in front of their queen, each on one side in an effort to protect her and the crown. The battle was meaningless and frustrating, Chiyasu almost losing control many times if not for Ayumi's pleading cries for her to stop.
"Dragging us into this cowardly play again!"
Reiha muttered with exhaustion, if Chiyasu had a problem controlling her temper, hers was much worse trying to control her agitated wind in order not to cause serious harm. The princess of the earth tried to send her roots and break up the seal Laila had shrouded the place in to no avail. Indeed it was a boring battle, it did not even bring joy to Laila's eyes as she just stood behind waiting for someone to snatch the crown, as if not interested in this purpose at all and just doing the task out of favor to someone else. In Ayumi's mind, she knew the princess of darkness had already established her point, and ceasing the crown was a completion, perhaps even an unnecessary one, to her whole mission.
The sight of her friends going after the princesses of wind and earth vigorously wishing to harm them and the sight of the latter two matching them with an equal will to protect her pained her heart. In the end, Laila had proven her point, she could not control the princesses, for their will and conviction was true and unyielding but for her to be able to control the entire school; frail lost souls, easily surrendering to their rage and darkest desires engulfed in jealousy and hatred was too much to see. It was one thing to realize its truth, something she long knew but ignored, yet another thing to witness it unfold in this power - draining battle. She herself, almost slipped in this "freeing" darkness yet collected herself at the last minute and she refused to see her fellow students fall down the same abyss.
"Ok, I am really getting bored…"
Laila announced earning an enraged gaze from the princesses of wind and earth. Still, unfazed, she went on:
"I was expecting the queen of light herself to be the main obstacle, not you two! But as she is standing there afraid of doing anything, I will take matter into my own hands, via you!"
Laila said and immediately jumped in the air to avoid the whirl of wind sent her way, releasing two more dark threads aimed at the two princesses. Reiha and Chiyasu released their attacks to cut down the threads, the princess of the earth being more enraged at the notion that anything can control her:
"You truly believe you can play your dirty tricks on us? Who do you think we are?"
"Such empty vanity! Are we not the same?"
The princess of the darkness replied calmly, not giving the princess of the earth the satisfaction of being easily provoked. Her two threads were cut indeed but she still went on calmly and unfazed by the two charging at her, jumping over the students and assailing them from above, while leaving Ayumi protecting herself with a halo emanating from the crown as she watched hoping the battle will soon be ended. They had to finish it in one last careful blow without harming the students, who were already in danger by being controlled by these dark threads representing their anger and desires, as these dark extensions probably fed on their energy.
"You are really taking the risk and attacking me? Maybe I cannot control you on my own, maybe this is not my aim… I am not that predictable…"
The two princess frowned but they had no time to dive into the meaning of their foe's words, who went on, looking directly at Ayumi. The latter returned the dubious gaze with a stern one.
"There is a fine thread between good and evil, whether it be the goal or the mean to it. The same goes for every two opposite; ambition and jealousy, anger and calmness, rashness and wisdom. At times one is needed, at the times the other. It is so stupid to follow this dichotomy your previous queen tried to enforce, failing miserably. And it is more stupid and disappointing seeing her successor trying to follow the same suit of a woman you have never known!"
"Shut up! What would you know about being kind and good, are you not the princess of darkness? Taking advantage of weak ordinary humans in this despicable way?!"
Ayumi refuted Laila's words, feeling angry at the hint of her being bland and following an example blindly and what Reiha had to say eased her feelings.
"Do not dare degrade our queen! She did what she can to stop the likes of you, manipulative bastard!"
Laila did not even try to shield herself from the storm of wind and rocks reaching her, a huge grin drawn on her face.
"Speaking of being manipulative, did I not tell I was not alone today?"
Laila declared but no one new came to sight. As the attack was about to hit her, a small click was heard, as if the lock to a chest or a box was opened.