"How did you get it!"
Ayumi asked enraged, turning at Laila demanding an answer she did not delay in delivering.
"It is not like you have it hidden in the most unpredictable place. Besides, were I not the one who told you where it was located in the first place?"
"You…?"
"Sending these mocking hints and messages were so fun… did you try the nun's robe? I picked exactly your size!"
Laila spoke amused by her sense of humor, and Ayumi could not help but look in a mixture of disbelief and bewilderment at the dark princess who could be so threatening yet so easily amused, to the degree of being childishly so.
"So, did you enjoy your little picnic in my shadows of memories?"
"You used images of my memory to what, teach me a lesson? I don't need one! Especially from someone who risks innocent people's life and endangers it with such powerful artifacts!"
"I am glad you finally understand the importance of these symbols left by the late queen. Even though it was you none other who refused to acknowledge this specter. This weapon is defiled, its price was paid for by an innocent naïve priestess's life and suffering, and you distastes it. "
"Don't insult that selfless woman!"
"You are the one who insulted her and the queen you proclaim to follow when you refused to adhere to this symbol. Now it is tainted, still seeking revenge as you failed to acknowledge its meaning and use it for its purpose!"
Ayumi frowned in rage, but she was totally incapable of doing anything. The crown had slipped away, the scepter was in Chisato's hand who was in turn controlled by Laila's influence and the two princesses would not respond to her.
"This scepter is no ordinary, it responds to the wishes of the one holding it, just as the rest of the monarchy symbol before they were defiled. That girl's heart is filled with negative emotions, jealousy and hatred… frustration… hopelessness… it has found the perfect holder!"
"Is it not normal for a girl's heart to be filled with such emotions? But I am certain there are other things too!"
Ayumi argued back but she was certain her and the princess of the darkness would never reach a conclusion that would satisfy them both, it was not meant to be, it was not suppose to happen.
"Most people's hearts are but not everyone!"
Laila motioned at Chisato to resume her attacks, as if stating without words that she was the perfect example of the latter case. The girl did not hesitate and dashed at Ayumi who stood up taking a hit to her shoulder but managing to grasp the scepter with the other. It was so painful, the dark energy surrounding it burnt her flesh more than the rays of light she managed to emanate while discovering her powers did.
"Chisato please wake up! This woman is taking advantage of you!"
Chisato did not seem to listen or understand. She plucked the scepter from Ayumi's hand ready to deliver another strike, right to her face. Ayumi blocked it by crossing her two arms in front of it feeling her bone almost shatter. She quickly retreated few steps back keeping a distance between her and her "friend". Laila commented on the move with a false sad tone:
"That will not do, the more time you waste in finishing her, the more the two princesses will be lost in the visions I am showing them… you have to choose who to save! But in the end, they are merely your followers and can be easily replaced!"
Laila laced the last sentence with dark sarcasm.
"Followers?"
Ayumi repeated back, taking another hit across her chest from the scepter that knocking the air out of her lungs.
No, that was not what she wanted their relation with her to be. That was not the kind of bond she wanted to share with them.
But this pain inflicted on her screamed into her mind... how much she wished to end this now… maybe return to her sleep, imagine some nice scenarios then drift into a dreamy slumber.
But no, this was not in her imagination. Why would one bring such physical pain and mental dilemmas into his own escape? This was painful, exhausting, it was real.
Ayumi opened her eyes, pain trailing tears down her paling cheeks. Chisato was engulfed by the dark aura spreading from the scepter as was the entire school ground and everyone inside. And Ayumi felt another thing.
She was not the only one crying.
If she had brought her own sadness subconsciously into her imagination, why should she bring the pain of others as well? If anything, she is ought to bring happy carefree people into it. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she glanced at the unconscious princesses. A tear was rolling down their graceful sleeping faces, what cage of their own fears and doubts had Laila locked them in? It was unforgivable for that woman to put the two princesses through such horrid experience as she had done with her and for herself to not notice how fragile the princesses could be despite their strong façade.
She had to free them and end this play of madness Laila had orchestrated.
"Chisato, wake up… you have to resist that woman's illusion! You may hate me but I know you don't want to kill me!"
The following strike missed Ayumi's head by a hair, Chisato's hand was trembling for a fast second before the shaking stopped.
"Don't be so dramatic, she may not want to kill you, but she clearly desires you out of her face!"
"Don't you think I know that!"
Laila commented nonchalantly and Ayumi muttered back through gritted teeth, she has been tossed and rolled down the ground by Chisato's continuous attacks, taking the hits she could not afford to avoid and steering clear from what she could. But it was not a tactless runaway.
Finally, she reached again to the crown but hit another thing along it. another hand was clutching to it. It was Yuki's.
"You too, Yuki?"
"Of course, the little girl was taken for granted and ignored for so long!"
Laila explained enthralled by the turn of events.
"I was not talking to you…"
Ayumi shouted with what little strength she was left with, her pleading eyes turning at Yuki's unfathomable ones. Ayumi was finally able to smile for the first time through this long day turned into a tainted night. Ayumi held the crown as Yuki's grasp became lax around it. Feeling Chisato's presence behind her, she was finally able to counter her attack as she crossed the crown with the scepter, creating a contrasting beams of black and white around each other. The crown seemed to wish to absorb the scepter's anger, and the scepter in return desired to wash the crown's light and dimmed it. Chisato was pushed back, staggering and falling into the ground. Laila crossed her eyebrows eagerly waiting for what will happen.
"This crown is no different from the scepter, it was also made at a huge price… "
Ayumi stood up, swaying in agony but holding to the crown tightly, feeling it beckoning at her soul.
"It was made at the cost of ungranted wishes, a token of their mere existence… It is time I placed my own wish upon it!"
Ayumi brazenly declared, the crown's light fluttered like a dying star ready to burst in flames. And for the first time during this prolonged battle, Laila took a step back, as she had not witnessed the full extent of the crown's power before, and thus could not act rashly despite her uninhibited demeanor.
"Reiha and Chiyasu are not my followers, Chisato, Yuki and this school are not my enemies… everything could be worked out somehow… as for myself, I have no wish of my own… my wish has already been granted in a sense, because I believe in what's happening and it must possess a purpose… it is not a tale weaved by my mind!"
Laila held to her giant ax ready to barricade herself or lunch an attack depending on the unfolding of the next moment. But what happened was not something she had expected to see.
Ayumi broke the crown in half, releasing all the wasted wishes trapped inside for decades, setting them free like little butterflies leaving their cocoons as she made her wish.
"I wish for everything to return to normal, for this darkness to be dispelled from this place and everyone's heart, for the princesses to wake up and stand up again, unharmed and free!"
The wishes assuming the shape of little lights scattered across the darkness wiping it and shedding a pure white light upon the entire place, leaving Laila's dark fog and threads to burn and fade. Chisato fell down as the scepter emanated with the pure light it was meant to reflect, purified from the sorrow of a cruel sacrifice shaping it and the hateful wishes clinging to it.
Laila released a loud laugh, unable to believe what the new queen had done to one of her most valuable assets, the symbol of her reign, of her position. The crown setting the wishes hiding within it free, dissipated along the darkness it wiped into a silver dust, imparting the sky with new stars to gaze and wish upon.
"You are as stupid as I thought, but as brave as I have not anticipated. I have seen enough for today, nothing can top this little play of yours!"
"I am not finished with you yet!"
Ayumi exclaimed at the princess of darkness angrily, now she was wishing to flee the battle and turn her tail? The girl was not going to give her the satisfaction. Despite her injuries, she rushed to the abandoned specter and grasped it, willing to initiate an attack. Unfortunately, still having humane limits, her body failed her at last as she collapsed, but she was not done completely as not to launch at least one final attack at Laila who warned her as she gave her her back.
"Don't waste what you have just done, little queen. One strike of my ax and your scepter will seep with the unjust blood it cries for!"
Pointing with her head at some other creature lurking within her shadows, probably the person she came with and to whom she had referred previously, a click of a box being closed was heard and the two disappeared into a purple mist of darkness.
The day light returned, and the students and teachers started to wake in a daze, unable to recall what had happened or why was the school in such a chaotic situation. Ayumi looked at the scene in relief, feeling no more pain. Why was she feeling no more pain?
A gentle hand was rubbing at her shoulder, pouring spiritual powers through her body, making her feel warm and strong again as it healed her wounds. Ayumi was about to fall asleep to the comfort of the sensation before questioning what was going on, she looked to her side, and there was Reiha, kneeling next to her, in a sealing cloud away from vision.
"R… Reiha? You are back!"
"Yes, thanks to you!"
"And… Chiyasu?"
"Are you an idiot, I cannot believe you broke the crown! How could you! It is a powerful weapon, it is Amaterasu's symbol!"
Ayumi did not feel insulted, she was actually relieved to see Chiyasu was back to herself even if she offered no thanks.
"I had to, there was no other way, beside…"
"Beside what?!!"
Chiyasu cried in exasperation, but Ayumi replied calmly.
"I don't need this crown. I may be the holder of the power of the light but I don't need a crown to convince anyone of it! Especially you two… if you were staying with me and protecting me because if its meaning, then I don't want it!"
"You are insane!"
Chiyasu expressed her disbelief, finding no more words to add because there was nothing to add.
"Maybe we were at the beginning, but not anymore. If you are content with this decision, then we are as well. Thank you for saving our lives, Ayumi!"
Ayumi smiled at seeing Reiha's sincere beautiful smile, Chiyasu's lips moved to say something but they trembled. Ayumi tried to lighten the mood.
"Okay… you don't need to say "thank you.""
"I will not say thank you."
Ayumi expected such a reply from the princess of the earth, knowing her temperament and unexplained feelings for the queen of light, but not in this serious, malicious tone.
"You are a queen, we are your followers, it is an oath and a bondage Amaterasu has created, you can't just break it by this little foolish act of yours. In fact, it was the least you could do, and it still does not wipe the injustice of the past. You are no different than Amaterasu, perhaps more clever in taking your lead, but that is all and I am not falling for it!"
"Chiyasu!"
Reiha grunted enraged, but Ayumi held to her arm preventing her from moving.
"I cannot believe a word you say. Sincerity is not a quality I can trust any longer in anyone and I am just waiting for you to prove me right, certain you will one day!"
Chiyasu ended her sentence then dissipated into the earth she controls.
"I am sorry for what she…"
Reiha started, but was cut off immediately by Ayumi, who not angry or feeling upset at all. In fact she was smiling.
"There is no need for apologies. I regret nothing, especially saving you two! You are my friends… and really, this is better, I know your hearts now better than before. I am glad there is no pretense or need to lie to each other. This honesty is all what I am asking for."
Reiha was stunned for a moment, before seeing sadness taking over the girl's eyes as she started watching Chisato and Yuki awakening and questioning what went on.
"What will you do now?"
Reiha asked worriedly.
"About Laila?"
"About them, your… other friends."
Reiha seemed happy to be called Ayumi's' friend but preferred not to show it that clearly. Ayumi sighed thinking.
"Nothing. I am not about to ruin the two best friendships I built over the years, I have always knew Chisato's heart but was oblivious to Yuki's. Now I can tred with both of them on equal footing. I am not changing anything about myself, I believe I am fine as I am… in the end, this is how life goes by.... it is all a little white lie we build our world on. As sad as this sounds, it is still true. As far as I am concerned, nothing hurtful was said but the truth. Why face them now and lose them? Why the hurt? Blissful ignorance is sometimes the perfect solution and it is not a weakness if it is to avoid harm. I will be a better friend but that doesn't mean losing myself and ambition. Also… it is enough for me now that I have two friends who I know will never lie to me and whom I can be myself with! "
Reiha contemplated for a while, Ayumi's words were true. It was a cowardly act to avoid facing this pretense friendship, but she will work on herself and stay true to her feelings, stopping Chisato when she goes too far and supporting Yuki whenever she needs it. Sometimes, ignorance is not the perfect but the wisest solution. Unfortunately for the princess of the wind, a blissful ignorance was not something she could afford with her lost fiery friend.
"And also Reiha…"
"What?"
"I will prove Chiyasu wrong!"
"I know you will, then she will become a friend you cannot get rid of."
Reiha joked for the first time... in a truly joyful tone.
"Our wishes has also been freed along the crown, may they reach the hearts of those whom we long."
Reiha prayed to herself. Realizing with the presence of Laila and the other unseen creature, the battle was yet to begin.
Laila was a strong foe, deceptive and manipulative but these did not seem to be her defining fighting strategies, or preferred methods. On the contrary, she offered a faithful solution to the dilemma she created, use the light to vanquish the darkness, to reveal if there is a light beneath it... she was challenging Ayumi and risking her own pride and dominance. But perhaps she was risking nothing... because Ayumi was too afraid to reveal the truth as it is. What of Laila's prediction was true? What of no light lay within that darkness? she was too afraid to confront that and instead chose to confront the princess of darkness under a false pretense.
Light was not what saved the day, it was not what lifted the darkness of this day. It was the despair and hopelessness of wishes sealed within a cage of hope, once it was broken, their freedom cleared that darkness to pave for for these wishes a path to another realm of hope, faraway from this place and era, dismantling the veil of darkness along.