"You're asking me to break her Arts with my own power? I... I don't think my abilities are up to the task. That's far too difficult for me..."
Hearing Talulah's proposal, Reed's immediate reaction was to refuse. Deep down inside, she believed she was no match for her elder sister, and that her own Arts could never unravel her sister's magic.
Otherwise, fighting these spellbound creatures over the past few days wouldn't have been such an agonizing struggle. She should have been able to dispatch them with a mere wave of her hand.
Seeing the young woman shaking her head frantically in denial, Talulah merely let out a quiet sigh. She continued to channel her own fire Arts to dispel the death-laden flames cast by the other Draco. For Talulah, dealing with spells of this magnitude was little more than a warm-up.
"I might not fully understand the relationship between you and your sister," Talulah said, watching Reed closely, "but the fact that you spent all this time away from her doing these things proves you aren't satisfied with her current methods. If that's the case, you had better build up some confidence in yourself so you can stop her plans."
Talulah hadn't expected to find herself giving a motivational pep talk today. Yet seeing this young Draco lacking so much confidence that she couldn't even trust her own strength, Talulah spoke straight from the heart.
"I don't believe the gap between you and your sister is so vast that you can't even counter a spell of this level. It's not like I've never fought you before. What you need right now is to gain proper control over your own flames. Only then can you accomplish what you set out to do..."
Listening to Talulah's encouraging words, Reed decided to give it another shot, even if her heart was still plagued by doubts of success.
"Use your flames to their fullest extent," Talulah added, stepping slightly to the side. "With me here, there's no chance your Arts will spiral out of control. I can suppress your sister's flames, so managing yours won't be an issue at all."
A faint look of gratification flickered across Talulah's face. Satisfied to see Reed summoning her courage, Talulah eased back on her Originium Arts and stood quietly by, watching her intently.
"When did you turn into such a gentle teacher?" Jeanne chimed in, leaning over quietly to whisper right into Talulah's ear. "Did seeing another of your own kin awaken some hidden desire to give guidance?"
The sudden whisper startled Talulah. She flinched, turning around with a look of genuine surprise to glare at Jeanne.
"Could you make a little sound when you move?!" Talulah snapped, pinching Jeanne's cheek in annoyance. She didn't hold back just because they were on a battlefield, squeezing a little harder instead. "Do you have any idea how terrifying it is when you suddenly spring up behind someone like a ghost without warning?!"
Jeanne was always popping up out of nowhere to startle people. If Talulah didn't give her a proper lesson, she felt she'd end up in a medical bay with heart trouble sooner or later.
To their side, Outcast watched the exchange in silence. But one look at the old Sankta's solemn expression revealed how heavy her mood truly was. The warm smile she usually wore had faded, and her knuckles turned white as she gripped her patron gun tighter.
The veteran Sankta could not tolerate such a cruel desecration of the deceased. Having survived countless battles over her long life, she held deep respect for the fallen.
Watching these long-dead souls denied their final rest, Outcast raised her patron gun and aimed steadily at an advancing body. With a sharp crack of gunfire, the bullet struck true right in the skull.
The corpse collapsed instantly to the ground. No matter how terrifying the dark Arts looked, a clean shot to the head proved remarkably effective.
However, after firing a few more rounds, she lowered her weapon. There were simply too many bodies marching toward them. Relying on a single six-shooter was far too slow to handle a horde of this size.
Suppressing a heavy sigh, Outcast turned her glance back to Reed and Talulah. She knew that to truly stop this tide, the best solution was for a Draco to step in and disrupt the magical embers burning inside those remains using a similar fire.
Noticing Outcast's frustration, Reed looked back at the advancing figures engulfed in purple flames. Taking a deep breath, she resolved to try stopping them with her own strength.
Moments later, everyone felt a distinct wave of heat wash over the battlefield—a flame fundamentally different from Talulah's blazing inferno. Compared to Talulah's destructive intensity, Reed's fire burned with a brighter, gentler light that felt strangely uplifting.
"Why are the flames of different Dracos so distinct?" Jeanne asked curiously, watching the radiant fire spread. "If your race shares similar innate abilities, why is there such a massive difference in how they manifest?"
With nothing else to do, Jeanne could only stand by and watch the two Dracos showcase their formidable powers. She figured she might as well chat to pass the time.
"It probably comes down to personal affinity and inclination," Talulah pondered, tilting her head. "I can understand the mechanics behind Reed's Arts, but what her sister does stretches the imagination. Controlling corpses... how does that even relate to fire? Calling it an ancient curse or Sarkaz witchcraft makes more sense than calling it fire Arts."
"It's a spell that acts directly upon vitality," Reed explained, overhearing their conversation. "Both my sister and I guide and manipulate life force. It's just that my sister's application takes on a very unconventional form."
Having spent years alongside her sister, Reed understood the core principles behind her techniques, even if she couldn't replicate the dark ritual herself.
Refocusing her attention on the fallen Tarans, Reed unleashed her Originium Arts. Golden flames swept across the ground, enveloping the approaching dead.
The moment the gentle fire touched them, the corpses dropped instantly to the earth like puppets whose strings had been cleanly cut, finally finding their long-overdue peace.
Seeing her spell succeed, Reed didn't even have time to celebrate. She stood there taking deep, shuddering breaths, exhausted by the immense strain the effort had placed on her body.
"See? You can do it," Talulah said, patting her gently on the back with a approving nod. Her tone sounded like an encouraging mentor who had believed in her all along. "Your only real issue is a lack of refined control over your Arts. Have a little more faith in yourself!"
With those words, Talulah stepped up to take over the rest of the perimeter. A massive wave of her own fiery Arts swept across the field, extinguishing the remaining purple embers and laying the restless dead to rest once and for all.
On the walk back to the encampment, Jeanne draped an arm around Talulah's shoulder, looking at her like a curious child inquiring about a rare mystery.
"I didn't know you were so good at encouraging people! Mind telling me what prompted our normally quiet Draco to turn into a life coach today?"
Talulah didn't mind Jeanne's casual arm around her shoulder, though she gave her a mildly annoyed side-glance before answering.
"I just wanted to lend her a hand, that's all. Besides, once we depart, she's likely going to keep doing this work on her own. If she doesn't learn to manage her Arts properly, she won't last long out here."
Talulah offered a brief explanation for her actions, while beside them, Outcast walked on in quiet reflection, her thoughts known only to herself.