I stared in shock as the blood mage was blown to bits, his body shattering into ks and sptters.

  I colpsed, falling to the ground, the adrenaline and st of the sed wind Aurora lent me fading.

  I hadn't expected him to die. People with high-level Depravity skills were notoriously durable and hard to kill, but his durability had been... almost ent. Was he just a normal human with a Depravity ability?

  My ears were ringing. I couldn't hear anything.

  My vision swam.

  I killed someone.

  I... killed him.

  I shivered, ing myself with my arms.

  He had deserved it, right?

  Right?

  But that's a person I...

  My mi by.

  But he had been a bad person. He had hurt so many people, and threatened my friends, and... and...

  "Lux! Look out!"

  I looked up to see the blood that was scattered around me geal into spikes, shooting at me with deadly i. My legs felt like jello and I couldn't react. They were too fast and my vision was blurry, and I felt so weak, drained of all energy, and the spikes of red were about to run through me.

  "Verdant Art: Ten Thousand Cherry Blossoms!" I heard someone speak.

  A figure stepped iween me and the blood spikes. Green light covered her body and the blood spikes shattered against a rapidly-regeing wall of blooming flowers and green energy. I could briefly make out a shimmering purple dress the color of dusk, with steltions sewn into the fabric.

  "Fre!" I heard another voice call.

  There was a bright fsh of light, and the bloody spikes evaporated. The figure turo me, and I blinked.

  I couldn't see her face, obscured by a hood and her long hair.

  "Who?" I murmured, barely able to think or move, but then her mana signature reached my senses.

  "Lux! Are you alright?" Twilight Aster called, as she ran to my side.

  "Aster," I muttered.

  Her hands were on my shoulders. "Thank goodness we got here in time," she said. "Dawn Lily and Midnight Blossom are here with me. Everything is going to be okay."

  I looked around, trying to make out who had spoken. I could make out the blurry outline of Dawn Lily's e as my vision span.

  The blood mage was gohe puddle of red was now nothing more than ashes.

  I felt Twilight Aster's hands on my shoulders. Her voice was soft, and I could hear the worry in it.

  I was safe.

  "You did well, Lux. It's over," she said.

  But... he'd been... the blood...

  "Where...? Blood...?" I muttered, and she looked down at me with . I could feel the worry ing off of her.

  She helped me sit up, and then I felt the warm, soothing glow of her healing ability wash over me as she pced a gem in my hands. My body rexed, and I let out a sigh as I clutched it.

  "Where did he... go?" I asked.

  "It was just a ade from his own blood," she said, looking down at the ashen remains. "He trol a single oely with reduced physical capability, and the skill has an i failsafe. I've dealt with them in the past. Fortuhat will set him back by weeks."

  "I..." I murmured. "He...?"

  I felt relief that he wasn't actually dead, that I hadn't killed anyone, but at the same time I felt guilt that I hadn't.

  He deserved it.

  He deserved it but...

  Twilight Aster patted me on the head, pig me up gently and helping me walk. "Let's go, we talk more ter."

  She began to lead me away from the battlefield, the area around us was covered in rubble, with craters and holes in the ground where Yuzu had used her magid where I'd used the Luminary Beam. I felt the cool, fresh night air against my skin, and the warmth of the mana in Twilight Aster's hands. She was taking me somewhere safe, away from the battlefield.

  "A...Arsenal? Is she...?" I asked.

  Twilight Aster nodded. "Yes, Braveheart Kraken mao arrive in time to save Arsenal. We have her in custody."

  Custody? Wait, no, she couldn't be serious, right? She had to be joking. She was the victim here!

  Twilight Aster tinued, her voice soothing as she walked. "The others are being checked by paramedics. You did well, Lux."

  "Wh-What do you mean? What's going to happen now?" I stammered.

  Twilight Aster looked down at me. "You did what you had to do. We just... go home now."

  "I don't uand."

  Twilight Aster didn't answer, she simply tinued leadio wherever she was taking me, away from the battle aru.

  I looked back, watg as a team of heavily armed men surrouhe unscious Scrapper Scuttler.

  My eyes were drooping. I was so exhausted. So very, very tired. I looked back, to where I had bsted Sanguine Sorceror apart. It was a blood e, sure. But it looked just like him, and it felt so... real.

  He was still alive, I hadn't actually killed anyone, but that was...

  That was...

  That wasn't okay. It wasn't. It shouldn't have been okay that I killed someone, even if it had only been a e. That erson. That could have been a person. They might have been a bad person, but a person.

  Had I dohe right thing? The just thing? Or was I just another monster in the making now? Had I crossed the line? I'd goer him with full io kill, and I'd do. Even if it was just a e. I'd killed him, or what looked just like him.

  That didn't sit well with me, but I couldn't do anything about it. I'd gotteed in the moment, I hadn't stopped to think. And I was exhausted. So very exhausted. My eyelids were so very, very heavy. My limbs ached and I could barely walk. I o sleep.

  "Hey," a familiar, soft voice called.

  I looked over my shoulder to see Kitsune running after me.

  "Where are you taking her? Is she alright?"

  "Kaleidoscope Academy's infirmary, and I don't know," Twilight Aster stated. "I'll be takio the nurse for checkup. Her vitals seem to be stable but we o be sure and run a battery of tests."

  "I just got out of that pce this m, dammit," I grumbled.

  Twilight Aster chuckled.

  Kitsune's voice was full of . "I... I go with her?"

  Twilight Aster's tone was gentle and soft, and she seemed to sider the request. "You follow her if you'd like. You look a bit ioo. The paramedics will probably che you first, and you'll o make a report of what happened, but you're wele to apany Lux if you'd like."

  Elysia caught up as well, jogging alongside. "Hey! You're not leaving me behind. You were fighting pretty hard there."

  "Elysia?" I mumbled.

  The ptinum blonde gave me a sad, apologetic smile. "Yeah, I'll be with you too. I'll be following along to Kaleidoscope, and I'm sure the rest of the gang will too."

  "Yeah, they'll probably want to e too," Twilight Aster smiled. "The school has an excellent medical ward and infirmary, and they'll likely want to question them as witnesses anyway. You all did good."

  "I... Yeah..." I muttered.

  I just wao sleep.

  "Okay," Elysia agreed. "I just don't want to leave her alone."

  "I'm okay, Elysia," I reassured her, and she gave me a warm smile in response. She seemed nervous, though. Her aura was filled with ay. It made sense, after all she'd gohrough tonight.

  And I was worried about Albert. He was my friend. My best friend. But was he okay? That knife had been inches away. If I hadn't snapped out of it...

  No, it's okay now.

  " someone please tell Albert that I'm alright? He must be worried," I asked, my voice soft and almost delirious.

  "I'll make sure of it," Elysia reassured me.

  Twilight Aster led me away, with Elysia and Kitsune following. The rest of the group had caught up, and the paramedics were tending to everyone.

  I heard a few whispers of "These kids took down the Scuttler?! What the heck?!" from some of the paramedics.

  I saw Ichigo give the Scuttler a gre, kig his armor out of anger as the authorities surrounded and loaded him up to a meical stretcher.

  "I don't know what to think of him right now," I admitted, looking back at him as he was loaded into an armored vehicle surrounded by men with massive guns and a few engineers with power saws.

  I shook my head and looked away. He'd obviously had some history with Arcadia Vox and the Nightmare of Nox. He had seemed like he wasn't a bad person, at first. I wao believe that there was good in him, that he was just misguided. But he'd gone down a very, very wrong path.

  I shook my head.

  He deserved to rot, for the moment.

  He deserved to be locked away for what he'd do the very least for now. He was too dangerous to let run free. Maybe in time, he'd learer. Maybe he'd ge his ways.

  It made me think of mom again, of all things.

  She was like us once. Just a regur magical girl. One of the most talented ever, in fact, but just like us. I didn't know the whole story, but I khe gist.

  She'd bee one of the most notorious supervilins in the world.

  What led her down that path? How could such a good, well-iioned, heroian like my mother fall to bee a person who'd willingly use her powers to hurt, kill, and maim? A woman who would willingly use her powers to terrorize the world aroy lives? How could she go so far?

  How could anyone?

  The Scuttler had obviously had his issues. Maybe it was a simir situation to my mom? I didn't know, but the Nightmare of Nox had obviously been his start of darkness, and it made me wonder what had happened.

  Nobody started off the vilin. It was a slippery slope, and who's to say where it starts?

  I wobbled, stumbling a little as my body began to give way to the exhaustion. My body was sore and ag from the strain. I was so tired. I wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sleep. Maybe I'd wake up to find this had all been a dream, just a nightmare.

  Kitsune's arm was suddenly around me. His arm was around me, his haly supp my waist, his other arm draped ay shoulder, holdieady.

  "Hey, easy there. Let me help," he whispered softly, his voice low ale.

  "Thank you," I whispered.

  This was the sed time I'd pushed myself way beyond my limits in just two days. It wasn't a good feeling, physically or mentally.

  "No biggie. I've got you," Kitsune smiled.

  He'd saved me during the Cataclysm when I'd squeezed out everything I had io save Albert.

  He was so sweet. He smelled like apples and vanil.

  I blushed.

  Dammit.

  He really was a cute guy, with that foxy smile of his and those fluffy tails and—

  Dammit Sienna, be normal!

  "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice gentle, and his eyes filled with . He looked down at me.

  "Yeah. Just tired," I replied.

  "I'm sorry for that," he said. "It was my fault."

  I turned my head, giving him a surprised look.

  "It was my fault," he repeated. "I should have had more than enough iank to help and finish that creepy asshole off."

  I looked up at him, at the way he held himself, at the look on his face.

  "You did your best. And it wasn't your fault that he had that artifact," I said.

  Kitsune smiled. "I'll be ready ime," he said, determination on his voice. "You and everyone else did a good job. We took him down, in the end."

  "I'll hold you to it," I said, smiling up at him, and he smiled back.

  We both looked away. I couldn't help but giggle. This was all so awkward and I felt so silly.

  He really was such a sweet, adork-able guy, and I appreciated it.

  "Hey," I started. "You know the thing you did with your tails the st time I passed out?"

  "Yeah, the one where you started sn halfway through when I was wind surfing? I'd remember it anywhere." Kitsune joked.

  "You jerk! I do not snore!"

  He snickered, stig out his to me and wiggling his eyebrows.

  "Uh huh, sure," Kitsune snorted, rolling his eyes. "And what do you wanna know about the tails?"

  "Could you do it again?" I asked. "I think... I think I'm about to pass out again..."

  "Of course, just hold still," Kitsune replied, stopping in pce.

  Twilight Aster nodded, letting us sit down as the rest of the group was checked by the paramedics.

  His three tails swayed, and I watched as they began to glow. Then, they moved, surrounding us. The fur was so soft and warm.

  I felt him pick me up gently, cradling me in his arms, and then the softness of the fur of his tails. The glow from the fur grew brighter, and it grew warm and cozy. My body was warm and tingling, and my skin rickly with a pleasaion as I rexed my body.

  My head rested on the fluffy pillow of his tail as I stopped fighting the fatigue, and took a tented breath.

  And then the world went dark.