[Alia's PoV]
There wasn't much she wouldn't give for Nick to be here.
It was her fault he wasn't here in the first place. Her fault that they were going to die here.
'If only I could do sothing, anything!' Alia thought as she clenched her fists.
Chaos swirled all around her as if mocking her abundant weakness. Little demons flew close, humming their gleeful squeals as they extended their claws, ready to kill.
'Get over yourself, dammit!!!'
But even as she fought against her weakness, her fear, it only intensified. Juliana was her only lifeline here, her only wall.
If she joined the fight... she'd only get hurt.
"Dammit Alia!!"
Juliana's sharp voice cut through Alia's thoughts as the swirling chaos was finally making its breakthrough.
'Stay out of her way.' Alia thought as Juliana had to push her aside. A demon had broken through her lightning offensive and had been aiming straight for Alia.
Just by looking at Juliana's now body shoulder, Alia understood perfectly what would've happened had she not pushed her aside. That slash would've hit her neck.
"What the hell was all that training for? For you to leave alone now?"
Despite her harsh words, Juliana had just saved her. Just the sa as Fynn, Nick, and her father. Basically, anyone she had ever fought with.
It was always her needing to be saved. Always soti else taking the edge of the sword for her.
And yet... it was still an impossible task, to put aside her fear and stand and fight. It would be easier to just... not be a hindrance anymore.
To stay out of the way.
Alia bowed her head and closed her eyes as she accepted her fate. She couldn't fight. She never could.
All she ever did was rely on soone else, anyone else. And then they ended up dying.
"Don't worry about , Juls. It's as you said: stay out of your way."
A lightning bolt flew from Juliana's hands, striking Alia squarely in her chest and knocking her to the ground.
In the next instant, Juliana scread, "What the hell do you an?! You think this helps our fucking king?! To die?! Get the fuck up and fight!"
Given just a single opportunity, the squires were already barreling into the adow as the lightning they feared was distracted. Alia yelped as she saw a blur of silver racing straight for Juliana's neck. She wasn't going to react in ti... she was going to die...
'Because of !'
Alia dug her hands into her thighs but found they were already clutching Juliana's back. Sohow, instinctively and without realizing it she had moved Juliana out of the way... maybe even saved her.
There was no ti to think of specifics or how this happened. All she knew was that her cowardice almost got them both killed and that if she stopped for a second, that cowardice would form once again.
The only thing to do was to allow instinct to guide her every movent. Closing her eyes, she blocked out the entire world of threats as the unseen path opened before her.
Her movent was fluid as water, slipping and weaving through the wall of squires like it was nothing. If she was thinking, she probably would've found it ironic that she was technically still running.
But as long as Juliana was safe, who cared?
Not pausing for even a second, Alia continued her journey through the mansion's land. Between her 23 years of experience living here and the swift and decisive movent of instinct, nothing could impede her progress.
Finding a familiar low branch of a tall tree, Alia stepped on it and pushed up with a grace most thought only an elf would have. Even in her youth, after climbing the trees for her entire life, she had never felt so nimble as she did at this mont.
Adrenaline, instinct, so hidden power; whatever it was it allowed her to jump between these branches while simultaneously dodging the squires who attacked from above.
For a brief second, she wondered why she was taking them up a tree, closer to the endless army raining down. All this did was punish her, as a mont's hesitation caused a squire to slash at Juliana, ripping open her right cheek.
"YOUSONOVABITCH!!!" Juliana scread as she extended her hand, sending a torrent of lightning at the demon. In a second, he was gone and reduced to a pile of dust.
Forgotten.
But a million more squeals sounded from above, and that's when Alia realized. Her instinct was taking them closer to the clouds, to what could be viewed as a progenitor of lightning. Low p, since they rely created it from preordained elents rather than out of thin air.
Still, it would be like Juliana's backyard. Just the sa as the adow was for Alia, clouds were for Juliana. What she just did to that single squire, she could do to every last one of them.
If only...
'I can do this.' Alia thought as she closed her eyes and commanded instinct to do what it does best.
Run from danger.
Screams of squires rang out from all around her. She could feel them hiss as they glided through the air, she could hear the swish of their claws as they passed just centiters from flesh.
'10 branches left.'
Alia knew as she climbed this specific tree a million tis. She hadn't realized it at first when she had closed her eyes and rely followed instinct. However, now that she opened her eyes she could see it clearly.
Though she shot past each branch in just a second, mories flooded through her mind all the sa as each knot was another ti she had climbed this tree.
Much to her father's dismay, the only ti his daughter never seed to be scared was when she was climbing trees. Anything else—cooking, fighting, talking to boys—she was a flustered ss.
There was just sothing so peaceful about it, about a long and arduous journey culminating in a peaceful and serene view at the top.
'2 branches left.'
She cleared them with ease, jumping high over the canopy of trees, overlooking an entire countryside. Then she scread, "Juliana!!!"
Lightning had already left her hand, collected from the clouds seemingly right above them. Juliana had seen the opportunity for violence and obviously took it.
Within just an instant, hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of squires instantly disintegrated, struck by one of the primal elents of destruction.
Alia landed atop the tree and let loose a small chuckle, one filled with both relief and fear. Now that the adrenaline was fading...
'Oh, who cares! The squires are gone!'
And then the sky cried again.
[Kon, Maid Demon detected]
[Ahik, Maid Demon detected]
[Fex, Maid Demon detected]
[Wik, Maid Demon detected]
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