A Monster Beyond the Pale

THE SENTIENT CUMULUS SOARED over Marlia City in the sky above. The four teens peered down at the busy streets and took in the lights, vehicles, and folks flying below them. Seeing how vast and busy it was from so high up reminded them of how insignificant they truly were. Three of them had lived in this city for years and had never seen such a view from this vantage point. Needless to say, they were completely taken aback.

"Whoa!" Hotaru marveled at the view from above.

The blue-haired girl smiled. "It's somethin' else, innit?"

"Yes, it is!" bubbled Chiaki as she held onto her hat. "I've never been this high up before! This is completely different than riding on a broom." She turned to the girl. "You know, if you were lost, you could've had Max take you to school."

"Really? Wouldn't I need a flying permit for that?"

"Mm-mm." She shook her head. "That law only applies to witches. Over the decades, there have been many broom-flying accidents, so we young witches aren't permitted to fly in Holy Kingdom territory until we're sixteen."

"Huh." The blue-haired girl sighed and pursed her lips, seemingly annoyed at herself for not knowing this sooner. Chiaki understood what it was like being in a brand new place, especially somewhere as big as Marlia City. She recalled being turned around more times than she could count during her two-month excursion at Hullington Primary Academy. If it weren't for meeting Hotaru, Will, and John, she'd probably still be all alone in Wiccastrea.

Chiaki then glanced over to Will. On the surface, the boy appeared to have resumed his usual stoic demeanor. But…his eyes. Something about them rang unusual, something she'd never seen before. Guilt washed over her. Had she known he was experiencing such inner turmoil, she would have recognized the emotional weight of seeing the Monarchs and would not have snapped at him in the way she did.

But still…she couldn't get over what she had seen. She hadn't had a vision in years, not since her time in Wiccastrea. This one, however, was not as vivid. It came to her in increments, but even those few pieces were enough to make her heart race.

Looming Shadow…

Golden Eyes…

Red…

She clenched her left hand tightly in front of her chest. I can't let it come true, she told herself. Not again… With so few details shown to her, she had no clue as to how she could prevent a potential tragedy. Her friends meant the world to her… If anything were to happen to them, she would...

The blue-haired girl cleared her throat, pulling Chiaki away from her thoughts. "Ahem. Well, seein' as we'll be up here for a while, we should take this time to get to know one another. That and I'd also like to know the names of my saviors. That okay with youse guys?"

The other three exchanged glances and nodded. Chiaki straightened her hat, taking this as her cue to begin.

"My name is Chiaki Sakaki. I'm a witch from the Flaystein Coven in the Witch Isles of Wiccastrea." She glanced over to her friends and smiled gently. "Though my parents were against it, I ultimately chose to forego my final year at Green Man's Academy of Witchcraft so I could attend secondary school with my friends here in Marlia City."

"Chiaki…" The blue-haired girl repeated the name to herself before finally nodding. "Cute name."

Chiaki blushed. It was the same thing John, his brother, Hotaru, and Will had all said about her name when they first met. And the pattern seemed to be continuing here.

"Ain't it?!" Hotaru chimed in. "Feel free to call her Chi-Chi if you like."

"—!" Chiaki turned beet red and fixed her best friend with a stony glare. "Q-Quiet, you!"

She reached over to try and bonk Hotaru on the head, but even aboard this cumulus cloud with so little space, the smaller girl evaded the blow with relative ease and grinned playfully.

"Sweet! So you're from the Flaystein Coven, huh?" The blue-haired girl looked Chiaki over. "Whenever witches are brought up, the Flaysteins usually get the spotlight."

I doubt it's for good reasons.

With Chiaki's introduction finished, everyone's eyes were now on Hotaru. Slightly taken aback by this, she smiled sheepishly.

"Oh! 'Kay, so, I'm Hotaru. Hotaru Hyakuya! Born and raised here in Marlia City. I was born with superhuman strength and durability…" She flexed her arms for emphasis. "...and I'm currently training to get even stronger!"

"And it shows!" the blue-haired girl beamed. "You were awesome back there!"

"Heh, thanks!"

"Hey, don't go gassing her head up." Will finally broke his silence, sounding more like his old self. "You do that, next thing you know, she'll try and stop a runaway monorail or catch an airship out of the sky." 

Hotaru puffed her cheeks. "Oh, come on! Even I know I'm not that strong…" She paused, her eyes darting mischievously before raising her index finger. "...Not yet."

The boy sighed and Chiaki giggled. It seemed the Will they knew and loved had returned.

"Ah, so you wanna be as strong as the Four Pillars or Phoenix headmaster Blûd Payne?" The blue-haired girl leaned in closer, captivated by what she was hearing.

Hotaru's grin grew wider. "Even stronger!"

The blue-haired girl nodded. "Well, I'm looking to get stronger, myself. Think you and I could spar sometime in the near future?"

Hotaru's eyes lit up at the prospect. "Oh, hell yeah! You're on!"

Chiaki shook her head but she couldn't stop the smile forming on her lips. Hotaru had finally found a new sparring buddy besides Will or John.

After a brief pause, Will straightened up. "William B. Fox. I was born in Brookville, but I've been going to school in Marlia City since Hullington Primary. That's how I met these girls. As you've probably noticed, I'm a gyromancer, the rarest of the four Celestial Arts."

"Incredibly so!" approved the blue-haired girl. "So, is it a bloodline thing, or did you learn it through training?"

His expression darkened a bit. "Bloodline. My… My father was born with it…"

"Oh, I see. You were pretty cool, too!" Her praise was short-lived upon noticing his dismay. She then changed the subject. "S-So your middle initial. What does the 'b' stand for?"

"Battler."

Her face glowed again. "Epic!"

He averted his gaze. "You…think so?"

"Yeah!"

Well now… Chiaki thought her eyes were deceiving her. Only Hotaru and herself could make Will—a well-known stoic—blush like that, but here came this new girl, charming it up like a storm and making it look easy.

Oh, my… She grinned to herself. What do we have here?

"Guess that just leaves me." The blue-haired girl folded her legs, placing a hand on her chest. "My name is Daytona Fields. I'm an Electro mage. As you can guess from my surname, I was born in the Great Forest of Everwood, the Eternal Fields to be exact. I grew up in Lotan, New Dragonia, though, so I wouldn't necessarily call myself an Everwoodian. You lot may have already figured it out based on my appearance…" She reached up and ran a hand through her teal blue hair. Her index finger rested on her yellow lightning bolt strand. "But I am the illegitimate child of a noble. A noble who belonged to the House of Mazin!"

Chiaki frowned at her use of the past tense. "Belonged?"

"Yeah, my mum. She passed away shortly after I was born." Daytona pointed to her Minerva tank top. "This belonged to her. It's all I have to remember her by."

"Oh…" Chiaki pursed her lips and bowed slightly. "My condolences."

"Yeah, same here." Hotaru nodded with an understanding expression on her face. One that Chiaki and Will were all too familiar with.

"Ditto," Will said. "Not getting the chance to meet one of your parents, that's…" He paused. There was a look in his eyes that told Chiaki he was speaking from the heart. "That's gotta be rough."

"Thanks, you guys. When I learned of her death, it tore me apart for a while…but I'm fine, now." Daytona smiled brightly. Perhaps an attempt to conceal her melancholy. "Besides, my da's done a damn good job raising me on 'is own!"

"Oooh, what's he like?" Hotaru asked.

"He's…" Daytona paused as if carefully considering her answer, before finally speaking up. "He's just some big jolly bloke who lives in the forest. Likes to wrestle all kinds o' bears. Drop bears, grizzlies, short faces, you name it."

"Is he an Electro mage, too?" inquired Chiaki.

"Oh, yeah! He's the best, in fact! Stronger than any mage from House Mazin or McDonald alive today."

Hotaru's blue eyes lit up once more. "Ooh, he sounds awesome!" She pumped her fists."If he's that strong, I'd love to spar against him one day!"

"Hey, now," Daytona chuckled. "You're pretty strong, but my da's as tough as they come."

"That only makes me wanna spar with him more!"

Chiaki laughed. "Looks like you two are hitting it off just fine." Her eyes settled on her spheric wristwatch. The Chrono sprite imbued into the device stood in the center, its right hand counted the hours while its left managed the minutes.

"7:23…" She returned her gaze to the others. "We should probably be on our way to school, you guys."

"Yeah, you're right." Daytona then turned to Will. "I'll have Max drop you off, first then. Phoenix Academy is southwest of Requiem, innit?"

"Yeah," Will confirmed with a nod. "I appreciate it."

"No, problem. Max! Set course for Phoenix Military Academy!"

Preep-prreeeeeep!

As Max began its route down Hullington Road, Daytona suddenly hammered her fist into her palm.

"Oh! I was hopin' I'd run into some Requiem schoolmates." She unwrapped her Requiem blouse from around her waist, holding it up to the others. "Cuz I've got a bit of a problem on my hands."

"Whoa!"

"Oooh. Yikes."

Hotaru and Chiaki gasped as they got a good look at the blouse. If one could even call it that anymore. Half of the cloth was already burned to a crisp, the Requiem emblem had nearly melted, and only the top part retained its signature purple color.

Chiaki was at a loss for words. After a few moments of struggling to come up with something, she decided to simply speak from the heart.

"How did this happen and why?"

Embarrassed, Daytona's cheeks flushed. "W-Well, as I've said, I'm an Electro mage and um…Every so often, whenever I'm doing any mundane chores involving electricity, like ironing, my mana pool kinda sorta…goes friggin' haywire!" She held up the rag again. "Exhibit A."

Chiaki put a hand to her chin. "Hmm…" If the accident had occurred not too long ago, then the blouse wasn't beyond saving. "How long has it been since then? Do you recall the approximate time?"

"Mmm, yesterday evening, around…I wanna say…7:45 PM?"

"Nine hours and twenty-two minutes since then…" She mulled it over some more. Finally, she turned to the blue-haired girl, a look of determination settled in her eyes.

"I can fix it."

Daytona's eyes went wide. "Y-You can?"

"Mm-hmm. Let me have a look." Upon touching the ruined blouse, Chiaki brought her hand down to the burned area. She opened her palm, closed her eyes, channeled her mana, and…

Inversio!

Suddenly, the blouse began to emit a bright golden aura. And then, from out of thin air, countless miniature clocks materialized around it, their hands dialing backward at a rapid pace.

"Wha…?" Daytona was beside herself. She turned to Hotaru. "Th-This is…"

"Yep!" Hotaru affirmed, nodding proudly. "Willy isn't the only one here that can use a Celestial Art."

"Gods…" Daytona exhaled. "A human girl with super strength, a gyromancer, and a chronomage all in one morning…." She shook her head in disbelief. "You lot are somethin' else!"

Chiaki remained focused on the task at hand. As the seconds flew by, Daytona's blouse began to resemble its base form. The black burn marks faded and a familiar purple fabric began to weave itself back into place. The shielded Requiem emblem sewn on the breast pocket was no longer melted and looked far more presentable than it did previously.

7:47 PM…7:46 PM…7:45 PM!

It was finished. Chiaki interrupted the spell from going back any further and held up a short-sleeved Requiem uniform blouse similar to hers and Hotaru's.

She peeked around it and smiled warmly. "There. Good as new!"

"Whoa…" Daytona took the blouse and looked it over. She felt around for burn marks with her thumbs, but there weren't any to speak of. She finally glanced up at Chiaki, her eyes swam with tears. "Chiaki, I…I can't tell you how much this was stressing me out." She then smiled brightly and her yellow irises seemed to glow. "Thanks! I won't ever forget this!"

"No problem," beamed Chiaki. "Glad I could help."

GREOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!

They were interrupted by the sound of an earsplitting roar. The foursome covered their ears and looked around for the source of the horrible sound.

"Ugh! What the hell was that?!" Hotaru, irritated, frantically searched for the source.

Daytona shrugged. "Whatever it was, it damn near blew out my eardrum! Anything you recognize, Chiaki?"

"Mmm, no clue. The loudest roar of any living mabeast would belong to a manticore, but that's a land creature."

Whatever had made that sound, it couldn't have been from Terra's ecosystem. When it came to magifauna, the children of the magical world were well-educated, from recognizing their cries to eating habits and even the markings of their territory. This was done to reduce the number of student fatalities over the previous decades.

This was a cry neither of them had ever heard in all their years of studying.

Could it have come from beyond The Yolk? That was a possibility, but it would not have gotten past the Zorro Unit, a group of mercenaries tasked with keeping an eye on The Yolk and its twelve warp zones for monster invasions. They've been doing it for so long that a blunder like this would be devastating to their reputation.

"Um, guys?"

Just as Chiaki continued to wrack her brain on this matter, Will's voice disrupted her thoughts. He pointed at something flying in the distance. A large, dark figure with matching dark wings was soaring in their general direction.

Will was the first to stand. He locked eyes with the creature, his gyro aura coursing through him.

"Hotaru…"

"Yeah…" She stood beside him and assumed her fighting stance. "Daytona, Chiaki, get behind us."

"W-Wait a second, you two!" Chiaki raised a hand in protest. "You might provoke it, like that. We don't know what this creature is—"

GREOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!

With blinding speed, the thing soared straight at them, slamming into Max with great force.

Preep-pre-pre-prreeeeee!!

Max cried out in pain and began to bounce, twist, and jerk in random directions. The sentient cumulus then did what they all feared, he tipped over. The four teens screamed and hollered as they struggled to hold on.

"Max, no!" Daytona was the first to lose her balance, she tried to grab onto the Max, but her hand only caught air.

"Shit, shit, shit!!"

The others watched in horror as their new friend began to descend hundreds of feet to the ground below.

"AAAAAAAH!!"

"No!!"

"DAYTONA!!"

As Chiaki and Hotaru cried out, Will didn't hesitate. His aura had now engulfed his entire body. Using his feet to push against the air, he dove after her like an airstrike missile.

"Will, be careful!"

This is going against regulations, but I don't have much choice!

Chiaki quickly opened a small rift and pulled out her trusty broom from her spatial pocket. Letting go of Max, she mounted the broomstick and then turned to reach out to her best friend.

"Hotaru, with me!"

"Mm!!" Still holding on to Max, the smaller girl nodded before grabbing Chiaki's hand and hoisting herself onto the broom behind her.

"Hold on tight!"

"'Kay!" She wrapped her arms around Chiaki's waist.

As the two began their descent, they noticed that they were over Hullington Public Park. A few feet below them, Will had caught Daytona and was close to reaching the ground. Chiaki and Hotaru then turned their attention back to the sky.

"Hey, Chi-Chi…where did that thing go?"

"That's a good question. Keep your eyes peeled."

"On it!!"

They scanned the area around them, but the creature was nowhere to be found. Did it give up? Unlikely, Chiaki thought. Why go through the trouble of knocking us down if it didn't plan to continue its assault?

"Uh…Chiaki?"

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over them. Chiaki's breath caught in her throat and the terror of the situation caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

I didn't even hear it approach us!

Without a second thought, she accelerated and descended further, hearing a faint swipe at the air from behind them, narrowly avoiding a potential fatality. When they reached ground level, the girls dismounted the broom and ran across the grassy field and over to the concrete mage battlefields where their friends had landed.

"Are you guys alright?" worried Chiaki.

"Yeah…" With Daytona still in his arms, Will gently lowered her legs to the ground. She staggered, but he was there to catch her once more, slinging her arm over his shoulder.

"Th-Thanks, Will. That's twice now you've saved my hide…" She grimaced. "Ow! My neck is killing me."

Chiaki rushed over to Daytona and looked her over. "Hmm… Don't move your head too much," she warned. "That collision might've given you whiplash."

DOON!

Something massive slammed into the pavement just a few feet away. All four sets of eyes were drawn to the noise, landing on the creature. Initially, its appearance was indistinguishable, but its features were now much more visible. It stood well over seven feet tall. Its skin was almost obsidian. It had the head and upper torso of a human male, but everything below the belt favored beasts of various species. The creature's eyes were sealed shut. It cocked its head and sniffed the air, as if trying to locate the teenagers in front of it, its neck creaking and snapping loudly as it moved to the left, then to the right.

Chiaki closed her eyes and placed two fingers on her chest. She quickly shuddered as the monster released a massive amount of magical energy. Its aura was hostile and red; most humanoid creatures couldn't handle such power. That is if said creature was conceived naturally in the first place.

"—Ah!" Chiaki felt a sense of dread as realization struck her. The monster suddenly emerged from out of nowhere. It managed to fly around undetected by any mercenaries or monster hunters. Not to mention its unusual mana pool and hastily thrown-together appearance.

There was only one name for such a being.

"It has to be a…a Chimera…"

A brief silence followed Chiaki's words. No one could refute her claim. Chimerization in modern times, on the other hand, was a shocking thing to witness as the practice had been outlawed for decades.

Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, the chimera's closed sockets snapped wide open.

Chiaki's heart sank. No… No, it can't be…

But it was. Her body trembled. She was seeing fragments of her jumbled vision come to life. The monster's eyes were large and bulbous…glowing a bright golden.

It's happening…There's no way to stop it…

Will guided Daytona over to Chiaki, ensuring she was secure before turning to face the chimera. He stepped forward and Hotaru joined him by his side.

"Hotaru, Will, what are you…?"

The two of them stopped, not taking their eyes off the monster. Will then raised his hands and a large purple barrier formed around the chimera, encapsulating it.

GREEAOOOAH?!

It flailed and circled inside the small space, trying to find a way out. When that venture failed, it began vigorously slamming its weight into the barrier in an attempt to break it.

"This thing..." Will began. There was clear anger in the boy's voice, his gyro mana still flowing around him. "Is it from the vision you had earlier, Chiaki?"

"I..."

"Cuz if it is..." Hotaru pounded her fist into her open palm, her knuckles cracking. "Then best believe we're gonna kick its ass!!"

"You guys..." Her lip quivered, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I..." She knew they had been backed into a corner. She knew they had no other choice but to fight. And she knew her request was going to sound selfish and beyond anyone's power to fulfill, but still...she had to say it.

"Please don't... I can't lose you...either of you..."

"Chiaki…" Daytona placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You're not gonna lose us!" shouted Hotaru, turning to lock eyes with her best friend. "Mr. Pete has put Will and me through hell and back with his training, all to prepare us for moments like these! So please…" She gave a comforting smile. "Have a little faith in your friends, okay?"

"Hotaru…" Chiaki bit her lip, then hung her head low. She knew better than anyone that her friends had been undergoing rigorous training to become the best mages they could be. She knew that, yet here she was trying to baby them like they were still children. This burden wasn't something she had to face alone…but the fear of losing them always seemed to creep back in.

She clenched her fists tight. Hotaru's right…I need to have more faith. Alright then…

She swallowed, wiped away her tears, and then nodded. "Go get 'im," she said with newfound confidence. "I'll support you two from the rear!"

The two nodded and assumed their fighting stances. Chiaki reached into her bag and produced a small glass bottle with green liquid, turning to Daytona and handing it to her.

"Here, take this. It should ease your pain momentarily, but you'll need to see a nurse when we get to school."

"Agh…Hm? Don't you mean if we get to school?"

Chiaki scowled. "When we get to school!" she reiterated. "Now take that potion!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Daytona sprang to life, opening the bottle cap and downing its contents in one gulp. In mere seconds she was strong enough to support her own weight again.

"Are you any good at long-range spells?"

"Y-Yeah, I can manage." Daytona reached into her own bag and pulled a metal-plated glove over her right hand. "I'm good to go!"

"Good," Chiaki smiled. She opened her spatial pocket and switched out her broom for a wand made from the branch of a white Everwoodian poplar tree. A bit old-fashioned for the modern witch, but Chiaki thought it suited her just fine.

GREOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!

The chimera slammed into Will's barrier once more, shattering it before lunging at the four teens. Hotaru and Will charged, she went to the left, and he went to the right.

"Hit him with all you got, Hotaru!"

"Right!" She leaped forward, letting her mana circulate through her small frame before throwing a punch at the massive beast.

"HAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

BWHAM!!

The blow landed clean on the chimera's face, its body jerked back, but it remained on its feet, much to the surprise of everyone present.

Hotaru landed on her feet, bewildered. "What the…?"

"Don't let up!" Will came in floating from the creature's right, bringing his right leg down like an ax on its exposed abdomen. The impact forced the chimera's legs to partially dig into the ground. Will floated backward, brought his fists together, and fired a beam of purple energy toward the chimera.

GREOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!

The creature cried out as the concussive beam overwhelmed it. It got down on all fours and the ground below began to give way.

"Hotaru, now!"

Hotaru charged at the beast, clasping her hands together and striking it top its head, causing it to collapse, its body being pushed further into the ground by Will's Gyro Blast.

Chiaki marveled at the quick work her friends were making of this creature of unknown origin, and a small part of her began to feel hopeful.

"Will, gimme a lift!" Hotaru ran over to the taller boy and jumped on top of his shoulders. Will, who was still keeping the monster at bay, managed to envelop his friend with his aura, shooting her up high into the air.

"Whoa!" Daytona exclaimed. "Are you sure they need us?"

Chiaki didn't answer. She simply just stared in awe.

They really have become a lot stronger…and more organized!

Hotaru repositioned herself in midair, focusing her mana specifically on her arms, which took on a more toned appearance than normal. She floated directly over her target. As the purple aura disappeared, inertia began the process of bringing her back down.

"TAKE THIIIIIS!!"

KRAKOOOOM!!

With immense force, she slammed her fist into the creature's back, the impact causing the ground to shake under them, and a moment later exploded in a cloud of dust and debris.

"..."

"..."

"Holy shit…Did she get it?" Daytona wondered, trying her best to peer through the billowing smoke.

When the dust cleared, atop the massive creature stood Hotaru standing proudly, a wide grin spread across her face.

"Heh, easy peasy!"

Will sighed, relieved to see that his friend was alright. "Hold it," he warned. "Remember what Mr. Pete told us about monsters, A lot of them tend to play dead and wait for their prey to lower their guard. Check to see if it's actually dead, first. And if not…"

"Double tap?"

He nodded. "Exactly."

Hotaru crouched down and gave the chimera's body a once over.

"Mmm, well, it's bleeding blue stuff and it isn't breathing, so I guess—"

GREOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!

The chimera rose back to its feet, its eyes producing a luminescent glow. An inky black substance emerged from its body, covering its wounds and in no time at all, the creature was fully healed. Truly, this was a monster beyond the pale.

"Whoa!" yelped Hotaru as she fell to the ground and rolled away from the creature. "Nevermind, then! What now?"

Chiaki held her wand aloft, her mana coursing through her.

"Daytona!"

"Right!"

The girls took their positions and cast their spells.

"Fortis Ignis!!"

"Fortis Fragore!!"

Their doublecant volley launched toward the chimera. And then all of a sudden, it did something that neither party would've accounted for.

"Huh?"

"No friggin' way…"

Their spells fizzled out. The chimera had wrapped itself in a protective barrier, its body covered in a familiar purple aura. Gyro aura.

Will's eyes widened. "D-Did it just…?"

"It…It copied Will's spell!" Chiaki couldn't believe what she had just seen. If it could mimic Gyro magic, then could it possibly do the same with the spells they had just cast?

"This is bad…"

The creature then aimed its talon in their general direction. A split second later, a volley of fire was rocketing toward them.

It copied Fortis Ignis as well!

"Chiaki, look out!!"

VWOOOOM!!

There was a sudden noise and Chiaki was immediately swept off her feet. She turned to see who was carrying her. Her eyes met with Daytona's, who narrowly evaded the fire spell at hypersonic speed.

"Huh, Daytona?"

Daytona then set her down several yards away. Chiaki glanced over at her.

"Th-Thanks!"

"Damn," Daytona panted, holding her back. "You're a lot heavier than I thought you'd be. Guess you've got it where it counts."

Chiaki's face flushed. "E-Excuse me?!"

"Anyway, there's something, I wanna try…" Daytona's eyes flicked over to the chimera. "Oh, this might get a bit hazardous, so you may want to stand back a couple of feet."

"Uh, sure." Chiaki began walking backward. "But why? What are you planning?"

"Just a little something my da taught me…" Daytona bent her knees and placed a hand on the pavement, and a rippling blue aura encircled her body.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"

Electricity then surged around her body. The dust from the rubble ahead of them was being drawn towards her.

"Gods…"

"What is she…?"

"Cool!"

Chiaki and the others gaped at the phenomena unfolding before them. Dust particles were now swirling around Daytona's arms and fingers, transmuting and protruding into the form of claws. Daytona's usual yellow-colored eyes had been replaced with a light blue color flowing with voltaic energy.

Did she just manipulate the iron in the ground into a makeshift weapon? Chiaki's brain was struggling to keep up with this new development. Electromagnetism was a common ability among Electro mages, but due to the skill's destructive potential, it was often reserved for mages with some experience.

Simply put, seeing someone as young as Daytona pull off such a feat was, for lack of a better word…shocking.

Daytona's iron sand claws were fully formed. She raised her head and stared up at the chimera.

"..."

"..."

Daytona zipped toward the creature without wasting another second, but it was even faster. Chiaki didn't even notice the creature move before it appeared above Daytona and swung its talons at her. As she feared, the chimera appeared to have mimicked Daytona's speed as well.

Chiaki quickly raised her wand and focused her mana.

"Tutela!"

SCHIIIING!

A barrier formed around Daytona's body, and the monster's claws made contact, the impact pushing its arms backward.

"Thanks for the save!" Daytona then zigzagged around the chimera, slicing at its torso in an 'x' formation with her iron sand claws. The creature, however, raised its talons to deflect the blue-haired girl's attack.

"Shit, I'm running out of time!" With her first maneuver having failed, Daytona slipped under the chimera, appearing at its rear, and buried her foot into its back.

GREOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!

"Oh, hell yeah! This is totally a weak spot!" Daytona grinned as she took her other foot and continued kicking the monster rapidly with both feet. "How do ya like this?!"

"Hey! Don't hog 'im all to yourself!" Hotaru wiped the dust from her uniform before sprinting over to join in on the action. She leaped forward and slammed her right knee into the creature's plexus, causing it to lean forward. She followed up with a right-handed uppercut, forcing its head to jerk back.

"Let's finish it off!"

"Yeah!"

As Hotaru and Daytona closed in on the chimera, it crossed its arms and a purple aura surrounded its body once more.

"This is bad…" Will rose into the air, raising his right hand. "Ugh! I can't dispel it! How is it already this powerful?! Chiaki, it's going to emit a gyro pulse!"

"Oh, no!" Chiaki raised her wand. "Tutela!"

VWHUUUUUUUUM!

""""AAAAAHHH!!!""""

Just as Chiaki's barrier spell formed around them, the chimera parted its arms, and a massive shock wave swept through the area, knocking all four teenagers back several feet. Chiaki's heart pounded in her chest, and her nerves were at an all-time high. This creature was getting to be too much for them. Even their most powerful attacks were proving ineffective. With running now out of the question, there wasn't much else that could possibly get them out of this mess. Except, perhaps...

"—!"

Will's grunt dragged her from her reverie. She watched as her battered and bruised friend quickly rose to his feet and resumed his fighting stance, his magical aura now rippling violently.

"Will, whatever you do, don't cast any new spells! " Chiaki called out to him. "It already replicated your barriers and my pyro spell. Now it has Daytona's speed and, more than likely, her electromagnetism!"

Will nodded. "Noted."

"Urk!!"

"H-Hey, Daytona! What happened to you?!"

Chiaki turned around to see Hotaru inspecting Daytona. She jogged over to see what the problem was, and her jaw dropped as soon as she arrived.

"Oh, Mother have mercy…"

Daytona had crumpled to the ground. Her iron sand had worn off, but her face was now reddened, and her arms appeared to have second-degree burns.

"Sorry, mates…when I use my Electro magic for too long…I…tend to overheat, heh heh…Augh!!" She tried to smile, but even attempting that action seemed to cause her a great deal of pain.

Hotaru turned to Chiaki, her eyes gleaming. She uttered not a word, but her eyes spoke for her: Can you help her?

Chiaki made no hesitation. She lowered her wand and channeled her mana toward the injured girl. Daytona's injuries weren't too severe, and she hadn't been in this state for very long, so casting a Chrono spell seemed like the best option.

Inversio!

Miniature clocks materialized around Daytona, but just as the hands began to turn…

GREOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!

Will was attacked by the chimera, which thrust its large talon forward. He had just enough time to put up a barrier before being knocked off balance and sent tumbling.

"Agh!!"

"Will!" cried Hotaru.

The chimera took off quickly, continuing its charge. Its body was now completely engulfed in Electro mana. Its large right talon began to spin like a tendril, bringing it within yards of Chiaki and Daytona.

"CHIAKI!!!!!!"

SQWELP!!

Chiaki was halfway through reversing Daytona's wounds when blood suddenly splattered across her face and clothes.

"—Ahh!"

An awkward silence followed and Chiaki went completely still. The last thing she heard was her best friend crying out her name followed by a horrible sound. What happened? Did they manage to defeat the chimera? If so, why was it so quiet? As she began to turn her head, her conscience screamed at her.

No!! Don't! Don't look!!

 Huh? Why?

Just don't!!

"Hotaru…no…"

"..."

Chiaki glanced over at Daytona, who was staring straight ahead with a horrified expression on her face. She then looked over to see Will wearing the same expression. What about Hotaru? She shook her head, silencing her negative thoughts. Turning to see what had the others in such a daze, she saw the chimera standing tall, its arm raised.

"No…"

When she looked up, her heart sank. There she saw Hotaru, hoisted up in the air like a trophy, the monster's large talon protruding from her back. Blood poured from her wound, forming a massive pool on the ground below.

Red…

"—!" Chiaki dropped to her knees. Her body shook violently and she couldn't fight back the tears. Her vision, the one she'd fought so hard to avoid had come true. Where did she go wrong? What reason was there to involve the ones she loved? Why couldn't it have just taken her instead?

Why? Why? WHY?!

FWUMP!

Chiaki glanced up at the noise. Hotaru's body had been dropped right in front of her. She began to hyperventilate. Her head felt as if it were about to split open.

She crawled over to her friend, her fingers carelessly digging into the rubble.

"Hotaru…no, no, no…Gods, please…not Hotaru…" Chiaki's tears pelted Hotaru's skin. Her now lifeless blue eyes were still bright and lovely. Here lay the girl who pulled Chiaki out of the darkness, who helped her break out of her shell, who had stood by her through thick and thin. She was much more than just her best friend. She was a large piece of her world. And now…

"HOTARUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuu!!!"

…that piece had been devastated before her very eyes.