Saraline, Dara and Psylaiso were sitting in the pool of blood— their eyes laid down back at the crevice where Malzer stared back.

  Shrugging.

  “How many days since we went to Ostra?” Psylaiso mumbled to Saraline.

  “It was the 16th of October— now I can’t tell what day is when with a sky that stays the same.” The Failure stared at the green sky with a puzzled confusion, “Atleast several days, maybe the 22nd?”

  “Saraline, we need to clear up the air.” Dara sighed, she put her palm on the Rebel’s shoulders.

  “In consideration of?”

  “In consideration of Jeremiah.” The hyde turned to Psylaiso, her eyes meeting the slime’s. “You too, you both didn’t need to go against him that way, he was facing Samiel.”

  “Samiel? What a bunch of rubbish, if I—”

  “You can’t even kill Teysu, you lost your sword and you devoted most of your time to being a swordsman. Now you are just some brawler.”

  “Lost my sword?” Saraline flung the jagged blade out of it’s sheath, waving it around. “Seems prettly safe to me.”

  “Sara.” Psylaiso muttered, “Stop being funny, it’s not the time.”

  “I mean aren’t we Rebels that are supposed to save people. It’s funny that not only do we lose at trying to join forces with Medea but we also lose at saving anyone in Floria! We truly are a joke!” Saraline stood up, her entire poncho covered in blood.

  The other two shuddered.

  “Saraline…” Malzer sobbed.

  Saraline turned around, “I mean, I live up to my nickname don’t I? Failure! I’m such a fucking failure! A selfish loser who still can’t save a life, still can’t do anything! I was right back in the Reprisal all those years ago! Medea was right, I indulge in madness because I know I am too weak to stop it! I know! Even Nil was right and we mercilessly killed her— she called us scum! Scum!”

  “If it’s true then why not try improve some more?” Psylaiso somberly spoke.

  “Because I’ve tried all these years darling, all these years and I still haven’t even taken the first step! I even outbursted at teenager that probably tried his best, I wasn’t even here. What right did I have shouting at Jeremiah?

  Dara was right here as-well, I’m no longer a master swordsman. I rely on these ugly fists, these stupid knuckles and I bludgeon people. But I’m not even good at that! I can’t even recall the last time I won a fight without help!” Saraline chucked her blade into the ocean of blood.

  “You don’t gain anything from beating yourself up, it’ll just make you useless for when war comes.” Dara itched her neck, “Be logical please— even during an emotional time.”

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  “War? What am I going to do in war other than be a meaningless casualty! Hell I’d love it if some piece of shit creature came out of nowhere and spawned right here.” Saraline stomped into the floor, “Right here! Right now! Some fucking demon takes my soul!”

  SLAP!

  Dara stood up and slapped Saraline across the face. The Hyde’s face was full of rage, her brows furrowed as her eyes spiralled.

  “Pick yourself up the ground dumbass. You’re going insane in front of your wife.” Dara Sepers pointed at Psylaiso.

  The slime was recoiling, not from fear or disgust or envy or sadness but an emotion.

  Saraline inhaled then exhaled.

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “I know divine people don’t age like we do but aren’t you the oldest here? Get a grip please, Saraline Grover.” Dara re-adjusted her lab-coat. “As I said, I’ll make a speculation that the survivors of Floria’s destruction are probably in the Cathedral. Another speculation is that a lot of people are now fed up with Thidos or Xeras’s shit so they probably just went where we came from.

  Ostra.”

  “So what do we do? Go back? I don’t wanna go through that again.” Psylaiso sobered up and spoke.

  “Yeah, we need to evacuate from here. If Samiel destroyed this universe then I don’t think that this little chunk of landmass will exist for much longer.”

  “How does it even work?”

  “Who knows— we got to go somewhere though and I know we won’t be appreciated in Invalia.”

  “Yeah.” Saraline confirmed, “Considering we’ve been facing the Big Three, I’d say that narrows the slim chance to a nil.”

  “Nil.” Dara looked onto the floor. The sea of blood began to form small bubbles that floated into the air before popping shortly after. “She’s dead, we killed her.”

  “Surprisingly Zero wasn’t so emotionally changed from it.” Psylaiso smirked, “You’d think he’d say something or get revenge. Did he even find out?”

  “I wouldn’t want to open that can of worms.” Dara chuckled, alongside the two.

  “He seemed a bit cultish when we saw him.” Saraline chuckled, “Maybe I should beat the fuck out of him, knock out that ‘Savior’ mindset outta him. Grover Way.”

  “What’s ‘Grover Way’.”

  “Oh boy!” Saraline leaned back, stretching. “Grover Way is the best way, my dad taught me sword-fighting back when I was like four. So I’ve been slicing and cutting for decades now, it’s just a special type of fighting style. Another one is ‘Bastard’.”

  “Now what is ‘Bastard’?” Psylaiso’s eyes lowered, unimpressed.

  “Ho ho!” Saraline held her stomach as she gave out a loud laugh. “Bastard is fighting with no regards— biting, kicking, pulling, spitting, flipping, dipping, sipping, ripping, kipping—”

  “Shut up.”

  “It’s what we did in our first fight together!”

  “Ew!” Dara shrieked.“Not even like that! We actually fought when we first met!” Saraline waved her arms.

  “You know how I got this beauty?” Psylaiso taunted Dara, “I copied Saraline’s body at first then smoothed it out into being a slick, beauty.”

  “Hell it worked.” Saraline laughed. “Hell! I’ve needed a good laugh, haven’t had that in a while!”

  “Me neither— I remember something strange while we travelling back though.”

  “What was it?” Psylaiso peered closer to the girl who frantically jumped back.

  “I don’t even remember! Don’t do that— you’re leaning in crazily!”

  “Sorry…”

  “Wait Psylaiso! You can morph your body into anything right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hell, when this is all done with. Me and Dara can see you do impressions!” Saraline hung her arm around Dara, staring at the slime. “That work with you?”

  “Yeah.” Psylaiso nodded, same with Dara.

  “That settles it. Now, I say we get the fuck out of Floria and go straight back to Ostra! Let’s leg it!” Saraline darted backward before halting, looking back into the crevice. “You too Malzer! I ain’t leaving behind anyone else!”

  “Relax!” Malzer quickly got out the crevice, running alongside the other three.

  Psylaiso stared at Saraline who was ahead of everyone, thinking.

  (‘She was just scared a moment ago, but now she’s smiling. Joking, happy. It’s why I love her, she can be herself truly— we can laugh and cry together.

  She’s my heart.’)

  She stared at the crystalized ring on her finger, before looking back and seeing everyone caught up and raced ahead of her.

  “What the!”

  She then stared at Dara, whose feet were now an orange hue and monstrous. “Cheater! How can you even use Rallio like that?”

  Dara turned around and blew a raspberry before pacing alongside Saraline to Ostra.