La Recoleto

7

I wake up, blinking my eyes several times in the process. Direct sunlight is hitting my face. I shift my eyes over to the side of me, locating Purple in the process. He is leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He is humming with his eyes looking towards the ground. Suddenly, as if he feels my eyes on him, his eyes flash up to mine. He pushes himself off the tree and heads over my way.

"Are you already altered, Leona Roja?" I motion for him to lean down.

When he did, I whisper in his ear, "Ni soñarlo, puto." Grabbing a stray rock shard, I stab him in the kidney. Taking advantage of the moment, I roll off the rock, my back holding pieces of gravel in it. Using my elbows and knees, I drag myself along the ground, trying to get away. Recovering himself, Purple gets on all fours and crawls beside me.

"You were so close to receiving new potential!" I keep on going.

"Don't you get it? You are free! No longer will you have to save them! You will no longer have to feel guilty every time you kill them." I pause for a millisecond, then I keep moving. "Don't deny it. We both know the truth." I finally get to a tree and use it to pull myself up.

With my eyes still focused on the ground, I ask, "What makes you think I feel guilty?"

Standing up himself, he answers, "Because I see it in your eyes every time you cut their throats or put a fireball in their chests. Don't you want to be free from that?"

"I do," I reply softly, closing my eyes. "I do want to be free from that." The love in their hearts has not forgotten you, Gabs. Roy's words echo in my heart. I open my eyes. "But Darkness is not going to give me that, and if you really knew the truth, you and I would not be doing this."

I straighten myself, making myself a little taller. The Flos sanitatem on my arm had finished its work a long time ago. Now, it just sits on my arm, showing off that I had been to battle and had made it out alive. Almost made it out. Not quite there yet. Still slightly hunched over, I extend my arm out and flick my wrist up. A beautiful blade with a handguard that goes all the way around my wrist appears in my hand. Its broad edges and wide fuller sparkles in the sunlight. I look up at Purple through the strands of my hair. My eyes challenge him to try to do the same thing.

"So, you still need pain to be your teacher. Fine by me, Cordera." He stands back and extends out his arm. As his hand starts closing in around the air, a sword appears in his hand before it makes a fist. The sword curves all the way to its tip. However, this sword does not have a full blade like common swords. Instead, it has different branches of metal that extends from different parts of it. One branch extends adjacent from the hilt, and the two others parallel each other next to the tip of the blade. Pointing my blade down, I drag it along the the ground I myself just had crawled along. I run towards Purple, and as I get to him, I put my blade up. His blade comes crashing down on my mine with full force. I have to put my other hand on my blade to counteract the weight. I push hard against his blade, but it does not move. "Is that the best you can do?" Still using one hand, Purple increases the weight put on my blade. Then, a faint glow begins to appear next to Purple. He must not notice because his eyes are fixed on me. A relaxed smile is brandished on his face. The glowing becomes four figures. Faint outlines of Selah, Tulip, Ceon, and Roy are barely visible. Each figure places one of their hands on Purple's blade. Roy locks eyes with me, and it is like I can hear him saying, "Now go!"

Looking to Purple, I say with a smile, "Not quite." Mentally preparing myself for the full weight on one arm, I take the other off my blade and I put it on his. Summoning fire, I put all of my energy into heating up his weapon. It seems to work because Purple flinches and throws his sword up in the air. Taking the opportunity, I run and jump off a nearby tree. In slow motion, I bring my blade crashing down on his with full force, breaking it in half. Time resumes its normal rhythm when the pieces fall to the ground. I land on the ground, one hand on the ground between my legs while the other is in the air, firmly grasping my blade as it shimmers in the light. My eyes are concentrated on him. The intensity in them prods him. It is like they are saying, "Do it. Do it again. Summon another weapon, and it will share the same fate." My other hand flies to the blade's handle, and I charge Purple. I swipe at him, but he disappears before the blade makes contact. "Teleportation," I curse under my breathe. I turn around quickly, surveying every tree. Before I know it, the tip of a sword is at my neck. Purple stands before me, wielding my blade.

"Checkmate."

"More like stalemate."

He shrugs, saying, "You took my sword. I am just paying back the favor. Now, are we done messing around?"

"Define 'messing around'." He rolls his eyes.

"This," he gestures with the blade. "I always have you, and then you get a random burst of courage. Are you done? Are you done playing the hero?" I think this over carefully.

"I am done playing the hero, but I am not done fighting you." He sighs and looks away for a moment.

When his eyes come back to me, he remarks, "You are choosing the hard way, and I must admit, it may even hurt me."

"Why?" He disappears and teleports behind me.

In my ear, he says softly, "Because not only am I going to break your body, but I am also going to break your spirit." In a flash, he uses the hilt of the blade and rams it into my back in the same exact spot where the rock hit me. I gasp and fall to the ground. "Don't worry though," he continues as he teleports back in front of me. "You will be made new. Your body will heal and become stronger during the transformation."

"And my spirit?" I cough, blood coming out along with it. He gets eye level with me.

"I will make sure that becomes stronger too. We don't want you to relapse," he says, patting my head like I am an obedient dog. He then holds the blade up to the light and starts to examine it. "You know," he says thoughtfully. "Some blade users form their weapons from their own bodies and/or energy. It is said that if one breaks the blade, then the user's energy or body, whichever way the blade was made, will also be destroyed. Let's see which one you're using." He takes the blade, heats it up, and breaks it over his knee. Suddenly, a wave of nausea comes over me as power is drained from my body. Looking satisfied, he replies, "Energy is the winner."

"I am not a fool, Purple. I know what happens to those who use weapons from their bodies." He nods approvingly.

"Too true, and no doubt, Red Lioness, you will tear them all down, but your body needs to break first." With that, he holds out his hand and a new sword appears in his hand. It is more or less the same blade before but bigger and with sharper edges. My gaze lowers to the ground. "Your body will break first, then your spirit. Although, it seems like your spirit is already weakening. Jaja."

**

For the past few hours, Purple has been testing and strengthening my pain endurance, and I just let him. He keeps talking excitedly about how wonderful I will be as the Red Lioness and that those who dare defy me will end up bowing or dead. It's okay. I think as I shut my eyes. He doesn't know. He doesn't know that even if Darkness becomes my ally, I won't be able to actually sink into it. Not just because of Selah, Ceon, Tulip, and Roy, but because of him as well.

"Do you hear our friends crying out to you from the grave?" Purple says, interrupting my thoughts. "Don't worry. You're about to." He lifts me up in the air and slams me back first down onto the hard part of his knee. Cracking noises come from my spine as my bones snap into pieces. A scream of pain escapes my lips. I hang limply over his leg.

"Are you done yet?" I ask in a weak voice.

"Yes. You are finally ready." I nod.

"You are right. I am ready to fully accept my fate. Carry me over there?" I say, pointing to the rock. He picks me up in his arms and carries me over to the rock. When we get there, I fling my arms around his neck. "I am going to miss you, my friend." Then, I put my hand on his heart and command, "Stop." I am left with his body again. The reset already is activated. This will be the last time it is done so.