Dimensional Descent

Thanks to the live-in dorms of Royal Blue Academy, Aina was finally able to live a life close to normalcy after her 13th birthday.

She remembered meeting Savahn in her dorm rooms. Back then, Savahn had been a really shy and reserved person. She was a lot like Aina, having entered the Academy thanks to her talent rather than her family background.

For the first time, it was impossible for Yuri to become a wall against Aina meeting other people for the sake of her 'protection'. In addition, because of the environment, she had to tone down a lot of her usual personality, becoming a lot more quiet and reserved.

Thanks to this, Aina was able to meet and open up to Savahn. Learning that Aina was an orphan, Savahn instantly felt more relaxed. Without having to tiptoe around the heiress of some tycoon family or some arrogant princess noble, she was able to slowly open up and become more and more of herself.

Not long after Aina met Savahn, she met Leonel at their orientation. She honestly didn't remember much about that day at all, all she could remember was his bright smile.

He had his brothers around him and everyone seemed to gravitate toward him. She lost count of how many uppity noble girls cast him one or two extra glances, only to grow frustrated when he didn't seem to notice them back or practically faint when he smiled in return.

Aina had thought that he was the son of some famous noble, but she was shocked when she found out that his background was even poorer than Savahn's, actually coming from a Paradise Island.

From all the social conditioning she had been through, she had always thought that nobles were too high strung to ever care for a commoner like Leonel. But, he had already been proving them wrong for a very long time.

It wasn't until several weeks later their gazes finally met. As much as the first day was a blur, that day was something Aina remembered every moment of. It was as though her entire body had been shocked awake, her hairs standing on end and her heart beating wildly. Her blood rushed through her veins and the air flew from her lungs, retreating with no intention of coming back.

Leonel must have felt the same thing to, because despite all the girls he had ignored up to that point, despite all the popularity he had gathered, he dashed away from his brothers, appearing before her like a gust of wind.

"Will you please be my girlfriend?!"

The words came out like a clap of thunder. He probably hadn't tried to be so loud, but Aina became like a startled deer in headlights, his booming and confident voice becoming like an avalanche to her ears.

Before she realized what was happening, she, Aina Brazinger, someone who had never been embarrassed or shy a day in her life, rushed off as fast as her legs could carry her.

After that day, due to Leonel's popularity, Aina, who had been practically invisible to the young noble girls, had practically become public enemy number one. They couldn't get a glance but she got a confession? What made her worthy?

Aina never retaliated to the bullying. She had always tempered her mind and remained calm and calculating. It only seemed to be around Leonel that she completely lost control of her emotions, not knowing what to do with herself or even where to place her hands.

However, Savahn mistook her calmness for fragility, so she reformed herself, becoming something she was decidedly not. She became Aina's shield, protecting her from the hail of criticism and mean girl tactics of those dorm rooms for an entire four years…

Since that day, Aina had always had something to lean on. She no longer had 'no one else'. She had a friend willing to become a she-devil to protect her if need be… She had a crush that was willing to wade through hell and high water just for a chance she might say yes…

She knew that she didn't need Savahn's protection, she could have shut those girls up with a single punch. She knew that she couldn't say yes to Leonel, the weight on her shoulders was far too much and she had to give her goals too much of her focus…

And yet, she didn't stop either of them.

When Aina and Rychard appeared at the beginning of the wedding aisle, it was as though they had become the center of the world. Despite her blank stare forward, Aina was like a fairy, unfettered and unblemished by the mundane. Even if Rychard had been a wooden stick, everyone's attention would have been drawn to them.

The two slowly walked down the aisle, the blooming of the flower steadily reaching its peak.

Aina knew that she had been intoxicated by the feeling. For the first time in her life, she had received the attention, the support… the love she had always wanted. From then on, no matter what she did or how unreasonable she was, they were always by her side, even when she was uncommunicative, even when she blamed them for their weakness… Even when she left them behind.

They had always been there.

Over the years, she grew dependent on them, addicted to that feeling she had never had as a child, that feeling that should have been given to her by her mother, by her father…

The pair made their way down under the eyes of all. Rychard had his chest proudly out, a confident smile on his features as though what had happened previously never occurred.

Soon, such a woman would be his. Then, he would go off to the Void Palace and come back with the tools he needed to lead the Viola family into the Seventh Dimension and finally end this generations long war.

Ten feet… Eight… Five…

The flower slowly reached its peak, prepared to allow the world to see its glory. Motes of Force gathered around it, filling the air with a sweet and delicate scent.

Aina's vacant gaze became somewhat misty, but she didn't seem to notice at all, still blindly moving forward with her mind in other places. But, by now, the two had walked so far forward that the last line of spectators had been crossed. All anyone could see was the alluring view of her back.

The façade of Savahn had crumbled. Or, more accurately, she had finally told Aina the truth.

Over the years, she had grown tired of always being Aina's shield, silently waiting to be picked up when she was needed and dropped off when she wasn't.

And now, at this moment, when she was about to get married, she was no longer able to be here.

Then there was her father. He was a man who should have been there for her since the very beginning, loving and supporting her. But, he too had failed, captured and likely without a chance to be free for decades to come…

Her mother… She had died not long after Aina was old enough to remember her face. And yet now, she could only recall blurry pieces of her visage. She cobbled together pieces that seemed to make sense, but she had no way of even guaranteeing that the woman she remembered was indeed her mother…

And then there was Leonel… The love of her life…

Of them all, this was the only one that made Aina's heart move. It wasn't because it hurt the most… Or maybe it was… But even if it did, this was most definitely not the main reason…

It was because of them all, whether it was her father, mother or Savahn… All of them weren't here because they couldn't be… Savahn was barred by Rychard, her mother had passed away, her father was imprisoned…

Only he… Only he wasn't here by choice. Only he had truly abandoned her.

Aina raised her foot to step onto the final platform, but her entire body trembled. The mist of her eyes had turned into something much more than that, but given the vacancy of her gaze, it didn't seem like she had realized this at all.

Rychard rose his foot as well, beaming at the sight of the flower. It was perfect. His timing was immaculate and his confidence was completely off the charts. He didn't seem to realize at all that Aina's steps had faltered and she had fallen a step behind.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

At that moment, the dome of protection over the Viola estate shattered, shocking the spectators awake from their silence.

Aina's back trembled. The aura was so familiar. That blinding pillar of light, that hidden air of destruction and menace, that edge of danger and violence…

It was so close. She had felt it too many times before, seen it too many times… Even now, with the vacancy of her gaze, she subconsciously grasped out for it, her eyes lighting up from indifferent to expectant.

She felt her heart rise out of her chest, her lungs expanding wildly. Her blood rushed beside herself and her paling features were flushed with color in an instant. It was as though she had gone from dead to alive, as though she had finally been given reason to breathe again, to live again.

Her head snapped backward, her gaze shooting up into the skies and landing on the figure.

The instant she did, it was as though something inside of her had broken, a rush shooting out from her and her eyes flooding with tears she had already barely been holding back.

Her whole world collapsed, her mind going blank and her lips moving to say words that were all too familiar.

"You're … not him…"

In the skies, Myghell stood on the back of a golden phoenix, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Kill."