Starlight Dream

Chapter 23

"Seina!" Himari cried in alarm. Every breath was pure agony, but Seina held her friend back.

"I'll be fine," Seina said through bloody teeth. With leaden limbs, she pulled herself back to her feet.

"You're tougher than you look, little insect." Reiko smiled, but it contained no warmth. It made Seina's legs quiver from fear. "Some weaklings might have died from that. I'm going to have fun playing with you." With a hand, she gestured towards the secretary. The other magical girl smiled and nodded, understanding the unspoken command.

"She's all yours." Half of the room just vanished, leaving only an empty void in its place. A book collapsed off a shelf, cut in half by the separation of space. It fell into the void which used to hold a floor.

"Wait." Seina's pained breath quickened when she realized who'd disappeared, along with half of Mei's study. "Himari! Charity! Nier!"

"No." Seina's voice barely rose above a whisper, the full weight of her situation smashing against like a ton of bricks. The only people remaining in this pocket dimension were Seina and Reiko, the dreaded Poison Ivy.

"She's such a dear. Now we can have some quality time together." Reiko said, voice full of mock cheer. "We'll have such fun! Right, little one?"

I'm going to die. Here, in nowhere. Colten, Takako, Mr. Kiyojiro. Tears stung her eyes as regret threatened to consume her. Worse, her enemy only smiled. She drank in Seina's pain like a vampire sucking blood, taking sick pleasure in her victim's suffering.

No! Despite the sense of hopelessness, Seina clenched her bloody teeth, ready to fight. She wasn't a victim. She wouldn't be any monster's toy. Never again.

"Spirit? Nice! It'll be fun when I tear it from your soul and leave only despair!" Reiko bellowed her empty laugh, a mockery of a true one.

With every ounce of power Seina could muster, she sprung at her foe. While Seina's speed surprised the Devil Princess, she slipped away with casual ease. Reiko smirked like Seina had told a joke. Undeterred, Seina unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches. She used every bit of martial training Mr. Kiyojiro had taught her, but it proved laughable against this foe. None of her strikes came close, and Reiko yawned as a punch missed her by centimeters.

"Not bad. For a maggot." Pain howled through Seina's body as a punch shattered her ribs and spine. Despite her honed warrior instinct, she hadn't even seen it coming. Seina staggered back, almost losing her footing. But Seina remained firm, refusing to fall.

"Stubborn. Do you realize I could kill you a billion different ways before you blink?" Reiko said. "Nah, that's underselling it. Quadrillions upon quadrillions of times!"

"I will beat you," Seina said, fighting through the pain.

"You are an idiot. I wish... hmm..." Reiko tapped her chin, thinking. She brightened, and a terrible, frightful idea popped into her head. Seina charged, hoping to disrupt the horror awaiting her. Again, it proved futile. The Devil Princess was too slippery. "I wish for all of Seina's remaining limbs to explode!"

"No!" Liquid pain dazzled Seina's senses as her limbs just burst apart with no warning. She'd hoped it'd only been some clever trick, but she'd been fooling herself. Reality just conformed to Reiko's twisted whims. Blood pooled beneath her as she sank helplessly onto the rich wooden floor. Pain lanced through Seina as a foot stomped her spine, stopping her from rising her head.

"That's what you get for tangling with a god!" Reiko giggled to herself. Agony coursed through Seina's back as the Devil Princess crushed it beneath her high heel shoes. But Seina fought back her pain, refusing to be debased by this monster. She endured whatever fresh pain Reiko inflicted upon her.