S P A R K Y • riven

Charred Remains.

"Marlene!" Bloom screamed.

"NO!" Sky yelled, drawing his sword high.

Before the monster could turn and reach out... and go after Sky. Marlene watched as the monster seized him up and from the floor, from her pile on the floor of blood and anguish reached out her hand. A bolt of clear lighting struck the creature. It stumbled back but didn't fall, it tried to reach for Aisha and Stella who were helping Bloom up.

The wind grew stronger and began to swirl around the monster and Marlene, the clouds grew thick around them, being pushed in by the wind. The breeze pushed Marlene from the floor and lifted her off the forest floor. Her side still gushing blood, she reached out her arm again and struck the beast with her lighting, aiming for its core. The Burned one was pinned in the air by the cold air, holding it still.

She reached out with her other hand, another bolt, stronger this time. She felt something in her chest click and she screamed. The wind began to howl all around them, swirling around the monster, suffocating it whilst bolts of lighting continued to hit it at full force. The Burned One wailed and screamed, its shrieks louder than any of them could bear. Terra, Musa, Stella, Aisha, Bloom, and Sky had to put their hands over their ears. They continued to scream their friends' names but she couldn't hear them. She couldn't even feel the agonizing pain bursting from her side.

All she thought was that these monsters had taken so much. Had attacked her- killed hundreds, destroyed so many innocents. She wouldn't let it have her friends. She wouldn't. She would die before it got to them.

Marlene let out another gut-wrenching wail and from above the Burned one was struck with a bolt of lightning and just like that. It faded into ash as if it were never there at all.

The wind around them began to slow and the breeze slowly set her down on the forest floor, her eyes wide. They were all at her side in a second, Sky held her hand and she looked up at him. Aisha lifted her shirt and thick blood continued to pulse from her side though any char residue had already faded because she had killed the Burned one.

She gasped for breath, "H- h-" She tried but the words got caught in her throat.

"Shit, Marlene, you're going to be okay." Bloom breathed, moving to hold her head on her lap.

"We have to get her out of here." Terra tried to reason. Sky didn't say anything, he was in shock, he and Stella both were as they watched their friend please for breath.

Sky lifted the girl as gently as she could and she let out a groan through her teeth.

"H-Harvey." She breathed, Sky looked down at her, then up at Stella, they knew. Knew what this would do to their friend. Knew how this would affect her. They knew Marlene had felt this entire thing before.

And both Sky and Stella had both once promised her that she would never have to go through it again- they were wrong. Their promise had just been a beautiful lie.

"Marlene, you're going to be okay," Stella told her, tears choking her throat.

"We're gonna get you to Dr. Harvey, don't worry, it's all going to be alright," Aisha told her as they all hurried back to Alfea.

"We're going to get you to Dad, bring her to the Greenhouse Sky."

Dr. Harvey was extracting hydrangea roots when his daughter and her friends burst through the glass doors.

"Dad- Dad, you have to help her. She's bleeding out." Terra told him and he cleared his table.

"Come on, put her down here." Dr. Harvey got one look at the three claw marks down Marlene and lowered his glasses down the bridge of his nose. "What on earth?" He breathed to himself.

"A Burned one," Musa told him, and he looked up at her in disbelief.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Miss Dowling asked, walking into the Greenhouse with Silva close behind.

Her friends began to explain and Marlene tried to stay awake but the remedies Harvey kept applying to her wound made her skin burn and she screamed. Sky still clutched her hand and Stella clung to his arm in fear. Their friend was dying right before their eyes all over again.

And there was nothing they could do to stop her. 

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NO! Marlene! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!