Blossoms (The Girls meet MCD)

Chapter 56: Snapped

No.

No....

NO!

Aphmau refused.

She leapt upward, surprising Laurance, and regretting put a sword across his face, resulting in a minor casualty of a small trade of blood.

Nevertheless, she wasn't dead.

"Snap." She took a step forward, and he took a step back. "Out." Her daggering gaze hit him. "Of." Raising her sword as he began to attack, she blocked it. "IT!"

Kicking him, she sent him sprawling across the floor, probably causing quite a blow to the stomach.

Ahh yes, kicking.

The finest tactic of them all.

Katelyn and Garroth seemed stunned by her sudden movement, and Katelyn's brow curved in momentary confusion. "Wait, wh-"

Her confusion dissipated as soon as it had come. "This is another one of your tricks, isn't it ZANE?"

"NO!" Aphmau's surge of strength pushed her forward to the offense. "I am not Zane, nor will I ever be. I. Am. Aphmau."

Her willpower shook the ground, and she could've sworn she'd felt a waver of pain coming from the ground.

Ivi.

The sudden reaction left her unguarded to her left, and Garroth lunged, once more forcing a retreat on her side.

Earlier bruises and cuts of the previous battle were beginning to set in.

They began to sting like fire, as if somebody had decided to salt the wounds.

Or maybe put awful healing medicine on. That was an option.

Her will wavered, and so did her strength as Katelyn tooo advantage of her position and made a run.

It was now or never.

She dropped her sword in an almost 'I give up' like way.

Katelyn's victorious shout was all she heard after it.

Holding her hands out, she twisted sideways, grabbed Katelyn's arms miraculously (though a few scratches came with that from the claw brunt), and she tossed.

Channeling her belief into one statement of power, she hoped and prayed to all deities she could think of that it would work.

Katelyn was sent flying.

In the literal sense as well.

She soared skyward, and Aphmau didn't even have time to process when she felt scorching pain shudder through the domain.

This place was alive.

And willpower was the equalizer to strength here.

It had been a miracle she'd been able to stand one both legs and dodge (somewhat) efficiently.

Now she understood why.

Something inside her snapped. It was unbeknowst as to what it was, but something snapped.

A petrifying scream of pent exhaustion, vent, and so much more sprouted like her wings into a tornado of fury.

And angel's wrath searing from the heavens struck the ground.

Picking up her sword, she let out a furious shout, and stabbed it into the ground, channeling all the negative energy she had in her every bone.

Her willingness and burden to lead, the awe and disappointment of her identity, the patience and breaking of that patience, the cheerful and the lethargy to oppose.

All of herself was draining into fighting against this battle dome.

And she cried while doing so.

The tears came, salting and bitter, each of them carrying a message of old.

A heavy weight crashing down on her was getting heavier.

And she snapped.

All that burden was being released, quickly and bringing everything she had with it.

Clutching onto the few good things her mind thought to, she cooled almost instantly.

Her limbs were suddenly lumps of muscle and bone, nothing that could help her in this situation.

The body she resided in felt like sand, heavy and dull.

Her gaze was blurry, and somebody was shaking her.

'You can't die on me! You haven't even started the battle yet!'

Her eyes focused, and they blurred again, this time with tears.

"Aaron?" The croaked out voice that came from her made her internally cringe.

His face was fading. 'Come on Irene, where's the fire in your bones? The power in your flame? I see none of it."

His voice was different, rougher and more calloused as if he didn't talk too much.

This was a memory.

This was Shad, and somehow Aaron as well.

"I..." Her supposed 'fire in her bones' was more like 'her bones felt like they were on fire.'

Needless to say, any fight in her was long gone.

'Get up.' He snapped, using a teacher's stern tone. 'And try that again. Your block was pathetic, I KNOW you can do better than that.'

The cold, sheer ice of his voice made her anger burn.

But, it wasn't as furious or tormenting as before.

It was kind of twitchy anger that was easily tamed and cooled by a simple blow.

She found herself standing up, her numb body able to feel every inch of pain and glory.

Smiling, the hallucination of an old time was gone the next time she blinked.

Hailing down from the ceiling was pieces of the dome, shattering finally.

It landed, but had no affect against her.

Not anymore at least.

She heard crying, and the world stopped being so triumphant.

Her watering eyes turned to see Katelyn, undoubtedly, the biggest hotheaded mess as of right now.

Katelyn's hair was scrambled, stringing out everywhere, like blue sill string. (I mean what, she didn't know what that was-)

Her body was convulsing sobs, each one more and more broken than the previous.

"Stop..." Katelyn never sounded so weak in all the months Aphmau had known her. "Stop it..."

Aphmau's only priority was Katelyn after that.

She didn't even remember running over, just trying to help Katelyn get out of whatever delusional reality she was reliving.

"Hey, shhh...." Sisterly instincts kicked in, a comforting embrace surrounded her. "You're okay. It's all alright. I'm here."

Katelyn just cried harder.

"J-Jeffory." She cried. "The Jury, and Zane-"

"Shhhsh, nope, we aren't talking about that." Aphmau hissed. "Keep your mind off it. It's best not to dwell on it."

"It's hard not to." Katelyn sniffles. "He keeps coming back to me."

"I know sweetheart." Aphmau said, flashing back to Shad, or Aaron. "Just know that you have us. The entire team is here for you if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, or somebody to vent to."

"Heh, you've always been there for us Aph." Katelyn hugged her.

Aphmau weakly grinned. "And so have you guys."

***

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