Project Pegasus

V 1.1 Chapter 17: Friends.

"You don't die for your friends, you live for them!"

- Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)

***

---Hiiro---

"Ahh! It's the onee-chan who wants to catch me," Alice shouted.

"Princess Arisa? What are you-? S-Skely? Why... Why are you fighting Wolf?" Aria asked, dumbfounded.

Shit. I can't explain properly while fighting. There's no choice.

Punching Robyn, she suddenly disappeared. What I did was that I teleported her away from the room. The limit of my teleportation magic was at most 200 meters depending on the amount of mana used. That seemed to be not that far considering her speed, however, since we were underground, I teleported her 200 meters above us. This should buy me some time enough to explain everything to Aria unless Robyn creates a shortcut. Using that spell nearly took all of my remaining mana, leaving just enough to barely do manual hacking.

"Skely? What did you do to Wolf?"

"Lightning, listen to me carefully. There's no time left."

After that, I explained to her everything that happened. The reason why I'm fighting Robyn. What I did when she disappeared. I also introduced the people fighting together with me? And of course, I also explained how Dr. Albert created Ada.

"N-no. This can't be. That girl... That girl is Ada? Please tell me you're joking," Aria squirmed while covering her mouth with her hands.

"Lightning? Do you happen to know Ada?

"She's... She's our childhood friend," Aria explained while holding her forehead with her hands. "Please, Skely. Tell me you're just joking. I can't believe Dr. Albert will do that to her. Please, tell me---"

"Lightning!" I shouted while holding her shoulders, stopping her. "Ada is already dead. What we're fighting is just a machine with her memories. She is not Ada. She is just a weapon."

I'm sorry for doing this to you but we don't have that much time.

"S... kely?" she asked.

"Listen to me. We need your help."

After that, I told her that in order to save Robyn, I needed to hack her manually. And I needed her to fight her until I regain her controls.

"Please, I know you don't like that form, but we need your vampire form to fight her."

"I'm sorry," she apologized while looking down. "I can't do it. That form is cursed. It's filled with anti-mana. I can only use it at most once every two months."

"A curse? What will happen if you use it more than once?"

"I will go berserk and attack anyone I see. I'm sorry. But it is too dangerous to use," she replied.

Anti-mana. A type of energy that's made up of life energy and negative energy. I see. That form is the embodiment of her negative feelings; in her case, her hatred towards the people who kidnaped her. That's why she always acts almost emotionless. Because her emotions are sealed.

"That's why, please, let me fight her without using that form," she suggested.

"You can't. That's too dangerous."

"Please, that's the only way we can save Wolf," Aria added holding my hands as she pleaded. "I know I'm being selfish, but, I have to do this."

Thinking hard, it took me a few seconds before I could reply to her.