[quote=@Letter Bee]Henri's shield hit Feng's, causing a bright flash at the point of collision and an explosion of force punctuated by motes of glittering matter.

"You!" Feng shouted at Henry as she staggered back, her shield opening up to reveal a maw of darkness that spat out three limp figures in red-and-black clothes that marked them as given by her. "I guess... You win."[/quote]
Peony relaxed as the Boar admitted defeat. She let Liminal Tesseract hit the ground though she wasn’t going to recall the weapon while the Boar was still present. The roiling Flux that made the Arm’s form faded away, once more becoming a dull dark grey. As it did so, the Flux turned into an inert, near-black shale that cracked readily.

The Arms Master implanted the sword into the dirt and leaned against it as the Mirage Space fell. The fight had been more mentally exhausting than physically. While it was terrifying, dangerous, and harrowing, it was also very quick, like splashing alcohol onto a fire. Despite all that, she knew it could have gone a lot worse. Everyone on her side still lived and the town was still standing. This was a victory pure and total.


[quote=@Letter Bee]Feng's body, which had transmuted itself to Magical Ether in the height of the battle, was dissolving into more motes of light, and as she tried to stop it, she was saying, "No, no, no... It cannot end this way! Please, someone, save me!"[/quote]
As Feng began to fade, Peony’s eyes widened in shock. She stood back up and pulled her sword up but didn’t level it at their disappearing foe. A deep hollow dread formed in her core. Peony wasn’t naive enough to believe she would get through this war without seeing death or inflicting it herself but she didn’t want the girl to die even if she was their foe, even if she tried to consume her. The thought still sent a shiver down her spine.

She looked down at Liminal Tesseract’s dull grey surface. She earned it by saving a life, she believed that with all her heart, but it couldn’t save Feng. How would Flux even interact with Ether? It was as liable to consume it wholly as it was to do nothing.She felt useless.

“We’re not… We’re not just going to let her die, right?” She uncertainly asked, casting glances at her new comrades. It felt weird, suggesting to a group of hardened soldiers, none of whom she knew, that they save an enemy's life, one who devoured a few of their own. Then again, she had surrendered and there were rules about that. She was pretty sure, at least.