It was not the first time her feet impacted against the concrete of Hibusa Town, yet the [color=B0C4DE]disciple[/color] felt it more vividly than before. From the wind that blew past her face through the way her body moved to the feeling of magic in her soul, it felt real. As real as the pain that lingered from the dream and panged against her heart every moment she spent away from the battlefield. Fortunately, the Detention Club fought well. Earthshaker, Nyxia, Oros and Evil Eye made a great team. They kept besieging the Giga Miseria and culling the herd it disgorged onto the city, no doubt taking on wounds they should not have. Wounds that should have been the [color=teal]protector’s[/color] burden.

She had to pace herself. She had to preserve her magic for the upcoming fight. She had to stand side by side with the Detention Club. She sunk her teeth into her lips, drawing blood as she closed the distance at what seemed to be an agonizing pace. And to make matters worse, a second threat grew in the skies of Hibusa Town, above the school.

The [color=B0C4DE]disciple[/color] paused. She could feel, more than see, the blob of negative emotions that loomed over the school as though it were the sword of Damocles. It caught her neck between two equally sharp scissor blades, pressing against her windpipe, drawing blood as it demanded she make a choice between duty and friendship.

Hizuki remained alone. She fought against the great threat with no one by her side. The [color=B0C4DE]disciple’s[/color] heart tightened.

The Detention Club, even with so many of them arrayed against the enemy, could barely hold the line. The [color=B0C4DE]disciple's[/color] gauntlets folded into a fist.

She was a four-pronged spear broken thrice. She could have helped all of them, if only she were not lacking her greatest asset.

Duty won in the end. For no matter what, the [color=B0C4DE]disciple[/color] always moved according to the will of the heavens - even if that conflicted with the will of the gods. Still, she had lost crucial seconds; the giant had released a corrosive fog and a bird that was born from the fusion of five. Earthshaker swept it away; but it would have open access to her back.

The [color=B0C4DE]disciple[/color] disciple let out a nervous, yet cheerful laugh as she launched herself straight at the enemy. While the [color=#D8CD9F]warrior[/color] may have lead with a devastating blow, such was not the [color=B0C4DE] disciple's [/color] way, as she grabbed hold of the creature’s wings and used its own momentum to spin it against one of the nearby buildings. Of course, the corrosive mist started to eat her flesh immediately, but she ignored that in favour of continuing her strike and catching a lesser bird monster.

She did not have to win here. This body… as bad as it sounded, it did not even need to survive. She only needed to distract enough of the birds to open an opportunity for Nyxia to truly quell their numbers and for Earthshaker, Evil Eye and Oros to keep striking at the giant.

[color=B0C4DE]”Please don’t care about me and destroy them!”[/color] she called out with a tone and cadence unfamiliar to everyone on the battlefield.