[center][url=https://postimg.cc/jnhLP7k4][img]https://i.postimg.cc/fyGm47cp/Shuukos-Banner.png[/img][/url][/center] The maddening cackles of Miseria continued to fill Hotaru’s ears while the fight went on. Forced to witness the disciple’s agile moves that would have given away her presence to anyone who paid even the barest amount of attention to her, the [color=#D8CD9F]warrior[/color] let out a frustrated groan. Why was it always that she could not do anything in the most important moments? Why was it that people hated her for reasons she did not even control? It was not her fault if Sylvia was a scaredy cat! It was not her fault that Ember was being a bitch! Not even refusing to work with her helped! She grit her teeth. Pounded the floor with a fist as hard as she could. The hand barely raised up into the air before it hit the ground again, leaving behind no impact at all. If only she could swap into a different body like the old times… Hotaru grit her teeth. She wanted to scream. Pressure kept building inside of her, superheated steam assailing the thin walls of a tin boiler. Her head, too, felt as though it had been locked into a vice as she considered what she could do to get out of this, but only one solution presented itself: apologise to Ember. Ask for the [color=red]schemer’s[/color] help. Lower herself to meet them halfway or she would not be able to live her life. The [color=#D8CD9F]warrior[/color] hated that the schemer won in the end. Steam punched a hole in the metaphorical boiler’s side, escaping with a pained-furious hiss through Hotaru’s mouth. The cracking of concrete, the creaking of walls and the crumbling of the ceiling provided the percussion to her wind instruments, composing a beautiful finale for this body of hers before she retreated fully into their shared space and abandoned it just in time for the Miseria to take interest in it. No doubt the scene would turn into fuel for another one of Hibusa’s strange rumors. Having resigned herself to not interfere with… Wait a second. She could feel the presence of Ember and Sylvia in a distant corner. Her senses were not exactly the sharpest amongst the three of them, but even she could tell the schemer remained focused on the protector. So, who was fighting out there? It could not be Chiaki. They had ensured she would remain asleep, sheltered from the real world until they could figure out how they could protect her from all the evils rearing their ugly head. As if to make matters worse, Hotaru knew the fighting style of Chiaki well and the one outside did not move like the Hiramatsu family’s child at all. They had been far too graceful, far too precise based on what she could see. It was almost as though the [color=#D8CD9F]warrior[/color] herself was at the helm, but cared more about the body than she usually did. Normally, she would have ran straight to Ember. Yet she dismissed the thought immediately. Not only could she not trust the [color=red]schemer[/color], if she interrupted now, it would be Sylvia paying the price tenfold. The way those lines showed up in the dream- Hotaru shivered. Her entire body felt as though she had dunked ice water on it. Because that one [b]was[/b] her fault. Had she been stronger, faster or more decisive, Sylvia would not have had to suffer like that. She would not have… Once again, she could do nothing, save for watching it unfold from afar. … … What if that was exactly what she needed to do? Ember kept her cards close to her chests. But not even she was invulnerable. Not even her schemes were infallible. And if the [color=#D8CD9F]warrior[/color] could find a weakness to exploit, or even something to learn, then she could overcome even the [color=red]schemer.[/color] She still needed to figure out if she was wrong with Sylvia. That would be a visit to Kiyo just in case. No matter what, Hotaru thought she glimpsed the key to her freedom. [hr] Misera, big and small, swarmed the [color=B0C4DE]disciple[/color], who did everything she could to avoid their blows. She served more as a target than an actual force for her opponents, at least in the beginning until Nyxia started to thin them out, giving the [color=B0C4DE]disciple[/color] more room to move, which in turn had her go on the offensive. It was exactly what they needed to turn the tide; with the focus of their relatively small opponents being split and the Giga Misera seemingly weaker than before, it would be only a matter of time before they won. Time, which they may not have. She caught a glimpse of the massive, pitch black sphere in the sky. A huge mech - Hizuki - held its ground against it, barely so. The fight looked even, but she did not have much time to spare before she had to concentrate on the fight, only for the Giga Miseria to fall thanks to their combined efforts. And yet, it was still too late to help one of their comrades. Her heart sunk as she both felt and saw the unleashed light, muttering a silent prayer beneath her breath as Kiyo caught her - then she was gone from this body. The sharp Evil Eye would surely catch on no matter what she did and it was better for everyone if no one knew about her for now. [hr] As much as she hated to admit it, there was nothing more Ember could do. Despite all her efforts, she only managed to thin the lines and make Sylvia look as though she would not be shattering into thousands of pieces the moment someone blew on her. Now they had to actually take a lungful of air before the resulting “tempest” would sweep the [color=teal]protector[/color] away. The conclusion was obvious: Takae Shuuko’s, Shatterscape’s magic was of no use here, at least not in the form Ember wielded it. She had to broaden her horizons, but trusting someone with this level of vulnerability… The only one she could think of from the top of her head was Earthshaker. She had been growing closer and closer to Sylvia lately. It might work out well. No, it [b]had[/b] to work out well. If it didn’t…. She dared not to think about it. She did not even want to glance in its general direction.