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From the moment Aurora let loose all the Sleepy had to offer she never once looked away from Mother Goose. She locked eyes with that would be her end, unbowed, and unyielding.

She did not blink as pain lanced through her throat. Did not falter as a knot of fire twisted in her center. Through pain and fear she did not once blink in the face of her death. As such she did not miss the single banner of her success. 

[color=B4251D]‘[u]Target: Core compri-[/u]’[/color]

It was only there for a moment, in the corner of her eye. Proof that she would not go alone. It was enough for a fleeting moment of grim satisfaction.

As in the next instant. The was only [i][b]Pain[/b][/i].

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‘She was trapped in the lingering second the world stuttered.’

‘Trapped in the explosive wrath of her own loss.’

‘It burned. It blinded. It consumed.’

‘She did not think. She Burned.’

‘She did not see. She Burned.’

‘She did not understand.’
‘She. [color=B4251D][b]Burned[/b][/color]’

[color=6E6E6E][s]‘She was thankful.’

‘It was not cold’[/s][/color]

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Aurora returned to the real world violently.

Pain lanced through her as she jerked upright, her body protesting everything. The light, the sound, the movement. Her skin felt raw. Breathing lit fires up and down her throat, and she could not stop the violent dry retching that over took her.

But, tragically honed instincts kept her from actually throwing up. Past experience informing her it would be nothing but bile. Which would only serve to worsen her throat, to the point it might actually tear and bleed. And she would much rather forgo the week of nutrient past that would result in if at all possible.

She kept her breathing controlled as she took careful breaths as her body rebelled with a storm of messy and overstimulated pain signals. It took several long moments where she kept her eyes closed and simply rode out the phantom sensations. Each breath easing the pain further and further.

When the retching finally died off, and she felt like she could move without going light headed from pain. She opened her eyes.

And was momentarily stunned to see the VR Room.

[color=6ecff6][i]‘The training mission’[/i][/color] She recalled. The memories of everything that had happened settling back in with a disquieting ease.

She flopped back into the VR station’s chair. She did not have the energy to groan or blush in embarrassment.

She had… not forgotten. That would have been too convenient. But she had… lost sight of the fact it was only a VR simulation. Even when the thought occurred to her during the Sim, it slipped away shortly after. She wasn’t used to them being so accurate, wasn’t used to having Sleepy along side her in anything other then true life or death circumstances. And had gotten caught up in it all.

Had actively thought she was about to die. Even if she hadn’t truly embraced that as an outcome.

She was glad ever more so that she had buried her venom earlier. Even as it lingered in the back of her mind. Slithered under her thoughts. The feeling was true, it was merely the context that had been false. [color=6ecff6][i]‘but if it happened in training…’[/i][/color]

Further thoughts were scattered as a solemn voice spoke next to her.

It was the Lilim Pilot. Mother Goose’s Pilot. Apologizing and praising her.

[color=6ecff6]“No need.”[/color] Aurora rasped, the phantom feedback from the particle cannon threatening to close her throat with each word. [color=6ecff6] “To apologize. Your Frame. Incredible.”[/color] And it was, Aurora had never encountered something that had required so much of Sleepy’s firepower to take down. Nothing that even needed a fraction of what she and her frame had poured into Mother Goose.

She smiled up at the Lilim. Tired and exhausted as she was. And tried not to lean into the comforting gesture. She failed as much as she succeeded. Both for the same reason. She simply didn’t have the energy to do much just yet.