The vibration in the sand intensified, but the "Crustacean-Beam" hadn't fully emerged yet. For a moment, the beach returned to a deceptive, terrifying calm.
"The tactical situation is deteriorating," Konone noted, standing up and shielding her eyes. "The thermal readings from the water are off the charts. Yui, we need to move the civilians back."
But Yui didn't move. She was staring at her own reflection in the wet sand where the tide had retreated. In the thin film of water, she didn't see the cheerful girl in the yellow sundress. She saw the Arcana—the dark crown, the tattered cape, and the empty, white eyes that had looked at Konone with nothing but the desire to erase her.
"Yui?" Konone placed a hand on her shoulder.
Yui flinched, pulling away instinctively. "Don't! I mean... sorry. I just..."
She looked at her hands. They were trembling. "Konone, in the library... I could feel it. I wasn't just 'under a spell.' I could feel how much easier it was to be cold. I could feel how strong I was when I didn't care about anything. What if that's the real me? What if the 'Happy-Go-Lucky' Yui is just a mask I wear because I'm afraid of being alone?"
"That is illogical," Konone said firmly. "The Void is a corruption, not a revelation."
"But I almost did it!" Yui’s voice broke, competing with the sound of the rising surf. "I had the blade at your throat. If you hadn't reached out... if you hadn't been so brave... I would have ended everything. I’m a hero, Konone. I’m supposed to be the shield. But right now, I feel like I'm the most dangerous thing on this beach."
Konone watched her friend, her heart aching. In her world, soldiers who lost their nerve were a liability, but Yui wasn't a soldier. She was a girl who had been thrust into a war she never asked for, armed with nothing but her kindness.
"Yui, listen to me," Konone began, her voice dropping into its most serious tone. "A blade has no will. It is the hand that guides it. In the library, the hand was Mahiru’s. But here? On this beach? The hand is yours. You are the one who chose to save me."
"I'm scared that next time, I won't be able to choose," Yui whispered.
Before Konone could respond, a massive plume of steam shot a hundred feet into the air. The ocean seemed to split apart as a jagged, metallic red shell broke the surface.
"Incoming!" Konone shouted, grabbing Yui’s arm and pulling her toward the sea wall.
The Crustacean-Beam lurched onto the shore, its massive mechanical legs clicking and grinding as it displaced tons of sand. Its two main eyes weren't organic; they were massive, glowing ruby lenses that hummed with building energy.
"Yui, we have to transform!" Konone urged, her Heart Card already glowing in her hand.
Yui looked at her own card. The cyan light seemed dim, reflected in the shadow of her doubt. She gripped it so hard her knuckles turned white. Please, she thought. Let me be the girl I used to be. Just for today.
"Blazing Heart... Ignite!" Konone roared, her fire erupting in a defiant pillar.
Yui took a deep breath, her voice small but determined. "Blazing Heart... Crystallize."
The transformation took hold, but as the ice armor formed around Yui, she felt a chill that didn't come from her power. She felt heavy. The rapier in her hand felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. She was Blazing Ice, but for the first time, she felt like she was fighting through a blizzard inside her own head.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHV8fMNp7a
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