*
The memories she saw were inexplicable. More often than not, they were meshed together into an unrecognisable soup. Like countless overlapping paintings. The only distinct memory she saw was the teatime that the two noble ladies had in the garden. Surely there was some explanation to that. Was it simply her most cherished memory?
The scenery phases from that brightly lit garden to this city of gloom. As if to forcefully remind Lastia of the present circumstance. 'You can't face away from the present. ' Her thoughts clouded her heart so. She took a few more steps, her fists at the ready. Her new level of amplification causes her aura to soar and dissolve into the sky.
She throws a few punches to test the waters, Aster deflects the first two before thrusting her leg into an uppercut. Lastia swerves her jaw to the side, narrowly dodging the kick. Lastia knees the outstretched leg, but Aster pulls back just enough to be out of its range. She throws a few punches of her own, reinforced by vibrations.
"{Anxiety}, armor piercing rounds." (Aster)
Vibrations designed to generate more vibrations on the other side of an opponent's magic defence. A squelching sound escapes into the air as multiple holes open up in Lastia's body, spilling blood. Her rose lips were tinged with a crimson liquid, though it didn't have as much of an impact as her wounds ejecting blood.
"Are you done?" (Lastia)
Aster had all but forgotten about Arin. Her eyes were fully focused on Lastia, with no room to spare. Lastia begins another rush, punching hard with both fists. Throwing 4 attacks, she takes a half step forward and closed the distance. Aster launched her knee, especially effective at this distance whether to block or to attack. With her left palm, Lastia pushes the knee down and throws a right hook, that gets blocked pitifully by a palm. She slams her right leg outwards, throwing Aster into the air, before leaping towards her.
Her fists strike a few more times, slamming into Aster's flesh over and over, with the last throwing her opponent into the ground. Aster crashes over the concrete before using her core strength to flip herself back up with the momentum. With an athlete like stance, she dashes forward and holds her fist up facing Lastia. A sword materialises in her grip and pierced her torso. Lastia grips the sword with one hand and swings with the other, striking Aster down on the head.
With no moves left, Aster concentrated the vibrations into one spot with her skill. A loud sound thundered in this separate dimension as an eruption smoke and heat crashed into Lastia. She flew into the distance and hit her head on the ground before pushing herself back up.
Arin steps in before Aster could make another move. Aster shifted a little, as if a moment's hesitation took ahold of her.
"... I'll get you some other day, when I grow stronger." (Aster)
With that, her stature vanished completely. The 3 released their transformations immediately as they noticed their return to the normal world. The encounter was finally over. Lastia's strength was a definite surprise, Arin never expected her to develop Pandora... Developing a new module wasn't very predictable, and it might offer strength to others too like Yggdrasil's simulation did.
"... While she couldn't cause damage to the surroundings, due to the nature of her territorial technique, at least we ended her off. Right?" (Sariel)
"That's... That's true. Our primary goal as magical girls should just be to protect normal people. It's not like we have to kill her, and if she's intelligent enough we could even negotiate..." (Arin)
"This strength... I got stronger, so it'd be a shame if loss again. I don't want to just beat them down, I want to protect everyone and make their mission a complete failure!" (Lastia)
"Ho~? It's great that someone's enthusiastic. It's fine to retire for today, I'm heading back to rest up. " (Arin)
Waiting until they all went their separate ways, Lastia texted Arin on a messenger app. She sat over the comfort of her couch and laid down lazily, raising her phone above her head.
" You... Did someone else learn of your secrets?" (Lastia)
"No-not everything. I have so many that it's embarrassing to admit. Even if Aster learned a couple, it was nothing compared to the whole picture." (Arin)
"Alright, I won't force you. If you're still not willing to share with me right now, know that I'll always be around. Whether it's this Lastia or the next, we've decided that we'll always have your back." (Lastia)
"a... Alright. Thanks." (Arin)
She put her phone to her side, getting slightly drowsy. She expended all of her energy and gave the fight her all. It was a tiring day where she naturally felt drained afterwards. She still hasn't gotten through to Arin. There was a faint sense of familiarity as she mentioned Arin's secrets, her resistance to the curse might grow stronger. Soon she might even remember conversations. Though she still seemed far from that point, such a development has to be kept secret. She'll write this down into the diary later. For now, she'll enjoy a delivery meal for dinner...
Hearing the chimes of her door bell, she approached her front door to find the food package already laid on neatly on the ground. Traces of steam emanated from the disposable packaging.
Making sure to use the outer plastic bag, she brought her dinner into her home, ready to enjoy some hot food. Cooked to perfection, its delicious warmth began to sate her with its scent.
***
"... Somethings going on. How did Arin survive for so long, but we didn't?" (Sariel)
She walked home with heavy strides, mulling over this singular point. When she was knocked unconscious, she thought that was it. They would be killed by The Remnant for getting in over their heads. Her ego took a hit when she evidently went from the strongest of the team to the weakest. At least for Lastia, she understood that Lastia also got knocked out and only grew stronger after waking up.
Arin... She should be the last to be knocked out, it didn't make sense that she was still awake when Sariel came to. She opened the door to her house, shelving these shameful thoughts.
"I'm home!" (Sariel)