"If someone wants happiness, how desperate can they be to make it happen?"
...
"And how much hope must a person be to save that someone?"
---
Two minutes, sixteen seconds left.
"Oh, fairy of grace"
Having climbed to the top floor, Lucy almost got hit by napalm from red and blue wispss. She didn't see the point in fighting them, so she ran towards the stairs to the roof. But these wispss caught up with her and she had to shoot back.
One minute, fifty-three seconds left.
"I beg you"
On the way to the roof, fairies started flying in her face to stop her. They started shooting petals at her and Lucy started shooting back at them, not thinking where these fairies came from.
One minute, twenty seven seconds left.
"Take me to the land beyond the rainbow"
The building began to collapse, and Lucy barely dodged the debris. The floor and ceiling began to collapse with a roar. "W-What's going on?!"
Fifty three seconds left
"The one where all dreams come true"
The Sialias started flying out of the holes and started pecking Lucy in the eyes. She started shooting back at them in panic and started running away from them. The stairs were already close and when she got to them, she started climbing them.
Thirteen seconds left
"And embrace me with your motherly love"
- "Adri !!!"
ETHEREAL WITCH – Adrianne Pleiades
"The Fading Star of Sunfall"
Adrianne turned to Lucy. "Lucy..." She was wearing her magical attire: a purple cloak, an apron with a crescent moon embroidered on it, and a small tiara, and next to her were two conductors with the symbols of Saturn and Uranus.
- "Adrianne! W-What's going on?! W-Why are you dressed like that?! Why do you want to summon a demon?! Where are all these wisps coming from?!"
- "... These wisps are my doing. I summoned them so that the magic field would be strengthened for the summoning of this demon. This demon... requires a very huge flow of energy..."
So all this chaos... Just for energy?
- "Y-You're kidding, right?... Y-You couldn't just go and create chaos at school... Right...?" - Lucy didn't want to believe everything she saw. She wanted it to be just one big nightmare, but...
- "... I'm sorry, but if it gives me a chance to at least visit that world for an hour... It's stupid, isn't it?"
- "W-What do you mean?! W-What other world?! What are you even talking about?!" - Lucy was already in a panic, Adri was no longer Adri .
- "Don't you remember that fairy tale you told me? This world really does exist! Do you want me to show it to you-"
- "I don't need this world! Do you even understand what you're saying right now?! What are you doing right now?! Adri, please stop this!"
- « .........»
- "Answer me!"
- "...Have you forgotten when I'm flying away?"
- "...!"
- "... I don't want to be locked in this labyrinth! Every day, every hour, these people watch me! They constantly talk about me as if I were a lab rat! They constantly conduct examinations on me! My stepfather says that I'm just a burden to them and it would be better if I died since so many resources and energy are spent on me! These parents who took me in at least don't make me constantly talk about my health! I–I'm normal! I want to be normal! Why do they take care of me as if I can't do anything myself! You, YOU consider me at least one of your own! I was truly happy with you! All these games, activities, YOU in the end... And now I have to say goodbye to this and go back to these tubes, needles and... They had a fight, my mother said that this school doesn't teach anything..."
- "Then why all this?! Why this extravaganza?"
- "If I can get into the fantasy world... Then I can recreate this school... No, the whole village . And I can live here forever."
"Can't she hear what she's saying?" Lucy thought. She might understand Adri to some extent , but that doesn't change her selfish ways.
- "So please, let's go here together, you promised that we would meet here?"
- "... As much as I don't want to do this, I have to defeat you. I don't want anyone else to suffer because of your actions! Many students went crazy... and hurt themselves. Sterling almost killed me! Please, let go of your fantasy and come back to us! Otherwise... I'll have to use my power."
Adrianne looked at her. She sighed heavily and prepared her grimoire.
- "If so, then I will not give up. I will get to the world beyond the rainbow, and if I cannot persuade you, then I will take you by force. Let's live in this fantasy together!"
Adrianne formed a circle of ethereal fire around them - now there is no way out: either she defeats Adrianne, or dies here. The duel has begun.
Adrianne started shooting fireballs with the conductors and Lucy started shooting her bullets at her. To Lucy's surprise, Adri became more active and agile - before, she couldn't run for more than twenty seconds without tripping and falling. After the chase, Adrianne opened her grimoire and began her first act:
ACT 1 – AN ETUDE DEDICATED TO ME
"Looking at that painting, I realized that the painting painted for my birthday is just a piece of the puzzle in this large canvas hanging above me."
Pictures appeared from the grimoire and notes of different colors shot out of them, as if they were their threads. They contained portraits of Adri , two other children - a pair of twins, her mother, her late father and her stepfather. They lined up into one whole picture - her mother and stepfather in the middle, Adri between them , her father below them and these twins above them. The picture with the father shot with notes that played a broken melody and they were black like blots. The picture with the stepfather shot with a naval march and these notes splashed out with water. The picture with the mother was the strongest - its notes literally played the anthem of Surgir and the notes were explosive. The picture with Adrianne had burning notes, but they played an absolute cacophony. The strangest picture was with the twins, it was as if it was alive and in it the twins were laughing, shooting out red and blue notes that played dissonant music...
ACT 2 – AUTOPSY OF AN ANGEL
"My mother told me that I owe my life to angels. They gave me a second life and that's why I have purple hair. They gave me the energy to move again, to see again, to breathe again."
Adrianne was infused with these red and blue wisps, and her magic became even more explosive. Lucy tried to push them aside. Adrianne became more agile, and she began to attack Lucy at an even higher speed . The twins' paintings were still attacking Lucy, helping their owner. And thanks to them, Lucy was caught in the shot. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHGGG!!!" Lucy screamed in pain, she felt her flesh being torn apart by this explosion and she was thrown back, almost getting caught in a ring of fire. At that moment, Lucy realized that she was at the point of no return, she had to eliminate Adri immediately. She began to desperately shoot at Adri, and not wanting to lose her energy, Adrianne began her final act.
ACT 3 – SELF-AWARENESS TEST: COGITO 25
"They overdosed me on the magic that was allowed in, and I had a seizure. They said it was just a test of self-awareness at an optimal energy level, and then they gave me whatever they wanted - trying to make me into their Pavlov's dog.. "
Adrianne was infused with more lights and her eyes started to sparkle and her hair started to stand on end. "W-What is she doing?" Lucy thought and tried to knock down this magic, but it started to levitate and started shooting lightning bolts. She dodged them and Lucy noticed that Adri was starting to overexert her body, giving the "twins" power with the help of conductors. Adri started to twitch and choke and she almost vomited . The blue-eyed twin started to laugh and attack Lucy, and the red-eyed one started to protect Adri . Lucy first started shooting at the blue-eyed one, and then when the painting fell, she started shooting at the red-eyed one. The remaining painting started to attack Lucy, trying to distract Lucy from Adri . While Lucy was busy with the painting, Adrianne started her own act-stopper .
ACTSTOPPER - THE FADING SUPERNOVA
"Still, my body is fading. It seems I need to rest."
Magic started leaking out of Adrianne's body at a rapid speed. This magic then started exploding and Lucy had to dodge the act stopper . Adrianne screamed in pain and when Lucy tried to get closer to her, the field constantly pushed her away. " Aaaaaaaaa !!! AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" - Tears started falling from Adrianne's eyes and she grabbed her head and her body started burning. Lucy had to use her act stopper so that the magic wouldn't destroy her completely.
ACTSTOPPER - IONIZING RADIATION: NEUTRON
Lucy's light completely absorbed the dirty magic that was in Adrianne's body, and it freed her from her torment. The red-blue light went out and Adri fell. Lucy was victorious.
Lucy started to approach Adrianne, but a portal appeared under Adrianne's body and it took her with it. In a panic, Lucy jumped into the portal and...