The downpour continues, flooding the lower plains at an even faster pace. With the water reaching knee-deep by now, the two armies are moving in direction towards the citadel: The Aquamarines at the head and the invading army following. The dark waters make it so that the Auras shine like stars.

At the head, Beheaders are placed, using water taming in order to clear the way and give the civilians a way to walk over. The Beheaders extend all the way to their backline, taking the water off their own troops, so they have safe footing, and sending the water against the invading army, hindering their movements. To the sides, the Beheaders also are raising two water walls of about three meters, that cover their sides from any attack.

The invading army is flaring, raising a big circular firewall around them, and using fire taming, many soldiers manage to get to the safe area of the Beheaders, in which the battle is going on. The Beheaders are in a defensive formation, shields raised and taking care of every soldier that comes close enough, to the best of their abilities.

At the middle, between the civilians and the Beheaders, Amelia is with Lady Aquamarine, watching over the battlefield.

Didn’t expect to see the waters this high…

Hand on the hilt of her sword, she turns to see every area of the battlefield. The formation is holding up, and thanks to the walls, they have to come in a frontal assault, unable to do attacks from the sides. To those enemy soldiers that are giving trouble, some Beheaders jump into the front in order to put them down for good.

The situation is barely under control…

Amelia tightens her grip on the hilt of her sword.

Looking forward, she can catch Lacus jumping forward, and Oscar already on the other side, dealing with some troublemakers. To her side, Titania is helping with the water wall duty. Even if her Aura is as low as it is, she is still helping somehow. Back with the front line, it seems the injured aren’t making any trouble, Amelia could only hope that Bran fell asleep… It would be best that way for everyone.

To her side, Lady Aquamarine is pointing and giving orders. Olga is by her side, while Ray went back to the defensive formation, and starts pointing things out, keeping even his movements small in order to conserve as much stamina as he can.

Amelia can’t make what Lady Aquamarine is saying, the sound of the rain is flooding her ears.

Suddenly, the side of the invading army flares up in unison, and a large chunk of water in front of it is instantly evaporated. Heading the group of the invading army, a girl can be seen, red-haired with blue eyes. The water that is sent to their way is evaporated even before it can touch them, but even so, Amelia can see how Lady Aquamarine is making signals to keep the water flowing.

To make them use their Aura as much as they can… hope they run out before we do.

Either so, a large group of soldiers, headed by this really young girl, enter soon to the safe ground for Beheaders and use their flames in order to make themselves a way through the defenses, making themselves a path right on the middle. As they keep running, Beheaders in the defensive position turn to face the soldiers that are infiltrating their formation. The enemy soldiers that are behind the girl take advantage of this, and with fire taming, they blast away the next three rows at each side of the open path in the middle, widening the path even more. As Amelia sees this, clearly she comes to the conclusion that they truly don’t have experience employing these tactics and looking at Lady Aquamarine, wonders how did she know that one day they would apply these tactics.

As far as I remember, she was credited with the inclusion of these tactics back at the barracks.

The Beheaders behind the defensive position engage in the fight, headed by the girl who comes running full speed ahead. Beheader that tries to stop her, Beheader that just goes out flying or is immobilized.

Her focus clearly isn’t our Beheaders… Impressive power of a yellow Aura.

When she is about ten meters away, she jumps, and with fire taming, she gets herself over the rest of the Beheaders that are between her and Lady Aquamarine. Amelia reacts, being taken a bit by surprise that the girl managed to understand that Lady Aquamarine is the head of the army, and puts herself between the girl and Lady Aquamarine, taking the strong hit with her own Aura instead.

The girl falls back, and the Beheaders are about to get over her, but Amelia signals them to not do so. Drawing her own sword, she gets into posture, putting the sword to her side.

It is between you and me.

The girl, being surprised by this, a wry smile is drawn on her face, as she also enters into posture, elevating the point of the sword skyward, the hilt about her right shoulder. The lips of the girl move, just before plunging forward into an attack. Amelia couldn’t make what she said, but that didn’t matter.

The girl closed the ten meters in four steps, and her sword came out with the heaviness of many tons of stones. Even so, Amelia didn’t flinch. The dirt, the clash of swords, the senses and feelings of her body, of the tons of training she has done in her life, all came rushing in an instant. This frontal assault, she has suffered it and felt it a thousand times, and almost without thinking, she took a step forward, enhancing her own body strength, aiming towards her left shoulder, a fast thrust came out of her, hitting the left shoulder, breaking through the girl’s yellow Aura like if nothing was ever there, and making a gash on the process.

The girl, feeling this, drop the two-handed grip, but still swung downward. Seeing this, Amelia just takes a step to her right in order to avoid it. Seeing herself miss, the girl steps to her right, trying to put distance between them, but Amelia once again steps forward, and swings three thrusts in her direction. The girl guards against the first one, but the next two hit directly one on her leg and the other on her belly. The girl falls to her knees, dropping the sword because of the pain. Heavy breathing and contortion dominate her expression.

Amelia comes forward, meeting the girl’s blue eyes from above. The girl flinched at Amelia’s expression, and asked “W-why? Such sadness…”

Caressing her cheek, Amelia answers “Such beautiful eyes… I feel that we could’ve been good friends if we didn’t meet like this.”

The girl opened her eyes wide at this statement. Amelia then raised her sword, the girl closed her eyes, and in one swing, the head of the girl came apart from its body. Amelia then tamed the waters and moved the body to the side, to be embraced by the dark.

Sprinting to Lady Aquamarine’s side, Amelia says “Sorry for taking so long, My Lady.”

“You did well.”

“Thank you, My Lady” Amelia says, as she turns again towards the battlefield. The battle has turned into a full-on skirmish, with the Beheaders trying to regroup behind the battleground by their side to regain their defensive wall. To the sides, she can see Lacus changing places with Titania, sending her with the civilians. Oscar is in the middle of the skirmish, his red Aura going little by little dimmer. He is fighting with what he is known for: his water needles. He tames water into droplets, using pressure to throw them at high speeds. These needles get into the objective body, and once there, he tames the blood of the objective, killing it from inside, a place Aura can’t so easily reach. Even so, if these needles don’t reach a critical place in the target’s body, at most it causes an injury that will rob said target from its mobility.

From the other side of the skirmish, something shakes Amelia’s heart: A blue Aura flares brightly, standing between the sea of red and yellow Auras. A man, without the right arm, and a scar on the left side of his face, over his eye, walk forward, with a spear on his left arm.

He not only has a blue Aura but has plenty of Aura to use too

The man, wearing crimson armor, swings the spear from side to side, getting allies and Beheaders alike, sending them flying over the dark waters.

As this is happening, Amelia turns to Lady Aquamarine, and says “My Lady, if I don’t go now, they may reach to us before we reach the citadel”, while also giving a look towards the citadel, which is now closer.

“Wait” says Lady Aquamarine, visible troubled by such words “there’s no need for you to go ahead. He’s fierce yes, but we-”

“He is a blue Aura! And has a bunch of it left! Please My Lady, order me to go.”

“I-” starts Lady Aquamarine, but she bites her lower lips, and instead says “You know very well what will happen if you go face him, even if you win… you will not live enough… even maybe not enough to see the end of this day.”

A wry smile appears on Amelia’s face, and she answers “I know. But this is exactly why, My Lady. Ever since that day, my dream has always been able to protect those who needed protecting, who couldn’t stand and defend themselves. I truly believe that this is the dream that awoke my strength… And now, they need my strength.”

Sorrow crosses Lady Aquamarine face, as she asks “Even if you don’t get to see everyone ever again?”

“Even so, My Lady. If even me is worth to be defended for, then I, who can protect others now, want to defend them, say to them they are worthy of being protected… even if you have nothing, not even the slightest love for yourself” grabbing Lady Aquamarine’s sleeve, she asks once more “Please, My Lady, order me to go. They need help.”

After taking a deep breath, a wry smile appears on Lady Aquamarine’s face “I know, between us, you are our best bet, but I would never thought of sending a little girl into battle… The mere idea frustrates me to no end.”

“My Lady…”.

“Even so, you’re right” Lady Aquamarine says, as she is giving the battlefield another look, seeing the man making its way forward. She then hugs Amelia and adds “Thank you. I’ll go now and help with the way, and open the citadel so everyone can enter. In regards to you… follow these instructions… it is an order, get enough time for you to live… at least until tomorrow.”

Between Lady Aquamarine’s arms, Amelia first flinched, but then relaxed, as she heard the instructions Lady Aquamarine was telling her. She then finished by hugging her back, starting to get tearful.

She then separated.

Before going, Lady Aquamarine adds “I’ll take care of this” as she waves a huge knife infused with Aura. Amelia opens her eyes wide at the surprise, and finally says “please, take care of my mom too!” Then, she turns and goes away.

How did she take it without me realizing? what a scary woman…

A wry smile once again is drawn in Amelia’s face, this time as she enters the battlefield.

“Will do” Lady Aquamarine murmurs, as she goes to the front line, in order help opening a way and getting to the citadel faster.

As Amelia enters the battlefield, Ray is about to say something, but when Amelia turns her Aura from yellow to blue, his mouth is left open. Anger crosses his face, as he starts yelling “Everyone fall back into position! We are going to offer cover, but don’t move from your position!”. Then, walking towards Amelia, he adds “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m living my dream right now” and giving him a smile, she adds “I really love being a Beheader.”

Ray cast down his eyes and nods “You gotta be, no one is crazy as to volunteer to be a Beheader without loving the work it provides.”

As the Beheaders get out of the way, Amelia catches full sight of the man with the blue Aura.

“keeping him in place uh? If only everyone knew that Lady Aquamarine was actually this soft-hearted” she says, as she takes another deep breath, takes posture, and readies her sword.