A smile crawled across Aisa’s lips, a hand drawing across her cheek at the second teen’s reappearance.

“The return of the fool.” she shook her head, bewildered. “Haven’t you done enough? That sorry mess behind you is your fault, you know?”

Lin looked over her shoulder at Morgan, huddled in pain as miasma continued funneling about her like a storm. But despite the feeling of sand ripping against her skin and the air dry against her lungs, the blonde somehow managed words amidst sobs.

“Lin… Lin, I’m so sorry.”

With one more glance at the black-clad woman, Lin then turned to face her friend. She crouched to meet her struggling gaze.

“I’m not sure what’s going on,” she said with a soft smile. “But I’m going to make things right. By tomorrow morning, we’ll be back to our everyday lives. Promise.”

Aisa didn’t agree.

“There’s nothing you can do,” she declared from behind. “An outsider like you who knows nothing of this world – “

“Shut it.”

Lin stared back, her eyes fierce enough to match any dragon’s.

“This world, that world — It doesn’t matter.” She stood again, cutting through the air with a swing of her staff. “This here — is my world. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the one who doesn’t belong.”

“Insolence.”

A ring of fire appeared behind the witch, and on command they divided and surged forward with a thunderous roar.

Lin’s staff, Avalon, whistled and sung as it twirled and danced — a blurring fan of gold as it beat every flame away into the ground and into the air.

Gold and purple continued to clash, their lights illuminating the violent sky as they fought for dominance over the other.

“Just back off!” Lin screamed over it all. The attack at last stopped, and she took the opportunity to breathe. “I can fix this. Just… let me try?”

Though Aisa’s frown was subtle, the bulging veins under her neck did nothing to hide the rage seething within. Never before had her fire been repelled so easily — of all people by a child — twice in the same day! Her teeth grated together, grinding as they cautioned to snap.

“You… fool… YOU FOOLISH FOOL WITH THE IDEALS OF A FOOL. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TALKING TO?”

What had been one ring of fire then became two – what had been two became four – what had been a dozen quickly became a burning wall that rumbled dangerously with hunger.

“Lady Aisa?”

A calming voice drifted down from above. Like abruptly waking from a dream, the fire behind her quietly faded with her rage as she looked to the sky. There, standing on a large flower, was the servant, Obero.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice straining for peace. “I’m busy.”

“Why don’t we see where this goes?” replied the old man. “It may prove entertaining if nothing more. Are you not curious of what that mustelid can do?”

Whatever spell his words held, she seemed to have calmed.

“If only for you,” she sighed, brushing her hair to the side. “Very well.”

Her hostility towards Lin however remained.

“Be quick,” she snapped, her words like a whip. “Be grateful that you still have my patience.”

Lin wasn’t sure what was more confounding — The old man floating above or Aisa’s unstable personality. But regardless of the absurdity of the pair before her, she now had a chance. With a breath in and a nod towards the two, she turned back to Morgan. Closing her eyes, she focused light into her hands and arms.

“This better work,” she whispered to her staff as it dissolved to join the growing aura.

Her hand reached for Morgan, but with a sudden spark she was repelled. The miasma surrounding her wasn’t going to go without a fight, and sensing danger it began to storm with even more ferocity than before.

“Lin?” Morgan’s meek voice could be barely heard. “Lin… I’m cold. Lin… are you there?”

Lin’s hand still stung from the shock of the barrier. She could only imagine what Morgan was suffering through inside of it. She forced herself in again, both hands shoving forward as miasma burned and shocked violently at the pushing intruder. But the pain didn’t matter. It couldn’t possibly compare to what she was going through.

Black and purple mist continued to threaten to rip her apart, the only thing preventing them from doing so being the light around her. It screamed as it was pelted from all sides, shredding and regenerating at the same time, refusing to be beaten as Lin refused to retreat.

“Lin… Where are you?”

Her arms wrapped around the shivering girl, the warmth of her light like a blanket to the cold.

“Right here. I’m right here.”

She was finally within reach.

“AVALON — Unit 003:

Release.”

The light around them erupted into the sky, piercing through the heavens as the discolored clouds dispersed like fleeing shadows. The sun could finally be seen – its setting orange in the horizon contrasting with a mix of blue and gold as it signified the end of the First Day.