Inside the High Council Chamber
The High Council Chamber was as silent as a lake's surface before a storm. Only the echo of Llione's footsteps broke the stillness, slow yet steady, heading toward the center of the ring of seven grand chairs — each representing a different region of Thyrus. Pale blue crystal lights glowed from the domed ceiling, revealing floating specks of magic dust like stars refusing to fall.
Llione stood tall. Her small frame's shadow stretched across the cold marble floor.
"I request," she declared firmly, her voice reaching every corner, "permission to place these two resonance individuals — Toshi Yazura and Azure Latch — under my personal watch."
Soft murmurs stirred the air. The councilor from Aetherun glared, while the Nocturvale councilor, an old man with translucent white hair like morning mist, pressed his lips tight.
"Our region just burned," he said, his tone harsh but controlled. "Many lives were nearly lost. And you, Swordmaster, dare to request free passage for these resonant beings on our land?"
Llione didn't flinch. She raised her chin slightly — not in pride, not in submission — but with a confidence forged from blood and battle.
"I fully accept the consequences," Llione replied. "Should there be a single misstep… my own sword will answer for it."
The air turned heavy. Every breath felt frozen.
Then, the high councilor — a woman in deep gold robes who rarely spoke — lifted one hand. Her hand shimmered with the binding seal of decision.
"We permit it," she said quietly, yet every word struck the heart. "But remember, Llione… in our eyes, one mistake may mean farewell."
Llione bowed deeply. "I understand."
She exited the High Council Chamber and headed into the underground corridors of Thyrus Academy.
---
The Underground Corridor of Thyrus Academy
The underground corridor was deathly quiet, only Llione's footsteps echoed across ancient stones. The blue crystal lights on the walls flickered gently, as if sensing the aura of the two beings imprisoned inside.
The magically locked iron door creaked open.
Toshi stood still — like a bone statue in the dim light. In one corner, Azure leaned casually against the wall, his mask tilted slightly as if bored of waiting.
"Good morning, shortie," Azure greeted with a laid-back smile, his tone light but enough to ignite tension.
SWIP!
A thin glass blade swept past his cheek, leaving a fine scratch on his mask.
"Touché," said Azure with a chuckle, adjusting his mask. "Almost got me."
Llione narrowed her eyes. "That's the price of a reckless mouth."
Toshi, unmoved, gave a small nod. "His mouth deserved it."
Azure raised his hands in mock surrender. "I was just… entertaining myself before becoming a discipline student. Not my fault."
Llione sighed. "You two... don't expect your mouths to survive if I'm stressed."
They walked out together. Their steps synchronized. The shadows of three different beings — a swordswoman, a phoenix, and a creature from the void — slowly moved along the corridor lit by crystal blue light.
TING!
The detection band on Llione's wrist flashed red. At the same time, her summoning crystal echoed with panic — her own clone's voice:
"Madam Llione! Unusual intruder at your home! Critical situation! We… can't hold—"
The voice exploded — swallowed by a thunderous blast of magic.
Llione didn't wait. Her amber-brown eyes sharpened. Without a word…
DUMPH!
Her body vanished in a burst of mirror shards.
The air quaked. Llione was gone.
Toshi and Azure exchanged glances.
"She left us," Azure said softly.
"Move… or become charcoal," Toshi replied calmly.
Without panic, they stepped toward the portal — not rushing, but with determination.
The real battle was about to begin.
---
Outside the Treehouse — The Sky Has Changed
Dark clouds rolled across Amarashik's sky, as if the earth itself was bracing to witness something that should never be born into this world.
The roots of Deshret's treehouse thrashed — not in rage, but in fear.
And at the center of the clearing stood a girl.
Her small body clad in a torn experimental uniform, stained with blood — not hers, but far too much to count. Her long, straight ruby-red hair reflected the deep red light of the setting sun. Her eyes… deep crimson, glowing like wet pomegranates soaked in agony.
Mimiya.
In front of her — a perfect clone of Llione, standing firm, hand ready on her hilt.
FaYzuma was held tightly by Sacri, who had shifted into partial defense form — his small roots forming a shield of leaves and twigs, a holy aura pulsing from within.
"Oh dear… you attacked Mimiya first..." Mimiya giggled sweetly, an ill-fitting smile on her face. "That's rude, y'know?"
SWOOOSH!!
Llione's clone attacked first — fast, technical. Her mirror blade slashed straight for Mimiya's neck.
But…
TRETT!!
Dark red blood sprayed — not from Mimiya, but from the ground! The blood coiled around the blade and deflected it on its own!
"Awww… Mimiya doesn't like rough stuff."
ZAPP!
A blood explosion formed a spear mid-air and struck the clone right in the chest. The clone shattered into mirror shards scattered on the ground.
Sacri screamed in silent magic — trying to retreat while shielding the baby.
FaYzuma reached out toward the blood as if sensing an aura he… recognized?
Mimiya walked slowly, fingers dancing in the air. With every step, grass turned to blood. Leaves turned to red mist. Roots began to wilt.
"Smile a bit. Mimiya… Mimiya loves cute babies. If you come with Mimiya… she promises it won't hurt too much."
Suddenly — DUMPH!
A sharp sound broke the air. A cracked mirror formed in the sky.
From it — emerged Llione.
Not a clone. The real one.
---
"Don't touch them!"
Llione's voice boomed, the aura of mirror blades flaring to life. Her amber-brown eyes blazed with restrained rage and terror.
Mimiya stared — mesmerized. "Aaaa… your voice… sounds like…" She stopped, then smiled again. "But Mimiya doesn't like new people. Mimiya likes… the old ones."
Llione didn't wait. She moved — at the speed of sound.
A lightning-fast strike from the side, seven perfect clones emerged with her, forming a crossfire formation from all directions.
Mimiya staggered slightly back. She laughed. "Waaah… so many of you… But…"
GLUGLUGLUG
Blood surged from the ground, forming a defensive dome. But Llione was no ordinary opponent.
One clone struck from below, breaking the defense. The others shifted angles, striking from above and both sides. Perfect coordination.
THRINGGG!
Her blood was pierced — Mimiya was wounded.
She looked at the wound… and laughed.
"PAIN!" she shouted joyfully. But her face… held back tears.
"Ouch… Mimiya's scared… really scared of this feeling…"
Suddenly, the blood rejoined, the wound closed in an instant.
Mimiya shrieked playfully, "MIMIYA WANTS THE PAIN TO GOOOO!!"
BOOM!!
A blast of blood shot like spears in every direction. Two of Llione's clones were destroyed again.
"Enough!" a voice echoed from behind.
Azure stepped through the portal, followed by Toshi. His sword — the Sword of Shard Memory — floated beside him. Flames flickered slowly, a 350°C aura of calm fury.
"I don't like people who make kids cry," said Azure, his mask glowing.
Toshi raised his bone weapon, a sharp blade at its tip. "I don't understand emotions… but I know you're dangerous."
Mimiya licked the blood on her fingers. "Three against Mimiya? Wow… Mimiya's popular tonight."
Llione growled. "It's three of us. One of you. Just surrender."
Mimiya laughed.
"I don't want to surrender… because if I lose… who will still call me Mimiya?"
Blood aura boiled. The sky's color changed. The ground began turning into a deep red sea…
---
The Ground Begins to Blacken
But not as if burning — it turned viscous… red… pulsing like a heartbeat. Roots writhed and screamed in liquid form, spraying blood into the darkening crimson sky. The wind carried the scent of rotting flesh and rusted iron, tightening around the chest.
The world had changed — and now, it belonged to Mimiya.
Sacri trembled while pulling FaYzuma back. Llione, Azure, and Toshi stood in a triangle formation — ready, though the unstable magic tremors were undeniable.
Llione's clones formed a defensive line.
Mimiya stepped forward, and with every footfall, the earth turned into blood.
"What are you doing?" asked Llione, her amber-brown eyes glowing sharply.
Mimiya smiled—sweetly, but enough to murder dreams.
"Mimiya doesn't like being stopped. So Mimiya made her own place."
She waved gently. "Isn't it pretty...? Mimiya calls this... Mimiya's World."
Blood crept through tree roots, into the sky, and spread in every direction.
"Every inch here... belongs to Mimiya. Every molecule... will become blood. And all blood... obeys Mimiya."
Llione moved.
Her body vanished—at the speed of sound. A burst of magic and shards followed. In the blink of an eye, she was behind Mimiya.
Her sword sliced space like a beam of light reflected from a mirror too fast for the eye to follow. But the blood beneath Mimiya formed a thin shield—like red glass, blocking the blow.
Llione smirked slightly. "You can read my moves?"
Mimiya replied with five blood needles from behind—sharp, fast, silent. Llione flipped to the side, forming mirrored walls around her. The needles bounced off, flying back toward Mimiya. But the blood around her absorbed them—none even touched her.
"Mimiya knows you're fast... But in Mimiya's world... everything moves to Mimiya's rhythm."
Toshi appeared from the left.
Silent steps. A precise strike—aimed at Mimiya's neck with the deadly tip of his bone sword.
But Mimiya danced.
Her steps twisted like a puppet without strings. Blood lifted her—raising her backward without motion. Toshi's blade stabbed only air.
She landed softly. But Toshi felt a small sting in his calf. He looked down.
A blood needle. Already lodged somehow.
"Tch…" Toshi stepped back. "That was fast…"
Mimiya turned, her eyes shining fiercely beneath a smile.
"Toshi-chan now belongs to Mimiya."
ZAAAK!
Flames scorched the air—a sword flew, slicing the needle cleanly. Azure's Sword of Shard Memory burned the blood tether completely.
Azure descended from above, his cloak fluttering slowly.
"Sorry I'm late. I hope you know how to defend yourself, Toshi."
Suddenly—the flames rose on their own.
The Flame of Karma burst from Azure's body, spiraling around Mimiya—a reaction to the wounds Llione and Toshi had taken. The fire formed a massive vortex.
But...
It stopped.
Frozen in midair.
Then—fell as blood.
Azure froze. "She changed my fire...? Altered the element?"
Mimiya turned slowly, her ruby-red eyes gleaming.
"In Mimiya's world... anything without a soul... belongs to Mimiya."
—
Llione launched another attack.
Six perfect clones appeared behind her—mirror reflections that moved as one.
The 'Closed Line' formation—a six-directional strike designed to eliminate a threat in a single wave.
But...
Mimiya smiled again.
"So many of you, Llione... Mimiya can be many too."
The ground cracked. Blood erupted.
Blood Puppets rose—faceless humanoid figures, spiked and sharp, each with four arms holding blood-forged weapons.
And then... Mimiya whispered softly.
"Have you ever... felt unwanted?"
Their steps halted.
The wind died. The blood-mist cleared, as if making space for the girl's voice.
"Mimiya... was never taught to be good. Never knew happiness. But Mimiya knows one thing—if everything becomes blood... at least, everything becomes the same."
She raised her hand. The sky trembled.
"Welcome to... Mimiya's World."
The sky bled. The earth pulsed. This was no longer a battlefield—but a stage for a betrayed soul.
—
Explosions of energy raged in the world that was no longer ground—but a massive beating red heart. Every step, every strike, caused blood to spurt from the soil. This world lived... but not for them.
Four of Llione's clones were destroyed at once—crushed by blood spikes bursting from within the Blood Puppets.
Llione bit her lip. Cold sweat trickled down her cheek.
"Not enough..." she whispered. "Not enough…!"
Mimiya never moved from the world's center. She just danced… while controlling everything. The blood puppets attacked alternately, each one more aggressive than the last.
Azure had to leap back, his mask scratched by a blade of blood from an unexpected angle.
He raised his hand—his old lantern, the Lantern of Memory, appeared and lit up. A soft glow swept across Toshi and Llione's faces.
"Do you know what you're fighting, Llione?" said Azure, his voice deeper than usual. "She's not trying to win. She just wants... everyone to feel what she feels."
Llione breathed heavily. Her vision blurred for a moment, but she looked down—at her bloodied fingertip from a minor wound.
She stared at it…
Then—she calmed.
—
Mimiya smiled.
"Tired, Llione...? Mimiya won't stop, you know…"
She raised her hand high—a massive blood spear formed above, ready to strike.
Toshi, silent all this time, lifted his hand slowly.
"You've gone too far."
The skull of Almagamet slowly formed behind him—its eyes glowing with a dim white aura. Gaster Blasters also emerged—silent, but gathering power.
Azure stood beside him. His sword spun, radiating heat. The Flame of Karma reignited—even at a risk.
Llione stood before them.
She raised her sword and shouted boldly.
"If this world is full of blood… then I'll cut through it all."
Then—she added.
"In the name of Liestell Arfanggon… I swear, Mimiya…"
"I will save you."
—
Mimiya froze.
Her eyes widened.
"…Liestell?"
The entire blood-soaked land suddenly stopped pulsing—for a moment.
"You... said that name... why?"
Her face was like a child who'd lost her mother. Like an old wound opened without warning.
"You know who Mimiya is…?"
Llione shook her head slowly.
"No. But that's... my father's name. And I know… if he were alive, he would… try to save you."
Mimiya's silent tears fell—not as water—but as blood.
Yet her body remained poised. The final strike was almost launched.
And now—the trio must decide.
Destroy her… or save her.
—
Mimiya raised her blood spear. The gem-like red eyes now trembling… not from fear—but conflict.
"If you won't fight… Mimiya will make you feel it!"
She dived from the sky, surrounded by flashes of blood and fine needles—like a nightmare rain. The air thickened, making every breath a struggle.
Toshi moved first.
"I told you... you've gone too far."
He leaned forward, Almagamet's skull fully formed—two Gaster Blasters aimed from behind him. One fired—BOOM!
Azure followed.
"If she won't stop… then let me be the one to do it."
The Sword of Shard Memory spun rapidly, creating a whirl of flame—The Flame of Karma lit up, forming a burning circle that closed in on Mimiya from all directions.
Mimiya defended—blood curled around her like a cocoon, needles spinning to shield her heart. But her balance… was clearly shaking.
Llione stood in the center of the battlefield—motionless.
"Wait!"
Her voice pierced through everything—sharp, clear, and filled with conviction.
"I know you're afraid… Mimiya. But don't choose to be a monster when you still have the chance to be human!"
She raised her hand.
The last clone—the 20th—appeared.
But not to attack.
It took FaYzuma from Sacri, showing the baby's face to Mimiya.
"If you kill all of us… this baby will become an orphan—just like you once were!"
Mimiya's face… cracked.
Her spear loosened.
Her fingers trembled.
"…Mimiya… doesn't want to…"
"Mimiya… doesn't know how to be… good…"
And with that…
Her spear shattered—becoming a rain of blood.
Mimiya collapsed… knees first, hands covering her face. A strange cry echoed—like it came from two voices… one a girl, one a monster.
—
Mimiya's World… began to fall apart.
One by one, the blood-soaked lands cracked… and returned to the original forest floor.
The bleeding sky… turned blue again.
And only one girl remained… crying alone in the center… in silence…
—
The battle ended—for now.
The remnants of Mimiya's World began to vanish, the blood that swallowed the land withdrawing into unseen cracks. Llione's surviving clones faded slowly like glass carried by the wind. Sacri still held FaYzuma tightly, and the sky… was blue once more.
Mimiya dropped to her knees—breathing hard, her eyes still glowing red, but something else had replaced the fury.
Not anger. Not hate.
But... Emptiness...
"Why… didn't you all kill Mimiya?" Her voice trembled—not from fear… but confusion.
Toshi replied flatly, "There was no need."
Azure, adjusting his cracked mask, simply said, "Because Llione is here."
Llione stepped forward. The wound on her shoulder was still bleeding, but her steps remained steady. She stood in front of Mimiya—without drawing her weapon, without shouting.
"I don't know what the world did to you. But if no one's ever tried to save you… let me be the first."
Mimiya looked up at her, long and silent. Her lips moved slowly.
"…Liestell…?"
Llione froze.
"I am Liestell Llione… daughter of Liestell Arfanggon. And I swear… in his name, I will pull you out of this darkness."
The wind blew gently. The blood on the ground dried and turned into small dark red flowers.
And Mimiya's world—the nightmare—finally shattered like glass.