Things can go wrong in a second. It was something Aurora had known forever.
But standing in the middle of the tower group and waiting for the huge Leviathan to crash into the surface was not something Aurora had expected to encounter so early on.
“Hurry and run away. What are you doing?”
Aurora did want to move but her brain went blank in the span of a single moment. She could not remember what she was supposed to do.
“Aurora, set up a defensive formation. Get as many people to safety in the cargo ship as you can. As soon as you take them to the upper floor it doesn’t matter if the cargo survives. Hurry up.”
Aurora could hear Quince’s command but she could not follow it no matter how hard she tried to.
Her magic was boiling over inside her and Aurora could feel it fighting against the curse. It wanted to burst out and take care of things for her.
And amidst all this rampage, the huge body of the beast did not stop descending.
“My lady, wait. We need to go to safety first.”
Black hair obstructed Aurora’s vision and a hand firmly gripped Aurora’s face. No one paid attention to this scene.
“Stop looking so spaced out. We can still solve this situation if we get our hands on the ‘Mystic Pearl.'” Aurora felt a sting in her cheek and it was enough to drop her out of her daze.
“My lady. You should not mingle with the tower’s soldiers. Let’s hurry up and leave.”
It was Natasha that had taken the initiative to snap Aurora out of her daze. She was also the one who had dragged Aurora out of the Leviathan’s attack range.
“No. We are not running away from here. Even if we run now, I’m sure the Leviathan will not let us go. We should fight.”
Aurora felt shocked at Natasha’s declaration and so did everyone else.
“M-My lady, what are you saying? We can’t risk you like this.”
“R-Right. You should go and we will stay behind to fight.”
The maids tried to console Natasha but she seemed to have made up her mind. And Aurora felt her thoughts gather at Natasha’s determination as well.
“You’re right. We cannot run away from this situation. I’m sorry, I just got lost in my emotions and froze up. Here is the new plan. I will distract the Leviathan and angle Quince toward you. You should try to take the ‘Mystic Pearl from him.”
Aurora would have proposed to do it herself but she knew Quince would not let his guard down around her.
Natasha was their best shot at getting the pearl from the blond.
“I understand. I will do my best.”
Natasha looked worried but also determined. And Aurora had a feeling that things would be alright.
“System, give me a list of everything I can do in my current state. Do not leave anything out.”
Aurora quickly gathered her remaining magic power and set up a defensive array. All that thrashing around was not allowing anyone to approach the Leviathan. It would take killing the huge beast difficult.
[Due to special circumstances, the user is allowed access to their basic powers. The user is advised to use this opportunity well.]
Aurora felt her magic return in a burst and she quickly banished her weapon. As a result, her mobility made it easier for Aurora to land the first bleed on the Leviathan.
But the huge beast was not going to get done that easily.
“Aurora, have you recovered enough? I’ll take the right side and you take the left. I asked Clove to see through the recovery process so she’ll not be able to assist us.”
“I can take the left side for the offense. Let’s take this beast down.”
It was far easier to fall back into the rhythm Aurora had been used to. Quince was a really good fighter and he covered Aurora’s blind spots perfectly. It was really easy for Aurora to keep her attention on the beast.
But she also had to look for the perfect opportunity to sabotage Quince and make him fall toward Natasha.
“Aurora, pay attention.”
Aurora felt the Leviathan’s tail smack her toward the pool. Aurora felt her back smack into the water and her body began to struggle to get back up.
Quince had not been spared either. But he was flung in the opposite direction.
If Aurora’s wounds were anything to go by, then Quince would not be able to stand for some time either.
If Natasha took this opportunity to get things rolling then this trail was as good as over.
“Aurora, don’t fall asleep yet.”
Aurora felt someone grab a hold of her and pull her back up. She could make out black hair and a cold expression in front of her.
The person holding Aurora up was taking her toward the surface of the lake. It was a short swim but Aurora had a sinking feeling inside her heart.
“Are you alright? Can you breathe properly?”
It was Natasha that had come to Aurora’s rescue. The foolish girl had prioritized Aurora’s safety over going for the ‘Mystic Pearl.’
“Why are you making that face? You should be grateful that I saved your life.”
Aurora was grateful to Natasha for saving her life but that did not mean she had to like her circumstances.
“Idiot. You should have gone after Quince. We missed a perfect opportunity to get our hands on that pearl.”
Aurora was disappointed but she was not angry. How could she be when Natasha had come to save her even after everything?
“You shouldn’t worry so much about it. After all, we have other capable companions on our side. You need to believe in them.”
Aurora opened her mouth and closed it again as she heard Natasha’s words.
Natasha was not wrong and what was done cannot be changed now. It was up to Rita to take care of this mess.
Hopefully, the redhead would have picked up on the situation and decided to help out on her own.
[Trial completed. Trial space will expire in 1 minute.]
“See? I told you our companions will take care of everything for us.”
Aurora felt a tried smile slip over her face. She felt relief at the trial finally being over. Maybe she should not have doubted Rita after all.
The space faded from around the pair and Aurora found herself in front of the Northern Palace gate in her smaller body.
Rita and Natasha were there as well. But the most surprising one there was Alexander who had a small pearl in his hand.
“I cannot believe I just did that.”