Lux could feel his liver itch as the giant flaming sword neared them.
However, when it was only a few meters away from Aurora, the little girl casually raised her right hand and grabbed the tip of the sword barehanded.
A second later, she gave it a pinch, causing the sword blade to crack. This crack extended from where she pinched to the rest of the sword until the sword shattered like crystal.
"So you're finally here." the Succubus Aurora sneered. "You saved me the trouble of finding you. Are you ready to die, Child of Misfortune?"
The young Aurora didn't answer right away, instead, she looked in the direction where her little sister, Shayna, was crying while clinging onto her mother who had passed away in order to protect them.
"I tried to kill myself many times," the Young Aurora said softly. "But something or someone always got in my way. Whenever I harbor these dark thoughts inside my head, Shayna would appear and give me a hug.
"Her warmth prevented me from doing so, but whenever she wasn't around, these negative thoughts returned to me. Perhaps, my Father, the King, also realized what was happening, so he placed a powerful restriction on me, preventing me from committing suicide.
"A few years have passed since my mother's death, and yet, every night, Shayna would sleep with me on the same bed and hold me close, while her body trembled. I would often sing her a lullaby until she fell asleep in my arms before I, too, closed my eyes to sleep.
"When I wake up in the morning, I would often find my clothes drenched with my sister's tears. It was at that moment that I realized something important. If I died, my sister would still cry in her sleep. The only difference was that I would no longer be there to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be fine."n/(o./V))e)(L--b--1-(n
The Younger Shayna raised her head to look at the Succubus in the sky and gave her a bitter smile.
"You came a bit too late," the Younger Aurora stated. "If you had come here several years ago, I would have gladly surrendered myself to your blade in order to end my suffering. But times have changed. I no longer wish to die because I need to live for the sake of my Mother.
"I need to live for the sake of my sister.
"I need to live in order to let them know that this life that was given to me was worth living for."
The beautiful Succubus laughed and clapped her hands.
"Very funny," the Succubus Aurora commented. "No one needs you in this world. You are capable of nothing but spreading misfortune and heartache. How many families have you ruined? How many people have suffered because of you? How many people have died because of you? Are you still asleep? Why don't you wake up from your delusion, little girl?"
"And those are some of the other reasons why I need to keep living," the Young Aurora replied. "My death will not solve anything."
"It may not solve anything, but it will make them happy."
"And some will be sad when I die, so I don't plan on dying. Not today, not tomorrow."
The Succubus smirked.
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice on that matter." The Succubus' entire body started to blaze in purple flames like a Phoenix. "Today, I will end your suffering. I will end our suffering."
The Young Aurora slowly floated towards the sky until she was on the same level as the Succubus.
Golden flames erupted from her body as she faced her counterpart with a fearless gaze.
A few seconds later, she glanced at the Half-Elf on the ground and smiled.
"Do you want me to live?" the Young Aurora asked.
Lux nodded without hesitation. "Yes. I want you to live, and live a happy life."
The smile on the Young Aurora's face widened after hearing Lux's reply. She then shifted her attention to the Succubus, who was looking back at her with contempt.
"The only reason why he wants you to live is because of your body," the Succubus scoffed. "Since he tried to save you, he will definitely ask for something in return. There's no free lunch in this world, you ignorant fool. It's either you use people, or you'll be used by them."
The Young Aurora blinked once then twice before looking at the Half-Elf on the ground.
"Is that true?" the Young Aurora asked. "You are only saving me because you want my body?"
"Huh? Of course not," Lux replied in a heartbeat. "I already have two fiances, you know?"
"Do you need more?" the Younger Aurora asked in a barely audible voice, which Lux didn't manage to hear.
"Can you repeat what you said?" Lux inquired. "I wasn't able to hear it properly."
"I-It's nothing," the Younger Aurora said before looking at the Succubus in front of her.
The Succubus smirked before summoning countless flaming swords in the sky, in preparation for the final showdown.
The Younger Aurora did no such thing. However, the two Little Skeletons floated beside her. They were no longer covered in purple flames, and instead, their bodies glowed in a golden luster.
"Zane, Zeke, we can do this," the Younger Aurora said.
The two Little Skeletons gave her a thumbs up before summoning their bone swords and taking a fighting stance beside their young Mistress.
Half a minute later, the Succubus Aurora raised her hand, and countless swords flew in the Younger Aurora's direction.
The little girl charged forward like a golden comet, accompanied by two small ones.
Lux watched as the two sides collided, creating explosions in the sky.
The countless swords fell on Aurora like rain, but Zane and Zeke parried them all like two War Gods protecting their Goddess from harm.
Seeing that her attacks weren't affecting her enemy, the Succubus summoned two purple swords in her hands and charged at the Young Aurora, her eyes burning in hatred.
Their collision made the entire world shake, creating cracks in the sky every time they exchanged blows with each other.
Lux knew that this was the moment of truth, and the Aurora that would prevail would take over her body in the real world.
But just as he was entertaining this thought, a golden comet fell down from the sky and landed several meters away from him.
There, lying on the ground with her gaze staring at the clouded sky, was the Young Aurora, with a bloody hole in her chest, that made the Half-Elf feel as if he had lost something very important to him in the span of a heartbeat.