High above the ground, suspended in the open air, a baby rested within a perfectly formed hexagonal barrier.
His skin was soft and pale. His black hair fell in smooth, delicate strands. And his most striking feature was his eyes.
They were a vivid fuchsia hue, a color that felt unnatural… yet undeniably his.
Albion tilted his head, staring at the barrier surrounding him. He had never seen anything like it before.
"Bweoo…?" A small, confused sound slipped from his lips.
Slowly, he reached out. His tiny hands pressed against the surface.
Light shimmered.
The sun reflected off the barrier, scattering across its transparent edges like fractured glass.
To Albion, It was beautiful. Something worth remembering.
Tap.
Tap.
He tapped it again. A soft smile spread across his face.
"Bwee…!"
His eyes shine like they were stars, filled with new sensations. He pulled his hands back and clapped them together lightly.
Then, with unsteady curiosity, he began to roll along the inner surface of the barrier.
Grabbing at the air, at the walls. Climbing, fumbling—exploring without direction.
Thud!
His head bumped lightly against the barrier. He dropped back, clutching his head as a soft whimper escaped him.
"…mmh…"
Slowly, Albion looked up, something was there.
It was massive in size, a towering beast stood just beyond the barrier.
Its body was grotesquely exaggerated, broad shoulders stretching unnaturally wide, tapering into thick, pillar-like arms and a dense, powerful torso.
He had never seen something like this before.
…No.
That wasn't true.
He had.
The creature smiled. In that instant, a wide, unnatural grin stretched across its face as it revealed a full set of teeth.
Then, It walked past him.
Where was it going? Albion didn't even wonder. But that smile…
Something inside him stirred.
The memory of the Vulcan surfaced into his mind. Its wide grin. Its tail wrapped around him.
The way it moved. The way it fought. Even if he didn't understand what had happened, that didn't mean he didn't see it.
The sound of its scream. The strange red liquid staining its body.
(Blood.)
Its arm was torn away. Its body being cut, destroyed and eventually being burned away.
One memory.
Then another.
Then another.
They flooded his mind all at once. He was given a name, experienced the taste of milk, and even obtained a parent.
All of these experiences, combined with the influence of the Vulcan, had made him feel a brand new sensation…
His small body trembled. His breathing hitched. Tears welled up in his eyes.
They were large and uncontrolled.
For the first time in his life, he felt it.
Fear. A sensation born from everything he had just experienced.
Everything he didn't understand, but still felt.
All of the things he's been through, in such a short span of time, only made him develop that much quicker. Ultimately, this would add to his sense of self, causing him to feel fear.
His lips trembled. His voice, fragile and unsteady, finally broke through.
"…Ma…"
"…ma…"
"…mama…"
His first word. Born from fear. And the desperate need to not be alone.
Back in the forest, Metsuri drew her Ninjatō.
"What a pain… It seems the forest itself is a threat."
She pulled her black mantle mask back over her face. "What I need to do… is take them down one by one."
Even now, several massive humanoid beasts were closing in. Each one shared a similar towering frame, yet every single one was different.
Metsuri lowered her gaze to her blade. Her own reflection stared back at her.
"Normally, taking them down one at a time would be the safest option…"
"But would it be smarter to just run?"
Time. That was the one thing she didn't have.
The mere possibility that shinobi from Metsugakure were already on her trail left a faint unease in her chest.
Of course, there was a chance they didn't even know yet. That she was just being paranoid.
…but that alone spoke volumes about how dangerous they were.
'But how would I even run?' Her thoughts sharpened. 'I can't use my floating magic freely while I'm already sustaining Albion… and maintaining the barrier while escaping isn't exactly easy.'
"Think, Metsuri. Think." Her breathing steadied. "What's the best way for me to survive this?"
Then, a dark thought crossed her mind.
"…I could always leave Albion."
A heavy stomp echoed nearby.
"…Damn." Her eyes hardened. "I'm out of time."
She lifted her gaze. Standing a short distance away was another beast. Not all of them were the same size, this one stood at roughly five meters tall.
Where a face should have been, there was nothing. Only a crown of massive, jagged antlers erupting from its head.
They twisted and branched like ancient roots, gnarled and uneven, jutting outward in sharp, unnatural angles.
Its torso was split open. From chest to abdomen, a vertical rupture exposed a hollow interior.
It was dark, empty, endless. It held no organs, only void.
From its arms and neck, long, threadlike tendrils hung loose, swaying faintly with the air.
'There's no point in me trying to talk with it. I learn that from my earlier battles. If I want to survive… I'll have to fight. Just like before.'
"Eeeh—hehehehehe…!" The creature let out a high, eerie laugh.
It raised its palm, a sphere of white light formed above it.
Slowly, it began to grow.
"What is that?" For the first time, Metsuri's eyes widened "…That Vulcan did the same thing."
Just then, a realization struck. "…But I thought that ability was unique to its species."
Innate Abilities. Like human mages, magical beasts possess Innate Magics. However, unlike humans, their abilities are fully instinctual species-specific. Developed without formal training.
Each species typically exhibits its own unique form of Magic. An example of this was that octopus beast being able to use light magic.
That's what Metsuri had believed.
"if that vulcan didn't use some special power, then that would mean all magical beasts can use it as well."
With the white sphere in the monster hand, it steadily began to grow in volume and size.
What it was doing was shaping magic without a fixed spell structure. It wasn't casting spells, something that Metsuri had done multiple times.
It was commanding it freely, shaping it and giving it a tangible form.
'That's impossible…isn't it?'
Just then, the monster launched the sphere. Metsuri was completely caught off guard, something that under circumstances just wouldn't have happened.
The massive sphere tore through the air.
An explosion engulfed her position, smoke and debris erupting outward in all directions.
A long silence settled over the two. Slowly, the smoke began to clear.
Metsuri stood at the center of the impact, her arms raised in a defensive guard. Her sleeves were gone, burned away completely.
"I don't know what you just did.But whatever that was…"
A faint, hidden smile formed beneath her mask. "…requires exceptional control over your internal flow of magic."
Her eyes sharpened. "It seems… you beasts are far more dangerous than I thought."
Metsuri slammed her foot into the ground and vanished.
The earth cracked beneath her step as she launched forward, her body blurring into a streak of motion.
She didn't charge the beast head-on, she angled away, toward the trees.
Her foot struck a branch and she kicked off instantly, redirecting her momentum. Then another tree. Then another.
She became a phantom in the forest.
A white flash ricocheting from trunk to trunk, each step sharper, faster, each rebound stacking momentum until her speed reached an all time high.
The beast's gaze dragged behind her, too slow to keep up. All it saw was light skipping through the trees.
Then, she was gone.
And in the next instant, she was already on it.
Using a final tree as footing, Metsuri launched herself straight toward the beast.
She hit its leg and didn't stop, her feet found purchase against its massive frame as she ran up its body, defying gravity through sheer speed and control.
In a heartbeat, she reached its face. White energy surged over her leg, condensing, sharpening around it.
Then she struck. Her kick slammed into the side of its face with explosive force.
The impact jerked the colossal creature sideways, its entire upper body snapping back despite its overwhelming size.
The ground screamed beneath it as its feet dug in, carving trenches to stop itself.
But it recovered fast, too fast. Its massive hand rose and came crashing down.
Since she was now in the air, and unable to use her floating magic, Metsuri had no choice but to take the full front of the attack.
Her body was driven straight into the ground, the impact blasting out a crater as dust and debris erupted upward in a violent geyser.
A long silence followed, and smoke swallowed everything.
The beast stared down into it. "…khh…!" A low, rumbling chuckle slipped from its throat as it slowly lifted one foot, preparing to crush whatever remained.
Just then, a light appeared. A small, glowing orb rose from within the dust.
The beast paused. It tilted its head slightly, staring at the unfamiliar glow.
The orb drifted higher.
Right when it reached high enough, a blinding explosion of light detonated in its face.
"SKRRAAA—YEEEEEE!!"
A shrill, pained screech tore from the beast as it staggered back, both hands flying to its eyes.
"I bet you didn't think light magic could be used blindly, huh?!" Metsuri's voice cut through the smoke, sharp and mocking.
Above her, a magic circle ignited. Heat began to gather instantly, the air warping as flames condensed into her palm.
"This magic," she said, her voice steady despite the chaos, "is an attribute-based discipline. It manifests through both Caster-Type… and Holder-Type applications."
The smoke peeled away from her as the energy intensified.
She raised both hands toward the sky. "With it… I can create, shape, and control its elements at will."
The magic circle flared. "Fire Magic—"
"Enkō Rasenshō." From the center of the circle fire erupted.
A spiraling column of flames burst outward, twisting violently as it surged upward like a blazing vortex.
Heat roared, embers spiraling as the inferno expanded.
The beast, still blinded, couldn't react. The flames crashed into it.
A violent explosion engulfed its upper body.
But, not completely. Its arms had come up instinctively, shielding its core.
This resulted in its arm taking the brunt. Fire clung to it, devouring flesh as flames roared across its limb.
"SKREEEE—!!"
The beast staggered back, its body shaking from the pain.
Yet Metsuri didn't stop, her grip tightened on her Ninjatō.
A white crescent of energy tore free from the arc of her strike, slicing through the air with lethal precision.
SHLAAASH—!!
For a moment everything stilled.
Then, the beast's arm was cleanly separated. Severed completely as it tore free, nearly sending the massive creature off balance before it barely caught itself.
The limb crashed to the ground.
Metsuri exhaled, lowering her blade slightly. "That…" she said calmly, "was Suntetsu."
Her eyes remained locked on the beast. "Suntetsu and Sesshoku-zan—through these techniques, I don't just swing a blade…"
"I replicate—and surpass—what a blade is meant to do."
"Bisection. Severing. Decapitation. Dicing."A faint hum lingered around her weapon.
"These aren't spells, they're the result of my advanced ethernal Infusion."
The beast clutched the stump where its left arm had once been. The damage was undeniable, deep and ruinous.
Then something shifted.
A pale, tangible energy began to leak from its body, like mist forced through cracks in stone.
It wasn't gentle. Its entire frame tensed, muscles locking, trembling under the strain as the energy gathered.
Seconds later…
A new arm forced itself into existence, growing from the ruined socket. Bone, sinew, and hide knit together in a grotesque rebirth until, at last, it flexed—whole again.
"I see…" Metsuri murmured, "You're one of the rare ones. A beast that's evolved far enough to regenerate."
The creature responded with a wide, toothless grin.
She exhaled lightly. "Clever, aren't yo—"
The world shook. A thunderous quake split the air behind her.
Metsuri turned and her eyes met something far worse.
It towered over the battlefield. Fifteen meters of sheer, monstrous mass.
Its silhouette blotted out the light itself, a grotesque exaggeration of strength.
Its shoulders stretched outward like the beams of a cathedral, casting a shadow vast enough to swallow everything beneath it.
From that frame hung arms that weren't merely limbs, but pillars. Dense and Corded.
Its torso was worse.
Not flesh as it should be, but something rigid and compact. It raised its hand in a Slow and deliberate motion..Its fingers curled into a fist.
Then it fell.
Snapping her fingers, a magic circle flared to life beneath Metsuri feet. She raised both hands just as the massive fist came crashing down.
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
Trees tore free from the earth, roots snapping as they were hurled aside. The ground fractured instantly, spiderweb cracks racing out in every direction.
But the fist never reached her.
A transparent barrier held firm, locked in direct collision with the beast's overwhelming strength.
Metsuri's teeth ground together. 'What power…!'
The pressure alone was monstrous. 'This thing! it's all physical strength.'
Then, Something changed.
A white aura erupted around the beast's fist. It surged upward, flowing along its arm like a raging current.
And the weight seemingly doubled. Metsuri's knees buckled. A metallic taste flooded her mouth.
"To think…" she rasped, her voice straining, "that I—Metsuri Ebonveil—would struggle… against mindless insects…!"
The ground beneath her gave way further, collapsing into a deep crater as the force pressed down harder.
""Every… last one of you…!" she groaned.
a memory surfaced.
◆ ◇ ◆
[Look at her… a female ninja. No talent for magic whatsoever.] A shinobi from the village spoke in disdain.
At the time, she was only a child, undergoing training in Metsugakure. Blood ties meant nothing if one could not manifest a magic deemed acceptable by her clan.
Those who failed to meet this standard—children included—were cast out without hesitation, their existence erased as if they had never belonged.
[What do you expect? She's a woman. At best… she's just a tool.] another said.
Women of the village were stripped of autonomy, reduced to tools meant to sustain the shinobi population through childbirth.
Some, if they showed promise, were trained as kunoichi, but even then, their value was measured no differently than the men: by how useful they could become.
Compassion was a weakness the village could not afford. Those who grew up there, were trained from an early age to accept the act of killing without hesitation, even if the target was one of their own.
And Metsuri learned.
If you were weak… you couldn't protect anything.
Not even yourself.
◆ ◇ ◆
"Every single one of you shinobi…" Metsuri's voice trembled, not with fear, but fury. "Every last one of you beasts…"
Cracks began to spread across her barrier.
Metsuri Ebonveil did not possess overwhelming magic. She never had.
But the one thing she did have…
"All of you are just pigs, fawning over magic like it means anything!!"
was a powerful willpower.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH—!!" Her scream tore through the forest.
The barrier surged. For a single moment it held. Then it pushed back.
The massive fist was blown upward, forced away as the towering beast staggered, its balance broken.
Metsuri stood there, breathing hard.
Her hair had come undone, black strands spilling freely down to her waist, framing a face twisted with raw intensity.
Her body swayed, but she stepped forward anyway, eyes locked onto her enemies like drawn blades.
"I am Metsuri Ebonveil." Her hand rose, going toward her Ninjatō. "A kunoichi of the Ebonveil Clan."
"The terror of Fiore."
SHHKK!
Something cut through the air.
It was Fast, Too fast.
Metsuri barely had time to turn. Her body was launched violently backward, smashing through one tree.
then another.
and another.
wood splintering like paper as she tore through five in total before the sixth finally stopped her.
She hit the ground hard, rolling before coming to a halt.
"W-what… was that…?" she groaned, forcing herself up slightly.
Her eyes dropped.
A white weapon, Constructed entirely from condensed magical energy.
"…a Khakkhara?" She recognized the weapon.
Her gaze snapped forward, to the first beast. It stood at a distance, unmoving, watching her.
That same wide, toothless grin stretched across its face.
"It was you… wasn't it?" Metsuri pushed herself up, gripping the shattered remains of a tree for support.
"I don't know how you're doing it…" she said slowly,"but you're shaping raw magic itself. No spell. No chant."
Her mind raced. "Giving it form… density… tangibility…"
"…and maintain it outside your body."
That wasn't normal. Even trained mages required structured spells for that level of control.
"Which means…" she whispered, realization creeping in, "magical beasts… don't need spells at all."
"They simply willed it."
"Eeeeeh—heheheheheheh—" The creature's distorted laughter echoed through the broken forest.
Metsuri glanced down at her hand. A thin line of fresh blood traced across her palm, trembling slightly with each breath she took.
"…This isn't good," she muttered under her breath. "I should run."
The thought had barely formed when the air changed.
A faint green hue bled into the wind around her. At first, it was subtle. Barely noticeable.
Gentle currents brushed along the ground, circling her feet like something stirring from sleep.
Suddenly it deepened. The wind thickened, tightened.
The currents began to spiral faster, drawing in debris, leaves, and dust. What started as a whisper became a presence.
What was once invisible now churned into a visible vortex of compressed, green-tinted air.
And then, it erupted.
A full violent tornado roared into existence.
It tore through the forest without discrimination, ripping trees from their roots and hurling them skyward like weightless twigs.
Metsuri dug her feet into the ground, trying to hold her position, but the force was overwhelming.
The wind seized her. Her body lifted, dragged violently into the air. She twisted mid-flight, reaching for anything nearby.
Her hand latched onto a thick tree branch, her body whipping beneath it as she hung on with one arm.
"What the hell is going on?!" she shouted over the roaring winds. "Another beast?"
Her eyes darted across the chaos. Trees. Boulders. Debris—everything was being devoured by the storm.
The branch groaned and cracked. The tree was ripped free from the ground entirely.
She was dragged with it, pulled straight into the heart of the tornado.
"KRAAAAAA—SKREEEEEE!!"
A piercing cry split the storm. High within the spiraling vortex, a shape emerged. Its appearance was similar to that of an eagle, although a giant one.
Ten meters in size, its body was draped in pristine alabaster feathers that shimmered with a pearlescent sheen.
Toward the edges of its wings and its long, phoenix-like tail, the colors deepened into slate blue and charcoal gray.
Its legs were thick, powerful, covered in golden-brown down that hardened into heavy, scaled talons. Black as obsidian.
A crown of soft, ethereal feathers flowed from its brow like a ghostly mane, contrasting the blade-like sharpness of its wings.
And its eyes were molten amber, pocked onto her.
"So it's you," Metsuri muttered, narrowing her gaze despite the chaos. "You're the one behind this."
"These beasts really aren't giving me a second to breathe…"
The winds howled louder. Instead of fighting it, she decided it would be smart to go along with it.
Metsuri twisted her body midair, aligning herself with the current. She let the storm carry her, moving with it instead of against it.
Her hand shot out, grabbing a large chunk of debris to stabilize herself.
Back to the magical beast, a violet magic circle ignited into existence before the eagle-like beast.
Its runes spun with controlled precision, glowing brighter as energy condensed.
From its center, air took form. Thin. Razor-sharp constructs of compressed air materialized one after another.
With a single flap of its wings they launched.
Slicing through the storm with high-pitched shrieks.
They cut through everything in its path. The trees as well as the stone.
Metsuri's eyes sharpened, she angled her Ninjatō.
—SLASH—
—CLANG—
—SHHKT—
Each blade met her steel in rapid succession. She moved purely on instinct, deflecting, parrying, slicing them apart one after another.
She wasn't using any special techniques or swordsmanship. Just her skill with a blade.
SHHK—
A thin cut traced across her cheek.
Another slash tore through the black mantle covering her mouth, shredding it away.
"…Tch." Her expression hardened.
With a final swing, she dispersed the remaining blades, sending them scattering into the storm.
Not slowing down, she sheathed her Ninjatō once more.
She spread her arms wide, flames erupted from her hands.
Fire coiled violently around her arm, twisting and roaring as the air distorted from the sheer heat.
The blaze intensified rapidly, growing brighter and denser.
"Let's see you handle this—!" With a powerful upward thrust, she unleashed it.
A massive torrent of flames surged forward, cutting through the tornado like a blazing spear.
The inferno devoured everything in its path, swallowing wind and debris alike.
It detonated.
A massive explosion of fire consumed the vortex, burning it apart from the inside out.
The green storm collapsed instantly, replaced by a towering cloud of smoke.
a figure burst from the smoke, the eagle-like beast. Its wings were scorched, patches of burned feathers marking its body, but it still flew.
It circled once, then turned back toward the smoke.
Moments later, another figure emerged, Falling.
"…Holy crap, I'm high!" Metsuri's voice cracked as she tumbled through the open sky, clouds drifting around her.
"Kof—kof—!" Smoke burned her throat as she coughed mid-fall.
"SHRRRRAAAKK—!" That cry again.
Her head snapped to the side. There it was, the beast, still coming.
"…It survived my fire magic?" Metsuri was slightly surprised.
In one smooth motion, she unsheathed her Ninjatō. "I can still end this… with Suntetsu."
Suntetsu is Metsuri's primary ranged slashing technique.
By channeling Mahō through her weapon, in this case her Ninjatō, she's able to release it at the moment of a swing.
This would result in a compressed blade of energy getting shot forward. Normally a crescent shape slash.
These slashes were constructs that traveled at high speed toward her target, carrying the cutting force of the original strike.
The size, speed, and power of the slash can be adjusted depending on the amount of magic infused and the force of the swing.
However, Suntetsu is entirely dependent on a physical medium.
Without a weapon, such as her Ninjatō,
Metsuri cannot properly shape or release the attack.
It was the opposite of her other slashing attack, Sesshoku-zan.
High above where Metsuri was, a massive purple magic circle forms in the sky.
Its runes rotated slowly as energy gathered, crackling through the air. The atmosphere grew heavy, charged with static.
"Let me guess, you can use both lighting AND wind magic." Metsuri exhaled sharply.
She clicked her tongue. "And I can't even use flight magic right now…"
Her body continued to fall, the sky above her glowed. "This is such a—"
She inhaled sharply, a vein pulsing at her temple.
"—fucking pain!"
Without warning, bolts of lightning descend from the circle, jagged and relentless. One after another they struck, engulfing her in searing light and explosive force.
The air screamed, the world flashed white.
And then, silence.
◆ ◇ ◆
The ground below was ruined, charred and fractured. A crater marked the impact point, its edges still smoking.
At its center, Metsuri lay motionless.
Her body was burned, smoke faintly rising from her skin. Her clothes were torn. Her breathing shallow
nothing moved.
Then, heavy footsteps could be heard. More beasts emerged from the treeline.
Massive, Fifteen meters tall, just like the second one.
Humanoid in shape, each one carried a weapon forged from raw magic, their forms flickering with unstable energy.
They said nothing. Slowly, they began to close in on her injured body …
But to Metsuri, it didn't matter. She laid there, her surroundings quickly turning into an empty darkness.
'I have to run… I have to survive.' Her thoughts echoed, distant yet sharp.
'No matter the cost… I will have my vengeance on that man. That will never change.'
'This world… every part of it… is to blame for what I became.'
'No matter what it takes. Betrayal. Deception. Even killing allies… none of it is off-limits.'
A looming shadow stood over her.
One of the towering beasts, fifteen meters of brutal mass, raised its weapon.
A mace formed entirely from condensed magical energy pulsed in its grip.
Swinging it down, it looked like it was going to land.
CLANG.
At the last possible moment, Metsuri moved. Her body snapped upright, pivoting sharply as her leg whipped around.
Her foot intercepted the descending mace mid-swing, halting it with a ringing impact that echoed across the area.
Behind her, another beast stood. It raised its own mace, already bringing it down toward her blind spot.
Metsuri's eyes flicked, She didn't hesitate. She let go.
Pushing off the first weapon, she leaped backward, her body twisting midair.
The second mace came crashing down and struck the first beast instead.
The impact knocked it off balance, sending its massive frame stumbling.
Metsuri landed on a low slide, feet grinding against the fractured earth before she came to a stop.
'That is the way of Metsugakure shinobi. We exist to serve the village… nothing more.
Heavy footsteps approached.
'Anyone can betray you. If you're weak, you're expendable to those who are stronger…'
Another beast stepped forward. It raised its mace and brought it down.
Metsuri lifted her hand. A small, dome-shaped barrier formed instantly around her.
The mace collided with it, sparks bursting outward from the point of impact.
But this time, no cracks formed.
Metsuri's gaze remained calm behind it. 'So I'll prioritize my life above all else…'
The barrier flickered slightly just enough.
Her hand slipped through the opening,
and caught the beast's mace mid-contact.
'Above anyone.' A soft white glow spread across her palm.
For a single second, everything stilled.
Then, the mace shattered. It broke apart into fragments of fading energy, dissolving into nothing.
The beast staggered forward, staring at its now-empty hand in confusion.
Metsuri didn't look back. '…Even if that means abandoning Albion.'
She turned and ran.
A burst of speed carried her into the forest, her figure weaving through the trees without hesitation.
'This is simply how things are. There's nothing to change.' Branches snapped beneath her steps as she pushed deeper into the woods.
'I'll start over from nothing…' Her pace didn't slow. 'And if I have to—'
She darted into a denser cluster of trees.
'—I'll find another child to shape.'
"WAAAHHH—!!" The sound cut through everything.
It was a loud familiar cry.
Metsuri stopped, her body froze mid-step. Slowly, she turned her head.
"…Albion?"
High above the ground, encased in a hexagonal barrier Albion cried.
"Aaaahh—waaahhh!!" His small fists slammed against the barrier again and again.
"MA—MAA!! MAMAAA!!"
His voice broke with each cry. Desperate and
Raw.
The forest stilled. Even the beasts stopped.
The four towering humanoid monsters turned their attention upward, toward the source of the noise.
Toward him.
Metsuri stood motionless, her expression unreadable.
"Does he… actually care about me…?" The thought felt foreign. It didn't make sense.
They had only been together for a short period of time. Yet, each time Albion life was constantly put in danger again and again.
Even now, his cries had drawn the beasts' attention.
They began to move. Slow, heavy steps as they approached his suspended form.
Seven meters above the ground within reach.
"I left you alone in a cave," Metsuri whispered, her voice hollow. "I killed the scientist who took care of you."
"I even gave you a fake birthday…"
"So how…?"
"How can you sit there and call me your mother…?"
[Albion… It symbolizes purity. Innocence.
How ironic… a name so clean, forced into something so corrupted. I like that contrast.]
She remembered the moment she named him. But it wasn't out of love or care. She treated him like a tool for her own use. She didn't feel bad about it either.
She had never intended to be a proper mother.
"M-MAMA!! MAMAAA!!"
His cries tore through her thoughts, still reaching for her.
"…Why…?" Metsuri asked.
Was he stupid? Or, was his heart simply that pure?
As Albion continued to sob, one of the 15 meter tall humanoid beasts was now in front of him.
Unlike the others, it held no weapon, its mace had been destroyed earlier. Reaching out its hand, it was ready to grab him.
'…My goal won't change.' Metsuri's body tensed. 'But… maybe… just this once…'
She moved, before the thought could even finish.
"WAAAHH!! MAMAAA—!!"
The beast's hand closed on nothing.
A blur streaked across the battlefield.
A heartbeat later, Metsuri landed at a distance. Her feet skidded slightly as she stabilized herself.
In her arms, a small, glowing barrier. Inside it was Albion. She looked down at him.
Her expression softened, just barely.
"Just this once… alright?" A weary half-smile formed on her lips.
"I'll fight for the both of us." Metsuri said.