A blue light.
A captivating illumination that pulled her attention away from the man threatening Golden Steam. A figure too far to make out danced around in the air, as if the very meaning of gravity was a concept unknown to them.
It was only when the screams and the people fleeing the cafe made her notice that the man was no longer a man. His body was split, a long tentacle stretching out to connect the limbs. A creature with an otherworldly appearance stood there. The very sight filled Rinne's mind with an overwhelming amount of dread.
He was there.
While Golden Steam stood his ground with a pistol in hand, Rinne and Sara rushed up to him. Despite her intentions, she couldn't lift a finger.
This thing, its entire existence, felt like a violation of her mind. Its purple eyes, which shone like the universe, looked through her as if she wasn't there, even though it knew where she was.
Why?
She thought as she tried to move her hands into her pockets, seeking the means to fight against such an abomination of life. It was nothing like the creature she had shot in the face the other day, so what made her feel this way?
The one to take action was him, Golden Steam. Despite his one eye, his shots aimed true, blasting holes into the creature's head. The creature fell, twitching like an insect, and a steel blade meshed with the gears, slicing it apart. As its body shimmered away, Celia ran off. Anya following closely behind.
"Rinne, either follow or stay. Whatever you chose, do not leave Sara alone." Those were the words he said before chasing after Anya and Celia.
What now?
Rinne stood alone with Sara. Questions without answers swirled violently in her head. She wanted to follow, to show that she was capable of fighting with the tools her mother once had.
What was stopping her?
Even now, as nothing stood in their way, her legs refused to respond. If there were more creatures like that one on the way to finding Golden Steam, could she handle them? Could she protect Sara?
Rinne looked down at the little girl at her side. A sharp pain stabbed her chest as she looked at the girl next to her. Her little hands were turning white at the knuckles. Sara's gaze was fixed on nothing but the corpse of the man.
What was going through her head for her to want to continue? How was this girl, several years younger than her, still able to look forward with those eyes of rage?
"I wish I were like you," Rinne muttered, drawing the little girl's attention to her.
"Big Sis." She whispered, her expression melting into a more concerned one. "What will we do?"
Run.
Those words failed to leave her mouth. But what if he does something reckless again?
Just run.
Was there a point in staying with that man? Just by being there, she could see the pain in his eyes. All she was to him was a reminder of her mother. All she could do was watch as he struggled, seeking warmth to avoid losing to the darkness of his mind. Any time his gaze was fixed on her, she could see the years of pain flooding into him.
She couldn't be her mother. She never will. So why not just run? It will save both of them the heartache.
Because you know deep down, he's important to you.
Rinne looked around the empty cafe. Searching for the voice that played. She then looked at Sara, whose eyes never moved from Rinne. Did she not hear it? Or was Rinne just hearing things?
The voice itself was familiar, like something she'd once heard in the past before being taken by those twisted men. It held warmth like her mother's.
"L—"
She stopped herself. Let's go? She wanted to run. Why was she about to tell Sara that they were gonna follow him?
"Let's follow him." To her surprise, she finished the statement that betrayed her thoughts. With a resolved look, Sara nodded in agreement as she adjusted the grip on the Steam-nade.
He might be a fool, but he held answers that she sought. Maybe that was why she wanted to follow him, to learn more about how her mother died, leaving her alone in the cruel world.
That was what she convinced herself.
They ran, ran as fast as their legs could carry them. She followed the path he had taken. Rinne didn't know how she knew Golden Steam had taken this path, but deep in her chest, she had a feeling. Like a string being tugged, no, more like a chain.
"…"
"Ngh!?"
Rinne and Sara stopped in place at the sight of a void spawn eating. Sara stepped back, the launcher shaking in her hands.
"B-big sis…" she whispered. The creature looked up and focused its gaze on the general area where Sara was. Sara held her breath as she stared at the creature. It looked away, focusing back on its meal—a human head.
"What was that?" Rinne reached into her pockets and grabbed a spiral dagger that Golden Steam had made for her last night.
"F-father Muller says these things are blind at birth. But they can sense f-fear."
Blind at birth, that would mean that Sara's weapon is useless against them.
The creature looked back, its long, tentacle-like tongue sweeping the ground as if looking for something. Sara let out a quiet noise as she fell onto the ground. The void spawn came closer.
Rinne held the dagger steady in her hands. One hit, one solid good hit was all she needed to ensure the kill. Looking at it was bone-chilling, but she decided. She'd been running her entire life. She didn't want to live this way forever; that's why she looked for that man.
The creature moved forward, leaving indentations in the metal ground. Rinne turned back to Sara and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Mother used to fight these things." She said, lowering her body as Golden Steam showed her how to. "I won't be a burden to anyone." She launched herself forward, her steps not making a single sound.
The void spawn moved without acknowledging Rinne's presence. She ran up behind it, its purple skin glistening with the nearby lighting, and thrust her dagger into it. The creature screamed as the dagger tore through its hard skin into a slimy interior.
It trashed around. Flailing its limbs, smashing into everything around. It soon stopped and continued its path toward Sara. But as it did, Rinne ran up to it again, her palm open. Her hand landed on the end of the dagger that stuck out from the creature's body, and the moment her palm closed around it, the glove spun to life.
The dagger spun like a drill, digging deep into the creature's body. Chunks of ooze and flesh sloughed off, landing on Rinne's face. She gripped the creature's back as it squirmed around. She held on for as long as she could before her arm gave out. Rinne was sent flying towards a nearby wall. Old wounds and the impact of the crash sent a wave of pain. She gritted her teeth to endure the agony; she pushed herself upright, the wall's cold metal surface reminding her where she was. She scanned the area, looking for Sara.
"Ugh…!"
"B-big sis!"
Sara stood up, taking aim at the creature's head.
Rinne was about to shout how useless a flashbang would have been against a creature who was blind, but it was too late. She squeezed the trigger. Instead of reacting with words, Rinne reached into her pockets and pulled out another dagger as she looked away.
A bright flash of light filled the area.
To Rinne's surprise, the creature used its tentacle-like arms to cover its eyes as it slammed its head into the ground as if experiencing intense pain. She nodded towards Sara and ran towards the back of the creature's neck.
This time, she would kill it.
She impaled the creature's neck and slammed her glove onto the hilt of the dagger. It spun to life, digging deep until the creature's failing ended. Once motionless, its body shimmered as if beginning to fade away.
Rinne placed a hand on her chest as Sara ran up to her. It was beating fast, not out of fear, but with adrenaline. It was how she felt when Father Muller tossed her down the ladder, and they found Golden Steam about to be slain by that creature.
Was this how Mother felt when she used this weapon, to get up close with a creature that could end it with a single strike? Rinne couldn't help but smile as the creature's body disintegrated into nothingness, leaving behind only the two daggers she had attacked it with.
"Looks like I wasn't needed at all. How lame!"
A voice rang out from above. A blue light filled the air. Something big shot downwards, sending a shockwave of energy and debris towards the girls. Rinne shielded Sara from the blast, causing dust and metal shards to assault her lungs.
As she coughed, she looked ahead. A sword of steel and crystal was embedded deep into the metal ground as if it were a wooden cutting board. She traced the blade up to its handle, where a pair of feet stood effortlessly on the hilt.
There was a woman there. One dressed in priestly garments. Light blue hair danced in the air as if gravity had yet to fully catch up to her. She had one eye, a single blue eye that hid behind a solid streak of hair dyed white.
Rinne had seen this woman before. Back in the alley where they had seen the body of a woman next to a dead void spawn.
A woman of the church. Rinne took a step back, gripping both daggers in her hands. Father Muller had already shown her that he didn't like her, so will she be the same?
The woman flashed a smug look as she jumped off the hilt of the blade. A blue light came from the blade as she floated downwards.
She approached Rinne. As she did, Rinne got a better look at her clothes. They were similar to Father Muller's except with a skirt and thigh-high socks. But every inch of her clothes was covered in tears that exposed a shiny chain-mail. The edges of her clothes were stained with blood that was not hers. Behind the eyepatch bearing the church's symbol was a long scar that showed its age.
The woman looked to be only slightly older than Rinne, but she moved as if she'd seen countless lifetimes. She reached Rinne and looked her up and down. Then she did the same to Sara.
"So, these are the two?" Her attention turned back to Rinne as she reached out her hands. Scars covered the back and palms of her slender hands. She tapped on Rinne's chest, feeling around where her brass underarmor was located.
Rinne felt strange having her chest messed with by another person, but seeing how effortlessly she had just now leaped off the top of the building in a spectacle of lights, she opted to keep her mouth shut.
"Tch!" she clicked her tongue. "This only makes things harder."
"Makes what harder?" Rinne asked as the woman backed up.
"You wearing brass, and that girl wearing nothing." She then looked off into the distance. "We still have time, but we'll probably barely make it."
"Miss?" Sara was the next to speak. "Who are you?"
"Oh!?" The woman's eye brightened as she locked eyes with Sara. She posed, placing a hand on her hip, and the other making a peace symbol over her eyepatch. "My name is Lilas. You shall refer to me as Big Sis, little Sara." She then turned towards Rinne, "And Mother Lilas for you, descendant of the goddess."