Ophelia released Stab from the throat as the lanky boy slinked down from the maze wall and collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Knowing that she didn’t have much time judging the progress of how her poison was slowly seeping through his heart, the Rising Star Prodigy quickly activated her Minor of Healing and cupped his cheeks gently, letting the warmth penetrate through his delicate skin from her fingertips. Her teeth were chattering nervously as she watched the warmth of her healing powers fight against her own poison.

She made her decision of trusting this boy and hoping to get better from her living nightmare. She knew she would be disappointed with herself if she had killed the person who hadn’t even started to help yet. She would never forgive herself if this happened. So with renewed resolve and determination, she used every ounce in her power in stopping the poison from reaching his heart, burning them into nothingness.

After a while of just letting her Minor seep through him and going as far as to even rid his body from unhealthy impurities, Ophelia smiled in relief when the natural colour of the guy’s skin slowly resurfaced from the grey ash tones. The smell of Death was gradually decreasing, still there but dimming down to a bearable level. It was so strong before, it was repulsive an almost made her gag. She lightly slapped Stabs, rousing him awake to which he opened his eyes groggily.

“Mhm....am not dead yet?....” Stabs asked absentmindedly, his voice heavy with sleep. This made Ophelia blink and let a small smile creep on her face, before she realised something that ticked her off. She punched him on the arm, suddenly furious at him as he yelped and shot up, fully attentive than ever before.

“You bloody idiot! What were you thinking? Going as far as to even be okay with me poisoning you? Are you brain damaged or something?!” It was Stab’s turn to blink, before he chuckled lightly, inviting more wrath to Ophelia ever than before. Before she could pulverise him then and there, Stabs raised his hand in surrender, a trick he learnt from Zatch which was effective for many people to spare him and allow him to give an explanation.

“I did told you that I am a bit of an idiot.” Stabs mentioned cheekily, making Ophelia scoff lightly and cross her arms boldly over her chest.

“More like the biggest idiot in Wind Crest! Why I never seen someone so willing to die than you, you self sacrificing bastard.” Stabs only chuckled, thanking her which only increased her level of anger. She was about to punch him in the gut when she held back, fully aware that she had almost murdered this innocent guy just a moment ago. The voices were being a nuisance in her mind and they were encouraging her to redo the massacre she almost committed earlier but she didn’t give them a damn anymore, half-heartedly ignoring them with all of her might.

“Well at least you don’t stink Death anymore, I am sure that stuff is going to make me sick soon.” Ophelia scoffed lightly, egging Stabs to raise both of his blue eyebrows in curiosity.

“What does Death smell like anyway?” Ophelia grimaced lightly, before having the heart to answer back, a faint trace of pink dusting her tan cheeks, making Stabs wonder just what exactly it smelled like.

“Flowers.” Stabs blinked; taken aback that Ophelia was repulsed with the scent of flowers.

“Do you not like them? Flowers?” Stabs asked, brimming with curiosity. Ophelia snapped her head towards him, glaring profoundly at him which was enough to make him recoil back and bang his head softly on the maze wall. There was a very faint smidge that the crazed Ophelia was slowly making her surface, before the real one shut her down again.

“So what? I don’t like flowers. Got a problem with that self-sacrificial bastard?!” Ophelia asked heatedly, earning another uncontrollable chortle from the out of commission teenager, making her more flustered and frustrated than ever. How was he so laid-back? How was he so calm? How the hell was he so accepting towards all the irregularities he was seeing? Why was he fine with it and why was he acting like he was fine? When he was just facing Death’s door just a while ago?! All of this traits, it irked the Rising Star Prodigy to no end. He was bearing a resemblance too much of the person she knew who wouldn’t forgive her even if the virtual world came to an end.

“God! You are just like your stupid idiotic self-sacrificing cousin!” The moment she blurted it out, Ophelia bit her tongue, her eyes widened in horror at what she had revealed. She quickly backpedalled away, ramming her back against the opposite maze wall, her mouth covered with both hands. The voices in her head mocked her and threatened her, emphasizing that she had dug her own grave now. She was wishing to take back the words but she knew it was impossible because it was out, and Stabs had heard it crystal clear. Stabs’s chuckle came to a short, his breathe hitched on his throat as he stared back with the smile frozen on his face, dumbfounded with what Ophelia had let slip.

“What?!”

***

“So...Alois was it?” Zessica asked inquisitively, bumping into the fifth member of their Group Pandora. He looked around the age of fourteen to which Zessica knew that he was actually sixteen from the introduction they had before they were thrown into the maze. He had snow white hair which had dark purple shadings at the edge of the strands. His hair reached his neck and he had light purple eyes. He wore a black jacket with double buttons with a dark purple rose around his neck, hung on strings. Underneath is a white collard long sleeved shirt which was accompanied with black pants and knee high black boots. He cocked his head to one side, his pale eyes so distant, Zessica wondered whether he even heard her.

“Do I know you?” Zessica almost stumbled but managed to keep her impassive facade.  Even though she was baffled to find this boy had already forgotten her from their brief introduction, she didn’t let it show, giving him a small smile before introducing herself yet again.

“Yes, we are in the same Group Alois. My name is Zessica and I am a Child of Misfortune just like you” Alois became silent for a while, staring at her for a long moment before cocking his head to the other side again, his eyebrows furrowed together and his eyes strained in deep concentration, as if he was trying to crack a difficult puzzle. This was more than enough to tell Zessica that this guy, Alois, had a slower processing ability than Arma, a big surprise there.

“Ah...Jessica...So you are like me huh?...Want some tea?” Alois asked breezily in a very slow and calm like fashion. Zessica blinked, before giggling lightly and flicking her finger lightly on Alois’s forehead, who didn’t as much wince, only blinked.

“It’s Zessica...and we are not in your home Alois, we are in the maze remember? We have to find the Dome?” Zessica asked with a hit of mischief in her voice. Alois blinked again, cocking his head back for a few seconds before something dawn on him.

“Oh yea...sorry...I am very forgetful...sometimes its troublesome and I always have to have someone with me so I don’t get lost...wait...where am I?” Zessica almost face palmed then and there, only to giggle a bit more. She didn’t know why but she found him amusing. If she were to be honest, she liked him; he seemed like a nice fellow. Even though there were people who can deceive everyone with their good personality masks, this boy was genuinely absentminded, not at all harmful.

“We are in the maze and don’t worry, we are all lost actually. We have to find the Dome to...uh...not get lost.” Alois stared at her apathetically, no emotions bearing on his face. For a moment, Zessica felt as if she was staring at herself, or a male replica with a different appearance, both of them being so expressionless. However, unlike her, this guy did not have the negative like air around him and had more of a blank and airy one instead.

“Is it the blue semi circle like thing with some sort of hexagons on them?” Alois asked suddenly, grabbing all of Zessica’s attention in an instant. She couldn’t believe it; that was no doubt the Dome Zero had spoke of, now the question was, how did Alois knew?

“Yea... Where did you find it and why didn’t you go inside?”

“Hmm...I don’t know where I found it...I remembered I had left the pan on the stove so I went to go back and take my breakfast out before it burns.” Alois answered with a poker face and Zessica had to will every fibre in her body to not get out of character and shake him furiously, knocking some sense to him that he was not at home but at another dimension instead. Now she was really wondering how Alois even got to the stadium in the first place with that inattentive and daydreaming mind of his.

“Alois...you are not at home...but you will be if we get to the Dome” Zessica answered after taking a deep breath and calming down. She didn’t really mind his absentmindedness, really she didn’t. However to say that she was unperturbed with his carefree personality would be a lie. To this, Alois fisted his right hand on his left palm, indicating he finally got the point.

“Oh...so we have to find the Dome. Let’s go find the Dome so I can give you tea.” Alois smiled in a weak but genuine smile, one that Zessica couldn’t help but reciprocate back. Soon they were on their way, not once bumping into any Seekers while they were at it which was relieving to Zessica. She wasn’t sure how she would explain how and why they should avoid the Seekers to Alois, knowing that it might waste their time with having only one minute to get out of their sight. Then again, she can always make both of them ‘disappear’ with her Minor. Nonetheless, she wasn’t edgy and jumpy as of yet, however she could imagine Arma clucking about and babbling nonsense by now, making her giggle lightly.

“How long have you been a Child of Misfortune?” Alois asked suddenly, interrupting her chain of thoughts. Zessica blinked, remembering they were having a conversation before she went through her blurred memories, going as far as she could to reach her closest memory in the virtual world.

“I don’t know...I have been having this stone on my neck as long as I can remember...How about you?” Zessica asked and on cue, Alois tugged on his collar and rose, pulling it down where it revealed the handicap stone fused on his chest, just below his neck. It was just as big as Zessica’s, only it wasn’t green; it was purple, the same shade of the rose that was hung around his neck.

“Me too...I think I was born with it...” Zessica batted both her eyelid confusedly and didn’t think about it further. They continued walking forward, turning in random areas to which Zessica can’t help but feel that she was getting closer to something. It didn’t felt like she was going to the Dome, but it felt like she was going to get something closer to something she would dread to see. As they turned to a corner, she froze at the sight of what she was seeing before her as Alois blinked dazedly again.

“Oh...they are kissing...are they a couple?” Alois asked in an airhead and clumsy manner. Zessica didn’t respond, feeling her nerves screaming in horror and her eyes widened to the point that it almost bulged out. For the first time in her life, she had a difficult time accepting what she was seeing. Arma, who was sitting and leaning against a wall with his shaggy hair sticking out in odd places and leaves in them, had his lip locked against another girl who straddled him, preventing him from escaping.

From the chestnut hair and the signature French braid, Zessica didn’t need it to be spelled out for her to recognise her as none other than Titania. Just as if Zessica was concluding that Arma was kissing her back, she vaguely recognise the shock and surprise in Arma’s grey eyes, as if he didn’t expected this. Soon, his face blew up in flames and quickly placed both hands on Titania’s shoulder, pushing her away. Titania pouted lightly before smiling triumphantly as Arma covered his lips at the back of his right hand, gaping at Titania as if she grew another head.

This was enough for Zessica, it told her that Titania had locked her lips against his without his consent. However, Zessica still felt something unsettling inside of her. She felt relieved, she didn’t know why but she felt at ease to know that Arma wasn’t reciprocating Titania’s feelings. However, there was something clawing away inside her chest, making her chest feel heavy and feel something squeeze her heart too tightly. It was the same sensation when she caught both of them almost leaning in for a kiss at the beach, but only worse.

“You like him though...” Alois pointed out, his voice barely a whisper but catching her attention nonetheless. She turned to him, aghast to find that he didn’t state it as a question, but as a fact. It was as if Alois was reading her, only more poorly than her level of perceiving abilities. Even so, the way Alois said it, Zessica couldn’t help but feel that he was right. She didn’t know why, but the fact that it sounded wrong, and at the same time, right, the thought of it made her heart beat furiously and her stomach flutter with butterflies. She was feeling as if she was on the moon, yet at the same time, terrified out of her mind. How strange...this feeling.

“What was that for?!” Arma almost bellowed loudly, both he and Titania not noticing that there were four people who caught them in their ‘moment’.  After Euphino suggested the idea of climbing the wall, there was a moment of hesitation before all three of them eventually climbed anyway. It was a bit of an effort, considering that the wall was extremely smooth with leaves and with only few vines, threatening them to fall numerous times. Despite this, they beat against all odds and went to the very top and scanned their surroundings.

It was Euphino who found the gigantic Dome first, motivating them to cheer in relief and make a simple map which had the shortest route towards the Dome before trying to find the rest of their allies. However, it was that exact moment that Arma’s misfortune decided to make an appearance. Since he was a big fellow from the start, his weight was too heavy for something as a mere tall bush to hold him. So as most of you have guessed by now, the wall gave away from his weight and Arma had got himself a one way ticket in plummeting down with two horror-struck faces gaping at him from above.

Thankfully, he was smart enough to know that a drop of that height would kill him so he resorted in sliding down the wall instead of nothing but air, slowing down his falling speed and made him land with a loud thud instead. He won’t deny that it hurt, a lot that is along with his back being on fire, but he knew that he was alright to move on, till he realised that he dislocated his ankle, just his luck. However, it seemed like he still had some luck with him when someone came to view out of nowhere, Titania, and she was a Hider. So of course it made sense that when Titania assured the two people above that she would help Arma with his ankle, she was actually trying to help, till she kissed him, with Sophie and Euphino freezing from where they were at, shocked with the sudden turn of events.

“What’s wrong?” Titania cooed lightly, hooking both her hands behind the tall lad’s neck and gazing at him with such adoring eyes, Arma felt a huge lump forming in his throat. He felt nervous, how was he supposed to react when a girl kissed him for crying out loud?! Plus she did it unexpectedly too, when he was not at all prepared for it and when he didn’t even saw it coming to his way.

“I told you Arma, I like you. I really do, and I know that you may not feel the same but you haven’t dated anyone yet right? You are still single so I want to be yours before someone else. I want to be your first like you are to me.” Titania elaborated lightly, her voice in a seductive tone. Arma gulped again, feeling his face reddened in an impossible shade of red when Titania leaned in again. He was about to push him away when he heard someone speak, startling both of them.

“That’s a lie...” Alois spoke out loud, catching both of their attention. They both turned from their position and Arma felt his mind grew blank when he saw Zessica beside the fifth member of their Group. He silently screamed inside, fully aware that he didn’t have a good explanation to why they were at this position. He also wondered wildly whether his partner saw the not so innocent moment and he felt blowing up then and there. Maybe he didn’t deserve to like her, he had committed so many guilty things; one would wonder whether his love for her was true.

“What do you mean by that?! I love him!” Titania hissed loudly, making the hair at the back of his neck to rise. Alois cocked his head to one side and it only dawned on Arma then that both of his pale purple eyes were now illuminating in bright pink colour, much like Zatch when he ‘reads’ someone. Only Zatch had red eyes, Alois had pink and he read Titania in a daydream like fashion.

“That’s a lie, you don’t love him... You only like him as a friend... And he isn’t your first too...” Now, everyone except Alois and Titania blinked flabbergasted with his announcement. Titania looked so angry; Arma winced when she felt her nails digging into the back of his neck furiously. She looked as if she wanted to murder the boy beside Zessica but refrained herself from doing so. She then turned to Arma who flinched momentarily, absorbing her face contorted full of hurt and her eyes pleaded lightly.

“That’s not true! I like you Arma! I love you! You know that right? You like me too right?” Arma gulped lightly before unhooking the hands at the back of his neck and rubbing the knuckles of Titana’s stressed hands. He wasn’t happy with what he was going to say. After all, he had already indirectly rejected her once by running away, now he was going to reject her directly, making it all the more painful.

“Sorry Titania...I do like you but not in that way...I like you as a friend...” Titania’s eyes paled suddenly, to the colour of dead leaves and Arma felt guilt eating away his heart. He was about to apologise as many times as he could when Titania spoke in a distracted voice, as if she was speaking to herself more than to him.

“No way...did you kiss someone before me?...” Arma blinked, before he felt his face flame up and started blabbering purely on impulse.

“What?! No! I didn’t k-....k-k-ki......!” At first, Arma started with such denial, he didn’t remember something important when he trailed off, realising that he had in fact, did caressed his lips with another girl. It was none other than Zessica. She had locked her lips against him back when they first met, at the Hallway of Horrors when he couldn’t activate his Minor due to panic. She had made it a point that it didn’t meant anything and that they should just shrug it off and pretend that they still had their first to be swooned away by that special person.

He had completely forgotten about it and just by remembering that moment, Arma felt his cheeks now melting due to the intensity of the fire burning through them. He turned towards Zessica, surprised that she too, was blushing furiously, touching the numb spot on her lips where she smacked against his on that fateful day. Titania followed his gaze, settling on Zessica before being back on Arma again. Tons of emotions started playing and before Arma could have a chance of explaining, which he found that he was failing tremendously at, Titania’s face hardened to stone.

The infamous idol quickly got up and took long strides towards the other two witnesses. Zessica, may be feeling the animosity shooting at her way, took several steps back. Alois, either feeling the need to protect her or feeling quiet lost, stepped in front of her, blocking her way. Arma watch in newfound surprise and shock when Titania forcefully shoved him away, making the sixteen year old boy stumble sideways.

“It always has to be centred around you. Always! Always! Always! From the very beginning, you took something I want and you are a very cunning person to even make him fall for you!” Titania growled, making Arma, Sophie and Euphino blink in astonishment. They had never seen Titania lose her cool. She always had that carefree personality but now it was as if she was a whole new person. Zessica stop at her tracks, briefly glancing at Arma before her eyes settled on Titania. Arma saw her face hardening to steel too, looking quite angry herself.

“It doesn’t have to be centred around me and I didn’t do anything. You are just selfish and delusional to think I tricked him and made him fall for me. Walking around with that mask of yours; fooling boys into think you love them. I can’t believe I went as far as to warn you not to hurt him when you came to our house for the first time. Now I feel like I made a mistake, I should have showed him the real you from the beginning!” Zessica snapped loudly, her emerald green eyes narrowed into slits as Titania didn’t suppress the gasp of shock when Zessica finally let the cat out of her bag.

 “Is that true?” Euphino called out loud, his voice gradually drifting below. Sophie clutched the brush under her hand tightly, unable to disguise the disgust and dismay on her face. Titania stiffened lightly, before turning around and giving all four of them, Alois included; a wickedly sweet smile. She then opened her inventory, quickly taking a random object and threw it against them in one swift moment. Arma quickly shielded his eyes as it erupted into green smoke, quickly disappearing before it came. When he blinked back the tears that formed in his eyes at the smoke bomb, he was distraught to find that there was a dome-shaped barrier, with Zessica and Titania inside of it.

“Oh how sad! My cover has been blown thanks to you midget...and I thought we had a deal Zessica. Why did you betray me like that?” Titania cooed, devoid of the caring tone and gripped on Zessica’s jaw tightly. Zessica winced lightly before Titania quickly shoved her away, making the smaller girl stumble back and almost lose her balance.

“What is the meaning of this Titania?!” Sophie demanded, already sliding down the wall and landing just as poorly as the tall lad. She winced lightly before standing up again in an awkward way; hands raised and ready to summon Feyone from wherever her creation was at. Titinia smirked wickedly again, cocking her head to a side as she watched the four of them through the barrier. 

“Tis, tis, so impatient! Since my cover is blown might as well tell you the truth. Aren’t I such a kind soul?” Titania asked, more like a rhetorical question as Arma struggled to adapt to the foreign personality Titania was having. It contradicted so much against the kind, gentle one she had just a while ago.

“I can’t believe none of you knew of my Minor to this day, none of you except Zessica. She has such a sharp eye that girl. I have the Minor of Succubus, meaning I have boys under my control and girls worshiping me as if I am their idol. When I realised that you were such a powerful player, I knew I wanted you so I can easily pass through Blessed Combat. After all, the prize for winning Blessed Combat is getting five of your wishes come true! I would so die to get that! However, Arma you are such a meanie, rejecting to my partnership to a plain and pathetic girl as her!” Titania pointed an accusing finger at Zessica, who stared defiantly at Titania, not at all threatened or feeling endangered.

“Even though you became her partner, I still wanted you. So I thought of giving you a lunch date, so I can use my Minor, kiss you and have you under my control. However, some pathetic fools were there at our place and so it became going to your house instead. When I went upstairs to get that phone call from some idiot I dated a year ago, I bumped into Zessica, who already found me out.” Arma knew that when he felt his heart squeeze tightly, it wasn’t because he felt heartbroken, he felt betrayed. All this time, that acknowledging look on her face, that kind expression, that friendship they had together...it was all an act?

“I guess I should thank her for not giving up my secret then and there. Instead, she made a deal, saying never to hurt you if I were to date you. She knew you would have a hard time believing, she knew you would feel betrayed since you oh so liked me back then. However you just won’t stop resisting my charms! Should have known too because my Minor doesn’t work if someone kissed the boy I am trying to charm before me. It was because of her I was able to keep this facade up till now! How generous of her right?” Titania turned and sneered at the younger girl who looked down in shame. Her tiny fists were clamped shut, her small figure quivering in rage. Arma knew she was avoiding his gaze, probably regretting from keeping this secret from him for so long.

“Then at least she has more heart that you do you filthy witch” Euphino spoke out loud, his face serious and full of disgust as he slid down next to the injured and still baffled brunette. Alois nodded breezily, agreeing with the curly haired lad. Sophie nodded too, summoning Feyone from where she was battling and quickly to where they were at. Titania simply rolled her eyes, heavily revolted with the drama unfolding.

“See Zessica? It always has to be centred around pathetic little old you. You always have to depend these friends of yours to save your butt every freaking single time. Why they stick around is what I can’t understand.” Arma saw as Zessica’s eyes were shadowed by the fringe of her hair, still regretting what she had done. He wanted to reach out to her, assure her that she is anything but what Titania had accused her of, only realising that he had a barrier to block his way, one that did not give reflections, damn.

“Break that barrier!” Sophie commanded urgently as Feyone obediently sprinted towards the Dome, sword unshielded from its cover. Titania didn’t as much bat an eye as the creature’s sword bounced back from the barrier, leaving no scratch in its wake. Feyone tried again, slashing continuously for several seconds and backing away when none of that worked. Titania dramatically sighed, indicating she was bored before turning her attention back to Zessica.

“Foolish friends you got there too. Don’t they know a duel barrier when they see one?” Zessica’s eyes widened a fraction before coming to understanding her situation. The only way to get the barrier out of their way was to have a duel with Titania, with one of them being the victor. How Titania had smuggled that in her inventory she couldn’t come up with a theory yet. However, it was just as Titania had said; she had always depended on Arma when it came to duelling. Taking the role as the offence was just not her thing, and seeing that she was battling against Titania, who had a Major of conjuring up different weapons at will, the odds were not in her favour. However, that didn’t mean she would let Titania have a simple match, no she would give her ultimate hell.

Poising herself in a battle stance, Titania did the same and their health bars materialised above them, both having their bars filled with green beams. A countdown started before them from ten while the rest of the members stood outside, nervous and concerned for her sake. No doubt they did also doubt what Zessica was able to do with that weak body of hers. It was only Alois who remained calm, who did not know what in the world was going on that is. Sophie reluctantly took Feyone back in her special inventory, clasping her hands together in a prayer and praying for her safety as Euphino helped Arma up, making him hobble towards the barrier where he could see his partner better.

“Don’t worry, she will win...she definitely have to...especially against that witch...”Euphino assured quietly, his voice so small that it sounded like he was also trying to convince himself. Even so, Arma was glad that even though Euphino was annoying, he had the heart to comfort him too. So Arma believed, he believed in Zessica, even though the odds were not in her favour. Still, he wanted to believe that she will surprise them all; she always did and never failed so far.

When the countdown narrowed to zero, Titania was the first to sprint forward, leaving Zessica hesitating when she conjured up a sword out of thin air. Still running, she wielded the sword in ease, slashing it on Zessica only gasping that it not only effectively hit the younger girl, but the girl evaporated into shadowy like flames. An illusion, Titania had sliced through an illusion! Then out of nowhere, she felt something slamming not so gently on her back, making her stumble.

Titania quickly recovered and turned, briefly registering that the cause of the strike was Zessica giving her a spinning kick. Titania was about to slash her sword again when the young girl disappeared into thin air again. Only then she realised why Zessica was such an extreme player when it came to being ‘in the shadows’. For the life of her, the infamous idol could not sense her! It was like a ghost! Heck, she couldn’t even hear her. Titania grimaced again when she felt something kicking on her back, realising that this girl moved about like a ghost, her footsteps not at all audible. No one should be this quiet!

For the next five minutes, which felt like hours for the infamous idol with Zessica’s friends cheering her on even though they couldn’t see her themselves, Titania finally snapped and started wielding two sword blades at once, blinding swing it here and there. This seemed to have work when the ambushing attacks ceased momentarily, making her sneer broadly. However, her sneer was short lived when Zessica appeared before her again, down low where she gave a swooping kick, knocking Titania off balance.

The idol screeched lightly before making sure that Zessica would fall down with her by slamming her foot on Zessica’s ankle as she fell. Arma took note of the wince as the young girl stood up, hobbled lightly before vanishing to thin air again. He did not like the look on her face when she hobbled with a limp, it was dreading him. Recovering slowly, Titania took a deep breath and listened carefully. She knew she had somehow injured Zessica somehow, she had noticed the girl limping; probably the idol had given her a sprain.

At first, it wasn’t clear, but it was barely audible, like the wind breezing over dust, and that’s when Titania lunged one of her swords to her left, smiling broadly when she saw the air ripple lightly before it revealed the female Child of Misfortune, emerald green eyes widened and blanched in shock as clutched her left arm tightly where the sword stabbed straight through. Warm pool of blood was slowly gushing out, making the girl paler than she already was. Her friends’s cheers then quickly turn urgent, telling her disappear but Arma knew that it was hopeless. Zessica was bleeding, and it would give away her hiding places unless she hides them too but that was the least of his worries.

The last time he forced Zessica to get a medical check up when she forgot, Tear had said her reports told her she was improving but she was more worried about Zessia’s blood clotting time. For a normal human being, the blood clots around two to eight minutes, however, in Zessica’s case, it clotted in twelve minutes, way past the normal range. Tear had mentioned it was because Zessica had low platelet, red blood cells count and white blood cells but it should be alright if she continued to take medication and not have a flesh wound, which the girl was having now.

Arma knew that Zessica hold Titania off a little while longer, she would feel slightly dizzy from the blood loss from such a small flesh wound. If Zessica wanted to get out of the Dome unharmed, she would have to defeat Titania quickly. So when Arma started joining others with urgently telling her to finish Titania off, he knew that Zessica got the message as she grimaced openly, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to ‘disappear again’. However, it seemed like Titania caught on and quickly sent another sword at the young girl’s way to which Zessica dodged by a  hair, landing on her sprained foot which made her stumble lightly.

Using this to her advantage, Titania sprinted forward and jabbed the young girl in the stomach, making her curdle lightly before sending her slamming her back on the wall, making her slid and sit in a limp fashion. Seeing that Titania was getting more and more control of the battle, the idol smirked triumphantly when Zessica scoffed suddenly, startling her. Then she started giggling giddily, causing the whole area to grow silent.

“What’s so funny?” Titania snapped, narrowing her eyes in repulse at the young girl as if she was nothing but dirt on her shoe. Zessica continued to giggle in an euphoric state, not like the crazed one like Ophelia, in her case, it was more...shimmering with  mischief, sly, like a trickster. As if you try talking to her, she would reply back with something that can be only understood as the language of nonsense.

“Haha...these blows...you sort of remind me of her...but she does it much better than you. Your punches and beatings are sweet compared to the Rising Star Prodigy, not that I mind her since you are more of a monster than she will ever be.” Zessica announced publicly, making the rest of the people outside the duel including Titania to gasp. Zessica slowly looked up; a trail of blood coming from the edge of her lips, her emerald green eyes twinkling with mischief despite the bags under her eyes, indicating the pain she was going through. She was perspiring severely but no one could have guessed when Zessica giggled again, irking Titania to no end. One of her elegant eyebrows twitched irritatedly before she extended one elegant arm out, her fingertips pointing the young battered girl.

“Let’s see how long you will have that stupid smile on your face!” Titania yelled with pure frustration, some sort of spell circle with Egyptian figures in them. Before anyone could react, something shot straight from the circle, blurring from everyone’s line of sight before more blood spluttered out, followed with a gasp and a small whimper of pain. Arma felt horror eating him alive when he realised that what came out of the spell circle was a three spiked lance, penetrating through Zessica’s frail shoulder all the way back and coating it with her blood.

“Zessica!” Euphino screamed in anguish, almost sprinting towards the barrier and trying to break it when he remembered he was still helping Arma to stand properly. Arma felt his whole body shook all over as Sophie clamped her mouth shut, tears started spilling at the corner of her eyes as Feyone made renewed effort with break the barrier. Even Alois seemed shock, his pale purple eyes widened in disbelief before he clutched his chest, as if he couldn’t handle the way his heart was beating from shock. For a moment Arma thought Alois was going to faint when he swayed lightly but quickly balancing himself with the help of a nearby maze wall. That’s when Zessica seemed to have given up, lolling her head down so that nobody could see her pained stricken face, encouraging Titania to smirk in victory.

“Ha! In the end you are all bark but no bite! This match didn’t even take a minute. You disappoint not only me, but your friends who put so much faith in that weak little body of yours. I won’t be surprised if you died then and there” Titania cooed wickedly, cackling in a witch like manner. Arma felt a huge lump in his throat as Sophie covered her face in her hands, trying not to sob and grief. Euphino froze, unable to believe that Zessica was simply gone. Arma on the other hand felt something burning inside of him. The hole in his chest, something that Zessica took so much effort, yet at the same time with ease to fill, was greater than before. At first he felt empty, then he felt rage, rage towards the girl who he thought was his friend.

More than anything, he wanted to murder her now, and the thought of him excited him. He didn’t care whether killing was bad or not but he wanted Titania to bleed, he wanted her to feel pain, just to make sure she feels that those were the pains Zessica had to go through because of her weak body. Before he could shove Euphino’s hand which was helping him stand up right, just before he was about to smash the barrier with all his might, a new voice interrupted, this one bearing nonchalance and both annoyance.

“Ooi! Zessica...don’t just play dead there. I know you are alive... what are you a wimp? You little monster, you were able to withstand much worse than this. Had this past two years soften you up or something?” All five, counting Feyone, turned towards to find a peculiar sight. Ophelia, supporting a pale and fragile looking Stabs with his arm around her shoulder stared apathetically at Zessica, who remained lifeless. Sophie felt her jaw hung ajar, she couldn’t believe that the Rising Star Prodigy was acting so...so...indifferent. As if she had no care in the world that this girl used to be her partner!

“Ha?! I don’t know whether you are dumb or just plain stupid, but Newsflash! She isn’t going to get up any time soon!” Titania snapped in a retorted tone, her face contorted with irritation. Ophelia raised one green eyebrow at the infamous idol, not at all giving a damn about her presence and only glancing over towards the defeated body of a small girl.

“Come ooon Zessica. I know you are not dead. Quit being such a drama queen. You are stronger than this. Since when did you become such a...flea. Yea that’s right. Since when did you become such a flea you little monster of a midget.” Everyone excluding Stabs and Alois stared at her in shock, wondering why she was saying such things to her former partner. Arma was at loss for words where it was Sophie’s and Euphino’s turn to look enraged. Just before anyone could start another repeat of a Taboo then and there, a child like giggle interrupted them.

“Ne? Ophelia knows me too well huh?” Zessica giggled again, slowly glancing up and giving her a small sad, nostalgic and weak smile. Ophelia’s hard exterior soften lightly before she too, gave a small but awkward smile back, shocking everyone.

“What? You still alive from that blow? Ugh! Never mind! Have a taste of this!” Titania yelled, conjuring another circle with weird Egyptian like writings on them which was pointed towards Zessica. Ophelia’s smile faded away and was replaced with a smug grim look as she glared the infamous yet desperate idol as she tried to keep her composure.

“Oi flea, make sure you make it count” Zessica giggle again, her eyes twinkling about. Titania ignored what Ophelia uttered which she should have taken it as a warning. She should have noticed how the young girl’s eyes altered, where her pupil was now the shape of a cross hair against her emerald irises. The idol should have noticed how Zessica wasn’t struggling and writhing in pain but she didn’t. A blast of a seven foot blazing fire  ball cannon was shot at the girls way. Titania was about to triumph with victory because being shot with high speed at that distance would most definitely kill a small girl.

Oh how wrong she was. Before anyone could pray for the girl’s safety, Zessica’s body started showering her with green sparks as she gazed her crosshaired eyes on the fire ball confidently, filled with deep concentration. None of the audience saw the way Ophelia smiled coyly as they became awestruck when the ball didn’t strike her. Instead, it stopped just a few feet away from her, halting all movement and hovered right then and there. Zessica grinned, getting up slowly while clutching the lance that was stabbed through her.

“Wh-what the...How!” Titania bellowed loudly, her mocha brown eyes widened in both terror and fear, eyeing Zessica with the eyes Arma knew so well. The look that indicated the person in front of her was a monster. Zessica didn’t say anything but grimaced and groaned lightly when she gently tugged the lance back, shocking everyone when the wound seemed to have opened and separated her shoulder and arm at ease. However, the moment the lance was out, her shoulder then reattached itself with her arm, healing slowly though not enough to stop the blood from pouring out completely.

“What just happened?” Alois asked dumbfoundedly, the more confused of the bunch. Even Stabs was just as dumbstruck as the male Child of Misfortune.

“Her Major is Telekinesis... using it, she stopped that cannon and controlled every cell in the area of her wound, opening it up widely before closing it again when she pulled lance thing out. She can heal herself with that Major of hers but that would require serious practice... which is why she hasn’t fully cured that illness of hers.” Ophelia explained casually, shrugging her shoulders as if it was no big deal. For once, Sophie and Euphino didn’t mind her watching the duel which had its tables turn with them.

Arma was watching her in a new light; awestruck at what Zessica could do with her mental power. He knew she had an extremely unexplainable flexible mind, going as far as to combine both Major and Minor together but to the point where she can control her own cells of her body and freezing an oncoming cannon ball which was on fire at such short distance? Now that was new. He knew she would surprise them but he had certainly not expected where she could finally use her ‘Advanced Telekinesis’ like his doppelganger, Sawyer mentioned.

“Now, since we are sort of running short on time, let’s stop with the game of ‘friendship’ yea?” Zessica spoke breezily, impressively twirling the lance with her fingertips before poising it to attack. To Titania’s horror, she watched as those inhuman eyes dispersed the blazing canon ball into many particles, all of it whirling around the young girl, still lighted in flames like a mystical aura. Zessica grinned broadly, her said inhuman eyes dancing as she controlled the particles of what used to be a blazing fire ball at will, savouring her soon to be foretold victory. This, was going to end in a matter of seconds.

“Now do me a favour and stay still~”

Author's note: I rushed this so there will be mistakes, please note them out for me k? Oh and the song at the side? That's Zessica's character song. Took me ages to find one that actually suited her but yay! Victory!

Oh, and dont forget to vote!