Pearl's Pov

Why does he have to be so stubborn? Why do they all have to be so stubborn?

I kept my grip firm on his wrist, pulling him along as his protests became nothing more than a muffled background noise. He's just like Rose. So confident, so willful, thinking they know better. And Steven—oh, Steven—always running into danger without thinking. Always relying on me to clean up the mess. But this time, I won't coddle him. I won't. He has to learn.

"You think you can just do what you want, don't you?" I hissed under my breath, more to myself than him. He stumbled behind me, and I felt the sharp tug of resistance as he tried to pull away.

"Pearl! Stop—this hurts!" he cried, but I barely registered his words. He's so fragile, so naive, thinking the world will be kind to him just because he's him.

When he tripped again, falling hard onto the sand, I stopped just long enough to glance down at him. His expression was a mix of pain and frustration, his wrist red from my grip.

"You can't even walk properly," I snapped, shaking my head. "How do you expect to survive without me?"

His eyes widened, his mouth opening as if to retort, but I wasn't interested in hearing it. I yanked him up with one sharp pull, ignoring his wince as I dragged him forward.

The beach was just ahead now, the waves crashing against the shore, mirroring the storm brewing in my mind.

"You're just like them," I muttered again, my voice trembling with emotion. "Always thinking you know best. Always running headfirst into danger. Do you know what that does to me? Do you even care?"

I could feel his weak attempts to struggle against my grip, his free hand clawing at my fingers, but it only fueled my determination. This is for his own good. He needs to understand what it's like—what it would mean—if I wasn't there to keep him safe.

"You'll see," I whispered, almost to myself. "You'll see how quickly the world turns on you when there's no one there to protect you. When there's no me."

The beach was empty, its quiet solitude only amplifying the tension between us. I finally released his wrist, watching him stagger backward, clutching his arm. His glare cut through me, but I barely felt it.

"Pearl, what is wrong with you?!" he shouted, his voice cracking with a mixture of anger and fear.

But I didn't answer. Not yet. He would understand soon enough. I just had to show him.

Y/N's Pov

My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed onto my knees, clutching my wrist. Her grip left red, throbbing marks, and I couldn't stop myself from wincing. My pulse thundered in my ears. "What are you doing? Why are we here?" I managed to gasp out.

But Pearl didn't answer. Instead, her gem glowed ominously, and I froze as a familiar, ghostly figure began to materialize before me.

"A... Hologram?" My voice cracked as the hologram fully formed, standing upright with its signature detached poise. It turned toward Pearl and asked in its monotone voice, "Do you wish to engage in combat?"

Combat? My stomach dropped, bile rising in my throat. This couldn't be real.

Pearl finally looked at me, but her eyes weren't the soft, understanding ones I was used to. No, they were cold, unrelenting. She summoned a sword from her gem with a flash, the metal gleaming under the sun, and threw it at my feet. The blade landed in the sand with a muted thud.

"Pick it up," she ordered.

I stared at the weapon like it was a venomous snake. My hands shook as I pushed myself up, every muscle in my body screaming to just run, but my legs refused to move. "Pearl, please... I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

Her lips curled into a frown, her tone sharp. "You want to know what it's like without me protecting you, Y/N? Then learn. Level 3 sparring."

"Affirmative," Holo Pearl said, her voice devoid of any emotion. The hologram's body shifted into a fighting stance; its rapier pointed directly at me.

This couldn't be happening. This wasn't a lesson; it was a nightmare.

The Holo Pearl lunged forward, its movements precise and terrifyingly fast. I barely managed to stumble out of the way, sand kicking up around my feet. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest.

"Pearl, stop this! I'm not ready—I can't fight!" I yelled, panic surging through me.

But she didn't move from where she stood. Arms crossed; her gaze pierced through me like a blade sharper than the one she had tossed.

"Defend yourself, Y/N," she said simply, her tone emotionless.

The Holo Pearl lunged again, this time aiming lower. I instinctively rolled to the side, grabbing the sword from the sand as I moved. My grip on the hilt was slippery with sweat, and the weight of the blade felt wrong in my hands.

"Please, Pearl! This isn't you!" My voice cracked again as I raised the sword defensively.

But Pearl just stood there, silent and unmoving, she wasn't going to listen was she?

My heart raced as the Holo Pearl closed in again, her rapier a blur of silver in the sunlight. I had no idea what I was doing—my hands fumbled with the sword, trying to get a grip on the hilt, but it felt foreign and awkward in my sweaty palms. I didn't even know how to hold it properly.

The Holo Pearl thrust forward, and I barely managed to sidestep, the blade grazing my arm. The sting was sharp, and I winced, pulling back quickly. Blood trickled down my sleeve.

"Ugh!" I gasped, clutching my arm, but the Holo Pearl didn't stop. She was relentless. I could hear Pearl's voice in my head—this is what happens when I'm not there to protect you.

I swung the sword wildly, hoping to block the next attack. My arms were shaking, the weight of the blade too much for me to handle. The Holo Pearl's rapier came down again, faster this time, and I barely deflected it.

It was only the third swing, but already, my body was starting to feel the strain. Every muscle screamed as I dodged and parried. But it wasn't enough.

I missed the next strike, and the tip of the rapier cut through the sleeve of my shirt, leaving a deep gash along my side. I grunted, stumbling backward, barely managing to stay on my feet. The pain flared in my side, but there was no time to dwell on it.

"Stop! Please!" I begged, trying to catch my breath, but Pearl just stood there, watching me with that cold, emotionless stare. She wasn't going to stop. She didn't care.

The Holo Pearl moved in again, its movements too fast for me to keep up. It was like I was fighting a machine—a perfect, untouchable machine. My vision blurred as I tried to focus on its movements, but it was so hard to keep track of her.

Then, in a split second, I saw an opening. I don't know how, but I saw it. I swung my sword with everything I had, desperation fueling my every move. The blade hit its mark—there was a satisfying clink as it struck the Holo Pearl's side.

For a moment, everything went silent. I barely processed it, but then the Holo Pearl stepped back, looking down at the strike on its holographic body.

"Well done!" it said, its tone unchanged, robotic. "Now, time for level 4."

I froze, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down my face.

"No, no more—please!" I couldn't keep up with this. I was barely even standing. But the Holo Pearl wasn't going to give me time to rest. It readied its stance again, the same unfeeling expression on its face, as though it had no intention of letting up.

. . .

. . .

. . .

I couldn't let Pearl think I was weak. I wouldn't—couldn't—let her see me falter anymore. This was my chance to show her that I could handle myself. That I didn't need her hovering over me, controlling every step I made.

I gritted my teeth as I staggered to my feet, ignoring the stinging pain in my side, ignoring the way my vision swam with every movement. The sand beneath my feet was uneven, making my balance wobbly, but I couldn't stop now. I had to prove this to myself.

The Holo Pearl advanced again, her rapier flashing through the air, but I was faster this time. My grip on the sword felt firmer, more controlled. I dodged and parried with a new sense of urgency, keeping my focus sharp. Every movement was calculated now, and for the first time, I felt like I could hold my own.

The Holo Pearl thrust toward me again, but I managed to deflect it, sending her rapier off course. With a grunt of effort, I swung the sword in a clean arc, the blade cutting through the air and landing another solid strike against the hologram's side.

It flickered, but didn't stop.

Level 5.

I barely had time to adjust before the hologram was back at me again, faster, harder. The sand shifted beneath my feet as I danced around its attacks, my chest burning with the effort. I couldn't afford to hesitate, not now.

The cuts on my arms were bleeding more now, and my legs were starting to feel like lead, but I kept fighting. With every strike, I taunted myself, reminding myself that I didn't need Pearl. That I could fight on my own.

I'm doing just fine.

Level 6.

I muttered it under my breath, though the words were sharp, biting. I wasn't just trying to convince Pearl—I was trying to convince myself, too. Every time I blocked or parried; I could feel the anger bubbling inside me. This was what I'd been reduced to—fighting holograms to prove something.

"Hey, Pearl!" I shouted, almost without thinking, as I dodged another attack. "I'm doing just fine here!"

My chest burned, but my grip tightened on the sword. It didn't matter how much I was hurting—I was not going to back down.

The Holo Pearl's attacks grew quicker, but my determination matched it. I kept swinging, even when my wrist throbbed with pain, even when the cuts on my arms felt like they were ripping open wider with every swing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I saw an opening. The Holo Pearl's rapier came down toward me in a wide arc, and I didn't wait. I launched myself forward, pushing through the pain, and slashed upward with everything I had left. The hologram shimmered and then stopped, flickering as it dropped its weapon, the "level 7" mode ending.

I stood there, breathing hard, blood dripping from the various cuts on my body, my chest heaving with exhaustion.

"Level 7, huh?" I said, panting, with a bitter laugh. "Not bad, huh, Pearl?"

But Pearl didn't respond. I looked up, expecting her usual cold stare, but instead, I saw something more... unsettling. Her expression didn't change—she still had that same blank, terrifying gaze. She didn't care about what I'd just accomplished.

And then I heard it. The sound of her footsteps as she walked toward me.

"Well," she said in a voice that was almost too calm, too controlled, "Let's see you try to defend yourself against a real threat."

That was when I saw it—her spear.

My heart skipped a beat.

Pearl wasn't playing anymore.

She wasn't going to hold back

Pearl's POV

The air was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of every breath Y/N took as he staggered to his feet, sword still clutched in his hand. His body was bruised, battered, blood staining his clothes, but he was still standing—still fighting.

Why won't you just stop?

He was breathing heavily, sweat slicked across his forehead. His eyes, desperate and wide, pleaded with me. But I couldn't listen to them.

He was no different from Rose. Or Steven. So stubborn. So reckless. Why couldn't they see? Why couldn't any of them see that I knew best? I knew how to protect them, how to keep them safe. But none of them understood. They just... kept pushing me away.

I could see the pain in his eyes. He was crying, begging me to stop, his voice hoarse, pleading for mercy.

You're not a child anymore, Y/N. I won't let you be weak.

I felt the flicker of hesitation, but I forced it down. I had to—I have to—teach him. Teach him that this world is not as simple as he wants it to be. That without me, without someone to guide him, he would fall.

I moved gracefully, effortlessly, as I always did. My spear cutting through the air in smooth arcs, my strikes precise and devastating. Every swing was a reminder, a punishment for his disobedience, his defiance.

He barely dodged the first strike, the tip of my spear grazing his side. His eyes widened in shock as he stumbled back, clutching the wound, but he wouldn't stop. He didn't know when to quit.

"Stop it!" he cried out, his voice cracking with desperation.

But I couldn't stop.

I couldn't let him learn to survive on his own.

I wouldn't.

His sword was shaking in his hands now, his stance faltering. But still, he tried. Still, he fought, though it was clear he couldn't keep up. His movements were wild, unrefined, but he kept swinging, his sword trembling as if it could somehow block my every move.

You think you can survive like this?

I deflected his strike easily, sending him stumbling back, almost falling. I could hear the pain in his breaths, the sobs he tried to choke down. But it didn't matter. I had to make him understand.

With each strike, I felt the anger inside me growing—no, not anger. Concern.

I was worried about him.

He wasn't strong enough to face the world on his own. He was going to get himself killed, and I couldn't... couldn't let that happen.

He can't survive without me. He needs me.

Yet still, he resisted. Still, he fought back. Every slash of the sword, every swing, was his stubborn defiance. And it was that defiance that broke me.

He was so like Steven. So, like Rose. Too proud. Too naive. Too stupid.

Why don't you just listen to me?

I swung again, too fast for him to react. My spear's edge clipped his shoulder, sending him to the ground with a cry. But I didn't stop.

I could see the fear in his eyes now. I knew it was there. I knew he was afraid of me.

But I couldn't stop.

I couldn't stop... because I was scared, too. Scared that if I did, I would lose him. Scared that if I let go, I would fail him, just like I failed Rose, just like I failed Steven.

I can't fail again. I can't lose him.

His pleading cries were deafening, his hands shaking as he tried to stand again, but my gaze remained blank, unflinching. I couldn't give him an inch

The weight of the spear in my hands was the only thing I could feel now. My focus was solely on him—on Y/N. I was going to strike again, to finish what I had started, to make him see the lesson I was trying to teach him.

But just as I swung my spear, a voice sliced through the chaos, sharp and clear.

"Pearl, stop!"

I froze mid-swing. The voice was unfamiliar, yet it cut through my thoughts like a blade. I hesitated for the briefest moment, the edge of my spear inches from Y/N's face.

Then, before I could even process it, something moved.

A figure stepped in front of Y/N—Sabine.

Y/N's Pov

I could barely breathe as I watched Sabine stand between me and Pearl, her stance fierce, though her voice trembled as she tried to reason with the Pearl who had long since lost her way.

"Pearl, stop!" Sabine shouted, her face a mixture of fear and anger. "This isn't right! You're hurting him!"

I couldn't—I couldn't believe what was happening. Sabine, the one person trying to save me from this nightmare, was standing there, trying to protect me, but at what cost?

"Sabine," I croaked, my voice barely more than a strained whisper. "Please, get out of the way. You don't have to do this."

But Sabine didn't move. She was furious, her hands trembling with an energy I couldn't quite understand. She was terrified of what Pearl was doing, but she was furious at what Pearl was doing to me. She must've seen what I was too scared to admit—Pearl was out of control.

"No, Y/N. This isn't right. This—this madness has to stop!" Sabine's voice wavered with both fear and anger, but it was as if Pearl couldn't hear it.

Pearl stood there, cold, unflinching, her eyes locked on Sabine like a predator sizing up its prey. She remained calm, eerily calm, her hands wrapped tightly around her spear as if nothing could shake her resolve.

"I'm just teaching him how to survive," Pearl said softly, but her voice was cold. "He needs to learn that he can't always rely on me. He needs to understand that I can't always protect him..."

Then she turned to me, before her lips twisted into an unsettlingly small smile before she said "Isn't that right Y/N? You said you didn't need me protecting you right?"

Her words were twisted, each one dripping with a sense of certainty that I couldn't comprehend. Pearl wasn't seeing me anymore. She wasn't seeing Y/N. She was seeing a lesson that was somehow more important than the person she was supposed to protect.

I wanted to shout at her, to scream that I didn't need this—that I didn't need her to teach me this way. But I was too scared. Too overwhelmed. I wanted to stop it.

But Sabine didn't stop.

"I won't let you do this to him, Pearl! He doesn't deserve this! You're not teaching him anything—you're hurting him!" Sabine's words hit me like a slap in the face, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt like there was a chance—maybe a small chance—that Pearl would listen.

But then Pearl's eyes narrowed. She stepped forward, her expression not shifting, her grip on the spear tightening, her voice softer, colder. "I know what's best for him. You don't. Stay out of this, Sabine."

But Sabine wasn't backing down. She raised her hands, trying to stop Pearl, trying to reason with her. "You're not in control anymore, Pearl! You don't know what you're doing! This isn't you!"

I could feel the panic rising in my chest, my throat tightening. Please, stop this. But it was like I wasn't even in the room anymore. The intensity in the air grew heavier, like it was suffocating me.

"Pearl please, let's all just cal-" 

And then, before I could react, it happened.

Pearl moved faster than I could process.

In one fluid motion, her spear lashed out, and I could barely register what was happening before I saw it.

Sabine fell to the ground.

The sight of her blood soaking into the sand was the most horrific thing I had ever seen. The horror gripped me with a force I couldn't escape from, and I let out a sound—a guttural cry that tore through my chest.

"Sabine!"

Her name was the only thing I could say, the only thing I could scream, as I scrambled to her side, my hands shaking as I tried to keep her still. But it was too late. The blood was already flowing too quickly, staining the sand beneath her.

And Pearl stood there, her expression not one of regret, not one of sorrow, but of cold, terrifying calm.

Her clothes, soaked with Sabine's blood, seemed to have no effect on her. She stared at the scene like it was some kind of game—her blank, emotionless gaze on me, on Sabine, like nothing was wrong.

I was shaking, my body going cold. "No... no, please. Please, Sabine... No..."

I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face, the sheer shock of what I had just witnessed, the sound of Sabine's final breath, all of it—it was unbearable.

But Pearl's words came out, almost absent, as though she hadn't just taken a life.

"Now there won't be anyone to interfere."

I was frozen in fear...trembling as she approached me while I crawled back as she simply walked over Sabine's corpse and kneeled down in front of me. Her bloody spear dripping with Sabine's blood firmly held in her hand

"And this is what happens...when you don't listen to your pearl"

A sharp pain struck me from behind and before I knew it, my vision was going blurry as I fell forward. Collapsing in Pearl's arms as she caught me. Before everything went dark I felt her hand stroking the back of my head before she whispered eerily.

"Your Pearl...Always.Knows.Best"

To be continued. . .