The Bad Fairy (girlxgirlxgirl)

57. Last fight

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Anemone can't believe her eyes when she sees her.

There is a bleeding wound on her side, her foot is sore and her hands are scarred by the tight grip she's been having around the shaft of her sword. Minutes have felt like hours, and the distant worry over Chepi's whereabouts have made her easily distracted and prone to constant small missteps. Xeraphina might be outnumbered, but with these annoying killer angels on her side, she has managed to make life difficult for everyone. Anemone is close to growing frustrated when the blue moon appears.

It's overwhelming and blue, shining so brightly that nothing else can be seen. The forest is covered in the blue hue that grows stronger and stronger, as if out of nowhere. Anemone knows that she can't hide from the light as any other normal person would do. She can't risk it, since there is a chance that Xeraphina won't either. So she simply closes her eyes and continues the fight with her sense of smell and sound instead.

Her heart is beating in her throat. The blue moon is here, and she is more nervous than ever. She can sense that Evangeline is nervous too, her breathing fast and laboured. Chepi could die, and they are not with her right now. She could die from this overwhelming light, and from the crystal. It could rip her heart into pieces and bring her to her knees, make her choke and cough up blood until her eventual, gruesome death.

Her death seems so imminent that Anemone is about to stop fighting and just let herself die, too. She can't take it anymore. The frustration, fear and guilt gnaws at her skin. She feels nauseous, out of control, helpless. Something she has rarely felt as the leader of her own demon clan. It feels like the blue moon goes on forever, and when it's suddenly over, Anemone can't believe it.

Everything falls silent. Silent and dark, as the blue light has faded away in an instant.

The weird weather is gone, and the air feels normal for the first time in months. It's no longer too hot or too cold. The wind is so minimal that it feels still, no longer howling in her ears. It's no longer raining, nor is it too dry. The moon is no longer lighting up the sky in a huge, blue light. And most importantly, the sound of Xeraphina throwing her sword against theirs fades away, like how a distant memory fades with the wind.

And the reason for that silence and that stillness is standing right in front of them, in her complete glory. And Anemone feels true relief for the first time.

Chepi, floating in the air, her sword pointed wordlessly at Xeraphina, who stares back horrified in return.

Her fairy wings mirror the light in the forest and from the previous blue moon, as if the light had imprinted on them. They reflect in a thousand different colours on the world around them. Her eyes are shining in a whitish blue, bright and expressionless and incredibly unsettling. There is blood running down her nose and mouth, but she doesn't seem phased. In fact, she doesn't seem phased by anything at all. There is not a single emotion, not a single expression on her face. She floats in the air like something unreal, her body not even twitching.

"Chepi!"

Anemone yells out to her in relief, but she receives no response. Evangeline puts a hand on her shoulder, leaning to whisper in her ear. "She isn't awake, I think." Anemone has to take a second look at Chepi to confirm it. Her eyes don't look normal. Her body language is calm, unmoving, so unlike her. It's like she's asleep. Evangeline is right. Chepi isn't awake, but the crystal sure is. And it's staring right at Xeraphina, thankfully recognising the real threat.