Control

ⅩⅬⅠ

Rin did her best to run back to where she had abandoned Elfman and Lisanna. She immediately had trouble, seeing as Eileen's spell had completely altered the geography of Fiore. Every time she scanned her surroundings, she began to wonder if she was running in circles. All the shrubbery looked the same at every corner she turned. Finally, she gave up and attempted to summon her wings once again.

Her back began to burn, more so than ever before. The pain made her knees collapse underneath her body. Rin's shoulder blades stretched out but the skin refused to open up to her evolving bone structure. Her magic vanished in an instant to prevent her body from destroying itself from the inside out.

"What the hell?" The brunette panted as overwhelming exhaustion washed over her. She was utterly confused over why her wings couldn't break through and why she was suddenly so drained. But in all reality, her body was absolutely drained from months of constant battles. She had yet to fully rest her body. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she actually slept. Considering everyone in the Alvarez Empire was wary of her presence, she never knew if she'd been found out of if one planned to attack her. So, she never relaxed.

Rin scanned her surroundings once more, checking for magic in the distance. When she decided that there was no one in close proximity to her, she collapsed onto her back. Her limbs stretched out as far as possible in relief for the short break she was offered. She knew one of the Twelve would be coming after her soon and there was a chance she wouldn't make it out alive. So, she took this moment as a final breath of relief.

If something happened to me, what would Ajeel do? Would he flip out on whoever killed me? Or would he continue his war and pretend like I never existed?

Her negative thoughts were endless. But, their focus on males changed.

She could imagine the toothy grin of a particular blonde. Oh, how much she missed him... What she had done had certainly severed their bond, but she'd always hold him dear to her heart. He was the only person that truly knew her and saw her weaknesses. He saw her as more than a strong warrior. He saw her as his compassionate princess which he had vowed to protect on the night of the ball which was thrown by King Fiore.

I wish I could go back...

Rin rolled off of her back and into a sitting position. As much as she wished she could just sit the rest of the war out, she knew she was the deciding factor. With her on their side, Ishgar could win. If she fought for Alakitasia, there would be no one to protect her homeland. But if she sat idly, the battle would continue for who knows how long.

It was up to her to draw the end closer.

As she began to push herself up off the ground, a bright white light encased the entire continent. However, it was different from when Eileen cast her spell. The source of the light appeared to come from the direction of the guild. Rin knew exactly who cast the spell and what it was.

While the spell cast was a great aide to Ishgar, the cost was even greater.

Rin's eyes watered immediately as the light vanished. She tried her hardest to scan for his source of magic, but it had completely vanished. She began to sob to herself, begging for it to be a ploy.

"No," she repeated over and over again. "No!"

Ishgar had officially lost one of its greatest men and one of the most beloved guild masters in Magnolia. "Master..." She whimpered, placing her forehead in the dirt as she cried. "Come back!"

竜

"All of the enemies in front of us were suddenly defeated in one fell swoop!"