Halloween Havoc

It was tough to keep the blush from her face but if anyone else had been wearing the same maid costume as her then they would be too. She’d searched all over the place for something else but every shop she’d visited had been sold out, leaving her with this. The black haired girl was anything but a maid and the looks that she kept getting from other people were driving her mad. Her fists were almost permanently clenched and she found it quite tough keeping her temper under control. Ever since she’d had those two lacrima implanted, she’d started to change. The teenager knew it and so did her spirits. She was far more fiery now as she’d gotten used to her new found powers, Elara had actively started to pick fights with other people, using her own fists instead of relying on Taurus and the others. It felt good in a way but she wasn’t used to the rigiour of fighting for herself. Her body wasn’t used to the strain just yet, making things a little difficult. Still, she’d made her choice by having them put in her and she was stuck with it now. The teenager would just have to get used to things, she supposed. It would be worth it in the end, she hoped.

She’d never actually celebrated Halloween before, never having been allowed to by her parents and she was actually quite looking forward to it. The festival or whatever it was had so much going on and she was actually eager to have a look around at the stalls and take part in some of the activities. It made a change from hanging around the guild hall with all the other weirdos who lived there but that didn’t mean she wanted to just wander around the place by herself. So, she’d made a call to Lehanna, her only real friend and asked her to join her. The Silver Wolf mage had thankfully said yes although Elara was just a bit nervous. Their job at the orphanage stirred up a lot of feelings and memories, with both girls having opened up quite a lot. In honesty, she wasn’t quite sure where they stood at the moment although Elara had to admit that she’d been thinking about her friend quite a lot. Lehanna was the real reason why the green eyed girl had taken the risk of implanting the lacrimas inside of her, after all. She’d been jealous, so jealous, of the brunette’s powers and had just wanted to be able to fight in the same way. Thankfully, she could do that now or at least, she hoped so. How she was going to tell her friend about her new powers though was something that she was struggling with.

For the moment, she’d just be standing by the entrance of the festival, giving the evil eye to anyone who smirked at her because of her outfit. She wasn’t going to be taking any crap from people who made fun of her today, well, besides Lehanna. The teenager had to admit that she enjoyed their constant bickering, now more than ever.

(525 Words)

It didn’t really seem to be as bad as she thought having gone in this type of costume than she had first assumed it would go. It made her happy that she had stopped off some time back and bought this and hid it away. Originally, her costume was laid out perfectly on her bed back at the guild, but her slayer nose picked up that Kitalpha had snuck in and took it, replacing it with a maid outfit of her own choice. Looking to the design, she already felt as though that was going to be stuffy and uncomfortable. Sometimes youthful rebellion had its perks. So why was this maid outfit any better than the one that was picked out for her? Well, it was not as.. formal looking as the one she had been given and it felt rather nice. Her body had always felt a little warmer since the first time she had learned her magic and it frankly had started to bug her more since that vivid, chaotic nightmare.

Be it the lacrima forced inside of her from that strange woman that only enhanced her slayer abilities or not, she felt it take an adverse effect and she didn’t like it. ”What… is that who I think it is?” She wondered, looking through a small bustling crowd to another maid standing amongst the crowd. ”Hehe… no way. Oh, this is gonna be one fun Halloween.” Moving as lithe as she could through the crowd without being noticed, she’d try to make her way up to the back of the maid with an ever growing smile of devious proportions. ”I heard there’s a mess by the maze. Would you be a dear and go clean it up, little maid?~” Lehanna taunted the question, leaning in toward one side of the punk maid.

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The longer she waited, the more annoyed she was getting and Elara was sure that more and more people were making fun of her. They were all wearing spooky costumes and here she was looking like she was the most innocent little thing in the world. It boiled her blood and as one particular teenage boy tried to catch her eye, she replied by sticking her middle finger up at him, telling him in no uncertain terms where he could go. What did he think she was going to do? Walk around and serve him a drink or something? In a way, it made her feel rather bad about the maids that she always used to see back home. Her parents were always mingling with the upper class scum and they always had at least one or two girls following them around. She never thought much of it at the time but now? She could sympathise. It must be a rough life.

So irritated was she that Elara didn’t even notice that someone was sneaking up on her from behind and a yelp escaped her lips, much to her embarrassment. “Go and clean it up yourself fu…” She cut herself off as she turned around and realised who it was, her cheeks turning bright red. Her eyes were drawn to Lehanna’s own outfit, a similar type to hers and the black haired girl stuck her tongue out and replied, putting her hands on her hips, “Shouldn’t you be the one cleaning it up, Miss Maid?” In a huff, she’d then add, “This was the only outfit they had in my size at the store so I had to make do. What about you? Did you pick that or did you lose a bet to one of your guildmates and were forced to wear it?” Elara had to admit that the costume did look nice on Lehanna though, much better than her outfit did on her.

(325 Words)
(1155 TWC)

Lehanna giggled a good bit in amusement at the other teens reaction. It seemed she wasn't the first person to tease or taunt her about the maid outfit, which only made things a little more entertaining how much of a 180 she made when she'd found out it was Lehanna who was teasing her about the costume as opposed to a stranger that she clearly probably would have had Taurus smack about like child's play. "Well I would, but I'm a more superior maid. Simply clean up is more of your job~" With a taunting wink, she stepped around to Elara's front, holding a pair of cups and holding one out for the girl. "I got these at that stand over there just before I came over here." She would point towards a nearby stand handing out mystery punch to those who would want it.

"As for my outfit. This was my own choice. I couldn't be bothered with stuffy looking outfits outside of my school uniform anymore." With a small sigh, she would wave about her drink assuming Elara would have taken hers from the slayers hand. "If I had lost a bet, I'm sure Kita would have had me in the most ungodly girly-girl outfit she had in her closet. I'd probably more a porcelain doll than a maid and frankly, I forgot this existed in the confines of my closet until I realized what day it was." With that, she would raise her cup almost in a toast like manner. "Here's to off-duty maids!" As a joke, she'd then begin to chug the drink as though she hadn't had anything to drink in the last few hours.

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The member 'Lehanna Seraph' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Normal Dice' :

Elara scoffed at the girl’s reply but didn’t make any more petulant comments for the moment, calming herself down and instead focusing on the now. She couldn’t help but feel her new powers churn inside her though, as they seemed to whenever she was annoyed or briefly lost control. It was such a strange thing and she didn’t know if she’d ever get used to it. Maybe it was something that she could ask Lehanna about later but for the moment, she decided to keep her new power to herself. Today was about the two enjoying themselves after all and as much as she might have wanted to breach the subject, there would be another time. Like whenever the two inevitably butted heads about something.

“It suits you better than it does me.” She finally said, both complementing and teasing Lehanna at the same time. If Elara was honest, she didn’t think that her outfit suited her in the slightest and if she’d had her way, she’d have worn something a little more...well, her style. There wasn’t much she could though besides curse every stupid bastard who made a smartass comment toward her.

Taking the offered glass of punch when it was offered, Elara would gently sniff the drink, her now enhanced senses almost overwhelming her for a moment or two, before going along with Lehanna’s toast. “Bottom’s up.”

Her eyes lit up as she tasted the lovely liquid and for a few moments she simply enjoyed the sweet taste. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly was in it but there was definitely something special. Elara could feel a tingle through her fingers which eventually travelled through her entire body. It was quite odd but the taste was so good that she didn’t think too much about it.

What she didn’t realise was that tingle was actually magic and her usual black coloured hair had slowly turned white, leaving her looking as though she’d aged before her time. “Not bad.” She uttered with approval, completely oblivious to what was going on.

(345 Words)
(1785 TWC)

For whatever reason, Elara didn't seem to take her joke to what it was meant to be. Usually, the summoner had just a quickly come up with a quip of her own or at least acknowledged the joke in some way, but it seemed as though she was hiding something. Was it... Did she hit a nerve perhaps? Maybe she just had something against the maid commentary from her childhood with those Pergrande bottom feeders she called parents. "Uh Elara? Everything ok there?" It seemed awfully presumptuous to have asked her, but in the time she knew her, she'd never have passed up a good time to place a countering joke towards Lehanna. Be it in jest like they had since the orphanage or just for the matter that she disliked the teen when they lived together, it felt a little more worrying. Probably nothing to fret over, however it seemed like no better time.

In reply to the other teens sudden comment over how much more suited to this outfit than Elara was, the fire slayer simply flicked her hair over her shoulder and gave a haughty scoff, raising her head in some mocking manner of some upper class snot nosed brat. "There's nothing I don't look good in. In fact, you can say I make even a potato sack runway worthy!~" It was obvious how much she was kidding.

In the moment after she'd given her reply, her own hair seemed to change. It grew longer and longer, growing thicker at first before immediately curling tighter and tighter into what looked to be a drill shape. The color also shifted starting from a blonde color and towards the curls would shift into a calm, light blue color. Once she had looked over to Elara, the slayer began to laugh, heartily almost. "Ohoho my gosh! That is so great! Honestly, the color there looks better with your little outfit now, Elara!" She pointed out, completely oblivious to her own shift in appearance as well.

"Up next in the contest we have this lovely pair of young maids!" An announcer cheered out, catching both girls off guard. "These two have aced the very opposites of classic and modern changes in maid stereotypes. I don't think the judges have any doubt in the winners of this years costume contest!" A cheer came with some clapping, causing Lehanna to flush with embarrassment from it. When did this even come around and how did neither girl notice it? "Congratulations, girls! Why don't we get your names, ladies! You first blonde maid?" Blonde? Her head tilted for a moment before she realized the drink altered her as well! Frankly, this all looked to be far too much hair for her, but she had to live with it for the evening most likely or she'll be to a hairdresser before Kitalpha could notice and most likely hold her captive from fixing it. "I- um.. Lehanna." ""And you, snow white?~ He would then look to Elara in hopes to get her name as well. Once all was said and done, the two were given a candy corn and quickly the "blonde" teen ushered her companion away quickly before they could be dragged into anything else.

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The summoner didn’t expect to have been put on the spot about just why she hadn’t replied to her friend's joke and Elara still wasn’t sure about whether she should just open up about her new powers or not. The event meant quite a lot to the black haired girl and she truly didn’t want it to turn into something other than a bit of fun. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure if she could truly hide new abilities or not anyway for too long. Whatever the gods had been that she now had the powers of, they’d clearly been short tempered and quick to anger, as it truly seemed that any time she was around someone expressing such emotions, she seemed to respond in kind. It was weird and she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. So, she replied with. “There’s something I need to talk to you about but it can wait until later.”

Another scoff left her when she heard Lehanna’s joke about how she could make anything wore look good although Elara would be the first to admit that her friend was cuter than she was. Cute wasn’t the look that the summoner ever truly wished to go for again and her usual punkish look was her escape from it. She never wanted to wear a pretty dress again and if she had her way, she never would. “I’m sure your friends in the guild must have a ball when dressing you up in the loveliest outfits they can find.” The teen couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of loneliness when saying that herself. Her guild was hardly the friendliest and the freaks there dressed in the most edgy looking stuff they could find.

She had no real idea what Lehanna meant when she talked about her colour but a smirk did cross Elara’s face as she watched the brunette become a blonde. There would have been a smartass comment from her too, if it wasn’t for the sudden interruption of the contest that the two suddenly found themselves in. She wasn’t pleased at all and was about to give the loudmouthed announcer a vile and offensive barrage but when he suddenly referred to her by a pet name, it caught her by surprise and she instead just replied with. “Erm, I’m Elara.” That was all she could say before she was steered away by Lehanna, which was probably for the best, given how irritated she was becoming.

The first thing she did once they were far enough away was to approach the first mirror she could find, resulting in her jaw dropping. “What the hell is this?! I look like I’ve just aged fifty years! This is stupid!” Huffing, she flicked her gaze to Lehanna, eyes falling upon the fire slayer’s currently blonde hair and complimenting her in her own awkward way. “You definitely got the best of it. Blonde suits you a lot better than white suits me.”

She was about to say something else when a man walked past the two and said. “Aww, look at the sweet looking maids. Maybe you two can come home with me and clean my house?”

Annoyed, Elara turned around to him and yelled. “Why don’t you clean out that useless mass between your ears, you perverted twat!”

Her sudden burst of anger was precisely what her new abilities needed to show themselves, resulting in her right hand suddenly catching fire, much to the teenager’s surprise. For a moment or two, she was completely lost for words and just stared at her flaming fist. It didn’t hurt or anything like that but as she looked back to Lehanna, all she could utter was. “Err...So this was what I was going to talk to you about later.”

(627 Words)
(2962 TWC)

Lehanna had become completely blown away but the sudden outburst that Elara showed towards the man. His words surely were something she didn’t really agree with herself, but to go to those extremes must have set her off somehow. Maybe this lashing out was part of the reason she wanted to talk to the fire slayer? Perhaps it had something to do with Elara’s parents? Maybe concerning Lehanna herself if it was this important that she wanted to confide in her. ”I-Im sorry sir. Forgive us, we have to get going and my friend is just very stressed.” She lied, quickly conniving a story together to work with before grabbing the currently Snow White haired girl and pulling her away.

She hadn’t stopped nor said a word for a little time, wanting to find somewhere they could be alone to do this talking and also to ease the agitation on the summoners mind and body at this point. It wasn’t until they’d gotten a good portion of the way into the maze that she stopped. ”You’re not the only one who wants to talk, so at least let me please go first? It’ll give you a chance to relax after that little bit back there.” She responded, still holding onto the other girls hand. ”I need your honest opinion because frankly you’re the only one who I think I can value to trust knowing what I’m about to ask.” She was showing her nervousness as much as they were getting to her. ”I.. have met a guildmate who I did briefly mention earlier this evening. She’s taken quite a shine with me in some aspects and frankly I.. i don’t know if I should be reciprocating the same feelings.” She hadn’t truly been specific in some ways who Kitalpha was, but it also didn’t Dawn on her in what way she was meaning these feelings.

”But.. from someone’s standpoint of having parents… should I maybe ask if… she might consider adopting me? I know I don’t like.. really enjoy the girly-girl attire, but honestly I’ve never had someone who seemed to show such genuine care. I know you didn’t have the best childhood either, but I felt like this was something where that experience would give you the best outlook to help in my problem.” With that finally off of her chest, she let out a heavy sigh of relief and then smiled lightly. ”And while we’re on that subject… do you maybe wanna come meet her sometime? N-Not like in a date sort of fashion! B-B-But as friends!” Her cheeks were flushed from the embarrassing thought, but her eyes trailed down to the hands held and quickly she yanked her away while her face could rival the color of strawberries.

”A-Anyway! Wh-What umm.., what did you need to talk about, Elara?”

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The currently white haired girl listened intently as Lehanna said what she needed to, her head tilting to the side. It helped her cool off quite a bit and as the rational part managed to wrest control of her once again, she pondered about how best to answer.  At first, she thought that her friend was talking about maybe having a crush on someone, a thought that caused her blood to run a little hotter for some reason. She didn’t quite know why but it happened anyway. Luckily, before she could say or do much of anything, her friend explained things further and the teenager reeled herself back in again. Elara didn’t really know what it was like to have a genuinely caring family either and it was difficult for her not to be at least a little bit sceptical but she managed to force back that particular thought. She only had to look at Lehanna’s face to tell that she was completely sincere and meant what she said and so with that in mind, she finally came up with an answer. “If you both feel the same way then I don’t see why you shouldn’t go for it. Ask her and see what happens. She sounds like she’d make a lovely mother and you deserve a real family after all this time.” There was no sarcasm or anything like that. She meant every word.

When Lehanna asked her if she wanted to meet Kitalpha herself, Elara was caught off guard a little. She hadn’t expected that and her cheeks started to redden too as the blonde haired girl spoke further, the realisation dawning on her of what it sounded like. “I...I suppose so. As friends! It would be nice to meet a member of your guild.” The embarrassment was quickly overcoming her and as her eyes followed Lehanna’s down to their held hands, that magnified by ten. Things were becoming awkward all of a sudden and the newly minted hybrid slayer wasn’t very good at awkward. She was supposed to be the cold and calculated kind of girl. What the hell was going on?

When the time came for Elara to talk about her own issues, she’d beckon Lehanna to follow her and headed towards a large maze that seemed to go on forever. Without much thought, she’d lead her friend inside and start to wander through the large structure. “Erm, you remember me telling you that I was jealous about your slayer magic? Well, I went a little overboard and had two of those lacrima things inserted inside me. I wanted to be able to fight as you do and I was told that I’d be able to do just that with these things. It’s not how I thought it would be though. Ever since I had them inserted, I’ve felt different.” She paused for a moment as she tried to put it into words. “You just saw an example of it when I yelled at that guy. I get so angry so quickly and it’s hard for me to control myself. I was told beforehand about what elements I would be able to use but what they didn’t tell me until afterwards was the history behind the lacrima. They both come from destruction-causing creatures, who obliterated everything they set their sights on…I’ve got the remains of two monsters inside me.”

She trailed off as the two reached what appeared to be the end of the maze and the entrance of something else. It looked rather ominous and she didn’t like the smell of it one bit.

(600 Words)
(3934 TWC)

Without much of a warning as those words left Elara's mouth, the fire slayer felt a strange, yet exciting amount of joy and other emotions wrapped up so much so she had reached out and immediately hugged the other maid tightly. There, Elara would feel a light trembling in the girls embrace, as if she was trying to hold back any feelings of wanting to cry or just showing them in general. She couldn't let her be the stronger of the two anyway. For some reason, she couldn't explain why this felt like such a heavy issue to bring up, but yet here she was albeit sobbing into the girls shoulder over it.

As they made their way into the maze, Elara started to ramble on at first concerning some envy she held towards Lehanna for the slayer magic she possessed. To be fair, she didn't think there was much special about the magic aside from the intentions of the magics capabilities. Hearing her confess that she wanted to be able to fight like Lehanna was a bit of a worrisome idea considering that she was surely aware that she had not only the slayer magic but the sword she used as well. Never the less, she continued to let the white haired teen continue to describe the act of the lacrimas being put inside of her. The concerning part so much wasn't that she had one, but two of them.

Her eyes widened and suddenly she stopped the maid from moving mere feet from the strange entrance to a dark cave. "Are you insane!? One did not seem like a big deal, but two!? Elara, you could have killed yourself with that much unknown magical power! Lacrima can hold enough power to cause people to combust from the inside out if it's not contained correctly!" She yelled, scolding her in a way that showed a frantic concern. But she just held her hands up, stopping herself and taking a breath in and out to stop from making her blow up on her too. "I-... I want to trust your judgement, but please do not let your emotions like that cloud the logical thought of what to do. If I can keep myself from burning a town to the ground over one person, I know you can overcome this and turn it into something especially powerful." The girl would then reach over and take her friends hands in her own. "Just promise me you'll try. Or you'll reach out to me if you can't. I'll stop you myself if I have to. After all, I am the stronger one here~" A teasing wink came from the blonde maid, waiting for Elara to respond before they would trek into the end of this journey, unsure of what kind of place they would be entering.

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The white haired maid wasn’t someone who was all that used to hugs but as Lehanna embraced her so tightly, Elara found herself adapting quite well, tenderly holding her friend. She could feel the weight of Lehanna’s emotions as though they were her own and the feeling of her ribs about to be cracked only added to that. Still, she was so glad that the currently blonde haired girl had finally found a home for herself and a smile crossed her features as the two hugged. Elara had never thought all that much about finding a new family for herself, having pretty much given up after running away from her parents. Her guild could hardly be called a family and she didn’t think of them in that way at all. She was using them as they were using her. That was all it was. She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy towards her friend though, who seemed to have a much more friendly relationship with her guildmates.

When the tables turned though after she’d explained her own issues to her friend, she hadn’t quite expected the answer that she received. Elara knew the risks of what she’d done but it was only when Lehanna pointed them out to her in such an aggressive way that they seemed to hit home. She’d barely put any thought into her own safety and had just jumped at the chance of becoming stronger and becoming a slayer as Lehanna was. She did her best to hide her fears from her friend but she couldn’t stop herself from shaking a little, realising just how much power she’d gained. Elara had never thought too much about other people and had always been self serving but she couldn’t help but dread the thought of what might happen if she lost control. Firestorms, tsunamis, water cyclones. They were all possibilities for her with her new magics and what one of those could do frightened her, not just to others but herself too. When Lehanna took her hands in hers, Elara nodded her head, sounding unsure for once. “I’ll do what I can but I already feel as though the monsters are running around inside my head, trying to influence me and cause me to lash out. This kind of magic is so new to me and I don’t know what I’m capable of, either in or out of control.” She took a breath and added. “I only hope it doesn't come to the point where you do have to try and stop me. I don’t want to beat you up if I don’t have to.” A smile crossed her face at that point, countering Lehanna’s teasing with some of her own.

With them both having said what they need to, the pair would enter the horrible looking cave.

It wasn’t a pleasant area at all, dark and riddled with ghost-like images that were awfully familiar to Elara, as well as a sense of looming dread that felt like a ten ton weight on her. What was worse though was the fact that from the moment she entered, it was as though she suddenly became weak. She couldn’t sense anything magically and the longer the feeling lasted, the more that she began to doubt herself for coming in here. The ghosts started to take shape and before she knew it, the looming presence of her parents were standing over her, multiple times their normal size. She saw the worst moments of her life right before her eyes, those moments where she was paraded in front of her parents' friends just to make an impression. They had her sing, dance and wear pretty dresses. She was just a puppet on a string, unable to talk back, forced to do as they wished. It was degrading beyond belief and the more she watched, the more angry and fearful she became.

“This can’t be real!” She yelled, her voice losing all its usual tone, harsh and afraid. “You’re in Pergrande! You don’t control me any more and never will again! I’ll…I’ll kill you!”

Enraged, she tried to tap into her new powers but nothing happened. Her magic had been stripped from her and as the illusions of her parents simply laughed at her, tears began to form in the white haired girl’s eyes. Looking away in shame, she’d get up and run, blindly sprinting through the darkness. “Lehanna?!” She shouted, desperately groping around in the darkness.

(746 Words)
(5157 TWC)

”Fat chance. I’ll knock both you and those creatures into line if you get out of line.” Giving a playful and light jab to the other maids arm, she chose to enter the cave with her companion and fellow maid. What was come of this place had confounded her, however she wasn’t really sure that she had the right idea of what this place could be. It couldn’t be too bad though, right? It was probably some kind of hall of mirror and she just hadn’t hit that part. Sort of a strange suspenseful thing that some more spooky types of rides might find to add to the theme of the ride to create a more authentic feeling of fear among those who enter.

Once inside however, thinks took a strange turn. One second Elara was there and the next she wasn’t. Looking around, she spotted the girl… and Kitalpha!? Why was she here? Both girls were knelt on the ground, arms tied behind their back and rope around their chests. The slayer quickly caught the scent of something else; blood? Upon closer examination, both girls were bleeding! ”Kita!!! Elara!!!” She shrieked, running forward as fast as she could before the darkness swallowed their forms up. Suddenly, the blonde hit a wall of darkness and she tried to back up while rubbing her face. Within two steps, she felt another wall at the back of her foot, then her body. Reaching out from her sides proved little help. Boxed inside in a small space. Her breathing began to feel labored with panic. As she kept checking each wall, Lehanna could feel the box shrinking.

All the while, screaming came from the other side. Both of the bound girls were calling for her help. ”Im coming! Hold on! Please please just hold on!” The girl couldn’t muster any fire on any surface of her body. The walls… they brought her to her knees. Her panic was building. ”L-Let me out! Please! I-I can’t breathe! I can’t see! Hey! It’s it’s… dizzy…” The set in fear shook her into a point of falling unconscious onto the ground where her illusions would settle. As Elara would reach out, she would find her blonde slayer friend collapsed on the ground unconscious and with very labored breathing.

The nightmare continued… only this time it was in her mind.

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The darkness was so opaque that she could hardly see anything and with the illusions continuing to harass her, all Elara could do was keep running. Scrabbling and fumbling in the gloom, the white haired maid was begging to feel the warmth of her friend’s hand, the cool air on her face, the starry sky but all she could see was nothingness. This wasn’t just a Halloween game, it was more than that. It was so real and the illusions of her parents were anything but fake in her eyes. Their horrible mocking voices were spot on, criticising her for her looks, her opinions, the way she walked. It was just like it had been back then, where anything but perfection wasn’t enough. It wasn’t living at all and the teenager would do anything to stop herself from being dragged back into that life again.

It was only when she nearly tripped over something that she seemed to snap back to reality and looking down, she found Lehanna unconscious on the floor. Was this an illusion too? It was so hard to think but as Elara leaned down and pressed the back of her hand up against the girl’s head, she felt the warmth that she’d felt when their hands had touched. Her magic might have been gone but her senses were still accurate, right? She wished she’d had more to go on but in desperation, the summoner stood up, before taking her friend in her arms, surprised by her own new found strength and sprinting off once again.

She wasn’t sure how long she ran for but after what seemed like an age, a light appeared out of the darkness and with all the energy she had, Elara dashed towards it and out of the horrible cave. The illusions stopped the moment the two were free of it and to her immense relief, Lehanna was still in her arms although the fact she was out cold troubled her greatly.

A man approached her and handed her a corn kernel, the third that the duo had earned and uttered with a smile. “Well done. You have passed the Test Of Courage.”

Feeling her magic return to her, Elara yelled back at him. “What kind of activity was that? We could have died there!”

“It wouldn’t have been a test if it was that easy.” He replied smugly. “Besides, you had each other and that was all you needed.”

With that he walked off, leaving the girl’s alone.

Annoyed, the white haired girl would gently lay her friend down on the grass and softly utter, taking the blonde’s hands in hers. “Come on, Lehanna, come back to me.”

(447 Words)
(5997 TWC)

Soft muttered ramblings went on while Elara held her in her arms. Barely anything sounded clear enough to hear but the occasional “no” and “room”. Very vague wording, but only very things in this world Lehanna feared and this one struck her deep in her core. Her mind played such heavy tricks even after going unconscious that her stomach growled as though she hadn’t eaten in a couple days. Even as Elara held her, her body shook with chills and shivers from the cold air of nothing being around her at all. The nightmares continued on in her head on almost a loop but feeling as though it were just one long continuing strip of memory or a nightmare. Hearing her friend and her albeit decided to be mother crying out for her help while she was trapped, only to hear their suffering cries worsening and worsening in her mind. This is why she wanted to get stronger— no. Why she NEEDED to get stronger.

She would not be this helpless to those she tried to keep close to her vest.

A warm light begin to bask in the dark, small box of a room she felt trapped in. It was a crack in the side and from it she could hear a voice. Without hesitation, she got up and grabbed at each side of the cracked wall and pulled. And pulled! And pulled! Until finally she show herself awake, shooting up the grass into and upright position. ”I’m coming, I promise!!!” She screamed as she had gotten up. Once her eyes settled at her surroundings, she immediately leaped over, wrapping her arms ever so tightly around Elara before she broke down in tears. Her body shook like an earthquake and she couldn’t hold it in any longer. It was her parents fault most of all for this fear. This fear of small spaces, helpless to herself or others as they had normally locked her away like burden to be used when they felt it as opposed to what she believed their own child got. But even that was just an illusion she had.

”Its over…. It’s over…” She sobbed the entire time Elara allowed her to. Praying this wasn’t some dream brought out by passing out inside that small room, the familiar scent of the festival around them brought her the sense that this was reality once more. After several moments of slowly declining crying, she finally managed to pull herself back together enough to let go and hopefully not have hurt her friend in the process. But her hands still shook even after having realized where she was. That fear was… a lot more perpetual than she thought. It was paralyzing almost. But this test did show her something of importance and that was whether or not she could ever overcome this fear or at least lessen the impact of it.

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The white haired maid held her friend for as long as she needed to, softly and with as much gentleness as she could. The words that Lehanna had uttered shooker the teenager to the core, having a good idea about just what her friend might have been having nightmares about. Her parents had constantly thrown Lehanna into a dark little room, as a way of punishment or on some occasions just as a way of showing their cruelty. The summoner hadn’t dwelled on it much back then but now, she truly understood the pain that it had put the blonde girl through. The guilt that Elara had felt about her part in the whole thing had for the most part vanished after Lehanna had forgiven her but the hatred that the hybrid slayer had for parents had only deepened, as she’d learned about just how much emotional damage they’d done to Lehanna.

When Lehanna finally broke away, Elara’s hands fell into her lap, simply happy that the blonde had come out of her horrible dreams. It pained her so much to see her only friend in such an unhappy state and the teenager promised herself that she’d be damned if she let them go through that bloody trial again. This event was supposed to have been a chance for the two to simply let their hair down and have some fun and how had it turned out? An emotional shredding disaster that had caused them both to burst into tears. She felt terrible about the whole ordeal and as she looked down into her lap for a moment, her expression turned rather gloomy.

“I’m sorry for leading you to that damn place.” She finally said unhappily. “Had I known what was going to happen then I would never have had us enter it. I don’t know who would possibly find that kind of activity fun but it’s more than soured the festivities. I’d hoped that we could have just had a little fun tonight and all that’s happened is more tears being shed. I don’t know about you but I’ve had about enough Halloween for one year and I don’t want to see another pumpkin for ages. Maybe next year we can have a night in or something?” The girl felt a pang at her own words, realising that she didn’t even have anywhere that she could really bring her friend to. "I really am sorry, Lehanna, for everything." It wasn't just the event that she was talking about but the whole horror that had been her friend's time in her family's home.

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Still reeling from her nightmares and the trip in the ride itself, the fire slayer took more time than she thought she would have needed to calm herself to a functional level. At first her heart was racing rapidly and heavily to where she could nearly feel it in her chest. Her thoughts were few and far between, torn by the very fears that plagued her inside. Even with her magic back, that sense of helplessness, the memories of those days trapped in that dark closet, held down and torn apart tiny piece by tiny piece from Prada’s numerous servants…. It al felt like one large rush coming and barreling into her.

Elara’s continuing apology didn’t really make her feel better. Whatever bad blood they had they had sorted out and though she probably felt guilty, the logical part of Lehanna’s mind knew it was simply lashing out for her own mistreatment. The blonde maid wiped the tears from her eyes and off of her cheeks, trying to smile and act at least a little normal. ”No, d-don’t be upset. I… i did have a good time, I swear. Despite… despite this thing, it was a lot of fun being here with you, Elara.” Something suddenly clicked in her mind. The fire slayer reached over and took the girls hands, smiling a little at first, but quickly a thought overcame her mind, bringing with it a cloud of after worry. ”Can… Can you stay with me tonight? I can’t.. i can’t be alone, not after that. It’s too far to get to my guild and my apartment is only over in Crocus by my school. So… will you? It would mean a lot to me to have someone I trust to keep me calm through the night.” She stared into the summoners eyes, the look of a desperate, scared girl was all that was there right now.

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