"Aaaaaah!"
Chunks and white debris of varying sizes fell down, pulled by gravity. At first, I thought that I would die and leave this cruel world, but the sight of a couple of people jolted me into focus. Yes, I remember them.
A kind and selfless soldier turned ally— Derrick Jones— and a daughter of an enemy I had mercilessly killed—Miranda— these two were staring at me as my massive, monstrous form slowly fell towards them. Standing next to that duo was a beautiful woman in a lab coat... the one I swore to kill one day with my own hands.
As time slowed down, what stood out to me was a transparent, cylindrical chamber taking up a third of that place. The area was covered in nothing but white walls and tiles. An unfamiliar woman stood in the center of that chamber. Black tubes were rooted out of her back and it connected to a large rainbow jewel at the ceiling.
"Hold on!" yelled Aya.
Crash!
The white floor exploded from my fall, sending clouds of smoke everywhere.
"What the— Ugh... what is that thing?!" said Derrick as he covered his face from all the smoke and dust.
"G r U o o A A A r r G G h H H H!"
Claws, scythes, and numerous blades sliced the air as the monster growled. No one moved from their spot, eyes fixated on this ugly side of me. And that was when a woman's voice slipped into my conscious mind to offer a casual greeting and a warning.
"Ava..." said the woman. "At last, we met again. Hah... I honestly can't believe it... My granddaughter, here, right in front of me."
The woman in the transparent chamber reached out her hand and closed it into a fist. "But it's a shame, really."
The thin smile on her face immediately curved downwards, giving me a callous look. "It's a shame how degraded your power has become. But I don't blame you, dear Ava. After all, after everything you have been through right up to this moment, your life has been nothing but pure suffering, right? 'Tis a shame... Your mind is so corrupted that even I can't hope to save you at this point."
"..."
"Miranda, Derrick!"
"Papaaa!"
The little girl, Eugene, and a wounded Aya emerged from the clouds of smoke and went over to Miranda's side. The debris from up above had seemingly crushed a number of bodies I didn't recognize. All of them were woman, I could tell that much.
"...So that's Amathelia?" I whispered to myself.
The tubes connecting the said woman to the inconspicuous jewel must be responsible for the beam attacks. The huge cannon outside, its power source was drawn from Amathelia's Aegis, though I didn't know if this theory was any good or not.
"Why no response, dear Ava? What I said to you is true and I know you are self-aware of it," continued the voice in my head.
"...You're the one."
"Hm...?"
My red eyes stared at Amathelia from this side of the screen projection. I didn't mind or cared about what she just said about me. Those words of hers, I knew it was a fact. The truth of how weak I was, even after all those painful memories and experiences, I didn't change at all. Even so, I gained my first friend— Aya— and new comrades along the way up until now. I learned how to feel love, being loved, and how to love someone.
However...
"...You took everything away from me."
"Hoh...? I was merely trying to help you... alleviate your suffering albeit a tad bit. Won't you agree as well, Ava? Those bonds you have formed only serve to hurt you. By accepting all these relationships, you let your heart exposed to vulnerability. You allow yourself to be taken advantage of. There's nothing good with having relationships, nor is it pleasing to know you have someone other than yourself to rely on."
A rasped breath escaped my mouth. "You are right... From the very start, when I was still in Mansel Island, I should have known."
"Hm?"
"The only path available for me in this harsh world is by overcoming every obstacle by myself. I exist to be alone, to derive every scant of benefit I could from each hardship."
"So... after all that... I have decided."
The crimson Aegis crystals— the monster that had now taken over a large space of that underground area reverberated. It let out a deafening roar as multi-colored flames gushed out from every inch of its surface.
"I-It's moving again!" said Derrick.
"That's Ava," said Aya.
"Huh?!"
"Look, I know you all find this hard to believe, but that thing... that monster is Ava. Miranda, I'm sure you can sense it."
"...I don't even have to sense anything. Those flames... and those Aegis crystals only belong to one person. That girl..."
"...That is... Ava?"
The group looked at Alicia as she stared at the monster. She ignored those stares and continued to observe, and comment a few sentences about it and voiced out what she had in mind.
"She is crying... My girl is crying... She needs— Right now, she needs someone to calm her down."
"...Mommy," said Aya.
"G r r A A A a c c k h h l v h u Y Y y g r e a o a g h H!"
"A m A A a a a a A a A T t t h H h h e e E E e L i i I A A a a a!"
The multi-colored flames burst forth and roared at those who stood in its way.