'Aria' tightly grabbed Ais as if she was going to lose her forever. Nevertheless, she understands that Ais only accepted her for who she is, not her second mother. Even then, that was way more than enough.
'Aria' still wanted to drown in this sea of warmth but time is not on her side and any further delay will only reduce Ais' survival against her upcoming enemy that was threatening to expel her soul and eat her body.
"Ais... Thank you... But what you have to do hasn't changed."
Ais finally remembered the predicament that she was in and separated from 'Aria', "Do you still want me to kill you!? Why!? I don't see you as my enemy anymore! In fact-"
'Aria' covered Ais' lips with her finger. She didn't want to hear it lest it cause more pain at their inevitable separation. 'Aria' had already guessed it, but Ais thought that the reason why 'Aria' wanted Ais to kill her was because of guilt. However, that's the furthest from the truth.
'Aria' pointed to the sky and Ais saw a pitch-black dome that was about to engulf the whole place. It was the black dot that had been growing and Ais didn't notice that it kept enlarging, '...That wasn't her doing?'
"This place is the deepest part of your soul. You are about to be consumed by my main body but I created this space to protect your consciousness. However, what I can do is only delay it and right now, it's about to breach this sanctuary created from Aria's memories. And when that happens... I'll return to my main body and it will regain its full strength, making your chances of survival slimmer than they already are. Finally and most importantly... I will lose any and all of my sense of self."
'Aria's' words were like a hammer to Ais and her mostly calm and collected demeanor was demolished, "W-what? But..." Ais didn't know what to say, much less what to do and felt her throat dry up.
'Aria' smiled wryly and grabbed Ais' hand before leading it to the hilt of her rapier, "You have to do it. Please do it. I can't allow myself to return to the way I was before. Please grant my wish of not turning this beautiful dream into my worst nightmare."
Ais still didn't answer. She didn't have an answer. She thought that everything would be alright, but her naive hope only served as a painful realization that not everything will go the way she wanted it to.
The black dome was rapidly approaching and 'Aria's' skin started cracking with flakes of it beginning to float upwards, "Please. I don't have much time left."
Ais' hand started shaking uncontrollably. She didn't want to pull out her blade, "T-there has to be another way!" She's not willing to lose the warmth that returned to her despite it coming from someone else.
The pulling force is becoming unbearable for 'Aria' and her consciousness is slowly being sapped out. It'll only take a moment for this space to collapse so she gathered her strength and used both of her hands to force Ais to pull her rapier out, "You're the only one who can do this. You have to. For you to defeat the Black Dragon, you first have to destroy me."
"But..."
"Ais!" 'Aria' yelled at her in a scolding tone like an actual mother would, "I'm happy with your thoughts... But that selfishness will not only destroy both of us in the worst possible way, but also those who are important to you who are currently fighting will be put in danger. It's hard to do it, but you have to weigh your options now and it's obvious what you have to choose. I'm just someone from the past and it's about time you get over it if you want to continue moving forward."
'Aria' then looked straight into Ais' eyes. The red eyes that Ais thought to be disgusting at first were now beautiful and full of longing, "You of all people understand what will happen those to who will be left behind if you were to be defeated here. Your friends, your family, and everyone will be mourning for you. But worst of all, they might be trapped in the cycle of revenge and hatred as you were."
The faces of everyone flashed through Ais' mind for a moment and her facial expression immediately darkened. While gritting her teeth and shadow cast on her face, Ais slowly stood up as if she was enduring a boulder on her shoulders before shakingly pointing the tip of her rapier at 'Aria's' chest.
Ais could see that 'Aria' was already about to collapse but there was a relieved expression painted on her face, "That's it. You don't have to regret it. Just continue looking forward from now on. Nonetheless, if it gets hard, it's fine to stop and look back. All you have to remember is not to stay stagnant or else you'll return the way you were before."
Even with a heavy heart, Ais still smiled, "Do you really have to lecture me right now?"
"If not now, when?" 'Aria' replied with a chuckle. Despite the pain that was running through her entire body while she was being torn apart, her heart was at ease after seeing the resolution within Ais' eyes, "Promise me that you'll never give up. Look for the chance to get around the Black Dragon and escape its dominion. I'm sure you'll find it."
'There's another way... But that's... Impossible...' 'Aria' thought as she saw Ais' blade going through her heart. It should have been the most painful thing, but 'Aria' only felt an invisible shackle finally letting her go.
Since the heart is the source of her power, her senses instantly deteriorated.
But the moment her vision clouded, 'Aria' suddenly saw an outline of another woman appearing just behind Ais and that woman has an uncanny resemblance to her, '...Ah... So it was you.' 'Aria' finally understood how Ais could keep her calm.
'Thank you.' She heard the woman behind Ais speak.
'It was me who should be thankful. There would be nothing left of me if not for you.' 'Aria' tried to say, but after seeing her, she instead dedicated the last of her strength to say something else, "Ais..."
The tear-filled Ais hurriedly pulled out her sword and supported her body with a hug, "Yes... I'm listening."
"If there's a chance... For you... To defeat it... You can..."
Ais' eyes widened in shock at 'Aria' last words.
"It'll be... up to you... Good luck... And I love you."
.
.
.
'How long has it been... I can still remember those words clearly... But I can't find a chance...' Although she appeared strong, the toll on her mind was already affecting Ais' motivation to continue fighting.
Another attack came from the darkness and at the single lapse of losing a bit of concentration, she only was able to barely dodge the sharp claws, leaving a deep gash on her flank.
Ais shook her head and gritted her teeth, 'I can't lose! Besides... The frequency of attacks has been slowly increasing. Is it getting impatient?'
And Ais was correct with her line of thinking. Although time seemed to flow very slowly in this space within her soul, it was still continuously flowing and any further delays would be a bad risk for the Black Dragon in case those detestable lifeforms outside decided to attack.
But after looking at the bleeding Ais, it finally decided to go all out and devour her in one go. Leaving the darkness of the world, the Black Dragon appeared behind Ais while being covered by a dense black wind, ready to blast Ais into many pieces.
Unbeknownst to it, however, Ais was also dearly waiting for this chance and even if it exacerbated all of her wounds, Ais released all the power and strength that she still had to face her enemy.
The Black Dragon was stunned that Ais still had this much in her and finally realized that it was her that's waiting for the chance. It tried to defend itself and turn back, but the wind that Ais conjured had already trapped it and her rapier was already traveling multiple times the speed of sound, 'This is the end!'
Ais remembered how 'Aria' disappeared when her heart was pierced so she aimed at the same place. Her rapier traveled in a straight line and shredded everything in its path, reaching the Black Dragon's chest. Only a fraction of a second and it would have been over, but she failed to notice the sneer on the Black Dragon's mouth.
As soon as Ais touched its scale, a bolt of black lightning suddenly blocked her sword and traveled along its blade. Ais tried to release her weapon but it was already too late and she was instantly stunned. As she saw the Black Dragon's maw approach her, a certain name emerged in her mind, 'The Spirit of Lightning, Tornitus!' Before she was swallowed whole.