[Sophie's Pov]
It was over. As soon as this second had passed, as soon as my knees touched the ground, the life of James would be forfeit. The time we had spent at the academy would be nulled, and he would not be remembered as a student of Ainu, but as a deranged killer.
At least, that's what should have happened.
Before the smiling head hit the ground, something strange happened. Or rather, nothing happened.
*Thud!*
"What is happening..."
The king took a big step back, gazing at the floating head with frightened eyes, intently watching the insanity before him. Instead of the blood that should have spewed out, a gray substance started to connect the fallen body and the head.
*Don!*
Then, a massive wave of pressure engulfed us all, making us feel as if we were submerged at the bottom of an ocean
"Sophie! Are you okay?!"
Arthur's words of worry were blurred, almost as if there was a thick wall between us. However, although I could make out what he had said, I couldn't react.
Instead, my focus was still on the body that started to float in the air, as gray mist covered it like a cocoon, creating layers upon layers around it.
Suddenly, the king fell to his knees, unable to endure being so close to the source of the enormous ball of energy.
A moment of silence swept the air. With the sun high in the air, it was a moment when one could believe that it was just another normal day. At least, one could have, if not for what happened a second later.
*BOM!*
"Urgh!"
A huge pulse of gray mist exploded from my decapitated friend, quickly surging through the air, as if to dominate the entire world.
"Gah!"
Every single one of the spectators now joined me on the ground, as the second wave of pressure was too much for them to handle.
Still, I had no time to worry about them, as my eyes were glued to the cocoon that was now riddled with cracks. At the same time, a sudden feeling awakened inside of me, telling me that this was not the end of James, it was his beginning.
*Crack...*
Slowly, the chamber of mist that my friend was imprisoned in started to fall away, one small piece at a time. From the fragments of his past, James had been reborn, now no longer looking like the dirty criminal like before.
Long, white hair was flowing down his back, and the rags he had been wearing were replaced by a sleek gray suit. From it, two majestic black wings unfolded, covering the sky behind him as they spread out to their full glory.
However, the biggest change was his face, or rather what had appeared on it, covering James's appearance from the world. An almost luminescent white mask, adorned with red stripes across his cheeks, and two slanted, black sockets for his eyes to look down on the humans around him.
*Thump! Thump!*
With my heart racing, I felt a mixture of happiness and despair, knowing that even though my friend had survived, I had lost him. This was no longer the James that had teased me, that I had gotten angry at and that I had laughed together with.
This was not the man who had brought me a peace of mind even when I was scared out of my mind, trembling because I would have to live in another world.
It had been both the best day of my life and the worst. Knowing that I would go to a world filled with violence and death had been terrifying. But there was something that made it feel kind of alright.
Because at least he would be here with me, standing by my side as we endured the harshness of living in a world of violence. Just the fact that another person was in the same situation was comforting. Sadly, this was no longer the case.
My paused tears started to slowly make their way down my face again, having lost my friend for the second time. The only difference was that now, I had a chance. There was a chance for me to fix this, to make things right.
So, I forced myself to stand, feeling like every single fiber of muscle in my legs was torn to pieces, defying the heavens as I opened my mouth in desperation.
"JAMES!"
Sadly, I was quickly interrupted as a very familiar voice rang out in my head, the bright, almost feminine voice of James. Ascending the skies, he reached out to everyone that were spectators of the cruel play that was his execution, his black wings making him look like an angel of retribution.
"-Citizens of Mensch. You have made your decision, and I do not blame you for this. You followed your ruler as the dutiful inhabitants of Mensch that you are."
Then, a giant, black scythe appeared in his hands, the blade adorned with purple runes that shone even in the light of day. There was no doubt about it. Right now, he wasn't an angel. The masked man above us was the reaper.
"-However, I am not one that the likes of you are worthy to judge. No matter if you are a king or a peasant, you are all equal in my eyes. So, just know... I will always pay my dues."
Time slowed down for the second time to me, as I saw the figure of James blur, before reappearing a second after. When he returned to the sky, he was holding a man by the neck, fully displaying the sight of a ruler powerless in front of his people.
*Sching!*
The scythe blurred, followed by a bloody rain that reflected the light of the sun, painting the picture of what hell on earth would look like. Looking up, the king was still held up by his neck, however, there was a very significant difference.
*Thud!*
Thanks to the silent air around us, everyone could hear the sound of both of the king's arms reaching the ground, with blood still pouring out of them, soiling their surroundings.
"-This is a warning. Next time, there will be no second chances."
Following his sliced limbs, the king also started falling to the ground as James released his grasp around his neck. Even now, no one could move to catch their falling ruler. No one except for one person.
*Fwosh!*
With blue fire emerging from my back, I quickly summoned my wings and dashed forward, arriving just in time to catch the disgusting body that was Sarah's father.
*Don!* "Argh!"
Somehow, I made it just in time, my arms feeling like they would get ripped off from the combined weight of his body and the pressure that James exuded.
Not minding the fact that I saved his enemy, the reaper concluded his talk, leaving us with words that shook us to the core.
"-Now, don't worry. This is not the last time you will see me. Please take care until we meet again. It's been a pleasure."
*BOM!*
An explosion of mist covered everyone's eyes, masking the presence of the reaper in the sky from the world. When the fresh winds of the planet swept it away, the heavens were empty, only adorned with the innocent white clouds that never cared about the foolish mortals in the first place.
At the same time, we were all freed from our shackles, with one person being the first to move in order to see the damage done to the king.
"Father!"
Her golden hair didn't shine anymore, its light dimmed by the blood of her father that now embellished her body. Falling to her knees next to me, tears quickly started to gather in her eyes, now violent with anger and sorrow.
"Cough! Sarah..."
Luckily, King George was still alive, blood spraying as his mouth cleared itself with a cough.
"[Healing Winds]!"
A huge storm of green energy emerged from her, gently cradling her father's body, trying its best to repair the damages her previous love had made. However, it didn't work. Even if there was no chance for her to fully heal his arms in one go, it seemed like it had no effect at all.
"You can stop..."
"But!"
With an extremely forced smile, George tried to calm his daughter down, having enough experience to understand his own body, "Sarah, it's fine. He made sure that I would stay alive, but I think he did something with my arms to make sure they couldn't get healed. So, don't waste your mana."
Laying his body down on the ground, I stepped back from the family interaction that I had no part in. Unfortunately, after just a couple of steps, I fell back to the ground, unable to make my legs move anymore. My muscles were already destroyed from sprinting out to save the king.
With Sarah caring for her father, it didn't take long until Arthur ran to me, his face pale with worry. "Sophie! Are you alright?!"
Not even seeing my hero could calm me down, my heart beating erratically because of the turmoil in my mind. Still, I tried my best to act strong, my cheeks drying out quickly in the wind because of the tears that had occupied them.
"I'm...fine... I just need... to rest... for a bit..."
Just before my eyes closed, the last thing I saw was the one I loved catching my falling body in his arms.
"Sophie!"