[Mirror's POV]
Mirror now had the body of an eldery woman, except that the lower half of her body had been severed from the rest. She was slowly bleeding out, and her insides were now visible.
But perhaps the most lethal thing to her, right now, was the damages dealt to her soul.
Sorcery had given Mirror the power to put somewhat of a fight against her ennemy, but now, it was going to cost her her life.
How many mage full of talent like Mirror died because of the deadly side effect of using the cursed art ? Mirror had no idea, but the number was likely high.
Lotus changed form once again, and now, Brandon's body was the same as before the fight.
No damage. Mirror hadn't managed to accomplish anything, and this, despite having knowledge of her ennemy beforehand thanks to the fifteen visions she recieved.
Mirror wanted to laugh, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was blood and an akwaed sound that definitly wasn't laughter.
"I told you, didn't I ? That there was no way for a child like you to beat him. But you refused to listen... You fought againt him with all you had, and it was not enough. Of course it wasn't enough ! Tell me, Mirror... was it worth it ?"
Brandon's voice was fulled with despair. Mirror could see why. For a brief moment, the giant must have thought that Mirror had a chance, a slim chance, but a chance nontheless.
...And now, she had been crushed, alongside with Brandon's only hope. Who knew how long the giant will have to live, now ? Who knew how many people he wil be forced to kill ?
The fact that Stranger's youngest son managed to retain even a glimmer of sanity was impressive.
"Was it worth it ?" repeated the giant.
Mirror caughed blood again before answering.
"Yeah... it was... I'm glad to die like this. It's just... I would have loved... to live longer."
A Soulblade appeared in Brandon's hand.
"He want me to stab you with this thing, apparently."
"And you're just... going to obey ?"
This time, Brandon seemed to become angry.
"Obey ? You think I have a choice ? I only have control over my actions when he want me to ! That's how he torment me !"
It seemed that Brandon had even less control over his bpdy than what Mirror thought.
Mirror tried to find another thing to say, but failed and stayed silent.
She threw a glance at Alice, expecting her to be crying on the floor. But she wasn't. Instead, she just stood on the doorway idly.
Mirror thought about it for a second: the two other times in her life where Alice witnessed a human being killed, she also just stood idly without interfering.
Without even saying a word.
"Mirror... any last words ?"
Last words...
So this was really the end...
At this point, Mirror was sure of something.
She was going to die, and soon.
However...
There was something Lotus failed to understood...
The fact that she was dying didn't make Mirror any less dangerous. Instead, it was the opposite. Now that she knew surviving the fight would be impossible, there was no holding back.
Mirror lost her intent to survive, but that only made her intent to kill even stronger.
And her intent to kill granted her a revelation. Something akin to a vision, but instantaneous.
Thanks to the revelation, Mirror now knew what to do. She didn't knew why, but that was unimportant.
"So, any last words ?" repeated Brandon.
"Yeah."
"Keep it short."
Mirror searched her words for a bit, before she understood that there was no need for that.
Thanks to her Name, something truly powerful inhabited her.
Something greater than herself. Something... godly.
Thinking... would only hinder that something's effort to kill Lotus and Brandon.
Mirror's mind... went completly blank.
And when she started talking, strange words got out of her mouth:
"One emperor to control, seven vassals to serve,
Such was His will.
One day, the youngest of the seven ate
The most innocent child in the world."
Mirror caughed blood, and a part of her tongue with it. The words she just pronouced weren't in english, even if Mirror was able to know what they meant.
A sure thing, though, was that those words were not meant to be used by a human being.
If she wasn't already at death's door, she would probably feel an unbearable pain from the multiple times she bit her mouths.
Brandon looked kind of lost.
"What kind of language is that crap ? It's neither English, nor does it seems to be the Common Tongue. Perhaps it's another language from Earth ? What are you trying to say ?"
"Freedom, hated himself for eating the child
So much he decided
To always be on the side of humans
And soon, she begun to hate the emperor."
"What. Are. You. Saying ?" asked Lotus.
"Thus, One became two and seven became one
But the Weapons were lost
By Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Free."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Mirror head fell on the floor, while Mirror was panting as if she ran for hours. She tried talking again, but found herself totally unable to do so.
Whatever power she used, like sorcery, it had a cost. And this cost seemed to be becoming a mute.
Well... that was an extremly cheap cost compared to Sorcery.
Why coundn't every power be like Names, completly free and absurdly overpowered ? wondered Mirror.
"What. Did. You. Just do ?" asked Lotus, apparently panicked.
Mirror had no idea.
But somehow, she felt it.
Lotus was going to die. Maybe even before her.
And suddenly, the giant laughed.
He laughed for a good thirty seconds (which was really long, honestly.)
And then, one of his hand approached his chest.
"No ! Don't do. That. Please."
Brandon ignored Lotus completly.
Instead, he approached his hand from his chest and... open his own ribcage with his bare hands. Then, he took out his hearth, which was as big as Mirror, and held hit in his right hand.
Weird vines tried to hinder his moves, tried to put back the heart in Brandon's body... but it was useless against the giant's crazy strenght.
That's when Mirror understood what she just did.
Maybe it was just temporary, but she basically released Brandon from Lotus.
"I have to thanks you, Mirror. I don't know what you did, but the truth is that I don't really care
Thanks to you, my life can finally end. Even though it greatly pains me that you had to die as well..."
Brandon took a deep breath.
"Sadly, I can't do anything to repay your kindness. See you in the afterlife, if there is even one to begin with..."
Then, the giant violently crushed his own heart, splattering his blood, blacker than black, everywhere.
Brandon and Lotus were now.... dead.
Mirror just accomplished something that was simply impossible.
However...
She had to give up everything she had to do so.
And Mirror knew the story of her life wasn't the kind of story where two miracles in a row would happens.
She was about to die. And there was nothing, absolutly nothing, she, or Alice, could do about it.