Xina coughed up blood, the gold wires holding her aloft threatening to freeze and snap.
"Ack!"
Greed and Pykon stepped away, but Runcal stayed near, healing her. The gentle giant was mostly immune to her powers since he was a golem.
Vale, on the other hand...
He fought the wave of cold that crashed into him. It was quite weak considering Xina’s state and Vale’s own improved constitution, but if he got too close before Lust activated he could very well die.
Not that the possibility mattered to him.
Maybe it did a few seconds before, but seeing the proud princess in that state.
’Screw safety.’
Vale kept on approaching. His quick shuffle turned into a sprint the mont he saw the frozen gold splinter and crack.
Sliding just in ti, Vale caught the falling Xina in his arms. His arms imdiately went numb and began to freeze.
Awkwardly, Vale cradled Xina in his hands and began stroking her hair, pulling it out of her eyes. Thankfully, that was enough for Lust.
Not that Vale was feeling all that lustful at the mont.
The owl-girl in his arms continued to cough up blood. Icicles continued to slide off her face and shatter upon hitting the ground.
Through ragged breaths, Xina gripped Vale with her icy hands and fell into his chest.
"Hey, hey. It’s alright, you’re okay now."
Vale slowly drew his numb hand up and patted her head.
Xina continued to let out pained breaths and writhe in agony as her nails began digging into Vale’s skin.
"It hurts."
She pulled Vale closer and whispered into his chest as she convulsed.
"It hurts so much."
mories shot through Vale’s mind as he felt her tears fall onto him...
Words beca hard for him to find.
"It’s... it’s okay now."
Xina whispered again as she drew a hand to her chest.
"It hurts. I can’t."
The Crystal Princess began gasping for air.
With little thought, Vale imdiately dumped all the Aether he could into Xina, saturating her core.
Since she needed Aether, not oxygen, the stopgap seed to help for a mont, but her screams only grew louder the next mont.
"Her core is splintered," Mias said quietly. "Her Aether... it’s leaking."
Vale shot a nasty glare back at the smoky specter.
’You think I can’t tell?!’
Vale clenched his fist until his nails cut into his palm. He was too focused to care even if a minor amount of pain broke through the numbness.
Using his other hand, Vale continued to pat her head and brush her hair. He even stroked her ears. He thought back to why this happened at all, and cursed.
His words dripped with resentnt as he spoke:
"It’s okay, Xina. You’re okay."
Xina pulled herself until her arms hung around Vale’s neck. She tried to say sothing.
"Ah—"
The pain wouldn’t let her.
"Just relax."
Xina coughed up even more blood, covering Vale’s chest in the deep crimson.
"I—"
Vale pulled her frigid body closer.
"I can’t take it."
Xina tore her face away from Vale’s chest and looked up into his eyes.
Blood splattered on her chin. Frozen tears stuck to her face. The proud princess was gone.
Xina pleaded earnestly.
"Kill , master. Kill ."
Vale’s head went blank and his arms motionless.
He stared into her iridescent blue eyes and saw his own pitiful expression.
Using all the strength she could muster, Xina pulled herself toward Vale’s ear and said:
"Please..."
’I—’
Vale grasped for hope as he looked over at Runcal. The stone giant with an odd expression of concentration on his face — Alongside it was a hint of dismay. As if he were failing.
’No.’
Vale paled as he shook his head.
Xina responded by mouthing ’please’ again, and another tear slipped from her crystal eye, staining her once flawless skin.
She continued to convulse and grunt.
Greed clicked her tongue as she stepped a little closer.
"For once, I an it. My apologies Vale."
That was all Greed said, but the ssage was clear.
’No...’
’No, no, no. No!’
He didn’t go through all of that, just for her to die.
"Co on! You can’t possibly—"
Xina used all her remaining willpower to screech.
"Please!"
More blood erupted from her mouth, staining the stone floor of the dungeon.
Xina collapsed into Vale’s arms, losing the strength to hold her own body. In a much weaker voice, she begged:
"Master. Vale. Please, for ."
She weakly tilted her head until she looked into his eyes.
Vale’s mind froze.
’N-no.’
Seeing Vale was too in shock to grant her wish, Xina called out to her greatest hope at the mont.
"Salo."
She whispered it, but the succubus heard.
"Please."
Salo was expressionless as she sauntered over, braving the icy wind wall.
A tremor ran through Vale’s voice as he turned his head to look back. The Queen of Ruin holding a quill in her hand.
"S-salo, what are you doing?"
The succubus turned to Vale.
"Vale, my hatred for her has existed for longer than you have. You could never comprehend its depths."
She took a step forward.
"Ice Witch. I’ve waited. I’ve waited so long for this mont."
As Xina lost more Aether, Salo could take an unimpeded step closer.
"So long. So long that the idea of it was enough to keep going. Keep on the battlefield in the vain chance I’d be spilling your blood alongside the foul Scourge."
Xina’s lips flickered into a weak smile.
Vale stared at Salo with pleading eyes.
’No. Please!’
"Yet I was always fearful of the day on which I would actually succeed. Quite hypocritical, wouldn’t you say?"
Xina drew weaker. Salo drew closer.
"Perhaps it’s ti for my hypocritical streak to end and just accept things how they are."
Vale looked over at Runcal, whose stone face grew solemn. Pebbles stopped leaking out of his hand.
The gentle giant, he’d given up.
He’d deed saving Xina impossible.
Words.
Vale needed to yell.
He needed to yell the words that could save Xina.
But once again, all he could manage was:
"N-no!"
Salo chuckled as she stood directly behind Vale and lood over Xina.
"Pitiful."
Salo held out her hand with the quill.
"Truly pitiful."
"Stop!"
Vale yelled, but it was too late.
Salo plunged her hand into Xina’s gut.
A weak, fading whisper escaped her lips.
"T-thank you."
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