After A quick fuel up, a little healing from an exhausted Joan, I was more than ready to head out. I hadn’t had time to completely replenish my ammo reserves, but I could do that on the drive over.

  Stepping outside into the silent night, under the shadow of a giant floating fortress. A fortress that nearly blotted out the bloody moon above, well, it was a sight. Cobalt and my knights were standing by the door, with Cobalt near the entrance, the other two were standing at the sides of the building keeping an eye out. The stairs were barred off by the statues, with the minotaur standing at the front. Patrolling about were other statues, of bulls and other minotaur.

  I readied myself for what was to come, my eyes on Cobalt. His body was wounded, but I could feel he was up for more. So, I took my first step down the stairs…

  That didn’t go very well…

  On my first step, the air shifted. The statues tensed and readied their weapons. From afar, a figure appeared. I could hear heels clack on pavement. The figure held a spear in hand, with yellow, cat-like eyes that pierced through the crimson gloom that hung over the world.

  They stopped short of the forecourt. Took in the surroundings, their eyes falling on me before grinning, exposing dazzling teeth. They opened their mouth to speak, but the minotaur moved.

  With an exhale of steam, of bronze stamping on concrete, the statue hurled itself forward. With its Axe raised high, it swung down once it neared the figure.

  Without a care in the world, the figure, a girl, a magical girl tapped her spear on the ground. All at once, countless spears jutted out of the ground, forcing the minotaur to shift the arc of its swing. With a mighty heave, the spears shooting out of the ground like bamboo on steroids were cut down to size. What remained of them rapidly began to degrade, shimmering into crimson light.

  A few steps back, was the girl. Unbothered by the minotaur’s charge.

  “A mid-rank bronze? Was this really all it took to beat you?” She cried out, almost tauntingly, to whom, I wasn’t sure.

  Not relenting, the bronze minotaur swung their axe again, letting the edge dig into the concrete, kicking up rocks and dust.

  The figure moved aside, practically glided along the ground and dodged the swing. Their spear moved, snapping out like a whip, punching into the side of the bronze minotaur without any resistance.

  The minotaur swung again, its body glowed, hissed against the cold night air. The wound in its side slowly filled in with molten bronze.

  The girl moved back, her spear tapped against concrete as she did, and a wall of spears grew between her and the minotaur.

  Not only did the minotaur’s blade cut through the wall of spears, but the edge glowed and burned, sending out an arc of scalding air where the axe’s blade had passed.

  The girl, contemptuously slapped aside the superheated air with her spear and began to move in earnest. A spear ripped out of the ground at her feet, sending her forward and up, bringing her up to the minotaur’s head.

  The minotaur swung again, right for where she was, but the spear she was standing on branched out, growing a new spear that carried her out of danger. The moment the minotaur had cleaved through the spear, she had leapt off the branch and thrust her own spear out. Her aim, the minotaur’s brow.

  The minotaur shifted, the spear cracked into one of its horns and sent it flying. Angered, the minotaur threw a wild swing in her direction, but she casually blocked it, but the force sent her to the ground.

  Pavement cracked under her heels, the area around her shuddered as the force seemingly dispersed into the area around her. Her spear twirled and the tip scratched against the pavement before her, and wherever the tip of her spear touched, more spears grew and formed into an angled shield.

  The minotaur was already glowing, but the temperature, the heat it gave off escalated. The very air around them shivered. The ground hissed and spat as the heat from its body radiated out. With a rattling heave, almost like the sound of a bellows, the minotaur loosed a cascade of burning fire from its maw. The fire engulfed the fortress of spears, the material they were made of began to hiss and spark, even melted as the seconds passed.

  My view was obscured by the superheated air and the steam colliding. The wind shifted slightly as hot met cold. Out of the cloud, just barely discernible, I saw her.

  She burst out, her heels splashed onto partly melted concrete with incredible ease. Her spear tip trailing behind her, leaving marks in the ground, from which a living tide of spears followed in her wake, almost like a living thing.

  The minotaur noticed and charged forward, axe in hand. It reared back and swung as she approached.

  The moment she closed, the girl swung her spear from below, following through as the tide of spears seemingly joined with hers. It almost looked like a dragon burst out of the concrete, carrying the girl with it and crashed into the minotaur mid-swing.

  The blow to the minotaur made a sound, like a church bell was being rung. The force of the blow pushed the minotaur back; bronze hooves dug into boiling concrete and cracked into the cold ground with a harsh crack and hiss.

  The girl didn’t stop there. She leapt off the dragon made of spears and raced for the minotaur while they were still regaining its balance. Her spear snapped out, cracking into its chest.

  I could almost hear her clicking her tongue as she burst back. The minotaur had shifted at the last moment, forcing the spear to miss its core by the barest of margins.

  Undeterred by its near death, the minotaur once again charged, head low as to protect its core, and the still healing wound that dripped with molten bronze. In turn, the girl didn’t panic. Her spear tapped against the ground as she went, her feet dancing along pathways and planters as she went like a fairy. In comparison, the minotaur simply crashed through obstacles, swinging their axe to and fro like a mad lumberjack.

  Wherever her spear touched, new spears came into being, shooting out with enough force to throw the minotaur off-balance or dent its frame.

  Rapidly, the wounds accrued. Yet, the more damaged the minotaur became, the more it burned, the faster and stronger it became. Its skin slowly softened, a constant golden glow emanated from their skin as the metal that made up their form liquified. Still, they remained whole.

  It was apparent though, to my own horrified eyes, that the minotaur was losing. And handily at that. Even as its speed and strength increased, its own defense seemingly decreased. Meaning even the weaker strikes of shooting spears could punch through it.

  It wasn’t until the girl created another dragon, a coiling serpent that burst out of the ground, shearing away one of the minotaur’s arms, that I knew, for a fact, she was going to win.

  The minotaur stumbled. With the loss of its arm, the axe had gone soaring into the distance, and crashed into the concrete, planting itself into the ground. And yet, despite losing a limb and its weapon, the minotaur did not pause. It stamped its hooves and surged forward.

  “Pathetic.” She said, with a pop of her lips, her voice rang out through the courtyard. With a final tap of her spear, a wall of spears jutted out and met the minotaur head on. Each spear’s aim was true, perforating the form of the minotaur. Impaling it and even lifting its molten form into the air.

  With a final lowing noise, the minotaur stilled. His molten hide hissed and cracked as the cold air caressed its form. And with the minotaur dead, she looked from the minotaur to me, a smile on her lips, a smile that promised violence and more.

  As a response, I raised my rifle. She cocked her head, grin still present. I went to pull the trigger, the butt of her spear hit the concrete with a clang.

  Something grabbed me. A big hand wrapped itself around my neck and chucked me back, back through the entrance door into the lobby proper. As I flew back, the world slowed to a frozen standstill, Cobalt’s figure was standing there, his eyes boring into me, his hand extended, his broken blade in the other.

  Etched into that moment was a single thought, a singular realization. Cobalt, had thrown me to safety.

  I hit the ground; the world shook and quaked as it jerked to a start. I felt it, countless times. Like something was punching up through the earth.

  I forced myself up. Forced myself to look at the entrance, now obscured with countless spears of numerous lengths and sizes. A literal forest of them that now barred the entrance and completely obliterated the front part of the building.

  At the center, he stood. His feet still planted, his face forward. His blade, shattered. The spears in front of him had been broken, but not all of them. Some made it past his wild, defensive swing, punching into his shoulders, arms, and legs. Even then, his body flared with life, ice flowed out of him, making the air crackle, coating the spears in frost.

  With a wrench of his body, he tore away the spears made brittle by the ice. He held his broken blade and held his ground.

  I took a step, and the spears shifted, moved. Almost as if they were bending out of the way. The girl, the magical girl with the spear stepped forward, her eyes solely on me, not even sparing a glance at my knight. I barely heard the voices of exclamation as the others exited the break room.

  The figure, the magical girl wore a long frilly dress, the central part of which was cut out down to her navel. Red, was the color of the day. Crimson, juxtaposed with black.

  Before I could stop him, Cobalt moved with a burst of speed. His entire being burning hot.

  She barely even gave him a glance. Her spear waved at her side and slapped into Cobalt’s side when he approached. The spear did little, but the sprouting spears were another problem entirely. A small dragon burst out of the ground made of spears, it snapped into Cobalt’s flank. Crunching ice and sending Cobalt to the ground.

  My breath hitched. My heart, frozen, cracked. In my throat, a cry came up, and died as her spear twirled, the butt of it cracked into the tiled floor. I felt it, the vibrations in my feet as the spear burst out of the ground, impaling Cobalt, ripping through his core and raising him into the air.

  He gave me one last look as his being dissipated, one last thought, one last assurance before his form broke into pieces.

  I stared, at a loss. Our shared connection, that tether severed. Further back, I felt Liche and Joan stare in terror.

  “Oh, sorry, was that your familiar?” She mocked. “Honestly, you should be thanking me. Low-silver trash like that is just a waste of resources.” She continued, flourishing her spear. Her intent clear.

  I answered, with a pull of the trigger. The bullet sang, oh, how it sang. The cold crackled around me. Every sensation grew clearer. I plunged myself willingly into the depths.

  With a sad cry, the bullet met its end, the magical girl’s spear swung out, striking the bullet from midair.

  “Do you really think-“ I fired again and again, all the while rushing forward.

  Her eyes twitched. The butt of her spear cracked into the tiled floor. I felt it. The moving magic. I threw myself aside, and not an instant later, spears burst out of the ground. I fired more shots. Each with incredible accuracy. Each, deflected just as accurately.

  I emptied my weapon, and still, she made no effort to move from her spot. Her eyes drifted slightly to Liche and Joan. Both of whom appeared frozen, unsure what to do. Joan was shaking, her head bowed, hands clutching at the hem of her coat. Liche, bit her lip, her eyes moving from me and the magical girl.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “You really don’t understand, do you?” The magical girl said tauntingly, all the while, I loaded in silence. Simultaneously taking in everything, I made a plan. Each bullet went in, with a purpose in mind.

  “I’m not something rabbits like you can handle!” She continued to gloat, puffing out her chest. “I’m so much more than that.”

  Of that, I could agree, but again… I gave her my answer. I fired, once, twice, and thrice. Each deflected easily enough.

  “You’ll have to do way better than that!”

  I did.

  The fourth shot sang. Its song, melodious, resonant, like a choir in nigh perfect harmony.

  She thought nothing of it, with harumph, she swung, batted aside the bullet…

  The choir quieted by one voice, and yet, its song grew that much sharper. With a loud snap!, CRACK! The bullet rebounded, smashed into a spear jutting out from the ground, and once again rebounded a shrill cry.

  Her head turned. The bullet whizzed past where her head had been, drawing a blood line along her cheek. The bullet continued, smashed into a spear, that disintegrated under the force, and with it, its song died.

  I had missed, yet… I pulled the trigger a fifth time.

  A high song played, her eyes widened, she moved on instinct. A mistake. Her spear swung out to deflect the bullet, just when its song sang low. She tried to dash back, but her spear met the bullet… and exploded.

  Cold air rushed out. The air crackled. Frost formed in the surrounding area.

  Calmly… No, with ice in my veins, I loaded up. Ejecting the casing, putting in each bullet with a singular focus. By this point it was a ritual. Something I barely even needed to think to do.

  A loud cry broke the stunned silence. The hovering cloud of diamond dust, frozen crystals floating in the air, dissipated. In its place, a wall of spears stood. Covered in ice, clearly standing. Only to split apart, revealing her disheveled form.

  With a growl, she opened her mouth to speak…

  I spoke first, with the pull of a trigger. A choir sang, followed by a clack as more spears sprouted forward.

  “Do you think you can- GAH!” She shouted, following a series of sharp snaps, followed by the increasingly shrill song. The bullet, with each bounce grew not only louder but faster, and in a blur, crashed into her thigh, punching through flesh, leaving a bloody hole.

  She slumped a bit. Her leg was not able to hold her full weight.

  Any mirth she had was now well and truly gone. With a growl, she stamped her spear down. The earth shook. I watched, as countless spears slowly burst forth, almost as if the world had been encased in frost. I moved, in what felt like a single breath, I fired three more shots, each a choir.

  The sprouting spears shifted trajectory, aiming to throw off my bouncing bullets. Giving me enough time to aim my final round and pull the trigger.

  A shrill song made itself known. It flew true, through the gaps in the forest of spears, aiming right for the girl. A hastily spawned spear interjected, but the bullet drilled through, nearly taking her head off.

  “You!” She started, but I was already moving, loading new rounds in. With every step, I felt the rumble of spears following in my wake. Bursting forth with every step.

  Plans were made and formulated. My mind moving like a raging river in the depths of winter. She made to cut me off, but I aimed forward, hastily, she created new spears, but an explosive round scattered them, obscuring her view. The next round sang a discordant melody, only to be cut off by a spear, but on impact, it scattered into countless shards.

  A wordless scream left the girl’s lips. Her pain, sending trills down my spine even as the spears grew in intensity and fervor.

  I couldn’t see the damage I had inflicted, not as more spears burst forth, obstructing my view, but I felt it as the spears appeared with greater frequency. Blocking off all routes, creating a literal forest that seemed untraversable. All too quickly it became clear, I was being hemmed in.

  Not that it mattered, there was a plan.

  I didn’t need to think to know what needed to be done. I reached into my pack, retrieved my silver coins. With a flip, I spent what I could bolstering my dance. With it, I felt as if my instructor was at my back, guiding me with every step. And with what I had left, I made a wish.

  The coin left my grip, it hummed and sang for the briefest of moments before scattering into countless motes of silvered light. What followed was a burst of cold. Cold that covered every surface in ice. The tiled floor was instantly covered in a thick layer of ice, that would make any ice rink look inadequate. I stomped forward, the soles of my shoes slipping on the smooth surface, but in another breath, something familiar formed at the base of my shoes.

  Blades made of ice, crafted in an instant, they weren’t great, but they functioned.

  And with them, I skated on the ice.

  With a single pop, I threw myself forward. The trailing spears slowed for a moment as I felt her uncertainty. Spears trailed where I had been, as if searching for me, before randomly spurting out from here and there as if trying to find me.

  Once came close, with such and speed that even as I shifted my body, I felt it graze along my outer thigh. As if waking a giant beast, the spears shuddered and all the birthing spears surged to my location.

  She didn’t try to trail me. Focusing instead on randomly and assertively spearing the ground around me. Hemming me in and forcing me into a dead end as I moved through the forest. Still, slowly, surely, I made ground.

  Or… so it seemed.

  The moment I came close, the spears before me shook, hummed as magic surged into them. I slammed to a stop, just as new spears burst forward, creating a wall of spears seeking to impale me.

  I had barely a moment to consider, to redirect as I felt the ground shudder. The spears were slower to appear, having to punch through the ice to reach me. Even then, the magic of the silver coin hovered in the air, coating each and every spear in frost.

  I felt a spear about to burst by my foot, and… I let it. As it rose, I reached out and grasped it. The very instant I did, I felt it vibrate as magic surged into it. Letting its momentum carry me, I threw myself forward, and for a moment I flew.

  My blades cracked into a spear, angled just right before me. The blades shattered on impact, forcing me to run along the thin haft. New spears burst along the spear as I went and all around. Each new spear tip came out with incredible force, dragging itself along my sides and arms, leaving gashes and cuts wherever they passed.

  I leapt from the spear to another nearby, just as the path closed. Yet, the moment I touched the spear I felt as a new spear punched through my hand. There was no cry, no pain, no blood, as I ripped my hand free, throwing myself to another spear nearby.

  The moment I gripped it, I followed through, throwing myself into the air and past her barricade, right into her inner area. Blades formed at my feet, crackling on impact with the iced over ground, but only just holding as I shot my way forward. In the process I had a brief glimpse of my opponent. Just as more spears separated us.

  Her leg was wounded, she couldn’t run. The ice made it hard to move, even as she shifted along using spears. She looked tired, exhausted. Her gaze firm, biting her lip in concentration as she did all she could to keep her distance.

  I also saw, fear. A small spark. Slowly growing as I closed the distance, as I moved and shifted. With every moment, every inch gained, her magic grew ever more unstable. Her spears were less certain even as they came ever faster.

  Every step mattered, every movement mattered as I got closer and closer. The short distance felt impossibly far as I twisted and moved my entire body, slipping through cracks. The closer I got, the quicker her response time came. Only with the ice crawling over my mind could I even keep up.

  Just before I could properly reach her, a new wave of spears burst out of the ground, completely blocking my progress, but I didn’t seek a way around, no. I raised my rifle. With a pull of the trigger, a high song made itself. Only to be cut off as it impacted the wall, a loud crack, followed by the sound of displaced air met my ears.

  I was just on the edge of the blast, it nearly sent me to the ground, the force of the explosion, the snap of frost washed over me. Undeterred, I pressed through. Leaping through the cloud of first and through the opening I had made. Cracked blades shattered on impact, but quickly made spikes at the soles of my feet to give me purchase. Digging and scratching at broken ice.

  I didn’t wait till I was through the cloud before pumping out my rounds. In a moment, a trio of choirs sang, their songs grew ever louder as each voice was snuffed out with each bounce. One cracked at my feet and shot up and out. Another found its way into my shoulder, cracking into ice, and punching through frozen flesh before seeing its end just further back. As for the final one? It hit.

  The moment I could see, I saw that the girl had a new hole in her abdomen. Blood leaked freely. Her body shook as I came out of the cloud. I felt new spears appear, trying to cut me off, but I merely bulled through, letting them carve into my body as I raised my rifle.

  She shifted, or tried to as her injured leg protested the action, blood gushing from her abdomen. I fired, a discordant song sang. She hit the ground, spears jutted out to intercede, blocking most of the bullet.

  A bayonet formed at the tip of my rifle as I pressed on. The girl, pulled back, or tried too. As a final hoorah, a burst of spears shot out from around her, aiming to cut me off.

  Spikes dug into the ice, granting me just enough traction to duck under the oncoming spikes and work around. She turned, faced me as she heard the sound of ice scraping on ice. Her eyes widened. Her form shuddered.

  I didn’t slow or stop. My feet stamped down, rifle held at my side, bayonet formed, the silver tip aimed right for her heart.

  I was too close. It was game and match.

  It made for quite the scene. The silver blade reflected the malevolent light of the crimson moon. A girl, small, petite, wearing rather revealing attire while bloodied and wounded.

  She was disheveled. Small wounds here and there, none too serious, but the punch of my bullets was enough to hurt her despite the uniform she wore.

  It would be quick, swift, without mercy. It was the least I could do.

  Yet, as my spikes cracked into ice, as I prepared to thrust. The fear, the terror on her face shifted, changed into a mocking smile. Every instinct cried, every muscle coiled as I tried to abort, but…

  “Idiot!” She cried out in triumph, with a casual flick, “You didn’t think you were the only one with coins, right!?” She cried out as ice crackled. In the light, between us, I saw them. Bronze coins. Flickering, glowing, bursting before my eyes. It was nigh instantaneous. The very ground began to rumble and heave as the bronze motes soaked into the earth like rain.

  The world slowed to a stop, my foot planted on the ice. The ground quaking. But… I didn’t run. No. Even as the spears began to poke through, ripping through the soles of my shoes, through my feet, I didn’t stop.

  Without any emotion on my face, without care, I pushed forward.

  It happened in a snap, at least, in the eyes of everyone else. An instant. From an outside point of view, it must have looked like I had willing thrown myself into the oncoming spears, and perhaps I did.

  Even as they came, I shifted and turned as much as possible, avoiding the worst of the injuries and yet…

  The moment they pierced my body, everything came crashing back. The ice broke. I tried to breathe. Gasping. Only to be met with frozen blood in my lungs. I couldn’t move. Like a puppet, whose strings were hung above. Each spear punched through my body, lifting me in the air.

  I tried to move, thrashing as panic overtook me. As the ice bled away, revealing only terror. The tips of my toes brushed the ground. Hands grasped, or tried, my rifle long forgotten, flung from my grasp when I had thrown myself into the oncoming spears.

  There was fear. My body thrashed. My mind, struggled to catch up to what had happened. Everything had gone dark. Cold. Comfortable and now…

  A loud cackling met my ears.

  “You really are stupid, aren’t you? I mean, what kind of rabbit thinks they can take down a fox like me!?” She yelled, maybe a bit too loudly. Puffing out her chest, only to wince and cough out bloody phlegm. A wound to her thigh, a bloody mark on her face, another in her abdomen

  None of them lethal. At least, not immediately. The stomach wound could be bad, but… not enough to be of concern. Not for a magical girl. No… that I even had so much success was a miracle in itself…

  I felt a laugh bubble up, but… I just coughed up a slurry of frozen blood. The magical girl didn’t look away, if anything, her smile grew crueler.

  “How does it feel?” She mocked. Her voice grew ever more distant. A familiar cold took hold. The cold of death. The blood in my lungs choked me, prevented me from being able to breathe.

  It reminded me of back then, no, it really was like then. Under the ice, slowly drowning. The shock, the pain. The fear.

  I couldn’t care for a single word she said. Even as she continued to gloat, wave around her spear. Gesticulating wildly. After all, I was dying, wasn’t I?

  It was all just a bother… wasn’t it? Even then, my mind wandered, considered. Liche was nowhere to be found. Joan, absent as well. The officers, were likely huddled in the lounge.

  Nobody was going to come. And honestly… I found that comforting.

  Thinking that… I let myself drift away. Be carried by the current. Slip into the darkness…

  A snap brought me awake. A loud snap of a hand fan snapping shut.

  “That was your third mistake!” A shout broke through the fog. Blinking, I took in my surroundings. Ornate… almost too blinding lights.

  “Has the boy gone dumb?” The voice continued, bringing them into focus. A woman… No… not just any other woman.

  “Now dear, the boy has done well enough for his age, has he not?” A man spoke up in response. No, not just any man…

  The woman harumphed. “The boy, though he maybe a boy, still represents our family. For him to be failing such a simple routine is a disgrace!” She said, her voice taking an almost shrill tone.

  The man did not argue back… if anything… “True… if he were a girl, he would have easily learned in a single sitting.” He replied back.

  “Of course he would have.” She replied back and shot me another withering gaze. “Haven’t you shamed us enough? Go back to your room!” She snapped and stood. The man hurriedly stood and followed.

  In almost a whisper, I spoke out. “Yes, father, mother.” My head bowed.

  My feet moved. The world shifted churned. Images. Pieces of my past coming together. Halls lined with masked servants. Moving like dolls. Always present, yet never noticed. Never showing an ounce of emotion as they go about their tasks. Were they even human?

  The question stuck. Even as I found myself in my room. Opulent, yet so very empty. Like I was in a doll house. Surrounded by dolls, a simple plaything, a toy, not human.

  Yet… In the midst of these thoughts, I threw myself in bed. Frustration gave way to tears.

  The emotions, were odd. They felt, foreign. Distant. Like they weren’t truly mine. Like an actor forced to fill a role.

  “They hate me!” I cried out. “If only I were a girl!” I cried, not for the first time.

  “They don’t hate you, young master.” A young woman said. Dressed in maid attire. Wearing, perhaps the most intricate mask of them all. “They just have high expectations of you.”

  I sniffled… Unable to work up a response.

  “I know what would make you feel better young master!” She said, with a clap of her hands. “Christmas is right around the corner, perhaps you would think otherwise if they were to give you a gift.”

  “A gift?” I spoke, my voice hoarse.

  “Yes, young master, a gift.”

  Those words… I blinked. The walls shuddered. The opulent walls grew slightly darker. I could almost hear a voice speaking in the background, tauntingly, the smell of blood was so strong, I couldn’t even breathe as I choked between sobs.

  “Young Master?” Her voice brought me back. “Is everything well?”

  “I…” I spoke. Hand on my chest. Something felt weird… “No… its… it’s nothing.”

  “Of course. So, about that gift?”

  Unbidden, my eyes shifted to a window. My body moved and I stood. My hands reached up, and I pulled myself up, just enough to look outside at just the right angle.

  The grounds were visible. Covered in a thick layer of snow. As were the hedges and statues… beyond that though, it sat, a lake, a large, massive like. Frozen over with ice.

  “I want ice skates.” I stated with finality.