15

Protect

 

Yep. This is becoming tedious. 

Chloe walked through the second floor of the mansion with boredom strewn across her face. She couldn’t find any sign of handprints or hair in the two rooms she searched, entering her third location hoping that there’d be some results. 

This next room was filled with bookshelves. It didn’t feel too dissimilar to the library from before. In order to keep her mind busy, she turned on her earpiece to chat with Melody.

“Yo, you there?”

“Did something happen?”

“Nah. Just thought I’d hear someone’s voice while I search some more. Is that cool?”

“I don’t mind! We’re in no rush. I’m currently looking through Ai, and there are no alarming threats coming as of now.”

“While I have you on, I’ve been thinking of something. Sunlight and Eclipse, you think there’s any hope for those two?”

“I think they can work it out! I wouldn’t want an angsty love story like that to end in such a sad way.”

“Didn’t know you were so into romance stuff.”

“I read my share of romance manga and novels. Sometimes there’s nothing more whimsical than two people finding happiness with each other.”

“Try getting Eclipse to read something like that. I bet her reactions would be entertaining.”

It didn’t take long for Chloe to examine a table located in the center of the room. She spotted a singular strand of hair near the edge of the table and was quick to snatch it up before placing it in a small plastic bag.

“Finally! We can blow this joint now.”

“That sounds like a great idea! Mostly because it looks like there are trucks heading over here!”

“Wait, really? I thought you said there was nothing coming?”

“That was a minute ago! A lot can happen in a minute! They’re very far away, so if we start leaving now, we should be fine!”

“I’ll start heading back to the car. You tell the others I got what we need-”

Chloe’s words came to a halt when she heard a large slam close the door shut. This wasn’t the act of any phantom. There was a familiar face standing in front of the door with her hand firm on the knob. Her eyes were even sharper than before with a sword once again being held.

Where the hell did she come from?! Was she here the whole time?! Chloe frantically thought as she pulled out her bat. She was stuck in a small enclosed space with an attacker she previously only took down with the help of Luna. There was no telling if she even had a chance to face Kate one on one, but she had no choice at this moment. 

“Chloe? What’s wrong? Something happened?” Melody asked as her earpiece was still turned on. 

Chloe whispered, “Send help ASAP,” before turning her connection off. 

Kate stared daggers at Chloe who she was unable to recognize through her cat mask. She readied herself into a battle stance. 

Chloe deepened her voice in an attempt to hide it. 

“Listen, I got what I came for, so if you really don’t want me here, I can just leave and cause you no more trouble-”

Kate didn’t bother with any words. Chloe blocked her swing to prevent herself from getting sliced apart.

What happened to all her yapping with Luna last week?!

Even with deflecting her blade, Kate grabbed Chloe by her jacket with her open hand and threw her against the wall. Going in for another swing, Chloe used her bat and superior strength to push Kate's blade back, which caused her to lose balance. Chloe took this opportunity to swiftly swing her bat directly at Kate’s abdomen. 

She was quick enough to block this swing, but what she wasn’t prepared for was Chloe activating her temporary invisibility before punching Kate in the chest. 

This caused her to get knocked back into one of the old bookshelves, to which the books on the higher shelves embarrassingly knocked onto Kate’s head. That didn’t appear to hurt, but it was the cherry on top to Chloe gaining the upper hand in this fight.

Oh wow, I might actually have a chance to take Kate on without Luna’s help. I mean, of course I wouldn’t need her help! I can stand toe to toe with my sister with no issue after all my training!

Kate’s deep breathing became audible. It was filled with frustration as her patience wore thin.

“I suppose…I must rely on this Curse after all…” she quietly said.

Once the words left her mouth, a yellow aura emanated around her body. This was an effect that Chloe could recognize. 

There’s no way. There’s literally no way she’s got a Curse too.

Bright yellow electricity circulated all around Kate’s blade. With a single, powerful downward slice, a surge of electricity blasted itself in front of Chloe. The shockwave of the impact caused a hole in the ceiling to break open. If Chloe had been even one foot close to that blast, she knew it would’ve been devastating.

Okay, so she has electric powers now! Awesome! Juuuust awesome!

Chloe hopped onto the table and then up into the hole in the ceiling. Fighting in that cramped room would be too dangerous. She entered into the higher level of the foyer with Katherine giving chase.

Now’s a good time!

Before Katherine could attempt another slice at Chloe, her invisibility activated in this open space where she could be anywhere. Kate slowly paced around the floor. Her electricity ran through the carpet surrounding her. 

With the slight disruption of electricity on one spot of the carpet, she turned around and swung her blade in an instant. Blocking the bat of the now visibly Chloe.

“I’m not falling for your tricks again,” Kate coldly said.

With a strong surge of power coursing through her sword once more, Kate swung her blade upwards. All Chloe could do was block with her bat, but all the electricity empowering her weapon created a blast that sent Chloe flying up and crashing through every ceiling until her body reached the top of the mansion. 

Each ceiling broken was like getting hit by a car one after the other until she finally landed on the roof. 

Even with how durable her body was, Chloe was left lying down as she attempted to regain control of her breathing. Her body was failing to respond to her mind’s immediate yells to get back up. An electric shock coursing through her entire body prevented this. It didn’t take long for Kate to climb up to where Chloe was. 

From what Chloe could see of Kate, her breaths were also deep. Maybe using her electric powers wore her down? At least, that would balance out how ridiculous her power is. 

Kate walked towards Chloe with the intent to deal a killing strike while she was down.

Get up, Chloe! You’re not going down like this! It’d be such a cruel joke to get killed by your own sister! My body can only make one small action before the shock kicks in again, but that won’t be enough to fight back!

“No matter how much I try to rationalize what I’m about to do, there’s no denying I’ll be dirtying my hands. I apologize.” 

There was almost a hint of sorrow in Katherine’s words as she readied her blade.

I only have one choice now! Here goes nothing!

In a single moment, Chloe clasped her hand over her cat mask and fiercely ripped it off her face. It flew across the roof when Chloe accidentally threw it due to the electricity shocking her again.

Kate’s determined face sank to complete horror as her eyes clearly recognized the face of her opponent.

“C-Chloe…?” Her mouth could barely mutter out her name.

The electricity restraining Chloe finally fizzled out. She was able to sit up, but she didn’t have the physical strength to stand.

“Heyyyyy Kate! This is a pretty awkward way to meet, isn’t it?”

“W-what are you doing here? W-when did- how are you even-”

“I didn’t want you to find out until this was done, but I’ve been working with some thieves to steal the Eterna Ruby that Dominic is protecting. Turns out those experiments gave me superhuman strength, so I’ve been working with a group so that once we stole and sold it off, we could run away together and escape from everything Eterna related.”

Katherine’s lips kept opening, but the words wouldn’t come out. Her mouth and brain must’ve been crossed as to what to say about this.

“I-I know that may sound insane, but we’ve been making good progress! We now have a way to track him, so we should be done soon!”

Katherine then tilted her head down. Her eyes were out of view from Chloe.

“I didn’t want you to suffer as Dominic’s pupil anymore. You’ve done so much for me and- I just wanted to find some way to repay how hard you’ve been working for me! Remember what you told me? Always protect the people closest to you. No matter what-”

Any smile Chloe was growing as she spouted on vanished when she realized Katherine had been gritting her teeth.

“YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!”

Katherine yelled these words with all her heart. Her face was filled with so much rage it left Chloe speechless.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! I’ve been busting my ass off to please Dominic so that you wouldn’t be sent back to a lab, and you throw that in my face by putting yourself in danger!? I could’ve killed you! Do you know how that makes me feel?!”

“Wha- How you feel?! My sister is training to become a cold blooded killer! You expect me to be okay with that?!”

“I’m not letting Dominic hurt you! I’m doing whatever it takes to let you live a peaceful life!”

“And I’m doing whatever it takes to give you the same!”

“Yeah? Well that’s all been pointless! There is no Eterna!”

Chloe’s confusion flushed away her anger, “W-what?”

“Your strength, this power I’m now cursed with? They’re not from samples of some magical stone. It’s nothing more than his blood!” 

“His… blood?”

“He’s a source of these freaky powers just like that Starlight Girl. There’s no point in going up against him. The only choice I have left is-”

“Cat!” 

 

***

 

A shout came from across the rooftop. Luna had climbed up at Aurora’s request to help Chloe. When she arrived at the scene, she quickly put the pieces together of what was happening based on Chloe’s missing mask and Katherine standing beside her. Chloe’s cover had been blown. 

Luna had a bit of hope that perhaps they worked something out, and she could get Katherine to cooperate now that she knew the truth about Chloe.

Katherine took a deep breath. 

“My only choice left is to kill the Starlight girl.”

And there went any optimism Luna had on the situation.

Sparks flew around her hair. The yellow aura reappeared and of course, Luna understood the implications of this.

“So you do have-!”

Her words were cut off from Katherine’s swinging her sword, which Luna used her knife to block.

“What do you think you’re doing with those powers?!” Luna yelled.

“You’re stupid bloodline gave them to me! I’m not letting you get the upper hand again!” Katherine replied.

Electricity surged through Katherine’s sword and then into Luna’s own knife. The rubber material coating her gloves prevented the electricity from reaching her own body.

“Kate! If you hurt her I swear to-ack” Chloe yelled out before her injuries prevented her from getting back up.

“Stay out of this, Chloe!” Katherine yelled back.

Katherine kept swinging at Luna. Each attack was met with a dodge or a block by Luna.

“Listen to your sister! Why would you go against what she wants?!”

“I’m doing this to protect her! Didn’t you yell nonsense about that yourself?!”

“It’s not nonsense! And… I would never hurt those that I’m protecting!”  

“You sounded less confident! Are you sure you’re not lying?!”

“You’re just taking control away from Chloe!”

Katherine gritted her teeth even harder than before. “The one taking control away from us is Dominic! I’ve learned what he’s capable of! There’s no point in fighting him!”

“I don’t want to fight him! I just want to support those closest to me!”

“Then you of all people should understand where I’m coming from!”

Amidst her furious swings, when the opportunity opened itself, Katherine pressed her hand stored with electricity against Luna’s chest. Luna was blasted a few feet away before falling on her back. 

Like Chloe, her body was stunned in place. Any movement would cause an intense shock to occur.

Crap! Her cursed ability is really this powerful?! Luna thought.

“You’re little treasure was just a lie. Your fantasy rock was fake all along. Whatever dreams you had from stealing it are gone. Meanwhile, my goal remains unchanged. If I kill you, that should be enough to convince Dominic to never touch Chloe.”

I don’t know if this will work, but it’s my best shot! 

Katherine jumped straight at Luna ready to land a stab through her chest. 

Clone activate!

A moment before being stabbed, Luna rolled to the side, leaving a clone where she previously laid. The electricity stunning her body was gone and only remained in her clone that was then stabbed, disappearing into nothing. 

Back to normal, Luna sprung herself back up. 

“I accept that the gem was fake.” The more this went on, the more I suspected as such. “But now that just means my new goal is getting everyone out of this mess. I won’t let any greater forces determine how I take care of others. Now get out of our way before your reinforcements arrive.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not doing that.”

Luna earnestly sighed. “Let’s make this quick, then.”

With the slam of a smoke bomb to the ground, Katherine lost sight of Luna.

Surrounded by smoke, Katherine waited for Luna to approach just like before. Clone or not, she would annihilate whatever approached.

Instead, a grappling hook came out of the smoke and attached itself to her sword.

“This didn’t work before, it won’t now!” Katherine said.

She twisted her blade and was able to cut rope. What she didn’t expect was another grappling hook to shoot out soon after. The smoke dissipated enough to see Luna having already equipped a new rope thanks to Melody’s modifications.

Fed up, Katherine grabbed the new rope and yanked it so hard that Luna was pulled towards. She didn’t hesitate to stab her in the stomach, but like before, she vanished into thin air.

Luna appeared from the side and wrapped her arms around Katherine’s right arm. Another Luna appeared and did the same with her left arm. And then another with her right left leg, and then another with her left leg.

“Hrrrrraaaaaagggghhh!”

Katherine yelled into the air as her body released electricity all throughout her body, but not a single Luna let go or was blasted away. They all endured and held on with all their might.

From behind the remaining smoke, the real Luna emerged to face Katherine. The cold look on her face imposed itself onto the restricted girl. 

“It seems you have to concentrate your power into specific places, otherwise it won’t be strong enough. You may be a good fighter, but you're a novice with your Curse.”

With a single, powerful kick to the gut, Luna’s clones vanished as Katherine flew to the floor, her sword flying out of her hands and off the rooftop entirely. Katherine struggled to get back up. The pain in her stomach would be keeping her down for a while. For now, Luna had defeated her.

A certain sentence she just said echoed in her brain.

“I won’t let any greater forces determine how I take care of others.”

God, I’m such a liar…

She looked towards Chloe and saw the somber look on her face as Katherine laid on the floor. 

“I-I don’t know if I should thank you or be upset about all of this.” 

“We don’t have time to contemplate all this. Contact Dawn so she can get us out of here. I’ll return to-”

A sudden pain inflicted itself on Luna’s brain, causing her to fall to her knees. Her heartbeat became the loudest thing she could hear. Sweat rolled down her face. Breathing became a luxury. A blue aura aggressively formed around her. 

Once Luna somewhat recovered, she could hazard a guess as to what caused this. A guess that instilled nothing but fear into her heart.

“Aurora!”