Night brought Elaina something completely harmless, but also terrible. It was a half-sleep, eyes closed but consciousness retained, a fading mind but awareness all the same. Every second in reality was an hour in her head, reliving the ordeals of the day inside her mind as her body writhed under the sheets. She should have been comfortable, should have been at peace, but both feelings eluded her grasp as she relived the glass cutting her body as she jumped from the window, the exhaustion from running around the school, the crystal blade digging into her shoulder, fingers closing around her throat.

Bodies in the hall.

In her dreams there was no [Pain Response], no [Fear Response], no pleasure in the suffering. That was a signifier to her at least, that it wasn’t real. And so she knew she was safe—for now—that she was sleeping—probably—that they’d won. At a cost. 

Her eyes opened, finding herself shaking, sweating in the bed. Tira’s room. She wished Tira was with her, that her mistress could protect her, but she was gone, duties demanding her attention in overtime. She’d only been able to come for their discussion earlier by skipping a meal, something Tira had insisted on despite protests from both Elaina and Carline.

Carline. Elaina turned over, seeing the girl huddled up, back turned to her on the other side of the bed. She was still, at peace. At least there’s that. 

Elaina turned back over, forcing her eyes open despite the intense weight of her eyelids. How long had it been? Hours for sure, but how many? Doesn’t really matter. Classes were canceled for the next day, of course, and the weekend was right after, so it didn’t really matter if she lost some sleep. 

Except that wasn’t how she could be thinking now. Classes at school weren’t the classes she needed to be worried about, school assignments not the biggest challenges she’d have to face. Someone, or something, was draining the planet of the energy keeping it afloat in the cosmos. And the Stormshine’s, Endrin Stormshine to start most likely, have some deal with the Red Order.

Alonse had abdicated the throne to teach, but his brother was still the current king of the nation, likely the only nation with the ability to mine so much crystal that it would cause such a change to the world. Did he know that’s what was going to happen, that they were the ones causing it? And does Alonse know.

Elaina groaned as she tossed about again. It was so late, and she was so tired, but any “rest” she got seemed to be more draining than just lying there awake, so what was the point? That was that. Sleep was bullshit anyway, so she was just going to lay there and stay awake for the night. Of course, she could close her eyes just a little, right? That won’t hurt anything…

Mistake made, she drifted off once more. She was in the clearing again, shoulder split open, in Myriala’s hands. The woman was taunting her, but Tira would show up any moment to save her. Any second now the pain would stop, the foggy haze of an oxygen deprived mind would clear with the crack of her whip, and Elaina would be saved. But the only crack was thunder, the only feeling agony, the last sight Elaina saw before darkness enveloped her Myriala’s wicked grin illuminated by a flash of lightning.

She woke again, but this time she was falling. The window, I’ve just jumped out of it. She knew what happened next, that she’d conjure a rope to catch herself, that she’d run off and stop the creature trying to make off with the System. She extended her hand and reached into her mana pool to reenact the events, but found it empty. Wait, I don’t have my aspect? She crashed into the ground.

With a gasp she was up again, on her feet, running from the horde of creatures, trying to lead them away from… Ranlit! She had to turn back. If she didn’t, then it’d happen again. She spun on her heels, seeing the army approaching her, behind them a starhound that hadn’t been there the last time. Was this how it happened? Elaina disabled the ones after her with the same beartrap trick, and after freezing herself with [Personal Restraint] was even stronger this time somehow, but when she went to drop the skill, it wouldn’t release. She screamed out as the starhound walked up behind Ranlit, howl-growl ringing out in the night. Ranlit herself didn’t seem to hear, didn’t even react as the creature stepped up from behind, jaws open wide.

Elaina’s eyes shot open again. In the bed this time, hyperventilating, but safe. She pulled the sheets tight to her chest, silent tears leaking out of her closed eyelids. How many times had the same terrors happened tonight? She needed it to end, for day to come. She wished desperately that she could get up and take a walk, but curfew was strict after the attack, and she knew she’d get in trouble. I need someone.

“Elaina?” 

“Huh?” She opened her eyes, turning to see Carline looking at her, big eyes barely visible in the dim room. 

“I can’t sleep. Been up all night.”

“Oh… I thought you had been, for a while.”

Carline shook her head. “Uh-uh. Do you know what time it is?”

“No… Late, I guess.”

“Yeah.” Carline rolled over, looking straight up. “I heard you tossing and turning. You kind of were earlier, but it was really bad just now.”

“Yeah, probably,” Elaina said, rolling over onto her back and wiping her eyes with the sheets, making sure to keep herself covered. She was still sleeping naked like she preferred, and it wasn’t the time to be flashing Carline. “Bad dreams.”

“I figured. I’m tired, but I guess no dreams is better than bad ones after the day we’ve had.”

Elaina hummed in response. She had to agree, given the dreams she’d been having. “I keep reliving it, but worse.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you went through out there. What everyone went through. I just stayed back and hid…”

Elaina rolled over again, staring at Carline in confusion. “Carline, you saved people. I saw Waine, and I know he would have died if he didn’t get help. Tira too, me twice, all the others.”

“That’s different. I hated that, Elaina. Doctor Thims telling me to stay back, you locking me inside with that fence… I wasn’t supposed to have an aspect like this. I was supposed to fight. Can still fight! I’ve trained for it for— for forever!”

Carline was staring back at her now, an unusual intensity in her eyes. “Carline, I—”

“You didn’t answer me before, not really. You said sorry, but I need a promise, not an apology. Tell me you’ll never leave me like that again when you need my help.”

She meant it. Not just that she thought she could fight, but that she needed to be there, by Elaina’s side. “Okay. I promise.” Carline nodded and closed her eyes, seemingly satisfied. 

It was a strange feeling, words that demanding coming from someone so meek. It didn’t have the same effect as when Tira told her to do something—something about a woman like Tira giving orders caused all sorts of feelings to run through Elaina—but it still affected her, pulled at her heart in a way she didn’t understand.

“Elaina?” Carline eventually asked again.

“Yeah,” Elaina responded, a little more nervous this time.

“Can I hold you for a bit?”

“Oh. Uhm, sure.” 

Elaina rolled over, presenting her back to Carline. A body pressed up against her own, one arm snaking underneath her pillow and reaching around to cup her breast as the other fell over and rested on her stomach.

She was there, enveloped in the arms by her best friend. Best friend? She hadn’t really though of it, but that had to be what Carline was. Even if they were more than strictly friends at this point, Carline was still the best one she had, even closer than the few acquaintances she’d had back home.

It was so warm. Had she been cold before? She couldn’t remember, but thinking about losing this warmth now terrified her. Please don’t let go. She was naked, Carline’s hand squeezing her boob, but there wasn’t anything sexy about it, nothing embarrassing, just nice. She wished Carline was naked too, that there wasn’t that thin layer of nightgown in between them, but even that thought wasn’t lewd, not right now. And even with the barrier, the embrace brought a layer of calm to Elaina.

She could hear Carline’s breathing, soft at first, then growing heavier. She could feel as the girl holding her drifted off to sleep, and each heavier breath, even the small snoring that came from the girl eventually brought a new wave of serenity.

It was coming again, sleep. For a moment the thought terrified Elaina, made her want to tense up, but she couldn’t; doing so might disturb Carline. She took in a deep breath of her own, melting into Carline’s body, the arms around her, the soft breasts against her back, the bare legs pressed up against her own, and slowly started to drift. No visions gripped her as she faded off, no memories invaded her mind as consciousness slipped away. Even in sleep, the only things were her, Carline, and their embrace. 

The end of the world was coming, sure, but it could wait one night.