[Maria watched as Nao jumped down the bridge with Suna after her. They both made a desperate attempt to flee from the royal army.

Everyone seemed frozen except Princess Neah. Maria had never seen the rageful look in the princess's eyes before but this one spoke to her.

The princess had no intention of allowing the intruders to get away that easily. Neah would make sure that the lair in front of her did not make their destination alive.

"You won't get away that easily from me" the voice sounded dark and scary. Maria could see

Howl flinched at the princess's side and had her hands fisted tight. Howl looked like she was forcing herself to watch all this happen while being helpless to do anything herself.

It solidified Maria's belief that Howl was not in this for her amusement but had been forced into her current position. Was it the circumstances? Or perhaps something more?

Once upon a time, Maria might have defended the princess at all costs. She might have never believed her sweet Neah to be capable of such actions.

But that felt like a lifetime ago for Maria. She had still been ignorant of what desperation could force a person to do. Power could corrupt with its mere thought and no one was immune to its charms.

Maria watched as the spell powered up and increased in intensity. It was going to obliterate anything it hit and while Maria could deploy her chains to stop it, Nao and Suna would not be saved.

The train passed through just as the spell was fired. It hit the ground and caused a small explosion. Smoke erupted and Maria heard something burst open with the pressure. A pipeline seemed to have made contact with the spell which caused magical combustion to happen.

It was on fire and the train had been lit ablaze. Not enough to stop it but just enough to make it inconvincible for Maria to be able to continue. Nao and Suna were nowhere to be seen, the impact taking them along and Maria had no hope of being able to retrieve their bodies.

She was left alone, her only support gone from her side. Maria could feel the despair taking shape in her body, the heat rising. She didn't even have any supplies to curb the effect of her depleting life force since Nao had her pills. Maria was well and truly fucked]

And just as easily, Maria was thrust out of her vision by a violent clash of the train shaking. It forced her body to collide with the engine wall and wake pain erupted.

Maria picked herself up with shaky legs, her eyes focusing on the way in front of her.

The bridge she had seen in her vision was bound to arrive soon. Maria knew that the pair would jump down as soon as they heard the engine's voice. Nao was predictable like that and Maria knew how Princess Neah would react toward it.

But what could Maria do about it? Stopping the train right now was asking for a death sentence and slowing down was not an option for her. She had to think of something else to do.

But the heat made it much more difficult to think through its haze. There had to be a way out, to change the future and bend it toward something more tolerable.

Maria ignored the part of her brain that asked her to sacrifice Nao and continue forward. Maria was very well aware of her limitations and she knew she would not be able to finish this journey on her own.

There was one thing Maria could try but she could not guarantee its success. It would also be an incredibly foolish move to make on her part but it was the only thing Maria could think of doing.

That's why Maria started to chant the spell to make her voice louder. There would be only one try she would get and she was asking to have her identity blown away by doing this. This went against everything they had tried to do till now.

But when it came to the choice between her safety and her companion's safety, Maria knew which one she was going to prioritize. The bridge neared and Maria prepared herself for the shout.historical

"NEAH, DON’T YOU DARE. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU ATTACKED NOW" Maria could see the magic spell being powered and her heart skipped a beat. Nao and Suna had jumped already and their bodies collided with the train.

For a few seconds, it genuinely looked like Neah had not heard Maria. The spell did not change its intensity and Maria closed her eyes to brace herself.

And then the light went away in a single flicker and Maria made out princess Neah's startled face from far away. The princess looked like she was going to cry and it made Maria feel bad.

Princess Neah had made so many mistakes but she was still young and Maria cared for her. Neah had been her friend when no one else had been willing to give her a chance. Maria owned her a lot more than this.

Maria kept on looking in the princess's direction till they went out of visible range. The train had officially left the station and Maria finally remembered that she had two more people to check on in the meantime.

Her body protested against the movement but Maria forced it to move. They were not out of red yet. They needed to ditch the train now that their position had been discovered.

"That was a foolish move. We had it handled by ourselves" Nao sounded angry as she tracked Maria down. Maria felt flush at the scolding and felt it was unfair.

She had just saved Nao's life and this was how Nao responded to her? What was wrong with her?

"H-Hey, she just saved our lives. Shouldn't we be grateful?" Suna asked with a shaken voice. She still seemed to be coming to terms with what had just happened. There had been too many close calls for anyone's comfort today.

"I am grateful that Maria saved my life but that doesn't make her actions any more reckless. She cannot keep doing this and risking herself" Nao sounded tired but also resigned.

Maria wanted to open her mouth and let out some words in Nao's face for her attitude. But the thought of speaking to Nao seems unpleasant for now. Maria just did not have the energy to deal with her and it showed on her face.

"You should not have done that but I'm thankful that you did. I just don't like to see you in danger" Nao concluded with a defeated sound and Maria felt her anger drain away as tiredness took over.

She could not deal with this mood right now. She needed distance as well.