The Outer Existial seemed puzzled for a moment not sure what just happened, although it was hard to tell with its featureless face.

However, this did not last long as it quickly snapped out of it and curled an arm back to reach for the mysterious humanoid.

Seeing a chance at victory, the girl dashed toward the entity. Side-stepping an earth-shattering slam that sent cracks snaking through the bridge, she side-flipped onto its arm, using it as a sort of ramp.

The entity tried to shake her off but it was too late. She'd already scaled up to its shoulders letting her blade sing once, as she reached for its neck.

Before she could reach it, she jumped up, easily dodging a slash to what would have been her abdomen.

With that, the entity had successfully thwarted her chance at a swift victory, or so it would seem.

For little did it know that the girl had been plotting, scheming, patiently waiting for the most opportune moment to attack; the moment when the entity was most sure of victory.

For as she descended back down, it made its move; simultaneously clutching onto the figure on its back and reaching out a bony finger to pierce her through the heart.

But faster than one could blink she slashed at the air while also focusing Ether into her blade. An ethereal arc of light formed and carved through its hand, cleaving cleanly through its neck. Cutting past the rain and disappearing into the stormy clouds above.

Seconds later a horned head with a featureless face rolled onto the ground. The creature was now presumably dead, decapitated, as its lumbering mass fell to the floor its head rolled over to her feet.

In the aftermath, the mysterious figure stood on top of the headless entity's lifeless body, hunched over with what looked to be a black blade with an outstretched raven's wing on its crossguard.

The sword quickly faded in a flash of indigo light as the figure collapsed. Turning her head she saw the Spatial-Fract seemingly collapse on itself.

Slowly after that, the darkness receded and a familiar voice found its way to her ears.

"Existial Felled: Night Defiler"

"Existence Type: Catagory 1"

"Existence Rank: Ascendent"

"Existence Tier: 1"

"Remembrance Claimed."

Ignoring it, she made her way up the entity's cadaver. With a single jump, she landed next to the unconscious figure.

The figure was lying on his stomach but was obviously lean with subtly musculature, and covered in dried blood and ichor.

Tired and aching profusely she clutched at her chest and side. She thought to herself:

"What kind of day is this?

I'm an Astral, I know, and I should expect things like this on a daily, but it feels like today has been especially... strange.

First, a Spatial-Fract appearing out the woodworks, undetected, and now this?"

She frowned a bit deeper as she glanced over the figure form:

"People cannot usually interact with Spatial-Fracts much less exit from them. So what's really going on here?"

Looming over him, she used her foot to gently nudge him onto his back. Her eyes widened as she silently stared at him in confusion and frustration.

The boy had a familiar heart-shaped face; only now, without the darkness and distortions cloaking its form, he had an oval shape.

His face was a mix of soft and subtle sharp features and black dreadlocks that stretched near to his shoulders.

Her sword shimmered brighter with each passing moment, her grip tightening around its hilt as her grey-coloured eye turned golden with a small displacement in purity as it yellowed at the edges.

Her mind started flaring as the thought of being used rummaged around in her head. She felt used, a small part of her felt betrayed somehow. But betrayal never comes from your enemies.

The hole in her chest was slowly closing and getting replaced with new flesh and bone.

Her hair tossed and turned in the winds of the storm, mimicking her as she was truly in her heart.

Looking up into the tempestuous sky above, she sighed deeply and turned her sights toward the boy, her sword in its dream-like construct fading into a ghostly blue light.

"Until this very moment, I don't think I ever truly knew the depths of my own ignorance... What is even reality anymore?"

A scream built up in her throat and died there. For although she wanted to, she could not; the storm was loud enough for the both of them.

Her hair was drenched and stuck to her skin as the storm raged on all around her; no praise, no thanks, no glory, just hollow victory... Alone.

Slowly her eye returned to its more golden hue before returning to its grey splendor. Hesitantly she reached down at the boy with both hands.

It takes her a minute or two but she manages to carry the unconscious boy back to her street and into her house with one hand under his knees and the other on his back.

A flustered look plastered itself across her features as she did her best not to look at his naked form as much as possible.

However, it didn't help that she had a photographic memory. Minutes later she reached her house.

Making her way up the stairs, she passed by a familiar strange door with Runes and Alchemical Symbols that remained slumbering but seemed to shimmer ever so slightly as she passed by.

This was a daily thing for her, but today, for some reason, she could have sworn she heard a silent, shallow breath from behind it, sending a shiver down her spine.

Suddenly she was more aware of her physical state, the dryness of her lips, the ache in her chest, the pain in her side. Fixating on it for a few seconds, she reached for the handle, but it remained locked; shaking her head, she continued on her way.

She entered her room and laid the boy out on her bed, then leaning back against the bookcase, her breaths shallow and pained. Reaching for her bedside shelf she grabbed a sleek device that gleamed under the dim light.

It had a cylindrical body crafted from polished white metal with detachable ergonomic grey grips. A transparent chamber along the side housed a glowing vial of green liquid, pulsating faintly like a heartbeat.

The shelf housed multiple of these chambers., another version displayed a fiery red hue.

The cylindrical design had a slender tip extended into a sharp, needle-like point, poised for precise delivery.

She took the red one and self-medicated, carefully inserting the needle into a vein through her forearm. The liquid rapidly circulated through her body and all her wounds accelerated their rate of healing.

Removing the now empty vile from the device, she replaced it with another, made her way to the boy and administered the same treatment.

"Ok, he's in our house... We're both healed. What now?"

Looking down at her hands she noticed a slimy substance of no discernable colour clinging to her skin.

"This is... Echor, why is he covered in echor? Was it from that Outer Existial...? No, it couldn't be; it didn't bleed."

She looked at the slumbering figure of the boy before quickly remembering the boy's vulnerable state and looking away in embarrassment; turning beet red, she sighed.

"I should get him some clothes and clean that gunk off him. Now where's that towel I was using?"

Grabbing the towel from near the wardrobe, she mentally prepared herself for what came next.

After a few long minutes of intense blushing the boy was dry and clean... Well, cleaner cleaner than before, which was more than could be said for the bed sheets and the towel.

Laying the boy down on the carpet she quickly replaced the bedsheets and took a shower as she let the towel soak in the soapy bathtub water.

The sound of rain and distant thunder was muffled somewhat by the relative safety of her house.

Remembering the voice from earlier, she focused her mind, and holographic screens formed in front of her, but oddly, they didn't reflect in any of the mirrors.

The screens displayed:

"Existial Felled: Night Defiler"

"Existence Type:  Catagory 1"

"Existence Rank: Ascendent"

"Existence Tier: 1"

"Remembrance Claimed."

Focusing on remembrance, the following displayed:

"Rememberance Title: Soul Hook"

"Remembrance Type: Weapon"

"Weapon Type: Scyth"

"Remembrance Rank: Ascendant"

"Remembrance Tier: 1"

"Description: It was night when it happened. It was at first light when it ended. It took time to love, but this darkness it could abide. To be heartless meant to keep alive. What else could it do? A whee-lil babe in the calamity. It filled the heart to devour, afterall."

Her eyes went wide with shock as she stood up in the tub:

"Ascendent?! The fourth rank?!"