"As I said, you should choose your enemies better." She said, swinging her weapon and trying to hit me, making a small cut on my cheek. "Despite everything, I don’t want to cause too much damage to you. It would be a problem."

"You’re way too full of yourself, aren’t you?!" I shot while she seemed distracted bragging to me, scratching her arm, enough to make it bleed a little.

"... What a taker." Violet smiled, and it was a bit unsettling to see someone as expressionless as her smile like that. "Tell me, why do you fight, Heartbreaker Magenta? Do you even care that much about this girl? She's just another replaceable body with fragile, trivial emotions. Why do you insist on protecting something like that?"

"You... Do you really view people like that?"

"Those who are clearly replaceable, yes."

"Then... You’ll never understand how I feel!" I joined my two weapons and fired, making her step back. "If you only reduce people to that, you could never understand anything I feel!"

For a moment, I believed that girl felt hurt, but it didn’t matter… After everything that had happened… After what she had done to Hanna… The person who accepted me for who I was, who helped me when people at that school began to be hostile towards me… And now what she wanted to do to Alex… The person who respected me for who I loved and simply wanted to feel less alone because she also loved another girl, just like me…

She would never understand any of this!

I started shooting seriously, following her as she flew and tried to evade. Violet continued to try to attack me, even though she didn’t leave much opening, but that didn’t matter.

If she was going to question my reasons… Then I had no reason to hide them.

"Hanna was the first person at that school to talk to me without judging me or thinking I was strange! She was always kind, and when I told her everything that had happened… How I was rejected at my old school… How I wanted to start over, but someone I didn’t even know was threatening me for being who I am… She reached out to me! She fought for me! She helped me! If I can talk to people and smile every day without being judged, it’s because she was there for me when I was down!”

I could barely look at Tormenta Violet’s face; it was as if I was blind to anything other than her body moving while she was in my sights. And I fired without a second thought.

“Alex… She may seem superficial sometimes; I used to think that too… But it’s her way of coping with the choices she’s made! She reached out to me for help! She trusted me… She knew how much I love Miss Hazel, and even after knowing that, she never judged or belittled me for it! I was the first person she told she loved Hanna, she wanted to use the end of this contest to confess her feelings! More than anyone, I know how important this is to her!”

She seemed to try to hit me every time I spoke about Alex or Hanna, but it was as if her movements too were slow, or I was too fast, but that wasn’t a problem; on the contrary. If that girl wanted more, I would give her more.

I kept shooting without thinking, feeling my whole body burning inside. Was it anger? Rage?

Whatever it was, with each shot, with each word spoken, my soul burned more and more.

“Those two… They were there with me when I was down, when I was confused, when I felt excluded! They also gave me the courage to be who I am! They made me believe that it’s okay to be who I am! That’s important to me! And so, I want to at least help them out! I don’t want their love and care to be erased! That’s why I fight! Because just as I want my love for Miss Hazel to be reciprocated, I want them to have that too!”

Tormenta Violet’s face seemed a bit shocked; she was breathing heavily as if trying to catch her breath.

She looked at me with what could only be a mix of exhaustion and anger, pointing her axe at me.

"You… talk too much… arrogant girl…" She raised her axe high. "Hear the screams of my heart! Void Sorrow!" As she shouted, several identical axes appeared in front of me, chasing me and falling as they tried to hit me. I did my best to dodge, but I couldn’t escape some of the cuts.

"Don’t… make me… seem heartless…" With those words spoken with great effort, Tormenta Violet fell to the ground with the face of someone in agony. She… was suffering.

"Quickly, Violet, get up! You want to fulfill your wish, don’t you? Your revenge is right there!" Kenos approached her, trying to shake the fallen girl’s body.

Her axe had fallen and disappeared, so I did the same with my magical weapons, approaching her slowly.

"Eh? Magenta, what are you doing?!" Anima said, frightened, as I approached the fallen girl with lilac hair on the ground.

That feeling again: Body burning, Heart pounding strongly

Pains on the left, right, with each beat, I heard the sound with my ears

Everything— 

Everything got better, 

The closer I got to her.

"You... are hurt, aren't you?" I said as I got close enough to Violet, who stood up and wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me.

"Ah... it's warm..." she said. Feeling her skin finally made me realize...

That body 

Was cold 

Cold as a corpse 

It only seemed to regain its temperature 

When it was next to me.

"Anima... Why is she so cold?" I asked seriously, still looking at the horizon while being embraced by my apparent enemy.

"Hey! Don't act like you can shamelessly know my secrets like that, Destroyer!" Kenos said, embarrassed. Even complaining angrily, that tiny kitten was not intimidating anyone.

"Do you remember what I said? About the principle of soul and void? They... speak not only about the way your powers manifest but also about the nature of each Destroyer's power... The principle of 'soul' resonated with you, who had your passion threatened and created great anger but continues to be fueled by your passion. Your soul remains strong and intact, Magenta. As for Kenos's 'void'..."

"Are you going to keep talking about that just because you still have a higher rank than mine in the royal hierarchy?"

"Be quiet, you fool!" Anima scolded that cat. Watching a fight between those two must be quite cute, despite everything. "Kenos's void resonates with hearts broken by something or someone, it offers much power but consumes much of the body of the chosen vassal to become a 'Destroyer'."

"So, you mean..."

"That, whoever Tormenta Violet's true identity is, she is living in constant pain."

"That... That's none of your business!" Kenos protested. "Violet is with me because she wants to! She has a very important wish she wants to fulfill! You’re just getting in the way!"

"We're not getting in the way! We just don't want you to ruin and break all the hearts! They are important parts of people's lives!" Anima and Kenos continued to argue while that girl stayed nestled in my arms, almost like a baby resting...

For a moment I thought how cute she was.

"Can you... get up?" I asked.

"I can, but... let me stay a little longer..."

In the midst of that calm, everything seemed fine, but...

Alex, the Melancholic Mermaid, was still there and I remembered that very well when she passed between me and Violet, making small cuts with the thorns on her arms.

"This is unfair! Unfair unfair unfair!" Her voice echoed while her face, deformed like that of a sea creature, cried and screamed. "Everyone's romance works out. Everyone's love recovers except mine! Even though I love her so much... She doesn't listen to me! She can't hear me!"

Her heart... was glowing blue! Maybe the moment I had with that girl was enough to bring some pain to Alex and make her reveal her heart, but... I still needed to make Tormenta Violet cooperate with me.

"Violet, I know I'm asking this at a bad time, but... Can we have a truce now? I don't want to keep fighting you."

"...Alright. My body is too tired to really fight, and you get too powerful when you're angry." She tossed her hair to the side, trying to flirt. "So, how do I purify it?"

"Well, first we need to touch her heart."

We both activated the soul and void wings and followed that mermaid, who tried to swim away or attack, either with her thorns or her agonizing screams, but that wasn’t enough to stop Violet. That girl was insanely strong when focused.

After a while and some cuts, she managed to remove Alex's crystallized heart while that girl was screaming in agony.

"Open your heart to me, Melancholic Mermaid!" Violet said... while holding my hand.

And again, that reality was no longer the reality we were in.

This time, my body was taken by an unbearable cold sensation. I couldn't quite say what it was, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was almost like what people call “absolute zero”? For a moment, even the slight warmth of Tormenta Violet's hands disappeared, but as soon as I opened my eyes, the sensations returned to normal...

This time, we were on an old pier with a view of the sea. The wooden pier creaked with every step we took, and...

If Violet was the only one who could purify the blue hearts, why was I here?

"You really wanted to drag me here?"

"I'm purifying this heart because you asked. I don’t have enough appreciation for Alexandra Verannis to do this just for her sake." Violet spoke again in her dry manner. Well, I had already managed to get her to do what I wanted, that was enough for today.

We walked to the end of the old pier, where we could see… The mermaid Alex, again.

But this time, her face wasn't scary and deformed. She had her usual face, sitting on a rock, crying while holding something.

"Why... are you crying?" Violet asked, drawing the attention of the mermaid Alex, who turned her tear-filled eyes toward her but seemed unable to speak. Instead, I felt my mind being filled with the vision that the mermaid wanted to show me, the vision reflected in the water of that vast sea.

Throughout our history, I’ve always made mistakes with you.

When we met, you were painting a character from a cartoon you loved a lot. I could never say it, but you resembled that heroine so much... Strong, determined, kind... Everything you were, I couldn't help but love. Of course, only someone as good as you could handle someone as petty as me.

I know my personality is unpleasant. I know I try to seem confident, especially when I’m not. I know my pride pushes people away, even when I have no reason to be proud. I know there are countless bad things about me, but still... You stayed until the end.

I know you distanced yourself from friends because of me. I know you always tried to make me smile... I know that when you had a problem, you spent many nights awake talking to me...

And still...

I betrayed you. I betrayed you because I didn’t understand what it was like to love “you” while being “me.”

 In the middle of the last year of elementary school, you did what I feared most. 

You fell in love.

A somewhat silly boy, who no one would normally notice 

A boy who didn’t stand out in anything, tried to make some unfunny jokes and orbited around you while you drew.

He never confessed his feelings to you 

You never said anything to him

But still... 

All I could think about... 

Was how he was stealing my place...

He was weak, his love wasn’t real, he always drooled over the girls who walked around school as if they were supermodels, so...

I became one of those girls.

When that girl... Melissa Schutt, told me I was beautiful and that I should hang out with her... 

That was the perfect opportunity. 

It was the perfect opportunity to take him away from you. 

And so I did.

To them, I was the latest version of “me,” my hair was always beautiful, my makeup was always flawless, my clothes were always lovely and fragrant, and I could have any guy I wanted.

So, I spread a rumor that I liked that boy. The one who orbited you. And he fell for it like a little duck.

Soon, the one orbiting me all the time was him!

And you, lonely, even with other friends around you, detached from that love. 

But if you could detach so easily, it wasn’t true love, was it?

Of course it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be. But for that false love...

I traded everything I had with you. We no longer spoke, I felt I shouldn’t. Melissa said I was more beautiful, and thus superior. Annabeth said I could get a prince, and so I should focus on that pleasure.

But... without you, what’s the point of being beautiful?

What’s the point of having a prince if he can’t be you?

What’s the point of being here if you won’t even look me in the eyes?!

However... That day... 

You looked at me again. You made me your muse.

Now we were no longer kids, you didn't draw that heroine from a children’s cartoon.

You drew me

You saw me

And a part of my heart wants to believe that you loved me

So... When I saw that everyone encouraged you to show your talent, that which you loved for so long…

That, which was your true love...

I couldn’t help but make you see me again.

I went to your house every day, where you drew me, we smiled, watched movies, ate snacks, and for a moment...

It was as if nothing had changed.

It was as if I had never betrayed you.

It was as if you no longer desired anyone else in that world.

It was as if I didn't need to feel embarrassed.

Embarrassed to be seen by you.

Even after all the harm I did to you...

So... why did you give up?

Why did you give up on your true love?

Why did you say all those words that hurt like knives?

Did you... want our feelings to vanish? Is that why you tried to tear up my favorite thing?

After all that time, was that revenge?!

If it was meant to be this way, I’d rather drown in the deep sea,

Drown and turn into countless bubbles, spreading across the ocean and disappearing.

If loving you is my mistake,

Then I hope I can disappear if that makes you happy .

After seeing all that, the mermaid Alex cried even more. That secret... was kept deep in her heart. And she truly wanted it to stay that way.

"You... are going to use that, aren't you?" Violet said, pointing to the dagger that the red-haired girl was trying to hide. "The one who did this to your beloved... was me."

"You..." She thought quietly for a moment. "You... You!" Violet moved closer to the rock where the mermaid was sitting, and I couldn't tell if she was regretful or mocking Alex's feelings, but the small mermaid lunged quickly at the lilac-haired girl, revealing her sharp dagger.

"You want to do this, don't you? Destroy me."

"You... killed... the one I loved..." She spoke with difficulty, irrationally... But... When she tried to stab Violet in the throat... "I... can't..."

She seemed to try, but it was as if something... or even her own body was stopping her.

"I can't!" She began to cry again, a pained cry, mixing with tears and sobs As her body slowly transformed into bubbles And the entire world was enveloped in a beam of white light.

♡