Though her plan was inherently reckless, Lycoris tackled the massive mob with a measured approach, jumping from encounter to encounter atop Mira, breaking away whenever the enemy started to swarm her.

Time seemed to stretch each time she darted in to go on the offensive. The Whispers appeared to move slowly in reaction to her motions, and even Mira felt like he was sauntering rather than sprinting and bounding about.  She swung her scythe to and fro, slicing through any appendages that neared her companion. Many Whispers still towered over her, even seated atop Mira, but that was to her advantage, as it only gave her a wider range of angles to strike.  The mechanical monsters closest to her flailed their arms without any sort of coordination or planning, while those behind pushed them down to get at Lycoris and Mira. There wasn't any sign of the sapience or strategy she had seen in the organized groups before.

Ducking under a claw, she pulled back once more, Mira jumping straight over a Whisper that was slow to react, and gathered her thoughts.

Why are they so… basic? They're acting like the Whispers I remember from Dauwen. Is it a trap? How should I proceed…

She steered Mira around to the opposite side of the pack, closer to where her allies were stationed in their faux-sentry-tower.  Mira did his best to keep up, but it was clear he wasn't accustomed to serving as a combat steed and lacked the same trained reactions Lycoris possessed. On top of being unarmored and putting himself at constant risk of laceration by the Whispers—forcing Lycoris to protect him with as much care as herself, if not moreso—he also instinctively wanted to charge and pounce, rather than retreat.

The oil-and-water combination of her hesitation and his recklessness eventually came to a head as the two were caught at odds and, as she leaned forward and wrapped a hand around his neck to steer him away, a large spear-armed Whisper lunged at her from her blind spot. She attempted to course correct to avoid it, but the monster was too close already.  The spear tore straight through her abdomen, her gut clenching around it as burning pain spread from her core. Adrenaline surged and she spat a globule of blue ichor out as she cut through the thing's shoulder and pressed Mira to retreat.  As he gave the Whispers in pursuit the runabout, a volley of projectiles rained down around them, buying her a moment to contemplate.

She reached down to touch the spear, hissing in pain as she tried to push it out.

Ghh… Nope… That's not going anywhere. What do I do? This is a serious wound, isn't it? But I haven't even made a dent in them yet… And they'll come after me and the others. I don't want to lose anyone else.

Mira darted down an alley, keeping the Whispers from circling around them and buying her more time, though she couldn't risk straying too far from the hospital. If she took the fight away from them, she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on…

No, trust them to do their part. You need them more than they need you, Lycoris. But… I can't just retreat like this. Can I still fight? What would Mama do?

Instead of giving up and falling back to tend to her injury, Lycoris felt her heart skip a beat. A realization dawned as she glanced down briefly at the spear stuck in her. Her instinct was to retreat, to give up ground even though the blow had already been dealt. Survival instinct at its finest, urging her to save herself.  But she had already been taught that common sense didn't apply to her. Her mother would write off anything short of a fatal blow as irrelevant. And, she was her mother's daughter, right?  Removing it was a lost cause, so the obvious choice was to ignore it and renew her assault. Circling around the block, she dove headlong into the great crush of mechanical bodies.

She leaned in to the adrenaline-fueled pressure throbbing against her mind, swinging at everything that moved with skillful but reckless blows.  Such a fighting style was a double-edged blade, however, as another piece of sharpened metal found its way into her shoulder. A Whisper managed a lucky strike and stabbed her.

And yet, pain also brought clarity and focus, chasing away fatigue as she realized just how incredible this was. A normal, or, a human knight would be falling off his horse at this point, but her shoulder had already healed by the time she wrenched the Whisper's arm out and cut it down, her scythe swinging with no less force despite the injury.  Trading wounds for bodies was more than fair if she could shrug them off, and her ears wiggled in excitement at the prospect of a real fight. Like the wool was being pulled from her eyes, Lycoris recalled just how alive she felt while fighting, how in tune she felt with the flow of battle, how even the wind whipping against her face and sweat on her brow reminded her that this was where she belonged.  It wasn't the first battle she fought that day, far less the past year, but it was the first time she felt the thrill of danger. Like when she first dueled her mother, as lopsided and unfair and desperate as that battle was.

Lycoris's heart thrummed in her chest as she caught her second wind, and she wholly and willingly abandoned tactics to embrace her own martial prowess instead, sheer joy and bliss welling as she allowed Mira to drag her deeper into the fray, where she felt most at home. Her scythe found no shortage of chaff to slice through. Her steed was no more afraid of injury, simply eager to carry his master to her victims.  Though she may have stood peerless against the chaotically cobbled-together scraps of metal, the reckless nature of her assault meant she would accrue many more injuries before standing victorious atop the mound…

＊　＊　＊

When silence otherwise dominated the streets and the sounds of stampeding Whispers and clashing steel had died out, Mira whimpered out labored breaths and turned his head around to weakly nuzzle Lycoris, his purple feathers darkened with oil and blood. Her own body was pincushioned with fragments of claws, broken blades, and a sizeable spear-arm.  The two of them stood outside the hospital, and while Lycoris's mind was no less sharp than it was while she fought, her adrenaline fast faded with the last of the Whispers, her body all but refusing to heed her commands. Every motion caused burning pain to prick and stab at her, but she forced herself to lightly slap her hand against the door at least once. A talon stuck in her forearm wiggled unpleasantly as she did so.

"Gnnh…"  "Chrrr."  "I'm alright. Somehow. I'm pretty sure I should be dead… but, are you okay?"

She looked down at her steed, troubled by the sight of blood matting his feathers. She may have somehow cleared out all the Whispers present, but if it cost her the life of her new closest comrade…  Lycoris gently put her hand to Mira's neck, as the myrh cooed back quietly.

"Hello…? Is anyone in there?" She slapped the door again. "I… dealt with the Whispers. We have wounded with us, and civilians… They should be coming down."

Admittedly, she'd forgotten all about them until just now. Without a battle to focus on, the pain was starting to make it remarkably difficult to focus, her thoughts starting to fray at the edges. Even during all her years in the King's army, she couldn't remember feeling this degree of agony.

"Maybe… I overdid it a little. Do you think you can help me down?"  "Krehh…"

If she could make it off of Mira, maybe she'd be able to open the door herself. It was probably locked, admittedly. If she could barely move without making her wounds ache, she definitely couldn't break down a door, no matter how rickety it might be.  The Whispers hadn't been able to get in either, after all.

Left sitting there waiting for someone to show up, Lycoris let out a small pained sigh as Mira simply lowered himself and laid down like a cat.

"I'm sorry, I guess I was wrong about hurting you after all… Maybe I should have left you with everyone else."  In response, her trusty steed chirped in irritation, "Mrrr!"  "Okay, okay… I get it. You chose this on your own… I guess you really can understand me…"

Before Lycoris could deliriously pursue the matter, the sound of a lock clicking caused her to wince and focus her attention on the hospital door. Except it wasn't the door that opened up, but a window on the second story.

"Hello? Are you alive down there? What happened to the Whispers?" A woman's voice shouted down at her.  Lycoris leaned her head back and slowly waved a hand, "H-Hey… I took care of them."

She slowly turned around to look behind her at the field of corpses, and noticed her group of survivors cautiously approaching. When she made eye contact with them, the ones at the front broke "rank" to rush up to Lycoris. Thankfully, nobody looked worse for wear, though Cecily was understandably horrified when she saw Lycoris.

"Lycoris!!! Oh… no…" She looked on the verge of tears.  Putting on a brave smile, Lycoris forced out a strained chuckle, "I'm okay… I think," and turned up to the woman hanging her head out the window, "Can you let us in? We have some injured… in need of treatment."  Stupefied by the sight, the woman forgot to say anything until Lycoris addressed her, "O-Oh! Yes, right away. Lantz! Get the door! And hurry! We have a critically injured girl out there!"

After the window-woman retreated, Lycoris slumped her shoulders and wobbled on her saddle, while Vanessa covered Cecily's eyes after catching up to her.

"You shouldn't look at such things, Cecily!"  "But Lycoris is dying!"  "Kweehhhhh…" Mira joined in with a mournful wail as Cecily shouted.  "I'm fine… I mean, it hurts a lot but I don't feel like I'm dying, I think," Lycoris wheezed.

She was a little worried about her inability to show proper princessly decorum like this, especially when meeting new people. Though, that in and of itself was odd. When did she start caring this much about acting like a graceful princess… Serving as a leader was one thing, and something she had a fair bit of experience with…

But why do I care if they treat me like a little gi—p-princess! …That's not much better. Did I lose too much blood? No, wait, this is just… an extension of not wanting to tarnish Mama's image. That's it…

Allowing her mind to wander and concoct pointless excuses for herself, Lycoris barely even noticed when the doors were pried open and several armed Vampires rushed out. By the time she realized what was going on, she'd been lifted off of Mira and seated atop a gurney.  Her myrh crooned sadly, though he didn't seem to have much more energy himself, given he didn't try to bite or even nip at any of them.

"He'll be okay, right?" Lycoris mumbled worriedly.  "Speak for yourself, Your Highness!" One of the two who'd relocated her replied loudly.  The other shouted into the building, "Coming through! Clear the hall!" before the two of them began wheeling her off.

The pair wheeling the gurney through the solemn white tiles of the dimly lit hospital had matching uniforms on, a simple dark green tunic and pants free of pockets. One had some odd metal utensils wrapped around his neck on a lanyard. Clearly, they must've been what field medics look like in Vampire society.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.  Lycoris was startled by the fact they were wheeling her off, rather than performing triage on the spot. She assumed they'd just use some magic then and there…

She watched the entrance disappear around a corner, a pang of anxiety welling up. "Wait, what about the others?"  "Who exactly are they?" asked one of the medics.  "They're people… from one of the shelters. They didn't want to be abandoned so I—"  "That's more than enough, Your Highness," he cut her off, "Conserve the rest of your strength."  "I think you're overreacting… If I was going to die, I wouldn't be talking."

Sniffing the air as she huffed in irritation, Lycoris caught a whiff of bitter and sharp aromas, like this building was an alchemist's massive storehouse. It didn't resemble any sort of house of healing she had ever been to, though that stood to reason since she hadn't seen anything resembling a religious structure since coming to the Vampires' Empire.  Instead of ornate marble pillars and stained glass, there were countertops covered in pieces of technology Lycoris didn't even begin to comprehend—though most of it looked neglected. Instead of murals, the hallway walls were decorated with corkboards covered with intricate documents. Pale and cold bar-shaped lamps shone down overhead, instead of warm braziers and gently glowing candles.

"Run ahead and get the doctor. I'll relocate her to an unoccupied room."  "Alright."

What's even the point in carting me off? All I need is someone to help pull the blades out… Lycoris lamented. They better let everyone in, and take care of them. Mmh, I do hope they will be okay without me…

＊

Standing at the hospital entrance, Vanessa struggled to stand on her own. While the superficial wounds on her skin had healed, her spirit had been crushed. The last thing she recalled was shoving her sister away as she saw the dark shadow overhead, and the next moment she was in the arms of a Fangchaser, with her sister holding a spear and gently squeezing her hand.  When the gunfire began ringing out, Vanessa had trembled and pulled her little sister close, cursing herself for her powerlessness. The knowledge that Her Highness was fighting outside, despite barely being any older than Cecily, tore at her. No child that young should be forced through something like this.  Her parents' final words resonated in her mind, a plea to safeguard her last surviving family member. She would have preferred to stay in the shelter, but Cecily seemed smitten with the Princess—perhaps their similar ages were why they ended up such fast friends, despite their difference in blood.  Being of sixth generation, the Oxalis family technically qualified as nobility, hence their bestowment of land by the Vanas. But… that didn't matter anymore, the two of them were orphaned, and their home trampled ruins.

Directionlessness consumed her spirit, and without the impulse to shield her sister from the grotesque sight of an impaled and bloody princess, there was nothing calling her to act. They were still in danger, this hospital was hardly safe, but so long as she held her little sister's hand and confirmed her safety, all she could do was lament her own powerlessness.

Until a gentle tug pulled her forward and she nearly tripped over herself.

"Come on Nessa! We need to get you looked at," Cecily called up to her.

She looked up and saw the others were shuffling in, escorted by soldiers. From around the corner, a pair of Fangchasers with slender feline tails carried Her Highness's unconscious servants. They must have thought to avoid any legal ramifications, just in case…  Some of the armed guards were nervously approaching Mira, though the myrh didn't seem inclined to snap at anyone. Perhaps he was just tired, or perhaps he knew his wounds needed treatment, but the animal allowed them to lead him inside without incident.

Snapping out of her daze, she stumbled past her little sister and began pulling her along instead. "Yes, right. Let's hurry, Cecily."  "Does it hurt anywhere, Nessa?"  "Hm? Yes, I mean, no. I'm perfectly fine now, don't worry Cecily."

The inside of the hospital was troublingly quiet, the foyer looked… like a catastrophe. Tables, chairs, gurneys, beds and anything heavy enough had been propped up over the windows or sat beside the front doors. There were blood stains, scorch marks, and scars left in the floor tiles, and near the hall was another barricade that had been hastily shoved aside.  The rooms on the ground floor were all empty, completely stripped of their belongings to be repurposed or moved higher up where the survivors were actually holed up. The situation here… didn't seem all that much better than the shelter. There were armed guards and doctors here, but it had cost them… far too many people for Vanessa's liking.  And the state Her Highness was in… she couldn't believe the girl was still alive. It tore at her to even think of the pain the little girl was enduring.

As the two of them climbed the stairs to the second floor, Vanessa finally heard the sound of other people. Many of the rooms were occupied by survivors, some injured, and some simply trying to endure the monotony and terror.  While walking down the hall, a massive and mournful wail caused the entire building to vibrate. Vanessa didn't recognize what it was, but Cecily immediately pressed against her side and hugged her, trembling.

She looked down at her sister. "Cecily? What's wrong?"  "Mmngh…"

Cecily shook her head, her agitation and the strange sound getting to Vanessa slightly. She caught her heart starting to thump uncomfortably, and forced herself to take a long and slow breath of the stale hospital air.  People poked their heads out of their rooms to look around in confusion from the rumbling, and those at the furthest end—above where the entrance was a floor below—looked at the windows in bewilderment.

"…Big… spider things," her sister finally mumbled.

Vanessa connected the dots quickly. It must have been some form of Whisper they encountered while she was unconscious. And whatever it was, it was right outside the hospital. She crouched down to hug her little sister, slowly stroking the back of her head. At least she could do this much, though she was struck by a pang of guilt for feeling relieved that she could do anything to help.

"It's okay, Big Sis is here to keep you safe from the spiders. Want me to carry you?"  "Mm…" Cecily nodded.

Picking her little sister up, Vanessa looked down the hall with a small sigh. This floor seemed fully occupied, and the rest of the survivors were poking their heads out of the stairwell before continuing upward at the guards' behest.  One approached the two of them, weapon slung over his back and arms crossed as he stared at them through his visored helmet.

"Pair of lost kids huh… Either of you got identification?"  "Um, we had to flee from home when they attacked and… didn't bring our wallets or anything. My name is Vanessa Oxalis, and this is my little sister Cecily Oxalis," she replied with measured calm, attempting to be as helpful as possible.  "Oxalis? …Doesn't ring a bell. Whatever, come with me."

He turned around and waved for them to follow, before making his way back to the stairwell.  Vanessa hurried as quick as she could while carrying Cecily. It was quite fortunate she hadn't suffered any lasting injury.

"Um, excuse me sir, do you know what that noise was just now?"  As if on queue, another rumbling lamentation warbled throughout the building.  "That?" He looked over his shoulder at them. "No clue, nobody's seen 'em before now. Someone called them 'Recyclers' as a joke and the name stuck, though."  "Are they dangerous?" Cecily peered up from her sister's arms, like a wurtle poking its head out of its shell.  The soldier shrugged, "Beats me. They don't seem aggressive at least. They just do their thing and walk off."

He led them up the stairs and down another hall, which opened out into a large recreational area that had been transformed into a sick ward, where several unfamiliar Vampires—and some of the Fangchasers from the shelter—had been put and were either resting or awaiting treatment. Not a single person seemed happy, but that was to be expected.

"You'll be staying here. She's not hurt, is she?" The soldier gestured toward Cecily.  Vanessa shook her head. "No she's o—"  "Big Sis is the one who needs attention!" Cecily cut in. "She was attacked by a big centipede and was hurt real bad and has been acting weird ever since waking up."  "Er, I'm just fine. There's no need to go that far for me," Vanessa nervously replied as she sat down.  "Is… that so?" The man looked somewhat flabbergasted. "I… how about I ask one of the free nurses to do a checkup, just in case?"  "There's really no need, but if it'll make Cecily feel better…"

He walked off after making sure the two of them were well-situated. Though he didn't recognize their family, he still seemed surprisingly kind. Maybe because he realized they were orphaned by this crisis.  Vanessa kept her little sister seated on her lap even as Cecily squirmed. The girl was just fine, but she didn't want to let go of her just yet. The moment she even thought about it, Vanessa started shivering…

"It's okay, Lycoris will save us."  "…Huh?" She looked down at her little sister with a raised brow.  "She's really strong! And, she's like a superhero, she didn't flinch when she took all those injuries and stuff! Ehehe, I wonder if that makes me the friend who knows her secret identity."  "Her identity isn't a secret, though. And it's dangerous to think of her like that. She isn't a hero, just a person. A person in a position very, very, very high above us," Vanessa warned.  "But she was able to beat all those Whispers… I bet if she were on her own, she could destroy all of them in the city. I bet she'll be back on her feet in no time! But… I'm a little worried for Mira…"  Vanessa sighed at the innocence her little sister spoke with. "Cecily, she's just one person. I'm sure she would appreciate your enthusiasm, but you need to understand her circumstances are completely different from ours."  A long silence followed as Cecily grew increasingly pouty, until finally she pulled herself away, stood up, thrust her finger toward her sister and exclaimed, "You're the one who doesn't understand! We'll be okay! So you don't need to worry about me, or yourself. You're smart! I am too… That's what our parents always said… So we'll be fine!"  "…" Vanessa stared, speechless. Was it that… obvious?  Cecily puffed her cheeks out in response. "Did Nessa really think her little sister doesn't pay any attention to her? There's nobody in the world who knows Big Sis better than me! And as proof that I'm okay, I even went and made friends with the scariest girl in the world! Because… because she's really nice and sweet, actually, and I can prove it."

Mouth slightly agape, Vanessa couldn't stop her laughter from bubbling up to the surface at her little sister's ridiculous idea of "proving herself." Not that she even needed to. After wiping away the tears from her minor hysterical fit, she shook her head.

"You don't need to prove anything, Cecily. It's just my job to worry about my little sister."  "Only if you promise you'll take care of yourself too…" Cecily wrinkled the hem of her skirt, looking away from her sister as she spoke in a quiet tone, "I don't want you to leave me too…"  "Alright. I promise…"

＊

Inside a brightly lit white room, with cabinets against one wall and various health posters plastered on the opposite, Lycoris sat in a woozy daze.  The priest, or healer, or nurse or whatever they were called, had only been gone for a few seconds, but every second felt like an eternity of agony.

I… am really stupid, aren't I? Why did I even… I mean, it worked but… I should have made everyone stay at the shelter. I knew I wouldn't be able to protect them all. And now I'm sitting here, covered in my own blood, aching and sore and hurting all over…

As if on cue, her stomach growled at her, demanding replacement for all the blood she'd shed.

…and I'm going to have to eat more…. More people, again. What am I even doing here? This was all a mistake. I should have never… I should have stayed at the…

Lycoris froze, staring down at her tightly balled up hands.  She realized she couldn't decide where things first went wrong. Should she have stayed within the Palace? But even then, her fate as a Vampire was sealed. Should she have refused Mizar, and continued drinking herself to death in that tavern? But, then she would have never experienced love. Should she have obeyed, and kowtowed before, and done as her original…

A tremor ran up her spine as the blurry figure of that woman resurfaced, and Lycoris shook her head. She wanted to lie down, but the protruding shards of metal meant she could do nothing except sit there and question herself. When was it she first found herself entrusted with so many other lives? How many times had she failed them?

All those negative thoughts swirling in her head distracted her from the voice outside her room. She didn't even notice when the door opened and someone poked their head in, bowing low while keeping his shining sky-blue eyes fixed on her through unkempt blonde bangs covering them.

"Your Highness?"  She looked up from her lap, and her eyes widened. "M…Mizar!?"

Through her blurred vision, Lycoris saw a sight she never thought she would again. Except… there was something wrong about it.  The man, leaning through the crack in the door in his white labcoat and well-worn green healer garb beneath, tilted his head in confusion as his pointy vampiric ears wobbled.

"Who?"

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