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“Damn, if this doesn't seem familiar.”
Pyrrha blinked in an attempt to clear the blood and dust. “Great,” she thought bitterly. “The concussion is so bad I’m hallucinating.”
“Oh, you're hallucinating all right.” The hazy vision of the scraggly older man in green armor centuries out of place confirmed. “But not because of a concussion.”
Pyrrha lay crumpled against what remained of the headmaster’s office wall. Her aura shattered, and the blade of Miló melted into slag. Her gambit with the leftover gears of the headmaster's office had failed, but she had to continue. She couldn't fail here. Not with all of her friends still in danger.
“A champion sent forth to end the senseless violence of war through honorable combat.” the man seemed to reminisce fondly.
Pyrrha grit her teeth and scrambled forward, picking up Akoúo̱ as she worked herself to standing, before hurling it towards Cinder, poised with her bow drawn and glass arrow nocked.
“You remind me of myself,” The man continued, disregarding the desperate scene before him. “Defending Troy against foes wielding supernatural power with only the strength and skills a mortal man could achieve through diligent training. Someone with the simple dream of enjoying a happy life with their family.”
The arrow flew.
Even without polarity, Pyrrha’s skills still allowed her to read the older woman’s aim. Akoúo̱ would collide with the arrow and deflect both, but she could work with that. It would take Cinder time to draw another arrow, and Pyrrha was confident she could take her to the ground before she got a second shot off.
“Just because a champion falls, a shining future can still be brought forth by those who continue forward.” The man continued to ramble, even as Pyrrha’s eyes widened and the arrow melts around her shield. She attempts to lunge out of the way, but all she can accomplish is turning a fatal blow into a crippling one as the arrow strikes her right heel.
She hits the ground hard and without grace as her leg crumples.
“What’s your point!” Pyrrha snarls in her head as she attempts to force herself to stand.
“In simple terms, I’m a ghost acting on behalf of the future.” The man explains as time thickens and slows to Pyrrha. “The good news: your cause is righteous and you fight a true enemy of humanity. As such, the counter force has deemed it appropriate to empower you in this fight allowing me to intervene. The bad news: this fight isn't THE crisis to decide the fate of humanity. As a result, no counter guardians will be deployed to clean this up. No one will save you. All I can do is help you make a difference.”
Pyrrha falls again with a cry of pain next to the remains of Miló’s shaft as a second arrow is launched into her left heel. “Make no mistake, your body will fall here Pyrrha Nikos. But the manner in which it falls, that's for you to decide.”
“What else can I do?” Pyrrha questions the ghost nobody else could see.
“Your situation resonates with my legend enough that the conditions of my noble phantasm have been met.” The man says with a sad smile. “One: you stand alone as a champion of your people. Two: your opponent wields supernatural powers while you have none. And most importantly three...” his expression softened even further “...you defend a doomed city.”
Pyrrha’s heart fell as she heard that last condition. She was going to die, and Beacon and Vale would still fall. Everything would be for nothing, her life would have no meaning.
“You don’t have the power to activate my noble phantasm,” he continued gently “but I can help with that. I can guide you through the motions, and convert your soul into the power needed for the launch. Your soul will shine bright towards a better future.”
Jaune’s face flashed through Pyrrha’s mind. The kiss they shared. She had found someone who saw her Pyrrha, not the Invincible Girl. She had found the future she would fight for, the one with him! But if they couldn't share it together...
“Will it protect them?” Pyrrha choked out, as tears welled in her eyes. “Will it give them at least tomorrow?”
Hector finally turned and looked her in the eyes. He had worn a smile through their whole conversation, but now it seemed to have a layer of warmth to it that came from empathy. One doomed warrior to another.
“Yes. Just as my death gave Aeneas his future, yours too will guide another champion.”
Pyrrha inhaled shakily, and made her choice.
“What do I do?”
“Pick up your spear,” Hector instructs, “and stand tall, brave warrior.”
Cinder approaches Pyrrha’s downed form. Smirking. Confident. Pyrrha glares at Cinder as she struggles to stand.
“It’s unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours.” Cinder gloats as she kneels down to cradle Pyrrha’s chin. “But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined” she almost purrs.
“Do you believe in destiny?” Pyrrha questions Cinder, meeting her eyes with a level of resolve remaining that surprises her.
Target Confirmed.
Cinder frowns and narrows her eyes before responding with a flat “Yes.” Cinder turns and reforms her bow with an arrow as she walks away to get some distance, trying to get the sight of the girl's pointless determination out of her mind before she puts the stubborn girl out of her misery.
Though my body may fall to pieces,
Pyrrha forces herself to stand on bloody ankles as quietly as she can, picking up what remains of Miló. The ghost of Hector supports her, his invisible hands guiding her into position for one final throw. Once in position, she starts feeling herself slip away as Miló’s blade reforms out of red energy, using the remnants of her soul.
my spear is unbreakable!
A thud catches her attention, but Pyrrha refuses to look away from her target. In her peripheral vision, Pyrrha sees Ruby land on what remains in the tower, stumbling to her knees off balance from the harsh landing.
The noise of Ruby’s landing causes Cinder to turn, and her eyes widen as she witnesses the girl with destroyed ankles and spear somehow standing again preparing for one final attack with a weapon glowing with energy.
Just like the hope it stands for!
Cinder hastily draws and fires her bow, attempting to end Pyrrha before she can finish whatever final gamble this was.
Mow them down,
As the arrow releases, time seems to crawl again. Pyrrha feels the last of her soul funnel to her cocked elbow, creating a jet of red light that assists with the throw, imparting more velocity than she ever could even with her semblance assisting.
“Durindana!” Pyrrha and Hector roar as one.
Cinder’s arrow pierces Pyrrha’s heart, causing her soulless husk to fall apart.
“PYRRHAAAAA!!!!” Ruby screams, white light enveloping her and spreading out to Cinder and the wyvern behind her.
“WHAT?!” exclaims Cinder as the thrown spear slices through her left arm, and the world goes white.