Here's my fanfic on FFnet! :D

The story is set just after chapter 96 of the original manga, so there might be some spoilers (I will try to indicate them as much as possible, but you've been warned). I'll try to follow the events of the manga, but there might be some modifications if I find them relevant for my own plot. I try to respect the characters' personalities and interactions, so I hop it won't be too OOC.English is not my first language, so I sincerely hope I did not make too many errors/typos/etc... so don't hesitate to tell me if I make big mistakes!

Enjoy and don't hesitate to review ^^

PROLOGUE – When the sun sets

Philae could not help staring at his back. He was great in all ways possible, and yet he looked almost vulnerable, facing the darkness she should have been fighting. His unwavering smile should have been warm to her, but instead she only felt dread and sorrow. She did not want him to disappear because of her. She did not want his protection. She should be the one protecting, this time, not the other way around. He might resent her for this, but she did not give a flying fuck. Not when it was her fault they were in this mess.

In a desperate attempt to stop the unthinkable from happening, she launched herself one last time. The world slowed down around her. Things were a blur. Finally responding to her, her magic swirled and burnt her insides, surging from her in a blinding wave of pure power. She could not control it much longer than a mere seconds, but these seconds were just what she needed to end it all. She would stop at nothing to save them. It was her fault. She would make things right again.

She lost herself in the light surrounding her, her focus only on her enemy. She felt her cheeks wet with hot tears, but she could not stop them. Her heart clenched in her chest, pulsating painfully in her ribcage. She felt herself being torn apart piece by piece as she aimed. Her foe was waiting for her to strike, darkness engulfing him and clutching onto him. It rippled when she entered it and released all she had. She heard her name being called, but it was too late.

I'm so sorry, she wanted to say, even if he – they – could not hear her.

A roar, and a scorching beam of fire shot from her joined hands. A heart-wrenching cry answered her attack, and her tears could not stop falling. In the corner of her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a sharp feather aiming at them.

No!

She did not know where she found the strength to move. She was drained of her magic, emotionally exhausted, and trembling like a leaf. But she did. Maybe it was her vow to protect them that did the trick. Maybe it was instinct. Or maybe it was because her subconscious self thought it was a nice, romantic way of expressing her feelings. Either way, she found herself in the way of the weapon. She felt the impact, the tearing sensation it sent in all her body, and she tasted blood on her tongue. She absently noticed that his smile had morphed into a horrified grimace, and it stung her that she was the cause of his distress, before everything went black.