"1059 days left" by Duvencrune, Edgar O. Diary of the Long Night, 111th Edition

The battlefield, still echoing with the faint cries of the lingering conflict, seemed to pause in respect.

Shuri stood among the smouldering ashes. Her heart pounded as her mind screamed at her to run. They knew. They all knew what she had done, and it was only a matter of time before she would be chained and judged.

With every instinct urging her to flee, she melted into the shadows just as Zora had taught her. Rolling into the dust, she landed in the bland, eerie expanse of the Shadow World. The darkness swallowed her, and she moved swiftly, following the plan that she and Zora came up to. Whatever lay at the end of this path couldn't be worse than facing capture by those she had betrayed.

Her breath was ragged, every step a desperate push forward. Then she heard it—a clicking sound, like someone loudly snapping their tongue. She froze, her blood turning to ice. The clicking grew louder, more insistent. Shuri turned, her eyes wide with terror.

Monica emerged from the shadows, a grotesque mockery of her former self. Her face was a nightmare, with six holes where eyes should have been, each one holding pitch-black orbs. Her smile was a ghastly slash from ear to ear, revealing rows upon rows of teeth, each more monstrous than the last. She no longer walked on her feet or hands but on sharp, jagged bones protruding from her palms and soles, making her limbs hang like useless rags.

Shuri's heart raced as she backed away, her mind reeling. Monica's twisted form advanced, her bone legs clicking on the ground with every step.

The Mere was cornered. Any attempt to run would end with Monica's bone spurs in her back. Her sword was little more than a trinket against the Nightmare's form. Paralyzed by fear, she didn't know what to do until she heard a voice.

"Monica!"

Zora materialized from the shadows, her blades held loosely at her sides. She walked towards Monica with a calmness that suggested she still saw a glimmer of humanity in the creature before her, though Shuri could not.

"I'm sorry," Zora began, "I feel like I owe you an explanation. You didn't deserve to be cast aside like that. It wasn't my intention; it just happened. I fell for him."

Shuri watched in disbelief as Zora reached out to the monster, her hand brushing what remained of Monica's face.

"I should have helped you, been there for you. I truly thought you were okay. But... I can't end your misery; I can't kill you even if I wanted to. I don't have that power."

Monica's nightmarish visage seemed to hesitate at Zora's touch, the monstrous black orbs flickering with something almost recognizable.

In that moment, Zora's compassion seemed to penetrate the darkness. Monica's hideous form quivered the jagged bones that served as her limbs trembling slightly. For a brief second, the clicking sounds stopped, and an eerie silence fell over the Shadow World.

"I wish I could take it back to change what happened. But I can't. All I can do is give you is this."

Monica's twisted face leaned into Zora's hand, a grotesque mimicry of a lost gesture of affection. Shuri felt tears prick at her eyes, and the scene before her was both horrifying and heartbreakingly human. She didn't understand what she was feeling. Disgust, pitty or sadness?

But then, the moment shattered. Monica's body convulsed, the black orbs in her face flaring with rage and sorrow. She let out a chilling scream, a sound that echoed through the Shadow World, filled with all the pain and torment she had endured.

Zora stepped back, her eyes filled with sadness. "I'm sorry," she whispered one last time. "Come here, come."

The creature clicked its tongue, stepping backwards. Shuri's heart pounded in her chest, convinced that the Nightmare would spring forward and end their lives. But then she saw Zora, her forehead pressed gently against the creature's grotesque brow, whispering words too soft for Shuri to hear.

Zora remained like that for what felt like an eternity, speaking softly to the Nightmare. Shuri couldn't fathom what Zora was saying, nor why she hadn't already run. The creature seemed distracted; this was her chance to flee. But if she left, what would happen to Zora? What if the Nightmare turned and killed her the moment Shuri was gone?

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After what seemed like an age, Zora stepped back. The creature hesitated, its grotesque form wavering, and then it turned, retreating into the shadows. Its dark silhouette blended with the crumbling landscape, leaving only the faint echo of its clicking tongue behind.

Shuri let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "What just happened?"

"She is trapped here," Zora said quietly, her gaze following the creature's retreat. "And this is a place she knows well. No need to run away or attack. She's just scared."

"She knows this place?" Shuri was taken aback. "You knew her?"

"She was my first love, my girlfriend," Zora replied. I thought we ended on good terms, but I was wrong." She offered a brief, bittersweet smile. "Well, let's go join the others."

"You think everyone is okay?" Shuri asked, her voice hesitant. She wondered if the others had noticed which side of the battle she had been on. Zora's demeanour was calm, almost as if she knew nothing of Shuri's betrayal. Maybe it was all in her head.

"They'll be fine," Zora said, her tone reassuring.

"I think we have a couple of people wounded and lost a bit too much blood. Nothing that a good rest won't heal," Zora said calmly as she walked. Her gait was strange, almost as if she was skipping, a lightness to her step that seemed out of place. After a while, she began humming a tune, the sound eerie in the quiet aftermath.

Shuri's heart pounded, her breathing growing shorter. Something was wrong. She stopped in her tracks. "Little Spider, we are okay, right?"

Zora turned a wide smile on her face. "Why wouldn't we be? Come on, I'm hungry. Kinda craving some fish tonight."

As soon as Shuri stepped out of the shadow portal, she knew. Her feet sank into the cold sand, the sea roaring angrily before her. Zora's breath was hot on her neck, and she gently whispered, "Walk."

"Please, Lolth, if I..."

"Walk."

Shuri took a hesitant step closer to the water. Its wild waves seemed ready to devour her whole.

"Lolth, little spider, please," she turned, finding Zora's blade edge almost touching her face. "Walk."

"You said we were okay."

"We are okay. After all, you just showed me how you love, right? That's it, right? Assaulting me, bitting me, marking me, that's just tough love, right? And then you didn't get enough, so you did the same to the other girls. Was it to make me jealous, or maybe you didn't have enough? What was it? Power? Obsession? Sickness?"

"I'm sorry," Shuri said, dropping to her knees and rubbing her hands together desperately. "Please, I can't touch water... if I do... If I walk, I can't walk…"

Zora's smile was cold, her eyes devoid of mercy. "Then crawl."

Shuri's heart pounded in her chest as she inched toward the water. The icy waves lapping at her hands sent shivers down her spine. She hesitated at the water's edge, tears streaming down her face.

"I can't... I can't, if I..."

"You grow a tail?" Zora mocked. "Stand up and walk."

Shuri turned her head, her eyes catching the violent waves crashing against the shore. Beyond the dunes, Jaer stood, hands clasped behind his back in a rigid, military stance, silently observing.

Fighting back was futile; she knew it. "Lolth, please."

"Stand up." Zora's order was soft, almost soothing. There was no urgency in her voice. She was savouring every moment, relishing Shuri's desperation. It was almost addictive.

Shuri stood, her movements slow and reluctant. Each step toward the water felt like a march to her doom. The dying waves, cold and threatening, barely touched the tips of her boots.

She glanced back at Zora, seeing the satisfaction in her eyes, and then at Jaer, who remained impassive, a silent witness to her torment. The realization hit her: there would be no mercy, no reprieve. The sea roared louder, its icy fingers inching closer, and Shuri knew there was no escape from her fate.

As a last resort, Shuri turned to Zora and shouted, "If you kill me, you'll never know what he said in those letters!"

Zora's eyes widened, her smile growing even more sinister. "You're right. You won't. But he will because I'll just ask him." With that, she flicked her fingers against Shuri's nose. This simple gesture made Shuri lose her balance, falling onto the wet sand.

Before she could utter another word, a wave surged forward, engulfing her. The cold water glistened over her skin, bubbling and melting her into foam as it touched her. Within moments, the foam dissolved, leaving only her clothes behind, washing up on the sand.

Jaer approached Zora, his expression unreadable. "Well..."

Zora's smile vanished. "I know the rules. A Magi doesn't turn against a Magi. I'll pack my things and leave first thing tomorrow if I'm allowed."

Jaer wandered his eyes around the landscape almost leisurely. "Two girls met during their trials. A brief romance. One ended it quickly, but the other couldn't accept it. She blackmailed the first, threatening to jump into the sea to become foam if she wasn't loved in return. And the heart wants what it wants. There was nothing we could do. Poor girl."

Jaer's gaze locked onto Zora's, unyielding. "The other girl, well, she was sad for a short time. It was a tragedy, but not enough to stop her from becoming a Magi. And hopefully, the next Commander."

"Jaer, I..."

"This is the story that I know. And this is the only story that you know." He turned away from Zora and started to walk. "Come, we have a victory to celebrate. Hopefully, there's some grilled fish."

Zora watched him go, the weight of his words sinking in. She took a deep breath, the cold night air filling her lungs, when she noticed a bright star glimmering in the Long Night. The first one in a long time.

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