The heavy, lingering dust had a pungent smell of concrete and ash, forcing strained coughs from the dozens of pedestrians standing above the wreckage. Beams of faint light pierced through the ruined buildings surrounding them, their glow barely able to cut through the murky haze.

  Alice’s arms trembled from exhaustion, the fading adrenaline collapsing her to her knees. Or rather, that was the sensation she desperately fought against. Pain throbbed in her ankle with each heartbeat. Her breath quickened and her mind clouded. But she knew that if she fell now, there would be no getting back up.

  Then again, she’d more than earn some rest. After all, they’d done it. The last survivor had been pulled free. Their once terrified cries became relieved sobs as they melted into the crowd of the rescued.

  Alice turned to Paul, meeting his gaze across the rubble-strewn street.

  Tears streamed down his soot-stained face as he gave her a victorious nod. A weak, exhausted smile broke across her lips in return. It was the kind of smile you’d see from the protagonist as the final credits rolled in some cliché movie.

  Behind them, the civilians they had saved gathered. Some clung to each other, weeping. Others laughed, their joy hesitant but genuine. A child clutched a teddy bear with one arm missing, the toy somehow surviving when buildings hadn't.

  For a moment, Alice finally exhaled, letting her shoulders drop as the tension drained from her muscles.

  (We did it, Akuma. We saved everyone... So hurry up and kick that thing's ass already.)

  It was then that she heard it.

  A low rumble, like bones splintering beneath the weight of a grinder. The sound vibrated through her chest before reaching her ears.

  Her gaze snapped upward. A massive slab of stone loomed above her, dislodged from a ruined building and now plummeting downward.

  There was no time to react.

  Her breath hitched and her body froze, her muscles locked in primal terror...

  The world turned black.

  The impact completely crushed her. Her bones, flesh, everything pancaked in an instant.

  The others turned at the sound, their celebration cut short by the deafening impact. Confusion spread through the group, everyone checking if each other was alright, dust billowing upward in a fresh cloud.

  Only Paul understood what had happened.

  He had been standing right beside her. He had seen it. Her death.

  At least, that's what he'll live the rest of his life thinking.

  In reality, Alice gasped, finding herself somewhere else entirely. Specifically, the opposite side of the street. She was cradled in someone's arms. A girl to be exact.

  She blinked through the haze of confusion, her brain struggling to process how she'd moved from certain death to safety in less than a second.

  The girl holding her was young—perhaps in her early twenties—with a firm, athletic build.

  Her striking blue hair shimmered like the sky above, catching what little sunlight filtered through the dust. Piercing eyes mirrored those same gradient depths, alert and assessing as they looked down at Alice.

  And for some strange reason... she was wearing a maid's uniform. At least, Alice found it strange. The sight of formal black and white lace amid this disaster made Alice wonder if her brain had been damaged from whatever had just happened. Then again, I suppose the disaster was now over.

  "Are you okay?" the strange girl asked, her voice calm and steady despite the chaotic situation.

  Alice, still reeling from the shock of nearly dying, barely managed a response. Her voice came out as a raspy whisper, her throat constricted with fear.

  "I-I think so..."

  "That's good. Grandpa would've scolded me if I let you die."

  Then, with the same casual air, the girl nonchalantly dropped Alice onto the pavement.

  Alice yelped as pain shot through her, annoyance flaring in her chest. The concrete scraped against her palms as she caught herself.

  "Hey, is it cool if I drop you now? You're kind of heavy."

  A vein twitched on Alice's brow, her momentary gratitude burnt to cinders. The audacity of this girl. Who saves someone’s life only to treat them like a nuisance!

  "You already dropped me!"

  She tried to push herself up, but pain flared in her ankle, a reminder of her earlier injury. The joint felt like it was being stabbed with dozens of needles at once, making her wince and fall back.

  Noticing her struggle, the strange girl leaned closer, tilting her head slightly. The dust seemed to part around her, as if even the air knew to stay out of her way.

  "Are you hurt?" she asked, her eyes softened with unexpected concern that contradicted her earlier callousness.

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  Alice hesitated. That genuine worry in her eyes... she hadn't expected it. She had already written this girl off as cold and heartless. The whiplash of emotions left her momentarily speechless.

  "Oh, uh... yeah..." Alice admitted, rubbing her ankle.

  The skin was swollen and purpling beneath her touch.

  "It's completely shot. Can't move it at all."

  Without hesitation, the strange girl reached for a small, metallic cube attached to her waist. In an instant, the cube unfolded, morphing into a sleek, light-blue pistol with glowing white streaks along its edges. The transformation was fluid, like water changing states.

  A book appeared in her other hand, radiating faint stars that twinkled against her palm. The word, "Vitality" was written in bold, gleaming letters. Below it, in smaller print: "By: Rin". And strangely, a chain reached out from the closed book, digging into Rin's chest.

  Alice's eyes widened at the gun barrel pointed at her, instinctively shrinking back. Her heart, which had just begun to slow from the earlier near-death experience, thundered back to life in her chest.

  "Ah... W-What are you doing?"

  "Hey, I'm gonna shoot you now. That cool?"

  The girl's tone remained casual, as if she'd just offered a stick of gum or something mundane like that.

  Alice threw her hands up defensively, panic flashing across her face. The sudden shift from being rescued to the potential threat sent her mind reeling.

  "No, it's not cool–!"

  Pow!

  The shockwave made Alice's hair flutter, but there was no bullet. Instead, a burst of blue light exploded from the barrel, dispersing into shimmering star-like particles.

  The light wrapped around her, forming a translucent cocoon that tingled against her skin like carbonation in a soda. Soon, the pain in her ankle vanished and the exhaustion in her limbs faded. The aches, the bruises, every single wound... gone in seconds. Even the layer of dust that had coated her seemed to dissipate.

  Alice's breath caught. She patted herself down in disbelief, flexing her once-injured ankle. Where throbbing pain had been, there was now only the memory of it.

  She'd expected her death. Instead, she felt... oddly vitalized.

  "What... just happened?" Alice questioned, her voice wavering between awe and confusion.

  "...I healed you."

  She said it as if explaining what color was opposite of blue.

  Alice probed her miraculously healed ankle, rotating it and finding no resistance, no pain.

  "What do you mean you healed me?"

  The strange girl sighed, a sense of impatience flickering across her expression.

  "It's exactly what it sounds like."

  Then she straightened, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the debris-filled street. Even her posture had changed from casual to alert.

  "Look, I'll explain later. Right now, we need to find and recover the AntiGod."

  Alice stiffened, the word striking a memory like an old circuit board sparking to life.

  "The... AntiGod...?"

  The memory that flashed into her mind was the demon. Specifically, the moment it had called her that. The strange title had lingered in her thoughts ever since.

  Rin turned away, walking with purpose through the rubble. Alice scrambled to her feet, rushing after her, nearly tripping on debris in her haste.

  "Wait a sec!" she demanded, grabbing Rin's sleeve.

  The fabric felt unexpectedly soft against her fingers. Then again, I suppose she was wearing a maid uniform.

  "What even is that? The AntiGod, I mean. And why are you guys looking for it so badly?"

  Rin didn't answer, causing an uncomfortable silence to stretch between them. Then...

  "I'd ask that you not lump me in with that demon." Rin finally said, her voice low yet sharp as a blade's edge.

  Suddenly, Alice felt heavy, as though unseen chains had wrapped around her body. The weight pressed against her lungs, making each breath an effort. Alice gulped, a chill rushing down her spine. She released Rin's sleeve, taking a half-step back as if retreating from an open flame.

  "S-Sorry... I didn't mean to upset you."

  "It's fine..." Rin replied, slightly easing the tension. "I can tell you're a good person... What's your name?"

  Alice's eyebrows rose at the sudden question, surprised by the shift in her tone.

  "Oh, um... Alice. Alice Inari. What about you?"

  "Rin Ark."

  Another silence broke out. This time an awkward one that stretched between them like chewed candy. Alice took it upon herself to try and melt the ice, rubbing her arm nervously.

  "I just realized, I never actually thanked you for saving me, did I?"

  "..."

  "Well, thanks a bunch, Rin!" Alice said, offering a tentative smile.

  "......"

  Alice cleared her throat, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, hoping that would somehow reset their conversation. Dust fell from the fabric in small clouds as she did.

  "So, uh, that healing gun... What exactly is it? Sorry, I'm new to all this magic stuff."

  "..."

  "..."

  "...It's a divine artifact."

  Alice nearly tripped, a smile of recognition forming across her lips.

  "Oh, yeah? I've, uh, heard about those... Things that do those things... right?"

  Her voice rose in pitch, the obvious lie hanging in the air between them like the dust that refused to settle. But for the first time, Rin chuckled. It was a quiet, almost amused sound. Alice hadn't expected that, her shoulders relaxing slightly at the sound.

  "Divine Artifacts..." Rin explained, her tone softening. "...Are weapons created to kill gods. They're one of the only ways humans can fight back."

  Alice felt a chill creep down her spine, goosebumps rising on her arms despite the warmth of the day. Her mind struggled to process the words she’d heard.

  (Fight back...?)

  Before she could ask more, Rin suddenly stopped, her posture alert like a hunting dog that had caught a scent. Her entire body tensed, head tilted slightly as if listening to something Alice couldn't hear.

  "The AntiGod should be around that corner."

  Alice followed Rin's gaze, trepidation building in her chest with each step toward the corner. Something in Rin's tone made her stomach knot with dread.

  Alice's breath caught as she turned the corner, her heart nearly sinking out of her chest. Then her voice emerged as a strangled cry that tore at her throat.

  "Akuma!"

  She darted forward, dropping to her knees beside him, the impact sending jolts up her legs that she barely registered.

  His body was covered in angry burns and rashes, the skin blistered and raw. Steam hissed from his pores like a warning. His eyes, once bright and burning with life, were dim and hollow. Then again, it wasn't much different from how they usually looked.

  Alice's lips parted, her hands trembling as they hovered uselessly over him. Utter panic clawed at her throat, threatening to choke her. After everything they'd been through today, after all the people they'd saved, seeing him like this felt cruelly unfair. Even for a world as unforgiving as this one.

  "No need to freak out..." Rin interjected, her voice oddly reassuring despite its casualness.

  Alice barely registered her words, but she did see Rin take out the glowing cube once more. Hope flickered in her chest. It was a bit fragile but present all the same.

  "...He'll be as good as new in no time."