Elaina stabilized herself.
Ruin faced her.
A scar on his chest.
Shaped by barbed wire—
04.
Ruin raised his arm.
Barbed wire screeched.
Like being dragged over metal.
The fragments slammed together.
Unordered.
He aimed towards her.
The fragments burst toward Elaina.
Her strings trembled.
Rubble shifted around her.
Silently.
Reality fractured through her.
The first hit—
People's backs moved away from her.
Her small hands reached.
"If I'm cute...they won't leave."
A memory.
A break formed.
Two strings fell.
Elaina stumbled.
She focused on Ruin.
His arm raised again.
Tension increased.
She tried to weave a stuffed animal—
Fragments burst again.
The animal shattered.
Second hit—
Elaina sat alone.
Blurred faces around her.
"They would pick me...If I'm..."
The break widened.
Her strings' glow dimmed.
Elaina breathed rapidly.
Her vision blurred.
Ruin stood calm.
His eyes observed.
The air around him froze.
His arm raised again.
Facing Elaina.
Fragments shifting in the air.
Barbed wire tightened.
The tension released.
Reality fractured through her.
The third strike—
Elaina sat still.
Her reflection in front of her.
Its face was empty.
"I'm—"
It shattered.
Broken.
Elaina's movement froze.
Her arms hung down.
The strings turned gray.
Breathing slowed.
Elaina dropped to the ground.
Like a broken doll.
Ruin stood before her.
Exhaling softly.
Satisfaction on his face.
His fragmented arm reassembled.
Perfectly aligned.
The dust settled around him.
Jean arrived.
Her eyes focused on Elaina.
She moved in between them.
Grabbing Elaina, she retreated.
Ruin turned.
His eyes fixed on Elaina.
Jean moved further away.
Ruin observed the damage.
Calmly.
Jean turned to face him.
He's... not attacking?
She felt a distortion from him.
Jean continued retreating.
Reality fractured around Ruin.
The dust floated.
Rubble shook in place.
The sounds were muffled.
The fractures closed.
Ruin was gone.
Jean's face tightened.
She continued to the extraction point, pressing her communicator.
"Grimm, we're leaving now."
Grimm's communicator relayed the message to him.
He pressed his device to respond.
"What? Why?"
Jean's lips trembled.
Her eyes focused on Elaina.
She was still.
Her body hung limp, swaying with Jean's movement.
Jean's voice lowered.
"It's Elaina...she's—"
Grimm's finger twitched on the communicator.
Flies buzzed around Mirage's corpse.
Grimm's face darkened.
Chin tucked to his chest.
His eyes moved to his feet.
Fist clenched.
Orange strands formed from his back.
Nuclei took shape.
Splitting a moment later.
He took off.
Explosions propelled him.
"I'm on the way."
Jean responded.
"Meet at the rendezvous point."
Grimm's face tightened.
A nucleus formed around his back.
"Yeah."
Grimm arrived at the rendezvous.
He ran to Jean.
She stood over a stretcher.
Trembling.
Grimm peered around her.
A street sign creaked.
The wind stalled.
His eyes widened.
Elaina laid on it.
Her eyes were empty.
Her body didn't move.
Strings were split.
Jean and Grimm moved her into the truck.
They sat next to her.
Silent.
Still.
Dean turned the key.
Ignition clicked.
The engine hummed.
The truck headed toward the base.
Grimm put his hands together.
Resting his head on them.
His gaze fixed on Elaina.