"Mr. Horsey, are you able to carry your master?"

  Lenoria asked a question she didn't expect to get a negative response for, considering she's witnessed Mr. Horsey's majestic hippocampus form before. Aquamarine, still sobbing, was too out of sorts to listen.

  "I'm afraid not, Miss Lenoria. When Aquamarine summons me, it is via the [Mount] spell. And she currently appears to be in no condition to cast magic."

  "I was afraid of that." Alistair needed her, and the longer she delayed, the less likely she'll reunite with him alive. But she just couldn't abandon Aquamarine. What would Al do? How would he handle-

  An idea came to her. She didn't like it, but it would be the sort of thing Alistair would do. He would cook meals, clean the rooms they slept in, and even put himself in danger for the sake of his party. Even on days he'd rather sleep in or order food from a restaurant, he always took charge and ensured the trip went as smoothly as possible. What did the ascetics call it?

  Self-sacrifice. The act of sacrificing one's interests for the sake of others.

  Lenoria decided to do that as her third option, with a twist: She wouldn't hurry to Alistair's side, but that didn't mean she had to abandon him completely. No, she wanted to help both of her comrades, even if it cost her.

  Lenoria uncorked a vial and drank the rust-colored liquid from it. After putting away the empty vial, and with her back turned on Aquamarine, Lenoria placed herself just inches away from her before crouching down, grabbing the heroine's arms, and wrapped them around her neck and shoulders. Using all of her strength, she lifted Aquamarine off the ground and marched forward. Her pace had slowed down, but Lenoria was determined not to drop the crying girl on her back.

  Lenoria's jasmine scent helped bring Aquamarine back to reality. The heroine looked around, finally noticing she was getting carried towards the exit. She stopped her wailing, but the sobbing continued.

  "What are you doing...Lenoria?"

  "What's it look like? I'm getting both of us out here."

  "I'm...just a burden...to you. To Al, to everyone! Someone useless...like me can't be saved! Just drop me and leave, please!"

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "It's okay to cry, Aquamarine." With a single, powerful motion, Lenoria swung her head backwards, connecting with Aquamarine's head. Despite the pain this inflicted on both of them, neither girl cried out. "But you're stronger than this! You're going to let a single loss force you into retirement?! Was Mr. Horsey wrong to pick you as his master? Was the constable wrong for picking you for the job he tasked you to do?! Was your reputation nothing more than a lie?!"

  "You don't understand!"

  "Understand what; that you feel like trash no matter what you do? That you feel useless despite your accomplishments? That you want to crawl off to some dark corner and die?!"

  Lenoria's bold, brash words stunned Aquamarine into silence. For the former, it looked like she hit the bullseye.

  "I understand completely, Aquamarine. No matter how much I kept to myself, no matter how strong I got, I always had a target on my back. Even when I took a self-defense course and became strong enough to keep people off my back, I still got into street fights because I looked at someone the wrong way. And sometimes, I'd come home with a black eye or blood on my uniform. Nothing I did changed my life, no matter how hard I tried. Even so, I still believed I could do things alone. I had a family to go back to, and if the people in Helix hated me, then I would just give them something to hate.

  "Then one night, my worldview shattered again, this time for the better. I was camping with my caretaker, but he got paralyzed by some venomous dinosaurs. I had no one to help me carry him, it was the middle of the night, and the only thing keeping the rest of the pack away was the campfire. It didn't really hit me right away, but that was the first time I stared at death in the face. I couldn't protect my caretaker and fight off the dinosaurs at the same time, and I couldn't just leave him to die. I was ready for the worst."

  "How...how did you survive?"

  "Clara. She," Lenoria continued, this time with tears of her own, "she was the one who came up with the whole camping idea. I had sent her off to fetch a four-leaf clover because all she managed to do at that point was piss me off. But she wanted to be my friend. She and her eidolon saved the day that time. And days later, she saved me from the bullies who always tormented me."

  "Clara..."

  "Aquamarine, there's a lot of things we can do on our own. But there are things we can't do alone. That's when we call for help. And sometimes...oh gods, my back hurts...people will call you for help. But you're a heroine; you should know this already."

  Aquamarine tearfully shook her head. "I just...I just don't think I have it in me. What if I fail again? I don't want to be a burden to any of you."

  "Aren't we your friends? We helped each other before without a second thought. Together, we've beaten some tough enemies. Should you ever lack faith in yourself again, try putting your faith in us."

  Both girls wiped their tears away while Mr. Horsey looked on with a smile. Aquamarine didn't offer a response, but the sobbing stopped. Some moments later, they could hear the faint sounds of fighting, including explosions, ringing steel, and battle cries. Both girls braced themselves for conflict, but not before some closing thoughts from Lenoria.

  "You don't have to do things alone anymore, Aquamarine. Al, Clara, and I will always offer a helping hand. All you have to do...is stand up and take it."