It felt as if time had stopped.
No, that was just a figure of speech. After all, the butterfly was fluttering leisurely between us. Drenched in the twilight glow, the crimson butterfly’s hue only seemed to deepen.
What was this? What... what was happening?
I couldn't believe this was a creature native to this forest. That much was obvious from the way Ray stood motionless. He was watching my every move with predatory focus... or so it felt.
If that was the case, this was a chance!
I wasn't the only one who realized it. Ray’s right hand shot toward my chest again. At this distance, at this speed—he moved without a hint of hesitation. He didn't understand the butterfly any more than I did, but he wasn't going to let it stop him. At this rate, he would snatch them. My last two roses would fall into his hands.
I wasn't going to make it.
Neither the martial arts nor the sorcery Ray had drilled into me would be fast enough.
"……Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
My next action wasn't even conscious.
Driven by a sheer, desperate refusal to lose, I latched onto Ray’s right hand with my teeth. My only goal was to buy time... to drag this out by even a second. My subconscious had decided that this was the only way left.
"Guh...!!"
Ray let out a sharp grunt. He clearly hadn't expected such a feral move, and his reaction faltered. I couldn't let go of the hand I was biting. I had to prepare for his left hand, which would surely strike next.
"Mmmmmmmmmmph!!!"
I was frantic, beyond all reason.
Then, that butterfly fluttered between us again.
—This is surely...
In the next instant, the butterfly detonated.
I understood what was coming instinctively. I shielded my vitals and was hurled backward by the force of the blast. I managed to break my fall, tumbling across the forest floor.
Ray, despite his prowess, hadn't been able to get his guard up in time either. He was blown back, though he recovered his footing with terrifying speed. Ignoring his scorched skin, our eyes locked.
The butterfly was gone. I had no idea what it had been.
But that didn't matter. Time... please, just let it pass!
The acrid scent of burnt protein stung my nose. Part of my hair had likely been singed. It didn't matter. I couldn't lose sight of Ray for even a heartbeat.
As I focused, my heart gave a heavy, echoing thud.
What was this? A strange heat began to dominate my body.
It was hot. So, so hot.
A sensation as if I were being incinerated from the inside out.
And yet, there was no pain.
In the next moment, a cloud of crimson butterflies manifested. They danced around me, swaying and fluttering in a spectral display.
Did I... create these?
What were they?
I stood there, completely dazed. Ray, of course, was not one to miss an opening. He lunged across the ground, his blade a silver flash.
Ah. I see.
In the end, I lost.
But strangely, I felt no regret. I had given everything I was. I had challenged him with every ounce of my being. I didn't want to give up; I hated the idea of losing. But reality was cold. No matter how strong a person's feelings were, there were things that simply couldn't be reached, wishes that would never come true.
Just as his sword was about to reach my roses... it happened.
"Eh..."
It was an impossible phenomenon—something that defied logic. And yet, it happened right before my eyes.
The roses on my chest remained. The crimson butterflies overflowing from my body had formed a shield. Hundreds of them coalesced, catching his blade.
A trickle of blood ran from my nose. I didn't wipe it away; I simply felt my consciousness begin to slip. It was like sinking to the bottom of a deep, dark sea. Deeply, deeply, I descended.
Darkness began to dominate my world. But I intuitively understood that it wasn't a bad thing. I knew I could simply surrender to it.
"Ah..."
And then, I suddenly understood. This was a glimpse of my own true ability. From that point on, a time came where I was his equal—no, where I began to overwhelm him.
We simply danced.
In the depths of the forest, enveloped in the twilight glow, we continued our struggle. Moments ago, I had prayed for the end. Now, I didn't want it to ever stop.
Right now, the world consisted only of him and me. Two people, locked in a private waltz in the center of the world. We fought as if we were showing off our lives to one another.
Ah. I see. That’s what it was.
I realized it then. I understood where I was meant to go. The destination Ray had been pointing toward was right there.
Then, the time that had felt like an eternity finally reached its conclusion.
"……Amelia. Congratulations. Time's up."
"Eh...?"
The mechanical beeping of a timer finally registered in my mind.
Since when...? I hadn't even noticed it until he spoke. I had been that immersed in our final exchange.
"Is it... is it over?"
"……Yeah. It's over. And you still have two roses on your chest. That is your result."
When I looked down, I saw my bite marks carved clearly into Ray’s hand, blood dripping steadily from the wound. Seeing it hit the soil, the reality of my actions finally sank in.
I really had bitten him. Our clothes were scorched, our hair singed. My face was likely a disaster too. Ray was in no better shape; he had taken that explosion head-on.
I had done something incredible, in a way...
"Ah... um... I was frantic... I-I'm so sorry..."
"Don't worry about it. We're even. And about those butterflies..."
"Ah... uh... yeah... but, that was sort of... an instinctive reaction..."
His voice mentioning the butterflies was barely audible. I decided it didn't matter for now and kept talking.
"……I acted with the intent to break your spirit, Amelia. I didn't take your roses all at once; I cornered you slowly to lead you to this final confrontation. Based on everything I knew about you, I set up a battle I was certain to win. I expected to finish this by seventeen hundred hours, but... it's my complete defeat. I gave you everything I had. But the winner is you, Amelia."
"Ah... e-eh... u-um..."
I couldn't find my voice.
My legs finally gave way, and I collapsed onto the grass.
Now that I thought about it, how had I managed to push myself this far?
There were countless moments when my heart had nearly shattered. But every time I felt like I was going to break, I had spurred myself forward. I didn't fully understand why.
It wasn't a negative motivation anymore. It wasn't just about not wanting to be abandoned or disappointing him.
I had simply faced the fight with everything I had.
Even when I was losing to my own fear, even when I was on the verge of collapse, I had made it here. I was tired of being disappointed in myself.
After carrying so much conflict for so long, I just wanted to see one thing through to the end. That thought had morphed into pure, stubborn will.
Since I’d come this far, I was going to clear this, no matter what. I wanted to prove that the time I spent with Ray hadn't been a waste. The times I tried to run, the times I complained, and the times I screamed pathetically...
I wanted to prove that those days were genuine.
It wasn't just for me. For Ray, who had given so much of himself for my sake, I wanted to pass this Completion Exam.
I didn't want to repay his efforts because I was afraid of losing him.
I wanted to honor his hard work, and I wanted to finally become the person I had always wished to be. I knew I never could have reached this place without him.
On the surface, I had always been fed up with myself. But after meeting him, I realized that I could become strong like him—not by becoming him, but by finding my own strength.
To reach that place as Amelia.
The result of that wish was this moment.
Looking back, I realized how far I had come. It had been such a short time.
But for me, compared to the empty years I'd spent before, these were the most intense days of my life. The days I spent with him... were the real thing.
Had someone like me really been able to see it through?
"Now then, Amelia trainee. The final moment has come."
"……R-Ranger!"
I forced myself to stand, uttering that word for the thousandth time. Ray lent me his hand. As I grasped his calloused palm, the truth finally hit me.
I really had seen it through. So much had happened. So many conflicting emotions had nearly torn me apart, but I had kept running toward the light.
I hadn't accomplished anything world-changing. It was just one girl obtaining something small. To this vast world, it was insignificant.
But inside, I felt a solid sense of fulfillment.
This battle, and all the effort leading up to it, had become special.
The process hadn't determined the result; the result had transformed the process, painting it in vibrant colors.
The days we spent together were becoming a brilliant mosaic in my memory.
I let myself sink into that wonderful sensation.
Ah... I finally made it.
"Amelia trainee! The Ainsworth-style Boot Camp is complete!"
"Ranger!"
"And this is your Ranger Badge. It’s not official, since I made it myself, but..."
"I gratefully accept!!"
I took the Ranger Badge from him.
It was a crimson badge with a rose motif. It was a little crooked in places, and I could see the care he’d put into crafting it. I thought once again about how incredibly kind he was.
I pinned it to my chest.
Ray watched me for a moment, then gave a small, genuine smile. The cold mask of the instructor was gone, replaced by his usual warmth.
He spoke to me in a gentle voice.
"Congratulations, Amelia."
"Yeah... yeah..."
"You did your best."
"Yeah..."
Tears began to spill over.
"I'm sure it was hard. There were many painful moments."
"Yeah... it was so hard... it was so painful..."
And then the dam broke.
I was sobbing openly now. My face was a disaster—tears and snot streaming down, mixing with the mud on my cheeks. My hair was burnt, my clothes were rags.
I looked pathetic. I looked absolutely disgraceful.
But I wasn't calm enough to care.
I was just so, so happy. The sense of accomplishment was overwhelming.
My heart felt full for the first time. Had I finally reached the 'me' I had been searching for?
"Let me say it again. Congratulations, Amelia. Go into the Magics Chevalier with everything you have. You'll be fine. No other student has survived training this grueling. You should be proud."
"Yeah... yeah..."
My vision was blurred by tears. But Ray looked at me with the kindest expression I had ever seen.
"……Amelia. You are stronger than you think. I believed in you all along. I had high expectations, and you exceeded them. You should be proud of yourself. You should affirm who you are. The days you’ve spent were real..."
He wrapped his hands around mine and squeezed firmly. Feeling his warmth, I couldn't hold it back anymore.
"Yeah... yeah...! Uwaaaaaaaaah! I did it! I actually did it!"
"Yeah... you did. You were amazing, Amelia. I’m honestly impressed. It's okay to cry today. I'll be here."
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!"
I threw my arms around Ray and sobbed, heedless of anyone who might see or hear.
I cried, I let my nose run, and I wailed pathetically. But Ray just held me gently.
It was a first for me. Until now, I hadn't even been able to cry. I had just been a hollow shell, disgusted with my own existence.
But even I had finally started moving forward.
I had survived this training, which had felt like an eternity and a heartbeat all at once.
There were days I wanted to quit, days I wanted to throw it all away. I had started this with such negative feelings... but now, my heart was overflowing with the joy of having finally achieved something through my own will.
I was still a bird in a cage.
But even so, I had finally managed to stand. Until now, I had only ever crouched in the corner of that cage. But now... I was standing.
I could look forward and face the world.
To the me who surely will never become anything: Are you there?
Yes. I was here. Because I knew his warmth, and I finally knew the warmth of my own tears.
I was surely here.
I existed, right here, in this place.
I carved the existence of the Amelia Rose that my friends and Ray had helped create into my heart.
I had begun to move.
In this moment, I had taken a single step. To anyone else, it might have been a trivial, mundane step.
But to me, it was everything.
Even someone like me could move forward. I finally knew that for certain.
So, I would face the Magics Chevalier with confidence.
Many rivals were waiting for me there.
Seeking the real me that lay beyond, I would keep moving.
I would move forward, carrying everything he gave me in my heart.