Fading Blue

The world is black.

It isn't really, of course. She has simply lost the ability to see. Have her eyes been blinded during the battle, or is the damage to her body so severe that her senses were already gone?

Well, at least it means that she doesn't feel the pain that should be driving her mad.

But she doesn't need sight to notice the silhouette standing next to her. The being that inhabits the white armor exudes a presence that even her muddled mind cannot fail to register.

"You are fading, Child of the Azure. Your body has reached it's limit."

Does his deep voice have a trace of sadness in it? She likes to think that it does.

"Damage critical. System operating at 0.15%." The words come from her mouth without any conscious action on her part. She can barely recognize her own voice. "Prioritizing data transfer."

Her throat is miraculously undamaged, but her lungs are not. It is only with great effort that she manages to ask the one question that matters.

"Is it…over?"

The overwhelming presence focuses on her. Is he considering his words, or hoping that she'll lose consciousness before he has to answer?

When he speaks, his words seal the end of this life.

"He is dead, the play has ended." She isn't sure that he meant to speak aloud what came next. "It is time for the actors to leave the stage."

It takes time for her to understand what he means as she falls further in the darkness. When she understands, happiness fills her and the oppressive darkness becomes a welcome friend. She would thank him, but her body no longer responds.

There is no need to fight it anymore. If that man is gone then she can rest, even in this unknown place.

Like her sight, the feeling of the hard ground under her is gone. At last, even the hero's presnece fades from her perception.

The only thing left is the void, filled with light.

Content, she falls into a deep sleep.