CHAPTER 15: SNOW WHITE THE FEARLESS

A few hours earlier.

“Tell me how to save Kira, or I’ll send you back to your cloaked master with an extra hole!”

“Don’t know! Don’t know!” The Gremlin wailed in terror, its oversized mouth drooling profusely.

“It’s telling the truth. Its job is just to watch and report,” Muse spoke up, Edward limping behind her with his cane. “This time, we genuinely want to help.” Muse raised her hands, stepping forward slowly. Snow tossed the Gremlin to the ground—it scrambled out the door, trembling. “I still don’t fully trust you two,” Snow frowned, her grip tight on her gun.

“We know, but let us make amends,” Edward pleaded. “I’ll tell you how to save Kira.”

“We’ll help you rescue her, even if it costs our lives,” Muse added.

Snow hesitated. Moments ago, they were her enemies; now they offered aid. She nearly told them to leave, but memories of her fateful encounter with Kira—from foes to friends—stayed her hand. “I’ll trust you for now, but if anything’s off, I won’t hesitate to shoot,” Snow holstered SHAD0W. Muse and Edward sighed in relief.

“Sleeping Beauty attacks by dragging its prey into its world, subduing them with fear. The only way to fight it is with unwavering resolve,” Edward explained. “Its realm is built on dreams and imagination. I’ll get you inside.”

“How?” Snow asked, skepticism etching her face.

“I’m an Alchemist. My power thrives on imagination too. I can link your consciousness to Kira’s dream,” Edward replied, his eyes resolute.

Muse’s hands blazed anew, touching the thorny roots. They writhed upward, only to crumble to ash under her flames. “Now!” Muse shouted. Snow hoisted Edward onto her back and leapt through—the gap swiftly closing. In the darkness, Kira faintly appeared, bound by roots, eyes and mouth sealed. Snow climbed onto the bed beside her; Edward discarded his cane, placing hands on their foreheads. Golden veins pulsed through him, flowing into his palms. Snow closed her eyes, relaxing, focusing her consciousness as she once did with DEATH RIDER5.

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“Tell Kira I’m sorry—it’s my fault Poppy died.”

A ruined city materialized before Snow, war’s clamor ringing everywhere. Scanning around, she locked eyes with a brown-eyed girl—someone she’d seen at Battlefield No. 7 after Branwen’s defeat.

“…Serah?” Snow asked, startled.

“We’re not Serah. We borrow this form from the Reaper’s mind,” the figure replied flatly. “White machine, help the Reaper. If she falls, we vanish too.”

“Who are you? Why are you in Kira’s mind?” Snow pressed.

“We’re the Philosopher’s Stones within the Reaper—souls bound to them. In this world, we’re severed from her. We’ll guide you to her—hurry!” The figure morphed into a white raven and flew off.

Snow chased it to a library, where it vanished. Moments later, fireworks lit the sky, applause echoing from inside. Peering through a window, she saw Kira kneeling helplessly before the Beast and Androids. Planning her move, a W4RDOG materialized from thin air. Startled, Snow recalled Edward’s words, grasping how to wield power here. She stormed the front door, firing into the enemy, obliterating the Androids in her line of fire.

“…Snow?” Kira gaped, bewildered by Snow’s arrival. Sleeping Beauty shared her shock—unbelieving someone dared challenge it in its domain. The Beast shed its guise, revealing a grotesque form of twisted roots, its ugly face belying its nickname. Snow discarded the cannon; a ST1NG appeared, peppering the Beast with bullets, cracking its shell. The gun vanished, replaced by TESTAMEN7. Fearlessly, Snow slashed off its arms, forcing it back in agony. It roared, hurling thorny roots at her. The ground quaked—Snow emerged from the dust, THE SHIEL2’s blood-red armor encasing her. A massive object crashed down, pinning Sleeping Beauty. DEATH RIDER5 stabbed its sword through the Beast, blasting its head with the other hand. Kira watched, speechless with awe.

“How… how are you not afraid…” Sleeping Beauty rasped. “Here, I’m the strongest…”

“Androids know no fear,” Snow replied coldly.

Channeling THE SHIEL2’s power into her right fist, Snow shouted, lunging to punch through the Beast’s chest. It shrieked, collapsing. The white raven returned, reverting to Serah’s form, absorbing the Beast’s Philosopher’s Stone. Cold black mist swirled, the Beast’s corpse shattered, revealing Poppy within.

“Snow…”

“I’m here. Don’t be afraid anymore, Kira.”

Cracks fractured the space, the sky crumbling in pieces. Sleeping Beauty’s nightmare world met its end.

“Kira, wake up. Can you hear me?”

Kira’s eyes fluttered open, Snow’s worried face filling her view. Beside her lay Poppy, serene as if asleep. Kira sat up, spotting Edward resting on Muse’s lap, eyes closed, a content smile on his lips. Muse’s golden hands dissolved—Edward’s mana depleted. She gazed at him tenderly, unable to touch him with her vanished hands. Night had fallen, moonlight streaming through the ceiling’s hole, illuminating the tragedy of old friends.