Ahri spends most of her time in the Mistwoods, and Nier can understand why. The city is an overwhelming place, with far too many people and far too many buildings for her to feel comfortable with. While she doesn’t know Ahri’s reasoning for preferring the forest, and doesn’t care to ask, it’s becoming more of a habit to venture into the woods and wander around until they find each other. They share an odd sort of understanding; two people who crave company but are afraid of what they might find if they seek it out.
Although she’s heard rumors of odd denizens of the Mistwoods, animals tend to give Nier a wide berth for reasons she can’t understand. Her wandering will eventually lead her to Ahri’s presence, as it always does, and then they can enjoy the relative silence of each others’ company. It isn’t long before Nier finds the dim blue glow and long white tails that mark her latest companion, standing over some unfortunate soul lying unmoving on the cold forest floor.
Nier stops at the edge of the clearing, watching. Ahri has hinted at some kind of hunger, a desire she was unwilling to elaborate on in Nier’s presence, but this is the first time the girl has seen anything. To Nier, it looks as though Ahri is draining her victim’s life energy, something not dissimilar to Nier’s own brand of magic. She wonders what poor soul wandered into the woman’s clutches, who was brave or foolish enough to wander into the Mistwoods without protecting themselves from threats both apparent and invisible.
Nier cranes her head to the side, catching a glimpse of a pink dress and blonde hair. Eyes wide, she takes a step forward into the clearing, hoping for a better view. The sound of her footsteps makes Ahri’s ears twitch, and she whirls around, staring straight into Nier’s soul. Although her expression relaxes upon seeing the girl, Nier can now see the identity of person lying on the ground.
It hurts to see, it hurts so much. Nier’s eyes brim over with tears in an instant as she chokes out their name.
Ahri’s eyes go from Nier, to the young girl on the ground, and back to Nier. Before she can decipher the significance of that name, Nier is already running forward with eyes full of hatred. The space behind her begins to crack under the stress of her emotions, soon shattering as Death comes screaming out from the primal crystal in which she typically resides. Although Ahri and the primal beast haven’t yet met, the danger Death presents is quickly apparent to her. She darts backwards towards the treeline, leaving space for Nier to fall to her knees beside the body of her beloved captain.
“No, no, please no, not like this, not…” Words pour from her mouth like rain, falling indiscriminately in the hopes that one of them is the right thing to say in order to wake the girl up.
Crouching low, Nier presses her ear to Djeeta’s mouth. She doesn’t have the power to bring anyone back from the dead in this place, so if the unthinkable has come to pass, and Ahri has caught Djeeta off guard, then- A faint breath tickles her ear, bringing a tiny bit of clarity to Nier’s mind. The captain alive. Barely, but alive.
Sensing her Evoker’s sudden calmness, Death stops her onslaught and falls back to Nier’s side. Ahri stops as well, cautiously approaching the girl and the limp, yet still warm, body she struggles to carry in her arms.
“…Do you know her?” Ahri asks.
Nier nods. “This is the captain… My captain…”
“Oh. I- I didn’t know,” says Ahri, gaze faltering. Is that guilt she feels? It’s difficult for Nier to tell, but she doesn’t care much, either. “Nier, I’m s-”
“What did you do to her?” Nier doesn’t bother to look up, but simply continues to watch the still face of her beloved Djeeta.
Perhaps that topic is easier for Ahri to speak of. “I took some of her life essence. Not all of it, simply… enough for me to get by.”
“She’ll… live. It may take some time for her to recover fully, but I didn’t take enough to cripple her.”
“I see…” Another wave of relief flows over Nier as she reaches up to brush Djeeta’s hair back into place. If she didn’t know better, she might think the girl was sleeping, not struggling to cling onto life in a world no one belonged in.
Ahri edges closer, and Nier looks up at her with eyes full of tears and rancor. The woman’s lips are pressed into a thin line, and she can’t quite match Nier’s tear-soaked gaze. “I didn’t mean to cause you any worry, Nier. If I’d known who she was, I would have-”
“It’s okay…” says Nier, placing Djeeta back onto the ground with great care. “I understand how it is… You were hungry, right?”
Nier rises to her feet, stepping towards Ahri with an even gait. “I hope you got what you wanted… I hope it was worth it.”
The girl’s face is cold and expressionless, and although some part of Ahri tells her she should leave, that she should get far away from this girl and her companions, her guilt sticks her to the spot. So Nier advances.
“It’s hard to… deny that kind of feeling, isn’t it? When you want something so badly, it’s just part of who you are…” Nier’s beginning to understand, just a little bit, about what her father spoke about when she showed him her newly-discovered magic.
To be willing to abandon all rationality for something greater…
She does it for Djeeta, of course. Nier can’t imagine anyone or anything greater than her.
Ahri doesn’t move even as Nier wraps her arms around her in a tight embrace, resting her head on her chest. “I feel… kind of bad for you, Ahri… You can’t help who you are, can you?”
Gently, Ahri tries to push the girl away. “Nier, you don’t-”
Nier only squeezes harder. “I don’t blame you. But I want to make sure you understand. No one hurts the captain. I’ll get rid of all her of enemies, so she never needs to worry again.”
There is a struggle as Ahri tries to pry Nier’s arms open. “Nier, let go, and don’t talk to me like that.”
Nier looks up at her with empty eyes. “It’ll be over soon.”
Before Ahri can say anything else, she feels Death’s scythes slide into her back, piercing through her gut. She cries out in pain, sinking her nails into Nier in some vain attempt to get the girl to let go. But as Nier’s arms fall away, Ahri can see the blades have passed through her as well, the tips of the blades poking out of her back. She’s stuck.
Nier begins to sob as she feels the love from her dearest Death and the pain from her blades. “I-it hurts, doesn’t it…?” she cries. “I know this island doesn’t operate in the same way as the real world does, but I just want you to remember… how it feels. This is what happens to people who hurt the captain.”
Ahri laughs even as crimson begins to trickle from her lips. “Ahahaha! And here I thought… I was a monster,” she says, surrendering her struggle. “You’re something else.”
Nier doesn’t have the will left to argue, so she simply looks away. So many people have said similar things, and most of them ended up as corpses. Ahri will be no different.
But she feels something drawing her away, a sensation not unlike when she uses her own life magic. Looking back to Ahri, she can see the woman casting some kind of spell, something that’s pulling Nier’s essence into her. “W-what are you doing…?” she says, reaching up to grab the woman’s wrist.
“If I outlive you, will this thing vanish?” she says, glancing to Death. “It’s something you’ve summoned, right? It stands to reason it will die with you.”
With a shaky gaze, Nier looks back to Djeeta, still unconscious some feet away. “N-no… They’re tied together a-as well… She held the card too…”
But her words do not deter Ahri, who maintains her devouring magic to even out her rapidly draining life. “I-I should have known,” she growls. “You’re too similar to me. I shouldn’t have trusted you, I shouldn’t have-”
Ahri’s eyes widen, with fresh tears beginning to pool in their corners. “Oh,” she mumbles. “I see. That’s what happened to you.”
Nier can’t summon the energy to respond anymore. She can’t resist as Ahri wraps her arms around the girl, sighing. “You’re even more lost than I was, perhaps,” she murmurs with a sudden sadness Nier can’t understand. “I can only see piece of the path that led you here, but… I understand. You can’t help who you are.”
Although Nier doesn’t have the strength to reply, fresh tears begin to trickle down her face. Something about those words feels so bittersweet, like she’s been wanting to hear them but also can’t stand to have them said. She looks up to Ahri, hoping she can say something with just a look, only to find that the woman has slipped into unconsciousness.
“So sad…” wails Death, withdrawing her blades. Both Nier and Ahri tumble to the ground, staining the forest floor with their mingling blood. The primal beast leans over Nier, caressing the girl’s cheek. “My beloved… I cannot rescue yooouuu this time,” she groans. “They’ve taken that power from me… I am so, so sorry…”
Nier struggles to answer. “It’s… fine,” she whispers.
Death leans closer, wrapping her arms around the girl. “I love yooouuu…”
A small smile traces Nier’s lips as she savors the warmth of her beloved’s embrace. “I love… you too…”
With drawing her arms, Death begins to weep, her wails sounding throughout the forest. The last thing Nier sees before she drifts into her own dark unconsciousness is Ahri’s body lying next to hers. The woman’s skin is pale, and her dark hair covers her eyes, shielding them from the sad sight before her.
What will Djeeta find when she awakens?
“So… sad…” Nier mumbles. Her eyes finally close, and she sees nothing more.
