Date a Bride (Date A Live Fanfiction)

Sparks flew in violent bursts, streaking the sky like dying stars. The grinding of gears and the groan of twisted metal filled the air, blending with the sharp, staccato cracks of shattered barriers breaking apart.

The thorn flower, once an unyielding mass, was slowly breaking apart. Cracks spidered across its jagged surface, faint at first but spreading with each resounding impact.

And within those cracks, if one focused their eyes carefully, they would notice several small, vibrant flowers blooming against the jagged black surface—colors that seemed out of place amidst the chaos around them.

"You... Is that an insurgency?"

The first to notice was none other than the one who had raised the thorn flower from beneath ashes and stones.

As its form slowly sank, merging with , its eyes fixed on the new presence. The figure sat low, on four limbs, its gaze unyielding as it locked eyes with the reflection.

There was an air of silent recognition between them, broken only by the rising sound of metal cracking across the space.

"!"

The reflection's eyes snapped painfully upward, then back down at the creature,

"YOU! Answer me, do you want your master to meet her doom?!"

"You're the one who will meet it."

"?!"

The calm reply was so unexpected that— for a brief moment—the reflection seemed to jolt in shock.

"Y-You... what do you mean—"

"That form of Nathanael you forced master to use..."

The creature, known as Ember by its master, slowly lifted its head toward the sky. Its glowing eyes locked onto the massive thorned flower as it withstood the relentless blast.

"It's the defensive form of master Angel, one that has truly no limit to what it can withstand... as long as..."

The reflection's eyes narrowed.

"The price for it was paid—something in exchange for what that form offers. The greater the power, the greater the price... I would assume you're the one who paid it if you're truly that concerned about Master's safety. Am I right?"

"..."

As the final words slipped from Ember's mouth, its eyes this time locked onto its master's body.

The thorns that had once seeped from the reflection into the cracks across her skin expanded further, stretching beyond the fissures and carving new ones into her fragile frame.

stood utterly lifeless, as though entirely unaware of the horrifying transformation overtaking her.

"Fu—... haha—hahahahahahaha!"

"..."

The sudden burst of laughter shattered the heavy silence, as Ember's gaze darted back to the reflection form.

"You... why do you act as if you don't know who I am, huh?"

There was no response.

"You treat me as if I'm some kind of parasite, huh? No. You're just like her. You don't want to accept it—the fact that I am everything she ever wanted to be. The one who can truly bring her wish to reality."

The reflection shouted, spreading both arms wide as it finally freed itself, taking a few deliberate steps away from Bride.

"You can't deny her deep hatred for all humanity, because I am the living evidence of it. After all the pain they caused us, I will be their judgment. Or—"

The reflection slowly extended one hand toward Ember, its eyes gleaming with malice.

"Are you delusional enough to be as foolish as she is and try to defend those lowly beings?"

"You didn't answear me...what was the price of using Nathanael—Hana..."

"..."

"You can't answer, can you? Huh. It seems you're fine accepting yourself as a liar or a hypocrite, as long as you're not as delusional as us, are you?"

The cracking sound grew even louder, almost deafening as a small bead of sweat trailed down the reflection's face.

"But not everything you said was a lie...At least I learned that much about Master..."

Ember stepped forward, slowly approaching her master. As she reached her, she began biting down on the thorns, carefully pulling them away from her fragile body.

"She lost her hope in humanity. There was no one left for her to truly trust. That's why I took this form—the one she might find a place in her heart to trust, even if only a little."

Ember's eyes hardened as she stood beside , the torn thorns now scattered at her feet.

As their sharp remnants hit the ground, the cracking sound grew unbearably piercing, as if it could shatter the resolve of any living being.

Meanwhile, the downward blast seemed to intensify with every passing second.

The thorns covering the flower's surface began to pale, their once imposing form seeming ready to crumble apart at any moment.

"If that's what Master truly desires, then I would wipe out humanity without hesitation. A hundred times, a thousand times over, if it means giving her what she truly wants."

However, from beneath the thorns, vibrant colors began to emerge, blooming into life. One by one, flowers of various hues unfolded, slowly transforming the once lifeless and barren form into a vibrant garden of colors.

In stark contrast, Ember's colors seemed to grow paler.

"The price to wield enough power to counter this attack... it was Master's soul—Not just for now—you were planning to take over all along, using her broken soul to pay the price each time. This way, you could wield with all its forms at full power, couldn't you? All for revenge, not just on humanity... but also to settle your loss against her."

"SHUT UP!"

"..."

"And if I did?! She hated her life anyway!"

The reflection shouted, glaring at Ember with bared teeth.

"Every moment of it was misery, every breath a curse! Don't you get it? She wanted this. She wanted to escape, to become something greater than the pitiful existence she was shackled to! To become me!"

Its voice grew louder, more frantic, as if trying to drown out its own doubts.

"Why did she have to be kind all the time? If it was just to be loved, she could've been a good person—a calculating, clever one. Not kind. She could've worn the fake mask of someone who cares but never actually felt it! It would've been so much easier!"

"..!?"

A drop of water struck Ember's head, and it raised its eyes to the source—a tear, trailing down from 's lifeless eyes.

"..."

"I am her! I'm the part of her that stopped caring, the part that realized kindness only brought pain! I'm the strength she needed when the world tore her apart! I am the result of her greatest REGRET!"

The reflection stopped in its tracks, breathing heavily as its eyes locked with Amber's—Amber, who noticed the reflection's eyes glistening, as if on the verge of tears.

"You've never regretted the way your mother raised you."

"!"

Ember's lips softened as it lowered its gaze slightly to the ground.

"I've already said you're a liar, a hypocrite, but it seems you're also a coward."

Ember raised its eyes once more, toward its master eyes. For the first time, they held a faint glimmer of light, a stark contrast to the hollow void they had been just moments ago.

"What you felt wasn't regret, but betrayal. You loved your mother too much to end up feeling this way—to regret being as kind as she was. That would only hurt her, wouldn't it? Master?"

"E-Ember..."

"!"

A sudden, deafening crash tore through the air, sending ripples of shock through the space around them.

One of the thorned flower petals fell, drifting slowly to the ground.

The gap it left in the barrier of thorns was enough—enough for a portion of the relentless blast to break through.

It streaked past them, carving deep into the earth and shaking the ground beneath their feet with a force that felt like the world itself might split apart.

The reflection's eyes darted in panic as the massive flower began to crumble, its petals disintegrating into nothingness. If any more of it fell apart, the full force of the attack would break through, leaving Angel utterly defenseless.

This shouldn't have happened—not if the price paid for Nathanael had truly been enough to sustain the defense.

"You! I get it, alright?! You win! Once this is over, I promise I'll give her back control. But for now—stop! Stop offering your life instead of hers! Yours... yours isn't worth as much!"

Ember turned slowly, its eyes gleaming with an unnerving calm. A faint, knowing smile tugged at its lips as it regarded the reflection.

"It doesn't matter how many times we die or disappear. Master can always summon us back, as long as she has enough Reiryoku."

"And when we return, we come back with more than just vines and leaves. Each time we are summoned, a part of our existence—our essence—is etched into Master's Sephira Crystal. It's like a projected soul... an unbreakable record of who we are."

The reflection flinched at the word, its composure cracking ever so slightly.

"T-That's why your life isn't enough of a price! You should know that by now! Stop this before it's too late for—"

"But..."

Before the reflection could muster a retort, something remarkable happened.

The blast, which had been carving through the gap in the thorned flower, abruptly vanished.

"W-What?"

Confusion flickered across the reflection's face as it raised its head, to locate the reason.

The fallen petal of the flower had been replaced—not by another twisted thorn, but by a radiant, pristine white petal. It shimmered with an otherworldly glow, challenging even the blinding light of the blast itself.

"What... What's happening?"

"If I were to sacrifice that record—all of it—for one final wish, for one ultimate sacrifice... wouldn't my life finally be worth something more? Just like any living being's?"

As the reflection struggled to comprehend Ember's words, the thorns encasing the flower trembled.

Then, with a sound like fragile glass shattering, they splintered and broke apart.

In their place, a vibrant bloom of radiant, colorful flowers spread outward, petals unfurling with renewed vitality. Each one shimmered as though infused with the essence of life itself.

At the heart of the transformation, the petals began to expand, glowing with an intensity that seemed to challenge the very force bearing down on them.

"Don't tell me... for her, you're..."

"I thought I promised I'd stay by her side... At least I was able to protect her... with what little power I had left...So... you can leave now..."

A long, weighted pause followed.

"..."

And for the first time, the reflection didn't try to respond. Instead, it closed its eyes and turned its head away, as if to hide something on its face. Without another word, its form dissolved into a fragile mist, scattering into the air.

Ember's vision blurred as it turned its gaze toward its master. Her usually pristine white wedding dress had returned.

Part 2:

The door slammed open, and the boy stumbled inside, dripping wet, clothes torn and clinging to his bruised body. His right eye was almost shut from swelling, a dark purplish hue spreading across his cheek. In his trembling hands, he clutched a soaked leather bag, water dripping from its corners.

"What happened to you?!"

His mother gasped, rushing toward him. Her long brown hair, once naturally silky, looked unkempt and dull, as though she hadn't cared for it in weeks.

Her frail form trembled as she knelt before him, the hunger etched in her features forgotten in her worry.

The boy looked up at her, his lips trembling. He tried to speak but faltered, swallowing hard as tears welled in his eyes. He shook his head slightly, as if trying to push back the memory.

"Talk to me," she urged gently, resting a hand on his shoulder. "What happened, my love? Who did this to you?"

He finally managed to choke out the words, his voice shaking. "I... I was playing by the river... alone..." He hesitated, his small hands clutching the leather bag tighter. "And... I saw them."

"Who? Saw who?"

"Some boys... older than me... They had these puppies..." He sniffled, his face crumpling. "But they weren't playing nice. They were... they were kicking them, throwing rocks at them."

His mother's eyes widened in horror, but she said nothing, letting him continue.

"I... I told them to stop. But they just laughed at me," he whispered. His voice broke as he glanced at the bag in his hands. "They said... they said they'd make it funnier."

"What did they do?"

"They put the puppies in bags, One by one. And then... and then they started throwing them into the river."

Tears streamed down his face now, mixing with the dirt and river water streaking his cheeks. "I couldn't... I couldn't just watch. I jumped in. I tried to grab the bags before they sank." He clutched the leather bag tighter, shaking. "I managed to get this one. Just this one..."

"I... I fought them. I tried to stop them, but they... they hit me...I'm sorry, Mom. I couldn't save the others."

She pulled him into her arms, holding him tightly despite the wetness soaking her thin clothes. "You did what you could. You're so brave... so, so brave,"

The bag squirmed slightly in his hands, and his mother glanced down. "Is it...?"

The boy nodded, opening the bag slowly. A tiny, soaking wet puppy peeked out, its small body shivering. Its eyes were wide with fear, but it whimpered softly, nudging the boy's hand as though seeking comfort.

His mother reached out gently, cradling the tiny creature in her hands. "It's alive," she whispered, her tears falling freely now. "You saved it."

The boy let out a shaky breath, his tears flowing without resistance now. "I did?"

She held them both close—the boy and the puppy—and kissed the top of his head. "you did, I'm so proud of you."

As she released him from her embrace, she tilted her head slightly, a soft smile playing on her lips. "So, what will you name the puppy?"

"E-Eh? Um..." The boy hesitated, still unsure, his small fingers gently brushing the wet fur of the puppy's tiny head. The little creature wriggled in his hands, trying to nuzzle closer, seeking warmth and comfort.

"Ah, I found it!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"The name will be..."

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"Ember..."

The air hung still as the last remnants of energy flickered out in a final burst of light, fading into the calm after the storm.

The earth, once trembling with the force of the battle, seemed to exhale, leaving an almost peaceful silence.

Small petals, like delicate fragments of life, danced on the breeze, swirling through the air as they were carried away.

The sun, slowly rising from the horizon, finally had the chance to illuminate the sky in hues of deep red and orange. Its warm embrace bathed the world, casting a soft light over the ruins and the fields.

Kneeling on the ground, surrounded by nothing but barren land stretching endlessly to the horizon, Bride cradled Ember in her lap. Her hands moved gently, threading through its fur of leaves with a touch both tender and weary.

"Ember..."

Ember's eyes flickered open, catching the soft glow of morning light and the vibrant hues painting the world around them.

"Hm? What is it, Master?"

"I feel sleepy... and a little tired..."

"Mm? Then you can take a little rest, Master. That's a simple solution..."

"...What about you, Ember? Aren't you tired?"

"...Then should I sleep beside you once again, is that what you want, master?"

let out a faint, tired laugh.

"...Hehehe... You really can see right through me, Amber."

"You're like a kid now, Master."

"Am I? Well, I guess deep down... I am. But I don't think I'd be able to sleep without you anymore... Good night..."

Just as eyes slowly give up to tiredness, Ember lingered for a brief moment, gazing at her face with quiet tenderness, before following suit, shutting its eyes...

"Goodnight...master..."

The breeze picked up, carrying with it the silence of the barren land. And in the next moment, only a girl with long, beautiful brown hair could be seen, sleeping on her knees, all alone.