Date a Bride (Date A Live Fanfiction)

I had a single purpose...

From the depths of a crystal, shaped by pure energy, I emerged.

Beside me, my siblings—plants, trees, roots, and the land—came into being, all born for this same purpose, for the same person.

Our purpose: to protect our master, by any means necessary.

To fulfill that purpose, we first created something—a foundation for her to stand on, a place where she could feel she belonged.

We watched her as she set foot in the home we made. We guided her, leading her to a place she could call her own.

She sought warmth, so we embraced her.

She needed food and water, so we ensured those needs never crossed her mind.

She wanted a space to build, to create a shelter for herself, so we made one for her.

She desired safety and solitude, so we shielded her, ensuring no one could find her.

But still, we failed to fulfill the true purpose of all our existence: to make her truly happy.

We watched her, noticing the smile that never left her face, the quiet longing we couldn't quite put into words, and the determination we didn't fully grasp.

But we could feel what lay within her heart.

And, for a moment, we understood—just a little. She needed someone by her side, someone who could simply listen.

As my siblings each offered their gifts—shade, shelter, and sustenance—it was my turn to provide something—what she truly needed.

Beneath the cracked earth, through layers of dirt and soil, my vines began to stir. Slowly, they twisted and intertwined, drawing what little life remained from the ground's remnants.

Leaves unfurled from the tendrils, delicate shapes forming as the vines coiled tighter. Piece by piece, a shape began to emerge—something familiar, something that might bring her comfort.

The vines wove together, creating the form of a dog. Its body took shape with graceful precision, To the very last thing she may still be willing to trust.

From the shadows between trees and bushes, I watched, my form lingering in silence. I knew it was time to take the next step—to be by her side.

But in those first encounters, things did not go as I had hoped.

I thought that simply appearing, showing myself, would bring her joy. Instead, it brought new emotions—fear, caution, and uncertainty.

My siblings tried to help, attempting to hug her—the only solution that had shown any progress in making her feel better.

But this time, it only made things worse. We found she didn't want the embrace; instead, she desired to stay away from us—away from me.

Yet, that was when we truly understood just how kind our master was. Even though we had made a mistake, she didn't scold us or push us away. Instead, she reached out, speaking softly, opening her heart.

Even though we didn't fully understand the language our master was using, we tried to use her emotions, her desires, to grasp what she truly wanted, what she was saying.

I was happy when she held me in her hands, trusting enough to sleep while I was in her embrace. But the purpose wasn't served simply by reaching this point.

Her heart didn't change, the scars didn't heal, and the smile remained fake.

I had to withdraw, taking time to understand my master, and what she truly needed. The answer wasn't simply being by her side; she needed something deeper.

Then, a turning point came. My siblings brought troubling news: our master was in danger. Someone out there harbored a deep hatred toward her.

Though the enemy had yet to reveal themselves, we couldn't afford to wait idly. We prepared, taking every precaution, even as the nature of the threat remained unknown.

The next day, we felt it—our master's growing desperation. My siblings chastised me, urging that it was my duty to remain by her side. They would handle everything else, they said. And honestly... they were right.

So, I approached her once more. She was hard at work, planting more of our kin, expanding our family.

A sense of purpose swelled within me. At last, I had a chance to truly help her with something meaningful. Moving closer to the field, I channeled our energy into the soil, accelerating the growth of the plants.

As the new life sprouted before her eyes, I felt a spark of joy and hope. Watching her take in the sight, I couldn't help but long for a word of praise. But even without it, simply being able to help her felt like more than enough.

But—

"What the...?!"

Her reaction was once again different from what I had imagined.

"No way..."

Shock and disbelief flooded her face—there was no relief, no satisfaction.

"B-But how—"

I tried to reach out, asking if I'd done something wrong.

"So it was you, huh..."

Her voice, low and edged with disappointment, pierced through me, and the look in her eyes said it all.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you? But... that's not really what I wanted."

I had made another mistake.

And yet, even then, our master's kindness shone through, reminding us just how forgiving she was.

"I can't be mad at you, can I? You were only trying to help."

She picked me up with a gentle smile, and, for the first time, the desperation we'd sensed in her softened a little. There was a glimmer of genuine warmth in her expression.

"Next time, don't leave without saying anything, okay?"

Next time, I'll be the one to do the right thing, the one to put an end to your suffering. I'll always be by your side, Master.

That night, The enemy had finally made their moves, And for the sake of our master's safety, we had to make sure to eliminate any threat that dared approach.

That was our purpose.

Part 2:

Amid the night sky, hidden between the passing clouds, a shadowy figure floated steadily, almost as if standing on air, watching the quiet island several hundred meters below.

A smug smile tugged at her lips. Her hand drifted lazily through the cool breeze, savoring the sensation like one would an old habit. She exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing in thought.

"The amount of Reiryoku in the air... even at this height. No wonder the satellites and drones couldn't break through whatever's on that island."

The figure—a blonde-haired girl with half-braided locks and striking blue eyes, as clear and bright as a daytime sky—hovered effortlessly. Her pale skin glowed faintly, almost ethereal, under the dim night light.

She wore a neon purple suit called CR unit. A weapon—An Armor meant for wizards to enhance their physical strength while granting access to a vast arsenal of weaponry.

In her right hand, she held a laser beam saber, its edge humming faintly.

"It seems we're dealing with an AAA-Class Spirit after all..."

The wind began to stir, gently tousling her hair as it danced in the growing breeze. The forest below remained eerily silent, save for the soft rustling of leaves swayed by the wind.

But silence couldn't fool her. Something was off—she could feel it.

"...She already knows I'm here, doesn't she?"

As if to answer her doubts, the atmosphere suddenly shifted—subtle at first, but unmistakable to someone like her—a wizard.

"The Reiryoku..."

The Reiryoku—the energy that fueled Spirits—was shifting, being drawn downward, as though the island itself had taken a deep breath.

"So, you're getting ready, huh? Too bad I promised those guys I'd give them the first shot... or I'd gladly take you up on your invitation."

Her words lingered in the air as the wind began to howl, whipping her hair back in fierce streams.

Above, the stars seemed to tremble.

"...They don't have to be in such a hurry."

A sharp flicker of light, followed by dozens—no, hundreds—of fiery projectiles streaking downward like falling stars, tearing through the sky at an incomprehensible speed, leaving blazing tails of flame in their wake.

Still, she didn't flinch. She hovered there, perfectly still, her eyes calm as the flames roared past her.

Then, in a single, quiet shift, her blue eyes deepened to a vivid crimson red, the flames dancing vividly in their depths.

The roaring inferno devoured the air, its ferocious growl drowning out the last whispers of the island's silence.

Trees splintered and fell, their trunks cracking like thunder as the flames spread, engulfing everything in their path. The ground shook beneath her, shockwaves rippling outward with each explosion.

The forest, which once sank into the darkness of night, was now illuminated by the light of the flames.

"Miss Artemisia, do you copy?"

A voice crackled through the comms, breaking the spell of the fiery chaos around her.

There was no response at first. Artemisia hovered in the air, her gaze fixed on the inferno below, seemingly lost in the scene unfolding before her.

"Miss Artemisia, can you hear me—"

Before the voice could finish repeating the question, Artemisia slowly reached for the earpiece in her left ear.

"What is it?"

"..."

She could hear some displeased muttering from the other side, despite their attempt to lower their voices.

She pretended not to notice; they could wait. She would deal with them once the mission was complete.

"...What's the situation down there?"

The voice finally continued the call. Artemisia's eyes shifted from the flames to the sky.

"See for yourself... There's no Reiryoku left in the atmosphere to interfere with the airship monitoring tools."

"...Good, now we can locate where the spirit is inside the island—"

"No need."

"W-What?"

"I already know where she hides."

"WHAT!?"

Artemisia frowned, her grip tightening on her swords, her eyes sharpening as they shifted back to the sea of flames below.

"What is the meaning of this, Artemisia? You promised we would be the first to try and capture her!"

Artemisia's expression remained unchanged, gaze still locked on the chaos below. "I did promise. But being attacked by the spirit herself wasn't part of the deal. This is self-defense."

"What—"

The call cut off abruptly before the other side could fully grasp her words, but Artemisia didn't care as much as her focus was on seeking the answer to what was happening to the island.

The sea of flames and destruction wasn't part of her question; she already knew that part, funny as she was the reason.

It was something totally different.

"It begins..."

The ground beneath her rumbled, and the island let out a deafening roar.

Cracks started to spread rapidly across the earth, not from the unfinished flaming projectiles raining down from the sky, but from something far more powerful.

Suddenly, the island's surface shuddered violently. Towering columns of writhing, plant-like tendrils—massive and thick as trees—erupted from the ground, rising like the nightmarish arms of a colossal octopus.

Artemisia's eyes narrowed as the monstrous tendrils towered over the landscape, their sheer size dwarfing the flames that had conjured.

One of the massive arms already loomed dangerously close, rushing toward her with terrifying speed.

"..."

In the blink of an eye, Artemisia vanished from sight.

Crack!

The tendril smashed into the ground over where she had hovered just moments ago, the sheer force of the impact sending shockwaves through the earth, reshaping the whole landscape.

A split second later, Artemisia reappeared, this time further down, her right foot barely grazing the ground before she launched forward, her saber glowing faintly at her side.

"!"

At the edge of her vision, she caught sight of another tendril whipping toward her from the left, tearing up earth and stone as it surged forward, swallowing the flames like a coiled beast ready to strike.

Without hesitation, she sidestepped, vanishing briefly—her form dissolving into the thick smoke for an instant—only to materialize just behind the monstrous limb. Her sword cut through the air with a sharp gleam, slicing cleanly through the massive tendril.

The severed plant arm hurtled forward, propelled by its momentum, before crashing to the ground, thrashing in its final moments before being consumed by the roaring flames.

But it wasn't over. Lashed out from every direction, serval tendrils hurried toward her with relentless speed—only to strike nothing but empty air.

Artemisia was already high above, floating effortlessly as her grip tightened around the hilt of her saber with both hands.

"Where is she..." she muttered to herself, her sharp gaze scanning the chaotic battlefield below. The massive tendril arms twisted and writhed as if searching for her, unaware of her present high above.

Artemisia's eyes narrowed sharply, locking onto the heart of the tendrils' movements. "Under the ground... I need to strike at the center where the arms converge—"

Her words faltered as the world seemed to hold its breath.

The ground beneath the writhing mass began to glow with a menacing light. Stones and gravel shuddered violently, quaking as something colossal stirred deep within the earth.

"!"

With a deafening crack, the ground split apart. A blinding light erupted from the core of the mass, followed by a monumental surge of energy that shot skyward.

Her eyes widened in shock, barely able to process the unfolding chaos before the beam surged toward her with terrifying speed.

A massive shockwave tore through the air, flattening flames and scattering debris in its wake. Fires within a serval kilometers radius vanished instantly, snuffed out by the sheer force of the blast.

"NGH!... T-That monster!"

Inside the blinding column of energy, Artemisia struggled to hold her ground.

She had managed to activate her barrier in the nick of time, but now she was trapped within it. The shimmering dome of compressed mana of the barrier pulsed violently, straining under the relentless assault of the monstrous beam.

Her arms shook, her grip on the saber tightening as she channeled every ounce of strength into maintaining the shield.

"To think she could pull off a move like this... AKH!"

A sharp crack echoed through the air—the ominous sound of fractures spreading slowly across the surface of her barrier.

"...Compressing that much Reiryoku into a single point before launching it... Impressive..."

She muttered through gritted teeth, a single bead of sweat sliding down her chin, before her lips curled into a smug grin.

"But that's fine..."

The beam continued to crash against her shield, the relentless pressure threatening to overwhelm her. Yet now, she saw through the plan.

The Spirit, no matter how powerful, couldn't sustain an attack of this magnitude forever.

"Even for a Spirit, pouring that much Reiryoku into a single attack... she can't keep it up for long. And when she's done, she'll be completely drained."

Her grin widened, confidence gleaming in her eyes.

"Her plan was simple—end me with this one strike..."

Then, as if fortune had smiled upon her, she felt it—the pressure behind the blast was rapidly fading, the energy waning with each passing second.

"I knew it!"

She braced herself, gripping her saber tightly and pulling it to the side, ready to strike. There was no way she'd let the Spirit recover.

Slowly, steadily, the beam of light that had fueled the monstrous tendrils dimmed, its brilliance flickering like a dying ember.

As the final remnants of the attack dissipated into the air, Artemisia surged forward, her blade ready to deliver the killing blow.

"You're dead—huh?!"

But something was wrong.

"Where... are they?"

She froze mid-stride, her eyes widening in disbelief as she let the energy barrier shattered into pieces.

The towering, octopus-like arms—the tendrils—were gone. All that remained was a massive, gaping hole with no bottom in sight.

She hadn't cut all of them down, had she? Could the Spirit have withdrawn them into the earth?

Questions raced through her mind, each one colliding with the next, unanswered. Everything had happened so fast that she hadn't even realized she'd dropped her guard.

Then, just as quickly as the confusion set in, a new sound emerged—

"?"

A sharp, slicing noise cut through the air.

Her instincts flared, and she snapped back to attention, spinning toward the source of the sound.

A massive arm—a tendril—hurtled toward her, materializing midair as if summoned by sheer will. This time, it didn't rise from the earth; it came out of nowhere.

"Oh no..."

She wasn't lucky this time.

She wasn't fast enough. No barrier, no defense—just raw, exposed vulnerability. The tendril struck before she could even blink.

"Ngaaah!"

Instead of being flung away instantly, the crushing force of the tendril pinned her against its surface, dragging her helplessly along like a leaf caught in a raging storm.

She could feel the pressure increasing, the sheer weight of the appendage threatening to crush her. And then, without warning, she was hurled across the sky.

The speed was dizzying. Darkness and flames blurred together as she hurtled across the island to the far other side.

She barely registered the distance—Serval Miles in mere moments—before her body slammed into the dormant volcano at full force, cracking its ancient rock face.

The shockwave from the impact rippled across the island, splitting the ground beneath the volcano.

Dust and debris erupted into the air like a fiery explosion, blanketing the sky in an ominous haze.

The air grew heavy, trembling with the sheer force of what had just occurred. The once-dormant volcano began to awaken. A deep rumble resonated from within the mountain, shaking the very core of the island. Molten lava bubbled and churned, visible through the widening cracks.

With a low, ominous growl, the earth split open, and a fiery glow illuminated the darkened sky.

The volcano erupted in a roar of molten fury, sending streams of magma shooting into the sky. The entire landscape was bathed in a red-hot light, and ash started raining down, turning the night into chaos.

The tendril lay still where it had pinned Artemisia, slowly being consumed by the glowing lava as it seeped through the cracks of the awakening volcano—as if it had finally taken a rest after completing its work. It no longer writhed or lashed out, its purpose seemingly fulfilled.

"...So this is the real power of a spirit..."

The voice was barely a whisper, lost in the chaos of the erupting volcano.

A sharp, sudden slash pierced through the thick smoke, and in the next moment, the tendril, once so imposing, collapsed onto the volcano's surface, crumbling as it fell to the ground disintegrating into ash and dust.

From within the smoke and ash, a figure slowly emerged— floating through the chaos with deliberate, calm grace.

Artemisia hovered above the fiery carnage, untouched by the molten lava below, her eyes locked on the disintegrating tendril.

The neon-blue armor of her CR-Unit was battered and broken in places. Burn marks streaked across its once-pristine surface, and deep cracks split the chest plate, with several pieces missing from the sides, exposing parts of her skin—mottled with angry red burns, jagged scratches, and deep bruises.

Small cuts oozed blood, and some areas were raw, the flesh tender and blistered from heat and friction.

Her hair hung in messy strands, and a single drop of blood trickled down her cheek, sliding from her forehead to her chin.

"No wonder those clowns never managed to capture any of her kind...hm?"

Her narrowed eyes suddenly caught something—movement above a rock that the lava hadn't yet reached. A figure stood there, exchanging a silent glance with her.

On four limbs.

"A dog?"

The word slipped out without much thought. And before she could make it out of the situation, the ground beneath the creature began to pulse, glowing faintly as several tendrils, sleek and serpentine, slowly emerged from the earth.

This time, however, the tendrils weren't consumed by the lava as before. A strange barrier—an ethereal, glowing aura—encased them, protecting them from the searing heat.

"Enchanting through Reiryoku, huh..."

Her grip on her saber tightened, and she gritted her teeth.

"This bitch is underestimating me!"

Without warning, she launched herself forward, her body a blur of motion as she charged. She was the one to strike first.

Part 3:

The sharp blare of an alarm tore through the airship, cutting through the otherwise steady hum of the engine.

Red lights flashed across the control panels, casting an eerie glow over the cabin. Panic rippled through the crew as the ship lurched violently, metal groaning under the strain.

"Captain!" someone shouted, but their voice was drowned out by another, more urgent one.

"What just happened?! From where did that light come from?!" The captain's voice boomed over the chaos, his face pale as he gripped the edge of the control console, trying to steady himself against the rocking ship.

The crew scrambled, hands darting across dials and controls as they frantically checked for damage. One of the engineers muttered a curse under his breath, his eyes locked on the flashing red warnings on the screen.

"Sir, it's—it's from the Spirit! Likely her doing!"

The captain's eyes narrowed, a mix of fury and dread knotting in his chest. Spirits were unpredictable, their power unmatched. But to think she had managed to strike them from such a height, all while staying invisible...

"Damn it!"

He slammed his fist onto the control console, the sharp sound reverberating through the cabin.

"That damn woman fooled us...and now We've been hit directly by this spirit before even landing a direct hit... What kind of cursed luck is this?"

Moments later, the red emergency lights flickered off, and the cabin was bathed in the soft, familiar glow of its usual blue lighting.

"About time..."

The captain's grip loosened on the console as he stood, taking his seat back with a deep exhale.

"Status report,"

"Main systems are stabilizing, but we've taken significant structural damage. We can't take another hit like that, Captain."

The captain cursed under his breath, rubbing his temples as if trying to stave off a mounting headache.

"Keep monitoring the skies. Maybe we'll get a miracle, and she'll run into us somehow—"

"Captain, We've spotted the spirit's location!"

The miracle actually occurred.

The captain's eyes snapped open, though his exhaustion was instantly replaced by a cold focus.

He leaned forward in his chair.

"Where?"

"Coordinates locked!" the crew member shouted, urgency infusing his tone. "On the monitors now!"

As the screens flickered to life, several images came into view, revealing a figure weaving through the flames of the jungle below. The captain's breath caught in his throat.

There she was.

The spirit moved with an almost ethereal grace, her presence both mesmerizing and unsettling.

Long, brown hair flowed down her back, shimmering like liquid midnight, reaching halfway down her waist.

Her eyes, mirroring the same deep hue, glinted with an otherworldly light that seemed to pierce through the chaos around her.

She wore an unexpected outfit—a wedding dress that billowed around her like a ghostly cloud, its fabric glowing faintly in the fiery environment.

The intricate lace caught the flickering light, creating an illusion of delicate fireflies dancing in the air. A headband adorned with artificial—No, real flowers crowned her head.

"Captain," a voice broke through his awe, "she's heading toward the outer perimeter of the forest."

The captain shook his head, forcing himself to refocus. "I'd be a fool if I didn't seize this gift. Prepare the Bandersnatch squad(The robots). Make sure she's ours. No mistakes!"

"ROGER!"

Came the immediate reply, the crew already springing into action.

"I'll make sure to visit the church this weekend for this gift..."

A smile tugged at his lips as his eyes remained fixed on the monitor, captivated by the figure's ethereal form—The spirit.