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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 10:43 pm 
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Guilford looked up to the dark skies, half relieved and half baffled. It was only a matter of time before dawn falls upon them. This whole mess brought back memories of old, ones that he treasured deeply. "Estella, Daria, Nike..." he mumbled. "You would be proud of your baby girl. Did you see what she just did?" a solemn smile graced his lips as he nurtured the nostalgia he was feeling.

"Captain! Are you alright?! Sorry we're late!" Alfrei bowed in apology as the rest of Squad Eight approached their Captain.

Guilford turned his attention to the speaker, tired eyes falling to a relieved expression at the sight of Fiona. She was shaken up and wounded, but alright nonetheless. "Winded, but I'll live. Your timing is impeccable, no need to apologize." he said and walked past his Vice Captain, patting the man approvingly on the shoulder. He then headed straight for the still shaken Fiona. How would he comfort her? What words should he say? One look was enough for anyone to realize how frightened she was. Though her arms were stiff, her hands were shaking uncontrollably, and it was obvious how hard the female knight tried to still them. Guilford also noticed her eyes, she may be looking at him but suffice to say, her presence of mind was elsewhere. Guilford had to snap his fingers a few times to break her fear-induced trance.

"Fiona?" he called out to her, waiting for his newest member to come to her senses.

"Y-yes?" she croaked, swallowing a gulp of air right after.

"If you would excuse me..." he said and reached a hand out, finding its place on her wounded abdomen. "O-oh! I c-can do that myself Captain..." she protested but Guilford paid her no mind. "This is the least I could do. Please, allow me." Even knowing that his own magic reserves was at its lowest, Guilford channeled Healing into his hand that was pressed on Fiona's wound. Light sputtered around his hand, like a lamp losing fuel. This forced the Seraph to concentrate harder, digging deep for any last bits of magic he still has. The remaining members of Squad Eight noticed their Captain struggling with a simple Healing spell but none of them pointed it out. Doing something personally for someone from their squad was just his way of saying thanks had they done something he approved of.

When he had finished healing her, Guilford drew his hand back and placed it on Fiona's shoulder. He gave her a pat of approval and a smile. "You did extremely well today. I am proud of you." he smiled at the female knight, noting that her trembling had somewhat lessened.

Normally, Fiona's grace would tell her to say that 'I am not worthy of such praise' but today had been one terrifying ordeal for her. She was just glad to have made it out alive. "Thank you Captain..." she murmured almost silently. Guilford patted her shoulder again and turned to face his squad. As much as his body screamed and yearned for a much needed rest, there was still so much that needed to be done. He took a step forward but immediately stopped after realizing that he was seriously running on fumes. The aches in his body were starting to feel amplified, no doubt due to the strain of tapping into the Divine Realm so much. Still, a Seraph should never show weakness in front of Knights, a Seraph should always be on top of things. Guilford planted his feet on the ground, making sure he wouldn't lose his balance. He motioned for his squad to come closer when a voice suddenly spoke up from behind him.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’m thinking we should get out of here? The wounded need to get out from under this taint,”

Guilford turned around to face the owner of the voice.

“We need to see what the aftermath of this fight was on the forces, get the absolved Sinner recuperated, maybe scour through the ruins if we can get some fresh troops from Bastille..”

She looked like hell, though he too was in the same boat.

“and tally up the aftermaths of this fight. Am I forgetting anything, Gil?”

She was still in Seraph mode. Impressive really. Had she been anyone else, Guilford doubted they'd have the tenacity needed to keep on going even after fighting such a monstrosity. "Yeah you are. How are you holding up?" he pointed at her wound that looked like minor healing had been done on it.

Lethe tilted her head to the side, perturbed by the idea that she'd missed something. Regrouping, taking stock of injuries, relocating the absolved Sinners: what else could there be? She followed the line of Gil's fingers, coming to a stop on, "Oh." One hand instinctively lifted as if to shield the wound but she stopped herself before she touched it. She lowered her hand back to her side even as she returned her attention to her fellow Seraph. "It's fine, Gil. Nothing life threatening. How about you?"

"Tired, really tired." he said, trying hard not to sound so. Still, her slightly contorted face failed to convince Guilford that she was fine. Though as Seraphs, he knew all too well that they had a reputation and image to keep. As much as he wanted her out of here to get treatment, her determination to see things through to the end will come out on top. Gil sighed, "Just don't forget that it is also our responsibility to stay healthy. Don't push yourself too hard." he reminded her and turned to look around Santa Olivia. "Regardless, I was thinking the same thing." he continued, jumping back on topic rather quickly. "As much as I want everybody to pull out and call it a day, there is still much that needed to be done." he paused, one hand cupping his chin in thought. "Eve came here for a reason, we need to find out what."

After giving it a few moments in thought, Guilford straightened himself and looked to his squad. "Georg, Fiona, Natalia, take Lance with you. You three will be in charge of getting the wounded and the absolved out of town." his gaze then turned to the remainder of Squad Eight. "Alfrei, Vlad, we need to contain this taint and keep it from spreading out. Gather those who are still able and start cleansing the town center. We need a foothold to conduct further investigations." he then turned to the last two from his squad. "Joaquim, Hyuga, I want you two to take a group of able knights and gather what we need so we can set up camp here for the time being. If you could find refreshments from our supplies, we'd appreciate it."

With his orders given, Guilford turned his attention to his fellow Seraph. "Santa Olivia is quite big. I would prefer having a small force stationed here but we'll make do with just a skeletal force for now." his eyes then turned to look at Squad Ten, Cricket in particular before falling back to Lethe. "You have one of the fastest knights, could you send him to Rasova to get reinforcements from Knight Commander Romuald?" he cringed at the aches that were starting to get to him. "I'll take the Northern and Western sides of town. As for the other two sides, I'll defer to your best judgment."

“Fifty steps laughing at one hundred steps.” Lethe chided in return but otherwise let the topic go. Both wanted to rest; neither could. “Cricket, can you go to Rasova and fulfill Master Guilford’s request? See if someone can lend you a horse. Seraphim, Deimos: join Georg, Fiona, and Natalia in leading the troops back to Santa Olivia please.” All three nodded in acquiescence but none moved. Cricket’s gaze was focused on Valiar; Seraphim’s on all of them. “He’ll stay with me. Now go. Sooner we get reinforcements, sooner we’ll be out of here. But stay safe.” The old Knight grinned and slung an arm around her reassuringly, the action finally prompting the three Knights to turn towards their tasks. Lethe hated to deny a cleric from the wounded, but her squad would just be distracted with worry otherwise. At least now they’d have some peace of mind to focus on their tasks.

She looked at her remaining squad members before focusing on the man next to her. Sure she’d said Valiar would be with her, but that didn’t mean he had to escort her, did it? She didn’t realize she was staring intently at him until Adair spoke up, “No, he doesn’t have to stay with you, but at least one of us will.” She startled at the unexpected sound, just realizing she must have spaced out. “Uhm..” She scrambled to recollect her thoughts, “Right then, please help set up the field base here then, Valiar. As for...” She turned her head to look around her, trying to reorient herself. “Gil, there’s something I need to see in the Western sector. You can take the whole of it, but I’d like to pick up what I saw earlier.” The eye of Sin flashed in her mind, a reminder of what exactly she wanted to ‘pick up;’ it was enough to have her frowning.

“YunQiao, Adair: would you come with me? Leon, if you could help out here.” The Knight ordered absent-mindedly, her mind still on the maps and box—and Bryn—from earlier. She turned to leave but found herself walking into an arm.

“Captain.” Wide eyes settled on an equally parts amused and concerned Valiar, “The Southern and Eastern sides?”

Gil's attention was brought back to his fellow Seraph at the mention of her wanting to pick up something from the western sector. He stopped giving additional instructions and clarifications to Joaquim and Hyuga to look at the female Seraph. "If it caught your attention in the middle of battle, and retain it even after, it must be something important." excusing himself from Joaquim and Hyuga's company, Gil walked back towards Lethe and some of her squad members. "Please, accompany her and see it through. I would appreciate it if you'd let us know." Gil looked at Lethe in particular, giving her the 'be careful' look he had given her so many times when they were still in one squad. "We'll be right here."

Having said that, Gil turned around wondering how to help the able knights cleanse a portion of the town center to be used as their temp camp. With his magic reserves emptied out to the last drop, it would be a miracle if he could conjure up Repent in his current state. Still, there has to be something that he can do. "Ahh right... I came from a family of blacksmiths, manual labor would be just fine." he said mostly to himself, dreading the fact that physical labor began to feel like an arduous task.

With the orders given out, time ticked on ever so slowly, each knight seeing through their given assignments. The male Seraph was helping the able knight haul materials they can use to set up camp, all the while wondering about the meaning behind Eve's retreat...


____________________________________


Several hours later...


"CAPTAAAIIINN!!"

There was simply no mistaking that voice. The chipper tone it had wasn't helping either. Guilford sighed, whatever caused Hyuga to be in such an uproar, must be important. Forcing himself back up to his feet with a grunt, Guilford made his way out of his tent. Not a moment too soon, he spotted Hyuga along with Leon. The two of them were sharing the load of a single chest, making their way to Guilford with haste. Upon reaching the Seraph, the two of them dropped the chest with a sigh of relief.

"Captain, you wouldn't believe what we found!" Hyuga exclaimed, appearing to be overly excited about something. The Seraph simply inhaled, motioning for the other to continue. Hyuga then stooped down in front of the chest and popped it open, revealing loads and loads of familiar looking crystals, only they were glowing a golden light. A puzzled look immediately crept its way to Guilford's features.

"This isn't the only one Captain." he informed the Seraph, glancing over to his far left where more knights were bringing in more chests.

"Okay, it's hardly surprising that we would find Sin Crystals here Hyuga. What am I missing?"

Hyuga stood up slowly, taking one crystal in hand. "The mere fact that these have all been cleansed and powered by the Light is impressive don't you think? I surmise that it has something to do with the incredible Light that bathed Santa Olivia."

"Lance..." Guilford mumbled to himself, only to realize that the look Hyuga had was simply pure admiration for the cleansing phenomena. Of course he would be impressed, it takes a lot of effort and Holy Power just to cleanse one of these things. "Okay, this isn't exactly what you want to tell me is it?"

"Ask us where we found these." he chimed.

"Alright, where?"

Hyuga then pulled out a map of Santa Olivia and showed it to Guilford, on it were several markers. "Leon's phenomenal sensing abilities allowed us to find these chests," Hyuga began, "and I'm telling you Captain, they are well hidden. Whoever is stockpiling them definitely had plans on using them for something."

"And that something is?"

Hyuga slowly but surely began to act all nerdy. "You see Captain, that's the thing. I've been trying to figure that out but so far I'm running in circles." he turned to the map he held. "As I said earlier, these chests were hidden very well, and not just in random places but predetermined points. Using Oversight, I marked these said points on this map, here, here, here, here, and here as well, then a few more..." he trailed off, flipping the map to reveal its backside where he had another sketch. "Since our knights began cleansing the taint, I started feeling Magnus Vibrations all over town. I just couldn't pinpoint them exactly until I ran into Leon here." he chanced a look at the knight from Squad Ten. "He himself sensed the Magnus Vibrations and were tracking them, though I doubt he knows what he was looking for..." he looked at Leon again, "No offense there buddy, your sensing skills are exceptional." he praised the young knight before turning his gaze back to his Captain.

"Wait, you lost me. Magnus Vibrations? You mean like Resonance?"

"Similar concept yet entirely different." Hyuga interjected, poising himself for a mini-lecture. "Magnus Vibrations are more faint, more subtle, hard to track easy to lose, and it lingers for a very long time. It can also be felt only by those with ridiculously high magic affinity, or extreme skill of sensing magic like my friend Leon here," he gave the other credit. "whereas Resonance is obviously disturbing and easily identifiable, goes away as soon as the spell ends, and can be felt or sensed by anyone." he lectured his Captain. "It's like when somebody uses powerful magic, you feel it even from far away, that is Resonance. Magnus Vibrations are like the signature of a caster. You feel them mostly from powerful spells that are meant to last." he was about to cite more examples but his Captain cut him off.

"Hyuga." Gil looked at him with a slightly bored look. "I think I got it."

"W-well, my apologies. Where was I?" he struggled to collect himself after the interruption. "Ahh here, look at this Captain," he pointed at his sketch. "The Magnus Vibrations are strongest at these points, and here..." he pulled out a different piece of paper. "In those points, we found these..." he paused to show the Seraph his notes.

"Seals?"

"It's more than that Captain," he answered immediately. "Seals within seals within seals... I've never seen anything this complex!" he cried out, "and not only that, it wouldn't come as a surprise if these points intersect to form an even larger seal. I just can't figure out the inscription, it's way beyond my knowledge." he frowned at his own incompetence. "Whoever did this certainly didn't want this to be found." he added before falling silent.

A chill ran down Guilford's spine as soon as a memory struck home. Hyuga was not too far off his assumptions. This was indeed a Seal, Palaugrim's Great Seal, or to be more accurate, one of its many anchor points. Its existence was a closely guarded secret. The lesser the people who knows of this, the safer the four islands will be. Even Seraphs such as him and Lethe were strictly forbidden from talking or sharing information about it. They were also only ever granted superficial knowledge about The Four Great Seals, anything beyond what little they already know, remained a mystery. Guilford swallowed drily. It didn't take a man of Hyuga's intellect to piece the puzzle together. Eve's operation in Santa Olivia without a doubt had something to do with Palaugrim's Great Seal. They were probably trying to corrupt it, and bring the entire island down. Guilford chanced a look over to one of the chests filled with the now cleansed Sin Crystals, that was probably their intended purpose. With this here, it would explain why the Council never opted to have Santa Olivia rebuilt, probably an attempt to make it look like they didn't care about the town; draw suspicion away. Clearly their plan backfired. It wasn't an ideal way of keeping a secret, and it certainly didn't stop the enemy from poking around.

"Well done Hyuga, Leon." he praised the two, turning his gaze over to Leon. "I believe you caught all that?" he asked but trusted that the young knight did. He swiped Hyuga's notes from the man and immediately handed them over to Leon. "Go tell your Captain as soon as possible. Tell her I want to talk to her about this in private. She would understand when she sees these."

Guilford grew pale, like he had seen a ghost. If Eve knew about the Four Great Seals, it wasn't that hard to imagine the sort of diabolical plans she would cook up with this knowledge. Something needed to be done. Things had just become even more dangerous than the coming thirteenth moon.

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:55 pm 
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[[Day 9 of Month –3, Early Morning :: Santa Olivia]]

The trio walked through the ruins, stopping occasionally as Lethe re-oriented herself. The chaos from earlier and her current exhaustion made finding the previous location a challenge. She could have sworn—no, not here? She lifted a hand to rub wearily at her face as if rubbing it would stimulate her mind. Maybe..

“Captain, is this it?” She turned in YunQiao’s direction to find her youngest Knight pointing at the ground. There was nothing there. Her eyes narrowed and, faintly, she could see a rune hovering in the air. Her work. Lights, how tired was she to have missed that? She nodded and flicked a finger, dispelling the privacy symbol. The boxes and papers reappeared once more, stacked neatly. She saw YunQiao step back at the sudden eyes that stared at him. His hand lifted instinctively before he stopped. “Should we..?”

“Let’s leave them sealed for now.” Adair added drily, attention on the boxes. He remembered what had been in the last set of boxes styled that way and what had come from those boxes. Rampant sin entities weren’t really on his to do list today, especially with how weakened everyone was. “What are those papers?” His gaze focused on the rolled parchment leaning on the four-box pyramid and the papers peeking out underneath.

Lethe walked forward in response, but YunQiao swooped down before she could get much closer. The map was handed to her—keeping her at bay—and then he restacked the Sin boxes to get to the papers previously pinned down.

“Is this.. Palaugrim?” She angled the map to catch more of the little light available. Dawn had finally broken but the bulk of the city, even ruined, blocked most of it from them.

“I have… notes of some type, sketches of some type, and a list of.. I have no idea. Cities? Towns? Names?” YunQiao spoke up from beside her, pausing his shuffling to squint at one page. “Erethea. Iovita. Merv. Emerald Moor. Kazan. What is this..?” He looked up to see Adair shaking his head; Captain was still trying to get light to read her map properly. He could see the outlines of an island but he’d be hard pressed to say which one. With a shrug of his own, he moved onto the next page. It looked like more notes but the word ‘Tethel’ caught his attention. There had been mention of Tethel’s special troops in Master Guilford’s warning about the thirteenth; maybe the page could add more insight?

Adair looked between his two squadmates. Captain was straining to lift her map high enough to catch some light; YunQiao had summoned a small globe of light and was greedily reading whatever was in his hands. With a shake of his head, he walked over to Lethe and lifted the map higher so it could finally be read properly. Green eyes scanned the image: “Palaugrim.” The map suddenly folded as something pushed at it. The amber-haired man looked down at Lethe who was frowning cutely, one finger poking at the back of the map.

“Why is there light coming through?” The map flattened once more as Lethe removed her finger just to poke at another spot. Adair turned so he too looked at the map from her vantage. As she’d pointed out, pinpricks of light were randomly coming through the map. “Pins, perhaps? How did you find these again?”

Lethe’s brow scrunched as she tried to remember. “I was following Lance.. and then. Two Pure Sinners appeared, holding these things. They came from..” She opened her eyes once more and turned to point at one of the buildings. “that one, I think.”

Adair shrugged a shoulder in acceptance, snagging YunQiao’s papers from the younger Knight’s hands. “Let’s go investigate those buildings,” he nodded in the direction of Lethe’s pointing, “there may be more notes there.” YunQiao’s frown smoothed into impassiveness, his irritation at being interrupted placated by the idea of more notes. Although all were tired, they still fell into formation as they entered the building: Adair easing in first, then Lethe, then YunQiao.

There were no surprises. The room was empty. After a moment of caution, all three fell out of their defensive stances. YunQiao headed for the table against the far wall, spotting stacks of paper. Lethe just looked around curiously, trying to see if anything caught her attention. There was a nudge of an elbow and Adair pointed at the wall to their right. “Are those pins?” In response, the smaller Knight headed towards the wall, Adair trailing after her.

True to the Vice Captain’s guess, an assortment of pins protruded from the wall. The ball at each pin’s head were colored either red or blue. When the map was placed in front, the pins marked various spots on it.

“It’s a match.” Lethe stated dumbly, blue eyes trying to focus on what was in front of her. “What do the colors mean?” Both Knights stared at the map and its new colored dots but could decipher nothing. “YunQiao, is there another map over there?”

The paper YunQiao held up was much too small to use.

“We can mark the back with the colors.” Adair suggested as he looked around for a pencil or pen.

“You start on that. I’ll keep looking around.”

“I’ll look around; you mark the back.”

“I’m too short to hold the map up properly.”

“… We’ll do it later then.”

Lethe rolled her eyes but acquiesced without a word. The pair roamed the remainder of the building and found little more of note. There were a few more inscribed boxes that they carefully set in a corner to be dealt with later. The papers were similarly dumped near YunQiao who seemed more than happy to pore over them so Lethe and Adair equally happily left him to it.

~~~

[[Day 9 of Month –3, Later morning :: Santa Olivia]]
Leon shifted uncertainly at Master Guilford’s order. The Seraph looked frightened, which was never a good thing. However, the last time he’d seen Captain, she’d been even paler than Master Guilford. There had been an unhealthy pallor to her face even as she commanded the troops in the Southern and Eastern sides of the town. The last he’d heard, she was on her way back to Bastille to finally be healed. He could go after her but if he caught up with her.. but then again, whatever he’d stumbled across with the echoes was clearly very important. He hesitated before finally drawing up his courage.

Casting a glance around him to ensure only Hyuga was in earshot (well, the other man was right next to him), the rookie of Squad Ten cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Master Guilford?” He almost flinched when intense purple eyes focused on him, “Captain’s on her way back to Bastille right now. I can run after her if you want but.. it might be best to wait a few hours.”

A day or two might have been better given she’d already been pounding triple shots just yesterday. (Lights, was it really just yesterday they’d been leaving Gless? It felt like an eternity.) However, he knew that wasn’t feasible with the upcoming thirteenth day deadline and Master Guilford’s previous expression.

"Is she now? I didn't even notice." Guilford paused and looked around. "That's fine. Hang on to those for me and let her know when she gets back. You can stay and take a break Leon."

Leon looked down at the papers in his hands and shrugged. He’d have to somehow get a message to Adair that it was urgent she come back as soon as she could. For now though, he’d just dump these with YunQiao.
~~~

“Captain! Welcome back!”

A grinning Seraphim greeted Lethe at the ‘command center’ of Santa Olivia. The battle site had been invaded by tents, tables, and Knights. The fresh troops from Rasova had arrived and were patrolling the town. While she was still certain this town had some sort of unknown significance (after all, even Eve had shown up for the fight here), the white Knight wasn’t sure it required an active patrol. However, she didn’t want to counteract any orders until she understood why they’d been ordered in the first place.

“Thanks, Seraphim. What’s going on?”

The pink-haired Knight shrugged a shoulder. “Apparently I’m in charge.” The grin grew wider at Valiar’s vaguely alarmed look. “Nah, well, I’m sharing in-chargeness with Georg, Deimos, and Nat—allya?” Her face contorted as she tried to remember the blonde’s name, “whatever, the whip-happy one. She’s leading patrols; Deimos is following up on some of the areas the Knights found that looked suspicious; and Georg is coordinating with all the Knight Captains to make sure everyone remains fresh and that the supplies are brought in properly.”

Valiar had been nodding in time with Seraphim’s words, mentally checking them off a list of things that needed to be done. “That sounds about right.” He paused, cocked his head to one side, and then looked puzzled. “If they’re doing all that, what are you doing?”

“Making sure everyone stays on track.” Seraphim replied with a beatific smile, ignoring the suspicious cough from Lethe. “Also, delegating. Get your ass to the infirmary.” She snickered as her fellow Knight threw his hands up in the air but complied, heading towards the tent marked with the Cleric sign.

With a final cough, Lethe looked away from the mock irritated Valiar. Trust him to keep things light hearted. She could hear some of the other Knights who’d seen the interchange chuckling. “Leon left a message saying Master Guilford was looking for me?”

“Ah, yeah, he should be..” Seraphim pointed at one of the houses on the Northern side of the townsquare. “Over there, I believe. Found him passed out by the supplies so I dropped him off somewhere he could sleep in relative peace. I think he was looking for cookies?”

“He always did have a sweet tooth.” Lethe muttered under her breath, prompting another snicker from her squadmate. “Alright, I’m off to see what he wanted.”

“Sure thing. YunQiao’s where you left him, by the way. They’ve made a mini camp over there to investigate everything they find.”

Lethe lifted a hand in acknowledgment but was already walking away.
~~~

Lethe entered the house, eyes blinking as they readjusted to the dim lighting of the room. The room was pretty bare and there, dumped ungraciously on the ground was her fellow Seraph. Seraphim had been kind enough to give him a blanket but not generous enough to haul bedding over for him. Kneeling on the ground beside him, Lethe reached out to shake Guilford’s shoulder.

"mmmmnnn..." Guilford mumbled, turning to the other side. The floor was cool, the much needed sleep a welcomed blessing. "Blueberry... cheesecake..." he continued in his sleep. "would be... fine..."

Her hand met her face before she could stop herself. Lights above.. “Gil… there’s no blueberry cheesecake.” She shook her head, knowing he couldn’t hear her. She leaned over, placing one hand on the ground to stabilize herself, as she shook his shoulder once more. “Gil. Wake up.”

The kind baker was just about to hand Gil the requested Blueberry cheesecake when the whole world began to shudder, growing stronger into a violent earthquake until everything went bright. Gil opened his eyes slowly, blinking once, twice and then some to clear his vision. There was no blueberry cheesecake. Was it the baker or... "L-Lethe?" he croaked in surprise when the blur of white cleared into his fellow Seraph. "You're back.." he grunted while pushing himself to sit. Almost immediately, his hands came up to rub the sleep off himself as the blanket he didn't have earlier fell freely to his lap. "How long was I out?"

She sat back on her heels now that Gil was awake, glad she didn’t need to resort to threatening him with Daria to get him up. There was a bittersweet pang at the memory of her old squadmate but she ignored it. “I have no idea,” she answered truthfully, “I just got back to Santa Olivia. It’s about quarter past two though, if that helps.”

Sighing heavily, Guilford drew a hand down the length of his blue hair. He felt resistance at some point and opted to bring out a comb from his pouch. It was probably not the best thing to do at the moment but Seraphs need to look presentable, always. "A quarter past two..." he parroted while running the comb through his hair before tying it back into a ponytail. "Have you seen Leon?" he asked, shaking the last bit of sleep that desperately clung on to him.

“Not yet. He left a message that I was to come here as soon as possible but he was sleeping by the time I woke.”

Thinking back to his last conversation with Leon, he did entrust him with some documents that Hyuga wrote. "I assume you haven't gotten the reports?" he asked, not really expecting a favorable answer. Everyone was tired. Lapses like these can be forgiven. Guilford picked himself up and offered a hand to help the other. "We found an anchor point," he began. "The anchor point." he followed up discreetly, stressing the words just enough as he said them.

She may have had three hours of sleep but that hardly meant she was at peak performance. Lethe just stared at him blankly, clearly not understanding what he was trying to get at.

The look of confusion in her blue eyes was undeniable. If only he had the reports in hand. Guilford lowered his voice down after making sure that there were no other knight presence nearby. "Palaugrim's Great Seal," he whispered. "One of its anchor points is here. I think that was Eve's target all along."

Her confusion vanished in an instant to be replaced with surprise and then horror. ”What? That. Are you sure?” Despite her inquiry, she was replaying everything she knew about the city. It had definitely been a hub of activity, suggesting something unusual was going on. Eve had randomly shown up for the battle, along with two other demons. And the city was fairly centered on the island. But.. “But it was first attacked before Eve was even awakened.” She added doubtfully, even as she took Gil’s hand to stand back up.

"Yet there were other demons already loose and enjoying their stay on this island." Gil added, arms folding across his chest as he looked down in thought. "Perhaps it wasn't Eve who found out about it initially," he hypothesized. "Regardless, the fact that Magnus Vibrations exist in Santa Olivia, followed by Hyuga's discovery of complex seals around town suggests that it is indeed here."

“Victorie..” Lethe muttered softly at the reminder. It could make sense: Santa Olivia had been Sovereign Palaugrim’s first attack in the most recent war. And they had always fought for these lands. It was possible the fight hadn’t just been for more territory. “If Hyuga has really seen complex seals, perhaps it is the Great Seal. We can check later to confirm if they are or are not an anchor point. However, that this was Eve’s objective..?” She asked skeptically, half in truth and half just to play the devil’s advocate, “Victorie died before Eve reawakened. Raim was likewise dead. Lillith awoke only a few weeks before Eve’s reawakening. Unless you think Victorie told Lillith who has now told Eve?” It was possible, but then why not attack Santa Olivia sooner? “Either way, yes, the destruction of his anchor seal would affect the island, but it’s not enough besides causing some bad earthquakes. There’s no way the Seals were made without redundancies.” Though she didn’t know the specifics to the Great Seals, she trusted the Council to have at least thought of that. Besides, she’d taken part in setting one of the anchor seals during the Rising, albeit not this one.

Guilford listened intently; Lethe had valid points but all things considered, it wasn't entirely impossible for Eve to target the islands. As Abel said, Eve was meticulous with her moves. It might appear that she was acting randomly, but it was just as likely she was acting with a greater purpose. "My gut tells me Eve has her eyes on the islands." He stood firmly with the thought. "Regardless of how she came to know about that matters little now. It wouldn't hurt our side to be cautious," he concluded. "Besides.." he paused, recalling the previous fight. "That other demon you fought along with that orange haired one?" he continued, "It may just be me but she felt somewhat familiar..." Guilford tried to place a finger on the demon's identity but stopped when he couldn’t figure it out. There were more important things at hand.

"You're right, earthquakes or not, the destruction of an anchor point may have little effect on the island as a whole, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be vigilant. I don't understand why the Council didn't take action if they knew it was here but the fact remains that this island is in danger." Guilford began pacing around. "If only we knew more about the Great Seals, we could get a better grasp of the true situation. How about we take a look at one of the seal points now?"

“Alright. I’d like to confirm that it is one of the anchors.” Lethe turned towards the door to walk out. “It’s also possible it’s some random seal that we’ve never heard about. I don’t think any of us had realized about Luciano and Eve’s seal.” She added a touch bitterly, pausing just outside the door to let her eyes re-adjust to the afternoon brightness. When she’d regained most of her vision, she headed back into the townsquare. “Seraphim,” The pink haired woman turned away from the squad she was teasing, lifting a hand in greeting. “Have you seen Knight Hyuga from Gil’s squad?”

“Hmm.. Nope. But, Georg might.” Seraphim turned to look for the other man, catching sight of the Knights around her. “Get back to work!” She scolded to the awe-struck group, shooing them off. When the wide-eyed gaggle finally left, she pointed out the veteran at the center of the command center. “I’ll just snag him so you two don’t disrupt the others, kay?”

Lethe looked around them as Seraphim jogged off. There were quite a few sideways glances in her and Guilford’s direction. “Oh, we found some sin crystals earlier,” She commented softly, trying to break the otherwise awkward moment. “At least I think they are? They were still in their boxes and we didn’t want to risk it.”

Guilford had turned in her direction at the non sequitur, attention pulled away from the bustle around them. That’s right, she didn’t’ know about the purified sin crystals Hyuga had found. He was about to tell her when her second comment caught him off guard. “Boxes?” He repeated in confusion.

This time it was Lethe’s turn to appear chastised. “Did I forget to mention them?” It had been a hectic time in Jenault between Lillith’s rebirth and Brynhildr’s death. It was possible.. Her mouth slanted into a frown at her oversight. “Sorry, Gil. The original sin crystals we found in Jenault were packaged..” She recounted the scarce information her team had pierced together about the boxes as they waited for Seraphim, Georg, and/or Hyuga to return. Their discussion was interrupted by the appearance of the latter. The Dreamer’s hair was still slightly mussed and there were dark shadows under his eyes.

“Captain. Master Lethe.” Hyuga greeted around a wide yawn, “Seraphim said you were looking for me?”

Lethe glanced at her companion, indicating that he should take the lead. Guilford cleared his throat before speaking to his exhausted knight. "Lethe and I were planning to take a look at one of the seal points. We would appreciate it if you could pinpoint the location of the nearest one here." He handed Hyuga a map of Santa Olivia that he had procured during the walk.

The other man took the map and began looking for the nearest point based off recollection alone. It took him a while but his pen finally moved to mark a specific spot to the north side of town. "This one should be the closest," the Dreamer said with confidence, returning his Captain's map. "Though I must say," Hyuga started, "I've never seen seals like these my entire life. I spent the whole morning trying to trace their origin but..." A dumbfounded look covered his face before he sighed in defeat. "The lack of information about the runes used on them is just far too great. It's like trying to read ancient writing that nobody had ever even seen!" He complained before scratching his head in thought. Red eyes scanned the two Seraphs in front of him: "While I don't doubt your intellect Captain, Master Lethe," he looked back at the map before glancing at them again, not wanting to sound rude or anything, "But I highly doubt that even you two could make something of it." he admitted bluntly. "Perhaps with an expert?" he ended suggestively, eyes gleaming with hope.

"You’re saying you're that expert? And that we should bring you along is that it?" Guilford asked, seeing Hyuga responding immediately with an assertive nod. The blue haired Seraph chanced a look at Lethe before returning his gaze to Hyuga. "Sorry Hyu, I'm going to have to say no. Get some rest, you look awfully tired."

The black-haired man visibly deflated. He really wanted to see those seals again! And maybe Captain or Master Lethe could shed some light from their experiences. But if Captain said no.. “Alright..” he conceded gloomily, handing the map back..

“Good job on finding these, Knight Hyuga.” Lethe added encouragingly with a smile, unable to stop at such a downtrodden look. The man perked up a bit but still walked away slouched. She looked after him regretfully, but if the seal really was one of the anchor seals, there was no way she could let him see it. Instead, she looked towards Guilford and the map in his hand. “Shall we?”

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


Last edited by t.en on Tue Jan 13, 2015 9:54 am, edited 3 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:28 pm 
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Gless - Caletta, Residential District



"How many times do I have to say this guys?!" roared an irritated Alona towards her friends. "Lance had himself reinstated in the knighthood!" she slammed a balled fist on the table aimed at a particular document, nearly toppling over their coffee cups in the process. "And he did it without even telling us! Had I not found this reinstatement letter, we never would have known!" she continued in heated breath before falling back down to her seat, arms immediately folding over her chest.

Silver who was in the process of stilling his coffee cup shifted his gaze towards Alona, a questioning look landing on the eyes of the other. "And why are you so upset?" he asked the fuming woman.

"Why wouldn't I be?!" she retorted. "It was him who convinced us that our business with the knighthood is over after the first war—that we should live out our lives in peace! Now he had himself reinstated and kept us in the dark about it! After everything we all have been through, I think we deserve the right to know his reasons for doing so!"

Akira sighed. It was clear that Alona was just worried about Lance. "I get it Alona, I really do." he started followed by a long breath. "But let me correct you on one point, Lance did not convince any of us to leave the knighthood, and you know this." he leveled his stare at her. "We have all seen things, experienced things that may very well drive an ordinary man insane, but over the course of that harsh journey, we have all made our choices deep down to leave the knighthood. What Lance did was simply taking the lead."

"I...I know that! But still!"

"Alona." Silver called out to her, a certain air of sharpness mixed in his tone. "Whatever his reasons are for re-joining the knighthood, it must have been important to him. Why he chose to remain silent about it was probably because he didn't want us to worry about him." he took a sip of coffee and set his cup down once more. "Or he simply might not have gotten the chance to do so. If you're still worried about him, let's talk to him before he departs to his post."

Cora stretched her arms followed by a wide yawn. All this scowling and growling so early in the morning was making her want to sleep more. "You know..." she trailed off, letting a yawn loose before folding her hands around her warm coffee cup. "If you think about it, maybe Lance left his reinstatement documents on purpose. This might just be his way of telling us that he reinstated." she mumbled mindlessly and lifted her cup slowly to take a sip. "Still, I know Alona isn't going to settle down with just this, let's just go talk to him later. I heard from a group of knights yesterday that "The Lion" will be commanding a squad of his own and about how they're excited to be included in the selection."


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Grand Cathedral - Council Chambers




"Councilors, I propose that we rebuild Santa Olivia."

Guilford's words echoed within the chamber amidst the heavy gloom in the air inside it. Both Seraphs had recounted their progress from their last mission with all of the Councilors, stressing every important detail that needed to be mentioned. Now it was time to move on to the last topic on the list, Palaugrim's Great Seal and one of its Anchor Points in Santa Olivia.

"Or at least have an active hand in making sure Santa Olivia remains under our control." he added, realizing that they may not be able to spare the time, resources or even manpower for the effort given that the thirteenth is but a night away.

"Why the sudden interest in Santa Olivia?" Margarette asked the male Seraph.

Guilford inhaled sharply before turning his gaze towards the only female councilor. "Our knights found an Anchor Point in Santa Olivia." he answered calmly. "Lethe and I both confirmed it ourselves."

The revelation prompted a stir among the other Councilors, their eyes trying to confirm what they already know from the two Seraphs. Cornelius on the other hand simply remained calm and composed. He pushed away several documents laid out before him and turned his gaze towards Guilford and Lethe. "I trust you kept this information amongst yourselves?" he finally asked the two.

"We did what was necessary Councilor..." Guilford paused, he didn't like the idea of keeping information from people, especially from the ones under his wings. "we made an official statement saying that it was an unknown seal as per our orders."

"Good." the leader of the High Council exhaled. "We have already considered your proposal of rebuilding Santa Olivia. However, circumstance prevents us from doing so. Instead, we shall take the initiative at its defense, or as you have put it, having an active hand at making sure it remains within our control." he then shuffled the documents before him expertly. "For now, I need you two to focus on the task at hand." a grim expression befell his features. "The thirteenth moon is almost at hand. I trust our preparations are complete?"

There was a slight wince from Guilford at the blatant dismissal of the topic by Cornelius. Why do they appear less caring about the enemy's discovery of one such anchor point? The mystery behind the four Great Seals was simply too deep. Even if Guilford wanted to press for answers, the councilors would probably just dismiss any further inquiries.

"Master Guilford?"

The question jogged the Seraph back to his senses, shaking his head just a little in an attempt to refocus himself and stay on track. "Yes councilor, the preparations have been made..."


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Palaugrim - Santa Olivia (Flashback)



"This is it." Gil panned around a moment before turning his gaze at a hefty pile of rubble. "According to the point where Hyu marked it, that should be around here somewhere..." he scratched his head, slightly irritated for forgetting to ask Hyuga about any specific markers to indicate the exact location. Finding himself in a fix, Gil kicked a loose rock away. He was tired, too damn tired to even try sensing for those Magnus Vibrations Hyuga spoke of. The male Seraph began walking around, trying to find what they were looking for through the devastation and rubble before them. If he was a master mage, where would he hide a seal point? Guilford was already in the process of sifting through some loose rocks in places that appeared odd to him when a thought crossed his mind. It was way back in a time when his father showed him a rare breed of insects that visits Rosetta once a year, his words were: "The best place to hide, is in plain sight."

A frown emerged on his features as he sighed. "Great... like that will help me find it easier." he sighed in defeat and turned to his female comapnion. "Any luck on your side?"

Lethe watched her fellow Seraph for a few moments as he kicked at the rubble uselessly. Did he think it was under the collapsed building or something..? If Hyuuga had seen the seal like the other Knight claimed, wouldn’t it suggest that the seal was in plain sight? Or, if hidden, there was an already created path that led to its hiding spot. Gil, however, was already stamping around irritably so she said nothing. He must not have gotten as much sleep as her given that she’d left first. Instead of saying anything, the female Knight simply turned around to look as well.

She rather doubted it was out in the open—someone would have said something before now if that was the case—so she was probably looking for a door or a tunnel of sorts? She wandered away from Guilford, searching for any opened doors or unusual openings. A shout had her turning back towards where she’d come from. It sounded like Gil. She was walking back when something caught her eye. Lethe paused to look at it: a destroyed gate that used to border the garrison. There was no easy entrance so she’d ignored it earlier and yet.. something about it…

When she got closer, her confusion both deepened and lessened. This was her symbol on one of the fallen blocks; no doubt its familiar image had been the source of her interest. But why was her symbol on a random piece of rubble in Santa Olivia? She traced the etching with a gloved finger feeling—oh.

“Gil!” She shouted to catch his attention, waiting until he was in speaking distance to continue, “Was Leon with Knight Hyuga when he found this?” One hand prodded at the wreckage around her, trying to find the entrance. It had to be close by.

"Yes he was." Gil answered immediately just as he got to her side. Purple eyes immediately fell to the object of her interest and sure enough, there was the presence of lingering magic in the form of her seal. From the way she asked if her subordinate was with Hyuga, it could only mean that it was Leon who did this. Gil sighed, if only Hyuga was more thoughtful like Leon. Then again, there was simply no diverting that man's attention when it comes to something that snags his interest. It was natural of Hyuga to skip meals when in the middle of research so this much was hardly surprising. "Here, let me take a look at that." he said and moved in closer to Lethe, snagging the piece of rock from her hand.

Hailing from a family of blacksmiths, it wasn't that hard for him to tell if a rock came from under the earth, even if it had been exposed to the outside air for quite some time. One glance at it and he immediately knew that this piece of rock was foreign from Santa Olivia's surface. "Unearthed no doubt." he informed his fellow Seraph and handed the rock back to her. "It's possible that we should be looking for a tunnel." he continued and began looking around once more. Now that they have an idea of what to look for, it wasn't that difficult finding the said tunnel. Underneath a thick brush from a garden that used to belong to someone, lies the entrance. The two Seraphs stood before the tunnel, Guilford glancing at Lethe in a non-verbal conversation of who should go in first. She was smaller so it would have made more sense for her to take the lead but the idea of walking into a tunnel dug by Sinners? It wasn't the best there is out there but both knew that this needed to be done. With a deep breath, Guilford drew his sword with one smooth motion and took the lead.

Just a few paces into the tunnel and the meager afternoon light was robbed almost instantly. Guilford reached a hand forward and channeled magic into it, firing a toned down banish bolt that illuminated the length of the one path that led deeper into the tunnel. It took a while before his magic collided with something, enough to tell Guilford the distance they would have to tread until they reach the end. Sword drawn and path lighted by his glowing hand, the two made their way deeper until they reached a large chamber, man-made and large enough to hold the contraption in the middle that held what they were looking for. Guilford sheathed his sword and looked at the Seal Point. "Okay..." he sighed. "Deep down I was hoping not to find this in here..."

Ten years, it had been that long since he last laid eyes on a Seal Amplifier. The first time the two of them saw this was during the earlier phase of the Rising. Having just completed their Rite of Transcendence to becoming Seraphs, Guilford and Lethe were both tasked with joining an unknown sect of master mages to take part in raising the four islands. It was a grueling task that lasted for a month, a week of non-stop magic weaving spent for each island raised. Shaking the memory off, Gil turned to his companion. "What now?"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Gless - Caletta, Grand Cathedral Barracks



"Ooookay! That about concludes this interview. Thank you for your time and you will be notified of the results." Lance hurriedly shooed away the second to the last knight interviewee of the day. Bemused and a little confused, the knight stood slowly, gave courtesy to Lance and proudly walked out the door; an attempt to show Lance that he deserved a spot on the squad that he was forming. The other in turn, was having the time of his life selecting candidates from the not-so-fresh pool of potential entrusted to his discretion. Lance rubbed his temples rythmically to soothe away the forming headache from this effort. It had only been a few days since they returned from Palaugrim and had it not been for that miracle powder Hyuga gave him, he would probably still be in bed right now trying to recover his magic reserves.

He was supposed to form a new squad, orient them with his way of running things, and ultimately lead them into combat faster than he could blink. So far, the High Council had been nice enough to shove responsibility of taming oddballs and certain squad misfits unto him—like a bad joke he deserved for coming back now after all the summons they sent his way. "The pains of the knighthood Lance..." he sighed to himself while shuffling the prowess reports laid out before him to a neat stack. "the pains of the knighthood." he repeated to himself before focusing on the last prowess report. Brown eyes widened for a moment before falling back to their normal size and finally into a squint. "You have got to be kidding me!" he raised both hands in the air, letting the prowess report fall to his desk. The name Yulia Schneider was listed on the prowess report.

Whatever emotions he had earlier faded away, nostalgia sinking into a sepia-colored past. Lance refused to lay his hands on Yulia's prowess report, unsure if he should call her in or disregard the reality and deny that her document was actually right before his eyes. He has not yet come to a decision when his attention was pulled towards the door when a female knight clad in familiar silver armor, lined with gold trimmings along with her trademark blue scarf walked in. He must have had a dreadful expression for when their eyes met, she was visibly startled just a bit.

"I'm sorry! I saw the other knight come out and I thought you were ready for me. Should I come back?" she asked, her tone professional.

At least she was being respectful this time around. The last time they met, she was feisty and didn't seem to take a liking towards him. Lance felt suspicious at the act but decided to play along. She didn't seem to recognize who he was back at Palaugrim, perhaps that still remains? A smile erased whatever negative expression he had earlier as he motioned for the female knight to come in and have a seat. Lance mindlessly picked up her prowess report once more and began perusing it, keeping a close watch on Yulia as he did so.

"Yulia Schnieder." he called her name, prompting the female knight to stiffen a bit. "You are Knight Commander Sigfried's Vice Captain right? Does he know you're here?"

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


Last edited by RealityCheck on Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 10:10 am 
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[[Day 10 of Month -3, Morning :: Grand Cathedral, Gless]]
“Is it just me or did they seem oddly.. uncaring about the anchor point?” Lethe mused aloud, brows furrowed as she mulled the meeting they’d just left. The Councilors had remained behind to continue their discussions but for the sake of efficiency, she and her fellow Knight had been released to continue preparing for Eve’s upcoming attack.

“Care, Lethe.” Guilford cautioned with a warning tap, his attention focused on scanning the area around them. Thankfully, the room outside the Council Chambers was empty; no one had heard her.

“Sorry.” They started walking down the hallways. “We can discuss another time? Maybe after the thirteenth.”

“Maybe.” Guilford agreed, his mind focused on the remaining preparations for the upcoming attack. “Actually,” He stopped walking at the sudden sensation of a hand in his; Lethe had turned to face him, grabbing his hand to keep him from moving. She looked contemplative, even as she voiced, “Do you think--? No, never mind.” Whatever she’d wanted to say, it appeared she’d decided against it. “I apologize. I’m headed off to my quarters. I’ll see you around.” Her hand slipped from his even as she turned away, “May the Divine Light guide you and keep you safe.”
~~~

Do you think--?

The white Knight paused in her walk, turning to face the window and the courtyard it revealed. The sun was high in the sky--near noon, she’d guess. But despite the pleasant weather, her mind was not so happily engaged.

Do you think we should train together?

She leaned against the window sill; feeling her right side pulse against the wood. Her wound had already been treated back on Palaugrim, neither scar nor ache remained, but it wasn’t the memory of pain that drew her attention there. It was the reminder. Guilford and her were terribly out of sync. The years apart, spent training with their squads instead of with each other, had thrown their coordination into disarray. There’d been a time when she could have predicted every response of his in battle and he hers. Now--they were a mess. He defended what she preferred to evade and he evaded when she expected him to block.

Her fingers involuntarily tightened at the memory, pressing against the glass pane. Adair would have blocked it. Adair knew the team stood behind him: no strike could reach past him to his casters and medic. And she had been depending on that. But Guilford was no tank, at least not in the classical way. He attacked so hard enemies had no choice but to focus him. But she’d grown used to a bulwark between her and her enemies. Their fighting styles were completely different now.

Her head fell against the window pane, forehead resting on the sun-warmed glass. Oh Light, what were they going to do? They’d failed to take down Eve. Sure, some might argue they’d been exhausted and weren’t at their full strength but.. No, it was clear to her that they couldn’t take down Eve, not right now, not even with their ‘special training’ and Light’s Blessing and what-have-yous. If they wanted a chance of victory, they’d have to work as a team.

But when would they have time for that?

It was the tenth already. Three days until Eve’s upcoming attack. Guilford would be needed here and she would be sent back to Palaugrim. She’d demand to be sent back to defend it.
“Yeah.. I don’t know. They’ve done some good, made some things worse.”
“I won’t say that the people here have ever been unkind, but uncertainty can lead to wariness. But ever since the Campaign and Luciano’s fall and your boy’s visit, it seems everyone has fully embraced the Divine Light once more.”

There was no way she’d forsake those on Palaugrim.
“The attack is your fault! We’ve always been a peaceful village… until they came! All they’ve brought is trouble! We never had this trouble under Victorie’s rule! “

Not again.

And besides.. Invidia will always love you. Her body trembled as those phantom arms wrapped around her. She didn’t dare--she couldn’t bear it if--

“Captain!”

She pushed away from her perch, almost stumbling from the sudden violence of her motions. Catching her balance, the Seraph turned to face a concerned looking Seraphim.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, sorry. Just caught in..” Lethe waved away the rest of her words, not sure what the right word would have been anyways. Memories? Fears? “What are you doing with those?” She nodded at the bag of books her squadmate carried under one arm.

The pink-haired woman sighed and rolled her eyes. “Playing messenger girl for YunQiao. He said these might have more clues about what they found in Santa Olivia.” Seeing Lethe’s concerned look, Seraphim laughed sheepishly, “Well, I wanted an excuse to leave the room anyways. Ugh, all those papers and maps and thinking. Just let me hit something, please.”

“You’ll need to get used to them, Seraphim, for when you take over your own squad.” Lethe chided with a soft laugh, missing the complicated expression that passed over the other woman’s face at those words. “Although, I think right now we need to focus on the upcoming attack. There are only three days until Eve’s attack.”

During their talk, the two women had reached Squad Ten’s squad quarters and Leon chimed in. “Do you think it’ll happen? We defeated Eve and the Sinners pretty thoroughly at Santa Olivia.” Albeit it had required that massive rain of light that no one was quite sure where it came from and Captain tapping into Light’s Blessing (thank the Light there had been no screams of pain or shockwaves this time!) and her and Master Guilford going toe to toe with Eve, but the important point was that they had won. “If I was Eve, after such a setback, I’d reconsider staging another attack so soon after losing”

Lethe nodded at Leon’s words. It was a good point but, “Except that it’s supposed to be a two-pronged attack, both Eve and Tethel. What happened at Santa Olivia won’t affect Tethel’s troops and if our intelligence is correct, she’s getting a free source of Sinners from Tethel so she’ll be able to get replacements.”

“But If I was Tethel and I’d been counting on the Sinners in Santa Olivia to help me, the sudden loss of such an ally would make me reconsider.” Leon rebutted, “There were a lot of Sinners and Reapers in Santa Olivia and we know,” he waved at the notes they’d collected from Santa Olivia, pinned all over the room, “that a major operation was going on there.”

“But we don’t know if Tethel was counting on those Sinners.” Adair joined in, “Yes, there was an operation there. However, it didn’t look like they were amassing for an attack. Whatever was going on there,” green eyes cut to Lethe, having not forgotten about the ‘unknown seal’ excuse she and Guilford had given, “it seemed to naturally need that many Sinners and Reapers. It’d be better to assume..” The conversation turned into a lively debate regarding whether Eve truly would attack.

Please!” YunQiao finally cut in, raising his voice to be heard over the ruckus. “I’m trying to work here!” He gestured at the notes and books that shared his table.

“Are those from Santa Olivia? You’ll have to put them aside for now. Regardless of our debating, as we have no concrete knowledge that Eve has changed her plans, we must assume that Eve and Tethel will continue their attack on the thirteenth and prepare accordingly. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Now, Valiar, please ask one of the messengers to summon a doctor. I want everyone to have a physical checkup before we leave. Deimos, what’s the status of our inventory?”
~~~~~

Early evening saw the rare sight of Lethe leaving the Cathedral. The doctor had come through and demanded all of them get more rest, her especially. Yes, he understood that time was short and she had an upcoming deadline but what good would she do to anyone passed out? And with those wondering words, he had personally escorted all of Squad Ten out the Cathedral and into the street.

The white-haired Knight had tried to circle back, only to see doctor guarding the gates with a ferocious scowl. YunQiao was determinedly walking away, his overly stiff posture betraying, to her at least, that he had tried to slip back in to no avail. Of course there were other ways in but.. blue eyes slid longingly towards a familiar street. In recent months, she’d had much less opportunity to walk down it. No, she really shouldn’t. She couldn’t be slacking off and leaving all the work to Gil-Master Guilford. Again. Especially after she’d.. ‘asked’ Councilor Laith to keep her abreast of all the Council meetings instead of coddling her away like before. And yet..

“Here you go, Master Lethe.” She jerked back into the present, blinking in surprise as a bouquet of jonquils was laid in her hands. The florist, an older lady probably in her sixties, was looking at her with a mixture of amusement and curiosity, too polite to ask but not polite enough to not speculate. Lethe flared red but reached for her coinpurse, determinedly handing over the money despite the florist’s protests. This is why she normally went in disguise. However, it was too late so she continued the rest of the way, ending up in a familiar cemetery.

She paused at the first grave, wiping away some of the dirt that had gathered on Lark’s headstone. She didn’t have the time, or flowers, to hand them out as she normally did so she had to be content with cleaning his tombstone. Once done, she rose to her feet and headed for her destination. As usual, she took a seat behind the familiar marker, leaning against the granite slab and closing her eyes.
Quote:
[[Day 9 of Month -3, Afternoon :: Santa Olivia]]
Solemn. Poignant. There was a quality in the air that stole her voice away. Blue eyes gazed reverently on the runes in front of her: elegant swirls and graceful dips, harsh lines and precise engravings. They were--words could not describe the magnificence before her even if her voice should somehow return. How beautiful. How..

“Well, I admit I was hoping…”

Lethe startled out of her reverie, attention recalled to her fellow Seraph. He did not seem similarly affected by the seal in front of them; if anything, he looked long-suffering at its discovery. “What now?”

Purple eyes stared at her and it was only then she realized an answer was expected of her.

“I-” The word cracked unattractively as she tried to recollect her missing voice. “No one else can know it’s here.” She looked around the room presumably in search of any other entrance. In truth, she was just--she didn’t know. Her thoughts were still scrambled and she found it too easy to be drawn back in by the magnificence of the seal before her. The silver-haired Seraph swung her attention to Guilford in an abrupt motion, trying to keep the seal out of her sight. “We must ensure there are no other entrances and that it hasn’t been tampered with. Then we’ll have to seal it away again.” She paused, throat clogging at the idea that she couldn’t study it any longer, enjoy the simple elegance of its design. Somehow, during her scholarship under Lady Mei, she’d clearly grown much too fond of seals given all she wanted to do right now was bask in its presence. Guilford and her may have helped in raising the islands all those years ago, but it had been like being a blind woman in a gallery of masterpieces: without seeing, one could not appreciate the beauty of Van Gogh. Without understanding, she’d been little more than a battery back then. But now..

“Hyuga and Leon will still know about these seals. As will everyone who overheard us.” Guilford pointed out, eyes watching his fellow Seraph carefully. Her eyes were closed, hands firmly clasped together, and arms nearly vibrating with tension. Again, when her eyes met his, she seemed startled, as she had when he’d first asked her for her opinion.

“We’ll have to make some excuse then. Unknown seal or something.”

“Hyuga will want to investigate it then.” She was still staring at him a bit vacantly and he resisted the urge to look around him to see if something was amiss. “Why don’t you go outside to figure out how to hide the tunnel?” He suggested, no longer wanting her in here. If there was some influence, it appeared she was more susceptible than him.

“No!” The passion shocked both of them before Lethe shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I can help here.” She insisted even as she pressed her hands against her forehead.

“Lethe.” She looked up as Guilford took her wrist into his hand, drawing it away. “Please.” After a moment, she deflated in resignation. “Alright. I’ll figure out the seal for hiding this place and what excuse to announce. You..” She trailed off, just remembering he wasn’t one of her squadmates; it wasn’t her place to order him about. “You know what to do. Call me if you need any help? I’ll just be up the tunnel a bit.” With a meaningless smile, Lethe retreated from the underground room and the treasure it held.

When she opened her eyes again, the sun was low in the sky. There was only half an hour, at most, before night came. With one last longing sigh at the memory of delicately drawn runes and majestic constructions thrumming with power, Lethe got to her feet. The jonquils she placed in Eiji’s empty vase. Had it really been so long since she’d been here last? Before she would toss out the old flowers herself to be replaced with her new ones. Now, the grave keeper had done so for her it’d been so long. She heaved another regretful sigh but again straightened up. She might regret, but there was nothing she could do.

With a glance at the sky, still twilight, the white Knight headed back towards the Cathedral. The doctor was probably gone by now. There was still much to do before she could properly rest.

Only two days left.

~~~~~

“What are you doing here?” The words escaped him before his brain could catch up to his mouth. An elegant woman in a kimono stood in the family shrine, presumably previously contemplating the pictures displayed there. At the rude address, she had turned to reveal cold grey eyes, one eyebrow already arched in disdain. YunQiao felt heat rise in his cheeks, both at his rudeness and her response, but he willed it away with experience.

“Am I not allowed to visit my ancestors, nephew?” QianHua wondered archly, turning completely away from the photographs now.

The black-haired Knight shook his head and moved forward. “No, of course not. Forgive me, Auntie.” He slipped off his slippers and entered the wooden floored room in his bare feet. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you here.” He walked to the corner of the room where the incense was stored, “You rejected every other invitation we extended.”

“Hmm,” was his only response, along with a smug smile. He pulled out two sticks and lit the ends with the candle left there exactly for that purpose. QianHua moved out of his way as he walked to the middle of the room, taking her spot. Holding the two sticks, he lifted them in the air and then bowed.

Cao. The character dominated the white scroll. Another scroll was unfurled beside it: Xue. Despite three different names, the families were all interconnected. Before the Great War, they had shared one complex. But that was now destroyed and the families scattered, only gathering occasionally. With his father and brother dead, his mother had taken over maintaining the remnants of the family shrine, clinging to the role as if it was a saving grace. Maybe it was, for her.

YunQiao placed the smoking incense in the censer, clapped his hands, and then stepped back. The two Knights, one former and one current, stood silently in the room as smoke lazily curled through the air.

“Will you come in?” YunQiao finally broke the silence between them, turning to face his aunt.

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“Then what brought you here?” He asked, with a touch of reproof. His mother had sent multiple invitations before and all had been rejected. While the shrine was open for any from the three families to visit, it was rude to not also pay respects to his mother as the “shrine keeper.” “Mother was looking forward to meeting you, Auntie.”

Grey eyes narrowed at the reprimand. “I’m leaving Gless tomorrow.” That, at least, was enough to startle him out of his disapprobation. “I need to return home.” If the attack did occur, there was no way she would be away from her children. While she had no doubts about Ensei’s and Seien’s capabilities, she wasn’t fool enough to rely on luck against a foe like Eve. She and Skassia would return to her orphanage; Ethera and Mei to their library.

“When will you return?”

The look she granted YunQiao made clear exactly how stupid she thought that question was. Why in Light’s name would she come back? She’d come solely to make sure Lethe didn’t kill herself and then had stayed only to make sure her nephew had some chance of survival. However, she was happily retired and no matter how the Council might press her, she had no intentions of returning to the battlefield. She and her sisters had done their share. Now it was time for the next generation to bear their burdens.

The sound of hurried footfall broke their conversation and both turned towards the entrance. A middle-aged woman panted softly for breath, one hand patting at her coiffure to ensure its neatness. “Cousin QianHua!” Blue eyes, paled by age, brightened at the sight. “Welcome to the Cao house!” The qipao-dressed woman stepped into the room and enveloped the startled QianHua in a hug. “I’m so glad you finally decided to come! You must stay for dinner! Myeong’s already starting to make some peach buns for you.” QianHua smiled awkwardly; who was this woman?

“Mother,” YunQiao finally intercepted, ignoring QianHua’s suddenly deadly look. “I’m sure QianHua would love to stay for dinner. Do you need help getting out the table? I think the courtyard might be a nice place to eat tonight.”

“Oh! Of course! What a good idea! Come, we can just take a seat here and enjoy the sunset. Can you bring us some tea as well, Yunyun?”

“Of course, mother.” YunQiao smiled and helped his mother to her seat on the raised pathway with QianHua reluctantly following. Had his aunt really thought he’d let her come and not meet his mother when his mother was so eager to meet her? It was just as good Auntie was leaving tomorrow, he’d hate to see what his training would have looked like after pulling this stunt. With a self-satisfied aura, YunQiao left to do as bade.

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 3:00 pm 
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Day 10 of month 3 - Caletta: Grand Cathedral Barracks



Now that it was official that he clearly outranked her, Yulia couldn't afford to give him any bite no matter how much she wanted to. Despite how hard she fought it, she just couldn't bring herself to like this man, yet she was somehow drawn to him, almost like a bad case of fixation. It was because of this reason that she chose to request a transfer under The Lion's command. She was looking for answers. "Captain Fitzherberg, my request for transfer was authorized by Knight Commander Sigfried himself. If you think my being here would cause you any trouble, worry not sir." Yulia responded professionally.

The more he looked at her, the more he could see her resemblance with Yael—they both had the same fire in their eyes. He was more than content with Yulia being under the care of Sigfried but for her to be here? Wanting to be under the command of the man who let her brother die in his arms? It was wrong, this was all wrong. Yael wanted her to live a peaceful life. He did everything in his power so that she would not even think about signing up to the knighthood; the role of the dutiful brother—Yael played it perfectly. Lance thought back to those times he shared with her brother. If Yael made Yulia a promise, he would do whatever it takes so that he could keep it. One such promise was the one he said about getting home in time for dinner. They were on a routine patrol that time and was ambushed by Sinners led by two Pure Sinners. Outnumbered six to one, Lance's squad engaged their enemies in a desperate fight to stay alive. Yael who was determined about getting back home in time to have dinner with Yulia yelled at one of the Pure Sinners before he struck the finishing blow. He said: "I will not be late for dinner!" Since then, if someone from their squad said 'it's time for dinner', that meant to mop up quick.

"Very well," Lance paused, eyes going back to Yulia's prowess report. "You have an impressive record Yulia." he commented as he continued reading. She was not exceptionally strong in terms of both physical and magical aspects, yet one cannot say she was weak in either of them too. If anything, she was a well-rounded knight that excelled in the field of cunning. She was a tactical one if Lance had to categorize her. "The big question is, why did you choose to transfer?" he asked, setting down Yulia's prowess report. "Before Sigfried was made Knight Commander, as you already know, is one of the most desirable Captains to fall under the command of."

The time it took for her to respond was enough for Lance to call hesitation. Though her eyes never wavered, Lance knew that she was not prepared to answer such a question. "To give others a chance to rise in the ranks." she finally answered. "As a Vice Captain for Knight Commander Sigfried, I was almost always helping him with paperwork."

"So you dislike paperwork?"

"No Captain Fitzherberg. I was a Scribe before I became a Knight. I feel like I have done my time with paperwork and I strongly believe that I could contribute more to the cause by being on field duty. Under Knight Commander Sigfried, I do not get that chance too often."

Beautiful. Lance would have believed it if only what she said did not sound or feel like half the truth. There was something else, and he knows it. "Alright then, since you are a Vice Captain, I'd skip the situational questions and ask you a different one instead." Lance crossed both arms before his chest. "If you feel that way, why didn't you ask for a transfer sooner? We both know that it could be done." he leveled his eyes at her, an inquisitive gaze at that. "Why under my command?"

It took her by surprise again. She had prepared for the situational questions yet this man was prying at her reasons instead. It only made the questions she had about this man scream louder. Who was he? Why does it feel like he knew her for a long time now? More importantly, why does it feel like he was hiding something from her? She only met him the first time in Kaiser Outpost and yet those eyes that he had when he heard her name... why did he have such sad eyes?

"Answers..." she mumbled. "I'm looking for answers."

Lance felt his heart skip two—no, three beats at her response. Does she know he was her late brother's Captain? It was Yael's strict orders that they should not socialize with Yulia back then. According to him, the two of them have lost enough loved ones for her to go through that pain and suffering again. It may sound like he was keeping her out of the world's reach but of course, given how harsh a time it was back then for the knights, his request, if not unreasonable, was understandable.

"Answers huh..." Lance trailed off and picked up his seal. He stamped it on the part intended for him on Yulia's transfer request and looked at the female knight as he handed the papers over. "I hope you find them." he said and offered a hand for her to shake. "Welcome to The Pride." Yulia gratefully accepted her transfer documents and shook Lance's hand. "It's a pleasure to be working with you, Captain."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 10 of Month 3 - Grand Cathedral: Squad Eight Quarters.


A razor-sharp glare from Alfrei bore through the back of Hyuga who claimed to be in "extensive research" about the Unknown Seal that they had found in Palaugrim. Layers upon layers of sketches, documents, research material and a couple food boxes lay scattered in the vicinity of Hyuga's work corner within the room. By no means was the man a slob, he just tends to forget the essence of the word tidy, clean, organized and whatever term existed regarding the idea when he is preoccupied by scientific endeavors. Alfrei watched the man scuffle, rummage, pace and attempt to pull out all of his hair in a futile effort. He had been at it since the day they got back and not once had the Dreamer left his own enclosed dimension.

"Give it up. You know full well that you're not going to find anything." Georg grunted while shifting to a more comfortable slack on the couch. "The Captain and Master Lethe wouldn't classify it as an unknown had there been existing records of whatever it is that you guys found." he added and turned to look at Alfrei who seemed like he was about to burst a nerve in annoyance.

"You normals wouldn't understand..." Hyuga mumbled mindlessly, uncaring and unaffected by Georg's attempt at deterring him from his research. Instead, he smoothly turned to his side table and plucked out his personal diary from the drawer, jotting down notes just as fast as he could dip his feather pen in ink.

"You should give it up Georg." Joaquim chuckled while moving his Seraph piece on the Knights game board. He was in the process of executing a flawless strategy against the younger Natalia who was determined to win the game against him. "We all know there's no separating him from his research all things considered."

Georg sighed in defeat, Joaquim was right. While they were seemingly enjoying some downtime, the fact remains that the thirteenth moon was fast approaching and the fate of the islands would then be placed in their hands. In their own way, all of them were either physically or mentally preparing themselves for the things to come. Hyuga was probably determined to find a way to harness something out of that unknown seal to be used to their advantage. Them on the other hand, those who doesn't share the same level of intellect as the Dreamer, were taking the time to rest their weary bodies, all in preparation for the thirteenth as well.

"I wonder how the Council meeting turned out..." Vlad attempted a change of subject. It wouldn't do any of them good to be prodding at each others' backs in these times.

Only then did Alfrei release his death glare trained at Hyuga upon hearing Vlad's words. "We'd have to wait for the Captain to get back for news. As much as I'm anxious to know our play against Eve's attack, we have little say in the matter entirely. All we can really do is wait and prepare..." he trailed off, glancing around the room in search of someone. Again, one of them was missing. "Has any of you seen Fiona?" he finally asked after realizing that he hasn't seen much of her since they got back. Alfrei hoped someone had but the shaking heads from his squadmates immediately made it clear. "It's way past our designated call time." he paused and turned to Vlad. "Could you go look for her?"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 10 of month 3 - Caletta: Streets


Afraid. This is what she had become after their recent skirmish in Palaugrim—her first real skirmish. Who would have thought that it would turn out to be a nightmare? Fiona wandered Caletta's streets aimlessly, lost in her own thoughts of powerlessness, drowning in her self-pity, carrying her confidence that had sunken at an all-time low. She was wearing her casual clothes instead of her azure armor, any intent of reporting for duty long discarded with the early morning mist, and any trace of elegance she had, had gone with the wind. Head low and with a confused heart, the events of that fateful battle streamed inside her head repeatedly, those burning red eyes tormenting her immediately after. Now that things had quieted down as much as it was allowed in these times, and with no more adrenaline to shield her from her innermost thoughts, Fiona felt weak and vulnerable for the first time in her life. Did they really win that battle? She had done her best and all it amounted to was to invite death right before her doorstep. Had it not been for her Captain, she could have been very well sent home in a body bag.

"One of the best and brightest huh?" she spat in disgust of herself. She was often referred to as that back in her academy days, but just look at her now, a full-fledged knight who was defeated and disgraced. If the best and the brightest couldn't cut it, and the most powerful knights—the Seraphs—were unable to land a finishing blow against Eve, who else was there left to defeat her? The council? Those old men who knew nothing about holding a sword? Abel? The knight who kept burning his life force just so he could continue serving the cause? For all she knows, Abel chose to seal Eve because he couldn't defeat her back then. Fiona chuckled painfully. In her mind she had already given up, there was simply no defeating a powerful opponent such as Eve. For a knight of her caliber to even hope? It was ridiculous. These people—Fiona stopped and raised her head lightly. The sight of the busy streets filled with sounds of ambient chatter made her stomach swirl, until she couldn't hold it in any longer...

Staggering to the side alley on her left where there were almost no people, Fiona threw up what little food she had tried to eat for breakfast. Truly she had no more grace left in her if she could manage to throw up in public like this. Wiping her mouth dry with the back of her hand, Fiona rested herself against the wall, deflating slowly to the ground and staring at nothing in particular. To stare at death straight in the eyes, let alone fight it... how could the Seraphs even manage that? Why couldn't she? Soon, she found herself trembling with fear once more, unsure if there was any safe place left in this world.

"Oh... It's just you."

Startled at the foreign yet familiar male voice, Fiona immediately collected herself and pulled herself back to her feet. The light behind the man from the streets prevented her from recognizing him immediately, prompting the knight to take a defensive stance. It was only when the man took a few steps forward that she realized who he was. "Oh! Sir Akira, what are you doing here?"

Akira yawned as if to imply that he had just wasted his effort. "I mistook you for someone else." he said smugly, avoiding eye contact with Fiona. The other in turn raised a brow in suspicion. Did she really have the aptitude to fool one of the most renowned scouts? She didn't think so. "Mistook me for someone else? If anything, I know your eyes are too keen for that." she said, easing from her defensive poise.

Sighing in defeat, Akira smirked and finally looked at her in the eyes. "I really thought you were someone else. I didn't recognize you without your armor." he admitted openly, curling both arms above his chest.

"Do I look that suspicious to you?" Fiona questioned the retired scout. Now that she thought about it, he heard from and had been warned by other members of The Crests that Akira had been known to have a certain liking towards the opposite gender. "Or were you following me because of your... habit?" she put it subtly.

Akira chuckled. "It's a bad habit yes, but it's good for my heart...and skill set." he contradicted.

However, before either of them could mutter any other word, their attention had been brought behind them when several cloaked figures jumped down from the rooftops. With two more appearing behind Akira, both of them had become conveniently trapped inside the alley. Akira immediately reacted by jumping to Fiona's backside to protect her six. There were five of them by his count, possibly one more on lookout duty.

"Fiona la Riviere, you're coming with us." one of them demanded with authority in her tone.

"You know these people?" Akira asked the pristine knight behind him while taking a good look at the two cloaked people in front of him. He noted that their skin tone was visibly pale and that they, despite wearing combat armor beneath their cloaks, carried themselves with grace and dignity akin to Fiona's demeanor. "Is this the reason why you were shadowing me?" Fiona asked him back, cursing herself for deciding not to report for duty today. "Ah well, that would be too convenient now wouldn't it?" Akira responded, slowly sliding both hands to the hilt of his hip daggers.

"I'll say it again Fiona la Riviere, you're coming with us. We have orders to bring you back no matter what and we are authorized to use force if necessary. Come quietly and nobody needs to get hurt. What say you?"

Before Fiona could respond, an arm snaked around her belly followed by Akira, with daggers drawn, coming in front of her protectively. "Now now ladies and gentlemen, we all know I can't let you do that. Fiona here is an active Pristine Knight, unarmed sure, but active." he mocked her for being casual on this day. "taking her by any means would cause...problems either way for both her organization and yours."

"Silence! This has nothing to do with you surface dweller! Do not stick your nose where it does not belong!"

Surface dweller? Akira noted the term but refrained from biting into it. Instead, he lowered his stance to a more comfortable defensive one and raised his dagger out front. "Ouch. Rather rude for a lady aren't we? Should I teach you more lady-like manners?" Akira cooly responded, keeping his keen eyes trained at the one who seemed to be the leader of the pack, while using the sheen of his dagger blade to keep the ones behind them in check.

With his taunting, several of them opted to draw their weapons but a simple hand motion from the one in charge dissuaded them from doing so. The cloaked woman then lowered her hood, revealing her face to the man before her with a firey and confident glare. "Boy, I do hope you know how to fight." she drew her weapon from beneath her cloak. It was a circular blade that Akira had never seen before. Seconds later, she charged straight into Akira, catching the man a little bit by surprise.

Responding to her incoming onslaught, Akira's first move was to evade and get accustomed to the range of his opponent's weapon. It was just a little longer than his daggers but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Soon, Akira and the cloaked woman both clashed in the middle of the alley in fierce combat, trading blows while gauging each other and neither one of them wanting to back down. Fiona knew how skilled Akira was; not a single one of them from Squad Eight (with the exception of their Captain) could touch him in terms of speed, yet he was skilled enough in weapons combat that even with just daggers against swords, he could take them all on with ease. Still, even with that knowledge, it was surprising to see him fighting someone on even terms. Yet that wasn't the fact that greatly bothered Fiona. It was the honor these cloaked people had. Surely they could have simply taken her by now with their leader occupying Akira's attention but none of them moved. The rest of them just stood there watching, like they were sure their leader would be the one to come out on top.

It felt like forever but when the first minute of their clash came to an end, Akira was the one skidding back with a gash on his right cheek. As if declaring her victory, the woman lowered her weapons with a smug look on her face. To a veteran warrior, sustaining the first wound in combat (depending on where it was sustained and its severity) indicated a difference in skill. The more grave the first wound is, the larger the gap in skill was. However, Akira simply returned her smug look with a chuckle of his own. Seconds later, the entirety of the woman's cloak fell to the ground, revealing her armored form—curves and all—to Akira's eyes. "I was right. You're smoking hot." he smirked, annoying his opponent even more.

"Akira!" Fiona called out to him, panic visible by her facial expression. "Be careful! Don't take them lightly!" she yelled in warning. Tracing Fiona's line of sight, Akira could only assume that the source of her aggitation was the symbol emblazoned on the woman's chest armor. It looked like a rune of some sort and if he was going to refer to his mediocre knowledge of runes, it would read 'Guardian'. Before Akira could place his thoughts on the matter, the woman was once again charging at him with more vigor than she first did.

Clang!

To everybody's surprise, a newcomer had struck down her circular weapon, causing the blade to get stuck on the ground and throwing the wielder off-balance. When Akira realized what was going on, a man with long dark blue hair had his sword pointed at the woman's neck, forcing the other to submit. Gil had come in the same manner these cloaked people did, along with some of his squad members that had just now, made their presence felt.

"I don't know what's going on but you people picked the wrong place to cause trouble."

"Timing is pretty bad too." Joaquim added, annoyed that he couldn't finish his game with Natalia.

With the tides turning against them, the rest of the cloaked people drew their weapons, seemingly ready to fight but again, one hand signal from their cornered leader stopped them from doing anything further than that. A glance at Guilford was all she needed to understand that their chances of fulfilling their mission had just dropped to zero.

"I will give you this one chance to answer my question." Gil said, bringing the tip of his sword closer to the woman's neck. "Who are you people?"

Just meeting Guilford's heavy gaze, she instantly felt this enormous pressure crashing down on her. She gulped a breath or two before managing to speak.

"Our quarrel is not with you Seraph. We just came to take Fiona La Riviere back with us."

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:57 am 
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[[Day 10 of Month -3, Night :: Gless]]

It was always the silence that he noticed first. He didn’t really like silence, so he always noticed it immediately. Then came the sense of nothing. There were no bodies around him, no obstacles to evade; it was just empty. Cricket opened his eyes and all he saw was grey. With the force of routine, he sat up, got to his feet, and looked around. In the distance was a slab of darkness. A line of white bisected the darkness vertically, letting light spill out into the world before it was muted by the omnipresent mist. The purple-haired man forced a tired smile to his lips and started walking towards the door.

As usual, Konan was waiting for him; she leaned against the still closed door, making sure to stay in the shadows. She looked up as he approached but made no other welcome.

“What, no hello for your brother?” Cricket joked feebly, initiating their now routine conversation.

“Brother,” she finally acknowledged with a nod of her head. The first time he’d come here, she’d thrown herself into his arms in joy. Now, with every visit, she grew wearier and more distant. “I’m glad you’re safe.” She tried to smile but her sorrow overshadowed the expression.

“Yeah. It was..” He trailed off, unsure what to say. ‘Safe.’ He’d been the only one of his squad capable of Light’s Blessing who hadn’t been assigned on his own. He could try to convince himself that it was because he needed to protect the others from Reapers but he knew the truth. Valiar, YunQiao, and Leon hadn’t needed his aid. Captain hadn’t trusted him on his own. He wasn’t good enough. Deimos and Seraphim were. But not him. (He didn’t even bother comparing himself with Adair; that was a pointless comparison.)

And he knew the difference between them and him, what had made them worthy of going on their own and him left with the others. After all, they’d been sent alone to deal with the Reapers and there was one thing that could easily injure the Reapers: Light’s Blessing. Or more appropriately, he mused, Light’s Wrath. His eyes were inevitably drawn towards the light peeking through the crack. He could hardly call it a blessing when it demanded his sister as payment.

Cricket looked away from the light and towards his sister. Konan was staring at him in worry so he immediately plastered a grin on his face. “It was nothing! I kicked their asses!” His boast rang hollowly in his ears and from the way her expression grew even sadder, he doubted his sister believed him.

The two lapsed into silence, sitting side by side with their backs to the double doors that marked the boundary between him and Light’s Wrath. Cricket stared dully ahead, his mind lost in contemplation. Lethe couldn’t trust him on his own. He wasn’t good enough. But then he’d never been good enough. He’d failed his sister. His arms tightened around his legs, remembering the feeling of—

“Brother.” Sometime during his musing Konan had stood up. She stood in front of him now, expression hidden in the shadows cast by her hair. Hazel eyes snapped open and at once her face was visible. Determination was etched into every line of her mien and she stared down at him. “Brother,” she reiterated, “At this rate, you will die.” He was too startled to react, pinned still by her unyielding stare. “But not before your squad dies.” He wanted to protest but was unable to speak. “You know as well as I, the next War is here. Demons roam the lands once again; Eve has awoken and she won’t stop until the God of Sin returns.” There was a gravity to her voice that he’d never heard in the fifteen years she’d been alive. “Why did you become a Knight? Why did you come here in search of Light’s Blessing?”

So others won’t have to feel the pain of losing those they loved to Sin. The answer came without a moment’s hesitation. To make up for failing you. To help Lethe.

As if sensing his answer, Konan’s demeanor thawed. “Brother, you need Light’s Blessing. You need it for this next War, to survive, to protect your team, to help save others. The odds are already stacked against the Light. Every chance you have for evening the odds, take it. Seize it.” No.. how could he? He stared at her in fear. He had become a Knight because he had failed her. He had failed to save his own sister! How could he abandon her now?! “I’m already dead!” She screamed, flinging her arms wide. One fell into the light and immediately faded. “I’m. Already. Dead. I’ve made my mistakes and I’ve died for them. It’s too late for me! But you’re not dead yet. Nor are the others you care about! So protect them! Protect them with everything you have; take Light’s Blessing and make it your shield. Live, brother.” Her voice was weary as if her outburst had sapped all her energy. “Live. I will still be waiting for you when it’s your time to return to the Light.” She placed her remaining hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead. With one last sad smile, she stepped fully into light and vanished.

“Ko.. Konan?” There was no answer. He was alone. He was alone again. Live, brother. He lifted a trembling arm to his face, wiping away the tears that had gathered there. Every chance you have, take it. Seize it. He placed his hands on the ground to steady him as he climbed onto his feet. You’re not dead yet, nor are the ones you care about. So protect them! He stared at the immense double doors and the sun symbol reaching down at him. Take Light’s Blessing and make it your shield. He took one step, then another, walking fully into the light. It whispered of promise and potential, so close yet so far. He set his shoulder against the partially opened door and pushed.
Live.

~~~~~

[[Day 11 of Month -3 :: Grand Cathedral]]

There was an audible sigh of relief when Lethe finally called an end to the morning’s training. None of it had been too physically demanding after Lady QianHua’s and Captain Abel’s instructions but Lethe had been more critical than usual, making them repeat any formations that were even a smidgen incorrect. All seven of Team Blonde were glad for the break, if only to rest their brains.

“I don’t want any of you straining yourselves. With the upcoming attack, you all need to be well rested and at peak performance for the thirteenth. Take the afternoons off to do whatever you need to get done. We’ll reconvene at nine for more training. ” The white-haired woman ordered, Luna still in her hands. There was no friendly captain today; she was entirely taskmaster. “Seraphim, Deimos, can you stay behind?” After receiving acknowledgement from everyone, Lethe took a seat on one of the benches, picking up a folder to read the contents inside. One by one the members of Squad Ten trickled out until only the two she’d requested remained.

“Deimos, there’s a sword skill I’d like to teach you.” She began once she’d placed the file back down, getting back onto her feet. “Seraphim, I’m not sure how useful it’ll be for you but perhaps it can be manipulated to work with your punches and kicks.” The pink-haired woman nodded; she rarely used her sword when her fists and feet were available. But what sword skill could be adapted for punching and kicking? Deimos and Seraphim trailed Lethe to where a line of training posts waited by the wall and helped pull them out onto the training court.

Motioning the two aside, Lethe walked away from the lone training post until she was a good ten meters away from it. “Observe,” She instructed needlessly; there was nothing to do but watch her. Lifting Luna, the white-haired Knight slashed down. There was an unexpected clatter and Seraphim turned her head in surprise. Half the target was on the ground while the rest stood obliviously in the air. What? How? “Again?” She turned back in time to see Lethe slice her sword back up. Again, a part of the remaining training post fell to the ground, neatly bisected. “What am I doing?”

There was no response. Lethe closed her eyes in lieu of sighing. Perhaps it was a bit much to hope they’d understand just from looking. “Try sensing my actions instead of just watching.” She swung her sword a third time, extending Light’s Blessing into the strike once more and transferring the damage from the divine realm back onto the ‘real’ one.

“Divine magic?” Deimos spoke up, yellow eyes narrowed on the rod standing in the air; the training target it used to support was on the ground around it in three pieces. “Yes,” approval was audible in her response. “Try watching with one eye on each plane.” The fourth attack left the stick at half its length but more importantly, provided Deimos and Seraphim an understanding of what was going on.

“Somehow your strike with Light’s Blessing is being reflected on this realm.”

“Yes,” Lethe agreed, “Coat your sword in Light’s Blessing and when you strike,” she pantomimed a downward cut, “let the attack fly. The Light’s Blessing will travel the distance between you and your target. If you do it right, the damage you inflicted on the divine realm will transfer onto this one.” Demonstration complete, she released Luna and let it vanish. “It’s called the dimensional blade. Captain Abel taught me, just as I’m teaching you two. It should allow you two to attack at range if needed. Seraphim, as I said, I don’t know if it will work with your punches and kicks. Theoretically, I think it should. Realistically, how well or how much of the damage will transfer, I have no idea. It’s up to you if you want to try using it or if you’d rather do something else.” Seraphim’s smirk was answer enough. “Very well,” Finally, a hint of a smile peeked out on Lethe’s face. “I still have some reports and letters to read so I’ll stay around a bit until the Council meeting. Remember not to over-exert yourself.”

After she was sure both had started practicing, Lethe returned to her previous seat where the aforementioned papers were waiting for her. She’d already finished reading the most important reports had only brought them to review in preparation for the upcoming meeting. It would, no doubt, be yet another discussion about what to do regarding the upcoming attack. As such, she felt no guilt about picking up the envelope she’d received last night to read first.

Quote:
Dear Thea,

How are things up in Gless? The fighting has finally calmed down in Zairyon, but there is still an undercurrent of resentment. Well, that’s to be expected with how close we were to Luciano. The Mayor came often to our parties and spread her favors far. Rhett and I have already been solicited, discreetly of course, to help fund the remnants of the Sovereign Palaugrim Forces. We’re trying to track them right now but it’s difficult to get our men in; those with an inclination for subterfuge seem to lack an inclination for heroics, though I’m not quite sure why.

Rhett and I are currently working to extend our friend circle into Light Palaugrim. For better or for worse, your teachings seem to disincline people towards sharing confidences and it’s most difficult getting information from over there! I daresay it’s harder now than before! But don’t fear; have faith in me and Rhett. Soon your information will be ours as well.

I’m sure you’ve already heard, but there are rumors of a Cerberus running amok in Palaugrim’s eastern side. Luckily one of your Knights was able to subdue it and that has gained some goodwill among the common folk. (I’m afraid that short of making my fellow elite filthy rich, you’ll never win their favor.)

More worrying, however, are the rumors of villages being destroyed at random. So far, three have been attacked. One supposed witness claims he saw the attacker and it was—I’m sure you won’t be surprised: you! Apparently white clothes and tremendous power is enough to masquerade as you. Who knew the requirements were so little? I’m a bit curious what are the requirements to be a Guilford: long purple hair and a sword? Speaking of which, how is the other Seraph doing? Please extend him my thanks for letting me stay at his house and thank Corwin for being so welcoming while I was there! You really should visit him more often; he clearly wants guests.

Thankfully, not everyone believes you are causing mischief here in Palaugrim. Some claim it the work of Sinners; others the work of the bandits; and yet others are claiming it’s all a ruse. With only three villages raided, it’s hard to support one cause over another. However, the random etchings left behind and seemingly random destruction have left many confused, Rhett and I included. We will keep our ears close to the ground though and tell you of any whispers that travel our way.

Well, I’d wished to chat more but it’s time for me to prepare for another ball. Seena still isn’t visible so I must maintain my public presence. I find it funny that even with a regime change, the revelry never end!

Affectionately yours,
Leia
28th of Month --2


With a fond smile, Lethe folded the letter back up and placed it in its envelope. While she’d been gone, Leia had sent her a second letter. Odd that Leia would send one so soon before she responded. Before they had reunited, they could easily go months without correspondence. Picking up the second envelope, she broke the seal and unfurled it.

Quote:
Dear Thea,

Things have become quite odd down here on Palaugrim. I mentioned in my last letter that three random villages had been attacked. The number has increased to fourteen now and all are marked with those whimsical shapes. No one thinks it a ruse anymore and on the ground, many of the people are worried. I’ll include the list of towns I’m aware of having been attacked below though I can make neither rhyme nor reason of them. Perhaps you will have better luck with them.
  • Erethea
  • Kazan
  • Sramphia
  • Jord

Also, we’ve found some oddly destroyed areas. Rhett thinks they might be of use, though there were no funny figures there so I’m not quite sure. Well, better too much knowledge than too little I suppose.


Affectionately yours and praying you safe,
Leia
5th of Month --3


Blue eyes skimmed back to the list of fourteen names. Some of them were foreign to her and some were familiar. But what did they represent? Were they as random as they seemed? She knew that the orange-haired demon was behind them but, well, the demon hadn’t seemed like the sharpest tool in the box. It was possible it was random but.. why strike these locations? Why not just keep destroying in one continual path?

Lethe idly pressed out the creases in the letter so it stood straight in her hand. She needed a map to plot out these locations. Unless they somehow created a word puzzle, she sincerely doubted just a list of names would help her. The white-haired Knight placed it aside, looking up at a shout of frustration. Seraphim was glaring at the training dummy in front of her, one fist extended. The training dummy seemed unaffected.

“Is everything alright?”

The pink-haired woman withdrew her fist and raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. “Yeah.. Just.. practicing.” She shook her hand loose and then formed a fist again, eyes falling half mast as she gathered her magic around her once more. Deimos watched her with intent eyes, the sheen of Light’s Blessing just visible in his gaze. The next punch also did nothing but incite another frustrated sound. Lethe shook her head but picked up the next report. Just as she’d told YunQiao yesterday, they had to focus on tomorrow’s attack for now.
~~~

Lethe said nothing as she reviewed the document in front of her. It looked like one of Livius’s works given the wording and formatting; the Councilor of island development preferred details in his reports and the ten page file on the table in front of her reflected it. There was only about three pages of relevant information: distribution of forces, location of the troops, and command structure. The last, she noticed sardonically, was fairly vague. It was probably a good thing given how well Livius had handled the first two.

“Then if there are no object—” “Councilor,” Lethe spoke up, trying hard not to sound incredulous, “Am I reading correctly that you want half of the remaining troops on Palaugrim recalled to Gless and Lindela?”

“The troops were on loan to Palaugrim as Lindela and Gless had excess capacity after the most recent Liberation campaign. Obviously, being on loan includes an ability to recall them at any time. Given current circumstances..” He continued speaking but Lethe didn’t hear any more. She could try pointing out that the amount of area that needed to be defended by the Pristine Knights on Palaugrim had increased or that troops had already been recalled or one of many other sensible reasons but she’d probably be wasting words. No doubt the Councilor would have already thought of her arguments and then decided on the current allocations nonetheless.

“Councilor Livius,” She couldn’t quite keep her exasperation from her voice but at least the look she gave him was respectful, “Councilor Aurel, Councilor Mihai, Councilor Margarette, Councilor Laith, Councilor Cornelius.” She looked at each person as she spoke, crossing one hand over the other patiently,“I will take command of the defenses on Palaugrim.” There was a shift in the room, countless voices inhaled and ready to protest but she continued relentlessly, “I have no doubts about Lance’s capabilities, but I would rest better knowing an experienced commander is leading the defenses. As skilled as Lance Fitzherberg is, he has been out of duty the past ten years and has never led a group larger than a squad. Our intelligence clearly states that Palaugrim will be attacked; as such, Master Guilford, Captain Abel, or I, as the most experienced combat leaders, should lead the defenses there. And as I have spent the most time on Palaugrim..” she let the others fill in the inevitable conclusion even as she jotted numbers down on the report, running through calculations as quickly as possible. “Regarding the troop allocation, it will be impossible to mount a proper defense with these numbers. Although Palaugrim is smaller than Gless and Lindela, it is not so tiny as to only need 15% of our total available troops. I believe I will need at least 40% of the troops to defend Palaugrim properly.”

Councilor Livius looked aghast, “More than half the available troops?! As you pointed out, Palaugrim is smaller than both Gless and Lindela! Gless needs at least 20% of the Pristine Knights, though given how large we are, 40% would be more appropriate!”

“Gless was not explicitly listed as being attacked,” “It could be a ruse!” “ and with how strong the faith is here and our increased defenses after Eve’s last attack, Gless is already the safest island. With so many advocates here, there is enough holy magic to maintain a defensive barrier at least long enough for troops to come if that became necessary!” “And all the more reason that Gless cannot fall Just imagine—” Laith cut in passionately. Lethe knew from a glance that he was already looking beyond her and the Pristine Knights who would place their lives in the line of duty; the Public Relations implications dominated his focus.

“We can’t have any other island under our protection fall either. We have just liberated Palaugrim and turned the people back towards the Divine Light. How could we face ourselves if we were to forsake them now?” Memories of conversations overheard during the trips on that island rung in her ears accusingly.

“Master Lethe,” Councilor Margarette cut in with suspicious eyes, “you seem very fervent in your defense of Palaugrim. If I recall correctly, you specially requested time to roam Palaugrim on your own while Master Guilford and Captain Abel stayed in Gless. The attack on Santa Olivia was also at your personal insistence.” The old woman frowned across the table at the younger woman, “Is there something we should know about Palaugrim that you are not telling us? Perhaps a more personal reason for why we should defend Palaugrim so vehemently?”

A more.. personal reason? Of course Leia was on Palaugrim as were the Pure Magic Squadron but they could take care of themselves. Why would.. shock slowly filtered into her face as she realized what the Councilor was suggesting. The other Councilors were exchanging uneasy looks and Laith was scowling, no doubt trying to determine how to handle the outrage if—Lethe opened her mouth to protest but another voice spoke before her.

“Councilor, speculation will get us nowhere.” Despite his words, even Captain Abel was giving her an assessing look. “Lethe is correct that it would be better if a more experienced commander were to lead Palaugrim and that the current distribution is too lopsided. The troops on Palaugrim have been perfectly adequate in defending the island so far. I’m sure they can continue to do so in the face of Tethel’s attack. I see no reason to withdraw or add troops to Palaugrim. Lethe brings up a good point that she is most familiar with the island and the troops there. However, if you do think it better to keep her here, I am also willing to lead the defense of Palaugrim.”

“I can also,”

“No, Guilford, you will lead the defense of Gless.” Cornelius cut in before the other Seraph could offer going to Palaugrim. To send him all the way to Palaugrim! No, Guilford was better kept closer to them; they couldn’t have their strongest Knight so far on the cusp of a battle. Besides, he had the bad tendency to do what he wasn’t supposed to so all the more reason to keep him under their watchful eyes. But to have to choose between Master Lethe or Captain Abel? They needed Lethe to keep Guilford in check and she at least was more obedient, or used to be. This current rebellious streak was troublesome. And yet Captain Abel was an important asset as well. He was one they could trust to not disobey their orders. Which could they risk?

“Master Lethe then,” Laith decided for the Council by being the first to speak, “Regardless of your reasons, since you are so adamant about Palaugrim, I think it only appropriate that you lead its defense.” Besides, it was easier to rally troops around a pretty female martyr than an old man. “Now regarding the impending attack…”
~~~~~

[[Day 11 of Month -3, Afternoon :: Lindela]]

Cricket felt an unexplainable nervousness as he stood in front of the Golden Sun. He’d been here countless times before, yet right now he was having a hard time mustering his courage to actually approach the store. He loitered outside the store another thirty minutes before he finally got himself to knock on the door. Not even ten seconds had passed before the door opened. There had been no sound of footsteps. A friendly looking blonde smiled at him.

“Welcome! Cricket, right? Are you looking for Adair?” Grisia ushered him into the store, leading him behind the counter. “He’s currently training with Roland in the back.”

“Ah, no.” The words stopped Grisia and the other man turned to look at him curiously. “I actually came to speak with you.” Cricket didn’t know that much about Adair’s older brother besides the man used to be an Advocate and, supposedly, had the favor of the Light. He was banking on the latter being true. Now that he’d actually decided to try for Light’s Blessing, he needed some help on how to use it. Everyone he knew who could use Light’s Blessing was busy preparing for the upcoming attack, so he’d been forced to find a noncombatant: someone who had time to train him. “I need some help with harnessing Light’s Blessing.”

Curious blue eyes turned self-satisfied at the unspoken request. “Well, I’ll see what I can do. It’s still my shift at the counter but I’m sure I can get Lesus to take over.” The words sounded innocuous enough but there was a certain tonal quality that made him think they weren’t. Before Cricket could turn suspicious, Grisia beamed a 100-watt smile at him. “Let’s head up. Lesus will be upstairs and it’ll be better to try in my study.”

Cricket nodded in acknowledgement and then nervously trailed the blonde up the stairs.
~~~

[[Day 12 of Month -3 :: Tethel]]

Coal black eyes observed the reflection in the mirror as he finished buckling the last pieces of his armor into place. It was, of course, flawless. He had appearances to maintain after all. He raked his fingers through his dark hair, enjoying the sensation of his fingernails scraping against his scalp. He understood the need for a helmet but it didn’t mean he enjoyed having to wear one all the time. It was a tolerable nuisance at the best of times. He lifted his helmet up with both hands, staring into the visor that obscured his face. It was a complicated piece that needed careful polishing to give it the gleaming finish it currently had. With an amused smirk, he slipped it on. Thank Sin he didn’t have to do the polishing anymore.

He reviewed his appearance one more time before turning and heading out of the room. The hallway was empty; Centienne preferred privacy in their personal quarters and he had no reason to argue. No people meant he didn’t have to hide his face. As he exited their section of the palace, the guards clanged their halberds on the ground in greeting, “Knight King!”

He nodded in acknowledgment but continued on otherwise. Today was an important day and his schedule was full enough without delays. Unlike his wife, he didn’t have a personal assistant to keep track of his days. Then again, his social requirements were significantly less than hers. However, today was different; this month would be different.

His mouth widened in a smile full of anticipation, feeling his heart rate already starting to pick up at the thought of what was to come. When he entered the army complex, the place was already abuzz with activity. Tethel had not taken part in a major military action since the Island’s Rising. Even when they’d thrown off Gless’s yoke, there had been no large-scale attack. The Council had yielded like the cowards they were. This time, however, would be different.

“Sire, last minute maintenance checks on the Wyervia are almost complete. We will begin loading up the troops in about two hours’ time.”

“Good. And the men?”

“Last minute exercises before the Wyervia ride.”

“Very well, all seems in place.”

With one last look at the troops amassed before him, the Knight King of Tethel turned and walked into the command center. Soon enough, battle would come.

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 3:13 pm 
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Day 10 of Month 3 - Grand Cathedral: Afternoon


"Well? How is she?"

The question rammed him in the face as Alfrei closed the doors of their quarters behind him. He looked at the rest of their team before making his way towards the couch. He sat down with a soft plop and placed both hands at the back of his head, relaxing as he did so. Those who waited for answers remained on edge, suspense noticeable on their features. "She's still refusing to speak with anyone." Alfrei finally answered, quickly followed by a defeated sigh. "What has gotten into her? She's been like that since..." he stopped his mouth from continuing to run. Fiona had been distant since their return from Palaugrim. It was safe to assume that she was still shook up by the events there. Then there are these people coming after her; it was a good thing their Captain came when he did.

"Then can someone explain why she's currently in holding?" Natalia questioned them all, seemingly getting more frustrated and confused by the second.

"For questioning." a new voice answered Natalia. A surprised squad eight looked behind and found Akira already inside their quarters. How could he have sneaked up on them so easily like that? "Regardless of her position in your Captain's squad, those people we encountered in the alley seemed to have ties with her..." he trailed off, resting his back comfortably on the wall. "but what's more troubling is that we know nothing about those people, and the fact that they called us Surface Dwellers? Troubling indeed." he added.

The knowledge immediately opened the doors for surprise and speculation, heralding a heavy atmosphere inside the room. An underground society? Could there really be such a thing? All manner of confusion was evident from the rest of squad eight. None of them could believe that such a society really existed, or more importantly, that Fiona had anything to do with them. Within the little time they had been working together, Fiona had come off on them as the 'trustworthy' type. Were they mistaken? Was their Captain mistaken? "They didn't appear to be your ragtag band of people, nor did they seem like a group of rebels. Those people having uniform armor and possessing incredible combat capabilities suggests a certain high degree of organization among them." Akira continued on but stopped when he noticed that Natalia was staring at him. "What is it?"

"Why are you here? You were there too! Shouldn't you be in holding as well?!" Natalia lashed out at Akira. The other simply shrugged his shoulders and put on his usual bored look. "Isn't it obvious? I fought with one of them. I already gave your captain my full report on the matter down to the last detail. I've already done my part, they no longer have any use for me. I just stopped by at your Captain's request to give you all a message." he paused and made sure he had everyone's attention before continuing to speak. "Good. Listen well, your Captain wants you to take no part in the investigation. All your efforts are to be spent on preparing for the 13th and lastly, for strict compliance, none of you are permitted to see Fiona or talk about that incident to anyone else. These are effective immediately."

Shock kicked in to everyone else inside the room. Natalia was the first one who failed to contain it. "WHY?! She's a member of our squad! We have ev--"

"That is exactly why!" Akira's raised tone instantly smothered Natalia's somewhat bratty attitude. "Don't you get it?! If this is what the interrogators think it is, then they could mistake your entire squad of being compromised! Imagine how that would end for all of you!"

A long silence followed, deafening almost. "As long as you all understand..." Akira trailed off and left the room without saying anything further.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 10 of Month 3 - Grand Cathedral Holding Cells: Night


A knight hurriedly opened the doors after hearing a knock on it. Realizing who was on the other side, the knight immediately clasped his right hand to a fist and brought it up to his chest. Guilford returned the gesture and waited a moment for the other knight to step aside before walking in. "How is Fiona?" he asked first and foremost. The other knight walked alongside Guilford, matching his strides as they both proceeded along the hall. "She's still refusing to speak to our interrogators Master Guilford, sir. I doubt she would talk to anyone but you. That's the reason they called for you. Sorry Master Guilford, we know you're busy but--" "She's a member of my squad. Think nothing of it. Is this matter being handled as I initially requested when we brought them in?" Guilford cut him off abruptly. The other knight struggled to grasp his composure before he spoke again. "Y-yes sir, we kept knowledge of this to a bare minimum for now but..." he hesitated before continuing. "protocol dictates that we submit a report to the council soon. We don't know how much longer we can keep this under wraps sir."

"As long as it needs to be." Guilford stopped, looking at the knight with a determined gaze. "I am aware of the protocol but I need time to sort this out. Do I make myself clear?" he asked authoritatively. The knight stiffened upon meeting Guilford's gaze but immediately gave in. "O-of course sir. We will do our best." he responded and began walking alongside Guilford once more. "What about the other woman? Did she say anything?" The knight rummaged through his recently updated report files but frowned at the knowledge. "No sir, she's still going on about us not knowing who we're dealing with and that the consequences of our careless actions would be our downfall." he informed the Seraph. "What do you make of it?" he asked the knight, solely for individual input. "I-uhh... uhm... I think she's a part of a rebel group." "Is this where they are held?" The sudden question made the knight realize that they had long arrived at the holding rooms. "Yes Master Guilford, Knight Fiona is in the room to the right."

Guilford nodded his thanks to the knight who escorted him but declined any further company. Taking a few more steps, Guilford stood in front of the door to the left, he took a deep breath before opening it.

"Your affilation woman! Tell us who you're working for!"

"Knight Vargas, that's enough. I'll take it from here." Guilford firmly ordered. The frustrated knight took a few breaths to calm himself down before he acknowleded the order and left the room. Guilford waited for the door to close before turning his attention over to their captive. He studied her for a moment before coming forward to sit across the lone table in front of her, purple eyes meeting black ones in a calculating stare. "So we meet again." he greeted the woman apathetically. "So it would seem." she immediately responded, a calm demeanor settling over her. Guilford continued to gaze into her eyes before sliding the papers that lay quietly before him aside. "Time is a limited resource wouldn't you agree?" he asked her, holding strong to his gaze. "Indeed." she responded once more, keeping her cool in check. "You knew I was a Seraph when we first met. I think it's safe to assume that you are well informed of a Seraph's duties, yes?" he asked her even though he already knew. "Naturally." "Good. Then you do know that my time is better spent elsewhere yet here I am talking to you." he paused, clasping both hands together and resting them on the table. "Allow me to get straight to the point then. Why do you want to take Fiona? What is she to you?"

The female captive shifted in her seat, putting on a smirk that Guilford couldn't place. Was it confidence? Was it mockery? Regardless of what it was, he needed her to cooperate. The sooner he could get her to talk, the better it would be for everyone involved. "La Riviere." she murmured. Guilford tilted his head to the side with a questioning look that urged the woman to continue. "Her family name is La Riviere—nobilty—and she ran away. I'm only here to bring her back. Judging from your reaction, it's pretty clear that you didn't know." she went on. "Fiona's records and history did not indicate any familial ties noble or not—nor were there any suspicious elements in them." "Of course there wouldn't! Otherwise what's the point of hiding one's identity?" she asked him, mockingly this time. "Look Seraph, that is all that I can give you. The less you know about her—us, the better it would be... for everyone." she sat back and looked at Guilford with her sharp eyes.

Guilford took a momement to piece the puzzle inside his head, yet there was just too little of the facts there to make sense out of anything. This woman had just made it pretty clear that she wouldn't cooperate but going by the way she sounded, it was gravely disturbing. "What's your name?" he asked but the woman simply sighed in response. "What does it matter?" she asked in return. "My name is Guilford Rosenwulf." "I know who you are." "Then you do know that I also came from nobility, one of the last few surviving noble families at that and I can tell you this, La Riviere isn't on that small list, or anywhere in the noble circle." he reiterated. A visible twitch from the woman's brow gave away a sign that she was a little shaken, Guilford took it as a chance. "Surface Dwellers. Why did you call him that?" This time, the woman slammed a fist on the table. "I'll say this again Seraph! For the sake of everyone, the less you know, the better. Let me take Fiona back with me and you can all resume your lives as it were." Her words made Guilford stare at her flatly. "I can't do that. She's an active Pristine Knight directly under my command. As far as I'm concerned, you're trying to kidnap one of my knights. You think I would just allow that?"

Guilford's words infuriated the captive woman even more yet she did well enough to subdue it. "Very well then, we're done talking. I was under the impression that you would be more reasonable than your lousy interrogators..." she paused and placed her bound hands on the table. "Don't think this is over Seraph, we'll be back for her and next time, none of you will stand in our way." She warned Guilford and stood up. Even though she was bound by chain, the captive woman expertly drew seals in the air faster than any seal expert Guilford knew and before he could react, the captive woman released the seal and vanished in thin air, just like how her other companions did back in the alley.

At a loss for what to do, the first thing he thought about when he first saw this trick came back, 'great another group of people who can teleport'. Guilford shrugged his shoulders in defeat, he thought Hyuga's Chains of Nullify was enough to suppress that ability but he was clearly mistaken. Whatever it was didn't seem like magic, or perhaps it was just too strong for the chains? Nobody could tell now but the real question is, if she was capable of escaping captivity right from the start, why didn't she? Why did she let herself get taken in? It only implied that their mission of bringing Fiona back was just that important to them, but the question is still why indeed. Why do they want her back so badly? Why now and not when Fiona was still at the PKA? Or even before she could join the Pristine Knights? Why did they say it was for everyone's sake? Confused, Guilford stood up and went straight for the door, stepping out in haste and stopping right in front of the door to the opposite room.

He reached for the knob but stopped midway. Would now be the best time to interrogate Fiona? Would she even talk to him? It was pretty obvious that the other woman didn't want to give away too much information, what makes Fiona any different? She was the person in question and it only makes sense that she wouldn't divulge any information about herself, granted that she most probably took great pains and effort in hiding her past and identity. Deciding against the thought, Guilford lowered his hand and turned away from the door. He shouldn't talk to her now, it was probably for the best if he gave her time to think. After taking one last glance at the door that separated him from his subordinate, Guilford began walking away.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 11 of Month 3 - Grand Cathedral: Afternoon


As expected, this council meeting had turned out to be a heated debate. Guilford had tried his best to present a more reasonable defense strategy for all islands involved yet the council chose to put that aside and implement their own strategy—an ill advised one so to speak. Of course Lethe wouldn't stand for it and here she is now, courteously fighting them for what she wants to happen for Palaugrim. He knew a small part of the reason (Lady QuianHua and Leia so to speak) as to why she wanted to make sure Palaugrim is well defended, hence the reason why he took painstaking efforts in coming up with a balanced plan, but the council just had to take that away from everyone. The way he sees this new troop allocation, it was heavily in favor of Gless and Lindela and no matter how these old folk sugarcoat or justify it, to his eyes it was merely an attempt of them to save their own skins. It didn't have to be like this but being objective about it, Gil could somehow understand where the Councilors stand. They were just trying their best to make sure that the Bastion of Light remain standing no matter what happens. If this is what they wanted to happen, he had no choice but to actually obey, though it didn't mean that he had to like it.

Ultimately, the discussion ended with Lethe leading the defense for Palaugrim under Councilor Laith's approval. She had once again thrown herself first to grab the shortest end of the stick. Glancing at her fellow Seraph, Gil's expression was one filled with apology. He knew his plan would work best given the circumstance but this outcome was far too lopsided to be even called a strategy. It was tiring enough to listen to these old men gloat, yet even more exhausting to see that they were trembling against the threat of Eve. Gil wanted to say that they need every able body if possible and that it would be helpful if these old folk could pick up the sword and fight for themselves. However, just imagining them out on the battlefield was...a nasty thought. Only a swift death would be waiting for them there.

"Then we will begin moving the troops at once. You are all dismissed." Cornelius concluded the meeting.

Guilford gave courtesy to the councilors before turning his back on them and sighing in relief that the meeting was finally over. He had wanted to speak with Lethe the moment they stepped out of the Council Chambers but with Abel's presence, the other was none too pleased to linger. He watched her walk away slowly, seemingly detesting the current strategy they had with little to no choice but to obey, there was hardly anything neither one of them could do and both of them knew it.

"Master Guilford, a moment if I may?"

Gil glanced to his right side spotting Abel standing a polite distance away from him. He had expressed a want to trade words which in this time Gil had no excuse to deny. With heavy footing, Gil walked over towards the old knight. "What is it?"

"I saw the look in your eyes back there. Would you rather be close to her even if the closest you can be is an island away?"

"Heh." he scoffed. What is with this old knight today? Gil asked himself. Abel was playing nice even though they both know that it wouldn't change anything. He could appreciate him trying to make ammends, truly, but what he did to his relationship with Lethe—putting a crack on it—was just something he was not ready to forgive just yet. "That goes without saying now wouldn't it? I care for her. I'd gladly take her place in Palaugrim in a heartbeat."

"I know. That's why I want you to defend Lindela instead. Let me take your place here in Gless."

A slightly confused look was the first response Gil could manage to give the old knight. It was unusual for him to want to deviate from orders. What changed? Gil couldn't figure it out but if he's offering him an opportunity to be able to respond should Lethe need help, then he would take it. "You are aware that this would be against council orders yes? If so, what's the catch Captain Abel? Do you need something in return for this?"

"No but I would only ask that you lend me the strongest half of your squad. I'm not as young as I used to be so I'll need their help in the event that enemies make their appearance here on Gless."

Guilford gave it a moment's thought before finally deciding. "Fine. I will assign Alfrei, Georg, Joaquim and Vlad under your command. I'll have Lance's squad join you too. Would that be satisfactory?"

"Yes. I think they would be an adequate compensation for you being on Lindela instead. Thank you Master Guilford."

Adequate?! Gil thought to himself. He had just given Abel command over two of his Light's Wrath capable knights and Lance Fitzherberg! If anything, they are way more than enough to compensate! Should he give him command of the other Crests too? Gil knew that Abel just wanted to be able justify this act of switching posts to the council should they find out but still, he didn't need to make it seem like the other knights were weak. Gil wanted to shake his head but refrained from doing so. Perhaps this old knight had been in service for far too long that he was beginning to fail in calculation of abilities. "Hmph. Will that be all then?"

"Yes that will be all. Light guide you, Master Guilford."

Guilford turned around but stopped before walking away. "And you." he mumbled softly before continuing on.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 11 of Month 3 - Grand Cathedral Holding Cells: Night


It had been a day since she was kept in holding. Fiona paced around the room restlessly. Why hasn't anyone come to talk to her today? Yesterday the interrogators vehemently tried to tie her up with a conspiracy plot and now they were just nowhere to be seen. The guards in her room wasn't helping much either. No matter how many times she asked them about an update on her status, they just wouldn't talk to her. Surely by now the council must have heard of this debacle but why aren't they taking action? From a defeated knight to a prisoner, how low can she get? She may not be bound and treated like one but still, it felt like the whole knighthood had turned their backs on her. All this was making her anxious. The last person she had seen was her Vice Captain, and even he didn't say much either, he only kept asking questions...questions she didn't want to answer.

From her restless pacing around, Fiona finally found comfort in the bed that was recently brought in for her. She lied down quietly, contemplating on the reasons she had left her previous life behind and chose this one. Sighing heavily, Fiona brought her left arm up and rested it on her forehead. It would seem that she was useless in this life of a Pristine Knight as well. She was nearly killed not too long ago and now the people she left behind came to bring her back. She hated it, hated the fact that no matter where she went, she could never do anything good. Before long, tears had begun to trickle down from her eyes. All she ever wanted was to be able to do something to change this world for the people. Was that too much to ask for? She always gave it her best didn't she? Fiona had grown tired of the secrecy in her past life, tired of sitting idly by as the world continued to slowly spin towards its destruction. Her people had the power, her people held ancient knowledge, her people had the means to help the Light and yet all they ever did throughout the years was hide! It didn't sit right with her, she wanted to be the difference that was needed to change the world. This is why she left yet here she is now, held captive by the same people trying their hardest to save this world...and once again she was unable to do anything.

La Riviere, the name she discarded. When she was but a child, she had seen how horrible the first war was. Despite them living a secluded life far away from it, her father along with the other elders of their community, had always watched the worldly events unfold before their eyes. Fiona would often sneak into their meeting chamber and watch the giant crystal ball hanging above the ceiling play visions of the first war. They were horrid—often times gave her nightmares in her sleep, but she couldn't stop watching them. Each time she did, a fire in her heart grew restless. There were numerous incidents in which their community could have done something to help and yet, the elders had chosen to remain neutral. It pained her—angered her—that they were so passive when it was clear that they had the capacity to either prevent some of the tragedies she had seen. From then on, she had vowed to be the difference. Fiona honed her skills to the best of her ability, knowing everything she could about the arcane arts, even subjected herself in the Guardian training program against her parents will, all just so she could learn how to wield weapons, everything for the day she would leave and help change the world. However, by the time she had learned everything she could the war had come to an end. It was all thanks to the two knights who had accomplished what a great many couldn't, defeating the God of Sin.

It left her with a bittersweet emotion, one that she couldn't forget. Sure she was happy that the war ended, but the aftermath kept her heart bleeding for the people. The land was rotting and the people had lesser and lesser places to live on. As much as she wanted to be able to do something, she knew it all too well that she alone, despite everything she had accomplished, couldn't fight this new foe. However, on one fateful day, one that she hadn't expected in her lifetime to come, their community announced that they would be having guests from the outside. Curious, teenage Fiona made preparations to once again sneak inside the meeting chamber. She would never forget that day, the day The Immaculate called upon their people for help. She could sense the tremendous desperation in their voices, she could almost hear their silent pleas, she was almost sure the elders would say yes but the first word that came out of her father's mouth was 'no'. She was too distracted by her anger at her father that she failed to pay heed to the following discussion however, it appeared that her father was the onle one opposed to the idea. The elders said yes which made Fiona feel extremely overjoyed yet saddened by the fact that her father chose self-preservation instead. It was at this point when Fiona made up her mind to discard her family name and leave their community.

After a month of preparation, Fiona took the chance to slip out of their community along with those tasked to help perform the rising of the islands. She immersed herself within the people, learning the difference in culture and adapting to a life outside their reclusive community. It did not take her long to come to love the outside world, strengthening her resolve to make it a better place even more. And now here she was, helpless.

"Why are you crying?"

W-when did he-- "C-captain?!" a startled Fiona nearly fell off her bed. She had been so immersed in her own thoughts that she had failed to notice that the guards have left and that her Captain had come in--he was already seated too! She pulled herself up and tried for a semblance of grace—if she still had that—in front of her commanding officer. "I was just..." she sobbed one last time before steeling herself. "I was just...thinking."

"So it would seem." Guilford smiled at her lightly. "Deep thoughts?"

Fiona smiled back at him, though it was a tad forced, the gentleness she first saw in her Captain's eyes made it a lot easier to do so. "Yes. Perhaps."

"Do you want to talk about it then? It helps when there's someone to listen." he offered kindly.

It took Fiona a lot of time to decide. She remained quiet for a long time but her Captain respectfully did the same. It didn't feel like he was her Captain at all but it was nice of him to act this way when she was a mess. "I'm sorry Captain... but I can't. Not now at least..." she trailed off. She had expected him to suddenly turn back into that strict person she knew but instead, all she got was a wider, warmer smile from him.

"It's okay Fiona, you can take your time. Just know that you can talk to me whenever you're ready."

It was probably the nicest thing he had ever said to her during the course of her career under him—it sounded genuine too. So he does care about his subordinates, he just probably doesn't want people to see it. It was nice to be able to see a softer side of her Captain, that made Fiona wonder how he would act if he wasn't a Seraph.

"I'm having you released today. Sorry it took so long but I'm sure you're aware that I almost get little to no free time nowadays."

Wait, what? He was having her released? Did she hear him right? "Captain... why?"

Guilford chuckled and stood up from his seat. "Don't be silly. You're a knight of Squad Eight, my squad. I need you on my team. Not because the thirteenth is almost here but because you're an excellent knight. This is not the place for you do you understand? Besides, that woman who was after you had already left or... escaped to be precise." he shrugged his shoulders. "It's safer to have you close to me and the others at all times."

She was at a loss for words. If her captain was this confident about having her released without any problems, it would only be because he already took care of everything else for her. She wanted to thank him but she didn't know if words alone would be enough. He still trusted her to be on his team, and he just said he needed her there right? Not because they were short on manpower but because he wanted her there. Fiona didn't know if she was just looking for confirmation of her worth but it still felt nice to hear it, especially from someone she held in high regard. She could only nod as a genuine smile slowly formed on her lips.

"Good. It's settled then. Fiona, I expect you to report for duty tomorrow. If you don't show up, I will drag you to our squad quarters myself got it?"

"Y-yes, Captain." she smiled at him as she watched him leave the room. It still took her a few minutes to allow the things to sink in but when the guards never came back, she figured that it was time for her to leave as well. The moment she opened the door, she saw a familiar sword resting just outside. Nirvana, the sword her Captain gave to her. She had no idea how her Captain got a hold of this when she was sure she left it at home but still...she was glad that he did.

Without hesitation, Fiona picked up the sword and raced her way out of the holding cells. I am a Pristine Knight! she thought to herself with pride.

~~~~~


Perched on a balcony, two people lay flat on their stomachs, behind the cover of some potted plants just across the house of Fiona. The larger male seemed to care less for what they were doing but the smaller one looked ecstatic. He was enjoying this.

"Don't tell me this is what you do during free time when you were still a scout?"

"Shut up and pay attention Silver. We're supposed to be watching her remember?" Akira pointed at the house across the balcony, or more accurately, the owner of the house.

Silver sighed in defeat. It was at Guilford's request that they were here in the first place—to watch over Fiona. "Not her Akira. We're supposed to be watching out for those people you encountered in that alley. Don't mess this up please? I already feel bad enough to be doing this but with you around? I'm starting to feel like a pervert!"

"Shhh! Quiet! She's going to the bath now! Oh. my. Light. Take a look at that!!"

"Oh Light forgive him..." he mumbled and smacked Akira unconscious.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 12 of Month 3 - Grand Cathedral, Squad Eight Quarters: Morning


"Good morning Sir Hyuga!"

The chipper greeting startled the half awake man who was bobbing his head like a chicken in front of his desk. Hyuga slowly turned his head to the left but his blurry vision prevented him from any sort of recognition. He hadn't had a single wink of sleep while immersed in his research that he was beginning to feel his body's limits. He yawned a big one before attempting to clear his vision. However, before his hand could reach his eyes, his sense of smell caught a wiff of familiar aroma. Only then did Hyuga realize that it was Fiona holding a cup of warm coffee for him right before his face. He dragged his eyes up only to be met by a pretty smile from the female knight.

"Oh... thanks..." he responded tiredly, taking the cup of coffee and sipping a little bit to jolt his senses back to life. "Good to have you back..." he added and turned to face his research once more.

"T-thanks I guess?" she responded warily. Even though Hyuga sounded like he was about to die from exhaustion, there was no mistaking the fact that for a second, he smiled when he welcomed her back. It made her happy. The others weren't in yet but her heart was pounding in excitement. For some reason, she couldn't wait to be in the company of the rest of Squad Eight.

This is where she should to be, and this is exactly where she wanted to be.

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 9:14 am 
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[[Day 13 of Month –3, Noon :: Redfern, Palaugrim]]

Sunlight filtered into the room through its one little window, lighting the coarse stone brick that made up the walls. This was an old fortress, one that had seen little use after Sovereign Palaugrim had been established. After all, Sovereign Palaugrim and Tethel had no reason to fight. Consequently, the fortress had never been updated and had been in disuse until a week ago. Once it became clear a battle with Tethel was imminent, the Pristine Knights had searched for a place to stage their defense and Redfern had proven itself an ideal location. And if its fortress was a bit outdated, that was a small inconvenience to pay for the benefit of location. One of its questionable benefits were the many tiny rooms scattered throughout the fortress, various nooks and crannies one could hide in for a moment’s silence.

One such hideaway was currently occupied. The white-haired sat on an over-turned bucket, feet flat on the ground and elbows leaning on her knees. Her hands were intertwined and her lips pressed against them; her eyes were closed as if in prayer. Around her, she could faintly hear the hustle and bustle of countless men and women all preparing for the day’s upcoming events. She should be out there. Soon, she would be. But first she needed a moment for herself. Her head dropped further; her forehead bumped against her clasped hands. Today was the thirteenth. Today was the day Eve would attack Lindela and Tethel, Palaugrim. Her fellow Seraph, Master Guilford, had somehow gotten news of such an attack and so here she sat, undermanned, but still here. Blue eyes opened reluctantly even as she dug out the necklace tucked under her armor.

It was a cross-shaped necklace: her Faith. In the center of it twinkled a small gem, its color bright with her holy magic. Idly, she flipped the pendant over to reveal a spoked circle: patience. Her symbol. She turned the necklace over once more—Faith—then again—patience. She spun it over and over, the two symbols that defined her life flashing through her eyes even as she wondered, how had it come to this? Demons. Eve. Another war. Hadn’t the first war been enough? Hadn’t they fought the first war to end Sin? And yet, little more than a decade later, they were in the same place. Her thoughts were interrupted when the necklace refused to turn anymore. The chain was too twisted to allow another rotation. With a sigh, the woman released it. The Faith spun and spun, untwirling itself. It felt like this life so far: just going in circles and circles. Again, it was time to fight Sin. Would there be another cycle? If she lived through this war, was it just another ten years of building and then another fight with Sin? Finally, the necklace stopped spinning, its chain straightened once more.

“How long do you intend to keep fighting?” Unbidden, the memory came to her. Gil too had questioned his will to fight once. Did he still question it? “I felt it from the day they reformed us, that I may no longer have what it takes to keep on...” And yet he was still fighting. Why? “The Divine Light doesn’t understand!” What was he fighting for now?

The Faith dangled in front of her, revealing the sign of the Divine Light.
Purple eyes looked away from her, too ashamed to meet her gaze. Gloved hands hugged the speaker’s body loosely, a symbolic defense. “I.. I used to be a Sinner.” A whisper laden with regret.
A man sitting next to her in the pew, crying into a handkerchief with a steel comb in it as the light poured in. A token for a lover, perhaps. Another victim who had lost someone to Sin, no doubt. She said nothing but kept singing, hoping it could offer at least some comfort.
“I… I don’t want to die. I don’t,” The man in her arms pleaded desperately, pain and fear turning the normally sky blue irises dark. The light in his eyes dimmed and then vanished.

Her hand clenched around the Faith, ignoring the way it bit into her flesh. Lethe got to her feet in one determined motion. Her hand dropped back to her side and she walked towards the door that led out of her temporary sanctuary. There was no more time. It was the thirteenth and she had a defense to lead.

“Until this mortal body falls apart.”
~~~~~~

[[Day 13 of Month –3, Dusk :: Redfern, Palaugrim]]

Lethe stared out into the distance, a façade of serenity. Below her, countless Knights waited in anticipation. Three of her squad members were assembled behind her; the others had been scattered among the troops as she’d deemed necessary. She couldn’t be everywhere at once, so she wanted people she trusted spread out in case something occurred and needed an immediate response. Her squadmates knew her well enough to anticipate what type of response she’d have; they would have to be her proxies in this battle.

She could hear some of the Knights shifting anxiously, the creak of leather and clank of armor betraying their nervousness. She could understand such anxiety. They had expected a battle during the day. Human eyes saw poorly at night and despite succumbing to Sin’s temptations, to the best of the Immaculate’s knowledge, Tethelites were still human. Fighting at night helped neither side. However, Sinners had no such issues with nightvision and the Tethelites and Sinners were allied. Perhaps they planned to fight at night to make use of the Sinners’ advantage.

She gazed into the darkening horizon critically, trying to discern any hostile movement. Night was coming, and with it, the next war.
~~~

[[Day 14 of Month –3, Sunrise :: Redfern, Palaugrim]]

“What’s the latest news from Lindela and Gless? We’ll rotate the troops in an hour’s time. Make sure the reserves are resting for their turn. Stay alert.” Lethe ordered briskly to the crowd around her, sending them scrambling away with their new orders. She reviewed the note she’d received from Knight Commander Kavita. All was well in Bastille. A scribe ran up and offered another two missives: all was well in Hiribah and at Kaiser Outpost as well. “Respond and tell them nothing has happened here as well.” The scribe nodded and then ran back towards the upper tower.

Pigeons crowded the sky with how many were flying about, missives being sent back and forth as quickly as their wings could take them. It was frankly impossible to defend an entire island short of raising a defensive barrier. She’d taken a third of Palaugrim’s Pristine Knight forces to the side facing Tethel based on the assumption Tethel would attack over the closest distance. The remaining troops she’d left in their normal positions in case her assumption was wrong. While she was glad they had forewarning about the attack, she really wished they had more intelligence regarding the impending battle.

Her head snapped to the side at the sound of a shout. The others in earshot were similarly alert and there was a general wave as attention turned to the Knight pointing at an incoming speck. Before she could say anything, bows were being readied and Banishes powered up in preparation. “Hold fire!” Lethe shouted. She could hear the echo of her command being relayed as various squad captains repeated her order. Her attention was on the incoming Wyervia though. Could this be the vanguard? As it got closer, she recognized the flags streaming from its sides. It was a Glessian wyervia. “Allied wyervia incoming. Return to normal!” If command had taught her one thing, it was to state the obvious during battles. A decisive voice garnered more obedience than letting her troops assume what they would. Everyone was already more uptight than normal. The battle that should have started on the thirteenth had failed to materialize so far, despite being a good six hours into the next day. Maybe their intelligence had gotten the time a bit wrong or Eve was stalling in hopes they would lapse. They wouldn’t. The Immaculate was prepared for whatever Eve sent their way.
~~~

[[Day 15 of Month –3 :: Redfern, Palaugrim]]

“Hey, when do you think they’re coming?” One of the Knights voice asked his neighbor quietly, eyes firmly focused ahead in Tethel’s direction.
“..Soon?” came the uncertain response as his neighbor also pointedly kept staring ahead. It wouldn’t do for them to get injured or miss Tethel’s attack because they were too busy gabbing. Every second of warning was important.
“Do you think they’re even coming..?” A third voice asked quietly, voice pitched low to try to avoid the squad captain’s notice. “I mean.. it’s been two days already.”
“They have to be coming!” The second speaker retorted hotly, “Master Guilford said himself that there would be an attack on the thirteenth.”
A fourth voice entered the discussion: “Except it’s the fifteenth and there hasn’t been an attack yet. If they’re coming on the thirteenth, where are they?”
There was no response to that. No one knew where Eve or the Tethel troops were. Tethel obviously had not attacked here and there had been no word about Gless or Lindela being attacked. A voice suddenly chuckled, breaking the tense silence.
“I almost wish they’d just hurry up and show up. It seems kind of stupid to be wanting to go to battle and possibly get injured or killed but..” the voice trailed off but everyone who heard him knew his meaning. This anxiety was almost more crippling than battle itself. The past two days had just given them more time to worry and think up impossible scenarios.
Another voice joined the snickering. “This is worse than me on PMS. I may go hot and cold, but at least I am hot or cold. This is like knowing it’s coming and just waiting for the shoe to drop.” The complaint elicited chuckles from everyone in earshot, everyone glad for a reason to dispel some of their worry.
The laughing finally caught a commanding officer’s attention. “Less talking, more focusing!” The group immediately straightened and then turned their focus back on the horizon.
~~~

[[Day 15 of Month –3 :: Redfern, Palaugrim]]

“Captain..” Bloodshot eyes rolled upwards to look at Seraphim. Lethe might look as immaculate as ever but she certainly didn’t feel it. The past three days had been a blur of snatching sleep in hourly increments and dealing with overwhelming anxiety as everyone’s resolve for the upcoming battle had mounted and then slowly fractured away. None of the Knights were so bold as to voice their concerns in front of her but she wasn’t deaf. She could hear the mutterings around her when they thought her attention elsewhere. Where were the Tethel troops? Why hadn’t Eve attacked yet? Was their intelligence even sound?

Everyone looked to her for answer but she had no better answers than they.

All she could do was carry on, maintaining their defense for some unknown attack. She had to believe in Gil, not only as a comrade-in-arms but as a fellow Seraph. Despite any misgivings she might have, she had to support him, at least publicly. ‘United we stand, divided we fall,’ as Councilor Cornelius was fond of saying.

The pink-haired woman looked around them helplessly, trying to find the right words to say. Ah, screw it, she’d never been known for her eloquence anyways: “When is this attack coming?”

Lethe looked away, fighting down the stab of irritation. She knew Seraphim was just voicing what everyone else wanted to know but she didn’t want to—ugh, she had no choice. She had to deal with it. Her gaze returned to her subordinate’s. “Whenever Eve and Tethel are ready, I’d assume.” Her voice was bland but the rebuke was still there, enough to prompt her squadmate to look down, chastised.

“Sorry..” The apology made neither feel better, “How long will we be keeping the rotations? The men are getting weary…”

“Until we’re ordered to otherwise.” Lethe deliberately looked back down at the map and papers in front of her, one hand idly picking up a pin to mark where the newest troop movement had occurred. She could hear Seraphim sigh sadly and walk away, the door closing with a solid click. She was alone once more.
~~~

[[Day 16 of Month –3 :: Redfern, Palaugrim]]

Even in a storage closet, Lethe couldn’t find any peace. She’d retreated to the cupboard she’d sat in three days ago to try to find some serenity once more. Patience, she tried to remind herself as she gripped her Faith, patience. It had assisted her through these tense days but it was wearing thin. So instead of sleeping, she’d hidden herself away to try to get a moment to center herself. However, even here, she could hear the mutterings. The voices were louder now, slower to quiet when she entered into the vicinity. The questions had changed from wondering where the attack was to why they hadn’t been ordered to stand down yet. Clearly the attack wasn’t happening. Clearly the intelligence was faulty. And more worryingly, if this intelligence was wrong, what other incorrect information was the Council relying on to make their decisions? Master Guilford had provided the original knowledge: where had he gotten it? Could they trust his source? Could they trust him?

Whether or not Eve had planned to attack on the thirteenth like Gil had said, her absence was causing just as much damage. Lethe forced her eyes closed, burying them into the palms of her hands. If there was no attack by daybreak tomorrow, she’d order the Knights down regardless of the Council’s orders. Their faith in the Immaculate was more important than whatever trouble she’d get into for disobeying commands.
~~~

[[Day 24 of Month –3, Afternoon :: Redfern, Palaugrim]]

It was a subdued group that left the fortress twelve days after arriving in it. There was a spark of life at the thought of finally returning home but that was overshadowed by weariness. Although no battle had been fought, the constant paranoia and fight to stay alert in the face of utter normalcy had drained everyone. The mental fatigue was almost worse than the physical one of standing around for eleven days.

“That should be the last of them.” Adair spoke gently, green eyes watching her carefully. Her entire squad was walking on eggshells around her after her ‘discussion’ with Seraphim.. how many days ago was it now? She couldn’t remember. She knew she should feel bad about their caution but she couldn’t muster enough energy to do so right now. The past week had been a battle of bolstering the troops’ confidence in the Immaculate after the attack on the thirteenth had clearly not happened. The continual high level of security hadn’t helped. She understood the military sense of it, agreed even, but the Knights under her had grown too restless. In their eagerness to find an adversary, their speculation had turned around to their commanders—to her and Guilford and the Council.

“Alright.” She pushed off the rampart she had been leaning against and turned around. Her squad was assembled behind her, all standing at attention in this now deserted fortress. “Alright. We’ll head to Bastille then.” It was centrally located and would allow her quick access to all of Palaugrim, or Gless or Lindela, if needed. “But first we’ll detour in Zairyon.” Leia had continued to send her letters. It seemed that even after Santa Olivia, the orange-haired demon’s attacks had continued. Now Lethe apparently had the ability to be in two places at once, if rumors were to be believed, given it was widely known she’d been leading the defense here in and yet she was still being attributed with the attacks occurring all over Palaugrim. Unfortunately it seemed that the Immaculate’s intelligence network was not as comprehensive as her friend’s given she’d heard nothing from the official channels about any such attacks. Although that could have been due to so many Knights being cooped up in the fortresses, all waiting for the attack that never came.

Regardless of the reason, it seemed clear that Leia had unique intelligence about Palaugrim that Lethe wanted. Therefore, they would be stopping by Zairyon. (The convenient fact she’d get to see her friend was just a bonus.)

“Is everyone ready?” Squad ten nodded, all lifting their travel bags onto their back. Adair handed her hers and she slung it across her back as well, checking the weight was distributed properly. (It was, of course.) “Let’s go then.”
~~~

[[Day 24 of Month –3, Night :: Zairyon, Palaugrim]]

“Thea! Welcome! Welcome!” Despite the warm greetings, squad ten was being escorted into the Vidalus’s mansion through a secret entrance. It wouldn’t do for their neighbors to know they were on such friendly terms with the Pristine Knights, after all. They had appearances to maintain and liking the conquerors simply wasn’t in right now. “Dinner is all ready for you and we’ve prepared bedrooms for you all on the second floor.” Orphelia herded the eight knights towards the dining room, ‘and you can see all our information tomorrow.” She stressed at the glancing looks Lethe was shooting in the direction of the second library.

When all were sitting and had started eating, the lady of the mansion finally made herself comfortable in one of the chairs, her lord beside her. “So, how have you all been? Terribly busy with all that fighting on the Tethelite side, I hear?” She joked with an amused smile.

There was an unnatural pause as all the Pristine Knights stopped moving. Seven pairs of eyes glanced cautiously towards the immobile white-haired Knight before dating away. The smile slid off the Zairyonian’s face as she realized something was off. “Oh. Is that not a good topic? Thea, I’m so sor-”

“No.” An explosive sigh erupted from pink lips. “It’s okay. There’s no need to apologize. If anything,” Lethe dragged her gaze up from her plate to look at each member of her squad. “If anything, I should be the one to apologize. I’m sorry for making all of you uncomfortable. These past days have been.. stressful,” She finally decided, understatement though it was. “But I know you have all been similarly stressed and it wasn’t my place to make it worse on you guys. Seraphim,” She turned to look at the other woman, “I apologize for snapping at you. You’d done nothing to deserve it.”

Seraphim exhaled silently, feeling a knot of tension loosen within her. She’d been hurt when Lethe had responded so bitingly. On one hand, she knew the younger woman was just under a lot of pressure. On the other, she had just been doing her best: she too had heard the ugly whisperings and had wanted to bring it to Lethe’s attention. The men had been getting weary and Lethe was always so conscientious about doing what was best for her subordinates…

“Well, then I think bed would be best for you all.” Orphelia cut in with a smile before she had a chance to reply. “Sounds like all of you have been exhausted. Let me just tell the maids to draw baths. I think a nice soak should help. We can reconvene in the morning?” In the face of such determined hospitality, there was no time for any other conversation.

The meal continued silently and then all were ushered to their respective rooms. Seraphim looked over the opulent room wearily. Had she ever been in a room so nicely furnished? The last time she’d been here. Her head dropped forward at the evidence of her stupidity. This was the same room she’d stayed in last time. Lights, she must have been even more tired than she thought. She loosened the cuffs on her gloves and tugged them off, tossing them onto the bed. Next came her armor then her boots. She was loosening her shirt when she heard a knock on her door.

“Come in.” The door creaked open to reveal a solemn white-haired Knight. “Lethe!” Seraphim exclaimed in surprise, hands immediately dropping from her shirt hem. “Is something wrong?”

“Ah.. no..” Lethe began hesitantly, teething nibbling on the corner of her lips uncertainly. Blue eyes darted everywhere but in the pink-haired woman’s direction. Seraphim felt her heart sink; Lethe was still upset with her. “I.. Please forgive me!”

In her surprise at seeing Lethe bow to her, Seraphim barely made sense of Lethe’s rushed words. “Wha? No no! Uh, I mean, yes! That! Argh!” Seraphim made herself freeze and slow down her suddenly rapid breathing. Panic wouldn’t help, even though she felt terribly out of her comfort zone. “Lethe. There’s no need to apologize.”

“There isn’t?” The Seraph countered, looking up from her bow.

“Of course not.. I.” I forgive you, she wanted to say but she couldn’t force the words out. Now over her surprise, Seraphim remembered the emotions that had sat in her stomach the past week like lead: anxiety that she’d made Lethe upset then resentment that she was treated in such a way when she’d just been trying to help. “I..” she tried again and to her horror, she still couldn’t say the words. She couldn’t let her resentment go. Her legs felt weak and before she knew it, she was sitting on the ground with Lethe’s arms around her.

“I’m sorry Seraphim. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The younger woman apologized, voice steady despite the surplus of emotions. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t your fault and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m so sorry. It’s okay.”

“Le..the..” She gasped even as she stared at her hands frantically. Were they grey? Were they pointier than before? Was she turning back—?! “I! I!” she tried to force the words out—I forgive you—but she couldn’t. She just couldn’t. Lights, please, of Lights please. No, not again. Please please please please please.

“You’re fine! It’s okay!” She was being shook back and forth, her head snapping to and fro with the motion. “Seraphim! It’s okay!” A shining hand grabbed hers and held the intertwined hands in front of her at eye level. “Seraphim! It’s okay! Look!” The clasped hands shook in front of her, her elbow flapping with the movement. “Look!” That was a command. Purple eyes focused. “Does it hurt, Knight Seraphim?”

“No.” She answered with as much authority as she could manage. Still, her voice much weaker than she was used to. The bruising grip on her hand loosened. “See? It’s okay Seraphim.” Lethe smiled at her through teary eyes and slowly the pink-haired woman realized—her Captain was shrouded in holy magic. Her captain was shrouded in holy magic but it didn’t burn. So.. so she.. “It’s alright, Seraphim.” Lethe repeated kindly.

“Can.. Can you absolve me?” Seraphim asked in shame, head bowed so her hair shaded her face from sight. There was a contemplative pause before Lethe responded, “I can, Seraphim, but I don’t think I should. There’s no need for me to. I know there’s no Sin in you.”

“But.. I can’t..”

“What I did wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you, Seraphim. And I shouldn’t have let it stew for this long. That’s my fault, Seraphim; you did nothing wrong. It’s completely understandable that you can’t forgive me right away. So I won’t absolve you, because there’s no reason for me to do so. But if you still feel uncertain in the next few days, tell me and I will.”

The two sat in silence, Lethe patting her back, until Seraphim finally spoke: “Alright.”

“Alright.”

Finally, Seraphim straightened, prompting the younger woman to withdraw her arms. “I should probably go take that bath now. Can’t be a Pristine Knight if I’m all dirty.” The pink-haired woman joked, laboriously climbing to her feet. She’d been sitting on her legs for so long, they’d gotten pins and needles.

“You’re not dirty, Seraphim.” Lethe followed her lead, also standing up. “I’ll leave you to your bath though. You’ve certainly earned it. Sleep well, Seraphim.”

“You too, Lethe.” Seraphim responded with a forced smile. The door closed on the other woman and Seraphim stared around her uncertainly. One hand played nervously with her fingers. They weren’t pointy. With one last look around her, she darted into the well lit bathroom. Best to wash anyways, just in case.
~~~

“I really messed that up.” Of course Leia was in her room. The blue-haired woman cocked an eyebrow even as she popped a grape into her mouth. “And are you okay, Thea?”

“I’m fine,” Lethe replied.

“Really?”

“I’ll have to be.” She amended as she started undressing. The two travelled to the bathroom so the former could at least bathe. Blue eyes slid closed at the bliss of being in clean, warm water. She hadn’t had any time for the luxury of baths these past eleven days. No, even longer than that really, since before Santa Olivia.

“Hmm…” Orphelia had planned to grill her little sister about Guilford and how that was coming along but now didn’t seem like the right time. By no means was Thea getting a free pass on her relationship status (or lack thereof) but Leia would grant her a reprieve right now. Thea really looked like she could take a break from everything. “Alright. Well, I won’t pry. Just this once!” Orphelia clarified at Thea’s disbelieving glance, “You know, I’ve been trying to decide where to place our nursery. Obviously we’ll have to remodel one of the rooms, but should it be..” She chattered lightly about baby plans and driving the chef crazy with her cravings and anything or everything except the war, Palaugrim, or the attacks. That would come with dawn’s next light. But for now, it was just a time to relax. They were, after all, still young.
~~~~~

[[Day 25 of Month –3 :: Zairyon, Palaugrim]]

Ten pairs of eyes stared at the map unfurled on the table in front of them. Colored pins marked the spot of every known attack: red, blue, green, and white. The first two colors matched the map they’d found in Santa Olivia. The green represented spots Rhett and Orphelia had learned about and white the ones the Immaculate had known.

“But why wouldn’t the map in Santa Olivia be comprehensive?” Cricket wondered aloud, verbalizing the question the rest had been pondering. “We knew about some of the attack spots; you guys,” he nodded at Orphelia and Rhett, “already knew about some of them, and some of them match the map on Palaugrim.. and some don’t. Why wouldn’t the Sinners have a comprehensive map of everywhere they hit?”

“I know this is going to sound stupid and is most likely not right,” Valiar spoke up, “but what if they weren’t tracking their attacks.”

“But then why would they have a map of colored pins that just happens to correspond with many of the attacks we’re aware about?” Leon pointed out the obvious.

“Because these red and blue locations are important,” Adair responded calmly, his attention more on the map than the conversation.

“But the others…” Leon paused, his eyes growing round. Half the table looked up, having heard the shift in tone that suggested a revelation. The other half were still mulling over the map. “Captain! YunQiao!” Two pairs of blue eyes jerked up at the sound of their names/titles, “Those red and blue ones are important! That’s why they’re being tracked! But the others must not be! That’s why they’re not being tracked by the Sinners!” Everyone stared at the excited blond as he reached for the map. “Of course! The other attacks must just be distractions! If you have to attack.. what? Twenty? Thirty? different places, won’t it become obvious to your enemies what you’re targeting? So they throw in extra attacks..”

“To hide the true objectives in the extra noise.” YunQiao reached out for the pins as well, plucking out the white ones they’d added to the Vidalus’s map. “They would have never expected us to find their notes that show the true targets.”

Leon was pulling out a green pin when a tanned hand landed on his, forcing it still. “Wait.” Rhett’s command was enough to make everyone stop. “Either that map you found is a list of everywhere they want to hit or it’s a list of places they have hit. In the former scenario, we can continue taking out the extra pins. But if it’s the latter, do we know when they last updated the map?” Green eyes swept over the Knights amassed in his third study.

“For sure it wouldn’t have been after your little soiree in Santa Olivia. So all of the attacks we discovered after should be considered as potential objectives.” Orphelia tapped some of the green pins. “Dear, give me those yellow pins.” She accepted the new set of pins and started replacing some of the green pins, consulting the paper in front of her. “These are ones we found after your soiree but they all seemed on the older side. The green ones that remain,” she nodded at the map, “are the attacks that looked more recent.”

A pale finger reached out to tap one of the red pins. “Iovita. I was there for this attack.” Blue eyes stayed focused on the pin and the memories she had of that village. “That means any attacks we’re aware of before that date.. Day 4 or 5 of Month --3. We can remove those.” Santa Olivia had been assaulted on the tenth, at least it narrowed the time range a bit.

“Then that would include..” YunQiao was consulting his notes now as he removed the white pins. The remaining map looked a bit more bare. “Now what about the color schemes?”

The group discussed around her as Lethe stared at the map contemplatively. She had one piece of knowledge she wasn’t at liberty to share: Santa Olivia. There was no mark there but she knew it was an anchor of the Great Seal. She also knew that the demons were targeting the seal; all the Sin Crystals they’d found around there was proof enough. Seals. Santa Olivia. Seals. Santa Olivia. And yet Santa Olivia wasn’t marked even though the Sinners had been targeting there? Two different operations at once? Possibly. Although.. Blue eyes darted to one of the blue pins: Emerald Moor. She knew that place had been attacked; she’d seen it with her own eyes. Blue eyes switched to the red pin she’d marked earlier: Iovita. She also knew for sure that location had been attacked.

“Blue and red are both places they’ve attacked for sure.” She spoke up, unintentionally ending the debate about one of the colors being places the Sinners wanted to target. (Cricket was playing devil’s advocate in spite of Orphelia’s dry comment that if blue was prospective locations, how was it none of the more recent attacks hadn’t been at any of the blue-pinned spots.) “I’ve seen the wreckage at both Emerald Moor and Iovita. So let’s assume they’re tracking two things at once.”

This time the silence was broken by Orphelia. “I can’t think straight with both red and blue on the same map.” She complained as she massaged her temples with one hand. “Can we re-do this on two maps? Dear?” Her husband shook his head in exasperation but did as requested. He knew the cardinal rule of husbandry: don’t upset the pregnant lady. He returned with two smaller maps and handed them out for Seraphim and Cricket to copy. They looked to be the least intellectually involved. When both single-colored maps were completed, they removed the original map to another table.
~~~

Lethe turned away from the table with the two maps, needing a temporary reprieve. Valiar, Cricket, Seraphim, and Deimos were looking at the lists of attacked towns trying to determine if there was a common aspect that would justify them being in two separate lists. The others were still looking at the two maps in hopes of making sense of them. Orphelia was reading some new missives she’d received and Rhett had excused himself to deal with some other business.

Picking up her water glass, the white-haired Knight frowned when she realized it was empty. In fact, she noticed now that she was aware, many of the water glasses were empty. Walking over to the water pitcher, she started distributing the drink, finishing her route by Adair. Her Vice Captain was standing by the original map of red and blue pins, brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of it. “No luck?” She asked needlessly, drawing his attention away from it.

“No, not yet. Here, let me take that.” Despite her protest, the amber-haired man lifted the pitcher and moved to set it down on the table, just realizing in time there was another paper there before he got it wet. “Here, hold this.” He passed the paper to Lethe before he put the water jug down.

Lethe looked at the paper handed to her. It was full of tiny holes and she lifted it to the light. Yes, it was the map she’d originally found in Santa Olivia. She brought it back down to put it aside when she noticed—“Is that a red mark?” This time when she lifted it to the light, she had it turned to illuminate the front of the map. “Adair,” There was just a hint of urgency in her voice, “Is that a red mark on Santa Olivia?” The blue-armored Knight craned his head to look. “Yes, I think so.”

Santa Olivia. Seals. Red mark. Red pins. The Great Seal. But why hadn’t it been marked with a red pin? Because it hadn’t been attacked yet. There was no red pin because even with whatever the Sinners had been doing in Santa Olivia, they hadn’t completed it yet. The Sin crystals hadn’t been detonated. They hadn’t attacked Santa Olivia yet. And so it couldn’t be marked with a pin yet.

But someone had been overeager and marked it with a red pen. Red pin. The map dropped from nerveless hands as she rushed to the map with the red markings. Grabbing a red pin, heedless of the other pinpricks she received from her blind groping, she slammed the pin into Santa Olivia’s position. Santa Olivia was an anchor to the Great Seal; Gil had been sure it was Eve’s target. But there was no way the seal was made without redundancies, she’d told Gil. That fact was so obvious, even their enemies could guess that. Then if the red pins were anchors or at least suspected anchors..

How did she get them out of here? Her eyes closed in grim determination as she realized what the next steps needed to be. There was no way the Council would let her get away with ‘accidentally’ revealing the Great Seal to her squad. She would need to figure this out on her own. As quickly as possible.

“Everyone. I need you to leave.” When she opened her eyes again, everyone was staring at her in disbelief. “Please don’t ask. I’m not at liberty to explain. I need you all to leave. Prepare your bags for departure the moment I say so. Someone go to Luciano and tell them to order a Wyervia on standby for us. I want fresh horses waiting for us to get to Luciano the instant we can.” She could order them out, but “Please.”

“Seraphim and Leon, you’ll go for the Wyervias. Cricket and Deimos, the horses.” Adair ordered, forcing his subordinates to start moving. “Lady Orphelia, I’m sorry but”

“It’s about time to start preparing tomorrow’s dinner menu anyways.” The Zairyonian smiled brightly, placing her letters facedown. She brushed out of the room airily, leading the way for everyone else. When everyone else had left, Adair turned to look at the still pale Lethe. Whatever she had found, it was important. She was scribbling on a plain piece of paper now that the room was empty so with an encouraging smile she wouldn’t see, the Vice Captain of Squad Lethe closed the door.

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


Last edited by t.en on Thu Jan 29, 2015 7:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 4:00 pm 
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13th of Month 3 - Lindela


Finally, the day all of them dreaded had come at last. Lindela's usually busy central market square was devoid of any activity from its citizens. Most of them had been retreated to shelters within District 1, the closest to Gless and the most well-defended. Other districts followed the same procedure, only they had their own shelters in case of such a scenario as this. Heavy knight presence could be seen throughout the entirety of this island's key locations. At his command, Guilford had positioned his troops evenly within a designated battle line. The idea behind his plan was to stop them in their tracks should the enemy be sighted on the island. To achieve that, he had to take out one vital aspect in the equation, the people. By having them moved to protected shelters, it would be easy for his knights to focus solely on battle, avoiding unnecessary risk and leaving the opponent with little to no choice but focus on them. This should work right? This should be okay shouldn't it?

Holed up in a makeshift command center tent, a calm Seraph drew his sword out of its sheath slowly, sharp eyes carefully examining the blade of Light's Requiem that continued to emit a dull glow. The blade indeed was sharp, he had made sure that he would make nothing but the best sword he could from Alona's prized mineral. The question is, was it sharp enough to pave way for the Light—for the people—in the face of such an adversary? Eve may not be the God of Sin but she had proven her power and ferocity time and again. No, he breathed the thoughts away. It was the calm that he needed most now, not the tension that was slowly eating away at it. Guilford closed his eyes and took a deep breath; the smell of incense was thick in the room. He had made his offering, said his prayers, and asked for guidance and protection. All that was left now is to wait. The moment he stepped out of the tent, the sight of countless knights graced his eyes. It was then that he knew, just like he always had, that deep down somewhere in their hearts, most if not all of these knights depended on the Seraphs. He shouldn't...they should not let them down.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 18 of Month 3 - Lindela


"Haaaahhh... are they here yet?" A knight mouthed off mindlessly, twiddling his fingers in boredom.

Natalia glanced around, an instinctive habit to look for their Captain. This time however, he was not standing around, nor was he anywhere close by. Natalia frowned, she hated having to admit it but like the knights under her command, she too was growing restless. The knights were talking, and they were beginning to question the authenticity of their intelligence. Now that she thought about it, where did their Captain really get their intel?

"For now, all I can say is from a reliable source."

Natalia's eyes widened in realization. All this time she believed that this 'reliable source' was Akira of The Crests. If that was true, then why not just say Akira's name? A feeling akin to dread washed over her. Somehow, it felt like their Captain didn't trust them enough for him to keep secrets from them. An urge to know the truth rapidly welled up inside of her, until her legs couldn't contain it any longer. Briskly turning around to go see her Captain, Natalia suddenly stopped after taking not more than a step away from where she last stood. Alona was standing in her way.

"Stop. You're better off not knowing."

How did she know?! Natalia questioned herself. Did Alona know where the intel was from? And what did she mean by she's better off not knowing? Just what exactly is going on?!

"Move." Natalia demanded.

Alona sighed, a touch disappointed. "Look around you Knight Natalia." she said while doing the same thing. Natalia mimicked the direction where Alona looked but didn't seem to get the point. "As it stands, there's already this much tension in the air. What good would it do the knights to see a member of Gil's squad just as lost as they are?" Eyes turning back toward Natalia, Alona planted her feet to the ground. "If you want me to move, you would have to make me. I warn you though, I'm serious about keeping you here. Gil already has enough problems to deal with right now."

Natlaia's brows furrowed to a sharp point. "What do you mean?" she asked in a low tone. "Are you implying that I shouldn't add to his problems? Who do you think you are to order me around auxiliary knight?!"

"Heh." Alona scoffed. So she was going to pull rank on her now is she? This brat. Hasn't she learned anything at all? "It's true that I'm no longer in active service, and I know any former knight who hasn't rejoined can only be granted an auxiliary position should they take part in a mission, I have no right to tell even the lowest ranking knight what to do." she paused and placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. "However, if you are going to cause a scene that will escalate the tension, I will stop you with everything I have!" She held that determined gaze steady. "Whether it is not your intention, your child-like impulses sometimes hurt those around you without you even realizing it. You have to understand all that you can before you act."

"Tch." Now she was being lectured on decorum? Natalia knew how skilled Alona was firsthand. Compared to her, Alona's skill in combat far surpassed her own. Should she want to have a say in the matter, it would only be by the means of her own sword.

"I too have my questions..." Alona mumbled in a hushed tone.

The words sparked a different reaction from the other. Natalia's expression softened after realizing that Alona too felt the same. "Then why? Don't you want to know?" she asked, anxious to find out why Alona would rather hold her silence.

"To keep the fragile balance intact." she pointed out. "Your state of mind now isn't any different from every single knight deployed on all three islands I can guarantee you that." she spoke, arms folding across her chest. For now, she seemed to have succeeded in diverting Natalia's attention elsewhere. "These knights look like they would go off at the drop of a needle. The last thing Gil needs would be chaos and confusion among our ranks. Right now, I'm sure he's feeling the pressure of it all—the questions, the accusing stares, the whispers against his reputation—if there are knights left who should continue to keep believing in him, it should be you guys, those directly under his command."

Natalia finally realized her folly. She felt bad that she was just about to cause more problems for her Captain, yet at the same time she felt ashamed that it had to take another to make her realize it.

"Show no weakness Knight Natalia, believe in your Captain."

Natalia responded with an assertive nod before turning around back to her post. All they could really do now is wait... but for how much longer?

*****



"They said I'd find you here Captain." Fiona said to him after finally seeing Guilford at the top of Lindela's clock tower. Even though she knew she didn't have to talk to let him know she was there, it was her form of courtesy. She didn't want to intrude on his thoughts, or so she believed.

A strong breeze blew by as she walked closer to her Captain. Fiona had to shield herself from it to practically keep most of her hair from falling out of its usual arrangement. The breeze however, made her notice that Guilford held a piece of paper on one hand, it was rustling in the wind. She continued to walk closer to him until she was standing side by side. His gaze was lost in the distance, his thoughts probably even farther than where he was looking. "Is that what I think it is Captain?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's a Council Summons. It's been five days and there's nothing going on. The Councilors are no doubt worried."

"More like scared." she jabbed at the council rather carelessly. It was surprising her Captain didn't react. "Are they pulling back the Seraphs for a meeting?"

Guilford looked at Fiona for a moment, noticing her calm demeanor as she spoke. "No. It's just for me." he responded, turning his gaze back on Lindela's horizon. "I was the one who brought this to their attention. It's only natural that they look to me for answers first."

"They can't pull you out now. They should know that..." she trailed off, looking at the flocks of carrier pigeons flying about. All that correspondence soaring in the air, it was an indication of the ongoing chatter among the ranks. "The knights are talking." she tried for a change of subject.

"Yeah. I know."

Of course he knows! He probably also knows what the knights were talking about! It wasn't that hard to figure it out. However, Fiona didn't know any better way to try and ease his worries at the moment but with small talk. She just had to try. "They're most likely wondering about the intel." she continued on, treading carefully as she did.

"You don't have to hide it Fiona. I know you are too." he responded just as soon as she finished. "Aren't you going to ask me where I got the information from?"

It sounded more like a dare rather than a question. Was he testing her? "If it's okay with you. Otherwise, I trust your judgment Captain. That alone is enough for me." she answered safely.

Guilford smirked. "If you want answers, you must be willing to give some yourself."

The words made Fiona turn to look at her Captain. Her eyes reflected a certain air of determination in them. She didn't say a word but Guilford already knew what she meant. This isn't about that. "Understood." he said and paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Fiona seemed calm enough to be able to take what she's about to hear. If she trusts his judgment, it was only right to trust hers too. "It's from the demo—no, it's from the one who killed my former Vice-Captain." he paused, glancing at Fiona to see how she would take it. When he saw no signs of flinching, Gil continued on. "It was her dying message."

She had heard part of the story from the others but never really got the full detail. Nobody from Squad Eight wanted to talk about what she could only assume was a very bitter memory. Still, even if it was a dying message, it was still from the enemy! How could her Captain just trust it so easily?

"You're probably wondering why I believed in it right?"

Is he clairvoyant or something? Is she really that open of a book? Fiona somehow felt uneasy for a moment. "Then let me ask you this, if you were in my shoes, what would you have done? Would you stand idly by? Would you disregard such a threat? Or would you rather take action regardless of the information's credibility?"

Isn't it obvious? "I would take action just like you did. The islands are all we have left. If we lose even one of them..." she trailed off, trying not to dive deep into the thought. "Any threat to them should be taken seriously..."

"...no matter how small." Guilford finished her words. A smile was playing on his lips. He was glad that Fiona had the insight needed to be a great leader. He was proud of her. "Lance will be coming here to take my place tonight. We're leaving for Gless tomorrow to talk to the council." Gil said as he turned his back on her and began walking towards the staircase that led down the clock tower.

"W-We? I mean... I have to stand in front of--"

Guilford stopped but didn't look back. Truth is, he was just avoiding leaving Fiona on her own. "You heard right the first time."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 19 of Month 3 - Gless

"What is the meaning of this Master Guilford? Why haven't the enemy attacked yet?" Mihai questioned the man before him.

The air inside the council chambers was definitely intense. Fiona found herself unable to speak a word while she knelt behind her Captain as both of them faced the Councilors. Wait, she was kneeling beside her Captain when they first came in! When did she get behind him! What was going on!? At fist she wasn't expecting anything special during a council meeting. She was under the impression that it would feel like any other gathering of their elders back in the day, and she had tons of experience on that. But now she was getting more than what she had set her expectations at! Had she been here alone, she would no doubt be swallowed up by these old folk just with the near overwhelming pressure of their questions! Master Lethe and her Captain sure had it tough, and to think that they had to deal with these Councilors on a regular basis too! Oh Light spare them! What was her Captain's intention of bringing her here in the first place?

"So? What do you have to say for yourself Master Guilford? Didn't I warn you about the intelligence you received? Look at us now! We were made fools! It was obvious that demon couldn't be trusted even in her death!" Aurel grilled the Seraph before him.

"Not only did we waste resources moving the troops, we—no, you have also paralyzed the economy of Lindela! Why are you even there in the first place?! What do you have to say to that?" Livius added his thoughts on the matter.

The questions kept coming as the Councilors continued pounding away on her Captain, yet the way he stood bravely against the Council was astounding in its own right. No doubt she could imagine the determined look her Captain must have in his eyes right now. If she were to guess, his retaliation would be coming right about... now.

"Councilors, the moment Eve came back to this world, I think we already knew that an attack on the islands was likely to happen. I believe that the only thing wrong about our intelligence is the timeline. Eve is cunning. This may very well be intentional to throw us off guard. The way things stand, it looks to me that most if not all of us..." though he really wanted to blatantly point out the Councilors too, Gil refrained. "...are playing right into her hands. We must stay vigilant." he paused and put on a serious look. "The battle may not have started yet, but the war had definitely begun. And in my book," Gil paused, looking down in contemplation. "we have already taken the first blow."

Right, it's a psych war. These councilors wouldn't understand the pressure of being out on the field because of it. They may understand the concept but they don't know how it actually feels! They have no combat experience at all! Why do they think they can do better than the ones who actually have field experience? The two opposing ideals between her Captain and the Council battled inside her head. She could understand both points if viewed neutrally, but she could not decide which one is the right thing to do!

"But for how long do we have to keep this up Master Guilford?" Margarette asked. As always, her voice was calm and composed as still water. It was a relief to hear someone not blowing off the horn in a fit. "Surely you understand the implications of having the people on lockdown am I right?"

"Of course. I too have my doubts about the information's credibility, but as a Seraph, it is my duty to take action against any potential threat to the islands. To protect the people, our beliefs, I must do what is within my power. Do you understand that Councilors?"

How about that huh?! Fiona had a smirk on her lips after hearing what her Captain just said. He wasn't doing anything wrong, he was just doing what he can!

"Then how do you propose we fix this? If you understand what our concerns are, do you have a suggestion that would remedy our current situation? We cannot go on like this. The men are exhausted mentally, the people are crying and the islands are paralyzed! It's only a matter of time before they start falling apart! You know we cannot stand for this." Cornelius finally spoke his first words throughout the meeting.

Wait, isn't it their job to figure that out? Why are they pushing it to her Captain instead? Fiona found herself gritting her teeth in frustration. They already have so much on their plates, he and Master Lethe already has so much to do! But why aren't they helping?! If she was to have any say in it, they were making matters worse as it is!

"Five days." Gil answered.

"Excuse us? What about five days?" Laith asked, his interest ever so slightly piqued. He had not pegged Guilford to be much of a politician but it would be interesting to know how he planned to solve this dilemma.

"Allow us five more days to stay on high alert. If Eve doesn't show herself within the time, we'll stand down. However, I would recommend tightening the patrols, having continuous shifts on watch duty and adapting a quick deployment scheme for our troops. The knights can return to their homes as they please, but it will have to be on rotation." Gil suggested confidently. No doubt Lethe would also do the same if not a tad sooner than he himself would.

"And what of the people Master Guilford?" Cornelius questioned the Seraph.

"They can return to their daily lives after five days, though I would suggest that we put a limit to their activities."

"You mean a curfew?" Livius clarified.

"It is as you say Councilor, and a strict one at that. I simply cannot allow them to risk their lives under the threat of an attack that has yet to happen. I know it brings displeasure and discomfort, and that we'll definitely feel its backlash but we have no choice. Eve is out there with her fangs bared upon us. If I can help it, I wouldn't want to add civilian casualties to the body count."

Trust her Captain to come up with something! Fiona couldn't help but feel impressed. So this is the other half of what a Seraph does. She could finally understand why they were always held in high regard by the Knights and people alone. Master Lethe and Captain Guilford are simply amazing!

"Very well. Your suggestion sounds reasonable enough, we shall permit it." Cornelius picked up his seal and stamped it hard on the document he had just finished writing. "New orders will be cascaded after five days. May the Divine Light guide us all. Dismissed."

Guilford bowed in respect and turned to face his subordinate that was with him. "Let's go Fiona." he said, offering a hand to help her up.

"I'm fine Captain, I can stand on my ow-" she said but suddenly felt the numbness in her legs that prevented her from getting up.

"You've been kneeling the whole time. Just take my hand." he chuckled.

It was embarrassing yet astonishing at the same time. Her Captain even managed to squeez in the thought about this happening to her and... Fiona grabbed her Captain's hand as he pulled her up to her feet. She stomped her feet a couple times before smiling in thanks. There was no need to say anything.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 26 of Month 3 - Lindela


"So they never came in the end eh?" Lance said and plopped himself beside Gil who was snacking on some cookies. Once again they were at the top of Lindela's clock tower. "Oh they will come... we just don't know when." Gil had never given up on keeping his guard up. Even now, he was still watching the horizon for any signs of the enemy. Looking at his friend, Lance's eyes slowly moved downward to the cookies Gil held in one hand. He reached out to take one but grabbed at nothing. Gil had moved his hand away before Lance even realized it. A perplexed look was answered by Gil's words. "Too slow." he jabbed at him before finally offering the cookies to Lance.

The two shared a moment of laughter before Lance took one and bit off a good half of the cookie. "I guess you're okay then." he mumbled. "I was wrong to get worried." he continued on, taking another cookie.

Gil simply looked at him with smirk. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm glad they didn't attack too you know."

Lance finished chewing off his second bite before he spoke. "That's not what I meant. I'm sure you're aware of the talk going on around the knights. They think you're getting too paranoid and that you're losing it—the Seraph touch—you know?" he rephrased himself, reaching for another cookie. Before Lance could help himself to another, Gil tapped his hand away and was looked at him. "What?" he asked clueless. "You eat too fast." responded the other, prompting another bout of laughter from the two.

When the moment simmered down, Lance fell to a more serious note. He had apparently lost interest in Gil's cookies and was now simply looking at the horizon together with his friend. "They are entitled to their own opinion, Lance." his words prompted a sigh from the other. "I know Gil, I just..." he paused. "I just don't like the way they talk about you, that's all."

"You can't help it. They were expecting something to pour their emotions on. It's only natural that they turn to me when Eve didn't show herself. You can't blame them for feeling that way."

It took him a while to respond but Lance simply sighed. "You're right." he finally said, turning his gaze away from Gil and back towards the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, bathing the beautiful scenery in golden orange light before their eyes. "It's beautiful isn't it? Kinda brings back memories..."

"Yeah... it does."

"And right about now, that lady should be coming for you yelling your name without a care in the world..." Lance stopped himself before he could say anything else. He had just remembered that Brynhildr was no longer among the living; a touch of sadness at the thought changing his expression in an instant. "Say Gil, I haven't paid my respects yet. I don't want to put this off any longer or I might lose all chances of doing so. Do you think it's possible if we could stop by?" he didn't have to say where for both of them knew it.

Gil glanced to his left to look at Lance. The expression he had now was near indescribable. Lance may not have openly admitted it to him, but he knew that Lance cared for his late Vice Captain. Testament to that was the way he looked at her in the past, and how hard he tried to be friends with her. Despite each attempt ending with being shut down by the other, Lance kept rising like a phoenix every single time, trying even harder. He did punch him too when he learned of what happened...

"Yeah sure. I think she would have loved that. Let's go tomorrow."

"Yeah... okay, I'll tell the others."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 27th of Month 3 - On the way to Bryn in Palaugrim


A Wyervia sped through the skies between Lindela and Palaugrim, tearing through the clouds as it passed through them. The passengers inside remained quiet, solemn even if one had to pick the right word. Only the muffled rumble of the craft's magic powered trubines could be heard inside, and there was no denying the serious looks all of the passengers had on their faces. The one person who didn't share such a look felt herself out of place. Why did she have to come? Fiona wondered to herself. This was a personal moment to everyone on the Wyervia except for her, so why was she here? Does she have to be here? Despite her courteous protests, her Captain had insisted that she should go with them, giving her a simple reason of 'everybody has to take a break every now and then'. Well, he did say that she would love the town they were about to visit too but still...

"Master Guilford, be advised that we're arriving at Palaugrim's southeastern port in fifteen minutes." the pilot informed them through the craft's echo stones.

"We're almost there." Stating the obvious isn't something that he was fond of but Gil too felt uncomfortable with the silence. It was a poor attempt to lighten the mood. Somebody just say something already!

It didn't take long for Guilford's silent plea to be heard. "Alright people, we should prepare to disembark." Lance mentioned on reflex. It wouldn't do any of them good if they were to allow themselves to be swallowed by gloom. Besides, Knight Brynhildr wouldn't have wanted to see them like this. "Hey, in the event that I decide to stay for a bit, does Bryn have good lodging?" he asked nonchalantly, putting on the best smile he could muster.

Being the ones who frequented Bryn—formerly Jenault back in the day—Georg took it upon himself to take the tour guide's role. "The best lodging you could find in Palaugrim. That town is well known for its hospitality and good food. I'm pretty sure that hasn't changed." he informed the other. It didn't take long for conversation to soon follow.

Amidst the chatter, Fiona failed to immerse herself in the conversation. She had no idea about this town, nobody she knows who lived there, and definitely no sentimental attachment towards it either. She could throw in a few questions of her own, but that would simply feel like she was forcing it. Best stay silent, she thought to herself. She had grown accustomed to the feel of fifteen minutes yet for some reason, this fifteen minutes felt like forever to her. She breathed a sigh of relief when their Wyervia finally landed on their destination. She could use some fresh air, and her feet were dying to meet solid ground once more. She didn't want to sound antagonistic or anything but with the threat of Eve still out there, she could only hope that they would not have to stay long.


****



Having been welcomed warmly by the people, Squad Eight and The Crests enjoyed their morning with the residents. Gil took his time to meet with Bryn's mayor while the remainder of his squad played with the kids. Even Fiona who felt out of place found herself getting dragged into a cooking game by the female children. With people so lively like this, she began to understand what her Captain meant by she too would love the place. Even members of The Crests, who these people met for the first time, all found a respective crowd to entertain.

Akira was...well...the best way she could put it was being himself around the single ladies of town. Silver was busy examining Bryn's market goods, along the company of merchants. He was probably looking for souvenirs to buy. Alona was surprisingly around the company of the town's younger men. It didn't look like they were ogling her, but instead she was...lecturing them? On swordplay maybe? They were lined up and all stiff like that after all. And then there's Cora, surrounded by the town's aspiring healers. That was so her. Then there was Lance, he was putting on a spectacle of story telling in the center of town! Surrounded by a large crowd, he had his spear drawn and his voice thundering as he acted out most parts of the story. It would appear that he was telling tales of Chivalry and Honor within the knighthood, no doubt to inspire the hearts of the townsfolk.

It didn't take long for Fiona to find herself smiling. She looked around slowly, and for the first time, she could finally see the true beauty of this small town...peace.

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 5:29 am 
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The wyervia was silent save for the hum of its magic-powered generators. Even the pilot had picked up on the mood and had said little more after his first attempts at conversation had been rebuffed. Team Blonde were silently watching Lethe in their own ways. She had emerged from the third library last night white as a sheet. She had wanted to leave right away and it had only been Lady Orphelia that had kept them from running off at eleven at night.

Instead, it was nine in the morning and they were on a Wyervia towards Bryn. Lethe hadn’t explained why they were headed to the port town. She’d just ordered the Wyervia captain there and then sat back to stew on whatever she’d found. From the way she was staring in the distance, they could only guess it wasn’t pleasant.

Quote:
It had taken another day and a half but finally the answer was in front of her. A day and a half of frantically sketching every seal array she could think of and then some; of desperately recalling every memory of that one month of the Rising; and of wretchedly referencing maps, praying her suspicion was wrong.

But it wasn’t.

She stared at the drawing in front of her in growing anguish. Perhaps she should have steeled herself against the possibility when that first thought had come—but really, who would be so—Eve. Of course. Of course, Eve would be so callous. One fingertip lightly trailed the lines she’d drawn all over Palaugrim. It made sense. Terrible, terrible sense.

Involuntarily, her head bowed against the first tendrils of despair that reached out to her. The War had returned. Logically she’d known it since Eve first appeared but there was a difference between knowing and knowing it. Fighting demons, learning that Reapers had once been her comrades-in-arms—as terrible as they were, they were nothing before the callous calculation she could see written before her.

Countless lives had been measured and found insufficient.

When she opened her eyes, all she could see was the map of Palaugrim with its supporting seal array on top. Red and blue marks illuminated the crucial junctures, revealing a horrifying story of an island teetering on the brink of..

falling.

There were only four of them left! Even if Palaugrim was smaller or Tethel was overrun by Sin, each of them were precious. This was all they had left, all that remained after the War: this land and its people.

Oh Divine Light, protect us. Guide me to the strength I need to overcome this.

The prayer and a fortifying breath were all she allowed herself before Lethe recollected herself. There was no time for such histrionics. There was work to be done.


“We will be reaching our destination in about an hour’s time. I repeat, we will be reaching our destination in about an hour’s time.” The sudden announcement startled all from their preoccupations. Valiar looked up from the armor he was polishing; YunQiao lowered his book. Cricket and Leon both opened their eyes, seemingly having been napping. The others also put aside what they’d been doing to focus on Lethe who had finally returned to the present.

She smiled awkwardly at them, no doubt just realizing how rude she’d been the entire morning with her silence. “Good morning, Lethe.” Adair spoke up, offering an end to the stalemate.

“Good morning, Adair, everyone. I apologize for my behavior today.” The smile remained strained, “and the past few days..” She paused as she debated the best way to explain the situation without revealing too much. Island at stake or not, she couldn’t just reveal the existence of the seal array. “I… have a suspicion that Bryn may be attacked. I have no idea when, but,” she paused to stress the conjunction, “It is imperative that Bryn does not fall.”

There had been a few other possible locations that could be attacked, but they had not been easily defensible. One anchor had been in what appeared to be a swamp according to the map; another critical support seal had been deep in rebel territory. Somehow, they had lucked into one of the key seals being in Bryn. If she recalled correctly, Guilford had seen the town properly barricaded and defended after Bryn’s death. Would Eve attack there? Who knew. But with Palaugrim itself at stake, she couldn’t risk not going there.

“I know we can’t be there forever, but while we’re here on Palaugrim, I’d like to be stationed out of Bryn,” even though she’d be haunted by the memory of what had happened there. “In our spare time, we will be improving the defenses as much as we can.” It was the best that she could do. Even if she brought her findings to the Council’s attention, there was no way they’d let her stay there indefinitely. It was important, but to permanently keep a Seraph and her squad there on a “distant maybe”? Impossible.

But with Palaugrim itself at sake, she’d try her best while she was there.


So this is who Knight Brynhildr was. Fiona looked at the statue of the knight that was conveniently errected behind the one chapel of Light in Bryn. This was the first time she saw her image and the first thing that came to mind was a fierce knight. She was beautiful, and one look from the faces of the people with her was enough to say that she was cherished, loved even when she glanced at her current Vice Captain. As much as she wanted to offer her sympathy, there wasn't even a shred of connection between her and the fallen knight aside from the fact that they were both a member of Squad Eight.

Feeling herself out of place once more, Fiona offered a short prayer and silently fell out of the group. There wasn't more she could do there and staying simply felt awkward in a way. Finding herself out on the street once more, Fiona decided it would be best to spend her time walking around town to admire the sights, just until her group finishes their business. According to Joaquim, this town was formerly named Jenault; it was attacked and squad eight was the one who defended it, hence the personal attachment. Looking at the town now, it was only right to assume that Squad Eight did everything they could to keep this town from getting attacked again. With towering walls that now surround Bryn, watchtowers and a knight patrol, it was easy to see why this town had that sense of peace and security. Was it safe outside too? Fiona figured it would be nice to take a stroll. Walking towards the east gate, Fiona stopped before the knights on duty.

"Is it safe to go outside?" she asked one of the knights by the gate.

"Of course ma'am. Our patrols keep watch over a good distance around town so we have a perimeter secured. Just don't cross the river."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." she responded and waited for the gates to rise.

It was refreshing in some way, breathing in the air of Palaugrim that held a certain wild feel to it. She may not have been here much but she could feel herself being drawn to Palaugrim's uncanny charm. With much of her own thoughts to think about, Fiona kept walking, taking in the beauty of nature that surrounded her; it was easy to get lost in it. In the middle of her stroll however, she felt something within her crack. Dread instantly engulfed her being. She knew what cracked, she understood it more than anyone else. It was her ward that kept her hidden all these years from her past. Why did it crack now? Have they figured out the Seal Method she used to put up the ward? Looking around her frantically, Fiona tried to sense if the Guardians were already on her. It didn't take long for her to find out. She hated being right, for there she was...waiting.

“We meet again, Ms. la Riviere.” The guardian stood at ease, arms crossed at the small of her back. From here, the sun emblem that marked the Guardians was prominently on display although the rest of the distinctive red armor was shrouded by a brown cloak.

“How did you find me?” Fiona countered, taking a step back warily. Her hand instinctively lifted towards where her ward had been before she aborted the motion. Four other Guardians stood around her in a loose circle, preventing her from escaping. If she remembered correctly, another one to three Guardians would be somewhere nearby. She was outnumbered.

The lead Guardian ignored the demand, “The Elders have ordered your return to below. You will come with us, Ms. la Riviere.” It appeared the woman was no longer willing to even pretend at civility.

Fiona’s hand dropped to her sword in response, Nirvana slipping a few inches from its sheath. She had no desire to attack the Guardians but she had even less intention to comply. No, she was staying on the surface. She finally had a chance to make a change. There was no way she was going back!

The lead Guardian could clearly see the defiance pouring from her body if the scowl was any indication. “You don’t understand.” The woman hissed irritably, one armored hand lashing out. “Ms. la Riviere, it is not just for our safety or yours that you must return," she paused, putting on a grave expression. "Eve can use you to revive the God of Sin.” she finished

Fiona recoiled in shock. Whatever she had expected, that certainly hadn’t been it. She could be used…? How?

The female Guardian had anticipated her shock accordingly. She had initially planned to let her know once they get back underground, as a means to make Fiona want to stay willingly rather than revealing it now, but it can't be helped.

"Listen closely, Fiona la Riviere, what I'm about to tell you may sound ludicrous but I assure you, this is nothing but the truth." she began, taking a cautious step towards the wary knight. "The God of Sin used to be a Pure—like the rest of our lineage." The Guardian took a slow breath, carefully observing the knight's reaction. "You are aware that we hold ancient knowledge, said to be bestowed upon us by the Divine Light itself. One such knowledge had been violated by him," she stopped a few meters away from Fiona. "The Rite of Creation." She was confident that Fiona could deduce the rest on her own.

After hearing those words, Fiona looked helplessly at her hands. The Rite of Creation? The God of Sin was formerly a Pure? She... her blood. She squeezed her eyes together, remembering the taunting laugh that had accompanied Eve’s retreat. She’d always wondered why Eve had been laughing... and now she knew. The wound she’d gotten on her abdomen throbbed at the memory. Her careless strike had not only almost gotten her killed, it now could lead to the revival of the God of Sin. What an unfortunate blunder!

She’d always wanted to be a change in the world, just not this kind of change. Lost eyes came up to meet the Guardian's, as if asking for the right thing to do.

"You were found by us simply because the ward you used to hide yourself had weakened after having come in direct contact with such a malicious power. It was not that hard to follow through after that." she implied a slight hint of boast with her tone. "Now then, if you understand, I'm sure you'd be willing to—"

"Mistress! Above you!"

Red eyes shot up at the warning, simultaneously noting the descending speck of darkness beneath the blue sky. With one swift motion, the Guardian pulled her chakram out from beneath her cloak and took a defensive stance, ready to block the incoming assault. A loud clash of steel followed by the grinding sound of metal against metal echoed in the air. The dark figure that had just made an appearance grinned devilishly while trying to drive her sword through the block of the Guardian that had fallen to one knee.

Fiona's eyes widened in terror. She had never seen this kind of opponent before but there was no mistaking it: this sensation, this oppressive pressure! She may not be able to feel any form of taint but the killing intent that reverberated throughout her being was enough evidence of the figure's affiliation. She immediately drew her sword, hearing a faint ringing from the blade as she pointed it at the dark figure. Fiona was about to lunge forward to help but stopped when she heard another yell from the other Guardians.

"More incoming!"

There's more?! Alarmed at the knowledge, Fiona panned her vision around the once-peaceful-patch-of-land-turned-battlefield. There they were, the Guardians, engaged with the same shadowy figure their Mistress was currently fighting. Where did they come from? Why couldn't she sense anything?! Fighting instincts suddenly took over. Fiona ducked just in time to avoid an attack that was no doubt meant to knock her out. Pivoting with her right foot from the crouched stance, Fiona turned to face her attacker. Hollow eyes greeted her along with a sadistic smile from her attacker. They were female? Having noticed that the figure was well on her way to send another fist at her, Fiona jumped back to gain some much needed distance, and what little time it offered to collect herself.

She hadn't had enough time to take her stance when another figure rushed past her and settled in on her blind side. Fiona turned her head to her right and realized how little her window to react was. Skillfully bringing her sword to the right, Fiona positioned the blunt side of the blade to act as her shield from the incoming fist. She had braced herself for impact but her eyes widened as soon as she felt the force behind the punch. Their strength was abnormal! Feeling her feet slowly loose contact with the ground, Fiona soon found herself blown back the other way, only to be guided into the fist of another one of these things!

A loud thud followed by the sound of crinking armor after, Fiona found herself violently rolling away from the small cloud of dust that now covered the spot where she was sent flying. Several strands of her once neatly arranged hair had now fallen out of place. There was blood dripping from her lips and she was in pain, grasping the cracked portion of her chest armor. Her vision blurred twice. Having taken such a ferocious attack, it was a surprise that she was still conscious. She should thank the Crests for their training should she survive this, or would she? Now that her attackers have slowed down their tempo, she had enough time to hear what was going on outside her own battle. Voices, cries of agony, the sound of defeat! No! It couldn't be! Fiona turned her gaze weakly towards the cries, there she saw the Guardians, falling one by one, defeated at the hands of their assailants. The Guardians were skilled yes, but what they have in skill, they lack in experience. This much was to be expected in an actual battle.

Was there anything she could do?! She took so much damage from just a single attack that she couldn't even channel her Light's Wrath when she needed it most! Pathetic! How could she be so pathetic?! Realizing that her attackers were once again upon her, Fiona mustered every bit of strength she could and crawled forward in an attempt to grab hold of Nirvana, the sword that she so clumsily dropped in her violent roll. Even knowing that what she was doing is a futile effort, it was the only thing she could think of. "C-Cap..tain..."

One of the dark figures grabbed her by the hair and lifted her head just enough so that she could see their smiling faces.

"Nighty-night little knight." it mocked and pulled back the same fist that injured her, poised to strike.

Fiona closed her eyes, anticipating the blow, and soon lost herself in darkness...

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 5:25 pm 
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It was two hours after Captain’s unusual request that Team Blonde finally were in eyesight of their new temporary home. To their confusion, another Wyervia had been waiting in the port, seemingly abandoned. Although a port, Bryn was still a new port that had been established mostly at Master Guilford’s request. Most supplies to Palaugrim came through the Southwestern dock. For a Wyervia to be here.. Unusual. However, the craft had definitely been decked in Gless’s colors so it was unlikely to be an enemy’s. They’d deal with it when they got to Bryn. After all, there was certainly nothing they could do about it at the empty port.

When they came within shouting distance of Bryn’s outer walls, they were finally greeted by the local garrison: “Halt! Who goes there?!”

“Gless’s Squad Ten, under the command of Seraph Lethe.” Adair stepped forward to respond, his voice easier to project over the remaining distance. From where they stood, Team Blonde could hear the murmurs of confusion on the ramparts. After all, Bryn would not have been expecting a visit by a Seraph out of the blue.

“You may approach!” Someone finally responded, his voice lacking its previous authority. Cricket exchanged an amused look with the others but the squad’s approach was otherwise unremarkable. A Knight with the badge of a platoon leader welcomed them, face carefully impassive. His subordinates, however, didn’t share such mastery of their emotions. Confusion was evident in their expressions though all muttering paused with their approach. “How may I help you, Master Lethe?”

“Please,” Despite her worries, Lethe at least remembered to smile this time, “May I speak with the commanding officer here?”

“Of course. I’ll lead you myself.” The Knight stepped forward with a bow before walking forwards into the town. The eight members of Squad Ten followed silently, more interested in the town then their silent guide. It was after they’d been walking a few minutes that Lethe realized something. “Are we headed towards the center of Bryn?” Both the platoon leader and Adair turned to look at her, their puzzlement echoed in her expression.

“Yes.”

Lethe’s brows furrowed in confusion but she said nothing, simply nodding her head in response. Odd, she would have expected the commander to be near the garrison she’d spotted by the walls. Perhaps he was talking with the mayor? The civilians and the Pristine Knights needed to coexist peacefully after all. The sound of splashing water drew her from her musings even as their guide shouted out in greeting, “Master Guilford!”

The white Knight startled at the words. What? Blue eyes immediately scanned the direction the platoon leader was facing and sure enough, a familiar man with dark blue hair stood by the water fountain she’d been hearing. Around him was the famous Team Prissy as were Lance and four others.

“Are those the Crests?” Cricket muttered from behind her and was answered by Leon’s breathy, awe-inspired “yes..” The starstruck response broke through her surprise and elicited a snicker. Even after being around her, Guilford, the Pure Magic Squadron, and being a member of a famous squad in its own right, Leon still went fanboy for the Crests? Valiar seemed to catch her train of thought because the man batted his eyelashes at her in exaggerated fashion, earning another snort.

“Master Guilford.” At least someone had retained their composure, but that’s why Adair was her Vice Captain. “It’s a surprise to see you here.”

“Yes, what brings you here?” Lethe echoed after a reprimanding glare at Valiar, her smile mitigating the accusation of her inquiry.

In the middle of his discussion among the members of both Squad Eight and the Crests, Gil heard a call for him. With his prior thoughts still in mind, the male Seraph turned his head slightly to the direction of the voice. The southern platoon leader was there and behind him were some unexpected visitors. Vice Captain Adair was the first to give him greeting.

"Adair." he responded in kind though it was rather rushed. His surprise to see them here was muffled by the grave thought that lingered in his mind. "Lethe." he greeted his fellow Seraph in the same manner, much to his distaste for sounding unwelcoming. "We came to pay our respects to Knight Brynhildr." he continued on. "Though I could ask the same of you." he finished, turning fully to face the newcomers.

The smile faded from her face at the mention of why they were here. “… business..” She finally responded awkwardly, well aware of the countless ears around them that were interested in the answer. “If I may speak with you in private?”

Business? Talk in private? Gil already had a foreboding sense of what it was related to. Still, it would have to wait. One of his knights went missing and that he could not put aside so easily. "Of course, Lethe. Though I hate having to brush it aside now, one of my knights are missing," he paused to look around. "Fiona is nowhere to be seen.. or felt." he ended with a sigh then turned to Lethe once more. "Sorry, might I trouble your knight Leon to try and sense for Fiona?"

Lethe glanced in Leon’s direction. The blonde had thankfully recovered from his sudden fanboyism and was the immaculate professional Laith tried so hard to present them as. Leon nodded and closed his eyes, extending his senses. He ignored the plaza they were in; the presences of the three teams would blind out any other presences and he assumed Master Guilford had already tried the area. After a moment, he opened his eyes again. “Nothing.”

The grim news was expected, naturally. Had those people in red armor succeeded in taking Fiona, obviously there would be no trace of her presence anywhere near, and Gil recognized and respected Knight Leon's superb sensing capability. "It is as I feared then..." Gil trailed off, putting on a contemplative look. "She was last seen going out of the East gate," he recounted. "nobody had seen her since."

“To the East?” Leon repeated in surprise, “I felt something way out that direction when we were walking here but it wasn’t very strong.” He shrugged, “I assumed it was a scout, especially after it vanished. Probably someone going undercover.” Now he looked uncertain, “Is Fiona capable of hiding her presence?”

"Not that I'm aware of. I have always been able to sense her presence whenever she's nearby, and she most definitely does not have that weak of a presence." Gil feared for the worst. Hearing Leon say that he mistook the presence for a scout could only mean that she may have been weakened to that point.

“Then it’s probably not her if her presence—”
“Care!” Lethe suddenly shouted even as Guilford and Cora called out to their squads as well. Luna appeared in one hand as the other gathered holy light. Her squad was one step behind in settling into defensive stances even as the air seemed to shimmer. With no fanfare, a woman with dark hair and battered red armor appeared and staggered forward, falling to the ground. Bloody hands scrabbled for purchase as she tried to push herself up, succeeding only in lifting her face off the ground.

“Hur-hurry!” She gasped to the defensive troop in front of her. “They-they’ve got her...”

"Do not attack! Nobody move! I know this woman!" Gil roared for everyone to hear. Squad Eight and the Crests were the first to lower their guard, most of them if not all, recognized the battered woman.

Akira rushed past everyone else and pulled the woman into his arms, letting her head rest close to his chest. He frantically looked at Cora who seemed dazed by his actions yet no words have been said. Cora simply understood what he meant and rushed over to begin healing the woman of her injuries. "Dear Light... such savagery..." Cora muttered as she examined and healed the gravest injuries first.

Guilford walked towards them and leaned in, not close enough to block Cora from natural light but just enough so he wouldn't have to shout at the injured. "Who has her?!" Gil's voice still thundered even at conscious restiction. It was more out of concern rather than anger. "T-the.. ene..my..." she labored the words out, wincing in pain as Cora's healing began to take effect.

The enemy?! What would they want with Fiona? Gil struggled to piece the puzzle together. As far as his knowledge extends, the enemy she clearly referred to, would rather be interested in wiping them out than taking them captive, especially someone from a Seraph squad. "Why did they take her?! What are they planning?"

By now, the woman's injuries have healed to a point where most of the severe ones have been treated. Trust Cora to do well with healing! The woman, however, rejected further aid and brushed Cora's hand aside. She pushed herself out of Akira's arms and struggled back to her feet. She was still dazed but looked at Guilford with grim-filled eyes. "There's no time to explain—the God of Sin will walk the land again if you don't get her back. Quickly now! Follow the traces of this ward,” She drew an unfamiliar seal into the air with a glowing fingertip, “before it breaks completely. This is all that I can say."

Help delivered, the Guardian once again formed the same seal she used to escape captivity and vanished into thin air.

“Mobilize your troops immediately. Assume Bryn is at battle. Send one of your men to the Wyervias and inform Rayitas and Rasova immediately. I want their reserves here as soon as possible.” The platoon leader snapped to attention at the sudden commands and ran off back the way they’d come.

Having been given a method to track their missing squad member, Gil felt a faint light of hope in his heart. It would have been fine if it was the Guardians who took her for he knew they wouldn't harm Fiona, but for the enemy? It was disturbing, and greatly worrying. Gil was just about to take the seal left by the Guardian when Akira suddenly caught his extended arm. "I'll do it." he said firmly. "I'll track her. All of you just follow my lead."

Gil had never seen Akira determined like this. Agreeing to it, Gil allowed the other to take the seal. He turned to Lethe for a brief moment and frowned. "We'll talk later Lethe. I need to find my missing knight first. Sorry."

“We’re coming with you of course.” Lethe responded with a frown of her own. Did he honestly think she wasn’t? “Which way, Akira?”

Grateful to hear her words, Gil could only say "Thanks.. I owe you one." He received a scornful look in response, owed her what?

Akira then closed his eyes, channeling his senses into the seal that was now printed at the back of his right hand, he began to feel faint traces of a familiar presence getting dragged farther. "Eastward." he answered. "They're on the move, we have to act fast." Having said that, Akira bolted off toward the East gate. As one, the others followed him, creating a stampede of twenty odd Knights. Out the gate they ran, following the road until Akira suddenly swerved off the path. Into the forest they plunged en masse, branches and leaves breaking under their feet in a cacophony of sound. All were so intent on the darting black figure in front, they might have been forgiven for their inattention.

A massive paw swiped at them, forcing the group to scatter. There was a bellow of rage before a head snapped at them with massive jaws.

“Cerberus!” Cora shouted in surprise, dodging out of the way of the attack. “Care to the right!” another voice joined hers as a titan appeared, arm swung back in preparation.

The warning came at the right time. Guilford and the rest of his squad managed to dodge safely. The Crests did just the same. Akira paused to look back towards Gil, eyes asking the unvoiced question. Guilford then turned to his Vice Captain, "Alfrei, Hyuga, Silver: go with Akira and continue tracking Fiona. Leave everything here to us."

Adair jumped forward, shield ready to block the Titan’s axe, the two meeting in a terrible screech of sound. Only the aura of Light’s Blessing around him kept the shield from shattering. Seraphim appeared immediately afterwards, one glowing fist slamming into the Titan’s thigh. Up near its head, flashes of blond, grey, and silver flitted around as Deimos attacked.

Meanwhile, Lance had engaged the three headed monster of a dog, one spear smacking one head’s nose and the other blocking a swipe that sent him sliding backwards. Vlad jumped into the empty space, Joaquim and Georg one step behind. Between the three of them, they kept the Cerberus’s three heads on them, leaving the flanks open for attack. With the flanks now vulnerable, Cora circled to one side in sync with Alona. The two ladies executed a practiced combo from the flanks. Cora pounded away at the left head with her hammer while Alona mercilessly sliced and diced the right head with her sword. Finally, the other three who acted as bait all fired powered Banish bolts after Cora and Alona broke off their attack. The impromptu combination sent the Cerberus reeling back in pain, followed by an ear-shattering roar of rage. All winced at the sound and then had to retreat when the beast lashed back in response.

“There.” Leon pointed towards a spot next to the Cerberus, directing YunQiao’s fire ball in that direction. A tail lashed out towards the surprised Natalia but was intercepted by the black-haired Knight’s spell. “Captain.” Lethe didn’t even spare a glance as one of her Heaven’s Judgment swords sent a Banish towards wherever Leon had indicated. She herself was busy keeping track of the activity around her, her blades gleaming as they came and vanished at her discretion. Though they would react accordingly on their own, they were more lethal when she paid attention.

Guilford fell from the sky, sword poised to decapitate the Cerberus’s leftmost head. With all three heads’ attention on his tank and rear guard, the necks were exposed for an easy kill. He felt a flicker of unease and then something was knocking him out of the air. He caught a glimpse of a familiar silver blade before it was struck, the metal vanishing under the strain. When he landed, a black-armored man waited for him.

As a swordsman, Guilford had developed a sense of understanding if going up against a fellow swordsman. One look at the black-armored person that had knocked him out of the air, Guilford could tell that the other was indeed very skilled with the blade. Slowly rising back to his feet, Guilford swished Light's Requiem once to clean out the dust from having grazed the ground when he landed. The air around the two suddenly became tense, like the elements around them were reacting to their intent. Who was this guy? Why did Guilford feel this unease should he make the first move? Why does he have this feeling that he would be easily defeated by this man? Still, he had to focus! Instinct told him that one simple mistake would spell his doom. Pushing his thoughts aside, it still took another second for the Seraph to realize that his swordarm was still numb from having haphazardly blocked the previous attack.

Guilford stood there disturbingly still, contrary to his more offensive nature. The man in black armor appeared to have little interest in the other battles around them; though the visor was not facing Guilford directly, the overwhelming pressure Guilford felt from the unknown man was evidence that he was the focus of the black knight's attention. When the numbness from his arm subsided, Guilford finally settled into his stance. The black knight responded with a mocking tilt of his helmet and then a come-hither motion of his free hand, demanding Guilford to come at him instead.

Is he that confident about his skill?! Guilford wondered internally. The only time a warrior should ask an opponent to attack first is if that warrior had absolute confidence that he was better than his opponent. Irritating, yes, but Guilford knew he couldn't afford to be reckless. Closing the distance between them, Guilford raised his sword for an overhead slash. His speed was not something to be taken lightly, nor was his aim. However, with a simple yet masterful sway back, the black knight cleanly avoided the fast strike with ease. Taking advance of Guilford's momentary loss of balance, the black knight countered with an upward slash of his own. The Seraph saw the blade coming but barely managed to dodge it in time. Three strands of his hair drifted slowly to the ground, cut by the black knight who had yet to take a step forward.

~~~


"How far off are we Akira?!" Silver asked the former scout who ran full speed ahead of them. The other simply looked back without breaking speed and grumbled. "I can't get a clear read yet, but we're getting close!" he yelled back at his companion.

Silver frowned at the knowledge but kept his senses alert. From the corner of his eyes though, Silver noticed the unwavering gaze the other two with them had in their eyes. They were surprisingly calm, no doubt rooting from an obvious trust in their teammate. He could almost tell what they were thinking, almost...

"She's still alive." Silver huffed while ducking beneath a low hanging branch along their way as they ran. Alfrei simply looked at the man and nodded. As much as Alfrei and Hyuga wanted to believe that, there was just no way to be sure without actually seeing Fiona for themselves. They might have calm expressions now, but underneath it all laid a turbulence of emotions. They had already lost one squadmate here; they weren’t losing another.

"We're getting close!" Akira suddenly yelled. "Over here!" he added, veering off the path and coming to a stop before a steep ravine. The others took a few seconds to catch up but once all of them made it before the ravine, nobody could believe their eyes. At the pit of the ravine, a threatening swirl of Sin circled around, serving as a barrier for what could possibly be a cave entrance.

There was no time to waste in formulating a strategy! Alfrei's worry got the best of him. He coated himself with several layers of Prayer before jumping down first, followed by Hyuga, who not once mumbled a single word of complaint. Akira turned to look at Silver, "Fiona's down there alright—I can feel it!" The larger man gave the former scout a nod before the two of them also jumped down the ravine.

~~~


“Who are they?” Lethe snapped out, not expecting an answer. Blue eyes tracked the approaching black-armored men. They looked like the Sovereign Palaugrim troops but at the same time not. Valiar glanced in the direction she was looking, mouth still chanting the script for the buffs he was blessing on his teammates. “No idea.” He responded as he finished the incantations, drawing his sword. “Heads up to the left!” He shouted in warning. There was no visible response from the members of Squad Ten still engaged with the Titan.

Lethe drew Luna and started towards the troops. Their deliberate advance, and the way they ignored the Cerberus and Titan, was enough to tell her they weren’t allies. Seeing they’d been spotted, the men broke formation and started rushing her, spreading to encircle her. To their surprise, the various attacks were deflected as eight blades appeared around her, parrying the strikes, even as she kept running through, knocking men and weapons aside with her charge. Another blur of color approached from their side. Alona cut through the surprised men with ease, leaving bloody gashes or scarred armor everywhere her sword touched. There was a rumble below her and she jumped up as the ground underneath her erupted. A Pure Sinner jumped out of the ground, gnarly hand reaching out for her. The armored men didn’t even seem surprised and instead headed towards the others. The redhead gritted her teeth in irritation. She couldn’t leave the Pure Sinner alone, but it’d be hard for her to defeat it with just her sword. Sinners were easy enough to carve up; Pure Sinners had too much magic to be taken down so easily and she wasn’t that skilled with holy magic.

She lashed out with her sword but hit a barrier. Damn it! “Leave this to us!” A voice shouted at her as a Knight ran by, a braid of purple trailing behind him. His attack carved a gash in the Pure Sinner’s leg before a massive Sin ball slammed into the location he had been standing. A blast of Banish struck the Pure Sinner that howled in defiance, its barrier trying to stand up to the ferocity of the attack. A petite, white-clad Knight was scowling in response, eyes focused on her spell. Master Lethe and probably a member of her squad—Alona shook her head and ran back towards the armored troops—no doubt they’d be enough to handle a Pure Sinner. Her time was better spent dealing with those she was more effective against.

~~~


Gritting his teeth to suppress his emotions, Guilford settled into his stance again. This time, the black knight tilted his head to the side, as if asking Guilford if he was done. Being on the other end of mockery was not a very pleasant feeling. This must be how Eve felt back then. Guilford knew he was a good sport, but this black knight was starting to get on his nerves. Calm down! Don't let him get to you! Don't lose focus! Guilford repeated the words to quell his swelling anger. It was all about landing the first blow. Whoever managed that would gain control of the pace.

Guilford attacked again, this time with a combination in mind. Eyes focused and senses heightened even more, Guilford began his flurry. First, a sideways slash coming from the left aimed for the neck. It was dodged with ease by the other as expected. Using the momentum gained from the slash, Guilford transitioned into a full circle spin and launched a follow up slash to the mid section. This time it was parried by the black knight's sword. Having his angle of attack changed by the resistance between the two swords, Guilford expertly twisted his wrist a little to the right and launched an overhead downward slash. It was blocked by the black knight. However, this was more of a feint aimed to lock the black knight's sword in place. With his free hand, Gil channeled a Banish bolt and aimed for the black knight's head. He fired without hesitation but the black knight simply jumped back to avoid getting hit.

The black knight, much to the Seraph's surprise, clapped three times after their exchange. Was he complimenting Guilford's effort? How vain could this guy get?! Guilford dashed forward and thrust his sword first, followed by a rapid succession of slices and slashes. As much as Guilford hated to admit it, he was already fighting this guy at the peak of his current sword skill! However, despite how hard he tried, Guilford felt like he was an open book, his moves perfectly read by the black knight. Amidst the torrent that was Guilford's high-speed attack pattern, the unknown knight would simply pick out which moves to counter, which attacks to evade, and which feints to ignore, all with pinpoint accuracy too! Realizing that he was not getting anywhere with his offense, Guilford backed off to catch his breath. He couldn't touch him! Light he couldn't land a single blow!

~~~


Swords drawn and Prayers cast, the four knights began treading the Sin infested grounds in search of the cave. The taint was so thick it hindered their vision with a dark purple haze, they could feel their skin crawling even under the effects of their own Prayers. Just how much taint was here anyway?! Deep down, Akira, who was once again in front of the pack, could only hope that no monstrosity like Eve was here.

"Repent!"

The three looked towards Alfrei who had taken the initiative to change his form of protection. Though he was not able to clear out much of the taint with it—given how his Repent was easily reduced to a 2 meter radius around them—he at least managed to ward off a good measure around them for improved vision. It didn't take them long to find the cave’s entrance thanks to his spell.

"You shouldn't burn up too much magic. Who knows what we'll find in there..." Silver warned the young Vice Captain.

"Fiona." Alfrei responded. "We'll find Fiona inside. If anything else gets in our way, we'll just have to beat the Sin out of it! That's all there is to it..." he finished and proceeded on, keeping his Repent spell up. Akira followed Alfrei with his gaze, admiring the determination the young one had to finding their teammate; it only made him want to try harder too.

Focusing on the seal once more, Akira tried to pinpoint Fiona's location to get an exact reading. It was hard at first due to the weakened presence but he was not about to give in. Akira didn't want to have to do this but given the circumstance, he would make an exception.

"All-seeing Light, grant unto me the power to find that which I seek!" After the short chant, Akira's eyes flared with white flame. It took him a couple seconds to adjust to the sudden influx of Light's Wrath in his eyes before turning toward his companions. "I found her." he said confidently. "This way!" he added before dashing deeper into the cave, into the thick of the taint.

It didn't take long for them to reach where Fiona was. Horror gripped their hearts at the sight of the female knight hanging upside-down. Some pieces of her armor had been taken off, leaving only the ones that covered her sensitive parts. She was covered in bruises, slash wounds, and much of her pretty face had become so swollen she was barely recognizable! All of this was evidence of without a doubt, extensive torture. How cruel!

Akira's hands curled into fists in rage. Alfrei was about to run towards Fiona but Akira blew past him and got there first, cradling the tortured knight in his arms and calling for her while skillfully cutting her free. "Fiona! Fiona!" he cried out. "Can you hear me?! It's me, Akira! We're here to save you!" he continued on, nudging Fiona's swollen face ever so carefully. It took Fiona a while but she just moaned in pain and moved her head, trying to smile through her swollen lips.

"Say nothing milady.." Akira whispered, channeling his healing magic into his free hand and doing the best he could for her. "I won't let you die. I promise!"

After being taken aback by surprise at such a passionate display from Akira, Silver and the others rushed over to help heal the tortured Knight. "She's lost a lot of blood." Hyuga stated his observation, pulling out several things from his pouch, including his not-so-patented miracle powder. "Let's just do what we can and get her to Cora as soon as we're able." Silver instructed the rest as he began directing his healing magic into the most critical areas.

~~~


As the third Pure Sinner fell to the ground, Lethe looked around her grimly. Somehow a ridiculous number of Sinners, Pure Sinners, armored troops, and random creatures of lore were appearing. One Cerberus was already on the ground as was the first Titan that had attacked. Another Titan was currently keeping Joaquim, Seraphim, and Natalia busy while a Bahamut had Adair, Cora, and Deimos engaged. Cricket was battling some half-naked, blue-skinned woman, seemingly kept at bay by the freezing aura around her. She dodged a thrust from some random assailant, kicking him back to get her some space. A swing of Valiar’s sword sent the man dropping unconscious to the ground. The cleric gave her a grin before turning back to deal with the next assailant. A flash of orange hair caught the edge of her eye and she turned, half expecting to see Lance there. Instead, a cheerful looking demon was running towards Bryn, led by a familiar brown-haired woman. The two demons from Santa Olivia! “Knight Lance! To me!’

Lance jerked at the sudden shout of his name, just evading the Sinner’s strike. A reverse swing of his spear decapitated the Sinner and it fell to the ground twitching. Just because he was a Pristine Knight again didn’t mean he adhered to the Council’s “save the Sinners” preaching. Sinner saving came not in the middle of battle when his friends and comrades were at danger for his mercy. A hand settled on his shoulder. “Captain wants you.” The pressure vanished before he could even turn and he saw one of Lethe’s Knights—the dull-looking blond—effortlessly absolve a Sinner. Lance wavered: as skilled as his Crests, Guilford’s squad, and Lethe’s squads were, they were still outmatched. However, Lethe had clearly needed him. An impassive yellow stare caught his even through the flurry of battle, clearly asking him, why aren’t you gone yet? The Lion shook his head once to clear it and then ran in Lethe’s direction. He had to trust his friends and comrades. An order was still an order.

For some reason, Lethe was dashing away from the fight, heading back towards Bryn. Confused, Lance started to speed up to try to catch her. Maybe she could explain what she was doing. As they travelled closer towards Bryn, Lance started to notice—why wasn’t the presence of Sin diminishing? Were there Sinners attacking Bryn as well? The thought was enough to get him to speed up when suddenly the earth rumbled as if cracking apart. It was a disgustingly familiar sensation. Eyes widening, Lance sprinted towards Bryn, dread and fury rising within him.

~~~


The two demons vanished from her sight but she could still feel their toxic presences, high in the air above. ****! Lethe leapt off the ground, Heaven’s Judgment blades spreading out to catch the air as the ground below her buckled from the sudden impact of the orange-haired demon’s attack. She landed in the open area that led up to Bryn, seeing a massive indent on the ground just outside the town’s walls. The men on the wall were all shouting, some drawing magic for spells no doubt. Had the demon missed? Why attack outside the town?

Lethe vanished and teleported to right above the outer walls. “Don’t attack them! Maintain the defensive barrier!” She ordered before she was whisked away, up into the air where the two demons floated. Those Knights would do little, if anything, against the demons. Better to spend their magic more usefully on the barrier than waste it on attempts to scratch the demons. She lashed out at the two demons but they vanished with mocking ease. All three women reappeared on the ground, Lethe with her sword drawn back defensively, the orange-haired demon with a wide grin, and the brown-haired one with an amused smirk. Brown eyes crinkled with sadistic glee as she waggled her fingers in greeting. “Hello dearest Thea.” a familiar voice jeered as the flesh on the brown-haired demon rippled. Short brown hair lightened into honey blonde and lengthened into a familiar hairstyle. Brown eyes shifted into teal and then a familiar woman stood there in the militaristic outfit the demon had been previously wearing. “What a pleasure to see you again.”

“Vic.. torie?” The demon flourished a bow before deadly teal eyes focused on her.

“Watch out Lethe!” The shout saved her from being bowled over by the sudden hammer strike. Well, she was still bowled over, but at least she’d gotten a feeble defense up. With how much pain she was in when she peeled herself up off the ground, Lethe doubted she would have survived if not for Lance’s warning. The Lion had run forward to strike Victorie but the demon just laughed and jumped back, travelling too far in that one leap to be struck. Lethe murmured a healing spell over herself, letting it soothe away the keen edge of pain. Looking over the battlefield, she saw the orange-haired demon up in the air once more, arms drawn back. She shot off the ground on unsteady feet, wings beating to catch the wind. The demon was forced to abort her strike when Lethe appeared in her personal space, a sword lashing out at her chest. A teleport and she was safe, but the white-haired dollie that had hurt her last time reappeared beside her. The two engaged in a maddening game of tag before Lethe was knocked out of the sky by a flying body. Lance and Lethe tumbled on the ground, limbs smacking against each other as they struggled to stop their movement and get free. Eventually both fumbled to an upright position, just to have their balance threatened when the earth trembled under their feet.

“Lights!” There was another indent in the ground. Lethe had no idea why the demons were attacking outside of Bryn when her calculations had placed the anchor firmly within the town’s limits. However, clearly the demons thought otherwise and she could take no chances. The attacks might still disturb the seal or her calculations could have been off. She ran towards the next spot the demon had aimed for, lifting her Heavens Judgment blades up to channel her spell. “REPENT!!” Not the best choice, but she’d had no time for anything else. The aura around her shuddered as the hammer head hit it, holy light fizzling as it came in contact with the demon’s Sin. The two forces struggled before the weapon was finally withdrawn hastily. Lance appeared in its stead, clearly having aimed to destroy the weapon.

“Lethe?” he inquired with a quick of an eyebrow. Why was she defending empty ground from the demon’s attack? The minor earthquakes it caused weren’t that troubling. “We can’t let them attack this area.” The Seraph gasped in response, eyes already tracking the two demons. She dashed off towards the next target, Lance beside her. “Why?” Lance’s confusion was palpable even as he followed her. This time, their combined defense were enough to block the attack.

”Just trust me. This area around Bryn is critical.”

“More critical than the fact the God of Sin might walk again if we don’t save Fiona?” Lance countered angrily, “more critical than killing those demons for what they’ve done?! All those wrecked villages and dead..!”

“Yes!” She screamed back at him, her response cut off as the hammer struck the earth another time. Their argument had distracted them from the more important issue: the demons. “So help me Light, I will die before this place gets wrecked!”

“That can be arranged.” A droll voice spoke up from behind them, startling both into turning around. A vicious hand grabbed Lethe by her hair and dragged the Knight backwards, the Knight stumbling over her feet to try to stay upright. “Hello my dear little liar. I think you have bigger issues to worry about than Vulcalina.” Victorie’s smile widened even as she punched the Seraph in the face.

“Lethe!” Lance took a step forward towards the other Knight but was stopped by the screeching of metal meeting metal. He pivoted towards the sound just to see scattered keyblades littering the ground, only two still in the air holding up against the orange-haired demon’s attack. She was crazy! She was in a demon’s grasp and.. “I will die before this place gets wrecked!” ****. She really would. With an anguished look at Lethe and the blonde demon, Lance ran towards the orange-haired demon. He still had no idea why in the Light he was defending an empty piece of land, but if this was what Lethe was willing to give her life up for…

~~~


Seeing Guilford break off his attack again, the black knight brought his sword up to his shoulder and shrugged. The gesture made Guilford's eyes darken with anger. Now this dark one was just trampling on his pride! It took a tremendous amount of self-control for Guilford to keep himself from lashing out. But the black knight just had to do it! Obviously meaning to insult his skill, the black knight sheathed his sword and balled his gauntlet-covered hands to fists. He jumped up and down a few times to test his footing before settling into a fighter's stance. Though unsaid, the message was crystal clear: I can take you barehanded.

Beneath the calm exterior and his still form, Guilford was burning with near-uncontrollable rage. He was exhausted, Lights he was even though he hasn't used magic at all! Still, his Seraph's pride was not so cheap to just let anyone, and he meant anyone, simply trample and dance upon it! With all this rage built up inside him, if he attacked now, Guilford knew that he would lose. He needed to discard all thought, abandon everything that held him back, put everything he stood for on the line, and just focus on this one strike that he was about to commit to. If this black knight came out here just to play, Guilford vowed to make sure he would regret it!

Tuning out every distraction on the battlefield, Guilford began to hear his own heartbeat, not taking his eyes even once off of the black knight. It was still too fast; he was still too tense! Guilford needed to calm himself down even more. Taking several deep breaths, the Seraph listened as the sound of his heartbeat gradually slowed down, until it was a constant slow rhythm. The black knight was nice enough to not make a move, perhaps the only thing Guilford could grudgingly thank him for. He had just given the Seraph all the time he needed to prepare a true strike.

Mind set and resolve steeled, Guilford raised his sword forward once more. Here I go! he said to himself, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly before dashing towards the black knight. It felt like eons had passed when all it took was a mere few seconds to close the distance between them. As soon as he entered striking range, Guilford brought his sword up to attack. The black knight was about to counter him with his fists when he suddenly stopped midway in hesitation. Perhaps it was Guilford's devotion to the attack tipping him that something about it was off. The black knight tried to reach for his sword again but Guilford's own sword came down upon him in an instant.

The sound of metal slicing through metal resounded until the tip of Guilford's sword now faced the ground. Time stood still between the two for a good moment, until movement came from the other first. Guilford watched the black knight stagger back, grasping his chest armor instinctively and checking his hand for blood. There was none. Although Guilford knew he had hit the black knight, he also understood that his attack was too shallow to even wound him. In the last second, the black knight still managed to sway back and avoid a potentially lethal blow by the skin of his teeth. Truly, this man was a formidable foe.

The black knight and Guilford stared at each other for a long second before the black knight lifted his hands in a slow applause once more. After four claps, the black knight dropped his hand to his sword, lifting it just enough to show the blade’s keen edge, a clear reminder. He could kill Guilford any moment he wanted. Instead, the stranger let the blade slip back into its scabbard. He turned to look in the distance, tilting his head inquisitively. One finger lifted to tap at his ear as if telling Guilford to listen. Warily, Guilford also turned his attention that way. In the distance, he thought he heard..

Movement captured his attention away. The Black Knight was turning around, showing his back to him!, and walking away! There was no backwards wave, no acknowledgement at all. The Black Knight just walked away without a care in the world, leaving Guilford in the suddenly silent battlefield.

~~~


Lethe scrabbled for purchase against Victorie, trying to get herself free. She couldn’t call her keyblades to her; she needed them to defend against ‘Vulcalina’s’ attacks. She spared a thought to reinforce that command to her keyblades; she wanted them to stop Vulcalina, not defend her. She’d.. somehow get out of this.

Somehow was the key word because right now, with punches raining down on her face and chest, she wasn’t quite sure how. It was hard to think with the way her head was being jostled about and with Victorie screaming at her from above. Another punch had her feet buckling from under her, now only kept aloft by the hand in her hair. Victorie stepped away from her yet somehow she didn’t fall. She was suspended, held in place by invisible bonds. The blonde lost her manic smile, expression settling into smug certainty. Between two hands, a blade of Sin appeared—the same one she’d had back in Luciano. “I love the irony of this.” Victorie commented idly, swinging the sword lazily. A twist of her wrist slid the blade along Lethe’s calf, leaving an unhappy welt there. Prayer glowed weakly around the Knight, unable to stop such potent Sin. Her holy magic was too weak right now. She’d need Light’s Blessing.

She called upon her divine magic, shakily bridging the gap between the divine and the physical realms. For a second she thought she’d failed. The world had gone white but there were black lines everywhere. Countless strands crossed this way or that way, moving to an unforeseen master’s whim. These threads crisscrossed all over her body, seemingly locking her in place, if strings could somehow hold her aloft. Or could they? She struggled to move her leg away from the approaching Sin blade but the lines held her firm. Pain flared and she could see the fizzle of Sin against her limb. She needed to break these lines.

Her fingers twitched but Luna refused to appear. There was a tugging sense as if Luna was trying to respond but something was holding it back. Maybe it too had been caught in this mess. Alright. Brute force then. Victorie was still saying something but Lethe wasn’t paying attention.
brighter than the highest noon.. redder than the blood that flows..

Syndra stopped her lazy strikes when a sudden unease struck her. The little liar was near unresponsive but there was no way it was dead.. Impossible. She took a cautious step forward and realized—the liar’s eyes were glowing. She suddenly became aware of the presence around her. ****. “Vulcalina! Get us away!” The orange-haired demon appeared obediently and enveloped her, teleporting them far into the sky above as light exploded around the brat. They were too far to be injured but she felt all the strings in her hand go slack. The lines she’d so meticulously set up—destroyed in one instant. Annoying. She’d gotten careless. “Ignore the brats. I’ll take care of them. Just focus on hitting what I told you.”

“Okay! Anything for my bestie!!” Vulcalina chirped even as she deposited the scowling Syndra on the ground. With another teleport, the demon was back up in the air. She’d been having fun playing with the orange-haired one but if Synddy-chan wanted her to make a winking face on the ground.. well.. alright then!

~~~


Cricket surveyed the battlefield as he hopped away from another attack, one wrist wiping sweat from his face. It wasn’t going too poorly, but it wasn’t going particularly well either. The Knights here were all some of the best the Immaculate had: both Seraphs’ squads and the Crests. However, their opponents were no slouches either. The armored men had shaped up into good opponents and even now, many were still fighting in defensive groups. A ridiculous number of Sinners and a few Pure Sinners were flooding the field as well; those were definitely a case of cannon fodder but cannon fodder could still hurt. Against a thousand clumsy strokes, even one could hit and cause damage, as the gash in his left arm reminded him. And then there were these ridiculous monsters. Seriously! Two cerebi, three titans, that ice lady from earlier, a flock of harpies, and he didn’t even know what that upright dragon thing was supposed to be. Organic mecha?! Where in the world were these creatures coming from?

He dodged out of another strike only to hear a scream of pain from behind him. He whirled around to see the petite cleric stumbling away from the blade he’d just dodged. The brunette was kind enough to not say anything but he still felt a bit bad. Had she been expecting him to block it? He didn’t really do blocking… Nonetheless, he swept down and lifted her up, dashing away with her in his arms. Captain had made clear he was always supposed to protect the medics. To be fair, he knew exactly where Valiar was (standing by Leon and YunQiao, as usual) and what danger the old man was in (nothing the three of them couldn’t handle). He couldn’t have been expected to memorize the new cleric’s position, now could he? He’d just met her!

Cricket dropped down beside Valiar, placing the injured girl in the middle of the defensive triangle YunQiao, Leon, and Valiar were maintaining. His sword snaked out to lop off a reaching Sinner hand and then he pushed an Absolve into the Sinner’s gut, letting the holy magic burn away the impurities. Valiar grunted a thanks and turned around to survey his patient.

“I’m fine!” The girl protested, one glowing hand holding her shoulder. When she removed her hand, only the bloody tear in her clothes suggested there used to be a wound. The older cleric simply turned to look over the field and bless all the Knights within his reach. Cora slipped into his spot on the circle, hammer ready for whoever advanced next.

Cricket shrugged and hopped away. He’d made his amends; how was he supposed to know she was that good at healing? He stopped by Seraphim and joined her in taking down a troop of the armored men. They stumbled away from the vengeful woman’s attacks, her body wreathed in Light’s Blessing for the extra attack, defense, and speed it gave her. It was easy enough for Cricket to clean up alongside her and then he moved away.

Adair was also glowing with the presence of Light’s Blessing as he blocked another attack from the frantically casting Natalia. A massive rock appeared from seemingly nowhere and dropped upon the manticore, giving both Knights time to dash away. Hmm, maybe they weren’t doing as well as he’d thought. A more critical eye scanned the battlefield. Most of his comrades were on the defense, only Seraphim, Deimos, and the redhead Crest seemingly unrelenting forces. The back of his neck prickled uncomfortably and he dashed back towards Valiar, arriving just in time to stop a lethal blow to the cleric. Leon had pushed the older man out of the way in a futile attempt at a human shield. They were not doing very well.

Grim brown eyes turned on this monstrosity: a minotaur this time. The beast swung at him and he deliberately made himself block the blow. The people behind him wouldn’t be able to evade. His body shook with the impact. He was ridiculously lucky the minotaur was using his fists as Cricket was pretty sure his arm would have been shorn off if it had been a blade.

“Take Light’s Blessing and make it your shield.”

Konan’s words echoed in his mind and he plunged into himself, drawing upon his source of divine magic. He hadn’t mastered it yet, but hopefully it’d give him enough strength to keep his comrades safe.

~~~


What did the Black Knight wanted him to hear? Confused as to why that man retreated, Guilford found himself idling for thought. It was rare of him to lose composure in the middle of battle, but how that man acted had thrown him off his groove several times in their short-lived, unconcluded duel. The sound of a shriek managed to catch his attention, his eyes tracing the origin of the sound. Soon, it was made clear that one of Lethe's knights had activated Light's Wrath. The outright effect however, was something less to be desired. Using nothing but what his eyes could see, it was easy to surmise that every single one of the enemies on the field were now attracted to that carefree-looking knight. How in the world did he manage to become Mr. Popular was beyond Guilford. At the very least, he looked like he could use a hand...

~~~


“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Cricket ran as fast as he could, pumping his legs and arms as quickly as he could. Behind him, a stampede of Sinners, Pure Sinners, those armored men, and a minotaur followed him. The first hint that something was wrong when everyone on the battlefield had frozen the moment he’d tapped into his Light’s Blessing. As if scripted or mind-controlled, every eye had slid in his direction and Cricket had felt a sense of foreboding slither down his spine at being the focus of so many eyes. He loved being the center of attention but… uh.. this was a bit much. The second hint something was wrong had been the way every beast had taken a step in his direction. His third hint, fourth hint, and the confirmation that something was terribly wrong had been the second and third steps the enemies had taken in his direction and then suddenly every one was rushing towards him.

Cricket had done the sensible thing.

He’d ran for it.

“WHAT THE LIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTTT!!!!” He screamed as he kept running. Adair appeared beside him, Light’s Blessing flaring around him as the younger man flared his aura, trying to draw some of the Sinners’ attention. Vlad was trying to draw some of the attackers to him as well to no avail.

“What did you do?” Adair hissed as he knocked a Sinner aside, making some of the pursuers trip at the sudden roadblock. It was hard to keep running and defend but Cricket clearly needed help. Deimos appeared near the front, his various copies striking out at the running enemies. They all seemed too intent on Cricket to realize they were being killed and more enemies stumbled to a halt as the corpses interrupted their paths. Alona was striking down the flanks.

“I DON’T KNOOOOOWWWW!!!” Cricket wailed, snatching his braid close to him. That man had almost cut it off! There was a screech from above and the manticore Adair and Natalia had been fighting earlier swooped down, claws outstretched. Seraphim appeared in a flying leap to knock it off trajectory, a whip snaking out to snag the falling Manticore before it was swung into a tree.

They had run out of the clearing they’d been fighting in and were now headed Light knew where.

Planting both feet solidly on the ground, Guilford tapped into the Divine Realm. Seeing that many of their adversaries lined up made perfect sense for what to do, and for that he needed full power. The solid footing was just so he wouldn't be blown back. It was not his intention to show off his Light's Wrath no, far from it. That comedic knight just presented him with a great opportunity to even the playing field a little. Waves of Light began rising from Guilford's body as he continued to allow power from the Divine Real stream unto him. It took him a good minute to charge his sword and being with enough power to fire off a similar attack he previously used in Santa Olivia. Pulling the sword back with his right hand, Guilford yelled at the top of his lungs, "Get clear now!"

Cricket jumped high in the air as Adair swerved to the side. Seeing his allies move out of range, and having noted that Cricket was safely in the air, Guilford slashed forward, unleashing a stream of white light from his sword that shot forward and mowed down those unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast.

"That takes care of that..." he huffed in short, labored breaths as his Light's Wrath immediately dimmed to a fizzle. He knew he couldn't fire off more than three of those at full strength, but there was another place that required his attention.

Turning his head towards the direction of Bryn, Guilford realized just how desperate the fight over there had gotten. Lance's presence was waning; and Lethe was being pushed to her limits. The pulse of divine magic from her had been confirmation enough of that. There was no time to hesitate! Not even recovering fully from the strain of firing off a big move, Guilford made a run for Bryn. He could only hope he makes it in time.

~~~


She’d only reached the fourth line of the incantation before she released the pent up Light’s Blessing, blowing away the lines that had surrounded her and, she realized afterwards, many that had covered the battlefield. Lethe had little time to appreciate her handiwork before Victorie re-appeared with a vicious downward strike. This time Luna responded immediately and Lethe smoothly lifted her sword to block the strike. In a mimicry of their previous battle, the two entered into an exchange of blows, neither getting the upper hand. The earth rumbled around them, muted compared to the previous attacks. Both women looked in the direction of the epicenter. Lance was struggling to stay upright, apparently having diverted the attack to the side. One eye glowed blue and Lethe peered at the scene through the divine realm. She could still see Sin seeping into the ground from the attack, but not as much. Lance had been able to neutralize part of the attack. Her eyes swept around her. The ground was covered in patches of Sin, some more concentrated and some weaker. She couldn’t see the seal, assuming it was here, but all this Sin couldn’t be good if it really was here. They didn’t have that much time left. Lance looked ready to collapse if the weak aura around him was any indication and while she felt relatively fresher, she couldn’t handle both demons at the same time now that Victorie was adamant on killing her.

She blocked the next strike and the two were captured into another dance of blades. The smile on Victorie’s lips just made it worse. They both knew this extended battle was to her detriment. Every moment spent captured here was another opportunity for Vulcalina to finish her work.

~~~


Speeding through the expanse between him and the town of Bryn, Guilford finally began to see forms of people fighting take shape. He was getting closer! Assessing the situation from afar, Guilford noted that there was only one above ground level. It was waving around a massive hammer and every time she brought it down, Guilford felt tremors on the ground getting stronger and stronger as he drew closer. Directly below that orange-haired hammer freak was Lethe, managing to keep some other woman at bay. She was fighting on par with her swords and it didn't look like she needed immediate help but Guilford had an idea.

Calling forth his Light's Wrath again, Guilford concentrated every bit of power he channeled to his sword. It wasn't the brightest idea to use an object as a conduit itself but he needed his physical strength if he wanted to have success with what he had in mind. A shrill ringing from Light's Requiem filled his ears. It sounded like the blade itself was rejecting the immense amount of power being fed to it. Guilford prayed for the sword to hold on a bit longer.

"Lethe! Lock her down!" he yelled as he finally got close enough.

Both women froze at the shout and turned to look at the approaching man. Victorie’s eyes widened at the sight of the incoming Light’s Wrath. She immediately moved to run away but a pair of arms wrapped around her. She struggled away but the liar held her close, wrestling to keep her still and fairly upright. Her hands flailed at the barnacle attached to her, sword cutting whatever flesh it could reach but the Seraph stayed attached to her.

“Gil! Kill her!” Lethe screamed and looked above, ignoring the various cuts Victorie was decorating her with. Vulcalina was more important right now. Palaugrim was more important. “Hurry!”

That hammer freak wasn't exactly the target he had in mind but Lethe sounded frantic enough that Guilford had no choice but to comply. With the blonde locked down, Guilford leapt once, landing exactly on the woman’s shoulder with his left foot. Quickly using his right a second after, Guilford stomped hard on her head to go aerial and after that hammer wielding freak. With the ringing of Light's Requiem getting louder and louder, Guilford knew that the sword was already near breaking point; it was right in the nick of time too. Grabbing the unaware demon by her foot, Guilford pulled the demon hard enough to yank her towards him. The startled demon managed to look at him but before she could react, Guilford ran his sword through her body and fired off the concentrated power he had stored. There were no screams, no cries of pain, just the loud sound of his Light's Wrath burning the demon to a crisp.

Sure it wasn't the prettiest way to go even for a demon and yet.. had she delivered that one last blow, Lance would have surely died blocking it. Just what in Light's name was he doing playing Whack-Me with this demon?! Nevertheless, target eliminated. Guilford kicked off the falling demon corpse and backflipped once before landing gracelessly on the ground. The moment his feet touched the earth, his knees buckled causing him to lose balance; firing off two in a row was too much even for him, and having ran all the way here didn't help either.

The hammer fell from nerveless fingers, tumbling gracelessly to the ground. It hit with a foreboding rumble and the ground beneath it cracked ominously. Lethe stumbled from the sudden impact, too weakened to keep holding on. She fell gracelessly onto her butt, blue eyes staring around her dully. Why wasn’t the trembling stopping? Gil had killed that orange-haired demon! Surely.. surely Palaugrim was safe now right? There was another ominous crack! and Lethe forced herself to her feet. The world.. was still shaking.

The other demon couldn't comprehend what just happened, not quite yet. Vulcalina... died? She died without completing her mission?! Unforgivable! She backed off immediately from the little liar and even ways away from Eve's plaything. The odds were against her now. They may look tired, but experience told her that these brats should not be underestimated. Cursing inaudibly, the demon was forced to do the only logical option at the moment...a strategic retreat.

Once again they were granted respite. Guilford surveyed his surroundings as he clambered back to his feet. Lethe appeared to be in shock, and Lance.. well, he'd make it if the sheepish grin he has was not proof enough. Still, the ground beneath their feet kept rumbling and rumbling; a definite cause for worry. Having cleared out majority of the enemies beyond Bryn's borders, Guilford trusted that the rest of their respective squads could handle the mop up.

Guilford looked to the skies upon catching sound of an incoming Wyervia. It forced a landing just ouside Bryn followed by a scout coming out of it and rushing towards them. Talk about reinforcements! What happened to the knights he heard Lethe request for?

"Master Guilford! Master Lethe! Dire news! Dire news!" he kept yelling in panic as he drew close to the Seraphs.

"Calm yourself." Guilford ordered the scout. "What happened?"

"It has begun!" he informed them. "Palaugrim is under attack!"

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 7:11 am 
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[[Day 17 of Month -3, Evening ::Tethel]]

It was a surprisingly cheerful Knight King who returned to Tethel. The man had a clear spring in his step as he sauntered down the hallways towards his and the Queen’s chambers, going so far as to even acknowledge the various salutes preceding him. The guards were too professional to share the wide eyed looks they no doubt were feeling but all wondered what had made the normally stoic man so jovial.

Verlassen was having a good day. He’d been running his men through their drills when Syndra and her friend had shown up. They needed to procure a distraction for her majesty and perhaps he’d like to give his men a chance at live combat? Red eyes had narrowed maliciously as the brown-haired demon added, one of the Seraphs was sure to be joining the party. That little tidbit had changed the dismissal on the tip of his tongue into a matching smile. Well, it’d be good for his men to have some real experience against Pristine Knights. There was only so much they could learn from Sinners, after all.

Now in the privacy of his quarters, away from prying eyes, Verlassen paused and withdrew his sword fully, enjoying the way the metal gleamed in the light. How long had it been since he’d used it properly? He slashed his sword through the air experimentally, reliving the battle from this afternoon. That had been fun. He sheathed his sword and then continued his jaunty way towards the living room. The Seraph, of course, had been no match for him. But that was to be expected—who was? It was hard to find good swordsmen these days and at least the Seraph had been decent. One gauntlet-covered hand brushed against the scar now marring his breastplate. Decent. If the Seraph had been good, Verlassen wouldn’t have had to sheath his sword just to make it even mildly interesting.

The sense of disappointment—where was a real challenge?—was cast away with practiced ease. He’d gotten used to the boredom that now filled his life, ever since the Island Risings. At least now it sounded like something fun would be happening, even if it was just playing with the kiddie gloves. A laugh escaped his lips as he remembered how upset the little Seraph had been. How fun! How entertaining to watch those so far below him struggle with the realization they were nothing but trash.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.” He looked up to find that he’d subconsciously walked into their living room. Centienne was lounging on the sofa, one finger idly twirling a strand of her hair. Her assistant seemed to have been saying something given the way the brunette was clutching a notebook that he recognized as his wife’s agenda.

Verlassen smiled in response, aware his helmet covered the expression. He sauntered up to his wife, head tilting in Paige’s direction as a dismissal. Instead of answering, the armored man gathered his protesting wife up. “Verlassen! What are you doing? Paige was—“

“Let’s go take a bath.” He whispered in her ear, voice heavy with suggestion. He rarely joined his wife during her baths despite all her pouting and almost never offered to join. The words were enough to silence her protests, eliciting a breathy giggle in its place. Desperate fingers ruffled with his helmet, trying to unlock its various ties, and behind him, he could hear the door close behind them to leave them in privacy.

War and women: what more could a man want?
~~~~~

[[Day 8 of Month -4 :: Bastille, Palaugrim]]

Bastille. This was the second time he had been here and out of both accounts, dire situations were the primary cause. Guilford stopped to look around town. Nothing much had changed, yet the effect of war was evident among the faces of the people, the children especially. Guilford gritted his teeth. Right now, there was absolutely nothing he could do but focus on the task at hand. Any attempts at comfort would sound like a lie right now.

He was currently on his way towards the town hall for a meeting with the Knight Commanders of Palaugrim, their topic? Palaugrim under attack.. again. The male Seraph sighed. Nowadays, it felt like conflict stems out wherever they go. For them to call themselves followers of the Light, it somehow felt like they were nothing more than harbingers of war. Guilford shook off the thoughts—now was not a time to dawdle! Looking upwards at the Pristine Knight fortress that loomed over the city, Guilford continued on inside.
~~~

Twenty two people encircled a long table, half sitting and half standing. This was Palaugrim’s defense; their leaders against the forces of Sin: eight Knight Commanders, two seraphs, one logistics specialist, and eleven second-in-commands. As Knight Commander of the hosting fortress, Kavita sat at one end of the table. Opposite her sat Seraph Guilford and to their sides, the other commanders filled in the empty slots. Seraph Lethe was solemn near the center of the table, probing the logistics specialist—Eulises, if she recalled correctly—about something to quiet to be heard from here. The others were all chatting amicably and Kavita felt a pang of loneliness. No one was talking with her, not even her second-in-command. Although she should have expected that; she hadn’t wanted to bring Brendan but she’d had no choice. He commanded a sizable influence within Bastille, one she couldn’t afford to alienate. Knight Commander Krista, Palaugrim’s only other female Knight Commander, and one more beloved than her, laughed in response to something Hiribah’s Heinrich and the sound provoked Kavita into action. She was just about to stand up to gather everyone’s attention when someone beat her to the punch.

Taking a good look at the people involved in the meeting, Guilford decided it was time to start. "What's the current situation among your respective domains?" It was the first question that came to mind. There were no time for niceties, no time to even greet them all or thank them for coming. It was the time to act.

“Kaiser Outpost is a lost cause.” Sigfried was the first to answer, “I don’t know what happened but half of where Kaiser Outpost is has just fallen.” The already quiet group grew solemn. Lethe looked down at the clenched fist in her lap, reminded once more of her failure. “Thankfully I got most of my men out of the way when the earthquakes first started so the casualties were light. However, the terrain has become even worse to navigate. I’m afraid Sinners must be walking past us into the interior, left, right, and center.”

“Palaugrim’s north side is seeing similar difficulties. I’ve had no reports of Tethelites but undoubtedly, the Sinners are using Tethel as a launching port. Captain Feivel of Redfern has been able to stem some of the flow, but there are just too many trying to enter for the forces there. Mine are busy trying to subdue the Sinners we find.” Knight Captain Sanjay added. The old Knight was a new face to Palaugrim; he’d been a Knight Commander in Lindela before being promoted to Luciano’s fortress. The old man defended all of what used to be Sovereign Palaugrim.

"Have you been able to establish a new perimeter?" It may sound cold coming from a Seraph, but they couldn’t even afford to mourn the loss of brave knights. Though the situation had stabilized a bit in the past three weeks, time was still precious, especially with every Knight Commander of Palaugrim here. "We must see to it that the enemy cannot press further into our controlled zones."

"Difficult given how much of the terrain has changed in the last earthquakes but my men have established a strategic defense point for the meantime." Sigfried responded with a shake of his head. "The lack of defensive structures are making it harder to keep the enemy at bay but we're doing the best we can for the east side."

Raucus frowned but spoke up, “I can spare some of my men if you need more. Alera has not been as hard hit, being so near the center.”

“Hiribah as well,” Heinrich added, eyes focused on a piece of paper in front of him. He’d have to change some of his defenses and the rotations, but he couldn’t horde his men if others needed the help. The safety of his city, and Palaugrim in general, depended on the borders.

Romauld shook his head, “I’m sorry, Rayitas has taken all the spare men I can provide.”

“Don’t make it sound like I’m keeping your men for myself Romuald.” Ziekiel cut him off. “I’m seeing to it that they are distributed to critical points should the enemy break past Bastille. I don’t want to have to worry about Sinners coming at me from the back.”

“Of course,” Lethe interjected, her attempt at placating marred by the frown on her face, “But I think it would be better to try to keep Bastille from falling at all..? Most villages on ‘our’ side of Palaugrim already have a Pristine Knight squad nearby. Surely they could act as a first defense or at least a warning should any enemies sneak by Bastille?”

Ziekiel understood Master Lethe’s point. “Squads or not Master Lethe, the enemy is attacking us at full force. I would hate to have to say this but a squad alone isn’t really reliable defense.”

“Of course not,” Sigfried grumbled under his breath to his neighbor, “why does he think we have forts and we’re sitting here instead of every Squad Captain?” Raucus snorted in amusement but said nothing, eyes focusing on the speaking Seraph.

”What would you consider reliable then?” Guilford looked at the meticulous Knight Commander. While I am sure that you have the best interest in mind, spreading our forces thin is part of this battle and struggle. There is no point keeping some parts well defended if it means forsaking the others. Keep this in mind Commander Ziekiel.”

“I-I’m just…” he stopped, falling out of breath. He had been so focused on defending his own domain that it did not occur to him that his decisions had been mostly… selfish.

“While your defense of Rayitas and its surrounding land is commendable,” As usual, Lethe was stuck soothing ruffled feathers, “We Knight Commanders have all of Palaugrim, and really all of the Immaculate, to consider. If you don’t mind, Knight Commander Ziekiel, perhaps you and Knight Commander Heinrich could discuss your troop positions after this meeting and see if there are any other formations you could employ to keep Palaugrim safe while freeing up some men for the borders?”

“By your command Master Lethe.” Ziekiel responded, shuffling the papers he had brought with him. It would seem like his defense strategies to present at some point were for naught.

”We cannot rely on Lindela’s defenses to come to your aid.” Guilford looked down to the last missive sent to them via Wyervia transport. ”We are going to be recalled back to the main island soon…” he broke the news to all of the Commanders. ”It would appear that Lindela too had seen signs of increased enemy activity. The Council believes that they are priming Lindela for an attack as well.”

Kavita looked down at her mug silently, fiddling with its ceramic handle. Of course it was impossible for the Seraphs to stay here indefinitely. No doubt the Council would want the two of them back in Gless as soon as possible. However, with how much time Seraph Lethe seemed to spend here, perhaps at least one could have stayed..? The mug, her favorite one, offered no consolation.

“That was to be expected.” Sanjay voiced the thought in everyone’s minds.

”And this is exactly why we had all of you gather here despite the attacks.” Guilford closed his eyes in thought. He took a good minute of calm and steady breathing before continuing to speak. ”Knight Commanders, Lethe and I wouldn’t want to leave Palaugrim as it stands, but our duties are beyond Palaugrim alone. We would like to leave this island knowing that we could entrust its defense to all of you.” he sighed deeply, glancing at Lethe.

“We already know we can entrust Palaugrim’s wellbeing to you.” Lethe corrected with a look back at her fellow Seraph. Really, did he want them thinking they didn’t trust them? “However, before we go, is there anything that we can help you with? Any concerns we can bring to the Council’s attention? Councilor Aurel has just informed me that Eulises,” she nodded at the bi-colored woman beside her, “will be leading the coordination of all supplies here on Palaugrim.” He actually hadn’t, but she was giving Eulises a wartime promotion. There had to be some benefits to being a Seraph after all. “And she can contact me directly.”

Wellbeing and defense may be closely tied together but have completely different meanings entirely. Still, Lethe saying what she said was probably for the best. Guilford muffled a chuckle for his poor choice of words. ”Okay. Given our little time remaining here on this island, we would like to go over everyone’s defense strategies and offer counsel if needed. he looked at everyone’s hands that held papers. ”I guess we should start with the East side...”
~~~

“Master Guilford,” Lethe spoke up now the meeting had come to an end, “May I speak with you?” She paused once they’d exited the conference room, stepping aside to let the others pass by her. Adair was waiting for her as she’d requested and the blue-armored man stepped up to whisper in her ear. Good, Master Guilford had no other plans for the evening. She’d asked her Vice Captain to check her fellow Seraph’s availability. Their conversation would take longer than Guilford might have suspected, if only because of the trek involved. She cast an uneasy look at the walls around them. There were too many ears around.

The call for him pulled his attention towards the speaker. Guilford recalled a moment in Bryn where Lethe requested an audience with him in private. Given how things have spiraled out of hand until now, he never got the chance to entertain the request. ”Of course. What is it?” he responded, folding both arms across his chest.

“If you could follow me?” Everyone else had already left, except those staying behind, and she led the way through the hallways silently. She didn’t enjoy what was coming but there was no way she could keep it from him any longer. Back in Gless, she hadn’t had a chance. Even here, she didn’t dare say any more within the fortress. She would just have to hope no one would get too suspicious about her and Guilford going off on a ride.

Looking at his fellow Seraph, Guilford noted how her shoulders looked slightly slumped. Whatever is on her mind, it must have been weighing heavy for her to reflect it even in the slightest. It didn’t require a savant to read a verbal cue. Lethe did not want to talk about it where other ears could overhear. Instead of further inquiry, Guilford simply shrugged his shoulders once and followed Lethe.

Deimos was waiting for them at the stables, the reins of two horse in one hand and two loaded saddlebags in the other. He offered both silently and she looked at the bags uncertainly. She hadn’t requested them. Deimos, of course, didn’t offer any insight, so she opened one of them to reveal a red and white checkered blanket. With a confused look, she flipped open the other to see neatly wrapped triangles, some fruit, and a few other containers. When she looked up once more, Deimos was laughing at her even though his face was as impassive as ever.

“Really?” The white-haired Seraph asked with a hint of exasperation. She wasn’t going off for a picnic. Her yellow-eyed Knight shrugged his shoulders: nutrition was important. Lethe rolled her eyes even as she tapped on the bag with the blanket questioningly. Deimos simply attached the two bags to her steed and offered her a hand; she needed some sort of excuse and this was an easy one. A corner of his lips turned upwards as he wished her a fun time.

The glare she granted Deimos was withering. While he was right, they could have easily just been discussing business, not.. whatever picnic blankets and riding off on their own might imply! She carefully did not think more about it as she swung herself onto the horse. “Shall we, then?”

Guilford couldn’t help but smile at how Lethe’s knight was making fun of her. He had carefully plastered on his poker face but seeing how Deimos seemed to have gotten the wrong idea was amusing to the point where it was hard not to chuckle. Still, he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Lethe’s lethal glare so he took the courtesy of not adding fuel to the fire. ”Lead the way,” he replied flatly, a glimmer of amusement escaping into his tone. A picnic with Lethe, just the two of them… that would be nice.

Slowly, Bastille fell away from them until it was only lone farmsteads and then even they were missing. They were headed for a small mountain range about an hour’s ride from Bastille. Not many came to the mountains for they were rather uninteresting, simply elevated versions of the same brush that ran rampant on the plains around them. It was that isolation Lethe was seeking so she unwaveringly led them up the mountain, the trail little more than a dirt path partially overgrown. They stopped in the middle of nowhere. There was no trees or streams or even a rock that could mark their location as somewhere of note. Nonetheless, Lethe lifted her hand to draw a symbol in the air, then a second and a third. Privacy. Silence. Conceal. Reinforce. The air shimmered with the magic she was releasing, trying to build a bulwark out of nothing. Finally, when the last seal hung in the air, Lethe dismounted and turned to look at Guilford.

Amazing as always, watching how Lethe had grown accustomed to Seal Arts. While he had command over the basics and a few advanced seals, his proficiency in them could be compared to an apprentice. Still, it was slightly unnerving for Lethe to want to have their presence erased from the world for a simple conversation. The ride all the way out here was worrying enough and now this? Locked in a semi-sphere of privacy? Just what exactly is going on? Guilford dismounted his steed as well and looked around. ”Not even Akira can find us now. he commented on her handiwork. ”So, what was it you wanted to talk about that you had to go through all this trouble for?” he asked her, seriousness evident in his eyes and tone as he looked at Lethe.

She said nothing in response, instead busying herself with tying her horse down and relieving it of the saddlebags. Though she didn’t like the.. the suggestion not-so-hidden in the bags, it was true that they needed to eat eventually. When everything was spread out on the ground, Lethe ran out of things to delay with. Sooner or later, she’d have to tell him and, well, she out of options in making it later. “Please,” she invited with one hand despite staying standing herself. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself as if that could help her. She looked away from the sitting Guilford, not sure if she could meet his gaze. “I.. did Lance ever give you his report? Before Santa Olivia.. he’d mentioned he was there as a favor for you..”

The mention of Lance’s report made Guilford shift from his almost comfortable sitting position. He pulled a hand to his chin in thought. ”I believe he did.” he told her. ”Was there anything he failed to report at all? You sound like...” he paused. ”Did he do something I should know about? He can be quite the prankster.” he continued on, thinking Lance might have offended his fellow Seraph.

Lethe shook her head, immediately disregarding any mention of the orange-haired Knight. “No but.. what exactly did he report..?’

”Er.. let me think. That was quite some time ago.” he scoured his brain for that particular moment. ”Stuff like how he tracked down that orange haired demon targeting the villages and about how he stumbled upon you and Lady Mei, and uhh... he blinked twice. ”that he asked for your assistance. That’s about it.”

The unexpected answer finally made Lethe look back at her companion. “I thought he was there doing research for you? on Eve’s seal?” She’d been half hoping that maybe Lance had hinted at something, if only to make this easier on her, but she’d known it unlikely given how Guilford had been acting. But to not have said anything at all..?

”He was.. supposed to.” Guilford looked down. ”There was an excuse in his report about not being able to fulfill that primary task.”

This prompted Lethe to look away once more, this time her hands coming up to cover her face. Great, nothing at all. How.. where to even.. “I.. you know… have you ever heard of that story Snow White? That princess eats a poisoned apple and.. yeah?”

Guilford nearly choked on the piece of sandwich he had bitten off at the mention of Snow White. ”I might have. But I’m a guy. I don’t really ask for bedtime stories.”

”And since you’re a guy.. I’m sure you don’t read either.” Lethe retorted bitingly, finally turning away from her palms to shoot a deadly look at him. Seriously… what in Light’s name…

”I’d rather practice my sword skills or play explorer back in my childhood days.” he told the other. ”If I’m lucky, I get to be in the Rosenwulf Forge watching my father craft weapons.” He finally met her gaze. ”What is this about Lethe? It’s unlike you to beat around the bush.”

Her glare vanished at the mention of the real reason she’d mentioned the story. “Snow White is a child’s tale about some princess who had a jealous stepmother. The jealous stepmother drives the princess away and decides to kill her so she can be the prettiest in the world. Long story short, she gives the princess a poisoned apple and the princess eats it. The princess is dying when some prince happens to ride by, fall in love with her, and kiss her. The princess is miraculously cured; the stepmother falls off a cliff or something and dies. It’s all a happy ending,” she paused, “Except it’s not. It’s based on a true story that happened about five hundred? seven hundred? years ago. The prince is a Pure and he doesn’t.. no one knows.” She shrugged her shoulders; her research (well, the research she’d commissioned) had been inconclusive. “The Pure dies; the princess lives; and the stepmother, who’s actually the queen of some enemy nation of the princess’s, I believe, dies a terribly gruesome death that.. better left unsaid.”

Guilford felt like he had just been subjected to an impromptu lecture about fairy tales. Still, for her to say that it was based on a true story? Intriguing in the least. ”Alright, say that it’s true. Where are you going with this?” he asked her calmly, interest piqued for what it’s worth.

She continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “Around that time, a new spell is first mentioned in the history books. La gamme. She paused at the sudden shiver that ran down her back. La gamme.. an unknown spell said to cause miracles. However, it soon fell into disuse less than a century later despite supposedly being able to cause miracles.” She broke off once more, unsure where to go from here.

”La Gamme?” he parroted the spell name. Among the noble circle, Guilford had heard mention of this once, and it was from somebody in the D’Arques family. ”Are you trying to tell me that La Gamme is really true?” he said, putting down his half-eaten sandwich.

“Gil.. when we first joined Abel’s squad.. he was already the Lightbringer for defeating Eve.. and didn’t everyone say…” Lethe looked at him pleadingly, hoping he’d understand without her straight out saying her and Lady Mei’s suspicions. “that it was a miracle?”

Rendered silent by Lethe’s words, Guilford collected his past into a simple yet understandable timeline. It was true that by the time they got into Squad Seven, Abel had already accomplished a great feat like ‘Sealing Eve’ away and gaining a major victory after that. However, it was also true that details of how Abel managed to do so remained unclear. ”I tried asking him once about that..” Guilford trailed off, remembering his solo sparring with their former captain. ”He just said nothing. That it was better if I didn’t know.”

“Yes.. because it was a miracle that he’d done so? And miracles don’t happen very often?!” There might have been a touch of hysteria; didn’t Guilford get it?

”La Gamme huh?” Guilford pondered. ”You think he knows how to use that spell?”

Must he make her say it? “Yes.. I think he does.” She closed her eyes, hearing the words seemingly echo in her ears. She’d said it. She’d accused her former Captain of murder though Guilford still didn’t know that bit.

”And you have proof of this how?”

“Aren’t you going to ask about La Gamme?!” She finally burst out, hysteria in her voice. Why was Guilford such an idiot sometimes?! “Do you think miracles come so cheaply? That they grow on trees or fall from the sky! Don’t you think Sin would be gone if it was that easy?!”

”I may not know how it fully works, but La Gamme is forbidden for a reason. Am I right?” he looked at her, paying no mind at her sudden outburst. ”There is an old record in the archives making mention of such and I happened to have come across it at one point. It isn’t detailed in full but I at least was able to get the gist of what it requires.”

Lethe said nothing in response. When she finally spoke, her voice was deadened of all emotion as if her last outburst had sapped it all away, “The seal that was used on Eve is a convoluted piece of trash that looked like an idiot was writing it in the dark while intoxicated. It also uses a variety of seals all focused around containment, prohibition, servitude, augment, equivalence, and exchange. It also looks remarkably similar to the seal for La Gamme.”

The keyword was exchange. According to the article he had read about La Gamme, the seal of exchange was an absolute necessity. Like in Alchemy, the rule of equivalent exchange. ”A sacrifice.” he mentioned bluntly, eyes falling away from Lethe’s.

She added pointlessly, “One and a half months after the battle with Eve, in which two of Abel’s knights died, you and I joined squad seven.”

That they did. Guilford pieced the puzzle together but said nothing. Could Abel really have the audacity to use such a.. he refrained from even trying to describe the spell. Looking back at his fellow Seraph, Guilford noted how drained she looked after having said all that. Of course, who wouldn’t feel drained? Even he was beginning to understand the weight of what she had been carrying. With a simple motion of his hand, Guilford pulled down Lethe to his side and wrapped an arm around her. ”Let’s keep this to ourselves for now.” he whispered. ”We’ll deal with it when we get the chance. Right now, we need to keep our heads in the game. You understand right?”

For once, Lethe didn’t try to escape from Gil’s arms. With the horrors of the past war and the specter of the future war before her, she had no protests about being comforted. She had never thought she’d be too weary for service in the Light’s name, still wasn’t, but to think that her former Captain had done such a thing.. She’d known about La Gamme, understood it with the rational part of her mind, but never really accepted it until.. “Do you really think Abel could have done it?” She whispered, hoping against hope that Gil would deny it.

The question weighed heavily upon him. It was not something he could answer lightly. Having worked under Abel for quite some time, he had somehow understood the driving force behind the man’s actions. Still, it was shocking to be told that he would go to ‘that’ extent just to accomplish what he had set out to do. Sacrificing members of his own squad.. it was unforgivable. ”I don’t think I can answer that right now, Lethe.” he honestly said, a hint of sadness mixing in his tone this time. ”But if it comes down to it, I will not let him do something like that again.”

“Then the possibility still exists.” If even Abel’s protégé couldn’t believe in his innocence, how could she? Lethe closed her eyes and buried her face into Gil’s chest, no longer able to bear seeing the world. What world did they live in where even those who followed the Divine Light sacrificed innocents? Where they forsook their ideals for the sake of ‘victory.’ A hollow one, a pointless one. The Lightbringer who earned his title from the deaths of those who’d been entrusted to him.

Stand strong. Show no weakness. Face your challenges with pride. These were the core ideals that Abel had taught him to follow in battle. Were they all lies? Betrayal is one thing, but murder? Even if the reason was ‘just’ in the eyes of their former captain? It was all hard to believe. This matter needed to be looked into for concrete evidence. Hopefully, the scribes still had records of the two fallen knights he and Lethe replaced in squad seven. This had just become a priority for Guilford when they got back to Gless. ”Possibility or not, I know we still don’t have enough to act.” he tightened his arm around Lethe. ”I will look into this discreetly, and I need your help to get to the bottom of this.” he looked down and reached for her chin and pulled her face up gently to meet her eyes. ”Will you help me?” he asked, knowing that it was quite possible they only have each other to rely on about this matter.

When Gil reached for her chin, Lethe finally had no choice but to open her eyes. As much as she might want to, she couldn’t hide from reality. She wouldn’t hide her eyes anymore, she’d pledged, before things had turned this bad. But even now.. She stared back into purple eyes, ones filled with a resolve she wished she had. One hand lifted unconsciously to brush against his temple. Why was it every time that she felt like she was falling apart, he seemed to have the answers? Her mouth answered before her brain knew what she was saying, “I will.”

The words resonated with the strong beat he suddenly felt his heart do. The look she had almost.. almost melted him right out of the moment. Still, when was the last time he held her this close that she didn’t squirm or try to flee? It had been far, far too long. For some reason, he could hear nothing but her breathing, the wind that blew around their private circle, even the.. screw it! With a slow gulp of air, he leaned closer. He too needed some form of strength to see this through, and she was exactly that strength. He had kissed her once, but that was well… a mess. Perhaps this time..

He was staring at her. And she was staring back. The cloth under her palm was warm; the beat of his pulse had suddenly sped up. What was there to be worried about? She should probably check to make sure nothing had spotted them but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. He was still looking at her. The last time they’d been so close.. her eyes dropped down to his lips as she remembered.. then. She wondered if.. She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. They were as soft as she remembered and a smile crept on her face at that. At least some things hadn’t changed.
~~~~~

[[Day 9 of Month -4 :: Lindela]]

“I’m home!” There was a squeal of excitement before he was tackled by a blur of yellow and green. In the background, he heard a crash as the book Marielle had been reading ended its impromptu flight by knocking into something else. However, he was more busy with the bundle in his arms and he twirled the ecstatic woman twice before setting her down for a kiss. When no pattering steps came running up to him, Valiar cocked his head in confusion. Where was Annabelle?

The smile on Marielle’s smile dimmed at his clear question. “She’s been feeling a bit under the weather recently. Just a cold, I’m sure.” She stepped away from Valiar and headed towards the kitchen. There was some leftover soup she could heat up for him. Footsteps followed her but then diverged. No doubt he was going to check on Annabelle.

Valiar glanced into the dim room. The curtains had been pulled closed and in the middle of her twin bed rested his Annabelle. The blonde’s eyes were closed and her breathing a touch raspy. It sounded like a cold from here, not that he doubted his wife’s assessment. Tip toing up to the bed, he ran a soft hand against her forehead. It was cool, no sign of a fever. The brush of his holy magic told him it was just a mild cold. He could heal it with his magic but it would be better if her immune system developed against such bugs. Lifting her Mr. Wabbit, he tucked the stuffed animal under her arm and straightened out the blankets. Annabelle sighed and shifted, drawing the toy closer to her. With a fond smile, Valiar pressed a kiss to her brow then tip toed back out.
~~~~~

[[Day 10 of Month -4 :: The Grand Cathedral ]]

The room was silent except for the occasional sounds of a sword slicing through the air or a fist punching at nothing. Every now and then, a feminine grunt of frustration punctuated the air but otherwise nothing was said by the room’s two occupants. Both were staring determinedly at a row of training dummies. Some had scratches on them and one or two had a small indent in its chest.

Yellow eyes narrowed on the training dummy before closing. Irritation wouldn’t help him. He pushed the feeling away and then tapped into Light’s Blessing. Gather the magic in his sword and.. His sword sung through the air once more. The divine magic leapt from his blade, bisecting the training dummy in his mind’s eye. On the physical realm, it looked as unruffled as ever. Transfer the damage, Captain had said. Closing his eyes once more, Deimos tried again.
~~~

The breeze in the tree was as inviting as ever. Leon smiled even as he settled into his seat, his body adjusting to the bumps and leaves he called his branch. He’d found this place while under Lady Ethera’s tutelage as a place to be on his own. He had always loved the spotlight, always craved to be part of the ‘in’ crowd. Lady Ethera had just looked at him like he was crazy and asked, in that clipped tone of hers, how he planned to sense anything if he could barely distinguish himself from the rest of the world? That had been a bit exaggerated, but he had to admit his newly discovered solitude was a welcome one sometimes. He still preferred being around other people but now he no longer felt empty the moment he was alone.

His smile grew as he reflected on how much he’d matured before he pushed those thoughts away. It was meditation and sensing time. He needed to clear his mind. He expelled all the air from his lungs before starting the count. Seven counts for the inward breath; hold for seven; then release over seven counts. The sound of Lady Ethera’s evenly spaced clapping, imprinted in his mind by now, helped him track the time even though she was no longer present.

Slowly, the mess that was the Grand Cathedral cleared itself up. Three bright lights to the west must be Captain, YunQiao, and Adair; they were reading some of the reports that had been brought in. The two wavering lights in the training room were probably Deimos and Seraphim. He peered in interest at the magic swirling around them. It had a crisp, snappy feel to it, a bit like being shocked by static energy. What a unique feeling. He withdrew and tried to focus on a mass of Knights in another training room. Each member of his squad was so strong, it was easy to identify them from everyone else, just like Team Prissy. At that reminder, he scanned the Cathedral. There were a few of them scattered around the building though he couldn’t identify them. He wasn’t close enough to have memorized the feeling of their auras. Master Guilford seemed to be missing though, but that was none of his business. The Seraph undoubtedly had his own duties to keep him busy.

With a calm sigh at his wandering thoughts, Leon mentally bundled them up and placed them aside. They weren’t of concern right now. Instead, he focused on the mass of presences in the training room. Knights. The other four were all softer and he wondered at those presences. Who would sixteen Knights need to train with? Scouts, perhaps? If they were trying to improve their footwork.

He paused at the sudden slide against his senses. Whatever it had been, it had been cool to his mind’s sense and just a touch.. sinister. Leon chased after the sensation but it had escaped. He couldn’t find it. His worry knocked him out of his trance and he opened hazel eyes. Blue sky and green leaves met his gaze but even the simple beauty of the day couldn’t mitigate his frown. Leon cautiously got to his feet, making sure they were stable before he let go of the trunk.

He had a squad of Knights to investigate.
~~~

[[Day 11 of Month -4, morning :: The Cathedral ]]

Lethe glanced at the clock with a small frown. Ten past nine, it read. She had scheduled the meeting for nine, already an hour back from when they’d normally start. After so long away, and such late nights, she’d tried to give them all a bit of extra free time. There would be more long absences in the future. However, that certainly didn’t mean she was going to accept tardiness. Her gaze turned over her other squad members already assembled. Leon and YunQiao were sitting on one couch while Cricket, Leon, and Seraphim shared the other. Deimos was sitting in one of the wooden chairs and Adair was waiting by their blackboard. Valiar was still absent. Her frown deepened. It wasn’t like her cleric to be late.

As the clock hand moved to fifteen past, she reluctantly got to her feet. She didn’t want to delay any longer and the sooner they finished here, the sooner she could send someone to check on Valiar. “Alright then.. I guess we’ll start.” She announced, walking to the blackboard. The others were all exchanging uneasy looks, clearly also wondering where their last squad member was. “So far..”

The door slammed open to reveal a harried looking Valiar. “Sorry I’m late,” a grimace crossed the older man’s face as he closed the door and walked towards his normal chair. “Annabelle was feeling a bit worse than normal last night and I was spending time with her and then I overslept and..” His mouth kept running even though he was trying to tell it to stop. He didn’t want to make excuses for himself. He was supposed to be here for the meeting at nine and he hadn’t been. That’s all there was to it. Excuses were just that: excuses. They weren’t reasons.

“It’s alright, Valiar.” Lethe cut in, interrupting the flow of words. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Is Annabelle alright?”

The man smiled wearily even as he collapsed into his chair. “Yeah, just got a lingering cold. I healed some of the inflammation last night and topped her up today. She should be running around like normal tomorrow.” He’d finally given in after two miserable nights of listening to her wheeze and sniffle. Marielle had confessed to him that Annabelle had been like this for the past week already. She’d been ready to take their daughter to a cleric to be checked up, just in case, when he’d come home.

Lethe smiled at the answer but made herself turn the conversation back to the task at hand. “So far, our reports are suggesting that the attacks on Palaugrim have lightened somewhat. It seems that Eve started with a ‘blitz’ of attacks, so to speak. Now that we’ve properly mounted a defense, her attacks have slowed down. This may in part be due to the tightened security on the borders. To our knowledge, only Eve, Lillith, and the orange-haired demon can teleport. The last was defeated at Bryn; the other two are still at large. For better or for worse, they’re not spending their time ferrying Sinners into the middle of Palaugrim. This is not to be confused as things are stable there; they are still seeing about two to three attacks a day. However, our fellow Knights are handling the Sinners before they cause widespread destruction.” The rebel Palaugrimian forces were still causing havoc as well, though she didn’t mention it. On that front she wasn’t sure her squad would be of much help. “However, in the near future, while we still have this reprieve, I’d like each of you to focus on the following…”
~~~

[[Day 11 of Month -4, Afternoon :: Lindela ]]

Cricket sauntered through the markets, keen hazel eyes sweeping along the people gathered there. A man caught his eye and he smiled flirtatiously even as he kept moving. He made such a hot babe, even just dressed down like this. Checking his grocery list, he saw that his next stop was the chemist for paracetemol, bandages, and cough drops. With a hum, the purple-haired cross-dresser headed for the nearest drugstore.

The bell tinkled as he entered, fairly normal protocol among most stores. The inside was already half full though and Cricket frowned, navigating around the bodies as he strolled through the aisles. The bandages he picked up with no problems; the shelf was barely touched. His cough drops, however, he couldn’t find. The shelf where they normally hung was bare except for the sign that said To be restocked soon. -4/15. Weird, were cough drops so popular now? He turned away from the shelf and headed to the counter where a crowd of people stood. Finding a spot, he waited for one of the chemists to notice him. He was in no hurry to leave. After all, he wasn’t really here for their wares.

“Order 51. Order 51. 100 count bottle penicillin.”

“What do you mean you’re out of cough syrup? My Maddie’s been coughing nonstop and needs some relief!”

“Has the shipment of thermometers come in yet? No? Call the supplier and ask for them!”

One of the chemists came to a stop in front of, polite smile nowhere to be seen. “How can I help you?” The old woman asked curtly, neither rude nor inviting. They all looked overwhelmed.

Cricket smiled cutely as he replied, “May I have a box of paracetemol?”

“We’re all out.” Was the surprising response, “Anything else?”

“I.. how are you all out?” Cricket didn’t have to feign his confusion. Paracetemol, and the other painkillers, were common enough drugs. It was one of the items that chemists never understocked. How could this store be out? The old woman huffed irritably but answered, clearly already familiar with the response, “Sounds like some cold outbreak is going around and everyone wants cough drops, painkillers, and even,” she nodded at the woman hurrying up to accept the bag another chemist held out. The owner of Order 51, it appeared. “some have gotten medic approval for antibiotics. So we’re running a bit short. Now, anything else I can get you?”

“No.. that’s fine.” The purple-haired man smiled weakly as the chemist immediately turned to another customer. That was.. troubling. He stuffed the bandages he’d picked up earlier into one of the empty shelves and left the store. Time to hit up another drugstore.
~~~~~

Sword strikes resonated through the tiny backyard as Roland and Adair sparred. As usual, the latter was on the defensive as the former attacked, sword somehow slipping around the shield Adair held between him and his older brother. “I thought you were trying to get better at swordsmanship?” Roland asked in confusion without slacking his assault.

“I. I am.” The younger man huffed, sword striking away one blow and moving his shield to block the return strike. It was hard to talk while still defending against his brothers. How was it that he was still an active Knight yet both Roland and Lesus could still hand him his ass without breaking a sweat?!

“Then.. maybe you should try attacking?” The brown-haired man offered helpfully, not giving Adair a chance to do so. “You know what Lesus likes to say, the best defense is a strong offense.” His sword slid to the right, blocking the slash Adair had tried to slip past him. Roland smiled and then there was a blur and Adair was sitting on the ground, blinking dazedly. What.. had just happened?

“Have you even been taking care of your shield?!” Roland chided, holding his shield up to examine in the sunlight. Wait.. wasn’t his shield on his arm? Green eyes turned to look at his left arm and sure enough, it was shieldless. His head dropped back in defeat. Seriously… No wonder Lethe didn’t trust him or the others. He couldn’t even beat his retired brothers. A sudden bout of coughing interrupted his self pity party and he turned to see Roland almost bent double as coughs wracked his body. “Are you okay?”

Roland coughed for another five seconds before finally seeming to run out of air. “I’m okay.” The man replied with a pained look. His throat was no doubt killing him after that fit. “Just got a bit of a sore throat.” The older man rubbed at his nose and then waved away Adair who’d come over in concern. “Get back to work, young whippersnapper! You have a long way to go still!”
~~~

[[Day 11 of Month -4, Evening :: Cathedral]]

Lethe sighed as the door clicked shut behind her, letting the troubles of the day seep away from her. When she left the room, she’d have to deal with them again but within the prayer room, it was just her and the Divine Light. She enjoyed the silence of the room and then walked further in. The room she’d chosen was spartan, its main decoration a large stained glass window with the center clear to let the light stream in uninhibited. Taking a seat on the ground, she leaned back to let the light fall on her face.

Abel.
Palaugrim.
Eve.
Invidia.

Her head dropped back forward, once more weighed down by the challenged she faced. Oh Divine Light, grant me the strength to face the challenges before me and the courage to accept that which I cannot change. Glorious you are, filling the world with..
~~~~~

[[Day 11 of Month -4, Night :: Tethel]]

Centienne scrutinized her husband as she lifted a piece of meat to her lips. The man was oddly grumpy today, evident by how noisy he was eating today. There was another plink! as his knife stabbed against the porcelain plate and then another a grinding sound as he dragged the knife back. Her eyes narrowed. How uncouth.

“Is something wrong, darling?” Despite the sweet words, her tone was dangerous. Black eyes flicked up to catch her gaze before he dropped them back to his plate. This time he was more gentle as he cut his steak and there was no sound of silverware hitting the plates, as it should be. “Well?”

“Nothing, my dear.” Verlassen finally responded sullenly. That Seraph hadn’t shown up recently and he was bored. None of the other Knights came anywhere close to being interesting. After their first fight, he’d run across the Seraph a few other times and those had been entertaining times. The boy was clearly no where near his skill level but ruffling the kid’s feathers had always been amusing. Now he was bereft of even that! He stabbed his steak again, ignoring the sharp glare Centienne shot his way. Sin damn it all. Where was that Seraph?

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:25 pm 
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Day 10th of Month 4: Gless - Rosetta


It certainly had been quite some time since Guilford last returned home. As always, it did not feel like a war was being fought once he had set foot in town. Everyone still greeted him warmly, and even with the knowledge that the second war had begun, the people of Rosetta tried their hardest to not make him feel the pressure of it. How kind of them to consider his position as a Seraph. This was his home town after all, and there's nothing better than to enjoy peace in one's home. These people probably thought that, and he greatly appreciated their efforts.

Having shared a moment with the townsfolk, Guilford made his way to the Rosenwulf Manor. He had come home for a purpose after all. At the gates of their manor stood his mother, waiting for him as usual with her kindest smile. "Welcome home, Gil." she greeted him with open arms, and like practiced routine, Guilford let himself fall into her embrace. It was the little things like these that gave her comfort. There was just no way he could bear to deny her such comfort; even if it meant she sometimes treated him like a big baby. "I'm home, mother." he hugged her back, glad to have been finally given a break and be here.

"My, my. Look at you!" his mother chirped in delight. "Your eyes are brimming with brightness!" she leaned in for a closer look. "Did something good happen?" she asked while staring at him inquisitively.

Guilford's eyes sharpened for a moment before his whole expression softened to that of a sheepish grin. How to respond to that? he thought internally. It was definitely not enough to establish something concrete, though he had to admit, that time was something special. Guilford did not want to assume and speak out of place but.. his mother had been dreaming of that one day she had in mind, and she was still sharp as ever about it! She would know if he's sad, she would know if he's lonely, she would even know if he's feeling upbeat, but today's remark had a hint of knowing even though it was in the form of a question. How? Just how in the world do they do it? "I..uh..well.." he struggled for words, surprised that his mother had put him on checkmate so easily. Dangerous.. dangerous indeed. "We can talk more about it later mother, I'm a little tired from the journey." he countered, albeit desperately to get out of the spot. Even if Lady Karrie was his mother, he was a Seraph, and she should not take his tactics lightly.

"Tired from not having ridden Thunder and taken a Wyervia instead?" Karrie squinted her eyes before letting out an assertive 'mmhm' to go along with her idea.

She got him. Guilford thought he might as well concede now rather than make a fool of himself more.

Karrie giggled then moved to Guilford's side and snaked her left arm around her son's waist. "Well then, let us be on our way, your father awaits us." she said. Somehow, Guilford could sense that there was no longer any point to discuss anything with his mother. Apparently, she already seemed to have an idea stuck in her head, and it will be next to impossible convincing her otherwise. Guilford sighed but walked on, a smile gently played on his lips as they headed home.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Barrens: Eve's Fortress


"Why..." Eve grumbled angrily. "Why isn't this working?!" she hissed before shooting out bolts of Sin randomly. Several of her Dark Valkyries had to duck out of harm's way from some of her bolts. "What am I doing wrong?!" Eve grilled herself in frustration. She hastily moved around the large ritual circle, carefully examining her ingredients; they were all accounted for. "Just what am I missing?!" she nearly wanted to pull her hair out. Once more she circled back to where she last stood. This time, she was examining the seals involved for the Rite of Creation. Despite her discerning eyes, she could find no flaw in the formation of the seals. Spacing was done right, the flow lines for magic was correct, even the incantation itself was perfection! Yet why does her lord refuse to wake?!

Irritable red eyes looked up from his notebook. Eve had demanded his and Syndra's presences to welcome their great lord back. If only the God would hurry up and come back. This was the third time they'd all been gathered just to see Eve complain. This was a waste of his time. He had experiments to oversee. He had just returned to the most recent progress updates Anrui had sent him when he felt red eyes boring into him. "Amon, do you have anything to contribute?" Eve would never stoop to admit her fault to any other but she could.. request aid.. occasionally.

"Have you considered using the Rebirth seal instead of the Renew seal?" Amon asked aloud, "or trying the ritual on a more magically powerful night? Waning crescent moons draw more magic into them and steal from the spell."
It was his preference not to speak superfluous words that kept the "you idiot" from being said. But those who knew him well enough, like the smirking Syndra, would hear the silent words.

Eve glared at Syndra, firing a line of Sin from her index finger that grazed the other by the hair before boring a hole through the brick wall behind them. Had she been a lowly sinner, her head would be rolling on the floor right about now. Her mockery wouldn't slide this time, not in the face of a critical moment. "You snicker now, yet you did not have much success in your own plot, losing your retarded toy Vulcalina in the process." she laughed at Syndra. "And you dare mock me for my failure? Don't make me laugh more than you already did." she hissed irritably, cursing the fact that she still had to ask Amon to say something instead of them willingly contributing to the return of their lord. Now Eve felt the need to succeed even more given that those two demons have grown too fond of not having to answer to authority.

"Leave." she commanded in a low tone. She couldn't stand her frustration but she didn't want to lash out in front of those conniving two. "All of you."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Gless - Rosetta


Midnight. Despite his best efforts to fall asleep, Guilford could not separate himself from the thoughts that lingered. He had tossed and turned restlessly on his bed, to no avail. It was only a matter of time before he found himself standing on their courtyard, staring at the ever-flowing water from the center fountain, seemingly mesmerized by its moonlit sparkle.

"Can't sleep?"

The deep voice belonged to his father, who was just now coming out of their front door. He too seemed distressed, though that fact was cleverly hidden behind years of refinement from being a noble. It took family to be able to discern the minute telling each member of the Rosenwulf lineage had. Guilford responded with a light smile, before turning his gaze back towards the fountain's flowing water.

"Your mother has finally fallen asleep." Rannulf informed his son, folding both hands behind his back as he stood side by side with him. "I think it's safe for us to talk now." he added, glancing at Guilford who had fallen into a pensive mood.

"It's no use hiding it from you huh?"

Rannulf's eyes widened a bit before bursting into a light chuckle. His son dared to hide things from him? He's a hundred years too early for that. "I've known since I heard you were coming home." he answered his son, the cheerfulness fading in an instant. "What ails you, my son?"

Guilford sighed almost reflexively. The sheer amount of thoughts he had were near unbearable for any normal person, most of them about his duties that took precedence over everything else of course, except for... he hesitated. Yes, except for one thought. "How can I sleep when my knights are out there fighting a war?" he voiced out the first thought that came in mind. "And I'm here instead of out there on the battlefield with them..." he trailed off, realizing he might have spoken out of line. He did not mean to sound like he did not want to come home no, far from it. He was just about to apologize when he felt his father's hand rest above his right shoulder.

"Don't." Rannulf said, softly spoken but resolute. "You have your duties as a Seraph. We understand. This is not the time for sentiment."

With his father's words, Guilford bowed his head in apology. He was getting worked up for not being able to do more despite being one of the two who had the biggest responsibilities above any other knight. "A knight from my squad is currently in a coma. I don't know if she'll ever wake up."

"Believe in her son." Rannulf gazed upon the starry night. "Of the many things we find in life, hope is one of those that gives us strength when we need it the most." he went on, turning his gaze back down to Guilford. "Continue to give her a reason to hope. That's the only thing you can do for her now."

Though his words were simple, Guilford knew that what his father was saying is something easier said than done. Still, it felt nice to receive guidance once in a while; it was comforting. "I also..." he trailed off, images of that tender moment flashing back as clear as day in his mind. He could still feel it, her soft lips upon his. That was without a doubt, the best day of his life, and he was sure of it.

Before Guilford knew it, he was back in dreamland..

"Mmm?" Rannulf gave him a verbal nudge but when there was no response, the older man simply smiled and said nothing, allowing his son to wallow and savor the moment.

When Guilford realized the amount of silence that had gone by between them, he looked at his father and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by him. "Protect her." Rannulf said firmly. "Cherish her and love her with all your heart Gil. Just like I do with your mother. Until the day comes for you to introduce her to us, we'll be waiting." the smile Rannulf had never left his lips. Guilford could only sigh in defeat. Was he that easy to read? "Yes father. I will." it was the only appropriate thing to say, and Guilford meant it with everything he had.

"I don't suppose this is what you're really troubled about is it son?" Rannulf finally asked the question. It took Guilford a few moments to collect his thoughts and when he did, his eyes grew fierce. Resolute purple eyes met his father's and with a tone matching his resolve, Guilford made his request. "Train me, father. Someone out there is the reason for my unease."

Rannulf raised a brow at the unusual request. For his son to ask for guidance, it simply meant that the one who gave him this much unease was that noteworthy. "Son, do you realize what you are asking for? The Old Sword deviates from the current teachings."

It was true, the First War's intensity was the catalyst that gave birth to that lethal form of swordplay, meant to kill rather than to save. Yet Guilford knew that this was the only way he had if he wanted to stand a fighting chance against that man, the Black Knight. Of the few times they crossed swords, Guilford had to draw upon some skills from the Old Sword just to keep up.

The resolve reflecting in Guilford's eyes made it hard for Rannulf to argue. "Very well. I do not know how much help this old bones could give you but we should start at first light. You do not have much time correct?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"It's fine. As long as you still remember your basics, a few days would be all I need to show you."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 11th of Month 4: Gless - Caleta, Grand Cathedral


"Hyuga!" Natalia called the Dreamer for the umpteenth time.

The other was once again stuck with his research. This time, he had a small-scale experiment prepped with the help of some unusual books gathered around his work table. Having explicitly told everyone that he was not to be distrubed, Hyuga had deliberately ignored Natalia's cries for his attention, focusing solely on the big moment of his experiment. However, with Natalia hovering around his back calling his name every 0.93 seconds, it was immensely disturbing; it felt like being repeatedly stabbed by a dagger in the back. With a swollen vein and a scowl on his face, Hyuga turned to their youngest squad member.

"WHAT IN LIGHT'S NAME DO YOU WANT?!" he roared, obviously fuming.

His sudden outrage sent Natalia into the darkest corners of quiet land, instantly. She bit her lower lip and her eyes began to water, seemingly on the verge of tears. Hyuga immediately felt bad for yelling at her and simmered down with a sigh. How could he remain angry at the sight of that puppy-dog face?! He scratched his head and smiled at the female knight. "I'm sorry Nat, I didn't mean to yell." he apologized sincerely. "What is it?"

Still shaken from being yelled at by the normally aloof knight, Natalia could offer no response. Instead, she simply raised her holy whip in front of Hyuga for him to see. The weapon was battered and bruised, like it had finally outlived its usefulness. Seeing her weapon's current state rendered Hyuga speechless. The fortifications and enchantments he imbued the weapon with was by no means of the amateur level. He had crafted that Holy Whip with the intent of allowing the weapon to withstand the test of time itself—of course taking into account the many battles it will no doubt see along its journey. Still, for Natalia to have worn it down by this much? Hyuga looked at the distraught knight before him and wondered just how in the Light she managed to break one of his finest creations.

Sensing the unvoiced question in Hyuga's eyes, Natalia fidgeted. "I've been... working really hard..." she twiddled her thumbs, averting her eyes from Hyuga's curious ones. "with my whip techniques..." she added shyly.

"Oh? Is that so?" Hyuga mused, crossing both arms above his chest and looked at Natalia speculatively. "For you to practice this hard and almost break your weapon.. what kind of whip techniques are you working on exactly? Is there someone in particular you plan on whipping? He must be really tough.." he teased the younger knight and chuckled heartily.

"Wha..? I-I do not harbor such perverse thoughts!" Natalia countered, her cheeks flushing red in the process. Hyuga however, seemed to disregard her words and just took the whip off her hands.

"You wait here, I'll fix this for you." he offered and disappeared into the backroom of their quarters.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 12th of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral, Training Grounds

It was already afternoon but the furious clashing of steel against steel continued to resound in the open training grounds. Alfrei, Joaquim, Vlad and Georg were still out and about, honing their skills since morning. It was three against one, Alfrei versus Georg, Joaquim, and Vlad's Delta Formation...

"Aggh!" Alfrei grunted as he was thrown off balance by Vlad's shield bash. He skidded a few meters back before finally succumbing to his fatigue. The young Vice Captain dropped to his knees, sticking the tip of his left sword to the ground to help him stay up. His breathing was ragged, his muscles ached, and his stamina was dangerously low. It was his idea to spar with the older knights three to one with the goal of improving their battle sense but.. he definitely had not expected their Delta Formation to be this tough.

On the other hand, Georg and the other two could also feel the strain of their spar creeping up on them. Alfrei had proven himself to have grown much more skillful after being taught by Alona. Well, all of them did benefit from Alona's lecture but Alfrei was by far the one who showed rapid development. His left hand strikes were now equally as powerful as his dominant swordarm and there were instances where his reflexes would match that of their Captain's but still, he had a long way to go as far as consistency is concerned. But for Alfrei to have held all three of them off from forcing his submission, it was remarkable in its own right.

"Should we stop here for the day Vice Captain? You look winded." Georg suggested out of concern for their physical conditions.

"No. I'm fine, I can still go.." Alfrei huffed and forced himself back up to his feet. He took his stance once more and smiled confidently at the others. "One last round please.."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 14th of Month 4: Lindela - District 5


It was already afternoon when Lance had finally finished schooling the other six members of his newly formed squad. Oddballs the lot of them. He already went through enough trouble picking them out of the re-hashed pool of talent provided to him, and he still had more trouble lying in wait with whipping them into shape. The Lion sighed in exhaustion. He pulled out a towel from his pack and dried off the new beads of sweat that were still forming around his face. His thoughts began to drift as the minutes ticked by. Would he be able to lead these knights effectively in battle?

"Captain! Catch!"

Before he could react, a bottle of water smacked him right in the face. He was already in too deep with his thoughts that his motor functions have dulled to a certain extent, preventing him from reacting to Yulia's potentially fatal water bottle toss technique. This was the fifth time for Light's sake! By the time he thought Yulia should get scolded, his new Vice Captain already had that sheepish, apologetic expression that screamed 'sorrryyy' that always got the best of him. Lance could only sigh, rubbing the sting away from his face before picking up the fallen water bottle. He watched her approach and take a seat beside him, both their eyes looking at the sorry lot of knights lying unconscious before them.

"Aren't you being too harsh on them Captain?" Yulia questioned his methods.

Lance scoffed. "Would you ask that of your enemy?" he countered simply, watching one of his knights twitch in unconscious delight.

Yulia sighed. She was lucky enough to be able to barely keep up with her new Captain that she had a little less to prove than the others. "I guess not." she mumbled. "So uhh... when do you think they'll wake up?" she mused, already thinking about the next session.

"In about an hour or two." Lance chuckled. "You find this amusing don't you? Perhaps you should join them next time, seven against one. Maybe you could even the odds for them and teach them a little bit about your formations." Lance suggested, a touch of slyness in his tone. He still needs to pay her back for hitting him with water bottles every time.

Yulia jerked from her seat at the suggestion. The last time she sparred against her Captain with the others, they hindered her movements by a great deal that she ended up getting knocked out as well. "I-I'll pass! I'm already preoccupied just keeping up with the current island events for you while you train them Captain!"

"No. You can't weasel your way out of this one Yulia. I've already made up my mind. You're with them next round." Lance rose to his feet and picked up his spear. "I'll check on the events and reports myself to give you and them some time to come up with a strategy against me. Use your time wisely." he instructed her with a grin before walking back to their command center.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 15th of Month 4: Gless - Rosetta


"I wish I could stay longer father, mother.." Guilford bowed in respect. "but duty calls."

Rannulf comfortingly held his wife Karrie, who was on the verge of tears again at their son's departure. Though Guilford had managed to stay with them for longer than he was usually allowed, the amount of quality time they actually spent together was only about as much as they could manage. Guilford had spent his days at home under the tutelage of his father, hoping to improve his swordsmanship in preparation for the battles that have yet to come. It was painful to watch their son still wearing the mask of a Seraph even at home, but both parents knew the weight of their son's duties. If anything, they could only feel proud of him for having endured this long.

"Remember what you have learned from me Gil, and you should be fine."

"Of course. Thank you for everything, father." Guilford bowed to him before turning to his mother. "Mother, next time I come home, I'll bring her with me." he smiled brightly. Though he had no idea how he would make her agree to it, he'll figure it out somehow. For now, this was the best way he could think of to ease Lady Karrie's worries.

Muffling her sobs, Lady Karrie reached out to brush her hand on Guilford's cheek. "We'll be waiting Gil." she said, mustering every bit of courage she can to put on a smile. With one last grateful look, Guilford turned around and walked towards the Wyervia waiting for him.

Any other words would only make it more difficult for his mother.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 15th of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral


The sound of a Wyervia making a forced landing on the courtyard gathered the attention of the knights wandering about the Grand Cathedral. Among those knights were members of Squad Eight, who started gathering close to the landing zone knowing that their Captain has returned. He had been gone five days, leaving Alfrei in charge of the squad with only minimal instruction. Apparently, everyone figured out that it was his way of giving them as much free time as he could possibly grant them given the circumstances.

The hiss of the wyervia's doors depressurizing echoed just after its engines simmered down to a low murmur. Moments later, Guilford disembarked from the vessel. Squad Eight was just about to greet him when Georg stopped everyone in their tracks. "Hold on everyone! Don't move and observe the Captain." he said with a serious tone.

The rest of the squad had to squint their eyes to note any possible changes the older knight might be referring to but couldn't find any. Alfrei sighed. "He looks the same to me. What are you on about?" he asked Georg who only shushed him with one hand. "Look carefully. It's not so hard to spot."

Natalia tried her hardest to spot the difference until.. "Ahh! He's missing a leg!" she yelped. The jaws of the others dropped upon hearing what she said. Joaquim had to smack her head for making a fool out of herself. "Oww!! That hurts!" she complained. "There's nothing wrong with the Captain obviously!" she iterated, glaring at Georg for making such a fuss.

"Wrong." Hyuga finally spoke up. He appears to have lost interest in Georg's game and turned around, ready to head back inside.

"Oh great dreamer, please do enlighten us!" Joaquim coaxed the black-haired knight. "What is it that your keen eyes have spotted?"

Hyuga sighed and looked down, scratching his head in the process. "The Captain is smiling." he told them. "He's never done that before, smiling because he's finally returned to the Grand Cathedral."

Five heads simultaneously turned to look at their approaching captain. True enough, there was a semblance of a smile on his lips.

"Bingo! The power of youth! Nice work Hyuga! Excellent observational skills!" Georg said excitedly, gathering the attention of the others. "None of you may have noticed this back in Bastille but apparently, the Captain and Master Leth--"

"We talked about business, Georg." Guilford interrupted him.

The older knight froze. Just as he was getting to the juicy tidbit too! He turned to face his Captain and bowed in greeting with a sheepish smile. He also noted the curious looks the rest of squad eight had nailed on him. It was as if they were telling him that they needed to talk about that later.

"Exactly like the one we'll be talking about soon." Guilford added. "How is Fiona?" he smoothly changed the subject.

A gloomy ambiance hugged the small congregation of knights. None of them had heard better news since she fell into a coma. Every day after her rescue, Alfrei made it a point to make time and visit, as did everyone else. However, nothing much has changed since then. Even with the better facilities in the Grand Cathedral, Fiona was still fast asleep. "You should probably talk to Akira, Captain." Alfrei pointed out. "He's never left Fiona's side." he added.

Guilford nodded in response to the suggestion. For now, he needed his knights to focus on something else entirely. "I'll meet everyone at our quarters in fifteen minutes. I'm assigning tasks to each of you, details will be discussed shortly."

The rest of squad eight acknowledged and watched their Captain proceed into the cathedral. As soon as Guilford's back disappeared behind the cathedral doors, five heads turned back to Georg. Natalia was the first to speak up. "So, what was it you were trying to say earlier?" she asked. "And make it snappy Georg, you have ten minutes."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



For some reason, Guilford found himself nurturing an emotion he would normally get rid of in a hurry. In the long years he had walked the halls of the Grand Cathedral, he have had multiple experiences of having anxiousness in every step, but not like this.. this time it was different. Given the current situation, with the war starting its first leg, the Grand Cathedral was bustling with activity. Scribes here and there crisscrossing almost every carpeted path there was, Advocates and a lot of Knights going in and out of designated function rooms ranging from squad quarters to mission briefing rooms, archive outlets down to infirmary wards. Even the chapel section had seen some use from all forms of Light believers. Still, despite having all that reason and distraction to keep him on his toes, Guilford still found himself unable to focus, and that his heart was pounding wildly in the cage that was his chest.

Having made his way up to the second floor, Guilford noted the lack of change in the cathedral's state of hyper-activity. More so with the emotion he carried with him. If anything, it was only getting stronger. He was starting to get frustrated when a sparkle of white suddenly came into his field of vision. Lo and behold! There she was, the source of his anxiousness crossing the hall intersection that separated the cathedral East wing from the West. His heart throbbed, it throbbed so much like it was about to burst! Only then did he finally understand what it was that haunted him all day long, what this feeling was.

He missed her...

Just about to raise his hand and call for her attention, Guilford suddenly stopped before he could make any noticeable motion. A flock of five Scribes came into his line of sight, chasing after the female Seraph. They had documents in hand, undoubtedly for her viewing. It only took them seconds to surround her while keeping up with her pace, until the lot of them had completely gone from his sight. Overshadowed by duty, Guilford sighed. What was he doing daydreaming to begin with?!

"Master Guilford, welcome back." a voice spoke up from behind him.

Guilford turned around and sure enough, he already has his own flock of Scribes to deal with, five of them too. Each one held documents as well, and they looked eager to get them out of their hands. Guilford took a deep breath before reaching a hand out to take the documents. "It's good to be back. Are these reports from Lindela?" he asked one of them.

"Yes Master Guilford. We have compiled them priority-wise at the Council's request, for you and Master Lethe's viewing."

Guilford briefly scanned through the reports he now had in hand before expertly shuffling them to a neat stack. "Very well, the four of you may resume your duties. Thank you." he directed the other four at the back before turning his gaze to the one that remained. "Walk with me please."

The two made their way to the cathedral's West Wing, where Guilford's squad quarters was located. The Seraph invited the Scribe inside and closed the doors behind them, activating the reinforced privacy wards he had asked Hyuga to set up before he left for Rosetta.

"A-am I in trouble? Was my compilation not to your liking Master Guilford?" the Scribe worriedly asked, even after being invited by the Seraph to take a seat.

"Worry not. I have absolute confidence in the data management ability of every Scribe such as yourself." Guilford eased the Scribe's worry. "I asked you here for a favor." Guilford mentioned, feeling a little hesitant about his request.

"Anything if it means I could help Master Guilford!" the Scribe's eyes brightened up. It was not everyday that they are asked for a favor, especially by a Seraph, and in person too! He was excited.

Guilford remained placid, this matter was of great sensitivity. It was of absolute importance that this scribe understood the gravity of what he was about to ask. Then again, perhaps it was for the best if he kept the scribe's knowledge down to a need to know basis. "Alright, I appreciate your eagerness truly, but the nature of this request requires bending several rules. Think you can handle that?"

The excitement fell off by a notch at the mention of rule-bending. The scribe began twiddling his fingers in anxiety. "It's nothing major. I just need you to pull some documents for me coming from the old archive without logging it." Guilford continued. "I know the council had strictly instructed the scribes to keep track of the flow of records coming and going from the archives, but I need this one off the record. Can you do that?"

"M-may I ask what this is about s-sir?"

"I'm..." he paused, carefully thinking about the next words he should say.

“One and a half months after the battle with Eve, in which two of Abel’s knights died, you and I joined squad seven.”


"I am looking into a lead, and I don't have concrete evidence to validate my suspicion." Guilford continued, picking his words ever so carefully. "Given our current situation, I don't want to raise any more flags for concern unnecessarily until I am sure of what to make of this issue."

The scribe's facial expression showed a sense of deep thought, like he had been drawn into Guilford's pace. Good. It should be easy to get him on board like this. "Is it that bad?" he asked.

Guilford played along, pulling one hand contemplatively beneath his chin. "Hmm.. I can't say." he muttered. "This is why I need your help, so I can determine if it's just baseless assumptions that we all don't have to worry about."

"Okay! I'll help." the scribe sprang back to life. "If I can ease both yours and Master Lethe's worries by a little bit, I'll do what I can." With a determined look in his eyes, the scribe met Guilford's rather surprised ones. "What records do you need sir?"

Well that was easy.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Grand Cathedral: Infirmary


Fiona found herself slowly waking up to the cold sensation she felt crawling upon her skin. She blinked a few times, slowly opening her eyes—she was sure she did—yet all she could see was darkness, threatening to swallow her entirely—an infinite void of darkness. Fear gripped her heart in an instant. Where was she? Why was it so dark? What was happening? She tried to speak, yet her words had no voice in them. She tried calling for help, only to find that her pleas was consumed by a silence that was her voice. She was alone and falling, helpless in this vast expanse of darkness. She was scared.. so scared..

Somebody help me!

Despair had begun to consume her emotions, sinking Fiona further into the depths of this dark abyss. She cried. There was no hope, there was nobody to save her, only the haunting darkness that laughed at her, mocked her for her weakness. She had fallen. Fiona pulled her right hand to her face, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall. It was only until she brought her hand close to her face that she realized it. She could see her hand! There was light on it! And a soothing warmth! Where, where was it coming from?! Fiona frantically searched the darkness, until she found a single speck of white in the distance. She held her dimly glowing hand and tried to reach for it—to grab it—but she was too far. She needed to get closer! Closer! She swam, swam her hardest in this sea of black, fueled by her intent to reach that speck of white light, with only her glowing right hand serving as her guide.

It felt like forever, like the distance between her and the light refused to shrink, but she will not give up! She will grab that light that gave her the meager comfort in this darkness.. no matter what! She swam and swam, harder and faster, focusing solely on nothing but the goal. The time she spent swimming felt like an eternity, but finally she was getting close, so close that she could almost feel the light in her hand burning with warmth! She made it... it was within reach! Finally!

She grabbed the light and almost immediately, Fiona felt herself engulfed with the warmth she yearned for...

.
..
...

Did she fall asleep again? Fiona's eyes twitched. They were closed, and she had an apprehensive feeling about opening her eyes, in fear of the darkness that might once again swallow her, but she did so. Little by little Fiona opened her eyes, only to see a blur that cleared with each second that passed, until she was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. She tried to move, but her body felt too weak to even make any big movement. She sighed. Was she dreaming? How long was she asleep? Fiona's thoughts wandered back to the warmth in her right hand; it was still there. Turning her head slowly to the right, Fiona saw a black-haired individual fast asleep by her bedside. She lowered her gaze toward her right hand, noting that the warmth she felt indeed came from the hand of this individual that held hers. So it was Akira who pulled her out of that darkness? He was the source of that comforting warmth? Fiona felt a rush of heat that shot straight to her cheeks. She couldn't quite explain it but right now, she was seeing Akira in a different light. She tried to speak, just so she could call out to him but her voice remained meek.

She squeezed his hand multiple times, waiting for him to finally notice..

Akira opened his eyes, undoubtedly from the continual gripping sensation in his right hand. Almost immediately, he lifted his face off of the bed, only for his eyes to meet Fiona's dark-brown ones in a standstill moment. Neither one of them spoke the words, but the smile that slid on Akira's lips was enough to convey the unvoiced message: Welcome back!

"Hey.. how are you feeling?" Akira asked her softly, tenderly even, if Fiona had to describe his tone herself. He was so gentle, and his presence right now gave her great comfort. She opened her mouth and was finally able to speak her words, "Fine.. I guess..?" she smiled at him gratefully, "I've been better though.."

"That's good enough." he smiled back at her, "Don't fall asleep again okay? I'll go get Cora for you."

Akira was just about to stand when he felt Fiona's hand suddenly grip his own, followed by a weak pull towards her. When he looked back at her, she simply shook her head slowly with a smile. "Please stay with me.. just for a little while longer." she asked of him softly. She did not want to let go of the warmth in her right hand, she was not ready to.

Not just yet..

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Barrens: Eve's Fortress


Her heels clacked around the crumbled marble floors of her old fortress. Eve's steps were ones filled with purposeful haste. She and her Dark Valkyries have just returned from an expedition out in the desolate land, in search of a new catalyst of her beloved. She felt her dark heart drumming loudly with every step she took towards the ritual chamber. They had found it! A fragment of their lord that contained much of his essence. The Sinners that have lined themselves up bowed in her welcome, but Eve had no time to play Queen. Right now, she was a servant just the same as them, working towards the glorious reawakening of their lord.

She had not even taken the time to call for anyone out of sheer excitement. Eve simply locked herself alone in the ritual chamber, preparing the necessary steps for the coming rite personally. She had taken heed of Amon's advise about the moon, the reason why she blasted the roof of her ritual chamber open. A shame she had to rely on that twisted demon for help, but he had made her remember that such ancient rituals required archaic procedures. Eve looked up and gazed at the new moon; it suited this coming event perfectly..

A new moon for a new life.

Eve could no longer wait. She moved around the ritual chamber as if she was gliding just above the floor, each of her motions a calculated grace. She began carving the magic flow lines carefully, their measurements observed with keen eyes. There was no room for error. Every detail need to be perfect! As soon as she finished drawing the base flow lines, Eve proceeded to forming the seals. Once again, Amon made mention of a seal swap, Rebirth for Renew, that should be easy enough. Tracing the seal points with her dark power, Eve expertly imbued the seals to the anchor points of her flow lines. She repeatedly did so for each seal involved, moving with haste but not without precision. Lastly, the required ingredients. She had drawn enough spacing for each item within the entirety of the now completed seal for the Rite. Eve placed the items carefully, avoiding each of them from grazing even a tiny bit of the magic flow lines. With one last look at her handiwork, a devilish grin crept up to her lips.

Everything was in place.

Eve slowly raised her arms up towards the moon, speaking in the ancient tongue as she began the incantation. From the first verse, dark clouds began to gather right above her fortress. By the time she had reached the second verse of her incantation, the ground where her fortress stood began to rumble. Eve felt her heart jump at the shaking sensation beneath her feet. It was going well! The Rite was proceeding smoothly! By the time Eve's incantation reached the Verse of Praise, her magic circle began to burn in purple flame. Eve's eyes brimmed with joy and her heart began to flutter in delight. She had never gotten a response from this part of the ritual before but now.. Eve steeled herself and her composure, proceeding meticulously into the Verse of Offering. The rumbling had gotten stronger, the heavens grew darker as Eve completed her offering. The air around her began to feel electrified, and the tiny hairs on her skin stood when a violent gust invaded her ritual chamber. Without hesitation, Eve continued into the last section of her incantation, the Verse of Demand, and upon yelling the last syllable, everything had gone silent.

The dark clouds vanished, the rumbling earth stopped, the electrified air normalized, and the purple flames died out.. only to be replaced by a swirling void of darkness in the center of her magic circle. Eve held her breath, longer than she thought she did. From that void emerged an arm of a man, until his naked being came crawling out of the void in full. He was too weak to stand, let alone crawl for one more step towards Eve. She felt a pinch in her heart seeing the man's weakened state. With a swift motion of one hand, Eve took off her coat and raced towards the man, draping her meager coat around the man's naked body. His dark hair was drawn down, covering much of his face. It was obvious that he was trying to look up to see Eve but could not. Eve carefully moved her right hand beneath the man's chin, cupping it gently before pulling his face up to help him see her.

"My lord.. welcome back!"

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


Last edited by RealityCheck on Thu Feb 26, 2015 1:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 8:32 am 
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[[Day 10 of Month -4 :: Barrens]]

The brown haired demon stalked through the halls of her palace, fists trembling in barely contained rage. Her retarded toy? A network of cracks appeared on the wall, the aftermath of the Sin Blast she’d thrown its way. It had been Eve’s moronic idea to give Lillith’s teleportation ability to that idiot Vulcalina. If Syndra had had her way, she would have teleportation and it wouldn’t have been destroyed by that stupid Seraph! Her teeth ground together at the reminder of that blue-haired brat. What an arrogant prick, and using her head as a stepping block?

She slammed the doors to her dollhouse open, the sound reverberating throughout the giant room. The best of her collection was displayed here, countless dolls awaiting her commands. The sight of them gave her no solace. While it was entirely Eve’s fault for demanding she ‘distract’ the Seraphs, the ignorant ****ing was correct in that her plot.. hadn’t quite succeeded. Though parts of Palaugrim had crumbled away from her machinations, it still floated in the sky. Anger transformed her lips into a scowl. It should have been decorating the Barrens right now, along with Lindela.

Red eyes scanned her room furiously, halting at the sight of Pristine Knight armor. When she walked closer, its display tag revealed to her its name: Sebastian d’Arques. Syndra studied it critically but knew it was impossible. There were too few d’Arques right now to go unnoticed but that damn Lightbringer would know something was wrong. She’d have to wait until he was dead before she could try using it. But.. It did give her an idea.

She stormed back to the front of her dollhouse, where a cowering Sinner was waiting for her. “Get me everything we have on the Seraphs and their squads.” Her order sent the Sinner scampering off and she turned to peruse her collection once more. She was sure she’d have at least someone appropriate for this task..
~~~~~

[[Day 15 of Month -4, Night ]]

The crowd around her was growing upset, their mutterings mostly indiscernible. Every now and then, certain phrases could be heard: why her? It’s all her fault. Murderer. She should have just died.

Lethe said nothing in response, face studiously neutral. She’d had too much experience as the Council’s representative to let such things bother. Or, at least, let it show that it bothered her.

There was a general shift in the audience as the simmering resentment hit a tipping point. In a second, the room would descend into a mob, individual restraint subsumed under the lust for destruction. “Little liar.” One person separated from the damning jury, high heels clacking against the flawless floor. Pink lips twisted in a haughty smirk, “This is all your fault. You know that, right? If you’d just left Palaugrim alone, we’d never be in this mess to begin with.” Turquoise eyes widened in faux surprise, “Santa Olivia, Luciano,” she called the city by its Sin-name rather than its newly christened name of Mokaida, “all those villages… the Shattering.” By the end of the list, all pretense of civility had faded. Hatred twisted the otherwise beautiful face, “I spoke the truth that afternoon, didn’t I? You won’t stop until every town has been razed or forced to convert.

In the face of such twisted hatred, it was easy for Lethe to retain her calm. Before her didn’t stand an innocent of Palaugrim. No, this was a demon who had deceived the people of Palaugrim into Sin’s embrace under the guise of humanity. Her apathy wasn’t entirely feigned as she stared back at the vengeful Victorie. It was harder to maintain in the presence of the woman who took the former Mayor’s place.

“Why?” It was the mother who’d been desperately pleading for her daughter to live after that orange haired demon’s attack. She didn’t remember where the attack had occurred; there had been too many before that demon had finally died, but she remembered the face. The woman’s child was cradled in her arms, the body’s deathly pallor notice enough it was no more than a corpse. “Why?” The woman repeated, neither accusing nor furious, simply curious. Simply wondering for what reason she’d had to bury her child.

From this Lethe had to turn away, unable to stare calmly at the woman who’d done nothing wrong yet born the burden of a war she’d never wanted. Was it right that innocent people were dying, had died, in this battle between Light and Sin? Their only crime had been to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They hadn’t deserved to die. She should have protected them.

“When are you coming home?” Lethe’s head shot up at the unexpected question. Someone wanted.. her half-formed hopes were dashed at the sight of the speaker. A younger version of her, draped in the black cloak she’d worn when fleeing the Pass, looked at her wistfully. “I really miss you.” A shy smile crept onto younger her’s lips, “We can all be together again, you, me, mommy, and daddy.” But those eyes that look at her aren’t innocent anymore, they’re greedy, possessive. “We can all be together again,” There was no outward change, no skin turning dusky blue or eyes shining white but Lethe could hear it, had heard it so many times before: the deepening volume that warned of an imminent transformation—“won’t that be nice?”—into a Sinner.

Lethe lurched away, turning in any direction possible to avoid the sight of—Guilford dying. Eve laughing. Fidelius yelling. Eiji pleading. Under her feet, the world shook, losing its previous placidity. Its movement jarred her already confused mind, helping her stumble this way and that until she caught sight of a flash of light. The Divine Light! Impassive brown eyes stared at her with just a hint of curiosity. “Cap..captain.” The honorific fell from her lips, instinct overcoming her current wariness of the man, “Pl-please.. hel” the word was frozen in her throat, unable to overcome the sheer indifference evident in her former Captain. Abel just stared at her, waiting to see what would happen next.

Lethe gasped for breath as if she’d been drowning, blue eyes searching frantically around her. She fell backwards, arms barely able to catch her before she hit the ground. Where was she? What had that been? She shakily scuttled her upper body around until she was on her hands and knees, the latter groaning at suddenly being forced to work after kneeling for so long. She was.. she lifted her head to look around, finally recognizing the altar in front of her. She was in one of the prayer rooms in the Cathedral. The knowledge she was somewhere safe finally calmed her enough to ease back into a seiza position. But.. She ran a palm over arm, feeling how every hair had stood up in fright. What had been that feeling..? It had felt as if someone had walked over her grave but.. much, much worse.
~~~

[[Day 15 of Month -4, Night :: Tethel]]

Verlassen looked up from the book he was reading, glass frozen midway to his lips, at the sudden frantic beating of his heart. His hand trembled with barely contained energy creating an unpleasant ‘pins and needle’ sensation all over his body. He felt anticipation; his body barely felt like it could contain him. Slowly, he forced himself to exhale, forced his body to relax as he tried to figure out where this sudden eagerness had come from.

All of his senses felt hypersensitive. He could hear the faint footsteps of the guards at the end of the chambers. He could smell a faint whiff of smoke. He could feel the light cool breeze on his arm. The last made him turn towards the window, open as normal to let the air and the moonlight in. Today it lacked the latter. It was a new moon.

He huffed in amusement as the answer suddenly revealed itself to him. With a wry twist of his lips, he lifted his tumbler in a toast before knocking back the remaining alcohol. Welcome back, God of Sin.

Black eyes drifted over to his wife, curious if she had noticed anything. For once, she’d made no comment about his unusual actions, odd given her normally fawning attitude. Shrewd blue eyes stared off in the distance. Although she had no affinity with divine realm, Centienne was unnaturally perceptive. There were times he would have almost called her prescient. Blue eyes suddenly focused on him and they lacked her normal adoration. All he could see was cold calculation as she assessed what he knew, how much use she was to him, and how best to get what she wanted.

This wasn’t his coquettish wife, the one forever wrapped up in her fantasies. This was the queen who had kept her kingdom in tact through both the First War and the Blight. The one who had manipulated the Council into saving her kingdom and then immediately betrayed them. The one who had ruthlessly bargained with demons just to get her prince charming. For an idle moment, Verlassen wondered how the First War could have ended if such a cunning mind had been put to service in the Light’s name. And then he immediately discarded that thought.

“Shall we go to bed?” He offered as he stood up, stretching his arms in a show of nonchalance. What-ifs didn’t matter. He was better this way.
~~~

[[Day 15 of Month -4, Night :: Lindela]]

“You should see what he’s done with his shield!” Roland grumbled good naturedly as he waved a fork around, “I had to turn it over every time I found a dent to make sure it was really the one I made! It was as if it’d never seen a polishing cloth or buffing stone in its life!” His tirade only came to an end when he started coughing.

“It’s not that bad!’ Adair retorted once the coughing fit has subsided, half indignantly and half in play, “Squad Ten just maintains a demanding schedule; you had a simple job as a Knight.”

At those words both Roland and Lesus gave him deadpan looks. “Uh.. I got stuck on guard duty for that one, for over five years” the fork pointed accusingly at the only blond at the table. “Want to try saying again that my job was ‘simple’?”

“Not to mention you were underfoot,” Lesus pointed out quietly, still audible over Grisia’s indignant spluttering. “I was not that bad!” The former Advocate protested. “I was a wonderful Advocate!”

“And a terror the rest of the time..” Roland reminisced gloomily, “remember that time he almost got us kicked out of the Inn after he called the inn keeper fat and tried to offer her suggestions on where to buy better beds?”

(“They were as hard as rocks!”)

“Or what about the time he called the Lord’s son a Sin-infested creature more vile than even a Pure Sinner?”

(“He was a terribly spoilt child! And he tried to bully Adair!”)

“Lights.. that time when he accidentally proposed to..”

The teasing came to an abrupt halt at the sound of forks clattering to the table. Lesus and Roland looked up from their mock pity party to see both Adair and Grisia frozen, eyes wide as they stared out in the distance. The two men eyed the brothers uncertainly and then each other. “Grisia..?”

The blond-haired man whirled to look at Lesus, pupils contracting to focus on his longtime friend. “What? Sorry?”

“Are you okay?” The former scout asked, black eyes flickering between Grisia and Adair uncertainly.

“What?” Grisia repeated, “No, sorry. I was just wondering why the Bells were ringing.”

“But there are no bells ringing…” And indeed, the only sound that could be heard was the muted sounds of the street. The four men looked at each other uncertainly, the pensive moment broken by Roland breaking into another fit of coughing.

“I don’t think I’m the one you should be asking who’s fine,” Grisia pointed out tartly, already putting aside the previous unexplainable moment, “I think you need to go see a cleric!”
~~~

After their contentious reunion, the two siblings had fallen into a routine once more. Cricket showed up to push against the freaking door while Konan alternated between cheering for him, chatting to him, or just watching him. Today she seemed to be in a quieter mood, just sitting on the ground as Cricket strained against the heavy door. He’d gotten them halfway open but ever since then, progress had been slow.

An eerie whistling suddenly wound through the plane, catching both siblings’ attentions. The purple-haired Knight backed away from the doors leading to his Light’s Blessing, turning to look in the direction of the unexpected sound. Konan had similarly gotten to her feet. There was a frown evident on her face as she peered into the mists that characterized the plane. Neither knew what the sound was and they knew each other well enough to not have to ask. The sound grew louder, not quite threatening but certainly unsettling when there was a sudden crack of thunder.

The entire dimension convulsed, suddenly stretching as if trying to tear itself apart. A scream ripped its way out of Konan’s mouth and only long experience in battle kept Cricket from imitating her. And then just as suddenly, everything returned to normal. Konan collapsed to the ground, clearly unused to such pain.

“What.. what was that?” Cricket asked even as he looked around warily. He stepped closer to his panting sister, settling into a defensive stance. The girl finally regained her breath only to look up at her brother with wide eyes: “I have no idea..”
~~~

Seraphim snorted in her sleep and turned over, “I’ll show you a knuckle sandwich…” The rest of her mumbling became indecipherable once more as soft snoring resumed.
~~~

[[Day 15 of Month -4, Night :: The Cathedral, Gless]]

“Master Lethe! Master Lethe!” She could hear frantic steps running towards her and she stopped, turning to face her caller. An overly devoted Scribe ran up, hands full of papers, no doubt more reports for her to read. “I have the late—” The Scribe paused, a worried look crossing his face. “Master Lethe..” His voice had lost its previous frenzy and was now replaced with concern, “are you okay?”

Lethe looked back at him in confusion. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re as white as a sheet..” The Scribe responded uncertainly before his eyes widened in shock, his brain finally processing what he’d said. “I! Uh! That is! I mean!” He scrambled to save himself, realizing he’d just accidentally insulted a Seraph.

“I am?” He thanked the Light that she didn’t sound offended. No longer worried for his job, the Scribe re-adopted his concerned look, “Yes.. Are you feeling okay? Do you want me to get you a healer?” The white-haired woman touched her face self-consciously, wondering if she really looked as pale as he implied. Her uneasy feeling from earlier—from whatever had woken her from her praying session still lingered. “No.. that shouldn’t be necessary…” She trailed off; it was hard to be composed when she felt so unsettled. “If you’ll excuse me?” With a polite bow, she excused herself and continued walking towards her squad room.

The Scribe looked after her in apprehension. He was just a lowly Scribe; there was no way he’d presume to know Master Lethe’s health better than her but.. she definitely hadn’t looked that well. Looking down at the reports in his hand, he resolved he’d given them to her tomorrow and check up on her then. He may just be a lowly Scribe, but the least he could do to help the cause was make sure the Seraph was okay.
~~~

The squad room was, understandably, empty when she arrived. Lethe paused at the entrance, a sense of disquietude encroaching upon her. The room was cast in darkness, a mess of shadows barely illuminated by the open doorway she stood in front of. There wasn’t even moonlight to lend some visibility. Lethe swallowed nervously, inexplicably wary of entering. Lights Above, she was being ridiculous. She flicked the lights on, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change. The room looked as normal as ever. With a sigh at her own foolishness, the white-haired Seraph entered her squad quarters and let the door fall shut behind her. It closed with an oddly echoing thud. She was clearly going crazy. She shook her head and took a seat at the table, pulling her files closer to her. There were still some reports she needed to review before she could call it a night.
~~~

Hasty footsteps moved about from the Cathedral’s West Wing, trodding the carpeted floor and expertly weaving through the busy-bodies still lurking about. Guilford found himself headed for squad ten’s quarters, a troubled expression lugged around by the male Seraph as he went. Something was amiss, though he could not really place it. He was in the process of reviewing reports from the Scribes, surrendering to the fact that this was again going to be a long night, when this foreboding sense descended upon him. Was it agitation? No, it took more than just agitation to involuntarily stir his divine magic; it was something else entirely. Self-musing helped pass the time it took to reach the door to the female Seraph’s quarters, though it did not help Guilford find a plausible cause for his trepidation.

He took a breath before knocking twice, “Lethe are you there? May I come in?”

At the sound of a knock, Lethe realized she was still on the first page of her first report. Instead, countless seals floated in the air, primed but not activated yet. Safety. Privacy. Reinforcement. She automatically processed the meanings in front of her, a byproduct of Lady Mei’s effective tutelage. She finished the rune she’d been subconsciously forming when she realized someone was speaking to her through the door.

Who would still be here at such an hour? She waved the seals away, letting them activate themselves, and walked over to the door. “Yes, may I--oh! Gil!”

A touch startled, Lethe had just made herself real cute at the moment. Guilford shook the thoughts away though, knowing that the reason he was here was not to play per se but to talk business, alarming business. He looked around before smiling faintly at Lethe. “Hi… uhm…” Guilford glanced around again for loitering Scribes, the coast was clear. “Lethe, do you have a minute? Can we talk?” he asked in a low tone, all the while wondering why his throat was starting to dry up.

She stepped out of the way, a clear indication he was welcome to answer, and walked back into the room, only to pause. What had she been doing anyways?

Guilford walked in and closed the door behind them. As much purpose as he came here to begin with, he did not know where to start. He paced around squad ten’s quarters, noting the difference they both had in design. This room was simple, homey, and undoubtedly cozier than he thought he last remembered. He turned to the female Seraph, “Uhh.. right, where was I?”

She frowned when she realized her fingers were unconsciously tracing runes again. “You mentioned needing to talk?” She flexed her fingers curiously before realizing she should offer him something to drink. “Tea? Water?” She’d never been one for fancy drinks, but Guilford had more of a sweet tooth than her, “We might have some soda..” Which one had he liked? She was already staring in their icebox before he responded, searching for any sweet drink.

“Soda, I’d like that.” he said as he sat down, knowing Lethe wouldn’t mind. Now that she mentioned wanting to talk, how should he start without making himself sound like he was going crazy? “Felt anything strange lately?” he casually opened, keen eyes watching her reaction.

The frown returned immediately, her search for melon soda temporarily halted. One hand rubbed her arms against a chill that had nothing to do with the icebox she was crouched in front of. Anything strange.. “No, I can’t say so.” She pulled out a bottle and brought it over to Guilford, taking Valiar’s normal seat.

Smiling as he gratefully accepted the melon soda bottle, Guilford twisted the cap open, taking the first sip. “Can’t say so means there’s something…” he trailed off, looking at the brand of this particular melon soda; he liked it. “It’s… not just you.” he finally admitted. “Hard to explain but I had this… nagging sensation..”

A sardonic smile twisted her lips. Not just her huh? She doubted he had--she closed her eyes, forcing the uncharitable thoughts away. What did she know? He was a Seraph too, he probably had his share of sorrow as well. He’d been broken up about Bryn dying.. but that was his first her mind whispered traitorously, reminding her of Eiji and Fidelius and all of them. “Nagging sensation?”

“Like…” he paused, thinking of the best way to describe that nagging sensation he made mention. “Like someone was plucking the string that connects me to the divine realm,” he scratched his head, “like… there’s a ladle in my magic reserves stirring.. I don’t know!” he gave up, looking frustrated.

Lethe shook her head, “No, I’m afraid not.” Blue eyes studied her partner in concern, “Are you okay Gil? Maybe you should rest.”

Guilford sighed. Of course, he must be tired and is finally starting to break. Another sigh escaped his lips. “As much as I want to, we both know we can’t.”

She rolled her eyes, standing up even as he was speaking. “Yes we can, how much use will we be if we collapse from exhaustion? Go home and sleep Gil, Corwin must be waiting for you.”

Guilford looked at Lethe again, this time with curious eyes. She was somewhat.. distant should he need an appropriate word. No, perhaps detached was the right one. What could possibly be troubling her? “You’re right, it must be nothing.” he conceded, looking down at the half empty soda bottle. “However, it’s not just me who looks tired.” he shot a glance back at her.

“I just returned from the prayer rooms,” She deflected with the reassuring smile she’d mastered over the years under Laith’s tutelage. It promised a calm assurance she rarely felt. “I’m fine.”

Unsure what to make of it, Guilford simply nodded. He set the half finished bottle down on their small coffee table and stood up. Perhaps this was one of those baseless assumptions he often finds himself worrying about.. or something else entirely. He lightly shook his head to clear the haze in his mind. So much to think about, so little time to make sense of them all at once. “Well then, thank you for the drink,” he walked closer to her. “Now, about something else…” again there was this unfamiliar feeling. Different from that nagging sensation. “Mind if we can uhh.. turn on the privacy wards?”

Lethe looked at him in bewilderment, wondering why he wanted such a thing. She waved a hand and the runes she’d unconsciously written earlier flared, revealing their presence. “They’ve been on this entire time.”

“T-they were?!” he stammered. Surprise, surprise. Now Guilford felt like a fool for asking. He cleared his throat, it was running dry again for some reason even after a cold drink. “Uhh.. right, Lethe,” he paused, trying to catch blue eyes with his purple ones. “You’ve uhh, never been to my family house before have you?”

If anything, her confusion grew at the seemingly random question. “Unless you mean your house in Caletta, no.”

“N-no not that one..” Stupid him! What in the Light is he losing composure for!? Guilford took a deep breath.

“Are you sure you’re okay Gil?” Lethe placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. There was no reason for him to be stuttering. “You’re not getting sick are you?”

The questions made him even more nervous. This was actually the first time he would try to have a real normal conversation with her, and at the rate he’s going… it’s probably going to end up in a mess. Regardless, he was not going down without a fight. Seraph, he’s a Seraph. “I-I’m fine! Yeah! I mean.. I think..” he could feel his heart thumping so loud that he was pretty sure she could hear it.

“I really think you should rest. You’re kind of flushed.” She was now starting to get worried. First he was talking about a nagging sensation, then about his divine magic being unsettled, and then he was asking about his house and now he was stuttering like crazy.

He just needed a moment of silence! Just a moment! But her hand came upon his forehead… Light save him! He was going to melt away! Not good, definitely not good! WIth a swift motion of his right hand, he unconsciously held Lethe’s and looked at her. “ I know I’m not making any sense right now but..” he paused, stopping his thoughts from wandering away from this moment. “I just wanted you t-t-to..”

Say it! Mr. Guilford Rosenwulf! he grilled himself. “I want you to meet my.. parents.” he might not get the chance to ask again, now was as good a time as any.

Why? He may as well have asked her to pick up tap dancing. Why in the Light’s name would she go meet his parents? They’d never met when they were on Squad Seven together nor in the ten years since.. Why would she need to meet them now? “Maybe you should lie down..”

Perhaps he was creeping her out now. First he started his way here with the intention of asking about a certain unease, and now it devolved to this? What was he thinking?! Pressing matters are at hand and he was supposed to be at the top of things duty-wise but.. he couldn’t help himself falling into this.. pit of whatever it is he was feeling. Lie down? Yeah, no. That might not be a good idea, “I really.. can’t give you any other reason other than I just.. want you to meet them.” he said, as best as he could possibly manage in his state. Guilford looked down, he was still holding her hand, if the warmth building up between them was any indication.

Her worry had no chance against Guilford’s adorable confession. She felt her heart melt and she shook her head in exasperation. “I think it’s a bit late for them to make sure I’m not some terrible influence on your life.” She laughed, tugging him along. “We’ve already known each other twelve? thirteen? years. And I’m sure they’re lovely people. They’re your parents ago.” She stopped in front of the couch and pointed at it imperiously, “Now go lie down. I’ll wake you later.”

Lie down.. like he was some kid! But he seriously wanted to. If it meant preserving this moment a little longer, he would indulge, selfishly. Guilford looked at Lethe, a bit hesitant but mostly relieved she was somewhat.. receptive. “I-I’m not being a bother right?”

Lethe lost her haughty look, amusement replacing it on her face, “No, you’re not. I have to finish reading those reports anyways.” She waved at the stacks of paper she hadn’t finished earlier. “And since I apparently can’t get you to go home, you may as well stay here where I can make sure you get some sleep.”

Guilford glanced at the reports, then back to Lethe. He was supposed to sleep while she read reports? She’d keep an eye on him? He sighed, feeling composure starting to return at the mention of work. “Are those the reports from today?”

Lethe shrugged in response; considering how far she’d gotten with them before he showed up, she had no idea.

“I’ve gone through most of them already. I should be able to summarize the ones I’ve finished for you and then we can read the remaining together?” Seeing her suspicious glance, he added convincingly, “Two heads are better than one after all.. and then we can both get some sleep after. As you said, how much use will we be if we collapse from exhaustion?” He parroted back, knowing she couldn’t dispute her own words.

Her glance grew more severe at the familiar words but she finally conceded with a huff. There was no way she could argue with that and she was just glad to see Guilford was returning to normal.

Time was of the essence if they needed to get work done together. With that in mind, Guilford took the initiative. Putting both hands on her shoulders, he guided her to the sofa and urged her to take a seat. “Wait here.” Guilford made a move towards her table before she could find it in herself to object.

Lethe shook her head but took a seat, wondering how it had ended up as Guilford’s way.. again. She wasn’t petty enough to take another seat after Guilford had already directed her to this one though she didn’t realize until he settled right next to her what his intention had been the entire time. She eyed him suspiciously before deciding if he wanted to sit right next to her.. She turned so her back leaned against the sofa’s arm and draped her legs over his lap. He could very well be her leg rest then! She stuck out a hand demandingly. Well, reports?

“Nope, I’ll hold it for you. Just relax.” he said, finding enough courage to smile. (He got a kick for his trouble. Reports!) With the papers safely in his grip, he moved them closer for her eyes to see.

She adjusted herself as well, leaning forward so her head rested on Gil’s shoulders. Lethe hadn’t realized they’d be literally reading the same reports when she first settled back. Blue eyes skimmed the information at the top. It was from Squad Captain Marion of Lindela’s eighth district. A Reaper sighting in the district? She reached out to turn the page, much too used to getting her way.

Finding himself slowly getting immersed back into work mode, Guilford unconsciously moved his right arm and wrapped it comfortably around her. He’d be the report holder, and she can turn the pages. Still, Reapers in Lindela? A feeling of dread intrusively crept its way into his surreal moment.. such is work. He continued to read the next page, there was one in District Five’s proximity as well from Knight Commander Vicar, that makes two. “Lance is in District 5.” he mumbled mostly to himself.

Blue eyes glanced away from the report at the unexpected comment. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” She reassured, “Lance isn’t that weak.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m just glad he’s there.” he responded, shifting her weight a little more towards him. “That leaves us with District 8, I can send Alfrei to look into this.”

She hummed in response, “Are you sure? More of my squad lives on Lindela. I can have them look into it.”

“It’s a Reaper sighting. Who lives close enough to District 8?” he asked her, “if they have divine magic, it should be fine.” he added.

“Adair then. And Valiar. “ She paused before nodding to herself, “Yeah.. Then Valiar can spend some more time with Marielle and Annabelle. I’ll tell Adair tomorrow.” She’d also make sure Cricket kept his eyes open while he was doing his other duties. She flipped through the last pages of the report but saw nothing else. Plucking it from Gil’s grasp, she tossed it onto the coffee table. “Next?”

Guilford read the next report briefly. “Ahh this one is about the supply shortage in District 3. It’s been taken care of..”

“Gless or Lindela? and which supplies?”

“Lindela, it was mostly boosters and medical needs. Apparently, they’ve been diligent in hunting down Sinners and some knights got into a skirmish with them. Not pretty having civilians involved but they managed to deal with it.. at the cost of minor injuries.” he summarized and urged Lethe to move to the next report. She flicked her hand, letting him know she was willing to move on.

“This one is about…” he continued, summarizing the rest of the reports he had already read and dealt with until they reached the last one. When it was over with, Lethe let the last report fall onto the coffee table, adding to the mess of papers already there. With a sigh of relief, she uncurled from her position hunched around Gil and fell back onto the sofa, arms stretching above her. “I’m glad more veterans are returning to the armor.” she admitted with a pleased smile, before her tone turned wistful, “Though I wish there wasn’t a need for them..” Even good news these days seemed accompanied by a shadow of bad. “Maybe send a few of them to Lindela’s third district? The Knights there may need some more training if they’re accidentally getting civilians involved.”

Guilford cracked his neck twice, getting rid of the kinks he felt before leaning back and deflating on the sofa. It was tough reading like that but every minute of it was worth it.. so worth it. For some reason, he felt refreshed. However, Lethe’s mention of her hope of not having a need for more returning veterans reminded him of reality. “Yeah.. they should be living their lives in peace but here they are, fighting another war..” his voice faded at the mention of war. Purple eyes stared at the ceiling, looking at the rotating blades of the magic powered fan above. The blades spun around, reminding him of the cycle that he was hoping to break. “I’ll get reinforcements sent to District Three. Don’t worry about it..” he yawned, finally feeling exhaustion sinking in.

Lethe watched Guilford as he spoke, seeing the weariness seeping back in. They were both tired. But.. she reached a hand out, grasping the few strands of hair she could reach. His head was too far away right now. “Hey,” She tugged on his hair to get his attention, “This will end some day.” It had to end someday. “We have to be the change we’re seeking in this world.” She smiled up at him, “The Divine Light will guide us.”

Turning his gaze towards Lethe who demanded his attention, Guilford’s weary eyes met her blue ones. She said that their strife would someday end. It sounded like a dream, but with the two of them here working towards it? That dream would one day be a reality. No, they would make it a reality. He looked at Lethe for a moment, thinking how they would be if that day were to come. Well, it was still far away, for now this would have to do. “You’re right. Let’s not lose hope.” he mumbled, noticing there was enough space to lie down next to her. Would she mind? Probably not at this time, rather, he hoped she wouldn’t. Taking a breath, Guilford lay down beside Lethe.

There was a grumble of discontent as she shifted over, almost feeling squished between him and the back of the sofa. It was a ridiculously comfy piece of furniture (the reason she kept it around) but not really meant for two people to lie on. When she finally settled, she was half on top of Guilford. One finger thoughtlessly traced shapes on his chest as she thought over the reports they’d just read.

Realizing the folly of his ways, Guilford rolled a little to his side, letting his partner dominate the bigger space; she owned the sofa after all. Now he was looking at her, admiring he--wait, what was she doing? A rune? “What’s that for?”

“Hmm?” Lethe looked away from the wall she’d been staring blankly at, turning her attention to Guilford. “What’s what for?”[.color]

He hadn’t succumbed to sleep yet and his attention was active enough to notice that the shape was some sort of rune. [color=#0080FF] “I meant the shape you just traced.. that was a rune right?”


She looked at her finger curiously, but of course there was no trace of what she’d been drawing. “I have no idea..” She confessed honestly, “Can you remember what it looked like?”

Lining his finger with a little magic, Guilford traced the same shape she just did on his chest. He had little mastery of it but it was Protection if he had known better. “This. You traced this on my chest.”

At the familiar rune, Lethe straightened up, no longer lounging on her fellow Seraph. “Are you sure?” But it was a rhetorical question. She’d been drawing that all evening after.. A frown appeared on her brow, disturbing the previous peace. “Gil, have you ever felt like someone just walked over your grave?”

“On more than one occasion yeah..” he admitted with a sigh, remembering his bouts with the Black Knight.

She clearly wasn’t listening to him as she continued, “Because I had that sensation earlier this evening.. And I’ve apparently been unconsciously drawing Protection and Safety runes ever since..” She frowned at the symbol Gil had just drawn. It matched the ones currently lining the walls.

“What time?” he asked almost immediately, wanting to make sure of something. “Around what time did you start feeling that?”

“It was only that once.” Lethe clarified, “and right before I left the Prayer room. It..” Her mouth tightened in a look of barely contained displeasure, “interrupted me when I was praying. And I left after that.” Praying had given her no solace.

He had wanted to hear at least a semblance of timeframe but given what she said, that was probably around the same time he felt it too, when he was immersed in the reports. Not wanting to draw any more baseless worries into the air, Guilford smiled at Lethe. “Hey…” he called for her and reached a hand out to brush her cheek. “We’ll deal with it like we always do.” he tried to assure her, but she wasn’t in a mood to be assured. Blue eyes narrowed at him as things started to make sense. “Is that what you were asking about earlier? With that had I felt something strange comment?”

Guilford grinned sheepishly. “Yeah.. I was not sure how I could make it sound like I’m not going crazy.” he chuckled lightly, more as an excuse to his poor expression of thought.

“What’s going on?” She moved to roll off the sofa but was stopped by him. Guilford looked her in the eyes and could do nothing else but smile. “Like I said, we’ll deal with it like we always do.” he reiterated. “Besides, I’ve already taken the liberty of checking every corner of the Cathedral. Nothing is amiss.”

“I don’t think it’s in the Cathedral.” Lethe responded, turning her head to look at the runes on the wall. “You said it felt like something was stirring up your divine magic.”

Truth be told, he had arrived at the same conclusion. He just didn’t have enough to keep making assumptions. However, worrying now would only serve to be counterproductive for both of them. They were clearly exhausted. “Okay, let’s look into this tomorrow. How does that sound to you?” he asked. “I don’t want to sound like I’m putting this off but we just don’t have enough to go on worrying right now.”

In the face of such a logical argument, Lethe could only concede. At most, she could have gotten her squad here and seen if any of the others had felt something but.. With a sigh of defeat, she slumped back into Guilford’s embrace. That wouldn’t do much. “I want to visit Lance tomorrow then. And talk with your Knights.” The others who had trained under Abel would be too out of the way and as for speaking with her former Captain himself.. The memory of his impassive gaze had her shivering and she huddled closer to Guilford. She would ask if she had to, but only then.

“Sounds like a plan.” he responded, yawning again despite trying to muffle it.
He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, hoping moments like these did not have to feel so fleeting.
~~~~~

[[Day 16 of Month -4, Day :: The Cathedral ]]

Brown eyes stared tiredly at the building in front of him, head tiling backwards to be able to see the top. The Cathedral was so large. Of course he knew about it—who among the Immaculate didn’t?—but he’d never actually stood at its foot. It felt like it was looming over him, just like his decision.

“Hey, don’t stand in the middle of the entrance.” A voice spoke up from behind him even as a purple-haired woman in a Knight’s garb hurried by. Hazel eyes conveyed her annoyance at him but she said nothing more even as he stumbled to the side. He raised a hand to his suddenly pounding chest. Calm down! He wasn’t a kid anymore! He took another deep breath. No. He was done with running away.

He strode into the Cathedral with a confidence he didn’t feel, following the signs to the recruitment table. “Hello.” He fell into parade rest, hands clasped behind his back. “My name is Dietrich Kloet. I’m a veteran of the First War,”

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 1:41 pm 
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Day 16 of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral


The bells were tolling seven in the morning when Omi found himself in front of Squad Ten’s quarters. The Scribe looked at the reports in his hands. He’d gotten scolded last night for not delivering them to Master Lethe but he didn’t regret his choice. The Seraph had clearly looked under the weather. Out of politeness, he knocked on the door just in case she was inside. It wasn’t uncommon for the Seraphs or Councilors to spend the night in the Cathedral. However, as he’d expected, there was no response. It was good that she’d gone home then.

He twisted the doorknob and entered the darkened room. The shades were down for some reason. He contemplated opening them and putting the windows up to make the room a bit more inviting but decided against it. Master Lethe must have had a reason for bringing them down. He placed the reports on the empty desk and was turning to leave when there was a light groaning sound. Surprised green eyes looked towards the couch before Omi broke out in a furious blush.

Master Lethe was sprawled on top of Master Guilford, both clearly having been asleep. The sound of people talking drew his eyes to the open door and his blush gave way to fear. Before he entirely knew what he was doing, he’d dashed to the door and was closing it quietly just as he heard the voices turn the corner. He couldn’t let anyone see! With bated breath, he stood by the door as the voices walked past him and continued down the corridor, oblivious to the three hiding in the room. Or more appropriately, one hiding and two sleeping. When the voices could no longer be heard, he locked the door and then walked back to the couch, pausing when he realized.. what should he do now?

He definitely had to wake them… but how? Should he shake them? Should he call their names? One hand reached out tentatively before recoiling. Could he touch a Seraph? Was that even allowed? The bells started tolling quarter past, reminding him that it was becoming more and more likely people might walk in and prompting another groan from Master Lethe, who was now trying to hide her face.

“Mas..master Lethe!” He whisper shouted, finally brave enough to poke her with one finger. “Master Lethe! Wake up!” One blue eye cracked open, sleep still prominent in its depths. “Master Lethe! It’s quarter past seven!” It was odd trying to convey urgency in a whisper but Omi thought he was doing a pretty good job of it. “People might see you soon!”

At this, she looked confused but it was enough for her to raise her head. Omi could tell the moment she realized what was going on given the way her eyes widened and her face went bright red.

The little motions made Guilford’s arm that was previously resting comfortably on Lethe’s back fall off. The male Seraph shifted in his sleep, groaning as his arm hit the floor limply.


No longer trapped in his arms, Lethe slipped off the sofa, blush still prominent on her face. “Thank you..” “Omi, Master Lethe.” He supplied helpfully, following her away from the sleeping Master Guilford. “Yes, thank you, Omi.” She repeated, still trying to regain her bearings. “Uhm.. why are..?”

“The reports from last night, ma’am.” He casually ignored what exactly he’d walked into. “They’re on your table, ma’am.” The white-haired woman looked over and then nodded.

Voices? Was he dreaming? Battling the tug of sleep, Guilford mustered the meager conscious thought to open an eye. He thought he heard voices, he should probably check. Realizing he was significantly lighter, sleep vanished in an instant. Both eyes cracked open to a wide look. Surprise paled in comparison to the amount of worry that descended upon him. Oh my light.. he said to himself at the sight of a Scribe in the room.

“Alright, thank you.” Omi nodded and then bowed his way out, clearly seeing the Seraph was desperate to see him gone. Door closed behind him, Omi felt his tension drain out of him and he collapsed against the wood. Oh my Light, walking in on the two Seraphs sleeping together.. Well, who was he to judge? Seraphs were humans too. They probably needed some reassurance every now and then. With another sigh, he got back to his feet. So even Seraphs were human..

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Already wide awake, Guilford looked at his fellow Seraph. Her face was still red, visible now that she turned on a few lights. “Sorry..” he mumbled. “I should have woken earlier.” he continued, pulling himself up to sit on the couch.

Lethe just rubbed her hands over her face, trying to will the color away. “It’s nothing.” except she was still mortified and that emotion had seeped into her voice. “I didn’t wake up either.”

Guilford smiled. “Did you sleep well?” he tried to lighten the mood. “Because I did.”

An eye peeked out at him in disbelief, clearly unsure if he was joking or not. “Comfortably enough, yes.” There was a pause before she added a touch humorously, “enough to not wake up when Omi first entered at any rate.”

Guilford sighed but even then, his smile never left his lips. That answer was good enough. Stretching his arms to warm up his muscles a little, Guilford stood up. It was morning; this place would be hectic again soon. Less he wanted another Scribe to walk in on them or worse, Lethe’s squad, he figured he should leave. “I should go… I think..” he said, prompting a chuckle out of himself.

There were many reasons he didn’t have to go and for a moment, she considered pointing them out. But Guilford was probably right. “Yeah.. that’s probably best.”

The male Seraph nodded in approval. He didn’t really want to leave; breakfast with her was a tempting thought, even if it was just a cup of coffee. Then again, seeing the reports that were now starting to come in, it would have to be for another time. He made his way to the door but stopped just as he grabbed the knob. ”Let’s do this again sometime.” he smirked.

The blush returned full force at the memory of last night and she waved him out, deciding against hugging him before he left. Hmph! Face still flushed, she went to find a fresh change of clothes. She didn’t want to have to explain why she was in the same clothes as yesterday.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Guilford walked through the halls of the Cathedral’s East wing, now making his way back West to his own squad quarters. His mood was incredibly light, and his footsteps even lighter. He could not believe what was going on right now; it felt too good to be true! Did he really just bridge the gap between him and Lethe? The very same gap Abel caused? The male Seraph wanted to frown at the thought but could not. He was much too happy to feel affected anymore. This was not about simply bridging the gap, he felt like the two of them had gotten even closer. Perhaps saying it was him alone who bridged the gap was a big mistake. Him and Lethe did just that together, and that was a fact that made him start to smile.

“Good morning Master Guil...ford..?” a Scribe greeted him rather strangely, but he paid no mind.

“Good morning.” he formally greeted her too with his usual tone as he continued to walk past her.

As soon as he made his way to a more crowded area of the Cathedral, he finally started to wonder why each of the Scribes he came across with had that look of bewilderment in their eyes when they saw him. His brows furrowed in confusion, but just like he did with the first, and the many others in-between, he still paid no mind to their bizarre stares. Perhaps they were not expecting him to walk the halls at this time? Guilford could only shrug his shoulders, dismissing any other related thoughts.

Finally at the doors to his squad quarters, Guilford reached for the knob only to stop midway. Voices, lots of them. Minus Fiona, his whole squad was already in? Pushing through with his initial idea, Guilford grabbed the knob, twisted it gently and slowly pushed open the door. The sound of chatter fell into silence's embrace when he came in. Much to Guilford's surprise, his squad—minus Fiona—had the similar expressions as the ones he met along the way here. Finally giving in to his curiosity, the male Seraph closed the door behind him and turned to look at his squad, arms folding above his chest.

"What?" he grumbled with an impassive look.

Now they were exchanging wide-eyed looks back and forth? Guilford sighed. What in the Light is going on!?

"Captain." Hyuga took the liberty to confront him, "You look like you've been swept away by a tidal wave." he said flatly, a slight touch of amusement in his eyes.

Guilford huffed at the comment. Swept away by a tidal wave eh? That pretty much sums it up for him, in a good way though. "On the contra--" Guilford stopped abruptly. He was just about to point out how good today is for him when Hyuga’s words finally sunk in. Wait, what did he just say?! Guilford rushed in front of the only mirror they have in the room. His jaws dropped in surprise. A hand immediately came up to organize the severely tangled mesh that was his hair. He couldn't believe it. So that's why they all looked like that. He walked the hallways looking like this?! Guilford wanted to laugh at himself. "Unbelievable... she didn't bother telling me!" he complained mostly to himself, shoulders slumping in defeat knowing that it was his own fault for not being self-aware. Lethe probably thought it was a good comeback for him teasing her in the last moment. Cute. Real Cute.

"Uhh... she?" Alfrei curiously picked the word.

He would have answered under normal circumstances but there was no time to talk. This situation needed to be remedied first and foremost! A Seraph should always look presentable, and always was the keyword. The male Seraph felt like he took a mental blow to his image, causing him to rush to their backroom. He needed a shower, and good thing he had a change of clothes there as well.

When their Captain disappeared from their sights, squad eight again exchanged looks and shoulder shrugs. Did he stay overnight? If so, why didn't he sleep here? More importantly, where did he sleep? Georg hummed like he finally understood the situation, as did Hyuga in his own intellectual way.

The others turned to the two for answers.

"Okay. Spill it Hyuga." Natalia demanded, turning the room’s attention to the Dreamer.

"Bed hair plus his white clothes with make-up stains near the chest area. Hypothesize you normals." he gave his points and turned back to his research, laughing quietly to himself.

Natalia cocked her head to the side in question; she didn't understand. Even though Hyuga used simple terms this time, her mind was drawing blanks. Turning to Georg next, she eyed him (dagger glares mostly) for an explanation. Georg simply shrugged his shoulders. "There aren't that many who wears make-up here. You all will figure it out, I think.." the older knight chuckled.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Alright, what brings all of you in so early?" he tossed the question out, more to cover for his earlier stellar entrance.

Now that his hair was was neatly arranged, and he was wearing a fresh set of clothes after a good shower, Guilford felt a semblance of control seeping back to him. There was no taking back what had already transpired. The only thing he could do about it now was to make sure that if it does happen again, it would only be for her eyes. Guilford fiddled with his coffee cup, contemplating the wasted chance of sharing it with Lethe.

"Fiona has finally awoken Captain, she should be here soon."

The words said were words he had clearly heard, yet they slipped past him (his thoughts rather) for he was mentally adrift elsewhere. His eyes were focused on the black liquid in his cup, thoughts of last night in mind. Daydreaming even after having a good and comfortable sleep? He wanted to sigh but a smile defiantly crept to his lips instead.

"Uhh.. Captain?"

Purple hues snapped back to the plane of the living. While his eyes looked alive, they lacked the certain sharpness and concentration they normally contained. Guilford turned his gaze slowly to the speaker. He heard Alfrei say something but found himself struggling to recall what it was. He discreetly clicked his tongue in mild frustration; some semblance of control he regained. Still, his mind couldn't help but linger. The L Effect, he dubbed it.

"Sorry, what was it?"

Once again, squad eight wanted to let their jaws drop. Something was terribly wrong with their Captain! Alfrei sighed and decided to do a little test. "Captain, Sinners have walked up the front door of the Cathedral requesting for an audience with the council. Should we let them in?" he said in a hurry.

"Yeah. Okay. Make them comfortable." he dreamily mumbled, still fiddling with his coffee cup.

The urge to facepalm was just too strong to fight; several members succumbed to it. Alfrei threw his hands up in defeat, dropping back down as he looked and tasked Georg to pick up his slack. After all, the older knight was one of the two who seemed to understand what was going on with the Seraph. Or more accurately, he knows where the Seraph had gone to. Smirking at the thought that he could use this chance to confirm his suspicion, Georg took a deep breath, organizing a simple flow of questions for their Captain. Just as he was about to speak though, the doors to their quarters flung open. Fiona was behind it with a wide smile on her face.

Guilford's eyes followed the swing of the door before turning back to the entrance. At the sight of Fiona, everything just snapped back into place; dreamy moments vanishing without a trace. "It’s about time you got up. Welcome back!" He managed to get the first say. He then stood up and walked over to the returnee; now he could recall what Alfrei said earlier? The disbelief he felt for his inattention though, was easily drowned out by Fiona's return.

Fiona had her hand reach out partly for a handshake but was caught by surprise when her Captain enveloped her in a friendly hug. It was brief but it felt awfully better than a handshake. The rest of squad eight followed in Guilfords footsteps. Natalia pounced her right as soon as Guilford let her loose from his arms, clinging to Fiona excitedly. The others ushered the tangled bodies in and took turns expressing their heartfelt welcome.

Guilford watched his squad in the background smiling. He felt relieved, greatly relieved at Fiona's recovery. That's one less issue to worry about for him. He did not want to play the Captain card just yet, but now that he was himself again, duty took precedence above all else. For that, he needed his knights. "Alright, I need everyone's attention, please." he said, taking center-stage like he normally does while waiting for his knights to settle down.

"Last night," he began when all eyes were on him, "have any of you felt or noticed something strange? Anything at all?" he asked, thoughts drifting back to a worrisome conversation he had with Lethe last night.

Georg easily shook his head. The only strange thing that happened to him last night was that his wife served him a feast fit for a king. That counts as strange for him but the look in his captain's eyes told him it was probably irrelevant to mention. "Nothing here." he answered.

Joaquim pulled a hand below his chin, recalling his own night. The only strange thing he could think of was that his son Jessiah did not ask him for a story from his own adventures. Then again, perhaps that was probably just Jessiah starting to find adventures of his own. "Same here. My night is peachy."

Natalia's eyes widened in shock. She struggled to keep her composure and looked at her captain. "I," she started, capturing her captain's attention in an instant. "I burnt the dish Mister Corwin helped me master!" she confessed. She had cooked that simple dish countless times already. For her to burn it? Strange indeed.

"T-that's.. too bad?" Guilford's tone was more questioning than sympathetic. He did not really know how to respond to that appropriately.

"I'm missing a book." Hyuga pitched in to the gathering of the strange, obviously less invested in the topic as the others. He had research to do! After their skirmish in Palaugrim, he had managed to get his hands on some tainted soil. He was trying to find a way to cleanse it and any time spent not working towards it was time wasted.

"That makes four.." he counted and turned his attention to the last three who had opted to remain silent. "Well, how about you three?"

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Gless - Wyervia Port

Upon arrival at the wyervia port, Guilford dismounted from his steed, allowing the waiting knight to take the reins and lead the horse to the nearby stable. He had wanted to bring Thunder just because that horse was faster than normal war horses but this stroll needed to be kept under the radar. He was cloaked as well, to hide his identity. Georg walked up to him and saluted respectfully. Guilford returned the gesture and followed his older knight further in.

“Are the preparations completed?” Guilford asked as he walked side by side with him

The older knight glanced at the Seraph then turned his gaze back to the wyervia they had prepared for departure in secret. “Yes Captain, she’s good to go as per instructions.” he raised a hand and pointed to one particular wyervia, smaller than the normal variety in service. “It’s a good thing I have kept ties with a certain seal expert.” he bragged, “but Captain, getting this wyervia prepared is a rough task.” he then complained.

Guilford sighed. There was no way the council would just simply let them fly off Gless given the current situation. “Don’t complain Georg, we already discussed the reason behind this.” Guilford looked at him with a stern gaze. Georg raised both hands in front of him defensively. “No Captain, I’m just saying..” he was cut off by a voice coming from behind them.

“Sorry for being late.” Lethe hurried up to the two men, just a touch flustered. She hated being late but had had no choice this time. The meeting with Councilor Aurel had run late and given this trip wasn’t entirely Council sanctioned, she hadn’t been able to bow out early. “Knight Georg, it’s good to see you again. How have you been?” She flipped the hood of her cloak off, offering the older Knight a smile.

There was a brief pause from Georg before smiling back in return. Master Lethe too? Now this he has not heard about. All the while he thought that only his Captain would look into it given how he specifically said “I’ll be heading to Lindela to meet Lance”. “I’ve been well, Master Lethe. Yourself? Sleep well?” he asked back, intentionally moving to the right to let the female Seraph take center spot as they walked.

Lethe’s smile turned a touch confused but replied in the affirmative nonetheless, “Yes, I slept well, thank you. I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. And your family as well? I’m sure they’re happy you’re spending more time at home. Valiar’s Marielle certainly is.”

Georg’s eyes grew a little solemn at the mention of family. “Yes indeed. They are well and happy I got time off, thanks to the Captain here leaving for Rosetta.” he casually chatted, eyeing the male Seraph in search for those little twitches he normally does when caught off-guard. “Times like these, we truly appreciate the value of quality time don’t you think?” he smirked, checking his captain again for a twitch.

“Yes, it’s nice to have some down time to relax!” came the enthusiastic reply. “I think it’s important that we get to spend time with loved ones, remind us of why we’re fighting.” Her smile dimmed as she looked forward, “especially with what’s yet to come.’

Georg’s eyes fell to the female Seraph. She sounded a little sad. “Well! As long as we the Pristine Knights are here, I’m sure people, loved ones, friends, anyone who believes in the light will continue having time to appreciate the little things.” he said, tapping the pilot side of the wyervia they had just reached. “But you’re right Master Lethe. The Captain believes so too that downtime is important, and all the more better if spent with..” he trailed off, hairs at the back of his neck rising, only to realize his captain had his trademark death smile pinned on him. “H-hey pilot!” he yelled and tapped the pilot window again. A hiss of hydraulics silenced all chatter when the wyervia doors opened.

With…? But the older Knight said nothing more so with a confused glance, Lethe let the matter drop. Besides, the sounds of the Wyervia warming up made all other conversation impossible. “Thanks for your help,” she mouthed the words to Georg before climbing into the Wyervia and taking a seat. It was smaller than the one that had taken her squad to Palaugrim, but perhaps that was to be expected. Last time had been a cargo Wyervia and this.. well, it seemed more befitting for two or three people than eight.

Guilford elbowed Georg discreetly before walking past him. Just what drives this old knight to go to such lengths? Regardless, they were ready to leave. The sooner they left Georg’s company, the less tension he would have to deal with. Boarding after Lethe had picked her seat, Guilford chose the seat directly in front of her. Better for the upcoming conversation to not sit next to her.

“Let’s go.”

In response to the command, the Wyervia picked up off the ground and headed towards Lindela. Lethe traced a privacy rune into the air to shield their conversation from the pilot’s ears. “I’m glad to hear Georg is doing so well.” She began before settling into business, “Did you speak with your Knights about last night?”

“Yes.” he responded, concern becoming evident in his tone. “Of all my knights, three have experienced something strange just like we did.” he informed Lethe, “How about your knights?”

“Leon, Cricket, and Adair all felt something. Deimos isn’t sure if he did. And Seraphim, Valiar, and YunQiao felt nothing. However, YunQiao says there were some bad omens at his family shrine and Adair says Grisia felt something as well.” For better or worse, two of her Light’s Blessing capable Knights weren’t sure if something had happened last night. It would have been nice to have had one hundred percent confirmation, but perhaps that would have been too easy.

“I see.” Guilford contemplated on the thought. “Alfrei, Vlad, and Fiona from my side were the ones who felt it. They are all capable of Light’s Wrath.” he paused. “If my suspicion is correct, Lance would have felt something too. Perhaps Akira and the other Crests as well.”

“It’s definitely possible. Seraphim says she was asleep then and Deimos..” She shrugged. Her rear guard was normally very perceptive but she couldn’t expect him to be wary all the time. “Actually, Cricket says he had been accessing the divine realm exactly at that time. He says it felt like the entire place had.. ‘shook’? Like during that orange-haired demon’s attack when the ground had rolled. So it’s definitely possible it has something to do with Light’s Blessing..”

“I don’t like this.” his tone lowered, his expression turned serious. He felt a chill run down his spine as he pressed the thoughts further, trying to make sense of it. “If the root is from the divine realm, why does it feel so ominous?” he asked but not expecting any real answer.

“The divine realm isn’t just Light’s Blessing,” Lethe reminded with an equally grave expression, “Sin is also equally visible.”

“Sin?” Guilford asked rhetorically. He knew what she had meant. He just refused to accept that if there is such a thing as Divine Magic, then the possibility of a counter-force rivaling that must be true. The chill never went away. Instead, it crept down to his limbs. “I guess we’ll have to get Lance’s opinion and try to make sense of this.”

“Yes, that’d be best.” Lethe agreed, settling back into her chair. It was, after all, why they were on a Wyervia headed for Lindela’s District Five.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 16th of Month 4: Lindela

"Reapers?!" a flabbergasted Lance slammed both hands on the table, more out of dread rather than anger. "Are you absolutely sure?!" he just had to double-check.

The Scout nodded, contrary to his hope that they were mistaken.

Having went toe to toe against such a monster of an opponent, Lance knew firsthand just how vicious and dangerous those Reapers were. Now that there were reports about several sightings of them on Lindela, things have just begun to take a turn for the worse. Deep down his gut, the Lion knew that they will soon be caught between a rock and a hard place. That is, if they don't act soon. If they want to survive, they absolutely have to make the first move and not let the Reapers find their bearings! Lance pulled one hand to rest on his forehead, his eyes looking dreary.

"Calm down Captain Lance," the Knight Commander of District Five tried to pacify him, "the forces we have stationed here are more than enough to deal with the threat." he calmly surmised, "There is no need to panic over.." the Knight Commander paused and glanced at the image of a Reaper laid out on their table; a chill ran down his spine. "two Reaper sightings." he concluded, gulping drily before averting his eyes from the image and turning his gaze on Lance and the other Captains under his command.

"All due respect Commander Vicar," Lance spoke slowly, recalling his recent tussle with Reapers, "have you ever fought a Reaper?" he asked the Knight Commander, sliding the image of their topic closer to the man, "Are you able to draw upon Light's Wrath?"

The Knight Commander could only respond with a slow shake of his head.

"Then you would never know the true terror these things bring with them." Lance looked down in defeat. "Only knights with the ability to draw upon divine magic can fight on par with these things." he informed Knight Commander Vicar. "While they can be taken down by non-divine magic capable knights, you'll lose more of your men faster than you think you would." he leveled a hard gaze upon the commander. "I would not be worried like this if all the knights garrisoned here can use divine magic, sir."

Knight Commander Vicar could only sigh, deeper than the first ones he already let out.

“Then what do you propose?”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


The meeting with the Knight Commander had not turned out as well as Lance expected. Despite his suggestion of sending a detachment of Light’s Wrath able knights, the majority of the other Captains were either too lax or they were simply lacking better judgment. Each one of them were opposed to lending a few or even one of their suitable knights for the effort! Sure, he could understand that they were probably just trying to preserve such valuable assets as much as they could for the bigger picture, but then what of the threat those reapers pose? Were they supposed to stand idle, hope that the enemy was not smart enough to send a battalion of reapers against them once they have set their footing? Lance gritted his teeth in disgust. Back then, situations similar to this would have been dealt with easily without the hassle that was procrastination. Back then, knights would voluntarily throw themselves in the face of danger! Where were those days now?

Lance scoffed. He was practically offering himself to lead the charge! But then they said his presence in District Five would do more good to the people rather than having him out there! Just what did he look like to them exactly? A calming idol? A peace totem with a badass spear?! Yeah right! He kicked a defenseless stone unfortunate enough to be laying in his path. Just because that reaper was sighted somewhere outside the effective range of this domain, that doesn’t mean they can take it easy! If anything, they should deal with it as soon as they can!

The frustration he felt made him want to rip his own hair off but his swinging mood stopped when he heard the familiar, yet muffled roar of a wyervia that loomed above him. Gless colors. Lance smirked as he followed the blurred Wyervia with his gaze. Two powerful individuals had just arrived, unannounced as usual, which is likely to be Gil’s doing. Lance just wondered why they had to suppress their presence? What are they here for? Well, whatever. Lance figured he might as well drop by to say hello.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


“Captaaaaiin!”

A young knight raced towards Lance, pursued by another in a hurry. Unsure if he was the Captain in question, Lance turned his head towards the direction of the call, slightly frowning upon recognition of the yelling knight and his companion. Stopping in his tracks, Lance allowed the two to close the distance between them. They were nearly out of breath when they reached speaking distance with him. Lance sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose while shaking his head sideways.

“I thought I ordered you all to continue training?” he asked them sternly. “Did I not make myself clear enough?”

Gerard and Filio. For guys with such easy names, these two are called Seven and Eight. According to them, the numbers stuck after their class learned that they were the lucky group that were met and healed by both Seraphs.. and that the Seraphs never bothered to learn their names and just called them by their numbers. Poor kids. Lance thought, silently laughing at both Gil and Lethe’s lapse at that time. Those two might not have known but they successfully branded these two oddballs with numbers for names.. for as long as their knight career most likely.

“Yuhhhh…” Seven blew out his words into a huff for breath. “Vihhhh..” he did it again, causing Lance’s brows to twitch.

“Speak when able.” Lance ordered his knight with a sigh. Lights above! Babysitting and being a captain does not go hand in hand.

The two knights took their sweet time catching their breaths, much to their Captain’s growing impatience. As much as Lance wanted to keep walking towards the wyervia that was now landing, these two did not run all the way from their post to catch up to him for nothing. He just has to wait.

Sensing the pressing stare he was getting from Lance, Seven took one last huff and straightened himself back up. “Vice Captain Yulia asked us to come get you Captain.” he finally managed to get his sentences straight. The response he received from Lance was a simple, instantaneous brow-raise. “What for? I have already given her the agenda for all of you today haven’t I?”

“Y-yes but…” Seven fidgeted. “She says she wants to talk to you though.”

Lance resigned to their pestering. “Okay! Fine. I’ll just go greet some friends. Tag along if you feel you must.” he snappishly said and turned his back on the two, continuing his way towards the wyervia.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


“Master Guilford, Master Lethe, I’ll open the doors now.”

At the mention of the deed, the Wyervia doors hissed open, letting in the afternoon light of the sun inside its slightly darkened passenger compartment. Guilford unbuckled the seat strap and rose to his feet first. Just as soon as he stepped out, that familiar hue of orange hair caught his attention, as well as the two knights behind him that were waiting.

“Yo.” Lance greeted him casually with a warm smile.

Surprised, Guilford failed to respond. How did he know they were coming? They were practically a traveling layer of covert seals! Shaking the disbelief away, Guilford proceeded towards Lance and smiled. “Hey.” he greeted him back, carefully hiding his surprise. “I didn’t expect to find you so soon.”

Lethe followed Guilford out, letting him reunite with Lance. Her attention was with Knight Commander Vicar who was hurrying out to greet them. “Knight Commander. I apologize for the unannounced visit.”

“It’s no problem at all,” the man responded with a glance towards his orange-haired subordinate. Squad Captain Lance didn’t appear similarly surprised; he should have mentioned the Seraphs were coming if he’d known. To add insult to injury, Master Lethe then said, “I’m afraid we’re here to speak with Squad Captain Lance. Could you spare him and one of your empty rooms for a bit?”

Vicar nodded jerkily, “You may have my office, Master Lethe.” The white-haired Knight shook her head immediately, “No please, that’s not necessary. I can’t imagine infringing on your hospitality any more.” From her peripheral vision, Lethe caught sight of Lance and Gil’s banter seemingly coming to a pause, “If you’ll excuse me?” She bowed and then headed towards the two Knights.

“I see you came with the little kni--” “Watch your words Lance. You’re in active duty.” Guilford reminded Lance of his Captain rank. He had no problems with Lance’s casual approaches if it was just with him. But at the presence of other knights? And another Seraph? Decorum should be observed. “Besides…” Guilford trailed off, noticing that Lethe was headed towards them. He lowered his tone and moved closer to Lance. “She’s still a Seraph.” he winked at his friend and was about to give way for Lethe when he noticed something familiar...

“Those two look familiar.” Guilford nodded his head to the direction of the knights behind Lance; they seemed to be trapped in a trance. He traced where their gazes led to and when he realized they were looking at Lethe, an image struck his mind. He recognized the two. They were…

“Seven and Eight…” he voiced out their… names? A puzzled look crept to his face. Lance noticed and chuckled. “I knew it. You don’t know their names.” he laughed again. “Meet Gerard and Filio,” he looked back at his subordinates only to find out they were lost in a dreamy haze. He wanted to smack them to senses but a call for him pivoted his attention away.

“Lance.” Lethe greeted warmly, coming to a halt a few steps from the orange-haired Knight. “Don’t you look nice in Pristine Knight armor.” He’d been in his normal garb when they’d met in Bryn but now he was back in the standard Pristine Knight uniform. It looked like the Lion hadn’t earned the right to deviate from it yet. “Congratulations again on your reinstatement.”

Guilford demanded decorum. Why not? Lance smiled politely. He knew he sucked at this but the important thing is he tried. “Master Lethe, thank you from the deepest crevices of my heart for your..” he rambled on. Guilford sighed. He didn’t know if Lance was making fun of him or making a fool out of himself, or both altogether!

Blue eyes looked in Gil’s direction, clearly confused as to what Lance was spouting on about. When the new squad captain finally paused for a breath, Lethe interrupted, “Please, you’re too kind!” Her smile may have been a touch strained but she had good reason! She’d been expecting to greet a friend, not another sycophant! “If you don’t mind, Gi--ilford and I wanted your opinion on something. Lead the way?”

Ignoring the dreamy Master Lethe mumbles behind him, Lance chuckled after being stopped in his tracks. He was beginning to feel awkward with all the politeness he was spouting. “Opinion on something eh?” he looked at Lethe and Gil suspiciously but decided not to say anything. “Okay, let’s talk at my temp home. It’s a couple minutes from here.” he responded and started walking towards the mentioned place.

Guilford simply looked at Lethe and shrugged his shoulders. “Better get this done soon.” he grumbled, “Let’s go.”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


As promised, the walk was indeed short; fifteen minutes by Guilford's count. Lance humbly presented his temp home to both Seraphs upon arrival. It was a bungalow big enough to house a squad. Lance welcomed the two in, glad that his subordinates did something useful for once; they did not follow. The house only had basic furnishing both inside and out. It may not have been the best place to host a meeting with Seraphs going by knighthood standards but this house would serve a purpose anyway; privacy.

“So what was it you guys wanted to talk about?” he asked the two after activating his temp home's privacy wards. There was not much to offer aside from coffee so Lance began making some.

Lethe looked around curiously but took a seat without comment. The discussion at hand was too important to be sidetracked. “Did anything happen last night?”

Lance handed the coffee he made to both Seraphs, eyes flicking over to Lethe when she spoke, “Anything?” he cocked his head to the side at the vague question. A lot happened given he was in Lindela but these two were probably looking for something specific. It must be that, “Well, I felt unusual influx of magic, if this is what you mean by anything.” he answered truthfully.

Guilford raised a brow at Lance's answer. He was impressed that his friend actually picked it up real quick, unlike a certain someone with them. “Influx eh?” he looked at Lance, “How exactly did that influx feel unusual?”

Lance made his way towards the wall and turned his gaze over to Guilford. “I can’t really say Gil, all I know is that it’s the first time I ever felt disturbance of that magnitude.” Lance said, letting his back lean on the wall.

That was… unhelpful. While it confirmed something had happened last night, they still couldn’t be sure it had something to do with the Divine Realm. “Would you say it had to do with your holy magic? Or perhaps elemental?”

Lance closed his eyes at the question, trying to think of the best way to answer. “Not related to both but similar.. kind of like the magic put off by ancient spells.” he paused, rushing towards the table at the center. “It’s faster if I show you.” he said, drawing several seals he knew with haste before meshing them together into a rune. “This is how I normally invoke multiple element spells,” he said and powered the rune. Just as soon as the rune was activated, an ample distortion permeated the air. “This distortion, is closely similar to the influx I felt but the one from this rune is greatly reduced in magnitude.” he diffused the rune, “Divine Magic doesn’t give off distortion, and so does elemental ones.” he huffed in conclusion.

“So a disturbance of some sort..” Lethe closed her eyes, trying to make sense of everything they’d learned. “On the Divine Realm.” Cricket had been most in touch with Light’s Blessing then and he’d experienced the strongest reaction with how the entire plane had convulsed. “Something related with Sin then? If it’s for sure not divine magic,” She pinned her gaze on Lance for confirmation. The orange-haired Knight, suddenly more alert at the mention of the divine realm, nonetheless nodded. What he felt hadn’t been Divine Magic. “Then something Sin-based occurred last night.“

“It’s the best assumption we can hold on to for now.” Guilford sighed, a little depressed that not much as he was initially expecting came to light. “But this doesn’t mean we should stop digging.” he continued. At least now, they have a semblance of understanding if only a little. “Lance, I need a favor.” Guilford looked at him, “Could you possibly get accounts from all divine magic able knights here if they felt or experienced something similar?” he asked, "We'd do it ourselves but we can't really be gone from the cathedral for long." Guilford added.

Lance raised a brow at the sound of more work thrown his way. Not that he was planning on complaining or anything. In fact, it's better to have something more interesting to do than either twiddling his thumbs or sitting around. “Yeah sure. I got nothing better to do anyway." he sighed at the memory of Knight Commander Vicar's words before the earlier meeting ended. "We kept a separate roster for all knights here that are able to draw upon divine magic. It should be simple enough." he finally acknowledged the request but paused, "I assume the findings should be tagged For your eyes only?" he looked at the two Seraphs who in turn, nodded in unison.

"Consider it done then." he assured the two. "Sorry I couldn't be of any more help.." he trailed off, feeling like he had let down the two who made an effort to come see him.

"Think nothing of it." Guilford quickly dismissed his apology. There was nothing to be sorry about. He was plenty of help considering where they are in terms of progress before they came to him.

"What do you guys think the enemy did?”

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 9:18 am 
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[[Day 17 of Month -4 :: Cathedral]]
“Oh wow..” Georg and Joaquim looked up from their game of chess at Vlad’s unexpected exclamation. The blond was leaning forward, half out the window. “How did he do that?”

Natalia also seemed interested in whatever spectacle was going on, craning to look over Vlad’s head. Interest piqued, the two veterans abandoned their game to walk over to the window. In the training grounds below, a group of knights were training. Sparring, to be more accurate. All of them were in groups and facing off against each other. Vlad’s attention was focused on one auburn-haired Knight who was holding a shield in front of her defensively. Three knights went running at her, no doubt trying to overwhelm her with numbers. A challenging laugh rumbled out from her mouth as she caught the first strike on her shield. There was a flash of gold and she was sliding through the three attackers, leaving petrified men in her wake. One tried to move but couldn’t.

“Next time, try to leave a dent!” The shield wielder laughed before all the men slumped, whatever binding them vanishing. The four fell into easy banter, the shield wielder demonstrating a few more moves. Natalia was eyeing a fierce looking female with an upturned crescent on her brow. The jagged sword flashed out and then the woman vanished, reappearing as she sidestepped a spear stabbing at her. The two Knights fell into sparring.

“Who are they?” Vlad asked aloud, not expecting a response. Some of them were more impressive than the Knights he’d seen at Abel’s training.

“The veterans,” Georg responded, eyes focused on the auburn-haired Knight. “They must have re-enlisted.”

“Look, it’s Master Jung,” An old man, hair more white than colored, walked onto the training field assisted by a cane. “We should go pay our respects.” Georg and Joaquim stepped away from the window, Vlad and Natalia hurrying to follow. “Master Jung?” Natalia parroted in confusion, “Is he a Seraph too?”

Joaquim looked kindly on his daughter as he shook his head. “Master Jung is from before the First War. He defeated a den of Pure Sinners on his own and created most of the training regime we Knights were taught. He also personally mentored the Divine Flash and Chevalier. He’s had a hand in developing almost every hero in the First War.” The group fell silent as they entered the courtyard. Some training was still going on; others had fallen into discussion, reminiscing of past glories and admiring long forgotten swords.

Dietrich gulped nervously at the sight of the newcomers. He’d known there was a chance Master Guilford’s squad would be at the Cathedral but he figured with how big the place was, it was unlikely he’d run into them. Brown eyes traced the familiar figure. There was a black eye patch covering the right side of his face but the Knight still maintained the kind edge that softened his otherwise stern features. The past years had added new lines to his face and a few scars but he was otherwise instantly recognizable. As if feeling the scrutiny, the black Knight started to turn and Dietrich spun around immediately. He lifted his sword as if examining it. What did one say when facing one’s savior?

Joaquim glanced over the Knights curiously, wondering why it felt like he was being watched. A few were in discussion and one, an old lady with frizzy gray hair, was showing off an attack sequence to some approving Knights. One was facing away, presumably inspecting his Judgment. Joaquim’s one eye squinted before widening in pleased surprise, “A 1480!” He walked up to the suddenly flustered Knight, “I haven’t seen one of those since—” now level with the man, Joaquim startled. He recognized this Knight! “Dietrich! Dietrich Kloet, right?” The man looked remarkably similar to how he had a decade ago.

“H-Hello, Joaquim.” The brunette responded awkwardly. Joaquim’s pleasure abated at such an uncertain reply. “It’s good to see you again, and doing well no less.” One eye scanned the younger man, “I had heard…”

A pained grimace crossed Dietrich’s face, “Uh… yeah.. clearly..” he waved at his body, “not true…”

“I’m glad for that.” Joaquim confirmed before looking around. “You re-enlisted?” There was a nod in response. “I’m looking forward to working with you again then. Would you like to have dinner with me and my family later? It’ll be good to catch up.”

The brown-haired veteran hesitated then nodded wretchedly. As happy as he was to see Joaquim again, he still felt terribly guilty about the man’s eye.
~~~~~

“Wait! Excuse me!” The two Knights paused at his shout, turning to check if he was talking about them. Catching their gazes, he beckoned them closer, confirming they were his targets. “Excuse me,” he flashed them a polite smile, manners having been drilled into him by both Captain and Councilor Laith. “If I can speak with you two for a moment?” Leon indicated they should move to the side of the hallway, out of the flow of traffic. Once on the sides, the golden blond knight continued. “May I absolve you two?”

Both men frowned, mostly confused but a touch offended. “Why?” The right one, the elder, responded first. “Is there a reason you think we need to be absolved?”

“No, of course not,” Leon responded immediately with a disarming smile. There was no way he was telling them he’d felt something sinister lingering in their auras. Hazel eyes darted over the two Knights, catching sight of some unbuffed scratches on their armor. “You two recently came back from Palaugrim, right?” The war on that island has settled into a simmer. After the meeting in Bastille, the Knight Captains’ coordination had improved and the Pristine Knights were now able to mount an effective defense. While skirmishes and battles were still a fairly regular occurrence, there had thankfully been little loss of life. Under Eulises’s diligent attention, they’d even established a rotation of troops between the three islands. It wasn’t much but every able-bodied Knight on Palaugrim helped.

“Master Lethe just wants us performing spot checks on returning Knights, just in case!” He kept his voice upbeat, a tip Captain had shared on keeping others from getting offended, “We wouldn’t want…” he trailed off, realizing the rest of his sentence—any accidents to slip by—might appear ominous or accusatory, “Better safe than sorry!”

The two still appeared miffed but nodded in acceptance. The older Knight held a hand out; Leon placed his hand there and closed his eyes so as to better focus. He extended his holy magic, probing the other Knight. Even though he scoured the man from head to toe, he couldn’t catch sight of any trace of the malevolence that he was sure he’d felt earlier. After another scan, he let go, unable to keep his bafflement from his face.

“I thought you were going to absolve me?” The accusatory query reminded him of his excuse and he scrambled for a response: “I didn’t feel any trace of Sin so I didn’t.” His apologetic look mollified some of the Knight’s suspicion. “But I’d suggest a visit to the infirmary,” Leon added in a flash of inspiration, “I think I saw something unusual with your hips. Maybe.. tomorrow would be best? They’re a bit crowded today.” That would, he hoped, give him enough time to ask Captain to ask Cora to look them over. Just to be sure and to maintain appearances, he examined the second knight as well but again found no hints of the ill feeling that had caught his attention in the first place. With an awkward laugh, he excused himself from the two Knights and retreated.
~~~~~

The meeting with Lance had gone… exactly as hoped? As feared? She wasn’t quite sure but it had given certainty, at the very least. Something Sin-based had happened last night. They just didn’t know what. Lethe let the curtain drop and she turned away from the window, forsaking any pretense at watching the Knights training below. She wasn’t normally a pacer, there hadn’t been enough space in the orphanage to walk aimlessly, but she felt too restless to sit still. Her thoughts were racing and her body demanded some sort of release for all the extra energy.

What could have happened two nights ago? If she was a betting person, she’d put money on it having something to do with Eve. The honey-blond demon had been way too happy the last time they’d fought, laughing even as she retreated. The memory of that cackle made her pause for a moment before she resumed her pacing. Given how prideful Eve had been, it was uncharacteristic for her to be happy about losing. Something had definitely occurred in that fight, but what? And then Fiona had been captured and tortured.. To get at Guilford? Eve seemed to especially dislike her other Seraph, but she rather doubted that had to do with whatever had transpired. Perhaps one of the other demons? Victorie or Lillith?

The reminder of the brown-haired, shape-changing demon had Lethe throwing her hands down in frustration. “I spoke the..” That wasn’t important. What was important was the last time they’d been scheming had almost ended in Palaugrim’s destruction. Her hands formed fists at the reminder of how close they’d been. One could almost say they’d been lucky that only parts of Palaugrim had fallen off given how much of the seal network had been destroyed but.. The white-haired Knight pivoted sharply, stomping her way back around the table she’d been circling.

But that wasn’t good enough. She should have known. She should have realized. What had happened to Palaugrim was her fault. And she needed to make sure it didn’t happen again. When blue eyes looked up once more, they were filled with chilly resolution. Now what had happened two nights ago? What could have happened? Something to do with Sin and the divine realm. Something to do with Eve..

She was circling the table for the n-th time when the door opened, forcing her to pause. Leon paused as well at the unusual sight of Lethe standing by Adair’s chair, one hand gripping its top. He craned his neck to look further inside but couldn’t spot anyone she might have been speaking with. “Uh.. now a bad time?”

“No, come in,” Lethe immediately shook her head and motioned at the sofas, taking a seat at one. “What can I help you with?”

Leon laughed awkwardly at her immediate (correct) assessment. How to explain this… “Uhm.. could you ask Lady Cora to look over two Knights for me?”

“Cora specifically?” Lethe clarified, wondering why her Knight wanted the supposedly best cleric to check up on two Knights.

“Or.. Valiar works too.” Leon offered, just realizing he was asking his Captain to somehow clear up the famous medic’s schedule at the drop of a hat. He trusted his teammate’s skill as a cleric to be just as good for his needs.

Valiar was currently on assignment in Lindela in search of those Reapers with Adair so he was out of the question. More importantly though, “Why? And who are these two Knights?”

At the question, Leon finally realized he had no idea who those two Knights were! He’d been so caught up in his confusion about not feeling anything unusual he had never asked their names! “Well, one’s about this tall, built stocky like Valiar, has brown hair…”

Lethe interrupted Leon’s rambling description as it became apparent the younger Knight had no idea who his two patients were. She’d considered that maybe the two mystery Knights were some of his old friends but that didn’t seem to be the case. “Leon, why am I asking Cora to specifically look over these two Knights whose names you don’t even know?”

The newest member of Squad Ten blushed at the reprimand. “Well… I’d just like a second opinion…” Seeing she was still waiting for more, he confessed, “there’s been this weird… feeling I’ve been feeling the past few days. Like something oily or sinister.. I don’t know what it is, but it’s been appearing and disappearing randomly throughout the days. I was walking through the Cathedral today when I felt it again. I’m pretty sure it came from these two but… I don’t know,” he finished miserably. “I scanned them and found zero traces of Sin. Cora and Valiar are better at scanning human bodies than I am,” diagnostic spells were a staple for medics, “so I thought maybe they’d see something I missed.”

“Something.. oily? Or sinister?” Captain repeated and only then did Leon realize how stupid it sounded. He nodded his head mutely, too ashamed to reply verbally. “When did you first feel this?”

“Uh.. almost a week ago now?”

Lethe sagged, unsure if the emotion coursing through her was relief or disappointment. Whatever Leon was feeling probably wasn’t related to what had happened two nights ago. It meant no further insight on whatever occurred and the possibility of something else at play. Probably disappointment, then. “Very well. I’ll ask Cora if she can spare any time for your two Knights. Write down their descriptions for her.”

Leon looked up from his embarrassed examination of the rug in surprise. She… believed him? Seeing his shock, Lethe smiled in fond exasperation, “Leon, you’re one of the best sensors in the PK Corps, especially now that Lady Ethera tutored you. If you say something seems unusual..” She shrugged her shoulders as she got to her feet, reinvigorated by having an achievable goal, “It never hurts to check. I trust you can manage this? Or would you like me to oversee whatever this is?”

“No, captain, I can do this.”

“Good,” Her proud smile said everything else, “Now, do you want something to drink as you write? Water? Soda?”
~~~~~

“HECK YEAH!!” The roar of triumph was punctuated by the sound of wood cracking and something falling to the ground. Victorious purple eyes gleamed under plastered pink bangs and then Seraphim dropped out of her pose, instead opting to jump up and down. “Woohoo! Heck yeaaahhh!!”

“Something good happened?” Lethe inquired from the door, receiving a smirk from Deimos. The pale blond nodded at the broken training dummy that Seraphim had finally defeated. He’d finally cut his in half a day ago and had been working on getting faster. He could see how it would work well with his combat style and adding in his clones.. It definitely had potential if he could master it. “Congratulations!” Lethe cheered, lifting her hands up for high fives. Her shout caught Seraphim’s attention and the other woman bounced over, slapping her palms against Lethe’s.

“Yeaah!!” She whooped again before finally settling down a bit. “Thanks Lethe! What brings you here?” She drew the younger woman into a side-arm hug, tugging her further into the room. “Just checking on how things are going with you two.” Lethe answered with a smile, Seraphim’s joy infectious. “I see you’ve finally gotten yours to work. And Deimos?” She glanced over at their silent shadow and he just nodded, earning himself an outstretched hand. With an amused huff of air, he slapped the hand in a not-so-high five, accepting Lethe’s congratulations.

“Good job both of you! May I see?” Seraphim released Lethe, coming to a stop in front of one of the training dummies. She closed her eyes, centered herself, and punched outwards. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel her divine magic traversing the space between her and the target. It swept past the wooden facsimilie, rendering it into nothing more than splinters. She transferred the damage back here and heard with satisfaction the sound of the wooden dummy exploding. Beside her, she could hear the slashes of Deimos’s sword as he struck through the air and then the thump as various chunks of the training dummy fell to the ground, carved into pieces.

She opened her eyes, confirming what she’d heard, and then spun to face Lethe with a self-satisfied smirk. Very good,” The white-haired Knight restated. She lifted a hand again, but this time Luna appeared in it. “Shall we see how good?”

Seraphim glanced over at Deimos. Yellow eyes met hers challengingly; she’d be getting no help from there. Lethe may have meant for a two versus one, but Seraphim had a feeling this would go more along the lines of a free for all. “Oh Lethe..” she sighed, secretly gathering divine magic in her fist, “you’re so going down!”
~~~

“Knock Knock.”

Deimos was too reticent to boast, perhaps the only reason their ears weren’t ringing with taunts right now. It didn’t, however, stop him from smirking at them superiorly. He’d gotten the drop on them while they’d been focused on each other by using his clones to tag them simultaneously. Normally Lethe would have been more gracious in her defeat but she remembered what had happened the last time this scenario had played out…

With a sigh, the white-haired Knight conceded to the penalty for losing against her rear guard, “Who’s there?”

“Orange.”

“Orange who?” She asked in a long suffering tone, resigning herself to rounds of knock knock jokes.

“Orange you glad this isn’t another Knock Knock joke?”

“YES!” The exclamation of barely concealed relief confirmed Deimos’s suspicion that interrupting cows or dimes or nobels may have very well gotten him a Luna in the stomach. (He also doubted Seraphim would have helped him much if that had been the case.) Instead, he just crinkled his eyes in amusement and then headed towards the training dummy to start tidying up. Lethe, and later Seraphim, trailed after him. When the room was in order once more, he turned towards the shortest Knight for his next orders.

It appeared that Lethe had regained her composure during the cleaning as she no longer looked ready to murder someone (him). “Seraphim, I’m giving you leave to spend another day here. I think you’re still being a bit wasteful with your divine magic and it would be good to see how it interacts with your aura.” She nodded towards Deimos, acknowledging his success with incorporating the dimensional blade with his Light’s Blessing clones. “Deimos, rendezvous with Cricket please. See if he needs help with his divine magic. Also, please see how his hunting’s coming along. Tomorrow, I want you over by supplies to see if we can improve any of our efficiencies. I’d like to avoid rationing just yet, but this war is just starting.” Unspoken was the acknowledgment that she had no idea when it would end. Her blond squadmate was a miracle worker at making the impossible occur, she’d feel better getting his personal report on the situation.

Deimos nodded in acknowledgment, waiting for Lethe to finish. After giving their last squadmate a few more pointers, she turned to leave. The rear guard of squad ten fell into step beside her, as usual scanning the area around them. The journey was silent until they passed the corridor that led towards their squad quarters. When they passed the hallways towards the Council Room and the prayer rooms, Deimos paused in surveying their surroundings, shooting a look towards the Knight walking beside him.

“The infirmary,” Lethe responded blandly, adding on in response to the unspoken query, “I need to ask Cora a favor on Leon’s behalf.” The blond Knight frowned, curious as to what that favor might be. “Also, if you feel anything suspicious within the Cathedral, please inform me or Leon immediately.” Lethe said nothing more, despite the curiosity she could read in Deimos’s demeanor. He tapped a knuckle against her head as he left, warning her next time she lost, the Knock Knock jokes would not end so quickly after baiting him like this. With a snort of amusement, Lethe shot a withering look in his direction: who said she was losing next time?
~~~

“Excuse me,” A polite knock accompanied the call and Cora looked up from the medical file she was reading. Normally she didn’t have time to read about her patients ahead of time; her work during the First War had always been more “first responder” type. Now, however, things weren’t that dire yet. There was still time to properly allocate treatment depending on skill level and she always got the most complicated ones. It was an acknowledgment of her skill, however, so she wasn’t terribly bothered by it. It was almost nice, having the time to determine what healing approach she wanted to take for the operation.

“Yes? Come in! How may I help.. you?” Her smile faltered at the sight of her guest. Master Lethe—what could the Seraph want with her? She’d already met the Seraph’s personal cleric. Valiar was a jovial and skilled medic; he wasn’t the best that she’d ever seen but certainly talented, enough so that Cora found it unusual that the female Seraph would need her help over her cleric’s. As if sensing her confusion, the woman responded, “I apologize for bothering you; may I ask for some of your time?”

“Certainly, come in. Let me just tidy this up a bit.”

“Please, you don’t have to on my behalf,” Her guest protested even as she stepped in, but Cora ignored her. She wanted the time to gather her thoughts. So… Coffee-colored eyes glanced towards the Knight perched demurely on one of her patient seats. This was Lethe Urilla. She’d heard about the female Seraph, of course, but she’d never really met the other woman. The White Seraph looked.. A scowl crossed her face before she smoothed it away, her back hiding the expression from sight. No wonder Natalia had been so depressed; even just sitting on a stool, the woman look dignified! Said woman was looking around the room inquisitively and Cora wanted to be annoyed—she hated people snooping in her office!—but it was impossible. There was no judgment in the other woman’s blue gaze.

“So, what can I help you with?” Cora asked as she turned around with her ‘doctor smile.’ She took her seat once more, holding a pen over her notepad in preparation for any notes.

The Seraph returned her smile before a look of concentration crossed her face, clearly trying to decide how to voice her request. “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate it if you could scan two Knights for me.”

“Scan..?” The brunette prompted, wondering at the unusual request. Every medic knew how to perform a diagnostic spell. She most certainly didn’t need to be performing diagnostics.

As if hearing her disbelief, the white-haired Knight smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry; I don’t want to say anything to influence your results. But it would really mean a lot to me if you could review these two Knights yourself. Valiar, my cleric,” She added, as if just remembering not everyone might know her squad by name, “is busy with tracking down some Reaper sightings in Lindela so I can’t depend on him for this matter.”

Cora said nothing in response, just analyzing the woman sitting before her. For the Seraph to specially come and request her to run such a simple spell as a diagnostic! She wanted to say no. She had enough to do without doing such basic tasks as scans. But, Cora admitted guiltily, that was just being ungracious. She had just been luxuriating in the fact she had time to review patient files; she definitely had the time to run a scan or two. Besides, she looked sideways, feeling chastised by her own conscience, if Gil had come and made the request.. but Gil was her friend! Gil was different! Cora glanced back at the white-haired woman in front of her who was waiting patiently for a reply. Gil also liked Lethe and as his friend, the least she could do was help out the women he’d given his heart to. “Alright..” She really hoped her reply hadn’t sounded as grudging as it did in her ears.

If it had, her visitor made no mention of it. “Thank you very much, Lady Cora.” The Seraph pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it, revealing two paragraphs of text. “I’m afraid my squadmate Leon wasn’t able to get names for the two Knights we want you to review, but he’s written their descriptions down for you. He suggested they come visit you tomorrow for a lingering hip issue and a lung issue. He’s written down the excuses he gave to them to help you distinguish them.”

The ‘dove’ of the Crests accepted the piece of paper a bit skeptically. Master Lethe wanted her to heal two Knights she didn’t even know the names of.. Cora glanced up just to check if this was a prank of some sort, but Master Lethe looked as unruffled as ever. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.” She replied with a polite smile.

“Again, thank you very much.” Her visitor got to her feet, “Just send a messenger when you’re done; Leon can take your results verbally if that will make it easier for you.” With a nod farewell and a “May the Divine Light bless you and keep you safe,” the cause of Natalia’s sorrow and Gil’s pining walked out the door.
~~~~~

[[Day 17 of Month -4, Night :: Gless]]

“Wow! So you fought in the First War like my dad?” Bright brown eyes shined up eagerly even as Jessiah shoved another spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. The dinner tonight was pot roast, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables, all lovingly prepared by the restaurant down the street. Bianca was skilled in many things but cooking, unfortunately, was not one of them. The Joaquim family had all gotten used to bland food except when guests came over; there was no way Bianca was serving her mediocre cooking to strangers, especially not one of her husband’s old war buddies!

Dietrich nodded nervously and took a bite of his pot roast, more to avoid talking than a great attachment for the meal. “That’s so cool!” Joaquim and Bianca had long ago drilled into their son’s head that ‘how was it?’ was not an appropriate question to ask about the First War so he skipped to, “And you’re signing up again now?”

“Yes,” The brown-haired veteran replied with his uneasy smile, before adding “It seemed.. appropriate to rejoin now,” as he realized how rude his short answers were making him seen. It wasn’t that he was ungrateful to be here; he was truly thankful to the Divine Light that Joaquim was still so open with him even after… what had happened. He tried not to look at his host’s missing eye but ended up catching reflection of it anyways.

“I want to be a Knight when I grow up!” Jessiah continued enthusiastically, seemingly not hearing the stilted tone of Dietrich’s reply. “I’m going to be a hero like Master Guilford and Hyuga and my dad! And I’ll travel the world and save damsels in distress and redeem Sinners and there will be lots and lots of books about me!” He grinned toothily, “and I’ll write about all my travels too, of course! Everyone will know the name of Knight Jessiah!”

“It sounds like you have big aspirations.” Dietrich replied with a small smile. He could tell Jessiah about how scary it was to be a Knight, to face Sinners and Pure Sinners, to get hit and hit others, to be fighting for your life, but he didn’t want to spoil the kid’s dreams. Jessiah was only eleven; he still had a few years until he was eligible for the PKA and the brown-haired veteran was sure Joaquim would teach Jessiah the realities of being a Knight before letting his son join the Academy. “That’s good. What else will Knight Jessiah do?”

The rest of dinner was filled with the young boy explaining his exploits to the amused adults. Finally, Bianca declared it was time for Jessiah to finish his homework and she shooed him away, leaving Joaquim and Dietrich alone with a knowing wink.

Suddenly filled in silence, Disetrich stared miserably into his coffee, wondering what there was to say. “Well,” Joaquim finally spoke up, “Thank you for joining me for dinner.” A sad smile crossed his face, clearly cognizant of how reluctant his guest was to be here. “It was nice to see you again. Do you have somewhere you need to be?”

Brown eyes glanced upwards before darting back down; his cheeks and neck turned red in embarrassment as he realized just how obvious his discomfort had been. “Uhm.. yes. That is, I have somewhere to go, yes.” However, he made no move to leave so Joaquim stayed in his seat as well. One kind brown eye examined his uncomfortable guest. He’d known Dietrich during the First War; their squad had been stationed at the same outpost: a group of newbies and a group of more experienced men to balance them out. He’d thought they had a good working relationship but perhaps he’d remembered wrongly. “I..” Finally, Dietrich looked him firmly in the eye, apparently having gathered his resolve: “I want to thank you very much for saving my life that day. I’m very, very sorry about..” The younger veteran’s gaze wandered to his eyepatch and Joaquim felt a sense of weariness as he realized what had caused his old friend so much anguish. “About your eye,” Dietrich continued determinedly, “And I hope I can some day make up for it.” He bowed his head until his forehead touched the table.

There was a long sigh from the other side of the table. “Dietrich. Dietrich.” The voice commanded him to look up so he reluctantly did so. “There’s no reason to feel like that. Your life and your squad’s lives was certainly worth this small price.” Joaquim motioned towards the eye patch, “I just hope you haven’t been carrying the burden since that day twelve years ago. There is no reason to feel obligation.”

“But—!” Joaquin cut off Dietrich’s instinctive protest with a shake of his head. “No, Dietrich. It’s my eye; I can determine its worth.” The older man joked, “And being able to see you again, alive, healthy is more than worth it. Knowing that we’ll fight alongside each other again is more than enough repayment.”

And then, proving just how skilled a wife she was, Bianca re-appeared with a cheerful greeting. “Dessert time!” She lifted a plate of cut fruit and placed it on the table before either man could get embarrassed about the previous conversation. She took a seat next to Joaquim and snagged a slice of apple. “So, Dietrich, what have you been up to these past years?”
~~~

[[Day 18 of Month -4 :: Cathedral]]

Omi sighed deeply as he leaned backwards to stretch out the kinks in his back. He enjoyed his job (really!) but there were times where sitting still pouring over manuscripts could get a bit exhausting. He rubbed his eyes, trying to soothe the strain in them. This job would have undoubtedly gotten him into glasses if he hadn’t learned some healing from his aunt.

“You should be a cleric!” His aunt’s nagging echoed in his ears at the memory of her, “you’re definitely skilled enough!” The reminder was enough to make his hands drop away. He could have been a cleric. But.. Purple eyes stared wearily at the manuscript in front of him as he stopped himself of following that train of thought. Nothing good came from dwelling there. He was a good Scribe; a great Scribe, if he said so himself. He should be happy with that.

He was massaging his neck when the shuffling of papers caught his attention. Who would be down here? Few came this way; he was only here to satisfy a personal curiosity. Access to all the archives was one of the perks from being a good Scribe. He silently got to his feet and walked towards the intruder. Delroy was looking at some files, shuffling through one then putting it back. The other Scribe seemed to be getting frustrated with how loudly he was flipping through the pages. Clearly Delroy wasn’t used to avoiding overzealous librarians. That or he wasn’t expecting anyone to be here. Sloppy. Finally, Delroy seemed to find what he was looking for. He replaced the files he pulled out and then, with a cautious look around him, slipped one under his jacket.

Lights, Delroy was terrible at sneaking files out… It was so incompetent, Omi questioned if he really wanted to follow up on the issue. Surely no one would ask Delroy to steal any files.. Or maybe that was the ruse. Delroy was so bad, people would overlook his clumsy attempts? Omi memorized the shelf number of the file Delroy had pilfered the file from and then stalked the other Scribe out the door. As suspected, Delroy didn’t register the mysterious file in the log book.

The other Scribe at least had the sense to not run down the hallways. However, he was definitely walking faster than normal so the redhead had to lengthen his stride to catch up without drawing attention to him or his prey. They were passing an alcove when Omi reached out, grabbing Delroy and dragging him into the hiding spot.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Delroy shoved him away, face a mask of worry and bluster. The other Scribe at least had the sense to keep his voice low.

"What are you doing?" Omi countered, stepping closer so Delroy couldn't escape. Purple eyes slanted towards the hand hiding in the man's robes. "What's that under your jacket?"

Wide eyes flickered away before catching his face. "Ja-jacket? Th-there's noth-nothing." Delroy seemed to muster his courage, practically puffing up with his perceived importance. His next words were filled with confidence. "It's none of your business."

"It's my business if people are taking records out of the Archives without signing them out. You know that's against the rules." The redhead leaned forward, seemingly looming over the other man despite being younger. "It's a trouble to all of us Scribes if records randomly go missing. Now. What are those documents?"

Delroy snapped his reply: "I don't know what you're talking about." He tried to shove past Omi but the younger man reached a hand out, catching the other Scribe's arm to hold him still. Papers slipped to the ground, clearly typed reports of some sort. There was a moment of shocked surprise before both men pounced for them, Delroy trying to hide them and Omi trying to figure out what they were.

The sound of purposeful steps made both of them pause. "You two should stop. I could hear you from a mile away."

At the unexpected interjection, both Scribes paused and then scrambled to their feet, papers a disarray in their hands, once they recognized the voice.

“Ma-Master Guilford!” Both voices exclaimed in surprise. Delroy was subtly trying to straighten the papers in his hand. Omi was looking at the Seraph curiously. Why was Master Guilford here?

The Seraph crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the two disapprovingly. "Just so you both know, I like to read my documents in good condition."

"Ma-Master Guilford, I-I was on my w-way to your quarters with your re-requested documents but Omi here..." Delroy scrambled for words, trying to make sense of the pages he had on hand, as well as the ones missing which were in Omi's hands. His face felt flushed in a mix of embarrassment and anger.

The red-haired Scribe was more interested in the tidbit Master Guilford had just shared. These files were for him..? That.. put an interesting spin on things. Omi looked down and ostensibly tried to sort the papers in his hands, as if responding to the Seraph’s reprimand. It also gave him a good opportunity to snoop as he meticulously ordered the pages by their page numbers. Team Abel? Before the Rising? He handed the papers over to Master Guilford, purple eyes catching sight of the report title: Team Seven, Captain Abel? His curiosity faltered under the weight of a stern stare. When he looked up, Master Guilford was scrutinizing him.

The purple-haired man held a hand out and Omi immediately rescinded the report, keeping his face studiously neutral. There was no pretending he was innocent; he hadn’t been that discreet. "Thank you for your help, Delroy.” Master Guilford praised, clearly dismissing the other Scribe. The older Scribe gave Omi an annoyed look but retreated, leaving just him and the Seraph. Master Guilford said nothing; he just stood there staring. After what felt like an eternity, the man finally spoke up: "Omi, now you have two things to keep to yourself. I trust you understand the weight of my words." Omi nodded. "Carry on then."

Omi nodded once more and then walked away, headed back towards the Archives. Team Abel before the Island Rising hm? He doubted Master Guilford was searching for information about himself. Master Lethe, perhaps? Or other members? Well, his lips twisted in a mischievous smirk, he didn’t call himself a great Scribe for nothing.

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:33 am 
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Day 18th of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral


The sound of clashing swords echoed inside a training room within the Cathedral. Among the other knights perusing the facility, two were rigorously honing their skills, sparring with each other in a graceful dance of swordsmanship. Their expertise in wielding the Judgment Sword awed all of the other knights within the room, earning themselves a crowd of spectators. Clearly from a spectator's point of view, both seemed to be equally matched, but the reality was that Fiona found herself struggling to keep up with her Vice Captain. Alfrei's attack patterns were relentless, his offensive rhythm overwhelming her defenses almost too easily, yet he was only using one sword. Against her better judgment, Fiona decided to back off from the flurry of furious sword strikes, jumping away in hopes of getting some much needed breathing room. However, as she initially thought, her decision proved to be a poor one. Alfrei took advantage of her momentary loss of footing; he closed in and ducked away from Fiona's futile reprisal, sweeping at her feet with his right leg before they could even touch the floor.

How was he so fast?!

He had cleanly toppled her over. Fiona found herself downed, back first and dizzied while staring at the ceiling; the tip of Alfrei's sword pointed at her neck. "I.. yield.." she mumbled beneath gasps for breath. Right after her words of surrender, the room was instantly filled with applause from the spectating knights. Though they may not have been watching Seraphs in a mock duel, the knights still witnessed spectacular swordplay, one worthy of acclamation. Alfrei sheathed his sword back to its rightful scabbard and offered a hand to help Fiona back to her feet. She reached for his hand and pulled herself up, thanking her Vice Captain before fixing her ruffled hair.

He was confident that Fiona was ready but... Alfrei looked at her with worried eyes. He had been tasked by their Captain to evaluate her if she was fit to return to active duty, and it was not going well. She may have asked him not to hold back before the start of their match but now.. Alfrei was just glad he chose not to oblige. He thought she was ready, now he was not so sure given her recently poor display of overall effectiveness. She was better than this—a lot better.

"Is something bothering you?" he questioned her, arms folding above his chest. "Your movements are sluggish, your decisions are all over the place and your defense is..." he paused, pretty sure that Fiona got the idea.

The female knight simply eyed her Vice Captain before proceeding to the bench where the two of them kept their stuff. Alfrei followed behind her. She pulled out a towel to dry some of the sweat she had worked up in their mock duel. Truth is, she was hesitant to answer his question. He too experienced something on the night of the fifteenth...

Quote:
"Brother! When will Master Guilford and the rest of your squad come to visit?" Alexa chirped happily while walking ahead of Alfrei through Danaon's local market. She seldom got the chance to go grocery shopping at night with her older brother, making her feel grateful that he was here now to carry the basket for her.

"We haven't seen them in like... forever you know? And I still have to meet this Fiona lady. Rumor has it that she's very pretty and graceful too! Maybe she can teach me ladylike manners and all sorts of stuff..." she yammered on, peeking left and right through each stall they passed with her now expert eyes for finding good produce.

The merchant stalls were about to close, and they were tasked to buy everything they needed for a week unless they wanted to wait another few days before the merchants restock their goods. Business was hard enough for these merchants now that they were required to contribute for the war effort, and going to Lindela is not really an option at this time.

Alfrei trailed behind his younger sister, listening not to her words per se but to the sound of her voice. He was out of it. Lately his thoughts have been wandering more towards the future. How would this war turn out? Where would they be after it? Will he even survive this? Captain even had to resort to asking Lord Rannulf for guidance in the practice of the Old Sword, much to everyone in their squad's disbelief. Did Captain Guilford not think that the caliber of today's knights were enough to win? Is he even giving it everything he's got to help out their Captain? Or is he just another deadweight that pulls everyone down? Alfrei sighed. His thoughts would have wandered more had it not been for the increase in weight to the basket hanging on his left arm.

"You're not really listening to me are you?" Alexa looked at him suspiciously, eyes narrowing along with a mild pout easily becoming visible on her pretty lips.

When it came to Alexa, Alfrei knew better than to open a box of excuses.

"Sorry Lexy, I've got a lot on my mind lately..." he came clean, frowning a little at his own thought; "lately" may have been an understatement. Dismissing the thought before he adds another to the pile, Alfrei turned to look at the stalls further down the market lane. He had set his mind to get on with their groceries when his eyes caught an unusual image in town. There was a cloaked individual standing at the far end of the market lane. Puzzled, the blonde knight stared at the figure for a while. He was not sure what it was but something about that individual seemed off. A chill ran down his spine. If his guess was right, that cloaked figure also had their eyes on him. Turning his gaze away from the cloaked figure for a moment, Alfrei pulled his younger sister behind him protectively. However, when he turned his gaze back to the general direction of the figure, Alfrei was caught by surprise..

The figure had closed the distance between them and was already poised to cut him down with a sword. Reflexes kicking in, Alfrei dropped their basket of groceries and raised both arms defensively, crossing them before his face in an attempt to block the blow with his life to keep his sister safe. As much as he hated to admit it, he closed his eyes in anticipation of a slash that never came, to be replaced by a cold gust of night wind instead. Alfrei dropped his guard, eyes still closed and seemingly running out of breath at the moment that appeared like his end.

"Brother!! What are you doing?! You're wasting good food!" an angry Alexa scolded him.

When Alfrei opened his eyes, there were no signs of that figure. He was still alive and surprisingly uncut; it was not a dream, he was wide awake! That cloaked figure was definitely there and for a moment, he was sure he had met his end. "S-sorry Lexy... here, I'll pick them all up for you.." he apologized, all the while searching for that figure while picking up their purchase.

What was that?


...and such a strong manifestation too. "It's probably my body still trying to adjust after being out of active duty for a month." she said, shaking off the thought of Alfrei's strange account on the night of the fifteenth. So it manifested differently for individuals who have divine magic? she immersed herself in thought, continuing to dry off the sweat in her arms. Realizing that her Vice Captain isn't buying her excuse, Fiona smiled at him and handed him a bottle of water. "Sorry Vice Captain, I think I may need to see Lady Cora about my condition after all." she said, scratching her head as she did.

It was probably for the best. Alfrei thought for a few seconds before nodding in approval, "By all means. We're worried about you. Please ask Lady Cora if she can do something—we badly need you back in active duty." he said but only received a nod from his female squad mate. He watched Fiona find her way out of the training room, shaking his head when she was finally out of sight. Something was definitely up and he could feel it in his gut. Alfrei was in the middle of contemplating if he should tail Fiona around when another knight approached him, asking for sword lectures if he still had time.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



A conflicted female knight aimlessly walked through the halls of the Cathedral. Fiona found herself juggling two thoughts in mind; should she contact Irene of the Guardians for help? Or should she talk to the Seraphs? The female knight soon found herself on her way towards the infirmary before she even realized. Why? There was no actual need to go see Lady Cora because she was fine! She just couldn't focus on anything because of that night. Out of all the spells and rituals in existence, only perverted ones could actually disturb the Divine Realm, and she knew exactly which one caused the ruckus on the night of the fifteenth; The Rite of Creation. Gritting her teeth at the reminder of her capture, Fiona spun around on her heels and began walking the other direction. None of this would have happened if she hadn't been so stubborn about staying on the outside. Irene was right all along. Her childish tantrums would only cause pain and suffering. This was all on her, as well as everything that was about to happen in the future because of her foolishness.

Some Pristine Knight she was...

Had she realized sooner what Eve's laughter meant back in Santa Olivia, had she known that her ward reacted negatively after taking an attack from her, if she only knew... a closed fist lashed out reflexively, striking the defenseless wall on her right and surprising the Scribes wandering about doing their business.

What good would self-loathing do? She grilled herself in silence. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"It's all my fault..."

Tears of anger trickled down from her eyes. She was grinding her teeth so hard she could already taste a bit of blood in her mouth; the very same blood that served as the catalyst to their doom. Should she rely on the Seraphs to fix her mistakes? If they learned of the truth behind her, could they forgive her? Now that she had set the final cog that would slowly grind the gears of this world towards destruction, would they even want her to stand and fight by their side?

"It's okay Fiona, you can take your time. Just know that you can talk to me whenever you're ready."


Such kind words, kindness that was mistakenly given to her by her Captain. She did not deserve it! Wiping the tears from her eyes haphazardly, Fiona pushed herself through a group of Scribes that were just about to approach her and ask if she was fine. She may have been a tad forceful for knocking a few of them off balance but right now, there was only one thing on her mind. She should take responsibility. This was the least she could do. She owed it to everyone that got involved in her life to atone for her mistakes. If there was any way to make this right, she would gladly pay the price, no matter how high it is.

Storming out of the Grand Cathedral, Fiona made her way to a more secluded area where nobody frequents by this time of the night. The secondary training grounds used by cadets behind the Cathedral itself was just the place she needed. Making her way to the farthest corner of the grounds, Fiona slipped behind the equipment cabins and took a deep breath, making sure there was nobody around before lining her index fingers with magic. She drew numerous seals in the air, merging them one by one until they began to flicker and vanish in thin air. She held her breath in anticipation, with only the sound of wind blowing accompanying her in her silence. Several minutes later, the air in front of her began to distort, signaling Fiona of the coming of the one she summoned. A breath later and a cloaked woman came out of the distortion.

"Irene." Fiona greeted her, tone neither commanding nor submissive.

The cloaked woman pulled her hood down, revealing her long black hair and pale face to the female knight. The expression she carried with her was akin to that of resentment, reflecting it the most through her eyes that seemed to want to bore a hole through Fiona.

"Now do you understand why we came for you?" the Guardian snapped at her, but heard nothing from the other.

Unable to hold her gaze, Fiona could only avert her eyes from Irene's accusing ones. She knows.. she knows all too well but deliberately chose to ignore it. Now that they were faced with a dire situation, she ended up calling her for help, of course she would be ****! All Irene ever did from the beginning was try to avert such a catastrophe in the making. But she was too blind to see, too prideful to admit that she would do more harm than good on the surface world.

"It's no use crying over spilled milk, Fiona." Irene said to her, walking towards the wall of one equipment cabin and leaning her back against it. "This world will crumble." she sighed, "You know full well that these islands will not survive another war with the God of Sin." she blatantly pointed out with a huff of disgust.

Alarmed by Irene's words, Fiona's eyes widened in surprise. There might have been some truth in her words but that would only happen should the Guardians-her people-choose to once again stay neutral! Now was definitely not the time to cling to their ridiculous ideology! More than anything, it was a time for them to intervene! "I.. I know that!" she retorted, hands curling to fists from her guilt. "That's why I summoned you! To ask for help!"

"Hah!" Irene spat and rolled her eyes, "That's rich!" she crossed both arms above her chest and glared at Fiona, "Now you want my help? What did you think I was trying to do in the first place huh?! You stupid brat!" Irene lashed at her, "Are you going to ask me to kill the God of Sin for you? Don't be ridiculous!" now she had her back off the wall and was facing Fiona, looking at her with rage-filled eyes, "Who do you think was the most promising Guardian candidate before me huh?" she asked her but didn't wait for an answer, "That's right, it's you! And yet..!" she yelled at the female knight, catching herself before saying anything more. Irene deflated, as if all the lashing out she did sapped her strength in an instant. "Just... look at what you did..."

Stupid... brat? Perhaps. Perhaps Irene was right to call her that. She had not thought about the bigger picture at all, forgetting her origin and placing her desires before anything else. Not only was she selfish, she was also a fool. Even so, that doesn't change the fact that all she ever wanted was to change this world for the better! That fire in her has yet to die out. "Don't you think I know that already!? That this is all my fault?! Do you honestly believe that I couldn't realize the gravity of my own folly?!" the tears she fought back earlier were now winning, trickling down freely from her eyes, "I would go kill the God of Sin myself if I could! But I know I cannot do it on my own! Do you know how that makes me feel?!" the strength in her legs gave and Fiona found herself falling to her knees. The clarity of her vision continued to remain blurred from the tears that kept falling. "Because of me... because of me the people that I have come to love will all suffer! And I am powerless to stop it!" she burst out into sobs, hands clawing and gripping the dirt on the ground as tightly as she could.

"Please... Irene... help me..." Fiona discarded her pride, begging the Guardian before her. "If my life is what it takes to make this right... I would gladly give it up..."

"What's the point in winning if you die in the process?"

A startled Irene jumped back instinctively while Fiona felt a sense of recognition. That voice! Fiona's eyes widened in shock. Why was he here?! She turned her head to look behind, only to spot a blurred silhouette of a man leaning his back against a cabin wall. Seconds later, the familiar silhouette became clear, revealing Akira's form for her eyes to see. He had his hands in his pockets, nurturing a solemn expression while keeping his gaze away from her.

"Sorry. I couldn't stand seeing you fall so low." he said, still not looking at her.

"W-what are you doing here?! You're not supposed to be here!" Fiona hissed at the man.

"I'm a former scout. My specialty is gathering information, and now that I am not enlisted, I only gather intel on people and things I deem important."

People and things he deemed.. important? Fiona swallowed a gulp of air. What did he mean by that? Still, Akira might have heard things he shouldn't have! She must take action. "How long... have you been there?" Fiona asked, her tears coming to an abrupt halt.

"Long enough." he responded coolly, "Listen Fiona, I'll only say this once. This is not your fight alone." he stated with resolve before turning a hard gaze towards the Guardian who have just now eased out of the defensive.

"The same goes for your people too. If the God of Sin has truly been revived, no place in this world will remain unscathed." he finished and turned to walk away.

"W-wait! Where are you going Akira?! You can't tel--"

"To re-enlist." he stopped and looked back.

When their eyes met, Fiona found herself unable to speak a word. Within the short time they had spent together in training and casual meet-ups, this was the first time she had ever seen Akira look so serious. She was drawn to his gaze for it was strong and determined, fiery even. Had it not been for Akira's voice, she didn't think she could have snapped out of her little moment on her own.

"I said I'll only say it once, don't make me say it again. Talk to Gil and Lethe, Fiona... or I will."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 18th of Month 4: Lindela - District 5 (Night)


An exhausted Lance sat back on his office chair, deflating as quickly as his body settled in, relaxation being the core idea in mind. He had done everything he could for this day, even squeezing in personal training in the little free time he could afford. He was anxious. Lance recalled the accounts he gathered from the divine magic capable knights that Gil and Lethe asked for. Though varying in terms of detail, every single one of them had an experience related to the night of the fifteenth. Even with all that information in hand, he was still unable to figure out the possible cause. But what bothered Lance greatly was the fact that their Seraphs seemed to be drawing blanks as well. He had sent the findings out a day ago and was waiting for word from either Gil or Lethe should they come up with something. Of all the things he hated, one of them was being in the dark, unable to tell just what their enemy did.

His thoughts however, were pulled away at the sound of a knock on his door. It was two hours past midnight, who could possibly want something from him at this time?

"Captain... may I talk to you?" the voice echoed behind the wooden door.

Yulia. Lance figured it was probably work related; just when he thought he was done for the day too! Lance took a deep breath and straightened himself in his chair. He cleared his throat before inviting her inside. The wooden door slowly creaked open, revealing his Vice Captain who looked distraught. She was not in her knight armor but in her sleeping garb. Her blonde hair fell loosely beyond her shoulders, as opposed to its normally neat arrangement when she was on duty. It was surprising that she would present herself like this to him, immediately telling him that whatever Yulia needed to talk about, was not related to their current business. Lowering the one brow that managed to rise, Lance dropped the professional air, motioning for Yulia to close the door behind her.

"You don't look too good." he pointed out before easing back in his chair once more. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Upon closer inspection, Lance took note of Yulia's eyes; they looked as if she had just finished crying. Her silence only served to heighten Lance's already growing worry. He watched Yulia slowly approach his desk and take a seat on the chair before it. She was unable to look him in the eyes, or more accurately, she was trying to avoid their gazes from meeting. "Yulia..." he was just about to say he was not good in guessing games when his attention was drawn to Yulia's right arm coming over his desk. Her hand was balled to a fist, and when she opened them, he heard a thunk! on wood. Lance's eyes widened in horror when Yulia pulled her arm back, revealing the object she dropped in front of him. That object was something he instantly recognized. How could he ever forget it? It was the half-wing pendant that belonged to Yael.

"How did you—"

"Why do you have that, Captain?" Yulia still managed to cut him off even with a voice so soft it sounded almost like a whisper. Unable to respond immediately, Lance watched her take off her own necklace and placed it beside the first one; their pendants matched. Together the pendants formed a pair of wings, undoubtedly signifying freedom. "I was cleaning your desk a few days ago when I found this beneath some documents." her voice was dead of emotion, "That belonged to my brother..." she trailed off, snapping her gaze right at him with a visible scowl on her face. "Just who are you exactly!?" she hissed, uncaring if anybody else could hear her. But Lance could only offer silence in response. Irritated, Yulia lashed out, "Why won't you answer me!?"

The day he feared the most had finally come. Lance turned his eyes away from Yulia's condemning glare, attempting to find solace from the two pendants on his desk; particularly from the one owned by Yael. Yulia asked who he was? Well, the answers were simple, he was the man who got her twin brother killed in the line of duty, he was the same man who did not have the nerve to step forward to let her know, he was the man who chose to run away from it all to live in seclusion because of his guilt! Who was he exactly? A Nobody. He was just a worthless Captain who never deserved the trust of his subordinates.

Yulia was just about to condemn him more with her words but suddenly stopped when Lance reciprocated her stare. There was so much sadness and guilt in his eyes that his anguish easily pierced through her anger. The next set of words from him rendered her completely speechless..

"Lance Fitzherberg, former Captain of the twenty-third squad during the first war," he began sorrowfully, "the man who got your twin brother killed along with the rest of my squad... the one who did not have the heart to face you..." he trailed off, a tear sliding down freely from his right eye, "I am the man who caused you so much pain. The very same man who was the coward that ran away." he admitted in all honesty.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 19th of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral, Squad Eight Quarters


Today there were only three people enjoying the hospitality of squad eight's quarters. Guilford was as usual, tied to his chair behind his desk perusing some documents. Hyuga on the other hand was preoccupied with his research. Only Alfrei had nothing in particular going on for him so he opted to polish and maintain his weapons in silence. He was waiting for his Captain to finish but judging from the expression he had while reading through the documents, Alfrei figured that it would take a while. The sound of rustling papers from both his Captain and Hyuga were the only things breaking the quiet air in the room every now and then. Finally unable to hold his tongue, Alfrei sheathed one sword and spoke as he unsheathed his second sword for cleaning.

"Captain, about my assessment of Fiona.." he opened up, earning himself a glance from the other two in the room with him. His Captain only raised a brow at him, urging him to continue. "I don't think she's ready to return to active duty." he concluded, meeting his Captain's gaze that had just now turned serious. "How so, Alfrei?" the man questioned him. Alfrei's glance turned back to the sword he was polishing, "As she is now, she would only serve to be a liability to the team should we deploy her out on the field," he paused, recalling his sparring match with her, "I don't think the problem lies with her physical condition though," he added, indulging the idea he had been rolling around his head for a few days, "I think the root is more mental." he finally finished and turned his gaze back at his Captain.

Guilford couldn't help but feel impressed at Alfrei. Normally the blonde would not dare voice out his thoughts so openly without having second and third opinions but now, he sounded like he was comfortable giving it, and even went as far as considering possible outcomes on a larger scale. He was growing as a knight, and as a leader? He was starting to prove himself a capable Vice Captain; Guilford couldn't be more proud. "Then what do you suggest we do about it?" he just had to test him.

Alfrei pondered for a moment before starting to speak, "We can't afford to give her any more time. Every able knight should contribute to the best of their ability especially now..." he paused and sheathed his second sword, "As much as I don't want to be forceful, I think we should take action and talk to her. The sooner we find out what's wrong, the better it would be for not just herself but everyone around her."

Guilford smirked. This was not really a shining example of tough decisions to make but it falls in the same category. Rallying troops was a part of leadership, and Alfrei made the right call on this one. "See to it then. I have not seen her today but I can feel her nearby." Guilford ordered his Vice Captain and turned his attention back to the papers he held on hand.

With a nod of his head, Alfrei got up from his seat and went straight for the door. Hyuga only smirked to himself; the kid finally found his adult version. Finally given the opportunity alone with his Captain, Hyuga turned from his desk to face the Seraph. "Captain, have you read the requisition request I submitted for approval?" he asked, holding his breath for a favorable response. Hyuga watched his Captain set the papers he was reading down and pluck another from his desk drawer. A frown formed on his facial features. His Captain only shoved requests in that desk drawer if they are to be put on hold or denied.

"This one you mean?" the Seraph eyed the requisition request, shaking his head at the reminder of its contents. "Why would you want to get your hands on some regalia quartz? You know it is a valuable resource used partly in the manufacture of our Faith Necklaces."

"But I only need one this big!" he raised a closed fist to give his captain a rough idea of the size.

"And a regalia quartz that big would mean thirty less faith necklaces to go around." the Seraph countered, "Unless you give me good reason, I cannot grant this."

Hyuga sighed. He always hated having to give up information about his research, especially when they are still inconclusive as it stands. But he needed the regalia quartz if he was to make any forward strides towards the fruit of his research. "The tainted soil Captain." he mouthed off hesitantly. "I think I'm finally beginning to understand how to undo the blight." there were no traces of excitement or over-enthusiasm as he continued, taking Guilford by surprise. "It's true that I would just be using the regalia quartz as part of an experiment, but I would not do it without having put a lot of thought into it." he began pacing around, "I have always tried to be cost-efficient with every research I undertake—and I know just how valuable the regalia quartz can be at times like these." he stopped to look at Guilford, "Believe me Captain, I would not bother you if I have other options to turn to."

This was not the usual Dreamer. The old Hyuga would simply fall into a tantrum of intellectual mockeries, the old Hyuga would refuse to speak with them for days, the old Hyuga would then find himself another research to spend time on, but not this one. This Hyuga had a mature air around him, a drive he had only seen today, a purpose reflecting in his red eyes that literally sparkled the word 'hope'. While many thought it was impossible to rehabilitate the Barrens, this man refused to accept it and fought on his own up to this point. Guilford smiled. He was just glad he was not one of those many who refused to believe in this man's dream. The Seraph grabbed his Faith and took out his seal stamp, smacking it hard on the part intended for his seal in the request paper. He then held the paper out for Hyuga to take. Perhaps it was not so wrong to pin his other hopes on this man. Should there be someone who could accomplish such a grandiose dream, it would be him. "This better be worth it." he looked at Hyuga sternly. "Go on Hyu, take this and get your quartz before I change my mind."

Hyuga's eyes brightened up in an instant. He couldn't feel more overjoyed! His Captain really did believe in his talents, no matter how useless he himself deemed them to be in combat. "You will not regret this Captain! I stake your life on it!"

What did he just..? "My life?! Why does it have to be mine and not yours?!"

"Err.. well.. If I stake my life on it, there wouldn't be anyone left who is skilled enough to take my place and accomplish my goal right?" he flashed a grin at Guilford. "Don't worry Captain! I won't let you down!" the Dreamer happily skipped himself out of their squad quarters, leaving a baffled Seraph behind.

Guilford sighed. Just now, he could have been wrong about him entirely.

Alone to his thoughts once more, the Seraph turned back to the documents he was earlier studying before Alfrei and Hyuga's interruption. Two names caught his attention and made him pick out the prowess reports included among the files, Nygel d'Arques and Yves Linser, names that were new to him.

"So these were the two we replaced?" he thought to himself silently, turning the pages of the prowess report for Nygel d'Arques. Imagine that, two d'Arques in one squad, and to think La Gamme was involved. Grim thoughts lingered in his mind. What does this mean exactly? He then glanced at the other prowess report for Yves Linser. He turned the pages of the report and read the details about the woman. Except for the fact that she belonged to the Linser noble circle; a distant branch of the d'Arques circle, nothing more conclusive was to be found. It would seem like they would need accounts from the living regarding these two but as it stands, only three members of former Squad Seven still lived. And the one who knew everything was the same person they had in question.

Guilford shook his head in defeat. He was not going to get anywhere with just this. "I need more information..."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


A transport carriage conveniently stopped in front of the house where the Crests stayed in Caleta. Silver who was seated beside the driver jumped down and moved to the back of the carriage with haste. He reached in to grab several packs and set them down on the pavement before heading back to the driver to pay the transport fee. Having graciously accepted the generous compensation, the driver of the carriage bowed to Silver before commandeering his steed on its way. After a casual wave towards the driver, Silver returned his attention to the packs he brought with him. These packs had the rest of their old gear; weapons and armor that have not seen the light of day for a long time. If it wasn't for Akira revealing his findings two days ago, he would not have made the trip to and from their valley just to get these items. However, as covertly mischievous as Akira can get, it only made it harder to ignore his serious expression. Hoisting all of the packs at once, Silver turned towards the door that just now creaked open. Alona was there to greet him, waiting for him to come inside. With a quiet nod towards the redhead, Silver disappeared behind closed doors.

"You got everything right?" Akira double-checked while rummaging through the pack handed to him by Silver. The larger man simply continued distributing the packs to their respective owners, "Of course I did. I even got those for us." he nodded towards the crests that Cora and Alona just now laid their hands on. When both turned to look at him, he just flashed an apologetic look towards their two female companions topped with a wry smile. Cora and Alona simply exchanged looks and shrugged their shoulders. They wouldn't really mind Silver going through their closet where they kept their crests at all, just as long as it was not Akira. The former scout simply scoffed but continued to take out his gear instead of reacting.

"I didn't think the day would come when we would have to wear these again." Alona mumbled in her nostalgia. She was currently looking at the Sword Squadron insignia attached on the right sleeve of her armor she just put on.

"Yeah." Cora chimed in, staring at her old cleric cap, "It's funny that back then I was eager to take these off but now, I'm eager to put them on." she added, continuing to take out the rest of her gear from her pack and wearing them.

Silver swung his diamond shield a few times, getting a feel for its weight after a long span of disuse. "If you feel that way, it just goes to show that time has healed your wounds." he said but paused, "Our wounds." he corrected himself with a smile.

Akira was in the process of hiding multiple daggers in the concealed weapon slots throughout his armor when he stopped at Silver's comment. Has time really healed their wounds? Were they really ready to throw themselves into the fray and get wounded again? He didn't know. All he knows is that he wanted to do everything that he possibly can to make up for lost time. "You know..." he began, putting his attention back to sheathing daggers. "You all don't have to join me in re-enlisting; there's merit in acting unrestricted by command."

The other three simultaneously stopped what they were doing and shot him dagger glares. "Don't think that makes you cool Akira, you're still a pervert in my eyes." Alona snarled at him, a touch irritated, "While I can't deny the truth behind your words-that there's merit in acting without command-that's not what we need right now."

Silver swung his shield and pointed it at Akira. "She's right Akira. Right now the knighthood needs morale. The more veterans coming back to serve, means the more hope we bring into the fold."

Cora smiled at the three, "We're pretty popular you know? I've been hearing knights talk about us while I was temporarily helping out in the infirmary. I bet if the knights see us waltzing towards the Grand Cathedral, in full battle gear no less, they'd be thrilled and honored to know they have us on their side." she stated, "There's merit in inspiration too."

"Tch!" Akira smirked, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance to back out." he said and slapped on the Panther Crest to its rightful shoulder slot. "I don't want to hear any of you complaining later."

After some time, the four of them exchanged resolute looks. They were ready, all of them had already made up their minds, all that's left now is to make it official. Akira moved towards the door to take the lead.

"Alright then. Let's get ourselves reinstated!"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Natalia, Georg, and Joaquim were strolling around the Grand Cathedral courtyard, satisfying their youngest knight's curiosity about the 'veterans' that have returned to serve. They had met several along the way and Natalia couldn't help but feel impressed by them. Were all of them so skilled? Even she could tell the difference in caliber from the present knights. According to Georg, the first war knights were trained differently, and that method was now called the Old Sword. While he did not elaborate much about it, Natalia could tell the difference just by looking at some of the moves those veterans were dishing out while in training. They had also met this Master Jung person; that man was something else! He had a distinct aura around him only emitted by well established, highly accomplished knights like Master Lethe and her Captain to name a few. Then there was that shield woman again, Natalia couldn't help but think that she was somehow related to Silver in a way. There were some defensive moves she incorporated in her patterns that were remarkably similar to the ones Silver taught them.

"Hey! Hey!" Natalia began to chirp. "Who's that?" she pointed towards a knight who was swinging around an overly large Judgment sword. "His style looks similar to you Georg." she added, stopping in her tracks to watch the man hard at work.

Georg scratched his head in recognition. "His name is Garn. Best steer clear, otherwise he would challenge you to a mock duel." Georg grabbed Natalia by her shoulders and forcefully urged her to move on. It hasn't even been a few minutes of walk yet when Natalia stopped again, intrigued by another knight.

"What about him?" Natalia pointed again, this time towards an axe wielder.

Joaquim was the one to respond this time. "Oh him? That's Darsius. His skill with the Judgment axe is unparalleled. Rather brash by nature but he's a good knight." he laughed but immediately turned to Natalia. "Best steer clear too. Like Garn, he's fond of mock duels."

"O-oh! Okay then.. let's move on." she insisted, happy like she was having a field day watching veterans in action. Several minutes later and she had her eyes set on another veteran. "Oh! I know this one..." she trailed off, trying to recall the bit of information she overheard. "King Jao... or something?" she asked clueless, unable to recall much after all.

Georg was about to correct Natalia when they caught wind of a ruckus starting from behind them. They heard cheering and applause in what seemed to be a lively greeting. Curious, the three made their way towards the source, only to find four individuals strolling towards the Grand Cathedral. Georg smirked, Joaquim scratched his head, and Natalia's jaws dropped. She already knew that the Crests were awesome knights, but seeing them in their full combat gear added more to the image of them in her mind. "They're not just showing off are they?" Natalia just had to ask. Who would have thought that the Crests were this popular among the veteran knights? The newer generation knights didn't seem to care much about them, only the ones who have heard the stories but this... this was something else.

"Nope. I don't think they are." Joaquim answered, his eyes focused on the stars of the show. "Look at their eyes, it looks like they're going to re-enlist too."

An awkward smile played on Natalia's lips. "This is too much... it's like watching superheroes from fantasy books come to life." she sighed.

"Don't be like that Nat, it's like how the newer generation knights treats both squad eight and ten when they see us around." Georg chuckled. "Come, let us welcome them too."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Barrens: Eve's Fortress

One of Eve's Dark Valkyries ran around the fortress in search of her queen. She had urgent matters to report and her mistress was nowhere to be found. She had checked the throne room, the ritual chamber, the broken courtyard, even the highest balcony of the fortress but to no avail. She was just now coming up of a dungeon after beating a group of Sinners because they had no idea where their queen was. Sin damn it all! Where is she?! The Dark Valkyrie spotted another group of Sinners coming out of the fortress kitchen and immediately approached them.

"Queen Eve," she demanded with a harsh tone. "Have you seen her?"

The Sinners cowered under her glare and simply pointed towards the direction of the kitchen. The Dark Valkyrie scratched her head in confusion. What would her queen be doing in the kitchen? It was the one and only place she would never dare set foot on in her fortress and now she was there? Hissing at the group of Sinners before leaving them to their own devices, the Dark Valkyrie stomped her way towards the said area where Eve was. She pushed the kitchen doors rather forcefully to open them.

"My queen there you are! I've been looking all over for.. you..?" the sense of urgency in her tone dropped at the sight of the female demon. She was wearing maid garbs, humming a happy tune while mixing what looked like a deadly concoction, fuming both green and purple mist inside a cauldron using an overly large ladle. The startled demon queen spun around her heels, a vibrant dash of red in her cheeks.

"Close the door you maggot!!" she spat venomously, emitting an intent to kill and had the Dark Valkyrie moved a second slower to do her bidding, she would have no doubt lost her life. Eve immediately spun around, hiding her blushing face, cursing the fact that she forgot to lock the door.

"M-may I ask what you are... doing?" the Dark Valkyrie hesitantly voiced her question.

"What does it look like you imbecile! I'm cooking!" Eve hissed, the motion of her mixing hands growing stronger but immediately softening at the thought of her lord, the person intended to receive this lovely meal.

The Dark Valkyrie eyed the ingredients her queen kept tossing inside the cauldron. There were horns covered in slime, unknown roots, Sin Crystals, some fruits, and slabs of... is that Sinner meat?! The Dark Valkyrie shivered in horror. What does the God of Sin eat exactly? She swallowed a dry gulp of air, knowing that her life was on the line should she say anything not to Eve's liking.

"So, what are you here for? You know I don't like being disturbed when in the middle of something."

The question jolted the Dark Valkyrie back to her senses. It would seem her life was still on the line any way she looked at it for having disturbed her queen in such a.. tender moment? Regardless, the report needed to be passed on. Bracing herself, the Dark Valkyrie knelt behind her queen.

"Our Reapers have almost finished setting up the passage in Lindela. It should be ready in a few days time."

Eve did not respond immediately. Her lord was the dominant thought in her mind. While she had initially planned to strike at Lindela sooner, her priorities changed upon seeing how weakened her lord had become. His recovery is of the utmost priority at the moment. The Light infested bastards can have the time they would spare them; not that it would change the outcome now that her lord has been revived. They can wallow in their last moments for a while longer. After all, it is always enthralling to shatter a false sense of comfort.

"Have them continue their pace but make sure that the passage is never found. We will strike way behind schedule."

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 7:39 am 
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[[Day 19 of Month -4 :: Tethel ]]

Trembling pale hands lifted the helmet that completed his ensemble, slowly raising it to his head. It hadn’t even passed his chest before the hunk of metal slipped from his fingers. There was an ugly crash as it slammed onto the dresser and slid off, bouncing once on the carpeted floor before rolling to a halt. Bloodshot black eyes glanced over at the offending piece of armor, lips pressed thin with suppressed emotion.

Slowly, Verlassen took one step in the direction of the helmet, then another. He gingerly bent down but then paused midway, the pain from his movements too strong to overcome. Hands dreamt of clenching themselves in fury but they hurt too much to follow through on such a pointless fit of pique. Shallow breaths through his nose helped him endure the pain before he could continue moving. His gauntlet covered hands finally wrapped themselves around his helmet and he laboriously lifted himself back into an upright position. Resuming his position in front of the mirror, the Knight King of Tethel rested his helmet there once more.

Pale white skin, midnight black hair, and his infamous beauty mark all stared back at him. Only the tiny beads of sweat at the sides of his face betrayed his discomfort. He was the Knight King of Tethel. He was Verlassen. He was the only Pure/demon hybrid known to exist. He swallowed harshly. Then how did his dear sweet wife still manage to be better than him?! His fist slammed into the mirror, shattering it. He was a ****ing Sin-infected Pure and somehow Centienne had still…

Fingernails dug harshly into his cheeks, the dainty hand forcing his head up with surprising force. Cold blue eyes stared down at his battered form impassively. “What happened that night?” She demanded without an ounce of haste, as if she had all the time in the world to get her answers from him. She probably did; the Queen of Tethel could easily rearrange her schedule on a whim and there were none to contradict her. Verlassen said nothing in response, hateful eyes staring back at her. His arms and feet were bound; he could do nothing in response. His defiance didn’t even elicit a flicker of anger from the blue-haired woman. Electricity flowed from her hand into the tortured man, sending him into another fit of screaming. Sooner or later, the easy way or the hard way, she’d find out what exactly had happened on the fifteen of last month.

“Darling!” A cheerful voice called through the door like the scratching of nails on chalkboards. “Hurry up! We need to head out soon!” There was a hum as his loving wife walked past his room, no doubt going to the living room to wait for him. The welts on his back flared at a reminder of the last time he’d tested Centienne’s patience. She was keeping him on a shorter and shorter leash recently. He lifted his helmet and slammed it into place, forcing sore fingers to lock it into place. Who was he kidding? He’d always just been a slave, just to different masters.
~~~~~

[[Day 20 of Month -4, Morning :: Caletta]]

“The challenges before us today are numerous and complex. But I am convinced that, as long as our bonds between each other, our fellow humans, and the Divine Light remain strong, we can face them together, and we can overcome them. May the Divine Light guide us and keep us safe.”

“May the Divine Light guide us and keep us safe.” The congregation murmured back, marking the end of the morning worship. There was a moment of silence before Advocate Selenity stepped off the podium and normal, post-worship chatter filled the room: neighbors called out to each other, children stretched and made demands for lunch. A brown-haired stranger stayed sitting, eyes closed as she faced the front of the Church. The noontime sunlight warmed her face and she tried to savor the tranquility for a moment longer. The sensation of something bumping into her knee ended such an attempt and Lethe opened her eyes, turning her head to look at who had run into her.

A small brown-haired boy was coughing, the fits wracking his entire frame. When he finally paused, teary green eyes peeked up at her. “Sor-Sor-“ he had to pause to cough again, “Sorry lady.”

“It’s fine.” Lethe replied with a kind smile, sweeping a brown lock out of her face. “Are you okay?” The boy nodded enthusiastically but paused as another coughing fit shook his body. “Would you like me to heal that for you?” Lethe asked with a concerned frown. She knew Valiar said it was important for children to naturally develop their immune systems, but she couldn’t stand the idea of the poor child in pain. Round green eyes looked at her, “Could you?”

“Of course,” she responded, gathering her holy magic to her hand. She placed her glowing hand on the crown of his head, letting her magic filter through the boy. It was simple enough to sooth the inflammation in his throat and chase away the sickness. She even reinforced his bones and muscles before she withdrew her hand. The boy was smiling pleasantly at her, seemingly drowsy after his healing.

“Thank you, Lady Cleric!” A feminine voice exclaimed in relief from behind her. “Tommy’s been coughing like that for weeks now.” The mother reached a hand out to her son, smoothing down his hair. The boy seemed to wake up from the sensation.

“Has anyone else?” Lethe wondered as she got to her feet. Cricket had mentioned it was still hard to get cough drops though he’d been able to locate a few here and there. “No, thankfully not on Gless.” The other woman replied even as Tommy grinned at them, chirped his thanks, and then ran off. “Excuse me, lady cleric. Again, thank you so much for your aid.” With a bemused look, Tommy’s mother went hurrying after him, barely catching him before he jumped onto one of the pews.

“Of course, may the Divine Light guide you and keep you safe.” The disguised Seraph murmured after the retreating woman and son. With a smile to herself, Lethe slipped out of the emptying Church. What better way to start the morning than with a sermon and a good deed?
~~~~~

[[Day 20 of Month -4, Day :: The Grand Cathedral]]

Quote:
I’ve scanned the two men you sent to me. Absolutely nothing was wrong with them.

Leon frowned down at the note in his hand. Even the clear displeasure from one of his idols was unable to dismay him. So even Lady Cora hadn’t noticed anything unusual about those two men. But he could have sworn there had been something amiss. He knew he had sensed something sinister lingering around them. Not too long ago, he would have just assumed he’d messed up. He would have just written his premonition off as a passing fancy. Of course Lady Cora knew better than him.

But did she really? Hazel eyes swept over the courtyard, looking at the numerous Scribes, Advocates, and Knights walking around. He was in the middle of the Grand Cathedral and there was still something that left him unsettled. He couldn’t pinpoint it to any one source. It didn’t have the same allure that had blanketed Luciano. But something was undoubtedly there. His every sense was telling him that something was off. He just wasn’t sure what.
~~~~~

“High! Middle! Low! High! Middle! Keep those shields up!”

Dietrich struggled to follow the instructions, forcing his aching arm to lift his shield as his opponent’s sword smacked down onto the slab of wood and metal. While his brain remembered these exercises, it was clear his body didn’t. Ten years of peace had dulled his reflexes and Leona was trying her best to hammer the muscle memory back into their sore bodies.

“Widen your stance.” “Loosen your arm.” A yelp as a pale hand yanked down on the shield, setting it straight once more. A squinty eyed, silver-haired Knight stalked through the ranks of training veterans. A jagged blade tapped at any errors she found, forcing limbs into the proper alignments. Clearly Leona and Diana hadn’t spent these past ten years idly; the two were some of the few who seemed in as good condition now as they had been during the First War, probably why Master Jung has requested their assistance in helping the other, less practiced veterans.

A sharp blade touched against his leg and then pulled it out, making his foot inch out. His center of gravity dropped and he found, suddenly, his legs weren’t complaining as loudly as they had been. “Keep your center of mass down.” The displeased voice hissed, its low tone all the more audible due to the shouting and grunting backdrop. Without even a further glance, the silver-haired woman walked past him onto her next victim.

Sccaaarrrryyyyyy!! Brown eyes glanced at the stalking Diana with a touch of panic. He’d rather fight a Sinner than her! A thump on his shield reminded him of practice and he looked back at his opponent to see a similar smile of near terror. “She’s scary, huh?” His opponent muttered with a darting of his eyes towards the silver-haired Knight. Dietrich could only nod in response as Leona shouted out again: “Low! High! Low!”
~~~~~

[[Day 20 of Month -4, Afternoon :: Districts Eight and Nine, Lindela ]]

“How’s Roland been? Still sick?”

Adair nodded in response, eyes on the streets below them. Rooftops were the purview of the Pristine Knights and it made travel all the easier to not have to fight with Lindela’s crowds. Even with the unrest in Palaugrim, the markets were business as usual. “He keeps claiming he’s not sick but he’s been coughing a lot.” The younger man elaborated, satisfied there was nothing amiss below.

Valiar looked up from his own survey of the streets. “Want me to take a look at him?” He lifted a hand in greeting at a passing squad but didn’t stop the other group. He and Adair had been patrolling these districts the past few days at Lethe’s request. It was pretty boring work, to be honest, but he enjoyed the extra time with his family. He didn’t doubt that their families had been a large reason he and Adair had been set on patrol duty when Deimos, Seraphim or Cricket would have been better suited for such work.

A wry chuckle brought the black-haired Knight’s attention back to the conversation at hand. “I don’t think he’d let you. He’s evaded all of brother’s schemes so far.” Valiar laughed as well; he didn’t doubt the blond-haired advocate had come up with some ridiculous ideas. He’d heard enough crazy stories to know the world had dodged an arrow when Grisia had happily decided to retire and dote on his younger brother.

“Well tell me if there’s anything I can do to help. It’s really no problem for me.”

“Thanks.” The two fell into an amicable silence. They’d already caught up on each others’ families the first day and any other more relevant topics they might want to discuss weren’t really appropriate for the rooftops. Valiar scanned the streets around him, making sure to check Adair’s side as well. The younger man had an intense look on his face; he was no doubt thinking about Vice Captainly stuff too complicated for Valiar’s simple brain. The cleric didn’t envy Adair the job. It was simple enough for him to keep an eye on Adair’s side of the street as well, though truthfully he doubted he’d spot anything. There was a higher chance one of them would feel the Reaper’s presence than happen to see a towering, caped figure that somehow hadn’t scared off all the people around it.

Up ahead, he caught sight of a familiar purple hairdo. Cricket was out snooping again, it seemed. A flare of his aura had both Adair and Cricket turning towards him and he waved at the latter as they jumped past. “I wonder how he’s doing.” Valiar mused aloud.

“Good I believe,” came the surprising response. “He seemed fine last night.”

“Still coming by your house to practice?”

“Every other night.” The purple-haired Knight probably would have come more often by Grisia had wanted more time with his younger brother while Adair was still in town. The two had come to a compromise of every other day. It was, as Adair had pointed out, in his better interest to have competent Knights around him.

“How--” The rest of Valiar’s words were lost at the sudden sensation of Sin. No words were needed as both turned towards the outskirts of District Nine. Each jump suddenly took them further as Arms x Vernier took effect. It took less than a minute for them to reach the origin of Sin, helpfully accentuated by what sounded like two children screaming.

The instinctive panic Valiar felt at the shouts, ingrained into him the moment he first held Annabelle, suddenly dulled away. He wouldn’t say he became apathetic, but the underlying worry vanished and let him focus more clearly on the situation at hand. Two children were huddled against a wall, no longer yelling but still clearly terrified. A Reaper loomed over them with one bony hand outstretched.

A burst of speed and then a moment of weightlessness: he hit the ground running and snatched at the two children, pulling them out of harm’s way. A clang of metal on bone told him the Reaper would be occupied as Adair entered the fray.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Valiar tried to soothe the children--two little boys, he now noticed--as he moved away from the fight. He needed to get back soon but first he wanted to make sure these two would be safe. Hostages would derail the fight even faster than him being gone for a minute or two. “You’re safe; uncle’s got you.” Whatever calming aura Adair was emitting had helped quiet them, making them easier to place on the rooftop. “You two stay here by me, okay? Uncle will keep you safe, but I need my hands” He’d much rather they be somewhere hidden but he didn’t know the surroundings well enough. If there was one Reaper here, who knew if there were others. He turned to face the fight which was a good twenty meters away. If the fight actually turned their way, it wouldn’t be nearly far enough but any further and he wouldn’t be able to support Adair.

His first spell created a basic barrier around them; his second was a detection spell to give him a bit of warning if anything actually came his way. “Stay by me.” He ordered again, feeling one of them wrap an arm around his leg. “Deus Corona! Deus Eques!

The first attack had clearly caught the Reaper off guard. However, the Sin creature had quickly recovered. The scythe clanged again Adair’s shield and Adair took the opportunity to strike at the Reaper’s unprotected side. There was a screech of metal as the Reaper backtracked and dragged its scythe with it. Knight and Sin creature stared at each other, both trying to determine what steps to take next. The latter took the initiative by rushing for the former; it drew its scythe back. Adair tightened his grip on his shield. The strike would come on his unprotected side. He could try to block it anyways but it’d put him at a disadvantage. The past week of training with his brother asserted itself. Instead of stepping back, his normal second reaction, he dove under the swipe, rolling back onto his feet in a cacophony of metal clanks. He definitely needed to practice that move in armor in the future.. Feeling Valiar’s magic settle around him, Adair swung at the Reaper. One arm fell off even as the Reaper screamed in pain. The unexpected sound had Adair flinching back before he regained his resolve. The Reaper was hunched over now, scythe forgotten in lieu of cradling the steaming cut.

There was a flash of uncertainty but Adair ignored it. Reapers couldn’t be absolved. The best thing he could do was--it was too late. Carried with the force of Valiar’s enchantments and Adair’s momentum, Adair’s Judgement sliced through the Reaper’s neck. The head went flying, falling to the ground in a wet thump, wraps peeling away to reveal a human face half covered in metal.
~~~

Valiar lifted a hand to place on Adair’s shoulder, paused, and then let it drop. What was there to say? Unconsciously, his eyes sought the place where the head had lain before he swivelled back. Lights Above…Even from his distance, he’d seen the way Adair had suddenly tried to reverse his attack. He’d been ready to jump forward--he didn’t know why Adair was suddenly withdrawing but he’d defend his squadmate--when the cloak had fallen apart to reveal. He swallowed down his nausea. That-- It had definitely been a Reaper. It had also definitely been a human head. He pulled a heavy hand down his face, the sensation a temporary distraction from his thoughts. Lights Above.. The Reapers were humans? No wonder Adair had tried to stop the attack at the last moment.

The worst part, he thought clinically, wasn’t the knowledge that the Reapers were human. Oh, that was undoubtedly horrifying, but compared to some of the monsters from the First War? He felt his heart sink; the worst part was he wasn’t that appalled. During the First War, he’d lost that instinctive denial of such atrocities. Things had been that bad. And if this was any indication--he turned a sad look on the still Adair--soon this generation of Knights would also lose that immediate repudiation.

“I’ll go tell Captain.” He offered instead, “You head home.” To his surprise though, Adair finally reacted. When the younger man turned around, his face was resolute. “No, I’ll tell Captain. She…” Green eyes also instinctively glanced at where the Reaper had lain, “She’ll need to know we’ve slain the Reaper.”

She’d also need to be told the truth of the Reapers. Valiar sighed at the thought of her inevitable reaction. Nothing went easy for his poor Captain. “We’ll tell her tomorrow.” He made the executive decision, the authority in his voice startling a sidewards look from Adair. “Nothing will change between telling her now and tomorrow except she’ll get a better night of rest today.” His reasoning earned a slow nod from his squadmate. Valiar made a note to himself to mention the incident to one of Adair’s brothers. “Tomorrow morning, half past ten?” The next nod almost seemed normal. “Let’s go.”
~~~~~

[[Day 20 of Month -4, Early Evening :: Gless ]]

“Woah… you look terrible.” Jessiah commented impolitely as a battered Dietrich entered the Joaquim household. The brown-haired veteran tried to smile in response but it looked too pained to contain any mirth. “I’m afraid ten years of inactivity has not prepared me well for Knighthood.” Dietrich quipped in response, gratefully sinking into the chair Joaquim indicated him towards.

“You looked like you were done well,” Joaquim responded encouragingly, taking a seat of his own. “Have you finished your homework?” He directed the question toward his son who grinned back. “Mama called me down for dinner already.” Which meant he didn’t have to work on his homework until dinner finished, even though they weren’t at the table yet.

“Where is Bianca anyways?” Dietrich looked around curiously, missing the amused look Joaquim and Jessiah shared.

“Mama’s just finishing up dinner.” The younger replied with the same grin as earlier. “So what kind of training did you do today?”

The three chatted easily until a voice called out from the kitchen: “Dinner’s ready!” A smiling Biana stuck her head in, cheeks a rosy red and her hair in disarray. Dietrich startled in his seat, his entire body protesting the sudden jump. He hadn’t even heard anyone back there! There was a roar of laughter from his side and he felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. What kind of Knight was he if he couldn’t even hear a civilian woman making dinner?

“Go take a seat! I’ll bring the food out!”

“Go help your mom.”

The two men relocated to the dining room table, Bianca and Jessiah soon joining them when the table had been set. Wide brown eyes looked over the dinner set in front: an amazing looking lasagna, salad, and a crusty looking garlic bread. Surprisingly, it looked like it had come straight out of the oven. “Bianca, you’re such a talented cook!” Dietrich praised, his earnest expression faltering at the sudden snorts from around him.

“Why thank you Dietrich,” The matron of the household replied with a sweet glare at her husband and son, “I’m so glad you think that!”
~~~~~

[[Day 20 of Month -4, Night :: The Grand Cathedral ]]

Who was an awesome scribe? Oh yeah. Omi! Said Scribe looked at the thirteen stacks arrayed in front of him with a victorious smirk. All of them were frayed and had clearly seen better days, no doubt a result of having been stuck in those cardboard boxes for who knew how long. If anything, it was a miracle that they weren’t in a worse state. Those preservation seals had run out of power years ago but their effects had somehow lingered. Seal makers before the Rising must have been much more skilled than the current ones! Before he could contemplate the differences further, Omi shook his head and forced himself to focus on the papers in front of him.

Each represented all the information he’d been able to dig up on each member of squad seven plus as many mission reports as had been available as he compiled all the other data.

Yentl Travere
Andromach Sommer
Abel D’Arques
Nygel D’Arques
Daria Lindquist
Yves Linser
Fenix Zegher
Estella Quinn
Ingram Mattson
Nike Nguyen
Guilford Rosenwulf
Lethe Urilla

He’d never known—really, never even thought—about the fact there had been other members of Squad Seven: nine of them, in fact. All he’d ever known was Masters Lethe and Guilford had been in the same squad under the Lightbringer Abel d’Arques. But to think there had been nine other stories, all forgotten now.

In a moment of surprising tenderness, he caressed the closest stack of papers. This was the most rewarding part of being a Scribe; this was why he’d chosen this path. They wouldn’t be forgotten anymore. He’d read their facts and stitch together their lives. At least one person would know their stories.
~~~~~

[[Day 21 of Month -4, Early Morning :: Gless ]]

There was still a bite of cold in the morning air but YunQiao ignored it. His attention was on the two portraits he stood in front of. Two familiar pairs of blue eyes looked out at him, both exuding the dignity and authority expected of heirs of the Cao family. Under their gazes, painted though they were, he felt himself straightening further. His fingers tightened on the sticks of incense, the thin wood pressing against the pads of his fingers.

GangYong and YunHe had been the idols of his childhood. His father had been a taciturn man, Knight Captain of the town’s forces. YunHe had been a prodigy with the sword, easily the top of his Pristine Knight class despite graduating early. “As expected of the Cao family!” the neighbors would exclaim in pride whenever another of YunHe’s or GangYong’s accomplishments reached their ears. YunQiao had always puffed up in pride at such words. His father and brother were surely the best! Nothing could beat them!

But some things could. Pure Sinners could. They had only been expecting a nest of Sinners, not a Pure Sinner as well.

“Your father and brother were heroes. They stayed so we could escape.” One Knight had shame facedly explained to YunQiao, tears falling from his eyes. It was the first time YunQiao had seen a grown man cry. Father and brother had never cried; they’d always been composed, dignified. Surely this.. not man, for men didn’t cry, was lying. How could his brother and father be dead?

It took all the strength in his eight year old self not to cry when they finally brought his brother’s and father’s corpses home. He was a man now. He was the heir of the Cao family. He had to take care of mother.

YunQiao bowed his head at the memory of the still bodies. Even now, sixteen years later, it was hard to remember the sight. However, when he looked up once more, his eyes were still dry. He stepped forward, toes curling at the sudden movement after so much stillness, and gently inserted the four sticks of incense into the pot. The smoke curled lazily past the portraits of his father and his brother, immortalized in ink only a year before their deaths.

Were they proud of him now? Had he done justice to their memories? He clapped his hands together, the sudden sound breaking the tranquility of the morning, and bowed towards the two portraits. He would continue upholding the Cao name in their steads.

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:36 pm 
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Day 20th of Month 4: Grand Cathedral - Scout Division Central HQ


Akira walked through the halls of the Scout Division headquarters alone. While he may have spent a good year in this part of the Grand Cathedral before he quit, much has changed since he last set foot on this particular establishment. It was now significantly bigger than he last remembered, extensions have been added to what was once just a single square block building. Multiple training rooms of different purposes have also been built to aid their division; there were even stay-in quarters to add to that! Impressive really, all things considered about how underrated the Scout Division have always been compared to their Knight or Cleric counterparts. It would seem that over the years, the High Council had finally realized the true value of tactical intelligence, and made joining this division more enticing for potential talents that sought to serve.

Having re-enlisted, Akira deemed it necessary for him to memorize the new layout of their headquarters; a Scout getting lost in his home turf? Not a chance! He wandered around every possible location the establishment had to offer, with the goal of getting himself acquainted to the passages. He took mental notes of interesting places, as well as those which would prove to be useful to him. Along the way, he encountered Scouts who looked at him either suspiciously, curiously, or questioningly.

As much discomfort their looks brought, he could not hold it against them that he seemed like the odd man out. There was nothing wrong if he favored the old Scout uniform compared to the latest one adapted by their division; it was a matter of personal preference. Of course, aside from the older uniform being much more stylish—as opposed to the ones now that made them look like brothers of trees—the black ones he had were crafted by Gil and enchanted with magic augments that boosted his capabilities as a Scout; there was just no way he was letting his old gear go.

Among the many Scouts he encountered along the way, none of them struck him as an acquaintance, not even a familiar soul. They were mostly new faces to him. Akira sighed, to think that he would feel alienated within the Scout division? It was slightly depressing...

"Hey there newbie! Are you lost or something?"

A voice came asking him from behind. The question itself elicited an involuntary twitch from Akira's brows. Newbie? Him? Akira slowly turned around to meet the owner of the voice, only to be greeted by a pair of Scouts on his case. Deep down inside, he was half hoping that they would recognize who he really was and own up to their mistake of calling him a newbie but...

"We'd be happy to give you a tour if you want?" the female scout chirped helpfully.

Defeat was imminent. Having enjoyed a long hiatus from service, he wouldn't hold it against the scouts of today too if they could not recognize him at all. Sighing, Akira brought out his handy pen and a piece of paper. He bowed gratefully towards the two and simply said, "Thank you. I would greatly appreciate it if you could show me around."

The two smiled at him and took the lead, gesturing for him to follow. Along their tour, the two Scouts were nice enough to even give Akira a brief explanation of the places they showed him around. Akira appreciatively took notes of the things that struck his interest such as the new Stealth Training Room they now had; these two sounded pretty proud of it and that made him want to check it out later.

After what felt like a good hour, the trio of scouts finally reached their Hall of Recognition, their second to the last stop. The Scouts of today have deemed this place sacred, for within these halls lie portraits of those honorable and highly distinguished scouts that have ever graced the Light with their service.

As the three walked through the halls, Akira looked at the portraits displayed on both sides of the walls. Although nameless, some of them in the portraits he recognized from the time of the First War: Ronsin, Allain, Tibalt, Damaris, June, and Elina to name a few. Upon closer inspection, it became clear to Akira that the portraits followed an arrangement based on achievements or contribution. Further down near the end of the hall, he recognized another portrait. Though he did not know the person in the said portrait, he was a familiar face.

Akira stopped to look at the man in the portrait. From where he stood, the image of the man looked uncomfortable at best, and that only highlighted the stern features of his even more. Though he could not recall this man by name, one thing he was sure of was that nothing but great feats were accomplished by him back in the day. A smirk lined Akira's lips, "Thank you for your dedication to the Light brother, may the Divine Light keep you safe." he silently said and saluted the portrait.

The scouts acting as his tour guide came walking back towards him after noticing that he was no longer trailing behind them. The male scout looked at the portrait, and then to Akira. "You know this man?" he curiously asked. Akira shook his head, "Only his achievements." he answered and turned towards the end of the hall. The two scouts were puzzled by his answer but said nothing, following behind Akira until they came to another stop. He had only taken a few steps away from the last portrait when another caught Akira's attention.

This time, the one he was looking at had a mischievous grin on him and gave off a creepy aura. Compared to him now, the one in the portrait had shorter hair, cleanly cut, and had less defined facial features. Well, it had been a while so that did not come as a surprise. This younger version of himself reminded Akira of his immaturity.

"What about him?" this time the female scout asked.

Akira found it hard not to chuckle. Was it really that hard to tell? Well, even Master Lethe thought he was a woman before. The pair of scouts exchanged confused looks with each other before turning their gaze back to Akira, who had just now recovered from his amusement.

"Here, this is for you." he handed the male scout a piece of folded paper, "It might come in handy in the future." he winked and smiled mischievously as he turned towards the female scout. "As for you my dear, you should confess to him," he nodded towards her male companion, "he's not going to do it if you keep waiting." he said to her, watching the female scout turn bright red. Satisfied, he chuckled and turned around, "Thanks for the tour, I can find my way from here." he waved a hand at the two behind him.

The perplexed scouts looked at the portrait and then at the back of the man they just showed around. Just then did it struck both of them; that mischievous smile earlier was remarkably similar..

"Hey... do you think... it's him?" the female scout wondered out loud.

"36-24-36..." the male scout mumbled, mostly to himself while looking at the contents of the paper given to him. He had heard the rumors about this one particular scout in the portrait, about his achievements and his love for... figures. "Yeah... it's him." he mouthed off in disbelief.






Day 20th of Month 4: Grand Cathedral - Cleric Division


Today was a very special day for the Cleric Division. Preparations for a grand welcome underwent final touches as the Grand Cathedral bells tolled eight in the morning. An old soul, Head Cleric Heidie, instead of being chained to her office chair, waited eagerly at the front of their division hall. Her expectant green hues stayed trained at the end of the expanse between their hall and the gates. Word has apparently reached her ears that a certain young cleric—the greatest in her opinion—had re-enlisted. She would greet this one personally.

A flock of her subordinates gathered behind her back, sharing a feeling akin to what their Head Cleric had; only it was more of a curious nature.

When an image of a female clad in white and blue tones graced their vision, whispers began within the flock of clerics behind Heidie. Some of them recognized her, but for the most who didn't? Their Head Cleric chuckled quietly at their questions: Who was she? Why would our Head Cleric greet her personally? What made her special to receive this kind of welcome? They obviously wouldn't know.
She was the one who drastically improved their Art of Healing and changed their clerical standards. She was the very same one who created Divine Sanctuary, the pinnacle of their healing arts. She was also their first ever battle-cleric, and her name is Cora Dalyngridge, their Dove of Light.

Unable to contain the excitement in her legs, Heidie hurried down the short flight of steps followed closely by her subordinates to meet Cora halfway. Her bright smile was the first to greet Cora, trailed by her extended and opened arms. Heidie did not give Cora the chance to speak and simply enveloped the smaller woman in a warm and welcoming embrace. "I am so glad that you came back, Cora." she said with shaky tone, unmistakably overjoyed and on the verge of tears, "You have been missed dearly." she added and hugged the younger cleric tighter; a testament to her emotions.

The plethora of Heidie's subordinates greeted her as well in unison, but they could only stare at the tender moment between the two after.

Unable to speak coherently while being smothered by the Head Cleric's embrace, Cora patiently waited for Heidie to let go. When she did, her coffee-colored eyes met Heidie's green ones followed by an equally bright smile, "I missed you too Lady Hei—no," she caught herself before she blurted her words out casually. She had re-enlisted; a poor show of decorum was unacceptable. "it's Head Cleric Heidie to me now." Cora corrected herself followed by a light bow of her head.

"Oh shush! Nonsense!" Heidie dismissed her attempt at formality, "Don't you dare go stiff on me now! I've had enough of that from my body alone." she chuckled and reached for Cora's hands. "Come, a lot has changed since you left." she tugged the younger woman along, "I'd personally show you around."

"I would love that!" Cora conveyed her excitement as she walked side by side with Heidie. Now given time to look around, her eyes wandered over this old place, taking in the changes that were easily noticeable such as the bigger and wider courtyard; even the division hall itself was now bigger than she last remembered. She had only stayed a good nine months when the Cleric Division had first been re-established on Gless and with that, her memories of old about this place only served to strengthen the notion of change Head Cleric Heidie spoke of.

"Wow..." Cora mumbled beneath her breath, she turned her gaze towards Heidie with surprised eyes, "I know you said a lot has changed but.. this is too much!" she continued in astonishment, gaze turning back towards the renovated and redesigned areas.

"Well," Heidie drew the word out, "Remember when Master Guilford used to arm-wrestle with the High Council about increasing the resource allocation and funding that we've been receiving? And how it always ended up denied?" she asked her returnee and received a nod in response, "When he learned about your resignation from service, he passionately forced the High Council to give in to his demands. I don't know what he said but it worked!" Heidie exclaimed, clearly still in disbelief about how their male Seraph went about it. "I also heard that Master Lethe had a hand in it too, saying that: Our Clerics should not be neglected," Heidie tried to playfully mimic the tone and manner of speech by their female Seraph.

It was news to her but Cora laughed at the mediocre mimicking attempt by their Head Cleric, as did the older woman. Of course the real Lethe—the real Master Lethe (given her manners and eloquence which she experienced firsthand) obviously sounded a lot more dignified and composed. Cora smiled at the thought, perhaps she had given Master Lethe far too little credit than she obviously deserved. With this, perhaps it wouldn't be too difficult to see that woman in a new light, perhaps they could even be friends. Not that she was planning on immediately doing so but still, it was enough for her to realize she was not entirely adverse to the idea. Her smile lingered as she and Heidie fell into easy chatter while touring the much improved Cleric Division.






Day 20th of Month 4: Lindela - District 5


Seven knights found themselves gathered before District Five's northern gates. They were armed, mounted, well-stocked, and ready to leave for a search and destroy mission; except a squad should have eight knights total and they were missing one. Lance, the squad captain, turned his head to look back at his knights, unsurprised by the fact that his Vice Captain was the one missing. Thoughts of his wandered back to their last interaction...


Quote:
He was that man?! Yulia couldn't believe what she just heard. How could he do this to her?! He knew! By the Light he knew what he had done and yet he still had the impertinence to take her under his wings?! Her hands trembled, more so with the steadily increasing amount of rage that nestled easily in her heart. Why would he do this? What was this man trying to accomplish? What was he hoping to get out of her by pulling this stunt? What was he after? Was it forgiveness?! Atonement?! Deliverance?!! Or was it the fact that he took pleasure in making a fool out of people?! Once again, the tears she had fought back so hard emerged from her eyes.

..She could make him bleed..
..She could make him feel her hatred..

..She could make him realize her pain..


Yulia suddenly rose from her seat; only the whispers of her silent sobs heard within the room's quiet air. It would have helped her make a decision should this man chose to have kept talking... but why?! Why had he chosen to remain silent?! He should have defended himself! Or even tried to make up excuses! But he didn't. Why?! Yulia felt her heart getting crushed by his and her sadness combined. His eyes still stared at her, those sad, regret-filled eyes that said nothing but 'sorry' in the subtlest of ways... she couldn't stand them! There was nothing that he could have said or done to bring her brother back! Absolutely nothing!

..She would make him bleed..

..She would make him feel her hatred..

..She would make him realize her pain..

Conscious thought absent, Yulia made her way around the desk to where her Captain was seated until he was within her reach. Her hands were clenched tightly, an evidence of how much effort she put to control her emotions visible with the way they trembled. He had followed her with his doleful gaze and when their eyes met; the look in his eyes made her flinch given the thought she had nurtured in mind. No! She cannot—would not—be stopped! More than anything, he at least deserved this much if not more... right? She was allowed to do this much to him at least right?!

In the midst of her confused thoughts, Yulia ceased from trying to justify the next action she would take..

She pulled her right fist back—never in her life had they ever felt so light! Before she realized the possible consequences of what she was about to do, she had already taken a step back and threw a punch, with all of her powerful emotions (and full weight) behind it. Much to her surprise, her Captain had not flinched or blinked! The same doleful gaze he had only relieved itself from her when her fist landed squarely on his jaw. Just one punch and she was already out of breath. She heaved while she desperately fought her tears back to no avail; they just kept falling and falling. When she pulled her arm back, her Captain turned to look at her again, (blood trickling down the corner of his mouth) without any visible change in the emotion his eyes harbored. He still refused to talk, and he still disgusted her.

Unable to stand having been in his presence any longer, Yulia hastily grabbed the two necklaces on top of her Captain's desk. These were the only things that served as witnesses to this event. She quickly turned and tried to storm out of the room, only to be stopped by his voice when she finally got to the door.

"Yulia!"

She did not bother to turn and look.

"I made a promise to Yael... and I intend to keep it."

Yulia scoffed. What value was there to a coward's promise?


There was no point in waiting any longer, Lance knew she would not come. He had expected this to happen, and he would not hold it against Yulia if she did not want to see his face or be anywhere near him. With a deep breath, Lance unconsciously brought a hand up to his jaw, recoiling at the sting he felt when he touched the part that Yulia hit. This was an insignificant payment for what he did to her.

Resolve steeled, Lance faced forward and nodded at the gate keepers. Moments later, District Five's gates slowly opened, letting out seven knights on horseback, headed towards the sector where the Reaper was last sighted. Lance had learned of Lethe's knights doing a sweep in the other District, though this was clearly against Knight Commander Vicar's orders for his squad, he would not stand idly by.






Day 21 of Month 4: Grand Cathedral (Morning)

A hesitant knight walked the halls of the Cathedral's West wing. Despite her mind's protests, she forcefully willed her legs forward, but the closer she got to Squad Eight's quarters, the harder the pounding of her heart became. Right now, Fiona was thinking of ways to inform both Seraphs of the truth about her: the one that she kept secret for so long.

However, her moment of dread did not last long, for she was soon standing in front of the door that separated her from one of the Seraphs. Fiona brought a shaky hand up to knock on the door.

“Captain, are you there?” she called, trying to make sure her voice wouldn’t crack under the tremendous apprehension she felt.

An audible response was her answer. “Yes, come in.”

Fiona felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of her Captain’s voice. Of course he would be here! Where else would he be? Deep down, she had hoped he was out to train or was in a council meeting, or anywhere but here. Sadly, reality bites. Her shaky hand fell towards the knob, twisting it gently to open the thin wooden barrier that separated her from… their entire squad? What were they doing here at this time? They should be out training!

Seven pairs of eyes turned towards her, some of them had hosting bewildered looks. Why did she have to knock when it was clear she can walk in anytime? She was a member of Squad Eight; this was her squad quarters too. Fiona swallowed a gulp of air. She couldn’t do this with them around.

“C-captain? May I… talk to you in private?” she requested, as meek as her voice sounded.

Puzzled, the male Seraph simply turned to the rest of his squad and nodded. The lot of them filed out of the room until there was only the two of them left.

“Could you.. call Master Lethe too?”

Guilford’s puzzled expression became that of worry. Lethe too? Still, he said nothing but simply wrote a short note and handed it off to his carrier pigeon. A stern look had it flying out the window and, he hoped, delivering it in a timely fashion. It would seem Fiona wouldn’t start talking until both of them were actually here..






There was a knock on the door before it opened, revealing a white-haired Knight. Said Knight looked over the room curiously, spotting both her fellow Seraph and Fiona. “You needed me, Gil?” She had been talking with Adair and Valiar about their encounter yesterday when a familiar carrier pigeon had come fluttering in. It had dropped the letter on her head before finding sanctuary in Adair’s hair. Valiar’s amusement--at both her and Adair’s expenses--had her rolling her eyes until she’d opened the note. Guilford wanted her to come to his quarters right away? It had seemed important, enough so for him to use his pigeon at least, so she’d left her two squadmates to their own devices. And now, she was standing at the edge of Squad Eight’s Quarters, the room empty save her, Guilford, and Fiona. What did Guilford want to share that needed to be said in Fiona’s presence?

“Please have a seat. Fiona wants to talk to us.” he said, finding himself a spot to remain standing. Whatever his knight wanted to talk to both of them about felt too disturbing for him to stay still.

Lethe lifted an eyebrow in response but said nothing more, slipping into the room and letting the door slide shut behind her. She took a seat on the couch opposite Fiona, close to where Gil was brooding. Lifting one hand, she traced familiar runes into the air even as Gil activated his room’s privacy wards. She had a feeling this wasn’t a conversation meant for prying ears.

Fiona eyed Master Lethe as she strolled into the room, into the comfort of the couch directly across her. She then felt the effects of privacy wards being activated by her Captain, boosted by Master Lethe's own; it made her feel a little bit of relief for what its worth. She swallowed a dry gulp of air, as she had done so many times since she decided to tell them the truth. Her Captain staying silent only added to the pressure she already felt. She needed to speak, to get this over with..

“Captain.. Master Lethe.. I,” she paused, finding it odd that her words seem to have gone with the wind.

“Fiona, Master Lethe and I don’t have all day. Out with it.” It sounded more like an order, making the female knight stiffen. “Take your time, Fiona.” Lethe said immediately after she shot a glare at Guilford. “I’m sure whatever you have to say is difficult?” Her attention turned to the Knight across from her, regretting not choosing a seat next to the clearly uncomfortable woman.

If only it was that easy! Fiona wanted to cry. “T-t-the.. God of Sin.. has been revived…”

Any concern for Fiona froze at the words the brunette whispered. The God of Sin.. had been revived? For a moment, all Lethe could remember was the terrifying presence of the God of Sin, the final battlefield where fellow Knights had died like cattle to the slaughter. He.. was back?

The color drained from Guilford’s face. Whatever thoughts he had about investigating Abel and La Gamme instantly took the back seat. The words from Fiona were something he never expected to hear in his lifetime again. Fighting the God of Sin once was enough to instill fear into his heart. He knew just how terrifying that… that thing was and now his knight was saying that it’s back?!

“and it’s… because of me..” Tears began to fall. Fiona was so distraught with her confession, she hadn’t seen the effect her words had made on the two people across from her. Though she wasn’t sobbing much, her breathing was still labored, “I am the one that made his return possible.”

“Made it.. possible? How?!” Panic warped his normally composed tone; he was clearly unsettled.

“They captured me b-because I am a des-descendant of the Pure..” Fiona wailed, now unsure of the next words she should say.

“Excuse me.” Lethe interrupted, clearly not having heard any of the exchange between Guilford and Fiona. The white-haired Knight abruptly got to her feet and paced to one of the windows. The God of Sin was back. They knew something was coming, but for it to be the God of Sin to be back? The light shining in from the window couldn’t pierce the ice that had settled around her. As if Eve hadn’t been enough; as if Palaugrim hadn’t been enough: now there was the God of Sin as well.

In front of unseeing eyes, memories of the First War danced. Estella. Daria. Nights carried only by resolution. Too many brushes with death. How many had died the first time? How many would die this time? Divine Light, guide us safely through these hardships. The words came without conscious thought; how long had these prayers given her the strength to keep going? “The Divine Light never asks more from you than you can bear. Don’t fear, it is always beside you.” Grisia’s words echoed in her mind, enough to give her the conviction to open her eyes once more. The God of Sin was back; alright then. This must have been the premonition they’d felt last month.

When Lethe turned back once more, her face was no longer ashen. “I apologize, could you repeat what you just said, Fiona?” She took a place at the center of the room once more, leaning against Guilford’s desk.

Master Lethe wanted to hear what she just said again? As if saying it the first time had not been hard enough! Still, it might have been shocking for both Seraphs to learn of this news. Only now was Fiona noticing her Captain’s wide eyes and Master Lethe’s.. recess. Fiona, after a deep breath to recenter herself, rephrased her story: “The God of Sin was revived because of me.” Her words were firmer, no longer accompanied by any tears.

“There’s no use crying over spilled milk, Fiona.”


“And this is because..” Lethe prompted. There was no way the blood of any ordinary Knight would have revived the God of Sin; otherwise, he would have been back years ago.

“Because I was captured. Because I am a direct descendant of the Pure. My blood made it possible through the Rite of Creation.” The brunette was coherent now, as if Master Lethe’s composure had rubbed off on her.

Guilford was still in the process of piecing the puzzle together when Fiona’s answers gave him the final pieces that he needed. Direct descendant of the Pure? Rite of Creation? Those did not matter so much as the fact that they now knew about the God of Sin. The real question was..

“Can we win this time?” he voiced out loud, his gaze falling towards Lethe questioningly. He knew how much it took to defeat the God of Sin the first time, and right now.. they didn’t have it.

Blue eyes looked from Fiona to Guilford, her silence response enough. No, as they were right now she didn’t think they could win. But she wouldn’t admit such a thing in front of any of her Knights. “I think the better question is what do you mean about being a descendant of the Pure, Fiona? And what is this about the Rite of Creation?”

Fiona looked away from both Seraphs, no longer able to meet their eyes again. “My lineage is, as I said, directly from the Pure. Our community lives a secluded life, away from everything involving the surface world.. the rest of the world,” she clarified with a vague motion at the air around them. She took another deep breath before continuing, “You could say, it is our bloodline that created the Immaculate..” she turned to meet Master Lethe’s eyes. “And the Rite of Creation is an ancient spell used to create life, the very same spell that shaped this world in the beginning.”

“And this spell can be used to revive the God of Sin… indefinitely?”

A sad expression befell her features, “No Master Lethe, the Rite of Creation needs the blood of a Pure as offering in order for it to work. The Rite of Creation used to revive the God of Sin was a perverted version that used my blood.. it is also the cause of the disturbance in the Divine Realm that most of us felt.” she responded, shoulders slumping at the memory of her capture. None of this would have happened if.. if…

“So your capture was related to the God of Sin’s revival…” Guilford concluded, shocked at the revelation. Now it made sense! That cloaked woman said if they don’t get her back, which made him believe they had averted that danger. They had gotten Fiona back but if blood was the only needed catalyst… Guilford sighed.

“But as long as the Pure are around, the chance of the God of Sin returning remains.” Lethe mused aloud even as Guilford came to his own conclusions.

“And that is exactly why we live a life of seclusion, Master Lethe, as our ideals dictated. We were.. I was not supposed to be here in the first place.. none of us are allowed to intervene anymore after entrusting this world to your generation.” She bitterly repeated the words that had been dictated to her since birth. She’d always thought them just an excuse to be complacent, to do nothing while the rest of the world struggled. Now she knew the truth. “If only I hadn’t been so stubborn with wanting to change this world..” she trailed off, guilt clogging her throat and memories of the past now free flowing in her mind. “The Pure, our community, always watched the worldly events… staying neutral through it all. I couldn’t stand it.. that’s why I left and became a knight.” A vicious sound echoed through the room, a mockery of a laugh, “and now look what I’ve accomplished.”

Guilford looked down on the carpeted floor. His thoughts lingered more towards the many branches this war could—would—take now that the God of Sin walked the earth once more. Blame, responsibility, reasons: none of those mattered now. Immediate action was what they needed, but what could they really do? The knighthood, in its current state, was not up to par with the dark times that just turned darker.

“What’s done is done.” Lethe broke the silence, voice more cold than she would have liked. She couldn’t blame Fiona for wanting to make a change in the world; after all, wasn’t that why she was a Knight as well? Wasn’t that why all of her squad had chosen Knighthood? It was just this time, such a choice had such terrible consequences. “We can only look forwards now. Knight Fiona, is there anything else you need to share with us?”

“Yes.” the answer was immediate. Irene had been kind enough to act as her bridge to their community. She was grateful for her assistance, and for giving her a bit of hope. “When the Rising took place, my people also imparted another gift to your generation,” she looked at both Seraphs before her, “It was the Rite of Ascension.” before, she had no idea about how the Seraphs became more powerful than any of the current knights in service, until Irene revealed this information to her.

Guilford’s brow twitched at the mention of the familiar rite. Nobody but the Council and them knew about it. It was the ritual both he and Lethe had undertaken a few days after they have received their title.

“It’s incomplete.” Fiona added, pulling out what seemed like a page of ancient writing from her pouch. “Please, take this..” she offered, unfurling it so they could see the printed text, “it’s the final phase of the Rite of Ascension, my people’s last gift to your generation.”

Curious eyes laid upon the supposed final phase of the rite. Is this supposed to help them now? Skeptical, Guilford approached her and took the page, examining it only to learn that majority of what was written.. he could not understand. He was about to ask when Fiona suddenly stood up and bowed before him..

“Captain… may I take my leave?” she sounded pleading, “I need to gather my thoughts too.”
Gil looked at Lethe, asking his fellow Seraph for her opinion. He was not in this alone..

“Dismissed, Knight Fiona.” Lethe replied, as distant as ever. “I’m sure it goes without saying, please do not spread this news around. If there’s any other information you can relay to us, Guilford and I are available at any time.”

Fiona bowed in respect. She understood the weight this information had more than any other knight. She did not say a word more but simply hurried out the door.

Guilford deflated after Fiona had left their quarters, “Lights above..” he looked out the window, unsure if he even had the right mindset to come up with a plan.

Lethe similarly seemed to deflate once the door closed behind the brunette. Silence lingered in the air as both Seraphs attempted to make sense of the bombshell that had just been dropped upon them. “Well…” The white-haired Knight spoke up, barely keeping the curse that wanted to escape from being said. She’d spent way too much time with Cricket it seemed. “Now what?”

Now what indeed…” the male Seraph mumbled thoughtlessly as he made his way back to his desk. None of them expected this, and it came at a pretty bad time. His thoughts were scrambled, his priorities in disarray. Just what was the right thing to do?! He felt himself start to feel the frustration when..

Lethe reached out a hand, grabbing Guilford’s as he walked past. Giving it a squeeze, a futile attempt at comfort, she let it drop and then pushed off the desk, moving to grab one of the chairs loitering around and relocate it in front of the desk. However, instead of sitting on it, she leaned against the back of the chair, too antsy to be still just yet. “First things first then.. who do we tell?” Implicit in the question was the fact they weren’t telling everyone just yet.

Guilford felt the light squeeze in his hand. As comforting as it felt, the problem ahead of them easily robbed him of it. His thoughts began to drift back to the time when just the two of them fought the God of Sin. They were battered, bruised, pushed to the edge! Up to this day, their survival was a miracle to him. The chair behind his desk did not look too inviting. Guilford simply threw the writing given to him atop his desk and turned towards Lethe. What should they tell? Simple.. “Nothing as of now. Not without a plan of action.” he frowned.

“Don’t be stupid.” She replied immediately with a frown of her own. “We’re good but we’re not that good Gil. You think between the two of us we’ll somehow find a way to defeat the God of Sin?”

He sighed in return; she made sense with her words. “I… want to believe we could.. I..” he trailed off, feeling more lost than he already was. “I just don’t know anymore..” he eyed the document left by Fiona. Was there hope lying in there somewhere?

Her sigh echoed his. “I’m afraid that I will lead those who follow me to their deaths.” His confession from Bryn suddenly rang in her ears, a reminder of the fears he carried. Lethe closed her eyes, fighting the frustration that wanted to rise within her. They were both just humans. She knew that the best. But if Gil was too scared to do so.. Her next exhale was less a sigh and more a resolution. She’d have to do it herself then. “We’ll need to inform Cornelius at least.. And I think it would do us well to tell Abel and Master Jung as well.” Her distaste for her former captain came second to harsh reality. “Thankfully the veterans have started returning; with Master Jung, we can coordinate a new training regime and put all the Knights through it. Also..” She paused and then looked at Guilford’s bowed head. “We need to consider successors in case either of us die.”

A long silence elapsed between them after Lethe’s final words, in case either of them die. It was the truth. What were the chances of them surviving a second time when the first felt miraculous enough? Still, her words before that brought a semblance of composure back to him. He was on the verge of crumbling and Lethe caught him just in the nick of time. Of course! Seraphs should be on top of things, Seraphs should never waver even in the face of their greatest adversary. Guilford let out the last sigh that lingered at the tip of his tongue. Focus! What would he have done if she was not around? A breath later and he was on his way to her, a relieved smile on his lips. How did she have answers when he didn’t? He wanted to laugh at himself but mostly felt grateful to have been brought back to his senses.

He stood in front of her, purple eyes meeting blue ones. “You’re right. Let’s do what we can.” simple, yet they were the only words he had to say.

A bemused look crossed Lethe’s face, clearly not understanding where her partner’s relief was coming from but still pleased that he no longer seemed lost in despair. “Yes,” she agreed, “let’s.”






Day 21st of Month 4: Gless - Caleta (afternoon)


A female knight and a scout walked around town aimlessly, with an apparent silence that lingered between the two of them, to be broken only with the passage of another knight squad, or from the people of town that greeted them along the way. Fiona had asked Akira if he had time to keep her company for a while via her carrier pigeon. She had wanted to talk to him—to thank him—but now that he's here with her, her words appeared to have run off again, and his quietude was not helping. Well, she had known he was naturally quiet, but just this once she wanted him to talk—to say anything!

Her heart pounded just at the sight of him, her chest tightened with the words she struggled to say, even when her mind was filled about her thoughts of him. Strangely enough, she felt comfortable. Having him near her like this, she felt calm and composed... she felt safe. This man had that effect on her. Perhaps it was because he was the first person ever to have done so much for her that left a great impact, despite having known him for only a short while. She was thankful for him coming to her life, and she would be eternally grateful she had met this man.

By the time she had gathered enough courage to talk to him, she had found themselves outside town, walking the road that led to either Xedia or Danaon. Fiona stopped in her tracks, she was still on duty, she can't be loitering around.

"I'm glad..." she mumbled, causing the man that walked with her to stop as well. Their eyes met when Akira turned to face her, the look he had was asking her to continue. Unable to keep their gaze, Fiona looked to the side before she continued, "I'm glad that we met... I'm glad that you were there that night."

Akira exhaled to a smile, "Think nothing of it. I am mostly in the wrong place at the right time—it's my job to be."

Fiona's cheeks turned rose-red, and it forced her to look away to hide it from him. He probably noticed the difficulty she had in talking to him which made his first words that of comfort. Of course, he's a scout! Gathering intel and observing was his bread and butter.

"I wanted to at least thank you properly..." she said, trying her hardest to get rid of the gentle warmth in her cheeks. "If it wasn't for you, I never would have found the courage to talk to the Captain and Master Lethe."

Her words made Akira raise a brow, but he said nothing. So the two Seraphs already know? Good. The sooner they did, the more time they could prepare. Akira felt proud of the female knight with him, it was risky considering the gravity of the situation, but also a good thing he gave her the chance to settle her inner conflict. He couldn't be more happy.

"I'll tell the rest of our squad tonight after dinner too. I wanted to at least save the Captain's time by doing this for him." now she was looking back at Akira, cheeks having returned to their normal color. "Would you... care to join us for dinner?" it took all her mustered courage to ask, "well... me... mostly..." she looked away a second time, pretty sure that her cheeks were red again.

A gentle smile crept its way to Akira's face. He would love to, but not tonight. "Sorry Fiona, I have a mission tonight and I need to prepare. Also, I won't be back any time soon so... I can't.." he trailed off, having caught Fiona's slightly disappointed look, "but will you hold that thought?" Akira immediately added, "I'd love to have dinner with you once I get back."

She wasn't sure why, but his words made her smile. Of course, Akira had re-enlisted. Given his reputation as a Scout, it's only natural that he would be assigned to a mission as early as the next day. "I see, then I will hold you to it." she said with a smile, "Where are you off to?" she asked out of curiosity.

"The Barrens." the life in his tone faded at the mention of his destination.

"O-oh..." Fiona replied with the same tone. She felt bad that Akira was already on a dangerous mission but.. they can't be picky at a time like this. Fiona took off her right gauntlet, followed by the red ring she wore. She placed said ring in the palm of her hand and closed her eyes. She then began a chant that used a language that Akira couldn't understand. Seconds later, she offered the ring to him. "Please, take this with you.. it's the least I can do."

"You're.. not going to tell me what it'll do?" Akira looked unsure.

"It's better if you don't know. Just keep it would you? I'd want that back when you return." Fiona demanded, "that ring is like a part of me."

"Good Light! Just take the ring and say I do and then kiss her Akira!"

The shout came from behind a bush not far from where Akira and Fiona stood talking. The voice belonged to Alona...

"You better give her a ring too when you get back!"

...and Silver too?

Akira sighed, now Fiona couldn't look him in the eyes. It was such a perfect moment too! "S-sorry about that.. I'll bring your ring back, I promise."






Day 21st of Month 4: Grand Cathedral (night)


Alfrei grumpily walked the Western halls of the Grand Cathedral, his destination was squad eight's quarters. In his mind, he was still trying to figure out why he was the one that got stuck with fetching missing squad mates? He was the Vice Captain right? His duties were supposed to be 'Acting Captain' in case Captain Guilford was not around—which he wasn't in this case! He had the power to assign mundane tasks like these to anyone below his rank, so why was he... Alfrei sighed heavily. What point was there left in wondering when he was already here? He took the final step toward their squad quarters' door, he stopped and reached a hand out for the knob, only for it to recoil suddenly upon hearing two voices talking—hushed but there were some audible words. Alfrei held his breath and listened...

"Hyu...at's...too big!"

"..old sti...Nat!"

"Ahh! No! Hyu!...aht's...ot...goi...to fit!"

What in the Light's name..?! Too big? Won't fit?! Before Alfrei realized it, his cheeks had already become flushed with the gentle heat that came in waves. His outstretched arm rocked back and forth within the small space between him and the door knob. The notion of Privacy kept him from opening the door, while the notion of Duty he felt about being responsible for their squad's actions roared at him to barge in. Ultimately, the war between two notions in his mind left him at a standstill; a state of indecision. Alfrei squeezed his eyes shut, yelling silently at himself to make up his mind. He felt like a fool for being immobilized in the face of a door as his opponent. By the Light he was their Vice Captain! But what should he do? What would their Captain do? This was strawberry time—not something he was entirely used to dealing with! If the Captain found out about this—and in their squad quarters too! Better him than the Captain.

"...ust... ittle... mor...there!"

"...ouch!"

The little yelp he heard from Natalia made the blonde knight's green eyes snap open. "Alright that's it! I'm going in!", he resolutely said to himself and grabbed the knob. He twisted it—with more force than he intended to use—before he pushed the door open and stormed in.

He was just in time to see... Hyuga treating Natalia's right index finger with his healing magic?? It would seem she managed to cut it on something sharp. The feverish feeling drained out of Alfrei completely, followed by a sigh of relief. Two pairs of red hues snapped to his direction upon his brutish entrance that had just became uncalled for. Both Hyuga and Natalia had questioning looks in their eyes.

"Uhh.." Alfrei struggled for words, "W-what were you guys doing..?" he forced the question out.

At the reminder of their recent success, Natalia and Hyuga tangled themselves together in a triumphant embrace, which caused their Vice Captain to put on a wry smile. They may not have said anything but he can do well enough to understand what their actions meant; a big achievement. Still, he wanted to know, if only for the sake of giving meaning to his rude entrance, "Uhh.. guys?" he followed up.

Hyuga (who was still hugging Natalia) turned his head to look at the inquisitive normal before them. He smirked at his Vice Captain before saying, "Alas! It is far too complex for normals such as yourself."

Wait... Normals such as himself? Hyuga called everybody Normals! What made Natalia any different than him?! A slightly stung Alfrei huffed, "Do I have to force it out of you two?" the Vice Captain in him asked, "There's only so much backtalk I will allow." he added.

As if his words yanked them out of Victory Land, Natalia broke free from Hyuga's arms and immediately spun on her heels towards Hyuga's work desk. She swiftly snagged the glowing regalia quartz there and spun again to face her Vice Captain, "Ta-da!" she gleefully presented the item, introducing it after she struck a pose, "Behold! This is the Super Awesome NH Light Amplifier Quartz!"

"Wha..?" it took everything Alfrei had to keep himself from bursting with laughter. What's with the ridiculous name?, he wondered internally. Upon regaining composure, he shot a glance towards the proud Hyuga, "What does it do?"

Hyuga confidently brushed a hand through his black hair and smirked. He then snagged the quartz from Natalia's hand (despite her protests) and held it out for Alfrei to see. Something inside the quartz made it glow a mesmerizing red light. "As I have no doubt you are not consciously aware of," he began talking like he had no other choice but to do so, "removing taint from inanimate objects is an arduous task," he paused to make sure Alfrei was following, "The process itself requires a magnitude of contrasting power—our Holy Light—to achieve desired results, and there's only one object that would allow that..." he glanced at Natalia.

The female blonde tensed a bit upon realization that Hyuga was asking her to pick up where he left off. She took a deep breath and returned with a confident expression, "Ergo the regalia quartz," she added, "Vice Captain, as you already know, this stone reacts only to the Light to bring out it's magic amplifying properties," she continued, "with this knowledge, we made use of the quartz and added it to our Faith Necklaces to aid us Knights with our magic reserves, making our magic stronger for less cost on our reserves." Having said all those made Natalia feel really smart, "And all that from only a small fragment of regalia quartz!" she yelped in excitement, "Imagine how much amplification we could achieve if we were to use this fist-sized quartz!"

"Okay.." Alfrei mumbled, "I see where this is going but what is the catalyst for that claimed amplification to take effect?" his eyes turned to Hyuga.

The Dreamer had an intense look, as if he was surprised by Alfrei picking up on their talk. Well, they did use simpler terms easy to understand. "Light Crystals." he answered with a nod towards the quartz he held, "We 'stuffed'—as Nat said it—a Light Crystal charged to its maximum capacity inside this quartz," he continued, amused at himself and his female accomplice, "We just need to feed it a little more magic for it to break and trigger a burst of Light Magic. You couldn't even begi—"

"To what end?" Alfrei interrupted the Dreamer.

Hyuga momentarily scowled at the interruption but brushed it aside. His gaze then turned back to his work desk to reveal the no longer tainted soil he had been keeping under seal protection. "This." his free hand moved over to the chunk of land. "My dream just might come true with this." he smiled a hopeful one.

Alfrei chose not to say anything more. This was their moment; it was bad enough he had to intrude. With one last glance at the two, the Vice Captain took a breath, "Fiona invited us to dinner, she said she wanted to talk about something important. You two must come." he said and turned towards the doorway.

"By the way," he stopped just before stepping out, "You two look good together." he flashed a wink at the two who just now realized what they did earlier.

Juuuuuust sayiiiiiing! their Vice Captain's voice echoed as he walked the halls.

_________________
__________


We fall, we learn, we triumph!


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 Post subject: Re: ~ Sin ~
PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 7:35 am 
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[[Day 22 of Month -4, Morning :: The Grand Cathedral]]

Valiar sat back in his chair, content to survey the scene around him. Team Blonde had been reunited and were all in a cheerful mood. Really, it hadn’t been that long since they’d last convened, perhaps a few days, but everyone seemed in a talkative mood today. Even Deimos was listening intently on whatever discussion YunQiao and Adair were having. It was a happy scene and it put his mind at ease. He and Adair hadn’t had a chance to tell Lethe about the Reapers yesterday. They’d still been building up to it when the carrier pigeon had arrived. A smile inevitably rose on his lips at the memory of that scene; it had been a light-hearted moment. Those memories were to be cherished.

Besides, the interruption just meant Lethe got another day to rest easy. She had enough to deal with and he feared how she’d react to learn Reapers were actually--a dark look crossed his face at the memory. Of course Sinners were humans and Pure Sinners had been humans but the former could be Absolved and the latter, well, it was almost a blessing for the Pristine Knights that they’d lost their human appearances. However Reapers were un-Absolvable; if they were now looked like humans under their cowls… Would he have the resolve to kill a Reaper, even knowing it couldn’t be saved, if it had a human face? Would any of these Knights? Heavy eyes rested on his six squadmates; besides the veterans, they were probably the most experienced Knights the Immaculate currently sported. But could they withstands the horrors to come?

A weary sigh escaped his lips, inaudible in the chatter of the room. At least Lethe would have had an easy night of sleep. Or had she? Valiar glanced upwards at the Knight who had taken a seat on the arm of his armchair. The smile that played on her lips made her melancholy all the more poignant. As always, nothing was easy for his poor Captain. Unconsciously, his arm reached out and wrapped the young woman in a hug; his body leaned sideways to keep her from toppling into his lap, habits ingrained from six years together. She startled, as always, but quickly relaxed. The two sat wrapped together, watching their more carefree squadmates enjoy themselves.

Cricket was the first to notice them. His snicker slowly faded as he caught sight of the two of them. Purple eyebrows immediately frowned and he opened his mouth to speak but Lethe cut him off with a shake of her head. No. not yet. Still confused, the purple-haired Knight leaned back into his seat, no longer an active participant in his conversation. His silence caught Leon’s attention and the golden-blonde Knight quickly spotted Lethe as well. One by one, the Knights of Squad Ten stopped speaking as they became aware of their Captain’s presence.

The silence stretched around them uncomfortably. Where was Captain’s normal greeting? Was she that upset they hadn’t noticed her presence earlier? For once, even Cricket didn’t feel like breaking the solemn atmosphere with a joke. Finally, Lethe spoke: “I have bad news.”

The words did little to alleviate the tension in the room; if anything, it grew worse. It wasn’t uncommon for Lethe to have bad news. Being so close to the Council meant she--and thus the rest of the squad--often heard the worst news first. But the way she was acting now was hint enough whatever was coming was really bad, worse than Master Guilford’s supposed death bad. They all tensed in preparation for what would come next.

“The God of Sin has been resurrected.”

Bodies stiffened and eyes widened. Whatever that had been expecting, that had not been it. Nothing they had feared had even come close.

“. . . What?” Valiar heard a faint voice ask, barely audible over the rushing in his ears. It was only when sad blue eyes turned his way that he realized he had been the one to speak. The God of Sin.. was back? The Second War, sure, okay, he could endure that. He’d made his peace long ago with his helplessness then. It would be different this time; he was different this time. But for the God of Sin to be back? He had never encountered it himself, else he wouldn’t still be alive, but now he would encounter it. For the first time since he’d met Marielle and picked up the armor again, he wondered, did he have the strength to endure?

“I’m sorry, Valiar.” Lethe understood. They were the only ones who really understood; they were the only ones who had fought in the First War. In that long moment of slow growing doubt, he finally became aware of the faint tremors that shook Lethe’s body. She was no more prepared for this new future than he despite her fake composure. For one moment, he buried his face in her side. He’d promised himself he’d help the Seraphs but for this one moment, he needed to add to her burden. That moment over, the cleric lifted his face and gave her an encouraging squeeze. He wasn’t stupid enough to say it was okay but it was time to move forward onto the next step.

Lethe looked back up at the rest of her squad now that Valiar was ‘settled’ once more. It seemed his display had silenced the rest of their reactions though their shock still lingered in the stiff way Adair held himself and the pasty pallor of Leon’s face. Seraphim’s normally confident gaze was now shadowed by the spectre of her time of a Sinner. YunQiao’s face was as severe as it had been when he’d first been introduced to her squad, a sure sign he was hiding his emotions. Cricket’s fingers were turning white with how tightly he was gripping his hands and Deimos’s hand had fallen to his sword, the metal his longtime solace. These were her Knights. These were the ones most likely to die. But no. She wouldn’t let it. These were her family; she wouldn’t let them die.

“The disturbance we felt on the fifteenth of last month was his revival. This knowledge is still very much limited and it will stay limited. Do not speak about it outside of this room. The privacy wards have been enacted permanently since last night. Master Guilford and I have called a meeting in two days’ time to inform a select group of other Knights. The people you see there are the only ones authorized to know at this point in time.” Lethe paused, trying to determine if she should tell them the rest. It wasn’t something they all needed to know. Her gaze swept the room but lingered on a few in particular. But it was probably best they start getting used to the idea now. “There’s one more thing. With the God of Sin’s return, there is another issue. We need more leaders. Specifically,” it was best to just get this over with, “Master Guilford and I need others who can take our place should either of us die.” There was no point denying the very real possibility, “I will be reaching out to those of you who I think have the potential to become Seraphs.” On the other side of the room, Adair flinched. “I know you may not want to do this,” Her gaze sought out Adair’s, “But this is not about wants. This is not about us. This is about something bigger than us, not just the Immaculate, but every person out there, both those who follow the Divine Light and those who have not yet realized the Divine Light in their lives. We fight for them; we sacrifice for them.”

She finally looked away from her Vice Captain, knowing from the defeated hang of his head he would heed her words when the time came. When she spoke next, her voice had lost the distant professionalism of being a Seraph. “But that’s not to say your lives are unimportant or less worthy than civilians’. Your lives--our lives--are not so worthless as to throw away carelessly. We may die, but we will never give up. I will never look to die, so none of you dare go dying on me.”
~~~~~

[[Day 22 of Month -4, Noon :: Rasova, Palaugrim]]

He should have known it would be a terrible day when his teacup broke during breakfast. Despite his gruff appearance, Sigfried could be surprising superstitious at times. Normally Yulia would have scolded him for such an irrational thought but she had moved onto--well, not bigger and better--other things. For a moment, the orange-haired Knight Commander wondered how his former Vice Captain was doing. Maybe it was fate that Yulia would chase after Lance the way Yael had been drawn towards the Lion. A frown crossed his face at the reminder of what had happened to the elder Schnieder twin. He’d have to remember to send Lance a strongly worded letter explaining that though the transfer had been entirely by the books, he still expected his Vice Captain returned to him in 100% condition. He spent a few minutes mentally composing his threat missive and then, satisfied with his wording, sat up to get a piece of paper from his desk to write his letter. It was then he remembered what had caused his headache in the beginning.

A letter bearing Master Guilford’s personal seal waited for him on his desk. The [HIGH PRIORITY] stamped on the front didn’t help, nor did the seals of both Master Lethe and Head Councillor Cornelius. Whatever had gotten all three of them to mark the same letter was trouble in capital letters, underline, and bold. He considered conveniently misplacing the letter for a little bit. Then he considered how much not better it would be if Master Guilford or Master Lethe came in person to follow up on the letter. (After all, if the high priority letter was marked by the three most important people in the Immaculate…) He shuddered at the memory of how Master Lethe had casually threatened him and then shuddered again at the thought of the revenge Master Guilford would enact on him. The younger Seraph could be surprisingly surprisingly vengeful for someone who was supposed to be a noble and a paragon of goodness!

With a shout of frustration, Sigfried picked up the letter of doom and ripped it open, yanking out the missive inside. A special meeting being held by Master Guilford, Master Lethe, and Head Councilor Cornelius on Gless in two days time in which his presence was ever so politely requested. It was to be a confidential meeting and he should expect to be gone for at least a day or two.

The blood drained out of the normally boisterous Knight Commander’s face. Slowly, as if his strength had deserted him, he placed the letter on his desk. That… there was no way in Light’s name that was going to be good news.
~~~~~

[[Day 23 of Month -4 :: Gless ]]

“Deimos.” Said Knight nodded in acknowledgment, eyes roaming the familiar room. It had been a long time since Lethe had invited him over to her apartment. Though spacious for one, it was definitely too cramped for eight. The fact he had been called here... No frown crossed his face despite his unhappiness. It had to be related to yesterday’s announcement. His hand instinctively gripped his sword’s hilt; the familiar feel of leather and steel was a comfort against his discomfort. He couldn’t even take on demons and now the God of Sin was back. The sound of metal being drawn woke him from his stupor. He calmly slid his sword back into its sheath as he ignored Lethe’s gaze on him. “You are one of my nominations.”

Yellow eyes widened in shock, his entire body freezing at the words. A nomination..? Surely not to… His head jerked sideways to catch Lethe’s gaze. Yes, she did mean to be a Seraph. Too uneasy to hide such an obvious tell, his fingers played over the hilt of his sword. Him a Seraph? He couldn’t think of a worse candidate. He’d known--they’d all known--Adair would be nominated but he’d figured that would be the end of it. For him to be a maybe Seraph. . . He didn’t even believe in the cause that strongly. Cricket and YunQiao were more fervent devotees of the Divine Light than him. Seraphim had more experience. Valiar was more self-assured. Fingers poked nervously through the holes in his pommel. Leon, perhaps leon would have been worse, but Leon at least was a damn good sensor. He was just an okay swordsman who didn’t like to talk with an odd sense of humor.

He’d known--they’d all known--that Adair would be trained as a potential Seraph. Adair had the potential, the experience, and the skills. The younger man was Vice Captain after all, despite being younger than half the squad. He’d never thought he’d also be considered.

He opened his mouth to speak, most likely to protest, but he paused. This wasn’t about him and his wants. Lethe thought he somehow had the potential; it was his duty to try to realize it. “Yes, Captain..” He muttered sullenly even as his fingers clenched painfully around the metal of his sword. There was no going back now.
~~~~~

[[Day 23 of Month -4 :: Lindela]]

It was a silent pair who rode through the mountains that bordered District Nine. Most of Lindela was developed, which had earned it its nickname as the Market City, but some parts had been impenetrable to human civilization. Those inhospitable parts were technically included in District Nine’s jurisdiction but few chose to wander out here. There wasn’t much to miss, truth be told, just trees, mountains, and stones.

They were here to investigate the Reaper Adair and Valiar had slain two days ago. Leon and Cricket were present as well, but the group of four had split up to cover more ground. What exactly they were looking for, no one was quite sure. However, after yesterday’s revelations, all were eager for some form of action, even if it was just wandering through mountains. Tomorrow was when everyone else would be told; after tomorrow’s conversation, they’d finally take steps against the God of Sin, whatever those might be. But in the interim, they’d had little but their normal routine. Seraphim wasn’t sure she could have gone through her normal routine. If they’d had to stay in the Cathedral, she was pretty she might have destroyed a thing or three. She also didn’t doubt the others felt the same as her.

A crack! from above caught her attention and both she and YunQiao wheeled into a defensive position, horses facing opposite directions so their backs were covered. There was another crack! Seraphim glanced upwards to see green light dripping into the sky. “It’s just a flare.” Relief colored her voice and she felt her body sag as her adrenaline waned.

“I see it.” YunQiao confirmed, already looking through his map to try to determine a path they could take The older Knight pulled out her own set of flares and shot them into the air, confirming they’d seen the signal. When they finally made their way to the origin of the flares, Leon and Cricket were waiting for them by a stone arch of some sort. Seraphim frowned when she saw it and voiced the obvious, “What is that?”

A shrug of the shoulders was her response. Neither Cricket nor Leon had any idea. Seraphim dismounted from her horse and tied it besides Cricket’s and Leon’s, YunQiao copying her movements. She strode up to the stone arch, crossed her arms, and stared. After a few minutes, she concluded, “Yeah, I have no idea either.”

“Thankfully I do,” The last member of Squad Ten spoke up drily. “Or at least an idea. Looking at the runes, I’m guessing it’s some sort of door.” He pointed at a few runes that meant nothing to the pink-haired woman. “This one, this one, and this one all imply passage of some sort. However, Captain would know better than me.” The mage stepped away from the arch with a studious expression.

Cricket sighed but nodded in acceptance. “Alright then, we should probably tell Captain.” He turned away from the stone arch, heading toward his horse. Seraphim followed, as did YunQiao after another backwards glance. Only Leon stayed in front of the arch; the golden-blonde Knight had his arms crossed thoughtfully as he stared at the archway. “Leon, coming?”

“No.” Leon’s distracted reply made his squadmates all pause. The three turned to look at him questioningly. “No. Wait.” He turned to face them, face set in an uncharacteristically determined mien. “You guys… we all remember what Captain said,” his voice quieted, “yesterday” there was a pause as they all remembered yesterday before the Knight rallied, “Not just that but. . . she also said we need more leaders. Captain is probably busy enough without us coming to her with every problem.” Hazel eyes burned with conviction, “We’re her squad. I’ve only been with her a year and a half but. . . you guys have been with her longer. We’re on her squad because she trusts us.” He turned to stare at the mysterious archway before turning back, “Surely we can make a decision on our own without having to ask Captain or Vice Captain every single time.”

In the silence that followed Leon’s impromptu speech, Seraphim wondered when Leon had become so mature. Leon was the second youngest of their squad and the newest to boot; she was second eldest and one of the oldest members. Yet somehow he was the voice of reason out of all of them. She felt a bitter taste settle in her mouth. Why was she the one who always needed guidance? “Alright,” Practice kept her self-disgust out of her voice and gave her the illusion of confidence, “Leon’s right. As the most senior member of this expedition, I’ll take responsibility for whatever consequence this has. Is this hostile or allied action?”

“You think it’s allied?”

“There’s always that possibility.” Seraphim replied firmly. “Just because we’re Lethe’s squad doesn’t mean we know everything. So, what do we think?”

Cricket eyed the structure dubiously. “Ignoring the fact we’ve never heard about it, realistically, if the Immaculate wanted portals to other places, we wouldn’t put it in the middle of nowhere. It would be in a barrack or anywhere closer to civilization, really.”

Lethe, and Fidelius, had always loved playing devil’s advocate: “It could be hidden for a reason.”

Leon shook his head in response. “Who would use a portal in the middle of nowhere? If it was for us Pristine Knights, there should be an easy path for us since we’d probably travel in full armor.”

“But it could also be for Scouts, and they wouldn’t leave marks behind.” Cricket contributed, his gaze now on the trees around them.

YunQiao joined the conversation. “And there’s no residue of magic at all. . . even though these runes look like they were carved by magic.” He was careful not to touch the stone as he pointed to one of the runes. “They’re all an even depth.” Ever since the Sin box in Jenault and Leon’s interesting comments about the carvings, he’d spent some time understanding basic carving techniques.

“Whoever did this is really trying to stay hidden then.” Leon concluded. The conversation had gone nowhere in resolving the issue.

A mirthless smile crossed Seraphim’s face, “Yes. And we still don’t know who’s behind it. Alright then, gut check.” Purple eyes swept over her squadmates, “Those who think it’s for nefarious purposes?” All three hands rose without hesitation. “Alright, me too. Come on Cricket, looks like it’s demolition time. YunQiao, Leon, tell us where to aim.”

“We might tip off whoever’s making these,” YunQiao cautioned even as he moved away from the portal.

Their temporary leader nodded in acceptance even as she rolled her shoulders back to loosen them. “Yes, but do we have some overarching plan to capture them as they get here? They can always run into this portal and out of our grasps because there’s no way in Light’s Name I’d authorize anyone to run through it.”

There was a sardonic chuckle but no other response. “Looking at the structure, you should aim for these runes.” Team Blonde’s mage suggested as he drew the said runes in the air. Leon pointed at a few spots on the archway as well, “And I believe these spots are the weakest.” Circles of water appeared at the indicated weak points, courtesy of YunQiao.

“Alright then,” Seraphim reiterated as she tapped into her Light’s Blessing. The air turned heavy around them as divine magic started seeping into the physical realm and the female Knight glowed faintly under the effects of her Valkyrie. There was a similar glow, though fainter, around a concentrating Cricket. “Make sure you don’t get hit.” Drawing her fist back, the pink-haired Knight let it fly at the mysterious arch.
~~~~~

[[Day 24 of Month -4, Morning :: Caletta]]

Dietrich sipped slowly from his coffee, enjoying the leisurely walk through Caletta. They were being given a morning off as their trainers were busy with some other meeting or assignment. He knew most of his fellow veterans were taking the break to visit their families or friends but as he had none, he instead spent the free time enjoying the liveliness of Caletta. It was a far cry from the sleepy town he’d spent his last years in. He was crossing the street when he spotted a familiar figure up ahead. Swallowing his mouthful of coffee, he lifted a hand to wave even as he shouted out, “Bianca! Bianca!”

The silhouette paused and then started looking around; he must have guessed right. “Bianca!” He shouted again, finally getting her to turn in the right direction. Teal eyes finally alighted on him and then lightened up with familiarity. “Dietrich!” Joaquim’s wife exclaimed happily, “What brings you here?”

The brown-haired Knight chuckled sheepishly, feeling oddly flustered around the purple-haired woman. “Just.. enjoying the morning.” He mumbled with sudden awkwardness; he lifted his coffee cup as evidence for his words as he resisted the urge to cower behind it. He was so pathetic. He couldn’t even speak to Joaquim’s wife without getting tongue tied.

Bianca examined the offering curiously before a smile broke out on her lips. “Mecca, right? That’s a good coffee shop.” Her head tilted to the side before teal eyes widened, “Sorry! I need to get home!” She showed off the bags she was carrying, “I need to drop these off and finish my shopping.” A faux irate look crossed her face, “The downside of having Jessiah at school and Joaquim busy with work: I have to carry these heavy bags all by myself.”

Dietrich eyed the bags uncertainly. “I. . . I could carry them for you.” He offered even as a blush broke out on his cheeks. He wasn’t used to being the focus of such scrutiny. “I wasn’t doing anything anyways and… well, it’s the least I can do after coming to dinner so many times. . .”

“Are you sure..?”

“Yes.” Dietrich drained his coffee and tossed it into a trash bin, mind clearly made up. He stuck his hands out expectantly and, with a relieved smile, Bianca offloaded her bags on him. “Thanks so much, Dietrch! And really, you’re welcome over any time! I’m glad someone likes my dinners.”
~~~~~

Romauld stepped off the wyervia and stretched his arms, glad to no longer be confined in such a tiny space. The machines were useful for transportation but were in no way particularly comfortable. It was only when his arms dropped to his sides did he realize the utter silence of the Wyervia port. Immediately on alert, he slowly looked around him. He could see other people on the docks; he just couldn’t hear them. It took less than a second for his staff to appear in his hand, divine magic already gathering around him.

“Romauld.” A familiar-sounding voice tempered his caution. Cricket stood up ahead with a hand raised in greeting. “Lethe sent me to pick you up.”

The casual use of the White Seraph’s name made the Knight Commander relax; only a member of her squad would feel so comfortable to call the Seraph in such an informal manner. However, he was still puzzled why Cricket was here to fetch him. It seemed more like a Scribe’s or messenger’s job. Any joke he would have made died at the grim look on his friend’s face. Cricket forced a smile to his face to convey his happiness at seeing the other man but it was clear whatever was coming would be unpleasant.

“That bad?” A nod confirmed his words. “What--”

“Not here.” Cricket cut in with a shake of his head, yet another ominous portent. Romaul fell silent as he accepted the cloak and followed Cricket through the back alleys of Gless. If the triple-sealed letter hadn’t been indication enough, this secrecy certainly made clear that trouble lay ahead.
~~~

Abel surveyed the War Room over his crossed arms. He had taken a spot along the room’s back wall so as to better gauge the crowd. It was an unusual mix of people in the room. Master Jung was in a seat near the front talking with Councilor Margarette. The Crests were the only group standing, seemingly unaffected by whatever announcement was to come. Lethe’s team were more subdued; they sat in two rows of eight as if isolating themselves from the rest with a Knight Commander, Rasova’s?, sitting beside them. Brown eyes narrowed on the group of nine. That wasn’t by chance; Rasova’s KC knew Lethe’s team. Sigfried had claimed a spot behind Master Jung and two other uneasy looking Knights, vaguely familiar to him, were sitting beside him. Squad Guilford had taken their own seats as well, opposite Lethe's squad. Councilor Laith was sitting on his own, a row of seats separating him from the rest of the room.

He scanned the room once more: the Crests, Lethe’s team, and Guilford’s team. Perhaps this gathering was not as unusual as it first appeared. Besides the three Knights he wasn’t certain about and Sigfried, all of the people gathered here were very high ranked and very skilled. His suspicions from earlier sharpened. As the location of the meeting hadn’t been hint enough, the gathered occupants were a clear sign: whatever was coming was very bad news.

Before he could speculate, the back door to the room opened to reveal the two Seraphs and Councilor Cornelius. Abel finally uncrossed his arms and straightened. He would be ready for whatever came next.
~~~

Never in his lifetime after the First War did Cornelius think that he would be down here of all places. The War Room, built more for the purpose of having one rather than actually using it. The room was well-lit, with only one path that led to the podium at the center. There were a couple rows of semi-arched tables along with already occupied seats on both sides of the room. After what both Guilford and Lethe brought to him, he had taken it upon himself to be the bearer of such grave news. The old Councilor looked around, noting the concerned and anxious looks from the participants when they turned their attention on them at their entrance. Flanked by both Seraphs, Cornelius made his way to the front of the room.

With a grave expression, the old Councilor took a long look at all the faces within the room.

"I never once thought I would stand where I am right now.." he began, "much less be the bearer of this news." the old councilor took a pause, having noted the shift in the bodies of some newer Knight Commanders.

They were in the War Room. The second war had already begun. For Krista and Heinrich, the thought of more bad news simply caught them off guard. There's more to it? The question was clearly painted on their faces. Only Abel, Sigfried, Master Jung, and the two Seraph squads seem to be unaffected by his words; a true mark of First War veterans and those under the wings of their Seraphs. Cornelius took comfort in seeing such an act of composure from these few. If only Chevalier and Caldwell, the Divine Flash were still here..

"Forgive me," Cornelius continued, having realized that he had been momentarily lost in the moment, "While I wish that I do not have to say this, it needs to be said.." he trailed off, took a deep breath and steeled his resolve, "The God of Sin has been revived.” His audience was too disciplined to react explosively. However, jerks of shock, gasps, and widened eyes littered the crowd. It was easy to spot those who had already known; their reactions were much more muted. He addressed those to whom this was news, "You must be wondering about the validity of this claim.. I can assure you, the evidence is substantial. He is back—this much is true."

The old Councilor bowed his head, weariness making him temporarily mute, before he regathered his resolve. "Proof of that is the disturbance in the Divine Realm felt by some or most of you, including Masters Lethe and Guilford. Now you may be wondering why I’m telling you this. Clearly,” he nodded at the empty space around them, “not everyone is present. Masters Lethe and Guilford and I believe you all can help lead the Immaculate. Panic is not an option, nor is second-guessing what we already know. We are already undermanned compared to what we once had back in the First War. If this knowledge spreads among the knighthood, we could lose more of what limited strength we have left before the fight even begins."

He levelled a solemn stare over the twenty six men and women sitting in front of him. “I say this only for the record’s sake, not because I think you need the reminder, this information about the God of Sin is not to be shared with anyone else. You are not to speak about it anywhere but under the strongest privacy wards, currently this room, the two adjacent meeting rooms, and the two Seraphs’ squad quarters. If you want anywhere else warded, you will ask Master Lethe to set up the privacy wards.” Finally his gaze drifted away from the assembly before him, turning upwards as he requested, “May the Divine Light guide us through these trying times.”
~~~~~

“May the Divine Light guide us through these trying times.” The words fell thoughtlessly from his lips, brain more occupied with what he’d just learned than the blessing. So, the God of Sin was back. His heart felt heavy at such knowledge. As if Eve’s return hadn’t been enough. . . But no, he should have known the instant she returned, he would also follow. Eve would never leave her consort dead if there was any way to revive him.

Against the wave of regret that rose within him, Abel could only bow his head and endure. If only he’d been strong enough to kill Eve all those years ago. If only he had admitted the truth so they knew to protect it better. There were many ifs but none reflected reality. This was a reality where both Eve and the God of Sin had returned. He stifled the weary sigh in his throat and instead looked over the room.

The unknown Knight Commanders still seemed in shock. One was clenching his hands and the dark-haired woman beside him was staring at the ground. Sigfried was pacing one of the aisles, face dark with anger. He hadn’t known either then. Brown eyes scanned the other occupants in the room. The Crests seemed unsurprised; Guilford’s squad were similarly unaffected. Lethe’s squad were all grim faced but otherwise fine. She must have told them. So far, the only people who hadn’t been told about this development were the ones who had just arrived today and himself. (It was impossible to tell Master Jung’s reaction given his former subordinates were currently speaking with the old man.) Why had he been the only one excluded from such confidences?

He frowned in Gil’s direction. He had expected more from his protege, but it appeared the ill will from his faking Gil’s death still lingered. They’d have to remedy that in the near future. He couldn’t be acting with delayed knowledge. A hand beckoned him to approach; Councilors Cornelius and Laith wanted him. With a nod of acknowledgement, Abel steeled his resolve and walked towards the two men. The God of Sin had returned. Now it was up to them to kill it once more.
~~~~~

[[Day 24 of Month -4, Day :: Lindela ]]

“Ah-achoo!” Marielle looked up from the clothes she was sorting at the unexpected sound. One of the other volunteers rubbed at her nose ruefully, sniffed, and then shot the other ladies a wry smile. “Forgive me, Olav just recovered from a cold and..” She and all the other volunteers laughed sympathetically. They were all mothers who dedicated their free time to helping out the Church; they all knew that the moment the kiddy got sick, it was inevitable they’d become sick too.

“It’s certainly been lingering hasn’t it?” One of the advocates spoke up with a concerned look. “It seems like the moment someone gets over it, the next person starts sneezing.”

“Isn’t that all colds?” Someone joked, prompting another round of laughs. “But it does seem to have come early this year. Just starting Autumn and we’re all sniffling.” There were nods of agreement as the group of women considered this revelation.

“Well,” Another volunteer vigorously shook out the towel in her hands in a vain attempt at shaking out the wrinkles. “Let’s just be happy it’s just a cold and not something worse.” She folded the towel into a neat square, prompting the others to get back to folding and sorting as well.

Marielle stared drearily into the basket in front of her. Yes, at least it wasn’t something worse. She tried to ignore the chill that slithered down her back at those words.

_________________
i say crier. i say liar. i say rise in hell. i stand gazing down at death as they say --
WAR.
i'll wage war. i hate war. they say fight for peace but what is that?

i turn from the mirror, that desperate plea! i refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me!


Last edited by t.en on Tue Mar 17, 2015 6:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

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