Vlyn was as surprised as Grant was, though he did a better job at hiding it. His ear would twitch, and he would look towards the Aerodome. “[color=thistle]Lord Roman…and Majesty Reia? Where is Prince Lorenzo?[/color]” He murmured, his eyes looking at the core of the city’s destruction. “[color=thistle]This Mist…a battle between Espers—no, their Seals have been unlocked.[/color]” Grant snapped out of his shock long enough to hear Vlyn. “[color=darkorchid]The Seals you spoke of? But who—[/color]” As the words left his mouth, he frowned. He didn’t need Zeromus to tell him who it was. “[color=darkorchid]It must be Jaakuna and Hamut. Who else would it be?[/color]” “[color=thistle]I agree. I will see to their Majesties’ safety—worry not,[/color]” Vlyn told Grant and Savayna. [hr] Hamut may not have realized it, but he seemed to solve Lorenzo’s problem. Lannit probably would have been as good as dead—except now that he knew what the main problem was, he knew how to handle it. He had to ignore Jaakuna for now, though he was grateful when he moved them all to a safer location. “[color=darkorange]Go for it, kid![/color]” He shouted, though he would rummage through his pockets, looking for something. “[color=darkorange]Ten minutes, huh? It’s gonna be close but…Oi, Shinto, I need you to channel Mist into Lannit—if you know any healing or cleansing magicks, fantastic. If not, just channel, the Sap is an issue but I need to fix this bleeding before I can take care of that.[/color]” His mind was racing as he struggled to remember Karolina’s lessons. Nadeline’s healing may have been from her mother, but he was no slouch, either. Granted, he always preferred the power of technology, and as he extracted a needle from his bag, he knew that whatever he was going to try, he needed to do it quickly. He stuck it in Lannit’s chest, close to the heart, and started directing all his magick to his heart. The serum should have aimed for the arteries, though he tried to guide his magicks to have both ends of the aorta stick together. [color=darkorange][i]It’s a long shot…but I sure as hell am not going to give up.[/i][/color] He didn’t even know if it would work, but he needed to try. “[color=darkorange]Lannit, if you can hear me, you better not give up. I’ll chase you right into hell and beat you so bad the devil himself will end up feeling bad for you,[/color]” He warned him, trying to focus. [hr] “[color=lavender]Your hospitality is appreciated, but not needed. I am pressed for time, I must get to Archades,[/color]” The Viera politely declined. “[color=lavender]There is trouble there.[/color]" Jaakuna was in trouble? It was then that the day’s events truly hit her. She was talking about Emiri. “[color=coral]Aloa…is it true? Did Emiri really attack you?[/color]” She asked, afraid of the answer. Though the Viera was silent, Nadeline despaired, burying her face in her hands. “[color=coral]We saw her…we saw her in the Westersands…but we couldn’t stop her! She was whisked away before we could do anything! And then when we came to Dalmasca I heard of Sylvester…but all I could do is…cause more trouble…[/color]” Aloa would kneel before the princess, an apologetic look on her face. “[color=lavender]I came looking for your and His Highness, in hopes of reuniting you all in Archades,[/color]” She admitted. “[color=lavender]If you saw Emiri as well, then she is in Zodiark’s hands by now. Shion is seeing to it that you will be able to locate her.[/color]” Nadeline gripped the hem of her dress, shaking her head, though she would look at Aloa. “[color=coral]Reunite us…I suspect you’ll find me to be of little use,[/color]” She said sadly. “[color=coral]I couldn’t even help Wesley when he was right in front of me. How could I hope to help when I would just end up in the way?[/color]” “[color=lavender]Is that truly how you feel?[/color]” Of course it was. How she wanted to stop Emiri, how betrayed she felt as they fought…and yet, would sitting around really be the best course of action? There had to be something she could do. Her gaze went to the closed door, where Wesley was on the other side. She had failed her king. She had no right to be here. Shaking her head, she would stand, her hand to her chest. “[color=coral]I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know if I can do anything…but I must go,[/color]” Nadeline stated, a more determined look on her. “[color=coral]At the very least, I must see to it that Jaakuna knows what happened. I must tell him…and I must ask him for forgiveness.[/color]” [hr] “The nerve…if only she knew…” Nabriales had stormed off, deciding it best to lay low. As she walked, however, she couldn’t help but feel that she was being followed. She came to a halt, turning on her heel and spotting Emiri behind her. “[color=palevioletred]I’m so glad I found you,[/color]” Emiri told Nabriales, winking. “[color=palevioletred]I feel the need to clarify my intent from before.[/color]” Intent? Nabriales narrowed her eyes slightly, though her lips curled into a smile. She definitely noticed Keiran was nowhere to be seen—and that played into her favor. She watched Emiri carefully, though the brunette simply smiled, hands behind her back as she circled Nabriales once. “As if I care! You may have Lord Zodiark’s favor now, but once he’s done with you, you’ll suffer the same fate as the rest of them,” She stated, crossing her arms under her breasts. “[color=palevioletred]Maybe. But there’s something he said yesterday that piqued my interest,[/color]” She admitted with a small shrug. “[color=palevioletred]My potential to ascend…so, if I were to defeat one of his cohorts now, imagine the possibilities if I did choose to ascend, I’d easily eclipse someone of your…stature.[/color]” “Really? Darling, you have no idea what I’m capable of,” She warned her. “The number of casualties I’ve caused has hit the thousands. Do you think you can outpower me?” “[color=palevioletred]I’d like to see,[/color]” Emiri said. “[color=palevioletred]There’s something about you I don’t like.[/color]” Now it was Nabriales' turn to smile. “That would be because you and I have met before. You just haven’t recognized me yet.” Emiri wasn’t sure where she was going with this. “[color=palevioletred]I don’t think so. I’d never be able to forget someone as obnoxious as you.[/color]” “You’re serious? Really?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do you recall Mitron’s original promise? That he would lead you to Lola?” That certainly wiped the smile off Emiri’s face. “[color=palevioletred]What does that have to do with anything?[/color]” She asked slowly, uncertain what direction this was taking. “Come now, why do you think I would mention her? Put two and two together—no, wait, there was a small detail I neglected to mention,” She admitted, wagging a finger at Emiri. “My main attribute is my ability to gather information. With information I can do anything—I can attack with any magick, I can even change my form if you want to look at it that way.” Emiri froze in place, her red eyes wide with shock. It was if time itself has slowed down as Nabriales would pull out an all too familiar iaito. She should have felt rage, but there was no mistaking that weapon. As it dawned on her, Emiri couldn’t help but smile. Just as Keiran promised, he would lead her right to Lola—and deliver, he did. She looked at her face closely, realizing that despite the hair color, Nabriales truly did resemble Lola. If she could shapeshift, she probably had many forms. “[color=palevioletred]So what, you murdered the original Lola and took her place, too?[/color]” Emiri raised an eyebrow. “[color=ed145b]I infiltrated the Blue Rose’s ranks under orders from my master. I made sure to sabotage her plans and gather as much intel on the Espers as I could—and that was when we first met,[/color]” She said, flipping her hair off her shoulder. “[color=ed145b]Little Emiri, Scion of Chaos…you got me good in Archades. Would’ve died, too, though Michel is a very talented healer.[/color]” This was it. This was what she was looking for. “[color=palevioletred]Perfect. I have no reason to hold back, now,[/color]” Emiri stated, summoning her sword. “[color=palevioletred]It’s time I avenged my family.[/color]” “[color=ed145b]Avenge your family? Really? Last I heard, you hated your mother,[/color]” Nabriales said, pointing her iaito at her. “[color=palevioletred]You also hurt my father—and I will not forgive you for that.[/color]” A moment’s pause, and then, the two would clash blades, a wave of power emanating and forcing them both back. As the battle raged on, blows would shake the palace wall close to them. “[color=yellow]Why’d they have to fight in front of [i]my[/i] window?[/color]” [url=https://i.pinimg.com/736x/22/0b/8b/220b8bfd8c2aae10bd0f333b1cc898a9--character-reference-character-concept.jpg]The young man sighed[/url], clearly annoyed as his window repeatedly vibrated. There went his concentration. Not wanting glass all over his desk, he would open the window, though that invited the sounds of Lola and Emiri’s battle into his room. He sighed in defeat, resigning himself to watch. “[color=yellow]Oh hey, it’s that chick and Nabbs. Would ya look at that?[/color]” He said, giddy. A knock on his door distracted him, and he would pull his finger, causing it to open and reveal Sophia. Her eyes widened as she would hear the battle, and she rushed to his window. “[color=yellow]Come to watch?[/color]” He asked her, grinning. “[color=ivory]You [i]would[/i] enjoy this,[/color]” She said, though she would sit on the windowsill, a concerned look on her face. “[color=yellow]She shouldn’t be fighting, she should be resting. She managed to sneak away from Keiran and look at what’s happened.[/color]” “[color=yellow]It’s all in good fun! What’s a couple of scratches gonna do?[/color]” Igeyorhm asked, watching the pair. “[color=yellow]She’s super cute, too. Think she's straight?[/color]” “[color=ivory]Really?[/color]” “[color=yellow]Hey, I need to know if she swings the other way so I don’t embarrass myself![/color]” As Sophia opened her mouth to retort, a wind nearly knocked her over, causing them both to look out the window. The battle seemed to have reached its peak at this point, a crazed Emiri surrounded by a dark aura. She was going to kill Lola if it was the last thing she was going to do. As she raised her blade, her suddenly felt a hand on her wrist. Before she could react, she was slammed down, her arm twisted behind her. Lola raised her eyebrows as her own aura dissipated, though she had to admit she was rather impressed with Keiran’s power. He must have gotten a boost from Zodiark—neither she nor Emiri saw him coming. “[color=palevioletred]What are you doing?! I can finish her![/color]” Emiri shouted, enraged. Keiran looked at her, expressionless, though he ended up simply twisting her arm further. As she went to push him off, something changed. The power she had felt from before suddenly stopped, and Emiri suddenly felt pain in her head. At that point Keiran released her, pulling her up to her feet. “[color=palevioletred]My power…what…?[/color]” “[color=ed145b]There’s only so much a hume can do on their own,[/color]” Lola informed her, almost giddy in her response. “[color=ed145b]Too bad, so sad, I was really looking forward to that hatred you had for me.[/color]” No! That couldn’t be it! That wasn’t her limit! She was capable of more than that, she could crush Lola here and now! And yet, as she looked at Keiran shaking his head at her, she realized that Lola was right. She had spent herself, stretched her power too thin without a chance to rest up in between. Despite thinking things would change, she was right back where she started. She grabbed her hair with both of her hands, torn between wanting to cry and wanting to scream in anger, though she somehow managed to keep herself soundless. Keiran patted her head once more, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and wordlessly guiding her away. She conceded, letting him lead her away. Lola bit her lip, trying to surpress a laugh, though as she turned to walk away, she caught sight of both Sophia and Igeyorhm watching her. “[color=ed145b]Enjoying the show, are we?[/color]” She snapped. “[color=ed145b]You baited me, Iggy![/color]” “[color=yellow]Yup,[/color]” He replied immediately, not even bothering to deny it. “[color=yellow]Get angry all you want, it’s in Lord Zodiark’s favor. Anyone who hits their limit will always be wanting more,[/color]” He stated as Sophia let out a sigh. “[color=yellow]Feel free to chime in.[/color]” “[color=ivory]Reckless fighting serves no purpose,[/color]” Sophia told him, eyeing him specifically. “[color=ivory]Pushing that girl’s heart into further disarray…I cannot say I approve.[/color]” “[color=yellow]It ain’t ‘disarray’, it’s ‘I want more power’, its practically basic hume instinct,[/color]” He corrected her, nudging her slightly, though she would turn away from him. “[color=yellow]Don’t go soft on me, Sophia.[/color]” “[color=ivory]Equilibrium must be absolute,[/color]” She stated. “[color=ivory]Push too much, and she will break.[/color]”