“[color=deepskyblue]I haven’t seen magicks like those in some time. It reminded me of one of my flowers,[/color]” Shion admitted to Shinto. “[color=deepskyblue]I sincerely apologize for not getting here sooner, I would have gladly offered my mist as well.[/color]”

Vlyn opened his mouth, though his ear twitched, and he looked in the other direction. “[color=thistle]Aloa has arrived. I hope she brought the prince and princess,[/color]” He commented.

Lorenzo finally released Grant, shoving him aside as he decided to confront Shion. “[color=darkorange]You talking about my Nadeline? What’re you doing, bringing her here of all places?[/color]” He asked, half annoyed and ignoring Grant’s glare. “[color=darkorange]Now that you mention it, the heck are you guys doing here, anyway? I thought you all split up for a reason?[/color]”

Grant rolled his eyes. “[color=darkorchid]Circumstances change, Lorenzo. Clearly, you of all people should understand that, considering this was supposed to be the signing of a [i]peace[/i] treaty,[/color]” He motioned towards the ruined buildings.

“[color=deepskyblue]Well, regicide has been used to accommodate peace from tyrants…[/color]”Shion said, though it was a quiet point.

Lorenzo chose to ignore her comment. “[color=darkorange]Shit happened, Grant, as you already saw kudos to Sam,[/color]” He said, referring to Shinto (Shion dryly noticed he didn’t seem to know anyone’s name). “[color=darkorange]If Aloa’s here with my beautiful daughter and her fiancé, am I to understand you left Elizabeth with Karolina? What happened to trying to seal her darkness?[/color]”

Vlyn sighed. “[color=thistle]Zodiark seemed to have gotten to her before Aloa and Shion could, Your Highness,[/color]” He said. 

“[color=darkorange]The hell you mean?! What happened—[/color]” He froze in place, eyes wide, though they would close. He looked at Shion, a look of realization on his face. “[color=darkorange]Something happened to Elizabeth, and you came here to tell Jaakuna.[/color]”

“[color=darkorchid]Is that why you’re here?[/color]” Grant asked Shion. “[color=darkorchid]Vlyn caught us up on everything.[/color]”

“[color=deepskyblue]That’s right,[/color]” She confirmed as much.

[hr]

Stretching his arms above his head, Keiran let out a rather loud yawn. He then placed his hands on the back of his head, his mind far away, until he would see Sophia at the end of the hallway. Sophia, the ruler of ‘balance’ and doing what is just, not often what is right. She stared right at him, and he could feel a very unneeded conversation about to happen. It’d be too suspicious if he turned around, right? Not like he had anywhere else to go, though.

He chose to play ignorant, strolling up to her. “[color=gray]Look at us, running into each other over and over,[/color]” He said, raising his eyebrows at her. “[color=gray]If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had a crush on me![/color]”  She continued to stare at him, unamused. His smile faltered into a look of annoyance. “[color=gray]What do you want now?[/color]”

She closed her eyes for a moment, choosing her words carefully. “[color=ivory]Your mind is in disarray. It would be wise to step back and find inner peace,[/color]” She would advise him. “[color=ivory]Lest you end up angering Lord Zodiark further.[/color]”

“[color=gray]I haven’t strayed from my path,[/color]” Keiran dropped his arms to his sides. “[color=gray]I’ve followed my orders and done precisely what I’ve been asked of. I was even rewarded! Why would you think I’m doing otherwise?[/color]”

“[color=ivory]No, you haven’t strayed. Yet you aren’t where our Lord would like you to be,[/color]” She stated simply, eyeing him carefully. “[color=ivory]I cannot be certain, but I’m starting to think your influence on the Scion of Time is starting to go both ways. You use her sorrow to plant yourself in her mind, and in turn it’s beginning to affect you as well.[/color]”

“[color=gray]That’s not—[/color]” His response was a little too quick, though he seemed to catch himself, bringing a hand to his forehead. “[color=gray]I have it all under control, no need to worry yourself. Don’t take me lightly.[/color]”

“[color=ivory]I wouldn’t dream of it. I simply wanted to give you a word of caution,[/color]” She said. “[color=ivory]The Scion isn’t simply here because of her power—she is also bait.[/color]”

Keiran was surprised. “[color=gray]Bait…?[/color]”

“[color=ivory]She will draw those with the power of the espers here, to Lord Zodiark’s domain. And once they come, we will strike them down,[/color]” She stated, looking outside. “[color=ivory]The Twelve Espers and the Twelve Scions…a clash of light and darkness, of good and evil. Only when they fall shall our Lord’s reign be absolute.[/color]”

Keiran didn’t respond, though he seemed to understand. Sophia deemed it satisfactory, as she would take her leave of him. Letting out a sigh, he couldn’t help but ruffle his hair. Yeah, it definitely sounded familiar, it was like a distant memory he couldn’t quite reach. A demon’s castle, a fair maiden waiting to be rescued, and the knight of light coming to face the darkness.

And then what?

[hr]

[i]Slumped against the bars, Emiri let out a frustrated yell. Her hands ached as she had tried repeatedly to bend the bars, or at least move one, but they wouldn’t budge. She let out a sigh, followed by another frustrated shout, and then finally, a small whimper of despair. Getting herself out of this predicament was going to prove harder than she thought. Still, for a moment, she had some influence over her own body, and that alone had motivated her enough to start trying to escape again. 

Except now, she would rest.

Taking in a deep breath, she rubbed her sore hand, though footsteps would alert her that HE was here. She sat up proper, glaring at Keiran as he revealed himself. “[color=gray]Having fun?[/color]” He asked her, snickering. “[color=gray]You sure are a noisy one. And here I thought you were groomed to become the bride of a king? Your mother would be so disappointed.[/color]”

[color=pink]He’s trying to get under your skin, don’t let him win![/color] She had to remind herself mentally, actually managing to keep calm. “[color=pink]I’m disappointed in you. I’m sure you noticed,[/color]” She threw a taunt right back at him. “[color=pink]When you tried to pull that little stunt of yours, I managed to say something, didn’t I?[/color]”

His eyes narrowed dangerously, much to her satisfaction. Ha! Though as he approached her cage, she noticed the rather dark expression he had on his face. “[color=gray]You did. You surprised me there…but I’m going to have to ask you to behave,[/color]” He said, his tone low. His usual playfulness seemed to be all but gone.

“[color=pink]I’m not going to let you bully me around anymore![/color]” She stated. “[color=pink]I’m not afraid of you! Maim me, chop off my limbs, I refuse to submit to you! Do as you see fit! [/color]”

“[color=gray]Do as I see fit?[/color]” He repeated her words thoughtfully. He then smiled, though it sent a chill up her spine. She felt herself backing away as he would let himself into her cage. “[color=gray]Do you really want me to ‘do as I see fit’, Emiri?[/color]” He asked her, his voice actually scaring her. “[color=gray]I don’t think you can handle that.[/color]”

[color=pink]Stay strong. [/color]“[color=pink]You’ve locked me in a prison of my own mind, you’ve forced me to attack my own friends—what more could you possibly do?![/color]” She snapped at him.

“[color=gray]Next time you see them, I’ll make sure you finish the job,[/color]” He informed her as he advanced on her. “[color=gray]Ah, who should we kill first? Wesley? Nadeline? No, I’ve got a better idea—after all, you said to do as I saw fit, right?[/color]” He asked as her back hit the bars. “[color=gray]We can lure Jaakuna out on his own—he’s an idiot, he’ll go to the ends of the world if it meant seeing you again. We could play the wounded gazelle gambit, you can call out to him—‘Save me! Save me!’—and he’ll come running. Then, I’ll confront him, and while his back is turned, you draw your blade right through his heart.[/color]”

Her breath caught in her throat, though she shook her head. “[color=pink]If you think you can use my body to hurt him, you’ve got another thing coming![/color]” She shouted, the cage around them shaking. “[color=pink]I’ll die before that happens![/color]”

“[color=gray]Except…that’s not really up to you, is it?[/color]” He asked, tucking a hair behind her ear. His hand trailed down, though before she could react, he grabbed her by her neck, slamming her onto the bars of the cage. “[color=gray]I want you to watch as you kill him. I want you to cry helplessly as your own hands stab every one of your loved ones. What, you think this little outburst of yours means anything?[/color]”

Emiri looked at him, unwavering. “[color=pink]I won’t let that happen—[/color]” He managed to make her cry out in pain as he squeezed his hand tighter, and while her hands would fly up to his, she continued to glare at him. “[color=pink]I told you, do whatever you want to me, I’m not going to let you hurt any of them![/color]”

Keiran seemed to understand, though his smile seemed to scare her. He loosened his grip, though kept her in place, pushing his body against hers. “[color=gray]How admirable. But I warned you, Emiri. If you don’t behave, you will be punished.[/color]” He said, his lips near her ear. “[color=gray]If asking threats won’t subdue you, I’ll have to try other methods.[/color]”

Other methods? Emiri watched him as he backed away, walking out of her cage. She watched him, confused, trying to think of what he could mean. No, it was another trick of his. She looked towards the path that led to Chaos. If she was going to break free, she would need help.[/i]