With each step, the steel's shine grew brighter, but to Lystra's eyes it was not overbearing. Emilia on the other hand, winced and shielded her face from the blinding light. "Uh, Lystra!" She warbled, inching closer towards the curious girl. But it seemed that there was no stopping her. When Lystra made up her mind, getting between her and whatever the hell she wanted to do, or [i]touch,[/i] would only be delaying the inevitable. Emilia knew that. Even if she dragged Lystra back by her hair, she'd probably just find her way back here, even with a tedious swim dissuading her. "Lystra!" As Lystra's hand made contact with the metal, the shine disappeared. Emilia glanced back and forth, in utter confusion. "Huh?" To Emilia, it was like Lystra had just hit the artifact's [i]off switch.[/i] But from Lystra's perspective?

	A warm light flooded her body, flowing up her wrist and digging at the very core of her being. From within the disc of metal, something resonated with her soul, but just as quickly as it'd come, the power vanished, and Lystra found herself caressing the cool steel of a moderately sized shield. There were no etchings or designs across its smooth, rounded surface, but if she were to turn it over, she would find a pair of straps, used for wielding the strange steel disk.

	"Lystra! Are you ok?" Emilia practically shouted, dashing to her friend's side. "What the heck was that?!"

[center][color=007236]***[/color][/center]

	Kalo panted with heavier breaths than ever before, clutching a wound near his lower right abdomen as it bled profusely through his coarse fingers. The boy glared up at a man donning a Green robe, who wore no shoes, and had no face. Rather, he face was obscured by a feature-hugging black mask, revealing only a pair of emerald green eyes that glinted as if they were on fire, each dotted with a darker flame that mimicked a human's pupil.

	[color=007236]"Even now, you respond to my kindness with violent intent. Why? I've merely stated what is true,"[/color] The trespasser said, sternly and with a hint of contempt clinging to his raspy voice. It was the voice of a heavy smoker, laden with tar, but he spoke as clearly as he could.

	"You keep talking to me like I'm trash! You claim my family to be comparable to [i]rabbits![/i]"

	[color=007236]"I had hopes for you, boy. Such grandiose hopes. You've disappointed me. It's true after all, as he's said. Just like the rest, you're no different."[/color] The man gave Kalo no leeway to speak, ignoring his objections and stepping closer to the boy as he backed up against a nearby boulder. The green-clad man shifted his limbs and tensed his body, raising his left hand forwards, and pulling his right arm back, with both feet planted firmly in the ground.

	"Why? How long have you been..." Kalo paused and choked on his own words at his attacker thrusted his right palm into his skull, and smashed his body against the stone behind him.

[center]***[/center]

	The entire foundation of Emilia's hidden cave began to shake and crumble a minute later. Chunks of stone began to slide out of their place above them, falling towards Emilia and Lystra in chunks large enough to crush them both in an instant. Likewise, their exit began to fall apart, albeit at a far slower pace. "Lystra!" Emilia shouted, unsure of how to react. The girl froze up in the heat of the moment as a series of horrendous events ran through her mind. They had to escape before it was too late.