Reia eyed the soldier rather warily as he was dismissed. No, she didn’t like the look of that one at all, less so when Jaakuna would state his concerns. She would look at Lorenzo, who seemed more interested than anything else, and let out a small sigh. She almost suggested turning around, but that wouldn’t just be an insult to Jaakuna, it would be an insult to herself as well. After a moment of collecting her thoughts, she couldn’t help but notice Lorenzo’s lack of response. Odd, considering he was the last person to ever shut up. Lorenzo caught her look, and let out a rather dramatic sigh. “[b][color=darkorange]And you thought I was joking when I said I was your bodyguard,[/color][/b]” He couldn’t help but smugly point out, though his expression immediately hardened into one more serious. “[b][color=darkorange]We’re already here, ain’t much left to do but to keep going. Don’t go striking your idea out just yet, Jaakie. Not saying it’s gonna turn out one hundred percent alright, but…shit, we need to make sure everything is alright here.[/color][/b]” She hated to admit it, but he was right. She would cross her arms once more, shifting somewhat uncomfortably. He would shoot her a grin, patting his chest. “[b][color=turquoise]If you’re absolutely sure…then I agree. Even if everything goes down the drain, no one can say we did not try.[/color][/b]” “[b][color=darkorange]That’s the spirit![/color][/b]” How he stayed so optimistic was a mystery to her. [hr] [i][color=pink]What am I doing? Is this really worth it? I can’t do this. What’s going on?[/color] [color=palevioletred]No…I want my revenge… I need it.[/color][/i] An inner battle seemed to wage on inside Emiri as she and Keiran trekked though the Dalmasca Westersand, close to the border of the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea. Keiran had led her this far, though the longer they walked, the more doubt she had. She wasn’t feeling too hot either; her movement was sluggish, her head ached fiercely, the heat beating on them terribly and adding to things as they walked. But she would carry on. She owed Lola…she needed to find her…she needed to make her pay for making her father suffer…for killing her mother…Who the hell did she think she was?! Keiran eyed Emiri rather carefully. Once in a while, her body seemed to reject the dark powers she accepted. It was an odd phenomenon, though he couldn’t quite understand why. Chaos had been silenced, Shion was unable to purify her, so why was she able to resist it so much? Were his own powers not enough? No, that couldn’t be it, his master made sure of that. There was something missing, something blocking it that he didn’t know about. The brunette fell to one knee, clutching her chest. His eyes widened, though a blinding light would throw him to the ground. Emiri let out a gasp, turning around to see Shion at the ready, blade aloft. The wind whipped her blue hair around her like a storm, but the woman herself was at the ready. The blue rose in her hair glowed brightly, its petals scattering around them. Emiri bit her lip as she smiled, slowly standing on her feet. “[b][color=palevioletred]How I hoped you would follow,[/color][/b]” She admitted as she withdrew her sword from her sheath. “[b][color=palevioletred]Just you and me…with no one else to interfere.[/color][/b]” Shion’s amber eyes seemed to pierce through her very soul, though she was completely focused on her. Emiri took it as an invitation, cackling madly as she swung her sword. The two blades clashed as they did, hers oozing darkness to oppose Shion’s light. The result was another explosion that would send the two in opposite directions, although they would immediately charge at one another once more. Emiri’s moves became messy and erratic, a sort of unpredictability, though Shion was always one to adapt to a situation. The woman parried an attack, forcing Emiri back. The younger girl staggered backwards, her heels slipping in the sand for just a moment. Shion charged in, her hand glowing as she would strike her abdomen. Emiri let out a small gasp, shocked as she was sent flying a good distance away. Shion narrowed her eyes as the girl would fall to the ground, though for once, Emiri was not her target. Instead, she approached the fallen Keiran, who was groaning. He looked up at her, one red eye shining, his face cracked from the exposure to light. He couldn’t help but smirk, covering part of his face with his hand. “[b]Heh. You really got me. Well done,[/b]” He offered a congratulations, though Shion’s only response was to place her blade to his neck. “[b]Touchy, aren’t we?[/b]” “[b][color=deepskyblue]Of course. Eliminate the source, and the girl goes back to normal,[/color][/b]” Shion replied rather simply, pressing the tip into his neck. “[b][color=deepskyblue]Your life is nothing more than a waste. Trouble me no more and return to the darkness from whence you came.[/color][/b]” To her surprise, Keiran laughed, his eyes widening somewhat. “[b]That’s funny, [i]it[/i] said the same thing! Oh, but the stories I’ve heard of you, Blue Rose…you and [i]it[/i] would get along swimmingly, I’m sure![/b]” He chuckled. “[b]See, the thing is, the seed has sprouted. This physical form is just a better way for me to communicate with her. Slice it up, behead me, tear it apart…I’ll just come back so long as she’s alive.[/b]” Shion narrowed her eyes, unconvinced, though she would see Emiri approaching them once more, seemingly angry. “[b][color=deepskyblue]A clever ploy for your life,[/color][/b]” She said, and before he could respond, she ended him, her blade cutting cleanly through his neck. Emiri’s eyes widened, a sharp pain coursing through her own neck. She screamed, partly from the pain, partly from terror, and an explosion of darkness erupted around her. She gripped her sword firmly, her free hand clutching her neck, and with murder in her eyes, she charged at Shion once more. As Shion lifted her sword, she let out a small gasp as Emiri swung, her blade going right through the sword of light. How was this possible?! With her free hand, she would catch the sword, though it was not without pain as she made an attempt to prevent the girl from slicing her open. The various petals swarmed around her hand and she was able to push Emiri back. Her hand bled freely, though what was once running red ran black instead. Shion recognized it immediately, a white glyph appearing beneath her as the darkness seeped through her body. The darkness would fade from her wound, leaving her blood red once more, though it seemed Emiri wasn’t quite finished with her. “[b][color=palevioletred]You should have killed me back in Archades,[/color][/b]” Emiri whispered as she tried not to smile. “[b][color=palevioletred]I was right in front of you, do you remember? But your precious Wolf would have seen my dead body…how soft you’ve gotten, Blue Rose.[/color][/b]” Shion winced, her wound burning, though she wasn’t about to die here. “[b][color=deepskyblue]You haven’t won yet, Scion. Fallen petals have their uses, after all…[/color][/b]” She replied as the wind picked up, sand scattering everywhere. As Emiri raised her arms to shield herself, the sand fell to the ground, and Shion had vanished. She cursed out loud, clearly aggravated, though she would sheathe her weapon once more. Her eyes landed on Shion’s fallen blood, and couldn’t help but smile at it fondly. Not even Jaakuna could have landed a hit on her, but she did. She didn’t need him. She didn’t need any of them. Not after they all left her behind. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, and she felt Keiran put his head on her shoulder. He was completely unharmed now, though he hugged her tightly. “[b]That’s right, you don’t need them anymore,[/b]” He echoed her thoughts almost lovingly, a hand stroking her hair. Emiri shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, and Keiran would turn her around and hug her properly. Never in her life had she felt so alone or felt so robbed. Why was all this happening to her? Why did he leave her again? What was wrong with her? She sobbed into his shoulder, her hands holding him as tightly as she could as she cried.