[h1]Sapphire Inn // Royal Suite[/h1]

The battle was a blur. Jun's defiance had been talked down by her schoolmates, few of whom she recognized. [i]So this is what they've been doing after they disappeared.[/i] She mused, hanging back and fighting the bitter taste in her mouth of watching others fight for her. Her pride would have demanded that she fight her own battles, but she was persuaded not to step in. She realized how ill-prepared for the fight she was when the others began summoning fantastical beings to fight her 'shadow'.

She had watched in awe as they battled the monstrosity that claimed to be her. They refused to be daunted and when the knight finally collapsed, she found her own strength returning. Strange, she had not realized she had crumpled into a sitting position on the floor. She walked up to the knight, eyes downcast and afraid to look at anyone else. She did not like that her inner demons were being put on display for all to see. The blonde gangster knew what she had to do, however.

She just wish there wasn't an audience watching her make peace with her own dark self. The girl bowed her head. "Thank you for giving voice to my fears. Now I realize how foolish I was." Her fists were clenched. She felt vulnerable, but at the same time empowered by the moment of admitting her weakness and failures. Her swordplay training was returning to her - [i]knowing your own weakness is just as important as knowing your enemy's if you wish becoming a stronger fighter.[/i]

"You were right. I'm too afraid of the hold that man has on my mother and I. Afraid that I will be forced to live a lie for the sake of a man who never raised me until it was convenient for him. Ashamed of who I am, I indulge in petty rebellion and cowardly lose myself in the thrill of it. I know that now. You are me... but I will not allow that to be true any longer." She lifted the sword she had scavenged and pointed it at the knight. "I will not tolerate this weak, petty display any longer. I will face my problems head on and work for my own happiness."

The shadow seemed to melt away with a knowing smile. Was that it? An anti-climatic end to an epic battle. "So... what now?" Jun asked her fellow students as her legs lost strength again and she sat herself down before she fell.