That sound was coming from the bridge, Josephine realized as she pushed her burning legs to keep her running down alleys and between buildings.  Her throat burned with exhaustion - why wasn't anything going right today?  Why did they leave the workshop?  This place was a hellhole, and nobody should be out here without backup.  She ripped her Rakuyo from her belt and skidded to a halt at the edge of the bridge.  What...  What [i]was[/i] that monster?  Josephine covered her mouth...  Edmund was missing an arm, his chikage dripped in blood, and he cut the bridge itself into pieces, separating the monster and himself from Josephine and Kael.

"NO!"  She screeched, kicking off of the ground to sprint after him as they were engulfed in a torrent of blood.  Was this his true power?  A fully trained, battle-hardened veteran at critical mass could command this much strength.  She halted at the broken mass of bridge as, suddenly, everything was gone and a foreboding silence fell into the air.  She dropped her sword, her eyes wide as she stumbled, lost, across the stonework bridge.  An eerie clattering sound was followed by the hollow ring of vibrating metal, but Josephine's ears were numb.  Kael screamed in denial nearby, but as the young woman's boots stepped into the crater, soft splashes lapped at her footwear.  She fell to her knees, soaking her trousers in crimson gold.  Her father's blood seeped into her clothes...  The abhorrent beast's mixed with it, creating a repulsive stench.  The worst part?  She had started to grow used to this smell already.

"He's...  he's dead..."  She mumbled, her shaking hands splashing through the blood before finding what they had absently been searching for.  She knew not why, but she held the man's Chikage in her hand as she clambered to her feet.  She stared at it, speechless.  Her brow furrowed, her lips pulled into a tight line as she looked up at Kael.

"What... have you... done, Kael?"  She asked, flicking the blade and releasing the blood from its edge.  Even if he'd answered, she wouldn't hear it.  "WHAT DID YOU DO?!  YOU KILLED HIM!"  The woman shouted, gripping the katana tightly.  She stepped forward, "He was my father!  I didn't even get to talk to him after finding out!  This...  Is all your fault!"  Her voice cracked in fury as she approached him, holding out the sword.  "How dare you.  I'll have your head, you monster!"

She took another step forward, raising the weapon, ready to take the young man's life.

[i]CLANG![/i]

The Chikage hit the ground behind her as she fell to the ground, her knees scraping against the stone roughly.  Her throat was ablaze as tears and sweat poured down her cheeks.  "He was my father...  The one thing I've wanted so long, right in front of me...  And I didn't even get to pay him back for saving me...  Time and again he's provided for us...  For you.  And this is how you repay him?  You... You recklessly try to throw your life away?"  She choked on a sob, covering her mouth as her back convulsed.  "Do you ever think of anybody but yourself, Kael?  Even once in your life, have you thought of how your actions would affect those around you?"  Her fist slammed into the ground as she looked up, her eyes clearly bloodshot.

"YOU DON'T GET TO BE MAD!" She screamed at him, only inches from his face, "YOU DON'T GET TO BE SAD.  THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"  She couldn't stop herself from saying so much.  Shuffling forward, the young woman raised a fist and brought it down into his shoulder.  It was certainly no love-tap, but it didn't have nearly the strength she could normally muster.

[i]Tap...  Tap...  Tap...[/i]

The sound of boots on stone echoed not far away.  They were slow and measured, fearless.  They were reminiscent of Edmund's footsteps, so sure of themselves.  Upon looking up, Kael and Josephine would see a woman garbed in tattered gray robes.  Some of the edges looked singed and the outfit hung loosely from her shoulders.  Over her head was a large hood covering a heavy, protective helmet.  The most unnerving part?  The bone, collapsible shaft that rested, folded on her back as well as the massive, curved blade in her hand.  A Blade of Mercy hung on her other hip.  With a single, fluid motion, she slammed the hilt of her blade into the end of the shaft and slipped it easily from her back, revealing a menacing scythe.  She was one of the Master Hunters that Edmund had recounted to them - Master Huntress Lydia, Daughter of the Reaper.

She cleared her throat, surveying the scene, "I heard the commotion...  What's going on out he-" She furrowed her brow, removing her helmet to reveal black hair, pulled back into a short pony tail with bangs that framed her face casually.  "Wait...  Aren't you Edmund's apprentices?  Where is he? What happened?"  She asked curtly, glancing around to make sure the area was actually clear.  All that blood...  She covered her mouth, "Oh god, no...  He didn't actually do it..?"  She asked, her voice trailing as she shook her head.  "That idiot knows he can't wake up in the dream anymore...  Why would he do that?"  The question was purely rhetorical, and it was clear.