Seeing what just unfolded before him, Zodiark found no more use for Grant. so, rather cruelly, Zodiark literally tossed Grant aside as he threw him like a bag of trash to the left of him near where the unconscious Savayna still lay. His attention was now dedicated to Nadeline who happened to finally unlock Ultima's Seal. In got his attention so much that he stood up. As soon as he did, his throne disappeared and his tome would as follow suit.

"[color=364f54]You continue to impress me, Rozarrian Hume girl.[/color]" Zodiark cracked a smile, "[color=364f54]is this Ultima finally deeming you worthy of her power? Or is this her commanding your body?[/color]" Zodiark would do something that resembled a shrug, "[color=364f54]it matters not. I accept your challenge girl. If you think you can handle my power, then last five minutes and I will tell you three truths that you desire - anything at all.[/color]" Zodiark said as his arms began weaving handsigns. In only one second, orbs of arcane magick surrounded him. They floated as he would give her the first strike.
[hr]
“[color=ed1c24]I am never doing that again,[/color]” Jaakuna groaned as he gripped his head.

From doing battle with Hamut to getting tossed out by that intruder who had no business interfering to then waking up briefly only to find himself thrown into a wormhole through space and time for Gods-know how long, Jaakuna felt like he was going to be sick. All of those events happening so quickly(or at least feeling like they did) was too much for him to handle. There was also the fact that he spent most of his Mist reserves, so he was magically and physically exhausted on top of possibly having fast travel motion sickness. 

Yup, Jaakuna felt he was going to throw up. He had to find a place. “Aha,” Jaakuna found an elaborately designed trunk at the edge of some bed. It looked nice. Well, it was about to look even nicer with some nice yellow-green goo all over it as Jaakuna let the spoils of war free upon that very nice-looking trunk. 

He hurled semisolids on it for a few moments until he was able to walk. As he would turn around, Jaakuna couldn’t believe his eyes. Or maybe this was a dream? It sure would explain the odd traveling he did. “[color=ed1c24]Is this real life or is it just fantasy?[/color]” Jaakuna inched closer to who he thought it was. Sure, it looked a hell lot like Emiri, but today had been, if nothing else, weird as all hell, so he poked the possibly-real, possibly-fake Emiri on the cheek. “[color=ed1c24]You sure  seem real, but dreams tend to be very lifelike.[/color]”

“[color=gray]No escape from reality,[/color]” Keiran commented, lightly pushing a reluctant Emiri forward. “[color=gray]Beautiful, isn’t she? Go on, say something. You’ve been wanting to see him for some time, haven’t you?[/color]” He insisted, even taking a step back.

[i][color=pink]Jaakuna…![/color][/i] She should have been happy, but there was a part of her that was not only highly suspicious, she also half convinced that the Jaakuna in front of her wasn’t real. [color=pink][i]It’s him. I know it is.[/i][/color] Her inner self seemed so sure, but Emiri was expressionless. She looked at Keiran, raising an eyebrow at him. “[color=palevioletred]Very funny, Keiran. Is this one of Lola’s tricks?[/color]” She asked him, clearly annoyed.

The black haired man shook his head, lightly pushing Emiri forward, then going around and lightly pushing Jaakuna forward so that the pair were closer. “[color=gray]Come on, it’s a lovers’ reunion! Torn apart by fate itself, yet overcoming all odds to see one another once again. Romantic, isn’t it?[/color]” He sighed dreamily, laying his elbow on Emiri’s shoulder.

Jaakuna raised an eyebrow at the dark-haired man. “Alright, now just who exactly is this chump?” Jaakuna asked. Dream or not, this guy was getting on his nerves.

“[color=gray]Me? Keiran, charmed, but who I am is not important,[/color]” He dismissed Jaakuna’s concern entirely, prodding Emiri. “[color=gray]No, who’s important to you, my friend, is this young lady right here. The love of your life, right? Though, she’s awful quiet, isn’t she?[/color]” He feigned disappointment, a spark in his eye as he looked at her. “[color=gray]Come on now…[i]speak[/i]. Tell him exactly who you are.[/color]”

She seemed to try to resist the order, but she ended up mumbling, “[color=palevioletred]I...I am Emiri.[/color]”

Keiran shook his head. “[color=gray]You can do better than that,[/color]” He urged, making sure to lift her face so that Jaakuna could see her red eyes--the ones that were no longer violet. “[color=gray]This is your prince. Tell him how how happy you are to see him.[/color]”

“[color=palevioletred]I’m...so happy to see you…[/color]” She said, a little more clearly.

He couldn’t quite place it, but something just wasn’t right about this. Maybe it was this putz practically telling her what to say and do or something he felt in the air, but it wasn’t exactly how it was before. Emiri usually had more life and joy when she saw him. She used to show more affection than she was showing now. Jaakuna was not the most observant man by any means, but people have to give him some credit. When it came to Emiri, he just knew things. And he knew that something about her was off.

[color=crimson][i]Before you ask, Jaakuna, no I don’t know what’s going on.[/i][/color]

Wonderful. Jaakuna put on a brave face and then looked to the guy that Emiri called Keiran. “[color=ed1c24]Beat it, you. I need to speak to Emiri [i]alone[/i].[/color]” Jaakuna said, hoping Keiran would give him a reason to punch that smug face of his.

He was catching on. And to think, he figured Jaakuna was an idiot. He nodded in understanding, turning as if to leave, though he would stop. He then turned around, wrapping his arm around Emiri’s shoulder. “[color=gray]You two have a lot of catching up to do, that I agree with. But you see...our relationship is…[i]special[/i],[/color]” He told Jaakuna, though he would look at Emiri lovingly. “[color=gray]But I understand that the two of you need your space. Do you want to be alone with him, Emiri?[/color]”

The brunette’s eyes widened as she looked at him, shaking her head. [i][color=pink]Don’t![/color][/i] She knew what it was that he was going to do. “[color=palevioletred]I...I need to speak to him. Alone. I’ll be fine,[/color]” She said, still shaking her head.

Keiran then looked at Jaakuna, smiling. “[color=gray]As the lady wishes,[/color]” He said, leaning closer to her. She reached out, closing her eyes for a moment as she would place a small kiss on his cheek. “[color=gray]I’ll be right outside~[/color]” He said, though as he reached the door, he looked back at Emiri, his eyes flashing red. “[color=gray]Behave, Emiri.[/color]”

The door would close behind him, leaving the pair alone.

As soon as Jaakuna saw the door was closed, he sighed. “Goddamn, I thought he’d never leave,” Jaakuna took a seat on the bed. “[color=ed1c24]That guy has some nerve. He actually thinks you’re going to do what he says? You wouldn’t even listen to your own parents, let alone that idiot.[/color]” Jaakuna laughed as he remembered the first moments they met and when he found out her reasoning for leaving. It seemed like forever ago. 

Emiri managed to look up at him. “[color=palevioletred]I never thought you’d leave, either.[/color]” She replied quietly.

Oh that stung. Not even Savayna’s Blizzaja was as cold as that. 

His eyes glanced at Emiri, though he didn’t know what to say to that. She knew the reasons why he had to leave, yet, as he saw the rather empty expression on her face, maybe she thought otherwise. But what else was he supposed to do? He had to be there for negotiations between the countries. He had to be there as a  [i]trueborn[/i] son of the Darcone house. He had to be there for his family. But maybe he should have been there for Emiri. Or maybe he should have brought her with him. 

After taking a moment and a half, Jaakuna spoke.“ I have done a lot of things that weren’t always right. I’m not perfect, Emiri. You, of all people, should be able to understand that.” Jaakuna couldn’t think of anything else to say. That was the only thing that made sense.

As if reading his thoughts, Emiri nodded. “[color=palevioletred]That sounds logical, doesn’t it?[/color]”She asked rhetorically as she would walk to the window, looking at the distance. “[color=palevioletred]Any other time...you would’ve been right. But right then, I needed you. I don’t know what was worse, the fact that I couldn’t bring myself to beg you to take me with you, or the fact that you couldn’t even finish that sentence.[/color]” She smiled, her voice gaining some of its energy. “[color=palevioletred]I wonder...you’ve come all this way, and yet...you know nothing, do you?[/color]” She turned towards him, still having that small smile on her face.

[i][color=pink]Don’t go there.[/color][/i] Her inner self pleaded. [i][color=pink]Keiran, don’t do this![/color][/i]

Placing a finger on her chin, she examined Jaakuna. She chose to step a little closer, a little more confident, still smiling. “[color=palevioletred]After you left...I met Keiran. Wouldn’t you know, he was...a little odd, but encouraging. I ended up turning back time for Papa...and he’s all better now![/color]” She nodded, a hand to her chest. “[color=palevioletred]I couldn’t save my mother...but I saved him.[/color]”

“[color=ed1c24]You..what?[/color]” Jaakuna couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “[color=ed1c24]Do you have a deathwish, woman!?[/color]” Jaakuna stood up instantly. “[color=ed1c24]You know that every time you use your powers, you’re slowly being pulled an inch closer to Zalera’s gates.[/color]” Jaakuna was livid,  “[color=ed1c24]I swear to god, Emiri, it’s like your mother’s life meant [u][i][b]nothing[/b][/i][/u] to you.[/color]”

Emiri watched Jaakuna’s reaction, though her smile fell. “[color=palevioletred]It meant…’nothing’...huh?[/color]” She repeated his words slowly, looking away from him. “[color=palevioletred]It meant so much that when the love of my life decided to abandon me again, I crumbled. It meant so much I grew desperate, buying into whatever Keiran told me. It meant [i]so[/i] much that it is [b]the[/b] reason we are here now,[/color]” Her voice seemed to rise with each sentence, though she seemed to catch herself, instead letting out a sigh. “[color=palevioletred]It meant so much that I made a deal with the devil without so much as a second thought.[/color]”

She forced herself to stare out the window, not wanting to see his disappointment in her. “[color=palevioletred]I couldn’t handle any of it. And then...she appeared before me. Dressed in blue colors that matched her hair, Shion approached me,[/color]” She said, closing her eyes. “[color=palevioletred]She wanted to cleanse me...to free me from Zodiark’s seed.[/color]”

Unable to hold it in, Emiri let out a burst of laughter, finally turning towards Jaakuna, her eyes sparkling with glee. “[color=palevioletred]She tried...oh, she tried. And you know what? I won. [i]I won[/i], Jaakuna, [i]you[/i] couldn’t even defeat her! But I did...and I left her a present to remember me by, at that![/color]” She informed him cheerfully, a hand over her mouth as she tried to suppress her laughter.

It took him a moment - a long moment, but Jaakuna was putting the pieces together. He was starting to unravel the puzzle. The reason Shion had to speak to him. The reason why she seemed to be so insistent on seeing if he could handle himself against Hamut ..it was about Emiri.  It was because she had given herself to Zodiark’s influence..no, not influence. This was much more than a simple influence. This was more potent than anything that had happened to him. When Zodiark gave Jaakuna a small dose of his powers, it completely consumed him, but with Emiri, he was noticing a different kind of change. There was a natural merge of sorts. Instead of it altering some physical aspects of her looks and personality, it completely warped her into someone else, something else.

Jaakuna sighed, taking in that deep breath that he heard Belias tell him to take. As he exhaled, everything was becoming so clear to him. Before Belias’ Seal was unlocked, Jaakuna only saw the bits and pieces of what he might’ve suspected, but now it was as clear as the thickness of putrid Mist that he sensed before. “[color=ed1c24]So, this must be what Aloa meant by something foul in you when your memories came back. It was that Keiran..[/color]” Jaakuna closed his eyes, taking in as much pure Mist as he could. 

In the moment that followed, Jaakuna zipped past Emiri and burst through the door, grabbing Keiran by the throat and pressing him against the wall, not giving the spawn of satan any time to react or prepare. 

“[color=gray]Now, that is just plain rude,[/color]” Keiran told him as Emiri would run out into the hallway. “[color=gray]Though expected, I suppose. And here I thought we’d be here all night before you noticed, but congratulations, Darcone, you figured it out--or at least, part of it,[/color]” He managed to wag a finger at Jaakuna. “[color=gray]In the spirit of good sportsmanship, I’d like you to give you just one chance at victory.[/color]” As Jaakuna would non-verbally respond by tightening his grip, Keiran would point at Emiri. The girl was gasping for air, her hands around her throat as she struggled to breathe.

As Jaakuna choked his boytoy harder, he noticed Emiri. “[color=ed1c24]What are you doing to her?![/color]” Jaakuna switched gazes from Emiri to Keiran, increasing his grip on Keiran as he would force him deeper into the wall, this time his left hand covered in a bright crimson flame.

“[color=gray]No, Jaakuna...what are [i]you[/i] doing to her…[/color]” He managed to speak, watching as Emiri dropped down to her knees. “[color=gray]Surely you’ve realized it by now...I told you before, didn’t I…? We have a special relationship...the truth is I have no physical body on this plane...instead I cast a shadow on her, making it so that she and I are connected...You should’ve seen her when Shion decided to behead me…[/color]” He coughed. “[color=gray]Do whatever you want to me, just know whatever damage to inflict, she feels it too…[/color]”

Going against everything that he wanted to do, Jaakuna would release his grip of Keiran. He hated that this pathetic trash was able to keep living as whatever kind of being that he was because, if he was hurt in any way, Emiri would feel it. It was one of those lose-lose situations. And Jaakuna hated it. 

As he would look at Keiran, he gritted his teeth. The more livid and anger he felt, the brighter the flame in his left hand would get and his hair started to spark little specs of fire. His eyes also were alternating between crimson and emerald. It got to the point where he closed his eyes and punched. He felt his hand connect with something. Only after a moment when he opened his eyes that he knew it was the wall, which he saw a crater the size of Keiran’s body and at least with enough force to kill a man ten times over. It was nearly five inches away from Keiran himself.

“[color=gray]Scary...quite a punch you’re packing,[/color]” He couldn’t help but comment. “[color=gray]Belias chose well...but I’ll keep to my word.[/color]” He stated, showing a surprising amount of strength as he would pry Jaakuna’s hand away from him, though only enough to give the pair some room. He sighed, walking over to Emiri as she tried to regulate her breathing. He offered her his hand, pulling her up to her feet. His eyes flickered over to Jaakuna briefly, a dark look on his face. “[color=gray]I really don’t enjoy being pushed around like that. Not like I did anything wrong! I was born for one purpose, and one only--to invade the mind of the Scion of Time, as was planted by Leviathan, granted permission by...yourself.[/color]” He said, wrapping his arms around Emiri.

“[color=pink]Stop…[/color]” Her small plea didn’t go unnoticed as Keiran would pull her closer to him.

“[color=gray]We’re intertwined so deeply...I can make her do whatever I want. I can ask her to...dance--[/color]” He stepped back as Emiri would spin around once. “[color=gray]I can ask her to harm herself, too.[/color]” He motioned towards her as she would withdraw her dagger, aiming it at herself. “[color=gray]But none of that is fun, is it? No...I should ask her to strip down in front of you. You’re both going to get married, right? You’d love to see her naked body, right?[/color]” He asked, satisfied as Emiri would begin to unzip the back of her dress, her sleeves lowering.

She shook her head. “[color=pink]I don’t want to do this…![/color]” She protested, clearly frustrated.

Keiran clucked his tongue. “[color=gray]Hmm...right...I did say I would be a good sport, didn’t I?[/color]” He murmured, snapping his fingers as her dress would fall. Instead of exposing her body, it would evaporate and wrap itself around her body, forming her [url=https://imgur.com/yLRlaf0]attire[/url]. “[color=gray]How about the two of you duke it out? If you win, I’ll leave Emiri entirely. I mean, since you’ll have the power anyway, there’s no reason for me to stick around. What do you say, Darcone?[/color]” He asked him, patting Emiri’s head.

[color=crimson][i]I know that you’re angry, Jaakuna. I am too. I want to kill this abomination as much as you do, but we can’t.  If we do, Emiri dies as well.[/i][/color]

Gods damn it all! Jaakuna knew Belias was right. He knew that if he laid a hand on Keiran, Emiri would feel the brunt of it. And yet, at the same time, he was being backed into a corner. Keiran was making it to where he would have to fight Emiri. He didn’t want to, but he was controlling just about every little thing she could do. Nothing he would do could break that hold. It was useless.

[color=crimson][i]I wouldn’t say that.[/i] Belias spoke almost as if he had a plan. [i]We will indulge this madman’s offer for now, but do you trust me, Jaakuna?[/i][/color]

Jaakuna would send vibes towards Belias which said yes.

[color=crimson][i]Then accept his conditions. Say the following:[/i][/color]

“[color=ed1c24]Fine, Abomination, I accept your terms and conditions with a few of my own.[/color]” Jaakuna said,  “[color=ed1c24]when I win, you will not only leave Emiri’s conscious, but you will heal Shion, the Blue Rose of any and all influence of Zodiark. Am I clear? And you [i]will[/i] surrender yourself wholly to Emiri. Whatever she wills, you will obey. If she tells you to dance, you’re going to salsa for her.[/color]” Jaakuna stood firm on the conditions he just laid out in front for him.

Keiran stared at Jaakuna, expressionless. “[color=gray]Abomination...you wound me. Truly, you do.[/color]” Ah, Belias was making sure to do the thinking between the two. Still, Jaakuna was...too emotional. He contemplated, though he nodded, snapping his fingers as several letterings along his arms glowed. “[color=gray]And thus our contract has been sealed. I should warn you, though...she’s going to be a toughie~ Give him hell, will you, Emiri?[/color]”

The brunette froze in place, though for a moment, she gripped her head. Was she fighting him? He glared at her, clearly displeased. So the little bitch was taking the chance to fight for her freedom? He’d have to deal with that from the inside, though after a moment, he seemed to regain control as she held her hand out, summoning a dark sword.

“[color=palevioletred]Understood,[/color]” She stated, holding a stance against Jaakuna, giving him the chance to strike first.

“[color=ed1c24]Please forgive me for what I’m about to do,[/color]” Jaakuna murmured to himself as he took a fighting stance. He drew no weapons for he didn’t need to. His fists flared up in bright, crimson flames. His left hand was a bright pinkish-red crimson while his right had a warm, orange-yellow flame. He stepped forward once and he was gone. In the following second, he appeared next to Emiri on the left and struck her with his left hand.