Rio's words were a bit of a shock to the brown haired girl, who immediately looked at Shion. As always, Shion kept herself collected, though she didn't seem very surprised. Had she known? The possibility was high, as Shion would cross her arms, her expression impossible to read. Emiri looked between both Shion and Rio, the latter with a bemused smile on his face, though admittedly she didn't quite appreciate getting caught in the middle of a love affair--and nothing was worse than dealing with a former lover, at that. She slowly placed her free arm on the vine, though as she did, she let out a cry as thorns immediately responded to her touch. The vine wrapped itself around the rest of Emiri's captured arm, pulling her off her feet, leaving her dangling in the air. 

"[color=dodgerblue]It doesn't bring me any joy to see you in pain, believe it or not,[/color]" Rio assured Emiri, watching her pained expression. "[color=dodgerblue]But I need to speak to my beloved.[/color]"

Shion scoffed--loudly--and the woman's glare towards Rio turned harsh. "[color=deepskyblue]I'm 'beloved', am I? I'm going to make the assumption that you haven't been simply staying put all these years. You know [i]very[/i] well that I've tied my existance into your eradication,[/color]" She stated. "[color=deepskyblue]Or rather, into whatever abomination you've become.[/color]"

Rio smiled once again, giving her a shrug. "[color=dodgerblue]You are right, I haven't been sitting around,[/color]" He said, taking a few steps forward. One of the still vines rose, dropping Shion's sword into his hands. He frowned at it, inspecting it for a moment. "[color=dodgerblue]Ah...and so the Prodigal Son has risen. I'm impressed, to think you'd break your own soul to leave such a heavy task on another. The Shion I knew was strong, proud, and took matters into her own hands.[/color]"

"[color=springgreen]Let me guess, 'you've grown soft' is the next set of words?[/color]" Emiri rolled her eyes at him.

Rio gave her a surprised look. "[color=dodgerblue]Soft, hmm...I suppose that was the general direction I was headed towards...[/color]" He murmured, though he would then take Shion's sword, placing it behind his head and across his shoulders. "[color=dodgerblue]But you know, Scion, the way you look at me, I admit I don't appreciate it.[/color]" He pouted slightly, stepping towards Emiri. To his surprise, Shion stepped in front of her, effectively blocking his path. "[color=dodgerblue]That protective side of yours is noble, it truly is, but there's no fire in your eyes--you don't actually care about this girl, do you?[/color]"

Shion didn't respond. Emiri glared at the back of Shion's head. She could at least [i]pretend[/i] to care! As she opened her mouth to speak, instead came out a scream of pain as she felt the vines produce more thorns, her arm slowly bleeding as each one pricked through her skin. Rio never took his eyes off Shion, who in turn, simply stared at him. To his surprise, however, Shion vanished from his sight, though reappeared, Emiri's sword in hand. Despite the years, her form was as precise as it was that day, the strength behind her strike nothing to scoff at. But Rio never did truly fight alone, a shadow appearing to take the hit for him as Rio himself sank down into the shadows. "[color=dodgerblue]I admit, it's unfair,[/color]" Rio told Shion, as he reappeared behind her, and with a slash, he watched as Shion fell to one knee, her shoulder freely bleeding. "[color=dodgerblue]I came here hoping for your cooperation.[/color]"

"[color=springgreen]How can you call her your beloved when you can easily strike her like that?![/color]" Emiri yelled at him, catching his attention.

Rio raised his eyebrows at her, though once again he put on a charasmatic smile, giving her a wink. "[color=dodgerblue]Do you think that every tyrant in history was born a monster?[/color]" He asked Emiri as he approached her. "[color=dodgerblue]No one is born evil. Evil is a creation...a corruption of the pure, and you would [i]think[/i] knowing that, the world would go out of its way to prevent it from being born. But here we are, a Scion of Light--[/color]" He gestured towards her. "[color=dodgerblue]--And an embodiment of darkness. Every light casts a shadow, my dear, and the greater the light, the greater the shadow. The Transcendent shines a brilliant light that would easily illuminate anything, and you, the Chastiser, walk a fine line between joining him, and falling to the darkness you despise.[/color]"

What was he talking about? "[color=deepskyblue]Not everyone is as weak as you are, Rio. All you ever craved was power,[/color]" Shion snapped at him, voicing Emiri's own thoughts.

The man seemed to agree, though as he neared Emiri, she could feel herself stiffen as she saw his amused expression. "[color=dodgerblue]I'll let you in on a secret, little Chastiser,[/color]" He said, placing his hand under her chin, pointing her face towards Shion. "[color=dodgerblue]Miss Shion's dislike of you is my fault. I do apologize, I truly do, but every time she looks at you, she sees my younger self. A well-meaning, good hearted, power hungry young warrior.[/color]" He pressed her chin upwards as she wanted to interrupt him. "[color=dodgerblue]Let me guess, 'there's no way I'm like that'! Maybe not at first. After all, you're not going to find the power of time lying around just anywhere! You were chased by the entirety of Ivalice by power-hungry Emperors who craved it. You hated it, oh, how you wished you could be normal...But then...[/color]"

"[color=deepskyblue]Don't listen to him![/color]"

"[color=dodgerblue]One day, you meet someone stronger than you are. Maybe it didn't start that way, but it certainly became so. You've always watched his back, and at one point, he doesn't need you anymore. You realize that you can't really catch up to him, can you?[/color]" Rio continued, making sure he had Emiri's full attention. "[color=dodgerblue]It's not his fault, you know this. But deep down, deep, deep down, you harbor a feeling of resentment. You promised you would protect him, so why is it nowadays you find yourself in situations where you're awaiting his rescue? If only you had more power...what you have now should have been the pinnacle, but it isn't enough, is it?[/color]"

Biting down on her lip, Emiri shook her head at him. "[color=springgreen]That's not how it is at all,[/color]" She told him. "[color=springgreen]We're a team.[/color]"

Taking her wrist, he lightly stretched her arm out, his touch revealing Zodiark's markings. "[color=dodgerblue]Even if it's your nature? Chaos may be the priginator from where you got your powers, but it was [i]you[/i] who were meant to be Zodiark's chosen,[/color]" He pointed out. "[color=dodgerblue]Mitron shined her light so brightly in an attempt to bury that darkness, so why are these markings still here?[/color]"

Emiri was stunned to silence, though her eyes widened as she saw her sword pierce though Rio. The man didn't seem bothered by it, though he did look back, seeing Shion holding the hilt of it. "[color=deepskyblue]They're only there due to Levi's influence,[/color]" Shion informed the pair. "[color=deepskyblue]Don't go twisting the truth to your advantage![/color]"

"[color=dodgerblue]Seeing as how easy it was for you to strike me down, I can't say I didn't see this coming,[/color]" Rio sighed, snapping his fingers. Shion leapt back as the vines around then sprang to life, and she cut them down with ease. Emiri let out a gasp as Rio's wound seemed to instantly repair itself. "[color=dodgerblue]Once you let go of your mortal body, silly things like getting stabbed become a thing of the past. But I've been rambling again... I suppose I should really do what I meant to when I came here and be on my way.[/color]"

Emiri closed her eyes as her hand took a hold of the vine trapping her. Rio raised an eyebrow, although he felt the mist shift around him. Taking a few steps back, he watched as she vines around her crumbled to dust, and as her eyes opened, violet was replaced with green. "[color=springgreen]Then now is as good a time as ever,[/color]" She replied as the wind blew around her, mist forming several swords as they floated around her.

"[color=dodgerblue]Ah, caught on, have you?[/color]" Rio asked, grinning. "[color=dodgerblue]As cute as it would be for me to take you to be my damsel in distress for the hero to rescue, killing you would certainly put a dent in the Transcendant's step.[/color]"
[hr]
[i]To break that which would take hold of the mind...[/i]

There was no possible way she'd be able to catch Savayna, and as she and Jaakuna would battle, she had to think outside the box. A direct hit was unlikely, though instead, she would take advantage of Jaakuna buying her time to make her spell stronger. Inhaling, she closed her eyes as she gripped the Rod of Faith, raising it above her head. Pulling on power she didn't know she had, Nadeline made sure to craft her spell in a way that it would be foolproof. For a moment, she thought Ultima would chide her once again, though she was pleasantly surprised when the Esper would give her the peace she needed to concentrate. One less thing to worry about--thank goodness.

[i]To illuminate the truth in her eyes once more...[/i]

Focusing was proving slightly harder than she though, especially as the effects of both fire and ice swirled around her. Her hands went from going numb to nearly releasing her rod due to the heat, and she ended up grabbing it with both hands, lest it slip and her spell be entirely ruined. She was in too deep to stop, and if she messed up, she could possibly make Savayna's hallucination worse. The thought of a further berselk Savayna was not one she wanted to make a reality, though all her thoughts were put aside as she was enveloped in her holy power. Such a warmth was comforting, though once again, there was no guarantee it would actually work. And of course, an oncoming silence told her that time was running out, as the sounds of battle lessened.

[i]To bear the reality before us...![/i]

Nadeline opened her eyes, watching as Savayna threatened to turn Jaakuna into a human popsicle. She gave him a mental apology for taking so long, but her spell would (hopefully) thaw him out. Her sigil appeared beneath the pair, a Protect barring Savayna's escape should she choose to run. "[color=coral][i]Begone ye who would cloud the truth from her eyes! Cleanse this soul, body, and mind![/i][/color] Nadeline shouted, her sigil erupting around the pair as her spell came to a completion.