That too-familiar burning sensation returned with a vengeance, her body trying and failing to respond. Emiri's mind was completely blank, the pain robbing her of any sort of thought. She could see Shion above her, saying something, but her voice sounded so far away. She should have reacted faster, but the shock of Rio's sword piercing through the barrier had paralyzed her. And now she paid the price, lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, and likely to die. Her instinct told her to remove the sword, but she couldn't so much as lift her arms. She couldn't move, she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe.

[I][color=dodgerblue]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][/I]

Rio's voice rang in her head as clear as day, piercing through the pain. Why? Why was she thinking about that now? Because Jaakuna was fighting Rio on even ground and she got taken out with one attack? It sucked, yes, but the situation was out of her hands. He was chosen. Literally. And she was... 

[i][color=dodgerblue]It's not his fault, you know this. But deep down, deep, deep down, you harbor a feeling of resentment.[/color][/I] 

That's not true. She could never bring herself to hate Jaakuna. He didn't ask for this. He didn't ask for any of this, and she of all people knew that feeling all too well. There was just no way she could harbor any ill will towards him. It didn't make sense. She couldn't possibly be so hypocritical...

[i][color=dodgerblue]If only you had more power...what you have now should have been the pinnacle, but it isn't enough, is it?[/color][/I]

The last question rung in her head multiple times, and it was as if time itself had slowed down. No, everything was still. But how? She hadn't stopped it, did she? For some reason, while everything was stopped, she had the energy to move. Gripping the sword, she slowly began to pull it out. The searing pain threatened to rob her of whatever energy she had, but she knew it was doing more harm staying in. As soon as she thought she was free, a hand took a hold of the hilt, pulling it out of her. No longer did she feel like her lungs were on fire, but the wound still throbbed fiercely. She could feel the puddle of blood beneath her, and she closed her eyes for a second, opening them to see a dark haired man standing above her.

"[color=springgreen]Keiran?[/color]" She asked, surprised. He knelt down, and as he got closer, she realized it was Rio. 

His gentle expression was unsettling, almost loving as he touched her cheek, his hand tracing her jaw and lowering down her neck and onto her chest. Her hand stopped his, though he tenderly pried it off. "[color=dodgerblue]You don't want me to help?[/color]" He asked her curiously, his blue eyes staring down her violet ones.

What kind of half-assed joke was that? "[color=springgreen][I]You're[/I] the one that did this,[/color]" She reminded him, wincing slightly as he lifted her up.

He didn't deny it, pressing his hand onto her chest. She let out a slight gasp as a stinging pain surged through her at his touch. His hand glowed somewhat ominously, and every instinct she had told her she needed to get away from him. She tried to stop him, though she winced as he lifted her closer to him, his face a little too close for comfort. He was examining her features, his gaze a mixture of curiosity and appreciation. "[color=dodgerblue]He chose well. Your beauty is truly unparalleled--that silk hides the steel of a warrior,[/color]" He told her soothingly, his hand raising her chin up slightly. "[color=dodgerblue]It's hard to look away from those eyes of yours. That being said--[/color]"

"[color=deepskyblue]--stay with me![/color]"

Huh?

Emiri blinked a few times, the scene around her completely changed. Rio was gone, the darkness she felt emanating from him having completely disappeared. Shion was above her, her hands hovering slightly as her white magicks made an attempt to heal her wound. Time marched forward once more, though she couldn't recall where Rio meant or the end of his sentence. The confusion settled as pain returned, and Emiri visibly winced once again. She could see Rio's sword slowly fading away, melting into the ground, and a burst of light let her know that Jaakuna and Rio were still fighting. Her mind couldn't piece together where Rio went or how time had resumed, and she temporarily resigned herself as she placed a hand on Shion's, signaling her to stop.

Without his sword impeding her, Emiri was able to reverse the damage rather easily. She let out a sigh of relief, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Sitting up slowly, she looked up in time for Jaakuna's flames to break through Rio's dome. The dark haired man looked rather amused, though as he stepped forward, he suddenly clutched his chest, staggering slightly. Emiri put her hand to her chest, looking towards the direction of the library.

"[color=dodgerblue]Tch, so the snake decides to show up...[/color]" Rio muttered, narrowing his eyes.

[hr]

Grant managed to catch Nadeline, holding her steady as Levi did...what Levi does. He really hated her insistence on going out of her way to make him as uncomfortable as possible, but as her actions had saved Nadeline, he wasn't in a place to protest. Carefully settling the princess down, he watched her expression carefully. Her injury didn't look too bad, though he was pretty sure she was likely to be out of the rest of the fight. Despite having seen better days, she clutched her shoulder, a small burst of white magicks coming forth and healing her injury. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, watching Nadeline look at him and Wesley.

"[color=coral]You're late,[/color]" She murmured.

"[color=darkorchid]Forgive us,[/color]" Grant replied, though he looked up as Levi seemingly cleansed Ren. The poor girl fell onto the ground, unconscious, the darkness within evaporating into the air. How the hell was Levi able to do that? He eyed her, somewhat suspicious, though his eyes landed on the unconscious Savayna. "[color=darkorchid]What happened here?[/color]"

"[color=coral]Oh, the usual...Jaakuna's recklessness causing a ruckus,[/color]" She managed to smile as he helped her sit up, though she didn't seem to be able to stand. "[color=coral]Savayna was affected, but I did manage to cleanse her.[/color]"