[b]Rose![/b]

The Pyre of Inspiration has been Hopeless for a long time. Her Hopelessness has manifested in the Voice of Ballet, the voice of control who could say with nightmare authority: No! There are no better ways than this! There is no direction for souls but down!

And, with a thunderclap, your words undo that despair. The Voice of Ballet vanishes in a moment, undone by wisdom, for she herself was only ever the void where wisdom had yet to flow. A princess amongst demons is undone as the Pyre clears the condition of [b]Hopeless[/b], and her legions recoil and fall backwards.

But then you must turn your hand to violence or you will lose it.

The Secrets of the Stance has come forth to strike you down, unmuzzled and unrepentant. A hurricane of blades falls down on you, the jagged black edge of Anger sharp enough to sever even the nanomachines that dance to form your shape. "You speak of love!" roars the Secrets of the Stance. "Then where is it? Where does it hide? What good is it if I shall never possess it!?"

The Secrets of the Stance denies the Way and Love, for all the good denial does her.

[b]Chen![/b]

"Warfare," said Princess Ysel, "is not about giving your opponents what they [i]want[/i]." She pats you on the head affectionately, Chen. "Warfare is about holding true to your vision, no matter what your opponents say! No matter what the world says! You need confidence, Chen. You can't let what might happen or what your opponent might do hold you down. You can't waste your time thinking about what [i]they[/i] want. That's something you'll never be able to control and if you spend your time worrying about things you can't control you'll go mad. Take it from me: Perfect [i]yourself[/i], and everything else will fall as it will."

And she's sincere. She always is. For Princess Ysel, taking the time to think about what other people want [i]will[/i] drive her mad - not because she's an egotist, but because she's deep down the opposite. A defensive shell of prideful hubris is what keeps her from paralysis, the idea that sufficiently hard commitment to the bit is a valid substitute for psychotherapy. 

In a sense, she is a good follower of the Way - she is refusing to let a fallible world dictate her emotions. In another sense she's a disaster because she's grasping to her idea of herself even if it cuts herself off from the world. Her smile is not unkind as she raises her sword over her head for her troops.

"Soldiers of Ys! Our shared identity has bought us victory! It may yet bring us defeat! Qiu is a fearsome foe, and yet, her secret is that she has perfected herself! If we fight as our perfect selves we shall match her, nay, exceed her! All that is left to us is to turn inwards and fight like we rehearsed, hearts untroubled by fear or doubt!" 

[b]Yue![/b]

As you snatch the Radiant Knight's helmet she ducks and turns away, covering her face. The rest of the Knights surge in to catch her and support her, surrounding her in close formation as you deliver your finishing demand. For a moment there's silence as the light and energy of the moment drains away, leaving you staring down four helmeted Knights as they cover for their colleague.

Then, as one, all of the knights raise their right hands and snap their fingers.

Synchronized, the four get to their feet, each long and sweeping step accompanied by a fingersnap. Snap! Snap! They're invoking a beat, and as they spread out around their downed colleague, music begins to build alongside it, attuned to the power of Princess Yin's Sunshard. Snap! Snap! These are dance moves, gradually gaining momentum and fluidity. To move like [i]this[/i] is not becoming of a Guard, but even backup dancers have secrets they've been working on.

The helmetless knight drops to all fours. She arches her back. And when she [i]screams[/i] it's not a sound of pain, it's the culmination of the beat that the others have raised. She flexes and her armour tears away, clashing to the ground like an earthquake hitting a blacksmith's shop. And then the Knight swings around, revealing at last her true nature. 

Beneath the armour is a tigress, slashes of orange and black and a golden eyed symmetry. Leather armour straps snap as her muscles flex and her talons leave deep slashes in the earth and carve through her fallen shield just as easily. She rounds on you as a beast, sword seeming incongruous in her talons, but is held at swordpoint by the Knights and backs off with a snarl. Princess Yin builds her story off the contrast between dark and light, and her Knights are no different. 

Now the Knights take stances like they're fighting the tigress too, noble defenders against her monstrosity, but it's an illusion - it's another step in the dance. The way the Knights move to engage the tigress will block you from retreat, what looks like an attempt to interpose between you and she turns into a way for her to launch herself forwards all the more fiercely. You are not allied with four knights against one monster, you are against the story of monster-slaying knights, and if they have their way your defeat will only serve to emphasize the threat and raise the glory of their victory.

Now, Yue Sunfarmer, you are fighting the Radiant Knights at their utmost, in the style that they prepared for. You have drawn the best out of your opponents once again. And once again you must survive it.

[The Knights create an opportunity for their ally to take on her true form]