A pair of azure irises scanned the room, carefully, calculated, cold. They settled on the mage in the center of the room, the eyelids surrounding them narrowing. A quick glance around the room gave her what she needed to know: the liquid was strengthening him while hindering them. Still, she strode forward. After only a few steps, however, she stopped short as the mist coalesced in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock as the world seemed to melt away around her.

[i]...A bad feeling, dismissed as paranoia...

...a wordless shout from her throat, unheard by any...

...a man's head, removed from his shoulders, rolling to a stop before staring accusatorily at her...

...anguished screams of pain, mixed with pleas for help, answered too late...

...a glint of steel, then darkness, followed by the sickening sound of blade piercing flesh...

...her silhouette, wreathed in crimson...

...and...[/i]

Her legs buckled, forcing her to a knee, a single tear rolling down her cheek. The knuckles of her right hand turned white as her grip tightened on the haft of her weapon. She looked at the mage through blurry eyes, struggling to focus on him. Through gritted teeth, her voice came, slow, deliberate, and quiet, half to the mage, half to herself:

[color=4c87bf]“Kanishimi wa...sudeni...watashi o...ubaenakatta.[/color]
[hider=Translation]“Sorrow already failed to claim me.”[/hider]
Her left hand darted out to the tip of her blade and drew the edge across her palm. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as a white-hot line of pain reverberated through her body. Her eyes focused immediately as the sensation brought her back to the present, but the only tears she shed were the crimson ones staining the water around her feet.

She quickly tore off a thin strip of fabric at the hem of her shirt and wrapped it around her injured hand, tying it off with her teeth. The cut smarted, but it wasn’t especially deep, and after flexing it a few times, she determined it would not affect her fighting. After a deep breath, she rose to her feet, scythe in hand, as she turned her head to check on her allies.