[IC] Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

[AlteredTundra]

What is happening? The pain, the agony — all of it was unbearable. Jaakuna felt it all. There was something to it, there had to be; some cruel test by the gods. There had to be some reason for this. Everything happening in his head and everything being said from Emiri — there just had be a reason for it, but what could it be? Jaakuna didn’t know and as he somewhat listened to Emiri, he stepped back, staggering backwards. He still held his head, but now with both hands, arms bent to where the elbow bone is out. He fell down, rolling around in the grass..

Flashes of his life outside on the real world starts to flicker in his eyes. “Father..” First came the death of his father by his hands on that one night three years ago. The emotional state of Jaakuna would be reflected in his subconscious. The skies would soon turn black, and the sun would be blood red. Jaakuna would scream just cause the pain of this realization is too much. It was so painful and so intense, Jaakuna’s emotions trigger his mist to explode outward as he gets up to his knees, still holding his head. The way the mist envelops him, it twists in colors of black, green, and red.

“no..no…NOOO!” He screams as the mist shoots upward and the illusion of the meadow, the illusion of the cottage, the illusion of the marriage — all of it disappears, and complete darkness is all there is left. Jaakuna realizes where he is. The mist is gone, the honeymoon is gone, the meadow and cottage is gone. Everything is gone and Jaakuna doesn’t know where he is. He can’t tell right from left. He is lost, and he is falling deeper into the darkness head first, but he is looking up. “I-I-I don’t know where I am. EMIRI!”

---

In the real world, in the medic bay aboard the Ifrit, Wesley and Nadeline find themselves in a deep embrace, but that’s until loud, repetitive beeps are heard from the machine that Jaakuna is resting on. The beeps indicate that he’s going into a worst state. Wesley is alarmed by this and breaks the embrace with Nadeline. He frantically goes to the machine. “IRIS! WHAT’S GOING ON!?” He yelled.

“Master Jaakuna is experiencing deep mental trauma. Based on the state he is in, he only has fifteen minutes to live.” Iris said, informing Wesley of Jaakuna’s worsened condition.

“You..you got to save him!” He shouted.

“I will do my best.” Iris said as the machine would start by bringing out fibrillators, or at least something that resembles it. They would rub together and be pressed on Jaakuna’s chest. This would repeat every thirty seconds until Jaakuna would respond.

[Hero]

I take it back, I take it back, this was a terrible idea!

The sudden eruption of the Mist had caught her completely off guard. She threw her hands above her head, and as everything disappeared, she felt herself panic. This was definitely not normal, nor was it a good thing. As she looked around, she could see everything fade, until she was surrounded by darkness. She couldn't tell if she was floating or falling--she felt so damn confused. And yet, she had one thing on her mind, and one thing only, and that one thing was no where in sight. She opened her mouth to speak, and that was when she heard him. It came from below--he was falling!

Without really thinking, she somehow managed to dive after him. No matter how close she got, he seemed like he was so far away. I'll protect you, I promise. Her own words echoed into her head, and she willed herself to go faster. Closer, closer still, and soon, she found herself grabbing his arm. Somehow (which she really did not understand or know how) she managed to grab his hand, grasping it tightly. "I'm here! I'm right here!" She called out to him, doing whatever it took to not let go. "I'm not leaving without you!"

As she finished her sentence, a bright light began to glow from her hand holding him. It started small, but it grew more and more, brighter and brighter. She squinted through it, grabbing Jaakuna now with both hands. "Jaakuna?!" She called out, but she couldn't hear her own voice. JAAKUNA!" The light grew brighter still, until it full on blinded her. At this point, she didn't know what was going on anymore, and soon that bright light faded away to darkness. The last thing she remembered was holding his hand--she would never let go.

[AlteredTundra]

Am I alone?

Jaakuna could only see darkness. There was nothing but it around him. He was falling from grace, his eyes couldn’t see past his hands. Nothing was real at this point, but was everything permitted? Jaakuna didn’t know. He was slowly slipping from his paradise and into his hell. Without Emiri, without Nadeline, without Wesley, without Savayna — without anyone. His eyes slowly started to close, but then..

Emiri? Is that you

He wanted to say those words, but the volume wouldn’t echo out. He couldn’t force the words out into sound no matter how hard he tried and dammit he did try his best to do so. He did hear her voice as she called out that she was there for him. But is she real? The paradise he found himself in was a lie, so how could he know that she was really there.

Is any of this real or not?

The words still didn’t come out in sound, but his thoughts were there and they were weird ones. He’s been having them and he just can’t make them out. And then he felt a touch. Was his mind just playing tricks on him again? They had to be. Everything up until now was a lie. Jaakuna didn’t want to believe anything anymore — he didn’t believe in anything anymore. That was, until he saw her with his own eyes. Her beautiful, soft, bold, wonderful violet eyes looking at him. That touch was real, her voice was real.

You’re real..

Jaakuna couldn’t believe it. Wait! He could and he did. He believed that she was there holding his hand as tight as she could. He believed that she was here with him and that she would never let him go. He believed in her and their love. No matter the darkest moment, light will shine through. And thus like it was said, so shall it became. Little by little, light overcame the darkness. It started first as a spec of light, but it soon turned into blinding light..

”EMIRI!!”

This time he called out and everything was real, everything permitted, and he felt her. His eyes closed, and in mere moment, he opened them, but this time not in a dream. No, this was real life. The light above him was so bright that his vision became blurry. He blinked a few times to see clearly. He saw a room, The medic bay? Jaakuna started to realize where he was, but more importantly, he was starting to remember what had happened. He started to remember what had happened to him and everything following up to that.

As he would look around, the first thing he saw was Emiri holding his hand. He smiled. “You did it. You really did it.” He said, smiling, but his voice was of low volume; probably weak from being out for so long.

While Jaakuna wakes up, the room is filled with his friends: Nadeline, Wesley, and even Savayna.

[Hero]

Nadeline looked at Jaakuna worriedly, her eyes darting from him, to Wesley, to the machine. Aloa never mentioned this happening! She bit her lip, praying to the gods that this would pass. And then, suddenly, the beeping stops. She almost screams, but realizes it's her nerves deceiving her: the machine had gone back to sounding how it was before, just not as loud. She had almost fainted from the fright, and at the moment was clinging onto Wesley's arm so tightly her nails were probably digging into him. And then, it happened--Jaakuna opened his eyes. She let out what was half a cheer and yell of relief, and she squeezed Wesley tightly. Oh, the gods had heard her prayers, he was awake!

Emiri's own eyes shot open, and she let out a gasp. What had happened? Where was she? As she looked around, her eyes adjusting to the light, she saw (heard) Nadeline's shrieks of victory, Wesley's face, Savayna's relieved look, and then she saw him. Jaakuna was looking right back at her. It was then she realized that somehow she had still held onto his hand. She let out an immense sigh of relief, putting her head down and squeezing his hand as tightly as she could. She hoped it hurt, because she nearly had a heart attack. "Thank the gods..." She murmurs lightly.

Nadeline ceases her cheering, clearing her throat. "Alright, now that that's settled, everyone to their rooms, now." She orders each one of them, clapping her hands."Gods know we all need the rest--all of us." She stresses, triumphantly grinning from ear to ear.

Emiri looks up at this, blinking at Nadeline. "All of us? Jaakuna should rest here--"

"In the comfort of his room. Take him there, that's the doctor's orders." She dismisses Emiri, though at this point she exits the room. The adrenaline was just about to wear off, and she wanted to fall into a bed and just sleep.

Emiri lets out a sigh, and puts her head down again. Rest sounded pretty good.

[AlteredTundra]

Jaakuna didn’t really know what to feel right now. Everything that happened from the moment that he went into the coma up until the very moment that he awoke, Jaakuna just felt like it was big, bad dream. Technically it was, but it still made him think on what exactly happened. The last thing he remembers is getting ready to cut into the Dawn Shard and then waking up just a few minutes ago. It truly troubled him, but that troubled feeling would soon dissipate as the cheering from Nadeline would bring him out of that train-of-thought. Perhaps he needed to be distracted right now.

When Nadeline would pretty much jump, and yell in excitement, Jaakuna sat up, but as he would try to, he would feel weak. He would have to force himself to at least sit up. He definitely had little to no energy within his body. Was I out THAT long He chose not to speak just cause he knew he had little energy left. Added to that, Jaakuna would look over at Nadeline, who at this point was clutching Wesley with all she could and then she would start to tell everyone to get out of the room so that Jaakuna could rest. Emiri would then state that he would need to rest in the medic bay, but Dr. Nadeline would further state that he would need to rest in the comfort in his own room. Jaakuna didn’t care much for walking at the moment, but his room was only a few feet out from the medic bay as the elevator was right there and it would take him to his room.

When everyone was gone, Jaakuna and Emiri were left alone. Jaakuna would start to get up and he could feel how energy-drained he was. He would fall to one knee, and not realizing that he still had Emiri's hand in his. “I think I’m going to need your help a little more, Emiri.” Jaakuna chuckled at that as he requested for her help to get to his room.

[Hero]

Jaakuna had nearly pulled the brunette with her; by whatever miracle, she did not fall. Still, she gladly pulled him up, taking an arm of his over her shoulder, and the two shuffled out of the medic bay. Emiri took her time helping him to his room as she did not want to push him too hard. The trip was a short one, and soon she was easing him into his bed, letting him lay down. Somehow through all this, she had still managed to have kept holding his hand--or had she grasped it when she let him down? Either way, she felt his warmth, and was happy. It wasn't empty like before, he was back. He was back with her now.

That thought alone was enough to invigorate her, and she couldn't help but thank the gods for this. He was awake. No energy, sure, but that wasn't something that a good rest could not fix. She hoped he wasn't hurt elsewhere, though she was sure Nadeline would look him over (she doubted she would trust IRIS' medical knowledge, but who knows). Right now, he seemed okay. Tired, but okay. That was all she needed for right now.

"Welcome back." She told him with a small smile on her face, taking his with both of hers. "You're here with me. For real now."

[AlteredTundra]

The trip, as short as it was, Jaakuna loved all of it. Just having to rely on her and not the other way around made Jaakuna truly feel at peace about everything. It’s been a long journey as the two of them have been through a lot in these pas three or four days. Jaakuna truly found out about his true self in these days and who and what are important. To him, the who is the person in front of him, grasping his hand tightly. As he lays in his bed, he smiles as he sees her smiling back at him.

Jaakuna doesn’t want her to go from his sight, not yet or ever. He wants her to stay with him for the night. “Stay with me tonight, please..” Jaakuna said as he could feel his consciousness giving away into sleep, but he’s forcing himself to stay awake. He doesn’t want to sleep, not yet.

[Hero]

Stay with him? As in, sleeping together? In the same bed? Emiri felt her face turn slightly red at his request. It was sudden, that was for sure. That and she wasn't quite expecting that. She watched him, her eyes searching for something, and she recalled his paradise. She wondered if he remembered any of it, or did it fade away once he had been freed? She felt her face turn redder as she recalled their relationship there. Still, she didn't feel like she could really refuse him. It was such an honest, simple request. It would be a good way to make sure he didn't disappear again.

"If...if that's what you want..." She mumbled quietly, trying not to show her embarrassment as she diverts her eyes. It was weird, she didn't usually feel so embarrassed, but it was such a direct request.

[AlteredTundra]

Jaakuna would laugh at how red she got, but he was so worn out, Jaakuna couldn’t even find the strength to pull out so much of a single chuckle. It’s to be expected, though. Jaakuna has been through a lot in the last ten to twelve hours and the amount of trauma he has been through is amounted to his willpower. To be able to survive that much and still be able to keep his eyes open is something that any warrior should respect. Though, Jaakuna has more than just his life to live for. The woman at his bedside is one of the main reasons he fought so hard to stay in the living realm.

Still looking to Emiri, Jaakuna’s eyes were all the answer that she would need. He was sure of it. “It’s the only thing I want right now.” He said quietly but loud enough for her to hear.

[Hero]

He was serious. She half expected him to start teasing her, but there he was, just looking at her. She nodded, releasing his hand temporarily as she sat down, her legs dangling off the bed. She unlaced her boots, somewhat fumbling in her sudden nervousness. She slipped them both off, placing them side by side, and she crawled up next to him. She laid herself down on her side, facing him, and unable to hide her red face. What was she getting so worked up for? She wasn't sure, but her heart was beating like crazy. She looked up at him with her big, nervous violet eyes, a blush still on her face.

"Is this okay?" She asked him, unsure. She wasn't entirely sure how two people slept in the same bed. She often enjoyed sleeping alone most of the time and was not used to having to share a space. Not that Jaakuna's bed was small, the issue so to speak was having another body on the same bed. But people did this all the time, right? She recalled Nadeline and her sharing a bed, once, but that was a long time ago, and she distinctly remembered getting kicked off and having to sleep on the floor.

[AlteredTundra]

When Emiri would climb into his bed, Jaakuna would scoot over just a tad to allow her plenty of room to lay. The two of them were so close, however, that Jaakuna could feel, hear, her heart beating. Added to that, Jaakuna could see the redness upon her face. Jaakuna couldn’t help but smile at her cause of her redness. It was a sleepish smile as he was minutes away from falling asleep.

Whether it would be cause of impulse or just the moment being right, Jaakuna brought Emiri close with his arms. He was clinging, cuddling her. It was and it wasn’t forceful. Definitely something weird about it. Jaakuna just knew the moment was right and he felt it down to his core. They were so close that their bodies were touching. It was by this point Jaakuna kissed Emiri on her beautiful lips. It was magical, it was wonderful, and from this moment on, it simply would be written in history as the moment Jaakuna threw everything but his heart out of the window. Nothing about what he did was wrong and everything about it felt right. Even as they were kissing, in his mind, Jaakuna was remembering that dream — or whatever it was. He was remembering the life they had as a marriage couple. Perhaps Jaakuna is realizing he sees a future with this woman.

[Hero]

Apparently it was more then okay.

He kissed her again. He seemed to do that a lot. Not that she minded...just that he always managed to surprise her. Why was it always a surprise? Perhaps the day's events had caught up to her. She pushed them all aside mentally however, wishing only for the moment. She really felt like she could melt in his arms, her heart racing against her chest. It was so foreign, but she really, really enjoyed it. Maybe too much. But that wasn't a bad thing, right? No, it was in a good way. He felt so warm, so close. He was right here with her, that was all she needed. She fought for this moment, and the next, and it was just so worth it.

[AlteredTundra]

The kiss, for what it seemed like it lasted longer than it has already gone on for. Jaakuna took her, kissing her, holding her, embracing her. He kept her in his strong arms, not wanting to let go. His arms wrapping around her body, around her back and pulling her as close as it was physically possible. He was remembering that dream or not dream. It was more of a goal. He was imagining going to bed next to her every night and waking up next to her in the morning. He was imagining every possible thing they would do together, be it sexual or nonsexual. It was just the notion of being with her and having a life with her that made him truly at peace in this moment.

He would keep kissing her for a few more moments and then he would just pull away, but he would not release her. He would just hold her and never want to let go. “I remember Emiri — I remember that dream.” He simply said as Jaakuna, for the first time, was crying, but this was a happy cry. Even as he would say those words, they would come out as slight stuttering from his tears of emotional happiness overflowing his speech.

[Hero]

Their kiss ended, and when it did, he held her close to him still. He told her how he remembered a dream--could he mean the paradis he was trapped in? For the slightest moment, she froze up. Did he remember what she had said to get him out of it? She didn't mean to reveal her scars, but she secretly hoped he would have forgotten about them. That and in case anything like that ever happened again, she could still use it as leverage, so to speak. Her worries went away, however, as she looked at him. She brought a hand up to his face, wiping away his tears. She touched his cheek gently, looking into those green eyes of his. She could probably stare into them all day, if she could. He looked so happy, as if the day's events hadn't affected him at all. This moment of peace, she was thankful for.

"Hold onto it." She whispered.

[AlteredTundra]

A moment that seemed like it could last forever, both Jaakuna and Emiri held each other in their arms. They both would stay like this until they would eventually fall asleep, more so Jaakuna than Emiri. This was because Jaakuna was so exhausted from the day’s events that he just couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. It would lead him to not hold Emiri in such a tight embrace. The release of the tightness would motion Jaakuna to turn on his back and he would lay peacefully as he would sleep, knowing tomorrow’s events will probably either have slowness to it or they will be just as eventful as the day’s past had been.

---

Morning came to Ivalice, the sun shining down on all parts that allowed it to. Though every viable place would welcome sunlight, it would not be all sunshine and bunnies in one portion of the world of Ivalice. Within Archadia the tension was so intense that one cold cut it with a plastic knife. Though some aspects of the previous day’s events were highly rewarded by Emperor Vincent, there were just some things that he couldn’t overlook. There one that really angered to no degree was the betrayal of Savayna. After Rozarria had sent word, Vincent nearly lost his cool in the night. He was cursing up a storm, and just everything about it made him realize that how much he really valued Savayna as a subordinate. However, he simply couldn’t overlook this, not anymore.

In his office, the sun beaming down upon it, the position of the sun could give away the time of day. It was pretty early in the morning, not even past eight O’Clock. In the room, aside Vincent, who sits in at his desk, are Judge Magister Isaiah Ixion Darcone and Judge Magister Brandon Bahamut Ira Darcone. All three members of the house Darcone that currently reside in Archadia are present and things were about to get nasty on the planning stages.

“Dearest cousin, and respected grandfather, you both know why I have requested both you to meet me here.” Vincent would state as he sits at his desk and his cousin and grandfather stand left to right of another respectively.

Opening his mouth, Hamut speaks. “My grandson, your whore of a general has yet again failed you. Have you no shame?” Hamut speaks bluntly.

“Whoa, Grandpa, let’s not throw blame games around. We should have known this was coming. She, is after all, in leagues with the disgraced prince.” Ixion offered up, hoping to sort of calm whatever angle his grandfather was going for.

Hamut looked towards his grandson with a somewhat angry look. “Have you no shame either, Isaiah? Bringing up HIS name in front of his majesty?” Hamut barked.

Isaiah really didn’t take it into account. “I’m sorry Grandfather.” He said with an apologetic tone.

Vincent cleared his throat, signaling the both of them to cease their bickering. “This is not why I have summoned the two of you here. We must address the matter of Savayna betrayal and the unfortunate actions that must be taken.” Vincent spoke as he stood up from his desk. “Due to the lack of results we’re getting from our truce with the Rozarrian Empire, I have already made up my mind that the truce between our two empires has no more benefits.” Vincent spoke.

Hamut, shocked at what his grandson had just said, spoke his piece. “My grandson, do you really think that this is wise of you to do? Think of the advantages we get from that truce.” He spoke, almost pleading with his grandson to reconsider.

Vincent smiled and laughed a bit. “Grandfather, you misunderstand my words. I said I have made up my mind about the matter, but I said not anything of informing them about my decision.” He said smirking. “Please, Grandfather, give me more credit than what you just did.”

Hamut smiled and was a little surprised at how underhanded his grandson truly was. “My apologies.” He simply said.

Vincent nodded and would proceed to other matters. “Now, we must shift our focus to some other pressing matters. “ He said closing his eyes and then reopening them as he proceeded to walk around his desk and in front of it, stopping dead center. “In yesterday’s events, we gained an esper, but lost two. We must evaluate what must be done about this.” He said.

Before Isaiah would get the opportunity to speak, Hamut would go first. “Do not worry my grandson, we will claim the most espers. I will see to it personally that we acquire them before anyone else doe.” Said Hamut vowing to get more espers than anyone will get the chance to.

Vincent smiled and believed his grandfather’s words. “Very good. Now, I dismiss you two. I must do deep thinking about today.” He said as the two judges would be dismissed.

As they would leave, Vincent turned to face the balcony. He would take ten paces, walking around his desk, and stepping out onto the balcony. Staring at the city of Archades, Vincent breathed in and out. He would just do this for a few times over until his body was a calm center free of anything negative. Then he would place his hands on the edge of the balcony and then would look down. Vincent couldn’t place it, but he felt like the people down below, walking, driving, and going about their days..”Insects. All of them.” Vincent’s face grew with much displeasure and disgust. He wanted to just kill every last one of them, but Vincent couldn’t and in all honesty, he really wasn’t angry at them, but rather the betrayal the Savayna had done. It hit him harder than he’s willing to admit. However, Vincent must put on a brave man’s face and keep on truckin.

As Vincent would walk back inside, he would sit at his desk just waiting for whatever things to come later in the day to arrive already.

---

On the Ifrit, morning sun shined upon the ship. The wonderful feeling of waking up would inhabit every single person. It would be felt from those in the barracks to Jaakuna and Emiri in Jaak’s room, it would especially be welcomed upon those two. They had spent the night together and as one Jaakuna would wake up, he would feel refreshed and he would see that Emiri was clinging to him..literally. Her legs wrapped around his right leg, and arms on his chest. Jaakuna also found his arms holding her as well. Jaakuna just kept the position as he didn’t want to wake her up. Plus, he just wanted to stay in this position as long as he could.

[Hero]

"It's surprising, really." Lorenzo murmured into his cup of coffee.

Grant raised his glass to take a swig of his juice, though he hesitated slightly. He placed it down and let out a small sigh. "It's too bad...I actually liked Vincent."

The pair of brothers sat in Lorenzo's bedroom, seated next to the bed. Breakfast was laid out in front of them on a large, silver tray. The room was overly bright, as every window and door had been thrown open to invite the sun inside. The gentle breeze blew through every once in a while, giving the feel of being outside despite the roof and walls around them. Grant and Lorenzo were seated right next to one another, quite relaxed. In the bed sat Karolina, Lorenzo's wife. Her golden curls cascaded around her, her pale skin giving her the look of an angel despite being very sick. The three had agreed to have breakfast together, as the poor woman was worried about her daughter escaping from Grant. The news of the Archadian general's betrayal was also the topic of gossip: no doubt it would spread like wildfire, though they made sure to keep a lid on it as best they could.

Karolina looked at Grant curiously. "What do you mean?" She asked him.

"Reia is not happy about both Nadeline's disappearance and the girl escaping. It's clear that the general aided them. I am sure the truce has taken a hit for the worse." He sighed a response, though looked at his hand. "Not to mention I'm sure Archadia isn't too happy that I possess the Esper. It's a shame, really, I thought with our combined forces we could actually achieve something."

"The entire thing seemed shifty in the first place." Lorenzo announced. "I bet they're planning to back-stab us as we speak!"

"Even if that were true, tensions are much too high to act in haste." Grant reminded him.

"I'm telling you, this whole thing is a mess waiting to happen!"

Karolina shook her head, clutching her blanket tightly. "Oh Nadeline...what could she be thinking, going with a criminal like that? I'm so worried..." She whispered, her voice wavering.

The two men fell silent, looking at one another. Lorenzo took her hand in his, giving her a reassuring look. "Emelia is with her. I'm sure no harm will come to her..." He shot Grant a look.

"I suppose that's my cue to leave." Grant spoke, rising from his seat.

"What? Where are you going?"

Grant stopped before the door, looking at Lorenzo. "Archades. Let's see if I can salvage this little alliance. Despite whatever has happened, the Emperor is not a fool. Perhaps we still have something to offer to them...and something to gain."

---

It was dark. Very dark. No matter what she did, she could not see in front of her. She opened and closed her eyes several times, as if things would clear up if she did so. And yet, her hands felt something in fron of her, like a cloth, but lighter. She yanked it off her, and to her surprise, the entire room was in white. White flowers, white benches, people dressed in white--including herself. Was this a wedding? It couldn't be, there was also red. Red dripping off the flowers, red on people's bodies. And yet she walked down the aisle, as if it were perfectly normal.

Her groom turns to her, his hair dripping red as well. His smile is so gentle, and it is so unlike Grant. She placed her hands on her hips, waving around at everything. "You've gone and ruined everything! You know I have always wanted a white wedding!" She yells at him, clearly displeased.

He bows his head down, and takes both of her hands. "You must forgive me, I could not help it. The red stands out so beautifully, do you not see?" He holds up a white rose to show her.

She snatches it from his grasp to inspect it, and she tosses it over her shoulder. In lands on the ground, melting and becoming a small pool. She stomps on it several times, though to her dismay, now her dress has been splattered with red. How dreadful! She turns back to Grant, only to see him brandishing a knife. The scene changes all around her, and she is back in the holding cell of the Ark. Except the white and red remain, the red staining just about everything. She looks at her dress, now ruined, though she notices that her shoulder seems to be dripping with blood.

"Be a good girl and sit still." Grant tells her, advancing on her.

She trips over her dress, landing on the bench. As she tries to sit up, she realizes somehow her arms are chained above her head. It cannot be! When did this happen? She looks at Grant with a small frown on her face. "Sit still? You're going to hurt me! Why would I do that?"

He ponders her words, though he snaps his fingers, having an idea. "You're absolutely right! We're missing someone, aren't we? I'm the bad guy, you're the princess...but who's the hero?" He asks her, now placing his hands on his hips and turning away from her. "Oh hero! Where are you? The princess needs your help!"

"Help! Help! I need help from...wait, who did you say was the villain?" She asks.

To her surprise, the person before her has changed. He looks the same from behind, but now, his black hair has become blonde. And as he turns, his dark eyes are now green. Jaakuna smiles at her, raising his knife.

"I'm the villain, don't you see?"

---

Emiri jolts awake, sitting up and grasping her shoulder. She breathes in and out heavily, gasping for air, until she realizes where she is. She was in the Ifrit, where she had fallen asleep. Letting out a great sigh of relief, she looked at her hands. They were still shaking. What a dream...rather, a nightmare. She held her head in her hands, trying to calm herself down. It was just a bad dream, it was not real. But it was so weird, so out there...why did she have it, anyway? She was safe from Grant, far away from him. But in her dream, Grant did not harm her. Jaakuna did. Jaakuna killed her.

[AlteredTundra]

Suddenly, without even so much of a warning, Emiri woke up, but there was more to that. She would pretty much rush to a sitting-up position. This would prompt her to be released from Jaakuna’s grasp and vice versa. It was safe to assume that Jaakuna was shocked at the surprise that Emiri had presented. He would look at her as he would also sit up, and it seemed like she just woke up from a bad dream or something. Jaakuna would see that her hands were shaking.

“Emiri, what’s wrong?” Jaakuna would ask, He had this weird idea that Emiri woke up from such a bad dream, but Jaakuna didn’t have the slightest clue of what it was about or how it would even make her feel so shakey as it obviously is right now.

[Hero]

Jaakuna's voice brought her back to reality, so to speak. She took in a deep breath, holding for a few seconds, and then released it. Her hands seemed to steady themselves, and she clenched them into fists. It was just a dream. A bad dream...Jaakuna would never hurt me. That won't ever happen. She reminded herself as she closed her eyes. Her heart was still beating something fierce, but she felt better. She let out a low groan, ruffling her ponytail somewhat. She then looked at Jaakuna for a moment, studying his face carefully. For some reason, she ended up giving him a small smile.

"It's nothing, just a bad dream." She responded reassuringly, hugging her knees. "I apologize if I woke you up." It was just a dream, and yet she couldn't shake off the uneasiness she had when she looked at him.

[AlteredTundra]

The words from her mouth were one thing, but Jaakuna just had this gut feeling that there was more to what she was saying that she was leading on it to be. Jaakuna didn’t know how to explain it, but he just felt it so. Though Jaakuna wants to address his concerns, he won’t. He’ll just prepared for the worst. However, as she would, by what Jaakuna saw, grabbed her knees, Jaakuna definitely was reassured that something definitely was wrong. “You want to talk about it?” Jaakuna asked as he could not stay silent about it after all.

[Hero]

It looked like Emiri wasn't going to get out of this one. Still, she didn't want to worry him...except the nightmare truly troubled her. "Where would I even start? It was entirely bizarre." She replied with a melancholy tone. She then looked at ceiling, as if searching for the right words there. "I dreamt...that I was murdered." Her words were quiet, somewhat reluctant even as she looked at him uncertainly. "It started as a wedding, all in white, as I have always imagined it. But there was blood everywhere...I thought Grant was the source, I was so upset with him, he had ruined everything. And then the scene shifted to the Ark, where I was imprisoned. This time he had brandished a knife, stating that I was the damsel in distress and he was the villain. But there was no hero. And when I looked at him again it was..."

At this point she looked away from him, avoiding eye contact as her voice struggled not to waver. "I was so terrified...I couldn't believe it. There was no hero coming to save me. And the villain wasn't Grant anymore. It was...it was you...and you killed me." Emiri finished, putting her head on her knees.