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

[AlteredTundra]

It truly was amusing to see how these Rozarrian Humes stood up for one another. Even though they all knew that he spoke the truth, they still told Grant that Zodiark was lying. That none of what he said was the truth. It was funny that they thought that, but they had to know that history doesn’t lie. It’s written in stone. And on Grant’s stone tablet, he was the only one of the ROzarrian’s who hadn’t found absolute love - not like that of Lorenzo and Karolina, and Nadeline and Wesley, anyways. Sure, he loves Savayna with what he thinks is his entire heart, but what kind of love can one give if the heart they promised to someone is hollow? That’s really the question Grant has to ask himself.

Indulging in that thought, Zodiark once more turned to Nadeline. He wasn’t sure of it, but he could swear that Ultima’s lack of patience for beating around the bush. “Tell me, Nadeline Lenore, do you wish to keep true loves apart?” Zodiark asked her, smirking, “oh that’s right, you do want that to happen - since you left Wesley in a state of distress back in Dalmasca. Sure, his mother and sister are there, but instead of staying by his side like the loyal fiance you claim to be, you left, which makes you even more of a hypocrite than your uncle here. But hey,” Zodiark shrugged, giving Nadeline a smile, “at least you know what love is. I can't speak for your uncle though.”

[Hero]

Being on the receiving end was...more trying than she had known. He hit the nail on the head with every comment, though Nadeline had leaned more towards anger rather than getting moody like Grant did. "You know nothing about me! You haven't the slightest idea of my motives or reasonings! That you would go so far to speak as if we were on a personal level...!" Her voice was raised, though her father prevented her from moving forward.

"What part of 'he's trying to get under your skin' did you not get?!" Lorenzo told her, exasperated at how easily Nadeline had taken the bait.

"He knows nothing of what we have been through! How dare he...!" Nadeline fumed.

[AlteredTundra]

He knew nothing of her struggle or what has happened to her, huh? Zodiark saw that as a challenge and not just stating what she thought to be the truth. "If that is true, then explain how, if not for your beloved Wesley, you would have been killed by his own brother." In that moment, Zodiark could sense the air shift. "Or how that, after realizing it was Sylvester Alexander who nearly killed his fiance that young Wesley fell into a coma just out of the pure agony he experienced."

[Hero]

What?! Both Grant and Lorenzo looked at Nadeline, clearly shocked at the news. Grant in particular remembered Wesley telling him about his brother, how he had died. How was he alive? No, it couldn't be true, it was clearly a lie. And yet, the look of shock on Nadeline's face all but confirmed that Zodiark spoke only the truth. So that was why Wesley wasn't here. He had thought that perhaps they had split up to search for them, that maybe he was still in the city. He never imagined that such a thing had happened, moreso that it had shaken Nadeline so much, she looked like she was about to cry.

"I...I had heard the rumors. I needed to see if they were true in my king's place," She stated, though her voice clearly wavered. "I didn't want...I didn't mean for it to turn out like that. It was a trap, I didn't want Wesley to get hurt!"

[AlteredTundra]

Zodiark looked at the faces of those around. Specifically, he focused on the faces of those related to Nadeilne. It was quite interesting to see how, for the first time in a long time, they had looks of genuine surprise on their faces. It was as if they had no idea what had happened in Dalmasca. The things that had happened to everyone here -what would happen if Zodiark were to reveal them? In this tome of his, he had all of the answers. Yet, it was not the right time.

"Ah yes, those rumors about The Brotherhood, right? Or was it something else?" Zodiark looked around, stopping at Grant, "no doubt you know about that group. It was the very group you and your beloved there ran into at Omisace, correct?"

[Hero]

There was more to it, Grant was sure of it. He wanted Zodiark to get on with it, but it looked like he enjoyed toying with them. That's what he was doing, wasn't it? He wanted to speak, but he found himself freezing up. Was...was he afraid? He was, wasn't he? He didn't want his deepest thoughts and fears laid out in front of everyone. Not only that, but the manner in which Zodiark presented them. He looked at Nadeline in Lorenzo's arms, on the verge of tears. Inhaling slowly, Grant shook his head. No, Lorenzo was right. Stay steady...

"What of it?" Grant asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do enlighten us."

[AlteredTundra]

Zodiark looked at how out of the loop Grant, as well as the others, seemed to be. Did they really not know? Of course they didn't. no one knew the absolute truth. "Just because you've been such a good audience, I will allow you all to know a little secret," Zodiark leaned forward, extending his arms out, grabbing Grant in the same chains from before and bringing him real close. "This is for your ears only." Zodiark made sure he were close enough for him to whisper within his radius.

And into his ears, he whispered.."I was the one who influenced Roland."

[Hero]

As the words reached him, something seemed to snap inside of him. He could hear Lorenzo calling out to him, he could hear Nadeline's pleas, but Zodiark's words chimed like a bell, repeating over and over. He could barely bring himself to even look at the creature, though he felt himself shaking his head. The image of that day was one he could never forget--the sight of his brother's blood soaked hands, the body of his father below him, betrayed by his own son. There was always a thought in the back of his head, one that as a child, he never thought someone capable of committing a crime of regicide against their own father. But reality had been set to prove him wrong, and so he had accepted it, ignoring the naive motion. People were terrible, cruel things. It would not be the first, nor the last time a son had killed his father.

And he was right.

He wasn't aware he could become more broken than he already had. It was empty, he couldn't hear, he couldn't feel, he couldn't even respond. The despair gripped him, taking a hold so fierce he thought it was going to tear his mind apart. Shock paled in comparison to whatever it was he felt.

Grant was silent, but not by choice.

[AlteredTundra]

Zodiark examined Grant's face. He seemed to have no reaction what he just heard. Interesting. Did he not hear him? No, that wasn't it. Maybe it was too much of a shock. To hear that your brother was executed for a crime that he didn't even commit - not really, anyway. He did the act, but it wasn't his fault. Oh, what a crushing blow to an already-fractured mental state it must've been. nothing could possibly be worse than that.

"Poor, little Grant. someone longing for love and acceptance can't seem to catch a break. You find out the man you respected then hated for killing your father actually died an innocent man. The woman you love doesn't really love you as much as you thought you did. And now.." Zodiark's arms came onto Grant's shoulders, making sure the Rozarrian prince saw into his eyes.. "you're feeling empty, aren't you? Do you wish for me to take away your suffering? I can do that for you. I can reunite you with your brother, Roland and your father, Augustus. Is that what you want?"

[Hero]

What did Zodiark do to Grant? The way he was so still, it left Nadeline fearing the worst. Whatever it was that he said or did, Grant hadn't said a word. What was wrong with him?! What was happening?! She was trying her hardest not to panic, but her emotions were getting the best of her. Wesley...! She closed her eyes, never feeling so weak, but that fire was still burning within her. No, she could do nothing for Wesley. She had failed him no matter which way you looked at it. She had gone off, gotten herself into trouble, and now it felt like the same thing was happening all over again.

No. She wouldn't let it happen. Never again!

Shion had felt the Mist before it seemingly erupted around Nadeline. Her eyes glowed, her crown glittering as a wordless enchantment would go out, surrounding Grant. It was as if he had woken up, surrounded by a strange light. He looked over at Nadeline, whose Mist was visible by all. "Grant!" She called out to him. "Everything he has said is truths of which you have known! You cannot let sorrow take hold of you--you know your place!"

[AlteredTundra]

Seeing what just unfolded before him, Zodiark found no more use for Grant. so, rather cruelly, Zodiark literally tossed Grant aside as he threw him like a bag of trash to the left of him near where the unconscious Savayna still lay. His attention was now dedicated to Nadeline who happened to finally unlock Ultima's Seal. In got his attention so much that he stood up. As soon as he did, his throne disappeared and his tome would as follow suit.

"You continue to impress me, Rozarrian Hume girl." Zodiark cracked a smile, "is this Ultima finally deeming you worthy of her power? Or is this her commanding your body?" Zodiark would do something that resembled a shrug, "it matters not. I accept your challenge girl. If you think you can handle my power, then last five minutes and I will tell you three truths that you desire - anything at all." Zodiark said as his arms began weaving handsigns. In only one second, orbs of arcane magick surrounded him. They floated as he would give her the first strike.

---

“I am never doing that again,” Jaakuna groaned as he gripped his head.

From doing battle with Hamut to getting tossed out by that intruder who had no business interfering to then waking up briefly only to find himself thrown into a wormhole through space and time for Gods-know how long, Jaakuna felt like he was going to be sick. All of those events happening so quickly(or at least feeling like they did) was too much for him to handle. There was also the fact that he spent most of his Mist reserves, so he was magically and physically exhausted on top of possibly having fast travel motion sickness.

Yup, Jaakuna felt he was going to throw up. He had to find a place. “Aha,” Jaakuna found an elaborately designed trunk at the edge of some bed. It looked nice. Well, it was about to look even nicer with some nice yellow-green goo all over it as Jaakuna let the spoils of war free upon that very nice-looking trunk.

He hurled semisolids on it for a few moments until he was able to walk. As he would turn around, Jaakuna couldn’t believe his eyes. Or maybe this was a dream? It sure would explain the odd traveling he did. “Is this real life or is it just fantasy?” Jaakuna inched closer to who he thought it was. Sure, it looked a hell lot like Emiri, but today had been, if nothing else, weird as all hell, so he poked the possibly-real, possibly-fake Emiri on the cheek. “You sure seem real, but dreams tend to be very lifelike.”

“No escape from reality,” Keiran commented, lightly pushing a reluctant Emiri forward. “Beautiful, isn’t she? Go on, say something. You’ve been wanting to see him for some time, haven’t you?” He insisted, even taking a step back.

Jaakuna…! She should have been happy, but there was a part of her that was not only highly suspicious, she also half convinced that the Jaakuna in front of her wasn’t real. It’s him. I know it is. Her inner self seemed so sure, but Emiri was expressionless. She looked at Keiran, raising an eyebrow at him. “Very funny, Keiran. Is this one of Lola’s tricks?” She asked him, clearly annoyed.

The black haired man shook his head, lightly pushing Emiri forward, then going around and lightly pushing Jaakuna forward so that the pair were closer. “Come on, it’s a lovers’ reunion! Torn apart by fate itself, yet overcoming all odds to see one another once again. Romantic, isn’t it?” He sighed dreamily, laying his elbow on Emiri’s shoulder.

Jaakuna raised an eyebrow at the dark-haired man. “Alright, now just who exactly is this chump?” Jaakuna asked. Dream or not, this guy was getting on his nerves.

“Me? Keiran, charmed, but who I am is not important,” He dismissed Jaakuna’s concern entirely, prodding Emiri. “No, who’s important to you, my friend, is this young lady right here. The love of your life, right? Though, she’s awful quiet, isn’t she?” He feigned disappointment, a spark in his eye as he looked at her. “Come on now…speak. Tell him exactly who you are.”

She seemed to try to resist the order, but she ended up mumbling, “I...I am Emiri.”

Keiran shook his head. “You can do better than that,” He urged, making sure to lift her face so that Jaakuna could see her red eyes--the ones that were no longer violet. “This is your prince. Tell him how how happy you are to see him.”

“I’m...so happy to see you…” She said, a little more clearly.

He couldn’t quite place it, but something just wasn’t right about this. Maybe it was this putz practically telling her what to say and do or something he felt in the air, but it wasn’t exactly how it was before. Emiri usually had more life and joy when she saw him. She used to show more affection than she was showing now. Jaakuna was not the most observant man by any means, but people have to give him some credit. When it came to Emiri, he just knew things. And he knew that something about her was off.

Before you ask, Jaakuna, no I don’t know what’s going on.

Wonderful. Jaakuna put on a brave face and then looked to the guy that Emiri called Keiran. “Beat it, you. I need to speak to Emiri alone.” Jaakuna said, hoping Keiran would give him a reason to punch that smug face of his.

He was catching on. And to think, he figured Jaakuna was an idiot. He nodded in understanding, turning as if to leave, though he would stop. He then turned around, wrapping his arm around Emiri’s shoulder. “You two have a lot of catching up to do, that I agree with. But you see...our relationship is…special,” He told Jaakuna, though he would look at Emiri lovingly. “But I understand that the two of you need your space. Do you want to be alone with him, Emiri?”

The brunette’s eyes widened as she looked at him, shaking her head. Don’t! She knew what it was that he was going to do. “I...I need to speak to him. Alone. I’ll be fine,” She said, still shaking her head.

Keiran then looked at Jaakuna, smiling. “As the lady wishes,” He said, leaning closer to her. She reached out, closing her eyes for a moment as she would place a small kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be right outside~” He said, though as he reached the door, he looked back at Emiri, his eyes flashing red. “Behave, Emiri.”

The door would close behind him, leaving the pair alone.

As soon as Jaakuna saw the door was closed, he sighed. “Goddamn, I thought he’d never leave,” Jaakuna took a seat on the bed. “That guy has some nerve. He actually thinks you’re going to do what he says? You wouldn’t even listen to your own parents, let alone that idiot.” Jaakuna laughed as he remembered the first moments they met and when he found out her reasoning for leaving. It seemed like forever ago.

Emiri managed to look up at him. “I never thought you’d leave, either.” She replied quietly.

Oh that stung. Not even Savayna’s Blizzaja was as cold as that.

His eyes glanced at Emiri, though he didn’t know what to say to that. She knew the reasons why he had to leave, yet, as he saw the rather empty expression on her face, maybe she thought otherwise. But what else was he supposed to do? He had to be there for negotiations between the countries. He had to be there as a trueborn son of the Darcone house. He had to be there for his family. But maybe he should have been there for Emiri. Or maybe he should have brought her with him.

After taking a moment and a half, Jaakuna spoke.“ I have done a lot of things that weren’t always right. I’m not perfect, Emiri. You, of all people, should be able to understand that.” Jaakuna couldn’t think of anything else to say. That was the only thing that made sense.

As if reading his thoughts, Emiri nodded. “That sounds logical, doesn’t it?”She asked rhetorically as she would walk to the window, looking at the distance. “Any other time...you would’ve been right. But right then, I needed you. I don’t know what was worse, the fact that I couldn’t bring myself to beg you to take me with you, or the fact that you couldn’t even finish that sentence.” She smiled, her voice gaining some of its energy. “I wonder...you’ve come all this way, and yet...you know nothing, do you?” She turned towards him, still having that small smile on her face.

Don’t go there. Her inner self pleaded. Keiran, don’t do this!

Placing a finger on her chin, she examined Jaakuna. She chose to step a little closer, a little more confident, still smiling. “After you left...I met Keiran. Wouldn’t you know, he was...a little odd, but encouraging. I ended up turning back time for Papa...and he’s all better now!” She nodded, a hand to her chest. “I couldn’t save my mother...but I saved him.”

“You..what?” Jaakuna couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Do you have a deathwish, woman!?” Jaakuna stood up instantly. “You know that every time you use your powers, you’re slowly being pulled an inch closer to Zalera’s gates.” Jaakuna was livid, “I swear to god, Emiri, it’s like your mother’s life meant nothing to you.”

Emiri watched Jaakuna’s reaction, though her smile fell. “It meant…’nothing’...huh?” She repeated his words slowly, looking away from him. “It meant so much that when the love of my life decided to abandon me again, I crumbled. It meant so much I grew desperate, buying into whatever Keiran told me. It meant so much that it is the reason we are here now,” Her voice seemed to rise with each sentence, though she seemed to catch herself, instead letting out a sigh. “It meant so much that I made a deal with the devil without so much as a second thought.”

She forced herself to stare out the window, not wanting to see his disappointment in her. “I couldn’t handle any of it. And then...she appeared before me. Dressed in blue colors that matched her hair, Shion approached me,” She said, closing her eyes. “She wanted to cleanse me...to free me from Zodiark’s seed.”

Unable to hold it in, Emiri let out a burst of laughter, finally turning towards Jaakuna, her eyes sparkling with glee. “She tried...oh, she tried. And you know what? I won. I won, Jaakuna, you couldn’t even defeat her! But I did...and I left her a present to remember me by, at that!” She informed him cheerfully, a hand over her mouth as she tried to suppress her laughter.

It took him a moment - a long moment, but Jaakuna was putting the pieces together. He was starting to unravel the puzzle. The reason Shion had to speak to him. The reason why she seemed to be so insistent on seeing if he could handle himself against Hamut ..it was about Emiri. It was because she had given herself to Zodiark’s influence..no, not influence. This was much more than a simple influence. This was more potent than anything that had happened to him. When Zodiark gave Jaakuna a small dose of his powers, it completely consumed him, but with Emiri, he was noticing a different kind of change. There was a natural merge of sorts. Instead of it altering some physical aspects of her looks and personality, it completely warped her into someone else, something else.

Jaakuna sighed, taking in that deep breath that he heard Belias tell him to take. As he exhaled, everything was becoming so clear to him. Before Belias’ Seal was unlocked, Jaakuna only saw the bits and pieces of what he might’ve suspected, but now it was as clear as the thickness of putrid Mist that he sensed before. “So, this must be what Aloa meant by something foul in you when your memories came back. It was that Keiran..” Jaakuna closed his eyes, taking in as much pure Mist as he could.

In the moment that followed, Jaakuna zipped past Emiri and burst through the door, grabbing Keiran by the throat and pressing him against the wall, not giving the spawn of satan any time to react or prepare.

“Now, that is just plain rude,” Keiran told him as Emiri would run out into the hallway. “Though expected, I suppose. And here I thought we’d be here all night before you noticed, but congratulations, Darcone, you figured it out--or at least, part of it,” He managed to wag a finger at Jaakuna. “In the spirit of good sportsmanship, I’d like you to give you just one chance at victory.” As Jaakuna would non-verbally respond by tightening his grip, Keiran would point at Emiri. The girl was gasping for air, her hands around her throat as she struggled to breathe.

As Jaakuna choked his boytoy harder, he noticed Emiri. “What are you doing to her?!” Jaakuna switched gazes from Emiri to Keiran, increasing his grip on Keiran as he would force him deeper into the wall, this time his left hand covered in a bright crimson flame.

“No, Jaakuna...what are you doing to her…” He managed to speak, watching as Emiri dropped down to her knees. “Surely you’ve realized it by now...I told you before, didn’t I…? We have a special relationship...the truth is I have no physical body on this plane...instead I cast a shadow on her, making it so that she and I are connected...You should’ve seen her when Shion decided to behead me…” He coughed. “Do whatever you want to me, just know whatever damage to inflict, she feels it too…”

Going against everything that he wanted to do, Jaakuna would release his grip of Keiran. He hated that this pathetic trash was able to keep living as whatever kind of being that he was because, if he was hurt in any way, Emiri would feel it. It was one of those lose-lose situations. And Jaakuna hated it.

As he would look at Keiran, he gritted his teeth. The more livid and anger he felt, the brighter the flame in his left hand would get and his hair started to spark little specs of fire. His eyes also were alternating between crimson and emerald. It got to the point where he closed his eyes and punched. He felt his hand connect with something. Only after a moment when he opened his eyes that he knew it was the wall, which he saw a crater the size of Keiran’s body and at least with enough force to kill a man ten times over. It was nearly five inches away from Keiran himself.

“Scary...quite a punch you’re packing,” He couldn’t help but comment. “Belias chose well...but I’ll keep to my word.” He stated, showing a surprising amount of strength as he would pry Jaakuna’s hand away from him, though only enough to give the pair some room. He sighed, walking over to Emiri as she tried to regulate her breathing. He offered her his hand, pulling her up to her feet. His eyes flickered over to Jaakuna briefly, a dark look on his face. “I really don’t enjoy being pushed around like that. Not like I did anything wrong! I was born for one purpose, and one only--to invade the mind of the Scion of Time, as was planted by Leviathan, granted permission by...yourself.” He said, wrapping his arms around Emiri.

“Stop…” Her small plea didn’t go unnoticed as Keiran would pull her closer to him.

“We’re intertwined so deeply...I can make her do whatever I want. I can ask her to...dance--” He stepped back as Emiri would spin around once. “I can ask her to harm herself, too.” He motioned towards her as she would withdraw her dagger, aiming it at herself. “But none of that is fun, is it? No...I should ask her to strip down in front of you. You’re both going to get married, right? You’d love to see her naked body, right?” He asked, satisfied as Emiri would begin to unzip the back of her dress, her sleeves lowering.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to do this…!” She protested, clearly frustrated.

Keiran clucked his tongue. “Hmm...right...I did say I would be a good sport, didn’t I?” He murmured, snapping his fingers as her dress would fall. Instead of exposing her body, it would evaporate and wrap itself around her body, forming her attire. “How about the two of you duke it out? If you win, I’ll leave Emiri entirely. I mean, since you’ll have the power anyway, there’s no reason for me to stick around. What do you say, Darcone?” He asked him, patting Emiri’s head.

I know that you’re angry, Jaakuna. I am too. I want to kill this abomination as much as you do, but we can’t. If we do, Emiri dies as well.

Gods damn it all! Jaakuna knew Belias was right. He knew that if he laid a hand on Keiran, Emiri would feel the brunt of it. And yet, at the same time, he was being backed into a corner. Keiran was making it to where he would have to fight Emiri. He didn’t want to, but he was controlling just about every little thing she could do. Nothing he would do could break that hold. It was useless.

I wouldn’t say that. Belias spoke almost as if he had a plan. We will indulge this madman’s offer for now, but do you trust me, Jaakuna?

Jaakuna would send vibes towards Belias which said yes.

Then accept his conditions. Say the following:

“Fine, Abomination, I accept your terms and conditions with a few of my own.” Jaakuna said, “when I win, you will not only leave Emiri’s conscious, but you will heal Shion, the Blue Rose of any and all influence of Zodiark. Am I clear? And you will surrender yourself wholly to Emiri. Whatever she wills, you will obey. If she tells you to dance, you’re going to salsa for her.” Jaakuna stood firm on the conditions he just laid out in front for him.

Keiran stared at Jaakuna, expressionless. “Abomination...you wound me. Truly, you do.” Ah, Belias was making sure to do the thinking between the two. Still, Jaakuna was...too emotional. He contemplated, though he nodded, snapping his fingers as several letterings along his arms glowed. “And thus our contract has been sealed. I should warn you, though...she’s going to be a toughie~ Give him hell, will you, Emiri?”

The brunette froze in place, though for a moment, she gripped her head. Was she fighting him? He glared at her, clearly displeased. So the little bitch was taking the chance to fight for her freedom? He’d have to deal with that from the inside, though after a moment, he seemed to regain control as she held her hand out, summoning a dark sword.

“Understood,” She stated, holding a stance against Jaakuna, giving him the chance to strike first.

“Please forgive me for what I’m about to do,” Jaakuna murmured to himself as he took a fighting stance. He drew no weapons for he didn’t need to. His fists flared up in bright, crimson flames. His left hand was a bright pinkish-red crimson while his right had a warm, orange-yellow flame. He stepped forward once and he was gone. In the following second, he appeared next to Emiri on the left and struck her with his left hand.

[Hero]

As Nadeline brandished her rapier, the Mist seemed to dance around them. It was nothing like she had felt before--even moving her fingertips felt like she could blow up a building. Still, at the very least she had Zodiark's attention now. She wouldn't allow him to torment them any longer. But even then, there was very much a possibility that she could lose. She remembered being just as determined at fighting Ultima...but this time, all she had to do was last five minutes. Five long...long, minutes. She seemed to be at peace with the deal--if she couldn't last five minutes now, she was of no use to her team.

"Give him hell, sweetheart," Lorenzo surprised her.

She nodded, swiping her sword once, effectively clearing the new 'arena' free of her allies as they were pushed back and out of harm's way, lest Zodiark get any ideas. She eyed the orbs carefully. They could have been channelers for his magicks, or perhaps some form of weapon. Were they to break, would he be unable to cast? Or are they simply another means? Don't make me regret this, princess, Ultima chided her, as Nadeline raised her rapier, a glyph forming underneath her. Your goal is survival. Even now, you may not be able to lay a scratch on him.

So be it.

Nadeline charged forward with such a speed she was momentarily surprised, though she would strike once, twice, her jabs a flurry of singular attacks that she couldn't even see her own sword move. She may as well see exactly what he was capable of.

---

Emiri smirked at him--choosing not to use a weapon? Was he mocking her? She'd have to make him regret that decision, wouldn't she? As he moved, her eyes watched him. She dropped her sword, letting it melt into nothingness, though he seemed to catch her slightly off guard with his strike. Something was different about him now. Still, she wasn't about to go easy on him--he needed this beating. Catching his strike, she eyed him, though she would release him and disappear before his eyes, clearly having used her own time powers against him. If he refused to go all out, she would force his hand. She would reappear as his strike went nowhere, countering with her own, though without waiting to see if it connected, she would repeat herself, this time coming from below with her own kick.

---

Coming to a halt, Emiri would lean against the wall as she caught her breath. Everything was put in place--Chaos had put her trust in her, and now it was her turn. She wasn't sure how long Jaakuna would last, nor did she want to know. As she pushed herself off the wall, she could feel the dark magicks. Keiran was looking for her, but this time, she was also looking for him. She ran back to her cage, only to find it gone. Keiran was leaning against the wall, seemingly deep in thought. He would give her his attention as she neared him, chuckling to himself.

"What's the point of a miserable existence?" He couldn't help but ask her. "There's no point in anything. If it all turned to dust...who would care, really? I know you secretly agree with me. You and I are of one mind, after all."

"You're wrong on that count," She informed him, shaking her head. "You brought out my deepest, darkest thoughts...and used them to imprison me. Maybe at one point I really did wish everything was just gone, but that's just running away from the problem. Reality is harsh, but...you have to deal with it. Life goes on."

Keiran looked at the ground, though he would stand straight, watching her. "You know I can't just let you go, right?"

She nodded, holding out her hand as her sword would appear. "I won't run away any longer. And if you choose to stand in my way, so be it."

[AlteredTundra]

If he were a normal man, perhaps those lightning-fast jabs would have been the end of him, but Zodiark was no man. He wasn’t anything close to a man. He was the Keeper of Precepts - the strongest of the Espers. Though, be that as it may, even he couldn’t very well stand there and do nothing as Nadeline would jab at him — especially since she had the aid of Ultima’s Seal behind each of those jabs.

One arm came forward and so did one of the orbs. It span nearly at the same speed that her jabs did. It took both jabs and expelled Nadeline back, dealing the same kind of damage that she would’ve dealt with those jabs of hers. Once she was pushed back, Zodiark waved that same arm forward and that rob would follow the direction, but this time changing its shape into several spears the length of the Zodiac Spear. It would be sent straight for Nadeline at nearly the same speeds that her rapier jabs were.

---

It was evident to Jaakuna that she wasn’t going to play around — something that Jaakuna was doing. He was trying not to kill Emiri with that strike. If it had connected, it would have been enough to knock her out but nothing more. He didn’t want to kill her, but as seen from her blatant use of her powers, Jaakuna was certain that she aimed to do that for him. Plus, she seemed intent on bringing all that she had in her reserves to fight him. Despite that resolve, Jaakuna could not bring himself to do that.

So he would simply remain on the defensive as her kick came in from below towards his midsection. He brought both flaming hands down and grabbed that leg. He not only held tightly onto it until he was certain she would not try anything further. She wouldn’t dare use her time powers with him in physical contact with her. If she did, he would be brought along with her on that ride. So that was one of the reasons he held contact onto her. Another was on the wise counsel of Belias. He figured out some working mechanics from that first strike.

“Now try and hold still, you,” Jaakuna said as he flared up his hands with bright flames. In the next series of moments, Emiri would see that the flames were starting to purify whatever stench of Zodiark she had. And once Jaakuna became confident that he was at that point of total purification, he would lift Emiri’s tiny body by the leg and whip her to the ground like a ragdoll. Again, I’m sorry my love.

[Hero]

As Nadeline skidded back to a halt, she readied herself for the incoming attack. So the orbs were indeed his choice of 'weapon', though admittedly they were more durable than she would have hoped. Her eyes widened as the spear was formed, and she took a step back. The shape looked oddly familiar, like something she had read about once, but that wasn't nearly as important as when one would lunge at her. No, that wasn't right--they all did! Focus, will you?! Ultima groaned, though Nadeline seemed to beat her to the punch, a Protect swirling around her and parrying the spear's attack. As the spell would begin to crack, she took in a deep breath, trying to decide what to do next.

Letting the Protect fade, she decided to go on the offensive once more,a glyph appearing both underneath and above Zodiark. "Scourge!" She called as the spell around go off, effectively channeling itself between the two glyphs.

---

Emiri clucked her tongue, annoyed. He seemed content in keeping contact with her, though he did surprise her as he would catch her kick. His flames sent an alarm, though she couldn't help but chuckle. "What makes you think that would work?" She chastised him, though he ended up making her eat those words as he would slam her to the ground. It hurt a little more than she would have liked to admit, though his flames would catch her attention.

---

As the pair would clash blades, Emiri noticed the crystals around them brightening somewhat. It was brief, but it almost looked like fire was dancing in them. Keiran noticed as well, gripping his sword, though he would lunge at her. Emiri sidestepped his swing, turning and deciding to knee him. As he fell, she kicked him away, holding out her left hand as Chaos' seal appeared. She recognized that fire anywhere--it must have been Jaakuna, though judging by the influence Belias seemed to be helping him out.

"I didn't think you had any fight left in you," Keiran admitted as he would pick himself up, eyeing the flames around them. "Would you look at that...Darcone going straight to the root of the problem. And you look like you've picked up a little trick. What, does Chaos finally realize he's nothing without his vessel?"

Another sword formed, and Emiri would release them both, letting them float around her as she summoned another pair. "He did. Now that I'm not alone, I'll win, and make sure I regain control!" She sent the two floating swords at him, physically attacking with the other two, leaving him to fend off four attacks at once.

---

Emiri froze in place, gripping her head. She let out a cry of pain, a darkness permeating from her. "What...what's happening...?!" She seemed confused, though as her eyes would flash, she seemed to lash out instead of yielding. Grabbing her sword, she swung at Jaakuna, though immediately afterwards, she fell to her knees, a hand to her head. "H-How...?! How are you doing this?!" She yelled, standing up and attacking Jaakuna in a frenzy.

[AlteredTundra]

Yet another example of The High Seraph's influence on the girl. His attack was quickly deflected and shot into nothingness. In that same moment, it seemed as though Nadeline had wasted no time as she would cast a high-level black magick spell, layering it twice: once above Zodiark and once below him. In that very same instnace, she layered protective magicks over her comrades without losing any focus of her offensive spells. It was remarkable.

As she called out the spell's name, it activated. Tentacles summoned from the void aimed to trap Zodiark within its clutches. A respectable attempt. If it were anyone else, perhaps it would have maimed them. But, yet again, just not close enough.The Keeper of Precepts waved another arm and one of the orbs that floated around his form would expand, surrounding Zodiark in a veil that was very reminiscent of shell and protect. Not only did it give him protection from any physical damage that those tentacles might've caused but it also would give him magical protection. It would last as long as Nadeline's own spell would last.

After that duration, Zodiark would simply gaze upon Nadeline. A full minute has already passed and she's proven to be more than just a pretty face or a burden on her comrades. It wasn't enough to take her seriously - not yet. If she wanted him to get serious, she would have to show him something really impressive. Until then, he would simply hold her at bay.

As he held up one of his arms, one of the floating orbs would land perfectly in his hand. He smiled at Nadeline twistedly as he hurled it at her. When half of the distance between the two was covered, the orb simply disappeared. In just three moments, it would reappear above Nadeline, casting a large-scale graviga not only over her but everyone under her protection.

“I’d act fast. Time isn’t on your side, Rozarrian Hume.”

---

“I did what was necessary.” Jaakuna simply stated.

As he noticed the distinctive change in Emiri’s demeanor, Jaakuna was more than confident that just a few more doses of Purify and she would be closer and closer to returning to her normal self. However, while that was true, Jaakuna knew that, the closer he would get to ridding his beloved of Zodiark and by proxy, Keiran, the higher the difficulty it would be to do that. If he has learned anything in these past months of having to deal with Zodiark, it was that the closer you got to something, the harder it was to succeed. So he knew he would have to watch his step.

That would be especially true as he saw Emiri go at him like a wild animal. She swung ferociously. He stepped to the side to dodge her first strike. When the rest followed, he side-stepped her a few times and blocked a few of them with his fists of flame. He noticeed that the purify spell had a major impact on her form, so she was less graceful and not in a sound mind when she went for those strikes.

As she would come in for another one, Jaakuna blocked it with one hand, the blade of her sword meeting his flame-covered fist, and grabbed her wrist with the other, intent on purifying that arm. “This might sting a bit,” Jaakuna warned Emiri.

His left hand began to shine a brilliant gold. It began the process of burning away the dark influence of Zodiark from that hand. It would feel as any fire would on the flesh - well, at first anyway. Once the initial phase of fire on flesh was gone, there would be this warm feeling followed by an excruciating pain worse than just a physical fire sear. This was more on the spirutal levels. Jaakuna was essentially cleansing Emiri of her darkness, so this would hurt more at the soul than anything else.

“Emiri, if you’re in there, just hang on. I’m going to save you, my love.”

[Hero]

She had half-hoped her spell would have done something, but she knew better than that. Taking in a breath, she prepared herself as her spell would finish. You're becoming predictable. The first minute has passed. Ultima informed her. Things will only continue to worsen from here on. Feel the Mist around you, differentiate those of light, and those of darkness. You and I are now connected--make the discerntion and react accordingly. The advice was appreciated, for once, but it was also easier said than done. Just as she had given Zodiark a slew of her magicks, he still had yet to reveal himself. She glanced at her father, who nodded back at her. I'm glad one of us believes, She couldn't help but think grimly, eyeing Zodiark as he would prepare his next spell.

She readied herself to deflect the orb, only for it to disappear, instead resulting in a spell. It seemed the entire area was covered, a Graviga. Nadeline raised her rapier, but in the next moment, she felt a weight completely crushing her. She almost fell over entirely--the spell hadn't even gone off yet! How was this possible? But that was the least of her worries, as a series of reactions alerted her that she was not the sole target this time. It took everything she had to remain standing, though she knew that the full force of the spell would happen at any second.

"HOLY CRAP WHAT IS THIS?!" Lorenzo shouted, clearly having been knocked down and unable to get back up. "I'M TOO YOUNG TO NEED HELP GETTING UP!"

Grant had managed to stay sitting, considering his own magicks were also Arcane-based, though he had to admit this was on a far larger scale than any he had done. "It's coming, Nadeline!" He managed to shout out a warning.

Oh sure, tell her what to do, it wasn't like she already knew things were bad! Planting her feet on the ground, she struggled to raise her weapon, its tip glowing. Her crown would let off a similar shine, the light spreading. She knelt down, and would appear to push back up against the spell itself as she would slowly stand. She could feel every muscle in her body screaming as she struggled, but this was just getting started. A reflective barrier seemed to form the more she pushed, and as she finally stood straight, the light from her rapier shined. A Reflect had been cast, dissolving the Graviga, though to say it was victory wasn't quite right yet.

"My turn!" She called, her voice resonating with Ultima's as about a dozen glyphs would appear around her. Each one spun, colored a different element, and each one seemed to fire its own magick--separated, yet attacking in unison, one of every element.

---

These magicks were beyond Jaakuna, they were even beyond her. She couldn't believe what was happened, he seemed to know precisely what it was that he was doing. How was he doing this? Had he surpassed the Blue Rose? No, he lost to her. She had defeated her. If she had defeated her, then why was he having the upper hand right now?! Frustration seemed to build up along the burning, though Emiri wasn't sure how much longer she could take it. The way he spoke so gently, it made her angry. Did he think he was better than she was?! Did he think she was going down after one hit?!

Pushing back against him, Emiri struggled, though she had a crazed look as she looked at him. "This...this is nothing compared to the pain I've felt!" She shouted, a second wind reinvigorating her as she would push back against him, though she would stop, instead choosing to bring him in closer, promptly headbutting him hard. She wrenched free from his grip, extending her free hand as she would charge up her own attack. She couldn't quite ignore the flames she felt, but she was determined to push through it. She would strike him with an open palm, the initial hit not being anything special, though it would then explode a second later.

[AlteredTundra]

Almost effective immediately, Zodiark noticed a shift in the Hume girls’ composure. Before, she was almost to the point of being crushed to bits by the weight of his spell and now she seemed to have more confidence than she did before. It was almost as if she had a stronger resolve. Or maybe Ultima gave her a stern talking to. There really was no telling what exactly became the deciding factor, but suffice to say, Zodiark approved. The fact that she decided to stop kid around and got serious meant that Zodiark could at least give her a chance to test the limits of her power.

And as she sent forth an impressive display of elemental prowess, it was obvious to him that she was aiming to kill. Those waves of various elements all came for Zodiark all at the same time. Each seemed to be the highest form they could possibly be and all with the intent to kill. This was good. He appreciated that she dug deep.

When the elements were about a foot away from making contact with him, Zodiark brought back his arms and thrust them forward. When he did that, a glyph appeared in front of him. In that same moment, the glyph opened up and revealed something that looked like a black abyss. There was a strong wind current that picked up, originating from that abyss and it sucked up all of the elements from Nadeline’s attack. Though, something that Zodiark wasn’t expecting happened: he underestiamted the strength of Nadeline’s spell as the glyph broke and the elements of drain, sap, water and lightning struck him. The water soaked him and the lightning struck him, getting an enhancement from the water. After that, drain would transfer some of his life force over to Nadeline and the sap, though only lasting a few seconds, seemed to also wipe a moderate portion of his energgy reserves.

Getting struck by Nadeline’s attack was a miscalculation of her power. He staggered back as he simply grinned at the girl. “And she continues to impress,” Zodiark said, panting lightly. “But that won’t happen again.”

Thirty more seconds had passed and Zodiark would rid himself of the extra arms, his movement-limiting form, and all but one orb. That last orbs would shape itself by using Zodiark’s putrid mist. It would go from the spherical mass into something nearly as long as his body but hardly as wide. The black mass kept its shade in this transformation but it came out to be a lot more silkier than it was before. When the transformation was complete, it appeared to be a spear of some sort. It was black throughout except for a part of the blade that seemed to pulse with a vile red Mist.

And as he stepped forward, Zodiark’s own form would change in an instant. GRand and Nadeline would recognize the form he took as it was the same form he took before. His entire body became encased in a black armor that had a red star emblem on the belt and on each hand. This armor had two horns that were colored a withered brown and a tail just as black as his armor was. He also had two wings made out of black Mist.

Gripping his spear in his hand, Zodiark’s helmet faded away. He had a more youthful appearance now. His skin was of a more healthy tone and his eyes were piercing red while his hair was as black as the dead of night. “Very well, now shall we begin?” Zodiark would take the first lunge. His speed so fast that no one other than an Esper or one who has unlocked their seal would had seen his movements. To the outside eye, it was just a flash of black and red. He rammed Nadeline with the bulk of his arm, forcing her to the trashed building just twenty paces behind her. Then, in another quick movement, he followed her as he appeared above the girl’s form. He turned his form into a shadow and went through her, appearing below her and unleashed a powerful pulse of ancient magicks that sent her flying up.

---

Even though he knew this wasn’t his Emiri, there was no mistaking that she had the same fire in her belly that his beloved had. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight. It became clear to him as she forced his grip of her to break. Though, based on the expression plastered all over her face, that action of pulling away was not an easy one. He noticed that she winced as she pulled away. That took an inmeasurable fortitude to commit to that.

Jaakuna noticed how her emotion skyrocketed when she mentioned the pain she went through, which could only make him feel sympathy for her. He had been there for a lot of the traumatic experiences in her life - or at least been there for her when she told him about past trauma she went through, but losing her mother and then almost losing her father...she was alone through that. It was that feeling of lonesome that Keiran must’ve fed off of. Because he wasn’t there to help her through it, that abomination was able to warp Emiri into this...thing that he saw in front of him. That was the exact reason why he had to pressure on. In order to get Emiri back to the way she was before, he had to push on with cleansing her of Keiran. Even if it meant that she would experience pain dealt by him, he would have be strong.

But, as seen by her constant refusal to let him do it as he wished, that wasn’t going to be easy. While he still had her close, Emiri would surprise him with a rather old fashioned move in the form of a headbutt. This caused him to stagger back a few steps, to which allowed her to go for an odd attack. She dealt an open-palm slap clear across his face. Though it stung, he didn’t understand why she chose something like that. After a moment passed, he felt something explode on his cheek and he was sent flying to the left about five paces.

As he tumbled, Jaakuna recovered himself and saw Emiri. Even though he was sure this was another gesture on behalf of Keiran, he couldn’t help but smirk. He held his cheek. It had a fresh burning touch to it. Still tender, he brought his healing fire to it and would stop the bleeding. “Quite the move there.”

Jaakuna rose up from the ground and reignited his fists. He knew that he would have to get close to Emiri somehow. Now that she was well aware of his abilities to cleanse her of Keiran’s influence, her guard would be up. Even worse than that, the look in her eyes gave him a clear indication that she wasn’t going to hold back. He knew that she would use her time powers as she saw fit. That was the one thing that was constantly on his mind. If he happened to get close to her, he knew that she would use those powers to do something to get him away or use it to her advantage. In her doing that, she would inch herself closer to nothingness. What he needed to do was stop that from happening altogether.

Jaakuna was going to try something else. It was an alternative tactic of sorts. This was no fantasy. It was reality, but it wasn't going to be final. He was going to make her see that. “Don’t you see that he’s just using you for his own pleasure, Emiri! You have to snap out of it!” Jaakuna yelled, trying to bide himself some time. He knew his purifying fire was still active on her arm, so maybe if he could get her talking and not doing anything else, then maybe he wouldn’t have to hurt her for a bit. “Remember all the times we shared together. Remember when we first met, how I was going to bring you to Grant because Vlyn and Aloa commissioned me, but I didn’t. And do you know why? It’s because I didn’t like being used either.” As Jaakuna spoke, he would take steps forward to her. They were slow steps. He didn’t want to alert her. “Not I nor you liked to be used by the governments that rule this world. We just wanted to be free. And for a while, we lived in bliss. Just you, me, and the Ifrit. Don’t you want that again?” By now, Jaakuna had closed three paces between he and Emiri.

[Hero]

It worked? It worked! Still, Nadeline knew that a few hits weren't enough to take him down. He admitted that she finally had his attention, though for a moment, she had a bad feeling. Watching as he would transform, her eyes would widen as he would reveal his face. Whether intentional or not, he very much resembled Keiran--or rather, it may have been the other way around given his true nature. She gripped her weapon tightly, bracing herself as he informed her that they would 'begin'.

She blinked, her surroundings changing as she would open her eyes. What happened? As her body collided with the building, it suddenly hit her what had happened. Crap, he was a lot faster than she had anticipated--and it seemed he was forging the magical route. Letting out a gasp as he charged at her, she would bring her rapier at the ready, snapping her fingers on her free hand. She lunged forward as he would form into a shadow, only for him to go right through her. Oh no. The burst of magic sent her flying upwards, a measly and unprepared Shell attempting to mitigate some of the damage.

Are you stupid? Are you just going to let him toss you around like this?! Ultima practically yelled at her.

Does it LOOK like I'm letting him?! She snapped back internally, though she would correct her body position, letting gravity run its course as she would summon more glyphs at her side. Taking a page from her old friend's book, each glyph would get absorbed into her weapon, and she would use her fall for her next strike. Without waiting to see if the first attack landed, her glyph appeared beneath her, and magicks would assist each of her physical attacks as she swung--a combination of both spells and steel.

---

As Emiri moved to attack once more, Jaakuna would begin to speak. She stopped in place, still alert, though she found herself listening. Keiran watched the pair, amused. Trying to talk the monster down, was he? Or was he simply too afraid to hurt her? No, it had something to do with his fire, didn't it? Was it possible it was still working? It couldn't have been in full force. Narrowing his eyes, he contemplated his next course of action, though he watched them carefully, gauging Emiri's reaction as Jaakuna would speak. He was appealing to their past. How sweet.

"Freedom? No one in this life is free," Keiran couldn't help but chime in, giving Jaakuna a wink. "Flying the skies...even that time is limited. You're the prince of a nation--what, you're going to forgo all that?" He asked.

To both their surprises, Emiri eyes looked to the ground. "I just wanted to stay with you. It didn't matter where, I just...wanted to be with you," She stated quietly. "I..."

---

Emiri winced as Keiran's sword managed to nick her, though she drove him back as he attempted to continue. She had always pegged him as weak, but he managed to keep up with every strike, and had her on the defensive. She swung with both swords, though he parried, sending his own wave of darkness. It was a direct hit, and she went flying, colliding with the crystal wall. Letting out a cough, she would stand, swords at the ready as he would approach her.

"You had to go and complicate things, didn't you?" Keiran asked her with a sigh. "I don't know who's more annoying, you or your boyfriend over there."

She glared at him, gripping her weapons. Even with Jaakuna's magicks, she was still struggling. Why? What did Keiran do so that she was still so weak? As if on cue, the pair would become affected by Jaakuna's flames. Emiri dropped her weapons, clutching her arms as a painful burn seemed to sear her. As she looked up, she was surprised to see Keiran suffering from the same wound. 'It will take more than a spell or incantation to be truly free from his grasp.' Chaos' words rung in her head as she forced herself to stand. This must have been what he meant--the two were intertwined to the point of both being affected, even if it was negative.

If that was the case, she knew how he felt, too.

[AlteredTundra]

Whilst midair, an airborne Nadeline, to Zodiark’s approval, recovered rather quickly. She used her cat-like reflexes and general-level quick thinking to not only protect herself from the majority of his attacks, but in that same moment, she continuously cast multiple spells to work in her favor, layering them so it would enhance her physical and magical strength. Though, what she failed to realize was that, no matter how many spells she would cast, it still wouldn’t be enough for her to completely escape his might.

Before she would get the chance to continue that swing of her rapier, Zodiark held out his free hand. In front of it, a dark purple glyph appeared. In half of a second, a gravija was cast...or so it seemed like it was. It was obvious what the effects were. Simultaneously, Nadeline would feel copious amounts of magical pressure on her shoulders, ceasing any and all movement the moment it happened and she would also be brought to Zodiark right as he had cast that spell. When she was close enough, he snapped his fingers and the glyph in front of him split into a dozen other glyphs and they floated all around Nadeline. They would get so close to her that she would be boxed inside a magical prison that had several colors radiating all at the same time. It was like a prism of colors.

“You did well, Hume Girl. You lasted longer than any Hume before you, but all good things must come to an end.” Zodiark informer her. Rotating his hand, the prison that she was trapped in did as well. When he inched closer to balling up his hand into a fist, the prison would shrink.

Meanwhile, the rest looked on. Shinto would specifically fear the worst. Not because he didn’t think Nadeline could get out of it - well, he was thinking that, but not for the reasons one would expect. He had seen this one. “We have to distract him. She will die.” Shinto said, “no, I’m not saying this as a way to come to her rescue. If we don’t do something right now, she will die. That spell he’s using..Madame Blue Rose, you remember that forbidden spell that you told us about? The one that encloses one inside a prison that sucks out the life force and delivers magical damage with twice the amount of life force taken?” Shinto asked Shion. “I’m telling you, that’s an enhanced version of that spell. If we don’t do something now, I’m afraid Nadeline won’t survive.”

---

Jaakuna purposely ignored Keiran’s comments. Instead, he would focus on Emiri and how his plan was working. Belias definitely had his doubts, but for the time, he seemed to be in agreement with Jaakuna in how it was the best way to stall time so that the flames could work their magic until he could get physical contact once more. “Then let’s do it. Just you and me. Forget Zodiark. Forget the union of Rozarria and Archadia. Let’s just spend our days in the skies. Let’s live the future we talked about. Let's..” Jaakuna grabbed Emiri’s hands gently with his bare fists, no fire present. He looked deeply into her eyes with love and compassion.

[Hero]

"Ah--!" Nadeline gasped as her attacks came to a halt. Before she could understand what happened, she was pulled towards Zodiark. She raised her arms over herself, half expecting to get stabbed, but that attack never came. Instead, she was nearly blinded by a million colors surrounding her, and it only took a few seconds to realize what had happened. She attacked the light only to find her rapier practically bounce off of it, as if she had attacked a stone wall. He would tell her that he decided to end the fight, and the next thing she knew, her surroundings were closing in on her. She continued to attack the walls around her in an attempt to escape, her attacks become more frantic.

She was clearly panicking at this point.

Shion narrowed her eyes at Nadeline's prison. Shinto had a point, and unfortunately, losing Nadeline would put quite a hamper on things. I suppose at this point I should step in, She thought grimly, contemplating her next course of action. She looked over at the rightfully horrified Lorenzo, then at Grant, who was staring right at the ground. She looked at Shinto as she would stand, her own chains dissolving as she would shrug. As she concentrated on her weapon, she would slash the air in front of her before stabbing the ground, effectively wiping out the chains from the group. The hand pulsed in return, though she would pay no mind to it, instead holding out her arm as Lorenzo made an attempt to run forward.

"He wouldn't so much as bat an eye at disposing you," She said to him, instead looking at Aloa and Vlyn.

"You want us to go, don't you?" Vlyn asked, clearly exasperated. Aloa nodded at Shion, the pair having a mutual understanding at the next move to take. "Mind filling me in? No? We're winging it? Ah, I will just follow you, then, I suppose..." He muttered, following Aloa away from the area.

Shion let out a sigh, walking over to Grant, who still sat on the floor. She knelt down so she could look at him eye-to-eye. "Will you stay? Nadeline's life hangs in the balance. She showed no hesitation on saving your life--will you return the favor?" She asked him quietly.

Grant knew she was right. He could hear Nadeline's constant attacks against her prison, her desperate struggle to get out. She probably felt like she had let everyone down again. Didn't she realize how proud of her he was? How proud Lorenzo was? And here he was, still feeling sorry for himself. But he felt so defeated, so broken. He felt like he couldn't even stand. He closed his eyes, knowing deep in his heart that Shion had every point. But...

"Nadeline!" Lorenzo shouted, clearly alarmed.

Both Shion and Grant would realize that it got quiet. Nadeline was no longer attacking her prison. Shion stood up, stance at the ready. "Make your decision with haste. Or don't," She said, charging forward.

Aloa followed Shion's movements, and she and Vlyn would split up. Aloa, Vlyn, and Shion all approached Zodiark at their own paces. As she approached him, Shion noticed Nadeline on her knees, using her rapier to hold herself steady. She hadn't succumbed yet, but as always, time was of the essence. Coming to a halt as her blade would glow, she made a single vertical strike, a seemingly harmless thing, though as it traveled it seemed to pick up power, not relying on any element as her rose petals would scatter around her. Vlyn charged up his own magicks as Aloa would go in on the offensive.

---

"Do I look like an idiot to you?"

Grabbing his hand, it was Emiri's turn to slam him into the ground. Her grip was abnormally strong, a tranquil fury around her. She made sure to pin him to the ground, not even bothering with her powers. She seemed angry, eyebrows knit together as she glared at him. Keiran couldn't help but smile--Jaakuna's gentleness had actually gotten him worried for a moment. But alas, it seemed to have gone in the complete opposite direction. Still, she didn't seem like she was attacking, though her entire weight was on him, making sure he wouldn't get out from underneath her.

"The future we talked about...the future 'we' wanted? The future you wanted!" Her voice somehow remained calm as she spoke, her hands gripping his shoulders as she would bring him up then slam him back down. "How am I supposed to believe you about anything?! How can you tell me one thing and then completely turn around and do something completely different?! You don't know what you're talking about...how can you lie to my face like this! You said we were free, and then agree to get married on your grandfather's request! You said you denied your country, and then suddenly you're going to take back the throne! You said you'd never leave...you promised...and then you left when I needed you!"

---

"Do you truly hate yourself so much you would go through such pain?" She asked him, a realization dawning upon her. "You said Zodiark's will was your own--is this what you wanted? Is death the only true release you seek?"

Keiran's eyes widened, though he would seem to disagree. "Don't go speaking of things you know nothing about!"

"I'm right, aren't I?!" She argued. "You don't care about Zodiark or me or anything! You just want an escape! You want meaning to your life!"

Unfortunately for her, that seemed to anger him, and he rushed forward. She grabbed one of her swords, managing to lock blades as he attempted to attack her. "Why?! Why won't you yield?!" He shouted, pushing back. "You know nothing! You understand nothing!"

"You're wrong! I do understand! I know what it feels like to be trapped, to have nowhere to go, no one to turn to!" She said. "The whole world pushes at you, those with more power constantly controlling you--we're the same, whether you want to admit it or not! But dying isn't a solution! It's running away!"

Keiran managed to push back harder, though Emiri's arms gave way as he struck her. He would then slam her against the wall, ignoring his burning arms as he would tighten his grip on her. "Says the Queen of runaways! Who are you to judge me?!"

---

Keiran grimaced, a hand to his head. No, he was still in control. He still had her. No, no, she was struggling back, but why?! He watched Jaakuna, whose flames had all but gone. How? How was he doing this? Emiri held him steady, though her hands were now around Jaakuna's neck. "Why did you have to show up now? I was satisfied with dying...I was alright with bringing this damned world to an end! This world that insisted on tormenting me, constantly robbing me of whatever happiness I managed to cling to!"