"I'm coming, Azeline."

A firm voice rang out through the smoke-filled, suffocating room.

With a cough, a woman rose from the ground, searching through her bag. It seemed as if she was looking for something important, an item to stop this eerie, yet familiar dream..

Her fingers grazed against a cool chain, sending small shock waves throughout her body. With a triumphant noise, followed by another harsh cough, she pulled out a small silver necklace. At the end of this chain was a small, bright red stone. It shone through the smoke, as it slowly dissipated.

Ahead, maybe twenty feet or so was an overbearing white gate. It was almost perfect, not a speck of blood, or the smudges of being used over time. It loomed over the rather tall woman, which made it almost intimidating. Beyond the gate, though, stood a lone figure. She had long, jet black hair that formed curls, that gracefully flowed behind her, framing her face, and complimenting her skin wonderfully; the color of which always reminded her of a late summer day, a golden brown hue. She is the definition of beauty, someone that would stand out in a crowd without meaning to.

The somber woman took a step, then another, before she broke into a run. Her thoughts were filled with only her. No words were uttered through her lips, just the small tears that pricked at her eyes.

This always happened. She would get close, close enough to reach through the bars, and hold her hand. That was, until the smoke consumed her, leaving nothing but those ethereal crimson eyes.

She knew it wasn't her, but deep down, she wanted to continue believing the illusion that it was.

The smoke crept towards her, up her body. It consumed everything, filling her lungs.

As the woman woke with a deep breath, sweat dripping down her face, she looked around. She had to ground herself, she knew this. Touching the dew-dropped grass, the woman slowly recollected herself. Her wolf, known as Titan, gave her a quick lick, his tongue dragging across her cheek. She let a soft smile form and looked down. "Thank you, Titan."

The woman stood, with the smallest sigh, her head pounding. "Come on, we should get going... It's getting dark." How did she manage to fall asleep, this time? She wasn't sure... And although it wasn't very common, it was just another reason that she was thankful for having her wolf. He had been with her for two years, never leaving her side. He had saved her life countless times, and she, his.

A strange rustling sounded from the treeline to their left. Her thoughts immediately went to that of a defensive mindset. Unsheathing her katana, a magnificent silver blade, with a black dragon print that crept up the side, although it was barely visible with the amount of stained blood coating it; she pointed it towards the dark forest.

Titan bared his teeth at the sound, a low growl emitting from his throat. It was gravelly, and coming from the rather large wolf, intimidating. His fur rose, as his body lowered ever so closer to the ground, ready to rip apart whatever came through the ominous foliage.

She'd killed all kinds of red-eyes, so she was ready for whatever would come out of the tree-line.

From seemingly nowhere came a young man, clearly afraid and disheveled. His curly brown locks ruffled messily, in some parts plastered to his face. He was gleaming with sweat, his brows furrowed. It was quite obvious that he was running from something. He looked like he hadn't eaten in a while, which was shown from his ragged clothes, which put his ribs on display. The woman had almost taken him for an elf-based red-eye, until he got closer.

He ran towards the crimson-eyed woman, more fearful of what he was trying to escape, rather than the intimidating female in front of him. Most survivors that had come across her would turn away, given her hard and attentive nature. It was almost like merely being looked at by her would mean you were a target, for death. Perhaps for even worse, than that.

Titan let out a short and somewhat loud bark, and ran off into the forest, tracking something. His silver and brown fur disappearing into the brown and green of the trees and bushes, it didn't take long for him to vanish.

With a cold glare that could cut stone from the auburnette, she grabbed his arm, painfully. Her seemingly perfect features screwed up into more terrifying and cold ones. Her lips were turned into a deep frown. She gave him no time to protest, or even react, as she started dragging him along with her to get Titan back.

As they trudged through the undergrowth, she still had an extremely sour look. This really didn't take away from her beauty, somehow, although the man did find it rather intimidating how someone can look so flawless, yet so horrifying. And though he wanted to run, he kept himself firmly by her side. Something told him, that leaving would surely mean death.

"Titan?" Her voice was lowered into a whisper, not the same loud and commanding one, as before. It would almost be seen as soft, if not for the burning anger beneath those words. If he wasn't more useful to her as potential bait, he'd be dead, by now.

A small, forced whimper sounded from deeper in the forest. It had to be him, she'd recognize it anywhere, really.

With that confirmation, she took off. The man was drug with her, stumbling along, but keeping up. He was clumsy. The last time he ran like this, save for his previous sprint moments before, was track, in high school. And with the apocalypse, that would have been at least two years ago. His family hadn't needed much training, at least not with his dad around.

And although the raging woman who stepped over anything in her path had blood trailing down her arms, and even twigs stuck in a few wounds, she didn't stop. There was nothing in her mind, no pain, nothing. She just wanted to get her loyal companion back.

As they get closer, it looked like nothing short of a murder scene.

A mess of blood and fur, littered organs across the grass and foliage. The once withered, but vibrant brown and green leaves were painted with bright red, in splatters. Perhaps this was simply one of the canine's kills, though it seemed quite the opposite. The woman released the man, to grasp at the fur, hoping to whatever higher being there was, that it wasn't Titan.

Those hopes would go mostly unnoticed though, as the wolf let out another whimper. The blood covered her hands, so that they stuck together, and was as crimson as her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to recollect herself. This has to be worse than it looks, they've been through this before.

Upon shifting his large body to the side, something beneath him is revealed. He was seemingly protecting a small fawn, casting his weary blue eyes towards the stranger behind them. They were almost as threatening as his owner's. It felt like looking into them too long would get someone lost. A deep, icy blue, comparable to that of the darkest depths of the ocean. A place where death was certain if you couldn't escape.

The fawn was a pale tan, her three abnormal eyes a light brown; it was a color like an afternoon sunlight shining through a glass of whiskey. Perhaps it could just as easily be described as a jar of overflowing honey, that's been left to slightly crystallize. Those eyes were filled with innocence as if she had never taken a life in her short one. It wouldn't be surprising, though what was, was that she wasn't infected. While there were obvious mutations, she wasn't even fighting back or trying to bite Titan.

With a deep sigh, the woman looked back at the stranger, who was terrified still. He hadn't moved, in fear of being injured, or killed. In reality, he wouldn't be around much longer if he ran off anyway; it was obvious that someone like him would be quickly overwhelmed, and slaughtered. If not for a gruesome death, then he would surely succumb to something else. Most likely disease, dehydration, or starvation.

"What were you running from? The Crowned Yak has been quiet for longer than I can remember.." Ah, The Crowned Yak. A name lovingly deemed before the apocalypse, by the community. It used to be a peaceful place, but now it was dreaded by anyone who dared to get too close.

With a look of deep-seated fear and disgust, the man looked at the fawn. "Those... Things... They aren't normal." You'd think he just saw a Red-Eye, but this was simply a mutated deer-they were rarely around, like most animals, these days.

"It's a fawn. What could it have possibly done? It's just trying to survive." The woman looked to the man with a disapproving glance. She saw him as weak, someone who wouldn't be around very long. She was surprised he even made it this far. How could he have survived this long, without succumbing to death? Surely something here wasn't adding up. Then, a thought came to mind - was this an assault?

She shot up from her spot, brandishing her katana. Her eyes only narrowed more, as she took the other's physique in. Certainly, he wouldn't be much to take on, at all. She'd fought stronger Red-Eyes. "Where is the rest of your group? I know your sorry ass didn't get here all alone."

The man gulped and started quickly explaining what happened. "I... I was in a bunker with my family, and they-" She quickly shushed him, and the sounds of Red-Eyes started filling the forest. "We'll have to see what injured him, later. And if he dies.." She looked at him, coldly. "You're going to wish it was you." Her previous glare remained, as a scowl now became apparent on her lips. Titan stood slowly as if he knew that they were in danger.

"Grab the fawn, we aren't leaving her to die, here."

The group of four rushed out of the quickly darkening forest, which held the loud groans of the Red-Eyes. They knew that if they didn't get out soon, that it would simply mean death. It was an unlikely group, a woman who looked like she'd seen and been through everything, with a wolf to accompany, a man who lacked survival instincts, with a deer to boot. It wasn't something you'd see every day, but in a way, it just worked.

When they got out of the forest, eventually, the man was nervously twirling his curly hair between his fingers. "So... what's your name?"

She looked at him with half-lidded eyes, bored. "I don't know why you need to know, stranger. We won't be together very long. Just long enough to for you to take responsibility for what happened to my companion." She looked ahead, at the setting sun.

"Well... I like your boots and your coat. They're really cool, very punk rock. Aren't you worried about the chains, though? And what if your overcoat gets caught on something? It's... pretty long." The man was trying to make an attempt at small-talk, although it was never really his forte.

She yawned, stretching her arms to the side, and locking her fingers behind her neck, clearly tired. How long had they been in The Crowned Yak? "Are you trying to suck up to me, so I don't leave you on the side of the road?"

His eyes widened with surprise, at how vigilant she was. She wasn't even looking at him, yet she read him so well. "Well... I guess I'm just not used to being alone, is all."

She sighed softly, still walking ahead. She didn't even look at the man, once. "I'm not worried about the chains, because they're steel. If anyone... or anything, touches them, I kill them. Pretty simple. Same with my coat."

The man looked at her with a little bit of surprise, and couldn't help but realize how badass she really was. "Oh-well, I will certainly make sure I don't touch them." He even backed up a step, so that he wouldn't so much as step on the back of her black leather boots.

The woman smiled to herself. "Good, you better not."

The sun eventually disappeared, leaving nothing but a blood-red and orange sky. There were a few clouds overhead, dusting the sky with dark pink. It would be a beautiful sight, had it not meant the eerie and ominous signs it did. The man didn't know this though and simply remarked on its beauty as if an artist had spent months painting it. "Woah... I haven't seen this, in so long.."

The woman rolled her red eyes, with a frustrated huff. "What, have you been living in a cave these past two years? It's really not a good thing, more will be coming out soon.." She knew they had to get inside soon, for their safety. And although she was cold, some parts of her still had empathy.

"Actually.." He looked down at his feet, embarrassed. "I haven't. Like I said," He briefly paused, tears pricking at his eyes. "I was in a bunker, with my family. We didn't see any of this." After a few moments, he added to his previous statement. "My name's Axel, by the way. In case you were wondering."

She sighed, again. She really didn't care, and this was obvious. "I wasn't. It would be better if we just stayed strangers."

An old, decrepit cabin was ahead of them. The windows were dirty, the door looking as if it barely hung on its hinges. The house, with how it looked as if it was collapsing, looked like it was screaming. It was very disturbing, although most of the buildings looked like this, considering they were unkempt for so long.

The woman looked to Axel, with those burning red eyes. "Should we stay here, for the night?"

Axel looked at her with furrowed brows. You'd think she'd just said his mother's fruit salad was a disgrace, and then slapped her. "U-uh... sure..?"

She blinked, and then slowly nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Well... not anymore, no.." He nervously fiddled with his fingers, looking down. No one ever really asked for his opinion, or even his knowledge of anything, before.

The woman let out a chuckle, as she walked up to the door. There was a creak as it opened, but other than that, it was completely silent. Not even an animal made a noise. "Hm.. strange." It was very eerie, but it was their only option.

As they entered the decayed building, they would notice that nothing was moved. It looked as if not a thing had been touched since its owners fled. Walking inside was almost like walking into a movie. The furniture was perfectly set, the windows covered in drapes. There wasn't a speck of blood on the blindingly white walls, nor a dirty spot on the gray leather couches. A yellowed newspaper sat on a pristine coffee table, open to an article.

The article was talking about the fall of civilization and the rise of the strange disease. There was a picture of a group of strange-looking people on the front page, too. A woman with bright seafoam blue-green hair, and a man who sported forest green hair. They were the main focus, so much so that the woman almost overlooked the other three people in the picture. A man with long purple hair, a man with shockingly white hair, and... Azeline. Her bright red eyes could cut through anything, the piercing gaze standing out even in the paper. There was a quote from them, that simply read, "We will fix this, at the White Gate."

The woman sighed and decided to leave the paper there. There was no use in taking it, she had other things from her wife. She hadn't seen her in about a year now but still knew, deep down, that she was still alive. She couldn't explain this feeling, it was almost like a tether, in a way.

As Axel gently sat the fawn down on the couch, the woman started looking through the cupboards. There should be plenty of food, considering how vacuous the house was, of any signs of intruders. They were filled with cans, mostly vegetables, and fruit cocktails. There were even a few cans of spaghetti-os, though she never thought she'd be so excited to see those, again.

She loaded up her bag, throwing a few in Axel's tattered one, as well. Then, upon finding some cans of chicken, she poured one into Titan's bowl. She hoped it would be enough to satisfy him for now, although he could always hunt. The beast somehow knew which animals were infected or not, and it made him that much more useful.

As he ate, she checked over his fur, running her fingers through it. Bringing her digits back out, and looking over them, she noticed her fingertips were coated with dark red blood, that was dripping down. She sighed and parted the silky gray fur, finding a deep, nasty scratch. It didn't look infected, however, it just looked gruesome.

She softly sighed out of relief and waited for him to finish eating, so she could sit him down and start cleaning it out. This wasn't his first wound, as evident by the scars tracing his body. "Oh, Titan.."

He plopped his large body down, his fur matted with blood and dirt. She got out an emergency first aid kit and started cleaning it, with a clean rag and some peroxide. The canine simply yawned, laying his big head on his front legs. Axel watched in awe, he just got to have a close look at the wolf, and realized how big he really was. He could easily overtake Axel.

Axel, on the other hand, was cleaning up the small fawn. It was nothing too major, just a few scrapes. There was barely even blood, which the man found as a relief. He didn't like being dirty, much less blood. He could barely even stand his own blood when it came out of his body.

In the complete silence, there sounded a loud, "thump", out of nowhere.

The red-haired woman stood quietly, her crimson eyes locking with Axel's hazel ones. He nodded slowly as if confirming that he had heard the strange noise as well. She started walking down the hallway, as quietly as she could. The only noise that could be heard was the sound of her chains clinking together, and even that wasn't loud enough to alert anyone, or anything, to her presence.

Walking down, it only becomes more evident how eerily normal the whole thing was. Why wasn't it raided, already? It should have been, considering all of the other buildings were, and they were stripped. The pictures and paintings were hanging on the walls still, showing who used to live there. It was somewhat of a nuclear family, such a perfect image. A mother and a father, with two little kids. One boy, that looked barely above the age of sixteen, and a little girl that looked to be no older than seven. The date was at the bottom of the picture, and it read to be from two years ago.

"Thump" It came again, closer this time.

The woman's eyes locked on a decrepit door, which was shut, stuff stacked in front of it. She grabbed her katana, worried that perhaps it was a Red-Eye behind the nearly broken barrier. When she moved the stuff and opened the door, a smell wafted out. The only way to describe it would be death. Rot, even. It assaulted her nostrils, to the point of her having no choice but to turn away, and opened a window.

She made a loud gagging noise when she came back to the room. Worried, Axel called out to her. "Hey? You okay?"

She didn't utter a single word, though. The woman was appalled by the sight in front of her. She couldn't say anything, even if she wanted to.

The room was caked in grime, and it was rather obvious where the horrible smell was originating from. Furniture was overturned on their sides, with some of them even being upside down. Mostly empty jugs laid across the ground, a few of them looking like they were getting there, with only maybe a week's worth of rations being left, if you were generous. There were countless cans of food, similar to the ones the two had taken, moments before.

The stench was suffocating, and the woman could barely hold it together. Her eyes were watering, badly. They trailed down, to meet a skinny man, sitting on the filthy floor. He was frail, his ribs protruding from his skin, in jagged bumps. His eyes are sunken in, and if it wasn't for the strange feeling the woman had about him, she'd think he was dead. He was literal skin and bones, grasping a strange-looking item close to his chest. It looked to be a bracelet, with a bright yellow stone in the middle of it.

"Axel.." It was the first time she'd really said his name, and it rolled off her tongue, strangely. She was staring down at the man, with empathy. He walked up to her, talking as if nothing was wrong.

"Yes, Sacramentum?" when he approached, he turned and pinched his nose, making it very obvious how disgusted he was with the smell.

The woman rolled her eyes at him. "Really? Latin?" Then, she sighed, letting the topic go, and vaguely gestured at the boy.

With a small squeak, he managed to get out a quiet, "help". The woman and Axel were rather hesitant at first, but she eventually took his small hand into hers and helped him up. Axel refused to touch him, let alone step inside the room. He already had sanitizer in hand, lathering it all over his arms, wrists, and palms. It was a strong smell, that would normally make him crinkle his nose, but the stench from the room was overpowering.

The walls were covered in holes, scratches, and tics. It was a depressing sight, one that even made the woman turn away. She softly sighed, "What's your name, kid?" It was a relief that he could hold himself up, which meant he was at least worth saving.

"Rakira.." He was still speaking so quietly, but this was at least something. The woman figured she could find a stream to get him cleaned up at, and then perhaps they could take him to a settlement, somewhere. She had a feeling, deep down, that that wouldn't happen, though.

Axel walked down the hallway silently, as the crimson-eyed woman brought Rakira into the living room. She sat him down with the fawn and Titan and walked outside to meet Axel. He was sitting by his lonesome, on the porch of the small cabin. It seemed as if his thoughts were elsewhere, his eyes blank. The tips of his short curly brown hair were starting to turn light green, although it was barely noticeable. His freckled face was illuminated by the unnaturally bright moonlight, showing more of him than she was able to see, earlier.

She sat next to him, quietly, her fingers messing with the stone. Axel looked over to her briefly, and then his eyes flicked down to meet the necklace. "Where'd you get that from?"

A soft smile formed, and she looked down at it. "My wife, Azeline. She'd always worn it. It's the... only thing keeping me going, now. I have to find her one day, so I can give it back." There was a pause, and then she stood. "Come with me, for a moment."

Axel smiled and stood up, as he looked over at the woman. "Can you tell me something about your wife, while we do?"

She hesitated for a moment, but then her gaze softened. She could talk all day about her. "I don't remember much from before the apocalypse. The only thing I do remember is that we were married, and I believe I was a Latin teacher. That's what she told me, at least." She was playing with her wedding band, as she spoke. "She was like an old book, with worn pages and smudged words. Perfectly imperfect. Sunshine on a fall afternoon shining through the kitchen window, and the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls wafting through the air... Lips that tasted like freshly picked strawberries, and hair like the ocean waves. She never left anyone behind, and that's what became her downfall. She... she is beauty."

Axel took a moment to look over her features, taking them all in. Her ruby-red eyes normally pierced through whatever they met. Now, they just reminded him of a velvet pillow. Long wavy hair, that looked so silky and was tinted a deep red. Soft lips that could utter harsh words as well as sweet ones. She had a septum piercing, which was black and red, with tiny gems along with small spikes. A light pink scar trailed from her eyebrow to the bottom of her cheekbone. On the outside, it would seem like she was a generally scary and intimidating person, but upon closer inspection, she was actually just a woman. A woman who'd been through a lot, a woman with visions of war in her eyes.

They were both quiet again, as they walked to the woman's unknown destination. "So, Axel. You said you came from a bunker. You been in there long?"

Axel thought about it, trying to figure out how many days had passed. It was hard not to lose your sense of time, being cooped up in one area all the time, and never seeing the sun. "I'm not sure just how long, but yes. It was when everything went downhill. My dad's always been paranoid, and then that just pushed him over the edge, I guess."

The woman nodded, her fingers wrapping around her katana. "I see. Have you ever killed anyone, Axel?"

Axel froze for a moment, watching as a red-eye made its way down the street. The last ones he'd seen were the ones that killed his family, and seeing another one so soon was frightening. It instilled a deep, aching fear in him. "No, I haven't."

The taller woman pulled out her katana and handed it to Axel. "Kill the goblin. It's away from its pack, so it should be pretty easy to take down."

Axel shakily held the katana, his hands trembling. He froze again, and then looked up at her. "I can't, Sacramentum, it'll kill me."

The woman sighed and took the katana back. "Well, watch and learn. It's really not that hard." She brandished the katana and rushed towards the smaller red-eye, and it soon met its demise.

Axel could tell then more than ever, that she was in pain. The rage in her eyes as she hacked through the eye's smaller body was terrifying, and he could only imagine how scary it would be to have all that rage inflicted on him. But at the same time, he couldn't help but pity her. She obviously had been through a lot and lost even more.

When she was finally done making sure that the goblin was dead, the woman walked back over to Axel, wiping blood off of her cheek. "There's a different fighting style for everyone, but if you just get, like, mad, you'll see that you can hack down just about anything in your way."

Axel nodded nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "My dad kind of taught me how to use a staff, for the most part. He wasn't really that patient, though. And, of course, there's me doing the whole freezing thing." Axel laughed dryly, only feeling more useless. "He shouldn't have ever trusted me with his ring."

The woman cocked a brow, looking down at the faintly glowing ring on his fingers, as Axel fiddled with it. He seemed to have an attachment to it, and the glow reminded her of what she saw on Rakira's bracelet, and her own necklace. She would ask him about it, but not until a little later. She wanted to make sure that he could actually hold his own, before trying to travel with him. Rakira was doing awful, but she knew that she could help him.

Axel shrugged when he saw the look she was giving him. "I don't know much about it, to be honest."

She nodded at him, and then looked around, thinking to herself. "Did you bring your staff with you? When you left the bunker, I mean."

Axel frowned and then shook his head. "No. I was in too much of a rush, I guess. After I froze and saw them starting to notice me, I.." Axel looked down at the ground, feeling ashamed. The knowledge that he could have done more weighed heavily on his chest, to the point where he found it hard to breathe. "If I wasn't such a coward, then I could have saved them. Which is why I want your help, Sacramentum."

Sacramentum was an awful nickname, and so the woman figured that she'd just tell him. "Mystella."

Axel looked over at her, with furrowed brows. He didn't know where that was coming from, and it confused him. "Come again? What's a Mystella?"

Mystella sighed, "It's my name, dipsh*t. So stop calling me Sacramentum. Do you even know what it means?"

Axel smiled at her, widely. "I do, actually. I took a Latin class in school."

Mystella looked at him as if she didn't believe him. And so, she spoke in Latin. "quod ita sit?" judging by his confused look, Mystella figured that he probably only remembered a few words, here and there.

Axel looked around, trying to figure out what she said. "Ah, did I mention that it was only a year? Like, I remember-" he then cut himself off, taking a short breath. "That's beside the point. What I was trying to say, is that I'd like to be trained by you, Mystella. Please. I don't want anyone else to die, because of me."

Mystella looked down at him, pondering her options. She could just leave him here, throw him into the woods so that he could join the red-eyes in their endless laughing. She could also, of course, try to make something out of the boy. He was a coward, but she could tell that he had some sort of semblance of determination. She could probably help him work with the skills he had if she put the effort into it. "So, you want me to train both you and Rakira? Are you actually willing to put the work in? To become better?"

Axel nodded, making eye contact with her. It was something he rarely did, but she just took that as another sign of just how determined he really was.

Mystella made him nervous, but he stood his ground. He wasn't lying when he said that he wasn't going to let anyone else die because of his fear.

Mystella nodded, knowing that there wasn't much of a decision there. She had a feeling that Axel would be around a lot longer than she'd like, but that wouldn't be much of an issue if he could learn to pull his own weight. Training two people could pose to be a bit of a challenge, but at the same time, there was a small amount of relief in knowing that she wasn't completely alone, anymore.

"Well, Rakira is fine, for now. So I suppose we can start our first lesson." Mystella looked over at Axel, and he looked a little excited. "And that will be learning to identify each species and their weaknesses."

Axel's face went from excited, to confused. "Wait, aren't red-eyes just, like, real zombies? Like from the movies and stuff?"

Mystella nodded, trying not to laugh. She understood that Axel didn't know very much about them, but no one could have predicted how the red-eyes turned out. "Yeah, you can put it like that, I guess. But with each species comes a different set of abilities. For example," Mystella pointed out a more human-looking red-eye, that was wandering on the edge of the forest. "That one was human, once. You can see that it's at more of an average height and build. It probably won't have any strange abilities, but it's still dangerous. Humans were often underestimated when it came to their species, but they quickly came out pretty high with their need to take over everything."

Axel nodded, "Yeah, I remember. I had human friends, but there were some that took advantage of the fact their race was more valued than an elf's." He frowned, looking down. "Not that I have any ill feelings towards any of you - I just remember being looked at, differently."

Mystella waved at him dismissively, a small smile forming. "Nah, it's alright. Humans suck. It's surprising that we even got along with the other species half the time - but I'm just willing to bet that it was the magistrates' doing. But anyway, there are also other species that are still roaming around, that you need to be wary of. I've only heard whispers of them, but the orcs are still around. If you thought they were scary before, then you'd be terrified of meeting a red-eye orc. They're huge, and they apparently attract even more red-eyes to them."

Axel's eyes went wide, and he gulped nervously. "Seriously?"

Mystella nodded, "Yep. And the changeling red-eyes, they're awful. They just seem to know how to get under your skin. It's awful, honestly. I had to fight a few before - it was them imitating Azeline that was their demise, though. I wasn't anywhere near remorseful, after that."

Axel made a half-attempt at a joke, then. "Remind me to never do impressions, then. Not that I'm good at them, but I at least value my life a little bit, y'know?"

Mystella regarded him with an unenthused stare and then continued. "Those are the main red-eyes you have to worry about. The succubi, oceanic, werewolves, and vampires keep to themselves. In fact, I don't believe I've ever seen very many of them as red-eyes. I doubt we'll ever come across any of them, but I guess there's always a chance."

Axel took in all the information she was giving him and took out a notebook to scribble in what she was saying. Mystella rose a brow in question, but he didn't notice. "What are you doing, kid?"

Axel blinked a few times, and then looked up. "What? Oh, it's just to keep track of stuff that's all. I used to write about the weird things that would happen in the bunker, like the strange flowers that seemed to follow my dad with their movements, and stuff. it's not that important, and I'm gonna use it to make sure I don't forget anything."

Mystella nodded slowly, though she was still a little confused.

"Mystella, Mystella, Mystella. You know, that name totally fits you!" Axel smiled at the woman, but she shook her head.

"Don't wear it out. But yes, that's my name, so stop calling me Sacramentum." She punched his arm, "Or else I'm gonna throw you in the forest, and you'll be laughing, too."

Did this mean she wasn't going to leave him? That was what he was curious about. He'd ask, but he didn't exactly want to push his luck. He instead gave a small chuckle, reverting to playing with his ring. He didn't exactly know if that was a joke or not but didn't want to risk it, just in case.

Mystella's burning eyes caught the glint from the ring, and she rose a brow in question. It was faintly glowing. "So, the cool ring. Is there a story behind it?"

Axel sighed and scratched the back of his neck in thought. "It's ah, a long story. As I said, my dad gave it to me... And, well, he's been wearing it for quite a long time."

Mystella nodded, fiddling with a piece of her long hair, between her fingers. "Are you just gonna leave me hanging? Seems special to ya."

Axel took a deep breath, remembering. "It was the beginning of the apocalypse, two years ago. I was with my parents and my sister.."

Flashing red and blue lights painted the street in front of the small family's home. It was normally a very quiet neighborhood, so the overwhelmingly massive presence of authority threw everyone off. A young Axel, around the age of maybe seventeen, was staring out the window in his living room, at the carnage outside.

Some people were boarding up their homes, others were running around, aimlessly, only to be shot. It was a terrifying scene, the explosion of blood and gore. So much so that Axel had to face away, his stomach turning like some sort of messed-up carousel.

His father was running in circles, panicked. "Where are they? They should be here, by now!" He was looking between the news on the tv and the window, which was starting to become splattered with specks of deep red. He was running his nimble fingers through his short, forest green hair.

His mother laid her hands on the taller man's shoulders, a look of regret, even sorrow. "I don't think they're coming, my love. How do you even know they're alive?" This was met with anger from him, though. He didn't lay a hand on her, no, but his lips twisted into a that of a scowl, looking down at her.

"Do you even know what you're saying? They're the strongest people I know! If they're dead, we're all royally screwed! We-" He started hyperventilating, scratching at his clothes, "We don't even have proper protection, Olivia! Yvette isn't old enough to take Elk, and you're sickly, so of course, that wouldn't work-"

Olivia sighed, kicking a rug not too far away from their position. She dropped to the floor, starting to rip up floorboards. "Benjamin! Get out of your head and help me, now! Axel, Yvette! Go get the stuff from the cupboards, the first-aid kit, and the gun! Hurry!" Benjamin followed her instructions, also dropping to the floor, and ripping the boards up. He did mutter, though. "The Rose Magistrate better at least show up.."

The children ran off, grabbing a large duffel bag. Yvette crawled on the counter, chucking anything canned or jarred into the bag. Axel gathered the other necessary things, such as the gun and the kit. He packed it in to fit more food in, and then took Yvette off the counter when it was full. "Come on!"

Chaos continued to ensue outside, as a strange storm picked up. Within minutes, the wind was whipping at the houses, and then people that remained outside. The windows were being pelted with both heavy rain and hail, as the trees almost bent to the ground. It was picking up anything in its path that was loose, several objects flying through the air.

Taking one last look outside, Axel spotted a man walking down the street, completely calmly. His pure white hair was flying around, occasionally hitting him in the face. He sported a wide, wicked grin. They were holding both hands up, their eyes glowing a bright white. Axel shook his head, walking back in.

Upon telling his dad, though, Benjamin only got more panicked. He ushered the family in quickly, a look of pure fear in his eyes.

Two agonizing years went by, before the family saw the light of day, again.

Axel and Benjamin had left the bunker, on a search for more food. They were running out and knew that if they didn't go to the surface, that they'd starve. It was quiet between the two until Axel's dad spoke up.

He sighed, "Look. I'm not going to be around, forever. You know this, correct?"

Axel nodded, slowly. Although he was confused. Why was he telling him this? Was he going to die? Leave the family behind, defenseless? Was he still on his mission to find these so-called, "Magistrates"?

Benjamin looked away as if he was ashamed. By the way he was acting, you'd think that was just the case; he was leaving, or dying. "Well, one day, probably soon... You're going to have to deal with becoming the man of the family. You're going to have to step up, no matter how cowardly you are." He said, punching his arm with a small chuckle.

Axel gave a dry laugh, rubbing his arm. "Are you saying being charming and funny isn't enough?"

Benjamin shook his head, seriously. "That training I've been giving you with your staff, you're going to need to start practicing on actual moving things, soon. I don't want you to freeze up at the moment when you have to kill something." He then reached over to fix said staff, as it was crookedly laying in its holster.

It was a few more moments before he spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper. Benjamin had always been a rather quiet man. "I'm not exactly sure who... or I guess, what... you think I am. But, it's going to be your responsibility, alright? I'm going to give you this, and you have to promise me that you will never let it fall into the wrong hands. You must keep it safe."

He slid off his ring, pressing it into Axel's palm. It was a rather solemn gesture, he looked like he deeply regretted his action. "But dad-"

He was cut off by the sounds of growling, gurgling, and a shrill scream. A slew of profanities came from Benjamin's mouth, as he grabbed Axel's wrist. He had a feeling, deep down, that something was going on at the house. They weren't very far away, so it didn't take them very long to get back. It became quickly apparent that they were too late, though. 

The house was filled with screaming and growling, gore lining the sidewalk, to the entrance. The door was on its hinges, broken through. Upon closer inspection, it was confirmed that Olivia and Yvette were the cause of the screaming. Yvette was clinging to her mother, who was trying to fend off the disgusting creatures. She was just throwing cans of food, and it wasn't working very well.

When she locked eyes with Benjamin, she cried out, reaching for him. This was a bad decision to make, though, as revealed by a Red-Eye biting into her arm. The blood trickled down slowly, as a chunk of flesh was ripped from her limb. Benjamin was fending them off, and let out a cry of his own, seeing his wife being attacked.

Not long after, Yvette was ripped away from her now infected mother, as a decaying hand grabbed her from the broken window, holding her down as more of the creatures sunk their rotten teeth into her flesh. Blood-curdling screams filled the walls, definitely attracting more of the creatures.

Axel stood there, frozen with fear. He was trembling, not even making a move to grab his weapon. He locked eyes with his dad, who looked angry, but at the same time, it was as if he was telling him to run. "Make sure to protect it." The words rang through his head when he found the strength to run.

"And... Then I did. I ran through the forest, until.." Axel looked down, ashamed. He hated this feeling, as it was one that almost constantly resided over him. He felt tears prick at his eyes, threatening to escape his waterline. The laughing from the woods became deafening, piercing their very souls.

The screeching was coming from the woods too as if it was listening to Axel's tale and wanted to recreate it. It was horrible, the screams almost as loud as the deafening laughter. Axel buried his face in his hands, letting the tears out. It hadn't been very long since he witnessed the death of his mother and little sister, and it was tearing him up. He blamed himself for it.

Mystella listened intently, and then gently laid a hand on his shoulder. Normally, she would have just told him to "man up" and take him back into the house... But something told her that he didn't need that, at that moment. She simply sat next to him, and let out a sigh. "You are weak, but it isn't your fault. They would have died, whether you tried to save them or not, Axel."

He looked at her with anger, resentment. It was unclear whether the feelings were directed towards her, him, or the world. He had a right to be, seeing as they were everything to him. The Red-Eyes took the only things that mattered to him. The few things that kept him going. "It was my fault! I should have been a man!" He yelled, and the laughing ceased, briefly.

Mystella scowled and clamped her hand over Axel's mouth. He resisted against her grasp, until he looked into those terrifying eyes, and quickly halted. There was fear in her eyes, something he hadn't seen before. She leaned down to his ear, whispering angrily. "Cabin, now."

They rushed into the building, shutting the door tightly behind them. Rakira was on the couch with Titan, curled up. Mystella scooped him up, Axel grabbing the fawn. They rushed to one of the back rooms, as the laughter started up again outside, growing louder than before. Red-Eyes of all sizes and stages of decay spread out onto the solitary dirt road, trying to figure out what had made the loud noise.

Their faces were grotesque, twisted in a constant state of laughter. A common feature amongst them was the scarlet sclera of their eyes, blood leaking from them, trailing down to their cheekbones, like gorey tears. Some of the monsters pounced on others, ripping them apart in a feral, cannibalistic fashion. Others were feasting on dead animals as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. Years, even. Axel put a hand over his mouth, trying to prevent the rising bile in his throat from escaping. It somewhat reminded him of a few years ago, when he witnessed the carnage from his livingroom window. He slid down to sit against the wall, eyes squeezed shut, tightly. "W-why did they come out..?"

Mystella glared at him, sinking to sit next to him. She shut the curtains as well as she could so that it would be a bit of a challenge to see the group. "Because of you, stupid. You can't be that loud, ever. Your stir-up in the woods from running away woke them, and yelling at me out there let them know where we are." She flicked his head, to prove her point that it was stupid.

"I'm sorry, I just-" Mystella held up a finger at him, as she heard something that made her very anxious. There was growling, approaching the window. The smell of death became ever more apparent, the Red-Eye's claws reaching through the window, grasping at the fabric covering it. A chunk of flesh came off its wrist, landing in Axel's lap. His eyes widened, ten-fold. A few tears rolled down his cheeks, as he held his hand to his mouth, disgusted.

A loud, piercing screech came from the depths of the forest, and the laughing and growling stopped. As if in a trance, the dead walked back to the forest, in a synchronous shuffle, some dragging their upper-halves.

Mystella looked to Axel with a relieved sigh, although it was quiet, barely noticeable. "Don't you ever put us in danger like that again." She said, grimly, "We could have been caught, and devoured. I understand that you're mad at yourself, but it gives you no excuse to be reckless, and put us all in danger, or to take it out on any of us."

"That ring," She pointed at his finger, "Needs to be protected. You may not understand or comprehend it right now, but its power has been passed down to you. Your hair is even starting to slowly turn green." She pointed out a few tufts of his hair, which were green, compared to the rest, a dark brown. Then, she pointed at her necklace. "I know you're confused, Axel. I was, too. But luckily enough, I had Azeline to explain a little bit of it to me, before she.." She turned her head, taking a deep breath. "She waited on your dad, Axel. The magistrate of Elk Glass. And that's why she was.." She trailed off a little, fighting back the tears she felt prickling. "So you are going to protect that with your life, and we're going to avenge him. You have powers you may not understand, and maybe you never will. But if you can't handle it then you're going to have to pass it on. But clearly, you're meant to have it, considering your dad passed it to you."

It took him a few moments of silence, besides him throwing the skin with disgust, and rubbing hand-sanitizer all over his arms and hands. "You're the magistrate of Rose Glass, aren't you?"

She held out the necklace, the red stone glowing a little. She looked at it, confused before her gaze traveled back to Axel, who was entranced. "If you told me the sky was green, I would believe you.."

She snapped at him, shaking him from the trance. She gave a soft sigh. "I need you to not be so easily seduced by me, Axel, it wasn't even intentional," That earned a chuckle from the man, who shortly after gave his own sigh. "What does it do?"

Mystella briefly fiddled with the stone, which was the same crimson as her eyes, upon closer inspection. "All I've found so far," she looked down, "Is that it grants the user beauty, charm. But I know it's much more than just that... Supposedly it'll make me a great leader, and, well, I can kind of tell when someone else has a glass. Like you, and... Rakira. I could tell, the moment I saw his bracelet and your ring." She rubbed the back of her neck, looking away. "All I know of Elk Glass is that it isn't all that flashy. Like, I guess you can control some natural growth... And lastly, we all have our own immortal being that watches over us, I guess. I don't know what yours or mine is, though." She absentmindedly petted Titan's head, who nuzzled his nose against her hand in response.

Axel nodded slowly, taking in all the new information he just received. His eyes were saucers, he never dealt with anything even close to this. It dawned on him, just how big his responsibility really was. Who knows what someone could do, if they could control the natural law of nature? It could do such things as ruin ecosystems all together, and even deprive life of whatever they wanted. "So uhm... What's up with Titan, then? I've never seen anyone with such a companion."

Mystella smiled softly at the canine, running her thin fingers through his fur. "Well, Azeline never mentioned him, so I can only imagine that he has nothing to do with the glass. When... everything happened, I was left on the outskirts of The Crowned Yak, and he drug me to his cave. Since then, we've been close as ever. We've saved each other from so much.."

Axel gave another nod, before peeking out the window, to make sure all the creatures had left.

"So," Mystella started, standing up from her spot. "Why don't we get some sleep? I'm sure it's been a long day, for both of us." Axel looked from her to the singular bed, in the room. A light blush dusted his cheeks. "Uhm... together...?"

Mystella blinked a few times and then shook her head. "No, one of us is taking the couch. You take the baby, and I'll take Titan."

He nodded slowly, shaking himself from his previous stupor. "Okay... well, I'll take it, then. It's not a bother." He took the fawn and walked to the living room.

Mystella started setting up the bed, humming softly to herself. It sounded like a lullaby, one that Rakira almost recognized, but didn't quite. He curled up on the floor, already used to it.

Mystella sighed and shook her head. "C'mon. You can sleep in the bed, with me. Just stay on your side." She gestured to a barrier she made in the middle of the bed, and she slipped her coat off, leaving her in just a tank top.

He was too tired to notice, as he crawled weakly into his side, his eyes fluttering shut. It didn't take him long to find a peaceful slumber, burying himself in the blankets.

Mystella laid in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It took her a little while to fall asleep, as she was thinking about everything. She'd been on her own for so long, and now... now she had to take care of two more people. She eventually did drift into sleep, as she turned to her side.

Smoke filled Mystella's lungs, once more. Violent coughs and gasps escaping her lips. She reached for her necklace, and when she found it, she held it out, against the smoke. Nothing happened that time, though. She started tearing up, gasping, as she shook the stone, trying to get it to start glowing like it normally would. Through the smoke, a hand extended towards her. Having no other choice, she took it, harsh coughs ringing out through the space.

Mystella was met with the familiar face of Axel, who pulled her away from the flames. She took a few deep breaths, trying to recollect herself. The person in front of her was and wasn't Axel. He was covered in dozens of intertwining vines, like a stone that nature has reclaimed, over time. His hair was dark green, his clothes ripped. He sported that goofy smile still, the same light still in his eyes. "Come on! If you don't hurry up, you won't meet them!"

She steadied herself, and then started following him. She was confused, not understanding what was going on. Upon reaching the destination Axel was taking her, she was met with a group of unfamiliar faces. The first was a woman with dark blue hair. She was shorter than the others, standing at roughly five-three. She was wearing a simple tee-shirt, the design faded long ago. She wore round blue glasses and had a hawk that perched on her shoulder, piercing her with ice blue eyes.

Next to the woman was a man with the purest white hair she's ever seen. It's fluffy as if the man had a cloud for a head of hair. He was rather lean, standing at roughly around six-foot. He wore cargo pants, with a plaid shirt that was tucked in. He didn't have an animal like the blue haired woman, but there was something off about his snowy-white eyes, and his smile. His teeth glinted in the soft glowing light, showing off how sharp they were.

The two snapped their heads to look at Mystella, and the blue-haired woman smiled. "Find me at The Crowned Yak. I'll help you." She faded away, leaving nothing but blue smoke, a crystal hanging in the middle of it.

The white-haired man looked to Mystella, with a soft, but rather a sad look. "It isn't my turn, yet. Though we will meet soon." He faded, too, and Mystella was left in silence, not even Axel remained.

That was when the all-too-familiar vision came back to her, that far away gate, with her love on just the other side. Mystella wasted no time running to her, even though she'd done it time and time again.

But she halted in her tracks, her eyes going wide.

It wasn't her.

The sun shined in through the cracked window, painting the wooden floor in the colors of dawn. Birds chirped their happy songs, the tune drowning out the constant groaning from the forest.

Mystella rubbed her eyes, with a small groan, shaking sleep away. She got out of the bed, swinging her legs over the side, with a stretch. She got up, leaving Rakira be, and walked to the living room, where she knew Axel was. She noticed his draped over form on the couch, tufts of brown and green hair falling over his face. He looked peaceful, quiet.

Mystella smirked to herself, and then kicked the couch, jolting the boy from his slumber. He woke in a panic, trying to untangle himself from the torn duvet he was wrapped in.

"What was that for? You could have given me a heart attack!" He protested, with a huff.

She rolled her eyes, as Rakira walked in, yawning. "If you want to travel with me, then you're going to need to learn how to stay up late and wake up early. We're not in some safe little bunker, so it's time to man up."

She walked away, opening a can of peaches and sitting on a barstool next to an island.

Mystella let out a sigh, as she pulled her katana out of the now-dead Red-Eye's head. In the time since Axel's little screw-up, she'd been working with him with intense combat and physical training. Rakira had gone through some training too, although his training was considerably less intense. He looked a lot better than when they first found him, he looked like an actual person. He even built some muscle, in the time they were going through such rigorous exercise. He was taught to use a blade himself, wielding a machete. He worked closely under Mystella with it, to the point she started seeing him as somewhat of a younger brother. She wouldn't admit it, but she had adopted them both as such. They were her little brothers.

Mystella looked at the two, as she cleaned off her katana, sticky with blood. "You guys sure you're ready? I don't want to have to save your asses just because you're afraid of killing something." This was met with a synchronized nod from the two as if she was their general, and they were her two-manned army. She gave a small smile and turned to look at the looming building before them. She knew Azeline was alive, that was something she was sure of. But, Axel had a strange feeling about his dad. It was like he had a small feeling he was alive, but he wasn't exactly sure. His hair hadn't changed much, it was still only green at the tips. He hadn't been able to use his glass, though. Not even a single flower could be grown.

But, both Axel and Rakira had improved since Mystella found them, under her guidance. She remained strict, hard, though. She wanted them to be the best men they could be. It seemed like only yesterday that they looked like they wouldn't survive five minutes out on their own.

As they approached the large and rusty metal doors, a blast of wind hit them. Mystella's coat flew behind her, flicking almost gracefully. There was something wrong here, the three felt it in their guts. The doors were barred, although it was from the outside. Huge white letters were above the door, spelling out, "White Gate Hospital". Axel gulped, wringing his hands, from nerves, "It's as if they wanted to keep something in.." he noted, his hazel eyes flicking around. Rakira nodded in agreement, sweat gleaming against his melanin skin, fingers running through his yellow hair. The sinking feeling only got worse, as he approached the building.

"I wonder if it wasn't an experiment gone wrong or something," Rakira pondered, mostly to himself. Mystella shrugged, flicking her dark red hair behind her. She laid a hand on the door, feeling a shiver course through her. She leaned in to peek through the frosted glass but didn't see very much. "You'd think no one had been here for at least a decade. It's all so... still."

She then grabbed one of the bars, starting to pry it off the door. They were rusted, so it didn't take too much to get them off.

Axel nervously rubbed his neck. "Do you think we should go in there..?"

Mystella shot him a look, it was rather cold. Then, she turned back to the door. "We need to figure out what's going on. If you two are too scared, you can stay out here with Aphrodite, and I'll take Titan." The animals both looked up at the sound of their names, Titan doing a little head-tilt.

The two sighed and started helping Mystella pry the bars off the door. It didn't take very long for their combined man-power to get it completely freed. As they opened the doors, Mystella took it in, her red eyes flicking about. "Hmm, so this is Whitegate Hospital? I've heard better things about it."

The walls were covered in old, dried blood. The floor towards the corners was caving in, giving the room a rather slanted appearance. The doors inside were hung open, barely hanging on their rusted hinges. Erratic scratches and gouges lined the walls, with seemingly little to no reason. The windows were boarded and nailed shut, only letting a little bit of sun in, the beams showcasing the dust flying about. What they assumed to once be the waiting desk was torn apart, blood and gore covering that, too. The plastic chairs, once dark blue, were scattered about, most of them overturned.

"I bet the Yelp reviews of this place are bad... The business has seemed to die down." Axel said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. There were a few moments of silence, before Rakira cracked up, and started laughing. Mystella watched the two laugh together, with a smile. She was just glad to see them happy.

As they approached the rooms, they had to step around at least a dozen frozen bodies. The atmosphere only grew grim, as the two silenced. The only sounds left in the room were those of their shoes, and aphrodite's hooves clicking on the linoleum floor. Not even a mouse made a noise. It was all very eerie.

Mystella frowned, touching a mostly clean part of the wall, and spoke quietly, almost in a whisper, "It's too quiet... Where are the Red-Eyes?" Axel nodded in agreement, nervously looking around. Rakira looked just as worried, his yellow eyes darting between the doors.

Out of nowhere, Titan stopped, sniffing rather violently towards the ceiling. After a moment, he gave a soft woof, growling at a door. His front right paw was folded as if pointing at the same door.

Mystella slowly approached the door, pushing down the anxiety she was feeling towards it. Every step closer was a new blanket of dread being laid down, smothering her. She had a slight shake to her hand, as it made contact with the doorknob. When it creaked open, Mystella suddenly dropped, going completely limp. Rakira had caught her, shooting Axel a worried look. They were both scared, unsure of what to do.

Around Mystella was a wide expanse of sand and water. As she took steps, she left footprints that were soon washed away by the tide. The sky was as blue as cornflower, barely any streaks of clouds crowding the skies. The sun was bright, a burning ball of flame, as the seagulls cried out, scavenging for their next meal.

Mystella's ruby-colored hair flowed behind her, a gentle breeze tugging at her curled locks. Her fingers were intertwined with another's, none other than her wife's; Azeline. She sported a beautiful, bright smile that shined brighter than all the stars. Her vermillion eyes sparkling like marbles, her jet black hair being tugged with the breeze, as well. Her skin was glowing, without blemishes. It was as if she was made from the Earth itself, her beauty compared to no other.

They strolled on the beach slowly, taking in the peace. Everything in that moment just seemed perfect, as if they had never been apart. The sun was setting over the water, the light reflecting from their eyes. . Mystella's eyes only seemed to glow brighter, more so than they normally would. "It's so beautiful.." Azeline said, taking in the sight.

Mystella smiled, admiring her. "Yes... It is." This was the one woman she loved. The one person, she adored. No one else could ever compare to her, she had a hold on the taller woman's heart, that she would never let anyone else have.

Azeline then turned to Mystella, fear laced in those beautiful eyes. She looked terrified, the fright warping her seemingly perfect features. "Mystella.."

She started cracking, her skin falling from her body in chunks. As they fell from her, they disintegrated into rose petals, flying into the water. She had tears in her eyes, her hands tightly clutching her lover's. "You can still fix what I couldn't, my love. Find the others, okay?" It was barely a panicked whisper, as she leaned in, planting a kiss upon the other's lips. Soon after, she completely disappeared, flying into the ocean.

Mystella let out a cry, as she tried to grab what she could of her wife, tears streaming down her cheeks. She screamed her name, as she watched the ocean consume the remains. She fell to the sandy ground, defeated, still reaching out. The sky turned red, the ocean turning to blood. It surrounded and then soon started suffocating her, as she felt thorns and razers encase her body. The blood welled up to her face, leaking into her mouth and nose. A hand broke from the dark liquid, reaching for the sun, followed by a strangled whisper. "Azeline.."

Mystella woke with a start, her crimson eyes flying open, to find herself wrapped in Axel and Rakira's embrace. She took deep breaths, before coughing, violently. Blood leaked from her nostrils and her mouth; it was dark, thick. She scratched at her throat, feeling clumps of blood rise. Axel backed up, rather quickly.

When she was done, she slowly stood, dusting off her clothes and wiping her mouth, and nose. She took labored breaths, trying to recollect herself. It all seemed so real to her... She genuinely thought she was with Azeline, again.

She wiped a few tears, sorrowfully, "Azeline.." Rakira hugged her a little tighter, petting her hair. "Shh, it's okay, Stella. We'll find her, alright?" She then nodded slowly, calming down.

Pulling the door open, the group, minus Axel, was met with a gruesome, terrifying sight. It was filled with cages that were just barely big enough to hold an adult, all of them stacked uniformly on top of each other. Some still had bones, others had full corpses, all of them in different stages of rot. The smell was horrible; It was like rancid, burning flesh. There were thousands of flies covering the walls, the bodies, and even the vents. It was truly vile.

Mystella turned her head, tearing up from just the smell alone. She clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to prevent herself from throwing up. Axel looked over to her, coming out of what used to be the bathroom. He blinked a few times, "Does it smell bad?"

She shot a glare at him, and moved her hand from her mouth, just enough to talk and be heard. "Take a big ol' whiff and find out. Smells like blueberries and lavender." And, to her and Rakira's horror, he did. Soon after, he doubled over, emptying what was left in his stomach of the ground, though there was also a lot of dry-heaving.

Pulling her shirt over her nose to try and prevent some of the smell from infesting her senses, she walked in, batting at the flies. The buzzing was loud, obnoxious. It was a wonder how they didn't hear it, before. She surveyed the room, and her watery eyes landed on a bunch of strewn papers, laying on a solitary desk, next to an unopened box of medical face masks. She sighed in relief, snatching both, and making her escape from the room, closing the door tightly behind her. She opened the box and grabbed a mask, looping the strings over her ears and letting it settle on her face. She gave one to Rakira, and he did the same. Axel greedily grabbed one, slipping it on and sighing. He was grateful for it, seeing as he'd rather nothing get in his mouth, or even near it.

She looked over the papers, filled with a doctor's chicken scratch. It was barely legible, but she made out a few words. "Test subject fifty-six... Red tinted sclera... Didn't work. Didn't work. Try..." and, "The rats... They keep dying... One bit me..." She frowned, trying to figure it out. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, she figured that this might have been some sort of research facility, before. She at least hoped that's what was going on.

"So... I almost threw up, and even covered my nose, Rakira doing the same. But you didn't think it smelt bad in there?" She tilted her head, with a little smile. It was covered by the mask, though, so neither of them saw it. It didn't take very long for the group to get re-situated, and they continued on their journey.

The stairwell was long, almost seemingly unending. Mystella looked to the two, with somewhat of an exasperated look. "Ready for a hike?"

They both groaned in unison but started walking up the stairs. It wasn't much different from the first floor, there were plenty of random puddles of blood and guts, some of it even smeared on the walls. If they weren't careful, they would surely end up slipping and falling to an untimely death.

Mystella was ahead of them, watching her footing very carefully. She stepped over a ripped-up, grotesque arm, and mumbled to herself, "Just an arm. In a nasty stairwell. Typical Monday." Axel, on the other hand, let out a terrifying screech when he found it, almost slipping in a puddle of blood in his haste to getaway.

Mystella turned to him, her eyes narrowed. She spoke in a rather monotoned voice, "It's just an arm, Axel." He nodded quickly, composing himself. "I know! It's just... unsanitary." Mystella rolled her eyes in response. "The only thing left in this world that's sanitary, is you."

A loud, gurgling death rattle filled the empty, previously silent space. Mystella looked to Axel again, with a frown. Then, she motioned upwards, as if to say there was a Red-Eye on the level above; they'd made hand signals since their first meeting. Both Rakira and Axel nodded in acknowledgment and then crept up next to her.

The rattling noise came again, closer this time. She pulled out her katana, brandishing it carefully. Titan started growling, his body lowered to the floor. That only confirmed her suspicions. Axel was gripping his staff awkwardly despite his training, Rakira reaching for his machete.

"Y'all pissed off the wrong person today. I'm tired." Mystella said as she started to ascend the stairs once again, an angry gleam in her crimson eyes. Upon making it to the top, she smirked; it was almost sadistic. "I found you~"

Mystella felt a wet nose nudge her awake, her body curled up on the cold floor of the cave she woke in. Being brought back to reality, she could only think of a few things. What use is being alive? The world is overrun, they were left with nothing, no one. She blamed herself for the events that took place before she passed out. She had a massive headache, it was as if it was throbbing in her skull. She hated herself for being here, without her wife. She felt pathetic.

As she was nudged again, her now-rosy eyes fluttered open to meet those of a large canine's; a stormy, icy blue. She scrambled backward, meeting the wet stone wall behind her. She was cautious; as if the wolf was waiting for her to wake to eat her alive.

It simply huffed and laid down, curling its tail around itself.

She looked around wearily, taking in her surroundings. She was injured and probably wouldn't be able to make it far, even if she tried. It was a damp, musty, and rather crowded cave.

Then, the animal got back up, shuffling over to her. She tensed, prepared for the worst. But, it simply laid its shaggy head on her lap, closing its icy orbs. She cautiously reached over, and after a moment started petting its head. It gave a little woof, as if in approval.

As time passed, Mystella's ankle had healed, and she was finally able to walk. The wolf had come with her, whom she lovingly deemed Titan, for his bravery and size. He was her only trusted companion.

People still ran rampant though, as the world collapsed to its knees. There was no sign of the woman's beloved lover, but that didn't stop her. She'd get her back, no matter the cost. Red-Eyes still hunted for anything with a heartbeat, and it was somewhat of a miracle that neither of the unusual pair was bitten.

She didn't have to kill for the longest time, for they were careful. But, eventually, that was changed, as the two came across a Red-Eye, one day. It was ripping the corpse of a child, their deceased face frozen in fear. Titan was growling at it, snarling. It was directly in the path they needed to go, and it didn't look like they had much of a choice, than to dispose of it.

It turned to Mystella, with an evil smile. Parts of the corpse were stuck in its teeth, the limbs barely hanging on. Its eyes were the tell-tale red, dried blood trailing down its cheeks. It ran at the woman, arms extended like claws. Without thinking, she rushed towards it, shoving her katana deep into its rotting head. She wasn't conscious, so when she came to, seeing the body on the ground, she dropped her blade. What had she done?

"That was gruesome but so badass," Rakira remarked, admiring Mystella's handiwork. The thing was ripped apart, blood-spattered all over the walls. "Thank you, thank you," She said, with a bow.

After wiping some blood off her cheek, she took a deep breath and opened the heavy doors. They were all hit with a freezing blast of air. Both Rakira and Mystella shivered, pulling their coats a little tighter. Axel, oddly enough, seemed unaffected. He gave the other two a strange look as if he was confused as to why they were so cold.

Mystella blinked at him, furrowing her brows. "Are you.. not cold?" He shook his head in response, rather confused. "Ah, no. I'm not. I'm normally cold in even, sixty-degree weather. I feel pretty warm right now, though." He shrugged, tussling his hair around a bit, fixing it.

Mystella nodded slowly, stepping through the wide-open doors. There were so many patches of ice lining the floor and walls, icicles hanging dangerously from the ceiling, in some places. It made the group rather unsettled, and they took caution in where to step.

There were some random test tubes here and there, a black, gooey substance leaking from them. The room looked like something out of a horror movie, and that only incited more fear in them.

Out of nowhere, Axel collapsed, Mystella quickly catching him. Rakira's golden eyes widened as he ran to their sides, panicking. "Axel? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Axel didn't answer, he just laid there, until he started... Glowing. A bright green light erupted from his eyes, it was almost blinding. And his hair turned fully green, like a dark forest.

Mystella's features turned somber. From what she knew, this meant that all of his father's power had been transferred to Axel, now. Which, means it probably killed him. It was something Mystella was terrified of. She had never used her full power in fear of that... she still had hope that Azeline was alive.

He took a deep, sharp breath. The glowing ebbed away, and his newly-green eyes fluttered open slowly. Soon after, tears started welling up at his waterline, threatening to escape. He looked up at Mystella, meeting her red orbs. "Where... Is he?" His voice cracked sadly, he was hoping that she knew, but unfortunately... That wasn't the case.

"I'm so sorry, Axel.." She started trying to console him but was cut off by his loud sob. He gripped onto her trench coat, bawling into it. Normally, she would have punched him in the head and forced him to get off of her, but she felt sympathetic, at that moment. His body was wracked with violent sobs. "Why wasn't it me... It should have been me.."

Mystella sighed, and picked him up, holding him an arm's length from her. "Listen, Axel. If that was supposed to be you, then your dad wouldn't have chosen you to be the Magistrate of Elk glass." She said it firmly, a determined glint in her eyes.

Axel whimpered before he answered, tears still streaming down his cheeks. "But I'm not worthy, Stella. I couldn't save my family, now I couldn't save him-I can't even use these stupid abilities I'm supposed to have!"

She sighed, "You couldn't use your abilities, because your dad was probably still trying to protect you. But look," She gestured toward the window vaguely, that Rakira was staring out. He looked amazed. "That's all you. You did that."

He sniffled, wiping his runny nose on his sleeve. "Did what..?"

She took his other, clean, hand and led him to the window, which showed everything going on outside.

The very least they could say was that it was beautiful. The buildings were covered in colorful, vibrant vines. A few long discarded cars had trees growing out of them now, and the sidewalks were cracked with flowers of many varieties and grass. Street lamps had moss hanging from them. Everything was so... healthy and green. It was a very nice sight, compared to the barren wasteland they traveled through before coming into the hospital. His eyes widened with wonder, excitement. He had finally done something worthwhile. "Wow.."

Mystella looked at him, and said her next words rather authoritatively, "Don't you ever think you're useless. You happen to have one of the more powerful glasses, whether you realize it or not. You just need training, practice, and control."

There was a brief pause, as the three took the sight in.

"Now," Mystella narrowed her eyes. "We need to find the Magistrate of Sight Glass. Azeline needs us, I can feel it."

As the trio walked out of the decrepit building, the smell of fall hit them. It was as if they'd walk down the street and see cafes advertising their newest pumpkin beverages and foods. It was almost like they could walk up to a stand, and return with freshly made donuts and a steaming coffee, whipped cream swirled on top. Mystella could almost taste the iced caramel macchiato; which used to be her favorite drink in the morning since she wasn't one to get very much sleep. She pulled off her mask from earlier, taking it all in. The only one who left theirs on was Axel.

Crisp leaves crunched underneath their shoes, the wind picking up and tussling their hair. Rakira let out a sigh, golden eyes darting around excitedly. He hadn't seen the outside world, in a very long time. Axel was doing the same, although part of his excitement was from the fact that he did all of this.

Mystella had a grim look, one she readopted since Axel started doubting his abilities again. They were trekking down the flourishing road, and Axel's somber mood had lifted a little. Mystella was still sour, and honestly, she had a right to be. She finally got Axel to believe in himself, after training him for a month. Now, it was almost like they were back to square one, again.

Rakira on the other hand was also having issues. He could barely use his power, and so he felt like his Glass was a waste of time. He didn't know how to control it, either. It was so annoying when he stopped time without even trying. He'd have to wait a few moments for everything to return to normal, and the other two would look confused when he suddenly ended up a little ways ahead of them, seemingly out of nowhere.

Axel was testing his new-found power happily, occasionally growing a flower, or hydrating random grass he found. He seemed so content in what he was doing, that Mystella even smiled a little, but quickly turned, and scowled. She was still mad at him.

Then, his smile and happy demeanor dropped. His green eyes flicked to the ground, staring intently. He was also absentmindedly trailing his fingers on the chainlink fence beside him, little blue flowers growing where his fingers left.

Mystella gave a soft sigh and looked back over at him, catching on. "What's wrong?"

He, still staring at the ground, answered quietly, "Do you think he's at peace, now?"

There were a few moments of silence, neither Rakira nor Mystella knew how to answer this. It wasn't until a little later that Mystella spoke back up. "Yeah, I think he is. He must have been pretty worn out, using his powers for so long."

"Well, I hope so. I... know he was mad at me. I mean, he had to be, I ran away like a coward. And then I had to depend on you... I still do.." Axel was overcome with self-doubt, again.

Rakira then spoke up. "Hey, I'm the same way, dude. Without Stella, I would have died alone, in that place. I know a thing or two about grudges from parents... and I can assure you, they almost always overcome it. Well, mine never really did, but.." He trailed off, now staring at the ground, as well.

Mystella sighed. "I don't think he was, or even is, Axel." she also ruffled Rakira's hair a little, for comfort. He gave her a small smile.

Axel frowned. "And how would you know that?" He paused, huffing, "He didn't even talk to me before he.." His voice cracked sadly.

Mystella blinked, she had a rather boring look. She wasn't very good at being sympathetic. She's lost too many people to care for others' feelings. "He was probably busy, Axel. Not to mention, it's a little hard to communicate with only half or less power. He didn't have his ring." She pointed at the metal band on his finger. "...do you want to talk about what you saw?"

"Well... It was dark. I couldn't see anything, at all." He paused. It was unclear if he was remembering, or if it was for dramatic effect. "I was being strangled, I could barely breath. Every movement just made the thorny vines tighter.." He idly scratched his neck, remembering how it felt. "I felt blood trickling down my body, from everywhere.." He shivered, feeling a faint prickle.

"But he was there. He looked... rugged; like he was dying. So tired. I've never seen him like that, he looked like a skeleton." A few tears started rolling down his cheeks, as he choked on his words. "I... reached out to him, and he ignored me. All he said was, 'Come on, Axel. You're taking my place, as I don't have much longer. I don't know if you found The Rose Magistrate, yet... But I know she's near. And as for the others... They're near too. Rose is the captain and will help you train. The Sight Magistrate will help teach you how to survive, and the others can help you in ways you'll definitely need. And... I'm sorry for failing you and the others, Axel. I love you, buddy.' And then he faded into the darkness. I... I miss him so much, Stella..."

Rakira made a face. "That's... a lot."

Axel sighed, in response. "I only hope he didn't suffer... that much.."

Walking in comforting silence, the three let his last words just hang there. Aphrodite kind of lightened the situation, what with her bouncing around happily in the grass and flowers. She actually ate a leaf at one point, making the boys chuckle. The peace didn't last for very long though, seeing as they were in the apocalypse.

A horde had gathered ahead, which was rather strange. Red-Eyes normally waited until it was dark, and it was about an hour before dusk. The sky was painted an orange-yellow, the trees reduced to black silhouettes.

"Why are they out so soon..?" Rakira questioned, with furrowed brows.

Axel frowned. "Maybe something, someone, disturbed them?" He turned to Mystella, then, "Didn't your vision thingy say something about them being in like, the woods? Maybe they're hunting something?"

She nodded slowly in response, thinking. "Makes sense. I hope they're okay, though.."

As they got closer, the horde only got louder. It was ominous, weighing on the whole party mentally. None of them liked it, at all.

That reminded Rakira of something that happened before his parents left.

"Being left alone was always expected, but I never thought you would be the first one!" The younger boy cried out, hopelessly. He felt his heart shatter as he fell to his knees, still reaching out. He knew his parents never cared about him, but he couldn't stand the thought of being alone.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, his fingers curling in one last attempt to grab at their disappearing figures, still pointlessly begging.

"I don't want to lose yous.."

Rakira gave a little shiver at the unwanted memory, which was noticed by Axel. The greenette gave him a questioning look, followed by a whisper, "You alright? You cold?" It was quiet enough not to alert anything, thankfully.

Rakira nodded slowly, before whispering back. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

He nodded and walked a little ways ahead.

Mystella sighed a little, hanging her head somewhat. She always did this. She held in her emotions until they started creeping back upon her. Sadness swelled in her very being, and she just felt... alone. Her thoughts were so overwhelming.

Suddenly, she stopped and held her arms out so the other two had to stop, as well. Both of them turned to her with confused looks. She pointed up ahead, at a creature blocking their path. It was facing away from them. It towered over the group, being at least three feet taller than even Mystella.

It was lumbering around aimlessly as if it was looking for something. It went so far as to knock down a tree in its path, which fell with a loud, deafening crash. Such power was terrifying and previously unseen from Red-Eyes. It had a lanky body, with long arms that hung far past its waist, blood-tipped claws dragging across the asphalt. Its face consisted simply of a skull, the deep, dark sockets seemingly endless, save for the floating red orbs in the middle. Blood dripped from its mouth as if it just had a hearty feast. The substance also covered its large antlers, sprouting from the being's head.

The group could only stare with wide eyes, watching the... thing cause such unspeakable destruction. What didn't help was the piercing screech from the forest. It almost sounded like a hawk, although those weren't very common, anymore.

The creature turned and stared at the trio. It would have smirked if it could. It pulled its heavy arm up, bones cracking and groaning from the stress on its sockets.

They felt themselves freeze with fear, their eyes all widened. They were stilled with fear, unable to move. It was almost as if they were literally frozen at the spot.

"Guys, I... I don't know what that is.." Mystella said, and for once, there was genuine fear in her voice.

Titan bared his teeth, foaming at the mouth. He let out a short, aggressive bark. The creature took this as a challenge, though, and a terrifying screech erupted from its throat. The three had to cover their ears, to prevent them from bursting on the spot. The sound broke windows, and generally anything fragile or made of glass that was close. Shards rained down, hitting a few idle Red-Eyes.

Mystella teared up, and then let one trek down her cheek.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Azeline."

Mystella shut her eyes, then. If she was to meet her demise, she'd do it when she was at peace. She thought of everything she'd been through, at that moment. "You two.." She started, gritting her teeth. "Run, okay? Get to Azeline, and tell her I love her, and that I'm sorry." Flashes of everything went through her mind. All the memories of her and Azeline, her and Titan, training Axel and Rakira. It all comforted her, as she approached her death. She'd been alone for so long, but at least she wasn't dying alone.

But death never greeted her.

There was simply... nothing. Not the sounds of birds singing, no more screeching, no more groaning. Just nothing. Crimson eyes fluttered back open, taking a moment to adjust. The wind whistled past her, glass crunching from bodies falling.

To her right, Axel was staring ahead, with a frighteningly blank look. He was standing there; limply. Blood dripped from his glowing green eyes, the red liquid trailing down his cheek to his throat, and then past. His jaw hung slack, blood smeared over the corner of his lips. His hands were in a clawed gesture, pointing at the sky. He looked like a Red-Eye.

Ahead, the monster was trapped in large, thorny vines. They penetrated the creature's thick skin, blood droplets hitting the ground, splashing onto the other, closer vines. The creature's blood was black and gooey, almost. It was like sludge, that flowed from its newly made wounds.

Axel looked to Mystella, the color draining from his eyes, as he lost his balance. She panicked, running over to catch him in her arms. With him, the rest of the Red-Eyes slumped over around them, dead. Mystella didn't know how to take this, she was thinking about all the other times she'd lost people, and she didn't want to lose him, too. She held his limp body, tearing up. She shut her eyes, a few tears dropping from her eyes and landing on his pale face. "You can't leave me! Come the f*ck back, you're not done here!"

Rakira backed up, a little scared. There were sounds of the very earth cracking; rose petals encasing the two, as Mystella clung to the greenette as if that would save him. It was beautiful, the petals fading from light to dark red.

Inside, Axel's green eyes fluttered back open, and he simply stared at Mystella, broken down with tears, vulnerable in that one, rare moment. He'd never seen Mystella cry before, it was... foreign. Even worse, he couldn't figure out why she was crying, it confused him.

Then, she opened her eyes, glowing crimson hues locking onto his viridescent ones, now. She quickly wiped her tears, with a sniffle, and then pulled him into a tight hug. "You're not allowed to die yet, asshole.."

Axel hugged back, looking around at the inside of the large rose. Mystella didn't even notice it, she just thought her best friend was dying. "I'm here, Stella, I'm here..." It took him a moment to ask his next question because he didn't know if he was just seeing things or not. "What's um... going on..?"

She glanced up through tears, looking around the encasement. Red tinted light streamed through the petals, and Mystella suddenly felt... weak. Blood trickled slowly from her right nostril, as her eyes returned to their normal color. "Oh.." was all she said before she collapsed.

A man with long, beautiful purple hair walked down a seemingly endless hallway. They were black and gray, reaching almost impossible heights. He seemed panicked, looking for something.

"Perditus.." A ghostly voice rang throughout the halls, causing the male to cover his ears, doubled over with his hands on his knees. He was afraid of whoever was calling for him.

"Leave me alone! I want OUT!" Perditus screamed in response, hitting the wall with a closed fist. "I never wanted to do this in the first place... and now you've gone too far.."

"You have to finish my work, Perditus. You know you have to. Finish it, and you'll get your brother back.." The voice spoke again, more threatening, this time.

"Give me my f*cking brother back, you sick bastard! I-I'll do whatever you want, just let him go.." His confident, aggressive nature dwindled slowly until it was barely there. It was clear he cared a lot about his brother, and would seemingly do anything.

A door, previously hidden by the dark wall, slowly opened with a loud scraping noise. Perditus ran through, blindly. This was a dangerous and rather risky move, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get back to his brother, he was the only family he had left, and he'd be damned if he lost him, too. He promised him once that he'd always protect him, and he was going to do his best to keep that promise.

In front of him was a tall, ragged man. He wore a ripped-up and dirty cloak, that dragged across the floor whenever he took a step. Long, crooked fingers wrapped around a metal pole, and an iv pole attached to it.

The man let out a dry chuckle, and then said the next few words, which would completely break Perditus, with the action they would cause. "Go on, kid."

Expecting the child to run to him, Perditus opened his arms.

To his dismay, though, his brother didn't do that. He slowly turned, heading for an open window. Perditus looked to the Magistrate and was almost immediately frozen in place. He was taking advantage of the man's naivety and made him watch as his brother stood over the edge.

"I told you what would happen if you disobeyed, Perditus." The man spoke, gnarly fingers like tree roots wrapped around the rusted pole.

The wind tussled at his curly blonde locks, green eyes overlooking the street below him. Twenty stories up; a fall from this height would kill someone. Finally able to resist, make noise, Perditus ran forward to grab his brother, screaming.

He was too late, unfortunately.

His brother stepped out unwillingly, falling to the ground below.

Another sinister chuckle from the man, as he approached the crying form balled up next to the window. "Now, you'll see the little sh*t in Hell."

The cloaked man placed a withering hand on the purple-haired man's head, with a sigh. "You are my heir, and now nothing will stop you from taking over this... Disgusting, rotten world," He paused, clamping a bulky metal bracelet over his wrist. "I will be the only one in true power... The Mind Glass Magistrate. We... Will overcome the others. I've been waiting since the first apocalypse for this."

When Mystella woke again, the sky was dark, the moon shining luminously down. She could barely see in front of her, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Titan? Axel? Rakira..?"

She quietly called out, not knowing where she was, what happened since she passed out. A nose nudged her with a small huff, and she sighed in relief. Titan. She petted his big, furry head, with a smile. "Hey, baby."

She stood, supporting herself with a hand. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness, now. She noticed both Axel and Rakira, curled up a little ways away, together. She smiled softly, her eyes trailing to look at the doe between them. Aphrodite was curled into a tight ball. It was a cute sight.

Leaning her body out the window, the woman took a deep breath of the night air. It was cold, refreshing. The wind had a bite to it, nipping at her cheeks. The stars were especially bright that night, and it made Mystella think of a tale she once heard of, of how when soulmates die, they join each other once more in the sky.

She softly started singing, more to herself, than anything else. It was a song Azeline used to sing, and now she sang it for comfort.

"I was born from the Earth,

It is there, that I will return

Rose petals made my skin,

Tulips my eyes

I was nothing but a simple ripple

In the vast ocean of time

And life was empty,

I wandered the stars for years

Before humans walked the Earth,

I knew that hope was far,

But then I met you,

Someone not of my kind,

Intriguing

But perhaps I was blind

Blind to the trouble I'd cause you

Unknowing to the pain you'd put me through

And as the rain falls again

On your unblinking eyes

I can't help but think

This is your hundredth demise

So many a'life you've lived,

So many times you've died,

And it's hurt me,

Every single time,

But I'd do it all over again,

A million and more,

To hold you in my arms

You're someone I quite adore,

Whether it's dancing

Through an empty castle

Or wandering

Through an open field

I've said it before

I'll say it again,

I'll never regret

Falling in love,

With a mortal."

Coming back in from the window, the woman slid down the wall until she buried her face in her hands. She was trying very hard not to cry, but it was rather difficult. She missed her, so much. "If I was able to make the rose shield..." She said to herself, tears filling her waterline. "Does that mean you're dead, now? After all this..?"

A warm hand was placed on her shoulder. She buried her face in her knees.

After a moment, a voice spoke. It definitely wasn't Axel or Rakira. "It's okay, My Rose."

Her crimson eyes shot up, immediately.

In front of her was none other than Perditus. He looked just like he did in the vision, but.. Sadistic. His long purple hair was tied into a neat bun. He looked well-kempt, even his clothes were neat. A smile spread across his face, the essence of evil lurking in those bright violet eyes. He even snickered, "Oh, I'm sorry. You thought I was... her, didn't you?"

Mystella's eyes narrowed to little more than slits, her burning gaze locked on him. She immediately yelled at the man, loud enough to wake the others. Hopefully, he didn't see him. "Where is she, you rotten b*tch?"

Titan rose, his growl echoing off of the concrete walls. It was low, emitting from his throat. It would intimidate anyone.

But this guy, he said one simple command, "Down." and Titan was forced to do so. His snout was pushed into the concrete, as he snarled viciously. "You should check him for rabies, Mystella. He looks pretty rabid, to me."

Axel and Rakira came on either side of the man, from behind. Mystella kept her fiery gaze on Perditus's rather lifeless one. "You underestimate me, Perditus."

His eyes widened with surprise, at the mention of his name. His smirk even dropped, for a moment. "What?"

Mystella frowned, "I'm sorry about your brother. But you can't get him back by killing me."

That surprise quickly shifted back to rage. Mentioning the child was a bad idea. They scowled, catching both of the weapons being swung at him from either side. He slung them over his shoulder, slamming them into the ground. "That's where you're wrong, Mystella. I have her. You can't get her back unless you get your wife to heal him," he gave a manic smile, his eyes even starting to glow, a bit. "I've been torturing her for these past two years, do you think she still even remembers you?"

That was what did it for Mystella. With pure rage, she pulled her arm back and punched the other in the face, full-force. There was a distinct crack, followed by an insane cackle. Perditus got what he wanted. He wanted to see how violent Mystella could get. Blood dripped from his nostril, threatening to drip on that impeccable uniform. "Harder~"

Mystella lost count of how many times she hit him. She just kept going. Hitting him, over and over again. Her knuckles were bruised and bleeding now, as his face was, too. She didn't stop until she was pulled off by both Axel and Rakira. She was then held against Axel's chest, gripping his shirt harshly.

Even with a bruised and bloody face, a crooked nose, and a busted lip, the man went on grinning. Their suit was stained with the dark red liquid, even ripped in some places. He had gotten what he wanted; evident by the smirk.

Axel nor Rakira had ever seen her this mad. She was beyond livid, pure rage in those burning red eyes.

He kept that sick grin as he stood, wiping his bloodied nose with his sleeve, "Come and find me if you can, dear. I'm at the White Gate."

Fingers gripping Axel's shirt, a few tears trailed down her pale cheeks. She would have gone after him again if it wasn't for the two holding her back. As the mysterious man left, the sun peeked over the mountains, coating the room in a beautiful orange and red. She was happy that her wife was alive, but at the same time, she was still enraged.

She was let go as he disappeared, and then she just went blank. Wiping her tears, she simply said, "Come on. We're going to the forest. I'm done playing games."

Axel and Rakira both exchanged worried looks between each other.

As they exited the building, the wind tugged gently at the leaves falling from the trees. Winter was coming soon; they could feel it in their bones. Limbs were scattered across the street, whatever was left of the animals scavenging for food. It was horrible, though that was the least of their concerns. The creature from earlier simply laid in the middle of the street still, untouched. It was strange, considering animals were starving by the day and would eat whatever they could.

Mystella's mind only housed dark thoughts, at the moment. For someone who always presented herself as a confident, powerful character, she certainly didn't feel like that on the inside. She would never admit that, though. Titan was worried about her, going as far as to bump his body into her's. She simply ignored him though, eyes simply fixated on the road ahead of her.

Those crimson eyes trailed up to a building then, and she stopped. With the smallest sigh, she announced the other two. "I'm gonna head up there, real quick. Check the surroundings. I'll be down in a sec."

Her behavior was indeed odd; she looked like a zombie. Mindless, gray... Not quite red-eye, no, but just... empty.

When she did finally make it to the roof, she found that the view was... breathtaking. The fingertips of dawn grazed the sky with a beautiful red, although the clouds were gathering in somewhat of an ominous warning. There was the sound of tapping on the roof she stood upon, as the rain started whispering to her.

The trees below were in a dance with the wind, their vivid leaves coated in all types of different colors. Some were brown, others orange, most were almost a fiery red. There were a few here and there that were scattered green, as well. They drifted slowly to the ground as they fell in a slow twirl.

Another step closer to the edge of the roof, then. This wasn't her choice, no. Her head was fuzzy, as if someone had taken control, and left her consciousness to stare at frozen tv static. It would have ensued panic if she was aware, but, she wasn't. She was simply there, but not. She wouldn't be able to explain it if she tried.

Different voices filled Mystella's head, but the one that stuck out the most was Azeline's. "Come home, my love. I've missed you."

She felt a knot grow in her throat, as tears threatened to spill from her waterline.

This was it; she was going to see her beloved again. The one person she trusted the most in this world, the one woman she'd go to Hell and dethrone Satan for. Her soulmate.

She took her last step, and then the only sensation she felt, was the rain and wind whipping at her face. She was falling, and there was nothing there. She would be with her love, soon. There was only peace for her, as the ground rushed to embrace her. At that moment, the asphalt never looked so comfortable.

She whispered to herself, as she continued her descent. It was an old saying her father used to tell her when someone she was close to was dying. It comforted her, weirdly enough.

"Everything must die. We all will die eventually. One day I won't be here, and all that will remain will be the memories you have left.

Like the yellowed pages of a book being opened for the hundredth time, the words and emotions will fade.

And even though we may never be able to relive those memories, and we may forget them. They will always be here.

Quoniam omne quod est in vita temporalis."

Mystella never did meet the ground.

The tapping of the rain from before turned to a patter, as it hit something above her. She was in the arms of another, though she couldn't see who.

Axel and Rakira looked on in amazement, at what they'd just witnessed. There she was, the woman Mystella had described a few times. She was beautiful, the stories and descriptions held only a candle to her. Like a walking angel, she stood there. It was as if she was glowing, and she was indeed the essence of beauty.

A shell of rose wrapped around Mystella, as she laid in Azeline's arms.

They couldn't even tell where she came from. All either of them could remember was screaming out for Mystella, as they watched her fall.

The woman spoke softly, setting her down as gently as she could.

Mystella rubbed her eyes, wiping away raindrops and tears, both mixed in her previous descent. The world around her was just previously dull, colorless. When she looked up, though, she met those beautifully vivid red eyes of her wife. Those long, glossy locks... She couldn't believe it.

"My love.." Mystella whispered, her gaze never leaving Azeline's. She felt like she was having a fever dream-like none of this could be real.

She peered back with teary orbs, brushing a piece of her dark red hair behind her ear gently. "I missed you.."

Without a second thought, Mystella pulled Azeline close to her and leaned down to connect their lips. There was a brief moment of hesitation from Azeline, but only Axel and Rakira had picked that up. Axel furrowed his brows, looking over at Rakira. He simply responded with a shrug.

When they finally parted, Mystella took a moment to just stare at her wife. She was as beautiful as she remembered, and she smiled softly. It was the first time either of the two had seen such a smile from the woman, and it was, the least to say, surprising to see.

Axel only felt his anger building, though.

"Mystella, you.." He gritted his teeth, his fists balled.

She turned to him, mouth opened to say something. She didn't get to, though. He held up a hand and started talking. It was very out of character for him.

"You were going to leave us." He was beyond angry, and it showed. His fists were shaking, and hot tears trailed down his freckled cheeks. "In this wasteland... alone. You were going to leave Rakira, Aphrodite, Titan, and I!" He started yelling with no regard at this point, pointing at whoever he named. Titan was glaring at Azeline, though, a deep, low growl emitting from the back of his throat. Rakira looked down at the cemented ground, trying to hold back tears of his own.

Axel choked on his tears, and Mystella took that as an opportunity to voice her own opinion on the matter. "It wasn't worth it anymore, Axel. You don't f*cking understand!"

Those words... they cut him deep. After everything, they'd been through... It caused him to cry out, that pain building up inside more and more. It physically hurt him. "Moments before I met you, Mystella..." He wiped his tears with the back of his hoodie sleeve. "I watched my whole family be slaughtered in front of me! My baby sister was torn limb from limb! My mom died trying to save her, on top of that! And then, oh ho ho, I got to watch my dad die! I saw everything. I saw how he was tortured, injected with this stupid disease, the way his eyes started bleeding, his limbs barely hanging on to his body! Don't you ever f*cking tell me I don't know what it's like! At least she's next to you!" It was as if there was fire dancing in those bright green eyes.

Grief and regret started flooding into her, and she reached out to him. She wanted to say something to him, anything. An apology was due, here. "Axel, I-"

But he turned on his heel and started running towards the forest. She looked to Rakira, who shook his head and followed. Even Aphrodite and Titan followed, the wolf glancing back with a disapproving gaze. She could only stand there, stunned. It was as if he just punched her in the face and ran. It hurt, but her words hurt a hundred times more.

Azeline wrapped her arms around Mystella's waist then, with an averted gaze. It was almost as if she was regretting something. "We don't need them. We have each other, again."

She looked down at her, a little startled. Azeline had never said anything like that, before. It didn't even sound right coming from her, like the words were foreign, almost. "Azeline.." She frowned. "I love you, more than anything. More than all the stars in the sky. But.." She looked off into the distance, at the fading figures. "That's my family. And well, I love them, too."

Her voice cracked when she answered next, though. "You... replaced me?"

That just confused her. Replaced? "What? No! Are you jealous? Of them? Dude, I'm a lesbian. I can't even fathom the thought of being with a man." She sighed and started walking the way that they left.

Azeline frowned, but followed, close behind.

Out of seemingly nowhere, there was a loud, piercing screech above the forest. It sounded... distressed. Mystella took off without a second thought, Azeline trailing as close as she could. She kind of lagged behind a bit, though. She pushed past gathering red-eyes, some strange instinct deep inside her pushing her towards the separated half of the group.

She forced her way through the crowded tree line, a feeling of deja-vu nagging at her. It took her a few moments, but, she'd realize that just a month ago, she did this with Axel, looking for Titan. The first time they met. And now, she was doing it with her wife, looking for him. She held back a chuckle, seeing as it was kind of funny how it turned out.

Breaking into a small clearing, a pair of fearful green eyes turned to meet Mystella's red ones. She let out a sigh of relief, about to properly apologize. He interrupted her, though, with a shush.

Titan's snarl, previously directed at the edge of the clearing, turned to Azeline, who hid behind Mystella. She frowned, about to say something again, until he turned his attention back to the dark edge, again. Rakira also fearfully pointed, his hand shaking a bit.

Previously inaudible due to the panic she was in, was a strange, yet constant scratching noise. It was long, drawn-out. It vaguely reminded her of how, as a child, she used to carve drawings into the tree outside of her childhood home. Of course, she wasn't aware that certain patterns could kill the tree, but her dad did make sure he took the initiative to teach her about it, once he noticed what was going on. After that, she barely carved into the tree, and the last thing she did carve, was that of her and Azeline's initials. The memory was random, and she was sure she didn't remember that just a moment before.

Mystella pulled Azeline towards her and started moving over to Axel. All was well for the few first steps until a distinct snap filled the otherwise mostly silent clearing. Azeline had stepped on a twig, by accident. Both Axel and Rakira shot her a look, as the scratching suddenly stopped.

There was a deathly silence then, that filled the clearing. It was as if it was a physical object, crushing them. It invaded their ears, where a high-pitched ringing was substituted. Then, whispers started leaking from the woods, from all around them.

A bald, ghastly face with dark voids for eyes poked in from the suspense of the forest. It was hard to tell if it could see them, or not. It just... stared. Its limbs were mangled and sprawled painfully beneath it, giving them a broken and even ripped apart appearance.

Its mouth was smoothed over, though sharp teeth threatened to protrude from the gray, taut and rotting skin. It didn't long for them to rip the flesh apart, though, revealing a horrifying, grotesque mouth. The teeth looked, even more, intimidating now. They were almost as thin as sewing needles, but there were thousands of them, in rows. It stood at least eight feet, taller than even Mystella.

It erupted in another other-worldly screech, its jagged bones protruding from its skin in more than one place. It was gruesome, and it took everything for Mystella to not turn her head. But, in a strange turn of events, though, it gathered its limbs and ran deeper into the forest.

After a moment of trying to wrap her head around what just happened, Mystella slowly walked to where the creature was previously scratching at and inspected the ancient, decrepit tree. It was a single sentence, with extremely jagged, almost unintelligible writing. 'He's always watching'.

She gave a slight shudder, making it apparent that the message unnerved her. After gathering their bearings and starting to get ready to leave, though, Mystella felt a strange wet feeling on her arm. She glanced down, and then with a grumble, lifted her sleeve. Rolling it up to her bicep, it revealed her tattoos; covered in a dark red. Blood. The tattoos on that arm consisted of a sleeve of wilted roses, and a part of a quote that read, 'The past has happened,'. There was a cut straight through a few of the petals. Blood seeped from it, and she winced a little upon seeing it. "Hey, Axel? Can you get the med bag, please?"

He mumbled something under his breath, as he searched through his bag. After a moment, he pulled out what she needed and walked over. Blood disgusted him, and he didn't want to get near her arm for that reason. But, he pushed through it anyway.

Gingerly wrapping the bandage around her arm, he refused to say anything to her. She did eventually speak up, though. "I'm sorry.."

He looked up at her and cocked his head as if he didn't understand what she said. She already knew what kind of smart-ass reply he'd come with, and so she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I apologized, you can make fun of me, now."

But those verdant eyes weren't focused on her, but rather behind her. She furrowed her brows in question, and he blinked a few times, before answering. She turned, only to notice that the only other person that remained in the clearing with them, now, was Rakira. Azeline had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Mystella felt a pang in her heart, but deep down, she knew this was for the better.

Rakira sighed, "Are you sure that was her? Was she always so... weird?"

She was going to retort but was cut off by the gurgling of a Red-Eye. Unsheathing her katana, she pointed it towards the creature, malice laden in those dark eyes. It didn't move, though. It stood there with its mouth hanging open, swaying.

Axel hesitantly walked forward, brandishing his staff. When he got closer, he whacked the creature. A tape recorder flew out, skidding to meet Mystella's boot. There was an audible groan from Rakira, who returned his blade into his sheath.

Mystella picked it up off the ground, inspecting it closely. Axel already had his hand sanitizer out, going as far as to even rub a bit on his staff.

Upon playing the random tape, they found that it simply repeated one phrase. "Find the Christmas tree".

Axel came up behind Rakira and Mystella with furrowed brows. "A Christmas tree? In the middle of the woods?"

Mystella sheathed her weapon with a sigh and started walking into the ominous forest. "Keep an eye out for anything shiny, you two."

As they made their way through the undergrowth and the trees, it only got darker. It was as if the deeper they got, the more crowded everything became. It didn't take that long to find what they were looking for, and... it was, least to say, extravagant.

Before the group was a large, barren tree. Countless Red-Eyes were impaled through the limbs and even some of the branches. Something shining from one of the hands, and it caught Mystella's eyes. It was a little out of her reach, and so she turned to Axel, the second tallest, with a smile.

He started to object, but Mystella quickly cut him off. "Come on. We gotta find out what this is about. I'll boost you."

Rolling his eyes as Mystella cupped her hands, he made an aggravated sigh. "You owe me."

She chuckled and started boosting him. "Yeah, yeah."

Axel wrestled with the dead man's fingers, rambling about how disgusting it was. Then, there was a shrill scream, as the Red-Eye's eyes suddenly opened to look down at him. He lost his balance then, toppling over and falling to the ground.

The mysterious capsule fell from the creature's grasp, and Mystella caught it just before it hit the ground. Axel laid sprawled on the ground until the rotting body fell on top of him. Another scream, then. Opening the capsule then, she read the note stuffed inside of it. 'In the sole, you'll meet your next step. Be wary of your actions, and watch for the hidden lock'.

She read it out loud, to both Rakira, who was trying not to laugh, and Axel, who was jumping around like a rabid monkey, trying to get the blood off of him. "Soul? Like... Jesus?" Rakira pondered, rubbing his chin.

"No - not 'soul' - sole, like s-o-l-e. Like the bottom of your foot." She responded, before furrowing her brows.

Rakira grabbed his foot then, looking at the bottom of it. He almost lost balance, but Mystella grabbed his arm before that happened. All he found was dirt.

Titan let out a whine before he started scratching wildly at the dirt. After a moment of watching, they figured out what was going on, and walked over, praising him. After a little, he pulled out a medium-sized lockbox.

Taking it from the canine's jaws, she inspected it for a moment, before smashing the hilt of her katana against the lock. It broke open in a cloud of dust, causing a violent reaction from the woman. She held it out to Axel, who was nearest, tearing up. She hit her chest a couple of times, as she coughed harshly.

This was met with a gag, as he peeked inside the box, almost throwing it at Rakira. Rakira screamed in response, holding it an arm's length away from him.

"It's.." He was staring at it, horrified. "It's a f*cking foot!"

After shutting the box, Rakira continued holding it away from himself.

After her coughing fit, though, Mystella noticed something they hadn't seen, before. It was a campsite, complete with a smothered fire and a tent. The stones which were in a circle contained the ashes, still smoking a bit. As if someone hadn't put it out that long ago.

Axel, who had taken the initiative to go into the tent soon reemerged with a small bag. He handed it to Mystella, before straightening up. "It's, uhm, girl stuff."

She took it and then peered in. There were indeed menstrual products in there, but at the bottom was something strange. It was an old, dirty polaroid. She pulled it out, examining it closely. It was Azeline, Mystella, and then three men, and a woman. She couldn't recognize any of the faces, only her's and Azeline's. One of the man's faces was scratched out rather violently, though.

When Axel peered over at it, his eyes went wide with shock. He pointed to a man in the middle, with hair as green as his. "That's my dad... you know my dad..?"

She furrowed her brows, trying to remember.

She didn't have too much time to do that, though. For some reason, Rakira poked the foot, and a huge swarm of red beetles pooled out of the foot, flying off into the woods. Titan took off after them, barking aggressively.

Mystella and the others immediately ran after him, panicked. It was reckless, yes, but she didn't care. Titan was the one thing in this world that had stuck around with her the longest.

Upon finding him again, he was in the middle of mauling a Red-Eye.

On top of a rather large boulder, stood a blue-haired woman. She notched two arrows that she pulled from her quiver rather quickly. She impaled a pair of the dead approaching them and flashed them a huge, bright smile.

She yelled in greeting, then, "Stella!"

Mystella gave her a bewildered look, slicing through a few more Red-Eyes with her katana. "You know my name?" Then, she realized.

That wasn't only the woman from the polaroid...

But she was also the same woman from her vision.

The woman was atop a boulder, shooting arrows that flew by with ease. It was like she was part of the arrows, they hit their target every single time one was whizzed out so smoothly. She calculated each shot so carefully, and those blue eyes seemed to focus on more than one target at once. It was a rather brilliant sight to see.

"Well, of course, I know who you are, Mystella! You're Azeline's wife. I've been expecting you!" She beamed down at the redhead, as she notched two more arrows blindly. The shafts were both straight, somehow without her even looking. As she let go of the string and they flew off, both of the bullet points lodged themselves into the foreheads of two different red-eyes. They slumped to the gravel below them pitifully, their blood staining the small rocks around them with a dark, almost black crimson.

In a strategy similar to Mystella's, Rakira made his way through a few of the red-eyes with precision. His blade was covered with the thick substance, as some of it splattered onto his clothes. He had his mask up so that none of it would fly into his mouth, something he'd picked up from Axel. It was common practice for the three to do this before going into battle, even if Mystella forgot to do it, sometimes.

Axel took out a few of the creatures' legs, and when they fell to the ground, he jammed his staff right through their rotting skulls. He did make a grossed-out noise when he heard the noise of their brains being impaled, though.

At the mention of Azeline, Mystella's breath caught in her throat. It had been a while since anyone besides her had mentioned her wife. And while she knew that the woman knew them both, somehow... It was still confusing to her.

She sliced through the last couple of red eyes, blood splattering across her blade; a beautiful contrast to the black pattern. The sapphiren jumped from her perch, and then clumsily landed in front of the small group. It was kind of funny to see, considering how amazing her precision was, with the arrows. She fixed her glasses, before speaking again. "Good work, Stella! I see you've sharpened your skills."

Axel and Rakira started cleaning off their weapons, using the dead red eyes around them to help. It was important to keep them clean, otherwise, Rakira's blade would rust, and Axel's staff would be stained. It was something they learned from Mystella.

Then, those brilliant blue eyes lit up upon seeing Titan, which was met with him wagging his tail excitedly and bumping her hand for pets. She cooed at him and started petting the canine, squatting down so she can cup his furry face.

Mystella was confused by this, to say the least, "How do you know us? Like, actually. I don't remember you." Something about the whole thing just felt suspicious.

The woman furrowed her brows, with a confused smile. "C'mon, Stell. Stop joking around. What do you mean you don't remember me? Titan was Azeline's familiar, and, as I said, Azeline is your wife. Speaking of which, where is she? I haven't seen her in a little while.."

Mystella cast her crimson eyes to the ground, in a melancholy manner, not answering. Rakira also averted his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. She then turned to Axel, starting to look a little concerned. "Your dad?" She looked at Rakira, "Your sister..?"

"Rose? Elk? Tempus? I know I haven't seen Tempus in a while, but, she's still alive, right? It.. it couldn't have been that long.." She trailed off, looking at them with pleading eyes.

Axel sighed, before speaking up. "My dad was murdered."

Rakira then took his turn, to explain. "My sister has been missing for a long time. I was just left with my parents after she gave me.." He looked down, too.

Mystella frowned. "As for Azeline, well... I thought I found her. But.." She looked up, so her eyes would meet the woman's, then. "Well, I'm going to get her back."

The woman gasped and pulled the three into a tight hug, suddenly. Mystella immediately pushed her away out of reflex, a glare present on her face. "Don't touch me. I don't know you."

She fixed her circular glasses, wiping a few tears that escaped from her waterline. Then, she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Stella. Why don't you remember me..? I'm Kaedea.."

Mystella frowned, then. "I don't remember anything pre-apocalypse. Just what Azeline told me, and some... things I picked up." Then, as if just remembering this, Mystella pulled the polaroid out of her pocket, holding it out for Kaedea to see. "Who are these people?"

She took the polaroid from Mystella, a soft, nostalgic smile tugging at her lips. She extended her forefinger and pointed at a green-haired male that bore resemblance to Axel, who sighed softly. "That's Benjamin. Magistrate of Elk Glass," She looked to Axel, then, "Your dad."

Then, her finger moved to point at a white-haired male, that smile still ever-present. It even seemed to grow a little. "That would be Levi. He's the Magistrate of Storm Glass." Then her finger moved to the scratched-out face of the other person, that smile turning into a look of disgust. "And that would just so happen to be Perditus."

A wave of realization hit Mystella, and those crimson eyes looked up to meet her Azure hues. They seemed to widen a little as if she only just then realized the color of them. "I... We... met Perditus."

Axel laid a hand on Mystella's shoulder for reassurance, and surprisingly, she didn't back away or hit him. She just let Axel comfort her. Her eyes soon lifted to meet his, the red and green hues clashing. Kaedea, after a moment, spoke up again, though. "If your dad is dead, then.."

He showed her his ring, rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand. "I have Elk Glass."

Kaedea's eyes drifted to Mystella's, about to ask the same question before Mystella did so without her needing to. "I have Rose Glass." She showed her the brilliant red stone on her necklace.

Last but not least, she looked to Rakira, who gave her the same answer as the others. "Tempus." He showed her his bracelet.

Kaedea sucked air through her teeth and then gave a nod. "Well, I suppose we have to stick together now, then. Can't have you three losing your glass," She booped Axel and Rakira on their noses, and then turned to do it to Mystella; this was shown to be a bad idea, though, obvious by how Mystella glared at her. She backed off, and then took a breath. "Well, Mystella. I suppose you're the captain, so," She went to say more, but was cut off by a distinct rustle.

The sudden silence between the group was deafening, only broken by a few twigs snapping from overhead. The forest seemed to darken quite a bit as if clouds were shrouding the sunlight, overhead. It was already a rather dark place, seeing as the understory made that quite difficult.

Going on immediate high alert, the group pulled out their weapons, and carefully scanned around them. The crunching faded as a few yellowed and browned leaves drifted to the forest floor, and the silence once again hung still in the air.

Axel let out a breathy sigh, his hands gripping the staff rather tightly. He was scared, but he didn't want to admit it. "It's too quiet, too... stealthy. Unless they've evolved, that can't be a red-eye. We need to get out of here."

There was then a yelp from him, as he jumped back, running into Rakira in the process. Rakira stumbled a little, and almost dropped his machete. Mystella quickly turned, as did Kaedea.

In front of them was a man. He was a little taller than Rakira and Axel, so he was roughly around the same height as Mystella. He had a hat on which concealed his short hair, and he had a muscular build, like a soldier. When he spoke, his voice was rich and deep, calming, even. "That would be the smartest course of action.." He gestured vaguely, "If it was a Red-Eye."

Mystella brandished her katana at the strange man, crimson eyes narrowed to slits. The man then chuckled, putting his hands up. "Damn, what is it with white people and violence? I didn't even say anything weird-"

She only kept that same glare, even taking a step closer. It was intimidating, and surely not something anyone else would've taken so calmly. He smiled at the group, before offering a little wave.

Kaedea, who was ready to load an arrow into her bow, looked to Mystella for guidance. Axel and Rakira were still recovering from their little mishap, but it didn't take very long. They both positioned themselves and their weapons to point at the man.

Mystella, without fault, simply said, "Who are you, and what do you want?" It was powerful, commanding. The man gave a smile and went to explain, as a small gecko crawled out of his sleeve. It was yellow and black, all the way from the back of its head to the bottom of its tail, decorated with dots, and various spots.

He slowly lowered his arm to hold the gecko properly, with an even wider smile. "Does it even matter, Mystella?"

Mystella scoffed and threw her hands up. "I guess everyone knows who I am, now. Someone forgot to tell me when I became famous."

Kaedea furrowed her brows. The man wasn't one she recognized, but at the same time, he had a vaguely familiar aura to him. She just couldn't put her finger on who he was. "Well, yes. It does matter. Even I don't even recognize who you are."

The man looked down at his gecko, that same smile still present. It was more of a smirk then, though. "You can call me Chronos. It's a pleasure. And this," He lifted the gecko once more, "is Kairo." Kairo simply bobbed his head, as if agreeing.

"Well, Chronos, how do you know me?" Mystella asked with an all-serious face. It was clear that she wasn't messing around, and those piercing red eyes stayed on Chronos.

He kept that teasing smirk, as Kairo crawled back into his sleeve. "You said everyone knows you, Mystella Divinam. So why should I be an exception?"

Mystella's knuckles went white as she gripped her katana. "Evading the question will get you killed, Chronos."

He chuckled softly and rolled his shoulder. "I mean no harm, I promise." But the voices faded out, as the world around Mystella went dark. She took a deep breath, expecting to have another one of those strange visions again. But it never came. She could only see the glowing shards of the people around her. Axel's bright green stone, Rakira's luminescent yellow stone, Kaedea's brilliant blue stone, and something.. Strange, with Chronos's. Mystella could tell he had some sort of stone, but it was as if it was smothered, shrouded in a dark mist.

"So you're one of us. Interesting. I suppose we'll take you with us, stranger. But know this," She stepped towards him, pushing her katana's blade against his neck, but not hard enough to draw blood; just enough to intimidate him. "If you try anything funny, I won't hesitate to kill you, got it?"

Chronos nodded slowly, and Mystella backed off. He then turned to Axel, that small smile coming back. "Sorry for startling you, Axel."

Axel blinked a few times at him, then looked to Rakira and Mystella, then back to Chronos. "You know my name, too?"

Chronos nodded again, "Yeah, I know all of your names," He pointed at Mystella, "Mystella Divinam," then Axel, "Axel Alces," then Kaedea, "Kaedea Venatrix," then finally, Rakira. "And... Rakira Levisay."

Mystella gave an affirmative nod, "Well, we'll get back on that subject, later. We need to get out of here. It's not safe, in The Yak. And like I said, I can tell you have glass, so you're sticking with us."

She turned on her heel and started walking before a strange mist started pooling at their feet. "Uhm... Mystella?" Rakira said, a little nervously.

Without warning, the fog filled the forest in a rather quick succession. Kaedea started panicking; she'd seen this before. The fog was extremely bad news, and it wasn't a good thing that they were out here when it came. It didn't take long for the group to be separated.

"Guys?" Axel yelled out into the mist, a worried look taking over his features. "This isn't funny... Where are you?" He started walking forward, squinting his eyes to try and find anyone he could. It was near impossible, though, and he couldn't even see a few feet in front of him, just fog. Every step he took only made him feel more lost, and he started panicking.

"Axel.." a man's voice rang out through the fog then, and Axel immediately recognized it as his father's. "Dad..?"

Mystella started to panic, as well. She was alone again, not even being able to find Titan. She started running, her breaths getting heavier. She could feel an anxiety attack coming on, noticeable by the increasingly tight feeling in her chest, and the overwhelming panic that washed over her. "Axel? Kira? Titan..? Please don't leave me.."

An ethereal voice made itself present from somewhere in the fog, then. "My rose.."

Chronos was used to being alone, but the sudden split-up was strange. He kept a cool head, his brown eyes looking around through the thick fog. It took a bit of remembering, but he recalled going through this, before. "Mystella..?"

He started stepping through the faintly familiar fog, nervously looking around. Even Kairo seemed on edge, as he curled around Chronos's wrist.

Kaedea wasn't as worried as the others. She too had been through this before and knew what to expect. She put her fingers on either side of her mouth and whistled, the piercing sound ringing out through the forest. Soon after, a beautiful white and gray hawk flew down from the canopy and landed on her outstretched arm. It cawed loudly, before ruffling its feathers, its golden eyes making contact with her azure ones.

She looked at her and sighed with relief. "Freya.." then, she took a deep breath. "Who's in the most trouble?" Freya cawed in response, pointing her beak in another direction. Kaedea nodded, before taking off.

Mystella was following the voice, somewhere else. "Azeline..? Did you come back?"

Axel was running, as he caught a brief glimpse of his dad. It looked like his mother and sister were behind him too, and he let out a cry of relief. "You're okay! I... I thought you were dead!" They kept fading in and out of his vision. What he didn't seem to notice, though, was the danger he was nearing... a cliff.

He walked ever closer to the edge, teary green eyes reaching out for the family he'd lost. They were all smiling and beckoning him with warm, welcome arms. "Come on back home, Axel. We've missed you so much...

Chronos suddenly broke through the fog behind Axel, yanking him back by the arm, safe from the cliff he was about to fall from. He gasped from shock, whipping around to smack Chronos. He then looked back into the distance, watching the figure he'd previously seen fade away.

Chronos rubbed his cheek, "Ow, you dick. That hurt."

Axel rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Sorry.." It took him a moment to realize the danger he'd been in, just previously. "Oh. Well, thanks."

Chronos nodded with a hearty chuckle and then punched Axel in the arm. "Don't mention it, kid. But, you need to get to Rakira, now. He's about to fall into a swamp. There's a really big oak tree with a carving of an "x", you'll see it. The fog is making him see his sister, and she's luring him. You need to run to him. Go that way." He turned the greenette to the left to show him where to run and then took off in the other direction.

Rakira was focused on someone in the distance. It was a woman, and she was wordlessly beckoning him. He followed blindly, not even minding the increasingly wet and sinking feeling underneath him. He passed a rather large tree, though he didn't really pay much attention to it.

Right as he was about to step into the swampy depths in front of him, a hand gripped his arm, and he was pulled back, somewhat harshly.

It was Axel, who followed Chronos's every word. He was skeptical at first, but once he saw the tree, and then soon after, Rakira... he knew he wasn't lying. He'd gotten there just in time. Kaedea broke through soon after, and gasped, seeing the two. "Oh, thank The Magistrates. You're both okay.."

Kaedea pulled the two up, with a sigh. She was about to say something, but Freya interrupted her before she could speak. Her blue eyes went wide, and she had a realization. "Mystella! Axel, Rakira, come on, she's in danger!"

Mystella was halfway through a deep lake, the dark and murky water coming up to her waist. After a moment, though, she suddenly felt arms around her, from behind. It was Azeline, and she was whispering into the taller woman's ear. In a dark, alluring voice she coaxed her into grabbing her katana, leading it up to rest at her throat. "Do this, and we'll be together forever, My Rose... Together forever, and always. That's what we always said, right? Forever and always.."

The three made it to the lake Mystella was treading, and collective gasps came from the group. Axel and rakira ran into the water, and Kaedea calmly wadded over, to stand next to her. None of them wanted to touch her, just in case, but Azeline's embrace had gone, leaving Mystella only with the morbid instructions. Hot tears streamed down her face, as she stared off into the distance.

"Please, Mystella.." Rakira started, laying a hand on her arm. "We need a leader. It's not Azeline. She's not here, anymore. Please.."

Axel wrapped his arms around her, just where 'Azeline' was, moments before. Rakira hugged her from the side, tightly. Kaedea joined in, a second later. Mystella's arm then dropped, her katana no longer pressed against her throat.

Mystella sniffled, and she looked down, ashamed. "I'm fine, I just... don't know what came over me, I guess.."

Axel sighed. "It's alright, Sacramentum. It happened to all of us. I think-" he started patting her back, as Rakira nodded in agreement. "I know it's hard. But we have to keep a clear head and carry on. Azeline wouldn't want you to give up so easily."

She gave a shaky sigh, as they let go of her. "Don't... call me that... and, well, she said we'd be together, again.."

Rakira frowned, "And you will be, one day. Just not now, okay?"

Mystella wiped a few stray tears, before taking a deep breath. "You're right. I need to keep pushing... for her."

Rakira soon let them be and walked off. "I'll keep watch." 

Kaedea frowned and followed him, doing the same.

Rakira found himself sitting on a log, playing with his bracelet. The fog had him thinking about his sister, again. It had been a while since he last saw her. Kaedea took a seat next to him, sitting in comfortable silence.

He noticed after a moment and stood. "Sorry. I should be taking watch.."

Kaedea shook her head, before pointing upwards, at Freya. She was flying around, surveying the surrounding wood. She then pulled Rakira back down to sit, who sighed. "I know you don't know me, but I can tell you've been through... a lot. You want to vent?"

Rakira scoffed, "Why would a total stranger let me vent to them? I'm fine." He looked away and started tearing up, frustrated.

Kaedea shrugged, in response, "I know what it feels like, to bottle everything up. You don't want to bother anyone with your problems, and so you push them down, and when no one's looking. You eventually get to a point where you can't cry, anymore, and you just smile because it hurts no matter what you do." She looked at him, "I'm not stupid, Rakira."

He gave another frustrated sigh and dug his nails into his jeans. "Just leave me alone. I'm fine."

Kaedea sighed. "You can't lie to me. I've heard that line way too many times."

He took another deep breath. "Why do you even care?"

"Because I know what it's like to have no one. You don't deserve that." She frowned, silence hanging between them before she spoke up, again. "Y'know, I used to think about... death, all the time. But, then I realized that, well, you can't focus on the inevitability of death. If you do that, you're only going to worry, and life will feel dull. The things you wish you did will haunt you, and in your last days, all you'll remember is the worry. Besides, you have glass. So.."

Rakira finally turned to her, then. "That doesn't really matter, though." He bitterly shook his head. "I'm still going to die, eventually. So why not think about it? It's... terrifying."

"And why do you believe you'll die, Rakira?" Those words hung heavily in the air between them.

"Because... Everything dies. If it bleeds, one day it won't. It's simple, really." He wiped a stray tear and looked up at the canopy above.

Kaedea hummed for a moment, before looking up, as well. "Perhaps. But, if all you do is dwell on the bad, you'll never be able to acknowledge the good, even if it's only little things." She looked around for a moment and then spoke up, again. "Look at that bird" She pointed at a cardinal, which was singing. "It's living. It's such a rare occurrence to see an animal that isn't dead or a red-eye."

Rakira frowned. "Well, I don't understand why it's still here. It could fly away, be free." he stared at the bird, pondering.

Kaedea shrugged. "Well, it belongs here. It has a family," She pointed out the nest, nearby. "You don't leave your family."

Rakira scoffed, again. "That didn't stop my family from leaving me. Besides, if it didn't have a family, I'm sure it wouldn't see very much good, anyway."

Kaedea gave a soft smile. "It lives day by day. It always wakes up with the intent to survive. And, well, if they abandoned you... then they aren't really people you should call family, anyway. The people that stick with you, are."

He looked down at his hands, again. "I miss her. So much.."

Kaedea frowned. "Your sister? Yeah, she was amazing. One of the strongest women I knew. It's a shame, what happened to her.."

Rakira furrowed his brows, and hissed out his next words, somewhat aggressively, "Don't talk about her. Especially not like she's dead."

She held her hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm sorry. I know what it's like if I'm honest. I have people I miss, too."

He played with a stray leaf, listening to her.

"Mostly my mom, and Levi.." She sighed as if remembering something.

He mumbled, in response. "Levi? The guy from the picture?"

She nodded, and crossed her legs, "Yeah, Levi. I've.. been in love with him, for about five years, now. Ever since he saved me. We dated for about a year, but... I guess things never felt right, to him. And, well, I respected that."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Rakira responded, before shuffling his foot around in the dirt.

Kaedea chuckled softly. "Nah, it's my fault. It just sucks, because he disappeared about, well, a year ago, and... I don't even know if he's alive..."

Rakira frowned, "I'm sure he's alive."

She shrugged, and then let a sigh pass her lips. "Well, we should get going. Stella and Axel are probably waiting for us."

Rakira stood with her, after nodding in agreement. Everything seemed just a little lighter, then.

Axel turned to Mystella, those green eyes shimmering. "Where do you think we go, after all of this? Is it like... the afterlife, like everyone else? Or do we go somewhere else, because of our glass?"

"I don't know. Maybe we do, maybe we don't. Maybe there isn't... anything." She responded, staring off into the distance.

"Well, that's kind of morbid, Nutella," Axel said, staring blankly at her.

Mystella then turned to him, about to yell at him. She thought he was going to call her 'Sacramentum', like before, so she was just surprised. "What did you just call me?"

He smiled. "Nutella. I know you hate it when I call you Sacramentum, so I settled on Nutella. Nutella, Mystella."

"I- Don't call me that either-'' She punched him in the arm, and stood, only to make eye contact with Kaedea and Rakira. It was then, that she noticed Chronos was gone. "Where did Chronos go? I thought he was with you guys-"

They both shook their heads, and Kaedea looked confused. Axel spoke up, though, "He uhm... kind of took off..."

Mystella frowned. "Well, I suppose he might have gotten lost. Mine as well give him the benefit of the doubt... for now."

Rakira then took a breath. "Where we goin'?"

Mystella pondered for a moment, but before she could say anything, Kaedea spoke up. "We need to go see someone. We're not gonna be able to get through the fog without talking to her.."

"And who would that be?" Mystella asked, crossing her tattooed arms.

Kaedea sucked the air through her teeth. "She umm.. she lives here. In the forest. She kinda has a sort of subclass of glass. It's called 'The Mist Glass'. It gives her this.." She kicked the fog, "Weird ability."

"Maybe we should get going, then.." Axel spoke up, fiddling with his hands.

Rakira nodded in agreement. "Which way should we go?"

Freya flew down and landed on Kaedea's shoulder, then. She pointed off to the left and took the lead. Mystella nodded and started wringing out her coat. Axel looked between her, and Rakira. "You two go ahead, we'll catch up, in a moment."

Rakira nodded, and walked off, with Kaedea. Axel then turned to her, waiting for her to get done. She finished, and shook her hands off, to get the water off of them. "What's wrong? You look so... anxious."

Axel frowned and started walking, Mystella following. "It's... about Chronos. He knows way too much about all of us, about Rakira. And, well.." He spoke in a hushed tone, "He knew exactly where Rakira was, in the fog. He knew exactly what Rakira was seeing, and even the exact carving on a tree he passed. It's just... really weird."

Mystella took all this new information in, and frowned, as she thought. "That is pretty weird... I guess when we find him, we'll have to keep an even closer eye on him.."

The forest only seemed to darken, as the silence grew. Their ears tried to pick up anything, and the only sound was ringing. There were no birds, no red-eyes, no footsteps. Just, nothing. Just the pressing silence.

Axel and Mystella eventually caught up to the other two and caught on to the conversation they were having.

"I don't like this... It's way too quiet. There should be something, right? Anything.." Rakira whispered, looking around nervously.

Kaedea responded just as quietly, "There's something wrong here, for sure.."

Mystella finally reached them and joined in. "All the more reason to just get this done and over with."

Rakira jumped at the sudden third voice, but Kaedea simply chuckled softly. "Well, good thing that's the place, then."

Ahead of them was an old cabin. It looked like it hadn't been used in years, and like it was falling apart. Disgusting and decrepit, no one really wanted to approach it. Axel furrowed his brows, "Is... said person even in there?"

Kaedea nodded, approaching the wooden door. There were cracks in it, but not enough to clearly see through it. They were barely even able to see glimpses of the interior.

"She's probably dead, Kaedea.." Mystella spoke up, voicing everyone else's thoughts. This earned a head-shake from Kaedea, though. "No, she's here, trust me. I know she is."

Kaedea then looked back at the group, then locked eyes with Mystella. "Do you want me to go in, first? I know her... Rather well. So I wouldn't really have an issue with it."

Mystella shook her head. "No. What if she's a red-eye? Then you'll be put in danger... And I wouldn't want to risk someone under my command's life."

She then approached the door, taking the front of the house in. The door frame looked like it was bending downwards, and it even looked like the whole house itself was... sagging, almost.

Mystella slowly opened the door, which creaked loudly, as if in protest. A thought crossed Mystella's mind; that whoever lived here, clearly needed to call for some repairs. But, well, that was out of the question. Red-eye repairmen aren't really that effective.

The house was strangely cold; as if it was enveloped in ice. Mystella reached for her katana, resting her hand on its hilt. If she needed it, she could very easily access it. No matter what, having at least a little bit of an advantage over her enemy was a win, in her book.

She stepped in, her boot cracking some discarded glass, presumably from a mirror. She looked down after moving her boot, catching her reflection. She grimaced and quickly looked away. It had been a while since she saw herself, and she didn't even recognize who she saw.

Axel frowned and was about to say something when he was cut off by the sound of a shotgun loading. 

Mystella slowly turned, to see the gun pointed at her head. There was an elderly woman on the other end, her shaky hands barely holding the gun straight. "Who are you people..?"

Rakira pulled out his machete, and Axel reached for his staff. Mystella simply held up a hand, though. She'd normally take this woman out with ease, but she noticed something the others hadn't; the strange gray stone embedded in her neck.

Kaedea's eyes widened, and she frantically made her way past the others, to be seen. "Mist! It's me, Kaedea! These are my friends.." The woman then lowered her gun slowly, before scoffing and hanging it back up. "What do you want?"

She frowned and gestured vaguely. "Well.. we kinda need help."

The woman seemed displeased by this but soon after bitterly nodded, in agreement. She walked into another room, and Mystella took a moment to look around. It was a cozy cabin, and it looked a lot bigger than it presented as, outside. There was even a second floor, noticeable by the staircase off to the side.

She then entered the room the others had gone into, finding them sitting next to each other at a wooden table. Axel was talking to Rakira about something Mystella didn't quite catch, and Kaedea was helping 'Mist' set up the table so that they could eat something. Real food sounded amazing at this point, but Mystella knew better than to eat food strangers give you unless they eat it first.

She took a seat next to the two already at the table, and carefully watched both Kaedea and Mist prepare the food. It didn't look like they added anything to it, but it was better to be safe than dead.

It was then that Mystella picked up on a noise further off into the house. Footsteps. Someone was approaching them. She wrapped her hand around the tsuka, her eyes surveying the peripheral view she did have, without being too suspicious-looking.

"Hey, Mist. I filled the.." The voice of Chronos filled the room, and then stopped short when he noticed his former acquaintances. "You guys made it here. That's good."

Axel wasn't very happy about this, though. He was the first to speak up. "Where did you go? You just - abandoned us!"

Chronos sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I had to come here, to ask if Mist could stop the fog... I was just trying to help."

Mystella scoffed at him, and then looked down at the liquid that was poured into the old cracked bowl in front of her. It was dark brown, and there were some odds and ends floating around; carrots, pieces of celery, something that looked like beef - it looked more appealing than spam, at least.

The woman soon joined the group in a seat across from Rakira and was the first to eat the soup. Kaedea and Chronos joined soon after, and Rakira and Axel followed suit. Mystella stared down into the liquid, though, at her reflection. She hadn't changed a bit, since the beginning of the apocalypse. She sighed softly and pulled her long, dark red hair back into a high bun.

Kaedea's azure eyes trailed over to Mystella, caught by the motion. "Y'know, you should cut that. It's pretty dangerous to have such long locks, even if they are pretty."

Mystella rolled her eyes in turn, though. "Yeah, well, I don't care. My hair was always Azeline's favorite thing about me.. Physically." She smiled to herself, thinking about how Azeline used to braid her hair randomly.

"Well, I'm just saying-" but she was cut off, by Chronos shaking his head at her. It was as if they had their conversation no one else heard, and she just soon shrugged and started eating her food again.

Mystella started eating her soup as well, dropping the topic completely. "So. Missing memories?" The old woman spoke up, grey eyes focused on Mystella.

She took a little bit of a spit-take and set her bowl down as she brought her eyes up to meet the older woman's. "How do you know? I haven't even mentioned anything-" then, she looked to Kaedea. "Did you say something to her?"

Kaedea shook her head and continued eating.

Mist chuckled softly, her somewhat clouded eyes never leaving Mystella's. "You've had a long and tough road. I can see the murk that clouds your mind.." She tapped her long, spindly fingers on the table, with a serious look. "I can help you regain these memories, but you must do something for me, first."

Rakira dropped his head to the table, and for a moment, Mystella was concerned that the soup was poisoned. After a second, though, he started banging his head off the table.

Mystella patted his back, with a sigh. "Well, it's important, Kira. We should just do this and get it over with." Then, she turned back to Mist. "What do you need us to do?"

Kaedea and Chronos turned away then, after looking at each other for a brief moment. That struck Axel as a little odd, but he turned his attention back to the conversation back at hand. "Something is in my forest, Divinam. And I want it out. It's attracting the Red-Eyes, and I'm not exactly in the best state to be killing them... The fog can only dissipate so much, though. About enough to see each other and not be pulled, until it's gone. You will be able to do this fine if I bless you."

Axel furrowed his brows. "Bless us? How are you gonna do that?"

"Like this," She spread her hands, holding her palms outwardly towards the group. A fine mist emitted from them, cascading down and covering each individual. Most of the group seemed relatively calm about it, but Axel was already reaching in his bag for his hand sanitizer as if it were a cascade of germs falling on him.

Mystella's crimson eyes caught something in the forest, then. It looked like it was jumping from tree to tree, with inhuman ease. She pondered over whether or not that could be what Mist was talking about. Rakira then tapped Mystella's shoulder, shaking her from her trance. "You alright?"

She blinked a few times, and shook her head, to clear the previous thoughts she had. "Yeah, I'm alright. Anyway, how are we supposed to find this thing? We don't even know what we're looking for."

The woman's expression was grim when she answered. "You can't miss it. It's gigantic. Stands about at tall as the average tree, crashes through everything in its path."

Axel wasn't paying attention, though, and continued lathering his hands and arms in the sanitizing gel. Rakira on the other hand, though, groaned in protest. "So... correct me if I'm wrong - and I don't believe I am; but we're fighting a titan?"

Titan tilted his head and gave a low whine. Mystella petted his head with a smile. "It's alright, boy. He wasn't talking about you." Then, she straightened herself out. "Well, it's not like we haven't done this before. It should be... relatively easy.." The thing in the woods caught her eye, again. It was closer this time, before disappearing so suddenly.

Rakira, Axel, and Chronos then stood from the table, and Mystella and Kaedea followed soon after. "Well, mine as well get going, before it gets too dark."

Kaedea started walking towards the door, but Mist stopped her, suddenly. "No, Kaedea. You stay."

Mystella gritted her teeth, glaring at the woman, but Kaedea just held her hand up, shaking her head. It was as if she was saying that it was useless. Mystella rolled her eyes and walked out with everyone else. As they left, Kaedea and Chronos made eye contact, and her glasses glowed blue for a brief moment.

Upon making it outside, she started tying her laces on her boots to correct them again. It was then, though, that Rakira spoke up, sounding a little irritated. "Do you not like me? I haven't done anything to you."

Mystella looked up to see the exchange, and it was Chronos that responded. "No? Why do you think that?"

Mystella finished up and stood, starting to lead the way; as Rakira chuckled sarcastically, shaking his head. "Whatever."

Axel, ignoring everyone, pointed out some rather large footsteps. "Guys-?"

Mystella looked over, and then soon joined him. Comparing her foot to it, she sucked air through her teeth. "Damn, that's pretty big."

She then started following the footsteps, humming softly to herself. Mist was right; they could just barely see through the fog. It was just enough to be able to see where they were going.

Out of nowhere, seemingly, rustling sounded. It was off to the group's right, so they each pulled out their respective weapons and pulled up their face masks. A red-eye stumbled out, slowly. It completely ignored the group, though, and shuffled its way towards another area. What its objective was, they didn't know. Mystella grabbed it by the collar and shoved her katana through its rotting head.

Rakira furrowed his brows. "Why didn't it attack us? I mean, we're right here."

Mystella looked back at him. "The fog. It was leading it to its death. Trust me, it's a lot better off just dying mercifully."

Chronos nodded in agreement and sighed softly, "unfortunately, that does happen to be true. Mist is..." He trailed off, biting his tongue. Mystella was going to question him further about it, but she decided against it. They then continued their trek onward, until they were stopped by the sound of crashing, deeper in the woods. This had to be what the woman was talking about - it would only make sense.

As they made their way towards the sound, Axel suddenly froze in fear. It was that creature again - the one he'd used his abilities against, which almost killed him. Seeing the massive creature before him again... it was pure terror.

Mystella narrowed her eyes and didn't even bother turning to Axel. "Man up. This storm isn't going to tread itself."

With a sigh, Axel's arms shot out, and large vines sprung out from beneath the ground, cracking the soil. They wrapped around the creature, bounding its arms, legs, and torso. Chronos and Rakira stayed back, though, as Mystella ran full speed at the thing, brandishing her katana.

She used a few vines as footing, jumping up to get better leverage on the thing so that she could easily incapacitate it. Sinking her katana deep into its chest, the beast let out a roar. Roses sprung from the wound and around her katana, and Mystella was taken aback. This was new to her - nothing like this had ever happened, before. With that moment of hesitation, the thing broke its arm free of a vine, and hit her, clipping her in the jaw. She was thrown back and hit the cold ground beneath her.

There was the creaking of the vines threatening to snap as the large red-eye leaned forward. Mystella couldn't move - though she did try. She was frozen, temporarily. Once again she feared that she was about to die. Suddenly, there was a weight on top of her - but nowhere near heavy enough to be the creature. It was Chronos, doing his best to protect her from the falling red-eye.

But nothing ever did crush them.

Mystella looked around and felt the earth around them shake as the thing fell backward instead; Axel was sweating profusely from the amount of energy it took him to pull it back. Chronos then got back up, pulling his golden blade from its sheath. He soon walked up to the monster, before driving it into its rotting head.

He then, after wiping the blood off, sheathed it again. After that, he pulled Mystella's katana out of the red-eye's chest with a sigh, and gently set it on the ground next to her.

Mystella sat up, wincing from the pain. She'd sustained quite a few injuries, but the one on her face was particularly bad. It was going to leave a nasty scar, for sure. Chronos then sat in front of her, after grabbing the small first-aid kit he always kept on him.

He started to clean the wound, pouring some peroxide onto it and then using a rag to dab at it. She winced just a little, though the far-away look she had remained present. She wasn't used to people helping her. She was used to helping others, or just doing it herself. "...Thanks."

"You're welcome." was all he said, as he handed her katana back to her.

Mystella then turned to Axel, who was being consoled by Rakira. His nose was bleeding, but not as bad as the first time he did this. He looked nowhere near as bad as that first incident.

The calm was short-lived, though, as the fog dissipated, and the horrid laughing started up again. It was like a disease, infiltrating their ears. Mystella's vision faded to black, and that distanced, faraway look came back.

Her vision went from the vague abyss until it faded slowly into a white wasteland. It took her a few moments to realize that the white was mostly snow, for endless miles. "Axel? Rakira? Chronos?" She called out, looking around. Around her was nothing, save for the snows, and a few barren trees. Way ahead sat a creature underneath one of those trees.

Mystella walked closer as the falling snowflakes drifted down to rest on her coat. The thing reminded her of an old, decaying soul. It somewhat resembled the red-eye she'd seen in the forest before, only with a deer's skull for its head, with antlers protruding from it. The black, voidless eyes, the ripped-up skin around its mouth... it was just as terrifying, if anything.

"Am I dying? Are you going to eat me?" Mystella asked, looking down at her hands. They were painted a light blue; as if she was simply a spectre. Her fingers involuntarily twitched at the same time.

A bodiless, gravelly voice came from the creature, then. "No. This is nothing more than something of an awakening, I assure you."

There was a pause, then, as she sunk into the snow next to him. The cold caressed her pale blue skin, and it was weirdly comfortable to her, in a way. She could doze off here if she wanted to.

The deer-like creature then turned to her, bones creaking, "The anger in your heart warms you now, but it will leave you cold in your grave." and then with that, it shattered, the wind picking up the pieces and carrying the remains off. She leaned back against the tree, the darkness taking over her vision again, once more.

When it returned, though, it was nothing like she expected. She thought she'd see Chronos, Axel, and Rakira with her, but she was at a table instead. She blinked a few times, and then looked around before her eyes made contact with Azeline, who was rambling on about something. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was this real? "Azeline..?"

Azeline stopped what she was saying and turned to her, smiling. "Yes, My Rose? Is everything okay? I know those pills you're on kinda make you go in and out, sometimes."

Mystella blinked a few more times and looked down at her hands, trying to make sense of this all. "Pills? What pills? What's going on?"

She chuckled and reached over to rub her shoulder, with a bright smile. "The pills they put you on for your headache, silly. You were in a coma for a while.." She frowned at the thought and sighed softly. "If I'm honest, I didn't think you'd come back.." She then shook her head, with a smile.

"Well, I'm gonna get started on my writing. You know what I like!" Azeline gave a warm smile, as Mystella got up from the table and started walking to the counter.

On the way, though, someone bumped into Mystella, spilling coffee all over the crop-top she was wearing. Mystella was shocked, and turned, but then looked down. It was none other than Kaedea, looking as vibrant as she could be, save for the ashamed look she wore. "I'm so sorry, ma'am - I wasn't watching where I was going-"

Mystella furrowed her brows, "Kaedea?"

Kaedea paused and gave her an equally confused look. "Uhm, no, ma'am. My name is Visum," She fixed those circular glasses, with an awkward smile, "I think you have the wrong person. I'm sorry about your coffee, though. I can buy your's-"

Mystella dismissed her with a wave, and an, "No, that's okay. Have a nice day, Miss Visum."

'Visum' then walked away with a tight smile, her embarrassed demeanor painfully obvious. Mystella had a feeling she wouldn't be visiting this place again, anytime soon.

She finally made it to the counter, where the barista greeted her with a smile as bright as his vibrant white hair. He had a few piercings in his ears, and a tattoo of claws was visible on the exposed skin that his uniform didn't cover, near his collar bone and his neck. His tag read, 'Levi'. "What can I getcha?"

Mystella cleared her throat and words that didn't even feel like her own came out of her mouth. "Two iced caramel macchiatos, please."

He nodded and walked off, and Mystella decided to look around. It was then that someone entered the shop, with a little kid in tow.

It was Perditus.

He looked happy, as he held the door open, for his brother to enter. He didn't seem like that cold and menacing person she'd met, before. He seemed like a ball of sunshine. His long hair was jet-black and was very well taken care of. It was different than when she'd last seen him; when his hair was that dark purple, pulled back into a messy bun. Their overall demeanor just seemed brighter. Softer, even.

In a booth to the left was a family. A man with forest green hair, a woman, and what Mystella assumed was their kids. After another moment of observation, though, she realized that the older kid was Axel. Her eyes widened, and then they suddenly made contact with his.

Axel smiled awkwardly at her with a little wave, and then anxiously looked away, fiddling with his hoodie strings. His sister started playfully teasing him, as his face started turning a shade of red. The man waved happily to Mystella, though, as if she were an old friend. She didn't recognize him, though, just from the photograph she saw. She offered a little wave and then turned back towards the barista, who now had a bit of a clouded look in his snowy eyes.

She took her drinks and started heading back to the table, but not before she heard him making a strange noise. That made her pause, and she turned on her heel.

It looked as if Levi was glitching between being a warm and friendly barista, and a sadistic, bloody monster. He only repeated one word, over and over.

"Help"

Mystella woke with a start, taking deep breaths. When she looked around, all she could see, was blood. Blood, everywhere. It was absolute carnage. Her heartbeat sped up, as she feared that she killed someone. This wasn't the case, though.

She soon locked eyes with Axel, who was terrified. Her gaze traveled to the other two, with similar expressions. Chronos looked a little less surprised, though. It would seem that they have never seen this side of her. She didn't know what she did, but she knew one thing.

She never left this place.

Her grip around the handle of the blade tightened, her jaw tensing up. She soon then walked back towards the cabin, in a rather aggressive manner. She hadn't lost control like that in a while, and she was rather mad that it had happened, again.

The other three soon caught up to her, though. Axel laid his hand on her shoulder, and she swung around; barely missing him with her katana, in the process.

He jumped back, startled. She'd never shown actual hostility towards him before, and it was surprising, to say the least. She sighed, "I'm sorry, Axel. I didn't mean to"

But her words were cut off, by Titan's low growl. It caught her off guard, and so her attention immediately went to the canine, eyebrows furrowing. "Titan? What's wrong?"

He snarled at the same tree, then, and let out a loud, sharp bark. It was obvious that something here upset him, and so she gripped her katana a little tighter. With the other three next to her, Chronos started looking like he was getting uneasy. "We should go, guys.."

Mystella shook her head. "No, we need to find out what has him so uneasy. I don't like it."

It was then, that raindrops started pattering on the leaves around them. Rakira held out his hand, brows furrowed. "Huh, weird. There weren't any clouds, not that long ago.."

There was a barely audible snicker that Mystella picked up on, and her eyes narrowed into a glare. "Come on out, buddy. I don't bite unless you give me a reason to."

A crack of lightning flashed across the sky, the roll of thunder following close behind, as the rain started coming down heavier. A whisper drifted down sinisterly, from a deep voice hidden in the trees. "You may not, but I know Chronos does.."

Chronos looked scared as if Mystella was going to hurt him. But, in truth, she was willing to at least give him a little bit of a chance. He hadn't done anything too suspicious, yet. And if he did, Mystella would have no issue cutting him down.

A man dropped down in front of them, though. The same white-haired male from both the polaroid and from her vision. There was a calm smile present on his face, and he even tilted his head a little, as he folded his hands. The rain started falling harder, then. He had a clouded gaze similar to Perditus's, but not quite as harshly.

Chronos scowled at him. "What do you want, Levi?"

Levi chuckled sinisterly, "Perditus isn't very happy with you, Chronos. Breaking your cover like that.."

Chronos inched closer, gripping that sword of his ever-so-tightly. "Shut up and leave me alone, Levi. That's behind me."

Levi snickered, glaring at the taller man. "You were supposed to lure her in, being... Oh, what was her name? Daisy? Madeline?" he teased.

Mystella's crimson eyes looked to Chronos, and then back to Levi. She wasn't too shocked about this but wasn't happy, either. She could respect him for choosing to not further impersonate her beloved, but it still left a rotten taste in her mouth.

Levi's eyes lit up, then. "Azeline! That's what her name was." He grinned then, looking over to Mystella. "Ah, and you must be Mystella - oh, a true beauty. Just as I was told! The descriptions don't even compare, I must say!"

Mystella kept her gaze level with his, for once not opting to immediately choose violence. She still had her katana on hand, though, as she glared at him. The leaves on the trees rustled violently, with the wind that was steadily picking up.

Any normal person would have been scared, but he showed no sign of fear. He stood strong, that sick grin ever-present. Those pearl-white eyes were still glowing, as the rain kept pouring.

"Oh, Axel! Killing your dad was fantastic! The blood, the screams, the way he turned! It was... beautiful. Truly a work of art. Even Picasso would be jealous!" He let out a burst of maniacal laughter, as Axel's hands started shaking.

It was as if Levi wanted to die. He was so much different than how he'd appeared in Mystella's vision. "And don't even get me started on Azeline! Her screams, as she was tortured. The blood, the panicked whispers that left those pretty lips at night as she pleaded for you to save her! She thought you would come! Such a dumbass!"

Mystella was unnervingly calm, as she walked up to him. As she thought, his white eyes were clouded over. Just like Perditus's. He smirked at her, about to say something, but was cut off as she slammed her fist into his face. Knuckles meeting his cheekbone, as his head was thrown to the side, a bruise already starting to form, from the force of the punch.

He slumped, sliding down the tree behind him. Before, she would have killed him right on the spot, but there was something different in those eyes. It was almost as if they held empathy.

"Well? Let's get going, we have to get back." Mystella stated coldly, as if she hadn't done anything. Soon slinging Levi over her shoulder, she sheathed her katana and started making their journey back to the cabin.

The walk back was painfully silent. Levi was passed out cold, still slung over Mystella's shoulder. Her injury was starting to stain the previously white bandage with her dark red blood, the color about the same shade as her hair. Axel kept looking at her, then at the unconscious Levi, then at Rakira. Chronos had taken up the back of the group - he was ashamed of himself. Mystella now knew his secret, and it came out in the worst way possible. She hadn't said a word to him since, even with him trying to strike up a conversation.

Mystella's face had a grim expression as she continued walking, Levi's limp body twitching now and then. They soon made it back to the cabin, and Mystella sighed. "Rakira, get the door, please."

Rakira nodded and quickly did as she asked. When the door creaked open, it was just as before. There was silence from within, and it was still strangely cold. The soles of Mystella's boots hit the wooden floor, stirring up some dust. "Hey Mist? I've got, uh.." She looked back at Levi. "A hostage? Kinda, I guess. You got any rope or somethin'?"

The elderly woman answered, from in the kitchen. She was washing the pot she used earlier from the soup. "Yes, dear. There should be some rope in one of the drawers," Axel and Rakira immediately started looking, as Mystella sat Levi down in one of the wooden chairs.

His head slumped back, and she simply peered down at him. Then, she turned to Mist. "Hey, uh, is Kaedea sleeping, or something? I haven't seen her, yet."

Mist shook her head, as she put the large pot away. "Ah, no. She's out hunting, for me. Her glass makes her quite the prodigy when it comes to that. You should be worrying about yourself, though. Your wound is bleeding through the bandage."

Mystella chuckled bitterly, gently grazing her fingertips across the bandage, only to find that her fingers were tinted dark red. "Hm, I will."

Rakira and Axel ran back in, holding some rather thick rope. Mystella accepted it with a small smile and a nod and started positioning Levi, to tie him up. Chronos came up from behind the chair and held his hands back so that Mystella could properly bound his wrists. While Mystella's expression didn't change, and she seemed focused on the knots, Chronos took the opportunity to speak up to her. "Mystella...?"

Those burning crimson eyes looked up to meet his caramel brown hues. She finally acknowledged him, and he had her attention. It was intimidating, to say the least. "Uhm... I want to apologize.."

She finished tying the knot and then started reinforcing it. Her silence encouraged him to continue, which he did, after a moment. "Well, I know that you know that it wasn't Azeline, before. I... also admit that I was working for Perditus, yes. But I want to prove to you, that I don't, anymore. I was supposed to stay disguised as your wife, and then kidnap you and Axel.."

Mystella stood up then, after checking to make sure that Levi wasn't going to move, anytime soon. She made her way over to the fireplace, beckoning Chronos to follow, which he did. Her eyes held a certain emptiness, as she stared into the beautiful orange, yellow, and red flames that licked away at the air. Consuming the wooden logs slowly in their path of beautiful destruction.

Chronos sighed softly, before continuing. "I've been with... No, was with Perditus for a while. For how long, I don't remember. But I had no choice. He killed off my entire group and took me as his 'underling', or whatever he called us. He has Azeline in his base, and, well, she's not doing very well. It's like she was getting weaker every day. What's left of her glass is still trying to save her, I guess."

There was a brief moment of silence, as Chronos gathered his thoughts. "Levi isn't a bad man. He's under the control of Perditus like I was. I'm not exactly sure what brought me out of it if I'm honest. But I'm sorry that I impersonated the one person you wanted to see again. I know how much that hurts, I.." He let out a shaky sigh, as he looked down. "He killed my boyfriend and my best friend, in front of me. So I get what it feels like to lose someone you love. We need to get to Azeline soon, though. I'm afraid she may not have very much time, especially with her power draining so quickly."

Mystella nodded, a single tear trailing down her cheek, and dropping to land on her dark jeans. The only thoughts that filled her, were those of her wife being alive. She'd be able to see her, soon. She nodded slowly, her hands folded in her lap. "Okay. Thank you for apologizing."

The elderly woman then sat next to her, along with Rakira and Axel, who were going back and forth punching each other playfully. "So, I assume you took out the beast?"

Mystella nodded again, with a sigh. "Yeah, that was the second time we've seen a creature like that. There was also a small horde that we disposed of. I got hit, but it's alright. It's not that bad, and I'm sure it won't even scar. I might have to follow Kaedea's advice about my hair, though... Although it would be unfortunate to cut it, it seems like it would be the best course of action."

Mist listened intently and then chuckled softly. "Well, that can be arranged. I'm sure someone here can cut it with the razor in the bathroom. But, anyway, on to business. I can help you remove the fog over your mind, but it will be gradual. Removing it all would be a bad idea. It can overwhelm you, and that wouldn't be good. I can start you off with a memory, but it won't be one from this life."

It was then that Axel spoke up, in disbelief. "Seriously? We went through all of that, and you can't even give her a helpful memory?"

Mist shook her head, slowly. "That's not what I said. She will have useful memories, but they'll need to be triggered. She will probably still be conscious, but it's not definite. You need to be prepared to get her to safety."

Axel threw his hands up. "Things to trigger them? You mean things that don't exist, anymore?"

Mist let out a dry chuckle before she snapped her fingers together.

In an immediate reaction, Mystella slumped over, out cold. The three looked at each other in panic, but Mist remained calm. She laid Mystella down properly so that she wouldn't accidentally injure herself further, upon waking. "And now, boys, we wait."

Endless miles of water, reflecting the millions of stars in the skies. The ocean churned with the passing ships, foam rising from their wake. A melancholy tune drifted across the drink, a song - or a lullaby, perhaps - long forgotten by the passing of time. In the water floated a beautiful woman, with long, dark red hair. Beautiful piercing red eyes gazed at the stars, as she floated along with the waves.

This was her idea of peace, being alone. She'd always lived at sea, it was her home. The most welcoming place she found herself being. She loved singing, but her beautiful voice had been found to draw people - mostly sailors - towards her.

Mystella's eyes trailed up to meet those of the captains; someone she didn't recognize, but in a way, felt familiar with. As if she'd met her once before, in a dream, or perhaps another life. Scarlet met crimson in a fiery blaze, as her siren song stopped abruptly. There wasn't normally anyone around these parts, so Mystella was surprised to see a boat so close.

The captain spoke up, then. "Hello? Who goes there? Why are you in the water, so late?"

Mystella's lips curled into a smirk, and she peered up at her. "You say that as if these are your waters, sailor. I have more of a right to be here, than you. So I should be the one asking you such questions."

"Well, my apologies. You aren't of my crew. I thought you were, so.." The woman stated, leaning over the side of the ship, to try and get a better look at the lady down below. "Anyway, would you like a companion? I'm sure it's lonely, down there."

Mystella floated on the waves, the sea maiden's tail barely visible beneath the dark water. Anything could be lurking underneath, but she didn't seem to mind, very much. She knew that she could take care of herself if needed. "Know anyone that would be willing to? Not very many would be as adventurous as to travel the deep, dark depths of the brine. I would like to meet a person so bold."

The captain chuckled softly, resting her chin on her hand. "Well, I would be a willing participant, my lady. If you do wish for my company, that is. I'm no prince, just a lowly pirate."

That wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie. This particular captain was known quite well across the seas, and even most of the land. She was known for being brave enough to go where even angels feared to tread, and kind enough to show them the safest path. This wasn't the only thing she was renowned for, though. She had also taken out many ships containing illegal cargo, mostly containing slaves, drugs, and weapons for mass destruction. She wasn't very loved by most of the authorities, though, considering she was still a pirate.

She was also the target of other pirates, rather often. If it wasn't the fact that she took their cargo, freed their slaves - it was that she was the captain of her ship. It was unheard of to see someone of African-American descent controlling such a vessel, but to make matters worse, she was a woman, who wasn't afraid to show that she was, in fact, a lady. So men would try to take her ship as her own, and no one had been successful. Her band of misfits was tight-knit, and she knew what each could offer her.

Mystella beckoned her down, with a soft voice. "Well come down then, mysterious stranger."

The woman nodded with a smile and started undressing. She was soon left in her skivvies, as she threw a rope ladder over the side. The boat was anchored for the night, as the waves ahead were too rough for them to continue on, in the dark. Not to mention the ever-looming threat of the jagged rocks grouped around various parts of the water.

Instead of climbing down as one would expect her to, the woman lept from the deck, in an elegant fashion. Mystella hadn't ever seen such radiant beauty from anyone before, and it would be an understatement to say that she was enthralled with this stranger.

She broke back to the surface from underneath the water, her bright eyes the first thing she noticed. "Hello, fair maiden. It's a pleasure to see you up close."

A light blush crept across the siren's pale cheeks before she answered. "I think you're the fair one here, sailor."

The woman smirked, before tsking at her playfully, "Ah-ah. It's captain, maiden."

Mystella chuckled softly, "Well, captain it is, then. Do you have a name?"

She nodded and took the woman's features in. "I do. Captain Azeline. You may call me Azeline, though. Anyway, what are you doing out, at such a late hour? The water is rather cold at night."

Mystella pondered for a moment, head tilted up to look at the stars. "Well, I'm always out here at night. I'm normally unbothered. It's the perfect time to swim without worrying about getting sucked underneath a ship."

Azeline smiled coyly at her. "Well, if you wanted to be alone, all you had to do was tell me that."

Mystella disregarded the remark with a wave of her hand. "No, you're fine for now, captain. I enjoy your company, for the moment."

"Well, I'm glad that I can prove to be a good companion." Azeline would respond, before averting her gaze to look up at the stars, as well.

"Well, Azeline. Do you sail these waters often? I don't believe I've seen a ship quite as magnificent as yours, in quite some time." Mystella asked, curiously. Those crimson eyes trailed down, to look at the other woman, then.

"Well, I've been here once or twice. I've never seen anything out here, though. Especially not any sort of settlement. Where are you from?" Azeline replied, before turning her gaze back to meet the others.

"I live relatively close.." Mystella rubbed the back of her neck, averting her eyes.

Azeline nodded, furrowing her brows. "Do you have a camp, around here?"

She then frowned, "Something like that."

The captain tilted her head a little, sensing that something was off, with the woman. "You're hurt, I can tell. What can I do to help you, fair maiden?"

The siren shook her head, her gaze still not meeting the others'. "I don't believe there is anything you can do, captain."

She then frowned and pondered for a moment. "How long have you been alone? Is there anyone you can go to?"

Mystella sighed softly, and her crimson hues eventually met Azeline's. "I've been alone for a long time. I'm kinda used to it."

Azeline's gaze softened. "You know, there's always room on my ship. I know we're strangers, but I have many strangers aboard. I trust them all with my life, though."

She fiddled with her fingers for a moment, biting her bottom lip with those sharp teeth. "Tell you what, Captain. You sleep on it, and if you'd still like me to be in your crew, I'll join."

And so the night went, and in the morning the captain was awoken by the siren's alluring song. Mystella had shifted so that she had legs, now, and she made her way to the ship. The captain brought her to her quarters, as the woman laid down to rest. Azeline gazed at her sleeping form, a sweet smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm glad I found you again, Mystella."

Water.

Chronos was submerged in water, though he wasn't suffocating.

This was how all his dreams were. Just a vast, dark ocean. A deep and endless emptiness. Visions would show up now and then, but they were sometimes hard to grasp unless he had a strong focus on them.

Those umber eyes caught a passing vision, and he focused. Focused harder than he had before. The reason for this being that he'd caught a glimpse of fiery red hair.

The vision gradually expanded, until it was clear. It was Mystella he'd seen, but she wasn't the same. She was walking along a street in a cold, empty world. One devoid of life, color, beauty, and guidance. Even more so than usual.

Chronos walked closer to the woman, only to reel back in shock. She looked horrifying. Her jaw was completely missing, and her hair was torn off in chunks. Blood dripped slowly down her cheeks from her eyes, the tell-tale red sclera obvious, as well. She was wandering meaninglessly, her mangled limbs dragging behind her. The necklace she always wore was missing, and there was a strange red dot flashing from her pocket. He was unable to tell what exactly it was, but it reminded him of the tracker he was sent with, before leaving Perditus's camp.

"It's changing.."

Chronos suddenly woke with a start, taking a deep, sharp breath. A brief curse slipped past his lips, as he stood shakily, holding his head. If his intuition was right, and Mystella did indeed have a tracker, he needed to figure out where it was, and get rid of it. It would make sense if that was how Perditus knew where to send Levi.

He looked around and noticed that everyone was still asleep. Levi was passed out, still tied to the chair, Axel was snoring on the ground mumbling in his sleep, next to Rakira, and he knew Mystella was in the other room. It would seem Kaedea was still out, though.

Quietly he made his way to the room Mystella was sleeping in, making sure to avoid the creaky wooden floorboards. He'd been in here enough to know where most of them were.

She was passed out cold, facing the wall, her arms underneath her pillow, and her breathing was steady. If one didn't know better, they'd think she hadn't slept in years. In reality, though, that wasn't too far off. The only sleep she got, was when she had those strange visions.

Chronos smiled softly, before noticing her bag on the ground. The colors of dawn trickled in through the cracked window, the curtains flowing gently. Red, orange, and yellow crept across the sleeping woman's form, as she stirred just a little. He didn't believe she had awoken yet, so he started his search.

The sound of things being moved around in her bag immediately woke the crimson-haired woman up, and she shot over immediately, hand around the male's throat within a moment. Chronos looked at her with wide eyes, fear laced within them.

"What are you doing, Chronos? I thought I made it obvious that I don't like weirdos touching my stuff." As she spoke, those words were laced with venom, practically dripping from them. She hadn't trusted him in the first place - especially with what Axel had brought to her attention, before.

"I was getting water, I had a nightmare." Yes, it was a lie, but he had a feeling that telling her the truth would either have the blame shifted on to him, or she wouldn't believe him at all. He would tell her in time when she trusted him more. He acknowledged that that wouldn't be for a while, and he didn't blame her. He wouldn't trust himself, either.

Mystella let go of him with a scoff, the glare never leaving him. She reached into her bag, and grabbed a bottle of water, before tossing it to him. She didn't believe him but didn't want to make any accusations without proof, even if she was the leader. After all, there was a chance that he was indeed telling the truth.

"Thanks. The others are still sleeping. Do you want me to get them up?" Chronos questioned rather bashfully, starting to uncap the bottle.

Mystella simply nodded, dusting herself off. She would soon grab her overcoat from a nearby chair and slip it on. Chronos nodded back, before going into the other room to wake them.

Levi was finally awake, and he looked around panicked. It took him a few moments to remember what happened, and he started struggling against the rope bindings around his wrists. A voice from the back of the room snickered at him, and his snowy white hues shot over to where the noise came from.

"I wouldn't suggest struggling. It'll only make them tighter."

He squinted to try and see who it was until a figure walked out into the light. It was Mist. Levi only thrashed around more, the wooden chair starting to scrape along the floor with his movements.

"Now, now. If you don't stop, dearie, I'll have to go get that fiery woman with the beautiful red hair. And I'm sure she'll have a lot to say... or do."

Well, that immediately stopped the white-haired male. He grunted in disapproval, looking away. Then, there were noises from the living room, and Levi turned his head to look.

Chronos had picked Axel up by the ankle and started shaking him. He was the only one still asleep, and Rakira merely watched as his best friend was flung around like a rag doll. Levi wanted to feel deep hatred for the man. After all, he'd gotten away from Perditus without a scratch. He got his promotion, he surpassed Levi, of all people. But there weren't any feelings towards him if he was honest.

Soon walked in Mystella as well, who was yawning and stretching her arms. Levi couldn't exactly remember what kind of a person she was before the apocalypse, but a part of him knew that she wasn't that different. She was still a hardened person with a cold heart, not afraid to kill.

Chronos dropped Axel, who was then awake. He exclaimed his disapproval of the action, and Levi snickered to himself. Deep down, he missed this. Even if his brain was screaming at him that it was wrong. Mist called their attention, though, and an audible gulp was heard from the pale man.

Mystella was the first to come over, followed by the other three, still fighting with each other. Mist spoke up first. "Levi, here, is still under the effect of Perditus's glass, my dear. It would be wise to break that, and I believe I may know a way to do so."

"And what would that be, Mist?" That had piqued Chronos's interest. He had broken away from it on his terms, so he was curious as to how Mist would prefer to do it.

"Well, Chronos, I'd first prefer that you call me by my name. Which is Nebula, as you know. But, I digress. There is a cave not too far from here, though I can't assure you that it's safe, or that it will even work. While the Red-Eyes have been mostly cleared out, there is still danger. This group seems to be especially resilient, though, so I'm sure you five won't have an issue." Nebula informed, gesturing on a map she'd pulled from a drawer in her bureau, which she laid on the kitchen table. "It's right around here. As I said, not very far, at all."

Mystella peered down at the map and then nodded slowly. "Well, let's get going. We don't want to be out there too long if it can be helped. Maybe we'll even be able to find Kaedea, while we're out and about."

It didn't take very long for the group to get ready again, and they soon made their way out of the house. Levi was left behind with Titan as his prison guard. Levi looked frightened at this and begged to tag along, but Mystella had decided it best to scout ahead and avoid giving him a chance to betray them.

The mist almost completely dissipated from the forest, and surprisingly, there weren't very many Red-Eyes around. Their shoes collectively hit the ground, crunching the fallen leaves underneath them. It was just past dawn, and the sky was filled with clouds. Levi wasn't the cause for it this time - or if he was, they weren't sure of it - and it was to be determined of whether or not it would bring rain.

"So, this cave. You think it'll work?" Axel asked as he turned to Rakira. Rakira pondered for a moment, tapping his chin in thought. "Well, maybe. I don't know how much I believe about all this magic stuff.."

Axel scratched his head, his eyebrows furrowed. "But there's magic all around us, Kira. Literally everywhere - this world is like, built on magic."

Mystella spoke up from the front, then. "No, it's not. You grew up around magic, yes, but not everyone did. It's just like the idea that not everyone will understand our abilities."

Axel was going to retort, but the group suddenly stopped. Before the group was a large cave mouth, the opening seemingly going pretty deep in. Mystella wasted no time going in, and the others hesitantly followed.

The cave was unnerving, and some sounds only added to the ominous atmosphere. The wind was whistling through the cracked stones, as the groups' shoes shuffling around created echoes, with the occasional crack as they stepped on a few twigs here and there.

The smell mostly consisted of decay, from whatever animals had taken shelter in there, but there was also the briny smell of slimy lichen. Different types of creatures mostly unseen skittered across the walls and floors.

Axel was having issues, swiping away at his arms, even though nothing was crawling up those blood-stained, orange hoodie sleeves. Rakira moved his dark brown hair out of his face so that he could see more clearly, those golden eyes narrowed into a squint. "Hm. It looks like there are rooms, up ahead. We should split up."

Mystella made a face, as she weighed her options. She knew that they could all handle themselves, and the cave seemed to be able to echo well enough that their voices would carry. She sighed, "Well if we don't, there's no telling how long it could take to find the right place. So, we'll have to split up. There are four different paths, from what I have seen. Axel, you go to the left. Rakira, take the far right. Chronos can go through the middle path, and I'll take this one off to the side."

They all nodded and went into their respective pathways, although Chronos didn't look very thrilled, and Axel looked even less enthusiastic.

Golden hues peered around the room Rakira had found himself in. It was much like the rest of the cramped space, but there was something distinctly different from the other parts of the cavern. This 'room' was all stone, but the far-side wall was a completely smooth surface, which reflected the opposite side.

Rakira curiously approached the mirror-like wall, peering into its depths. He could barely recognize the man that stood in front of him. Those dark, unruly locks swept to the side complimented his skin, and had stark contrast to his bright yellow-golden eyes. They were like the reflection of the sun, playing with the light the way honey teases sunbeams. Like an amber fire blazing away during the darkest night.

There was something strange about his reflection, though. It started normal, when Rakira would move a hand, the reflection would copy it impeccably. He could tell it was him, but it was also just slightly off. Slowly, the image started warping. Rakira moved again, but his reflection stayed still, those vibrant golden eyes staying glued to Rakira's own.

Rakira's smile dissipated until a look of confusion and fear took over. His double was smiling maliciously, as it started reaching towards him. Backing up, Rakira's eyes went wide. "Hey, wait-"

There was a shattering noise, as the Rakira look-alike smashed through the surface, and stalked towards his double. Grabbing his machete, Rakira was more than ready to defend himself, and that seemingly angered the other man. A sharp crack broke through the air as the Other Rakira's knuckles collided against his cheek. The metal of the machete's blade scraped across the floor, leaving Rakira defenseless.

They were about equal in strength, so struggling only brought them at a stalemate. Blood started dripping from the other Rakira's eyes and threatened to drip into Rakira's own eyes.

"Get off of me, - me?" Rakira yelled, before flipping the other over in quick succession so that his doppelganger was underneath him. Those resplendent eyes met with the machete, and he scrambled over to the blade.

The other man attempted to grab Rakira's ankle, but this was met with Rakira's shoe colliding with his face, harboring a sickening crunch. Blood almost immediately started pouring out of his nose, as Rakira scrambled back with his trusted blade.

"Running away, Rakira? Are you too scared of yourself?" The man teased, starting to move towards him, once more. He was surprisingly fast, for someone injured.

"You aren't me!" Rakira replied, gripping the handle of his machete tightly. This wasn't the time at all for hesitation, but it was hard for him not to. He'd killed tons of Red-Eyes and had sparred with his friends more times than he could count. But now that he was up against a person, let alone himself, it was proving to be a lot more challenging.

It was all a blur.

All Rakira felt, was the cold blade sinking into his chest.

The other man looked into Rakira's eyes with shock, and then down at the blade lodged deep within his body. His hand laid on Rakira's for a moment, and Rakira took the moment of temporary peace to catch his breath. "...I'm sorry. But I hope you rest easy, now."

Rakira gently laid the Other Rakira on his side, with a small sigh. "Until Valhalla." He started to shatter, his shards collecting on the ground. Rakira sunk to the floor, with a shuddering sigh. He was covered in the other's blood.

Axel had finally made his way to a room very similar to Rakira's, after walking through a rather strange hallway. As he entered, he too noticed the large, sleek surface. "Oh, I look like that? Yikes-"

He walked closer, poking at the mirror-like object. In doing so, though, his reflection blurred together, until it faded into ripples, revealing something he couldn't quite make out. His hand went through the image, though, and he pulled it back out quickly. Furrowing his brows, he stuck his arm back through, again. Then, his whole body followed.

He shook off the dazed state, and rubbed his eyes, before looking around. It was a dark void, save for the green ripples beneath Axel's body. The greenette stood shakily, before looking around, with squinted eyes. The void started shifting, with beautiful colors spreading elegantly as if they were being painted by DaVinci himself.

He was amazed as the scene unfolded until he caught sight of something he thought he'd never see again.

His family was gathered around a campfire, with smoke rising slowly from the beautiful flames licking away the logs underneath them. Axel remembered wanting to be like that smoke, to fly away, and have freedom. No more responsibilities, no more anything. Just to become one with the atmosphere. And that's what his grave mistake was - daydreaming.

"Axel.." It was Benjamin, his father, speaking to him - no, his younger self. The one dazing off. It should have been simple. Just get him his beer, Axel. Just grab one from the cooler.

But, alas, Axel didn't hear. Benjamin rose with anger brimming in those green eyes, and Olivia, his mother, laid her hand on his arm. He scowled and batted her hand away, before making his way towards his son. Yvette scrambled away from her angry father, and over to her mother. She hadn't been hit by Benjamin before, but, she had seen what he did to Axel. It terrified her, even at such a young age.

Benjamin grabbed the child harshly by the throat and lifted him, and the boy looked beyond terrified. The older Axel stood by where he came from with wide eyes, his hand gently grazing his throat. He couldn't remember this happening.

"When I talk to you, boy, you listen. Do you understand that?" Benjamin barked out, glaring at the boy within his grasp. His stare was hard, and it was like it would burn holes through his eyes. The younger Axel nodded - or did his best to, at least - and then concluded the interaction by throwing him to the ground.

His arm had been propelled into the now-raging fire, and he let out a shrill scream as he felt the flames licking at his elbow. Olivia rushed over to help him out, as Benjamin took Yvette back into the house. The image started blurring together again until the only things left were the billowing smoke from the fire, the stars, and Axel's sobs mixed with Olivia's calming words.

The sounds blended again like the rest of it until it was replaced by Olivia humming a soft, familiar tune. She was wiping Axel's tears while he laid in his bed, snuggled tightly in his blanket. He was crying in his sleep, again. Yvette was in the other room, passed out cold. "He wasn't always like this.." she let out a shaky sigh, "I just want to leave. I can't stand him hitting you all the time, for the smallest things.."

The vision changed, and in front of him appeared none other than his father. Benjamin looked down at his son with disgust. "You killed them, Axel. You left them to die. Because you're a coward. That's all you'll ever be. Just a waste of space."

"Oh my Serj, can you f*ck off?" Axel groaned, channeling his inner Mystella.

His father looked rather confused - he'd never spoken to him. He was about to say something, but Axel cut him off. "I'm not afraid of you, anymore. I feel more sorry for you, because for once in my life, I realize how pathetic you really are." His father's image shattered like glass, the slightest smile creeping across his face.

The vision rippled once again, and everything went dark. Soon, there was a hand on his shoulder. Axel whipped around, meeting... himself. He was the same man, albeit a bit more muscular, and with longer hair, and his black medical mask was pulled up over his mouth and nose. Another difference he noticed, was a scar across his face, from his cheekbone to diagonally between his eyes.

Those chartreuse eyes widened ten-fold, and he attempted to back up, only for those fingers to dig into his shoulder. Axel sighed, and let the man speak. "We grew up just like him, Axel. Just who we need to be. You just have to accept that it was you who killed them. You have nothing, anymore. They don't care about you... But Animus does.."

Axel balled his fists tightly, tears welling in his eyes. It was coming back to him - all the pain his father put him through, just because he wasn't the son he wanted him to be. Just because Axel had his own goals and dreams. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to be how a father treated his son, just because he wasn't his spitting image. And he refused to become that man. "Maybe you're right. Maybe that's who I would have been if I was alone. I know I can be a coward at times, but that doesn't define who I am. I'll never forgive myself for losing Mom and Yvette, but I do know that I can become a better person, to protect my friends! Even if it means fighting myself, I will never lose them to you, or anyone else who dares stand in our way!"

Chronos entered his own room. He acted as if he had a familiarity with it and snickered at himself. "At least that tracker can't reach down here, right?"

It was then, that his brown eyes came in contact with the sleek surface. He was almost a little hesitant. He could do this, he was sure of it. The last time he was down here ended in conflict, though.

The closer he got to the mirror, the more the room changed. Chronos took a deep breath, as a figure stepped out of the shadowy depths. "So we meet. I was wondering when I'd see you, again."

Chronos rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "And what is your wisdom, O' Wise Mirror Me? Do you really think you can tell me something I won't already know? Or are you looking for round two?"

The other Chronos smirked and then revealed that he was, in fact, holding something. Or rather, someone. He had a grip on Axel, who looked terrified. His other hand held a knife to the man's throat. "No more negotiations. You come back to what we're destined to do, or I'm killing him right in front of you."

Chronos was shocked by the fact that his other self had somehow gotten ahold of his friend. It was then that there was a distinct echo, almost as if it was inside his head. It was Axel's shouting, and he was directing it at someone - clearly out of rage.

Chronos merely chuckled, realizing that it was just another trick, before extending his hand out.

It all happened in a flash - the room was morphed and flipped around, and suddenly, Chronos had Axel in his safety, even though he knew that it wasn't the real Axel. It was just an illusion. The other Chronos's eyes widened with confusion, and Chronos simply smiled, as he turned to leave. "You don't scare me. I know how evil I can be."

Chronos walked up to the mirror and started pushing it in the direction he heard Axel's voice. It started cracking under the pressure of both he and the 'Axel' helping, before he tumbled through, only to be met with his friends doing the same.

"Oh, hey guys. Nice to meet you. A pleasure to see you again, Chronos, Mystella." The Other Axel was impaled on a tree, blood trickling down his neck from underneath the surgical mask. "Well, I'm dead now. See you in a few years, if y'all are unlucky. And you better take care of me Rakira." He gave finger guns before shattering like the rest.

Axel blinked a few times, looking around very confused. He completely forgot the tears in his eyes, as he found each of his friends. "H-Hi, guys. Nice of you to drop in, or rather tumble in. Where have you-" his rambling was cut off, as each of them tackled him to the ground, and a shrill screech was heard from underneath the pile. "GERMS! DID YOU GUYS WASH YOUR HANDS? I DON'T THINK THIS IS SANITARY-"

They eventually let go, except for Chronos. Axel stared down at him in bewilderment but eventually softened. He thought that something horrible must have happened to him in his room, and so he allowed it.

Chronos did eventually let go of Axel, and the group collectively dusted themselves off. Rakira had grabbed a piece of the shattered mirror on the ground, before handing it to Mystella. He'd caught one more glance of 'himself' in the reflection before it left his grasp. "Here, Stella. I'd hold onto it, but I don't like being reminded of what I saw, in it.."

Mystella furrowed her brows in confusion, as she looked into it. She even squinted her eyes but saw nothing - just herself. "You see stuff? All I can see is my reflection."

Rakira had just as much confusion written on his face, as he peered at her. "That's weird. I can't speak for anyone else, of course, but I do know that in my room - with the mirror - that there was like this... evil version of me? I think that's the best way to describe it. He tried to kill me, but I kinda killed him first."

Axel poked into the conversation, before leaning on Rakira's shoulder. Rakira felt a light blush creeping across his cheeks, and so he averted his gaze to look down. Axel then spoke up. "Well, that guy - or, me, I guess, did come out of the mirror, too. He was trying to kill me, but seemed to relax once I.." He trailed off, as the weight of his actions set in. It might have been an illusion, but Axel had killed a person. A living person - or at least, what felt like one, anyway.

Chronos was unnervingly quiet, as his eyes traveled from Rakira and Axel, then to what Axel had grown. The tree was beautiful, even being splattered with blood. It was a Prunus tree, and it had beautiful spring blossoms blooming from the branches that extended outwards. He squinted briefly before a breathy exhale left his lips. He was scratching his palm, those eyes transfixed on where Axel had impaled the other on the tree limb.

Axel had taken notice and cast Chronos a worried look. "You alright? I'm sorry if it unnerves you, I just didn't, well, have a choice, you know?"

Chronos dismissed him with a wave of his hand before he visibly shook his head to rid the intruding thoughts creeping in. "It's fine. We should get going, though. I don't like the feeling this cave gives me."

Mystella nodded in agreement, before starting to wordlessly walk out of the cave. Chronos followed suit, and the last two took the back, side by side. "Well, I'm not exactly sure how long we've been in here, but, knowing the forest and how it seems to warp time, I'm sure it's been a while." Rakira then blurted out, with no hesitation, "It's noon-"

Mystella didn't stop walking but turned her head slightly to look at him, expecting him to continue. "And how do you know that, Rakira? Did you see outside, at some point?"

Rakira furrowed his brows, staring at the ground as his hand brushed against Axel's. A small smile tugged at the greenette's lips, as he was deep in thought. "I'm not sure. I just kinda knew. I didn't see enough sunlight to be able to accurately tell, but noon just sounds about right. Don't quote me on that, though."

Their hands brushed together again, and Axel simply looped his pinkie with Rakira's. He looked a little surprised, but let it happen. Mystella turned her attention back to the front, and Chronos chuckled softly, to himself.

The break of day was soon seen by the group, as the sounds of the forest got more prominent. Axel inhaled deeply, as the sun shone down on him, illuminating those green curls. "It's beautiful, isn't it Kira? We haven't been in there long, but I missed being out here."

Rakira couldn't help but stare at his best friend, before smiling to himself, "Yeah, agreed. Very beautiful.." it wasn't clear if he was talking about the nature around him, considering his eyes were locked on Axel. He then continued walking again, to catch up with Mystella and Chronos.

It didn't take very long for them to arrive at the cabin once more, where there wasn't any audible yelling, surprisingly. Mystella had thought that Levi would've acted up, by now. While it would have been bad for him to betray their trust, it would have been worse if Titan ended up killing him. After all, they wouldn't have had the Storm Glass to back them up, when it would come time.

The door opened with that same eerie creak, Mystella walking through, first. "Nebula, Titan, Aphrodite... Levi?"

There was a loud clicking against the hardwood floor as Aphrodite scrambled in, all three eyes bright with excitement. Axel gasped loudly, and immediately started petting the doe happily, Rakira soon joining in with the two. Mystella walked past to go find Titan and assess the situation, as Chronos smiled down at them. He also made his way in another direction, to check on his own familiar, Kairo.

As Mystella stepped into the room, the atmosphere felt tense. Levi was still tied to his chair as they left him, and Nebula was sitting on one of her old couches, by the fire. She had a steaming bowl of soup cradled in her hands. Mystella walked over to her, disregarding Levi's pleas to free him of Titan's watch, and found that the woman had something to say, "Welcome back, Mystella. Before you ask, no, Kaedea hasn't been back, yet. She did send Freya back with a message, though."

That piqued her curiosity, and she approached the older woman to take the rolled-up paper from her hands. "I haven't opened it, so I am unaware of its contents."

Mystella nodded and then started to pull off the string keeping it in place. She found that it wouldn't budge, though, and there was a strange, faint glowing mark on the side. Turning the bundle over, she squinted to look at it curiously, only to find that it was, strangely enough, in the shape of a rose made of broken glass.

Her fingers grazed over the symbol as she pondered what to do next, and it glowed even brighter, still. Soon, the thin rope started unraveling from its knot, allowing the woman's crimson eyes to rake over the contents. It mostly just spoke of her apologizing for not being back yet, and that she ran into some trouble.

Kaedea walked through the forest, brilliant azure eyes cast to the clouded skies. The forest was still dipped in most places with yesterday's mysterious rainfall. She kept finding herself thinking about the sudden weather, and it led her to remember how Levi used to tease her with it. She had broken her middle finger as a child and would feel an aching when it was about to storm.

Now, that aching was bothering her again, as she followed what she'd been tracking for about a month, now. A strange, new type of Red-Eye that Nebula had seen lurking in the woods for quite some time. It was disturbing, to say the least, and it killed off what little of a farm she did have. It was also the reason for the elderly woman's familiar dying, so the quicker she killed it, the faster she could get back to the group.

It was a slippery being, that was for sure. Even with its lengthy body, clumsy nature, and freakish limbs, it was still pretty good at staying out of her sight, even if she did have a near-perfect vision, due to her glass.

A groan erupted from deeper in the woods, and Kaedea's eyes darted over to the source. She was hoping she'd finally been able to find it, even if it did seem too easy to catch it.

Kaedea slowly approached the sounds, although she did it with the utmost caution. This creature wasn't the only thing that could catch her off guard. If anything too dangerous did so, she would surely die.

Ahead of her, leaning up against the tree with something huddled close to its chest, was the Red-Eye she'd been looking for. As she grew closer, she noticed how the thing's head would swivel for a moment, before looking down at its arms.

Kaedea pondered for a moment, that it might be some sort of child - be it animal, or human. She shook the thought away, though, and drew her bow. It looked at her, hearing the sound of the string being pulled back. It almost looked like there was sorrow, in those dark, endless eyes. It held something close to its chest, clearly cradling whatever it was.

"Well, well, well. Seems I found you, at last, you... slippery little silly goose." Kaedea drew closer, her arrow poised to clip the thing right in its head. It looked almost as if it was pleading to her, even without words. From this angle, she could see what it was holding. It was a small, frail version of itself. Almost as if the thing somehow had a child.

"Disgusting."

There was the sound of metal piercing skin, and then nothing. Kaedea sat on a nearby log, crossing one of her legs over the other. She hummed softly to herself, as she started writing a note. It was simple and sweet, just a short explanation as to why she'd been gone for so long. She ended the note with a simple, "I'll be back, soon."

Laying her hand over the letter, she focused her energy to flow through her hand, her eyes closed. Whispering some words from a strange language, a thin rope started wrapping around the paper.

"Hmm, the magistrates' symbol. Only ever heard stories about them.."

Chronos and Mystella were holding Levi down in the chair he was bound to, as the white-haired male thrashed around rather violently. He was screaming about the mirror, which was being held in his face by Rakira, seeing as Mystella was busy, otherwise, she would have done it.

"I'm not looking into the-" Levi was cut off, as he was forced to stare into the mirror, then. Axel was holding his head straight, and a few tears started trickling down his pale cheeks.

Axel slowly let go of the man's head, backing up with a sigh. Chronos started reaching through his pockets, clearly looking for something. Mystella cast him a confused look, and he hurriedly explained. "Tracker - anyone Perditus sends up, has one."

She nodded in affirmation and started patting down his other pockets, as well. Axel noticed a red dot, though, starting to pulse underneath the skin in the back of his neck. "His neck - there's something there!"

Levi started mumbling things, though they were broken and barely comprehensible. Something they were able to make out, though, was what he said more than once - "Please don't hate me.." and, "I'm so sorry.." Rakira held steady where he was, though, making sure the mirror was still pointed at him.

Mystella, without a second thought, pulled out her katana. Chronos shook his head quickly, though. "No, no. That's way too big. Use this-"

He handed her a pocket knife, which sort of looked like one she had, a long time ago. Running her thumb over the blade, Mystella noted how sharp it was, by how it felt against her fingerprint. It could probably slice through anything. She then broke herself from the small trance she was in over it and wasted no time dragging the small knife over his skin.

Blood started pouring out of the newly-made wound, and she used the tip of the blade to start digging the tracker out.

Levi let out a cry, but he couldn't thrash around as he wanted - Chronos was holding him still, again. "Please, let me go, Perditus! I won't cross you again!"

Mystella finally got the small device out, and threw it to the ground, starting to stomp on it with her boots. Not once, twice, or three times - she wanted to make sure that the thing was completely crushed underneath her heel.

Levi took a deep breath, his head laying slack against his shoulder. Since he was no longer looking at the mirror, Rakira carefully set it down so that its reflective surface wasn't showing.

"Thank you, Kira. You did well." Mystella added as she gave him a nod in appreciation. She still had that cold gaze as ever, but it seemed a little bit warmer as her crimson eyes met his golden ones.

The group backed off, as Axel begrudgingly wrapped his neck with some of his bandages. Not before Mystella cleaned as much blood as she could off first, though.

"Let's leave him be for a little while, kids. I have something to tell you, that you may enjoy." Mystella scoffed at the choice of words but walked into the room. The others followed, but Chronos's eyes lingered on Levi, for a moment. Levi was out cold, once more. Teardrops glistened on his eyelashes, as one more fell and hit his camo pants.

Titan looked over at Chronos and yawned, before laying down on the floor, his big head resting on his furry legs. "Sucks that you don't remember me, buddy, but at least you're cool with me now.."

The small group was sitting in a circle, next to each other. They were each holding their respective mugs, all containing steaming soup, the aroma of garlic and basil floating through the air. Nebula sat down in a rocking chair, hands folded in her lap. "Well, the story is as old as time. It's a myth passed down from generation to generation."

The four listened intently, with varying expressions. Mystella looked rather bored, but her fiery gaze stayed glued to the woman. Nebula's fatigued, and rather jaded eyes glazed over the group, as her rheumatic fingers interlocked with one another. She seemed so far away, off in her world.

As Nebula started speaking again, her voice faltered, wavering a little before she cleared her throat, and then tried again. "Everyone has a soulmate. Even if we don't find them in one lifetime, there's always the next. But you know these things, I'm sure. You especially, Mystella."

Mystella's grave, dark eyes met the woman's steel hues, as the night approached. Sun faded from the window, and rain tapped heavily on the glass. Nebula had seen something Mystella hadn't, that was obvious enough. Then, her tired eyes drifted to Chronos. "As for you, Chronos." He looked up at her when he heard his name. "You lost yours, didn't you? I can see the lingering emptiness... The light faded from your eyes, a long time ago."

There was a distance in Chronos's eyes, as he broke his gaze away from the woman, to briefly look at Rakira and Axel, who were in the middle of laughing at a joke no one heard or even understood. "Well, just because I lost mine, doesn't mean I can't take comfort in seeing others happy with theirs."

"I promise you'll see him again, though." She gave him a small smile, as she started rocking back and forth, looking up at the ceiling. "Speaking of which, have you ever heard the legend for soulmates?"

They collectively shook their heads, which made Nebula sigh. "I used to tell my children this myth, to put them to sleep. Then their children, and then theirs.." There was a pained look in those gray eyes, as if she was living through a great loss, again. "But, that's beside the point. When you die, your soul comes back as another. After a set amount of lives, though, you eventually just wither away. The most I've ever heard of someone having lives was about fifteen." Her eyes traveled to Mysella, and then she looked away again.

"If one can find their soulmate, they will live every life with them, until both die at the same time. If they do die together, before their lives get used up - everyone's is different, of course. But, if this does happen, they go to be together forever, in the stars. It's a beautiful thing to witness.." She smiled again, though it was rather melancholy. She just seemed so lost. She then started telling them a story, her eyes becoming glazed, as the shard in her neck started glowing faintly.

It was as if they were slowly being transported into the stories, with the other characters. There was a beautiful young woman, in the arms of another. She was restlessly shifting around, small noises escaping her lips. She was paranoid, for some odd reason, and it was transferring to her dreams. Her smoky eyes shot open and immediately glanced over to the alarm clock, wiping sweat from her forehead. It read, in big bold numbers, "2:15 am". The woman sighed softly, as the other person's wrapped a little tighter around her waist, and she turned to look at her face. She smiled sweetly, before leaning over and placing a kiss on her lover's soft lips. Then, her eyes fluttered shut, and she fell back asleep.

That was a mistake, though.

Moments later, gunshots rang out through the quiet room, as the woman was jarred awake. She looked over to her lover, only to find that she was riddled with bullet holes, the blood trickling from the wounds. Her once beautiful hazel turned towards the other, and she reached for her, even though it felt like she was miles away from her.

The masked figures approached the living woman and picked her up by the throat. Their eyes made contact with the woman's ear, which held a strange glass, something they'd been looking for, for years. "No... please, just let me go... I'll cooperate, I promise!"

"It's too late for that.." was all the muffled voice spoke, before ripping the earring straight out of her ear. She cried out in pain, but that was soon drowned out as they loaded bullets into her, too.

That night, two stars shone brighter than any others. They were bathed in gray and a brown-green. It almost looked like they were orbiting each other.

Mystella and Chronos stared at the woman, Mystella a little more surprised than Chronos. "You told this story, to kids, to put them to sleep?"

Nebula nodded slowly and then gestured to Axel and Rakira. Rakira was leaning on Axel, fast asleep. Axel was holding him in a tight embrace, snoring. Occasionally one of the two would say something in their sleep, and the other would answer. Mystella smiled softly, before turning her attention back to Nebula. She loved the two like brothers and trusted them, even if she wouldn't tell them directly. Mystella then nodded slowly before her eyes shot up, as she heard the door open.

"Mist, I'm back!" It was Kaedea who'd entered, and she seemed weirdly cheerful. She was dragging a bundle behind her, blood soaking the yellowed cloth that was used to wrap whatever she'd brought back. Nebula's dark gray eyes lit up as they made contact with Kaedea's ocean-blue ones, and she gestured to one of the back rooms. "Just set it down back there, sweetie. Thank you!"

The woman just seemed overall kinder, when she was around Kaedea. Mystella wondered if there was some sort of relation, there. Her thoughts were broken, though, as Chronos cast her a cautious glance. Once he was sure both Nebula and Kaedea weren't around to hear, he scratched the back of his head nervously. "She was gone for a really long time, Stella. I know you don't really trust me too much yet, but I don't like it. It's pretty weird.."

Mystella frowned in response, thinking over it. "Well, she did send a note. I'd say we leave it be, for now. But, if there's anything suspicious about her or something she does, I'll take care of it. We're going to need all the people we can get if we want to take down... him." She grimaced, not even wanting to say his name. That's when there was a knock on the door, though.

The sound woke Levi from his sleep, and he drowsily looked around. His entire aura was different; as if he wasn't the same person from before, not to mention that he was very confused.

Nebula walked shakily up to the door, to figure out who had knocked. Mystella got up, though. "Hey, Mi- Nebula, we're all here. It might be a Red-Eye, maybe I should answer it-"

Nebula waved the other woman off, though, with a smile. "It's okay, I can handle myself. If there was danger in my forest, the fog would've started back up. I'm sure it's just another lost soul, or maybe Kaedea got locked outside, again."

The doorknob turned, as she started opening the door. She froze in fear, as she came face-to-face with the person on the other side. "...Nebula?" Chronos softly asked, but she slowly backed up, revealing who was on the other side, at last.

It was Perditus. He had a gun held up to her head, fury burning in those galaxy-like eyes. He sported a smile, though it was clearly fake. "You thought you could double-cross me, did you, Mist? Oh, how you were so sorely mistaken.."

Nebula shook with fear, tears trickling down those dull eyes of hers. Mystella made eye contact with Perditus, and that smile only grew wider. "Why, Mystella! What a pleasure to see you again!"

Mystella took a step closer, but Perditus tutted mockingly at her. "Ah-ah-ah, my dear. Come any closer, and Mist here is dying." He walked further into the house, backing Nebula up, ever further. Chronos held out his hand as if something was supposed to happen, but he only fell to his knees, holding his head.

"You can't use your powers anymore, Chronos. You lost those, trying to come back to.." He gave a malicious chuckle, leaving the statement unfinished. "Well, you know what you did. It's just too bad you didn't put it towards something guaranteed to help you out, in the long run!"

Chronos shook his head bitterly, those dark eyes tearing up a little. "A world devoid of everything with only you is a terrible fate. I would - and never will help you achieve your lust for loneliness!"

Perditus's eyes pierced Chronos's, then. "You're never truly alone, in a world you own. Your mind just deceives you into thinking so, my dear." Shots rang out through the cabin moments after, Nebula's screams filling the silence that was left afterward. She fell to the ground in agony, holding her bleeding wound. Perditus smirked down at the pitiful woman, before placing the heel of his shoe on her collarbone and pushing her down.

He then looked back up, only to find Mystella rushing at him, with her katana drawn. He quickly dodged, just by the skin of his teeth. Her katana went straight into the wall right next to his head, only causing his grin to grow wider, into a maniacal smile. "You're too slow! Your anger drives you, and it's pathetic!"

Mystella wasted no time with her katana. She knew that he would get away if she tried to get it out. Besides, this wasn't her first time in hand-to-hand combat. She turned to him, fury in those crimson eyes, burning brightly like embers among ashes.

Perditus's eyes went wide with fear briefly before he regained the teasing expression. "A fair fight it is, then. But, just so you know, I won't be going easy on you, just because you're a la-" He dropped his dagger, but was cut off, as Mystella's boot made contact with his torso, in a cruel Sparta-kick.

Falling backward, Perditus made contact with the floor, thrown back to where Axel and Rakira were, both watching everything going down with wide eyes. Axel quickly pulled Rakira out of the way of danger, so that he was behind him.

Loud coughing came from the man, as he struggled to get up, balling his fists up, again. His eyes soon made contact with a rather sharp knife, and he rushed at it, barely missing Mystella's interception. Out of panic, he sliced the air, hoping it caught her. He missed, due to her moving just in time, but grabbed ahold of her vividly red hair. He held her in place and went to strike once more, but she had other plans.

She knew she had to do this, no matter how much it would hurt to let go. It was like everything was in slow motion, as she ripped her trusty - and most importantly, amazingly sharp katana, out of the wall. She brought it up with fluid motion, and cut through her hair, avoiding the blade aimed at her chest, just in time.

Mystella watched, as her once beautiful locks of blood-red, curly hair fell to the floor. Her glare then turned to Perditus once more, as she got out of the way of immediate danger, only for none other than Levi, to take her place. He threw his chakrams at the long-haired man, who coughed up blood. Those beautiful purple eyes looked over to his assailant, and he smiled through the crimson liquid. "You always were my favorite, Tempestas,"

Levi shook his head, drawing closer as Perditus slid down to the ground. "That's not my name, and you know that. I'll never go by what he called me." The man on the ground started shimmering, as if his whole appearance was warping, in a way.

Everyone was staring at Levi and Mystella, both shocked and terrified. There was no time for mourning, not yet. That was the last thing on their minds. All they could focus on was how the changing man looked between Mystella and Levi with such fear in their eyes. Mystella crouched down, to make eye contact with the person, who was revealed underneath. "Where is he? I know you were being controlled, but you mine as well tell us, now."

The person looked up at her, tearing up. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I don't want to die, yet.."

Mystella frowned, tilting their chin up with her katana. "That's not what I asked, stranger."

They gulped, before blinking hard, causing some tears to trickle down from their eyes. "He... He said something about there being something in a village, not far from here. That's where my family is.." They looked down, with a sniffle. "Can you please... please just tell my family I love them? And give my wife, this." They handed over a bloodied necklace, with a charm on the end. "Just tell her... that Krieg loves her.."

Mystella took it, stuffing it into her pocket. "Thank you, Krieg. I'll make sure she gets it."

She stood back up, walking off to another part of the cabin. Levi looked down at the person, as they took their last breath, clutching something in their hands. He soon took the circular blades from their body, with a sigh. He never liked killing people, especially not when they were innocent. "I hope you rest easy, now."

Kaedea finally broke, though. "Levi.." She ran up to the bloodied man, enveloping him in a huge hug. He was caught off guard but eventually hugged her back. "I missed you so much.."

Levi looked rather confused, but patted her back, letting her know that he was done hugging. He then looked to Mystella, and soon after, holding out a hand. "We've met before, but you regard me as if you don't know me. The name's Levi."

Mystella took his hand cautiously but gave it a firm shake. "Mystella. But I'm sure you know that, and my wife, as well. Everyone seems to.."

Levi laughed, heartily. His deep voice rumbled from his chest. "Well, you are a big deal! You've always been pretty badass, even before the apocalypse!"

Kaedea shot him a look, and he quickly shut his mouth. Mystella cocked a brow and got ready to question him, but Kaedea nervously laughed, cutting her off before she could say anything. "Don't mind him, he's just having memory issues. Why don't you guys, uhm, take him back to his room! And everyone else can go get washed up, maybe eat, before we leave. Who knows how far away this 'village' is?"

They all took her advice, and it didn't take very long for Axel to come out, considering that he bum-rushed everyone else to the bathroom. When he came back into the main room to get his clothes, though, he couldn't help but look at the elderly woman's body. Something that pegged him as strange, though, was the fact that there was a rather sizeable hole in her neck. He furrowed his brows in thought, before going to get dressed.

The funeral was unnervingly quiet. According to Kaedea, she always wanted to be laid to rest underneath the willow tree further into the forest, if she were to die. They had wrapped Nebula and Krieg in a quilted blanket, Mystella and Chronos taking either side of the two's limp bodies. Axel, Rakira, and Levi had been building two different, small pyres to burn them at so that they could at least have something close to what she wanted. Burial was out of the question, considering animals would just dig them back up to eat the corpses. It was rather brutal, but the Red-Eyes were, too.

They laid the woman on the first flat surface, and Mystella dusted herself off. The group looked at each other, and then Chronos took out a pack of matches. "You guys ready? You made sure there was nothing flammable nearby, right?"

Axel nodded, before taking one last look around. Kaedea looked far away as if she was trying to deny the fact that this was all indeed happening. Rakira looked grim, but nodded, as well. Mystella's gaze was as cold as ever, which was no surprise. Although they hadn't known her long, Nebula affected each of them, in their ways.

Chronos took a deep breath, before placing the lit match on the woodpile. The fire slowly came alive, licking at the dry logs, like a child trying food for the first time, not knowing if they'll like it. He then walked over to the other pyre and lit that one too. It didn't take very long for them both to be consumed with flames, the beautiful orange and red flicking up as if trying to reach the sky.

Fire held bitter memories for Axel, as he absentmindedly ran his fingers over the fabric covering his elbow. It was strange, considering that the fireplace in the cabin felt so warm and welcoming, but this fire made him want to shrink away.

"She was always there for me, even when no one else was.." Kaedea started, those midnight blue eyes reflected the beautiful flames. "I've only known her for two years, but after I lost Levi.." She looked over at the snowy-haired male, who was also staring deeply into the fire as if it held answers no one else could answer. "Well, she took me in. I've been helping her ever since, just waiting until the day I'd be able to regroup."

Her voice got quiet, then. "...You guys aren't what I expected, but I'm still glad you're all here. I do see your loved ones, if you haven't gathered that, yet." She looked into each of their eyes, her's lingering next to Axel for a moment as if something was being said to her. "Would you... like to know?"

Rakira frowned, staring at the ground. "Well, I know she's still alive. So you don't need to tell me anything."

Chronos averted his gaze as well, as a single tear ran down his cheek. It was quickly wiped away, though. Kaedea looked at him, empathy filling those sparkling eyes of hers. "He wants you to know he's sorry, Chronos. For all the pain he caused. But he knows you can make it right."

Chronos looked down at her, before walking off, silently. He was headed back for the house, his expression grim. She then looked to Axel, who honestly didn't look like he wanted to hear what she had to say. "Axel.."

He held up his hand, in a dismissive gesture. But, Kaedea continued, anyway. "It's not your dad. I'm aware you and he never had a good relationship. It's about your mother and sister."

Axel's viridescent eyes started to water, and his hands started anxiously fiddling with one another. He nodded, waiting for her to continue once more. "Well, they want you to know, that they understand. They're very proud of you, and think you've become a brave young man." Axel wiped his tears with his sleeve, and Rakira immediately walked over, enveloping him in a tight hug. He broke, tears pouring out and stained Rakira's beige shirt. He rubbed his back, letting him cry.

Mystella stared down at the other woman, her crimson gaze uncordial. Kaedea started talking to her, but Mystella stopped her in her tracks. "I don't wish to know. I don't remember my father very well, but I know he was a kind man. The past has happened, but the future is near. So I'd much rather keep it behind me."

Kaedea gave a respectful nod before she turned to see the fires starting to die down. There would only be embers and ashes left, soon, as the two souls returned from where they came. Mystella turned back to the cabin and walked off, Kaedea and Levi following close behind.

Axel pulled away from Rakira and looked down at him, green meeting gold in a prolonged gaze. There were unspoken words between the two, and a dark blush starting to creep across both of their faces. Rakira smiled sheepishly at him, before taking his hand, gently. "Let's go back, we don't want to keep them waiting."

Axel nodded in agreement, as he looked up at the dark sky, littered with stars. It was brighter than any night he'd ever seen, and he couldn't help but admire the beauty. Something else he noticed that was beautiful, though, was how the moonlight shone on Rakira, coupled with the fire. He took a deep breath in, the night air mixed with the smell of smoke entering his lungs, and then being exhaled softly. He couldn't help but stare, for a moment. Soon, though, they decided to make their way back to the cabin, leaving behind the bodies to be blown away.

When they opened the door, the first thing they noticed was Levi and Kaedea scrubbing away at the blood on the floor. This relieved Axel, who pointedly stepped around them. Rakira didn't mind blood, so he had no issue going through the normal way, though. Mystella was humming to herself in the bathroom, coupled with the sound of the shower running. It was a wonder how anything even still worked, here, but Mist had explained, earlier. Something to do with a generator, but it didn't make sense to anyone but Kaedea, who couldn't seem to explain it any better than the woman.

Axel poked his head in, to see what the woman was doing. She was washing Titan, who barely fit into the tub. Her nimble fingers wove through his wet, dark grey and brown fur, almost as if she'd done this a hundred times. His icy blue eyes shot up to meet Axel's, then. "Can I help you, Axel?"

"Oh, my bad. No, no, I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay, in here." Axel responded, quickly. Even after all this time, the woman still intimidated him. At the same time, though, she was everything he wanted to be. "Well, I'll go settle down, I guess. I don't think there are enough beds, though, so I'm just gonna sleep on the floor-"

Mystella cut him off, though. "You and Rakira are sharing a room. No, if, and, or buts about it."

Axel blinked a few times, but quietly accepted his fate, before walking off to go inform him. Mystella smiled to herself, before starting to rinse Titan's fur off.

Levi finally finished the part he was supposed to clean, and stretched, with a bit of a yawn. No matter what, though, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He had been dealing with his insomnia for about two years now and had just grown accustomed to it. He left his cleaning supplies in a neat pile, before grabbing his blades, and walking out the front door.

Kaedea shakily sighed to herself, before setting her stuff aside, too. She knew he was the same as before, so going out to talk to him would be useless. He was always like that, even when they were kids. She felt like it would be better to be alone after the events that transpired today, anyway. Wiping away a stray tear that escaped from her waterline, she made her way to the room that Nebula used to occupy, holding something tightly in her pocket.

After Axel had informed Rakira of their sleeping situations, he chuckled nervously, the two walking to their room in almost complete silence. As they passed Kaedea's room, all they could hear were muffled sobs. Axel sighed softly but kept walking, Rakira following close behind. "You think she'll be okay? It seemed like she was pretty close to Mist.."

Golden eyes peered over at the greenette, before looking straight ahead, again. "I think she will, eventually. It's a part of survival, overcoming things like this. Life comes and goes, all the time."

Axel nodded, before opening the bedroom door so Rakira could walk in. He immediately flopped straight on the bed, earning a laugh from the other male. He soon started getting ready for bed, starting by taking his hoodie off.

Rakira flipped over, and then off the bed. He couldn't exactly tell why, but he felt that staring at the other wouldn't exactly bode well. He stood up, though, to walk over to his bag. While Axel preferred to sleep shirtless, Rakira had a specific shirt for sleeping in.

He couldn't help looking at him when he also started undressing, though. He was left in his sweatpants and shirtless, as his eyes were drawn to him. It felt wrong, but Axel didn't seem to mind, at all. He even smiled at him, as if there were unspoken words between them.

The first thing he noticed was how his hoodie hid his body. This was the first time he'd seen him without that hoodie, and he took notice of all the scars that lined his torso, back, and stomach. Without thinking, Rakira walked over, until he was just in front of him.

Rakira traced one of the long scars that trailed from his neck to his collarbone. Axel shivered slightly, as he peered down at the other male. No one had ever touched him like that, and it was strange, but not unwelcome.

"Who did this?" Rakira asked softly, his gentle touch moving to other scars, gradually making his way down his lean body. Axel's pale face reddened at his touch, but he managed to answer him. "My, ah, dad. He got drunk, a lot.."

Rakira frowned, his fingers stopping just before his naval, a sigh passing his lips. There was nothing too intimate about the nature in how he was touching him, but Axel still held his breath. His hands soon made their way to his elbow, which made the other male flinch momentarily before he relaxed again. Those beautiful golden eyes took the scar in, before they made contact with Axel's, once more. "Did he do this, too?"

Axel nodded, before casting his gaze away to avoid eye contact. He was never really one to hold it for too long, he felt like if he did, that someone would see all his insecurities. "There's only a few that aren't from him. But, that doesn't matter...day's What matters now, is that he's gone."

Rakira smiled softly at him, before letting his elbow go. Axel suddenly cupped his cheek, though, gazing deeply into those eyes. Rakira's breath caught in his throat, and he looked up into Axel's beautiful emerald eyes, laced with curiosity and anticipation. His gaze flicked down to his lips, then back to his eyes. It was quick, but Axel noticed.

He started to lean in, but their door was abruptly thrown open, and the two jumped away from each other, in a startled fashion. Levi looked at the two, just as surprised. There was an awkward silence between the three, before Levi simply walked in, grabbing his bag that he'd left in there. It didn't take very long for him to leave, with a still-surprised, and somewhat confused expression.

Axel sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, before making his way to the bathroom, across the hall. Rakira sighed and smacked his head, before going to his bag to continue getting dressed for bed. Why was he acting like this? It's not like he felt attracted to Axel... Or did he? He always did notice the little things about him, like how he would twirl his hair around his finger when he was nervous, and how he visibly relaxed whenever Rakira was around. He noticed how his tense nature slowly uncoiled when Mystella praised him, and how he regarded Levi and Kaedea with weary gazes, whenever they were around. But that's just how best friends were supposed to act, right? It was all platonic, was it not?

Rakira crawled into the comfortable bed, pulling the blanket up and around him. This would be his last night sleeping in an actual bed for probably a long time, and he planned to savor it. He thought over that day's events, and then soon, his mind wandered. His life before the apocalypse was nothing to brag about, and if he was honest, he didn't miss it at all.

Axel was in the bathroom, washing his face. Mystella had finally left, so the shower was empty. He didn't plan on showering again, though, because - oddly enough - Rakira didn't make him feel gross, or uncomfortable. He felt a little warmer if anything. Cold water dripped down those hot flushed cheeks, as he stared at himself in the reflection. He half expected to see his other, evil self appear behind or even beside him, but he never came.

After he was done, he didn't immediately make it back to the room. He wandered into the kitchen for some water, since his throat felt weirdly dry. When he peered in, though, all he could see was someone standing at the stove, staring at a pot. When he got closer, he noticed it was Mystella. Not really wanting to disturb her, he slunk away.

Levi had taken post outside of the cabin, sharpening his blades. He was humming a long-forgotten tune to himself, as the forest sang with life. He was soon joined by another, though, as the door creaked open. It was Mystella, who sat down on the porch next to him. "Hey, shouldn't you be asleep?"

She had two cups of tea and offered him one. He set his blades aside and gratefully took it, taking a sip before answering. "I can't. I've had insomnia since I was a kid, and I know it's gonna take me at least an hour before I can fall asleep. I'd rather be doing something useful other than just laying in bed, y'know?"

Mystella nodded, taking a sip of her tea. It didn't taste nearly as good as the tea Nebula made them before her unfortunate demise, but it was still calming, in a weird way. She had come outside when she saw Levi out there alone because she wanted to learn more about him, see if he could be trusted.

The crisp air bit at their skin, though neither seemed to mind. Mystella wasn't wearing her long jacket, nor her combat boots, not even her ripped jeans. She was walking around in mismatched socks, a white tank top, and sweatpants. It almost felt like she was just another normal person, who wore their pajamas outside. One wouldn't exactly be able to tell the trauma she'd been through, at least in the last two years. Part of her wondered if she was still going to be able to get her lost memories back, as she peered up at the stars glimmering beautifully in the midnight sky.

She looked over at Levi, studying his features, as he studied hers, in return. The first thing that stuck out to him was the long scar over her left eye and the smaller one that trailed from her jaw, up to the underneath of her right cheekbone. He wondered how she got them, and if the fight was worth it. Even with the ragged and crooked pink, thick lines that trailed the different parts of her face. The one on her jaw was a lot more recent than the other, and he only just noticed it. His pearly white eyes then traveled to her choppily cut hair. "You know, I'm aware of how much you and Azeline loved your hair, but the short hair suits you. You should shave the sides before we leave, kinda like Axel's hair. I know Chronos is good with stuff like that. Like he is with everything.."

Mystella noticed how Levi's silverish-white hair parted down the middle and then rested just next to either side of his eyes. He and Chronos had a similar build, and she assumed that they were both a part of some sort of military, probably one that was led by Perditus. His muscles were prominent even under his shirt, and his deep voice rumbled from somewhere deep in his throat. "Chronos is a good man, but I still don't fully trust him. He hasn't exactly done anything to gain it, yet."

Levi nodded in acknowledgment and then sighed. "I know you don't trust me, either. Even if we did know each other before... everything. We've both changed, to be honest. I knew you were a killing machine before, but you proved yourself fighting.." He trailed off. He knew it wasn't Perditus they'd killed, but he couldn't bring himself to admit that he killed someone who was technically innocent.

"That's the thing, Levi. I don't know you, not at all. I don't remember anything, pre-apocalypse. Just what Azeline told me, before.." Mystella trailed off, staring down into the dark liquid that filled her cup. They both knew what she was talking about, but neither of them knew exactly what to say about it.

"...I'm sorry. I know what he did to her, and it shouldn't be the fate of anyone. I tried to help her, before he.." he looked down, too. "She's alive, though. I don't think he knows that she doesn't have the Rose Glass, anymore, but Azeline is very resilient. There no way she's dying, any time soon. She's always been very stubborn.."

Hearing those words made Mystella smile softly. She was relieved to know that the one person she loved the most in the world was okay. "Thank you."

Levi looked up at the stars, then. "He wasn't always like this."

Mystella peered over at him curiously. "Perditus? I did notice in the Polaroid we found, that we all looked pretty close... I wish I would just get these memories back.."

Levi nodded, "yeah, him. And, well, we were. We were all unstoppable. No one could stand in our way. Maybe you not remembering how you used to be is a good thing, though.."

Mystella just grew more confused, and she showed that on her face.

"I probably shouldn't say more. She probably took them away for a reason, I shouldn't haven't said anything, I'm sorry." Levi started getting up, realizing that he indeed had said way too much.

Mystella got up as well, pinning him in place with those intimidating crimson eyes. "You need to tell me more, Levi. You can't just leave it at that!"

He shook his head sternly, averting his gaze. "Listen, if you want to know, then you need to learn by yourself. I won't be the cause if you end up reverting."

Mystella threw her hands up, before she paused, her gaze wandering to meet his. "Fight me."

He furrowed his brows, blinking in confusion. "I- what?"

She stared at him blankly, eyes narrowed. "I said, fight me. Doesn't have to be to the death, but I also don't want you to go easy on me."

Levi shook his head, starting to walk back into the house before he was stopped by her. He turned to look at her, those blazing red eyes piercing what felt like his soul. With a reluctant sigh, he begrudgingly agreed, before taking a fighting stance that worked pretty well, for him.

Mystella grinned and took her own. Already he knew that he'd lose - even her form was way more advanced than his. This was going to be a fight he'd only have a chance at winning if he was faster and more strategic. The woman wasn't to be underestimated - he learned that years ago.

Mystella threw the first punch, knocking the breath out of Levi's lungs, and he staggered back. The attack was quick and unexpected, but he bounced back, in decent time. Levi threw his own punch but was interrupted by her foot coming into contact with the back of his knee, causing him to fall straight to the ground. Mystella's eyes narrowed at the other, and she sighed. "Come on, I told you not to go easy on me! Man up!"

Levi shut his eyes and took a breath before he got up again his jaw set. Those vivid, snowy eyes opening back up with a new, fiery passion that matched Mystella's own. A huge smile tugged at her lips, as she raised her fists again, Levi mirroring her action. He was quicker this time and even got a hit on Mystella before hitting him twice as hard. This brought them both an amazing surge of exhilaration, and Mystella's face lit up in response. Levi then blocked another hit, and swept her feet out from underneath her, soon in a position where he could kill her.

Mystella wasn't obvious about it, but she let him win this one. She was waiting to see if he would try to take the killing blow, and this was what would determine whether or not he would have the ability to gain her trust - even if it was just a little bit. Levi was breathing hard, Mystella pinned underneath him. He started getting up and off of her, but Mystella smirked, "You think I'd let you win so easily, Levi? You should know me better than that."

In seconds, Levi was the one underneath her. She stared down at him, as she gripped his wrists, keeping them above his head. He knew it would be very hard to get out of this, and so he smiled back at her. "Yeah, you're just like I remember. You never know, though. Maybe one day I'll beat you."

Mystella's claret eyes went wide for a moment, before everything went black.

"...You never know, though. Maybe one day I'll beat you."

Those words rang through Mystella's head, as the black bled into another vision. Mystella had Levi pinned to the ground, little droplets of sweat beading on her forehead. Her breath was heavier than usual - he'd put up a good fight, this time. They were in a meadow, filled with all types of different flowers and tall grass.

Mystella smirked at him as she got up, and dusted herself off. "Well, Your Majesty, you can certainly have dreams of doing so. Now, get your armor. I suspect that we're getting close to the Druweth Empire." She held a hand out to the white-haired prince - or, King, now, she supposed. She'd have to stop thinking of him that way, seeing as he was the rightful King to his kingdom since the previous rulers' lives were taken so suddenly.

He took her hand and got up, practically springing to his feet. Their armor wasn't very far from where they were practicing their sparring. "Well, Dame Mystella, I told you that you may refer to me as just Levi, didn't I?"

Mystella shook her head, starting to gather her armor. She was - and still is, Levi's guard. Even being a woman, she'd still proven to be the best knight that the kingdom had. There were a lot of known controversies when it came to this, but the King and Queen had stood up for her. That was one of the things about their murder, that she didn't understand. They were genuinely doing the best they could for their towns, villages, and militaries. They kept to themselves and made sure that their subjects were well-fed. She shook the thoughts away, as if resetting them, and started dressing once more.

She wore both a linen under-shirt and linen under-pants, coupled with woolen stockings. Her hair had been kept short since she was a child, so she never had an issue when it came to cutting it, for her duties. She had sworn to protect him and would keep that promise even if it meant laying down her own life. One would think that this sense of duty came from the fact that the kingdom had helped her and saved her from poverty and bandits, but really, she wanted to do something with herself, something more than just calling in royal favors.

The visions of her holding an unconscious Levi close to her as they rode away from his burning castle was still stuck fast in her mind, and her eyes would grow darker when she thought of it. Those metal, clawed hands would grip the hilt of her sword, as a long exhale escaped her lungs. She was born and raised there, and now she was on the run; coupled with their young king forced into exile, nonetheless.

It didn't take very long for both Levi and Mystella to get into their suits, although Levi needed some help. He hadn't been doing this very long, and so she still had to show him the ropes. It was entertaining how he could be so skilled with a blade, but not with one of the most important parts of it all - his actual protection, and defense.

Mystella's horse was standing by, grazing in the vivid field. "Are you ready to go, your majesty? There's a village not too far from here, and I heard that there's occasionally a bard here. I know how much you enjoy those." She said this with a hint of a snicker, as she got on her horse, helping the man up.

"Ha, ha. Very funny, you know that I simply cannot stand their music half the time; their adventures are all hogwash. The ones that came to the castle... I highly doubt that they've killed dragons, banshees, and chimeras!" His rant continued, even as the horse started its steady gallop.

It only took a short time for them to reach the village Mystella spoke of. It was where she was from, and Levi figured that out rather quickly, seeing as people already started recognizing her, even with the helmet. She was led to a barn, where her horse was quickly whisked away, and groomed. "Well hi there, Mystella! I haven't seen you in ages! How's the castle work goin'?" There was an older man that approached her, with a warm smile.

Mystella had taken off her helmet at this point, but Levi left his on. He'd been given specific instructions to do so. Who knew what the village would think if the Prince was here? "That's what I'm here about. Where is Mother Asdis?"

The man gave her a worried look before he started leading her away. "...This way. Your strange friend can come, too. Don't let Sven see you though, lass. He still hasn't gotten over you.."

Mystella's eyes rolled, hard. Sven was the village 'knight'. He was the first to defend the small community if bandits were to invade. He always told her that he'd one day have her hand in marriage, even though she refused numerous times. She figured he'd be at the bar since that's where he resided most of the time. "Getting compliments from all the lads, lasses, and lassos in the bar again, I presume? I wouldn't be very surprised, to be honest. He boasts of great adventures when in reality, the furthest he's gone was down to the drink, over yonder."

This earned a guffaw from their guide, who wiped a tear from his eye. She wasn't wrong, and both knew this. He looked to Levi for a moment, though, before continuing. Levi was nervously fiddling with his sword before Mystella laid a hand on his shoulder, speaking in a whisper, "It's alright, Levi. Just do as we discussed, you're doing fine."

He nodded, as they walked. Soon, they were met with a small, cozy cabin. "She's in there, Stell. Just... make it quick, okay? She hasn't exactly been her best, lately.." He cast a wary glance towards Levi, before taking his leave. When they got into the room where the older woman resided, though, a weariness had taken over her features. She looked sickly as if she were only hanging on to a thread of her life.

Those dull eyes lit up a bit when she saw Mystella until they glazed over to Levi, who was still a stranger to her. Mystella's expression was grim, though. "Asdis.."

Asdis looked back to her with concern, "Yes, Mystella? I can only assume you aren't here to just catch up."

Mystella sighed, and then turned to Levi. Their eyes met from behind his helmet, as she put her hands on either side of the metal. She took it off, and he took a deep breath, shaking his white hair out of his face.

Asdis's eyes widened ten-fold, as she stared intently at the pale man. "Prince Levi? Well, I'll be damned.."

Mystella nodded, and Levi offered an awkward smile. "Yes, and we need your help. It's a long story..."

Mystella woke to the warm feeling of sunbeams touching her face, and arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She couldn't tell where she was, at first, as she rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust. It was then, though, that she realized that she should be alone.

She ripped the arms off of her and scrambled to the other side of the room. Taking a deep breath, she realized that it was none other than Levi, who sat up, startled. "Woah - what's going on? Is something wrong-?"

Mystella took a few more deep breaths before she stood up. Levi thought to himself and wondered who had hurt her so bad that she'd be so standoffish, now. For a moment last night, he thought that maybe she was the same person she was, before the apocalypse. But he also accepted that what he did was wrong. Even if he did just want to make sure she was okay. "I'm sorry, Stella. You hit your head pretty hard last night, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn't mean to overstep.."

She sat next to him on the bed and laid her head on his shoulder, weirdly worn out. "Don't ever touch me without my explicit consent again, or else I'll knock your teeth down your throat."

Levi chuckled softly, letting her lay there until she decided to move, again. "Yeah, that's the Stella I know. I think this is your.. Eight-hundredth time threatening me?"

She peered over at him, her crimson eyes catching the sunlight. "Well, what was I like? I know you won't tell me a lot, but tell me a few things. What was I like as a teacher? Were we a knight and a lost prince? Were we-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Why do you remember that? That's not even - you're supposed to be getting memories back from this life, not one of your past lives.." Levi interrupted, confused. It didn't make sense, not at all. Chronos had told him that Mist was supposed to help her recall memories from before the apocalypse, so the fact that fact she was getting them from other lifetimes was perplexing, to say the least. "Well... I do know that I have a CD, with a video of all of us. I'm pretty sure Axel and Rakira aren't in it, though."

Mystella cocked a brow at him, "Kira and Axel? So I was right. They didn't know us, pre-apocalypse?"

"Yeah.." Levi sucked his breath through his teeth before he explained. "Well, Axel's dad kinda kept him from the world. Thought he was a failure, didn't want to have to give him the Elk Glass, the whole shebang." He got out a whetstone from his bag and started sharpening his blades. "Rakira is... a lot more complicated." He frowned, casting his eyes down at the wooden floor.

"And how is that? I mean, I kind of know what happened with Axel. Based on what I've heard, at least. He doesn't really talk about it, and I can't blame him. I know that he'll come to me, with time, though." She rubbed at the tattoos on her arm, focused on the pattern.

"Well, I'm sure you know, by now, that the jewelry holding each glass can be passed down, but the powers won't exactly go with it. The power is directly linked to the glass, yes, but they are also bound to the user in a way. This happens so that the recipient doesn't get all the power at once. If that were to happen, they would die." Levi was sharpening quickly, but carefully. Judging by the scars on his hands, he had learned this by trial and error.

Mystella nodded. Azeline explained some things about the glass, but not everything. It was better for one to learn for themselves. It wasn't planned for Mystella to get the glass - to her knowledge, at least - so she didn't feel like she had to explain much.

"Well, Rakira's sister, Rosa. She was a magistrate before he was. You don't remember her, obviously, but well... She definitely took after her mamá." Levi chuckled softly, fondly remembering the woman. "An old Mexican woman. I don't think I've ever been more afraid of someone, other than her. Man, if she were still alive, she would have absolutely demolished Perditus. He'd be a completely new man. Rosa was very similar. I miss her so much.."

Mystella peered over at him, looking up from her focus. "What happened to her? Is she..?" She trailed off, but both of them knew what hung in the empty air, unspoken.

"Well, we don't know. That's the thing. She could be dead, or she could just be hiding. I wouldn't blame her if I'm honest. That's what I should have done, instead of being a hero."

Mystella held up her hand, in dismissal. "It's not your fault, Levi. He was controlling you."

Levi sighed. "I guess so. But I shouldn't have let it happen, is what I'm saying. Having to witness what was going on, but not being able to stop it? It was agony... not to mention, I don't understand why Perditus is even acting like this. He was so different before he disappeared. Just like Rosa.."

He was quiet for a moment, before pulling a worn CD out of his bag. "I think we should watch this before we leave, then. Maybe it'll jog something. We could even have Chronos cut your hair, too."

"That's not a horrible idea. It is still early in the morning, so I'm not sure if the others are awake, ye-" She was cut off by the sound of crashing. Mystella ran into the room immediately, not even minding the fact that she was still in her pajamas. Levi followed closely behind, a hand on the wall as she suddenly stopped behind her.

Axel, Rakira, and Chronos all looked up at the two with wide eyes. Various pans and general kitchen utensils were in their hands. Rakira was the first to speak up, "We were trying to make food - Axel says he knows how to."

Axel blinked a few times, looking between Levi and Mystella in bewilderment. "Wait, you two came out of the same room. Levi isn't wearing a shirt, and you.." He blushed a little, stumbling over his words. He trailed off, but everyone knew what his next words were.

Mystella took a moment to take in what exactly he'd just said, as Rakira and Chronos held their breath. They were curious too but didn't dare say anything. No one wanted Mystella's rage directed at them, and she was a bit of a loose cannon when it came to that. Levi looked at Mystella - who was unnervingly quiet - and then to the group of three in front of them.

"No, we weren't doing... anything. She passed out on top of me on the porch when we were practicing sparring, and I took her back, to bed. I was afraid to leave her alone, so I joined her. Nothing more, nothing less." Levi broke the tense silence, for her. She sighed softly and took the disc, moving over to an older CD player.

"Kira, Axel. Go turn the generator on, please." Mystella asked them, quietly. They shuffled away quickly, as she sat on a well-used couch.

Levi sat next to her, with a small sigh. He almost put a hand on her leg, but hesitated, and then fully retracted his hand. "Are you sure you're ready to see this, Stella? The memory that comes back... It could be bad."

She nodded firmly, her crimson eyes fixated firmly on the screen. "Well, if I'm not ready now, I don't think I ever will be."

The tv flashed to life, the whirring of a few different things in the cabin following soon after. Axel and Rakira came in shortly after as well, laughing at something that was said between them. No one else really understood the pair, but they were just happy to see them happy, together. Kaedea came in, then, taking a seat on one of the worn love seats. She offered a half-wave, which was returned by everyone except Mystella and Levi, in their ways. Chronos gave a brilliant smile, Rakira waved back happily, and Axel said a quick, "Hey, good morning." As they took their seats.

"What are we watching?" Axel questioned, as the film started up. Chronos leaned on the back of the couch, focused on the tv, as well.

Mystella spared him a glance, before explaining, "It's a, uh, thing Levi had. Supposedly it'll give us a little insight into how we were, pre-apocalypse." It was a short and simple explanation, but Axel accepted it. They all watched the screen, as the film started.

Someone was fiddling with the camera, trying to get it straight. A deep voice started cursing the camera, and the group immediately cast their eyes to Levi - it was his voice. He chuckled softly, resting his head on his hand, leaning on the arm of the couch.

The screen went in and out of focus for a few moments, before a younger Levi showed up, in the frame. He didn't look too different than he did now, but he seemed a lot happier, less rugged, and beaten. He visibly cringed a little, causing teasing remarks to come from the group. Mystella had propped her chin upon her hand, though, intently staring at the tv.

"And... there we go! Okay, so, the queen killing machine should be home any minute!" Levi smiled into the camera, fixing his hair for a moment.

Perditus then came into view, pushing Levi out of the way, "C'mon, you door knob-licker. We have to get into position, she's down the driveway."

The screen went dark as the camera adjusted to the lower light. There were whispers and various shushes before everything went completely silent.

Soon, the door opened. There was an audible sigh before the lights flicked on. Cheers and shouts erupted from the group, various things being said. They mostly consisted of "surprise", and "happy birthday!"

Mystella was still watching closely, as those beautiful crimson eyes made contact with her's, on screen. She looked... acted, so much different. To her, at least. It was like looking at a stranger.

Her hair was still a brilliant red, her eyes still crimson - albeit less intense. Her demeanor was different, too. She carried herself with a more relaxed attitude, although it seemed like she was analyzing everyone in the room, predicting their next move.

On-screen, they all enveloped her in hugs beside Axel's dad, Benjamin, and Perditus who was lighting the candles. Axel winced a little, seeing his dad. Rakira noticed, though no one else did - and so he took his hand gently, offering a soft, reassuring smile as if to tell him that he was safe.

Mystella's sight started fading black again, as another vision formed slowly. It was interrupted, though, as the screen cut to static, and was replaced by a camera adjusting.

The group looked at Levi, perplexed. "I don't know what's going on - I've kept this a secret for years."

"Is it on? Yes? Perfect," It was Perditus, sitting at some sort of desk. A wash of anger cascaded over Mystella, as she gripped the couch cushion on either side of her.

"Well, I know, thanks to a special someone," He smiled at someone off-screen, then, "That you'll all be watching this tape at some point. And no, it's not my dear Levi. I'm aware of his betrayal. And I know how I'm going to deal with it, too. You must remember, I am always three steps ahead, mes amies."

Chronos looked very uncomfortable, as he gripped the back of the couch, similarly to Mystella. He wasn't mad, though, but he was nervous. It wasn't too obvious why, and no one was paying attention. Kaedea looked disgusted, as she glared at the screen.

"Well, I've decided to help you out, with your journeys. You can choose to believe me or not, but the fate of your dear Azeline is at risk, Mystella." Weirdly enough, he looked right at her, and she glared back. This was followed by a sinister chuckle, "Oh, I can see your face already. The queen killing machine's infamous glare, yes? Oh, I'm sure you miss your assassin days, don't you, mon horrible ami? I guess the apocalypse was good for you, wasn't it? Now you can just kill, without a speck of remorse! Oh, right, no. I apologize. There never was any remorse, was there?"

The cabin went dead silent, Mystella's fingers digging harder into the couch. She was beyond furious - her being so quiet was a bad sign.

"Well, there's a little community not far from here, that needs help. It's called Black Hollow. It is said that there is a curse or two there... And I've made sure that once you deal with that, that you'll be able to find another clue to my - and your wife's - whereabouts. I can play fair sometimes, my dear. I'd suggest you be quick, though. Not very much time left.."

The screen cut out finally, going back to the recording. It was the end, and it was left with the group laughing and eating cake together.

With her blood boiling, and rage still taking over, Mystella stood. Not even wanting to try and stop her, everyone but Levi backed up, rather quickly. Chronos stood in front of the group, as they watched her aim a powerful kick at the tv's screen, pushing it all the way back. There was a loud crackle and the shattering of glass, as everything on the wall behind it starting falling off their shelves. Glass jars of herbs and plants scattered across the floor, as strange liquids joined them soon after.

Levi grabbed ahold of Mystella, restricting her movement momentarily. Something about him calmed her down at least a little, as she was reduced to just standing there, limply. Tears threatened her waterline, but she held them back.

"Listen, Stella. We have a chance to get him, and to get Azeline back. It's gonna be okay, I promise." He hugged her tightly, and she hesitantly hugged back. "Let's get going, okay? We should get there as soon as we can, okay?"

She nodded, and he let go.

The group quickly gathered their belongings, casting a melancholy gaze back to the cabin. Mystella was still getting used to her new haircut and kept touching the shaved parts of it. She didn't say so, but it was obvious she liked it, and Chronos took pride in that. As they started to walk back into the forest, it seemed different from before. Without the presence of Nebula, it all seemed darker and more twisted, somehow. It was as if it was mourning her loss, too.

Mystella held her bag a little closer to herself than before, feeling a sense of strange foreboding. Something told her that this village wasn't going to be a very pleasant one. "I wonder what's gonna happen when we get there. I can only hope that he didn't lead us to a trap, although that does seem likely. What do you guys think?" She turned her head, giving the group a side glance.

Kaedea shrugged, a strand of her blue hair falling out of her bun and in front of her eye. "Well, if Perditus is sending us there, I'm sure he has some sort of plan. He likes his games, though. You would know that if you remembered things pre-apocalypse. He liked playing Monopoly. You two were always the last ones to be fighting over properties, and whatnot. It was pretty entertaining to see you get so mad."

Mystella nodded, before looking back ahead, "So. Are you two still going to hold out on me with how I was? I already know that I was an assassin, so why don't you just tell me the rest?" Mystella still didn't understand why Azeline would lie to her. She felt like it would've been important, to know her past.

"We can't, Mystella. I'm sorry." Kaedea had responded, as raindrops started to lightly patter at the leaves of the trees above and around them.

The rain was weirdly calming, to the scarlet-haired woman. She looked up, closing her eyes. Levi looked over admiringly and smiled softly. Kaedea followed his gaze, and felt a bit of a pang in her heart, noticing how he stared at her. He never looked at her, like that. She decided to walk closer to Levi, striking up a conversation with him.

"Did you do this? The rain, I mean. Cause, well, my hair gets all frizzy when it gets rainy-" Kaedea spoke rather quickly, making sure that she slowed their walking speed so Mystella was a bit of a length away from them. Levi turned his attention to Kaedea and smiled at her.

"Yeah, I did. Mystella is super high-strung with stress, and I remember how rain used to calm her down. Like how we used to sit on her balcony for hours, sipping tea and talking about our lives, as the rain tapped on the roof." Levi looked back ahead, remembering something from long ago. His gaze was distant, it was as if he wasn't even there.

Kaedea nodded, and then looked down. "I missed you.." There was a pause, before she continued, "And I looked for you, this past year."

He looked over at her, confused. "You did? I kinda just figured that the group gave up. You can imagine my surprise when I found out you guys were alive, and that.." He cast his snowy eyes to the ground, pain flashing through them, "Things have changed"

He trailed off, but Kaedea knew that there was more that he wanted to say. "I feel like you need to talk about it, so go ahead. I'm listening. It's what I do best."

Levi sighed softly. "I guess I'm just not used to this, yet. Mystella and I were best friends, and now it's like we're strangers - like we don't even know each other. Which, I guess that isn't wrong. She's not the same person she was, two years ago. Like, don't get me wrong. She's still just as amazing, and beautiful as ever, but.." He frowned, looking over at her. "There's something different about her, I guess. Like, obviously she's had her fair share of trauma - I mean, who hasn't? We're under the constant threat of not only being eaten alive and ripped apart, but we also have to worry about bandits, Perditus, and his stupid mind-controlled army. And I know she had to deal with a lot before, too, but she was always optimistic. In her own way - but ah, I don't know. I feel like she's the same person, but she's not. Does that make sense?"

Kaedea looked over at him, nodding slowly. "Yeah, that makes sense.."

Axel interrupted the various conversations, though. Something had been nagging at him since they collectively decided to go to the small community, and mapped it out. "Mystella? I have a question?" He was a little more sure of himself than he normally would be because he knew that if he tried to not be so timid, that she'd be more likely to approve of his request.

"Yes, Axel?" It was only two words, but she sounded drained. Axel wondered if this was a bad time to ask, but Rakira gave him a little nudge of encouragement. He then smiled at him, and Axel felt just a little more capable of asking.

He took a breath, before continuing, "Well, I noticed something while we were mapping out where to go, to get to Black Hollow. And, well, I noticed that we'll be passing right by my house. I just... I know it's off-course. But, there's something I would like to grab. It kind of occurred to me that I have nothing of my mother - or my sister, for that matter - to remember them by. It won't take long, I promise-"

"Yeah, sure." Mystella cut him off, with a dismissive wave.

Axel sputtered for a moment, not expecting her to agree so quickly. He thought that he would have to convince her as he'd done with whatever else he wanted, or wanted to do. Rakira fist-bumped him and smiled widely. It was beautiful, contagious. Axel couldn't help but smile back.

Although it still felt dark and as if it were smothering the group, the forest still felt warm and welcoming, strangely enough. Without the fog, and when they weren't running towards danger - it was nice to take a moment to look around.

Browned leaves fell from the trees above and around them, as fall approached, and quickly. The forest was a beautiful blend of autumn colors, mostly. The breeze tugged at the spindling branches, the wood creaking like an old, forgotten song. A chorus of slaps broke through the peaceful silence, though. The group collectively turned to look at Chronos and Rakira, who were slapping mosquitoes off of themselves.

Kaedea pulled some bug spray out of her bag and threw it to the pair, who preceded to spray it all over themselves. Kairo retreated to Chronos's pack to escape the mist, as Aphrodite tried to eat the mosquitoes flying around. Titan took the time to lay down, letting his head rest on his front paws. Mystella shook her head slowly before she got her own spray out and started putting it on herself and Levi. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she rolled her eyebrows. Putting the spray back in her bag, she looked expectantly at the rest of them.

Axel was peering closely at Rakira and Chronos. Chronos looked a little concerned, and in turn, tried to start walking away, but not before Axel stopped him. "There's something oddly similar, between you two. I mean, you had the almost exact same reactions to the bugs."

Rakira looked at Chronos and then laughed. "Yeah, I guess that was kinda weird. It was almost like we were the same person there, for a second."

Axel furrowed his brows in concentration. "Are you like, his long-lost brother, or something? Or a cousin?"

Rakira blinked a few times in confusion, and then turned to him, expectantly. "Wait, that could make sense. Are you Rosa's twin?"

Chronos exhaled softly and then shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I never knew my parents. I grew up bouncing between foster homes. I wasn't exactly a great kid. When I turned eighteen, I left the state. I came back right before the apocalypse, though. I guess it wasn't the worst thing I did - I mean, I met you guys. I could've been alone for all of this, or.." He trailed off. They all knew what he was going to say next.

With the uncomfortable silence still hanging in the air, Rakira spoke up again. "Well, neither of us have family, I guess. So, we can be each other's family, how about that?"

Chronos smiled in response and then nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good to me."

Their travels to the exit of the woods were generally quiet, save for Axel and Rakira's endless banter between each other. Upon reaching the street once more, the light difference was almost blinding. It felt like they were in there, forever. Mystella looked around, her crimson eyes reflecting the light beautifully, making it look like they were glowing.

Chronos looked at Levi, who was gazing at Mystella. He chuckled, "Mine as well give up, dude. She's married."

Levi looked at Chronos, startled. "Huh? Oh, no, I don't - I'm not - Ah, I'm just admiring her. She was my best friend before all her... amnesia stuff, started."

Chronos looked at him, not believing a word he was saying, as he dug himself into a deeper hole, trying to explain himself. He shook his head in disapproval and continued walking. Levi put a hand on the taller man's shoulder, though, with a pleading look. "Please don't say anything, to her."

Chronos smirked at Levi, before nodding. "Hey man, it's not my place. Although you are putting a bad image, on the whole, 'a girl and a guy can be best friends without one of them falling in love' bit, though. Kinda cliche, if you ask me. But anyway, you might want to pay attention to your admirer. They're getting jealous."

Levi furrowed his brows in confusion and looked around. He saw the others, but couldn't tell who he was talking about. Axel and Rakira had each other, and Kaedea and he was only friends, nothing less, nothing more. He saw her more like a little sister, if anything.

He shrugged it off and started walking with the group once more.

The street leading to Axel's house was almost just as he remembered it. Blood stained the concrete sidewalks as if they were always there. Just another part of the strange neighborhood. Stray Red-Eyes still roamed about, similar to the ways that they did like people. Axel recognized his friends and acquaintances, a melancholy feeling starting to tug at him.

Rakira grabbed his hand gently, offering him a soft smile. Axel smiled back, interlocking their fingers. Axel took a deep breath, as he steadied himself. If he was going to be anywhere near prepared for what he might encounter, it was now. Axel couldn't really describe the feeling Rakira gave him, but he knew that he made him feel safe.

Mystella drove her katana through the Red-Eyes that made their useless attempts at making meals of the groups, as Kaedea kept an eye out for anything that looked strange, such as the abnormal Red-Eyes they'd come across three different times, now. She was more experienced than the others when it came to them, although she didn't like making a big deal of it.

Titan ripped apart a Red-Eye that had gotten a little too close, and Levi cooed at him, "Good dog!"

Titan gave Levi a look as if he was saying his thanks in his own way, before walking off to join Mystella again.

As they made their way to what used to be Axel's home, the air between them felt heavy, in a strange way. Axel looked up at his house, Memories of his childhood replaying like a movie. He could remember teaching Yvette how to ride her bicycle down the street, their 'secret' treehouse in the backyard, the woods they used to explore - it was all very nostalgic to him. Of course, there were plenty of bad memories here, too, but he decided to focus on the good ones, considering that he'd been dwelling on the rougher parts of his past for a while, now.

Axel was the one to take initiative this time and took the first step on the stairs that led to his front door. Mystella and the others looked at each other with worry, collectively thinking about the fact that there may not be anything left. He wanted to do this, though, and no one was going to stop him.

Taking a deep breath, Axel turned the doorknob slowly, pushing the door open. It was eerily quiet. He walked in first, the others close behind. Axel was trying very hard not to look at the gruesome scene around him, holding back gags. He was never one to do good with blood, much less gore. It was everywhere, so it was hard to avoid.

Mystella looked around, her gaze cold. She looked at the body of his mother, who laid decaying on the ground next to the window, just as Axel had told of her demise, before. She couldn't find the body of his sister, though, only what looked like scarlet drag marks leading off somewhere else. She sighed softly, shaking her head. No one deserved to go through this.

Axel walked off to his parent's bedroom, quietly. Mystella and Levi took the time to look around, Rakira joined Axel, and Kaedea, accompanied by Chronos, decided to go outside, to keep a watch for any Red-Eyes.

At one point, it would have been a beautiful home. The fireplace was adorned with family pictures, statuettes, and what looked like a child's drawings. Mystella snickered, pointing at a picture of Axel when he was younger. If she had to guess when it was taken, she'd probably say about twelve. Levi peered over, to see what she was on about, and chuckled, picking the picture, carefully.

"Man, he doesn't look that different. More freckles, green hair, and eyes. That's all that's really different. Well, and he had a lot more acne." Levi was pointing out what he was talking about as he went. "Well, and, he doesn't have that scar on his lip, here. I wonder how he got that.."

Mystella shrugged, before walking away from the living room - the smell was putrid, and she didn't want to stay any longer. She scrunched her nose, narrowing her eyes, as Levi followed behind her. "This house really needs some Febreeze."

"More like a power wash, and some really strong... everything. This is would take forever, just to get the blood up." Mystella's response was short, but she was listening. She always was.

Levi then stopped in front of the bathroom. "Hey, come here. I want to check your.." He didn't exactly know what to call it, so he just gestured at his own face. Mystella looked confused until she touched her face. Her fingers made contact with the gauze on her cheek. She hadn't been able to change it since they left Nebula's cabin.

"Ah, alright.." Mystella made her way in, and then sat on the rim of the tub. It was a small bathroom, but big enough for them to walk around comfortably.

Levi started rummaging through the medicine cabinet, looking for anything that might help. Axel was a bit of a germaphobe, so who's to say his parents weren't? He remembered that Benjamin was queasy when it came to injuries, so perhaps there'd at least be something, here.

The snowy-haired man finally found what he was looking for, and took position right in front of her. The weather had decided to do its own thing since Levi wasn't controlling it at the moment, and so the rain had picked up, compared to earlier. It pounded on the open window, blowing the curtains towards them.

Mystella looked up at him with her vibrant red eyes, as he peeled off the bandage concealing the wound. It was nasty and sure to leave a scar; a mangled line that trailed from her jaw up to just below her cheekbone. It looked like a claw mark, and that made Levi realize that he hadn't had a chance to ask her about where she got it.

"Where'd this one come from?" Levi asked softly. He poured some peroxide onto a clean rag he'd taken from his bag and started dabbing at the wound. She quietly sucked some air through her teeth, as the liquid hissed.

"Just before we came across you, actually. Nebula needed this huge Red-Eye out of her forest, and that was her condition. We have to do something for her, and she'll do this, for me. I was stupid and thought that I could just pull some heroic sh*t, and take it down. I only made it up to its chest, where I sunk my katana in. It hit me in a fit of rage, and now I have a reminder of my failures." Mystella sighed, casting her gaze down. She was still dwelling on the fact that what she did was stupid, in her eyes.

Levi shrugged, "You wouldn't be you if you didn't try to protect those you're close to. You've always been like that - it's one of my favorite things about you. You put others before you, whether you realize it or not."

Mystella frowned, before looking back into his eyes. "I guess you aren't wrong. I just.." looking away again, she muttered her next words, "I don't know what I'd do without them, you know? They mean a lot to me, and they're the only people I've had full trust in, in a long time."

Levi chuckled, starting to cover her wound back up. "Yeah, I'm all too aware of how hard it is to earn your trust. Hell, we were friends for about two years, before you even trusted me enough to tell me about things nobody else knew. Needless to say, growing up with you was an experience, in itself." He backed off then, with a smile, his sharp teeth showing through.

Mystella got up, stretching. "Growing up with me? So we've known each other longer than you let on, is what you're saying?"

Levi nodded happily, before starting to walk out of the bathroom. "And I understand that I have to earn your trust again, and I don't blame you. I wouldn't trust a stranger, either."

Axel was sitting on his parent's bed, holding a silver necklace. Rakira was next to him, looking down at his hands, which he was fiddling with. Taking a deep breath, Axel got up. "I got what I came for... I guess we should get going, huh?"

Rakira nodded in agreement, getting up with him. "Yeah, unless you need more time. I'm sure the others would understand."

Axel shook his head but grabbed Rakira's hand. He was a little surprised, but let him have his hand. There was a small blush that crept over his cheeks, but he looked away, starting to lead Axel back into the room. Axel stored his necklace in his pocket, with a sigh.

When they made it back into the living room, things got a little less tense, for a moment. Mystella looked between the two, the smallest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Ready to go?"

They were all surprised at the noise that followed, though. There was a loud bang against the abandoned bunker's lid. Axel's eyes widened, and he let go of Rakira's hand, to go investigate. Mystella spoke up, beginning to become worried. "Axel... you don't know what - maybe who, that was."

Axel frowned, "What if it's a survivor, though? We can help them!"

He pulled the lid back, and the group was met with silence. For a moment, he thought that perhaps he imagined the noise - but no, that wouldn't make any sense. They all heard it. "Uh... hello?"

He was answered with a growl, and his emerald eyes widened with fear. He scrambled back, quickly. Mystella, Levi, and Rakira all grabbed their blades and assumed defensive positions. They were ready to kill whatever came up.

And what did emerge, was a Red-Eye. It was a little girl, wearing a tattered dress, who looked as if she was torn apart before she died. Axel teared up, hesitantly grabbing his staff, which was resting on the ground next to him.

Mystella narrowed her eyes, and gripped her katana tighter, moving to kill it. Axel shook his head, though, begging her not to kill his sister. "Look, Axel! She isn't alive anymore! You either need to kill her, or I will! I'm not about to watch you get eaten because you're too afraid to kill!"

Yvette was staring at him, her eyes dripping dark crimson blood. She hadn't decided to move yet, but there was no saying what she'd do - Red-Eyes were unpredictable.

Axel was silent, as Mystella yelled at him. All of his feelings crashed over him, and he couldn't help but let his tears escape.

Rakira's features twisted with anger, and he turned from Yvette to Mystella. "Listen, Mystella! Not everyone is a cold-hearted killer, like you! Leave him alone! What if that was Azeline? Would you kill her without hesitation, without feeling?"

Those golden eyes glared at Mystella, as she went quiet. Realizing she was wrong in this situation, she walked out of the house. Levi wanted to follow, but stayed behind, just in case his sister did decide to kill him.

Rakira looked between Yvette and Axel and then frowned. "If you can't do it, I understand."

Axel shook his head, before he got up, holding his staff. Wordlessly, he walked over to what used to be his little sister. All he could think about was how she used to look up to him. How she looked to him for protection, and here he was, killing her. He held his staff up above her head, blinking away a few tears.

Chronos sighed softly, as Mystella brooded over by a tree, across the street from where the other two sat. "I'm not really sure what happened in there, but I don't think I've ever heard Rakira get that angry. At Mystella, nonetheless. I know I'd be too scared to do that."

Kaedea shrugged, watching the other woman carving at a small piece of wood. "I don't think she's scary. If anything, she's just... human. She's just a woman with a katana. Her glass can't even do anything. I could kill her if I really wanted to."

Chronos gave the azurette a look of disbelief, looking between her and the woman further away from them. "Girl, I know you didn't just say that. You're aware that she has military expertise, correct?"

Kaedea rolled her eyes, "So? Why is that so important? I've had my glass for a lot longer."

Chronos blinked a few times, not understanding how much kaedea was underestimating her. "She was literally the top assassin."

Kaedea's face twisted with anger, and she stood up from her place, about to go prove to him that she could take Mystella in a fight. The door behind them opened, though, and her whole demeanor immediately flipped. She was back to being clumsy and soft-spoken as if she didn't just talk about murdering their captain. Chronos couldn't help but glare at her, he didn't trust the woman. That was obvious enough.

Inside, Axel stared down at his sister's corpse. She was still, finally lifeless. For good. He shakily stood up, gagging from the blood that pooled around him and on his clothes. Rakira frowned, before taking his hand to lead him away from the gore.

"We're uh, at your house, yeah? Do you think there are clothes here you can wear?" Rakira asked, looking at the bloodied male in front of him.

Axel nodded, still holding back vomit. His eyes were watering, and he ran off to what Rakira assumed was the bathroom. Axel ran to the toilet, only to gag even more. It was absolutely filthy, and rats ran out from behind it. He resorted to the shower, where he let the contents of his stomach - which wasn't very much, as is - empty.

When he was finally done, he looked confused. "Did you.." he looked over at Rakira, "Did you hear the rats?"

Rakira blinked a few times at him, also, if not more, confused. "What? Yeah, I heard them. They were squeaking and running away."

Axel shook his head, taking a deep breath, "No, no, no. They were talking."

Rakira just stared at the greenette in disbelief, not understanding what he was trying to say. He didn't say anything, fully convinced that Axel was joking like he normally would.

"No, Kira, I'm serious. They were saying, 'abort, abort' as they ran away!" Axel looked like he believed it, so Rakira nodded slowly, patting him on the shoulder.

Axel wiped away some stray tears away from his red cheeks, agitated from him wiping his eyes with the fabric of his hoodie sleeve, as they walked out to meet the others. Rakira held his other hand, regarding the other members of the group that were staring at them, and then Mystella. He felt like maybe he had gone too far with what he said, but on the other hand - he knew she needed to hear it.

When she saw that everyone was outside, Mystella stood back up from her spot. "You guys ready?"

Mystella didn't sound as cold and commanding as she did before, her crimson eyes a little less fiery. It looked like she was a shell of herself. The group nodded in response, joining her to make their way towards the village.

"Y'know, I faked my death, once." upon saying this, the whole group looked to Levi with confusion.

Mystella didn't look that confused. By the time she took getting to know him, she kind of got that vibe from him. She wondered what he was like, before the apocalypse. Levi seemed like he was daring, not afraid to do what he wanted to what he desired.

"Mystella helped me." Levi looked at her with a beaming smile, his sharp teeth glistening.

Mystella rose her brows in mock surprise. That cause Levi to laugh at her heartily, and he doubled over, for a moment. "Oh, Tempestas, that's the exact face you made when I told you what the plan was!"

In the middle of Levi laughing at his memory, Kaedea took on a confused expression. "I don't remember you telling me about that, Lev. When? Where? How-?"

Mystella gave her a tired look; It was as if she was pleading with her to stop asking questions before Levi goes on a super long rant. Kaedea sighed softly, her breath visible in the air for a moment, before dissipating. It had gotten colder since they left the cabin, and Levi could sense that winter would be approaching, soon. The wind had a bit of a bite to it, as it occasionally blew through.

Levi continued with his story, though. "Well, it was in Eboumartai. We were there on one of Mystella's missions, and get this - we had to assassinate the king." He paused for dramatic effect, an exciting look evident on his face. "The king didn't know that we were coming, it was all going beautifully. We dressed up as guards and went in through one of the sides of the castle. The guy was neglecting his army and his village, so it wasn't that hard - he was kinda corrupt. Claimed to be a bastard child after he killed the previous king, I guess."

Axel peered over at the snowy-haired male with confusion. "What was the king's name? I don't remember learning about an assassination of a king in Eboumartai."

"I don't either. Not that I even really paid attention in my classes, but-" Rakira started, but Chronos cut him off.

"Let him tell the story and you'll find out, guys. It's kind of entertaining." Chronos gave them both a smile.

Levi looked at him, nodding in thanks, before continuing, "Well, anyway. Mystella was known to just kinda plow through whoever got in her way. I mean, anyone. If someone threatened the mission, she killed them. Ah, she was a ruthless, destructive goddess."

Mystella looked at him with a sarcastic facial expression. It was as if she couldn't believe he just said that about her. Kaedea rolled her eyes and averted her gaze, but it was only caught by Chronos. He shot her a glare, and she scoffed at him.

"Anyway! So we get up to the King's bedroom, right? And get this - he was already dead! The king was completely burned to a char, and there was no one around to witness what happened. Just then - one look at Mystella, and we came up with a plan! It was crazy!" Levi's words faded to the back of Mystella's mind though, as they got ever closer to what looked like a cluster of buildings ahead.

Mystella stopped the group, and Levi fell silent, immediately. The day was coming to an end, the first stars started twinkling in the sky. "Let's set up a camp outside of the village, just in case something goes wrong."

The group agreed and started setting up camp. Levi and Chronos took the tents, Axel and Rakira deciding to make an area for a small campfire. Kaedea looked around at everyone doing things and nervously fiddled with her fingers. "Ah, Mystella? What should I do?"

Mystella looked over at her and thought, for a moment. There wasn't much else to do, but maybe she could find something. "Uhm, why don't you scout the village? I see a few lanterns out, but I want to make sure that there are actual people there."

Kaedea nodded, before running off. She still had her bow strapped to her back along with her arrows, so she wasn't exactly silent, but she was quiet enough. Looking back at the group once she made it to the edge of the village, she felt a small pang of jealousy, at the way Levi would go all doe-eyed and stare at Mystella, occasionally.

She thought that maybe, just maybe, if she could show Levi that Mystella was just a pretty face, she could have a chance. Before looking into one of the houses that had a lantern, she sighed to herself before looking into one of the windows. Inside was a small family, sitting in a circle next to their fireplace. Whom she assumed was the father was busy trying to light it, as the mother talked to her children. They were rather young, six at the oldest. Kaedea watched as her lips moved, but couldn't exactly make out what she was saying, much less even what she was generally talking about. One of the kids made eye contact with Kaedea, and she quickly disappeared below the windowsill.

"We could have been like that.." Kaedea cast her dark blue eyes to the ground, a melancholy feeling overtaking her. She was so happy to see her former lover back, but there was so much sorrow at the same time. She had to watch as the one man she loved, admired another. She knew that Mystella came first, considering she'd been around a lot longer than her, but she hoped that seeing Mystella like this - different, that is - would drive him away from her, and back into her arms.

But alas, it only seemed to circle. He was falling in love with her, all over again, and it hurt. It hurt knowing that she was only second to her, knowing that she was a distraction from her when Mystella got married to Azeline. She remembered hoping Levi would propose to her, too. From dropping hints, to even getting to the point where it all boiled over, and she demanded to know if he loved her. Then, the apocalypse started. Once everyone split up, and it was just them-

No, she wouldn't think about that again. She had dwelled too much on the past already, and her throat suddenly felt unbearably dry. She walked back to where the camp was, but not before she picked up on words drifting through an open window, closer to the front of the house. The family was speaking of some sort of festival, that was supposed to happen later that night.

The others had finally finished setting up camp, and Axel was hanging out of a tree from his legs, panicked. Rakira was trying to get him down, and Levi and Chronos were in tears, laughing at him. "Don't laugh at me! Help!"

Mystella shook her head in disappointment, "I told you, that we didn't need any more fuel. Why don't you listen to me?"

Mystella grabbed a hold of his arms and pulled him down. She and Chronos were the only ones tall enough to reach him, and Chronos was too busy dying of laughter. Axel let out a terrified shriek as he was ripped down unceremoniously, falling into Rakira's lap in a flurry of limbs. Both of them looked at each other, as a blush crept across their faces.

Axel scrambled out to sit next to him, breathlessly. He laid on the ground, then, staring up at the clear sky. It was a beautiful night, and the stars each shown brighter than the next, reflecting in Axel's vibrant green eyes.

Rakira smiled at him softly, before laying down next to him to look up at the stars, as well. "Y'know, it's been a while since we just kinda laid and looked around. Sometimes I miss looking out the window and seeing the pretty lights sprinkle the sky."

Axel peered over at Rakira then, with a goofy smile tugging at his lips. "The stars? Yeah, I went for so long not being able to see them. The bunker, and all.."

Rakira looked at him, too. The smile was contagious, and soon Rakira had one, too. "Well, if anything, I'm glad that we're seeing them again, together. It just makes it that much more special."

Axel nodded happily, moving over a little so that he was closer to Rakira. Rakira paused for a moment, a little afraid to touch him, just in case he didn't intend to be this close. After a moment, though, he slowly put an arm around the other. Axel visibly relaxed in his embrace, and they both looked up at the sky, transfixed.

Kaedea returned to the group and started talking about her finds, as Chronos and Levi talked about something else, tending to the fire. "You know, I remember everything. Even from back when Perditus was controlling me." Snowy eyes peered over at Chronos, as he looked up from his task.

"Oh?" It was a short answer, but he only replied to see if Levi would explain any further.

"Yeah, almost everything, in the past year. Including you, and what you did." There was something behind his voice, but Chronos couldn't tell if it was venom or concern. Levi was hard to read. When he was serious, his expression was almost completely blank. There'd be a hint of a smile, or even a scowl if he was lying. There was nothing, though.

With narrowed eyes, he continued. "And I think you're a good person for it. Making sure that Perditus left Azeline alone most of the time, is admirable."

Chronos started into the embers of the fire, as it reflected itself in his honey-colored eyes. "I've done a lot of bad things for him, but I couldn't stand by and watch, as someone I grew close to was tortured. Not to mention, I think Mystella would have killed me. She did make me promise that I would protect her."

Levi rose a brow in question, then. "You knew her pre-apocalypse? I don't believe I've ever met you before we were soldiers together."

Chronos chuckled to himself, poking at one of the logs that the flame was trying to catch. "Somethin' like that."

Levi sighed, then. "I know you aren't the traitor, either."

Chronos looked over at him. No smile, no scowl. He wasn't lying. He had suspected that someone among them was a traitor, but he didn't know that he wasn't the only one with that belief. "Well, I had a bit of a dream. If you're interested in it, of course."

Levi nodded, pulling back a little to make sure no one else was listening. Axel and Rakira were still laying together on the other side of the camp, Mystella and Kaedea talking about something. There was a little bit of tension between the women, but Levi was nowhere near close enough to understand what they were saying. "Yeah, tell me. Everyone is busy, and I doubt Titan, Kairo, Freya, and Aphrodite are gonna say anything."

"I don't know. Freya's kinda creeping on us-" Upon hearing her name, Freya's head swiveled to look at Chronos, puffing her feathers up. He could've sworn that the bird scoffed at them, before flying over to perch on Kaedea's shoulder. After a moment, Kaedea looked over at the pair and smiled, with a small wave. She then continued her conversation, Freya staring at them intently, before turning her gaze to Mystella.

Levi shuddered uncomfortably, before giving his attention back to Chronos. "I've always hated that bird. When we were... together, that thing would follow me, everywhere. It was like she was her personal spy." He then sighed and allowed Chronos to talk about what he was originally going to.

"Well, I think it was like, the first night we spent at Nebula's house. So you weren't there, yet." he paused for a moment, recollecting his thoughts. "I had a dream. Normally, I would've let it slip past like I normally do, but Mystella was in it, this time. I just knew it was her because I saw that fiery red hair. I've never met anyone else like that."

Levi smiled, gazing at the woman for a moment. Chronos looked at him briefly and then continued. "Anyway. So she was walking down a street, and everything was just, devoid of, well, everything. There was no sense of time, beauty, everything was dry and cracked, and it was all just.." he searched for the words, "Well, somehow more apocalyptic. But I digress. Mystella had a tracker on her, and she was dead, Levi."

Levi's eyes widened in genuine surprise, as his gaze turned back to Chronos again. "Wait, seriously? He killed her?"

Chronos shook his head, slowly. "No. It wasn't Perditus. I know it wasn't. I don't know how to explain it, but I know it wasn't Perditus. It was someone from the group - someone she grew to trust. That's the only way someone would be able to kill her - if she doesn't see it coming. I'm absolutely sure, in that aspect."

Levi bit his lip as he pondered everything Chronos told him about this dream. He would have brushed it off, but every one of his dreams of the future had been correct, before. "So basically, we need to find out who the traitor is before they can get her alone.."

Chronos nodded solemnly, looking over their small group. "I know that it's not me or you, that much is obvious."

Levi nodded, and his gaze traveled to Axel and Rakira. Chronos shook his head, though. "No, it isn't either of them. I know for a fact that it isn't Rakira, and Axel wouldn't be able to. It would shatter him if Mystella died."

Levi frowned, "Well, how do you know it's not them? It could be Rakira. We have no idea what he did before everything."

Chronos sighed, "If either of them wanted to kill her, they would've done it while she was with them for a month, before. It would have been an easy kill. She does trust them more than anything, but I just know it wasn't them."

"You don't think it's Kaedea, do you?" Levi looked like he didn't want to hear the answer to that question. He knew he had to ask, though.

Chronos shrugged, "For all we know, it could be someone that we just haven't met, yet. It could even be someone from her past. But we should watch her closely, make sure she's not alone with Mystella."

Levi nodded affirmatively before Mystella walked over to them. "Alright, guys. I don't know what you're over here conspiring about, but we gotta get up and going. The village's festival is about to begin, and we got to figure out what's going on. If it's too loud or there are too many lights, it's bound to attract Red-Eyes, so we have to keep an eye out for them, as well."

Both of them looked up at her, before standing so that she could address them properly. Grabbing their weapons, Levi shot Chronos a knowing look, and Chronos nodded.

Mystella gathered the other three, and they started walking towards the small village. "Titan, Aphrodite, watch the camp. Don't eat Kairo, either. I just fed you."

Titan yawned in response before laying down, as Aphrodite bounded around the camp awkwardly. Mystella smirked a little to herself, before continuing to walk. "Hoods up, guys."

The group simultaneously said a "yes, ma'am" before putting their hoods up, as told.

When they got to the gates of the community, there were two people stationed outside. They weren't there when Kaedea originally came over, so she wondered if they were there to watch for the impending Red-Eyes. "Hello, strangers. What brings you to Black Hollow?"

Mystella spoke up, "We are, er.." She looked around, at the group. She had a gut feeling that telling these people they were normal survivors wouldn't bode well. "We're magistrates."

The guards both looked at each other, before laughing heartily. One even wiped a tear away, as he caught his breath. "Magistrates? They left centuries ago! Or are you one of the other dozens of survivors that came here, trying to get in free, because you're secretly an all-powerful being, but your glass was stolen? Or, or, even better, are you with that creepy purple-haired fellow? He was going absolutely crazy, looking through the cages, trying to find these fabled 'magistrates'."

Mystella's crimson eyes narrowed, and she felt her rage building. She slammed the guard up against the tall wooden fence, a hand wrapped around his throat. He was up to her height now, dangling in the air, his feet just quite not able to touch the ground. He choked in surprise, as the other guard rose her spear at Mystella.

"If you harm me, I'll kill you both. You listen, you pathetic excuse for direwolf sh*t. We have business here, as a magistrate, and you will let me pass. I've killed hundreds, what's two more?"

The guard nodded, tears welling in his amber eyes as she glared at him for a moment more, dropping him to the ground. The other guard rushed over to her partner before she let her tears slip out. "At least prove that you're magistrates before we let you in. It's just protocol. We don't want anyone getting hurt. Not anyone else, at least."

Mystella nodded and held up the brilliant red stone, gesturing for the others to do the same. Levi showed her his earring, adorned with beautiful white stones. Rakira held up his wrist, a bracelet with golden stones embedded in it. Axel showed her his ring, steel black with a vibrant green in the middle, from the stone. And last, Kaedea showed the guard her glasses, an azure stone in the middle between the circular frames. The woman's eyes traveled to Chronos, who shrugged. "Mine is broken, but I'm one of them."

"..Very well, you may go in. Just... don't hurt anyone else, please." She was still tending to the other guard as they entered the gates, being greeted by a beautiful arrangement of lanterns, flowers, and people setting up to play various instruments.

Rakira's golden eyes went wide, as he looked around. "I've never seen anything like this, before! It's so beautiful."

Axel smiled. Looking over at him, "Yeah, it really is."

As the group walked into the village, the colors and lights blended magnificently. They got plenty of strange looks, and Axel was gradually shrinking further and further into the group. People kept reaching for him, Chronos dealing with the same thing on the other side. After a couple of words being exchanged, though, they left them both alone.

They weren't exactly sure what to be looking for - Perditus was extremely vague. No one there looked like him, and even if someone did, there's no way they would be able to immediately tell if it was actually him. There was a pretty good chance that he would just send an innocent person again like he already had done twice.

Mystella took the group to a building that stood out from the rest. It seemed like most of the town was gathering there, and she figured that it would be more fruitful if they were to ask around in there. They were outside of the doors before Mystella turned around to address them. "Alright, guys. We're gonna split into groups of two so that we can cover ground faster. I'm sure there's a lot of people in there."

Axel nodded and then grabbed Rakira's hand. "We'll go together."

Kaedea looked at Levi and Chronos, before turning to Mystella. "I guess I'll go with you, those two seem pretty close, lately-"

Levi spoke up, though, interrupting her just as she was about to finish. "I'll go with Mystella. It'll be like old times, maybe she'll even remember something?"

Mystella nodded, agreeing to his proposal. Kaedea rolled her eyes, though, and moved to stand next to Chronos. She muttered something under her breath, but no one caught it. The groups parted away from each other, beginning their search.

Kaedea was forcing a smile, but it was rather obvious that she didn't want to be with Chronos. He annoyed her, and she didn't want anything to do with him. Chronos was too aware of this, and so he kept the conversation between them to an absolute minimum. There was a couple ahead of them, though, that Kaedea recognized from the house she peeked into. She motioned over to them, and the pair made their way there.

Kaedea kept scratching at her neck, though. It almost felt like something slowly wrapped around it, and she couldn't understand where it was coming from.

"Hey, guys, what's goin' on, here?" Chronos initiated the conversation, offering a bright and friendly smile. He was being very charismatic at the moment, and it surprised Kaedea. She brushed off what she was thinking, though, and then turned her attention back to the couple.

"Oh, we're just havin' us a bit of Medovukha." The man's accent was heavily Russian, and it was a little hard for the two to understand, but they got the gist of it. His wife nodded happily in response, holding up one of the cups they were drinking from. The woman stumbled though, before putting her hand on Kaedea to steady herself. "Ah, sorry about that! I am so clumsy." 

Kaedea smiled awkwardly at her, "Ah, it's alright. Happens to the best of us." 

Axel and Rakira were being bumped into each direction and would've lost each other had they not held hands. Finally, they found someone sitting by their lonesome at a circular table backed by a booth, and they made their way over. The person sitting there was an older man, who looked worn down to the bone.

He wore a dusty brown overcoat and faded, stained jeans that have probably seen way better days. Rakira spoke up first, noticing how Axel looked a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. "Uhm, sir? Could we borrow your attention, for just a moment?"

The silver-haired man looked up at the two, revealing his gray, dull eyes. They traveled down to their interlocked hands, and then back up. "Sure, have a seat." he then called out for a round of drinks. Axel looked at Rakira, getting increasingly nervous about the whole thing.

"Oh, no, sir, I'm only eighteen, and he's only twenty. I don't really think that's a great idea-" Rakira started, but the man cut him off.

"Oh, son, it's the goddamned apocalypse. Who's gonna check your IDs? Just have a drink, relax." The man waved at them dismissively, signaling that he wasn't going to take their declines.

Axel sighed, then. "Have you seen a guy, around here? A little taller than me, long purple hair?"

The old man made a show of thinking, stroking his long, peppered beard. Axel and Rakira had only seen that done in movies - and it took everything for them to not say anything about it. Soon, as the man was about to answer, the drinks he had ordered were brought to the table.

"Aha, boys, here they are. Have a drink, and I'll answer ya." The man smiled at them, taking one for himself. Axel and Rakira hesitantly both took one and held it. The man watched them intently, waiting for them to do as he said. Just then, though, a tattooed hand slammed down on the table.

The group of three looked startled, as they turned their frightened gazes to see who the assailant was. It was Mystella, with Levi behind her. She looked angry - furious, even. "They said no, old man. I suggest you stop and answer these two, now. Lest you want to taste blood."

The man smirked, looking up at Mystella. "My, my. I like 'em feisty. Especially red-heads." He narrowed his eyes, then. "Wait, are you.."

Mystella rested her hand on the hilt of her katana, narrowing her crimson eyes. "I suggest you choose your next words wisely, creep."

He leaned a little closer, looking Mystella up and down. "What are you?" When he received Mystella's confused gaze, he elaborated. "Like, you kinda look like a girl. But at the same time, you look and kinda act like a man. Are you one of those-"

Axel cut him off as the old man shuddered in disgust, though, "She is whoever she wants to be! Just because Mystella presents herself in a more masculine way doesn't mean you get to insult her for being who she wants to be!"

Mystella sighed, "I don't care for pronouns, if that's what you're asking. If someone thinks I'm a man, then so be it." she then glared at him, though. "But if I ever hear you utter anything bad about someone who is androgynous, someone who uses other pronouns, or dresses differently - anything - I'll make sure that your last words are those of you choking on your blood."

As the guy fearfully nodded, Mystella retracted from the table. "Now, tell them what you know of Perditus."

"No, no, I can't do that! You don't understand what he'll do to me, my family!" The man stuttered, about to flee from the whole situation.

Mystella slammed her hand on the leather of the booth right next to him. "I guarantee you that whatever I do will be much worse than whatever he could ever do."

The frightened man shrunk into his seat, as his eyes made contact with someone a ways behind Mystella. Levi, Rakira, and Axel were backing Mystella up, but none of them seemed to notice the other presence.

Rakira had a strange feeling, though, and yanked Axel to stand on the other side of him, just as the crack of a whip was heard. Mystella's head whipped around, and they met just the man they were trying to find. Perditus looked just as surprised as the rest of the group, staring at Axel and Rakira. Not to mention, a strand of Rakira's hair had mysteriously turned from the dark brown they were used to, to a streak of yellowish gold.

Mystella wasted no time in tackling Perditus, pinning him underneath her. His spiked whip skidded across the floor briefly, to where Kaedea and Chronos were. It caught the attention of the two - and the rest of the bar - and the pair ran over to see what was wrong. Chronos's breath caught in his throat, as he saw his captor laying underneath Mystella.

Levi frowned though, taking a knee to inspect Perditus, "We don't know if this is actually him, Stella. It could just be a poor innocent."

Mystella narrowed her eyes in thought, before holding her hand out, "Give me his whip. We'll see if he changes."

Kaedea ran over and grabbed it, quickly handing the weapon over to Mystella. Perditus didn't have that malicious smirk that he normally wore. If anything, he still looked as if he couldn't believe this all was happening. He was sure that he had a flawless plan, but he didn't exactly account for the fact that Rakira would know to move Axel so quickly. And now, here he was, at the mercy of the woman who wanted him dead, the most.

He soon regained his composure, though, a smile tugging at his lips. "Oh, would you look at that? A caravan of mommy and daddy issues with powers, how charming."

Mystella gritted her teeth; it took everything in her not to punch his teeth in, right then and there. Chronos looked around nervously at the rest of the bar, filled with people that looked to be getting tenser by the minute. Tugging on the collar of his shirt, he cleared his throat, "Maybe... maybe we should leave. They don't look too happy with us, here."

Levi and Chronos picked up either side of the chair, still holding Perditus, and started carrying them out of the building. Someone put a hand on Mystella's arm, though, and she countered it by grabbing their hand and twisting, laying them out on the floor. A series of protests started to form, and the group knew that they had to get Perditus out to question him.

Mystella took a deep breath and then spoke disturbingly calmly, "You five take him out. I'll deal with this. I've been looking for something to take this anger out, on." There was a moment of hesitation before her fiery eyes made contact with them. "Now! Go!"

The rest of the group hurried out, making their way to a building that looked abandoned. They would have taken him to the campsite, but Levi and Chronos had a bad feeling about that.

Inside the bar, Mystella stood in front of the doors, hands rested to each side of her. Looking around the bar, she noticed that there were a lot of them, but by the looks of it - they'd be fairly easy to handle. Most of them were skin and bones and probably couldn't fight very well.

The first person to rush at her was a young woman, with long brunette hair. She had a determined look about her. Her fist flew past Mystella's face, who grabbed her arm and flipped her over, the woman's body hitting the ground with a loud thud. This incited the rest of the crowd, who each tried to land a hit on the seemingly invincible woman.

Chronos jabbed a finger at Perditus, mere inches away from his face. "So you are Perditus!"

Perditus made jazz-hands, even though they were still bound. Out of all the times he'd been 'confronted' by the group, this had worked the least in his favor. "Yeah. Surprise, Shawty."

Levi rolled his eyes, and then looked to Axel and Rakira. "You two alright?"

Before either could answer, though, Perditus started up again. "Ah! Benjamin and Olivia's crotch spawn, yes? Along with.. oh my, Rosa's brother? What a party! And, last but not least, my dear Kaedea!"

Kaedea glared down at the seated man with resentment, before shaking her head and turning away. "I want nothing to do with you, Perditus."

He sneered at her condescendingly, before turning his attention back to the group. "Well, you aren't getting anything out of me, my dears." His purple eyes trailed over to meet Axel's then, and he smirked. "How was seeing your dad in that cave again, Axel? All those memories coming back - must have been quite the sight!"

Chronos and Rakira both looked at Axel, who started to tear up. He was forced to remember not only what he saw in the cave, but what else his father did to him. Years of abuse and anger thrown at him, and it crashed over Axel like a tidal wave. His hands shook violently, and he ran from the building.

Rakira looked to Chronos, who nodded grimly. Rakira then bolted out of the building, too. Levi looked over at Chronos, confused. "What was that about?"

Chronos sighed, "If he didn't go after Axel, Mystella would have. I'm sure that you understand how badly that could have gone; Mystella isn't exactly the best person to go to when you're dealing with things, emotionally. For someone with such trauma, you'd think she'd be a little more sympathetic."

Levi frowned, before speaking up again, "You don't know half of what she's been through, Chronos. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy-" He then looked at a smirking Perditus. "Unfortunately, that means you."

Axel was at the camp they'd sat up not that long ago, burying his face in Aphrodite's fur. She didn't seem to mind, and the doe even turned to lick his tears away. Axel sniffled, unable to stop his trembling.

Rakira hesitated for just a moment before he stepped into the area. He didn't say anything as he walked over to Axel, feeling a pang in his heart at the sight of the person he cared for the most crying. He never wanted to see him like this - especially since he didn't know what he had seen. He would let Axel tell him in time, though.

Axel felt Rakira sit next to him, and he looked up. His bottom lip trembled for a moment before he hugged Rakira. He hugged him as if it was the end of the world - as if letting him go would mean that he'd fall off the Earth. "Just.." He sniffled, hiding his face in Rakira's shirt. "Hold me, for a moment."

"I wouldn't dream of letting go, Axel," Rakira said, before starting to gently pet his green hair.

Axel couldn't help but take in his scent - he smelled like peaches and autumn. With his arms around him, he felt safe. Safer than he'd ever felt before. He didn't want to ever leave his embrace, even though it was inevitable.

"I know I didn't really talk about... what I seen in the caves." Axel sniffled, basically in Rakira's lap, at this point.

"You don't have to unless you want to, Axel. I understand that talking about things that upset you can be hard." Rakira continued petting his hair as he talked. He wouldn't interrupt him if he felt like he could confide in him, but he wouldn't ever force Axel to do anything.

"Well, I trust you. More than anyone-" He mumbled something into Rakira's shirt that he didn't quite catch, but Rakira brushed it off. If he wanted him to know what he said, he would've been louder. "So I trust you not to use it against me."

There was a pause before Rakira simply rested his chin on Axel's head. "You can tell me anything, mi luz guía. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

Axel took a moment before he spoke again. He also took the time to think about what Rakira said. He didn't understand what he'd called him, but he decided to ask him later. The question was, did he trust him? Well, something deep down told him that he could.

"My dad has always been.." he looked for the words, but none seemed particularly correct. He looked at Rakira, who gave him a nod of encouragement; it was as if he was wordlessly telling him that he could take his time. "Harsh, I guess. When I was really little - like I told you, he got drunk a lot, but that didn't really start until he took on the responsibility for being the Elk Magistrate - he wasn't shy in telling me about how much he hated that I was his son."

Axel took a deep breath, as Rakira continued stroking his hair. He continued, feeling a little more relaxed. "Well, I just remember wanting to be like him, so bad. But now, I'm afraid of becoming him, you know? And It's terrifying. It's part of why I've never really.." He averted his eyes, then. "Why I've never been in a serious relationship. Not to mention that my dad abhorred the fact that I was attracted to both women and men. I can still hear his voice, now. 'We need to keep the family name going, Axel! You can't choose to be with a man, it'll screw everything up!' Only I've been told that my accent is much more pleasant to listen to. But, I digress."

Rakira chuckled softly but didn't say anything, once again encouraging him to go at his own pace. "I guess I'm terrified of being in a relationship because every time that I've seen one it has ended horribly. I mean, there's my parents. My dad is - well, was - verbally abusive to my mom, Levi and Kaedea had a falling out, and now he won't even acknowledge her, and then there's Mystella and Azeline. I'm not sure how everything was before the apocalypse, but look at where they are, now. They haven't seen each other in two years, and there isn't even a guarantee that Azeline is alive. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that hurt people hurt other people."

Axel sighed softly, before gazing into Rakira's beautiful golden eyes. He couldn't help but smile; they blazed like the stars. He let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding before he averted his eyes once more, and continued. "Anyway, my 'dad' certainly did a number on me. I know I told you before that he was the cause of his scars, but.." He frowned, "I guess it was my fault, too. I wonder a lot about how it could have been if I was just generally a better son, you know? But I know you don't want to listen to me drone on and on about my drama.."

Rakira grabbed Axel's jaw, forcing him to make eye contact with him. A dark blush immediately crept over the greenette's face, as his green eyes clashed with Rakira's. He looked serious for once, as his gaze burned into Axel's. "Listen here, Axel Alces. I don't want to hear those pretty lips ever utter anything like that again, got it? I love listening to you. Whether you're ranting about how you don't have enough hand sanitizer, Chronos smelling bad, talking about your favorite topic, or even opening up like this - I want to hear it all. You are amazing to me, and I love.." His breath hitched in his throat, as he realized that he had said too much. He let go of Axel's jaw, his own blush becoming apparent.

Axel took a breath, to steady himself after that. He felt his heart flutter as he looked at the man next to him. "I didn't mean to upset you, Sunshine. I'm sorry, I should go.."

Rakira looked over at him, before seizing the collar of his hoodie. "You, okay? It's you - it's always been you. You're... everything, to me." Rakira finally let go of what he'd been bottling up, his heart pounding in his chest. He felt like he could finally breathe, after getting his feelings out in the open. "I don't expect you to return my feelings, but I can't pretend that they aren't there, anymore."

Axel finally found the courage to speak, resisting the urge to break the intense eye contact they were sharing. "I feel like I do return them, 'Kira. I just.." He looked down finally, fiddling with the hem of his hoodie. "I don't want to hurt you."

Rakira gently caressed his cheek, bringing his gaze back up to him. He smiled softly, tears welling up in his eyes. Axel wiped them away before Rakira spoke again. "Well, I would never dream of pushing anything, mi luz guía. Take your time - my feelings will not change. And know that if something were to happen between us, it wouldn't be like all those other relationships, okay? They're losers, and we're not them."

Axel chuckled softly, nodding. "Let's stay here, for a moment. I don't think I'm ready to go back, just quite yet."

Mystella smiled to herself, leaned up against a tree. Her crimson eyes were shut as she listened to the conversation - after seeing Axel storm off in tears, she had gotten concerned. But when she saw Rakira going after him, too, she decided it best to stay back and see how it would play out. Mystella stood up, then, and started making her way back to the building that the rest of the group were holding Perditus at.

It didn't take very long for everyone to regroup, and when they did, Perditus looked ecstatic. "Oh, would you look at that? The trauma train of mommy and daddy issues, sexual tension, and violence are back, how nice! And Mystella! What a pleasure to finally meet you, my dear. I would kiss your hand, but I am unfortunately bound - and not in the way that I usually prefer. What pity."

Mystella rolled her eyes before she cracked her knuckles. "We're going to play a little game, then, Perditus. Levi, here, is going to ask you some questions, and if I don't like your answer, you may be missing some teeth. Does that sound fair to you?"

"See, again with the violence. I would be very afraid to play any type of board game with you. If Uno frustrates me, I can only imagine how you handle it." He threw his head back in laughter before Mystella planted her boot between his legs. He immediately stopped, a little afraid, for a moment. "This wasn't part of the game, Mystella dear - you're supposed to play fairly!"

Levi sighed, before asking the first question. "So, you never let Chronos or I out of your.." he waved his hand in a vague gesture, "Base, or whatever, without blindfolds. I remember the strange terrain. What was that about?" He looked to Chronos for confirmation, who nodded.

Perditus smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know, pet?" Mystella wasted no time and reeled her hand back. Her open palm made contact with his face harshly, the loud crack ringing throughout the spacious room. His head was thrown to the side before his smirk only grew wider. "Oh, Mystella. I didn't think you could make violence so.." he bit his lip, "attractive.."

Levi then stepped in, adding a red mark to accompany Mystella's with his own slap. Perditus squirmed and then turned his gaze to the snowy-haired man. "Both of you? Oh, what a dream.."

Mystella spat at him, before looking at Levi, again. Levi nodded and then asked another question. "Where is the base? Is it here? Is that why you sent us to Black Hollow?"

Perditus leaned forward - as far as his restraints would let him, at least. "Exactly so, my dear. Everything is here - and you may just find it, if you ask the right questions, to the right people. Even if they are all loyal to me."

"Scared of you, you mean," Axel spoke up from the corner of the room, and Perditus's deep violet eyes flicked over to see him. "Because of your uncanny ability to control others."

Mystella scoffed at him, though. "Oh, yes, because you took it so well when someone did that to your brother."

Perditus fell quiet, as pain flashed briefly through his eyes. "Yes? Well, at least I know where my brother is. Can't say the same for you. You'd think such a seasoned assassin would know how to track down her wife by now, wouldn't you? I'd say it's pretty pathetic, Mystella."

Fury exuded from Mystella, as she drew ever closer to Perditus. With just one hand she lifted Perditus - chair included, of course, and brought him to eye-level with her. Both were angry beyond measure at one another, but Mystella looked like she would kill him right on the spot if it wouldn't jeopardize everything they worked towards. "You want to know what's pathetic, Perditus? I would say that it would have to be you trying f*ck the world just because you can't handle the power you were given."

Mystella threw Perditus away from her with a frozen glare, as she watched him try to catch his breath. "Make sure he's tied extremely tight, guys. We have a festival to attend."

With some words of 'encouragement' for Perditus to stay where he was, the group made their way to where it looked like the main part of the festival was happening. The lights were bright and beautiful, and various musicians started setting up their instruments. Mystella peered at the crowd in thought, before coming up with a plan.

"I will join the musicians, to see if I can get anything out of them. Rakira, Levi, you two go over to the left, and casually ask around, don't make it too obvious. Axel, Chronos, you take the other side, do the same thing. Kaedea, I want you watching with the onlookers for anything fishy - make sure you talk amongst yourselves, as well. Maybe sit in on a game of poker, if you're good with cards. Everyone got their tasks?"

They all collectively nodded, going off to do their own things. 

Everyone went about their ways, all determined to make the best of their assignments. Axel was a little upset about not being able to be around Rakira, but weirdly happy, at the same time. It gave him some time to think about how he felt towards the other, without being worried about Rakira thinking he was mad at him, or something. Of course, he knew that he'd understand, but Axel just wanted to figure out what he wanted. Deep down, he knew that he could never hurt Rakira. Not verbally, and not physically. It would kill him to do anything like that. And he knew Rakira would never hurt him, either.

Chronos looked over at Axel, his normally hard gaze softening a little. "You look deep in thought, Axel. What's goin' on in that smart brain of yours?"

The sudden interaction startled Axel, and he even jumped a little. "Mm? Oh, my apologies, Chronos. I was just thinking about.." He trailed off.

Chronos smirked, before looking over at Rakira, from across the crowd. "Someone?"

Axel blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is it that obvious?"

Chronos laughed heartily, capturing the attention of some party-goers. They seemed drawn to him, once their eyes made contact with his. Chronos looked to Axel and then spoke again, "Follow your heart, but make sure you listen to your brain. If you truly want to be with Rakira, then go to him. I got this, here." he gave him a nod, before letting himself be practically dragged deeper into the crowd.

Levi looked to Rakira, before randomly laughing at him. Rakira furrowed his brows, giving Levi a quizzical look. "Uhm, yes? What's funny?"

"Ah, nothing. Just the way you look at your boyfriend, that's all." Levi teased, nudging Rakira's side with his elbow.

Rakira blushed, before rolling his eyes. "We're not... together. Just leave it be, Levi. Besides, don't think I don't notice how you look at Mystella."

Levi choked on his drink, trying not to spit it out. He took a deep breath, before casting Rakira a quizzical look. "Me? Mystella-? Nothing is going on there, I just, ah, admire her. She's a very.." He looked at Rakira, who was smirking. "Admirable person. Oh, you know what? Get out of here, go have some fun. Magistrates know you need it." He then pushed Rakira away from him, who looked around for someone he might know.

Mystella's eyes were immediately drawn to a discarded violin case, and something deep within her screamed for her to pick it up. Her slender, elegant fingers grazed the case carefully, before opening it with ease. Mystella removed the instrument from its case along with the bow, admiring how the light danced across the deep maple wood. Her fingers tingled to the touch as if she'd done this a thousand times before. It was warm, though, and not as shiny as the other violins she'd seen others holding to their chins. It was well-worn with dents and scratches, but whoever had it before clearly loved it.

As if it were muscle memory, Mystella brought the violin's bow over the strings in a surprisingly precise manner, her fingers already maneuvering between the strings on the neck, causing the instrument to emit a rather beautiful melody. She recognized the song but couldn't place it - it was bringing back memories slowly, from long ago. The crowd paused their activities, turning to stare at Mystella, who didn't see any of them. She was wholly focused on the song, trying her best to bring back the memory just beyond her grasp.

There were gasps and hushed whispers in the crowd, but the one focused the most on her, was Levi. He was captured by her elegant movements and the way her concentration was fully on what she was doing. There was no doubt about it - this was the woman he kept falling in love with, no matter what life they were forced to be put through. He couldn't help but wish that Azeline wouldn't compete with him, for once.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" There was a figure next to Levi, then, wearing a hood over their head. The sudden voice startled Levi, and he broke his gaze away from Mystella, momentarily.

"Yeah, she is. With or without Rose Glass." Levi turned his attention back to the woman on stage, a soft smile tugging at his lips. The figure disappeared back into the crowd, then, as if they were never there.

Mystella finally caught the memory and held onto it like it meant life or death. To her, though, it might as well of been just that.

Mystella was sat on a love seat, legs slung over the edge, as she brought the bow of her beloved violin over its strings in a beautiful melody. Azeline sat across from her, her deep red eyes filled with nothing but love, for her wife. "Ah, Experience, by Ludovico Einaudi."

Mystella smiled sweetly at her, before setting her violin down carefully on the stand next to her. "Well, of course, My Love. Anything for your happiness."

Azeline got up then, smoothing out her dress, before moving to sit on Mystella's lap. Her fingers grazed along the side of Mystella's red-tinted cheeks, admiration practically leaking from the woman. Mystella leaned into the touch, practically nuzzling her hand. "I love you, so much."

Azeline leaned in to kiss Mystella, her lips pressing softly against Mystella's. After a moment they parted, and Mystella only seemed to fall in love with her, more. Everything she did had this effect - something as simple as a passing smile stole Mystella's heart, immediately.

"I love you too, My Rose." was all she was able to say, before a knock on the door interrupted their tender moment. Azeline sighed softly, before getting off of her. Mystella planted another kiss on her lover's lips, though, before going to answer the door.

"I didn't know we were supposed to have guests," Mystella said, as she hesitated, for a moment. Looking through the peephole, though, she was met with a group of people that she didn't recognize.

Confused, she opened the door to greet the strangers. They were a strange bunch - a tired-looking woman with dark green hair and a beautiful silver ring, a kind-looking man with azure hair and circular indigo glasses, another man with almost blindingly white hair, and a soft-spoken woman with a bracelet fit in loops around her wrist, along with beautiful golden hair, spilling in curls over her shoulder. Mystella felt like she should recognize these people - as if their names were just on the tip of her tongues.

The woman with green hair spoke up, first. "Is Rose here? We have important business to discuss."

Mystella furrowed her brows in confusion. "Ah, Rose? I'm sorry, but no one here is named Rose.."

The white-haired male extended his hand, though, with a smile. "How rude of some of us. I am Levi. Is Azeline here?"

Mystella took his hand hesitantly, giving him a bit of a weak shake. "Ah, yes, she is-"

Azeline showed up behind her, though, those wine-colored eyes sparkling with delight. "Come in, come in."

Mystella stepped aside, allowing the group to come in, who looked around their house. Some looked more impressed than others, and they eventually were led to a beautifully decorated living room, adorned with plenty of different things.

"As I was saying, I am Levi. I know who you are, already-" Azeline shot him a glare that only lasted for a moment before her expression changed back to her normally sweet one. "Because, uhm, Azeline has told me so much about you, Mystella. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. And might I say that you look very lovely this evening." Levi took Mystella's hand and planted a kiss on it, before moving to sit on one of the couches, near Azeline.

The next person to introduce themself was the man with deep, ocean-blue hair. He bowed to Mystella respectfully, "My lady," and then stood upright to speak once more. "I am Count Baron Venatrix, of house Venatrix. Lovely meeting you." He then took a seat next to Levi, with a soft sigh.

The next stranger to speak up was the green-haired woman, who looked like she dreaded this interaction. She had bags underneath her eyes, which told a story. They were a muted green, and she was fiddling with her spindly fingers. "Morgan Alces." was all the woman said, before taking her place on a couch opposite of her companions.

The only stranger left was the radiant woman with the golden hair, who offered Mystella and warm, beautiful smile. "Hello, my dear. I am Valery Rubalcava." she held out her hand for Mystella to take, who shook it politely. Valery took a seat next to Morgan, folding her hands in her lap.

"Charmed. Can I ask what you all are here for, though?" Mystella asked, sitting next to Azeline.

Morgan rolled her eyes, scoffing. "We were getting there, genius."

Valery elbowed her in the side, causing Morgan to only look more annoyed with the group. "Well.." she started, but then looked to Mystella. "She doesn't know, does she?"

Azeline's blood-red eyes trailed over to meet Mystella's and she frowned. "No, Valery. She doesn't. I can explain everything later. What's going on?" With that cue, Mystella left - she had a feeling that she wasn't very welcome, there.

Valery sighed, and started fidgeting with her hands. She emitted an anxious aura, mirrored by her companions - except for Levi. He looked calm, simply waiting for the woman to continue. "We were wondering what's supposed to happen, now. I mean - we fixed the apocalypse; President Euryte was saved from her assassins, and now we have nothing to worry about, anymore."

Azeline crossed her legs, regarding her friends with thoughtful glances between them. "Are you not happy, about it? We evaded a great threat, and now the world shall be safe for, at the least, two more decades. Hopefully more."

Morgan spoke up, then. "That's the thing, Rose. We don't want to do this anymore - well, most of us don't, anyway." She looked to Levi with a hint of disgust, before continuing. "This whole... 'Immortal' thing was fun and all, but we have families. My son, Benjamin, has already married - and his wife is with child, nonetheless - and I haven't been able to be there for any of it. Because of all this 'magistrate' business. I fear that the pregnancy may not be the healthiest, though. I fear that his wife may.." she sighed, casting her eyes away. "Valery had not seen good things for the future. I fear the worst."

Valery looked at Azeline then, too, with a melancholy look. She had a hand over her stomach, and it was only then that Azeline looked at her. Mystella also noticed that the woman had not only the bracelet that resembled Rakira's, but she also was wearing another, bulkier bracelet on her other wrist. "I got married recently as well, Azeline. I regret to inform you that I won't be able to do very much."

"And when did this happen? I wasn't aware of this, Valery." Azeline looked puzzled, trying to take it all in.

"I got married to a man not very long ago, Rose. His name is Malik Levisay, and we plan to have a family together, once the economy is stronger - a few years, perhaps. The marriage is somewhat... complicated - controversial, even. It took looking through several pastors to marry us. But, that is beside the point."

Azeline frowned, though. "I could have set you up with the same pastor that married Mystella and me though, Valery. Why didn't you ask?"

Valery shrugged, looking away. Baron looked to Azeline then too, still wearing that kind smile. "My wife and I haven't been able to have a child as we wanted so far, Azeline. Valery told me that we will have three; One sooner than later, one in a few years, and another soon after. Being a magistrate while also trying to balance a family... I don't want to risk something bad happening."

Azeline smiled softly, looking between the three that had given their reasons. "Well, I would never force any of you to continue your tasks as Magistrates. But I have one request if you will so indulge me"

They collectively nodded, and Levi stretched, cracking his back in the process. Azeline spared a glance, before turning her attention back to the group. "Just keep your glass with you. The thought of having to find new magistrates by myself is awful - you can give them to who you deem fit, at the right time. You will not have to do your duties - Levi and I will do them, ourselves. But I trust you to choose wisely."

The group agreed, the tension in the room decreasing exponentially. It was then that there was a scream of pain, from the kitchen, though. Surprised, and frightened, all but Azeline and Levi froze. The two raced to where the distressed sound came from - only to be met with Mystella, in a pool of blood on the ground. Standing over her was a cloaked figure, bloody knife in hand. Mystella had stab wounds lining her torso and stomach.

She was initially in a state of shock - only feeling the cold steel of the knife inside of her. It felt like everything was in slow motion, as the cloaked figure pulled the knife from her chest out, again and again, blood splattering all over their dark hood. The only thing Mystella could focus on, though, was how beautiful the satin curtain looked as it flowed gracefully in the breeze, from the open window. A beautiful addition to the sunrise that Mystella and Azeline would normally watch, around this time. The raindrops stained the papers sitting on the table, held down by the cup she was going to use to make tea. The roses that were in the vase from Mystella and Azeline's date earlier were scattered around the room, knocked over from the intruder's initial entrance.

It all hit her in a flash - searing, white-hot pain. It felt like a raging fire bubbled up from each of the wounds she was given, and a scream erupted from deep within her. The pain was suddenly unbearable, and it spread over her entire body.

The cloaked person looked to the people who ran in the room, their features hid quite well. They spoke in a distorted, garbled voice. "You mustn't destroy yourself trying to save her, Azeline. You may become mortal if you're not careful." The figure then dissipated into a black cloud of smoke, before being sucked out the window, leaving the small group with the dying woman on the floor.

Azeline fell to her knees, gathering Mystella in her arms. Tears trailed down her cheeks, as she held the woman she fell in love with, over and over again, in her shaking arms. Blood started to stain Azeline's dress, a dark red in comparison to the pale yellow. Mystella managed to hold one of Azeline's hands, as her deep red eyes trailed over to look at the sunrise. She forced a smile, blood trickling down her chin.

"Watch the sunrise with me one more time? I've been told by a-" Mystella paused to cough up blood, tears brimming at her eyes, "-a rather beautiful woman, that the view up here is really pretty. I'd love to share it with you."

Azeline couldn't help the tears that fell now, dropping to her lover's pale cheeks. "Don't speak, My Rose. We.." she looked to the others, who had backed away from them, to give the women space. Levi took the hint and got everyone out of the house, except for himself. "We can do something - it has to work, there has to be something that can save you. I can't lose you again.."

Roses started blooming from Mystella's wounds, wine red and beautiful. Levi wiped away tears that escaped, before looking away. There was a pang in his heart that resonated through his body as if it was breaking. Mystella smiled softly at the town, as she reached a hand out to hold Levi's. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Levi. Take care of Azeline for me, okay? And Azeline.."

Her hand was cold, clammy. She shook as she looked out the window once more, the golden color spilling over the room, and illuminating Mystella and Azeline's skin, barely touching Levi. "I love you, forever and always."

Azeline moved Mystella's hair out of her face, trying not to completely break. "I love you more, My Rose."

There was a whine from the kitchen's doorway, as a familiar direwolf entered. "Titan.." Mystella smiled widely, looking over at the silver and brown canine. "You take care of these two, too."

Mystella let her eyes flutter shut, as she took her last breath and went limp. Azeline cried out, heartbroken - she felt useless; like she could have done more. Her pain-filled cries and screams filled the otherwise silent room. She lost everything, again. The one woman - no, the one person she loved was gone, again.

Days passed, then months, then years. Azeline gripped the edge of the sink, staring at herself in the mirror. All she wanted to see, was Mystella behind her. She wished for the feeling of her strong arms around her - to know that she was safe, she was going to be okay. Many offered their condolences, and Levi came over often, to make sure that she was properly taken care of.

Instead of seeing Mystella, though, she heard a knock on the door - most likely Levi. And that was who she was met with when she opened it. He looked so tired, as if he hadn't slept in years. In his hands were bundles of groceries, which he brought in, stepping around Azeline.

Azeline sighed softly, wiping tears she didn't notice before that had run down her cheeks, to her neck, from her melanin skin. It had been seven years since Mystella passed, at this point, and neither of them was doing very well about it.

Levi frowned, his gaze trailing to the kitchen floor, where Mystella's untimely demise once was. "You know, it really sucks being immortal, sometimes. I don't even feel like a Magistrate, anymore. I often wonder what it would have been like, if we were never sent down, y'know? Maybe.." he sighed, "Maybe she wouldn't have to go through this, every time."

Azeline chuckled bitterly, putting away her groceries. "I haven't felt like a Magistrate in a really long time, Levi. The only reminder that I am is when she dies, and I can't."

Levi smiled sadly, before leaning up against the counter. "Well, Valery is onto her next kid. Rosa's gotten pretty big, too. I can't remember what she named the boy, for the life of me. Started with an 'R', and it was weird. And I believe Morgan's grandson is doing well, too. Well, the second one, anyway. The first one.." He sucked his breath through his teeth, "Yeah. She's not around, anymore. The other one, though? He's a sweet kid, about two, now? And of course, there's Baron's kid. He's already teaching her archery. He's got the family he always wanted, now. That's just what I've heard, though. No one really wants us around.."

Azeline nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "Well, I am happy for them. If only.."

Mystella was suddenly thrust back into reality, shooting up from where she was. Levi had taken her back to the camp, and let her rest in the tent. She gathered her courage, before peeking out - there was no one there, save for Titan, Kairo, and Aphrodite. Titan simply looked at her, not even raising his head, before going back to sleep.

Freya was nowhere to be seen, but Mystella figured that she was with Kaedea.

Taking a deep breath, Mystella decided that she'd go back to the village once again. She made her way to the bar, passing Chronos on the way. He watched her go by, his honey-brown eyes following her movements. He knew where everyone was, now, save for Kaedea.

The town's square was crowded with people, music blaring and thumping, lights distorting everything. It made it hard to see even a foot in front of one's face, so the group was feeling their way through, trying to complete their tasks. Chronos and Levi had gotten a decent amount of information - as much as they could, what with most people being drunk, of course. Rakira was being tossed around between people and was getting increasingly uncomfortable by their wandering hands. Even when he vocalized that he was uninterested in women, plenty of them still tried to lure him away.

Axel was having the same issue, but he was more or less being attacked. People were shoving him away from them, yelling about how he had pointed ears, and that he was a freak. It didn't make sense to him; He'd always just thought they were normal. Almost everyone on his mother's side of the family had them, so he didn't see the problem.

It was when he was pushed away again - rougher, that time - that he ended up falling into someone. He apologized profusely, averting his gaze to hide his embarrassment. He was about to leave, until a warm voice he recognized quite well spoke to him. "It's alright, mi luz guía. I'm just happy to see a familiar - not to mention - handsome, face."

Axel looked up at Rakira, like a lost puppy. He barely heard him over the music and the chaos but was blushing because he did. Rakira took his hand and helped him stand up straight. Axel was so relieved to see him, and it showed. His nervous features melted to be calmer, and he felt his heart skipped a beat. Rakira was a beacon of hope amidst the violence, and Axel was a light in the darkness, for him.

Rakira moved a curly, green strand of hair out of Axel's face, gazing deeply into his eyes. There was a slight tremble to Axel's bottom lip; it was as if he was expecting Rakira to close the distance. Rakira built his courage up as the music continued thumping, the lights flashing around them. "Can I.." his golden eyes flicked down to his lips, and then back up to Axel's eyes. "Can I kiss you, Axel?"

Axel's lips tugged into a soft smile, and he nodded, leaning a little closer to the other. Rakira grabbed Axel's orange, blood-stained hoodie, and closed the distance between them. Their lips met with a soft passion as if they'd both been wanting this for a long time. Time stopped around them, the music fading, and the lights were frozen where they last flashed. After a moment they parted, gazing at each other with soft, loving looks.

Axel looked around at how everything was frozen, with wonder. "Sunshine.." he looked to Rakira, then. "Did you do this?"

Rakira blushed at the nickname, not realizing that he was asking him a question, at first. "Oh - yeah, it happens, sometimes. It's an accident - I don't really have control over my glass... not to mention that I barely even have a third of its power.." He cast his gaze downward, embarrassed.

Everything resumed after a moment, though, and Axel looked amazed if anything. "Kira, that's so cool! Does that happen often?"

Rakira sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly at Axel. "It happens unexpectedly. Mostly when I'm feeling a strong emotion, really."

Their moment was interrupted when Chronos ran over to them, putting one of his hands on Axel's shoulder. "Axel - you gotta go talk to Mystella, man. She's at the tavern, and she's not doin' so hot. And Rakira, Levi said that he had something important to talk about, with you."

Axel looked to Rakira and gave a small smile. "We'll talk soon, Sunshine."

Rakira nodded, before going off to meet Levi to see what he wanted. Chronos breathed a sigh of relief, and then walked off, to go try and figure out where Kaedea was.

Axel walked into the tavern, to find Mystella hunched over at the bar with a bottle of some sort of alcohol Axel didn't recognize in her hand. He was a little afraid to approach her, considering his past experiences with people who drank. Mystella threw her head back and took a rather large swig, before placing it back down next to her.

Axel hesitantly walked over, taking a seat on the stool next to her. The silence between them was deafening until she spoke up. "I watched myself die, Axel. I saw how it tore them down, and how Azeline fell so far.." she paused, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Axel immediately turned away so that he couldn't see. Whether she cried anymore than that, he didn't know. He spoke up, though. "Do you want to talk about it, Stella?"

Mystella shrugged, before taking another drink. "Met your grandma. Who I think was your grandma, anyway. Met Rakira's mom, and who I'm assuming was Kaedea's dad. Azeline was there, too. I just.." she sighed softly, playing with the cork laying on the bar's counter. "I was murdered, Axel. They couldn't save me, and it was my fault. All because I left, because I thought they were uncomfortable with me. Imagine how uncomfortable they felt when they walked in on me filled with stab wounds." Mystella chuckled bitterly, before flicking the cork away.

Axel laughed softly, staring down at his hands. "I'm sure it wasn't exactly proper etiquette"

Mystella smiled to herself, shaking her head at the man next to her. "Azeline and Levi were torn apart. Seven years apparently passed, and they will still mourning my death. Azeline couldn't even properly look at herself in the mirror. Everyone had moved on, started families... all that."

Axel was confused, though. "Wait, so now I'm confused. Levi and Azeline were there? And you died? How are they so.." he made vague gestures, still refusing to look at Mystella, just in case.

"Apparently they're Magistrates. Not exactly like you and I, though. They were sent here with their respectful glasses, I guess. Nothing makes sense, anymore.." Mystella trailed off, leaving on a melancholy note.

"Well, I know that your love for her makes sense, Stella. As long as you hold on to that, you have something to fight for. I, personally, think that it's amazing that you got this far. The world is very unforgiving, and magistrate or not, you're just a woman with no memories."

Mystella wiped her eyes with the back of her jacket's sleeve, and she sighed softly. "You're wrong, you know. I do have memories - and I wouldn't ask for any other ones."

Axel looked over at her, puzzled. "You do? When did you get them back?"

Mystella smiled, before ruffling Axel's already messy hair. "I'm talking about the one's I've made with you and the other dipsh*ts. Speaking of which, I believe it's my turn to go check on our hostage. Go see if Chronos or the others need help."

Axel nodded, just happy to see that Mystella was smiling. He ran off to go see them, and Mystella gave the alcohol she was drinking one last regarded. She pondered for a moment but decided to leave it there. She was better than this.

The way to the run-down building they were holding Perditus in didn't take very long to get to earlier, but with how crowded the streets were, it took Mystella a little longer to get over there. The first thing that she noticed about the house that was strange, though, was that the door was slightly ajar.

Mystella frowned, before opening the door fully. The place looked like there was a break-in. The chair that bound Perditus was flipped over, the rope they used in pieces on the ground. There was no sign of where he might have gone, or even how he got out, save for some broken glass on the floor. Mystella balled her fists, shouts of frustration bubbling up from her chest. She punched one of the walls, hearing crumbling from the other side. It wasn't a surprise, most of the houses built there didn't commonly have very sturdy walls.

She was joined soon by the group, though, who all looked surprised, and even a little frightened by the woman's violently angry nature. Kaedea was the only one who didn't seem all that shocked. She turned her enraged gaze to her companions, before kicking the chair on the floor away from her.

"How did he get out? We were supposed to be checking on him! There was no way for him to escape, so someone had to have helped him!" Mystella's gaze burned into each of them, as Axel backed up further and further away. His breathing was starting to get heavy; he felt like he had cement in his lungs. He started to cry, the hot tears trailing down his cheeks.

Rakira looked from Axel to Mystella and then started pleading with the enraged woman. "Mystella, please! You're scaring him!"

Mystella paused in her actions, gaze meeting Axel's. She never meant to scare him, she was just angry. And, rightfully so, of course. "Axel, I.." she took a deep breath, though her hands were still shaking. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, it's just that we were so close to finally finding Azeline again, and I.."

Kaedea scoffed interrupting Mystella. She rolled her eyes, before continuing. "It was Chronos. It's so obvious that he's working for him! I mean, we know Levi was being controlled, but Chronos wasn't! He worked for him willingly. Not to mention, we know nothing about him! He just showed up!" she was spitting venom, all of it aimed right at Chronos.

Mystella turned to Chronos, who looked startled. Levi looked confused as well, his brows furrowed. "What are you talking about? I was with Levi, almost the whole time! I knew where everyone was, except for you!"

Axel raised his hand, finally calmed down, a bit. "I vote we kick her off the island."

Kaedea gritted her teeth, starting to raise her voice at Chronos, "I was doing what Mystella told me to!"

Levi shook his head, "I can confirm, I was with Chronos for most of the night. And when I wasn't, he was gathering information."

Mystella was about to say something, but Kaedea started coughing rather violently, scratching at her neck. Mystella was the first one to act, "Are you choking?"

Kaedea shook her head 'no', but continued coughing rather violently. It took her a moment, but she finally stopped, taking deep breaths. Her throat was scratched up, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Mystella stared blankly at her, "What was that about?"

Kaedea shrugged shakily, clearing her throat. "I'm not sure. I started feeling like something was choking me when we got here, and it's progressively getting worse."

Chronos sighed, "I heard something circulating about a curse amongst the locals. Some.." he gestured vaguely, trying to find the words. "Wolf-demon-thing takes someone from the village every night, I guess. They normally mark the sacrifice with something only it can see, I guess."

Mystella looked around the group, pondering over what they should do. "Were any of you touched by any of the townspeople?"

Rakira shivered in disgust, as he thought back to when the women kept touching him, pulling him in every direction. "Unfortunately, a lot of people were touching me. Some women were looking for.." he blinked a few times, staring at the ground.

Mystella held her hand up, "You don't have to explain, Kira. I can figure out, by how uncomfortable you look just thinking about it." She then turned to the rest of the group, "If anyone makes you uncomfortable like that, let me know. I will break them, and make sure they wish for death every day, for the rest of their sorry lives."

The group was quiet but nodded. They were a little scared, but also happy to know that Mystella was looking out for them. Chronos spoke up, next. "I was kinda pulled into a crowd of people, so... yeah, lots of hands."

Levi shrugged, "Same deal, actually."

Axel looked down, fiddling with his fingers. "People were hitting me, and stuff.." he gestured to his pointed ears, "Cause of my ears."

Rakira frowned, cupping Axel's face with one of his hands. "Well, they're stupid. Your ears are cute. They make you look unique."

Axel smiled softly, leaning into his touch. "Thanks, Kira."

Kaedea shrugged, "I don't think anyone touched me-" she paused to cough again, before extending a hand to find that there was blood in her palm. Kaedea sighed softly, wiping the blood off of her hand, and onto her jeans.

Chronos looked over at her then, as if remembering something. "Well, there was that lady at the bar. She stumbled and then put her hand on your shoulder, don't you remember?"

Kaedea paused, trying to remember. Her throat started feeling scratchy again, though, and so she started rubbing her neck, thoughtlessly. "Oh, yeah. I guess she did, didn't she?"

Mystella nodded, and then sighed, getting frustrated. "Well, it looks like we'll have to put off finding Perditus - and who let him go, for now. Maybe we can ask someone about this curse business."

Levi looked over the group, before remembering something. "Hey, wait. I just remembered something."

Everyone looked at him with curiosity, encouraging him to elaborate. Kaedea smiled at him, but he ignored it. Levi spoke up, again, "Perditus's familiar. It's a snake - if I remember correctly."

Chronos nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you are. I remember him showing it off, to scare the newer recruits."

Axel furrowed his brows, "He used a snake to scare people? Soldiers, at that?"

Chronos pursed his lips, thinking over what to say. "Well - kind of. It wasn't really the snake itself they were scared of; more like what it turned into."

Levi chimed in, then. "His whip is his familiar. There could be a possibility that none of us let him go. I've only ever seen him use the transformation by doing all these pretty weird things - but it is a possibility. So we could've been fighting like this and wasting time for no reason."

Kaedea frowned, taking in everything the men said. "I'm sorry for blaming you, Chronos. It's just the fact that you showed up so randomly - I've never met you before, and well, you were one of Perditus's lackeys. I guess the fact that all of us barely know you just kind of added to the mistrust. I am sorry, though."

Chronos was about to say something, but Mystella looked dumbfounded. "Wait, hold on. His familiar is his weapon? Is that the same thing for all of us?" Mystella blinked a few times, recalling how she'd seen Titan in the vision of her past life. That couldn't possibly have been Titan, though, right? She shook the thought away, though, looking to the others for answers.

Levi nodded, causing the group to turn their attention to them. "You all have the ability to do it. You just need to find your familiars. And then, in turn, you need to have a deep connection with said familiar, and they need to be just as willing to shift into your weapon. It can be forced occasionally, though. I have a feeling that might be what happened with Perditus."

Rakira sighed softly, "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one without a familiar here, then. I mean - Kaedea has Freya, Mystella has Titan, Axel has Aphrodite, and Chronos has Kairo-" He then thought, for a moment. "Wait, Levi, where's your familiar?"

Levi shrugged, scratching the back of his head idly. "I dunno. I don't really need it, to be honest. If I really need to, I can shift into my Magistrate form, but that's only under super, like, dire situations. Besides, you only get your familiar when you're ready."

Mystella pointed to the circular blades, "So those aren't your familiar?"

"Nope! They're just something cool I found not too long ago. Anyway, we should really get going, guys. We don't have very much time before this ritual goes underway." Levi flashed the group a smile, making his way out of the building. Everyone trickled out behind him, wanting to get whatever was messing with them over and done with.

Axel stalled for a moment, though, staring back at the chair that Perditus was once bound in. He frowned, his forest-green eyes trailing down to look at the rope that was jaggedly cut. He sighed softly, "We didn't even bind him with his whip.."

Axel shook his head, starting to make his way out the door. "Maybe we did. I don't know."

Instead of splitting up as they had twice before, the group stayed together, this time. Part of it was because Mystella was still somewhat suspicious of Chronos. She wasn't vocal about it, though, because she didn't have anything to back up the feeling she had, save for the fact that Kaedea expressed the same feeling.

They eventually came across a group of people that were playing a card game, which seemed to be getting increasingly tense by the passing minute. Kaedea walked over and took a seat right between a thin, short man, and a taller woman with muscular arms that Kaedea felt could crush her if she said the wrong thing.

The dealer - an older man, with a salt and pepper beard, who had a mysterious aura about him - cocked a brow at the azurette who invited herself into the game, and kaedea just smirked. "Well, are you gonna deal me in?"

The dealer chuckled dryly, shuffling his deck and dealing out the cards to the various players. "We're not playin' for money, sugar. We're playing for secrets."

Kaedea waved her hand dismissively, "More the better. I have interesting secrets, and I'm sure you do, as well."

They all came from different backgrounds, but the game gave them a chance to see into a small part of one another's lives. A stocky man sat across from Kaedea, smoking a thick cigar. The smoke rose, as he tapped the edge of an ashtray next to him with it.

The dark-haired woman next to him would have been a picture of wealth if the apocalypse hadn't happened. She swirled the dark contents of her wine glass around as she peered thoughtfully at the cards, her crystal blue eyes almost piercing through them. She turned her gaze to glare at Kaedea. If looks could kill, Kaedea would be dead on the ground. Kaedea offered a sweet smile in return, although there was something almost dark was hidden behind her gaze.

Fireflies drifted lazily around the table, as the game started. Kaedea had an interesting hand - but what she found herself more curious about was how the other players were acting. They were clearly all experienced with the game, but there was something that was just a little bit off about each player.

The wealthy-looking woman held her cards close to her chest, the fur of her jacket hiding whatever they were from prying eyes. She kept looking at a specific spot on the table, though, even though she showed no obvious signs of emotion.

The man with the cigar took a long drag, before blowing the smoke upwards into the air - he hadn't done that before, he merely let it trickle out of his mouth, to watch it coil around the air. He seemed strangely fascinated by the patterns before, but now he didn't seem to be paying much attention to them. He missed the ashtray, then, causing some of the ashes to land on the pristine white cloth beneath him. He didn't seem to notice, though, looking to the other players for any obvious tells.

The thin man next to Kaedea fiddled with the ring on his finger; it was missing a stone. There normally would have been three, and by the looks of it, it would have matched the other stones - a beautiful, deep silver. There was a hint of nervousness about him as if he had no self-esteem. He looked as if he wanted to shrink into the seat where he was.

The muscular woman next to Kaedea took a sip of water, the ice clinking in the glass she rose to her lips. It was a change to the other drinks everyone else had - which mostly consisted of various types of liquor.

Kaedea wasn't showing any emotion, and it surprised the rest of the group, who was watching the game starting to unfold. She had clearly done this before.

Looking down at her cards, she pondered over what exactly she could do with them - jack of hearts, and eight of spades. She leaned back in her chair, once more looking over her fellow players. There was a hint of a smile on the wealthy woman, who toyed with her cards' edges. The thin man had a bead of sweat trailing down from his forehead, so Kaedea figured that he had been dealt a bad hand. The woman next to her peered down at Kaedea, looking for tells.

The betting had started, and the thin man was the first to fold. Kaedea had seen this coming and noticed how the stocky man smirked ever so slightly. Her blue-tinted glasses shimmered, though it was barely noticeable. She was using her glass, now, to see if she truly had the advantage here, or if she had to bluff her way through it.

The wealthy-looking woman spoke up, her sultry voice complimenting her appearance. "I have something interesting to tell, that you may be interested in. It's about our dear mayor."

The muscular woman smirked, tapping her fingers on the table. "Oh, how interesting. Because I do happen to have a secret that connects you two. In more than one way.." she sneered, clearly in possession of knowledge that no one was supposed to know."

The stocky man looked to Kaedea, mischief glimmering in his beady eyes. "Well, I have something that the Magistrate may be interested in. And before you act all surprised, you've been the talk of the town, Blue. No one knows what your abilities are, but a certain someone has told us of your presence."

Kaedea scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Well, in that case, I have some secrets about my fellow magistrates."

Mystella narrowed her eyes at Kaedea from across the room, but Kaedea merely smiled at her. She had the advantage and knew she would win.

As the game went on, it only got tenser. It was so thick that one could cut it with a butter knife. Axel nudged Rakira, who was wrapped up in the game too, almost as if he was the one playing. "They all look like they're moments away from killing each other. Is Kaedea gonna be okay?"

Rakira chuckled softly, grabbing Axel's hand gently. His heart skipped a beat, and he noticed that time had stopped, once more. "Ah, it worked. Well, come here. I'll show you something." Rakira led him around the table, showing him each of the players. "See? Most of them are bluffing, anyway. Kaedea is the only one with a decent hand. If anything gets out of hand, we're all right here. Speaking of which - did you see Chronos's face? He looks as worried as you do!"

Axel laughed softly, looking at Chronos. He did seem tense, and the face he was making was funny, too. Rakira smiled at Axel, his heart fluttering again. His feelings for the man were deeper than he'd ever felt before for anyone, and it felt like his chest was being squeezed when he thought about what could be, between them. Time started again, and everything resumed as normal.

Kaedea won the round, and the stocky man was forced to tell the secret he was betting on, as the scratching feeling started in Kaedea's throat, again. She heard whispered creaks of a gallow from afar, drifting in from the winds.

"Well, the secret is about the curse you've been chosen to carry out.."

The group listened closely, as the man started explaining what was going on with Kaedea's predicament. "Every month, this thing returns to our village and takes a sacrifice. No one has seen it, except for one person. She lives on the further edge of town, in one of the older houses. She lives with her two children and her husband and always has a lit lantern on their porch. She is the only person that the thing has spared, and everyone is unsure of why. She doesn't talk about it often, so good luck with that."

Kaedea smiled at the man and stood, leaving the rest of the group to play their game. "Thank you for the game, ladies, and gents. It was fun." There were some complaints at her leaving, but she succeeded in slipping out just in time.

Without even saying a word, the group departed to go figure out who the guy was talking about. It didn't take them long to get back to where they were previously holding Perditus, the sounds of their various shoes hitting the silent room's floor a reminder of their setback.

Kaedea looked out one of the dusty windows, humming softly to herself. "I think I might know what house he was talking about. When I was scouting out the village when we originally got here, I saw a house with a lantern on. I could be wrong, but it's worth a shot. We don't have much-" she broke into a fit of violent coughs again, scratching at her throat. Images flashed through her mind, most of them being of a tall, dark silhouette. It didn't seem quite human, but there was no way that it could have been an animal. Kaedea decided to keep it to herself, so as to not worry them.

Wiping some blood from the corner of her mouth, Kaedea straightened herself, smoothing her tan vest. "Much to go on, but it could be a start."

Mystella gave Kaedea a concerned look but encouraged her to continue, "Well, we'll check it out. Do you want to stay back and rest while we go do that?"

Kaedea shook her head, "No, no. It's fine. I'll take us there."

It didn't take very long for the six of them to make it over to the house that Kaedea had mentioned, and Rakira was sure to keep Axel safe from the reaching hands, this time. Chronos was on the opposite side of the group, making idle conversation with Levi. Levi was talking about one of his many strange stories. Axel couldn't help but think about what Mystella had told him earlier, though. Was Levi really immortal? And if so, how did she regard the whole situation so easily? He let out somewhat of a frustrated sigh, trying to wrap his head around it. It just didn't make sense to him.

Rakira took notice of the sigh and turned to question him. They were getting close to the house and he wouldn't have long to explain, but he figured he'd ask, anyway. "What's wrong?" '

Axel just shook his head, with a shrug. "I'm just thinking about something. I'll talk to you about it, later."

Rakira nodded slowly, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Alrighty then, mi luz guía."

Mystella walked up to the door of the lone house, noticing the lit lantern. The windows were covered with some sort of fabric, presumably for privacy, which she didn't blame them for wanting. She knocked three times, before stepping back to let whoever was in there answer. It took a few moments, but a tired man appeared as the door opened. "Hello? Who are you? I don't believe I've seen you, people, around."

Mystella gestured to herself, and then the others as she introduced herself and her companions. "I am Mystella, the Magistrate of Rose Glass. This would be Kaedea of Sight, Axel of Elk, Rakira of Time, Levi of Storm, and Chronos. We have some questions for the woman that lives here, can we speak with her?"

The man looked at each of them cautiously, before he introduced himself, "I'm Steve. And no, I regret to inform you that you won't be able to speak with her, until the morning."

Mystella glared at Steve, putting a hand on the door frame next to him, as she stepped closer. "Listen, Kaedea is suffering from your town's stupid curse. I'm not about to lose another friend to this wasteland. Can't you just go wake her up?"

Steve sighed, "No, I can't. She's not here. She's been disappearing around this time every night, into the woods. She doesn't think I know, but I do. Every time I try to stay up and wait for her, though-" he yawned, stretching. "I end up falling asleep. But, if you want to speak to her, the forest is outside of town boundaries. And I don't mean The Crowned Yak, either. It's off to the West."

Mystella backed off, with a nod. "Thanks, Steve."

She turned on her heel, about to leave, when Steve spoke up, again. "If you do find Bethany, tell her that the children finally recovered from their fevers, please. Thank you." He shut the door behind him, and the group started making their way to where Steve had told them that he had seen his wife leaving.

Chronos looked out into the distance, at the forest they were approaching. He looked somber as if there was something heavy weighing on his thoughts. He kept whatever it was to himself, though, pushing off whatever he was thinking.

Levi had a sinking feeling but tried to stay optimistic as he walked next to Mystella. "So, what do you think about all of this, Stella? You think he's telling the truth?"

Mystella shrugged, setting her jaw. Her long coat flowed behind her in the breeze, as she brushed aside her side-swept bangs that were venturing into her eyes. "Well, he better be. Her condition isn't getting any better. Besides, I gotta feed Titan soon, so this better not take too long, either."

Levi chuckled, looking out at the forest they were approaching. "Dang, how much does he need to eat? I'm pretty sure I've seen him eyeballing me like I was his next dinner, more than once. I did call him lazy, though. Azeline used to yell at me for saying that-" he paused, though, realizing what he was saying. "Ah, sorry. I forgot."

Mystella shrugged, kicking a rock with her boot. "For what? Azeline isn't dead. I'm assuming it's kind of hard to kill an immortal magistrate. But you're familiar with that, right?"

Levi paused, looking over at Mystella like a deer in headlights. "What makes you think that? I-"

Mystella rolled her crimson eyes, "You're either a really well-kept old man, or you're just like her, Levi. I saw back to another life when Azeline and I were together, and then you and who I'm assuming were Kaedea and Rakira's parents, and well, Axel's grandma, showed up at our house to talk about being magistrates, and then.." She trailed off, her gaze averting to the ground.

Levi had a feeling that he knew what she was going to say next, and so he wrapped an arm around her in a comforting gesture. Surprisingly enough, Mystella didn't shrug him off and even relaxed, a little. "It's alright, Stella. I know all too well what happened. The important thing is that you're here, now."

Mystella looked over at Levi, with a frown. "Did you go through it just that once?"

Levi cocked his head at her with a smile, though. "What?"

Mystella sighed softly. "I know that you knew me before this all, Levi. Before the apocalypse. We were closer than what would be considered as friends, weren't we?"

Levi looked away, a faint blush forming on his face. "That's not important, Mystella. But to answer your question, no. That wasn't the first time I - or we, rather - have watched you die. And it's not the first time you've been murdered by that thing, either."

Kaedea heard the conversation, and her annoyance grew. She didn't understand what Levi saw in her. Not just this now, but before the apocalypse, too. Mystella was always so intense and brutal, not to mention, she was so apathetic, even now.

As they grew closer to the forest, it seemed like the moonlight started to grow dimmer. There was intense foreboding clouding their thoughts, but Mystella pushed on. They weren't finding anything for the longest time until Axel pointed out something, at the base of a rather large hill.

"There's blood.." Axel sounded beyond disgusted, staying as far as he could away from the small pool. Rakira walked over and then squatted down, to get a better look at it. "It's fresh, and there's more leading off, to the left."

Mystella looked around for the trail momentarily, before she noticed where it was. "She could be injured, then. We should hurry."

As they followed the trail, the hope for the woman being okay dwindled. The blood trail was slowly getting more heavy, until Axel took off into the forest, seemingly hearing something. Rakira was the first to follow, and then the rest of the group, Mystella grumbling to herself. When they found Axel again, he was at the side of a horse, who was laying on the ground in a pool of its blood.

Axel was petting the dying horse carefully, listening to something only he could hear. Everyone else paused, letting him have his space. A tear rolled down his cheek before he held out his hand. "Give me your blade, Kira."

Rakira hesitated, his hand hovering above the hilt of his machete. "Axel, one of us can just do it if you can't. It wouldn't be an issue."

"Just give it to me, Kira. He's in pain, he wants me to end it quickly." Axel's voice cracked sadly, a few more tears rolling down. The horse's legs were broken beyond repair, and its eyes were starting to turn the tell-tale red of the plague. Bite marks lined the horse's strong body, chunks of flesh ripped away. Rakira pulled out his machete and handed it to Axel, still a little hesitant about it all.

Axel looked at the horse, his eyes blurry with tears. "Are you sure you want me to?" He waited for a response, and when it seemed as if he got one, he nodded, taking a deep breath before using Rakira's machete to kill the injured, pitiful horse. Blood flowed onto Axel's hands as he shook, staring down at his outstretched palms. The horse looked almost at peace, as it closed its eyes to rest. Rakira led Axel to a river he'd noticed a little earlier during their walk and started helping him wash the blood off his trembling hands.

There was a painfully long silence between them before Axel finally spoke up. "He, uhm, mentioned that the Beth chick is injured, too. She is further in the woods, I guess."

Rakira nodded, as he got some more water to get the remaining specks of the dark red liquid off of his pale hands. "Do you need me to do anything for you, Axel?"

Axel sniffled, wiping his tears away with his hoodie. "I know we're on borrowed time right now, but can you just hold me? Just for a moment?"

Rakira nodded, pulling Axel into a warm, comforting embrace. He buried his face in Axel's curly green locks, letting his eyes shut, for a moment. He heard Mystella approach, though, and peeked to see what she wanted. Axel's breathing had finally steadied, and he was holding on to Rakira's shirt tightly, as if he was going to fall if he let go.

Mystella spoke up quietly, not wanting to startle Axel. "We're gonna follow the trail. She couldn't have gotten very far. Take as much time as you need, but just don't move, alright? We'll come back for you."

Rakira was about to agree, but Axel shook his head. "It's fine. I just needed to calm down." He pulled away from him, the smell of the forest a distinct difference to Rakira, who smelled like cinnamon.

It didn't take long for everyone to regroup and to start following the trail again, but the atmosphere around them seemed to get tenser. Kaedea was progressively getting more and more paranoid, looking around her worriedly every few seconds. She kept complaining about how she heard the creaking, even though no one else heard it. Chronos kept a stoic face before he noticed a discarded shoe. Bringing it to everyone's attention, they soon found that the trail they were following merged with a new one, made of random, strewn articles of clothing and tools.

At the edge of a clearing was a woman, slumped on the ground in yet another pool of blood. They were unsure if she was alive, and Mystella was the one to approach, this time.

Beth was barely hanging on to her life, shallow breaths barely able to be heard. Mystella started rolling the woman over before she heard her suck her breath through her teeth. "Don't.."

Looking more carefully over her body, Mystella realized that the situation was worse than it appeared. Her legs were mangled, arms almost torn from their sockets, and her ribs were protruding through her skin. Letting out a shaky breath, Beth relaxed ever so slightly, before wincing in pain again. She didn't have long to live but was still lucid enough to hopefully be able to answer the group's questions.

Approaching the subject with caution, Mystella moved Beth so that she could rest more comfortably. Axel reluctantly walked over with his first-aid kit and started treating the woman's various wounds. Mystella addressed the inured woman, "Beth? What happened here?"

Beth's eyes watered, tears trickling down her pale cheeks, slowly turning a dark red. Mystella turned to Axel and shook her head, wordlessly telling him to stop. Axel backed off quickly - and gratefully, at that. Little flowers started blooming from where he was about to treat, though, and Chronos had taken a special interest in that.

Beth finally spoke, though her voice was strained as if it hurt her to talk. "All I wanted was to go on adventures. Life is so boring. I just wanted to go out, do something worthwhile. I do love my family, though, so little rides like this were the closest I ever got. But here I am, now: about to turn into a Red-Eye because I was stupid.."

Mystella frowned, trying to figure out what to say. That was when Chronos stepped in, though. "You can still do something even now, to be able to know you did something worthwhile. We need to know about the curse."

Beth coughed up blood before she started staring up at the stars freckled across the sky. The moonlight painted her pale face, as she started explaining. "It lives in a cave, not far from here. I was trying to get to it so that I could finally stop this damned curse, myself. The people of my village intended on sacrificing my daughter, when she turned of age. I couldn't let that happen. But I will admit, though, that wasn't the only reason I was out here, though. My kids had recently come down with a fever after eating bad veal, and I was looking for a specific plant. I was going to get it when my horse was spooked by the Red-Eyes."

Chronos nodded, moving some hair out of the woman's face. She sniffled quietly, the corners of her eyes starting to bleed into the tell-tale red, just like her horse had. "Your children are doing well, now, Beth. Your husband wanted to let you know that."

Beth smiled weakly, the tears trekking her cheeks fully turned red, now. "Tell them.." The life started fading from her eyes, as she continued staring up at the twinkling stars. "Never forget to look around at the beauty around you. Once you realize it's there, it can be too late. Do what you love, no matter what. Be sure to adventure and love. Make sure you fulfill what you've always wanted. Know that I'm waiting for them.." She took her last breath, using it to finish her dying words, "In the stars."

Chronos shut the woman's eyes as her final breath left her, and Mystella used her katana to make sure that Beth wouldn't be coming back as a Red-Eye. The sounds of the forest filled the clearing, and the distant crack of thunder was heard approaching, from afar. Axel and Rakira looked to Levi as if to blame him for it, but he just shrugged. "Hey, man. The weather does what it wants. Most of the time-"

Chronos was whispering something that vaguely sounded like some sort of prayer, as Mystella started cleaning off her blood-soaked katana. The peace was short-lived though, as Kaedea suddenly freaked out, pushing Mystella away from Beth's body. There was confusion and chaos as everyone tried to simultaneously figure out what was going on before Kaedea cried out in pain.

Latched onto her arm was a Red-Eye, who had sunken its teeth deep into Kaedea's flesh. Rakira was the first to react and plunged his machete into the red-eye's softened skull. Mystella started prying its jaw open with her katana as it went limp, forcing the creature to release Kaedea's arm.

Kaedea held her heavily bleeding arm close to her chest, shaking and crying. Axel sat her down on a nearby log, before gently taking Kaedea's arm to inspect it closely. The wound was awful, but he knew that it was possible for the amount of blood to make it look worse than it was. He started cleaning her arm off quickly, in an almost professional fashion.

Mystella took a moment to catch her breath before she made her way over to Kaedea, worried. "Kaedea, you.." she looked down at Kaedea's arm, trying to process everything that had happened in the past few minutes. "Why did you do that?"

Kaedea smiled at her through the tears, before wincing from pain, as Axel applied disinfectant. "Well, 'cause you're a lot more important than me, boss. Can't have you getting infected, can we?"

Mystella was quiet, as her crimson eyes searched Kaedea's. "No one here can be replaced, Kaedea. Not me, not you."

Rakira rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before speaking up. "Well, we could take the chopping-her-arm-off route. That works in movies. If it doesn't, well, at least we tried?"

Levi cut in, though, with an almost amused look. "Don't jump just like that, guys. She's going to live."

"How can you say that? She got bitten, Levi!" Axel was panicking, mostly thinking about how he would probably have to be the one to amputate Kaedea's arm.

Levi chuckled bitterly, staring down at Kaedea's wounded arm. "You guys really don't know anything about being magistrates, do you?"

Chronos spoke up, "We're all - well, you guys are - immune to the virus. Kaedea will be fine, she just has to make sure that the wound doesn't get infected, that's all. So just wrap her arm up, and we can get going to go find this thing, otherwise, Kaedea might actually die."

Axel grumbled something under his breath as he started wrapping Kaedea's arm, and Mystella turned to address Chronos and Levi. "Why didn't either of you bring that up earlier? It would've been nice to know that we don't have to worry about every day being our last."

Chronos nervously rubbed the back of his neck, and Levi just shrugged. "Didn't think it was really all that important. Nothing's been quite able to creep up on us like that, before."

Mystella rolled her eyes, turning her attention to Kaedea. "Well, nonetheless, thank you, Kaedea. You were actually going to.." she looked down at her hands, and then cleared her throat. "Well, let's get going. We're not far from where Beth said that thing's at."

Axel looked at Kaedea, then at her arm. "Are you okay to travel? Or do you need someone to take you back to the village?"

Kaedea shook her hand, holding her wrapped arm close to her chest. "I'm fine, it just hurts. I might not be able to fight, but I can at least hopefully help, with my glass."

Rakira frowned, looking to Axel, and then to Kaedea. "Alright, but, we'll take you back if you need. What you did was honorable, and brave. But you don't need to push yourself, okay?"

Kaedea dismissively waved her hand at the two, before standing a little shakily. "I was just doing what any of us would have done, it's nothing."

There was a rustling in the bushes to their left, and everyone immediately went on defense, prepared for more red-eyes to show up. It took a few moments for them to pop out through the leaves, but it turned out that Titan, Freya, Aphrodite, and Kairo had gotten concerned and sought the group out.

Mystella cracked a smile, petting Titan, before turning to the rest of the group. "Well, seems like the gang's all here, then. You guys ready to go?"

Levi and Chronos exchanged a glance between each other before they walked off. It was unsaid between them, but neither of them trusted her fully, yet. Mystella walked ahead of the rest of the group with Titan to make sure that the path was cleared, though, with her katana in hand. She wasn't going to take any chances with being snuck up on, again. Axel and Rakira made sure to walk with Kaedea, just in case she needed anything.

Kaedea's coughs started getting more consistent as they made their way to the cave Bethany mentioned, and Freya flapped her wings in worry. More blood appeared on Kaedea's hand, but she merely wiped the blood off on her tan, striped pants. It wouldn't make much of a difference with the number of bloodstains already on them, anyway. Axel and Rakira were too wrapped up in their own conversations to notice, though, unsurprisingly laughing at something only they found funny.

Levi and Chronos were discussing something as well, but they were unnervingly serious. Chronos looked over at his snowy-eyed companion, with a brief side-glance. "Do you believe it all?"

They were out of ear-shot from Kaedea, albeit just barely. If they were too loud she would hear, though. Levi gave a wry smile, shrugging his shoulders a little. "Mmh, I think she's either reckless, or this was all planned. It would be kind of hard to get everything to fall into place so perfectly, though. So maybe we should just go along with it all, and play it by ear, for now."

Chronos sighed, "Easy for you to say. You're immortal. If she really wanted to kill me, she could. My lack of glass makes that pretty easy, I'd assume."

Levi smiled slyly at Chronos as if suggesting something. Chronos shrugged him off, though, and continued with their walk.

When they finally made it to the cave, it was more ominous than even the forest, itself. The area around the mouth seemed to be darker than the rest of the forest, which was mostly shrouded by the leaves from the trees, even as they were steadily falling in the approach of autumn. Mystella and Titan were the first ones to enter, and upon Mystella yelling to tell the rest of the group that it was safe, they entered behind the two.

Axel wasn't very keen on being in a cave again, and his uneasiness showed pretty clearly. Axel felt someone take his hand, interlocking their fingers, and Axel immediately assumed it was Rakira. When he looked over at him, though, he found that Rakira was walking next to Levi. Axel looked down at his hand, increasingly getting worried, but found nothing. He shoved his hand in his orange hoodie pocket and sped up a little, to catch up with Rakira. As soon as he did, he took his hand rather quickly, pulling it into his pocket, as well.

"Everything okay, Mi luz guía? You look startled." Rakira frowned, turning to look at Axel, who was blushing faintly. He threaded their fingers together so it was a little less awkward to hold hands in his pockets, as he leaned a little closer to the greenette. Levi walked to catch up with Mystella, not wanting to intrude on their conversation.

"Ah, yeah, I just.." Axel sheepishly started, blushing a little more. His cheeks and the tips of his ears were already shaded a light pink, now, as the taller male searched for the right words. "Caves just give me the heebie-jeebies."

Rakira laughed softly, before kissing Axel's cheek. He lingered for a moment, his breath tickling Axel's ear as he whispered to him, "You're tempting when you blush, love. Don't worry, though. I'll protect you from the horrors of the cave."

Axel's face turned a deeper shade of pink as Rakira pulled away, that sweet and innocent smile once more present on his face. No one else had been the wiser to what he said. Not that they'd believe Axel if he said anything, anyway. He felt his heart skip a beat as he thought about their interaction again. He definitely didn't mind Rakira acting like this. Part of him wanted to learn how to fluster him, though. He thought about it, as they descended deeper into the cave.

Rakira noticed how Axel was deep in thought, then, happy with his accomplishment. He wanted to get Axel's mind off the surroundings, and finding himself being successful was a relief. It was nice when he could do little things like this for him, considering how much he always found Axel overthinking about even the smallest things.

Mystella looked to Levi briefly, before frowning. "I know there's obviously, like, a curse here, but it's so ominous. Like, somehow even more ominous than that weird red-eye we seen in the woods."

Levi nodded in agreement, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I've been to places like this, before. There's definitely something extra off here, though."

Kaedea interrupted any conversation that was being had, though, as she collapsed with another fit of violent coughs. Mystella was the first at her side, holding the two strands that framed her face away, just in case. She didn't have to worry about the rest of her hair, though, thanks to the tight bun she always wore. Kaedea started scratching at her neck again, and the repeated motion caused blood to start trickling out, getting under her nails.

It took her a minute, but she finally stopped coughing, and she took a deep breath. Tears welled in her vibrant blue eyes, some of them trickling down her flushed cheeks. Her voice was raspy, as she spoke. "We gotta find this thing, soon.."

"That won't be an issue." A disembodied voice echoed around the cave, as something emerged from deeper in. It was a tall, dark silhouette. It was formed in the shape of a wolf, but it was stood on its hind legs. Its eyes glowed a deep orange, the soles of its feet similar in color. Throughout its body coursed what appeared to be lava, flowing through cracks in its body. In the middle of its chest was a strange yellow stone, though, that glowed faintly. Chronos took attention to it, his gaze fixated on it.

Mystella narrowed her eyes at the creature, her fists balled. "You need to remove the curse from my friend. Now. Unless you're ready to catch these hands, and I don't think you are."

The creature's laughter rumbled deeply in its chest, filling the otherwise quiet cave. "And what makes you think I'll give up my meal? It's not my fault that the townspeople chose her for this month's sacrifice."

Mystella cracked her knuckles, ready to start swinging, but she was stopped by Chronos's sudden action. His fist collided with the thing's chest, and he grabbed something. The rest of the group couldn't quite see what it was, but their confusion was quickly overruled with concern, as Chronos hissed in pain, gritting his teeth. He was being burned, as he out his limb from the creature's chest. In his charred hand was the glowing stone, and Chronos fell to his knees.

The creature stumbled as the group rushed to Chronos's aid, and soon toppled over with a loud crash, shaking the cave's walls. Chronos's breath was heavy, as he tried to keep his composure. His hand gripped where his burnt flesh ended, trying to ease the pain.

Rakira worriedly reached towards him, his hands shaking. "I can try reversing it! Let me try!"

Chronos pulled away from him, though, shaking his head vigorously. "No, don't touch me!" Rakira backed up quickly, and Chronos sighed. "If it goes wrong, you can get hurt, Kira. I don't want that, so just stay away."

Once everyone - including Chronos - had calmed down, Axel started inspecting the wound, being the one with the most experience. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly. "Well, I have good news and bad news."

Chronos looked up at him, his brows crinkled with worry.

Axel deadpanned, trying not to crack up. "Well, the good news is that it was your left hand, and I know you're right-hand dominant."

Rakira looked over at Axel, "And the bad news?"

"Well, it wasn't like, a professional amputation, so I guess you could call it a rip-off," Axel said, tears brimming in his eyes from how much he was holding back his laughter. The whole group was completely silent until Chronos snickered. It immediately caused almost everyone else to burst with laughter, the sound filling the cave. Mystella shook her head in disapproval, but she was smiling.

As they left the cave, Rakira and Axel were trying to calm down and stop laughing, but every time they looked at each other, it only started it all over again. Even though she looked annoyed on the surface, Mystella was just happy that everyone was laughing like this, again. It had been a minute since she saw everyone like this. She reached down to pet Titan, a small, soft smile tugging at her lips. Levi was the only one who had seen it, though, and it made him smile, too. It had been a while since she smiled like that. It was nice.

Kaedea was still holding her arm close to her, as her gaze fixated on the sky. She fixed her glasses with her free hand, trying to figure out around what time it was. The fingertips of dawn were brushing along the horizon, leaving trails of dark red and orange as the sun rose in the distance.

The cold air bit at Chronos's arm, causing him to grit his teeth. He was in intense pain but was trying not to show it, so as to alarm anyone. He had heard of phantom pain before but never expected that he would be the one to experience it. It was taking a lot out of him, and he was still trying to get used to the fact that it just wasn't there. He looked over the group, with an exhausted gaze.

They were all tired, and it showed. Everyone had bags under their eyes, and some of them were even starting to grow stubble. Levi already had a goatee on his chin so it wasn't any different, but seeing Axel and Rakira who were normally clean-shaven starting a little bit of a beard was a bit strange.

"The village will be happy to hear that we got rid of that thing, for them. Let's go." Mystella addressed the group, before turning on her heel. She was met with some groans of disapproval, but they stopped when she shot the "Mystella look" back at them. She was met with immediate silence, as their blood froze.

The walk back to the village - or their camp, rather - didn't take very long, considering they hadn't gone very far. When they did finally reach it, though, almost everyone collapsed in their respective sleeping spots. Even the animals seemed exhausted, as they curled around each of their owners.

"Axel, why did you run away?" a voice echoed in Axel's head, as he looked around frantically, trying to find where it was coming from. It sounded like his sister, and he didn't want to let her down, again.

Everything was pitch-black, though, and he couldn't tell where anything was. It felt like he was being suffocated, as what sounded like his sister's calls quickly turned to screams. They were just like the screams he'd heard while he ran away - the horrifying sounds of her being torn apart. Axel teared up, frantically trying to find her. "I'm stronger, now! I can help! I can save you!"

A woman's voice was what came next, and Axel recognized it as his mother's. He whipped around, but he was only met with more, endless darkness. "My sweet baby bear, you failed me. Even after all those years of trying to protect you.."

It wasn't long until her screams joined Yvette's, and Axel had to cover his ears, tears pouring from his eyes. There was a knot in his throat and he wanted this to all just end, but he couldn't find his.

"You're such a disappointment. Even after training you, you still froze up. That's why I was manning you up. But no, you're too stupid. What a surprise. You're gonna get all your friends killed." Axel's father's booming voice filled the void, and Axel finally found his voice.

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! You're dead! So clearly I'm doing something better!" His father's dark green eyes were glowing, as he pushed Axel backward in a fit of rage - something Axel was unfortunately used to, even after all this time of being separated from him.

Axel was falling through the darkness, reaching out on instinct to his father, above. Next to him joined two figures - his mother and sister. They were both just as the last he'd seen them, now, though. Decrepit and rotting, skin falling in chunks to the ground.

Axel woke with a start, jerking upwards. He had the lingering feeling as if he was going down a steep rollercoaster, as he tried to catch his breath. Looking around, confused and drowsy, he immediately started feeling around for Rakira, but he wasn't there. He tried to take deep breaths, to steady himself so that he wouldn't wake anyone else up.

Levi, being the insomniac that he was, had already noticed, though. He hadn't been able to get any sleep yet, but that was just the usual, for him. The snowy-haired man carefully made his way over to Axel, trying not to accidentally kick someone in the head.

Axel jumped when he heard Levi approach, though, and pulled his knees into his chest. He didn't say anything, but Levi knew that something was wrong. He sat next to him, letting the silence between them linger.

There were some sniffles as Axel hastily tried wiping his tears away, trying not to seem weak. Levi put an arm around him, pulling Axel into a side-embrace. Axel broke down, hugging Levi tightly and crying into his dark gray shirt. Levi ran his fingers through Axel's curly green hair, humming softly. It was a tune that Axel had recognized after a little bit of listening, and he soon calmed down. It was almost like he was being comforted by Rakira, even if it was one of the last people he'd expect to do this, for him.

Once Axel had finally calmed down, his head resting in Levi's lap, Levi finally asked, "So, what shook you up that bad, kid? That looked pretty rough."

Axel sniffled again, noticing that his eyeliner had stained the other man's shirt. He muttered a quick apology, before starting to try to recall the nightmare he'd had. "Well.." he gulped, averting his gaze. He started realizing how awkward this probably was, for him, "It was about my family. My mom and my sister, and then my dad."

Levi nodded slowly, idly playing with Axel's hair. "Benjamin has always been an asshole. I remember this one time, when-" He cut himself off though, shaking his head. "Sorry, you were saying?"

Axel laughed softly, wiping away a tear. "It's alright, Levi. But anyway, they were all basically saying about how they hated me for running, and I.." he sniffled again, about to cry.

"It wasn't your fault that they died, Axel. Not even Yvette." Levi spoke up, peering down at Axel. "You couldn't have done anything. They were going to die, either way. You ran because you had to. If you didn't, then you'd be dead right next to them."

Axel gripped Levi's jeans, about to start crying, again. "If I didn't run, though, I could have at least died bravely. I wouldn't have to live with the burden that I killed my sister, and I wouldn't have to go on knowing I could have done more."

Levi flicked Axel on the head, tsking. "No, you don't think like that, mister. Life is way too short for regrets. I know it's hard to come to terms with, but you didn't kill any of them. They died because this world is cruel, and that's what we're trying to fix. Once you learn that, the burden of losing people becomes.." Levi looked over at Mystella from afar, watching as she trained Rakira. He felt a pang in his heart, and it was painful. His next words were a lie, but only to himself. "Well, it becomes a little easier."

Axel nodded slowly, wiping his tears away. "..Thank you, Levi."

"Of course, kid. Now, get some sleep." Levi smiled at Axel and then crawled back over to his own space.

In the morning, everyone seemed a little bit more lively, than before. Mystella and Rakira were fast asleep as the others started their days, though. Kaedea was stretching before she decided to change the wrap around her arm. The bite was doing better than it was before, but it still hurt.

Axel was next to a fire that they'd started, cooking something. He hummed softly to himself as he did so, still thinking about last night. The aroma reached those that were awake, and it caused both Levi and Chronos to make their way to him, trying to figure out what he was making. Axel shooed at them in an attempt to get them to back off, but he was unsuccessful. Chronos was going to balance himself with one hand while he poked Axel with the other, but realized that he couldn't exactly do that, and frowned.

He came up with a solution, though, and just started poking Axel with his stump. Axel all but screamed as he moved to the other side of the campfire, and Chronos burst with laughter. Levi cackled and pointed at Axel, who was efficiently grossed out. It was a miracle that Rakira and Mystella were still asleep, and the idea of waking Mystella up after the night she had actually worried Axel, for a moment.

"If you really must know, I grabbed some mac n' cheese from someone in the village, last night. I have this sneaking suspicion that a certain someone here has been having cravings for it, lately." Axel sighed softly, pouring the noodles into the pot suspended above the licking flames.

Levi smirked, sitting on the ground cross-legged. "You're just tryin' to get on better terms with the boss, aren't you? How'd you know about her secret obsession?"

Both Axel and Chronos's eyes went wide, and they regarded Levi with the same surprised expression. "Mystella? We're talking about the same person, right? Tall, scary, angry-" He peered over at her sleeping form, "Literally eats mixed vegetables cold, and straight out of the can? Patches herself up with barbwire? Chews her hangnails off? Didn't even realize she had a splinter? Pours peroxide on her cuts just for the burn?"

Mystella groggily told Axel to shut up in her sleep, as she rolled over to get more comfortable.

Levi looked like a deer in headlights, his eyes darting around elusively. "Did I say that? I meant, um," he blinked a few times, "Kaedea - I meant Kaedea. The, uh, the boss thing is just a joke between us."

Kaedea rolled her eyes, "I don't even like mac n' cheese, Levi. You think you would have known that, after dating me for a year."

Levi scoffed at her, shaking his head. "Funny, the only thing I really remember about our relationship is how many guys you-"

Levi was cut off by Freya screeching in panic, though. It woke up Mystella and Rakira, who shot up, looking around wildly, and out of breath. Freya's wing was in Titan's mouth, as he growled menacingly at the hawk. Mystella groggily crawled over to the direwolf and forced his jaws open, letting the bird fly away. She tiredly disciplined him, her wagging finger just barely missing his ear.

Rakira rubbed his eyes and then crawled over to plop his head in Axel's lap. Axel smiled softly, gently threading his fingers in Rakira's mostly dark brown hair. There was still that random golden streak, which Axel still found oddly beautiful. "Rough night?"

Rakira chuckled, looking up at Axel with his vibrant golden eyes. "I could ask you the same thing, mi luz guía. I didn't come over, because I had seen that you were with Levi. I didn't want to interrupt, and he looked like he was doing well enough."

Axel blushed lightly, averting his gaze. Levi snickered though, looking at the two. "Yeah, I'm pretty good at comfort. Kinda dealt with things like that way more than once." he smiled at Mystella, who wasn't paying attention.

Mystella paused though, and slowly turned her crimson gaze to Axel. She made her way over to him and looked over his shoulder, menacingly. Axel didn't realize that she was behind him, though, and continued stirring the noodles. Rakira slowly opened his eyes and looked up, jumping a little from being startled. The last thing he expected to see was Mystella.

Axel froze, immediately assuming the worst. "Is... Is it another red-eye?"

Rakira stared up at Mystella in horror, "No, even worse. Don't turn around"

Mystella took a deep breath and then exhaled. It sounded as if they just growled in his ear, and it only freaked out Axel more. "Where did you get this, and why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Axel's blood felt like it froze in his veins, and Rakira slowly backed away, moving to hide behind Levi, who snickered. "You don't screw with Mystella and their food, man. That would be a grade-A death wish."

Axel started sweating, but managed to stutter out an explanation, "I got it from the village - last night before we left for the cave. I'm sorry, I didn't know-"

Mystella huffed, backing off. She kept a close eye on Axel as he continued making the mac n cheese, though.

Rakira was feeling rather off today, though. He had a mix of anger, and what felt like jealously. brewing subconsciously. He felt like he needed to just be around Axel for the moment, that it would hopefully help him feel better. He was doing a good job of hiding it but he was also getting a little worried about it. Rakira got up and out of Axel's lap, who smiled sweetly at him. That smile made his knees weak and his heart race every time, without fail.

Rakira looked over to Mystella, stretching. "Hey, while we have a moment, can we train a little more? I'm already feeling like I'm getting a hang of my glass, finally."

Mystella looked worried, her features etched with concern. "Are you sure, Kira? We can take a break. You worked pretty hard, last night."

Rakira stood determinedly, his expression unwaning. "Yeah! I'm finally being useful, and I want to help more!"

Mystella sighed and got up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I suppose so, then. Levi, you're in charge. Make sure Chronos and Kaedea don't kill each other, please. Axel, if you burn that mac n' cheese, I'll make sure to personally kick your ass."

Axel nervously nodded, hastily stirring the water. They'd be done soon, but he wasn't taking any chances. Mystella nodded and walked off with Rakira, setting up a make-shift training grounds for him.

Chronos started tending to the animals - something he found himself doing often, lately. The first few times he tried to feed Titan he almost got his hand bitten off, but luckily enough for him, the canine had grown to tolerate him. He didn't want to lose another one.

Levi peered over at Axel, his snowy gaze connecting with Axel's verdant eyes. "You have something to say, don't you? Well, speak up."

Axel's eyes went wide, as he wasn't expecting Levi to be so blunt with him. He had spared him a few glances, but when their eyes connected, he felt like he had to keep eye contact with the man. "Ah, well, I was just-"

Levi smiled at him, revealing those sharp teeth. Axel wondered what it would feel like if he were to be bitten by him, briefly. It was a scary thought, but he quickly shook it away, as if his mind was an Etch A Sketch. A light blush crept over his cheeks, and to the tips of his ears. "It's not important, don't worry."

Levi had a mischievous glint in his eye, though, as he moved closer to the shorter man. "Awe, don't say that. Speak up, Axel. I'd love to hear what you have to say."

Rakira was trying to land a hit on Mystella, per usual, but his attention wasn't fully on her, as it should have been. He kept looking over at Axel, growing more angry and jealous by the minute. Seeing Levi so close to Axel was enraging him, and Mystella started taking notice of this.

"Kira, we can stop, if you need. I can tell something's off. You know you can talk to me if you need to." Mystella frowned, dodging Rakira's increasingly aggressive attacks, still.

"I'm fine." Rakira turned his attention back to Mystella in an effort to be more convincing, but she didn't believe him.

Axel gulped, averting his gaze. He sheepishly started talking again, albeit quietly, as he removed the pot from the fire. "Well, it's just.." he started fiddling with his fingers, scratching at the chipped black polish on his nails. "I kinda wanted to know if you could give me some... flirting advice... to use with Kira.."

Levi smirked at Axel, before abruptly leaning forward, close enough that their lips brushed briefly. Between Levi's deep voice, and the general tension between them at that moment, Axel felt himself get flustered.

"You? Learn to flirt? How cute." He looked down at Axel's neck, chuckling sarcastically. "This is coming from the guy with a collar, and who becomes flustered from close contact. You can barely even handle me doing this to you; how do you think you're going to handle trying to do it to your lover, who's clearly more.." Levi smirked, licking his lips. "Well, you get the picture."

Rakira was forced to pay more attention to Mystella, trying to focus on her attacks, as well as his own. She didn't have a weapon, and that should have been an advantage, considering he had his machete - but he was still struggling. His breath started getting heavier, and he swung at her recklessly, with a glowering look in his eyes. His blade caught Mystella's tattooed arm, and she looked down with surprise.

Blood started trickling from the wound, but Rakira hadn't noticed. He was still trying to attack her, but Mystella yelled at him, "Rakira, enough! You need to calm down, you're getting too reckless! Go take a walk or something."

Rakira huffed, frustrated, and sheathed his machete. He was in a bad mood already, and being forced to stop made him feel worse. He felt like he was too weak. He hung his head as he turned to make his way over to Axel, who would hopefully make him feel a little better.

Rakira froze in his tracks, though, as he was met with the sight of Levi even closer to Axel. They were close enough that if Levi leaned just a little closer, they'd be kissing. Rakira stomped over and planted his foot in Levi's side, kicking him away from Axel, and into a nearby tree. Both men looked surprised, and even Kaedea looked up from what she was doing, for a moment. She rolled her eyes, though, and started fiddling with something in her hands.

"You're such an asshole, Levi!" Rakira angrily walked off, to a nearby lake. He occupied himself by angrily skipping rocks across the murky water, picking at a string in his sweatpants.

Everyone looked confused as to what happened - Levi especially. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve such treatment. Axel frowned, feeling a pang in his heart, as he put out the fire and started finishing making the food. He felt like he upset Rakira, but didn't understand why.

Mystella walked over with her arms crossed, picking up her long coat from the ground. "Well, I was planning on getting a move on, anyway. I informed the village last night, so we don't have to deal with them, anymore. Let's go see what's going on with our favorite sunflower, though."

Chronos looked deep in thought, as he rubbed his chin. He was clearly trying to figure something out, but his expression was otherwise unreadable.

Rakira's rock-skipping had gotten more intense, as the stones he was throwing started skipping over the entirety of the lake. When the group found him, Mystella was the first to notice the tree on the other side of the lake - it looked as if there were bullet holes in it. Rakira was unknowingly using his glass to speed up the rocks so that their impacts were vastly stronger than normal.

Rakira noticed their presence behind him, and he whipped yet another stone. "Go away."

Kaedea scoffed and rolled her eyes, checking her nails. "Well, no wonder Axel's moving on from you. You're such a child. Levi's more of a man than you'll ever be."

Axel turned to her, about to say something, but he was interrupted by Rakira, who rocketed over towards the azurette, fist pulled back to connect with her face. Mystella's eyes started glowing bright red, insinuating that she was using the Rose Glass, just before the impact was made. A rose engulfed Kaedea, protecting her from Rakira's attack, which would have injured her pretty badly. When Rakira's fist landed on the Rose Shield, it cracked, to Mystella and Levi's surprise. Levi had seen the Rose Shield go through a lot, and it had never taken any physical damage. It was scary to him, that it was somehow damaged just by Rakira punching it.

Rakira's glass pulsated and glowed, the golden color reflecting the glow emanating from his eyes, too. Rakira's hair had gone fully blonde, too, and his breath was heavy. Chronos collapsed, clutching his chest. Axel backed up, terrified of the whole situation. He'd never seen Rakira get anywhere close to this angry, and he kept blaming himself.

"Rakira, open your goddamn eyes! You're scaring him!" Mystella yelled at Rakira, similar to what he'd said to before, trying to break through to him. Rakira's enraged gaze met Axel's, and tears welled in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

The man he had promised to protect was afraid of him - of what, or rather who, he was in that moment. He was always the one that held it together - the one that dealt with his emotions, alone. Rakira closed his eyes, the tears he was holding back spilling onto his cheeks. "I.." he choked on his words, balling his fists. "I'm so sorry, mi luz guía."

Rakira took off, running into The Crowned Yak, angrily wiping his tears away.

Axel collapsed, sobs wracking his body. He buried his face in his hands, his cries painful and strained. Levi and Chronos caught him before he completely fell, though, holding him tight in their embraces. Axel didn't stop, though, only wishing that it was Rakira holding him.

Mystella averted her gaze, a tear trickling out of her eye, too. Her nails dug into her palms, and she held back from crying more, even though she wanted to. She was the leader, and that's what she needed to do. She needed to lead, to get Rakira back. At this point, she saw him like a little brother. And she'd be damned if she ever left family behind.

The Rose Shield finally returned to the earth, and Kaedea looked confused and shook. "Well, I guess he finally hit his rebellious phase. Took him long enough." That was her poor attempt at a joke, and it made Axel angry.

Axel got up, shaking off Chronos and Levi, and grabbed Kaedea by the collar of her shirt. His angry gaze met Kaedea's, "Shut the hell up, Kaedea." He then threw her aside, shaking. He started pacing, fiddling with his fingers.

Levi looked down at Kaedea, "You've done enough, Visum. Leave it be."

Kaedea looked as if she was about to say something, but her eyes locked with Mystella's. Mystella merely shook her head in disapproval, before walking away.

She didn't get very far, though, as she ran into Levi's back. "Hey, what's the deal? Move."

Levi shook his head, holding out his circular blades in front of him. "No can do, boss. You might wanna see who decided to pay a visit."

When Mystella turned to see what he was talking about, she was met with none other than Perditus, who had a huge smile plastered on his face. His purple and white snake was coiled around his arm - the sign that it was actually him, and not one of his clones. Mystella immediately drew her katana, glaring at the man before her. Axel was on the other side of Levi, in front of Rakira, gripping his staff. Titan growled deeply at the long-haired man, hunched low to the ground.

"Wow, so much hostility. I don't even have a weapon!" Perditus made a grand gesture, putting a finger on one of Levi's blades and pushing it down, a little. "See, I have the same interest as the rest of you do, for the moment. I won't attack if you don't, you have my word. No mind tricks, either."

Mystella kept her ice-cold glare on him, keeping her blade level with Perditus's neck. "Speak quickly, then. I won't hesitate to bury this in you."

Perditus laughed, his purple eyes shimmering in the sunlight. "Well, you see, that's a problem. Rakira is a ticking time bomb, and he either needs to be defused, or put down. It's as simple as that."

Axel glared at the flamboyant man, gripping his staff harder. "Don't talk about Kira like that! He's a better person than you could ever hope to be!"

Perditus waved the greenette off dismissively, pointing at the ground. "That, ladies and gents - yes, I see you, Kaedea - isn't normal." He was referring to fine black sand that was in the spot where Rakira was standing. It resembled the sand that was commonly seen in timers. "That kid's power is going to unravel the world if he isn't stopped."

Chronos sighed, feeling defeated from what happened to him, earlier. "He's not wrong. Time Glass is extremely dangerous."

Levi regarded Perditus with disgust, his eyes narrowed. "And why are you helping? You never help, unless you get something out of it, too."

Perditus merely smiled at him, tracing one of his fingers along Levi's jaw. "See, I'm helping you guys, to help myself. There's no risk in this exchange. I just think that a temporary alliance is what is needed if you want to help your dear Rakira. After all, I do have something that is vital to his help - or rather, where to find it, at least."

Mystella looked to the rest of the group, "Well, what are your guys' takes on it? I suppose that there's enough of us that will notice if he does anything weird - and we'll be together this time."

Kaedea shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess so. Perditus is pretty slippery though, so we need to be sure to keep a close eye on him. We don't want a repeat of before."

Perditus smirked at Kaedea and then looked to the other three. Levi grumbled, kicking a rock that was next to his foot. "I don't like the idea of him being this close to us. Do I get to rock his sh*t if he gets too close to someone's glass?"

Mystella thought about it for a moment, and then, to Perditus's dismay, nodded. "Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Axel, Chronos?"

Chronos shrugged, "I guess that's okay, it's not like I even have a glass for him to steal, anyway."

Axel narrowed his eyes at Perditus. "Well, I'm too aware of how slippery he is. Would have been pretty hard to get out of his bindings, back then." Perditus smirked, knowing just who let him go. He folded his hands together 'innocently', and then turned on his heel. "Well, lucky enough for you guys, the grave isn't very far, from here. It is in The Yak, though, where your friend went. So if we're lucky, this whole shebang won't take too long. I'm sure Axel wants his boyfriend back, yeah?"

Axel blushed and turned away, not confirming nor denying it. Perditus cackled and pointed at him, "You didn't deny it! So you are dating! Oh, man, someone owes me a soda!"

"Shut up, Perditus. You're so annoying." Levi rolled his eyes, as they started following Perditus to their unknown destination.

Mystella was worried that they might be walking into a trap but took into account that they really didn't have any other way to help Rakira. "What is it that will help Kira, exactly?"

Perditus turned towards Mystella with a smile and then held up his wrist. It was a dark purple cuff - the one that Mystella had seen from her vision a while ago, the first time she'd seen Perditus. "This handy little thing is called a limit blocker. My mentor made sure that I couldn't kill myself using my glass, with it. Rosa had one too but just couldn't bring herself to wear it. She was too sick with power."

Chronos looked over at Perditus, his expression was still unreadable, like before. "Rosa? Rakira's sister? Is she still alive?"

Perditus shook his head, his purple eyes connecting with Chronos's. "No. She died a while ago - how do you think Rakira has his glass? Even if she wasn't dead, she would be, now. A magistrate can hand down their glass to their student, but it slowly drains their life, the better they get at using said glass. With Rakira being able to use his glass at almost full capacity, he would have killed Rosa - because she isn't an original Magistrate. Normal Magistrates can die, become infected, be beaten to death, be zapped of their energy - but Original Magistrates can't die unless considerable circumstances are met - or, well, I guess there's some sort of possible time limit thing? I don't know. So basically, Levi and Azeline will be living for a long time - until they can't anymore, and have to return - and everyone else, like Mystella, Chronos, Rakira, and Axel will die."

Perditus rattled all that information off, gesturing wildly. He seemed like he was the type of person that talked with his hands. The group did know that Magistrates couldn't be infected, but they didn't tell Perditus, that. It would have been yet another upper hand he would have had, and it was unnerving to think of him being another step ahead.

Axel looked over at Perditus, his gaze considerably colder than anyone had seen, before. "How do you know so much about Kira's glass?"

Perditus paused, realizing that he had said too much. Axel spoke up, again, though. "And why did you risk your life to come along? You could have just sent, like, a clone."

Perditus rubbed the back of his neck nervously, directing his gaze elsewhere. "So, uh, The Crowned Yak is really pretty around this time of year, isn't it? Fall is so nice. I don't really like Winter that much. The cold is annoying. I like hot cocoa, though-"

Mystella had enough of Perditus and shoved him up against a tree. Her hand was wrapped around his throat, and his snake seemed vastly displeased, by this. It hissed at her in warning, eyeing her coat sleeve. "He asked you a question, Perditus. Answer him."

Perditus's voice was strained as he spoke, "Well he asked two, technically, but okay - just let me go, first."

Mystella begrudgingly let the man fall to the ground, but he started crawling away as quickly as he could. His suit would be beyond dirty, now, if he was wearing it - but he figured that something like this would happen, so he wore a simple sweater. His main goal for the moment was just to get away from the terrifying woman that he felt could squish him like a grape if she wanted to.

Mystella planted her foot into Perditus's back, though, pushing him face-first into the ground, effortlessly. "I said answer, dipsh*t. It really isn't that hard to do."

Perditus sighed, annoyed, and Mystella let him sit up. "Fine, I'll tell you."

They let him get situated - which mostly consisted of him wiping dirt off of himself. "Eh, it was worth a try. Anyway," he started walking towards their destination again, as he explained. "Kira wasn't supposed to get the Time Glass. I was."

Chronos furrowed his brows in confusion, looking over at Perditus. "What? That doesn't make sense. Why would she pick you over her own brother?"

Perditus narrowed his eyes at Chronos, though. "Why? Because you perceive me as evil? Do you think I'm the villain, here? Who's to say you aren't? Who's to say it isn't the - never mind, you waste my time. Anyway, Rosa and I grew up together, and she recognized that I would be a good candidate for Time Glass. After all, I always did handle my emotions better than her. It could be because she's had Time Glass since she was a kid, but that's irrelevant." He waved dismissively and then turned to Axel and Mystella. "Oh, and you were correct, by the way. This forest disrupts time, in a way. It feels like we haven't been in here very long, but considering we're getting close to the grave, it's been a few hours."

Mystella was surprised and tried to see the sky through the thick foliage. It wasn't night yet, thankfully, but there were probably only a few hours until night would be approaching. "Interesting." Her answer was short. She just wanted to get this over with, to get Rakira back. She was worried about him, and what he could be doing.

Perditus ran his fingers over some of the trees, looking back at Kaedea as he did so. "How does it feel being back, Kaedea? Most of your life was spent living here, no?"

Kaedea rolled her eyes, petting Freya. "Leave me alone, Perditus. You're not the same person you were all those years ago."

Perditus chuckled, "All those years ago, you say? And you're any different? I bet you're still the girl that lusted after Levi for two years, only to ruin it for yourself - oh, did I hit a nerve? My bad."

Kaedea looked like she was frustrated, and about to cry. She reached for her bow but sucked her breath through her teeth in pain when her bite suddenly flared up. Perditus laughed at her and then turned to Mystella.

"Oh, Mystella. How goes the assassin work? Are you still holding onto your dad's dog tags? I've also heard that no one's really paying all too well, lately. You doing okay, financially?" Perditus prodded, but Mystella didn't take his bait. She merely shook her head.

Perditus turned to Axel, then. "And how is your dad? Still an asshole?"

Axel rolled his eyes, digging his nails into his staff. "Yeah, even from the dead. If you must know."

Perditus sighed, annoyed, and then looked at Chronos, and smirked. "Oh-ho-ho. I don't know much about your past, but I do know that you worked with me, my little subject. Ah, I remember. You were so pitiful, in that back room. No clue where you came from, but I'm still sad you left. You were so useful. You should come back!"

Chronos glared at Perditus, having the deep urge to punch him right then and there. Just as he was about to retaliate, though, Perditus made a loud, "Aha!"

"And there it is, girls, gays, and theys!" He made a show of extending his arm in a grand motion, only to refer to an unmarked grave that they would have otherwise missed. "Rosa's grave! But she's not the one we want, we want the one next to it, here." He gestured at an area next to the grave with his foot.

Axel took a deep breath and used his glass to part the ground where Perditus showed him, to reveal a locked box, that was buried pretty deeply. Mystella, being the tallest, was the one who had to reach in, to grab it. When she pulled it out, she sat it next to her, as Perditus started the process to open it.

"See, you would have been in trouble, without me," Perditus said, as he pressed his thumb into an indent on the side of the box, for a few moments. "Rosa made it so that only she and I could open this."

He started putting a code into the box on the other side, and then it opened, with a click. Mystella, Axel, Levi, Chronos, and even Kaedea gathered around, curious to see what was in there. There were a few items: A golden cuff, as promised, some pictures, letters, and two tiny stuffed animals. Perditus smiled softly, feeling nostalgic. It was a lot different than his normal demeanor. "It kind of doubles as a time capsule. I haven't been able to get to it, because the forest always pushed me out thanks to that mist bitch.."

Kaedea glared at Perditus, "She was protecting herself. You were a threat, clearly."

Perditus rolled his eyes and started looking through the pictures, still smiling softly. He pocketed a few but handed the rest to Axel. "Rakira deserves something to remember his sister, by. I'm taking the ones that I'm in, but he can have the rest. After all, she did help him through a lot."

Perditus turned to Mystella, and she noticed that the strange spirals that were normally embedded in his eyes were pretty faint. "I've helped, and now I need to go. But, before I do, know this," He looked deeply into Mystella's crimson eyes. "White Gate. You didn't look hard enough."

She watched as the spirals returned, though, and Perditus smirked mischievously. "Well, I must be on my way. See you later, or not. It doesn't matter to me. Either way, I still get to entertain myself." he paused, though, "If you try to stop me after I so graciously helped you, I will make sure that your companions don't make it out of this little ordeal, alive."

Perditus took his leave, disappearing back into the forest. If she was alone and didn't have to worry about her friends - or even if it was just a few months ago - she would have tried to kill him right there, with no remorse. She held herself back, though, gripping the clasp that they had to somehow get onto Rakira's wrist. 

Axel stared down at his hands, feeling a pang in his heart. Perditus was so vague about what the clasp was, and what it could do, and Axel was worried. He knew that it was their last bet and that the time-glass user - Rakira's sister, nonetheless - had, or probably was going to, use it. The group was arguing about who should be the one to put it on Rakira's wrist, and it sounded like the argument wasn't going anywhere. They were just going in circles - Levi would say he'd do it, but then Mystella would step in and say that Rakira was already mad at him and that it would make things worse. Kaedea would offer to do it, but Chronos, Levi, and Mystella would all tell her, almost at the same time, that that would be an even worse idea. They would ask Chronos to do it, but he would shake his head and refuse, saying he wouldn't be able to do it.

Once he got sick of the arguing, Axel dug his nails into his palms, getting frustrated. "Just shut up. Stop treating Rakira like he's some rabid dog that needs to be leashed." Axel teared up, that pang in his heart coming again, but worse. He just wanted to go and run away, to find Rakira and tell him everything was going to be okay. He just wanted to be held close to him, to take in that cinnamony scent and drown in it. "I'll do it."

Mystella looked surprised, mostly that Axel took initiative. "You could die, Axel. Are you sure you want to risk that for Kira?"

A tear ran down Axel's cheek, as he brought his gaze up to make eye contact with Mystella. It had been a while since he'd done that, and so everyone was a bit taken aback. "I know he won't hurt me - but if it comes down to it, yes, Stella. I'm prepared. I love him. I would do anything for Kira - even if it meant dying."

Mystella didn't say anything. She merely nodded, smiling softly. She was proud of Axel. Proud of how much growth he had shown since she'd first met him. He was no longer that small, sniveling boy at her feet that cried over deer. He was stronger now, and Mystella felt a sense of pride because of that. Mystella extended their hand and placed the clasp in Axel's. "I believe in you. I know you can do it."

Axel looked from Mystella, down to the clasp, and then back up at her again. His lip trembled, and his hands were shaking. He was terrified but knew he needed to do this. It needed to be him. Mystella sighed softly, before extending her arms. Axel stared at her quizzically, unsure of whether she was being serious, or not.

Mystella looked serious, "Well, if you don't take me up on this once-in-a-lifetime offer right now, you're never gonna get the chance, again."

Axel rushed over to Mystella, and hugged them tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. She smelled like a fireplace, on a rainy night. Like Axel was reading his favorite next to a window, and the raindrops were racing down in pointless competitions that he had made up, as a kid. It reminded him of how his mother used to hold him, like when he fell and scraped his knee. Mystella wrapped her arms around Axel, resting her chin on his head. "We're gonna get him back, Axel. I promise. Nothing's the same without our Sunflower."

Levi turned to Chronos, and merely just stared at him, for a moment.

Chronos stared back, confused. "What? You want me to smack you with my arm?"

Levi blinked a few times, "If you do that, I swear on every magistrate that there is - including myself - that I will actually bite you. Anyway, I came to ask if you're doing okay."

Chronos looked confused, and faked the best smile that he could, "Yeah, why do you ask?"

Levi stared at him blankly, clearly not believing him. "We're not done with this conversation, just so you know." Levi turned on his heel, just as Axel let go of Mystella.

His eyeliner hadn't been reapplied yet, so it hadn't gotten on Mystella's tanktop. She smoothed out her long coat, before patting Axel's head. "One sec."

As Mystella rummaged through her bag, looking for something, Axel fiddled with the clasp. He couldn't help but notice how clanky it looked. Almost like handcuffs. Mystella finally found what she was searching for, and placed it in Axel's hand. "Since I've noticed that your eyeliner gets smudged, a lot."

Mystella walked away, then, joining Levi, Chronos, and Kaedea. Axel wiped a tear away, staring down at the new eyeliner Mystella had given him. It was a brand that wouldn't smudge, and It was waterproof so that just added to the benefits. He put it in his bag and then ran to catch up with the rest of his group.

As they walked through the forest that they were all-too-familiar with, Mystella felt a tap on her arm. She turned around rather quickly, and it startled Kaedea, who jumped a little. Mystella sighed, "Yes, Kaedea?"

Kaedea averted her gaze, fiddling with her bandages. She took note that she'd have to change them, soon. "I wanted to apologize."

Mystella frowned, focusing on not letting any stray branches hit her. "You should be apologizing to Axel, and eventually Rakira, not me."

Kaedea pulled on one of the strings from the bandages, kicking a rock as she thought over her words. "I'm getting there. But I'm not just talking about today. I wanted to apologize for everything. For not being useful, for not getting along with everyone like I should, for trying to do everything by myself - I guess I just don't feel like part of the group. I feel like an outcast. Chronos and Levi are like, best friends, at this point, Axel and Rakira have each other, and you just get along with everyone - I guess I just feel like.." She was trying to find the words to describe it, as she fixed her glasses.

Mystella put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from rambling. "You're wrong, Kaedea. You are part of the group. We all care about you. You just do some stupid things, sometimes." Mystella then turned to her, "And, also, I do support you and Levi. I know that Levi and I were together, before, but we aren't now. I love Azeline. Not to mention that I'm not anywhere near attracted to men, but that's beside the point - but what I'm saying, is that you don't need to see me as competition. Just make sure you treat him right."

Kaedea felt her heart flutter, and she blushed a little. She never heard someone say that, before. She wanted to believe that they did care for her, and it gave her hope. Kaedea released what she was holding in her other hand, which was shoved in her pocket. She sighed softly, turning to Mystella. "Thank you, Stella. I really appreciate that."

Mystella smiled at Kaedea, taking her hand back. "Of course, Kaedea. We're here for each other, so if you need anything else, you know that you can talk to any of us."

Kaedea smiled at the ground, feeling warm. She liked the feeling of being loved and cared for - it was nice.

Axel stared down at the clasp in his hands, thinking about Rakira. He knew that Rakira would never intentionally hurt him - he would die before that happened. But at that moment, deep down, Axel felt like Rakira did want to hurt him. The words he said to him kept echoing through his head, the way he said that pet name that he so loved to call Axel.

Levi walked over to Axel and bumped him with his shoulder. "Hey, blue. How are you holding up?"

Axel frowned, running his fingers over the symbols engraved in it. "Blue? Why did you call me Blue?" He was clearly avoiding the question, but Levi felt the need to explain, anyway.

"Well, you're more sad than usual. It's pretty depressing. You haven't even made a joke, since the other night in the cave when Chronos's arm got yoinked." Levi peered over at the shorter man, curiously.

Axel felt exhausted like he didn't want to move. "I just want him back, Levi. Nothing is the same, without him. I hate myself because I know that I'm part of the reason."

Levi shook his head, "Nah, Chronos explained it to me pretty well, actually. Not to mention that I saw his mom and Rosa go through this, too - Time glass is powerful. It rivals Rose Glass."

Axel looked over at Levi, trying his best to pay attention. Levi continued, "But the huge drawback to that, is that it amplifies emotion. It's pretty easy to train that glass, but if you train it too much, too fast, you need that," he pointed at the clasp, "a limiter. Valery had one, but her amplified emotion wasn't normally her rage. She was just always so sad. She looked like a kicked puppy, half the time. Well, that was until she got the limiter, of course. She became so much more rational, and she even got happier. Rosa, though, I don't know very much about her. You'd have better luck asking Perditus. Needless to say, though, it won't hurt him, and it will help."

Axel nodded slowly, still staring down at the clasp. He trusted Levi, but not Perditus.

Mystella suddenly stopped, holding her arm out to impede everyone else from walking, too. Chronos and Levi walked into her arm, which stopped them at their chests. Kaedea smacked her head off of Mystella's arm because she wasn't paying attention, though. "Look."

Kaedea rubbed her forehead, whining about how Mystella's arm felt like a brick. Axel and the others looked down, though, their eyes widening. Levi cleared his throat, his voice rising in pitch. "Well, at least he's getting some of that anger out," he gulped, "a lot of it, hopefully."

There were piles of dead red-eyes, bloody and beaten. Most of them had holes clean through them, where others were filled with stab wounds. It would seem that with Nebula's death, The Crowned Yak was once more filled with red-eyes, again. Mystella stepped over the countless bodies, shoving her boot through the head of one that was still moving. It made a loud popping noise, and the eyeballs flew out in different directions.

Axel gagged, throwing his hand up to his mouth in disgust. "Ew, Stella! That's so gross!"

Mystella looked back at him with half-lidded eyes and then drove her boot through another red-eye. Axel doubled over with his hand still on his mouth and then vomited. Levi looked over at Mystella with a smile, "That was harsh, Stell."

Mystella blinked a few times and then shook her head slowly. "You'd think that after being together for about two months, that he'd be used to this. Speaking of which, I have your hand sanitizer, Axel."

Axel finally stopped throwing guts up after a minute, and then looked over at Mystella, taking a deep breath. "What? Why?"

Mystella waved him off dismissively, before tossing the hand sanitizer over to Axel. "Don't worry about it. Now, let's go. I have a feeling that I know where Rakira ended up."

Chronos shoved his hand in his pocket, a dark look clouding his features. He was normally hard to read, but something was troubling him deeply. Levi bumped into him with his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

"Chronos, dude, what's going on? You look like someone just told you that your mom died." Levi was concerned, but he sounded like he was being sarcastic - as usual. Chronos scoffed, looking away.

"Doesn't matter. Not like you'd take it seriously, anyway." Chronos looked frustrated but then sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It really doesn't matter, though. I'm just thinking."

Levi frowned, "Well, what are you thinking about that's troubling you so deeply? I'm worried about you, man."

Chronos shrugged, "Everything and nothing. That's the great thing about overthinking. I guess things just aren't going the way they should be."

Levi laughed, almost mockingly. "When does anything we're put through go correctly? I know you haven't been a magistrate for very long, but I figured that you'd at least learn this, by now."

Chronos cleared his throat, waving his hands in denial. "I'm not a magistrate, Levi. I've told you this."

Levi sighed, "See, I thought you were just being discreet, but now it's getting ridiculous. Do you really think I'm stupid, Chronos?"

Chronos was going to retaliate, but he choked on his words. He thought he was doing a good job hiding it, but he clearly wasn't doing well enough.

Levi cast a side-glance at Chronos, before speaking up again, "I don't think anyone else knows, but it was pretty obvious to me. And I know that you don't have very-"

Levi was cut off by Mystella shushing him, though, pointing ahead of the group.

They'd finally found Rakira, and he was doing worse than they could have imagined. His glass was pulsating wildly, glowing bright gold. His eyes matched the color, filled with the strangely beautiful glow. The golden light traced his veins, a pretty compliment to his melanin skin. Rakira's hair was also fully gilded now, too, rather than just the streak he had, before.

They were met with another strange image, though. Rakira was fighting a giant lion. Its maw was covered in blood, but there were no noticeable wounds on Rakira. It almost looked like Rakira was arguing with it, as the lion only seemed to grow bigger, before their eyes. It was a beautiful golden color, with striking yellow eyes.

Mystella turned to the group to address them, "Okay, I'm probably the best person to hold him off. But if I do get injured, don't come back for me. You need to focus on saving Rakira. I'll be fine, I promise."

Chronos clutched his chest, falling back to sit on the undergrowth. His breath was coming in short gasps, and it looked as if he was struggling to even try to stand back up. Mystella held out her hand, stopping him. "Just stay here, Chronos. You're clearly not able to do anything right now."

"Levi," Mystella turned to Levi, grabbing his attention. "You need to sneak up behind Rakira so that you can restrain him while Axel puts on the bracelet. Kaedea, I want you by me, for support. Do not hit Rakira, but make sure that there are no red-eyes. Everyone got it?"

Axel reluctantly nodded, and Levi smiled. "We're gonna get him back, Blue. Don't worry. If I know Mystella, she would go to the ends of the world to make sure that the ones she loves are safe." Levi patted his head and then turned to Mystella. "Let's go get our sunflower back."

Mystella stepped out of the foliage as the others took their positions. Her glass started glowing faintly, as she started drawing power from it. "Rakira."

Rakira's head whipped around until his glowing golden eyes made contact with Mystella. He looked as if he hesitated for a moment, but his rage only flared back up. "You! You won't help!" Rakira threw something at Mystella - tiny sharp rocks. Mystella wouldn't have been worried, but she remembered how he was skipping rocks down at the lake, how they were powerful to go clean through the trees.

The lion that was seemingly fighting Rakira just moments before rounded on Mystella, too, but didn't attack. It was as if it was wordlessly asking for help. Axel could hear whispers, but couldn't understand what the lion was saying. He would have to get closer - which would mean getting closer to Rakira, too. 

Mystella threw up her rose shield, but in a more manageable size - in the form of a hand-held disk thick enough that the rock bullets, in theory, wouldn't be able to penetrate it. About seven of them hit the disk as planned, but a few stray rocks embedded themselves in Mystella's legs.

Levi snuck around the back, realizing that Nebula's cottage wasn't very far. He figured that Rakira must have come to a familiar place to try and calm down. Levi looked back to the fight, just in time to see Mystella get hit. They made eye contact for a moment, but Mystella looked back to Rakira, more determined before. He was putting up a good fight, and she was forced to use her full power, after a bit. Rakira turned around, ever-enraged, and then made eye contact with Levi.

Realizing that his cover had been blown, Levi rushed at Rakira. He got within feet of him, before Rakira threw a punch at Levi, quickening the action so that it would hurt even more. Mystella had taught him how to do that, and she was secretly proud of him for utilizing it. Now wasn't the time, though. She needed to figure how she could get Axel to Rakira, without getting anyone else hurt.

Levi was flung away, and he hit a tree, hard. He tried to move but his body wouldn't let him - he got increasingly nauseous every time he tried, and everything hurt. As a last-ditch effort, Levi put his hands together, summoning a great storm. The wind started howling, and the rain came soon after, starting at a drizzle but soon becoming a heavy downpour of rain. It would take a while for the storm to stop, but it was already impeding Rakira's efforts.

Mystella fought tooth and nail trying to get closer to Rakira, but he kept reversing time so that she was forced back. Mystella cried out in her rage of finally being equal with someone and rose her hand towards the sky. Roses broke through the forest's ground and wrapped themselves around Rakira's legs, and his arm that had his glass - kind of like Axel's vines. Kaedea looked over at her, the rain also successfully impeding her vision. She tilted her glasses down and drew her bow once more, hitting another red-eye that was drawn by the commotion.

When Rakira was finally restrained, he thrashed around wildly and screamed, both his tears and the rain running down his cheeks. Mystella was using all of her power to restrain him, and now it was up to Axel.

Axel walked against the storm, making his way to Rakira. There was black dust all over the place, and it felt like it was sticking to Axel's shoes. He pressed on, though. Before, he would have tucked tail and ran. But he knew that he needed to get to Axel. That was the man he loved, and the one he would do anything before. He imagined what their life could be like once the apocalypse was done - he and Rakira, Mystella and Azeline, Levi, Chronos, and Kaedea could all be neighbors.

They would get big houses out in the countryside with them, and maybe even adopt, one day. Levi and Kaedea could finally find their soulmates, and Mystella could spend the rest of her life with hers. Chronos could get a prosthetic arm, and they wouldn't always have to be looking over their shoulders constantly. Axel would have a cactus named Jerry, and then they would eventually have to move it up high because it would be inevitable that he would stumble into it.

Even as he ran through the storm to get to Rakira, his thoughts wandered to that blissful place. He wanted nothing more than to be happy with his family. Rakira made eye contact with Axel, and he cried out in pain, this time. "No, Axel, leave! I don't want to hurt you!"

Axel didn't listen, as he pushed himself to make his way to Rakira. The lion's words were becoming clearer now, its message becoming less garbled. "Save him from himself, he won't listen to me." 

 When he finally got there, without hesitation, he threw himself at Rakira, hugging him tightly. The limiter was in Axel's hand, and he gripped it tighter. He didn't know if he could bring himself to put it on Rakira's wrist, but he knew at that moment that he needed to be there for Kira, as he always was for Axel.

Rakira buried his face in Axel's soaking wet hoodie, gripping it with his other hand. He was still crying, but his sobs were choked. Axel sniffled, holding Rakira close to him, even though the roses had razor-sharp thorns that cut his arms. They were facing outwards to not hurt Rakira, but Mystella wasn't expecting Axel to go this route.

"I love you, Rakira. I know you would never hurt me." Rakira barely heard it, but he did.

It was then that Rakira gave up, the anger and jealousy that was once there fading away. "But that's why I ran away, Axel. I can't control my glass, and I don't want to end up killing you." he whispered the next part, "I don't want to end up like your parents."

Axel shut his eyes, taking in that scent of cinnamon that he was so familiar with. "You won't. We aren't going to be like them, nor Kaedea and Levi, not even like Azeline and Mystella. You're stuck with me until you don't want me anymore, okay?" Axel remembered the clasp, then. "I have something to help you control your glass. The last two magistrates used it, too. It's a kinda bulky bracelet, but I know you can make it work."

Rakira hesitated, but soon just held his hand out. Axel let go of him, signaling to Mystella to retract her flowers. Once she did, he put the clasp on his wrist. Rakira's hair had gone back to dark brown, except for the streak, like before, and his eyes went reverted to the pretty - normal - golden color they were, before, too. Rakira smiled at Axel and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before he collapsed.

"It's gonna be okay, Kira. You're gonna wake up, soon. You have to.." After Rakira had collapsed from the clasp being put on his wrist, Axel hadn't left his side once. The lion from earlier had mysteriously shrunken down to a mere cub and was snuggled up to Rakira's side. It seemed to be in the same situation as Rakira. 

It had been a few hours since they'd gotten the group to Nebula's old cabin and laid Rakira down in the bed that he and Axel once slept in, before. The sun had set, and the night was crisp and cold.

Axel was sitting on the side of the bed next to Rakira, holding his hand gently. Axel's eyes were puffy from crying, and he felt like he physically couldn't cry anymore. He couldn't help but feel like this was all his fault. Maybe if he'd done something differently, they wouldn't be in this situation, at all.

Mystella stood by the entrance of the room the two were in, leaning against the doorway as she quietly watched Axel take care of Rakira. Soon Levi appeared behind her, though, and frowned. 

"He's still watching him? Doesn't that kid sleep?" Levi whispered, quiet enough so only Mystella could hear. 

Mystella turned her head a little to the left, to answer him just as quietly. "He's normally up pretty late, and then he sleeps in during the day when he gets the chance. Normally Rakira goes to bed early and wakes up early. When we aren't training, anyway."

Levi chuckled softly and then smiled. "You care about them, don't you? I didn't know that you knew things like that. Could've sworn by how Rakira was, that you were turning him into you." the last part was a joke, but Mystella cast her eyes to the ground. 

Mystella shrugged, "I know a lot about them. Axel's favorite color is purple, he loves old music - like Skeeter Davis -, and he used to collect rocks. He had a succulent named Jake, and he grew up with a dog named Skittles that died a few years before the apocalypse. He still hasn't gotten over it." She looked at Rakira, then, and smiled. "Rakira loves the color yellow, and he loves bonsai trees. He's happiest on warm, sunny days, and he loves the taste of honey. I also suspect a few other things - that would never, ever change my opinion of him, of course - but that isn't my place to say."

Levi raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You know all of that? That's.." he blinked a few times, "wow. You're pretty observant, aren't you?"

Mystella nodded, "yeah, I notice a lot. I know more about you, Kaedea, and Chronos that I let on, too, so just keep that in mind." Mystella then turned to walk into the room, but turned her head to address Levi once more, "I'm gonna take over the watch, for a little. Go take Axel outside and talk to him for a bit. Magistrates know he needs it."

Mystella walked in, putting her hand on Axel's shoulder. Levi watched as she talked to him, and noticed that he didn't want to go, at first. Eventually, though, he reluctantly gave in.

Levi walked outside with Axel, silence hanging between them. They both sat on the porch, then, nothing being said between them, until Levi inevitably broke the silence, as he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter.

He put the cigarette between his lips and lit the lighter, holding it underneath the tip. It lit up after a moment, and Levi put it away.

Axel didn't have his hoodie on - as it was being dried - and the bandages wrapped around his arms and hands from holding Rakira were a painful reminder of why they were back.

Levi took a cigarette drag and then offered Axel one, as he exhaled the smoke. Axel shook his head, though, pulling his knees into his chest as he watched the storm pound away at the forest.

"Bet you didn't know I have a kid, out there somewhere" Levi was the first to start talking, as his snowy eyes fixated on one of the trees that were dancing in the wind. 

Axel looked over at him, bags under his green eyes. "No offense, Levi, but you kinda seem like the kind of guy that gets around. I would be surprised if there weren't a few of you running around."

Levi chuckled, leaning forward to rest one of his elbows on his knee, taking another drag, and then flicking away the ashes. "That's the thing though, Axel. I've only ever fallen in love once. And it was - and still is - with Mystella."

"What about Kaedea, though? Rakira told me you two were together for, like, 2 years." Axel played with his ring, rotating it around his finger.

Levi sighed softly. "I wanted to love her, Axel. I did. And I did warn her - before we even started dating - that Mystella was.." he searched for the words, "for lack of a better term, a soulmate that wasn't meant to be. That I would always love her. Well,"

Levi looked like he was remembering something he didn't want to, a far-off look in his eyes. "One day I came home earlier than I was supposed to. Didn't tell Kaedea, because I wanted to surprise her with dinner."

Axel looked at Levi, but Levi didn't make eye contact like he normally would. "And then?"

Levi looked down at his hands, the raindrops gathering on his pale skin. "I heard her cheating on me, Axel. I slept in the guest room that night. I told myself it was fair since I would never be able to fully give her my all. I couldn't be what she needed. But then I started coming home to different men. Seven different guys, if I recall correctly."

Axel looked shocked, sitting up to pay better attention to Levi. He was invested in the story, now. "Seriously? Not only did she cheat on you, but it was with seven different guys?"

Levi nodded and then continued. "Well, then the apocalypse hit the world like a freight train. I didn't know that Perditus was behind it, though. Well, it's not technically him, but the Mind Magistrate is working through him. It's complicated. I tried getting to Mystella and Azeline, but Mystella didn't remember me and tried to kill me, and Azeline fell victim to Perditus - he kidnapped her. The next best thing was to try and find the Elk Magistrate - your dad - when Perditus took me, too."

Axel blinked a few times, "So, wait. You were the guy walking down my street in the middle of the street?"

Levi nodded and then sighed. "Ah, but yes, my kid. Her name is Astropulvis - it's Latin for 'stardust'. Stella's idea. We just called her Astro, though."

Axel crinkled his brows in confusion, "wait, wait, hold the phone. Your kid is also Mystella's kid?"

Levi nodded slowly, and then finally looked over at him. "She'll be 14, in a few days."

"What happened to her?" Axel questioned, hesitantly.

Levi shrugged, an air of sadness quickly becoming apparent. "Well, we were at this village. She was the safest there, and I needed to go get Mystella and Azeline so that the group could be rebuilt. She could have been hurt if I took her. But, as I said, when I got to Mystella, she was a completely different person. She didn't remember me at all, and she tried to kill me on the spot. So I went back to the village to get Astro, hoping to maybe jog her memory, but when I did get back.."

Axel fiddled with a loose bandage and started rewrapping it. "She wasn't there, or she was dead?"

Levi let out a humorless laugh, then continued. "Close, but no. The entire village was gone. They hadn't told me, but I guess they were a wandering village. The only way I knew she lived, is because she's my blood. So, in a way, she's sort of like automatically a half-magistrate."

Axel made a small 'huh' noise, and then asked, "So there's technically another magistrate running around? Your and Mystella's kid, nonetheless? Does she know?"

Levi shook his head, with a sigh. "No, she doesn't. Because I don't know where Astro is, and I know Mystella will try to go after her. But she's long gone - there's not a very good chance we'll ever come across her, unfortunately." Levi flicked away his cigarette, watching the rain take it underneath the house. 
"You should still tell her, Levi. She deserves to know." Axel stared back out into the forest, listening to the thunder overhead. "Besides, if you don't, I'm sure Kaedea will."

Levi didn't say anything, he just dwelled quietly on what Axel was saying. He didn't think Mystella would take it very well but knew that it was right to tell her.

"I didn't know you smoked," Axel said, as a way to get Levi's mind off of what he couldn't control.

Levi leaned back, stretching. "I don't. Not normally, anyway. Swiped a cig from one of those people in the village, among other things. I haven't touched one of these in years, and that was my last one, probably. Mystella never did like me smoking." 

Axel leaned his head up against the post next to him, "My dad used to smoke. If I pissed him off enough, he'd press 'em into my skin. So I promised myself I'd never do anything like that. I'm not gonna drink, and I'm not getting into anything addicting, like that. I'd rather die before I became like my dad."

Levi nodded, and then pulled out his bag. "You curious about what I grabbed, kid? I was thinking you and Rakira might appreciate it, once he wakes up." 

Axel peered over curiously, and Levi smiled. "Well, for starters, I got these earrings. Reminded me of you two." Levi pulled out the earrings - they were both identical, but one was green, and the other was yellow. He put them back in his bag, then, and then pulled out a needle. "And this is a piercing needle. I got this because I noticed that your ears aren't pierced. Don't worry, they don't hurt too bad." He put it back in his bag, too, and then got up. "One more thing, Axel."

Axel got up too, and then looked to Levi. "Yeah, what's up?"

Levi sighed softly. "You and Rakira - didn't you need time to make sure you really wanted to be with him, that you loved him? Then why didn't you take that long? It seemed a little fast."

Axel smiled at the ground, thinking about Rakira. "Well, you can't wait for things like that, in a world like this. You never know who will be here tomorrow. You gotta take those while you have 'em, you know? I just told him what I already knew, even though I was - and still kinda am, scared."

"Well, thank you for listening to me, Axel. I appreciate it." Levi said, as he smiled at Axel. There was something behind it, but Axel felt like he shouldn't pry. It was helpful that Axel had listened, but he didn't want to push him further than what he was willing to talk about. 

"Anytime, Levi." Axel smiled back half-heartedly as started to walk back into the cabin. "Just remember what I said about Mystella. She deserves to know." 

Levi sighed, and held his hand out in the rain, watching as the water gathered in his palm. "Unfortunately, Axel, I'm too aware of how right you are."

Kaedea was sitting next to the fireplace trying to warm up, as she shivered violently. She couldn't seem to warm up no matter what she did, and she was running out of things to try. Chronos walked over with a heavy blanket and draped it over Kaedea, before sitting beside her, handing over a cup of warm soup that he'd made. He was worn out, now, and just wanted to relax for a little bit.

The silence between them was stretched out, but there was no tension between them. Kaedea brought the cup to her lips and took a long sip, instantly feeling warmer. It was a while before either of them said anything, but she was the first to speak up. "Why are you so nice to me, Chronos?" 

Chronos tiredly looked over at the bundled-up woman, and then shrugged. "Because I know what it's like, to feel like an outcast. I've never really found it easy to fit in, anywhere, and now it's like I belong here, even less." 

Kaedea looked at Chronos, and they made eye contact. Her dark blue eyes sparkled, but Chronos's was still that same, dull, honey color. "You get along so well with the others, though. How could you not feel like your part of the group?" 

Chronos shrugged and then sighed as he started to explain. "I guess it mostly has to do with the fact that I didn't know anyone up until a little while ago. Even still, I barely know any of you." he stared into the dark liquid swirling around in his cup. He could barely even recognize himself in his reflection. "I have no history with any of you. I wasn't there in your memories." 

Kaedea frowned, and then scooted closer to Chronos, to lay her head on his shoulder. "It's alright, Chronos. That doesn't mean your any less part of the group. I screwed up a lot, but everyone still accepts me, for some reason. I'm trying to change for the better, now." 

Chronos was a little surprised not only by her action, but by her words, too. He never expected to hear her say something like that. After there was an extended period of silence, though, he looked down to realize that Kaedea had fallen asleep on him. 

Chronos moved a piece of hair out of Kaedea's face and sighed softly. "I wish I could say the same thing, but I've been feeling like nothing I've done has mattered, lately." Chronos carefully picked Kaedea up so that she wouldn't wake up, and started carrying her to the bedroom she'd stayed in last time. "Nothing I've done has changed anything for the better, and I know I'm running out of time," Chronos whispered this mostly to himself, but his face was etched with melancholy. 

As he laid Kaedea down in her bed and started covering her up, he pondered over what he could try to do, next. Chronos left the room quietly and soon found his own.

Mystella had decided to explore the cabin since she wasn't really able to, last time. She was on the second floor, her boots discarded next to the stairs. The first room she walked into was a large, cleared-out space - except for a desk that faced the window.

The floor was hardwood just like the rest of the cabin, but it was well-worn, here. It was discolored and scratched, but in a way, it kind of added to the cabin's charm. There was an aura of familiarity here - she'd noticed that about the place the first time she walked in. It gave Mystella vague memories just beyond her grasp - so close she could almost brush her fingers against it - of being with her grandmother when her father was at work. 

Mystella walked over to a window with its curtains drawn and opened them, only to see the rain pounding against it, accompanied by the lightning that cracked across the sky, from afar. Mystella always found the rain calming, and so she sat at the desk, pulling out a few items from her pack.

The rain always made her feel inspired, and now she had a minute to herself. She took her carving knife and the small figurine she'd been working on previously, and started carving at the wood. Leaning back in the chair with her feet up on the desk, Mystella hummed to herself softly as she carved. It was relaxing to her, and it was the closest thing she had to her old life.

When Mystella found herself in this world, even though she was in what she assumed to be her house, she couldn't make sense of anything. There was nothing there that she was able to recognize, even though Azeline was trying to tell her about the life she had before. It wasn't very long before she was taken mysteriously, though. 

The only thing Mystella could recognize was her tools - different carving knives, and small wooden figurines. She didn't know who she was making them for - they were all different types of animals, most of them being cat-like, in nature. Some of the finished ones were painted, and she'd learned that it was Azeline who had done that, for her. She was never really good at painting, apparently. 

Mystella was working on a figurine of a deer, and it was coming along nicely. It wouldn't take very long for her to finish it. She was making it as a gift for Axel - she'd already made one for Rakira, and Levi. A lion for Rakira - for his bravery and courage - and a ferret, for Levi. The ferret symbolized friendship and cunning, two things she associated with Levi. She planned on doing one for Kaedea and another for Chronos, but she didn't know when she'd get a chance, next. 

She was focused on the carving, though, so she wasn't aware of the fact that Levi had come to check on her. Just as she was bringing the knife down to cut a curve, Levi got close to Mystella's ear and whispered, "boo"

Mystella jumped, slicing her thumb, and almost fell out of her seat, in the process. She turned to glare at Levi after she situated herself. Levi grinned at her and booped her nose, before gently taking Mystella's hand. 

"I'm sorry, sugar. I didn't mean to scare you," he brought Mystella's injured thumb up to his lips and kissed it, causing the blood to end up on his mouth. He had no issue with that, though, and merely licked it away. 

Mystella rolled her eyes and took her hand back, flicking Levi in the forehead. "Yeah, sure. Don't think sweet talking me is gonna put you in my good book."

Levi smirked and pulled Mystella's body towards his, so she was flush against him. She was still slightly taller than him, but that didn't stop him from trying to fluster her. She had a light blush, and he remembered how much he missed being able to get that reaction out of her. "Well, let me have this dance, then. I'll make it up to you."

Mystella scoffed playfully, "dance without music? How blasphemous, why would you even dare suggest that?" 

Levi pulled away from Mystella, still holding her hand, and wound up a music box that he'd brought up with him. As it started twinkling away, Mystella tried to put her finger on where it was from. She recognized it, but couldn't remember what it was called. 

As Levi started slow dancing with Mystella, she felt a whisper of a memory, but it kept slipping away. She so desperately wanted to remember, but at the same time, she wanted to just enjoy the moment she was having with her friend.

Mystella reluctantly let the memory slip from her grasp, as she leaned into Levi. Levi was a little surprised, but he put a hand on her waist, and let her rest her head on his shoulder. They stepped in time with each other perfectly, as if they'd done it a hundred times before. 

Levi finally gathered the courage to say what he was thinking since he'd seen her again. Neither of them knew Kaedea, though, who was listening at the bottom of the stairs. "..I love you, Mystella. More than anything."

Mystella was quiet for a few moments, unsure of what to say. "Levi, I care about you so much. And I love you, too," Kaedea decided that she heard enough, as she felt her heart break. She wiped the hot tears from her cheeks and all but ran away before Mystella could finish. "..But I can't love you like that. Not in this life. I'm sorry."

Levi smiled sadly, a tear trailing down his face. Mystella couldn't see him, so he didn't care too much. "I know. But I needed to tell you, just in case I would never be able to do that again. There's something else I need to tell you, though.."

Kaedea sniffled, shakily wiping her tears away with the back of her sleeve. She couldn't believe that she actually trusted Mystella. She wanted to believe that there was good left in the world, that Mystella really did care about her. 

But once she heard Mystella tell Levi that she loved him, too, her world shattered. Kaedea gripped what was in her pocket tightly, rage clouding any good judgment she had left. Kaedea quietly snuck into Mystella's room and shoved the tracker she'd been so hesitant on using into the bottom of Mystella's bag, making sure she wouldn't be able to see it in there.

"Wanna ruin my life? Fine, I'll ruin yours." Kaedea whispered angrily, as she skulked back into her own room. She rooted through her bag angrily until she found the transceiver she hadn't used, in a while.

It took him a little to respond, but soon enough a voice crackled on the other side of the line. "Visum? You there?"

Kaedea sniffled, and then pressed the button on the side, to answer, "I'm here, Perditus. I put it on her. I'll lead them to the bait base, once Rakira wakes up."

Mystella and Levi sat next to each other in silence. It was tense, not the normal, more comfortable silence they normally shared. Levi had finally told Mystella about Astro, and she was taking it about as well as he thought she would. She hadn't said anything since he finished his story - she just stared down at her wood carvings.

"Is that who all these were for?" Mystella pulled out the figurines of the various cats and foxes she'd taken two years ago when she'd finally left her house for good. She turned one of the larger ones over between her fingers, otherwise quiet.

"She loved the things you made her," Levi said, as he reached over to pick one up, too. It was as if he was looking for something, and he found it, after a moment. "Ah, here it is."

Levi showed Mystella the bottom of the figurine so that she could see that the name 'Astro' was carved into it. Mystella ran her thumb over the letters and then smiled softly. "Well, at least she's alive. That's the important part. We'll get her back soon, Levi."

Mystella carefully put the figurines back into her pack and got up, starting to walk down the stairs. She paused, though, to tell Levi one more thing. "Thank you for telling me."

Downstairs, Axel was complaining about Chronos, who'd walked in to check on Rakira. "You smell, Chronos. I don't think you've taken a shower since I've even known you."

Chronos smiled weakly, "Make me, then. I don't need a shower, I smell like daisies on a summer afternoon."

Axel took that as a challenge and started pushing Chronos into the bathroom. Chronos felt too weak to fight back, though he did try. Once they were both in the bathroom and the door was closed, Axel turned the shower on before crossing his arms. "Alright, take 'em off and get in."

Chronos laughed softly and then shook his head. "You're ridiculous, Axel."

Axel huffed, and then started pulling up Chronos's shirt, only to be shocked by what he saw. "Chronos.." There was a gaping hole in his chest, the edges of the hole encrusted with golden dust; it was as if a strong gust could blow Chronos away any minute. Where his heart would be was an hourglass that was running out of time. Axel couldn't tell how long it would take for it to completely run out, but it was steadily trickling down. "What is this?"

Chronos pulled down his shirt and sighed, tears pricking at his eyes. "It's.." he was searching for the words, but nothing came. "You'll find out soon enough, Axel. Just go, please. Let Mystella know she can have the shower, I'm pretty sure she wanted one."

Axel nodded quietly and left, Chronos following him out. Levi smirked at the two, ready to make a snide remark, but Chronos simply held his hand up, in dismissal.

Axel returned to him and Rakira's room, but not before letting Mystella know that the shower was open, as Chronos had told him to.

Mystella closed the bathroom door behind her and locked it with a content sigh, as she started removing her clothes. She left her undergarments on, though, not wanting to take a chance with what could be in there. It had been a long day, and she was mostly looking forward to getting the stones out of her leg.

"I'm proud of him. He couldn't even scratch me, before.." Mystella looked down at the stones embedded in her leg, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Now, if only I could get Axel to be just a little bit more aggressive with his attacks. I'm not gonna be around forever.."

Mystella turned the faucet on, turning to find that she could see herself in the mirror. She didn't even recognize her reflection at first - she was different from when she first came to, so long ago. She brought her hand to her face, tracing the scar that was left from the last time she was here. It had healed by now, but it was still rather obvious; it didn't help that it was huge, and trailed from her jawline to just above her eye.

Her fingers moved to the scar over her eye, next, and she wondered where that one came from. It had been there for as long as she could remember, and Azeline refused to tell her. Mystella thought she'd heard Levi mention something about it, before, but she couldn't remember what he'd said about it.

Mystella turned away from the mirror, remembering what she'd come into the bathroom to initially do. She stepped into the cold water, shutting off the faucet.

It didn't take long for her to sink into the water, even though she barely fit in the tub. Mystella started up at the bathroom ceiling through the water, holding her breath.

It felt like being suspended in time, as if nothing was happening. The only thing Mystella could hear was the water around her. It felt like she was being embraced, as if she was back in Azeline's arms, again.

It had felt like forever since Mystella had seen Azeline, and it wasn't far from it. Living with only fragments of her life was hard enough, but living without the one person that could help her remember was harder.

Mystella felt like she needed to come up for air, soon, so she started sitting up. Her head broke through the water and she started taking a breath but was interrupted abruptly. Something had pulled her back down, harshly.

Panic started setting in, but something deep down whispered that she needed to let it happen. It was the same voice she'd heard on that roof, so long ago. Her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, but the water embracing her body was calming. It whispered to her, telling her to succumb.

No.

Mystella wasn't the same person she was, before. Some people needed her, now, and she'd be damned if she let them down. Mystella struggled against the hold the force had against her body, refusing to let it win.

Finally getting her head above water, she only had a second to call out for someone. She trusted her group, but there was one person she trusted above all. One person she knew would come without question, immediately. The person who had been with her the longest, that she was the closest to. "Axel!"

Axel was staring down at Rakira, feeling a pang in his heart at the sight of his sleeping lover. He deserved so much better than this, better than him. Axel had a lot of time to think, and he was still wrapping his head around the fact that Rakira wanted to be with him. The coward of the group - the guy who told stupid jokes, and could barely hold his staff correctly.

He was deep in his thoughts when an overwhelming feeling of anxiety came over him. Something was wrong, but Axel couldn't tell what it was. Rakira was completely fine - not even showing any signs of distress. It wasn't until he heard Mystella call out for him, that he realized where the feeling was coming from. Mystella was in trouble, and he needed to get to her.

Axel, panicked, ran out of his and Rakira's room like his life depended on it. While his didn't, there was a chance that Mystella's did. He tried the doorknob but quickly found that it was locked. Axel started kicking the door in, but it wasn't working in his favor very well to his horror.

Levi, Chronos, and Kaedea came out of their rooms, all of them looking rather confused. It wasn't that strange to see Axel emotional and in a state of panic. What was weird, though, was him trying to kick in the door.

Levi was the first to react, and he moved Axel aside to properly kick in the door.

Mystella wasn't seeing the water anymore, wasn't feeling the struggle that was put on her lungs. All she could think of was how she failed. She failed Azeline, Axel, Rakira, Kaedea, Chronos, and somewhere else, she failed Astro, too.

The urge to breathe was unbearable, and she couldn't handle it anymore. Her lungs filled with the frigid water, as she felt a strange pressure pushing down on her chest.

As the door finally broke open, Mystella's consciousness finally slipped from her grasp. Axel was the first one in there, and he pulled her out of the water. She'd taken in the water already, and he knew he didn't have very long to react.

Axel opened Mystella's mouth to see if anything was lodged in her throat, and once he realized that there wasn't anything, he put his ear to her mouth to try and find out if she was breathing or not. He couldn't hear anything, and he recalled that the next step was to check her pulse. Axel held two of his fingers to her wrist, as he waved over Levi.

Kaedea and Chronos backed up, not knowing what to do. They didn't want to get in the way, but stayed close, just in case. Axel's panic rose as he realized that Mystella didn't have a pulse.

"Start CPR, Levi!" That was all Levi needed to hear - he lined up his hands, careful not to press on her ribs. Levi started the compressions, making sure to keep a cool head about it.

Kaedea teared up, putting one of her hands to her mouth as she watched Levi try to save Mystella. Her concern was exaggerated, though - if Mystella was gone, there would be nothing in the way of Kaedea being with Levi. Part of her hoped she was about to die where she laid.

It took longer than Levi thought it would, and his hope started dwindling. If even having Glass couldn't save her, then nothing would. It was then that water shot out of Mystella's mouth, followed by a deep breath. Axel pushed Levi out of the way, pulling Mystella into a tight hug. She weakly hugged back after a moment, trying to catch her breath.

Levi sighed softly, backing off. He knew that Axel was who needed Mystella right now, and he didn't want to intrude. No matter how much he tried to remind her of their past together, he knew that deep down, Axel and Rakira had replaced him.

When Levi walked out, Kaedea and Chronos were idly chatting, before Kaedea noticed Levi's presence. She forced a smile and waved, recalling his and Mystella's conversation, earlier. "Hey, Lev! Chronos and I were just thinking about playing a game of chess, do you want to play a round or two?"

Levi scratched the back of his head in thought. He considered that Mystella might need him, but if it came down to that, he figured that he could just leave the game if he was playing. "Ah, sure. Not like I'll be sleeping anytime soon, anyway. Aren't you two tired, though? It's pretty late."

Kaedea shrugged, as she started setting up the chessboard. "I'm not gonna be able to sleep for a little while, Axel startled me pretty bad."

Chronos shrugged, rolling his shoulder. "I'm not really that tired, I was gonna go sit on the porch and watch for red-eyes, anyway."

Inside the bathroom, Mystella had finally let go of Axel. She started putting her clothes back on, Axel respectfully looking away. He'd felt his face heat up once he realized that Mystella was only wearing her undergarments, and immediately put his hands over his eyes. Mystella laughed at him as she got dressed, but appreciated that he looked away so quickly.

"Y'know, it's kind of funny," Mystella said, as she sat back down next to Axel.

Axel peeked at her through his fingers, and once he realized that she was dressed again, he took his hands away from his eyes. "What is?"

Mystella's gaze looked far away, as she tapped her fingers on her jeans. "I saved your life, all that time ago. You've thanked me then, and after I saved you again, you showed that same gratefulness."

Axel shrugged, "Well, without you, I'd probably be dead in a ditch, somewhere. Not to mention that I never would have met Rakira, Levi, Chronos, or Kaedea. You guys are the family I always wanted. I feel more loved by you and the others than I ever was by anyone else. So yeah, of course, I'm grateful to you, Mystella. None of this would have happened without you."

Mystella smiled, looking down at her legs. The stones were still embedded in her legs, and she realized that she still needed to get them out. She'd ask Axel to help, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. So instead, she figured she'd just bother Levi.

Upon realizing that she hadn't answered Axel yet, Mystella finally did so, "Yeah? Well, I guess you could say that you and Rakira have helped me out a lot, too. If you never would have run out of that forest, and if we never found Rakira.." Mystella cast her eyes down, tears pricking at her crimson eyes. "I would have still been wandering aimlessly until Perditus captured me. There was nothing left for me to live for. So no, thank you. Thank you for saving me not for just this once, but for every time I forgot to thank you, before. I love you, Axel. Thank you for being my best friend." Mystella wiped away a few tears that had escaped, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.

Axel froze, unsure of what to do. He'd never seen this side of Mystella - she was always serious, her emotions not easily read. He knew she was sad, and he didn't need that time at the bar, to tell him. But he didn't know that he had had such an impact on her. Axel scooted over a little and then wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you too, Stella. Thank you for believing me when no one else did."

Mystella smiled again, giving a friendly squeeze to Axel's side. "Can you ask Levi to come in, then? I need help with something."

Axel nodded and then let her go, getting up soon after and stretching.

Levi was bored as he watched the game go on, his chin propped up by his hand. Chronos and Kaedea were equally competitive, but both of them were cheating. Levi thought it was funny at first, but now Kaedea was trying to take Chronos aback by making snarky comments about his stub. Chronos retorted by making snide comments towards her wrinkles, which made Kaedea angry.

Axel walked out of the bathroom, leaving Mystella to do her own thing. He patted Levi's shoulder, "She needs you to help her with something, I guess." Axel then left to go check on Rakira and the lion, looking a little happier than he did before.

Levi was a little surprised but wondered what she could possibly need, from him. "Don't kill each other, you two." He was of course addressing Chronos and Kaedea, who were all but up in each other's faces, now.

Walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him, Levi didn't know what he was expecting, exactly, but it wasn't Mystella sitting on the side of the tub with her jeans pulled down far enough to expose her pale thighs.

Levi blushed a deep red, his snowy eyes going wide. "Uh, if I came at the wrong time, I can go-"

Mystella held up her hand, though. "No, I need help getting these stupid rocks out of my legs. Please. There's more than I thought there was. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug."

Levi shook away his thoughts and moved to sit next to Mystella. She handed him some tweezers and pointed out where the stones had embedded themselves. There were about six in her left leg and nine in her right. She had pulled out a few, but the holes they left were bleeding. It wasn't a heavy flow, but it was enough to concern Levi. "Rakira did this to you? I'm gonna kick that kid's ass-"

Mystella turned to him with an expression he couldn't really understand, though. "Leave him alone, Levi. It would kill the poor kid if he knew he hurt me."

Levi sighed, frustrated, as he started digging one of the stones out. Mystella didn't even flinch, she just started trying to get another one out of her other leg. "He hurt you, though, Mystella. He shouldn't have blown up, like that."

"For someone that's been around for so long, Levi, you think you'd understand people better." Mystella got another one out, the blood trailing down the side of her leg. "We've all been tense, lately. Kaedea's got nothing left of the life she had before - nothing, even though she's reunited with us, Axel's having nightmares about his dad, again, Chronos lost half of his arm, and Rakira's been suppressing his emotions for as long as I've known him. So I can understand how you flirting with Axel so openly, and then Kaedea being a bitch to him would push him over the edge. How would you feel if someone, like," she furrowed her brows in thought, trying to think of someone, "I don't know, Perditus, came over and started flirting with me? You'd get mad."

Levi looked down, pouting. He focused his attention on getting another stone out instead of answering Mystella. She had a good point, and it was a little frustrating. He laughed bitterly after a moment, though. "That's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. I should've expected nothing less."

Mystella was confused, now. She didn't understand what she did to get that response. "What? I was being serious, Levi."

Levi looked up at her, a cheeky smile plastered on his face. She looked a lot less amused. "Exactly - you always knew when to be serious. It's hot. But it's hotter when you get mad."

Mystella rolled her eyes, and pulled out the last stone in the leg she was working on. "If you're not going to help just leave, Levi."

Levi chuckled before carefully pulling another stone out, "I am helping."

"You aren't helping by sitting here and flirting with me even after I told you that I'm trying to be serious." Mystella started wiping the blood away from her thigh, getting more aggressive as she went on.

Levi gently laid his hand on her's, making her stop. She looked down at her reddened skin and sighed. "I'm just stressed out, okay? Rakira should have woken up, by now. I'm scared at the possibility that Perditus might have just f*cked us over. And then, of course, there's that lion. We don't even know where it came from, just that it was huge and raging, and now it's a cub? And then there's Chronos - I'm so worried about him, too. His health is declining rapidly, and even he doesn't seem to know why. I don't even know what's going on anymore, Levi, and it's frustrating."

Levi pulled out the last stone, and then pulled Mystella over to him by her waist. He led her gently to lay her head on his shoulder and then started running his fingers through her dark red hair. He felt her tense up at first, but soon she relaxed into his embrace. "I can explain some of those stresses to you. Where do you want me to start?"

Mystella laughed humorlessly and then sighed. "At the beginning."

Axel looked down at Rakira, watching as his chest rose and fell with his steady breathing. He carefully moved a strand of his brunette hair away from his face, his hand hesitating at a scar he had noticed a hundred times, but never asked about. It trailed from his right eyebrow, over his nose, and stopped at the corner of his mouth. 

Axel knew that this wasn't the same boy they saved from starving alone, so long ago. He was much stronger now, and a lot more confident in who he was as a person. He could make jokes and could be himself without worrying about what everyone else around him thought. He was goofy, and he was proud of it. Axel loved listening to his stories, whether they were about the adventures he had with his friends as a kid, or even if it was from when he'd play dungeons and dragons with his family, before they left, mysteriously.

Everything about Rakira made Axel fall in love with him even more, with each passing day. He'd loved him for longer than he knew, but when he finally figured it out, it was the best thing he'd ever felt. Axel crawled in next to rakira and wrapped his arms around his waist, burying his face in his defined chest. He blushed a dark red and shook away some intrusive thoughts, before snuggling closer to him. He missed Rakira so much and wished that he could just feel his arms around him, again. He felt tears welling in his eyes, the worry that Rakira just wouldn't wake up once again scratching at the back of his mind.

Axel started dozing off, then, the tears that had escaped staining Rakira's shirt.

Kaedea slammed her fist on the table, making the chess pieces fly across the room. Chronos sat back in his chair smugly, smirking at his enraged friend. Kaedea shrieked in anger, "You only got that far because you cheated!"

Mystella and Levi, who had finally come out of the bathroom not too long ago already looked annoyed, and Mystella was trying to think of a way she could get upstairs without the rage being directed at her. Levi looked around, bored, before a chess piece hit him. Levi sighed, exasperated, "Guys, calm down, please. You're clearly tired. Maybe we should all just get some sleep. We'll play tomorrow, alright?"

Kaedea crossed her arms, glowering at Chronos. Chronos stood up, though, running his fingers through his short hair. "Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea. We're all stressed, sleep deprivation won't make that any better."

He patted Kaedea on the shoulder, but she huffed. "Whatever, I guess you have a point, stubby." She shrugged off his hand and walked off to her bedroom, leaving Chronos and the others where they were.

Mystella looked to Chronos, "That doesn't bother you?"

Chronos shrugged, "I've been called worse, and I've had a lot worse happen to me. And, to top it off, worse will happen to me. I'm not sure what, but I do know that I gotta protect those around me, because you guys showed me friendship, even though I'm nothing like you." Chronos smiled softly, and then walked back to his room, too.

Mystella looked to Levi, who shrugged. "Ah, well, mine as well get to bed. Who knows what kind of day we'll end up having, tomorrow?"

Levi smiled at Mystella, "I haven't slept in a while, Stella. I doubt that I'll be sleeping anytime soon."

Mystella cast her gaze to Titan, who was snoring on the floor. "Why don't you learn from him? He's always sleeping, every chance he gets."

Levi laughed sarcastically, then backed up a little. "See, I'd love to. Really. But I haven't been awake that long. I've only been awake for like, two lifetimes. Well, except for that one time where I slept next to you, of course."

Mystella rose a brow at him, "How long was he awake for, if two lifetimes seems short, to you?"

Levi blinked a few times, "Azeline didn't tell you about the war?"

Mystella made a 'what' motion, just getting more and more confused. "What war? There was a war?"

Levi laughed at Mystella, waking the direwolf. Titan growled at Levi, who immediately hid behind Mystella. Mystella turned back to him, her eyebrows furrowed. "You're still afraid of him, Levi? He's not gonna hurt you. I think."

Levi shook his head, glaring back at Titan. "No, I'm not listening to that. Azeline said that to me, and then he bit me. He's looking at me like I'm a huge, buff piece of steak."

Mystella shook her head in dismissal, shrugging Levi off of her. "He's not gonna eat you, Levi, just go to bed. He's coming with me, anyway. Where's your familiar?"

Levi drew a blank and stared at Mystella. "Familiar? I'm supposed to have one?"

Mystella sighed in exasperation, before walking off to her room with Titan. 

Days had passed, and Rakira stayed fast asleep. Axel hadn't left his side even once, and it was showing.

Levi stared out the window on the second floor, watching as the storm he created raged on. It was doing a good job at keeping the red-eyes away from them, but he knew that they would need to go get more wood, soon. These past few days had given Levi a lot of time to think, though, and it was wearing on him. His thoughts mostly consisted of his doubt - he felt like everything he thought he knew was wrong. He'd tried to talk to Mystella when he walked into her room and saw her crying, but she didn't even respond. He thought that he knew her more than anyone, but even that proved him wrong. Since she'd forgotten everything about herself, it was like she was a walking shell of herself.

Chronos had only gotten sicker and was having trouble even getting out of bed, lately. He spent a lot of time sleeping, and Kaedea - surprisingly - was the one who had been taking care of him. When questioned, though, she merely just said that she'd do the same for anyone else, there.

There was a consistent buzzing sound coming from Mystella's room - it wasn't loud, but if someone were to walk by her room and try to listen, they would be able to hear it. It had been going on for a few hours, and those who had heard it - Kaedea and Levi - were confused, and a little concerned. After fighting over who should check for half an hour, they eventually decided to draw straws for it. Kaedea lost, and so she was the one who had to knock on Mystella's door.

Mystella looked up at her door, down at her leg, and then sighed. "Come in."

Kaedea cautiously cracked open the door, just enough to make sure she wasn't walking in on anything she didn't want to see. Once she saw Mystella wave her in impatiently, though, she shuffled in hurriedly and shut the door behind her.

Mystella patted the bed next to her and sighed softly. "Was I being too loud?" In her hand was a tattoo gun, and there was an incomplete design on her leg.

Kaedea couldn't quite tell what it was, at first, but then she realized that they were names. "Who are they? The names on your leg, I mean."

Mystella pointed at one - it was covered, so she couldn't read it. Most of them were. There were two above them, though, that she could tell were there. "Well, Azeline and Astro. I didn't even know who Astro was, at first, until Levi told me. And then this one," she pointed to the covered-up one underneath them and started going down the other covered ones "That one says Axel, then Rakira, then Levi, then Kaedea, and I'm working on Chronos." the tattoos weren't big at all, but from the ones the way that she was doing Chronos's name, she could tell they were elegant.

"You tattooed our names on your leg? Why'd you do that?" Kaedea was puzzled, trying to understand.

"It's the names of the people I gotta keep alive" Mystella mumbled, before resuming her tattoo. She didn't even show that it hurt at all; it was as if she was numb to the pain completely. That was all Mystella said, though. No other explanation.

"Oh. I see." Kaedea said, quietly. She didn't know why her name was there if Mystella only served to ruin her life, though. Maybe she just wanted her around so that she could rub it into her face.

Kaedea got up to leave, but just as she was about to step out of the room, Mystella stopped her. "Kaedea."

Kaedea looked back, forcing a smile. "Yeah, Stella?"

Mystella looked indecisive, for once, as if she was trying to figure something out before she spoke. "I know that one of the properties of your glass is to see if people are lying."

Kaedea frowned, "I mean, yeah, but I can't use it all the time. It's pretty random."

Mystella's hope dwindled, but she felt that she should ask, anyway. Just in case. "Perditus. Before he left, he told me that at Whitegate, I didn't look close enough. Was he.." she looked at Kaedea, almost pleadingly. "Was he lying?"

Kaedea internally cursed Perditus and his weird condition. If Mystella knew that the actual location was in the hospital, then her and Perditus's plan that he had made with her so long ago, could be ruined. From Mystella's point of view, it looked like Kaedea was thinking back to that moment, but she was trying to figure out how to put it and sound believable. "Yes, unfortunately. Even if I wasn't able to tell, though, you should never trust Perditus. Everything is a game, to him."

Mystella looked down, feeling defeated. "..Oh. Well, that sets us back, a lot. Thanks, anyway." she started tattooing her leg again, though her aura seemed a lot more melancholy.

Kaedea spoke up again, though. "I did find something out, though. I think I know where his base is - you just gotta let me show you when Rakira wakes up. I'd figure we should take him, because we're gonna need everyone who can fight, to do so. He's got quite the army, Stella."

Mystella looked up at Kaedea and smiled, nodding once at her. "Thank you, Kaedea."

Kaedea smiled back at her and walked out, only to come face-to-face with Levi's chest. "Oh, uhm, excuse me-" Kaedea's normally warm beige cheeks started turning pink, as she moved away from Levi.

Levi sighed, though. "I need you."

Kaedea looked surprised, and a little flustered, her cheeks starting to turn red. "Ah, okay - for what?"

Levi looked down at the shorter woman, taking notice of her flustered appearance. He paid no attention to it, though. "We need to go get some firewood, out supply is getting low, and it's cold. All this rain could turn to snow, any day. So we need to go, quick."

Kaedea nodded quickly, "Okay! Let me go get a coat, and I'll meet you at the door."

Levi walked away to wait at the door, his thoughts already drifting to something else. He yawned softly, stretching to get ready to carry probably all of the wood.

Chronos had finally gotten out of bed and decided to take a shower. He looked down at his body - it had gotten worse, since the last time he checked. His torso was almost completely gone, and his shoulder connected to where his arm was burned off was disappearing quickly. He knew what this meant, but refused to acknowledge it. He was going to get his task done, even if it killed him. And it probably would - he knew that. But he was willing to sacrifice himself for the friends he hadn't seen in so long. As the water pattered against his hair and back, though, he realized that Axel hadn't taken a shower, in a while - which was weird.

Chronos knew that he feared for Rakira's well-being, and he didn't blame him for it. The situation was dire, even if he knew Rakira would bounce back from this. He had to. As the suds ran off of his melanin skin, Chronos stared off, distant. He figured that he'd just convince Axel to take a shower after he got out. He would try to talk to him, first, though.

Chronos stepped out of the cold shower and got dressed. He didn't bother to dry his hair because it was short, but he did make sure the rest of him was dry before he ventured out to see Axel.

Levi popped into Axel and Rakira's room to let him know that he and Kaedea were leaving, but Axel barely responded. He simply sat next to Rakira, watching his chest rise and fall with every breath. He couldn't cry anymore, and his eyes were puffy and red. Axel's clothes were dirty, and it was obvious that he hadn't showered, in a while.

Axel didn't even realize that Chronos had come in, as he held his lover's hand. Chronos laid a hand on Axel's shoulder, making him jump. "Geez, Chronos, a warning?"

Chronos chuckled dryly, but then started talking. "You need a shower, man. You've never smelt this bad."

Axel gripped Rakira's hand a little tighter, shaking. "I can't leave him, Chronos. I need to be here, in case he.."

Chronos shook his head, "He won't, Axel. He's a strong kid, I promise you that. He's gonna wake up, soon, and then we can go find Azeline and beat up Perditus. That will be delayed, if you aren't at your best, though. Do you want that to happen?"

Axel shook his head sadly, reluctantly letting go of Rakira's hand. He turned to get up, only to notice Mystella in the doorway. "Are you here to tell me that I stink, too? 'Cause he already did that."

Mystella laughed, shaking her head. "No, I'm here to check up on Rakira. I can stay here with him if you'd like. It'd be good for you to relax a little bit."

Axel sniffled but nodded slowly, getting up. "I guess.."

Chronos led Axel out of the room, as Mystella walked in, sitting next to Rakira.

Chronos looked over to Axel and smiled. "We gotta talk, first, okay?"

Kaedea knew that coming along was a bad idea. The tense silence between her and Levi was unbearable, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She had to figure out why he'd been acting so cold to her, these past few weeks. Before she lost him, she'd at least thought that they were pretty close. He didn't break up with her - but judging by his actions and attitude towards her, he might as well have. She just wasn't Mystella.

That's what she kept telling herself, anyway.

"Okay, so what is your problem, Levi?" Kaedea finally couldn't take the silence anymore and snapped at him. Levi cast a side-glance at her, before returning his gaze to look for dry wood.

"What problem could you possibly be talking about, Kaedea?" Levi sounded bored, and there was a hint of sarcasm in his words. He felt a prick of annoyance at her aggression.

"We barely interact anymore, Lev. You don't even look at me like you used to. I miss you, how you used to be." Kaedea sounded defeated, as she gripped the straps on her pack.

Levi took a deep breath, thinking over what he was about to say. "Who I used to be isn't me anymore, Kaedea. I warned you, before we dated, that my heart could never belong to you because I-"

"-love Mystella. I know. But she doesn't even love you, Levi. I do. I know I'm not some pretty, perfect barbie doll that's gigantic and can swing around a katana, but I can be better!" Kaedea almost yelled those words, tears starting to well in her eyes.

Levi merely held his hand up, though, not responding, save for him shushing her. Kaedea took that as him ignoring her, and she stomped in frustration. "Levi Roux Miles! I'm talking to you, don't ignore me!"

Levi grabbed Kaedea by the jaw, but not harshly enough to hurt her - just hard enough to make sure that she couldn't yell anymore. He glared at her for a moment, before turning his attention back to what he was looking at.

There was a horde of red-eyes wandering through the forest, seemingly on a mission. Their senses were impaired because of the pounding rain, but that didn't stop them one bit. Even as lightning crackled and spiderwebbed across the sky, they simply ignored it and shuffled on. Levi had never seen red-eyes so well-organized, and it worried him. If they were getting smarter, that wasn't good.

Levi turned to Kaedea, carefully letting go of her, making sure she was done with her tantrum. "Listen. Heartbreak happens all the time, Kaedea. Especially in a world like this. I'm sure your soulmate is out there, but I'm not him."

Kaedea's tears mixed with the rain, and she sniffled. She didn't respond, but Levi continued anyway. "We need to get back and tell the others about this."

Chronos looked to Axel and smiled, "You feeling a little better, buddy?"

Axel pondered for a moment but smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I understand a little better, now. You promise he's okay, though?"

Chronos nodded, ruffling Axel's fluffy green hair. "Promise. Now, go get your shower."

Axel hugged Chronos, but as he looked like he was about to leave, he paused. "Chronos?"

Chronos turned around, "Yeah? What's up?"

Axel tapped his chin in thought, "Do you think that time travel is possible? Like, do you think, if Rakira tapped into his glass more - d'ya maybe think he'd be able to do it?"

Chronos laughed heartily as if the question was completely impossible. "Of course not, that's crazy. His glass is mostly about stopping, speeding, and slowing things."

There was a moment of silence between them as if Axel doubted his answer. He looked intently into Chronos's honey-colored eyes, before smiling light-heartedly. "Yeah, you're right. That was a pretty silly question."

Chronos smiled at him and looked away, mumbling underneath his breath. "You always were too smart for your own good.."

Axel, surprisingly to Chronos - had heard even though he wasn't supposed to, and Axel laughed softly. "I never was good at hiding it! I may be a bit of a dork sometimes, but I've been told I'm pretty smart. There was this one time that I hacked into an FBI database - had to do it 'cause of my dad, though. Didn't really want to get beat, ya know?"

Chronos laughed, but it sounded like he was a little nervous. "You are pretty smart. You and Mystella - smartest people I've ever met, and that can hide it pretty well, at that."

Axel smiled at Chronos and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Chronos. I'll keep your secret. I do just have one question, though."

Chronos looked like he was getting pretty drained again, but figured that he'd answer Axel as well as he could. "Yeah?"

"I'm the reason you're here, aren't I?" There wasn't any hint of joking on Axel's face - he was completely serious. Chronos hadn't seen that expression very often, from him. Chronos simply smiled at him, and patted his head, before he started walking away.

Mystella poked out of the room where she was watching rakira's sleeping form - just past where Chronos had gotten to - with a smile. "Axel, you're being asked for."

Axel's eyes widened ten-fold, and he swore he felt his heart stop for a moment.

Rakira was awake. He had to be. Mystella wouldn't just give him false hope, like that.

Axel ran down the hallway as fast as he could, blowing right past Chronos. Chronos hissed quietly in pain and hobbled back to his room. He understood Axel's excitement but felt that he needed to lay down a little, before their inevitable departure.

Mystella made haste in moving away from the doorway, not wanting to be the next victim to Axel's path. When He finally got into the room and saw Rakira sitting up in bed, Axel all but pounced on him, tears pouring from his viridescent eyes.

Rakira beamed happily at his lover, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Hey, hey. Don't make this a cheesy romance movie moment, mi luz guía" Rakira had tears welling in his eyes, too, though. He gripped Axel's orange hoodie tightly, as Axel ignored Rakira and continued crying into his crop-top.

Rakira pulled Axel away from him, cupping his pale cheeks in his hands. "I love you too, Axel. More than anything." Rakira smiled softly, "I didn't get to say that back, to you." Rakira pulled Axel's face in and pressed his lips firmly against Axel's, making their kiss sweet, but passionate.

Mystella laughed softly, and only then did they realize that she was still in the room, with him. Both Rakira and Axel's faces went red, as they turned to regard Mystella. She only dismissively waved them off, though. "It's alright, love birds. I think we all knew that this was bound to happen. I have, at least. I've known for a while."

Mystella walked out of the room to give them their privacy, moving to the kitchen to make something for Rakira, who was probably starving, at this point. He hadn't eaten in about a week, so she figured that he'd appreciate it.

It was then that the door flew open, revealing a distressed-looking Kaedea and Levi. Mystella was in the middle of getting a few utensils out to cook, so she was holding an oven mitt when they startled her.

Levi looked to Mystella, "Ah, good, just the person I needed to talk to - There's a horde roaming around the forest around that cave you guys went to a while ago, and they're acting pretty weird."

Kaedea jumped in, to explain as well. "The storm is impairing them, but none of them are getting distracted like normal red-eyes. I don't think they're heading here, but it was really unsettling."

Mystella took all the information that was thrown at her, and nodded, before giving them her news. "Well, Rakira just woke up, if you wanna go greet him."

Levi looked nervous, but Kaedea smiled. It seemed that she completely forgot about the fact that she was one of the people that pushed him over the edge, but Levi hadn't. Levi rubbed the back of his neck as Kaedea ran off, moving to see if he could help Mystella. Mystella cocked a brow at him. "Alright, so I know you can't cook. Are you afraid of Rakira, Levi?"

Levi scoffed, shaking his head a little too vigorously. "What? No. I, uh, I'm a Magistrate. Why would I fear a mortal?"

Mystella smacked him in the head with a spoon, causing Levi to vocalize how much it hurt. "Well, for one, he's not a mortal anymore. He's a magistrate, too. And he could totally kick your ass, too." Mystella smirked, knowing that would wound Levi's pride.

Levi sulked, kicking something that was laying on the floor. "Whatever. He didn't fight in a three-hundred-year war."

Mystella tsk'd at Levi, starting to chop up ingredients. "Ah-ah. That was Titan."

Titan looked up at the sound of his name being said and yawned. It was almost as if he was mocking Levi, but Levi was too scared to do anything about it.

"Yeah, well, Titan doesn't even have thumbs." Levi shot back. Titan growled at him, and Mystella laughed.

"Yeah, that's a good thing, too. He'd be even better than you if he did." Mystella teased, but she was interrupted by a shrill scream. It sounded like Kaedea.

Mystella dropped what she was doing and ran to the room, worried that something bad had happened. Titan was hot on her heels, and even Aphrodite had gotten up to investigate. She was growing to be an impressive size - she'd be almost as big as Titan, soon.

In the room, Rakira's newly-found friend was attached to Kaedea's sleeve. No one knew what to do about the situation, and so they all stared on in horror as she flung her arm around rather wildly.

Mystella grabbed the cub by its scruff a little roughly, but only because she couldn't get a good hold on him. It yowled at her and twisted in their grip, trying to bite Mystella's hand. She blinked a few times and then plopped him in Rakira's lap. Rakira froze immediately, but the cub nuzzled himself into Rakira's leg.

"Well, looks like you found your familiar, Kira." Mystella regarded the whole situation as if it was completely normal, while everyone else looked alarmed.

It took a moment for him to formulate words, but Rakira managed to sputter out a few. "Uh, well, I suppose I'll have to figure out a name for him, then, won't I?"

Kaedea crossed her arms, a little offended that the cub took so harshly to her. Rakira's eyes lit up after a moment, though. "Raylous!"

Axel smiled, scratching the lion cub underneath his chin. "That's a little long, don't you think? And so medieval-sounding, where'd that even come from?"

Rakira idly petted the cub, smiling softly, too. "Well, I'll call him Ray, then. And I read it in a book, forever ago. Raylous was the main character - he was a loremaster, or something like that. He used his knowledge to prevent the reincarnation of an evil, twisted being! Isn't that so cool? He always had such a sunny disposition, I wanted to be him."

Axel kissed Rakira's cheek and then smiled widely at him. "You're the sunniest person I know, Sunflower."

"Looks like I'm gonna win again!" Kaedea said as she moved her chess piece across the board. Mystella was sitting across from her, looking a little frustrated, and very confused. She knew Kaedea was cheating but she couldn't tell how. She'd beaten everyone that had played against her so far - Mystella, Levi, and Chronos. Chronos was the only one that had gotten close to beating her.

"Hmph. You don't say." Mystella said as she watched Kaedea corner her king. She had nowhere else to go, and no matter what she did, Kaedea's next move would secure her victory. It was then that Mystella started setting up the chessboard again, and Kaedea smiled mischievously.

"You wanna lose again?" Kaedea leaned forward with that smirk, her tone mocking.

"Oh, no. This round isn't for me. I'm calling forth my champion!" Mystella practically yelled, and Axel poked his head around the corner moments after. He was in the middle of drying his hair, so it was still a little damp, the now darker green strands sticking to his forehead. Rakira beamed happily at him from the side of Mystella and waved him over.

Axel hesitantly walked out and into the living room with the rest of them. He had grabbed his t-shirt before he left the bathroom so he threw that on, but he wasn't wearing his hoodie, for once. Mystella smiled at him, "Axel, you're getting more confident! I'm proud of you."

Axel blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "I was in the middle of washing my hoodie. It's pretty dirty. But thank you." Axel moved to the seat opposite of Kaedea's, who was sporting a cocky smirk. He took a moment to rearrange the chess pieces, and everyone watched him intently. "Now c'mon guys, you know I have performance anxiety."

Kaedea started her first move, and without even looking, Axel made his. Kaedea snickered to herself, thinking about how this game would be too easy, for her. As the game went on, Axel only looked over a few times, but he kept talking to the others. Kaedea was given false security and was about to try to corner his king as she'd done to everyone else, but Axel turned back around to meet her. "It's my turn, Kaedea. And I'm calling checkmate."

Kaedea furrowed her brows and looked down in confusion, only for her expression to turn to that of surprise. "What? How did you-"

Axel smiled lopsidedly and shrugged, getting up from the table. "I don't know. I guess it's just beginner's luck."

Kaedea stared down at the pieces, trying to figure out how she didn't see him do that. She looked up to see Mystella and him fist-bumping. "Hey, Sacramentum, pretty good, right?"

Mystella chuckled and rolled her eyes at him. "Don't call me that, Axel. I told you my name months ago. That's such an awful nickname."

Kaedea laughed, too. "Well, Sacramentum, why don't you play me again?"

Everyone quietly stared at Kaedea, uncomfortably. She didn't know what she did wrong, so she just stared back in confusion, "What?"

Axel cleared his throat, feeling the tension get thicker with each passing second. Rakira was the one who finally spoke up, finally breaking the silence. "Ah, Sacramentum is kind of Axel's thing for Mystella, Kaedea."

Kaedea felt her heart jump into her throat. "..Oh. My bad." She got up from the table and went to her room before anyone could say anything else. "I'm gonna go get my stuff together."

Mystella put her hands together, addressing the rest of the group. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Go make sure you guys are ready to go. Oh, and Rakira-" Once Rakira turned on his heel to look at her, Mystella smiled at him and held out some pictures. "Ah, someone, said that you'd like these."

Rakira gave Mystella a quizzical look, furrowing his brows. "What are these?" He was a little afraid to turn them over but trusted Mystella. Once he did, a soft smile tugged at his lips. "Ah, I see." he carefully spread them out on a table, and everyone but Chronos, and of course, Kaedea, gathered around them to get a closer look.

They all knew about the pictures, but no one knew what they were. Just that they were pictures of Rosa - Rakira's sister. Rosa looked a lot like Rakira's mother, Mystella noticed. She was a beautiful young woman, and Mystella only wondered what had happened to her. She then noticed something odd, though. "You had another sister, Kira?" There was a little girl in some of the pictures, but Rakira had never mentioned anything about another sibling, he just talked about his older sister and his parents.

Rakira looked as confused as Mystella for something, but he soon realized who she was talking about. "Who-? Oh! Yeah, that's me."

There was a moment of silence, as they tried to understand. Rakira blinked a few times, and then a blush started creeping over his cheeks. "That's not an issue, is it? I know I was a born a girl, but I've always known that I was a boy. And I went all the way-" Rakira looked like he was starting to panic, looking between his friends. "Like, I got both surgeries, so I have a-"

Mystella cut him off as she patted his head, trying to reassure him. "Kira. Sunshine. That would never, ever be an issue. As long as you're happy with who you are, I would never want anything different."

Then, Axel chimed in. "Why would it change my opinion about you? I already told you I love you, Kira, that's not going to change my mind. You're you; the man I fell in love with."

Levi just smiled at him. "I did know but didn't think it mattered. As they said, you're you, dude. And the only reason why I did know, is because I knew your mom. Stella would've known, too, if she had her memories. I still remember how your mom stayed up until the super-early hours into the mornings trying to read up on how she could help you."

Rakira teared up and suddenly threw his arms around the three, pulling them all into a tight hug. "Thank you, guys. You don't know how much it means to me that you don't think differently of me."

Mystella squeezed him back, "Of course, Sunflower. I love you, kiddo. Now go get your stuff together, okay? We're only staying here until tomorrow morning when the rain stops, and then we need to get going." Mystella ruffled his hair as he let go and then ran off with Axel so that they could get their stuff together.

Levi gazed at Mystella with a soft smile, feeling his heart flutter from watching her act like that around Rakira and Axel. It reminded him of how she used to be with Astro, and he couldn't help but wish that he was back in that time.

Mystella looked to find Levi staring at her, and stared back for a few moments. "What? Is there something on my face?"

Levi shook his head to clear his thoughts, before responding. "Oh, no, sorry. I was just thinking about something. I'm gonna go up on the roof and see if I can't find out where that horde is going."

Mystella nodded at him, scratching Titan's head as she moved to the kitchen to get some food for him. "Alright, well, just make sure you put your clothes in to dry when you get back."

Levi smiled at her briefly, before he grabbed the binoculars that Perditus had sent him with so long ago. They were cracked and smudged, but he could still use them enough to figure out most things. He could also just ask Kaedea to join him, of course, but he didn't want another awkward confrontation like before.

It didn't take him long to get up to the roof, considering that he was able enough to just pull himself up. He did almost slip on a few spots from the rain, though, but eventually found his footing.

As Levi looked through the binoculars, he couldn't see anything too weird. There weren't any abnormal red-eyes roaming around as the others had described, and he couldn't see if the huge horde was anywhere nearby. He should have felt relief because of that, but he didn't. If anything, he was more worried. Red-eyes weren't normally that organized unless they all had something in mind. And even so, they didn't stick together for that long. The possibility that someone was controlling them came into mind, and it made him think about how they hadn't seen that many in the past month. Not even the village's flashing lights and loud noises drew any of them.

Levi looked for a few more moments, before putting the binoculars away. The rain was still pounding away, but he knew it would be over, soon. He still hated that he was pushed to use so much of his power, but acknowledged that he had to. He was just glad that no one had gotten hurt.

"Well, guess I should be going back inside, now," Levi said to himself before he got down in the quickest way he could. He was drenched by the time he got back inside, and immediately started walking towards the bathroom, but something had caught his eye. In the far distance, something was rustling through the trees, disturbing whatever wildlife was left, causing animals - both red-eye and living ones - to bolt from the forest. A few of them ran past the cabin, clearly distressed by something.

Mystella was on the floor with Titan, Aphrodite, and Ray, making sure they were eating. She hadn't heard the commotion outside, yet, but noticed how Levi was staring out the window. "Levi? Are you alright? You're soaking wet, go change."

Levi shrugged, still watching the animals run out of the forest. "Yeah, just give me a minute. But hey-" He looked over at Mystella, grabbing her attention. "Those huge red-eyes you fought.  They were orcs, right? Like, full orcs?"

Mystella nodded, petting Titan as he ate. "Yeah, they were. I've fought a lot of red-eyes that were different species, but the orc ones are pretty rare. I didn't even see one, until a few months ago."

Levi nodded and relaxed a little, until a head emerged from the canopy. "Mystella - don't ask questions, but we need to get our weapons, now. There's a giant!" 

Mystellablinked a few times in confusion, but didn't waste another second and got up off the floor faster than Levi had ever seen anyone move. Giants weren't supposed to be around here anymore, but she believed Levi. She ran down the hall, banging on doors and yelling as she tried to get to her room. Titan barked ferociously at the window, and Aphrodite stomped her hooves, her tail tucked and fur rising on its ends.

Chronos, Kaedea, Axel, and Rakira came out of their rooms confused at Mystella's distress, but quickly took the hint when She came out of her room with her katana. They each grabbed their weapons, but Axel was having trouble finding his staff. He ran into the living room, panicked, as he searched for his weapon.

Rakira was trying to help him find it as Ray followed him around, gripping his machete tightly. Levi looked back out the window, to find that the thing was about to fully emerge from the treeline. It was huge, even bigger than the monstrosities that Axel, Mystella, and Rakira had described. "Guys, we need to go, it's right there!"

Axel yelled back, "I can't find my staff!"

Aphrodite nudged Axel's leg a few times until he looked at her, and then bent her head down. He didn't hear her say anything, but soon after she did that, she transformed into a long, beautifully crafted staff. "Thank you, Aphrodite." Axel sighed out of relief, and then looked back at the others. Everyone had their weapons - Keadea had a bow, assumingly Freya, Chronos awkwardly held his golden sword with one hand, but it looked like he was struggling, Levi had his chakrams, Mystella had the katana that she'd used for years handy, and Rakira's knuckles went white from how hard he was gripping his machete.

She hadn't voiced it as they ran out of the cabin, but Mystella found herself wondering as to why Titan didn't change into a weapon for her, too. She didn't mind, though. She liked her katana fine and well.

Every member of the group had to crane their necks to look up at the red-eye - it was way taller than anything they'd faced, before. It was terrifying, but everyone stood their ground as it continued charging towards them.

Before, Axel would have run. He'd be gone faster than anyone could even say "red-eye", but he only held his staff tighter. Chronos stood firmly next to him, an equally determined look on his face. He was afraid of failure, before. He was afraid to die. But now he knew that these were the people he had to protect. He wasn't going to let anything happen to them, even if it meant his untimely demise. Rakira gritted his teeth, ready to do whatever he was told. He would have been the first one - along with Mystella - to charge the creature, but he realized that she had a plan. Kaedea's rage built up inside her, the rage practically emanating from her. Perditus had said he wasn't going to send anything until they got to the base, but she knew that this was his work.

Mystella raised her voice to be heard over the chaos, "Axel! I need you to try and hold it down as best as you can, with your vines! I'll add to yours with my own. Rakira, I know you're afraid to, but I need you to use your glass to speed up the aging on that cliff Axel almost fell off of. We're gonna have to lead it there, but we want to make sure we damage it first, so it doesn't just crawl back up. Kaedea, try to aim for its head, and make sure you stay out of the way! Levi, lure it towards the cliff with Chronos and make sure that it can't see that there's a cliff, we don't know how good its eye-sight is. While we have it tied down, make sure you try to do as much damage as you can to it!"

They all nodded in affirmation and ran to get in position. Kaedea hid in the treeline, far away enough not to be hit by anything. Chronos looked at Levi, and they both nodded, making sure to stick together as they got in position to charge the thing. Titan followed, seemingly understanding what their task was. Rakira started running for the cliff-side, accompanied by Ray, which thankfully wasn't very far away. He still remembered what the landmark was, and looked for the oak tree with the "x" carved into it.

Mystella looked to Axel, as the huge red-eye got closer. It was slow, but its footsteps were thunderous. "Now!"

Axel slammed his staff into the ground, and vines erupted from it to wrap the creature up, as he had done twice before. It didn't take as much out of him as it had before, but it was still a huge task. His eyes were bright green, signaling that he was using his glass. Mystella summoned her roses, and they soon joined Axel's vines, the thorns digging deep into the creature's skin. Her eyes started glowing bright red, as Axel's did, and she focused fully on holding it in place. It roared, and it took everything for the two not to become distracted and cover their ears.

Arrows started flying through the air, and they all made contact with the beast. Most of them hit it in the chest, but a few of the stray shots embedded themselves in its face. Levi, Chronos, and Titan charged forward towards the creature, their war cries catching its attention and forcing it to focus on them, instead of trying to fight the restraints.

Titan's eyes glowed too, but they weren't that ice blue that they normally were. His eyes resembled Mystella's, a bright red. Levi's eyes were pure white, and Chronos looked as if his eyes were glowing faintly. No one but Axel had noticed, though, since they were all too focused on the creature in front of them.

Levi threw his first chakram at the thing as soon as he got close, and used the wind to direct the circular blade to embed itself in the thing's shoulder. It roared in agony, and the vines constricting it groaned from how much it was fighting back.

Levi kept his other chakram in hand, to slice away at the creature. Once they got close enough, Chronos drew back his sword and swung at the creature, slicing it deeply through the abdomen. It broke a few of Axel and Mystella's vines, but Mystella pushed herself to replace them.

Titan prepared to pounce on it, his predatory eyes fixated on the thing's throat. Levi hacked at its legs with his chakram, as Chronos did his best to put as much power as he could behind his swings. Titan finally jumped, and once his paws made contact with the vines, he used them to propel himself upwards. It didn't take him long to get to where he needed to be, and he sunk his teeth into its throat soon after.

The creature bellowed ferociously and finally broke the vines restricting it. It went into an immediate rage, and its wild swings made contact with the cabin. It was destroyed instantly, debris flying in all different directions. Kaedea had to duck and dodge but soon loaded more arrows into the thing. She was trying to get its attention, but it wasn't working very well in her favor.

It huffed and turned towards Axel and Mystella, and once again started charging towards them. Mystella already had a plan in mind for what to do if it had broken their vines, and she put it into motion. She looked down at her katana, remembering when Azeline gave it to her, two years ago. It was the last thing she had from her wife, but she realized that she needed to save herself and her friends if she ever wanted to get her back.

Mystella waved her hand over her blade, as Azeline had, so long ago. It lit up, as a deep red rose vine started creeping over it. "Only in an extremely dire situation should you do this - it will destroy the blade, Mystella. You won't ever be able to use it again." She could still hear her wife explaining. She drew her arm back and threw her katana at the creature. It soared through the air, and then made contact with the thing's throat - where Titan had been attacking it before he was shaken off.

It would explode soon, and she knew that she needed to get it to the cliff so that no one was caught in the explosion. Axel gritted his teeth, listening to something. Mystella looked over at him, "You have a plan? We need to get it to that cliff, like, now."

Axel nodded, and then without another word, pulled his staff back, and threw it at the creature. When Mystella turned back to him to question his action, though, he started explaining, first. "Just trust me, okay? Everyone needs to start running for the cliff, now."

Mystella nodded and started running. She yelled for everyone to follow her, and they did without question. Axel got ready to run but stayed back to make sure that Aphrodite's plan was going to work.

As the staff flew through the air with increasing speed, it suddenly phased back into Aphrodite. She lowered her head, and her antlers came in contact with the once again charging creature. It tripped it up, and she took the opportunity to flip the thing into the air, in the direction of where the cliff was.

She then got back on her feet and raced towards Axel. Axel knew what she was doing - it would be faster if he rode back on her. Aphrodite ran up to him so he could jump on, and then started running after the red-eye as it flew through the air.

Rakira had gotten the cliff to age considerably, but it wasn't enough to get it to crumble away. When he heard the others behind him he turned around, only for them to yell at him to get away from the cliff. He started running towards them, but Ray stayed in place. The lion soon let out a loud roar, causing the cliff to crumbled the rest of the way away. Ray then ran after Rakira, who had made it to the others.

Axel finally made it to the others, just after the creature had crashed. It flattened a few trees but didn't take very long to get back up. Mystella knew they didn't have very much time, now, but they were at least where they needed to be. The creature stomped its feet like a gigantic child that wasn't getting its way and started trying to attack the group, again. Levi grabbed his fallen chakram that was dislodged from the fall, and everyone prepared to fight it until it was forced down the cliff, but Titan and Ray seemingly had another idea.

Both the lion and the direwolf ran in circles around the creature, forcing it to keep switching its attention between both of them. Titan snapped at its ankles, causing it to stumble, and soon the cliff started giving away even more. The giant red-eye stumbled, and then fell over the cliff. A loud roar was heard as it descended, followed by an explosion, moments after.

The group whooped and yelled with excitement, ecstatic with their victory. Axel and Rakira hugged tightly before Axel's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, on his knees. Rakira pulled him up by his hoodie and kissed him firmly. Axel smiled and kissed him back, blush creeping over his face.

Mystella smiled softly as she watched everyone celebrate before she started feeling dizzy. She tried to stay upright, so as to not alarm anyone and ruin their happiness, but she couldn't. Levi cried out in alarm, but it all sounded far away. Mystella collapsed, and everything faded to black.

Mystella couldn't see anything no matter where she looked, and it felt like she was suspended in water. Everything was murky and dark, and no matter how she tried to swim upwards, she just stayed in one place. Soon the water turned into smoke, though. Mystella calmed herself, realizing that she'd been through this, before. She just needed to get her necklace, so that she could clear the smoke and flames.

Mystella grasped the cool metal of the chain in her hand and held it out, half expecting it to not work, again. A path was cleared for her, though, and she hesitantly stepped through it. She started recognizing where she was - the place she came to, in this world. She was at her and Azeline's house, but it was on fire. She heard the floorboards groaning underneath her as she walked, but her eyes met something that stopped her in her tracks, cold.

"Azeline?" Mystella wanted to yell to her, to run and hold her close to her. She wanted to embrace the woman she'd been looking for, for two years, again, but her body wouldn't move.

The dark-haired woman turned around, and her deep red eyes met Mystella's. Azeline smiled softly, but there was a melancholy note to it. Azeline walked to Mystella slowly, and then took her hands gently. She always used to do that - she would take her hands, and then comment about how it looked like she got a new scar every time she left the house.

Mystella teared up as the shorter woman threaded their fingers together, and then looked up to her. "You need to forget me, Mystella. You have to leave me behind, so you can fix everything. I love you, but I'm not that important."

Mystella shook her head, tears trailing down her cheeks. "No. I'm not going to leave you, Azeline. I haven't come this far - gone through this pain - just to let you die at his hand. Trust me, you'll love the friends I made. Axel is the sweetest, and he'd do anything to protect us. And there's Rakira, he's so strong, and I know that he would take on the whole world, if he could. And Kaedea - she's rough around the edges, but she's sweet. And Chronos. Chronos is-"

Azeline sighed softly, cutting off Mystella. "I wish I could meet them, Mystella. But it's just not meant to happen.  We were never meant to happen. I was just selfish, and even though I'm telling you to leave me, I still feel like I am. I need you to move on, my love." 

Mystella let out a shaky breath, more tears breaking away from her waterline. "You mean everything to me, Azeline. I refuse to leave you behind." 

Azeline wiped away Mystella's tears, frowning. "It's going to be okay, My Rose. You'll find love again, I promise. Levi's not that bad of a guy, he's just.." Azeline sighed. "In a lot of pain."

Mystella shook her head again, more vigorously this time. "No, Azeline. I'm not going to let you die - even if it means I do. I'm going to give you back your necklace, and you're going to live. I would never forgive myself if I just ran away and let you die."

Azeline gazed into Mystella's eyes. "You always were stubborn, when you wanted something. I don't know why I thought I could change your mind.." Azeline laughed bitterly, wiping another tear away. "Just like Astro."

Mystella sniffled, leaning into her lover's touch. "Is Astro okay?"

Azeline smiled and nodded, "She's perfectly fine, Mystella. Mad at the world - of course - but she's doing just fine. Now, you need to go back."

Mystella protested, "Wait, Azeline, no - I don't want to go back yet!"

Azeline looked sad, but she knew that her time was up. "We've been gone for too long, Mystella. He's coming back, I need to go. I'll see you soon, My Rose. I love you."

Mystella's lip trembled, and it took her a moment to respond. "I love you too, Azeline."

Azeline pulled the taller woman down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, as everything started fading back to black.

Mystella's crimson eyes fluttered open, but she immediately squeezed them shut when she was met with a bright light. There weren't any trees in sight, but she quickly realized that she was in a sleeping bag.

"Stella? You awake?" It was Levi's voice, followed by Levi's hand lightly smacking the side of her face soon after. Mystella groaned at him, shoving his hand away from her cheek. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

Axel made a hissing noise, and then started repeating "ow", and it caught Mystella's attention. She shot up from where she was laying and looked over, only to feel relief wash over her when she found a needle sticking out of his ear. Chronos was holding the other end of it, and he looked over to smile at Mystella. "Oh, hey, you're awake! What's up?"

Axel hissed again, "Chronos, don't turn like that, it hurts-"

Chronos started apologizing profusely and then started pushing the needle through, again. Mystella sighed, feeling anxious. She knew she needed to get to Azeline, soon. But she didn't know if she should talk to the rest of the group about it.

"What's wrong, Stella? You looked distressed." Rakira crawled over to her, looking worried. Mystella forced a smile and took a breath, avoiding his golden gaze.

"It's nothing, Sunflower. Don't worry about it." Mystella nervously picked at the rips in her jeans, though, suggesting otherwise.

"How far away is this place anyway, Kaedea?" Mystella kicked a rock as they walked, and it flew off to land somewhere along the side of the road where they were walking.

Everyone was making idle conversation, but Mystella wasn't being very vocal. That was the first thing she'd said in hours, and everyone turned to look at her. Kaedea sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's not that much further. So quit asking, unless you want to lead. Which I'm sure everyone would follow you even if they knew it was the wrong way, considering everyone is scared of you."

Mystella opened her mouth to retort, but she just shook her head and looked away. She knew Kaedea was on edge after the fight they had with the huge red-eye, and Mystella didn't feel like fighting. Rakira, though, had other plans. "Kaedea, leave her alone. Something obviously happened to her when she passed out, and she only asked once. You're not the only one who's stressed out, here."

Kaedea snickered mockingly, shaking her head. "That's rich coming from you, Rakira."

Rakira felt his anger building up, and he turned to Kaedea. "Oh? And what is that supposed to mean?"

Kaedea rolled her eyes again. "Oh, I don't know. You don't seem all that stressed over the big problem, we have. Maybe the fact that you're more focused on everyone's choice of clothing, than trying to stop Perditus is helping? That's pretty girly if you ask me."

Rakira glared at her, balling his fists, "Yeah? Well, walking around looking and acting like a dumpster is pretty trashy, in my opinion."

Mystella interjected before it could get any further, "Enough, Kaedea. That was sh*tty - Rakira is as much as a man as anyone else."

Kaedea snarled at Mystella, rounding on her. "Oh, don't even get me started with you, scary. You act like a person, but we all know that you're more orc than human, with your rage and your freakish height. Your dad really must have been a sh*t half-orc, if he couldn't even stay in his own tribe."

Mystella exhaled in anger, her nails digging into her palms. "You have no right to talk about my heritage, Kaedea. Especially when you know that I barely remember my dad."

Kaedea pushed Mystella, out of frustration, but the taller woman didn't move an inch. As her rage built up inside her, Kaedea started punching Mystella in the abdomen. Mystella scoffed, and then decided that she'd had enough - she punched Kaedea in the jaw, but not hard enough to seriously injure her.

Kaedea's vision went white for a second, and she could taste battery acid on her tongue. The ringing in her ears was also loud, and she stumbled. The hit was unexpected, and it caught her off-guard. She fell moments after, and when the ringing eventually faded, all she could hear was Freya's screeching.

Mystella stared down at her with fury in her crimson eyes, before she turned to the rest of the group. "We need to get going. Perditus isn't going to get away with anything else. Someone help her to her feet."

After that, no one dared to say anything. Kaedea rubbed her sore, bruised jaw. She knew that she was in the wrong, but it only made her want to get to the fake base even more so that she could just get all this over with.

Axel threaded his fingers through Rakira's, wordlessly telling him that he needed comfort. He hated when everyone fought because it only reminded him of what he had to go through with his family. Rakira looked over to him, and his gaze softened when he saw Axel's expression.

"It'll be okay, mi luz guía. Everyone is just really stressed out, right now. We're gonna get to Perditus, and we're gonna kick his ass, okay?" Rakira then sighed softly and whispered to himself, "Voy a patearlo más fuerte, por lo que te dijo."

Axel blinked a few times in confusion, staring at Rakira blankly. "What?"

Rakira looked back at him, equally confused. "You heard that-? Wait, of course, you did. What's wrong?"

Axel shook his head and then shrugged. "Oh, nothing. I just noticed that you only really speak Spanish when you're talking to yourself. Did you not want me to hear?"

Rakira smiled at Axel and then squeezed his hand. "No, it's fine, mi luz guía. I wouldn't hide anything from you, I just-" he then noticed the look Axel was giving him, and it clicked. "Oh, you want me to teach you?"

Axel smiled back and nodded happily, "Yeah, I think that would be really cool. But only if you're okay with it - I did do pretty good when I was learning Latin, but I don't really remember very much."

Rakira nodded happily, "Of course I'll teach you!"

Levi poked Mystella in the ribs a few times, trying to get her attention. He knew he was successful when she finally let out a long sigh and looked over at him. "What, Levi?"

"Did you really have to sacrifice your katana, back there?" Levi inquired. He knew what its properties were, and even more so - he knew how much it meant, to her. It was the last thing she had from Azeline, and he knew that she loved it.

Mystella sighed, staring off into the distance. "Yeah, I did. If I didn't sacrifice it, the giant would have come back. The cliff isn't that much of a drop, and with how much damage it was taking from us, it would have had no issue coming back up."

Levi made an "eh," noise, as he tilted his head. Mystella looked over at him, getting annoyed. "What?"

Levi gestured vaguely, "Well, I mean, I'm sure we could have come up with something else so that you wouldn't have to end up sacrificing your only weapon. Cause like, now all you can do is use your glass, and it'll take a lot out of you."

Mystella rolled her eyes, "It's fine, Levi. I'm sure I'll come across another weapon."

Levi frowned, "Yeah, but like, the katana was your thing. Doesn't it hurt knowing that you lost the last thing you had from her?"

Mystella's eye twitched, as she turned to him. "Obviously it hurts, what kind of stupid-" It was then that she noticed Chronos, Axel, Rakira, and Kaedea all staring at them, listening to the argument. She looked back to Levi and then sighed, frustrated. "Let's not fight in front of the kids, Levi."

Levi laughed and then shook his head. "Alright, fine. But it was just a question. Anyway, I believe that we're getting pretty close to our destination. Aren't we, Kaedea?"

Mystella looked over at him, confused. "And what makes you think that?"

Levi pointed ahead, "The horde Kaedea and I seen, earlier. They're all crowding around that stadium, over there." Levi then turned back to Mystella, but the smirk he normally sported wasn't there. He looked sad, worried, even. "Are you sure we're ready for this? Are you sure you are? Axel's house is nearby, we still have time to prepare - we really have no clue what we're walking into there, Mystella. We could even just stay until it's morning."

Mystella looked out at the stadium full of red-eyes and took a deep breath. "If I'm not ready now, then I don't think I ever will be." She turned around, and there was a new look in those beautiful crimson eyes. Fury, determination - unlike anyone had ever seen before. "We're going to go in there, and we're going to kill every red-eye we see until we get to Perditus! We'll make him pay for everything he's done to us!" Mystella yelled, starting to rile up her companions. Her voice was louder than even the groans of the red-eyes, and it caught everyone's attention.

Titan walked over, to stand next to her. Mystella continued, as he started glowing. "We are the last magistrates, and we will stand where our predecessors failed to! We are humanity's last hope, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone else down. Now, let's go get my goddamn wife back!" Mystella looked to Titan, to find that he was no longer there, but he had become a huge battle-ax, that was as tall as mystella. It was beautiful, silver, brown, with roses creeping up the sides. Mystella picked it up with both hands and raised it high, to emphasize her point.

Levi, Chronos, Axel, and Rakira cheered in response, holding up their weapons. Kaedea was quiet, though, trying her best to hide the smirk that was forming. It was all going according to plan, and she was pleased.

Mystella pulled everyone into a hug - something she'd never done before, she hated being touched - and held back her tears. "I love you, guys. We can do this. You're the strongest people I've ever met."

Axel, on the other hand, wasn't doing as well. He sniffled, his tears flowing down his cheeks. "We're gonna make him pay, Stella. We're gonna get Azeline back, and then we're gonna fix the world."

Rakira smiled, and squeezed a little harder, smiling widely. "We're gonna kick his ass, Stella!"

Levi laughed, pulling everyone a little closer, "When we get her back, we'll throw a huge party, and Mystella can finally get some of her statuettes painted!"

Chronos smiled sadly, as he felt himself get weaker with each passing minute. His body had disintegrated significantly since the last time he looked when Axel found out, but he didn't want anyone worrying about him. He knew the nearly impossible task before him, and he was willing to risk it all to make sure that everyone got out alive.

Even if it meant he didn't.

Once they let go, Mystella regained her war-like stance. "Kaedea," Kaedea looked up at Mystella, her vivid blue eyes shining in the moonlight. Mystella looked down at her, "You, like before, will stay out of the thick of the battle, got it?"

Kaedea nodded affirmatively but didn't say anything if she were to accidentally give away her excitement.

Mystella looked to Rakira, "I want you to use that rock technique you had going, but don't hold back. If you can handle that, try and see if you can't slow down our enemy, too."

Rakira smiled at Mystella and then reached for Axel's hand. Axel interlocked their fingers, and squeezed, as a small note of encouragement. Mystella then turned to Axel, "Axel, I want you next to me - my weapon is going to have a wide range, but I need you to watch my back, alright?"

"Of course, Stella." Axel smiled and then gripped his staff a little tighter. He knew that he needed to be careful, considering that it was Aphrodite - but he knew that he could get through this, at the same time. He wasn't that same, weak boy that Mystella took under her wing so long ago.

"Chronos, I want you to back up Rakira. And Levi," Her fiery crimson eyes landed on Levi, and he let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. He missed seeing her like this - wanting to live, for something. "You need to be the one that will directly attack Perditus. I know that you already used a lot of your power, so I won't ask you to summon another storm. But make sure the wind is going in the right direction, for Kaedea's arrows.

With everyone having their orders, Mystella turned on her heel and started running towards the stadium, weapon in hand. The others were close behind her, knowing exactly what they each had to do.

Mystella couldn't help but think about what they all had been through, these past few months. All the tears shed, and the angry outbursts - every time Axel made her laugh with one of his stupid jokes, and all the times that she caught Rakira staring at Axel in the most lovestruck way. The fruitless pick-up lines Levi would use on not only her, but even Chronos, Rakira, and Axel - the times that she'd had to console Chronos about something that he couldn't explain, and how she used to talk to Kaedea into the latest hours of the night. It warmed her heart and made her that much more determined to start paving a path to a life where they could all be happy.

Once they made it to the stadium, though, the red-eyes just stared at them curiously. None of them attacked - they didn't even make noise. They all kept their weapons handy anyway, not wanting to risk being caught off guard. Even from the short amount of time she knew him, Mystella had figured out how tricky Perditus was.

Axel was on edge, and his grip on Rakira's hand only tightened. Rakira squeezed Axel's hand back, and whispered to him, "It's going to be okay, mi luz guía. I know Mystella is smart enough to get us through this."

Axel nodded and swallowed the knot in his throat. "I trust her, and I trust you."

When they finally made it into the stadium, Mystella turned to the others. "You guys, get into your positions. I'll talk to him." They all agreed and ran off, except for Axel and Levi, who stayed by Mystella's side. They were already walking in, making sure that all the attention was on them.

Axel's hands were shaking, but he didn't falter. He was terrified - he'd been through plenty of fights, but he'd never done anything like this. The attention was suffocating, Even if it was just Perditus's dark purple eyes that were fixated on them.

He looked pretty similar to the last time they'd seen him, but he looked cleaner. His hair looked like it was better-taken care of, and it was tied back in a neat braid. He wore a dark blue suit, that looked like it was tailored to him perfectly. Next to him was a face that Mystella hadn't seen in two years, though she wasn't looking at them.

Azeline was bruised and beaten, chained up next to Perditus. It took everything in Mystella not to run to her, to embrace her and take her away from this all, and never look back. She was visibly shaking from anger, and her nails dug into her ax. "Perditus! You either hand her and yourself over peacefully, or I kill you where you stand!"

Perditus smirked, and then ran his long, pale fingers through Azeline's dark hair, before forcing her to look up at the two. "You don't mean this pretty little thing, do you? What a shame, we were really having fun. Weren't we, Azeline?" Azeline cried out, as he pulled her hair back harder, an evil grin tugging at his lips.

Mystella was close to breaking, and her voice made that obvious. "Let her go, now!"

Perditus sighed, "If you say so. But it will be by my terms." His voice sounded different - deeper, more gravelly. He let go of her hair and started undoing her chains.

Levi looked over at Mystella, concerned. "I know your furious, Mystella, but you need to calm down. We don't know if he'll use that anger against you."

Mystella whipped around to look back at Levi, "I'm going to kill that bastard, once I get her back!"

Mystella then started running towards where Perditus was, and he simply smiled, letting go of Azeline's weak form. She started convulsing, her bones breaking and her skin stretching. She was being forced to do something, but Mystella didn't care what it was. She just wanted her back. She was the only thing that mattered, and she was going to kill Perditus when she got to him.

Perditus walked out of the stadium, but his smile was gone. He looked like a completely different person - he looked sad. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Something else emerged from behind Perditus, and it made Mystella stop in her rampage. Axel and Levi were close behind her to back her up, but they weren't expecting her to stop, so they almost ran straight into her.

It was the thing that Mystella saw in her vision, so long ago. The first time she learned of Perditus, and it made her realize what was going on. Perditus was being controlled, by whatever that thing was. It didn't quell her rage toward him but rather shifted it towards the magistrate that stood before her.

Levi gritted his teeth angrily, staring the man before him down. "How'd I know you were behind this, Animus? You never could just stand seeing anyone happy for too long, could you?"

Axel looked between Animus and Levi, more confused than ever. "You know him?"

Levi sighed, angrily. "He's Azeline and I's brother, unfortunately. We thought we killed him years ago until he decided to shatter the Magistrate glass that kept us together and started this whole red-eye fiasco."

Animus chuckled darkly, as Azeline cried out in agony beside him. "You're funny to think you could kill me, Tempestas. But here's the thing - are you strong enough to kill your own sister, in order to protect your soulmate? And you, Mystella, new Magistrate of the Rose Glass. Are you too weak, will you let her kill the friends you made?"

Animus moved out of the way to reveal Azeline, to show that he had full control over her. She was forced to change and was now her divine form - a large wolf, that made Titan look tiny. She was crying, unable to stop her movements as she charged straight for Mystella, Levi, and Axel.

Arrows and rocks flew through the air, but none of them were directed at Azeline. They were trying to hit Animus, but he merely disappeared and reappeared as they fell to the ground. "Trying to kill me is fruitless; I am an original magistrate, and your worldly weapons will not harm me, in a millennium."

Mystella dodged Azeline's attack, tears brimming in her eyes. "I won't do it! I can't hurt you, Azeline!"

Azeline whimpered, those dark red eyes that had gazed into Mystella's lovingly just a night ago filled with anguish, and pain. "Please, Mystella. He'll make me kill you, and I can't live knowing I killed the only person I ever loved. Please, Mystella."

Mystella stood firmly until she was knocked back by Azeline's next, forced attack. "You think," Mystella yelled, trying to catch her breath, "That it's any easier for me? I can't do this without you, I don't even know how I got this far!"

Azeline started charging towards Mystella again, before she felt a large impact on her side, and was forced to stop moving. A large, white dragon was over Azeline, pinning down her legs. She looked up to the familiar face, with a pained look. "Levi, please. Just end it."

Levi hesitated, though. He had been rivals with his sister for longer than he could remember, but he never actually considered killing her. And that hesitation was all Animus needed, to get Azeline to get back up. She bared her teeth at Levi and then sunk them into his neck.

Levi let out a roar of pain, and Mystella panicked. She knew what she had to do, but she didn't know if she could bring herself to do it. Axel, Rakira, and Chronos were still trying to fight Animus, and Levi was struggling with Azeline. Mystella stood there frozen, watching as the people she trusted risked their lives for her. It was then that she noticed that there was something - no, someone that she recognized - behind Rakira.

Mystella called out to him, but it was too late. The cloaked figure grabbed Rakira and started dragging him away. She yelled to Chronos, who was in the middle of slicing through a few red-eyes that had made their way in. He heard her, and he reached out for Rakira but stopped just short of his arm. He was about to grab the exposed skin between his sleeve on his bicep and his forearm, but he retracted quickly, and the cloaked figure got away with Rakira.

Enraged even more before, Mystella turned to the battle she had shied away from.

Mystella had a decision, here - she could sacrifice everyone and try to kill Animus, and maybe, just maybe - she would get Azeline back. She'd have to sacrifice the only people that she'd learned to trust - she'd never Axel and Rakira's smiles or their love for each other. She'd never get to joke around with Levi again, and then hopefully find Astro with him again, one day. She'd never get to play another chess game with Kaedea, and she'd never see what the world could have looked like, if they rebuilt it, together.

Or, Mystella could do what she knew, deep down, that she had to. She would have to kill the only thing that had kept her going for two years when nothing else did. The woman that she'd been trying to save for so long, that she wished would be in her arms, for as long as she could remember. She would never hear her beautiful laugh again, nor feel her embrace. She would truly be alone, then.

Mystella gripped her ax and looked into its reflection. She didn't see herself, but rather Titan's eyes - the same icy blue that peered through her soul. He almost looked sympathetic, as those piercing eyes softened. Mystella knew what she needed to do, at that moment.

With her ax raised, Mystella ran at Azeline. Azeline had Levi pinned beneath her, tears trickling out of those ethereal eyes that Mystella could recognize anywhere. Her claws dug into Levi's scales as she tried to rip him apart, as vicious as a wolf that was starving.

Mystella could see anything, she was just aimlessly floating in a dark space. She felt like she was underwater, but she wasn't drowning. It was comforting, as the water formed around her. She opened her eyes, but there was only more darkness. Everything had disappeared - Levi, Axel, Chronos, Azeline, Animus - they were all gone.

Mystella, starting to panic, turned around to try to find someone, anyone - until her eyes connected with Azeline's. She was bloody and beaten, and Mystella would have mistaken her for a red-eye, if she didn't know any better.

She rushed towards her and held her tightly in her arms, as Azeline sniffled. "I'm sorry, My Rose. But you did the right thing."

Mystella came to, only to find Azeline laying on the ground, before her. She had a massive wound in her abdomen, but she looked like she was at peace, finally. Mystella rushed towards her, gathering her body in her arms. She never wanted it to come to this, but here she was, dying in her arms.

Over the mountains, the sun started rising. It painted Azeline's bloody face in orange and red, and she smiled up at Mystella. "I always knew that you'd be the death of me, my love. This is quite ironic, though." Azeline laughed humorlessly, coughing up blood shortly after.

Mystella shushed her, tears trailing down her cheeks. "It's gonna be okay, Azeline. I can heal you - you can take your necklace back-"

Azeline weakly shook her head, smiling bitterly. "No, my love. My time on this Earth is done, now. I love you, I always have. I've always waited for you, for your next life. I always looked out the window at the sunset, sat in the rain. I always grew the roses you loved next to the window, all because they reminded me of you."

Mystella choked back her tears as she listened, and watched the life fade from her wife's eyes. Azeline smiled at her, though it was painful. Mystella finally found the words and pressed her forehead to Azeline's as her tears escaped. "I love you so much, my forever. Save a spot for me, won't you?"

Azeline shut her eyes for the last time, and went completely limp. Mystella couldn't do anything for a few moments but stare at the woman she loved - the one that she would have burnt the world down for, once. It was then, that a scream erupted from her throat, one filled with pain, anguish, and loss.

Axel started walking towards her slowly, his hands shaking like a leaf in a storm. Levi shook his head at him, but Axel ignored him. He wrapped his arms around Mystella tightly, and she gripped the back of his hoodie tightly, as she uncontrollably sobbed.

Animus smiled wickedly, amused. He had figured that it was time to take his leave, now that his job was done. Levi weakly made his way over to Mystella, and put a bloodied hand on her shoulder. She didn't acknowledge him, though, until Axel started panicking, and yelling Rakira's name.

Mystella peeled herself away from Axel, remembering how Chronos had failed to save Rakira. She got up silently, and stared Chronos down. He wasn't that far away from them, and didn't expect what came next.

Mystella rushed at him, and then tackled him to the ground, taking her anger out on the man beneath her. She started punching him in the face, over and over again, until she was pried off, by both Axel and Levi. Chronos's nose was bleeding and his face was already starting to swell from the hits.

"Why didn't you save him? You could have grabbed him!" Mystella yelled at him, struggling against Levi and Axel's hold on her. She whipped around furiously at the other two holding her, and yelled just as loud at them, too. "Let me go! He doesn't deserve to live, he let Rakira get taken!"

Levi looked confused, and his gaze trailed to Chronos, for confirmation. Axel only held onto her tighter, not willing to let her swing at him, anymore.

Chronos wiped the blood away from his nose and tried to stand. "I couldn't-" He tried to figure out the words, "I couldn't reach him, Mystella. I would have ended up hurting him."

Mystella snarled at him, pulling even harder on Axel's hold. "Bullsh*t! You were right there."

"He couldn't save him, because he can't touch him, Stella! He would have killed him, and himself!" Axel suddenly burst out, and for the first time, yelled at Mystella. 

Axel had tears running down his cheeks, as the situation set in. "Because he is Rakira!"

Mystella looked between Axel and Chronos, confused. "What do you mean, he's Rakira?"

Axel sighed, a frown tugging at his lips. "Is it not that obvious to you guys? He knows everything about Rakira, down to even where he was when we were all trapped in the fog. Then there's the fact that no one - not even Kaedea or Levi - remembered him being in any of our past lives. You could chalk all of that up to coincidence, but there's also this," Axel pointed at Chronos's face, then, as Levi helped him stand. "Same exact scar over his nose. There was also the fact that back in that weird cave, the older me didn't just address Mystella - he talked to Chronos like he knew him. Also, hello? Rakira has the Time Glass, I'm sure going back a few months wouldn't be an issue, for him."

Chronos spit some blood out that was pooling in his mouth, as he regarded Axel's statements. "Months? Try about a year, or two. But that's beside the point. I guess I should start talking."

Mystella crossed her arms, still staring him down. "Yeah, that would be best."

"Well, I was trying to keep it under wraps, but now that the entire plan is screwed anyway, may as well come clean," Chronos made eye contact with Mystella, and she noticed that his appearance started shifting, right before her eyes. One of his eyes was a beautiful golden color that matched Rakira's, and the other was a deep red. His hair matched his eyes, split down the middle with the same colors. "Yes, I'm Rakira. Just not exactly that Rakira." Chronos gestured towards where Rakira was taken, by the mysterious cloaked figure.

Levi cocked a brow curiously, and stepped closer. He seemed more interested in his eyes, and hair. "Red and gold?"

Chronos nodded, grimly. "In my future, Animus succeeded. He killed everyone, and took all of their glasses - except Time and Rose, because Mystella," he looked away, remembering bad memories. "She gave it to me and told me to save us. Because of someone in the group, here, the world collapsed underneath him. I never knew who it was, so I came back. I went back a little too far and ended up getting captured by the Perditus in this timeline. I had to go along with his plan, until I eventually gained his trust enough, to be let out. I was supposed to be the one to put the tracker on, and that's why I was looking through your bag, all those nights ago. I saw that you still had the tracker on you by looking into this timeline's future, and I needed to know if the traitor had put it on you, yet."

Mystella, Axel, and Levi tried to take in all he was explaining, but it was a little hard to believe. Mystella then grabbed her bag and shook all its contents out onto the ground. She made everything fell out - her weapon harness, her water, her food, the rope she used to tie Levi up before, and her dog tags, along with a few odds and ends, such as her woodcarving stuff and her statuettes - until a small, almost unnoticeable object fell out. It was slowly pulsing a very faded red.

Chronos sighed, "Yeah, that would be it. It is just like what Perditus gave me, to change my appearance to look like Azeline."

Mystella picked her stuff up, grumbling about how much she hated it when she was wrong.

Levi then interrupted the ongoing conversation, as he had noticed who was missing. "Okay - three things. First, those red-eyes look hungry, and I don't think they're sated by just watching us talk aimlessly like we're in the middle of the climax in a sci-fi movie. Second, Rakira is still missing, and we have no clue what happened to him. Third, and probably more important than the other two things but I'm not exactly too great when it comes to talking, let alone listing things, Kaedea is missing, too."

Chronos smacked his forehead at the same time Axel did, and in any other circumstance, it would have been hilarious, but what it meant right now was that they'd both put the pieces together. At the same time, once again, they both said, "Kaedea."

Mystella looked between Axel and Chronos, and then her gaze shifted from confused, to angry. "Why am I not surprised? Her constant disappearing, the way she glared at me every time Levi used one of his stupid pick-up lines, her clumsy act, even though she's a near-perfect shot with her bow - I should have seen it."

Axel frowned. "Not to make the situation worse, but I can only assume she's doing that, too," Axel pointed at the ground, as the fog that they'd seen Nebula use before started creeping into the stadium as the red-eyes started gaining more and more interest in the group. "I thought that she was the reason that Nebula's glass disappeared after she died, but I wanted to give Kaedea the benefit of the doubt, just in case that just happened with sub-glasses."

Mystella swung her hammer at a few of the red-eyes that had gotten too close, trying to assess the situation. "There's too many of them, we'll be overwhelmed if we stay any longer." As if on cue, they started running at the group. Mystella gritted her teeth, then smacked a few more down, Axel and Levi following her actions. "You three need to go save Rakira. They'll only follow us if someone doesn't stay back. I'm not going to lose anyone else that I care about."

Chronos fell to his knees, then, as his body shook violently. He wailed in pain, until it went away. After a moment he used his sword as leverage to stand up shakily and looked to Mystella. "She's shocking him - from what I'm remembering through him, she's taken him to Axel's old house. She wants to see-" another surge came, but Chronos didn't fall, that time. He instead took his pain and anger out on the red-eyes coming after him, slicing through a goblin and a few elves. "Just go - I've done all I can to fix the future. But it will be all for nothing if you die with me!"

Axel and Levi ran off, concerned for Rakira. Mystella, though, swung her hammer to hit more red-eyes, dispatching of them quickly. "I won't leave you, Chronos! We'll fight them off, together!"

Chronos smiled at Mystella, for the first time in a while - genuinely. "You always were like that, Stella. Just promise me one thing."

Axel looked back as he ran, and seen that Chronos had said something else to Mystella that made her nod, before she took off after them, too. Once Chronos seen that Axel was looking at him, Axel saw a look that he'd only seen once before, from the man. He looked happy, as if he was finally at peace. It was then that Mystella reached both Axel and Levi, and she urged them to run out quicker. "No time to explain - just go!"

Chronos looked out at the horde raging towards him and felt something inside him pulsing. His time was up, now, and he knew it all too well. He'd known this was coming since he started disintegrating, and he always wondered how he'd go out. He was just fortunate enough to be able to do it in such a glorious way.

The explosion of the two Glasses residing inside of him didn't hurt, surprisingly. In fact, Chronos felt weightless, as if he'd just float away and join the stars. He felt two strong arms wrap around his waist tightly, followed by a chin on his shoulder, shortly after. "Don't worry, Sunshine. I told you before, I'd never let you go through anything alone. That means even death."

Axel - his Axel - was finally with him again, and he whispered softly into his ear, like he had done a hundred other times when he was still alive. The words echoed through his head, and resounded throughout, as if Axel was really there, with him. Chronos's skin was cold where Axel had touched him, and then left, rounding to face him properly. It was the Axel he remembered - and he just knew, deep down, that this was him.

Chronos smiled softly, moving one of Axel's curly strands of hair out of his face. "I'm coming home, Mi luz guia."

Mystella, Levi, and Axel didn't stop running, and just barely made it out before the explosion ruptured what was left of the stadium, but didn't escape the shockwave. They were pushed forward violently and tumbled, but all three of them were mostly unharmed.

Axel was the first to recollect himself, as the fog started getting thicker. "Guys, we gotta get going - my house isn't far, but the fog will split us up, again."

Mystella stood up next to Axel and pulled out the rope she'd been keeping, and started tying one part of it around her waist, before handing the other end to Axel. "We won't be getting split up, not this time."

Axel tied himself and then handed it to Levi, who carefully tied it around himself, too. Adrenaline was keeping his focus away from his wounds, but they were starting to become painful, again. Levi turned to Mystella and Axel and took a deep breath. "The fog doesn't affect me, so I'll lead. Just remember - no matter what you see, what you feel - nothing is real, except for the person in front of, and for Mystella's case, and behind you."

They both nodded, and Levi started walking at a fast pace, ignoring the pain that was flaring in what felt like every part of his body. The fog got thicker and thicker until both Mystella and Axel couldn't even see a foot in front of them. Levi could see just fine, and it didn't slow his pace.

It didn't take long for the fog to react to them, as both Mystella and Axel started hearing whispers. They were quiet enough that they couldn't understand what was being said, but Axel was the first to start hearing their words. He felt hands grasping at him but he kept walking until he heard someone calling out for him.

"Axel! Axel help, please! Chronos was lying, I'm over here!" It was Rakira, and Axel whipped his head around to look for him, frantically. Mystella tugged on his hoodie sleeve, but Axel ignored her.

"Rakira's out there, we have to help him!" Axel pulled at the rope, dragging Mystella and Levi back.

Mystella grabbed Axel's arm, and his frightened green eyes met hers. Mystella pleaded with him, "Axel, it's not him. Kaedea wants you to think it is. Please, just keep pushing forward."

Axel swallowed the knot in his throat and nodded, as he started walking, again. He left Rakira's calls behind, though he wanted to run to him.

Rakira cried out in agony, as Kaedea shocked him again. "I don't know Kaedea! I don't know!"

Kaedea angrily turned off the volts and stomped over, grabbing Rakira's wrist roughly. "It's because of this, isn't it? It's preventing you from seeing it! I guess that just means I'll have to cut it off, won't I?"

Rakira thrashed in his chair against his bindings, trying to get away from Kaedea. "Kaedea, I don't have control of my glass! Even if you take it off, I can't tell you what you want to hear - especially if you don't tell me what that is."

Kaedea crossed her arms, her blue-tinted glasses glowing faintly, her eyes reacting similarly. "It's not what I want to hear, Rakira," She slammed her hands down on the arms of the chair, glaring at Rakira inches away from his face. "I need to know if Perditus is going to kill me, or not."

Rakira glared back, his golden eyes just as vibrant as Kaedea's. They glowed softly, but fizzled out, after a moment. Rakira shook his head, "I can't tell, Kaedea. I only see flashes."

Kaedea dug her nails into the wood, getting increasingly frustrated. "Well tell me what you're seeing, then. I need to know whether Mist was lying to me, or not. Whether or not killing her familiar was a good thing."

Rakira spit in Kaedea's face, refusing to answer her. "You're an awful person, Kaedea. I can't believe I ever trusted you."

Kaedea backed up and wiped off Rakira's spit, before smiling wickedly at him. "Fine, if you won't then maybe this will change your mind. It's just too bad that I can't kill you, without taking your glass off. It's a shame, really."

Kaedea looked up as she heard an explosion, though, and her wicked smile only grew even wider. "You hear that, Rakira? That just had to be them. They're dead, now, and no one's coming to save you." She hit a button, then, and Rakira felt shockwaves run rampant through his body, once more. He screamed, the pain coursing through him becoming unbearable.

Rakira's screams broke through the fog, catching Axel, Mystella, and Levi's attention. They each looked at each other, trying to figure out if they each heard it. Axel was the one who spoke, "That was Rakira - If you two heard it too, then that means it has to be him!"

Levi nodded and started running. It was hard to not trip over each other, and Axel stumbled a few times, but he caught himself before he fell. Once they finally made it to Axel's house, Levi tried the door, but it was locked. The fog was even thicker here, which only backed up what Chronos had said.

Levi started ramming himself into the door, as Mystella and Axel started to stare out at something he couldn't see. He pulled on the rope, catching their attention, and Mystella moved Levi aside so she could kick the door in.

Once the door was finally opened, Mystella ripped the rope off and ran in, Axel close behind her. Levi, though, couldn't move an inch. Axel came back to see why Levi hadn't followed, only to see that he was starting to walk off.

Levi reached out, as a blurry figure walked towards him. "Dad? Is that you?" The figure spoke, and as it drew closer, took the form of Astro.

A tear trailed down Levi's cheek, as he walked closer. "Astro? Baby, is that you?"

Axel grabbed Levi's arm and pulled him back. "Levi, it's not real. Astro is long gone, and you probably aren't going to see her for a long time. You have to focus!"

Levi resisted, but Axel pulled him inside and shut the door behind them. Levi finally came to his senses, but the image of his daughter still had an effect on him. He told himself that it wasn't his fault for so long, but the guilt was tugging at the back of his mind.

Kaedea had turned off the shock again and leveled herself with Rakira, once more. "Tell me, Rakira. I know that you're going to give in - your body is telling me that by the way, it's shaking even after I turn it off."

Rakira shook his head firmly, trying to steady his breathing. "I already told you, Kaedea. I'm not telling you anything. You don't deserve to know anything that could even possibly give you an advantage over us."

Kaedea smirked at Rakira, and then moved back to her machine to shock him again. Just as she hit the button, though, she was knocked back by a powerful force. She was thrown up against the wall and groaned as she slid down it. She definitely had a few broken ribs, at the least. Kaedea looked up to see who had hit her, only for her eyes to lock with Mystella's.

Mystella was furious, as she ran towards Kaedea with her hammer raised. Kaedea tried to get away from her, but it was to no avail. Mystella hit her with the hammer again, harder than last time.

Rakira cried out as the voltage went up, and Axel freaked out trying to figure out how the controls worked. In a panic, he hit the button and then started hitting the rest of the odd machine. Rakira took a deep breath and started thrashing against his bindings, again, so that he could at least try to help.

Axel rushed over to Rakira and started undoing his bindings as Mystella held a bloody and beaten Kaedea up by her throat. They were way beyond reasoning, and Kaedea caught onto that pretty quickly. The only thing left of Kaedea that wasn't completely broken was her glasses, which were miraculously not only seemingly flawless but still on her face.

Mystella glared at Kaedea, her hand constricting ever-tighter around the woman's throat. Kaedea gasped for air, but they came out strangled. Mystella had planned to kill her, right then and there. It was then, though, that she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, as all other sounds faded out. Rakira and Axel looked on in awe from the floor, as Levi stumbled in, holding a wound on his stomach. He looked the least impressed compared to everyone else as if he'd met the woman countless other times.

"Mystella Divinam, of Rose Glass." It was a woman, and her gentle touch seemed to calm Mystella as she spoke to her.

Mystella loosened her grip on Kaedea until she finally let go of the cowering woman, who fell to the floor. She didn't move in fear of enraging Mystella again, and so she wiped the blood away that was leaking out of her mouth and nose. Mystella let her arm fall back to her side, and she turned to meet the strange woman addressing her.

The woman behind her was beautiful, but at the same time, unnerving. She had long blue hair that flowed behind her elegantly, with eyes of all different colors lining her faded indigo arms, one underneath each of her eyes, and one in the middle of her forehead, above her brows. There could have been more, but her long dress obstructed them if there was. She was level with Mystella, as she turned to face her. "I am Videns, the Original Magistrate of Sight Glass."

Mystella looked to Videns, and then Levi, for confirmation. Levi sighed, and then waved at the Magistrate, blood still coating him. "Videns. A little help?"

Videns smiled, and then looked to Mystella. "Well, they're the Rose Magistrate, now. They have to heal you. I did it last time, Tempestas."

Levi groaned and made his way over to Mystella, the pain in his body flaring. "It's Levi now, Videns. I thought I told you?"

Videns laughed softly, "Oh, my apologies. Now, while you heal him, I must explain something." Videns's expression went sour as she looked at Kaedea, who was still struggling to breathe. "Kaedea, I must take you to be judged by the magistrates." Videns turned to the rest of the group, though, too. "That means Levi and Mystella must come, too. So as an act of sympathy, Rakira and Axel will be coming, too. Your bodies will be safe, and Aevum will be able to tell you what happens."

Mystella shook her head in confusion, "Wait, why do I have to come? Azeline is the.." she trailed off, and then looked at the blood-stained floor.

Videns frowned, her features softening. "You must step in for her while she heals, Mystella. It is a shame, though. Rose did so love being among mortals, it's sad that she has to return to being a Magistrate. Sad, but necessary."

Mystella finished healing Levi, and he rolled his shoulder. "Wow, that feels so much better. Thanks, Stella." he went to hug her, but hesitated, and then eventually just let her be. She simply nodded and then turned her gaze back to Videns, who was speaking with Rakira.

"I'm sorry, my dear Rakira. You didn't deserve any of this." Videns reached out her hand to touch the scars that the electricity had left, but Axel pulled Rakira closer to him defensively. He thought that Videns might have gotten mad at him, but she merely just smiled at the two. "Ah, that's right, isn't it? Don't worry, I won't hurt him."

Axel looked up at her, confusion in those bright green eyes. "What's right?"

Videns carefully ran her fingers over Rakira's neck, and then down his chest. Axel didn't let go of him once, and she respected that. "You two are soulmates." Rakira's scars hadn't faded, but he was no longer in pain, and he could finally think straight. "There. He's better, now, but I can't do anything about the scars. I'm sorry."

Rakira laid his head on Axel's chest and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Videns."

Videns shrugged, "No problem, kiddo. Now," She turned back to Levi and Mystella, who were both staring at Kaedea, who was crying and whining about how she deserved better. "Everyone ready to go?"

They agreed collectively, but Rakira suddenly sat up, quickly. "Wait! We can't leave without Chronos, where is he?"

Axel, Mystella, and Levi averted their gazes, going quiet. Kaedea caught on pretty quickly, and then started laughing. It was quiet at first, but it soon turned into loud cackling. She spat up blood, and then looked over at Rakira. "Oh, he's finally dead! That bastard got what's coming to him!"

Mystella's calm that Videns had brought her quickly faded, and she kicked Kaedea in the jaw, hard. Kaedea's cackling was quickly stopped, as some of her teeth broke. She was lucky that she didn't accidentally bite off her tongue. Axel intertwined his fingers with Rakira, as he used his other hand to gently turn his face so he could look at him.

Rakira started tearing up, his golden eyes glistening in the sunrise, as the fog outside cleared. Axel's eyes were brimming with her tears, too, as he explained. "Chronos.." he knew that Rakira deserved to know the truth, but didn't know how to tell him without it taking too long. "Chronos saved all of us like he'd come back to do, originally."

Tears rolled down Rakira's cheeks, as he tried to understand. "What do you mean, came back?"

Axel wiped away Rakira's tears away with his thumb, trying not to cry, too. "Well," his voice wavered, as he tried to explain. "Long story short, he was you, and he came back to save us. And guess what? He did it, Kira. Without him, we would have never gotten to you, and we wouldn't have known that Kaedea was the traitor."

Rakira buried his face in Axel's hoodie, and Axel looked up at Videns. Videns seemed to understand without Axel even saying a word, and instead regarded the others. "We have a little bit of time, we can wait-"

Everything stopped, though. Kaedea's wails, Levi holding Mystella back from hurting Kaedea again, and even Videns's words. Rakira sobbed into Axel's hoodie, gripping it harder. Axel was surprised but soon wrapped his arms around Rakira a little tighter.

Rakira sniffled, "I heard the explosion, but I thought, I hoped-" Rakira choked on his tears, gripping Axel even tighter. "I didn't know if anyone was going to come to get me, Axel. I thought you guys died," Rakira couldn't stop crying, even though he tried.

Axel softly petted his hair, and then pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I would never let you go through anything alone, Sunshine. A magistrate themself would have to strike me down before I was to die, and leave you."

Rakira finally unburied his face from Axel's shirt, and he looked up at him. Axel smiled, brushing his hair away from his face. It was wet from his tears, and his face was red, his eyes puffy - but Axel still thought that he was the most handsome man he'd ever met. Rakira sniffled, his gaze steadily on Axel's. "Promise?"

Axel nodded, "I promise, Sunshine. It's me and you, forever. You're stuck with me, for as long as you'll have me."

Once Rakira had calmed down and time resumed, Videns had taken the group to where the Magistrates resided. It was beautiful, the floors made from what looked and felt like clouds. There were no walls, just an endless expanse of sky. As they approached the other Magistrates, Levi and Mystella felt a strange tingling sensation as they started shifting to fit the others.

Levi had been through it plenty of times, and he knew what to expect. Mystella, on the other hand, didn't - and so she quietly panicked as her body started changing before her eyes. "No, no, stop - if I have to do this, I'm doing it as myself."

The process halted, and Mystella sighed. The tingling stopped, but her clothing was still different. She was expecting to be put in a dress, which was one of her concerns - but instead, it was an outfit that was similar to Levi's. She was dressed in a deep red suit, lined with roses. They didn't mind wearing this but still didn't want to completely shift into a Magistrate. It wasn't her place, too.

Levi's skin was paler than usual, almost paperwhite - and his hair was just as almost blindingly white, as usual. He had tattoos lining his body of various storms, and a dark cloud hung over him. On his shoulder was an albino ferret, that sniffed the air, and then hid in his hair.

Next to Mystella sat Titan who, for once, seemed to be at full attention. He was intimidatingly large, even next to Mystella, and Levi insisted that he moved to her other side. Mystella obliged, but still stared Levi down as if he was a walking piece of meat.

Beside Levi was Videns, who was just a brilliant as she was back in Axel's house. She laughed at Levi, finding his fear funny. "They'll shift into their mortal forms to tell their stories soon, Levi. Calm yourself." Next to her sat Freya, on a perch. Freya stared down at Kaedea as if she was judging her, but no sound was coming from her.

Next was Aevum, who didn't show very much emotion. They had four arms, all crossed - but each of them held a different type of telling time. One hand on the bottom held an hourglass similar to what was in Chronos's chest, and the other held a small stopwatch. One hand on top held a sundial, while the other held a moondial. Their skin was golden, and they wore a robe that hid most of their body. Their eyes were gilded and seemed to glow faintly, and their hair was pinned around their head in braids. Next to them was Ray, but he wasn't a cub - he was once more fully grown, as the group had seen when Rakira was rampaging, before. His deep golden eyes resembled Aevum's, as he gazed down at Rakira.

The last Magistrate was Terra, who looked as if she'd been awakened from a deep slumber. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, as she stretched. She seemed the least interested out of everyone, but it could have been because she was, in fact, awoken. Her skin was a pale green, and the group couldn't help but notice her long, pointed ears, the antlers that protruded from her head, and the dark green wings that fluttered gently behind her. Her outfit was mostly made of vines and moss, and she looked as if she might have been the oldest, save for Aevum. Her bright green eyes looked just like Axel's, and she smiled softly as Aphrodite approached her. Terra ran her elegant fingers through Aphrodite's fur, as small birds rested on her antlers.

There was a space next to Terra, but no one stood there.

Videns was the first one to speak, regarding Axel and Rakira, first. "These two are Rakira Levisay and Axel Alces. They were brought with, for the judgment, since I took both of their companions - Mystella and Levi. I thought you'd be pleased to finally meet them, anyway, considering that they are your successors, Aevum and Terra."

Aevum nodded, their golden eyes locking with Rakira's. Rakira stood tall, though he was intimidated by the magistrate before them. They waved Rakira up who looked back at Axel. Axel nodded, and Rakira walked up to be face-to-face with the Original Magistrate of Time Glass. Aevum waved one of his four arms and motioned to a chair next to them. Rakira hesitantly sat, feeling tiny next to Aevum.

Terra smiled at Axel and did the same as Aevum had for Rakira, but she had a few words for him. "Thank you for taking such good care of my Aphrodite, my dear. Others were not so kind, upon receiving her." She frowned, as she continued petting Aphrodite. Axel remembered, then, how his father would always complain about the deer that would show up at the house, and how he shot it one day, once he got tired of it being around. Axel looked down, feeling guilty for his father's actions.

Videns then motioned to Kaedea, who she had healed, before coming. Kaedea looked up at the Magistrates pitifully, hating that everyone's eyes were on her. Normally she would love the attention, but everyone was being so hostile, towards her. She figured out what she had to once she saw Mystella, and knew - or rather, hoped - that this would come soon after.

Mystella, Rakira, Axel, and Levi's piercing gazes felt like they were each burning holes into Kaedea, as Videns started to explain. "Kaedea Venatrix. She is Baron's child and the successor of Sight Glass. Her crimes go far beyond what even the group she's been traveling with - including Levi - has seen. We are here to judge her, today."

Aevum, surprisingly, was the first one to speak. "Baron Venatrix? His daughter, you say? Baron was a kind man, his sudden death was tragic."

Terra's answer was similar to Aevum's, "Agreed, Baron was very selfless and kind. I didn't even know that he had children."

Rakira and Axel were quiet, but they looked over at each other. Rakira silently mouthed an 'I love you', and Axel smiled softly, before mouthing one back. Aevum and Terra had noticed but didn't bring any attention to it. Terra smiled to herself, though, as it had reminded her of something.

Videns crossed her legs, as she stared down at Kaedea. "One of her first crimes was taking the Sight Glass. It was not her's to take." Videns paused as everyone in the room went quiet. Kaedea fiddled with her fingers - she didn't know that anyone else knew of what she had done. She had to figure out how to defend her actions, and quickly. "Baron had trained her sister so that she could take the Glass when he retired. Kaedea, when she'd heard that she ultimately wasn't going to get it, lashed out against Baron, and struck him dead with the very same bow that he'd given her as a child, along with her sister, as he prepared to transfer his Glass to her, while he was in a vulnerable state. She then took the glass, for herself."

Levi glared at Kaedea, as he always was close, to Baron. His death had affected him deeply, and knowing that he consoled Kaedea afterward just made it worse. He wondered if anything she ever did was the truth, but he highly doubted it.

Aevum turned their gilded gaze back to Kaedea, his blank expression still hard to read. Terra, on the other hand, had rage in those forest-green eyes. She didn't say anything, but even the animals around her had tensed up, as they glared down at Kaedea, as well.

Kaedea shrunk under their gazes and would disappear if she could.

Videns cleared her throat and then continued once more. "Then, there was her working with Animus. She may have acted like she was following Perditus's lead, but knew very well that he was, indeed, Animus. Animus, after being banished by Rose and Levi, had taken Perditus hostage and used him to do his dirty work, while he came back here, to attempt to shatter our glass. She infiltrated the group, and manipulated them into believing that she was on their side, and then planted the idea that Chronos was the traitor, once the fact that there was one was revealed. Kaedea also played a key part in getting our sister - Azeline - captured and then killed, by Animus."

Videns looked at the others, but no one spoke, and so she continued, "And, her other crimes that are most notable at this time, was what she did to Rakira, and killing another magistrate's - even if she just had a sub-glass - familiar, and taking their glass as well." Videns looked to Rakira as everyone else did, and he blushed at the attention. "She tortured Rakira, trying to find out her future through him. She also killed Nebula's familiar, and then killed her, taking her glass, shortly after."

Videns then waved her hand, and each of their familiars started shifting before their very eyes.

Titan was the first to completely change, and he was just as intimidating as he was, as a direwolf. Those crystal blue eyes pierced Kaedea, and his gray hair fell over them in tufts. He was tall and muscular, his skin a sepia, reddish-brown. His body was adorned with scars, the most notable one being the 'x' over his chest. He wore a leather harness strap that crossed over his chest, which was decorated with beautiful silver and brown fur. He wore loose sweat pants, likely given to him before he transformed.

Aphrodite also shifted, and she looked disturbingly similar to Axel. She was short but had an athletic build, her skin a light, pinkish tone. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a bun, and she still had the third eye, as she did as a deer. She wore a faded yellow dress with sleeves that fell to her shoulders and had beautiful, honey-colored eyes.

Freya had also shifted and became a tall, elegant woman with a navy dress that reached the floor, to match. It clung to her curves, as the dress's slits revealed her long legs. Her eyes were judging and dull, a light blue. They were different from when she was a bird, but it wasn't that noticeable.

Ray looked like he was the youngest of the bunch, as his features were soft and youthful. He was slim, with tan skin. He also had wild, dark brown hair, and gentle eyes. They were golden like Aevum and Rakira's, and just as brilliant. He wore a simple beige shirt - similar to Rakira's shirt, but his sleeves were attached, and it wasn't a crop-top - and dark blue pants.

Videns turned to Titan, who already had the attention of everyone. Levi looked slightly more at ease, but Mystella, Rakira, Kaedea, and Axel all looked surprised. Titan ignored them and sighed. As he spoke, his voice was deep and husky. "I knew Kaedea was the traitor, from the beginning. The way she'd sneak around at night, and how she'd-" He yawned, stretching tiredly. "How she'd always be poking around everyone's stuff. I knew about her killing Baron, too. I will agree with whatever Mystella goes along with, just let me get back to my nap."

Videns waved her hand once more and reverted Titan to being a direwolf, and Levi immediately tensed up, again. She then looked to Freya, who looked angry. Her lips were turned into a scowl, as she regarded Kaedea. Her voice was just as elegant as her appearance, as she spoke. "Kaedea has been using me for awful purposes, since killing Baron. I was forced into following them, unfortunately. Going between her and Animus was positively tiring, and it made me no longer blame Titan for wanting to sleep, all the time. I will go along with whatever Mystella says, as well."

Videns once again waved her hand and reverted Freya as she had Titan, and then looked to Aphrodite. She spoke gently, in an accent also similar to Axel's. "I wanted to trust Kaedea, but once I saw her take Rakira.." She sighed, fiddling with her dress idly. "Well, I will go with whatever Mystella says, too, considering how much Axel trusts her."

As Aphrodite reverted, Ray spoke up. He was sunny and soft, but he showed that he could change that at a moment's notice. "I don't know much about Kaedea, seeing as I haven't known her long, but I do know that she is one of the reasons that Rakira lost control. What she has done is, in my opinion, unforgivable."

Videos nodded, and then reverted him, too.

Kaedea sighed, and then hung her head and Videns looked back at her again. "Have you anything to defend yourself, Kaedea?"

Kaedea knew that she was done - she was a bad person, and she'd come to terms, with it. And though she regretted her actions, forgiveness was too much to ask. Everyone was quiet, as she spoke. "No, My Lady. I have nothing to say."

Her words shocked everyone, even Videns. Videns knew of her extremely manipulative nature and was prepared to deal with it, but now that she submitted herself to defeat, she had no words. Videns turned to address her fellow Magistrates, "Well, I for one propose that we take Sight Glass away from her, and hold it until Mystella finds another successor. Any other ideas?"

Mystella glared down at Kaedea, harshly. She didn't believe the act and thought that Kaedea had figured out how to turn the punishment in her favor. "I say we just kill her. People as low as she doesn't deserve the chance to hurt anyone else."

Levi agreed with Mystella, but the other three magistrates looked uneasy about it. Terra was the one to speak up, this time. "If we cast her back into the world without her glass, she will certainly die sooner or later. Would you rather her die quickly, or have to live every day in fear knowing that she eventually will?"

Mystella considered that and then nodded slowly. "That makes sense. I suppose I'll agree with you."

Aevum nodded in agreement, accompanied by Ray yawning. Kaedea shifted nervously, remembering how her father looked at her, as the arrow struck his heart, and his glass fell. She accepted her fate but knew that she had a rough future, ahead.

With everyone agreeing to Videns, she stood from her seat and made her way down to Kaedea, who was trembling. Kaedea looked up at her, and Videns gently took her glasses in either hand. They started glowing a bright azure as she removed them, and then took them back into her possession.

The world around Kaedea started fading until the colors were less and less vibrant. Everything seemed gray, and she wouldn't even be able to tell who was who if it not for their distinctive features. Tears rolled down Kaedea's cheeks, as she had forgotten what it was like, to see everything in such a dull way.

Just as Videns was about to send the group back, though, a series of loud booms were heard. Levi had shifted back to his human form, and Mystella was dressed as she was before, and everyone had their familiars back, but the sounds had caught them off-guard. Aevum, Videns, and Terra looked at each other in confusion, until it dawned on them. They had no time to prepare, though, as the sky shattered.

Animus emerged from the hole he had created, with Perditus in tow. He had Perditus hostage, his withered hands tightly wrapped around his wrist. He barely even looked like he was alive, as he dangled there limply. Animus smirked as he stared at the Magistrates, "Well, looks like another party I wasn't invited to. What did I tell you about doing that, brothers and sisters?"

Animus waved his hand, and more of the sky shattered, revealing creatures of all different types. Around his neck, though, was a mangled snake, that looked like it was barely even that, anymore. It looked nothing like the other Magistrates' familiars, and it regarded everyone with a venomous glare. Animus gave no one time to retaliate as he launched his attack, aimed at Mystella, Levi, Axel, and Rakira.

Axel and Rakira dived one way to escape the darkness hurled at them, and Mystella pushed Levi out of the way, before putting up her Rose shield. It was cracked, though, and Animus knew that if he just pushed more, that it would break. It was then that a loud voice caught Animus's attention, and he turned to look at who had spoken. "Animus! You came to kill us, not them! Fight us!"

Animus smiled wickedly, staring Terra down. "Oh, trust me. I'd love nothing more than to kill you. But I already know that I have to kill them, first. Without successors, without their glasses - you'll actually die!"

Animus launched another attack - this time aimed at Rakira and Axel, but it never made contact with them. Rakira and Axel held each other tightly, as they tried to use their powers to defend themselves, but nothing came. The area around them was made that way specifically, so no one should have been able to attack anyone.

Once they opened their eyes, though, both of them realized what saved them. Kaedea was in front of them and took the full blast of the attack. She was frozen in place, as her worst fears flashed before her eyes, and then came to life and started ripping her apart, in front of them. She screamed out, in pain. "Go!"

Videns gritted her teeth, and then shoved her hands out forcing all of the successors to return to Earth - including Perditus. "Find Perditus, and save him from Animus!"

All they heard was Animus's enraged shouting, as they slipped back into complete black.

Mystella was the first to wake, and she shot up from where she resided. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she soon realized that she wasn't in Axel's house, anymore. She was in a cot larger than her, with Levi, Rakira, and Axel in cots next to her. Titan, Aphrodite, Ray, and even Levi's ferret were sleeping on the grounds next to them, too. They weren't awake yet, but they seemed peaceful. All except for Axel, who was whimpering and sweating in his sleep.

Mystella tried to assess her situation, as she looked around her. They were in a room with a dirt floor and wooden walls, with a single door. It was tall, taller than even her. The room itself was tall, too. She looked down at her hands, and then the rest of her body, but nothing seemed to be tampered with. Her clothes were still the same, but her long coat was resting on a chair that was close to her cot. She moved to look at the others again, only to feel something press against her leg, in her pocket. She pulled out the object, only to find Kaedea's glasses.

As she tried to figure out how they got there, the tall door opened with a creak. A woman walked in carefully, trying not to disturb the people she thought that was sleeping. Mystella guessed that she was a half-orc, judging by her jutted canines, her light gray skin, the scars that lined her body. She wore light armor that accompanied her muscular physique, which consisted of a dark blue fabric that covered her chest and wrapped around her neck, accompanied with ropes to keep it there, which also wrapped around her arms, and her waist, as well. She wore loose, dark grey pants, and long boots to accompany her outfit.

Most of the half-orcs that Mystella had seen were red-eyes and were already dead, so she'd never seen a living one. She never knew how beautiful they could be, but the one before her was just that. Her movements were soft, and she just seemed to be overall gentle.

Mystella stayed quiet as the woman walked in, her hand trailing on the wall behind her. Mystella figured that she might be blind, which was only reinforced when she had to gently touch Axel's face to make sure that he was the one she needed to treat.

Mystella shuffled a little as quietly as she could, but the woman completely froze, as she did. Mystella internally cursed herself, realizing that she heard her. Feeling her fear, the woman looked in Mystella's direction. "It's okay, I promise I'm not gonna hurt any of you. Your friend is just sick."

She gestured towards Axel, who was still whimpering and squirming. Mystella let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding, and finally spoke. "My apologies. I'm not used to such kind actions. Most people try to kill us."

The half-orc laughed softly, before giving Axel some sort of medicine that calmed him. Mystella moved so that she could get up from the cot, and got up to walk over to her companion. "Do you know what's wrong with him, miss..?"

"Yevelda. And your friend, here, has two abnormal bumps, on his back. I was going to wait until he awoke to ask him, but since you're up, maybe you can answer me," she carefully turned Axel over so Mystella could see, and she wasn't lying - there were two, rather large bumps that looked extremely painful. "Is this normal, for him?"

Mystella furrowed her brows, staring down at the shifting mass. She'd never seen anything like it and was worried for Axel. "No, not at all."

Yevelda gently rolled him back over, and then swept his dark green hair out of his sweat-coated face. "As for another question, that I had. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you four are the Magistrates Axel, Levi, Mystella, and Rakira, right?"

Mystella froze, her hand inches away from Axel's face. She didn't say anything at first, and Yevelda patiently waited. Mystella finally spoke up, again. "Yes. I am Mystella, and the man that you're currently tending to is Axel."

Yevelda nodded, wiping away some of the sweat from Axel's forehead. "You are heroes among my people, for what you did," Yevelda spoke softly, as she tended to Axel. "If you didn't save the Village of Black Hollow, we would have lost a lot of our own. The fact that there is orc blood in you, is merely prideful, for us. Before the apocalypse, we were looked down upon. Wasn't there supposed to be three more of you, though? The townspeople spoke of you all looking for someone."

Mystella looked down, the reminder of those she lost still painful. "Yeah, Kaedea, Chronos, and we were looking for my wife, Azeline. Extremely long story short, all of them are dead." Mystella spoke quietly, as she tried to stay strong. Her anger had only gotten her so far, and it was all weighing on her. She'd lost too many and knew that if she didn't follow what Chronos had said, that she'd lose even more.

Yevelda sighed softly, as she moved to check on Rakira. "I know it isn't much, especially coming from some stranger, but I'm sorry, Mystella. But you all may stay here for as long as you need. As I said, you are respected among my people, and we can make any arrangements so that you are comfortable. We know of your goal and stand ready to support you, in it."

Mystella looked down at Rakira as he slept soundly, "Thank you, but we have to get to Perditus before Animus does."

Yevelda sounded surprised, hearing that. "Perditus? The Mind Magistrate? I thought he was like," She tried to find the words, but couldn't. "Well, you get what I mean."

Mystella shook her head, "He's being controlled by Animus. He should be on his way here, but we have to go get him, as soon as Axel is recovered."

Just as Yevelda moved to Levi, Rakira shot up from where he was sleeping at. It startled both Yevelda and Mystella, and both of them turned around quickly to see that he was awake. Rakira's breathing was heavy and quick, and he looked around, panicked. Once his eyes came in contact with Mystella's, though, he calmed down. "Stella? Where are we? Who's that?"

Mystella looked from Rakira, and then to Yevelda - who was taller than her, by a few inches - and then back to Rakira. "Rakira, this is Yevelda. She's been taking care of us. Yevelda, this is Rakira, the Magistrate Of Time Glass."

Rakira looked up at Yevelda, his eyes wide. "It's, uhm, a pleasure to meet you, Yevelda." Once Axel shifted, though, Rakira seemed to come to his senses. He whipped around to look at Axel and immediately became concerned. "What's wrong with Axel? He looks like he's in pain! What did you do?"

Mystella moved to Rakira's side, as Yevelda waved something underneath Levi's nose. "Something is wrong with him, but we're not sure what. Just, look." She turned Axel over to show Rakira the abnormal bumps, and he gasped.

Levi shot up, almost hitting Yevelda, who had moved out of the way, just in time. His reaction was similar to Rakira's, but he didn't calm down, as quickly. "Mystella? Rakira? Axel? Titan-?" Levi called out for anyone at this point, as he moved back on the cot rather quickly. It buckled from his movement and fell, folding him inside of it.

Mystella pulled Levi out of the cot, and then made him stand. "Levi, Yevelda. Yevelda, this is Levi, of Storm Glass." Levi dizzily looked up at her and stumbled.

"Oh - hi, Yevelda. That doesn't explain where we are, though." Levi tried to steady himself and succeeded in doing so after using the wall. "How long have we been out?"

Yevelda took a deep breath, as she thought it over. "Well, we found you all a few days ago. I was a little worried that you guys wouldn't wake up - I still have yet to wake your friend, Axel, though."

Levi nodded, and then made his way over to Axel, Yevelda close behind. She felt for the bed, and then politely asked, "If you could move aside, please. There's no guarantee he won't be in pain when he wakes up, and if he is, I'll have to numb it so he doesn't pass out, again."

Levi and Mystella backed up, but Rakira stayed by his side. He refused to leave, just in case Axel needed him when he woke. Yevelda held the strange substance underneath Axel's nose, and after a few moments, he woke. It wasn't as violently as the others had been, but he was still confused. He groaned, looking around as his vision adjusted.

Rakira smiled at Axel, linking their fingers together. "Hey, Mi Amor. How are you feeling?"

Axel groaned again, as he sat up. "Horrible, and sore. I feel the worst pressure in my back as if someone is standing on me." His gaze then trailed from Rakira's, up. "Woah. Someone taller than Mystella. I didn't even know that was possible."

Mystella scoffed quietly, looking away. "Well, obviously it's possible."

Yevelda smiled, "Hi, Axel. I'm Yevelda. I've been taking care of you and your friends. You'll be able to go as soon as I figure out what the weird growth is, on your back. Does it hurt too bad?"

Axel's eyes went wide and he reached his hands back to try and touch his back, feeling a strange pulsing, once he did. "What? What is that?"

Yevelda shrugged, frowning. "We aren't sure, and the actual doctor isn't around, right now. I'm just an assistant, too young to be a doctor, yet."

Mystella cocked a brow with intrigue, "How old are you?"

Yevelda laughed nervously, rubbing her arm. "Fourteen, ma'am."

All of them looked surprised, but Mystella smiled softly. "My daughter is fourteen."

Yevelda smiled, too. "Really? No one has told the tale of your daughter. I never meet anyone around my age, since most of us.." She seemed to get a little quieter, as she thought about it. "Well, a large portion of my people were wiped out, before we settled, here."

Mystella looked down at her hands, "Well, I'm not exactly sure, where she is. But I'm going to find her after we deal with Animus."

There was a knock at the door, and then a voice called. "Yevelda?" It was a woman's voice, and Yevelda seemed to perk up a little at the sound of it.

She called out, "You can come in, mom." she then turned to the others. "My mom is the actual doctor, here. I'm sure she'll know what to do."

A woman walked through the door, and it was quickly apparent that she was where the orc came from, in Yevelda. She was just as beautiful, too, and stood even taller than Yevelda. Even though every red-eye orc Mystella had seen was horrifying, Mystella had to remind herself that she couldn't base a species on its red-eye form, but it was still surprising to see how some of them were attractive, even by human standards. "Hello, I am Naz. It's a pleasure to meet those who saved our village."

Mystella smiled at Naz politely, though she had to look up at her. The rest of them, save for Yevelda - who was still gently grazing her fingers over the bumps on Axel's back, between his shoulder blades - all stared up at Naz with amazement. Mystella spoke first, breaking the silence. "Greetings, Naz. I'm Mystella, the white-haired one is Levi, the green one is Axel, and the brunette with the golden streak is Rakira. Thank you for taking us in."

Naz smiled, and then looked to Axel, "He's the one who was having issues, correct?" Yevelda nodded and gently moved Axel to show Naz the strange bumps. Naz peered closely and frowned, staring down at the pulsing mass. "That is strange. What I'm more concerned about, though, is the fact that it's causing you no pain."

Axel laughed nervously. "Oh, no, the pain is excruciating, and I feel like I'm going to be ripped apart, any minute now."

They all stared at him in awe, but Axel couldn't see. Yevelda stuttered, "I - you could have told me, Axel! I would have given you something to numb it!"

Axel shrugged, "It's fine, I don't want you to waste your resources on me. Besides, my dad's done way worse."

Yevelda frowned, as her fingers trailed down Axel's back, over the many scars. "Is that what these are? I just figured that you were-" she stopped short, choosing not to finish that sentence. "Well, either way, at least your scars show how strong, you are. You've fought a tougher battle than most, but that just made you all the more strong."

Axel had never heard anyone speak of his scars, like that. All he could remember was being ridiculed for them, to the point where he started wearing his hoodie all the time, no matter how hot or cold it was. He was quiet, after that. "Thank you, Yevelda."

Naz moved Yevelda aside and started inspecting the bumps. "Yevelda, would you get our guests some coffee? I'm sure it's been a while since they've had such luxury."

Rakira's golden eyes lit up, and he seemed a little happier than he was moments before. "Please? That would be amazing!"

Mystella smiled too, "That would be lovely."

Levi yawned, giving a thumbs up from the floor. Yevelda looked in Axel's general direction, and he hesitantly spoke up. "Oh, well, I've never really been a coffee kinda guy - I've always liked tea, more. But if it's easier, I'll take one, too."

Yevelda nodded and walked out, to get their beverages. Naz smiled to herself, as she applied some sort of strange cream to the bumps. "She's a good kid. Been through a lot even before all this red-eye nonsense, and losing her sight certainly hasn't helped - but that hasn't dampened her spirit one bit. I just wish I could've taken her with me on my adventures, before.." she shook her head, "Everything. She talked about it all the time as a kid. Meeting you guys after hearing all the stories? She was so excited and full of life. 'Just like the stories the elder ones tell,' she said."

Mystella watched as she numbed Axel's shoulders. "She thinks so highly of us?"

Naz nodded, "Yeah, it's another thing she dreamt as, as a kid. Always wanted to be a magistrate, no matter how impossible seemed. To her, you guys are heroes."

Mystella looked down at Kaedea's glasses in her hands, quietly. She knew that she needed to find a successor, but she also knew that it needed to be the right person.

Levi looked at Mystella, knowing what she was thinking. She put the glasses back in her pocket and looked away, sitting down on her cot. "She does seem like a good kid, and she's very kind for taking care of us."

Naz furrowed her brows, though, focusing closer on Axel. "My dear, you're an elf, correct?"

Axel laughed sarcastically, "Did the ears give it away?"

Naz pressed the bumps, and they seemed to become more firm. "Well, that answers my question. I do know some humans with pointy ears, I guess it's a genetic thing. But, you are a full-blooded elf?"

Axel nodded, gritting his teeth. "Yup, my mom was an elf, so was my dad. Dad didn't look like one, though. He was the odd man out in his family, and it's suspected that he was-" he groaned in pain, as she pressed a little harder. "Adopted, but no one ever confirmed, or denied it."

Naz nodded, then frowned. "Well, this makes no sense. Even being a full-blooded elf, this shouldn't be possible. That species died out, a long time ago.."

Rakira, starting to panic again, gripped Axel's hand. "What? What is it? Is he going to be okay?"

Naz sighed, "Axel's bumps are abnormal, for more than one reason. You see the positioning of them, here?" She pointed at both of them, her brows still furrowed. "Well, they're in the perfect place for wings. What doesn't make sense, though, is that winged elves have been extinct, for a long time. Likely longer than any of us has been alive."

Levi spoke up again, from the floor, where he was still residing. "Nope, not me. I'm older than time itself. Mystella was one, once. That was fun."

Axel gripped Rakira's hand back, tighter. "What - wings? You're saying that I'm going to just sprout wings? That sounds a whole lot weirder than just 'abnormal'!"

Naz stared at Axel blankly, "We're in the middle of an apocalypse - I've seen a lot worse. As long as we can make sure your skin doesn't tear too badly, you'll be fine."

Axel's fingers dug into the cot he was on, as his breathing became quicker. He was terrified, having never dealt with anything even close to that, and he'd been through a lot. Naz's eyes went wide, though, and she sucked her breath in through her teeth.

Axel's body felt like it was on fire, as the pain spread from the pressure between his shoulder blades to his arms, and then to the rest of his body. His bones were twisting and popping, the pain hammering his very nerves. It was the worst pain he'd ever felt, but he was handling it better than anyone else would have. Sweat coated his forehead and trailed down to his chin in drops, dropping to land in his lap.

Rakira moved to squat in front of Axel and took both of his trembling hands in each of his own. He didn't know how to console Axel in this situation, but he tried his best. A few tears rolled down his cheeks, as he heard his skin rip and his bones break harshly. Everyone else had backed up from the two, but Naz had tried to stay close enough so that she could try to do her best to get him healed to the best of her abilities.

Axel squeezed Rakira's hands tighter, as the feeling of razors drug along his nerves. Mystella and Levi's eyes went wide, as wings emerged from Axel's back. It looked painful, and they could only imagine what he was feeling. Mystella gripped her arms, digging her nails into her skin from how worried she was. Levi had his hand over his mouth, unable to take his eyes away.

Axel breathed a sigh of relief, as his body went numb and then he passed out, falling back onto the cot. Naz, who had backed up once she saw that his wings were emerging. They were huge, and if Naz had to guess, she'd guess about ten feet. It was a miracle that they were being contained in his body, but at the same time, it made sense why they emerged so quickly. They were also a dark green, the same color as the legends of the original Elk Magistrate, and it suddenly clicked.

"Axel is the Elk Magistrate, yes?" Naz looked back at Levi and Mystella, and they both nodded. She would have asked Rakira, but he was frozen with shock, still holding Axel's limp hands. Naz nodded and turned back around, and started carefully sitting Axel up so that she could look at where his skin and muscle. What she found confused her, though. "Does he do this, every time he's injured?"

Mystella moved closer to check what Naz was talking about, only to be just as confused. "No, I don't think I've ever seen him do that. It looks like it's healing him, though."

Rakira forced himself to move, and he did so to see what they were talking about, as well. Rakira gently touched Axel's blood-stained wings as he did, staring at the strange occurrence.

Levi blinked a few times, unable to see what was going on. "Well, don't keep me hanging - what's he doing?"

Mystella shook her head in disbelief, "I was going to heal his wounds, but I think his body is already doing that."

Beneath Axel's wounds were vines, that slowly drug themselves beneath his skin and sealed them shut. Naz laid him back down gently, making sure that he wasn't laying on his wings in such a way that would hurt him. She sighed, then, and moved away from him. "It would be best to let him rest, while his body repairs itself. I can stay with him to make sure nothing bad happens, you three should go meet some of our people. Yevelda can take you around."

Rakira shook his head firmly, holding Axel's hang even tighter. "I'm not leaving him."

Naz sighed softly but shrugged. "Well, I can't make you go. But, you two should still go, nonetheless. Everyone has been buzzing non-stop since one of our teams brought you four back. You especially, Mystella." Naz looked at her from over her shoulder, and then returned her gaze to Axel.

Mystella still didn't know how to take the fact that she was being praised for having orc blood in her. From the small things she'd gathered from Levi's stories, and the small memories she caught, orcs weren't looked on very kindly. The fact that her father was a half-orc banished from his clan, only made it worse. Both she and Levi left the small building, though, only to be met with Yevelda just outside the door.

Yevelda smiled at them sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Did mom send you? I was just coming to apologize."

Mystella shook her head, "No, but she did tell us that you'd show us around. And, don't worry about the drinks. Axel passed out, anyway."

Yevelda frowned, but nodded and turned on her heel. "Right. Well, I guess I should show you around. You've already seen our medical house, so there's that. Our water supply is pretty close, so I'll take you there, next."

Levi looked over at Mystella and noticed that she was fidgeting with one of the rips in her jeans. It was a sign that she was anxious, and he knew it all too well. Levi gently took her hand, and Mystella froze, but relaxed, after a moment. He intertwined their fingers, and Mystella stopped her nervous fidgeting. He knew that she just needed a reminder that he was still there, and that she wasn't doing this alone.

A boot came down on an unconscious man's head, as a woman looked out at the supplies she and her crew had acquired. Her long curly white hair flowed gently behind her in spirals, as she sheathed her chain and sickle. "Good work, guys. This should keep us going until we can get to where these so-called 'magistrates' are."

The pirate started walking back to her docked ship with the rest of her crew, planning to leave the chaos they left behind, but a strange voice stopped her. Animus stepped out from the shadows, his dark cloak tattered and dragging behind him. "You're Astro, correct? Child of Mystella Divinam, and the Magistrate Of Storm Glass, Levi?"

Astro turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. "That would be Captain Astro to you, stranger." She was the spitting image of Mystella but sported Levi's attitude and general demeanor.

Animus smiled at her from underneath the cloak, and vaguely waved. "Well, I can see that you're setting out to reunite with your dear parents, so I won't keep you long."

Astro scoffed, shaking her head. "Reunite with them? You're funny. My mom disappeared, and my dad went to go get her, but never came back. They probably don't even know that I'm alive, to be honest."

Animus's smile grew wicked, and he led her away from the ship, so he could speak with her, without the worry of any of her crew overhearing.

"Alright, and, elf! Come on Ox, you can do it!" A pale, pink-haired man whispered to himself urgently. He was behind a tavern, in an underground community. The lights surrounding it were almost blinding, but Ox had gotten used to it, after being there for two years. With plenty of concentration, he finally shifted into his desired form - an elf. He was lithe and nimble, and it would be easy for him to do what he came to, now.

Ox rounded the tavern, and then slipped in, quietly. He knew - from experience - that being quieter was a better approach than trying to make friends. He made his way to the bar, already swiping from a few pockets as he made his approach. The bartender had noticed, but she didn't particularly mind. He was a regular, and they were friendly. So as long as he didn't try to steal from her, she'd be fine with it.

Ox sat a small pouch of gold on the table with a 'clink', as the woman he'd known for a few months prepared him his drink. "Is it out of the question to ask if this was legally obtained, today, Ox?" The elven woman was soft-spoken, but there was a hint of playfulness in her voice - she was teasing him.

Ox winked at her and took his drink, "All's that matters is that it was obtained, Olivia. How's the arm? Or, well, lack-there-of?"

Olivia wiped the counter, as she noted Ox's concern. He was the one, after all, that had brought her here and saved her life. In more than one way. "Haven't felt phantom pain in a minute, but I still try to use it, from time to time."

Ox was going to continue their conversation, until he heard something that interested him, more. A diverse group of people sat at a table close to the bar, and they seemed to have stories to tell. Ox recognized them as one of the groups that were occasionally sent to the surface. It consisted of a dwarf, a half-orc, an elf, and a few humans. Humans always interested Ox, and he liked learning about them - but since he was a shapeshifter, he was seldom trusted by them.

The dwarven woman was the first to tell the story, and she looked excited to do it, as she spoke. "So, there we were - we hadn't seen very red-eyes, lately. Most of 'em were off in this huge, weird horde. They were all goin' towards that one stadium - you know that one, downtown, relatively close to The Yak?"

People of all kinds gathered around the table, eager to hear more.

"And you won't guess who we saw, once we peeked in, to see what was going on." The woman continued, and there were a few shouts from the crowd. There were all kinds of suggestions being thrown, until the half-orc slammed their fist on the table, making everyone quiet down. "Thanks, Nash. Any, you know those mysterious Magistrates that have been going around and helping people? The ones Perditus went up to the surface, after? It was them!"

The elf started telling the story, next, as the dwarven woman picked up her beer. He spoke with grandeur as he picked up, where she left off. "The tall one - I could be wrong, but I thought her name was Mystella - faced Perditus head-on! She had the white-haired guy, and the green-haired elf guy with her, but she didn't take his bait! If I remember correctly, she threatened him as he held her wife hostage, and then she ran at the old Mind Magistrate, Animus!"

There were gasps and whispers from the crowd, mostly speaking of Animus. Not many knew that he was still alive, they just thought that Perditus was doing this all of his own volition. Ox sat back in his seat, more intrigued about the magistrates than he was, before. Olivia was minding her own business, but what had caught her attention, was the mention of the green-haired elf.

She spoke up from where she was, as she continued wiping down the table. "An elf was with them? Did you catch his name?"

The elven man looked over at her, a little startled. He wasn't expecting to hear her speak up. "Well, I didn't. But I do know that Levi - the Storm Magistrate - was with them but that's all I know. We would have stayed around longer, but after their friend got taken, and Mystella started beating up the big guy, we didn't really want to risk being caught. It was a good thing, too. We heard a huge explosion after we left."

Olivia smiled to herself and looked down at the bar, her dull, hazel eyes reflected in them. "Good to know."

Ox nodded, and then slipped out the bar, once more. Not without pick-pocketing a few more people, though. He figured that he'd stay in his elven form, since it had the personality that he liked the most, anyway. "Perhaps meeting these people would be worthwhile."

Perditus walked through his community, ignoring people vying for his attention. He had been through a lot lately, and he needed a long, hot shower. It would most likely use up most of his rations, but he didn't care. He finally had a breather to be away from Animus, and it had felt like it was forever since the last time he could do anything with his own will. Everyone had questions about everything, ranging from his fight with the magistrates to his plans about the future. He already knew that word was circulating, and that more and more people were learning about the Magistrates.

Once he finally made it to his own house, finally secluded from everyone else, Perditus leaned against his door and slid down slowly, taking a breath. With how long he'd been under Animus's control, only able to watch as he ruled over and hurt people he once knew, he didn't know what to do with himself. He was worried that any minute, Animus would come back and rebind him.

Perditus got up from where he was on the ground, and got some of his clothes from his drawers - he was still getting used to being allowed to do things alone, but in a way, it was also exhilarating. He wondered if this was what it felt like, to be a child going through a rebellious phase. He never had a chance to experience childhood, but he'd caught snippets from the kids that ran around his community. They didn't have the best life, but he took pride in the fact that he didn't allow Animus to start training them for an army until they reached maturity.

Making his way to his bathroom, Perditus couldn't help but hear the radio that was blaring from within. He thought he'd shut it off before Animus had taken him, but he figured that it just started up, again. It wasn't that uncommon, considering that electricity could be finicky, down here. What did intrigue him, though, was what the broadcasters were talking about. He listened, as he undressed and prepared his shower.

"As we all know, a few days ago our beloved leader, Perditus, went to the surface to rid of those supposed Magistrates that have been-" Perditus sighed and turned off the radio, before stepping into the shower.

The hot water hit his pale skin, as it fogged up the bathroom. The radio crackled back on, continuing close to where it left off. "It is being reported that there was a huge fight, and The Rose Magistrate was forced to kill the one woman she'd spent her time looking for. Yes - Azeline, Perditus's hostage that he's kept for years, now, is finally dead."

Perditus furrowed his brows and poked his head from out of the glass shower doors, confused. He knew he turned the radio off, and he hadn't seen any particularly noticeable fluctuations. Frowning, Perditus switched the station this time, and a slow song came on. It wasn't a song that he'd normally listen to, but it was better than hearing the broadcast.

As he continued his shower, making sure to take extra care with his hair, since he could do that - he noticed that the song was becoming distorted. Voices whispered from the radio until they started getting louder and louder. "It was you. You killed her, you killed all of them. You have to live with all of their blood on your hands."

Perditus shook his head, trying to ignore the voices. The clamp on his wrist started glowing, and he gritted his teeth as it started poking his wrist with pins and needles. He forgot about the clamp, for a sweet moment. It was still Animus's way of controlling him, even if he wasn't there. Perditus picked up the radio and threw it at the wall in a fit of rage so that the voices would stop.

The pins and pricks stopped, too, as the device smashed into pieces. Perditus held his wrist tightly, before deciding to finish his shower. He never wanted this - he didn't even want to be a magistrate. But Animus stopped at nothing, to get what he wanted. Even if that meant making everyone hate him. Perditus knew all too well what kind of person Animus was, and he knew his plans for the future. Perditus never agreed, but it was hard to voice his opinion when Animus made him approve of whatever he did. He let the products in his hair run down until they were washed off and swirled down the drain.

Perditus wrapped himself in a towel and stepped out of the shower, his dark purple eyes immediately trailing over to look at the broken radio. He sighed softly, and put his hair up in a towel to dry, before getting dressed. He knew what he had to do before he left to meet the magistrates, though it was hard.

Perditus's shoes clacked against the cold concrete of the hallway he was walking down. All kinds of strange machines lined the walls on either side of him, each of them beeping and tapping in different ways. It had been a few days - close to a week - since he was down here, last, and that was to grab Azeline. He steeled himself as he walked past her empty cell, and then past another. It was Benjamin's old cell, and while he disliked him when he was alive because of how he treated his family, he never wanted to kill him.

Finally making it to where he needed to be, Perditus pressed his finger into a slot, and it read his fingerprint. He knew it would work, he just had to wait a few agonizing seconds. Once he heard a prolonged beep, he knew that it was okay to proceed, and that's what he did. Perditus took a deep breath and entered, bracing himself for what he knew he'd see.

In a tall vat with clear liquid that reached the ceiling was his brother, suspended. He breathed slowly through a face mask, though his breaths were shallow. Perditus knew that he could see him, but it had been a long time since he looked at him. Animus loved torturing him with his brother - just beyond his reach, the suspension barely keeping him alive. He knew that if he left him alive, that Animus would only use him against him in the upcoming war he knew would happen.

Perditus couldn't help the tear that rolled down his cheek as he watched his brother float there, helpless. He should have been running around, playing with kids his age. He shouldn't have ever had to deal with any of this, and it was Perditus's fault. He'd promised his parents that he'd always protect him until his dying breath, and he wasn't even able to do that.

He knew what he had to do, and he knew that it would only stain his hands with yet another's blood.

Perditus pulled the lever and watched as the liquid started slowly draining from the vat, and the face mask retreated into the depths of the machine. He pressed his hand to the glass, and his brother did the same. It had been a while since he had responded to Perditus, but now, he didn't look angry, anymore. He looked like he was at peace, now.

Once the liquid was completely drained and his brother's corpse lay at the bottom of the vat, Perditus could only see his reflection in the glass. He retracted his hand and wiped his eyes, not even aware of the fact that he was crying before he'd seen his appearance. "Don't worry, Animus will pay for this. I promise."

Perditus turned and left the chambers, for the last time.

It had been a few days since Axel's wings had emerged, and he was still struggling to get used to them. That being said, he was flying straight towards a tree.

A scream came from the man as he soared uncontrollably, and then quickly became tangled in the tree's branches. Mystella and Yevelda had a similar reaction, as Mystella watched him crash into the tree, and Yevelda heard it. A groan was heard, then, until he fell straight to the ground. It wasn't that high of a drop, and he was fine - but it still hurt.

Mystella walked over to him, Yevelda following close behind. She stifled her laughter as she held out a hand, Axel taking it gratefully. He held onto her hand for a moment longer, though, to stop himself from toppling over backward. The weight of the wings was another thing he was trying to get used to - the most he'd carried for as long as he could remember was a large backpack. He could even carry that anymore, but he still found a way to carry around his hand sanitizer, which he was lathering up and down his arms.

"Well, once you're done trying to drown yourself in hand sanitizer, you can try again." Mystella looked over his bruises and cuts and frowned. He had attempted this more times than she could keep track of, but she was only making him do it because she wanted to make sure that they wouldn't hold him back.

Rakira came out of the small community, though, and ran up to Mystella. "Hey, Stella - dinner is being served, now."

Mystella looked over at Axel who was giving her puppy eyes. Mystella stared at him for a prolonged moment, but he didn't let up. "Fine, I guess you've trained enough. For now."

"Yes!" Axel high-fived Rakira and ran back in through the gates, as Mystella smiled softly, shaking her head.

Yevelda smiled, too. "It's pretty sweet, you know. The way you act like an older sister, with them. I'm sure they haven't felt anything like that, in a long time."

Mystella looked over at her, with her arms crossed over her chest. "I wouldn't say that. I'm just making sure that they know how to take care of themselves, once I'm gone."

Yevelda and Mystella started walking back to the community, but the way Mystella said that confused her. "What do you mean, 'once you're gone'?"

Mystella stared ahead and shrugged. "Well, I'm not going to be around, forever. Everyone dies, eventually. Even magistrates." She looked down, thinking once more about Chronos and Azeline. She missed them both terribly and felt horrible for how both of them died. She knew that if she just pushed herself harder, that she would have been able to save them. Both of them deserved better, and she wouldn't let herself make the same mistakes with anyone else.

Yevelda was quiet, but she spoke up. "Stories of what happened at the stadium have been circling for the past few days, and the huge fight in the clouds, too." Mystella stared ahead as they got closer to their destination, but she listened. "You did what you could. Axel said Chronos was dying, anyway, and well, just because you were the one that smashed your hammer into Azeline, doesn't mean you were the one who killed her. She's been dead for a long time, because of Animus and Kaedea."

Mystella clenched her jaw, forcing the feeling welling up in her chest down. "You don't know what happened, and you don't understand what happened to either of them. Don't try to console me, when you've only heard stories." Mystella stormed off, leaving Yevelda to go to the dining hall by herself.

Levi stole a piece of Rakira's food, which led to him getting punched in the arm and Levi yelling "ow", which is how Yevelda found them. She got her food and then quietly sat down at the table, next to Levi and across from Axel.

Axel looked at Yevelda and smiled, "Hey! Where's Stella, I thought she was walking with you?"

Yevelda shrugged and then started poking at her food with her fork.

Axel frowned, "Yevelda? What's wrong?"

Yevelda sighed, as Rakira and Levi continued fighting next to her and Axel. "It's nothing, Axel. Mystella just.." She pushed her food aside, getting quieter. "I upset her, without meaning to. I was just trying to help." Mystella was Yevelda's favorite magistrate, and she idolized her - so the fact that she made her that upset made her feel even worse.

Axel listened closely, as he adjusted how he was sitting, trying to not squash his wings against the chair. It was only one of the problems that he had found himself dealing with. "Mystella is.." Axel looked for the words, as he cut his food. "Tricky, least to say. It's as if she doesn't ever want anyone to know that she has any emotions, besides being angry at everyone - at the world. She's lost everything she ever cared about, and can't even remember who she used to be. All she had was us - me, Levi, Rakira, Chronos, and Kaedea - and that all fell apart. Kaedea ended up betraying all of us, and Chronos died making sure that we could save Rakira."

Yevelda was bumped by Levi, who smirked at her. He forgot she couldn't see him and wiggled his brows. "Hey, if you want to get on her good side, you could always bring her mac'n'cheese. It's like, her Achilles heel."

Yevelda took him seriously, though, and stood quickly. "Alright - I'll do that. Thanks!"

Axel looked over at Levi, in disbelief. "Seriously? Do you think mac'n'cheese is going to make Mystella feel better? She just lost the person she cared for the most in the world and Yevelda accidentally reopened that wound."

Levi shrugged, "I mean, yeah. That's what I did when she and Astro's cat died."

Axel pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to see where Levi was coming from, but he couldn't. "You can't be serious, Levi."

Levi sighed, as Rakira kicked him and he retaliated. "Just wait. They'll come back, and it'll work like a charm."

Mystella stared down at the note she'd written, addressed to Axel. She folded it carefully and put it in her pocket, trying to figure out how she could give it to him, without him getting worried. Her hand bumped Kaedea's glasses, though, and she took them out. She couldn't help but think of her when she saw them, and it only made her feel worse.

A knock sounded at the door, and Mystella quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her sleeve. "Come in."

Yevelda slowly opened the door, holding a bowl of mac'n'cheese, just like Levi told her to. Mystella, who was on the floor, looked up at her. "Hey, Yevelda."

Yevelda smiled sheepishly and sat next to her, handing the bowl to her. Mystella couldn't help but crack a smile, though she still wanted to cry. "Did Levi set you up to this?"

Yevelda laughed softly, crossing her legs underneath herself. "Something like that. I just came by, because I wanted to apologize. I wasn't thinking, and I thought that I could help. But I've never lost anyone so close to me, so I'm sorry. For being insensitive."

Mystella stared down at her food, listening to her speak. Once she was done, she sat aside Kaedea's glasses and sat up, to level with Yevelda. "It's okay, Yevelda. I shouldn't have been so mean, especially since you and your people have been so accommodating and nice, to us. I just.." Mystella sighed, thinking of what she wanted to say. "Azeline was everything to me. She was the one person that I fought for, even when Axel and Rakira came around. It took me forever to trust them, and then they snuck into that small list of people that I actually cared about. Then as the months went on, Levi, Kaedea, and Chronos snuck into it, too."

Yevelda nodded, fiddling with her fingers. "I wish I could say I understand, but I can't. I'm sorry, Mystella. I really hope that you guys can give Animus what he deserves."

"Trust me, I'm eight steps ahead of him. He may think he knows what's going on, but I've got a plan. But hey," Mystella set the bowl aside and took Yevelda's hand. Yevelda was surprised, but relaxed, after a moment. Mystella then pressed Kaedea's glasses into her hand and closed Yevelda's fingers around them. "Promise me, that when the time comes around, you'll use these for the right reason."

Yevelda furrowed her brows in confusion, as Mystella got up. Yevelda inspected the glasses in her hands until she realized what they were. She turned back to Mystella, her words caught in her throat. "Mystella?" Mystella turned around, and Yevelda got up, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you. You don't understand how much this means, to me."

Mystella hugged her back until she let go. "Of course, kid. Why don't you put them on, make sure they still work?"

Yevelda hesitated, holding the glasses carefully. With Mystella's approval, she put them on. The world of black that she knew, that she was used to, started fading slowly. At first, she could only start to make out shapes, and she couldn't help but look around. Then, her vision started becoming more clear, until she could see perfectly. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she took everything in, forgetting how beautiful the world was. She looked down at Mystella, who was smiling at her. It was the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen - even before she lost her vision - and she couldn't help but be taken aback by how pretty she really was. She heard the tales, and knew that Mystella was beautiful - but nothing had prepared to actually see her.

"I'll assume that they're working, then. Just make sure that you'll be here to help when the need arises. For now, though," Mystella wiped away her tears, still smiling at her. "You just train, okay? I've been told that a bow really works, with those."

Mystella turned and left, leaving Yevelda to take everything in. She walked back to the dining hall feeling a little better than before. She had no doubts that Yevelda was the right person, and now she needed to fulfill Chronos's dying wish.

Axel, Rakira, and Levi were already done with their food, and Axel was watching as they kept hitting each other, from over the table. He shook his head, embarrassed of them both. Once he saw Mystella enter, though, he smacked Levi to get both of their attentions.

All three of them scrambled to go meet her, and she smiled sadly. "C'mon, guys. It's time to go."

Axel and Rakira talked to each other about something that only they understood, purposefully trying to confuse Levi. Levi would throw a phrase or two that he'd heard them say before, only to be laughed at. Mystella wanted to laugh, too, but she couldn't. She just stared up at the evening sky, a million thoughts swirling around in her head. Chronos's last words echoed through her, and she couldn't forget them.

It took Mystella a moment to realize that everyone was quiet and staring at her as they walked, but when she realized, she was surprised. "Stella? You okay?" Axel asked, concerned.

Mystella forced a smile, "Of course I am, Axel. I guess I'm just thinking a lot, right now." she paused and the silence dragged on, for a few moments before she spoke again. "I mean, this is it, right? After we get Perditus and we banish Animus, again, it'll be over. We'll have saved the world."

Axel shrugged, his wings fluttering with the movement as he looked at Rakira. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't plan on leaving, any time soon. Even when we do get this all under control, there's still a lot to do. A Magistrate's work is never truly done, after all."

Levi butted in, then, nudging Mystella. "Besides, once we're done here, I believe we still have to find a certain someone, don't we?"

Rakira chimed in, too. "Yeah! And we can all stay together, just in case Animus comes back with another lackey!"

Mystella smiled, but it was bittersweet. Her crimson eyes trailed over all three of the others, and she took a moment to appreciate what she had. Without the people she'd met in the past few months, none of this would have been possible. She would have still been wandering the wasteland aimlessly, without any leads to where Azeline was. She would have been taken by Perditus and then tortured by Animus.

She didn't like thinking about it, but the moment that Axel ran out of those woods, her life was flipped completely upside-down. He came into her life without warning, and then they found Rakira. They trained for a month until she knew they would be able to run with her, and then they met Kaedea.

Kaedea.

Though she wouldn't admit it, she never expected that Kaedea was helping Animus. She remembered how they would sometimes stay up until the late hours of the night talking, and how Kaedea would give her pointers on how to shoot a bow. She was the one that taught Kaedea how to use a dagger - and while she didn't use it very often, they could tell how excited Kaedea was every time she'd kill something with it. She remembered sitting with her as she cried, and listening to her problems that she wouldn't vent to anyone else about. Mystella believed that she was a good person, and she broke that trust when she tortured Rakira.

Mystella couldn't help but think of Chronos, too. Kaedea had manipulated her for so long, to the point where she no longer trusted him. He was good, though. Possibly the best out of all of them. He sacrificed himself so that the others could go on, and pushed himself every day so that he could keep up, even though he was dying. She remembered how he would hold a picture close to his chest sometimes at night when he thought no one else was awake, and how he'd cry. She knew that feeling all too well, especially now that Azeline was gone for good.

She knew that Axel and Rakira were still traumatized - they'd be surprised if they weren't. Mystella noticed how Axel clung tighter to Rakira when he slept, and how he'd unconsciously pull him closer to him with his wings when someone got too close. Axel was afraid of losing the man he loved, and she knew that he still blamed himself for his family's death.

She also knew that Rakira still thought about his family a lot, too. He never spoke of them, but she'd put the pieces together, after so long of knowing him. She made sure to reassure Rakira as often as she could that he could always talk to her, and though he always smiled and agreed, she knew that he wouldn't. He was just like her, even if she never wanted that to happen.

"Yeah, that sounds nice, Sunflower. I'd like that." Mystella finally answered Rakira, as she stared ahead. They were getting close to the hospital - to the place they hadn't been in, for months. There was no telling who, or what was inside of it, now.

The foliage that Axel had grown was still thriving since he'd left it, and some of the trees were even growing fruit. Weeds had begun pushing through the cracks in the concrete, as vines almost completely engulfed the buildings around them. It was beautiful, but also a reminder. A reminder of what civilization once was, and what it was, then. And though the evening sun shined down on the group, illuminating their features, there was still an overwhelming feeling of dread.

Mystella stopped in front of the hospital, and the others followed suit. Levi had been in and out of there a few times, but they were always pre-apocalypse. It made him miss the simplicity of the life he had, before. Making sure Astro got to her appointments seemed like such a small task. He'd do anything to make that his biggest concern, again.

Axel took Rakira's hand, as the memories of that place washed over him. He remembered the gruesome scene of his dad being murdered, and how he apologized to him, for once in his entire life. It was a simple, "I'm sorry for failing you," but it had stuck with him ever since. Nothing his father did would ever let him forgive and forget, but he still couldn't help but think about how he slowly killed himself, making sure that Axel wouldn't have to deal with getting the Elk Glass too fast.

Levi took a breath and broke the heavy silence. "So. Are we ready to go deal with my poor excuse of a brother?"

Just as they were about to answer, though, a familiar face poked around the corner. It was Perditus, and he looked like he was severely out of place. Perditus looked over the four and then stepped out. He wasn't wearing a suit like they'd seen plenty of other times, but rather a t-shirt with cargo pants. His long purple hair was tied back in a messy bun, and he ushered them in.

Axel pulled up his facemask, already knowing the number of germs that would be residing in there. He also briefly let go of Rakira's hand, to slather his hands with hand sanitizer. Mystella was the first to enter, though she did it cautiously. There was still no guarantee that they could trust him, but she figured that she'd at least give him a chance.

Perditus looked over the four once again, just to make sure that they were actually there, and then clapped his hands together, rather loudly. "Okay - so first things first, I need these off of me." He referred to the clamp first, and then to his earring, which had a bright purple stone in the middle of it.

Levi stepped closer to the man and then reached for his ear. His snowy-white eyes made contact with Perditus's, who smiled. "I can take the earring, but know this - you won't have any of your powers or benefits, anymore."

Perditus nodded, "That's completely fine, I just want it out - I wanted nothing to do with being a Magistrate, anyway." There was a pause and some glares, and Perditus swallowed hard. "But I will help restore everything if that is what the hostile looks are for. I know that I'm part of the problem."

Levi nodded, and then sighed, "I won't be able to take the clamp off, though. Only Animus would be able to do that, and I highly doubt that he will."

Perditus's smile dropped, along with his hopes. He knew he had to go through with this, though, unless he wanted to be further controlled by Animus. "I understand. Just do it, then."

Levi nodded and started saying something in a foreign language under his breath. His eyes started glowing a bright white, as Perditus's started glowing a bright purple. The others had to shield their eyes since the light emanating from them both was too bright. This would be sure to attract Animus, and they realized that. What further pushed that thought, was when the sky went dark, outside. Levi held the earring in his hand, watching as it pulsed slowly. It was seemingly a last-ditch effort by Animus, to kill the Magistrates once and for all. No one could see the pulsing, though, except for Mystella and Levi. Both of their eyes met, and he just knew.

Mystella took the earring from Levi, knowing what she had to do. She took off her signature long coat, and their eyes met. He knew who she wanted him to give it to, and she trusted him enough to follow through.

Mystella felt in her pocket for the note she'd written for Axel and her necklace, knowing who the only person she could trust them with. She then pulled Rakira aside, into another room so that the others couldn't hear. "Sunshine, hey - I need to do something. Can you promise this, for me?"

Rakira was confused as she pressed the note into his hand, and looked into her eyes. He could tell that whatever she planned to do, that it wasn't good. But he trusted her and would follow whatever Mystella told him to do. "Whatever you need, Mystella."

Mystella smiled, letting the note sitting in his hand. "Two things. One," She kissed Rakira's forehead, and then pulled him into a tight hug. "Keep Axel safe for me, okay? No matter what - you two always be there for each other, alright? And another thing - a two in one thing, really. Make sure he doesn't follow me, and you three get as far away as possible. Make sure he gets this note, too."

Rakira couldn't help the tears welling in his eyes, as he processed what she was saying to him. It took him a moment, but he realized what she planned to do. He stayed silent, as Mystella wiped away his tears. "It's gonna be okay, Sunflower, I promise. Chronos told me that it was either me or Axel that had to make sure this thing would get destroyed, and I'll be damned if it's him. I'm telling you because I know that he'll try to stop me. But hey," Rakira's tears flowed down his cheeks, now, and he couldn't stop. "I get to be with Azeline, you get to be with Axel. It's a win-win"

Mystella walked away and found Axel and Levi, who she pulled into a tight hug. "I'll miss you both, so much." Mystella then let go before Axel could resist, and ran away, holding the earring tightly in her grasp.

Axel realized what was going on and cried out, running after her. He tripped over his wings, though, and fell painfully to the ground. Rakira ran over to him and enveloped him in a hug, even as Axel resisted. "Let me go! I won't let her sacrifice herself!"

Levi gritted his teeth as he came face-to-face with Animus outside, and held his arms out. Rain almost immediately started pouring from the sky, lightning crashing harshly across the sky. Animus shouted with rage and went after Levi, as Axel screamed for Mystella. Perditus stood shell-shocked, before retreating back into his community. He still looked like a magistrate - what with his purple hair, and purple eyes, so he knew that he'd be respected, for at least a little while.

Mystella knew she needed to do this - she was the last hope in destroying the power that would eventually be used to deprive the world of what made it, well, the world. But even as she ran through the storm with Titan beside her, there was still something inside her telling her that she might not be ready for death, yet. She'd be leaving everything behind - all the memories she never got back, the new ones, and the ones that could be made. She'd be leaving behind the people that gave her a will to live again after losing her wife not once, but twice, and that was scary, to her.

She'd never see how they'd rebuild civilization but knew they would do a good job. But Chronos had told her before he sacrificed his life, that either she or her best friend had to die, to save everyone. Axel didn't deserve to die. He'd been through a lot and still stood tall, his change in character vastly different from when she first met him in that forest, that fateful day. She never expected that she'd be sacrificing her life for him. Even as she heard him scream for her to come back, she kept running, holding the Mind Glass close to her chest, her boots pounding against the wet asphalt as she ran to where she'd be far enough from everyone else, and that they'd be out of the blast range.

Mystella, the woman that no one wanted to face because she was cold and intimidating, had softened. The woman that once mercilessly killed survivors for getting in her way was now giving up her life for those that had weaseled into her heart without warning. Her tears streamed down her cheeks as the rain pelted against her. She'd lost track of how far she'd gotten, then, but deep down knew that she wasn't far enough. She couldn't hear Axel's pained cries anymore, nor the fighting between Levi and Animus, but there was no telling how big the blast range was. She'd run out of time, though, as she felt the glass start to pulsate faster.

Everything she had been through for the past two years flashed through her head - the good, the bad, the funny. She remembered Axel's stupid jokes, Levi's attempts at flirting with everyone, Kaedea's sweet smile - and her eventual betrayal - Chronos's dull eyes, as he saw his long-lost love beckoning him. She remembered what she couldn't recall too, though. Being in Azeline's arms when she had to kill her first set of targets, and holding Azeline in return, when she worried about losing Mystella, again. She remembered babysitting Perditus's brother, hanging out with Levi and Kaedea, going to Azeline's favorite coffee place.

Mystella remembered how, as a child, her father would hold her hands and teach her how to dance, letting her step on his feet. She remembered how Levi would do the same with Astro, and how she would squeal with laughter as he picked her up. She wondered why she would ever leave that life behind, but instead of dwelling on the bad, she continued remembering how beautiful her life was, before.

They remembered, in specific, how Astro would always throw welcome home "parties" for them every time Mystella would get home from a mission, and how her anger and anxiety would immediately just melt away, at the sight of Levi and Astro greeting her, and then giving her warm hugs. She smiled to herself, as the memories came.

It was bittersweet, but she'd finally gotten what she wanted: she remembered who she was, before the apocalypse. She wasn't as cold as Kaedea had described her to be - loving and caring, rather. She remembered the lives she spent with Azeline and Levi, how they both fought for her love, even though she always inevitably died, again. The last thing she thought of, though, as the glass started getting more violent with its pulses, was how she'd finally be with the woman she loved, again.

She knew that she'd be missed, but she also understood that this was necessary. She needed to die so that they could live, and that Animus would finally die, with her. She remembered how Chronos explained it, saying how it would explode once removed.

These were Mystella's last few moments alive, and she smiled. She knew that her friends could fix this broken world without her, and she realized that she had no regrets. She only hoped that they'd give her glass to someone that deserved it. Mystella finally looked up at the stormy sky, rain hitting her face, as the glass finally exploded.

"Are you coming, My Rose?" A voice beckoned her.

There were no pain, no thoughts. Just Azeline in front of her, waiting for Mystella to take her hand.

"I'm coming, Azeline."

The explosion was beautiful, and it was visible even from how far away it was. The shock waves would come soon, and Levi shielded Rakira and Axel so that it would be less likely for them to get hit by anything. The explosion shook the buildings, but they stood steady. The vines reclaiming them held them, but the ones closest to where it came from were less lucky. They crumbled around the sight.

Levi didn't let go of them until everything had calmed. He was the only one unable to cover his ears and so they were bleeding, but that was the very least of his worries. Even as his ears rang insistently, he couldn't help the tears that flowed from his eyes.

He'd lost Mystella again - but this time, it was permanent. Nothing he'd been through ever prepared him for this, and it completely shattered his heart. Once the dust cleared he stood shakily and started forcing himself to move. He made it outside, and his eyes widened ten-fold. "Axel, Rakira! The Rose Shield, it's up!"

Axel and Rakira's eyes also went wide, and they followed Levi. There was, indeed, the shield. It was huge, and the petals curled around themselves. There was a possibility that she had survived, and Levi was willing to take the risk. He ran towards her with tears still pouring out of his eyes, and Axel followed right behind him. Rakira shoved Axel's note and Mystella's necklace in his pocket and ran after them, still feeling dreadful about what they'd seen.

Levi finally reached the rose and started tearing it apart. It made his fingers bleed as he forced the petals to pull back, but he didn't care. Pain coursed through his hands, but only one thought was going through his head - She was alive. She had to be.

He resorted to hacking at it with his chakrams until he found the cracks that Rakira had made. "Rakira, break it, you have to!"

Rakira wiped his tears away, watching as Mystella's coat fluttered in the wind from its place on Levi's shoulder. "I can't! The limiter won't let me-"

Before he finished talking, though, Levi finally made a hole, and then destroyed the rest of the shield. Mystella's body was completely limp, and it fell. Levi caught her and held her face, his tears falling to hit her face, and then trail down. There was blood leaking from her closed eyes, her ears, and her mouth. Levi's blood mixed with hers, as he trembled.

She was dead, and it was permanent. Levi's voice cracked, as he tried to wake her up. "Mystella, please. I've lost you a thousand times, I can't lose you for good."

Axel buried his face in Rakira's shoulder as he cried, his sobs wracking his body violently. He too had a moment of hope, though it was slim. But his world crashed around him, as his mentor and best friend laid there, completely unresponsive.

Levi sniffled, finally coming to terms with the fact that she was truly gone. Looping one of his arms underneath her legs, and one to support her back, he stood. He looked to Axel and Rakira with tears in his eyes, as he tried to speak. "We.." he took a breath, trying not to look at his soulmate's corpse. "We need to bury her, somewhere nice."

It took them a while to get there, but the group of three finally made it to a beautiful field, filled with all types of wildflowers. It was the place where she was always at peace, and where she'd always joked about wanting to be buried.

They were all silent as Axel used his glass to open up a hole in the ground, and Levi laid her down in the bed of vines that Axel had made, before. It was nowhere near the funeral she deserved, but it was the best they could do. They watched as her lifeless body was lowered into the makeshift grave, and the rain tapped away at the coat he held close to himself.

Rakira watched as the ground closed once more, and then put the gravemarker into the ground as well. Axel sprouted a tree next to her grave, too, so that it would always be easy to find. Levi walked away without another word, and Axel and Rakira let him.

And so the man that had started this all as a naive boy, who didn't know how to survive the apocalypse stared out at the setting sun, smiled. His fingers intertwined with his lover's, and he just knew, that deep down.

"Goodbye, Sacramentum. I'll miss you."

His story wasn't over, yet.