"Aaaaaleeeex?" Robyn yelled as she walked down an empty corridor of the company building and gave a moment of silence for a response but was left with no answer.
"Where the Hells is he, we were supposed to be sparring together today." She grumbled to herself as she passed down another hallway, turning the corner and almost colliding with a small Au Ra woman.
"O-oh ah Robyn I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." Juria apologized with her hands to her face.
"No sweat Ju. You seem in a hurry, have you lost someone too?" Robyn asked.
"Yes, I'm supposed to meet with Sarya for our task today b-but I can't find her anywhere." The Au Ra sighed.
"Hmm yeah she's a sneaky one alright. Have you checked with Asugi? She practically hangs off him like a shadow." Robyn suggested.
"That's a great idea, thank you Robyn I-I'll go check with him." Juria smiled with a bow before she excused herself.
"Good luck!" Robyn waved. "Hmm speaking of hanging off people, Alex has been getting pretty close to Moira, maybe she knows where he ran off to." Suddenly full of renewed energy from the newly sprung idea, the Miqo'te raced off down the halls once more.
Juria exited the large building and made her way down the fields past a training ring and to a small area where several large pink trees were plotted around a lush shaded patch of grass and flowers. She recalled how Asugi planted them after their return from the Far East and how quickly they grew with the help of the Black Shroud's soil and Gaius' white magic. Since then Asugi usually retreated there to relax and meditate.
"Oh, hey Ju!" The Auri man waved as he noticed the timid woman approach him.
"H-hi Asugi, oh and Sarya! Robyn said I might find you here." Juria bowed.
"Need me for something?" Sarya asked.
"We were assigned to investigate that large monster sighting in the Central Shroud together remember?" Juria explained.
"Wasn't that supposed to be Robyn's job? Urgh what a bother." Sarya groaned. "Well whatever let's get this over with."
"I'm s-sorry for inconveniencing you Sarya." Juria replied sincerely.
"It's not your fault, let's just go." She dismissed.
"You two be careful out there." Asugi smiled and waved as the two Auri women departed.
Quite some time had passed as the pair trekked through the woods with no sign of their prey. It was a mostly silent trip which neither of the two seemed to mind much, however Juria had a small sense of inner conflict as she wanted to stop being seen as weak and reserved all the time. She fidgeted awkwardly and looked around as she brainstormed ideas of what to say to start a conversation between the two. This proved to be more than challenging as even the most social of company members knew barely anything about Sarya or her interests.
"So... You u-umm seem to spend a lot of time with Asugi." Juria stuttered.
"You seem to spend a lot of time with Leo and Zaren." Sarya replied bluntly. "What's your point?"
"Well I was just wondering if you two were... Close?" She replied.
"W-what are you trying to ask here?" Sarya frowned.
"Oh sorry I didn't mean to offend you I just thought that maybe you two were more than friends. I mean the way you look at him always makes me think of-" Juria explained before she was suddenly cut off.
"Enough! I don't have time for this nonsense, I'm going to finish this mission now so we can go home already." Sarya snapped before springing up into a nearby tree and leaped from branch to branch, swiftly disappearing from sight.
"S-sarya wait! I'm sorry I d-didn't mean to..." Juria ended with a soft sigh while trying to fight back tears. She walked slowly until soon coming to a stop, seating herself upon a small tree stump and burying her face in her hands.
"That was so stupid, I shouldn't have said anything." She whimpered in shame. As she sat there she looked up to notice the sky beginning to turn a bright hue of orange and the temperature begin to drop slightly. She sighed and held her head in her hands again for a moment before a nearby rustling sound from the nearby bushes caught her attention.
"H-hello? Sarya are you back?" She called out softly but there was no answer.
"Whoever you are, whatever you are... Please, show yourself!" Juria urged as she began to draw her bow cautiously but before she could complete that motion, a large figure sprang forth from the foliage towards her. She let out a frightful scream before she felt a sharp pain across her skull and afterwards lost consciousness.
"Juria, where are you? If you don't answer soon I'm just going to leave you out here all night." Sarya shouted out, the sound echoing through the seemingly empty forest. The sun had almost set and Sarya had not heard any word from her partner since she dashed off in a hurry.
"Juria, answer me now." She tried talking through her Linkpearl but received no response.
"Useless woman." She sighed to herself. "I guess maybe it is partly my fault for charging off without her, maybe I shouldn't have done that. Now what do I do? If I go back without her Asugi and Gaius will flip." Sarya grumbled, pacing back and forth as she tried to come to a conclusion.
"Alex! There you are. Why shouldn't I be surprised to find you slacking off?" Robyn exclaimed as she walked across a large pier in the town of Aleport towards the scruffy Hyur who was sitting at a stool with a sack of fishing equipment beside him.
"Easy there kiddo, I gotta have days off too y'know." Alex replied.
"You won't become stronger taking days off. You have to keep training every day to keep your body in top shape!" She lectured.
"Alright, Alright I got it. Heh, you know when I found you in the ship back with the old crew and agreed to train you all those years ago I never imagined you'd end up being the one to train me." He chuckled.
"Haha well I guess a lot cha- wait sorry hang on..." Robyn was interrupted as Sarya tried to contact her through their Linkshell.
"So it's been how long since you've seen her? ...Hmm okay I'm with Alex so I'll get him to tell Leo right away. I hope she's okay..." Robyn ended as Alex looked up at her with a furrowed brow.
"What're you getting me to tell the kid?" He asked.
"Apparently Juria's gone missing on a mission and Sarya can't find her anywhere. She doesn't want to worry Gaius and Asugi about it so she thought we might be able to help instead." She explained.
"Shit. Okay, I've got it." Alex replied.
"What?!" Leo shouted and was quickly shushed by one of the staff in the infirmary he was in. Stepping outside into the snowy streets of Ishgard he continued the conversation with his brother.
"So not even Sarya could find where she went?" Leo asked.
"Apparently she's still working on it but hasn't found anything so far." Alex replied.
"Alright I'll get there as soon as possible, thanks for letting me know." Leo replied before heading back inside. Returning to the room he initially left, he approached Neilla who was seated next to a chirurgeon with a multitude of medical equipment next to her.
"I'm sorry, but something urgent came up and I have to go." Leo announced.
"But we're almost finished, surely it can wait a little longer." She replied.
"I'm sorry, but Juria might be in danger, I have no choice." Leo said staring down at his Eternity Band on his left hand.
"Alright, I understand. I'll await you at the company building with the results." Neilla waved as the man smiled lightly and left the room.
Juria awoke on a damp dirt floor in a dimly lit room, gazing around slowly in a daze.
"Wha-where am I?" She asked herself drowsily as she slowly rose to her feet and walked towards a stone wall where a torch sat as one of the few sources of light. Juria took it and began to wander about cautiously.
"These look like Gelmorran ruins... So does that mean I'm underground somewhere? I have to find a way out of here..." She muttered to herself before wincing at a sharp pain in her head as she recalled the sudden strike before she lost consciousness. Juria began to ponder what happened before she let out a sudden squeal as something gripped her wrist tightly.
"It's dangerous to wander around." Came a familiar voice. Sharp red nails against pale white skin were illuminated beneath the torch Juria carried as the stranger came fully into view.
"L-Leo?! I'm so happy you're here!" She let out a cry of relief, but her smile quickly faded as she noticed something was off. The man before her looked like Leo, but had gleaming red eyes and deep red glyphs on one cheek and along his arms.
"What's wrong Juria, why the sudden frown? I thought you were happy to see me?" He asked with a grin. Even the voice sounded like Leo's, but had this strange, soft echo to it.
"You're not Leo, are you?" She asked nervously.
"Don't be silly, Ju." He replied as he leaned in and hugged the woman. Juria put her free arm around the man, but it felt strange, almost like hugging a doll. The man had warmth to him but it was as if nothing was really there inside of him.
"I can feel your heart begin to beat faster. Are you frightened?" The man asked.
"N-no, I-" Juria began before a loud yell down the corridor drew their attention. A large armored Dullahan with a giant sword bellowed before it began to charge down the hallway towards them. An ominous sword formed in Leo's hand as he sprinted forward and swung, deflecting the attacker's blade with his own and knocking it away. The man swiftly leaped up and brought the Soulkin crashing down on its back, Leo pinned over on top of it like some ferocious predator.
Light began to emerge as aether was seemingly siphoned from the Dulluhan, being drawn into the man's body. Soon enough the entirety of the being's aether had been drained and all that was left was Leo knelt down on the floor. He got back to his feet, retrieving his sword from the ground and slowly walking back towards Juria with a devilish smile.
"S-stay away!" She yelled, stepping back until she felt her heel hit the wall.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to be with your loving husband? I'll show you some respect!" The man yelled as he dashed forward readying his blade. Juria let out a squeal and shut her eyes.
"Ju, get down!" A voice rang out before the sound of clashing steel rang out through the corridor. As Juria opened her eyes and looked up she saw Leo, the real one holding up his greatsword and fending against the imposter's attack.
"Leo! It's really you, isn't it?" Juria asked excitedly as her husband pushed the enemy away.
"Of course, it's how I got here after all." He smiled, raising his left hand and showing his ring.
"You're not the one I needed here! No matter, I'll finish you off and proceed as planned." The imposter said before attacking again as the two began exchanging blows.
"Just what are you?!" Leo growled as he blocked an attack and swung his sword around to counter.
"I'm you Leo, the darkness inside you given form." He replied, leaping up above the sword as it swung beneath him.
"I very much doubt that..." He began as a red aura began to emanate from his body.
"After all, I can still feel it's power coursing through me. Now tell me what you really are!" Leo yelled as he swung his greatsword towards the imposter once more, creating a wave of dark energy that knocked him slamming back against the wall.
"Urgh damn, you're stronger than I thought." He wheezed.
"Don't tell me you've had enough already?" Leo mocked.
"In fact I have, for now at least. Your sudden intrusion wasn't part of my master's plan, we'll have to revise it." The imposter replied.
"Master? You mean Domitrien? Or Are you serving Alvin?" The Hyur interrogated.
"Those two? They're just more of his pawns, merely a means to an end to him. No I serve a higher power, one who possesses the potential to rule over this miserable world and envelop it in darkness." He explained with a menacing grin.
"So he's an Ascian then?" Leo responded, tightening the grip on his weapon.
"Who can really say what he is? But alas I've spoken enough. We will meet again, be sure to give your leader our regards." The imposter finished as he raised his hand forward. Chaotic energy began to emit around him before shooting forward towards Leo swiftly and enveloped him, causing the man to become stuck in a dark translucent sphere of energy.
"In the mean time I'll take good care of her." The imposter cackled as he grabbed the Auri girl around the waist and lifted her before dashing off into the darkness.
"Leo! Please help me!" She shrieked as her voice soon faded into the distance.
"Juria No! Get back here you bastard!" Leo roared, his dark aura beginning to strengthen around him as he swung his greatsword around, bashing at the barrier relentlessly.
"Moglet! Juria's being kidnapped, I need you to track her and that thing right now!" He yelled through his Linkpearl whilst continuing his barrage.
"R-right away, kupo!" A reply came from his ear, although his attention was mostly focused on the sudden shatter as he finally broke through his prison. Leo quickly headed in the direction he saw his wife disappear into and dashed up a flight of stairs, guessing his way through each turn until he finally made it to an exit to the surface. Upon inspection however, the only thing he saw was a small airship flying off into the distance.
"No! Ju..." Leo let out as he fell to his knees, a rush of different emotions filled his mind and heart at once.
"I've locked on to that man, kupo! He seems to be travelling fast but I should be able to keep a trail on him, kupo." Moglet alerted him through his Linkpearl.
"...Alright. I'm returning home, make sure Gaius isn't busy for when I arrive." Leo replied. Arriving soon after at the Company building's aetheryte, Leo sought out Gaius and soon every present member of the Free Company gathered for an urgent meeting.
"Dun Scaith, kupo. That's where they seem to be currently, inside a large castle. But the structure is pretty big, I can't tell their exact location, kupo." Moglet explained.
"Dun Scaith? Isn't that the floating city that was full of Voidsent?" Leona asked.
"It is, and if Moglet is correct then it is still heavily occupied by the Voidsent even after the defeat of Diabolos." Gaius answered.
"So not only do we have to rescue this damsel in distress from a bunch of lunatics, but we also have to cut our way through a swarm of demons to get there." Miles speculated as he swore he saw Jessika's ears perk up for a moment.
"Even if there's hundreds of them, I'll cut them down. Whatever it takes to get her back safely. It is mostly my fault this happened after all." Sarya said grimly.
"It's not your fault, those monsters are the ones who took her so it falls to us to hunt them down and bring her back safely." Anna tried to encourage her.
"Leo, Rose and Paris I'll need you three to stay and assist me in formulating a plan. I advise everyone else to rest and prepare for what's to come." Gaius announced before dismissing the meeting.
"Leo before I leave can I talk to you in private for a moment?" Neilla asked as she approached the man. He looked over to Gaius who gave a light nod before following her outside into the hallway.
"This may not be the best time to bring this up with what's happening, but the results of the tests have turned out positive, we really do share the same bloodline." Neilla informed him. She was excited about the news at first but with the sudden turn of events she couldn't help but try to keep her emotions in check.
"Really? That's... great to hear, it makes me glad." Leo's eyes widened for a moment as he struggled to put words together with all that was happening.
"I'm also joining you on this mission. This does make her my sister-in-law after all, and I'll do whatever I can to help." She explained, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it. No doubt your abilities will be a great help to us. I'm sorry but I'll have to join up with them now, I shouldn't keep this meeting waiting." Leo said softly.
"I understand. try to let yourself rest tonight, we will get her back." Neilla tried to reassure him. Leo gave her a faint smile and nodded before opening the door and entering the meeting hall once more.