It was raining that day too; the day they had first met. In fact, he could vaguely remember that day in detail; it was his most cherished memory of her. The day he had been broken from Kaze'aze's control and his life changed forever. He bore the sins he had committed upon his shoulders, turning that into his strength, hacking away at his past with every slash of his daggers, every slash of his scimitar, swipe of his claws and stroke of his Nodachi. Through years of diligence, he had become someone worthy of repaying her and the Grand Chase for bringing him back from his madness, for freeing him from the control of a demon who wanted to use him because of his unique ability.

And just like that, it was all over.

They were supposed to be happy; together forever! That's what they had promised in their vows to each other! They had promised to protect each other and to make sure that no matter what happened; they would be safe from harm.

He couldn't protect her.

The guilt and shame rose up in his chest, burning like a raging inferno and spreading throughout his body, weakening his limbs and his façade until the tiniest hint of a sobs escaped his lips. Her body lay limp before him, her blood staining his clothes and his hands as her lifeblood slowly seeped and pooled about her form. Clenching his teeth, he clutched at his hair and let out a strangled cry, his body shaking heavily from barely suppressed fury.

This wasn't what they had planned at all! They were supposed to have lived long lives together in Silver Cross! She was going to start a mage guild there and he would take over the dojo for his master, training the next Striker-to-be and raising their children together! They were supposed to be happy and smiling! She was supposed to greet him every morning with a kiss on the lips and a gentle hug, send him off with a warm meal in his stomach and more kisses, and then welcome him home with a running tackle, kissing him as they landed on the ground while their sons gagged and choked at the display of affection. And when they went to bed that night, they would talk about their days and then fall asleep, their pinkies locked into a pinky promise, a promise of yet another day together as a loving family.

But he couldn't protect her. He couldn't make that dream come true. She lay dead before him, bleeding from a wound in her chest, where a stray arrow had pierced her heart, killing her instantly. He had gone wild then, forgetting his training and his discipline; he was a man of righteous fury, and no one could stop him. Not even Aerknard, who had done his best to hold the boy off from attacking everything in his path. He had wounded the immortal greatly just to get by, and laid waste to an army of trained Dark Elves. Afterlife be damned, he vowed to chase their souls for all eternity and slaughter them each and every time he found them, again and again until they atoned for killing the one woman he had ever loved.

When his fury subsided, he had dropped his Nodachi, trudging back to where her body lay slumped against a wall. He carried her away slowly, tears running down his face. He wasn't sure when it had started raining, or even why. He didn't really care either. As if today couldn't get any worse, the rain brought back memories of her when she was alive. Memories of her smile, her laughter, her teasing and her gentleness as they lay together after having spent hours just holding each other.

And now, just like that, she was gone.

Perhaps it was fate. He had never been the type to believe in such things, but what else could it be? He was a freak—the unholy union of a human and a demon. He was a heretic, a devil-child, and many, many things. Maybe this was divine justice. Perhaps this was Ernasis' way of scorning him, by taking away that which he loved most. Or maybe Lisnar and Armenian wanted the girl to come to the afterlife. He didn't care. He wanted her back. If he had to trek through the fires of the Underworld or even Hell itself, so be it.

When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he knew that it was time. He still had to give her a proper burial. Looking up at the persons kneeling by his side, he could see the equally distraught Elesis doing her best to stay strong. "Come on, let's go. I think she'd be happier knowing we all got past this. She wouldn't want us to be upset."

"Yeah." Was all he could manage before he lifted the now dead girl in his arms. Even in death, she was so light. Her frame was so frail and tiny, yet she ate so many sweets it was a miracle she hadn't gained all that weight.

It hadn't been the best funeral procession, and not many people wanted to speak up and say much, except Rin who, though kind, had brought more tears to everyone's eyes with her words. Lass hadn't paid attention though. He just continued to stare at the peaceful girl's face, now amidst a sea of white flowers. Jin, Sieghart and Ryan slowly lowered her into the grave, and everyone looked at him, as if expecting last words to his dearly departed. "I…." He started, choking on his words. Everyone knew what he wanted to say. Even Rufus, who stood away from the group like Zero, Dio and ley. It wasn't that they weren't friends with the girl either, because her childish, adorable demeanor had affected everyone. They simply respected the others' space and let them be.

"I…." Year's worth of memories came flooding back. The kisses, the hugs, cuddling, promises…all of it came rushing back, bring with them, a soft, loving smile to the boy's face, as well as fresh tears. "I'll never forget you. I love you."

And just like that, as they covered the grave and placed the roughly carved gravestone, the lives of the Grand Chase were transformed forever.

~Years Later-

As he held the squirming child in his lap as she fought against his wriggling fingers, young Arme Sieghart burst into laughter as Lass tickled her. "I told you I'd get you!" He told the five year old, holding her tightly against him. Her giggling and squirming attracted the couple sitting not far away, which turned to watch them. Ronan and Elesis exchanged smiles, and Lass eventually let the girl fall into his lap and pout up at him.

"You're mean uncle Lass!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. Lass chuckled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead in apology, cuddling the girl to his chest. He apologized and promised to buy her sweets later, to which she beamed.

"Just not too much, you hear? She'll spoil her dinner!" Ronan interjected. Arme pouted again, and Lass nodded, though he planned on spoiling her anyway. He always had, and probably always would. Both parents knew this, and also knew that telling him not to spoil her would do little, so they simply sighed and shook their heads.

"Hey, let's go play with the others, okay Arme? I bet you're just dying to see Aeron again!" Lass teased the girl. She blushed as she chased after the older man screaming for him to wait up. When she caught up to him and had tired herself out from beating her timy fists against him for his teasing, the two walked in relative silence.

In a way, her spirit had lived on, and that was all Lass cared about. Sure sometimes it felt he was projecting his lover onto the girl, but he knew well enough when to catch himself and it wasn't like he really meant to.

The name struck him as odd at first, and their asking permission to name her was equally as odd. He didn't care; it was just a name. But when the girl had been born, and grown up into the adorable, childish tomboy, it was apparent that she had been reborn, in a sense. He loved the girl, she was a niece you never could stay mad at.

As for Lass himself, he never remarried. He tried dating again, but his life never felt as fulfilled with another woman as it had when his Arme was alive. Everyone understood and came to accept his choice, and he seemed much happier now than he had been. It was tough moving past her death, but once he did, his old self had returned bit by bit, and soon, he became the fun-loving uncle the children loved.

They returned to Arme's grave from time to time, and Lass would leave trinkets for her that she would have liked, burying then into the ground with her so they wouldn't get stolen.

His wasn't the happiest ending of them all, but he was content, and no one could hope to take that from him.