AN: I have actually worked on this fic for more than two years, but I keep on scratching and rewriting it. It's hard to get across what I intended, as the genre of this story isn't my strong point. I'm hoping to finally getting around to finishing it. I'm going to shorten it significantly, and I think that will help.

This is a story about Schwann and when he went to Dahngrest and became Raven. The entire outline for this story had been written two summers ago, so I do not take into account the canon of the First Strike Movie and the story of Damuron. Or any extras from Vesperia PS3.

This happens about 3 years after the Great War. The Prologue is actually quite far along into the story already, and is told from an OC's point of view. The rest of the story will be told from Schwann's.

Lynnette stared up above her, trying to gauge the time. Such a thing has always been difficult in the city of Dahngrest, as a thick layer of purplish aer blanketed the area, smothering it in a hazy mist of perpetual twilight. The usage of Blastia was not regulated here, and misuse of the artifacts was what caused such a high amount of aer to be present, much of it trapped by the Barrier Blastia around the town. Having lived here her entire life though, she was able to pick out the small speck that was the sun from glowing orbs of aer that floated freely about.

It was still early in the morning, before many of the citizens had stirred awake to face a new day. On the other hand other more unpleasant residents on this city were withdrawing back into the shadows to rest and hide from the revealing light. Too many shadows and too many shadow-lurkers were present these days.

It was early, and she knew that he would be passing her soon enough.

"Stay with me." The woman whispered, tightening her grip on the hands of a small boy by her side. He nodded grimly, locks of his bright blonde hair falling into his eyes. He brushed them out of his bright blue eyes with annoyance, shooting trained glances all around the street, especially into the dark corners. Ignorant people, even children, didn't live long in the City that was Dahngrest.

His mother walked forward with a determined step. She held herself proudly, a plain quarterstaff in her other hand used as a walking stick. Her dark brown hair was tightly held up in a ponytail, framing her gently sloped face. Dark brown orbs were fixed deep in thought, eyebrows knitted together with cautious worry.

The streets were dangerous to be out on by yourself, especially for a woman and her child. She was determined to come out here today though, to see him safe and whole and take him back home. She has spent much too little time with him recently.

She flinched as a shadow near them enlarged and burst into a humanoid shape, and Lynn pulled Harry in protectively at her side before she realized who it was. The man made no threatening gestures, standing calmly a few feet from them, a slight scowl on his face. He crossed his arms, a generally accepted pose of peace, his hands away from the hilt of the sword at his belt.

"Mark." Lynnette breathed, relaxing and stepping forward, where the man spread his arms to pull her into a hug. He sighed, the scowl melting off his face as Lynn pressed herself against him, and the two shared a quick kiss.

"Lynn. What are you doing here?" He asked, an edge in his voice as he glanced up from her to the boy, who stood just behind his mother, looking up at him expectantly. He freed one arm and the young boy rushed in to join the hug, enjoying the sense of safety offered by the close contact. "And why did you bring Harry?"

She broke off their hug with a wry smile, staring up into his blue orbs, his face an older image of their son's.

"I missed you love. I rarely get to see you these days, so I figured I'd escort you home." She replied, leaning up to peck him on the cheek. She could feel the stubble on his chin, pushing through after a few days of neglect. He had a tired look in his eyes, bags under them from several sleepless nights. His shirt was ruffled and dirty under his leather armour, and she could feel several hidden blades pressed between her and him. The past few weeks had been hard on him.

He urged for the two of them to turn and gestured for them to begin walking and they did. Lynn pulled Harry protectively between herself and Mark as she turned to look at her husband, her smile replaced by a worried glance.

"How did it go?" She asked. He didn't answer, simply shaking his head and Lynnette felt her heart drop in her chest.

"Damn. Is Soul Smiths still being stubborn?" She whispered, though there was no one else on the street to hear them. The man gave a sigh, reflexively dropping his left wrist down to drape over the pommel of his sword. Casual looking, but within a split-second's reach of the blade.

"They're too cowardly ta make a decision." He swore, clenching his right fist up before him in frustration. "I thought that after Grimoire Light declared their support for us they'd finally give in."

Lynn nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, they are rather close...but they don't dare cut ties with Ruin's Gate. That bastard Kennedy is still speaking out against us I suppose?"

"The leader of Ruin's Gate? He's actually been pretty quiet. I think his guild had been pressurin' him ta oppose us, but I talked to him once. He was a decent enough fella."

"Kamf is probably involved in this somehow. There's no reason for us to hit such strong opposition from them. The Blood Alliance must have something on them." Lynnette reasoned, following this line of thought. Kamf, the leader of the infamous mercenary guild that pretty much ruled the city, was well known for underhanded tactics and deals made in the dark.

"Speakin' of Kamf and the Blood Alliance, any news from them while I was gone last night?"

"They sent a reply to our proposal. Contents not all that surprising. They're still deeply against it. Made some threats, demanded that we disband, the usual." She responded, having read the letter personally herself right after it had made its way back to their headquarters through a thoroughly shaken messenger. At least even Kamf wouldn't stoop so low as to hurt the representative of an enemy guild.

"And how did The Don reply to that?" Mark asked, a slight smile touched at the edge of his lips.

"Well, we politely told him to-" Lynnete began, and very handily described exactly what they told Kamf to stuff into where and the both of them burst into howling laughter that quickly died down, tempered by their caution. Both shared the same amused grin though, with a very confused Harry glancing up at them from between them.

"I love you Lynn. I'm sorry I haven't been the best father for Harry recently." he told her, and his smile was sincere. She mirrored it with her own, and nodded.

"I love you too dear. You're doing your best, and that counts for something. It's alright though, Harry's growing to be a big boy isn't he?" She replied, looking down to ruffle her son's hair. He laughed quietly, trying to bat his mother's hand away to no avail.

"Quite the little warrior I've heard too." His father added, beaming. "You'll grow up to be just like your grandfather one day."

Harry beamed at this, straightening slightly in pride. The young boy practically worshipped his grandfather as a hero. And Lynnette couldn't blame the boy. Her father was such a strong leader, an amazing warrior, and a deeply compassionate, kind, man. He was the anchor for many people's lives, the embodiment of their hopes and dreams. He held on to her tight, saved her from drowning in grief the day her mother...

Lynnette's stomach lurched from the memory, one that came back to haunt her often and she quickly pushed it aside as she have trained herself to. Her son and husband didn't notice the brief moment her mind had left them and she quickly rooted herself back into the present.

"We're not that far from home now." She noted, glancing to the familiar shops and builds that lined the streets. One particular inn caught her attention, named 'Arcturus'. "You must be hungry, I don't suppose you ate since lunch yesterday?"

Mark nodded, rubbing his belly with one hand, just noticing his gnawing hunger. He had been so caught up in keeping himself unseen, of trying to talk with the Guildmaster of the Soul Smiths in secret. It had been a stressful night, and he hadn't given much thought to food.

Lynnete grinned.

"Well then, I'll get you a nice big breakfast once we get back. Does that sound good to you?"

Harry certainly agreed, nodding enthusiastically, and his father join in with a quick laugh.

"That sounds wonderful."

Lynnette stretched, a content smile on her face. It was nice to simply spend a little time with their family together again. He seemed to share similar thoughts, relaxing his arm and allowing his hand to slip off the pommel of his sword. The city was waking soon from its slumber, and any moment now up above people will open their windows to let in the new day.

The shadows had not gone yet.

Mark reacted with lightning-quick reflexes the moment he heard the click of the crossbow. He turned and drew his sword, the small Bhodi Blastia hanging around his neck glowing briefly as a shield came up. The bolt smashed into it, entering a few inches before losing all of its momentum and falling to the ground.

Seconds later dark forms burst from the alleys. Lynnette pushed her son behind her, the two keeping the young boy between them as they closed in, back-to-back. She didn't have any time to think- just react. As another dark form closed in on them she held her staff up protectively. The strangers were all in dark blue cloaks, their face hidden in shadows. Two glowing red dots shown out of the darkness, like some demonic form of eyes. She gasped when she realized who they were, even as she desperately batted aside a quick strike aimed for her heart.

"Red Eyes!" She cried, and behind her Mark grunted in acknowledgement. She heard the frantic beat of steel against steel, and the man was being pushed back- there was nowhere for him to go though, for Lynnette was barely holding off the three attackers going at her.

Suddenly the Red Eyes before her jumped back, something zipping by her line of sight. She didn't question it and used the reprieve to fall deep into her magic, calling upon the power of her Bhodi Blastia.

A crossbow bolt came down for her from the ceiling, and she saw it coming. But she didn't dodge, forcing her concentration and her spell to completion just before the bolt slammed into her shoulder. The force of the impact sent her flying backwards into Harry and his father, but Mark kept his balance. The bolt pierced through her leather armour, into flesh and scraping past bone.

"Ivy Rush!" She gasped the trigger words her spell was waiting for, and she felt her Bhodi Blastia releasing all the aer it had gathered from all around her, releasing in a brilliant burst. As Harry helped his mother onto her knees, the three Red Eyes charging at her were suddenly stopped as vines burst up from the ground. The plant mass shot up violently, wrapping themselves around the men and held them tightly in places. They struggled against the bindings, becoming frantic as thorns began to grow out from its surfaces, digging into skin.

She staggered to her feet, clutching at the bolt on her shoulder. Pain pulsed down from her arm with every beat of her heart, blood slowly seeping from the wound to stain her tunic dark. Another crossbow bolt came down at her and she dived aside, pushing Harry along. She broke out of her dive to point up at the roof of the nearby building with her good arm, murmuring a very quick incantation. The magic circle glowed white under her for only a moment before collecting into the energy she needed.

"Photon!" She triggered the spell, and a small explosion of light focused on one of the crossbowman set off, flinging the man and those around him away. One tumbled down the side of the building, but quickly caught himself, jumping from windowsill to windowsill to absorb his momentum before landing safely on the ground in a roll. Her previous spell, the Ivy Rush, was beginning to wear off and the original three attackers were starting to break free.

She struggled to her feet, eyes darting from side to side for help. She caught the shadow of a figure standing in the middle of the street a bit farther down, but whoever it was she could not focus on the man. She hoped that it wasn't another one to fight- they were already so outnumbered and so outmatched she had no hopes of coming out of this alive.

She felt her chest tightening at the thought of dying here. Of everything ending. Her husband and her son too. Her son! She shouldn't have brought him out here today, it had been dangerous, foolish. She brought her staff up with her left hand, determined to fight till the very end even as she felt herself overcome with emotions. Beside her Harry had somehow, amazingly, drawn a dagger, and stood beside his mother, looking terrified but grim.

She heard Mark give a ferocious cry, and the entire street momentarily was lit a bright blue. A circular blast of force originated from behind her, passing through her and her son harmlessly but acted like a solid wall to their attacks. It knocked them back several feet before dispersing, and the surprised Red Eyes took a moment to get their bearings.

"H-how...are you holding up Lynn?" She heard him ask, and a moment later his back made contact with hers. She winced as it jostled her shoulder, but she said nothing about it.

"I've...been better." She gasped, then her eyes widened as one of the Red Eyes suddenly lurched to the side. Her eyes as well as his teammates' followed him as he hit the ground, an arrow protruding from his arm. He struggled to his feet until-

BOOM

The arrow exploded, driving the man into the ground and knocking the others off their feet. Lynnette turned towards the source of the arrow to see the man from before again, already knocking a second shot. He was short but held himself straight, a nobility in his stance that felt so out of place here in the City of shadows. He wore simple clothes, a dull red tunic over a shirt of chain mail, a silvery Bhodi Blastia gleaming on his right list.

She knew him. It was Raven.

He pulled the bow up and drew the string quickly, taking aim even as he released. She tried to follow its line of projectory, and couldn't keep up with it. By the time she found its target the man was already falling off the roof to fall towards the ground, his screams cut off with a sickening crack. It was only then that she noticed that no more crossbowmen lined the buildings on either side of the street.

She had never seen him fight before. He had always carried himself with the air of an experienced warrior, but actually seeing him in combat was an entirely other story. Lynnette had never seen anyone so quick, so smooth with a bow. She glanced back at the man, who brushed his long dark hair out of his bright cerulean eyes, assessing the situation.

She felt herself swell with thankfulness for Raven's timely appearance. Maybe they could survive this after all.

There was still nearly half a dozen enemies. Two glanced down the street at the new man, nodded to each other, and charged down to face their new opponent. The rest closed back in on Lynnette and her family again, and she could only keep her attention on Raven for a moment longer, watching as he snapped that peculiar bow of his into a sword, before turning back to her own fight. It still wasn't very good odds, but at least maybe they had a chance now.

"Lynn?" Mark asked behind her.

"Yes?"

"I want you to take Harry and run for it."

"What?" She exclaimed, shaking her head fiercely. "I won't leave you!"

"Goddammit! I'm not asking- just go! You need to get Harry to safety." He growled, and their conversation was abruptly ended as another attacker flew at him and he was forced to resume the battle. Lynnette felt her heart torn at the decisions her husband put before her, and knew that he was right. No matter what happened, they couldn't let their son be hurt. They would both rather die themselves than see the day their child fall to an enemy blade.

But to leave Mark!

"I'm not leaving dad." Harry murmured beside her, his grip so tight on the handle of his dagger that his knuckles showed white. She closed her eyes, jumping into another spell as the conflict continued within her. It and the unrelenting pain in her shoulder threatened to destroy her concentration, but she held on to it stubbornly, not allowing them to take her control away.

A wave of water rose up before her and crashed forward, pushing her enemies back. Their own Bhodi Blastias glowed and a translucent shield came up all around them, the water passing them harmlessly. Now that they knew they were dealing with a magic user they were ready.

Then suddenly, amidst all the sounds of metal against metal behind her, there was a startled gasp that turned into a scream. Her reflexes saved her then, for she ducked and rolled forward despite the protesting pain in her shoulder. As she came back up and around, she could remember the small prick of pain on her back that had initiated her manoeuvre. She watched in horror as the Red Eye drew the full length of his blade out of Mark's chest, its tip having gone through far enough to have impaled Lynnette as well if she had not moved.

She screamed and flung herself forward, trying to catch Mark as he simply shuddered and crumpled towards the ground. The one who had killed him saw her lowered guard and moved in for a second kill. She ignored him, her full attention fixed on her fallen husband, on his bloody and shuddering body on the ground. Harry was screaming something behind her but she didn't register the words, just the sound.

As the Red eye descended upon her for the kill, an arrow slammed into him, its Arte-enhanced power and speed driving the tip and shaft right through the flesh of his arm into his side. He was thrown aside, his arm pinned to his chest, the arrow having punctured though a lung and his heart. He met the cobblestone street, quite dead. Lynnette fell over the body of Mark, frantically digging through all the strength she had to gather what useful aer she could, channelling it into the man.

"F-First Aid." She sobbed, clutching onto his hand desperately as the spell took hold. All around her the battle still raged, but she barely heard any of it. As the last of the fighting finally died down, someone fell to his knees beside her. Raven was gasping for breath, clutching at the left side of his chest as if he was in pain.

"Lynnette...are you...OK?" He asked between gasps, his limbs shaking from fatigue. She shook her head wordlessly, taking in a deep breath to gather her composure even as she sent another compulsive healing spell into the body of her fallen partner. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her from continuing and let go gently as she turned to face him.

"Save your strength. We need to get him a healer as soon as possible." He told her, removing his hand from his chest the moment he saw her glancing at it with concern. She gave her a weak reassuring smile.

Harry wormed his way between the two of them, clutching at his mother's arm and staring in horror down at the bloody mess that was his father. He was still alive- they could see the spasmodic rise and fall of his chest, the twitching of his fingers. Lynnette glanced down at her son in horror to see that he was covered in blood, the entirety of the left side of his shirt soaked through. He did not seem hurt though.

Raven turned to Lynnette, grimacing at the bolt that still protruded from her shoulder. She glanced at it fully, and suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Too much blood, too much death. What had gone wrong today?

Raven leaned forward and quickly assessed Mark's wounds to the best of his ability. The Red Eye's thin blade had slipped through his ribs in the front, punctured his right lung, and exited the other side. The cut was clean and straight. He was breathing - barely, but at least he was still alive. Blood bubbled out of the wounds as air escaped his broken lung.

"Do you have any gels with you?" He asked Lynnette, keeping his composure. The woman nodded, letting go of her bloody shoulder to reach into a pocket, taking out a handful of the little medicinal packets. Raven took two of the apple gels and removed their plastic wrapping, carefully placing them into Mark's mouth before turning his attention back to the wrapping themselves. The gels would dissolve quickly in saliva by themselves, and letting them do so was safer than trying to make him swallow it.

He rolled the unconscious man onto his side, working quietly, keeping his calm the best he could. His hands were shaking slightly, but he managed to cut away the shirt around his puncture wounds, secure the plastic wrapping over them, and tied them in place with bandages from his pack. Not too tightly so that air could escape when Mark exhaled but firmly enough in place so that when breathing in the man would not have air rush in from the punctures.

He turned back to Lynnette, who watched on, ashen-faced.

"He is going to be fine." Raven lied, picking up the bow he had dropped to the ground beside him. With a flick of his wrist it snapped and folded neatly in half and he deftly sheathed it by his side, seemingly drawing his knife in the same motion. He motioned towards Lynnette's shoulder.

"We shouldn't pull it out until we get some healers on that, but we need to take the shaft off." He told her, and Lynnette grimaced but nodded. Raven moved in with the knife and she brought her good arm up, biting down hard on her sleeves as he sawed through the wood, doing his best not to jostle it. It was done in a matter of seconds and he quickly padded the wound around the bolt with whatever bandages he could find in his first-aid kit, securing it all in place with bandages. It would keep the piece of the arrow still in from moving around and doing more damage.

He and Lynnette worked together to lift the injured man, placing him on Raven's back. Time was of the essence now. Mark's injuries were grave, and the longer this dragged on the lower his chances of surviving was.

"We need to get back to the Guild." Lynnette spoke up tiredly, picking up her staff. He nodded, and the three of them worked their way down the street as quickly as they could. Harry followed them wordlessly, one hand still tightly clutched on the handle of his bloody dagger, the drying liquid cracking and flaking off his small hands.

They reached one of the main streets of the city quickly, where the earliest risers were already up and about. The few that saw them stared with curiosity, but stayed away. It was obvious that there had been a bloody fight and people were hurt, but it was not the policy of guilds to interfere with the affairs of other guilds unless if it was directly related to them.

One merchant setting up her shop for the day seemed to recognize one of them though, and hurried across the street, wide-eyed. The young women stared at the blood that covered them all, especially that on the small boy.

"Raven!" She hurried to his side frantically. "What happened?"

"Arwin?" He asked tiredly, then shook his head.

"We were attacked. We-" He began to say, then looked over at Lynnette before continuing. "Can you please go get the Mage's guild? Tell them to send healers to the where we're heading, Saggitarius Inn."

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and dashed off. Lynnette considered this for a moment, but was too tired to argue. He hadn't revealed too much, but it never hurt to be careful. There was a lot of people who wanted her, and especially her father, dead. It had become too evident today.

As they neared their destination the streets became more crowded as the city awoke for the day from its restless slumber. Lynnette couldn't care less about the stares coming her way as she fought back pain and discomfort. She was sweaty profusely though it was a chilly morning, and sher was sure that she was going to throw up any minute now.

"Whoa there, what happened 'ere?" Someone from the street cried out, making his way to their side. Lynnette recognized him right away, a tall and well-build man, staring at the battle-weary group. He swore when he recognized their faced.

" 'the hell happened? Oh geez, is that Mark?"

He hurried them through the streets and they finally pushed their way through the doors of a well-run inn named "Saggitarius". Lynnete could see Raven's legs shaking as people around the inn quickly got to their feet and rushed to help Mark off his back. Two strong men carried him upstairs.

Steadying his breath, Raven moved to the nearest table and drew a chair for Lynnette who gratefully took it. He pulled out another chair next to her and simple collapsed into it, visibly exhausted. Harry hesitated at his mother's side, before climbing onto her lap and hugging her hard, careful to avoid her shoulder. He finally allowed his dagger to fall to the ground, and Lynnette held her son close, reassuringly.

There were tears in his eyes and he was shaking badly. Lynnette's heart cried for her son, as she suddenly realized what he had done and what he was going through.

He had killed a man. Harry, during that fight, had stabbed and killed one of the Red-Eyes in a desperate attempt at self-defence. Harry had witnessed too many fights before to be so affected by the sight of blood, but tonight he had taken a life. It was something she wished her own son could have avoided in this violent city.

"What is going on here?" A deep, commanding voice suddenly demanded. Lynnette looked up above the mess of blonde hair that was her son's head to see a commanding figure moving down the stairs. He was a large man, not too tall but fairly large around. This wasn't to say he was fat though, oh no- he was several hundred pounds of pure muscle. A large sword was strapped to his back, too big for many men to wield two-handed. She has seen him use it easily with one.

"Father." She breathed, and Harry scrambled off her as she struggled to rise to her feet. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she felt like firecrackers were going off behind her eyeballs. She stumbled back into her chair. Several people jumped in to help support her, and she doubled over, hurling over the floor.

"Calm down." A voice stayed with her the entire time "Sit down and relax. Everything is going to be alright." It was Raven.

As he guided her back down into a chair, someone offered her a rag and she quickly wiped her face and clothes clean, gratefully gulping down a glass of water passed her. She looked up to see her father standing before her, his face etched with concern. It was a rare expression for the fearless Don. Beside her Raven held onto her good arm, keeping her up in case she would fall.

"The healers should be here soon." Raven told the Don, and he simply acknowledged this with a nod. "We should let her rest, I can tell you what-" He continued, but the large man held up a hand and cut him off.

"Lynnette, are you well enough to explain who would dare attack my family?" he asked her, and she nodded slowly, leaning back into her chair and closing her eyes.

"Red Eyes." She murmured. "I went to meet Mark. A group of them ambushed us. They were waiting. Raven saved us."

The man turned to look at Raven.

"It was just outside my inn. I heard the fighting and went out to investigate." He hastily explained. That sounded just like Raven, Lynnette though. No smart citizen of Dahngrest would have been stupid enough to go out and check.

It was then that the doors to the inn opened, and everyone turned to face the newcomers. Five people came in. One of them was Adwin, and one woman wore intricate flowing robes of black, with red and gold designs. The other three wore the red and white tunics of Healers from the Mage's Guild, Grimoire Light.

"I-brought them." Adwin the merchant gasped, glancing around the crowded room curiously. It wasn't common for the inns to be so packed in the morning, but then again perhaps people had just been drawn to a point of interest. "I have to go now. Good luck Raven." And she slipped back out.

The four mages strode forward, approaching the Don.

"Good morning Don. I'll take a wild guess and say that one of your guild members is h- ah. Lynn." The mage in the black robes glanced past the man to see the woman leaning back in her chair. The Mage adjusted her glasses nervously at the sight of blood, and then her eyes fell on Lynn's son, and more specifically the large red stains all over the boy's clothing and skin.

"Vivian, my son needs immediately attention. Travis will lead you to where he is." The Don told the mage calmly, and Vivian nodded, gesturing for two of the Healers to go with the man Don indicated. The other one stepped forward, taking a quick magical scan of Lynnette's wound before helping her to her feet, and gestured for Harry to follow.

"Can we get a room for her? This will be more comfortable for her if there is a bed." The mage requested, and the Don nodded an affirmation. Raven quickly got to his feet onto Lynn's other side and helped support her as between the two of them they carried her up the stairs. Harry followed behind quietly, unwilling to leave his mother.

Lynnette allowed them to half-carry her to her room, too tired to care. Her legs were jelly and her stomach was twisted into impossible knots. Her mind constantly drifted back to Mark, filling her with dread.

"I'll be back soon Lynn." Raven whispered as they lowered her onto her bed. "I'll fill the Don in on everything that has happened."

As he turned to leave she reached out and caught his sleeve. He paused at the tug and turned back to face her even as the healer began to dig through her bag for the supplies she would need.

"Get one of the healers to take a look at you as well." She told him firmly, with as much strength as she could put behind her words. "You used...quite a number of Artes that battle."

"I will, don't worry." He assured her, squeezing her hand before letting go and leaving the room. She watched him leave and stared up at the ceiling with a sigh, suddenly remembering that moment back when she had been kneeling beside her husband, when Raven had collapsed beside her.

He had been clutching at the left side of his chest. She cursed herself for not having registered the significance of that movement earlier, and only hoped that Raven will request one of the healer's to look at it as soon as he could. She knew how dangerous using Artes here was for him.

"Lynnette? I'm going to put you to sleep now." The healer told her, grabbing the Bhodi Blastia charm of her necklace tightly. Lynnette nodded, reaching her good arm up behind her head to pull off the elastic that bound her hair. Pulling that free, she relaxed more fully back into her pillow. Moments later the healer fell into spellcasting and Lynn felt a tug at the edge of her consciousness. Holding back her reflex to fight off such a magical intrusion, she allowed herself to slip into a deep dreamless sleep.

She hoped for the best.

xXxXxXxXx

When she woke again it was dark. Her mind was still groggy from the magic-induced sleep and she could not for the life of her remember why she felt so anxious. With a groan she pushed herself up into a sitting position, and stopped when she felt resistance against her left arm moving. Staring down she could see the ghostly white of bandages against the dark background of night. Bandages and dressings held her shoulder in place.

Her memories came back in a flood as she realized that Mark wasn't around. She was on the bed by herself and the rest of the room was still, empty but for the writing table and shelves of books and supplies. She stumbled off the bed and lurched for the Blastia by her bed, picking up a smooth round stone -a blastia core- and inserted it into a hole in the wall, the perfect size for it. An instant later the room flared with light, the Blastia giving off a bright glow that suffused the entire room.

Her head was pounding, and she brought her hand up to her forehead, the Bhodi Blastia around her wrist glowing briefly before releasing the aer it had gathered.

"Fist Aid." She murmured, sighing in relief as healing energy coursed through her, reducing the pain in her head to a negligible throb. She glanced outside again, wondering how long she had been out. She made her way across her bed to her window, pushing it open. Up above the glow of the Barrier Blastia everything was tinged a soft purple, the stars and the moon invisible through the haze of aer. A thin band of light purple, almost pink, stretched behind the buildings of Dahngrest. It was early dawn.

It was quiet, both inside and outside. She could feel the stillness of the building, not the peaceful stillness of rest but the crouched, anxious stillness of a fearful animal hiding from its predator.

Lynnette got to her feet, quietly slipping into her shoes as she draped a jacket over her thin nightgown, guardedly holding her left arm against herself to avoid jostling it. She padded to her door and opened it.

"Mmhuh-? OW!"

The moment she turned the door handle the door swung in, some weight having been leaning against it. It was Raven. He seemed to have been leaning back against the door, and the sudden removal of the support had caused him to fall back, the back of his head colliding with ground. She stared down at him, who quickly pushed himself back up to a sitting position. By his side was Harry, who tiredly rubbed his eyes, still mostly asleep. Raven looked like he just got woken up as well. Both had changed into a new set of clothes, free of the blood and dirt of battle.

"What are you doing here?"

"Aw geez I fell asleep didn't I? Uh...this looks bad doesn't it?"

Lynnette crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for an explanation. He stood up, rubbing the back of his head apologetically.

"We were worried 'bout you." He explained, bending down to help Harry to his feet. "This little guy wanted to see you. Refused to leave the door."

Harry looked up to see his mom, and suddenly stepped forward, wrapping his mother into a wordless hug. She felt him shaking, and quickly got down to her knees to bring her son into a calming embrace. He cried silently into her nightgown, and she sighed, looking back up at Raven.

"The healer said not to disturb you untill you woke up. Stubborn little kid wouldn't leave the door, so I decided to accompany him." He explained. "I guess the both of us were more tired than we thought."

Lynnette ran her fingers through her son's hair, calming him down to the best of her ability.

Eventually she got to her feet, Harry standing beside her, clutching at her hand. Raven stayed silent through the exchange, doing his best not to look too intrusive on the family moment. She took a deep calming breath before facing him and asking him the question.

"How is Mark doing?"

The change of expression on his face shot paralysing dread down her spine, and she felt herself turn cold. She knew his answer before he even spoke and braced herself for the words.

"He...wasn't doing well." He started cautiously. "I last talked to the healers last night, so I don't know how he's progressed since then.

Lynnette nodded, forcing herself to relax. She was tensing her muscles in her shoulder, hurting from her wound.

"Give me a few minutes to get changed." She told him, then gently urged her son out of the room. He reluctantly complied, waiting outside quietly. A little while later she stepped out in a light tan shirt under a leather plate and dark brown breeches. She hadn't put her hair up, allowing it to tumble down about her shoulders.

Together they headed downstairs, and she paused hesitantly by the room Mark was resting in. Raven tugged on her sleeve though, and she reluctantly continued onwards, the three of them heading downstairs to the first floor of the inn.

It was mostly empty. Round wooden tables dotted the floor, a large serving bar up against the side of the room facing the entrance. A few people sat around the tables though the doors were locked. They looked up at the three's approach, and many of them quickly looked away when they saw Lynnette. One of them got to her feet at the sight of her though, rushing across the room towards them. It was Vivian, her dark robes fluttering behind her and her unkempt dark hair bounced around her shoulders, halfway out of their bindings. She looked exhausted and Lynnette wouldn't be surprised if she had stayed up the entire night.

"You're awake." Vivian noted tiredly, stopping in front of them. Raven quickly pulled out chairs for all of them and they sat down around the table nearest the staircase as Vivian carefully explained.

"We...we've done the best we could." She began slowly, and Lynnette's hands visibly clutched together tightly, knuckles showing white. She gulped and gathered her courage.

"Is...is he-?" She started to ask, but her voice cracked and Vivian shook her head, leaning forward to grab the other's hands with her own.

"No, he's still alive." Vivian explained. "But..."

The Mage took a deep breath, then glanced over at Raven. He nodded and got to his feet, helping Harry off his chair. The small boy didn't want to leave, but he was firm about it, and eventually took him across the room where other members of the Guild were waiting.

"He's...in really bad shape. Me and my healers have been putting all our strength into sustaining his life, but we've been able to do very little to bring him back." She told Lynnette bluntly. "I'll be frank. We're all exhausted, and we can't keep this up much longer. We can bring more healers, but I doubt we can save him."

What else did she expect? His wounds had been serious. She should have expected this, prepared herself for it, but she had not allowed herself to, having clung onto a ray of hope. Vivian squeezed her hand reassuringly. Lynnette felt her heart constrict in her chest as grief threatened to overwhelm her, and she fought back tears as she slowly loosened her grip on the mage's hand.

"Is...is there nothing you can do for him?" It was incredibly hard to choke out the words, as if her throat had constricted and squeezed shut, forcing her to push the air through. Vivian shook her head.

"I'm sorry, we couldn't..." Vivian started, but her words caught in her throat. The next few minutes came by as a blank blur. All she knew was that suddenly, his father was by her side, his large callused hands picking her up, wiping away the tears that streaked her face, brushing aside the hair that stuck to her skin. She fell into his embrace, burying herself within his strong arms as if they would shield her from the world.

They were moving then. She was in Mark's room, with barely the memory of the journey here. She saw him laid out on the bed, new bedsheets under him and a clean blanket over him. A pile of bloody sheets were quickly shoved into a corner of the room by the healers at his side. They all looked exhausted and gave Lynn an apologetic look.

They let go of their magical hold on him, the magic that was keeping him alive. In what felt like an instant his ragged, uneven breathing stopped. Someone ran past her and collided with the bed, struggling to climb onto the surface that was half his height. He was screaming something. Someone else went past her and wrapped his arms around the small boy, pulling him back off the bed, talking to him in a soothing tone.

Lynnette turned to her son, who had collapsed into uncontrollable sobbing, while Raven held the boy tightly, murmuring reassurances. She fell to her knees and pulled her son towards her, and for a moment she pushed past her own grief at the face of her child's.

"Don't worry sweetheart." She murmured. "Daddy's with your grandmother now. They're in a better place, and they're happy there."

The boy hiccoughed violently, jerking and gasping for breath.

"Don't fight it dear, just let it out. It's OK to cry..." She began, but her voiced cracked and tears leaked out of the corner of her own eyes. Someone knelt down beside her and placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry things worked out this way." Raven told her mournfully, and she could hear him choking on his words. "I'm so so sorry..."

"It's not your fault. You saved us." She replied sharply, and she clenched her hands as a shard of anger pierced her at the thought of the ones who had done this.

Raven didn't respond.

AN: I can't wait until I get back to this part of the story from Schwann's POV...