So. It has been eon's since I even logged on to my fanfic account, let alone updated any stories. My good looking back and re-reading these chapters has me cringing. To all of you who commented and favorite and began to follow me through this story I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am going to try my hardest to re-write and update this story as often as I can. I hope I don't disappoint you.

Please expect many chapters to change and the plot to change as well. Cannibal-Peach left a review that helped open my eyes to the many flaws within my story and I hope to steam roll those out and fix all those things.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the couples in this story, but I wish I did xD

'THOUGHTS'

FLASHBACK

Normal POV

Gate of darkness

'How did this happen?' The question seemed to play like a broken record in her mind. 'I failed.' The tall crimson haired woman blinked as her eyes struggled to adjust to the new darkness around her. The world seemed to be spinning around her. Her body grew heavier and heavier with each step she took. How could she possibly push herself on? A groan escaped her blood caked lips as she stumbled over a branch and fell to her knees. She could feel her eyes begin to droop, sleep was a tempting enemy. As much as she wanted to give in, to lay there on the cold floor of the lush forest, giving up was not an option. It took just about every ounce of her strength to force her body up and to continue on, wandering about in the black.

'I'll be hanged when they find out,' if they hadn't already found out. While the thought of death scared most people, at this point she was struggling to pull herself from the mentality that death would be welcome to overtake her. She couldn't die, no matter how much she wished she could, she absolutely could not die. She needs to return to her home and report her findings and failure back to her superiors. If death was the consequence of her own fault then she would welcome it. Nel Zelpher is not a deserter, she wouldn't abandon her country for the sake of a few more years of life.

She'd been lost in thought for some time. A dim light in the clearing ahead of her was what pulled her from her grim thoughts. As she approached the clearing she did so with extreme caution; taking care to step lightly to avoid making any noise. Her daggers were drawn and resting comfortably in her hands as she proceeded on. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she stared in horror down at a young man. Lying beneath his body is a pool of blood. His body covered in wounds. She immediately dropped down to one knee, sheathing her daggers she bent forward and checked his pulse. It was faint, but there none the less. His breathing was labored, as if an elephant had sat on his chest; he was trying to pull as much oxygen as possible into his lungs and failing miserably. She sucked in a deep breath and drew her bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling gently on it. She needed to heal him. Closing her eyes she focused and summoned her runes, relying on runeology to heal him.

She could feel the physical toll on her body and mind as she used her energy to heal the deeper, more severe wounds. With each passing minute she grew weaker and weaker until finally she ran out of energy. Her eyes sliding closed as her body hit the ground with a dull thump.

She awoke from her peaceful slumber to light gently kissing her cheeks. The sun had rose and it's rays managed to peek between the trees, illuminating the previously black forest floor with the colors of the day. Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned, rolling over onto her side in a feeble attempt to block out the light. As she settled back in and got as comfortable as one possibly could whilst attempting to slumber on the cool ground, the sound of twigs snapping caused her eyes to fly open and her body to jerk into an upright position. Her eyes scanned the area, soon fixing on the young man who she'd healed the night before. He was approaching her carrying a stack of wood in his arms.

"Your awake." She said between yawns as she lifted her arms over her head and arched her back to stretch.

"Obviously." He glanced over at her, taking in her appearance. "You healed me." Although it seemed like a statement, it was really question. When he'd woken he'd found this female laying beside him. Common sense would lead one to believe since she is the only one around she is the one who healed him.

She'd been in his presence all of ten seconds and his attitude was already grating on her nerves. "Yes I am…" She looked him up and down. She'd healed all of the major wounds, but the smaller cuts and bruises she lacked the energy to heal so they were still present. "You shouldn't be walking yet. Your not completely healed."

"Tch. Maggot, I would have been fine without you."

'Excuse me? What did he just say?' Rather than show him that his ungrateful words got on her nerves she chose to tilt her head to the side and shrug. "Whatever you say."

Moments of silence passed between them before Nel finally stood up and stretched once more. Looking around once more she took in her surrounding, the trees around them and the paths. The night before she was wandering through the forest with an oil lamp that was running low on oil and the will to continue on. She could feel his eyes on her back, watching her as she moved around. She was leery of him, she had yet to ascertain if he's an ally or an enemy and she had to be careful around him. However, right now she needed to familiarize herself with her surroundings.

Nel made her way out of the clearing, following the trail until the trees opened up and revealed a lake surrounded by trees. The sight was breathtaking. The water is crystal clear and as she approached the edge of the lake she could see little crystals that had formed in the sand. She made her way around the lake, continuing her exploration. Finally, when she'd seen enough she returned back to the clearing where the 'camp' is located. The young man was nowhere in sight. 'Where'd he go?' She blinked as her eyes looked at the trees. She half expected him to re-emerge through the shrubbery as he'd done earlier. After a few moments and no man in sight, Nel decided she should make use of her time, training. Nel made her way back to the lake, unsheathing her daggers from their cases she took her usual stance before beginning a combination of rapid strikes and slashing movements.

Time seemed to fly by as she pushed her body more and more, honing her skills further. It was only when she paused for a moment to collect water from the lake between her hands to drink that she heard footsteps. She immediately took cover, re-emerging when she could sense another presence. She swiftly re-appeared behind the source of the footsteps, her of her baselards pressed against the skin of his neck, the other pressed against his side just below his rib cage. One false move and he'd be drowning in a pool of his own blood.

"Oh it's just you," She blinked in surprise as recognition washed over her. The man she'd saved the night before is tall. At least six feet tall if not more. His body is firm and toned, and it felt like he could use it as a weapon. Nel slowly pulled her daggers away and stepped back, raising a brow as he turned around and stared down at her. The amused look on his face once more grated on her nerves.

"You never did tell me your name." She stated as she looked him up and down once more. Something about him seemed eerily familiar. He's obviously a soldier, the armor covering his arms, shoulders and legs were a dead giveaway of that. Though, he must be one cocky soldier as he has armor covering his limbs and chest, yet…his stomach was bare.

"You haven't earned the right to know my name maggot." His ruby eyes stared down at her, taking in her tall slender form. He'd been watching her for the last ten or so minutes of her training before she took a break to drink water. He wasn't impressed. Her healing abilities and the fact that she healed his wounds was impressive, though he'd never admit that aloud. But her fighting abilities seemed subpar.

"Pardon? Me weak?" She blinked and sneered, "I'm not the one who was laying nearly dead in a pool of my own blood." She stated in a cool yet confident tone. Each word that left her lips was the truth, had she not found him he probably wouldn't be alive. Nel raised a single crimson brow as the man slowly turned around, his eyes seemed to glare through her as he drew his sword. 'He's out of his mind if he thinks he can beat me.' She immediately regretted even thinking that thought as he disappeared in the blink of an eye and re appeared in the air, spiraling downwards towards her. She hadn't seen him coming until he was nearly on top of her, she managed to dodge the sword's blade but still received a blow to her shoulder with the handle. The pain was excruciating and the sheer force alone of the hit sent her flying backwards and popped her shoulder out of its socket. She groaned as she dug her feet into the ground to prevent her from skidding backwards and hitting anything. She'd seriously underestimated him and she shouldn't have done that.

"Fine." A growl escaped her lips as she leveled a glare that could strip paint from a wall at him, "It's your funeral." She propelled her body forward with such an intense speed it made her nearly impossible to detect. Her initial attack was a frontal assault, aimed to lop his head from his shoulder. Only, the attack was never landed as she'd missed, he'd parried away and was countering all her attacks and launched some of his own back.

"Is that all you can do?" He taunted her, the corner of his lips tugged up into a sinister smirk. "I thought you said it was my funeral Maggot." He chuckled as he came forward at her again. He'd been toying with her the entire time, but it was time to end things. He was impressed by her speed; not many people were able to even come close to his speed, but she did. He watched her smirk still plastered on his face as she raised her daggers about to attempt to perform some fancy attack. The daggers clasped tightly in her hands caught his eye. His ruby eyes narrowed and he blinked, "Those daggers belong to Shelby."

Nel stopped in her tracks when she heard his words. A smirk forming on her lips as she lowered her daggers slightly, the attack she was setting up paused. "Correction the belonged to Shelby." 'I got them after I killed him.' Nel watched him carefully, trying to analyze his reaction. His lack of words left a bad feeling in her stomach. Did he know Shelby? Why did he seem so familiar. Even his fighting style seemed familiar. "So. Your name." She deserved it…right?

"Albel Nox." The look on her face was priceless. He loved it, seeing the fear flash through people's eyes as they realized exactly who he is and what he's capable of.

"A-Albel N-Nox, captain of the Black Brigade," Her eyes widened, a mixture of shock and fear evident within her emerald orbs. She'd heard stories about him. The types of horror stories that parents tell their children to scare them and make them hate Airyglyph. She'd also heard rumors of his good looks but after seeing him face to face everything she'd heard didn't do him an ounce of justice. 'Oh Aparis, of all the people he could have been why did he have to be Albel Nox.'

"What's wrong maggot…cat got your tongue? " He laughed darkly as he taunted her.

'What an ass.' She frowned and said nothing. She needed to get away from him before he recognized her. "Whatever." She grumbled and moved away walking back into the forest. She knew Aquios was to the north of this forest. She immediately looked for what direction the moss was growing and was able to figure out which way is north.

"Tch. Maggot." He smirked, though his smirk fell as an ear shattering scream echoed off the trees. Before he knew what he was doing his body was moving through the trees back into that very same clearing where they'd first met. Darkness cancelled out the rays of the sun and wind whipped around him. As he looked up his lip drew up in a sneer as he recognized Duke Vox perched upon his dragon.

"Ah, Captain Albel, good to see you, needs a ride?" The Duke smirked down at the black brigade captain.

Albel's eyes scanned the Duke's and the body of the dragon, spotting the red head in its talons, knocked unconscious.

" This woman is Nel Zelpher, a spy from Aquaria,"

Albel's eyes narrowed and he let out a growl nodding up at the duke, a silent acceptance of his offer for a ride.

The dragon grabbed Albel with its other talon and departed back to Airyglyph.