I failed, was Suigintou's last thought before blacking out. Yet it wasn't sleep she entered- just an eloping blackness that suffocated her from all sides. Dizziness began to filter in, and vaguely she recalled the last four times she'd had that feeling- too many brushes with the Reaper, that was for sure. But for now, at least, there was calm.
"Suigin..." a feminine voice echoed in her ears. Who was it? She couldn't remember, couldn't recall. Must not be important, anyway, I'll wake up back home...
"...nothing I can do..." a different voice spoke. It was deeper, calmer, but without sympathy. Who were they? They seemed familiar...
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, but still saw nothing. The world was blurred, no longer black but blue and white dots. She groaned, trying to turn her head, but didn't have the strength for it.
"Don't move! We-we'll get you fixed in a jiffy! Just stay right there!" the feminine voice said again, this time with panic. Where was she, a hospital?
Her eyes fell shut again, wishing both of these people would shut up. It was not meant to be.
"There are intruders in the forest-"
"We need more medicine-"
"There isn't any-"
"Well-"
"I'm leaving-"
"You can't-"
Suigintou shot her head forward pressing her hands to her ears, and promptly yelled, "SHUT UP!"
Silence.
She exhaled, daring to open her eyes to see a fearful Delila holding a potion of some sort. Both blinked several times. "I'm awake," Suigintou stated dryly.
Delila's mouth fell open in awe. "You're amazing."
Forests were the worst places to travel. They were humid. Every tree looked the same. Occupants tended to get lost. And Ike, hulk though he may be, had no natural sense of direction whatsoever.
"Didn't we pass this place?"
"No, Ike. There's moss on those ruins. The previous ruins we passed were bare."
"How do you remember that?"
"I had to remember the way out of Serenes."
"But the trees are white here," Ike stated the obvious.
"I'm aware," Soren replied automatically. "Obviously this was an ideal location for a settlement at some point in time. There may be one with occupants nearby, so don't let your guard down."
"We can take'em."
"You can take them," Soren corrected him. "I, unfortunately, do not have as thick a skull."
And so they carried on, despite the pallidness of the trees around them, the lack of green vegetation, save for moss, but even that held a sickly yellow color. The more they walked, the more the trees seemed to resemble coral, and the more Ike began to fear he was hallucinating.
"How long have we been in here?" he asked.
"It is currently late in the afternoon."
"Why is the ground black?"
"Because it contains dead things."
"Why is the sky blue?"
"I'm not going to answer such a ludicrous question."
"Thanks."
Soren froze as a peculiar sensation overcame him. It was a mix between the feeling of being watched and of someone right behind you, but not in sight. Yet he also could sense that the person was further off, but there was no distinct scent like the laguz carried.
"Soren?"
The mage turned to his traveling companion. "There is a weapon nearby. I can sense it. We're not alone."
Thankfully, Ike didn't bother to question his "senses". He simply nodded, drawing Ragnell from its sheath without a word. Soren clutched his tome warily, feeling the person approach them at an alarming speed. The quiet of the forest became even more eeire.
Soren felt a slight disturbance in the wind above them, but other than that, nothing. Then the distinctive clang of metal sounded as it made contact with his skull.