It's Chapter Four! Why must this always be the first thing I say! Anyhoo, yeah. This is a more 'actiony' chapter so I've been watching Lord of the Rings to get me in the mood. That or InuYasha and Naruto.

Chapter Four

Albel stood in the pouring rain, dumbfounded. Nel was gone before she could even begin to shout at him. How could he have been so stupid?

"I've failed."

His crimson eyes were heavy and he narrowed them. He sank to his knees, crestfallen. He couldn't even protect that red-haired idiot, and he just wasn't strong enough. Not strong enough.

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Fayt glanced nervously at Maria. She looked very on edge, too.

"I'm going to look for them. I saw Clair leave the mansion where headquarters are, so the meeting was obviously over. It's pouring outside, and something could've happened to them."

Maria's eyes widened. Mirage and Cliff were still oblivious to the entire situation, so they instinctively spoke their minds.

"Maria, what's wrong?"

"..."

"Maria!"

She couldn't look at them, and neither could Fayt. Cliff was about to pound his fist onto the table top when there was a rigorous pounding at the door that sounded firm enough to break through it. Mirage went to the door and answered it.

"Albel...?"

The man's eyes were covered by the blond tips of his hair, he was looking down, and he was completely drenched from the rain.

"Albel, where's Nel?"

He kept his head down. Cliff grabbed him and shook him. "WHERE'S ZELPHER?"

Albel finally looked up, and his eyes that were somehow always shrouded with bloodlust were blank. Completely blank. Cliff dropped him.

"She's gone."

Fayt and Maria gasped. Maria looked up at him. "No... he didn't... was it him?"

Mirage and Cliff looked confused. "Him? Who exactly is 'him'? Are you three keeping something from us?"

Fayt didn't have any desire to lie to his friends, so he began to explain everything. The entire time, Albel stared down at the floor and Mirage and Cliff looked like they were in a state of total shock.

When everything was said and everyone understood, Mirage turned to Albel. "Albel." she said very calmly. He was pathetic in appearance, and she did not want to hurt him by screaming.

"Albel, where was Nel taken?"

"By the mines past the South gate."

"Well, what are we waiting for? We're gonna go and find her!"

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Nel's eyes opened and a bright fluorescent lilac light made her squint. She tried to get up, but found herself sealed to the floor. She tried to pull her wrists free, but it proved futile.

The floor was covered in glowing lilac calligraphy, and there were women in the same position as her bound to the ground. They were donned in pure white dresses, and the Runology tattoos on their arms and legs were radiating. She found herself with the same dress and the same tattoo effect. She tried and tried again to get up, but a soft voice called out.

"You're going to use up all your energy that way."

She turned her head to where the voice was coming from and saw a man who had white hair and a matching overcoat. His skin was dark, and his eyes were brown, almost black.

"You're the Necromancer?"

"Well, aren't you the smart one. All the others just screamed and fainted."

She lifted her head and then screamed at him, "WHERE'S ALBEL?"

He shrugged. "How should I know? I'm no stalker. Besides, he's useless to me. He has no part to play in this, and I must say, if he comes to help I'll kill him."

"What?"

"You heard me! I'll kill the git! Besides, if he gets here," a sick smile lapsed onto his face, "it'll be too late. All you women will be dead and Lady Caliph will be with me."

"Lady... Caliph?"

"Sorry. You know her as La Califfa. She's my sister who died in Airygliph twenty years ago. I was only five at the time, but I remember her cold corpse on the ground as pedestrians just walked by, not evening paying attention. Elicoor 3 lost something superb that day, but does anyone really care?"

He's going to ressurect his sister using us?

"Idiot! You can't bring a human back to life! It's-"

He had leaped from his place and had a dagger at her neck. "I don't care if it's against Apris. Apris isn't real, and the only thing to believe in is my sister."

He stood up and then said, "You don't have to worry. You'll die for a good cause. What's death anyway? Everyone dies eventually, but I am able to defeat it."

A/N: Yeah, he's crazy. Anyone can understand a guy wanting his sister back, but he's kinda pushing it.