Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss


"Daath! Wait!"

Daath turns to face his pursuer more out of obligation than anything and finds Relis running to catch up with him. She skids to a stop next to him and doubles over to catch her breath.

"Keep moving, Daath," Irene says from her place next to him. "I thought you made up your mind already."

He frowns. "I have. But I should at least have said something to the others. They're not at fault."

"Then all the less reason to involve them," the assassin says.

"Just go ahead, Irene," Daath says waving her off. "I'll be right behind you."

She seems to want to protest but instead just sighs and says, "I hope you know what you're doing."

With a momentary backward glance at the blonde engineer, Irene continues into the forest leaving the two former comrades alone.

Meanwhile, Relis has caught her breath and, red-faced, waves a small piece of paper in Daath's face. "And just what the hell are you thinking?" she demands, "Leaving a letter like this and just running off with that-woman? What about Yuls?!"

Despite himself, Daath is unable to keep pain from knifing through him at the mention of the prophetess, but he schools his features into an indifferent mask. "Don't concern yourself with me, Relis. I'm just doing what I must. Yulia and I no longer see eye to eye. That's all."

Relis hesitates for a moment, guilt snaking its way across her face. "Look, I know what the doctors told you yesterday was a surprise, but don't blame it all on Yuls. I designed the gates. If anyone's at fault, it's me."

While Daath could not deny the rage that had consumed him when he had learned of Yulia's condition and of the true price of activating the Passage Rings, and while he also could not deny the fact that he, in part, had blamed Relis for keeping this vital information from him, she was not entirely at fault. No, if anyone was to blame it had been Yulia with her matter-of-fact reaction to his surprise as though he was supposed to have known the truth all along and had simply forgotten.

It was the only way, she had said.

I am meant to die, she had said.

Just like that, as though there was nothing that could be done about it.

But it wasn't even simple resignation to the fact. No, that wasn't what bothered him. Her words were completely unemotional without even any consideration for the person she was talking to. It was as though she had expected him to be just as unconcerned about her death as she was.

It had been just over a week since her kidnapping by Isetan, but since then his frustration had been building. She didn't value her own life at all, nor did she even think about how those who loved her would feel when she died. No. Duty was the only thing that registered in the sphere of her world.

For a while, he could have understood that.

At first, he was just the knight assigned to guard her. She was a valuable commodity after all-a woman who could see the future. She had become even more valuable when they had found a way to stop the Miasma. Because of her connection with Lorelei, she was realistically the only one who could effectively operate the Sephiroth and certainly the only one who could jump start the Planet Storm. Back then, Yulia had simply been valuable, and his job had been to drive away any who might interfere with her duty.

But ever so slowly that had changed.

Over time, he became her knight, and his duty was to protect her from anything that might harm her. His loyalty would become unquestionable-alway her supporter and most staunch ally. He would become the right hand she could always count on, the person who would always be found by her side.

In his eyes, there was no Isetan, Mydeira or Ispania, no Church or Royal family or anything. All such labels were unnecessary. There was only Yulia and those who would harm her.

But over the past few days, it had become painfully clear to him that she had never relied on him the way he had hoped she would. She hadn't even thought to tell him about the poison that snaked its way through her veins every time she used a Passage Ring. He had only found out when they had brought Yulia to the capital of Ispania after her collapse, and when he had confronted her about keeping her condition from him, she had callously deflected his questions with some garbage about her duty.

Had she shown some kind of sadness, or fear or any kind of human emotion, perhaps he could have forgiven her. But her bluntness and acceptance had driven a wedge between them, and he hadn't been able to face her since then.

Maybe it was the guilt he couldn't stand.

He was her guardian, yet he had assisted her in her suicidal quest. Even if he hadn't known, there was a part of himself he couldn't forgive for hurting her. But he also couldn't forgive her for letting him continue hurting her with his ignorance. She must have been laughing at him the whole while. Every time he said he'd protect her, but in the end he was only killing her slowly.

Why hadn't she said anything?

Why hadn't he noticed?

She'd been suffering all along, and he'd only made things worse by helping her with her quest to activate the Passage Rings.

But worst, worst of all she refused to stop.

When he had found out, he had said 'to hell with the Miasma' and had expected her to do the same. But to his surprise, she had already planned with the others to head to the next Passage Ring.

When he had refused to go with her, she hadn't said anything, hadn't asked asked him to stay or even hinted that her journey would be troublesome without him. Instead she had simply accepted his leaving with the same indifference with which she had accepted her own demise.

And he hadn't been able to stand that.

"It's nothing to do with that, Relis," Daath assured her. "But if she can't be bothered to care about her own life, then I won't bother either."

"But she needs you!"

He turns away, not wanting the engineer to see the hurt that he knew was visible on his face. "Then why isn't she here?"

Relis looks at him, her green eyes wide, but she remains silent.

Daath continues, more out of frustration than anger. "Did she even say anything when she realized I was gone? Or did she simply accept it like she does everything else?"

"Daath…"

"She doesn't need me or any of you guys, can't you see that? And if she's determined to get herself killed, she can do it on her own! I won't have any part of it!"

"Is that the real reason why you're leaving?"

Relis' question startles him. "What do you mean?"

She fixes him with a steely gaze, her entire demeanor changed from confusion to confrontation. "If you wanted to protect her, you'd stay by her side. And you're too loyal to her to leave simply just because you disagree with what she's doing. Are you planning to betray her?"

He tries to step away and follow Irene's trail into the forest brush, but Relis stops him with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Answer me, Daath!"

He shakes her hand away and rests his hand on the hilt of his weapon to deter her advance.

Her eyes narrow. "You wouldn't."

Daath draws back further into the shadow of the trees. "I'll do what I have to to protect her, Relis. Even if I become her enemy."

And with that, he disappears into the forest, leaving the stunned engineer behind him.