The History of the Furies

((well it's been a couple years since my last update hasn't it. a lot has happened in my life and part of it is I've lost motivation along the way due to many things, both good and bad, happening and part of it is i completely forgot about my uploads to this site, to which i apologize to all who enjoyed this story. i know that's a pretty flimsy excuse but that's all there is to it. but now that that's out of the way i hope you enjoy this new chapter after all this time. it's been done for a while now but it wasn't until today that i remembered that i used to post here, to which i again apologize.))

As the three, four if you counted Apiphone's ethereal self, made their way back to town, with their confrontation now concluded, there was a tense and awkward silence in the air. While none of them appeared to be burdened with anything on the outside, it was evident by the deafening silence that none of them knew how to break the awkward mood after what had happened between Mercy and Talia.

Halfway back to town however, Pyra finally decided to break the silence and spoke up to Talia "Hey Talia, where did you meet Daryl?" Talia smiled "Oh, I completely forgot! I was going to introduce you, wasn't I?" Pyra nodded "That's right. Apiphone wanted to get back in touch as well since she seemed to know him." Talia sheepishly giggled "My apologies; with all the excitement it totally slipped my mind. I can't introduce you right now, but I can at least tell you how we met." Pyra smiled in appreciation "Thanks. I'm sure it'll be an interesting story."

A look of content came to Talia's face as she began to recount her tale "I've always liked the sea, or just water in general. Whether it be the sea, a lake or even just the rain. When Me and Alex were together we would often take trips to famous lakes, rivers, and oceans and just enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. One day one of our trips there was a little mishap though…" Pyra asked with curiosity "Oh? What happened?" Talia was quick to answer "During one of our excursions we decided to take a cruise along the Hawaiian Islands. However, along the way a storm hit and the ship begun to sink. Due to the panic of the people on board trying to get to the life boats and the rough waters, I fell overboard and was swept away." Pyra was amazed at this "Are you serious?! How on earth did you survive that?!" Talia simply smiled "Honestly I didn't think I would. But just when I thought I was done for I heard a voice telling me not to worry and that he wouldn't let me die in such a manner." Talia then put her hand on the necklace she delicately wore around her neck "The next thing I remember is waking up in one of the life boats and wearing this necklace and since then Daryl has been with me through thick and thin."

Apiphone chuckled lightly as she remembered Daryl "Yes, Daryl has always been a kind soul. He couldn't stand the thought of a life lost for no reason, water is the source of all life after all." Talia giggled in agreement "Indeed he is. He's been there for me many times since Alex passed away. We talk to each other, argue about things, tease one another, trust and support each other; sometimes it almost seems like we're in an actual relationship." Pyra smiled in slight jealousy "Sounds nice. I wish I had someone I could do that with." At the mention of this Mercy, now back to her regular self, spoke up for the first time "You do have…someone. You have…me. Unless…you don't…want to be friends…anymore." Pyra was silent for a moment before stoically replying "We'll talk about that later."

Eventually they arrived back at Pyra's home and as Talia parked up alongside the front yard she spoke to Talia with a chipper tone "Well now that we're here, I can probably introduce you to Daryl. Unfortunately, he's a little…old fashioned; so, he doesn't know how to drive. I didn't want us to all get into an accident just for the sake of formalities." Pyra laughed at this "Don't worry, I understand. I'd very much appreciate not getting into a car crash and ending up in the hospital and I know for a fact that Mercy hates hospitals and doctors." Mercy nodded "Pyras…right. I try to avoid them…whenever possible. If I can…fix the problem myself…I'll do it." Talia nodded in response "I see. That's not something I'd recommend but it's your decision." She then smiled "Now then, I assume you'd like to meet Daryl. Correct?" Pyra nodded "Yes." Talia replied back "Alright, try not to be to startled when the possession first occurs. It's a bit unique." Pyra was confused by this "What do you mean?"

Pyra jumped in surprise when a blue aura began to swirl around Talia. She was even more surprised when she was answered not by Talia's usual calm feminine voice, but instead by a smooth and seductive males voice "Greetings. My name is Daryl. I'm the original Elemental Fury of Water. I'm pleased to finally meet you in person Miss Pyra." Daryl then looked in Apiphones would be direction "I'm also happy to be able to see you again Apiphone." Apiphone smiled back at Daryl, even though his appearance was currently that of Talia and responded happily "It's good to see you too Daryl. It has been too long." Daryl laughed lightly "Indeed it has. At least four or five hundred years I would wager." Pyra spoke up in surprise "Four to five hundred years?! You guys are really that old?!" Apiphone was quick to answer her question "Yes. We're actually much older than that, but that was the last time we were all together. As our mother, Raelia, oddly no longer wanted us to directly be involved with the world anymore after that. Since then, our roles in the world took us in different directions. Elemental Furies don't have a finite life span like a human does. Though you may have heard of us without actually knowing it was us."

Pyra was now very interested in what Apiphone had just said. If they had been around for centuries, possibly millennia, what sort of things did they do within that time period. Now that she knew this it pressed her to ask "How is that possible?" This time it was Daryl to answer Pyra's question "Throughout history, we have taken on the roles of many well-known figures." Pyra was now incredibly interested "Oh? Like who" Daryl continued "Some of our most notable ones would be myself taking the role of a very famous naval captain you may know by the name of Duff George…" Pyra was surprised at this "Wait a minute, wasn't he the one who was killed after he was shot by a cannon?" Daryl chuckled slightly "Heh, yes, that would be me. And believe me, it is not a pleasant way to die. When it happened, I was caught off guard so I didn't have the time to make myself intangible and avoid it. Due to how significant the damage was and how quickly it had occurred, my physical body was dead before I could even think to repair it. At least it was relatively painless, unlike the others."

Pyra shivered slightly as she thought of what Daryl must've went through with that. But at the moment she wanted to know more about who the Furies were. It was because of this that she asked Daryl to continue, to which he happily obliged "As I was saying, all of us played different roles under different names throughout history. Some as leaders, some as soldiers, and some as scholars." Pyra was curious about Apiphone now that she knew the role that Daryl had played in history and so she asked "Who was Apiphone? What famous person did she take the role of?" Pyra didn't have to wait long before Apiphone replied "I'm very famous and worshipped as a national hero in the country of Britain. I took the role of Boudica, the women who struck fear into the Roman Empire itself."

At this point Pyra had never been more interested in history in her life. She had never thought that she'd be speaking to two of the most famous people in history, or rather, what the world perceived as two of the most famous people in history. Due to her now full-on enthrallment of the topic Pyra asked her next question "So is there anyone else besides you two or is just you?" Daryl smiled and nodded "There are four more of us." Pyra asked excitedly "Oh? Who were they?" Daryl laughed at Pyra's enthusiasm "You're quite enthusiastic about this; I like that. Anyway, you have Chloe, the Elemental Fury of Lightning; she took the role of the famous French general known as the 'Maid of Orleans', Joan of Arc. Then you have Lydia, the Elemental Fury of Wind, she took on the role of Mulan, the girl who dressed as a man to protect her country, and I must say she did a wonderful job at it. Finally, you have Obix the Elemental Fury of Earth. He took on the role of the Scottish rebel William Wallace. However, since our restriction of involving ourselves personally with the world by Raelia all those centuries ago, we've acted more like guardians to people in the same way we have guarded the two of you; gifting them with our abilities so they may act in our place. Raelia also frowns upon this, though none of us know why." This time Mercy spoke up as she pointed out a crucial detail that Daryl had seemed to have missed "I have to admit…this is all…very interesting…but you said…there were four more…of you. You've only…listed three. What happened…to the fourth?"

For a moment Daryl was silent almost as though he didn't know what to say or that he had hoped they wouldn't have picked up on the fact that he had missed disclosing the information on the fourth member of their group. Eventually however, he did answer Mercy's question "The last of us is known as Esther. We don't talk much about her." Both Pyra and Mercy were confused at this. It seemed as though Apiphone and Daryl really cared about the members of their group, so they couldn't imagine why they wouldn't want to talk about this one. Before either of them could ask however, Daryl replied for them "I know what your thinking. 'why do we not speak of her' the answer is because the less we think of her the less it hurts us." Pyra asked with confusion "Hurts you?" Daryl nodded "Esther was a kind and caring individual. She was the very definition of a saint. So much so that it could be considered a fault. Like all of us she could control an element freely and fully. In her case, it was the element of Light." Pyra chuckled "Wish I could do that. That would save me a ton on my electric bill." Daryl returned the light chuckle "Indeed, that would be a trivial matter for her. In fact, it would be so trivial she would consider it almost insulting. Regardless, of all of us, she was the most forgiving. You could be someone as cruel as Atilla the Hun or even Adolf Hitler himself, and she would still find some sort of way to forgive you where as the rest of us would have ended your life on the spot"

Mercy smiled in admiration "That's…amazing. I wish I could…forgive that easily. But what happened…to her?" Daryl shook his head "None of us know. She simply vanished one day and we've never seen her since. Esther is the oldest of us and hence she often acted as an older sister, and sometimes even like a mother figure when Raelia or Taifa, our mother's advisor, were busy with other things. It was because of this attitude that, when she disappeared, we were all devastated. It's because of that, that we try not to think of her so it doesn't make the pain in our hearts rise up." Apiphone then put her own to cents in towards Daryl "That's enough about Esther Daryl. I too, do not wish to be reminded of her absence, it is to unbearable to think about. You know this." Daryl simply nodded "You're right. Forgive me. I was simply answering Mercy's question, but now that I have done that, I agree with you and I shall drop the subject." Apiphone nodded in gratitude "Thank you."

Pyra was fascinated by everything she had learned about the Furies. But one thing tugged at her: if they all had such power as to have full control of the elements, then how did they all die the way they did? Surely, they could have easily been considered one-man armies. With this in mind Pyra asked this to Daryl "I'm curious, how did you all die? If you're as powerful as you appear to be wouldn't it be impossible for any normal person to kill you?" Daryl smiled in understanding "Normally it would yes. But as I said already for my case, I was taken off guard. Apiphone, due to her affections for her husband and daughters at the time, her anger got the better of her and she did not plan things out very well. She instead blindly charged into the enemies' trap. She was so enraged that she didn't even rely on her ability to manipulate fire; she wanted to kill her enemies personally and with her bare hands." Apiphone grumbled slightly "You had to put it that way, didn't you?" Daryl simply laughed in response "The truth hurts Apiphone." Daryl then continued his explanation "After a hard battle, Obix couldn't risk using the full extent of his abilities otherwise he would have devastated his own allies and this lead him to be captured by the English and executed. Chloe, though she was loved by many, was despised by the English. During a battle she was knocked from her steed and, although she could have easily incinerated them using her lightning, like Obix, she would also fell her own followers as well, so she was captured and eventually burned at the stake. While she could have easily avoided this fate as well, she would have killed many innocents in the process and she would rather die than take an innocent life. This is also why Obix was unable to escape his fate. Lydia was a sad case; even amongst us." Pyra was intrigued "Oh? How come?" Daryl replied with a slightly sad tone "As you all know, or rather as your history describes her, Mulan was a Chinese girl who disguised herself as a man and fought a war to defend China. However, after doing so not only did she return to find that her father and two of her sisters been killed and that her mother had remarried, but also, that she was now betrothed to be the concubine of the Emperor, otherwise known as the Khan. Because of this, she killed herself. Partially out of defiance for her fate and partially out of heartbreak. Since then, Apiphone is the only one I have now reunited with, something I must thank you for."

After a short silence Daryl decided that it was time to wrap things up. With a smile he spoke his farewells "I think it's about time for me to take my leave. If I stay to long it'll not be very good for Talia so I will bid you all farewell for now. I hope to see you again soon as well Apiphone." Apiphone nodded in slight anticipation, yet also seemed to mixed with a disappointed longing "I look forward to it."

Pyra however, wasn't quite finished and had one last thing she needed answered. Because of this Pyra took her chance before Daryl gave control back to Talia "Hey Daryl, how can I make it so that Apiphone and I can see each other as well as the other Elemental Furies like you and Talia? She said that Miyu told you how to do it." Daryl thought for a few moments before replying "There are some requirements that need to be fulfilled before you can achieve that." Pyra's eyes were full of determination "That's fine I'm up for the challenge." Daryl nodded "Alright. First, you need to activate your Fury form by fusing the brand on your chest with the element you control, in your case fire." Pyra's face suddenly dropped in uncertainty "You mean…I have to set myself on fire?!" Daryl shrugged, a slightly amused grin appearing on "his" face "That would certainly suffice, but you don't need to resort to something so drastic. A simple ember will do. Now that you have the abilities of the Fire Fury, you no longer are affected by heat or flames, unless you wish to be. In fact, to be assaulted by anything fire based will merely make you more powerful."

Pyra was shocked. If this were the case then why had she felt so much pain when Mercy lit her on fire? Why had her brand not activated? She would ask Apiphone about that later. Instead she continued to listen to what Daryl had to say "Next you need to master your Fury form. At first it will be very tiring for you and you will likely only be able to hold it for a few minutes at a time. After you master it, you will need be ready for the final step." Pyra was both intrigued and nervous with the way Daryl said this "What's the final step?" Daryl's voice turned serious as he answered Pyra's question "you'll need to maintain a state of constant possession so that your soul and Apiphone can harmonize with each other. As I said earlier, if a possession is maintained for long periods it can start doing damage to the possessed. If maintained to long the damage it can cause can become irreparable, possibly even fatal. However, there is a work around." Pyra raised an eyebrow in curiosity "oh? What would that be" Daryl continued "if the two of you take turns sharing control of your body, eventually the connection will be complete. For instance, if each one of you shares half of a day in control, you should be able to complete the connection within a week and you will be able to see both your own Fury as well as others."

Pyra weighed her options after hearing this last step "So basically it's choosing between risking injury or death at the possible chance of being able to see you guys freely or playing it safe and just keeping it as is." Daryl nodded "Correct. It'll be up to you to decide what you wish to do. I pray you good fortune in whatever you decide. However, I truly must give control back to Talia, lest she start to suffer side affects from maintaining the possession for to long. It has been a long time since she has allowed me to perform a possession and as such her body is no longer capable of withstanding it for long. I hope to..."

Pyra however quickly interjected before Daryl could finish his sentence of goodbyes "Sorry, but I have just one last question before you leave" Daryl sighed slightly, sounding slightly fatigued "Go on." Pyra smiled in thanks "What's the difference between the Fury form and a Possession?" Daryl quickly answered her "Your Fury form is activated through fusing with the element that you control. You maintain your own consciousness and can freely manipulate that element and as you become accustomed to it your abilities will grow stronger" Pyra nodded in understanding before Daryl continued "A possession is when your guardian physically takes control of you. You could essentially compare it to sleep walking. Normally, we can only act as guides and offer advice while not actually interfering with anything around us. However, when possessed, we are physically able to interact with the world around us and your abilities go beyond that of which you are normally capable of as we are the original Furies and have no limits. The cost of this however, is slow but continual damage to the vessels body due to the forceful entry of another's soul taking control. The longer the possession, the greater the damage. While normally easy to recover from, if possessed to long, it can turn into something serious if the person being possessed hasn't trained themselves to deal with the stresses of the possession or isn't used to it any longer." His look then became serious "…which is why I must take my leave. I look forward to catching up with you Apiphone."

With that, Daryl gave control back to Talia and was gone. Talia sighed briefly before smiling sweetly "It's been quite some time since I last allowed Daryl to possess me. Seems I'm a little out of touch with it now." Pyra smiled "If you think it tires you out, just imagine what it's gonna make me feel like." Talia smiled sweetly in return "I'm sure it'll be difficult at first, but I'm also sure that you'll get the hang of it rather quickly and it won't be a problem for you for all that long." Pyra laughed at Talia's kind words of encouragement "Here's hoping so, I'm not the nicest person when I'm tired."

After chatting a little while longer, Pyra and Mercy eventually said their farewells to Talia. As Talia drove off, Mercy took Pyra by the arm as she made her way into her home. With a look of surprise, but also a small look of irritation on her face Pyra asked Mercy "What is it?". The tone in which Pyra used to ask her question stung Mercy like a knife. It was obvious she hadn't forgotten about what happened at the hospital concerning Ellie, and although Mercy had to admit that Pyra had every right to be angry at her about it, it still hurt her. Even still, Mercy worked up the courage to ask "Would it be alright…if I stayed here…with you? I don't have…anywhere else to go. I've been homeless…since the riot. It's only because of my abilities…that I haven't died yet." Pyra was now visibly irritated at the request and pulled her arm away from Mercy "First off, let go of me. Secondly, you've tried to kill me by burning me alive, you've murdered an entire police station on top of that woman in the alleyway right in front of me. Thirdly, you've completely destroyed Ellie's life. And lastly, you lied to me about who you really were; yet you still ask me to let you stay here with me? You've got guts I'll give you that much."

As Pyra continued to berate Mercy, she found it harder and harder to keep her composer. She couldn't deny that Pyra was in the right with everything she was saying, but it still hurt her more than anything she experienced in the Slaughter Shows. What was odd however, was that she couldn't place why it hurt her so much. Even though she'd experienced this sort of thing so many times before that she thought she had become numb to it, yet now she could barely contain herself. Despite this she tried to keep a strong front as she tried to justify herself to Pyra "I know…that I've done some…horrible things. But you were…the first one…to look past those...since Rina and Shizuko. I was hoping…I could count…on that now. I'm not trying to say…that what I did was right…or that…Ellie deserved it. It's just…when I'm like that…almost anything…will set me off. I can't help it."

At this point tears had begun to fall down Mercy's face as she had lost control of her emotions in her desperate attempt to make Pyra see that she truly did regret what happened. "Please…I have nowhere…else to go. I've been homeless…since the riot. I know that…I can easily survive…on my own…thanks to my abilities…but…after getting to know you…and seeing your kindness…I don't want…to be on my own…anymore. I want…to have something…to look forward to…every day. I don't want…to worry about looking over my shoulder…every time I go somewhere." Mercy then wiped her eyes in an attempt to regain her composure before continuing "I want…a peaceful life. I want a life…like yours. If that means...i have to confine myself…inside your house…for the rest of my life…I'm fine with that. I'm used to…confinement. As long…as I have a peaceful…and happy life…with you…confinement is…a small price to pay."

Pyra crossed her arms across her chest, the irritated expression not leaving her face "If you wanted a peaceful life then you should have learned to control your anger and let those grudges go. I'm not saying what happened to you was right, in fact it was horrible, but what you did to Ellie was just as bad. You've completely destroyed her life now." Mercy couldn't bring herself to face Pyra as she meekly responded "I told you…I can't help it. Do you…really think…I enjoy killing? Do you really think…i want…to hurt people? It's not something…I can control. The experimentation…makes me…much more aggressive…then…I should be. That's what causes…the switches…between…my personalities…so easily." Pyra was stunned by this revelation "Are you serious?" Mercy shyly nodded her head in response, still not having the courage to look Pyra's way.

After learning of this Pyra began to ponder her options. On the one side, Mercy genuinely did come off as a sweet and caring individual who just wanted a peaceful life away from the hell she once lived, but on the other she knew that Mercy was a ticking time-bomb because of her violent side being so easily triggered. She knew that to turn Mercy away was likely the best choice; by doing so she'd be ensuring her safety from any possible harm from Mercy's potential outbursts; even with Apiphones help. Despite this, Mercy truly was someone who knew very little about the term companionship. She had always been alone and the few friends she had made were no longer her friends. If Pyra allowed her to stay, she may, over time, be able to tame that violent and untrusting side of hers.

After a minute or so of silence between the two of them, Mercy sighed in what seemed to be a sad but understanding acceptance "It's alright…I understand. Someone like me…isn't something…a normal person…could handle. I'm not…a normal person…after all. And with everything I've done…how could you possibly…want anything…to do with me?" she then turned away from Pyra and began to make her way off the property. Before Mercy could get very far however, she was suddenly stopped as she felt her arm grabbed and pulled back to face Pyra. Mercy was surprised by this sudden bold gesture and inquired as to what she was trying to do "What's…the matter?"

For a moment, even Pyra herself didn't know what to say. She simply had a sudden knee-jerk reaction and grabbed Mercy's arm without thinking. After gathering her thoughts and looking at Mercy's rather confused face that was eagerly waiting a reply she answered "You said that you had nowhere to go right?" Mercy nodded in response "That's right. My last true home…was the Asylum." Pyra continued, carefully picking her words "Well, I've decided to let you stay here. But on one condition." At the revelation of this Mercy's eyes widened in a mixture of joy, disbelief, and confusion "Really? What…made you…change your mind?" Pyra shrugged "Call me a sucker for punishment. Anyway, if your going to stay here, I want you to keep that anger of yours in check. Even if you see someone from your past that did something to you, even from the asylum, I want you to try to ignore it. If you can promise me that then I'll let you stay." Mercy was silent for a moment before replying with a slight, but grateful, smile "Alright…I'll try. But…if that's the case…I have a condition…of my own." Pyra scowled in irritation "You're not exactly in a position to be making demands here Mercy." Mercy nodded in understanding "I know…but this is more…of a request…than a condition." Pyra's eyebrow raised in curiosity "Oh? What is it?" Mercy got straight to the point "As you know…I have very little control…over myself. It's…because of that…that I was hoping…you would be there to help…keep me from…hurting anyone…if I do lose myself. I just want…someone…to help me in controlling…myself…as I don't think…I can do it…alone." Pyra smiled lightheartedly at Mercy's "condition" in understanding and answered softly "Sure. I think I'll be able to handle that condition. Now let's get inside before we both freeze to death."

Pyra led Mercy into her home and out of the now cool night. Once inside she turned to Mercy and asked her "Would it be alright if I spoke to the other you for a minute?" Mercy looked a little surprised "You want to…speak to her? What do you want…to talk about?" Pyra answered matter-of-factly "I just want to make sure we're on the same page." Mercy nodded in understanding "Alright." Within a split second, Mercy's other personality appeared, recognizable by her differing eyes and sudden change from a shy to a serious expression. After a brief silence Mercy asked with slight irritation in her voice "What is it?" Pyra however, wasn't going to be disrespected in her own home however, and sternly responded "Don't take that tone with me. You're lucky I'm letting you stay here at all. It's only because your other personality convinced me. Perhaps you should show a little gratitude don't you think?" Mercy chuckled somewhat arrogantly, but at the same time it had a hint of gratitude as well before replying "I suppose your right. I'm just not used to being in people's debt." She then smiled slightly showing that she was serious in listening to what Pyra had to say "So what is it you want to talk about?"

Pyra motioned her to take a seat on the couch in the living room. As they both took a seat Pyra spoke, a serious tone in her voice "As I said earlier, I've decided to let you stay with me. However, there's one condition that comes with that." Mercy looked intrigued at this "Oh? And what might that be?" Pyra continued "While you stay here, I want you to keep yourself under control and not go off the rails on people just because they upset you; even if they happen to be people from your past." A look of surprise took to Mercy's face at this. Although she had been fine with this just moments before, due to their personalities not being aware of what the other said while in control, this was the first time this side of her had heard this. Due to this, this side of Mercy protested the condition laid out before her "How the hell do you expect me to do that?! You really expect me to just let those bastards get away with their crimes against me? Against everyone?!" Pyra didn't budge from her position "If you want to look at it like that, then, yes, I do. Your other personality was fine with it." Again, Mercy protested the condition that Pyra had set forth "There's no way in hell I can do that! I do the things that weak side of me can't! How do you expect me to just forget everything that happened to me?! There's no way I can do that! I'd snap!"

It was at those last two words that Pyra's face softened "Don't worry about that. I'll take care of that for you." Mercy was understandably confused by this "What are you talking about? How would you be able to help me?" Pyra was quick to answer "If a situation like that happens I'll step in and handle it so you don't have to. If you find that you're reaching your breaking point come to me and talk to me about it, no matter what it is, and I'll do my best to take care of it so you don't have to." Mercy chuckled to herself "So, what? You're my Shrink now?" Pyra shook her head "No. While you're staying here I'm your friend. Heck, you could even say I'm your family; we're sharing a home after all."

Mercy was speechless at Pyra's reply. The only thing she'd ever known in her life was pain and betrayal. Even her so-called friends, Ekaterina and Shizuko, were more acquaintances that she had formed an alliance with than actual friends; and now she didn't even have that. But here, Pyra was not only offering to be her friend, but even going so far as to call her family. As much as she liked the sound of that, it scared her as well. She was afraid of what would happen if she truly did take Pyra up on her offer and stay with her on the condition of trying to curb her hatred of those who had destroyed her life, but at the same time, she was afraid of what she might be missing out on if she passed this chance up.

Mercy's mind was reeling at all the scenarios that could occur when Pyra broke her out of her thoughts "So, what do you think? You promise not to harm anyone anymore, unless you're defending yourself, and I let you stay with me. If you have any issue's feel free to come to me. Are you fine with that?" Mercy shook her head "I can't. I've been here before. You people say sweet things, then when you get your targets trust you back stab them! Sorry but I'm not falling for it this time!" Mercy then got up and turned to leave but stopped in her tracks as she heard Pyra make a bold, and rather dangerous, addition to her offer "How about this? If I betray you, I give you full permission to kill me. I won't even allow Apiphone to interfere." Mercy looked back with an intrigued and amused grin "Oh? You've got quite the pair on you Flower." Pyra didn't bother to acknowledge the sarcastic compliment of Mercy and instead got straight to the point "So, do we have a deal then?" Mercy was silent for a moment but then conceded "Fine. I'll take you up on your offer. I just hope you know what your getting into." Pyra smirked "I would think by now you would know not to underestimate people." Mercy laughed "You got me there Flower, I really should know that by now shouldn't I." Pyra was then surprised when Mercy's face took to one of appreciation "Also, I just want to say thanks. If you truly mean what you say, I want you to know how much I appreciate it." Pyra shook her head in dismissal "Don't worry about it. After all you've been through you deserve some joy in your life." Mercy's smile grew slightly "Thanks Flower. I'll try to keep my temper under control. It isn't going to be easy, but I'll try." Pyra just nodded in approval "Alright, we have a deal then. Welcome to the family Mercy."

Pyra then turned and began to make her way up to her room but turned back briefly "If you like you can take my grandparents room. As I said before, they're bed was generally to soft for me. I can take the guest room." Mercy was slightly hesitant at Pyra's invitation "Are you sure? I'm fine with the couch. I don't need luxuries." Pyra shook her head with a small chuckle "Don't worry about it. You're living with me now, you can sleep there if you want. You don't have to worry about being treated like an animal here. So, go ahead, make yourself comfortable." Mercy smiled in appreciation "Thanks Flower. I'm not used to this sort of generosity. It's still kind of hard for me trust it all." Pyra just waved Mercy's concerns off "Don't worry about it. As I said, if I go back on my end, you can do whatever you want to me." A small, slightly sly and amused, smirk took to Mercy's face "That sounds rather tempting Flower. Be careful or I might just take you up on your offer of 'doing whatever I want to you'" Pyra shrugged a slightly amused grin also appearing on her face "You can try, but you may find that I may be a little to hot for you to handle now." A look of slight confusion then replaced the grin on Pyras face "By the way, why do you keep calling me 'Flower'?" Mercy smirked "I told you. It's because you can't take a little blood and guts on the wall. But also…" a look of slight embarrassment, but also respect, took to Mercy's face "…I guess cause you're an honest person. You're one of few people that seems to genuinely mean what they say. You're pure; just like a flower."

Pyra was slightly taken aback by this response. Given how Mercy was while like this, she didn't expect to hear something like that come from her. Even still, she couldn't deny that she liked the nickname or the compliment she had just been given. Due to this she figured she should at least thank Mercy for this "I appreciate it. I don't like it when people lie or treat others poorly. I was taught to treat others well and with respect, and so that's what I'm going to do." Mercy nodded in approval of Pyra's claim but asked with slight concern "Is it alright if I continue to call you that? If you don't mind that is." Pyra laughed lightly "It's fine with me. Call me whatever you like." Mercy nodded "Thanks."

Pyra gave Mercy one last friendly and welcoming smile before heading off to her room for the night. It had been a busy and stressful day and she needed the sleep. As she got ready to lay down however, she heard Apiphone's definitive voice "Are you sure this is wise Pyra? Mercy may be deserving of sympathy but she's a dangerous and unstable individual. Making a deal like that with her could prove unwise." Pyra shook her head in disagreement "I understand where your coming from, but it's the only way to keep her under control. Plus, it benefits us both: I can keep an eye on her and keep her under control, and she has a safe place to stay without having to worry about people trying to hurt her." Apiphone sighed, but it had a sound of respect to it "You truly are a loving individual aren't you. Despite all the things Mercy has done you still wish the best for her and wish to see her happiness fulfilled." Pyra scoffed to herself "Either that or I'm crazy myself." Apiphone laughed at this comment "That very well may be a possibility as well."

A moment of silence came over the room when a sudden thought struck Pyra that she had forgotten about until now. With curiosity she inquired Apiphone "Hey Apiphone, you said earlier that you would tell me how I got out of that fight with Mercy without any injuries. Think you'd be able to do that now, now that we're alone?" Apiphones ethereal but motherly voice quickly responded "Of course. You deserve to know everything that happened during that battle. It will also likely help you understand Mercy better as well and help her adjust to her new life with you." Pyra smirked hopefully "I really hope I can do that. She's gone through too much crap in such a short amount of time that she needs a bit of joy in her life." Apiphone was quick to agree "Agreed. In time she may lose this violent disposition entirely." She then changed the topic "However, let us get to the matter at hand: the reason you were unscathed from your battle with Mercy." Pyra smiled in appreciation "Thanks"

"Before the start of the battle, you attacked Mercy in anger at finding out that she was the one responsible for the murders around town." Pyra nodded "Ya, I remember that much…" Apiphone continued "Due to you interfering with her plans, she set you on fire using a can of flammable hairspray and a lighter that was originally intended for her next victim…primitive I must say, but effective." Pyra was confused at this "I remember that part too, but what I don't get is, if Daryl was right in saying that we're immune to the element that we represent, why did it hurt so much when Mercy did that? I would think that it would hurt if I was immune to fire now." Apiphone was quick to answer "This was because you were in a state of panic. Because you had such a fear of fire, due to your past, the moment the fire touched you, you immediately went into a state of fear and distress. Thereby, this was the same as letting the fire harm you rather than letting it become a part of you. Remember, Daryl also said that, should you allow it, your element can also still harm you; though why you would allow such a thing is beyond me."

Pyra was silent for a moment, thinking to herself about what she had been told. So much had gone on in such a short period of time that it was hard to grasp it all in one sitting. Still, she trusted Apiphone and knew she wouldn't lie to her. After thinking a little longer Pyra asked "So all I have to do is keep a calm state of mind and just let the fire do it's work and it won't hurt me" Apiphone confirmed "Precisely. It's like anything you handle. If your calm and careful with it, it won't harm you. However, if you don't handle it properly and flail it around, it will. By keeping a calm state of mind, you'd even be able to safely walk the surface of the sun and not receive a single mark. It will also allow you to manipulate the flames to allow you to activate your Fury form."

Pyra was uncertain and, she had to admit, still slightly nervous about handling fire completely unprotected, but if Apiphone was telling her she'd be safe then she'd trust her. This then brought the conversation to Pyra's next question "So what happened after she set me on fire? That's the part I don't remember." Apiphone smiled to herself, though Pyra couldn't see it, as she replied "Given the position you were in, it was at that moment that I performed my first possession with you." Pyra was surprised "Really?! You just hijacked my body without my consent and used it like you owned it?!" Apiphone replied rather dryly in return "Would you have preferred I left you to die instead? Remember what I said, if you don't have a calm state of mind, at which time you didn't, you can still be harmed by your own element as you aren't able to control it properly. If I had left you alone in such a state you very likely would have died. It was because of this that I performed the possession."

Pyra had to admit that Apiphone had a point. She most certainly didn't want to die, but she also felt slightly violated in the fact that she had been possessed without even being notified of it first. But if it had saved her life in the end, it was worth it. Pyra then asked her next question "So what happened after that? You seem to have a bit of a grudge against Mercy now and even threatened to kill her a few times." With a sigh Apiphone confirmed Pyra's wonderings "Indeed. I have little respect for her. Or rather, little trust would be a better term. She is a strong individual both in ability and spirit. However, she is also extremely unstable and when she laid her hands upon you I could not allow her to go unpunished. As such, we fought fiercely against each other with the end result being a draw."

Pyra was amazed at this revelation "She seriously matched you on even ground?!" Apiphone confirmed Pyras question "Indeed she did. However, is it really such a surprise? She kept up with Talia too did she not?" Pyra disagreed slightly with this statement "She did for a while, but once Talia transformed, she began to walk all over Mercy." Apiphone chuckled slightly "That's because she was not using her full strength; where as against me, she was." Pyra again was surprised "Really? I thought she was…" Apiphone refuted this thought "No. Do you remember the other form that Mercy showed you? The one where she looks heavily modified and almost cybernetic in appearance?" Pyra nodded "If Mercy had used that form against Talia, they would have likely both decimated the entire area. In fact, the only reason our own battle came to an end was due to the interference of Mercy's comrades; though from her recounting of her time at the Asylum, two of them were now adversaries and not friends."

Pyra took a moment to process this. After what she had seen from Talia and the overwhelming strength she had exhibited, she found it hard to believe that Mercy, after being so easily over taken by Talia after her transformation, would be able to defend herself. On the other hand, she wasn't conscious to even witness Mercy's abilities at that point in time, so it really was impossible to even try to judge her abilities in that form. The only way to be sure would be to fight her herself.

With this thought in mind Pyra asked Apiphone, a slight nervousness in her voice "Hey Apiphone, do you think we could do some training tomorrow? I want to get the hang of controlling fire so that I'm not afraid of it anymore. I also want to get the hang of using my Elemental Fury form. It's not fair to always have to rely on you to get me out of hot water." Apiphone seemed to have little care of Pyra's reliance on her as she replied softly "I'm here to protect you Pyra. I'll do whatever I need to do to see that you're safe. Do not ever think of yourself as a burden to me." Pyra smiled in appreciation "Thanks. I just don't want to seem like a dead weight to you." Apiphone quickly dashed these fears "Don't ever think such things. You are as important to me as a daughter is to their mother. Tomorrow we can begin our training to help you master the element of Fire and gain access to your Fury form. While it might take some time and effort, I'm sure you will quickly learn all there is to know about it." Pyra smiled at Apiphones kind and encouraging words "Thanks. I'm glad I got someone like you to rely on. I guess I'll talk to you in the morning then. I'm going to need all the energy I can muster if I'm going to go through with this." Apiphone replied soothingly "Indeed. Sleep well Pyra."

Pyra had to admit, ever since she had met Apiphone, she had felt a sense of motherly love come from her. Apiphone truly did seem to live up to her comment of viewing Pyra as a daughter. Pyra kept this comforting thought in her mind as she tried to fend off the nervousness over what was to come with the next day. Eventually the warm and loving presence of Apiphones kind words and overall protective nature allowed Pyra to overcome her worries and she drifted off into the realm of sleep.