Ayva stood with the entirety of the Sabertooth guild, her heart heavy.

"Are you serious?"

Ayva nodded. "Kektir told me to come to Oshanora, alone, otherwise he would kill my brother."

"This must be a trap."

"I have no doubt that it is." Ayva looked at them. "Which is why I need your help. Why Elyon needs your help." She looked at Sting. "We know where they are now. But I need a favor."

"Anything."

"Will you contact Bickslow of Fairy Tail and ask him for his help? Oshanora is only a few hours from here to the north. If we can defeat Kektir and his guild, I should be able to retrieve my soul. But I will need Bickslow's help to restore it."

"Understood."

"Are you sure you're willing to risk it?" Rogue asked, looking at her worriedly. "You know what could happen if he fails."

"I know..." Ayva looked at him, seeing her emotions mirrored in his eyes. "But it's a risk I have to take. If he can bind a soul to any object he chooses, theoretically it should work with restoring a soul, too." She reached up and touched his cheek. "It'll be OK, Rogue. I promise."

"What do you need from us, Ayva?" Minerva asked.

Ayva looked at her and the others. "Kektir said to come alone, but I have little faith that he will keep his word. I don't want to ask this of any of you, considering the danger that awaits, but I would appreciate it if you could come with me and provide backup."

"You're family, Ayva." Sting said. "I speak for all of us when I say that we're willing to face whatever danger comes our way if it means supporting and helping you out."

Ayva smiled at that. "Thank you."

"So what's the plan?"

Ayva walked alone down the northern road towards the Eranosian ruins of Oshanora. An eerie sense hung heavy in the air around the city that she had once frequented with her family during clan meetings. As she reached the village square, she could feel the hundreds of eyes on her and found Elyon standing next to Kektir, as much in a daze as he was the last time she had seen him.

'Elyon... Don't worry, it'll be OK...'

"And here she comes, the loving big sister, the last of the free Eranosians. " Kektir said, grinning wickedly.

"I am here, alone, as you requested. What would you have of me in exchange for my brother's freedom?"

"Right to the point, I love it." Kektir looked her up and down, eyeing her greedily. "You have gained much more power than I would have ever thought possible without a soul. I am truly impressed and intrigued. Now, as for what I want?" Kektir placed a gnarled hand on Elyon's shoulder. "Well, now, you see I find myself troubled with only your soul. I want all of your power."

"You wish to steal my power, just as you did with all of my people before me?" Ayva looked at him warily. "My soul is not enough for you?"

"You were not strong enough to survive having your magikal power completely drained like the others. I saw a strength in you and I knew that if I let you live, your magik would grow and you would be an untapped reservoir of raw magikal power. That is why I was satisfied with simply stealing your soul."

Ayva looked at her brother. "If you free Elyon from your spell and return my soul to me, I will give you my all of my magikal power."

"Tsk, tsk little elf. Not very good at negotiating are we?"

Ayva narrowed her eyes. "You ask me to surrender all that I am. You already stole my soul and with it any chance of happiness that I ever had. You also have my brother, the only family I have left in the world and possibly the only other of my people to yet live, under your control through an enslavement spell. Considering what you have taken from us, it seems reasonable enough to return my soul and my brother to me in exchange for my magikal power."

Kektir thought a moment, seemingly seriously considering her proposition. "You raise an excellent point. I had not considered the vast amount of wonderful agony and despair I caused you." He looked at Ayva. "Very well, little elf. You may have your soul and brother returned to you in exchange for your magikal power."

"Before anything else, release my brother from your enslavement spell."

Kektir did as she asked and Elyon's eyes returned to normal.

"S-Sister...?"

Ayva smiled and nodded. "It'll be OK, Elyon. I'm here now."

Elyon started to make his way towards his sister, but out of nowhere a blade protruded from his chest and blood spurted from his mouth.

"Elyon!" Ayva watched in horror as her brother slumped forward in a bloody heap at Kektir's feet. When her eyes raised to look at Kektir, she saw the bloodied knife in his hand as he cleaned the blade free of her little brother's precious blood. Ayva raised her face to the sky and howled- her anger, fear, anguish, and hatred echoing through the forest that surrounded the ruins.

Kektir beamed at her as an aura colored black, red, lime green, ice blue, and blue-violet erupted around her, raising his hands in the air as he stepped towards her. "Yes! Yes! That's it, let your emotions loose! Let them consume you! Let your raw power flow freely!"

Rogue and the others who came with him- Sting, Rufus, Orga, Yukino and Minerva- looked around as a high pitched howl echoed through the forest and he sensed a sudden surge in magikal power. "Ayva...!"

"We need to hurry!"

Rogue and the others ran towards where the howl had come from, quickly finding themselves in the ruins of Oshanora and surrounded by wizards of the Hellcry Devils guild. Fighting their way through, they found themselves in the village square where a terrifying sight unfold before them: a very angry Ayva, who had taken on a transformation that took her normal appearance and turned it into one of a more feral and animalistic one. She had slitted pupils, her ears were longer, her teeth had sharpened to fangs, her nails became claws, her boots had torn from her feet taking a more canine form and were scattered around the village square, her clothes were tattered and torn as her muscles grew and bulged, and her hair had fallen from its partial bun- whipping around her wildly.

They watched as Ayva lunged at anyone who attempted to attack her or go near the bleeding and dying young man, who looked just like her.

"Elyon!" Rogue rushed towards him, but Ayva jumped in and stopped him- forcing him back.

"Stay away from him!"

"Ayva, it's me!"

"She's lost to her rage, boy!" Kektir said, cackling from where he stood- protected by a barrier on one of the patios of a nearby building. "It's no use!"

Rogue watched as Ayva turned at the sound of Minerva appearing behind her, grabbing Elyon before disappearing again into her Spatial Magik. He watched as Ayva searched wildly for her brother. "He's fine, Ayva! We'll keep him safe!"

Ayva could barely hear him as her fear and her rage took over again, but she turned when she caught the scent of Kektir on the wind. She snarled at him and lunged, clawing and kicking at his barrier.

"It's no use, little elf!" Kektir laughed and taunted her.

'Sister...'

Ayva could faintly hear Elyon calling to her as she battered against the barrier, trying to break it.

'Sister... you need to calm yourself... I'm alright for now... Your friends came... I am safe...'

Ayva felt her emotions beginning to subside and found herself able to think clearly again.

"Ha ha! You cannot break my barrier!"

"Wanna bet?"

Kektir stared in fear as his barrier cracked, finally shattering when Ayva dealt a final blow to it and sent him flying back into the wall.

Sting and the others defeated the remainder of the Hellcry Devils, turning to see Ayva advancing on the pathetic man begging for her mercy.

"You took everything from me, you fucking bastard." Ayva said, her mind once more fully clear. "You and the other dark guilds who exterminated my people for power and greed? You're worthless, spineless, despicable cowards and you deserve every ounce of fear, pain, and agony that comes your way. I will hunt down every last one of you if I must, but you will pay for what you have done, for what you have taken."

"P-Please! Have mercy! Don't kill me! I'll do anything!"

"Your words are meaningless, your pleading pointless." Ayva stepped closer to him, stopping as he scrambled to his feet and ran past her.

"S-Stay back!" Kektir tried to flee, but the wizards of Sabertooth stopped him. "G-Get out of my way!"

Sting and the others stood firm, but before they could act Ayva had appeared out of nowhere behind Kektir and thrust her hand through his chest- his heart in hand. They watched as he gargled and struggled for a few moments before growing still.

Ayva pulled her hand free, setting his heart ablaze using the aura whirling around her before she let it subside. She let the ashes fall from her bloodied hands and felt herself returning to her normal form. "Where is Elyon?"

"He's here, Ayva."

Ayva turned to where Minerva appeared, setting her brother on the ground. She fell to her knees next to him, pulling him into her arms. "Elyon?"

Elyon stirred and looked at his sister, smiling weakly. "We're free..."

Ayva nodded, stroking her brother's cheek. "We're free..."

"It's OK, sister... I can go in peace now... I can stand with Mother and Father again... With all of our people..."

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you then... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you now..."

"Don't be, sister..." Elyon reached up, weakly touching her cheek. "There was nothing you could have done..."

Ayva leaned into his hand, knowing she didn't have much time left. "I'm going to take you back home so that you can see it one more time..."

"I'd like that..." Elyon smiled. "I've always looked up to you, sister... I've always fought to be as great as you someday... even under Kektir's spell..."

Ayva searched his eyes, seeing the light starting to leave them. "I'm glad I could be there for you in some way..."

"I love you, Ayva..."

"I love you, Elyon..."

Ayva held her brother to her as the light left his eyes and his breathing stopped, his body stilling. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears ready to burst but none would come.

Rogue and the others stood back, watching as Ayva said her goodbyes. Rogue wanted to embrace her, comfort her, but he knew he couldn't. Not yet.

Ayva stood, her brother in her arms, and turned towards her friends. Without a word, she carried her brother passed them and disappeared into the forest.

"Should we go after her?"

"Leave her be."

Sting and the others looked at Rogue, knowing how hard it must be for him, then returned their attention to where Ayva had disappeared.

"I hope she'll be OK."