Holy moly guacamole! Another really fast update! If I keep going like this, the story will be over before you know it! Really? Maybe, I don't know. So, please, read the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss

Chapter 14

"How the hell are you still alive?!" Asch demanded, leaping towards Trace as he took Lacey's place. Trace smirked as he side stepped Asch's sword, pulling his daggers out.

"Funny," Trace spat. "I was just about to ask you the same thing." Their weapons clashed, and Lacey bit her lip nervously. She didn't like fighting- even more so when it was between her friends. Granted, Asch had attacked her, but Lacey had provoked him. She debated stopping the fight, but then immediately decided against it. Trace would yell at her and tell her she was being an idiot, and that she couldn't do anything right.

"Lacey!" Trace snapped, causing the brunette to jump in surprise. "What are you doing, standing there like an idiot?!" Lacey winced. She should've saw this coming. "Get going! You need to unlock that seal with the Sword of Lorelei!" Lacey nodded mutely, face hidden by her hair in shame.

Lacey disappeared down the stairwell to below to the seal, and Asch broke away to go after her.

"Not so fast Asch!" Trace called, jumping. "Reaper's Toll!"

And the two God-General's fight resumed.

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Lacey bolted down the stairwell, stumbling and nearly tripping over her feet in her rush to get to the bottom. The minute she got down there she skidded to the center of the seal, pulling the Sword of Lorelei out of her sword belt.

Lacey lifted the Sword over her head, then slammed it down into the seal. She gripped the handle of the sword, then using all of her strength and will, she turned it like a key, the sound of a giant lock unlocking seemingly clicking.

Very faintly, Lacey could've sworn she heard the sound of a door gently being opened, but as soon as she heard it, it was gone.

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Trace felt the seal on the Absorption Gate being unlocked. He was sure Asch did too. There was suddenly an exhilarating rush of seventh fonons starting to rush out into the atmosphere. At least Lacey hadn't screwed this up. He averted his eyes quickly to where Lacey had disappeared to to unlock the seal.

She appeared out of the stairwell, face soaked with sweat- and Trace knew why. A lot of the things she was asked- more like told –to do took an extreme toll on her body.

Yet, Lacey still had enough energy to make it across the field, barely skirting Asch, and over to Trace.

"It's done," Lacey declared, breathing harshly. "We can get going now." Trace nodded, and pulled a little marble out of his pocket and tossing it over towards Asch.

Before Lacey could question what the marble was, Trace had already grabbed her arm and was rushing the exhausted girl out of the area.

However, they were barely up the second swirl when the marble blew up.

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When Asch saw the marble that Sync had thrown before dragging Lacey off, he didn't know what to think. He had never seen such a thing like it before. Of course, he knew it was a marble, but he didn't know why Sync would throw it at him.

Then Asch noticed the sudden absence of Fifth Fonons in the air, and eyed the marble cautiously. It was starting to flash, like it was getting ready to detonate.

Guessing that the marble was about to explode, Asch did the one thing- the only thing –he could do. He created a hyperresonance and used it to transport him away from the Radiation Gate. He didn't care where- anywhere from there was fine for hime.

And he was gone.

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Trace and Lacey had barely made it out of the Absorption Gate before Lacey collapsed to her knees, exhausted. Trace wasn't surprised, he knew it was coming. Every time Lacey did something too hard for her body- cast too many artes, train too long, anything, she'd collapse and not be able to move until she had rested for a few hours.

If anything, Trace was surprised that she hadn't collapsed sooner. Yet, before he could make a snide comment about her being weak, Lacey was gritting her teeth and forcing herself to her feet. She stumbled a few steps, then fell down again. Trace, however, didn't do anything but watch her. He knew that she'd never get anywhere with everybody babying her and helping her every step of the way.

It took a few more tries, but Lacey finally succeeded in standing up and walking. Yet, with every step she took Trace could see her wincing in pain and exhaustion. But still he didn't do anything. Lacey had to endure this herself.

"Let's go." She said to Trace, her voice calm, showing a lot of exhaustion in it. He didn't say anything, he just led the way, Lacey following behind him.

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Trace stared past the crackling fire to the girl who was sleeping just on the other side of it. They had stopped at the outskirts of Belkend after Lacey had finally succumbed to her exhaustion and passed out.

Trace stared at her closely, his green eyes cold and calculating. From the moment he banded together with this little group of girls, he'd known there was something up with Lacey. She was constantly happy, and hardly ever showed any other emotion. That is, until recently…

But Lacey constantly acted differently from the other girls. She acted like she was a little kid almost 24/7 and obeyed everything she was told. It was almost as if she was trained to be like that.

It was almost like she was a…

Trace shook his head. It was impossible. Lacey couldn't possibly be that.

Trace looked back at Lacey. Now that he thought of it, Lacey's behavior had started to change after she got that lab- the one she named Demon.

But then again, it could just be his imagination.

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In Lacey's room, Demon whined, and curled up on the floor by the window, head resting on top of her paws.

Outside the new moon seemed to shine brightly as first fonons poured into Lacey's room.

Slowly but surely, Demon's eyes ticked like the hands of a clock as the eye color slowly changed color, heading to white, lasting only an instant their before they worked their way to red.

The eye color finally settled on a bloody crimson red color, flecks of a darker red mixed in it.

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So, how did you like it? Good? Bad? O.K.? And does anybody know what's going on with Demon?

To find out, please Read and Review!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-