I'm baaaaaack! Did y'all miss me? I wasn't gone long, so y'all are fine. But I'm sure you've been aching for a new chapter, so here you go!

The sound of laughter was all they could hear, but it affected Rize more than any of them. Despite knowing what Merlin had said about Gowther not having control of himself without his enchanted armor, it was still disconcerting to see her closest friend act in such a way.

Thankfully, it didn't last long. Soon enough, there was a soft clanging sound, and Gowther stopped laughing. Rize watched as a silver and purple bracelet materialized on his wrist. He lifted the arm it appeared on, his expression changing from its previous hysteria to his usual one. "Ah," He said, just loud enough for all of them to hear. "Oh dear."

As he spoke, the sight of the others bloodied and mangled bodies began to flicker until all the blood and gore had completely disappeared. They could clearly see that the others were, in actuality, perfectly fine; unconscious, but not dead. Except for Merlin, of course, who was still a stone statue. Along with that sight, Merlin's "Perfect Cube," spell flickered out of existence as well.

While Elizabeth, Hawk, and Arthur all stayed frozen, Rize immediately broke into a run, headed for Gowther. The fact that he wasn't wearing clothes didn't even occur to her as she approached him, stopping directly in front of him and leaning over to catch her breath. He watched her, silent, and waited until she straightened up to look him directly in the eyes.

"What happened?" She demanded. "Damn it, Gowther, tell me what just happened!" She didn't realize she was crying until her face began to fell wet.

"I manipulated Galand's memories." Gowther said, monotonous as ever. "I made him believe he had killed everyone, and he left as a result."

The others were slowly leaving the areas they'd been frozen in seconds ago, going around and checking on the others' unconscious forms scattered across the field. Rize grit her teeth and turned her back to Gowther, trying in vain to hide her tears. "Thank you." She said. "You saved all of us."

"You are welcome." He responded.

"Rize!" Elizabeth's call from where she was beside Meliodas drew her attention away from the small confrontation. "They're all alive! It's a miracle!"

"It was Gowther." She announced, taking a deep breath and walking until she stood in between Elizabeth and Arthur. While Elizabeth was propping Meliodas up in her arms, Arthur was leaning into the stone statue of Merlin, crying. "He used his magic to make him think they were dead."

"That's great," Elizabeth flashed a smile at Gowther, who hadn't moved. "But they're still injured. We need to get them to someplace they can rest."

"I-" King Arthur choked on the words, straightening up and facing them, while keeping one hand on Merlin's arm. "I can take us to the castle. We can treat them there."

It took a lot of work to get all of the injured to the place Arthur directed them to. Diane had to be separated from the others due to her size, but they were assured she would be well taken care of. Once they arrived at Camelot castle, one of the servants brought a towel for Gowther, seeing as he still had no clothes.

While the others were being looked after by the castle staff and Elizabeth, who insisted on helping, Rize settled herself into the corner of the main room where Merlin had been placed. Arthur downright refused to leave her side, bent over her stone body, shoulders trembling. Rize wanted to talk to him, say something, anything, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. And so she sat in her corner, feeling just as useless as always.

For a while, she was left alone by everyone. Elizabeth was busy doting over Meliodas, and Hawk was with her. Diane was somewhere else in the castle, Merlin was stone, and Arthur was too engrossed in his guilt to try and talk to her. The only one left was Gowther, who eventually showed up and took a seat beside her.

She glanced up from in between her fingers, unsure how to react to him joining her. He was still only wearing a towel, which put his goat tattoo on full display. "You are quiet." He said after a moment. "Is something wrong?"

Rize pursed her lips, removing her hands from her face and crossing her legs. "Nothing's wrong." She said at last. "It's just...I...I want to apologize...for how I've been treating you lately. It was stupid. I'm sorry."

He tilted his head slightly. "I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"I've been a total bitch to you for weeks now!" She exclaimed, suddenly exasperated by his utter lack of competence. "The least you could do is say you forgive me!"

"Oh. Well, in that case, consider it forgiven."

Rize groaned, covering her face again and pressing her head down in her lap. "Do you always have to be so...so nonchalant about everything? It's like you don't feel at all, and it's...well, it's kinda creepy."

"But I don't feel." He said, and those simply words stopped Rize in her tracks. She looked up at him again, only to see him staring down at his hands, a look of longing on his face that she'd never seen before. "I would like to feel." He continued. "But emotions are the one thing I have never understood. They are remarkably complex, and no matter how much research I do concerning them, I can never seem to grasp them. To feel emotions...that is my greatest wish. I wish to obtain a heart of my very own."

Rize didn't know how to respond. So, he really couldn't feel anything? That was the reason he always acted the way he did? Despite the fact that she was still feeling spiteful towards him, she couldn't hold back her own emotions at the thought of living such a life. More tears sprung to her eyes and she closed the little distance between them, leaning into his chest and wrapping her arms around him, hoping that she was somehow able to show him how much she cared with that single embrace. "I'm so sorry," she gasped, her voice muffled by the fabric of the towel. "I promise, I will do whatever I can to help you achieve your goal. I'll help you find a heart. I'll help you feel emotions, just like everybody else!"

His body was tense for quite a while, but she didn't move, stubbornly refusing to back down from her promise. After several minutes of silence, he finally relaxed. He still didn't move, but she could feel the shift in his attitude just as clearly as if he had put his own arm around her. "I appreciate that." He said softly. "I am glad to have you with me, Rize."

She smiled, squeezing her eyes closed and holding him tighter. "Me too." She whispered. "Me too."