The apprentice walked nervously on the cobblestone road, his cloak nearly sweeping the dust off the ground. As he noticed that he held the clasp a bit too loose and decided to fix it, he tripped over a small rock and had to flail his arms around to not fall face first into the floor. His face went more pink by the minute as he realized the more anxious he gets about his meeting with the girl, the more clumsy he got. Finally managing to shake it off, he gazed at the door of the tailor shop, took a deep breath and walked in.

The tailor shop was nearly empty, since it was early in the morning. People that were usually fluttering around from customer to customer were nowhere to be seen, as well. There were many clothes lying around, likely from the busy yesterday. Finding a comfortable stool with a soft, velvet cushion on it, Clyde decided to wait for someone to arrive. After all, the doors were open when he arrived, at least the owner of the shop had to be around. Unless...

The apprentice lifted his head after thinking for a moment. The empty room was terribly silent, yet the doors were wide open when he arrived.

Clyde, puzzled, decided to investigate further, trying to make his steps as silent as possible, avoiding the clothes and tools on the floor. Just as he made it to the farthest room, filled with stylish gowns and vests hanged all around along with a table with strings, cloth and needles lying on top, he held his breath and took a good look around the hanged clothing. It felt like there was a shadow right behind the largest cluster of dresses.

"Stay right there!" He tried to make his voice sound as deep and threatening as possible as he drew his saxe knife from its hilt, finding confidence from the whistling noise of leather meeting metal.

"Ugh, do you hate surprises that much?" A familiar girl jumped out of her hiding place. She was wearing a simple, blue dress that looked very unlike her usual bard outfit, plain and elegant instead of wild and flashy.

"W-wait, you came?" Clyde put the knife back on its sheath as he let out a breath of relief. He had thought that a thief was hiding inside the place.

"Of course! You know the ball is coming very soon, we have to get our outfits as soon as possible." She crossed her arms and nodded.

"Ah, sure, okay." The boy set his sights on the wooden floor. "Wait, did you see the owner of this shop anywhere?" He suddenly sparked up.

"How else did you think I got in? You're really weird today, Clyde." Barbara changed her face to a concerned look.

"Miss, I hope I didn't make you wait." Clyde heard the voice of an older woman towards the entrance. She was holding a gorgeous red dress in her hands, looking at the bard as she eagerly took it off her hands.

"Thank you, I wish I could buy this beautiful piece for myself, but I'm glad I could just rent it, too." She smiled as she held the dress in front of herself.

"Clyde, how do I look?" She winked at the boy.

"I... I think it looks nice!" Clyde nodded excitedly. The vibrant red dress had a slender and elegant start from the top which bloomed into a soft, frilly skirt at the waist. Rose patterns were added to the ribbon surrounding the waist, making the boy think of the flower that was equally as elegant.

Aside from that, he could see that some spots on the frilly dress could be used as hidden pockets. Perhaps I am reading too much into it, thought the boy.

"It looks pretty useful, too."

"Thanks for the compliment... That was a compliment, right?" Barbara giggled as she turned to the tailor.

"Could you help me into the dress, ma'am?"

"Sure, just wait for a second, Miss." The tailor said gently, then yelled out to the still open door, signalling the workers that had newly arrived to come quickly.

"Betty, Anna, help out this young man while I handle the dress." She said as she was focused on her customer.

They nodded and turned towards the boy as he averted his eyes from them. He had no idea about fashionable clothes and he wasn't ready to tell that to the girls in front of him.

"Uh, Barbara, do you have anything to recommend?" He asked desperately.

"Huh? Oh, just wear something red. It'd suit you." Barbara said without turning her head.

"S-something red, please." He turned back to the girls. The girl who stood to the left looked like she was holding herself from laughing.

"Something red? Sure thing, Mister. Follow me, please." The girl on the right stopped playing with her braided hair and lead a confused Clyde through the shop.

As she showed him different clothes, Clyde looked at all the flashy, extravagant vests and glittering belts, unable to decide between them. Honestly, they looked like they were too much, even for royalty. Or maybe he was just used to wearing simple clothes for the last few years. He took a deep breath as he readied himself for a long few hours.

.•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•.

It was about time for the ball to start when all the rangers save for one had gathered around the tavern near the entrance of the chateau. The air between the three of them was tense, as Merlin and Darc refused to look at each other's faces while a confused Glade stood next to them, waiting for someone to start speaking.

"Isn't Clyde coming?" He tried to open a friendly topic, tapping his foot on the floor lightly with his arms crossed.

Darc briefly shifted her gaze to the apprentice. "I'm not sure, I talked to him before but..." She turned her face away once more.

"As long as we can enter in, there's no problem." Merlin said curtly. "It isn't like this is anything special."

Darc stayed silent. Glade let out a sigh as his eyes searched for his ginger haired friend one last time.

"Sorry we're late!" The three rangers turned their faces to the source of the voice.

"We?" Darc questioned for a moment before seeing the girl walking beside Clyde, holding his arm.

"Who's that?" Glade had a weird expression on his face.

"I don't think we've met. I'm Barbara, just a regular gal around here." She said with unexpected yet ironic elegance.

"You didn't mention this before, have you, Clyde?" Darc smiled slightly, visibly amused. She gave him a mischievous look.

"Y-yeah, she's a friend I met with on a few occasions, and..." His words crumbled in his mouths as his eyes didn't know where to look.

"Anyway, where did you find a dress like... That?" Glade threw a questioning stare at him. Merlin and Glade both wore stylish yet simple black vests with silver coloured decorative patterns and on them, which looked like shadows when compared to the crimson vest of the flustered boy, similarly adorned with patterns and buttons.

"I picked it for him, aren't we quite the match?" Barbara laughed heartily as Clyde joined her with a drowned out nervous voice.

"It's so foolishly vibrant, anyone from a mile away could feel their eyes burning." Merlin said with a snarky tone.

"Ugh, whatever. We better get going." He didn't wait for an answer as he started walking towards the place without looking back. The others looked at each other for a moment before following behind.

The ballroom was not like the luxurious room Clyde made up in his mind, but it was clear the place belonged to people of the upper crust. The simple, white coloring of the walls supported the red curtains covering them, which matched with the wide carpet spread on the floor. There were two long tables still being filled with plates of different food. People had already started to chat with each other and soon the usual sound of the crowd was formed. All of this happening in the span of a few seconds dazzled the boy's mind. His arm still locked with Barbara's, he let her take the lead as he tried to get used to this new environment.

"What's up with you? I thought you'd be more excited for your first time at a ball." The girl looked at Clyde with concern.

"I-it's fine, I just need to get used to this."

"Say, this isn't about your friends over there, is it?" She pointed to a spot where Clyde saw Glade talking to Darc and Merlin behind the tables before heading back to the center.

"No, not that..." Clyde lied between his teeth.

"Look, you know we came here to have fun, and I can't have fun when you're pouting like that." Barbara turned Clyde's face towards herself.

"Ah, fine..." Clyde turned his head back to where it was. "Er... Don't be mad, but I need a bit of privacy for that."

"It's okay, I'm not going to wait here like a statue, you know." She laughed. "I will be mad if you don't take me for a dance when it's time, though. So keep that on your mind."

"That's a promise!" Clyde nodded as he managed to pry his eyes from hers.

There he was, The grumpy ranger was leaning his back on the wall, his eyes searching for any suspicious action. Though, he looked rather distracted to Clyde. He wondered about the reason before Merlin's gaze crossed his. The boy immediately looked elsewhere, running up to the first person on sight instead, who ended up being Glade, to his surprise.

"Glade? I... I thought you'd be with Darc." Clyde saw the blond apprentice sitting on a stool, playing with his food on the plate neatly placed on the wooden table.

"I was, until she had an argument with Merlin again." He sighed. Clyde noticed his usually cheerful demeanor was gone, so he decided to pull a stool and sit next to him for a while.

"Hey, Glade..."

"What?"

"No, uh... nevermind." Clyde also started to play with the food on the plate he just grabbed. It really didn't help.

"Clyde..." Glade spoke up after a short yet stressful moment of silence.

"Huh?"

"Aren't you tired of this as well?" He locked his eyes on the plate as he spoke.

"Us rangers are supposed to stick together and trust each other. Is it like that right now? Just look at us... Look at them." He lifted his hand to discreetly point at Merlin who was still standing on the same spot, and Darc who stood on the opposite end of the room.

"I know the mission is more important, I know that being a ranger means upholding the mission above your feelings, but... Then why do I feel so disturbed?"

"Glade..." Clyde tilted his face down. "It's the first time you said something like that. So even you..."

"Even I? Even I what?" Glade lifted an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I'm going to fix it, so don't feel bad anymore, OK?" He warmly smiled at the blond apprentice and left his spot.

.•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•.

There he was again, standing in the same spot. Clyde breathed deeply and this time walked in a straight line towards the ranger.

"What? Did you see something? Don't bother me if you didn't." Merlin didn't look in the eyes of the apprentice this time.

"I didn't, but I came here to talk." Clyde said as he gathered up his strength.

"Weren't you avoiding me before?" Merlin asked as he briefly shifted his gaze to the boy.

"I was..."

"Then why are you here now?"

"Because I..." He swallowed before he resumed. "I can't take it anymore! I don't want to act distant to you and I don't want you and Darc to stay mad at each other!"

Hearing him, Merlin stood silent, surprising the apprentice.

"That, and because I'm sorry." Clyde also leaned into the wall as he exhaled. "I said so many harsh things. I didn't know my place as an apprentice, so I just burst my feelings at you thinking I was speaking for Darc and I..."

"Stop." Merlin put his fingers on Clyde's lips to silence him. "Just... Stop it." He was looking away, as if he was afraid of something.

Merlin? Afraid? That's new, thought Clyde as he stood silent for a moment.

"You're just too soft." Merlin started speaking. "Don't you realize I also did more than half of what you're apologising for?"

"Huh? But that's just how you are..."

"Does it matter? You're afraid of hurting people. I'm not. Now you're coming back to me like a lost puppy, asking for forgiveness for something stupid."

"But..." Clyde also looked away for a moment. "It's fine, my father used to be like that too, I'm used to it."

"Your father?" Merlin turned his head back, somewhat disturbed.

"Yeah, father was always hot headed like that." He squinted his eyes slightly. "So whenever he yelled at me for something, I'd apologise so he would calm down easier. Sometimes I wasn't at fault, but does it really matter?"

"What do you mean, 'does it really matter'? Of course it does, you idiot!" Merlin raised his voice as Clyde moved a few steps away.

"And your father? You're seriously comparing me to that monster?" He took a deep breath before going on.

"M-merlin?"

"It's true. I took out my anger out of you." Merlin said as he lowered his head, refusing to have his eyes meet the apprentice again. "Whatever that's going on is between Jane... I mean Darc and I. I was mad because what you said about me was true."

"Darc..." Clyde looked at the girl in the astounding dress across the room. "Merlin, you don't want to stay mad at her, do you?"

"No."

"Then why don't you talk to her?"

"Because I'm afraid! Damn it, you just had to make me say that!" Merlin burst out, but tried to keep his composure.

"Whenever I talk to people, it's always like that. I'm raised to destroy, not to repair... I don't know how to console people. I don't know how to apologise. And when I try... Well, you can see the results."

"Merlin..." Clyde looked at the pale face of the ranger. The cold face that never wavered, always snarky and grumpy, a good teacher that showed no weakness... Was now a step away from being flooded with tears. That was when it all dunked upon his head. Merlin was human, no matter how much he wanted to escape from them, he had feelings. As he realized that, Clyde felt warm, warmer than the icy cold hand of the ranger he just held.

"Hey, what are you doi-"

Before he could protest, Clyde hugged Merlin tightly with tears on his face. Somehow, he wanted the warmth inside him to reach the core of Merlin's heart as well.

The ranger sighed. "It's rubbing off on you. Bryce's sudden hugs... It runs in the family." He meekly wrapped his arms around the apprentice as well, for a moment.

"Okay, that's enough fooling around. Now leave me alone." He pushed the apprentice back in a way that he thought was gentle, but was not.

"Eheheh, okay, okay." Clyde smiled as he waved his hand. Satisfied, he then left to spot his soon-to-be dance partner among the nobles near the table across the room.

.•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•.

The ball room was filled with the sweet tunes coming from the instruments being played. The first song had a mild, calming feeling to it. Clyde was feeling like he would explode if he held his partner's hands and felt her eyes on him for one more second, but the music helped him calm down at the last moment.

"So? Are we just going to stand like this?" Barbara asked playfully.

Clyde looked deeply into her green eyes, he felt warm and could feel his face painted a vibrant red matching his outfit. "I... I don't mind staying like this a bit more."

"What, don't tell me you don't know how to dance!" She smirked.

Clyde avoided her gaze as he backed away on instinct. "I don't..."

"Well, let me teach you, then." She grabbed his arm and put it on her waist and the other arm on her shoulder. "Come on, move with me."

Clyde took a few steps with her, trying to match her movements. As he tried more and more to be in sync, he felt the two of them becoming one through this dance. The instruments moved swiftly as the music got lively and joyful. He felt the energetic notes in his veins.

"I'm surprised, you didn't step on my feet once!" Barbara said as she locked her eyes on Clyde's. She wanted him to pay attention to her. If he focused too much on the dance, she could miss a rare chance.

Clyde took his eyes away from the floor and looked into her eyes as well. "Well, maybe I do know how to dance, then."

"Ow."

"Sorry." Embarrassed, Clyde immediately shifted his gaze back. Maybe he shouldn't have spoken so early.

However, Barbara lifted his face back up with her hand. "Please, just look into my eyes."

"But..."

"I don't care, it's just some silly dance."

Clyde felt confused. "But I thought that you wanted to feel like a noble... Someone of the higher crust."

"That's true. I do want to be rich and I do want to live a luxurious life, but none of these could make it up to this night." Barbara got closer to Clyde as their steps got faster and faster.

"Why? As long as you have those... What will you have missing in your life?"

She blushed slightly as she moved one more step forward. "You."

Clyde couldn't answer. The distance between them was now so small that he couldn't see anything else but her. No, even if she was miles away, he still would see her and only her. It didn't make sense in his mind, but in his heart...

"We've just met a few months ago... but..."

Barbara threw him a sorrowful look. "It's too soon, but when will I get any other chance to see you again? To dance with you again?" Clyde didn't know much about her, but he knew that she wasn't lying. Because for the first time, her playful mask was left behind. Tender tears were about to flow from her eyes but Clyde didn't let them, wiping her eyes with his hands.

"Me too. I will miss a chance too, if I don't act quickly."

"A chance?"

"A chance to... You know... I... Can I?" Clyde leaned forward as she understood what he meant, and leaned forward as well, smiling. Their lips met and both felt emotions that they could not describe, even to themselves. For that five seconds that felt like much more, both felt pure joy, forgetting their troubles and even forgetting those around them.

Clyde stepped back, his face once more burning more fiercely than a fire. He couldn't stop smiling. Neither could Barbara, who silently continued to dance with him. She didn't want this dance to end. It was like a daydream that she got to live for real. Only if it could last longer...

"Heh, look at the lovebirds. I can't imagine what Bryce would do if he saw." Merlin said as he briefly gazed at the young couple. He and Darc were also dancing, but the mood between them was nowhere as sincere as those two.

Darc was unresponsive ever since the ball started. Merlin felt a hint of guilt stabbing his heart as he watched her dull expression. She was mad.

"Jane?"

Darc sighed loudly. She was avoiding Merlin's eyes, but not because she was hesitant. On the contrary, it seemed like she was protesting something. "Mission first, chat later."

Was this her way of punishing him? Did she really think he would be hurt by her ignorance? Merlin thought. The dance continued in an elegant yet soulless manner. Both of them knew when and where to take their steps but despite their coordination, their hearts seemed to go different paths.

"You still mad?" Merlin asked in his usual deadpan tone. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to know.

Darc merely answered by nodding. At this rate, the dance would end without them having a single proper talk. As time went, the pins of guilt poked deeper inside Merlin. Was it really okay to let things go like that?

He recalled his childhood days. In the unforgiving world he was born to, no matter who was at fault, no matter what happens, he never was the one to step back and apologise. When he made a mistake, he fixed it. When others made mistakes, he fixed those, too. At least, that was what it felt like. To apologise was to show weakness. To accept that you made a mistake. That you were not perfect. Yet still, why? Why couldn't he do the same now and ignore the silence his childhood friend was presenting? What made it impossible to ignore?

He tried to form his thoughts into sentences. "I..."

Darc suddenly lifted her head. "You what?" It was obvious that she was expecting something.

"I..."

It wasn't working. It was as if his pride sealed his mouth shut, never to open.

"Yes, Merlin. You?" Darc's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"I... I..." Merlin said repeatedly, making sounds as if he was choking on something.

Darc closed her eyes, frustrated. "That's it, 'I'? That's all you think about nowadays but I haven't thought the day would come where it would be all you could say, too."

"You know... at that time, Clyde said..." He tried a different approach. "He said that I disregarded your feelings and only thought of the mission." He tried to swallow, but couldn't. His throat was forming a big knot.

"Yes, I talked to him about that. You realize you've hurt him, right?" She said as she looked at him with visible disgust. Despite the short time they were together, she seemed to have formed a sisterly bond with the boy, so she felt even more furious talking about it.

"Yeah. We talked, that's not the problem." Merlin said as he gathered up his strength. He was not going to botch this attempt, no matter what.

"Then what is!?" Darc raised her voice. She was done being patient. Her eyes were starting to well up, and the stoic face she tried to hold up fell apart in an instant. "Tell me! What is the problem!?You never shut up when it's an argument, why aren't you talking now? Do I have to yell? Is that what it takes to take a word out of you? Then I'll do that, too!" She leaned on Merlin as she couldn't hold her tears any longer. She was going to trip and fall on her knees, but the arms of her dance partner caught her at the last second. Now her face was directly facing his. She could see Merlin's face without any of his hair getting into its way, a rare sight. The deep, blue eyes of the ranger looked directly into her as the seal in his mouth was finally broken.

"Sorry."

Darc stood dumbfounded for a few seconds. "What did you just..."

"I said... I said I'm sorry!" It was no use avoiding her eyes now. If making a mistake and losing the perfect image of himself meant that he could see her innocent smile again, if showing weakness just for a second was going to stop her from showing that gloomy, emotionless face, he was willing to do it.

"I wasn't holding the mission above all else. I just knew what we needed, so I said it. I should have talked with you first, but I acted on my own and hurt you. So... So I made a mistake. I'm apologising."

"Merlin, did you just apologise?" Darc stared at him with wide open eyes. Her hand touched his cheek as if she was trying to make sure that he was real and not an illusion.

Blushing, Merlin noticed that they were still in the very same pose they gave when he caught her, so he helped her back up and looked at her face one more time. He wished with all his heart that her old expression returned.

"I will not forgive you as easy as that, but..." She sighed and offered him her hand. "I'll at least allow you to have this dance, okay?"

Merlin silently grabbed her hand and they began dancing again. This time, they could look at each other's faces contentedly. This was all that Merlin needed.

"You look beautiful when you smile." He said as he watched her get flustered.

"Maybe you'd look more handsome if you smiled more, too."

"Nice try. I won't fall for that one." He said, but he smiled back without noticing.

Darc giggled. "Heheh. Too bad."

"You know why I always told you to ditch that scarf?" Merlin asked suddenly.

"Because you agreed with *him* instead of me." She said as if she was somewhat hurt.

Merlin shook his head from side to side. "No. Not just that. I just didn't want a Darc who was afraid to show her face."

"Why? You know how I look like under the disguise, anyway." Darc questioned. Why would he be so pushy about that, anyway? She thought.

"Because it's not enough... You're the half of me... The half that feels the emotions for me." Merlin released a deep breath. "I was avoiding you to stay away from the Blue Moon... No, to avoid my own feelings. But... I've realized now."

"Merlin..." Darc gently caressed his face. "It's okay now. I'll be your half if you need me to be."

"But that's not an equal exchange." Merlin said as he pouted.

Darc laughed. "Since when were you all about fairness?"

"In exchange, I... I'll be your partner. How's that?" He almost went out of breath trying to talk.

"Partner in crime?"

"No... Well..."

Darc closed her eyes briefly. "Don't worry, I get it."

"Are you sure?" Merlin asked hesitantly and Darc, with a wide smile, nodded in response.

He had realized it now, no matter what how much he pushed them away, his emotions were still there. Before he was a ranger, he was human. He reminded himself of this fact. He was sure he'd forget soon after, but just as this dance became a mirage that allowed them to live their dreams just for a while, Merlin clinged on to his feelings as he looked at Darc's smile. He could lose his feelings again, but never her smile. For some reason he couldn't explain even to himself, he wanted it to stay with him outside the ballroom, outside this country, no matter where he is, forever.

"Hey, Merlin... It's over." Darc slowly took a step back as the melody released from the instruments slowly reached to an end.

"Stop." Merlin held her arms as she shot a surprised look at him.

"What is it?"

"I want to give you a small secret. Lend me your ear." His face went pink as he spoke.

Darc complied with a curious expression. As soon as she did, she heard his whispering voice.

"I love you."

After leaving a small kiss on her cheek, he stepped back and looked at her again.

"We'll keep this our little secret."

Darc put her hand where Merlin's lips were a moment ago. "Our little secret."

.•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•.

The music had already stopped, and people went back on their seats as the food was slowly being served once more for the guests. Glade looked around for his fellow rangers and found Merlin and Darc heading for the tables along with other guests.

He ran up to them to block their path. "What are you all doing?" He asked them, lightly tapping his foot as he waited for a response.

"What are we doing? What are you doing?" Merlin asked with a guilty look on his face.

"Don't tell me you guys were too busy dancing to look around the place!" Glade said with visible disappointment. "There's..." He suddenly paused. "Where's Clyde?"

Merlin, with a still face, pointed to the apprentice still happily dancing with the bard, despite the dance being over some time ago.

Glade slapped his palm on his forehead. "Anyway, what's the problem?" Darc asked to Glade who was busy glaring at Clyde from afar.

"There are several people walking around the place. They're definitely messing with the food but I have no idea what they are putting in." He explained calmly.

"Uh oh. Seems like that's it for the fancy noble fantasies." Darc said, a little embarrassed. "We should get Clyde, maybe he can check the food for poison."

"Right." Merlin nodded. "Glade, you keep your eye on those guys and signal me if they leave somewhere. I'll patrol around."

Glade shook his head in approval as he put on a small grin. "Now you guys are back to your senses. It was getting a little lonely here, you know."

"I'm here, I'm here!" Clyde ran over to the tables with Darc. "I just brought a bit of medicine, but I suppose I can check if there is anything inside."

"Alright then, I'll fetch you a plate." Darc left. Even though she was heading for the opposite direction, her eyes briefly searched for a focused Merlin, who was looking around the place.

"So, how are things going on with your fiancé?" Glade asked Clyde with a nonchalant tone.

"Wha- She's not my..." Clyde blushed. He then complained to Glade, flustered. "You could have at least said 'your lover' or something like that, that's going overboard!"

Glade leaned on to the chair he was sitting on and pushed it a little, swinging back and forth. "Let me have some fun, too. I was here doing my job when you guys were doing..." He made an elaborate movement with his hand that Clyde didn't understand in the slightest. "...That."

"What's with that sour face, are you jealous?" Clyde snickered as he took out a vial full of clear fluid and put a few drops of the liquid on the food Darc brought.

Glade's face went a subtle pink. He turned his face away from Clyde and crossed his arms. "Why would I be jealous? Of whom?"

Clyde watched as the spongy dessert had a few spots on it turn into a strange color. "Ah... That's not good."

"What is it, Clyde?" Asked Darc with a concerned face.

Clyde's expression took on a serious form. "That's... probably some kind of tranquilizing medicine."

"Then why are the guests still awake?" Glade asked, looking around.

"If we guess everyone had at least a bite, they won't be for so long." Clyde answered, putting his equipment back in their place.

"Is Merlin looking for them? We have to put a stop to these hijackers before they do something worse!" Darc said as she looked for the grumpy ranger.

Merlin was looking at them, discreetly pointing to one of the doors in the room.

"That's where they went." Darc thought aloud as she approached Merlin with Glade silently following her.

"I-I'll catch you guys in a second!" Clyde said as he found his former dance partner nearly taking a bite out of the food served on the fancy plates.

"Hang on, don't eat that!" He pulled the plate away from her.

"Huh? What's going on?" Barbara looked at him with questioning eyes.

"The food's poisoned." Clyde explained briefly. "But before that, listen to me for a moment." He helped her rise from the chair.

"Clyde, is this about your..." Barbara was about to say until Clyde put his finger on his lips, signaling her to stay silent. He then put his mouth close to her ear and talked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, it's about that. Look, I enjoyed our time together, but before I am... You know... Before I am *that*, I am a ranger."

"I know but..." Barbara sighed. "Won't you at least tell me what is going on?"

"There's no time! I'm already late." Clyde was about to go, but then something came into his mind.

"Hang on... They poisoned the food with tranquilizers, so everyone who ate it will faint soon. If I don't come back in a while..." He took off his bronze oak leaf from his neck. "...If that happens, please run. Go back to Araluen and tell the nearest ranger that we need help here. And show them this as proof." He gently put the metal necklace on her hands.

"You can trust me." She looked at him bravely and grinned playfully as she tightly grasped the oak leaf. Then she planted a small kiss on his cheek as he left, leaving him surprised.

"Clyde... We're splitting off again." She let out a big breath as her forced smile disappeared. "Well, it was fun while it lasted.

.•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•.

Clyde ran through the door silently as he hoped the vibrant clothes doesn't give him in. The air inside the corridor was too quiet. The others probably had went far ahead. Looking around the stone walls of the chateau, he took careful and nimble steps. There was only one path to take from where he started, which made him nervous as he hadn't seen the others in a long time, because he would have found them by now if the road is straight ahead.

The corridor reached to an end as Clyde noticed a sharp turn on the edge. It seemed like the long corridor left its place to stairs after the turn. As he climbed up the stairs, the apprentice felt his mouth go dry from anxiousness. Just what had happened to everyone?

As he was about to step on the last part of the stairs, he peeked over and noticed tall shadows in a room on the second floor lightly illuminated with torches. He could also hear muffled noises from inside that room. Clyde swallowed, took a deep breath and prepared himself to enter the room. In three, two, one...

The scenery he had in his mind was definitely not the one he was witnessing now. Merlin, Darc and Glade were each held tightly from behind by who appeared to be the same kind of people chasing them down before... The Crescent Scourgers.

A single man was standing right in front of them with a triumphant look on his face. Merlin was glaring at him intensely.

"You! I can't believe I couldn't guess you were behind all this."

"Behind all this? Oh, no." The man laughed while he shook his head from side to side. "I'm merely making it even between us. You know how much I suffered because of you two!?" He yelled suddenly, startling Clyde. He didn't know who this stranger was and while he wanted to rush to their help, he had to stay discreet or he would lose the element of surprise.

"We just wanted our freedom! You could have joined us!" Darc yelled back at him.

"Oh, but I didn't." The man poked Darc in the chest harshly. "...and I am glad that I did not, for now I am about to start the movement that will let Araluen fall into the Blue Moon's hands. And you two?" He looked at the rangers condescendingly. "Just two pesky rats in my way. I don't even count that little runt on the side."

"Don't mess with us! Rangers are always better than Blue Moon... or whatever you guys call it!" Glade yelled as the man turned his face at him.

"Who told you that you could speak?" He fiercely punched the apprentice on the face as Clyde watched in shock. "Children should know their place!"

This was the final straw. He wasn't going to wait for them to turn their backs on him. He wasn't even going to waste one second.

Without a single noise, Clyde threw one of the smokescreen bags he prepared beforehand inside the room. This sudden assault surprised all four foes.

"Wh-what!? Who is there?" The guy that punched Glade a moment ago yelled in confusion.

Merlin and Darc suddenly got loose and fell down as two flying pieces of metal hit their captors' faces. The smokescreen made it hard to see, but this was child's play for both. Darc, before getting up, swept her leg swiftly and tripped the Scourger holding Glade, who searched for a hint of the ginger hair of his friend as soon has he was freed.

The smoke slowly dissipated as the man who had the upper hand a moment ago was now faced with four people and two of his subordinates were already down. He had to think quick, or this would be the end of him.

"You're lucky I didn't bring a bow, or you would be dead by now." Merlin smirked as he took out his double saxe knives. Darc, Glade and Clyde also silently took out their knives. They've had cornered the enemy.

"Huh? Then let's say that I'm glad you didn't." The man smirked dangerously. The rangers felt the need to look around very briefly, as this was not the voice of a man who was cornered.

Suddenly, a large monster came out of the door right behind him and let out a frightening roar.

"Wh-what is that!?" Clyde yelled involuntarily. This was not the kind of monster they fought with Bryce before. The crimson eyes and the thick fur, combined with its bear like posture, this creepy being was alien to all of them. The moment it locked its gaze on Clyde, he felt stunned and found himself shaking. Was he afraid? No, this was a different feeling, as if his very flesh was turning into stone.

"Damn it! All of you, run!" Merlin wasted no time in rushing towards the door, avoiding the monster. Darc and Glade followed behind before the enemy could do anything.

However, no matter what he did, Clyde couldn't move his feet. What was going on?

Glade noticed Clyde's eyes locked into the furry fiend, refusing to move, and ran up to him, forcing him to break eye contact. "Clyde, Clyde! Come to your senses!"

"Wait, why is he still standing there!?" Merlin was about to escape through the door as he saw Clyde standing still in the farthest part of the room. He turned back to rush to his help but the Scourger that Darc took out with a sweep before cut his way. As he fought fiercely with the enemy, Darc slithered around the room to make it to the apprentices without getting noticed.

"Clyde, come on! Move!" Glade kept shaking him.

"Huh... What..." He mumbled.

"Glade! Clyde!" Desperately, Darc yelled from behind to warn them.

Just as Clyde shook himself awake from the mesmerizing eyes of the monster, he saw the man from before approaching Glade with a large knife while the boy had his back turned towards him.

"Glade! Watch out!" Clyde tackled Glade with the last of his strength, pushing the boy out of harm's way. In doing so, the blade that would stab into Glade's face instead slashed his back.

Screaming from the sheer pain, the vision the apprentice went dark and he collapsed on the ground. Breathing heavily, he could still faintly hear someone yelling.

"Clyde... How dare you-" A furious voice belonging to Glade cried out. "AARGH!"

"Glade, not you too!"

"You will pay for this!"

"Not when the Kalkara is still here!"

The voices slowly mixed into one another, until he couldn't even understand who was speaking or what was being spoken. Soon after, Clyde gave in to the pain and felt his consciousness slip away.

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Hello everyone! Sorry I took so long with this chapter. It was such a pivotal moment in the story that I had to give full effort to it, not to mention school getting in the way. Because of that, until the next summer, I'll try to write a new chapter at least once per month unlike the fast paced first 20 chapters or so. So... yeah. Thanks for reading my story and see you next time!