Author's note: Nothing new, but thanks for waiting as always!
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For the next several days, Pyrrha had dwelled on the constant nightmares she'd have. She had yet to bring it up to Patroklos, as it would make for a very important discussion between both siblings.
When breakfast ended, she found him in the training room, practicing his new weapon against a training dummy. It wasn't long for her to ask, "Can I tell you something after you're done?"
After another slash was given, Patroklos looked over at Pyrrha. "What's up?" he asked.
"I just asked you a question: can I tell you something?"
He nodded and replied, "Sure, why not?"
The blonde sighed as she watched him put away Soul Calibur, and said, "Lately, I've been having nightmares; most of them involved that woman, and she would always pressure me into joining her. To become a malfested and wield Soul Edge...but I'm scared of something like that possibly happening. I don't want to be the new successor to Soul Edge!"
Her eyes were full of fright as she took hold of his hands, and Patroklos couldn't help but feel pity for his sister. "Pyrrha...I know you won't wield Soul Edge. I'm certain it won't happen!" he told her.
"Yes, but...what if someone else is chosen?" Pyrrha asked fearfully.
He sighed as he gripped her hand, almost tightly. "Then we'll have to deal with them."
A breath of relief escaped Pyrrha's lips, and smiled as she hugged him. He wound up returning the hug, and they could hear Athena from a distance speaking, "I am glad that you are able to get along very well. Not just as siblings, but also best friends."
"Oh, that's ironic. You and I never seem to get along that well."
When Ares's voice boomed, this nearly scared the older Alexandra sibling as she hid behind Patroklos. "Are you guys arguing again?" he asked.
"What? Of course not!" the god of war responded.
"Don't listen to him; he's lying out of his teeth!" Athena retorted.
This ended up earning awkward chuckles from both siblings as they overheard their arguments for the umpteenth time.
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Later on in the day, after having given his sister the pep talk she needed to stay strong, Patroklos went with Pyrrha to buy a gift. When he inquired as to who will have it, she reminded him of her slowly flourishing relationship with the British girl.
"We've been getting to know the Mad Hearts Neo for a long amount of time, so much so that I'm thinking of developing a crush on her."
"Lydia, huh?"
"Yes. But...I'm not sure if she'll return my feelings."
The blond man smiled as he replied, "Don't worry; I know she'll be more than happy to reciprocate. Marie talked to me about how you and Lydia seem to enjoy each others's company."
"Really?" she asked, a surprised but happy smile on her face.
Patroklos nodded. After finding themselves a necklace made out of the finest diamonds and sapphires, they would come across Helen, who was reading a book of fairy tales at the town's signature fountain.
"Would you mind if I talked to her?" he asked Pyrrha.
"Not at all. I'll be heading back on my own, anyway."
"Take care."
As she left, the young man sat next to Helen, and asked, "How's it going?"
This would prompt the young girl to lower her book as she would instantly recognize Patroklos. "Patroklos...?" she asked.
"You're no longer calling me Mister, aren't you?"
Helen shook her head 'no', and responded with, "You and Pyrrha had been such good friends for so long, I've decided to just call you by your name, and nothing more."
"So have you been focusing on battle lately?" he asked.
"As of right now, no. I spent some gold on a book about the Hundred Years' War, and I've a feeling it has been very fascinating so far."
She smiled as she kept her eyes on Patroklos as she continued, "I've enjoyed reading books about battle and war, but at the same time, I cannot help but pity the people who've died in those wars."
"I think that makes you a brave, strong girl who's never wanting to give up." he told her.
His words made her smile even more, as she hugged him, to his surprise. He, too, ended up smiling with her as he hugged her back.
When they pulled away, Helen asked, "So have you grown accustomed to your new weapon?"
"Pretty much. After all, I'm practicing under Athena's thumb, and not Ares's...unless he wants to spar with me, of course." He added, "Come to think of it, I bet Lydia might be intrigued about this particular history, since she's from England, too."
"I think so, myself." was the Russian's response.
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Returning to the MHN's base, Helen offered him a visit to her room. He was surprised as he noticed old weapons belonging to her family on the walls, as well as a small bookshelf with her favorite books, too.
"You know, before you start reading again, I have something to tell you about Pyrrha." Patroklos said.
"Really? What about?"
"Well, she's been constantly having bad dreams, and I was able to reassure her that nothing bad could happen to her."
Helen nodded. "I hope not. Maybe you could tell Marie about it, too."
Wordlessly agreeing with a nod of his own, Patroklos let out a brief but warm smile. It didn't take long for Helen to tell him, "You've changed a lot for the better, Patroklos."
As she smiled, he was taken aback by how happy she looked. "Thanks, Helen. Pyrrha has been saying the same thing about me, too." he said.
"Oh, and um..."
It wasn't long for Helen to change the subject, as she asked, "Hey...do you like any of us? What with you hanging around with us for a long while."
This prompted Patroklos to bite his lower lip, before replying, "Uh...I-I haven't really thought of it. I mean, I like the five of you as friends, but I'm not really sure if I can take things further just yet."
"Okay..." she maintained her eye contact with him as she asked, "What kind of girl do you wish court someday?"
"A kind of girl...? Well...I like all kinds of girls, and I've been pretty flirty with them. And even though Ares wants me to get laid someday, Athena frequently reminds me to stay chaste until marriage."
His response would prompt the Russian girl to look on in surprise, but then turned her attention to the door as it was being knocked on. "Come in!"
As it opened, the person responsible for knocking was Marie, who asked, "Patroklos? What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you about Pyrrha's nightmares and all."
"Really?" Marie was inquisitive about what Patroklos was going to tell her about. "Can you at least go into detail about what they're like?"
"Sure."
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Once he had finishing relaying everything concerning Pyrrha, the leader was left shocked. "Now I'm seriously worried about her; but then again, all of us should be worried."
"I agree; but what if fate actually something in store for her? And what if we can't fight it?" Helen asked.
Marie took a deep breath, before she finally said, "I don't know...we'll just have to wait and find out ourselves."
Patroklos nodded, as well. "But what about the other threats we've dealt with like Voldo? Even those that were neutral like Zasalamel?" he asked.
"We could encounter them again soon; but I just don't know when." was the blonde's response.
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Later on, in the night, most of them had turned themselves in for the night (well, except Isuzu and Elizabeth, as the former invited her to have a drink with her at the tavern). Pyrrha was also fast asleep, and for the most part, it seemed to be a peaceful night for her.
Or so she thought...
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As her eyes slowly opened, Pyrrha saw that she was lying on the ground in a small forest. She also discovered that her appearance had changed quite drastically, and that she wielded a sword and shield completely different from ones she usually had.
"Where am I...?" she asked herself.
"Glad to know you're up and ready!"
She heard a voice call out to her, and quickly recognized Tira, standing next to her. She had on a confident smirk, and this made the blonde shiver.
"Why am I here?"
"You got lucky: I dealt with several soldiers, and we've made it to the redhead! It's time for you to show your stuff, Pyrrha!" Tira responded.
To Pyrrha's surprise, the soldiers the woman mentioned were already dead, and a red-haired woman in armor was the only one present in both womens' view. She possessed a rather angry leer, her spear and sword having just been drawn out.
"You won't get away with this!" she yelled at them.
Tira looked at Pyrrha and gave her the signal, to which Pyrrha would bring out her sword and shield. Aside from its appearance, it also had the dark powers of Soul Edge within.
"If you want Siegfried's head, then you'll have to go through me first."
Hilde spoke those words as she maintained her composure, and Pyrrha just frowned rather coldly at her. Regardless, she was the first to attack, her sword slashing at her upper body.
Though taking the hit, the red-haired woman retaliated by delivering a three-hit combo with her spear. She was just about to provide a fourth attack when Pyrrha blocked with her shield.
An uncharacteristic smirk graced her features, before her sword pierced through Hilde a few times. Though Pyrrha was confident things would turn out for the better, it was clear it was becoming more of a nightmare as her next hits proved futile.
"Why have you betrayed us, Pyrrha?" she asked.
It wasn't long before Hilde delivered a flurry of hits with her spear, prompting Tira to growl as her jolly side gave way to a more darker one.
"Betrayed...?"
Pyrrha asked but didn't get any response, due to her being incredibly distracted by the question she asked her. And the more Hilde attacked, the more the girl was closer to death.
Ready to deliver the final blow, Hilde's spear struck into her...
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...and Pyrrha awoke again in a cold sweat, letting out a scream as she jolted herself up.
"What...What's going on?!" she asked herself.
Her screams had prompted Athena to materialize before her, who looked at her with a concerned expression. "What has happened, Pyrrha?"
"I-I dreamt that I was wielding Soul Edge, and I was preparing myself to deal with Hilde, but I felt powerless. It was another one of these nightmares that I've been having." Pyrrha replied.
Her fear began dissipating as the goddess's presence brought a sense of comfort to her, and that made Athena provide a reassuring smile to her. "I know that it won't happen; after all, Patroklos was honest about it, too."
The blonde nodded, before someone else entered the room, prompting Athena to disappear. "Pyrrha, are you allright?"
Pyrrha quickly noticed Lydia, sporting a somewhat worried look on her face. "Are you allright?" she asked.
"I'm...I'm okay. Athena and I were just talking about my frequent nightmares, and I just hope none of it will be real."
The girl with burgundy locks sat next to her, giving her a small, comforting smile. Since they had interacted with each other for so long, Lydia was certain that she might make more than just a good friend.
She had taken out a small doll, which resembled an old-fashioned princess from England. "Here, it'll help you with your dreams." she said.
Pyrrha smiled at her, taking the doll in her hands. "Thank you, Lydia..."
The British girl smiled back, happy to know she successfully helped her out.
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Coming soon: Chapter 6!
With love for my fans,
Chrissy