Author's note: Nothing new, but as always, thanks for waiting!

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When night finally came, everyone were ready to settle in. However, outside the town of Lasberg, was a man who clearly looked and resembled Raphael Sorel.

Only it wasn't him, but rather Graf Dumas. The real Raphael had died long ago, but he would live on in this new form, with one thing clearly on his mind: to take out anyone that defied him, even anyone affiliated with him such as Nightmare.

As he entered Lasberg, Dumas was focused on two specific buildings: the castle belonging to Schwarzwind, and the headquarters of the Mad Hearts Neo. Rapier in hand, he smirked as he was certain that victory was guaranteed.

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Meanwhile, Freyja heard the sound of a door knocking, and headed to the front door. When she opened it, it was Z.W.E.I., who asked, "Viola said that another malfested would be here. Perhaps you can bring Marie or even Patroklos over to help us?"

"My apologies; she's in the midst of bathing. Maybe next time." Freyja replied with a smile.

"Guess it can't be helped...well, see ya."

"You too."

As she closed the door, Freyja could hear Isuzu asking, "Why would a physical manifestation of a goddess like you answer the door to some strangers?" The dark-haired woman had heard the door knock, but she was too late as the goddess took over her duties.

"Do not worry, Isuzu; both Z.W.E.I. and Viola know of my presence." she reassured her.

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"So what did Freyja say?" Viola asked.

"Neither Patroklos nor Marie would come around to assist us in dealing with the malfested tonight. And yet, I have a feeling that this particular malfested certainly ain't Voldo." was Z.W.E.I.'s response.

The white-haired girl nodded, before they would continue on looking around. Somehow, though, a shadow that vaguely resembled Raphael's was present behind a building.

Though they kept calm, Viola's breathing was a bit faster as she recognized the shadow. She would finally ask, "Father? Is that you?"

The shadow would soon walk towards them, and emerging from the darkness was Dumas, who grinned as he said to her, "Oh no, my dear. I'm not your father."

"What?!" Z.W.E.I. asked, shock and anger burning in him.

"You're...you're not? But what happened to him?"

Dumas was more than happy to answer Viola's question, as he said in Raphael's smooth yet sly voice, "He passed years ago, and now I've taken his physical form completely. However, I have none of his memories. So much so, that if you continue referring to me as 'father', I could care less."

Her heart sank as she heard those words, but her sadness gave way to fury. With Quattuor Orbis in her hands, she replied, "If he is dead...then I'll be more than happy to avenge him after all these years!"

Z.W.E.I. followed her lead by bringing out Kreuzgriff, as well as invoking E.I.N. "You ready?" he asked her.

"More than ready."

As for Dumas, he unsheathed Dark Epoc, and made the first move. He went for Z.W.E.I., slashing him a couple of times before he was nearly fazed by his enemy.

The silver-haired man's blade cut through him, and despite those hits, Dumas took them in stride. Sporting a demonic grin on his face, he charged for him again.

To his surprise, however, Viola's crystal ball emitted a purple-colored energy wave, blocking his hits. But when they dissolved, Dumas took his chance to strike her.

Luckily, Z.W.E.I. made the save for her as E.I.N. clawed at the malfested, nearly destroying his garb. Just as he was about to follow things up with his Critical Edge, Dumas narrowly dodged him.

"Shit!" he muttered under his breath, before turning to Viola.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" she called out to him.

The crystal ball began to glow, dealing her opponent with more damage with the waves of energy. Before long, she would perform her Critical Edge, as the ball, now a shade of blue, made circular motions around him.

It was able to do him some damage, before Z.W.E.I. and E.I.N. followed it up with a Critical Edge of the former's own. As the wolf-like creature attacked with his claws, it provided even greater damage.

Dumas grit his teeth and said to them, "Enough! I take my loss with a heavy heart...Dear sweet Amy, I do believe you've exceeded your father's expectations."

Viola's eyes widened, and Z.W.E.I. asked, "You mean Raphael? Viola's father?"

"Exactly. Until then, you haven't heard the last of me!"

The malfested would then take off, and left both of them alone in the streets. The silver-haired man then asked, "Viola? Are you and Amy the same person?"

Viola nodded with a solemn glance, and said, "I didn't recall what my actual name was, so I named myself Viola because of what happened years ago."

She then asked, "You're not going to refer to me as Amy from this point on...are you?"

"Hell no. I always though 'Viola' was a way cuter name than 'Amy', no offense."

She nodded her approval, and he continued, "And your hair...it used to be red?"

"Yes, it was."

"I always wondered why it would change color..."

Viola nodded once again as she added, "We have to report all of this to both Schwarzwind and the Mad Hearts Neo soon. They'll be quite bewildered about my history, no?"

"Pretty much."

Unbeknownst to them, Greed and Malice had been able to find them after some searching. Unfortunately, they made it too late. "Whoa...did you just say that you used to be named Amy?" the brunette asked.

This prompted Z.W.E.I. and Viola to both notice them, turning around with surprised faces. "How'd you guys get here?" he asked.

"We were wondering what the two of you were up to tonight, so we had to track you guys down." Greed replied.

"And I suppose you overheard our conversation, have you?" Viola asked.

"What?! Dude, we can explain!"

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As she scrubbed herself down with some of the bathing supplies, Marie was already enjoying her bath. But as content as she was, she couldn't help but recall what had happened that afternoon.

When she opened the door to Patroklos's room, he was noticeably flustered as he adjusted his pants. Lydia was also tending to her clothes, and the sight of them began to boggle the leader's mind.

Was he really getting oral sex from her? Or is it just me?

But her train of thought would change drastically, as her concern for Viola had reached an all-time high. Could it be that she'd finally remember who she was before her amnesia?

I hope she's okay...

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Helen, who had already went to bed, was in the midst of tossing and turning. She had been dreaming of finding herself attempting to quell Nightmare, but things weren't going her way as he'd overwhelm her.

But just as she was about to perish, she awoke and saw that she was alone in her room. Breathing a sigh of relief, she got out of bed, looking to find someone to help her out in getting a good night's sleep.

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Leaving her room, she would be greeted by Marie. "Hey, Helen. Are you trying to sleep?" she asked.

"Yes. Would you mind if I share your bed?"

Helen's question made her smile at first, but said, "I haven't even gotten ready and I just had a bath."

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "How about you ask Patroklos? He's been quite courteous for a while." Marie inquired.

The pink-haired girl smiled as she replied, "I'd like that."

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Patroklos was sleeping in his room when he heard the sound of a door being hit on softly, prompting him to get up. He would then open it, discovering Helen in her nightwear.

"Oh, it's you again. What's up?"

"Patroklos, would you mind if I sleep in your room for one night? I had a bad dream." Helen asked.

He ended up shrugging, and said, "Not really."

Helen smiled, before she would take one side of the bed, whereas he took the other. Before she could sleep, though, she wanted to talk to him for a moment.

"Can I tell you what the dream was about?" she inquired.

"Shoot."

"Well, we were in the middle of a fierce and final battle against Nightmare. His associates were dealt with, so I took the chance to fight him. Unfortunately, things weren't going our way, and he was just about to kill me." Helen explained.

"Really? I had that dream once, except I was in your place." Patroklos replied.

Helen was surprised at first, but smiled as she said, "I hope it doesn't happen in the real world."

He nodded, before he asked, "So what brought you here to the Mad Hearts Neo?"

The Russian girl briefly pondered, before she was finally able to speak up. "I used to be a servant girl for the Varskov clan back in Moscow. Even though I was rather meek, I did take up reading books on all things combat and war."

"A servant girl?"

"Mmhmm. When the Baron found out about it, he wanted to train me. And though I was at first nervous, I was more than happy to learn the ropes. As I got older, I became quite a tough cookie, and there were even male soldiers who remarked that a girl my size could kick butt on the battlefield."

Patroklos couldn't help but be amazed at her story, and told her, "My mom was a renowned warrior herself. And I believe you're just as brave as she was."

His smile turned into a small frown as he added, "But lately, I haven't seen or heard from her a long time; neither had Pyrrha."

"I hope she's still alive."

"Yeah...I hope so, too."

As Helen slowly began to fall asleep, Patroklos looked up at the ceiling, confident that the future might get better for all of them.

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Up next: Chapter 7!

With love for my fans,

Chrissy