Luna sighed.

The sound of the waterfall in the corner of the hotsprings filled the open space, lit candles and the burning fire of the fireplace was giving off an amber hue all around her as the steam from the water made her face feel more hydrated. The muscle and body aches that afflicted her earlier vanished as the hot water helped her relax. Sitting deeper in the water, her nose barely hovering over it as with each exhale through her nose caused small little ripples to dance.

Hot Springs could only do so much, it may have helped her body but her head was still spinning.

The vestige they had found at the entrance to the Dried-Up Trenches only created more questions. After discovering that Io could fix broken vestiges and viewing the memories inside, her suspicions were confirmed. Most of the fragments belonged to Louis with a few belonging to a Revenant named Kevin that had met Louis in the past who unfortunately met his end. She was able to restore his lost memories and even though he was grateful, thanking her numerous times, he couldn't hide the pain in his eyes.

Though the memories that were locked inside were painful to watch, Kevin had been through so much suffering and manipulation. Even though she had a glimpse at what Oliver had gone through before their own encounter, it was still horrible to see. So many Revenants used one another for their own survival, not caring what fate was waiting for them. Some did it for fear of dying on the battlefield, others to assert dominance, and many other reasons that she didn't feel justified their actions.

Then there were Louis's memories, showing the hardships that he had faced after he had awoken. She knew that he still felt guilty about everything that happened, because of his inability to kill a friend. He had spent who knows how long in constant battle not only to survive, but to also escape how he truly felt about the cost of his actions. Despite all that, they didn't give her the answers that she needed. Luna was a complete loss. A Revenant who woke up with no memories of her own past, gifted with an ability that no one else had and now….. A potential tie to Louis and the Queen.

Moving to the deeper end of the hot springs, Luna took a deep breath before fully submerged in the water. "Why did it have to be me?" Cruz inquired that same question, the very same one that Luna asked herself after she had awakened. Two women, both turned into Revenants with exceptional talents but while one met their demise another was the only hope of salvation. "Cruz…. Did you and Louis know me?" a few bubbles of air slipped from her mouth and nostrils.

Searching her mind, she still couldn't find any memories that could have linked them to either of them. Lifting her head from the water, her black and silver hair glued itself to her skin. Swimming to the edge, Luna wrapped her body with the towel as she rang the water from her hair. Stepping into the changing room, she threw on the dark tank top and shorts that Murasame had given her after their return.

Drying her hair with the towel, she could still parts of it were still a tab damp but nothing to concern her. Reaching for the door, Luna jumped as it began to open. Placing her hand on her chest, "Io you scared me…." she sighed, trying to calm her beating heart. Her large golden eyes gazed at Luna curiously.

"I'm sorry," Io apologized. "They said I could find you here…" her voice gently spoke.

"Is there something you needed to talk to me about?" Luna questioned her as they walked towards her room. Shutting the door behind them, Io and Luna sat on the bed.

Io looked around the room, folding her hands on her lap. "You seem…. Puzzled. I tried to ask Yakumo and Louis, but they said they didn't know." Io explained. Since their return Luna had been quiet, like she was lost in herself. "Did something happen on your trip?"

Pulling her hair over her shoulder, "Io…." Luna didn't realize how well Io could read people. She knew that Murasame and Coco were most likely under the impression that she was still adjusting to being here, so they didn't try to pry. "I'm sorry if I worried you at all…. It's just…. I…." Luna didn't even know what to talk about. There were too many conflicting thoughts in her mind for her to decide just one thing.

Tilting her head, "Luna?"

Exhaling, "Io….I have no memory of my previous life…. I have no idea how I became a Revenant or how old I was…" Luna spoke. "I know nothing of any friends or family…. Or really anything…. I'd be lying if I said I could go on without them, but-" feeling a tear slip from her eye. Io placed her hand on her shoulder. "Io?"

"I know… I feel the same way." Io said, "I don't really know why I'm here and I still wonder what compelled me to search for you."

"How long did you search for me?" Luna asked her, she never really thought about it before. One of the first things that Io had told her was that she meant to be at her side, but was still unaware of who gave her that order. The bandages that wrapped her leg were new, but the ones that once covered her legs told stories of her own fights and travels.

"I'm not quite sure how long, but it was awhile…" Io sighed, "but that is besides the point. I'm certain you'll find your memories," smiling at Luna. "There might be vestiges out there containing them. If you find them, you'll be able to restore them not only for yourself but maybe me. Just like you restored Louis's memories."

Lying down on her bed, "yea…. Louis…"

Tilting her head "Did he do something? He seems so nice." Io frowned. "Should I go talk with him?"

Waving her hands, "no! He didn't…" she muttered. "It's just…" that strange sensation came over her again, "I don't really know…" she spoke. Taking a deep breath, "there was a vestige we found that belonged to him, the memories inside…. They were painful to watch. I can't imagine how he must be feeling, I know he's thanked me for giving them back to him but there was something there that I can't get out of my head."

"Like what?"

"Io…. I think I knew him before," she answered her. "I know there are others who share the same name as me, if it was just then… I guess it wouldn't bother me as much. But I swear, I heard my voice and I didn't even say anything…."

"Do you think that Louis knows you?" Io inquired, "do you think he would tell you if he did?"

"I mean….maybe...I mean I would, but then again… maybe not." Luna said indecisively. "I mean it would be weird to just say to someone that has no memory of their past, that you know them… I guess it would potentially lead to a misunderstanding."

"But wouldn't you be happy that someone knows you?"

Shaking her head, "I mean… I'd find it really suspicious. You wake up in a world, overrun by monsters and absolute chaos. You have to fight to survive and search for a substance to keep your sanity, not to mention there are individuals who force those who are weaker than them to search for them….." she vaguely reminded her of what happened to them when they first met. "Honestly…. I wouldn't believe them."

"I guess that makes sense…."

Standing up from the bed, "Io… I should probably get some rest, Louis and Yakumo want to have a discussion in the morning about the next area we'll be exploring." walking Io to the door, "Io, thanks for talking with me… I really appreciate it." It had helped her a bit to speak to someone about her thoughts, it may not have been entirely what was bothering her but still it helped.

"I'm here if you need me, please do not hesitate if you need me." Io assured her. "Goodnight Luna."

"Goodnight."

Shutting the door, Luna pulled the beaded cord to her lamp as the room filled with the tinted red glow from the Gaol of the Mists. Crawling into bed, she cocooned herself in the thick blankets. Closing her eyes, it wasn't long before she drifted into a deep sleep.


Looking out the window, it appeared to be just another day coming to an end. The red hues of sunset began fading to black, the stars slowly began showing themselves. Glancing down at the table she sat at, various textbooks and notes were sprawled out over the flat surface. Grabbing a few sheets of paper, Luna looked over the information that was written on them. "Huh?"

Numerous mathematical calculations and chemistry notes, records of reactions of certain chemicals and materials, along with through detailed information of various other medical and biological topics. All of this looked so familiar, but yet so foreign. "What's going on?" the sound of metal scratching against the tile ground made her jump, glancing over her shoulder her jaw nearly dropped. "Louis?"

He sat close to her, she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Holding the pen in between his fingers he lightly tapped on the piece of paper before him, leaving small little scratches upon it. His eyes glanced over at her, sheer shock took over. His eyes were not the shade of red that she remembered, but instead green just like when she and Yakumo were in the memory echo. "Is something wrong?" he asked her.

Shaking her head, "no nothing wrong…." those weren't the words she wanted to say, but something forced her to say them. She wanted to ask him what's going on, "just a lot to take in that's all." she spoke again.

Louis chuckled, "that's what happens when you don't take studying seriously."

Crossing her arms across her chest, Luna shook her head. "Says you…." she told him. Unable to control her body, Luna looked around the room as she felt compelled to look for something. "By the way wasn't Cruz supposed to be here by now?" she questioned. Luna didn't know what was going on, her body was acting completely on its own, unable to move or say what she really wanted. She felt like she was a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings.

"Yea, she needed to pick up some stuff for her class. She'll be here any minute." Wrapping her arm around her shoulder, Louis pulled Luna close to him. Feeling her face starting to burn up, "why? Is my company not enough for you?" he whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver.

Lightly pushing him, "oh stop it, we don't have time to play around." she laughed. Her rapid heart beat pounding against her chest, "once finals are over we should do something!" Luna rested her head against his shoulder.

Raising an eyebrow, "like what?"

"I don't know some-" the beating sound of rumbling, stopped her. The strong vibrations caused the books at the end of their table to cascade to the ground. "Louis?" The vibrations drastically evolved into violent shaking causing the glass windows to shatter fragments of glass burst in every direction. Covering the back of her head with her hands, Luna curled herself up. The roar of buildings and earth echoed all across. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, Louis dropped down under the table with Luna in his arms, his back towards the now decimated windows.

"I've got you!" he reassured her, pressing her head against his chest. Holding her tight, Louis flinched as the shards of debris cutting his skin as he guarded her as much as he could. Screams of anguish and need mixed with the ensuing chaos around them. The quakes continued to rock the foundation of the building as waves of destruction slammed against them. Sensing everything die down, Luna cautiously pulled her head away as she gazed at Louis. Locking eyes, he could see the faint scratches on her face from the glass. "Are you hurt?"

Shaking her head, "no…" she answered him. Carefully getting out from under the table, they were both stunned by the sight before them. The once tall buildings that adorned their city were now reduced to decrepit wreckage. Large black spikes stabbing through the ground ranging in heights and size an ominous yellow glow shined from the inside of the spikes. "What the hell just happened?" she questioned.

"I don't know but we need to get out of here," grabbing her hand, they maneuvered through the pieces of debris that filled the space. Others who had once accompanied the space with them were now running for safety, her eyes could see parts of individuals under the pieces of shattered building while their screams and pleads for help rang in her ears.

"What about Cruz?" she inquired, knowing that he had said she was closeby before everything happened. "We need to get her!"

Nodding his head, "right!" he knew that he couldn't disagree with her. "Let's hurry and find her!"

They both ran down the hallway. "Cruz!" Luna shouted, running down the corridor. "Cruz!" she didn't know how long this hallway was, as there weren't any doors or any indication that it would come to an end. "Cruz please answer me!" she cried out. Stopping in her tracks, she looked all around her at the vast emptiness down each path. Looking over her shoulder, she couldn't see any trace of Louis anywhere. "Louis?"

She didn't know what was happening. Moving her hand, Luna could feel that she finally had control again. "Louis, run!" Luna jumped as she heard her own voice, echoing in the space. "I promise Cruz, I'll save you!" the strange familiarity of those phrases resonated in her. Turning around, she rubbed her eyes. A large metal door manifested before her. The muffled sound of screams and gunfire lay behind it.

Grabbing the handle, she slowly pulled it open. Flames bursted out at her, as she could feel something grab hold of her body. Thick strands of darkness binding her, a strong pressure around her throat. Luna tried to break free from the unknown beings grip, as she could feel her energy draining. Barely keeping her eyes open, something appeared before her. A figure cloaked in a dark blue aura stood before her. "What the hell are you?" she mustered.

A laugh escaped the figure, piercing blue eyes struck her deep like her entire body was impaled with daggers. "You'll never escape what you've done… Luna…."


"Luna…" Louis shook her again, he watched her eyes slowly starting to open up, "Luna…. Come on time to wake up." Shooting out of bed, Luna grabbed Louis's hand tightly. He could feel her shaking, "what's wrong?" he could see the fear in her bloodshot eyes.

Luna didn't feel like she slept at all, everything was so surreal. Everything that happened felt so real, like she was actually there. It wasn't a normal dream, it was almost...like a memory. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down. "Nothing….just a bad dream." she whispered looking over at him. Looking down, she saw that her hand was still holding onto Louis's "I'm so sorry!" pulling her hand away.

The small smile on his face warmed her heart, "don't worry about it." getting up from the bed, Luna stretched her arms above her head, "Davis is here by the way." Louis informed her.

Tilting her head, "is he here to pick up yet another levy?" she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. "At this rate we'll be rationing for years."

"No, but I did inform him of the blood spring that you activated back in the Old City Ruins."

"Oh," Luna whispered, "so what brings him by?"

Leaving her room, "he didn't really mention, he just requested to talk to all of us." he answered her, walking into the main area of the base Luna could see Coco was unpacking the supplies she was able to grab on her latest expedition with Murasame helping her sort them out.

"Look who's up!" Coco said, "you sure enjoy your sleep missy." she laughed, grabbing a stack of boxes. "Come on Murasame, let's get these down to storage."

Following right behind, Murasame paused as she stood close to Luna. "Don't mind Coco, that's just her way of showing she cares." she reassured her.

Looking towards the mistle, they could see Yakumo talking with Davis. To both of them, it didn't appear to be anything more than a normal conversation. Yakumo turned towards the sound of footsteps approaching behind him, "good job Louis! Looks like you were able to wake her up!" Yakumo chuckled, patting his friend's shoulder. "You sleep well Luna?"

Grabbing her arm, "not really, bad dream." she briefly spoke.

"I'm sorry to hear that, you can go back to sleep if you want." Yakumo suggested, taking a better look at Luna he could see the dark circles under her eyes, the exhaustion still lingering in her shoulders. "That was a pretty rough battle yesterday."

Waving her hands, "no it's fine, I'll be ok." she told him, trying to dispel his concerns. "Good to see you again Davis." she greeted him.

Crossing his arms, "likewise." taking a deep breath, "I just wanted to stop by and give my personal thanks to you three, not only were you able to find and restore a Blood Spring, but you were able to terminate the Butterfly of Delirium." Davis started, "that thing has been a menace for quite some time, it's slaughtered so many Revenants and humans. I'm forever grateful for your team's strength and courage, Louis."

"Thank you Davis, but there's no need. We're simply doing what we can while on our search for the Source."

Davis chuckled, "figures you would say something like that. Well regardless I wanted to give you some information for the area that you came across." he said, "Yakumo has filled me in on it, that area is known as the Dried Up Trenches, it's an extremely dangerous area that doesn't give anyone exploring much room to dodge."

"That's no surprise," Luna whispered, recalling the thin ledges that made up the area. "No one would ever come back from a fall that high."

"And no one has," Davis replied. "But there's something there that you three must be made aware of. Deep within the trenches is a Lost, it's known as the Insatiable Despot. I haven't seen it myself personally, but I've heard enough about it to know that's a dangerous beast."

"Is that so?" Yakumo questioned.

Nodding his head, "it is, this Lost carries a large two headed hammer that is called the Tyrant's Labrys. It may appear to be slow, but it can and will exploit any window of opportunity it can find. Not only that, but the Despot can manifest crystals that if left alone will hatch into miniature versions of itself."

"Miniature?" Luna inquired, "how big is this thing?"

"That I'm not certain of, but do not underestimate this Lost." Davis instructed them.

Given this new information, the trio looked at each other with worry. The Butterfly of Delirium was a tough opponent, but if what Davis was saying was true they all knew they needed to think of a strategy to take this new foe down. "We appreciate the information Davis," Louis extended his hand as both men shook.

"If finding Blood Springs gets us information like that, then I'm all for it!" Yakumo said, his hand moving like he was holding his weapon.

"Just don't get over eager, Yakumo…. Now about my visit, there's something I would like to ask of all of you. It appears that we have found some maps pertaining to the Depths. I know that they may not be beneficial in your search for the Source, but I would be grateful for any help you can provide in exploring these areas."

"The Depths?" Luna asked.

Nodding his head, "yes, the Depths are areas that are filled with valuable resources we Revenants use for our weapons and enhancements for combat. Even before Operation Queenslayer, the Depths were mined and excavated for them. However, they're filled with miasma and hordes of Lost. They can be extremely dangerous, which is why I understand if you do not wish to venture in them."

"Why do you want us to explore them?" Luna wondered.

Sighing, "the Depths are basically a treasure trove of supplies that any Revenant could want, given they have a keen eye for what they are looking for. But there are other items that may interest those in particular." Davis hinted, walking back towards the mistle. "Oh by the way, a woman was recently taken into one of the human shelters." turning towards the group.

Luna smiled, looking towards Yakumo and Louis. "Yea? Is she doing ok?" Yakumo asked.

"She is comfortable now, poor thing looked like she hadn't eaten in awhile, but she asked me to pass a message along to the group of Revenants that saved her. She wanted to say thank you, for saving her life." Reaching towards the mistle, Davis slowly vanished before their eyes.

Putting his arms around his comrades, "well I wasn't expecting that, we just saw her yesterday."

"Yea well, given the circumstances she was in I would probably jump at the chance for some form of sanctuary." Luna told Yakumo. A sharp pain ran through her body, her hands reaching for her the two men close to her.

Yakumo caught Luna in his arms, as she struggled to keep her balance, "Luna! What's wrong?" Louis took hold of her face, seeing the tiredness in her eyes.

"Is she gonna be ok?"

"She just appears to be tired, let's move her to the couch." Louis instructed, as Yakumo helped carry Luna over to one of their large couches. Placing her carefully on it, Luna could feel the pain in her body traveling to every nerve causing pains that ranged from that of a needle to a searing hot pain.

"Guys I'll be fine," hearing her voice, Luna was stunned by how weak it sounded. Just a moment ago she was fine, but now this. The strange familiarity of her ailment scared her, she knew she had felt something like this before but couldn't figure out from where. "Did I feel like this as a human? Or is this the aftermath from our fight yesterday?" questions pounded in her mind.

"No you just rest," Louis told her. Kneeling down beside her, "is this because of that strange power she has?" Louis wondered. This was similar to their fight against the Lost when Luna had absorbed its vestige and exhibited a more deadly side of combat, but recalling those past events she had collapsed moments after it had happened. "Could her power and this weakness be connected?" He tried not to think of it anymore, but it was hard to keep his mind off of those thoughts.

Heavy eyelids were slowly beginning to shut, she wanted to fight back but her body was screaming at her to submit. No words escaped her lips as everything turned black.


Slowly opening her eyes, the sound of machines buzzing filled her ears. Her eyes began to adjust to her surroundings. Monitors filled the corners of the room, countless numbers in red on their screens.

A heaviness on her chest caught her attention. Barely able to look down she could see them, various cords and tunes embedded in her chest pumping and pushing fluid into her body. She could feel them pulling blood from her while at the same time feeling the pressure of the unknown substance enter her body. It was slow, yet as the seconds went by the pain began to grow stronger and stronger. Luna flinched as the burning sensation consuming every fiber of her body.

Trying to move her hand to chest, her eyes widened in fear as her hand was frozen. "What's going on?" It hurt to speak, her throat felt dry like she hadn't had any water to drink in days. Each attempt to speak was futile, the muscles around her neck were convulsing, slowly traversing her form.

The pain started to grow worse as her body was so engulfed in relentless torment. She tried to speak, to call for help but no words could escape her lips. 'What's wrong with me?' Luna thought to herself. Forced to endure this agony, she wanted to rip the cords out of her and run but her body refused to listen to her as she lay motionless in torment. 'This isn't right!' Tears flowing from her eyes. The stabbing pain was never-ending just constant wave after wave of pure suffrage. 'Make it stop! Please someone!' She could only hope someone would hear her pleas, to catch a glimpse of the pain she was in.

Luna felt that hours had passed but it never stopped even for a second. To her it was only getting worse. The pain was nearly unbearable, like a living hell that pressured her into accepting. It wasn't right. None of it was. How could she end up like this, how can she be made to go through something as horrible as this. She would do anything to make this pain stop, anything. 'Please someone make this stop.'

"It appears we're still having a hard time suppressing the rejection." A woman's voice spoke, Luna could help but feel a familiarity behind the voice. "I'm sorry, but we need to move onto the next phase, Cruz…. Just try to bear with it a bit longer..."

Luna's eyes widened, 'next phase? Cruz?' why did someone call her Cruz, 'no this can't be!?'

Her gaze moved down as one of the tubes as a light blue substance was being pushed up the tube. The liquid began to invade her body, the agonizing pain she was already in was starting to amplify. Everything around her no longer mattered, the amplification of her pain was too much for her to handle. Luna wanted her body to shut down, to stop the madness of anguish that was consuming every part of her. 'Someone…. Anyone….' her voice finally found her, as she uttered two words. Two words she thought she'd never speak.

"Kill…. Me….."

Death was the only way for her to escape. An end to the insanity. The pain, agony. It was too much.

"Someone….. Please…. Kill me!"

The pain suddenly vanished, the world around her began to change. Luna watched as the tubes that were attached to her chest began to disappear, slowly giving her the ability to move her body. Sitting up she could see that she was sitting in the familiar meadow-like space, putting a hand to her chest, her fingers searched for anything that would indicate that something had been done to her but found there was nothing there.

"You won't find anything," the sound of her voice made Luna jump. Rising to her feet, she inspected the scar upon the woman's chest.

"You're Cruz…..." she whispered, now knowing the woman's name. Everything made sense to her now, "they…. They did that to you, didn't they?" she questioned. Luna watched her nod her head. "That must have been horrible."

Cruz. The woman who endured painful experiments for Project Queen, who later on frenzied and killed anyone who tried to stop her, even killing Louis. Luna knew she had only experienced a fraction of what Cruz did during her time, she couldn't imagine how long she must have felt that. Nor how long she was begging for someone to end her suffering. "It was." Cruz responded.

"Why is it that you're here?" Luna questioned her. "I'm not connected to you, you guys have me mistaken for someone else." she told her. She heard her name back in Louis's memories, during one of the visits that Louis had made to Cruz during her time during Project Queen. "There are a lot of girls named Luna, but it's not me!"

Feeling a coldness sweep over her, Cruz slowly began to disappear in front of her. "You still don't know...do you?" Cruz asked her before completely fading away. The serene area changed drastically as everything around her was replaced by a void of darkness. The ground vanished from beneath her feet causing Luna to fall endlessly into the void.

"Still don't know what!?" Luna shouted at the top of her lungs, but got no response. "Who are you to me? Answer me!" she demanded, but still received nothing.

"Luna…"


A couple hours had passed as Louis and Yakumo looked at the map, they were still discussing the newest area that the trio had recently come across and with the new information that Davis had provided them it was clear that this area was going to be difficult, " I honestly don't like our odds," Louis said.

"Yea, who knows what's crawling behind each-" Yakumo stopped, the sound of grunts catching their attention. Walking over to the couch that Luna was on, they could see the young woman twisting and turning in her sleep. Her eyes closed shut like she was in distress. "What's going on with her?"

Rushing over to her side, Louis put his hands on her shoulder as he carefully shook her. "Luna…. Luna woke up," he said to her softly, her head shifting side to side. "I think she's having a bad dream," he said.

"Man how much does she need to sleep?" Yakumo asked, "I feel like she's been sleeping for weeks."

Smiling, "she still might be recovering from restoring so many vestiges yesterday. It's possible that it created a substantial amount of strain on her." Her eyes shot wide open, as they were both shocked by what they saw.

Piercing blue eyes over took her purple irises, the whites of her eyes were as black as the night. Louis held her down as her body began to flail. "What the hell is going on?" Yakumo helped hold her down, the strength she exhibited was beyond that of a normal Revenant. "Something's not right," he was struggling to keep her down. Her screams of pain ringing in their ears, "Louis you got to stop her!"

"I'm trying!" It took everything he had to keep her upper body from moving, the look in her eyes was empty; like a being without a soul. The way her eyes locked onto him was eerily familiar. Louis grabbed her arms tightly, "Luna, snap out of it!" he yelled, "this isn't like you!" He watched as her eyes closed shut, her body stopped moving. They hesitantly released her, distancing themselves as they both waited for what was going to happen next.

Opening her eyes, Luna slowly sat up. Letting out a yawn, she could see the two men at her side look at her in worry. Rubbing her eyes, "what's wrong?" she asked them, feeling a slight pain in her arms and legs. "Was I talking in my sleep?"

They didn't know what to say to her, the men looked at each other for a moment. "You were having a really bad dream," Louis quietly said. "It was so bad that it was like you were fighting in your sleep." he couldn't bring himself to tell her what they had seen.

Luna tilted her head, she couldn't recall her dream at all. "I see, I'm sorry guys." getting up from the couch, "I'm going to get some rest in my room," she told them, walking towards the hallway.

Yakumo watched her get a good distance away before shaking his head, "what the hell…." those eyes. He knew that he wasn't seeing things anymore, those blue eyes. While they were fighting the Butterfly of Delirium, Yakumo thought he was seeing things when Luna was fighting the beast. For a brief moment he thought he saw her eyes were a different color. Now it was confirmed. "Something is not right here."

"What do you mean?" Louis questioned.

"There's something off about her," Yakumo told him. "Think of it, at the last second she was able to execute that monster back in the Old City Ruins. She was struggling the fight against the Butterfly of Delirium and then next thing we know, she single handedly slays it. And those eyes!" he listed, "there was coldness in her eyes, like a blood thirsty beast. She's not a normal Revenant."

Louis couldn't deny what Yakumo was saying, he had seen Luna's fighting capabilities twice now. The way she could subdue large monsters with ease. Out of every Revenant they had crossed blades with, Luna was in a whole different league. "We don't know what she's been through, for all we know she's a gifted fighter."

Yakumo scoffed, "Louis…you care about her, a lot, but….this isn't something we can ignore." he knew how deep Louis's attachment to her was, but they couldn't turn a blind eye to this. "We need to keep an eye on her, for all we know if that happens again we'll be her next targets."

"Luna wouldn't do that!" Louis snapped. Mentally slapping himself, he knew he shouldn't have bursted out like that, "I'm sorry….I agree we'll keep an eye on her, but you shouldn't assume that Luna would do something as reckless as attacking us. She wouldn't do that, it's not like her." Louis defended her. "I know she wouldn't."

Sitting down on the couch, "I may not know the details of what happened between you two, but regardless…." Yakumo stopped. Even before they met, Yakumo knew that Louis had been searching for her for so long. She was always on his mind. "We need to think about the others, if for some reason she attacks any of us I hope you'll understand….. That I won't hold back."

Louis didn't respond for a while as they were silent for what felt like hours. "Yakumo, I won't stop you if it comes to that." breaking the silence, "but I believe we don't need to worry, Luna doesn't hurt people that she cares about or trusts. That's something I learned about her a long time ago."

"Back when you were humans?"

"Yeah."

Leaning back, Yakumo crossed his arms. "I guess those vestiges helped you remember a bit."

"No, I've always had them." Louis replied, "everytime we die we lose something important to us, that's something we learned after we became Revenants. But I didn't want to lose my memories of Luna….." after so many years, he had forgotten Kevin and blinded himself to Cruz's fate.

Yakumo grinned, "just like how my friends are important to me, Luna is very close to your heart."

"She's more than close to my heart," pulling the locket from his pocket, he still held onto it even now. "I've told you before, that I was going to find her no matter what and now that she's here….. I don't want to lose her again."

"Even if she turns into a killing machine?"

Feeling his heart tighten, "If that were to happen…. Then I won't make the same mistake twice…."

Luna leaned against the corner of the hallway, just out of distance of their view. Placing a hand to her eyes, "what's wrong with me?" she whispered to herself. She couldn't blame Yakumo for being cautious of her, but Louis. He was different. Her chest tightened after listening to the way he stood up for her. The way he spoke of her, it sent her heart a flutter. Every word he spoke about her was strung with confidence, like he had known her all his life. The immense feeling of trust he had towards her wasn't something someone could gain over the span of a few days.

Grasping the clothing above her heart, Luna tried to understand the feelings swelling inside her. The kindness Louis showed her, the way he was at her side during their travels and fights together. He talked with her without holding back, he spoke to her like there was no barrier between them. "Am I really the same Luna?... No I can't be…. Can I?" the question stirred in her mind over and over again.

The strange dream she had this morning, Louis's memories… they all pointed in the same direction. Shaking her head, "no...it's just a coincidence…." Luna tried to tell herself. She didn't know what to think or believe, her heart and her mind were at odds fighting an unseeable battle. "I just want to believe it's true... so my mind must have made something up... that happens... right?" she mentally asked herself, knowing she wouldn't get a response.

Walking back to her room, Luna quietly shut the door behind her. Laying down on the bed, she pulled the covers over her face. Curling up in a ball she wrapped her arms around herself. Taking a deep breath, Luna tried to focus on the bigger issue at hand. "It has happened twice now…" she thought to herself. Two of the most difficult fights she's been apart in and she doesn't even know how it ended, only that she was the one that finished off whatever beast was in her way. "It all started with that voice…." she whispered.

Before she blacked out a voice called out to her, offering her help. Presenting a gift of power, always suppressing any pain she was in and giving her the strength to continue. Luna couldn't deny that something was wrong with it. Like she was a puppet being controlled by a hidden puppetmaster in the darkness of her own mind. She hated that she had relied on it whenever she was in a tight spot. "Listen here and listen well!" she screamed in her head. "Leave me alone! I don't know who or what you are, but leave me alone!"

No reply responded to her cries.

Holding herself tighter, Luna knew she could never allow herself to be controlled again by whatever was inside of her. It may have given her the power that she needed, but the price was too much. "I don't want to become a monster that they fear."

Hours passed, but Luna couldn't make herself go to sleep as she watched the sky outside change colors. She couldn't stop thinking about the voice that called her, it didn't sound like anyone she knew or even herself. An enigma was all that it was, but behind its mystery was a force. Throwing the blanket off of her, she sat on the edge of her bed. "Whatever is inside of me, I must never ever use it again." the way Yakumo described the change in her eyes, like that of a heartless monster.

"I'm never using it again."