A slightly shorter chapter than usual. Despite the delays.

Edit: New chapter finally is out.

When everything withers.

Noctuaz sat on a beam up on the ceiling in the large room. The owl teigu's gaze directed down at the fighting below it. It's eyes black with small shining dots in them. Chaos had very quickly taken hold over the big room under it.

A little while after Makeias and Akame had left the hall, more people had come running into the big room from the tunnels. Mostly warriors of the revolutionary army. Joining the battle immediately. Attacking Makeias' men and soldiers.

It wasn't affecting Wave much at the moment though. He was still locked in combat with Leone and there were few of the arriving fighters that were powerful enough to join in on that. Most of them realizing that their participation would be meaningless.

Wave had his teigu equipped. He had taken a few hits but were still in good condition.

Ha was, however, facing a dilemma. Leone had proved to be an formidable opponent. He had started to realize that he might actually be outgunned in this fight. Even with four of Makeias' personal guards aiding him. But then Makeias had left. Akame had been the only one that followed him. So suddenly Wave got reinforcements in the form of Tom-Tom and Liza. Which had shifted the scales of the fight immediately.

Now Leone was being pushed back. It was apparent that she could not win this fight against Wave, Tom-Tom,Liza and some of Makeias' guards. Yet she fought on. Not showing any signs of surrender at all. To Wave's dismay. He really didn't want this to end with her death. Yet he didn't know if his comrades were as merciful. He could imagine that he might be able to convince Tom-Tom to spare Leone. The old giant had always seemed like a kind and gentle creature. He was more uncertain about Liza.

Liza was constantly moving around Leone. Attacking any opening that she could find while Leone was occupied with Wave. Tom-Tom stayed more in the background. Only moving in and intercepting Leone whenever she started to on the offensive against Wave. But Leone kept strong. She had taken some vicious blows from Liza but the resilience of Lionelle was showing through.

"Surrender, Leone." Wave shouted as he blocked a brutal punch with both his hands. His feet digging into the floor to resist the force of it. "You will be spared!"

"Hah." Leone cried out loudly and swung at him again. "I guess that you haven't noticed the reinforcements that are arriving."

Just as she finished her punch, Liza suddenly appeared on her side. Right under her left arm. "Too few, too slow!" the little girl screamed as her leg hit Leone in the stomach. The brutal kick sending Leone gliding sideways across the floor. A hand on her stomach but still standing up.

"You guys should be the ones to surrender." Leone said defiantly through closed teeth.

Wave shot a quick glance at their surroundings. Leone had a point but Liza was right. The room was slowly being filled with warriors and soldiers of the revolutionary army. They were already outnumbering Makeias' forces by a rather large margin. But few of them were on the level where they could make a diffrence against oponents like Kurome or himself.

If the reinforcements kept coming then Wave was sure that they would be overwhelmed sooner or later. But as it looked now, it would not be in time for Leone.

Wave was acting as defensive as he could but Liza was forcing him to press the attack in order to not let Leone counter her properly.

A minute later, Wave's attention was momentarily moved over to the side of their fight by the approach of Kurome.

She came running towards them. Avoiding the fights all around her. She was breathing rather heavily and had a cut along her right cheek. A small stream of blood trailing down it.

"You okay?" he shouted to her as he backed off a little bit from the fight with Leone. Leaving it to Tom-Tom and Liza for the moment.

Kurome nodded. "That guy with Black Marlin is a thougher nut than I first expected. I cut him up pretty badly but he is still keeping it together. But I managed to lose him." She quickly looked around. "We need to get out of here. Where is Makeias?"

"He and Akame left and ran into that tunnel." Wave said and pointed. "I think it leads to the upper levels."

Kurome's eyes narrowed. "I have to go after them."

"Do you think that the general will need help?" Wave asked and gave her a look.

"Maybe." Kurome said emptily. Thinking about Akame. She felt the outside of one her pockets. Feeling that the letter was still there. The letter Akame had given her on the train. The letter with Akame's offter to her and Wave. "I need to get to Akame."

"This again." Wave said and jumped a little bit backwards. Backing of a bit further as the fight in front of him moved a little bit closer. "This is not the time for sibling rivalry."

"I am well aware." Kurome answered quickly.

Wave looked at her. She had always prioritized her missions. She had always been able to put her personal feelings aside in order to be efficient. Wave realized that that might be the case here as well.

He sighed. "Fine. Just don't do anything stupid."

"It feels kinda bad to hear that from you." Kurome said with a smile.

"Hey!" Wave exclaimed but smiled as well. He had missed her so. "I will start to move our people out of here soon enough. We will retreat to the upper levels. Meet us there."

Kurome nodded and started to move past him. As she did, she quickly grabbed one of his hands. Squeezing the cold metal as she did. Without leaving the fight in front of him with his eyes, he squeezed back. Lightly, in fear of damaging her soft hand with his teigu's gauntlet.

And then she was gone. Running away from the fight. Towards the tunnel.

"You better come out of this in one piece!" Wave shouted after her.

"Same to you!" she shouted back as she ran through the room. Avoiding any fights and opponents as she zigzagged through the commotion.

She entered the tunnel quickly and started to race through it. She needed to find Akame before anything serious happend. She needed to let her sister know her answer. She needed to tell Akame that there still was something between them. And that she was willing to try.

Tatsumi reached his first big obstacle after ten minutes.

He had quickly moved up through the palace. He didn't have a clear idea of where the prime minister was but he thought it would be easy to locate. Jack had given him the level where the prime minister was. Not that that narrowed it down completely. Even in the highest part of the palace, where the floors grew smaller, an entire level was still quite a big area to cover. Tatsumi would have to rely on that the heavy security would clue him in on where the meeting was taking place.

But he actually met his first obstacle before he even reached that level.

When he reached the large stairs that led up to the floor he was heading for, it was sealed off. The giant gate leading to the stairs was shut thight. Guarded by a group of people. The man in front of them easy to recognize.

It was general Gallus. The muscular bald man standing in the front of the group. With his hammer resting on the floor. Holding it with both his hands. His black and white clothes making the warrior priest easy to distinguish.

Tatsumi halted himself as he reached them. His invisibility still activated. Not in fear of being revealed yet. But he had to get through that door. One way or another.

He didn't think it wise to fully activate Incursio yet. The power that transformation would generate would probably be detectable to most people in the palace. There was no better way to alert the prime minister of what was going on. Or telling Esdese where he was.

He knew that he would probably have to do so sooner or later but he was convinced that this was still too early to do it. If he got caught up in a fight with Gallus here, then he would most likely fail. He was still too far away from his target.

He had to get past the general and his guards without them noticing somehow.

He looked at them for a little while. If he could just get the door open then he could probably get through without any of them noticing. He didn't think that general Gallus' perception was that strong. He knew that the man probably had some hidden capabilities when it came to combat. He was a general after all. But Gallus had never striked Tatsumi as a man with very sensitive instincts.

However, he could not just open the door himself. He needed to get somebody else to do it. Preferably having something that occupied the groups attention while he snuck through.

He moved around the group. Sneaking up to the side of the wall the giant door was on. The group was idly chatting about when they thought Esdese would catch Makeias and what would happen to him then. Gallus being the only one who remained silent. Which worried Tatsumi slightly.

He moved up the side of the door behind the group. He stood still for a while to make sure that no one had realized that he was there. When no one reacted, he slammed the door hard three times with his fist and then quickly moved away from it.

The entire group turned towards it. It was clear that they hadn't expected someone to knock on it from the other side.

General Gallus took a couple of steps towards it. He thought that something had been strange about how that sounded.

"Did any of you knock on the door?" he asked the men around him in his deep and gentle voice.

When the men around him stayed silent and shook their head, the general nodded to the one closest to the door. "Open it."

The man he nodded to immediately did as he was told. Walking up to the door and pushing it open with the side of his body. The several meter high door slowly opening up a bit.

As the door was opening. A shout could suddenly be heard from the back of the group. Furthest from the door. Gallus immediately turned his head in the screams direction. As he did, he thought he felt a strong wind blow past his head. He walked up to where the shout came from. One of the men was lying down on the floor. Two of his friends crouched down beside him.

"What happened?" Gallus asked. His face concerned.

"We don't know, sir." one of those crouching beside him said. Sounding worried. "He must have tripped. I think he hit his head pretty badly."

Gallus went down on a knee and put a very light hand on the man's neck.

"He is heavly damaged. Don't move him." he said and slowly stood up. Looking at some of the other men. "Fetch a medic team immediately."

Two soldiers detached themselves from the group and ran away to get help. Gallus looked at the man on the floor. "He just fell and nearly broke his neck, huh?"

He threw up his giant hammer over his shoulder and turned around. Walking up to the door. He walked past the man who had opened it and looked in, to other side of it. Behind the giant doors there was a long and wide stair. Probably going on for almost fifty meters. But Gallus could not see anyone there. Nor any evidence that somebody had just pushed through.

"Then who knocked?" he said to himself. It wasn't really a question. He turned his head around. "Stay here and close the door. Don't open it until I return." he ordered.

Gallus started to climb the stairs as the men behind him nodded and started to close the doors.

Gallus had no idea about any of Incursio's abilities. Nor was he aware of Tatsumi's betrayal. Since the prime minister and Esdese had kept his imprisonment a secret to anyone who didn't need to know. So he didn't have the slightest guess of what was going on. But he could feel that something was off. And even if it was just a hunch, he thought it best to just head up and check that everything was going well.

So he slowly started to climb the stairs.

A long, long bit ahead of him, Tatsumi was speeding through the corridors on the floor above.

All the rooms he ran through were deserted. It seemed like the entire floor had been evacuated for this meeting, Tatsumi reasoned. But that also made it easier for him. It took him less than five minutes to locate the part of the floor that he was searching for. He knew that he had found what he was looking for since it was guarded.

The long corridor that led to the rooms furthest to the right of storey was occupied by three persons. Tatsumi recognized one of them immediately.

It was the last living member of Wild hunt; Dorothea. The alchemist that had been in the prime minister's service ever since she was recruited by his son. She was accompanied by two guards.

Tatsumi knew who this girl was pretty well. He had kept tabs on all the teigu wielders stationed in the capital during his time with Esdese. He had kept a close look on all the members of Wild Hunt. And he had watched with no small satisfaction as the group got smaller and smaller. Now, the woman in front of him was the only remaining member.

Wild Hunt had been one of the few enemies that he had shared with his lover. Esdese also wishing to see the group dead but not being in a position where she could do much more than make sure that they were demoted and restricted at every chance she got. Because while the Jaegers were designed to keep order and hunt down specific targets, Wild Hunt had seemed to work against their purpose in almost every regard.

So that had been one of the few areas where Tatsumi and Esdese enjoyed their darker sides together. Esdese happily describing the end of their members to an interested Tatsumi at several occasions. Which was why Tatsumi had also known how Esdese would react if he could fool Izou to attack him in front of her.

Dorothea was standing in the middle of the corridor. Writing something down in a small book she was holding. The two guards standing behind her.

Tatsumi backed off a couple of steps. Back around the corner. He needed to get through this corridor to reach the point where he now suspected the prime minister to be.

But he had an idea.

As far as he knew. Nobody but a select few knew of his betrayal. Since Esdese had told him that all his crimes had been written off the records in return for her promise that she would keep him restrained until the end of his days. If he assumed that Dorothea didn't have any idea about what had happened, then he could probably get a headstart. Not that he thought that she would let him pass just like that. But if he had the element of suprise then he could hopefully finish this quickly. Maybe without even fully activating Incursio.

He deactivated his teigu and put in its sheath across his back. He took a deep breath and then walked around the corner.

As soon as he passed the corner, Dorothea lowered the book she had been writing in and the guards tensed up.

"Yo!" Tatsumi greeted and raised a hand. Keeping the other in his pocket. He didn't want to seem too friendly. That would seem out of place. This girl had been trying to rape him. And the very few and brief interactions they had had after Esdese had saved him from that had been rather cold.

Dorothea put away her small book. A somewhat suprised expression on her face. "What are you doing here? This floor is sealed off."

"I have a important message for the prime minister from the great general." Tatsumi said as he walked up to them.

"What message?" Dorothea asked. Looking sceptical.

"Not really meant for your ears, I'm afraid." Tatsumi said with a smile.

Dorothea looked at him at him. Not hiding how she disliked the situation. "Then do you have some kind of permit or letter signed by Esdese?"

"She didn't think it would be necesseary." Tatsumi said with a shrug. "Everyone in the capital knows that I work for her."

Dorothea didn't budge. "So you want me to let you pass without anything to go on but your word."

"It was enough for general Gallus." Tatsumi said. He could see that that made her uncertain. He could see the doubt that appeared in her eyes. But in the end she stood fast.

"I can't afford to make mistaked in this position. I will not let you pass." she said finally. Sounding resolute.

Tatsumi walked a step closer to her. "Do you really want to risk that?" he asked. Being really close to her now. "I think you are aware that you shouldn't give Esdese any reason to punish you."

"Walk away." Dorothea said sternly. "Fetch me a permission or something like that. Until then, I will not let you pass."

Tatsumi noted how her to guards had started to slowly walked up to his sides. Their hands on their weapons.

"You sure about this?" he asked.

Dorothea slowly nodded. Tatsumi stood still for a moment. Then he just shrugged. "Fine. Don't say that I didn't warn you." he said and turned around. Feeling how the three behind him were relieved to see him leave.

He took one step and then attacked.

He spun around swiftly, drawing his sword as he did. Swinging with it in the same moment. Going down to one knee with the movement..

Only Dorothea was quick enough. She jumped backwards but still got a considerable cut across her chest. The same swing cutting her two guards in half. She moved backwards quickly. A hand over her bleeding chest. One eye closed in pain. But there was still a bitter smile one her face when she stopped her short retreat backwards.

"I knew that something was up." she wheezed.

Tatsumi put his sword arm behind him. Getting ready to activate his teigu as the remains of the two guards fell down on the floor. His expression serious. He had to finish this quickly. He didn't have much time. And if he was forced to fully activate Incursio then he knew that general Gallus would be able to sense it. He would be heading for them immediately.

Along with the woman he loved.

Akame raced through the underground tunnel. Wearing a gas mask over half her face. Obscuring her mouth and nose. Having put on the equipment as she moved. She could hear voices and shouts from every door that she passed. The sound of battle audible in the distance. It seemed like it had spread from the room where they had had the negotiations.

She knew that she was catching up to him. He would soon be forced to face her or risk being attacked in the back. She couldn't see him since he had just passed a corner. He seemed to just be trying to get away from her. He should not have any idea of where he was heading. But Akame did. She knew this base like the back of her hand. Since it had always been a part of their trap to fool the pillager and his forces that their meeting place was on neutral ground. When it was actually inside one of their bases. She had the home turf. And that brought some significant benefits.

Not only did she know where he was heading but she knew that reinforcements should have arrived to all her friends down at the meeting. Though she didn't think that they would come for her anytime soon. This was not what they had planned for. But she was fine with that. Involving more people would probably work in Makeias' favor. She had all she needed. She would finish him off.

She crossed the corner and jumped in through the door waiting for her behind it. Already knowing exactly where it went. The door already wide open.

She squinted slightly as she was met with bright sunlight. Landing on grass, between two trees. She had entered one of this base's two large green rooms. Filled with vegetation and plants. The ceiling almost fifty meters above her. Completely made of glass so that the light could shine down into the huge room. The two rooms were used for plantation and training mainly. But now it was empty due to the meeting that had been held. Empty with the exception of the two of them.

Akame looked around. She could not see the pillager anywhere since her sight was obscured by all the vegetation. She listened intently but the rooom was absolutely quiet. Most of the sounds from the battle outside of this room isolated by all the flora.

She took a couple of slow steps forward. She was a bit uncertain of what to do. She couldn't rush into this. She could no longer detect Makeias so he was likely hidden. There was a chance that he would try to ambush her. But if she took it too slow, he might be able to escape her. If he wasn't lying in wait for her. After some moments she decided that it was more likely that he was still fleeing. She started to move faster. Starting to slowly jog as she remained as perceptive of her enviorment as possible.

She knew that this giant room only had one other exit. Beside the one they had entered through. And that was on the other side of the room. She started to move towards it. Walking briskly while she kept her insincts on absolute between the trees and bushes. When she had moved through a little more than half the room, she heard him call out. His voice the only sound in the silent room.

"Do you know what the most dangerous diseases in the world is, Akame?"

The voice was coming from the end of the room. A good bit in front of her. She immediately started to accelerate towards that position. Both hands on her drawn sword.

"It is not actually the deadliest diseases that are the most dangerous ones. Because they rarely manage to spread too far. Since those who get sick die too quickly."

Akame noticed that his voice had moved to her side now. When she jumped through the foilage in front of her, the exit came into her view.

The door itself, along with the plants and trees around it, were black as oil. Covered by a thick layer of gooey liquid. Glistening in the sunlight. The black color spreading a bit around the doorframe. Akame stared at it for some moments. Then she suddenly realized that it was not just the vegetation around the door. All around her, the plants and grass had started to slowly shift color. Very slowly turning to a darker green. Akame guessed that they would soon be black as well.

She immediately turned around and raced towards the other door. Starting to guess what was happening.

"What is most dangerous; is the diseases that aren't detectable for a long while. The ones that spread to many people before they kill you."

The voice was coming from the door they had both entered through. Akame realized that she at some point must have passed him. He had probably remained hidden somewhere when she came running. Then leaving his hiding place as soon as she had passed and doubled back.

She reached him in five seconds. But when she did. She couldn't get close.

Makeias was standing in a relaxed pose, some meters in front of the doorway that they had entered through. Holding one of his spear in his hand. Having been forced to leave the other one behind down at the meeting. All the vegetation around him was completely black. The dark corruption spreading almost ten meters in all directions around him. The door behind him and it's surrounding completely covered in it as well. Leaves were falling down from the trees around him constantly. The black petals flowing through the air all around him. All the grass between them was just as black.

"Of course, people often forget that plants are just as susceptible to diseases as we are. It just takes a diffrent form." Makeias said and smiled at her. Grabbing one of the falling leaves with his free hand.

Akame stared at him in disbelief. Noticing how the blackness was slowly spreading in all directions. "Did you infect the plants in this entire room just during the small time we have been here?" she asked him

Makeias shook his head. Smiling. "If I could just infect everything around me without having any contact with it, then I would have killed you all down at the meeting. I do at least need you to inhale something. At least. And even then my influence is very limited if I don't get any direct contact."

"Then how?" Akame asked. Talking with him in order to divert his attention while she tried to think of a plan.

"Ohh this took a long time." Makeias said and looked around. "I have touched every single plant in this entire room already. I worked as efficiently as I could, but it still took almost two hours."

"Two hours... So this was the reason for your delay to the meeting then?" Akame said bitterly.

"Well, apologies again for that." Makeias said and made a mocking bow.

All the emotion drained from Akame's face as she suddenly reached a realization. "Who was it?" she asked emptily.

"Who what?" Makeias asked as he straightened up.

"Who betrayed me? You should have had no idea of where this room was. And even if you did, you shouldn't have known how to get in here without us noticing it. And even just that is based on the fact that you knew that we would try to kill you if the negotiations failed."

"I was actually afraid that you would guess that something was up when my bodyguards and lieutenants didn't follow after me when I fled into the tunnels."

"Who sold us out?" Akame asked determinately.

Makeias just smiled at her for some moments but then he shrugged. "I thought you would have guessed by now. I mean, the first time you and I met was when I was holding a secret meeting with them."

"The path of peace..." Akame said silenty.

Makeias nodded. "They actually traded a very important teigu to me during that meeting that you so rudely infiltrated. In exchange for the lives of some of their leaders. A teigu that I now have placed in the capital. A teigu that they stole from the revolutionary army."

"What did you give them to make them stab us in the back?" Akame asked. Anger creeping into her voice. "What did you offer them?"

"I offered them a future." Makeias answered coldly. His smile lessening slightly. "They have been stuck with the sinking ship that the revolutionary army is for quite some time now. Only staying because of loyalty. Even if they knew that it meant their end."

"So they choose to save themselves by betraying all their friends?" Akame said. Looking at the grass as the green was starting to turn darker all around her.

"Loyalty doesn't mean that much when it only leads to more suffering." Makeias said. "They just figured that the world would be a better place without the empire. And supporting me will be the best way for them to accomplish that."

Akame started to crouch down slightly. Getting ready to move. Makeias only smiled at her. "It's no use." he said and crushed the black leaf in his hand. When he did, it squirted thick black liquid in all drirections. Looking like oil. "If you take one step on that grass, or if one of these leaves hit you, it is over. Even if you cut down all the leaves in you path, the liquid of Morbus will splash over you. They are filled with it by now."

Akame quickly looked around. Makeias was standing almost fifteen meters from her. She could make that jump without too much of an effort. The problem was that the air around him was filled with falling leaves. And even if she got close, she would have no place to land. Makeias would probably block the first attack or just back off. And if the grass would splash up in the same way as the leaf had if she stepped on it, then she would get it on her. She had no way to get close.

She moved her head around. Some of the trees behind her and on her side had also started to shed black leaves. And all around her, the vegetation was turning darker and darker with every passing second.

"Well, this is it for our small talk, Akame." Makeias said and dropped the remains of the leaf he was holding. "It took a lot of preparations and work, but with this, I have defeated you."

"Coward." Akame tried to provoke but it only made Makeias smile more.

"Did you honestly believe that I would risk a close combat fight with you? That would just be madness." he said. "You are faster than me and your skills and instincts are superb. There are few that can match your sword and I certainly ain't one of them. But in the end, a sword is just a sword. Even if it might kill everything it touches."

Makeias raised his arms up. Gesturing towards the blackening garden around them. "Just a sword will not stop the inevitable. All of us will wither, sooner or later. That is the cruel dictations of time. And time is Morbus greatest ally. No creature of flesh can stop it's own demise. We will all detoriate. We all have to face our end sooner or later. And now the time has come for you to meet yours."

With those words, Makeias started to turn around.

"Wait!" Akame shouted but she didn't move. Still unsure of where her best chances lay.

Makeias looked at her over his shoulder. "Don't struggle when it reaches you. It will be mostly painless. I will come back later and get Murasame. I will need it in the future. It is one of the few things that can easily kill me at this point."

Akame looked around but most of her envoirment was starting to show it's corruption.

Makeias walked over and opened the black and gooey door. Looking at her as he did. His expression serious once again. "When you die, you can do so knowing that the rule of Esdese and the prime minister will soon fall. That I can promise you. Hopefully you can draw some small consolation from that."

"This isn't over, pillager!" Akame shouted as Makeias closed the door behind him.

"Farewell, Akame of night raid."

Esdese noticed it immediately when she walked into her chambers.

She had been reading through a report as she walked through the palace. Not really paying much attention to her surroundings. Her instincts always warning her if something was up. However, the moment she passed through the doors to her rooms, she immediately noticed it.

Her head immediately rose from the papers. Her eyes widening slightly. She dropped the papers and bolted through her apartment. Entering his chamber less than two seconds after her arrival to her quarters. She stopped when she had slammed the door open. Immediately halting herself in the doorway.

"No!" she hissed loudly.

Her eyes scanned the room but there was nothing more to take in than what the initial glance gave her.

The room was empty. With a large hole in the bars. Incursio gone from it's pedestal.

She stood still there for some seconds before she briskly walked into his cell through the hole. She stopped when she had walked to the middle of it. Her head moving around, searching for an explanation of where he had gone or of what might have happened. Her heart was beating fast and strong. And while the ice queen had never experienced panic, this was pretty close to it.

She's remained still there, in the middle of the cell for a while. Her eyes moving back and forth. Her breathing hard and fast. For some few moments at a loss of what to do.

She crouched down and looked in under his bed and then walked over to the bathroom and checked that he wasn't in there. She had already been able to tell but she needed to check anyway. She walked back into the middle of his cell again. Breathing deeply. Trying to pick up his scent or some sort of trace of where he had gone. But it was of little help. Everything in the room smelled of him. She could not pick up a trail.

For some reason her instincts attracted her to the single table in his cell. The table was packed with books and papers. When she walked up to it. Her attention was immediately grabbed by a single paper. The sheet empty with the exception of a single message. Scrawled down in a messy handwriting that she would recognize in any situation. She picked up the note and quickly read through the short message.

"No!" she said again when she had read it. More loudly this time. Her voice partly anger and partly desperation. She wouldn't accept this. Esdese closed her hand, scrumpling the paper in it. Then she threw it down on the table and spun around. She exited the room in a single leap. Destroying the wooden door that obstructed her path.

"TATSUMI!" she roared loudly as she left his room. Her voice threatening. Loud enough for most people in the rooms around her to hear it.

But no answer came.

She clenched her teeth. Her face filled with anger. She moved out of her apartment with such furiosity that the doors leading into them, and the walls around them, were blown to pieces as she moved through them. Making the guards in the corridor outside either fall over or start running away when they saw it was her. Either afraid of her or thinking that whatever fight she was having was beyond them.

"TATSUMI!" she roared yet again. Her angry voice demanding that he revealed himself and returned to her immediately.

And no answer came.

She sniffed the air deeply. She detected a small whiff off his smell. Now so faint that it might just be her own mind playing tricks on her. But she had nothing else to go on so she immediately launched herself down the corridor. Following his smell as she accelerated to a higher speed. She blew through yet another door and wall. Sending debris and dust into the room she entered. Along with parts of the destroyed furniture that had been lined up against the walls.

She quickly looked around. The room was another long corridor. Stretching out in both direction. But it was completely empty and she couldn't feel his smell in any of the directions. There was a single window open in front of her. She didn't hesitate.

She jumped out of the window. Descending down some levels. A rooftop of one of the lower levels spreading out under her. The level that she was heading down towards was still about a hundred meters above the ground level. There was a single window on that roof. And it was open.

Esdese kicked downwards on the floor as she landed on it. Destroying it. Making it fall down with her. Landing in the room under it.

It was a big dining hall. Mostly empty. The few attendants that were there immediately starting to leave as quickly as they could as Esdese rose up from the rubble that had been the roof. Some tables and chairs crushed under it.

"Where are you?" she called out.

Yet no answer came.

She stood there for some moments. Not willing to face the fact she already knew. She couldn't smell him. She couldn't detect any trace of him. He was gone. She had lost him.

She remained still for some moments and then kicked a long table that stood beside her in frustration. Sending it flying through the room. Smashing down other chairs and tables as it went.

"Tatsumi!" she shouted and sent a barrage of ice through the room. Destroying all it's windows. She quickly moved up to one of them. Overlooking the capital. She filled her lungs with air.

"TATSUMIIIIIII!" she shouted as loudly as she could. Her booming voice echoed out over the capital and the rooftops until it slowly died out.

And no answer came.

She stood there for a little while. Her eyes widening as her heart started to give in to the realization.

She slowly stumbled backwards. Slowly turning around into the room. Stunned by the thought that her loving days with Tatsumi were over. That the final day in the happiest part of her life had already passed.

She took a couple of slow steps back towards the center of the room. Her expression shocked. Then in a single swift motion, she drew her sword and cut the closest piece of furniture in half. And then the next one. And then the one after that. She swung and swung. Her movements so fast that most could not even see them. Swiftly destroying the entire room around her.

She didn't understand it.

She didn't understand how this had come to pass. How had he escaped? And how had she failed? Why hadn't things worked out? She had done every sweet and kind thing she could think of for him. Giving him as much as she could without becoming a traitor to those who trusted her. Why had she failed to win his heart? Why had she lost his love?

She continued to demolish the room as her thoughts raced. Cutting apart and crushing anything in it in her pained and panicked rage.

She had given him her undying affection. She had tried to be hard and strict with him. She had tried to be controlling and protective. She had tried everything she knew of. She had tried to learn new things to win him back. Why had nothing worked?

She didn't understand where she had gone wrong.

She didn't understand why it had to end already.

She didn't understand the warm wetness that trailed down her cheeks.

She drove down her sword into the floor of the destroyed room. She grabbed it with both her hands as she slowly fell down on her knees. Her head bent forward.

"...Tatsumi?" she asked silently. Her voice quivering in pain and sadness. Experiencing how her heart broke.

And no answer came.

Author's note:

There you go. The first out of the four shorter chapters that will resolve the end of this arc. Hopefully it isn't filled with too many typos. I didn't have time to reread this as much as I usually do.

If any of you EsdesexTatsumi shippers feel like abandoning this story because of how things have turned out, then I would implore you to go back and read the foreword that I wrote back in the prologue. It still stands true.

Christmas is really taking up a lot of my time. I plan to have one more chapter out before the 24th but I am a bit sceptical. We live in hope.

So it is now revealed that it was Spectator that Makeais traded with The path of Peace. In return for the information that his men stole from the imperial archives back when Tatsumi met them on the night that he burned it. That subplot wasn't really that subtle but it has been going on since chapter 6 so it might have been hard to keep track on it.

And goddammit. I kind commenter pointed out to me that differently isn't spelled diffrently. I hate it when this happens. Since that is not a typo, I genuinly thought the word was spelled like that. So unlike a typo, which I could just go back and fix, this misspelling runs through this entire story. And as I think you can guess, I don't have the times to go all the way back to chapter 1 and start correcting it. That would probably delay the next chapter with a month or two. So now this misspelling is just a part of the story. Hopefully it doesn't turn too many people away from it.

As always, thanks a lot for reading and commenting/reviewing. Always appreciate it.

Take care of each other.