Duck doubled over as she placed her hands on her knees, panting hard when the strangely clothed woman named Edel yanked her behind a building moments after they had run from the one called Rue.

She had no idea what was going on and all of this talk about pure hearts and ravens was starting to really get on her nerves.

Even though she had just saved her, Duck got into a fighting stance behind Edel, who currently had her back to her, watching to see if anyone was approaching them. Duck didn't know if Edel was trying to save her to get something from her, after all.

"Alright, you!"

Edel turned to look at Duck, eyes wide as her mint hair whipped around her face.

"I'm not going to put my trust in you until you explain something to me! Are you a good guy or a bad guy?"

Edel seemed to smile at this as her expression softened, "Don't worry, Duck, I'm a good guy."

"How do you know my name...?" Duck raised a brow and took a step back.

"I know a lot about you. Now how much do you think you need to know so I can convince you to go into battle with Rue?"

Rue smirked as she touched her sword to the frightened human boy's bare chest. He hovered before her, unconscious with his head tilted backward and his face pale with the fear he had felt before she'd casted the spell to paralyze him.

Rue pushed the tip of the blade into the boy's skin as she scratched an "X" into his chest. A thin line of pure red blood followed as she quickly whispered a chant. The blood glowed a bright red and a small, deep red gem appeared before his chest.

The brunette's lips curled into a smile as she opened her palm and closed it around the gem, snatching it and pulling it toward her. The boy groaned before collapsing onto the front lawn of the school, where a great number of students lay unconscious.

Rue's scarlet eyes narrowed at the dark, tainted crystal covered in spots around the edges and inside. It wasn't a pure heart at all, but would still make a good addition to her Uncle's collection for power. She closed her palm again and felt the jewel on her necklace flash as it collected the heart for her.

Uncle would be so glad she'd gotten so many hearts for him today.

He would be ecstatic when she brought home the pure heart.

"Ruining lives already, Rue?"

Rue turned around at the sound of her cousin Mytho's voice. He stepped out from behind a tree in the forest she stood in, ruby eyes glowing bright, meaning he'd stolen a few hearts of his own recently.

Rue flipped her dark hair and rolled her eyes, "Ruining lives? Is that what you call it?"

Mytho turned his head in a different direction toward the floral smell he had suddenly picked up.

"You still haven't gotten that pure heart yet? It's getting away, Rue."

"Yeah, whatever. She managed to escape me because of that damn Edel."

"Edel showed up again? Hmm... that's interesting."
Rue turned around to ask her cousin something when she realized he'd vanished right after he'd spoken the last word. Rolling her ruby eyes, she turned on her heel and ran toward the scent of the pure heart.