Disclaimer: Be warned, implied character death, and descriptions of violence ahead. You have been warned. Also, I do not own To Love Ru, obviously.

Rito wakes up to the darkness, his orange eyes are glassy and unseeing. There is nothing to see after all, since he feels like he has been falling for an eternity. He must have passed onto hell, or some dark plane of existence, slain by whatever alien entity the Pearl of the Taoist forced into the cursed sword to make it whole again. The benefit of this dream world was that it had stopped feeling like he was falling, and begging to feel more like he was resting on the softest bed of clouds he could ever have imagined. Perhaps this was what waited Lala and the others after death, perhaps this was his soul being sucked into the sword, perhaps he was just unconscious and tired from the attack on the Tenjouin estate.

He smiled at that last bit, because he knew he was just lying to himself now. When he had picked up the sword and it had blinded him, he felt whatever nano machines were left in it, burrow into his arm and begin to eat into it. No doubt the Tyrant queen had laid the sword with the same nanites she wished to use against Yami-chan, to eat him up form the inside out. Pain had stopped once he had fallen blissfully asleep into the darkness, and was non-existent since he woke up. He just hoped this wasn't reality, if they had eaten at his nerves, taken the pain away, along with his sight, voice, and hearing, he knew he would go mad and- No, he mustn't think that way, not when there was still a chance he wasn't dead!

'How long has it since I've seen such hopelessness?' a voice out of the darkness states, echoing all around him, 'Too long, this darkness has been here too long...' Rito tries to focus his eyes, his senses in any way, to see, to hear, who was speaking. 'Don't bother, don't worry,' the voice continues, 'I will reveal myself to you, boy, in time...' Rito doesn't know what he means, but suddenly it feels like gravity is reasserting itself on him, and he feels like he is falling again, as he struggles to breath. Whatever the voice is doing to him, he struggles to breath, as cold wind rushes past him, as he falls...

And falls...

Falls...

Fal-

F-

Begin Interlude: The Brief History of Lala, Pt.2

When Lala wakes Roido up, he finds Mau standing nearby, an ever present smile on the young Plantasian Apprentice's face. "You're okay Master, Mau!" he states with joy, "Ehem- I mean, I am glad to see Lala-san hadn't given you too much of a shock, but I understand why she scared you like she did!" The white flower on his hair flops as he nods, putting his hand to his chin as he does so. "Yes, who knew tails were a thing!" Mau states, oblivious to Lala's swirling, red tail, "I mean, I knew animals have tails, but people? Who knew!" Roido quietly massages the bridge of his nose, pushing up his glasses to rub his eyes as he does so, trying to ignore his apprentices obliviousness at alien features.

"Did it surprise you at all that she had a tail?" Roido states, pointing to a confused Lala, who has a finger to her mouth that in Roido's opinion made her just to ka- innocent looking, "The fact she has THAT tail, didn't raise any alarms in your head?" Mau just scratches his head in confusion, just as oblivious as Lala is to Roido's concern. Roido just can't help but stare slack jawed at his apprentice, knowing while he was young, and while, yes, he had been exposed to all manner of aliens in his line of work, there really wasn't very many examples of non-Charmian life on Charmia.

"What about my tail?" Lala asks, looking at her spade tipped tail, "I know it would be unusual in this era- but it shouldn't be that big of a concern, since Mau was okay with seeing me?" Roido just tries to resist the urge to plant his face in the wall, and instead turns to Lala with all seriousness, his hand straying to fix his glasses position on his nose.

"Well, Miss Lala, I believe the problem lies in the current situation I am facing, that all of Charmia is facing, regarding the forging of a weapon to defeat a demon at the edge of Charmian territory!" he states, before pointing his finger at Lala, "You, of course, resemble the creature in all but hair color and gender; reports state the massive creature towers over our houses, is stronger than our toughest beast of burden, and has a curious tail likened to one that resembles a spade, such as yours!" Lala imagines a hilarious, hoofed creature with red fur and a tail like hers, before shaking her daydream away and recognizing that the reports of the creature matched her own features.

"You mean, they're like me?" she states, now recognizing the tales as the sign that the 'creature' was obviously a Devilukean in features, if not outright, "I might look like him, but I am not the 'creature' that is outside your lands, in fact I just arrived here less than an hour ago, from out of the sky as Mau can attest to!" The Plantasian orphan nods and shakes his head in agreement. Roido merely scowls at the young mans eagerness to please, but sighs nonetheless and takes a look at Lala again.

True, she looked similar to the descriptions of the creature, but then again there was little else that matched up. Her feminine figure, her intelligence, the bright smile that reminded her of her sister, along with the hair- Roido shakes the image of his beloved younger sister from his thoughts, before sighing and running his hand through his hair. "Very well,' he states, "I will believe you for now, Miss Lala, but know this, if you betray me or my work in any fashion, I will not hesitate to use anyone of my numerous creations to cut you, and that beast, down!" Lala nods at the man's scary tone, his cold bloodedness showing through in the threat she honestly believed he would hold to. "Miss Lala," he states, looking her in the eye, "I am going to return to my work in the forge, the room at the very back; please do not go out without Mau's supervision and a cloak to hide your tail." Lala nods, as the older man stands and runs his hand through his hair once more.

"Mau," he says looking at his apprentice, "You may answer all of her questions, save what I am currently working on, and do your best to keep her away from the others, as I doubt they will react to her presence well." The plantasian nods, before watching his mentor leave the room. He turns to Lala and smiles.

"Well, he basically just gave you a free pass to ask whatever you want about us," he states, What would you like to know?" Lala ponders that for a second, before her thoughts stray to how protective the man, Roido, seemed over his apprentice, Mau.

"How did Roido-sensei come to have you, as his apprentice?" Lala asks, and Mau looks at her cross eyed for a moment, "Well, if you don't want to tell me..." Mau smiles suddenly and uncrosses his eyes, finishing contemplating his response.

"Come join me in a more comfortable area," he states, "This tale needs snacks!" Lala follows Mau out of the room, through a hallway and some other side rooms, before coming into a kitchen and getting food. From there, Mau directs her to another room which carries a more natural look, decorated with leaves, plants, and flowers overlooking a converted canopy bed.

"Wow!" Lala stares in amazement at the look of the room, she didn't know someone could be into plants as much as her sister Momo could be, though this room was a far cry from the virtual space her sister used, "It's so big, with so many varieties of plants!" Mau smiles and turns to her.

"They're all gifts from Roido-sama's sister, Michella, she has traveled all over Charmia and collected all these different plants for me!" He states, moving over to a fluffy, featherlike, pink flower with wide leaves, "This one, for example was taken from the southern tropics, or that one, the icy northern tundra!" Lala stares in awe at each plant in the room, as he begins to water or feed them. She then begins to wonder something.

"Does she have an affinity for plants, or something that allows all these plants to thrive out of their natural habitats?" Lala asks in wonder, "I thought Charmian's never developed natural abilities, beyond females having unnaturally high pheromone levels that affect men?" Mau nods, and sets down a watering can, motioning for her to sit on the bed, as he takes a stand on the back of a chair, slumping over it on his elbows.

"Nothing special, she just knows that she can't visit me otherwise I would become 'raging beast'; their words not mine," Mau states, holding up his hands, "Her work as an ambassador has taken her all over the world, and ever since she found out I was living with Roido-sama, she tries to spoil me like any of her nieces or nephews with plants as gifts!" He sighs wistfully, before opening a drawer and pulling out a picture frame which he hands to Lala. "This is a picture of the royal family when Roido-sama was young; he's the youngest of ten children," Mau states, as Lala looks over the family portrait showcasing children of various ages and hair colors, "Seven sons and three daughters, the Royal Family is actually quite large by Charmian standards, and each of them work in different fields of study until their Father decides to retire as King."

Lala notes that they all look happy in the picture, and then she notices a girl that looks like Nana, smiling and hugging a younger looking Roido, who seems to be pouting when the picture was taken. "Is this Michella-san?" Lala asks, pointing to the two, "They look like they could be twins, if they didn't have different hair colors!" Mau smiles, as if he was in on a secret.

"Actually, don't tell Roido-sama I said this, but he is her twin," Mau states, "There's some genetic defect in Roido-sama's genes that caused him to develop some defections that Michella didn't inherit." Mau sighs and looks melancholy at the picture, once Lala hands it back. "Ironically those same defects caused Roido to be considered and outcast all his life," Mau states, "The Charmians are a spiritually inclined race, believing in omens and prophecies from a time when a person like Roido-sama was considered a witch holding mysterious powers." Lala looks sad at this revelation, that even an enlightened race could still be tied down by ancient fears and superstitions. "Don't blame the mistakes on the people of the past, Lala," Mau states, "There is truth in these ancient legends, though Roido-sama has gone to great lengths to keep it from becoming public knowledge." Mau changes his frown into a smile. "But we were talking about me, and my history with Roido-sama!" he states, "I only know the story from what Roido has told me, but originally it started with the need to test out his latest masterpiece on a world with the toughest conditions in the known universe: Mistletoe."

-

The Planet Mistletoe, Many Years Ago

Roido exits from his spaceship, onto the alien landscape of the most dangerous planets in the universe. The heavy elements in the air made conventional technology nearly impossible, without foreknowledge of the planets unique magnetosphere. Thankfully Roido knew of the dangers when he chose to visit this planet, and made sure to shield his ship for the eventual return home. Pulling out the weapon he wished to test, a cane, he drives it into the ground. Just as he is about to activate the weapon, he feels a vine snag the cane and pull it out of his grasp. Roido was instantly on alert, knowing that no one should be here as this planet was Class S, and no sane person would come here without a reason.

Following where the cane had been taken, he takes out a collapsible weapon from his pocket, to ward away any attacks that came his way. As he treads through the underbrush, he finds that the already tall canopy opens up even higher, realizing that what he stood under were not trees, but smaller plants at the bottom of a gigantic forest. Upon coming into the clearing, he finds a massive plant, not as big as any of the ones he had seen, but twice as tall as he stood and still imposing. The plant looked absolutely viscous, its flower a gaping maw filled with sharp, smiling teeth. Wrapped in its tendrils at the bottom of its massive, thick stem, was the cane embedded into the plant mass. Wary of the unknown plant, he knew that there had to be a reason that it went for his cane, to go to that length to attract him here.

As he approached the massive plant,the head shifts towards him for a moment, tilting as it does so, before returning to its original position looking towards the sun. Waiting for a few moments, satisfied the creature wouldn't go for him, Roido went for the cane. As he pulled it out of the plant, he hears a deep rumbling come from it. He looks up to see the gaping jaws, slimy and dripping with viscous, green fluid that was no doubt digestive juices, over his face. Panicked, Roido went to stab the cane into the beast and activate its seismic power, only for him to feel a pinprick to his neck. He suddenly felt vines bind his hands and feet, lifting him up into the air in front of the massive plant, as he struggled to remain conscious. As he looked to his attackers, he notices their massive bug eyes, and bulbous green bodies, easily a head or two taller than him.

When he next awakes, he finds himself not in the stomach of the plant, but rather in a vat of green liquid. He finds himself stripped of his gear, lined with wires all over his body, and floating with a breathing apparatus shoved down his throat through his mouth. He could also see his captors, distorted as they were through the liquid and the glass tube they held him in, he saw what he thought was red, compound eyes, was actually goggles. Their green, bulbous figure was, in fact, a heavy green coat and what appeared to be survival packs full of equipment and scientific tools that he could only guess the need for. Suddenly he sees one of his captors hold up an item, a knife, and they plunge it into the glass, slicing the container open like nothing. Spilling out onto the floor of what he assumed was their spaceship, he finds that he is wet and cold as warm air blows over him. One of them reaches down and yanks the breathing apparatus from his mouth, though it doesn't hurt as much as he expected it to.

"We apologize, great weapon smith," the same one that just removed the tube, states, "Had my people consulted me first, I would have kept them from causing you this discomfort." The man, a Plantasian Roido vaguely recognizes, hands him his things and shoos the others out of the room, as Roido puts his things back on. "My name is Thlaspi, and you were the one who equipped our planet's savior with his weapon, a great spear!" the Platasian states, "I noticed the craft of your weapon, and knew immediately the mistake my people had made in subduing you for interrupting our great work." Roido looks at the Plantasian confused, before he notices the variety of biological data that appeared to be taken off of his vital signs.

"You are bioengineers, aren't you?" Roido states, noting the various things they monitored him for went as far as the cellular level and genetic makeup, "Your people suffered a parasitic fungal infection based off a mutated strain of the Kure Kure, that was released into your atmosphere by off world invaders- I remember now..." He looks over the data, and sees that they had even studied the energy he gave off naturally. He promptly deleted that, before turning to the Plantasian. "Were you attempting to crossbreed you next generation with the Luckberry, perhaps, to keep that same thing from happening?" he asks, the man nods in return, "I'm afraid you won't have much luck then, the plant isn't viable anywhere but here because of the planets heavy concentration of unique mineral deposits, both in the mists and the ground."

"Like the orichalcum deposits we found here?" the Plantasian states, causing Roido pause, "We meant no harm when we stumbled across it, but I noticed it had been mined, and recently at that- for a decade at the least." Roido turns to the man, who shows no emotion at all. "You are right, though, we could not crossbreed the Luckberry with our own structure, we thought to see if perhaps the soil itself would be enough to save our next generation from the disease," the man continues, sadder, "Instead all but one seed of the crop failed to germinate, the massive creature that you sought to attack was a mutation we had not foreseen, a predatory plant that reminded us of our ancient relatives- a mistake, but one we cannot undo."

"Will you kill it, then, since it isn't perfect?" Roido asks, knowing the Plantasians were fanatical about culling mutations, "Or will you see if the seed it produces could be viable as you rebuild your planet?" The Plantasian smiles, before going over to the computer and clearing all the data regarding Roido.

"There was never a mistake here, master smith, not one that Plantas will recognize, as we have managed to make sure our next batch is fertile," the man states, "The result was not what we expected, oh no, but this new strain is certainly hardy enough for what my planet has in mind for its immediate future- by utilizing these immobile plants as a defense against ground invasions, we can minimize the risk of attacks on our people in the future, ensuring a happy and safe population." The man turns back to Roido. "They will never become sentient, sadly, not without a- unique energy source our people had recently discovered; one we have not currently been able to stabilize or actualize, even at the cellular level," he continues, "Though my people did notice that exposure to you caused a reaction in the plant, today's events never happened, and the experiment at large will be considered a failure..."

"What do you want from me?" Roido asks, knowing this silence wouldn't come without cost, "What do you possibly gain by ignoring whatever you found within me?" The man merely smiles in return.

"The knowledge that I could help the savior of our people, without dooming him to dissection in the process to discover the secrets within his unique physiology, and the knowledge that my experiment lives on," he states, before going to a side door and opening it and retrieving a small child from the side room, "This is Mau, and he is what resulted from the exposure to you caused within the plant; he is the first of a new breed of Plantasian- it is because of his very existence that I must let you go and wipe any data of my work." The small child with green hair and a white-pink flower on his head looks to Roido, smiling happily and babbling away. "Take him, and leave this place," the Plantasian scientist states, "Teach him, if you are willing, and take him in as if he is your own son- do this and I will be happy to know I have not truly failed my peoples future." Roido takes the child in his arm, and slides his cane into a holder.

"I still do not understand why you must let me go, but I will take this child with me," Roido states, "Thank you, I will teach Mau all I can." As he leaves, the door closing behind him, the Plantasian scientist turns to put his hands on his computer, crying softly all the while.

"I am truly sorry, Chronos, for the burden you bear," he states, as he retrieves the deleted data that Roido erased before purging it completely, "The devils have already set their sight on your world, to seek out the one who can harness the forbidden energy; one day they will find you, and on that day, I hope Mau serves you as well as any son could." The Plantasian then turns to the empty laboratory, and begins to fall into grief.

-

Mau ends his tale, and Lala looks confused as he had trailed off after they had left the Plantasian behind. Mau takes the time to sit down on the chair and face her, softly rubbing at his eyes as he does so. "Sorry, just some... latent memories," Mau states, smiling at Lala, "Don't worry, I just need a minute to prepare myself. Lala nods in understanding, before Mau takes a deep breath, and faces Lala with a straight face. "What I am about to tell you is something that does not leave this room; I know I can trust you, because I truly believe you are from the future," he looks towards his door and assures himself that it is closed, before turning back to Lala, "Long ago, before Charmian's united under the royal family, there was supposedly a secret cult of a now dead religion, that worshipped an energy that ran throughout the entire universe which they called Tao." Lala stares at Mau as he begins to spin his tale.

"These Charmian's believed that their natural connection to the universe, the very ability to charm any member of the opposite sex, was just barely scratching the surface of their potential," Mau states, "They sought to expand their control over the very forces of the universe, to control the building blocks of the universe, fire, water, air, the land, light and darkness, and shape them to their whim; even attempting to forsake death and obtain immortality by fusing mysticism and the budding technology of the science minded world around them."

"So they tried to take over Charmia by force?" Lala asks, "They tried to, what, make everyone else like them?" Mau nods in response, which only horrifies Lala at this discovery.

"It didn't go like they planned, though," Mau states, "Though try as they might to bring the rest of their world the 'enlightenment', they had found that the very technology they created to be used by the common people, used against them, until they were all thought to be wiped out." Lala covers her mouth in horror and shock, trying not to show her anguish. "The Charmian's do not have the most peaceful of history, this is true, but the horrors of yesterday became the building blocks of civilization today," Mau states, "They may be superstitious still, a little mistrustful of the galaxy outside, but they have tried to learn from the hateful mistakes of their past and move on."

She looks at Mau, and bites her lip as she tries to phrase her next question, so as not to offend. "What about Roido?" Lala asks, "What kind of 'power' does he have, that he must hide it from his own family?" Mau hesitates to answer, but knows that he must tell her.

"That really has to do with his work, in a way, as a forger of weapons," Mau states, "He can read the weapons he creates and foresee their future, up to their very destruction- a curse he uses to ensure the weapons he makes are used for the greater good." Lala looks surprised at learning the specifics of his powers so easily.

"Do you think he'll mind you telling me all this?" Lala states, "I thought he didn't want me knowing anything, because I might be related to whatever 'demon' has been attacking your people." Suddenly the door makes a bang, and both Mau and Lala turn to see a calm looking Roido contemplating over the both of them.

"Well, I guess if you want to know about my power so badly, I'll just show you," Roido states, narrowly looking towards a sheepish Mau, "Not that my apprentice did a very good job at keeping the secret; you might as well come to my forge..." Lala stands up and follows Mau and Roido out of the room. "While most aliens coming to Charmia are redirected to my area, just a few weeks ago a ship not registered to any of my previous contacts approached our planet and settled in the far countryside," Roido states, as he shows Lala the way to his forge, "They ignored my hails, and proceeded to disembark from their ship into villages and towns, searching for something, or someone of unknown value." Opening the massive steel door, Lala feels the heat of the forge roll outwards from beyond the door and into the small house.

"Reports state he looks like a monster with a tail like yours, blackish-red and a disposition that is less than friendly," Roido states, "He hasn't hurt people, or has he responded to anyone who approaches him, not even my sister the ambassador; he seems to show no interest in destruction of property or wanton violence, though my family and their people are afraid that once he finds whatever he seeks, we may become his target." He puts on a mask and heavy apron, donning special gloves and metal tools. Mau then directs her to a small side room, which he directs her into, a window still showing the forge and its weapon smith.

"Precautionary measures," Mau states, "The window is made of brown dwarf matter, able to withstand the necessary heat the forge puts out to forge the orichalcum into whatever vessel it needs to be." Lala watches as Roido opens the massive forge, and removes the beginnings of a blade and its hilt, and watches as he dumps the two items into an unlabeled vat, before closing the forge doors and sealing the vat up. He then waves for them to get up, and to come closer. Lala complies and watches as he removes the seal, and then reaches in with his gloved hand to remove the blade, and then the hilt.

"That right there is dark matter, hardest stuff to come by in condensed form like that, but it does the trick," Mau states, "Orichalcum is so difficult to cool down with the temperatures needed to forge it, that powdered dark matter is needed to cool the sword down to a point where it can be handled to start the process to assemble and finish off the sword." They both watch as Roido removes his glove, and is able to remove a crystalline coating from the darkened metal. "The dark matter has a deep unique effect, too," Mau states, "Sometimes it warps the color of the finished project into a pure black, some kind of energy transfer causes the discoloration to occur.
Lala watches transfixed, as he wraps both pieces together in a simple cloth, and brings them into the room where Lala and Mau are watching. "Now, I will return to my study to complete the finish and the decoration," Roido states, as he holds the two pieces of the sword in his hand, "Would you like to see how I read the future of my weapons?" Lala nods, and Roido smiles. "Take the sword pieces in your hands, they need to interact with someone else's energy for me to read it," he says, as he gently puts the still warm blade into the Devilukean girl's hands, "Now, hold them tightly while I prepare myself to read them...". He puts his hands on the opposite side of Lala's own placement, before closing his eyes and focusing. Lala watches as he then opens his eyes, before she is blinded by a bright, rainbow of light.

- Roido's Vision -

"Stop, please, stop yourself from feeding the Ninth Blade anymore!" a distorted voice says, as the blood red and black blade is leveled to the mysterious persons face, "Holy Soldier of Deviluke, this violence is not your way!" The scared face of Mau looks toward the wielded of the blade, "You have slain my master, leveled his village, destroyed the Charmean Kingdom, and all but ensured the extinction of my friends and family!" Blood drips from a slash above his eyes, before the blade goes to plunge into the Plantasian's chest. A shot rings out, and Roido's vision blacks out. The last thing Roido recognizes is that the surrounding area was the misty jungle of Mistletoe.

When he sees again, he finds the same blade being wielded by a young looking woman. It's swinging, rings clear in the air, as it chants for blood, and more blood, to quench its thirst. Then he sees another figure in the distance, whose hair is a flaming orange, the vibrancy of which rivals the sun. The determination on his face speaks volumes, as he distracts the bloodthirsty sword and its wielder, before a girl with blood-red hair that moves like it has a will of its own, is thrust into both their skulls. He looks around, to see what else is going on in his vision, and is shocked to see the girl, Lala, standing next to others who can only watch this battle in horror. He sees a girl, naked on the battlefield, her pink hair the same as Lala's, while another girl with pink hair also watches in the distance. He watches all of them in anticipation, until he hears the sword ringing in his ears again.

Turning around, he sees the sword alive reaching out toward the the child that was the distraction, before- Wham! He watches as an impossible feat occurs as a blonde haired child physically changes her body into a weapon, and feels the sword shatter into pieces with one blow. But he watches and listens-

He hears the sword still singing in his ears, chanting for more blood, more energy, before it dies off. He turns to see the red headed child-

But it is not a child he sees swinging the sword this time, and once again he realizes his vision has changed to show a different place, a different planet. The landscape is grey and dead, buildings are crumbling all around, and the streets are void of life, no animal, plant, or person is seen. And as he turns towards the sun, he sees only the shadow of a massive throne, built upon the skulls of the dead. Upon the throne sat a knight, not unlike the one he saw in the beginning of his vision, though this one is much younger, though he too has the sword in hand. Next to him, sitting on a smaller throne of bones, a pink haired woman in a revealing outfit has her face covered, though she wears a tiara signifying she is his queen. His face, likewise, is covered, though the demon knight is obviously a king, for he wears a crown atop his plated head. The eyes of the facemask glow a deep, crimson-red which seems to stare into Roido's very soul and pierce him with terror.

The man in armor stands, a spade tipped tail at his back, moving very much like Lala's. It curls up, as he descends his throne to stand almost directly in front of Roido. "Tell me Father," the knight says, "Do you enjoy seeing the future?" Roido know feels deep terror, as he realizes the man is in fact talking to him, though he should not be seen. "You were my first, Father, I have held within me the very energy that birthed me, the energy I absorbed upon your death," the blood-knight says, "The Ninth Blade, upon which you will write the numerals IX, I will strike fear into the hearts of billions, and feast upon the blood of all, and it must occur." Suddenly the left hand, which was free of the blade, lifts up and the knight looks at his palm. In a matter of seconds, Roido observes darkness being emitted from the glove, like black fire consuming his hand. "I was glad I could see you one more time, Father," the demon king states, and Roido stares into his soulless eyes, as he lifts his hand up, "Now die." With that the blackened fist plunges into Roido's heart.

-

Do you see now?

The Truth of the Ninth Blade of Chronos, the master Weapons Smith?

Do you see why your fight is hopeless?

You will become my vassal.

The Blade engraved with the numbers IX

The IX Blade

BLADIX

You are mine, Rito Yuuki

There is no Hope.

There is only Bladix...

And Rito Yuuki wakes to a white void, staring at the one-eyed figure of death.

"..." he whispers.

The spectral avatar of the sentient parasite moves closer.

"What, boy?" it asks.

"..-o" Rito whispers.

"Speak up!" Bladix replies, "Let me hear your final words, as I consume your soul!"

Rito opens his eyes, and stares back into Bladix's singular, massive eye.

"NO!" Rito shouts, as he raises his left hand, and finds it consumed by living shadows.

And then Bladix is no more.

End Interlude: A Brief History of Lala, Pt.2