Meli's heart pounds as she runs as fast as she can through the street, heading for the exit out of the city that Thea had pointed out earlier. She's been second-guessing herself ever since she took that first step away from Florian – actually, she's been second- and third-guessing herself the entire day – but she has come too far to back out now. So even as the image of an injured Florian burns in her mind, she runs, trusting and praying and praying and trusting in the goodwill of those more powerful and capable than she.

The fields outside of Neo Valeriam are flat and grassy, with only a tree or a large rock here and there to break the monotony until one ventures into the forests. It's hardly an ideal spot to hide in, and yet Meli is still surprised when she easily spots Ramesh in the distance, standing in the middle of the grass with his back to her for all to see. Is he even trying to hide? she wonders. She starts to run towards him, but thinks better of it (and not simply because her lower legs are starting to ache from all the running she's done). She throws up a quick shield around herself before approaching him with a cautious, deliberate stride.

She hasn't made much sound in her approach, but Ramesh whirls around anyway. His hand, glittering with Jupiter Psynergy, is raised as though to unleash an attack. Meli stops in her tracks, suddenly afraid of what he might do to her.

Silence passes between them, slow like a funereal procession. Meli stands still as death, barely daring to breathe; Ramesh is one word away from sending her to the river Styx.

She suddenly notices that Ramesh's fingers are twitching and shaking, and that something dark flickers behind his homicidal gaze. "Are you...?"

He suddenly collapses onto the ground.

Forgetting all fears of being attacked, Meli rushes to his side and looks him over. Skin is clammy to the touch, though he'salso sweating. Pulse is sky high. Breathing is erratic. His body trembles as though cold. "Ramesh," Meli says, "can you hear me? Please answer me! Ramesh!"

He gives an incoherent mumble before he passes out completely.

Meli kneels down next to him, preparing herself for healing. She has a fairly good idea of what's caused Ramesh to become so sick in both body and mind – though this is the first time she's ever encountered it outside of an old book. Without using Djinn or a suitable equivalent as a medium for summoning a Great Summon Spirit, Ramesh has tainted his life force with the aethyric energy of the spirits, harmful to mortals if not filtered appropriately. There would have been problems even if he had summoned someone as benevolent as Flora. The fact that he called the demonic Zagan makes the situation all the more deadly for him.

Meli's not deterred, though, not yet. This is her element now; this is where she can be truly useful. With eyes closed in concentration, she starts small, moving her hands above Ramesh to cast Aura on him. She senses no difference in the state of his life force, so she moves up to Healing Aura. Still nothing. It's when she casts Cool Aura that she feels a backlash, like the reaction of a wild animal disturbed from its nap.

There it is – the aethyric energy. Or demonic, rather. Meli sees the silhouette of Ramesh's body in her mind's eye, a cool purple glow that is marred by splotches of red-tinged dark matter all over him that have suddenly risen up to defend their catch. Her face grimaces as she directs her Psynergy towards incinerating the writhing dark matter that sprouts from both of his hands and his chest. She's starting to panic – this is unlike anything she's ever encountered in her years of healing. Aural imperfections indicative of normal sickness tend to be inert, lifeless outgrowths. But the dark matter tainting Ramesh's life force is something dangerously close to alive, viciously fighting Meli's efforts to eradicate it.

And to her horror, it's succeeding.

Meli is forced to break contact with Ramesh a moment to regain herself. She wipes her sweaty palms on her dress, trying not to notice the pained look on Ramesh's face or the way that his fists keep on clenching and unclenching in rapid succession. She also ignores the hollowness in her head indicating that she might be on the verge of passing out herself. There is one more thing she may be able to try, but she's not sure if she has strength left to do it...or if she can even do it correctly.

You do not stop until you have exhausted all your options, intones a voice in Meli's head – the owner of Jevara's Kures, her healing mentor. If you do not do all that you know you can – no matter the extent of your knowledge – your patient's death is on your head. It is as though you murdered him yourself.

Let it not be said that I am a murderess, Meli swears to herself. Swallowing tightly, she once again takes into her mind's eye the aural outline of Ramesh's body, blacker than she had seen it in moments prior. As she focuses her attention on the three centers of darkness in the hands and chest, she simultaneously brings to her consciousness the words of a prayer from the Mzaraph Legra, one intended to specifically channel Mars' own divine essence for healing. Meli knows it because she's been determined to study and know all that she can about the Purifying Fire, but she's not had a chance to use it until now. It's a risky move, since she also lacks a medium that she can use as a filter between her life force and the aethyric energy she's going to call upon. But if she can save Ramesh's life with this, then so be it.

Meli speaks the words of the prayer tentatively at first, then louder as she climbs the cadence of the lines like stairs:

"Hear my plea, flame of life

Crimson with blood of man and god alike

In this hour of hellish dark

Lend unto me thy sacred art

I ask for sight to see the way

That from thy side I shall not stray

I ask for strength to keep the course

That I may face this fatal force

By thy holy fire, thy brilliant light

Let me burn away this blinding night!"

She exhales deeply with her last forceful words, and waits, because she doesn't know what else to do. What should she expect? The text she got the prayer from never elaborated on what happens after the prayer. Perhaps there would be a sign somewhere, or a divine tingle in her spine, or maybe the dark matter would vanish right before her eyes and save her the trouble –

It shall be as you ask.

Meli's eyes fly open, startled by the voice that seems to be inside and outside her head at the same time. If that isn't enough, she's almost certain that she can actually hear a smirk in that strangely familiar voice as well.

She suddenly feels her Psynergetic aura flare up, her body burning pleasantly with a power that is both hers and not hers. Caught unawares by this, she nevertheless manages to rein in her surprise long enough to make productive use of this gift. "Cool Aura," she whispers, and she spreads her hands out, sending waves of pure Mars element through Ramesh's body.

The effect is immediate and impressive. The dark matter twitches and jerks before melting away like ice in a volcano, leaving Ramesh's life force clean and unblemished once more. A healthy glow returns to his complexion; the slash on his arm from Minayo's blade closes up with not even a scar to indicate it had been there at all.

Delirious, Meli flops back onto the grass, arms above her head and her legs sprawled out beneath her long skirt. She gazes up at the still-gray sky. Her body tingles with coiled energy ready to spring. She breathes in deeply...and exhales with a shaky, awkward laugh at her victory. The laugh unravels into a hysterical giggling fit that she can't control.

"What's so funny?" Ramesh mumbles sleepily as he pulls himself into a kneeling position.

Meli sighs, a strange smile on her face. "The Wise One told me to save the princess...but I've ended up saving her assassin instead."

"...what?"

She finally composes herself. "Never mind." She sits up and looks at Ramesh, brushing bits of grass and dirt from herself. "How are you feeling?"

Ramesh runs a hand over his face, through his hair. "Kind of...hot? But better than I was earlier, holy shit, I thought I was gonna die." He blinks at her. "Wh-what are you doing here, anyway? You mean you actually escaped Zagan?"

"The princess, Minayo, and Professor Reyes were keeping him entertained for a while. I was sent to find you."

"For what, to drag me to the chopping block?"

"No. We need you to unsummon Zagan."

Ramesh laughs and shakes his head. "No can do, lady. I didn't learn that."

Meli's good mood is shattered by this revelation. Her shoulders droop. "Then what can we do to stop Zagan from reducing Neo Valeriam to ruins?"

"I told you, the guy won't be happy 'til he gets blood. That was the pact I made before I did the official summon, which was partly how I got the guy to show up in the first place." Ramesh gives a grim smirk. "If you don't want to let the princess die, I'm sure I'll make a good enough piece of meat for Zagan, although I'm mostly skin and skeleton."

"No." The determination in Meli's voice surprises even herself. "No one is dying today."

Ramesh raises his eyebrow at something as he looks over Meli's shoulder. "Don't know about that one, sweetie."

Meli turns. She sees Minayo running towards them, looking pained as she carries Thea in her arms. "What's going on?" Meli yells, confused.

"Trying...to get...the guy...away from...the city!" Minayo yells back, panting. "Might as well...deal with him...when we're not going to...rip apart half of...Neo Valeriam...yeah?"

There's a loud crash as the gate to Neo Valeriam gets shattered by the force of something great barreling through it. Stomping out of the rubble, in limping pursuit, is none other than a half-charred, completely furious Zagan.

Meli stares at the gruesome sight. Even at her distance, she can see how the skin is peeling off Zagan's body in chunks, and how the blisters on his face swell with foul liquids. How in Weyard did Zagan get so...? A thought strikes her. "Minayo, where's Professor Reyes?"

"The scholar? He's resting back in the city, said he'd catch up with us later." Minayo shakes her head as she puts down Thea and walks the rest of the way to Meli and Ramesh. "Should've seen him, yeah, he was one crazy – " She's suddenly interrupted by an angry roar from Zagan, who's coming closer and closer. "Never mind, let's figure out how to deal with Mr. Axe-Happy, yeah?"

"Do you really have no way to return Zagan to Hades without a sacrifice?" Meli asks Ramesh.

Ramesh sucks on the inside of his cheek in thought. "I can't do an official summoning or whatnot," he says. "But Zagan is part earth elemental, which means that my powers should be able to damage him, especially considering that he looks like hell right now." He holds up his lion's head pendant. "And this amulet should help things out, as well."

"I am thankful for your help," Thea says, standing before Ramesh. "I shall plead leniency for you in court."

Ramesh scowls and brushes past her. "Save your pity. I just want to get this mess over and done with."

"Here he comes!" Minayo calls over the sound of the ground shaking.

Still running on the adrenaline of the Mzaraph Legra, Meli casts Searing Beam, which shoves Zagan back to give enough room and time for Minayo to cast Rockjaw to trap him in his place. Thea actually manages to summon Ramses to disarm Zagan of his halberd. But it's Ramesh who puts on a truly spectacular show: a single Spark Plasma channeled through his pendant paralyzes Zagan and causes the blisters on his body to burst and spill over with the heat of the lightning. The spirit topples over with a bellow of agony that shakes the organs in everyone's bodies. Within moments, a red-and-black glyph forms beneath him on the ground. Tendrils of shadow lash out and claim him, dragging him back into the dark realm of Hades.

The four Adepts look wearily at each other. "Think he's gone for good, yeah?" Minayo asks.

Ramesh snorts. "The bastard's going to be back for my head soon, I bet, what with going back on our deal and all that." He sighs dramatically and waves at everyone. "Well, it was nice knowing y'all. Yeah, even her royal Highness and her slanty-eyed dog over there. See you both in Hades!"

Minayo snarls at him.

"Don't be so fatalistic," Meli says, touching Ramesh's arm. "Perhaps we can find a way to keep Zagan from getting to you. After all, if you were able to acquire the knowledge to call him without using Djinn..."

Ramesh only shakes his head. "The thought's appreciated and all, but I'm man enough to admit when I've screwed up – " His eyes suddenly widen, and he points over Meli's shoulder. "Wh-what thecrap is that?"

Meli, Minayo, and Thea turn around.

The Wise One, lithe and shimmering, towers over them in full physical existence. You have done impressively well to cripple a Great Summon Spirit, he says.

"Holy Mother Gaia..." Minayo mutters, mouth dropping open.

Thea looks positively stricken. "Do not tell me...that this is the Wise One you spoke of to me on Sun's Eve?" she asks Meli.

Meli nods. "The Wise One changes form over Time, or so he has told me," she explains. "This is his most recent form after the one that the Catalysts saw prior to the Rise."

Princess Edethea. The Wise One tilts his head towards the princess, acknowledging her royalty. It is good to see you alive. Your death would have ignited an explosion of tragedy in Neo Valeriam, with the flames spreading farther than anyone in the mortal realm could have predicted.

"Lady Melisande has told me as such," Thea says, her voice changing to a diplomatic tone, though her eyes still betray a healthy fear of the divine. "I...I deeply regret that I did not heed your warnings, passed through her. I humbly ask your forgiveness for my oversight."

There is nothing to regret and nothing to forgive. You have survived this present ordeal, which means that Melisande has done what I have asked of her. The Wise One straightens up. Nevertheless, there are still larger threats on the horizon, which is why I speak to all four of you now. Let this meeting with me open your eyes to the danger all around you. Unfortunately, I cannot mention even the barest details right now. But you will feel the ripples long before most anyone else will notice the waves, and have faith that I will appear to you again.

"Er...you wouldn't happen to want us to do anything with wind boy over here, would you?" Minayo jabs a thumb in Ramesh's direction. "I mean, does he need to put up with divine wrath and all that?"

The Wise One thinks it over. He shall have to undergo the justice of this realm. But I shall communicate something to Zagan to bargain for his soul.

"Y'mean I have one?" Ramesh mutters, half-sincere in his joke.

"Your Highness." Meli bows to Thea. "I will speak on Ramesh's behalf before the courts. I can testify that he was not in his right mind when he attempted his kill. We may be able to get a 'not guilty' verdict for reasons of insanity."

Thea nods. "I will arrange something, then."

Do not speak of my appearance here or of anything we have discussed when you return to Neo Valeriam, the Wise One says. They will get their signs soon enough. For now, I must speak to Melisande alone.

Ramesh raises an amused eyebrow at Meli. "Well, aren't you just a special little piece of dandelion fluff," he drawls, smirking.

Minayo thumps him on the back of his head. "Save your snapbacks, airhole," she says, unsheathing her sword again and placing it against his neck. "Now come with us like a good little boy and I won't have to slice your voice out to shut you up, yeah?"

"I don't need my voice to talk," he says, brandishing his middle finger at Minayo.

Thea turns to Meli as Minayo half-drags, half-escorts Ramesh back towards the city. "Once again, I am immensely thankful to you for saving my life," she says earnestly, taking Meli's hands in her own. "I will see that you are honored accordingly. You are also granted a boon from me, that you may ask what you like from me and I shall do what I can within my power to give it to you."

"None of that is necessary, your Highness," Meli insists. "But I will not spurn a royal gift."

"You will be informed of the details of Ramesh's hearing within the week. In the meantime, I shall see that he is treated humanely."

Meli nods. She watches Thea join Minayo and Ramesh off in the distance. It might unsettle another person to realize that only one person stands between Ramesh and the princess, but Minayo has proved herself a capable young woman, and Meli knows Ramesh's personality enonugh to be confident that he won't try anything else on the way back. She begins to feel the weight of her task slide off her shoulders like water, splashing with all the calm of a gentle brook. Meli's entire person relaxes and sighs gently. Once the trio disappears inside the walls of the city, she turns to the Wise One and kneels before him. "What is it you wished to speak to me about?" she asks.

Do you remember, when I last spoke to you, that I said that you had an important role in this?

Meli nods again.

You have fulfilled your role well. An uncomfortable pause. A little too well, it seems.

"...wh-what do you mean?"

It is true that I had a vested interest in making sure that Princess Edethea was not killed. But had that been my only objective, I would have gone straight to her.

Meli has suspected as such. "I was being tested for something, then."

Yes. I was trying to confirm the type of connection you have with the power of the Purifying Fire. You have demonstrated your potential for controlling that power quite brilliantly. The Wise One looks away. But the knowledge of the Purifying Fire was not meant to be used by mortal hands – or perhaps any hands at all.

"I don't understand," Meli says slowly. "The Purifying Fire is a healing art, is it not?"

It is a healing art so powerful that can swing over to pure destruction. It is a healing art that can kill as well as – or even better than – it heals.

This revelation completely floors Meli. "But...but I've never read anything like that! That doesn't make sense at all...!"

You put too much faith in the goodness of the fires. You will recall that, in our previous encounter, I mentioned that there were those in Weyard who have re-discovered some of the most dangerous alchemical art, and would use them without full knowledge of the cost. That applied not only to Ramesh...but to you as well.

Meli's breath hitches in her throat. She had committed such a heinous sin and hadn't even been aware of it? "Then please, won't you tell me what I am doing wrong, so that I may correct myself? You must know that I don't intend to ever do harm!"

It is too late. Your resonance with the Purifying Fire proves that you are the Hellbringer. The Wise One coils himself around Meli, surrounding her completely. You cannot be allowed to live, Melisande de l'Umbrano.

Dread possesses Meli, paralyzing her. Hellbringer? What is he talking about? The tears pool in her eyes. "Wise One, please! I don't understand..."

I am sorry. I am grateful for your work in saving Princess Edethea...but I must kill you here.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The Wise One glances over to his side. You!

Meli's head pops up at the sound of Florian's voice cutting into the conversation, his person appearing as though from thin air. She's more than glad to see him...but there's something different about him now as he approaches her and the Wise One. For one thing, Florian's completely healed from when Meli last saw him, though the bloodstains still mar his clothes. The second, stranger thing she can specifically pick out is the fact that the bottom half of both of his robe sleeves have been seared completely off, revealing...well, Meli can't tell what they are, exactly. She doesn't know if this design, circling his forearms like the marks of large shackles, is burned into his skin or if they're cracks in his skin. They glow like molten lava on the verge of cooling. Meli's never seen them before...but then she realizes that she's never seen Florian in anything with short sleeves.

You have broken part of your seals, I see, the Wise One says accusingly. I do not know how you did it, but the Justices will not be happy about that.

Florian only laughs. "It was for a good cause, you know. I've long since known a way to undo the first layer of the sealing spell. But the Justices would be great fools indeed to not weigh the consequences of my inaction versus my action. I helped to save Meli's life, and consequently the lives of those around her – including Princess Thea. Weyard has been saved. Isn't that what you wanted?"

It was not merely that. The issue of the Purifying Fire being used again was far more pressing. This woman will be the next Hellbringer. She cannot be allowed to live!

"That woman is my Scion," Florian responds, glaring. "And you will not touch her. You know the laws."

The Wise One actually growls, but he quickly retreats from Meli. You have claimed her as a Scion?Such a thing has not been done in centuries! What are you planning, Mars?

M-Mars?Meli stares shamelessly at Florian. "Professor, what's going on?" she asks, hating how pitiful her voice sounds.

"It's nothing for you to be worried about," Florian says, and Meli can't tell if he's talking to her or to the Wise One.

It is everything for me to worry about. You were bound to the mortal realm for a reason.

"I don't consider it a very good one." Florian shrugs carelessly. "Really, those on high have become quite jumpy, with the littlest spark setting them off. You make it sound as though I have committed some sort of holy treason, but in truth I am down here because someone overreacted to me, that's all. Not that I'm complaining too much, mind you – I'm finding the company of this realm to be quite fascinating." He gives Meli an indecipherable glance.

Leave Melisande to me. You know the story of the Hellbringer – you brought him down yourself! You saw the devastation he caused! Will you allow that to happen to Weyard again?

"No, and that is precisely why Meli will remain under my watch, among other reasons." Florian steps forward; the Wise One slithers back. "Let us be quite clear. I don't trust you at all. Your deceptive ways from your mortal life have followed you like the stench of death, and the fact that you incarnated into a serpent in the divine realm only seems to prove that point. It really was quite underhanded of you, to say the very least, to send dear Meli here on a heroic mission to save Weyard only to express your thanks by attempting to kill her, without having given her proper forewarning of what she was up again. It is true enough that you cannot tell a lie...but lies of omission can be quite grievous, and you of all beings should know that."

You are not in your element, Mars. You should not be meddling here.

"I am not the one 'meddling'." Florian smiles. "I saw Meli first, after all."

That is not the issue and you know it.

The Wise One's expression hasn't changed since the beginning of the conversation, but waves of anger radiate from his serpentine body, and it scares Meli to every last drop of her body. She doesn't exactly know what is going on or what is being discussed, but she doesn't dare speak out for clarification. She has become afraid of the Wise One...and of Florian.

"You really have quite poor faith in those around you," Florian says. "Don't you believe that Meli can learn to control the Mzaraph Legra in a constructive manner?" A sly look. "Or are you merely jealous that you yourself cannot wield such a power?"

You have fallen lower than Hades if you are making attacks on my being.

"I never attack without a good reason."

Is that so? Then I will expect to see an explanation from you once Melisande flexes the Fire over a flaming wasteland.

The look on Florian's face is absolutely murderous. His scarlet eyes spark with fury. "You believe I would groom Melisande into the Hellbringer? You believe that I would be capable of even thinking of deliberately destroying Weyard, this world I have created with my Elemental siblings?" The air around him wavers with the heat of his anger. "What ludicrous ideas you have conceived in that warped mind of yours. You have overstepped your bounds, Wise One. You forget that you are talking to a god."

I would be, were it not for those seals on your arms.

Florian holds up his arms, where the markings flare brightly. "These? Minor detail. I have merely been bound to the mortal realm; I have not been turned into a mortal. Thus, I still have the rights and power of a god." He practically snarls his next words. "And with all of my rights and power, I order you to get out of my sight, and to not show yourself before me unless you can demonstrate you are worthy to be called what you are!"

The Wise One disappears in a swirl of power.

Meli stands alone now with Florian under a late afternoon sky of fiery gray. She's shivering in the aftermath of the argument between Weyard's wisdom and one of Weyard's own elementals. Not just from the sheer power that had gathered in a single place, but from the revelations upon revelations that had unfurled themselves from the resulting conversation.

Professor Reyes is Mars.

The man she loves...and the god she worships...are one and the same.

Meli doesn't know what to think or feel. The thoughts and emotions come to her all at once in a maelstrom that grows and grows, until finally she stands alone and still in the eye of the storm. Even the thought of being this evil-sounding thing called the Hellbringer doesn't faze her now. She is left only with the numbness of fear and uncertainty.

Florian is gazing at her with a sad expression, all traces of cold anger gone from his face. "Please don't look at me like that," he says. "You needn't be afraid of me. Not you of all people."

But Meli is afraid. She's afraid of the rage she had seen blazing behind Florian's eyes, of the primal force just barely contained within his form but ready to erupt at the next provocation. She can't believe that such a powerful being could have been disguised for the past few years as mild-mannered Florian Reyes. All those times when he had worked patiently with her on understanding what she needed to understand for her work; when he had sat with her far too many times for far longer than expected simply because she had needed someone to talk to; when he had simply been quietly charming and intelligent – she hadn't suspected a single thing about his true identity. She supposes it explains his extensive knowledge of the myths of Weyard, though. After all...he's one of them.

In reverence, Meli drops to her knees to prostrate herself on the ground before him.

"No," Florian says, and Meli flinches even though the word is spoken gently. "There is no need for such trivial things between us. Stand up, Melisande."

Far be it from her to disobey a god. Meli rises to her feet, but she can't bring herself to look at Florian. She can feel him when he approaches her, though: he still radiates divine strength, most likely the result of breaking his seals, whatever they happened to be. The resulting aura is inviting and fearsome at the same time.

"Are you angry with me?" Florian asks.

"I think I should be asking that question of you." Meli shakes her head, feeling as though she's failed in something. "I didn't know," she says shamefully. "I'm so sorry...I didn't figure it out at all..."

"You weren't supposed to," Florian says kindly. "This wasn't one of those tests in which you had to recognize my divinity or else face offense from above. I was – am – only a god living under a mortal identity with mortal restraints, for a time.

"Only" a god? Meli thinks in disbelief. "You were the one who helped me with Ramesh," she says, suddenly recognizing who had literally answered her prayer.

"How could I not? You asked, after all. It was fortunate that you caught me when I had unsealed some of my power so that I could actually hear you. It would have been quite a sin not to answer – especially since you've been so devoted to me."

At this Meli turns bright red with embarrassment. She suddenly remembers an earlier conversation with Florian, not long after she had met him, in which she'd revealed the extent of her admiration for Mars and her various reflections upon his persona. She had talked quite at length on that subject. Oh, if she had only known who'd been listening to her, she wouldn't have acted like such a starry-eyed country girl! What a silly child she must have looked to him. "Professor..." she starts. "M-Mars, I mean..."

"You may call me by my mortal name if you wish, you know," says Florian, smiling. "Like you did back when we were still dealing with Zagan."

As if she needs to be even more embarrassed than she already is. "That was...that was just...I thought you were...!" Meli takes a deep breath. "I forgot proper conduct in the chaos of the fight, that's all!"

Florian shrugs. "Ah, well. If bleeding to death is what it'll take to get you to call me 'Florian', I suppose I'll track down Miss Minayo and ask for her sword in order to open a vein or three."

Meli gapes at him in utter shock. "What?"

Florian chuckles. "You take things entirely too seriously, you know." He suddenly takes her into his arms, holding her close. "Then again, you have had a harrowing past few days, so a lack of humor can certainly be forgiven. And no doubt hearing that exchange between myself and the Wise One has only stressed you more. You are, doubtless, confused and exhausted at the moment." He strokes her back gently. "We can stop by my house for a while, if you'd like. You can rest there, and then ask any question of me that you wish so that we can clear things up a little, as well."

Meli's finding herself intoxicated by the proximity of Florian's body to hers, for more reasons than one. Her hands flail a little as she tries to figure out whether she should return the embrace or not. "Th-this...really is considered rather improper..." she manages.

"Only by minds that are caged within walls like your city," Florian whispers into her ear, and the richness of his voice sends a pleasant shiver down her spine. "I find nothing wrong with embracing my Scion and comforting her. Now whom shall you believe: the earthly authority trapped over there...or the god in front of you?"

Without another moment of hesitation, Meli throws her arms around him, and she cries silently in happiness and relief. She still can't think straight at the moment, but that doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters now, except her and Florian...her and Mars.

Do not let his mien and face fool you. The Wise One's voice resounds in her head like a crashing wave. Mars is the flame of life that is crimson with the blood of his enemies. If you shall be his Scion and remain under his wing, it would do you well to be mindful of yourself and of him, for the flames destroy when they heal. One aspect does not exist without the other. If you cannot learn to balance the two, you will die for the sake of preserving Weyard, Hellbringer.

Meli frowns. The Wise One's words call up all the countless stories of mortals becoming involved with spirits or deities that she knows, stories in which the aforementioned mortals tended to die early, painful, or overal strange deaths. The abundance of such tales in mythologies across Weyard has led to a single ironic and cynical observation frequently quoted by those studying ancient lore:

To be chosen by the gods is to be chosen by death.

"Are you feeling better now?" Florian asks. "Can you walk?"

"I am fine," she says, meaning it. She glances up at him, and sees him smiling down on her with fondness...or is that mischief she's seeing? "Though...I can't walk if you won't let me stand on my own."

"Ah, that would be a problem, wouldn't it? But I don't seem to want to let you go. Now how shall we remedy this?"

Meli looks at him strangely. "Really, Professor, is this the – "

"I thought I told you to call me 'Florian'," he says, kissing her on the forehead before picking her up in his arms.

She squeaks. "Pro – Florian! I'm perfectly fine! I don't need to be carried like an invalid!" But if this is the way that leads to death, she thinks, leaning against Florian with a sigh as he walks back towards Neo Valeriam, then I will gladly follow it.

O-O-O

Owari da yo! Hontou!

...lolz fangirl Japanese.

Review if you will, flame if you must.

-Sora G. Silverwind
I love this city enough that I'll set it ablaze