Author's Note: Aaaah… A nice, busy week and a good way to end it is to get another chapter up!

Cstan – Yes, it is indeed fortunate that this story is rated only as K+. I intend to keep it that way for the remainder of it .

Xxxxxxx

Charging at the dark, twisted scent of the Dark Hound, she lunged at it, the powerful legs that were granted by her beastform allowing her to easily reach up to the giant's back. There her claws sank, piercing through its thick fur and flesh beneath. Her maw opening wide, she bit into its shoulder.

The dark creature howled at the attack and it immediately shook itself violently, trying to fling her off. Her response was only to bite harder, feeling the taste of its blood in her mouth while her claws ripped into its hide. Reaching back, the creature managed to size a handful of her lavender mane and pulled. Though she tried to hold on, her teeth were torn from its shoulder, pieces of flesh and wads of fur coming off with it.

Once it removed her from it's back, the Dark Hound threw her away with its monstrous strength.

Managing to twist herself in mid-air, she was able to right herself in time before impacting the ground. Sliding on her hands and feet, her claws dug into the floor of the Sanctum, slowing her momentum and bringing her to a stop. With a growl she looked back up to find the Dark Hound focusing its attention on another member of their group; a big mistake.

Her limbs propelling her forward, she once again charged at the monster, closing the distance she had been thrown across in seconds. It noticed her at the last second, its wild eyes darting towards her. With a growl it raised one of it's gigantic arms to pound her into the floor and make sure that she couldn't get back up again.

And for some unexplainable reason it hesitated for the briefest of seconds. That was enough for her as she lunged at it. Her shoulder held in front of her, she plowed into its stomach, doubling it over where her fist was ready for a follow-up attack that saw it slamming beneath its chin. Reeling from the blows, the Dark Hound stumbled back, looking particularly dazed. And then, like a falling tree, it collapsed onto its back.

Standing over the defeated monster, she took a slow, calming breath. Her muscles and claws shrunk, her mane of fur vanished, and soon she found herself back in her human form, her now much smaller shoulders heaving as she took deep, ragged breaths. Using one of her sleeves to wipe at the blood on her face, she looked to see how the others were faring against the Tuaparang agents, taking careful sniffs at the air to locate them.

And with a gasp she turned to look at the blood on her sleeve, her ears standing up straight in surprise. She held the sleeve to her nose and sniffed. There was the twisted odor of the monster that she recognized immediately but it was masking another scent that she could barely detect. She took another whiff.

No…

Her heart freezing within her chest, she turned her head slowly, ever so slowly, to the Dark Hound that had yet to get back up. It was still alive and even conscious as it's open eyes told her. Eyes that had such a familiar brown coloring and that now looked at her not with bloodlust but with something completely different.

"It can't be," she breathed.

There came a weak moan from the creature and that had almost caused her to break down right then and there. She kept her composure though…for a little while. Long enough so that her legs, now feeling like jelly, managed to get her to stumble over to the creature's side.

She took one more slow, careful sniff.

There was that term that humans liked to use that came to her mind. Seeing was believing as they said. But for beastmen it was not sight that they relied so heavily on. Instead it was their sense of smell and when she took that one, final sniff, she believed.

"No." Her ears flattening, she placed her hands against the sides of her head which she shook violently, as if trying to deny this reality. "No, no, no! This isn't you! This can't be you. You died…you…"

While the tears welled up in her eyes she found that her legs could no longer support her. Dropping down, she allowed herself to stare at the Dark Hound before her eyes squeezed shut and she once again shook her head. "You died at Belinsk! You aren't…you didn't…become…this!"

A heavy weight fell on her shoulder, nearly toppling her over, and Sveta opened her eyes to see the large, black paw that encased not only her shoulder but nearly her entire arm. That sight finally brought out the tears as she felt them stream down her face. Gently, her hands took the paw and raised it to her face so that she could nuzzle her head against it, her face pressing into its palm as she cried.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed as she became deaf to everything else in the Apollo Sanctum. "I'm so sorry!"

Xxxxxxxx

"How are you feeling?"

That was far from the first time that Rief had asked him that in the last two hours since he had awoken and Matthew replied with the same answer: "Better."

"Want to try standing?"

Beneath the blankets, Matthew slowly moved his arms and legs, flexing his muscles to see if he truly was better. Well, it didn't feel like his flesh was on fire so that's a start. Placing his hands against the mattress, Matthew carefully eased himself into a sitting position. He felt someone place a hand at his back, ready to support him, and the Venus Adept turned to give the owner a smile.

"Thanks Tyrell, but I think I got this."

"Just being careful," Tyrell replied, though he did remove his hand from behind Matthew. He still stayed close to his side either way. "That's what you said last time remember?"

Giving Tyrell a nod, Matthew focused back on the current task. Having managed to sit himself up without any sign of weakness, Matthew felt a bit of hope; even this act had been a bit of a chore the last time he had tried. Swinging his legs around so that they hung over the edge, the son of Isaac gently placed his feet on the wooden floor and started putting weight on them.

Not bad, Matthew thought as, again, he felt no weakness. Feeling confident, he pushed himself off the bed.

That confidence nearly proved to be overconfidence. Matthew felt his legs buckle and he had been about to fall if it wasn't for his watchful friend. Tyrell reached out and awkwardly grasped Matthew by his arm and the front of his shirt, saving him from what would've been an embarrassing fall.

"I got you," Tyrell assured as he helped Matthew sit back down on the bed. "Give me a warning next time, huh?"

"Yeah, sure." Matthew turned to give him a grin and saw that there was a similar one on his best friend's face. "I'm fine though, really. I think I just need a moment for my legs to adjust."

"Very possible." To one side of the small room, Matthew saw Rief nodding in agreement. "You've been out for quite some time now."

"How long has it been?"

"A week."

"What?"

Rief flinched at his shout but was already calmly explaining with, "It was bad. Other then the fight with the Chimera which had tired all of us out, there was your insane climbs to the switch to the Apollo Lens."

"But I just fell! A couple of falls shouldn't have put me out for that long."

"It wasn't just the falls..."

"It was the Sanctum itself."

The small voice that spoke out caused Matthew to turn, realizing that there was another occupant in the room with them. Only now coming around Tyrell – possibly why Matthew hadn't noticed her earlier – was Himi. The daughter of Susa and Kushinada who apparently had a run-in with the Warriors of Vale in the past, the group had picked her up sometime after Belnisk in Yamata to complete their eight Adept party. Other then being the smallest, she was one of the youngest members of their group.

But her abilities were large and wide when it came to psynergy. Like Matthew, Himi was a Venus Adept that could control the earth. However, while she could unleash patches of thorny Briars, her massive storage of psynergy allowed her to possess more extravagant abilities such as summoning monsters to fight. During the battle with the Tuaparang, the diminutive Adept had summoned a dragon out through a portal that had sent Chalis briefly running. Though not as powerful as their djinn summons, the creatures that Himi can conjure were no laughing matter either.

Supposedly her abilities extended to prophecy or other, similar abilities as well and when she had pointed out entrances that Matthew swore he hadn't seen a moment ago during their quest, he was slowly becoming a believer of that.

"The light of the Sanctum had done something to you on a different level," Himi continued, her red eyes seeming to try to pierce through him as they always did. "Your aura had become erratic…uncontrollable. Being exposed to such purity of the Sanctum's light had caused a lot of damage both without and within you."

"How much damage?"

Himi paused at that, her eyes closing briefly. "Your death was one possible outcome that I foresaw."

Matthew started at that and he brought out his hands to look at them. Not possessing any gloves, his hands were bare and the Adept tried to find any damage whether on his flesh or "aura" but saw none. His hands had all their fingers with healthy skin covering them. After closing them into fists a couple of times, Matthew looked warily to Rief.

"The physical damage had been taken care of," Rief assured. Then he started to look troubled. "Though there were…complications."

Matthew started to feel worried. "Complications?"

"Whatever it was that you were exposed to," cut in Tyrell. "It wasn't just affecting your 'aura' or whatever it was that Himi said."

The tiny Venus Adept tossed him a narrow-eyed look.

"Whatever was in that light, it stopped Rief from healing you."

Brief flashes of his memories came to Matthew, specifically that outside of the Apollo Sanctum where Rief first mentioned not being able to use his Ply and within the ship itself when he had tried to heal himself to no affect. He also remembered the pain and how the golden glow around his hand upon using Cure had been violently fluctuating, yellow and violet tainting the purity of his Venus psynergy.

Matthew looked back up at Rief. "You couldn't heal me?"

"Not at first!" Rief quickly spoke but the troubled look hadn't left the Mercury Adept's face. In fact, he looked puzzled and seemed to be trying to figure it out himself at this exact moment as he related the events. "But it's true; during the first couple of days my healing abilities seemed to have little to no affect. I asked Amiti to try and he got the same results, then Karis and Sveta…"

Sveta?

"How was she?" Matthew asked, cutting off Rief for the moment. "Sveta, I mean."

A deep concern had settled within him at the thought of the Jupiter Adept and again he thought back to the Apollo Sanctum and the ship. At the former he remembered her collapsing just like he did and, at the latter, how she looked at him with distress and even…fear.

"She was out for a day and even after that she needed some extra rest. Other then that though she was completely fine; she was wearing the Umbra Gear after all which you didn't have. Anyway, I asked her to see what she could do and, surprisingly , you had responded to her attempts."

"Only her?"

Rief shrugged but still had that puzzled look. "I didn't even question it. I was just happy that something was working on you. She stayed at your side for another two days to do what she could and after that you started responding to my Ply, thankfully, so she left."

A flash of disappointment struck Matthew though he wasn't sure why. "Where is she now?"

"Around the ship I'm sure, whether in her bunk or someplace else."

"She's been acting kind of weird."

Her concern for Sveta spiking at that, Matthew immediately address Tyrell. "What do you mean?"

Tyrell raised a hand to his chin as he sought to remember. "Well after the two days, she never came near you at all. I mean, once Rief said that you weren't in the danger zone anymore, which was when he was able to heal you again, everyone had relaxed. Still, we all came to at least check to see if your recovery was still going well. She hasn't come anywhere near your room though. Actually, now that I think about it, she doesn't seem to be as social with the rest of us either."

"Is she all right?" A frown had etched onto Matthew's face, puzzled as Tyrell seemed to be about Sveta's behavior. Was she actively avoiding him?

Again that face, framed by lavender hair, twisted in a look of fear as she looked down at him.

"Quite frankly," Rief cut back in, "I don't think she is." At the worried look from Matthew, the Mercury Adept held up a hand before he could be bombarded with questions. "Physically she's fine. I mean I don't think she's fine mentally. Have you forgotten what happened? Her brother is dead."

Shamefully, with all that has happened, Matthew had forgotten. Now it all came back to him, of how the Apollo Lens had been activated at the cost of Volecheck's life, all to save her sister, and Matthew's head hung low. "That's right, he is isn't he?"

"He sacrificed his life to save his people. That's the other thing; Volecheck was king. And Sveta being his sister…"

Matthew felt a jolt go through him at the realization. Having been fighting at Sveta's side for so long, seeing her as nothing more then a friend and ally on their quest, he had forgotten about that one little detail concerning her heritage. "That would put her on the throne of Belinsk. She won't be coming back as a princess but as a queen."

"If Belinsk has indeed been saved," Rief added but otherwise nodded. "She's probably going through a lot right now so it shouldn't be surprising if she's acting a little weird."

It was a fair point but Matthew was still unsettled. Having been absently swinging and stretching out his legs during the entire exchange, Matthew brought them to a halt before placing his feet on the wooden floor. When he pushed himself up to his feet this time he didn't fall though Tyrell had jumped when he made the attempt.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Rief questioned again.

In response, Matthew swung his arms around and did a couple of squats, trying to locate any problems. When he stood back up he nodded to the healer to show that he had found nothing wrong. Matthew then looked to Himi with a quirked brow.

She shook her head to his unspoken question. "I sense no abnormalities in his aura."

"Sounds like I'm good for a walk," Matthew spoke with a grin.

Xxxxxxxx

His walk ended up taking him through the entire ship. Walking along the halls, Matthew ended up encountering the rest of his friends, all inquiring as to how he was feeling, and he replied that he was fine and that it was good to be back. Eoleo had offered the teen a drink to his health and Matthew accepted…and then later declined after the first sip, his face twisting in disgust at the abnormally high concentration of alcohol that was in the drink.

"Can handle monsters and world-ending eclipses but not your liquor I see," Eoleo commented as he took a large gulp, Matthew coughing in a corner.

Karis he had stopped by her room to see that she was reading a book. Off to the side, surrounded by her seven djinn, was a small chest that had a chain wrapped around it and a large lock. The key was hanging from a necklace around the Jupiter Adept's neck.

"The feather of the Mountain Roc," Karis had explained when he looked towards the chest quizzically. "I'm not letting Tyrell get anywhere near this thing so that he doesn't somehow manage to fry it." She glanced towards her protective circle of djinn. "Isn't that right guys?"

"He won't get anywhere near this, mistress!" Gust confirmed, tilting his head crest to her in affirmative.

Matthew couldn't help but smile though he knew that Karis's fears were well-founded, especially since they had killed the Mountain Roc. Who knew how they would manage to get another feather if they ended up losing this one with the titanic bird dead. Truth be told though, despite how important the feather was to them and it being the only reason they had started on this quest in the first place, Matthew had nearly forgotten about it ever since their trip to Belinsk.

But hey, facing the end of the world can make you forget things like that.

When Matthew stumbled upon Amiti, he found the Mercury Adept looking particularly worn with a piece of parchment in his hand.

"You okay, Amiti?" Matthew asked.

The prince of Ayuthay chuckled lightly. "This coming from the man who had been out for a week." He motioned at the parchment. "I've been sending messages to Ayuthay and I only just got this. Everyone is well thanks to the underground shelters managing to protect them from the monsters. King Wo's army hadn't been so fortunate and, in fact, had been decimated."

"It's good to hear that your people are safe."

"Yes…my people."

A far-off look came over Amiti's face and Matthew inwardly winced. That's right, it wasn't just one of their party that was going back home as a new ruler. Last they saw of Paithos, Amiti's uncle had been stricken with an illness that had left him bed-ridden and it being highly unlikely that he would be recovering. As the king of Ayuthay, Paithos had chosen Amiti to assume the throne upon his death which he promised he would stave off until his nephew's return.

Amiti's situation only reminded Matthew of Sveta. Unfortunately, despite however many halls he traveled, he wasn't able to locate her whether it be her room, the mess, or anywhere. Thinking that she may be outside, Matthew climbed a set of stairs that would lead him up to the deck of the ship.

And that was where he found her. At the bow of the ship – as he believed the correct term was as he was still trying to get used to the naval lingo -, stood Sveta. Her back currently turned to him, she was currently leaning against a rail where her arms were folded atop of it and her chin resting on top of them. She was not wearing the Umbra Gear that Matthew had remembered last seeing her in but back in her traditional, traveling clothes. Her hair, having once been a dirty mess of tangles, had been brushed and smoothed out before having been braided. A light gust of wind blew across the deck and the two braids waved in the air behind her.

Having been ready to approach her, a greeting upon his lips, Matthew suddenly stopped, wondering if he should bother her. As Rief had said, there was probably a lot going through her mind right now and she may have even come out here with the express purpose of wanting space. He thought about going back down below deck but he didn't do that either. Instead he found himself standing right where he was, watching the mid-air dance of her lavender braids.

She must've detected him somehow though. Whether she had noticed his scent or heard his approach, he saw her ears raise to attention before she turned to face him, a smile coming to her face upon seeing him. "Matthew!"

All previous concerns that he had settled when he saw her smiling face. At ease with approaching her now, he crossed the distance between them to join her at the front of the ship. "It's good to see you Sveta."

As he drew closer, Sveta took a step towards him. He saw her arms briefly raise from her sides, as if to embrace him, but just as quickly as the motion started, it ended. Her smile wavered but she managed to keep it on her face. "I'm glad to see that you're all right."

Pretending not to have noticed, Matthew met her smile with his own. "I'm glad to see that you're all right as well. Rief told me that you had been out for a while."

"Not as long as you." She looked him over. "How are you feeling? Is everything truly healed?"

Matthew nodded. "Yep. No more sunburn or broken ribs or anything else like that. I actually heard that you had a hand in that."

Again her smile wavered and then disappeared entirely. Turning away from him, she directed her gaze back out into the sea. "Yes…well…you're welcome."

Now it was Matthew's smile that vanished as he stared at her. Her ears having lowered, Sveta had resumed her previous position with her arms and chin resting upon the rail. She had turned her head to the side, away from Matthew, and the Venus Adept noticed an uneasy shift at her feet.

"Sveta…I…" Matthew started, unsure of what to say. "About what happened between us…"

"I'm sure its nothing," Sveta spoke up. "You were exposed to the light of the Apollo Sanctum. We both were. But Rief and Himi already told me that you were back to normal so I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. It was just something that you had to recover from, right?"

The fact that she had been unwilling to go near him when he approached made Matthew think that she was still worried about it. Curious, he stepped closer to Sveta so that he can rest his arms on the railing just as she did. Their arms nearly touched and he noticed how she glanced at them before making an oh-so-subtle shift to add an inch of space between them.

Though he wanted to press the issue, he held himself back. Looking plenty uncomfortable about what had happened already, he thought that trying to force the subject would only make it worse. Instead, he focused on a different subject. "I'm sorry about your brother."

It was only after he spoke that he scolded himself. Oh sure, that was exactly the kind of topic that she would want to address instead.

"He lived for our people," Sveta spoke and he noticed how she pressed her head further against her folded arms. "He had always kept them in mind when he ruled and, though it was a mistake, his deal with the Tuaparang had been for their safety. To die for them was something that I believe he would've been content with."

"And for you," Matthew added.

Sveta didn't respond.

"Any word on Belinsk?" Matthew tried again.

This, at least, seemed to cheer her up as Sveta looked to him, her previous smile returning if only at a smaller size. "Yes, we actually had gotten word from Amiti's uncle. Belinsk is well on its way to recovery, my people having returned to their homes. There will still need to be a bit of work in order for us to recover what we lost but…"

"I'm sure that you will do fine, Sveta."

"It has been a week and the idea hasn't gotten any easier for me. When I return to Belinsk I will have to take the throne that my brother had left vacant. All my life I had never thought that such a time would come as I had fully expected Volechek to live and rule for years to come. If he was ever going to relinquish the throne I would only have thought that he would've done so after having raised a suitable heir of the next generation."

"Sometimes things don't go as planned." If there was any lesson that Matthew had learned during their quest, it was certainly that.

"Apparently not," Sveta sighed.

Matthew couldn't help it. Despite how she seemed so uncertain about it, he wanted to try and comfort her with more then words. One hand removing itself from the fold, Matthew extended it towards her to take her arm and give it a comforting squeeze.

The stress and loneliness nearly overwhelmed him. Though always seeming so calm, this simple touch allowed Matthew to peer into the abyss of despair that dwelled within her heart.

How could she possibly do this? That was the thought that reverberated over and over again within her mind. Volecheck had always been the one for the throne, the one that had first led their people to independence and brought them prosperity after the dark times. Though kind, he was also strong and she could only wonder how he was able to handle the duties that would constantly be found at his desk.

He would not be there for her. No one would be there for her. What she would have to do in order to help her people to recover, she would have to do it alone. Her family was gone, her friends wouldn't be able to help her, and the man she had come to trust the most now scared her because-

Sveta jerked her arm out of Matthew's grip, severing the connection. She did not hide her uneasiness this time as she took a full step away from him, putting a couple of feet of distance between them. Matthew hardly noticed, the Venus Adept staring at his own hand in astonishment.

What had happened to them? It had to be a lingering side effect of their souls having come together with the Apollo Sanctum having affected it further. Her memories, her thoughts, they all became his with just a simple touch just like now. Was it permanent?

"I'm sorry!" Matthew finally apologized, looking at Sveta who was watching him. "I didn't know there was still some kind of link between us! You said so yourself that Rief and Himi said I was fine and that it's probably passed!"

"It's okay." Though she said that she didn't dare move any closer to him. "We were just mistaken. Maybe it'll take a bit longer for it to pass. Let's just try to keep our distance from each other."

The idea bred some distress but Matthew shook it off. It wasn't the end of the world as he could still talk to her; it was just touching her that they were going to try and avoid. It was not a problem as Matthew was sure that he could handle that until it passed.

He was still shaken. It was only during the activation of the Grave Eclipse and after the fight with her transformed sibling at the Apollo Sanctum that he had ever seen Sveta's composure collapse as it did. But what he had seen, what he had felt, was something completely different. An abyss rife with emotion was still the best way he could describe what he had seen. Though, outwardly, Sveta seemed to be taking her upcoming responsibilities as the Queen of Morgal with some apprehension, it was within her that he could see the depths of how those responsibilities were putting so much stress on her.

All alone. Her brother, her only remaining family, had died and Matthew knew that he could not stay with her. As she already knew, it was more then likely that they were all going to part ways soon. Amiti was to take the crown at Ayuthay, Himi would probably return to her parents, Eoleo had responsibilities in Champa that needed to be addressed, and he, Tyrell, and Karis had to return in order to deliver the feather to their parents so that they could fix the soarwing.

They all had family and friends waiting for them back at their respective homes. But Sveta…

"I don't want to leave you alone, Sveta," he couldn't help but blurt out.

Sveta's eyes widened a bit at that, surprised, but she soon shook her head. "Its okay Matthew, really. I'm not my brother but I will do all I can to help my people. Do not worry about me."

"But I want to help you. Even if its just to give you a friend to talk to." An idea suddenly came to mind. "Actually, do beastmen use carrier pigeons?"

"Pigeons?" Sveta's brow having rose in confusion, it now furrowed in thought. "I…think so. I mean Morgal usually kept to itself and if my brother had any business to go to he could travel on foot but I believe Volechek had a use for them once in a while. I think he actually used one to contact Blados and Chalis during their deals."

"Perfect!" Smiling wide, Matthew explained, "My dad keeps some at home to send messages out to friends and family. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I used one. Maybe we could write to each other once in a while? A way we can keep in touch?"

Sveta thought it over but the upward curve at the corners of her mouth told him that she liked the idea. "Yes, I think we can do that. Thank you Matthew, I think that would be nice."

"It's a deal then." Matthew held out a hand for her to shake.

She only stared at it. After a couple of seconds, Matthew got the hint and let it drop back to his side.

Xxxxxxxxx

When Matthew dropped down below deck, feeling proud with himself, he was surprised to see that someone was waiting for him. "Himi? What are you doing here?"

The young Adept only stared at him at first and Matthew immediately felt uncomfortable. She had that look on her face, the one that he had only seen a couple times during their journey. But whenever he was on the receiving end of it, it wasn't her eyes that Matthew felt that she was staring at him with. Instead, his gaze shifted to the mark that had been placed at her forehead. It was the mark that she had received when the power of an artifact known as the Third Eye had been absorbed into her person when they had first met.

"You two are bound," Himi spoke suddenly.

Matthew blinked. "What?"

"What had meant to be temporary has become permanent."

"Permanent..." Matthew's eyes widened. "You mean when I touch her? That isn't temporary? Is there a way I can fix it?"

Himi shook her head. "There is nothing to be fixed for there is nothing wrong."

He stared at her, brought into silence by her words and unsure of what he should say next. "But how…what…"

"There will be a door." Himi's eyes were closed halfway, giving her a sleepy appearance, but Matthew thought he could see the mark of the Third Eye glow at her forehead. "Do not open it. Do not cross through it. Doing so will make her lost to you forever. Do not cross."

"Himi, I don't understand!"

But she didn't explain. Turning her back to him, the diminutive Adept just walked away, leaving him behind in bafflement as he watched her go.

Xxxxxxxx

Author's Note: I always thought there was a lot of potential when it came to some of the characters in Dark Dawn and Himi was the prime candidate. Unfortunately, Camelot didn't exactly give you much to work with when it came to her. You went to Yamata, went through the whole thing with the Third Eye and a visit to some graves…and that's it. Instead of so much a character, Himi was reduced to a tool that allowed you to see hidden doors that the game gave you at the last minute before you went off to the Apollo Sanctum.

I hope to give Himi some spotlight for this story but we'll see how that goes. Kind of disappointed with myself as I felt Matthew and Sveta's interaction was a bit brief but I wanted to hurry and get this chapter up. I'll have plenty of opportunities in the future though to work with the two so don't you worry about that! For now, hope you all enjoyed this and I hope you're all still interested and can't wait for the next chapter!