Disclaimers # 1: Star Ocean names, characters, and all of its related articles are the rightful properties of Square-Enix. I don't own any more of Star Ocean but a copy of the game. If there's something I can claim ownership here, it's my OC.

Disclaimers # 2: This is a fanfiction based on another fanfiction titled Two Soldiers: Fire and Ice authored by Artemis' Bow. Sometimes, our plots crossed at some points, therefore, you might want to (and probably, have to) read her fic as well to get a better grasp of my story (I highly recommend it). Her excellent piece of work forms the basis of this fic, along with her support and approval. If you like this fic, then part of the credit shall goes to her.

Author's Note : Here is chapter 5. This chapter is written together with the last chapter (chp. 4), hence the relatively fast update. This one is a tough one to get through, but thanks to Artemis', I can get it through and show this to you all. To all of you who read this story, you have my thanks as well. Still, I would appreciate it more if you'd like to be kind enough to leave a review. Please, readers, review this story.

And as always, please read and enjoy. Happy reading

The Third Soldier: Another Heart

Chapter 5: The Tender, Fierce Heart—Part Two

Kirlsa Training Facility, third floor.

Tynave let out a war cry as she jumped at one of the armored men surrounding her. The man tried to anticipate the woman's attack, but his heavy armor hindered his movements, causing him to be at a loss against the more nimble Secret Legion operative. With unerring accuracy, Tynave shoved her dagger at an unprotected joint in her adversary's armor. The man cried out, and then fell to the ground clutching the mortal wound the woman had inflicted. Another man tried to attack the blonde woman from behind, but was stopped dead in his track by a blast of lightning spell that cooked him to the point of being well-done inside his armor. Tynave turned to look at her helper, Farleen, and saw it in time, a shadow behind her purple-haired friend. More by instinct than thought, the blonde woman took her spare kunai—a type of throwing knife—and threw one at the figure behind her friend. A blood gurgling scream came out as the knife struck the man behind Farleen right in his neck.

A moment ago, their purpose of coming to the facility was looking for their leader, Nel Zelpher—who was claimed to have been held captive in the facility. Though the news bore hints of trickery, the two spies decided to go because they had the need of confirming it. No matter whether the claim was true or not, they also fully realized that whoever sent the messenger of the news obviously had no intention of negotiating.

Their worries of the obvious trap waiting in the facility were realized, and now they were fighting for their life.

Though the two spies could easily outmatch their assailants when it came to one-on-one fight, fighting dozens of enemies all at once was surely out of question. Eventually, the two had their backs to the wall, surrounded. Tynave was very much black and blue by then. Blood, both from her enemies she'd cut and from her own wounds, covered her. For a moment, Tynave felt that her body would fail her, but the sight of her partner being less battered than she was as she glanced over at the figure slightly behind her made her forget the pain and fatigue of her body. She would keep on fighting.

"Tynave, stop protecting me. I can fight," said Farleen, very much worried about her friend's condition.

"Not as well as I do when they're up close," Tynave answered without diverting her eyes from the men before her, "Just stay behind me and keep them back with runology, and I'll be fine."

"Tynave! I'm here to help, not to be a burden!"

Before Tynave could even think of answering, a familiar figure stepped forward from behind the men surrounding her and her friend. Her blue eyes widened in a displeased surprise.

"Shelby! How could…"

The former Black Brigade second-in-command sneered at the two women, as intimidating as ever, and was made even more so by the scar Nel's blade had left in his face in their last fight. His heavy plate armor clanked with his every move, signifying the weight of the armor he was wearing, which well reflected the man's strength.

"Surprised, woman?" Shelby spoke. His voice was heavy with the air of arrogance and utter confidence, "Surely I'm not dead yet, but that dungeon was a pain. I should be thankful to 'them' for giving me such a chance."

"Where's Lady Nel!" Tynave asked, her voice strong in an attempt to sound undaunted.

"Hm? 'Where's Lady Nel?' So you're looking for 'Lady Nel'?" Still wearing his scornful grin, Shelby then turned at his men, and spoke, "Do you hear that, men? They're looking for 'Lady Nel'."

Mumblings could be heard from the rank of Shelby's men at the response of the man's saying.

"If they're looking for Nel Zelpher, that means…" Sounded a random man in armor.

"… That means, that Zelpher is truly gone! The rumor is true!" Another man concluded.

"She's gone! That witch is gone! There's nothing we should be afraid of now!"

Cheering followed as the last, concluding sentence was said, leaving the two women dumbfounded.

"It's a pity that I don't have your 'Lady Nel' here," Shelby spoke again as he turned his bulky body to the cornered spies, "Because if I did, it would be my pleasure to show her to you after all the fun I would've had with her if I could get my hands on her."

"You filth!" Tynave growled. Anger took over her, and she charged at the former Black Brigade, only to meet the punishing blow of Shelby's gauntlet to her chest. With a groan of pain, the blonde spy flew backward, smashing into the wall behind her.

"Tynave!" Farleen cried her friend's name as she got to her. Tynave was not out yet, but her body was shaking. Farleen took that as the effect of the wounds her friend had sustained.

Shelby smirked contentedly at the sight before him, "Well, thanks to you coming here, now we know that the rumor about that witch is true. And thanks to you again, we now have this 'something' to start the war again," as he was speaking, the man then turned, and walked to the middle of his men, "Take them, be it dead or alive, I don't care."

As the last sentence was said, Shelby's men—apparently Glyphian rogues—closed on the two spies. Though wounded, Tynave moved before her friend, shielding her. A whisper came to Farleen's ear.

"I'll distract them. If you see the chance, run."

"Tynave… no, don't…"

But Tynave's decision was final. She no longer heard her friend's objections, as she had shut her ears to them. As she was about to make her one last charge, a small explosion rocked the floor. As everyone was wondering what had happened, another explosion came. It was so strong that it threw some standing people off-balance. This time, Tynave didn't miss her chance.

The woman charged at the stumbling men, came at one of them with a ferocious palm strike. The one blow sent the man flying towards his companions behind him, effectively halting their advance as well as creating an opening for an escape.

"Now, Farleen, run!"

The split-second distraction of yelling at her friend made the blonde spy unaware of her surroundings. As she got back to it, she saw Shelby before her, his battle axe raised high. Blood flew…

… or not. Before Shelby could swing the axe, Farleen planted a fire bolt spell nice and square in the man's face. Tynave followed with a brutal body slam which floored Shelby hard. She then retreated, joining Farleen on the escape. The sound of Shelby's enraged roar could be heard from behind them, as well as the heavy thump of many feet chasing them.

Suddenly, Tynave heard her friend cried from behind her. Before she could even turn to look at Farleen, a glimpse of a thrown metal object came from behind her. After that, came the sight of Farleen flying. Her frail body landed hard on the stone floor, rolling over on the floor before coming to a complete stop a few yards before the blonde spy. Her blood making tracks along the floor.

"FARLEEN!" The blonde spy cried. Ignoring the sound of the closing thud of their chasers, she stopped at her friend's side, clutching her.

As she looked at her purple haired friend, she saw a nasty wound on her back, right in her left shoulder blade. The skin and flesh was torn open horribly, blood coming out of it. Knowing her time was short, she pushed herself and her friend's limp body upright, attempting to carry her friend. Before she could even take a step, however, two armored men caught up with her with raised swords. The blonde spy gave the first one to reach her a kick squarely in the chest, pushing him backward. The second came, sword first, only to be deflected by the gauntlet of his opponent's free hand, which then came as a punch to his unprotected face. Two down, but more of them were coming.

As Tynave readied herself for more fighting, a weak mutter came from the figure she was carrying.

"…Leave…me… Tynave…"

"No!" Was the immediate answer, "I'll carry you!"

"Don't…be…stupid…" Though weakly voiced, the voice was strong with a tone of disapproval, "I… slow you down… You… got to… live… I…"

"Listen, Farleen!" Tynave cut in, "We're in this together! We came here together, and we'll leave here together. If you stay, I stay, if you go… I go…"

to the bitter end… Tynave said to herself. She closed her eyes as she saw more of her chasers coming, praying.

Lady Nel… forgive us… Farleen, forgive me…

Just as she became certain of her death, several metal objects came from behind her, striking the three rogues closing at her in their vital spots. The objects turned out to be kunais, the Secret Legion's trademark throwing knife. A figure, which was very familiar to both Tynave and Farleen, landed before the wounded spies.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"

"Helping you," the woman answered Tynave's question.

"All by yourself?" Tynave asked again, half yelling.

Chloe didn't have the chance to answer the last question as two men clad in Black Brigade armor closed in on them. She drew her weapons, three kunais in her left hand, and a short sword in her right. With a quick move, the spy planted the three knives in the face of one of the assailants, who was not wearing his helmet, and charged at the other. Before the man could react, a blade found its way to his throat. The two fell without even have the chance to cry. The next person to come was the last person Chloe had expected to ever face.

"DIE WOMAN!" The man screamed with rage. Though his face was partly burned, Chloe could still recognize traces of the man's features.

It was Shelby, very much enraged by now. He had a heavy spiked mace in one hand, an axe in the other, both lifted up high. With weapons in both hands, the former Glyphian lieutenant attacked the spy. Chloe jumped back just in time before Shelby's mace could smash her head to pieces. As she landed back on her feet, she clicked her tongue, cursing her bad luck of running into such a dangerous man. A symbol flashed before the spy, generating a strong gale blowing against the pursuing men. The gale was so strong that it actually halted the advance of the pursuers. A windwall spell.

"Over here!" Called another voice. It was Sisera's. Beside the brunette was Yvikka, who was casting the spell.

"Go!" Chloe yelled the command at her wounded companions. Without questioning, Tynave trudged as fast as she could, all the while carrying Farleen. As her companions made their move, Chloe took out two packs of burning explosives, and tossed them into the slowly dissipating wind spell. The packs exploded, spreading fire everywhere. With the aid of the wind, the raging flame rushed right into the Glyphian ranks, cooking some of the men rare as well as adding more burns to Shelby's face.

The party of five made their way toward the facility's exit. The facility, which was actually a fortress, was quite gigantic. At some point, Tynave knew that they were halfway to the exit, but she was also worried about the slowly cooling body she was carrying. Farleen's wound bled so badly, and if it wasn't stopped…

"Stop!"

The exclamation stopped the other three women. Their eyes went Tynave, and then to Farleen, whose eyes went slacker with every passing moment.

"Farleen… she's…"

Tynave stopped her sentence as she saw Yvikka coming to her side. Seeing the commander's face was like agony for her, for she knew that she was guilty of not having the commander's consent. The dark haired woman then looked at Farleen's wound, finding it in need of immediate attention.

"We have to stop the bleeding," the commander said, "It will be too late for her if we wait until we reach Arias. Chloe, do you know someplace safe to attend her here?"

"The soldier's living quarters in the first floor have good lighting. Aside from the soldiers behind us, if we have truly 'cleaned' the first floor before, it should be safe there for the moment. We should be able to do some quick patching there."

"Let's go there then."

The party then continued the run. They didn't go straight for the exit as they reached the first floor. They took a stop in one of the rooms in the living quarters, but not before slaying some remnants of Shelby's men they had left in their first pass. While Tynave, Chloe, and Yvikka were attending Farleen, Sisera was left behind as a watch. Suddenly, sounds of the clashing blades and screams of men broke out. The dark haired commander tensed. Her hand dashed for the hilt of her sword. Slowly, the commander drew her katana out of its sheath and closed on the door. The door was yanked open all of a sudden, but the dark haired soldier was prepared. She pushed with her blade as the figure on the other side came into sight. It turned out that the figure was Sisera. As she got in, Yvikka's sword welcomed her with a press to her neck.

"C-commander…" The aide managed, still partly shocked by the 'near-death experience' of having a sword pressed against her skin, "… they're already here…"

With a sigh, the tense commander eased upon realizing that it was her aide whom she'd raised her sword to. She brought her blade down and looked at the others attending the wounded Farleen.

"Is it done yet?"

"Just a little longer…" Chloe answered the commander. As soon as she finished the last knot in Farleen's bandage, she pushed her wounded friend upright, taking her to her arms, "Now it's done. Let's get out of here."

Unfortunately, as they got out of the room, they found the corridor leading to the exit was already crowded with men in armor. Apparently, they were surrounded with their backs to the wall. Sisera didn't even have the chance to ask her commander what to do as she saw several Glyphian men charging at them. As if in answer to her concern, she saw Yvikka's hand stretched out from behind her with open palm. The flash of a runological symbol appeared from her hand, followed by a strong gale stopping the men's advance. As the men stumbled to keep their balance against the blowing wall of wind, the commander gestured, chanting another spell.

From the sheltering wall of my protection… be a blade and tear my foes apart.

The symbol flickered, and the wind eased off abruptly, only to return again in another form. The wind blew again, and though not as strong as before, it was twice as painful.

The Glyphian rogue in the lead watched in disbelief as he saw slash marks appearing by themselves in the stone wall and floor, as if an invisible blade had scraped them. A strong gust struck him, leaving a slash mark on his breastplate. Another gust came and left a fairly deep cut on his unprotected face. Only a second after the initial gusts, more gusts came, slicing and tearing the man's body in various places. It turned out that the wind itself had become as sharp as blades. Like a raging torrent of invisible razor-sharp blades, the wind struck the Glyphian ranks. It grazed steel plates, cut through leather armor, sheared through chain mail, and eventually, tore through skin and flesh. Though some of the rogues wore plate armor, even they could not escape from being wounded, for the wind could find its way to the unprotected joints between the plates. The unforgiving torrent of wind blades left virtually no one unscathed, and killed an unlucky few.

"Go! To the exit!" The commander yelled loud and high.

There was no need to say it. The Glyphians' line was in disarray, as the men were distracted by pain. The party rushed through the panicked men with little trouble, but only until something, or rather, someone, struck Chloe, who was carrying Farleen, down in the middle of her run. Still clutching her friend, Chloe rolled over to see her attacker. It was Shelby again. The woman watched helplessly as the Glyphian raised his axe for a kill. Before the axe could harm her, a sword came in, stopping the axe midway. Chloe traced the helping sword back to its wielder. It was Yvikka.

"Keep… going," Yvikka grunted as she struggled against Shelby.

"You're going to pay for this… You're going to die! Die, woman!" Shelby, whose face was almost unrecognizable due to the severe burns and fresh slash wounds, groaned furiously.

Shelby raised his left hand, and swung the mace in it in a lateral arc. The dark haired soldier released her sword from the axe and flung herself backward just in time to avoid the blow. Sisera, who returned to help Chloe, saw her commander in a tangle with Shelby.

"Commander Yvikka!"

"Keep going! I'll catch up later!" The commander shouted as she parried another attack.

Sisera was pained at the idea of leaving her commander, but she knew that there was no other choice. The men around them had started to regain their focus. Some of them had even already gone into a fighting stance. With an annoyed groan, the aide ran with Chloe and Farleen to the exit, leaving Yvikka in a duel with Shelby.

The fight which once had been a duel between two warriors, now turned chaotic as other men joined. Most of the men, however, had been wounded by the last spell. Their wounds, exhaustion, stress, as well as the weight of their own armor slowed their movement, making it easy for the lone swordswoman to dodge the sluggishly launched attacks. The dark haired woman would glide swiftly among those who dared to attack her, downed some as well as threw the others against their friends, if not Shelby. Her only real concern was Shelby.

As for the enraged Shelby, the world had narrowed to only him and the dark haired swordswoman before him. All he cared about was killing his adversary, and anything else was a nuisance. He swung his weapons wildly, smashing his own men, should they get in his way. At some point, he felt that his men—who were actually trying to help him—were getting in his way. The former lieutenant then shouted a clear warning.

"IF ANYONE KILLS HER OTHER THAN ME AND I'LL HAVE HIS HEAD INSTEAD!"

Things had gotten personal for Shelby.

The men backed off at their leader's warning. Even before that, they had been afraid to get close to the fight between their leader and the Aquarian soldier. The dark haired commander was relieved by her adversary's selfishness. She knew that she wouldn't last long if the other men kept attacking her.

All she had to do now was focus.

The duel between the two resumed. Shelby was still on the offensive, as furious as ever. The fact that none of his attacks landed a hit frustrated him. The Glyphian grew angrier with every missed blow, and that made his attacks more and more reckless. It was not by luck that Shelby couldn't hit the dark haired woman. Aside from the fact that the woman was able to move more quickly, the Glyphian had to deal with the difficulties of having worn heavy armor as well as wielding heavy weapons, his movements were restricted to some extent, which led to tell-tale signs of where he would strike. But that didn't mean things were easy for the Aquarian, either. Her opponent's reach, due to his longer arms, was far beyond hers, making him difficult to counter. Staying out of the way of Shelby's attacks was somewhat easier compared to closing in and attacking, but a fight could not be won by dodging alone.

At one moment, the dark haired woman found that Shelby was well within her 'range'. The Glyphian attacked first with an overhead strike from his axe. Yvikka parried the axe, moving her sword in a semicircle to her right, deflecting Shelby's attack momentum there, throwing him off-balance. The split-second advantage of being in her opponent's blind spot as he stumbled was not something to be missed. With all of her strength, she released an attack she hoped to bring the fight to an end. Her sword hit Shelby on his back, sending him face first to the floor. Shelby was down.

Though she'd downed her adversary, the swordswoman felt something odd. There was no blood coming out. Even on her blade there was only a faint trickle of blood. As she looked again at the downed Shelby, she saw a crack on the man's armor, right in the place where she'd struck. Yvikka then realized that she'd just made a mistake.

Shelby got up again, just as the woman had expected. As the man turned to her, she saw him grinning triumphantly—or rather, maniacally.

"Is that all you've got, woman?" Shelby mocked her, still grinning, "You can't kill me that way."

"Learn from this," Shelby spoke again proudly. His one hand smashed his plate armor in a show of superiority, and then yelled out, "I AM INVINCIBLE!"

The dark haired commander distanced herself from her opponent. Her enemy had become more confident, and she knew it was not good for her. Shelby's plate armor was way too strong to be penetrated with conventional means such as a blow with a sword.

Runology-instilled weapons such as used by the Crimson Blades can work wonders against such kinds of armor, but not my sword…

As Yvikka thought about 'sword', she checked on her own blade, glad upon finding that it wasn't chipped—considering the violent contact it had made with Shelby's steel armor.

I have to strike at an unprotected spot, but where…?

Dark eyes scanned the figure of the man before them, and then stopped at one conspicuous, unprotected vital point.

head…?

Only an utter fool would receive a sword in his face…

Her chance of thinking ended as Shelby charged at her with a war cry. Very much decided, the swordswoman took her ready stance and rushed at the charging man—her first offensive charge in the fight after all the time of being on the defensive.

It was not without purpose. By rushing at Shelby, Yvikka forced the man to be within her 'range', giving her a chance to make a counter attack just like what she'd done before. The Glyphian came, this time using his left-hand mace. The woman deflected the mace, directing it down to the ground with a loop of her sword while sidestepping to the attacker's left—his blind spot. As she got there, Yvikka jumped, aiming for Shelby's head. To her surprise, the man blocked her attack using the axe on his right hand, but that was not all of it. The dark haired hadn't even touched the ground when she felt a sudden pain struck her midsection. Shelby had raised his once-grounded mace in an arc, struck the woman in the mid air, throwing her against the wall. The stone wall welcomed her hard. While she staggered under her own pain, Shelby came at her with axe raised high over his head, apparently certain of his victory.

"DIE!"

Jet black orbs widened at the sight before them.

The raised arm revealed another unprotected spot in Shelby's armor—the joint in the armpit.

It was protected only by chain mail.

It was now or never.

With a war cry, the swordswoman launched herself at the oncoming attacker, betting it all on this one last charge. Shelby, who was sure of his victory, was startled by the woman's charge. The true victor was then decided in the next second.

The sword came before Shelby could swing his axe, sheared the chain mail covering his armpit. So great was the driving force behind the sword that it went completely through the poor Glyphian's shoulder, breaking through the shoulder plate from inside.

The next second came Shelby's deafening roar of pain and disbelief. Even in his condition, Shelby refused to lose. He raised his other weapon, attempting to smash the woman's head.

The mace, however, never came. The hand holding it went limp as Yvikka thrust her recently drawn side sword into the man's throat. Shelby gurgled, fell to the hard stone floor as the sword impaling him was removed, never to move again.

Dead.

Yvikka looked at the man lying crumpled at her feet with a strange feeling. She didn't just look—she actually enjoyed the look of the pain-twisted face the dead man still wearing for it soothed something inside her, which made her grin without her even realizing it.

It was the entire day's wrath, poured down hard during the fight, forcing her body to do things she didn't usually do.

It might be the end for Shelby, but for the dark haired woman, things were far from finished. The fight with the former Black Brigade had taken so much of her attention that she had completely forgotten about escaping.

I've got to get out of here…

Surely, there were still dozens of Shelby's cohorts left. But as the dark haired commander looked at them, she saw the light of disbelief in their eyes. Mumblings could be heard from among them.

"It can't be… Sir Shelby… is defeated… by a woman?"

"She's her! Nel Zelpher! No Aquarian could ever defeat Sir Shelby but Nel Zelpher!" A man shrieked with fear.

"Idiot! Just look at her! Her hair isn't even red! She's not…" Another man tried to disprove the previous statement, but was met by another rebuttal.

"She's a spy… she could be in disguise…"

The woman smirked upon hearing them arguing. Though severely outnumbered, she knew she had an advantage—a psychological advantage over the discouraged men. She knew that they had started to fear her. As she was planning her escape, she summoned a spell.

A gust of wind snapped the Glyphian rogues from their debate. They looked at the lone swordswoman, finding that a bright runological symbol had appeared before her. To their horror, the swordswoman had decided to cast that spell. The disheartened men shrieked with fear, some even turned their backs on her, running away.

Yvikka sneered at the sight of the cowering men. For a moment, something inside her rose, the wrathful demon came again, telling her to trample over them like nothing before leaving. From the looks of the men, she knew she could just do it. Aside from the fact that they were already cowed by their leader's death, most of them were already wounded. However tempting the option was, the dark haired soldier shook it away. She had to escape, she had to live, and getting in a fight wouldn't help any of those causes.

"RIP!"

With the word, the invisible blades of wind came again, as merciless as ever, cutting through anything and anyone on its path. Though the spell lasted a shorter time than before, it nevertheless threw the Glyphian men into panic. Before they could even recover themselves, Yvikka rushed in, striking down those who were on their feet.

Stay out of the way or get hurt.

The dark haired commander broke, or rather, tore through their ranks with such ferocity and speed it was as if she was possessed by a demon. Any who dared to stand in her path, or even raise weapon against her was answered with her sword. She ran throughout the first floor's corridor, cutting many men as she passed by for daring to stand in her way. Normally, she wouldn't bother hurting the so-called 'small fries' as her true intention was just to escape. She would have just avoided them, but somehow, the wrathful demon still controlled some part of her, moving her sword hand and body with little realization from her conscious mind.

However hard she tried to ignore them, the fatigue of her body, the pain of her wounds, and the sticky feeling of the dried blood all over her caught up with her as she got past the Glyphian ranks. She came stumbling at the facility's gate, using her sword as a support.

She was tired, very tired. She had just returned from a journey before coming here, and she hadn't taken any time to rest. Moreover, she had cast one spell too many in the fights, and that last one had taken the last of her already taxed reserves of strength.

"Commander… you… you've just returned from a journey. I don't think it would be wise if you go. Please just take some rest, and let us soldiers handle it." Sisera's voice echoed in her mind, and then another echo came to her, this one from several days ago…

"… You're not working, commander… rather, you're killing yourself."

"… killing yourself."

Yvikka smiled faintly at the remembrance. She now realized how true her aide's words were. Along with that thought, she also realized that she and Clair were very much alike, for Clair was just like that.

Worrying about others… disregarding her own health…

The thud of the footsteps belonging to her pursuers came closer. She turned back, looked at the images of the remnants of the Glyphian rogues coming at her.

If I run… they will surely catch up with me…

If I fight…

The dark haired drew her sword and took a stance. Rather than wasting her last reserves to run only to get caught, she chose to fight to the last ounce of her strength. If she could take them all out first, then it would be all good, but if her body failed her first, then that would be it.

She realized, however, that the latter case was more likely to happen. Even with the knowledge of that, she stood as firmly as she could. Her eyes looked at the slowly advancing men—which could well be her death—without blinking.

Waiting.

Suddenly, the sound of a galloping lum broke the tranquility of the commander waiting for her fate. A familiar voice followed.

"Take my hand, commander. Let's get out of here."

The commander smiled relief at the owner of the voice, then took the hand stretched out to her.

---

Arias, midnight.

The purple haired woman stirred in her bed as the calming spell used on her by the doctor wore off. At the same time as her vision came into focus, she saw the familiar sapphire blue orbs of her friend's.

"Ty… nave…"

"Farleen… you're awake."

"Where… is this? Were we… caught?" Farleen asked. It was apparent that she wasn't fully conscious yet.

"No," Tynave answered gently, "We're in Arias. We are safe."

"I… see," the other woman managed in response. Memories of the day's events came flowing back. She then jerked as one particular recollection struck her.

"Tynave…?"

"What is it, Farleen?"

"We… we are going to get punished because of this… right?"

The blonde woman bowed her head. Ever since returning from the facility, the commander hadn't talked with her. She hadn't had the nerve to try to talk to the commander, either. She was afraid, because she knew she was guilty, and punishment was inevitable. Just when Tynave thought about that, the door behind her opened. The figure behind the door made Tynave jerked as if struck just by looking at her.

"L-lady Yvikka!" The blonde spy jumped up her chair, hastily saluting the commander.

"At ease, soldiers. Miss Farleen, you need not salute, you're still hurt," said the dark haired commander.

Yvikka came in to the room, closed the door, and stood near the bed where Farleen was. The two spies' jaws were clenched shut at the presence of the commander, for no one dared to speak. They didn't know what to do, or even expect from this person. Had it been Nel, they knew that the redhead would give them a harsh reprimand as well as a detention order for such disobedience.

"How do you feel, Miss Farleen?" The dark haired asked as she got near the woman on the bed.

"I-I'm fine, Lady Yvikka…"

The commander smiled slightly at the answer, and then turned to the blonde spy, "And how about you, Miss Tynave? I see that you're very much battered as well."

"I-I'm fine as well, Lady Yvikka…"

Yvikka let out a smile at the two spies. She then took another chair, dragged it near the bed, and sat. Silence claimed the room. Over time, Tynave would steal a glance at the commander. She knew that the dark haired woman had something else to say, and she was sure that 'that' something would be nothing else than the orders for their punishment. The commander opened her lips, apparently wanting to say something, but before her voice could even come out, the blonde woman beside her spoke.

"It's my fault, Lady Yvikka… It was my idea to go to the training facility. I… the blame is all on me."

"Tynave…!" The woman in the bed protested, "How could you take… the blame… all by yourself? I thought… we're in this… together," garnet eyes then turned to meet jet black ones, "Lady Yvikka… I… have supported her in this. I, too… have the responsibility."

"Please let me speak."

The commander's answer silenced the other two women. A sigh came from the dark haired woman, and then another smile, and then, her voice.

"I want to say I'm sorry…"

The two women were dumbfounded by the apology. They realized that they were at fault, and the dark haired woman had nothing to do with it.

"Had I returned earlier…" The commander continued, "We should have been able to plan a more coordinated effort, and such hardships and casualties would not need to have ensued. That Miss Farleen got wounded, that is my fault as well. I guess I'm not that good of a commander to you for you to act on your own."

"… Lady Yvikka…"

"Anyway, don't worry about feeling guilty," the dark haired soldier cut in, "The fact that you two returned alive is atonement enough for your disobedience. Furthermore, the time you're going to spent resting in your room will compensate for the detention period."

The commander then stood, and walked toward the door. As she got to the door, she turned to the two women once again, "I'm going to need your strength in the coming days. Until then, please take a good rest so that you can have your strength back when it's needed."

With those words, the commander left the room, leaving the two spies in silence.

"Why…Tynave?"

"What?"

"Why do you always… protect me? It's like that day… I told you to jump out of the wagon before me… and you refused, and so we were caught together… Today, you shielded me many times… and even wanted to… take the blame all by yourself… Just… why?"

Tynave answered in silence. A faint, sad smile was on her face.

---

Yvikka was walking along the corridor to her room when Sisera greeted her.

"How does it go, commander?"

"What do you mean?"

"Them," the aide answered with a gesture pointing at the room her commander had come out of before.

"They're fine. A bit exhausted, though."

"Oh, right."

It was not what the brunette wanted to speak to her commander about. The dark haired woman saw it in the amber eyes, a hint of question. Her aide was the kind of person who got straight to the point, but she could be timid at times when trying to express something. Yvikka had known that for a long time, so it was not all that strange.

"So, is there something you want to talk me about… or maybe ask?"

"Uh, well…" The aide faltered. She knew her commander could easily read her.

"If you don't mind… commander. I was just wondering… just who… who are you really?" The aide managed, finally posing her question.

"Me?" The question surprised the other woman, "Of course, your commander."

"No, not that," the other woman shook her head, and turned to see the jet black depths of the commander's eyes, "You're not like a mere 'soldier' or 'commander'. You're more like a runologist, or maybe more, with all of the spells you showed back there in the facility. What's more, you could even tell that Tynave and Farleen were up above us as we stepped into the fortress. I take it that… you sensed their flow of runology, right?"

"Alright, Sisera, I'll tell you," the dark haired woman smiled, giving up at her aide's observation, "I was born in a family of runologists, is that enough?"

The aide went silent at the answer. Though the words came along with a smile from the lips that had spoken them, the tone behind the voice gave a warning enough that the other woman was not in the feel to discuss the matter any further.

---

Castle Aquaria, audience chamber.

Laselle walked toward her queen bringing a hunk of paper and books with him. The queen saw him, and then gestured, giving permission to speak.

"Your Majesty, I looked into our history records about the Yrsenlaf lineage, as per your request," the magistrate spoke solemnly, as always.

"What was the result?"

"It is indeed true that Yrsenlaf lineage has ever been counted among the kingdom's servants. But the most surprising fact is that the Yrsenlafs were also among the most venerated of the runologists. Their deeds include their involvement in the forging of one of our royal treasures, the Blades of Ryusen, as well as some research in the subject of runology-instilled weapons used by our Crimson Blades. Even some of our most respected servants, such as the Lasbards and the Zelphers learned from them."

"The Yrsenlafs… 'were'?" The queen asked with a slight confusion.

"Yes… 'were', because since the reign of Her Majesty Aquaria XXIV, the last of the Yrsenlafs to serve the kingdom resigned from servitude. No other Yrsenlafs have ever been recorded since."

"What was the cause?"

"It says here that…" Laselle looked down at one of the books he was carrying before continuing, "… It says that there was an accident in one of the runological research projects led by one of the Yrsenlafs, by the name of Riege san Yrsenlaf. He survived the accident, but lost several colleagues there. Though Her Majesty Aquaria XXIV didn't blame him for that, he resigned from servitude as a token of his responsibility nevertheless."

"I see…" The queen sighed, "But one point I don't understand; why would this Yrsenlaf chose to serve in the military? Had she come here, she would surely have been recognized and welcomed as a runologist."

"That, I do not know. However, we can't be sure that Yvikka eté Yrsenlaf is truly one of the inheritors of the Yrsenlafs as of yet."

The queen bowed her head, thinking. As she brought her head up again, her lips voiced a command.

"Resume the recording of the Yrsenlafs' history. Add Yvikka eté Yrsenlaf to it."

"But… Your Majesty," the magistrate protested, "With all due respect, how can you be so sure?"

"I am sure of it. She is one of the Yrsenlafs' heirs."

If she isn't, then what else could explain the flow of power I've sensed on her as she kneeled before me?