Disclaimers # 1: Star Ocean is not mine. It is the rightful property of Square-Enix's. The OCs are mine, however.

Disclaimers # 2: This fanfiction is based on another fanfiction titled Two Soldiers: Fire and Ice authored by Artemis' Bow, therefore, our plots may cross at some certain points. To those who are new to this story, it is highly recommended for you to read Artemis' Two Soldiers as well if you want to get a better grasp to this story. A very special thanks to Artemis' Bow, for her approval, help and support have made this fic possible. If you like this story, half of the credit shall go to her. This story is also dedicated to her.

Author's Note: After a year or so of idle moments… yeah, I'm back. I deeply apologize for the very, very, long wait to you readers. I hope this chapter can redeem at least a part of that. I also want to express my deepest gratitude to those who have waited long enough for this, and to those kind people who have left reviews in spite of the fact that this fic had long since updated. I once said that I will not scrap this fic. I don't, and I will finish this. Trust me on that.

And now, without any further ado… Happy reading, and please review.

The Third Soldier: Another Heart

Chapter 10

The Guardian's Bane

"Father, I did it!"

A ten-year-old dark-haired girl ran up to a middle-aged man, who was obviously her father. The man then welcomed her to his arms.

"Really? You did that, my princess Yvikka? Let me see that," the man said enthusiastically.

Yvikka smiled, and, without any further ado, clutched her father's hand, pulling him all the way to a certain room in the house. There, the girl showed her father an egg—seemingly not an ordinary egg, for there was a rune symbol glowing on its shell.

"You really did it!" Said Yvikka's father, taking the egg from her daughter's hand, his eyes widened with amazement and joy. As he was inspecting his daughter's work, the symbol faded, and then gone completely.

"Oh, too bad," the father said with a mock-hurt look. He then turned to the young girl, handing over the egg, "Can you do that again, Yvikka?"

"Sure!!" the girl answered spiritedly. She took the egg, and then chanted a spell. As she chanted, her right hand glowed with a pale blue aura. Still chanting the spell, she placed her glowing hand on the egg. When she finally finished chanting, she removed her hand from the egg, and there it was again—a glowing rune symbol etched on the egg.

"Perfect!" Her father commented, then went on, "Alright, now for effect… try invoking one of the basic elemental runes to this egg. Quick, do it before the symbol disappears."

"Yes, father," the girl nodded, and then murmured, "Okay… now… Wind!"

---

A twelve-year-old Yvikka wandered around the woods. A few moments ago, she was still with her friends, but a trick was pulled out on her; and now there she was, all alone, barely losing her way.

"Lilia! Guiddo!" She shouted, calling for her friends for the umpteenth time, "Andressa! Answer me! If this is a trick, you'd better stop now because it's not funny anymore!"

There was no answer. Meanwhile, the sky was getting red, and dusk was coming. Yvikka looked back, very much torn between just going straight back out of the woods, or staying for the sake of ensuring her friends' well-being. A sudden rustling of bushes near her caught her ears, and she turned, staring at the direction of where the noise came from.

"Guiddo, is that you? Lilia? Andressa?"

Anxiety caught her as her questions went unanswered. The bushes rustled again, and this time, she took a step back. She didn't have the time to think anymore as a shadow jumped at her from the bushes.

A large Dire Wolf almost twice her size lunged, striking her down in its first charge. The girl didn't even have the chance to look at her attacker as the beast charged again, this time, pinning her down beneath its large furry body. Only at that moment she got to look at her attacker.

The beast bared its fangs, and then gnawed the girl's right shoulder, tearing off the cloth covering it, as well as some flesh. The smell and taste of blood from the wound made the beast crave for more. Its fangs soon found their way to the girl's other shoulder. This time, they went deeper into the flesh.

Yvikka cried with all of her might. First it was from fear, and then, pain. She had never seen so much blood coming out of her body before, and it frightened her, for it made her feel closer to death. At that moment of despair, her survival instinct kicked in. Her power rose, and her right hand glowed. Purely driven by instinct, she grabbed the wolf's head with her glowing hand, and then, just as she first did it to an egg from two years ago, she forced her power onto the beast, marking it with a brightly glowing rune symbol. The beast jerked in response, and, as if knowing what its prey had done, wailed in fear. The mark had been set, and all she needed to do was to cast one more spell.

Wind…

A wind symbol flashed. At that instant, the beast's body was stopped dead in its track. For a moment, the beast wriggled, its expression twisted as if something was struggling to get out from within its body—and it actually was. The wolf's body then burst out of a sudden, its blood and guts splattered all over, along with some trace of runological force.

Young Yvikka froze at the scene before her, shocked. She'd just witnessed and experienced things that were just too much for her young mind to process.

Pain.

Blood.

Death.

"Yvikka!"

The familiar voice of her father's broke through her ears, and she responded to it almost instinctively.

"Father!"

"I'm coming! Yvikka!"

All of a sudden, another shadow sprang out of the woods. The girl's traumatized mind made her survival instinct took over her. Without even half recognizing the figure coming at her, she raised her hand once again. Her yell clearly stated her intention.

"DON'T COME CLOSE TO ME!!"

(End of flashback)

Yvikka eté Yrsenlaf opened her eyes, unwilling to let one of the darkest moments of her life consumed her in remembrance. It was like ten years ago, and she'd long buried it within her memory. However, as she looked again at the night skies of Arias, the sight there brought those moments close again.

The darkest night. A night that was both starless and moonless, striking fear to everyone's heart at the moment.

The darkness it showed, very much bore a resemblance to the dark, cold woods in her memories, and the darkness she'd felt at that time. Another thought then came to her mind, a recollection of the words of a particular red-haired woman.

A being that could imperil the entire universe…Is this is it, Lady Nel?

This is not the end yet, right Lady Nel?

You're still alive and fighting out there, right?

You have to… because if you don't…

"Yvikka."

The soft voice made the woman turned her head to face her caller, lifting a smile as she found Clair Lasbard by her side.

"Here," said Clair, handing over a still-fuming cup, "I bring you some tea."

"Lady Clair…" Yvikka murmured, feeling a bit awkward for a moment, but managed, taking the cup from her superior's hand, "… thank you."

Clair then shifted, standing by her friend's side so that they stood shoulder-to-shoulder. She looked at the pitch-black skies for a moment, before bringing her own cup of tea to her lips, sipping it. But again, the pale brown orbs looked up for the second time, their expression worried.

"Shouldn't you be resting, Lady Clair?" the dark haired woman asked after a moment of silence.

"How can I rest, looking at that?" Was Clair's answer.

"Yes… I can understand that. This is… bothersome," Yvikka said.

"Truly bothersome… This is not because of cloud. It is as if… the stars are disappearing by themselves."

"Or probably… being made to disappear by someone… or something…"

Her companion's words made the silver haired commander remember her talk with her beloved before she went again with Fayt and the others. A talk which topic she couldn't fully comprehend, a talk which could certainly shook many beliefs that she knew in this world… a talk about the beings who claimed to be their 'creators'…

Is this… the work of those who you said to have claimed to be our creator, Nel?

The power that could even command the stars…

Clair closed her eyes and brought her head down, unwilling to see the skies anymore. Her body trembled, both with awe and fear at the thoughts. She was awed at the imagination of such power; however, she was also frightened for Nel, her beloved, knowing that she was out there facing this power.

I can't imagine… Oh, Nel.

Yvikka turned, finding her dear superior seemingly troubled, for her eyes were downcast, her shoulders slumped, and her body leaned heavily to the wall behind her.

"Lady Clair, are you alright?"

Clair lifted her face at the question. She straightened her posture, trying to look all right, and answered.

"I'm fine, Yvikka."

"Are you sure? You look tired just before."

"Sure," the silver haired woman answered, smiling at her former aide, "I'm fine. I'm much better now."

A small, sad smile spread across Yvikka's face. She knew exactly that Clair was worried about Nel. It had been days since Nel left, and the beautiful woman beside her was truly looking better than she'd been, thanks to the redhead; but if only that worried look could go away from her face, she'd look even better. Clair was beautiful, everyone knew, but her beauty wasn't just skin-deep. It extended even to her inside, herself, her very soul. She was kind and caring, a very motherly person, but at the same time, strong and steadfast a soldier she was. Such combination of fine traits made Yvikka thought that Clair wasn't even human—a goddess, probably, for she was too perfect to be 'human', at least for her.

Clair turned at her friend, catching a glimpse of what that looked like blushes on her friend's cheeks, but wasn't sure if she was really blushing, for the lighting around them was dim. As she got a clearer look, she found her friend was fixed at her, seemingly to be in a daze, and it made her wonder.

"Yvikka? What's wrong?"

A sharp breath intake came as Yvikka was jerked back into reality. Her face tensed from the surprise, but it then softened as she calmed down.

"Nothing… I'm just… sad…" Yvikka answered softly.

"Why? What makes you so?" Clair asked again.

Yvikka's stygian eyes looked away, but then tracked back to see Clair's browns.

"Remember last night?" The dark haired woman lifted her voice, "You seemed to have had a nightmare. You cried, and I happened to be just outside your room to hear it. When I asked… you said that there's nothing, and everything's alright… but to me, you're definitely not all right. It… it saddens me to see you like that. I want to help you in any way I can, but I don't know how, because you don't even say a thing."

Clair looked at her friend's eyes. There, she clearly saw the light of worries inside. Yvikka was generally open to others, but it was very rarely that her eyes really talk—there was always something hidden in there. Her dark eyes were almost as mystifying as their color. But now, the very same eyes were open and talking, carrying their owner's worries within them; signifying that the woman's words and feelings were genuine.

"… Yvikka…" Clair managed after a few moments of studying her friend, "… I'm sorry…"

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Lady Clair. I'm just… worried about you, that's all. You have the very right to keep your problems, though I'd say it's a bad thing; but I myself have not the right to just brag into someone else's problem," Yvikka paused, and then continued with a small smile, "… Unless you let me in, I can't help you. But if you do, know this that I'll be more than happy to help."

"Thank you, Yvikka. I'll remember that."

Yvikka fell silent at her superior's response, sighing. Her mind then trailed off, wanting to ask one more thing, but she couldn't really decide whether to do it or not. Clair, for her part, could still see something passing through the dark eyes, but she decided to just let it. She knew that it was nearly impossible to dig something from this woman, unless she wanted to talk about it herself.

"… Damn…"

Shiny dark hair fell well past Yvikka's shoulders as she took her helmet off. She cursed at how her hair—that had grown longer by now—bothered her when she wore her helmet. Personally, she never favored long hair, because she thought that it would get in her way in a fight. Usually, she never let her hair to grow past her shoulders, and cut it regularly; however, she'd been very busy in these past few weeks that she couldn't even think about doing a haircut.

"I think I really need a haircut," she murmured, slightly tilting her head to the side to see just how long it had grown.

Clair overheard her friend mumbling, and smiled widely. She saw Yvikka's now long hair, and she found herself fond of it. Dark-colored hair wasn't uncommon, but it was difficult to find one that was as silky and shiny as her friend's seemed to be. Moreover, she'd never seen Yvikka with long hair, and seeing her like this now was kind of refreshing; like seeing a different, yet familiar person.

"I wouldn't advise that," Clair finally lifted her voice, moving her hand to touch her friend's hair. The dark hair seemed rather unkempt, probably because it was tied inside the helmet, but it was just as smooth and silky as Clair had imagined.

"You have such a lovely hair, Yvikka," Clair spoke again, "Wouldn't it be a pity to cut it short again?"

Yvikka felt her cheeks warmed, and she knew that she was blushing at the moment; just how bad, she didn't know. She tried hard to regain herself, trying to sound normal, but finding that she wasn't doing that well.

"W-well… I-I… usually never let my hair to grow this long… They'd be a nuisance should I get in a fight… and—"

The rest of her arguments got lost in the face of Clair's broad smile. At that moment, Yvikka found herself unable to do, think, or want anything else but to look at Clair's sweet smile before her for a little longer; engraving it to her memories and keeping it dear. Suddenly, the silver haired beauty shifted, breaking Yvikka out of her daze. Only at that time she was able to find her voice again.

"L-lady Clair…"

Clair saw the blushes she thought she'd seen it on her friend's face a while before resurfaced, though faintly, and laughed softly. It amused her to see how her usually-composed friend could be so timid. Back in the days when they were together in the Shield Legion, Yvikka was one of her brightest soldiers. Most of the time she saw her, Yvikka had always been calm, collected, and duty-focused. Even when she got to know the dark haired woman personally, never once she saw her to be shy or unconfident; until now, at the least.

An idea then came to Clair's mind. Still wearing the smile, she gestured, telling her friend to wait while she herself went, picked up a stool, and set it near runological lighting nearby. That done, she then called Yvikka to come over and…

"Sit."

"Uh, Lady Clair? Wha—"

"I said sit," Clair cut in her friend's question. She then pulled the other commander close, and, as if treating a child, forced her to sit on the stool with a push on her shoulders, but not before putting away the empty cups of their tea.

"Lady Clair, what are you doing?" Yvikka asked, very much bewildered by now.

"Trying to make you look better. Now, just stay still for a while, okay?"

Another grin spread across Clair's face when her friend relaxed, seemingly complying with her demand. She then took out a comb, lightly wetting it with a water spell, and, with gentle strokes, started to comb the dark hair out. Her soft hands worked through it, removing the knots and making it neat and straight. For a moment, some part of Clair wished that it was Nel before her. She had been longing to do something like this to her beloved, if only to make her look more womanlike; but the redhead always refused it.

Yvikka, for her part, just stayed quiet; her every objection lost in the knowing that it was Clair who did her hair. Her heart throbbed faster with a sense of almost guilty pleasure. In all honesty, she was immensely pleased with Clair's ministration, but at the same time, she also felt somewhat guilty because of the fact that it was her superior who did this to her. However, she knew well that she could do nothing to stop the silver haired woman from doing what she want, hence her compliance.

"Your hair is so fine," Clair said after a moment of combing, "I cannot see why it can be a nuisance. Even if you do move too much, they'll just fall right back to place."

"It's just… preference, I guess?" Was Yvikka's response, "It just doesn't feel… right."

"Okay, maybe this can help to make it feel 'right'."

Clair then joined a portion of Yvikka's hair—the longest tails—while taking one of her violet ribbons which held one of her longer bangs, and tied her friend's hair into a low ponytail. After she made sure that the knot won't fall loose easily, she went around to Yvikka's front to see her works on her.

"There. A good hairdo, I must say," said Clair, smiling contentedly

"This…" Yvikka lifted her voice, her hand went back to scan her hair.

Before Yvikka could say any more, Clair gestured at her again, telling her to wait for her. The other commander then went somewhere, and—just as the dark haired woman thought—returned with a mirror, which she gave to Yvikka so that she could see her new look.

"What do you think?" Clair asked her, "Do you like it?"

Yvikka studied the reflection in the mirror. There, she saw herself with her hair tied to her back. A surge of remembrance came to her mind. She remembered that, when she was little, her hair was long as well, and her mother always did her hair this way. She loved her mother very much, and was deeply grieved when she died. Ever since she became a soldier, she cut her hair short, never letting it grow long again. Now, her hair had grown long, and she had Clair, the one person whom she also loved as much, doing her hair the same way.

"… I… like it…" Yvikka muttered almost inaudibly.

"Really? But… why are you tearing? Hey, you cry?" Clair asked as she saw tears building up on the dark eyes through the mirror.

Alarmed by Clair's question, Yvikka quickly wiped the tears off, but they just kept on coming.

"Nothing…" The crying woman finally managed, still busy with wiping her tears. Her voice was raspy, but her lips smiled, "I like it, Lady Clair. It was just… nostalgic. My mother… she used to do my hair… this way."

"I see," Clair said softly, starting to understand more about her fellow commander, "Your mother was a soldier as well, right? She must be proud to see you now."

"… Yeah…"

Clair sighed deeply, her pale brown eyes fixed at her fellow commander with a gentle look. In this very night, she'd just seen many of Yvikka's self which she'd never seen before, and was marveled at how open her friend was now; very much unlike the woman she'd known as one of her soldiers four years ago. Nevertheless, this woman had helped her greatly when she was lost in her grief of Nel's 'death', and she was glad that Yvikka had decided to help her once again now. Clair was truly thankful for all that her friend had done, and she wanted to express it more thoroughly, but she was unsure on how to do it. A usual 'thank you' didn't feel to serve the purpose right.

How am I to see you now…?

If Nel is a lover to me, then you are…

a friend… a best friend…

Suddenly, Yvikka felt Clair's hands went around her from her back, wrapping her in a warm embrace; effectively stopping her reminiscence. She could feel Clair's warm, steady breath close to her ears, and then, a soft whisper.

"Thank you so much… Yvikka."

"L-lady… Clair?"

"I haven't thanked you properly…" Clair spoke again, "… for taking care of my soldiers, and Arias, and also, me."

"… I… Don't mention it," said Yvikka, "It's all… in my orders. After all… I can't just leave you behind because I…"

love you…

The words almost slipped her tongue, but she could still hold it back.

"Because what, Yvikka?"

"I mean…" Yvikka managed, bracing herself to face the woman behind her, "… Because we're friends, right, Lady Clair?"

"Indeed we are," Clair agreed, and then added, "If we are truly friends, Yvikka, then… please do me a favor."

"Name it."

Clair shifted, lifting a small smile before her friend, and uttered her favor.

"Call me Clair, Yvikka."

The request stunned Yvikka speechless. She honestly never imagined herself calling her dear superior only by her name. She always looked up to Clair, and she respected the woman very much; not only because of her rank, but also because of her traits.

"… Lady… Clair…?"

"Clair. Just Clair," the fair woman corrected, "Friends don't refer to each other with formalities."

The dark haired woman smiled at Clair's remark. Her lips then opened slowly, and, for the first time in her life, called her superior only by her name.

"Very well… Clair."

---

Arias, the dawn after the starless night.

"NEEELL!"

Clair shot upright, crying her beloved friend's name. As realization came to her, she found herself gasping heavily for breath, and her body drenched with sweat. The night had been uneasy for her, for she had just seen a bizarrely frightening phenomenon, and the thought of Nel was out there, probably facing whatever caused it just make it worse. Clair then grunted in disgust; her eyes shut and her hands clutched her ears in attempt of denying the sight of Nel's despaired look in her green eyes as she took the mortal blow, and the unbearable scream of her death cry as her body was shattered to pieces, her blood splattered all over right before her very eyes.

Nel…Oh, Nel…

It was the worst nightmare she'd ever had, and she knew that more of it, even the worse ones, might come should nothing be done to overcome this sickening feeling of being unable to do anything.

As she thought about it, she realized that there was another sensation that was no less appalling. It came to her ever since the starless night, and it seemed that her fellow runologists also felt the same. It was kind of menacing, as if it could kill her at any moment.

Clair pushed the feelings aside, knowing that it was of no use to try to struggle with them now. She then got up, walked over to the window, and opened the curtain. The sight of the Elicoorian sun slowly rising to its throne welcomed her, and that was the first good thing she saw in the day. As she was enjoying the spectacle, she heard a voice which tone closely resembled the tone of the one she loved.

"There! You're not fighting! You're daydreaming!"

A sound of clashing metal came, followed by the obvious sound of someone being hit, and then, a grunt. The voice then came again.

"What kind of attack was that? Be serious, soldier!"

Clair looked at the direction of the voice. In the nearby training ground, she found Yvikka, Sisera, and several Chain Legion soldiers, as well as some of her own soldiers, seemingly doing a practice sparring. The Chain Legion commander was obviously the one who uttered the cynical remarks, and that reminded Clair of how Nel also used such remarks in training her soldiers.

"You're not fighting, Clair. You're daydreaming."

Those were Nel's words which she once said to her in their training days. She kept those words, and sometimes used the expression herself to her own soldiers. Apparently, she passed it down to Yvikka, and the fact that her friend used it as well made her laugh. As Clair shifted, she felt something amiss with her body, which she knew that it came from the long time of not doing enough workouts. An idea flashed in her mind, and she then quickly changed into her training outfit, and went down to the training ground.

---

Yvikka stood over some of her exhausted soldiers, sighing; slightly disappointed on how they were holding up. Even though they'd outnumbered her three to one in the last match, they couldn't even get one third of her. She sighed again, deep in thought, knowing that she couldn't get to measure her soldiers' abilities this way. Usually, in training, she would hold back, only went as far as two steps ahead in order to see her soldiers' progress. However today, the nauseating sensation she'd felt ever since the darkest night kept her to be on full alert; making her to treat every attack as real. Just as she was thinking about it, a familiar voice came to her ears.

"Yvikka."

The dark haired woman turned, smiling upon finding Clair walked toward her, and saluted.

"Lady Clair."

The woman frowned at the way her friend called her, but she returned the salute nevertheless, and spoke.

"Just 'Clair', okay?"

"Ah… Forgive me… Clair," the soldier blurted at Clair's reminder, "It is truly difficult to change what you're accustomed to doing for so long."

"I know it is, but you have to give it a try at least. By the way, what have you done to them?" Clair remarked as she saw a lump of expended soldiers near them.

"Well… It was all started with a regular morning warm-up exercise, but… they asked for a sparring and…"

"I see," the Shield Legion commander cut through Yvikka's explanation, laughing softly, "And then you gave them a day's worth of workouts. Anyway, Yvikka; I feel a bit rusty today, and I think I need some of that as well. Would you care to spar with me for a while?"

Clair's last sentence slightly surprised her. Never had she thought that the fair commander would ask to spar with her. Aside of that, she was also worried with Clair's condition. The woman was highly proficient in runological battle, but a 'spar' always meant a physical fight, in which Clair was less capable at.

"Don't worry about me. I can stand harsh beating. If I couldn't, I'd never be a soldier." The fair woman ensured, as if knowing her concern.

Yvikka smiled, unable to help but recognize the truth behind Clair's words. No matter how beautiful or ladylike Clair might look, she was still a soldier, and Yvikka knew exactly how unforgiving a soldier's training could be.

After all, a little physical training might help to get her back to shape… She hasn't been in the field duty for some time…

"Very well, if that is what you want," the dark haired woman finally managed. She put aside her training sword, and told the other soldiers to clear the training ground. Done with that, she then assumed an unarmed fighting stance, and spoke again.

"Let us start from the basics, shall we?"

"No need to go easy on me, Yvikka. Give me your all!" Clair answered, assuming her stance as well.

---

Arias Manor conference room, a few hours later.

Clair Lasbard worked on the compilation of yesterday's reports, preparing for the briefing to come. Though the intimidating sensation the darkest night had caused her was still there, her training with Yvikka a few hours ago had helped to ward off some of it. A moment later, a knock came to the door. The commander lifted her head to see who was coming; smiling upon finding her fellow commander entered the room.

"I have noticed the squad leaders, as per your request," Yvikka informed her superior, "They should come here… anytime soon."

It sounded like a usual report, but Clair could pick hints of anxiety in Yvikka's tone. Her friend's troubled face as she looked up to it confirmed her supposition.

"Thank you, Yvikka," Clair managed, "But… you look troubled. Is there something bothering you?"

"Yes, Clair, honestly…" the woman answered rather awkwardly, "This… ever since last night…"

"You feel 'that', don't you?"

Yvikka nodded, agreeing silently. She knew exactly that, if she could feel it, then Clair must be feeling it as well. She had confirmed it with several runologists, and it appeared that most, if not all people with runological talent in the village felt 'that'—the hostile, menacing impression left by the darkest night.

Clair, for her part, could only sigh for she really didn't know how to address the problem. She felt it, too, and she honestly had no idea on how to describe it, though part of her knew the probable source of the problem. The memories of her last talk with Nel flashed again, and along with that, for the few times of her life, an overwhelming surge of fear enveloped her—part of it because of the knowledge that they were facing a godlike power, but even a larger part of it was her worries for Nel.

"… Clair," Yvikka called, breaking up the curtain of silence.

"Yes?"

"Apparently, this strange… 'syndrome' also affects most runologists in the town. Not only that, but most people, as well as soldiers are also fear-stricken by the last night's phenomenon, and are in the verge of panic. Under this uncertainty, I suggest that we should limit, if not halt all regular outgoing operations for the time being until we can get a clearer grasp on the situation."

"I see your point, Yvikka," Clair responded, "But in what way can we attempt to assess the situation? A thorough investigation on the current phenomenon cannot be carried out here. Aquios might be able to do it, but we can't actually rely on them."

"Send a reconnaissance patrol," answered Yvikka, "That way, we can get at least some picture on our stand. If we can at least ensure the people that nothing is out of ordinary out there or that any and all threats are controllable, we should be able to bring order and peace back."

"And who would be willing for this mission?" Clair asked rather rhetorically.

Yvikka straightened in response, her hand went up to her chest in a salute, answering.

"With your permission, Lady Clair, I volunteer myself to undertake the mission."

The silver haired commander smiled at her friend. Her answer was just as she'd expected. In all honesty, she herself would like to take on the mission as well, if only to find out what was happening out there. Now that her friend had volunteered herself, all that she had to do was to come along.

"Permission granted," Clair replied, returning the salute, "But only if I come with you."

The fair commander's answer wasn't unexpected. Even if she didn't volunteer herself, Yvikka knew that Clair would do something of the sort sooner or later. Surely, the imagination of Clair and her patrolling together side by side fascinated her, but she couldn't allow her beautiful superior to be exposed to danger, especially today.

"I appreciate your offer of assistance, milady, but—"

"I don't offer," Clair cut the objection short, "I insist."

Yvikka fell to silence at the face of her superior's persistence. Even before she spoke her disapproval, she knew from Clair's tone that any objection against her will would do no avail.

"… As you wish… Clair," Yvikka finally managed, giving in with a smile.

---

The Aire hills, a few hours later.

The two commanders had been in the hills for quite some time, exploring and scrutinizing the area for any hint of irregularities. So far, the only thing that bothered them aside of the intimidating presence they were feeling was that there was hardly any beast around—it was as if even the beasts are afraid of coming out of their dens.

"Clair, look," Yvikka called as her sharp eyes caught something.

The runologist paced up to her companion's side, only to be shaken by the sight before her. Before them, were some remains of what that looked like men's corpses, as well as some lum and dragon carcasses in a condition that by no means intact. Yvikka went ahead to check on the remains, while Clair followed behind her.

"This is…" Clair muttered as she looked at one of the scattered carcasses.

"Yes. There's no mistaking it," said Yvikka, "Airyglyph Dragon Brigade. And this sword…"

The soldier turned, picking up a large two-handed sword, and showed it to her superior beside her.

"The Black Brigade sword," Clair confirmed, "What were these Glyphians doing here in our territory? And who in the world did this to them?"

"They're probably the remaining Glyphian rogues who attacked Arias back then," Yvikka answered Clair's confused question, "And judging from the condition of their remains, it is highly likely that whoever did this must have used runology… a very powerful one."

In response to her friend's remarks, Clair then concentrated, trying to find any trace of runological signature left by spells cast in the area. It didn't take long for her find it, but to her surprise, the signatures she found were very much unlike any spells she knew, in exception of one thing.

This mark… this feeling… are they somehow related­­­­?

Suddenly, she felt as if something had stabbed her heart. Her rune symbols burned; the dread she was feeling went worse all of a sudden, hurting her, and her vision blurred at the pain. Her knees soon failed her, but before she even fell to them, a pair of strong arms came to her aide. Yvikka's face flashed before her sight, and her voice broke through her ears.

"Clair!!"

The cry of her name jerked her back to reality. When she turned, she saw her friend's expression was also a mask of pain. She knew that Yvikka was feeling that as well.

"… Yvikka… I… there's…"

"Get a hold of yourself! Clair!" Yvikka snapped, but her next sentence came in a tone of suppressed pain.

"Someone… no, something… is coming…!"

The menacing presence thickened, and the two commanders had to muster all of their might to resist the fear of looking at its source. By the force of will, they finally managed to bring their head up and turned to look behind them. The sight that awaited them was truly beyond belief.

There stood a being that just looked like a female human, but it had three pairs of wings protruding from its back, and its feet didn't even touch the earth—which was kind of 'inhuman' in and of itself. The being was also clad in an attire of an otherworldly style and origin—a shimmering gold and white dress—which made it looks almost divine. It was a beautiful sight to behold, but the thick ominous aura the being was emanating made its watchers couldn't even think of admiring the view.

It was truly a dreadfully majestic presence.

Yvikka, having regained control over herself, stepped forward, positioning herself to shield her superior should something dangerous came. She then lifted her right hand—signifying no harmful intent—and lifted her voice in an attempt to communicate with the being before her.

"O, majestic foreigner," she began, "We are the loyal servants of the Sacred Kingdom of Aquaria. We meant no harm, but the ground you are standing now is the rightful territory of Aquaria; therefore, I demand your cooperation to be willing to abide by the laws of the Sacred Queen, and peacefully come with us to Arias for further inquiry."

The being shifted, seemingly looked at the Chain Legion commander, and, in Aquarian tongue, uttered an unthinkable response in a voice that sounded inhuman.

"Those… who defy the will of the Creator… shall be terminated. Irregularities… shall be… deleted."

… 'Creator'?

The one word shook Clair to her very soul. A word which hinted the connection among Nel's story to her, the being before her, and the phenomenon she was feeling.

could it be…?

Clair's line of thought was suddenly interrupted as Yvikka tackled her away. An unmistakable feel of a released runological force broke through her senses. The earth shook as the energy struck the ground near them with a deafening explosion, leaving a fairly huge crater as a testament of power. She saw her friend got up from her side, her hand on her sword, yelling a warning.

"That is far enough! Any more act of hostility and I shall answer in the like manner!"

Nel… is this truly what you're facing?

She didn't even pay attention to what happened next. Her mind was pulled back and forth at the remembrance of her beloved's story, and its relation to the events she was experiencing now. Another explosion jerked her back to reality, and by the time she was aware of her surroundings again, she saw Yvikka flying, rolling on the ground before finally getting back to her feet again. A battle was already fought.

The swordswoman hadn't quite gotten her bearing back when she saw the angelic being started to chant another spell. Just as she was preparing to brace for the attack, another wave of spell hit her enemy squarely, effectively halting its move. She turned to see her helper, finding Clair with her hand raised before her chest, obviously readying another spell.

Clair's spell took a while longer to cast, and their ethereal enemy had already turned its attention to the casting runologist. Before it could even attempt an attack, however, Yvikka struck with all of her might, breaking through its defenses. Her sword cut deep from its left shoulder to its chest, inflicting a wound that would kill a normal human; yet, as Yvikka pulled the blade out, there was no blood or anything like it. Instead, there was brightly colored essence spilled out from the cut.

What in the world… Yvikka thought as she saw her enemy's 'blood'.

This… it seems that this being is wholly made from the very essence of runology itself!

"Yvikka! Clear out!"

Clair's warning broke through her chain of thought. She disengaged just in time before Clair's spell took effect. Runological symbols appeared beneath and above the being; a pillar of blue-colored flame formed between the symbols, enveloping whatever inside them in a merciless rage. The runologist then gestured again, and the symbols of her spell shifted form; the flame pillar turned brighter before finally exploded, leaving a huge crater in its aftermath, with the being lying crumpled in its center. Only then was Yvikka able to join up with Clair again.

"Yvikka, you okay?" Clair asked her companion; her eyes were still fixed at the middle of the crater where their enemy was lying, very much in a full alert.

"I'm fine, Lady Clair," answered the swordswoman, "Thanks for the help."

"Is it… over?"

Just as Clair finished her words, the being rose again; its bodily appearance tarnished as the result of Clair's spell. Apparently, the spell damaged it more than Yvikka's sword did.

"Not just yet!" Yvikka exclaimed, quickly assuming her fighting stance. She then turned to Clair, advising a strategy.

"It seems that runology is far more effective against this fiend. Lady Clair, I'll try to stall it while you hit it with spells."

Under normal circumstances, the runologist wouldn't agree with the idea for she truly hated seeing her friends and soldiers went into trouble for the sake of her convenience; but now, she had no other choice but agree. The enemy was powerful, she knew it because it could withstand one of her strongest spells, and she couldn't devise any better idea.

"You be careful there," Clair replied with a nod, "Don't die on me."

Yvikka turned again, and lifted up a small, confident smile before her dearest commander.

"Don't worry about me," said her, "I'll give you as much time as you need. Just be sure to hit it the hardest as you can."

The warrior then charged again, only to meet a wave of energy from her adversary. The attack whiffed above her as she shifted into a lower stance. She lunged from her position, knocking the angelic fiend high into the air with an uppercut from her sheath while she herself jumped, catching it mid-air and sending it back to the earth with a vicious overhand slash from her sword. As soon as Yvikka set foot on earth again, she came again at the fiend with a shoulder charge, driving it back to the ground. With her enemy on the ground, she raised her sword, attempting to impale it to the earth. Before her sword struck, however, the fiend managed to chant something, and its body suddenly disappeared, only to appear again behind her.

Clair watched in slight horror as she saw her friend took the brunt of the fiend's attack. The fiend disappeared again, and then appeared right before her, sending an energy wave toward her. The attack hit, but was deflected by a runological barrier. Though Clair was in the middle of invoking a spell, she wasn't completely defenseless. Knowing that incantation was a critical period for a runologist in battle, she always put a defensive barrier up to shield her should trouble come. However, as most of her power was concentrated on another spell, her barrier was weak, and one more attack would be more than enough to penetrate her defenses. She was ready to break the spell in favor of defending, but Yvikka came again just in time and tackled the fiend out of her way.

Apris help me…

Let this be enough… this has to be…

Celestial Whip!

Another pair of symbols appeared again beneath and above the fiend. This time, they were larger; thus cover even wider area. Beams of light came down, danced madly over the symbols like whips sent from heavens, sucking the fiend in a world of hurt.

That was not Clair's main spell, however. As the ethereal beast was contained inside the spell, Clair readied one more, the strongest spell she had at the time. The air around the runologist shifted as she began chanting. Her silky silver hair was set loose at the rose of her power, and her body enveloped in a thin silver aura, eliciting a no less intimidating, yet majestic sight than the fiend she was facing.

"O, Apris! Lend me your power!" Clair shouted to the heavens, before her was now another rune symbol.

"Apris Spear!"

With the yell, spears of light formed from the symbol, which Clair hurled at her opponent; each of them struck and impaled the fiend before went off in a great explosion. Spears after spears came, followed by blasts after blasts. The spell was so powerful that it actually changed the landscape of the battlefield—what that once was a hilly area now turned into a crater-riddled ground with one long, stretching depression which testament the power of Apris Spear spell.

Clair fell to one of her knees in the aftermath of her spell, her strength nearly expended. She could still see the shadow of the ethereal fiend behind the thick screen of dust and smoke. However, as she got a clearer look, the being seemingly had taken a mortal wound; several of its limbs were decapitated, and its body shook heavily. Eventually, the being radiated a bright light all over its body, and then disappeared into a drifting light of runological essence with a low-pitched, inhuman scream of its death cry.

"Did that… do it?" Clair muttered. She then felt another figure came to her side, a hand clutched her arm, helping her to stand. Yvikka's voice then came.

"Lady Clair, you okay?"

"I'm all right. Just a bit exhausted. How about you?" Clair returned the question to her companion, who'd obviously taken more beatings in the fight.

"I'm fine," was the prompt answer, "Did you get it?"

Clair looked up again at the question, her eyes directed to the ground where she'd seen the being for the last time, answering lowly.

"Seemingly…"

Silence reigned after Clair's last words. The two commanders stood still, trying to regain their breath as well as search for any additional threat. After a moment of alert, they relaxed, but still no words came from either of them. Both of their minds worked, trying to find a sensible explanation of the seemingly intertwined events—the darkest night, the ailing sensation it caused, and the appearance of the near-divine being with extraordinary power threatening to terminate them for reasons even they couldn't really comprehend. For Clair's part, things were a bit clearer; thanks to Nel's story. However, that knowledge didn't make her feel any better; instead, it frightened her.

The Creator… A being of godlike power…

A being that 'created' us…

A being that treated us as playthings…

"Lady Clair," Yvikka called after a moment of silence, "Do you think these events—the darkest night, the nauseating syndrome, and this… angelic being—are somehow related?"

"Apparently," Clair answered, "The aura radiated by the fiend before is similar with the symptoms we're feeling. And since the syndrome seemingly appears together with the last night's phenomenon, we can assume that they're related."

"And one more," Yvikka added, "From what the fiend has spoken to us, I believe that it was sent as a kind of… emissary in a certain mission; and its mission is…"

"To terminate us all," the runologist finished, her expression worried.

The soldier clicked her tongue, her eyes shut and her face filled with disgust.

"And what's more ridiculous is… that 'creator' thing it said!" The dark haired woman muttered aloud in slight anger, shaking her head violently, "Did that vile fiend tries to say that Father Apris, who created us, has judged us disobedient; and so he sent it… that fiendish 'emissary'… to terminate us all?! How unacceptable!!"

Clair wasn't really surprised to hear her friend's angry response. She'd heard that before from Nel, and even more. It truly shook the very core of her belief, and she was still very much unsettled on that matter. She hadn't thought about that lately, but now she had to face it again. However disturbing the matter was, Clair then decided put it aside in favor of calming her obviously bothered companion.

"Yvikka, calm down," Clair snapped, "It couldn't be like that."

"It couldn't be… and it shouldn't be­…!" The other woman growled, "Father Apris… is all-forgiving. Never had I known… about a sin that worth such judgment…"

"He is. Now just calm down, okay? Breathe, Yvikka, breathe deeply, it's okay."

At her dearest superior's command, the dark haired soldier mustered all her will to calm herself down. She took in several deep breaths, trying to stabilize her rushing heartbeat, and to loosen her tensed muscles and nerves. It took some time for her to be truly relaxed again.

"Lady Clair…" Yvikka finally found her voice again, "… I'm sorry…"

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Clair cut in, putting one hand on the other's shoulder, so as to assure her, "I know this is disturbing, even for you. That matter… is not really important now. The more important thing now is that we have to stop the fiend's words from happening. I don't care if the gods truly send it to annihilate us all or not; but we're born to live, to fight, and to survive. If anything comes to threaten our survival, our existence, we must fight it!"

The commander's heartening words made Yvikka to look up; her eyes immediately met Clair's resolute pale brown orbs. Her encouraging words and her strong, yet soothing gaze—those were the few of Clair's fine qualities which she'd fallen in love with, and seeing those was truly strengthening and soothing all at once.

It is always like this… When we're standing together, Lady Clair is always the stronger one.

She raises me up, pushes, and encourages me to keep on forward. She's the reason I am now…

If it wasn't because of her, I'd…

"… Yeah… You're right," the soldier managed, "Thank you, Lady Clair."

"You're welcome," Clair responded heartily, smiling, "Now let's go back to Arias. I cannot imagine the trouble should more fiends like that come when we're like this."

"Yes, let us go."

Just as the two commanders turned to the direction of Arias, another, rather unusual sight met them—a small, white-furred wolf infant.

"What's a Dire Wolf infant doing here alone?" Yvikka blurted in a slight bewilderment, "It's very much unlike them… the mother should be somewhere close, but…"

"Maybe it was separated from its mother… but it's too young for it to leave its den," said Clair.

"In any case, we should not get too close to it. If we tarnish it with our scent, the mother might never recognize it anymore."

"Right," Clair replied, "Besides, it's not good to upset a worried mother, is it?"

They then went around, passing the infant beast. Clair cast a fleeting look at the charming cub as she passed; feeling a slight pity for it, considering the tough life it would face in this wilderness. Only a few steps later, suddenly, the fearsome presence struck again, this time even far stronger than she'd felt it before. She turned in a flash, finding her companion standing farther away from her. The terrorized look of her face clearly said what she was feeling. Clair's pale browns flashed, seeing the cub—that they'd passed before—behind Yvikka, had turned into something else. The next events to unfold were truly… horrible.

"CLAIR, RUN!!"

Those were Yvikka's last words before she was enveloped in crimson-colored lightning bolts. Clair was very much flabbergasted that she couldn't really comprehend what was happening, much less do anything. An explosion came, knocking the slight runologist several feet away. When she finally recovered from the shock, her friend was nowhere she could see. An object fell from the sky, bounced several times, and rolled on the ground before finally came to a stop right next to her. She gasped in horror as she fully recognized what the object was actually.

Yvikka's helmet.

Clair looked at the tattered helmet she was holding in a great disbelief. The reminiscence of her last nightmare flashed, to the moment when she saw Nel was killed by an unknown being—just like what she was witnessing now. Her heart sank at the thought of her companion's death.

She hated it, especially when it happened to those close to her.

"YVIKKAAAA!!"

Crying her friend's name, Clair moved forward to the ground where she last saw her. Before she could reach it, however, her steps came to a halt at the sight before her.

Partly hidden by the cloud of dust and smoke, there was another being. Its appearance was very much in the opposite with the first being Clair had met. While the first one appeared angelic, this one appeared demonic. Its bodily appearance was like that of human, but its arms were longer—long enough that they reached past its knees. Its whole body was tinted dark, yet its eyes were flickering with a fierce, menacing glare. Though it also had wings on its back, it didn't fly—its feet were actually stepping on earth. The only similarity the two otherworldly being shared was the air they were radiating. They were both emanating the menacing and nauseating aura, which clearly hinted that they were of similar origin.

In the face of this, while many people might've thought that running is the best way; Clair, on the other hand, readied herself to confront the new threat, despite her condition—the bond that she'd formed with her comrades in arms made her think that running and leaving a fellow soldier behind is not a sensible option.

Nel, I'm sorry, she prayed.

I know that you hate seeing me in danger, but now I have to do it.

But I've promised you that I'll be waiting for you, and so be it.

I'll win, and I'll live.

With the thought, Clair steeled herself, and, with a war cry, charged at the demonic creature standing before her, starting the battle of her fate.

Clair's right fist landed hard on the fiend's head, followed immediately with a burst of runological force which she send it from her left hand, pushing her adversary away. The fiend then lunged with its long arms in retaliation, but the runologist saw through it. She sprang forward in response, going deep within the fiend's reach, its arms overshot her. At the instant the fiend was within her arm's reach, Clair put her hands on its body, and then unleashed her power at point-blank range, causing a loud explosion that knocked the dark fiend away. Without even pausing, the gallant runologist attacked again. She took the air in one big leap, and, with an unerring accuracy, hurled six runological daggers at her adversary. All six daggers hit the fiend squarely, digging deep into its body before finally exploded, adding the damage to their target. In this fashion was Clair fighting her otherworldly adversary, using a combination of martial arts and rapid-casting, short-ranged minor spells—a technique which she developed herself in order to improve her fighting capability at close range; a range where most runologists are vulnerable. She knew that she cannot afford to use major spells like she did before. Aside that such spells took longer invocation time, rendering her more vulnerable, her reserves was nearly spent—she might be able to cast one more Apris Spear; but after that, she would be done for.

Clair fought bravely and skillfully; but unfortunately, her adversary was also extraordinarily strong. Fatigue caught up with the runologist, and that was the moment where the tide turned drastically. The dark fiend, seemingly aware of the runologist's tiredness, attacked her fiercely and relentlessly. Clair could only defend at the face of such brutal strength; her power quickly expended for defending, and at times, healing. The battle of skill now turned into a battle of endurance—in which Clair was lacking at with her present condition.

A vicious swipe of the fiend's arm broke through a weak runological barrier. Clair felt as if her breath was taken away as the last vestige of her strength fell, and she went down to her knees as the demonic beast hit her once again on her shoulder. The beast's hands then grabbed her neck and lifted her so high that her feet were no longer stepping on earth, strangling the breath out of her. Clair tried to escape the death grasp, but the fiend was way stronger while she herself weakened; her strength gone as her body gasped for breath. In a last ditch attempt, using all of her remaining strength, she lifted her feet to her attacker's face, and kicked hard, using it as a springboard to spring herself out of its hands—which she did successfully. Clair managed to escape death, but only for the moment. Her feet were barely touching the ground when a violent energy bolt from the fiend hit her directly. She flew from the impact, going for several yards before crashing back on earth, rolling, and finally stopping. This time, she could not rise anymore.

The silver haired runologist was still conscious by then, but she was already on her limit. She felt her body burned, tasted blood coming out of her in her mouth. Pain coursed through her whole body, centered on her chest where she'd taken the devastating hit. When she got to look at herself, she found that her tunic was severely burned; the leather armor that she worn around her torso was mostly gone, and, behind it, vicious burn standing out clearly against her pale skin on her breast. The leather armor she was wearing was runologically reinforced that it could rival Glyphian knights' light plate armor in terms of sturdiness, and offer even better protection against runology-based attacks. Yet, even that could not prevent its wearer from taking the most out of the fiend's attack—had she not worn her armor, she would've died by now.

She tried to get up, but her body wouldn't heed her mind's command. All she could do was lay still while watching the fiend strode closer to her.

The only thing that I regret is… Clair said in her heart.

that I'm not strong enough… to fulfill my promise…

Nel…

Clair struggled against her regret and weakness, unwilling to give up hope. With the might of will, she finally managed to force her body up on its knees, but it was all she could do. As she looked up again, the fiend was already next to her.

The fiend lifted its one arm in an augur of an attack. The finishing blow was inevitable, and the runologist realized that there was nothing she could do. Even in the face of certain death, Clair looked at its coming without even blinking; determination was still alive inside her pale browns, strong and pure without any hint of fear.

Dying facing the death… is not a bad way to die…

A blur of motion flashed, and a figure came, knocking the fiend away from the battered runologist. Clair could not believe her eyes as she came to fully recognize her savior. Her lips unwittingly called a name.

"… Yvikka?"

The Chain Legion commander stood before her, sword drawn. Her condition looked no better than Clair, but the way she moved indicated that she still had more strength in reserve.

"Demon…" Yvikka growled in anger; her voice was distant, sounded almost unlike her, "… How dare you…"

The swordswoman charged; thrust her sword deep into the unsuspecting fiend's body, impaling it completely.

"DON'T YOU DARE…" She yelled as she drove her sword deeper and twisted it inside its body. She then yanked the blade out, disemboweling the fiend with a vicious cutting motion to the side as she finished her sentence.

"… TOUCHING LADY CLAIR!"

Dark-colored essence came out spilling from the fiend's bowel, and it stumbled back, away from the two women. Clair watched the events before her, amazed that her friend was still able to move at all with her condition. Heartened by her friend's presence, the runologist then pushed herself up in attempt to join the fight. Before she could do so, however, the swordswoman gave her a fleeting look and waved her down.

"… Stay…"

The words struck Clair. Never had she heard her friend speak in such a flat and dead voice devoid of all passion. The stygian orbs as she got to look at them were wild, filled with raging torrent of anger and hatred. It was frightening to see those qualities in the self of a soldier who Clair had always known to be calm and composed, never seem to lose herself even in the worst of situations; but what was more alarming was the sudden rise of power within the dark haired woman, which Clair had never recognized before in her friend.

Yvikka… what happened to you…?

Runological aura flickered, crackling around Yvikka's right hand. An unmistakable feel of runological power broke loose of its restraint came to Clair, startling her. At that instant, she saw pale blue aura formed around her friend's right hand, enveloping it.

For Yvikka, her mind was already trapped inside a cycle of horrible thoughts; the thoughts of her dear superior being beaten, brutalized, and killed. It made her unable to think of any other thing but one, which she'd sworn to achieve at all costs.

Protect Lady Clair.

At the command of her instinct, Yvikka ran at the fiend again in a seemingly suicidal charge. She took a hit which tore the rest of her right shoulder armor apart, but she didn't care. As soon as she got close, she brandished her sword; the blade struck the fiend's upper torso, and got stuck there. The dark haired soldier then forced her sword, shook it free again brutally, and once again, stabbed the fiend. With the sword impaling the fiend's body, she pushed, putting her right hand—which was glowing brighter by now—on its head, and forced her power onto it. A surge of runological wave assaulted, causing a small explosion as the fiend was thrown back, free from the sword. On its head was now a brightly glowing rune symbol. Yvikka then took several steps back, and prepared to finish the cycle with one more casting of a spell. As she started to chant, she felt as if time had slowed. Reminiscence forged its way to her mind—a recollection of the dark moments she'd refused to remember the night before, and had always been for the rest of her life.

(Flashback)

"DON'T COME CLOSE TO ME!!"

The figure unheeded the warning, and kept on coming closer at a rapid pace. It said something, but young Yvikka didn't pay attention to it. Her power rose again, and for the second time of the day, she cast the spell. As her hand moved to mark the figure before her, the light radiating from it lit the figure's head up, revealing a face very familiar to her.

"No! Yvikka… AUHG!"

"Fa… FATHER!"

She was too late. She had already marked her father.

The man stumbled with pain as the mark cast upon him disrupted the energy flow within his body. At this state, even without the aid of another spell from his daughter, he was still likely to break into pieces because of the runological chaos within him. He knew that because it was he who created the spell.

"Seal the rune! Yvikka!" He shouted, "Use the seal rune on the symbol!"

The girl was still very much shocked at the realization of what she'd done that she unheeded her father's yell at her. But her father yelled again, restating the command, and only at that moment she could regain herself. She heard her father shouting, and immediately began chanting the seal spell on herself. She managed to invoke the spell perfectly, but the result was truly beyond her imagination.

"AAAHH!!"

Young Yvikka screamed in agony as the two spells on her clashed; they confronted, trying to cancel out each other. The girl felt her power started to stir within her, and soon went almost completely uncontrollable; runological aura stirred and enveloped her whole body. The father watched in horror because he knew exactly what was happening with her dear daughter. Completely ignoring his condition, he came to his daughter's side and cradled her closely, all the while whispering words of encouragement and assurance.

"Hang on, my dear… You can do it…"

Yvikka looked up at her father's face, and muttered.

"It hurts… Father…"

"I know…" The man answered gently, suppressing the pain in his voice, "I know it hurts… Just hold on, and stay awake. It'll be okay…"

The daughter felt her father's embrace tighten; the warmth it gave her encouraged her, making her feel that everything is going to be all right. After some time, the aura dissipated, as did the mark the girl had set on her father. The runological battle had subsided, leaving only pain, fatigue, and regret.

"Father… I…" The girl whimpered; tears coming down from her night-black eyes, "… I'm sorry…"

"It's all right. You did it…"

"Are you… are you going to be all right?" Yvikka asked between sobs.

"As long as you're safe, I'll always be alright, my dear."

The answer calmed her heart, and she nuzzled deeper into her father's body. Just as she thought that everything was all right, she felt her father's body was getting heavier. Unable to hold the weight, she fell to the ground with her father's body on her.

"Father?"

There was no answer.

"Fa… father? Father, what happened?

Still, no answer came. She then released her father's arms—which were still holding her—turned the man's body so that she could get up, and looked at him.

A terrified, regretful scream echoed, piercing the stillness in the woods.

(End of flashback)

Yvikka jerked as if being snapped out of a daze. By the time she was aware again, the spells she cast had already taken effect. The demonic-looking being writhed and screamed out incomprehensible sounds in agony; dark-tinted runological essence started to spill out from its body. All too sudden, the being's body burst out completely; its dark essence drifted in the air, formed a violent whirlwind that threatened to swallow the two commanders whole.

"Yvikka!" Clair's voice called out. The dark haired woman turned her head, finding her dear superior standing behind her.

"Stay behind me, Lady Clair!" She answered, and then turned again at the raging whirlwind before her. She could still hear Clair said something, but was unable to perceive it. Right now, her attention was fully directed to what was in front of her. She had to control it, and she knew could do it, because it was the property of the spell she'd cast last. The large amount of power it had made it a bit difficult to control, but this was her spell. With the expertise she'd learned from her father since she was little, she calmed the angry wind. Little by little, the wind calmed down; the dark essence which once formed it slowly dissipated, and then gone completely. Clair, for her part, watched in awe as her friend successfully managed to ward the dangers away. Though she was now filled with many questions, she put them aside in favor of enjoying the fact that it was finally over, and that both of them survived.

"It's over…" The silver haired runologist muttered lowly. She looked up to the sky, finding the sun was covered by clouds. Light rain started to come down, as if wanting to soothe the pain and fatigue of the two soldiers' body, and wash the wounds they'd suffered.

Clair turned to look at her friend, to whom she was sincerely thankful for saving her life for the second time, surprised upon finding the woman was bent over with hands and knees on the ground. Very much worried, the commander then paced closer at her side.

For Yvikka, things were not quite over yet. She had defeated the ethereal enemy, but at the cost of herself. The wound and guilt she'd buried for years renewed; the bane that had driven her almost insane years ago came again into her mind.

Father… I… I…

I killed him.

Waves of pain, regret, and sadness overwhelmed her, assaulted the battered defenses of her heart and mind without mercy. So great was the agony in her heart that she no longer felt her bodily wounds anymore. Eventually, she could not take it anymore. The emotions breached her defenses, and struck the very core of herself. The commander broke out in tears in the sign of her defeat, shouting out loud to the heavens.

"WAAAAHH!!"

Clair heard her friend cried, and that made her more worried. It was not a cry of pain, but rather, a cry of despair and anguish. Her friend was apparently fighting something else, and she obviously needed help. She went to her side and kneeled, her hand on the other's shoulder.

"Yvikka, are you all right?"

The response she got was truly shocking.

The dark haired woman turned in a flash and shook her away. Clair drew a gasp she got to look at her face—her eyes were wild and her face was fear-stricken. Yvikka, for her part, was truly scared as she felt Clair came close to her. She was afraid of herself, afraid of repeating the darkest moments of her life.

"St… Stay away from me!" The despaired woman winced, trying to get away from Clair.

"Yvikka…?" Clair muttered in confusion, "… What's wrong?"

"Just… stay away from me… I…"

Clair saw trouble so apparent on Yvikka's face, and she knew that it couldn't lead to anything good. With that in mind, the silver haired woman forged forward, slowly closing the distance between her and her fellow officer, all the while trying to speak to her.

"Let us return, Yvikka, return home to Arias together…" Clair spoke up, trying to persuade her friend.

"I… can't return…" Was the response.

"What do you mean you can't return?" The steady woman asked again.

"I can't be near you…" Yvikka replied, shaking her head in fear.

The answer made Clair become even more worried. Yvikka was obviously deep in distress, and she couldn't just be left like that. Determined to bring her friend back with her, Clair stood up and walked over to the other woman. If she could not speak some sense in her face, then she would just knock her out and haul her back to Arias.

"No… stay away…" The dark haired soldier muttered in fear as she saw Clair rapidly closing the distance between them.

"Listen, Yvikka…"

"Don't come any closer, Lady Clair…"

"You're wounded, and you need help. Let me at least—"

"NO!"

Very much in despair, the soldier impulsively drew her sword and pointed it at Clair's throat, yelling.

"By Apris, Lady Clair, for your sake, don't come any closer!"

Clair stopped herself in the face of the threat in a slight surprise. She wasn't really surprised by her friend's aggressive action; but rather, she was surprised by the extent of the trouble that could make her to act like that. She then looked at the woman's eyes and face, finding them heavily laden with fear, regret, misery, and also… doubt. She saw the hand holding the blade was shaking heavily, and she knew that Yvikka was wavering. Clair took a deep breath as she decided to continue her advance, fully counting on the fact that her former aide would never want to hurt her.

And so, she took a daring step forward, feeling the cold steel of the sharp blade grazed her skin. Though she knew that she could just knock the blade away from its wielder's hand, she decided against it for she knew that any aggressive movement from her might result in retaliation—which was definitely not good.

"I… see no reason of doing that," Clair spoke softly, taking another step, "The more you refuse, the more I want to bring you back."

"… La… Lady… Clair…" Yvikka stammered, her voice trembled. She honestly never wanted to hurt, or even kill Clair, the woman she loved very much. She never could. She wanted to run away, but Clair's soft look and the compassion she conveyed through her words—all things which she loved to see, feel and hear from the commander—held her in her place.

"We can talk about this once we get back," the runologist's soft voice came again, "Or, even if you don't want to talk about it, it's alright, but please, Yvikka… Please… return to Arias… return with me…"

When the soldier seemed unable to decide how to answer, Clair moved again, slowly, but surely, closing the distance between them until they were so close that Clair could feel Yvikka's ragged, unsteady breath on her face. The beautiful runologist then wrapped her hands around her distressed friend, cradling her tightly and closely.

"Do you see now?" Clair whispered softly in Yvikka's ears, "Here I am, close to you, and nothing happened. There's nothing to be afraid of…"

The sword quietly slipped off her hand, and Yvikka felt her body went inexplicably weak at the face of her superior's compassion. Fresh tears burned her eyes, and her cry renewed along with the coming of the tide of guilt.

"… Cla… ir… I… I'm sorry… so sorry…"

"It's okay… I can understand…"

Yvikka cried again, but this time, she wasn't crying alone. She had Clair's shoulder close to her, ready to give her the support she so desperately needed. She wanted to return the embrace, but hesitated, still unsure if it was okay if she touched Clair with her hands. She started with her left hand, wrapping it around Clair's back. Her right hand followed a bit later, after she'd ensured herself that nothing bad would happen.

"I'm here, Yvikka," Clair whispered again, "Hang on to me, it's okay."

"… I'm sorry, Clair… I'm sorry… truly sorry…" Yvikka whimpered in response. She clung for her dear life onto the steady, strong-hearted woman, feeling incredibly guilty and stupid from having refused Clair. If she were a ship in the middle of storm, then the silver haired woman would be her guiding lighthouse and her port where she could harbor herself. The two commanders stayed like that for an indefinite amount of time before Yvikka finally pulled away from the runologist. When Clair looked at her friend's face, she found that the fear was still there, but the cool and calm quality of her former self was also there—which relieved her.

"Clair…" Yvikka called out, "… Could you please… do me a favor?"

"Just say it," Clair answered, nodding.

"Don't say a word… about what I did to the fiend…"

"Don't worry about that. It is safe with me."

Yvikka seemed to be getting calmer and more relaxed at her reassurance. The shadow of her former self started to appear clearer, and even more as the peace went by. When Clair was sure that the soldier was calm enough, she lifted her voice, repeating her request and hoping for a good answer.

"Yvikka… come home with me?"

"… Yes…" The soldier answered, "let's… go back home…"

---

Meanwhile, in Arias…

A group of mounted soldiers could be seen readying themselves before the town's gates. On the lead position was Sisera, Yvikka's aide in Arias.

The young soldier was extremely agitated when her commander didn't return at the scheduled time, as did the rest of the soldiers in Arias. It was made even more so because the commanders—Yvikka and Clair—had given them a strict order of not conducting any and all outgoing operations until their return with exception of emergency situation. Getting sick of just waiting, the brunette then went and readied her lum to search for the commanders. Her fellow soldiers saw her, and, knowing full well what the legion's aide intention was, followed suit. In no time—without an order issued—a search party had formed by itself.

When everything was set, Sisera mounted her steed. She turned to look at Clair's aide, Ersa, beside her, waiting for her signal. The Shield Legion aide nodded in response, and then issued a command.

"Open the gates."

Before the gates were opened, however, the cry of the gate guards broke out, startling the soldiers waiting inside the town's wall.

"There they come! Lady Clair and Lady Yvikka are returning!!"

Relieved remarks could be heard as the news came. The relief, however, didn't last long for the gate guards shouted unpleasant news.

"Ready the healers! They are wounded!"

Hearing the news, Sisera quickly dismounted from her lum, went out of the town through the smaller exits near the town gates, and came running at her commander, calling for her.

"Commander! Commander Yvikka!"

She got no answer, and even as the battered commander passed by her, she didn't even look up to her; her eyes stayed downcast, and her steps were dragged. There was no sign that she was even aware of her surroundings. Very much worried, the brunette then clutched her commander's one shoulder, and asked again in a worried tone.

"Commander Yvikka, what happened?"

This time, Yvikka stopped, and Sisera could feel her body swaying unsteadily under her hand. The commander then brought her head up, and, without even looking at her aide, answered weakly.

"… I'm fine, Sisera… I'm just… a little tired…"

Sisera went silent at the answer. It was very typical of her commander to answer like that, even at the times when she was so obviously troubled, and it didn't reassure her in the slightest. She could only watch as Yvikka shrugged her hand off, and walked heavily toward Arias, meeting up with Ersa halfway, but didn't seem to pay attention to her. The brunette then turned to Clair, wanting to get an answer from her, but even before she worded her question, the Shield Legion commander shook her head, waved the question down with a gesture from her hand. The aide was disappointed with the commanders' silence. Not getting any reassurance made Sisera feel a mixed feeling within her; some part of her was glad that they returned, but a larger part of her was worried at the glimpse of expression she caught on Yvikka's face.

Ersa caught up with the officers, glad upon finding that Clair, her commander, was looking quite lively despite the battle wounds she was covered with.

"Lady Clair, are you okay?" The devoted aide asked.

"I'm fine, Ersa," answered Clair.

"Are you hurt badly somewhere?"

"Un… I'm hurt, yes, but nothing serious, really, it's just…"

Clair moved her one arm, which she put across her almost bare chest, revealing the severely damaged armor and the hint of the burn on her skin. Her aide gasped at the glimpse of her commander's injury.

"Apris… Lady Clair…" The young woman exclaimed softly, "… Who did this to you… ?"

"I'll explain it later in the briefing," Clair answered softly.

Ersa nodded obediently at her commander's response. Looking at Clair's condition, which was far from presentable, the aide then took off her tunic, and wrapped it around her commander, so as to keep her honor, leaving herself dressed only with her armor. While she was putting on clothes on Clair, she asked her a question.

"Lady Clair… What happened to Lady Yvikka?"

"… She…" The commander answered hesitantly, "… She… had gone through quite an ordeal out there… but she'll be alright, at least for now."

"I see…" Was Ersa's response. She was worried about Yvikka. When she met up with her dark haired friend before catching up with Clair, she saw the empty expression on her face, which very much resembled Clair's face when she returned with the news of Nel Zelpher's demise weeks ago; and she was afraid that Yvikka would fall into similar condition.

When the group of officers finally entered the town, they were met with many astonished, yet terrified expressions from their soldiers. Soldiers and runologists fell silent at the sight of their battered commanders, and all of them were wondering on what they had faced out there. They were already troubled by the darkest night, and now, seeing from their commanders' condition, they knew that there was another trouble out there. The squad captains soon rallied their soldiers, putting them in order, and prepared themselves for the briefing from their commanders.

Meanwhile, Clair accompanied her troubled friend, Yvikka, back to her room, followed by the aides. While the Chain Legion commander had refused to go to the treatment chamber, Clair had offered herself to treat her wounds, but the soldier turned it down, saying that she will be all right. She entered her room, and, after a brief conversation hidden from others with Clair, she closed the door and locked it from inside, leaving Clair outside of her room, accompanied by the legion aides.

"Lady Clair…" Sisera braced herself to ask the question she'd wanted to ask before, "What happened to Lady Yvikka?"

"Let us not talk about that for the moment," Clair answered softly, "She wants to be by herself for now, and… Sisera, I want you to stay here and watch over her. I'm going to hold a general meeting later, but you needn't come. Ersa will come to you and brief you separately. Just keep your eyes and ears on her."

"Understood, Lady Clair."

"I trust it that you can take over Lady Yvikka's duty for the time being?" Clair asked the brunette.

"I can do that, milady," the aide answered dutifully.

"Very good."

---

Yvikka was now alone in her room, feeling very much uncertain of what to do. Her heart was still aching badly, and her mind seemed unable to escape the grasp of her dark past. Trapped in the middle of confusion, she collapsed onto her bed, not caring if she hadn't even changed; her sword was still hanging on her waist, and blood from her wounds stained the sheets.

This curse… Is there truly nothing I can do to release this?

I thought that I'd forgotten that…

I thought that I have proven that father was wrong… but…

Suddenly, pain shot up her right arm, breaking her line of thought. Yvikka felt as if there was fire spreading from her right arm and burning her whole body, enveloping her in the world of hurt. There was no wondering, for the woman was well-aware of its cause—a disorder of runological flow within her body. The flow had started to stir in the wake of her last spell, and had become worse on her journey back to Arias. And now, it was just about to reach its peak. When it finally came, blood burst out from the veins in her right hand, as it was the part of her body which suffered the most runological strain during the casting, making her even more bloodied than before.

Don't cry…

Sisera… she's right by the door…I can't let her know…

At least not now…

But the agony was so great that the commander had to bit the pillow to restrain herself from crying. The bleeding from her arm hadn't stopped, and her body shook heavily from the blood loss. She felt her eyes heaving, and she started to feel incredibly sleepy.

No… don't… sleep…

If I fell asleep… I might never wake up…

If I never wake up again… then… I…

can't protect Lady Clair…

And so she mustered all that remained from herself; struggling to stay awake with the might of will.

To fight the darkness that just kept on coming.