Silent Lamb

by xeveningx

In silence lay secrets that have haunted her for years and she's ready to give up everything in order to take them to her grave. At this point,there's nothing to make her waver.Or is there? In the end,it's her choice: unravel the truth and destroy everything she's come to love, or forever be the scapegoat and lose herself in the process? (Rated M for themes.)

8. How to Say Goodbye

Chapter Eight:

How to Say Goodbye

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What in heaven's name…

Eyes wide, Kohaku could not believe the destruction scattered all around her. The lands, once fruitful and plentiful, had been ravaged completely. What's worse was that, from where she was, the city of Magnostadt stood in shambles—a hollow remnant of what it once was. But her second of awe was cut short when a booming voice ordered them to move along to destroy the Black Djinn that attacked the city. Kohaku hadn't taken notice if the others had arrived but by how they all shot out towards the city after the order was given, there didn't seem to be enough time to double check.

Not wanting to be left behind, Kohaku sprung forward to Magnostadt. The instant they all landed, the focus came to the Djinns that assailed the citizens still trapped in the city. Her sound staff twirling about her, Kohaku slashed at the ones that stood in her way before meeting with the rest of the Kou Metal Vessel users.

They're all here.

A small sigh of relief escaped her. Certainly having the six of them here would put a stop on whatever the hell was causing so much destruction and death. Her eyes landed on each person she'd come to know over the past half a year and couldn't help but gawk at them; some of their djinn equips, like Kouha's and Kougyoku's, she'd gotten a small peek of during training. Kouen's as well, but none of them ever in their full equips.

The sound of a slight high-pitched voice, one unfamiliar to her, caught Kohaku's attention. She turned her head downward to see a young boy flying over to them. As he closed the distance between them calling out Hakuei's name, Kohaku's ears caught the distinct sound of fluttering. Touching her ears, she focused better on him as the blue-haired boy came to stay beside Hakuei. It took her but a few seconds to recognize the noise.

Rukh. But this wasn't the normal flow she heard in nature. No, this was unparalleled to being around any person or magician. By the sound of it, the rukh seemed to linger close to the boy, the sound of fluttering wings becoming exceptionally loud around their whole group. She'd never encountered such thing before.

No. I have.

Judar. This unparalleled amalgamation of rukh—there was no mistaking it. Only a magi was capable of such feat.

The pervasive train of thought she carried was cut short when another voice, this time of an older blonde boy, came to her ears as the young man that had accompanied the supposed magi flew over to Kougyoku's side.

Incredulous and exasperated at her friendliness towards him, Kouha quickly voiced what she had very much in mind. "A-Alibaba-chan!? You're talkin' to an enemy general, y'know! Why're you being so overly familiar?"

"I hate to be judgmental but Kouha's right, Kougyoku," Kohaku signed to her. She doesn't miss the puzzled looks on both boys but doesn't bother with them. "What is this about?"

"Oh no, Kouha, anegimi, it isn't anything bad," Kougyoku replied as she came to stand by the blonde's side with said boy seeming very much unnerved by their scrutiny. "The truth is that we're very good friends."

The blonde—Alibaba she had to remember—pointed upward. "In any case, our enemy is that absurdly big, black sphere and that thing above it."

Following his hand, Kohaku spun about to find a horrid sight that she failed to see amidst the commotion. Like he said, a huge black, sphere stood over the city and above that, parting the sky, was something reaching down with what looked to be tiny, black hands.

"Impossible…"

Beleth's ghastly whisper caught her off guard and made Kohaku turn her head to listen to him. You recognize that thing?

"It's the Medium—one of them at least. And that above in the sky is a Dark Spot. It is from where Ill Ilah can descend."

God...of Illness? Kohaku had trouble wrapping her mind around the small information that Beleth dropped on her. Marbas quickly stepped up to give her two cents in worth.

"You can't let the Medium bring it down to your world! If it does, all it touches, everything and everyone, will die!"

That definitely matched the urgency she'd heard in Kouen's message. Hearing his voice, Kohaku heard him speak about obtaining the truth. About what, she could only guess. Although knowing him, it would be something pertaining to that history of 'the other world' he so often spoke of. But that paled in comparison to her wanting to safeguard the innocent that were suffering, unable to protect themselves.

I will do what is in my power to stop this. Please, lend me your aid.

She felt their warmth emanating from her sound staff and her bracelet, a clear reminder of where they stood in their loyalties. "For you, always, our king."

In agreement, a small hum reached her ears. A frown came to Kohaku's face but she decided to disregard her wouldn't use it.

I won't lose you.

Determined, Kohaku held her sound staff tightly as the rest headed out to destroy the Black Djinn that rapidly and continuously surfaced from the Medium. Not wasting a second, she followed and began doing the same.

The fighting began in bouts, each destroying as many of the Black Djinn as they could. After a handful of attempts slashing through them with sound blades, Kohaku noted that it took too much effort and wasted magoi needlessly. The more she attacked them, the more obvious it became that this would be a lengthy process. She couldn't continue going about it by mindlessly slashing away.

The slight flicker of black made her spin about in time to catch a Black Djinn in mid-attack. Raising a wall of sound right between them, she countered its attack but suffered the rebound as it pushed her back.

This isn't working. There were too many and despite her attacks being able to affect huge areas, these enemies were too resilient for her sound blades to destroy them in one hit. The vibrations weren't concentrated enough as blades to pierce through their hard exterior.

"Perhaps vibrations from the inside will work," Beleth suggested.

Yes, she'd thought of that. But planting mines wasn't something easy to do with so much havoc going on. I need them stationary.

An odd sound made her turn about. Her eyes wide, she couldn't help but stare astounded at Koumei's and Dantalion's powers: transfer circles. Making different circles so that the djinn attacked themselves, Kohaku noticed the odd knack of it. Pausing, she realized that as long as their limbs came through the circles, the djinn were immobile.

Perfect.

Flying over the hoard that Koumei held in his tranfer circles, she raised her hand to sign his way. "Keep them locked, Koumei!" The prince didn't question, just nodded once. Kohaku swung her sound stuff across before leveling it horizontally before her.

A pitch that none except those with well-developed hearing like her would hear echoed through the air. Using those high frequency vibrations, she concentrated on these before forcing them to shrink down. The small space caused the vibrations to solidify into small spheres no larger than her palm; the spheres were translucent and the only thing pinpointing their location was the rapid movement of the particles in them.

Once formed, several hovered all around her and stood in place, colliding ever faster against each other in such tight space. When the pitch became too high for even her ears to hear, Kohaku swung her staff outwards. The sphere of sound she created swiftly expanded out, hitting all the smaller spheres she'd created. The impact propelled them all in a strictly linear direction, each finding a target in one of the djinn trapped in the different transfer circles. It pleased her that these were powerful enough to pierced through them regardless of where they hit.

The djinn tried prying at the entry points uselessly. Kohaku could only grin at their naivete; they couldn't well touch something that struck with such force that it penetrated deeper than they could reach. Holding her staff out towards them, she snapped her wrist once, then two more times to let the rings echoes.

Dajij' Tanafur.

An instant after the trigger, the djinn began shaking before exploding and leaving behind nothing but bits and pieces from the sound spheres in them rapidly expanding. The happiness from a successful clear, though, was short-lived as more Black Djinn came from the Medium. Even with Dajij' Tanafur, she could only take out so many at a time.

There had to be another way. It was Hakuei's quick reasoning that got them thinking about actually going for the Medium. Seeing as the path was blocked by many more djinn, there had to be a better way to let Alibaba through so he could attack.

"Kohaku-san!" Hearing Hakuei call her, she turned about to face the princess. "Let's create a path for him, together!" Nodding, both—Paimon using the wind and Beleth the sound—cleared a path for Alibaba to course through. But even at attacking the thing full on with his djinn proved useless as it protected itself.

Kohaku recognized that shield, a borg. Much like Judar's. That thing is using magic?

"It is how it's creating the Black Djinn, my king," Beleth informed her. "The Medium is nothing more than an amalgamation of black rukh."

What the young magi, Aladdin, said after to Kouha only corroborated Beleth's words—the Medium had a tremendous amount of magoi reserve and used it to create the djinns and its borg. The one tad bit of information she hadn't expected was how many they would have to destroy before even weakening the thing.

Ten thousand…?

That was ludicrous. Although somewhat tired, her reserve would manage somehow but, as Kohaku oversaw the others, she knew that they wouldn't last as long. Even with everyone else so downtrodden by the news, Kouen didn't seem the least bit bothered. It truly amazed her how determined he was—ten thousand was going to be a tough deal to break but Kohaku believed he could deal a big dent in that number. His Astaroth was a great fire-djinn and much more effective than Beleth with large amounts of damage as she'd seen herself before.

Worry and panic struck her hard—her heart slightly missing a beat—when Kouen got swallowed by the hoard of Black Djinn. Hakuei's shout didn't help her.

"Listen." Her voice calmly spoke and drew Kohaku's attention away from her panic. Opening her ears and calming her own startled beating heart, she heard another distinct rapid beating. One she recognized.

He's strong. I shouldn't worry.

"As are you, my king," Beleth added. "Be vigilant. Around the prince!"

Her ears caught both Beleth's warning and the approaching djinn as they encroached Kouen while he was still inside the mass of Black Djinns. They were approaching him fast and Kohaku reacted on instinct.

Bending her knees,the circlets of green light wrapped around her ankles, hands, and staff as she conjured Dajij 'Aghlal. She dashed forward, leaving nothing but high-pitched vibrations and the rest to cover their ears in her wake. Kohaku sprung for the Black Djinn that came closer to the horrid amalgamation. Using her own propulsion as force, she pierced through the line of djinn and kept going despite the rebound that hit her every time one exploded after an attack. It was a blink of an eye later that she stopped, out of breath from the entourage of rebounds, just before the large mass exploded in a burst of white flames. The wall of sound sphere from Dajij 'Aghlal still protecting her, Kohaku was able to avoid the after effects of the explosion.

So close to him, Kohaku could see Kouen as he dispelled Astaroth's equip and called upon Agares. The tiny beast he became baffled her because of its similarities to Marbas. What amazed her more, though, was the tremendous strength magic he used to dig out a pillar from the earth's crust. Kohaku's eyes followed Hakuei as she began clearing a way while he dug the pillar out. The Black Djinn were lined up perfectly in a circle around them and she felt heat coming from Marbas' bracelet.

"Let's hunt!"

A grin came to her lips at hearing her djinn's enthusiasm at seeing the Black Djinns sitting like ducks in a row. If he's going all out, then so will I. With that in mind, she undid Beleth's equip and called Marbas forth. Her shape shrunk to the beast child before landing at the top of the pillar that Kouen was still pulling out from underneath them.

"Destroy them," he called out loud. A satisfied smirk showed as she reeled back to spring toward the djinn. Dashing past Hakuei, Kohaku cladded her claws and talons in strength magic before pouncing and ripping a djinn apart in a matter of seconds before hopping off to the next. Despite the ruckus all around, she could catch the voices of those staying back as the three of them worked together.

"A second djinn?" Alibaba called completely amazed.

"It's anegimi's Marbas!" Kougyoku fawned with a proud smile, explaining to him. "She's not as fast as she is with Beleth but her strength rivals even Kouen onii-sama's Agares'."

Aladdin stared dumbfounded at the two, "Uncle and that big sister both have multiple djinns."

"For Kou to have them…" Alibaba didn't finish that thought. There wasn't much need to do so, though. Even Kohaku could know what he meant to say simply by the tone of his voice. Multiple Metal Vessel users were terrifying in their own right—Kouen and she were no different.

At feeling the lava flow that exploded outward as the pillar of earth was finally brought out, she flinched at the intense heat that radiated from it. Jumping back after reaping a djinn, Kohaku stood back to watch with the rest as Kouen re-equipped Astaroth and began taking the magoi from the lava flow. The versatility and quick thinking didn't surprise her; what did was what Alibaba spoke aloud.

"Could it be that he really wants to...destroy ten thousand Black Djinns?"

Impossible. They were too many, even for him. Even if he kept restoring his magoi with the lava flow, it was torture. She'd done that with Beleth seeing as the cacophony of battle often helped restore magoi to her vessel. She had done that only once or twice at most. This?—the pain itself would be excruciating.

From what Aladdin said, he too knew the risks of doing this. Kouen was practically at the verge of dying every time he did it.

"He won't listen to you." Kohaku turned to Koumei, puzzled at his comment. "He doesn't mind hurting himself. My brother and king is that kind of person after all…"

Yes, but still. Kohaku couldn't help worry as they all watched Kouen fighting. This was beyond reckless and she'd done her share of foolish things. But at thinking this, it made her wonder what pushed him to fight so hard. Hearing Alibaba's philosophical spiel didn't stick well with her gut feeling. It just didn't sound like something Kouen would do.

"No, I didn't mean that." Kohaku chuckled at Alibaba's reaction and Koumei's conflicted expression. If her hunch was right then it would most likely be about some unknown knowledge.

And knowing him when he's like that, it very well might be about...

"You know, when my brother and king has that excited face…" Koumei drawled as all their eyes fell upon their General Commander.

Despite being off fighting at quite a distance, Kohaku could hear every word spat out in anger and frustration from Kouen. From her time knowing him, however, it didn't really amaze her to hear such vulgar and annoyed tone. Excited; Koumei's words barely scratched the surface of Kouen's state of mind at the moment.

"He wishes to speak with the proxy of our past king?" Beleth's puzzled tone showed her how much others were confused by this.

Surely, knowing him, it's something about that 'other world' he speaks about. And surely when Kouha explained it to Alibaba and Aladdin, he turned to Kohaku when she asked about that 'conversation with Aladdin' he mentioned.

"Aladdin told Brother En that he would tell him about another world called 'Alma Toran,'" Kouha explained with a bit of nonchalance. When Kohaku nodded with a scoff, he raised an eyebrow.

She shook her head while slightly chuckling. "It just sounds like him is all." He grinned at reading that. No doubt they all knew this for a fact. Telling Kouha to translate, she waved a hand to get Alibaba's attention. "Your assumption wasn't wrong, just naive in the why. Kouen's a passionate man and can be somewhat obsessive with what he's passionate about."

"Understatement," Koumei mumbled. The comment only made her smile wider.

A loud, vulgar exclamation from Kouen caught their attention and they all were caught off guard when he shouted at Alibaba. Before she or anybody could ask, he flew over and snatched Alibaba from their group. Kohaku watched them from afar as she listened to Hakuei's very detailed explanation of Kouen's three words.

Kohaku tended to agree but the eloquent way she put it might have been a bit sugar-coated. But the thought vanished when, from the small volcano that had been made from rupturing the lava vein, two small figures conjured their their Extreme Magic.

"Two at the same time?" Marbas called out amazed.

Despite feeling that same bafflement, Kohaku's mind was made up seeing them casting such magic. Doesn't matter. We need to protect them. She was glad that she hadn't been the only one with that thought. At hearing Koumei's orders, she changed back to Beleth's djinn-equip and took a deep breath at the sudden fatigue that hit her.

"Careful, my king," Beleth warned. "You may be powerful but your reserve is starting to reach low levels."

It didn't matter. She'd gone through worse with less.

How many more times can I switch between you two?

"Once. And that would be pushing it."

Good to know and have that tucked at the back of her mind. Using her sound blades and with Hakuei's help, they lasted enough for the two to cast their Extreme Magics. Kouen's Astor Inqerad struck first, the white dragon of flames purging the Black Djinns that came out of the Medium as they surrounded it. Although she'd never seen it, Kohaku knew of the infinite white flames that Astaroth could create: eternal and destructive. Alibaba struck once the area was cleared of the Black Djinns and she had to force herself to watch closely despite the heat emanating from the two attacks. The fire giant he summoned struck the Medium straight on, it's borg catching the attack and the thing smirking at the failed attempt.

Extreme Magic can't touch it? It surely seemed like it when he couldn't break through it. But to her surprise, the Medium began to crack after Kouen added his white flames to the giant's sword. The enforced attack finally managed to crack it further and formed a massive explosion. The extreme heat coming from the aftermath was intense and it began scorching her skin a bit.

The feeling sending her into a bit of a panic at what the others could suffer from the residuum, she called for Beleth. Raising her sound staff, she raised a sphere about the group that absorbed the heat wave coming their way.

Aladdin turned to her with a small smile as he lowered his arm after the heat wave ceased and her shield fell. "Thank you, miss..."

Kohaku.

His smile grew at hearing her voice even when it had only been through Beleth's power. She guessed a magi like him would surely hear it and, thankfully, she hadn't been wrong. All of their eyes came to the Medium as the smoke dissipated and they saw the pillar connecting the Medium to Ill Ilah broken from the attack.

Kohaku eyed the Medium as Astaroth's flames continued to envelope it, destroying the Black Djinn as soon as they were born. As Kouen explained this to Aladdin, Kohaku couldn't help but frown and direct a question at him. "The flames may last but what about your magoi?"

"That's what the lava flow is for," he replied to her before turning with a scowl to Alibaba, raising his voice. "Hey, what are you doing? Let's go recover the magoi we expended by using the lava flow now that we have some time!" Alibaba followed with a slight pause while trying to catch his breath.

Kohaku smiled but the small advantage they had and the small hope attached to it vanished when a guttural sound came to her ears. She had less than a second to spin about and see the hands that sprouted out from the Medium, reaching towards the volcano. In a matter of seconds, the flow lost its fire and turned black. Her ears caught the frantic beating of wings that came back to the Medium; at turning back to that thing, she saw the Black Djinn returning to it as well.

I don't get it. What's it doing now?

Her query doesn't go unanswered for long. The Medium rolls into itself before reforming and falling just outside of the city's borders as a doll-like giant. It landed sprawled hard over the floor with a hand on the ground.

Although Kouen mentioned Astaroth's flames disappearing, she couldn't see it. What she did see was how it robbed the ground it touched from the rukh. She could hear it and had to reach up to cover her ears from the shrill she heard coming from the rukh as that thing….took it.

Her eyes wide, Kohaku couldn't believe the ruin that it left in its wake. Trees and animals—all life that had been in range of it was dead.

It was at that heavy realization that a voice came to echo in her head. The voice itself belonged to someone she hadn't heard from in a long time. It wasn't Beleth or Marbas; it wasn't even mimicking her voice anymore. This time it was him.

"It courses with stolen lives."

Aladdin confirmed both hers and his assumption: if that thing got anywhere near the city it would take away all their magoi and kill them. The doll grabbed at its head before it grew and opened like a spider lily blooming. It's tendrils rose over the sky and caught a hold of pillar that remained from the suspended Dark Spot.

Without pause, it began pulling.

Alibaba rushed forth before anyone and Kohaku watched baffled as the thing blocked every single one of his attacks with the borg it created from its palm. Tendrils—from its head or ones that protruded from its whole body—chased after him, the larger hand impacting him and throwing him off.

Kouen assailed it from behind and left no chance for it to counterattack. Kohaku couldn't count the strikes from how fast he delivered them but one thing was clear: they were doing nothing. When the thing caught him in its grasp, Kohaku had to hold in a scream as the small white dragon hovering around gnawed off the Medium's hand, letting it and him fall to the ground. A gasp escaped her at seeing the aftermath of what a mere seconds of its touch had done to both.

Flesh, even their djinn-equip, had been stripped from them.

It was powerful. Virtually untouchable. And it could harm them with a mere touch.

This thing...how can we beat it?

The crackling of energy made Kohaku look up to see Kougyoku. The furious princess' eyes widened before rage took over. "What the hell did you do…to my brother and friend, you monster!"

Swiftly and without another word, Kougyoku struck with her water spears. The attempt didn't work either, though, as it raised its palm to stop the attack. Before Kohaku could go and stop Kougyoku before she got hurt, she stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw. Kougyoku summoned a myriad of water spears more before hounding the Medium with them. Mercilessly. Relentlessly. Kohaku expected them to be blocked like before, and although some were, others went past and impaled the Medium.

"It worked!?" Aladdin's exclaim shared the same incredulous astonishment that Kohaku felt. How could it when neither Alibaba's nor Kouen's had? It wasn't until Kougyoku struck again with the same result that Kohaku noticed something.

It's hands...they're the only ones putting up a shield.

Aladdin came to the same conclusion and added that it could only steal rukh with its hands. The boy acted quick, too, and rushed towards the Medium to attack it with sand giants he summoned. The attempt was useless, though, as she saw the Medium simply steal the rukh from the sand.

Her ears perked at hearing Kouen's booming voice. He quickly told Aladdin to abstain from being rash before ordering Koumei to take over. Those orders given, Koumei raised his hands ready to teleport them. "Kouha, Kougyoku, General Kohaku, Princess Hakuei!"

Assessing the situation as the portal appeared behind her, she equipped Marbas again, quickly changing into her grown form. The exhaustion of changing three times hit hard and fast but she knew she had enough to conjure her Extreme Magic.

"Watch it, though," Marbas cautioned as she teleported herself. "It'll drop critically low once you cast it."

She'd deal.

Hakuei hit it first using Pa'ir Al-hazard to shred it with the winds and send it upward towards the sky. Kouha followed suit and aimed Lelazzo Madraga at an angle further up towards the sky and sea.

It was then that the circle transferring Kohaku appeared just above the Medium as it headed her way.

"Answer my call, great beast of yore. Eradicate with nature's ferocity all that which threatens your holy lands! Sharisat Alttabiea!"

At Kohaku's call, dark energy cladded her claws and talons, transforming them into something akin to black gemstone. The first two strikes with her claws hit it's sides and pulverized their target, taking chunks of its body from the sheer power of her black-gemmed claws. Somersaulting back into the air and striking it upwards a small distance with one talon, Kohaku used her last empowered kick to strike it downward with all her might.

The impact changed the Medium's trajectory down towards the sea where Kougyoku pierced through it with Vainel Ganezza. Aladdin gave the last hit with his fire magic that eroded all around the Medium in a burst of hellfire.

Despite being exhausted, she kept attacking along with the others as Koumei redirected their attacks every which way he could.

"My king, you won't last much longer!"

Just a little more.

As Alibaba and Kouen arrived and the rest got whatever attacks they could to Koumei's transfer circle, she sent a massive hit of strength magic with a single punch through it. All seven attacks were directed into a massive portal to directly hit the Medium's head, the result amounting to a huge explosion.

Kohaku watched the sea breathlessly and stared at the hole they'd made into the sea where the Medium had been shot through. The moment it rose, however, panic and dread both began to set into her.

It's gotten...bigger...

"I-It's stealing the rukh from the sea...and becoming bigger!" Aladdin exclaimed.

"Can we...really win against it…!?" Kouha panted, eyes wide in disbelief. He was right. Kohaku knew that much from seeing them all exhausted beyond belief. They had expended their Extreme Magics and wouldn't hold on much longer.

Hearing a groan, Kohaku lifted her gaze to see Hakuei grimace while staring down at her staff, "My djinn equip is…!"

"We should be able to win…"

Kohaku couldn't disagree more with the little magi. As much as she wanted to believe that they could, the probabilities of that were close to null. Even with seven of them with djinn and a magi—not mentioning their lack of magoi—none of it mattered when the thing could just steal it back by killing its surroundings.

It's hopeless.

Her cynicism—like a sinister premonition—proved correct.

The Medium, as enlarged and strong with the amount of magoi it had, went for their weakest link first: Hakuei. Spinning about at hearing the movements, Kohaku didn't have enough strength or speed to reach Hakuei in time as the thing bashed her against the ground. A small relief came at seeing Aladdin protecting her but it didn't last long as another thing caught her attention.

Kougyoku's sudden exclaim made her turn towards the young princess as she summoned a huge water spear and pierced down at the Medium. The attack proved useless, though, as even without a borg, the spears did absolutely no damage. The air rush out from her lungs as she watched the hands from the head stretch out to catch Kougyoku's legs, her scream filling the air around Kohaku. Slow to react, she watched as Kouha freed her but at doing so put himself in harm's way. The hands reached out once more and engulfed him completely in its large palm.

The one to react was Kouen this time as he cut the hand that held his younger brother. "Kougyoku! Kouha!"

Kohaku followed his and Koumei's line of sight to the two siblings. Kougyoku's legs had been wounded but the one that turned her stomach was Kouha's whole body.

Dear gods…

Her horror was cut short, though, when a rebound of energy burst out in waves. Turning about to see its source, Kohaku saw Koumei's demeanor chang completely. A single swipe upward of his finger is all it took for him to summon another transfer circle. This one hovered over one of the largest mountains around and teleported it right above the Medium. The whole piece dropped atop the creature with no hesitation.

But that thing...it simply emerged from the mountain, eating the rukh with its hands and breaking its way through the mountain. To her complete horror, the Medium let out a screech and crawled out of the makeshift tomb made by the mountain, unharmed.

Something that had slowly crept into her finally cemented itself at seeing the Medium leaning against the mountain, taking even more rukh for itself.

Helplessness.

Kohaku's confidence on her pool of magoi was good for someone holding multiple djinn. That confidence took a mighty nosedive, however, the moment it began to prove meaningless. No matter what they did, it proved useless. The more they attacked, the weaker they got and the more it simply became stronger by stealing the rukh of things it killed.

It was a vicious cycle that left them with exhaustion that kept them from fighting or with the Medium stripping them of their magoi. Both gave the same outcome: death. And even despite still being able to hold onto her form, she could feel it slipping. The cold concept cradled her mind and enveloped it in fear.

Death, not only hers but that of those she loved.

"You have him." Eyes widening at hearing her voice again, Kohaku had to blink a few times to recognize it as fear blinded and deafened her. "The Medium—like he said it courses with stolen life. It's rukh of the dead; rukh that hasn't gone back to the flow. It's magoi you can take to replenish your own, just like Kouen and Alibaba did to replenish theirs from the lava flow. But you have to use him to have that chance."

I can't.

The answer came with no hesitation. What she was asking of her was impossible. Her hands trembled at the mere idea, her fingers needing to tighten their hold around her staff.

I could lose you. This time forever.

"You lost me years ago."

Everything in her mind halted at that. Heavy perspiration ran down her face and neck, terror crawling under her skin. But she could hear her own breathing, still and leveled. Her heart beating in tandem with a calmness she couldn't see or feel but could hear. Her eyes lifted to linger at the monstrous shape of the Medium before glancing at Kouha, Kougyoku, and Hakuei.

All strong, all defeated. Yet alive.

"Protect them, Speirr. Don't lose them too."

"I won't..." she whispered.

I won't lose them.

She stayed behind as Kouen, Koumei, and Alibaba kept attacking in a frenzy. Desperation was clearly in their attacks. They were on the edge, barely able to fight. And yet they continued.

I will lose no one.

Quickly and determined, she fluttered down to the beach where Kouha, Kougyoku, and Hakuei laid feet away—one conscious, the other two barely responsive.

"Not today. Not ever again."

With her declaration, she undid Marbas' equip letting her body rest for a second. Reaching upward, she caressed the carnation hairpin for a second. "Will you help me...even after all this time, old friend?"

The eight-pointed star shone on the hairpin and she felt it's warmth—a cool yet assuring heat. The rumble of his chuckle echoed in her head before a reply came.

"Always, little king."

A smirk came unbeknownst to her at an old nickname she had, since years past, forgotten. And yet it remained as appropriate as ever. In a world of conquerors, she remained small. A lamb among predators.

"But in the land they will only reach after death, you are their queen."

"Yes."

Because if it drew breath, it was sure to meet them.

Holding out the carnation hairpin, she held it up to her lips. A chaste kiss was all she placed upon it before calling him forth.

"Spirit of Innocence and Martyrdom, in the name of my magoi, envelop me to grant me greater power. This I command of you and your household. Come forth, dwell within my body: Murmur!"

---

Despite their relentless attacks, Aladdin, Alibaba, Kouen, and Koumei couldn't bring it down. The borgs it kept bringing impeded any and all strikes. The Medium screeched before throwing its head back, its many limbs reach towards the Dark Spot.

"No," Aladdin breathed, veins marked red from forcing so much magoi through his body. Not only him but the others as well were at their limits. Four of them against an unharmed, untouchable Medium. "Don't—"

In the blink of an eye and before the limbs could stretch out skyward, similar appendages reached out from the mountain it stood upon. White limbs reached from the ground and clung onto the Medium, grabbing wherever they could get a hold of and forcefully pulling it down. The Medium struggled, grasping at the hands that latched onto its body but it couldn't grab them.

Aladdin couldn't understand why or how, but the Medium's hand went through the white limbs despite them being able to grab it. They had no solid form but somehow did.

"W-What are those…?" Alibaba muttered, eyes wide.

"I don't know," Aladdin replied. He stared, puzzled, at the strange limbs and noticed something odd. There was no rukh in them. Despite their physicality and force, they possessed no rukh. "Those things...aren't made of rukh."

Kouen's eyes narrowed at hearing this. "That's not possible."

Aladdin agreed completely. Everything in their world was made of rukh. As he stared at the limbs, he noticed something he'd missed before. Despite not having or being made of rukh themselves, there was still a channel—a rather small one—that carried rukh into them. It gave them form as they held on but retreated, making them lose their shape, the moment the Medium tried absorbing them.

Something was consciously manipulating the rukh inside. "It's her." At hearing the soft whisper next to his ear, Aladdin spun around to find a small silhouette. It had no distinct form but he could feel it. A person; their rukh.

"Who—"

His words fall short when the silhouette reached out a languid, figureless arm. First, it pointed out to the white limbs before tracing the channel Aladdin had seen before to its source. Following its direction, Aladdin saw what connected to those limbs—or more like who.

A white, iridescent figure rose from beneath them, a blaze of bluish white fire coming to them. With her closer, it was easier to see the djinn equip. The blaze of blue and white fire had been hair. Most of it white, it spilled down her back ending in tendrils of blue flames. White silk covered her, the top wrapped and haltered tightly as it crossed over her breasts; her stomach bare except for bright blue markings. Armlets of silver and black iron decorated her as small pieces of metal—dark bismuth—protruded from her arms like tiny spiked scales; the scales iridescent blue, silver, gold, and black as the light hit them at certain angles. The scales came down to meld into thin, fingerless gauntlets of the same gemtone. A belt of black iron with ram skulls at either side sat on her hips. From them, white silks, lined in black and trimmed at the ends with silvers and blues, crossed over her hips and upper thighs tightly before loosening to flow freely around her legs. Her feet, like her arms, were scaled in bismuth up and around her knee. Hinging from the ram skulls, a thicker chain was wrapped around her hips and flowed down and over her skirts. The chains didn't look heavy; they didn't sink the loose silk. On one end of the chain and attached to a ram's skull was a black iron lantern, a bright blue flame burning in it. On the other, a small scythe with blades of bismuth, edges gleaming blue.

At first it was hard to see her face. A black iron mask shaped like a lamb hid the top half of her face and a black sash, trimmed in some white on one side, floated around her body. It wasn't until the sash moved to face him that Aladdin gulped at fully seeing its face. The hound—massive and alive—unhinged its jaw, letting it fall open in an unnatural way; the white mask that sat over it's face and snout glowed, its eye sockets a neon blue before changing into a bright scarlet.

It snarled, the unhinged jaw barking as it bit the air towards them. Aladdin and Alibaba visibly flinched back as it came dangerously close.

"No, Nadira."

The sash...hound—Nadira—stopped in its tracks inches in front of them. It snarled before scoffing, its colors turning back to neon blue as it returned to its master's side. From under the mask, stark blue eyes narrowed at the hound that simply cackled at its crude idea of a joke.

Aladdin blinked a couple of times at the woman. She turned her body towards them while lifting her iron mask over her head, placing it at her temple as it changed. It molded itself—like black, liquid iron—into a circlet embedded in jewels. It adjusted itself perfectly over her head, a small blue jewel pinned at her forehead. Bits of flame came down in front of her face, short strands that took on normal texture but remained blue flames at the tips.

Astonished, Aladdin and Alibaba stared at the woman they now recognized as one of the Kou Empire's Metal Vessel users: Kohaku. Koumei and Kouen, though, stared for completely different reasons.

"General Kohaku?" Koumei said, puzzled.

"Y-You have a third djinn?" Alibaba stuttered in disbelief.

She smiled warmly at them both before raising her eyes to meet a gaze of crimson tinted gold. Unlike the others, there was no amusement, disbelief, or confusion in Kouen's penetrating stare. Only a glint of betrayal.

"I will explain," she responded, her gaze turning tender for a brief second before steeling. "Once this is over and everyone's safe."

Aladdin's eyes widened at hearing her voice, this time sure that it sounded just like the one he'd heard in his head before. "You can speak."

Again, she smiled back at the him before pursing her lips. "I know you're exhausted but listen. I can hold it for a small window of time. Once I do, hit it with everything."

"What are you going to do?" Kouen's question was answered with a grin.

"Simple. If you steal from us—" Her hand reached up to pet Nadira, the hound leaning into her hand before unhinging its jaw as a guttural voice snarled, "—we steal from you."

With that said, she flew higher to be leveled with the Medium. Grabbing the lantern in one hand, she tossed it in front of her. The iron lantern hovered before her as Nadira slithered down her arm to engulf it in one bite. Its teeth sharpened and grew, mouth glowing blue as the flame in the lantern.

"What folly it is to snatch that which is ours," she claimed.

Aladdin watched alongside the others as Nadira grew in size while the limbs holding onto the Medium became smaller. Knowing the others couldn't very well see, he began explaining what only his eyes could. "The rukh she channeled to the limbs—she's rechanneling it to make the hound grow."

"She said she could hold him down," Koumei muttered, turning to Kouen. "What do you suppose—"

Kouen, however, didn't allow him to finish. Instead he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Whatever it may be, we can't argue or query about it now. So long as she stops it from moving, we strike."

Unable to contradict him, Koumei nodded. "Understood."

"Get ready!" She yelled, her voice somewhat cracked. Murur Aistirjae. Nadira, fully grown and showing more animalistic features, pounced the Medium before unhinging its jaw and gnawing its shoulder. The Medium howled; Aladdin gasped in shock at what he saw.

The rukh in the Medium was being absorbed. Nadira, through its bite, was taking it away in great chunks, channeling it back...to her.

"She's stealing the Medium's rukh…" His eyes widened at seeing some of the smaller hands on the Medium shrivel to nothing.

"I-It's becoming smaller," Alibaba muttered. His grip on Amon's sword tightened before he turned to Aladdin. "This is our chance!" Hearing this, the four of them headed to the trapped Medium to attack it.

From a distance, priests of Al-Thamen watched in disgust at the djinn's power.

"It's robbing the Medium of its rukh," one of them spoke. "Empress Gyokuen, this djinn…"

Across the world in Kou, Gyokuen's smirk faltered mildly. "Murmur, djinn of life. That blight can manipulate anything in the last stages of existence."

"Death," the other priest answered. The two—and by extension Gyokuen—could see the rukh being channeled from the Medium to her. What's more, they could see how quickly her body was filling with magoi.

Unconcerned yet still amused, Gyokuen scoffed. "Rest assured, it will be all for naught. She is human still. No matter how much rukh she's able to rob it of, her body will succumb. It will poison and kill her before she makes a dent on its reserve."

And like she could, Aladdin saw it.

Despite his panting and exhausted body, he kept an eye on her. He could clearly see the influx of rukh that assaulted her body, filling it closer and closer to the brim. Despite this, she kept going. So far, the Medium remained unmoving, unable to remove Nadira from its body as it did the same as the limbs had done.

So long as it remained still, it couldn't regain any rukh from anything it touched. So long as it couldn't regain any rukh, they could exhaust it and destroy it.

"W-We have a chance…" he muttered under his breath. Lifting his flute, Aladdin readied another attack, "Har Har—"

"Please, stop her!"

The panicked voice was louder than before this time but was the same one nonetheless. Catching a glimpse of it over his shoulder, Aladdin had to turn fully to see that the silhouette from before was no longer just that. Now it resembled a perfectly clear person, a girl. She shimmered, made of rukh, but she wasn't as translucent. Her attire reminded him of the people of the Kou Empire. What amazed him more was the uncanny resemblance she bore to Kohaku.

"You. Who are you?"

The girl shook her head vigorously, golden dust flying about as she did so. "I don't matter. Please, stop Speirr. If she continues on like this, her body won't take it."

"Her body?"

"You can't feel it," she explained quickly. "As a magi, the rukh reacts differently to you than it does to her. She is taking in too much. It's going to ki—" Her voice stopped abruptly as her body suddenly lost any translucence it had. Aladdin's eyes widened at the clear image of the girl who was no longer simply a ghost.

Tears—tangible, solid drops—spilled from her cobalt eyes as she pled once more. "She's killing herself."

---

"You can't go on much longer, little king. You must stop."

It was hard to hear Murmur's voice. "...not yet."

Despite the rush of magoi and power, she could also feel it tearing her apart. Even after a short time of casting Murur Aistirjae, she could feel the effects of the excess magoi entering her body. Blood rushed through her veins; heartbeats sped to an ungodly pace; muscles tensed to the point she couldn't move. Her vision blurred until it completely left. Her brain fired like crazy, electricity coursing through her body. Her hearing—the one thing she always had—was heavily dulled, almost gone.

And yet she stood firm.

"When!? Your body can't take much more."

"Just a bit more," she said. It was hard to distinguish whether she yelled or simply whispered. "I need enough to make it implode on itself."

"Our Extreme Magic?" Murmur inquired in disbelief. Despite it, Murmur remained silent as he began to understand. "You intend to destroy it with its own magoi."

She didn't reply. He wasn't wrong, though. The Extreme Magic she could perform with Murmur—the more magoi in her, the more powerful the implosion would be. It would detonate with what is already inside it. It would cause a chain reaction powerful enough to annihilate it.

It had to.

We can destroy it.

It didn't take long to reach that breaking point. The noises of the battlefield began to fade fast. Within the second, she heard nothing anymore. Darkness cosumed her. Unsettling as it was, she still felt the rush of rukh as she felt herself slowly disconnecting from her own body.

"That's more than enough!"

"Agreed."

When Nadira released the Medium from its bite, it took Aladdin and the rest by surprise. Free at last, the Medium let out a deafening howl that made them fall back. As they did, a bright light caught their attention.

"That's Extreme Magic," Alibaba called as he pointed towards Kohaku. There she stood, Nadira by her side with one hand holding onto her chained scythe.

"She released it to employ everything into it," Aladdin muttered.

The Medium, realizing this, lashed out its hands towards the defenseless Kohaku. Aladdin and Alibaba rushed to her but knew they wouldn't reach in time. Luckily, a streak of white and orange beat them and Kouen fended the attacks of the Medium away from her.

Turning to the others, he snarled his orders. "Keep it at bay!" They listened without question. Their attacks continued, albeit more futile than before as it began to block against them.

"Stand back!"

All of them turned to see her at the ready before they flew out of the trajectory of her attack. Determined, she brandished the scythe out to her side. "Great harbinger of rapture, let their sacrifice become your grand weapon and bring the judgement of the innocent!" All magoi in her body rushed to her scythe as the blade grew in size and took a neon blue hue, glistening like molten gems.

"Qahr Al'ab—"

Everything in her stopped, her hearing catching the slight sound of movement.

The Medium reacted, lashing all its hands to attack her. Slowed by her incapacitated body, she was barely able to muster Beleth's power in time to form a shield, even in Murmur's equip. The shield was weak, though, and easily began cracking. The moment she heard this, her eyes widened and dread swallowed her whole.

From where she could see, Gyokuen gave a grim smile. "Pathetic."

With force only it could muster, the Medium broke through the shield in the blink of an eye, engulfing her body whole in its hands.

Beside Aladdin, the girl felt horror drown her as she let out a blood-curling shriek. Panicked, her body disappeared and shot out into Nadira—it's blue color changing to gold.

None of them could move fast enough to stop it. It was Kouen and Alibaba that reacted enough attack and rescue her. Slashing the hands off of the Medium, they gave Nadira enough leeway to break its master out of the deadly cocoon she'd been encased in. What it couldn't stop was her from falling. Kouen clicked his tongue and rushed downward, leaving Alibaba to fend for himself, to catch the bloody mess that remained in his arm. Bringing her body closer to him, he couldn't look away from the seeming carcass. Murmur's equip had almost been completely ripped from her, her muscle exposed like his had been.

What's worse: her breathing was becoming quieter.

"Breath," he whispered, holding her closer. He couldn't undo Astaroth to heal her, not in midair. He couldn't leave the rest by themselves, either. They were both stuck.

A slight movement of her hand caught him unawares but all the same gave him some small respite. It wasn't until he saw Nadira surrounding them that he figured she was reaching out to it. The hound cocooned them protectively, holding its snout closer to its master.

"You can't." Kouen couldn't understand why he could hear the voice of a child echo in the air. What he could discern was that it came from Nadira. "You've lost all the magoi you took—even your own. You can't anymore, Speirr."

"I—have—to." It caught him by surprise that she was even mildly conscious. He knew how painful being in her state was; to be how she and Kouha are, completely exposed, was certainly closer to his image of hell's torture. "I can't lose—them—like—I lost—you—"

"Quiet," Kouen murmured, trying not to hold her too tightly. The blood spilling from her exposed muscles was making it hard to hold onto her. The warmth—her life—was literally spilling through his fingers. "Just...breath."

The Medium, being bothered no more, reached out and pulled Ill Ilah from the Dark Spot dragging it down quickly and steadily. No matter the attacks they gave, it wouldn't stop. Ill Ilah came closer and wasn't stopping.

Aladdin couldn't keep his shout, "Stop!"

As if answering his pleas, a roaring lightning struck from the darkened skies straight at the Medium, severing its connection with Ill Ilah. All were in apprehension, holding their breaths at the sight of a miracle.

To Gyokuen, this was what they had anticipated. "The 'miracle' born into this world and the existence we detest the most after the 'Great King.' The First Class Singularity: Sinbad!"

---

It's unbearable.

No pain—none that she ever experienced—could ever measure to this one. Everything hurt, numbed, then began to hurt again with a much stronger fervor. Every little touch was torture. Despite Kouen's gentleness, it felt like he was sticking thousands of daggers into her very core. And then some. Even in her dreadful state, her mind slowly processed what her ears caught from her surroundings despite how jumbled it all was.

"K—" No. Saying his name hurt too much. But I've got to remind him. "—En."

"Don't speak," he said. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't listen.

"The—others—" Thankfully, that was enough to convey the idea. Through muffled hearing, she heard his voice, felt the deep rumble that swept through his body as he shouted at someone—Koumei? It hurt. All movement did. And it became worse the moment she felt the wind crash against her exposed body. She wanted to scream, let out the pain anyway she could. Screaming only made it worse, though. Nothing was safe from the pain.

An eternity later the pain ended. She felt him move, felt him shout out words she couldn't comprehend. Everything was becoming less tangible. It still hurt but the numbness was lasting longer.

"My king—" Beleth. "—please, hold on."

"Please!" Marbas. "Don't die on us!"

"Be strong, little king." Murmur.

I can't. The numbness felt good. It felt better than hurting. Better than the fear. Much better than anything else. For once, she wanted to embrace the numbness.

"You can't go." Her voice came. It was soothing. "You can't leave them."

It'd be better. I'd be with you.

"And they'd be alone. They don't deserve to feel what we have."

Her voice became clearer. It soothed her more. Felt like smooth silk against her skin, lifting the pain. "I'd rather be...with you…"

"I know." Her voice begins to fade as the pain was almost gone. "But not here—not yet."

Without thinking, she reached out for her. What she grasped instead were locks of slithering hair. "Let go."

The baritone voice shook her as it rumbled through his body. Blinking her eyes open, a blurred focus came to them as did Kouen's deep-seated gaze. Puzzled, she tightened her hold and saw him wince. His hair—

"...sorry," she murmured, slowly letting go.

"Hakuei, take her." Her mind still worked sluggishly, so it didn't quite register when Kouen passed her onto Hakuei's arms. She could feel the princess's cold hand, moving. Alive.

"Anegimi? Can you hear me?" That sweet voice—tender, concerned—it was Kougyoku's.

"Yes," she whispered, busying herself with covering whatever she could with her tattered clothes. "I think...I'll be okay now."

She heard their gasps of shock but it didn't matter. Focusing on too many things at once was overloading her barely working mind; speaking or not didn't seem as important right now. Not wanting to be like this, she forced herself to focus. Her body had lost all pain—Phenex's work. Her ears still rang but she could hear without trouble. And as she blinked her eyes to focus, she could finally see the scene before her.

Numerous Metal Vessels and their assimilated Household Members. All of them fighting to keep the Medium down. It's borg was still active though. So long as it was, they wouldn't reach it. No sooner was her thought over that a bullet of silver shot through, shattering the borg.

Following its trajectory, she watched the forces from Reim, the three Metal Vessel users. Two of which were fully djinn-equipped. Her eyes scanned the rest of the battlefield to count. Six—eleven—fourteen. Fourteen Metal Vessel users were here.

Unbelievable.

"We have to use our djinn equip as well!" Hearing his familiar voice, she turned to Alibaba who was close enough to hear from where she stood.

Koumei was quick to answer as he held Kouha in his arms, Kouen busying himself with treating all of them. "But our magoi is already at its limit!"

That's right. She stared down at her own hands, her fingers grasping uselessly at the sand on the beach. Her magoi had been completely taken even before she could cast her Extreme Magic. Now, she was almost empty and barely hanging on by the strength Kouen had given her through his healing.

It shouldn't be possible.

"Not here—not yet."

Those words echoed through her head. Her pessimism had gotten the best of her the whole of the fight, but it wouldn't anymore. Even with little to no magoi—even if she had to use what her life had to give—she would not stop until that thing fell.

A sudden warmth came to her body. Gazing down, she couldn't see anything but the feeling was indistinguishable. My magoi...it's coming back. It felt fulfilling. It felt rejuvenating.

This is enough.

"All right," Alibaba called, his voice carrying over. "We can do this!"

Yes, we can. And we will.

"Murmur."

"Of course...my king."

In an instant, Murmur's djinn-equip enveloped her body fully as she held onto the chained scythe on her left hand. Tightening her grip, she parted with the rest into the air, following their lead. Assembled and ready, she watched the four—Alibaba, Kouen, Koumei, and Kouha—take center on the first square. The remaining ten of them took whichever spot was left.

All together, they called upon their individual Extreme Magics. She felt a slight hesitation as she brandished her small scythe. Gentle hands—ones that despite knowing they weren't there, she felt their warmth—laid over her tight grip on the weapon.

"For them."

Always.

"Extreme Magic."

"Qahr Al'abria'!"

The implosion and subsequent impact's explosion leveled the Medium in blinding power. They retreated as a fallout wave followed from the powerful amalgamation of energy. It wasn't until they reached the beach once more that they saw the Medium breaking down into pieces.

Despite the immense release of magoi, she somehow managed to maintain Murmur's equip. Nadira wrapped around her shoulders, protectively. Many of the others released their equip, exhausted beyond belief. Regardless of whether they could maintain their equips or not, they all watched expectantly.

But the Medium didn't die.

Her eyes wide in shock, she couldn't find words. All their attacks—fourteen Extreme Magics at the same time—did nothing. The Medium still stood. It still reached out to Ill Ilah far into the sky. But at the same time that it did, it suddenly stopped and began to grab at its head.

"It's because...the 'Medium' is hesitating."

That voice.

Her mind worked tirelessly at recognizing the man from years ago. His words muddled together as her mind worked on its own but, overall, she caught what was important: the Medium's hesitation is from a small point of white rukh. It was stopping the Medium. The talk about Aladdin going to see the rukh inside the Medium was something she couldn't follow, but his powers spoke for themselves.

Solomon's Wisdom. What an extraordinary power.

"Leave it to the incarnation of our great king, little one," Murmur said with a restful sigh. "If it is him, he is sure to succeed."

So much faith in such a small boy. Who is he?

"Someone important to us all," he answered. "And to your existence. But that you shall know when you have to."

Despite his cryptic words, a weight lifted from her. At first she thought it to be relieve, but it isn't until she heard the loud clanking of metal against the ground that she turned, startled. The lantern that had been laying by her side had fallen. The flame within it slowly extinguishing.

A new, all too familiar dread filled her, making her heart stop. She'd used her Extreme Magic—it used all the magoi in her and the reserves of those she'd captured in her lantern. Now that she'd used every bit of it...they—

She's slipping away.

"It appears the time for you to say goodbye has come as well, little Speirr."

His voice caught her off guard and she spun on her heels to find him: the man she met after conquering Murmur's dungeon. He smiled, although it quickly turned from wry to grim as his eyes glanced past her. Turning to follow his gaze, her own eyes widen at the scene. The battlefield they'd left behind was all but leveled, every piece of nature destroyed. And yet, among the ruin, the rukh of those trapped in her lantern lingered just like the ones in Murmur's dungeon had. Not only them but also the rest she she used—all those who'd died in the battlefield during this battle as well—lingered as specters. It was a crowd worthy of a festival but none of them cheered. None looked alive; all had that same glassy and clouded look in their eyes until it began disappearing. As the rukh returned to them, they became sentient for an instant before disappearing. Slowly their rukh returned to them before leaving, just like it had in Murmur's dungeon.

Petrified, she acted on impulse. Gripping the lantern tightly, she shouted before letting it open from the bottom, its iron unhinging. Like Nadira's jaws before, it opened to maw at the ground. A surge of power coursed through the ground, touching and chaining those specters left to the ground.

A pulse ran through her body at this. She was negating the natural flow and with so little magoi to force her powers on them, it started affecting her quicker than before. She didn't care, though. Not wasting a second, she ran towards the crowd not listening to any of the calls for her. She was as deaf to them as she was to her own pain.

None of it mattered. Not now.

Her hands shoved through the many specters that howled at her—some pleading, others cursing—demanding for her to release them. Their cries weren't anything new. For years since their imprisonment, she'd heard them. They haunted her when younger. Now they meant nothing.

Pushing through, she rushed to find her. To find the one person she didn't want to say goodbye to. Once inside the crowd, she spun around in her attempt to find her. It wasn't until she saw her back—a familiar scene—that both happiness and grief struck her.

"Kohaku!"

The name escaped her lips louder than any other. Her body felt heavy, her life slipping away, but she ran towards her anyway. Reaching out her hand, she was amazed to feel under it a solid body. The amount of rukh in that lanter must've been extraordinary to sustain her form like this. She tripped a few steps as she hurried, circling to face her.

"Koha—" The name died in her throat the moment she saw her eyes: cold, white, dead.

Her rukh wasn't there.

Everything else was uncanny. Kohaku looked older, the few years younger she should've been compared to her. Even so, she could see their resemblance still. Nothing changed. Nothing but her eyes.

She wasn't truly here.

"You must release me, little one." Murmur's words echoed in her head, sinking her heart further. "Only then will she be herself again. Only then can you say goodbye."

"I can't…" she whispered, holding tighter to Kohaku's hand. It was cold. "I can't do it."

I'm scared.

"You cannot hold them here forever. You will die." She was about to tell him that she'd rather die than let her go. Murmur seemed to quickly recognize this and spoke before she could. "She wouldn't want for you to do that."

He was right. And that hurt her more. Hesitantly, she forced herself to undo her djinn equip. The chains around her disappeared as she returned to normal, the carnation hairpin falling to her side as she let go of her scythe. From the corner of her eye, she saw the chains release the others as they quickly began to regain consciousness before disappearing. Pieces of golden dust floated skyward, vanishing into thin air. It made the blue skies above her seem ethereal, bathed in golden light.

An emptiness came to her. She only had a few minutes before they all disappeared. Looking back to Kohaku, she saw her eyes still white: her rukh still hadn't returned.

Fear clutched her closely once more. She feared the scorn, the hatred. The voice from before—Kohaku's voice—that she heard for over a decade through Murmur had never been hers. Only a mimic to soothe her pain. The forgiveness, the gentleness, it was all a farce.

It kept her sane. It made her think that if anybody would not hate her, it would be Kohaku. But it was a distorted reality she wanted to believe. She knew what she deserved; it wasn't forgiveness. And she knew, the instant Kohaku regained her sense of self, she would only confirm that fear.

But for now. Just for this little while…

"Would you...hear me out, Haku?" she whispered. No answer came. None ever would.

She pursed her lip, willing herself to retain some dignity if only to not cry. It was the last thing she wanted.

"Kohaku, I—" A breath caught in her throat at the sudden whimper, but she quickly set it back. Time was wasting. And she would say what she had to—even if Kohaku would never hear her words.

An empty smile came to her lips wanting to fall. She forced it to stay. "It's very quiet in the capitol. Sousei and Suisei—they like it a lot there. They've grown up wonderfully; their smile looks a lot like yours." Wanting something to anchor herself to, she reached for Kohaku's other cold hand and held both with her own. "I'm sorry...about Masami; I never intended for her to find out. She didn't deserve to suffer like that."

Not like I did when Cael and Papa died.

"That pain isn't something I'd wish on anybody. Not even her." Her smile faltered briefly and she could feel the tears stinging, wanting to be shed but she blinked them away. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. I pleaded to god so many times—prayed for things to be different. That I could take your place and for you to be here...where you're supposed to be. For you to be with them. For you to smile. For you all...to be happy."

A small sob escaped her thinking of what haunted her every breath. A sin—my sin—took everything away...from everyone. The tears finally won, spilling. She furiously wiped at them with the back of her hand, sternly trying to stop the inevitable.

"A-And nothing I—do will ever replace you." She scoffed grimly, stifling a few of her sobs and gaining some semblance of strength. "I've known pains before—losing Papa, losing Cael—and thought nothing would ever surpass that."

I couldn't have been more wrong.

She shook her head dismissively. "You—you were all I had left. You made me feel...like I belonged. Like I mattered. And...I lost you too." Her gaze lowered to their joined hands. Kohaku's fingers were delicate compared to her calloused ones.

Hands that have bled and killed.

Hands that have taken away the happiness of others.

Never again.

"But despite how afraid I am of how much it'll hurt me and them, I promise you...I'll tell them the truth. I'll bear the consequences of what I've done." Her grip loosened, her thumbs caressing the back side of Kohaku's hand. "And I'll be brave like you taught me to be. So please—" the prickling of her tears returned with fervor but she held them back. "Just for right now, please, let me stay here by your side."

No reply. The emptiness carved a hole in her chest but she swallowed the pain. Forcing a meek smile, she let go of one of Kohaku's hands before turning to face to horizon. "You would really like it at the capitol. The palace gardens are really pretty." Her smile grew a bit as she chuckled and turned to face Kohaku, "They have your favorite flowers. And the people there are really nice. I've...made friends, too."

Stark blue eyes met vacant white and the emptiness sunk her deeper, grief threatening to drown her completely. A forced smile kept her just above the surface, just enough to breath.

She wouldn't dismiss her with tears. Only with a smile—just like Kohaku always did for her.

"I've seen some of the world too, you know."

Smile. I have to.

"Maybe...not as much as we said we would, but I've seen some amazing places."

Smile. I must.

"The world...really is wonderful and...beautiful...just like you—"

Her words fell short at seeing the vacant stare once more.

I can't.

Everything crashed on her in a split second. All at once, her knees felt weak—from exhaustion or grief—and gave way under her as she dropped before Kohaku. Weeping her heart out, she couldn't even hold Kohaku's hands anymore as she curled into herself.

Touching her, seeing her, it all hurt too much. Hearing her own words pierced her, knowing she would never hear them. Knowing the instant Kohaku regained the small semblance of herself, she would hate her.

The person dearest to her...would hate her. And that she wouldn't be able to bear. A part of her wanted it to be over with; for her to return and hate her just like everyone would. Like they should. Another clung to a childish hope that maybe—just maybe—Kohaku wouldn't.

She didn't know what to do: brace herself to be hated by the person she loved or hope for the impossible only for that hope to shatter.

Her mind raced but settled on one lone truth: regardless of which she chose, she would lose her all the same. Again. This time...for sure.

That tore her apart completely and she wept uncontrollably, incoherent apologies spilling in between sharp breaths.

---

The last of the lantern's fire extinguished, the rukh left behind flying back to where it belonged. Despite only having been a few minutes, the field was clear. All of the specters had returned to the flow. All but one.

Kohaku's vacant phantom stood before her as she wept at its feet. A woman of pride utterly broken.

The rukh that left the lantern flew back to Kohaku before giving her phantom a slight glimmer. She blinked a couple of times before the white of her eyes regained color—a beautiful cobalt. The weeping caught her by surprise and Kohaku looked down to find her friend at her feet.

Recognition of everything hit the phantom then. A small smile came to her lips as she gently knelt before her friend. Her glimmering hand reached out to her side where the carnation hairpin had fallen and lifted her hands over her friend's head.

Swiftly yet quite deftly as well, Kohaku placed the hairpin in the small bun that laid in her friend's hair. Shocked, her breath hitched as her head snapped back to look at her.

Stark blue met cobalt—eyes like Masami's, like the twins—expectantly. Kohaku smiled warmly and reached her hands to gently cradle her face. Her soothing voice quietly whispered then, Kohaku's lips moving to the words.

"It really is quiet, isn't it?"

Silence came for a second. Quiet, she thought briefly.

"It's very quiet in the capitol."

Her eyes lingered on Kohaku, equally afraid as she was hopeful. No anger or hatred marred her angelic face. She only gazed lovingly, a warm smile on her lips.

A smile like before. Like when she would—

Her breath hitched again as she began to shed tears quietly, her eyes wide in bewilderment. Kohaku chuckled a bit at this, her ghostly fingers coming to wipe them away as her own tears began falling. Unable to hold back, she threw herself at Kohaku's arms. The two embraced each other tightly as they spent their tears.

In the midst of their incessant tears—a mix of relief and sadness—Kohaku spoke. "I forgave you a long time ago, Ceara. But I'll say it as many times as you need me to." Kohaku embraced Ceara, tighter than the other, as she repeated her forgiveness. Ceara couldn't help but cry at her words. "So please—" Kohaku reached down to pull Ceara back before placing her forehead against hers. "Please...forgive yourself...and be free to live the life you want to live."

Ceara's attention suddenly broke as she saw Kohaku's phantom beginning to disappear, small golden birds flying skyward. Kohaku smiled one last time.

"Goodbye, Ceara."

All at once, Kohaku disappeared in a flurry of golden birds. Ceara fell forward, embracing the nothingness left in her place. Tears silently continued to fall as she sat up and opened her clenched hands. From them, small rukh fluttered their wings before taking flight towards the sky. Ceara followed them with her eyes, seeing the last of Kohaku disappear into thin air.

A meek yet grim smile came to Ceara from the irony of those words. The one thing Kohaku had never taught her was how to say goodbye. Yet all at once and in few words had done it.

"...goodbye, Kohaku."

---

"Saying goodbye is harder the second time, isn't it?"

At first, Ceara couldn't hear who spoke. Her ears still buzzed. Even as she turned, she had to blink away the tears to recognize the man from the Eastern Isles. The one who'd help her return to Shika after she captured Murmur.

He stepped closer before he knelt by her side. His eyes were the gentle color of the sky. A small, serene smile came to his lips. "But it shows how much you have grown, little Speirr." Methodically, he reached a hand out to her.

Almost mechanically, Ceara reached out wanting the support. Her grip was weak but he easily helped her to her shaky feet. Once she was sure she wouldn't fall over, she let go of his hand. He smiles at this and touched her arm, "By the way, I believe I never reciprocated your introduction. I am Yunan, a traveler."

...Yunan.

Ceara's mind worked slowly and she gave no reply. She was forced to think, though, when a large explosion took their attention from each other. The Medium ruptured into oblivion. Everyone around her exploded into triumphant cheers so loud that she found herself covering her ears.

Hurts.

"Yes, I know," Yunan responded and lets his wand hover over her. The feel of magic rushed soothingly over her and lessened the noise of the crowd along with the incessant buzzing she'd been hearing.

Lifting her gaze, her eyes came to where Kouen and the rest of the Kou Metal Vessel users stood. Unconsciously, Ceara took a step forward fully intent on reaching them but stopped in obvious hesitation as she lowered her gaze.

I can't go back. They heard me; they know.

A reassuring hand came to her shoulder and squeezed tightly. "What's done is done, child. Like you said yourself, there will be consequences after all that's been done."

That's right.

A small resolve came to her. She promised Kohaku to tell the truth. And whatever was left afterwards, she would mend however she could. That's the least she could do. "I'll bear those consequences; I promised that much. And it's not like...I don't deserve them."

From the corner of her eyes, Ceara watched Yunan purse his lips. "Your place isn't to suffer forever, little Speirr. There are yours but they shouldn't define you or your life."

"What are they good for then?" she asked unable to hold back the question.

Watching from a distance what remained made her ask. Magnostadt had suffered destruction, the world almost complete annihilation. Mistakes had been made from what she heard Aladdin say. Magnostadt's Chancellor had caused all of this; he was the cause of deaths on a massive scale. He'd caused nothing but death and sadness to many. Just like she had to a few.

The extent didn't matter, though. Suffering was still suffering. It was immeasurable.

"What can people like us do but pay for what we've done?"

"Teach." The word caught Ceara off guard, making her stare puzzled at Yunan. The magician continued with a smile. "You've committed mistakes, child. Undoubtedly, you will carry them and what is to come for the rest of your life. But you mustn't run from them. Learn from them instead. Learn and continue to live to teach others. Teach them so they don't have to suffer like you have."

Teach.

In a strange way, it made sense. Her gaze lingered on the young princess and prince of Kou, children she'd come to treasure as much as she did Sousei and Suisei. It followed to Koumei and Hakuei, both people she admired in one way or another. Lastly to Kouen, a man of strange ways but all the same of great virtue. In a way, she understood. Telling the truth would require for her to teach them to understand. But they had to be willing and she had to be ready.

Although she felt her purpose renewed, Ceara was afraid. And she knew she'd have to overcome that fear before coming anywhere close to teaching.

Nonetheless…

"I understand." Ceara took a few steps forward before looking over her shoulder, a meek smile coming to her lips. "Thank you, Yunan. For this and for back then."

Yunan smiled and nodded. "You are most welcome, Ceara."

Hearing that name made her pause briefly. Ceara. It'd been years since anyone called her that. The name sounded foreign and yet, inexplicably, she'd missed it. Taking a deep breath, she made her way back to the others.

Amazingly, the people she guessed were from the Seven Seas Alliance parted as she walked. They didn't seem to mind her; she wasn't a part of them. All the same, Ceara could feel eyes on her from all directions. Ignoring their stares, she quickly found herself in the middle of a circle of enemies with five people she hoped would give her the slight benefit of the doubt on what they most likely saw happen.

But hell, part of her knew they wouldn't. Regardless of the outcome, she braced herself as she came to stand before them. Their staring was more unnerving than the whole crowd's. Kouha, Kougyoku, and Hakuei had gazes full of disbelief and confusion. Koumei the latter of the two. It was Kouen's that hadn't changed. It was blank.

Ceara pursed her lips, readying herself to explain but the attempt proved unnecessary. Kouha and Kougyoku jumped at her, rambling off about many things at the same time. Questions upon questions hit her at the same time. She caught some about Murmur and her equip with him, others about how she knew Yunan. It surprised her that in the barrage none came about Kohaku or about what happened. Quickly, though, their banter was shut down as Kouen closed the gap between them with Hakuei and Koumei behind him. The younger siblings parted to give him way and Ceara saw slight concern furrow their brows. Shockingly, neither left her side; they simply gave way for their brother.

Unafraid, Ceara met his gaze, stark blue against crimson tinted gold. She waited for a verbal bashing. At least some anger. If not about what they'd seen with Kohaku, then surely about hiding Murmur's existence. Gods knew she'd seen a tick when she first equipped him on Kouen's face. But none of that came. Instead he just bore that gaze into her.

After a few seconds of staring, he sighed and turned away without a word. Overtly confused, Ceara blinked a couple of times unable to understand what that meant. Whatever it meant, the two younger siblings felt assured to come to her, taking one of her hands into each of their own.

Their grip was tight and the gesture got her to reciprocate, smiling. A small whisper came out of her as the three of them followed behind Kouen and the rest. "Thank you."

She stopped beside Kouen as Koumei and Hakuei took his other side. The sudden oppressive atmosphere cut her slight relief short. The six of them were completely surrounded by the Seven Seas Alliance. Despite Kouen able to hold his djinn equip, Ceara knew that fighting this was equal to suicide. She could clearly see the silent threats exchanged between him and King Sinbad. That itself made her become hyper aware of the man known around the world as the King of the Seven Seas.

Threats, this time verbal yet not as hostile, were thrown back and forth. Ceara caught every word and measured their options. If worse came to be, there was still a miniscule part of her willing to fight.

Guys?

"No," Beleth declared.

"Not a chance," Marbas added.

"I have to agree with them, little king," Murmur replied.

All right, she was out of the fight. That left their chances if they fought quite low with only Kouen. At the mention of various trump cards, it made Ceara wonder about Hakuryuu and Judar and why the former was notably absent. Her train of thought was suddenly wrecked when a high-pitched noise caught her attention. It's not loud but it was high; high enough to make her flinch. It rings in the air and, alongside it, she felt Kougyoku's grip on her hand slacken slightly.

Beleth.

Using a tiny part of his powers, Ceara managed to disperse the sound, nullifying it. Oddly, she noticed Kougyoku's grip tighten once more. This troubled her but had no time to worry about it right now. It should have been easy to discard it. At least, she would've had she not lifted her gaze and caught King Sinbad's eye. The man stared at her with mesmerizing pools of gold. A crooked grin came to him, boyish yet predatory. It rattled her for some reason, sending a chill down her spine.

That smile...it was haunting.

Yunan, thankfully, smacked said king upside the head with his wand. Ceara tried hard to hide her scoff; she was liking Yunan more and more. The magician reminded him of some steps they'd taken to avoid such scuffles amongst them and the Kou Empire.

Scuffles? If he referred to such large scale intimidations as 'scuffles,' it made her wonder what the hell he'd call an actual war.

But Ceara understood Yunan's reasoning the moment King Sinbad spoke. "The Seven Seas Alliance and the Reim Empire have formed an official confederation."

Oh, that was a 'scuffle' indeed. And the more he explained the reason behind him 'helping' Magnostadt, the more he added fuel to this growing blaze.

Ceara felt Kouha's grip tighten with fury before he exclaimed, "T-This guy…! He intends to seize Magnostadt all for himself!"

Pretty on point. All those pretty words just to say he'd be taking Magnostadt alongside Reim's alliance. Masami's cunning ways seemed like petty child's play compared to this man's machinations. It hurt her head to even fathom how one man could think so far ahead for such things.

Surprisingly—yet not at the same time—Kouen seemed to be the only one of them unfazed. Instead, he took his prize in exchange.

"Well, in that case, I will be taking this magi with me."

Ceara couldn't believe the image of Kouen holding Aladdin under his arm. It looked snuggly. Clearing her throat, Ceara turned a bit serious as the rest reacted accordingly to the scene before them.

"Is this really okay?" she whispered to him. "That man—Sinbad—he doesn't sit well with me at all."

Kouen turned to look down at her. He stared for a few seconds and Ceara became suddenly aware of her situation. Kouen hadn't said a direct word to her since he questioned her about Murmur. And despite the aloof gaze, she knew the man well enough to clearly see the cogs of his brain working. The sight was brief, though, as he answered her.

"If that person were just interested in gaining more territory and influence, then he would just kill us off here," he explained. "But I guess he's not such a man."

Ceara stuttered, "I-I suppose." The dispersion of tension followed swiftly afterward. Ceara stayed behind as a few things began to be prepared. A slight discomfort made shuffle her feet. At doing so, however, her vision blurred and her knees buckled beneath her. Quicker than the others, Hakuei reached her as Kouha and Kougyoku let go of her hands to help as well.

Her hearing dampened as Hakuei and Kougyoku sat her down to rest. "Thank you," she whispered, slightly out of breath.

"It's all right," Hakuei told her. "Just rest for now."

"Yes," Kougyoku reassured her. "Everything else is being prepared for our departure. You worry about resting, anegimi."

Their concern surprised her, no matter the times she saw it. Kougyoku perhaps didn't fully grasp what had happened but Hakuei was more than aware, of that Ceara was sure. The first princess wasn't as dull or naive as Hakuryuu sometimes made her out to be. The same could be said about the three brothers. If anything, she was certain Kouen could piece everything together if he hadn't already. The thought filled her with a familiar dread—the kind she felt every time Masami would threaten her with spilling this secret. But it dissipated when she remembered Kohaku's and Yunan's words.

"Be free to live the life you want to live."

"Learn and continue to live to teach others. Teach them so they don't have to suffer like you have."

Remembering brought back the pain of her loss, though.

This was a wound that would take more than time to heal...but at least she would try. Surely the pain wouldn't ever disappear, only dull. But from it she would learn and live to teach. Ceara hoped to find a way to make that theory work in practice. Someday. But acting now would be asking too much of her. She needed a bit of time to rest, for the pain to recede. Just a little. And she wouldn't have it if the truth went out publicly.

Ceara noticed that after barking his orders, Kouen remained behind with Koumei and Hakuei. Kougyoku stayed with her, and Kouha settled in the space between them.

Those five were here. They had been the only ones to see what had happened. The only ones who had an inkling of what they had seen and how it implicated her in; part of it, at least. They knew who she was, not what she'd done. Although she didn't know which was worse, she knew that this way she could at least do some damage control.

Shuffling her legs beneath her, Ceara attempted to stand but found it hard to, weak as her body was. Kougyoku was the first to help her and Kouha, seeing her struggling, raced to her side. She thanked them, not caring that they—or the other three—heard her voice. She only had a few minutes before Kouen's Household returned to take them back to Balbadd. If she was going to stop this at the source—if just to give her time to prepare herself—then she'd have to do it now.

"I know it's not my place to ask this of any of you," Ceara began, turning to look at each of them in turn before continuing. "But please, whatever the five of you saw or heard...don't speak about it to anyone."

Understandably, the majority of them seemed puzzled at her request. The first to ask anything were the youngest two.

Kougyoku's came first rather quickly, "About that strange djinn and the woman from before?"

Kouha's brow knitted together in confusion, "Why?"

To both their questions, she answered with a small smile to placate them. It did neither. Kouen, however, was quick to shut her down.

"What makes you think I'll allow that when we don't know who you are?"

The question—and truth—struck her hard but Ceara took the blow. Taking a deep breath, she gave her reply, "I understand you're upset and wary—" certainly more betrayed than anything, "—but all I did was never with the intention to deceive you. Even if that is what I ended up doing."

Kouen was adamant, though. "It matters not. Believing you is out of the question. Not unless there's strict reason to."

As hurt, mentally and emotionally, as she was, Ceara was getting fed up with his caution. Had I wanted to do something, I'd had done it ages ago. But she held her tongue. Antagonizing him would serve only to aggravate his already sour mood. If anything, indulging his obsession would serve her better.

The stupid idea didn't seem so stupid the more she thought about it and it made her bite her cheek. It was worth a shot.

"You let this rest and I'll tell you everything." Ceara's gaze didn't waver from his. She stood her ground. "Everything and anything you ask."

He scoffed at this. "What assurance do I have that you won't lie now like you've done so far?"

"That you know will cost me nothing," she replied without hesitation. "All I want is for this not to spread to my family." Ceara pursed her lips when this doesn't seem to convince him. Instead she goes with what she had always stood by, the only truth he knew of her from actions alone. "It already tore myself and another to pieces. I don't want to cause them anymore grief. We—they just lost their parents. I want to protect them from anything else that would harm them. Myself included."

Silence came quickly thereafter. Ceara couldn't do much more than stare at Kouen as he silently made his choice. The aloofness never dropped, like always, and it made it harder for her to grasp any sort of nuance of what he thought. Thankfully, there wasn't much waiting there for her to keep guessing.

"Fine." A small smile came to Ceara at hearing those words. Kouen swiftly shot any relief of hers down as he turned to face the other four. "None of you shall speak of what happened or what you saw concerning this woman. None of you are allowed further contact with her, either. I will deem whether her word is trustworthy anymore."

To her utter shock and disbelief, Kouha and Kougyoku immediately spoke up, clearly against this ban. Their little turmoil was quieted in an instant though as they cowered against Kouen's stare. Yet, despite quieting their verbal protests, they stayed beside her still holding to either of her hands. This brought a sincere smile out of her.

"I can't understand why you're still by my side," she said quietly. This time it was their turn to glare at her, more peeved than angry.

"I don't care who you are or aren't," Kouha exclaimed, face a tiny bit red. "You're still you, name be damned."

Kougyoku fervently agreed while nodding her head. "Kohaku or not, you're still my anegimi. I'll believe you all the same."

Their words warmed Ceara but her eyes wandered up to the rest. Koumei and Hakuei, even after helping her, remained skeptical. She couldn't blame them, though. Looking at both sides, she noted something that unsettled her. Koumei and Hakuei hadn't argued against Kouen's orders. Kougyoku and Kouha had. In an instant, her problem had created a crack in this family. One that if she left alone, could grow.

No. I won't let it.

Ceara squeezed their hands tenderly and gave them a smile before undoing her hands from theirs. Kouha and Kougyoku looked up at her clearly puzzled. She didn't give a reason and instead took them both by the small of their backs to push them towards the rest. The small shove placed them halfway between their family and her; a step closer to where they belonged.

"Listen to your brother," she told them with a meek smile as she held onto herself. "All he wants if for you to be safe."

The two gave her a puzzled look. By being forced, however, it seemed Kouha understood a bit better. He took Kougyoku by the hand and promptly took her to Kouen's side. Their reinforcements soon came, ready to take them to Balbadd. All the while, Ceara remained close but just a few steps behind.

Seemingly a part of them but never truly there.

Frankly, Ceara understood the prohibition Kouen had placed on them. In some way, she thanked him for it. At least, this way, it gave her a reason to stay away.

After all, she had already torn one family apart. She wouldn't do the same to another.

---

A/N:

After proofreading this, especially so close to a date my family and I find mournful, it made me tear up a little. It's hard to say goodbye and it's never really enough. To see a person you love so much leave the world is painful, I'm sure many of can attest to that. If not, I'm envious and empathetic all the same. I hope you never have to experience this.

It didn't hit me as hard as I was writing it, more so while I read it. Regrets hit hard, especially after time has passed. A year really isn't enough to dull the pain. I doubt ten, twenty, or thirty will. But I have hope that we'll get better.

I'm sorry there's nothing happy to read in the A/N this time. Although few, I will still thanked the lovely people who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed (those who I couldn't reach).

- Guest:First of all, I thank you for the constructive criticism. About Hamilton, yes, I peg myself guilty over that (and not mentioning it in last chapter's A/N). I admit as I reread it, too, it was perhaps too much on the nose. As for the POV change, I caught the instances of that. Although I won't go back to fix them (at least not anytime soon), I will try and avoid that problem in the future. Hopefully my attempt at keeping POVs distinct worked here. (Thanks for the examples too! They help as reference). Overall, I'm glad that despite all this, you still enjoy the story and I hope to hear from you again.

- Kiwichan916

- chocolate-is-the-best

- XxGrimshadowxX

Again and like always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next update. As a small thing, I'll this behind: a quote I really love and makes things a bit better sometimes.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Dr. Seuss