Yay, chapter 16, an entire flashback consisting of Songi and Cort interaction! :D I think this might just be my longest chapter by far. O_O But I can't help it, damn it! I loved writing interaction between these two! I think I'd love writing interaction between Songi and Cort's other followers too. That might be something to consider for future chapters. A lot of this fic seems to consist of flashbacks. XD

Chapter 16

Songi wasn't aware of how long he'd been running, nor did he care. The only thing he cared about right then was finding Gala as soon as possible and driving his fists and boots into every available part of his flesh he could reach. And he wouldn't lose this time, no matter what. He told himself this over and over as he kept running, not pausing once because doing so would force him to consider how much of a lie that was.

How dare he. I won't lose. How dare he. I won't lose to him. How dare he take my Ra-Seru. I won't lose. He went behind my back and took it, because the idea of a fair fight is something he'd never even pretend to consider. I won't lose. I'll destroy him. I'll beat him until he's writhing on the ground in his own blood, begging for mercy. I won't lose. I won't lose. How dare he. I won't lose.

Songi's inward rambling was abruptly cut off as his heavy right boot caught on a loose vine and he tripped, face-first, onto the hard forest floor. He managed to get both arms out in front of him before he hit the ground, which at least saved his face from colliding with anything, but that was a small comfort. As he jumped to his feet - he couldn't afford to stay in such a vulnerable position in a place like this, even for a second - the sides of his arms and hands that had broken his fall stung painfully. It wasn't serious, he knew; it didn't even feel like he was bleeding. But it was one more inconvenience he didn't need right then, especially when he had to go and trounce Gala.

"Son of a bitch!" Songi yelled, kicking at a nearby tree in an attempt to relieve some of his anger.

This done, he turned away and made to start running again, but stopped short when he saw what was in front of him. Barely a few meters away, seemingly having appeared from behind one of the many stick trees, was a man.

He was tall and very slight in build, with long, silver hair. It was hard to tell at first glance, but his eyes seemed to be of different colors; his right appearing blue while his left was a purplish-red. He was dressed in an expensive, durable-looking, black long-sleeved short with matching pants. Where the sleeves of his shirt and pants stopped, he wore gold and purple attachments that didn't stop until his hands and boots. At the front of his shirt, he wore a silver beast-like accessory with many black and red ribbons, which stuck out in all directions. The overall effect was downright alarming, and even though he wasn't easily intimidated, Songi found himself momentarily speechless upon looking at him.

"You're angry," the man said. His voice was low, deep and authoritative, although one got the impression he didn't speak much. He was looking at the younger man expressionlessly, almost like he wasn't quite sure what to make of him.

"Wh-Who the hell are..." Songi began, then stopped.

His eyes had caught on something in the man's arms. It was small, dark and seemed to be radiating power. Even if he hadn't already seen the two brats' Ra-Seru and likened the thing in this man's arms to them, Songi probably would've been able to guess on his own. After all, it was exactly the same color and aura as that round thing he and that stupid oaf had found all those years ago.

So, Gala didn't screw me over this time. That makes a nice change, I guess.

Songi had no idea who this man was or what he wanted, or how he'd gotten into this forest, for that matter. Frankly, he didn't care about any of that. The only thing Songi cared about was that this man had gotten into this forest and was now standing there, calm and unscathed, looking as though no Seru had even gotten near him. The Ra-Seru in his arms probably had something to do with it, but that didn't explain how he'd gotten to the thing so unscathed. Sure, he and Gala had only been kids when they'd first found the thing all those years ago, but there had been two of them, and they'd hardly been weak. At least, Songi hadn't. This man didn't look like he'd even broken a sweat.

But then, Songi thought, that didn't really matter either. All that mattered was that this man had taken his Ra-Seru and was now holding onto it like he owned it. How he'd managed to get it out of its egg-like state was impossible to guess, but it did at least save time.

Without waiting, Songi stepped forward, raising his powerful fists menacingly.

"So it was you! You're the one who took my Ra-Seru! Sorry to disappoint you, but that thing belongs to me! I already decided it did! Unless you want to face the wrath of a fully-qualified warrior of Biron, you'd better hand the damn thing over right now!"

The man smiled back at him, amused.

"So angry," he repeated. His lip curled in disgust, and without even the faintest trace of effort, he raised his right arm and shot out a huge, pulsing shock-wave towards Songi.

It was much too sudden and fast for Songi to have even the slightest hope of dodging it, and he didn't. It hit him like a solid object, smacking him in the stomach and forcing all the breath from his lungs. At the same time, a blinding agony spread all over him, as if the force that had hit him had been on fire and was now burning him alive.

It took Songi several seconds to realize he was on his knees, clutching his stomach and moaning in anguish. Once he understood that the pathetic sounds ringing in his ears were coming from him, he forced himself to stop, but that didn't change the fact that he was in pain - more pain than he'd ever been in in his entire life. If he'd been able to think clearly at that point, he would've gladly said he was willing to go without a Ra-Seru and be second-best to Gala for the rest of his life if he'd known it would only stop the pain.

The next thing Songi was aware of was the man beside him, his right hand reaching down and, cold fingers wrapping around his neck, yanking him up to his level. Being several inches shorter than the man, Songi was lifted off the ground and dangling, causing the hold around his neck to become even more excruciating. He gasped as the man tightened his grip, cutting off his air supply, and latched onto the man's right arm with both hands, trying to force it from his throat.

Normally, Songi's powerful arms would've been able to pull just about any hand from his body, no matter whose it was, but this man was another matter. Not only was he blocking his windpipe, preventing oxygen from reaching his brain and making him weaker by the second, but he was incredibly strong too. Maybe even stronger than him...

Songi dug his nails desperately into the man's skin, drawing blood, but his assailant didn't even seem to feel it. Through a blurry haze, Songi saw the man's mouth twisting into a cruel smile as his victim's life ebbed away. Songi was in too much pain, too busy trying fruitlessly to get air back into his lungs, to realize how close to death he was. It was only as the corners of his vision began to go black, and the pounding of blood in his ears grew deafening, that the man, without warning, released his hold on him.

With no support now holding him up, Songi slumped weightlessly to the ground. For several seconds, he was breathing in great lungfuls of air without even knowing it. He felt like he'd been submerged in deep, icy water and had only just surfaced. The relief of it, of finally being able to breathe again, made his head spin. He didn't even feel the harsh bruises on his neck, or how painful it was when he swallowed.

Songi didn't wait to catch his breath completely, as he knew doing so would probably get him into an even worse position than before. Instead, he forced his injured, exhausted body to respond to him. In one swift movement, he sprang to his feet and jumped back a number of paces until he was at least ten feet from his attacker. There he stopped and faced him, silently willing his body not to tremble with fatigue or pain. He was still panting, and he could now feel the damage around his neck, not to mention the lingering agony around his stomach.

The man hadn't moved to follow him, but he was still smiling in that infuriating, sadistic way. It made Songi want to rip the bastard's face off.

"Not bad," the man said, his cold eyes gleaming. "You're going to stand there, like you honestly believe you have some hope of defeating me, instead of staying on your knees and begging for your life?"

"Fuck. You," Songi said icily, clenching his fists.

He hadn't even had a chance to move when the man raised his hand again and sent out another shockwave at him. It came at him too fast for Songi to hope to dodge it, especially in his state, but he did manage to throw up both his arms in front of his body in a protective stance. It shielded him from the initial impact a little, but it still didn't stop most of the pain from reaching him, nor did it stop the blast from knocking him to the ground again.

Again the blinding pain rushed through him, burning like fire. Songi clutched his stomach with both hands and bit down on the inside of his cheek until it bled to stop himself from moaning again. There was no way in hell he'd be giving this bastard that satisfaction. Before the initial shock had even passed, Songi had made up his mind to keep fighting. He could barely move, and he felt like he was on the brink of passing out, but still, giving up when he still had life in him was something he'd never do.

Gasping, Songi sprang forward and caught the man around one of his legs. He tried to topple him over onto his back, but his body was too weak to do much else but hold on.

Damn it...

The man smiled down at him, amused. Obviously, he thought his victim was clutching onto him as a sign of submission and pleading. That was certainly what it looked like. Songi silently begged his body to respond to him more, but it was all he could do to keep himself awake. His vision was still black around the corners; his ears were still roaring; everything felt fuzzy.

Finally, Songi forced himself to look up. The effort of doing so nearly made him faint. He could tell from the man's answering smirk that he'd been waiting for him to meet his gaze. Very slowly, Songi saw him raising his right hand again, ready to send that terrible force through him a third time.

Holy hell... He's going to kill me.

And there probably wasn't anything he could do about it, no matter how much he fought. The man was too strong, and Songi was in too much pain to defend himself anymore. The thought of death didn't scare him as much as he would've expected. The pain was what scared him. He didn't want to hurt anymore. Even now, the lingering sensations of the two blasts and his near-fatal strangulation were almost enough to make him vomit. If the man would only finish him off quickly and painlessly, he felt he almost could've borne death.

And then, in the midst of this, being faced with his own mortality and weakness, Songi suddenly thought of Gala. Of all people...

Would he miss him when they found his dead body? Would anyone miss him? Maybe one or two people would shed a few tears for him. Maya might be too depressed to cook for a day or so. Zopu would probably say some inspiring - and dishonest - words about what a brave, caring, amazing person Songi had been, and a few people would pretend to care.

Gala would pretend to care, only because he would know it wouldn't look good for him if he didn't, and the last thing he'd ever want would be to make people think badly of him. Gala wouldn't care for real though. They hadn't been friends in over two years, and Songi certainly wouldn't have grieved for him if their situations had been reversed.

So this was it, then. Gala would remain undefeated, unopposed, continuing to think he was the best. And Songi... he would fade into obscurity. He would never beat Gala.

An incredible flash of pure rage seethed through him then, clearing away all the pain and terror, and before he knew what was happening, Songi was screaming at his tormentor at the top of his lungs:

"Go ahead, then! Kill me! Kill me, you miserable bastard! No one will care! I don't care! Just make it quick! Please, in the name of Biron, make it quick!"

Songi stopped, panting. He'd never used Biron's name in a prayer before unless he was told to. He didn't believe in him - or in any god, for that matter. He hadn't since the Seru had murdered his father and left him in the care of a bunch of strict, demanding, uncaring monks - monks who always told him his best wasn't good enough, whispered behind his back that he'd never be a strong fighter like Gala.

The man stopped, the coldness in his face almost completely masked by curiosity. Everything about his expression said that this wasn't what he was used to. He was used to people pleading, certainly, but pleading for their lives, or the lives of the families. Pleading for it to be quick and painless, addressing him with more loathing than fear, he hardly ever heard, and certainly not from someone like this - so young and impulsive, so... hateful.

After a second, the man lowered his right arm and knelt by the person he had just been planning to kill. Roughly, he forced Songi's hands from his leg and pushed him backwards, onto his back. Songi landed hard, what little wind he'd managed to get back knocked out of him again. Somewhere above him, he heard the man's voice, much quieter than before.

"Tell me why you're so angry."

Songi sat up slowly, resisting the urge to hold his throbbing stomach. He looked at his attacker, who was still kneeling in front of him, barely a meter away. He hadn't said it, but Songi knew he would be on the receiving end of another agonizing shockwave if he didn't answer the question he'd just been asked.

"I wanted that Ra-Seru," he said mechanically.

"Why?" the man asked, still staring at him. Songi found it impossible to look away, even though he desperately wanted to.

"I wanted to use it... to become stronger."

"Why?"

Songi swallowed.

"Where I live, at the Biron Monastery, there's this... this guy. Gala." He grimaced at the name. "He's always been stronger than me. Everyone compares me to him when they think I'm not listening. He's always been better at... at everything."

If he hadn't been so sure the man would know he was lying and act accordingly if he was, Songi would never have admitted such a thing to anyone, even himself. But right then, it almost felt like a relief to be saying the words he'd been keeping inside for so long, to be voicing all the resentment that'd been building up in him for years and years - even to this man, who was almost certainly going to kill him once he grew bored of him.

"But if I had a Ra-Seru, I'd be able to..." Songi trailed off, not sure how to continue.

If he had a Ra-Seru, he'd be able to beat Gala, but then what? The monastery didn't allow the use of any type of Seru, and Songi had no doubt he'd be turned out of the place the moment he was discovered with one. He didn't have anywhere else to go besides there, but then again, that was mostly because he'd been forbidden to leave its confines ever since he'd been brought there. He rather liked the idea of leaving the monastery and journeying across Legaia to see the world.

Several other Biron monks had done just that before the Mist had come. Zopu had said many times that there were warriors of their religion all over the world, spreading the teachings of Biron to anyone they could. Songi had no intention of doing that, but it'd be nice to see the traces of familiarity as he travelled. Right now, they'd only demonstrate how utterly inferior he was to Gala and how much he hated people in general, but once he beat him, they'd symbolize that he, Songi, was and always would be stronger one.

Then Songi realized he probably wouldn't even be living to see the dawn, much less be travelling anywhere.

"What would you do then?" the man asked after a short silence. His thoughts had clearly been running along the same lines.

"What do you mean?" Songi said.

"Well, if you killed this man, you wouldn't be able to return to your home, would you?"

Songi almost gaped at him.

Who'd said he wanted to kill Gala? Defeat him, yes. Humiliate him, yes. Beat him within an inch of his life and leave him in pain for the rest of his damn existence, yes. But kill him? No. He'd never wanted to kill another person, no matter how much he loathed them. He didn't know if saying this would be a good idea though.

"I'd travel," he said instead, quite honestly. "I hate being cooped up in that place. They treat me like I'm helpless, but I'm one of the strongest people there. I'd be the strongest, if..." He stopped. He'd just been about to blurt out, "If you just gave me that damn Ra-Seru and let me go," but that would sound too much like begging for his life, and he would take a thousand more of those horrible shockwaves before he did that.

The man considered him for a moment, appearing to be weighing some risks. Finally, he stood up again, holding out his hand to the red-head once he was on his feet. Songi wouldn't have let himself be pulled up in this way, even if he had trusted the offered hand, but the man simply grabbed him by one of his wrists and yanked him up. Songi yielded, only because, in his current state, resisting would've sent him sprawling, which was worse. Once they were both upright, the man let go of him and surveyed him, still with that odd curiosity.

"Why don't you join me?" he said abruptly.

Songi blinked, completely taken aback. Whatever he'd been expecting, this hadn't been it.

"What?"

"Why don't you join me?" the man repeated. "I'll give you this Ra-Seru, and you can go and kill that man you hate so much, along with those two pesky kids."

Songi felt a chill run down his spine, and he looked at his enemy with something like disbelief.

"You... You want me to kill kids?" he said blankly.

The man continued speaking as though he hadn't heard him.

"And after that, you could help me and my other servants."

Songi hesitated. He really had no intention of helping this person do anything after what he'd done to him, but he had even less intention of dying if he could help it. At the very least, he'd have to try to bluff his way into his enemy's favor until he got the Ra-Seru. He was positive he could take him if he only had that.

"Help you how?" he asked.

The man regarded him calmly for a few seconds before replying.

"Unless you agree to join me, I see no point in telling you."

"You mean because you'll kill me," Songi said. It was a statement, not a question. He already knew the response, even without the man's cold, answering smirk. So Songi said the only thing he could to stay alive:

"Fine. I'll join you. Give me the Ra-Seru... sir."

He added the last word with some reluctance, realizing at the last second that he'd have to be at least somewhat polite to the man who now thought he was his boss.

"Call me Cort," the man said.

Songi raised his eyebrows. The name sounded somewhat familiar. He was sure he'd heard it come up in a history book somewhere not too long ago. Not that it really mattered. The man, Cort, wouldn't be alive much longer anyway. As soon as he gave him the Ra-Seru, he'd be as good as dead. Songi wouldn't kill two kids; he wouldn't kill his own people; he wouldn't even kill Gala, even though the arrogant oaf deserved nothing less. This man, though... Songi would make sure to kill this man as slowly and painfully as he'd been planning to kill him, and not just because he knew it was either that or be killed himself.

"Okay. Lor..." Songi began to say 'Lord Cort,' but he stopped himself at the last second, unable to go through with it. "Please give me the Ra-Seru, Mr. Cort."

This was admittedly still very respectful coming from him, especially since the bastard had put him through so much pain and was now threatening to kill him if he didn't do what he said.

"And what's your name?" Cort asked, ignoring the younger man's request. Songi didn't dare repeat it again.

"Songi."

Cort's lip curled again, as though Songi's name was a synonym for some overt curse word.

"Well, then," he said, "you've agreed to join me, and I'll hold you to that - a code of honor, from one man to another. Here."

Songi had been too busy forcing himself not to spit at Cort's referral of himself as a man of honor to notice that said man was now holding out the Ra-Seru to him.

Wow, that was fast. Just how stupid is this guy?

If Songi had been thinking clearly, he would've stopped short at this question. How stupid was this man? No sane individual would give someone such a powerful weapon unless they absolutely trusted them. Cort's remark about codes of honor aside, it was highly doubtful he trusted Songi at all. Which meant, either he thought he could stand up to the power of a Ra-Seru, or he knew something he wasn't telling.

Songi wasn't stupid. Stubborn, yes, and pretty lazy when it came to most academic subjects outside of logic puzzles, but not stupid. If he hadn't been so distracted by the promise of such power, enough power to finally beat and humiliate Gala as he wanted so desperately, he definitely would've stopped to consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Cort was playing him.

But he didn't. Instead, Songi took the thing from the man and watched in a semi-daze as it came alive and slithered onto his arm. It buried itself deep into his flesh, deep enough to bruise him, and he would've cried out in pain if, at the same time, an invisible, icy cold hand hadn't seemed to reach into his brain and pluck something out. Without realizing it, Songi had closed his eyes, his body trembling ever-so-slightly as the invisible hand retreated, taking whatever it had found in his head, real or imagined, with it. Eyes still closed, Songi allowed his body to go limp as a long, pleasured sigh escaped his lips.

Ah, bliss...

Soft, calming, heavenly bliss.

All the pain, loneliness, self-loathing, inferiority and lingering grief for his father seemed to wash out of him in a single second, and the jealousy and hatred he'd been feeling for so long, though still there and much stronger than before, was no longer causing him the intolerable pain it once had. Now it felt like delicious, exotic food, seeping into his every bone and making him much stronger for it.

All the best parts of him - the empathy, the gentle fondness for animals, the unwillingness to kill anyone outside of self-defense, even the reluctant fondness he'd still had for choice members of the monastery despite loathing them at the same time - melted right out of him. And all the worst parts of him - the arrogance, the greed, the envy, the selfishness - multiplied tenfold. Practically the only things that seemed to remain untouched were his laziness and tasteless sense of humor.

Songi was well-aware of all that had happened and why. He knew the parts of him that had made him human had gone, probably forever, and that he would now kill anyone who looked at him the wrong way if he felt so inclined. But he didn't care. He lacked the ability to, and he knew he lacked the ability to, and he didn't care.

He also knew Cort had given him the Ra-Seru as a means of controlling him, or at least of getting him to join him, and that he, Songi, had fallen for it. But he didn't care about that either. The relief of being freed from the crippling pain and isolation that had been haunting him for so long just felt too good.

Songi opened his eyes again slowly, and the change that had arisen in them in less than a few seconds would've shocked anyone save for the man standing in front of him now. They had grown cold and blank, and the bright blue they'd once been had faded to a dull kind of grey. There was no humanity in those eyes. Everything human in them had been wiped away, just like every human emotion in his heart had been.

Songi smiled. Or at least, his mouth curved upwards. His eyes remained completely empty.

"You knew I was going to kill you, didn't you?" he asked quietly. He saw no reason to hide what he'd been thinking, as he was sure he wouldn't be penalized for it.

Cort smiled back, his eyes just as cold and blank as Songi's.

"Oh, I knew."

"And you knew I'd change my mind once I had the Ra-Seru."

"Of course."

Songi cast what could've been a skeptical look at him, but it was hard to tell when his face had so little emotion.

"Aren't you worried I'll turn on you later?" he asked.

"You'd be no match for me, and you know it. You're too smart to try."

Songi's would-be skeptical look faded, and he smiled again. He felt the urge to laugh uproariously at Cort's words, simply for how true they were. But for the first time in a long time, he also felt he could stand being quiet. For the last few years, in the monastery, all he'd ever wanted to do was scream and rage and laugh hard at other people's mistakes to better disguise his own. But now he thought he could've just as easily stood still for the rest of his life - or at least until he met Gala.

"You're right... Mr. Cort," Songi said at last.

It was the first time there'd been genuine respect in his voice for years. He didn't like this man, he loathed him, but that didn't change the fact that he admired him. It was impossible not to.

"Besides, all you really want is revenge on that man, right?" Cort said in attempted indifference, though his cruel smirk gave him away.

"You know that's not true, Mr. Cort. I want... much more than that."

"Tell me."

Songi considered for a moment, the newly-fed hatred and calmness inside him rising in turn with every second.

"I want revenge on all of them. They all think I'm weak and pathetic. If they don't hate or pity me, they only tolerate me or place me as second-best to Gala. I'll show them what a terrible mistake that was."

Cort nodded, suddenly very business-like.

"Once you have, go to the fortress in the large valley in the eastern part of Drake Kingdom. Zeto, another follower of mine, will be there. He'll explain everything you need to know. Feel free to toy around with those three if you want. Trust me, it's a lot of fun."

Cort had already demonstrated his love of 'toying around with' people earlier, but Songi didn't mind that as much now. His aching bones and muscles, even the deep swelling around his neck, had eased along with his mind when he'd taken the Ra-Seru, and the thought of torturing Gala and those two brats made him feel warm all over.

"Yes, sir," he said.

Cort stepped forward and placed his non-Seru hand briefly on the younger man's shoulder. The sensation of Cort's long, icy fingers touching him, even through his clothes, made Songi's face burn, like he'd just been hit by a blast of hot air.

"Good luck. Songi."

Even though he'd only just met him, Songi had the feeling Cort didn't use people's names very often and that the man addressing him as such was a sign of respect and trust. But he didn't give it much thought. The moment his hand was off his shoulder, Cort had turned and slowly glided - literally glided, his whole body a good few inches off the ground - away, eventually leaving his new follower in the clearing alone. Shortly after, Songi's new smile faded, and his entire face became as cold and murderous as his eyes.

I'll get you eventually too, Cort. I promise you that.

The Mist was still cold and thick around him, but somehow it wasn't much of a problem anymore. He walked through it calmly, killing a few odd Seru monsters on the way just for the fun of it. They hadn't given him much of a problem these past few years. Before now, he knew he would've been in trouble if two or more had come at him at the same time, but he was certain he could take a large number of them now. He was actually disappointed that he didn't end up getting the chance.

Before he'd walked a mile, Songi spotted the party of monks he'd ditched, walking along the same path he was and coming towards him. Quickly, he thrust his right arm behind his back. He didn't want them to see his little surprise just yet. They would make an excellent warm-up exercise though. There were only three of them, and it was doubtful any would be able to slip away once he got started. The real test would be to see how fast he could kill them all.

"Master Songi!" one of the monks, the youngest, called out, breaking into a run.

For a brief moment, Songi hesitated. The man running towards him was Riku, an overly cheerful guy in his mid twenties who'd been brought to the monastery with his mother at the same time as him and Gala. As the other two monks, two stuffy middle-ranking men in their late thirties, grunted in annoyance at their younger companion's eagerness and hurried to catch up, Songi felt something stirring in him that could've been reluctance.

He had almost liked Riku. Obviously he was just as ignorantly worshipping of Gala as everyone else, and in a way Songi couldn't help resenting him slightly for not losing his family in the attack when he had, but still. He'd never given the impression that he thought Songi was incompetent or weak, and he hadn't seemed to judge him for what he'd done to Gala in the Transmigration Festival's tournament, unlike everyone else. Plus, he actually addressed Songi as his superior outside of training, something not many other monks did for him.

But a moment later the reluctance was gone, forced away by the Ra-Seru he now had on his concealed arm. He stood still and allowed the others to come to him. All of them, even Riku, were very careful in how they approached him, clearly fearing to be jumped by a Seru at any moment.

Cowards.

Riku reached him first and had just a few seconds to stare in concern at him before the others caught up. All three noticed that their fellow monk looked very pale, even more so than usual, and that his eyes were... dead.

In the older two, Songi could see easily what they were thinking, almost as if it were written on their faces. What happened? they were thinking. Has he been attacked by a Seru? Surely he's too skilled for that, but... why would he be holding his hand behind him like that...? Riku, predictably, was still clueless.

"Master Songi," he said, tentatively, his eyes on his bruised neck. "Are you all right?"

Like you care.

Songi grinned, but once again it didn't spread to his eyes, which remained utterly blank. As if they could sense their impending fate, the older two monks backed away slightly.

"Never better," Songi said. He brought his Ra-Seru arm out from behind his back and watched in cold amusement as the monks, seeing it, let out horrified gasps.

"Never better..." Songi repeated in a murmur, and slowly raised his right hand.

Like I said, I had a lot of fun with this chapter, writing Songi and Cort interaction, not to mention writing evil Songi. I think it's safe to say that the monks he took with him were probably his first victims. Poor Riku (and the other two). Stupid, stupid Songi and Cort. :(