A/N: When reading over this story I found possibly the most redundant sentence I've ever seen in my life: Turning her head slightly allowed her the view of short silver hair that was both short and the same colour as Lass'... Yeah, that sentence fails ._. Alot of time skips in this chapter O.O

Disclaimer: Do I really need to do this every chapter? D= it makes me sad...

-The authoress regrets to inform you that she still does not own the rights to Grand Chase, their characters, or the money they earn T_T What she does have is fanfiction and alot of spare time!-

Chapter 6: Serdin's Challenge

Arme stared wide-eyed as the Serdin Castle came into view. During the travel she hadn't spoken much with Lass, aside from the occasional warnings yelled out in the battles they had faced along the way. She was quickly finding that Lass' idea to carry her had been a good one, the several spells she was casting in the battles enough to exhaust her. They slowed down as they reached the large wooden drawbridge, Lass setting her on the ground as they approached it. A look was cast towards the pair from the large guards standing at either side of the entrance, but they weren't stopped or even questioned as they entered the large front hallway of the building. It appeared as grand inside as it had out, chandeliers hanging along the cieling and a large red and gold carpet looking an ever-so-soft next to the elegant stone floor it lay on.

As they strode down the long hallway Lass dictated the pace, apparently making sure Arme didn't see something and decide to run after it, thus getting herself. They made it without error to a large white door with gold trim, guards standing strictly on either side of it. Both bowed down slightly when they noticed the silver haired boy, though it was apparent their eyes were locked upon the purple haired girl. Lass began to speak as soon as the guards righted themselves, Arme standing silently behind him.

"By the request of the royal Knight Master, we would like to request an audience with the Queen." Arme gasped; the Queen? She had been told they were meeting a Knight Master, not a member of royalty. Uncertain of what to do, she timidly followed Lass as the guards nodded them in, the doors opening wide at the slightest push. She walked slowly, her eyes downcast as they entered the chamber. When she chanced a look up and over Lass' shoulder she immediately noticed the oversized throne, the white clothed woman with a silver crown sitting on it seeming ridiculously small in comparison. A blonde woman completely covered in red armour stood to the left of the throne, a thin sword attached to the belt of her outfit loosely. Lass wasted no time in grabbing Arme's upper arm as they reached the end of the long carpet and approached the throne, pulling her down with him as he swept into a low bow. Arme followed suit after a second, not daring to look over or move in general.

"Your Majesty." Lass said politely as the two rose, then he turned to the red woman standing alongside the queen.

"I see Elesis decided to send you. And you've obtained a new weapon, congratulations." She said, taking steps down the short stairway so she could stand more directly in front of the pair. She raised an eyebrow warily at the two and a few moments passed, Arme moving her eyes to the floor yet again.

"Unless you believe we're about to attack the girl, you can let go of her arm and allow us to see her, Lass." The female knight laughed loudly, Arme feeling her shoulder released rather quickly. When she looked up Lass was no longer obscuring her from the scrutiny of the Queen and Knight Master, and the two were looking her over rather intensely. Although she had already bowed, Arme felt the need to repeat the action lightly, her hands clenched in the fabric of her pants as she began hastily speaking.

"H-hello. My name is Arme, I am a new magician for the Violet Mage Guild, under the instruction of the high mage Elena." She babbled, uncertain wether or not to add more when neither the Queen nor the Knight made a response. She squeezed her eyes shut embarrasedly, waiting for some sort of answer.

"You don't need to be scared, Arme. We're only going to test your magical potential for today." Arme looked as the clear voice came across the room, the petite queen standing as she turned to a man in a robe next to her, whispering something quietly. The man nodded and scurried out of the room, Arme's eyes followed the small man as he left, and finally they were left with no distractions. The silence entered the room again before the Knight Master turned to the queen. A small nod was issued, and she turned to the assassin next to Arme.

"Please accompany the Queen next to her throne for a moment, Lass." Was the command that came from the blonde woman. Lass stood in place for a moment, obviously reluctant to follow the request as his eyes darted warily over to Arme. He ended up doing as told slowly, turning to observe the mage and knight now standing alone in the center of the room.

"Knight Master... It may not be in my right to say this, but she's only been practicing... No, she's only known about magic for six days, and only had classes three of those days. Is it not a bit... Early to be testing her?" He asked, his voice carefully steadied as he surveyed the two.

"You really do need to stop worrying, Lass. I'm not going to hurt her. Like I said, this is only to see the potential, not the skill." With that said, the Knight Master turned to Arme once again.

"Now Arme, we are going to have a practice match to get a look at your range of spells and ability to conjure during an intense situation." She said slowly, seeming as though she was afraid that Arme would be terrified by the thought. The purple haired girl was slightly startled, and she had to admit at that point she was scared as well. This is the... Leader? There's no way I can win.

"I will give you the time to use one spell of your choice before the match starts, choose wisely." As the words were uttered, Arme's eyes shut. Fire bolt... The shield... Stone curse... Teleport... Those are the only spells I can use with certainty... Anything else is too risky. Elena had given her a breakdown of spells quickly at the first day, and among those lessons was summoning things first time.

Arme, when a mage uses a spell they can remember it almost instinctually... Like the way a gardener can easily tell what plants need watering, and the way many musicians can play a piece back after listening to it. When you start something completely new, well... Let's just say there isn't a very high sucess rate. It's much easier to cast when you've been given an example of the magic you are trying to create.

In the middle of a battle, it wouldn't be a good idea to start getting creative. She took a deep breath before summoning the green shield around herself, wishing she had known how much damage it would take. It was a thought that would have to wait until later time; the knight was almost next to her by the time she had located the red blur of a woman. Without thinking she made a quick run towards the sword pointed at her, teleporting last moment to appear behind the Knight Master. Spinning before the blonde could comprehend what happened, she sent out a firebolt. It missed by a few inches, giving away her location and another of her skills. Resolving to hold stone curse until she could get into a more advantageous position, she began to teleport around the room, very nearly being hit by a wide swing of the blade several times. Arme's eyes widened momentarily as she noticed the knight's movements getting slower as she chased the disappearing mage. She teleported a decent way away, turning toward the woman so she could see how fast she was being approached. Her wand shot out at the last second.

"Stone curse!" Shock was obvious on the knight's face as her legs became encased in the stone that was slowly creeping up her body. Yes! Her opponent sucessfully detained, Arme summoned several fire balls, sending them all flying at the woman. They all stopped short of the sword splayed defensively infront of her body as the last act she could make while not petrified. Arme looked at her hesitantly. Can I really burn someone who can't defend themselves? It sounds... painful...

"ARME! Don't pull your punches!" She heard Lass' yell too late, as the stone covering the knight cracked, the distance between them not enough to offer any protection. The blade of her sword was dangerously close to Arme as she made a last minute teleportation to the other side of the room, buying herself a small amount of time to consider her options. No time was awarded, however; the distance between her and the red woman closed in under two seconds.

"Yah!!" Arme's hands clenched tightly in front of her, swinging them upwards quickly to cover her face. What all of the occupants of the room seemed to be suprised to see, however, was not only Arme's hands raising in the air, but the Knight Master herself. She watched mezmorizedly as the blonde seemed to be pulled magnetically to the ceiling, slamming into it before falling down suddenly, a large crash sounding as she hit the floor. Arme's eyes opened wide; she hastily ran over to the woman and ignored the cries coming from the other side of the room. She reached the seemingly unconcious Knight quickly, breathing a gasp as her wrist was quickly grabbed and twisted, a sharp elbow to her stomache sending her tumbling to the floor. She stared uselessly as the blade was swung at her.

*CRACK*

"Ahh!" Arme let out a cry, her hand clutching her shoulder lightly. She hadn't been expecting the shield to break mid-swing; apparently neither had the Knight Master. The blade hadn't gone too far into her skin, only a couple inches as the knight had realized the situation and pulled back on the hilt. The portion of the blade in her skin was pulled out quickly, the blonde woman kneeling next to her and brushing her hand aside lightly to get a view of the wound. Footsteps could be heard rushing toward them, and when Arme finally unclenched her eyelids she saw Lass kneeling infront of her, glaring furiously at the Knight. The queen was standing next to Lass, with another woman in deep blue clothes and dark blue hair next to her.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" The assassin was yelling accusatorially towards the sword wielder, his fingers running lightly along the wound and pulling back as Arme winced.

"I'm extremely sorry... I just didn't think--"

"Well you'd better start! With your aim slightly off you could have killed her!" Arme shook her head lightly and made an effort to smile.

"N-no, Lass, that was my fault. I should have tested the barrier's strength, and the wound's not that bad anyway!" The silver haired boy stared at her incredulously.

"Not that bad?! Have you even looked at it yet?! Arme, don't--"

"Lass, that's enough. We'll have her fixed up in a moment, I'd ask you to step out into the court yard while she's bandaged." The voice came quietly from the queen, interrupting Lass mid-scentence. He stayed still for the moment, his eyes still fixed on the cut. He seemed to debate the idea before standing up quietly, turning to the door.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her." He whispered coldly, exiting the room as soon as the words were out. All the occupants of the room watched as the door was swung closed harshly, though no sound was heard from the other side; Lass' footfalls were as silent as ever. The dark blue haired woman was the first to move, taking over Lass' previous position kneeling infront of Arme. Her hand hung over the wound testily, and she looked up at Arme.

"I apologize, this may hurt a bit..." The woman murmured, her index finger unexpectedly pressing straight into the slice. Arme let out a gasp of pain, and she gritted her teeth as the pain in the cut intensified. A few seconds later the burning began to fade, replaced with a dull ache.

"I'm Ellyrine, the head mage of the castle. I was also trained under Elena." She explained conversationally, pulling a thick roll of gauze from her pocket. Arme looked over at the cut as the healer reached up to wrap it, and stared in confusion. The wound wasn't healed, as she had initially guessed. In fact... it looked exactly the same. Sensing her confusion, the elder mage began to explain.

"The healing I specialize in isn't... Healing, per se. When a mage heals, it would be more accurate to call it a high-speed regeneration. The higher the ability of the magician, the faster a wound will heal. Seeing as this is one of my stronger fields, you can take off the bandage in about... two hours?" Arme nodded at the instructions, watching as her arm was bandaged.

"And I'm terribly sorry about this, Arme... Lass was right in that you shouldn't have been injured."

"It's fine, just an accident!" Arme grinned lightly, though her mouth fell back to a slight frown moments later.

"Do you think Lass is going to be mad at me?" She questioned as the bandages were finished and the mage stepped back. The Queen shook her head, but it was the Knight Master who answered.

"No, but he will be pretty mad at me for a while. When Lass gets really angry, he's normally alot worse than that... Of course, I think I've only seen him angry... Twice now?" She responded, " But anyway! Back to the point of the fight! Ellyrine was watching while we fought to see your abilities, she came in shortly after the battle began." The blue haired woman nodded.

"Arme, you've been under Elena's instruction for three classes?" Arme counted the days on her fingers, nodding. The mage sighed.

"In that case, I have nothing to say short of that your preformance was absolutely amazing. I'm suprised Elena taught you to Reverse Gravity so quickly, and that you were able to use it in combat..." She mentioned. Arme sat for a second. Reverse Gravity? I don't remember-- All of a sudden she blinked, tracing the fight back to where she had accidentally lifted the Knight Master to the ceiling, slamming her back down instantaneously. It had seemed more like the roof had some sort of magnet on it, which would explain...

"I'm sorry, Elena didn't teach me that... It was a complete accident!" All eyes in the room turned to stare at her.

"You mean to say... You conjured that with no previous experience?" Another nod from Arme.

"That's absolutely incredible! I thought Elena was exaggerating when she called you a prodigy!" She turned to the Knight Master.

"If I were you, I would have no qualms about allowing this girl to join the Grand Chase. She could be an extreme benefit..." The blonde shrugged.

"She lasted longer against me than everyone except Lass, with his speed, and that alone says something amazing about her. When she has the approval of all the Chasers, I have nothing against it. Have you met everyone yet?" She aimed the last question towards Arme, offering the purple haired girl a hand as she stood up.

"No... I don't think so, at least. Elesis said there was one more boy who hadn't come back yet... Oh! The boy with spikey orange hair!" She exclaimed, gesturing upwards with her hands around her hair to try and further explain it. The queen gave a small laugh, but the people in the room seemed to have quieted down.

"Ryan. He's checking on the forest right now, correct?" Arme recalled Elesis and Ronan saying something about the forest and gave a nod. The Knight Master sighed.

"Arme... You'll need to forgive him if he seems a bit... Out of it. He has his reasons, and meeting you might--" She paused for a second, "He may not take it to well. But in any case, Lass is probably getting impatient about now. You might want to go see him, ask one of the guards the directions to the court yard. "

"I will, thanks!" Arme said, giving a small wave to the group of women as she pulled open the large door with slight difficulty. It slid shut behind her without error, allowing her back into the long hallway, giving off three paths. When she inquired one of the guards on the location he gave her the directions, still staring at her as though she was an oddity.

"E-erm..." She turned around to where the same guard was, having interrupted her as she began walking down the left hallway, "Yes?"

"You might want to wait a while to go to the court yard. L-Lass-sama left in that direction a few minutes ago, and he looked awfully furious..." The guard stumbled over his words.

"I know! Thank you for the warning, though!" She called back, turning and speeding down the hallway at a faster pace than before. The two men stared at her as she disappeared from sight, looking at eachother when she turned the corner.

"Who is that girl?"

Arme managed to make it to the courtyard without (many) problems, her eyes quickly skimming over the flowers and statues to locate the silver haired boy. She finally noticed him sitting next to a statue, his head leaning back on it and his eyes closed even as she approached. He opened his eyes slightly as she arrived next to him, his sights instantly on her wrapped shoulder.

"Hey, Lass..." She called quietly, kneeling down next to him, "I'm fine, you know. My arm'll be healed in the next two hours or so!" He sighed, beginning to stand up.

"I know that. It's not the point. The thing is that she... I shouldn't have let you fight." He answered finally, his back still resting on the statue. She stood up to stand next to him.

"You're not blaming this on yourself, are you?" She asked, the idea itself just striking her. It obviously wasn't his fault, but what if..? Lass was silent for a moment before answering.

"I--No. No, I... It doesn't matter anyway." Arme looked over at him suspiciously, though he refused to meet her amethyst coloured gaze. She moved her head up to look at the sky, and soon noticed him following suit. The bright blue of earlier in the day was fading, a dark orange and hazy red swirling in. The sun wasn't very far down, though it seemed to be falling quickly.

"We'll need to stay here tonight." Arme quickly turned her head to look at Lass, though he was still gazing up.

"It'll be dark soon, and I don't want to be fighting at night." He continued, stepping forward so the statue was no longer providing support. Arme opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again after a moment, realizing quickly she didn't know what to say. Lass turned to her slowly, his eyes meeting hers for the first time since her entering the courtyard and quietly displaying his worry.

"I'll go speak with the queen. Make sure you get some rest." with this said he walked away, not stopping as Arme formulated a weak response.

"You too, Lass..." She let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding, following in the same direction Lass had gone a few minutes later. When she entered the castle there was noone in sight, just a long hallway that led to multiple rooms and corridors. She eventually decided to go a different way then she had entered the hallway, turning and following the right corridor. She could find nothing of interest in the archways, and was uncertain of opening the white doors that were on either side of the hallway. Reaching the end of the hall quickly, Arme turned into the nearest hallway to her right. Yet again nothing but doors and corridors met her view, large windows on the left of the hallway alerting her to the ever-lowering sun. Lass' prediction about it getting dark quickly was right; there was now no trace of blue in the sky.

Arme continued down the hallway, transporting every few steps as she made her way to yet another dead end. She made another right turn to be met with a staircase, which she ascended without much thought. Travelling through the castle was comforting, and Arme soon found herself making several turns and twists up and down several staircases as she explored. She was ever so rarely met by another person, though most didn't bother to notice her. The few times they did it was mostly through questioning glances or suspicious glares, with a few greetings in between. Ignoring them, Arme began casting fireballs to spiral around her as she walked, humming contently as she paced through the long hallways. A window appearing struck her as odd, and she soon figured out why. Peering outside allowed her not only the knowledge that it was dark outside, but the realization that she was lost. The fireballs around her dispersed (a dozen at that point) and she sunk to the floor, her chin resting on her knees as she tried to remember her path back to the court yard.

"Let's see... I took a... Right? Then another right... Then left, left, right? Or..." She gave a sigh as the lefts and rights slowly melted into one, both her bad memory and terrible knack for directions playing a part. She looked out the window again, unable to recognize anything in the distance. Soon it would be to dark to even see out the window...

"I could use some help..." She called aimlessly, recieving no answer (as expected). She dully stood up, taking a few halfhearted steps down each of the paths avaliable to her before turning back to the wall. underneath the window. The gauze on her shoulder was slipping, and as she hastily went to do it up again she noticed the missing cut. The skin underneath the bandage was perfectly mended, no scar to even indicate that she had been sliced in the shoulder with a sword. Well, great. It means I've been gone for about two hours... She pressed her head against the stone window frame, a light sound coming from outside. And... It's raining. A few drops from outside were landing on the windowsill, some reaching as far as her hair. The sound was soothing, and before long Arme found herself drifting off. Someone's gotta find me soon.

"You know, when I told you to get some rest this isn't what I meant." Someone commented dryly, slightly waking Arme from her sleep. She yawned, rubbing her eyes lightly and looking at... Oh, right. Lass was hovering over her, looking displeasedly at her chosen sleeping surface. Arme lightly chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.

"I got lost." She explained, slowly standing up to strech. Lass stared at her confusedly.

"So you decided to sleep under an open window in the middle of a rainstorm? Seriously, Arme... You're gonna get sick." When she was fully standing Lass turned and began walking down one of the hallways, motioning for Arme to follow him. She him after a moment, her footsteps sounding oddly loud on the stone floor next to him.

"So... I heard you lasted the longest against the Knight Master in a fight..." She murmured. Lass nodded, keeping his eyes on the path ahead of them. He still seemed slightly bitter over the day's previous events, flinching ever so lightly then she mentioned the red woman.

"A-and my shoulder's completely healed! See?" she exclaimed, rewarded by a slight flicker of Lass' eyes in her direction. Right infront of a wall. Arme's eyes opened wide as Lass walked straight into the wall, rebounding lightly as he held his forehead with one hand.

"Damn it, ow!"

Arme couldn't help it, she laughed. Lass always seemed so aware of his settings... She noticed him look back up at her a couple seconds later with the slightest trace of a smile on his face and hoped that maybe, just maybe, he felt a bit better.

"Nnhh..." Arme mumbled lightly as she rolled over, ignoring the maid that was currently trying to gather her attention. The bed was so comfortable! With her head on the soft, downy pillow, Arme hardly noticed as the maid gave an unsatisfied huff and left the room, leaving the purple haired girl to wake up on her own. When all distractions left Arme was quick to fall asleep, waking up again moments later suddenly. What if Lass is waiting for me to get up so we can go back?! She thought worriedly, rolling off the bed and onto the soft carpet. Her body made it without incident; her head wasn't so lucky. Arme had forgotten that there was a small night table next to the bed, her forehead slamming into it as she fell. Clutching her head as she was violently forced awake, Arme was reminded of last night's scene. After Lass had gotten over the initial shock of walking into a wall, he continued to lead her through the various halls. They didn't talk much, though the topic of Arme being allowed to join the Grand Chase had come up. The assassin hadn't had much to say about it, a simple congratulations as they arrived at the room Arme was to stay in. He had given her some other instructions on where to go when she woke up, which Arme was now wishing she'd listened to.

The hallways were as confusing as ever, Arme concluded several minutes later as she neared another dead end. The castle seemed to have too many of them... Arme turned around, sighing and regretting leaving the room in the first place. Atleast that way someone would know where she was, even if she didn't. Well... she hopelessly attempted to backtrack, the hallways seeming to twist and turn around behind her. She resolved to keep walking, until she eventually passed the inevitable servant or passerby. What she wasn't expecting, however, was to be completely tackled down by someone, falling to the ground as the other landed ontop of her. She rubbed the back of her head, her eyes squinted shut from the impact.

"Hey, I'm lo-- Arme?" Arme blinked, looking up to see...

"Lass?! Why did you just--"

"It was an accident! The maid told me you went missing, and everyone knows how injury-prone you are! I figured if no one went looking for you you'd either fall out a window or get lost again!" The magician nodded as Lass continued on, unwilling to admit that he had actually been correct on the account that she had gotten lost. Finished with his explanation, Lass finally stood up, staring as he helped her up.

"And... Is there any particular reason you've decided to not change into your clothes?" He asked, and Arme hastily looked down at her attire. The black and white pajamas that had been left on her bed the night before were indeed her attire, and Arme blushed profusely.

"Ah! I-- Um, I..." Deciding to let her off the hook, Lass cut her off.

"It's fine, but you should change before we go to eat, because we need to leave right after that." He explained, grabbing her wrist and leading her back to her room. He waited quietly outside as she changed, taking her arm again when she came out. They walked down the hallways silently, eventually arriving at a large dining hall where many people were seated, a large array of food placed on the table. They were quickly seated when the server noticed them, filling in the last two seats avaliable.

The meal was relatively quiet, people seeming to go out of their way to avoid speaking to the pair, though several glanced in their direction from time to time. Realizing she wasn't all that hungry, Arme waited patiently as Lass finished his breakfast. She stole a grape or two off his plate in an attempt to entertain herself, earning nothing other than an amused glance from the silver haired boy in question. They both stood up

sooner than most of the people, recieving an acknowledging nod from the Queen at the head of the table and the Knight Master sitting next to her as they made their way out of the room. Arme waved at them as she followed Lass, and they departed without another word.

The next few weeks went smoothly, Arme heading to her classes faithfully every day and Lass accompanying her most days. Amy had gotten into the habit of dredging herself up every morning along with Arme so she could watch the short girl cook. They sometimes made meals together, though for the most part Amy was worried she'd wreck the food. Elesis had decided to start including the purple haired girl into their spars when she could after realizing how long she was able to last against the Knight Master, though she had promised to go easy when Lass had thrown a kunai dangerously close to her hair and made some choice threats that would, he assured her, be carried out if Arme was injured. Ronan came to help her with magic spells when he wasn't too busy, and she didn't get to see Jin often. They did meet sometimes on the practice field to assist each other with new spells and attacks, though it was a rare sight. Lastly, Lass seemed to have taken to her window as his preffered method of entry to her room, and Arme felt too tired to call him on it after the first few days. After his day's practice he would often come in and watch quietly while she translated the book, offering snide remarks from time to time and hints when he was feeling helpful. Everything was going peacefully up to five days before they were supposed to set off, Arme near an official member of the Grand Chase.

Arme had woken up early, as usual. She dressed into one of the more casual outfits Amy had insisted they go out to buy one day and decended the staircase quickly, the pink haired girl having beaten her to the kitchen. The familiar smell of eggs filled the kitchen, and Amy turned to look at her disbelievingly.

"Do you ever sleep in?!" She exclaimed, turning hastily back to the pan. Arme smiled and streched,deciding to let the muse finish the cooking while she took a seat at the table. Elesis was predictably the next one down the stairs, her nose seemingly sharpened to the smell of food.

"Morning Pumpkin-face, Arme." She greeted, leaning lazily on the door frame as she stretched. They both nodded toward her before resuming their positions, Arme half asleep on the table. As the food was finished the other members slowly came into the kitchen and sat at the table, and in the end all but Lass were seated. The silver haired boy rather rarely joined them for breakfast, and Arme was uncertain on wether or not it was because he simply wasn't hungry, or he just slept in too late. Most evidence pointed to the first option; Lass would often be outside on the training ground when she went outside, and he was always up by the time she went to class. When Ronan came down stairs he naturally sat next to Elesis; Arme had noticed how close they were quickly. They would often continue in on each other's conversations, almost seeming to be a balance. If Elesis was upset, it was Ronan who knew what was wrong, and how to calm her down. Jin didn't sit when he came in, immediately offering to help Amy with the food's preperations. They finished up within a minute, the food being distributed around the table. A light conversation was placed as everyone ate, the day's topic on the recruits that were set to be withdrawn from the border within the week. As requested, Lass had asked about the security and guards had been placed. They had soon recieved word that the border was eerily quiet, Ronan and Elesis going down for one last check on it before sending in the confirmation for the recruits to be removed.

"I'll see you guys in a bit, then!" Arme said as she placed her plate on the counter and exited into the training ground. Lass was ever so slightly noticeable in the terrained area of the training area, moving quickly from one spot to another. Arme settled for staying in the mannequinned area; she only ever went to the terrained area for spars. She had learned to master the reverse gravity technique when she had come back, along with many other spells. The last spell Elena had taught her was cure; today she was going to be taught how to summon the meteors again, and how to control them. For the most part, Arme had learned that offensive magic only applied to those the caster saw as 'enemies' in the battle, defensive magic only to those seen as comrades. Arme had given a sigh of relief upon hearing this; it had been stressful enough the first time she thought she had crushed someone with a meteor.

Today she was practicing Lightning Bolt, a not so difficult technique, but one that drained mana at a suprising rate. She was warned by Elena never to cast two in a row, though one could be held for extended amounts of time.

Arme, there is a certain amount of Mana at their disposal that everyone has, even powerful mages. Spells such as fireball and teleport don't take a huge ammount of it, an experienced mage could possibly teleport infinitely, or summon fireballs. Larger spells, however, drain a large amount of mana. There are several ways to regain it, but you must remember never to summon two large spells without any mana restoration in between, it could seriously injure you.

This in mind, Arme decided on releasing a long stream of lightning, aiming for as many dummies as possible. The thought was interrupted by a large slam of the door behind her, and a blur of red as Elesis rushed past her.

"Hey!" She yelled loudly, capturing the attention of the silver haired male further away, "Ryan's back!" Arme stared at Elesis, trying to remember the name. Ryan... Ryan... The... Oh, That boy! Suddenly remembering, Arme turned to the door, intent on meeting the last member of the chase. As she was about to enter the door she felt a hand on her upper arm.

"Lass?" The assassin moved past her quickly.

"Arme, stay out here for a minute, I need to talk to Ryan for a while..." He explained quietly, Elesis following silently and closing the door behind them. Slowly backtracking to her previous spot on the training field, Arme sat down next to a dummy. She halfheartedly summoned some fireballs, now a simple task. when she had summoned several she spiraled them around the dummies, lifting them into the air to preform a show.

"The last Grand Chase member..." She murmured, one of the fireballs lighting down on her staff. Without warning her mind flew to the photo she had seen on the collection room. He might have been close to the other girl... She concluded quietly. That or he was extremely confident. Her thoughts were disrupted by a loud crash in the house and she ran to the door, flinging it open. Directly inside was Amy, a shattered plate lying on the floor next to her feet as she stared into the next room. She turned to Arme as the purple haired girl made a move for the next room.

"A-Arme, don't..." Amy whispered quietly, going silent as the mage entered the next room. Lass was standing next to the small coffee table, the orange haired boy glaring daggers at him from the other side of the table. Elesis was nowhere to be seen, and Ronan was sitting quietly on the adjecent sofa, watching the two testily. Jin had passed her on her way in, heading out to see Amy. Her presence in the eerily silent room was noted by Lass' eyes flickering over to her, Ryan soon following suit.

"It's her?" He asked quietly, his voice full of venom. Lass quickly moved from his previous position, taking a stand between Arme and the orange haired boy.

"Ryan! It's not her fault, lay off. Her joining us is the only option." The silver haired boy responded, his hand not releasing the hilt of his sword.

"No! Lass, I can't believe you'd actually... Are you stupid?! You know what's going to happen, and I'm not going to let it!" Ryan yelled back, his hand slamming on the table.

"So what do you propose we do?" Lass asked, his voice raising slightly in volume as he spoke. Arme lightly pressed her hand against her head. W-what's going on?! Would someone actually tell me?!

"I don't give a damn what you do with her! She's not coming with us!" The words came louder and louder in volume, pounding at Arme's head. I'm sorry! Please, stop yelling!

"Ryan, please be calm about this..." Ronan added his quiet input, the sound soothing Arme's ongoing headache. Please... Be quiet...

"NO! What is wrong with you guys?! She's--" Please! STOP! The pain in Arme's head was consuming, she henched her eyes tightly, her head falling onto Lass' shirt, and she was almost certain she was crying. The sounds were blurring out, and she barely felt it when Lass turned around to grab onto her arm before she could fall to the floor.

"Arme...? Arme!" The voice was blurred entirely out as she fell into unconciousness, but she was almost certain it was Lass'.

A/N: Cliffie? Sort of =3 For the most part I like this chapter, but it's still a bit sketchy D= I hope you enjoyed anyway! Reviews make for an extremely happy writer!

If you can, Please read this story!! http:// www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/s/5844466/1/ Lass_Loves_Cherry_Pie

It's a slight branch off of this one, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy when I read it =3

P.S. I'm really sorry for any typos/ etc, lately I've been typing while tired o_o