Talim held up her hands and shouted, "Holco estallio!"

The horse heard her words and it obeyed, coming to a stop and rearing up with a frightened shriek. It did not want to harm the maiden that was so loved by nature and who knew the words of the wind that circled the world.

Talim stumbled and fell backwards, bruising her hip in the process. "Augh!"

The carriage driver quickly got off and helped her up. "I'm so sorry miss! Are you ok?" As he helped her up, his cheeks reddened slightly.

Talim noticed and pulled away, her cheeks turning a light pink. "It's alright."

"Hey! You're blocking the roads!"

"Get out of the way!"

Talim made to move but she stumbled when pain shot up her ankle. She must have injured it in the fall. Gingerly, she braced herself against a merchant's stall as the carriage driver went back to move the carriage out of the way. She lowered her head as she saw the disdaining looks she was getting from the jealous women around her.

"Maybe the man couldn't drive the horse properly because he was too busy looking at other things."

"What a harlot, just look at the way she's dressed," commented one of the ladies, adjusting her powdered white wig. "Doesn't she have any manners? Standing in the way like that?"

Her blonde haired friend who was accompanying her smirked. "Just look at her, doesn't she have any pride?"

"I say... you two should look into a mirror first before saying that."

Talim looked up as a young man with curly blond hair and sharp blue eyes bent down to help her up. Turning to the two woman, he stuck his tongue out at them and Talim's eyes widened in surprise. "Ple-please, it's alright. I don't mind what they've said to me."

They watched as the two fancy women huffed and left in a hurry. Soon enough, things returned to normal and the people around them went back to their shopping or errands. Turning back to her, the young man loudly introduced himself. "My name is Patroklos Alexandra. Pleased to meet you."

"Eh?" When she heard the name, she quickly beamed. "Oh! Are you related to Cassandra Alexandra?"

Patroklos gaped at her in surprise. "YOU KNOW MY AUNT?!" exclaimed the Greek.

She bobbed her head in response. "We were friends a long time ago. Though... I haven't seen her since."

Patroklos said quietly, "She went missing along with my sister. I hope she's still alive."

Talim laid a hand on the furry lynx decoration on Patroklos's shoulder. "I know she is."

"So, uhhh... miss, what are you doing here? You don't look-"

Talim finished for him. "I don't look like I belong here, right?" When he nodded, she said, "Wherever the wind takes me, I follow. There are people out there I need to help and I'm also searching for a girl named Amy and my love, Raphael." She gave a short description to Patroklos and asked, "Have you seen them?"

"I'm sorry, but no," Patroklos said apologetically.

Talim sighed and said, "Thank you anyways."

"Hey."

Patroklos and Talim turned to look at the merchant that had called out to them. He rested his chin on his hand and his busy eyebrows wiggled up and down. "Are you going to buy something or keep using my stall as a shading area."

"I'm sorry," Talim apologized as she let go. She winced as she put some weight on her foot. Patroklos noticed and he helped her walk back to the fountain she had been singing at. Once they were seated, Talim murmured, "It's been seventeen years... I hope Amy is alright."

"Wait, seventeen years? How old are you?" Patroklos quickly realized how rude his question was and he turned a bright shade of red. "I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked such a thing. My master always said that I should keep my mouth shut when it comes to these kind of things."

Talim was not offended in the least for she had never cared about things such as her looks. But it seemed the world worked in strange ways since she was clearly blessed with them. Her beauty was all natural and rarely did she bother to dress up, which had made her more attractive to the men who saw her. Over the years, she been treated quite affectionately by a few of them but she always declined their gifts and words. Looking at Patroklos, she casually asked, "Who's your master Patroklos?"

Patroklos replied, "Her name is Neve. She's like a mother to me and I've learned alot from her. Although, our ideas differ on certain... subjects.

Neve! It was Setsuka's fake name! She quickly realized that Patroklos was her student and Talim immediately grew even fonder of him. She had ran into Setsuka on her travels, and she admired the beautiful woman for taking care of the orphans from the war. They were both fond of children and Talim had even stayed for a few months to help out with running the orphanage. "I'm a good friend of your master. And I'm glad to have met you here. I must tell her all about you once I meet her again. She'll be so proud of you!" Talim chirped cheerfully.

Patroklos was now even more stunned that this beautiful woman sitting beside him knew about his master. "You're.. friends with my master? How- how old are you?"

"How old do you think I am?" she asked curiously.

Patroklos peered closely at her smooth light olive skin, dark green hair, and warm bright eyes as well as her slender body. Her curves were very noticeable as she leaned slightly back and all in all, she was very beautiful. A comforting aura surrounded her whenever she smiled and he felt extremely comfortable around her. Realizing that he was being inappropriate at looking at her in such a way, he stammered, "I-I... ummm... Are you twenty... twenty two?"

She blushed a pretty pink. "I am thirty-one and will be turning thirty two in June."

He gaped at her for a moment before saying, "You look very young for your age. I thought you were around my age."

She tilted her head and a few strands of hair slid off her soft shoulders on the right side. "How old are you Patroklos?"

"I'm nineteen. Oh, and I'm the heir to the title of Holy Warrior," boasted Patroklos, hoping to impress her.

"Holy Warrior?" The wind around him seemed normal and she didn't sense any holy powers from him. Maybe it was just a title he was bestowed with somewhere else? Peering closely at him, Talim eyes widened as she sense a small trace of Soul Edge's power coming from him. A malfested! Was he the one she sensed before? Before she could say or do something, Patroklos had started talking again.

"With my sword and shield, I will protect the people from the malfested of this world." Hearing that, Talim looked greatly surprised. Patroklos noticed so he thought that she was afraid of them like everyone else was and he took on a reassuring tone. "Do not worry, I won't let them harm you or anyone else. I shall stand strong and ensure that justice shall prevail!"

"Not... not all of them are evil. Surely, there must be some who are good," Talim replied, hoping to convince him. She added hesitantly, "And... what if you were a malfested? I'm sure you would understand the situation they were in."

He merely smiled at that comment. "You are too purehearted and kind for your own good miss. All malfested are evil to the core and their wicked deeds are known throughout the land. You must learn to be cautious and never let them deceive you."

But he was a malfested... Patrokolos probably didn't realize it yet since the traces of energy inside him was minimal. But this was something she can out her handle so she asked him for his hand. Surprised by her request, he looked slightly taken back but he gave it to her anyway. Holding it, she closed her eyes and placed a small binding seal on him to make sure that the evil powers wouldn't surface and grow stronger. Ironically, she had bestowed him with an affinity for holy powers as she let him go.

She smiled and dipped her head. "Thank you for your help, Patroklos. But I must be on my way now."

"Where are you going?"

Talim brushed back a lock of green hair and her soft pink lips curved upward. "Some children are waiting to play with me. I'm on my way to the orphanage."

"I've seen you donate money there. That is very kind of you to do so," Patroklos said warmly. Then he added, "Ummm, what are you going to do after?"

Talim shrugged. "I will go around and look for a place to rest."

"There are a few inns in that direction," Patroklos said helpfully. But the priestess shook her head.

"I rely mainly on the charity of others during my travel. I... don't really have the money to afford to stay at an inn."

Patroklos was surprised. How could she be generous with her money and donate it to the poor and needy when she herself, had barely any? "Why don't you stay at my place?" he suggested.

"Are you certain you're alright with that?" Talim asked hesitantly.

"It's not actually my house. I'm just borrowing it and I'm not home very often these days. I'm also searching for sister and military duties and all have been rather heavy recently so you'll be alone most of the time. Feel free to stay as long as you want. A friend of my master is someone who's worthy of helping," he said eagerly.

"Ummm... alright, thank you very much then Patroklos."

Patroklos beamed. "You're welcome." He gave her instructions on how to get to his house before leaving her to go back to his barrack duties. When he left, she stripped off the red fabric around her left thigh and bent down to take off the boot of her injured foot. She tied it tightly around her ankle and gently put the boot back on. Getting up, she tested her weight and smiled. Being half storm maiden, she healed fast. The pain had already become a dull throb. "Alun," she called. Her bird perked up from nearby and flew down towards her. With a smile, she said, "Go ahead and tell Siegfried and Hilde I'll see them soon."

Patroklos went over to the door as he heard the knocks. He opened it to see Talim and he quickly welcomed her in. "I'm sorry that this place is still so unfurnished," said Patroklos with some embarrassment. "I'm just renting it temporarily."

"It's alright. I should be thanking you for being so kind to me," Talim said gratefully as she came inside.

Entering the large and cozy home, Talim halfheartedly glanced at the bright living room with the Persian rug and the single white sofa. Two small landscape paintings adorned the walls and the small window had dark blue curtains. As they walked past the opened kitchen, she could smell fresh bread. The walls were made from a very high quality wood and as they climbed the elegant oak stairs, she could see three bedrooms and two bathrooms. He waved his arms around and said, "Feel free to wander the house and make yourself at home. I'll take a quick nap before we have dinner alright?"

Talim nodded and she watched as he disappeared to his bedroom with a loud yawn.

Waking up to a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, Patroklos rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned. Tossing aside his blankets, he got out of his large bed and exited the room. When he made it to the kitchen, he inside and saw his guest busy at work. The glow from the burning stove cast a warm light over everything and he watched as she deftly sliced up tidbits of meat and dropped them into a pot. It was certainly a long time he's had a properly cooked meal and watching her cook like this reminded him of his mother's cooking when he was little. Albeit, he was to young to remember what she made but the imagery was still strong in his head. He looked at Talim again as she adjusted the ponytail she had tied her hair into and her hat sat on the large dining table a few distance away.

"Ah, you're awake." Talim turned around with a bowl in her hands. "Here, have some French onion soup."

He mumbled his thanks as he sat down. When she brought him a spoon the bowl of soup, he quickly dug in and exclaim, "This is great! What did you put in here?"

"Garlic, sweet onion, milk, white wine, black pepper, and some other spices," said Talim, counting off her fingers. Glancing at him, she said, "Ummm..."

"What?" asked Patroklos curiously.

"Your hair..."

He grabbed his silver spoon and used it to examine his reflection. Drat! His hair was a total mess!

Talim watched as he tried fixing his hair and after a bit, she grabbed her own bowl of soup and sat down. She stirred the steaming liquid around and took a few sips but her mind wasn't really focused on her food. With a small sigh, she grabbed a piece of French bread and dipped it into the steaming white soup. She soaked it up before taking a bite of it. She knew she did a good job of cooking it but right now, everything seemed tasteless to her. "Patroklos, I've been meaning to ask you... what is the military up to these days?"

Chugging down his soup, Patroklos wiped his mouth and answered, "Graf Dumas is currently overlooking military training for the big war against the Ottoman Empire and so far, the men are hard at work. There's also been a few uprising from the rebels who oppose Lord Dumas and many of the soldiers, including me, are on the look out for them."

Stirring her soup, Talim said, "Currently, the Ottoman, Holy Roman and Spanish Empires are the three strongest empires out there. Many of Europe's nations are in fear of these three great powers... but nonetheless, is war really necessary?"

Patroklos crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "If we don't do something, the Ottoman empire will continue to expand. As well, Lord Dumas is currently working on a plan to purge the malfested once and for all from this world. It has been happening for a few years but my lord wants it to proceed more efficiently."

Talim's eyes widened at that and she dropped her spoon. Hastily, she picked up her spoon and held it with trembling fingers. "A purge? To kill all of the malfested?"

"That's right Talim. Soon, we'll be rid of those vermins," replied Patroklos eagerly. "Haven't you heard news? Lord Dumas had even appeared in person for the people and his words were 'In the name of unity and purity, evil will finally be extinguished'."

"In... the name of unity and purity?" Talim asked with disbelief. Her eyes were unfocused as she absorbed this piece of information. She had to hurry and tell the others about this quickly. Siegfried and his mercenaries were nearest to her location so she would go to them first. Glancing down at her ankle, she could see that it was already starting to heal. Thanks to her storm maiden voice, she had gained many useful abilities such as increased vitality and healing. After one night here, she should be ready to leave soon.

The two ate in quiet silence in the warm kitchen until Patroklos asked, "So that man you were searching for, who is he?" He quickly added, "I know how you feel; I'm also searching for my sister who have been missing for seventeen years as well."

Talim stopped in mid-bite and slowly lowered her spoon. "We were once travelling companions... and after some time, we fell in love with each other."

"But you haven't seen him in seventeen years. What happened?"

She shook her head sadly and replied, "Fate has been rather cruel to us. All I can say was that the world did not care for him and neither did he cared for the world because of that. He had this... foolish dream of making the ideal world where he and his daughter can finally be accepted. A place where they can finally be safe and happy. But in the end, he finally realized that all he needed was a simple life with those he cared about to be happy. We both tried so hard... so hard... to fix things and... and-"

Tears splashed into her soup and Patroklos jumped up in alarm. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up these memories for you." He quickly ran over to her and looked hastily around for something for her to wipe her eyes with.

"It's alright," hiccough Talim. "I-I'm fine. Thank you Patroklos. Again, I apologize for intruding like this." Standing up, she declined his help and made her way upstairs.

Patrokolos watched her leave and he bit his lips in thought. "The man she was in love with... must have been a malfested. It would explain what she said about the world rejecting him. The fact that she was so concern about the malfested well-being must be because of him as well. How dare that man deceive such a kind hearted girl- He mentally shook himself and reminded himself that she was a woman. How dare that malfested vermin deceive her like this. Why was his master and Talim so foolish in believing that the malfested deserved to be saved?

Raphael pulled his hat over his eyes alittle more to hid his bright red eyes as he passed a few citizens who were still wandering out at this time of night. He licked his lips hungrily, wondering who his victim would be tonight.

After an hour, he finally spotted a decent prey. She looked like she was waiting for someone and as a chilly breeze blew past, she shivered and pulled the red shawl around her shoulders alittle tighter. Her brown curls bounced as she looked around and her brown eyes finally noticed him. Feeling uncomfortable, she looked away and resumed waiting for her friend or partner to show up.

Smirking, he strolled over to her. "It's dangerous to be out at this time of night, my lady."

She gave a small jump as he said that. "I... I'm waiting for someone."

"Wearing something like this in this weather?" Raphael touched the red sleeve of her thin dress and smiled. "He must be a very lucky man to have someone as lovely as you wait for him."

Her cheeks reddened at his words and she blushed even more when he laid a chaste kiss on her hand. "You're too kind sir, I'm just a simple bar maid. Oh, but this is the third time he's forgotten that he was supposed to meet me here."

Raphael feigned shock. "How ungrateful, if I was him, I would never let such a beautiful flower such as yourself wait out here in this cold all alone."

"I have a cold as well," replied the girl, holding a hand to her forehead. She felt dizzy for a moment and she swooned.

Catching her, Raphael thought, "If she's this weak will her blood actually taste good?" Well, this was no time to be picky. With people on their guard against the malfested all the time, it was hard to find blood these days. He might as well accept whatever he could find. As least she wasn't ugly... Helping her stand, he grinned. "Would you like to spend the night with me instead?"

"Well, I don't... Hmmm..." Taking a moment to think about it, she looked at the handsome man and smiled. "I'm all yours for tonight then."

"That sounds good," replied Raphael slyly as he held out as his hand for her. "Come. Let's go somewhere with alittle more privacy."

"Patroklos, I shall be heading out to buy some supplies," said Talim, walking over to the door.

Patroklos quickly emerged from the kitchen and protested against such an idea. "Of course not! You're injured! And it's dangerous at this time of night."

She merely smiled at him. "It's alright. I have a friend who's waiting for me so I need to leave this city tomorrow morning. Therefore, I need to restock on some important items such as medicine and food."

"So soon?" asked Patroklos. He had wanted to talk to her some more and ask a few questions about Neve before she left. As she got ready to head out, he quickly said, "If Neve hears that you got hurt while you were in my care, I would never be able to live it down."

"My ankle is fine Patroklos." She took off her boot for him to see that it was less red than before. Putting it back on, she said once more, "I shall be going now."

"Wait!" Rushing forth, he blocked the door and said, "It's still very dangerous for a woman to go out alone. Here, I'll go with you. And I'll help carry your stuff."

"Oh?" Finally, she beamed at him with delight "Thank you very much. You're a very nice young man."

One hour later...

"Whew... glad that's over," mumbled Patroklos, carrying a package containing his guest's supplies. Looking at the dark night sky, he noted that it was quite late and he calculated that it would take about five more minutes to get home. Talim had went on ahead at his insistence and he wondered if she had made it home alright. All of a sudden, a loud shriek punctuated the air. "What was that?" Patroklos turned in the direction he had heard the cry. He quickly began running as he heard another frightened scream issue out from the same direction. "Good thing I brought my weapon," Patroklos thought to himself as he hurried onward.

The noise led to a dark alleyway, dotted with garbage and broken bottles and Patroklos carefully began to approach it. What he saw chilled his blood and made him reach for his sword that was sheathed in his shield and the bag of supplies dropped to the ground. "Malfested!" The man had the girl pinned to the wall and when he raised his head from her neck, his eyes were blood red and blood trickled down his chin.

Raphael growled and drew his Flambert. "You should know that interrupting someone's dinner is quite rude."

"Monster!" Patroklos pointed his own sword at the man. "I will have a stake driven through your heart for this."

"Stand aside or be run through by my blade, boy," Raphael threatened.

"Shut up!" Patroklos leaped onto the malfested and aimed his sword at the man's heart. But Raphael blocked the move easily and retaliated with his own swordplay.

"You're really starting to irritate me," hissed Raphael deflecting another blow from Patroklos. Their swords clashed back and forth and with a flick of his wrist, Raphael slashed Patroklos right arm. "En garde!"

But a smile danced across Patroklos's face as he kneed Raphael in the stomach and slammed his shield against the French man's face. "What's wrong?" taunted Patroklos, hitting his shield two times as he looked at down at the groaning man.

With a snarl, Raphael launched an upward kick that connect with the Greek's jaw and sent him stumbling backward. "Ah, nothing. I'm feeling quite well actually!" He slashed at Patroklos's right arm once more but the boy blocked the attack with his shield.

Patroklos stepped forward and pushed aside the rapier with his own sword before striking at Raphael three times with his shield. "This is justice!"

"Damn you!" Raphael smashed the hilt of his rapier into Patroklos' stomach and quickly stepped back. He groaned as bruises blossomed on his upper body. That was not a normal shield... "You!" He pointed his rapier at Patroklos, remembering how a cocky Greek woman had wielded similar weapons when she came towards his castle. "Those are holy weapons. Where did you get them?"

Patroklos readied himself into an offensive stance and said, "You just need to know that these holy weapons will strike you down." With that, he jumped up high and slammed his sword down on Raphael's head. "Take this!"

"Curse you!" Raphael raised Flambert up and blocked the blow, buckling under the force. He swept aside the attack but before he could counter, Patroklos smashed the shield into his back and cut at his right arm.

"Now die!" Patroklos shouted as he aimed for the neck. All of a sudden, a thick blast of wind knocked him backward and away from the malfested.

Talim leaped into the fray, her double crescent blades spinning in her hands. She had heard Patroklos's loud cry of malfested and her fears were confirmed when she found him fighting. She leaped over to Patroklos and pushed him back against the wall, locking down both of his shield and sword with her own weapons. Voice laced with concern and eyes big and fearful for the malfested, she said, "Get out of here!"

Raphael looked up at his rescuer in surprise. "Who are you?"

When the man lifted his head, she could finally see clearly who it was. Her heart stopped and her eyes widened. "Raphael?" It could be no one else but him. That face that she had dreamed about every night, those beautiful red eyes, golden hair and solid physique... it really was him. But, why was the wind around him so different? What happened to him?

"What are you doing? He's a malfested Talim! He has to die!" Patroklos was surprised at how strong she was and he tried even harder to get past her.

"I won't let allow it!" Talim shouted at the struggling Greek. As she did not want to hurt him, she held back and only concentrated on immobilizing him. "Raphael, just go!" Talim yelled, desperately trying to hold back Patroklos. "You'll be executed if you're caught!"

Raphael backed away, but not wanting to leave behind the woman who had just saved him. "How do you know my name? And what will happen to you if I leave?"

"I can handle this, so please just go!" Talim shouted.

"He's not getting away," Patroklos snarled as he kneed Talim in the stomach.

Talim gagged as she doubled over from the move, a droplet of saliva coming out of her mouth. She grabbed onto Patroklos's arm as he tried to push past her. "No! Don't hurt him, Patroklos!"

Seeing the momentary diversion, Raphael shouted, "Get him!"

The woman that Raphael bit immediately got and launched herself at the Holy Warrior. During the distraction, Talim shouted once more, "Raphael go! Now's your chance!" When he hesitated, she bit her lips and pointed to one of the walls of the alleyway. "Crush it! Wind!" The wind hardened and in one powerful smash, it crushed the walls on both sides, raining down rubble between them, effectively blocking off Patroklos' path to Raphael.

"Let go of me!" Patroklos pushed the woman snapping jaw away from him and when he saw her fangs and red eyes, he said, "So! You're now a malfested as well! I'll show you no mercy!"

"Patroklos! No!" Talim shrieked and tried to stop him but it was too late as he thrust his sword through the woman's stomach. She watched in horror as the lifeless woman dropped to the ground in a pool of blood. "No! I could have... healed her. She was just recently infected."

"The city is under attack!"

Talim looked up as smoke rose up from the sky and screams as well as the clanging of metal could be heard from a distance. "What's happening?"

Drawing his sword, Patroklos shouted, "It must be the rebels who oppose the purge! Those vile malfested... Talim! Go back home and stay there while I go and take care of things." With that, he charged out of there.

"Wait!" But he did not hear her and Talim deliberated on what to do. The soldiers were all on alert for the rebels and the malfested which meant that if that man was Raphael... he would be in danger. She had to go and see what was going on and try to stop Patroklos from killing anyone.

Patroklos looked at the shambles and ruin the rebels have created and hate flared in his chest. How dare they! It just goes to show that all malfested are tainted and wicked. The rebel force was comprised of these monsters and foolish humans who believe that what the graf was doing was wrong. Well, it was time for them to pay for their foolishness. He watched as one of his comrade was cut down and the flag he was holding flew through the air. With casual grace, Patroklos caught the flag easily. The citizens nearby were all in a panic as they ran as far away as possible and the fire from the destruction around them lit up the dark smoky sky. Buildings sagged and crumbled as the rebels ransacked the place and Patroklos's grip on the flag tightened.

"Hand over that flag!" shouted one of the rebels, coming towards him with clinking armour and sharpened weapons.

"This is the flag of the emperor that bestowed favors to the graf." Slamming the flag into the stone ground, Patroklos began walking towards the rebels.

"So, you serve Graf Dumas," said an impatient rebel holding the rapier.

"And you must be the malfested who are destroying this town." Taking out his sword, Patroklos readied himself for battle. "I am the Holy Warrior! Know my might!"

Hiding himself behind another alleyway, Raphael panted and held a hand to the stitch at his side. When he was sure no one was following him, he breathed a sigh of relief. But something nagged at him from the back of his mind and he thought about that woman who looked at him with such hope in her brown eyes. Who was she? He was certain he had never met her before. But how did she knew his name? He bit his lips. He knew that he had amnesia, was she someone he had known but forgotten?

Distant screaming shook him from his thoughts and he quickly thought about his current situation. It would seem that the city was under attack; which meant that escaping right now would be rather risky with so many of the soldiers on high alert. Staying here wasn't an option though. The people would ransack this place until they found the malfested who bit that woman. Which of course meant that he would be burnt at the stake if he was caught. He looked around and when he noticed the sewer grate, he groaned. "Disgusting... This will not be very amusing at all."