Darkwings13: Sorry for the long wait, hopefully the long chapter will make up for it. Please forgive me! On the bright side, the second chapter should be out a week after New Year so yea. Anyway, Happy New Year! And enjoy! :D

In her room, Talim couldn't help but feel uneasy as she sat amongst the silky green blankets. Her white room with its warm colored furniture and bright windows seemed vast and empty as she was lost in her thoughts. The way Dumas looked as he walked off... angry was too mild a word to describe it. The death of the malfested at that inn and the outright assault by Matthias must have struck a deep blow for him. Pride or real care for his people? She wasn't sure... Talim held a hand to her heart and thought about Raphael. Somehow, she was very worried about him.

After awhile, Talim decided to head down to the dungeons and sneak a peek at Raphael's condition to make sure he was alright. She missed him so much and for them to be so close and yet so far away must be antagonizing him. Her feet moved across the pale white carpet and she quietly closed her door as she headed down the hallway. She moved swiftly and her shadow glided across the wooden floor with the roll of red carpet down the centre. But as she made her way to the grand doors that made its way down to the dungeon, she realized the doors were locked.

Dumas must have thought of this beforehand and did this to prevent her from finding Raphael. Standing in front of the large doors, she stared at the gold handles and bit her lips. All of a sudden, a tinkling chime of a key skidded to a stop to her feet. Talim turned around and gasped as Dampierre and Gisele stood at a distance. "Dampierre!"

He stroked his mustache and winked at her. "You owe Le Bello for this one Talim." Dampierre smiled as she thanked him gratefully and swiftly headed for the dungeon once she unlocked the doors.

Beside him, Gisele said, "If Dumas finds out, we'll get in trouble boss." She added quietly, "This isn't like you."

For once, the con man wore a regretful expression. "If it wasn't for us, Talim wouldn't be in this mess. She would've been with the Schwartzwind and she would be with Raphael." His eyes dimmed slightly. "Talim... has been through alot of hardships these past years and she did assist me with my own weak malfestation. This is something I felt that I had to do, Gisele."

Gisele remained quiet for a few moments before saying, "For Talim, her love feels alittle hopeless, don't you think?"

Dampierre shrugged. "It may be hopeless, but it's not meaningless. And that is perhaps, the saddest part of it all."

Raphael glanced down as hard footsteps echoed through the dungeons and Dumas strolled towards the pit. A shining giant guillotine swung behind him, drawing a rather ominous picture as the King of Hungary approached.

Dumas quietly murmured, "It's been awhile... how have you been?"

Raphael pulled his lips back and bared his fangs. "Don't talk to me as if you know me."

Dumas eyes narrowed slightly. He truly wondered if Raphael was working as a spy for Matthias but he was the only one that matched the reports his spies told him. For now, he would act pleasant and see what his other self had been up to. In a casual manner, he asked, "What's the matter? You don't recognize that from which you came?" Dumas began pacing around the pit with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Raphael, what have you been doing these past years anyway? Have you recently just awoken?"

"It's none of your concern."

Dumas replied curtly, "On the contrary, it is my concern. Where's Amy?"

At the mention of his daughter's name, Raphael snapped, "How do you know about her! What have you done to her!" Raphael pounded on the bars viciously. "Mark my words, if you had done anything to her, I'll have your head!" Buffy and Alun made a few small worried sounds at the less than pleasant reaction as they huddled near his feet in the cage.

By now, Dumas also noticed the two pets and he was annoyed at that fact Talim had hid this from him. But for now, he turned back to the matter at hand. "Why do you despise me?"

Raphael let out a mirthless laugh. "You are responsible for the death of the Sorel household. Who do you think you are, to do something like that? Only I and Amy carry the name of Sorel now, thanks to you."

Raphael couldn't help but flinch when Dumas's eyes turned a brighter red. The blue light from the torches reflected off his dark armor and his posture was stiff. Finally, he called for his servant once more. "Voldo, lower the cage and fetch me Flambert."

Voldo stepped out from the shadows with the elegant rapier before pulling a lever to let down the cage. With another lever, all four sides of the cage dropped down and Dumas snapped his fingers and pointed to the cage. Dutifully, Voldo glided into the cage and threw the rapier at Raphael before readying his battle stance.

"What's going on?" hissed Raphael, reading his own stance before his opponent.

"I have no use for weaknesses. You may be a part of me but I don't tolerate failures." Dumas walked over to the lever and barked, "Alun, Buffy, come over here at once." The two pets hesitated but they could tell from his voice that disobedience would be a very bad choice right now so they flew away and watched from a distance. Without another word, he pulled the lever and the walls snapped back up with a deafening clang. Turning to Raphael, he said, "Defeat the guardian of Denever Castle and I shall reevaluate your worth. I am so annoyed by now that I don't think I'd even need you to prove to Talim that I am the real one."

"What are you talking about?" Raphael turned his attention to Voldo when the guardian let out a threatening hiss. He was wasting so much time here that it wasn't even funny. Matthias's plan had gone completely wrong and he was not going to risk his neck here a moment longer. His daughter needed him… "Quickly now, Amy awaits me." Raphael stood there coldly and slashed the air with his rapier.

Dumas's voice was just as frigid as he replied, "Then let's begin. Voldo!"

Dumas watched as Raphael and Voldo began trading blows. Raphael had taken on a more defensive position and he was carefully applying safe and fast pokes to test his opponent. Dumas nodded in approval but he knew that his copy would need to take on a more offensive stance soon; Voldo was adept at evasion and performing difficult acrobats to overwhelm his opponents. The same way a spider weaved a deadly web to catch its prey, he watched as Voldo baited Raphael into a corner with a combination of high, low, quick and unpredictable moves.

Dumas's eyes were cold as Raphael received several injuries in a matter of minutes when Voldo trapped him against the corner. It was only through sheer good fortune when Raphael bent backward at the right time and tripped the nimble guardian. Leaping over him, Raphael hastily stumbled backwards and readied himself once more. "How disappointing," murmured Dumas. The grace and skills of this copy was pathetic compared to seventeen years ago. It almost hurts to look at him.

Buffy and Alun looked at each other in worry before flying up the stairs. With a screech, Buffy sank its fangs into the handle and pulled. The door swung open and the two disappeared to look for Talim.

Raphael panted and held a hand to the wound on his thigh. The crossbow wound he had received from Gisele was a minor hindrance but it didn't help when that creepy thing called Voldo added another wound on the same spot. Blue light reflected off the gold bars of the cage as the two weaved back and forth and their weapons clashed.

With a grimace, Raphael fended off one of Voldo's attack but the man seemed to hiss with delight as he fell for it. With a kick, Voldo stepped back before giving him a short bow. Before Raphael could react, the man back rolled into him and his katars sank deeply into his flesh. Following up the attack, he smashed into him once more before leaping up into the air. As he descended, his katars stuck deep into Raphael's chest and he dragged Raphael's body across the floor of the cage like a ragdoll before leaping off.

"An outrage!" howled Raphael as his wounds burned. He was beyond humiliated and this was further worsened as Dumas spoke up.

"Pathetic. You can't even beat one of my servant?" His hands curled into fists. "This is the best a part of my soul can do?! After all these years, you did not bring me back Amy nor did you improve on your fighting style. In fact, even my kid brother could have defeated you with his eyes closed!"

But Raphael only heard the soul part. He raised his head up weakly and coughed, "Wha…what nonsense are you talking about?"

Dumas spat coldly, "You don't need to know. I shall reabsorb you here and now and search for Amy on my own. God!" He turned away in exasperation. "I feel like I'm insulting myself." He glanced back at Raphael and said frostily, "It ends now. Voldo, bring him to me!"

Voldo hissed and bowed before raising up his katars as he strolled over to the fallen warrior.

"Stop!"

Dumas turned as he saw Talim approached him and his mouth opened in disbelief. "Talim? What are you doing here?" Seeing how hard her eyes were, he realized that he was in a very bad situation with her right now. "Talim, let me explain-"

"You lied to me!" She shook him away from her as she cradled the two pets in her arms and looked at him angrily. "You promised me you would let me be with him but here, I see you're trying to kill him! I won't believe you anymore Dumas!"

"Wait! I... Damn it all." He breathed in deeply and for now, he focused on trying to coax her out of here before it was too late. "I was just overly jealous. Forgive me but it won't happen again. We shall leave right now and I won't lay a single finger on Raphael."

Talim stood her ground. "We're not leaving until you let me see the wounds on Raphael. He's badly hurt and he's bleeding."

"You made a promise that you wouldn't see him in three days Talim," Dumas said through gritted teeth at the way she was behaving. Nonetheless, he was still more concerned about her feelings if she realizes that the other Raphael has no clue on who she was. "Dearest, let's head back upstairs and let me explain," he said soothingly, trying to change his tone of voice.

"No." Talim looked him firmly in the eye as she tilted her head back ."I'm not leaving until I'm sure he's alright. And..." The blue torches flickered ominously and Talim looked at the torture devices lying from across the room. Dry blood stained the iron maidens and she scolded herself for forgetting about his dungeon. Her eyes were accusing as she met his. "This is wrong Dumas. You can't keep people here and treat them like this."

"There's a good reason why it's called a dungeon Talim," he replied coldly, sensing the direction this conversation was heading.

"This is barbaric!" Talim gestured to the torture devices lying beyond the cage. "How can you do something so cruel to others?"

Dumas snapped angrily, "They deserved it. Every human in this place have all taken part in the hunt against the malfested and one or another, they've all reported us to the authorities."

"That is no reason to stoop to their level," Talim protested. Cries and screams occasionally echoed down the dungeon and Talim stepped up to him. "You can't do this to them..."

His eyes flashed as he towered over her. "I may love you but that doesn't mean you can tell me what to do." He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her towards the stairs. "You will obey me whether you like it or not. Now come on."

"No! Let me go see Raphael!"

"You will not see him!"

Alun let out an angry sound at the way Dumas was treating his mistress. With a cry, it launched itself at his face and Dumas had to let her go as he stumbled back. Seizing her chance, Talim pulled the lever nearby and to her relief, the cage opened and she ran towards it.

"Voldo! Stop her!" shouted Dumas as he captured the raging ball of feathers in his arms. But Alun put up a difficult fight as it flapped its wings and feathers flew everywhere.

Talim ducked as Voldo tried to grab her and since Buffy wanted to do its part in helping the poor priestess, it also launched itself at Voldo and bit him. "Eeep!"

Once she got to Raphael's side, she tried to help him up but he pushed her away. "Raphael?"

Humiliated at the situation he was in, he averted his eyes. "I don't need your help."

She drew back slightly since she knew that he was always a rather proud man and he must have been embarrassed. But still, she said gently, "Raphael please, you're bleeding. Let me-"

"Don't touch me!" he snapped as he slapped her hand away. Raphael didn't care as she flinched and a hurt look crossed her face. She only cared since she thought he was Raphael Coral. But a sudden idea hit him; Dumas cared for her. He could use her… Tilting his head up, he held out a hand for her to hold and a look of happiness crossed her face as she smiled. "Rapha-"

Talim choked as he launched himself at her and quickly held her hostage by deftly placing his sword at her neck. With a victorious smile, he laughed at Dumas. "It looks like I'll have the last laugh."

"No!" Dumas and Alun both froze and the two cried out at what was happening. The bird quickly stopped attacking Dumas and it flapped over to Talim before coming to a stop at her feet and pulling on the fabric of her blue half skirt.

Buffy joined its friend and pulled on Raphael's leg. "Eeep eep?!"

Voldo stepped up and immediately readied his katars to take the woman back. She was clearly very dear to his master... and as the loyal servant he was, he was supposed to protect all of his master's possessions.

"I wouldn't do anything while I am you," Raphael stated calmly as he glanced down at Talim. He masked his face to disguise the terrible burning pain of his wounds and the sick purifying aura around the woman before saying, "She seems like a rather delicate woman, it'd be sad if she died at such a young age."

"You can't do it!" Dumas said frustratingly as he gestured to her outside the cage. "She is yours and mine to protect. She's our dearest and our love!"

"Nonsense," hissed Raphael. "I love no one in this world besides Amy. She is my only family."

Tearfully, Talim turned her head slightly back. The cool metal didn't cut her but its blade had already pierced her heart as it laid on her small neck and instead of the loving embrace she had imagined, she became the innocent white lamb that he was going to sacrifice. She didn't mind giving up her life if that's what it took to save him but she was devastated that he was so quick on using her. "Raphael…"

Raphael ignored her. "Well now Dumas, what are we going to do now?"

Rage burned in Dumas's eyes as he said thinly, "Now... you burn."

"What?" Raphael's eyes widened in surprise as the man disappeared in a flash of fire and before he knew it, he was sent flying. Damn it! Raphael cursed as he hit the wall of the cage with a loud sound and dropped to the ground. He should have remembered that the man also had the ability to teleport!

Holding the trembling wind priestess tightly in his arms, Dumas hissed, "You may be a part of me but I will not tolerate what you have done. You-"

"Stop." Talim looked at him pleadingly. "Don't hurt him. Please Dumas..."

Seeing the fragile state she was in, he put his arms around her and said behind his back, "Chain him to the walls Voldo. But before you do, wash the chains in holy waters to make sure that his teleportation powers won't work." Without another word, he escorted her back upstairs and the two pets quickly followed suit to escape from the horrible nightmare Talim had just experienced.

Walking through an opened door, he deftly placed her down on a white couch in the fine living room. The carpet was thick and black and the two large windows let in plenty of sunlight that made the polished table in the centre shine. The vase of red roses added a splash of bright colors to the room and two paintings of snowy mountains gave the room a serene touch. With a plop, Alun and Buffy landed on the right side of the priestess and made cooing noises at her.

Sitting down beside her on the left, he said softly, "Talim... I... I'm sorry." Talim put her hands to her mouth as her eyes grew wet. Dumas read her lips through the cracks of her fingers and saw that she was repeating the word 'why' over and over again. "To love someone for seventeen years and have him treat you this way must be devastating..." he thought as reached for her and cradled her in his arms. "I'm so sorry," Dumas repeated once more as he held her. It tore at his heart to see her like this but until Ivy arrived and opened the portal to Astral Chaos, he won't be able to show her that he really was the one she loved. Stroking her soft green hair, he held her trembling body as she tried to hold in her tears. Quietly, he said, "Cry if you want to Talim. I'm here for you."

Talim squeezed her eyes shut as she gripped his dark blue silk shirt tightly. The tears leaked out and it stained his shirt a darker blue as he pressed her even tighter against his body. Why? Talim felt utterly defeated and lost as that one word rang through her head. Raphael... he wouldn't do such a thing to her. The wind around him was strange but she recognized him. Those eyes... and his fangs as he smiled and held her hostage. Her fingers curled as she gripped Dumas's shirt even tighter at the haunting image that flashed through her mind. Raphael... he wouldn't do something like that to her. He wouldn't... he must have a reason. Talim opened her eyes a crack and thought about it. Yes, he must have a reason, she must go and ask him. Looking up at Dumas, she whispered, "I want to go and speak to Raphael."

His eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Talim pulled back from him. With a sad expression, her green bangs partially hid her eyes as she said, "I... I believe in him. I know he must have a reason for doing that. He would never intentionally harm me." She placed a hand gently on her medallion. "He loves me. After all we've been through... and no matter how much time passes, I know that he still cares for me. There must be a reason why he did what he did."

Dumas stared at her blankly. After being hurt like that, she still trusted and believed... in him. He felt his throat choke with a sudden burning of emotions and he couldn't move or speak. The room was silent as the two sat there, both absorbed in their individual thoughts and ordeals. Finally, he closed his eyes and whispered, "You may see him. But know this," Dumas put his hand on her cheek and gently rubbed his thumb across her soft skin. "It will bring you nothing but more pain. I've tried to protect you and your feelings but now I know that it's impossible because..." He slowly pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear, "You're ridiculously in love with Raphael"

Talim rested her head against his and replied, "You're hurting inside. Please don't... I'm not worth it. Find someone who can return your feelings because my heart and soul already belongs to someone else."

A sad smile crossed his face as he hugged her alittle tighter and merely said, "This will be the longest three days of my life, dearest."

Behind Talim's back, Alun and Buffy sniffed and hugged each other as the sadness from their owners was felt by them as well.

Raphael blinked up against the light of the white moon shining down on him in his dim cell. The straw beneath his feet smelled foul and the occasional rats scampered past his feet. The chains rattled as he struggled against his bonds while being chained to the wall. With a sigh, he stopped and looked up at the bright white moon, wondering where Amy was and how she was doing. He missed her so much... his beautiful little butterfly. He just wanted to be with his daughter again, and see her smile once more. The sounds of light footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to see a guard opening his cell door to let that green haired woman in. He looked at her tiredly. "What do you want?"

Talim hugged the small basket of food and said softly, "I... I brought you dinner, Raphael."

He said with exasperation, "What is wrong with you? I just held you hostage today and now you're coming to offer me food?"

She looked at him with timid eyes. "I know that... you must have a good reason for doing that. Right?"

Raphael said shortly, "Because Dumas cares for you, it would make you a wonderfully perfect hostage. Wasn't that obvious? Now, just leave me alone so I can be in peace. I don't need your pity." He added with annoyance, "And Dumas will just get jealous if you spend time with me. I don't need him to dish out more punishments for me."

Talim quickly shook her head and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, he gave me permission to come see you, Raphael. And he promised me he'll let us be together in three days."

"I don't know who you are! Stop pretending like you know me!" Raphael was tired of being misunderstood to be this Raphael Coral this Talim was in love with. That must be the reason why he was captured in the first place, he thought to himself bitterly.

Talim was deeply hurt by what he said. "Raphael... but-"

"Keep it to yourself woman," he said harshly. "The more time you spend with me and the more affection you show me will just make Dumas mad at me and at you. I don't know you so let's just pretend that you don't know me either. I'm not the Raphael you think I am. I am Raphael Sorel and you are not in love with me."

Talim blinked at him in confusion. She didn't understand what he was saying and why he was treating her this way. Did something happen to him? Or was he... Talim's eyes lit up with false hope. Yes, that must be it. He must be trying to act like he didn't know her or care for her since he was worried that Dumas might hurt her if he was jealous. That's why he was acting like this; there wasn't any other explanation.

Forcing a pretty smile on her face, she said quietly, "I understand Raphael. But I just want to let you know that Dumas won't hurt me. He has his bad moments but he does care for me." She added hastily, "But I only love you Raphael. That has never changed in the past seventeen years."

Raphael rolled his head back and sighed. It was no use trying to make her understand. She was deluding herself and trying to be happy by forcing herself to believe that she found her love again. He couldn't care less if she wanted to go down such a stupid road. "Do what you want then."

Talim quickly took out a bowl of vegetables and tenderly cut pieces of honey roasted meat. Taking out a fork from the basket, she went over to him and said, "Dumas won't let you be unchained so I'll just help you eat like this Raphael." Shyly, she looked at the dish in her hand and said, "I hope you'll like it. I added alot of herbs and spices to the meat and-"

"Just hurry it up, I'll judge it when I eat it."

Talim immediately stopped talking and she apologized before stabbing a piece of meat and held it up to his lips. He ate without much interest and the minutes passed by in silence until he finished the dish. Gingerly, Talim asked, "Did you... like it Raphael?"

He didn't look at her. "It's fine. Now just leave already. I want to be alone to think to myself."

"Wait." Talim hastily bent down and took out a white ceramic bowl with soup in it. "I made this in mind that you would be very tired Raphael. It's an old recipe that my mother used to make when I was sick-"

"Do I look sick?" he asked dryly.

"No-no." Talim quickly added, "It's just that you've been imprisoned for a rather long time and I don't think you've had enough nutrition so I made this for you."

"I'm fine," he said dismissively. "Just go and leave me alone."

"But it took me four hours-"

"Just go! You're so annoying you know that." Raphael was really getting tired of her constant worrying and twittering about him. Knowing the fact that it wasn't him but the other Raphael that she cared for made him immune to her efforts and feelings.

Silently, Talim closed her mouth and put it away in the basket. Picking it up, she said softly, "Al-Alright. Good night Raphael." As she stepped across the straw and left the dirty cell, she gave him a sad look as he ignored her and continued looking up at the bright moon. When she stepped up the stairs and left the dungeon, Dumas was there along with Buffy and Alun who were perched nearby to wait for her.

Dumas reached out for her in concern. "Did he treat you well? Did he say anything mean to you?" Hie red eyes were filled with worry as they stood there in the brightly lit hallway. His heart nearly cracked when he saw how hard she was trying to keep herself from crying.

Talim sniffed and tried to smile while her eyes were turning red. "He was alittle distant but he was very nice and he said he missed me when he thought the guards didn't hear. He's just pretending that he doesn't care since he's worried you might hurt me or him if you're jealous." In the most fake and forced cheery voice he's ever heard, she said, "I'm looking forward to seeing him tomorrow and bringing him his breakfast. Do you think he'll like eggs?"

Dumas let out a long breath and stopped her from blubbering on. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said gently, "You must be tired. Go to bed and rest."

"But I was supposed to spend some time with you," Talim reminded him. She knew that Dumas would want to spend more time with her since she was leaving with Raphael in three days and it was also part of his deal.

To her surprise, Dumas shook his head. "I have paperwork I'll need to take care of. It'd be a pain to hear Matthias criticize me if I fall behind." His eyes drifted to the partially open basket and he noted that some of the soup had leaked out from the white ceramic bowl since the ceramic top had slipped. "Raphael didn't finish the soup you made him?"

"O-oh." Talim quickly closed the basket and said cheerfully, "He was full so I didn't want to push him to eat more."

"But you spent ages making that." Dumas had asked a passing servant what Talim was doing in the kitchen and why she was taking so long and the maid had answered that Talim was busy with some kind of special soup. Taking the basket out of her hand, he smiled. "You don't mind if I have it then? I would hate to see all of your efforts go to waste."

Giving him a weak smile, Talim nodded. "I hope you'll like it then Dumas."

"I'm sure I will. Anyway, good night Talim." He bent down and kissed her on the forehead before turning on his heels and leaving for his study with the basket in hand.

Talim held out her arms and Alun and Buffy jumped into it. Holding the two pets, she made her way to her bedroom. As she walked, she forced herself to smile. "In three days... we'll be together Raphael. Then you can stop pretending; I know it must be painful for you as well."

It was this thought alone, that kept her up and kept her from breaking down, when she finally crawled into bed. She was so tired, she didn't even bother changing out of her clothes. In bed, Talim hugged the two pets for comfort as she snuggled down in the pale green blankets. Alun and Buffy made a few sleepy sounds as they dreamed about something and remained nestled in her arms. Moving her head up from the soft white pillow, she glanced over at the partially blocked window as the slivers of moonlight crept towards the end of her circular bed. Closing her eyes, she hoped that the three days would pass by quickly. Because deep inside, Raphael's cold words truly had hurt her... A sparkling tear slipped down her cheek as she whispered, "This reunion was different from the one I had in mind all these years."

In his cell, Raphael sighed and said miserably, "Matthias will arrive in three days, what is he going to do once he realizes I've failed?" Raphael leaned back tiredly and wondered briefly if Viola will be able to predict his predicament with that orb of hers and come up with a plan.

A dark cloud passed over the moon and in the darkness, Raphael whispered quietly, "I just want to be with Amy again."

In his study, Dumas stared at nothing in particular as the dim and flickering lights of the candles danced across the room. Sipping the soup, he slowly turned his chair around and looked at the bright white moon shining outside his windows. The red curtains hung down heavily and he pushed it aside to reveal more of the shining night sky. Reflecting on the past, he murmured, "Amy is the moon... any star that dares shines brighter than her must be extinguished. But I've finally found solace in the sun... and I will not let its light be lost."

Zwei leaned back against the log and idly turned the stick with the roasting rabbit on it. His blue eyes drifted over to Patroklos who was complaining about how long it was taking to cook. With a wry twist of his lips, Zwei replied, "At least you didn't have to go and chase after the damn things. Quit complaining."

Patroklos shot him a look of annoyance as the two sat around the campfire. It was already quite late and the cool night wind rustled the grasses and few trees around them. Holding up the half cooked meat, Patroklos said, "So... how long until we get to this mercenary base of yours."

"We'll get there in about a week and a half." Zwei glanced up at the sky and said tiredly, "But since we're going to be taking the long way, probably two weeks."

"Why the long way?"

Zwei gestured to himself and to the Greek. "We're both wanted by Dumas. Waltzing around in the open would be plain stupidity."

With a grunt, Patroklos agreed and he continued cooking his rabbit. But he was rather tired of sleeping, walking, and eating in the wild. Who knew it was such a pain to live away from civilization like this.

The darkly dressed man was silent for awhile until he decided to speak up. "So... did you meet a woman with long green hair, wearing a moon and sun medallion?" Zwei knew the Greek met her since he could sense Talim's wind seal but he was testing Patroklos to see if he was going to lie or not.

Hesitating for a moment, Patroklos replied, "Why are you asking me that? Do you know her or something?"

Zwei looked at him questioningly before nodding. "Yea. She's my mentor and she's like family to me." He held up his sword and smiled. "I modeled my sword after hers and I've copied a few of her moves. She's my role model in life and I have deep respect for her." Coolly, he asked, "So what did you think of her?"

Patroklos replied slowly, "She was quite beautiful-"

A dry cough punctuated the air as Zwei interrupted. "She's not available."

The Greek turned red but he hufffed, "Oh yea, why not?"

"She's already in love with someone and from the way she described him..." Zwei held up his hand and began ticking off his fingers as he smirked at the younger man. "He's better looking, smarter, richer, and overall, a better guy to entrust one's happiness to than you. What do you have?"

"Excuse me, I am the holy warrior. That's better than any guy out there, let alone a filthy malfested," Patroklos said poisonously.

Zwei remembered the deep hatred he harbored for the malfested and he said in low tone of voice, "You knew that the man Talim was in love with is a malfested... Did you do anything to her?"

Patroklos turned his head away. If Zwei learned that he was responsible for Talim's execution, he would refuse to help him find his sister. So he lied, "No. I parted ways with her and last I saw, she was still alive."

"Good." Zwei leaned back against the log and said sarcastically, "You know, for a hoooooly warrior, I'm surprised you couldn't sense the pure energy she was radiating."

"Anyone that helps the malfested is not pure," Patroklos said thinly.

At the insult, Zwei's eyes darkened and he barked, "Human or malfested, a life is a life. I've seen plenty of humans who are more monstrous and evil than the malfested that you people have been hunting down."

"Why are you defending them? Because you're one as well?!" Patroklos shot back accusingly.

"Because I know how it feels to be alone and how to be rejected!" Zwei fumed and said angrily, "What would you do, if you were malfested? Have you tried putting yourself in their shoes before?"

"Shut up! I would never be a despicable malfested!"

"You shut up! Don't call them despicable!"

"No you shut up!"

"You shut up, your voice hurts my ears!"

"The way you dress hurts my eyes!"

"Oh my god!" Zwei swore and looked at him with exasperation. "You know what, I'm wasting my breath on you. Good night!" Zwei got up and left with his fully roasted rabbit to eat in peace.

Patroklos glowered at the man and shouted, "I'm in the right! All malfested are evil and nothing you say can change my mind."

Zwei stopped and turned back before putting a hand on his hip. "Your rabbit is burning. Have fun catching one by yourself."

"What?" Patroklos looked at the meat going up in flames and he swore.

Shaking his head at the pathetic scene, Zwei looked up at the moon and said quietly, "I really miss the days where I get to travel with Viola instead of this idiot."

Inside the tent, Viola turned on her side and tried to sleep but something seemed to bug her. Could it possibly be Zwei? Was he alright? Whenever she get these strange feelings, it was usually a bad sign. Getting up, she tucked her uncurled white hair to one side and got out her orb from her bag. But as always, when she tried to see the future for Zwei, she got nothing. This always annoyed her since the only person she cared about was the only one she couldn't protect with her fortune telling. Stroking her orb, she looked at it aimlessly when all of a sudden, she saw Raphael. She pouted and said dryly, "Why show me this guy?" Her orb glowed and she looked with disinterest as it cleared up. But then she noted the situation he was in and her eyebrows creased. No... if he was captured then...

Without another word, she got up and headed for Hilde's tent.

Hilde was awoken when Gerhilde announced loudly, "Your highness, I'm sorry to interrupt your sleep but Viola is here to speak to you. She has an important message."

Sitting up and throwing aside the covers, Hilde replied, "Let her in Gerhilde." The princess of Wolfkrone watched as the seer entered with her orb and she said in surprise, "Viola, I told you to hide your orb. If Matthias finds out that you're a malfested, you might be in danger."

Viola sat down and held her orb in her hands. It's warm glow illuminated the tent and washed it with a light violet. In a solemn voice, she replied, "The moon watches and sees that the stars grow dim. Darkness approaches..." Seeing Hilde's confused expression, the seer sighed. "Raphael is in danger and more victims will soon follow. At the heart, I saw your priestess."

"Talim?" asked Hilde, worried about her friend.

"She has green hair no?" Viola shrugged. "She'll be the flame that sets the first spark to a very bad... explosion of events." Her red eyes darkened as she repeated, "Very bad..."