The Tri-Blade Alliance
Chapter 8: The Mission
A/N: I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving. Without further ado, here is the next chapter of The Tri-Blade Alliance, where secrets will be leaked, but not revealed.
Disclaimer: I don't own SAO.
(x)
It's been three weeks since we last saw Shadow. He's most likely been busy with other things-and I can respect that. To each his own, and all that stuff. But since then, there's been a lot of speculation; just who the hell is he? Personally, we don't care, as long as he can help us get the job done. And so far, we've seen that he can.
Where he's gone, that just another mysterious piece of that enigmatic puzzle.
Eros became an entertainer, like a singer and dancer. From the shows that she wanted us to go to, which means all of them, she was absolutely amazing. Some of the best singing and dancing that I'd ever seen or heard. As such, she's mostly a part time member of the guild.
Over the weeks, we were approached by a new person who, unlike that Kutthroat guy, seemed like he cared for people. He wanted to join, and he demonstrated some of the best archery skills I've ever seen. Hell, he can even fight close-quarters with a bow! His name is Pearce. How fitting.
Now, he leads the archers in the guild, but is adamant about following all of my orders. Loyal till the end I suppose.
I'm going to have to cut it off here. I need to get some rest. I have the feeling that tomorrow's going to be a big day, with a meeting of the heads and discussing the floor boss, and whatnot.
(x)
Floor 32: Midgar
"Look," the representative said to the increasingly impatient Eros. "All we're charging is 50,000 col. It's not much."
"It is if you're charging me per guard!" Eros said through gritted teeth. "And they're not even good!"
"Hey!" the rep said, clearly offended. "I'll have you know that all of our men-"
"Are high-level and equipped with the best gear so far," Eros finished in a bored tone, as if she's heard this before. "Like I haven't heard that a hundred and ten times." Before she could continue, she received a message in her inbox. She opened it while the clearly irritated man spoke.
"All right. How about this? For the same price, we'll give you three of our best men. Sound good?"
"Never mind," Eros said, suddenly jovial. "All I need to protect me is my shadow." She got up and walked away, leaving the representative furious beyond belief, yet also confused.
"Women," he said under his breath as he walked away.
(x)
Before he received the message, Shadow was spending the early parts of his day in the inn he was staying in at the moment, examining and researching his new item, the Black Star of Nightmares.
Apparently, it's a teleport crystal, Shadow thought. "But how does it work?" he asked aloud. He was snapped out of his inquiries when he heard his inbox receive a message.
Wasting little time, he opened the message and read the name of the sender first: "Eros." He opened the message.
"Hey, Shadow. I need your help. I have an important performance to get to in a week. It's on Floor 52. If you can get me there within that time limit, I'll give you a bonus along with the payment listed below.
"Payment: 100,000 col.
Bonus: Equipment (Gloves)."
Answering the message, Shadow wrote, "Sure."
He sent the message and looked down at his unique crystal, which was glowing black. The crystal was in the shape of a rhombus and was black, yet transparent, and the core was shaped like a black hole, with its light exploding into the corners of the crystal.
Maybe I can field test this.
(x)
"Ladies and gentlemen," Solar called out as the leaders of the major front line guilds sat in their seats around the table, "let's get this meeting started. First order of business, any suggestions as to how we can take down the Floor 55 boss? Do we even have a name yet?"
One of the leaders of the front line guilds stood up from his seat, as if giving a presentation. "My name is Robin, and I lead the guild The Sunlight Fighters."
Solar chuckled. "You guys already have my approval." This drew some chuckles and smirks from the other leaders.
Robin smiled at Solar, who motioned with his hand for the man to continue. Taking the cue, Robin said, "Just yesterday, we sent a scout party to the boss room. They found out that this boss is named 'The Dragon Fighter'. And they saw from his style that he will fight with a type of lance called a Naginata until his health reaches its halfway point; from then on, he will fight solely with martial arts."
Asuna, who was substituting for the commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, added in, "Did you get any word from him yet, Solar?"
Solar ran a hand through his hair, with it going back to the hairstyle it was always in, and sighed. "Still no word from Shadow."
"That's not who I meant, and you know it."
"Yeah, I know."
One of the other leaders spoke up. "We got to Floor 50 in a manner of months, didn't we?"
This time, Ren spoke instead of Solar. "Yeah, we did, but we had Arctic with us. We don't have that privilege anymore. We're on our own."
(x)
Day One
Floor 34: Serpentine
"Are you ready yet?" Shadow asked the performer, growing more impatient by the minute.
"Just a couple more seconds," a voice grunted from the other side of the door. Finally, the door opened and Eros stepped out, wearing her normal outfit. "Happy now?" she asked, annoyed.
"Very," Shadow replied, equally annoyed. He dropped the attitude, however, as he looked at the shrinking sunset. "We should leave now," he said. "Otherwise, the mobs will swarm us."
"Aw, what's wrong?" Eros asked teasingly. "Scared of a couple mobs?"
"No. I only said I'd escort you; we never agreed on me protecting you."
"...Let's go now," Eros said, walking ahead.
Shadow quickly caught up, and asked the pretty performer, "Why exactly do you need an escort?"
"The teleport system is down from Floors 34 to 52."
"How coincidental," Shadow said sarcastically. "The teleport system is down from where we are to where we're going."
"Yep," Eros said, oblivious to the sarcasm.
"Let me check something," Shadow told her. He took out his Star and cursed under his breath when he saw the lack of light the core produced. He put it away and walked ahead, slightly dragging Eros by the arm.
After a while, Eros pulled her arm away and looked around. "Where are we now?"
"The door to Floor 37. If we keep this up, we should get to Floor 50 by morning."
"Hey!" Eros spun around to face her temporary protector. "You know that no one, except you, has that level of energy!"
"Not my fault. Although, we could stop for a break at Floor 40, if that's what you're into," Shadow said, looking up in thought.
Eros's glare softened as she smiled. "See? Now, that's better."
Floor 40: Atlantis
Eros sighed contentedly when she lay down on the grass. She looked towards Shadow, who was still standing and leaning against a tree, and told him, "You can lie down too, you know?"
"No thanks," Shadow said, opting to climb the tree. When she heard the dull thud of a body hitting a branch, she merely sighed and closed her eyes.
Day Two
"Get up," a voice said. Eros opened her eyes tiredly…
To see a pair of nightmarish red eyes staring down at her. She screamed, the sudden feeling of fright jolting her awake.
"It's just me," Shadow said. "And come on. It's the perfect time to travel."
"What?" Eros looked towards the horizon, still somewhat tired. "It's barely sunrise!"
"So? This will help you build up your stamina. God knows you need it."
"You're a dick."
(x)
"God this is tedious," Asuna groaned. The leaders, with the exception of Asuna and Solar, were knocking their heads together to figure out a strategy to fight the boss. So far, every hypothetical solution had no chance of working.
Solar looked towards Ren and saw that his face was scrunched up in thought. "You got something, Ren?"
Ren looked towards Solar and replied, "Maybe. I might need some help to verify the strategy though."
Immediately, Solar opened up his friends list, selected a name, and typed a message. In a matter of minutes, there was a knock on the door to the war room. Solar motioned for the guard to open it. The guard did so, and in walked Skye.
"Hey Solar. You called for me?"
Solar nodded. "You're the top tactician of the guild, correct?"
Skye nodded. "Yes, I was given that role by Arctic."
"I'm gonna need you to help Ren verify his strategy for the next boss."
Skye nodded once and walked towards Ren. "So what do you have?"
Ren replied, "I was thinking…" Soon the two were talking to each other quietly as they went over Ren's strategy.
After a couple hours of talking and discussing, Skye looked towards everyone else and said, "Ren's plan will work."
(x)
Day 3
Floor 44: Grimwall
"Do you ever sleep?" Eros asked her guardian, flabbergasted at him when he told her he'd keep watch again.
"Yes," Shadow said. "But not when guarding someone important."
Eros felt her blushing from his 'compliment'. "Well, then, I'll stay up with you."
"No. you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"No."
"Yes.
"No."
"Yes."
"NO."
"YES."
"...You're stubborn."
"It's one of my best features."
The Next Day
"We're never doing that again," Shadow told Eros, who nodded her response as she was too busy yawning.
"That mantis was hell," she said tiredly.
"For you, maybe. Now, let's go. We'll stop at the next inn."
(x)
"Alright guys," Akira called to the present Tri-Bladers. "Let's get this practice run started!"
As Akira instructed the members on what to do for their practice, Solar was watching from a pillar, leaning on it and arms crossed. God, she's beautiful, he thought to himself as she took down all of the recruits in no time at all.
Akira felt someone's stare on her, and instinctively looked behind herself. She relaxed when she saw that it was Solar watching her. She motioned for the fighters to keep practicing, as she ran over to Solar.
"Hey you," Akira said playfully, giving Solar a punch in the arm that she knew he wouldn't feel. Solar smirked, and brought her in for a kiss she didn't refuse. As they pulled away, Akira smiled and rested her forehead on Solar's. "Well, that's my kind of hello." They both began walking along the field, arm-in-arm, as they observed the fighters who were currently practicing.
Solar asked, "Are you guys practicing the strategy that Ren set up?"
Akira nodded. "I want to make sure they have it down. I don't want any casualties, not if they can be easily avoided."
"I can agree with that." Scanning the field, Solar's eyes landed on the recruit he was looking for, and pointed him out to Akira. "Check him out."
Akira, curious as to why Solar had singled out that one member, looked towards him. She was amazed by what she was seeing.
That member was holding his own against several of the swordfighters, and he wasn't even using a sword! Rather, he was holding them back, very impressively with a bow. After he knocked them all away by spinning 360 degrees with his bow outstretched, he seamlessly pulled out three arrows, lined them up one on top the other, and fired all three simultaneously, hitting the neck, torso, and nether regions of a faraway training dummy. After admiring his work, the Advent Archer pumped his fist in the air, and put his bow away.
"Pearce!" Solar called. The archer looked in their direction, and looked excited when he saw that Solar was the one calling him over. Solar waved him over. Pearce ran over to the couple, and when he reached them, he got on one knee, as a sign of respect. "Boss. Lady Akira." He looked up at Solar, who motioned for him to stand up. He did so. "What do you need me for?"
Solar looked over to Akira and smiled. "He'll be the one to take down the next boss. See to that, my dear." Happy to be called "my dear" by the person she loved in public, she nodded and motioned for Pearce to follow her. When they reached an empty spot on the field behind the guild house, Akira got into a stance, with Pearce following shortly after.
"C'mon, Pearce. Let's see what all the hype is about."
(x)
Day 5
Floor 49: Clockwork Hill
"Look what we have here," a sly voice said.
Eros and Shadow stood side-by-side as a ring of enemies formed around them. "Six guys," Shadow said under his breath.
"I can count," Eros replied in the same manner. "They're level 45."
"They're all around us, you know."
"I think we can take them. You think we can take them?"
"You always think we can take them."
"But we can, can't we?"
"Damn straight."
"What are you―?" One of the guys began to speak, but was cut off when Shadow drove a knife into his neck. He followed suit by sending two serrated throwing knives into the chests of the other two enemies.
Eros took care of her three―all girls―by slicing one in half across the waist with her sword, parrying another and dispatching her in the same way. The last one ran away. She was about to throw a knife when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Shadow shaking his head.
"Not worth it," he said. Eros nodded and looked at the three Shadow took care of. The first one he defeated lay on the floor motionless, while the other two rolled on the ground, moaning in pain.
"Can we go now?" she asked her guardian, who nodded.
Later…
"I'll take watch tonight," Eros told Shadow. Before he could protest, she said, "You've done enough for me. It's time I do something for you."
"Fine." Shadow lay down on the ground while Eros climbed the tree. After staring into the distance for a while, he laid his head down and let the hands of sleep take him away.
(x)
The player screamed in anguish as he held a dying girl in his hands. He stopped when he heard someone laughing maliciously. He turned to look at the laughing figure with a look of deepest loathing. "You killed her, you bastard!"
"Me?" The figure stopped laughing, but still retained a sinister smile. "I didn't do anything. This was all you."
The kneeling player looked down and felt his eyes water when he came to a sudden realization.
He was right.
(x)
Day 6
Shadow opened his eyes and sat up. Eros jumped back, alarmed. His eyes focused on her and narrowed. "Did you try looking under my hood?" he growled.
"N-no," Eros said, clearly frightened. "But you kept mumbling and shifting around. You wanna talk about it?"
Shadow was silent for a moment. "No," he finally said, standing up. He held his hand out to Eros, who gratefully took it. "Did I scare you?" he asked as he gently pulled her up.
"Yeah," she said shyly, slightly blushing. "It's okay, though."
"Good. Let's keep going. We're almost there."
(x)
When Skye walked to the back of the guild house, she saw two fighters that looked as though they had just finished one hell of a match. Akira was on one knee and was panting heavily. Pearce wasn't any better. He was on his knees, and using his bow to keep himself up.
Alarmed, Skye rushed to the aid of her friends, helping Akira up first, then Pearce. "Jesus, what the hell happened?!" Skye asked concerned as she gave both fighters healing potions.
"Let's just say," Akira said after she took a drink from her potion, "that I have confidence in Pearce regarding the next boss fight."
Pearce smiled, then took a swig from his own potion. Instantly, he felt his energy return, and was able to stand on his own two feet and put his bow away. After doing so, he crossed his right arm over his chest and bowed slightly; a sign of respect. "Thank you, Lady Akira. That match against you was… something else, that's for sure."
Akira kindly smiled back, and walked past Pearce. She stopped just before the back entrance to the guild house. She looked over her shoulder, and called back to Pearce, "I'll let Solar know that you're ready. Knowing him, we'll leave tomorrow. You better rest up. The guild and the front lines are counting on you."
(x)
Day 6
11:50 PM
Floor 51: Boss Dungeon
"So," Eros started awkwardly. She and Shadow were resting outside on the tree. Shadow looked towards her, focusing on her instead of the whetstone in his hand. "What exactly do you do when you're busy...not being yourself?"
"Perform maintenance on my weapons," was Shadow's curt response.
"Oh." More awkward silence ensued.
Having enough of Eros's staring, Shadow put away his sword and let the whetstone fall as he glared at Eros. "What?"
"What?"
"You've been staring at me for the last five minutes. You obviously have some questions. What are they?"
"U-um...well…" Eros shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Shadow's gaze. Eventually mustering up the courage, she looked at him and asked, "What's it like, living in your shoes?"
"..."
"I'm sorry, it's a stupid question. I didn't mean to offend―"
"You didn't," Shadow finally said, cutting off Eros. "I was trying to find the right words. You want to know what it's like, being me?" When Eros nodded, Shadow said, "It's hell."
"Why would you say that?"
"My whole character, everything that I stand for―it was all created by grief."
"Over what?"
"I was responsible for the death of someone very dear to me; in fact, I drove the blade through her."
Eros gasped, horrified. "How do you live with that?"
"Simple, really; I don't sleep normally. Because if I do, I would be constantly haunted by flashbacks of all that I've done.
"And yet, I blamed the murder guilds for her death, as the most prominent―Laughing Coffin―sent the assassin. I decided to take them down. And if the only way to kill a monster is to become one, then―"he took out his sword, a one-handed longsword with a jet black blade and a Rakshasa's Claw motif, and a silver skull pommel―"so be it," he finished.
"Jesus."
"Don't need Him."
"And how old are you?"
Shadow was silent for a second. Finally, he answered. "Sixteen."
"Wha―?!"
"I'm like this because a player the same age as me was a far worse monster. He killed hundreds more than I did."
"But―how would you deal with the murders?"
"To me, as long as I don't kill the green and yellow players, I'm okay. But if it's an orange player, more often than not, I put them in jail."
"So the red-icon players…"
"Are a definite kill."
Eros nervously looked around her. "It's sunrise."
"Then let's go," Shadow said, picking Eros up and jumping down from the tree. He put her down, and the two started walking towards the boss room.
(x)
"Alright everyone," Solar said, drawing the attention of everyone in the boss dungeon. "This is it. We only know what lies ahead, and we only have a theory on how to fight it. Regardless, I have faith in everyone here, and of you're here too, then that means that you know that we can and will win this!" He finished that last part by raising his fist in the air (like the first part of a fist pump) and everyone cheered. "Let's go!" He opened the door and everyone followed him in.
The Dragon Fighter was sitting in a meditative pose in a circle in the center of the room; when he heard the door open, he stood up, his back still towards the fighters. He turned around, and everyone got a full look at him for once. He was tan, as opposed to Count Nightshade's alabaster skin, his Naginata was on his back, and he was wearing traditional martial artist attire. Strangely, unlike the other bosses, The Fighter was about the same height as the other players, about 6 feet tall. When he turned around to face the players, his health bars formed, and he motioned for the players to attack him.
As instructed by Ren, the archers, including Pearce, remained behind, and began firing arrows at the Fighter as he was ambushed the tanks and faster players. He ducked a swing from Akira's axe, weaved around Solar's thrust, but was not able to avoid a combined X-Slash from Skye and Ren. He staggered back, and that was taken advantage of; the tanks rushed him, but they were outsped by the swordfighters and mace users. Everyone managed to get at least one hit on The Fighter, and his health eventually reached its halfway point.
When it did, he pushed his arms out on their respective sides, right hand to the right, left hand to the left, and he pushed everyone back with a sort of force field. After he knocked everyone back, which surprisingly did not damage anyone, he jumped to the circle in the middle and repeated the motion; another force field formed, flashed, then turned invisible. He turned to the crowd, and held up one finger. Instinctively, Solar tensed, but then he saw that The Fighter was doing nothing. Solar realized what he wanted. He turned to the archers. "Pearce!" Solar called.
The loyal archer jumped over the others, and landed in front of Solar. "You're up," Solar told him. Pearce nodded, then walked to The Fighter.
As soon as Pearce stepped in the circle, the force field reformed, and The Fighter did something bizarre; he cut himself with a knife he drew from his leg, and his health reached the pinnacle of its last bar. After it did so, he dropped the knife, and he got into a battle stance. Pearce, too focused to realize that The Fighter made this a fair fight, got into a battle stance.
The Dragon Fighter and The Advent Archer circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, The Fighter rushed towards Pearce and attempted to deliver a Superman Punch, which Pearce parried, and responded with a kick to The Fighter's side, who shook off the impact. Everyone else watching saw The Fighter's HP go down a bit, and kept watching, praying for the Archer to win; then again, if Solar hand picked this guy, it must have been for a good reason.
Wasting no time, Pearce rushed forward and delivered his own Superman Punch. This is too easy, he thought. "What's your game?" Pearce asked out loud. "Why aren't you fighting?"
The Fighter only smirked, and switched his stance. This time, it was an offensive stance, and he gave Pearce no time to block by delivering a swift kick to his stomach. Rolling back with the impact, Pearce braced himself for the next attack. This proved to be the right call, as The Fighter had jumped up and plummeted down with his fist outstretched, and Pearce narrowly avoided the hit by rolling to the side. While The Fighter was getting his fist out of the now cracked floor, Pearce delivered a running drop kick, which knocked his opponent away. Pearce and The Fighter kipped up, and glanced at their individual health bars; Pearce's HP was down to yellow, and The Fighter's was nearly at red. After Pearce glanced at his opponent again, he saw that he disappeared, and felt a sharp pain in his spine. His health went all the way down to the red; 1 HP, to be more specific. He fell to his hands and knees. He looked up in time to see The Fighter walk into Pearce's field of vision, and and raised a fist, ready to plunge it through Pearce's body. Pearce glanced towards the other fighters. Apparently the force field was as soundproof as it was invisible, as most of the players were calling out to Pearce, except Solar, Skye, and Akira. The Archer glanced at Akira, who nodded in confirmation. Pearce nodded back, and, mustering all of his remaining strength, he grabbed The Fighter's fist and pushed it back, surprising the boss. He got up, and rushed his opponent. He landed an unrelenting flurry of attacks.
While Pearce couldn't hear his comrades, they could hear him. They watched in shock and awe as he yelled, "OVERWHELMING", he landed several hits, slowly decreasing The Fighter's HP, "OBLIVION," he continued, his opponent's HP now at Red, the same point where Pearce's was, "ONSLAUGHT!" He ended with a powered-up punch that went through The Fighter. The Fighter was in shock as his body fell back and shattered. The force field cleared, and someone from the crowd threw Pearce a potion, which he drank thirstily. After he finished, he wiped his mouth, and just waited as everyone congratulated him and clapped him on the back. He looked to Solar, who smiled and nodded. Lighting up, Pearce went to the door, and pushed it open.
"CONGRATULATIONS. FLOOR 56: JOTUNHEIM: UNLOCKED."
Everyone cheered as they read the message, and ran through. Pearce was approached by Solar, who clapped him on the back, and said, "I knew you could do it." Pearce looked happy, and walked side-by-side with Solar, Akira who had linked her arm with Solar's arm, and Skye into the next floor.
(x)
Day 7
Floor 52: Heroes' Hill
"We made it," Eros said, sighing in relief. She and Shadow both took a moment to rest. During this time, she looked towards Shadow and smiled. "You can go, now. I'll take it from here."
"And my payment?"
Eros facepalmed. She nearly forgot about Shadow's payment. Without wasting another second, she opened her inventory and caused a big bag of col to appear beside her. She pushed it over to Shadow, who took it without a word. "And since you managed to get me here on time," Eros said, "here's your bonus."
Before she could say or do anything else, however, Shadow said, to no one in particular, "Come out." When he didn't get a response, he said, "I know you're there. There's no point in hiding." Still no response. Eros was beginning to wonder if he somehow lost it when the two heard a chuckle.
"My, my," the voice said, clearly female. "You finally noticed us. Or perhaps, you knew we were following you and didn't say anything." The voice held a sensual tone, Eros noted. The speaker finally stepped out from the tree in front of them.
"Looks like the cat's out of the bag," the newcomer spoke. Eros finally mustered the strength to speak.
"Who are you?" she questioned in a strong tone.
"Her name's Rosalia," Shadow answered instead of the new player, now revealed to be Rosalia. "She leads an orange guild."
"Someone's been doing his research," Rosalia said, smiling. "If you know who I am, Shadow, then you know why I'm here."
"To kill us and steal all of our stuff."
"Right again!" Rosalia applauded.
Eros suddenly came to a realization. "Shadow, those players from the other day―"
"Are part of her guild," Shadow affirmed.
Rosalia continued to smile. "And they would just love to see you again! Isn't that right, boys?"
After she said that, dozens of players stepped out from the trees beside her. In no time, Shadow and Eros were surrounded by orange icon players. Shadow cautiously took out his crystal; he felt immense relief when the core of the star was glowing again.
"Long time no see, buddy!" one player laughed. The others joined in, but Shadow paid them no attention, instead focusing on talking to Eros.
"Wait here," he told her quietly. She knew that she could trust Shadow, so she stayed put.
"All right, boys," Rosalia announced. "Kill them and steal all their stuff!"
"Got it!" all of the players said in unison. Just as they readied their weapons, however, they were surprised to see Shadow stand up. In his hand was some sort of a weird teleport crystal. Just the mere sight of it shook everyone's morale as it seemed to suck out all of the light in the area.
Shadow "cracked" a smile under his mask, and everyone could hear the muscles cracking. "You know," he began. "You caught me in a good mood. And I mean a really good mood. So, I'll let you all off with a warning. And I'll let you decide what it is."
All Eros heard after that, from Shadow, was: "Systematic Eclipse."
Suddenly, he teleported, scaring all of the enemies, who looked around them, trying to find him.
"Boo," was all one player heard before he was cut down. Everyone watched in horror as he shattered into fragments, with no trace of his killer. Afterwards, everyone else fell in the same way, Shadow teleporting behind one player and slashing, stabbing, or slicing through them. The result was always the same: no one survived.
Eros and Rosalia watched in horror as Shadow reappeared where he was originally. He dashed towards Rosalia, pinning her to a tree with his sword pressed against her neck. "Don't fuck with me," he said in a low voice. He stepped back and slammed the hilt into her face, knocking her out. He turned towards Eros. "I'll take that bonus now." When she gave him the gloves, he put them away, choosing to review their quality later. "Where to now?"
She nervously said, "I'll get there from here."
Shadow shrugged. "You're on your own, then." He started to walk away…
"You can come to the Hall of Sirens for the show tonight."
Shadow looked back to her. He said, "I'll think about it," and walked away.
(x)
A sigh escaped her lips as she got ready for her performance. Eros looked into the full-length mirror. She had changed into her performer's outfit: an elegant, form-fitting white dress with a split down the legs, pink highlights going down the long sleeves of the gown, black stockings on both legs, going down into white flats, and a shade of blue makeup, sans her lips, which were black.
She smiled and stepped out of the dressing room. She walked through the curtains to the sound of up roaring applause. She made her way to the center of the stage and took a deep breath. Her eyes scanned the audience and her heart leaped when she saw a pair of very familiar red eyes from the very back. She fought the urge to smile as she began. Now that he was here, she knew exactly what to sing. The music began.
"You are the ocean's gray waves
Destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach.
Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time
The path is yours to climb.
"In the white light, a hand reaches through
A double-edged blade cuts your heart in two
Waking dreams fade away
Embrace the brand new day.
"Sing with me a song of birthrights and love
The light scatters to the sky above.
Dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone
Lost in thoughts all alone."
There was a brief pause for the musical transition, and the audience took that time to applause. She was moving throughout her performance, as she always does, spinning and weaving with her moves.
"You are the ocean's gray waves
Destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach.
Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time
The path is yours to climb.
"Embrace the dark you call a home
Gaze upon an empty white throne
A legacy of lies
A familiar disguise.
Sing with me a song of conquest and fate
The black pillar cracks beneath the weight.
Night breaks through the day, hard as a stone
Lost in thoughts all alone.
"The path you walk on belongs to destiny
Just let it flow
All of your joy and your pain fall like the tide
Just let it flow.
"Life is not just filled with happiness
Nor sorrow
Even the thorn in your heart
In time it may become
A rose.
"A burdened heart
Sinks into the ground
A veil falls without a sound
Not day nor night, wrong nor right
For truth and peace you fight.
"Sing with me a song of silence and blood
The rain falls but can't wash away the mud
Within my ancient heart dwells madness and pride
Can no one hear my cry?
"You are the ocean's gray waves
Destined to seek life beyond the shore
Just out of reach
Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time
The path is yours to climb.
"You are the ocean's gray waves."
The applause exploded in an uproar as she bowed. She stood up straight and left the stage to a standing ovation.
(X)
"You actually came," Eros said when she walked outside. She shivered and rubbed her arms, trying to generate heat, when she felt something being put on her. She looked to see that Shadow had put a cloak over her. She adjusted it, smiling in gratitude.
"Of course," Shadow said, an unusual tone in his voice. His mask was off too, Eros noted. He looked towards her and smiled; it was an actual smile. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Eros returned the smile and came to a realization. "You were there."
"At all of your performances," Shadow finished. She looked down and saw the gloves she had given him on his hands: black fingerless gloves which were named "Harbinger."
"You're wearing the gloves."
"They're one of the best items you could get; they increase your chance of finding ultra rare drops, and they triple your profits. Thanks for them."
Eros looked away, blushing. She looked back and saw Shadow had disappeared.
Without a trace.
(x)
Song: "Lost In Thoughts All Alone" by Rena Strober (English Cover)
So the next chapter will be released by , at the earliest, Christmas, or at the latest, New Year's. Just to let you know.
And as always, Read and Review!