Note: Special thanks to Falchion1984 for even more tips (I will be referring to Charlotte's weapon as a flail instead of a mace from now on).

I wish they did, both in the original game and in the remake, to have the rival factions meet each other and exchange words, and not just in where your party of three enter the Mana Sanctuary. As you'll see here, the Darkshine Knight was in the Laurent area, so how hard would it have been to send him or Koren in to meet Belladonna and have at least a small conversation?

That said, I'm going to be putting in more meetings like this to make the conflict they have with each other more prevalent, as it seems like something put to the side in the original game.

References to Sword of Mana, as both that game and Trials have a character named Isabella in them, I thought that some sort of Easter Egg maybe or maybe not connecting the two would work.

Belladonna


She had found him by accident, yet that day would forever be in her mind.

She had just been exploring like she always had, sneaking away to the world above and seeking new sights and sounds. Her mother discouraged such activities, citing that those of Mavolia had no place amongst those of Earth. Yet, her grandmother's tales of the upper world enticed her mind and wouldn't leave until she went and investigated herself. Her grandmother's stories consisted of many fantastical events, one of which involved her going to explore the human world herself. Something was detailing the whereabouts of a friend that had gone to seek out a human named Granz, a "Gemma Knight" (whatever that was) that had supposedly assisted in bringing down some empire. Though such peace wasn't to last, as a "Dark Lord," as her grandmother called him, had come and begun persecuting his enemies, mainly those connected to the religion of the Mana Goddess. She told her granddaughter of a world on the brink of war, a revived empire searching desperately for a single girl, a young former gladiator with a sacred sword, a grand house owned by a vampire, and the man that she had fallen in love with.

"He may have been called a Dark Lord, but he was the first one to whom I had bestowed my heart."

True, he had fallen to the youth with the sword, yet her grandmother still held him in her heart. As for the girl, from what the younger Mavole was told, she had gone and become the great Mana Tree itself.

"Humans turning into trees? Ha! How absurd!"

Her grandmother gave her a wry smile. "Absurd, you say? Well, go up and see for yourself. You'll find many more absurd things perplexing and bewildering you."

And indeed, they had.

When the young Mavole first entered the human world, her eyes had truly been opened to what had lain beyond the barrier between her kind and theirs. The skies above were blue and covered in light; puffy collections of mist, plants, and flora of all kinds covered the landscape, or not at all, the environment was so varied, and the fauna ranged from small and harmless to beasts that would rival those back home. In short, she didn't want to leave when she set foot there. Thus, she kept returning, visiting new places and parts of the world. As civilizations grew more advanced, years went on and by, technology evolved, and she became enamored with all of it. Even when some war between a country (Pedda, was it?) and the rest of the world began, she continued her exploring with no regard for any of it.

It was during that time that she first came upon "him."

In a distant land, she came across a shimmering, beautiful palace nestled in a lush forest and through a deep tunnel that seemed to burrow itself to Mavolia. It rested on an island just north of the Kingdom of Laurent (ironic, she thought), and when she saw it, she knew that she had to see it closer.

Yet she never suspected that she would've found 'him' buried beneath all the splendor and ivory beauty. Instead, he was trapped in the darkness, alone and starved. Disheveled and nearly dead, she found herself drawn to him. Curiosity had seized her, and from there, her whole world changed.


She was brought from her musings by the sound of doors opening, Bill rushing in with Ben in his arms, applying pressure to a stab wound in the latter's abdomen. "What the-" Belladonna rose from the throne. "What's the meaning of this? What's going on?!" Bill didn't look up at first, still tending to his brother. "Your Mistress is addressing you!" she yelled, going over to the ninja and roughly taking him by the chin. "Now tell me, what is going on?!" Bill didn't answer her. "Answer me, damn you!" she then realized what was happening. Damn. she cursed. His will is more potent than I thought.

"You...you're too late." Bill stammered. "They...they're coming."

Belladonna's eyes widened; she then directed her attention to the door the ninjas had just entered. "Oh...I see." she eased out all tension, her mood lifted upon realizing what the ninja's words meant. "Excellent." She then went back to sit on the throne, eyeing the door. "Three...two...one…"

BAM!

The doors were thrust open, a familiar, violet-haired young man entering the chamber, his amber eyes seeing the red-haired woman situated on the ornate sitting place but a short distance away. Hawkeye lifted his head, looking the woman dead in the eyes. "You…"

Belladonna folded her hands and rested them under her chin. "It's been a long time, little bird." she greeted. "And my word, you've got yourself a new set of clothes! Though that's not all you've gotten…."

"I've gotten much more than you think now." Hawkeye snarled. "Enough to…" he then paused, his fury slowly dying down for realization to creep in. "To…"

"To what? Strike me down?" Belladonna smirked. "Darling, you and I both know that can't happen. Not unless Jessica's life has no meaning for you anymore." She heard more footsteps from outside the room. "Ah, looks like we have more company."

Through the door came Riesz, Kevin, Angela, and Duran. Charlotte had elected to stay behind and tend to Eliza still, and before they ran off, they heard approaching footsteps and women's voices, clearly that of the amazon guard.

Riesz narrowed her blue eyes at the woman on the throne, her father's secondary throne. That was more than enough reason to strike her down. "Isabella, yes? Or is it Belladonna?" the rune maiden questioned.

"Ah, yes. That's my 'human' name. Taken from my grandmother's alias from her time on Earth." the Mavolian woman said. "It has a nice ring, don't you think?"

Riesz brought up her spear. "Get out of my kingdom."

"Ah, yes. I forgot; where are my manners?" Belladonna then rose to her feet and bowed. "Here's to Laurent's fledgling, little Queen." she mockingly congratulated, taking in her appearance. "You've changed as well." the demoness then looked upon the rest of the group. "And have gained some friends along the way." she centered her eyes on Duran. "Well, aren't you a strapping young man? Surely he reminds you of someone, right Hawkeye?"

Hawkeye presented her with a death glare, yet still, to everyone's confusion, didn't draw out his weapons. "So, you're this big bad Isabella, Belladonna, or whoever we've heard about." Duran scoffed. "You don't look like anything special. Especially if you have to have your goons do everything for you." he would never say it aloud, and it didn't diminish his hatred of the man, yet at least the Crimson Wizard entered the battlefield and combated adversity himself.

"From what I've heard, you claim to be a powerful witch," Riesz said. "Yet here you are holed up like a coward, having us come and find you instead of facing us yourself."

This seemed to not phase Belladonna in the slightest. Her grin only spread wider. "A lady must always look her best, regardless of the occasion," she answered. "But I suppose that we best stop dancing around why you're here." she then began to approach the group, everyone bewildered by her spirited nature. She was the one currently unarmed, and it was clear that Bill and Ben had no further interest in fighting; just what edge did she think she had? Then, her eyes focused on Hawkeye. "I must congratulate you for bringing them to me, dear." she smiled. "Job well done."

The ranger's heart sank as everyone's eyes centered on him, especially Riesz's. "What is she talking about?" the rune maiden demanded.

"Yes, what AM I talking about?" Belladonna stroked Hawkeye's cheek. "Would you care to enlighten them, precious?"

"Don't touch me, witch!" Hawkeye slapped her hand away.

"My goodness, I'm hurt!" the red-haired woman gasped. "And here I thought we were such good friends…" she then got an insidious glimmer in her eyes. "Especially seeing as you've led the threat to his Majesty's plans right to me for the slaughter."

"What?!" Duran shouted aloud, Angela gasping while Kevin was perplexed about what was happening.

Riesz's reaction, however, was what got Hawkeye the most. First, her eyes were wide with horror, and her mouth agape in shock. Then, those blue irises pierced his amber ones; he saw fury consume them the longer they stared at him. "No!" Hawkeye immediately protested. "It's not true! She's lying!" he then pointed at her. "She's a murder-" he paused, Belladonna, smiling that damn smile.

If you tell anyone what happened…

"Yes, dear?" the red-haired woman asked. "I believe you were about to say something. Something about a murder?" she drew closer. "Or was it a murderer?"

"You know damn well what happened that night!" Hawkeye barked back at her.

"Yes, I do. We both do." she then looked to the other four. "Yet recounting such events...it's so painful, even now. So it must be for you too. After all," she then whispered in his ear. "You and Eagle were SUCH good friends…."

Hawkeye pushed her away and drew out his daggers, Belladonna unaffected by his sudden aggression. If anything, she seemed to welcome it. Suddenly, they both saw Riesz approach. "Hawkeye, I want answers," she said firmly. "You've avoided my questions for far too long. Just what happened the night Eagle died?"

"Yes, what DID happen?" Belladonna smirked, Hawkeye looking back at her.

"You know damn well what happened." the ranger snarled.

"Yes, but so do you," she replied. "And it seems that she and everyone else want to hear it from your lips." she gestured to everyone; they were all waiting to hear the violet-haired young man's answer. "So tell them, what DID happen that night? Did you kill Eagle?"

"No," Hawkeye growled. "You KNOW I didn't."

"Really? Then who did?" Belladonna questioned. "Better yet, how did he die? Was it not you who plunged the knife into his throat?"

Hawkeye froze. "NO! YOU DID-"

"Did what?"

Seeing the ordinarily smooth young man losing his composure was unusual, yet Belladonna continued.

"Who caused him to bleed out and struggle as he tried to take his last breaths?" the red-haired woman continued her questioning. "Who was the one imprisoned for their crime…" she leaned forward. "And who couldn't tell dear Jessica the truth?"

"Hawkeye…" Riesz's mouth grew tight. "What happened?" her blue eyes never left his. "The absolute truth."

Hawkeye's lips parted as if meaning to say something, yet nothing came out. He looked to Belladonna, wanting nothing more than to deliver a dagger to her gut, yet the rune maiden's ever-present, piercing gaze. He couldn't answer, for whatever he would say, he would lose. Thus, all he could do was lower his head and remain silent, everyone finding themselves at a loss for words.

"My, my, how intense." before anyone could question Hawkeye, another voice was heard. Standing by the still-closed doors stood Koren. He shot Duran a slight glance. "So soon we cross paths again, boy."

Duran tightened the grip on his sword. "Ready to get your ass kicked again? It looks like your little 'friend' isn't here to bust you out this time."

The gladiator felt satisfaction as he saw the wizard's brow furrowed at that. "I don't need him for this. Besides, you and my dear Princess should consider yourselves blessed." he then directed his sights at Belladonna. "Because my business isn't with you at the moment."

Belladonna studied the stranger, quirking one red brow. "Who are you?" she questioned, resting her hands on her hips.

Koren smirked. "No need to be alarmed, good woman," he told her. "I've noticed some strange activity going on around here as of late, and seeing as...you are in charge, yes?" Belladonna didn't respond. "I only have some questions for you, dear lady."

The red-haired woman folded her arms. "Well, here's your first answer," she responded. "You're NOT affiliated with my associates or me, so what's going on here is none of your concern."

"Oh, but it is, dear lady," Koren replied. "Especially if it conflicts with my agenda."

The Mavole gave a slight hum, grinning. "So...it seems that we are rivals," she answered. "Yet I know you're not here on your own. Whose behalf are you here for?"

"I am here for myself. This is just a simple investigation of what is happening around here." Koren answered.

"Want to try again, dear?" Belladonna asked. "You're nothing new to me. I've seen more than my fair share of men like you. Men like you…" she looked at him with knowing eyes. "They always wish to present themselves as more than they are." he tried to hide it, yet she saw his grin falter. She approached him, circling him. "They dress the part, their status' are flaunted and spoken of whenever they make their presence known, and above all else," she drew close to him. "They do it to conceal just how insignificant and minuscule they are, for they know that they contribute nothing but frivolous words and a few admiring eyes. And more than half of those are merely their delusions to make themselves believe their lie that they are somehow of value."

Koren could take it no more. She practically shoved his palm into her stomach, and with one, a well-timed blast of fire, blew her back, knocking the throne over as she fell backward and down the small set of stairs that led up to it. Surprisingly, this seemed not even to phase Belladonna; she released a series of giggles as she looked up at her attacker.

"Who taught you that?" she sneered. "That's novice stuff. Did you just get out of wizard school?" Koren sent forth a blast of ice, the chilled sphere striking her in the chest when she tried to rise. Just moments after she fell to the ground again, the Crimson Wizard went and seized her by the throat and threw her up against the wall. This time, however, she released a pained cry as she fell back to the floor, her eyes then looking to Hawkeye pleadingly. Then, she looked back to Koren, a smirk coming to her features.

"One more word out of you," Koren snarled, conjuring a swirling mass of dark, flickering energy. "And this will rip your limbs right off your body."

Belladonna's eyes shifted from her aggressor to the ranger keeping his eyes on her. It didn't take long for her to make up her mind. "I dare you."

With fury in his eyes, Koren threw the dark energy forward, zooming right for the woman. "NO!" a voice suddenly shouted, and to everyone's shock, Hawkeye sprung forward and tackled Belladonna, both of them getting out of the way just in time before the dark energy struck either of them. The spot that had been hit was vaporized, leaving a gaping indention in the floor and wall where it had hit.

Belladonna wrapped her arms around the ranger. "Why, thank you, darling." she cooed, then gave the younger man a small peck.

"The hell are you doing?!" Duran shouted, going over to Hawkeye and the woman he had just protected. Initially, his instinct was to go over and help his ally, yet simultaneously, he was bewildered at what he had just witnessed.

He had no time to question it further as Belladonna opened her mouth again. "Ah, Dark Force," she noted. "A somewhat higher level spell...though I doubt you learned it without some form of help. Not to mention you cast it as a novice."

A blast of ice was produced next and blasted in her direction, yet the ranger drew out his daggers and slashed at the incoming ball, said ball shattering into several tiny crystals. True, his blades were now encased in ice (unlike Duran's ability to cover his sword in energy), yet they were still usable. "What are you doing?" the Crimson Wizard questioned, puzzled at the ranger's actions.

"Not to downplay your skills," Belladonna piped up again. "Yet if a non-magic user can deflect your attacks, then I suggest that you spend a...oh, I don't know, a century more or two practicing. Oh, excuse me. I forgot you ARE merely human."

Koren then produced a glowing orb of light, shooting it forward right at her and Hawkeye. The sphere exploded, the ranger shielding Belladonna from the blast, his flesh turning red and blistering due to the intense heat. When it died, his arms were covered in burns, and parts of his attire were burnt away.

"Get out of the way!" Duran shouted. "You're gonna kill yourself!"

"I can't!" Hawkeye shouted back. "I can't let anything happen to her!"

Koren observed the two young men arguing, deciding to interject into the fray. "You make it seem that you hate this woman," he gestured to Belladonna while preparing another spell. "And yet you protect her as if you were her servant."

Duran and the rest of his companions' eyes turned to Hawkeye, of whose own eyes denied such an accusation, yet still, he had no words to defend himself. "You slaying me would mean nothing." Belladonna suddenly spoke again. "Yet let's try and experiment." she then looked at Duran. "My Dark Majesty plans to acquire all eight Mana Stones and seeks to release the bowels of Hell onto the world. And I am one of his devoted followers," she said, reveling in the shock that came to everyone's faces. "Now, I assume you are young people of noble character; surely you would want to stop him and, in turn, me." She then centered her eyes on Duran's sword. "So, what are you waiting for? Strike me down."

Duran was taken aback by the woman's brazenness, outright confessing her intentions to them and daring him to come at her. Nevertheless, he had seen firsthand what the Crimson Wizard was willing to do to achieve his goal of getting access to the Stones, so this woman should be treated no differently. His sword was then consumed in flames, and he rushed forward. Koren's anger against the woman hadn't died, yet he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in where this was going. The gladiator leaped forward, ready to strike the woman, yet a pair of ice-covered daggers blocked his weapon that had come just mere inches away from the woman's skull.

"No! Don't!" Hawkeye shouted, fighting against Duran as he continued to press his weapon down.

"Get out of the way! Didn't you hear her!?" the gladiator protested, still testing his strength against the ranger.

"I heard loud and clear!" Hawkeye responded. "But you can't harm her!"

"Why?!" Duran questioned, yet the other young man didn't answer. "Why are you so insistent on protecting her?!" his eyes narrowed. "Is it true? Are you working with her?!"

"No!" Hawkeye answered. "I hate her!"

"Then get out of my way!"

"No!"

Both of their frustration was reaching their peak; they struck back and forth, weapons clashing against each other, while Koren and the others watched, Belladonna's smirk widening. This was going better than she had hoped. Two men fighting over her, what more could a girl want?

Duran and Hawkeye went back and forth, sword clashing against daggers, being enveloped in fire and ice, yet being struck back all the same, no matter how it seemed to burn or chill the ranger's hands. It was only when the gladiator's sword surged with electricity that Hawkeye was knocked back against the one he was shielding.

"Oh, you poor dear!" Belladonna cooed. "Shall I kiss it to make it better?"

Hawkeye didn't get to answer as he was pushed to the side, Duran raising his sword to strike the woman down.

Only he never got the chance.

From on high, having jumped from a rather impressive height, Riesz situated herself between Duran, Hawkeye, and Belladonna, to his surprise. She thrust her spear in his direction, not to strike him, yet to keep him back. Hawkeye looked upon the rune maiden in shock. She had up and protected him.

"My, my," Belladonna observed. "You defend me, as well as a killer of his own best friend?"

Riesz was silent for a good while, yet then, she spoke. "No."

"No?" the red-haired Mavole was confused.

"No." Riesz repeated. "I do not believe it." the rune maiden continued. "I do not know the details of what occurred that night...yet...I do not believe that Hawkeye is a murderer." Belladonna was shocked at the young woman's words. "No," she then turned to face the Mavole. "The only murderer here is you. You, who killed my father and many of my sisters. Who is to say YOU aren't the one who had truly slain Eagle?"

Belladonna's eyes widened; Duran, looking at Riesz and Hawkeye, pondering what he had just heard. "And...you're sure of that?" Belladonna asked. "After all, who's to say that he won't stab you in the back right this second?"

Riesz looked at Hawkeye. "Then I shall test him," she said, motioning to his daggers. "Drop them." he was hesitant, glancing back and forth from her to Belladonna. "I shall shield both of you." She then turned around, waiting for the ranger to make his move and holding her breath. She hoped and prayed that she had made the right decision.

The sound of two objects clattering on the ground was heard, Riesz turning to see Hawkeye's daggers cast down to the floor.

"That was the stupidest thing you could've done," Belladonna muttered to herself, Riesz noticing in her eye that the woman's long nails seemed to be growing curved and thick. Like claws.

"Watch out!" Duran shouted, leaping in front of Hawkeye while Riesz drew him back.

SLASH!

The claws tore through the flesh of Duran's cheek, sending him back and into Hawkeye and Riesz, all three of them then on the floor. "Careful!" Hawkeye alerted the two of them. "She isn't human!"

"Well, I don't care what she is!" Koren shouted, kicking the three out of his way. "She shall be going back to where she came from soon!" he then produced an orb of light in his palm, ensuring it was in the line of sight of the woman.

"Oooh, pretty." Belladonna chuckled. "Another parlor trick, or is this one special?"

Koren's lips tightened in anger. "This," he said. "Is a magic that is all my own," he explained. "One that I have been developing for years." the light grew more and more intense, blinding everyone. "One that shall take you and everyone else here out!"

Though he never got the chance, a spear whooshing past him struck his hand. Turning, he saw a blue-haired amazon and a more petite, blonde girl, and not long after their appearance, the room soon began to flood with armored women bearing spears of their own, all directed at him and Belladonna.

"You have long overstayed your welcome." Riesz snarled. "Get out of my kingdom."

Koren and Belladonna looked at the crowd of female warriors, then at each other. Indeed, it was quite a shame that they couldn't settle this, yet they were long overdue for other matters, Koren having come here while on the clock anyway. He quickly made himself scarce in a wisp of red, disappearing.

"I suppose I shall be going as well," Belladonna stated. "I do not need this place anymore as it is. For my kingdom lies in the desert." she then glanced at Hawkeye, everyone witnessing as her face began to change into something more feral, almost feline. "I'll see you later." She then sprang forward, cat-like claws on her hands. She dashed and climbed up the walls surprisingly fast before breaking a window to escape. "Bill! Ben! Come!"

The two ninjas gazed at their mistress, then at their fellow thief and friend. Back and forth they went between the two, Hawkeye looking pleadingly at them. "Guys...please…"

Try as he might, there was, unfortunately, nothing he could do. Bill retrieved a pellet from his belt and threw it down, the entire room was soon enveloped in smoke. And when said smoke finally began to clear, the twin ninjas were gone from sight, the intruders out of sight.

"Hurry!" Gertrude shouted. "Find them!" she commanded, having been given the helm since Riesz left the amazons to assist the others. Immediately, the amazons spread out, leaving the room and going off to search for the enemy forces that had just made their escape. The six youths steadily began to change out of their enhanced states, being garbed in their regular attire and feeling quite winded from their energy.

Once the amazons had all left, Angela went over to Duran. "You ok?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. This...this is nothing." the newly regressed soldier said, though the magician winced upon looking at it further.

"Hewe." Charlotte then said, cupping the young man's slashed cheek, a soft, white light emitting from her palm. Slowly yet, the flesh wound sealed up, new skin covering the old. Yet, given how much she had been healing Eliza and everyone else, she couldn't keep this up for long, getting a little dizzy. She felt support from behind, Kevin coming and keeping her from falling over.

Riesz then turned to Hawkeye. "Now," she began. "While I stand by what I said, I have to ask you. What DID happen the night of your friend's murder?" Hawkeye opened his mouth to speak but closed it again not long after. "Please. None of us can help you unless you say what happened."

"He can't." a voice suddenly spoke up; everyone looked to see Alma and the shorter, cat-like creature that had been captured with the other Nevarlan agents. "But I can."

Note: Going to cut it off there. Next chapter, I'm going to be implementing some suggestions from Falchion1984 (thanks again for alerting me of my stupidity with words and terms).

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and I look forward to hearing your input!