It's been so gloomy lately.

That seems to be the reoccurring thought that has been crossing Mana's mind quite often. Her aquamarine eyes scroll up to the dark cloudy skies as the chilly breeze sends goosebumps throughout her body. Her attire consisting of a black skirt that reveals most of her toned melanin legs and a matching sleeveless blouse that leaves her shoulders exposed certainly don't help when it comes to the weather. She has long ditched the clothing she has become accustomed to wearing while in the palace.

It has been several years anyway. And she has grown since.

She stares ahead as another figure passes her up, initially not reacting to their presence. "Will you be accompanying me today?" the male figure asks. He wears a longer black skirt that goes past his knees and a red cardigan with a hood attached, masking his face. His scarred chest is very much visible, as well as his chiseled frame.

Mana finally looks in his direction. "You have your methods and I have mine," she replies.

He lets out a half chuckle. "You know, Mana. If you didn't hold back so much you'd be a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps you would even be able to summon your own ka."

"What is even your end goal here, Bakura? What's the point of training so hard if you only use it to steal?"

"Come now. We shouldn't waste anymore time," Bakura replies, totally disregarding her question. He proceeds forward as she looks out further into the horizon, seeing the blurred silhouette of the palace.

Her routine has been much different ever since leaving the palace. Instead of waking up from a warm and cozy environment, she has to fend for herself and find creative ways to survive.

After approaching a village near the palace, she crouches behind thick greenery as Bakura proceeds forward without fear. She can see him threatening certain villagers subtly in order to gain their possessions. At first this was shocking for her to see. She has never known her friend to be this way. She attributes it to his upbringing after tragedy befell his home, assuming he doesn't have a choice but to be this way.

Most villagers do not dare fight back in fear of losing their lives. But occasionally things do escalate and a victim ends up extremely hurt.

You promised no one would get hurt!

Her words echo through her head when incidents like that occur. He would only stress to her to toughen up or she would not survive.

Extending her hand toward a nearby tent full of fruit, she chants a spell that levitates a purple fruit in her direction while the owner has his back turned. After it lands in her hand, she turns her back, sitting crossed leg as she observes the fruit. Her mind flashes back to a time where she was young and before she became aware of her abilities. She still remembers the amount of effort she put in order to get a fruit hanging from a tree, only for a certain prince to grab it with ease.

Feeling her heart jump, she takes a deep breath in order to collect herself before raising the fruit up to her lips to take a bite.

"NO! Please stop!"

She quickly looks over her shoulder, peeking through the opening of the bushes to see the cause of the commotion. In Bakura's grasp is an elderly man as he holds him up by his wrist. In the man's hand he clenches gold jewelry that Bakura has obviously put his sights on.

"Oh no. Please don't Bakura," Mana whispers to herself. She gazes down to the sharp object laying next to the man's feet. It's clear the elderly man tried to put up a fight and has angered Bakura in the process.

Bakura throws the man to the ground before picking up the knife, observing his own blood on the sharp blade. Then he glares down at the cowering villager who still holds on to his jewelry. "Last chance. Either give it to me or I will slice off your hand and watch you bleed to death," Bakura mutters, only loud enough for him and the man to hear. The man only begins to cry in response as Bakura stares down at him with disgust.

"Suit yourself…" Bakura raises the blade and begins to slice down until his body stops on his own. Without looking, he growls internally, already knowing the cause of the pink aura now surrounding his body.

"Bakura…" Mana says, her voice sounding a bit agitated as they re-enter the cave they have been residing in. "Why do you feel the need to do that?"

"Why do you think so lowly of me?" he questions back, following her inside. "You truly think I would have caused that man harm? Although it would have been warranted," he says referencing the rip in his cardigan, revealing his injured arm.

Mana simply crosses her arms, not reacting as he wraps an arm around his shoulder. "I thought you knew me better than that," Bakura says.

"As if you haven't caused anyone harm in the past," Mana points out.

"I only steal to—"

"Survive? I've never had to steal any valuables to survive. Nor have I ever resorted to hurting anyone."

He cups her chin, bringing her face inches away from his. "How can you possibly continue to stay upset with me?"

"No Bakura," Mana says, yanking her face away and removing his arm from around her. "Being out here has made you so cruel."

"As if I don't have a reason to?" Bakura shoots back, his voice raising. "How can you stand here showing any amount of compassion after what life has thrown at the both of us?"

"So hurt the innocent people who have nothing to do with it?!" Mana shouts back. "If that's what you want to do, then I don't want any part of this life you live." She turns away to leave as he narrows his eyes.

'No Mana. There's much more to it than that.'

Stopping right at the exit, she breathes out a long exhale before turning to look over her shoulder. "I'm going to meditate."

Bakura stays silent with his head lowered and his hair hiding his face, hearing the footsteps as Mana walks away. This wouldn't be their first heated argument. Sometimes they would go days without speaking to each other. But for some reason, this argument feels different. He looks down to his hands. They are rough in texture and have many indentations and scars from over the years.

Has he really changed as much as Mana is alluding to? Why hasn't the world outside of the palace hardened her as well? Has she taken a different approach to healing? Or is she just good at hiding how she feels? How can she go about life without feeling rage or wanting revenge for her people? Lowering his hands, he sighs, regretting upsetting her.

"Mana…"

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Instant regret hits her the moment she arrives at the Nile and the cold air hits her body. Why did it have to be today of all days for them to have an argument to the point where she had to walk away for fresh air? Not wanting her trip to be in vain, she hugs her arms close to her body and plops down on the ground, sitting in front of the river.

It's the same as she remembers it years ago. This used to be a space where she would often go to clear her head and practice her magic. Her eyes gaze down to the dark water, slowing swaying and hitting the shore repeatedly. Bringing her knees close to her chest, she wraps her arms around them to provide herself more warmth.

'I just don't know where I belong anymore…' she thinks sadly to herself. Her argument with Bakura has left so many questions and concerns in her head. He has every right to be angry at the world, but she fears he might be going down a dark path. 'What should I do…?' She buries her head in her arms, her eyes beginning to tear up from being so overwhelmed.

"Mom…dad…I'm so lost…" she whimpers. "Please just give me a sign. Please…"

But the only sound she hears is that of the water slowly swaying against the earth and the chirping of crickets. Breathing out a heavy sigh, she throws herself back until she is laying flat on the ground with her arms and legs outstretched.

"Well alright then…" she mutters with a half lidded stare to the night sky. It doesn't appear she will be receiving any signs any time soon. As time passes, she can feel her eyes getting heavy. With the moon high up in the sky, it's no wonder why she's so sleepy. Standing up, she dusts off her clothes before preparing to leave.

She is only able to take a few steps until she feels something shoot right through her. Letting out an audible gasp, she stumbles forward, holding onto her chest. Her eyes slowly scroll down to assess the damage, but there is nothing there. Looking around cautiously, she searches for any other signs of life.

"Strange…what was that just now…?" she asks herself, beginning to breathe heavily.

That harsh jolt hits her again, shortly followed by a strike of lightning off into the distance. "Is that….energy I'm sensing?" Another strike of lightning seemingly hits in the same area that is further out from her, and she takes a quick inhale and exhale. "Guess this is my sign!" she exclaims before taking off in that direction.

'Where have I felt that before…?' she thinks to herself as she runs through the desert. Something about that energy seems very familiar, yet so foreign to her. She has never felt anything that powerful before. And yet, here she is blindly running toward the source, not knowing if she should feel threatened by this powerful force.

But as she gets closer, she begins to slow down her pace. Once again, she has entered into familiar territory. In fact, she remembers this area quite well. A mostly flat surface with different sized rock walls and a chasm in the middle. It's where she took her first test to become an apprentice. Of course that didn't end up as she'd hoped and a certain turn of events led her to where she is currently today.

Stopping completely, she bows her head, clenching her fists at her sides as the wind sways her clothing and hair. How could the people she grew up trusting so much, cause so much pain? Not wanting to go any further, she turns to walk in the opposite direction, until a bright light stops her in her tracks. Her eyes follow the source of the purple aura, tracing it back to a male figure that stands several feet away from her. As her eyes continue to go upward, his identity is finally revealed to her shock.

He is the source of the incredible power she felt earlier? She can feel her heart pounding out of her chest from the unexpected reunion of someone she not only looked up to, but considered a close friend. She has always known him to be powerful, but the aura around him exudes a different type of mastery of his abilities.

"M-Mahad…?" she stammers. "I-I…You're…"

"It's good to see you too, Mana…" he says to her as the aura around him begins to fade.

"What was…how did you…?" She can't seem to find the words, still surprised by his presence and strength. It has been her desire to become a powerful sorcerer. And it seems like Mahad has attained what she can only dream of. Her moment of shock has almost made her forget why she had stopped talking to him in the first place. Almost.

She quickly averts her gaze, turning her head away from him as she continues to ball up her fists.

"It's been a long time," Mahad says…I'm glad to see you're alright."

She stays silent as he continues.

He softly exhales. "We were all so worried about you."

Mana scoffs, completely turning with her back facing him as she prepares to walk away. "This can't be the sign I was looking for," she mutters.

"Then why did you come back?" he asks to her surprise. He heard her? "After all these years…why now?"

She stops, but keeps her back turned. "Tell me something…"

"Hm...?"

"Would I be able to achieve the amount of power you displayed earlier?"

His eyebrow arches, confused by the question. Especially since this is their first meeting in a long time. Nevertheless, he answers with complete honesty. "No," he replies simply.

"Heh…" she gives a slight shrug. "That figures."

"Not on your own."

She turns her head to look at him from over her shoulder.

"Under my guidance, however, the possibilities would be endless."

"If this is your way of trying to get me to come back, then it's not gonna work."

"You are more than just some street bandit, Mana. You could put your abilities to great use."

"Protecting innocent people from the likes of the kingdom you serve?"

"There is something you need to know…"

"Save it," she says rather abruptly, turning away once again to leave. "I'd rather die than pledge my loyalty to him."

Mahad closes his eyes and sighs before preparing to clear up any misunderstandings that happened in the past. But just as he is about to open his mouth, something overhead catches both of their attention. A feminine, blue colored figure with wings hovers over them briefly, eyeing Mahad intently before flying off in the direction of the village that lies outside of the palace walls.

"Spiria…" Mahad says before narrowing his eyes. That ka belongs to none other than Priestess Isis. And for her to be making an appearance this late, something must be wrong. "There must be trouble at the village!"

He runs a few steps ahead before stopping, turning around to Mana, who seems to be having an internal battle with herself as she stares down to the ground with narrowed eyes.

"Innocent people might get hurt!" Mahad yells, causing her head to shoot up with her eyes widened. Her relationship with those in the palace has been turbulent, but that has nothing to do with the innocent villagers who may be in harm's way.

Without another word, she slowly nods her head before dashing off alongside Mahad.

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AN: Thanks for being so patient with this update! I hope you enjoyed this recent chapter! Let me know your thoughts in the reviews! Til' next time!