"You like doodling do you not? Why didn't you hand Master Lethe your sketchpad and pen?" Joaquim asked Natalia while holding up his Repent before the basement doors. Startled at the question, Natalia immediately averted her eyes from Joaquim's gaze and blushed, her Repent flickering in response.<br/><br/>"Focus Natalia." Alfrei ordered.<br/><br/>Joaquim chuckled. "I can only assume you didn't want her seeing your drawings correct?" he mused, making the younger knight blush even more. "Y-yes.. I suppose you could say that." she answered meekly, catching the attention of Alfrei who was standing guard. Using cunning tactics, Alfrei gracefully swung his sheathed sword towards Natalia's back, snatching her pack in the process.<br/><br/>"H-hey!" Natalia protested, her Repent nearly breaking down when she did. "I told you to focus! Do you want sin's essence to continue burdening the tired men outside?" Alfrei retorted while rummaging through Natalia's pack. Joaquim simply chuckled. "B-but! Lieutenant!" Natalia hissed but stopped when her eyes met Alfrei's stern gaze. "Good. I see we understand each other. Now let's see," he mumbled, mostly to himself while flipping through pages of Natalia's sketchpad. "trees, trees, more trees, wait... is this the Captain? Huh? Him again? More of him..." Alfrei smirked. He placed the sketchpad back into Natalia's pack and looked at the blushing woman. "I didn't think you liked him that much." he teased.<br/><br/>"T-that's not for me! Somebody asked me to draw it!" she countered and sealed her lips with a pout.<br/>"Fine, fine, let's focus on the task at hand. If we're lucky, that<span style="font-style: italic">thing</span>from before won't come out of it this time." Alfrei commented and resumed his post. "I wish it was that easy Lieutenant, but we have to be ready just in case." Joaquim added.<br/><br/>____________________________________________________________________________________<br/><br/>"As expected of Master Lethe. Knights of Seraph ranking are on a whole different level." Hyuga whispered to Vlad as they watched the white knight at work. Vlad simply nodded in agreement. The other knights that were looking around what seemed like a laboratory of sorts gathered around Lethe as she held the crystallized essence before them.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">“Shall we, then?”</span><br/><br/>Brynhildr, Hyuga, Georg and Vlad had to gulp down a little air with the tension they were feeling. Last time they handled containing a sample of the same crystal ended up with their Captain being as he is now, greatly weakened. Hyuga being the most studious among the squad began speaking. "Master Lethe, just so you know, this crystal is fragile, especially when struck with holy power. Balancing our holy power will be the key to containing it." he reminded. The blue haired knight scoffed at Hyuga. "Of all the important things to remind Master Lethe, you miss out on<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>thing?" she asked, her right hand beginning to glow with holy power. The others assumed position and began channeling their power as well, aiming for the crystal locked in Lethe's holy swords, awaiting Bryn's command.<br/><br/>"Master Lethe, we'll try our absolute best not to shatter the crystal but you ought to know this before we start. Should the unfortunate happen and crystal breaks, a manifestation of Sin will come out of it, taking the form of the one who last touched it. It's extremely dangerous. Our squad battled with one down in the Barrens and had it not been for the Captain, some of us might not have made it back alive." She finished, eyes locked onto Lethe's blue ones.<br/><br/>"What are you worried for Bryn? Master Lethe is a Seraph. We should be fine right?" Hyuga asked. The others seemed like they wanted to sink their faces into their palms after hearing his words. Georg and Vlad looked at each other and then to Lethe. "In any case Master Lethe, please be ready. If we're unfortunate and it does break, we'll have no choice but to fight Sin's version of you." Vlad warned. "As we did with the Captain's." Georg added.<br/><br/>"Then let us begin..." Bryn trailed and began casting her Banish.<br/><br/>The others followed her lead, letting the light of Banish gently caress the crystal, as if coaxing it to let the light inside. Fumes of dark purple light resisted at first, pushing back the golden light from all angles. It took several minutes of gently assaulting the crystal with holy energy before the knights managed to wear down the purple light coming out of it. Beads of sweat already rolling down the side of their faces, the four knights together with Lethe poured their light into the crystal. For such a small piece of stone to be so much trouble, the knights could only wonder what horrors the Sinners could achieve when they master using the crystal.<br/><br/>"Nearly... there..." Bryn huffed, giving out gentle bursts of light in a continuous flow. The others shared the same fatigue. Their squad never really had any ample rest throughout the months they have been deployed. But for such a thing to exist and is out in the open, they could not let their fatigue get the best of them. All four shared the same ferocity and determination in their eyes, refusing to let Sin get the upper hand. All those years they have been under Guilford is not for nothing. If there's anything these knights have learned under his leadership, it was to give even when there's nothing left to give, and to continue fighting when no one is left with the will to carry on.<br/><br/>Finally, after more than half an hour of gently feeding the crystal with holy energy, the purple light became dormant within. Hyuga was the first to cease casting Banish. He plopped down to one knee, trying to catch his breath in huge heaves. "Oh for the light of... I never exerted so much holy power in my life!" he exclaimed, almost wanting to lie down on his back and sleep. The others ceased their magic as well and sighed in relief. The miasma of sin that previously lingered in the air is now nowhere to be felt. On shaky knees, Brynhildr pulled out the same container used by Guilford to house the mellowed down crystal. She walked forward to the Seraph, silence engulfing the basement.<br/><br/>"It's not over until it's contained..." Bryn said. However, just as she was about to pluck the crystal from Lethe's magic swords, the sound of cracking glass caught her ears.<br/><br/>Her eyes instantly widened in shock, hands stopping just a few inches away from the crystal. Her entire being froze on the spot, instantly recalling the last time a crystal like this broke on them, simultaneous with the chills she felt running down her spine.<br/><br/>"This... can't be... why?" she stuttered while staggering back.<br/><br/>Then the earth began to rumble. "Everyone! We have to get out of here now!" Georg yelled at the top of his lungs.<br/><br/>____________________________________________________________________________________<br/><br/>Ouside, Guilford and the other knights felt the rumble. Panic and confusion began to consume the others. At the same time, the calmness Guilford felt was instantly washed away by worry. The squad leader Marion turned to him for answers. "Master Guilford! What's going on?!"<br/><br/>He could only say what was obvious.<span style="color: #0080FF">"It can't be good. Marion, have all squads take formation and prepare for combat! Whatever comes out of there will be nothing like the ones you ever faced before! Hold steady everyone! We cannot let it run free!"</span>