<span style="font-style: italic">Dong. Dong. Dong.</span>Lethe paused in her walking at the unexpected sound, mentally counting the number of bell tolls.<span style="font-style: italic">Dong. Dong.</span>Eleven.  She hugged the bag closer to herself and peeked around it at the corridor in front of her: still empty.  Reassured she wasn’t going to run into anyone, she continued her walk to Squad Eight’s quarters.  She’d gone home for some well-deserved rest, only to see the bag of letters staring at her accusingly.  They were all meant for Master Guilford and she’d disturbed that privacy by reading them and now hording them at her apartment.  She really should return them to Master Guilford.  She remembered glancing at the clock and noting the time then: half past ten.  Surely he’d left for the night by now, right?  The white-haired Knight paused at the door separating the hall from Squad Eight’s quarters.  Setting the overflowing bag down gently, Lethe glanced to the left then the right.  Still no one in sight.  Feeling just a bit foolish, she leaned forward and pressed her ear against the door.  She couldn’t hear anything.  The wards were still active so she couldn’t feel anything with her holy magic.  As another check, she glanced under the door but it seemed dark.  After a minute of dawdling, Lethe shook her head firmly and reached out for the door.  It was after eleven and the lights were off: surely Master Guilford was gone for the night.<br/><br/>Despite her mental reassurances, she paused when she cracked the door open.  No reaction.  She slipped her head in and glanced around warily.  One of the lamps was still on, but heavily dimmed.  A sigh of relief left her lips and she let the door open further.  It was Master Guilford’s signal that he was gone for the night and the cleaners could come by to tidy the place.  He must have forgotten and left the wards on.  Reassured once more that she was alone, the white-haired Knight reached down for the bag of letters.  It was practically larger than her!  It took a moment for her to get her arms around the sack and she edged into the room sideways, the only way she could keep track of what was in front of her.  When she got to Master Guilford’s desk, she paused uncertainly.  Should she put it on top?  But it might topple over.  To the side? Bu then he might not see it.  She nibbled on her lips as she looked at the desk helplessly.  What to do?  The desk already had papers on it, but she didn’t want him to miss it either.  A lot of people had poured their feelings into these letters; it was her duty to make sure they were delivered to them.  (She ignored the voice at the back of her mind that wondered why she wasn’t delivering them during the day when she could ensure he read them.)  Maybe.. the chair?<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“The floor or the chair is fine.  I wouldn’t miss a bag that big.”</span><br/><br/>The unexpected words startled a squeak out of her and she dropped the bag as she jumped back in shock.  She cringed as the bag plopped on the ground, sliding sideways without anything to hold it upright.  Some of the letters fell out to the ground and Lethe looked at the mess mournfully.<br/><br/>A guilty Guilford watched the surprise heighten, fall, and end up in a mess of letters scattered on his floor.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."</span>He said with a shallow breath and proceeded to gather the letters that escaped the bag.<br/><br/>She couldn’t help the twitch when her unexpected host spoke once more.  Startled blue eyes finally looked up from the spill on the ground just to see something worse, and it was approaching.  She tracked her fellow Seraph’s movements cautiously and they led her back to the mess she’d made.<span style="color: silver">“Sorry.”</span>She muttered, dropping to the ground to help pick up the letters, carefully avoiding making contact with Master Guilford.<br/><br/>The word, apologetic in nature, felt like ice: not a trace of warmth in it. Distance was kept comfortably, and it was being done so with conscious effort. Guilford didn't want to make things worse for her, so he too avoided making eye contact.<span style="color: #0080FF">"It's fine,"</span>he answered back, shuffling a good haul of letters in hand.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Are these all for me?"</span><br/><br/>When the letters were all gathered, not that many had spilled, Lethe quickly stepped back to maintain the distance between them.<span style="color: silver"> “Yes.  They..”</span>Her voice cracked at the memory of his death and she paused to recompose herself,<span style="color: silver"> “They were for your. memorial.”</span>Her hands tightened on the letters still in her grasp as she avoided looking at Master Guilford.  As the silence dragged on, she offered futilely:<span style="color: silver"> “Sorry for reading them.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"For my memorial huh..."</span>he scoffed lightly, thinking back on the things his faked death had caused him and everyone else. Guilford inhaled sharply at the reminder and decided not to linger. He picked up the bag and neatly placed it at the side of his desk. Purple eyes wandered over to the letters he still had in his other hand; they were opened. Thanks to the silence that fell between them, Gil heard the ever so silent whisper of apology for reading them.<span style="color: #0080FF">"It's fine, letters are meant to be read."</span>It wasn't what he actually wanted to say but it was what came out, his bitterness towards Abel mixing in with his words.<br/><br/>The unexpected hostility in her fellow Knight’s words had Lethe looking up in alarm.  She stared at him uncertainly, trying to decide between retreating now and her obligation to the letters.  She looked down at the letters in her arms and seemed to make up her mind.<span style="color: silver"> “I.. know I’ve already read them, and there are a lot! And you’re probably busy! And..”</span>That wasn’t what she had wanted to say.  She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself to properly convey her words:<span style="color: silver"> “Please also read them yourself.”</span>She chanced a look back at Master Guilford.<br/><br/>This was awkward. Back then, when they had the chance to be alone together like this, they would get formalities out of the way fast and fall into an easy conversation, catch up with each other, or just talk about something that didn't make sense. Now it was different.  Everything was off and it was making Gil's chest tighten. He reached out to take the burden of the letters his fellow Seraph still held but paused midway in his reach. The look in her blue eyes immediately told him that she was once again getting ready to leave. If he took those letters from her, she would slide back out of his reach and would probably stay there forever. Yet he knew that trying to explain his side to her would be a futile effort. Anything said about it would only serve to do more harm than good beyond this point. Dropping the rest of the letters he held carelessly onto his desk, Gil tangled the other between his arms in a gentle embrace. He couldn't let her go; he didn't want to see her go.  He didn't want to lose her. Should he try for words? None of it seemed to matter, he was once again being selfish and it... felt good.<br/><br/>She eyed the incoming hand suspiciously.  Of course he wanted the letters she was holding but did they have to hand them off?  They could just put them in some neutral location and avoid physical contact.  Or maybe not.  She watched in dismay as Master Guilford dropped the letters he’d gathered onto his desk with apparent irreverence.  Those were people’s—her protest was cut off when something wrapped around her and she stiffened.  When she looked away from the desk, white cloth and a familiar chest met her eyes.  No!  She wanted to push him away but she still had the letters in her arms and she didn’t want them to fall (again) and.. But then again.<span style="font-style: italic">Invidia will always love you.</span>Those terrible words stiffened both her body and her resolve.<span style="color: silver">“Please let me go, Master Guilford.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I..."</span>he trailed off, arms tightening around her even more, strong enough to keep her from breaking free, but not strong enough to hurt her.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I can't..."</span>He wanted to let his arms fall, he didn't want to subject her to anything against her will but they wouldn't move. His arms were stiff, acting like they had a will of their own, his emotions swirling inside of him, threatening to consume his rationale. Where were the words when he needed them the most? Why was it so hard to convey his feelings? Why wouldn't they reach her? At the end of it all, Guilford finally realized the biggest question he had unconsciously been avoiding. Normally he wouldn't pry, but this time he actually wanted to know:<span style="color: #0080FF">"Why? Tell me, why should I let you go?"</span><br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I’d think a request from a fellow Knight would be enough reason.”</span>Her voice was icy as she glared up at him, the reminder of her dreams enough to overcome her previous flustered state.  She nudged her elbow against the arms surrounding her but they wouldn’t move.  She also wasn’t strong enough to break free of them.  Master Guilford always had been stronger than her, something she hadn’t been quite so aware of until now that he was holding her here against her will.  She hoped this wouldn’t come down to anything more violent.  She<span style="font-style: italic">hoped</span>that this entire thing could just be resolved peacefully with her leaving the moment he let her go.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"You'd rather be a knight all the time is that it? For what? So you can run away?"</span>He returned the icy glare she staked on him. It was hazy but it was starting to make sense to him. Was it in his place to say it? Does it matter? It didn't. He was about to lose her completely any moment now because of his selfishness that he might as well say it.<span style="color: #0080FF">"If only it was that easy to let go of the ones we love, there wouldn't be so much pain in loving."</span>His arms began to fall to his sides, ever so slowly, regretfully until they were both rested beside him.<span style="color: #0080FF">"You can keep running, you can keep hiding. I'll keep chasing and I'll keep searching...for you."</span><br/><br/>Any retort she might have had for him died the moment she realized she was free.  She stepped back immediately and turned away as if she could physically block the words from reaching her.  Lethe silently placed the now crumpled letters on the nearest flat surface.<span style="color: silver"> “Don’t follow me. Don’t chase me.”</span>She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.<br/><br/>Just like that, she was gone. Guilford couldn't find his place within himself or the room he was locked in for the matter. The bitterness that heavily lingered in the air was enough to stifle even the renowned Seraph. He gritted his teeth in disgust, particularly at how he acted towards his fellow Seraph. The sourness of their conversation left an almost tangible aftertaste within his mouth. Why did it have to come to this? They were already worlds apart yet fate deemed it appropriate to tear them away even farther from each other.<span style="font-style: italic">For the greater good...</span>the words suddenly sprang to life from a plethora of memories that were aimlessly swirling within his head. Really? Was this for the greater good? He didn't know, and any intention of finding out immediately drowned in the oppressive silence.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/><br/>The next day was dull. Despite the scenic route that he always traversed towards the Grand Cathedral, the new day remained awfully gray for the Seraph. He was aloof, detached from the worldly troubles that plagued his mind. There was simply no sense of urgency in the strides Thunder took towards the bastion of the Light that proudly watched over Caleta. It was an indication that the rider had no clear destination in mind. True enough, Corwin had to double his efforts in convincing Guilford to get out of bed. He was sulking like a child. It was inappropriate and disgraceful for someone of his stature yet the blue-haired knight didn't seem to care. When Corwin had finally triumphed in pulling him out of bed, everything was automatic from there. Instincts kicked in and routine took over his motor functions. When Guilford momentarily snapped out of his stump, he found himself already heading to the Grand Cathedral, amidst the furious self protests that tormented him silently.<br/><br/>Numerous knights greeted him along the way, but all they recieved from the man was a cold dismissal for their effort. He was out of character which led to questions, questions to rumors, and rumors to false claims. Not that he cared, right now he just wanted to be left alone.<br/><br/>His head was bowed and purple eyes looked down heavily on the carpeted floor, as if wanting to bore a hole through it with each stride. He had walked the halls of the Grand Cathedral a million times for him to get lost within its walls. He knew where he was going, even without having to see his bearings, Guilford knew exactly how to get to his squad quarters. It wasn't an exciting thought, nor was it a tempting idea, yet there was nowhere else he could or should be. Memories of last night was still fresh, and the tightening of his chest increasing as he neared his squad quarters. He reached out for the L-shaped knob but paused midway, a deep breath accompanying his hesitation. He didn't want to talk, and Guilford was not so sure if there were anyone already inside. Regardless, he would look like an idiot for fearing the wooden door that blocked the entrance to the room, their room. A few more breaths later, Guilford finally grabbed the knob and turned it, a hollow creak sounding as the wooden doors gently pushed open.<br/><br/>Much to his relief, there was nobody in sight. His mind that refused to function earlier began to grasp for an answer about the lack of human presence in the room; it didn't take long. But of course! His entire squad is currently undergoing intensive training. Why was he even expecting anyone to be in? Guilford ran a hand tightly from his forehead down to his chin followed by a heavy sigh. He felt silly for being so lost and out of it. The Seraph lazily made his way to his desk and slumped back on his chair, his earlier thoughts robbing whatever comfort the chair provided. The first thing he noticed was a brand new stack of papers awaiting his undivided attention. He guiltily avoided staring at them and instead looked up to the familiar ceiling. Paperwork, that could be exactly what he needed or the contrary. Another sigh managed to escape his lips.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"I could have killed you one hundred times over if I wanted to."</span><br/><br/>That voice! The startled Seraph immediately scanned the room to find the owner of the voice. The effort, though it took only a few seconds, was still unsatisfactory. Akira was shaking his head sideways in disapproval when Guilford finally found him lying plainly on the couch. No wonder he missed him earlier. The back of the couch hid him from plain sight. Of all the places to slack around, why was this man loitering in his squad quarters!? The realization of another sharing the room with him prompted another hollow sigh from the Seraph. The gesture in turn concocted a growing curiosity from the other. Under normal circumstances, Gil would have asked him why he was there, but the silence from his Seraph friend was unsettling. "Why so serious?" Wait, where had he heard that line before? Nevermind. Akira pulled himself up to a sitting position and inquisitively stared at his friend, waiting for a satisfactory answer. Yet there was none.<br/><br/>"Really? You're going to make me ask twice? Do I have to result to my interrogation skill set to get you to talk? You know I'm dangerously good at that." he jokingly threatened.<br/><br/>The friendly jab elicited the most unlikely reaction from Gil that surprised the former Scout. Akira watched Gil deflate in his seat, one arm dangling limply on the side of his chair, like all the strength Gil had left him instantly. It was then that Akira knew that whatever was troubling his friend, it was probably something beyond his normal endeavors. "Alright, color me curious Gil. Don't make me drag Lance in here," he paused, recalling the whereabouts of their bubbly friend who was training a squad that sucked so bad they didn't deserve to be called a Seraph's squad. "For the last time, what's bothering you?"<br/><br/>Gil knew that this perv friend of his won't be going anywhere while he is slacking off. He deemed it necessary that he should start talking if he wanted to get rid of him. The idea however, of asking for advice from Akira of all people, didn't seem to be the brightest of options. Still, what could he do about it? Akira was in the wrong place at the right time to catch him off guard.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"You really want to know?"</span>Gil asked, an immediate nod coming from Akira solidifying his intent.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Fine..."</span>he began and slowly eased into a hesitant conversation.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>Numerous knights fromed before Abel for the start of their training. Each and every one of them here had passed the Selection Test continuously held about a week ago until yesterday. Today marks their first day in training for wielding Light's Wrath, said and believed to be a vital component to winning the upcoming war. While most of them here had heard the tales of prominent knights from the First War, only a few of them had seen first hand what Light's Wrath is all about. Romuald, Krista, and all the other knights that qualified from their time in Palaugrim during the Seraphs'<span style="font-style: italic">Liberation Campaign</span>. Of course there was Alfrei, Vlad, and Fiona who had been too close for comfort around Light's Wrath save for the latter. Then there were several others from Lethe's squad. The rest of them didn't have a clue.<br/><br/>"I will not mince words with you all." Abel began, garnering the attention of all the knights that qualified. "Light's Wrath is a dangerous power to command..." he continued, falling into the basic explanation of what the knights were about to learn from him. It took him nearly half an hour to brief them all and another fifteen answering questions from worried knights. When everyone else seemed to have calmed their nerves, Abel began to explain the training program they were about to undertake. It took him another half hour to do so before any actual training began. Soon enough, the Grand Cathedral's largest training grounds were occupied by the potential knights and the atmosphere was filled by strained grunts from effort exerted to best the rigorous physical training portion of the program.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>Dark clouds crept their way above Palaugrim when two knights on horseback came to an abrupt halt. The red-haired knight looked up just after an ominous roll of thunder pierced the heavens. Sigfried spent about as much time as someone would look at a falling star before pulling his gaze down to the destroyed village that eerily beckoned them to come and investigate. This village was just one of many who suffered the same fate of being reduced to rubble at the hands of a powerful foe. It was a gruesome sight to lo and behold. Aside from the scene of destruction all around, pools of blood lay scattered everywhere, streaks of the same red substance painted the walls that were fortunate enough to remain standing after the attack. That sickening view however, was just the greeting. Dismembered limbs of various sizes could be found almost anywhere they looked. Men, women, children... It didn't matter who it was, the enemy simply wanted to slaughter them all. The stench of death was thick, carried by the mild breeze that stirred the desecrated village.<br/><br/>Despite being a seasoned and hardened knight, Sigfried still felt his stomach churn. This was not something anyone in the right mind could ever get used to seeing, even for the<span style="font-style: italic">Ferus Ensis</span>. The sound of someone regurgitating their earlier meal caught Sigfried's attention. With his brows furrowed, he turned his head to the left and found his subordinate spraying the contents of her stomach while midway from dismounting her steed. Sigfried sighed helplessly as he watched her fall to the ground strengthless, she must have caught a heavy waft of the unpleasant smell. He couldn't blame her, even 'he' wanted to vomit. Returning to the investigation, Sigfried surmised that much of the people here were not fortunate enough to escape, and those that nearly made it were probably the ones to die first, as indicated by the staggering amount of limbs near the village's only entrance.<br/><br/>With a careful stride, Sigfried pressed on into the village. Much of the same grotesque blend of death and destruction assaulted his eyes. There were craters in both ground and walls, some of them contained a heavy concentration of blood in the middle. Instinctively, Sigfried shuddered at the mental image of a person getting squashed by what was obviously a battle hammer for a weapon. Though he was sure it was a quick death, it was no consolation since there was nothing honorable in dying the way a lot of these people did. The sound of metal grinding against metal echoed from his hands. Sigfried found himself clenching his fists so tight in anger that he was swearing he would kill whoever did this pretty much the same way the culprit had done in the people of this village.<br/><br/>"Captain..." his subordinate called to him.<br/><br/>The red-haired knight's attention was momentarily taken away from the sight of blood-filled craters and his fantasies of killing the culprit with his own two hands. Sigfried's eyes quickly fell to his subordinate who was on her knees examining the ground. She was resourceful enough to tie a piece of cloth around her mouth and nose to stifle the stench since she had to stoop in close, but it probably didn't do much good since her eyes were squinted more than they should be, indicating that she was still battling with the scent of death. "What is it Yulia?" he asked while making his way back to her.<br/><br/>"A creature's footprints." she pointed out. "Or more like, giant footprints." she corrected herself after realizing the sheer size of the footprint; it was enough to crush a young kid beneath it or tear a grown man in half by the looks of the sharp indents that resembled claws. "I think our suspect has another pet." She added in disgust as she looked around only to find more of the same imprints on the ground.<br/><br/>True enough, it was highly likely that their enemy had another Cerberus. He had heard about Kanna's recent accomplishment of eradicating a Cerberus during her own skirmish but he never expected to learn of another so soon, and for it to have grown this big to boot! If it counted for anything, Sigfried could only theorize that the creature their suspect was riding is something that was well taken care of. "It's not unheard of for a Cerberus to grow larger than they normally are." Sigfried mused, piquing the curiosity of his subordinate. "Though to achieve that, requires special breeding procedures." he added, after noticing that Yulia was giving him an inquisitive look.<br/><br/>"Oh my, Captain. I didn't know you were knowledgeable about beasts." she teased with a giggle, trying to lighten up the mood within this dead village.<br/><br/>"I..uh.. err.. I'm no expert, I just heard it a long time ago from before the Rising." Sigfried immediately dodged the jab. "Anyway, stay on your toes. According to Kanna, it wasn't easy taking down a Cerberus. She had to result to unleashing one of her strongest attacks against it and still ended slightly banged up after the battle." the man warned his subordinate while turning his gaze elsewhere for other clues. "Yes sir I will." she responded in kind. "To think that Kanna woman also had the help of that aloof blonde guy..." she mindlessly mumbled about, wondering how the battle played out in her head. "Hmph!" Sigfried huffed after overhearing his subordinate's self musings. "I wouldn't count on him if I were in Kanna's shoes." Sigfried commented drily while flipping over a pile of rubble. With a raised brow and an increasing curiosity, Yulia turned her head to the direction of her Captain. "Why is that? He looked strong to me."<br/><br/>Sigfried chuckled. "Strong you say? Don't let looks and demeanor fool you Yulia." he said and tossed a couple more rubble out of the way. "He may be stronger than most knights but that kid probably couldn't do jack squat against that Cerberus if Kanna ended up having to use one of her strongest attacks." he continued on while staring into what looked like a smiling face carved on the ground. "The way I see it, he's still green. Kanna would wipe the ground with him even the way she is now if ever she felt like doing it."<br/><br/>"Hooh? Is that so Captain?" she asked again, this time with a teasing tone. "Yeah. That is so. You should have seen Kanna fight in her prime. That blondie would be put to shame."<br/><br/>Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when more of the same engravings were discovered by Sigfried. Hearts, smileys, stars... Random shapes that told them all this was done... for fun. A heavy silence permeated the air and it lingered until the first drops of rain fell from the heavens. Sigfried and Yulia both looked at the images that mocked them and their efforts. Just the sight of it was enough to send Sigfried into a quiet contemplation. Yulia knew that there wasn't going to be any more words coming out of him after seeing this. "I hope the Seraphs get to read your report soon Captain..." she trailed into a sorrowful look in her eyes. It doesn't matter if they did or did not get the report. Right this very moment, Sigfried had already made up his mind. He would hunt down and kill the culprit even if it's the last thing he does.