“Welcome back, Miss Lethe.” Corwin was waiting for her at the already opened gates.  “May I take your horse?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“No, thank you.”</span>Lethe dismounted but kept the reins in hand.  Corwin only nodded and started walking up the path to the house, headed for a small building on the side.<span style="color: silver">“I feel bad enough I’ve been staying here for so long, and with my guest no less.  I’m afraid I’ll have to infringe on your hospitality one more night.”</span><br/><br/>“Only one night?”  The butler inquired, leading the Knight towards the stable on the side of the house.  With how rare Master Guilford was at home, the stable had been converted to a storage space.  However, there was still space for one or two horses just in case.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I’m headed off to Palaugrim tomorrow.  I hope to bring Leia back to my apartment before I leave.”</span><br/><br/>Corwin deflated at her words.  His guests were leaving so quickly!  Both squads had evacuated the house already so now it was only Lady Orphelia and Miss Lethe.  “I’m sure Master Guilford wouldn’t mind if Lady Orphelia stayed here while you’re gone. ”  His hidden plea went unheard when Lethe shook her head.<span style="color: silver">“Thank you, but I couldn’t.  Is Guilford available?”</span><br/><br/>“No.  I believe he’s gone to Rosetta for a bit.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Oh, okay.  I’d like to speak with him when I get back from Palaugrim.. about six days I believe?  I’ll leave him a message at the Cathedral, but I would be in your debt if you could mention it to him as well?  Thank you.”</span>Horse settled, Lethe followed Gil’s butler into the house.  Leia was ruling over the living room, assessing the paintings on the wall critically.  The Zairyonian turned at the sound of the door opening and her frown lifted into a smile when she saw the newcomers.<br/><br/>“Thea! Corwin!”  The latter was too formal to be pulled into a hug but the former accepted the offering bashfully.<span style="color: silver"> “Sorry for leaving you alone, Leia.”</span><br/><br/>“I can’t believe you had to go to the Cathedral today! You just woke up!  Have you eaten yet?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “It’s been eight days already.  It’s completely understandable they’d require my presence.”</span><br/><br/>“No it doesn’t!  It’s not like you were lollygagging during those days!  You were unconscious after winning a war for them!”  The blue-haired woman herded Lethe up the stairs towards their room, ignoring how the other woman was craning her neck to look behind them.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Where did Corwin go? And it’s not like we’ve <span style="font-style: italic">won</span> a war, Leia.  There’s still a lot left to do.”</span><br/><br/>“And the Cathedral maintains Light knows how many Pristine Knights?  Surely everyone else isn’t so incompetent that everything needs your personal presence to oversee.  Besides, there are those old men to take care of things aren’t there?  And he’s probably getting dinner for you.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Of course they’re not incompetent!  Every Knight I’ve met has been some of the most competent, dedicated people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.”</span>Lethe ignore Leia’s roll of the eyes and mutterings.<span style="color: silver">“And why is Corwin getting me dinner?  I should go get it myself.”</span><br/><br/>“No.”  Orphelia manhandled the other woman the rest of the way up, knowing her friend wouldn’t struggle too much for fear of hurting her.  “He’s a butler.  It’s his job to get it for you.  You need to take a bath, eat some dinner, and get some rest!”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Leia!  We’re his guests!  Just because he’s a butler doesn’t mean we should be so rude as to—”</span><br/><br/>“Oh, Thea.”  A final push emphasized the blue-haired woman’s exasperation as she shoved Lethe into their room.  “He’s a butler.  He enjoys being a butler.  This isn’t about being rude, this is about giving him a reason to do his duties.  I don’t think he gets many guests and it’s not his house.”  They made their way into the bathroom where a fresh bath was waiting for them.  “Get in the water before I dunk you in.”  A cross glare had the other woman stripping and into the bath with only a sulky<span style="color: silver">“hmph!”</span>in protest.  Orphelia ignored the objection with practiced ease as she took a seat at the vanity bench.  “Speaking of which, where is the master of the house?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Guilford?”</span>Lethe tugged at her hair, trying to untangle the knot that had somehow appeared between Xedia and now.<br/><br/>“No, the other person who owns this house.  Of course Guilford!  You know…” An impish smile took over the older woman’s face.  “He came by pretty often when you were here.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I’m blessed to have very good friends.  Can you hand me a comb?”</span>The requested item was provided but Orphelia wasn’t to be deterred.<br/><br/>“Yeah! But if they’re as busy as you say they are, shouldn’t he be busy as well?  He kept loitering around!”<br/><br/>Lethe teased out a few strands from the knot, her attention focused on straightening her hair.<span style="color: silver">“This <span style="font-style: italic">is</span> his house, Leia.  And this is his room.”</span>Almost done…<br/><br/>The absolute silence from her companion eventually caught her attention.  Lethe turned to see a gaping Orphelia.  An eyebrow lifted in confusion.<br/><br/>“THIS IS HIS ROOM?!”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Yeah.  Why do you think there’s so much stuff in it?”</span><br/><br/>“THEA!”  Hand slammed on the side of the tub as Orphelia shot forward, eyes gleaming maniacally.  “Do you know what that means?!  HE LIKES YOU!”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Don’t be ridic--!”</span>Her instinctive reaction was cut off as she suddenly remembered something she’d been trying very hard to forget.<span style="color: #0080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">My heart is yours Lethe, and so is my life.</span></span>The unexpected words suddenly echoed in her ears.  Blue eyes narrowed on the suddenly frozen woman, a dangerous glint still in them.  A suspicious “hmmmm” reminded the Knight that she wasn’t alone.  Lethe slowly resumed scrubbing her arm, trying to sink further into the tub and out of sight.  The burn on the top of her face told her it wasn’t working.  There was an ominous intake of breath, signaling Leia was about to speak when a knock on the door interrupted their moment.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Come in!”</span>There was definitely no hint of panicked relief in her voice as Lethe jumped out of the tub and wrapped a bathrobe around herself.  Corwin pushed in a serving cart laden with plates each covered in a silver lid.  The old man froze at the sight of the barely dressed woman before his eyes shot down at the utter impropriety of the situation.<span style="color: silver"> “Corwin!”</span>Definitely no barely concealed relief, she swore.<span style="color: silver"> “Wow, there’s so much. Thank you! Uhm, I’m really sorry for the inconvenience!  Do you, ah, want to sit? Er, Leia can keep you company.”</span>She shoved the older woman out of the bathroom and slammed the door closed.<br/><br/>“You can’t hide in there forever, Thea!”  The disgruntled Zairyonian threatened, hands on her hips.  Turning to Corwin, Orphelia rolled her eyes dramatically.  “Honestly!  You’d think I just asked her to have a threesome or something!”  She stomped over to the cart and pulled it towards the sofa, peeking through the various dishes before rearranging them.  Seeing that Corwin was still in the room, Orphelia looked at him strangely.  Maybe she had misread him?  “You can sit down and eat with us if you want?”  Maybe he was just a lonely old man and not a butler who was happy to have a chance to show off his skills?  The man spluttered, shook his head rapidly, and practically fled from the room.  Huh, she hadn’t thought she was that scary.<br/><br/>Lethe collapsed against the door she’d just slammed shut as she slowly slid to the ground.  Great, she’d practically flashed Gil’s butler, as if he didn’t hate her already for overstaying her welcome and messing up his kitchen.  Oh right, she still needed to apologize for that.  Her head fell into her raised knees, wondering when everything had become so complicated.<span style="color: #0080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">My heart is</span></span>She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to erase the words from her memory.<span style="font-style: italic">We keep taking, keep destroying.. All you’ll do is take those you love down with you..  It’s okay. Invidia will always love you.</span>The last words prompted a bitter laugh from her.  She’d kill him.  She’d end up killing him just like her mom had killed her dad.  Screams echoed in her ears as did the roar of fire, memories she’d never been able to fully lock away.  No, she couldn’t bear knowing she’d killed him.  It was better to pretend—<span style="font-style: italic">We cannot close our eyes to the truth anymore.</span>She froze at the other memory, another promise she had just made to herself.  She couldn’t keep running away.  She didn’t want him to die.  Her blindness would kill her team, almost had.  (She remembered the screams, the way her body had tried to fall apart as raw, uncontrollable magic surged through her.)  She’d kill him.<span style="font-style: italic">What do I do?</span><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>When Lethe finally emerged from the bathroom, Orphelia was lazing on the bed, a stack of dirty dishes sitting neatly on the serving cart.  “Finally come out to face me?”  The Zaiyronian wondered with an idle glance in the other’s direction.  Petulance gave way to concern: “Is everything okay?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I’m fine.”</span><br/><br/>“You don’t look fine.”  The blue-haired woman drew her long time friend onto the bed, enveloping the other in a hug.  “What’s wrong?”<br/><br/>Lethe opened her mouth but no words would come out.  Leia had already done so much for her.  She couldn’t keep bothering her friend.  Leia needed to focus on her baby, not on her pointless concerns.  And yet she couldn’t force the words out.  Instead, she drew closer to the other woman.<br/><br/>“Is it so bad if he likes you?”  There was no answer.  “Love isn’t that scary.  It can be, at first.  You have to let down all your shields and let yourself get hurt, reveal parts of yourself you never wanted others to know.”  The figure in her arms curled up tighter.  “But when someone accepts all that, it’s empowering.  You don’t have to worry anymore; someone loves you for who you are, even though you’re not perfect, even though you can be bitchy or whiny or have a strange affection for throwing dishware around,” Orphelia laughed softly at a memory only she knew.  Blue eyes peeked up from the cocoon they’d been hiding in, visually tracing the soft contentment in her friend’s face that had been absent fifteen years ago.  Back then, even when they all smiled, there had been scars on their hearts.  They were all orphans; they’d all been left behind.  Dead, abandoned, forsaken.  They’d been the ones no one wanted. For Leia to have lost that wariness..  One finger gently brushed the laugh lines on Leia’s face, drawing the blue-haired woman from her musing.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I’m glad you found it.”</span><br/><br/>“You can too.  You’ve always been braver than me, Thea.  Don’t run away.”  But Orphelia could see Lethe was drawing away despite her words.  Invisible shields were slowly rising into place, a barrier between her heart and the rest of the world.  With a sigh, the older woman just tightened her arms once more around her poor friend.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~</div><br/>Pounding on the door had Lethe shooting up from the bed as she tried to remember where she was, what was going on.  “Master Lethe! Master Lethe!”  Orphelia stirred beside her, no doubt also awoken by the shouts and loud knocking.  She stumbled out of the too large bed and to the door, almost tripping over the too long hem of whatever she was wearing.  When she yanked the door open, a composed looking Corwin waited for her.  Only his too-large eyes implied that something might be wrong.<br/><br/>“I’m so sorry for disturbing you, Master Lethe.  There’s a messenger from the Grand Cathedral downstairs with an urgent message.  Two holy-imbued carrier pigeons have already come by with missives as well.”  He handed three sealed pieces of paper, all marked with the highest priority symbol.  After so many years in Gil’s service, he no doubt knew what the symbols meant.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “I.. thank you.”</span>She accepted the missives and opened the first one.  She felt her face drain of color at the words imprinted on the paper.  Gielo had been attacked and destroyed.  The second one, time stamped earlier, warned that Gielo was under attack and the Knights didn’t think they could defend it.  The third said that Solfonn had fallen and the few Knights remaining were trying to buy time for the townspeople to escape.<span style="color: silver">“Ready my horse, Corwin.”</span>There was no time for manners; she rushed back into the room and quickly changed into the clothes Orphelia was holding out to her.<br/><br/>“How bad is it?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Two towns have fallen already.”</span>She ignored the gasp of shock as she scanned the room for her sword.<span style="color: silver">“I’m headed for the Cathedral.  Can you stay here?  I trust Gil to have warded this place properly.”</span>She ran to the desk Luna was sitting upon, picking up the delicate sword in its too plain sheath and slinging it over her head to rest across her back.<br/><br/>“Let me come with you! I can help.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“No, Leia.  I don’t want you in any more danger.”</span><br/><br/>“Lethe!  I can—”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I know you can.”</span>Lethe paused at the door, turning back to look at her oldest friend.<span style="color: silver"> “But it’s not just you anymore.  There’s Rhett and Seena too now.”</span>The words seemed to deflate the other woman who unconsciously wrapped an arm around her stomach protectively.<span style="color: silver">“Be careful. Stay safe.  Whoever attacked must be very brave or very strong.  Leia.  I can’t stand it if you were to die.”</span>She froze at the too-familiar words, a sense of dread sliding down her back.<br/><br/>“You too then!  Don’t you dare die on me, Lethe!”<br/><br/>She forced a painful smile to her face and fled the room.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>The sun was just rising and it already felt like far too much time had passed.  The evening, early morning really, had been filled with frenetic activity as the Cathedral tried to figure out what was going on and mount a response.  The moment she’d mentioned Guilford was in that area, she’d been prohibited from leaving the Cathedral.  They’d form a defense around the other Seraph and keep her here in case the attacks on Gielo and Solfonn had been a distraction to lure forces away from Caleta.  The next town, Valthe, had fallen even faster.  Valthe didn’t have its own Knight presence.  After all, this was Gless, bastion of the Light.  There was no need for each town to have a Knight garrison for the people were so pure, they’d never fall into Sin.  Though she understood the rationale, Lethe couldn’t help but wonder would things have gone differently if Valthe had its own Knights to defend it?  Probably not if the attacker, still unknown, was able to take down Gielo and Solfonn so quickly.<br/><br/>Blue eyes stared dully at the Faith in her hands.  It looked like a standard issue Faith if not for the seal on its back.  The image of sword with wings stared back at her.<br/><br/>By the time the troops they’d sent to assist Gielo reached Rosetta, the battle was already over.  The unknown attacker had withdrawn after battling with Guilford.  However, the victory had not come cheaply.  Her fingers unconsciously tightened on the pendant, ignorant to how its sharp edges dug into her flesh.  Guilford was dead.  A strange hush had fallen over the room as those words dropped through the air like heavy stones.  No one had moved to pick them up.  What was there to say?  A Seraph, the highest order of Knight, had died against this unknown foe who was still at large.  If a Seraph couldn’t beat it… Despair had smothered the room.<br/><br/>Councilor Laith had finally broken the silence by ordering four Knight Captains to head out for the attacked towns as soon as possible.  They were ordered to look for clues and provide aid.  The remaining people he’d ordered out with a command to stay silent.  Then, all that was left was her and the Council.  Laith had bullied and prodded until the Council had formulated an appropriate response.  A caravan for medics and supplies would be deployed to the destroyed towns to help any survivors.  All garrisons were switching to active defense.  Transport ships were being prepared in case the Knights needed to be moved quickly.  A list of retired or inactive Knights was being composed, just in case.  An agonizing forty minutes later, Laith had finally let everyone leave.  Cornelius, suddenly aged by grief, had tottered out of the room.  She had quickly excused herself as well and was hiding out in her squad’s quarters.  The familiar room lent her some comfort but it couldn’t protect her from the accusations rampant in her mind.<br/><br/>She’d known she’d kill him.  She hadn’t wanted it, but the moment he’d uttered those words…  She’d known.<span style="color: silver"><span style="font-style: italic">“I can’t stand it if I killed you too.”</span></span>Too little. Too late.  Invidia had struck again.  Where had she gone wrong?  What could she have done differently?  She was so<span style="font-style: italic">sure</span>he loved Brynhildr.  The Divine Flash’s daughter and the Rose Prince.  They’d been together since the Pristine Knight Academy!  It had been the fairytale romance the other girls had squealed over when they were in training!  Where had it gone wrong?!<span style="font-style: italic">We really do live up to our name.. we keep destroying because we envy others don’t we?’</span>Oh that’s right!<span style="text-decoration: underline">She</span>had happened!  She’d killed the princess and now she’d killed the prince.  She’d destroyed that happy ever after with her Sin-tainted hands that kept grasping for more.<span style="font-style: italic">I’m sorry Gil, I never meant to kill you.</span><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/><span style="color: silver">“Good morning, everyone.  Thank you for coming at such short notice.”</span>Lethe looked over the group assembled in front of her.  They were in Guilford’s (she ignored the clench of her heart at the reminder) Squad quarters.  Team Guilford (but now there was no more Guilford?) and her own squad sat before her, having been summoned the moment she’d left the Council meeting.  Most looked tired.  It was still early in the morning, after all.  She had used the hour’s reprieve as they arrived to compose herself.  There was no more time to mourn.  She was the only Seraph now.  Their burdens were both hers to carry, hers and those of the man she’d killed.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I won’t beat around the bush. Master Guilford was slain in battle yesterday evening.”</span>Lethe ignored the gasps of surprise.  Before tears could begin, she continued on with forced calm.<span style="color: silver">“Reports currently say that an unknown foe attacked several towns in Gless; Guilford died defending one of them, Rosetta.”</span>She paused to look over Guilford’s squad.  As she expected, they were all somewhere along the spectrum of disbelief and sorrow.<span style="color: silver">“There’s nothing I can say to make his death more bearable.  I know it’s hard to lose a loved one, especially so unexpectedly and so soon after Brynhildr’s death.”</span>Some might accuse her of being too emotionless; she wouldn’t disagree with that.  But,<span style="color: silver">“All I can offer is at least now, he’s at peace.  He’s returned to the Light and no longer is he weighed by this world.  But just because he’s gone doesn’t mean his memory his gone.  Squad Eight, you are his legacy, the only Knights that Guilford led.  I know this is hard, but we must continue forward.  Our work,”</span>Her smile was more bitter than sweet,<span style="color: silver">“is not yet done.  I have taken command of Squad Eight; when you are presentable, I will direct you to your next tasks.”</span><br/><br/>She beckoned her team closer, her voice dropping now that she wasn’t addressing the entire room.  They huddled together so their words wouldn’t bother the other Knights.<span style="color: silver">“Seraphim, Cricket, Leon.  You leave for Palaugrim immediately.  Valiar will join you shortly if possible.  You will spend five days there bolstering morale in light of Luciano’s fall and Guilford’s death.”</span>There was none of the hesitation she felt inside in her words.  She didn’t have the luxury of sorrow anymore.  Lethe handed Seraphim three pieces of paper, their itineraries.<span style="color: silver">“I’m sure it goes without saying, these next few days will be crucial.  Morale will be shattered when the news breaks.  I need you all to present a unified front, a strong front.  You go not as Pristine Knights or members of my squad, but as beacons of hope.  If we falter now, then Sin will have won.  This will be hard, but I believe in all of you.  We must be the light that pierces despair.”</span>She turned her attention to the other members of her squad.<span style="color: silver">“Valiar, please watch over the others.  Come to me when you deem it prudent to leave them alone.  YunQiao and Valiar, you two will take Fiona, the new girl, under your wings while we’re here.  Meanwhile, YunQiao, I need you to research these topics.  Deimos, please handle these.”</span>Another two pieces of paper was passed along.<span style="color: silver">“Does everyone understand?”</span>Grim nods were her only reply.<span style="color: silver">“You’ve all been given new Faiths.  They have my modified symbol on them; use them and they’ll be highest priority. Don’t be foolish. <span style="font-style: italic">Don’t die.</span>”</span>The slightest waver at the last words hinted at the turmoil within before she smoothed the emotion away.<span style="color: silver">“May the Light guide you through these dark times and deliver you safely back.”</span><br/><br/>Lethe straightened and nodded in dismissal at her squad.<span style="color: silver">“Adair, with me.”</span>and with that, she strode out of the room.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>“How can..?”  The unfinished inquiry broke the silence that had descended on the room.  The last words went unspoken, as if denying them sound would make the words false.  How could Captain Guilford be dead?  A broken sob was its only response, Natalia’s hands pressed firmly to her mouth to try to keep the sound in.<br/><br/>“It’s.. He can’t be..”  Vlad tried helplessly before he too was unable to say anything else.<br/><br/>Georg clenched his eyes shut and then opened them.  Throat muscles worked but only a scratchy sound came out.  He had to say it.  No one else would.  “Captain.”  For a moment, he wasn’t sure he could say the rest.  But he was a Knight of the Old Generation, a former Captain in fact.  He knew the team would never move on until the words were spoken, until they couldn’t be denied anymore.  Master Lethe had never been close to the team; the words from her mouth could still be ignored.  One of them had to say it.  He had to say it.  But even with all the times he’d had to say it in the past, for some reason he couldn’t get the words out now.  He had failed the man he’d sworn his loyalty to.  His gloves creaked under the strain of his clenched fist but he couldn’t muster the will to say the words.<br/><br/>Joaquim looked over at Georg sadly, knowing what the other Knight was trying, and failing, to do.  He too was a Knight of the Old Generation.  They had lived through the horrors of the first War and he knew denial would only make the loss worse.  “Captain Guilford is dead.”  The words crashed against ears that tried so very hard to not hear.  “Captain Guilford is dead.”  The dark haired man repeated, straightening to shoulder the burden of the words.  The man he had worked under for six years was dead, had died sometime last night when he had been with his family in Gless.  It was a bitter pill to swallow.  If he hadn’t made that promise to his wife, if he had been with Captain, would things have..?<br/><br/>Valiar finally stood up from his corner at the conflict on his fellow husband’s face.  He walked over to the other man and dropped his hand on Joaquim’s shoulder.  When brown eyes turned to him, he simply shook his head in response.  “Don’t think like that.  I’m sure he wouldn’t have wanted you to regret that.”  At least, his Captain would have never wanted him resenting time with his family just because she, or another Knight, had been hurt during his absence.  From what little he knew of Master Guilford, he was sure the other Seraph would feel the same.  Brown eyes dropped away from him and went to stare at the ground.<br/><br/>Alfrei eyed the intruder angrily.  Why was he here?  This was Squad.. Squad Guilford time.  Couldn’t they even grieve in peace?!  Bryn would have never.. The reminder of the missing woman made his grief even worse.  In four short weeks, he’d lost the woman he just realized he’d loved and now the man he’d admired the most!  Both led to their deaths by.. by that harlot who now dared call herself their Captain!  His father’s words had no place against the fury of his grief.  It was all Lethe’s fault.  If only she hadn’t been gallivanting off on her own in Jenault, Lillith would have never been released to kill Bryn.  If only she hadn’t been stupid enough to reveal her presence in Luciano, Guilford wouldn’t have spent the past eight days worrying about her.  For Captain to fall in battle, he must have been weakened by his exhaustion from the past week of stress.  His jaw hurt from the strength to keep his revelation from spilling out.  He was.. Vice Captain now.  His team didn’t need that acrimony, truthful though it was.  He--he needed to be strong.  “Valiar. Could you.. give us some space?”  Even those words came from gritted teeth but he kept his anger out of his tone.<br/><br/>Valiar stared at the seething Alfrei calmly, seemingly unaffected by the other man’s bitterness.  He nodded in response but curved around to where Fiona sat uncomfortably.  She had only been on the squad for a day and didn’t have as close a relationship with Master Guilford as the others.  He placed a hand on the new girl’s shoulder and beckoned her to come with him.  When they were in the relative privacy of the doorway, Valiar directed her to the library where YunQio was researching whatever tasks Lethe had given him.  When the newest Knight left to do as bid, Valiar took up his silent watch in the corner once more.<br/><br/>Alfrei glared at the sentinel, resenting his presence.  It was another reminder of that harlot’s high handed ways.  Not only could her squad not leash in her ineptitude, they had no sense of decency!  ‘When they were presentable,’ indeed!<br/><br/>Joaquim’s heartless words had broken the dam Natalia had been so desperately trying to maintain.  Tears streaked down her face and despite how hard she pressed, the sobs kept slipping out until she could scarcely breathe between her crying and her hands.  How could.. How could her savior be dead?  The man she’d always secretly loved, though she knew she was no match for Master Lethe or Vice Captain Brynhildr--he was dead?  It couldn’t be.  It just couldn’t be.<br/><br/>Hyuga stared at his notes blindly.  He had been reviewing his notes on the Holy Powder despite Master Lethe’s rejection of his plans.  He knew his Holy Powder could revolutionize the world!  He’d just gather more evidence, try a few things out (discreetly), and bring the updated results to Master Lethe.  There was no way she’d reject it again in the face of such success.  These thoughts had kept him up all night so he’d brought his papers with him to this emergency meeting.  After all, emergency or not, his Holy Powder could<span style="font-style: italic">revolutionize</span>the world!  There was no time to spare!  If only he’d known.<span style="text-decoration: underline">If only he’d known.</span>These papers.  They were so useless!  He scrunched them up in a rare display of anger, straining to rip the stack of papers in half. He should have been researching better armors!  Better defensive seals!  Better healing spells or statis spells or--anything!  Anything that could have helped save his Captain.  A hollow laugh fell from his lips.  He’d been so sure the Holy Powder could have saved Bryn.  Could it have saved Captain?  The bitter laugh repeated itself.  Well, he’d never know now, would he?<br/><br/>Mediocre. Mediocre.  The word echoed in Vlad’s head.  He’d always been mediocre and he always would be.  When would he find his strength?  He ignored the way the rim of his shield bit into his flesh; the pain was nothing compared to that in his heart.  He had failed Bryn.  Now he’d failed Captain.  He was the team’s tank.  He should have been there.  But he’d been the first one down in Jenault and now he’d been entirely absent when Captain had fallen.  He was a failure, a mediocre Knight in a squad of the best.  He was the reason two Knights he admired had died.  The blond man stood up abruptly, ignoring the surprised looks from the others.  Natalia was still too lost in her tears to notice.  He stared hard at the young girl, burning her red-blotched face in his mind.  He had caused that.  Black eyes travelled to every face in front of him.  That sorrow, that anger: he had caused them all.  He had failed them all.  Dropping his shield, he turned and strode towards the corner Master Lethe had left her Knight in.  He avoided the man’s worried gaze, too ashamed to meet them.<br/><br/>“Excuse me.  I would like to speak with Master Lethe.”  Black eyes assessed him before the Knight nodded.<br/><br/>“I can send one of the messengers.  I don’t know where she is exactly right now.  She may be with the Council.”<br/><br/>“I’ll just go myself then.”  Vlad slipped out before anyone could protest.  He couldn’t stand the weight of those stares any longer.  He had failed them.  Vice Captain Brynhildr and Captain Guilford were dead, and it was all his fault.