<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day 20th of Month 4: Grand Cathedral - Scout Division Central HQ</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Akira walked through the halls of the Scout Division headquarters alone.  While he may have spent a good year in this part of the Grand Cathedral before he quit, much has changed since he last set foot on this particular establishment.  It was now significantly bigger than he last remembered, extensions have been added to what was once just a single square block building.  Multiple training rooms of different purposes have also been built to aid their division; there were even stay-in quarters to add to that!  Impressive really, all things considered about how underrated the Scout Division have always been compared to their Knight or Cleric counterparts.  It would seem that over the years, the High Council had finally realized the true value of tactical intelligence, and made joining this division more enticing for potential talents that sought to serve.<br/><br/>Having re-enlisted, Akira deemed it necessary for him to memorize the new layout of their headquarters; a Scout getting lost in his home turf? Not a chance!  He wandered around every possible location the establishment had to offer, with the goal of getting himself acquainted to the passages. He took mental notes of interesting places, as well as those which would prove to be useful to him.  Along the way, he encountered Scouts who looked at him either suspiciously, curiously, or questioningly.<br/><br/>As much discomfort their looks brought, he could not hold it against them that he seemed like the odd man out.  There was nothing wrong if he favored the old Scout uniform compared to the latest one adapted by their division; it was a matter of personal preference.  Of course, aside from the older uniform being<span style="font-style: italic">much</span>more stylish—as opposed to the ones now that made them look like brothers of trees—the black ones he had were crafted by Gil and enchanted with magic augments that boosted his capabilities as a Scout; there was just no way he was letting his old gear go.<br/><br/>Among the many Scouts he encountered along the way, none of them struck him as an acquaintance, not even a familiar soul.  They were mostly new faces to him.  Akira sighed, to think that<span style="font-style: italic">he</span>would feel alienated within the Scout division?  It was slightly depressing...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Hey there newbie! Are you lost or something?"</span><br/><br/>A voice came asking him from behind.  The question itself elicited an involuntary twitch from Akira's brows.  Newbie?  Him?  Akira slowly turned around to meet the owner of the voice, only to be greeted by a pair of Scouts on his case.  Deep down inside, he was half hoping that they would recognize who he really was and own up to their mistake of calling him a newbie but...<br/><br/>"We'd be happy to give you a tour if you want?" the female scout chirped helpfully.<br/><br/>Defeat was imminent.  Having enjoyed a long hiatus from service, he wouldn't hold it against the scouts of today too if they could not recognize him at all.  Sighing, Akira brought out his handy pen and a piece of paper.  He bowed gratefully towards the two and simply said, "Thank you. I would greatly appreciate it if you could show me around."<br/><br/>The two smiled at him and took the lead, gesturing for him to follow.  Along their tour, the two Scouts were nice enough to even give Akira a brief explanation of the places they showed him around.  Akira appreciatively took notes of the things that struck his interest such as the new Stealth Training Room they now had; these two sounded pretty proud of it and that made him want to check it out later.<br/><br/>After what felt like a good hour, the trio of scouts finally reached their Hall of Recognition, their second to the last stop.  The Scouts of today have deemed this place sacred, for within these halls lie portraits of those honorable and highly distinguished scouts that have ever graced the Light with their service.<br/><br/>As the three walked through the halls, Akira looked at the portraits displayed on both sides of the walls.  Although nameless, some of them in the portraits he recognized from the time of the First War: Ronsin, Allain, Tibalt, Damaris, June, and Elina to name a few.  Upon closer inspection, it became clear to Akira that the portraits followed an arrangement based on achievements or contribution.  Further down near the end of the hall, he recognized another portrait.  Though he did not know the person in the said portrait, he was a familiar face.<br/><br/>Akira stopped to look at the man in the portrait.  From where he stood, the image of the man looked uncomfortable at best, and that only highlighted the stern features of his even more.  Though he could not recall this man by name, one thing he was sure of was that nothing but great feats were accomplished by him back in the day.  A smirk lined Akira's lips,<span style="font-style: italic">"Thank you for your dedication to the Light brother, may the Divine Light keep you safe."</span>he silently said and saluted the portrait.<br/><br/>The scouts acting as his tour guide came walking back towards him after noticing that he was no longer trailing behind them.  The male scout looked at the portrait, and then to Akira. "You know this man?" he curiously asked.  Akira shook his head, "Only his achievements." he answered and turned towards the end of the hall.  The two scouts were puzzled by his answer but said nothing, following behind Akira until they came to another stop.  He had only taken a few steps away from the last portrait when another caught Akira's attention.<br/><br/>This time, the one he was looking at had a mischievous grin on him and gave off a creepy aura.  Compared to him now, the one in the portrait had shorter hair, cleanly cut, and had less defined facial features.  Well, it had been a while so that did not come as a surprise.  This younger version of himself reminded Akira of his immaturity.<br/><br/>"What about him?" this time the female scout asked.<br/><br/>Akira found it hard not to chuckle.  Was it really that hard to tell?  Well, even<span style="font-style: italic">Master Lethe</span>thought he was a woman before.  The pair of scouts exchanged confused looks with each other before turning their gaze back to Akira, who had just now recovered from his amusement.<br/><br/>"Here, this is for you." he handed the male scout a piece of folded paper, "It might come in handy in the future." he winked and smiled mischievously as he turned towards the female scout. "As for you my dear, you should confess to him," he nodded towards her male companion, "he's not going to do it if you keep waiting." he said to her, watching the female scout turn bright red.  Satisfied, he chuckled and turned around, "Thanks for the tour, I can find my way from here." he waved a hand at the two behind him.<br/><br/>The perplexed scouts looked at the portrait and then at the back of the man they just showed around.  Just then did it struck both of them; that mischievous smile earlier was remarkably similar..<br/><br/>"Hey... do you think... it's him?" the female scout wondered out loud.<br/><br/>"36-24-36..." the male scout mumbled, mostly to himself while looking at the contents of the paper given to him.  He had heard the rumors about this one particular scout in the portrait, about his achievements and his love for...<span style="font-style: italic">figures</span>.  "Yeah... it's him." he mouthed off in disbelief.<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day 20th of Month 4: Grand Cathedral - Cleric Division</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Today was a very special day for the Cleric Division. Preparations for a grand welcome underwent final touches as the Grand Cathedral bells tolled eight in the morning.  An old soul, Head Cleric Heidie, instead of being chained to her office chair, waited eagerly at the front of their division hall. Her expectant green hues stayed trained at the end of the expanse between their hall and the gates.  Word has apparently reached her ears that a certain young cleric—the greatest in her opinion—had re-enlisted.  She would greet this one personally.<br/><br/>A flock of her subordinates gathered behind her back, sharing a feeling akin to what their Head Cleric had; only it was more of a curious nature.<br/><br/>When an image of a female clad in white and blue tones graced their vision, whispers began within the flock of clerics behind Heidie.  Some of them recognized her, but for the most who didn't?  Their Head Cleric chuckled quietly at their questions: Who was she?  Why would our Head Cleric greet her personally?  What made her special to receive this kind of welcome?  They obviously wouldn't know.<br/>She was the one who drastically improved their Art of Healing and changed their clerical standards.  She was the very same one who created Divine Sanctuary, the pinnacle of their healing arts.  She was also their first ever battle-cleric, and her name is Cora Dalyngridge, their<span style="font-style: italic">Dove of Light</span>.<br/><br/>Unable to contain the excitement in her legs, Heidie hurried down the short flight of steps followed closely by her subordinates to meet Cora halfway.  Her bright smile was the first to greet Cora, trailed by her extended and opened arms.  Heidie did not give Cora the chance to speak and simply enveloped the smaller woman in a warm and welcoming embrace.  "I am so glad that you came back, Cora." she said with shaky tone, unmistakably overjoyed and on the verge of tears, "You have been missed dearly." she added and hugged the younger cleric tighter; a testament to her emotions.<br/><br/>The plethora of Heidie's subordinates greeted her as well in unison, but they could only stare at the tender moment between the two after.<br/><br/>Unable to speak coherently while being smothered by the Head Cleric's embrace, Cora patiently waited for Heidie to let go.  When she did, her coffee-colored eyes met Heidie's green ones followed by an equally bright smile, "I missed you too Lady Hei—no," she caught herself before she blurted her words out casually. She had re-enlisted; a poor show of decorum was unacceptable. "it's Head Cleric Heidie to me now." Cora corrected herself followed by a light bow of her head.<br/><br/>"Oh shush! Nonsense!" Heidie dismissed her attempt at formality, "Don't you dare go stiff on me now! I've had enough of that from my body alone." she chuckled and reached for Cora's hands. "Come, a lot has changed since you left." she tugged the younger woman along, "I'd personally show you around."<br/><br/>"I would love that!" Cora conveyed her excitement as she walked side by side with Heidie.  Now given time to look around, her eyes wandered over this old place, taking in the changes that were easily noticeable such as the bigger and wider courtyard; even the division hall itself was now bigger than she last remembered.  She had only stayed a good nine months when the Cleric Division had first been re-established on Gless and with that, her memories of old about this place only served to strengthen the notion of<span style="font-style: italic">change</span>Head Cleric Heidie spoke of.<br/><br/>"Wow..." Cora mumbled beneath her breath, she turned her gaze towards Heidie with surprised eyes, "I know you said<span style="font-style: italic">a lot</span>has changed but.. this is too much!" she continued in astonishment, gaze turning back towards the renovated and redesigned areas.<br/><br/>"Well," Heidie drew the word out, "Remember when Master Guilford used to arm-wrestle with the High Council about increasing the resource allocation and funding that we've been receiving? And how it always ended up denied?" she asked her returnee and received a nod in response, "When he learned about your resignation from service, he<span style="font-style: italic">passionately forced</span>the High Council to give in to his demands. I don't know what he said but it worked!" Heidie exclaimed, clearly still in disbelief about how their male Seraph went about it.  "I also heard that Master Lethe had a hand in it too, saying that:<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: silver">Our Clerics should not be neglected</span></span>," Heidie tried to playfully mimic the tone and manner of speech by their female Seraph.<br/><br/>It was news to her but Cora laughed at the mediocre mimicking attempt by their Head Cleric, as did the older woman.  Of course the real Lethe—the real<span style="font-style: italic">Master</span>Lethe (given her manners and eloquence which she experienced firsthand) obviously sounded a lot more dignified and composed.  Cora smiled at the thought, perhaps she had given Master Lethe far too little credit than she obviously deserved.  With this, perhaps it wouldn't be too difficult to see that woman in a new light, perhaps they could even be friends.  Not that she was planning on immediately doing so but still, it was enough for her to realize she was not entirely adverse to the idea.  Her smile lingered as she and Heidie fell into easy chatter while touring the much improved Cleric Division.<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day 20th of Month 4: Lindela - District 5</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Seven knights found themselves gathered before District Five's northern gates.  They were armed, mounted, well-stocked, and ready to leave for a search and destroy mission; except a squad should have eight knights total and they were missing one.  Lance, the squad captain, turned his head to look back at his knights, unsurprised by the fact that his Vice Captain was the one missing.  Thoughts of his wandered back to their last<span style="font-style: italic">interaction</span>...<br/><br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>He was <span style="font-style: italic">that</span> man?!  Yulia couldn't believe what she just heard.  How could he do this to her?!  He knew!  By the Light he knew what he had done and yet he still had the impertinence to take her under his wings?!  Her hands trembled, more so with the steadily increasing amount of rage that nestled easily in her heart.  Why would he do this?  What was this man trying to accomplish?  What was he hoping to get out of her by pulling this stunt?  What was he after?  Was it forgiveness?!  Atonement?!  Deliverance?!!  Or was it the fact that he took pleasure in making a fool out of people?!  Once again, the tears she had fought back so hard emerged from her eyes.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">..She could make him bleed..</span><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic">..She could make him feel her hatred..</span></div><br/><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic">..She could make him realize her pain..</span></div><br/><br/>Yulia suddenly rose from her seat; only the whispers of her silent sobs heard within the room's quiet air.  It would have helped her make a decision should this man chose to have kept talking... but why?!  Why had he chosen to remain silent?!  He should have defended himself!  Or even tried to make up excuses!  But he didn't.  <span style="font-style: italic">Why</span>?!  Yulia felt her heart getting crushed by his and her sadness combined.  His eyes still stared at her, those sad, regret-filled eyes that said nothing but 'sorry' in the subtlest of ways... she couldn't stand them!  There was nothing that he could have said or done to bring her brother back!  Absolutely nothing!<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><div style="text-align: right;">..She would make him bleed..</div></span><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><div style="text-align: center;">..She would make him feel her hatred..</div></span><br/><span style="font-style: italic">..She would make him realize her pain..</span><br/><br/>Conscious thought absent, Yulia made her way around the desk to where her Captain was seated until he was within her reach.  Her hands were clenched tightly, an evidence of how much effort she put to control her emotions visible with the way they trembled.  He had followed her with his doleful gaze and when their eyes met; the look in his eyes made her flinch given the thought she had nurtured in mind.  No! She cannot—would not—be stopped!  More than anything, he at least deserved this much if not more... right? She was allowed to do this much to him at least right?!<br/><br/>In the midst of her confused thoughts, Yulia ceased from trying to justify the next action she would take..<br/><br/>She pulled her right fist back—never in her life had they ever felt so light!  Before she realized the possible consequences of what she was about to do, she had already taken a step back and threw a punch, with all of her powerful emotions (and full weight) behind it.  Much to her surprise, her Captain had not flinched or blinked!  The same doleful gaze he had only relieved itself from her when her fist landed squarely on his jaw.  Just one punch and she was already out of breath.   She heaved while she desperately fought her tears back to no avail; they just kept falling and falling.  When she pulled her arm back, her Captain turned to look at her again, (blood trickling down the corner of his mouth) without any visible change in the emotion his eyes harbored.  He still refused to talk, and he still disgusted her.<br/><br/>Unable to stand having been in his presence any longer, Yulia hastily grabbed the two necklaces on top of her Captain's desk. These were the only things that served as witnesses to this event.  She quickly turned and tried to storm out of the room, only to be stopped by his voice when she finally got to the door.<br/><br/>"Yulia!"<br/><br/>She did not bother to turn and look.<br/><br/>"I made a promise to Yael... and I intend to keep it."<br/><br/>Yulia scoffed.  What value was there to a coward's promise?</div></blockquote><br/><br/>There was no point in waiting any longer, Lance knew she would not come.  He had expected this to happen, and he would not hold it against Yulia if she did not want to see his face or be anywhere near him.  With a deep breath, Lance unconsciously brought a hand up to his jaw, recoiling at the sting he felt when he touched the part that Yulia hit.  This was an insignificant payment for what he did to her.<br/><br/>Resolve steeled, Lance faced forward and nodded at the gate keepers.  Moments later, District Five's gates slowly opened, letting out seven knights on horseback, headed towards the sector where the Reaper was last sighted.  Lance had learned of Lethe's knights doing a sweep in the other District, though this was clearly against Knight Commander Vicar's orders for his squad, he would not stand idly by.<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day 21 of Month 4: Grand Cathedral (Morning)</span></span><br/><br/>A hesitant knight walked the halls of the Cathedral's West wing.  Despite her mind's protests, she forcefully willed her legs forward, but the closer she got to Squad Eight's quarters, the harder the pounding of her heart became.  Right now, Fiona was thinking of ways to inform both Seraphs of the truth about her: the one that she kept secret for so long.<br/><br/>However, her moment of dread did not last long, for she was soon standing in front of the door that separated her from one of the Seraphs.  Fiona brought a shaky hand up to knock on the door.<br/><br/>“Captain, are you there?” she called, trying to make sure her voice wouldn’t crack under the tremendous apprehension she felt.<br/><br/>An audible response was her answer.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Yes, come in.”</span><br/><br/>Fiona felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of her Captain’s voice.  Of course he would be here!  Where else would he be?  Deep down, she had hoped he was out to train or was in a council meeting, or anywhere but here.  Sadly, reality bites.  Her shaky hand fell towards the knob, twisting it gently to open the thin wooden barrier that separated her from… their entire squad?  What were they doing here at this time? They should be out training!<br/><br/>Seven pairs of eyes turned towards her, some of them had hosting bewildered looks.  Why did she have to knock when it was clear she can walk in anytime?  She was a member of Squad Eight; this was her squad quarters too.  Fiona swallowed a gulp of air.  She couldn’t do this with them around.<br/><br/>“C-captain? May I… talk to you in private?” she requested, as meek as her voice sounded.<br/><br/>Puzzled, the male Seraph simply turned to the rest of his squad and nodded.  The lot of them filed out of the room until there was only the two of them left.<br/><br/>“Could you.. call Master Lethe too?”<br/><br/>Guilford’s puzzled expression became that of worry.  Lethe too?  Still, he said nothing but simply wrote a short note and handed it off to his carrier pigeon.  A stern look had it flying out the window and, he hoped, delivering it in a timely fashion.  It would seem Fiona wouldn’t start talking until both of them were actually here..<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/>There was a knock on the door before it opened, revealing a white-haired Knight.  Said Knight looked over the room curiously, spotting both her fellow Seraph and Fiona.<span style="color: silver">“You needed me, Gil?”</span>She had been talking with Adair and Valiar about their encounter yesterday when a familiar carrier pigeon had come fluttering in.  It had dropped the letter on her head before finding sanctuary in Adair’s hair.  Valiar’s amusement--at both her and Adair’s expenses--had her rolling her eyes until she’d opened the note.  Guilford wanted her to come to his quarters right away?  It had seemed important, enough so for him to use his pigeon at least, so she’d left her two squadmates to their own devices.  And now, she was standing at the edge of Squad Eight’s Quarters, the room empty save her, Guilford, and Fiona.  What did Guilford want to share that needed to be said in Fiona’s presence?<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Please have a seat. Fiona wants to talk to us.”</span>he said, finding himself a spot to remain standing. Whatever his knight wanted to talk to<span style="font-style: italic">both</span>of them about felt too disturbing for him to stay still.<br/><br/>Lethe lifted an eyebrow in response but said nothing more, slipping into the room and letting the door slide shut behind her.  She took a seat on the couch opposite Fiona, close to where Gil was brooding.  Lifting one hand, she traced familiar runes into the air even as Gil activated his room’s privacy wards.  She had a feeling this wasn’t a conversation meant for prying ears.<br/><br/>Fiona eyed Master Lethe as she strolled into the room, into the comfort of the couch directly across her.  She then felt the effects of privacy wards being activated by her Captain, boosted by Master Lethe's own; it made her feel a little bit of relief for what its worth.  She swallowed a dry gulp of air, as she had done so many times since she decided to tell them the truth.  Her Captain staying silent only added to the pressure she already felt.  She needed to speak, to get this over with..<br/><br/>“Captain.. Master Lethe.. I,” she paused, finding it odd that her words seem to have gone with the wind.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Fiona, Master Lethe and I don’t have all day. Out with it.”</span>It sounded more like an order, making the female knight stiffen.<span style="color: silver"> “Take your time, Fiona.”</span>Lethe said immediately after she shot a glare at Guilford.<span style="color: silver"> “I’m sure whatever you have to say is difficult?”</span>Her attention turned to the Knight across from her, regretting not choosing a seat next to the clearly uncomfortable woman.<br/><br/>If only it was that easy! Fiona wanted to cry.  “T-t-the.. God of Sin.. has been revived…”<br/><br/>Any concern for Fiona froze at the words the brunette whispered.  The God of Sin.. had been<span style="font-style: italic">revived</span>?  For a moment, all Lethe could remember was the terrifying presence of the God of Sin, the final battlefield where fellow Knights had died like cattle to the slaughter.  He.. was<span style="font-style: italic">back</span>?<br/><br/>The color drained from Guilford’s face.  Whatever thoughts he had about investigating Abel and La Gamme instantly took the back seat.  The words from Fiona were something he never expected to hear in his lifetime again.  Fighting the God of Sin once was enough to instill fear into his heart.  He knew just how terrifying that… that thing was and now his knight was saying that it’s back?!<br/><br/>“and it’s… because of me..” Tears began to fall.  Fiona was so distraught with her confession, she hadn’t seen the effect her words had made on the two people across from her.  Though she wasn’t sobbing much, her breathing was still labored, “I am the one that made his return possible.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Made it.. possible? How?!”</span>Panic warped his normally composed tone; he was clearly unsettled.<br/><br/>“They captured me b-because I am a des-descendant of the Pure..” Fiona wailed, now unsure of the next words she should say.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Excuse me.”</span>Lethe interrupted, clearly not having heard any of the exchange between Guilford and Fiona.  The white-haired Knight abruptly got to her feet and paced to one of the windows.  The God of Sin was back.  They knew something was coming, but for it to be the God of Sin to be back?  The light shining in from the window couldn’t pierce the ice that had settled around her.  As if Eve hadn’t been enough; as if Palaugrim hadn’t been enough: now there was the God of Sin as well.<br/><br/>In front of unseeing eyes, memories of the First War danced.  Estella. Daria. Nights carried only by resolution.  Too many brushes with death.  How many had died the first time?  How many would die this time?<span style="font-style: italic">Divine Light, guide us safely through these hardships.</span>The words came without conscious thought; how long had these prayers given her the strength to keep going?<span style="font-style: italic">“The Divine Light never asks more from you than you can bear.  Don’t fear, it is always beside you.”</span>Grisia’s words echoed in her mind, enough to give her the conviction to open her eyes once more.  The God of Sin was back; alright then.  This must have been the premonition they’d felt last month.<br/><br/>When Lethe turned back once more, her face was no longer ashen.<span style="color: silver"> “I apologize, could you repeat what you just said, Fiona?”</span>She took a place at the center of the room once more, leaning against Guilford’s desk.<br/><br/>Master Lethe wanted to hear what she just said<span style="font-style: italic">again</span>? As if saying it the first time had not been hard enough! Still, it might have been shocking for both Seraphs to learn of this news.  Only now was Fiona noticing her Captain’s wide eyes and Master Lethe’s.. recess.  Fiona, after a deep breath to recenter herself, rephrased her story: “The God of Sin was revived because of me.” Her words were firmer, no longer accompanied by any tears.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><div style="text-align: center;">“There’s no use crying over spilled milk, Fiona.”</div></span><br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “And this is because..”</span>Lethe prompted.  There was no way the blood of any ordinary Knight would have revived the God of Sin; otherwise, he would have been back years ago.<br/><br/>“Because I was captured. Because I am a direct descendant of the Pure. My blood made it possible through the Rite of Creation.” The brunette was coherent now, as if Master Lethe’s composure had rubbed off on her.<br/><br/>Guilford was still in the process of piecing the puzzle together when Fiona’s answers gave him the final pieces that he needed.  Direct descendant of the Pure?  Rite of Creation?  Those did not matter so much as the fact that they now knew about the God of Sin.  The real question was..<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Can we win this time?”</span>he voiced out loud, his gaze falling towards Lethe questioningly.  He knew how much it took to defeat the God of Sin the first time, and right now.. they didn’t have it.<br/><br/>Blue eyes looked from Fiona to Guilford, her silence response enough.  No, as they were right now she didn’t think they could win.  But she wouldn’t admit such a thing in front of any of her Knights.<span style="color: silver"> “I think the better question is what do you mean about being a descendant of the Pure, Fiona?  And what is this about the Rite of Creation?”</span><br/><br/>Fiona looked away from both Seraphs, no longer able to meet their eyes again.  “My lineage is, as I said, directly from the Pure.  Our community lives a secluded life, away from everything involving the surface world.. the rest of the world,” she clarified with a vague motion at the air around them.  She took another deep breath before continuing, “You could say, it is our bloodline that created the Immaculate..” she turned to meet Master Lethe’s eyes.  “And the Rite of Creation is an ancient spell used to create life, the very same spell that shaped this world in the beginning.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “And this spell can be used to revive the God of Sin… indefinitely?”</span><br/><br/>A sad expression befell her features, “No Master Lethe, the Rite of Creation needs the blood of a Pure as offering in order for it to work.  The Rite of Creation used to revive the God of Sin was a perverted version that used my blood.. it is also the cause of the disturbance in the Divine Realm that most of us felt.” she responded, shoulders slumping at the memory of her capture.  None of this would have happened if.. if…<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“So your capture was related to the God of Sin’s revival…”</span>Guilford concluded, shocked at the revelation.  Now it made sense!  That cloaked woman said<span style="font-style: italic">if they don’t get her back</span>, which made him believe they had averted that danger. They<span style="font-style: italic">had</span>gotten Fiona back but if blood was the only needed catalyst… Guilford sighed.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “But as long as the Pure are around, the chance of the God of Sin returning remains.”</span>Lethe mused aloud even as Guilford came to his own conclusions.<br/><br/>“And that is exactly why we live a life of seclusion, Master Lethe, as our ideals dictated.  We were..<span style="font-style: italic">I</span>was not supposed to be here in the first place.. none of us are allowed to intervene anymore after entrusting this world to your generation.” She bitterly repeated the words that had been dictated to her since birth.  She’d always thought them just an excuse to be complacent, to do nothing while the rest of the world struggled.  Now she knew the truth.  “If only I hadn’t been so stubborn with wanting to change this world..” she trailed off, guilt clogging her throat and memories of the past now free flowing in her mind.  “The Pure, our community, always watched the worldly events… staying neutral through it all.  I couldn’t stand it.. that’s why I left and became a knight.”  A vicious sound echoed through the room, a mockery of a laugh, “and now look what I’ve accomplished.”<br/><br/>Guilford looked down on the carpeted floor.  His thoughts lingered more towards the many branches this war could—would—take now that the God of Sin walked the earth once more.  Blame, responsibility, reasons: none of those mattered now.  Immediate action was what they needed, but what could they really do?  The knighthood, in its current state, was not up to par with the dark times that just turned darker.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “What’s done is done.”</span>Lethe broke the silence, voice more cold than she would have liked.  She couldn’t blame Fiona for wanting to make a change in the world; after all, wasn’t that why<span style="font-style: italic">she</span>was a Knight as well?  Wasn’t that why all of her squad had chosen Knighthood? It was just this time, such a choice had such terrible consequences.<span style="color: silver">“We can only look forwards now.  Knight Fiona, is there anything else you need to share with us?”</span><br/><br/>“Yes.” the answer was immediate.  Irene had been kind enough to act as her bridge to their community.  She was grateful for her assistance, and for giving her a bit of hope. “When the Rising took place, my people also imparted another gift to your generation,” she looked at both Seraphs before her, “It was the Rite of Ascension.” before, she had no idea about how the Seraphs became more powerful than any of the current knights in service, until Irene revealed this information to her.<br/><br/>Guilford’s brow twitched at the mention of the familiar rite.  Nobody but the Council and them knew about it.  It was the ritual both he and Lethe had undertaken a few days after they have received their title.<br/><br/>“It’s incomplete.” Fiona added, pulling out what seemed like a page of ancient writing from her pouch. “Please, take this..” she offered, unfurling it so they could see the printed text, “it’s the final phase of the Rite of Ascension, my people’s last gift to your generation.”<br/><br/>Curious eyes laid upon the supposed<span style="font-style: italic">final phase</span>of the rite.  Is this supposed to help them now?  Skeptical, Guilford approached her and took the page, examining it only to learn that majority of what was written.. he could not understand. He was about to ask when Fiona suddenly stood up and bowed before him..<br/><br/>“Captain… may I take my leave?” she sounded pleading, “I need to gather my thoughts too.”<br/>Gil looked at Lethe, asking his fellow Seraph for her opinion. He was not in this alone..<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Dismissed, Knight Fiona.”</span>Lethe replied, as distant as ever.<span style="color: silver">“I’m sure it goes without saying, please do not spread this news around.  If there’s any other information you can relay to us, Guilford and I are available at any time.”</span><br/><br/>Fiona bowed in respect.  She understood the weight this information had more than any other knight.  She did not say a word more but simply hurried out the door.<br/><br/>Guilford deflated after Fiona had left their quarters,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Lights above..”</span>he looked out the window, unsure if he even had the right mindset to come up with a plan.<br/><br/>Lethe similarly seemed to deflate once the door closed behind the brunette.  Silence lingered in the air as both Seraphs attempted to make sense of the bombshell that had just been dropped upon them.<span style="color: silver"> “Well…”</span>The white-haired Knight spoke up, barely keeping the curse that wanted to escape from being said.  She’d spent way too much time with Cricket it seemed.<span style="color: silver">“Now what?”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“<span style="font-style: italic">Now what</span> indeed…”</span>the male Seraph mumbled thoughtlessly as he made his way back to his desk.  None of them expected this, and it came at a pretty bad time.  His thoughts were scrambled, his priorities in disarray.  Just what was the right thing to do?!  He felt himself start to feel the frustration when..<br/><br/>Lethe reached out a hand, grabbing Guilford’s as he walked past.  Giving it a squeeze, a futile attempt at comfort, she let it drop and then pushed off the desk, moving to grab one of the chairs loitering around and relocate it in front of the desk.  However, instead of sitting on it, she leaned against the back of the chair, too antsy to be still just yet.<span style="color: silver"> “First things first then.. who do we tell?”</span>Implicit in the question was the fact they weren’t telling everyone just yet.<br/><br/>Guilford felt the light squeeze in his hand.  As comforting as it felt, the problem ahead of them easily robbed him of it.  His thoughts began to drift back to the time when just the two of them fought the God of Sin.  They were battered, bruised, pushed to the edge! Up to this day, their survival was a miracle to him.  The chair behind his desk did not look too inviting.  Guilford simply threw the writing given to him atop his desk and turned towards Lethe.  What should they tell? Simple..<span style="color: #0080FF">“Nothing as of now. Not without a plan of action.”</span>he frowned.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Don’t be stupid.”</span>She replied immediately with a frown of her own.<span style="color: silver"> “We’re good but we’re not <span style="font-style: italic">that</span> good Gil.  You think between the two of us we’ll somehow find a way to defeat the God of Sin?”</span><br/><br/>He sighed in return; she made sense with her words.<span style="color: #0080FF">“I… want to believe we could.. I..”</span>he trailed off, feeling more lost than he already was.<span style="color: #0080FF">“I just don’t know anymore..”</span>he eyed the document left by Fiona.  Was there hope lying in there somewhere?<br/><br/>Her sigh echoed his.<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #0080FF">“I’m afraid that I will lead those who follow me to their deaths.”</span></span>His confession from Bryn suddenly rang in her ears, a reminder of the fears he carried.  Lethe closed her eyes, fighting the frustration that wanted to rise within her.  They were both just humans.  She knew that the best.  But if Gil was too scared to do so.. Her next exhale was less a sigh and more a resolution.  She’d have to do it herself then.<span style="color: silver"> “We’ll need to inform Cornelius at least.. And I think it would do us well to tell Abel and Master Jung as well.”</span>Her distaste for her former captain came second to harsh reality.<span style="color: silver">“Thankfully the veterans have started returning; with Master Jung, we can coordinate a new training regime and put all the Knights through it.  Also..”</span>She paused and then looked at Guilford’s bowed head.<span style="color: silver">“We need to consider successors in case either of us die.”</span><br/><br/>A long silence elapsed between them after Lethe’s final words,<span style="font-style: italic">in case either of them die</span>.  It was the truth.  What were the chances of them surviving a second time when the first felt miraculous enough?  Still, her words before that brought a semblance of composure back to him.  He was on the verge of crumbling and Lethe caught him just in the nick of time.  Of course! Seraphs should be on top of things, Seraphs should never waver even in the face of their greatest adversary.  Guilford let out the last sigh that lingered at the tip of his tongue.<span style="font-style: italic">Focus!</span>What would he have done if she was not around?  A breath later and he was on his way to her, a relieved smile on his lips.  How did she have answers when he didn’t?  He wanted to laugh at himself but mostly felt grateful to have been brought back to his senses.<br/><br/>He stood in front of her, purple eyes meeting blue ones.<span style="color: #0080FF">“You’re right. Let’s do what we can.”</span>simple, yet they were the only words he had to say.<br/><br/>A bemused look crossed Lethe’s face, clearly not understanding where her partner’s relief was coming from but still pleased that he no longer seemed lost in despair.<span style="color: silver"> “Yes,”</span>she agreed,<span style="color: silver">“let’s.”</span><br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day 21st of Month 4: Gless - Caleta (afternoon)</span></span><br/><br/><br/>A female knight and a scout walked around town aimlessly, with an apparent silence that lingered between the two of them, to be broken only with the passage of another knight squad, or from the people of town that greeted them along the way.  Fiona had asked Akira if he had time to keep her company for a while via her carrier pigeon.  She had wanted to talk to him—to thank him—but now that he's here with her, her words appeared to have run off again, and his quietude was not helping.  Well, she had known he was naturally quiet, but just this once she wanted him to talk—to say anything!<br/><br/>Her heart pounded just at the sight of him, her chest tightened with the words she struggled to say, even when her mind was filled about her thoughts of him.  Strangely enough, she felt comfortable.  Having him near her like this, she felt calm and composed... she felt safe.  This man had that effect on her.  Perhaps it was because he was the first person ever to have done so much for her that left a great impact, despite having known him for only a short while.  She was thankful for him coming to her life, and she would be eternally grateful she had met this man.<br/><br/>By the time she had gathered enough courage to talk to him, she had found themselves outside town, walking the road that led to either Xedia or Danaon.  Fiona stopped in her tracks, she was still on duty, she can't be loitering around.<br/><br/>"I'm glad..." she mumbled, causing the man that walked with her to stop as well.  Their eyes met when Akira turned to face her, the look he had was asking her to continue.  Unable to keep their gaze, Fiona looked to the side before she continued, "I'm glad that we met... I'm glad that you were there that night."<br/><br/>Akira exhaled to a smile, "Think nothing of it.  I am mostly in the wrong place at the right time—it's my job to be."<br/><br/>Fiona's cheeks turned rose-red, and it forced her to look away to hide it from him.  He probably noticed the difficulty she had in talking to him which made his first words that of comfort.  Of course, he's a scout! Gathering intel and observing was his bread and butter.<br/><br/>"I wanted to at least thank you properly..." she said, trying her hardest to get rid of the gentle warmth in her cheeks. "If it wasn't for you, I never would have found the courage to talk to the Captain and Master Lethe."<br/><br/>Her words made Akira raise a brow, but he said nothing.  So the two Seraphs already know?  Good.  The sooner they did, the more time they could prepare.  Akira felt proud of the female knight with him, it was risky considering the gravity of the situation, but also a good thing he gave her the chance to settle her inner conflict.  He couldn't be more happy.<br/><br/>"I'll tell the rest of our squad tonight after dinner too.  I wanted to at least save the Captain's time by doing this for him." now she was looking back at Akira, cheeks having returned to their normal color.  "Would you... care to join us for dinner?" it took all her mustered courage to ask, "well... me... mostly..." she looked away a second time, pretty sure that her cheeks were red again.<br/><br/>A gentle smile crept its way to Akira's face.  He would love to, but not tonight.  "Sorry Fiona, I have a mission tonight and I need to prepare. Also, I won't be back any time soon so... I can't.." he trailed off, having caught Fiona's slightly disappointed look, "but will you hold that thought?" Akira immediately added, "I'd love to have dinner with you once I get back."<br/><br/>She wasn't sure why, but his words made her smile.  Of course, Akira had re-enlisted.  Given his reputation as a Scout, it's only natural that he would be assigned to a mission as early as the next day.  "I see, then I will hold you to it." she said with a smile, "Where are you off to?" she asked out of curiosity.<br/><br/>"The Barrens." the life in his tone faded at the mention of his destination.<br/><br/>"O-oh..." Fiona replied with the same tone.  She felt bad that Akira was already on a dangerous mission but.. they can't be picky at a time like this.  Fiona took off her right gauntlet, followed by the red ring she wore.  She placed said ring in the palm of her hand and closed her eyes.  She then began a chant that used a language that Akira couldn't understand.  Seconds later, she offered the ring to him. "Please, take this with you.. it's the least I can do."<br/><br/>"You're.. not going to tell me what it'll do?" Akira looked unsure.<br/><br/>"It's better if you don't know. Just keep it would you?  I'd want that back when you return." Fiona demanded, "that ring is like a part of me."<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">"Good Light! Just take the ring and say I do and then kiss her Akira!"</span></span><br/><br/>The shout came from behind a bush not far from where Akira and Fiona stood talking.  The voice belonged to Alona...<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">"You better give her a ring too when you get back!"</span></span><br/><br/>...and Silver too?<br/><br/>Akira sighed, now Fiona couldn't look him in the eyes.  It was such a perfect moment too!  "S-sorry about that.. I'll bring your ring back, I promise."<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day 21st of Month 4: Grand Cathedral (night)</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Alfrei grumpily walked the Western halls of the Grand Cathedral, his destination was squad eight's quarters.  In his mind, he was still trying to figure out why he was the one that got stuck with fetching missing squad mates?  He was<span style="font-style: italic">the</span>Vice Captain right?  His duties were supposed to be 'Acting Captain' in case Captain Guilford was not around—which he wasn't in this case!  He had the power to assign mundane tasks like these to anyone below his rank, so why was he... Alfrei sighed heavily.  What point was there left in wondering when he was already here?  He took the final step toward their squad quarters' door, he stopped and reached a hand out for the knob, only for it to recoil suddenly upon hearing two voices talking—hushed but there were some audible words.  Alfrei held his breath and listened...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Hyu...at's...too big!"</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"..old sti...Nat!"</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Ahh! No! Hyu!...aht's...ot...goi...to fit!"</span><br/><br/>What in the Light's name..?!<span style="font-style: italic">Too big?</span><span style="font-style: italic">Won't fit?!</span>Before Alfrei realized it, his cheeks had already become flushed with the gentle heat that came in waves.  His outstretched arm rocked back and forth within the small space between him and the door knob.  The notion of<span style="font-style: italic">Privacy</span>kept him from opening the door, while the notion of<span style="font-style: italic">Duty</span>he felt about being responsible for their squad's actions roared at him to barge in.  Ultimately, the war between two notions in his mind left him at a standstill; a state of indecision.  Alfrei squeezed his eyes shut, yelling silently at himself to make up his mind.  He felt like a fool for being immobilized in the face of a door as his opponent.  By the Light he was their Vice Captain!  But what should he do?  What would their Captain do?  This was strawberry time—not something he was entirely used to dealing with!  If the Captain found out about this—and in their squad quarters too!  Better him than the Captain.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"...ust... ittle... mor...there!"</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"...ouch!"</span><br/><br/>The little yelp he heard from Natalia made the blonde knight's green eyes snap open.<span style="font-style: italic">"Alright that's it! I'm going in!"</span>, he resolutely said to himself and grabbed the knob.  He twisted it—with more force than he intended to use—before he pushed the door open and stormed in.<br/><br/>He was just in time to see... Hyuga treating Natalia's right index finger with his healing magic??  It would seem she managed to cut it on something sharp.  The feverish feeling drained out of Alfrei completely, followed by a sigh of relief.  Two pairs of red hues snapped to his direction upon his brutish entrance that had just became uncalled for.  Both Hyuga and Natalia had questioning looks in their eyes.<br/><br/>"Uhh.." Alfrei struggled for words, "W-what were you guys doing..?" he forced the question out.<br/><br/>At the reminder of their recent success, Natalia and Hyuga tangled themselves together in a triumphant embrace, which caused their Vice Captain to put on a wry smile.  They may not have said anything but he can do well enough to understand what their actions meant; a big achievement.  Still, he wanted to know, if only for the sake of giving meaning to his rude entrance, "Uhh.. guys?" he followed up.<br/><br/>Hyuga (who was still hugging Natalia) turned his head to look at the inquisitive normal before them.  He smirked at his Vice Captain before saying, "Alas! It is far too complex for normals such as yourself."<br/><br/>Wait... Normals such as<span style="font-style: italic">himself</span>?  Hyuga called everybody Normals!  What made Natalia any different than him?!  A slightly stung Alfrei huffed, "Do I have to force it out of you two?" the Vice Captain in him asked, "There's only so much backtalk I will allow." he added.<br/><br/>As if his words yanked them out of Victory Land, Natalia broke free from Hyuga's arms and immediately spun on her heels towards Hyuga's work desk.  She swiftly snagged the glowing regalia quartz there and spun again to face her Vice Captain, "Ta-da!" she gleefully presented the item, introducing it after she struck a pose, "Behold! This is the Super Awesome NH Light Amplifier Quartz!"<br/><br/>"Wha..?" it took everything Alfrei had to keep himself from bursting with laughter.<span style="font-style: italic">What's with the ridiculous name?</span>, he wondered internally.  Upon regaining composure, he shot a glance towards the proud Hyuga, "What does it do?"<br/><br/>Hyuga confidently brushed a hand through his black hair and smirked.  He then snagged the quartz from Natalia's hand (despite her protests) and held it out for Alfrei to see.  Something inside the quartz made it glow a mesmerizing red light.  "As I have no doubt you are not consciously aware of," he began talking like he had no other choice but to do so, "removing taint from inanimate objects is an arduous task," he paused to make sure Alfrei was following, "The process itself requires a magnitude of contrasting power—our Holy Light—to achieve desired results, and there's only one object that would allow that..." he glanced at Natalia.<br/><br/>The female blonde tensed a bit upon realization that Hyuga was asking her to pick up where he left off.  She took a deep breath and returned with a confident expression, "Ergo the regalia quartz," she added, "Vice Captain, as you already know, this stone reacts only to the Light to bring out it's magic amplifying properties," she continued, "with this knowledge, we made use of the quartz and added it to our Faith Necklaces to aid us Knights with our magic reserves, making our magic stronger for less cost on our reserves."  Having said all those made Natalia feel really smart,  "And all that from only a small fragment of regalia quartz!" she yelped in excitement, "Imagine how much amplification we could achieve if we were to use this fist-sized quartz!"<br/><br/>"Okay.." Alfrei mumbled, "I see where this is going but what is the catalyst for that claimed amplification to take effect?" his eyes turned to Hyuga.<br/><br/>The Dreamer had an intense look, as if he was surprised by Alfrei picking up on their talk.  Well, they did use simpler terms easy to understand. "Light Crystals." he answered with a nod towards the quartz he held, "We 'stuffed'—as Nat said it—a Light Crystal charged to its maximum capacity inside this quartz," he continued, amused at himself and his female accomplice, "We just need to feed it a little more magic for it to break and trigger a burst of Light Magic. You couldn't even begi—"<br/><br/>"To what end?" Alfrei interrupted the Dreamer.<br/><br/>Hyuga momentarily scowled at the interruption but brushed it aside.  His gaze then turned back to his work desk to reveal the no longer tainted soil he had been keeping under seal protection. "This." his free hand moved over to the chunk of land.  "My dream just might come true with this." he smiled a hopeful one.<br/><br/>Alfrei chose not to say anything more.  This was their moment; it was bad enough he had to intrude.  With one last glance at the two, the Vice Captain took a breath, "Fiona invited us to dinner, she said she wanted to talk about something important. You two<span style="font-style: italic">must</span>come." he said and turned towards the doorway.<br/><br/>"By the way," he stopped just before stepping out, "You two look good together." he flashed a wink at the two who just now realized what they did earlier.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Juuuuuust sayiiiiiing!</span>their Vice Captain's voice echoed as he walked the halls.