<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day 28th of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral, Squad Eight Quarters</span></span><br/><br/><br/>"Captai—!" the words died out almost instantly at the sight of the male Seraph treating the numerous bruises that riddled his upper body.  Alfrei nearly busted down the door with his entrance, only to find his Captain with his top clothes off and forcing healing magic to the bruised parts of his body that he could easily reach.  A frown formed on his Captain's features as purple eyes slowly turned to meet his gaze. "Should I call for a cleric?" Alfrei asked, even when he knew it was a stupid question.  Their Captain could heal himself just fine but seeing how many injuries he sustained was worrying enough for the young Vice Captain.  For him to be battered like this even with his Providence on!  Just how strong was Master Lethe exactly?  And for their Captain to actually go out and wound Master Lethe too!?  Does these two even understand the concept of pulling punches? It was a sparring match for Light's sake!<br/><br/>The blonde knight shuddered at the mental image of him going against the female Seraph.<span style="font-style: italic">Not a chance Alfrei, you'd get pulverized</span>, he thought internally.<br/><br/>His thoughts however, were pulled away from his musing when the male Seraph suddenly decided to put his top clothes back on, even without finishing the treatment to his bruises.  He was just about to protest against the act when several bodies suddenly forced their way through the one entrance to their squad quarters.  The rest of Squad Eight had already come, and their Captain had just conveniently hidden his bruises beneath his clothes just in time to keep the others from seeing them.  Of course, he was a Seraph after all, he should show no weakness in front of his knights—especially to his own squad.  He was just about to say something but caught Guilford's strong gaze followed by the shaking of his head.<br/><br/>Alfrei could only swallow his words.<br/><br/>The brief silence that descended the group was shattered by Natalia.  "How could you lose?!" she grilled the blue-haired man, eyes wide in disbelief. "You could have won right? Right?!"<br/><br/>The male Seraph sighed.  The spar was fifty-fifty at best, and while it was true that he could have won, the same could be said to Lethe as well.  But it was also true that he did not capitalize on his advantages, despite Lethe having given him multiple chances to do so.  He sighed again at the memory, was he too soft on her?<span style="color: #0080FF">"It was a sparring match, Nat.  The goal was to open our eyes to our weaknesses and find ways to improve on them.  Don't think too deep into it.  That match was beneficial for both of us in more ways than one."</span>he finally said.  No, he was not too soft, he gave it his all and was defeated because he lacked something.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: silver"><span style="font-style: italic">"Thank you too Gil. It was fun..."</span></span></div><br/><br/>A faint smile lined his lips at the reminder of Lethe's words; he had not heard her say she had fun in a long time.<br/><br/>Natalia frowned at his words, though he said it that way, she was not used to seeing him lose. "But..." she began to mumble when Guilford stopped her with his own words before she could continue.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Like I said, for all intents and purposes, that match was not about winning or losing—it never was to begin with."</span>he walked his way to his desk chair and sat on it, ignoring the pain in his backside when he relaxed into his chair,<span style="color: #0080FF">"Now, why are you all here when I specifically gave all of you time off?"</span><br/><br/>The seven knights looked at each other upon the reminder that they were actually off-duty.  They had rushed here as fast as they could when they heard the news about their Seraphs sparring with each other.  Though they missed the opening of the match, they made it just in time to witness the middle up to the end, which turned out to be against their expectations.  In their silence and failure to provide a good enough reason for them to be here, the male Seraph smiled at his squad.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"As you can see, I'm quite alright. Now stop worrying and get out of here before I come up with tasks for all of you."</span>he threatened them with work on their free time.<br/><br/>Picking up on their Captain's lead, Alfrei sighed in defeat. He probably wanted to get back to healing himself alone, and the sooner they get out of here, the sooner he could heal up.  "Well guys? It looks to me like there's really nothing to be worried about," he huffed and turned to the other members of their squad, "Let's go make ourselves scarce before the Captain comes up with ridiculous tasks for us." he whispered in a low tone.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I heard that!"</span>Guilford butted in,<span style="color: #0080FF">"Now go before I really start thinking!"</span><br/><br/>One by one the skeptical members of squad eight filed out of the room, until only Alfrei was left behind.  He stood there, looking at his Captain who already started immersing himself with paperwork; it looked as if he wouldn't start healing himself around him even when he already saw his injuries.  With one last sigh, he turned around and went for the door.<br/><br/>The moment Alfrei stepped outside, he met a familiar cleric that blocked his path.  Lady Cora.  She had an inquisitive look that Alfrei could only interpret as a question whether their Captain was alright or not.  He shook his head sideways in response before politely excusing himself from Cora's presence.<br/><br/>The female Cleric watched Guilford's Vice Captain walk away until he was out of her sight.  After making sure there's nobody else around and checking if Guilford was the only one left inside the room, Cora took a breath and gently opened the doors.  She was greeted by a warm smile from her friend before he motioned for her to come in.  She sighed upon realizing that Guilford already knew she was outside; she even tried her hardest to keep her presence hidden!  So much for a cleric's stealth aptitude...<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"What can I do fo—"</span><br/><br/>"Let me take a look at you Gil." Cora abruptly cut him off, "You know you can't fool my eyes.  You took quite a beating in that match. Providence or not, there's just no way you came out of it unscathed."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I—"</span>Guilford trailed to a sigh, there's just no use hiding injuries from a cleric of Cora's caliber.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Shouldn't you be checking on Lethe first? I mean, compared to my injuries.."</span><br/><br/>Cora sighed as she approached the male Seraph, "In case you haven't noticed Gil, she was healing the<span style="font-style: italic">scratches</span>you gave her all throughout the match, and the only real injury you caused her was your second to the last attack—and even that was healed with ease." she informed him, "Unlike you who would rather heal himself in solitude, Master Lethe is already fine."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Ugh... You do know I can heal myself right? So why bother checking up on me?"</span>Guilford complained.<br/><br/>"And you do know I didn't re-enlist to twiddle my thumbs right?  Like it or not, Seraphs are at the top of a Cleric's priority list.  I know you don't agree with the privilege but I'm just doing my job. Should any other cleric come to take a look at you, I know you'd just send them away, so here I am." she explained, "The least you could do is stop making it hard for me and quit stalling!"<br/><br/>Guilford gulped drily, it wouldn't be wise of him to continue rejecting the offer, especially when Cora's aura began to feel somewhere short of becoming murderous.<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 29th of Month 4: Gless - Caletta</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Joaquim and Bianca's attention were pulled away from their breakfast at the sound of rushing footsteps coming down the stairs.  Moments later, the source revealed itself before them with a bright smile; a bouncing Jessiah was all dressed up for school and was raring to go.  He looked at both parents excitedly as he approached to join them for breakfast.  The moment he sat down, he immediately picked up his toast and took a big bite, seemingly decided to have his bread finished in five or six bites by Joaquim's count.<br/><br/>"Woah there champ, slow down! What's the rush?" Joaquim tried to ease his son's hyperactivity, "School's not until forty minutes." he added.<br/><br/>Jessiah forcefully swallowed his third bite, leaving a mess of crumbs at the corners of his mouth.  His eyes beamed at his father, another excited smile widening his lips, "Today is the day father!" he exclaimed in near-uncontrollable glee, "Our school will be touring the Pristine Knight Academy! And the Grand Cathedral, and we'll get to see Master Guilford and Master Lethe—"<br/><br/>Their son's excitement was momentarily broken by Bianca who was already busy wiping the crumbs out of the corners of Jessiah's mouth.  "Now, now, Jessiah, this future Pristine Knight should first learn how to keep himself clean at all times don't you think? It would be a bad impression if the people see your breakfast get away from you." she giggled.<br/><br/>Joaquim nodded approvingly and took a sip from his coffee, "Your mother is right son." he smiled at him, "Pristine Knights not only defend the people, but they also serve to be role models for the young ones. Table manners is a start."<br/><br/>Jessiah pouted for a moment but conceded with a smile nonetheless.  He wanted to be the best Pristine Knight there ever was, and if both his parents were pointing him in the right direction, then he would wholeheartedly accept their guidance.  He began eating slower now, but still held that burning excitement in his eyes.<br/><br/>"Like father, like son." Bianca smiled at the two lovingly.<br/><br/>Joaquim cleared his throat at the comment, "I can defeat my bread just fine<span style="font-style: italic">without</span>a mess, thank you."<br/><br/>Ten minutes later and Jessiah had already finished his breakfast.  He was just about to step out of the door when Joaquim called for his attention, "Want me to drop you off at school? Your father is free today." he tempted the young boy, knowing his offer would be pretty much declined. Nowadays, picking him up after school was the only thing Jessiah would allow any of them to do, and pretty soon even that was going to come to an end.<br/><br/>As he suspected, Jessiah immediately shook his head, "I got this father! Don't worry about me!" he said and smiled at the two, "I'll be off then father, mother. See you later!"<br/><br/>Both parents waved goodbye as they watched their son head off to school, leaving the two of them some quiet time at the table.  Bianca was just about to clean up after breakfast when she suddenly felt a hand come rest atop her left one.  Teal eyes slowly turned their gaze towards her husband.  She recognized a serious look he harbored that she had not seen for a long, long time.  Bianca let go of the first dish she already held and turned her full attention to Joaquim, "It's about time you talked to me." she whispered in a low tone, letting her right hand come to rest on Joaquim's hand that already held her other. "What's wrong dear?" she put on the most comforting smile she could muster.<br/><br/>He had not been himself for the past few days, and Joaquim knew that.  His distance showed even when Dietrich came over a couple nights for dinner.  Though Bianca had not said anything about it, they had known each other long enough to understand silence between the two of them.  For the longest time, Bianca had always been the supportive one, always been the pillar of strength he looked upon in his times of need, and when their love bore fruit, they both became his life, her and Jessiah.  But now in these dark times, they would be the ones needing his support, him being their pillar of strength, and should he be (un)fortunate enough to be chosen to walk the future path laid out before him, (the path of a Seraph) all of that would simply not come to be.<br/><br/>He had seen what was demanded from a Seraph, understood the difficulty of the role—even with how easy both Masters Lethe and Guilford made it appear to be over the years.  For a family man such as himself, he had long given up taking on a role such as that.  But right now, in their Captain's words:<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #0080FF">"What the future currently holds is uncertain, and it is up to us to make the <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">right</span> <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">hard</span> necessary choices to mold and grasp a favorable one.  The God of Sin has been revived; those necessary choices are all we're going to get from here on out."</span></span>Even with Lance and Alona as his other nominees for the position, (obviously stronger knights than him) it was still of no comfort.  Joaquim took a deep breath, a sad smile lining his lips in the process.<br/><br/>"If I.. became a Seraph... what would you think?"<br/><br/>At the sudden question, Bianca tilted her head a little to the left in confusion but answered regardless, "Then the people working in the Grand Cathedral would have to deal with our hyperactive Jessiah on a daily basis." she giggled, "Why? Are you planning to overthrow your Captain?" she teased her husband.<br/><br/>Normally, her response and teasing would have earned a laugh out of him but now was not the appropriate time. "I've been... selected as a candidate for the position." the words came out of him a tad forced, "The Captain thinks I have what it takes to be a Seraph." he added.<br/><br/>The knowledge caught Bianca off-guard.  She hadn't expected to hear those words from him, let alone expect that her husband would be nominated for the Seraph position.  Even with her thoughts swirling into disarray, Bianca still managed to cling on to her composure, "That's great news!" a practiced assurance, with the goal of wanting to ease Joaquim's worries, "But... isn't Master Guilford a little too young to retire?"<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #0080FF">"In case I die, anyone from you three will have to take up the mantle."</span></span></div><br/><br/>Joaquim shook the thoughts away and smiled at his wife.  His Captain was ridiculously strong! There's just no way... he sighed.  Was he lying to himself?  They were talking about THE God of Sin, not just some overgrown Pure Sinner!<br/><br/>Though he prayed that day won't have to come at all, it would still be best to worry about it when and if it actually does come. "My love, he has done so much for all of us. It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to try his hand at a normal life after this second war." he smiled at her.  How could he bring himself to tell her his innermost thoughts and reasons? Joaquim apologized to her silently.  For now, all he could do was to continue giving their Captain his all for the upcoming battles.<br/><br/>His fears would have to take the backseat.<br/><br/>A necessary choice.<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/>"It's either you shape up, or you shape up! That's all there is to it!" Alona yelled at the downed knights she had been training, "And you dare call yourselves the<span style="font-style: italic">New Sword Squadron</span>?!" she sighed loudly, "You lot are going to make any of your predecessors cry at this level! I'm crying now!" she gave them the harsh truth. If she alone could take all of them down by herself, then there's no point in bringing them to combat with her. She wanted knights that did not need their backs watched, she needed true knights (not these sappy bunch in her team) and these guys were still too soft to her liking.<br/><br/>At the very least, the knights who have been rotating on and off Palaugrim were improving at a much better rate than those that got stuck on either Gless or Lindela.  Although training had always been a part of a Pristine Knight's duties, the ones left on Gless and Lindela adapted it to become routine, not something they'd rather do on their own to improve.  Peace had dulled their blades, and it did not sit well with the redhead; complacency gets a knight killed, especially now that the God of Sin was back.  She would hammer the basics into them again if she had to, it was the least she could do to ensure some of them would survive the upcoming battles.<br/><br/>From the sidelines, two pairs of eyes watched Alona maul her team repeatedly, cringing now and then every time Alona decided to hit a little harder than she should.<br/><br/>"She's plenty worked up. At the rate she's going, she might kill these knights before they even start to improve!" Cora commented drily, "It's not her who gets stuck healing—the least she could do is take it easy!" she began complaining, "And I could say the same to all the<span style="font-style: italic">veterans</span>that have taken up training the knights! The Sanctuary is already crowded as it stands!" she yammered on, getting frustrated at the notion of having to heal again for the rest of the day. Not that she hated healing at all, she just thought it would be prudent not to beat up their less experienced knights too much.  Perhaps this was an after-effect of having witnessed their Seraphs spar?  She didn't know.<br/><br/>Silver eyed his dear friend subtly; there was no denying that he too was a subject of her complaints.  While he was mostly committed to defensive training, he would often take advantage of openings he saw from any of the knights under his tutelage.  More often than not, it would always end up in a<span style="font-style: italic">painful realization</span>.  However, that was not without merit.  In his opinion, the sooner the knights realize their faults, the faster their road to improvement would be.  It was a gamble taken on by both Seraphs for having agreed on such radical training methods.  It may seem harsh, but to them—those who survived the First War—this much was normal.<br/><br/>"We both know why she's worked up." he said flatly, turning his gaze back towards the roaring Alona, "It's also pretty easy to tell what's going on in her head." he added, folding both arms above his chest, "The more capable knights I can produce, the lesser stress it would be for both Seraphs in the long run. I'm sure that's what she's thinking of now."<br/><br/>"Mmm. That's just like her isn't it?" Cora nodded in agreement, "While it's pretty obvious that she's undoubtedly in the top ten strongest knights within our ranks now, she lacks the desire or ambition for a higher position..."<br/><br/>"..and to be chosen for the Seraph position by Gil, she's probably feeling a lot of pressure right now." Silver picked up Cora's words, "It's no wonder she looks like she wants to run away."<br/><br/>Cora's gaze suddenly turned sullen at Silver's words.<span style="font-style: italic">To run away</span>, they already did it once, but now they don't have that luxury anymore; not with all that's been going on. "We can't do that... again. Not this time at least..." she mumbled.<br/><br/>Silver once again gazed at Cora from the corners of his eyes, just in time to catch the solemn look on her face, "Yeah. I know..."<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 29th of Month 4: Barrens</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Akira sped through the vast expanse of land before him, jumping left and right every so often to dodge bolts of Sin fired at him from behind by his pursuers.  He had hit the jackpot at the worst possible moment he could ever imagine.  He had found the stronghold of their enemy, and quite possibly where the God of Sin was camping out given how the amount of taint that surrounded that patch of land was terrifyingly potent and menacing.  However, that was not all.  He now possessed information about enemy troop movement and quite possibly, the target of such a large force.  This information needed to be passed on; it was far too valuable to lose now.  Still, his cursed luck was proving to be rather uncooperative.  Akira found himself wounded and on the run, with nothing but fumes to go on with, exhaustion at its peak, and magic reserves at a dangerous low.  He had already consumed the last bottle of Hyuga's Miracle Powder yesterday, with the idea of gathering more intel deep in enemy territory when his pursuers accidentally found him.<br/><br/>He had tried to engage them in an attempt to eliminate them and continue on with scouting, but that decision proved to be a near-fatal one; evidence was the wound on his right side that he couldn't even afford to heal properly.  Out of options, his only recourse would be to retreat, shake off his pursuers, and make it to the rendezvous point where his ride out of this Light forsaken place (assuming the Wyervia was still there given he was already delayed by a day) waited for him.<br/><br/>If only it was that easy.<br/><br/>He had taken the shortest route to their rendezvous point, ran with all his might, and still he could feel death ever so slowly creeping up on him.  He looked back at his pursuers, they were definitely not of the regular dish of evil normally served cold to them.  Far stronger than a Pure Sinner, and just a little above Reapers from Lance's account, these things chasing him around were definitely not that easy to deal with three to one.  But if he could manage to keep this distance between them up to his extraction point, he would be home free.  All it took now, was just a matter of time.<br/><br/>Cutting through a dead patch of trees, Akira ducked beneath low hanging dead branches, leaped over the consecutive boulders before his path, until he finally slid down an incline into open plains.  He was almost at the rendezvous point, he just needed to run the stretch a little longer and he could leave this forsaken wasteland behind.  Taking a moment to catch his breath, Akira looked back to check for his pursuers again; they were still ways away but he should not relax.  Turning his gaze back to the front, Akira willed his tired legs forward, dashing at full speed towards his escape.<br/><br/>Terror gripped his heart tightly the moment he finally got to his destination..<br/><br/>The Wyervia was nowhere to be seen, a fact that Akira refused to believe—refused to accept!  Wide eyes scanned the premise of their supposed rendezvous point repeatedly, only for more of the blatant and obvious truth to hit him in full impact.  The Wyervia was not there, and it was probably not coming given he was a day late from the appointed time. Akira looked back in horror, seeing his pursuers gaining on him from afar.<br/><br/>There was no escape, no salvation, and no reprieve.<br/><br/>An unfamiliar sensation wracked his body.  Akira only realized what that sensation was when his eyes looked down and saw how his hands badly trembled... it was<span style="font-style: italic">Despair</span>.  The black-haired man gritted his teeth, a dark expression settling on his face as he continued to sink into hopelessness.  He had failed, and the effect of this cause would be the lives of those people who subconsciously depended on them to do their job.  Trembling hands curled into fists, clenched tight enough for his knuckles to turn white.<span style="font-style: italic">'The Light never asks for more than what you can give'</span>, it was the one line always present in an Advocate's sermons during services, and yet why does it feel like such a lie right now?<br/><br/>What else could he give in this situation?  The only thing he had left in him now was his life!  Is this truly what the Light asks of him to do? Give up his life?  For what in return?  The information he had wouldn't be passed on, lives of those people and knights alike in Lindela would still be in danger!  In the end, he would accomplish nothing, gain nothing, and lose everything in the end.  Had this been a fool's errand all along?  How stupid of him to think he could pull off a solo mission right off the bat!  He began to doubt himself until a thought crossed his mind...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"I'd want that back when you return. That ring is like a part of me."</span><br/><br/>The trembling he felt earlier slowly dissipated at the thought, leaving him with only a sense of calm despite his unfavorable predicament.  Purple eyes slowly closed, and a faint smile played comfortably on his lips.  The tightly clenched fists he kept eased open; what was he doing standing there paralyzed in despair?  He was not alone after all.  The Light may not be looking out for him now, but<span style="font-style: italic">she</span>was!  He had a promise to keep, and that alone was enough for him to keep pressing forward. Akira opened his eyes once more and turned around to face his pursuers.  His hands slowly found the hilts of his daggers, drawing his weapons out as he took a fighting stance.<br/><br/>He would not die. Not now, and not here.<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 29th of Month 4: Lindela - District 5</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Morning.  It was not often that Lance had a day where he felt superstitious.  However, when and if there were days he felt unceremoniously superstitious, this was one of them.  Lance had a lot in mind, but somewhere in the middle of his thoughts, a nagging sensation he couldn't put a finger on kept rising up to notice.  This day felt completely off, like it was a calm before the storm, like he had misplaced something important, or like he had forgotten some crucial detail.  He had been contemplating on the recent nomination he received from Gil about being his successor should the need arise—and thinking of a way to avoid that if he could help it—when he started feeling anxious.<br/><br/>The morning had been unkind (for his squad) as usual when they went about their beefed up training routine.  As expected, Yulia still hadn't reported for duty yet, and he had already read Sigfried's suggestive letter regarding the younger Schneider twin being returned to him in good shape.  Well, he already screwed that part up.  There was no way in Light she would be in good shape after learning the truth behind the Lion.  Despite all that distraction he had, Lance still couldn't help but think that something was amiss.  His instincts kept telling him to prepare, his mind kept wandering to that ominous thought he had absolutely no idea about.  He was on edge, and it was starting to drive him crazy as the minutes of the day ticked 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 29th of Month 4: Gless - Caletta</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Fiona continued pacing around worriedly inside her room.  She felt her connection with Akira wane a little, and it continually felt that way as time went by.  That could only mean one thing: the man was in danger.  Ever since she first felt that sensation, Fiona picked up Nirvana and donned her armor in haste.  If her suspicion was right, he would need her help come sooner or later.  Using her ancient knowledge with the arcane arts, she had already drawn a portal rune in the middle of her room, took the necessary precautions against the possible magic backlash for using a powerful spell indoors, and drew a recall rune in her right hand, ready to be used at a moment's notice.<br/><br/>Quick in and quick out, that was the plan.<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 29th of Month 4: Barrens</span></span><br/><br/><br/>A groan of pain escaped Akira's lips as he received a forceful kick to the gut from one of his assailants.  He skidded to a stop a few feet back and planted both feet to the ground, immediately raising his one good arm defensively.  Taking his assailants' momentary pause in their attacks to assess his situation, Akira noted a few bad things that could get worse.  A tendon in his right arm had been severed from a deep cut rendering it useless, his left eye was covered in blood from a head wound also making it useless, and he was bleeding all over the place from numerous shallow cuts all over his body.  Given how exhausted he was, it was a miracle he hadn't passed out yet, or died from blood-loss.  His vision though, was already starting to blur, signifying he was moments away from either death, or worse, conversion.  His movements have become painfully sluggish too, making it hard for the man to continue fending off future attacks from the trio of evil before him.<br/><br/>Such a cliché for these evil entities to toy with him and make him suffer a slow and painful death.  Akira smirked, he did give them a hard time chasing him around, and even now he was giving them a hard time taking him down.  Lightning magic coursed through the length of his left arm, until the channeled force restlessly flickered in the short blade of his dagger.  He had long abandoned the protection of his Prayer, devoting the rest of his magic reserves into offense.  He knew it was dangerous but what choice did he have left? He didn't want to die!  He could already feel several negative emotions starting to swirl within his heart, and had it not been for him holding on desperately to the thought of the promise he vowed to keep, he would have probably turned long ago.  They may break his bones and batter his body, but they can never shatter his will!  He would rather die than turn into one of them!<br/><br/>Akira attacked the nearest enemy to his right with a furious rush of vigorous dagger strikes.  Valiant as he may be, his attacks were easily evaded, ultimately countered by a crescent kick that hit him squarely in the jaw.  The force of the kick he received was strong enough to send Akira spinning in mid air, and tumbling above the rough terrain when he landed several meters away from his enemies, his battered body coming to rest upon hitting a rock with a sickening crunch.  The lightning that flickered in his dagger blade died out when his head sunk, coughing up his life-blood soon after.  Lights above, that hurt!  What did he ever do to deserve such punishment?  Was it his love for<span style="font-style: italic">figures</span>?  Or was it because he—at one point—decided to abandon his duties to the Light?<br/><br/>Akira chuckled, coughing up more blood as he did so.  What use was there in asking?  It's not as if the Light would answer him anyway.  Just look at him now!  He had been forsaken, left for dead, to be forgotten in this rotten land!  He raised his sunken head slowly; his death was near, and right now the only thing he could do was stare at it as it comes.  Three of his assailants were charging at him with their swords drawn, ready to run him through with them.  He no longer had any strength to get up and continue fighting, he was probably already breathing his last breaths too.  He should take this moment to apologize to everyone who believed in him... and to her.<br/><br/>"I'm sorry... Fiona..." he mumbled weakly.<br/><br/>Having already accepted his fate, a harsh breeze blew across him as Akira closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable, only for them to open again at the sudden sound of metal clashing against metal, immediately followed by a pain-filled scream from one of his opponents.  When he realized what was going on, he was already staring at the back of a female knight who had just now taken out one of the trio who were just about to kill him.  Long black hair, azure colored armor, sea-blue blade... he couldn't believe it!  Was he dreaming?  Why was she here?!  Akira's attention was momentarily pulled away by a faint glow in his right hand.  Fiona's ring...<br/><br/>He turned his gaze back at Fiona who had just unleashed what looked like an advanced version of Smite against the remaining two enemies, forcing them to back away from her.  It was only when she looked back at him that Akira truly accepted the fact that he was not dreaming.<br/><br/>Using the time she forcefully bought herself, Fiona dashed towards Akira, reaching out with her right hand to touch him and simultaneously activated the recall rune she imbued her hand with.  A violent swirl of white light surrounded and engulfed the two, knocking away the blasts of Sin bolts fired by Akira's pursuers at them.  Moments later, the light vanished, taking Fiona and Akira along with it.<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 29th of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Fiona made a terrible miscalculation with the spell!  The blasts of Sin interrupted the flux of her magic and altered their course from the portal rune she carved in her room.  She bit her lip while thinking of a way to remedy the mishap.  Forced to correct her mistake, Fiona made intricate adjustments as both she and Akira traversed the tunnel of white light towards their supposed destination.  With one last frustrated huff, Fiona completed her recalculation and weaved her magic into her spell.  Not a breath too soon had the two of them reappeared in the mortal plane.  She had made adjustments for them to pop out in Squad Eight's quarters, in hopes that Akira could get immediate help from her Captain.  The moment her magic faded out entirely, Fiona automatically snapped her gaze around, looking for the blue-haired Seraph, only to gasp at the realization that there was no blue-haired man around, or any of her squad mates to be exact.<br/><br/>She blinked once, twice, and then a few more times until her brain finally processed the information.  Why was she in Squad Ten's quarters instead!?  Vice Captain Adair had scrambled for his shield, the pink-haired woman was already on the defensive, and that young blonde with long hair already had his sword drawn, even Valiar seemed like he was about to cast his own magic.  For a moment, Fiona believed to have seen Master Lethe's magic swords materialize before blinking out.  She shook her self out of the apparent surprise both sides obviously suffered from.<br/><br/>Regardless of where she was, Fiona knew she was in a safe zone now.  Her eyes immediately locked on to the obviously surprised person in charge, "H-help—!" she began, the zeal in her eyes fading when she was stopped by a tug on her arm.  Fiona looked down to the half-dead Akira she was critically healing in her clutches.<br/><br/>"Lindela... is going to be... attacked.. soon.." the badly injured scout managed to blurt out before losing consciousness.<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">In a clearing on the outskirts of District Five, a stone arch started to glow.<br/>On top of Nythis Mountain on the range that bordered District Eleven, there was a flicker of blue light.<br/>In an abandoned building just shy of District Eighteen’s district limits, an unsettling rumbling disturbed the deserted neighborhood.<br/>At the bottom of the canyon that bisected District Twenty, runes blinked into existence one at a time.</div><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 29th of Month 4: Lindela - District 5</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Yulia's eyes opened to a rude awakening.  The overly loud and repetitive sound that assaulted her ears was too much to ignore.  District Five's bell tower kept tolling.  Though this was the first time she actually heard them tolled in this way, Yulia was no stranger to the coded message being conveyed by the bells: District Five is under attack!  The blonde forced herself out of bed, clumsily rushing out of it to grab her sword, but stopped at the sound made by a trinket that fell off her bed and clunked on the wooden floor.<br/><br/>A lion crest.  Looking upon it made memories of the time she got a hold of it to resurface.<br/><br/>It was yesterday during her stroll around District Five, that she had come across a man named Jean, who was adamantly trying to set up a meeting with her hated Captain through one of the knight outposts in town.  Whether it was her threads of fate being pulled, or by the wheel of her destiny spun at the right time, the outpost knights spotted her and incessantly called her over to deal with the man; it made sense with her being Lance's Vice Captain and all.  Forced into the debacle, Yulia listened to the man's story, uninterested at first but conceded into curiosity the more she heard from him.<br/><br/>Jean was a Palaugrimian hailing from the small town of Nachi, and according to him, his family had unfortunately come across a band of impostor Pristine Knights which Lance the Lion dealt with accordingly to save their day.  Yulia had also learned from Jean's account that it was thanks to the crest that Lance gave them that they were able to start a new life here in Lindela.  Should she be impressed?  Yulia didn't know.  But for some reason, she felt less aggravated at the man, especially when Jean began talking about their little ones that were doing really good adjusting to life here in District Five, all thanks to that one man who helped them in their time of need.<br/><br/>Jean had wanted to return the Crest himself but couldn't get the chance to meet Lance again, thus entrusting her with the task of returning it to its rightful owner.  She didn't know why she said it at the time but she told Jean that she would be happy to return it for him.<br/><br/>Now here she was, staring at it like a fool, still hesitating to meet her Captain and settle her grudge for good.<br/><br/>If he had the heart to help people like he did for Jean and his family, why didn't he have the heart to help her when she was the one in need?  Why did he chose to run away and hide from it all?  What were his reasons behind the act?  What was that promise he said he intended to keep?  She needed to know, she was compelled to find out.  If by dumb luck Lance dies in this attack, the truth would die with him.<br/><br/>She was not going to let that happen! For her sake, and as well as the people of this district.  Lance was far too valuable an asset to lose in a skirmish.<br/><br/>Yulia scooped the item off the floor and tucked it into her pocket before proceeding to gear up.  The chaos that descended upon District Five could now be heard from outside.  Even indoors, Yulia could tell exactly what kind of mayhem lies in wait outside. The terrified screams of the people pierced though the once tranquil air, the sound of battle replaced the market chatter, and the barking of commanding officers echoed throughout the panicked screams.  She may have been skipping out on her duties as a knight, but this time was different.  People were in danger, and her personal affairs held little to no meaning when the lives of the innocent she swore to protect were in peril.<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/>"Captain!" Seven yelled out for the man even as he drove a gauntlet covered fist right into a Sinner's face, "The people in this area have been moved to safety!" he informed the man fighting his way through to another area, dodging a stray swipe aimed for his head shortly after.  They were caught off-guard.  How could such a large force like this appear out of nowhere?!  His eyes darted around the confusion that surrounded him.  There were Sinners everywhere he looked; up on the roofs, coming out of alleyways, some were even bold enough to break into homes!  Seven kicked another Sinner that charged him from his right side, immediately swinging the blunt side of his sword to smack it in the back of its neck.  "Chigusa! Lucian! What are you guys doing?! I told you not to let them through!" he yelled at the knights covering their right flank.<br/><br/>"They're too many!" Chigusa grunted her response while defending from two simultaneous attacks on both sides.<br/><br/>"Olen! Reinhardt! You're over-extending! Stay in formation! We need to keep this area locked down!" Seven roared at their left flank that was starting to open up, "Eight! I told you to shoot down the ones on the roof! Where are you aiming at?!" he called out to his buddy who was in the middle of their formation.<br/><br/>"I'm trying!" Eight roared back at him, firing another hail of Banishes at the Sinners who kept popping up on the roofs.<br/><br/>"I know! I'm telling you to try harder!" Seven grunted as he engaged another group of Sinners that came at their rear.  "The Captain cleared a path! We're moving up! Don't fall behind!" he alerted his squad mates to Lance's progress, "Keep an eye out for trapped civilians! Rescuing them is top priority!" he added as he slowly backed away, knocking out and absolving Sinners that came for him.<br/><br/>"Keep it together!" Lance yelled at his squad while fending off four Sinners at once using his spear.  Now he completely understood the anxiousness he felt.  He was right, something bad was about to happen but he did not, even in his wildest dreams, expect that it would be<span style="font-style: italic">this</span>bad.  Had the prelude to destruction started?  Had the God of Sin finally made his move?  If so, this battle was far from over.  Lance was already contemplating on firing off Luminaria but the consequence of it was something he could not afford at this time.  They had no intel regarding enemy strength and numbers, and should he fire off Luminaria now, he would be out of the fight for good.  Light knows how many more of them were out there lying in wait!  They needed to tough it out, do everything in their power to make sure District Five doesn't fall.<br/><br/>Sticking the blunt end of his spear into the ground, Lance vaulted to land a drop kick at an unsuspecting Sinner, landing himself smack dab into the middle of another enemy party.  Upon realizing his intrusion, the Sinners roared and charged at him all at the same time.  Lance danced around their attacks, countering each and every swipe and slash sent his way.  After dishing out one hit each, all the Sinners that charged him fell unconscious around Lance.  He huffed at the small accomplishment, firing a Penance chain to yank his spear off the ground and back into his hand.  He swung the weapon around, looking for more action when a yell of warning from another knight caught his attention.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Pure Sinners beyond the walls! Watch out for magic bombardment!"</span>the knight's voice cut into the open air, his message getting repeatedly conveyed around the battlefield.<br/><br/>Lance looked up just in time to spot an incoming dark magic bolt headed his way. The warning gave him just enough time to react defensively.  He plunged the tip of his spear to the ground and channeled earth magic. "Gaea!" he called forth, summoning a wall of earth before him to block the dark magic bolt.  He was engulfed in the explosion that ensued but was mostly unharmed when the smoke cleared.  Worried for his squad, Lance looked back to check how they were doing.  Good, they were unharmed and still in one piece.  However, that might not be the case if he were to lead them further out front to the Northern Gate of District Five.  The fighting was only going to get tougher from here on out, and he didn't want them to get involved in such a fight until they were actually ready.<br/><br/>However, as Gil said, they were only going to get necessary choices from here on out.<br/><br/>"Keep your eyes peeled everyone! Don't get hit by magic from those Pure Sinners!" he warned his squad and began advancing again.  They needed to get into position to regroup with the main force and help the other knights set up an actual defensive perimeter.  It was bad enough that most of the knights were scattered around town when the attack came, and it was even worse that it took a lot longer for them to establish an actual line!  Had this been the old days, the response time would have been a lot quicker and there wouldn't be this much Sinners running rampant inside town.  They would have been able to bottle them outside and by now they should have been whittling them down and thinning their numbers.<br/><br/>But alas!  These were not the old times.  The caliber of knights today paled in comparison to the ones who fought in the First War.  It was no wonder he was feeling a lot of pressure now that he was suddenly forced into this precarious situation.  Lance wondered for a moment just how much more pressure would he feel if he were to supposedly fill in Gil's shoes.<br/><br/>A lot more, no doubt.<br/><br/>His thoughts were broken by more terrified screams coming from the front.  More civilians were running back towards them, chased by marauding Sinners that threatened to either kill them or turn them.  Springing to action, Lance called out to his squad, "Civilians incoming!" he warned them, "Chigusa, Lucian, break right and flank the Sinners!  Olen, Reinhardt, attack from the left!" he barked his orders and looked back, "Gerard, Filio, you two are on me! We're intercepting from the front! Make sure they don't get to those people first!"<br/><br/>"Yes Captain!" was the unified response from his team as they carried out their orders.<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 29th of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral</span></span><br/><br/><br/>Guilford let out an exasperated sigh as he continued reading the recent report sent to them from the rehabilitation department.  Though beautifully worded, it still failed to hide the strong implication of the hardships currently faced by their rehabilitation facilities.  There were also hints about possible long term effects to the islands under their control as a whole if they kept going at this rate.  To summarize, they were apparently saving far more Sinners than they could accommodate and completely rehabilitate before being sent back out to function in society.  Adding to that was the rapidly decreasing roles these absolved ones could fill in their turning of a new leaf, which comes to the ultimate conclusion that they needed more land, and that they were reaching the populous limit for most towns.<br/><br/>Purple eyes involuntarily turned to the empty desk of Hyuga in the other corner of the room.  Guilford could only pray whatever the Dreamer had in store for them, that he succeed in his endeavor.<br/><br/>He was rubbing his temples to ease a light headache when the door to his squad quarters flung open.  Outside stood a Scribe panting for breath.  Guilford snapped his gaze onto the man and was about to reprimand him for the rude intrusion when the Scribe spoke..<br/><br/>"Master Guilford! Priority message! Lindela... it's been attacked!"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"What?!"</span>his features sharpened at the knowledge,<span style="color: #0080FF">"How bad?!"</span><br/><br/>"F-full scale invasion!"<br/><br/>As if to confirm the news he just received, the Grand Cathedral bells began to toll a coded message direct to all knights about the matter.  Guilford sprang to his feet, knocking down his chair in the process, as he stormed out of his squad quarters.  He passed by Omi in the halls but paid no mind to the Scribe though he looked like he wanted to speak with him.  Far more pressing matters are at hand, and any time he wasted on idle banter was time the people of Lindela needed.  He was on his way to the Council Chambers, with the goal of convincing them to let the Seraphs sortie.  He already knows of their possible response to this but...<br/><br/>Guilford was not going to take no for an answer.