Alessia felt the cold water engulf her in silence. Something was gripping tight onto her, keeping her underwater. Her back was to the pebbles littering the bottom of the lake, they hurt her back but not as much as her burning lungs crying out for air.

When she had come back out of the water she hadn't managed to fill them and the violence of the thing that grabbed her and pulled her into the water had almost made her lose all of it.

She didn't know what to do she couldn't. She flayed her arms and legs desperately trying to shake off whatever was holding her under there. If she could she would bite too but she knew that opening her mouth was more dangerous than sacrificing the option. The hands holding her had long nails digging into her skin, luckily the water was so cold that she couldn't feel the pain, except for the burning feeling the temperatures caused on her skin.

In the water she was blind, deaf, helpless. She had to free herself, she needed to get out. She...

She pierced the surface, shaking, coughing, hurting. She didn't know how she managed to break free. She couldn't even comprehend the world around her. She felt dizzy but when her gazed caught Joan's she was almost shocked awake. She swam to him, in a mix of actual swimming and senseless movement only meant to propel her toward him. She burned, in and out. His grip on her wrist was painful.

Alexis caught her and made his way to the shore, sparing no effort to get there faster. He immediately began shivering when he touched her however, he skin so cold he almost believed he had found her buried in the snow. He laid her on the shore. Trying to keep her awake. Even slapping her face from time to time. But it was to no use, she couldn't keep her eyes open. She couldn't stop coughing up water.

The world turned dark again. Her eyes closed. She felt the cold water around her once more. She was exhausted, but she couldn't give up. Joan and Alexis were there a second ago. Surely it meant she was going to be saved, right? The hands grabbed her once more. Chocking her, shaking her. She couldn't keep up. Alessia gave up.

Suddenly she heard a voice, talking near her. Somewhere above. Above the water. She couldn't understand what the voice was saying, only that it was slightly familiar.

She had to get to that voice, tell the voice she was still there. That she could hear it. She felt the nails in her flesh, she felt the fire in her lungs. But most importantly she could now see light above, the surface, her salvation.

Joan startled when Alessia finally coughed. She turned away from him expulsing the rest of the water. He breathed again, having unknowingly held breath.

Alexis called for his help, and after making sure that Alessia was okay he got up and aimed. One of the enemies fell, the second of the night. Alexis was outnumbered. Joan needed to stay away to keep his accuracy and Alessia was unarmed and just out of the water. It wasn't looking good. He kept moving trying to get another good shot but the enemies were getting wise and made sure to stay on the move.

Alessia was not going to let herself be a burden again. She didn't have time to get to the camp and back here, especially out of breath and with legs made of jelly. She needed to catch her breath, but that would already take a long time. She tried to think of what she could. Obviously unarmed combat was not a option. Right?

Alexis, knew what he had to do. Hold off the enemy for as long has he could. From up close the foes looked like drowned corpses that had come back to life. Eyes blinded by a milky fog, pale skin, bloated and sick looking, black veins showing through the skin. He cut the head off of one trying to bite his arms. Three down, four left. 'Gods do they ever stop on coming?!' Those drowned looked worse than the first one they fought. But there was definitely a link between the two. Perhaps they came from the same phenomenon. The same power.

The things didn't bleed, another difference from the first. They didn't seem to have a mind either. Perhaps had it eroded away after so long a time after their death. Viewed through this lense Alexis felt like he was doing a good deed. Putting these foul things to sleep. Finally freeing them.

He felt the blow before he could see his attacker. The rusted blade almost shattered his shoulder and the pain stalled him for a while. The one with the eroded blade fell at his feet after another shot from Joan. Alexis wanted to thank him but the rest of the drowned were on him in an instant. He had to keep on fighting, but somewhere he would have the advantage. On dry land for example.Alessia was still far. He could risk it.

The woman finally felt assured enough to stand, she could see the fight more clearly. It immediately dawned on her that they were not winning so far. She wanted to help, she had too. But how? She didn't know how to fight with her fists. Her only experience being a bar fight in San Vale against a drunkard when she had also been tipsy. She couldn't possibly count it as a valid experience.

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Maybe she didn't need to. Maybe she just needed to act as a distraction or a support for Alexis. She rolled up her sleeves, shivering in the cold night, still drenched in lake water. She walked toward the fight with confidence and resolve.

"Alessia, stop! It's too dangerous!" Joan shouted in hope of stopping her.

"I will not be a burden! Not again, not anymore!" She answered. Her mind was made up. She knew what to do.

She hit the first one right in the jaw making it sway, then pushed it away giving a short breather to Alexis. The second that came close was greeted by a kick in the knee, it snapped backwards and the man beheaded it in one fell swoop. The head rolled down the light slope, back into the water.

Joan couldn't believe his own eyes, as the young woman punched and kicked the drowned. It was so...surreal. a few days ago she had been complaining about the state of her hair, like the perfect coquette and now she was fighting undead monsters like a professional boxer. They were fighting back to back, protecting each other, really efficiently.

His gun was starting to run low on ammo and he couldn't really run back to camp to reload it. He quickly counted the bullets and silently made a note in his mind. That's just two bullets. Two single bullets.

At the same time, Alessia and Alexis finally finished the last drowned. Out of breath the two smiled at each other.

"Joan start packing, we are not staying here any longer." Alexis said with urgency.

"On it!" He only had the time to finish his sentence before the lake opened up, and from it a woman emerged.

She was pale and thin, with long red hair sticking to her skin and clothes. Looking like blood. Her eyes shone in the night, a pearly blue. She held in her right hand a long sword, covered in already and rust but which blade still reflected clearly the glow of the Moon, betraying her sharpness. Alexis and Alessia took a handful of steps back. Allowing more space between them and the strange woman.

"Her grace is displeased, so I shall kill you myself. I should have never allowed those blighted creatures to try. They were never good enough." Her voice was beautiful, soft and clear, filled with an unexplainable melancholy. It was her who sung before. It was her who charmed Joan.

"I don't like this!" Said Alessia to her companions.

"Let me handle this one, let me buy you some time to escape!" Alexis almost begged them.

"No, we fight together!" Refused Joan.

"Then you will also die together" the woman said.

She raised her sword and the lake waters rose too. Following her movement, with grace, she used them as blades. They all jumped to avoid them, and ended up separated, Alessia got a haircut. Alexis rolled away without grace nor dignity but at least he was safe for now. Joan simply fell on his but. Where the water blades ended up, they could see deep grooves in the dirt.

Alexis and Alessia got back up real fast. The woman ran toward the lake and grabbed the rusty sword from the soiled waters. It was still better than to fight empty handed.

"Alessia get behind me! You can't fight with that thing!" shouted the man.

"Watch me !" the ethereal woman scoffed at Alessia's words and attacked her. The cartographer blocked the blow, it was so violent her arms became numb. The blade lost chips of rust but despite it's state it was proving surprisingly sturdy.

"Joan, we count on you!"

'Not too much I hope' the professor said to himself. But stayed alert in case his two bullets would come and save the battle.

The woman attacked again, this time it was Alexis who blocked the blow, Alessia was still numb from the last. The siren engaged in a ferocious battle with the two swordfighter, up to the point when Joan couldn't possibly hope to get her with a shot even if he had all the time in the world to aim. Alexis and Alessia were actually good opponent and they managed to keep her occupied for a while so Joan made the run for it. Maybe he could go get more bullets and come back in time, or maybe he could grab Alessia's blade. He ran as fast as he physically could.

"Don't think you can run away coward, you will be killed too!" Suddenly the woman was in front of him, her blade pointing straight at his heart. He stopped abruptly and stumbled on the ground almost stopping at her feet.

As she raised the sword to end him he managed to regain enough of his wits to shoot her right between the eyes. Her head snapped backward from the strength of the shot but the bullet did not come out on the other side. Joan shot her once more, for good mesure, to make sure this one was the right one. Alexis arrived at the scene and while Alessia was helping Joan up, he took care of giving the final blow. If it worked for the drowned it should work for her too. Unfortunately she snapped her head back in place with a horrible crack. From the two holes in her face a blue liquid, of the same colour of her eyes, was oozing out. She shook her head and one of the bullet actually came out and fell at her feet, she looked at it, almost...annoyed. She finally acknowledge Alexis behind her and turned right in time to block his blow.

The man immediately took a cautious step back, but she was already on him. He tried to parry her, to escape her violent and swift attack but each was more relentless than the last. And, eventually, he couldn't protect himself anymore. She disarmed him before plunging her blade right through his stomach.

"ALEXIS !!" Alessia's cracked before she finished shouting his name. She ran to him, ignoring completely the siren.

It's painful. More than I would have imagined. Thought Alexis as he fell to his knees. A quick look at the wound was enough to see that he wouldn't get up from this one. Ah, I had a good run. He fell on his side, the grass was humid, cold. I am cold, oh so cold. What a strange feeling.

Alessia arrived at his side and laid him on his back, the wound was bigger than it should have been. Not a good sign. Not only was it bleeding profusely it was also big enough to let her see his innards. She pushed back her disgust and applied pressure on the wound.

"Alexis, listen to me, you must stay with me okay? Alexis? Everything will be okay, do you still here me? Alexis?!"

"I hear you Alessia, it's funny, I never noticed how radiant you were"

"It's the moon you idiot. Stay...Stay with me, we'll get you all patched up, ay?"

"I'm alright, go on, the fight cannot wait, I know you can do...it"

"Alexis? Alexis...? Al...I'll avenge you."