Ceri’s eyes open wide; She doesn’t understand what just happened. One moment they’re celebrating and the next, blood gushes out of Leor’s mouth. It takes a second for her to process it, but her body staggers towards him once she does.

“L-le... “ quivers Ceri. She attempts to call out to him, but her tongue is trapped behind her teeth.

A single drop of rain lands on her outreached hand. Then, another and another until the stone floor turns a darker shade. The dark sky bellows a deep, low rumble.

She swallows hard and manages to call out his name in a faint whisper, perhaps hoping that a response would be enough to put her at ease. She reminds herself of all the times Leor has gotten up from similar situations, how he always stands up when he needs to, and that when does, he’ll reassure her that he’ll figure something out.

A black flash forces her eyes shut, and when she opens them, Alfred appears in front of Leor and swings down an obsidian black greatsword made of tainted light. Leor manages to lift his katana from the dirt and edge it up to deflect the strike, but its weight is too heavy. The downward slash cleaves through his blade and sends the chipped piece into the air, stabbing the earth by Ceri’s feet.

Blood splatters onto the floor as Alfred dislodges his blade from Leor’s shoulder. The blood clouds the rising water and slithers downstream. His arms flop down and hit the ground; the grip on his weapons slowly peel open.

“Stop... “ cries Ceri, but her words are only audible to herself. Alfred raises his sword overhead, Leor’s blood dripping from the handle. Lightning strikes rapidly, illuminating the executioner as if serving as a reminder that this is real. Her lungs press against her ribcage and it feels like her heart is about to drop to her stomach. Whipping out her necklace, she squeezes it between her hands, and buries her face in it, repeating to herself “Lord Ludwig, please save us”.

She slowly peeks her eyes open, hoping that Ludwig would have appeared from thin air and put a stop to the madness, to Alfred, but nothing’s changed. The same dreaded situation stands before her; This time, no one is coming to the rescue.

A dark beam appears from the sky, clashing with the flashes of lightning. A whisper rings in her ears. She hones in on Leor and sees him mouth something, but the sounds of heavy rain and thunder make it harder to hear clearly. She squints her eyes and reads his lips.

“Run”, she reads. Tears fill her eyes; She can’t believe even now, he is trying to save her. She shakes her head repeatedly in denial. That’s not an option, she tells herself.

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She eyes the broken blade on the ground and seizes it; It cuts her flesh as she clamps down on the edges. She charges forward. Thunder booms and lightning strikes with every step. Placing her other hand over the chipped side, Ceri plunges her entire weight into the thrust and drives the bladed tip into Alfred’s side, piercing through his armor. But no blood splurts out, the attack is too shallow. Alfred bites down and grunts behind his teeth, unsheathes the blade from his body, and lodges it into Ceri’s stomach. A red stain bleeds through Leor’s cloak until the rain beneath their feet is painted red.

The storm’s wet, coldness melts away from the searing heat she feels around her wound. Then, the heat from her body slowly begins to drift away, followed by everything else. From her head to her feet, every fiber in her being shakes uncontrollably. Fighting her eyes’ urge to close and the sweet call of slumber, Ceri limps to Leor with a bloody smile and her necklace in hand.

“Keep… it for me…”

“That necklace….” Alfred rips it from Ceri. The motion ricochets her body back and forth, causing her legs to give out and her eyes to roll shut.

Black lightning bolts strike the ground, setting buildings and debris ablaze. An array of thunder follows soon after and shakes all of Logtown, shattering windows and moving brittle buildings. His brain no longer recognizes the pain and in a flash, Leor drills his fist into Alfred’s jaw and snatches the necklace from his clutches. Alfred crashes through multiple piles of rubble, and Leor manages to catch Ceri before she hits the ground.

“Leor…?” whispers Ceri. She reaches out her hand, but her vision prevents her from touching his cheek like she normally does.

For a moment, the storm stops. Everything in the world is enveloped by a black emptiness. There is only Ceri and himself. He nuzzles his cheek into her hand. It’s cold. Colder than the rain, colder than anything he’s ever felt before. A memory stabs his brain, causing a sharp pain to fly from every corner of his skull: Ceri’s lifeless green eyes illuminated by a single source of light above, surrounded by giant metallic buildings with an endless number of mirrors along the surface.

“L-leor... “ Ceri’s light touch pulls him from his trance. She feels her heart slow with every word that leaves her lips. “Was I… useful?” She strokes her thumb across his cheek as though trying to engrain the feeling of his skin into her memory.

He clamps down on the bottom of his lip; the words he wishes to say are lost in the void in his chest. He can only muster enough strength to nod his head.

The corners of Ceri’s lips curl up as high up as it could. “Thank goodness…”

Every passing moment, the dark abyss consumes the light from her eyes. “L-Leor, P-please… take care of yourself and Lord Alden…” She pauses and lets out a shaky sigh. ”And I-I’m sorry for making you cry.” She wipes the bottom of his eye; blood from her hand smears down Leor’s face as her hand falls back to its owner. The remaining light in her eyes fizzles out and the rain returns to the world.

Tears finally roll down his cheeks. This feeling, her death, all remind Leor of something familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, but all he knows is a piece of him is now gone. He rocks Ceri back and forth, close to his chest, and kisses her forehead, as he tries to choke back his emotions.

“You’ll join her soon enough. That necklace…. Hand it over. Your filthy, Eastern hands are desecrating an Artifact of the Gods.”

Alfred’s presence ignites Leor’s blood; He lays Ceri on the floor and places his coat over her body. Thunder storms the skies once more. Leor removes the ring from Ceri’s necklace and places it on his ring finger. Lightning strikes him, cauterizing his wounds and covering his fists with black static.

Alfred takes two steps back; sweat crawls down his face. “W-what!? You’ve been chosen too!?”