The lady at the back was even more confused as to what was happening, but if there’s one thing she knows, it’s that her frail body would not be able to do anything but be a dead weight, so she hid quietly at the side of her cart.

The rain kept pouring, not refusing to run dry and the thunder speaks itself close. Lightings are also restless, hitting every tall tree in the vicinity.

Nicolas was pinned to the wall with his sword, undecided whether to point it at Edmund or Darius as the two tried to capture him. On the muddy lawn, Alisa and Meriane were the ones who sparred. Though it was a one-sided match between a blade and a bow

“You don’t have to do this!”, Nicolas exclaimed to the two upon noticing Alisa now getting the upper hand against Meriane.

“Master would be delighted to finally have you back”, the two replied.

“Stop it already; I’m giving you a chance!” Nicolas exclaimed, determined to talk with the two, but their only replies were slashes and laughter. His eyes could not sit still, panning from Edmund and Darius to Meriane and Alisa.

Nicolas eyes glowed blue as he tightened his grip to the hilt of his sword. Slowly, the hilt began to lengthen until it’s almost as tall as Nicolas, and the blade began to triple in size before curving into the front. Edmund and Darius were caught in an awe, feeling the presence of their master in the death scythe Nicolas armed himself with.

“I knew we’re right," Edmund engaged before betting parried to the side.

“Come to your senses, Master. The time has come for you to be whole again." Darius followed with a coordinated attack from above but ended with the same fate.

Nicolas found them pitiful; despite only seeing them 10 times over his life as a prince, he had great respect for the two. He watched them conduct themselves during the few meetings they were present and hold themselves gallantly during the one time they dueled with each other. If he’s being honest with himself, Edmund and Darius are far superior to this battle-maniac duo he is facing.

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“This is not the way they fight; I’m sorry," he regretfully sighed as he rushed towards them, raising the scythe into the air, and with the sudden flash of lighting, he struck them. No harm done to the body, but they fell to the wet ground, lifeless. "Alisa, don't," he uttered, reaching his hands towards the two girls and projecting a thin shield between them, stopping Alisa’s arrow from reaching the inch-away chest of the beaten Meriane.

“Why can’t you just sit still and let me do my job? You both piss me off!” the princess cried.

“Would you stop trying to kill people? They did nothing to you!”

“Why do you care?”, Meriane said, gritting his teeth.

“Why did you sell your soul to Liam!”

“Why, why, why, I’m tired of your questions”, the princess said, stamping her feet to the mud out of irritation. “You want to know why? Because both of you ruined me, you made me hate myself, you ruined my life!”

“We did nothing wrong to you”, said Alisa, that only made the other girl angry.

“Shut up, you should-have-been-dead-but-turned-out- alive, daughter of a peasant! If only you survived, if only you just stayed alive that time. Nicolas would have treated you as normal. He will not think about you every single second of the fucking day,”, Meriane yelled, stomping much harder, causing the mud to splatter everywhere.

“If only you had stayed alive that time and been his peasant friend, then he should have had time to think about me! Look at me! But none of that happened. It should have been better if he accepted your death and moved on, but no, he needed to think about you and disregard me, the person who's been by his side for all those years!”

“Enough, Meriane, that was not her fault, It’s mine. You had always been close to my heart. You were like a sister to me. I’m sorry, but you have to understand, I tried to return your feeling, but no matter what I did, I can’t look back at you the way you look at me. Stand down I’m begging you. I don’t want you to end up like your brothers.”

“Shut up, shut up, just shut up and die!”, Meriane could not take it anymore; she was once again berating herself, a sight that she displayed earlier to deceive Alisa but this time, it’s different. Her grief was more evident; even the rain seemingly scatters away from her and soul pulses.