{-Rennyn-}

The place Allyna had asked them to go to was just out of town; far enough away that a small gathering might not draw the attention of the guards, but close enough that it was still perfectly in view. He didn’t let a single doubt linger in his mind for much longer than a second. She was his sister. None of the others had siblings, so perhaps they didn’t quite understand—if he could not trust her, then there was no one he could. Not even the other four. Not after everything they’d done together and the bond that extended past their blood, regardless of whether it had grown a bit weaker since last meeting.

Allyna was sitting on a tree stump, messing with a piece of paper. It must’ve been his imagination—it had to have been—but he was almost certain the breeze got stronger the closer they got. And when she noticed them, it completely stopped.

She quickly stood up and went over to her brother. “You came a little quicker than I thought you would. It’s good to see you still doing well.”

“You too,” Rennyn mumbled, though he wasn’t quite able to muster a smile. “You said that you had something you wanted to show us—something important. What was it?”

Her own smile faltered. “Well, I don’t really have a thing to show, but… I did find something. The place that I was looking for—where I’m meant to be. And it had never been one of the heroes.”

“What?”

He knew what that meant. He’d heard it before. But he waited, because maybe it was just his mind getting ahead of him. Maybe he was just imagining it. Maybe she meant something else.

She didn’t. He understood that the moment she hugged him.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt,” she whispered. “Step away from this, right now. Then no one has to do something they don’t want to. Dhymos promised me that.”

~~~

“I meant what I said, Songbird,” they said. “You know, you had me going for a while there—all of your talk of camaraderie and friendship. But I was never staying because of what you were telling me. I was saying because I had to—because, just like you, I had a mission, and I wasn’t going to let emotions get the better of me.”

“You’re making a mistake,” he tried. Maybe he could reason with them. Maybe they wouldn’t have to fight. Even back then, though, he must’ve acknowledged how stupid of a hope that was… “Whatever’s happening, you can turn away from it. You might not have meant what you said, but I did. I don’t want to point a sword at a friend.”

“Neither do I, which is why we’re heading our separate ways now. After all, if I kept following after you… I’d be turning against everyone and everything I ever knew. I was never as strong as you, Songbird. But I can buy my true friends some time.”

They drew their sword. “Now, let’s spar one last time. Show me that heroic resolve of yours.”

~~~

He shoved Allyna off of him. “What has Dhymos made you do? He doesn’t keep any of his promises—he never will. Whatever he’s making you do, just tell me. I’ll do whatever I can to get you back out of it.”

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It was getting harder to breathe, the more he realized exactly how much she’d thought this through.

“He isn’t making me do anything. All we did was have a talk. I was never supposed to be a part of what you and your friends are doing—that’s why none of you remember me.”

“That’s just something he told you to trick you, it doesn’t mean—”

“You didn’t let me finish. He also told me what he planned on doing, and… no matter what it is, it was going to lead to you getting hurt—to everyone getting hurt. And I don’t want that.”

“You can’t expect him to keep his promises! He’s just trying to trick you, he doesn’t actually care about anything but his plans!”

She shook her head. “He said that, if I do this, you won’t get hurt, and our family would be safe. All I had to do was bring you here, try to talk some sense into you, and accept the gift he had to give me. That was something I chose to do out of my own free will—something that I was willing to take the risk on.”

~~~

“Lay down your weapons, right now, or else someone’s going to have to get hurt.”

He froze immediately, but not necessarily because of the threat itself; it was because he recognized that voice. Though he dreaded seeing it, he turned around to face the owner of that voice.

“What are you doing?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer. He wished he’d been surprised, shocked—but the more lives he completed, the less he felt attached to anything that happened within them.

His old friend, one that had come so far with him on his quest, made a quick gesture. In the blink of an eye, dozens more soldiers surrounded him and his group, all while this no-longer-friend kept her eyes firmly on him.

“What I should’ve done a long time ago,” she responded. She drew her bow and arrow, but didn’t aim it at anything yet. “What you expected me to do from the very beginning.”

“I thought you’d be better than this.”

“Oh, really? How did you think you looked at me? What about that glance you gave every time I left or entered a room? You knew this was coming. I just thought I wouldn’t keep you waiting.”

He wasn’t going to admit to it, even if he knew that she was true. “Stop this before you have something to regret.”

She finally started to aim her bow. “Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing, Songbird. I won’t go easy on you. I’ll give you exactly what you wanted—someone who’s nothing more than a traitor.”

~~~

“B-but—”

“Rennyn, I’m not going to change my mind. Back away from this—from all of this. Go home. Whatever happens next doesn’t need to have you throwing yourself into danger. Just walk away, or else… we’re going to have to convince you.”

“We..?”

Allyna sighed, and glanced at an old cottage nearby. “You guys can come out now,” she called. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to avoid this.”

Viragi, Kharis, and Ether all walked out. Rennyn drew his sword to fight—it seemed that would be his only option—before Allyna grabbed his hand.

“You’ve got one last chance,” she whispered to him. “Step away from all of this. I don’t want to see you get hurt, but you need to stay out of the way. As much as I don’t want to… I’ll let them do what they have to, to make sure you don’t go and get yourself killed.”

Viragi stepped forward, motioning for the other two to head towards the others. “I don’t believe you’re going to get anywhere,” he remarked. “Go assist the others. I’ll take care of our little Songbird here.”