Eastern region - Ashen village - midnight

The end of the trail leads us to a small village with an enormous cliff hanging over it. It took us 10 minutes to reach this place. The village is nothing but burned homes and ashes spread around all over the ground. This village gives off a profound sadness.

In the middle of the village, someone stands, almost like they're waiting for us. Source is radiating from Marie, similar to water bursting from a faucet. No matter how I look at it, that’s the Source-user.

Since we don’t have Nunnalé, and Zeal and Zell aren’t in the best condition to fight, we’ll need to be careful.

“Let us go.”

Ovan takes the first step into the ashen village. I follow behind him, preparing myself by enhancing one of my legs. The Source emanating from the center of the village is frighteningly stronger than it was before. Does it have something to do with how dark it is?

“Welcome.” My breath runs thin as my heart skipped a beat. A disturbing feeling erupts from the village. That one word spoke volumes of the evil that has taken root here. “Glad to see more of you made it here. Though, not my preferred choice.”

A heavy gulp makes its way down my throat, trying to swallow whatever fear is building up in my throat. “Where’s Alexander?” I spat, putting up a tough front.

“Oh, you mean ‘big brother’?” The Source-user says in a cutesy voice. “...Don’t worry.” It picks him up by the head, waving him around like a display piece. “He’s not dead, yet.” I can’t get a look at his condition from here, but he has to be hurt. “...You should have seen the look on this woman’s face. With her own hands, she slashed her own brother. I gave her one look, now she’s thrashing around inside her head. Her pitiful screams, filled to the brim with sorrow, anger, and most of all, the desire to die.”

“The desire…to die?”

Those words fall out of my mouth, like a child mimicking what it hears on tv. It’s unbelievable to think that’s something Marie would want.

“Yeah. It’s an intense desire, born from resentment, guilt, shame, and a tinge of worthlessness.” Marie’s body spins, dancing around like a ballerina on a large stage. “A feeling so strong that it drowns one in a perpetual state of decay. Their mind is driven mad, their heart turns into disarray, and their bodies erode. Little by little, they sink further and further, until they’re nothing but an empty husk, awaiting death.” Something in me snaps, growing annoyed with this thing’s inhuman words. “...I always had an eye for these kinds of things. I always loved it when I brought people down to their knees, wrapped in despair.”

This sickening feeling building in my head worsens, consuming all rational thought in my head.

“...Why? What’s the point of all this!?”

“To see your miserable faces! That’s why I became a swordsman. Not to be good at the art, but to lead all swordsmen to a miserable end! That’s why I fight, that’s why I continue to live, that’s why I sealed myself in this sword!”

“What type of madman would live for that!?”

“Me! I would! All men, no matter who, must have a purpose to live! Isn’t it more insane to drift through life as a fish in the sea? My Source even agrees with me! My ability is the product of my desire to consume such misery!” I can’t believe this. Such evil… I never knew something like this could exist anywhere. Even compared to the people we fought up to this point, I can at least say I’ve never had to hear such subhuman remarks. “...But I will say this, the despair coming from the both of them was just too good! Damn, I mean, you should’ve seen the look on the brother’s face when I slashed him! He was practically tearing up.” A nasty cackle erupts from Marie “That’s just too good.” It pokes Alexander’s face with Marie’s foot. “Such devotion to his sister, but I guess it means nothing when you’re weak.” A laugh carrying all the evil in the world follows. “So pathe–”

“Stop laughing!” I scream those words, carrying all the anger that has been boiling inside me. “...Who the hell do you think you are?”

“...Hm? Let’s see… I don’t know! A century has passed, so my name is lost to me.”

“...Is it fun to make fun of them like that? Messing with them like that? Where’s the pleasure in that? Where’s the amusement in that…? Why is it fun to trample all over their bond like that!?” All the Source I can concentrate into a limb goes into my hand, hardening it to a fine point. “I won’t forgive a disgusting act like that. I’ll never forgive you, and I’ll destroy you myself!”

“Huh?” is the Source-user’s response, seemingly annoyed by what I said. “Odd, a corpse said something funny.”

An oppressive wave of anger crashes against my body, crushing me beneath its force. No matter how strong, I won’t sink to my knees, not to a vile thing like this! Their bond is something I idolize, something that needs to be cherished, so I’ll… Never stand down!

“What the– How are you still standing!?”

“Maybe you’re weak?”

Marie’s head meets with a high kick that barrels her away from Alexander. The new arrival’s jacket swayed as his torso curved, strapped with weapons around his body.

“Bastard!”

“Sorry, but that kick was too clean!” That’s… Proxy! “...Come on, Marie would've kicked my ass if I tried that. So why don't you be a good boy or girl, and leave her body, kay?”

“Shadow Veil!”

That stance! The one where the sword rests on Marie's forearm like a sniper.

“Run, Proxy!

“Sni–”

Unable to finish, the enemy gets struck again, thrown through a dilapidated building. A familiar set of purple hair enters my vision. The dress that I’ve come to familiarize myself with sways alongside the wind, untouched by the ashes.

“I was to attack first, Proxy,” she criticizes, casting a scorn-filled gaze.

He goes to pick up Alexander. “Whatever. At least we made it on time.”

Aren't they injured? What are they doing here? Does Proxy understand what’s going on right now?

“Richard, we got one injured!”

Proxy sprints with Alexander on his back. Nunnalé slips under him, lifting them. She shortens their trip to 5 seconds. They lay him on the ground. A huge slash mark tore open his chest. Blood is still leaking out. I waste no time healing him. Focus on stopping the bleeding, then heal him up. The wound itself isn’t too deep, so nothing important was severed or destroyed.

"Proxy, Nunnalé, what are–"

Before I could finish, Nunnalé drew a sword from Proxy's back. The Source-user made an attack, stopped by Nunnalé's blade. Proxy swerves around her, going for a swift kick. He lands another blow to Marie’s ribs. Nunnalé’s arms move like lightning, thrusting her blade toward the shoulder. A creature dives out of the shadows, taking the blow.

It served as a decoy to catch Nunnalé by surprise. I jump into the fray, blocking the strike with my arm, enhanced with Source. The sword hitting me triggered a dull feeling in my forearm, but I feel no pain; similar to hitting when your body is numb. I shove Marie’s body away, giving us a little breathing room.

The enemy stabs their sword into the ground, instantly stopping their movement. “You kids got some spunk. I see, I see… In that case!”

“It’s spreading its Source below us,” Nunnalé warns us.

“Knew you'd try that! It’s time to shine, boys!”

Proxy’s odd declaration catches my attention. Fire spreads from the far ends of the village, engulfing it in bright flames that only burn what remains of the houses. Flames come flying from behind, outside of the village. These flames were carried by arrows, illuminating the small village in a fire that burns all.

“What? Thought we came alone? Guess again, moron.”

“You–”

Gilhart, with the same opening method, surprise attacks the enemy, hitting Marie's body with the palm of his hand. Proxy follows up with a single strike to her chest. Those blows were enough to send her sliding onto the ground, driving up the ashes.

Giving the Source-user no time to breathe, archers on what remains of some buildings target our adversary. Each arrow fails to hit, being torn out of the sky with the flourish of its sword. But this leaves it open for Quincy and Doctor Crow to come in. Quincy aims for her sword hand, copying the thrust of a fencer. A giant fish monster bursts from the dark liquid, curving its body around Marie. Quincy ducks his head, giving Doctor Crow a chance to strike. Wielding a bulky sword that looks like a hacksaw with an odd handle, Doctor Crow sunders the shadow A disgusting sound follows behind the slash.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

A monster lifts Marie’s feet from within the puddle, getting her body away from us.

“All of you came?” I whisper, awestruck by the sudden events unfolding in front of me.

“Course, you dumbass,” Proxy spits, scowling at me.

“Wha– Why are you calling me that?”

“He is not wrong, master Richard. You are acting foolish!”

“Because I came to rescue Marie?”

“Idiot! Of course not. It's cause you didn’t take Nunnalé with you, that’s why.”

“What about Nunnalé? She was, and probably still is injured.”

“So what?” Confused, my mouth hangs agape.

"I agree," Ovan says, looking me dead in the eye “...I understand you only wish to protect her, but in order to do that, you ignored what she wanted. If you ask me, you’re the stubborn one.”

Proxy drops all the weapons on his body and walks toward the enemy. Gilhart walks alongside him, discarding his shirt.

“Are they going to…”

“Master Richard,” Nunnalé calls my name. “...Allow me to fight.”

“But aren’t you–”

“Yes, my injury is recovering at a slow rate. However, that will not stop me from fighting.” She hardens her gaze, putting forth a semblance of feeling. “...You stated that we were partners, that we would fight together. If that is true, then why will you not allow me to fight alongside you?”

“I… I just don’t want you to get hurt any more than you have to.”

No matter how many times we fight, the image of her struggling to stand during our first will never leave my mind.

“But I will.”

Her immediate response shocks me. Not only that, but there’s more emotion put into her words, although minuscule. She turns her back to me.

“...However, I will not die. That is the wish of my master, so I will not die. So I ask of you, do not look down upon me; let me fight.”

Was I doing that? Looking down on her? I didn’t mean to. I…I… I was. All that stuff I said about us fighting together was just that: talk. When it came down to it, I never thought about what Nunnalé felt. It’s laughable. There was never a moment where I saw her dedication to protect me as anything but being hardheaded…

“Nunnalé, can I at least know why you want to fight?”

“I wish to protect you, that is my duty… Furthermore, I wish to save Marie. There is an indescribable sensation that urges me to help her. It is an odd feeling, however, I do not wish to go against it.”

Her voice is backed by a sort of strength I've never heard from her before. And her reason… Okay, that's all I needed.

“Sorry, Nunnalé, for being a fool!”

Even if it’s hardheaded, her need to protect me, like how I want to get stronger, is real. I’ve been denying it this whole time, denying her of her privilege to fight, and her being injured was the perfect excuse.

“Nunnalé, please win!”

She tightens her first. “Yes!”

"Also, get the sword out of her hand! That's where all the Source is coming from!"

"I understand. I will use your advice to achieve victory."

I can feel it, not with my ability to sense the emotion from words, but I can sense it, anyway. Nunnalé is fired up! If she's getting geared up, so should I! I'll heal Alexander as much as I can so I can let Nunnalé use my Source as much as she wants. I’ll believe in her, as much as I believe in Proxy.

…

Approaching Marie like this is stressful. The pressure coming off her is telling me something nasty is coming from her. Each of my steps gets heavier as I try to keep up with Gil. He doesn’t seem fazed by the fact Marie is our enemy, or this killer pressure is crashing against us. That just makes this even more stressful. Damn, even my shoulders are getting heavier from getting this close. Am I really gonna be okay?

“Proxy, don’t lose your focus for a second,” Gil tells, keeping his eyes forward, trained on Marie’s figure.

Did he sense my unease? Geez, this is embarrassing. I need to pull myself together, or else we’ll get wiped before we can do shit.

“Got you.”

“And remember the plan…”

He doesn’t need to tell me. We just gotta attack together and keep close to the enemy. I don’t have time to be doubting myself and all that crap. Just gotta pull myself together and fight like always; buckle my knees a little, place my left foot forward with my left hand, and take a deep breath… Yeah, I got this!

“I got it!”

Marie, or at least the son of a bitch possessing her approaches us, stopping a good ways away from us. “So, you’re Proxy? This girl seems to hold you in high regard, almost like a little brother."

Is that bastard going through her memories? Kinda disgusting if you ask me.

“You gross bastard. Don’t you know going through a girl’s stuff is bad?”

“Same thing she told you.”

“Yeah, well, the same thing applies to you.” I fall into my stance, ready to move the second this shit starts. “...You better give her body back.”

“Are you going to kill me if I don’t?”

“No, we’re going to force you out of her body.”

Good, Nunnalé caught up, and we got archers on the building. Plus, the Doc and Quincy are covering us, just as planned.

The plan is simple. We’re acting as layers here, so the soldiers who’re coming into the village are going to act as the outer layer, then we got Nunnalé, who’ll be the second layer, and Gil and I are going to be the innermost! Basically, like cake, but all the layers are topped with frosting.

“Proxy, follow my lead. Nunnalé, get ready to cover us!”

“Yeah!”

“Yes!”

“Oh, ain’t this going to be fun. Like always, I’ll try to play on your levels.” Marie’s eyes closed. “...After all, I don’t want to–”

We race off, taking advantage of this opportunity. Nunnalé follows behind us. Gil’s foot slams into her gut. I yank her free hand, following up with a body blow, releasing right after. It pushes the enemy back, clenching Marie’s gut. That was good, my body has really recovered, but I shouldn’t push myself too much, or I’ll ruin my body.

Her face is forced to show an ugly look of glee, like they’re enjoying the fight. “My, my! That was quite the strike…! Isn’t this quite the predicament? I can’t outstretch my shadows as far as I like anymore. Oh well, I suppose the handicap is a good thing. If I kill you too quickly, then–”

“Can you shut up? If you’re gonna fight, then fight," I spat with venom behind my words.

“Temper, temper!”

The shadows below disappear, leaving no trace of ever existing. Nunnalé speeds past us right when the enemy did. Their blades violently clash, creating an ear-bursting sound. Roaring winds send the flames around into a frenzy. Holy shit, if I had been close to that, my body would’ve been crushed by the air pressure.

Though, brief, their clashes tell me everything I need to know about our enemy. Their swordplay is good, real good…but not as good as Alex’s. Without that power packed into it, he would've kicked this dude's ass!

“Over here!”

From Gil’s call, she throws Marie at us by taking advantage of their height difference. We punch her in the back, softening our punches to not crush it. My sense kicks in, sending warning bells through my brain that danger is coming from below! I push Gil, backing away from the hit as well, dodging it by the skin of my teeth. In our place were thin needles, sharp enough to rip through human flesh. I couldn’t tell that it was below my feet before my sense kicked in.

“Well, that’s no fun. I suppose my shadows aren’t as effective for attacking at this moment. Very well, I’ll show you something exciting!” Shadows dance around Marie’s body, morphing around her body, turning into a bulky set of armor as black as night. A mask reflects us, somehow appearing lifeless. “...Black Gallary: beast of madness armor. Catchy name, right?” Kinda sick, not gonna lie. Wait, don’t compliment the enemy! “...I’ll kill you two, first.”

True to its word, it makes the first move by extending its sword; from 3 feet to 6. I weave under the blade, keeping my chest low to the ground to avoid getting diced up. Shifting my weight forward, I lunge at her. Spinning us around, I manage to daze the enemy without confusing myself. Gil cracks the mask with a well-placed punch. I smash my elbow against her mask, causing another crack in the helmet.

“Wha–”

Gil belts the enemy, shutting them up, followed by another strike from me. One after another, blow for blow, we take turns bashing against the armor’s hard shell. A storm of kicks and punches assaults the enemy from all sides, giving it no room to react or to make one of its own. Each of our attacks has to be hard, or else we won't do enough damage to the armor. And if we mess up our timing, then we'll lose our advantage. I'll worry about keeping them mixed up while Gil does the major damage.

"Damnit! Why…can't…I…"

No matter how you slice it, we got you trapped in an onslaught of slugs and kicks. I can feel it, my body is getting warmed up. Though, I’m still recovering, so I’m not going to hitting my max any time soon. Even so, I can at least keep up with the bastard’s attacks. Though I don’t know how much I recovered, so I hope my legs don’t give out all of a sudden.

“Enough!”

A murderous pressure stabs through the core of my being, causing a lag in my movement by at least a second. This second was all it needed to break out of our trap. Its blade, coated in dark energy, shifting in waves powerful, is gonna slice me down the middle. A purple blur slides between us, saving me from my immediate death. Her sword endured the dark waves that would’ve torn my body apart since they destroyed the upper half of a building behind us.

“Proxy, attack!”

“Gotcha!”

I jump up to my feet. Summoning all the power into my legs, I soar over Nunnalé, thrusting my leg at Marie’s head, mimicking the thrust of her spear. I throw another kick, cracking the helmet protecting her head.

Gil, being the surprisingly sneaky bastard he is, hammers his leg into Marie’s shoulder, pushing his leg further down Marie’s shoulder. Before the enemy can counter, he throws her body down the road with his raw strength. The flames continue to blaze around us, eliminating any room for a shadow. As long as they stay on the ruined buildings and don’t spread on the ground, we’ll be fine.

“Proxy, Nunnalé, are you two okay?”

“We’re good, but that was too damn close!”

“We must aim for the sword. That is the origin of the Source surrounding her.”

So if we chuck that sword out of her hand, then we’ll all be good? Works for me.

“Okay, me and Gil will give you an opening.”

Gil scoots next to me, lowering his torso a little. “Proxy, we’ll hit her once on both sides. But I ain’t gonna tell you when, so you’re gonna have to rely on your gut.”

Probably doesn’t want to give away our plan, I get that. Besides, relying on my gut is what I do best.

“Gotcha!”

Marie’s possessed body trudges toward us. Its sword changes shape, forming talons on the spine. Murderous intent is oozing from her body, preparing to tear us to shreds with all of it in this next go-around.

Clenching my fist, I put them in front of me, steeling my nerves… You know, when I first hit Marie, I was angry, pitiful, and spiteful. Hell, I even hated her… Maybe she deserved it, yet I can’t ever seem to forgive myself for doing that to her. But this time is different. This is going to hurt, but hang in there a little longer, Marie. I’ll save you with my fists, and I’ll bring you back to your brother, so don’t you dare give up now!