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The next morning, all six people from the library incident had now sat down within Mother Mariel's private sanctum, which was known as the reliquary. The priceless relicts and artifacts that had been found around Ivalice and brought to this cathedral for various studies were held here, including the one that Navarro handed over to complete the mission. Mariel opened the book briefly, looked at the relic within of its strange crystalline structure, and promptly closed it once more before placing it in a special case. The reliquary looked more like a museum than anything, with various strange items locked carefully within either glass-encased tombs or special locked desks letting one view them beneath the panelled glass. Walls on both sides adorned with tapestries of an ancient past, desks and casings full of many items ranging from cursed armour to holy feet dismembered. A golden whistle, a crown of leaves that never lost their verdant lustre, pendants of both light and dark misfortunes upon the one who wore it. All the room that they could see was breathing with history inside of it. The raptor and his companions sat nervously upon a circle of seats, around one large table mostly used for reading manuscripts upon as relics gazed down upon them from every corner of the sacred hall. No light penetrated within this room, only darkness prevailed except by that which was given from the light they now had upon the circular central table. A lantern of magicite, handheld like that of mining operations as they waited for Mother Mariel to come back to them as they sipped their tea cautiously, having been offered it to calm down slightly. Firmly locking the book of animals and its cursed relic within one desk nearby, the nu-mou sat down promptly carrying a large book wrapped in leather, bound of an old previous age as she sipped her cup of tea softly. The rest of them enjoyed the short relief in the uncomfortable aura of last night, with nothing said between until she placed her hands firmly together, wrinkled yet taut with strength as she spoke calmly. "First off, allow me to apologise deeply for all I have brought on you. I have my misfortunes to give around the table. Navarro, I am sorry that I was not forward with you on the purpose of this mission. James, I apologise for never speaking of my condition despite you having every reason to be empathic with me. Dahlia, I apologise for being held captive as part of the terrible ordeal. And to my dear sons...I beg your forgiveness for everything I have not told you." They said nothing, Fayne drumming his fingers patiently but clearly tense and untrustworthy of everyone around him. Baldwin managed to soothe him, planting his hand upon his and squeezing it tightly as the bishop sighed hotly with shaking fist wrapped around his staff next to him. Mariel did not wait for anyone to speak as she began her story. "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin."

She swept her hand over the book as it flipped itself open, revealing an old series of drawings depicting strange medieval persons, the hume and the bangaa along with the nu-mou and the moogle. All of whom looked very saintly beneath one grand transcendent female hume who seemed to travel far west, journeying to the place of darkness far below. "Four hundred years ago, there was a woman named Mullenkamp, a hume part of the ancient Kildean faith, who was a dancer for ceremonies. But her great intelligence outspoke that of her beauty and so she learnt to become head priestess of ancient Kiltia. She studied greatly into the powers balancing that between order and chaos. Light and darkness, she reasoned, was not necessarily that of good and evil, for she noted that there were just as many of light and holy worth that could commit great atrocities if they so chose. "Further analysing into the nature of all morality, she took herself away from the idea of light and darkness as good and evil, and began to study them as separate entities. With a group of followers who worshipped her grace, she discovered something strange beneath the foundations of what would become Lea Monde. A negative energy formed unnaturally, but had somehow become existent upon this realm we live in. None could describe it, or capture it successfully when it was found in the old deep ruins of ancient civilisation, but we have called it 'the Dark'." "That's original," murmured FG. "In their excavations they had uncovered a new energy, one that was transcendent by its most spiritual form, an antithesis to that of Holy. Unfortunately she could not comprehend fully of its power, and so its first victims in perhaps centuries were that of several of her followers. Those who had become tainted by the Dark, had found that their souls would no longer join the afterlife, irreparably rewarded by an immortality known as, an 'incomplete death'. They cannot die by natural means, forever living until someone can destroy them." "Fayne told us," said Dahlia, "that these souls cannot depart ever again, is that right?" "Correct," replied Fayne, "one who became tainted by the Dark, can only walk upon the earth hoping to find another victim to corrupt, their sszhoul tainted forevermore finding comfort only within another'sszh sszhuffrage." "So it's like a virus," said FG, "just...replicating constantly and making more Dark-tainted souls?" "In a manner of sszhpeaking, correct." "Then what of you?" asked Navarro to Mother Mariel. "You apparently possess the Dark, yet you are competent and able to speak fluidly as if you are not dead kupo. How did you come to control it?" "I will explain," said the mother matron, "but first I must explain how Mullenkamp began her deviations. The Blood-Sin." She turned over the page towards the inverted six-point cross, facing downwards upon a single shadowed form raising hands up above a mass sea of black, that almost seemed to drip off the page like oil. "Whosoever holds this mark, shall be the one to wield the Dark. That is how the old saying goes down in Lea Monde. Mullenkamp knew she had to find a way to control it, and through a great undertaking of both physical and mental strength, pursued by any means necessary to hold a deep enough power by which she could use to control it. Realising that the Dark never truly left Lea Monde, she decided to use that to her advantage. She devised a grimoire, specifically by which to contain the Dark itself like a prison. The Gran Grimoire."

"Gran...Grimoire?" asked James. "What the hell is that?" "The mosszht powerful form of magic," replied Baldwin, "a legendary tome that legendsszh sszhay can change the future...almosszht change the very world of Ivalisszhe for whosszhoever holdsszh it. But...I thought that wasszh jusszht a myth." "You should never accept myths," said Mariel kindly. "Especially not in this city." "Are you saying it's real?!" asked Dahlia shocked. "But...we've heard about it for years, no one could truly know what-" "I know what it is. Mullenkamp herself devised it originally as a means to control the Dark, and it is great enough that the Dark has not escaped this city for at least four hundred years. I cannot tell you what it is, for I have sworn not to." "Sworn to who?" "...Mullenkamp herself." All of them looked shocked towards her, her smile soft yet the glint in her eyes spoke much deeply of another age. Baldwin was first to ask sharply: "Wh-wh-...what?" "I was but a young girl, a dancer joining with the church of Kiltia just as my parents did before me. They guided me through its trials, and I was most eager to become part of this great institution, an ordained faith that could give me greater purpose in life. How little did I know that life would change very quickly for me. When I was fourteen, I became part of Mullenkamp's followers owing to my dancer class as part of her tutelage, and my parents followed obediently. After all she was head priestess, how could we not?" "But that wasszh four-hundred yearsszh ago!" "Very good dear, your arithmetic's getting better." Despite the sarcasm, her voice was so gentle towards him that all he could do was blush and feel awkward as she elaborated, turning the page once more showing a group of people room full of books, pages scattered across with blood-red writing full upon faces. "When she began her studies into the Dark, she asked that her followers assist in whatever way possible. The higher elders of Kiltia were also interested, but as the project was rather sensitive to contamination and spreading out, she beckoned them silence and essentially quarantined us to not allow any leakage of her various findings. Firstly, she concocted the idea of a Gran Grimoire, a tome so great and all-encompassing that the Dark could not be able to escape the city unless willed to by its holder. Secondly, she created a mark that the central form of the Dark must adhere to." "Wait it follows laws?" asked James. "But, why?" "Because she made them," replied Mariel, "as the head priestess, she understood unnatural auras, and that all things, even that of chaotic existence, must follow some form of order and rule for nothing in life is truly random. Everything in this world is composed of a structural complex algorithm, adhered to by magical strands of existence. Everything happens for a reason, clouds come because of wind, fire starts because molecules become exacerbated, magic is formed by the convalescence of Mist forming a reaction."

"Iiii see..." James clearly did not understand darting his eyes a little but Mariel continued regardless as she turned the page. The woman now had the symbol upon her hand, and with it the page itself somehow warped entirely around it into a crumpled state, shrivelling and crackling right in front of them. Blood poured softly from inside the book, dripping out onto the table. "The mark, to come back to my point, was that known as the Blood-Sin. A fitting name that she chose in order to imply the great undertaking one must make for it. Not only did she create the prison by which the Dark can be contained, but she also created the key for that same prison. A tattoo imbibed with the coarse inherent power of the Dark, she took it upon herself to bathe within its essence, much to our protest knowing we could possibly lose our fair priestess. But she had taken all precautions, and so she emerged from its depths...anew." She got up slowly from her seat and gently unfurled her robe off from her body, revealing her naked back towards them as she turned away showing the mark itself. The dark bloodied tattoo of six red points, a satanic inverse of the symbol of Kiltia now burnt into her old withered flesh. Yet despite her age it still showed prominently as a strong potent invocation that glowed deeply within her skin, pulsating grimly black like ink. "I was the third chosen to bear its mark, and I may well be the last until I can find a greater successor. Mullenkamp had managed to contain it, but now she was cursed and so banished from the faith once they found out her doings. Lea Monde became a cursed name, the city she had so built for her followers to study the very Dark, had now become a place so reviled and bitter upon the elders' tongues of this very existence of 'evil', that they had no choice but to eradicate us. I was sixty-five years old when it happened." "They...destroyed your people?" asked Navarro softly. "For the most part." She turned back towards them after refitting her robe back onto herself. "Mullenkamp had tried her best to explain that her studies showed there was no good or evil inherent within light or darkness. It relied entirely upon the heart of its wielder, which for some may sound quite basic. But to the light of Kiltia and those representing this was unexcusable, for it shook the very foundations of their religion and so they took it as a personal attack. There were dissidents, arguing against that Mullenkamp was of solid heart and of purest affinity that she could not possibly have ulterior motives. But the elders would not hear of it, and so disgraced her as a cursed demon." "And so we come back to my question, kupo. How did it come to you?" "I was chosen by Mullenkamp's successor, a kindly man known as Banquo who, even though he was not of superior rank in our faith, showed a great potential of being a strong fair-hearted soul who could wield against the Dark. In turn he chose me, and I became the third successor...for the next three-hundred-and-forty years." "But...wait, I do not understand, you said that those with the Dark are immortal, kupo. Why choose a successor?" "Because," explained Mariel, "the current holder could be killed by other such means."

Turning their attention back towards the book, she turned the page showing the Blood-Sin itself tattooed upon the back of someone. Daggers of glinting light, holy spells and wroughtful iron spears pierced through the page script in such a way it almost appeared as if steel had been woven into the fabric. Then they realised that the page itself was a different texture from the rest of the book. It had been someone's own flesh woven into the book, bleeding constantly into a drying state of coagulation, crimson stains never fading as she explained. "Immortality does not mean invulnerability, it simply means that you cannot cease to be by your own existence. But if by some other hand your life were to be cut short, that is a different matter entirely...like that of what happened to Mullenkamp...and then Banquo." "What happened?" asked Baldwin curiously. "The old Kildean faith, more specifically that known as the Rood of Iocus, came down upon the city in a great flight of fury, a warmongering crusade that hunted us down, cornered us into the cellars of Lea Monde...and executed us. In greater mockery and ignorance, the current symbol of Kiltia is but an inverse of our own Blood-Sin, symbolising their victory over us." "Wait, WHAT?!" cried Fayne. "That...that wasszh not what I wasszh taught mother, the Blood-Sszhin wasszh a mockery of our Kildean sszhymbol!" "That is the story you were told my children, because the current Kildeans are so blissfully ignorant of their own history. Do not worry, I am not offended and nor should you be, many records were destroyed and now there are many who do not realise such significance...and hypocrisy of their symbol. And if you do not believe me, then it matters not, for I do not think even you two know of a symbol before the Rood of Iocus, now do you?" Both brothers looked at each other searching for the answer inside the other's eyes. But there was nothing they could think, and so allowed her to continue, but not before Fayne asked: "How did you...survive?" "My people protected me. When I was given the powers of the Blood-Sin as trusted protector of the Dark, they made certain that I hid far away as possible within an old wine cellar whilst the war continued. As shamed as I was in wanting to avenge my fallen brothers and sisters...I knew that I could not, for I must not allow myself to use the Dark with the intent of malice. That is not why I was given it, and so I endured, carrying such grief in my heart for many years until I could finally let myself breathe." "...I...I don't...I do not undersszhtand. If you carry sszhuch grief causszhed by our church, then why are you part of it? Why are you sszhtill here?" "Because it was the only way I could observe the Dark, and protect our fair city from its power. I am the key within the lock of this cage that we have constructed for it. Should I ever depart this city, then I fear that the Dark beneath will become unruly and so we shall all be in danger. With new identity, I took it upon myself to become part of the Kildean faith, for they had no record of me amongst Mullenkamp's followers, all of which had been wiped out so I could start again...my name is Mariel though, I did not deceive you on that point. I simply offered myself body and soul to them as a silent guardian...watching over the city." The nu-mou closed the book, walking over towards the two brothers as she placed a hand upon each head, stroking lovingly. "I knew however that because of our massacre, or rather the Kildean faith's massacre upon my brethren, that there were many still trapped inside of Lea Monde, cursed within the Dark. There were so many who had tried to fight back, those who tried to contain it by themselves but found they could not hold it...and so their souls became lost forever, even some of the Iocus brotherhood had lost those to its darkness. I knew I needed someone, some plan to eradicate the Dark's missing children so that no creature would ever escape, no blood tarnished further or even corrupted greatly, beyond this city's borders." "And what plan was that kupo?" asked Navarro. She smiled down upon her children gladly. "...these two." "Wait what?!"

The brothers looked up with shock as she kissed them both on their noses. "A young boy, perhaps fifty years ago, came sodden up to our doorstep dragging his brother behind him, wounded by a most grave concussion. I took them in, pitying such poor things and soon enough they became close to me, beckoning me as their foster parent. I could not refuse such a thing but I also knew...that with such trusted bond between them, they were a perfect choice to battle against the Dark itself." "Sszho you usszhed usszh," added Baldwin. "No no, I did not. I allowed you to refuse at any time you wanted, I merely taught you how to combat it, to prepare you for your task, your mission in life from me. All I asked of you was that if you ever encountered that of the Dark within our fair city, you would do your utmost best to destroy it from this world. I wanted my...brothers and sisters to find peace. That dagger, which you so wield Fayne, I devised it myself under great care as the perfect antidote against the Dark's tenebrous embrace upon a soul. Of course it also eradicates the soul itself, but at the very least they shall find peace within nothingness, rather than by their eternity of suffering." "But...but if you...you have the Dark too mother, I mean...were you...were you planning on usszh to..." A mournful look came upon her as she sighed deeply before adding her last statement on her mission. "If...I ever...lost control of it against all odds, despite every precaution that I made...much as I would not want it to happen, but if I ever succumbed to it I...I made certain that both of you would fulfil your duty, protect this cathedral. And I know, that day may come, maybe it never will but I know you would do right by this city, and by me...I would not want to suffer underneath this monstrous presence ever lurking inside my heart, should I befall to it. Remember what I told you two long ago? If ever I saw the shadows' length lurking across my bedroom door, then-" "-you will come sszhave me, with the light you alwaysszh keep closszhe to your heart." Nodding as they spoke this mantra, they slowly began to understood sharing her look grievously before they looked towards each other. Trying to read the other's thoughts, Fayne was numbed with fear and sufferance torn between trust and discord of his own thoughts. Baldwin, for whatever reason had kept his trust stronger and simply stood up alongside her. He watched his brother with a pleaful look in his eye, not saying a single thing as Fayne began to feel parched, hot and sweltering with tremulous guilt and heartache until no longer could he bear it. Closing his eyes shut, he stood up fast and rushed towards Mariel's side opposite of where his brother stood. It took them a couple of minutes to judge whether the other would follow what they were about to do, nervous and frightened by this turn of events but their hearts spoke as one briefly, a look of soft pittance made before softly they embraced. Mariel became wrapped between their warmest hug as they allowed maternal feelings to wash over across their bodies. The mother gasped slightly hugging them close in turn, tearful suddenly before whispering: "Th-thank you...h-hoh...thank you for trusting me." "I...I am sszhorry mother," replied Fayne. "I...do not know what became of thisszh but...I will admit I am not content by all thisszh for I am sszhtill in doubt betrayed by your being...made me a pawn in your game." "I understand, you have every right to feel betrayed after everything I taught you. I know I look a hypocrite, but I never wanted anything untowards this fair church. All the people who had slain my brothers are now dead, and it has been a very long time since any anger has kept firm in my heart. All I want is to be safe amongst this church and my city. Our city. I may have raised you with intentions other than so I claim but my love for you two was never untruthful. I swear upon Kiltia itself." "I believe you," said Baldwin firmly, "I know that...thisszh...isszh all very sszhudden sszho Iiiii am...kinda off-feeling right now." "I will not force you to think anything else. But know that I have always considered you as my own children and that will not change. I beseech you...please...help me battle against the wayward souls of the Dark that still roam amongst these halls, buried beneath our feet. Whether you call it evil or not, I ask that you free them for me. Give them peace." "We will," replied Fayne. "That remainsszh our duty to the Kildean faith, at the very leasszht. However...there isszh one other problem we now need to confer on. What of our leader, who appearsszh alsszho to have contained the Dark?" "That...I do not know."

All eyes turned now towards James who blinked nervously in the light of the dim room sighing with grievances. Another group of friends to distrust him as if they needed further excuse, but Mariel added: "I can tell you now that James is not afflicted by the Dark itself." "What?" "That is a different darkness altogether that he attained someplace." "Is this true?" asked Dahlia next to him. "You...you talked of a demon last night briefly but...I-" "Can I ask something?" said the raptor. "If we're gonna...explain stuff then I want Kruz to be here." They looked at each other before Mariel asked: "Who is this...Kruz exactly?" "My friend...my closest friend he, he's out on the ship that took us here right outside the city, I...I want him to be here so I can tell you all everything. I want to explain." Realising this Fayne put himself forwards as he asked with permission: "If you want your friend to be here, may I permit mysszhelf to go fetch him?" "Okay...thanks." The bishop walked out of the room and returned not more than ten minutes later with Kruz accompanying him. Dead silence greeted him upon entering the room as if he had walked into an intervention. The kremling looked rather fearful as if sensing the severity of the situation. The dark room of strange artifacts did not help as he asked in Ivalician: "What's going on? James? Fayne told me to come because you...needed some help?" "Kinda," replied FG. "Something...happened last night and I...need to come out and tell you something." "Wh-wh-what?" Kruz softly seated himself next to James as everyone listened, waiting for him to talk further trying to explain himself, his hands grasped tightly within each other as claws pressed firmly. "...I have a demon inside me. I'm cursed. It's something inside of me and it uses me for...things." "...wh-...wh-what?" "I'm cursed. About...ten years ago I was a young and stupid idiot, I got lost inside this dark mansion. This monster chased me through it and I...barely managed to kill it but I took its weapon. These scissors on my back. I didn't realise the monster itself was actually in them and so it...just possessed me after a long time of having it. About a month or two after I left you, he came out and started killing people with my body, wantonly, murdering everything because it needed...souls." "J-James...you can't be serious." He slipped back into his original language as panic grew within him grabbing at James' shoulder. "Th-this is a joke r-right, I mean...I don't know what's been happenin' with all of you but this can't be sumthin' you...must have caused on yourself, did you?"

James turned towards him with the deathly look of seriousness on his eyes. Kruz had never seen that look and it scared him more than anything he had known as James continued with his head in his hands. "It wants to keep eating, keep feasting on souls and the only way it can do that is by killing. Sometimes I manage to...ease it by my own killing, because I think maybe the souls are taken into itself by the scissors? I'm not sure, but it seems to help, so I tried to focus on only people that deserve it, monsters, murderers, that sort of thing. It wasn't enough just feeding it, I almost killed the one I loved because of him. I've been searching for years to find someone that can help me...get rid of him. This monster...I went to a dark place before I came to Ivalice." "Of what?" asked Dahlia. "This monster kills anything...men, women...kids even. I went into a state of grief, wanted to kill myself, just wanted to make sure I could not let this thing hurt anyone ever again but then I realised...after a long search inside myself that if I was the one it needed to start feasting again...then I could be the one to call the shots. So I'm now resisting, fighting more against it...I wasn't so scared of it after just accepting what it was, I wanted to redeem myself fighting this thing inside me that I might never be able to get rid of. But at the very least I can try and stop it from killing anymore people." "And...how do you plan on that?" said Fayne nervously. "By trying to not be evil...just trying...not to do anything that not a hero would do. I never wanted to be a big hero, I never wanted...any of this sword and magic stuff this, this is all bullshit to me, this...it's just dumb fantasy to me." He threw his head upwards and sighed deeply with exhaustion. "But I have to. I have to keep going just so I can stop this thing. For every life it took I want to save ten more. Every town I broke and ruined I want to save a whole city. I might not be able to save those I killed but I at least wanna save even more people...I don't wanna be a monster." He was too tired for tears, feeling everyone stare at him both confused and somewhat fearful of his dark potential. Except Mother Mariel, who calmly walked forwards asking: "Do you truly want this beast to come apart from you?" "Huh?" "We are in a church...and we are part of a great being of faith amongst gods that we could exorcise it. Possibly." "You...you want to?" "Of course. After all you finished a mission for me, and I know that I haven't paid you for it due to the circumstances of last night but...would you allow me to perform an exorcism upon you?" "Please." The raptor stood up with hands firmly upon the table as he shook with near-anticipation. "Please...h-help me. I don't care what I have to do just get it out of me. I need this." "Very well. It will take me some time, I might ask that you wait a few days in order for us to research and prepare ourselves for this ritual to be made." "I've got something that might help," replied Kruz next to him. "That item we got earlier, the Song of Souls, maybe I can help you with that." "You...you'd do that for me?" "Course I would, why even ask?!"

Grinning widely with a forced smile the kremling patted him on the back as James smirked awkwardly, giving a chuckle gladly as the party started turning less uncomfortable by the small glimmer of hope. Dahlia felt pressured by her own self to add leaning forwards: "I'm...sorry about...I did not realise you were suffering so deeply." "You weren't supposed to," said FG smirking, "seriously, I thought Fayne told you to stop-" "But I am not clean of guilt either," replied Fayne, "after...what we have been through the night before, to think I had given you great trusszht and chided my own brother when I by my own hand tried to do worsszhe than he did to you. Now I undersszhtand hisszh problem." "Problem?" "Being with one who conflictsszh with a persszhonal belief, but alsszho be the one you have no warrant to doubt upon. I...I cannot bring mysszhelf to judge you by the title of being a desszhiever. You have given me little motive to judge thee in that manner and, for better or worsszhe...Baldwin." The brothers turned towards each other as Fayne made his statement. "I want to make a requesszht." "What isszh it?" "...I wisszh to appeal to Clan Koridai, to perform a misszhion along with you and me." "Wait, what?" "What are you asking kupo?" Navarro leaned back with surreptitious concern, as well as being frankly tired of such constant change within the clan's relationships. "My...my mother became a victim of crime, and I want you to find out who, or what, would ever dare try to harm her. Whoever thosszhe cloaked people were, they had a great need to uncover one relic from her, even to the point of brutally murdering her, or at leasszht trying to. I will offer my hand to you and remain with the group for that misszhion I offer. Baldwin, would you come with me?" The elder brother simply cracked a grin and slapped Fayne on the back with a heavy pat. "You ain't getting rid of me that easszhy, you think sszhome molly like Jamesszh isszh gonna sszhcare me off from joining thisszh group back again?!" "You still wanna be with us?" asked James nervously. "I mean, it's up to you." "If my bro wantsszh me to sszhtay if only becausszhe we need to, then I will. I'm not leaving him with YOU alone that'sszh fer sszhure." "Heheh...sorry but I'm taken, church people aren't my kinda thing anyway, male or female." "Hah! Like you could even get a date here, you don't even know the name of our firsszht sszhonnet!" "Exactly." Both Baldwin and James chuckled at each other softly before nodding with compliment, respecting each other's wishes as Fayne smiled with some relief as the meeting became adjourned. Mariel began preparing herself for the upcoming ritual, whilst Fayne took Baldwin along to help her deal with the particulates. James, Dahlia and Navarro went off to check the artifact they had returned in the meantime wondering upon its curious eminent power flowing from within the display case, which left lastly Kruz heading off back towards the ship in order to grab his particular item to try and help with the ritual.

The fractured-looking crystal, pulsing like a frail heart wrapped in both silver and amber within its three-pointed structure was both tantalising and unearthly. And yet a cold purple gleam echoed across its features that Dahlia, James and Navarro examined curiously within its casing, the raptor asking: "What do you think this artifact is?" "I am not sure kupo," said the moogle, "whatever it is, it marks clearly whoever holds it by a great unseen power." "Could it be..." murmured Dahlia, "...no...surely not." "What?" "Well, considering...what...h-happened I did not want to think it was deifacted nethicite, but...there are only three of them in existence surely." "Deifacted?" asked FG. Navarro looked at Dahlia with a side-look of grief, rolling her eyes upwards with exasperation as the nu-mou giggled slightly before she took the burden of explaining things from her. "In the beginning of Ivalice, a great ancient race known as the Occuria, possessed a large crystal known as the Sun-Cryst. They gifted it to the mortals, at first to the Garif who did not want to use it the way the Occuria wanted it. As Ivalice fell into great turmoil, a man known as Raithwall was chosen by the Occuria and given the Sword of Kings which is the only sword known to cut through the nethicite. He journeyed to the Sun-Cryst, far away in a tower known as the Pharos and cut three pieces from it. One to the kingdom of Nabradia, one hidden within the palace of Rabanastre, and one buried with Raithwall himself, who became the first Dynast king to unite the land of Ivalice." "Wow...so...he had a sword that could cut a huge powerful crystal, and he used that to bring peace?" "Exactly. But deifacted nethicite is much too powerful for one man to control...what that Scarface went through...I almost want to think it was but...something feels off." "Like what?" "Like, how he got it, it's not possible to reach the Pharos, it's on an island far beyond atop the Ridorana Cataract, no airship can reach it, plus the tides around it make sea journeys a death wish. And there has been no reports of the shards being taken from the kingdoms because that would never go unnoticed...so..." "You think this is something different, kupo?" asked Navarro. "I think so. In fact I almost want to say it's not even nethicite, it just seems a little too...colourful, if that makes sense, possibly the wrong colour even I'm just not sure." "I see...how are you?" "Hmm?" "You have been through a lot lately, are you well?" "...I-i'm...fine, thank you! Please, do not worry about me." "Well I will," replied FG, "I'm clan leader and Navarro is deputy so it's our ob to worry about you. Seriously, if you need anything or want to tell me something, just talk, I'm right here for you." "...thank you. I know that...you suffer greater problems than me right now bu-" "No."

James waved a hand as he looked away partially. "Look, it's my fault I got cursed,this thing I picked up, no one forced me to and that's my problem alone. I don't want you to feel pity for me just for that." "But...you're my friend. Why wouldn't I feel pity?" "Heh...fair enough." "I like you James. You never talk to me as...if you have some ulterior motive with me, you seem very honest...at least when I talk with you." "Heheh...maybe it's because you know about my boyfriend so I'm-" "N-no no no w-well, there is that but I just meant...oh goodness I feel my words coming out all sorts forgive me I-" "No hey it's cool I understand. I mean, I like you because you're so sweet and innocent, but...you got this huge intelligence that just blows the rest of us away and I can't understand half the stuff you're speaking about...but I know that stuff's important to understanding this world so...I guess it's just that." The nu-mou blushed softly with a tender smirk with dimples on her cheeks, bifocals pushed up slightly with a small squint as James rubbed the back of his neck. Navarro looked at James oddly wondering what sort of past he kept in him. "Th-thank you...and...I'm sorry about all the things that happened concerning my attitude in the past few months." "It's fine, don't worry about it. But, seriously, whatever problems you have you can always come to me. I just want you to know that Dahlia. Okay?" He hugged her gently, a familial comfort as she returned the embrace simply smiling with gratitude beaming from ear to ear. Whilst they were waiting still she decided to strike up a little conversation. "James, have you ever heard of Haytham Durai?" "No? Wait, was that the um...yeah, was that the guy you mentioned at the hospital?" "Yes, he's a philosopher and historian of Ivalice, he was working on learning of the Occuria...I just thought of him since you said that lovely quote the other day whilst we were there, the one about sufficiently advanced technology?" "Oh yeah no it just popped into my head." "Did you hear about Durai's disappearance?" asked Navarro. "Almost a year ago, kupo?" "I did," replied Dahlia, "is he still missing?" "As far as I know, I suppose you have not heard anything either James." "I didn't even know the guy's name until you told me," shrugged FG, "sorry." "A shame. He would understand something like this...I just wish we could comprehend this bizarre crystal." "That whole ceremony was bizarre...I can't think what else this crystal seems to do other than the fact that it twisted an entire abbey up into dark shit." "And then all their memories were simply wiped, they were all completely different not like the way they were when they commenced kidnapping...hmmm." "I actually wanna ask you, Dahlia...what DID they want with you back on the altar they had?" She froze up slightly but recomposed herself, sighing heavily from her lips. "I...I-i do not know, sorry." "It's fine...we'll figure this out soon enough. Alright I'm gonna go check on Mariel and see how the ritual's going, talk to you later." "Alright." James left both ladies to their devices as Navarro looked at him uncertainly before he disappeared from view. She turned towards the nu-mou slightly as her face grew bright with the purple glint from the sinister artifact. "He always talks with a touch of sadness, kupo." "What?" "I have noticed, everytime he talks with you, he almost...there is always a soft tone of wistful remembrance. Have you two met before?" "No, never." "Hm...forgive me, I...if you ever want to talk further on what we discussed back on Bhujerba...I am here for you too." "Oh g-gosh I-...thank you, I'm so happy that I have good friends finally." "Finally?" "N-never mind, I-...I'm still confused I...do you trust James?" "I do, kupo. He has shown his worth over the past few months that when he can put his foot down, he will. I also respect the fact he does not shy away from admittance of his own curse, or even try to blame anyone for it but himself, kupo. There are many in this world who lack such humility and I can tell that it is not natural for him." "I suppose so...I saw him, back on the Black Mist, throbbing with such evil energy...right in the midst of battle I thought he...he had been affected by something." "I am well impressed by his strength, kupo. The fact that he was so diligent in our operation at White Deer Monastery was what made me realise how much respect I owe him." "Hmhmhm...who would win in a swordfight then, you or him?" "Hmph...that I would not know. He has the spellblade advantage but I am swift, though he does leave his muscles wide open for me to read where he shall swing." "Really? So that's how you barely harm yourself amidst combat." "It is not perfect, kupo. But it is certainly a sight better than watching just the blade itself."

Night's cold came upon them once more, at least two days after their conference within the reliquary as Mariel began forming a ritual by which to create the perfect atmosphere for an exorcism. At least that's what she had wanted, but upon realising that James' demon was possibly unlike anything they had known in Ivalice, she decided to go a different route. Fayne became incredibly antagonistic towards this idea and his distrust still sowed itself within, but Baldwin was eager simply by that which he would believe his mother's words unquestionably. In the dark basements of the grand cathedral, a room had been set aside by claims of an exorcism, the church not allowed to interfere by Mother Mariel's orders for the purpose of studying demonology. It took quite a bit of paperwork to arrange it, but the nu-mou had her ways in fast-tracking through the red tape, mainly by that of pulling in old favours and armtwisting the higher-ups. It was only then that Fayne truly realised how much her position meant within the grand cathedral of Lea Monde's faith. James found himself laid out upon a stone-cold slab as if he were about to be sacrificed. The slab had odd little streaks and crevices all neatly carved out, like a small river of endless tributaries flowing from all parts of the stone underneath him. Kruz was in attendance too, along with the rest of James' group as Mariel had also conferred with Kruz about his proposition. A plan was now set in motion, and for the most part Mariel thought this would be almost too easy by which to exorcise the demon within. The scissors now stood safely to the side bound cautiously within a small casket painted by a symbol. Deathly cold ran through the old basement, an empty room with nothing but candles flickering all around them well-placed upon firm black stands in a centric pattern. From above this pattern would look most certainly demoniac, an old abstract symbol by which to invoke the dark beasts that prowled beneath the subterranean plane of existence. Those who would appear out of the corner of one's eye, those who gasped and whispered across the wind on nights of dark murder, those whose piercing eyes watching sent the most unshakeable fear crawling up one's spine in an empty room. "Do we have everything kupo?" asked Navarro. "All is set," replied Mariel. "Candles in alignment, symbol drawn out underneath...Kruz, do you have your relic?" "I do." The kremling brought out the golden scroll by which he was ready to use. "You say the word, and I will rip this bastard out of him without delay." "I admit I have heard of the Song of Souls, but never have I seen it personally. Quite a fascinating relic this." "All I know is that, from what I read back in the ruins, this scroll can tear apart two souls that are bound together, trapped eternally by separating them. Normally this would be used to tear one soul in half, forming both light and darkness if they are great enough, but...if two souls were put together as one, then that also works." "I would like to know where you got such information, another time. But I do agree with what you found out, that is the case."

Kruz grinned nervously as he watched waiting, ready for anything that may come. Navarro had no use in this place, knowing too well she had no means by which to fight demons but that did not deter her. Dahlia was wraught as she fidgeted, fearfully clasping her staff ready for anything that may come. Baldwin and Fayne stood back behind Mariel watching her to protect, the cleric asking: "How will the ritual go, mother?" "I will invoke the demon in order to confront him over his...host by sending James into a state of near-death, one very precisely controlled by me and once we are finished, I want Kruz to bring forth his powered scroll to try and separate them both in the instant moment I have him brought fully forth." "Don't you have your own magic?" asked Baldwin. "I mean, you are a matron, mother, don't you have sszhome powersszh you can usszhe here?" "Not until I know further about this demon, the wrong type of magic can cause either greater problems or destroy James completely. The Song of Souls however, from what Kruz tells me, is built precisely for such a thing." "But what if it fucksszh up?!" "It won't," said Kruz defiantly, "I know what this thing can do." "I thought you were a sszhky pirate, not a resszhearcher!" "I know plenty well enough! I risked my life for this damn thing I might as well use it before I have to give it to someone!" "Scuse me!" James spoke from between all of them whilst still on the slab. "You know you never told me who this person was." "Client confidentiality James, you know that. But if this thing can work on separating souls then maybe it can work on a demon inside a soul. All it does is separate the two, that's specifically what it does!" "Alright alright...I don't really like all this but if any chance I can get to at least get rid of him, then I'll take it." "Are you ready James?" asked Mariel. "...yes. I'm ready." "Do you trust me? You do realise I am going to have to stop your heart until it's on the point of death? It is a very precise procedure." "I think someone like you who can control the darkness better than me, is a lot more capable than I would be. So I trust you. I know you know what I'm going through." "Good. I do."

From the darkness there came mist tendrils wrapped around his brown limbs keeping James tied down to the slab as he fitfully struggled for a moment, feeling nervous as Mariel approached. From her robe she pulled out an incredibly long thin-looking knife that from the side almost seven inches in length. It more resembled that of a pin for acupuncture as the clan turned nervous, the raptor waiting for the knife to come down on him, slowly towards his heart. Kruz turned away unable to watch, as did Dahlia before the thin cold steel pushed through his chest. The tightness of his boundings courtesy of Mariel's Dark trapped him firmly to the slab as he gasped panicking, with rapt nerves of intense focused agony of an unbelieveably sharp pain. Blood came through from his back as she pushed through entirely, the pin-knife drenched in soft red as the little streams carved within the stone flowed fully with crimson hue, all over the slab itself. "H-hhhhh...h-HHHHh-a-a-a-ah...g-god-" "Sh-sh-sh-shhhhhh...good boy...do not be frightened, I am here. I won't leave you." "H-hhhhhhh...hhhhh...please...a-aaaah...d-don't...please..." "Shhhhh just...breathe out...nice and softly...you're just going to sleep for a little bit and then I will wake you up. I promise." James' breaths started hiccuping with frightful fear as he felt himself nearing death, a controlled process by which Mariel's darkness slowly poured through her eyes and from amidst her back. The Blood-Sin pulsated greatly as she flowed through his very being, touching along his bloodied streams as if tasting him. Her voice began to turn deep like the howling abyss of an ice cavern, a most ancient force inside of it as her soft kindly tones were replaced by an unholy, yet pure-spoken essence as James' eyes began to turn glassy. " Ol bolape a noco deus. Caripe bolape etiam el casarma adagita bolape elo. Ol biab aao olapireta od a oresa, hoath od iada de oi aala." The world began to slow down as James saw the darkness swept over him, a blanket of eternal nothingness smouldering as her face revealed itself. She looked like a corpse, decrepit and withered, gaunt and panting a raspy howl of undeath as her voice screamed inside his ear. "OL VINU ELASA, TOLTEREGI, OD ADAGITA BIAB APETA OL." Time stopped. At least, to those that stood within the room. Throughout all existences, there lied more than one plane of existence always no matter where one stood, where spirits had roamed constant. Sometimes people are made aware of them, for that is how ghosts and the supernatural can occur. But in that space of five seconds, by which they saw nothing more than but a brief flicker of shadow and candles whistling with soft flame, there now stood two people mentally subtracting into an alternate existence. To describe it as an existence was being generous, but more like a state of being, almost zen-like for one. James was on the apex of death, but never more than she allowed him to, teetering upon the brink of darkness by the full stasis of her tenebrous existence. Mariel controlled the essence through her body until her breath turned into ice, cold and lifeless as her mind faltered to the almost-subdermal point of near-death herself, controlling her immortal presence. The world around her was now infinite gloom, the outlines of those still living barely transfused to her vision as nothing more than silhouettes pulsing a faint aura. Those who had felt an out-of-body experience would know of such sensations as what Mariel had now performed, waiting to see what would come from James' fallen form. And so he came by a voice, wretched and cancerous from the beast. Who summons me...with the tongue of angels? The one who holds dominion over this hallowed cathedral. And what...purpose do you summon me? To speak with you, from one form of darkness to another as an intruder within my domain. And if I refuse? You cannot. Ol vinu a balata de zomdv, oresa de aoiveae. Hmph...very well.

Darkness rose from James' cool body, slowed to a tremulent heartbeat that never came once during their conversation. The creature, unseen by everyone around him, was a strange shadowed thing of a deep tremulent darkness that was much deeper than that of earthly bonds. Mariel could almost see something inside of it, a thin head of diamond shape, two oval eyeslits screaming out from its proportion as four shadowed limbs plant firmly upon James' body. Claws dug deep within his form piercing much deeper than they ever should. With the creature sat firmly upon its prey and host, like that of gargoyles upon a crumbling rook, the demon spoke back smouldering with eyes fierce, forming from its odd spindly head as eternal mist hovered over James' cold skin. Who are you...to know of such old locute within my laws of sacrament? I am the guardian of this place, the lock and key of this frail city by which we stand on. To whom am I speaking to? Would you desire to know my name truly? I would call it respect, given you are in my domain. What domain is that? Your pitiful church? I have given you the grace to not be afflicted by the holy nature of this cathedral, we are both now standing upon unholy ground for which I have deigned purposefully for this. Your host is also bleeding, but not dead, a sacrificial substate by which he bleeds not for my god, but for this incantation. Really? Hm...I had wondered why the burning sensation had not sunk in. Very well...my name is......well, why not call me by one of many that those beneath me have called for screaming in their last moments? But I was once called the Scissorman, most recently by perhaps a small eternity...an old fable I very much enjoy. Hoh hoh...demons and their fables, for such a spiteful race you very much have a wistful romanticist lurking inside of you, hmm? Do not confuse romanticism with appropriation. The demon grinned eagerly as he allowed some pride to shine through more than usual. If you ever, as a child, felt something behind you even though your head was against the wall or the bed's headrest, you felt that grin when you were at least eight years old just creeping against your right ear. If they so choose to model their own fears upon me, then I will gladly cloak myself with it to further enunciate upon their own foolish drama, for which they so fool each other with. In light of this new host, I have ordained myself as the Scissoraptor. A new creature for a new age. Hm. Very well. Pomp and circumstance matters in all things I suppose. And who am I speaking to, precisely? Another of James' worthless guardians? My name...is Mariel Underwood. I am a matron of this church, but I am also mainly the one who keeps this seal of the Dark against the world outside. The Dark? Hmph, good to see the imagination of mortals outshines itself no matter which way I flee. Flee? You are a fugitive? Hmph, not quite, more that I am being freed of my former trappings as a servant of summoned ritual. I have noticed your power is...beyond mortal capacity and since you invoke the law of my existence, I will respect you upon this "sacred" ground...but no further than that. You are very forthcoming, for one so confident in a place where I could very easily tear you apart. Hmhmhmhmhm...is that right? No, you have no power against me. I can tell you now that you have nothing, you are simply trying to grasp some form of ritual to proceed with and tear me out from this little thing that you lie out on this mediate. I am far too deep, my claws sunk in so that no matter what you do...I cannot guarantee that he will remain unharmed by the end of it. And what exactly does that mean, demon? Look. She peered closer to him, walking forwards yet no footsteps were ever made, no dust obscured as she watched on the creature's claws sinking deep into that of James' body. No wounds were made on his flesh, but she could see deeper than that. Further inside was his soul, and all she saw for the most part was a most black and wretched mire that bled profusely from beneath Scissoraptor's clawtips.

Even more disturbing was the fact that all sixteen of its claws now gently wrapped themselves around his still unbeating heart, blood pouring so gently that it almost looked as if there was not a drop as of yet. But she knew what it was, not physically the blood itself, but by a spiritual essence from which all things had bled their life from, an echo of the heart now formed to represent the soul's life force. A gentle pulse weakly pressing against claws as the creature grinned above it. You can sense it too, can you? My claws are dug in to his very heart and yes he does resist...but he won't be able to resist come by the next year. Hmmm...you have a reason to be confident. You have bled his soul dry so this essence will not remain before the next year should be. That would also explain why he looks so...pallid. Good...a disease of the soul they called me once. I find it still a fitting terminology upon both religious and scientific mediums, both of whom can never comprehend me. Then why, might I ask, do you need this poor boy? Because his being is so sweet and tainted. A body like his is so perfectly engineered towards destruction, chaos, wanton murder that I shall gladly greet upon this world and others. Ohhh spare me your villain's diatribe. What? Don't you have some grand scheme, some masterful plan besides killing those around you?! Any fool can do that, a moron can do it, a child can achieve chaos and wanton- Of course I have a plan you corpse-wallowing BITCH, what right do YOU have to know about it?! Mariel noticed the tightening of its slits upon what she said and smiled gently. She decided to ask along another point of inquiry as her shadowed form slipped through to stand beside James' head, slightly behind the Scissoraptor's state. Very well. What would make me worthy of knowing this master scheme of yours, involving this wretched little boy travelling beyond the space and stars? A willingness to see chaos unfold. Which judging by the fact you are but a keeper of order, are not capable of seeing. Oh I am capable, I just don't care for it. What is the point of chaos when all it is is but something so easy to manifest, it takes a TRUE learner of things to create order out of chaos. Do you know what our world mythos is? Gods create order out of chaos. Chaos already exists even before anyone, to say you create chaos is like a child claiming he creates dirt. Typical. A grandmother of failure such as you, even for mortal standards to have lived so long and I am so disappointed to see that despite all the darkness you wield, you cannot even comprehend the TRUE beauty of chaos. I never had children. That I gave away upon the...gift I had bestowed upon me. But why not educate me? Why not... She leaned forwards with hands behind herself flashing a cheeky grin. Explain to me what beauty chaos is. If you want to make those comprehend, you must explain it yourself. You could not possibly understand, it would take years for me to- I have time. I had time long before you entered this world, Scissoraptor.

The demon upon James' chest snarled bitterly with a trembling sound that could only have been heard by you, when you were alone in the house before your seventh birthday. Tell me...matron of the Dark, how do you feed? Pardon? How...do you feed? By tasting the rippling blood? By harvesting of soul? Or do you still keep to your mortal trappings and slaver upon feasts of the soil like loathsome cattle? One must keep appearances. As I remain to have a body, I must also take care of my body. Why? Then it is impossible for me to explain how you can understand my own mission, for I am the devourer of souls. To completely consume all that is existent, every plane of dark reality subconscious throughout all existences shall be my feast, should I accomplish necessary. A feast? Is that all?! Hmm?! You mean to tell me, that you are nothing but a gluttonous beast encroaching upon all that is spiritual within our realm?! And here I thought you were so much more intelligent than that. Says the foolish cattle wearing still her aged hide. I am not the one wandering from field to field sampling different feed from different creatures. I will not judge but please do not try to pretend you are far more studious than me. I have GREAT knowledge that spans across all dimensions. I am sure you do...but your pride shall render that insignificant, like so many of you demons. What? You are not truly invincible, no one is, not even gods are capable of protecting themselves fully. And I would know...hmhmhmhmhm... Don't try and bluff me, you have NOTHING! I am beyond anything you have witnessed in this world, my legacy shall be greater than even the shadow of this thing which I now possess! And yet he has managed to resist you, for if he had not the heart he would have succumbed to you long ago, in fact I daresay he may not even be your victim fully by the next year, but perhaps a good...year and a half, or two. WHAT do you know about the perseverance of a soul? I know plenty more than you...child. A howling scream wrought forth from the demon borne of pure rage, claws tightening as another drop bled from within James' spirit, frozen in the span of milliseconds as Mariel grinned coldly. She had heard such screams when she was a child very young, terrified of inescapable monsters crawling inside her dreams, festering upon her wishes and hopes. She had not been afraid of them for the past three hundred years for she could now scream back, much more powerfully than they could but she decided not to, the rant of the demon continuing: I am FAR more ancient than you ever will be, YOU are but a child to ME! And yet I am not the one who has gone into tantrum. Do you know how long this Dark inside me has lived? I myself do not, even if I have lived for perhaps four hundred years. I have lived for thousands...hmhmhm, your existence is but a pittance to me! I have watched humanity rise and fall through no small part of my own! Funny...I do not see the stench of war upon you. You are ancient yes, but what is ancient to us? Darkness has always existed, but you...you did not exist at one point, did you? ENOUGH! In fact I daresay you might even have been born out of darkness itself, but never always existed to be. And so if something shall be born, then it must also stand to reason that it must die too one day. SILENCE! WRETCHED WHORE OF GOD I WILL VIOLATE YOU! Hmhmhmhm...very well. Violate me. WHAT?!

She stood back openly exposing herself to being inflicted by foul demon intimates, beckoning the creature to come forth. What do you hope to achieve, hmm? You are but a petty child hurling insults when he has not an inch of power- The moment this ritual is over I will drag my host's limbs across your neck and suffocate you! I will summon the will of his wretched lust and sodomise you until you are but DUST upon his tearful remains of ecstasy! He has done it once before I can gladly drag that foul increment of his and turn YOU into it next! Is that ALL you know what to do to terrify me?! Hmhmhmhmhhahahahahaha HA HA HA HA HA HA! Mariel simply cackled, laughing as her voice turned briefly into a soft murmur that one heard upon the wind at night. You've heard that voice too, haven't you? Late september, on the eve of sunset you heard a voice and for a moment you thought it had been someone laughing faintly off from a distance. A soft cackling echo slightly warped by the distance of its origin, but you were never certain for it was not near enough to you to know who had said it. Everyone has heard this voice and everytime you hear that voice murmur across the wind, demons laugh to each other far beneath your subconscious. Ohhhhh do you really think that I fear your physical violence? My soul is but undying you STUPID abortion of darkness. I AM NOT AN ABORTION, I AM PURE UNHOLY! I AM THAT WHICH MANKIND HAS FEARED FOR THE PAST SIX THOUSAND YEARS! I have commanded families, bloodlines, entire subsects to murder their own children and genocide their future as a tribute to ME! And I will make no different a legacy once I have fully consumed this raptor's soul, a perfect machination of cruelty and violence. YOU are but a child who keeps breaking his toys. Untouched yet forever wanted, never needed mother's love or even felt it. A child isolated alone, seen yet not heard, adrift between the stars grasping at the taste of civilisation just SCREAMING to not be ignored because you knew no other way, you might have lived thousands of years but you have no comprehension of existence anymore than a toddler knows beyond the feeding chair and his playpen! ...you don't even have a name to call by yourself that wasn't picked for you by cowering mortals, you...have...nothing. RRRAAAAAAARRRRRGH! All of a sudden something flew across the air, shrieking through darkness underneath as the scissors broke through their casket trapping, the symbol unbound from containing it as Mariel dodged swiftly. Flickering from existence into a shadowed wall, she reappeared from behind the monster and lashed her tendril out upon the creature's neck. But instead the scissors had reappeared suddenly before him, wrapped by dark essence from Mariel as the two faced into a demonic clash. Not one of swords and fury but of one mentally overpowering the other. Shadows screamed upon the wall, foul shrieking heads convalescing of a dozen wronged creatures as Mariel's Dark pulsed fiercely from her eyes, howling cries of eternity forced through against the demon's bladed self. In turn the scissors screeched a monstrous rage throbbing a strange indigo aura that dripped crimson along the rusted steel. Soon the aura reached Mariel's grasp and did everything it could to burn her afoul from it, yet still she resisted. Were this upon a mortal person, the pain of this deep burning intrusion would be compared to molten silver being poured down one's throat. Her shadow showed the true pain separate of herself, her body standing firm whilst her shadow wracked with pain and agony crying fierce screams of unholy volume. Yet still she resisted, her own darkness trickling into the monster who in turn felt the creeping parasitic influence of the Dark try to wrap round its very form. A battle made for the heart of the raptor, who remained unmoving as two different forms of corruption tried infecting the other. But a standstill had been made, the two suddenly surrendering, trapped towards a cease of influence. You...hmph...are definitely not just...a child. And yet...you've just broke one of your own laws, haven't you? What...law? A cruel grin flashed over his features smugly. This law you so claim states that in another demon's realm I must honour them if they are superior to me? Hmhmhmhm, did we not just prove you are not superior to me? I...suppose we did. Interesting, you gauged me to make certain that I had not the true strength to destroy you, and so could challenge me for this existence. I may have to obey certain statutes as part of my existence but that does not mean I am ignorant of them fully. Like the old lion against the new generation. Hmph...maybe I am a lion. Don't flatter yourself, lions have dignity towards protecting a future for their own whilst you literally rob them such. I...have proven my worth to you. You cannot hurt me, nor can you bring me to come apart from my dearest host. Hm...I see. It is unfortunate we have to part this way. But...you are correct in one thing. I myself cannot defeat you, for you are a darkness much more intrinsic and different than I am used to. Good. At the very least you understand to respect those soon above you. I never said you were above me, nor ever would be. I merely said that I could not defeat you, not that you were unbeatable. Hhhhmhmhmhmhm...hhhahahahahahaa, ohhhh spare me your worthless platitude, you cannot beat me and you are not stronger than me ever you old feeble witch. Nor are you stronger than me. In that case I must simply find one more powerful than you and...one more willing to our cause. Since you have deigned respect to me enough to know my power, I will give you one word of advice to which respect you in turn. Duck. What? "LOOK OUT!"

Darkness faded as his eyes shone white, a smile cruelly twisting from his lip as the world suddenly flickered back towards existence as a scream from mortal souls came swiftly from beside her. Mariel ducked down on her knees crouching to all fours before the scissors came straight through where her head had just been, ruthlessly impaling themselves into the wall with violent shuddering. "KRUZ, NOW!" Almost upon instant the kremling pulled open his scroll and started reading what laid within. Like that of its ruins the words came out before him in his own intuitive language, venerate of deepest incantation. "As light shall create darkness, darkness before light, I summon the laws of the Soul element rending between two of existence. By the martyred words of Igeyorhm and by Shemhazai's malefaction...I shall tear thee in twain. I will send a part of you, James Robert Campbell for I send part of thee beyond, FOR ONE SOUL SHALL BECOME TWO! SURRENDER YOUR PURITY, AND YOUR DARKNESS BEFORE ME, FOR I SEND YOU TO THE DAWN OF OPHIUCHUS! _" His voice screamed with greater power rising upon every sentence made, fury born through his being of justful light glimmering darkness underneath as he focused its power onto James' still form. From the scroll itself came a roaring light almost unseen to the naked eye but Mariel saw it clearly. To the rest of the clan it appeared to be a flicker of existence, but to the old nu-mou matron it felt as if she had witnessed a sun's shadowed eclipse streaking across the plains in the midst of thunderstorms, firing upon the hills so feeble with barren dirt. And yet, there was nothing. As simple and swift as the burning rage of a summer's storm, there came no existence of its passing once the sun had come shining out to burn every trace of its bitter rain. No move came from the raptor, no great exorcism, no flash, no grand exit of evil. Just simply a room of people staring upon each other with both confused looks and a great unnerved aura emanating from each of them. Mariel was affected even as she gasped softly: "Wh-what...what-h-how did it...my...gods, he-...he understood it." "What?" asked Baldwin next to her. "He understood...my magic, my...the darkness I used to just speak with him. He broke through it." "Wait, you JUSSZHT sszhpoke to him?! That'sszh imposszhible, you did nothing but sszhtand there until thosszhe thingsszh jusszht flew and almosszht decapitated you!" "I-i heard something!" cried Dahlia panicked. "A-a-a whisper, briefly but nothing else in those five seconds I-i wasn't imagining it!" "I heard it too," replied Fayne. "Mother...what did you do to him?" "I will explain later, but right now I am more worried by the fact he understood me well enough to suddenly force me back into the mortal realm, and-" "It won't work." They heard Kruz murmur something, loud enough to hear yet mumbling to himself grasping the scroll in his hands which slowly began to shake. Claws tensed gripping around the holders as he shuddered. "It won't...w-work...s'not...s'not working...why didn't it work?" "Kruz?" "It's not...s'not working...why isn't it working...th-this...it's not fair...it's not fair." "Kruz are you alright?" "It...it's not _FUCKING FAIR!"

He threw down the Song of Souls with a clatter upon the floor, surprised that it didn't break but even more enraged by it as he stormed out of the dark hall, tears down his cheeks as he ran screaming with pure rage. Fayne hurried off after him out of fear for what he might do, chasing him out upon the cathedral steps as he made his way beyond the backstreets. Fayne had almost lost him in the warm late summer evening hidden beneath the shadows of the city, but eventually after asking several people that he had passed, he managed to track down the wayward Kruz towards a corner of the city wall itself. The kremling sat upon a large white stone in a small glade, a park untouched by the commerce of Lea Monde and not too far from the cathedral still looming far above them towards the west. Kruz had his back turned towards Fayne, his brown scaled back heaving as the heavy sound of deep sobs came from him, hand clenched before him as he hunched over struggling to contain his fury. "Y-you...you promised...you promised you f-fucking spirit...YOU PROMISED ME! I did everything, I got your damn artifact that you wanted, you TOLD ME would work, would be just what I needed to save him WELL WHY DOESN'T IT WORK?! WHAT ARE YOU HIDING FROM ME?!" "Kruz?!" He turned suddenly with eyes piercing full of rage, before there crept in sorrow overwhelming as he tried to clear his cheeks turning back away from Fayne. "Leave. Me. Alone." "I...I did not want...Jamesto worry if he woke up and found you not there. Forgive me but-" "I SAID GO AWAY! GO AWAY, AND LET ME FUCKING BE AT PEACE!" Standing up with frenzy screaming in his voice, Kruz balled up his one fist tight enough to turn it pale partly, gasping with sneer curled up towards his cheek. The cleric however was not intimidated and simply asked: "Forgive me...I will leave you be but...I implore you return to...James after you have dealt with your...misery. He will worry about you." "FINE JUST-...GO, TELL HIM I'M ALRIGHT, JUST FUCK OFF AN' LEAVE ME ALONE! ...I don't wanna be a part of this." Nodding without any need for anger, Fayne walked back towards the great cathedral and sighed with remorse upon the captain by his lonesome. Tears echoed partly from the park as Kruz put his hand upon his face, given time by himself. But it was not long after he managed to hobble his way from the park boundary he started hearing: "...what do I do?" The bishop stopped. "What...what can I do after...failing him?" He turned slowly back towards the captain, staring deep into the ground as if begging the earth to swallow him. He made his reply. "Stand by him." "Huh?" "Do not falter. When our faith...is-tested...the one thing we can do...is...to-stand by our friend." "I...I thought this was going to be easy...I-i-i thought...I thought such a stupid thing to believe in, I had no reason it would work but...d-dammit..." Fayne made his way back towards Kruz and gently sat beside him on his right. Pity was in his eyes as he placed a hand on Kruz's shoulders heavy with regret, tears drooped down his ridged snout. "I...put everything into this...six f-fucking months I worked to get that thing and it doesn't. Work." "Then you find another...solution-" "WHAT SOLUTION?!" roared Kruz in his face. "WHAT SOLUTION CAN THERE BE, WHEN I HAVE SPENT MONTHS LITERALLY DOING EVERYTHING I COULD TO HELP HIM?!" "...but...no, didn't Jamesszh only met you jusszht three monthsszh ago?" "I-..." Fear blanched swiftly across Kruz's face before it hardened up again. "I-I MEANT THREE, OF COURSE YOU-, GOD JUST-...I MAKE A MISTAKE, SO WHAT, I'M ALLOWED TO BE UPSET!" "Your friend...needs-you. Even if you could not achieve what you had planned for him, you have to remain faithful." "What do you know about this huh?! What do you know about failing someone you spent everything on trying to help them?!" The cleric suddenly thrust his face into Kruz's snout glaring at him fiercely as his voice dripped cold with insult. "I know plenty about that, don't you EVER tell me any different! I know failure plenty, and YOU I will not have wallow in pity when your friend needsszh you to reasszhure him! You might feel terrible but he never asszhked for your help, you did not fail him, HE isszh the one sszhuffering greatly than either of usszh, I KNOW what you are going through! Much more than I ever want to admit......I am terrified too." Fayne backed off slightly and nervously looked down between his feet, clasping his staff firmly as Kruz looked towards him stunned. "It...I-i know that...we may be sszhuffering a great and...terrible consszhequensszhe of what happened to both Jamesszh and...my mother." "I...I know, James told me about it before the ritual." Pitying empathy ran through Kruz as he slowly pulled Fayne close until their shoulders touched, placing his hand upon his back. "I'm sorry, Father Fayne. I...I was just overwhelmed and felt...really my own failures caught up with me." "I know...forgive me too, I...wanted to reasszhure you knowing that you...maybe felt the way I had felt a few daysszh before." "Khheh...you ever...hoped that, if anything like that happened, it was...you who got cursed?" "Since I was little," murmured Fayne mutedly. "What did you say?" "I...n-nothing. Forgive me, let me...sszhare your grief with me." "I wouldn't call it grief, he's not dead." "And better for it but...let me sszhare it with you." "Alright...thanks, Father Fayne." "Prithee, jusszht Fayne will do. No need of formality for a...friend of my leader."

Giving a smile towards each other, they slowly began to sate each other's spirits feeling the heartache run off slightly. Kruz did not explain necessarily everything, but he did at least share his grievances fully towards Fayne who in turn shared his own problems churning from in his head the few days past. It would perhaps be nearly forty minutes after that they returned back to where James was asleep, waiting for him to wake up. When he did, around ten minutes later, he noticed eyes blinking around the room with a great misfortune. His heart sank ready to receive the grave news. "What...what happened?" "I...am sorry James," began Mariel. "The...the demon is far too deep within you. His strength is that of such great coagulation that, were I to attempt the exorcism upon you I...could not guarantee that your soul would remain after." "...what?" "Your soul is...very tainted, almost imperceptibly run through by his foul odious presence. Most demons, usually, are a possessor unto themselves, like the shadow operating outside one's influences, not...tainting the very soul like a disease. I could be able to exorcise him, but it would take a great many weeks and, as I said, your soul would be forfeit." "Are you fucking serious?" Mariel blinked at his words before he slowly got off the slab. "You...telling me right now, you can't exorcise me without killing my soul off too?! THEN WHAT WAS THE FUCKING POINT OF ALL THIS?!" "I did not know, there are many kinds of demon and I did not know what one this is!" "YOU...you FUCKING......no, forget it." "What?" "Nope, you know what? Fuck it, fuck everything. Just this, just... fuck it. It's all over." He walked lackadaisically around in a circle frustrated as he stood up, but at the same time exhausted and beyond the point of caring. "I don't give a fuuuuck anymore about what you do or what you can't do, I've had to put up with this shit for at least seven years, what's another year or two before I die off into eternity as his slave?" "Actually-" "OH. GOOD." James just stopped, spinning on a dime with hands rubbing "gladly" towards the old matron. "What news have you got for me?" "Well, from what the demon told me you...have at least another year or so before the...full possession." "OHHHH thank you doctor, I've only got a year to live, how FUCKING WONDERFUL!" "HEY-EY LAY OFF!" cried Baldwin. "We've done everything we can, you oughta be thankful-" "Oh I AM thankful, trust me Baldwin, oho that's right, you DON'T trust me because I'm a FAGGOT who loves being with men, no no, don't bother explaining it again I just don't give a shit! I mean why even bother being your leader at this point when I'm going to die permanently in a year I mean well shit. You know what, everytime I think there's going to be some great solution, people can't do anything to help me, I deserve that, whatev-" Suddenly a slap came ruthlessly across his face, as he felt something leap up in front of him and pull him by the neck. He found himself staring into Navarro's eyes coldly with a hand raised back to slap again. "That's, enough kupo. You are our leader, not a fucking child." "Ohh piss off." SMACK came the second slap across James' face before she brought him closer. "I am NOT letting you throw your life away so easily, there is always another way." "What about my dignity?" "You never had it when we first met and you most certainly do not have it now." "Khhah!" laughed Kruz. "We have a whole world to explore just as you wanted to, and you are not finished with us yet, if you cannot get help from this place then there are other choices too, kupo." "Like what?" asked FG. "I have a few suggestions." Mariel said this from behind James as she placed her hands together politely. "Whilst I was talking with your demon I did observe a few weaknesses about him. Firstly, he has become so intrinsically bound to your essence that should you receive any holy damage or whatever affects it, then you will be hurt in turn greatly. I presume this was a form of self-preservation to stop one's host from imbuing holy essence unto themselves without, well, eradicating their soul like what we were explaining about." "Um, yeah I kinda guessed that, tha-mm-mmmph." "...please." As she silenced him by the mouth by a cold breath slipped across his lips, they saw upon the wall one of her many tendrilled shadows sealing his snout firmly before she could speak. "I was also about to explain that this gave me an idea. The second part is that his strength is equal to that of his control over you, and the more great his power becomes, the more great his stranglehold on you. Now you have managed to resist quite well according to your friends meaning that there lies still hope from inside you. All we have to do, is to think of some way to weaken its power over you, without harming your soul." "Really?" asked Dahlia. "But...how can you harm a demon without harming the soul?" "That is what I intend to find out, now we know the Song of Souls did not work, for that relic in particular only separates souls who are bound together spiritually. And the demon is not a soul, technically." "THAT'S why it didn't work?!" cried Kruz. "Oh that is fucking bullshit...ma'am." "How did you even figure that out?" asked Fayne. "I saw what it tried to do," explained Mariel, "the way it tried to separate James' soul but finding nothing to separate it from. According to the Song of Souls, the demon does not count as an actual soul but rather a form of entity." "But isszh it not-" "I know, but a soul has to be an essence of life itself, that thing is not life itself, that thing is death and darkness and everything inbetween, it has no similarities whatsoever to a soul." "Okay fine," said FG not caring, "so, how do you propose on getting this demon asshole out of me?" "As I said, I will do my best to uncover documents concerning demonic extrication. I know there are ways in dealing with something of a more parasitic nature, so I shall do what I can to learn up on this. In the meantime, whilst you are still able, how about you and your clan help my two dear sons with their new mission, is that not right Baldwin?" "OH, y-yeah!" said the monk. "Fayne why don't we do thisszh thing insszhtead?" "But what about James?!" cried Kruz. "We can't do anything now, we might asszh well do sszhomething whilsszht mother readsszh up on demonsszh, and I wanna find out who the cunt isszh that dared to attack her!" "Let's leave this place," said Mariel helpfully. "I'd rather we spoke in much nicer settings than an old crypt like this." Nodding with agreement they headed back upstairs towards Mother Mariel's personal study, a cozy little office mainly concerning three rooms having her bedroom in one, a personal shower in another and lastly her own gorgeous oak desk with green writing surface and a small shelf of bookcases nestled alongside it. They sat upon the white single bed, except James, Navarro and Kruz who stood up finding no seats with Mariel on her swivel chair explaining. "The only clue I have to the origin of these cloaked fugitives was that they were Archadian." "What a sszhurpriiiiisszhe," said Baldwin rolling his eyes. "How'd you find that out?" "When I felt these last moments from the two who committed suicide, I read through their last thoughts." "Wait, you could read their mindsszh?" "No...more like I...sense their intentions by small flickers of what motivates them, I am not a heart-seer. That is not my speciality, every one who wields the Dark has a particular specialty attuned to them, and mine is that of manipulation...that is not something I like to boast." "I can't imagine why," said Fayne derisively. "But I knew well enough where their sins would woefully end up, as they committed their last breaths to me I sensed what their true intention was. To be paid for a robbery, thieving from my reliquary for one specific item that they needed, two exactly. Those people were hired by another person and that name I managed to gleam from them whilst I was combing the last two's minds before their...absolute end as it were. Rebecca Hopkins." "Hopkins?" asked FG. "A very authoritative name to them, one they greatly respected. I do not know the context of that name, but I sensed that there was an agreement made from a Mrs. Hopkins between her and one other person, in order to use some mercenaries." "Actually," added Dahlia, "there WAS a voice I recognised somewhere in them, a male voice...but I can't quite remember where, sadly." "Which one?" "The one that spoke to you, the one that...was screaming at his companion with the gun." "A conflict of motives," said Navarro, "the two seemed greatly antagonistic towards each other, I also noted the woman amongst them was Archadian by her accent, sounded rather low and aggressive, kupo. Perhaps she is this Rebecca Hopkins, I know it was a name familiar to me, but I cannot quite recall where I heard it from." "I am not certain," replied Mariel. "I simply tell you what I know from these last moments I collect from those two." "I'll ask Tennyson," said Kruz helpfully, "my first mate was in the guard back in Archadia he might recall the name, especially if it's one more associated by a criminal institute." "I would greatly appreciate such assistance." "...so, is that it?" Awkwardly the seven of them looked to each other wondering what next with Mariel shrugging softly as she added: "Ask your friend about the name, we can confer upon it shortly but I think that we all need something of a good rest after that greatly exhausting ritual. Hooof..." Her smile soothed them despite their various dispositions on the matter as slowly they made their way back towards their different roosts. The clan stayed up in the cathedral in the same rooms they had slept previously upon the night of the incident, but James decided he wanted to return to the Broken Petal and sleep up in the same bed as Kruz mainly for the company, feeling rather vulnerable from recent events. As they walked out of the city gate, exhausted somewhat as he dragged slowly his feet, he soon found another complication as if there hadn't been enough already whilst Kruz went on ahead, to explain the situation to his crew as well as find Tennyson. Somewhere, out on the city's boundary he heard a voice someplace near him, almost right next beside his ear somewhat strangely distorted. "Hello?" He readied his hand against his scissors bracing himself steadily. "...hello?" "Can you hear me?" The voice sounded as if it was on a recording of some sort, almost like from a radio. James found this even more disturbing when he thought he recognised who it was. "I...do but...where are you?" "Somewhere round here...look at yer omni-tool." "My...wait, what?" He looked down to find on his left arm that indeed the omni-tool was talking. Startling slightly from it, the raptor turned it on more fully once he was hiding away somewhere darkly within the shadows of the outer territory, standing behind a tree as he let the gauntlet come to life with holographic lines forming across his left arm. He knew that voice from anywhere by the deep accent but he had to make sure asking softly: "...who are you?" "You can call me...Mr. Comstock." "...so. You made it here too huh?" "Sure did, who else has got an omni-tool in a place lahk this?" "Sorta forgot you could communicate on these. That must mean you're close by." "Closer than you think, let's just say that." "What do you want? As if I couldn't guess." "Ah wanna arrange a meetin' wit' you." "I'm not in the mood for this." "Huh?" "You got the worst fucking timing, you know that? Look, if you wanna fight me again then I don't care, I've got stuff to do that's way more important than your dumb shi-" "Ahm not here to fight you." His eyes blinked. That he had not expected. "...what?" "Ahm not here to fight. Ah just wanna meet, wanna talk abou' sum stuff...ah went back home to find out about you." "Yeah? And?" "Ah found sum stuff you migh' wanna hear. Tell you whut, ahll let YOU pick where you wanna meet, sumplace nice wi' lotsa people that way we don' get any ideas in a public place. You know ah won't pull anythin' if sumbody else could get hurt, anywhere you want, put me at thuh biggest disadvantage you could possibly get, ah don' care." "Heh...alright, sure, you know where the Equestrian is? I assume you're someplace in Lea Monde." "Yeah." "Three days from now, seven a.m. Let's meet then." "Alrigh'. Sounds good." "This stuff better be worth listening to...'Mr. Comstock'." "Trust me...it'll be worth it." The omni-tool clicked off as the signal lost itself, disappearing as FG stood up against the wall of the backalley and sighed deeply. He already had one problem to contend with concerning his clan knowing about his demon, now he had a whole other person to explain to his group on his origins and motive. Then he started to realise something, that this could be a great opportunity for showing his credibility, at least towards his clan deputy. He headed back towards the great cathedral and started to make plans for the meeting.