A/N: Lots of action in this chapter, along with teary reunions and… things I can’t tell you about. Baha. You’re all going to hate me for this one. :D Anyways, I enjoyed all the reviews I got and hope to see even more. I thrive on all feedback I get. It’s like a kiddie at Christmas every time my inbox says new email. I appreciate it!

Well. It seems basically everyone who has read this has never played WoW. I’m glad everything seems clear to you all. I worry a lot about my descriptions of the scenery; I hope it all seems as beautiful as it really is. And next chapter will have lots of answers to lots of questions that have been subtly raised throughout these first 8. :)

EDIT:Sorry for all the uploading and reuploadnig. Had some glitches that needed fixing.

Up ahead: Reunions, Battles, and a nasty landmine.

Through the Looking Glass

Chapter 8

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Making it out of the city had been much easier than expected. They met few enemies, and those who did cross their path were woefully equipped and taken by surprise. Making it up the elevators had been tricky; a massive ogre had been waiting for them with two large hammers and a wicked smile.

“Plume shot!” screamed Silintia, a mystical array of purple and blue energy flying from her cocked fingers. Morphinia threw herself in along with the arrow, two massive axes aimed at cleaving flesh from the monster’s bones. She agilely avoided taking a hammer to the ribs, twisting through the air and slashing at the being’s already spilling stomach. Greenish juices spattered across the elf’s face, invoking an infectious grin onto her maddened features.

The ogre screeched in pain, dropping a hammer and clutching at his stomach. Silintia threw a fireball, but the creature seemed mostly unaffected. It instead batted Morphinia into the wall across the room and sent her into unconsciousness. Richard was at her side in a second, useless fingers fluttering. “Morphinia,” he gasped, gingerly pressing the pads of his fingers into a shallow cut on her forehead.

“Keep an eye on her,” called Silintia, proceeding to hurl another set of fireballs at the monster. “Sora!” she yelled, onyx eyes searching out the boy. He was busy avoiding the one massive hammer the ogre still had, trying desperately to ram the keyblade into its core. “Aim for the legs!”

The boy weaved away from the mallet; the large metal weapon crashed uselessly into the opposite wall and forced debris to shower over the group. Sora took advantage of the moment, jutting close to the creature and swiping at its knees. The keyblade ate through muscle and bone, before springing free and sending coagulated blood onto the stone floor.

Howling again; the beast fell to its uninjured knee, griping at its shattered patella and dropping its other massive hammer to the ground. Using the moment of weakness, Silintia cocked her arm back, calling forth a colossal ball of fire into her palm. The mage let it fly, watching in satisfaction as the fire engulfed the beast’s deadened skin and sent it into spasms of screeching pain.

Sora grasped the keyblade in both hands, pointing it towards the flaming ogre and shrieking, “Blizzard!” Luminescent streams of white light bled from the end of the keyblade, curving in ethereal waves out towards the undead being and encasing it in ice. A heartbeat later it was completely solid; leaving Sora heaving lightly as he dismissed the keyblade.

Morphinia, who had awoken by this time, struggled to her feet and shook her head. The blonde gathered her axes and held them at the ready, rushing forward at the beast and in one swift movement curling the metal weapons deep into its icy skin.

A moment limped by, and then deep abrasions began to spread out from where the axes were buried. They marred the beast’s skin, bleeding down its body before giving a sharp snap and sending the ogre sprawling into pieces at the elf’s feet. Morphinia gingerly touched her head, looking woozily up at Sora and smiling, “I like to have the kill,” she giggled, before wavering slightly.

Up from his spot, Richard was at the blonde’s side at a moment. He took her by the elbow and pulled her into his side for support. “Health potion?” he asked, staring down at the woman as her eyes crossed.

“She keeps them in the pack,” Silintia said, also wandering over to where Morphinia was slowly surrendering back into unconsciousness. The burnet man reached across the blonde’s person, digging into her pack and retrieving a small vial of red liquid. He ripped the cork out with his teeth, pressing it urgently to her lips and tilting it so that it spilled into her mouth. Morphinia gurgled, dropping her head back limply and staring up at Richard with unfazed eyes.

She swallowed after a second, the effects becoming apparent immediately as the laceration to her skull slowly fused back together. All that was left in its wake was slowly coagulating blood, which dripped down the axe wielder’s cheek and gave her a certain charm that most women couldn’t pull off.

“Hate getting thrown around,” she murmured, mind still seeming groggy.

Sora kicked his feet through the icy chunks of ogre, carefully making his way to Morphinia’s side and helping her to stand on her own. “You had me scared there for a moment,” he whispered, smiling lightly as the woman simply shook her head and winked.

“Well,” she said, “it happens.”

All seriousness restored, the group of companions continued making their way out of the Undercity. They passed through the elevator the ogre was guarding, wandered through a maze of marble hallways, and eventually erupted into the night stricken courtyard above ground. A single guard stood waiting by the city’s entrance; Silintia quickly incapacitated him with a fireball and the group made to move on. Richard stopped though, glancing back at the warrior’s unused weapon with longing eyes. After a moment of hesitation he freed the sword of its confines, admiring the twine of the hilt and the perfect steel of the blade before sliding it easily into his own empty sheath.

The man quickly made his way back to the group, ignoring the strange glances he received from Morphinia and Silintia. “Steeling another man’s sword, Richard? Really, what kind of human are you?” growled Morphinia, patting her own weapons protectively.

“He was dead,” Richard said, placing a hand on the hilt of his new weapon and earning a distrustful glance from Silintia. “I won’t raise it against you,” he muttered, staring down the courtyard, off to the left, where a single marble tomb stood atop a long set of stairs. Softly glowing red light transcended down the pale stairs, creating a ghostly appeal that drew in the human and his companions.

“The Orb of Translocation is this way,” said Silintia, pointing out to the head of the stairs to Sora.

The group efficiently crossed the courtyard, weaving through white ruins and broken tombstones, before stopping at the foot of the white marble stairs. “So what exactly is the Orb of Translocation?” asked Sora, finding that the red light seemed to pulse slightly in the air.

“The Orb,” started Silintia, “is an ever-present portal between the Undercity and Silvermoon. It was erected after the first great war, and has stood ever since. We’re going to travel through it, to the city of my ancestors, in hopes of protecting you there. What we’ll do about the keyhole I don’t yet know, but the elders will surely help us create a plan there.”

She spoke all this as they ascended the stairs, single file, and through a large archway into a circular marble room. In the center of the room was a golden platform, atop which rested a humongous glass orb with red and black air swirling about inside. Sora approached the sphere cautiously, leaning forward and peering deep into the depths of the circulating luminescence. “How do I work it?” he asked, leaning so close his nose almost pressed into the glass.

Morphinia perked up. She draped her arm over the boy’s shoulder, pointing into the core of the Orb and bending low with him. “All you have to do is touch it,” she whispered, breath ghosting over the shell of the boy’s ear. “Try it.”

With that, Morphinia pressed a gloved hand against the cold edge of the structure. Sora moved to follow, his own fingers touching the glass hesitantly. The two stood together awkwardly, waiting for the magic to catch. After a moment, Silintia joined the two, cocking her head to the side and gazing at her friends’ still existent bodies.

“It’s not working,” gasped Sora, shoving the pads of his fingers against the cool glass again. “Why isn’t it working?!” The boy clenched his fists and slammed them onto the red surface, looking wearily over his shoulder and out into the courtyard.

Silintia seemed shocked, rubbing her own thumb over the Orb. “I don’t know…” she whispered, exhaling harshly. “This isn’t good, this isn’t good at all. How will we escape?” The elf turned and pinned Morphinia with a sharp look. “They’ll be upon us with their forces soon. If we don’t get away … it will be the end of us.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Richard mumbled, wandering across the cold stone floor to the great arch. “We can just leave through the woods; I doubt they could catch us or even have the motivation to try.”

With that the human moved to step through the arch. He paused, a wall of white-light flashing in front of him blindingly before throwing the man across the room like a rag doll. Richard hit the wall and slumped over, eyes crossing from the force. “What the…” he groaned, gripping the side of his white armor. Morphinia meandered over to where the brunet sat, leaning over him and clucking at the large indent he left in the marble.

“Smooth,” she said, offering him a hand. “You should have known there was a barrier. If there is someone strong enough to lock the orb, they’d definitely make one.”

Silintia sucked her lip between her teeth, glancing towards Sora. “Can we break it?” asked the boy, calling forth his keyblade and clutching it at the ready. Closing her eyes, the mage focused on feeling the energy in the room.

“Doubtful,” she whispered, dropping her head backwards. “It is very strong. You would most likely only harm yourself in the process.”

Sora scoffed, but did not move to attempt anyways. “Then… what?”

Morphinia was the one to answer. She struggled to pull Richard’s heavy form up, while looking to Sora with haughty emerald orbs. “We could break the walls down, or maybe blow the place up?”

“Um,” the keyblade master shifted uncomfortably, “blow it up?”

Wiggling her eyebrows, the elf gestured to the pack on her shoulder and nodded smugly. “We are not blowing this place up, Morphinia!” Silintia shouted, sounding incredibly exasperated.

“I think it’s a great idea,” chirped Richard, still holding his side.

“No,” growled the woman, pointing for emphasis. “This thing would just collapse on us, and for naught. The barrier has encased the entire crypt.”

Morphinia sighed, dropping her shoulders slightly. “Your logic takes the fun out of everything.”

Rolling her eyes, Silintia moved over the blocked archway and craned her neck to see out. “And we’ll talk about explosives being against regulations later,” she added, eyeing the axe-wielder with contempt for a moment before staring back outside. “Well, I don’t see anyone yet.” Sora wandered over to the elf, joining her in looking out into the empty courtyard.

“You know,” he started, musing up his spikes and willing the keyblade away, “I don’t see the point in having some important transportation device that can just go down. Shouldn’t it be stronger?”

The entire room went quiet. Morphinia looked up at Sora slowly, tilting her head as if something has just occurred to her. “Sometimes you surprise me, kid.”

“How so?”

“Because you’re totally right,” interjected Silintia, whipping her bangs out of her face. She stepped away from the barrier, moving to where the Orc of Translocation stood and pressing her palm against it. The mage breathed deeply, before running her nails down the cool glass and staring up at Morphinia. “The laws clearly state that the Orb is never to be messed with. It is an important medium between Silvermoon and the Undercity. To block its power is only allowed in the case of one city being taken by the Alliance; not just because some vigilante elves have escaped with two lowly humans.”

Richard lofted a brow. “Lowly?”

Laughing heartily, Morphinia shouted, “Yes, lowly!” After a moment of smiling seriousness bled back onto the axe wielder’s face; she glanced up at Silintia solemnly. “So what does this all mean? Silvermoon can’t have fallen… that just isn’t possible.”

The white-haired elf pursed her lips, looking desolately into the swirling black and red glow of the Orb. “You’re right; I can’t even fathom it. But the Queen is the only person who has the power to block the Orb, and why would she break one of the oldest Horde rules?”

“Is it me?” asked Richard, looking up at the women curiously.

Morphinia scoffed, wrinkling her nose with distaste. “Why would the Queen care about you?” she questioned, raising her eyes to him.

The man stepped back unconsciously, flattening his lips into a line. “Because, I’m…” he paused, and apparently thought better of continuing that sentence. “Well, I guess you’re right. I’m unimportant.”

Recognition flickered briefly across Silintia’s face, furrowing her brows and drawing her lower lip into her mouth. “You have very nice armor…” she said after a moment, looking him over from behind black eyes. The elf moved to say something else, but the crash of hundreds of feet interrupted her line of thought. Surprised, Silintia moved away from the Orb of Translocation and over to the archway, falling into a defensive stance beside Sora. “Oh, lord,” she mumbled, looking out into the courtyard as many undead warriors spilled from the giant door that led to the Undercity.

“That’s not good,” agreed Morphinia, who had somehow slithered up next to the mage while she wasn’t paying attention.

Sora was inclined to agree, but part of him was excited by the massive amount of soldiers he saw. “Will they be able to get in if we can’t get out?” he asked, rubbing his forefinger across the energy shield before him and watching as ripples of white luminescence ran through the empty-looking air.

Richard joined the group too, clucking in distaste at the horde that was marching out. “Whoever erected the barrier is probably in there. That, or it is a barrier that is impossible to break from the inside but easily broken from outside. Those are very common.”

“Yeah,” breathed Silintia, seeming mildly surprised that Richard knew these things.

“So…” started Morphinia, fingering her axes, “we’re pretty screwed, aren’t we?” The blonde unlatched the weapons and held them steady. “I don’t like being sitting ducks. The second this barrier goes down we attack.”

Sora conjured the keyblade, feeling his heart rate jump as the magic tingled up his arm. The army was moving slowly, but it was clear they were making their way to the crypt. The empty eyes of hundreds of undead warriors bore onto the boy’s form; he shivered from the intensity of the situation and the cold night air. “What’s in store for us?” he wondered aloud, trying to control the rate of his breathing.

Whipping out his stolen sword, Richard stared out at the approaching army and pursed his lips. “Violence; bloodshed. How far does that gravity spell of yours work?”

“Not far at all. That hallway was cramped, and many were in a small area. I can’t use it repeatedly, either. It takes a lot out of me,” the boy replied, gripping the keyblade so roughly his knuckles went white. The sheer amount of undead spilling out from the Undercity was beginning to unnerve him. They were like ink spilling out over a piece of paper, slowly oozing forward to mar them with their black existence. The horde was close enough now for Sora to make out individual faces and rotted bodies; he shivered violently and looked away.

Silintia pressed her cold fingers comfortingly onto the boy’s shoulder. “You will not fall here,” she said, sounding like a prophet. “You’re meant for greater things.”

Closing his eyes, Sora focused on his breathing for a moment. He felt the sparks of anticipation on his spine, and looked up through his lashes at the undead warriors. The massive trample of feet had stopped; the entire army stood still in the courtyard and seemed perplexed. One of the warriors let out an unearthly groan, and soon many of its companions joined.

All hell broke loose.

The front lines began to fall, for reasons Sora could not be sure of. He moved as close as he dared to the barrier, staring out in alarm as undead being after undead being fell into the dirt. “What’s going on?!” he asked, breathing harshly.

“Look closely,” answered Richard, sounding calm. “In the sky; arrows.”

Morphinia joined Sora in craning up. “What the…” she started, gripping her axes avidly. “Is this what I think it is?”

Looking thoughtful, the brunet man moved closer to the archway and stared out. Silintia was completely focused on the undead; more than ever were swarming out of the Undercity now, but they weren’t headed for the tomb of the Orb. The entire army has switched gears, and was now moving towards the west gates that allowed entrance to the courtyard. After a moment bodies began spilling through it, humans and blue creatures all yelling hoarsely with weapons raised high as they crashed into the square and melded into the army of undead. “…Raid,” the elf breathed, surprise apparent in her eyes.

Sora was confused. “What is a raid? What’s going on? Where did these people come from?”

Too engrossed to respond, the mage only stared out as the undead monsters screeched angrily and swarmed the humans. “The Alliance has attacked the Undercity,” Richard said, after it became apparent neither elf intended on talking. “We couldn’t have asked for better luck.”

The man went back to watching the massive battle. Arrows rained down upon the back of the undead ranks, and in the center where the two sides met bodies fell left and right. “This is gruesome,” Sora croaked, disliking the pointless loss of life. “Why are they doing this? What could they gain…?”

“It’s to show who is stronger,” mumbled Morphinia, tilting her head at a particularly nasty beheading. “And a particularly nice deterrent.”

Taking to staring along with his friends, Sora found his interests being drawn to a dark figure within the Horde ranks. A man, hooded, was not battling along with his companions, but instead moving towards the crypt. “Guys,” the boy called, gesturing. “I think we found the mage who’s been holding up the shield.”

“We don’t want to mix with this battle; once the shield goes down focus on getting away without drawing attention,” said Richard mechanically. Silintia looked at him for a moment before glancing out at the hooded man. She nodded in agreement, ignoring the way Morphinia sighed heavily at the idea of running.

“Ain’ fair,” the elf drawled, twirling her axes.

Sora ignored the elf’s protest, and instead watched how as the hooded man slipped through the ranks. No one seemed to notice him. It was like the figure was invisible; not a single warrior moved to attack him nor did any undead ask for assistance. In fact, the man probably would have made it all the way across the field without interruption if a howling ogre hadn’t accidentally knocked him over while charging the front lines of the human army.

The man was completely out of sight while he was on the ground. Sora had to strain onto his tiptoes to see him, and he was surprised by how quickly the figure got up. His hood had fallen out of place from the fall; his face turned after the ogre and was shadowed by long silver hair.

“Oh god,” Sora breathed, knowing without looking any longer who that figure was. He wasn’t crazy, and there was no mistaking it this time.

It was Riku.

The older teen straightened his robes, looking back to where the tomb was and stopping in his tracks. Blinking, he locked his gaze with Sora’s for a moment before smiling and casually waving as if nothing was wrong. “Is he waving at you?” asked Morphinia, who was obviously paying more attention than she had led on. “What the hell?”

Riku moved lazily through the army, and Sora was too intently absorbed with his old friend’s movements to respond to Morphinia. Was Riku the one who had erected the barrier? Was he working with the Undead? The keyblade master’s heart ached a bit at that, imagining his friend fallen to the evils of the world. Sora clenched his fist, assuring himself Riku would never fall that far. Not again.

Finally, the silver haired male erupted through the lines. He moved deftly across the empty courtyard, swiveling through tombstones and ruins and appearing ethereal in the moonlight. Somewhere inside Sora wondered when it had become night, but he didn’t pay too much attention because Riku looked somewhat beautiful bathed in the darkness like that. The older boy reached inside his cloak and pulling out a large, scimitar-like sword with a blood red blade shaped somewhat like a dragon wing. “What’s he going to do?” Silintia pondered aloud, watching as he ascended the stairs and stopped, eyes locking onto Sora’s.

The brunet had almost convinced himself this was all just a dream. After so long, Riku couldn’t really be here. It was too simple, too anticlimactic.

Raising his weapon, the boy-who-could-not-really-be-there effortlessly threw himself off of the ground and towards the archway. The red blade connected solidly with the barrier, sending pulsations of white light out through the air. A moment limped by, and then another. Cracks of brightness spread out in the empty air, and Sora could feel the magical tension wavering as Riku poured all of himself into the obstacle.

As the barrier shattered, so did Sora’s skepticism.

He’s here, he’s here, oh god, he’s really here.

Riku landed lightly on the marble steps. He flipped his head, icy locks flying out of his face and settling behind his shoulders. So much rushed into Sora’s mind at once, all he could do was stand immobile and gawk. A snap signaled the disappearance of the keyblade, but Sora couldn’t hear it. The clash of emerald on cerulean permeated the air; no one in the boy’s group said anything as the brunet stared intently at their savior.

A suave smile worked its way onto Riku’s lips, stilling Sora’s lungs and sending blood roaring into his ears. The battle still raged on at the older male’s back, but to Sora the world had shrunk down to just the two of them. Everything else felt nonexistent.

Lips forming silent syllables, the keyblade master unconsciously stepped forward. Riku regarded him confidently. He looked the boy over as he approached with a mystified expression.

“I looked for you,” Sora was whispering, over and over, so quietly that Riku almost did not hear. “And I found you; you ran…”

The brunet dropped to his knees in front of his friend, glancing up with a stricken expression. Tears spilled down Sora’s cheeks; he dropped his eyes to the white stairs and sobbed, grabbing for Riku’s empty hand. “I looked for you!” he yelled, tightening his grip until it was almost painful. The older of the two seemed uncomfortable. He tugged the boy up, and in a moment of compassion crushed him into his chest.

Shocked, Sora did nothing but blubber and go limp in Riku’s grasp. “Why didn’t you come to me if you were here?” he sobbed, finally realizing the scene probably seemed strange to his companions. Riku didn’t seem to notice; he was far too busy burying his face into Sora’s neck.

“I wanted to,” he mumbled after a moment, fisting into the boy’s jacket.

Something snapped inside Sora, and suddenly he was filled with violent resentment. “You wanted to?!” he instinctively shouted, shoving the older male away from his body. “Why didn’t you?” As Riku stumbled the brunet stepped forward and crashed a ready fist into his face, “Why did you make me think I was completely alone?!”

Riku blocked Sora’s second fist, but wasn’t so lucky with the third. “Oooff!” he groaned, dropping to his knees and gripping his stomach. “I’m sorry…” the silver haired boy moaned, looking up pathetically at his friend. “I couldn’t.”

“Why?!” Sora shouted, voice breaking from the strain.

Struggling back to his feet, Riku mustered as much dignity as possible. “I can’t tell you.”

The keyblade master screamed in frustration, lunging forward and moving to hit him again. Riku easily caught the boy’s arms now that he was ready for them; he held on loosely as Sora half-heartily pummeled them into his chest. “It’s not fair,” the brunet breathed lightly, tears still streaming down his face. “All this time I’ve been so worried…” Finally ceasing his attack on Riku’s person, the boy dropped his arms and wiped at his eyes with clenched fists.

“It’s okay,” murmured Riku, clasping the brunet’s shoulder companionably. He shifted his attention to the three people still standing inside the crypt, each looking varying degrees of worried. The one named Silintia (he’d learned all their names, except the man’s, during his days of observation) looked the least alarmed, with a relatively lax expression on her face which was only given away by a slight crease between her brows. Morphinia though, was very blatantly restraining herself from rushing to Sora’s side and offering some form of comfort; Riku found it amusing that the small blonde was so completely ruled by her emotions. She was a lot like his young friend.

The man, however, seemed the most alarmed of the group for a different reason. It was obvious he was uncomfortable with the display of emotion in front of him; he shied back slightly and looked off to the left with undeniably red cheeks.

Scoffing, Riku gave Sora’s shoulder a slight squeeze before turning back to the battle behind him. In the center of the courtyard the full forces of the Alliance raid had clashed with the undead warriors; arrows rained down from the sky as metal collided with metal, magic parrying magic. “We need to get out of here without getting pulled into this battle,” the teen muttered, grimacing as a large human bellowed before biting his sword cleaning through the thick middle of an unsuspecting ogre.

Silintia descended the marble steps of the crypt, Morphinia trailing lightly behind her with Richard in tow. “That we do,” spoke the mage, ghosting over the two boys and out over the carnage with calculating eyes.

“I can’t imagine we’ll get out of here without crossing blades,” called Morphinia, rolling her large axes and tensing. “The humans will be looking for ears; the undead will only notice we aren’t dead like they are. We’re relatively out of the way here, but the second we cross into that field we’re going to be attacked from both sides.”

Sora perked up, casting his now clear orbs onto Morphinia. “We could take a bit; it’s not like we’re weak.”

The brunet grumbled when all his plan received was a pat on the head from his blonde friend. “Raid parties are immensely strong. I wouldn’t want to face one with only,” she paused, looking over the group, “-five people.” Morphinia seemed rather surprised that they had so many with them; she raised a brow at Silintia and tilted her head.

“I know,” mumbled the mage, responding to their silent conversation. “It’s like everywhere he goes he picks up followers.”

The keyblade master looked confused. “What?” he asked, wide eyes staring up expectantly.

“Nothing,” sang both the women at once, each smiling wildly.

“So what’s the plan?” Riku interjected, eyeing both elves awkwardly. He was baffled how they could remain so calm and even cheerful in such a situation; just looking out into the horde of violence sent chills up his own spine. “We should be quick about it.”

Richard was the only one to reply. While Silintia and Morphinia were busy joking around, he had been carefully surveying the entire courtyard to find the best path to escape. “I have an idea,” the warrior deadpanned, wrapping a fist around the hilt of his sword. Once all attention was on him, he continued; “Alliance archers are trained to aim for the back lines of an attacking army. They do so to avoid friendly fire, since both sides are attacking at the front. The warriors will be more geared to attacking anything with bone showing or grayish skin, so moving past them will be easy and only a few will attack on account of your ears. We don’t generally look for elves when raiding the Undercity.”

Looking up, recognition again flashed into Silintia’s eyes before being smothered. “You’ve been in raid parties before?”

“Yes, don’t begrudge me my race. I’m trying to survive this just like you are,” he replied, pulling out his sword and holding it at the ready. “I will not cross blades with one of my own, but we should be able to escape with our lives without taking too many in return. If we cross two or three lines back in the human ranks, we’re less likely to receive resistance. There are few undead there and no arrow-fire.”

Riku was the only person in the group to truly grasp how much complex observation and military knowledge was required to make the plan Richard had spit out in less than a minute. He didn’t say anything, but reached out towards the man and offered his hand. “I’m Riku,” he said, feeling respect deep in his stomach.

“Richard,” the brunet replied, clasping it and giving him a firm shake.

“And I’m Sora!” Sora squeaked, feeling left out from the introduction and thus earning strange looks from all around. He smiled up at his companions, tilting his head to the side for a moment before jutting out his arm and summoning the keyblade again. “The elves are Silintia and Morphinia.”

Morphinia shifted her attention from staring at Sora like he was an idiot to taking in Riku’s appearance. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” she said, smirking. “You’re right, Sora, he is cute.”

“…Cute?” the silver haired teen echoed, looking over at Sora with an amused expression.

The boy had already gone totally red, from the tips of his ears all the way down his neck. “I- I..” he sputtered, looking away in alarm. “I never said that! I said you weren’t ugly.” He nodded once to himself before taking a step down. “Let’s go,” the brunet started, apparently intending to wander through the battlefield alone if they did not follow.

“Hold up!” Silintia demanded, taking dainty steps down the cold marble stairs. She descended onto the mossy ground, freezing Sora with cold black eyes. “It would be best to move in a specific formation.”

Richard joined the woman at the end of the stairs, Morphinia following him. “I agree. And at different intervals; if we head in as a huge group we will attract more attention.” The human pointed to Riku and Sora, dragging his finger back towards his person to signify they should come close. The brunet boy sighed, dragging his feet as his approached the warrior. Riku stood as his side and smirked, arms crossed over his chest. “You two stay together. Morphinia and Silintia travel together. I’ll go alone; seeing as I’m human, if the human ranks notice me I will be assumed to be one of them.”

Suspicion trickled into Morphinia’s voice. “How do we know the second we go in you won’t just raise the alarm to our presence? You are… human.”

“…Indeed,” murmured Silintia, wetting her lips. Sora stared back and forth between the elves and the humans. Richard had taken on a relatively defensive stance as the mage continued, “And what exactly do you gain by going with us? These are your people here.”

The human heaved a breath, casting his gaze out over the fighting across the courtyard. “You three saved my life… I have too much honor to betray you.”

Morphinia scoffed; “Humans have no honor.”

Slightly offended, Sora moved to speak up. “I’m-“ he started, raising a finger in protest. Silintia shushed him, and Riku’s hand on his upper arm warned that something serious had just occurred.

Richard shifted, resting his palm on his barrowed sword. Morphinia noticed this immediately, and as did Silintia. The two straightened, clenching their knuckles. The blonde twisted her axes threateningly. “That may be,” the human spoke after a long pause, dropping his hand. “At least in your eyes. But I assure you, my life was saved by you and I am eternally grateful. I cannot simply join my own right now though. I must reach Silvermoon, and the easiest way seems through you.”

“Why are you going to Silvermoon?” asked Morphinia, stepping forward slightly.

In accordance, Richard moved back. He took on a submissive posture, smiling lightly. “I am an official convoy of the new prince, sent to negotiate peace treaties about the Badlands and Dustwallow Marsh on his behalf. I was abducted after meeting with Queen Sylvanas. Satisfied?”

“Not really. Humans lie.”

The brunet man moved forward after a second, standing solidly inches away from the elf. He tilted his head to the side, glaring down roughly at her. “So do elves,” he whispered, and Morphinia craned her neck up. The blonde looked taken aback; after a moment of gaping she slammed her palms into his chest and sent him stumbling backwards. A quick fist followed, connecting with Richard’s cheek roughly. The man stumbled, but did not lose his footing. He instead rushed forward, lightening quick, and connected his own palms to the woman’s shoulders violently.

Morphinia flew backward, crashing into Silintia and sending the mage to the ground. The power behind Richard’s shove had been so forceful she felt breathless, and was shaking uncontrollably on top of her friend. “I will not tolerate this insolence!” the brunet man roared, ripping his sword from its scabbard and pointing it roughly at the women. At the same time Sora ripped his arm from Riku’s grasp and stumbled forward, throwing himself between the opposing sides.

“Stop!” he shouted, cerulean eyes conveying stress and alarm. “Stop this! Richard!” the boy whirled his face towards the man, brown spikes swaying from the effort. “Wasn’t it you who swore you would never raise your sword to us?!”

Richard hesitated, his arm held high in mid-swing. “I…” he paused, dropping his arm and swiftly returning his weapon to its sheath. “I am sorry…”

The man dropped his head in shame, and at the same time Morphinia shoved herself off of the ground and pushed past Sora. “Oh, you aren’t yet.” The boy grabbed her by her middle though, clenching his arms and staring up with conflicted eyes. Stopping, the blonde tried to pry Sora’s skinny arms away. “Get offa me!”

“Morph,” he groaned, holding her back. “Please don’t! I know you guys have your problems, but please…”

Choosing this moment to intervene, Riku stepped over the still ground-bound Silintia and placed his hand softly on Morphinia’s shoulder. “We have bigger fish to fry,” he murmured into her ear, and the woman found herself going relatively limp. “It would be best to get going.”

Breathlessly, the elf ceased pulling at Sora’s arms and instead looked towards Richard. “He’s right. But you won’t be going alone; I don’t trust you for a minute. I’ll go with you, and after that Silintia can escort Sora and Riku.”

Rubbing his temples and looking strained, Riku nodded. “We should really, really hurry,” he added, removing the Soul Eater from his cloak and gripping it tightly.

Richard concurred. “Shall we?” he called, removing his own weapon and offering his free hand to Morphinia. The elf scoffed, shoving it aside with the head of her axe and sauntering past.

“Just try to keep up.”

The two took off, walking side-by-side as inconspicuously as possible. Morphinia was trying to squelch the urge to turn to the human with her and bop him in the head; she didn’t know why she had stopped when Riku told her to. After a moment Richard spoke up. “Listen, I’m sorry about that… I’m usually more controlled.”

The blonde rolled her axes, sneering. “It’s my fault for forgetting all human are vermin. I am so used to Sora I briefly let myself believe your façade of a funny, caring person.” She laughed cruelly, “I won’t soon forget, though.”

“That guy really is me,” Richard whispered, finding that he had to work to keep up with the elf. They approached the edge of the battling groups, and as they did each step was taken more carefully.

Morphinia just shook her head. “Save it. Now we must focus. Especially me; apparently I have to watch for foes at all sides. Please do make some kind of gesture before you attack me; I’d like maybe a moment or two to defend myself before you run me through.”

“I won’t-“

Ignoring him, Morphinia covertly slipped through the wall of humans that surged towards the horde of undead. Richard struggled to follow, trying his best not to stagger into the many bodies he found around him. He could see a blonde head bobbing up now and then, and worked hard to keep up. Someone screamed, “ELF!”, but the human couldn’t discern where it came from. He shoved passed a few men who were moving in the opposite direction, and soon came to find Morphinia waiting for him and looking alarmed.

“Did you hear that?” she hissed, straining to see over the heads of the hundreds of warriors. Suddenly, an undead shoved through a throng of humans and sprang at her, shining blade aimed for the elf’s distracted head. Richard jumped on instinct, using both hands to raise his sword high and block the weapon. The warrior seemed enraged by this, and stumbled backward.

Morphinia twirled her axes once, and then launched after it. The clang of metal was sharp in the air; more and more undead were leaking into the ranks, and many of the humans around were so engrossed in their own battle they didn’t notice her. She growled loudly, pressing her axes down against the undead being’s quivering blade. Richard chose this moment to come flying in, slashing with his own barrowed sword at the monster.

Stepping back, it managed to avoid the man and send the elf stumbling. Morphinia caught herself and glared at Richard; “I got this,” she hissed.

“Sure you do,” he muttered, stepping gracefully away as the warrior lurched forward and slashed at him.

Following suit, Morphinia jumped to the side when it turned and jerked its sword at her. The elf slammed one axe against the undead’s blade, enjoying the sound the metals made when introduced. She twirled around, keeping the weapon away from her person while slamming her free axe into the monster’s side. It howled, staggering back and gripping at the coagulated green liquid that began running down its flank. “I really hate you,” the blonde yelled towards Richard, watching in anger as he walked forward and swiftly beheaded the warrior.

The man laughed. “Because that wasn’t already clear.”

He wiped a gloved finger down the end of his sword and grimaced at the strange substance on it. With a swift flick it was sent splattering on the ground; Richard let his milky brown orbs rest on Morphinia smugly before blowing a few chocolate strands of hair out of the way. Something stirred in the blonde’s gut at the sight.

“Um,” the elf grumbled, finding her train of thought had suddenly disappeared. “Kill-stealer,” she breathed after a moment.

Richard just laughed, letting his smile fall flat.

After a moment Morphinia’s mind returned to where it had been before the small distraction. She sneered at Richard, before glancing worriedly in the direction they had come from. She took a distracted step that way, throwing over her should: “You heard them scream elf, right? You don’t think Silintia…”

“No,” he growled, grabbing the elf by the elbow and dragging her in the direction of the gates. “There are many elves in the Horde. I doubt Silintia has even entered yet. We don’t have time to be sitting here wondering.”

The blonde struggled slightly, looking with longing orbs behind them. “But, she might have..”

Richard understood her hesitance, but still found it a bother. “Her safety isn’t our concern right now,” he muttered, immediately regretting the words. Morphinia ripped her arm away, staring in wide-eyed shock and anger.

“You,” she started, voice quivering in rage, “are a vile human. The vilest.”

Brunet locks swaying, Richard turned away from the elf. “You’re too kind,” he sighed, making to walk away. “I don’t even care. Go on your own; good luck. You will ruin everything.”

There was no reply from Morphinia.

After a moment the man looked back, wondering what happened to the biting remark he was sure she would make. “Nothing to say?” he started, before realizing the elf was just standing there looking mildly shocked. Morphinia made a small sound, and wavered lightly. “…What’s wrong?” Richard asked after a moment, letting his brows draw together as he took a stepped forward.

“Um,” was all the blonde managed, before dropping down to her knees and slouching forward. She hit the ground with a light thump, and suddenly the human understood what was wrong. A long arrow shaft stuck out from her back, feathered end waving lightly in the wind.

Sora watched Morphinia and Richard cross the courtyard with a sullen expression. “What was that?” he questioned after a moment, turning to Riku and planting two fists firmly on his boyish hips.

Silintia had at some point removed herself from the ground. She wiped at her soiled robes with an air of dignity about her, glancing down her nose at the silverette as well. “I too would like to know. Morphinia is not usually so… compliant.”

“I’m persuasive.”

Running a hand through his lengthy locks, Riku let his eyes fall across the field. Morphinia and Richard had disappeared into the battle, and it appeared their presence had not been noticed. “Let’s go,” he mumbled, grabbing Sora’s wrist and pulling the boy out into the courtyard. Silintia followed, smiling as the brunet yelped and almost dropped his keyblade.

Sora rolled his hand to try and break free, but the older teen held strong. “Riku!” he groaned after a moment, stressing the ku with exasperation. “Don’t pull so hard.”

“Should we kill them all now, master?”

Straightening his lips into a line, Riku tried to focus on the task at hand. The voices had been in his brain ever since he’d broken the shield, and suppressing them was beginning to become quite the feat. “No,” he said, knowing if he didn’t reply there would be a mass slaughter on his hands. Sora seemed to misunderstand though; the boy set his features into a low pout that put puppies to shame.

“You’re mean!”

Following the two, Silintia raised a delicate white brow at the change in Sora’s demeanor. He had always been on the childish side, but the boy seemed to have reverted to a three-year-old now that his friend had arrived. The elf smiled, wondering if this was the real Sora. The one who wasn’t stressed by war and hardship and obligation.

“Really mean! Meany-face!”

Maybe it was better if that wasn’t true…

Riku dropped Sora’s wrist after a moment, stopping in the middle of the courtyard and bringing his fingers to his temples. He rubbed soothing circles there, a pained expression evident on his face as he let his eyes fall to the ground. “…Riku?” the brunet boy called after a moment, ceasing his childish play and instead placing a comforting hand on the teen’s shoulder. The keyblade master tilted his head to the side, trying to see through the shadows his older friend’s long locks created over his face. “Are you oaky?

“Are you? Are you okay, master? We think killing everyone will make you feel better…”

Swatting Sora’s hand away, Riku shook his head violently. “Just a headache,” he mumbled, turning back towards the battle and taking a few steps.

“Are you sure you’re oaky?” the brunet asked, hurrying to get to his friend’s side.

“Are you sure? Are you sure you’re okay, master?”

Mocking him, the voices ricocheted through every corner of his mind. The silver haired teen groaned loudly, clenching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “I would be okay if you’d shut the fuck up.” At Sora’s horrified expression, he quickly amended himself. “Not you…”

“Who else is in there?” muttered Silintia sarcastically, surprising Riku. He had forgotten she was behind them, and it sent a small shiver up his spine to realize he was so out of it.

The silverette sighed, dropping his fingers and deciding not to answer. They were close to the opposing sides now; Sora moved unconsciously closer to Riku at the sight of the brutality before him, wishing to grab the older male’s hand and shrink away. Silintia seemed to notice the brunet’s plight, and after a moment she rested her palm on his head before sliding past. The elf was the first to cross into the battle, both boys stuck close though.

Someone screamed loudly, and the general roar had Sora’s head spinning. People were on all sides, some shoving up against him and others narrowly missing him with their weapons. Riku looked almost delirious to the younger boy; he was shaking fiercely while trying to lead them after Silintia.

The elf herself was having a hard time making her way towards the gates. She had to shove past many grimy warriors and mages, but the people were congested and many sprawling fights spilled right into her path. An armored man stumbled right into the mage, almost taking her to the ground with him. Silintia stared down blankly at him, and he stared up at her from behind a gushing head wound. A moment limped by between them, before he opened his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs, “ELF!!”

“Oh, god damnit,” Silintia drawled, summoning a fireball and crashing it down onto the already fading warrior. Those around her had turned from their own battles, and several flew at her with raised swords. The elf skirted away, two wards forgotten, into a random direction.

Riku shoved passed the bellowing humans with Sora in tow, watching in surprise as the white haired elf raised a small silver shield between her palms and used it to block an oncoming sword. The teen rushed to her side, Soul Eater raised high, and immediately engaged an attacking human. In surprise, the man blocked his dragon sword and stumbled backwards.

“You’re human!” screamed the warrior in surprise, seeming hesitant to attack. Riku wasn’t though; the silverette lunged at the man and took a calculated swipe.

Sneering when the human side-stepped him and made to attack, Riku parried the blow with cold eyes. “Barely,” he murmured, smiling sadistically.

Silintia didn’t seem to notice or care that help had arrived. She agilely dodged a steel blade that flew at her, using the luminescent shield in her left hand to block someone as she hurled fireballs with her right. Several bodies hit the dirt, but more seemed to be coming. The elf moaned in frustration, feel the deep slice of a long sword in her side as a human managed to bypass her barrier and cleave at her.

Watching in shocked silence, Sora was the only one of the three not to throw himself into battle. He stood awkwardly, holding his keyblade to the side and staring as Riku slammed the hilt of his Soul Eater into a man’s head. The human fell limp, and before he hit the ground the teen was already attacking someone else.

“This is no place for little boys with toys,” someone called, surprising Sora out of his reverie. The brunet looked up, and saw a kind-faced man breathing heavily at his side. “I don’t know how you got here…” he started, grabbing the boy’s shoulder, “But we must get away!”

With that the man tugged Sora in the opposite direction. “Oh, wait!” cried the keyblade master, struggling against his iron grip. “No!”

He was shocked when the man ripped him off of the ground and threw him over his shoulder like a ragdoll. “This isn’t the place to play games, child!” the human said, voice sounding rough and exhausted. “I will take you to the back lines for now; it’s safe there… we’ll find your parents when this is all over.” Sora blinked, realizing with a pang that in his surprise he had dismissed the keyblade. The man was rushing away, and Sora watched deftly as Riku and Silintia’s battle became distant and hazy.

“Those are…” he started, unsure of what to do. The brunet began to struggle violently in the man’s arms, trying to wiggle free and return to his friends. “Let me go!!”

Of the two, only Riku noticed Sora’s absence. The teen whirled around, searching through the sea of shining armor for his friend’s familiar loose clothing. Silintia was struggling as a group of men attacked her at the same time, and just as Riku’s eyes fell on the boy being pulled away she called out for help.

“We can help, master. Let us help, master. Let us.”

Shaking his head, Riku ripped a human away from Silintia and carelessly threw him on the ground. He buried his Soul Eater deep into the man’s chest, noting with satisfaction that it penetrated his armor like a knife through butter. Blood spilled from the man’s mouth, but Riku didn’t waste time watching the life he took flitter away. He tore off after Sora, shoving through the mass of clashing humans and undead with little care.

The boy was far away, still unsuccessfully trying to wriggle away from the man who held him over his shoulder. Sora moaned and groaned, but the human wouldn’t listen. “Let me go, kidnapper! Weirdo! Let me go!” Bashing his small fists against the man’s armor, the brunet continued to screech.

Riku wasn’t getting any closer. The man was well trained, and ran with swift agility that would have impressed the teen if it didn’t enrage him. “Wait!” he yelled, physically wrenching humans out of the way in his haste.

“We could help both masters…”

Confused, Riku slowed down to a swift trot. “What?” he muttered, trying to block out the shrill screams in his head.

“Let us help…”

The man was growing tired of Sora’s continued struggling. “I’m trying to help you!” he shouted, reaching back and hitting the brunet on the back of the head. Eyes swimming, Sora ceased his writhing and instead watched with dazed eyes as Riku stopped moving and stared. The teen was seeing red; watching that fist crash into the back of his young and delicate friend’s skull sent him flying over the edge.

“STOP HIM!” he roared, pointed with shaking fingers at the man. “Kill him! Kill them all!”

“Yesss, master.”

Realizing what he had just said, Riku took a shuddering breath in horror. “No, I…” he started, watching as dark spots in the ground began to rise up. Hundreds upon hundreds of heartless began to appear, and at least half were all tearing off after the fleeing human. Sora seemed to notice, but his head was swimming so violently he assumed it was a hallucination.

“Look out,” the boy slurred anyways, just in case.

The heartless were on them in moments, sending the two flying to the ground. The human cried out in surprise; while the monsters swarmed over him Sora rolled away and struggled to his feet. He tried to summon the keyblade, but his head was so ruffled that he couldn’t focus. “Hey, stop…” he murmured, dropping to his knees and sluggishly reaching into the pile of heartless. The boy dragged a few away, throwing them off to the side and vaguely registering that they did not attempt to attack him.

Hundreds of screams rose up through the courtyard. The heartless were spreading, attacking the unsuspecting humans with outrageous numbers. Sora was busy trying to free the well-intentioned man, and with rising urgency. At some point his fingers slipped against something red; the brunet stared at his blood stained hands with curious eyes.

After a moment the heartless began to spread away from the man. Sora stayed on his knees, alarm piercing through his system as he registered that the man lay in a mangled and writhing mass in the dirt. Blood seeped from multiple lesions over his body; his armor was punctured and there were several chunks missing from his neck. The man’s eyes lulled, and after a moment he went still. In terror, Sora struggled to his feet and staggered backwards. He connected to something warm and solid, and when the boy looked over his shoulder Riku was standing there looking relieved.

“…You’re okay,” the teen whispered after a moment, unknowingly reaching forward and draping his arms over the boy’s shoulder. He dropped his head onto Sora’s shoulder, not understanding where this immense relief was coming from. He could still hear the violent screams all around, but Riku felt at peace.

Sora blushed bright red at his friend’s display of affection. He struggled away after a moment, summoning the keyblade now that his head was clear. “Riku… there are heartless.”

The teen sobered, stepping back and adjusting his cloak. “Yeah, I know.”

“What do we do?”

Riku dropped his head, feeling waves of guilt wash over him. “We need to find Silintia and make sure she’s okay. And maybe meet up with Morphinia and Richard, if they aren’t already gone.” Turning away sharply, the silverette set off in the direction he came from. Sora trailed behind slowly, wide eyes taking in the massive slaughter all around.

“…Riku… what about the people?” asked the boy, feeling his stomach turn.

The teen didn’t reply for a moment. “Just follow me. The heartless are weak; once the humans figure out what is going on they will be able to defend themselves fine. We need to use this distraction to our advantage.”

Sora hesitantly followed his friend, clutching the crown pendant on his chest and flattening his lips into a thin line. The keyblade master’s instincts told him to fight alongside the humans, but he banished them in favor of listening to Riku. His older friend was always right, and now wouldn’t be any different. “…Hey,” the brunet called quietly. Riku glanced over his shoulder briefly to indicate he was listening, but the two continued to walk forward. “Riku… I’m really glad you’re here now.”

Suppressing a sigh, the teen continued on without saying anything.

They soon came to where Silintia was. The elf was heaving lightly, looking on in confusion as the humans around her were overtaken by the dark bodies of the heartless. “Riku… Sora…” she called, staring with wide eyes. “They came out of no where. So suddenly… just rose right out of the ground.”

“Are you okay?” Sora asked, stepping lightly towards the woman. He reached out, and after waiting a moment lurched forward and threw his arms around the mage’s waist. Standing there in shock, Silintia awkwardly pressed her fingers to the boy’s shoulder and pulled him a bit closer.

Clearing her throat, the elf wondered if Sora was as overwhelmed as she was. “I am fine…” she murmured, trying to sound soothing.

Eyes prickling, the brunet stepped back from Silintia and sniffed. He rubbed at his eyes inconspicuously; ignoring the way Riku rolled his neck and sighed. “We should go,” said the teen, looking out over the battle. The courtyard was filled with many fallen humans, and as their numbers disappeared the undead seemed to grow restless. For some reason the heartless didn’t seem interested in the Horde members; Riku made a mental note of this while wetting his lips. “They might turn on us soon… or the undead will realize who we are and come for us.”

Silintia nodded, shaking her bangs from her eyes and swallowing. “Do you think Morphinia and Richard got out okay?”

“I haven’t seen them… so I imagine. We should get to the gates and see,” Riku sighed, closing his eyes briefly. The teen was mentally exhausted, and incredibly relieved that the voices had stopped once he let the darkness out.

Without saying anything, the group set out. The crossed the courtyard within minutes, but when they reached the gates they found no sign of the elf or human. Silintia began fretting, pacing back and forth while breathing heavily. Sora joined her, and Riku ended up being the only one calm. He forced his stressed companions to pass out of the courtyard, and practically had to shove them up the road. They stopped once they reached the sign pointing out which town was in which direction; Riku dropped onto the ground and sat solidly while the two with him went back to stressing.

“You don’t think they like, killed each other?” Sora offered, eyes going wide. He kicked his shoes into the dirt, feeling useless.

Silintia twitched slightly at that. “…I would not be surprised…”

The elf glanced back in the direction of the gate, trying to peer into the courtyard. Riku scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to ignore Sora as he wandered back and forth.

Speaking up, the brunet boy addressed his older friend. “What do you think, Riku?”

“I think they’ll be here soon enough.”

Silence fell over the trio. They stayed that way for ten minutes, and then twenty. Sora eventually dropped on the ground in front of Riku, looking sullen and used and incredibly tired. “Maybe we should go look for them…”

Silintia chose to be the voice of reason this time. “No, no… if they can’t make it on their own then they’re probably dead.”

Laughing, Riku looked up at the woman. “Way to stay positive.”

As the teen spoke, he caught sight of a single figure coming up the road. He squinted, leaning forward while gripping his Soul Eater. Sora turned after a moment, cerulean eyes traveled over the scene with urgent interest. “Is that..?”

Richard struggled up the pathway; an unconscious Morphinia draped bridal style in his arms. The blonde’s head lulled back, neck elongated, with her clavicle protruding sharply. Her arms fell limp, swinging back and forth lightly with each step the man took. “Morphinia!” Silintia yelled, rushing towards the two. Sora jumped from the ground and followed, with Riku taking his sweet time.

Once at his side, Silintia helped an exhausted looking Richard set her friend gently onto the ground. “What happened?” she asked, removing Morphinia’s axes and throwing them to the side. “Where is her pack?”

Sora arrived at that point, dropping to his knees next to the unconscious elf and brushing her cheek. The blonde’s skin looked pale, and her lips had lost much of their color.

“She was shot with an arrow…” Richard said, breathing heavily. The man was cut up and bruised, with many dings and holes speared into his armor. “I think it was a poison one. She hit the ground within a minute, and I’ve been trying to protect her all this time. I guess we lost the pack in the process.”

Glaring up at the man, Silintia joined Sora on the ground. “Well, that’s convenient,” she hissed, “those were the only health potions we had.”

Finally joining the group, Riku glanced down distantly at the peaceful looking woman on the ground. He crouched, pressing two fingers to her neck and checking for a pulse. “…Faint,” he muttered, retracting his fingers and digging around in his pockets.

“Now hold on, Silintia. Are you insinuating that I set this up?” asked Richard, looking horrified.

The elf blanched. “Maybe.”

“Well, I didn’t! I’ve spent the last hour fighting my own people to keep this woman safe.”

Feeling the need to intervene before they had a repeat of earlier, Sora spoke up. “I’m sure you did, Richard. Thank you so much.”

Clearing his throat, Riku demanded the attention of his companions. They all turned to him, but only Sora recognized the small green vial cupped in his hand. “Oh, thank god,” the boy hissed, dropped his head back in relief. “Hi-Potion.”

The silverette opened the bottle, before pressing it lightly to the woman’s lips. It drained quickly, before either Silintia or Richard could protest, and disappeared down the blonde’s throat. After a moment a furrow creased between Morphinia’s brows; she hesitated a moment before groaning loudly and pushing herself up. Regarding the people surrounding her with emerald eyes, the elf smiled crookedly. “Damn,” she muttered, “I went down again?”

Not long after Morphinia was repaired, the group set off into the woods. They could hear the undead hot in pursuit, and decided the trees would be the best place to lose them. With no face-to-face encounters, they made it safely to the deepest and darkest corners of the forest. The first lights of dawn guided them, and even though each member of the group was exhausted they moved on.

Richard was the one who suggested traveling through the Dead Scar; a barren expanse of land that traveled all the way through the woods and ended at Silvermoon. It was filled with many mindless and violent creatures, but he insisted it was harmless if approached correctly.

“Just remember, be careful in the Scar, there are still mines from the old wars,” he warned, seeming far too familiar with lands he should know nothing of. They passed through more thick trees and foliage, before erupting into what was unmistakably the Dead Scar. Gray sand covered the ground, and it appeared to be a deep crater in the earth as if it had been purposefully cut out. Large skeletons wandered in the area, empty eye sockets seeing nothing and mindless bodies simply moving back and forth repetitively.

Sora was the first to jump down into the Scar. He landed unsteadily, and was surprised by just how steep the slope had been. Riku followed, and then Morphinia and Silintia and Richard. Once all were accounted for, they began heading north.

After a while the pointless conversation began.

“I am not familiar with this area,” Silintia said, looking over the barren ground with distaste. “Throughout my youth I have avoided the Dead Scar. Never thought it would be my only safe haven.”

Sora was busy kicking pebbles. He flicked one forward a couple feet and grinned, glancing up towards the lithe elf; “Is it because of what happened when you were a kid?”

Confused, the mage stopped. “What happened when I was a kid?”

“You know,” the brunet started, continuing on without her. “The whole thing where you got attacked and had to save someone and all that. When you got your white hair?”

Silintia actually laughed, dropping her head back and shaking from the force of it. Beside her, Morphinia seemed rather taken back. “What?” she whispered, dropping her eyes to the ground. The elf became unfocused, ceasing to move forward and instead opting to clench her fists tightly. “Where did you hear that?”

“Ky,” answered the boy, seeming unfazed. He hadn’t picked up on the change in the atmosphere, and instead moved forward at a constant pace. The elves fell behind, until a comforting hand on Morphinia’s shoulder from Silintia brought them back to reality. They continued walking, soon catching up to Richard and Riku. The silver haired boy was glaring something fierce at his dense friend. “It was a really awesome story, by the way,” Sora added over his shoulder, mistaking Riku’s pointed stare for a reprimand on being impolite.

“Was it?” Morphinia breathed, obviously strained.

Richard, ever the peacemaker, had had enough. “I’m sure it was. Now, the weather today...”

“I’m curious if the girl you saved was Morphinia?” continued Sora, ghosting over the oldest man’s sad attempt at a topic-change without a thought. “I thought it was, but you never know.”

Silence, thick and potent, ensued.

Riku poked the brunet boy in the ribs, earning a loud sound of indignation from him. “Awh, Riku!” he shouted, flailing his hand back lightly. “Don’t do that. Anyways,” Sora turned to the women, “was it?” He pinned Silintia with innocent cerulean eyes and smiled.

“…” The mage opened her mouth to respond, but for a moment no sound came out. She glanced to where Morphinia was walking; the blonde had her eyes trained forward with her lips in a straight line and fists still clenched. “It was,” Silintia finally murmured, sounding defeated. “At least, that’s the story.”

“Did something else happen?” asked Richard, unable to tame his curiosity about what made the ever-cheerful Morphinia seem so on edge. He didn’t know the story they were talking about, but hoped maybe someone would enlighten him in time.

Sighing, Silintia rubbed her temples. “It is a long and tiring story.”

“Naw, not really,” piped Sora, slowing down so that he stood next to Richard. “I can tell you.”

“Will you shut UP?!” someone screeched. Sora looked back in surprise, finding Morphinia glaring daggers at him. “No one wants to hear this fucking story. Nobody cares! Stop talking about it, you dumbass!” The blonde was shaking, emerald eyes taking on a wild glint. “Can’t you tell we don’t want to talk about it? How dense can you be?! That wasn’t a good time!” She rushed forward quickly, shoving past the gawking boy and running agilely up the edge of the Scar. “I can’t stand hearing about it,” she yelled, before disappearing into the foliage.

More silence followed.

Richard blinked a few times, cursing himself mentally. “So… the weather…”

“Shut up,” sighed Silintia, moving to follow after her friend. “I’m sorry about her; but she’s right. That was a horrible day. We almost lost our lives. Talking about it is not something we’re comfortable with.”

The brunet man nodded, turning back to the boy at his side. Sora was red in the face, looking relatively mortified that he had unconsciously set Morphinia off. “I didn’t…” he started, but trailed off when Riku turned back to him and shook his head. “But, Morphinia…” Sora slipped his tongue over his lower lip, before running up to Silintia’s side and grasping her forearm. “I’ll get her. I need to apologize!” The boy took two rushed steps in the direction the elf had run, when suddenly the ground underneath him quaked and a massive explosion of sand flew up around him.

Camouflaged by the debris, no one in the group could see what had happened. Riku twitched, his mind taking a moment to process what had just happened.

“Be careful in the Scar, there are still mines from the old wars.”

Adrenalin pulsed through the teen’s system, and a blood-curling scream was wrenched from his lungs.

“SORA!!”

A moment passed, and then the dust began to settle.

Note: Lol don’t kill me. –heart-

Reviews are desired! They make me happy :D

I also would really like to know what you guys think is coming. Like, with the plot. I'm curious who has figured out what means what, and whether or not I'm obvious about what is to come, or if it's all a mystery. Let me know!