The iron hammer pounded the gravel with a foreboding echo. A man's laugher fills a maliciously untidy warehouse as a girls shrill silently pierces William's ear. As he looks up, blood pours from her lifeless eyes and limp legs. "No... Aria, no!" His eyes go misty and tears begin to form. When he rushes over to her, something strikes him as everything goes black. As everything comes too, all there is, is a mirror and that mirror shown William's reflection, his body just like Aria as blood acts as tears down his face.

"Nuuuuuuuragh!!" William growls, an enormously loud action for right up in the morning. It was still pretty dark outside, but he wondered what the dream was about. Sweat rolled down his face and his breathing was heavy, simply resting wouldn't get him out of this trance. It must be happening again, just like the times before. His body felt drowsy and his friends all seemed to be doing their own thing. He couldn't distract them or anything from their jobs, but fortunately he learnt he could fight against these mages like he done to Lett as long as he figures out their weakness, if they even have one. He strolled outside, the same dark mist he's seen numerous, however, even though a tattoo and all formed, it didn't hurt. This was too strange, too strange.

It's like magic was stopping his body from aching like it usually does, or maybe his body was getting used to it? Now that was a definitely odd possibility. The pain didn't seem nearly effective the second time, but he thought that was because of Rose's healing tarots. Maybe it wasn't. Not only that, this time the third "seal" happened much faster when compared to the time length of the first and second... definitely strange, maybe the process was increasing? That's not a good sign. Is what Lett said true? After the ninth person is freed... will William die? Not only that, Kendra said there were other mages in his body, who knows what they're like or how strong they are... they may even kill him before all 9 mages are released.

Larita wandered through the city. She couldn't find any of her friends, which was pretty disappointing. "Eeeeeh... Sai and Bex aren't around, what to do..." Larita sighs, frolicking, spinning around cutely, though many would consider it odd to do so in public. She wandered around, looking at the beautiful scenery, definitely something she could engross herself in with daily activities.

"Ah! William!" She giggles, seeing a man with his usual red cap and blue bandanna. "Hello~" Larita waves erratically with energy, buzzing up and down happily.

"S-Sorry Larita... C-Can't talk, I have to get somewhere safe so that no one else can get hurt." He powers past her, trying to ignore any objects or pleas until he made his way to an open warehouse. "Right... time confront my enemy..." He bandaged his arms, also equipping his lightning gauntlets until he was full prepared for a strong battle.

Larita cautiously followed him through the street silently. She was so curious on why he was in a major rush. "What's he doing?" She wonders, strolling into the basement to see William getting ready for a battle. She wondered what it was, but he never had those markings before. "A curse...?" She thinks to herself, that would seem to fit the bill at least. That doesn't mean it's a good thing though considering a curse that creates or seeks the attention of an enemy is extremely high leveled and dangerous.

"I will help. Liberatio. You're going to help me, right? So I'll help you with this curse! Don't take my knowledge for granted, though I do want an explanation!" Larita smiles, she remembered back at the time when Will and Larita hung out together, Larita ended up falling asleep on his shoulder as they looked at the starry night, but it was really embarrassing. He gave Larita a fun day, though many would belittle that, it was an irreplaceable day in Larita's heart.

"Great... I knew I should have made sure no one was watching." William sighs, though he was really glad to be able to see at least one of his friends weren't busy and actually willing to help. He stared eye to eye with Larita, she was determined to say the least. "Fine, I'll tell you." William sighs, nodding morbidly unsure how he should start the story. He first began telling her about him and Jess meeting Kendra, how is body reacted, compared to now and such.

He then continued on about the famous Hellas incident where numerous guards and soldiers were being brainwashed by an outside source, but two simple student mages snapped them back to their senses. That was Rose and Will. "Nothing odd has happened yet, so I'm wishing myself luck, ahaha..." He lastly tells her as the miasma and markings on his right arm explode with magic and a large tall man with black hair and a bodyguard attire similar to Yoko appeared from the clearing smoke.

"Enemy. Detected." He says. He sounded quite similar to a robot while having a remarkable resemblance to Yokohama Takashi, but that didn't matter. He drew out a small tanto and resumed a battle position, obviously looking for a fight.

Larita's innocent silver flute transformed into a gray-skull topped staff also having similar attributes to a normal flute. She held her Tibia Melodia in one hand and her Liberatio staff in the other. With her wind magic now amplified two times, "I'll end it in one strike, la la la! Vertatur Tempestas Veris! Nobis Protectionem Aerialem! Flans Paries Venti Vertentis! Trap them!" Larita chants as a tornado erupts from the ground surrounding and locking the bodyguard man inside the tornado.

"La la la, Vente, no porro quod tentatio meus inimicus vado! Talea Vesica!" Larita continues, as 9 wind blades sprout from Larita's body as they're sent flying cutting through the air at the suspicious, mystery man. Larita prayed at least one would hit as they were all on course towards the tornado.

William looks in awe seeing Larita so battle hardened. Did something happen to her while William was at Hellas? "O-Oi Larita! Did you do it? You know, you've become pretty damn strong." William smiles at her, patting her on the shoulder as the tornado soon explodes and the man appeared in between the pair.

Slamming his hand against Larita's shoulder and William's leg, blood begins to gush out of the directed touch. "Effective. Method. Make. Body. Into. Razor Blades." The man robotically talks, as he swings his arms down at William. Jumping back, he avoids the attack, but as the man slams his hand into the ground, five giant slices appear in the ground as if he was wielding a sword. The enemy turns to Aria.

"...! You. My. Name... is. Ian Mcfield. Do. You. Remember. Me?" He asks her, as if he knew her from before. He displayed some form of shock and confusion, but his natural cold look overran them.

"Ian... who?" Larita questions, staring up into the eyes that were filled with nothing. Not even emotion. "Ian McField...? S-Sorry, I don't remember..." Larita sobs, he offered some slight reaction outside his disastrous fighting from before, but Larita couldn't remember him.

She swung her staff which was enhanced by Liberatio, a majestic swing that would send him away from Larita at least. "Why!? Do you know me?" Larita asks him panicking a bit.

"Hah... Lightning Roar." William closes his eyes to concentrate his ki into his hands as his lightning gauntlets explode fully charged as he thrusts his arms forward and a dragon-like figure crashes into the man. "I got him! If we restrain him, we'd be able to talk to him without him attacking us." William grins at Larita, giving her a thumb up. However, the man was left unharmed.

"Body. Rubber. Complete." He says, grabbing Larita's throat quickly. "I. Was... Care-taker. Security. Under. Your. Mansion." His speech showed a slight sound of sadness. "I. Died. Protecting. You. And. You. Don't. Even. Remember. Me!?" His voice resonated with pure anger.

"Body. Change. To--" William quickly intercepted his speech as he roundhouse kicked the man in the face, directly sending him flying backwards.

"You won't hurt her on my watch." William grins nonchalantly.

"...I'm sorry." Larita lowers her staff. She was surprised to see William save her, she was going to continue saying she was sorry, bowing in an the most respectful form possible, but it seems William saved her before she could. "L-Let me apologize, it's my fault..." Her eyes were slightly going misty and her breath and speech was dragged.

"Don't apologize. This guy may have saved you, but he's alive right now, no? Also, if it's thanks to living in my body that he's alive, why isn't he thanking me? You shouldn't say sorry, it's not your fault. This guy once worked under you and is trying to kill you, how could you forget that!?" Willaim slams his fist into a nearby box destroying it.

"Bet your life on it, we'll stop this guy from getting revenge on you or anyone else." William says.

The man looked up in curiosity. His facial expression showed something like he was understanding what he was saying. "Come. Then." He says, his arms transforming into an iron claw.

"Eh...?" Larita gasped, looking up at William's proud back and blushed. "Alright." She slowly stands up, scurrying next to him. "Let's do this, we're both aiming to be magister magi, right?" She smiles confidently.

"Flet Une Vente! Flans Saltatio Pulverea!" Larita swings her arms forward as a massive gale sends the man flying back. "Go! Vente, no porro quod tentatio meus inimicus vado! Talea Vesica..." She begins charging for her next spell.

As the man was blown back by Larita's magic, "Better try it out... Omne Flammans Flamma Purgatus, Domine Extinctionis et Signum Regenerationis, in Mea Manu Ens Inimicum Edat! Flagrantia Rubicans Quinculmen! William shouts, as five red blaze pillars extend from his hand and engulf the man. "He's not down!" He alerts Larita, as he jumps back his arm slicing from the mans claw. He was severely burnt from the attack, but could go on it seems.

"Go! Blades of wind!" Lariat shouts, as the wind blades cut through the air easily and slash at the man. If hit, his muscles would tear and body begin to break down, but those symptoms will stop after awhile. As he is hit, she has a sudden shock of realization. "Wait... I remember... Ian..." Her eyes widen and her hair blows innocently into the wind.

"Stop... why are you doing this, Ian?" Larita cries, Ian was her bodyguard. He got fired and later assassinated from her father. She wasn't sure why this all happened, but she had traumatic experiences from such that she had to hide in her room for weeks.

"Ex Somno Exsistat Exurens Salamandra Inimicum Involvat Igne! Captus Flammeus!" William sighs as a fire whip twirls down around the man and constrict him and bide him in place. "You can talk to him Larita, I've got him. I won't let him hurt you." He grins at her.

"So... you do remember me." Ian's robotic voice disappears, as his body slowly oozes into water. "We'll meet again. We can talk later." His voice resounds, echoing through the warehouse as him and his magic traces slowly disappear completely.

"Larita... thanks so much." The battle had ended and they were both fine, minus the cuts and bruises. "It's thanks to you I'm still alive, but we should get some rest. Thanks again." He hugs her, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the room.

"Let's work together some other time, alright?" He had to admit, they made a pretty damn good pairing for battle.

She pulls William to a halt. "Sure, let's work again." She innocently smiles as her radiance and serenity were elegant and beautiful for someone as clumsy as herself. "Goodbye!" She hugs him tightly back as she runs off.

End for now?

Well howdy-owdy oh-de-oh.


Will: 2 SP, 1 MP, 50000 drachma
Aria: 2 SP, 2 MP, 60000 drachma