Genesis Crisis IC

Snow's Home

Lizzy tried to smile when Snow's mother asked if she was alright, but she was clearly still distressed. "I don't know the whole story, and even if I did, it's not mine to tell." She responded before taking a sip of her tea.

"The part I do know, I'll share with you though. That man in the picture I threw away just now. He was Snow's partner in the service?" It was somewhere between a question and a statement, as if she were asking out of obligation, but already knew the answer.

"During an investigation, he sold out my father, who was working as one of your son's informants." The pain on her voice was more evident now, as if talking about it was like cutting open the wound again.

"Snow realized what had happened at the last moment, but he wasn't able to prevent them from killing my father. After that, things snowballed out of control, and the investigation finally ended with your son being dishonorably relieved of duty. After that..." She shrugged, taking another sip of tea in an attempt to warm her soul back up. "I don't know anything else up until a few weeks ago."

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Capital

"Anyone who threatens the peace?" Alina repeated his words as she ducked the spear she knew would be coming. Lecarde had always been impatient with his attacks, going for the kill far too quickly.

"What peace are you referring to Lecarde?" She asked as she blinked away the spots in her eyes. He hadn't gestured acceptance of the duel. That meant he would use soldiers to help him if necessary... "The fact that there's this much civil unrest means that we failed to keep that peace already. Not only I, but you also are guilty of that."

Her sword flashed through the air, meeting his spear with a resounding crash that could be heard throughout the courtyard. "Are you immune to your own justice!?!"

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Marcus simply laughed at Jax's words.

"Magarula."

Wind suddenly encircled the Pale Rider's body, knocking Jax backwards as his fist collided with it.

"Oh, how naive of you Red. You've been a part of the plan all along..."

He smiled wickedly as the wind continued to swirl around him.

"But now, your usefulness has reached its end."

Something metallic flashed in Marcus' hand for a moment, and then a handful of blades were pulled into the air current around him, where the swirled and danced, gaining momentum before finally being launched at Jax.

Capital

James kept his back to the fleeing crowd and concentrated on facing the guard that kept closing in on them. Using multiple Zionga spells, he managed to keep them at bay, however it became increasingly difficult and he could feel his breath speed up. A glance towards Rise and Will showed him that their situation was not any better.

Pressing his hands together, he prepared to release another spell. Suddenly the wind around the plaza picked up and James looked up. He saw the wind and the blades heading straight for Jax and quickly diverted the spell. "Mazio," he called out, letting the five lightning bolts knock the blades off course.

Another guard approached him from the side and he ducked under his slash, only receiving a shallow cut, before brining his katanas down on the man's thigh and behind his knee, severing the tendons. This only took a few seconds and James brought his attention back to the fight between Pale Rider and Jax.

Even though he wasn't sure, Jax needed help, he decided to weigh the odds a little in their favor and pushed his hands together until a spell circle appeared. "Thunder Amp," he said quietly but a little out of breath and released the spell towards Jax.

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Snow's Home

Kari's expression revealed shock and sadness when Lizzy told her what happened. It was a comfort to know that her son had tried to do his best and she knew that losing another person he cared about was probably the cause of his break up contact with his family.

Her motherly instincts took over when Lizzy spoke of the death of her father. Having lost one son and almost two, she knew how much the loss of a family member hurt and how much worse it must be for someone that was just a girl back then. From the loneliness and sadness in Lizzy's eyes, she could easily tell that the young woman had never really dealt with it.

Without hesitation, she pulled her up into a hug. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Lizzy," she said and held her gently, tears shimmering in her own eyes. "If you want…know that there's always a place for you here."

Kari softly touched her cheek and gave her a small sad smile. "When my first son was…killed, I thought I would never be happy again, but my family showed me that they needed me and that there was still so much to live for. Eli hasn't brought a girl home since…since David was killed, so I'm sure you mean just as much to him and therefore also to us." Her voice was quite emotional too, showing how much she cared for Snow and in turn for Lizzy.

From the front of the house, the door could be heard and the muffled voices of Snow and his father reached them. After a few seconds they faded a little farther away as the two men went to the back part of the house to the living room.

Kari eventually released the hug and gave Lizzy a warm squeeze on the shoulder before she turned back to the stove with the pot to give the young woman some room to collect her thoughts.

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Safe House

They ate in silence, at first. Arya looked up when he suddenly spoke and tilted her head a little. The worry for Raidon had overlaid everything, but now that he mentioned it, she realized that part of her worried about Darcy as well.

Surprise and concern showed on her face. "Darcy…" she said and bit her lip. "I have not heard from him. He left in the jeep, saying that it was better to split up. I do hope he is okay," she admitted.

Suddenly she smiled. "He is a survivor, I am sure he will be fine." Yes, Darcy was too skilled and confident enough not to get caught again and he probably had good connections that would help him out, charming as he was.

After looking at him for another second, she continued eating. When she finished, Arya brought her plate to the table and upon returning she tossed Raidon the small tin from this morning. "Would you be willing to give this another try?" she asked.

Alexander Dranos

"No! Jax! Don't rush to him!" Said Alex, but he failed to stop Jax in time.

Last time the man had used his strain to use against Alex Hama spell and Alex wasn't sure if that was the only trick that man had.

But, before anything could happen between Jax and Pale Rider, Jax had received a boost from a lightning spell.

Alex quickly launched himself between Pale Rider and Jax, Alex' Katana was spinning mid in front of Alex like a shield. The pale rider had his body wrapped around the air like last time he had wrapped around the airship, and it wasn't hard to see shining objects that were dancing around the Pale Rider.

The spinning Katana would be able to deflect the those objects that would be fired upon Jax; after those objects were fired from Pale Rider, Alex would launch his Katana straight to the pale rider who had his body surrounded with the wind; Alex katana would not be able pierce or hit the pale rider, but, due to the wind that once surrounded Pale rider, it would make a loop around the pale rider and will be fired back to Alex. Since the Katana had chain around it, Alex would catch the katana that would be returning to him, and once its in his hand, Alex would tighten the chain that surrounded the pale rider by crossing his arms.

If it worked well the chain would hold pale rider's arm and his body, making him immobile, giving Jax to strike pale rider.

Snow's Home

Lizzy's eyes widened in shock as Kari's arms encircled her, and for a moment, her entire body went limp. How was she supposed to react to this? There was a tight feeling in her chest, and she wasn't sure what it meant. Was this what having a mother felt like?

Tears flowing freely now, she wrapped her own arms around Kari, hugging her back just as fiercely. "You don't have to offer that to me..." She responded, unable to keep all of the fear from her voice. Oh God, if she did something to make the woman change her mind...

No, it didn't seem that was possible... The love in the older woman's eyes almost blew Lizzy away as Kari wiped the tears from her face, and she reached out to take her hands, holding onto them tightly. "Thank you." Was all she could manage to say without crying again, and she retreated to the bathroom after Kari moved back to the stove. No way was she going to let Snow see her with tear stains on her cheeks...

Capital

Lecarde chuckled softly as Alina's blade swept in, smacking hard against the top side of his spear. However, this proved to be a mistake. The commander was able to twist the halberd's top blade around the rapier and force it forward while moving past Alina. As he did so, he swept the blade on the bottom out to rake across her leg as he passed, sending a jolt of electricity through the wound as it did so.

"When you and every other rebel in Kaddath die, then we will have peace!" Lecarde replied cheerfully, his smile never faltering.

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Jax's charge was suddenly cut forth as he felt himself slam into what felt like an invisible wall. He skidded back several feet across the pavement, the heels of his boots scraping through the dirt till he was able to come to a halt.

"If there's anything I've learned from Legion, it's not to trust a word that comes out of your mouths," the Red Rider snarled, preparing to move in for another attack. However, with a gust of wind Jax saw several blades whizzing through the air toward him. In a moment, a timely spell from James had managed to knock them away, followed by a buffing spell. With Alex suddenly diving in to give him cover, Jax decided to use James' gift and launch a spell of his own.

"Ziodyne!" he yelled, punching the magic circle he'd conjured. The sky thundered as a ball of electricity crackled above before releasing a powerful bolt of lightning scorching through the air, crashing down upon where the Pale Rider stood with a tremendous shockwave.

Lecarde, who had been waiting for Alina to make a move, saw an opening and dived into a backflip toward the Pale Rider, swinging his halberd to impale the other man if he dodged back away from Jax's spell.

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Safe House

Raidon watched Arya as she thought about Darcy. She showed her usual concern and thoughtfulness, but no particularly notable emotions at the thought of the other man. Oddly enough, that seemed to relieve some tension out of the former chief's body.

As they finished their meal, Arya produced a tin of the healing ointment he had applied to her wound. Raidon couldn't tell if she was teasing him or not, and he pursed his lips for a moment, tempted to protest. In the end, however, he nodded slowly and undid the lid.

"The swelling has gone down," he commented before dabbing gently at the bruise, avoiding Arya's gaze. This was difficult enough as it was without having to see her vivid green eyes watching him.
"All right.." he muttered, taking the tin from her hands.

Capital

Alina grit her teeth as she dropped to one knee. Her leg had gone temporarily numb from the electrical surge. "Peace at what cost old friend?" She asked pleadingly. "Would you cut down fathers and leave their children without support? Would you cut down the starving children themselves to put them out of the misery that we caused? How deep does your blindness run?"

She pushed herself back to her feet, just in time to see Lecarde lunge at the Pale Rider. Cursing, she stepped in the opposite direction, putting herself closer to Jax and Alex. If this was going to become a battle royale, she didn't want them to be separated in the chaos.

The Pale Rider himself didn't even blink as Jax cast lightning down upon him. Unlike a lesser man, who would have stepped back and away from the danger, Marcus actually launched himself forward, towards Alex, who was attempting to wrap him up. The wind, which was still rotating around him crashed into Alex, plowing the man into the ground as Marcus leapt over him and towards an unprepared Jax.

Steel met steel as Marcus brought his scythe down and Alina stepped forward to parry it with her rapier. It was evident that the slash on her leg slowed her movements though, and she winced from the recoil of the attack.

Marcus took a step back to avoid Jax being able to counterattack while he was undefended, but the wind around him finally settled as he slowly rotated the scythe between the fingers of one hand. His other hand was suddenly filled with blades, which he flipped under his arm, taking a blind shot at Lecarde.

"See how they come to silence you my brothers?" He called out to the crowd around them, even as they continued to run about in panic. "See how they so quickly resort to using force?"

Most of the crowd continued to stampede away from the fighting, but a few eyes turned back to them amongst those who had escaped capture because of Aegis' endeavors.

Silver flashed through the air as more oddly shaped blades slipped into the Pale Rider's hand, appearing like magic from somewhere up his sleeve. With a peal of laughter, he slung them into the air, aiming for James and Will, who both had the crowd to their back. If either moved, the people behind them would be hit.

Safe House

His fingers on her skin had almost the same effect as before and she kept her eyes on the wall, lest he see her thoughts and feelings in her eyes. It felt good, the cooling effect and his gentle movements as they softly ran over her skin.

When he was done, she smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, it feels much better now," she replied softly and took the tin from his hands, returning it to the first aid bag.

Arya sat back down and looked at him for a few seconds before she spoke again. "So how are you feeling?" she asked. "I mean I see you train but your expression never reveals anything, so I am wondering are you just pushing past the pain, or are you truly feeling better?" There was still concern in her voice, but no fear anymore.

No, the fear that he might die from his wounds was gone and she was sure he would make a full recovery if he did not push himself too hard.

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Snow's Home

Kari hummed quietly to herself while she tended to the food. Despite all the bad things that kept happening in this country, she couldn't help but feel happy. Her son had returned home and brought with him a lovely young woman. 

Just after Lizzy returned from the bathroom, Snow and his father entered. The older man gave his wife and quick hug from behind and kissed her on the cheek, showing how much love was still between them. "Smells delicious," he commented, his voice deep, but clear. Then he turned around to Lizzy and extended his hand to greet her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lizzy," he said not surprised to see her. Obviously Snow had given him a heads up. "I'm Don."

Meanwhile, Snow stroke Lizzy gently along the neck, before he walked up to the kitchen counter to his mom. "Be a dear and set the table, Eli," Kari said and Snow willingly began to pull out some plates and cutlery.

Capital

"It's the anarchists who ruin homes and destroy families!" Lecarde shouted loudly as the Pale Rider slipped from his grasp to focus on Aegis. The commander was not to be deterred, however, and raced into the fight as Alina distracted herself blocking the blow from the Pale Rider. Jax, who had sidestepped so as not to get in Alina's way, turned to see the commander rushing in and dived forward as the halberd thrust toward him. He came up behind Lecarde and let loose a punch at the other man's throat, but the spear was there to block it.

"Fight all you want," Lecarde whispered, sliding back from the force of the blow. "None of you will be spared to see your revolution come to pass!"

Leaping back, he brought his hand up to conjure, glassy eyes gleaming with pleasure.

"Mahamon!" he called, casting a large magic circle around Jax, Alina, and Marcus as a rain of light from heaven descended on them.

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Safe House

Raidon stood up and retrieved his katana to begin his practice sequences once more.

"A little of both," he answered truthfully. "Your treatment has helped immensely, but the pain isn't fully gone, and I can tell my strength isn't back to normal yet."

Even now, as he began to swing his sword elegantly through the air, he could tell he wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. He'd need to retire to bed shortly if he didn't want to take any steps backward in the recovery process.

"I want to be able to do something," he said quietly, thinking on the news they'd been hearing. "Though I don't know how much I can accomplish on my own anymore."

Capital

James watched the events unfold, a little too far away to do anything, yet unwilling to leave the crowd unprotected. The latter appeared to be a wise decision when suddenly blades flew towards him and Will and in turn towards the crowd behind them.

Without hesitating a second, he pushed his hands together and cast a spell. "Mazio," he called out and sent the lightning bolts with precision at the blades, knocking them on the ground. It was hard to see in the resulting flash and suddenly a young voice called behind him. "Watch out."

James looked behind him for a second and saw a little boy with wide scared eyes, pointing at the Pale Rider. When James' eyes followed him, he saw that he miscounted the blades and there were still two blades heading their way. Quickly he drew his katana and knocked the first away while he turned around and pulled the little boy down with him. He felt the other graze his arm and hoped that would be enough to knock it to the ground. And indeed, he heard it clatter a few feet away.

"Thanks buddy," he said to the little boy with the tousled brown hair and gave him a little push, indicating that he needed to leave now. Luckily in that moment the mother came, picked him up and a few seconds later they were out of sight.

He dusted his jacket off and turned back around  to the battle, only to see Commander Lecarde cast a high level Hama spell. If that worked, Jax and Alina would be blinded, unable to see the attack. He bit his lip and closed his eyes for a second, focusing his mind. He couldn't allow it.

James hurried closer to Lecarde and pushed his hands together. "Maziodyne," he called out with his clear voice and a spell circle appeared under the Commander while a ball of lightning formed above his head, preparing to cast down five powerful lightning bolts.

The chances that this would be successful were slim, however he hoped it would distract him long enough so that the others could regain their sight and avoid some of that destructive light rain.

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Safe House

"Don't overdo it then," she murmured quietly and continued to watch him practice. Maybe it was her imagination but Raidon seemed less eager, less energetic about it than earlier this morning and his next words only confirmed her suspicion.

Arya stood up from the bed. "Do not dare to talk like that," she said, her kind voice sounding rather stern. "You are the Chief of Police, everything you accomplished was incredible and what I saw, your determination and strength…you do not need an army behind you to reach your goal." Her expression and voice softened a little. "And I believe you can still do it…besides...," she hesitated and shifted nervously. "If you want…I'll be here to help you, to support you with whatever you do."

Arya could actually feel her cheeks blush a little and prayed that her expression did not betray her true feelings when she spoke again. "I feel safe with you."

Capital - Alexander Dranos

As Marcus pushed Alex to the ground; sudden attack from Marcus, pushed Alex out from the battle royal that was happening between the Army, Aegis and Legion.  

As Alex stood up, his face went pale, "Alina, Jax! Watch out!" shouted Alex, as he caught his sight on Army's commander casting a spell.

Alex quickly clenched his fist, and punched his magic circle, shouting "Hama!". Hoping blinding light be a distraction for Lecarde; the blinding light would be shoot out from where Lecarde was standing.

Snow's Home

Lizzy gifted the older man with a smile when he introduced himself, and she took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "It's nice to meet you as well." She responded, just as Snow rested his hand between her shoulders.

For a moment, she was nervous again. How did these two expect Snow and her to act in front of them? Neither of them commented on it though, and she breathed a sigh of something between relief and frustration when Snow moved his hand away to set the table.

It was so weird to hear everyone calling him by his first name too... A name she hadn't even known until she'd heard them use it... Was there a reason he hadn't told her?

Lizzy shook her head to clear away the dark thoughts within it and sat down at the table. She just had to make it through dinner so she could get a private word with Snow. This had all been a major shock to her already unstable system...

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Capital

"Mudo."

In the center of all the exploding lights, a single mass of darkness surrounded the Pale Rider, shielding him from the blinding effects of both Lecarde's and Alex's spells.

Alina raised her arms to cover her eyes, but it wasn't fast enough. Colors danced in her vision, but she took a step forward, where she knew Jax had been and turned, putting her back to his. "Stay together until you can see again."

Will growled as the light caught his attention too, but he had already moved a spinning blade into the path of the blades aimed at him, knocking them harmlessly to the ground. "There's too much chaos. We can't defend the people and fight them off too."

"You're absolutely right."

Marcus' voice drifted out of the crowd instead of from where he had been only seconds before. Suddenly, there was a gulf in the crowd as they ran away from the man now standing in their midst, but as they moved aside, the girl could be seen beneath him.

Smiling, Marcus let his scythe slide through the air, like a pendulum falling, only bringing it to a halt a fraction of a second before the hilt clipped the side of Rise's neck. He'd somehow gotten behind her and pushed her onto her hands and knees. Now, he rested a single foot on her lower back, applying constant downward pressure towards the blade only an inch away from her neck.

Will took a step towards him, and Marcus pulled up on the blade, letting it kiss Rise's skin. "I wouldn't boy!" He laughed. "If anyone takes a step towards me, I'll end her tragic existence."

Capital

Lecarde saw James spell coming and gave a small laugh as he looked up, prepared to jump back. However, Alex's timely Hama spell gave a sudden burst of blinding light, causing Lecarde to cry out and shield his eyes as he staggered back. In that moment, the lightning bolts hit the ground, blasting Lecarde back to skid along the ground and hit hard into a wall, winded.

It was too late, however, to stop the rain of light from the Mahamaon spell. Jax couldn't see anything, but let instinct take over as he grabbed Alina with both his arms and dove aside as hard as he could, just like on that day when they first met..

The explosion rocketed them several yards away, blinded and breathless. Despite being unable to see properly, Alina regained her footing and helped him up, putting them back to back until their vision cleared.

By the time it did, Marcus had already made his move. Rise had been trying to usher the people out of the square when a blow from behind knocked her to the ground, a hard foot pressing her down to keep her there. Before she quite knew what was happening, a blade hooked around her neck so that she could see her own terrified reflection in its sheen.

Everyone was too afraid to move for what Marcus might do. But as Rise stared into the terrified reflection, she could see a change. The fear began to ease away, replaced with anger and determination. She was sick of being afraid, sick of people needing to rescue her.

"Go ahead," she hissed. "If that's what it takes to stop you, then I don't care. It won't prevent them from kicking your sorry ass. Take your best shot then!"

She reared her lower back and right leg up, planting the heel of her shoe right in the Pale Rider's groin.

"Rise!" Jax called, having been waiting for an opening and sending a Zio spell striking through the air into the Pale Rider's chest right when it showed itself. Rise scrambled away as the Pale Rider's pressure lifted off her back and snatched her fans up to join the others.

"Don't get careless!" Lecarde laughed, taking advantage of their attention to recover and approach James, slashing his spear at the other blonde's throat.

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Safe House

"No.. I don't need an army," Raidon said quietly, recalling the small group that had managed to overcome the odds so many times. "But perhaps I do need some friends."

The idea of friends was an entirely alien concept to him, but he couldn't deny the evidence of what he'd seen. Arya seemed willing to be his first supporter, but..

"I can't involve you in this. Not again," he said, turning to look her in the eyes with a firm, unyielding look. "You've already done more for me than I deserve.

Capital

The situation dissolved better than he hoped for and Lecarde was hit, not deadly, but at least enough to give Alina and Jax a chance to recover. Pale Rider was no where to be seen.

When he heard Marcus' voice from the crowd, James turned around and froze. He didn't see Marcus or any others anymore. He didn't even notice the crowed fleeing. His whole attention was focused on Rise and the mortal danger she was in. Her bright eyes, wide first with fear and then with courage, practically spitting in Marcus' face. Together with some help from Jax it enabled her to escape.

James wanted to move, he wanted to save her, but he couldn't. All this only took a few seconds, but it was enough time for Lecarde to recover. Breathing a sigh of relief that Rise was safe for now, he could suddenly feel someone behind him and more on instinct than anything else he spun around with his katana raised.

Metal clashed on metal when he blocked Lecarde's spear, but his strength wasn't enough to drive him back. Instead he felt the spear coming closer and added his second hand, supporting the blade of his katana at the top to prevent the spear from reaching his neck.

"You won't get through with this," he hissed. "All this destruction can't be the answer."

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Snow's Home

Snow caught Lizzy's eyes and smiled at her while he set the table. It was nice and warm in the kitchen, the fire from the stove giving off quite the amount of heat.

"I stared the fire upstairs," Kari said to her son. "You'll need to get some firewood if you want to keep it burning and warm." Snow nodded and headed towards the door. "And bring some in for the living room too," she called after him.

"Will do," sounded Snow's voice through the house and then the door closed behind him. Apparently, the stack with fire wood wasn't far away and a few minutes later, Snow was back. He poured himself a cup of tea and re-filled Lizzy's before sitting down next to her.

Snow leaned back in his chair and kept his hand on her shoulder. "You alright, love?" he asked her quietly. Now that he did take a closer look, he could see she looked a little …off, but he hoped it was just a little nervousness.

The silence in the kitchen drew on for a few minutes, but it was not uncomfortable while Kari continued to prepare dinner and finally set the pot on the table. With a kind smile, she began to distribute a delicious looking stew onto the plates and then sat down.

"Now…." she began after they started eating, "You have to tell me everything. How did you first meet? Where did he take you for your first date? Was it love at first sight?" Kari gushed out a stream of questions and still managed to sound kind. Obviously she was quite curious about them, even though from what Lizzy had told her it was obvious her son and Lizzy had a complicated past.

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Safe House

Arya tilted her head, her rosette hair falling over her shoulder and she gazed back at Raidon for several seconds. He seemed quite sure about what he just said. A smile played around her lips.

"Did you not say you were going to protect me?" she asked and began to play with her hair as she cast her eyes down. "Besides, what am I supposed to do? Just wait around and worry about you? Where am I supposed to go? We both know I cannot stay here" she added, sounding almost a little sad. "I don't have anywhere I can go…and I don't want to be…alone." Arya admitted and bit her lip when she forced herself to look at Raidon's grey eyes again.

"I am already more involved than both, you and I wanted," she finally said. "However, it is too late to turn back." Her eyes almost begged him to include her, the fear of being left alone was almost overwhelming in her chest and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him again.

Snow's Home

Lizzy had hidden in her cup of tea while Snow went to cut firewood, and she was grateful for the refill when he returned. As long as she was otherwise occupied, maybe his parents wouldn't ask her too much.

Snow actually surprised her by asking if she was alright, and somehow, she held down a bitter laugh. Oh, now he cared if she was alright with any of this? He couldn't have given her at least a little heads-up before they'd arrived? "We'll talk later." Was the only response she offered, but there was a vicious undertone in her voice that carried, even in the whisper, like a first rumble of thunder before the storm blew in.

For a brief moment, Lizzy thought that they would make it through dinner without any questions, but Kari quickly brought an end to that notion when she spilled out a whole stream of them.

Lizzy's mouth worked open and closed while she tried to process all the answers. How did they meet? A shadow passed over her face when she remembered looking at Snow's file and thinking of the best way to murder him. Where did he take her for her first date? For a moment, she was back in the casino, watching the men beat Snow into the chair he was strapped to. Was it love at first sight? She could still feel Snow's chest against her skin from that first night where she'd sat up tending his wounds.

Suddenly, she remembered the mark on her neck that she'd left exposed, and her face flushed crimson. "It's... Complicated..." She offered dumbly, trying to avoid answering anything. Under the table, she put her hand on Snow's leg and squeezed it in a silent plea for help.

Capital
Alexander Dranos

As the army commander shout about being off guard, Alex spotted the commander rushing towards James. However, it was too late for Alex warn James for incoming attack. "James!" Fortunately, James managed to quickly block sudden attack that was launched by the commander.
Quickly, Alex rushed where James and the army commander were and slashed his katana against the commander.

"People are born with their ideas, views, and opinions! There is nothing you can do to change that!"
Shouted Alex as he swung his blade at Lecarde's arm.

Capital

Marcus groaned when Rise's heel cut into his groin, and he jerked his scythe up as a reaction, slicing a thin line across her neck before Jax's lightning spell threw him backwards. The scythe clattered to the ground in front of Rise, and Marcus twitched a few times, although whether it was from the spell or the kick was undetermined.

Alina stepped away from Jax, and her fingers pressed up against Rise's throat, checking the flow of blood from the wound. "Hold still." She snapped when Rise tried to pull back.

After a second, she frowned, bringing her fingers away. "He didn't cut anything internally, but I still need to close it up." Her eyes went to Rise's and held them, as if she were about to apologize for something. "This is going to hurt..."

Her fingers swiped across Rise's neck again, but this time, they left behind a trail or frost and Rise's skin puckered, turning an angry shade of red as it was flash-frozen to seal the wound.

Will had moved in the Pale Rider's direction, one blade still spinning rapidly through the air as he cautiously approached. Apparently, it wasn't cautious enough though. With only a few steps to go, Marcus rolled to the side, sweeping Will's feet from beneath him. Crying out in surprise, Will rolled forward, dropping his blades so he could use his hands to pivot over and land back on his feet. Marcus was already a step ahead on the other side of him though, and as a handful of blades shot through the air to pin Will back to the ground, he collected his scythe from where it had fallen.

"Perhaps I haven't made myself clear... This is where you all die."

A circle formed beneath the Pale Rider, spreading all the way from one end of the city center to the other.

"Mamudoon."

Black shadows swirled outward from where he stood, coating the entire circle within seconds, and then tendrils of darkness erupted from the ground, grasping for anything they could wrap around and crushing it just as quickly.

Capital

Lecarde smiled amusedly at James words as their weapons quaked with the force on either side.

"The destruction of evil is necessary for the triumph of good," he said calmly. "You'll see first-hand how I drive out the darkness of rebellion and anarchy in this land!"

A magic circle appeared around his weapon, which began to glow with light.

"Judgment!" he called, activating his overlimit. As Alex approached, Lecarde broke off the lock with James and stabbed the spear in Alex's direction. Though his weapon was out of range, it dispelled a powerful burst of light in the direction it was thrust, blasting Alex back away from them. Lecarde turned back to finish his assault on James, but was forced to stop short.

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Rise tried to stifle a whimped as she staggered over to Jax, clutching at her neck with bloody, shaking hands. Jax made to grab hold of her, but Alina had already made a move. And in a particularly innovative - if painful-looking - move, she flash-frozen the wound. Rise gasped, touching at it with tentative fingers as she fought back tears.

"You're going to be okay," Jax said reassuringly, putting a hand on her arm. However, their attention was quickly diverted to the Pale Rider, whose ominious words were punctuated by the sudden forming of a black magic circle beneath their feet. Black tentacles rose from the dark mist, ensnaring everyone inside. Jax struggled with gritted teeth as they tugged, pierced, and pulled. Rise was quickly pulled to the ground, crying out as they wrapped around her like a crushing coccoon.

"I don't think so," Lecarde said calmly, swinging his spear to slash away the tentacles reaching for him with bursts of light magic. Even so, they began to quickly overwhelm him. Leaping up on a barrell, Lecarde quickly conjured a magic circle. The tentacles were quick to grab at him the moment he was still, but he was able to release the spell before they could drag him down.

"Mahamon!"

The circle of white light overlapped the Pale Rider's in a flash of light. As they contested for dominance, the members inside were subjected to sudden flashes of light, then darkness. Rise screamed out in pain, and even Jax was forced down to his knees as he covered his eyes as best he could and yelled. In a sudden crash like breaking glass, the two circles vanished, and everyone collapsed to the ground in a daze.

"Guards, seize him!" Lecarde shouted, pointing toward the Pale Rider before he could get away. The Imperial Guards, giving up on pursuing the crowds, rushed to the square to apprehend the Legion leader.

--------------------

Safe House

Raidon frowned at Arya's words.

"I will protect you," he said softly. "And to do that, I need to keep you from getting involved. If I can help you find your sister.. perhaps you can find somewhere to hide until this is all over."

She was begging with her eyes, pleading not to be turned away. But he'd already damaged her life enough. Further involvement with him would only make it worse.

"You can't be safe while the Army is still in charge.." Raidon contemplated, eyes looking into the distance. "Nor if Legion assumes control. But those appear to be the only two options, it seems."

Capital

James hastened over to Alex after he'd been blasted back. "Alex, you alright?" he asked and helped him up. "Thanks for being there so quickly," he added. Lecarde's attention shifted from them back to Pale Rider and James used that chance to head back to the others. His heart was still pounding rapidly and he didn't even want to think about what could've happened if Alex had only been a few seconds later.

The tendrils from Marcus' darkness spell appeared all wound them and he quickly headed over to the others, helping Will up on the way. However, he didn't expect anything of what followed. It was one thing to read about the different effects spells had on each other, but a whole other thing to experience it.

James dropped to one knee, katana clattering to the ground. He covered his ears and blinked, trying to find a moment without blinding bright light.

Then it was over and dazed, he straightened up and picked up his weapons. Slowly he walked over to Rise, his feet carrying him automatically and he looked at her, in his eyes a mixture of concern and pride about how brave she was. "Did you get hurt badly?" he asked, still on guard, because he was sure Marcus or Lecarde could pull something unexpected at any moment.

___________________________________________

Snow's Home

Snow looked up from his plate when his mother started asking questions. One look at Lizzy's face told him that they probably shouldn't answer those. He felt her hand on his leg and softly took her hand under the table, squeezing it gently. Even though his parents were tolerant and loved him probably more than anything, the true story would be too much for them.
 
"Mom," he complained and covered his face with his other hand. "Do you have to be so embarrassing?"
 
Kari gave a small laugh, not at all taken back by the defensive answer from Lizzy. "Don't make yourself uneasy, dear. I guess I just got a little carried away," she said lightly and then her eyes looked at Snow. "But I do have a right to be curious why you just show up here without a warning after over ten years." When she spoke to Snow her voice took a more stern tone and even Don, who had solely been focused on his food, looked up now.
 
Snow sighed. "Well to satisfy some of your curiosity...we met at work and sadly, I'm not really at liberty to explain the rest of the circumstances," Snow said. "As for the other matter...I'm sure you've been watching the news." A shadow passed over his face and everyone was still for a moment.
 
"Things got out of hand and we had to disappear quickly because even within the government, everything became a little unstable," Snow's voice was calm during his explanation. "I didn't want her to get caught in the crossfire," he said and lifted Lizzy's hand to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on it. His eyes and expression became soft and he let go of her hand, taking the hands of Kari instead. "I am really sorry I didn't give you any warning, Mom, but this was the only safe place I could come without setting off any more alarms."
 
Kari's expression softened in return and her eyes were full of love for Snow and Lizzy. "It's okay, Eli. I understand you can't tell me everything. I'm just glad you're alive and happy," Kari smiled at both of them and returned her attention to her plate.
 
"It sounds like your mess is still going," Don suddenly said. "Maybe when it's over, you can tell us the whole story someday." Snow nodded. "Maybe," agreed and took another bite to eat. He put his other hand on Lizzy's leg, reassuringly.

When they were done eating, Snow helped clear the table. "It's okay, Eli. I will do the rest," Kari said. "The two of you must have had a long day. If you want to go upstairs and rest, we both would understand." Kari offered with a smile and Don nodded in agreement. Snow looked at Lizzy, trying to find in her eyes what she wanted to do.

___________________________________________

Safe House

Arya stared at him while he spoke, weighing the options. No, no she could not let him. She didn't want to hide out anywhere, away from everyone, away from him, all alone.

Alone.

"No," she almost whispered and took a step towards him. His grey eyes were almost piercing her. "Don't you get it? I do not care about the danger or the safety. I care about you and I want to be there with you," she took another step towards him coming quite close now and the closer she was, the more she could feel herself blush from his presence.

"Please take me with you, let me help you," Arya said, her voice becoming more passionate and she could feel tears brim up in her eyes. "I want to be with you, because… I…you…" the tears overflowed and began to run down her cheeks. For a moment her emotions were obvious on her face and then she turned her head away before she could finish the sentence and added in a quiet whisper. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

Almost immediately she turned around, hiding the tears from him behind a curtain of her hair. She was too close, far too close, so close she could feel his body heat and quickly she stepped back, sitting on the bed with her back towards him.

"I am sorry," she said, feeling more tears run down her cheeks without being able to stop them. Her feelings took over, making her feel torn between wanting to admit what she felt and knowing it might only make things worse if she did.

Capital - Alexander Dranos

"I'm alright, go ahead and help others first." Said Alex as James helped him to stand up again. Alex tried to get to others like James did; however, it seems like the impact from the blast was still there and it was giving little trouble for Alex to balance himself. When he finally got his sense of balance back, pale rider and Lecarde's spell fought for dominance. "Darn it, late again!" Alex cursed at the situation. When he finally reached where all of his friends were, where Aegis were, the army commander barked the order of arresting pale rider. "After him, we would be next." Said Alex as he wield his sword again and as he came to other's aid.

Snow's Home

When Snow's hand slipped into hers under the table, Lizzy latched onto it with a death grip, letting him know for the first time exactly how shot her nerves were right now. Thankfully, Kari was easily redirected because if she'd told Snow's parents the real reason they'd met, it definitely wouldn't have reflected well on her relationship with them. She still wasn't sure how Snow could get past the fact that she'd tried to kill him. So, it was doubtful that his parents would feel the same way.

After a moment of explaining, Snow released her hand, and Lizzy resisted the urge to grab it again. She'd make it through this if it killed her...

Several minutes and several much easier conversations later, Kari dismissed the two of them, and despite how kind the woman had been, Lizzy couldn't deal much longer. She thanked the woman for the meal and then thanked Don for his hospitality, but immediately after that, she slipped out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

In the back of her mind, she knew that Snow was following her, but it was all Lizzy could do to make it to the bed before sagging into the mattress with an exhausted sigh. Today had been good for her in some ways, but in others, it had torn her apart. Stress definitely wasn't good for her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Capital

Alina cursed as black tendrils began to wrap around her, and the temperature dropped as a sheet of ice began forming beneath her feet to cut them off. Her sword sliced at the ones enveloping Rise, who was still at arm's length, and when she'd hacked away enough of them, she pulled the girl onto the ice as well.

Will, who had only just gotten back to his feet was suddenly plowed over by the force of the two spells clashing in waves of light and darkness. When it finally passed, he groaned and slowly sat back up. "I need a drink..." Was all he muttered as he reached for his blades though.

As guards poured into the streets, Marcus frowned, cursing Aegis in the back of his mind. He'd planned to make more progress today, but their presence had prevented it.

"Garudyne."

He held an open palm to the ground, and the spell exploded at his feet, launching him skyward. With a quick flip, he redirected himself to the nearest rooftop and disappeared from sight. On the horizon, the rounded shape of a zeppelin could be seen making its way over the city though. He'd obviously prepared to make a swift escape if necessary.

The sound of a crossbow bolt piercing a brick wall drew Alina's attention back away from the escaping Pale Rider, and a moment later, Keynes and Lisa dropped into the square, having slid down the rope attached to the bolt.

"Perhaps it's best we make our escape as well." Keynes suggested while Lisa offered Rise a hand in getting back to her feet. "The amount of guards that are about to occupy this square outnumber us ten to one."

Capital/Bunker

Rise gratefully took Lisa's hand and got to her feet, her hand automatically moving to her neck and wincing.

"I'm okay," she responded to James, her voice shaking slightly. "Thanks."

She attempted a grateful smile, but wasn't able to quite pull it off. Her eyes moved over to Keynes, who was speaking with Jax. The Red Rider had struggled to his feet, fishing out the other Traesto gem that Kokonoe had given them.

"Yeah, you're right.." he said, glaring in the direction Marcus had escaped. "Everyone get close."

Jax cracked the sparling green crystal, and after a burst of light a magic circle appeared beneath their feets. The last thing they heard was Lecarde's shouts and the sound of rushing boots before everything melted away from around them. The same dizzying, disorienting sensation assailed them before they found themselves back in the bunker. Rise pitched forward, but Jax caught her in his arms before she could fall.

"Thanks.." she murmured, reluctant to move away. Jax stared at her for a moment before suddenly releasing her as Kokonoe appeared in the doorway of the room, frowning as she surveyed them.

"Well, none of you are dead. That's better than I was expecting," the researcher replied casually.

--------------------

Safe House

Raidon watched helplessly as Arya seemed to break down from his words.

"I didn't.." he began softly, trailing off as he watched her retreat and try to hide her tears away from him. Moving over to the bed, the former chief sat down beside her and brought his hand up tentatively to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. Instead, it seemed to hover awkwardly in the air over her as he tried to decide if this was the right way to go about it. Unable to decide, he retracted the hand and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Raidon murmured, looking guility at the back turned toward him. "But.. I can't put you in harm's way. You're.. you're all I have left."

Bunker
-Alexander Dranos

Alex eyes drifted to the ground, "Yup, we managed it somehow..." he muttered weakly. They left too many things unfinished and it was matter of time Army or Legion will do something to make things even worse. 'Darn it, Alex!' Alex cursed himself in his head; he thought he was ready for it, but that battle showed he was not ready. 'If I was stronger... If I was stronger!'

Alex grabbed his katana tighter, frustrated he couldn't do much in helping people. It looked like it give the more reason for army to kill all the people of kaddath. "Lives of people...." Alex muttered, "Wait, all that chaos! Army won't sit and do nothing! Is army making any more statements? I mean are they going to do something cruel again?" Alex asked with little urgency to Kokonoe.

Bunker

James shook his head when Marcus escaped. At least they prevented him from getting his message through. Coming close together with everyone else, he tried to brace himself for the effect of the Traesto crystal, but the dizzying feeling and the blur of colors was not something he wanted to repeat. When the light faded, they were all back at the bunker.

He staggered a few steps and leaned against the wall, waiting until his world wasn't spinning anymore. It took several minutes before he felt fine again.

"I'm not sure if this was a failure or a success or if we just managed to create even more chaos…" he said and sat down. His eyes drifted over to Kokonoe. "Any luck with your search?"

___________________________________________

Snow's Home

Snow wished his parents good night, giving his mother a short hug. "I love you," Kari whispered in his ear and let him go. 

He followed Lizzy upstairs and stood in the door for a  second, watching her sink down on the mattress with a sigh. Finally he walked into the room and sat down next to her. His hand curled around her shoulders and he pulled her close.

"Well that went better than I expected..." he said, sounding relieved. His eyes rested on her, a slight note of concern in them. "How are you holding up, love? You seemed a little uneasy earlier...my parents were nice to you, right?"

___________________________________________

Safe House

You're all I have left.

Arya straightened up, wondering if she heard right. No, she was so tuned into his voice, surely she could not imagine things like this. Rather sudden, she turned back around to face him, tears still shimmering in her eyes.

She took a deep breath to clear her mind and ran her sleeve over her eyes to wipe the remaining tears away. "It's... okay," she said. Even though she tried to sound calm, it did not quite work. "I do not exactly have many people I care about left. You are one of them and if there is one thing I learned….then, that not knowing is worse than actually being involved."

What Raidon said, had made her feel better, it made her feel warm from inside. She even managed to give him a small smile. "Please don't do that to me, let me be there…with you."

Snow's Home

Lizzy didn't react at all when Snow hooked his arm around her, pulling her close. She was surprisingly limp, as if all the life had been drained out of her in the last few seconds, and only after he'd finished speaking did she even seem to register his presence in the room.

Her head swiveled slowly until her eyes were fixed on his. "Your parents were wonderful to me..." She said distantly. "You, on the other hand..."

With no warning, she sank a fist into his ribcage. It wasn't a gentle blow either. This was the kind of punch that cracked ribs. "What the hell were you thinking?!?" She yelled before driving her elbow into his chest to knock the wind out of him. "You don't bring a girl to meet your parents without warning her first! I had no idea this was where we were coming. And then, you left me alone with your mother! Is there a brain in that head of yours?"

She'd pulled out of his hold now and was standing next to the bed. "What if I'd made a mess of things?" She asked, kicking him in the shin. "What if they'd hated me?" Lizzy continued, repeating the kick to the shin in exactly the same place. Her voice was a mixture of pent up fury and soul deep relief that she could finally let it out, and despite her best efforts, tears had started rolling down her cheeks again as she repeated her last question a second time. "What if they'd hated me?"

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Bunker

"Aye." Was all Keynes offered in response to Kokonoe's remark.

Will, who seemed a little more annoyed with the situation gave the researcher a crooked grin. "No 'welcome home hun'?" He asked sarcastically.

Lisa frowned, but her attention was more on Rise, who was still looking a little pale, despite saying she was alright, or at least she had been pale until Jax had caught her. Now her face had a lot more color in it than usual. If she didn't want him catching on, she was going to have to work on that...

"There won't be any more problems today." Alina commented to Alex, giving him a reassuing smile. "Under normal circumstances, the administration would deal with the people first, but I saw the look in Lecarde's eyes. He's on a witch hunt, and he'll expend all of the army's resources in the area to try and chase down the Pale Rider."

"Perhaps." Keynes said, lighting a cigarette. "But we're no better off than we were this morning. In fact, we might have lost some support with that showing. The Pale Rider was playing that crowd like a fiddle."

Snow's Home

Snow was caught by surprise when he suddenly had Lizzy's elbow in his side and pain shot through his ribs all the way up his side. More than on the pain, he was focused on her words and even when she started kicking him, he didn't move.

Only when the tears began to roll down her cheeks did he stand up. If he was in pain, it only showed briefly on his face, the feeling quickly overwritten by a softer expression. He didn't move to stop Lizzy, instead he just stepped closer, putting a hand under her chin so she would look up to him.

"Why in the world would they hate you?" he asked huskily. "You're wonderful."

Feeling that little more explanation was needed, he continued. "I wouldn't have brought you here, if I didn't think you could handle it. I am sorry I didn't give you a warning beforehand, but to be honest, I had no idea what I was coming home to…" He gave a little shrug and winced in pain. Snow sighed internally. Today had been a difficult day, but showing up here had turned out better than expected and he felt …almost elevated. That Lizzy was so upset worried him a little, but at the same time, he felt glad she was getting it out of her system. Maybe she would feel better afterwards. From her voice he could tell it deeply bothered her and he had no intention of stopping her rant until she felt better.

"Would you have come, if I had told you, love?" he asked her softly, his husky voice revealing that he had really worried about that.