The Skirmish of Nobility

Kova's breath has stopped as the entire room seemingly falls silent.

Just a moment later, Kova slowly opens her eyes up again as she realizes that nothing has happened to her, in fact, the only wound she has is on her head from the door bashing into her. Kova then looks up, wondering what happened, and that's when she sees just what saved her.

Gilla Markana stands to the side of the soldier with his sword sticking into her side.

"You think I didn't hear you? You're not nearly as clever as your brother made you out to be, Miss Markana." The soldier says with a smirk.

Kova looks at her sister-in-law, and is in absolute shock, not just because she's been stabbed, but because she doesn't even seem bothered by it.

"Gilla..." Kova says, stunned by Gilla's heroics.

Gilla face remain still as she looks the soldier dead in the eyes before saying only one line. "Never threaten my family again."

With those words, Gilla quickly brings her sword up and slits the mans throat. Blood immediately pours down from the opening in his gullet, coating his armour and starts to drip down to the floor. The soldier then falls to the floor, covering the white carpet in a red pool.

Gilla then removes the sword from her side before grabbing one of the pillows on the floor. She then tears the pillow case apart, fashioning some bandages for the time being. "The maids are going to kill me for this mess. I definitely have to give them a raise."

Gilla then wraps the impromptu bandages around her waist, limiting the blood loss from her wound until she can get to Terra or Lani for some healing. She then looks over to Kova, and sees she is still on the floor.

"You look comfortable there, do you wish to stay on the floor?" Gilla jokes.

Kova is still stunned, unable to say a single word as she looks at the makeshift bandage becoming increasingly more and more red.

Gilla looks down at her wound, seeing the blood is seeping through. She decides to ignore her wound for the time being before asking, "Are you alright?"

Kova starts to nod. "Y-y-yes, I'm okay."

Gilla smiles. "Good, because I don't feel quite the same, so I'm going to need your help."

"Of course!" Kova says before rushing to her feet. She then gets to Gilla's side before wrapping Gilla's free arm around her neck to help her move out of the room.

---

BACK IN THE HALL:

Haket's men are being cut down one by one. The only reason they haven't completely lost yet is purely because of their armour literally saving their skin. Haket however, decides that this isn't where he wants his final moments to be, so he takes two guards with him as he makes his way to the door behind him to leave.

"Fight til your last breaths! The North shall reward your sacrifices!" Haket calls out to his men, trying to give them inspiration as he's literally abandoning them.

Meanwhile, during all of this, Oliver has had a sword to his throat during the entire fight. The guard that's taken him hostage sees that Haket is leaving and that his friends are losing the fight.

Oliver decides that now is his opportunity to escape from the man's grasp, so he says, "You really want to keep fighting for him? He's just abandoned you all like sick dogs on the street."

"Be quiet!" The guard firmly scolds.

"Listen to me. Haket doesn't care about anyone other than himself, even you have to see that now. If you were to drop the sword and run right now, no one would blame you. I certainly wouldn't anyway. Come on, just take the opportunity and go. They're all distracted right now, there's no better time for you to slip away unnoticed."

"Shut up." The guard says, but Oliver's words definitely resonate within him.

Oliver knows that the guard is on the verge of abandoning Haket, he just needs one more small push. "Think about this: If Haket really cared for all of you, he would be here fighting, right? But tell me, did you see him actually use his sword?"

The guard brain finally clicks. He had watched the entire thing go down, and every time he had looked at Haket, he never used his sword. He actually remembers that he never once saw Haket's sword raised above his waist.

Eventually, the soldier says, "Screw that old bastard. My cousin can get me a job at the docks." The soldier then moves his sword away from Oliver's throat and takes off, barely escaping through the far door beside the fighting.

Oliver takes a knee for a moment, putting one of his hands over the small cut on his throat. Luckily for Oliver, it's not big enough to warrant concern at the moment, the only thing he's concerned about right now is Gilla.

Oliver rushes forward to the closest sword left on the floor by one of Haket's dead men. Oliver arms himself, but before he chases after Haket, he sees Lani begin to stir.

"Hey fairy, are you okay? That was quite the fall for someone your size."

Lani grimaces as she holds her arm whilst getting up. As she gets to her feet, Lani turns to the left and sees Oliver kneeling down next to her. Lani is rightfully worried about Oliver kneeling down next to her with a sword in his hand, but she recalls back to when Oliver saw her. He could have easily ratted Lani out to Haket and his men, but he didn't, so Lani doesn't choose to immediately flee.

"Uhh, yes, I'm okay. I think I might've bruised a wing though." Lani answers. She then casts her healing spell on herself before saying, "There. All tip-top and brand new."

Oliver chuckles. "Glad to hear. You may want to join your friends. I think the one who tried to help you is starting to wake up."

Lani looks over at Terra and sees that she's starting to move. She then turns back to Oliver. "Thanks you... for not attacking me, I mean."

"Don't thank me. I was the one who started all this to begin with. Hells, pretty sure I deserve to get both hands cut off at the very least." Oliver then stands up and starts making his way towards the door.

"What are you going to do?" Lani asks.

"Something... idiotic." Oliver replies before walking through the door.

---

BACK IN THE HALLWAY:

Kova is helping Gilla through the hallways as quick as she can, trying to get both of them back to the fight. Well, to mostly get Gilla back into the fight.

Gilla grunts as she holds her wound, keeping the loss of blood as minimal as possible, hoping that they can get to the main hall as soon as possible since the pillow case bandage isn't holding up too well.

The two get to the last stretch before the door to the main hall, but they stop in their tracks as they're met with two of Haket's guards followed by the old man himself.

"Ahh, so this is where you ran off to? You don't seem to be in good shape, girl." Haket remarks with a grin from his wrinkled lips.

"I'm still well enough to cut your head off, you shit speckle." Gilla retorts.

"Oh, I am so terrified. I mean really, you are a shining example of the strength of Nillork. It's just unfortunate that I will have to cut down that said strength." Haket then puts his hand on the shoulder of the guard to his left. "Make sure she doesn't make it to that hall."

The guard nods before he and the guard to Haket's right move forward.

"Kova, stand back." Gilla says as she removes her arm from around the back of Kova's neck.

Kova takes a few steps behind Gilla. Her breaths become more shuddered as she knows that Gilla won't be able to take on both men in her current state.

Gilla brings her sword up, deciding to not go on the attack as that would certainly lead to her swift ****, so defence and countering will be her tactic for this fight.

The guards move forward, and because of Gilla's weakened state, they foolishly think that they've already won, so they decide to only attack one at a time.

The first guard swings, and Gilla parries it, causing a sharp pain in her side. The second guard follows up with his attack, but Gilla knocks it away. Gilla's exertion causing her wound to bleed more. The makeshift bandage has become almost useless at this point now, but she can't do much about it.

The guards throw a few more lazy attacks, just playing with their prey as Gilla is being pushed back, but she still does her best to protect Kova.

As Gilla puts her hand on her wound, the first guard stops his friend before saying, "I've got her. Watch this."

The first guard then steps forward, twirling his sword in a flashy way before feigning an attack. He does this a few more times, trying to trick Gilla, but the leader of Nillork isn't falling for it.

"Just finish her off!" Haket calls out.

The guard then looks back, nodding to his master before turning back to Gilla. His face then scrunches into a serious expression before readying himself to rush forward.

Gilla internally smiles at this as she sees the man put his left foot forward, signalling that he's ready to run toward her. Gilla thinks back to her training with her father which always specified patience above all else. Those lessons meant that she had extensively trained against charging opponents, and learning to read their movements leading up to the charge itself.

The guard then lunges forward, presuming that he's going to land the killing blow, but he forgot one thing: Gilla is a Geminae.

Gilla quickly uses her magic, focusing on the man's sword, causing it to rise up. The guard is obviously shocked, unable to bring his sword back down on his own.

Unfortunately for the guard, he's too far forward, and Gilla takes advantage.

Gilla's sword is thrusted through the soldiers chest, using the soldier's own momentum to drive the sword even further. Gilla twists the blade a little before bringing her sword back, causing the first guard to drop to the ground, deader than disco.

The second guard is stunned, the sight of his friend being impaled with steel is jarring. As he sees his friend fall, he can't help but regret underestimating the wounded Gilla, but he won't be making that mistake again.

The man then moves forward, bringing down a wild, heavy swing that Gilla just barely manages to swipe away.

The guard swings again, forcing Gilla to try and swipe at it again. Eventually, the guard's swings puck up speed, and with Gilla's weakening grip, it's only a matter of time before she can't block it any more, and Kova knows it.

Kova watches on, panicking as Gilla's face is a mixture of agony and fatigue, showing she's struggling to hold on. Kova then looks down at the dropped sword from the other guard, and wants to pick it up. She wishes she had the strength to wield the weapon and strike down the man currently trying to cut Gilla in half.

Kova's hands quake, every fibre of her being screams at her to pick up the sword and save Gilla, but she can't bring herself to grab it. She looks at Gilla, seeing her hands quaking as the pain and fatigue combined with the repeated attacks. Kova then looks back to the man, seeing he's getting ready to swing again, and that feeling of needing to do something is intensified tenfold.

The soldier brings his sword up, seemingly ready to strike the blow to break Gilla's guard. The sword reaches the height of its arc, but just as the guard goes to swing the sword down, he's stopped by a weight on his arm.

The soldier looks down, seeing that Kova has latched onto his arm with a python grip. The guard shakes his arm, trying to get Kova off, but her grip doesn't slip an inch. The guard keeps trying to free his sword arm from Kova's grasp, but nothing is working. Eventually, the guard decides to use his free arm to pry Kova off before pushing her to the ground.

"Wait your turn, girlie. Your neck is ne-AGH!"

Kova's eyes go wide as she sees Gilla's sword plunge through the soldier's neck. Gilla soon removes her sword from the neck of her attack, and the guard drops to the floor soon after.

Gilla then looks down at Kova. "You... saved me. Thank you." Gilla then extends her arm, "Are you okay?"

"I am." Kova replies as she takes Gilla's hand to begin to help herself up.

Just then, Gilla is bashed from behind, accidentally knocking Kova into the wall and dazes the Tarron sister.

Meanwhile, Gilla's sword has fallen from her hand as she lands on the floor. An immediate groan of agony is heard as she grasps at her wound, which she just landed on.

"You vile, silver spoon whore!" Haket says as he walks over to Gilla, kicking her in the side. "Did you really think you were going to survive this?! Did you really delude yourself in believing that you were going to just trample over my men, like your elders did to the North?! No! This is not how this story ends!"

Gilla then turns around, which allows Haket to press his boot onto her wound. Gilla lets out a scream, trying her best to get Haket's foot off of her.

Haket chuckles as he looks down, seeing Gilla struggling under his boot. "How does it feel to be the ant underneath the boot for once? All of that strength, bravado and bravery fleeting away as quick as a gust of wind. It's almost sad to see such power turn into mewling weakness in just an hour. I'd say it's impressive, but I knew fine well what the outcome would be. You know, it's just a shame that your brother couldn't fully be on my side, but he outlived his usefulness. However, I just wished I could've seen him strike you down, just to see his face when he realizes that he did it all for nout, and that I would was the one playing the role of puppeteer."

Haket then raises his sword up. "Be sure to give him my regards on the other side. I'm sure that you'll both be meeting your ancestors very soon."

Haket goes to bring his sword down, but his arm doesn't move. Haket is shocked, unsure of what's happening to his body. He looks down at Gilla to see if she's using her magic, but her gem isn't glowing. Haket then looks over at Kova, but the elf is obviously still out from bashing against the wall.

Haket begins to panic as he keeps trying to move his hand, he even uses his free hand to move the sword, but it doesn't budge an inch.

"What in the hells is happening?!" Haket says out loud, hoping for an answer to eventually reveal itself.

Haket wouldn't have to wait long for said answer however, as he hears a voice from behind say, "It's a Markana Family trait. Our family just so happens to specialize in gravity magic."

Haket recognizes that voice, and he isn't the only one as Gilla's eyes also open in shock. Haket's arm then begins to move on its own, moving down to the ground slowly. Haket keeps trying to wrestle back control of his arm, but it still doesn't work as the tip of his sword touches the floor below.

A couple of footsteps are heard getting closer to Haket, but the old man doesn't turn his head as he already knows who the person is. The voice then speaks once again. "You know, I always found something to be off with you. I couldn't pinpoint what it was though, so I chalked it up to mere ambition to see me succeed and pushed it aside. I guess it's always true when people say to listen to your gut, because mine hated you from the very beginning."

The voice then gets closer to Haket, now standing just behind him. "I may have not been the best of learners, but my father always told me one thing. When it comes to leeches, you must always cut them off before they suck you dry."

The voice then walks over to Haket's sword arm before prying his fingers open. The voice then takes the sword from Haket.

"Consider this your formal resignation as my adviser."

With those final words, the voice stabs Haket through the chest with his own sword. The voice holds the sword in place for a few seconds before removing it. Haket then grasps at the new hole in his sternum, spluttering blood as he begins to fade. His legs then start to give way, and he falls to the side, gasping for air as the final few moments of his life come to a close. His struggling breaths then stop as the life from his eyes finally fade.

Down on the floor, Gilla looks over to the now dead Haket, relieved that the old bastard is finally dead. She then looks up at the familiar voice, and immediately sees that familiar face.

Gilla's saviour then leans down, offering his hand to help her up. "I'm sorry I took so long."

Gilla then takes the man's hand before saying, "It's alright. You're home now, Ollie."

The siblings then hug, embracing each other for the first time in years. The hug is short unfortunately as Gilla seethes, causing Oliver to pull back. "They did a number on you. We need to get you to a healer immediately."

"Don't worry about me. Can you help Kova?"

Oliver nods before dropping the sword and heading over to Kova. He then carefully helps the Tarron sister up as he says, "Are you okay, miss Kova?"

Kova grunts in pain. "I think? My head really hurts though."

"Don't worry, we're going to get you both to a healer." Oliver says as he carefully helps Kova over to Gilla.

The siblings then wrap Kova's arms around their necks before slowly making their way toward the main hall.

---

A FEW HOURS LATER:

Everyone is finally relaxing after a hard fought few hours.

Some of the group are having a well-deserved drink. Others are having some snacks, or in Amilia's case, a cold turkey leg. The rest are either just resting or cleaning some stuff up.

A few guards come in and one says, "Madame Gilla. We have removed the last of the bodies. What shall we do with them?"

Gilla doesn't answer the guard. She instead looks to Oliver who immediately understands what she's doing. Oliver then says, "Most of the men were from the East. It would be best to take them back there. It would be cold-hearted to deprive their families of mourning them. I shall ride back their with you. The man we left in charge shall be able to help find the families to give their bodies to."

"Before you do that, please bring Hundr here. We all need a break for the day, so he will able to stop the soldier's from progressing in their **** cycle for the night." Gilla adds.

The guard that spoke then bows before he and the other guards leave the hall.

After the guards leave, Oliver turns to Gilla. "I appreciate you allowing me to make the choice, but I must ask: Why did you delegate to me?"

"Because I know you have what it takes to become a good leader." Gilla answers before continuing. "Plus, you have more knowledge of the East than I, and those men served under you for however long they did, so you were the best option to give a solution to that predicament."

Oliver thinks about Gilla's answer for a moment before smiling. The fact that she is giving him some any level of trust after he caused the entire events of today is unfathomable to him, but he is thankful for it.

Next to the siblings, Sydna is sitting next to both Virra and Terra, but one sister is noticeably missing. Sydna looks over and sees Kova is sitting by herself with a solemn expression on her face.

"You need to go talk to her." Virra comments.

"I know I should, and I want to, but... what would I even say? Sorry that you got taken hostage because of some crazy old, power hungry prick?" Sydna then lets out a long exhale. "I just feel like I failed her."

"You didn't fail her, you fool." Terra starts before quickly continuing. "You're trying to take blame from a situation of which you had no part in creating. All you have to do is head over there, and the words will come to you. She is your twin after all. Plus, Virra and I have already talked to her."

Just then, the trio see Kova heading to the door to the hall. As she leaves, Virra nudges Sydna and says, "Now's as good a time as any."

Sydna then nods before standing up. Gilla turns and asks, "Are you alright, cupcake?"

"I am. I'm just going to talk to Kova." Sydna responds.

"You may want to try the balcony overlooking the grassland. When I talked to her, she said that she found comfort in the peace and sights."

Sydna nods, knowing exactly which balcony Gilla is talking about. "Thank you." Sydna says before kissing her wife on top of her head before heading to the door.

---

ON THE TERRACE:

Kova is sitting on the balcony, looking out at the sea of calm green as the fresh air fills her lungs.

The trip has been one giant disaster for Kova. Coming to the Markana Estate in the first place was already a nightmare in Kova's mind, but today she has been threatened, injured and witnessed **** in front of her very eyes. Her mother spoke briefly of **** to Kova, letting her know that it was not a thing to take lightly, even for the worst of people.

She had witnessed **** before thought, but only in the form of an animal after being hunted at her mothers request during her brief training.

While her stay so far has been problematic, which is a drastic understatement, she's also had a revelation when it comes to Gilla.

Gilla is a good woman. No, she is a great woman. Gilla never backed down during the fight, never flinched for even a second, even with a wound in her side. The very same wound Gilla got by saving her.

Kova remembers the air being sucked out of the room when she saw the blade in Gilla's side, glistening with the fresh blood the steel had just tasted.

The fear within Kova was greater than anything she's ever felt before. It wasn't just because of Gilla being hurt though. The fear Kova felt in her gut was a mixture of that, and potentially being the reason that Sydna lost her wife.

Kova's mind then went to Sydna. The duo used to be thick as thieves. There wasn't a single day when the twins didn't spend time with one another. It almost feels like a lifetime ago to Kova. Now, the two can't be in a room without getting at each others throats. Why though? How did it get this far?

Just then, the door to the terrace opens up, and Sydna walks out.

Kova is immediately worried, wondering if Sydna is going to snap at her for getting Gilla hurt, or something else.

She would be proven wrong however, as Sydna simply asks, "Hey, are you okay?"

Kova's worry fades away as she realizes that Sydna isn't going to snap at her, she just wants to check on her sister.

"I'm okay... I think." Kova replies as Sydna takes a seat.

The sisters are quiet for a few moments as they look out upon the scenery.

Eventually, the silence gets a little awkward, and Sydna feels like she needs to say something. She wracks her brain, trying to think of anything to say, but Kova beats her to the punch as she asks, "Can I have a hug?"

Sydna is taken aback. Out of all the things that Kova could've asked, Sydna didn't expect that. Sydna quickly shakes the shock away before saying, "Of course."

Sydna opens her arms, and Kova moves in. As Kova feels Sydna's arms wrap around her, she sinks into her sisters' embrace, and tears begin to fall from her eyes.

Sydna starts hearing some sniffles coming from Kova and immediately realizes that she's crying. Sydna then begins to pat Kova on the head, trying to comfort the barely younger twin. Sydna wants to say something, but opts to just give Kova time to let it all out.

After about a minute or two, Sydna hears Kova mutter the words, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? You didn't do anything. It was all Haket and his ridiculous grudge for things that weren't even in our control." Sydna replies.

"Not for that." Kova says. "I'm sorry for everything I've said and done to you and Gilla."

Sydna is stunned once again. The entire day, she hadn't even thought about the hostility between them. In fact, Sydna had been so distracted with planning for Oliver's arrival, that it all had faded from her mind. In all honesty, it was actually quite peaceful when planning wasn't involved.

Sydna thinks for a few moments trying to find the perfect words to answer, but she opts to just go with what's in her heart.

"I can't lie, I have dreamed of hearing those words for so long. Every time we fought, I hated how far we drifted apart, and I always wondered why?" Sydna says, unable to keep any words in.

Kova is now the one who is quiet for a few moments, as the emotion of those words hit her like a fly in front of a freight train.

Kova thinks back to the very first time Sydna came back after visiting Nillork. It was a long few weeks without her sister by her side, but their Mother's demanding attitude took its toll on Sydna, so Kova understands why she had to leave.

At the time however? Kova was pissed. She felt like Sydna had left her behind after Kova has asked her to hold on just a bit longer because Kova couldn't leave due to her classes not finishing yet. For the time Kova spent alone, all she could feel was anger that Sydna had just abandoned her, leaving her to deal with their mothers anger even more.

Then, Sydna returned home. Everyone was joyous about Sydna coming back from her excursion, but Kova still felt anger toward her. That anger increased ten fold when Kova heard the news that Sydna had found a partner in the head of the Markana Family also known as Gilla.

Every negative feeling that had been festering within Kova just bubbled up, and she couldn't keep it in anymore. All of those feelings, combined with the precious memories of the twins as kids, talking about having a dual-wedding, being neighbours in fancy houses, and even retiring to a warm place with sunny beaches.

However, with Sydna leaving her essentially on the drop of a hat and then coming back after getting a girlfriend. It all just built up and eventually came out.

Kova recounts her thoughts to Sydna who feels more and more guilt with each passing sentence. Sydna often thought that Kova hated that she couldn't come with her, but didn't realize the anger ran further than that. She also didn't realize how their mother would act towards Kova after leaving her alone.

Eventually, Kova finishes remembering how her hatred began and her feelings before it. However, she continues on. "I became so infuriated that I deluded myself into thinking that Gilla was this monster who had stole you away from me. The only thing that made my anger worse was by the time that I came to my senses and realized that she made you happy, we had already fought countless times. I just felt like I had no other option, but to keep being who I had become. I just got used to doing it over the years, I guess I stopped thinking about how much I hated it."

Sydna can't speak. After all this time, she finally got the answer she always sought, and now she doesn't know how to respond. At first, Sydna assumed it was because Kova hated same sex relationships, but she remembered that Kova had befriended a gay man in her classes. Her thoughts then changed into the assumption of jealousy, but couldn't directly figure out why considering Kova had dated in the past.

However, the reason was more simple than either of those, and Sydna felt like a fool for not even thinking of it.

There's another bout of quiet as Kova gently pulls away from the hug. She examines her twins face, hoping for any sort of answer, even if it's a bad one.

Eventually, Sydna just looks at Kova as tears well up in her eyes. Kova immediately wants to comfort her, but doesn't get any sort of chance as Sydna wraps her arms around Kova and pulls her in for a deeper hug than before.

Kova, being confused as all hell, decides to just go along with the hug and puts her arms around Sydna.

After another minute of hugging, Sydna slowly pulls back from Kova, making sure to keep eye contact.

Kova then tries to speak, but she's quickly interrupted by Sydna. "Kova, no matter what, I would never leave you. I don't care if we've been fighting for a day, a week or even years, I will never abandon you. If there's any time that you need me, I will run through brimstone barefoot to help you. I want you to know that no matter what has happened in the past, I forgive you. Gilla has already warmed up to you a little, so I think her forgiveness isn't too far away."

Kova's eyes well up once again, every moment of love she wished she and Sydna had over the years seems to converge in this one moment. The two sisters then begin to cry with joy as they hug once again.

---

LATER THAT NIGHT:

Kyuala makes her way into her and John's room with a small jug of water before placing it down on the bedside table. She then sits on the bed before laying on her back, letting out a sigh of relief as she's finally off her feet.

As she lounges in the comfy bed, she hears the sound of running water in the bathroom. Kyuala quickly dismisses it as John simply washing his hands, so she doesn't think any more of it.

Two minutes later, the water is still running, and Kyuala is begins to wonder why John is taking so long. "Hey, beloved! Are you okay in there?"

Kyuala gets no response, and she begins to slightly worry. Kyuala then stands up, deciding that she'll quickly check on him to make sure he's alright.

Kyuala makes her way to the bathroom door before peeking her head in. Upon looking, she sees John is standing in front of the sink as the water runs from the tap. She can see from the way his hands are moving, that he's washing them, but John seems... off.

"Beloved, are you alright?" Kyuala asks.

John doesn't respond once again, and Kyuala is immediately more worried. "Beloved?" Kyuala then walks up to John, putting her hand on his shoulder before asking, "Are your ears full of wax? Or am I getting the silent treatment?"

Kyuala then looks down at his eyes, and see they're staring at his hands intently. She then looks down at his hands, and the stream from the hot water almost covers his hands, but Kyuala is able to see that he's furiously scrubbing away. She then looks a little closer at his hands and is shocked to see that they're almost red raw.

"John? What are you doing? Your hands are clean."

"No... not clean. I still feel it. I can still see it." John replies with a worrying tone, and Kyuala realizes something's incredibly wrong.

"John? You're scaring me. Just turn off the water."

"No! They're not clean!" John replies before increasing his scrubbing tempo.

Kyuala then quickly turns off the tap and grabs a nearby towel before wrapping it around John's hands. "That's enough! They're already clean!"

"No! I can still feel the blood!" John responds as he tries to get his hands free of the towel bind that Kyuala has wrapped them in.

Kyuala grabs John's hands, trying to keep him from getting out of the towel as she realizes what he just said. Kyuala than remembers what happened with John during the fight before the main hall skirmish. She distinctly remembers the look in his eyes like he was just about to throw up.

John then starts squirming more and more, trying to free himself from Kyuala's much larger hands.

Kyuala then decides to wrap her arms around his before picking him up and walking out of the bathroom with him. She soon gets to the bed and sits down with John still firmly trapped in her arms.

As John continues to squirm, Kyuala says, "Hey, hey, hey. I need you to calm down, okay? There's no blood on your hands, you washed it off earlier, remember?"

"It doesn't matter. I can still feel it." John replies, his voice strained as his efforts continue.

Kyuala eventually has enough of his escape attempt, so she tightens her grip. "John, I need you to breathe, alright? Just breathe. You're okay. You're safe now. There's no blood on your hands. It's all in your head."

Kyuala then begins to breathe in and out, setting the tempo for John. He starts to copy to breathing, but his inhales and exhales are shaky. The breaths become more controlled as he continues, until he eventually matches Kyuala perfectly.

As he starts to calm down, Kyuala says, "Good. Good. You're calming down. How are you feeling now?"

John doesn't respond, and that worries Kyuala once again. However, a few moments later, she begins to hear sniffles. Kyuala then leans her head forward, and sees tears are falling from John's eyes. "John?"

John's halted sobs then turns into a full on cry as the tears begin to flow. Kyuala immediately lets go of John's hand and pulls him up, resting his head on her chest.

"Hey, you're okay now. It's okay, just let it all out." Kyuala then kisses the top of John's head before stroking his hair.

"I'm sorry." John says through his sobs.

"Sorry for what? You haven't done anything wrong."

Kyuala doesn't get a response immediately, but after a few moments, John composes himself enough to say, "I'm sorry for not being strong enough."

Kyuala's heart breaks as she hears those words. She never expected John to be an amazing warrior, or even the strongest of fighters, but to see him breakdown like this? It physically hurt Kyuala to see and hear that.

Kyuala then brings her hand down to John's chin and tilts his head up towards her, looking him dead in the eye. "Listen to me. We don't need you to be the strongest, the quickest or even the best magic user. We just need you to be you. I need you to be you, because this world only has one you. You still need time to acclimate to this world and this lifestyle, but once you do, you'll never say that you aren't strong enough ever again. I also never have to worry about not being strong enough or fast enough or good at magic, because we're here to help you with all of that."

Kyuala then moves in closer to his face, her nose just barely touching his. "And I never want to hear you say that you aren't strong enough ever again, understood?"

John's lips flash a brief smile, and the sight makes Kyuala smile. She then quickly kisses him before saying, "Now, let's go to sleep, shall we?"

"Yeah. That sounds good." John responds.

The two then lie down in the bed, but Kyuala makes sure that John's keeps his head on her chest. The two then embrace one another under the warmth of the covers.

As they begin to drift off to sleep, John says, "Thank you."

Kyuala smiles. "You can thank me in the Everplane."

The two then quietly chuckle before quickly kissing once again and drifting off to sleep.