Aiden Syr Teodry's Story

The life of an artist is never an easy one. How he had even made it to Cre' Est still baffles him now. He cannot believe he put all of those skills to use in getting him out of that little town. Silently as he plays on a darkening street. High above, there goes a party...one of elegance...where he could never attend. At least not unless he could somehow gather the clothing to look the part. But somehow, he doubts that could ever happen.

So, Aiden sits in his rags, face dirtied by the lies and tricks he has played, his fingers dancing across the frets as the bow slowly flows across strings, showing the only beauty he feels he has left. His eyes close as tears begin to flow. What was he thinking coming here? Here he is still a lowlife. Here he is still scum. Not even his music can save him. And now he has very little to live for at all.

His arms begin to tremble as his stomach growls again, and in a sudden fit of rage, he throws the precious instrument down with a yell that echoes through the shadows of the streets. His breathing heavy, his golden amber eyes glowing brightly, dulled only by the flecks of emerald still dancing like the tears that flow from beneath to slip down his dirtied cheeks, he stares at the fallen cello. Finally, after a moment of standing there, trembling, he realizes the damage he could have caused his cherry wood beauty, immediately lifting the instrument back up to check. Luckily, he managed not to damage it this time.

With a sigh of relief, Aiden lifts his cello from the ground and begins to walk back to the little abandoned building he's been spending his nights in. This building still has no signs of life apart from the occasional stray cat or rat scurrying about. So he feels he can hide his beautiful cello here better than anywhere else. Some old furniture still sits inside, covered by sheets to keep dust from them, etc. So, as he has done many nights before, Aiden slips his cello beneath a sheet on the small sofa and then puts the cushions used for seating behind the couch, also beneath the sheet, to keep from raising too much suspicion. Without that extra height, the cello blends in well with the sofa. He gives another sigh of relief and steps again outside in hopes that he can find a place to fill his belly.

He makes his way down the shadowed street, looking up into the night. The higher buildings still have their lights on, and music drifts from above, making Aiden's heart ache to play for others again. And yet, he knows somehow that he could never get to that. Not without true help from his father...and yet he doesn't even know where his father lives or works. He doesn't even know the man's name.

Aiden chooses a smaller, more inconspicuous building to climb up, getting himself onto the roof before he begins another climb up. Once at a comfortable height, he begins to walk along the tops, looking out into the low city in hopes that he can find an inn or something that might take him in for help. Perhaps he might even get lucky enough to get a bath. He spots lights, seeing an open inn with people standing inside. But the air is not a comfortable one, so Aiden doesn't even think about sliding down and seeing about going inside. Instead, he crouches low against the roof and watches from above, his eyes no longer glowing quite as bright a gold as before.

What the young man doesn't know is not far from his crouched form are the forms of others that also watch from above. Completely oblivious, he watches everything unfold below, silently wondering to himself if it's even a good idea to stay up there. But his feet hold him, and his eyes stay fixated. So he stays...and he watches...knowing not of the troubles about to unfold around him.

Shadow watched as the young woman ran off, but chuckled to himself when she ran into the girl with red hair and was picked up by, oddly enough, the same man whom Sereinia had taken care of back at the inn. Shadow looked back to where Sereinia was and sure enough, there was Taira, smiling over at him and shrugging her shoulders. Shadow shook his head and smiled, knowing full well the kind of stubborn toughness that the man was displaying. When the young woman punched him in the face, Shadow laughed out loud a little bit. It wasn't overbearing or obnoxious in any way, in fact it was genuine and almost warm given the fact that he had shown his weapons to them earlier which surprised him a little bit.

However, his laughter faded as his eye caught sight of something very disturbing.

On the rooftop just to his left appeared a dark figure clad in dark grey armor with the red insignia of the Assassins of Te'i Sai on his chest. The armor was limited to his forearms, shins and upper chest, but that was typically all they needed. He knew from the outfit that they were part of the Vanguard Class of Assassins from Gweynura and that they were here for him which was not new but he hadn't seen them in some time. Then, all around him and the others on the rooftops and in the alleyways, more Assassins appeared until their numbers broke thirty in total. Shadow looked around slowly, turning in a circle as he watched them appear one by one as Shadow slid his right leg forward a bit to take a more active and defensive posture.

One of them, obviously the one in charge, walked right up to Shadow. He held no weapons and wore no armor, but was dressed in dark grey robes with the same red insignia on his chest and in the middle of his back as he approached. His expression was calm, but there was no hiding the slight hint of fear in his eyes and in his stride as he approached Shadow who's eyes were glowing yet brighter with every step he took.

"... Red-Eyed Demon..." He said quietly.

"What do you want here in Cre' Est?" Shadow asked.

"... Blood." Came a short answer as in a flash he had a hidden dagger exposed and lunging for Shadow.

Shadow turned his body to the side and easily avoided the attack as he grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it until it popped, and flipped him over his body and threw him hard into the ground. As Shadow stood up from the maneuver there were crossbows aimed at him which let fire. Shadow whirled around with blades extended and smashed each bolt fired at him away like nothing more than flies. Another flew at him from the rear and he spun around and split it down the middle as it flew at him, even cutting through the metal tip with his Orichalcum forged blades as he waited patiently for the next attack.

It came from all sides though, as innocent people from the streets had been gathered and thrown into the fray. Herded like sheep to create chaos in the pen as they unleashed the dogs within, the people ran about trying to find ways to escape this death trap. Some of the Assassins who were not guarding streets or rooftops to block escape ran in and started to attack. They didn't just attack Shadow though, they attacked everyone else in sight as well. While the majority of them focused on the Red-Eyed Demon, there were those who attacked Keito, Lee, Siren, Jude, Mayumi on the roofs and Taira in the street below.
Though they didn't fight to kill these other individuals, they did fight to cause damage.

Lee and Keito were knocked off their feet and pummeled on the ground for about fifteen seconds before they were then left alone in favor of the Assassins attacking Shadow instead. Taira held her own and protected Sereinia a short distance away as Mayumi dealt with her attackers on the rooftops. Siren and Jude were attacked as well, the two of them both receiving a small beating for about ten to fifteen seconds which undoubtedly felt like a lifetime before they too were then abandoned in favor of attacking Shadow.

Shadow himself had cut down a few of the other Assassin who'd come his way and as the crowd around him began to gather and grow there suddenly came a horrible and feral shriek from the center of the mass. The attacking Assassins all froze, as did everyone in earshot at the horrible and almost primeval cry that echoed forth into the night. Suddenly, there was a tremendous splash of blood that erupted forth from the center of the mass and a head flew one way while the arms and body flew another. The mass around Shadow began to back away and separate slightly as Shadow became visible once again. Both his daggers were held high, dripping from top to bottom in blood as his eyes were now wide open. Pure white eyes with red spheres in the center. There weren't any pupils to be seen, just two glowing, blank red spheres within the whites of his eyes as he smiled wickedly at his attackers.

Shadow came forward very quickly, faster than he had ever been seen to move before and horizontally slashed the belly of the nearest Assassin open with his left dagger while almost simultaneously slashing it open vertically with his right dagger. The effect opened up his stomach and the innards of the man fell before him into the cobblestone streets as he looked down to see his own entrails. Shadow lowered his stance and looked up into the startled Assassins eyes as he suddenly smiled once more and slashed his throat. Blood slowly trickled from a wound that encircled his entire neck before his head fell off ever so slowly. Shadow's head mirrored the effect as he leaned his head in the same direction as he watched it fall.

Shadow looked up and stood up straight, very, very slowly. He smiled at the crowd of innocent people and at the Assassins and other onlookers as he slowly lowered his stance and prepared to attack once more. Pandemonium ensued with Assassin and innocent alike running in all directions to escape the fury which had just been unleashed as Shadow instantly dove into the fray.

Taira shoved Sereinia into a nearby building and shut the door as quickly as she could, getting Sereinia out of Shadow's line of sight so that she would not become a target as she withdrew her own daggers and prepared to fight her master if need be.

Shadow was now on a full out killing spree. An old man ran by his left side and Shadow slashed the tendons in the back of his right leg to cripple him. Brought to his knees, the man begged the unreachable Red-Eyed Demon for his life but Shadow simply smiled at him and slashed his throat. A child ran by Shadow's right side, and Shadow knocked the boy to the ground and stomped on his neck, snapping it almost instantly as he slowly wrenched his foot from right to left on the boy's neck. A woman and her husband tried to escape by running behind him but Shadow kicked them both down at the same time and slashed their throats such that the other's blood spilled across their lover's faces. The last image they saw was of the love of their lives dripping with their blood before they fell into death's embrace.

Shadow's next target was Keito, the youth whom Shadow had known was there for a reason but never found out before the chaos ensued. Not that it mattered to him in his present state of course. Shadow ran forward and knocked the boy to the ground, stomping on his chest for all his worth and sending a crack through his breastbone from top to bottom. Though it didn't crack all the way through the bone, it would none the less be a very painful injury for several days until the bone repaired itself. Shadow picked him up and threw him against a nearby building wall and unleashed a volley of attacks again the boy even well after he was knocked unconscious by Shadow's attacks. Using the butt end of the handles as his weapons, he beat the poor boy senseless and let his body fall slowly to the ground.

Shadow whirled around and his eyes landed on Taira, who was standing in the middle of the street with her daggers drawn and her stance proving she was ready to fight.

Shadow's smile widened and his teeth now bared as he ran at Taira full speed. She had dealt with this once before in the past, but it was a near death experience for her then and she fully expected it to be so now too as Shadow ran at her. She apologized to her master mentally before she twitched to her right and threw a kick at Shadow as he aimed to slash her throat. The kick landed on the side of his stomach and slipped off to the side, knocking him off balance just enough so that his blade missed its target, but Shadow was able to recover very quickly as he stopped and turned to face her again. Master and student squared off as they began to fight, blades clanging together and sweat and blood mixing in the night air around them as they continued their struggle.

Amazingly, Taira's training during the last several years had improved to the point where she was able to hold her own against him. While he got the better of her in most of their engagements, Taira was able to recover and continue the fight for over three minutes before she finally hit the ground and could not get back up. She breathed hard, gasping for breath as she tried to reach for one of her daggers but Shadow stomped on her hand, causing her to cry out in pain as he lowered his body to look her in the eyes. His smile was otherworldly as he tilted his head to the side almost as if to taunt her with "is that all you've got?".

Shadow stood up and stepped off of her hand, but rather than continue reaching for the dagger she withdrew her hand and brought it to her chest. Cringing in pain and fright, Taira slowly looked up at her master as he raised the dagger in his right hand and prepared to bring it down right through the top of her head as a new figure appeared in the streets just behind him and a new and angelic voice rang out into the night.

The voice was as close to that of a goddess as one could get, with the woman singing the words walking out of the darkness and gazing calmly at Shadow with a gentle smile on her face. Had she a pair of wings, one could indeed swear that they had seen an angel rise from the depths and darkness of Hell and ascend to Heaven before their very eyes as she sang her melancholy song. When listening to the lyrics, it was very easy to tell they were designed to subconsciously grab and keep Shadow's attention.

Whisper to the darkness, eyes of red upon me...
In this hour of evil, peering through the night...
Blackened clouds now churning, eyes of red upon me...
Eyes of red upon me, eyes of red upon me...

(Song's tempo increases on the first three syllables and slows on the latter three)

Aching hearts do witness, suffering through the night...
Brought to bear before me, the scars and pain within...
In this hour of evil, a truth will be revealed...
Aching hearts do witness, the Shadow of my heart...

(Change in style with a higher pitch, volume and intensity of the notes with a brighter and almost happy melody. The final line sees a constant decline in tempo until the final words slowly fade in volume to nothing at the end)

Crimson orbs now floating, eyes of red upon me...
Come to me my dearest, I'll take your hand in mine...
Crimson orbs do focus, eyes of red upon me...
Come to me my dearest, I'll take your hand in mine...

As she sang the song the Demon's attention was completely focused on her. He had approached her with blades drawn, but she had shown absolutely no fear or apprehension with her approach. As her melody continued towards the end, Shadow's eyes slowly returned to normal as the strange, Demonic presence within him slowly faded to nothing and his body relaxed at last.

This new arrival reached out to him with her right hand, that same gentle smile on her face and Shadow took her hand in his after sheathing his daggers. He looked out behind him, grimacing at what he had done as he closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fist. Roda I'l Lousta had indeed taken hold, and despite his best efforts during the battle he had not been able to avoid the attack which started it all.

Looking back it was almost surreal.

When the gathering crowd of Assassin had attacked him Shadow saw a particular attack coming in but did nothing to stop it. Though he could easily have brought it to a stop, for some reason his body did not react to what his mind was telling it and the knife edge which came at him had given him a cut across the upper chest through his shirt. That one cut was all it took to mix the scent of his own blood with that of those who were around him and after that point, Roda I'l Lousta became inevitable. Looking around, though the carnage was miniscule compared to what it had been in the past it was still no easier to bear. Shadow looked at the new mystery girl with pain in his eyes as she slowly placed her hand on his face and smiled at him.

"You must be exhausted..." She said quietly as she retracted her hand.

Shadow shook his head and looked at the carnage he had wrought with the streets now painted red with the blood of his victims as he let out a sigh.

"No... Not exhausted..." He said quietly as he looked at Taira, who was now lying on her back holding her hand with her eyes closed and a small smile on her lips.

Shadow walked over to her and helped her to her feet as the new girl trailed closely behind. Taira nodded to the new girl, and received a nod in return. Shadow looked around, glancing at the faces of those who were still conscious and looking at them with pain and sadness in his eyes. He would have apologized, but there was nothing to be said now. Instead, Shadow simply asked Taira to fetch Sereinia while he looked up to the rooftops where Mayumi stood and signaled her to come down.

The figures slowly appearing from the shadows make his eyes glow that brilliant gold once more, this time more out of fear than sorrow, as he realizes the black armor and flashes of that red insignia. Had Aiden any time to think, he would have run for it. But by the time he hears the sounds of blades clashing and grunts to the roof on his right, it's too late.

His long hair is grabbed by a strong fist, and he is pulled off his feet to land headfirst on the back side of the roof. A single Te'i Sai could have easily killed Aiden, but he has been blessed with three, who now smile down on him with malevolent smiles, muscled bulging beneath the armor, as if anticipating the beating they're about to give. What Aiden wouldn't give at this point just to be back with his cello. Damn his stomach. His eyes glow brighter now, even the emerald flecks hidden beneath the glowing golden amber.

This seems to make the assassins smile more. They watch him briefly as he sits there, frozen in place. And then, without a sound, their feet come crashing down on his body, their blades to his skin. A slam into the abdomen, a few kicks in the ribs, leaving him breathless with at least five broken rib bones. A blade slashes his arm, another slicing down the side of his neck, careful not to slice the jugular. All of it is precise; all of it is damaging. Yet he makes no sound. At least not until they do the worst thing anyone could do to a musician. They crush his left hand, breaking three fingers as well as the wrist.

Aiden screams, his cry echoing with the many screams ensuing along the streets. His pain is more than physical, and as tears fall down his cheeks, he screams his apology to his mother for fear that he cannot play ever again. More and more, they stomp on that hand, reveling in his screams, before one of them finally stops them and kicks him in the head with a laugh, knocking him out into the wondrous darkness, his body limp.

His ears still hear, though, the screams of below as more souls are released into the Heavens. And then...he suddenly hears a voice...one that reminds him of love, the one thing he longs for most of all. Tears fall from his eyes as his shattered hand rises to his chest to be covered with his, more or less, unbroken hand. He knows that voice is not for him, but for some reason, Aiden can't help but be drawn to it. Love calls to him, and he cries for it. He dreams of it...and the moment the song stops, he starts humming the tunes he plays so often...the music he may never again be able to play...

Aiden's secrets are lost for the time being. And as he falls back into unconsciousness, he wonders if his world will ever be the same...but when the blackness takes over, he is able to dream of music...for one last time...

The moment the assassins came into sight, Mayumi jumped back a few feet from them, taking out her metal bow and Orichalcum arrows in the process. The metal bow was given by her previous master while the arrows were given by Shadow. Both worked pretty well together for some reason.

She shot down a few assassins before they could get to her and threw combos of punches and kicks at the others that got within close combat range, sending blows after blows leaving no openings for them to attack only stopping when they were dead.

Taking two Orichalcum arrows out of her quiver, she held one in each hand and closed her eyes clearing her mind of thoughts, letting her senses connect with her surroundings. With her eyes still closed, she rushed at the group of assassins, weaving through them gracefully and agilely as if she were dancing. As she passed, she used the arrows as an extension of her hand and pierced the assassins' vital organs with trained preciseness giving her receivers an instant death. Through the rooftop made of clay shingles, she could feel droplets of blood landing close behind her feet as she moved forward with not a single drop landing on her. Within seconds, the group of assassins were finished off.

Only trained eyes would have been able to see her at that speed, while to any normal eye she would have just been a blurred silhouette.

A cry nearby made Mayumi's eyes snap open. The cry was filled with emotions she weren't sure of but instincts told her they were not good ones. A few rooftops over to the west, Mayumi spotted a guy with long red hair being attacked by three assassins. He was then kicked away, the assassins seemingly done with their torture and was now finding their next target.

Just then, Sora appeared with the arrows she had shot earlier in its sharp hooked bill. Within half a second, Mayumi took the arrows from Sora, loading three of them and aimed them at the three assassins killing them with one blow.

Mayumi leapt over to the rooftop where the unconscious red haired guy had landed and carefully lifted him onto her back. She was about to bring him back to the inn when all of a sudden, a blood-curdling shriek was heard and with it came the dark aura from her vision. Mayumi snapped her head in the direction the aura was coming from and found her previous suspicions... to be true.

A large mass of blood splattered the ground where Shadow stood. His eyes glowed like red spears in the dark, the corners of his mouth lifted in a weird way and the aura radiating off him was filled with menace and blood lust.

'Innocents will be dying tonight.' Was all the young archer could think of right then.

Mayumi dashed to the inn with the red haired teen on her back. Leaving him on the bed and ensuring his safety by setting traps around the area before returning to the scene that would indefinitely unfold to be a bloodied one.

While on her way back, she heard an unfamiliar voice singing with lyrics that reminded her of Shadow. Listening to the voice alone seemed to calm her senses. Mayumi quickened her pace curious to see who it might be.

By the time she reached, Mayumi wasn’t surprised to see the streets bloodied with little to no places that were without a splatter of the vital liquid. Shadow had returned to his normal state and was helping Taira up from where she had been lying. She could only come to the conclusion that Shadow must have attacked her while in ‘that’ state. It was then that Mayumi noticed the lady following closely behind him.

‘Is she the one who sung?’

Upon Shadow’s signal to her, Mayumi approached him cautiously, the scene from before constantly replaying in her mind along with the stench of blood filling her lungs. Mayumi glanced at the victims of her present master. The open throat of the old man, the crushed neck of the little innocent boy, followed by the man and woman who were stained with each other’s blood.

Directing her line of sight back to her present master, she did not know what to say. She had failed to protect her deceased master's innocent people yet again.

"I apologise master. I should have told you about my vision but I didn't. I should have known better than to keep quiet about it.” She told him in a monotone with her head bowed.

‘If I had told him about the vision this might not have happened. Today many innocents were killed because of my one mistake.’ Mayumi reprimanded herself silently.

The young girl suddenly felt exhausted, her energy drained from training and the weeks she had been unable to sleep because of the visions.

‘Master, I’m sorry. I’ve failed you.’

Pain. Music. A weightless flight. Such blurred visions left from the cusp of unconsciousness. He barely sees anything. Blood spatters every inch. Red eyes glow, gaining the responding golden glow from half-risen lids. Fear mixes with pain. That weightless pain as his feet drag. Every movement sends a wave of agony up his arm, reminding him of the terrible thing done to him just so they could hear him scream.

He can't scream now. Instead, he only groans, tears falling from closed eyes. And then he slips back into music-filled dreams. In and out of unconsciousness. He wakes. He slips away again. Pain. Blood. Sorrow. Music...

Aiden's eyes open to see the dim lights twinkle above him. He lies on his back, his hand placed back on his chest, numb from the pain that had wrapped itself around him. Tears flow once more, his eyes glowing as he gives a heart-wrenching wail of surprise and agony. Blood flows from his neck, his arm crusted over where he was slashed. Anger rises in his throat, his good hand clenching into a fist as he sits up with much effort. Looking around the room, he finally realizes where he is, wondering just how he managed to get there. Traps line the floor, and suddenly, Aiden is sure he would find more should he move anywhere.

Caged. He feels caged. He gives another cry, one more filled with anger than pain, as he stands, eyes glowing even brighter, golden like the heart of a dying star. His small body trembles with that anger and pain. He feels hollow and hurt and confused. And...light headed. His neck gushes another small amount of crimson nectar as he falls back onto the bed, clenching his teeth to keep from letting go of a scream. All the while, that precious hand is tucked tight against his chest, his other hand blanketed over, bicep twitching, re-opening the wound on his arm.

The dazed, confused gaze of the lost young man flicks to the figures outside. Wanting answers, Aiden ponders over attempting to run the course of traps set around him. But with the loss of blood and the pain overwhelming his senses, he knows better than try. So, instead, he closes his eyes, allowing a few more tears to fall, before falling back onto the bed and slipping once more into unconsciousness. And for the next few hours, he will do this...fading in and out of his dream state in hopes that he can get back to his beloved cello...hoping depserately that this was all just some terrible nightmare...only to find out over and over again that it wasn't. Like a senseless child, Aiden is lost...at least for the time being.

Mayumi still insisted it was her fault but nodded to Shadow's command and took off to the rooftops without a word. It wasn't long before Sora spotted a few assassins in hiding, but seconds later were nothing but heaps of ashes . While scouting, she also helped in returning Cre' Est to its original state, cleaning up the blood that stained the streets with a chemical she had created. Broken things were fixed while others that were beyond repair were disposed off and replaced.

Once Mayumi was sure the area was back to its original state and cleared of assassins, she decided to head back to the inn, but a sudden piercing pain in her side caused her to stop abruptly. The young girl clutched her side wondering what the problem was only to feel sticky liquid gushing out of a wound she didn't realise she had. She had been too focused on killing assassins and getting the place back to its original state that she didn't feel the pain until it was in a serious state.

'Can't afford to delay others just because of a wound.' Mayumi told herself, being one that never really cared for herself.

The teen forced herself to continue ignoring the pain.

Upon reaching the inn, Mayumi slipped through the traps she made leaping through the window and landing in the room inaudibly to avoid startling the guy. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.

Mayumi went into the bathroom, once again getting the basin and a clean towel. After doing so, she approached the guy slowly, thinking he might mistake her as one if the assassins of Te'i Sai and lash out at her in self defense. Once by the bed, she did what she had done earlier on, cleaning his wounds and carefully avoiding the hand he cradled.

Pain, but not agony. A sense of calm. Gentleness. Cool water and cloth flowing over broken flesh. He winces in his sleep, pulling his arms closer against his frail body. Afraid. Unsure. Tired. Hurt.

Aiden's eyes snap open, glowing richly with the color of a dying star, looking over at the face of the young beauty who cleans his wounds. His body tenses, then relaxes as he gazes at her in wonder. Silver hair...round eyes sparkling mysteriously...to him, she is the most beautiful thing he's seen in a long time. Then again, perhaps that is his numbed mind talking.

He stares at her, unblinkingly, as she washes his arm, then his neck. When the cloth runs over the slash on his throat, he winces and sits up, clutching his shattered hand. "P-please...don't touch it." A tear falls from a glowing eyes as lids slowly lower to a close. His hair is matted with crusted blood, which blends well with the auburn locks. The wound on his throat once more opens, and a fresh stream begins to flow, even after hours of setting. "It...hurts too much."

He pulls his knees to his chest, caging his hand so that it can't be harmed, even as his fingers throb in agony. But her face...

His eyes open again, and he looks over at her curiously. "What...what is your name?" His voice is tentative, his eyes glowing a little less now, revealing the emerald flecks behind the glowing amber. He manages a gentle smile, speaking again in that melodic tenor voice that could sing angels from the sky, "I'm Aiden..."

His eyes gaze at her gently, taking all of her in, every inch, when he realizes that her side is bleeding. Uncurling himself, he reaches to her with his unbroken hand. "Y-your hurt..." This is said in a whisper as he opens the slashed fabric to reveal the wound beneath. "Perhaps it is I who should be tending to you?" So bold this night. One might wonder where he got that all of a sudden...then again, being beaten half to death does tend to open the eyes somewhat.

Eyes snapped open to reveal glowing orbs of mixed colours. They land on her seemingly observing her features before she brushes the cloth over a slash. The long haired boy sits up abruptly, clutching his broken hand to himself as a droplet of water fell from his eye that reflected pain as they shut tightly.

Mayumi’s impression of him was a weird one. She had never seen anyone behaving like this before.

"What...what is your name?" His voice is tentative, his eyes glowing a little less now, revealing the emerald flecks behind the glowing amber. He manages a gentle smile, speaking again in that melodic tenor voice that could sing angels from the sky, "I'm Aiden..."

“You need not know my name.” Mayumi told him calmly. She refused to give him her name for her existence wasn’t to be known to the world. Her master who was no longer in this world had told her that her presence would bring nothing but trouble among the innocents, thus she was to live a non-existent life and stay away from them once her mission was done.

“Don’t get attached to anyone Mayumi. Both parties will only be hurt in the end.” The voice of her master echoed in her head.

"Y-your hurt..." This is said in a whisper as he opens the slashed fabric to reveal the wound beneath. "Perhaps it is I who should be tending to you?"

Mayumi flinched from Aiden’s touch and stared at him, her eyes questioning his actions with suspicion. Nobody except Shadow and her previous master had made contact with her and they had been mostly during training.

“I’m fine.” Mayumi lied.

‘I doubt Sereinia will be able to attend to him any time soon.’ Mayumi thought back to the streets filled with injured people and Sereinia rushing off to tend to them.

She left the bed side and disappeared into the bathroom with the basin and towel in hand, returning a few seconds later with a long piece of thin cloth for his hand.

“I need to realign your wrist to its original place. If you don’t it will start healing in that shape.” Mayumi told him bluntly, her face void of emotions.

She took his hand in hers gently, not waiting for his answer. With a quick painful jerk, the bones were set back in their places and the young girl got to work, wrapping his hand neatly with the cloth making sure it would support the bones and secure them in place.

By the time she was done, it was around midnight according to the moon that had appeared in the skies above them. Looking out the window she felt the caress of a gentle breeze as she stared up at the full moon, letting it calm her as memories of nights under the same full moon with her previous master flooded her mind. Without knowing it, her mind started to shut down, her energy depleted causing Mayumi to lose her balance and fall to the floor of the inn in a semi-conscious state.

He stares at the girl, confused. What's wrong with the simple sharing of a name? It's not like he's giving her his entire life's story. "It's only a name, girl," he says lightly, eyes watching as his brows furrow, "You act as though I am asking for your entire life's story. I am Aiden. Simple. You still do not know who I am." When she doesn't answer, he gives a sigh, taking a look at the cut.

Her lie is almost believable. But anyone can figure out that a wound like that would make sure the person with it is not fine. He grumbles. "Bandage yourself up, girl. I mean, really. It's not that hard to figure out that you need attention yourself." Quickly has his tentative tenor voice taken that of a stern man, as if he cares for her. Perhaps he does. Musicians are known to care easily. And she has been helping him so far, so why not care?

She stands a leaves, taking a few moments before returning with a long piece of cloth and speaking the words Aiden really didn't want to hear.

"I need to realign your wrist into its original place. If you don't, it will start healing in that shape." She is blunt and monotone about it, making him wince and hold his shattered hand closer to his chest.

"N-no, it's fine!" But does he really have a say so? Of course not. She takes it from his chest, which wouldn't take much effort as any jostle sends pain up his arm, and snaps the wrist back into place. The bones in his fingers just seem to follow. He gives a scream of pain, the only scream he will give for the rest of the night, as he has no more left in his lungs. It is quickly wrapped up, and once more, Aiden pulls it back to his chest. "Dammit," he mutters to himself, "I'm never going to play again..." Looking away, he allows a few tears to flow, hoping, praying, that his beloved mother isn't watching.

Then he hears a thud, his head snapping back to the girl, who now lies on the floor. His brow furrows as he jumps from the bed and kneels before her, placing his good hand on her forehead. "See?" he grumbles at her, "That's what you get for not taking care of yourself." Careful not to jostle his broken hand too much, Aiden lifts the girl into his arms and lays her down on the bed before making his way where she had gone, finding the bathroom in mere moments. Dumping the dirty water out of the basin and filling it with clean water, Aiden grabs a clean cloth as well as something to wrap around the wound.

Making his way back, Aiden crouches beside the bed, dipping the clean cloth into the water and pulling back the fabric of her mini kimono gently. Slowly, with the steadiness of an artist, he begins to stroke the slash on her side, cleaning all of the excess blood from it before grabbing the cloth to wrap around her. "I am sorry, girl, but you need a bandage. I will have to wrap it around you." Hoping no one will take what he's about to do as his being a pervert, Aiden unties the mini kimono and opens the front, blushing when he sees the scars across her bare chest. His eyes look at her waist where the wound is, and slowly, he begins to wrap it, lifting her up every time he needs to get the bandage under her. And with a broken hand, this is a painstakingly slow process. But he gets it done.

Once she is bandaged, Aiden closes the kimono and ties it back as well as he can, before allowing her to rest. Without any other reason to stay, he decides it is time to take his leave. So, rising from his crouch beside the bed, the young musician takes the basin and cloth and places them back in the bathroom before finally making his way out of the inn.

The moment he steps into the streets, though, Aiden regrets it, seeing the bodies lining the area. Had he anything in his stomach, he would have thrown it all up, but instead he only manages a few dry heaves. Then, in hopes to get back to his cello, he goes to make a run for it. Perhaps if he's lucky enough, he might just die right there and not have to worry any more...instead flying off to Heaven where he can play and sing and paint all he wants.

A boy can dream...

"Bandage yourself up, girl. I mean, really. It's not that hard to figure out that you need attention yourself." The boy tells her, his voice stern.

‘Why does he care?’ Mayumi questioned herself curiously, racking her brains for answers that would suit the situation she was in only to find none.

"That's what you get for not taking care of yourself."

Mayumi didn’t have the energy to deny his words, opting to stubbornly ignore them instead. She hardly had the energy to stand and her senses were going foggy on her as she lay on the ground helplessly.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her forehead, her eyes widening at the contact. Ivory arms wrapped around her, and for a moment the scene of the night that she was helpless in front of her greatest enemy. The night she had received those scars that insulted her deceased Master. The night… she had failed her Master. The memory flashed across her mind like a huge bolt of electricity slapping her in the face. Had she not been so depleted of energy she would have attacked Aiden in a flash. Realizing what she had wanted to do to an innocent person, Mayumi turned her head away from the older teen wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible.

Even if she thought him to be weird he was still innocent and did not deserve to be attacked. Especially not by a weapon like her whose mission was to forever protect the innocents and keep them away from people like her.

The young archer relented to Aiden, letting him set her on the bed and clean her wound. She inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm her senses that were going haywire at the moment, but found that it wasn’t such a good idea as all she smelled at that moment was her blood, and the faint scent of Aiden’s blood which had dried up on his clothes.

"I am sorry, girl, but you need a bandage. I will have to wrap it around you." Came Aiden’s tenor voice.

Mayumi just stared neutrally at the ceiling, not paying any attention to his doings any longer. To her, this was a normal everyday thing. The wrapping took longer than needed because of Aiden’s injured hand but it was done and she was dressed back appropriately.

Aiden then rises, going into the bathroom before taking his leave, heading out the door and disappearing from sight. Mayumi took out a concoction she had made to restore stamina temporarily and gulped it down in one shot. The liquid ran down her throat leaving a bitter taste on her tongue. It was worth it though as her energy instantly returned and Mayumi let it settle before getting up and heading out once again.

‘Got to report to Shadow quickly. Don’t have much time till the concoction wears out.' Mayumi noted to herself and sped up, Sora going ahead of her to spy for danger.

She soon arrives and finds Shadow in the middle of a battle once again. This time, it was against a royal knight of Cre’Est. She could see that the two men were almost on par with each other, but she could already tell who would be the victor of this battle and it was as she guessed. Shadow had won, once again.

"Your fighting style is reminiscent of Grandmaster Takai of the Cre' Itian branch of Te'i Sai which was based in Roda Valley before I destroyed it six years ago. Your moves remind me very much of his personal style of blade oriented combat and it's one of the reasons why I defeated you tonight, because I know your moves and your training even better than you do."

Shadow’s words seemed to have made the knight burn with anger. It was after all a rather big insult to someone who was supposed to be a knight of Cre’Est.

‘But it wouldn’t be wise to be angered till the point where it blinds ones senses.’ Mayumi recalled what had happened when she had done it once.

"I have one more thing to say Yarun... I'm not sure what kind of warrior would drop their weapon at the end of such a fantastic battle just because of a sudden distraction. I'm afraid that this detail alone has lowered my expectations of you and should we ever meet again..." Shadow looked back over his shoulder with that smile still on his face, "I will be inclined to treat you as more of an inconvenience than a threat."
"I'm holding you to your word Yarun." Shadow said aloud over his shoulder.

Mayumi observed the knight who had been defeated by Shadow, she noticed that he was struggling to get his breath back to normal while Shadow was still barely breathing.

‘He’s strong to be able to hold his own against Shadow, but still not enough to defeat him.’

The silver haired teen than noticed the man by the side lines wearing the same armour as Yarun observing him and Shadow as well. Just then, Sora landed on Mayumi’s shoulder telling her of the information it had found.

Mayumi took this as the time to report to Shadow. Quickly making her way through the shadows and making her presence known to her master and only him. Her instincts telling her to be cautious of the knights surrounding them, as well as some of the people.

“Master I have done what you have told me to do. The whole of Cre’Est has been cleared of assassins now and I have returned it to its original state.” Mayumi reported in a volume only Shadow could hear.

Shadow listened to Solomon speak and listened to everything else that was said and done from a slight distance.

"I want to leave." Sereinia stated quietly.

Shadow nodded to her.

"Linde, Taira, Mayumi, take these people to the inn and treat whatever injuries they have. I will keep the guards from following." He said quietly.

Linde and Taira nodded, with Mayumi simply bowing and going off to her job. Shadow had noticed her injury, but it would be treated by either Linde or Sereinia upon reaching the inn.

As the ladies went about doing their job and started guiding people away with the few seconds they had left, Shadow took that moment to approach the Captain of the Royal Guards and stood not but six feet away from him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the others disappear around a corner of the street and took that as his cue. He looked forward again, a serious threat rising in his voice.

"I understand your duties, and I understand your desire to follow them to the best of your abilities... However, Captain, if you so much as twitch before I have left the area I will reactivate Roda I'l Lousta of my own accord. You and your men will be slaughtered and more innocent lives may yet bleed out in your streets because of the orders you received from Solomon."

The Royal Guards all started looking at each other and whispered among themselves until the Captain told them to be quiet.

Shadow brought out one of his Twin daggers and raised it to the palm on his right hand, placing the edge of it against his skin as he looked the Captain of the Royal Guards in the eyes.

"You have a choice Captain. You either tell your men to retreat and leave the area, or you can stay here and die while possibly dragging yet more innocence into it as well. I will give you fifteen seconds to come up with a decision, and I pray that you make the right one." He said in a low voice.

The Captain looked at Shadow, then to his men and the surrounding buildings as well as the blood lying on the ground all around them. By now the blood on Shadow's chest had long since clotted so that was no threat for activating the deadly state known as Roda I'l Lousta, but if Shadow were to open his hand it would not take but a few seconds for the scent to reach his nose and then all Hell would break loose. Regardless of how well trained they were, the rest of the Royal Knights and Royal Guards were no match for either Yarun or Solomon and even they couldn't defeat Shadow. And that was without Roda I'l Lousta. Had Roda I'l Lousta been active when Shadow fought Yarun he would have been dead a minute in if not sooner.

The Captain heaved a sigh and turned to his men.

"Fall back through the streets to the gates of the Palace and await my return." He announced.

There was hesitation at first, but the men all complied none the less as the Captain turned to face Shadow one last time.

"You would threaten the lives of innocence just for the chance to 'get away'? What kind of person are you, Demon? Are you even human at all? What goes on behind those red eyes of yours that makes you think you can get away with all of this?" He asked.

Shadow tucked his dagger back into its sheath behind his back.

"Captain, you and your own have no idea who I am or what I will do to destroy Te'i Sai. Every life I protect from their grasp is a life that will continue to live without fear when they are gone and that is what Te'i Sai fears the most. Throughout the ages it changed from an organization which guided and protected the people of the land from a distance to an organization of corrupted Assassins who's only goal was to take total control of the people and force peace upon them through their own image and teachings. It is for that reason I rebelled against Te'i Sai in the first place and have since been fighting to destroy them. I am already responsible for destroying two of the five branches of Te'i Sai which exist on the continent of Cre' Est today and I plan to destroy the rest in time. I cannot do that, however, if people like Yarun and Solomon continue to get in my way."

He took a step forward, causing the Captain to retreat a step.

"As hard as it may be for you to believe this, given my history and past actions in Cre' Est and throughout the continent, I am working on the side of the people and the innocent against Te'i Sai. Every life of Te'i Sai I take is a life that will never threaten the innocent and a piece of the organization that will never be recovered. If His Majesty and his Royal Ilk such as Yarun and Solomon would be so kind as to stay out of my way and leave me in peace I will do the same for them, but if they continue to hunt me I will be forced to end the lives of the two most powerful Royal Knights to have ever existed and I do not wish for that to happen."

Shadow took a step away and turned his back.

"Yarun and Solomon are fine warriors and will do very well in their efforts to protect this place and their people. Taking their lives would only cripple Cre' Est against Te'i Sai and any other invaders who seek to challenge His Majesty. Though I don't really care for His Majesty as an individual, I do care about the lives of the people he watches and rules over. I would ask of you, Captain, that you relay my message about "he and his men stay out of my way and I will stay out of their way" to His Majesty. So long as you do not hunt me, I will not be forced to kill you."

With those words Shadow walked away to join the others. There were still bodies to be picked up in the streets and blood to wash away, but when the Captain got back Shadow was certain that he would send a clean up crew to take care of what was still there. Shadow took a few minutes walking back to the inn and when he arrived in the room it was a little crowded given the number of people who had since been brought to it. But it would have to do for the time being.

Shadow simply sat in a chair in the corner of the room and closed his eyes, resting them after all that had happened.