Be Blinded by the Truth

By generalquistis

Chapter Six: You Owe Me Tonight

"I think we're finally here." Chaos declared upon gazing at the reconstructed Fayon.

"How… did this happen?" Fenris asked as she looked at the walls of the city and then looked up at the tall edifices from outside the walls where she and the rest of her companions were standing.

Iris just stared wide-eyed.

Loki frowned. "I have a bad feeling about this." He muttered.

"Like what?" Lydia asked.

Loki was silent as he turned his gaze to the sword that he had been dragging along with him with a rope. Nobody dared to touch it because when Iris tried to, she thought she felt her hand burning. Lydia just quickly tied a rope around its handle so that they could just drag it and not be able to touch it. "I think we should just leave this here." He told them.

"He's right." Fenris decided, eyeing Talatsu with a frown on her face.

"Why?" Lydia asked stubbornly. "We could sell it and earn more Zeny!" she told them.

"No one else can even touch it without hurting himself. Only Skurai can get away with this sword." Fenris replied.

"But if we leave it here, wouldn't it be more dangerous if somebody else finds it and gets injured?" Chaos asked, although unsure.

Fenris and Loki exchanged looks before looking at Fayon once more. The guards standing from within the walls by the entrance did not seem to care whether there were spectators outside.

"These guards seem to be irresponsive." Chaos began as he approached one of them, "Good evening, sirs!" he greeted cheerfully.

Silence.

Iris approached them with a curious look on her face, "They're… they're alive! I thought they died when Fayon was destroyed?" she asked in awe.

The guards turned to her with blank looks on their faces. "Welcome to Fayon, ma'am." They greeted in unison.

Silence.

"Don't you recognize me?" Iris asked weakly.

"Do you know them?" Lydia asked.

"They've been the guards assigned in this gate ever since I was a little girl! This is where I used to pass if I want to go training in the forest. Don't you remember them, Chaos?" Iris asked.

Chaos blinked and stared at their faces. He raised his eyebrows. "Well… yeah. But I didn't recognize them because they didn't greet me!" he told them.

"Hey, it's me, Iris. Don't you remember me? I'm Iris Irine!" Iris told the guards.

The guards just looked at her blankly. "State your relationship to the Irines." One of the told her.

Iris frowned slightly. "I'm… Lord Irine's daughter. I'm Iris, remember?" she asked with a worried look on her face.

"Very funny, ma'am. Lord Irine's daughter is in the palace and resting." The guard answered sternly.

"Resting? But I'm right here!" Iris protested.

Fenris took a step forward. "We're sorry, sir, but our companion here has a mental illness and we need to seek medical assistance from your city. Is there an infirmary near this area?" she asked.

Iris looked up at her in awe. "I'm not…" she began to protest.

Loki stepped forward and nudged her in the way, signaling for her to keep quiet and let them handle the situation. Iris just kept quiet, realizing that if she insisted that she is Lord Irine's daughter, they will never be allowed to enter the city and investigate on why it has been reconstructed.

To their awe, the guards smiled at them kindly. "Step inside our humble city, oh wonderful travelers!" they said as they stepped aside to let them in.

Silence.

Lydia made a face. "You guys go. I'll stay here and wait for you." She said, eyeing the guards with a suspicious look on her face.

"You sure?" Chaos asked.

"While you're at it, you can guard Talatsu." Fenris told her as she grabbed the rope from Loki and handed it to Lydia. But Lydia would not even touch it. "Ack… okay, I'll guard that thing!" she told them with a disgusted look on her face.

"And while you're also at it, you can wait for Reina. She said she'll follow." Chaos told her before stepping inside the city.

Iris, Fenris and Loki followed after him.

Lydia watched them with an unsure look on her face before turning her gaze to the sword. "Hey, maybe you could give me some potions so that if this thing moves by itself and tries to kill me, I can heal myself!" she called out to them.

"You still have potions, Lydia." Iris protested with a frown on her face.

"Just give her one to make her shut up…" Chaos muttered.

Iris sighed heavily before reaching for her pocket to pull out a small vial of potion. She was supposed to walk over to Lydia who was still outside the city premises, but when she tried to get through the gateway, an invisible barrier seemed to hold her back. "Oh!" she reacted in surprised upon realizing that she could not even get past the gateway.

"What's wrong?" Lydia asked as she approached.

"No, no! Don't come near here!" Iris told her.

Lydia stopped in her tracks.

Chaos, Loki and Fenris ran over to Iris and tried to get out of the city, but they could not. There was an invisible barrier.

"What is going on?" Chaos demanded from the guards.

The guards would not answer. They just stared straight ahead into nothingness as if they could not even hear anything.

"I don't like this at all…" Fenris said, shivering as she looked around. People were going about their daily business as if nothing was wrong. "It's almost like we're surrounded by zombies…" she declared.

"I know these people! I see them everyday!" Iris said as she ran over to one of the fruit vendors. "Hey, Mister Randolf!" she greeted.

The said Mister Randolf just stared blankly at her. "May I help you?" he asked, as if he never knew her.

Iris was taken aback. She turned to the other citizens whom she could easily recognize, but they were looking at her like they never even knew her.

"Hey, what about me? What am I going to do here?" Lydia called out to them from outside.

"Whatever you do, don't come in here. If Reina arrives, tell her not to step inside this city. Wait for us to come back there. Ask her too if she knows any spell that can remove this barrier." Fenris instructed sternly.

Lydia was already nervous. "…Well, alright… just… hurry with whatever it is you're going to do there!" she said with a slight pout.

"Why can't we try removing this barrier from here?" Chaos asked.

"Because it is being controlled by someone whose power is already within this city ever since she rebuilt this." Loki explained with a serious look on his face.

"She?" Iris asked, turning back to them.

"Sara?" Chaos asked.

Loki shook his head. "No. Not Sara. Someone else… but I cannot put my finger on it right now…" he said as he eyed the palace.

Iris frowned and clenched her fists. "I want to go to the palace. If everyone who died before is alive then I'll bet my father is there! I'll talk to him and ask him what's going on!" she told them before going ahead of them.

"Iris, wait up!" Chaos called out as he followed after her.

Loki and Fenris just stood still from where they are.

"Shall we take a look around town and observe?" Fenris invited.

Loki nodded.

With that, they began to explore.

oOoOo

"Wake up. I'm just around you. Find me. Take me back. I need her blood, Skurai. She's the one I've been looking for all these years! Kill her for me and once you do, you'll be released from the chains that had bound you to me…"

Upon hearing Talatsu's voice, Skurai instantly opened his eyes and sat up on his bed. "Talatsu?" he murmured, his blue-grey eyes wide in awe.

"Find me…"

He could still hear the voice of Talatsu in his head.

"Her blood, Skurai… take me to her. The Valkyrie's blood… once I fully taste it, you can finally see your beloved Princess."

Skurai grinned evilly as he instantly got out of bed and rushed outside the door.

From Sara's room, she turned away from her dresser when she heard and sensed Skurai running in the hallway. She frowned, realizing that something was wrong. She instantly got up and put down her brush with a suspicious look on her face. She went over to one corner of her room to get her Haeryongdo and instantly went after him. "Skurai!" she called out.

But he did not listen to her. He just thought, "Ahahah! Come on, follow me. I'll lead you to Talatsu!"

Sara just continued to run after him, but as she passed by the veranda, she stopped in her tracks when she recognized, from the corner of her eye, Iris Irine with Chaos, and they were talking to Lord Irine.

Sara felt enraged upon seeing her younger sister once again but she decided to stay hidden from the doorway leading to the veranda and just listen from behind one of the pillars unnoticed.

"Dad, don't you recognize me?" Iris asked with a pleading tone.

"Iris, it's no use. I think he's been brainwashed." Chaos told her.

"But Chaos, how could a father forget his own daughter?" Iris demanded with a tone that seemed to falter.

Sara narrowed her eyes and her lips formed a scornful pout upon hearing that. "Now you know how it feels like to be neglected by your own father, Iris." She was thinking to herself. She remembered feeling that way on the day that she realized that the elders of Fayon wanted to kill her for some kind of blood sacrifice with a purpose she had never truly understood for the past 12 years that she had been devising a plan of revenge against her father and the rest of Fayon.

She remembered what her father told her the other day: "Everything your heart has ever desired."

And being with her father once again made her realize her mistake, until she gave in and ended up forgiving her father for the mistake committed 12 years ago. After all, he is alive right now and she's living in the Palace with him and her mother…

However, Sara could not get over the fact that they were zombies and when her parents would show love and affection towards her, she would doubt whether it came from their hearts or not because they could just be mere puppets of Freya. Sara felt like Fayon has turned into a big stage and everyone is an actor… and she and Skurai are also being forced to act because the director, Freya, wanted them to.

"But you should be happy you're with your family, Sara." She reminded herself silently before proceeding to listen to the conversation in the veranda.

"I don't recall having a daughter like you. I only have one and her name is Sara." Lord Irine finally revealed to Iris.

Iris and Chaos were surprised upon hearing that. "What?" the former demanded.

Sara smiled slightly. "Ouch." She thought mockingly as she rolled her eyes before finally revealing herself. "Papa," she began.

They all turned to look at her. Iris and Chaos stared at her in awe, and he alerted himself when he realized that the Valkyrie was holding the Haeryongdo.

Iris frowned at Sara. "What have you done to my father?" she sneered.

"Pardon me, Iris, but he happens to be my father too." Sara reminded her with a sly smile on her face.

Iris attempted to charge at her sister but Chaos held her back. "No. She's armed." He warned her.

"I'm glad you know where you stand, Asgardian." Sara told him coolly before flipping her hair as she approached Lord Irine.

Lord Irine smiled gently at her. "My Princess." He said, welcoming her in open arms.

Sara embraced her father and he embraced her back. "Going training again?" he asked her.

"I'm supposed to. But I see I have guests here." Sara fibbed with a sly look on her face before moving away from her father to face Chaos and Iris once again. "I shall attend to them, daddy. Just go back to your business." She presented with a serious look on her face.

Lord Irine nodded. "Very well." He said before proceeding to leave, "Oh yes, I'll throw a party for you and your guests tonight so that we could have something to do for later on." He told her before he completely disappeared through the doorway.

When they were sure that he had gone already, Iris turned to Sara again with a scornful look on her face. "What have you done to daddy?" she asked with an exasperated tone.

Sara just looked at her coldly. "He's not our father. He's just a zombie moving like a puppet." She said softly. The truth was hard for her too but she knew she had to tell Iris.

"What do you mean?" Chaos asked.

"Everybody here in Fayon… except for I, you and Iris and Skurai are already dead. They're just alive for a reason." Sara began.

"Well then what is that reason?" Iris demanded.

"Freya's will." Sara said before she turned around with a confused look on her face. "I myself do not understand it but as long as we're here in Fayon, we cannot leave. There's an invisible barrier around this place and you can try cutting it with your swords or dispelling it with your magic but nothing will work. Freya is the one controlling the whole city and its deceased citizens." She explained.

"But why? Why Fayon? Why not… another place?" Iris asked, already in the verge of tears.

Sara frowned and bowed down her head. "Because this is where I lived." She muttered.

Iris and Chaos were confused by her answer.

Sara looked up at the high ceiling. "Everything your heart has ever desired." She told them. "That's what it is." She turned to face them again. "This is what I've always wanted and Freya has given it to me." She approached Iris with a sad smile on her face. "When I was a little girl, I've always hoped to live in this Palace with father and my mother. I wanted to become a Princess because he said I was one. But just being with my mother and father was enough for me, even if we had to live in a house away from this big palace where you grew up." She gazed down into her sister's eyes. "You're not the only one who loved daddy, Iris. I loved him too. But everything was taken away from me. My hopes and dreams as a child. And you know what else? They did not tell me about you." She sneered.

Iris took a deep breath as she looked up into her sister's cold blue eyes. She could sense too much wrath in them coming from her soul. "You don't understand, Sara. I knew you. I knew all about you when we were children. But the elders made me forget everything. I don't know why but…" she began, but Sara turned away from her. "Oh Sara, please listen to me! Daddy

Tried to explain everything but he didn't get to finish it because you… you attacked him… and…" she still continued.

"Just stay out of my sight. I need to find Skurai." Sara snapped at her before she proceeded to leave.

"Daddy loved you too, Sara. He saved your life from that fiend! Now I don't know what you're doing in Fayon with that… that fiend, Skurai!" Iris said, running after her.

Sara kept on walking with Iris trailing from behind her. "I don't need to hear from you that daddy loves me. I've already forgiven him for his sins. What sickens me is the memory of the past. Stop reminding me about it. Whenever I see you I am reminded of the hate I have on our father!" she snapped.

"But Sara, why are you working with Skurai? What if he just kills you and daddy? And where is my mother?" Iris demanded.

"Your mother is in the house where I once lived. You can go visit her there. And Skurai cannot kill me. I'm under Freya's protection." Sara said airily.

"Why trust Freya when she's up to no good?" Iris snapped.

Sara stopped walking to face her sister. Iris stopped before her and said, "You're blinded by your inner hatred of me and everybody else, Sara. That's why all you do is hurt people and yourself!"

"Why would I even hurt myself?" Sara demanded.

"Didn't you even feel the least bit sorry for yourself or for daddy when he saved your life from that fiend Skurai? That fiend was supposed to stab you with his Talatsu but daddy wielded you away from his target! Talatsu wants your blood, Sara, can't you see that? And he's using that fiend to get to you!" Iris asked.

Sara frowned at her. She suddenly felt annoyed. "Stop calling him a fiend!" she snapped.

"Well isn't he one?" Iris argued.

Sara pushed her away. "Don't you ever call him that again!" she snapped angrily, surprising both her own sister and Chaos.

"You're really serious about working with Skurai, aren't you?" Chaos said with a suspicious look on his face as he stepped forward and he stood between her and Iris. "Tell us the truth. You don't want any of this. This is creepy! Your father is dead, Sara!" he told her.

"Why should I give up something I have always wanted as a child?" Sara sneered.

"You wanted Skurai as a child?" Chaos asked in disbelief.

Sara just stiffened as her frown deepened. "This is Freya's will. She probably wants to make him her new warrior. My task is to guard him and make sure Talatsu stays away from him so that that sword's curse will finally cease from him." She told him.

"The curse will never be lifted until Talatsu tastes the blood that can truly quench its thirst. And for your information, we brought Talatsu along with us…" he began, but Sara's reaction made him stop. She approached him with a sudden look of horror on her face. "You foolish… why did you do that?" she demanded, but she did not wait for an answer anymore. She ran off before any of them could answer.

"Sara! Wait!" Iris called out as she ran after her.

Sara just ignored her and continued to run. She has to find Skurai before Talatsu can lure him.

Finally, she reached one of the entrances and saw Skurai struggling to claw his way through the barrier, but it was no use. The barrier was much too strong.

Talatsu was floating in front of him and the only thing separating them was the barrier.

Skurai had gone berserk. He was screaming wildly as he continued to claw his way through the barrier.

Chaos and Iris saw what was going on and they saw Lydia just standing outside, behind Talatsu and watching in awe. She would not dare touch the sword.

Sara ran to Skurai, trying to hold him back. "Stop that! You know you cannot do that!" she snapped angrily at him.

"Let me out of here! Talatsu will take me to her! I don't need you!" Skurai screamed wildly as he struggled to break free from Sara's clutches. Sara was obviously having a hard time because he was physically stronger than her and he was obviously taller and bigger.

"There she is, Skurai. Hold her down and render her unconscious. Then I'll hypnotize this girl over here to push me inside there so I can go through the barrier and we can finally be together again! And finally, I can taste that Valkyrie's blood… and you can be free!" Talatsu was telling Skurai. Unfortunately, Sara was able to hear it for a reason that she could not understand.

"Don't listen to it!" Sara warned, turning her gaze towards Lydia. "Run away! Get away from here before that sword tells you what it wants you to do…" she began to tell Lydia.

Lydia just stared at Sara in awe and then back at Talatsu. Though confused, she just signaled for Sessy to follow her. "C'mon!" she ran off.

Skurai was really enraged now. "NO!" he screamed shrilly before grabbing Sara by her arms and then threw her against the barrier.

The barrier was like a hard wall and it hurt her. She felt like she had been thrown against a hard brick wall.

"Sara!" Iris ran to her sister and tried to help her up.

Skurai was panting hard as he glared angrily at Sara Irine. "I am going to kill you!" he growled at her.

Sara just narrowed her eyes at him as she inhaled sharply. Pain.

Skurai's facial expression suddenly changed when he saw the look of suffering in her eyes. It looked so achingly familiar… and he began to have those flashbacks again regarding his Princess… "Stop distracting me… stop looking at me like that!" he cried out to Sara before he turned and ran off back to the Palace.

"Sis, are you alright?" Iris asked with a concerned look on her face as she began to feel the back of Sara's head for injuries.

Sara pushed her away. "Stay away from me." She hissed coldly before struggling to stand up.

"Let me at least check if you're bleeding somewhere…" Iris began as she got hold of Sara's hand. Sara pushed her away, "I said, stay away from me! Stop acting so concerned about me; I know you hate me for what I did to our father!" she snapped angrily.

Iris swallowed hard as she gazed into Sara's eyes with a look of awe in her face. "Sara, I don't hate you… I can never hate you even I try to…" she began.

"Well why can't you?" Sara demanded as she stepped away from Iris and dusted herself.

Iris swallowed hard as she bowed down her head while trying to stop her own tears from falling. "…because you're my older sister. Half or not, I don't care now. Daddy even told me not to hate you whatever happens." She said softly.

Sara just eyed her disdainfully before turning away. "You make me sick." She muttered in annoyance before running off, proceeding back to the palace.

Iris sniffed and wiped her tears away. Chaos approached her. "You okay, Iris?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.

She just swallowed hard, watching her sister run.

Chaos turned to the entrance. Talatsu was on the floor again. He frowned. "Oh well… as long as that sword remains outside, I don't think Skurai can harm anyone." He thought before turning back to Iris. "Iris," he began.

Iris ignored him and just ran, following after Sara. Chaos went after her, although he was being bothered by Iris's behavior.

oOoOo

Skurai arrived at the Palace and he realized that it was brightly-lit, like all the lights and torches were lit as if there was a special occasion going on.

Like a party.

He could hear classical Fayon music being played by an orchestra from one of the big rooms of the palace and when he arrived there, he was surprised to see a lot of people socializing, drinking, eating and dancing. "What the f…" he muttered, but was interrupted when he sensed Sara standing beside him and panting, also gazing in awe at the party. Skurai frowned at her and he grabbed her wrist, grasping it tightly that she winced in pain. It was her injured wrist too.

"Ah. Let me go…" Sara warned with an annoyed look on her face as she tried to break free from his hurtful grasp.

Skurai just smiled coldly at her, his grip tightening. He enjoyed looking at her when she was experiencing pain. She placed the blade of her Haeryongdo against his neck. He froze.

"Let go of me if you don't want me to hurt you." She sneered.

He just smiled slyly at her, "Do you really want to hurt me?" he asked with a playful tone.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Put down that sword if you don't want people to get suspicious." He warned her.

"What people? They're all zombies." Skurai told her. "Put that sword away and let's join the party." He said as he guided the sword away from his neck and dragged Sara inside the ballroom.

Lord Irine and Lady Irine smiled as they saw their daughter enter. "Sara," the latter called out.

Sara and Skurai turned to them. "Mother," Sara began as she pulled away from Skurai and approached them. Skurai just stood still in the middle of the ballroom, observing her as she walked.

Lord Irine got the sword from Sara. "What are you doing with this sword, Sara?" he asked with concern.

"You should be enjoying the party. Where are your friends?" Lady Irine asked.

Sara was in awe. "I… I was just out training late with Skurai… my friends are on their way. I think they're just freshening up." She fibbed uncomfortably before glancing back at Skurai, checking if he was still there. He was. And he was eyeing her threateningly. Her parents, however, did not seem to notice that Skurai was giving her deadly stares. She just shrugged it off and turned back to her parents. "If you'll excuse me. I think I need to discuss something with my guardian." She said before curtseying and proceeded back to Skurai with a stern look on her face, but as she continued to walk to him, the sternness on her face was slowly turning into a smile… at least that's what Skurai could see. His facial expression softened and he stared at her in awe as if it was the first time he had seen her smile at him like that… a smile that he had seen from another person…from his past.

Sara looked at him in wonder as she neared him. "Why's he looking at me like that?" she thought, raising an eyebrow at him. And he offered his hand to her as if he wanted her to dance with him. She frowned at him. "What is he thinking?" she thought in confusion before gazing around. Everyone was looking at them. "Oh well… if this is part of the act and he's playing along…" she thought silently before taking his hand.

From the doorway, Chaos and Iris were in awe upon seeing the two dancing.

As they were dancing, Sara was gazing into his eyes, and then studied his face. "Well… he's cute but… that Goth make-up has got to go…" she was thinking to herself with a skeptical look on her face.

For some reason, he seemed to be mesmerized by her or something… because he was smiling lovingly at her. She shivered and swallowed hard. "This guy's nuts. He's really giving me the creeps now… I wonder what he's thinking of. Moments ago he told me he's going to kill me but now he's looking at me like… Oh I don't even wanna think about it!" she thought silently to herself.

"I thought he hates her? How come they're dancing?" Iris asked with a confused look on her face as she and Chaos began to blend in with the others.

"Beats me. Let's observe them…" Chaos told her.

Iris just stood still, staring at Sara and Skurai with a bothered look on her face.

Chaos offered his hand to her. "Let's dance near them." He told her.

She looked up at him in awe and embarrassment. She blushed. He smiled at her. She bit her lower lip as she looked away and took his hand. With that, they began to dance, making sure they were close to Sara and Skurai who were in the middle of the ballroom.

The lights began to dim and Skurai held Sara closer to himself. Sara felt her heart sink. The feeling felt so familiar… and it seemed to her that he had her for a moment, and she was beginning to swoon but she froze when she heard him say, "Titania…"

She swallowed hard, her eyes widening in surprise. She felt the blood drain from her face as she heard the voice of that woman again in her head. This time, it sounded like her, "Take me away, my love…to a far-away land where we can be happy and free…"

Skurai heard it too. "As long as we have each other, that's all we need…"

Chaos and Iris stopped dancing and they stared at Sara in awe. They watched as her facial expression softened and her lips moved again to speak, "Will you take me away? My dear, my love, Skurai…"

"Oh my gawd…" Iris uttered in shock. Chaos's jaw just dropped.

Sara had this dazed look in her face and she smiled lovingly at Skurai as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Darling, my undying love is yours…for eternity." She said softly.

Skurai's eyes widened and he pushed her away from himself.

Sara just stood still, her blue eyes wide in shock as she stared at Skurai. What happened to her?

Confused, she just ran out of the ballroom and went back to her own room.

Skurai stood still, trembling in confusion as he stared wide-eyed at the floor. Chaos and Iris stared at him in awe, wondering what had just happened. They were just interrupted when Lord Irine approached them. "Where's Sara?" he asked.

Iris did not know how to answer.

Skurai turned his gaze to Lord Irine. "I'm afraid the Princess is not feeling well, sire." He answered.

Lord Irine sighed heavily. "She must've exhausted herself from training. Why don't you go and check on her and make sure she's alright?" he asked.

Skurai just nodded.

"I'll go with you," Iris presented.

Skurai looked at her. "Sara doesn't like you so stay away." He said warningly.

"Well she doesn't like you either!" Iris snapped back.

Skurai sneered at her and just walked away, ignoring her remark. "Don't worry, Miss Irine, I won't hurt your sister. For now, at least. Ahahahah…" he laughed mockingly.

Iris frowned at him, clenching her fists.

Lord Irine patted her shoulder. "I don't know why you don't like Skurai, miss. But he's really a good guardian to my daughter." He said.

Iris froze as she looked up at Lord Irine in awe. He smiled at her. "You know, if I could have another daughter, I'd like her to look just like you." He said gently.

Iris felt her heart sinking upon hearing that. She just smiled bitterly at him. "My father was just like you, Lord Irine… he's really nice…" she said softly before turning to Chaos and took his hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here and look for Loki and Fenris." She said, leading the way out of the ballroom.

Chaos saw tears falling from her eyes but he refused to say anything.

oOoOo

Sara, upon entering her room, slammed the door shut and rushed to her dresser and glared at her reflection on the mirror. "WHO ARE YOU?" she screamed angrily at herself before punching the glass with her bare right fist. The impact of her fist to the mirror and the shards that flew off when it broke injured her hand. She was crying, but she hoped that nobody would see her. But she was not sad. She was angry. As tears fell from her eyes, the scornful look on her face seemed to reflect more and more of her inner hate for everything around her… and now, even for herself.

"Freya!" she screamed, wishing for an answer. Obviously, there was no answer.

Still she went on, "Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you to deserve this?" she fell down on her knees and covered her face as she continued to cry. She was thinking, "I want out of this deal… I want you to make my parents dead again… I want to be free from this… I want to go back to Valhalla… I want everything here to just go away!" but towards the end, she began to fear those thoughts.

"Princess,"

Sara stopped sobbing when she heard Skurai's voice from behind her. She was about to turn around but she froze because he embraced her from behind.

She thought she could seek comfort from him, but he heard him sneer at her, "I know you're not Titania… and I hate the way you impersonate her. But is that all you can do? Deceive me?" he breathed in her scent. "God, you even smell like her!" he told her in disdain before grabbing hold of her bleeding hand and stared at the wounds, watching the blood trickling down from them. "And your blood…" he said softly.

"Her blood, Skurai…"

He thought he heard Talatsu speak to him somewhere.

Sara clenched her fists struggled to move away from him, but he held her tightly against him as he began to get up, taking her along with him. "Let go of me…" she muttered in annoyance.

"Talatsu… he needs your blood so I can be free! I must bring you to him!" he insisted, but she fought back, struggling against him as he tried to drag her towards the door.

"Damn it! Listen to yourself! Why did you let that goddamn sword take hold of your soul and consciousness? You're nothing but a puppet of Talatsu because of what you're doing! Do you still think you have any sort of worth while you're under his curse?" she demanded angrily as she tried to pull away from him.

"How dare you! You don't know anything about me and what I've been through…" he snapped at her with a demented look on his face.

"Talatsu will do you no good! You must follow me instead! I can lead you to your goddamn princess through Freya's will!" she snapped impatiently as elbowed him. She hit his diaphragm area, causing him to forcefully cough out some air. When he released her, she began to look for Haeryongdo, but it was nowhere to be found. She recalled it was with her father in the ballroom. Instead, she got the Shinryongdo and pointed it towards him. "Stay away from me and don't you ever touch me like that ever again!" she snapped at him with tears in her eyes. She could not understand why she was crying and why she was feeling that a part of her wanted to run back to him and just stay in his arms for good.

Skurai eyed her angrily. "You're pretty stubborn yourself…" he muttered, seemingly unthreatened by Sara's weapon and anger pointed towards him. He still ran to her, quickly avoiding her attacks and then grabbed hold of her right wrist and twisted it so that she would let go of her weapon. The Shinryongdo fell to the ground.

She yelped in pain and it was music to his ears, but somehow, he felt bad about hurting her. He brought her closer to himself again, embracing her tightly. He stared into her eyes. "Sara Irine… say the last of your prayers to your goddess. Talatsu is waiting for you outside…" he sneered.

She clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't listen to him. He's not here…" she said in a hoarse whisper. He pulled her hair, making her hiss in pain. "You can hurt me all you want but I'll never let you near that goddamn sword!" she snapped at him.

This made him angrier that in fury, he just threw her against the wall. But she did not even react out loud in pain. She just inhaled sharply before she slid down to the floor and fell on her stomach, struggling to get up.

Skurai had this insane smile on his face as he stared down at her mercilessly.

She slowly got up, panting hard and eyeing him with a restless look on her face. She was weak and she could not understand how she ended up that way. "…Skurai…" she just said in a voice that seemed to falter as she staggered towards him. The way she mentioned his name and the look on her face made him frozen on his spot and his smile slowly faded away.

Sara reached him and held onto his arms for support. She kept her eyes on his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You dreaded Skurai… go ahead and take me to your goddamn sword. Let's see if you can reach it in time before I can kill you myself!" she said softly as her facial expression softened in sarcasm.

He looked down at her coldly and lowered her head to hers until his lips was only a centimeter away from hers. He breathed out a sigh against her lips, "You owe me tonight…" but she did not let him finish. She moved herself closer to him and initiated a kiss. She did not understand herself on why she had to do that, but she felt a very strong urge from deep inside of her to do so. She even felt like she had done such a thing like that before… but she could not remember when.

Skurai thought his heart had stopped beating. The feeling of her lips against his felt so familiar and his eyes widened upon coming to this realization. He tried to push her away from him but she held on still, as if not wanting to let him go or for him to let go of her. When he knew he could not resist anymore, he just held on tightly to her, gripping her arms with neither feeling of endearment nor care even as he began to return her kiss and closed his eyes. But his kisses were hard and violent. She was surprised at first but she got used to it. After all, he has been inflicting pain in her ever since… what? She was not sure anymore. Her thoughts were lost as they fell to her bed.

But when he said, "Don't worry, Sara. I'll take care of you tonight…"

She just thought, "I wish I could believe you…" and surrendered to him…

oOoOo

The two were oblivious to Muninn who was watching them for a short while before turning her attention to her companion, Huginn, who was outside the premises of Fayon just standing by the gate. Muninn gave the signal, waving her hand. Huginn kicked Talatsu towards the gate and it slid through.

The two disappeared, leaving the sword. It was finally inside Fayon…

oOoOo

Author's note: The words "You owe me tonight" come from the song "Swallow Drive" by the band Rampqueen. So you see, the near-end of this chapter was kinda inspired by the song. If you just happened to stumble upon this fic because you Googled the name of the band or the name of the song and you happen to be a fan of the band or you are one of the band members themselves (PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!) –cries-….. well… I can dedicate this to you. (hides in embarrassment).