I looked at Rogue. My whole past came to me at an instant. "Did you know this entire time?"

Her expression showed how confused she was. "Know what?"

"That I was- that I am the boy. The boy that gave you that ring."

"Yeah, I knew. I knew when you got that giant bruise on your stomach, but didn't feel anything," she said simply.

"You could tell from the bruise?"

"No, but when you lifted up your shirt, I saw the cut on the left side of your chest. The weapon that cut you had Sphal magic. I know because the scar looks like little shards of glass trying to come together."

I recalled the moments when the gostiks were defeated and the way they dispersed into the air like ice shards melting.

Wait a second. She found out a while ago, but didn't tell me?

"Wait. What?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

She smiled weakly at the ground. Then I realized that she probably didn't want to remember that time in her life with her dead sister.

I stuttered out, "O-oh...I'm sorry. I-"

"It's fine... I'm guessing that you remember everything now?" she asked, drying one of her eyes.

I gave a small smile. "Yeah...I remember."

She grinned and we started walking along the sidewalk. I balanced on the thin cracks in the pavement, crunching leaves every so often.

She looked up at me. "You know how I'm the leader of the 'Rouge Scepter'?"

"Uh-huh...?"

"All the people in the guild were a part of that whole...scenario."

I decided to ask her, "About that... Why were only some of the people dying in the explosion?"

"I've looked into that... Turns out that not all of them were injected with the liquid."

"So the liquid..."

"The liquid made us into Morphix. We are artificial heroes. That's why we didn't die, Zoelle doesn't like me, I created my own guild, and I don't want to give away the ring!" she exclaimed, nearly frustrated.

I stared at her and sighed. "Geez... Calm down."

She smiled crookedly. "Sorry..."

"I won't make you give the ring if you don't want to. Alright?"

She touched the stone and looked down for a bit. "...Okay... but...where did you even get the ring?"

I thought for a moment. "Yeah, I still don't know about that."

She chuckled out, "Ahh...Idiot."

I smiled back and looked up to find my front door. "Did you leave anything inside?"

"Um...yeah. My backpack and shoes."

I looked down at her feet and, yes, they were bare. "What? Why exactly are you barefoot?"

"'Cause you ran off with Allois to the hospital, so I followed. There wasn't any time for shoes."

I smiled at her 'air-headedness'. "I'm sorry for before...and thanks for coming for Al and baking the cake."

"No problem. Thanks for not leaving without me."

"Yeah, sure thing."

I was about to open the door, but Rogue tugged on my sleeve. She had a sort of sorrowful expression.

"Thanks...for not...leaving..." she repeated.

I nodded quietly and opened the door.

"Amus!" Allois crashed into me. "Come! Quick! I found a dog!"

"A-a dog?"

"Yeah!"

"...and it's in our house?"

"Yes!"

I cocked my head to the side. "...Why...?"

Allois stared at me with a 'stop-asking-questions' face. "Just...come on!!!"

He pulled me into my bedroom. Sure enough, a dog lay on my bed. "What is doing in my room?"

"Uhh...Oh, hey! Isn't he cute?" Allois asked, changing the subject.

I sighed, "...Yes."

Allois stared at us as we stared at the dog. "So...what breed is he?" I asked.

The dog was still a puppy. It was small, round, and had white, fluffy fur. He was sound asleep and slightly snoring.

Rogue answered, "Pyrenees."

Allois nodded and started brushing through the dog's fur with his fingers. "What should we call him?"

I looked from Al to the dog. "Wait, wait, wait. Do you know if we can keep him?"

"...y-y-y-yes....?"

"No."

Both Rogue and him pouted. "Aww...."

A knock was heard at the door. We all looked at each other and back at the door. Rogue and Al followed me as I went to answer it.

"Hello?" I called.

Zoelle and Lite stood at the doorway. "We're coming in!" Zoelle shouted as she opened the door wider and wider until the chain-lock snapped. She pushed past me.

Lite held a paper bag and gave it to me before walking in and removing his shoes. "I'm sorry about her."

So, he can be polite... "It's fine and thanks for...this," I said, lifting up the bag. "Oh, and thanks for letting me use Emboli."

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I didn't exactly let you... and I guess we're all calling it 'Emboli' now."

"Awwwwww! So cute!" Zoelle exclaimed. She was kneeling on the floor, squeezing the half-conscious Allois.

"Oh, dear..." Rogue sighed, tapping her bare foot on the floor.

Allois's eyes widened and he looked at me with a sort of desperate face. He struggled and flailed his arms everywhere. "Amus! Help me! Stranger danger! I'm being hugged and it actually hurts!"

I gave him a worried smile and turned back to Lite. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I don't know, but Zoelle dragged me along."

After he said that, Zoelle looked up darkly. "Rogue!" she shouted. "Fight me! Winner gets the ring. Amus and Lite have to join too."

Lite and I looked at each other and back to Zoelle. "Ehhhhhhhh...?"

Rogue pondered the suggestion for a moment, staring at her feet. "Deal!" Rogue yelled.

Zoelle released Allois and removed her necktie. It soon turned into a stick with a chain attached to it. At the end of the chain was a ball with spikes covering it. She swung it around the air in circles.

I've seen this weapon before. A flail.

Lite removed his ear studs. The ends extended and formed fork-like knives. He had one in each hand. Mini-tridents.

I darted my eyes around the room and saw Rogue spinning her naginata in the air and grasping it with the sharp end pointed away from Zoelle.

"Ha!" Zoelle exclaimed triumphantly. "You can't even hold your weapon correctly!"

Rogue smirked. "Is that so?"

She charged forward and used the hilt to boost herself into the air. Flipping the naginata to the right direction, she came crashing down on Zoelle.

Luckily, Zoelle had blocked the strike.

I was watching and nearly tearing my hair out whenever they came close to breaking something. When I turned my head, I saw Lite charging towards me.

"Gaah!" I leaped away and rolled. "What the hell?!"

"Sorry, nothing personal." Lite stood straight and his hair covered his eyes, but I could tell he was looking at me. "Boss's orders."

He started to attack. Each move was quick and forceful. Every slice and cut in the air displayed a great amount of strength. All I was able to do was run away and duck and dodge.

Lite stopped for a second. "Please try harder. There is nothing worse than a useless opponent."

"I'm sorry, but my living room isn't exactly a battle ground," I mumbled while summoning my gun.

I hopped off my couch and rolled onto the floor, aiming at Lite. My vision turns into a targeting system and I shoot, hitting his shoulder. Getting up, I catch a glimpse of Al standing off to the side with his eyes wide and his body stiff.

Quickly, I hit the lower button on my gun and block Lite's hit with the retractable blade.

"Stop it!" I shout. The madness ends just as quickly as it started. I walked over to Allois. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I smiled at him warily. "Sorry about that."

He nodded slowly and I walked back to everyone else. Rogue and Zoelle stood side-by-side and glared at each other. I walked between them and pulled their ears. Their weapons disappeared and turned back into accessories.

"Hey!" they shouted simultaneously.

"Look, I don't care about why you're fighting or if you even fight, but go somewhere else. Still, though, this is completely stupid and useless."

Lite's knives dissipated back into earrings and the tension was completely gone.

"I see," muttered Zoelle, "in order to get to Rogue, I have to get through Amus first."

I looked at her in disbelief. "What?!"

"Very well..."

"Wait. What are you..."

She pulled her weapon back out. "Fight me! So I can finally get back what's rightfully mine!"

"Seriously...?"

She nodded with an eagerness.

I sighed, "No, Zoelle. Calm down, woman."

Swinging her flail, she came towards me. I flung myself to the side while one of the spikes grazed my arm. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"What I should have done a while ago! I knew you wouldn't just take the ring and give it to me! I'll get it by force!" she nearly screamed out, beads of sweat dropping off her forehead.

Lite tried to calm her. "Come on, Z... Drop it-"

"Stop siding with them! Why do you always... why do you always do that?"

I looked at her wide eyes. You're crazy, I think. That's why.

Plus, Lite did side with her. I have a feeling that she forgot the fact that Lite was thrashing at me a moment ago because it was 'Boss's orders'.

"Because you can be sickening, annoying, and idiotic," Lite says. Even though it was for two seconds, his voice seemed to hang in the air for hours. The words were traced with a coldness and brutality.

Zoelle looked at him, clearly offended. Walking outside, she slammed the door and made the sound waft in the air for even longer.

I turn towards Lite. "What are you doing?"

"If I didn't say that, her rants would go on forever."

Rogue actually looked as if she felt sympathy for Zoelle. "Still...even for you, that's a little cruel."

"You get to keep your stupid ring, right? So what? She needs to cool off."

I heard Allois run outside. He probably went looking for her. Al is too kind to let something like this happen.

Suddenly, a crash was heard from outside. We went to go check it and Al was sitting upright on the ground infront of a thin, scrawny kid and a tall man that looked to be his bodyguard. I've seen the kid before. He was at the meeting I went to with Rogue and Cartis.

He had dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes. Standing straight, he mumbled something to a teddy bear that he clenched tightly to his chest.

To be honest, the bear freaked me out. It had matted fur and didn't seem to be stuffed with cotton or anything of the sort; it seemed to be stuffed with...God knows what. The scent was foul and it reaked of internal-something. There were patches sewn onto the bear and the only normal part of it seemed to be the facial structure.

Lite sighed and left to look for Zoelle.

The kid stared at Allois in disgust. "Such nerve coming from an average being," he growled, dramatically turning his face away from Al.

Al muttered, "I-I'm sorry. I need to-"

"You 'need to' what exactly? Stand up and crash into me once more? Or just sit there in cowardice? Perhaps a lowlife like you would ask for help getting up because you're too weak to stand on your own."

"That's not what I meant to-"

"Then be clear and precise. Can you manage such a task that-"

"Echo!" said Rogue firmly. "Keep your mouth shut."

Echo's eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he stared down at Rogue's hand. "Give me the stone, Rogue. You're no match for me."

Rogue scowled. "You're not allowed to use your magic. You know that."

"I'm not allowed to? What do you think this is?"

Echo stood haughtily with his arms crossed. It was a matter of seconds before I heard something clattering. The coffee table behind us began to rise.

=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=

Hmm... It's not so good or eventful, but I need Echo in this for something to happen.

*sigh* Wait for next week. You'll see the power of "syllys".

Yay~

and you still don't know about the Severed Spirit, but don't worry. It'll be soon...or later...

Well, farewell! Vote, comment, follow, and discover more!

        -!Ri$

P.S. Echo's picture is on the side~