Really want to turn this into a short story tbh. Great, just another book I need to finish.

~~~

"I never stood a chance, did I?"

"That's the sad part; You did once."

~~~

Sometimes, even a hero can live long enough to see themselves become a villain.

~~~

A simple day had turned into a nightmare. Lukas was forced to watch as his world slowly crumbled around him, see the pain and fear of every living creature as they ran for their lives. The once peaceful Beacontown was in ruins, buildings destroyed and fires everywhere, lighting the town in an orange glow that was visible from Champion City. People desperately tried to escape the town, the members of the Order helping, yet Lukas was oblivious to it all. His blue eyes remained trained on the fortress ahead of him, seeing a lone figure standing in front of it.

The figure was familiar to him, with pale skin and black hair, but it wasn't the same girl he remembered. Her once green eyes now glowed a fiery amber, simply gazing at the destruction that surrounded her with a blank face. Looking at the destruction that she had caused. The Star Shield armor she had once worn faithfully had been discarded for a new set of armor, one that hadn't been a gift from Ivor. It was a simple black suit under multiple pieces of golden-colored protection plates with added pieces and accents of fiery red and orange. Her long black locks, which she once kept loose and free, were tightly tied back into a bun, the signature yellow hair clip nowhere to be found.

Lukas continued to walk forward, his eyes trained on the girl ahead of him. She sensed his approach, turning to face him with a hardened glare of her amber eyes. Other than that, she did not move or speak. Even though she did not say a word, Lukas could feel the aura of power and control coming from the young woman, yet he didn't shy away. He kept walking forward, his once slicked-back blond locks loosening and beginning to fall. The armor Ivor had given him was covered with many marks from previous battles, and a layer of soot had begun to cover it from the fires around him. The soot also settled on his skin, falling on his cheek and forehead to mix with the beads of sweat that trickled down his tanned skin.

"Jess!"

It was almost impossible to hear his voice above the chaos. However, Jesse was still able to hear it, her gaze narrowing as she watched the blond continue to approach. "Jess, what are you doing? You're a hero, not a villain!" he exclaimed, blue eyes carefully watching her for any message in her words or body language. Nothing. She didn't move, not a single inch. Her amber gaze grew darker as she watched the blond. "Why are you doing this?!" he questioned. Jesse remained still, but her lips parted to take in a short breath before speaking. "You wouldn't understand, Lukas." His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and worry.

"How can I if you won't tell me?"

"Enough!" Jesse hissed. "Leave, now." Lukas' blue gaze hardened as he met her amber gaze. He took a step forward, firmly planting his foot on the broken stone path. "No." Jesse glared daggers at the blond as her right hand began to reach to her opposite hip. "You brought this on yourself," she warned, taking a hold of the grip on the sword in its sheath. Lukas didn't back down, he merely drew his own sword from the sheath at his hip, holding the grip tightly in his gloved hand. Jesse's gaze narrowed further as she drew her own sword, the diamond blade glowing like a blue fire. Even with everything happening, it seemed like there was nothing else but them and the tension between them, just waiting to be broken to let the inevitable battle begin.

Lukas made the first move, running forward to try and get the first attack in. Jesse quickly raised her sword to block the attack. The two swords clanged when they came into contact with each other, creating a scraping noise when Jesse pulled her sword away from Lukas' to free it for her own attack. She sliced the blade at him from her right side, and Lukas barely managed to duck in time to avoid it. When he fell to his knees, he stuck his foot out to kick Jesse's leg, putting her off-balance enough for the blond to get up while swinging his sword up. The woman barely managed to stumble backward out of the way of the blade. She scowled at the blond man as she took a moment to recover, watching his body to make sure he wasn't planning anything.

Once the moment passed, she raced forward, leaping up for an attack from above. Lukas rolled out of the way as Jesse's sword harshly smashed against the stone path where he had once stood. He leapt forward only for Jesse to block the attack. The young man kept swinging his sword at the ebony-haired girl, forcing her to be on the defensive, not giving her a chance to make a move. Their swords continued to harshly smash and clang together as they battled, Jesse taking steps back to support herself while Lukas pushed forward. It appeared that Lukas was winning, that he would end the battle, but then Jesse began to push back.

The young man found himself losing ground and his advantage as the battle continued on. Jesse had finally begun to really push back, and he knew well that she was easily capable of defeating anyone or thing. Her triumph over Romeo even with his Admin powers had proven that. Lukas almost expected that perhaps she would hold back slightly, just ever so slightly, due to their long friendship. He had not accounted for the fact that she was battling him like she would any of her previous foes, which only caused him to lose his advantage faster than before. Jesse was now on the offensive, Lukas just barely able to deflect or block her constant barrage of attacks.

"Please, Jess! Stop, this isn't you!"

"No, I'm doing this for the greater good!"

"What greater good? We're your friends!"

"Just shut up!"

The final slash from Jesse's sword knocked Lukas off-balance. His arms swirled to try and keep himself upright, his blue gaze falling to the ground, and the next thing he knew he was on the ground, sword clattering to the stone just out of reach. Lukas looked up to meet the amber gaze of the young woman standing above him, the tip of her sword pointed at his throat dangerously close. They didn't speak for a few moments, remaining silent as they simply watched each other's eyes to see what lay in their depths. Jesse raised her sword slightly, the sharp tip of the sword pressing under Lukas' chin to raise his head up. "You brought this upon yourself," she lowly growled. The blond still didn't back down from her, glaring defiantly into her amber colored eyes.

"Why?"

Jesse hesitated for the slightest of seconds. Her amber gaze fell to the ground as a ghost of terror crossed her face. Those amber orbs of hers flashed in recognition. It was gone a second later, just barely allowing Lukas to catch it before she met his gaze again, a look of determination shining in her eyes. "You wouldn't understand," she simply stated. "Try me," Lukas replied. They fell into silence for a few moments, oblivious to the chaos around them as they merely watched each others' gazes. To them, it felt like hours. Yet only moments passed, stretching out long in the tense silence that surrounded them.

"Leave."

The order was simple, and Lukas hesitated. Jesse glared as she pressed the sword closer to his neck, threatening him and forcing her order. Finally, she dropped her blade, turning sharply on her heel to begin walking away from Lukas. This was a battle he and the others couldn't win. They both knew it. But that didn't mean the war was over. Yet, Jesse let him go. She showed him mercy knowing fully well that this wasn't the end, and the war could still go in either direction. As Lukas took a deep, shaky breath as he stood up, he knew the Jesse he cared for was still there, just out of his reach.

"I never stood a chance, did I?"

Jesse stopped walking, hearing Lukas' words from behind her. Her head turned to look over her shoulder, amber gaze stopping upon meeting the diamond blue gaze. Not a word escaped her lips for a moment, thinking over his words and forming her own. Lukas waited patiently for her reply, refusing to break his gaze away from Jesse's, almost daring her to say something.

"That's the sad part; You did once."

The answer was simple, but it wounded Lukas deeper than any physical wound. Yet, it was true. There had been a time when he could stand up to her, but now, he couldn't face her in battle or otherwise. Without doing anything, she had claimed his heart, and she had the power to break it whenever she wanted, however she wanted. It was a dangerous thought, but even though he knew what she could do, Lukas had a feeling that Jesse didn't want to hurt him like that. What caused that feeling, Lukas couldn't say what. But he just knew.

Jesse tore her gaze from Lukas', turning her back on the blond as she stood tall. The movement was a silent signal to the blond. The battle was over, and he had lost. It was time to rest and recover, for the war was not yet over. Nothing more was said between the two. Lukas held his side from where Jesse had kicked him to the ground as he turned and ran, blue eyes looking for any people he could help escape the town. That was all he could do now.

As he ran, Jesse stood still, body shaking ever so slightly as she harshly bit her lip. Tears welled up in her amber eyes, a stray drop slipping down her cheek to her chin. The sword in her hands was released as it fell to the stone path, clanging against the ground as it glimmered in its blue light. The young woman collapsed to her knees, holding a gloved hand to her face as her head dropped. The tears she had been holding back were released, easily sliding down her face and dropping onto the ground. Pain and grief washed over her in large waves, drowning her in the deep emotions and rendering the young woman into a state of vulnerability.

You're a smart girl.

"L-Leave me alone..."

I'm sorry, but no can do. We aren't done yet.

"I've done what you asked...!"

You've done part of what I asked. Do you want to know the answers to your questions or not?

"I-I do..."

Then we aren't done.

"W-What now?"

We'll need the Dagger of Espirite.

"Where do we get it?"

We don't find it, we make it. It gives one use to every user.

"Great... More tasks... What do we need?"

Watch your sarcasm. We need wood from the tree of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis-

"English please."

...Wood from the tree of the night-flowering Jasmine, a blade of amethyst, and a strand of hair from the one you love.

"That all sounds relatively easy, but..."

That final one can be a bit difficult to get.

"I figured."

What'd I say about the sarcasm? We need those items to make the dagger, otherwise your questions will never be answered.

"...Fine. Where do I go for the night-flowering Jasmine?"

We need to head to a jungle biome.

"Let's go, then."