Tonight, we'll start our mission. I asked Roland to come see me at the park today. My heart is racing, and it feels like an eternity, but he's finally here.

"Hey, Rose, I'm here."

I throw a sword at him, while taking mine in hand. It doesn't shake, I feel at peace. I can't afford to lose now.

"Fight me, Roland."

"Haven't you already won last time?"

"It's different this time, I cannot afford to lose."

He takes the sword, he seems surprised it's a real one. I don't really have access to wooden swords here, but I can't wait any longer.

"Are you sure you want to do it Rose?"

"Yes, en garde, Roland!"

We both fight, I put all my soul in it. My sword obey all of my movement. No, it's not my sword, it's me. I can fully control all of my movement, I can feel everything, feel all of it clearly.

"I won't lose, you can try anything you want, I'll knock you down."

"I'm sure you can't resist to everything."

Roland gets closer to me, as both of our blades are locked in each other. I'm ready for anything, My will is set.

"I love you, Rose."

Eh!? Why is he saying that? What is wrong with him? That's not the moment! 
He takes advantage of my confusion to put me on the ground with his body.

"I won this time, Rose."

"You cheated, it doesn't count!"

I would have won if my body wasn't warm every time he looks at me. 

"You never said I wasn't allowed."

"You shouldn't joke about these kinds of things."

"I'm not joking."

His confidence takes me by surprise. It means... That he feels the same for me? I try to kiss him, and this time he takes me in his arms as he does. It feels good, warm, safe. It's so different from when I was trying to fight alone.

"Maybe I lost the battle, but I won your heart in the end."

"It seems like you did."

He tries to get up, but I hold him against me. 

"Can we stay... Just a bit longer?"

I'm trying to do the most adorable face I can to convince him. I know we should prepare ourselves, but I can't help it. I just want him near me.

"Just for a little bit."

"I love you too, Roland."

The mission has started, I'm with Fog and Lucie. She is going to make us enter the tower, and we'll need to find a way to go to the top.

"Emel, Rose, are you ready?"

"It's Fog and Dove."

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry. I forgot about your nicknames."

"It's fine, I'm ready. What about you Fog?"

"I am more than ready!"

We all go in the tower. I have a weird feeling in my heart, maybe because it's almost the end. But my heart is beating as hard as it can, I can't help but have a smile on my face. I don't know if it's of happiness, excitation or fear. But I feel alive.

We manage to make it to the restaurant, I have tender memories here, but it's not the moment. Lucie goes to another cop, but one of the member of the casino points toward us with a gun

"Hey, get out of here now. We decided that we'll deal with it ourselves."

"What do you mean? The police was called here, we're not going to leave."

"I said, leave!"

With the situation being like that, it will be hard to pass. I give a quick glance at Fog, she looks at me with a smile and nods. I think she understands what I want to do.
We run toward the next floor while he was talking, letting us go forward. 

"Hey! I knew you were against us all along!"

I hope we didn't make it harder for Lucie, but we don't have time for that. We put on our uniforms and make our way to the art gallery. The elevator should lead us to the top of the tower.

"Dove! Be careful!"

I take a step back, barely avoiding a bullet that was aimed to me. I wanted to stay with Fog, but the doors of the elevator closed before I could leave. I hope she'll manage, she's alone with someone who's armed. 
The elevator is taking so long, I hope I'll be able to come back down to help her.

"Ebony here, do you hear me Dove?"

"Yes, I do. How is Fog?"

"She managed to hide, she's safe. She asked that you continue without her, she'll join you later."

I really hope Fog will manage alone, I'll try to finish it quickly, I promise.

"Are you okay Dove? It's going to be dangerous."

I'm holding my sword firmly. I won't shake anymore, I won't hesitate.

"Yes, I'm prepared for everything."

"I don't know how you can be, you're really strong."

"No, I'm still weak. But I want to be stronger, for me, for my mother, for Roland, and for you all."

"The elevator has almost reached its destination, I'll go support Raven and Libra now."

"Very well, good luck. Take care of them for me."

"I will, don't do anything reckless."

The doors open, leaving me in a white hallway. I directly run to the door at the end of it. 
I try to hear what's happening behind the door. There's like a sound of another door opening. I enter before he could run away, but I see a secret passage that just closed itself. I don't have time to lose, I touch everything around where the passage was. After a short moment, I finally open the hidden way and take it. The stairs inside it are dark and small, but I manage to make my way to the top. I see my father and his butler waiting for a chopper to descend.

"Stop right there!"

They turn around with the sound of my voice, I point my sword toward them.

"Rose, so you came. Do you really think there's anything you can do?"

"Yes, I know it. I will stop you, father. Whatever it takes!"

"I don't think you'll be able to do anything, your mother already tried in the past. She wanted me to stop for the sake of your future. Can you believe it? Throwing away all the power I got, just for a child that wants to stop me too."

"It's not too late father, you can still stop this!"

"I think we are finished now, Rose. Your friend arrived. Laurence, take care of them."

"Yes sir."

I turn around to see Raven running toward my father, but he was stopped by Laurence's sword.

"You won't go anywhere, I'm your opponent."

My father is trying to leave, I take my own sword and challenge my own teacher. I'll trust Raven to stop the mafia once and for all.

"Raven, let me take care of him."

"Are you sure, Dove?"

I look at his eyes and smiles at him. I feel way better when he's here, it's like I can do anything.

"It will be alright, I'm not weak anymore."

"It's not because you're the boss's daughter that I'll hold back."

"There's no need to hold back mister, I'm ready. Go Raven!"

"Thanks, Dove."

He runs forward, leaving me with the man that taught me the way of the sword after my mother's death.

"Show me what you learned, Rose."

"I won't back down."

We both keep our distance, he knows how to use a sword like no one. I advance, trying to force an opening. He attacks the moment I move, I block with my sword. 

"Your movements are cleaner now, Rose."

"You're here to fight or to talk, old man?"

"You're really into it when you fight."

I feel all the adrenaline in my veins. I disengage my sword and try an attack toward his legs, jump behind him before I could hit him.
My body lunge forward, it's like it acts by itself. I try another attack before he could reposition his body, this time, managing to land an attack.

"You became good, Rose. It's almost like your mother."

"My mother, you fought her?"

He thrust his sword forward, I dodge at the last moment and slice his arm with mine. I really cut him deep, but he still holds onto his weapon like his life depend on it.

"She really was something else, she used her blade like no one, she was the one that taught me everything."

He throws another attack at me, while still keeping his calm and elegance. It was so fast, I barely dodged it, leaving me with just a wound on the cheek. I block the next attack he launches at me.  I have just the time to protect myself now, he's getting way more proper with each of his movement. 

"I loved her with all my heart sadly, love wasn't what she cherished the most. Her heart had its own goal."

He attempts to disarm me, I get hit, but I still hold my sword. I retreat and take a defensive stance, waiting for his next move.

"Justice was what burned her flame of passion. She tried to challenge this monster of a man, for the future of her dear child."

Despite his injuries, he manages to step toward me and thrust his sword once again. I'm too focused on the fight, but I promise I'll finish what you started mom.

"We could have just left, somewhere safe. But she couldn't, she would never have forgiven herself. Even after her death, she only wished one thing."

I block the blade with my own hand, while I thrust forward with my sword. I'm sorry, Mister, but I won't stop now!

My blade is piercing his body, he shouldn't be able to move now.

"You missed my heart, Rose."

"I don't want to kill you, I just want to stop my father. Please, stay out of it."

He takes a deep breath, and then smile at himself, looking at the ground.

"She wished that I protect our child, that nothing bad happened to her. So I taught our child all she showed me. I'm sorry that you had to live without your mother, Rose."

My eyes widen, I have no words. Is it true? All of that time, I had no idea.

"Are you... My father?"

He smiles and looks at me. All of that time, I only saw him as my teacher, but now, it feels totally different.

"You have the same eyes as her. I tried my best to keep you away from all of that, but you're like your mother. You would have tried anyway, I just wanted to make that you would be able to make it until the end."

He hands me the sword he was using, he never let me touch it before. He said it was important for him. It's like it's made of pink steel, the name of my mother, Blanche, is carved on it.

"It's the sword your mother used, she wanted you to keep it."

I hold it preciously, I reminisce the time I had with my mother. When she died, I was six. She taught me to fight for what I think is just, and that my sword should help me with it.
But before I could think more of a nostalgic time, I'm pulled into reality by Ebony's voice.

"Dove, do you hear me? Raven needs help as soon as possible!"

"Raven? Where is he?"

I wanted to leave, but I didn't want to leave Laurence alone hurt like that.

"It's fine, someone else will come heal me. I think you need to act as Dove now, right?"

"I promise I will come back to you, father."

I run out of the building, I just hope it won't be too late.