Seren POV

I didn't think I'd be back in Trinia so soon, unless it was in handcuffs or a coffin.

Lore stands beside me in the darkened alley, dressed in plain clothes. I overheard him grumbling about the lackluster attire. Even when our lives are on the line, he wants to dress to impress. Can't say I understand because I find him impressive no matter what he wears. Maybe I should say that to ease the tension, my own to be perfectly fair. I feel the stiffness in my limbs. My eyes shift, incapable of focusing.

"Seren," Lore calls.

"Hmm?"

He rests a hand on the small of my back. There isn't so much as a tremble, reminding me that committing a crime is something Lore is accustomed to.

"Take a breath. This will work," he says.

"I thought this day would be easier," I whisper. He rests his head against my temple and says no more.

Neither of us expected to be here, risking our lives together. I do think I'd be less nervous if Lore weren't here, if there wasn't a possibility that I'll witness his demise or his mine. We both have always known our deaths are a possibility. They were meant to be a possibility we never saw in person.

"How are things going on your end, Ristain?" I ask through the walkie talkie. My palms have started to sweat as I've watched the clock on a nearby belltower.

The walkie talkie buzzes, then Ristain replies, "Almost ready."

Two words make my breath shake. Lore notices. He grasps my waist, bringing me in to rest his forehead against mine. I don't know how I ignored this need to be near him for so long. Now I can't imagine resisting this urge to have his hand in mine, to press our lips together in a soft kiss. Then Lore kisses me passionately until I have to push away for a breath.

"In case this plan goes awry," he says, making me shake my head. He doesn't allow me to speak, pressing a finger against my lips to silence me. "There is a chance that it will, so I... there's something you must hear."

"Everyone is in position," Ristain says over the walkie talkie.

I reach for it only for Lore to grab my wrist. He brings my hand to his lips where he whispers, "Please listen."

"Tell me later."

Lore's furrowed brow and pained scowl makes my heart skip. I think I know what he wants to say, the same thing I want to say, but I don't want it to be now. Not like this.

"Tell me after," I insist, sounding desperate.

"After."

Before Ristain becomes concerned, I retreat from Lore to speak into the walkie talkie, "Alright. Lore and I will be on radio silence now. We're heading for Trinia."

We stash the device behind a dumpster. I double check that Lore has Cyan's freakish tracking device undetectable by magic. How? Well, he got his hands on a few items from Vexsis that he did not share until now. Sometimes that boy worries me. Once we're prepared, we head towards Trinia hand in hand. There's a chance they'll fire at us on sight, though we're hopeful that the Prophet will want to speak. That she's curious about where Ebony's documents are, what we plan to do with them, and if she can get any truths out of us. The church is cocky, understandably so. They've gotten away with more than we'll ever know for centuries. Why would they fear us? And that's what we're banking on.

Holy knights guard the gates. The moment one notices me, she alerts the others. Shouts grow louder as dozens of knights march atop the walls. Shimmering white or silver light overtake their fists, each prepared to strike. Lore and I raise our hands in surrender, though it doesn't deter their concerned expressions.

"We're not here to cause any trouble," I say around a smile. "We'd like to speak with the Prophet, if she'd have us."

"Why would she ever agree to speak with you, heretic?!" Someone bellows, but another orders everyone to keep their eyes on us while they leave.

Moments later, the gates open. A dozen paladins walk out along with another champion, Rosemary. A paladin searches the both of us, finding no weapons. Rosemary pulls out two pairs of cuffs, unaware that Lore's restraints need to be enchanted like mine. After we're cuffed, she leads us through the gates. Everyone stares and whispers, speaking of my betrayal and fearful of Lore's capabilities to "convert" people. He snaps his teeth at a few priests, who jump or shriek and bolt in another direction. Leave it to Lore to have fun in this scenario.

We're guided to the cathedral, around the back rooms to a high tower where the Prophet's personal office resides. Rosemary pushes open a heavy stone door, revealing a circular room made almost entirely of shelves. Books cover the walls from floor to ceiling and lights hover overhead, humming softly. The Prophet sits at a desk illuminated by the four large windows behind her, paneled in beautiful colors depicting the Holy Mothers.

"Sit them here," she orders, gesturing at the two chairs in front of her desk.

Rosemary and the paladin don't seat us. They throw us. I grunt when I hit the chair, then squirm to get more comfortable. Lore blows strands of hair out of his face though remains slumped. Loraleigh doesn't appreciate it, based on the slight twitch of her fingers.

"Leave us," the Prophet orders. Rosemary hesitates, her glare shifting to Lore, then she bows and makes her exit.

The first part of our plan is in effect. By now, word is spreading that we've arrived at Trinia. As strong as the Prophet is, we were always taught to defend her with our lives. Those sent out to search the capital are likely heading back to the church, intent on defending her if need be. And those who remain will be distracted by the thought of us potentially causing her harm. Ristain and the others will have more room, more time to speak. If we can buy them a minute, that's enough.

"Seren, it's a pity we're meeting again like this," Loraleigh says, then looks at Lore. "Lord Seymour, you're starting to make a habit of stealing my members."

"Is it stealing if you stole them first?" Lore argues.

"We gave them homes. We gave you a home, Seren, after those vampires butchered your family and nearly did the same to you. What have we done to garner this hostility?"

"Stop playing pretend," I hiss, glaring at her calm expression. "You know damn well what. You know that we should have been taken care of as children, treated as children rather than soldiers for a war we never truly understood. You tortured us for your own personal gain."

"We never claimed that training would be easy," she says, steepling her hands atop the desk. "To battle monsters, we must take the paths less traveled. Not everyone is capable of it."

"Or they're smart enough to see through the lies and you have to be rid of them before they convince others," Lore interjects, then offers me a sly smirk. "No offense."

I roll my eyes.

"What excuses do you have for what you've been doing to those that you claim are not capable of handling that path?" Lore inquires, sitting up fully to rest one leg elegantly over the other. Unlike me, he appears unphased. I wish I had that confidence, though now I understand why he's such a good actor and often wish that he wasn't.

"Why pay the monarchy to capture those who defy the church and sell them off to Vexsis if not to protect your own skin?" he finishes, smug.

Loraleigh sighs, her gaze almost bored when she asks, "Neither of you are very bright, are you?" Rising, she steps around the desk to stand in front of us, leaning back with her hands grasping the edge. "How do you think we've had this so-called peace for so long? Hmm? Because sacrifices had to be made. This decision was made centuries ago by those who suffered through the war. If those sacrifices stop, what happens?" She leans forward, speaking to me. "What do you suppose will happen if, by some miracle, you get what you want?"

"I imagine a lot of kids will live the lives they deserve," I answer, making her scoff.

"Those kids will die of hunger, starvation, and war," she claims. Turning, she points at the red dot on the horizon; the gateway. "Valyork will lose the blood that vampires have come to crave. Our kingdom will lose a very wealthy benefactor, then those starving vampires will attack and we'll have the next Vampire War. One that will be far worse after vampires have had centuries to prepare. All the work you did will be for nothing as the fear of vampires overtakes the kingdom as it did then."

"I think for someone of faith, you actually have very little of it."

She finally frowns and takes a step towards me when there's commotion outside. A scuffling sound followed by the door bursting open. Rosemary and a paladin enter, the former of the two holding the most necessary piece of our plan; a listening device that Cyan successfully managed to place outside the door by using Lore's transporter. The tracker let him know when we stopped, that we were likely in the Prophet's office. Kind of a hit or miss plan, but it worked.

"Prophet, I came to inform you of another gathering of deserters when I discovered this above the door." Rosemary hurries towards Loraleigh, offering the blinking device. "It was not there earlier when we entered."

Loraleigh's facade shatters. Anger rages in her eyes that shift to the window when loud shouts echo from the gates. She crushes the wiretap in her palm and that's when she attacks.

I cast a shield to protect us from a wintery assault. Ice encases the office, drowning the room in white. Rosemary moves for Lore. She raises her sword singing with golden light. Lore creates a blade of his own, a dull blue in color. When their blades meet, her eyes widen. Even Loraleigh hesitates, both baffled by Lore's use of magic. He is smug, of course. But there's no time to focus on their new discovery, Loraleigh blocks the streak of lightning I send at her. She jumps backwards through the shattered window behind her desk. I follow. We descend to the chaotic ground below. The recording had been heard by the city. Riots must be happening in the streets. Smoke rises and people shout at the gates. Many knights and paladins have gone there, leaving Loraleigh and I to battle on the field below.

The Prophet is nothing like Holland. She doesn't use brute strength. She moves like water, every movement as perfect as the last. Loraleigh casts aside fireballs and blocks electric shocks with a mere wave of her hand. My attacks are sent back at me, each amplified by her power. A fireball once the size of my fist morphs into a boulder that sets the brush behind me aflame. Above, a blast makes the cathedral tremble. I catch a glimpse of Lore's pale blue magic. He's still alive.

"That dhampir is always full of surprises," she growls. "Though I admit he has outdone himself, having stolen a paladin and defiling the Holy Mother's divinity."

"It isn't defiling. He's as deserving to use magic as I am, and far more deserving than you."

"Magic," she hisses. Raising a single hand, she vanishes only to reappear beside me. Her dagger pierces my side. Shouting, I swing my arm at her, but she disappears.

Holy knights round the corner of the cathedral. As predicted, once they knew the Prophet was under attack they'd come running. Nearly a dozen of them surge towards me, swords and spears crackling with elemental spells. I run to keep their attention on chasing me while Ristain and the others do their stuff. Of course, the holy knights aren't the only ones paying attention to me.

Loraleigh appears at the end of the sidewalk, a single hand outstretched and pulsating with vibrant golden and silver light. I drop to my stomach, narrowly dodging a beam of light that dissipates. She was able to shoot a spell and command it to stop before it hurt the wrong person. Yeah, we might have been crazy to take her on.

Gust of winds lift me from the ground. Loraleigh twirls her hands, thus spinning me with them. I reach towards the earth, calling forth roots that grasp onto my limbs. They prevent Loraleigh from smashing me against the cathedral walls. Though forcing the roots to toss me aside like a rag doll doesn't feel too good either. Digging my fingers into the dirt, I force a wave of mud and grass towards Loraleigh. She breaks the dirt apart with a snap of her fingers, turning it into fine dust that coats everything in brown.

"You've had your fun and threw your tantrum, Seren. Let's end this so I may attend to the trouble you have caused," she says, stepping closer. The holy knights surround me, forming a circle with their weapons readied.

A deep fissure forms in the cathedral wall behind Loraleigh. She doesn't notice. The holy knights shout. Another blast rings from above, destroying the steeple. Pieces of the church rain around us. I flinch upon hearing a few knights scream, too slow to react. The fall casts debris into the air, fogging the area. I know that was Lore. I just don't know if he did that on purpose.

Loraleigh managed to shield herself. The dust scatters when she dissolves her protection. I charge forward, using the momentary confusion to get close. She retreats, fading from my vision as she uses that disappearance act. This time I'm ready though. I grab her wrist and send my fist into her gut. She lurches forward, gasping. Then curses when my elbow cracks against her nose. Blood splatters at our feet. Her dagger reappears. She aims for my heart. I catch the blade between my hands, snapping it off the hilt.

The gusts of wind return, attempting to carry me off my feet. I bury my feet into the dirt, literally. The earth circles my feet, locking me in place. Loraleigh hisses and reaches for my face with hands of flames. I grab them, pressing my full power against her. She does the same. Golden and silver magic pulsates around us. The magic is so strong that the holy knights can't move forward. Any attack is diverted by the powerful shield around us. I don't understand how or what it really is, but it's working and that's all that matters.

"I see you were holding a few tricks up your sleeve too," she growls, somehow forcing her magic into my very veins. I feel the power, like slithering hot iron burning me from within, moving closer and closer to my heart. "But I've had this power for years, far longer than you. I know how to wield it. I understand what I'm truly capable of."

"I at least know that I can do whatever you can," I growl, meeting her firm gaze.

She presses forward, managing to rip her feet free from the mud. My own legs ache, being pushed back from her sheer force. I realize now that even Holland has nothing on her. If I let up for even a moment, she'll crush me like a bug.

Focusing all my energy on the power emanating from our connection, I try to push that magic towards her as well. It isn't until she releases a soft hiss that I realize it's working. Her veins are visible beneath her skin, a strange gray in color like my own. The power between us grows stronger, whipping the air so violently that it tears at the earth. Then there's so much power that it releases in a concussive blast. I'm sent hurtling through the air. My limbs are so heavy that all I can do is fall, waiting to hit the hard ground. I'm met by arms narrowly catching me instead, tugging me towards a warm chest.

"Lore?" I cough, trying to move my hands. They won't listen. Through my blurred vision, I make out the top of Trinia's cathedral. The church has been set ablaze, the entire back of the cathedral slowly crumbles into a dust cloud.

"It's time for us to leave," Lore says, holding me tighter. "Can you run?"

"I think so. My hands..." I look down at them, scared to find my hands cracked like old clay up to my elbows. I can't feel them. They refuse to move.

Lore can't hide his frightened expression. Using the firm hold on my arm, we hurry towards the exit. The chaos and debris help shield us, though we're spotted twice. Lore handles the assailants, always surprising them by using magic. Since they don't expect the attack, they drop in an instant. Many holy knights and priests are here, but they're so busy pushing back the shouting crowd that they don't notice two hooded figures slipping into said crowd.

I take a chance to look back at the place I once called home. Now, it burns.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

Wowza, this episode was hard. Magic battles are hard. Why do I do this to myself? But at least Lore and Seren have survived. What about Seren's hands though? And Trinia is in flames. Citizens are rioting. Is this a sign that their plan is actually working? Will this momentum continue? =O