On the western outskirts of Seiryu, there stood a tavern. A quaint little building that more closely resembled a cottage than a dining establishment, to be sure, with its rounded shape and chunky stones making up its body, which laid beneath a primitive-looking but clearly rather sturdy roof. Inside was peaceful - as expected of a time this early in the morning - as people sat down, eating their breakfasts, flirting with the tavern wenches and starting their day with a drink.

As the wooden door, covered with azure paint, opened, a mature-looking woman walked out, adjusting her spectacles and dusting off her black-and-purple gown. Not a single hair could be out of place, and not a crumb could stay on her pale face. She smiled slightly, but that was short-lived, as the first thing she heard was a deafening symphony of fear, pain and death, and through her ivy-coloured eyes, she saw quite the sight.

Undead, malformed men, with little to no meat on their bones - assuming they had any - their skin an ill pallor and their eyes a solid pink all over. Their hands were tipped with violet claws, and their perpetually open mouths filled with cruel jaws and drooling a nasty-looking purple spittle. These strange men were running around in droves, cutting up and chowing down on the more normal-looking ladies and gentlemen who had, prior to this, been presumably going about their days. And there was so much blood staining the streets, too - this blue little street was beginning to look more like Suzaku.

Moving her aubergine-coloured hair out of her face, she sighed, mildly bothered by the commotion. "Can't say a zombie apocalypse was on my agenda..." she mused, examining her surroundings. "I wonder, can I just slip away?"

Not that she wasn't confident in her ability to fight these monsters off - what was a zombie to a powerful wizard like herself? But time was of the essence, and she simply had to be quick. She opened her palm and summoned to hand a tome - its cover hard and purple, with white, metallic decorations. Some reinforcing the corners, and one very noticeably covering the front, shaped like a large and majestic flower. All the better to defend herself, she thought.

As she kept this in mind, she began to walk off to the right, only stopping when she heard a most curious sound - the repeated crackling of lightning. Looking back at the source of the noise, she saw the familiar sight of a gold-robed, caramel-haired woman entering the scene and holding a golden sceptre with a red crystal on the tip. The crystal was glowing, and as she took aim, she fired spears of lightning at the zombies, putting their attention on her.

It was Viera, of course. She'd recognise that casting style from anywhere. Her looks were striking, too, she supposed. She couldn't let her die, but she couldn't shake this feeling that Viera had things covered. It was hard not to get that impression, what with the way she hovered just out of reach, punishing their attempts at feeding on her by jabbing and electrocuting them. At one point, she even witnessed Viera driving a magic-infused fist through one of their skulls. It was almost admirable how bloodthirsty she seemed today, almost as if she was blowing off some steam.

https://youtu.be/gjWRmoFIjjw

Viera saw no reason to let up on the attack, not while she was surrounded by these foul constructs. There were people to save, too, and people she couldn't save in time. So she channeled her guilt into rage, and her rage into magic, and it was through these that she fought. Her staff was like a hammer, and she swung it around her, fending off a horde that was surrounding her before firing a lightning blast at one of them. The electricity surged through one of their bodies before leaping off to assail another. And another, and many more who were in close proximity.

While they were distracted by this, Viera charged towards another one, her fist clenched and crackling with electricity as she punched its forehead, stopping it in its tracks before falling backwards, dissolving in a mass of pink particles. Viera prepared to continue fighting, but as she laid eyes on the purple-haired woman nearby, she went back to unleash a wave of electricity behind her before turning to face her, an eyebrow raised. "Melina?"

She had been noticed, now. Melina would be lying if she said she didn't think that took a while. It wasn't like she was moving or hiding. Nevertheless, she offered the younger spellcaster a smile and a wave, her other arm holding her book underneath it. "Good morning, Viera!" she exclaimed. "Lovely weather we're having here, right?"

"Yeah, undeath with a chance of actual death." Viera snarked, turning around to smash a zombie in the side with her staff and causing it to crumble to the ground. "You shouldn't just stand out here. It's dangerous."

"Do you doubt my ability to defend myself?" Melina chuckled, opening her book and watching as it floated in front of her, pages rapidly turning. "You seem stressed, so if you don't mind, I'll take some of that burden off you!"

As she spoke, a ball of bright light began to rise from her book, spherical and just larger than a football. It rose above Melina's head and began to rain a kaleidoscopic volley of light beams, each one targeting a zombie. The searing light burnt at their skin, and with deafening screeches, they went up in flames, leaving only ashes in their place. Viera blinked a couple of times, watching all the abominations die right before her, their remains scattered among the bodies of the fallen. Melina only gave a bright smile in response.

"See?"

"Well, now that those are out of the way..." Viera muttered. "I never expected to see you here."

"And I never expected to see you punch out a zombie, but...here we are." Melina sighed. "Is this that Deliverance again?"

"Uh huh. I dunno what Raina's playing at." Viera scowled. "But we've gotta stop this carnage."

"Hmm...the Torch appeared at Suzaku this time, right?" Melina mused out loud, looking at Viera and observing her nodding reaction. "Perhaps they're trying to create a diversion so they can get the Empty Light in this city safely."

"That sounds like something Van would cook up." Viera sighed, rubbing her temples before pointing to a direction. "But wouldn't that just draw more attention to them?"

"It would draw attention to this 'Raina', yes. But she isn't the only Deliverer, is she?" Melina pointed out, looking where Viera was pointing and seeing another zombie looking around aimlessly.

"Hmm...you have a good point." Viera murmured, stepping towards the zombie while gesturing for Melina to come with, which she did. "I'm hoping to find the source of these monsters so I can beat some answers out of Raina."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with that much." Melina sighed, smiling softly as she followed the blonde. "But I have time to help you take care of some more monsters."

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

.........

And so, they progressed through the city, moving against the direction of the horde and killing any zombies they encountered in their path. Viera's lightning-fast fists paired well with Melina, who stayed at a distance and fired off holy blasts. Together, they were a match for almost any zombie. Almost.

After a while of combat, the two came across a street capped off with a really large bush. They didn't think much of it, only observing the street ahead to see it seemed empty. A few corpses here and there, but no zombies ahead. As they walked past it, however, a clawed hand shot out of it, and as she felt it graze her shoulder, Melina let out a pained cry and looked where it had come from.

"Melina?"

As Viera turned to face her, gripping her staff tightly, she watched as blood became visible, leaking from the wound, and figured she'd have to look at that later. The two gazed into the bush, only for it to fade away in a puff of red smoke. In its place was a zombie - larger and angrier than the usual, with its eyes a sickly green rather than the typical pink.

Gritting her teeth, Viera stood in front of Melina, and as the zombie opened its mouth to try and bite her, she aimed her staff at it, making it eat a bolt of lightning. It tried a different approach, lurching forth with wildly-swinging arms while she moved further away from it, trying to find an opportunity to attack.

Melina, holding her book in her free hand, glared hatefully at the zombie, and as its pages began to turn on their own, she began to channel her black magic into it, chanting as she began to cast her spell; "I call the light to aid this fight. Open your eyes, and see the sun rise!"

A fist-sized ball of light appeared above the book, and as it floated in front of her, she waved her arm, firing it in the face of the zombie. Once it connected, the zombie screeched angrily as its head became engulfed in a sphere of light, while a blinding, painful radiance filled its vision, burning its retinas and shutting it off from the world around it. Melina, watching this, chuckled sinisterly.

"I couldn't help but notice you and your ilk don't exactly blink." she said, smiling vindictively. "So have fun. I insist."

Viera looked back at Melina, mildly disturbed, but quickly refocused her efforts on the zombie in front of her, which was wildly slashing the air in front of it and screaming bloody murder. She thus chose to make things quick, covering her staff in an electric spearhead and creeping behind the zombie. At once, she jumped up, thrusting the 'spear' through its skull; and with it, a thousand volts. It was, following that, good as dead.

https://youtu.be/YYfoWIlt9vw

Melina, satisfied, grabbed and closed her book, while Viera, sighing, took another look at Melina's shoulder. The fabric was visibly stained with blood, but it wasn't too prominent because of the dark colours of the clothing. Still, it would only get worse with time, so she raised her staff and told the bespectacled woman, "You're injured. Let me look at it."

"Oh, it's just a flesh wound." she shook her head, continuing to clutch her shoulder. "Who needs white magic when a gauze and bandage will suffice?"

"You do." Viera insisted. "I saw those claws. And look at all that blood! There's no way he left you with just a flesh wound."

"Tch, you won't back down on this, will you?" Melina sighed, exposing her shoulder to reveal three large, bloody gashes on it. "Typical Viera. Heal away, then..."

Viera nodded, raising her staff and aiming it at the wound. Glad to see she was cooperating, she now focused her attention on mending the wound. "Oh, Torch's light, shine upon this ward of yours, and keep the dawn at bay!"

The staff shone brightly, and Melina felt the strands of white magic assaulting her wounds, fixing the broken tissue and closing the skin. She sighed, about to get moving only for Viera to nudge her with her staff, shaking her head.

"Not so fast, Melina. If these were created by Raina, they're definitely venomous." she said, silently beginning to wonder if Raina had visited Suzaku lately. "I need to check you to make sure you're not infected."

Melina sighed softly, resting her hand against her forehead and nodding. "If you insist."

Viera nodded slowly at that, glad that she wasn't resisting anymore. She pointed her staff at Melina as it gave off a gentle blue light. "Oh Torch's light, watch over this ward of yours - observe the virulence within, and annihilate it by your hand!"

Melina closed her eyes, feeling something gradually fade away in her body. As she did, she crossed her arms, tapping her finger against her tricep. "Tell me, Viera, why are you so upset?"

"If anythings upsetting me now, it's your weird aversion to white magic." Viera deadpanned, but Melina shook her head with a smile.

"No, no, it's not just now. I notice these things, you know." she tutted. "Something's been eating at you since before I laid eyes on you today."

Viera sighed, looking down, and Melina opened her eyes, continuing. "You felt it too, didn't you? The world's heartbeat? I wonder if it has something to do with that. Come to think of it, you were looking for the Torch, right? I suppose it makes sense that a responsibility like that would be hard to deal w-"

"I didn't get it."

Melina raised an eyebrow at that, looking down at the priestess quizzically. "After all your preparation, you...didn't get it?"

"Yeah, that's what I said, isn't it?" Viera scowled slightly, lowering her staff. "I didn't get the Torch. Happy now?"

"Well, I can't say that I am, Viera." Melina frowned. "Lucky break, running into this zombie breakout, then. Punching them must be so cathartic."

Viera sighed audibly, remaining completely wordless, and Melina took this as her cue to continue. "But tell me, Viera, does it matter?"

"Of course it matters." Viera muttered bitterly, crossing her arms. "You know I've spent so long studying the Torch. I've followed its teachings, pledged myself to it...I guess I assumed it'd see me as worthy. Instead, it went to my bodyguard, of all people..."

"Your bodyguard? I don't see anyone else around..."

"We and the ninja he recruited split up to deal with the outbreak." Viera explained. "What's worse is that he's just some mercenary, and I hired him to accompany me so I could get the Torch. The gods and Kiran must be having the laugh of their lives right now."

"Don't be like that, Viera. You've done a lot so far, I'm sure they appreciate it." Melina smiled warmly at her, while Viera looked up at her. "Besides, you're a hero in your own right! You've been fighting the Deliverance for a while now, and I know I'm not the only person you've used your white magic on."

"I thought you didn't like my white magic."

"Point is, you've done plenty of good deeds! Shouldn't that tell you that you don't need some nightlight to be a hero?" Melina asked, causing Viera to raise an eyebrow. "Why DID you want to become the Torchbearer, anyway?"

"...well, I wanted to be the hero of the story, I guess." Viera murmured. "The Torch saved me when I was little, so I figured this would be my way of paying it back. And...I guess I thought I'd be getting what I deserved."

"Ah. I can see why you'd feel the way you do, then." Melina said. "Do tell me, though, how do you feel about your bodyguard? Do you think he's somehow undeserving?"

"Maybe? I dunno..." Viera admitted. "I'm still trying to gauge his worth, honestly. I can at least trust he'll give it his all, though."

"Oh?"

"I've seen him fight before, and he's really good at it - he could meet a hobgoblin's blade head-on! Oh, I'm not sure how much good he meant, but when we met, he convinced me to help him kill a hobgoblin that threatened Suzaku's church! And I didn't even have to pay..." Viera went on. "I mean, he could be a good Torchbearer, but I feel like he needs someone to guide him on the way..."

Melina giggled quietly. "Seems like you're quite the fan." she commented, and Viera paused slightly, raising an eyebrow. "If you want to repay the Torch, then don't you think the best thing to do is to be that guiding hand?"

Viera looked up at her with a curious expression, and Melina smiled, happy to elaborate. "Surely you've read the tales of the Torchbearers who came before, right? Even they had their allies." she told her. "Parties of adventurers, old rivals turned allies, even the noncombatant blacksmiths and bards who helped them on the way. They were just as instrumental to the Torchbearer's success as the hero themselves - but most importantly, they all had their own stories that were worth telling, no?"

"Right..." Viera nodded slowly, taking in these words. "Then, I guess that makes sense. I...would still be a hero, even if I'm not the Torchbearer. I just have to do my part, right?"

"You're already doing it. You just need to keep doing it." Melina encouraged her, rubbing her own fingers together and calling a magnifying glass to her hand. "You've fought this 'Raina', haven't you? Allow me to help you find her."

"How will you do that?" Viera questioned, watching as Melina placed the glass in front of her eye, while it glowed with a dark purple light.

"With a wretched school of magic that I only like to use sparingly." Melina replied, looking through the glass with one eye. Her vision was not magnified, but instead, she viewed the world in shades of purple. For the most part, anyway. Where the large zombie had been, there were wispy clouds of pink interspersed with green. She also saw numerous pink sparkles moving slowly across the different streets of Seiryu, a rather dense concentration of which she observed by the outskirts. This caught her curiosity, so she tapped the side of the glass and focused on that, managing to spot the item being affected by that magic - a large tree.

She lowered the glass and looked down at Viera, pointing far off into the distance. "There's a tree on the outskirts of town just over there. I think you'll find your witch over there." she advised. "But you should be careful. That large zombie we fought just now had both pink and green energies coming from it."

Viera narrowed her eyes, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. "...well, now I'm in the mood to kill some more things. Goddamned bard..." she growled, before taking a deep breath to compose herself. "...thanks, anyway."

"It's my pleasure." Melina smiled happily, taking a bow. "I'll be off, now, so I figured I might as well lend a hand one last time."

"Appreciated." Viera nodded slowly. "Will you be safe on your own?"

"Now, what kind of question is that?" Melina laughed lightly, nodding her head affirmatively. "I'll be fine. There's nothing my black magic can't cut through."

"At least you're confident." Viera sighed. "Take care, then."

The pair shook hands before going their separate ways, Viera committing everything Melina had said to memory. She considered just what it meant to be the protagonist of her own story - to blaze her own path even without that twilit torch to bear.