Lianne slowly opened her eyes, blankly staring up at a stone roof supported by dark wooden beams. The sensation of cold stone underneath her head felt strangely comfortable, even through it’s hardness. She lifted up her hands, examining the dried blood stuck to her palms. Death was more peaceful than she had thought it would be. With a groan, she pulled herself upwards, feeling the weight of her swords on her hip shift. Glancing downwards, her hands drifted over the rip on the clothing on her chest. It was precise with minimal tearing on the edges, clean entry and exit. A memory of the pain flashed through her head, remnants of the burning white hot sensation tingling through her veins. The wound was completely gone now, back to the usual smooth skin with only a bit of blood still on it. Her hand shot up to her head and she breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the hair clip still safely in her hair.

“Lianne!”

She jumped at the sudden voice, moving her hand upwards to defend herself. A familiar face leaned down towards her with a type of relief she had never seen before permeating it. “I thought you wouldn’t wake up.”

She slowly retracted her hand and examined her body again. Alive? There was no way. She reached over where the wound was placed, finding the beat of her heart thrumming underneath. Shaking her head in exasperation, she rubbed her eyes. “How long has it been?”

“Not long, maybe thirty minutes.”

Her eyes shot to Sirius, that was impossible. How could being impaled take less than an hour to heal? “What happened, how did you get me here?”

Sirius paused and sat back. “For some reason they let me go, said they had plans for me.”

Lianne took a quick glance at him as she shifted away from him. Maybe he was telling the truth about that part, but he wasn’t telling the full story. Only one option of what could’ve happened came to mind, and if it really did, she couldn’t trust him anymore. She shook her head; maybe her ether just kicked in, maybe he helped her in some way, but that didn’t explain why she wasn’t exhausted. She should just wait until she knew for sure, right? She got up onto her feet and took a look around. They were in a building which was surprisingly intact. A mess of papers littered the floor beside a broken glass cup. It seemed like whoever was here left in a hurry. Letting out a sigh, Lianne rubbed her eyes. “The targets are getting away.”

Sirius nodded and followed her as she headed out the door. The fires around this area weren’t as large, and most of them were reduced to smoldering piles of charcoal. Bits of ash flew through the air, stinging Lianne as they hit her skin. She grimaced at the sensation, remembering the last times she had to burn bodies; it wasn’t pleasant, it never was, especially when it involved plague bishops. The infection that they spread had to be burnt out, even if the victims were still living. At least the roar of the fires usually masked the screams. Lianne was snapped out of the memory as Sirius moved beside her. “Lianne, can we talk for a moment?”

She looked at him warily and carefully folded her arms. “Why?”

He took a moment to look at the destruction around him and let out a sigh. “Our employer just tried to kill you, I don’t think this is a valid contract anymore.”

“You can go then.”

He looked up at her, his eyebrows furrowed. “You’re not leaving this.”

“You said it yourself, this is more than just a contract for me. I’m not keeping you here, and those soldiers are still hunting you, right?”

“You’re going to get yourself killed, you’ve almost died twice now.”

“Yeah, I have, not you. Why do you care?”

He paused, opening his mouth and then closing it again. Looking to the side, he let out a huff. “Lianne, I’m not going to stand by while you run into danger.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” She looked at him as he shook his head and avoided her gaze. Stepping towards him, she gripped her hand into a fist. “You’re being a hypocrite and following me into a battle which isn’t yours.”

“Thats-”

“This is personal, that should be all the explanation you need to go away.”

“It’s personal for me as well.”

She grit her teeth and pushed past him. “You want to be stupid and stay here? Fine, but keep your mouth shut.”

“Lianne wait-”

She whipped around, pointing a finger at him. “No, I won’t, not for you, not for anybody.”

He stared at her, his eyes filled with a somber pity. Lianne took a moment to take it in, calming her own voice to an exasperated whisper. “Why Sirius? Why do you want to stop me? What have I done to make you so concerned about my life?”

He shook his head, his hair slowly being spotted white under the ash. “Killing them won’t make you feel better, trust me. I know where this path ends, you don’t have to go down it.”

“But why does that matter to you?”

He wiped his face and raised his voice. “I don’t know, but that’s not important. What I do know is that I’m watching you throw your life away.”

“Worry about your own problems, it’s my life, not yours.”

“All I want is for you to think for a-”

“I don’t give a shit about what you want.” She turned away, moving briskly down the stone pathway. It took a moment for the sound of his footsteps to follow her. She let out a sigh and kept moving forwards, keeping her gaze in front of her. Of course she knew he would follow, but a part of her hoped he wouldn’t for his own sake. She was going to put him in danger if he came along, but that was his fault, right? Even so, as stupid and incomprehensibly insensible as he was, she didn’t exactly want him to die. Lianne shook her head and cursed herself as she moved forwards.

I don’t care about him, why would I care?

She coughed as ash entered her throat. There was no way Genstem could recover after this, every single building was destroyed. Maybe that was a good thing, this place bred rot and ruin. Her gaze drifted to the body of a woman sprawled out on the ground, a maroon hue stuck to the clothing around the exit wound which perforated her stomach. Lianne paused her thoughts, taking another look at the saddened gaze of fear stuck on the corpse’s blood splattered face. In their hands they held onto a small cross on a thin chain. Of all the things to do in their last moments, they decided to pray. Lianne shook her head and walked past them. Naive and hopeful, she had seen their type before. They probably didn’t even realize what world they were living in until they were taken from it. How did somebody like that even live here?

The gravel crunched under her feet as she walked through a narrow alleyway. A small tingle ran through Lianne’s temple, causing her to wince. She put a hand on her head as a wave of nausea swept over her followed by a searing pain. Her eyes widened as she realized what it meant. They had to be close now, there was no doubt about it. The pain pulsed through her head as she caught herself on the wall beside her. Her breaths quickened as the agony stabbed through her eye and into her skull. She heard footsteps approach her from behind as the sensation of a hand reaching out neared her shoulder. She spun around, quickly stepping back and pointing a finger at him with her other hand on the handle of her sword. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

Sirius took a look at her, his worried expression making Lianne want to punch him. He didn’t even bother to ask and took a step away from her with a nod. She quickly made some distance between them as the pain started to subside. Through the pain a small smile of anticipation crawled onto her face. She was so close now, closer than she had ever been in years.

Lianne took a deep breath as she continued her brisk march towards a destination which she wasn’t completely sure of. Rounding the corner, her skin pulsed softly. They were somewhere near at least it felt like they were. She brushed her hand along the wall beside her, feeling the thin layer of ash crumble off underneath her hand. The corridor continued onwards as the sensation in her veins became increasingly irritating. Her footsteps gradually became faster as she broke into a run. They wouldn’t stay in one spot for long, she couldn’t miss her opportunity. Heavier footsteps echoed her from behind as her pace picked up. “Where-”

“Shut up.” She continued forwards, coughing as she breathed in the flakes floating in the air. Everything looked like darkened snow, at least from what Lianne could remember snow looking like. The pain was getting fainter, she needed to find them quickly. Quickening her pace, she grit her teeth as her veins pulsed with each step. Looking down at the ash covered ground, remnants of blood and footsteps paved a path forwards. Lianne knelt down, touching the stains and feeling their warmth. She smiled, now running forwards.

“Lianne!”

She didn’t pay attention, keeping watch on the prints across the ground. He had gotten careless, and now he would pay for it. It was ironic really, looking back on all the times when he told her to pay more attention. She burst into a large courtyard, cursing out loud as she looked ahead of her at the figure standing in the middle of it. Chains circled in the air, whirling among the flakes, causing a storm of white particles. Tylocke looked over to her and smirked. “You too, huh?”

Lianne drew her swords and walked towards him as he twirled the chains around his arm, shaking his head at her. “Look, we don’t have time for this.”

“We?”

“Well, we want the same thing, don’t we?”

“You tried to kill me.”

“Well I didn’t-”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Tylocke sighed and flicked his wrist upwards. A chain came from underneath the ash and wrapped around Lianne’s arm, causing her to stumble backwards with a grunt of pain as it sent a piercing sensation of ice through her body. He continued talking, his agitation audible. “I don’t have to kill you, and I know what you want. My accomplice is dealing with them right now, and I’m on a tight schedule. So, if you’re done being a child-”

Lianne ripped her hand upwards with a roar of rage as she tried to tear herself free. Tylocke looked over her shoulder with a groan. “Of course, you’re here.”

Lianne felt the chain release her hand and heard the sound of metal clashing behind her as a familiar voice grunted next to her. “You’re going to get yourself-”

“Yeah, yeah, heard you before, still don’t care.”

Sirius shook his head. “Argue later, don’t die now.”

Lianne let out an annoyed sigh, unfortunately he was right about that. Tylocke retracted his chains and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You really don’t negotiate, do you?”

Lianne didn’t respond and raised her swords, trying to find an opening through the swirl of metal around him. He gestured to the ground, his voice calm. “They’re getting away, do you want to waste time fighting?”

She paused and took a look at the now faded footprints in the ash, realizing he was right. This was just wasting time, and even if he would kill her in a heartbeat, if she could just-

“Lianne, focus.” Sirius moved ahead of her as she angrily tried to move back in front from behind him.

“Don’t tell-”

“Would you just stop?”

She shook her head, seething through her teeth. Why did he have to stop being timid at the exact wrong time? Tylocke let out a long sigh and moved his chains back to his arms. “And we’ve run out of time, have fun with the others.”

Suddenly, he wrapped the chains around himself and shone with a dark blue and purple light, shrouding his body and blinking out of existence. The sound of heavy footsteps came from a corridor to their right, more than one person it seemed. Lianne cursed as six familiar figures emerged, their armour glistening and cloaks drifting in the wind. She stopped herself from breathing a sigh of relief as their attention was directed to Sirius, and she slowly stepped backwards. This didn’t have to be her problem, Sirius said it himself. She carefully turned away and broke into a run, following the footsteps once again. Sirius didn’t move from his position and stared back at them. It was his fight, she didn’t need to care, she had no reason to.

~

Sirius held onto his sword and tried to calm his breath as he heard Lianne’s footsteps grow distant. The stretching of a bowstring mixed amongst the clinking of armour as he stared at the six people standing in front of him, each of their stances indicating they were ready for a fight, or at least it seemed like they were. His breath shook as he stood to full height, lowering his blade. “We don’t need to do this.”

Raynauld moved forwards, raising his glaive. “You’re not getting away-”

He was interrupted by a hand in front of him as a blue cloak drifted forwards. “Raynauld, go after the targets.”

Sirius shook his head and let the tip of his sword hit the ground as they continued to speak.

“He’s dangerous-”

“I know.”

With a short pause, Raynauld looked back at the masked man with a bow behind him as he slowly let the string go slack and led the way forwards. Sirius met Felicia’s eyes before she was pulled away in the middle of the group, the look on her face indiscernible. The rasp of a sword exiting its sheath filled the courtyard as the group left down a streetway. Sirius returned his attention back forwards, watching long mahogany hair fall out under the hood of the blue cloak as it was pulled off.

“Maria, please-”

“I told you the last time we saw each other that it couldn’t end without conflict.”

She removed the metal mask she was wearing and let it fall to the floor, a small and somber smile on her face. “I’m sorry it had to be this way.”

“But it doesn’t, we can walk away.”

She shook her head and gripped onto her sword with both her hands. “I can’t Sirius.”

“I won’t kill you.”

“You have to.”

He grit his teeth as she slowly walked forwards, her sword held by her hip, the blade glinting with light. “I don’t want to do this, I hope you know that.”

“Just tell me one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

Sirius closed his eyes.“Felicia, why is she here?”

Maria sighed and lowered her head. “Partly because of Raynauld, mainly because of herself.” Sirius nodded as sheets of ash fell off the burnt roofs which surrounded the courtyard.“You’ve tried to stop her?”

“Of course.”

He shook his head, smirking.“I should’ve guessed, she really hasn’t changed, has she?”

“I get why you took a liking to her now.”

“Hm?”

Maria tilted her head, holding her side with her hand. “She’s so idealistic, so… hopeful.”

Sirius nodded, shifting his feet through the ash. “I saw that the day I ran into her.”

“I first thought that you were using her to skip our training sessions.”

Sirius laughed. “Seriously?” Maria chuckled, holding onto the neckpiece of her breastplate. “No, I was confused at why, but now I know.” She paused for a second, looking away. “I’m sorry I couldn't help her.” Her lips stayed parted as her hair obscured her eyes. “Or you.”

Sirius shook his head, stopping himself from moving towards her. “Maria, that’s not your fault, none of it was.”

She looked up, a sorrowful smile on her lips. “We’re stalling, aren’t we?”

Sirius looked down at his blade, the tip still on the ground, touching the ash. Maria stepped her foot forwards and balanced her weight as Sirius gripped onto his sword’s handle, looking her directly in the eyes as she spoke, a pained expression permeated through her face. “I wish we had more time.”

“Me too.”

Her stance was the same as it always was, the handle of her sword up by her chin and the tip pointed at him. Her hair slowly flicked behind her back as her cloak billowed softly, the scarce armour underneath it providing minimal but effective protection, a less dented and scratched version of his own. Her foot swept through the ash, drawing long curves in the ground, movements swift, little to no action wasted. Sirius stepped along with her, his hands shifting along his handle, moving the blade up to a defensive stance. She slowly inched forwards, her body balanced at all times, her feet not crossing as she moved. Sirius responded in kind, his steps wary, planting slowly but firmly. A swift gust of wind blew and the sharp rustle of fabric filled the air.

Metal clashing against metal echoed like a bell, ringing as blades sang against each other. Sirius grunted as he deflected Maria’s blade to the side and she twisted it around for a second strike which he backed away from, quickly cutting with a slice of his own. She pulled her sword back to block the strike, carrying the momentum into a blow of her own with two ghostly swords. Sirius blocked high and felt a rush of wind hit his stomach as metal clashed above his head. He responded with a sharp thrust, to which Maria jumped back from.

They circled around each other, swords in the same stance as one another as the burnt wood on the ground skittered away from their feet. Sirius looked into her eyes, trying to discern something from the blank yet focused stare. Before he could learn anything, she launched back at him again with a sharp flick aimed at his neck. Sirius backed away from her advance, dodging out of the way of one strike after another. He seethed as one panged his armoured arm, shooting upwards to his head. His blade met hers as he ducked underneath, letting her sword slide up his own as he pushed it towards her, forcing her to jump back again.

Maria didn’t wait before moving back towards him, an afterimage of her sword trailing behind. Sirius grunted as he blocked the blade, attempting to divert her attack to the side. She rode with the momentum, hitting her crossguard into his blade, the thrust bouncing off the edge of his breastplate and barely missing his throat. Sirius tried to break off only to find Maria’s blade hurtling towards his knee. He kicked his leg backwards, putting himself off balance as she reared forwards with an overhead strike. Sirius almost fell backwards as her sword slammed into his, the metal reverberating from the force. Sirius switched his guard and let her blade fall downwards, to which she twisted her sword around, aiming for his hand. Moving back, the attack cut past him as he blocked the followup swing. Her blade lept to the side as he swung towards her stomach, keeping an eye on her seemingly out of place sword.

Sirius grunted as he finished the swing, jumping back to prepare for her counterattack. She placed her foot back, her blade still where it was. She slowly raised her hands, balance faltering.

“Well done.”

Sirius’s eyes widened as she grasped her stomach and fell to the floor, sword clattering to the ash covered ground. He dropped his sword and ran towards her, grabbing onto her head and shoulder before she fully collapsed.“Maria, no, please no.”

She coughed and gasped as she clutched onto her midsection, blood seeping through her hands. “You did well, very well.”

Sirius shook his head and held her in his arms. “You… you wanted this.”

She nodded slowly, looking up at him. “I’m sorry, I used you.”

“But why?”

Maria let out a laboured sigh as her breath shook. “I… I didn’t have the strength to do it myself.”

“But you didn’t-”

“Sirius, I needed this.”

He clutched onto her shoulder and shook his head. “You deserve more, you-”

“No, I deserved less.” She touched a hand to his arm, her hand brushing along the metal plates. “I couldn’t ask for anything better, to have one last duel against you.”

“You deserve to live, you’ve done so much for so many people. There’s still time, the others couldn’t have gotten far-”

“Please Sirius, stop.” She let her hand grip softly onto his. “I want this.”

“I don’t.”

She smiled softly and nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry, let me be selfish one last time.”

Sirius looked down at her wound, watching the red seep into the white and blue clothing. “I… I still don’t understand.”

“I’m glad that you don’t.” A glimmer filled her eyes as she looked up at him as her ether waned and failed to heal the wound. He placed his hand onto hers and held it in place for her as she blinked slowly, her lips parting. She let out a hoarse chuckle interrupted by her own coughing. “You look like him.”

“What?”

“Like… Oh, I never told you about that, did I?” She moved her hand from her stomach and grabbed onto the small silver locket around her neck, pulling it off and placing it on the floor beside her. “Take that, I won’t be needing it anymore.”

Sirius shook his head, trying to keep his voice from breaking. “Don’t push yourself.”

She nodded as her gaze fell to the sky, the grey of the clouds mixing with the black smog of the fires. The ash settled as red seeped through it and Maria’s voice quietly drifted in the wind. “Sirius?”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember when we met?”

“Yes, you beat me twenty times.”

She nodded softly as her breaths grew shallower, her voice turning to a whisper. “Back then, I used you to give myself meaning.”

Sirius remained silent, listening to her quiet tone. “I was supposed to train you and forget, but I couldn’t. I let myself grow attached. For that, I’m sorry.” He looked into her eyes, watching them glaze over. “Sirius, please, don’t mourn me.”

Her ragged breaths slowed to a crawl, the rasps from her throat barely audible. The strength in her hand was gone, the only thing keeping it in place was Sirius’s grip. He gently laid her on the ground, placing her hand onto her chest and his on her shoulder. “Thank you, for everything.”

He watched her close her eyes, her chest sinking down as her breath faded and the ether in her body flickered out. Sirius slowly picked up the locket from the ground, placing it in his pocket as he looked at Maria. He got up, taking her sword off the ground and placing it onto her chest, laying her hands on top of the handle. Her hair lay on the floor, still messily tied back with locks of it falling onto the sides of her face. Sirius took a deep breath, trying to keep his eyes open as he looked at her. His vision blurred as he sank lower onto his knees, silently gripping onto his legs and leaning over. “Maria… Maria why?” He wiped his tears away and looked down at her. “I can’t fulfill that wish.”

He stopped as he realized he wasn’t talking to anybody anymore, the corpse in front of him lying peacefully at rest. This was what she wanted, this was what she came here to do. If only he was there for her, if only he knew what to do, there must’ve been a way to change her mind, she shouldn’t have died. Sirius sat on the ground, helplessly looking at her now pale face as her lips lay parted, motionless.