10 Part 9

Finally, upon hours of wondering in that forest, we made it to a city with a port. This city had a much larger tower. It looked like to would take a bombing run for it to be destroyed. Keith was still a bit upset after revealing a bit of his past but was starting to come around. He and Flora made up to each other and are getting along better. As for Flora well, she's a bit hostile at the moment. It's been four days into her heat and without relief, she's on edge right now, so I'd figured it's best if I don't annoy or interact with her for the time.

The city was two times larger than the previous city. We left Flora and Keith at the border so they won't be compromised and Trace and I made it to the port and Trace approached a guy who seems to be running the show around here. Trace asked the guy if we could use a ship to head on the water.

"Well, of course, Mr. Templar. I can have a ship ready for you as soon as possible." The guy said. "But it's going to be at least a day to gather the supplies and men. I hope that's alright?"

"Oh, uh, sure. Sounds fine." Trace stated.

"Good."

Later, we headed back to Keith, and Flora and Trace explained to them it'll take a day for them to get the ship up and running. "Eh, Trace, I don't know about this..." Flora muttered.

"Yes, I agree with Flora. We shouldn't stay here very long. There's something wrong with this place anyway, I feel it." Keith announced.

"We won't last a day here, after what happened when we were in a city, yeah. Don't like it." I said.

"What else are we going to do though? It's going to take time to get the boats ready, and we have nowhere to go. Don't worry, as long as you guys stay with me, everything will be fine. Trust me." Trace declared.

Just like before, we had Flora and Keith disguise themselves in Templar robes, with Flora wearing white and Keith wearing black robes. "This... is... humiliating," Keith uttered.

"I dunno... I like having Trace's shirt on... mmm... Trace's scent in on it." Flora said.

"Oh, no, not again..."

So all four of us entered the city and the first thing we did was try to find a place to lay low and make sure we don't run into those Templar guys again. As we walked, I noticed two women looking right at us. Both of them are human and have long, blonde hair and wore blue robes with the Templar insignia on them. "There he is! It really is the Grand Templar!" One of the girls cheered.

"I told you I saw him!" The other one said.

"This is amazing! Should we go and meet him?"

"No! Trace isn't the kind of person you just walk up to! We should inform Saria first anyway."

"Oh, yeah, Saria! I'll go get her, you keep watch of Trace."

Seems like we're already compromised. Trace has a reputation here that is making me quite nervous. One thing I was confused about, they mentioned someone named Saria. I thought maybe it was their superior or leader, either way, this isn't good.

We made it to someplace called the WaterBurn tavern and found a vacant table for four, fortunately. I was still nervous and kept on thinking about those two, and how they'd recognize Trace that quickly. CAG instincts are telling me they'll be some sort of catalyst for something about to happen.

As we were drinking away on ale, I noticed Flora's tail slowly swirls around Trace's leg. Her heat was getting the best of her, that's for sure. "Flora, would you stop that?" Trace asked.

"Well, sorry! It's not all that easy. I'm trying to control myself as best as I can." Flora stated.

"Yeah, but this is really not the right time. I have a reputation here, you know."

"I'll... try harder, I guess. It's just frustrating. I know we haven't been together very long but... you know... I... I love you."

"You... love...?"

Now that I think about it, this was the first time I ever heard Flora say those three words to Trace. I sighed and looked around the tavern. The place was dead empty, as in we were the only ones there, except for the usual maids and stuff. Then, I saw one of the girls from earlier walking towards our general position. My heart jumped and I placed my hand on my pistol, ready to take it out in case something bad happens. She approached Trace particularly and all of us turned our attention to her.

"Grand Templar? I hope I'm not interrupting you. I just want to tell you that I'm a big fan of yours! Um, I also hope you don't mind, but I went and brought your wife here. She's been worried sick about you." The girl said.

"Wait... my WHAT?!" Trace yelled loud enough for the fucking sign of the tavern to fall off. I was shocked to hear that Trace had a wife, everyone around the table except that blonde girl was surprised too. "What the fuck, wife?! Trace?!" I spat as I turned to him.

"Trace, come over here!" Flora shouted.

"Flora?! ACK!" Trace yelped.

"Well, where are you going, Sir? Don't you want to see Saria? She's really looking forward to seeing you!" The girl announced.

So that's Saria, Trace's wife. I didn't believe he had a wife, after seeing Trace and Flora kissed in that river, wasn't sure what was going to happen. One thing's for sure, Flora tugged on Trace's arm, trying to get him upstairs. "Come on, Trace!" She ordered.

"Where are we- ERG! Your claws!" Trace said.

"I'm a Keidran, remember? I can't talk to you out there."

They both got upstairs out of our sight but were still pretty audible from down here. I just took a sip of ale from the glass in front of me and listened to their conversation. "Why didn't you tell me you were married? You knew, didn't you?" Flora declared.

"I had no idea! I don't know anything about my past, you know that! I don't even know if it's true or not, really!" Trace stated.

"Oh, I know. But if it's true... I... what about me?"

"Flora, Flora!, Relax. I'm sure it's just some misunderstanding. Why don't you let me handle this? They have running water here, you can go take a bath. You... heh, could use one."

"Oh, okay..."

We then saw Trace walking downstairs alone, without Flora. She must've headed to the baths. I got up from my seat and followed Trace out of the Tavern and saw her, standing right in front of us. She is real and oh my God, was she a beauty. A human female, with long brown hair that covered her right eye, looked silky and soft. Cherry red pupils and wore a white dress and a grey shirt on top. "Holy shit..." I whispered.

"T-Trace... is It really you? I ca-can't believe it. It's been so long... You never wrote to me as you said. And none of my letters..." She muttered as tears roll down her cheek.

"I... I'm really sorry... Saria." Trace said.

"Oh, you don't... don't have to apologize, dear. It wasn't your fault... I must have done somethi-"

"That's not what I meant."

"Hm?"

"What I meant was... I'm sorry, but I don't... know you. I can't remember anything... at all. It happened about a month ago."

"You don't... remember me?"

"He'll explain it. For now, can we head inside?" I asked and both of them nodded in agreement.

We got inside and Trace described the situation in detail about how he lost his memories. As he was speaking, Saria coughed a couple of times and I saw a bit of blood splatter onto her hands. "You good, ma'am?" I asked.

"Y-yes... I'm fine. Please continue." She insisted.

"Well, like I said. I do remember some things. But only bits and pieces. Something happens, and I remember an event from my past. It's how I know your na-" Trace said when all of a sudden Flora out of nowhere, jumped onto Trace and tackled him onto the ground. "TRACE!!" she screamed.

"Jesus Christ!" I said and flinched back.

"Help me! I'm being chased by a Templar person!" She announced but when I looked around, I saw no one around. "Flora!" Trace called out. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Didn't I tell you to wait for me? You were supposed to... supposed to.. wa..wait..." Trace mumbled as Flora looked like she was on the verge of tears. I just sighed and dug my face into the palm of my hand"Oh no... stop it! It's not going to work this time... Cut it out! Don't even try!" Trace ordered and Flora ran away, crying. "Flora, wait!" Trace called but wasn't successful in getting Flora's attention.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Saria asked.

"Huh?"

"I don't know who this Keidran is... but... I saw that look on your face as she left. I can tell you're going to regret it if you don't."

"You... really think so? Ah... yeah, you're right. What's wrong with me? How could I do that to her?" He said and walked to where Flora ran. "I need to go talk to her. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She then mumbled something inaudible, so I wasn't able to hear it. I just sighed and crossed my arms. "Marcus," I said.

"Hm?" She hummed.

"Marcus D. Stryker. That's my name. I'm guessin' you're Saria, Trace's... wife."

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Marcus."

"Yeah. Heard your name not a while ago from a couple of locals. Didn't know who you were."

"You're not from here, are you? I've never seen you before... and I've never seen your attire and your accent is different from what I usually hear."

"Well, that's 'cause I'm not from here, ma'am. I'm from uh... North Carolina. Your husband and I, we both have some common interests."

"North Carolina...? I never heard of such a place."

"That's 'cause uh... Heh, yeah uh... I'll tell you another time. As for my attire, that's 'cause of my military background."

"Military?"

"Yes, ma'am. Not from here, if that's what you're askin'."

"Oh, I see."

My eyelids started to get heavy and I slowly began to felt tired. I covered my mouth with my hand as I yawned after which I looked around and back at Saria.

'Mhm, well it's gettin' pretty late. I better head to sleep. Tell Trace I'll be in my rack- I mean, my room." I said.

"Okay, it was nice meeting you, Marcus." She waved.

"You too."

I turned around and walked towards the stairs and headed upwards. I reached the second floor and strolled down a hallway and stopped in front of my door. I swung the door open and entered, closing the door behind me and threw myself into the bed without hesitation. I closed my eyes and fell into the dream world.

A full day passed I slowly woke up from my slumber. My eyelids flickered a couple of times before I rubbed my eyes with both of my hands and sat up-right. I got up from the bed and stretched my arms. After stretching, I walked over to the bathroom and stared right into the mirror, and saw my messy hair. I sighed and washed my hair with water. Now that my hair was soaking wet, I took a nearby towel and ran it over my hair so it would dry up. Once that's done, I took a comb and combed my hair to the hairstyle I've always used, combing seventy-five percent of my hair to the left and twenty-five percent of my hair to the right.

I dropped the comb back where I picked it up and walked out of the bathroom. I then wore my plate carrier and strapped my pistol holster onto my thigh. I then grabbed my pistol and slid it into the holster and wore the two-point sling on my HK416 and tossed the Carbine rifle to my side. After wearing my gear, I exited my room and I looked to my left and my right before walking down the hallway I was going to go to the main room to grab a bite before re-grouping with Trace and the others but as soon as I turned a corner, I immediately felt something or someone wrap their arms around me. I jumped and looked down and saw Flora, digging her face into my chest, weeping. "What the- Flora? What happened?" I asked as I looked around.

She then lifted her head from my chest and glared up to make direct eye contact. She looked right at me with her watery eyes. "Why am I a Keidran?" She weakly asked.

"Whoa. Hey, hey now. Come on, don't... don't ask that." I said and she once again just dug her face into my chest, sobbing. I sighed and patted her on the head. "Enough, please. I can't stand to see you like this." I said as I gently pushed her off my chest.

"I'm sorry... I can't help it." She said.

"It's... It's all good. Now, tell me. Why are you askin' me that?"

"Well, it's just that Trace said... he said that since I was a Keidran, we could only be friends... He seems so happy with that "wife" of his... why not, she's a normal human being. I just wish... wish I was normal too, like you."

I took a deep breath, irritated at what Trace did, but tried my best to stay calm. "Alright, hey, listen to me. I've been in this world for a month now. The only Keidran I know is you. You are who you are, right? You can't change that. You're covered in fur... look different from a human, but inside, you're still a person, ain't ya? Look, I'll have a chat with him, in the meantime, why don't you go to your room and calm down, alright?"

She just nodded and I patted her shoulder. I still couldn't believe what Trace said, after all the shit he's been with her. When we were in that forest. I marched through the hallway and down the stairs. As I entered the main room, I saw that blue-haired bastard sitting in front of a table and approached him. "Trace!" I called out.

"Oh, hey Marcus. What's up?" He asked and I got in front of him.

"The fuck you think you're doin'? Huh? You found out that you have a fucking wife and the next thing you do is say to Flora that she's just a Keidran, huh?"

"Marcus, what are you talking about?" He asked as he got up from his seat. "I didn't say anything to Flora. The only time I said anything about Flora was to Saria yesterday. I couldn't tell Saria how I felt about Flora! I don't even know..."

I just sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Well, you still abandoned her. I'll go check in on her, but you better apologize." I said as I pointed my finger at him.

He nodded in agreement and I lowered my hand, calmer than before. I turned around and walked towards the stairs, making it upstairs and into the hallway. I reached her door and knocked on it a couple of times, but didn't hear anything from the other side. "Flora? It's me, Marcus." I said but no one responded. I twisted the doorknob and found it's unlocked.

I slowly swung open the door and took a peek inside. But it was too dark to see. "Flora?" I called out but no one responded. I entered her room, turned around, and closed the door behind me. As soon as I turned back around, I noticed it was incredibly dark outside too, which was weird. I swore it was morning five minutes ago. I then saw Flora, her back turned against me. I also noticed she was wearing a black robe instead of the white he wore previously. "Flora? You okay?" I asked once again, but she didn't answer. The silence made me nervous and so, I grabbed ahold of my HK416 and slightly brought it up to the low ready position.

"Flora?" I called out and still no answer this time. I lifted my right leg and brought it back and my left forward. All of a sudden, she started to slowly turn around to face me, and when I saw her face, my heart sank, my skin became pale and my blood ran cold. There was some sort of mask on her face, made what looked like out of stone. I saw the eyes and, they looked completely different. I immediately snapped to aim the carbine rifle at her. "What the fuck..." I mumbled.

She lifted both of her arms up and suddenly, was starting to be surrounded by some sort of yellow aura that grew brighter by the second. I couldn't just shoot because I might hit Flora, so I just kept aiming until all of a sudden, I was hit with a powerful shockwave that sent me flying out of the building and destroyed half of the tavern in the process. The blast was accompanied by thunder striking the ground next to her and I slammed onto a nearby wooden cart, demolishing it.

I was in great pain, I felt blood running down my head as my body felt it was going to shatter. My vision was blurry and my ears rang. I heard nothing but ringing for a couple of seconds until I slowly began to hear the sounds of people panicking which slowly got clearer. "F-Fuck..." I mumbled weakly as I placed a palm on my forehead, which hurt. I brought my hand down and saw blood on my Oakley gloves.

I looked ahead and saw a half of the Tavern in shambled, with Flora standing on top of the debris. I tried to get up but a sharp pain in my right rib prevented me from being able to move and I got back down. "God... damnit..." I whispered and felt my throat became itchy. I coughed and pain overwhelmed my throat and felt a thick substance come up from my throat. I turned my head and spat out the substance and turns out it was my blood.

I then saw Trace and Keith rushing into the scene, trying to find out what's happening. "What's going on now- Flora? This can't be Flora... Who are you?" Trace asked.

"Oh, it's Trace... he betrayed you. You must be strong, take care of yourself... Trace... it's his fault." The mask on Flora said.

"Trace! It's Neutral! She's possessing Flora and tainting her mind!" Keith announced.

"What?!" Trace barked.

"Wrong, Keith... I am only saying what Flora cannot. They are her true feelings..." The masked stated.

"Fuckin'.... BULLSHIT!" I yelled and coughed up more blood, which gained the attention of that thing.

"She needs to know that you humans cannot ever be trusted. She is stubborn, but with my help, she will realize it."

"Let her go right now! Why are you doing this? What have we ever done to you?" Trace asked.

"It's not what you have done... it's what you will do. There is a great war coming, with balance hanging from a tread. You two will determine the outcome, but you cannot be on the same side." The mask said. "Once she accepted my help, it was easy. I needed her to willingly want my help, even if it was only for a moment. I have you to thank for that."

"Why would Flora ever want your help? Why was she so unhappy?"

"You really have no idea."

"Wha-?"

"Flora had fallen in love with you. A stupid little girl with a childish crush. And your words mean everything to her. "Just a Keidran." Remember that?"

"That's what she heard? No... but she should have realized I didn't mean it... That I couldn't say that I... that..."

"That you what?!"

"I don't know! I don't know how I... feel."

"Hah!"

She then smacked Trace with a lot of force that was enough to send him flying to the wall behind him. Almost broke when Trace was slammed onto it, and I saw blood running down his mouth. "I knew it! You can't even admit it to yourself." Neutral said.

"Arg... what do you want from me?!" Trace demanded to know.

"This seems familiar... do you remember?"

"What are you talking about?"

"But of course you don't. This was before I stole your memories."

"That was you? Why... if you wanted was for me and Flora to be enemies...."

"If I hadn't removed your memories, you would have killed Flora that day in the forest. Yet you still try to stop me now..."

I can't stand this, I have to do nothing. I tried to get up once more, but that pain came back to pull me down. I had to resist it, so I pulled myself up again, with all my strength but ended up on the ground instead, which hurt even more. "Fuck!" I groaned in pain and used both of my arms as support to get back up.

"No! Please, don't let me see it again! I don't want to hurt Flora! I don't want to be what I once was! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Trace shouted.

"Wha-? Y-you're supposed to remember now! You... don't want to remember?"

"Agh... Of course, I want to remember! I want to know who I am... But if it means going back to hurt people... then forget it!"

"Fine! We'll do it the hard way!" Neutral started to levitate off the ground as electrical bolts swirl around her rapidly. I managed to get up on my feet and held my Carbine rifle. "Hey, asshole!" I yelled and Neutral switched her attention to me, same goes for Trace and Keith. "If any dumb motherfucker's gonna fight you, it's gonna be me!" I yelled and aim at my HK416.

"So, you wish to fight a god?! Fine by me!" Neutral yelled and pointed a finger at me. Then, three lightning bolts zapped towards me. "Ack! Marcus!" Trace yelled and a crate surrounded by a blue aura suddenly flew in front of me, taking the hit of the lightning bolts. I took a step back as the crate was immediately destroyed. Debris flew over my face and used my arm as cover.

Neutral then looked at Trace and got close to him. "You used... a crate... I mean, really a crate? Come on..."

Behind Flora, I noticed that red-haired guy from behind slowly sneaking up behind Flora with a sword. "If I can get close enough... Maybe I can kill the host before she realizes I'm here..." He mumbled but was immediately whacked in the back of the head by Keith. "Hey, stay back!" Keith said.

"Ow! What was that for, you stupid Keidran?!"

I'm not a Keidran, damn it! But that's not the point... You can't hurt Flora. Let Trace and Marcus handle this!"

"Hah! Like I'm going to listen to an animal. Why should I care for the life of this Flora?"

"If you hurt Flora, I'll kill you!" Keith said as he grabbed the shirt of the guy."

Trace and I were then pushed back to the ground by what I can assume is telekinesis from Neutral. I hadn't felt pain this much since Afghanistan and it still, makes me happy I'm here than there. "Why don't you just give up already? This would be so much simpler. There's no use struggling! Just forget Flora! Why don't you fight me? Realize your true powers! Give in to your memories!" Neutral taunted Trace.

"I... I can't.." Trace muttered.

"Why? I don't understand..."

"It's... it's because I really do care... about Flora. I wasn't sure before but..."

"But she's just a Keidran! You could have any human female you wanted! Or if you're into Keidran, who's going to stop you? You could have anyone!"

"But... I don't want a human. Or a Keidran! Don't you get it? It's not race that's important. It's just Flora. Because... I love her."

"Y-you're not supposed to say that! I saw the future! This isn't what happens! This is over!" Neutral said and grabbed Trace by his robe and threw him to the ground. "Arg!" Trace groaned.

"Even if you can admit you love her, she will never hear it while I'm here. And that's all that matters. My mission is done. I will bring Flora back to her home and steal her memories. Just as I did with yours." Neutral said and turned around, walking off.

"No, wait! You can't! This can't be the end, can it...? Flora's memories... Was it all for nothing? Have I failed?" Trace mumbled.

"Trace, what are you doing? Stop her!" Someone said in the back and threw a pebble at his head. "What? Who is..." Neutral turned around and I too spun around to see it was that girl with the cat ears, on a sofa, with... popcorn in her hands and a flag that said "Go Trace!" on it like she was watching a baseball game. I believed her name was Karen. "You're not gunna take that are you? It took me forever to get this stuff to step up! I wanna see blood-shed!" She cheered.

"Karen, can't you be serious for once in your life?" Trace's ex-girlfriend asked beside her. "Seriously, Trace. I don't know what's going on entirely, but you have to do something!"

"I agree with her, Trace," I said.

"But I can't... I can't risk hurting Flora! I can barely move in my case..." Trace uttered.

"Maybe you just need a little help." A familiar voice ran out beside. Trace and I looked over and saw Euchre again. I was surprised he was here, didn't know we'd cross paths again. "It's you! Uh... Euchre?" Trace announced.

"I'm honored you remember me. I must say, I have to agree with this human."

"What?! But... what about Flora? You're practically her brother! Are you saying you would fight her too?"

"Me? Heck, no! I'd be killed! Listen Trace, the masks indeed know everything. Past, present, future. But there's one thing that they cannot predict..."

"Erg... You stay out of this!" Neutral yelled and summoned a lightning bolt towards Euchre "Die, you mortal Kei- wait..." but in a blink of an eye, he disappeared and ended up on the rooftop of the nearby building. "Holy fuck..." I whispered.

"What?! Where did you..."

"Hehehe, looks like you're a little too slow." Euchre teased. "Trace, listen to me. You cannot be afraid of the power you have. You control your powers, you cannot allow them to control you anymore. You can do great things and horrible things. It's all up to you, Trace. But you have to act. You must fight! I cannot fight her for you." Euchre stated and tossed a sword to Trace. "Catch!"

"Ack!" Trace yelped as he caught it and seemed to have trouble holding it.

"Fight her, Trace. Get Flora back!" Euchre cheered.

"Yeah! Now sort that fucker out, Trace!" I also cheered.

"Heheh... very inspiring... Euchre. Did you think so, boy?"

"Wha-?" Trace uttered.

"Are you ready to fight me... for real this time?!" Neutral asked as she turned to Trace.

"Crap, crap! What do I do? What if I hurt her... what if... I... what..." Trace mumbled.

"JUST FUCKIN' ATTACK!" I shouted out of frustration.

Trace then immediately swung a blow at the mask. I saw pieces all into the ground and looked at Flora, but her back was against just and was holding her face. "D-did I win?" Trace asked and she immediately looked are into Trace. The mask was unharmed, but the sword's blade was shattered into a million pieces. "Oh, wait... Crap, I'm screwed."

"You gotta be shittin' me..." I mumbled and I aimed my HK416 at her. "Trace, get back! I got this!" I yelled and was about to open the lead faucet on the mask when she turned to me. "I wouldn't try that if I were you. You know, the reason we need our hosts is that we feed on their energy. And every time you attack me, you force me to use up a little bit more of Flora. But after a bit... She slowly turns into an empty shell of a Keidran... Oh well... maybe that's better for her after all..."

I hesitated from pulling the trigger, I knew if I would fire, there would be severe consequences. "Fuck!" I yelled in anger as I lowered my carbine rifle. She then slowly turn to Trace, as the breeze of the wind brushes over Flora's hair. "How does it feel, Trace? To be worthless? Weak? Unable to do anything?" I suddenly felt the ground shake, like there's an earthquake happening, and tried my best to maintain my balance. "How does it feel to know you were able to kill hundreds of thousands of people..."

"This doesn't look good..." Keith mumbled.

"What the fuck's happenin' now..." I muttered.

"And yet... You were unable to save the life of one person..."

"Trace, please don't listen!" Euchre pleaded as Trace shut his eyes closed and covered both of his ears with his hands, trying his best to not hear Neutral.

"...Even when that person... is just... a Keidran..."

That's when I saw Trace finally reaching his breaking point. He lets go of his ear and opens his eye and out of nowhere, the black mist suddenly appears behind him as he lets out a sinister smile. "Hehehe... I... I had never imagined power could feel this good..." Trace stated.

"You gotta be shittin' me..." I whispered.

"This... this isn't supposed to happen! What good will those powers do you anyway? You can't hurt me without going through Flora first!"

"Heh, I don't need anything else except these powers... Why should I care about Flora?" Trace announced.

"He's lost it, for fuck's sake," I muttered.

Trace slowly approached Neutral, but as he stepped on the ground, a mini crater had been formed around his foot. I slowly took a step back and readied myself to aim at Trace when suddenly, white mist got in the way of Trace. "Hey! What the heck is this?" Trace announced.

"What the-?"

Then Trace seems like he was in a trance, he wasn't moving and wasn't reacting to anything or anyone, Just Euchre. "Trace, you've forgotten..." Euchre stated.

"Where am I? How are you doing this?!" Trace shouted.

"Forgotten..."

A moment passed without either of them talking and it looked like Trace was having a vision of some sorts. Then, Trace broke the silence. "What was that, a vision? And I didn't forget! I remember when that happened! It's when I first met her, so what?"

"Trace..."

"What are you, Euchre? Why are you showing me these things! There's nothing wrong with my memories! I haven't forgotten... about... Flora...? I... I can't believe I thought about letting Flora die... Power overwhelmed me... What happened? How could I forget? The whole point of me being here is for her... Flora..." Trace said.

"Ahah! I see you've chosen to break the rules. But you know full well the consequences... What a noble sacrifice for a petty cause." I turned and saw Neutral on the roof where Euchre was. She slowly approached Euchre with a hidden blade underneath her paw. "I hate having to strike you down while you are defenseless, however... I have risked too much already. Once you're out of the way... I shall depart... with this little Keidran..."

She then struck Euchre in the back without him noticing. I immediately aimed my weapon at her but couldn't risk hitting Flora, so I lowered my weapon again. "Trace, snap out of it! Trace?" Keith announced.

"She's on the roof! Euchre is down!" I yelled.

"That's it, I'm going after her!" A familiar voice said to my left. I turned to see it was red hair guy. "No, you can't!" Keith stated.

"The roof? Yes... It's like I can sense her now... her thoughts... She's calling me to her." Trace mumbled. I looked up again and saw someone else In front of Neutral. It was a guy with brown hair, blue eyes, and a blue robe. He looked awfully familiar though, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I turned back to Trace and saw he was surrounded by white mist, which swirled around him. "Flora... Flora, can you hear me? Please, tell me you're still there. Flora?" Trace mumbled.

"Grr... What is this human muttering about? He should know by now Flora isn't-"

I quickly spun my head to see Neutral what looked like struggling, as if Neutral was having some sort of headache. "Agh! What is this? What are all these thoughts? No! What's going on? This is impossible! AAAAHHHHHH!"

With no time to lose, I ran towards Trace and patted him on the shoulder, and flicked my head to the roof. He nodded and quickly ran indoors. I followed him and ran upstairs and into an opening that leads us to the roof and I quickly got behind the son of a bitch, Neutral without her noticing.

"Aaargh! GAH! You infuriating little pest! You've gotten in my way for the last time! I tried to be nice about this. Trace, but you leave me with no alternative. I will make sure you never... eh... you nev... wait... what the-?" Seems like Neutral has a bit of trouble with her magic.

"Having a... bit of trouble, Neutral? I don't find that very surprising." Someone said In front of Neutral. I took a peek and it was a human female with sliver like hair and wore a navy blue robe.

"What? You again! What would you know?"

"I know what it's like to be tricked into your... control. You promised me my humanity back but controlled me as a price for it. Just as you did with that young... Keidran. My dear Euchre... Because of him, you're hold on that Keidran is fading. It's over, Neutral! You cannot use her soul for her magic any longer. Soon, you won't control her at all."

"Why... you... little... I can still make her kill you!"

"Get behind me!" Trace yelled as he got in front of the girl. "Trace?! Where did you come from...?" She asked. It was my time, now.

"Hey, asshole!" I shouted from behind Neutral and she turned around. "Fuck you!" I yelled and in one swift move, I used my left leg to jump and spun my whole body. Once my left foot was off the ground, I brought it up and delivered a powerful kick to the mask on Flora's face and landed on my right leg, with my side facing Neutral. The kick was powerful enough to spin Neutral around and face Trace and in a split second, he delivered a powerful blow with his broken sword to the mask, and a loud crack was heard.

"GAAAAAAAAH!!"

I looked forward and saw another girl with silver hair and wore a light blue robe coming to assist the one with the navy blue robe. They both looked similar, with the one in navy blue looking older. "Mom are you okay? You ran off and-" The girl in a light blue robe said but was cut short.

"I... I'm fine! Look!" Her mother said and pointed at Flora. I figured the one in the light blue is the daughter and the one in the navy blue is the mom. I walked in front of Flora and saw the mask, destroyed into pieces and evaporating into thin air. As for Flora, she was unresponsive, like she was unconscious. "Flora! You... You're alright... Thank goodness..." Trace stated.

"Fuckin' A..." I mumbled.

Flora slowly took a step back, but still had her eyes closed. She was at the edge of the building and proceeded to take one more step, backward. "Flora, wait! Look out for the edge!" Trace yelled but no response came from Flora as she was about to fall.

"Flora!" Trace cried and reached his hand out and suddenly, a blue aura surrounded her and she levitated on the air. I sighed in relief, happy that this is all over. I could see the dark clouds above disappearing and making way for the sun to come. I then heard a conversation between the daughter and mother from behind me. "Mother, isn't it wonderful? He saved that poor little Keidran!" The daughter cheered.

"Quiet, Raine! Don't you forget, the Keidran are still our enemies." The mom announced.

"Enemies? How can you say that? After you-"

"Enough! This... is not the time. I still feel unsure about all this..."

I sighed and Trace brought Flora into his arms and brought her down. I followed beside, with my HK416 on the low-ready position. I still felt a terrible pain on my forehead and felt blood running down. I had to get that patched up. I checked my arms as I held my carbine and saw a couple of bruises and cuts. Nothing too alarming, and I felt tired. I just wanted to lie on the ground and fall asleep. I didn't care if the ground was hard or dirty, I just wanted to get some sleep.

"Trace, here, let me help you," Keith said as he rushed towards us, but was ignored when Trace walked right past him. "Trace, I- Hey! Wouldn't you like me to help carry her? You looked exhausted." Keith announced and Trace stopped. I also stopped and slowly swayed my weapon from left to right. "Trust me, Keith... It would take a lot more than exhaustion... to make me want to let go of Flora right now." Trace said.

A couple of hours later and we made it to a building and got a room. Keith was on guard outside while Trace, Flora, and I were inside the room. Trace had fallen asleep on the chair he was sitting on beside Flora while Flora was sleeping on the bed. I wanted to also fall and sleep but decided not to. I had wrapped a bandage around my entire forehead to stop any infection and to stop the bleeding. I grabbed the chair and pulled it out of the desk and sat on it and it felt like my legs were thanking me for sitting now.

I sighed and turned my head back and glared at Trace and Flora, both of them still asleep. I spun back to looked at my plate carrier and noticed something weird poking out of a pouch. I grabbed it and I felt it was made of hard material and it felt cold. I brought it up and knew what it was. It was my Standard issue Ka-bar knife I completely forgot. The blade was as sharp as a sword, hard as obsidian, and looked cool as hell. I swung it around a bit, playing with it until I stopped and put it back where I found it.

I sighed and walked out of the room, leaving my gear inside except for my pistol, and closed the door behind me. "They're asleep. Must've been a long day, huh?" I said with a chuckle and stood next to the door.

"Yeah, it was. I knew something bad was going to happen." Keith announced as he leaned against the door.

"Yup... one hell of a fuckin' day," I mumbled.

Minutes later, I see two people approaching us. The one on the left was Karen and the one on the right was Trace's ex-girlfriend of who I have forgotten the name. "Heya, Fuzzyears! Heya person I don't know the name of!" Karen greeted.

"I demand you let me see Trace, right now!" Trace's ex ordered.

"I'll tell you what I told everyone else. Trace and Flora are tired so they're both resting." Keith stated.

"The door is magically sealed." I lied. "So if you want to talk with Trace, I suggest you wait later," I said.

"How dare you? Do you know who I am?" Trace's ex asked.

"I wouldn't give a flyin' fuck if you were Jesus. Just wait 'till they wake up."

"Why, if I could find a Templar that hadn't run away, I'd-"

"Zip it and fuck off already! Already told you, the room's closed you fuckin' nut."

After that, she wasn't happy, she was pissed but decided to take my word and leave with the cat ear girl. Thirty minutes passed and I was leaning against the wall, with my arms crossed when I heard both Trace and Flora awake and talking to each other. "Mmm... Good morning, Trace." Flora said.

"Flora, you're awake! Thank goodness- GAH! What am I doing on your bed?!" Trace asked.

"Hehe, I couldn't let you sleep on that chair all day, could I?"

"We can't do this! Let me go!"

I just smiled and scoffed, happy they're both together again and she isn't possessed. I then saw Keith coming with a tray. There were two glasses of water on the tray and he seems to be well, a bit unhappy he's carrying the tray to them.

"Trace! I got the stuff you-" Keith opened the door and went full silent. Curiosity got the best of me and I got off the wall and took a peek in and saw Trace and Flora on the same bed, together. "...wanted..." Keith said.

"Oh, um... thanks, Keith." Trace announced.

"Hiya Keith! Hiya Marcus!" Flora greeted.

I chuckled and brought my head back outside and leaned against the wall, crossing my arms again. "Yeah... um... no problem... Sorry about... interrupting..." Keith apologized and placed the tray on a table next to the door and closed it immediately. I could see his shocked, blushing face and couldn't help but laugh inside.

Minutes later, Keith was off again. He didn't explain why he wanted to go out, but he did, and later, he came back and noticed something was a bit off. "Marcus, could you call Trace? I need you two for something." He said.

"Okay...?" I accepted and knocked on the door. "Hey, Trace! Keith says he needs us for something!" I announced.

"Okay! Be there in a second." He uttered. "I'll be back in a little bit, Flora." He stated and soon, he opened the door and walked out of the room, with the door closing by itself behind him. "What's up, Keith? You said you needed me and Marcus for something?"

"Yeah, it's Euchre... she... it's just gone..." Keith muttered.

"Gone?" Trace and I asked in unison.

"Yeah! As well as the rest of... well... I think you two should take a look for yourself. Out the back, so those humans don't see you."

We nodded and without wasting a second, all three of us walked down the hallway, and out the back. When we were out, I saw we were surrounded by trees. I swear I could've remembered buildings around here. I was confused, shocked, and a bit scared. This blew my mind, I couldn't believe it. It was like we were somewhere totally different.

"What?! Where did this all come from? How did we end up in the woods?" Trace asked.

"Better yet, where the hell is that city?!" I said.

"That whole city... I think it was an illusion. Only an image of a city that once existed." Keith announced.

"That's some fuckin' crazy shit right there," I commented.

"An illusion? By who?" Trace interrogated.

"I'm not sure... Neutral probably. I scouted around, and I've found this place on your map. It's been marked with a... strange symbol..." Keith explained.

"Strange?"

"Yeah... I've been getting a weird feeling around here... Does this place seem familiar to you?"

Yeah, a little... Why do you ask?"

"Trace..." A familiar voice rang and we turned to the source of the sound. It was Saria, leaning behind a tree. "Trace, may I speak with you... privately? I have something I need to tell you." She said and both of them walked off. I still couldn't believe that the whole bigass city was an illusion. Now, I'm gonna have a hard time believing what's real and what's not. After a while, Trace came back, not saying a word. I heard the door open behind me and I turned around. I saw Flora coming out of the building and Trace and she got into a hug. Not sure what happened, but it looked like he didn't want to talk about it, and I respect that.

Five minutes later, I had my gear on, my plate carrier, I had my carbine with my two-point sling with me, magazines, medical, etc. Since the whole city was an illusion, we never had a ship ready so we have to make some changes in plans. Trace and I were in the main room, with a map and discussing where we should head next. "Saria told me we were right here, near the Keidran border... and only about 15 miles away from the port." Trace said.

"Hmm, and since we are near the Keidran border, we should be on high alert. Our destination is only 15 miles so it would take us one night to get there if we don't encounter any hostiles and if we're quick, that is." I stated.

Then, out of nowhere, Trace's ex approached us and from the looks of it, she's not happy. "Do you even know what you're doing? Trace, come back with us to the Templar. We can help!"

"I'm not going back! Not yet at least. I have other things I have to do." Trace protested.

"And what's that, Trace? Helping these... animals?"

"They aren't animals!"

"Listen to me, Trace. You don't have any place to go. We're dangerously close to the Keidran! You can't be wandering out here."

"I can't go back to the Templar either!"

Suddenly, red hair guy peeked from the walkway on the second floor and down at us. " Trace... If you're going to go, you'd better go now. The Templar will think to look here. After all, you used to live here.. before..." He said.

"What?"

"Nevermind. Maren, get Karen. We have to go too. The Council is calling all Templar back to the stronghold."

"Hey, whose side are you on here? And why would the Council do something like that? They've never called all of you back before." Trace's ex or Maren stated.

"Trace, I think you should go. After everything, you've been through... I think you need some time for yourself. Ever since four years ago, you've been kinda obsessed about the Templar." Red said as he walked downstairs and stood beside Maren.

"Well, you're certainly being unusually insightful all of the sudden," Maren commented.

"Yeah, I know. Well, what are friends for, anyway?"

"Friends? Hah! He probably doesn't even know your name."

As we were preparing to travel once more, Trace was approached by the lady who wore the navy blue robe but now she was wearing a light grey one. "Trace, good luck on your journey. You've surprised me, Trace. So much change.. even in four years. I can't forgive you for what you did to me, but I thank you for saving me from Neutral." She said.

"Um... no problem." Trace retorted and was again approached by Keith who was holding a medium-sized bag. "Hey, I packed all the supplies I could find, Trace. It's not much, though." Keith announced.

"I'm sure it'll be okay, Keith. It's only 15 miles. Marcus said it should take only a night to get there. We'll be in the port by morning." Trace stated.

"If you say so."

"Now that's all left... where's Flora?"

"She went back up to your room, I think. I'll get her." Keith said and proceeded upstairs. To make sure my carbine was ready. There was no mag loaded and before I would load a magazine, I looked through the dust cover and the bolt is locked forward. I placed the stock on my stomach and turned the carbine 90 degrees. I pulled the charging handle of the HK416 and I peered at the chamber of the carbine and I checked the bolt face. Once that's done, I grabbed a magazine from one of my magazine pouches and loaded it in and I watched the bolt go forward, loading a round into the chamber, and switched the fire-mode to safe. I let it hang in front of my chest and took out my M9 and took a pistol magazine from one of the pistol magazine pouches and loaded it in and pulled the slide, loading around in. After preparing my M9, I placed it back into my pistol holster and saw Keith and Flora coming down the steps. With that done, all four of us left the building and into the forest, once again.