Sword of the eclipse

After I had sprinted past gwen at my full speed, something that rips and tears my muscles down to their very fibers. I continued on, moving faster than the eye could perceive, I blasted through the lobby, narrowly dodging the few civilians in my way. It didn't take me long to reach sophie's apartment. A few seconds at best was all that was needed. 'If I'm going to be fighting, I'm going to need my partner.' I thought to myself while approaching the door. Taking a moment to prepare myself for the onslaught of questions I'm sure the girls had for me, I sighed loudly, then opened the door.

Before I could even take a step inside, olivia was already dangling from my waist, gripping me tightly in an embrace. "I was worried when I heard the announcement... I thought you had already gone off to fight r-ranika." She finished with a stutter. Her face was buried in my stomach.

Looking down at the slender girl I couldn't help but soften my expression, she had ran over and grabbed me so fast she had fallen to her knees, and her ruby hair looked unkempt giving off the appearance of someone who had stopped in the middle of brushing it. I'm sure if I could see her eyes, they'd be glistening with tears.

"Hey, olivia, get back here! How am I supposed to finish your hair if you just suddenly run off!" Sophie yelled from across the house, then appearing from around the corner she finally spotted the heartwarming sight that was happening in her own front entrance. Dropping the hairbrush she still held in her hands, she ran over as well, except it wasn't a hug she was running over for. An audible "crack!" Could be heard in the silence we were all standing in, and I was left completely stunned by the harsh slap I had just received.

"Y-you... you run off first thing in the morning after the announcement! Then you don't even send a message to say you're safe...what were we supposed to think happened to you ra-ra..." She finished with a heavy breath. Her shoulders had begun to shake as she held back the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, sophie..it was an emergency, but you are right.. I should've at least let you know what was happening." I replied while rubbing my now sore cheek. Softening my expression slightly, I looked at the person I cherished and couldn't see my life without and said, "Sophie, I'm here for a reason, and it's important. When you went out to gather my belongings, did you manage to retrieve my sword?"

Looking at me with excitement, she responded,"Yes! I found it in a very shady shop, I've known the old man there for a while, so honestly, it was a bit lucky. Well, except for the asshat who hit me with a door, that is." Her face had turned down into a small frown at that last sentence, not that I could blame her getting hit the face by anything sucks.' I would definitely know that feeling!' I said inwardly, chuckling a bit. "That's a relief, I was worried it would still be missing. Can you go grab it for me?" I asked while gesturing with my left arm.

She looked at my arm with a bit of reserve and reverence. Before asking with a timid voice,"You are wearing the midnight armor...is that smart? I mean, I know how serious the situation is, but..with what it does to you..." She trailed off, unable to finish what it was she wanted to say. "I don't understand. What are you guys talking...?" Olivia cut herself off as she looked up and noticed my arm all clad in sleek black metal. Her eyes began to shine with curiosity, but mostly what was there in the depths of her gaze was fear at the intimidating looking arm. The emerald color seemed to dim a bit. Almost like just looking at it for a brief moment sucked the light right out of her eye.

"W-what is that on your arm...?" Olivia asked, while moving away from me and towards sophie, a look of sudden and apparent fear painted like a mural on her face. Her reaction was understandable. When she had last seen me, the only things of note on my left arm were the brutal scars, one of which she had a hand in giving me. Now, they were replaced with a section of black armor that seemed to steal the light from around it. It's surface was so dark that it felt like one would be absorbed by it themselves if they got to close or looked for too long.

"This?" I said while pointing at my left arm, slowly lifting it. "It's a relic from my past. It's nothing to be scared of olivia." I explained briefly, I didn't want to give her all the details regarding my armor not out of distrust, just because she wasn't ready to hear it. Giving her a reassuring smile, I asked, "Can you go in the guest room for a bit, olivia? I have a few things I have to grab while I'm here, and I need to speak with sophie in private."

She didn't move, her eyes still glued to the armor like she was in a trance that wouldn't break. Sophie gently nudged the thin girl away as if rushing her away, "it's ok, olivia. I'll be sure he says goodbye this time before leaving." She said gently. With a slight nod, she got up and walked over to the room out of sight, with a slight "click" the door shut behind her.

Now that we were alone in the entrance, sophie began walking to her room, gesturing for me to follow. Doing as she asked, I followed behind her, we entered her small bedroom with no words being spoken, that was until she closed the door behind us. Taking a cursory glance around the room, I was left a bit speechless. Her room wasn't what I expected from a cold and terrifying woman like sophie to have. Stuffed animals littered the floor, and her walls instead of being painted in the swirling colors of the rest were painted with a vibrant purple.There was a giant mirror placed on the wall to my left, and beside it was a desk covered in hard to find and expensive cosmetics. It was both unsettling and odd, yet also..it was so normal?

"Ok, you can stop gawking at my room now." She said, snapping me out of my random daze. "I mean, can you blame me? It's my first time seeing your room since we've met, and this is nowhere near what I expected!" I replied, my face in a mirthful smile as i began giggling aloud. Adding to my fits of laughter, I continued, "Plus, I mean, some of these stuffed animals look quiet old! Where have you been hiding them on our travels? Are you perhaps embarrassed of them, sophie?" Letting out an even louder guffaw, I clenched my stomach as the laughs began to hurt me slightly. However, what I found amusing seemed to only piss her off. Her face had turned to a shade of red that made me want to compare it to her eyes. With a swift movement, she hit me in the back of my head, making me faceplant into her carpet.

"That isn't what we needed to discuss...plus don't you want your sword? Asshole." Her voice was nothing short of angry, while also being full of embarrassment. "Yes, yes, you're right." I said while trying to contain my childish giggles. "So what is it you're so concerned about happening to me this time, sophie?" I continued, while trying to turn my face into one that gave the appearance of seriousness, instead of a gleeful smile. "The midnight armor...it's effects are too brutal. Even for you ra-ra, wearing it in battle is too risky!" She said while holding my gaze. The worry on her face made me feel a bubble of guilt in my stomach. "Why did you put it back on after all this time to begin with?" She asked.

"Because I didn't have a choice this time.." I replied, my voice somber. "The hell do you mean you didn't have a choice? There is always a choice, ranika!" She said back with suppressed anger. Her using my name instead of the nickname she had given me threw me off. "Gwen knows everything now..but she didn't believe me at first and threatened to keep me away from the fight if I didn't give her proof sophie...and we both know i wasnt about to let that happen." I said while looking at her with pleading eyes, hoping for her to just understand my reasons for dawning the armor. "Look, I know what the armor wants, and I know the cost of giving in to its demands. I'll be careful, i promise. With my sword in hand, I hopefully won't need to resort to the relics abilities."

"She knows everything now? Well, I mean, that's good and bad..at least with her in on the circumstances, we won't need to come up with excuses for you anymore. However, I'm assuming you didn't tell her how the armor affects your psyche or physical health, did you?" She responded. The disappointment she was giving off was almost palpable. "No, I didn't tell her.." I said meekly. It's not that I hid those facts from her, but just like olivia, she wasn't ready to hear it. 'Not just that if she had known I doubt she would've let me put it on, let alone near it.' I thought darkly, not wanting to imagine what she would have done if I hadn't used the armor as proof.

Going to her closet, she opened it with anger, almost ripping the poor door off its hinges. Then she reached in and grabbed my blade by its handle before turning around and throwing it like a spear, all of her strength behind it. With inhuman reflexes, I dodged as the blade whizzed by my face, almost taking a chunk of my hair with it. Then, reaching up with my left arm in the final second, I grabbed the swords handle, haulting its flight.

The relic armor immediately responded to its counterpart, the lavender handle was shrouded in a black mist as the armors tendrils began to attempt to consume the whole blade. As I saw this happening a tinge of fear washed over me, worrying it would consume the bright silver blade that shined with a dark black along it's edges, the beautiful contrast in colors the reason for its name. I transferred the blade to my right hand quickly, stopping the advance of darkness emanating from my left hand. With the sudden transfer, the dark tendrils seemed to lash out in anger, frustrated they were prevented from consuming it. A look of worry and fear was on sophie's face, "and you say you'll be careful.. that"thing" is even more uncontrollable than it was in the past!" Her voice was trembling as she pushed herself into the furthest corner of the room.

With gritted teeth, I responded," Yeah, it seems being away from me for so long has given it a bit of an attitude..." Trying my best to restrain the tendrils from reaching further out, I focused hard on what I wanted the relic to do. Slowly, they began to recede back into my hand, the mental strain exhausting me faster than I had anticipated. 'I guess I'm more out of practice than I expected..' I thought tiredly, almost all my energy already drained. "I don't suppose you have any life essence just lying around, do you..?" I asked sophie, the heavy exhaustion evident in my voice.

"Give me a second.." She replied as she began to move towards a nightstand near her bed. Opening a drawer slowly, she pulled out a single vial, its brilliant blue hue lighting up the room. "You better appreciate this." She sighed while throwing it towards me, unwilling to approach. Placing the sword down, I caught the vial in my right hand, not wanting to risk touching anything with my left for the time being. Taking the cork out of the top I swallowed every drop the vial had to offer, with a relieved breath I said, "thank you sophie..it's a good thing I give you the good stuff huh?" As the exhilarating feeling of power rushed over me, the effects of the essence took hold instantaneously.

The rush of energy washed away my exhaustion in a flash, and the armor I was struggling to constrain became suddenly easier to manipulate. Grabbing the sword off the ground, I began to stand up, wanting to test myself. I made the decision to try and let the essence flow from my hand into the magnificent weapon. Bursting to life, the already bright blade shined brighter, its intensity almost unbearable to look at. Retracting the flow quickly, I sighed with a sense of excitement. 'Well, at least you still listen to me, right old friend?' I thought while giving the sword an appreciative look. "Alright, now that I have what I need, I think it's time to say my goodbyes and go do what I do best. Fight." I said with finality.

"Ok.. I'll grab olivia." Sophie replied as she went to leave the room. Stepping around me, I noticed she still refused to get close to my arm, obviously worried the tendrils would lash out and try to consume her next. Waiting a few moments for her to gain a bit more distance from me before following behind, because I feared the same outcome, I turned to leave the room, keeping my distance.

Entering the living room, I waited patiently for her and olivia to come out of the guest room. My sword was still in my hand, which made my appearance drastically change. Wearing my black and gold uniform loosely I gave off the indication that I was just a lazy officer in the military, however with my now all black left arm and the bright silver sword resting in my right hand, I felt that I now looked like a warrior that just finished a duel. My face was still painted with the exhausting last few minutes I just endured, not to mention my hair was in shambles after my own blade damn near took it off.

'Let's hope olivia doesn't scream in fright when she sees me now.' I thought with a bit of worry. Hearing the door click as it was being opened, I stopped inspecting myself and instead looked up a weary smile on my face as I watched them both come out. Olivia's eyes met mine instantly, and the look of intense fear that was once plastered to her face began to gradually dissapate.

"Hey, olivia, just like sophie promised, I'm saying goodbye." I said tentatively, her face turned into an upward smile, although the smile seemed a bit regretful. "Thank you..and I'm sorry for the way I reacted when I saw your arm, sir.." She said while holding my gaze. "I could've sworn I told you how I felt about honorific titles olivia." I scolded playfully, hoping to make her smile genuinely rather than with any of the dark undertones her current one held.

"Oh! Right... sorry about that ra-ra.." She replied hastily while looking away from me, turning to look at sophie with a face that looked for approval. "Hehe, good job, little olivia! See, I told you my nickname for him is the easiest one, didn't I?" Sophie beamed proudly.

"I'm glad to see you two getting along so well, and if you want to follow in sophie's footsteps in that regard, I don't mind olivia. However, don't take after her too much, or you might also become a pain in my ass and we all know i dont need another one of those." I said with a snicker. Sophie's face turned into a hateful scowl at my comment, but before she could say anything, olivia spoke back up. "I won't, but just promise to come back, ok?" Her request made me smile brightly before turning away. As I began to walk out the door, I yelled back.

"Don't worry, you guys, I'm a pain in the ass myself. I'll come back in no time!" With that final sentence I was off, off to go fight in what I could only assume would be a bloody battle...