Colors of the Wind [ Private | Rima ]

It'd been a while since she was last by herself. The river was a place she could go to relax for once. It was never ending. She could walk along side it all day and never quite reach the end. There was a spot underneath a tree where she shared a memory with a stranger. She used her sword to cut down the foliage that was much too high to relax within. Diana sat herself down beneath the shade and watched the water flow and the fish swim by. The war had taken a huge toll on her. But it was in the past now. While they went off to this strange building that they called a dungeon, she would stay behind. She wasn't ready to risk her life again. Her platinum locks were carried by the gentle wind that brushed past her face. The warm sun kissed her pale skin. She nestled in the soft, fresh cut grass that Diana liked to describe as the scent of nature. It was comforting.

There were a swarm of butterflies nesting in the area. They were a creamy white; small little things. The way they glistened in the sunlight was beautiful. Outside the confines of city walls, the world had it's own ways of creating a beautiful scene. Diana picked a nearby flower and twirled it slowly between her slender fingers. One of the butterflies carefully fluttered above it, waiting for it to stabilize. She stopped twirling it, carefully analyzing it's behavior. "Drink up." A soft smile formed as it got comfortable on the gentle petals. It's long tongue extended out to taste the sweet nectar within the flower. 'Cute.' When it was finished, it simply fluttered off into the skies along with the rest of them. 'I wonder how Rima is doing.' Diana rolled over on her stomach; pulling out one of her magical books, some ink, and a quill. She flipped open to a random page and began writing.

Hey Rima,

It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you are doing well. There are a lot of things that happened while we were apart. We should try to catch up. I'll be somewhere along the Shu Fang for a while if you want to find me. Bellona and Pluto are nearby. So, if you find some carcasses, it's either a ferocious beast or one of them. If you can't make it, write me back to let me know you're alright.

I hope you can come,

Diana

She kept the book open and waited anxiously for a response. As she began to put the quill away, the sharp iron-like part of it sliced her hand. "Ah..." Diana winced, rummaging through her bag to find bandages. Some of the butterflies began to come down and gather around her cut. She froze. The behavior was odd. As they broke off, Diana was surprised to see that she was healed and the blood was cleaned off of her. "Thank you," she said to the last butterfly that flew away from her. 'As if they could hear me.' They began to gather on her body as she rested her head down onto the opposite page of the book. "Are you all cold or am I just covered in pollen?" Diana giggled lightly at the tickling sensation on her skin as she gazed around her surroundings.

Hey Rima,

It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you are doing well. There are a lot of things that happened while we were apart. We should try to catch up. I'll be somewhere along the Shu Fang for a while if you want to find me. Bellona and Pluto are nearby. So, if you find some carcasses, it's either a ferocious beast or one of them. If you can't make it, write me back to let me know you're alright.

I hope you can come,

Diana

A gentle smile would form upon the magician's plum lips; "Looks like we've got somewhere to go, guy." she would gently say, strumming at the tassels of her black skirt. The two had been separated for far too long indeed, as they the last time they spoke was in that weird inn a couple of weeks back. She may of had many opportunities to write Diana in her magic notebook, but she always ended up shying away from them. She knew better than to bother her dear friend with pointless messages like that. Diana had been hard at work lately, and the last thing she needed was more things to worry about. That, and the fact she didn’t have a pen on hand.

“Somewhere to go? You don’t say.” Said a modulated voice, coming directly from behind Rima. The voice belonged to the unknown man in white, whom had been following Rima since the ”black blood” incident in that small village a ways back. The purple-haired girl had asked him on multiple occasions, for why exactly was he tagging alongside her? The only response she could ever get out of him was; “Interesting things seem to happen around you. I like interesting things.” Despite the answer being vague and quite annoying, Rima couldn’t help but appreciate the strange man’s company. He had been quite helpful this past week, so the least she could do for him was to provide him with a bit of entertainment.

“Yup, it seems that my friend Diana finally wants to meet back up after all this time. We’ve been seperated for a little while now, but I think she’s finally going to get around teaching me how to work alongside animals.”

“Ah, that Diana woman you seem to go on about all the time. Let’s hope she’s as interesting as you make her out to be. I’d hate to meet her only to find out that she’s a total snorefest. Hah!”

“Make sure you don’t call her that when y'all meet, or else she’ll kick you in the nuts. I’ve seen it happen before.” Rima directed towards him, nodding her head.

It was clear that the man had gotten a bit uncomfortable after hearing this, despite him being quite confident in most things he does. This didn’t surprise Rima that much though. Diana typically put fear in most people she’s around, even if the magician didn’t exactly see why. She’s nice and gentle, she wouldn’t hurt a fly. Images of a cute and kind Diana would pass through Rima’s mind, despite them being quite inaccurate. Again, they had been separated for some time now.

Putting all that aside, Rima would begin trying to figure out the map placed in her hands. They were actually pretty close to the Shu Fang river. There weren’t any signs of animal carcesses just yet, but surely they weren’t too far away from her.

magoi: 380 / 380 | stamina: 80 / 80
WC - 572
A695AD

After a while of waiting, she eventually closed the book. "Maybe she'll show up." She lifted up one of the butterflies on her finger. It was silly that she was talking to insects. But they were too friendly to resist talking to. Diana decided to get up from the ground and they all came with her, fluttering frantically around her until she stopped moving. 'Why must I have such an affinity for wildlife...' One by one, they landed yet again. All in her hair, on her clothes-- everywhere. "Ah!" She snapped her fingers, remembering a very important procedure that she had to do. Diana bent down, grabbing one of her journals and began writing down information about these creatures. But suddenly, she began feeling drowsy as a light mist of pollen surrounded her. "Ah... did I scare you?" Diana tried her best to fight off the exhaustion but it was much stronger than she could take. She slowly settled herself on the ground and curled up in a comfortable position. "I suppose... a nap wouldn't hurt..." Her eyelids fluttered as she slowly drifted off into a sleep.

She dreamed of what she usually did but it was much more vivid. Though they were the kind of dreams that she would like not to remember when she woke. They were dreams of the innocents she could have saved, her father, and those she has slain. The war only made them worse and the sleeping powder had made them even more clear. Diana tossed and turned until her body finally broke out of the horrors that befell her mind. She sat up and grasped at her chest. Her heart was beating incredibly fast and hard. There was sweat dripping down her forehead which the butterflies were instantly attracted to as well as the tears that flowed down her face. Despite being back in reality, there was still a fear that wracked her heart. She took a few deep breaths before wiping her face with her skirt. "That was not very nice." Diana felt it was needed to scold the insects. Though she still wasn't certain if they could understand her.

Her notes were still unfinished. Diana picked up her quill and began writing down the rest of the information she knew. Perhaps this creature would be of some use if she could find out how to utilize them. After sketching down what they looked like, she placed the book down and headed down towards the riverbed. Diana knelt down and splashed a bit of water on her face. Her stomach began to growl and she knew it'd be a good time to prepare something to eat. There was no sense in having guests without providing a meal. There were an abundance of fish in the water and the current wasn't too rough. She took off her shoes and stepped right into the river. There was a bit of depth but the tides were low. Diana reached down and grabbed a fish, throwing it straight underneath the tree behind her. Then another. It was in no time that she had accumulated enough fish and shellfish to feed a king. Coming out of the river and placing her hands on her hips, she was satisfied.

If she had Pluto here, he'd catch them a large boar or deer. However, she would have to make do with the river. Now, it was time to hunt for herbs. While she wasn't entirely familiar with the edible plants in this country. She had recognized a few nearby. Diana had been traveling with most of her gear that she usually made Pluto carry due to the hassle. She opened one of her bags and took out a skillet. "There we go. Now... a fire." Diana groaned. If there was one survival skill she hated preforming, it was making fires. Bellona wasn't here to assist her either. So, she would have to make do by herself. After gathering some wood and kindling, she assembled the campfire. For extra precaution, she surrounded it with some large river rocks. It took a little over a minute but she managed to get an ember from her hand drill. A few blows and the fire began to start itself. "Yes! I still got it!" Diana had a goofy grin on her face. It had been a while since she started a fire without Bellona. This was the most proud she made herself. After the fire started going, she began to prepare and cook the fish.

“Do you happen to have anything that used to belong to her? Anything at all? I would require only the tiniest bit of DNA, if I were to do this.” The white-haired man would say, placing a gloved hand upon Rima’s shoulder. Even though the girl wasn’t entirely sure what he was going on about, she felt as if she could trust him.

“Y-Yeah,” Rima muttered, handing the magic journal she was given by Diana to him. “I’m not entirely sure if her DNA is still on it, as it’s been a couple of weeks now..”

The man couldn’t help but let out a boisterous laugh upon hearing this. Wiping away the tears in his eyes, he would finally begin to explain himself. “As you might know already, I specialize in two schools of magic.” Taking another second to clear his throat, he would then continue his speech once again. “The first type of magic I’m proficient at, is strength magic. I’m what the people of Magnostadt would call, a black magician. Secondly, I excel in the art of clairvoyance. I’d be able to track her down even if the DNA was 100 years old, a couple of weeks is child's play.”

“Clairvoyance?” Rima would say, donning an expression of confusion. “So, like..seeing into the future and stuff?” Despite the magician knowing a fair amount about magic, she hadn’t heard of clairvoyance before. This was something she needed to pry into at a later date.

“Well, I suppose that’s a way you could look at it. To be a bit more precise on what I’m actually capable of, let’s stick to the concept of tracking people and looking through the past.” As soon as he finished his sentence, he would quickly raise his staff upwards in the air. Clenching Rima’s journal in one hand, and his staff in the other, the man would mutter a series of unintelligible words under his breath.

Upon speaking the final string of words, a powerful beam of light would strike the tree next to them. However, instead of vanishing right away, the light would begin forming into a box-like shape. As the girl watched in utter fascination, she would witness the box of light transform into a map identical to the one she was following. The difference being, there seemed to be two large check marks placed near one another.

Clearing his throat once again, the white-haired man would point to the lowest check mark with his staff. “This is us,” After bluntly saying this, he would begin sliding his staff to the upwards mark. “and this is your friend. Easy as that.”

“Seriously? That’s incredible!” Rima’s jaw was ajar as she took all of this in, clenching her fist out of excitement. “You’ve gotta teach me this later.” She would quickly say, glaring towards him with beady golden eyes.

“If you continue to impress me, I promise you that it’ll happen.” He laughed out, taking a step past the amazed girl. “Let’s go, we haven’t much time to waste.”

‘Not much time to waste? I wonder what he means by that..’ Rima would think to herself, rushing past the man in front of her. She wasn’t one to lag behind, despite her lazy tendencies. She couldn’t afford to be lazy today, she wanted to meet back up with Diana asap. It’s been so long since they’ve actually been back together. There was so much she wanted to tell her friend.

--Timeskip: One Hour--

After walking along the river for some time, the magician duo would finally stumble upon a half-eaten corpse. Neither of them knew exactly what it was, but Rima was pretty confident that this was Pluto’s work. With a grin plastered upon her face, she’d dart off past the deceased beast.

After making a short distance, the magician was forced to halt herself. She had tired herself out a great deal already, adrenaline still seemed to get the best of her. “Hah- I think- heh.” She’d wheeze out, trying to get the right words out of her mouth without fainting. Taking a moment to herself, she’d suddenly perk up, her nose twitching like a rabbit’s. “F-Fish?”

Distracted by her own fatigue, and the smell of roasting fish. Rima would fail to notice the scene directly to her left. There sat a young silver-haired maiden, cooking a couple of fish over a hot fire. It was Diana.

magoi: 380 / 380 | stamina: 80 / 80
WC - 1307
A695AD

Diana pushed her hair behind her ear. The last fish was finished frying and it all smelled wonderful. However, she wasn't too thrilled about one of her favorite picnic blankets smelling like fish for a good while. She already smelled bad enough sometimes. A quick glimpse of lavender flew by her side vision. 'Rima?' Diana turned her head to the opposite side of the river. "Rima! Hey!" She shouted and smiled brightly towards her friend, waving her hand. At first glimpse of the man behind her, she squinted her eyes and grabbed her sword. "What a creep!" Diana immediately got up and hopped across the water. When she got there, she held up the tip of her blade against the man's neck. "Who are you and why are you following her?"

The man was tall and fairly decent looking. He had long, white hair similar to her own. But he definitely looked like he was up to no good. "I'll kill you." The words slipped right out her mouth. Though in the event that he was possibly Rima's significant other or companion, it was a bit embarrassing. 'Gah! It might be rude but I don't approve.' Her eyes were still squinted as she sized him up. He didn't seem all that strong. His eyes were weird, though. Nothing like she had ever seen before. She would attempt to back him up into a tree before waiting for his response.

Still stumbling around after her sprint forward, Rima’s ears would suddenly perk up upon hearing her name being called out. “Rima! Hey!” The voice she heard was all too familiar, as it was the voice of her dearest friend, Diana. Rima would immediately jerk her head to the left, in order to get a glimpse of the fanalis girl. However, much to her surprise, the hybrid was making a mad dash across the river for both them. Was she in desperate need of a hug? Not likely, as Diana had been keeping her hand upon the sword at her waist the entire time.

As soon as she came ashore, the small woman would quickly unsheath her blade and hold it up against Rima’s companion’s neck. Feeling a massive wave of astonishment from this, the man could only stare at her with an open “o”-face as she began pressing him to fall back. Her words were not very kind during this either.

As Diana continued pushing him backwards, his rump would eventually hit the tree placed directly behind him. At the end of his ropes, he knew it was time to finally speak up for himself. “Um, the name is Yamato. I’m this girl’s traveling companion, no need to get so fussy, girl.”

Feeling just as confused as Yamato was, Rima would simply mindlessly blink at what she was witnessing. After letting it go on for about a minute more, the purple-haired girl would finally speak up. “Um, to be honest..I don’t exactly know who he is. He just started following me randomly one day. I guess he’s been pretty nice to me during our travels, though.” the magician would state, placing a black-nailed finger upon her chin.

magoi: 380 / 380 | stamina: 80 / 80
WC - 1594
A695AD

Diana lightened up her posture as he explained himself but was mildly offended at being called out for her behavior. "I'm not fussy." A light blush spread across her face as she sheathed her sword. "You may call me Diana. It's nice to meet you." She took his hand and shook it firmly to test his durability. After seeing his reaction, she walked over to Rima and took her hands in her own. "You've gotten so thin... you should eat. Come." Diana picked Rima and hopped back across the river, setting her down beneath the tree. "It's still hot... I think." She would give the food a quick poke to test the heat. Due to the temperature outside, everything was still hot. The fire wasn't lit any longer so it was a good thing. After moving to a preferable location, she sat down with her legs crossed and picked a piece of meat off of one of the fish.

She gave it a quick taste and pondered the flavors before consuming it. "It's not too bad." Her cooking wasn't the greatest but it served its purpose. "So... you've been well?" It felt odd to ask her that question. She never had to before. Diana hoped that Rima had been alright. There were so many things that she wanted to tell her but there were some that she would prefer not to speak of ever again. She took another bite of the fish and then indulged in a clam. The freshwater fish were much different from the saltwater one's back home. They had less of a fishy taste and it was a bit more metallic. Though it was one of the only edible animals in the country for her.

Yamato would let out a sigh of relief as Diana lowered her blade, watching her closely as she sheathed it away. It was apparent to him that she was fully aware of her own rude behavior, but also quite clear that she didn’t actually care enough to apologize. Despite feeling quite annoyed by this, Yamato would still take the woman up on her handshake. With a devious grin plastered on his face, and revenge set in mind, he was prepared to surprise her with his unmagician-like strength.

Stretching out his own gloved hand, Yamato’s smile would only grow larger by the second. Any second now, Diana would be regretting her decision to shake hands with him. Or at least, that’s what he had originally planned to happen. Instead, the man would be greeted with a shake like none other. The initial pain alone felt as if he had his hand stomped on by a stallion, and the pain after that was simply indescribable. To simply put it, it hurt like all hell.

With tears welling up in his eyes, Yamato could only give Diana a faked-smile as they stood there hand-locked. “It’s nice to meet you too, Diana. Rima has talked my ear off about you during our travels together. Ha.” He cried out, trying his hardest to not burst into a fit of crying as she continued to crush his hand. Their encounter would only last for a couple of seconds, but it would feel almost like an eternity for him.

Finally, Diana would focus her full attention onto Rima, as she started to walk up to her. Their hands would suddenly meet, as the platinum-blonde gazed directly into the girl’s golden eyes. Rima couldn’t help but feel like she was in one of those steamy romance scenes, in one of the many books she’s read. “You’ve gotten so thin… you should eat. Come.” Diana’s voice was like a soothing waterfall, causing the magician to begin blushing a light-pink color. This would only continue to get worse, as Diana swooped her completely off of her feet in one swift motion. Was this some kind of dream?

It certainly felt like a dream, as Diana would begin hopping across the river with the magician placed directly in her arms. “B-Be careful!” the flustered girl would cry out, holding onto her friend for dear life. Despite Rima being used to flying in the air, this was certainly a new experience for her.

After completely crossing the body of water together, Diana would gently place the nervous wreck of a girl under a nearby tree. Rima would watch as her friend moved over towards the kindles of a fire, plopping into a crossed-leg position. Upon seeing Diana make herself at home like this, the magician would begin crawling towards her to do the same.

“I’ve been doing okay.. I finally managed to find the village I’ve been looking for, the place I grew up in.” Rima would say, reaching towards one of the cooked fish her friend had offered her. It looked a bit burnt, but she didn’t really mind. She always enjoyed Diana’s cooking, even when it wasn’t all that amazing. After taking a small bite of it, the girl would continue speaking. “There wasn’t much left of it, as expected. The sucky part of it though, was that I didn’t find what I was looking for.” Rima’s face started to turn grim, as she was reminded of what happened to the village prior to finding her home. “I- Anyways, how have you been? Did your journey with those weird goons that attacked us go as planned?” The purple-haired girl would say, trying to get off topic.

magoi: 380 / 380 | stamina: 80 / 80
WC - 2210
A695AD

It was sad to hear the one thing they had come out here for turned out to be a disappointment. The fact that Rima hadn't found what she was looking for yet made it even harder to hear. "I'm sorry." There wasn't much she could say. However, there was no lack of sympathy in her voice. "I've been... alright. The assignment went fine and the target-- dead. Iulia, the one with red hair, ended up backstabbing them. But it all turned out fine." Diana rubbed the side of her neck as she remembered the events of that day. She didn't quite want to talk about the war just yet. There were still things that happened that she wished not to remember. Her gaze drifted off towards the river yet again. "Maybe we can go home now..." Her voice was quiet and her eyes were longing. Diana spaced out for a moment before snapping back into reality. She continued to eat in silence, staring off occasionally.

It wasn't long until they finished the meal. "You wanted me to train you, right? I haven't forgotten." She wiped her fingers on the blanket and began to bring it over to the river to wash it. "Rima, strip down to your under clothes. If you do not have any on you: until you're bare." There was a strict tone about her voice that let Rima know she was serious. "Beasts do not wear clothing so neither will you. You will not use any wands or other weapons. For as long as you need, you will live like an animal. You will either live or die like one as well. It matters not. If you disgracefully return empty handed and I will kill you. When you are ready, you may leave and I do not want to see you until you find your kindred spirit."

Diana kept her back to them, continuing to wash the blanket in the river. There was a fierce, dominating aura surrounding her that made all the creatures around her move away. "If you are here to train as well, Yamato. I will expect you to do the same." She gazed back at him with a deadly glare. "If not, we shall get to know each other. Come here." Everything about her and the air softened to it's natural state. It was as if nothing had ever happened. The butterflies returned, resting upon her and the tree once more. Diana was confident that Rima had the strength to come back alive and well. After all this time, teaching her everything she knows. She knew she was ready.

It was clear to Rima that her friend had been through a lot, just as she had. There were many things that happened to the both of them, but it simply wasn’t the right time to talk about all of that. The two were finally together again, and they deserved to sit down and enjoy each other’s company.

A weak smile would cross the magician’s face as silence creeped up on the duo. “Y’know, I really thought coming back to Kou would have helped out a bit with my whole ‘quest to find my brother’s killer’ thing. I was a fool for thinking like that it seems.” As these words came out of her mouth, she would find swallowing to be that of a chore. It felt like her throat was swollen, but it was only due to her nerves being completely out of whack. “But hey, I can’t complain now, can I? We’re finally back together, I think heading back home sounds like a fantastic idea. Though, I can’t help but feel like we’ll be stuck here for a bit longer.” The way Rima spoke was unfamiliar, she could hardly recognize it herself. She was often mopey, but this was borderline depressing. Her travels throughout this country had been quite unfortunate, but she did happen to meet a couple of incredibly interesting people on the way. Things could have been worse.

The rest of their meal would be held in silence, yet it felt somewhat therapeutic to her. It had been a while since the two had shared a meal together. It was nice. However, the moment they finished eating, things would begin to change entirely.

“You wanted me to train you, right? I haven’t forgotten.”

As soon as Rima heard Diana say those words, she would pop up from her seat. A freshened smile would be plastered upon her plum lips, as the purple-haired girl had been waiting for a very long time to finally get down to business. That was, until Diana commanded her to strip down entirely. “W-What? You want me to strip for you?” A cascade of red would invade her face, showing off just how embarrassed the girl actually was. “I r-remember you t-telling me not to do that for anyone, but I guess I will since it’s for y-you..”

The magician couldn’t help but feel a bit giddy at the thought, as she began to remove every parcel of clothing from her being. After removing herself from both her dress and her stockings, she’d have to remind herself to take off any excess jewelry as well. Diana most likely wouldn’t be very proud of her if she kept her magic tools during something like this.

This was the first time Rima would undress for anyone, despite it not being as lewd as she made it out to be. However, this would also be the first time anyone got to see the large burn mark mounted upon her back. The tip of the scar would start at the nape of her neck, and would trail all the way down to her tailbone.  

“I’m ready to go find my kind spirit now, or what ever it's called.” She would proudly state, marching into the dark forest placed behind them. Just before completely disappearing from Diana’s sight, she would trip upon a rock and scrape her knee a bit. However, this was a small inconvenience compared to what awaited her within the woods ahead.

All that remained at the campsite now, was Diana and Yamato. It hadn’t been longer than ten minutes since Rima left, and they already seemed to be ready to kill each other. “I most certainly do not wish to train, nor do I understand why that girl would want to act like some kind of savage. Oh, but I’m not calling you a savage. That would be quite rude, yes indeed.” The man had a snarky look on his face, ready to tangle with this girl if she pressed his buttons the wrong way. “Though, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to learn about one another. How are you? Where were you born?” It was clear that Yamato didn’t have much interest in the woman, yet he would still place himself near her. If he was going to travel alongside Rima, he knew that he’d have to cope with this girl's presence.

magoi: 380 / 380 | stamina: 80 / 80
WC - 2939
A695AD

Diana turned her head to watch Rima undress herself. She had her usual lithe frame and long lavender locks that reached far down her back. Diana touched her own hair, twirling it around in her fingers. They had both started this adventure with a shorter style. Nothing about the view was shocking to her except the large burn scar that stretched down her back. There was something about it that she found beautiful yet it still brought a frown to her face. As her own held it's own secrets. Those filled with agony yet a sense of grace that made her unique. "It's nothing lewd." She assured her. "You're just participating in the family tradition. It's a bit late in your life... but it's easier that way. I expect you back in... a week or two." She would turn her attention back to the river and the man who was now sitting beside her. It wasn't long until Rima had head into the woods. Yamato had seated himself nearby, along the riverside. Diana observed him. Her eyes analyzing everything; from his appearance to his actions. She felt a hostility between them. There was too much mystery surrounding him to form a simple trust. Not even Rima had known much about him.

He began to speak with the same sarcastic tone as he had before. "I most certainly do not wish to train, nor do I understand why that girl would want to act like some kind of savage. Oh, but I’m not calling you a savage. That would be quite rude, yes indeed." Diana was furious. For him to disrespect her way of life was crossing the line. He wouldn't have much time to speak before she lunged at him in an attempt to pin him down. Regardless if she was able to, his collar would be entwined between her fingers in a vice grip. She brought his face close to hers, looking down into his eyes. "Do not dare relate the Corvus tradition with savage acts. We take pride in our family initiation and I will not allow a snake to spit such words about my family." Her words were sharp and her voice was loud. "I am Diana; first of my name, daughter of Marx the Hell King, Alpha Chieftan of the Corvus Clan, and a loyal citizen of Reim. Do not underestimate me because I will kill you." She spat her words out like a deadly venom. Her eyes reflected a certain dominance and pride.

Diana gave him a rough push, releasing him from her grip and began to return to her previous spot. "Tell me everything about yourself or leave her side now and never come back. I will not have a stranger follow her or myself. There are plenty of strong magicians that will be able to teach her what she wishes to learn from you. I am not concerned." The butterflies around them were reacting to the emotions flowing throughout her body. They were no longer calm and were swarming around the area frantically as if they were ready to attack at a moments notice. Diana began to hang the cleansed laundry on some of the lower branches. It was as if she wasn't angry any longer and yet her blood boiled inside of her. After she was finished, she would begin to meditate and the swarm would calm once more. It was pleasing to her to see that these creatures had shared a connection with her. Her mind buzzed with thoughts of how to command them without conveying emotions.

Descending further into the mysterious forest, Rima couldn't help but wrap both of her arms around her unclothed body. It was freezing cold. Was she even supposed to have removed her undergarments? Diana simply told her to remove her clothing/trinkets, which she did as instructed. It hadn't been more than five minutes and the girl had already received multiple small lacerations onto the bottom of her left foot. Somewhere along the path, she must have stepped on a couple of broken branches or something.

"This is going to suck, isn't it?" she'd ask herself, while also directing it towards her usual bat companion. However, she must have left him behind along with all of her other belongings, as he wasn't flying anywhere that she could see. She knew very well that this was far out of her comfort zone. To think a delicate magician such as herself would be sent directly into the heart of a forest, all alone, and butt-naked. She'd continue to complain about it in her mind, but Diana would never hear a word of it. She had far too much respect for the woman to allow that to happen. This was Diana's family tradition, and to think she was actually being allowed to partake in it. She couldn't help but feel incredibly proud of that fact.

A smile crept upon Rima's gentle face. A sense of happiness would begin to cloak over her body. Physically, there was no doubt that she couldn't have been any less prepared for this. She wasn't a fighter like Diana, nor her previous masters, Faris or Noir. She wasn't entirely sure on her absolute physical limitations, but this test was a sure way to find them out. Rima knew deep down that this was something her friend trusted her with, and had actually believed she could pull it off. Was that going to be the case?

Mentally, Rima was quite confident she could pull it off. Her confidence and motivation were typically horrid. However, she had been working on them for some time now. While she was still as lazy as ever, she had actually been moving forward, instead of backwards. Rima may not have any access to magic during this, but she had read a ton of survival books on her trip here. She had a strong feeling that Diana's test was going to be something similar to this. Her guesses weren't completely on the money, but the concept was pretty spot-on.

Stretching her arms outward, the purple-haired magician would let out an exhausted yawn. She needed to find a way to get covered up a bit. While her art and craft abilities weren't the best, she needed to make something to cover up some skin. Perhaps, she could find some kind of big 'ol animal and then turn it's hide into a cloak or something. Though, she wasn't entirely sure if Diana would appreciate that method.

Plopping a fist into her other hand, Rima had a great idea. Maybe she could weave some of the nearby plants together, to make some kind of cute flowery dress. It was a good idea, but she wasn't very confident that she had the ability to do such a thing. It wouldn't hurt to at least try, though.

While she wanted to hurry up and get clothed again, she most likely needed to go and find a clearing to camp at first. If not, things would begin to get incredibly weird once it hit night time. She had no form of protection on her, not even a big stick. And, she knew very well that her strength alone would not be enough to get by. While her body was in okay-ish shape, her actual physical health was 'in the shitter'. She was frail, and needed something to protect herself with.

---

♫ Accepting the fate given to him, Yamato would allow Diana to pin him onto the ground. Her tongue was that of a devil's, as she cursed him for all of the rude remarks he had made against her family. His sadistic grin would only continue to widen, as his devious eyes would meet her own. "The Corvus family, you don't say?" A deep and threatening voice would leak out, as if to show he had some kind of dominance over the situation.

She then released him from her grip, and pushed him aside like he was nothing of importance. "I have no plans to leave that girl's side, not now anyways. However, my history is still of no concern to you." The man would pause, placing a hand upon his chiseled face. "I will however, tell you the two reasons for which I continue to follow the young magician. This does not mean you are allowed to repeat these reasons though, not to her. I want you to accept them, not question them."

After yet another pause, the man would continue once again. "Reason one, and my most important reason for sticking around. The girl is interesting, and strange things seem to happen as she moves forward. I simply want to stick around and witness more of this." A chuckle would leave the man's mouth, just before taking a sip of water from the gourd around his neck. "The second and final reason, this is what I wish for you not to repeat. If you do, I may be forced to leave her side. Though, I suppose that might be in your favor - Anyways, this sort of ties in with the whole 'strange things that happen around her' factor. The young girl is being hunted, to simply put it. I don't know by whom, but the man is far stronger than her, or even you. He bears that of a pale mask, for that is all I know about him."

The man's words were ominous and would leave an almost tainted feeling behind in the air. What he spoke was the absolute truth, Rima Fahim was being hunted by a unknown force. The same force that had hunted her and her brother all those years ago.

"I have no bound duty to protect either her, nor you. I offer my protection for free, simply because I wish to draw this evil out and put my own abilities to the test against it. However, I have a strong feeling that it will not make it's move just yet. Something needs to happen first, and I don't know what that something is."

After revealing what he had hidden, his chest felt much lighter. Even though the two hadn't been getting along, it was actually comforting to reveal this information to someone else. He wasn't going to admit it, but even he was terrified of the man tracking the young magician. He didn't even need to see what that man was even capable of, as he saw the immense amount of sickly rukh that fluttered about him on that day.

"Other than that, I think all you need to know is that I'm just your average traveling magician. I'm a man that seeks what interests him, that is all. Who I was before does not matter now. I came to this country as a new man, and I hope that even someone like you can respect that." Going back a bit on what he said before, he would still share more information than he originally planned on giving to her. He could feel some kind of connection with the woman, maybe it was the fact they both got angered easily.

"Oh, and if you want to know more about those butterflies, just ask. They're quite an interesting breed, and it's pretty surprising to me that they've taken such a liking to you." Yamato would note about the angered bugs swarming about the young Corvus.

magoi: 380 / 380 | stamina: 80 / 80
WC - 4238
A695AD

The blood within her entire body boiled as she listened to him spew more poison out of his mouth. Her fingers curled into her palm to form fists as the nails within dug into her palms. Blood trickled down onto the earth, tapping ever so gently as they bounced off of blades of grass. She felt the balls of her feet dig into the ground as she slowly turned to face the magician. Her face was calm but her eyes reflected all of her emotions and conveyed them to his. In an instant step, she was in front of him and in another, she had him pinned against the tree. Her hand was forcefully placed against his chest, applying immense pressure as if she wanted to prevent him from breathing. "I don't care who you are but you will tell me for her sake. Her troubles are none of your business. I care for her. I will protect her. Not you. That man does not scare me. I will eradicate his existence even if it kills me. You would not die for her. She is not your concern and I will not allow you to use her for your own personal desires. We do not need your help."

Her hand slithered up to his throat in a vice grip that was enough to leave welts. She moved her face up to his ear and her knee pressing up against his groin. "I have a hard time thinking of why I shouldn't kill you now. But I will wait for her judgement. However, I'm sure you'll be fine with a few broken bones," she whispered. Diana moved her knee over and with all the force in her body, attempted to apply her strength in order to break the left side of his hip bone. She rested her palm on his clavicle during this to attempt to break his collarbone. Her fingers gripped into his skin to slam him into the tree to attempt to knock him out before pushing away from him. She walked away from him, cleansing her hands in the river. A snap radiated from her fingertips and the butterflies suddenly became startled. They swarmed the area around the tree, releasing a toxic dust. Diana escaped out of the range by jumping across the river and going into the woods. She was finished dealing with him.

---

As Rima traversed the temperate forest, she would come across a beautiful marshland. The shallow waters were a deep blue with healthy, radiant foliage growing within. Scattered throughout were old, ruins made of light stone bricks. There were a few of the same white butterflies there that had been around Diana. The area around her would slowly fill with a thick mist. It was serene. The only thing that sounded was the gentle rustling of the leaves and the trickling of water. However, she would suddenly feel like someone or... something was following her and with her eyes, spot a small figure running in the distance. The voice of a young child called out from the mists.

"Mom?"

It sounded sad, like it had been crying. A small, red haired child emerged from behind one of the pillars and began walking towards Rima with tears in his eyes. In his arms was a large rabbit that was almost as large as he was. The child looked to be about six years of age and was completely nude as she was. His big, red eyes gazed up at Rima. "Do you know where mom is?" He tilted his head in confusion like a dog. The white rabbit in his arms cuddled up against him, turning it's head to look at her as well.

Wonder would glisten in the magician's eyes, as the breathtaking view before her finally began to sink in. She couldn't believe how mystical everything looked here. It was as if it was ripped straight from some kind of fantasy book. Placing a single foot forward at a time, the purple-haired girl would slowly begin to make her way towards what seemed to be the ruins of an ancient building. Every step forward would provide more to the magical ambiance of the place, giving off a weird sort of squishing sound each time.

After making her way past most of the foliage, Rima would notice that the place was actually covered in white butterflies. Which seemed to be of the same species that was fluttering around Diana, just before being sent into the forest. However, she couldn't be entirely sure about it. She wasn't one to study insects, after all. She didn't find them gross or anything, but they just didn't really intrigue her at the time. Perhaps Diana could teach her a thing or two about them, who knows.

After spending a couple of minutes investigating the broken structure, she'd come to a realization that a thick mist had slowly began to envelop the forest around her. It was ominous looking, yet so incredibly beautiful to her at the same time. She'd stare blankly at it, admiring just how wonderful it truly did look. 'I really wish Diana could see this..' she thought to herself, just before she was startled by a sudden sound.

A voice? Who else could have possibly have been out here with her? When she was traveling with Yamato, they hadn't actually seen anyone for miles on end. Maybe the forest was close to a nearby village? The voice did sound a bit young. Rima had doubts about Diana sending her into a forest that was close to a village, though.

Again, she'd hear the same voice. She wasn't entirely sure, but she could have sworn the voice was saying the word "mom". It didn't take very long for her to find the source of the voice, though. After only about a minute, she'd actually come face-to-face with the kid who had been making all of the ruckus. It was a small child, holding a rabbit nearly as big as himself up to his chest. He looked incredibly sad, staring at the nude magician with tearful crimson eyes.

"M-Mom?" Rima would ask, feeling incredibly confused by this entire scenario. "I-I uh..I'm not entirely sure who your mother even is. Do you have any idea where you came from? Perhaps, I could try and help you find your way back.." The magician felt incredibly nervous about this kid, as she hasn't exactly had the best experience with children in this country so far. However, she was still genuine about trying to find his parents with him, since he was a child after all..

"If not..maybe you could describe her to me? Oh, and just wondering, but why exactly are you naked?" She'd ask the child, as she had just realized the boy was butt-naked just like her. Which after thinking about it for a second, she realized she needed to actually cover up at least a little bit. This WAS a kid after all, a boy at that, she couldn't be just showing him her lady-bits like this. So, she'd make sure to cover her chest region with one arm, and her crotch region with her other.

---

Yamato could sense Diana's blood lust right away, watching as the fire of hatred burned within her eyes. It was clear to him that the girl hated his guts, and wanted him to leave immediately. Unfortunately for her, this simply wasn't an option the man would even begin to consider. Despite it going against his typical ways, Yamato realized that he would be forced to explain a bit more to her, if he wished to continue tagging alongside them. Just before she dashed back over to him, he would place a single gloved hand out-right in front of him, as if to tell her to halt.

"You see, my motive can not simply be explained through mere words. It's similar to when you start a good boo-" Just before the man was able to finish his sentence, he would feel an immense pressure smash against his chest. This would leave him with his mouth agape, as all of the air within his body seemed to squeezed straight away from him. Before he was able to even realize what had happened, he would re-open his eyes to find himself pinned-up against a tree, along with trickle of blood coming out of his lips. Diana had practically teleported directly in front of him, and followed up with a sort of pinning-move. It was impressive no doubt, Yamato couldn't remember the last time he had encountered someone this physically strong.

After the Corvus' very threatening speech, Yamato would notice her hand slowly making its way up his neck. As if he had been suddenly struck by a powerful serpent, her hand would clamp around it. 'Shit.' He'd think to himself, realizing his mistake first hand. He had really goofed up this time, as Diana was undoubtedly of Fanalis descent. It was no wonder she had such crazy mobility, and raw strength behind her delicate-looking body.

Yamato couldn't help but still show his battle-crazed smile, as she pushed him further up the tree's base. "Do your worse, go ahead and show me what you're capable of, Fanalis." He'd croak out, letting out a wince of pain as he felt Diana finish what she had originally started. The girl had crushed his collarbone entirely, as if it was made up of nothing but paper mache.

Dropping down to the ground, Yamato would fall face first into the dirt below. The pain inflicted up him was intense, even almost black-out worthy. However, Yamato knew better than to faint at a time like this. Diana had actually proved her worth to him, someone he had not come by in such a long time. He would keep an eye on her from now on, as he'd want a fair rematch one of these days. As his mind wandered about the possibilities of fighting her in the future, he wouldn't have much time left to react to what she had set-up before leaving him alone. It must have been right before she crushed his collarbone, but she had signaled those pesky butterflies to actually attack him. He watched in silence, as a toxic-looking cloud rained down upon him.

Just before it actually reached down on him, Yamato had managed to pull out a small gem-tipped wand that was hidden away up his sleeve. With a single flick of the wrist, and chanting under his breath, a powerful gust of wind would emerge from his open mouth. This would completely blow away the cloud of toxicity, leaving nothing behind. He'd then proceed to pull himself up off the ground, clinging to the tree behind him.

"Haha! You almost killed me bastard!" he'd laugh out loud, placing his wand upon the skin above his broken collar bone. A purple mist would then begin spreading across his entire body, fixing up the wounds that had been dealt to him in an instant. After being fully rejuvenated by this, he would let out a casual cough into his right sleeve. "You're quite strong, while being such a young woman too. Quite impressive, if you ask me. Now then, I'm willing to explain myself further, if you've still got open ears for me." He shouted towards her shamefully, crossing the river between them by hopping upon the stones.

magoi: 380 / 380 | stamina: 80 / 80
WC - 5522
A695AD

Her head turned as she gazed back at Yamato to assure herself that he wasn't going to attack her from behind. She noticed him remove something from his sleeve. Diana weaved herself in and out of the trees but stayed within sight of him. "Haha! You almost killed me, bastard!" His laugh was hearty enough to be heard over the flowing river. It was true. She had placed him in a perilous situation yet she did not have the intent to kill him. His constant mockery was getting on her nerves. Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed his every move. He was fully healed and this made her put up her guard. She knew those who used magic were powerful and not to be trifled with. If possible, she would like to avoid combat with the man. Despite his affiliation to her friend, she would kill him if it was deemed appropriate. Diana let out a deep sigh, placing a hand on her forehead. There was nothing to convict the man and she couldn't let her emotions rule over her judgement.

"You're quite strong, while being such a young woman, too. Quite impressive, if you ask me. Now then, I'm willing to explain myself further, if you've still got open ears for me." With that statement, Diana emerged from the foliage. She tightened up her stance as he hopped across the river on the stones. "How can I be sure you're not mocking me further?" Diana was trying to size him up with a fearsome gaze despite her being much smaller than he. She was fearless... most of the time. "I'm willing to listen if you're finished with these games." Her expression continued being as cold as it was before. She moved herself around him and made her way across the river; only to beckon him over and place her hands behind her back. Diana stepped back towards her bag obscurely placing something in her hands. She unraveled a small pouch and placed it's contents into her hand. If he wanted to continue playing games, she might as well play along.

---

There was a brief moment of silence between the two as the child processed the situation. His tears had dried, his eyes grew large and bright. “Do you want to hunt?” He asked this in a way that would tell Rima that he didn’t fully grasp the concept of the word. It was almost if their conversation before hadn’t occurred. His gaze was still locked with hers in an unending stare. However, his bright smile would be enough to melt or strike fear into the hearts of many. He was a peculiar child but his intentions were pure. There was a sudden sound of footsteps through the foliage and waterways. It was faint but easily heard through the stagnant silence that graced their ears before. The boy averted his gaze to look around them.

His arms hugged the rabbit in his arms closer to his person. It was clear he was scared but of what? There was nothing to be seen around them but there was still an occasional splash or crackle to be heard. Something was stalking them. The boy inched himself closer to Rima, hovering by her legs. “Mama wants a monster but monsters are scary…” His voice cracked and strained through his sobbing A few unnaturally large rabbits came out of the brush with their hairs on end but they seemed rather harmless to whatever was circling them. Rima would eventually notice the imperfections of the beast as it passed by her vision. It’s scales pulsated as they changed colors with the scenery around it. As it adjusted, it was virtually invisible. However, it was larger than even Diana’s companion, Pluto.

“Ah! A baby! Look, look, look! Cute!” The boy jumped up at down at the sight of a tiny green lizard that was cowering in the bushes. He pointed at it so Rima would be able to get a general direction of where it was. It seemed scared. It’s tiny scales tried to change colors to the surroundings but to no avail. It was still visible and only partially stealthed unlike the behemoth that alluded them. One of the rabbits began hopping towards the young lizard in an aggressive attempt to attack but was stopped in it’s tracks by a long, sticky tongue that pulled away into a large, gaping maw. Their vision pulsated in front of them as the monster revealed itself, letting out a loud screech inches away from Rima’s face. The boy quickly turned to run away as fast as he could along with the rabbits. “Oh no, I quit! I’m outta here!” The monster in front of Rima fixated it’s eyes on the boy as it leaped towards him in a chase. Thankfully, the boy was fast enough but for how long?

Rima would find herself suddenly feeling light headed, causing her to wobble slightly as she stood next to the mysterious boy. Was it because of how adorable he came off to be? Like, come on, the boy was clutching a cute rabbit in his arms! A gentle smile would form upon the dizzy girl’s plum lips, as she imagined herself placing a hand upon his head, running her fingers through his red hair. She would have done it instead of simply thinking it, but she needed to keep both of her private areas covered still.

“I’m not really a hunter, but I guess I’m training to become kind of like one.” she would say with pride, still feeling extremely happy that she was finally getting to train under Diana’s wing. “Even though you’d need to cope with a rookie like me, I’d still love to help you out in any way I can. What are you hunting by the way? More bunnies?” Rima’s tongue slipped out of her mouth as she said this, winking at the boy playfully. However, as she did this, the two would be startled by some strange sounds coming from deeper within the forest. As they stood still together, they would both try to listen in and figure out where the sound originated from.

Gulping due to the tension in the air, Rima would begin to feel slightly more comfortable by the child, who was now inching even closer to where she was standing. It was evident that he was terrified by this sudden noise, as was she, so she needed to get a hold of herself fast for the sake of this boy. She wasn’t some defenseless girl anymore, so she needed to at least act brave for the kid. Silence continued to creep up on them, and it would be that way until the boy finally decided to speak up about his “mom” again. The way he worded it confused her, since apparently his mom wanted him to go capture a monster? That sounded an awful lot like something Diana would do, considering that’s basically what she was doing to herself right now. However, Diana obviously didn't have any kids. Did she? Rima felt pretty confident she would have known about if Diana had any children. She practically stalked her, after all.

“Wait, your mom wanted you to catch a m-” Before she was able to complete her question, it was interrupted by a couple of large rabbits storming out of a brush near them. The sound of them coming out of the bush nearly gave her a heart attack right on the spot, but she quickly realized that they weren’t gonna hurt anyone. They were just a couple of cute rabbits, how could they? That’s what she thought at first anyways, until she got to thinking about why the hair on their backside seemed to be spiked up. That was clearly a sign of them being frightened, and or surprised by something. Of course it didn't take much to scare a rabbit, but still.. Without saying a word of it to the kid, she would begin thinking to herself about the whole situation logically. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were being hunted, most likely by a predator much larger than themselves. That was when she finally noticed it. It was as if the air in front of her was rippling for some odd reason.

With her eyes dilating from concentration, the girl would slowly begin to back away from where she stood. Her eyes would momentarily switch over towards where the kid was now standing, as he pointed towards a small color-shifting reptile in the foliage that was scurrying away. The magician felt sweat drip down the base of her neck as she watched a beast in front of her slowly shifting back into reality. Directly placed in front of her face was a monster if she’d ever seen one, a scaled creature holding it’s mouth wide-open for her. It would let out an extremely loud screech in front of her face, along with copious amounts of saliva that would soon cover it.

The bottom portion of Rima's jaw would begin to quiver from fear, watching the beast as her knees buckled together as well. 'Holy shit, is this for real?' she would think to herself, trying her damnedest to move her body out of the way. Fear had completely paralyzed the her. 'Is this serious how I die?!' The magician could feel her own heart pounding extremely hard, the intensity of this fear had actually made her want to black-out. However, she knew there was no way she could die just yet. She had to make it out alive, she needed to impress Diana. Her face becoming blood-red, the flustered girl would kick off the ground towards where the boy had been standing. It seemed that the boy had already gotten the right idea, as he had already taken off running somewhere. Hopefully she was going the right way, because she didn't want to leave him all alone. Still, as long as the beast was chasing HER, he should be alright for the most part.

As she tried to run through some of the forestation in her way, she could feel thorns literally ripping into the left side of her body. It was painful as all hell, but she couldn't stop because of a little pain. She needed to get out of her as fast as possible, or else she was good as dead. As she made her way through most of it, she would quickly grab a loose branch off the tree near her. It wasn't going to make a very good magic catalyst, but it might be enough for her to scare away a beast like this. Though, should she really rely on magic? She wasn't physically strong in any way...would she be failing Diana if she did?    

---

Brushing aside a tuft of his hair, the magician would place the small wand back up his sleeve. “I’m done fooling around with you, I promise.” He’d chuckle to himself, but he had meant what he said sincerely. “I’ve acknowledged you as the warrior you are, so I no longer have any intention to fight you at this very moment. Even if I did want to fight you right now, I’d most likely just wind up dead.” Yamato was a very cunning man when he spoke, he always gave off a devious vibe to those around him. That deviousness was the key factor that made him so dangerous in the first place. It wasn’t his powerful magic that made him so strong, it was the serpent’s tongue that was stowed away within his mouth. No one could tell if he was actually telling the truth, or simply full of shit most of the time.

“I suppose there’s no way I could completely prove the authenticity of my motives to you, so you’ll just need to take my word for the most part. However, I think I’ve got a strong way to convince you that I’m ready to elaborate on some things at least.” The white-haired man would say, pointing his finger towards a large bag near Rima’s pile of worldly belongings. “I’m assuming you’d be against going through your friend’s junk, but hear me out first.” Taking a quick yet deep breath to himself, the man would continue his train of words. “You remember what I said earlier about the whole…’masked freak’ who was hunting your friend? Well, I guarantee you that you’ll find some proof in that bag of hers.” Yamato’s face would suddenly gain a very serious tone to it. If Diana decides to look through Rima’s belongings, she would eventually find an aged porcelain mask down towards the bottom of it. If she was to look into the eyes of the expressionless mask, she would feel an evil presence from the mask’s past gaze upon her.

The Mask:

“I understand that you want to keep the magician girl safe. As do I to an extent. While it’s not my top priority in this journey alongside her, I promise you that I will do my best to keep her alive. As long as it’s within my own power, of course.” Just thinking about the man that was hunting the girl forced Yamato to go into a nervous jitter. He would calm himself by squeezing his left hand with his right, applying enough pressure to bring him back into reality. He wanted to fight this man before anyone else got the chance, yet he felt so much terror just thinking about what he’s seemingly capable of. Yamato was by no means a rookie magician, the hardened man had many years of training under his belt. He was an expert in clairvoyance magic, top of his class in magnostadt back in the day. While also having an immense amount of destructive force in his arsenal, mainly composed up of strength magic spells.

magoi: 380 / 380 | stamina: 80 / 80
WC - 7022
A695AD

A wave of embarrassment swept over her. He truly wasn’t going to tease her further and her set up was for nothing as she wasn’t feeling particularly sly in the first place. She dropped the small pouch she was holding onto the ground that was now empty, revealing her hidden hands. Within them was a bright red powder which would have been a hilarious tool for a prank if it had been used to stained his clothing. She had picked it up in a small village during a festival but she was unsure what it was really used for aside from smacking it on others. Despite her disappointment, Diana just let it slide between her fingers into the opposite hand and repeated this action as she listened to his words. He explained that he could prove his motives to her yet he had not stated what his motive was.

After he pointed to a large satchel, he explained how there was someone wearing a mask following Rima. The statement wasn’t unfamiliar to her and it made the wound on her arm ache at the memory. She released the powder in her hands and the wind carried it around them, staining them a slightly pink hue as it stuck to their bodies and clothing. To this day, she could still feel the blades cut into her flesh. Diana began to feel a bit light headed yet she managed to walk over to the bag. She didn’t have to search too deep in order to find a white porcelain mask. Diana ran her fingers across it, leaving red streaks over the surface. The longer she stared into it, the more scared she felt to the point where she threw it back into the bag abruptly.

“W-Where did she get this?” Diana swallowed to clear the lump in her throat. She was unsure if she was afraid or angry. That woman was dead. Could she have been back? No. She was certain Pluto had consumed her. Or were there more of these masked people? Her mind was clogged with old memories as she tried to pull some sense into the situation. She needed to get Rima would of Kou. But what if Rima wanted to stay and search? Are they linked to her brother? Diana was unsure and felt panicked. “I can not trust you with her life but… I know your words are true. We will all go together. You do not need to worry about her. I will protect her to my last breath.” Her words carried themselves on a soft breath and a sincere tone.

She gazed upon her hands and clenched them into tight fists before letting them open. “Thank you for being honest with me. May we start over?” She asked as she lifted herself off the ground and turned towards him. Diana did not feel that she needed to apologize but starting anew with the man would mend their relationship or so she thought. If she were to travel with him, they had to be on decent terms. She held out her hand with a genuine smile on her face. “I’m Diana and it’s nice to meet you.”

---

The beast leaped between trees, taking them down with ease as he pursued her. The sun was beginning to set in the skies and the woodlands were becoming dim. It wouldn’t be long into her pursuit that she would notice something crawling up her arm. It was light but it’s body was a considerable size. If she paid any attention to it, she would see that it was the infant form of this monster. It clung onto her for dear life as she ran through the woods, it’s scales trying to rapidly adjust. It made various clicking sounds mixed with soft cries as it nestled into her arm. It was clearly scared but it’s attachment to Rima still remained a mystery. However, there was a slimy substance covering parts of it’s body.

It wouldn’t take long before she slammed straight into a large, furry creature. A giant rabbit that looked much too scary for its species. It had thick arms that extended down it’s sides and long, floppy ears. It let out a loud growl at the large chameleon behind Rima, stepping around her as if to protect her. “Oh wow! Hi!” She would then see the boy who was surrounded by even more of the smaller rabbits. He was excited to see that she survived and even more excited about the baby on her arm. “Wow! Mama will be proud! Grow it!” He exclaimed, petting the creature a bit more gently than he needed to. The chameleon cooed softly, rubbing it’s head against his hand. “Kill that, though. Scary.” And with that, he scurried into a large hole in the trunk of a tree with some of the rabbits to hide. It didn’t seem like he was planning to help her at all.

The larger monster let out a booming screech as it shot it’s tongue out at Rima. Thankfully, it’s accuracy was poor and it only hit the ground beside her. The stickiness adhered to the ground before it pulled back, a large chunk of dirt going along with it. It created a bit of a smokescreen. The large rabbit launched itself towards it but instantly got swat away. Close ranged attacks would be difficult on a beast of this caliber but not impossible due to its size. Although it was rather slow, the independently moving eyes allowed it to see more than an average creature. There was no doubting it’s strength as it had placed even the large rabbit out of commission. Rima would have to think fast as it charged towards her or she would certainly perish.