Doubt in the Dark

A Troubled Heart
In the midst of waiting for their father to come home from his contracted participation in this looming war, the girls did not want to be idle. With Maria believing that it was best for them to make the most of their time and begin to learn something that Yui promised to teach them awhile back. Approaching the mature girl, she was excited to have students of her own and prefaced if only briefly that this was a dangerous magic and that they should take it slowly as to avoid injuring themselves unnecessarily. With Victoria making rounds around the mansion to oversee security -of which the barriers and automatons didn't cover-, Christina monitored the girls' progress in the Nest, making sure to be ready in case there was healing needed.

For the most part, they got a grasp of how to generate their Ethernano in a way that could duplicate the effects of Burst, spikes of pain included. The way Yui explained how Burst Magic became less taxing and strenuous, beyond training an absurd degree physically, was that you'd 'wear the burden' so that your body wouldn't rip itself apart on the inside as easily. She only knew Noriko was capable of achieving this state of Burst, but she never has seen it and she had been seen plenty strong without taking it too far.

After the first day, they worked on honing their respective use of Burst on themselves. Maria seemed to be the most adept at achieving balance but at the sake of not creating a strong enough aura to be considered a true "Burst Mantle". Maria Streak on the other hand was having trouble exuding the aura, but made up for it by a natural toughness thanks to Athlete Magic and began to think of fusing the two if only in short bursts to help fight off her own inability to create a strong aura. Yui herself tried to really push Morgan in embracing her Darkness Slayer Magic with Burst, figuring that it was a key point in how the first time she didn't harm herself significantly was because of it; the originator element was going to be the thing that could take her magic to heights even Yui couldn't achieve.

On the third day, Yui was happy enough with the results that they could begin sparring. The trick was to keep concentrating on their style of Burst while ensuring they could hit and dodge their opponents. Yui herself worked with Maria Streak, feeling that she was the closest to mastering her own unique spin on it and thought to give her a challenge to show where she's lacking. Meanwhile, she thought the sisters would work better together, and only kept an occasional eye on them while keeping pace with Streak.

"Come on, Morgan!" Maria cried out, dancing around a dark-infused punch and a talon-embroiled claw that was lightly coated in crimson while she embraced a sparkly, pretty form that she used to adeptly avoid Morgan's current impure state. "I know you're faster than this! Put some oomph into it! I know you can do it!"

From the moment Victor left, Morgan had become extremely restless, not wanting to dwell on the fact that her father was actually imagining taking the fight to Jadow if given the chance. Even Promethus wasn't enough to defeat that monster, what chance did a normal human, even one so powerful, have against such a thing? If all the Slayers of the modern era were brought together, it still would no be enough. Fighting Jadow wasn't just a battle, it was survival. Those foolish enough to try were slain or spared at the whim of a god, one who tortured and destroyed lives just for amusement. She had warned them all over and over that Jadow was and is the embodiment of cruelty, and they still dared to declare their intentions, to overthrow the Dark Dragon King and rid the world of his evil forever. Such boldness infuriated her. And now that people she cherished were in the line of fire, it worried her. Deep down, she was terrified that her father, her hero, would not return safely or even at all.

When Yui agreed to teach them how to use Burst Magic, she jumped at the chance. She already had a basic understanding of the nature of the magic, having been shrouded in it once before. But to understand the theory of it wasn't the same as actually mastering it, making it her own. It took until the second day of training before she could even generate the first flickers of an aura. The pain was nothing to her once she learned to expect it. Her tolerance for physical agony made it simple to drown out the sensation that came with the first few times she tried to clad herself in the crimson glow that was her Burst Magic.

Yui's advice to somehow combine her darkness into the empowering aura dwelled in the back of her mind as something to experiment with later, once she mastered the basics and could mix her fighting style with the surging might. But not yet, not while her basic version was still far from complete, only existing as a flicker of blood-red hue.

The third day, however, proved not to be physically taxing but one that wore on her mentally and emotionally, a side-effect of being told to spar with her sister. With every moment, memories of what she had done welled up within her mind, memories of how she willingly, without hesitation, tried to kill Maria. She dreaded a repeat of that day and that fear stunted her abilities. Se restrained herself while attacking, not allowing herself to go all-out. It was so unlike her that she expected it when it was pointed out to her by her sibling.

"I won't. Not against you." she replied as she dodged a sparkling kick from her sparring partner. "I don't want to hurt you." her words carried the fear and sadness that lingered in her as the recollection of her own feral bloodlust became stronger and stronger. She backed off from her sister and held up a hand to signal that she needed a break, dispersing her Burst aura as she did so. She needed time to supress her memories from her brief time as Jadow's heiress, the Princess of Dark Dragons. Stopping with a skidding halt, Maria huffed, letting her Burst Aura disperse and her eyes form a furrowed scowl, "Do I look like you're going to hurt me? I may not be a Slayer, but I'm not a pushover either."

"Plus, it's not like she's in Rage-Murder-Mode right now!"

"STREAK!" Yui shrieked, landing a hammerfist on the goggle-girl's head, making her flop to the ground with a bounce before she snap kicked her jaw and sent her bouncing across the training room created by the Nest. "If you have time to snark, then work on your awareness! If you didn't have your Aura on, I'd have killed you with that kick!"

"...yes, sorry," Streak replied with a weary tone, dizzily getting up as she wiped the spit and blood from her mouth, trying to not rub her head from the earlier hit.

Sighing, Maria looked to the two before looking back at Morgan with a more solemn expression, "Morgan, I get it. I know this is hard for you to do, but Yui has a reason for us working together. We have higher compatibility as a pair than separate. I'm trying not to let what happened get to me; but if you're not making the effort, I don't know why I'm trying so hard." Morgan watched as her sister came to a rather abrupt stop, not even blinking despite the closeness of what could have been a dangerous attack. She knew almost without thinking where she would stop. The two could read each other's every move, each little twitch meant something and after months of training and fighting together they could predict what the other would do as if they were both an extension of the other. There was no risk at all to herself.

The other Maria's words stung, Being reminded of her terrible sin by another hurt in a way she couldn't accurately describe. The young slayer lowered her head and turned away, not seeing Yui's attack on Streak, instead facing her sibling. She listened as Maria told her not only what she already knew, that they were the perfect pair, but also what she needed to hear; what good was it that one trained their hardest while the other slacked, even for a good reason? But that wasn't enough for Morgan.

"How...how can you understand how hard this is? You...you don't have even the slightest clue!" she yelled, her self-loathing turning to anger. "You honestly have no idea what it's like being me! I would have killed you if you hadn't teleported at the last second. And it wasn't Jadow's fault. All he did was give me that power...what I did with it was all me. Now do you get it? I WANTED to hurt you. My Dragon Force...turned my rage into a single thought...kill anyone, everyone who got in my way." she said, tears raining down her face. "I never...never want to be like that again."

She turned away and walked over to the furthest wall from the action and sat down. Her heart ached and her mind was lost in a sea of unforgiving memories, things she wished could be undone, erased from the flow of time. But that was the cruelty of the past, it was unchanging, uncaring to the wishes of the mightiest of kings, what chance did the prayers of a broken child have by comparison?

"Morgan-!" Maria began to call out until her sibling sat as far away as she could from her. Her outstretched hand clenched with futility before it fell to her side, her mouth slowly closing as her eyes softened at her direction. Closing them, she tried to empathize with her sister, going as far as to forgive her; but she wanted to become stronger with her. How can she measure up if this is the reaction to training together is going to be had?

"Hey, Alexander," She heard Yui call after her, earning a inclining look from her. Streak was already in a bruised pile of heaving breaths and Yui barely looked scuff. Walking slowly over to her, she raised a hand to stop her from speaking just as she approached her. "I know this might have happened. Give her some space and try again when she's in a better mood."

"But, what if she loses all of her confidence? What if I have to get stronger without her?"

"Telling the truth here, the only one who needs to improve is you. Morgan can easily catch up with the right incentive and she's got the basics. If she takes my advice, she should be solid," Looking over Maria's shoulder, she squinted at the girl who was huddled by herself. Turning back to smile reassuringly at the older sister with a smirk. "She'll get out of it. After all, if she could get unshackled from that depressing room of hers to talk to you, I'm sure she'll work past whatever's holding her back. Now, train with me; Streak's out and you're still up!"

"A-Alright!" She declared, igniting her Burst Aura and reining it into the gentle sparks that balanced power and durability. As they began to exchange blows, Maria's mind drifted to her sibling, wondering what kind of nightmare was it for her to be aware of her own darkest desires to eviscerate her own sister? That darkness may not be something she can relate, but she'd find some means of supporting her, even if she didn't like it. Morgan wanted to just break down and cry. Her heart hurt, she felt sick. Even after gaining the forgiveness she believed was to be denied her, she still couldn't get over the harsh truth; something was very, very wrong with her. Some sick part of her wanted to kill one of the most precious people in her life. It was true that sometimes Maria's insistance that Slayers were cool irked her, but she never wanted to harm her sister over their disagreements, so why then did her mind even imagine such a situation?

She remained huddled against the wall for a few minutes, watching Maria intently. She could almost predict how her sister would deal with whatever Yui threw at her. But every second she followed their spar, it hurt her. Jealousy welled up inside her, only to be crushed by the overwhelming guilt and disgust aimed at herself. After just a couple minutes of watching, she got up and walked out of the room, unable to cope with the thoughts dancing in her head, memories of times both good and bad.

"Even when I try to protect her...I'm just hurting her." she said to the dead air around her. "It's just my fate...I don't deserve to be happy after all...It's not fair! I've already suffered enough. What more do I have to lose?!" she demanded of whatever god dared to listen to her venting. She already had a low opinion of the divine, but she wanted an answer, for someone to tell her why she was born to only be a punching bag for destiny. She broke into tears when nothing replied to her, leaving her to wonder what she did so wrong that even the smallest shred of joy was beyond her grasp.

A flash of scarlet light followed a thunderclap of warped space and burning air. Unfurling a pair of wings with black feathers akin to an angel's, a gleaming pair of ruby eyes stared in dilation and a pale as chalk skin complementing snow-white hair that whipped around in a silver arc of motion. With a spiked halo of onyx licking with orange embers, the armored bodied woman leaped outward in a strange mixture of livid and joy; tackling Morgan to the ground while peppering her face and neck with kisses.

Then follows up with a pair of slaps to her cheeks.

"H-How could you f-forget me, you beautiful dumbass?!" Cassandra cried out, her eyes a mix of frustration and joy that sparkled with moisture in her sockets. "You summoned me, and then you just left me! You know I can't just go back home after I'm summoned right?! Do you know how long I looked for you?! I was lost without you, my dark flower!"

Morgan first heard thunder and saw crimson before she felt her solitude being intruded upon and before she could even fathom who or what snuck on her, she was knocked to the ground as the figure repeatedly kissed her. The kissing was honestly a surprise at first, followed by the rough sting of being slapped, forcing the girl to flinch instictively. Once she realized who pinned her down, she blinked in surprise. With all of the commotion since the Black Vox mission, she totally forgot to unsummon the goddess and it only now dawned on her, having the proof in front of her face. I can't even do this right...i'm an idiot. She lamented the fact that even Cassandra was a victim of her own foolishness.

"I...I'm sorry I forgot to send you back. I honestly thought you'd find a way home or be okay without me saying something. But since you're here...do you mind just staying a bit more?" the young Slayer asked in a small voice, looking up at her summon with tears still streaming down her own face. She knew it was selfish of her to request Cassandra to stay longer after over a week already stuck in the material plane, but she believed that given how the angel treated her, maybe she'd at least get a brief respite from her loneliness. Cassandra felt her heart warm and her expression soften. Truly, this wild flower was in turmoil to shed such tears and talk in such a quiet voice. Wiping away her own face, she eased Morgan up and around to lay her head on her lap; ensuring she didn't feel the armored curiass but the softness of her thighs. Brushing her bangs and down her scalp, the goddess relaxed her aura and let her body emit a soft warmth akin to the feeling one would have to sitting at a fireplace.

"What troubles you, my sweet Morgan?" She asked, caressing her face gently while looking down with a sincerely loving look in her eyes. "Speak and I shall listen. I shall advise and comfort you to the best of my ability. It may not be in the preview of a being such as myself, but I care for your wellbeing enough to make an exception. So please, do not hold back for my sake. Let me being an avenue of which you can vent your emotions and secrets. I shan't tell a soul what you want or cherish unless you enable me." Morgan was surprised when Cass moved her and laid her head on her lap, a position she found rather comfortable to lay in, coupled with the warm aura. She was about to ask why she was given such treatment before the goddess asked her what was bothering her so much. Being given the freedom to lay her every trouble bare was something the young Slayer rarely ever indulged in, electing to bottle everything inside. The less she told, the less she could hurt people. But for now, she knew what she needed, help. She couldn't win against her own fear and madness alone, she was sure of that.

"It's just...I'm so tired of hurting people who get close to me. I don't even need to touch them and I can feel their hearts breaking, because i'm not good enough. I'm so tired of it...Don't I deserve to be happy? After all I've lost? All that was taken from me?" she asked the same questions to her spiritual companion that had already been struggling through her mind ever since the attack on the council. She was hoping for comfort more than answers at that moment, but she trusted Cassandra to give her at least something, anything that would make her feel better. "But I don't want to be happy if everyone i care about suffers for me.."

Cassandra heard out the young woman of her deepest worries and aches within her heart. She basked in the conflict like a reptile to heat, reveling its presence and urging this child to be soothed by her mere presence. She wasn't a being of pure compassion so this was beyond her expectancy as a goddess of war. However, when it came to those she cared for, she had a particular inkling to see this one be happy so she conjured a means within her head exactly what to say to this impressionable girl.

She knew that she could simply tell her not to worry and that these pains will eventually go away. It was the simplest but it was also a complete lie. There was no determining factor that assured her that something as easy as ignoring the problem could make the pain and sadness go away. That's not how emotions worked, especially for humans. She had to consider what she wanted as well as what she didn't want.

Caressing her cheeks, she rubbed a finger playfully over Morgan's lips, finally answering the Slayer's questions, "I think, Morgan, based on what I know of you that you shouldn't reject these feelings of sadness and anguish. They are as much a part of you as the joy and safety you felt when you were taken from the pit of despair. For how can you feel happiness when you know no hatred or lonliness? You must taste and bathe in negativity daily to appreciate the things you adore all the more fervently.

"As for how you hurt people, do not fret for things past. Just look to improving yourself in the future. If all you can do is look to the past, how can you see hope what's ahead? You are a bird, caging itself with shackles of your mind to think that the sins of the past are preventing you from being free, freer than any other person in this world. Find happiness however you can, whenever you can," She finished, her wings folding around in a protective wreathe that blotted out the light save for the gentle embers coming from her halo, her eyes and a subtle glow from her pale skin. Cupping her face, she smiled as her face neared hers, resting her forehead against the other as her breath caressed her lips and drank in her scent. "Do you want to share some happiness with me?"

As if to entice the innocent girl, she brushed her lips against Morgan's, the moist membrane tickling the Slayer's before a firm embrace was made between each other. An electric shockwave was exchanged between herself and exchanged to her romantic partner, eliciting a breathy sigh from her nostrils. Releasing the tentative kiss with a moist pop, she looked deeply into Morgan's deep blue eyes as her pale forehead maintained contact with the other's, as if awaiting a reaction and permission to go further. The momentary silence between them crushed Morgan more than she cared to admit. Even if it was only a brief second, the empty air hurt. And when the silence was broken, her attention never wavered from Cassandra. The divine figure's words echoed in her head. Every time she said or did something that affected those she cared about in a negative way, she always let it torture her, preventing her from being happy, a feeling she only could comprehend in such a way because she alone tasted the very depths of misery and cruelty.

When Cassandra's wings folded around them, cutting out all the light except for the goddess's halo, all Morgan could do was look into the woman's eyes, the way they shined in the flickering light from above and gazed into her own with such compassion and understanding. Being so close, she could almost feel her comrade's heartbeat. She could smell the endless battlefields of history, an iron-tinged scent, but it was mixed with something sweet, like honey. In that intimate space, their foreheads touching, it was almost a welcoming thing, like she belonged right there at that moment. She was, after all, a bloodstained specter in her own right, and so her anxiousness at being so close to another in such context melted away. It was calming.

Morgan opened her mouth to tell Cass that she wanted to share even the smallest scrap of joy with her, but before she could even articulate the first sounds, their lips met. Feelings welled up inside the girl from their briefest of kisses, some that she never felt before, at least not with such overwhelming intensity. Unsure of how to properly express how she felt, she smiled softly and embraced Cassandra. "Don't ever leave me...I don't care if I have to send you back sometimes, but don't leave me." Her words were childish, but heartfelt. Unable to voice the true depths of her emotions, she hoped even her simple words could convey enough.

Cassandra desperately wanted to keep up appearances as the cool and collected mature person of this blossoming relationship of theirs. However, the pure innocence of a heartfelt plea made her let out a squeak as her mind was squealing with painful delight at how precious she was. Smiling broadly, she tickled the Slayer's nose with hers as she nuzzled close to her as she whispered with bated breath, "Of course, my sweet girl. All you had to do was ask, and I shall carry it out; for my heart belongs to you and you alone till the end of your days."

To punctuate it, she reclaimed the Slayer's mouth with her own as she dived her tongue in her orifice with rapturous ecstasy. The moans of pleasure and decadence would be concealed by the curtain of feathers that hid the pair, still just nary outside of the Nest's observation doorway. If it wasn't for the fact Cassandra had potent Omniscience, they could easily be spotted regardless if it bothered her or not.

Tis unfortunate that an outside presence enters the envelope of peace and joy they had; one with the intention of reaping vengeance for the failure sowed upon them nearly half a year ago.

The Power of Bitter Feelings
"Aw man! How huge is that place?!" A voice rang out from the bottom of the valley. Many would know this voice as being one of the perpertrators involved with Fiume di Gigglio's ransacking and murdering that occurred almost half a year ago. This particular fellow being Donovan Treuce, member of the previously disbanded gang, the Black Brier Gang. As he looked up from his jacket and slacked yellow-black apparel, gun slung over one shoulder and an iron bludgeon in the other hand, he was flanked on either side by familiar faces.

"Well duh, the guy's the richest man on this side of the continent," Rowlie snorted, rolling her eyes as she kept her hands on her hips. Now sporting leather armor over her usual sleeveless apparel, she eyed the valley and the paved road that led up in a spiral around the mountain to the castle built into and beside a mountain. A particularly large cannon seemed to be mounted from the top of a ovular shaped cropping at the top of the enormous structure, one that looked like it was recently used in the past few hours. "Also, I'm glad he's not home, cause being hit by that gun would not be pretty."

"As if you needed a gun to know that-OW!"

"Shut it, asswipe!"

"I'm just sayin, maybe you should see an image consultan-OW! BITCH! CUNT!"

"Be quiet you two," Ketchum intoned, the red-haired Shadow Mage threatened as he massaged the bridge of his nose out of annoyance. "You have no idea how long it took me to reunite with your dumb asses, I rather not wish to strike it on my own again."

"Well said, Ketchum," Elaine complimented with a sigh, turning to look over her shoulder at the looming figure of Swartz; whose eyes remained fix on the giant gun. "Honey, do not attack the giant magic cannon."

"BUT I LOVE CANNONS!" He bellowed out, leaning down with wiggling hands to emphasize his words. "AND I WANNA PUNCH ITS LOAD BACK INTO ITS FACE!"

"Innuendos aside, that's pure insanity," She replied, patting on the face with a more empathetic expression. "But that's okay, my sugar bear. We can find another cannon back at the war. How does that sound?"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, my sweet bloody angel, you know exactly what to say to change my mind!~" He squealed as he cupped his hands next to his face as he wiggled in a swooning motion, much to the chagrin of all present.

"Thankfully, our friend Abyss helped bypass the barrier keeping us from entering," Ketchum noted, looking up towards the base of the castle. With a gesture, he let loose his shadow to expand in a black circle beneath everyone's feet, allowing them to sink into the ebony portal and reappear moments later before the large castle's initial entry. Dispelling it, the murderous assassin grinned with anticipation. "Vic's going to regret taking his Guild with him into the war. This will be child's play, in more ways than one, getting our revenge here."

A rapid bombardment suddenly was unleashed in their vicinity, forcing them to evade and raise defenses. Ketchum's shadows lance out and deflected magic-powered slugs while Elaine constructed waves of projected rubies to completely nullify the projectiles. Swartz simply stood still as his body repelled the strokes while Donovan slowed them down to the point they fell to the earth, with Rowlie being the only one who ducked.

Mina Saark, on the other hand, looked around Swartz's body to see a girl standing perpindicularly to the face of the castle with a pair of enormous chain-guns with bestial-tooth paint enamored on their frames. Spitting out a cigarette, Victoria let loose a bellow below as she resumed aiming at the party, "No guests allowed, dickheads! Why don't you scram before I eviscerate you!"

"Can guns eviscerate?" Rowlie asked Donovan who simply shrugged.

"We're not turning around, little spirit," Elaine replied with a rueful smile, hands in the pockets of her renewed crimson cloak as her hat flourished around her head. "Why don't you go get the others? You're out of your league if you think you can take us all on."

"TRY ME!" Victoria cried out, jumping in a throttling blitz from the wall of the castle to their midst. Swinging her guns around, she fired them wildly, forcing them to avoid the point blank riddling they'd be given. Donovan smashed one of the guns in a flurry of Accelerator motion, forcing her to backpedal and Requip a semi-automatic firearm, firing off more salvos to their midst. Just as Ketchum tripped her up, she'd feel a telekinetic grappel that'd yank her up into the air and land on an upraised fist from Swartz, belly first. Hacking out blood with wide eyes, she was unfortunate enough to experience the charging berserker's ramming into the front immaculate doors with her body hammered in between.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT'S SWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTZ!" He howled aloud, his voice echoing thunderously in the enormous halls as Victoria went sprawling into the front of the carpeted staircase that'd lead up to the many floors and the spiraling staircase that went stories up to the floor Nest was housed at. Even as she keeled over, Swartz couldn't help but look in awe of the whole of the interior; even the immaculate palaces the sorcerers of MIDI had didn't have this level of class.

"Whelp, no one's come running. You think everyone's here like they said?" Donovan speculated as he looked left and right.

"Obviously they're at the top floor," Rowlie surmised, up to the tippy top of the place. "Damn, that's high."

"That's no big deal. I can just warp us up past the flights we'd have to walk," Ketchum remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I feel them at the top for sure, but there's...something else up there," Mina affirmed, looking a bit nervous at this familiar celestial presence she felt. "It...it can't be her..."

"Who?" Elaine inquired.

"Well, I'mma jump up."

"Wait-wha-?"

Before anyone could stop him, Swartz bent his legs and leapt up, leaving most flying back from the force that shattered the marble flooring. Like a streaking Skyhawk, he cracked and warped the frames of the balconies of each floor, straight up until his head smashed into the ceiling of the castle staircase. With a muffled sound of inaudible dialogue, he wrenched his head free and forward flipped onto the balcony facing the baffled Cassandra and her treasured beloved. Crouched down, he spread a lecherous grin of toothy white pearls as his red eyes gleamed behind his angular shades, his hair brimming as his aura let loose a wave of intimidating pressure like a hot wind; not too disimilar to the aura Prometheus released when feeling serious.

"Oh please, don't let me spoil your fun," He remarked with a cackle. "I'll wait till you're done!~"

Morgan was so confused, torn between her desires and her own lack of understanding towards romance. If what she was experiencing was normal, then she didn't mind at all. The angel's lipstick left smeared lip-marks on her face, over and over and over again, the color bleeding onto her own lips as they kissed once, twice and again. Eventually, the pair had to break apart to catch their breath.

Left panting, the young slayer felt a group of evil entities approaching, most of them familiar enough to her after their repeated meetings; the Black Brier gang had found them, but it was already too late to even alert Cass or the group inside the NEST, Swartz was already coming, breaking in mere moments after Moran realized he was the one virtually flying up towards them. The buffoon actually got stuck into the ceiling, earning a stiffed laugh from the surprised girl.

She scrambled to her feet and got ready to fight, even despite the insane aura he put off. I can do this...I have to do this! she told herself. There were too many people in the NEST that wouldn't be able to even try to come close to Swartz's own level, she was the only one with the reserves to even try and hold him off, let alone push him back. It was a feat only Victor normally could manage, and she was almost certain she could with her own enormous level of power, far more refined than it had been the first time the two met.

"Get out. I'm not in the mood for you and your idiots today." she said, scowling, part of her almost daring the man to give her what she wanted; an excuse to vent every last frustration she had. She was pretty sure he'd do it even if she didn't provoke him, but she also wanted to give him a chance to back off, pack up and get out of her sight. An aura of her own formed, one blacker than an empty midnight sky, skull-like shapes etched in violet danced across the surface. "Or do you really want to test my patience for your idiocy right now?" The Goddess of War was incensed.

Here she finally had the captured girl's heart right where she wanted, and then a bunch of assholes crash their secluded party illicitly staged just beyond the Nest barrier doors. She was withholding all of her rage to simply annihilate this buffoon for so daringly intrude on their affair; that is until she felt Morgan's riled up emotions take a different turn than usual. It had a foul odor, like burning chemicals mixed with ozone and left a coldness that countered the wave of heat that Swartz's energized wave of Ethernano created. At the moment, she was taking precedent when both times she had encountered her she was either reserved or too timid to really take charge.

So, for the moment, she settled on simply glaring her orange-red eyes like hot coals at the beast of a man, remaining silent as those beyond the doors heard a commotion and began to scurry to the exit. However, something happened that none of the girls expected; something that Victor used this place in times of emergency. Locks whirred, the barrier reinforced and tightened in place, keeping Streak, Maria and Yui along with Christina within it.

"HEY! What's going on?!" Streak cried out, banging her fists against the safe-like door. "Let us out!"

"NEST Authorization Code Required To Lift Emergency Barrier Procedures. Please Use Password To Verify."

"Stupid door! Let us out!" Maria cried out with a swift kick to the door; only causing her to hold her foot and yelp at its hardness.

"That Password Isn't Recognized. Please Contact Victor Hannibal Alexander Before Attempting Again."

"Dammit! It seems your dad had planned on using the Nest as a Safe Room in case of emergencies," Yui postulated, cupping her chin and looking to Christina. The Virago Spirit shrugged, not looking any way informed on the matter. Sighing, she rubbed her temples as she walked away. "Well, no point in trying to contact Vic when he's in the middle of a war zone. Back to training!"

"W-Wait, you want us to train while bad guys are in MY HOUSE?!" Maria screamed, making Streak lurch back with hands over her ears. "How can you think of stuff like that when Morgan is out there?!"

"Knowing your sister, she'll make do with what she's got," She said nonchalantly, stretching her legs back and forth, taking a moment to look over her shoulder at Maria cynically. "You should have a bit faith in your sis. Plus, Victoria is out there, so I'm sure they'll find a way to outlast them."

"You don't understand," She bitterly replied, biting her lower lip as her fists balled up at her sides and her eyes hardened. "M-Morgan is vulnerable on the inside. Ever since we made up, she's been scared to even bring out a portion of her power in just a sparring match. How is she going to handle whatever's out there?!"

"Well, she did survive on her own before she met us," Streak pointed out, putting her arms behind her neck and goose-stepped over to Yui, stretching her upper body back and forth in kind. "I think she has a means of hiding if things get too bad. Besides, training under stress can be an inspiration, you know?"

"Ugh, you two muscle heads are impossible!" Maria cried out, stomping over and began barrier-punching and kicking the solid surface, crying out as loud as she could for her sister to hear. "MORGAN! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, DON'T FIGHT THEM! RUN! HIDE! WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT FIGHT! MORGAN!"

As the silence permeated with the bubbling of Morgan's ghastly aura and the howling wind of Swartz's energy, the two's stand-off was broken as a shadow opened up behind them and let loose a hail of Accelerator shots at their backs. Like streaks of lightning infused metal, they bounced and ricocheted around the hallway as Cass manipulated her wings around like whirling shields, deflecting the surprise attack with ease thanks to her Ominiscence. Turning to look at the shadow, she stretched a hand out and yanked those within like an invisible hand up, smashing Ketchum and Donovan up into the ceiling next to the barrier.

"You think a surprise attack from behind could elude my Battle Precognition? You underestimate me, little mages," Cassandra rebuked, her back turned on Morgan as she saw the portal widened and let loose a mirror-shaped form towards her. Thrusting her finger at it, the magical construct shattered, and from it hundreds of blades sought purchase at her to which she deflected at an inhuman speed; allowing Rowlie to slip through a shard by her foot and trip her at her feet.

"Don't underestimate the Black Brier-!" She began to say, her swords brandished in a flare of singing metal before her body was struck by a wing and smashed her to splinter the immaculate marble walled surface. Sliding down with a grimace, she barely had time to deflect a number of feathers that shot out of the wing, flying around and attacking her like semi-sentient hornets.

All in that span, Swartz leaped forward in a blur that defied his stature. With his enormous bulk directly over Morgan's, he unleashed a flurry of punches, each one coated in his Pyro Magic, explosively blasting with every pressurized release of his Aura. Even without his Giant Magic's titan-sized fists that vary in size and mass, his strength was enough that the floor would crack and the walls would shudder with the ceiling, threatening the reinforced corridor of which they fought just by exchanging blows; regardless if they damaged her, it was the exertion itself that made it clear he had no idea how to regulate the amount of power he put into his attacks.

Morgan was singularly focused on Swartz, even after she sensed the others appear behind her. She knew they were no match for Cassandra, not without Faer along to cause havoc. When her opponent moved, she was impressed to see he was at least faster than he appeared to be. However, that didn't mean she had any reason to fear his movement, he was still moving at but a snail's pace to her eyes. With every swing he made towards her, she simply jumped, flipped or otherwise stepped out of his path. She wasn't even using a considerable fraction of her full speed and it was clear that in mobility, she was endlessly outclassing him.

The shaking of the hallway however, proved to be a bit annoying. Every vibration had to be taken into consideration just to keep her footing, but it was clear to her that he was just as vulnerable. All that she needed was an opening. She imagined him as nothing but a bear, not an entirely inaccurate comparison in the slightest, she'd put him down just like she would such an animal. The only difference was the hallway was too confined for her to really outspeed her enemy, to force that opening. To further complicate matters, Swartz' attacks were too furious for her to get inside his reach enough.

Creating the Darkness Dragon's Scales on her chest, she lunged in anyway, planning to take a hit in order to provide just a momentary chance. She was not prepared for the raw power behind the punch that she took, the immense force was enough to shatter the scales and send her skidding back, but she reacted and once more sped into melee range, slipping inside Swartz' guard, too close for him to just punch her away again. "Darkness Dragon's Crushing Maw!" she intoned, thrusing both her hands into the man's chest, the dark energy resembling a monstrous jaw.

Swartz was surprised. While he hadn't fought the daughter of Victor personally, he had heard about how his former colleague -Faer Pleigh- had a complete breakdown thanks to her mere presence in Feur. Her movements were similar to how the older wizard would avoid his attacks, blending with the shadows and streaking across space in motions akin to a wraith. However, where the man had fortitude to protect himself from a volley of attacks, he clearly could tell she was being effected, even on a small scale, by his flurry of explosive-fiery punches.

Darting forth, she managed to land her first blow, crashing both palms into his abdomen with enough force to kick back his coat and send a rippling gust of air pressure behind him to the other side of the spiral staircase behind him. With the splinters of the balcony still in midspray, the man rocked on his heels, his face contorting a smidge as saliva spat out of his mouth; bile that was lit aflame and that'd land on Morgan's scalp.

Wrapping his arms around her head, shoulders and upper middle, Swartz slammed his right knee -swelling up to enormous degrees to smash her whole front flank- and unleashed a volatile blast of Pyro. As flames trailed with the steam and smoke off her, Swartz enlarged his head to the point of absurdity and headbutted back through head, unleashing another explosive blast of a fiery spell into the floor; through the floor and ontop of the next floor with a thunderous crash of smoke and splinters.

"You know something, little girl?" Swartz began to say, looking down through the smoldering hole as the hallway filled with vaporous gas, with Cassandra giving a dangerous glare at him that he chose to ignore. "You may be wicked fast, but you lack the elegance, poise and straight up power your papa has. Lemme show you," He taunts, twisting around and enlarging his arm to titanic size and thrusting it through the hole, the knuckles as large as she was, embroiled with flames of Pyro as it raced to crash into her and send her through more floors of infrastructure of the castle. "WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"