A sword's blade blocked a mana coated fist. The explosion shattered the ground as the two individual's golden mana flared, competing with one another's. Lain Tross was expressionless. He took a step back, figure flickering and his hand swung. In a second, his blade blurred, five slashes with the shine of his weapon.

Aura Fiora's form blurred, her figure flashed through the streets of Felcius, worming between the bladelights which ripped through the air and ground, dodging them by a hair's breadth and coming out of the other end, swinging a fist.

"Wha-t?"

"<Zap>"

Lain's image shattered, leaving shards of light dancing. A blade appeared from behind her, slashing at her neck, gleaming gold. Aura couldn't dodge. The full force of a Blade Art slammed into her in a shimmer which burned the night sky.

A building ripped apart as her figure slammed into it. She struck the floor and the whole of the wooden construct crashed down upon her. For a moment, there was silence, and then a hand shot out, followed by harsh breathing.

Aura stood from that rubble, wiping bloodstain from her lips as she watched Lain's figure unhurriedly approach her, his sword dangling listlessly in his grasp, shining in the tame darkness of the night.

'What was that?' She thought, wiping blood from her lips.

Though every hero was known for one particular ability or fighting style of theirs, it was only one of many they possessed. So whenever one clashed with another, it became a battle where each seeked to understand the other's numerous powers and abilities, and how they worked. Clearly, however, the boy had the advantage. So far, the only thing Aura knew about him was that he dealt with light, but the extent of that was beyond her.

His powers were not as straightforward as her own. After all, he had just created an image of himself from light, and then appeared instantaneously behind her with a slash. She couldn't understand it and, sadly, this world was not one in which everyone went off spouting their abilities.

"Even an attack like that left practically no injuries on you? You might not be particularly versed in battle, but that raw strength of yours is astounding." Lain Tross stated, pacing closer. Though he stared at her, she felt as if he were looking through her. "How tough exactly is that body of yours?"

Aura tilted her head. "Why would I tell you?"

The boy's expression didn't flicker. The golden mana around him tamed as he slowly brought his blade up.

"Well," He said, swinging his weapon, "You do not have to."

A flash of a bladelight slashed through the air and across the street, in moments, it was before an already dodging Aura.

"<Flash>"

The attack disappeared as if it had been an illusion, shattering like glass, and, in its place, Lain Tross appeared, slashing towards her. Aura stomped against the earth, her aura of golden mana flared and exploded outwards.

The earth rumbled as her mana swept through everything around her. Rubble became dust and Lain was blown aback, slamming into a building of his own. As she watched the structure collapse, Aura raised a leg, her feet glowing.

She fully intended to win this battle, for the sake of her life, and the life of the unconscious Fieth. Those thoughts running through her mind, Aura pushed her powers even further and stamped down.

The ground rumbled and cracks spread. Her mana ran through the earth, spreading forward until it reached the collapsed building and exploded upwards. Shooting into the air debris alongside a battered figure.

Aura sucked in a breath of air, her feet planted upon the quaking ground, her hair whipping about, channeling her mana as she watched that figure begin its descent. 'Sorry,' She thought.

She opened her lips.

A brilliant blast of gold escaped her mouth and shot through the night sky. It was as if an aurora had descended, shadowing over the city of Felcius. The raw energy slammed into Lain and devoured his form.

As that attack died down, the cold gleam of a blade appeared behind her. Lain, figure bleeding, his clothing in tatters, swung his weapon.

"Sorry," He said, "But perhaps I should become serious too."

Aura's form flickered and so too did his own.

She moved and he moved.

He struck and she too struck.

His blade and her fists met one another's as the area around them became rubble.

Yet.

It was as if her movements were being read. Whatever it was she tried to do, his blade would be there to counter, and she was left with no breathing space to so much as think up a plan. Simply put, he had her locked down through swordsmanship alone, not speed.

Lain's Tross's eyes were unflinching as he utilized the side of his weapon to block her fist, then redirected another with the butt of his hilt.

'. . .'

A shiver went through Aura's spine as his eyes stared into her own.

He could see her actions before she made them.

He ducked his body and slashed up.

"<FlashStorm>"

Aura was sent flying into the air as a slash of gold ripped into her. She had no ground to make an escape. A bladelight shot past her, flickered, and became a Lain who struck again, sending her hurtling sideways. She had no experience fighting within the air. She blinked her eyes, a scream leaving her lips as she tried to regain her spinning form. She couldn't even tell what was going on as Lain appeared before her once more. He wasn't faster than her, she simply couldn't keep track of him.

At that moment, Aura realized it was the first time she was fighting another person, not a beast. Her raw strength was useless if she couldn't wield it correctly. Yet, that pondering was all but useless.

"<BlightStorm>"

Lain Tross slashed his weapon.

His form flickered as he phased through her as if he were a phantom, slashing his blade in the process. Aura's figure momentarily paused in the air—then a thousand cuts of light sent her screaming as blood splashed into the air.

Aura fell from the sky and slammed against the earth. Her figure spasmed. Her clothing had became tatters and she was bleeding everywhere. She breathed in, then out, finding it hard to build strength in her body.

She turned her head, seeing an unconscious Fieth only a few feet away. As if to laugh at her, the Hero of Light had ended the battle right above his body and dropped her down, next to him.

". . .haaa. . ."

Tears stained Aura's eyes as she heard his footsteps draw closer.

Would they really die together? She closed her eyes as she thought of their journey until this point. He had saved her, and then he became the pillar that kept her from drowning. And now? Would they really die here together?

"I don't want to."

Aura's eyes opened, her heart beating aloud, ringing in her ears as she felt the world's mana enter into her. She gritted her teeth, grasping bloodstained fists, and she forced herself up. Shaking but managing to stand, standing before Fieth's body, and glaring at her approaching enemy.

Lain Tross stopped his steps and listlessly watched the girl, his blade dangling, his long hair blowing in the night wind, his mana calm as a mirror's surface. As always, Aura felt as if she were being looked through, not at, but she still met his gaze.

"I-" She took in a breath, her body slowly repairing itself, golden mana channeling through each individual cell, "I can still fight!"

Lain's grip tightened around his hilt. Part of him wondered, momentarily, what the girl saw in his older brother. Why was she still fighting? Had she still not recognized the difference between them?

He his eyes and sighed.

The Hero of Light was best known for his Art which created blades of light, a fighting style passed down through the Tross family, something Fieth had been incapable of learning. However, that creation of blades was only one aspect of the Tross's Family Blightart. Those who saw the others had simply never lived long enough to tell the tale.

"I'm sorry," Lain stated as his weapon glowed pure white, "You are commendable, but you are not the one I seek."

He raised his blade.

"I'm sorry."

[Legend of the Hero of Heart, Third Chapter, 'I'm Sorry.']

The voice of goddess Ishtar blurred together with reality, narrating every action he took into the minds of the denizens of the world. Yet, he disregarded that his own actions caused an Heroic Chapter to be birthed. As if he were a villain correctly playing his part.

His weapon shattered and his monotone voice rang.

"<Blight>"

The light disappeared from the world.

A pair of eyes floated, staring at her through the infinite darkness of a realm unknown to her.

"I'm sorry," A soft voice whispered into Aura's ears.

Blood spurted from the girl's lips. She blinked her eyes, suddenly aware of a seething pain. She raised her bloodied hands, trying to reach, grasp at the individual who now stood before her yet the strength she had just recovered was quickly disappearing. Her sight was dizzy and she couldn't even tell how many Lains she was seeing, duplicated, interposed upon one another.

'. . .what is going on?' Aura's foggy mind waned and she gritted her teeth, suddenly feeling warmth leaving her body.

"I'm sorry."

As that echoed in her mind once more, she blinked her heavy eyes, and looked down at her abdomen, seeing the flickering image of a shuddering, pure-white, blade pierced through her body.

Aura spurted blood, her figure shaking as the sword slowly pulled out.

She staggered back, the world regaining its light, staring at an expressionless Lain who had become whole again.

Just as her eyelids began to close, just as her figure struck the floor,, a chill spread through the air and she heard a voice she thought she would never hear again.

"You know, I don't take kindly to my friend being harmed, Hero of Light."

Lain's weapon twirled in his hand. He stared at the sky, watching listlessly as a spear pierced through the air with a whistle.

"I knew I would not be able to keep you away for long," He muttered and slashed upwards, blade bisecting the construct of ice into two, "Ice Queen."