Before I could strike my foe down... I closed my eyes and calmed my mind. As the blade was about to cut into her neck, I dropped the sword, and it clanked uselessly on the ground next to us. Janova looked at me dumbfoundedly as my eyes went back normal. I released all the darkness from my body... making myself vulnerable as I stood in front of Janova, the one I had every intention to kill only moments ago.

“… Feo?”

I reached out my hand. Janova was hesitant as I found myself placing it on her cheek. Her skin was hot, and it felt... too familiar to ignore any longer. As my fingers traced on her skin, Janova touched my hand with both of hers.

“F-Feo?”

She called out again to me… and I was reminded of the time I spent with Yuu Yuu. But then I understood that the feelings I was experiencing... were due to the times I was speaking with Janova. Everything was becoming clear as I finally confessed what was rummaging through my chest during our battle. I stared the frightened, bratty, goddess in the eyes and told her my true feelings.

 

“I see you, Janova.”

“Y-You... you see me, Feo?”

 

 

Her bright eyes opened wide. Her hands began to shake, and I could see the feelings within her overflow with emotion.

 

I opened my mouth as she rubbed her cheeks on my palm. She wasn't lashing out or screaming at the top of her lungs. It felt to me that Janova was terrified... but slowly being comforted by my touch. It was then that I realized that I've been blinded by it… Throughout this entire ordeal I've concluded that I'd fight for Yuu Yuu because she was the person I fell in love with. However, Yuu Yuu wasn't the only person I got to know. Everything that made up the Yuu Yuu I wanted to protect... wasn’t just Yuu Yuu. The timid coyness of one side of her… and the playful, bite-back banter of the other. The latter… being the woman who was caressing her cheeks on my hand.

Her name was Janova...

And she felt too much like Yuu Yuu for me to ignore any longer.

“Ah… F-Feo...Ahh...”

Her mouth opened, but she wasn't able to get anything out besides my name. I think we both were stunned as we looked at one another. The flood of memories between Yuu Yuu and me began to change. As if my mind was starting to perceive her, it corrected itself, and I saw two people instead of one… I saw Yuu Yuu… And I saw Janova… It was a strange feeling like someone was blasting information into my mind. I… did the only thing my body wanted, and I reached out and touched Janova's hands. They… felt too much like Yuu Yuu’s to me.

“I… I think I messed up, Janova.”

I admitted. The bratty girl in front of me gave me a warm smile.

“W-What are you saying, F-Feo?”

I could only believe that her heart was pounding as harshly as mine. I was so focused on saving Yuu Yuu. Getting her away from her mentor because she was the bad one. I demonized her for the sake of excluding her…

But the truth wasn’t that simple…

Yuu Yuu, the timid loner, isn't just one person…

She makes up two people… and one without the other isn’t the Yuu Yuu I fell in love with.

 

“I…”

I stopped but found the resolve to say it.

The words were at the tip of my tongue since I touched Janova at the start of this fight.

“I think… I have... feelings for you too, Janova.”

 

 

“F-Feo. It’s hard… b-because you only look at her. You only think about Yuu Yuu and... and I… I get so angry when you only look at her that I can't control it.”

She held me, and that only confirmed my feelings. With her arms wrapped around me, she felt like… Yuu Yuu. Janova felt like the girl I fell in love with. It was strange… but I wanted to protect her as I took her in my arms.

 

The chaos field behind us shattered as Janova finally let her guard down. In tears, Janova wrapped her arms around me. She whimpered, crying into my arms. Her body was trembling as she was finally able to express her true feelings to me. She whispered in my ear causing her warm breath to hit my cheek.

"Feo... that's all... I've wanted to hear this entire time. I'm... so sorry but I'm so happy."

She tightened her grip on me to the point I couldn't breathe. Janova's feelings were overbearing... but it wasn't a bad thing either.

“Feodora! Janova!”

Yuu Yuu yelled.

She ran over and bent down next to us. We were both bloodied from the battle. Thankfully, Yuu Yuu began using her medical abilities. She used the chaos element to heal us as best as she could. Her abilities were strange as the blood on our bodies began to vanish as if it never happened. We sat there, holding one another for what felt to be around five or so minutes. Janova couldn't calm down and all she wanted to do was hold me tight. I... couldn't imagine what was going through her head during our battle.

"You two are idiots... If you would have just let me speak... then none of this would have happened! Y-You two wouldn't have tried to kill each other."

The timid loner complained as she looked at both of us with worry. It… made my heart skip a beat. Yuu Yuu began to clean our faces of all the blood as she berated us.

"It's okay, Janova! You don’t have to be the bad guy. We both… failed. Don’t make yourself the enemy to protect me! W-we'll figure this out together.”

Yuu Yuu said with tears in her eyes.

She held me and Janova tight… and it finally dawned on me what Janova was trying to do this entire time. She was doing her best to make herself out to be the sole culprit. Janova... was doing everything she could to protect Yuu Yuu. 

 

 

“Yuu Yuu did nothing wrong, though. She doesn't deserve this. She… she's just a victim, and it's my fault that we're in this mess!"

Yuu Yuu rubbed Janova’s head.

“That’s not true… we both made a promise to do this, Janova… We both swore to kill Elizera, not just you.”

With teary eyes, she looked at me.

“T-Then we both fell in love with Feodora. We… both shared those emotions together… and it caused us to mess up. I’m sorry for being selfish and only thinking about me, Janova.”

Janova began to cry. In the hollow space, she wailed as her feelings echoed off the walls.

“I don’t understand these feelings, Yuuna! They hurt and make me all confused! I-I can’t control them as easily as you… and I lash out and get angry!”

“Janova…”

Hearing her break down only strengthened my resolve that I had feelings for her too. I found myself holding both of them in my arms. Yuu Yuu and Janova… had become special to me.

Jade mentioned that the Janova of the past didn't have the capacity to love. That Janova didn't know what empathy was because she was broken… But the Janova of today has feelings. She hates being ignored. She’s playful and likes to bully and tease someone she likes. She experiences hate, anger, frustration, and love… to an extreme level. To the point that it's nearly uncontrollable, and because of that… she lashes out.

“Janova…”

I whispered in her ear. It was clear to me… that I obviously had feelings for both of them. As I held the two in my arms… it felt like the days before this incident. It felt… right this way.

And that would mean that…

I would have to follow Maxwell’s creed with them and protect them both.

“I… I love the both of you.”

I finally said it as they both cried in my arms. It was strange... confessing these feelings to two different people. But because of the way I met them they both felt like one person. I couldn't wrap my head around but my heart was beating fast for both Yuu Yuu... and Janova.

 

"Feodora..."

Yuu Yuu whispered.

"Feo..."

Janova whispered too. Slowly, a bright light danced around us.  I wasn’t sure what was going on, but Yuu Yuu and Janova held me tighter as if they didn't want me to leave. So, I relaxed as  I felt the water sensation wash over me, and before I knew it I was in a dark room. Confused, I floated in this dark space before I heard the horrid screams of Janova, crying out for help...

 

---

 

"Die, you filthy beast!”

 

 

I was floating in a dark room as I witnessed… the final moments of the Janova from 200 years ago. She was clawing at Jade in a hopeless attempt to stay alive. Blood littered the battlefield as Jade hacked away at her chest with her blade. The knight was in a completely different uniform, marking the difference in time. However, her uniform was damaged, drenched in blood as she stabbed away at her enemy. Massive amounts of spectrum energy were flying around as Janova attempted to break into another reality. However, the knight took her hand and thrust it into the hole she made.

“Arrgg!”

Janova screamed in agony.

I looked around and saw bodies upon bodies strewn about. Radiants laid dead alongside knights. Elizera was leaning on a pillar, bloodied and exhausted as her hair fell in front of her face. People were torn to pieces… and the sight of something out of the minds of a twisted individual. The amount of blood around was unreal.

“Ahhh!”

Janova’s cries were like a wild animal's as Jade clenched something within her. With all her might, she ripped out the heart of her mortal enemy and tossed it at my feet. The bloodied pulp lay there a horrid dark red. I was shown the level of violence this war brought on.

“You’re dead! You’re finally dead!”

Like a crazed monster, Jade continued to stab at Janova’s corpse. Clearly… Jade went insane, and nobody was there to stop her. Janova’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as one final push of chaos energy erupted from her body.

That corps wasn’t the Janova I knew today. That was the monster that threatened to destroy the world with her own two hands. But even knowing that, I was disgusted to see her end. Suddenly, Janova’s body shined just ever so brightly before finally, she was as dead as all the corpses around them.

“Jade…”

Elizera struggled to get up as she came to. Slowly, she made her way over to her partner. But the crazed knight couldn’t control herself. She was still clawing away at Janova’s body. With her nails, Jade ripped pieces of her skin off.

“Bring them back! My friends! My family! Bring them back, you monster.”

It seemed this war brought Jade to the brink of insanity as she mercilessly mutilated the body of her enemy… as if that would get back her loved ones.

“Jade… Jade…”

Elizera called out as she stumbled over. She seemed heavily wounded as her back was bloodied and her face full of scars. With all her might, she took Jade in her arms and held her back. But the knight continued to try and rip Janova’s remains apart.

“It’s okay… it’s over.”

Elizera whispered. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she did her best to control the wild animal in her hands.

 

“Give them back! You have no right to leave Janova… without bringing them back!”

The knight screamed. Tears flooded down her cheeks as they mixed with the blood on her face. Jade… was broken.

“Give my friends and family back! Give them back!”

But Elizera held her tight as Jade's insanity took over her.

 

 

“This is… what war really is.”

I mumbled as I watched the horrid scene. The iron smell of death and decay entered my nose. Yet, to my surprise, all the blood and carnage disappeared. What was left was a silver light dancing in a dark space before me.

“I was… at peace for the first time since I broke.”

Janova’s disembodied voice said in a whisper.

"I couldn't remember why I broke and became that monster. What made me snap and go on my long killing spree was a mystery to me. The only thing I remembered was that I wanted a world of silence…."

I felt a warm presence hold me from behind. Janova put her chin on my shoulder and held me close.

"I was angry… and I wanted all of them dead. I murdered thousands, and I couldn't even understand why. The idea of chaos is complete disorder and confusion… and that was my mind. Anything that moved needed to die. That way… the world would be quiet.”

“Janova…”

The warmth disappeared as she vanished from behind me. But her voice still lingered in my ear.

"For almost 200 years, I floated in silence after that battle. It just felt like… I was at peace; I wasn't happy, sad, anything. There was no emotion, and I had no mind to even perceive my surroundings."

Everything went silent. I couldn’t even hear my own breathing let alone concentrate on the beating of my heart. The silence was eerie… but I believed it was what Janova was experiencing during her time in the dark space.

A world opposite to chaos.

“But in the distance, I heard voices…."

Janova whispered in my ear tenderly.

“They weren't familiar, but they were there…."

“Ja… va. Ja… va.”

A name was being chanted in this dark space. Then I was in a home before I knew it. A fire lit in the fireplace, and a baby was in a woman’s arms. The woman resembled Yuu Yuu with the same bright pink hair. She had the same nose and ears… as Yuuna, the timid loner.

“Where am I?”

I questioned.

There were many people in the room alongside the two parents holding this child. They all looked happy for the family of three. My eyes wandered to something… strange.  

“Huh?”

 

I stopped myself. This was obviously a pocket reality.

If I wasn't careful, I could find an inconsistency and ruin the story Yuu Yuu and Janova were trying to tell me. So, I focused back on the lovely scene…

The birth of Yuu Yuu, the 66th member of the Steeble Tribe.