||| THE PATH OF THE EMPYREANS |||

[Forest of the Bandit Lord, Land of the Opal Sun]

After hours of traversing the woods, a triumphant smile finally appeared across Jason's(?) face.

Finally, he found it.

The Cerulean Mausoleum, the crypt of the Opal Sun Kingdom's former monarchs. Its roof was completely shrouded with thick tree branches, rendering it nearly invisible from above. While at the same time, a dense thicket surrounded the structure, perfectly obscuring it from outsiders - until now.

“Hm, it’s much smaller than I thought,” Jason commented.

THUD!

Jason(?) and Theo(?) turned their heads toward the sound, only to see Aria(?) approaching them from the shadows. "The horde retreated, and as expected, the Royal Guards are currently preoccupied with the aftermath. They won’t be bothering us for a while," the princess(?) reported.

"Good," Jason(?) replied, drawing out his rapier, and placing the sharp tip on the double stone door. A large yellow sunflower symbol appeared on the blue surface, emitting a faint glow that momentarily brightened the darkening forest. The main door slowly swung open, revealing a staircase leading down to the mausoleum's inner sanctum. "At last...," the prince(?) smirked. “Now, to get that precious little thing.”

"Urgh!"

Theo(?) exclaimed as he lurched away from the Helians. The bespectacled man held his throat with both hands before he began coughing out a puddle of black sludge, prompting Jason(?) to turn his attention to his companion and grumbled, "Ah, it seems this one's fortitude is much stronger than I initially thought."

"You're...goddamn...right…imposter," the captain of the Royal Guard wheezed. After wiping the goo oozing from his nostrils and mouth, Theo lifted his head, scowling directly at the prince(?), "And you shouldn't underestimate those two either."

"Huh. You say that and yet, look who broke free from my hold first. If your noble prince cares so much for his subjects, he should have prevented me from harming those two guards. It makes me wonder whether this man you painstakingly try to protect is even worth it."

"He is. You're the one who is too short-sighted to see his brilliance. No, their brilliance," Theo blurted out with a grin.

Jason's(?) eyes widened as soon as he felt the air behind him shifting. With his rapier in front of his face, the prince spun around to block Aria's incoming saber. "YOU…BASTARD!" the princess yelled before kicking her brother in the stomach, sending the possessed man flying into the grove. Aria spat the remaining slime in her mouth as her eyes gradually returned to their former tangerine color. "Blegh! That tasted like shit!"

"You shouldn't curse, Your Radiance. It's...well...unladylike," Theo remarked.

"Save it for later. We have a bigger problem, in case you haven't noticed," Aria replied; seconds before Jason(?) emerged from the grove.

"Not bad," said the prince, cracking his neck. "Not bad at all.

“You…I saw what you did with my brother’s body. You killed Rudolph!"

“Rudolph? Oh, you mean that old soldier? Well, he was dying anyway. All I did was relieve him from his pain.”

“You’re just dodging the blame!” Aria countered fiercely. “Now, give Jason back to us!”

After hearing the request, Jason(?) let out a burst of sinister-sounding laughter. "You are in no position to make demands, little princess. If you think you've escaped my shackles, you are completely wrong."

Aria gasped as her head started pounding once more, triggering a pain so excruciating her vision began to waver. The princess immediately gave herself a slap on the cheek - a gesture that surprised both Jason(?) and Theo. "I may have not escaped your shackles, but I have still time to kick your butt and shut off the mausoleum's door," Aria stated confidently.

"Kick my butt, huh? Hm, you know what? Perhaps you two will be more useful to me when you are dead," Jason(?) sneered, pointing his rapier forward. A shining white halo manifested from thin air, rotating and pulsating in front of the sword's rapier. With a single flick of his wrist, Jason(?) launched the ring of light toward his own sister who in turn, raised her saber overhead. "There's no point in resisting, child. I'm much stronger than-."

Instead of letting her brother finish, the Opal Sun Princess brought her blade down, slicing the projectile clean in half. The cleaved halo instantly vanished, leaving behind the sharp smell of burning rubber, much to Aria's annoyance. "Much stronger than who? Me? Don’t flatter yourself," the princess cynically replied.

WOOSH!

A longsword shot out from behind Aria, which ran through Jason's(?) left shoulder. The prince grimaced, nearly falling on his back due to the powerful momentum. He grabbed the sword's edge, attempting to yank it out - until he saw brisk movement in his peripheral. Jason(?) instinctively raised his rapier; barely deflecting Theo's blade. "Close, but no cigar," the prince taunted.

"Is that so?"

Jason(?) shuddered as the longsword in his shoulder wrenched itself out, flying back into Theo's hand. The prince(?) took a few steps back while gripping his bleeding limb. Even though he knew his wound would heal, he still needed some time for his arm to be functional again - and time was not the luxury he currently had.

"Had enough yet, imposter?" Aria continued to scoff at his brother.

"Hmph, cocky - like the old king himself."

"What did you just say?" the princess snarled.

"You heard me," Jason(?) huffed, his left eyebrow arched.

"Don't listen to him, Your Radiance. He's just trying to rile you up," Theo calmly advised.

"What about you, Theodorus? How does it feel to be the traitor of your own nation? Must felt good living in the palace while your subjects suffer from disease and poverty."

"That is none of your concern. Also, you can stop beating around the bush - I can clearly see your injury closing up," the captain of the Royal Guard sternly retorted.

"Do you now?" Jason(?) chuckled, slightly impressed by the bespectacled man's perceptiveness. The prince removed his hand from his shoulder, exposing the stab mark that was now only a millimeter long. "I guess I have no other choice then," said Jason, shortly before placing his rapier against his neck.

"You-!" Aria snarled, scowling at the man with disdain. She was about to lunge toward her sibling before Theo stopped her.

"Forgive me for this underhand tactic, but I MUST get inside the mausoleum - by any means necessary."

"You are making a grave mistake, outsider," Theo commented, shaking his head out of disappointment.

"Do I look like I give a damn about your law, captain? Besides, your precious prince serves no purpose other than being a figurehead to keep the restless citizens at bay. Well, served - to be precise," Jason(?) lashed back, subtly referring to the incident in The Edge.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Theo ended up lowering his longswords, perplexing the Opal Sun Princess. "What are you doing?!" Aria angrily asked.

"Let him go. We have other matters to attend to first," Theo muttered.

Aria opened her mouth to protest but quickly changed her mind after noticing the man's solemn expression. "I hope you know what you're doing," the princess grumbled before reluctantly sheathing her weapon.

"I'm glad we finally reached an understanding, captain," Jason(?) jeered at the duo. Shortly after, the prince casually strolled into the crypt with the rapier still pressed against his jugular. "See you both soon," said Jason(?), and the double door swiftly closed by itself.

Theo and Aria stood in utter silence, staring intently at the mausoleum. Eventually, the Opal Sun Princess walked up to the bespectacled man, asking him, "So, what now?"

"I sent a distress signal a few seconds ago. So, we wait until the Order sends someone over. At least in this place, we won't risk harming anyone."

"How can we be sure, Theo? Even now, I could still feel him crawling inside my mind - urging me to do bad things – terrible things.

"That's why we need to stay near each other - in case one of us...relapsed. I know it sounds like a foolhardy plan, but it's the only one I can come up with on the spot."

"And what if both of us...loses our mind?"

With his brows snapped together, Theo took a deep breath before replying, "I'm afraid you already know the answer to that question, Your Radiance."

||| THE END OF THE PATH OF THE EMPYREANS |||

qs********************************************

||| THE PATH OF RAZOR: AMELIA |||

[Meanwhile....]

[The Forge]

Amelia stood near the entrance, watching quietly as her brother meticulously cleaned every single one of his equipment. She caught a glimpse of his brother's slightly reddish palms - a clear indication of a first-degree burn. Despite that, her brother showed no sign of being in pain.

"Don't be shy, little sis. Is there something you want to say to me?" asked Tim while wiping his sooty hammer.

"Um, well...Your hands...Don't they hurt?" Amelia murmured.

"Oh, these? Nah," Tim casually replied. "Working with extreme heat can dull some of your senses. Ten years ago, I would be rolling on the floor, bawling my eyes out – but not anymore." The young blacksmith proceeded to place the hammer on the stone table before turning around to face his sister. For a brief moment, he could see the hesitation in his sibling's eyes, and he instantly knew what was bothering her. "You're thinking about Edelweiss lad, are you? Why didn't I tell him about the previous Flame Accursed?"

Amelia hung her head low as if she was embarrassed by her line of thought.

"Do not be ashamed, little sister; you are right for thinking that. Perhaps I should have told him, but at the end of the day, I chose not to."

"Why? You know about his predicament, and you chose not to help him? I don't get it," said Amelia, shaking her head.

"It's not about helping, Ame," Tim sighed. "His predecessor...is not what I would call a friendly sort. Never met him in person; my master, however, did. Told me he was a stoic man who antagonizes the previous Council of Eight - greatly."

"He…did that?" Amelia muttered softly.

"I don't know much about the details, but he gave the Council some major headaches back in the day, so to speak. They hated him so much that they erased all of his information and treated him like he never existed. Regardless, I'm not exactly the guy that Edelweiss lad should be asking about his past."

"Still, it doesn't sit well with me – keeping secrets from him."

Tim slowly approached Amelia and gently patted her on the shoulder. "How would you feel if you're suddenly associated with a deviant simply because your power is similar to theirs - or because there is prophecy stating you'll be the destroyer of the world?" the blacksmith spouted. "Either way, it's not our job to be involved in other's personal matters. We just do what we do best: making weapons. No more, no less. Got it?"

"Yes, brother," Amelia replied, nodding her head in dismay.

"Good girl. Now, let’s get you a new Core Blade."

||| THE END OF THE PATH OF RAZOR |||

**qs******************************************

[Meanwhile…]

[Training Hall]

Lucy glanced over his shoulder and noticed Sam was doing some drills with his new katana near the weapon racks. She could vividly see his sullen expression - a guise the man had been wearing ever since he found out about the name of his sword.

"Scarlet Coda...," Lucy's voice trailed off. She was cognizant of the Red Ravager which was also known as the Crimson End, the catastrophe that nearly wiped out all lives on the Mortal Plane and would eventually return in the future. Even then, the only similarity was the name - nothing more. As Lucy was about to say something, a wooden blade swooped past her before Sam caught it with his bare hand.

"You look depressed, my guy. How about a spar?" Rupert exclaimed with a lopsided smile.

"A tempting offer. Maybe next time," Sam declined, tossing the sword back to the male Nightingale.

"That wasn't a request. Now, stop sulking and spar with me."

Sam clicked his tongue out of annoyance. He instantly slid his katana into its sheath and grabbed a waster sword from the rack. "Just one round," the vermillion-eyed man muttered.

"One round? Meh, you're no fun. Fine," Rupert retorted half-heartedly. "Hey, Luce. Mind being the timekeeper?"

"No, not at all," Lucy exhaled. "How long?"

"Five, and whoever got hit; loses."

"Whoever loses has to stop talking for a week," Sam added, causing Rupert to frown.

"Now, that's not-."

"Agree," Lucy cut her brother short.

Rupert scowled at his younger sibling, quietly mouthing, 'Really?' at her.

"Good. After you, then," Sam responded, gesturing his hand at the Main Arena.

The two men walked away from Lucy, staring keenly at each other in the eyes. After arriving in the middle of the chamber, Sam and Rupert held their swords in front of their face - waiting patiently for one of them to make the first move.

Then, for unknown reasons, the male Nightingale lowered his weapon - an action that befuddled his friend.

"Giving up already?” Sam sarcastically retorted.

"Not really," Rupert grinned before hurling his waster sword at the vermillion-eyed man like a javelin.

Although initially startled, Sam quickly regained his composure and parried the flying blade. As he turned his attention back to Rupert, he saw a silver glint in the corner of his eyes - prompting him to duck to the ground. Seconds later, he felt the wind shifting above his head, followed by a loud thump behind him.

After straightening himself, Sam spun around and was infuriated at the sight of Rupert holding his kamas. "What the hell? Why are you using your scythes?!" Sam yelled out.

"Why not? It's not like we agree on a 'no Core Blade' rule," Rupert chuckled. "Oh, what's the matter? Don't tell me you're still hung up by that Scarlet Coda thing?"

"That's-! That is none of your concern."

"Sure, sure. So, what if it’s true? What if you are the destroyer of this world? Is that gonna stop you from your search? I thought you're not one for prophecy," scoffed Rupert.

"I didn't say I'm gonna stop-."

"Then, why do you worry yourself over things yet to happen? My pops used to say: If you allow your present to be dictated by uncertainty, then you're limiting the prospect of a better future. With that said, are you gonna let uncertainty control your life?"

Sam stared at Rupert in silence, only for the former to crack a smile shortly after. "Your father sounded like a wise man. Just tell me one thing - how many times did you rehearse for that speech?"

"Nine? Ten times, I think?" said the elder Nightingale, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, I admit it was pretty good," Sam muttered before his eyes darted toward Lucy. "How many minutes left?"

"Four and a half," the female Nightingale answered.

"I guess that's more than enough," Sam breathed, throwing his waster sword away and pulling out his katana.

"Now, that's more like it," Rupert beamed excitedly.

"Both of you do realize the use of Core Blades is prohibited inside the Tower compound? Ugh - it's not like you'll listen to me anyway," Lucy grunted, giving a disapproving glance at her brother and Sam.

"We better finish this up quick then," Sam returned, holding his katana with both hands.

"That...we can agree on," Rupert acknowledged before charging toward his friend. He waved his sickles around, aiming at Sam's face, but the latter easily warded off each attack with his own blade. Suddenly, the male Nightingale flung one of his kama forwards, and Sam instinctively deflected the sickle.

For a fleeting moment, Sam caught sight of Rupert slyly smirking at him - the same expression the blue-eyed man wore when he was scheming something. Taking a hurried look over his shoulder, Sam gritted his teeth as he saw the sickle he repelled earlier come flying back like a boomerang.

"Got you now!" Rupert triumphantly cried out after cornering his friend. Unfortunately, to his amazement, the kama passed through Sam's body before dropping to the ground. "Well, well, well. We've got ourselves a rule-breaker-OW!" the elder Nightingale yelped after trying to pick up his sickle. His fingertips tingled as if he just touched the surface of boiling water.

"You're one to talk," huffed Sam as he sheathed his katana.

"That’s a fair point. Now, can I...uh...have my weapon back?"

"Give it a minute to cool down," Sam further commented

"I’m guessing you guys finally decided to stop fooling around. Thank God," said Lucy as she came up to the two men.

"So, dear sister. Who won?" Rupert inquired.

"It's a draw," a fruity, female voice responded. The trio immediately turned their heads toward the entrance, where Marie stood with her arms crossed. Though she had her usual comforting smile on, her emerald green eyes told another story.

"Miss Marie? We, uh...how long you've been there?" Lucy stuttered.

"Since your brother's inspiring speech. Gotta admit, he almost brought me to tears," Marie giggled. But, her brows soon snapped together as she reprimanded the trio for their offense, "Even so, that still doesn't excuse you from violating our principal rules - twice in a day. Seriously - you'll be in deep trouble if someone other than me saw you freely wielding your Core Blades and using your abilities."

"Sorry," the trio simultaneously whispered with their heads lowered.

Marie took a deep breath later and exhaled deeply, feeling slightly guilty for scolding the novices. "Look, I'm not angry at you, but you three have to...no, NEED to be mindful of your actions from here on out. Markus and I won’t always be here to get you out of trouble,” The lady in black explained before her eyes briefly darted to the ceiling where the surveillance camera was located. “With that being said…”

"Huh?" Lucy blurted out, surprised by the sudden change in Marie's voice.

"Come, we’ve got work to do.”