To Raise the Stars

**"End my suffering."**

**This article, To Raise the Stars, is the sole property of GuyCivic, and cannot be mentioned, used or edited without permission, unless you are part of a collaborative work. Please don't touch.**

**Users Involved:** User:GuyCivic.
**Date Started:** January 30, X943
**Setting:** Stellara Nocte Grounds
**Characters Involved**:
* **Stellara Nocte**: Aiko Raishū, Juliet Flammarion, Esmerelda Marigold, Javier Riviere, Bishop
* **Independent**: Gai Diyos
* **Rune Knights**: Miwa Umarekawaru
* **Mentioned**: Rena Kokuzoku, Romeo Flammarion, Elisa Boucher

### A Meeting Under Moonlight

The dark sky, filled only with the brightest of stars and the moon gazing over served as the only light to the tall hill overlooking the town, a single tree grew on the top with cherry blossom leaves beginning to sprout from its dark brown branches. Juliet in her purple geisha outfit sat legs crossed just underneath, a small flute resting between her lips and her fingers as she softly blew out notes to create a soothing tune. If there was anyone around her, they would have been put to sleep, relaxed and almost hypnotized to drop where they stood. Juliet knew this, which was the reason she learned the tune in the first place. Taking a deep breathe to blow into her flute once more, a feint crack in the distance snapped something in Juliet's mind, causing her to instantly enter a cautious state. Still holding the flute between her fingers, Juliet laid it down on her lap and closed her eyes, sending off the impression that whoever was approaching or nearby was welcome to come closer.

"The things I'd do to help the Magic Council... I don't know why we couldn't have just done this during the day." Juliet sighed before opening one eye to look at her guest.

What stood before her was another woman dressed in a light blue uniform, leather armour strapped across her stomach and a single gold bell hanging from her hair. How she was able to make only the sound of cracking catch her attention instead of the small instrument always seemed to tickle Juliet's intrigue. There was really only one kind of woman that wore this attire, and that woman may have been an equal to Juliet on the battlefield if they were perhaps the same age. But alas, Juliet's time and experience with the blade has made her a deadly fore, someone who knows her sword's every curve and edge. She was a very physical fighter, only really relying on her magic when she needed to, yet is still quite efficient and proficient in her magical art. On the other hand, her opponent was someone who preferred to use magic with her blade, but not of the strictly offensive sort.

"So... Captain Umarekawaru. What blessings does your visit bring this starry night?" Juliet asked with a childish smile, neatly placing the flute before her position.

Miwa shook her head and sighed out of frustration, "I need information. There are still items from Cerberus Division's vault that are missing. We're still missing over half of the collection."

Juliet brought a hand over to her cheek without changing her expression. "Oh my, whatever could I do?" She asked in a sarcastic tone. "Have you brought me out here tonight to complain or are we getting to business?"

Drawing her blade from her back, Miwa stabbed the ground to allow her sword to stand by her side before kneeling on one knee before the Guild Master. Her head dropped low down to her chest as he hair fell forward over her face, respect emanating off her posture. She was desperate, she needed help, and by the looks of things it seemed like Juliet may be one of her best chances of fixing the very problem she brought up.

"You're an information broker right? Well I heard that you're one of the best around. Do you know if there are any individuals or rumors about powerful magical items around the continents that previously were contained by the Cerberus Division?" Miwa asked with her head still down, a desperate plea for Juliet to fulfil.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the are whilst weakly shaking the tree Juliet sat under, her smile growing ever larger at the hearing of a Rune Knight Captain coming to her for help. Picking up the flute from the ground, Juliet effortlessly twirled it between her fingers while her sight remained on Miwa, thoughts about how she could take advantage of the situation rushing through her mind. Just as she was coming close to an idea, Juliet stopped twirling, and instead pointed the flute towards Miwa before making a coughing sound to catch Miwa's attention. Just as she did, Miwa tilted her face forward, hair still over her sights yet she didn't make any effort to push them away. The two looked at eachother for a brief moment before Juliet began speaking, proceeding to twirl the flute between her fingers once more.

"Not many know me as an information broker, so am I to believe that you've been in contact with some shady fellows?" Juliet asked in a curious near mocking tone.

Miwa cringed, not wanting to confirm nor deny any of Juliet's claims. "Right now I'm the one asking the questions Mrs. Flammarion. Do you know, if there are any individuals or rumors, about powerful magical items, around the continents, that previously were contained by the Cerberus Division? Miwa repeated her question again, slowly pacing sections out for Juliet to clearly hear.

With that, Juliet's expression turned sour as she suddenly flicked the flute towards Miwa's face, still physically sitting down as the instrument neared hitting Miwa on the head. However, in a sudden flash, two parts seemed to gently knock Miwa's head as she began processing the moment, finding that the flute had been cut in two as they landed with a soft thud on the ground. And just in front of her stood Juliet, blade swung to the back, having moved from sitting down with her legs crossed to standing up with enough time to cut through the flute. Miwa heard that she was fast, but couldn't believe how fast Juliet could really move. There seemed to be a reason why she was feared by many and admired by others. if she didn't become a legal mage, she may have been one seriously dangerous dark mage. But by now, Miwa could finally notice that how she responded seemed to upset the Guild Master, as her face seemed to claim that she was offended by Miwa's actions. Remaining unfazed in her knelt down position, Miwa awaited a response from the skilled swordswoman.

"I heard you the first time Magic Council lackey, I'm only 41 not 96." Juliet said in a cold and scolding manner. "As an information broker I require payment for my services, so in order for you to get this information I'm willing to set a price." She continued, her voice getting lighter with more charm the closer she was finishing her offer.

Miwa nodded in respect, "Money will not be an issue ma'am. Just say the price and I will pay you in the days to come, you have my word."

Juliet stood back and stabbed her blade into the ground not too far from where Miwa did, a smile growing on her face as she listened to the Rune Knight's pleas. "Oh no. Its not money that I'm looking for. I have plenty of it from my family and my husband. What I'm looking for... is a duel."

Miwa's eyes shot fully open in horror upon hearing Juliet's request, chills rushing down her spine as she tried to confirm what she just heard was the truth. "U-uh, uh, a duel?" she repeated Juliet's words nervously with a slight tremble in her breathe.

"Well. Not so much a duel but I guess a challenge?" Juliet shrugged as she began making her way back to the tree to turn her back on the captain. "You see, I only really ever offer this kind of price to swordsmen that come to me for wisdom and knowledge. Yet they always seem to be too weak for my liking. I've heard about you, Rune Knight Captain Miwa Umarekawaru, and I would like to see which one of us is able to put the other one down first. Simple victory for this fight will be just to beat the other person, whether it be figuratively or literally. Figuratively meaning that you've caught them in a moment where if a move continued they'd be dead. I'm not sure how willing you are to physically cut me down, but that's not going to stop me. After all, you're the one looking for the information I'm offering." Juliet continued to describe the price as she sat back down on top of the hill overlooking Miwa.

Beginning to weight out the options in her mind, Miwa just couldn't believe the sort of price that Juliet was asking for. She was deadly, and she was sure she was going to lose, but it wasn't something that she could let slip out of her fingers that easily. As Juliet awaited for a reply, Miwa let out a loud sigh before pulling herself up and placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, looking directly at Juliet with a piercing glare. Eyes of determination shot through Juliet's soul, startling the Guild Master whose smile slightly curved down. The two fighters communicated through their body language as the way of any good swordsman, and from the way that Miwa reacted, she was willing to accept the obstacle that Juliet had put in her way. With formalities out of the way, the two came to a non-verbal understanding that the only things that needed to make a sound for this moment of the encounter was the meeting of the metal from their swords.

*"Very well. So be it."* Juliet smiled in her mind as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breathe before moving her hands to her side.

As soon as Miwa noticed that Juliet shifted her position, the Rune Knight flicked her blade from the ground, causing specks of dirt and grass to fly into the air and the blade to swing to her side. A lucky move, because as soon as the sword found its place near Miwa, Juliet had already risen from the ground, rushed towards her blade and struck out towards Miwa's arm in what appeared to be one movement in mere seconds. The sound of metal smashing into one another rung through the air as Miwa came to her senses, she couldn't just rely on her sight to proceed through the fight, she needed every other sense in her body to continue. As the swords touched, Miwa pushed back against Juliet, using her other hand on the back of her katana and the weight of her body to give it some extra force as she shoved her opponent back. Surprisingly, Juliet wasn't all too heavy for Miwa to force her back, as she watched Juliet's feet drag through the ground as grass and dirt dispersed to the sides. However, Miwa made no attempt to lash out, and remained in place with her sword in front of her.

Juliet wasn't as impressed though, staying firm in her stance despite being pushed back. Still holding onto the blade with one hand, Juliet rushed back forwards to Miwa with incredible speed, closing in the distance in a split second before appearing behind the girl in the air, sword ready to strike downwards. Juliet's face turned cold and expressionless as she looked down on the Rune Knight, but a glimpse of carelessness shone through her posture as she held out one hand to help aim her strike. Noticing that Juliet was not in front of her anymore, Miwa immediately turned herself to face backwards to where Juliet had appeared, holding her blade out to the side to cross against the vertical strike Juliet came flying down with. The blades clashed once more and the ringing of metal echoed louder throughout the area. Miwa was disturbed at the ferocity and force she felt through her sword, causing her to once again force Juliet backwards whilst her feet were still in the air. This time it was a lot easier to as there was not too much weight to push against.

Feeling that Miwa would push against her again, Juliet threw a kick to Miwa's chest in order to push back against her, whilst also giving her control mid air to where she landed. Both fighters managed to push the other back in their own way, Juliet floating backwards and onto the ground gracefully contrasting Miwa's backwards stumble. Both Juliet and Miwa spared no time to exchange looks as now the two of them charged to each other, Juliet using her speed to close the distance and Miwa rushing her opponent with her blade in front of her body. The pale moonlight reflected on their blades as they met, the sound of swords clashing in the breeze as the two swung at each other, always seemingly finding the metal to clash against each other with every hit. Their battle almost looked choreographed, a sort of dance the two may have rehearsed before meeting as their swords were the only things touching. But it was obvious who was the leader of this dance, Juliet with her might and lethality as every move she did seemed to prompt Miwa to react on the spot. This was a battle between someone who mastered the art of offense against an expert of defensive blade work.

The two continued to clash swords, every angle seemed to be covered as Juliet attempted to overwhelm Miwa with her strikes. Alas, Miwa was quick to deflect them, even at the speed that Juliet was fighting at, being careful yo keep the blade in the same area as to not overly expose one side too much. Despite Juliet's wide and hard strikes, Miwa could not find an opening to exploit as Juliet's incredible agility and reflexes compensated for her confident attacks. With that in mind, Miwa decided to treat the battle as one of attrition, using her defensive capabilities to outlast her opponent and wait for her to get tired out while continuing to make sure her blade met Juliet's own. Juliet no doubt recognized Miwa's strategy, noticing that Miwa was being too defensive during the battle and was barely making anymore offensive strikes. She needed to break her guard, but how she was going to do so mattered on the location that she could reach without Miwa coming after her. Swing after swing, Juliet could feel that her grip on her blade was getting slightly looser after everything she was throwing.

At the same time, Miwa had also noticed a slightly relaxed grip on Juliet's blade as she watched the sword slash from side to side. She felt as though she had enough control to continue moving the blade in her opponents way in order to think of a plan, but nothing too spectacular came up in her mind. She couldn't help but wonder if this was something Juliet had done to throw Miwa off, to make her think that she was vulnerable at that very moment. Without sparing another second to think, Miwa forced her blade and cross guard forward in order to point into Juliet's direction, catching Juliet's blade mid swing as Miwa began pushing back with all her body's weight. She was able to monetarily stop the sound of banging steel for the mean time, as now she began pushing Juliet through the dirt and grass, causing a soft trail of brown dirt to follow along their movement. It was here that the two swordswomen looked at each other up close, Juliet finally seeing the look of determination planted on Miwa's face whilst Miwa noticed the small shock expressed on her opponent's.

*"You're one tough nut Umarekawaru. But you're still young..."* Juliet smiled as she looked over to her side, holding one hand out behind her back as she followed backwards with Miwa's push. "So you've still got a lot to learn!" She thought out loud before a shimmer of light in her hand brought forth a short dagger in her grip, prompting the woman to strike below under Miwa's arm towards her side.

Caught off guard by Juliet's sudden words, Miwa had very little time to react to the dagger coming her way, releasing one hand from her grip in order to catch Juliet's incoming strike. Successfully catching and pushing the dagger away, Juliet had allowed Miwa to become weakened in her guard, with the Guild Master using her strength to flick Miwa's sword to the side and strike outwards towards the Rune Knight's chest. Miwa could feel the air in front of her move apart as a feint whistle followed along Juliet's sword, slicing the air in front of her as it made its way to its target. Out of instinct, Miwa found herself being pulled back, not of her own volition but definitely from something existing outside the confrontation. The blade's tip had missed by mere centimetres and Miwa resumed combat to see that Juliet now dual wielded a dagger and katana.

Juliet twirled the blades around her wrist, showing minimal effort as she curved her body in a relaxed and showy manner. She even let out a small confident smirk before disappearing from her place on the field and appearing just beside Miwa again, sword slashing diagonally with her dagger just following behind. Miwa caught wind of the sudden change in the position and moved her arms up, letting her sword point diagonally downwards to catch the incoming blade. She didn't account for the extra metal, however, and would only notice it as soon as the dagger smashed its side against Miwa's sword, causing the Rune Knight's arms to awkwardly shake after having just blocked an attack and weakening the stance. Seeing this prompted Juliet to follow through and quickly move her dagger into an open position where Miwa's side was in full view. Without pausing for a second, Juliet thrusted the dagger forward and towards Miwa's leather armour wrapped around her abdomen.

"And I believe I would have won the match." Juliet smiled innocently while tilting her head to the side.

Astonished and confused, Miwa, looked down to see that the dagger that Juliet had stabbed into her armour had only managed to dig itself partway into the leather. Due to Juliet's blade, Miwa could have assumed the dagger would have been just as sharp as the sword she wielded. Seeing that her arms were still locked up high and her blade caught in contact with Juliet's, Miwa cursed herself within her mind for being too clumsy. With that, Miwa withdrew her blade and stabbed it into the ground, followed by Juliet who returned her own sword and dagger through her Requip, disappearing from sight.

"My apologies then. You've won the duel." Miwa conceded with her head hung low. "I shall take my leave then."

Bowing her head and turning around, Miwa pulled the sword from the dirt and walked forward, recounting the moments from the fight that she could remember. Juliet was just like her informant said: ruthless, quick and deadly. With what information Miwa would pull together about Juliet, the most she could really point out was the fact that she was an adept Sword Magic user. But if this was what she was like without the magic, Miwa couldn't help but think how much more stronger Juliet actually was at her full potential. She could feel the Guild Master's eyes stare her down, Juliet hadn't moved at all from the moment as soon as Miwa announced her departure. Miwa needed to get stronger in order to beat Juliet, as for some reason she knew that Juliet was a major key, not only to restoring the missing artefacts from the division's vaults. But Juliet may have been Miwa's bet chance at finding her predecessor, Rena Kokuzoku.

### Stellara Nocte

"Guild Master! You're back!" A female voice called out.

As Juliet entered the guild hall, she was greeted with the sight of festivity and livelihood lighting the area, members baring her guild's insignia embraced and built the atmosphere that the guild hall was filled every night with. Looking to see where the voice that greeted her came from, Juliet's eyes wandered over a notable table somewhere off to the side just a little far from the entrance. Upon recognising the voice, Juliet's face glimmered with happy surprise as she immediately began making her way towards it. She moved through the wandering and dancing guild members gracefully, like she was phasing through them them like a ghost, managing to avoid the splashes of beer that escaped the numerous mugs being tossed around and spittle from singing patrons.

"Oh my, the guild hall is quite alive tonight. What have I missed?" Juliet asked as she arrived at the table, running her hands over her sleeves to iron out the creases.

At the table, guild member Aiko Raishū and her guest Gai Diyos sat at end the closer to the entrance, accompanied by two male guild members seated on the opposite side. It seemed the four of them were in the middle of chatting before Juliet had returned to the guild hall, and were waiting for the Guild Master to arrive at the table to make their respective greetings. They all seemed very excited to see Juliet, and were all keen to have their chance to speak with her. As Aiko was the only female on the table, Juliet was certain that she was the one to spot her coming in.

"How'd you not hear? The Five Thrones are coming back from their job!" A guild member at the table said as he lifted his beer, quickly bringing it to his mouth and guzzling the drink down without taking a second to breathe.

Out of the whole group, Aiko looked to be the most excited, baring a smile that reached from one side of her face to the other. "We just got the news a bit after you left in the afternoon. I think they're meant to arrive not too long from now, so we got the guild together to bring about this huge feast!" She said with a sort of innocent and childish excitement.

"And it looks great Aiko. And after all they've been through, I couldn't think of anything better to welcome them back home with." Juliet praised Aiko, ruffling the young woman's hair. "Though I think I might have to be the most excited, it is after all my husband returning." She laughed before moving over to Aiko's side and sitting between the guild members at the table.

Gai took a drink from the glass in front of him and smiled, looking at the Guild Master with a relaxed smirk. It wasn't too long since he met Aiko back in Magnolia, and wasn't expecting to enjoy the atmosphere of Stellara Nocte's guild so much that he would stay for a few more nights, but after realising that he became a stranger to the world he once knew, finding a community that would accept him hadn't felt so important before. He could safely say that the guild was one of the few places in this strange era that he felt safe in, and he could always rely on them to get him through tough times. Joining them, however, was something that he felt he couldn't do, something that he had discussed with Aiko and Juliet. While Aiko was a little heart broken over him declining their invitation, she knew that it didn't mean they wouldn't be able to see each other still.

"After the few days I've been here, I don't think I know who the Five Thrones are." Gai thought out loud.

"Why didn't you just ask when we got the news?" Aiko said as her face immediately turned to look at Gai.

Startled by Aiko's surprise, Gai leaned back with open hands in a defensive casual manner. "I thought I could find out myself but after how many hours now it doesn't look like I'm getting any answers till I start asking questions." He said rolling his eyes.

Juliet sighed and chuckled, after watching Aiko and Gai for the time he's been here, she could see that the two were only ever getting closer with every passing day. Gai was a strange man indeed, and seemed to carry traditions and principles that the clans of Ishgar used to hold hundreds of years back. Nonetheless, he was kind and good natured, with a great affinity for magic judging by the aura that surrounds him. He genuinely enjoyed Aiko's company, as she did him, which Juliet could only be thankful for as it kept Aiko from getting into trouble all over the country. Juliet thought back to the time Aiko arrived with Gai, never having left his side in the medical room as guild medics worked to heal the fractured body the man had after saving her guild member. She was in Gai's debt for saving someone very close to Juliet's heart, someone that Juliet would even consider a younger sister with how close the two became.

"The Five Thrones are who we consider the top five members of Stellara Nocte. Guild Members who are so honed in their skill that they become shining role models for the others in the guild, representing the power the guild has to offer to anyone who stands in our way. Think of them as like the face of the guild, if we were to have any sort of representatives, they would be the ones chosen." Juliet explained to Gai, placing her hands gently on the table's surface, making herself comfortable in her seat as Aiko slid a cup of water in front of her.

Gai nodded his head and took another sip from his drink, "So they're the five strongest members of the guild?"

"If you're thinking in the sense that they can all blow up a town, then poor Esmerelda wouldn't even stand a chance against someone like Bishop." Juliet laughed, "They're the best at what they do in the guild, they don't even need to be considered just for being S-Class or A-Class." she explained further, taking a sip of her water carefully once finishing her sentence.

"Yeah, Esmerelda and Bluetail are the only non S-Class mages in the Five Thrones. In fact, the current Five Thrones has had the most S-Class mages than other generations before." One of the mages on the table continued on. "Hey Guild Master, weren't you the only S-Class Mage in the Five Thrones the first time you were initiated?"

Juliet assumed a thinking face before brightening up upon remembering, old memories coming back to her filled her with nostalgia to where she couldn't even see the current guild hall, instead envisioning the old one she remembered years ago. "Oh dear, I haven't thought back that far in a long time. I actually was, which I felt bad about because both Romeo and I were hoping to land in it together. He only got in two S-Class trials back and its impressive he's remained this long." She sighed as her vision slowly returned to the present.

Gai enjoyed listening to the guild members converse, whether it was on the table or elsewhere in the open room. They really made themselves out to be a family who cares for each other, eager to praise and brag about another member with significant pride. Finishing his drink in one go as the other mage did, Gai placed the glass on the table and tapped its rim. "So how do the Five Thrones get decided? Is it like a voting system by guild members or?"

"Actually... Yeah, how do the Five Thrones get decided?" One of the other mages on the table said turning to Juliet, eyebrow raised with a genuine look of curiosity.

Juliet rolled her eyes and awkwardly laughed, knowing the truth behind the decision making wasn't something she was planning to share with the rest of the guild. "Well... As I said. You just have to be good? I guess?"

**BANG.**

**BANG.**

**BANG.**

A loud banging on the guild hall's front doors echoed loudly throughout the building, enough to overwhelm the sound of festivity going on inside. Most of the mages inside turned their attention to the doors, eyes lifted and wondering who or what was making that sound. Juliet in particular seemed very worried about the sound, as her gut was trying to warn her about something lying on the other side. It didn't sound like a typical drunkard knocking on the door, but more like a drunkard being thrown at it. The guild master removed herself from the seat without hesitation and approached the door, Re-quipping her sword in her hand as she got closer.

"Carry on everyone! I think I'll be out for another minute." Juliet announced as she proceeded to open the front doors and slip through, leaving the guild in a moment of confusion.

Everyone in the hall took a second to process the moment but it didn't take long for some of them to get back into festivity that they briefly halted. Members returned into a loud cheer as groups of friends chatted loudly, paying no more mind to the strange occurrence that pulled their guild master out of the hall again. Gai and Aiko looked around to see that they were the only ones still a bit spooked, Gai especially more surprised how fast it took for some of the members to resume the celebration.

"Shouldn't we go with your Guild Master?" He said as he leaned over the table to ask Aiko.

Aiko shook her head and smiled, "Nah, I don't think so. If there was any danger, Juliet would be able to handle it for sure." She said with confidence.

As Juliet slipped out of the hall, a cold breeze hit her face, sending a refreshing blast of energy throughout her body that made the Guild Master relaxed and safe. She didn't want to startle the rest of the guild and break the party that they had been setting up for the Five Thrones return, so making sure it went uninterrupted was her way of saying thanks to them. Moving the blade slowly in front of her with one hand and the other crossed behind her back, Juliet moved through the garden in front of the hall with caution, wondering where the source of noise was. As much as she'd like to think it was just a friendly knock and run from troublesome kids wandering around at night, a child wouldn't have been able to make noises so violent and powerful. It sounded as if whoever or whatever was on this side was trying to break down the doors with a battering ram.

*"Come out, come out, where-ever you are."* She teased in her mind, looking around frantically to see if anything changed last time she was out here.

Noting that not much about the front entrance area changed, Juliet turned her back to see a mysterious figure standing at the front of the door way, dressed in a large black cloak. The sudden appearance surprised her, but nonetheless caused her to point her sword towards the figure with a strong stance, preparing to react accordingly if a fight was to break out. The strange being remained unmoved, its hood shadowing its face even as it began to move its arms by its side, the fabric covering it pulling back to reveal a sort of delicate light skinned hand pointing at the Guild Master.

"Who are you?" Juliet ordered, her stance getting stronger as she watched the figure move.

They didn't respond, but instead lifted their other hand out opened, the little noise they made sort of disturbed Juliet who remained in place, waiting for the time to react. Without warning the figure made a circular motion with their hands, creating a series of light blue seals that appeared before them, aimed directly at Juliet's position. The seals appeared one before the other, each getting slightly smaller than the one behind them and stopping a good metre from the figure's initial position. In a bright flash, the seals broke and a beam of light travelled through them, shooting right at Juliet with unnerving force that it slightly cracked the ground underneath it as it moved. The figure remained stationary, watching Juliet as the Guild Master moved, effortlessly dodging the beam before it hit her and beginning her charge towards the attacker. Her steps were quick and coordinated as she closed the distance between her and the figure, sword held at the ready to slash as soon as she got close enough.

When there was a few metres between her and the individual, Juliet disappeared from her spot in front of them and appeared just behind them, running her blade through their back as the sword cut through their cloak and everything under it. The figure was forced forward, part of its cloak with a notable large slash revealing the light skin underneath now seeping blood from its fresh wound. The individual stumbled forward into the ground and spared no moment getting back up, still without making a single word. The hood over its head remained in place, however, but the shadow that loomed over its face seemed to only shift enough for Juliet to see a sadistic smile from the darkness. Her heart broke as chills were sent down her spine, but Juliet proceeded to strike again, flash stepping forward into the figure and striking downwards with her blade at incredible speed.

The attacker seemed to withdraw a dagger from underneath their wrist in the time they fell forward, using the blade to catch Juliet's sword by catching it in a horizontal position. The metal clashed and rung through the garden as Juliet wasn't expecting to cross steel once again tonight. She looked at the dagger to see if there were any faults she could use to break it, but upon realising that its design seemed strangely familiar spooked the Guild Master. Pushing down on the dagger with her sword, Juliet was quick to suspect that the figure had another knife in their other arm, requipping a dagger in her free hand to keep at the ready. As she planned, the cloaked individual drew another blade from their other hand to attack Juliet's open side, the blade coming in as quickly as a bullet would. Yet Juliet seemed to be faster in her reaction, using her blade to deflect the incoming dagger and cut the arm of that side whilst using her body's weight to push down on the defending opponent.

Still no verbal reaction from the figure as Juliet's counter disarmed them and cut another wound into them once again, the sadistic smile becoming more of a smile hiding annoyance of Juliet's reactions. The figure shifted the dagger to an angle where Juliet's sword would follow downwards into the dagger's cross-guard, watching as Juliet's weight forced the sword to follow through before pointing the dagger in Juliet's direction and pushing up against her, both figures pushing against the other now for a different reason. Instead of Juliet pushing to threaten the mysterious opponent by cutting them downwards, she was pushing to prevent the figure from sticking their dagger in her head. Desperate, Juliet forced her blade to push the dagger to the side it was open, causing it to fly forward and missing its target before Juliet herself thrusted her dagger into the attacker's body.

The dagger sank its blade into the target, yelling out a small squeal from the figure as they stumbled backwards. The hilt of the dagger stuck out from their torso as they swayed while the figure tried to reach for the handle of the weapon, eventually gripping it in an awkward manner before pulling the blade out without hesitation. A bit of blood squirted out from the wound as the blade was withdrawn, causing the attacker's body to momentarily convulse and drop the dagger from their hand. However, as their body violently spasmed, a pair of round glasses fell from inside the hood and onto the floor, with closer inspection showed cracks in the upper half of the left spectacle. Juliet took a step back from the sight as she held her sword in her hand, pointing it at the attacker before holding it to guard her chest diagonally.

"Who are you?" She repeated her question again, looking at the individual up and down to see if she had revealed anything through her attacks.

What she knew was that whoever this was, was no fighter. The way they moved and fought had little to no training in combat, and the magic that they used seemed unfamiliar to them, as if the attack they casted in the first second of their encounter was the very first time they used such a spell. Despite how much movement there was, and effort and pressure the opponent was applying to their attacks, they did not seem very hindered by the slash Juliet landed on their back, which she felt had cut pretty deep. It was as if they were as good as new, willingly taking in the hits because they knew that it would mean nothing later on. Juliet charged again towards the opponent with the sword flying by her side, closing the distance in only a second as she appeared at the figure's side, pulling the blade through the side horizontally to try and cut through the attacker's upper body. As she thought, the individual stayed still, only really getting over their convulsion before noticing that the Guild Master had already run their blade through their body and pierced majority of their organs and muscles by the time the sword exited the other side.

The figure violently twisted its body in the direction the blade exited from and fell to the floor, a wave of blood following after the sword before splattering on the ground next to them. Juliet could only help but watch the figure drop, the cloak lifting up a bit to reveal the body underneath. Her eyes shot wide in horror upon realising who she was fighting the entire time: rolled up pink fleece sleeves over a purple dress, a deep red scarf tied the figures neck and the spectacles that they had dropped earlier. Using her sword to extend her reach from a safe distance, Juliet used the tip to pull back the hood of the cloak to reveal the face of her attack. Everything in her body paused as the sword flicked back the material as Juliet's eyes froze in a moment of shock and panic.

"Es-Esmerelda?" Juliet tried to ask as her voice tried pushing through a clenched throat.

Esmerelda's face bared a disturbing sadistic smile that chilled Juliet to the bone, her green eyes staring down into the Guild Master's soul through her frozen, guilty red eyes. Juliet looked down to see that the wound she cut into Esmerelda's chest had closed up, as did the wound on her arm, as expected from the guild's best healer. Yet that was what she was only known for, healing, nothing close of the nature of the spell she casted earlier on. Esmerelda pulled herself up and unbuttoned the cloak, revealing the usual attire she wore around the guild and on jobs, allowing the cloak to be carried off by a breeze that swept through the garden. Parts of her light skin turned purple with veins erupting from underneath those specific areas, corrupted and bruised. Her gold hair was torn and cut from her head, no more hiding the Stellara Nocte guild insignia she had printed on the side of her temple. But it was the strange rune that was cut into the side of her neck that disturbed Juliet the most of all, it was deep and still bleeding, almost as if someone had branded her.

"ESMERELDA WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" Juliet cried out in a desperate tone.

Esmeralda tilted her head to the side in a sort of innocent, childlike manner, "Is that the name of this one? That's a pretty name, to match this pretty face." She said in a child like manner.

Juliet could only conclude that whoever this was, was not Esmerelda, most likely someone or something possessing her guild member's body. The state of Esmerelda's body looked like she was abused and beaten, desecrated by most likely the ones taking over the young girl's body. Slowly exiting her frozen state of confusion and distress, the way that Esmerelda's body was treated caused a fire to rage within Juliet's soul, rage slowly building up as whoever or whatever caused this had mistreated someone from her guild, someone from her family. Juliet's expression turned into one of passionate anger, her blade coming up just beside her body which leaned forward, prepared to pounce and strike down the being inside Esmerelda.

"WHO ARE YOU?" She ordered in a rough tone.

"Esmerelda and her friends have disturbed our sleep. So we're coming to pay you back for waking us up." Esmerelda responded in the same manner as before, "You must be the one that sent them to do it, so I guess we'll have to sort you out first before we handle the rest."

"We?"

A blast of green energy erupted just beside Juliet, forcing the swordswoman to fly towards the side as dirt and stone were pulling from the ground. Regaining her balance mid air and landing gently on a patch of flowers, Juliet swiped her sword by her side and looked around to see where the explosion came from. At the entrance of the guild's grounds stood two more figures dressed in black cloaks like Esmerelda, one notable figure standing much taller than everyone here. From what Esmerelda spoke of and how she presented herself, Juliet could only guess from the body sizes and shapes, who these new figures were. Outnumbered, Juliet brought her sword before her body and breathed in slowly, clearing her mind to where she would process the world around her more clearly and quickly. As she exhaled out, she could see that the breeze moving through the garden picked up fallen leaves and petals from the ground, which to Juliet simply hovered over the floor with how slow they became. She pulled herself into her train of thought, as she knew now she needed to fight for her life.

"Don't worry about the cloaks. She knows who I am, so we are in the right place!" Esmerelda ordered disturbingly joyfully.

The cloaked figures nodded their heads and pulled off their cloaks, revealing two males in contrasting outfits. The man on the left was of average size, dressed in a suit with a red sash around his shoulders with a streak of red going through his black messy hair. Areas of his brown skin was burned to black marks that indented his arms, possibly a cruel remark and punishment for the man's habit of smoking, which he even then continued by showing up with a cigarette hanging out from his mouth. The other man accompanying him, however, was significantly bigger, a mountain of muscle that gave off the impression that he could crush a human between his pinky and thumb. Green, spiked hair fell down behind him as the look of hate was plastered on his face, with creases from the expression becoming permanent indents on his skin. As Juliet studied her new opponents she was able to recognise the newcomers: two other members of the returning Five Thrones, Alder and Bishop.

The two entered the fray ferociously by charging in, Bishop sprinting through and crushing the vegetation that was planted in his way, while Alder transformed himself into a rocket of smoke that began travelling towards Juliet. Juliet held her sword patiently as she watched the steps of Bishop, taking into account the timing and force that he was travelling at. She was nervous, but knew at least that it wasn't actually her guild members she was fighting against. But now that she knew that they were possessed, she became hell bent on rescuing them and pulling out whoever was taking over their bodies. Taking a step forward with her sword pointing to the other side ready to strike, Juliet waited for Bishop to come closer, before ultimately flash stepping forward and appearing behind the large man, sword now on the the opposite side after one large strike.

Bishop slowed down his charge and stumbled forward, yet didn't seem to suffer all too greatly from the attack, managing to turn around slightly so that Juliet could be seen from the corner of his eye. A massive slash had found itself cut into his stomach, with a much larger wound following along his side. Strangely unfazed, Bishop turned around and held an open palm out in the direction of Juliet, triggering another explosion of green energy that sent the Guild Master flying backwards. Juliet floated backwards with some of her kimono beginning to wear from the battle, her eyes still set on Bishop as she slashed her sword forward. The sword pierced the air in front of her and delivered two large **Gale Strikes** that shot right at the large man, long crescent blades of wind that tore through the ground it travelled over.

Bishop took the shots head on, letting out a loud yell as the Gale Strikes struck the front of his body. The attack was powerful enough to actually lift him off the ground, sending the mountain of muscle by several metres backwards onto his back, causing him to land in a nearby pond that featured a stone statue of a woman in the centre. Knowing that this would only buy her time, Juliet brandished her sword at Esmerelda and sprinted towards the young woman, flash stepping side to side to make her landing hard to predict. Appearing in the air above Esmerelda, Juliet slashed downwards to send an even larger **Gale Strike** to crush the possessed mage, before kicking back and flash stepping onto the ground far from the impact site.

Having lost sight of her attacker, Esmerelda had only looked up at the last second to see Juliet use her Sword Magic, not having enough time to properly evade the swift spell. Upon contact, Esmerelda let out a genuine scream as the spell destroyed the grounds around her, creating a dust cloud that totally covered Esmerelda's position. Juliet watched from the distance before spotting the smoke cloud that was Alder, swirling around as it fly towards her position. Readying her sword, Juliet pointed the blade at the incoming smoke cloud, holding the sword firmly in her hands as the blade began glowing a light red colour. As Alder came closer, Juliet thrusted the sword slightly forward and triggered an eruption of energy from the blade's tip, releasing a powerful **Energy Beam** that tore through the air and right into the smoke cloud. The smoke cloud became enveloped in the blast, causing Alder to resume his physical form and fall from the height that he was at.

"Where is the rest of you? May the gods help me if I find out that you did the same thing to Romeo-" Juliet screamed at the three former guild members, twirling her sword around her wrist once again before assuming a confident pose.

Esmerelda, Bishop and Alder all rose from the ground unfazed, cracking knuckles and joints as if to imply that Juliet's attacks had did nothing to them. Esmerelda, still wearing the sadistic smile she entered the battle with, laughed before summoning a golden seal above her head facing the sky. A bolt of light shot up from the seal, shattering the disc before entering into the night sky above and disappearing from sight for a moment. The bolt began descending back down, now split into three bolts that were aimed at the three former members, who opened their arms and accepted the sudden projectiles of light that shot into their bodies. Upon contact, each one of them began glowing a soft bright light, not strong enough to blind those around them, but bright enough to shield their faces for a few seconds. The glow quickly faded to reveal that they were fully healed from their injuries, nulling Juliet's attempts and causing all three to give off a smile each, taunting the heart broken woman.

"Romeo? Is he your lover? Don't dream on getting him back, if he suffered the same fate as Esemerelda here, then he's gone for good. Once we enter a human's body they are as dead as can be!" Esmerelda laughed, holding out an open palm to summon a light blue seal before her.

Juliet clenched her jaw, holding back a scream that would let them see her moment of weakness, all that came out was a tear that subtly exited from the corner of her eye. To know that the Five Thrones had suffered a fate like this was gut wrenching, especially when one of them was her husband. Brandishing her blade again, Juliet let out a small smirk of confidence as she concentrated on the three ex members. From what Juliet's been told, Esmerelda, Bishop and Alder are dead, their bodies are shells for malevolent beings sick enough to use their abilities against her. The abilities she's watched them train and perfect for years, never having even thought that she would be on the receiving end of their spells. Now, any pain felt would be felt by the three possessing them, not the three she considered friends, the only thing she thought would be holding her back.

"You say that huh? Well then, I guess I should thank you for explaining where my friends went." Juliet smiled gently, her blade swung down to point diagonally by her side. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to reward such kindness as I usually would. Now hold still while I cut you down."

"Are you serious? It's three against one lady, I think it might be best if you'd stand to the side and let us tear down your home while you watch." Alder said as he picked the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it away.

"No. I want to fight her. I want to see what I can do with this new body." Bishop said as he squeezed his hands, opening and closing them as if they were totally new things to him.

Esmerelda rolled her eyes and sighed, "You guys can have your fun. It doesn't matter for her anyway, if she cuts you down I'll simply bring you guys back to play. She's only really going to tire herself out, the old hag."

Juliet clenched her jaw again and shook her head, staying calm as she visualised crosshairs on all three individuals, aiming at certain spots on their body she was ready to pierce. "Then please let this old hag show you three what she can do." She smiled.

Upon finishing her sentence, Juliet's position had suddenly changed, in a split second she had closed the notable distance between the three mages and appeared just behind Esmerelda, blade having moved from her side to the front with no drop of blood to be seen. Esmerelda eyes opened wide as soon as she realised what had happened, as despite the lack of blood during that moment of change, she was prompted to grab onto her left arm in a desperate panic. Juliet swiped the sword back to her side and looked towards Bishop, raising an eyebrow at the same moment Esmerelda grabbed onto her arm. Bishop turned his head to look through Juliet's side to see what she had done, finally viewing the potential that Juliet had been hiding from them the entire time.

"MY FUCKING ARM." Esmerelda yelled out.

Her arm had been completely sliced off, cut through the bicep that now dropped low whilst her wrist was held by Esmerelda's other hand. Disturbed by the sight, Esmerelda dropped the arm out of shock and looked at Juliet with complete hate. Juliet on the other hand smiled, and seemed to step back only to appear behind Esmerelda again with her blade by her side. As Juliet took another step back, Esmerelda's last arm fell off and dropped onto the floor with a gentle thud, causing Esmerelda to scream out of pain and fear.

"I would like to bury my friends whole... But I think I've got to make it worthwhile while you're still here." Juliet spat before pointing the blade at Alder. "**Maximum Slash**"

Alder didn't know what to do as he was still shocked at the sight of Esmerelda losing both her arms. Taking a step back upon seeing Juliet lift her blade at him, Alder was suddenly overwhelmed by the extreme, painful sensation of blades crossing every inch of his body, like they had all been cut into him at the same time. Glowing streaks slashed around him before erupting in a flash of light, leaving Alder battered and cut with his suit torn into a mess as he finally dropped to his knees defeated, the light from his eyes slowly fading as they rolled back into his head. There didn't seem to be any blood spilt from his attacks, as he laid face first in a mess of cloth and dirt with the very last gasp of air escaping his throat and drifting off with the wind.

"You know the spells as they are in their basic form. With these powers, if you wanted me dead you would have done so way before." Juliet explained with a cold smile, shooting a glare from the side towards Bishop, who like Alder was also caught off guard by the sudden sight of Esmerelda losing both arms. "So this is why now has become so easy for me to cut you where you stand. I'm not fighting my friends, but amateurs who haven't grasped the full potential that they had reached to be recognised as this guild's elites."

Desperate to fend Juliet off, Bishop held both his hands out with fingers curved inwards, a green seal summoned before him aimed at the swordswoman. "STAY BACK." He yelled in fear, as a large missile of green energy shot through the seal and towards Juliet, visibly pushing the air and any small, loose debris to the side.

His attack was slow, much different to how Bishop would actually preform it, especially without the use of a seal. Juliet rolled her eyes before holding the blade out and enveloping it in a feint glow, watching till she could strike at the missile when it got close. As soon as the missile was a metre away, Juliet used the side of her blade to push against the projectile, shifting the missile's position and trajectory by swinging it a full degree so that her blade would help fling the magic missile back at Bishop. The way she turned was reminiscent to that of a ballerina, with her blade gently pushing against the green energy without any sort of resistance to push against her wrist. The missile flew back at Bishop at the same speed it was shot at towards Juliet, but unlike Juliet, Bishop was unable to fend off his own attack, taking the brunt of the missile with his bare body as it exploded once it made contact with him. Forced backwards into the ground, Bishop was dragged back through the ground metres from his original position, allowing Juliet to handle what was left of Esmerelda.

The armless mage fell onto her knees with tears streaming from her eyes, having watched Juliet slowly become a monster the more she fought. She was too fast, too sharp, and with just a blade was able to take out what was meant to be elite mages. Granted, this was certainly the first time that they had to really use their vessels' magics to kill, they still had more to learn but alas it seems their search for vengeance and death had been their downfall. Being taken of her arms was cruel, to take away the ability to cast her Healing Magic so that she could watch her allies die wasn't something she thought the guild master would do. Esmerelda felt helpless, useless against the powerhouse that was Juliet, as she noticed that the mage was barely even moving her blade with every attack. No matter what they did, she would be prepared with what they threw at her, even with the mightiest bodies.

"WE'LL GO! JUST PLEASE SPARE US." Esmerelda cried out, hoping that Juliet may have had some mercy dwelling within her.

Juliet approached the armless mage with a cold stare, looking down on the kneeling woman with nothing but despair. Tonight just seemed to be a rush of emotions for her: hearing that the Five Thrones would finally return home, only to find out that they had been possessed by gods know what that kill them upon taking over. The whole celebration that the guild had set up inside the hall would all be for nought. She thought that she may finally be getting her husband back, but after this Juliet wasn't too sure anymore. At this point her heart has been shattered simply by even cutting into the bodies of her friends, but to know that the pain would be felt by those who've hurt them has been the only driving force for Juliet's attacks.

"Bold of you to assume that I could give you such a privilege." Juliet sighed, opening her free hand and running her palm along the side of her blade. "I've saved the worst pain for you. **Eternal Suffering, the Centre of Hell**."

In an instant, a stream black energy spiralled around Juliet's sword, enveloping the blade in total darkness before releasing a soft shockwave the dispersed throughout the garden. The sword now radiated great amounts of energy that Esmerelda felt as if she was being suffocated just being so close to it. Juliet's expression remained unchanged as she momentarily held the sword to the side and used her free hand to grab Esmerelda's cheeks, covering the young woman's mouth with her palm to prevent her from making any noise. She stared down Esmerelda's eyes with hate and without empathy, only smiling at the thought of showing Esmerelda a pain that Juliet has only ever used a handful of times in her life. Before Esmerelda could shake her head and try to free herself from Juliet's grasp, the Guild Master pulled in closer to her and planted a soft, motherly kiss on her forehead, shocking Esmerelda to where she didn't process the blade entering her chest and exiting the other side. Juliet made sure to push the sword in slowly, over-watching the magic take effect as soon as the weapon had pierced the victim's body.

The black energy that was in the sword implanted itself inside Esmerelda, the wound sucking the black energy in like a vacuum before turning a sort of deep purple colour. Within seconds the magic began activating, as black veins began throbbing from the wound and spreading outwards all over Esmerelda's body. Upon seeing this, Juliet withdrew the blade and took a step back, making sure to keep an ear out in case Bishop decided to have another stab at her or decided to try run away from the garden. Esmerelda's head flung backwards as a banshee like scream was pulled out from her throat at a violent tone, almost as if she was trying to rip out her insides with the use of her voice. Drips of blood and saliva spluttered upwards, either falling back onto Esmerelda or past her head onto the ground, mimicking the sort of statues found in the middle of fountains. The black veins continued to spread around her body before enlarging at a frightening size, becoming nearly as thick as rope that tied around Esmerelda's body and entrapping her in place, binding her movements to lock her in the position she was in. Juliet shook her head and walked away in the direction of Bishop, as she still saw Esmerelda being the one tortured rather than the one possessing her and couldn't bare to look on anymore.

Esmerelda's eyes were the only thing capable of moving at that time, looking towards the leaving Juliet with painful red eyes that begged for the suffering to stop. Esmerelda was experiencing a pain that transcended physically, torturing mind, body and soul to where she could only wish for death. She was suffering a thousand deaths, all different to the last and all just as excruciating that there would be no way Esmerelda would be use to such a feeling by the end of it. Each death felt as though it took a million years to get over, and once done would move onto the next, forcing the young woman to endure until her punishment was over. Time was too slow for her to process, so slow that from her perspective Juliet was still in view, back turned towards the begging Esmerelda as the night sky overlooked their moment. In actuality, Juliet had already left to finish off Bishop and it was just Esmerelda kneeling on the ground with black rope like veins shackling her body in place. Her scream quickly faded into a raspy release of continuous breathe as her voice box was damaged and her throat became dry. The veins eventually minimised in size and allowed Esmerelda's body to flop onto the ground dead, a petrified look forever etched into her face.

Juliet walked in the direction of where she last saw Bishop, looking at how the dirt track made by him headed into a misshaped shrub of bushes nearby. Either the gardener for the guild's grounds wasn't doing his job properly, or Bishop had landed on top of the bushes after falling back. Juliet decided to believe in the latter and pressed forward, listening carefully for any feint noises that any normal person may miss out on. The sound of crickets chirping in the background with the distant sound of the town nearby, not to mention the celebration still going on inside the guild hall were things that Juliet had to block out for the mean time during her hunt. Besides, how hard would it have been to find a mountain like Bishop in a place like this, anyone could see him coming from a mile away. A sudden crack picked up by Juliet's ears triggered her to hold her blade high, with the other guarding the front, palm facing outwards.

"Its over now. Both you're friends are gone. There'll be no use running away as we will find you." Juliet called out, moving around in a 360 motion to look at the landscape around her.

"I know... Which is why I'll have to kill you right here, right now."

From within the bushes just close by, appearing untouched, Bishop sprung out with a clenched fist hammering downwards onto Juliet from behind. There was a green glow that emitted from underneath the skin of his hand, getting the brighter the faster it descended. Juliet was able to react in time, however, as she slashed her sword upwards while spinning backwards in one motion to counter the brutish attack. The sword pierced the muscular arm like butter, both meat and bone as it went through the thick limb of the man in seconds. Moving to the side to follow along her sword, the glowing hand fell off and dropped to the ground, revealing the bone and flesh underneath Bishop's skin. The large man let out no cry of pain like Esmerelda nor any sign of surprise like Alder, but instead accepted it as the look of despair washed over his face after seeing his two accomplices die before him. He had nothing left to lose tonight, and saw that if he was to somehow kill Juliet, he could finish the work that they came here to do. As soon as the detached fist landed on the ground, a powerful shockwave rushed through the garden and shattered the windows of the guild hall, causing a commotion within the building to stir as voices began talking about going outside. Trees and other vegetation were forced backwards from the site of impact, as even after the shockwave ended the plants remained in their leaning state, with rocks and dirt flying backwards getting caught in branches and leaves.

With only the intention to kill, Juliet shifted her body so that the blade faced upwards below Bishop's neck, and thrusted the sword upwards into his skull, watching as the tip disappeared into the bottom of his head and appeared on the opposite end. Bishop's eyes rolled back into his head as she did so, yet the face of sadness and guilt remained untouched, even when Juliet pulled her blade out and watched his large body drop violently onto the ground. She could hear guild members beginning to wander around the garden, voices of sorrow screamed and whispered as soon as it became clear that Alder and Esmerelda's bodies had been found. With no-one but Juliet left, the Guild Master knew that it wasn't a good look to be seen near the bodies of some of the guild's celebrated members, who many had been eager to see after many long years.

"GUILD MASTER! ALDER! ESMERELDA! THEY'R-" Aiko's voice screamed out in panic, soon revealing herself as she turned the corner around a large bush to see Juliet standing next to the body of Bishop, sword in hand. "...G-Guild Master?"

"Collect the bodies and prepare them for a funeral tomorrow... I'll explain inside." Juliet ordered as she re-quipped the blade back into her spatial inventory before walking away, leaving a confused and shocked Aiko to process what had happened here.

### Rally the Troops

"So Alder, Bishop and Esmerelda were possessed when they arrived at the Guild Hall? Possessed by what?"

"Probably from the job that they were sent to do... I hear that job hadn't been touched for years because no-one really came back from it."

"Damn. How many years now only for them to come back dead..."

"It's only been two years and a half. This jobs been around for ages and mages who take it usually aren't heard of for even longer before turning up dead."

"Should've been someone else, just not the Five Thrones. Especially not Esmerelda."

"That just leaves the question: Where is Bluetail and Romeo? Reckon they've been possessed too?"

Juliet listened in on the conversations going on at the table whilst slumped in her seat, the guild mages sitting around it began frantically asking each other what had happened, not noticing that Juliet was sunk into a depression believing that her friends and her husband were dead. Her eyes were lifeless and the smile she would usually be seen with was disturbingly absent, something that several guild members felt strange not seeing. Aiko sat at the end twiddling her thumbs, wondering what the job the Five Thrones even took up in the first place was. Upon glancing at Juliet, Aiko could see the sadness that dwelled within her eyes as the older woman began looking a little bit more pale with her olive skin. When Aiko resumed the meeting she could finally hear her peers continue to talk about the situation itself rather than talking about solutions and plans moving forward, understanding why Juliet was so unconnected the meeting tonight. Having had enough of the talk, Aiko slammed her palm on the table where the meeting took place and stood up, pushing the chair backwards to make it squeak when it dragged along the floor.

"Enough with this talk, this is not what we came here to discuss. What's done is done, we've lost our friends to whatever these creatures that possessed them were. This meeting has only been called to discuss what we plan to do because of the problems brought up by this situation. We've lost three positions on the Five Thrones, the rest still out there as we're not sure that they've suffered the same fate as the three that attacked our Guild Master tonight, so we need to discuss when and where the next S-Class trials will be held in order to fulfil the elite positions." Aiko butted in, catching everyones attention with lifted eyebrows and worried faces.

"But what about the remainder of the Five Thrones? Aren't we going to go look for them?"

"What if they're just like Alder, Bishop and Esmerelda? What if its too late?"

"What if its not and they're still normal? I don't want to just leave friends out there wandering about without us even trying to search for them."

Aiko looked back to Juliet, who still held the same expression as before, causing the young woman to feel a bit guilty about not having the meeting in control. Slamming the table once again with an open hand, Aiko gathered the attention of everyone in the room and released a heavy, irritated sigh. "From what Juliet has told us, they came back wanting to take revenge on us for being affiliated with the five who 'disturbed their sleep'. So if Bluetail and Romeo are possessed, the best we can do is probably wait till they come here to see if they're going to take us all on or simply coming back home."

"And don't you think they all would have come here if they were all going to get their vengeance on us or something? What if it was only those three that got possessed? There's still a lot of things we're not taking into account here."

"Do we even know if Romeo and Bluetail know the way back home? I mean, sure Bluetail is a smart gal but its not like Romeo is the brightest tool in the shed."

"C'mon, shut up. That's the Guild Master's husband your talking about. Even in front of her!"

"How do we know if its just those three that came here? What if the other two were coming to join the fight but saw what would happen? What if they're possessed and they're still out there?"

"**ENOUGH.**"

Everyone at the table's head turned to see that Juliet had rose from her seat with a scowl on her face, each one of them feeling the intimidating aura that drifted from the guild master's presence. Aiko was quick sit back down in response, hanging her head low and hiding her face from Juliet out of fear as she never really had seen the Guild Master call out with such intensity before. The table turned quiet as Juliet pulled away from the table and paced around the group, hands held together with one on top of the other, the sleeves still slightly tattered from the fight before. Her eyes glared away from the present guild members, hiding the disappointment and grief that built up within her as listening to the questions and hopelessness of her guild only worsened the state she was in. Everyone remained in silence as Juliet walked around the table, with only the occasional cough from someone unable to help themselves echo throughout the building.

"Two valued members of the guild are still out there with their fates unknown. I appreciate all of your opinions and suggestions, but finding them is priority, both Bluetail and Romeo." Juliet thought out loud in a cold tone, "When people from our guild go missing, they become top priority no matter what. We don't sit and wait for them to come back if we know they're missing. We go look for them, you understand?"

Aiko's heart sank after listening to Juliet's speech, knowing that she suggested to wait only made her feel more guilty for even thinking about not going out to search for them. "So what shall we do then Guild Master?"

Juliet stopped in place and looked back to the table, pulling out a roll of paper from within her sleeve and throwing it onto the centre of the table, allowing it to unravel itself and reveal its contents to every around. Each member leaned in to look to see what it was, recognising that it was a map of Ishgar in the current year, with only parts of the outer continents and islands in view. Aiko looked back to Juliet who had turned her back to the group, now looking upwards towards a window on the second story that held the moon in view.

"Rally some of the best mages we have... It's not something I wish we'd have to do, but if we're forced to act, we'd have to put them down immediately. Powers like theirs cannot be allowed to run around unenforced, so its our job to make sure that they are not in the hands of the wrong kind of people." Juliet glared at the rest from the corner of her eyes.

**To be continued.**