Ifrit

"I can't believe they left us here!" Shadow growled as she paced around the coffee table in Tear's living room. "And what's worse, they didn't even take Luke! I mean, if you want to leave us behind, the least you could do is drop Luke into the miasma."

"I get the distinct feeling that you do not like Luke, Shadow," Blaze interjected as he watched Shadow pace around.

"He's an ass! Why would I like him?" She blurted out. With a sigh, she sat down and began fingering the edge of her scarf.

Raven glanced up as the door abruptly snapped close above them. "I think that was Tear. And she probably heard you."

Shadow huffed and crossed her arms, "I'm not apologizing. She can do better."

Blaze sighed and looked out the window at the gathering storm clouds. He watched the miasma blanket the city floor before slowly receding back like an ocean tide.

"Do you think Star is okay?" Blaze asked quietly, watching a few lights flicker on in the distant houses. He set his head on his folded arms and slowly sank down until his head had a comfortable cushion.

"She'll be fine," Raven assured and went back to scraping her shoe against the carpet. She noticed that no matter how many times she tried to fluff it up with her toe, the stiff carpet wouldn't budge an inch.

"Well, now what do we do?" Blaze questioned again.

"Blaze," Shadow began dramatically, "we can get you some pants!" She jumped up and grabbed his hand. "Besides, maybe Yulia doesn't need us anymore. We can just relax here."

"You were just complaining about them leaving us here a few seconds ago. Plus, Luke is still here." Blaze protested as she dragged him to a spare bedroom.

Shadow made a noise of dismissal and continued her quest for Blaze's necessary pants.

Raven watched them go before starring out the window once more. 'If you are to find the master of water, travel to a place full of water but void of many people. A place of redemption, but one of new beginnings as well.' She thought to herself, 'Find one that makes water solid and bring them to the place of the water summoner.'

As Raven mulled over the hints Undine had presented her, she failed to realize that a certain redhead was just waking up.

"I thought she said Van wouldn't be here until later." I half muttered to myself as I was dragged along behind Van by the lovable Maestro Mohs. I looked back to see Sync trailing behind griping about something. He was probably upset that he wasn't invited to go capture Natalia and Ion.

"Be quiet prisoner. Your capture and ultimate assistance in the grand picture of Auldrant was foreseen in the score." Mohs snapped and looked skyward as if to appease Yulia. That being said, Yulia was currently unresponsive from the disruptions between the two summon spirit fields.

"Hey, you're hurting me," I growled lowly to Mohs as my back started to sting again.

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you pulled that stunt on the bird with Asch," Van interjected.

"Don't you have anything better to do than patronize me?" I hissed. Van ignored my quip and continued on.

"Mohs, thank you for escorting her this far. You're dismissed."

Mohs looked at Van shocked. "Me, dismissed? Surely you will need someone to look after the girl in case she-"

"That won't be necessary. Maestro Sync is fully capable of suppressing any attempt she may make. Have a pleasant day, maestro." Van took my arm and nodded to him. Mohs grumbled and walked away down the hall after giving Van a stiff bow.

Sync walked forward and stood on my right side while Van stood on my left. No one was physically tugging me along anymore but the threat of not keeping up was present.

"This world is imperfect," Van began as we walked towards the library through the back halls, "People blindly follow the score to the point of deadly obedience. They have even destroyed countries because all was written in the score. The score is a deadly plague in this world."

I remained quiet as we neared the library. Van abruptly stopped though and turned towards me.

"We can change this world, Star. A world without the score. A perfect world. We can use the summon spirits to help us create such a world." He smiled kindly, "Join us, Star. With your help, we can realize the perfect world sooner than expected."

"I'll pass," I said quietly. His words may have convinced me if I hadn't known about his plan to create replicas as the sole denizens of this new world. "I don't agree with your methods. Not to mention, weren't you a classical villain a few weeks back, claiming that the God Generals should break our spirits?" I shook my head.

"I am sad to hear you say that Star," Van ignored my last comment and looked at Sync, "Perhaps she will come around eventually. Do it."

Just as I was wondering what Van meant, something sharp hit me in the back of my head. I saw Van's calm expression right before I hit the ground in a dead faint.

Luke walked into the living room quietly and looked at the other worldly teens. Blaze blinked surprised at Luke's new haircut. Raven and Shadow argued about the taste of water until they noticed he had come into the room.

Tear walked down and joined Luke at the base of the stairs, putting her scissors on the lamp table nearby.

"Wow… you sure clean up nice." Raven chirped to Luke.

"Hmph… this doesn't change anything except your hair." Shadow snapped.

Luke winced before proceeding on. "I know… but I want to make a change. To stop being so selfish and to atone for my sins… I hope you can come to forgive me some day through witnessing my actions."

Blaze tapped his chin before smiling, "Alright, we'll keep that in mind."

"You'll keep that in mind." Shadow persisted, "Just because he said some pretty words doesn't mean he's going to change."

Luke's nose wrinkled like he was going to insist she was wrong. Tear gently took his hand and stared forward with a blank face at the people left behind in her house. With a deep breath, Luke nodded to Shadow.

"I'll prove myself to even you Shadow." He gave her a winning smile and she looked away with a scoff.

"We're counting on it," Blaze interjected and grinned.

"That's right! We'll protect any person whose hair looks like a duck butt." Raven teased. Luke and Tear smiled a bit and shared a look. Luke grabbed his sword and put it behind him.

"Good. Then I'm getting out of here. You're welcome to join me."

"Let's go talk to the mayor., my grandfather." Tear suggested.

"Right, let's go." Grabbing their things, the others followed Luke and Tear out of the house.

Yulia City, a town shrouded by eternal darkness. Instead of being surrounded by a beautiful blue ocean, the town was surrounded by a murky sea of miasma. The people had very fair skin, not being in the sun for quite a few years. Most of them proceeded around in a respectful, quiet manner. A woman caught up to the group from out of one of the dormitories.

"Tear, I finally caught up to you. I have information on the 3rd fonon." Luke and Tear talked with the woman right as something caught Shadow's eye. Towards the center of the city, the shadows shifted too oddly to be natural. With a careful eye, she watched them form into a shape.

A knight on the back of a horse formed near the skyline of the city. The only color she could see besides black was the glowing red eyes of the horse and the knight. Those eyes slowly turned and stared her straight down to her soul.

"Shadow, come on!" Raven called. Shadow blinked and looked to see Raven, Luke, Blaze, and Tear proceed into the mayor's residence.

She looked back towards the shadow knight's location to see he had disappeared from the skyline. Tugging her scarf up over her mouth, she walked over to Raven and proceeded into Tear's grandfather's home with the group.

I woke up to immense heat all around me. The air smelled of sulfur and crackled with intensity as the magma below roiled like waves of the sea. I felt a familiar burning on my neck, one that was becoming all too familiar lately. This time, however, it didn't quite feel like someone was attempting to heal me.

When I opened my eyes finally, I instantly regretted it. The soot that had accumulated in my hair and lashes fell down into my eyes and nose, causing me to tear up and sneeze like crazy. I closed my eyes and rubbed them vigorously trying to remove the soot.

"You're awake," I heard Van say with vigor, "We are getting closer as well." I groaned and held the necklace away from my neck before it could burn a hole through my skin. Without opening my eyes, I listened to my surroundings. I could tell someone was carrying me and judging by how far away Van sounded, I doubted it was him. The only other person that was with us was….

"Good, you can walk on your own," Sync announced and dropped me like a sack of potatoes. I brought the large neckline of the sweater dress up to my mouth and coughed into it, trying not to breathe in the ashes coursing through the hot air.

Strangely, it didn't feel as hot as I thought a volcano should feel. I could certainly tell there was heat around me but it didn't bother me at all.

With teary eyes, I stood up and squinted at my surroundings, more bothered by the hot air and the soot than anything else. Sync stood beside me, eyes shielded from the soot by his mask, and Van walked ahead of us towards a mass of red fonons. As I was ushered forward, I glanced down at Yulia's gem to see it glowing bright red.

"Where are we?" I asked, coughing into my sweater dress again. I grimaced as I stubbed my toe on a hot rock and quickly brought my foot up to hold it.

"We are in Mt. Zaleho," Van replied, keeping his quick pace. I jogged forward a bit to keep up with Van and keep my backside away from Sync's malevolent boot.

"Figures… You're going after the summon spirit Ifrit then." I remarked. It was only natural he'd start with the closest.

Van didn't reply to me, which was a reply enough in a way. Instead, he stopped and waited for Sync and I to cross the magma plains before it washed up onto the land. Van raised his eyebrow and looked at my feet.

"What, worried my feet will burn? Going to have Sync carry me?" I inquired with a hint of annoyance.

"No, I was just thinking about how you won't be needing them, should they burn." With that, he continued on. Stricken with a hint of fear, I hurried on as well, looking down at my feet occasionally to see if they would actually burn. Oddly enough, they only appeared slightly pinkish.

'Something weird is going on again…' I thought to myself and nearly ran into Van's back.

"We're here," Van said, looking at the great platform in the middle of the volcano. High up in the air and surrounded by magma, the platform stood unwavering. At the center was a huge mass of 5th fonons. They emitted great heat, which I could actually feel and start sweating from. Likewise, Yulia's necklace seemed to be working overtime, shining a brilliant red. Van turned to me and gestured.

"You first," He ordered. I didn't need too much compelling, however, as I felt a certain obligation to approach this dense mass of fonons. A calling, some would call it, my feet moved down the fiery path by themselves. I heard a wind arte whistle past my head and take out a fiery bat threatening to knock me off the path.

That didn't matter though. All that mattered was reaching those fonons. So beautiful… so alive… I could see the figure from the bonfire many nights before.

As if responding to my thoughts, a lion made of brilliant white fire appeared. Red and orange fire coursed around the head as a mane and it stared at me with blood red eyes. The heat in the air intensified, driving back any monster that dare approach the sentient.

"Star, we finally meet." Ifrit's voice rang loud in my head.

"You're the lion from the fire when I was escorting Oli," I said numbly, walking to him calmly. I heard a faint 'Marvelous' behind me from Van.

"Indeed. I wanted to warn you of that wretched fish Undine. However, I lost concentration." He purred quietly and lowered his powerful gaze to my level. "I'm glad you have made it to me at last."

"Yes, I am here," I said transfixed. Ifrit looked past me as Van approached from behind.

"Is this man trustworthy?" Ifrit inquired. I shook my head no without looking. With that, Ifrit growled lowly and paced around me to meet Van. I continued to stare forward, not exactly sure why I was so at peace in a volcano where the monsters could easily kill me.

"Greetings Ifrit! I am Vandesdelca Grant, descendant of Lorelei!" He declared proudly. I turned around to stare at Van and Sync, no longer threatened by their presence. I felt as mighty as Ifrit, like I could tear down the final boss in one fell swoop.

"Begone mortal!" Ifrit howled through the fonons. I twitched slightly from the roar, not expecting such a loud sound to come after all the calmer mind talking we had shared before.

"Hear my request!" Van shouted, "We come to forge a pact with you! I wish to create a new world! A world where the people do not follow the score like blind sheep! A perfect world inhabited by Lorelei's people! With your help, I can achieve that goal!"

Ifrit snarled at the bold request. "You demand my power after hurting Yulia's emissary and my scion?"

"Scion?" Van questioned before his eyes landed on me. I blinked slowly, feeling an internal calm I hadn't felt any time after arriving on Auldrant.

"Scion or not,"Sync began, "We'll take your power, even by force!"

Ifrit roared at the martial artist, "A challenge you say?! Very well! I will use my scion to fight!" With that Ifrit turned towards me and rushed towards me. I felt a bit of fear jump into my numbed system but couldn't react fast enough before the lion collided with me head on. I was knocked down to the ground as he disappeared inside of me and stared at the fissures in the ceiling.

It was at this point when it felt like my own conscious was pushed back and I was watching a movie-like process happen. My body stood up on its own and unsheathed the dragon sword. It pointed the blade towards Van threateningly and stared at both of them blankly.

"Fascinating…" Van muttered. He turned to Sync and nodded to him.

"Go Sync. Show me what you have learned." He commanded. Sync stepped forward and smirked at me. Or rather, at Ifrit who was in complete control of my body.

"Going to fight me Rats? Didn't you learn your lesson in the Zao Ruins?" He asked smugly. Ifrit didn't respond but instead started an incantation for Explosion at an alarming pace.

Sync sprang into action and flew towards me, pulling his fist back to punch. I raised my hand and summoned mass amounts of fire fonons to explode in front of him.

Sync used flame cyclone to escape the blast range and plummeted towards me with a sharp downward kick aimed at my head. Using the flat part of my blade, I intercepted his foot and threw him towards the edge of the platform in one fell swoop.

He righted himself in the air and caught a stalagmite near the edge of the platform, using it to swing back into the fray.

In short quick movements I couldn't follow, Ifrit parried all of his attacks with efficiency, coming close to actually wounding him with sharp jabs and thrusts in between the flurry of punches and kicks. Sync grunted surprised, still thinking I was in charge of my new movements and went to shatter my previously wounded ankle.

Instead of receiving the bone shattering kicks, Ifrit raised the blade and stepped back silently, nearly running Sync through.

"You're open!" Sync yelled and thrusts fonons at me. "Reaper's Toll!"

My body was blown back and staggered away from the god general, who decided to take the opportunity to advance with killing intent. However, a magic circle appeared in front of me and summoned a flame vortex to catch him. With a grunt, Sync was swept into the tornado and lifted towards the roof of the cavern as the flames seared him all around.

Van watched with a critical eye as I moved smoothly to a stalagmite and used it as a foothold to throw myself up towards Sync. With a quick thrust, I went to run him through the back.

Sync flipped around and caught the blade with his hands, causing blood to gush out of them and slow the blade's deadly path. The blade stopped just short of his face as we fell towards the platform below. With a powerful kick, he launched my body into the stalagmite I had previously used and landed gracefully. I hit the stalagmite with a hard thud before getting up like it was nothing. Internally, I was hissing as the pain stabbed me in the back.

Slowly righting my posture, I dusted myself off and smirked at him. Irked, Sync began his own incantation. "Take this! Stone Dragon Ascent!" With a spiral upwards jump, stone shards flew out and embedded them into my arms as his kick intercepted my sword again. I groaned slightly internally and Ifrit groaned externally as the rocks dug themselves further into my arms.

Throwing Sync off-balance with another parry, I ducked under his kick and threw my sword up under his defenseless falling form.

The slash cut across his uniform and into his chin, cutting semi-deeply. He flipped away cursing when his feet touched the ground and held a hand to his wound.

Ifrit proceeded towards him, keeping the blank face which had been present in the entire fight, and went to make another stab into the martial artist.

Sync, expecting the slash, diverted the blade with his arm and quickly punched towards my vulnerable stomach. My knee came up quickly and intercepted the punch before my foot extended towards his face.

Grabbing my foot, he twisted it to throw me off balance. Ifrit instead took this opportunity to twist along with the foot and kick Sync in the back of the head sharply. A fraction of a second later, Ifrit had summoned a fireball under the Tempest's mask.

"Gah!"Sync cried out as the extra 5th fonons amplified the intensity of the fireball.

I calmly stepped away from him and pointed the blade at his throat as he tried to regain eyesight.

"That's enough." Van said and walked forward, "I will be your next opponent."

Ifrit flicked Sync's blood off the blade and silently beckoned Van to fight. In contrast to Sync, Van approached slowly and drew his own blade.

"I will fight you in the honorable Albert Style. Pay attention Star and clean up your skills." He commanded. Ifrit took off towards him and slashed at him with deadly precision of an unknown style. Van deflected each strike evenly and started countering with artes. "Tiger blade!" He shouted and caused fonons to well up from the ground to follow his blade as he leaped high into the air.

"Guh…" Ifrit uttered. I internally wailed as the blade and fonons cut into my chest.

Van proceeded forward calmly as Ifrit started to lose his cool. I began to cut with more power and less precision. Van ultimately deflected these as well and stepped back to launch another series of artes. "Demon Fang! Tiger blade! Swallow dance!"

As I was blown back into a stalagmite from the artes power, Ifrit roared in fury. Standing up, he threw down the sword and started making multiple spell circles.

Seeing this, Van ran forward quickly to interrupt the sentient.

"Rain down from the sky, meteor shower!" I declared and the magic circles opened up to launch meteors down at Van. With skillful dodging, Van got even closer to Ifrit, who was starting on a new arte. Just before Van could bring the blade down, Ifrit launched another flare vortex. He made it seem like there were constant FOF circles lying around to be used when in reality, he was summoning these things from regular incantations.

Van grounded himself and summoned a barrier to protect against the flames. Surprised, Ifrit went to grab the sword he threw down. Van's blade came out of the tornado though and stopped short of my neck.

"Lesson 2, never abandon your weapon." He declared sharply, "I have won this duel."

"Never!" Ifrit snarled. Using the pain as a catalyst, I forced myself out of my tranquil state and shoved Ifrit out of my body using all my mental strength. My body convulsed for a minute before the summon spirit appeared again in all his furious glory.

Coughing and in control of my body again, I leaned forward and panted. As expected, my whole body racked with the pain of the previous abuse.

"What are you doing?!" Ifrit demanded me. "I was not finished!"

"I'm sor-rry, I can't g-go on." I panted as I pushed Van's sword away from my throat. Ifrit growled as if disappointed and sat down in the air.

"Hrm…." He growled frustrated. After a minute, he got up and paced around in circles before coming to a halt and glaring at Van.

"I am a being of my word… However… you did not say who my pact would go to." With that, the giant flaming lion shrunk down into a group of fonons and made a bright red glowing seal of fire. This seal suddenly raced over and planted itself on my chest, causing me to gasp in surprise.

The feeling of being burned from the inside out overcame my senses and I screamed in agony.

"Damn!" I heard Sync shout as he rushed over to me. Flames flickered towards him as he reached down to grab me.

"Stop!" Van commanded as pulled Sync's hand away from him, "Let the seal finish…"

I don't know how long I screamed in that volcano that day.

I only remember waking up in the cathedral again, badly burned and shackled to a bed.

Sync & Asch: -eating popcorn and watching slide show-

Sync: Oh wait! Here it comes! This is my favorite part!

ES: "And I won't be so late in the next few updates! I swear!"

Sync & Asch: -laugh hysterically and spill popcorn everywhere-