All the world's a stage – William Shakespeare

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Screams filled the air, fire lighting several parts of the city. Innocent civilians were running for their lives, the slower cut down by soldiers who were told to have no mercy whatsoever. Unbeknownst to most of them, above, on the building's edge, was a shadow of a figure, a girl to be more specific.

Her long coat billowed around her as her fingers curled into a fist. "They're merely puppets by the damned Tenebrae," she muttered, shaking her head. "None of them have any idea of what they're actually doing."

Scowling, she stared up into the moonless sky. "What have you done Etro?" she asked to the Goddess of Death herself, as if challenging her. "Have you finally given up on this hopeless world? Have you?" Her words held a hint of anger as she gritted her teeth.

"As I thought. Even you have finally given up." She took a step back, examining her situation around her. Soldiers were scattered here and there, fire lighting other parts of the city. They would soon be here enough, to take what was embedded on her hand. They were welcome to it, but her brain would not allow it, though her heart yearned for liberation of the damned crystal. Noting that the soldiers coming up behind her, she closed her eyes, a small frown tugging at her lips. It did not please her at all to kill, but it was her function.

She had to do it.

Turning around, she held up her gloved hand now glowing bright blue, the other shoved in her pocket. "So you bastards have come haven't you?" she called out to the soldiers who lifted their guns to the threat in front of them. "Army dogs," she spat out bitterly, eyes narrowed with anger.

The men paused as her hand glowed even brighter. She winced, every breath echoing louder in her skull as she held out her hand in front of her. The light intensified for a second, and then faded away into a blade, the point sharpened to the point enough to cut through bone.

She lifted the blade and snarled threateningly. "Alright then, you want my crystal? Try and take it then!" With a leap through the air, she landed in their midst, causing the men to start to panic. She let a smirk curl around her mouth as she laughed aloud.

"One jump and you idiots are panicking!" she yelled, swinging the blade. The blade flashed as it ran through one man, only to curve, reaching for its next victim. With a loud shout, she lifted her blade, swinging it in a wide circle.

Allowing the momentum to carry her through the crowd, she slashed through the soldiers in her way while laughing all the same. "I may be just a machine, but I'm going to have fun while doing my job!" she yelled on the top of her lungs.

The crystal glowed brightly from within her gloved hand as she brought her hand back. "Damned bugs, disappear!" A blue flash and the soldiers were dead, leaving the girl alone in the carnage she had created. Shaking her sword clean, she scowled, staring again at the sky.

"You caused this war Etro," she accused, holding her arms to the sky. "I'm just playing my part."

Noctis Caelum looked into the sky, blue eyes wide with surprise. "What?" he muttered while watching his glove glow blue. "The crystal's reacting…" With a leap, he ran through the crowds of soldiers, slashing through as he went.

His friend's, Rideo, eyes widened, his blond hair whipping so quickly that he almost ate it. "Hey, HEY NOCT! Where the hell are you going?" Noctis turned around, waving his gloved hand that was glowing blue. Rideo seemed to understand this obscure message and nodded back at the Prince, turning his attention back to the soldiers who were coming even more then before.

Lacertus rubbed his eyes, grinning at the blonde-haired person as Rideo shot a glance at him. "What is it?" he asked as the man chuckled while rubbing his scar across his eye.

"You actually understood what Noct was saying?" he said while Rideo shrugged. "He was waving the glove with the crystal in it. I figured it had to do that."

Noctis paced himself as the blue glow grew brighter. He had thought that he and Stella were the only ones who had such a crystal, no, the power to see the light. To think that there was another was a surprise even to him.

He wondered what the person had to go through in order to receive a power such as that. Recalling his trial, he suppressed a shiver, focusing to go forward. He stopped at a building side, glancing side to side, wondering where to go.

Lifting his hand into the air, he noticed the crystal glowing brighter towards the top and sighed softly before allowing his crystal's power to run through his legs. Disappearing from view, he almost flew up the building side, stopping only when he finally got to the top.

When his feet finally touched the building roof, he stared at the scene in front of him.

There before him was a girl almost soaked in blood, but not her own, her own gloved hand covering a bright blue glow surrounding it. A blade was in that hand as she turned around, gray eyes looking straight at him.

A long moment of silence, then Noctis finally spoke, his eyes never leaving the girl, the girl's eyes watching his every move as well.

"Who are you?"

The girl stayed silent for a moment before regarding him with a cool gaze. "Aella," she said while Noctis gave a slight nod in her direction.

"Noctis Caelum."