Eld didn't have time to look into the dark world, but that didn't mean he was totally oblivious to it. Once he had the negating the bursts (and they kept coming), he could give her a little attention. "Sorry," he whispered, not having the focus to direct thoughts at the moment. "Something's wrong. Rest. I'll take it from here." He could only speak in short, clipped sentences, and could unfortunately not afford to make sure she was okay--though he was sure she wasn't. It ate at his gut, but wouldn't be able to even feel guilty if he died here.

Darkness covered his weapon once more, obscuring from all sight. When it lifted, he was holding a full length, ordinary scythe again.

Unfortunately, losing Kageko's senses couldn't have come at a worse time; not long after he resealed her, he suddenly felt a blow to his gut, one he never saw coming. And now he felt the full force of the blow too; he plummeted to the ground, crashing shoulder-first into the ice hard enough to send a spiderweb of cracks out from his landing place.

He forced himself to continue to function through the pain, standing up even as he was coughing up blood. Without Kageko's aid, the mist quickly went from being an annoyance to a serious threat. If he could neither see nor sense Toushikyo but the ice user could read his every move, even someone of Eld's small amount of experience could see the outcome.

Focusing, he made the Qi still lingering around surge towards him, drawing on more from the gray world at the same time...

By the time Eld resealed the scythe and reverted it back to its original state, Kageko had nearly given up. She was too hurt to sob like she wanted to, and what little willpower she had left was wasted with attempts to drag herself forward. But to where? And why? Kageko hadn't the slightest clue. She just felt at the time that she couldn't give up, and that laying and writhing and crying would have been just that. She'd nowhere to go in the dark world and every want to go there. Kageko took in a breath. It felt like it was going to be her last.

And yet, when she exhaled, she felt a familiar warmth. With her good eye, she looked out into the dark world, and found it somewhat lighter than it should've been. Her lips parted in something of a mixture of weakness and awe, and she could've sworn she saw someone else in the gray world.

Kageko lifted her hand to reach out for him. A small, agonized, cracked, and desperate voice escaped her lips, "Don't . . . . . leave me . . . . . . . please don't . . . . ."

Her hand fell to the surface darkness as her body ceased to respond. Her vision blurred, her eye shut, and everything faded to black.

Toushikyo landed upon his feet nearly a dozen yards away from Eld. Kicking the youth as hard as he did served to actually throw Toushikyo himself back, but he didn't at all seem off balance, even while airborne. In fact, with the lethargic speed in which he descended, there was a chance that he never actually needed to touch ground at all. The mist about the arena allowed him many an opportunity to go against the laws of physics. Flight itself wouldn't entirely be out of the question, considering the current repertoire of abilities it allowed him.

The arena below Eld's feet never stopped shaking. Toushikyo was standing perfectly fine; he was even capable of walking without losing balance. Eld, however damaged he might be, would perhaps find it exceedingly difficult to remain standing, even more difficult than it was before.

Eld was hurt and Toushikyo could see this. He did not attack. He took steps forward to clear a bit of distance between them, but did not cross a line eight feet from Eld's person. He specifically made sure to stay out of range of Eld's scythe, which was now decidedly more advantageous to Eld in a melee situation.

"Just what is it, Eldridge?" Toushikyo went as far to use Eld's first name, "A Fragment with his Remnant; a Reaper without a cause. What is it that inspires you to keep going like this? Your life is not your own. Your soul is merely borrowed. Your fate was decided the day you were born. Your existence is guided by a loose script from which you cannot deviate. Yet if I were to tell you none of your village would be harmed, that only you would lose your life, you would continue to fight. But--why? What joy do you find in such a damned life?"

The shaking never ceased, and Eld found it difficult to remain standing in any kind of useful capacity. Several times he dropped to a knee, before he finally jammed the pole of his scythe into the tower. It didn't exactly make him stable, but with a third extension touching the ground he could at least keep himself upright for the most part.

Kageko...? Vague impressions spilled into his mind, as sometimes happened when she was unfocused. And then...nothing. No response. She'd either fallen unconscious or... No. He didn't allow himself to dwell on the possibility, or the the feeling in his gut that it caused, a feeling colder than anything his opponent could muster. But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't afford to check on her--any distractions now could possibly spell his death.

Toushikyo knew more about him than he'd thought; the Memories in general seemed to be only vaguely aware of who he was until now. Though it was something he sought to keep a secret--he'd only two people of his heritage, and only one other person, he figured, could have possibly known--they'd still found out. In other circumstances this might have disturbed him, but it hardly seemed to matter now.

"Fragment, Reaper, Remnant...if you can't see beyond those terms, then you wouldn't understand any answer I could give you," he replied, barely audible over the violent shaking of the tower. "All you need to know is...I made a promise. And I intend to keep it."

He rose until he was standing on just his feet again. Shaky though it made him, he couldn't afford to be using his weapon as a crutch with Toushikyo this close. But he didn't make his move just yet; he was still gathering Qi, which was once more beginning to show as wind swirling around him...

Little to no answer from Eld would be have been understood, however. It scarcely mattered. Unless he declared he existed to spite Toushikyo and the rest of Memoria, Toushikyo wouldn't know the feeling Eld attached to life intimately enough to accurately comprehend. He did, however, get something out of the statement.

"So, then . . ." Toushikyo trailed off. If he could feel, he'd have been enraged by Eld just now. "It's all just your will against ours, then."

"Perhaps you people would find it funny," Toushikyo held out his blade, kept in both hands, and aimed the tip for Eld; he did not charge, however. Not yet. "How short sighted you really are. You, who can only see the world in blacks and whites; friends and enemies. But the world's nothing but a million shades of gray, Eldridge. The people you call enemies are little more than a desperate species of fantasies, clinging to anything they can to make them real. Do you even know what lies behind the Unreal?"

Had he feelings, he'd have laughed--not out of joy, but purely out of spite and disgust. Before, that was the only way he could actually laugh.

"Not that the average plight of Memories matter to me," Toushikyo shrugged his shoulders, "Not anymore."

With this, Toushikyo charged Eld once again. The arena had yet to cease shaking, yet Toushikyo seemed to run on it without a problem at all. He'd charge Eld with a forward thrust, fully intending to gut the young man on the spot.

He was tired of Toushikyo's circular logic. He acted like it was Eld who was in the wrong here, when all he wanted to do was stay alive and protect his friends. Black and white, enemies and friends...he didn't see the Memories in one extreme or the other. He was only trying to defend himself, against people who were willing to at the very least kill him (and some many more) simply to get Kageko and use it for the vaguely defined goal of becoming "real." Did they not realize that if they simply stopped attacking him, he'd have no reason to fight them? Had they once even tried to simply talk to him? The only ones who'd treated him cordially hadn't known who he was when they met. Not much point in talking to someone who's not listening.

Stumbling, it was impossible for Eld to defend himself well, but fortunately he didn't need to. What he was planning didn't require much in the way of precision.

Three steps was likely all Toushikyo needed to reach him with his blade--it was after two that Eld acted. This time there was no physical movement to signify it, simply a rush of air that extended from all around him. Thus far the only time he'd been successful at hitting Toushikyo had been when he'd rid the immediate area of the mist. This time, however, rather than just for a few yards around him he intended to clear as much as he could, enough that his opponent would not have time to fill it back in.

The blast was far stronger than before; it had all the force of standing next to a large explosion, but without the heat. If he was unprepared, Toushikyo would be blown clear from the tower, let alone off his feet.

Toushikyo didn't see this one coming. The wind about Eld was fierce and unpredictable. He hadn't the issue of senses as Eld did, but that didn't make for a guaranteed sense of what was going on. He was at a disadvantage rather suddenly, and in the midst of his thrust, was thrown off his feet. The first thing he felt was the back of his head hitting the ice. It came with a loud crack that pierced even the sound of howling winds. A trail of blood almost instantly crafted itself. Toushikyo skidded back on the ice this way for nearly a dozen feet, before the wind repositioned him again and flipped him onto his chest. His knees hit the ice soon after, and at that point, he was nearly at the ledge.

It was only when Toushikyo reached the ledge--skidding back on his knees at that point--that he came to a stop. He'd long since dropped his blade and threw out both hands. The stop was abrupt and sudden, but didn't prompt him standing immediately. It took the man several moments to actually stand up, time which he used to breath in and out and fight the sudden need to pass out. It was a brief need and it faded readily--almost at the same time as the blood trailing from the back of his skull and soaking the collar of his robe started to move slower and slower, until it simply wasn't flowing anymore. Not dry. Just . . . frozen.

When Toushikyo finally did standing up, he was shaky on his feet. It took a second for him to get his balance on the shaking ice. Once he did, he drew in a deep breath and released a sigh of equal power. Only then did he open his eyes and gaze upon Eld across the ice.

There was a vague hint of disapproval in his eyes.

This time, Toushikyo hadn't seen the attack coming; it seemed like it caught him full on, and blasted him (and most of the mist) across to the other side of the tower. Unfortunately, the shaking neither stopped nor slowed; either he was much more resilient than he looked, or he didn't need to maintain concentration to keep the effect up.

So while his opponent recovered, Eld focused on his Qi, and ever so slightly lifted himself off the ground. He knew he hadn't been able to do it before--perhaps it was only possible because of the higher altitude. In any case, it at least offered him a reprieve from the shaking.

And that was what Toushikyo would see when he opened his eyes...Eldridge Tsukimono, kimono billowing from the pressure he was creating, hovering off the ground with his scythe at the ready. Like an angel of death...

He was tempted to suggest that Toushikyo retreat, but he knew his words would be wasted. He intended to fight to the death...or at least until he was knocked out or dragged away by other Memories. So instead, sent a quick burst of Qi at him, attempting to shove him the remaining distance off the top of the tower.

The image of Eld was regarded with little interest, only the vague look of disapproval. It seemed to remain if only for a short while.

The burst neither struck Toushikyo nor penetrated the mist in much depth. It was a weak attack, anyways, considerably smaller than the last one. It wasn't nearly enough to affect the man in any way, shape, or form--including the alteration of the mist about him. The mist parted only somewhat, but quickly recoiled against Eld's invasion of space and forced all Eld put through it back.

When Toushikyo moved his hand to point his first two fingers toward Eld, loosely open as they were, the mist that pushed back against Eld's influence did more than just that. It swirled and jabbed into Eld's space of influence like two perpetually intertwining spears, and for the time looked completely solid. The near-solid length twisted against Eld's influence until it had a specific point--two specific points, in fact--which immediately rammed for Eld's person, fueled in length and mass by the azure mist from whence it came.

The twisting spear lunged at Eld--but it's strength was also its weakness. If it was solid enough to impale him, it was also solid enough break. With a yell he swung the scythe down hard, cleaving the individual "threads" apart and sending them spiraling off into the sky behind him.

And then he went back to concentrating once more. Even with the mist clear from his half of the field, nothing he could do quickly was going to even reach Toushikyo. He would have to draw on more Qi from Purgatory to have a chance at reaching him.

The spears, twisted together as they were, shattered at Eld's attack and were directed into the heavens. It didn't take long for gravity to pull them back to the icy blue haze, their solid forms now returned to mist. They rejoined the mass of haze, which, too, seemed to grow in size. Toushikyo likely had the same idea as Eld, though he didn't advertise it in the slightest. Only observation would let Eld notice that much--but considering how much was happening at once, noticing the increasing mass of mist might be the last thing he'd notice.

It wasn't long before the shaking of the arena died down, and Toushikyo stood straight in a much more relaxed posture. He wasted no time in making way for his straight-sword, discarded as it was near the center of the arena. This set him near the threshold betwixt Eld's power and Toushikyo's, and the man didn't seem to care for it much at all. He merely looked up to Eld, close as he was, with the momentary hint of disapproval revoked. Were Eld to look down at the man, he'd find only a stoic gaze looking back at him.

Now's my chance. With Toushikyo this close to the edge of the mist, Eld has his best chance to get at him. Qi and wind compressed in his free hand until it formed a ball of compressed, swirling air, which he wasted no time in launching down at Toushikyo.

He had little doubt it would be dodged, but that was to be expected. Whether it impacted Toushikyo or the tower, it would explode in a small blast of wind, not enough to truly damage but it could knock him off balance...and more importantly clear the mist from his immediate vicinity, creating a small cove in the mass of it.

It was at that moment that he'd find Eld no longer hovering, but rather on the ground and lunging at him with a wicked horizontal slash intended to gut him or possibly cleave him in two entirely.

As Eld drew power nearest his hand, Toushikyo lifted his. He seemed to give little thought in pushing his free and open left hand out and amongst the chaos of Toushikyo's influence meeting Eld's. It was slow, but meaningful, and the very moment Toushikyo's fingertips touched Qi, Eld would feel the wind about him become tremendously colder. In that moment, the closer he was in proximity to Toushikyo's mist, the immediately colder he'd feel--so much that being directly next to it for less than a minute might have driven him to hypothermia.

Wind disrupted the mist about Toushikyo, but he didn't seem to notice--or, rather, didn't seem to mind. Even if Eld tried, though, he'd have difficulty controlling that wind. It wasn't his. It had little to nothing to do with Qi. It was some other brand of power, some manipulation to mimic. Not Eld's abilities, but someone else's . . .

It all happened so fast. The cold rush came, and soon Eld's attack was thrown Toushikyo's way, and just as quick as it all came to be, the attack was stalled. It pressed against the hazy blue, pushed it in, but met neither Toushikyo nor the ground. It instead stopped as dead weight pushed ever forward, surging for Toushikyo, but seemingly halted by his loose index finger--which, too, pushed towards the mass of energy meant for Toushikyo's demise.

Eld would, however, find difficulty piercing the mist at that moment, even if he did opt to attempt attacking him again. There was something decidedly different here. Different, yet . . . incomplete.

A wave of cold washed over him, and the fact that he could feel it so distinctly even in the heat of battle did not bode well--but if he let fear of the cold stop him from attacking he'd never get anywhere.

What did stop him seemed to be the mist itself, which acted as a surprisingly solid barrier. This is getting ridiculous. To think that cold based powers could go that far...he would never have imagined it.

The fog was ever pushing against him, so he pushed back. Even as he continued to try and drive the scythe into the fog (and subsequently into Toushikyo), he gathered his Qi and pressed, intending to counter the force his opponent was putting out with his own.

The wind continued to rush. It quickly became a torrent within Toushikyo's area of influence. Icy blue mist swirled about his half of the arena like a whirlwind, a veritable tornado that grew ever stronger with each passing second--and each passing second, Eld grew closer and closer to piercing it with his blade. It would even begin to effect Eld's area of influence; it would berate the effects of his power, push it back, and even weaken it as a whole, simply by being so close to the violent storm in which Toushikyo stood.

Toushikyo drew his hand down, away from the burst of wind, Eld's first attack, which was all but absorbed into the ice by then. His hand drifted downward, down to the edge of Eld's weapon, threatening to pierce the hazy blue and sink into Toushikyo's stomach. He looked Eld in the eyes, no love nor hate in his own eyes, as he pushed his index finger for the edge of Eld's blade.

The second they touched, the tip of Toushikyo's finger and the edge of Eld's scythe, blood was drawn. A small trail of crimson bled from his fingertip and flowed with the whirlwind, and only a fraction of a second later, there was a light. It was a small azure light, set upon the tip of Toushikyo's finger . . .

And then, all at once, every wind about the mist turned in on itself. It rushed for Toushikyo. It rushed into Toushikyo. It swirled and swerved and buffeted, dragging every ounce of cold-water mist with it. The chaotic winds rattled the arena worse than Toushikyo's prior motions; the entire tower in that moment would seem as if it were poised and ready to fall, as the mist was dragged ever inward. It took the look of a hazy blue, azure-like energy perhaps, drawing into Toushikyo in a reverse burst--a vortex and gravitational draw that compressed something that could only exist over a massive span, fifty feet or more, into a small, tight space.

The arena continued to shake. The vortex did not cease until the azure mist took upon it a tremendous glow, yet Toushikyo still never moved himself. He retained his position, standing undaunted, finger still upon the edge of Eld's blade. His hair and robe, even the blood drawn from the tip of his finger, was whipped by the tremendous winds and hurricane pressure, all compressed into a small space, but he didn't seem to notice.

The space allowed for the vortex continued to grow smaller. It began to swell and compress beyond its limit, from a six foot radius about Toushikyo's body to a four foot radius-- three, two, one--

In a flash of a second, the azure light, the mist, and the inward wind that carried it, had nowhere to go but the young man's own body.

And in that flash of a second, Eld would no longer find his scythe in his hands. He would no longer find himself standing, for that matter. In a single flash of a moment, everything had changed. His scythe would be in the air, spinning rapidly in a momentarily preserved whirlwind, before coming down by gravity's whim and striking the arena's surface with enough momentum to drive its blade far into it. It would be so far embedded into the ice, blade first, that even Eld would need a significant strength burst to rip it out.

But more importantly, were Eld to look up to the form above him, he'd find Toushikyo, barely differing in the slightest. There seemed, however, to be an outline about his form. It wasn't so much an aura, it did not extend beyond his skin, but in its own right, seem to cover, contract into, and seal away within his skin. His blade was up, having just completed a slash, but not one Eld would have even perceived in the slightest.

In the evening sun, the image of Toushikyo would give off a reflected highlight. A small, blue light-- like a dying star, small, freezing, and compressed to critical mass.

One moment Eld had been pushing forward with all his might, struggling against the massive cold front so that he could get to Toushikyo. Everything had started swirling, changing, a vortex of chilled air that centered around the disaffected young man.

And then he found himself on his back, blinking in surprise, not having seen what moved him and hardly having felt it. Far above him Toushikyo was now floating in the air, emitting an ominous blue.

He quickly climbed to his feet, suddenly aware that he was no longer holding Kageko, and saw that somehow the scythe had embedded itself into the ground a little ways away. What the hell just happened? he wondered as he rushed to it, attempting to pull it out...