Toushikyo could hate him all he wanted; Eld didn't particularly care, so long as he did what was asked of him. Rescuing Etsu was a victory, a very important one especially to him, but he still wouldn't feel right if he didn't get the villagers back to normal as well.

Just as he noticed neither observer was observing him at the moment, Kageko gave her warning and Eld whirled around in response, worried that somehow, against all odds, Gestahl was going to keep fighting.

But no, that was not the case. As Gestahl lay there he began to...disappear, for lack of a better term. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before--no, that wasn't right. He had no idea what was going on, it was true, but he had an eerie feeling he had seen something like this before. But why? He was certain he'd remember if something happened.

Not just the body, but the blood too began to fade--and the intensity of the spirit around him grew. He had considered that he might end up killing Gestahl, and thus be forced to send his spirit, but something very, very different was happening here.

The eerie familiarity...he'd felt it before. It took him a moment to pinpoint where: the previous night, in Kageko's dream, that beautiful, red-haired man. "Gestahl?" he whispered, wondering if the man could still hear him.

Gestahl could not hear Eld. Closer, and Eld would have seen another phenomenon, yet one that was strictly connected to the first. There was . . . static. Static in the air, static in the mind; it was faint, but it flickered a slow, yet erratic flicker. A soft light gathered at each blur, as they over took his form. More holes appeared, even quicker than before, at his shoulder, his legs, and even at the side of his head, more blurred gaps in his fading existence.

Gestahl could hear only his own thoughts and memories, flashing by in the static of a constant flicker. It was a numbing feeling at first, but then . . . it almost felt . . inviting. His memories-- he could recall them all. It felt, almost, like he could reach out and touch Katalyna's face. Gestahl reached his right hand out weakly, palm out as if lovingly caressing the cheek of a loved one-- and he saw her smile.

He recalled, then, another promise-- a promise now which seemed vastly more important. Perhaps it was a pipe dream, the world that Katalyna envisioned: a world where the five of them could live together, forever, in eternal bliss. No, that was an impossible dream. There would have been problems. Paradise was not immortal, even if they could somehow live into eternity. But another promise-- a promise he remembered now, a promise he had made so many times before the first one --came to mind.

A promise he should have been following all along. But he couldn't think of it, he couldn't focus upon it in the slightest! It was so distant, so far removed from his ultimate goal . . .

That world was never Katalyna's desire. To her, eternity was arbitrary. She never wanted to risk Gestahl and her "children" for such an impossible dream-- but he couldn't accept that. Not until now, not until he faced the end of his life. Katalyna simply wanted to enjoy their short existence, with the five of them together. In their short time, they could have been happy.

Katalyna just wanted him there-- with her. That was the promise he had made last night; not that he would build that world for her, but that he would return and never leave again. Ultimately, it was a promise he had failed to keep.

Gestahl frowned.

"It looks like . . ." Gestahl whispered; his voice was so small now that it could barely be heard, ". . . I could not return to you after all, Katalyna . . ."

And as the last traces of Gestahl faded, he whispered something. It wasn't audible in the slightest; his voice had faded by that point, but his lips read distinct words of regret: I'm sorry.

Something strange may have been occurring, but Eld knew that did not change what was happening: someone was dying. Whether it was watching them in a hospital or on the battlefield, it was never an easy thing to see someone die. Eld was too empathetic for his own good; he found it far to easy to see the person beyond the opponent. During the battle with bandits, he'd known that their takeover of the village had been an act of desperation for most of them. He didn't think that made it right, but he couldn't help but wonder how many of them were hoping to bring an armful of food back to their starving families. During those battles he'd had to practically become a different person on the battlefield to deal with it; here, fighting as his true self, it was unbearably tough to see someone's life fade due to wounds he'd inflicted.

"Why couldn't you have realized it sooner?" He thought he must have been the dumbest man on the planet; this person had kidnapped someone he'd loved, told him flat out he'd kill him if he lost, and yet he still felt sad at his passing.

Eld had no way of knowing Gestahl's situation or plight; if he did, surely he could imparted the same wisdom he'd learned himself in the last few months--it wasn't the time you had left, but what you did with it.

Silently, he turned around and tried to put a neutral face back up. He'd given Gestahl every chance to be reasonable, but the man hadn't take it. Even so, he accomplished what he came here to do: rescue Etsu.

He turned back to her and Toushikyo, addressing the later as he walked up: "If the villagers aren't back to normal by tomorrow, I'll come looking for you," he said flatly. He was tired of trying to convince these people to be reasonable; if they weren't going to play nice, he wasn't going to either.

It was . . . sad. Without a doubt it was sad. Etsu was able to see it all from where she was, hanging by chains wrapped around her naginata. She could see the way Gestahl reached his hand out weakly, making the same motion as a lover's caress, just a moment before he disappeared. It left a heavy feeling in her heart.

Eld started towards them again, declaring his threat to Toushikyo, one that was met only with a disdainful stare.

"I . . ." Toushikyo started, growling between his teeth, ". . . owe you nothing."

And it with that, Toushikyo was enveloped within a mist, one felt by Eld before-- a gray-scale mist that seemed to fill an oval shape, one that almost looked solid in its own right. Blacks and whites mixed, but never stayed for long; they always faded into gray. Accompanying the mist was a sound-- a warped sound, a sound like an wave spinning in on itself without a crash.

The mist was gone just as quick as it came, and so was Toushikyo.

Eld fixed a steady glare on Toushikyo as he disappeared. He was done fooling around; he tried everything he could think of to get things to end without bloodshed, and no one had listened to him. If violence was the only thing that would get things peaceful again, so be it.

His gaze softened as he turned to Etsu. He wondered how long she'd been up there; probably a few hours, at least. "Sorry for making you wait," he said. In a flash, he jumped, and in a single motion he severed the chain with his scythe and caught Etsu with his free arm.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he set her on the ground.

At Eld's question, she started to reply rather promptly, trying to make sure he didn't feel guilty for her being in this predicament or anything! "It is o--"

But again, he cut her off when he moved, this time to jump and cut her off quite literally! He cut the chain wrapped about the naginata, instantly causing her to fall, but no-- no, he didn't let that happen. Eld caught her as soon as she started to fall.

Despite everything that had happened, Etsu couldn't help but blush a little. Eld was so strong. She wasn't even envious, just awed. He'd never been this strong before. She kind of liked it-- no. No, not kind of. Being held like this by a powerful man, willing to fight for her--

It was nice.

"H-- hai . . ." Etsu whispered as she looked down somewhat, now conscious of the warmth in her cheeks.

Master . . .? Unlike Etsu, Kageko didn't sound too well. She sounded sad-- sad, and maybe a little sick. Her head hurt and it felt like her stomach was rebelling against her existence in general. May I sleep now . . .?

Yeah...thank you, Kageko. I couldn't have done this without you. With a small flourish the weapon returned to its normal form, and he returned it to the holster on his back.

Now that everything was over, his iron nerves were leaving him, and he began to realize the number of ways the situation could have gone bad. Not just that Gestahl could have easily ended up killing him, but also that several times during the fight he was left too far away from Etsu to protect her, and helpless as she'd been it would have taken little effort for either him or Toushikyo to kill her with their powers.

With slightly shaky hands he hurriedly untied the chains around her hands, and as soon as they hit the ground he could no longer resist throwing his arms around her. "I'm glad...you have no idea how worried I was..."

I am . . . Kageko paused. A hesitation? Perhaps, perhaps not. Eld had dropped the release; he wouldn't feel similar emotions as her anymore, not until the next time he released the weapon's seal. . . . glad for you.

With that, Kageko said no more, and decided to lay in the quiet darkness, amongst empty thoughts and hollow memories: a place she could rest peacefully.

Erstwhile, Etsu stood up, now that a moment had passed after she'd been caught. But it wasn't a moment after she was on her feet that Eld threw his arms around her . . .

"E-Er-rd-kun . . ." Etsu whispered, a little surprised at first. He'd gone from strong, with nerves of steel, to holding her tight, as if he were afraid of losing her if he didn't. But that wasn't a problem, and she didn't fault him for that. She did, however, take a moment to think about what she was going to say to him

I do not think Gestahl-dono intended to kill me. That was her first thought-- but all things considered, maybe it was best if she didn't say that. For him, it was probably best if she tried to forget that she ever had doubts about Gestahl's willingness to end her life. Unfortunately she couldn't. Memories were harder to erase than that. She had talked to him. At that point, she had ensured the impossibility.

That, however, was something Eld would never know.

So, instead, Etsu said the second thing that came to mind. As she gently wrapped her arms around him, she replied softly, "It is okay. I am o-kay, now. You do not need to worry any-more . . ."

For all his prowess in battle, Eld wasn't a person particularly suited for it, at least emotionally. He could set aside his feelings for the duration in order to fight, but they always came crashing back shortly after. After fighting the bandits so many months ago, the shock of what he'd done had him holed up in his room for a week.

But Etsu's embrace did more to reassure him than possibly anything else could have. He held it for a minute, but then gently pulled away. Giving her a slightly embarrassed smile, he said, "You always seem to be getting in trouble on my account." His worry, fear, and even the sorrow he felt over killing Gestahl were all overwhelmed by his relief and joy at seeing her okay again.

"Why don't we head back? Everyone's been worried about you; they'll want to know you're alright." And Eld too, though that only occurred to him dimly. He was about to lead her to the horse, but got the nagging feeling he was forgetting something. He looked up.

Etsu's naginata was still stuck in the cliff above them. He made a face. "I suppose we need to get that down first."

"It is o-kay," Etsu replied reassuringly to Eld's comment-- about her always getting into trouble because of his problems.

Truthfully, she didn't mind. As far as she was concerned, she and Eld were partners-- as fellow Reapers, and as good friends. If she were to encounter any problems directed solely to her, Eld would have been dragged into it just as much as she was with his problems. So long as they could be together, that was just how it was going to go. Of this, Etsu was convinced, and perfectly fine with the risks she might take by fighting alongside of Eld, whenever she had the chance to fight.

Her only regret was that getting captured had put a severe dent in Eld's game plan. She could only hope that it wouldn't happen ever again.

Etsu nodded to Eld's declaration. Indeed, they should be getting back to Hillcrest. It was kind of heartwarming, too, knowing that the others were worried about her well being. It also made Etsu feel a little self conscious about her predicament. Hopefully she hadn't made everyone worry too much. Etsu hadn't wanted to be that much of a burden upon their lives.

She started to walk with Eld at first, only to stop once he remembered something and turned around-- her naginata. Oh. I would not like to lose that. It was her absolute favorite weapon, after all, one she had obtained shortly after enlisting as a Reaper. After retrieving it, though, the two of them could go back home . . .

The gate, an entryway into a city of everlasting gray, eclipsed in the abysmal monochromatic fog. An archway was covered by a tall clock tower, one that had ceased functioning years prior. Dust and decay covered the cracked and broken glass; its minute hand was broken in two, and the hour hand didn't seem to exist at all anymore. Tall structures lined both sides of the street that the gate fed into, structures that were all, likewise, abandoned and condemned.

Within the archway, a figure appeared-- a figure limping, with a crutch under one arm. He continued to limp forward, pausing only when he saw a shadow approaching him-- a shadow within the fog, previously a silhouette standing in watch, but now a silhouette that approached him, slow and cautious at first, but as soon as she could see him, she wasted no time in reaching him.

"Oh, Toushikyo! You have returned!" Katalyna declared joyously as she intercepted him.

Toushikyo stopped once Katalyna stood before him. She looked at him brightly, happy to see that he had come back-- overjoyed, in fact! She had been wrought with worry ever since he demanded that he get out of bed in order to follow Gestahl. She never wanted him to go, fearing that he might just get hurt even worse, which was the very last thing she wanted to see. Seeing him hurt like this the other day almost broke her heart!

She set her hands upon his shoulders and investigated his face. The cold that emanated from him appeared to do very little to her. She brushed dirt away from his shoulder, and smiled with relief as soon as she had concluded that he hadn't come back with anymore injuries.

"I was so worried about you . . ." she whispered genuinely.

Toushikyo, on the other hand, did not look to the woman. He averted his gaze from her while she brushed the dirt off his shoulder and narrowed his eyes as she expressed her joy to see him return safe and sound.

"And what of your father-- my Gestahl?" Katalyna asked as she tilted her body to the side to look past Toushikyo a bit, and towards the open gate, "Has he returned, too?"

Toushikyo only shook his head, whispering, "No."

Katalyna stopped looking past Toushikyo at that very instant, to look at his face once again. She tilted her head to the side inquisitively.

"What?"

"Gestahl will not return," Toushikyo reiterated coldly.

Katalyna furrowed her brow. "Well . . . where-- where is he . . .?"

Perhaps, she thought, she could go and find him, and try and convince him, where ever he was, to return to her and their children. It was a thought crushed in less than a second by Toushikyo.

"Where all Memories go when they die," Toushikyo replied, almost as if he were spiting someone. Who, he didn't know anymore. "Nowhere."

Toushikyo brushed past her, to continue walking unhindered, while Katalyna stared ahead in shock, staring as if Toushikyo was still there, her face frozen in disbelief, until finally, at last, her legs shook too much to hold her up, and she dropped to her knees . . .

Amongst the hall of memories long past,
--a dedication to remembrance
--of all those who'd been long forgotten,
stood the shadow.

A figure--
An apparition--
Cloaked, hooded--
Concealed in every way.

And upon the first floor wall, where the only blank space remained amongst the walls of the Hall of Remembrance, it etched into the wood:

It was a few hours before they made it back to Hillcrest. On his way there he'd been in enough of a rush to simply go through Galaens, but now that Etsu was in tow with her weapon too he didn't want to risk a run in with the authorities, who were still presumably looking for Cizokians with curved weapons. While going through the woods was technically a shorter distance, the terrain made the trip actually longer than if they'd gone through the trade city.

He was grateful for arriving back; while not overly injured from his fight, he was very tired. But there was something more important than getting rest; the girls would want to know they were alright, and he didn't like to think of the rude awakening he'd receive if he went to bed without telling Sarah they were safe.

Of course, she would be the first to find out anyway. He had to return the horse, after all...

Of course, horses made a great deal of sound when they traveled. The way they trotted could tip just about anyone off to the fact that a steed was, in fact, approaching town. To someone like Sarah Vaerbond, who had been around horses since she was five years old, it was one of the most noticeable sounds in the world. When she heard it first, she was just coming back from the pasture, after refilling the feed she had placed out there. As she was expecting someone, this prompted her to come back to the house a little quicker--

And by the time she arrived, Eld and Etsu were dismounting. It wasn't even a second after Eld helped Etsu off of the horse that Sarah jumped the fence separating her house from the pasture, and lunged into Eld with a tackle-- one that occurred just the same time as a hug. It was unlikely that he was even going to see it coming.

It may have been one of the few times Sarah had outright hugged Eld, but that didn't make it any less painful than her usual displays of affection. "You're alive!"

Normally, Eld would be a little more aware of someone running up to tackle him, well intentioned or no, but he'd just finished helping Etsu down and he was a bit tired--and frankly, his guard was down. He'd just arrived at his home, after all, a place that was usually safe. With emphasis on the usually.

"Uwah~!" Eld shouted as he tumbled over--strength didn't particularly matter when he was caught totally off guard by a flying tackle. "Owowowow...I'm okay, but...fighting, remember?"

But he couldn't really get his voice to sound as annoyed as he wanted it to, even though it did hurt a little. If nothing else, the way he smiled at her gave his real reaction away.