A Heart to Heart

The battle was about to resume, but Oreon remained unconscious. Unnoticed, the dragon shard in his pocket pulsed softly as his mind drifted elsewhere.

Darkness surrounded Oreon's unconscious mind. He blinked awake, unsure where he was. "Ugh..." He turned left, then right. "Wha...The...Where am I?" He questioned. "Did I?... Am I dead?"

He looked around, eyes darting left to right as he turned a full 360, seeing nothing but vast, space. 

"Yep, I'm really dead..." He told himself. 

"What makes you think that?" A familiar woman's voice echoed in Oreon's ears—one he had known for half his life, then lost on its darkest day.

"Wai...Wait...That can't be." Spinning around. "Alice?" Oreon called his late sister's name but found only the darkness surrounding him.

"What are you looking at?" The voice came again. Oreon searched the darkness once more but found nothing.

"Alice! Alice! Where are you?!" Oreon's voice cracked slightly, desperation seeping through. "I know it's you—I'd know your voice anywhere!" He turned repeatedly, his eyes darting everywhere. "Alice! Alice! Alice...If that's you... Please, I..."

"Behind you, dummy."

Oreon spun around once more—and there stood Alice. Before he could react, the darkness dissolved, revealing his home and the surrounding land, with Alice standing on the front steps.

She stood exactly as he remembered: long black hair spilling over her shoulders, warm brown eyes glinting with mischief, and the gentle smile she always gave him when he was troubled. She even wore the simple dress from that day—the day everything fell apart.

"A-Alice..." His voice cracked a bit as he took a small step closer. "Is that...Is that really you?" He took another hesitant step forward, his hands shaking.

"Who else would it be?" She tilted her head, her familiar smile fading into a slight scowl. "You look terrible. What the hell have you been doing all this time? Have you been getting proper sleep?" She sighed and dramatically placed a hand on her forehead. "See what happens when I'm not around."

Oreon's eyes widened, and he froze. Then his legs buckled without warning, dropping him to his knees as tears blurred his vision. "I...I don't understand. How are you--" His voice broke. "You're... You're gone. You died. I saw...I saw what they- you..."

"Died?" Her tone was firm but not unkind as she finished for him. "Yeah, I know. Trust me, I was there." She folded her arms, her expression turning serious. "But that doesn't mean I'm not here now."

"But how...I... I don't understand..." Oreon choked. "How? Why I--" He shook his head frantically. "This doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense!" His voice cracked again, raw emotion pouring through. "You can't be here. You can't be real. This has to be some kind of...dream, or...or--"

"Does it matter?" Alice interrupted gently as she stepped off the porch and approached, her footsteps silent. "Real, not real...does that change anything right now?" She knelt in front of him and met his eyes. "What matters right now is...I get to see you. Even if it is in this weird space."

Oreon's breath caught as tears streamed down his face. "I...I missed you so much, Alice...You, Mom...Every single day. I--" He couldn't finish. His hands trembled as he reached out toward her, hesitant, as if afraid she might disappear if he touched her.

His sister's expression softened further as she gently took his hand. "I know," she murmured tenderly. "I know you did. And I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me most."

Her hand felt impossibly warm and real, as though she had never died. Before he could stop himself, Oreon pulled her into a tight embrace, buried his face against her shoulder, and sobbed.

"I--I tried..." His voice was muffled, broken. "I tried so hard, Alice. I tried to keep going, tried to be strong like you always told me to be, but I..." He pulled back slightly, his tear-streaked face looking into hers. "I couldn't save you. I couldn't save Mom. I couldn't do anything!" His hands gripped her shoulders desperately. "I was useless! I'm still useless! Even now, I--"

"Stop." Alice gently but firmly cut off his spiral, cupping his face and wiping away his tears with her thumbs. "Listen to me right now, Oreon. You were just a kid. A child. There was nothing you could have done." Her intense gaze locked onto him, leaving him frozen. "Nothing. Do you understand me?

"But I--"

"No buts." She shook her head slowly. "What happened to me, to Mom...that wasn't your fault. It was never your fault." Her expression softened again, though her grip on his face remained firm. "And you're not useless. You've survived this long, haven't you? You've kept fighting. Even now, you're still fighting."

Oreon's lips trembled, fresh tears spilling over. "I... I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this, Alice. I'm so tired. So... So damn tired of fighting."

Alice's expression shifted — sadness flickering across her features. "I know," she whispered, pulling him close again, holding him as she used to when they were younger and the world felt too big and scary. "I know you're tired. It's safe to say that life hasn't necessarily been easy for you. You've seen some rough years, little brother...but...as much as I hate to do this." She gently pushed him back, cupping his face again and giving him a determined, no-nonsense look. "Oreon, what are you doing?"

-The battlefield-

Outside, Meara dodged Eilist's shadow snake, then sidestepped Yvonne's blade wheel as it slashed toward her again.

Meara skidded to a stop, her breathing steady despite the relentless assault. Yvonne's blade wheel sliced through the spot where she had been a heartbeat earlier, striking the ground in a shower of sparks. Meara answered with a sharp kick to Yvonne's back, knocking her aside, then leaped away as two shadow snakes, wreathed in corrupted holy energy, crashed down and missed her completely.

"I'll give you this—you're persistent," Meara muttered. She nocked and fired another arrow, detonating it against the two dark-energy snakes launched from Eilist's staff.

"This damn—" Eilist gritted his teeth and aimed his staff at Meara. "Try this! HOLY SERPENT!" At his shout, a serpent of white energy burst from the staff and raced toward her, jaws open and white lightning crackling across its body.

"You're still not taking me seriously!" Meara shot back, nocking another arrow. "EKLANOS!"

Her arrow surged forward in a vortex of emerald energy, ripping through the air like a miniature hurricane. It struck Eilist's Holy Serpent, and the two forces clashed violently. White lightning and Grove energy twisted against each other, crackling and hissing before bursting into a blinding flash that sent shockwaves outward.

The blast hurled Eilist into a building. He struck the wall and dropped to one knee. "Damn it—" His anger mounted as his pupils glowed brighter. "How is she this strong?!"

Yvonne snapped her gaze toward Eilist. "Enough with the flashy attacks! Fight like you were blessed with power." She turned back and leaped at Meara, striking and slashing, but Meara danced around every blow. "I'm not—" Yvonne swept her blade horizontally, cutting only air. "—going to lose—" She slashed again. "—to some old lady who thinks she's better than us!" Her blade came down vertically, but Meara parried it with her bow and drove a foot into Yvonne's gut. Yvonne gasped, spittle flying as the impact hurled her into another building. Her back smashed into a brick chimney, sending bricks crashing down over her.

Yvonne recovered quickly, but the damage was clear. She rose slowly from the debris, blood on her lips and scratches and bruises across her face. "You..." She was breathing heavily. "You—" She breathed heavily. "–You can't be serious right now..."

Eilist watched Meara defeat Yvonne and growled, "Useless." He slammed his staff down once more. "I'll end this once and for all."

Meara looked toward Eilist. "You're welcome to try, boy." She readied another arrow. "But you'll find the same fate as your friend over there."

Meanwhile, Celestia and Sylvanie couldn't help but watch, shocked, as Meara performed.

Celestia's sapphire eyes widened as Meara effortlessly overpowered two blessed Order warriors. "That's...incredible," She breathed. "I knew Keepers were powerful, but this..."

Sylvanie let out a low whistle, her eyes gleaming with admiration. "Damn...and here I thought she was just some old woman who ran a tavern and looked after the idiot human. She crossed her arms, a grin tugging at her lips. "I take back every doubt I had about her." She grinned smugly. "That old tavern woman is making them look like amateurs. Like, even with the Order's blessings. It's not enough."

Celestia studied the battlefield as if analyzing every move. "Maybe..."

"Maybe what?" Sylvanie glanced at her sister, noting Celestia's thoughtful expression.

Celestia kept watching as Eilist attacked again, anger etched across his face. Dark energy surged through his staff as he drove it into the ground. "HOLY SERPENTS!"

"Same old trick." Meara taunted as several dark-white energy serpents burst from Eilist's staff. "Did the Order not teach you how to use that power they blessed you with, boy!" Meara quickly pointed her arrow at Eilist's attack. "EKLAN—" Her eyes widened suddenly.

"Not so fast...Keeper." Divia reappeared in her gargoyle form and dove at Meara, claws poised to tear her apart.

"Tch—" Meara scoffed, her gaze flicking between Eilist's blasts and the charging Divia.

-Back to Oreon-

Back in his mind, Oreon looked up at his older sister, confused. "What—What do you mean?" He asked. "What do you mean, what am I doing?"

Alice's expression softened, though her eyes held a firmness Oreon hadn't seen in years. "You know exactly what I mean, Oreon." She released his face and slowly stood up, looking down at him. "You've been fighting against the Order for a while now, a long while. Mom is proud, you know. We both are."

"Mom...?" Oreon's voice broke as his chest tightened. "She's... she's there too? With you?"

"Where else would she be?" Alice giggled. "Yeah. She's watching over you, just like I am. We've always been." She paused, tilting her head slightly. "But that's not the point right now, Oreon."

"Then what is?" His voice came out harsher than he intended, frustration bleeding through. "Why are you here? Why now? I don't—I don't understand any of this!"

Alice continued to stare at him. "Because Mom wanted to send you a message." She spoke plainly.

Oreon blinked, confusion dawning again. "Mom...? A message?" His voice cracked again. "What—What kind of message? Alice, I—"

"Oreon, why haven't you used it?" Alice questioned him plainly. "Mom taught you something just in case anything happened. Anything that was way out of your control. Way beyond your limits. So, why... haven't...you...used...it?" She watched him. "She trained you to say a safe word only when you need it." She leaned close. 'So, why haven't you said it yet?"

Oreon clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists. "Because I—" The words caught in his throat, and he looked away. "Because...Because I'm scared, Alice." His voice dropped. "I'm scared of what happens if I do."

Alice didn't move. She watched him. "Scared of what?" she asked. "Losing control? Yourself? Or should I say, what you really are—what we really are?" Her pupils turned gold, just as they had the night her powers awakened and she slaughtered the Order knights who hurt Oreon. They were the same golden eyes their mother had when she fought his father and ultimately fell. "You once said my eyes looked like Mom's," Alice added. "You promised that one day, you'd have the same eyes so you could protect me and everyone else who needed you."

Oreon's breath caught, and his body went rigid. "Alice, I—" He lowered his head, staring into the empty darkness beneath him. "Alice, I--That's... That's different. You and Mom both knew how to control it. You were strong. I'm not-- I'm not like you two. I'm useless compared to you, I—"

Suddenly, Oreon's face was forced right as a loud slap echoed throughout the plane. "Stop saying that!" She glared at him. "You are exactly like us. You have the same blood running through your veins! The same power sleeping inside you!" She stepped closer, her golden eyes boring into him. "The only difference is that you're too afraid to embrace it."

"Alice—that's not... "He lowered his head again. "I'm not… It's not about embracing it…I." He muttered under his breath.

"Then what is it?" Alice's voice sharpened, slicing through his defenses. "Because from where I stand, little brother, you're terrified." Her eyes narrowed. "Mom didn't teach you that safe word just for you to die with it on your tongue. She taught you so you could survive. She wanted you to live a normal life, but with the Order still out there, she knew that might be impossible."

Oreon gritted his teeth. "Alice, stop it."

"No." Alice's voice was firm. "I won't stop. Because if I don't say this now, you're going to die out there, Oreon." She grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "And I didn't die protecting you so that you could throw your life away because you're too scared to accept what you are."

"I said stop!" Oreon's voice cracked as he shouted, shoving her hands away, and stumbled backward. "You don't—you don't understand! You just don't get it!"

Alice stood firm, her unwavering gaze fixed on him as he unraveled. "Then make me understand." Her voice was a bit softer. "Tell me what I don't get, Oreon. Because all I see is someone who's running from the tru—"

"WHAT IF I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH!" He screamed at her. "I saw you when you used that power! I saw Mom and you both still—What if I'm the same way?! What if I use it and I still can't do anything?!"

Alice's expression didn't change. She let his words hang in the air. "And what if you are strong enough?" Her voice was quiet now, her response gentler. "What if you use it and you save everyone? What if you use it and you're stronger than both Mom and me?" She tilted her head slightly. "But you'll never know, will you? Because you're too busy asking 'what if I fail' instead of 'what if I succeed.'

Oreon slightly turned his head away from his sister, avoiding her gaze.

"You're not Mom." Alice continued. "You're not me. You're Oreon." Her right hand gently turned his face towards her. "And maybe that's exactly what everyone out there needs right now. Not someone perfect. Not someone invincible. Just...You. The real you."

"But...I don't know what that is..." Oreon responded. "Mom never told me. Mom never told me what any of this meant. You got the special training from the elves. That was you that Mom started telling her secrets to. You were old enough...You could handle it."

Alice's golden eyes softened, and she exhaled quietly. "Yeah...I was older. I got the training and… I learned the secrets." Her hand remained against his face. "But do you know what else I got, Oreon?" Her voice lowered. "I got the burden of knowing exactly what we were up against. I got the nightmares. I got the weight of understanding that no matter how hard I fought, it might never be enough."

She lowered her hand and stepped back. "Mom kept the truth from you because she wanted you to have what I never did." A bittersweet look crossed her face. "She wanted you to live without violence or the Order—to keep visiting the elves, grow up, and choose your own path instead of letting life choose for you." She sighed. "She hoped that maybe...just maybe...you wouldn't have to follow the same road we did."

Alice crossed her arms, never taking her eyes off him. "But life doesn't work that way, does it?" A sad smile touched her lips. "The Order doesn't care what Mom wanted for you—or that you only wanted a quiet life. They came for you anyway." She stepped closer. "And now you're trapped in your own mind, talking to your dead sister because you're too afraid to face the truth."

Oreon balled his hands into fists at his sides. "What truth?" He muttered.

"You were never meant to live a normal life, Oreon." Alice's words struck hard. "That no matter how much Mom tried to shield you, no matter how much she wanted you to have peace... You were always going to end up here." She gestured at the endless white expanse. "Fighting. Struggling. Choosing whether to run or stand your ground."

Oreon growled under his breath. "I--I didn't ask for any of this!"

"None of us did!" Alice's voice rose sharply, making him flinch. "You think I asked to die at eighteen! You think Mom asked Father to bring his damn holy knights to our front door! You think she asked to fall in love with a man who would eventually betray everything she believed in?" Her eyes blazed. "We don't get to choose what happens to us, Oreon. We only get to choose how we respond."

The silence stretched between them for a moment.

"Mom left you that safe word because she knew." Alice's voice softened again. "She knew that one day, you'd be cornered. Desperate and out of options." She placed both her hands on his shoulders again. "And when that day came, she wanted you to have a choice. A real choice." Her eyes locked onto his. "But with power. The power to fight back. The power to protect what matters."

"You're not weak. You're not useless. So, stop letting those pitiful excuses plague your mind." She continued. "If you remember...I didn't get these eyes until that very night. The second that knight slashed your back was the second I decided that no one else would hurt you." She continued. "You think I was strong before that? You think I knew what I was doing?" She shook her head. "No. I was terrified. I was angry. I was desperate." Her voice grew quieter. "But I made a choice. And that choice awakened something inside me that Mom had been trying to prepare me for..." She placed her hand against his chest. "Prepare me for what...I really was...What we really are."

"You're at the same crossroads now, little brother." Alice's tone turned serious. "The people out there are fighting for what they believe in. They're giving everything they have." She paused, letting the words sink in. "The moment you stop thinking with this"—she touched a finger to his forehead—" and start listening to this"—she pressed a hand to his chest—"the moment you stop running and fight for what matters, you'll understand that Mom was right." She met his gaze with a faint smirk, her eyes narrowing.

-The battlefield-

Back in the battle, Meara leaped away from Divia's claws, charged an arrow midair, and fired. The blast struck Divia, raising a small cloud of smoke that Yvonne burst through with her wheel blades as she pursued.

"Tch—" Meara stepped left, then right, dancing around Yvonne's wild swings. "When are you going to try something different, girl?" She dodged again and spun behind Yvonne. Grabbing the back of her hooded cloak, Meara yanked her off balance and fired an arrow into her. It detonated on impact, hurling Yvonne through several small structures.

Eilist's eyes widened as Yvonne flew aside like a rag doll. "Damn it!" He slammed his staff down again. "Hurry up and fall, you damn Keeper! HOLY SERPENTS!" Once again, dark-white energy snakes hissed through the air toward Meara.

But this time, Meara didn't dodge. "You're still showing off the same tricks." She said as Divia came up behind her, claws ready, growling.

"You're dead!" Divia roared, diving at Meara as her claws blazed bright red. She attacked from behind while Eilist's assault closed in from the front.

Meara remained calm—almost bored—as the pincer attack closed around her. Her gaze shifted between Divia's descending claws and Eilist's serpents rushing toward her from the front.

"Dead?" Meara repeated, slightly amused. "Not today, child."

In one fluid motion, Meara dropped into a low crouch and spun, sweeping her bow in a wide arc as she drew and fired. “EKLAN VORTIS!” The arrow split midair into dozens of glowing shards that burst in every direction. Eilist's serpents disintegrated on contact, while the blast hurled Divia onto another building. She landed, glaring down at Meara, teeth clenched in rage.

Meanwhile, Eilist gritted his teeth, his pupils throbbing as he glared at Meara with naked hatred. "I... I can't stand this!" He yelled. "How is she beating all three of us?" He turned to Vexes, who stood behind him with his arms crossed, watching the spectacle.

Vexes remained silent, studying Meara's every movement and breath. A faint smile touched his lips—not from amusement, but recognition.

"Because she isn't fighting three Jaegers," Vexes replied at last, his voice calm and measured. "She's enjoying herself while making you—the Order's shadow unit—look like fools."

Eilist's face twisted with rage. "Then get in there and help us! You're supposed to be the strongest among us!" he shouted, frustration sharpening every word. "Or are you going to stand there watching like a--"

"I would suggest you think about the next word that comes out of your mouth, Eilist." Vexes slightly glared over at him. "Besides, you're letting your anger at being outclassed blind you." He turned his gaze back towards Meara. "The Order may have blessed you, but you're not fighting some low-class human with a bow. You're fighting against a Keeper of the grove."

"Outclassed?!" Eilist's eyes went wide, his pupils dilating with indignation. "Outclassed?! By some—some human with a bow?!" He spat, his hands trembling. "I don't care what title she has! I don't care if she's a Keeper or a Queen or a—"

"Eilist, calm yourself." Vexes kept his gaze fixed on Meara as a dark aura gathered around Eilist.

Eilist's breathing quickened. "Calm? CALM?!" His voice rose to a hysterical pitch. "You want me to calm down while she makes fools of us?" He jabbed a finger toward Meara. "The Order ordered us to retrieve that blasted shard and the human who stole it! They said nothing about a Keeper interfering—humiliating us and treating us like we're nothing! We're elves, damn it!" He whirled toward Meara, hatred burning in his glare as the sigils in his pupils pulsed faster. "The Order gave us power! They blessed us, yet some human is making a mockery of everything we are! We're... we're..." The dark aura thickened around him like a living shadow, and his words dissolved into incoherent snarls.

Vexes's expression remained neutral, though his eyes narrowed slightly. "Eilist—"

"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" Eilist screamed, his voice cracking as the dark aura erupted around him. "I'M GOING TO KILL HER! I'LL RIP HER APART AND SHOW HER WHAT IT MEANS TO MOCK THE ORDER!" Darkness exploded outward, forming serpents that coiled around his body. His once-pulsing eyes now blazed crimson, their light bleeding into the air as the sigils in his pupils spun into a blur. "I WILL NOT BE LOOKED DOWN ON—NOT BY A KEEPER, AND ESPECIALLY NOT BY A DAMN HUMAN!" His power surged beyond control, unleashing a violent wind in every direction.

Yvonne stared in shock as Eilist began to transform.

Divia wore the same expression as Vexes, though hers carried a hint of disgust.

Sylvanie and Celestia raised their arms against the wind while shielding the unconscious Oreon. Their eyes widened as Eilist's body lengthened, his limbs vanished, and his face began to transform.

"So, this is what the Order's blessings really do..." Meara murmured, narrowing her eyes as Eilist's long, lanky body stretched down the road, and his head rose above the buildings. Fangs emerged beside a long, flicking tongue before his transformation ended in a deafening roar.

Eilist became a massive serpent nearly thirty meters long, his scaled body coiling around the ruined buildings like a living nightmare. His wagon-sized eyes still burned crimson, though the sigils within had stopped spinning. Dark energy radiated from every scale, pulsing like a heartbeat.

The serpent's head swayed as its forked tongue tasted the air, then its gaze locked on Meara. When it spoke, Eilist's voice emerged distorted and layered with something inhuman—something deeply wrong.

"I... WILL...DEVOUR...YOU!" His thunderous words shook the ground beneath them.

Celestia stumbled, instinctively raising a hand to shield Oreon. "By… By the light?!" Her voice trembled despite her best efforts to remain composed.

"Is... that..." Sylvanie began. "Is that a damn Serpentine!" She yelled, just as shocked as her sister.

Meara's expression remained steady, but her earlier ease had vanished. "No, not quite," she muttered, tracking the serpent's movements. "That isn't a Serpentine—just another creature twisted by the Order's corrupt blessings." She quickly nocked an arrow and aimed at Eilist. "Damn the Order and its corrupt path to power." Gritting her teeth, she let emerald energy gather around the arrow.

Vexes watched with his arms crossed, his stoic expression unchanged as Divia landed beside him.

"Tch—pathetic." She hissed. "Letting himself become that...thing." She muttered, glancing over at Vexes. "Well? Aren't you going to stop him?"

"No," Vexes replied. "Our orders are simple. Retrieve the shard and the purifier's son. If this gets the job done, then so be it." Vexes kept his gaze fixed on the battle.

Meanwhile, Eilist's serpentine body tightened around the buildings, crushing stone and wood beneath his coils. He reared back and opened his jaws impossibly wide—

"EKLAN—" Meara began, her arrow blazing brighter—but before she could fire, Eilist lunged at the group, moving faster than she could react as Oreon lay unconscious among them.

-Back to Oreon-

"It's time, little brother," Alice smirked, standing before him with her right hand on her hip. "Say it, Oreon. Say the word that mother taught you." She commanded, and Oreon gave her an intense look before calmly speaking the word.

"Révael."

-The Battlefield-

Eilist struck with a deafening explosion, engulfing the area in a thick dust cloud that blocked everything from view.

For a moment, no one spoke. As the smoke cleared, it revealed that Eilist had struck no one. To everyone's shock, Oreon stood before Meara with his right hand extended, stopping the serpent's head cold. A true-red aura traced his body as he glared at the monster through golden eyes—the same as his sister's.