The Overlord of Gluttony IV

"Huh?" Elena tilted her head in confusion. 

"We can't win this fight." Rin said. "We took massive losses just reaching this place, and then the Overlord wiped out the rest of our forces with a single attack. We can't fight it." 

"But, we came so far we.." Elena pointed out. "What those of us who died, are we really just going to let it be for nothing?" 

"It won't matter if we're dead too." Mira pointed out. 

"But..." Elena looked at the dejected faces of all the Sisters around her. "Rell? Don't you want to find your friends?" 

Rell gripped his blade even further, but didn't say anything. 

"It's not over, Elena." Rena let out, grabbing her arm. "We just need to rethink our attack. Try again. We'll find a way to win, don't worry." Rena reassured. 

"We'll gather at the outpost outside the city, and see what the Commander wants us to do." Rin directed. "Everyone okay with that?" 

No one protested. The dejected group got up. Rell helped Elena to her feet, before handing her off to Luna. 

"Take care of her, okay?" He directed. 

Luna tilted her head, confused. 

The group began to make their way out of the city at a slow, meandering pace. Half an hour passed, with no one really saying anything. 

"Hey Rell..." Mira turned. "Rell?" 

He was gone. 

Two Hours Ago

Rell carried the unconscious Elena in his arms as they searched for shelter. The song boomed in his ears. Intermittently, he would fade in and out of the shadowy realm. The Sisters that walked ahead of him would flicker. When he was in the shadow realm, they would be glowing outlines of light. The voice echoed louder in the shadow realm, while being much fainter and less clear in the real world. 

"Over there." Rena pointed to an abandoned office building. 

"Looks like it's still standing." Mira noted. 

They made their way towards it, forcing their way inside through the barricaded door. Rell spotted the couch, making his way towards it and placing Elena on it. He looked over her, checking her wounds. He tenderly stroked her hair, wiping away the caked blood and producing a bandage from his pocket, wrapping it around her head.

"Sorry, neither Rena nor I have much energy for Nin left..." Mira apologized. "Otherwise we'd heal her again."  

"It's allright..." Rell said, lapsing into the shadow realm again. 

He could barely hear their voices in that realm, it came out more like white noise than actual coherent words. He looked at Elena as she laid there. In the realm, she was just an outline of light. The light wasn't uniform, it shifted and swirled within her silhouette, like a churning sea. Now that he looked at it, it seemed Elena shined much brighter than the other Sisters. He wondered why. 

"Rell..." A voice whispered. 

He turned, the world still marked by the haze of the shadowy realm. 

Mara stood there, looking at him. Shadow obscured her eyes, but it was undoubtedly her. 

"Rell." Another voice called out. 

It was Anto. The large man appeared from behind a pillar, his eyes also covered with shade. 

"Rell." West appeared.

"Help us." Mara said. 

"Help us." Anto repeated.

"Help us." West said as well. 

"Guys..." he whispered. 

"Rell." A voice all to familiar called to him. 

He turned to face the light that stood behind him. 

Alicia looked to him, her body covered in glowing white vines that held her in the air. 

"Rell..." She smiled. 

Her emerald eyes stared into his softly.  "Save them..."

"Rell!" Rin grabbed his arm, snapping him back into the real world. 

He jumped, scaring Rin a bit. 

"You okay?" She asked, composing herself. 

"Huh?" Yeah, yeah i'm fine." he lied. 

"Okay. You're kinda freaking me out here..." She answered. "You're not gonna suddenly go postal or anything, right?" 

"What? No, of course not." He answered. 

She gave him a look, before turning and leaving him by Elena's side. 

"Rell." A voice called again. 

Rell looked up. Anto stood at the entrance of the office building, gesturing to him. 

"This way." Anto called. "Please. Help me." 

Mara and West stood beside him as well, but said nothing. 

Anto called to him for hours as he sat by Elena. Mara and West would chime in every so often.

"Save us." Mara and West said. 

"Rell? Don't you want to find your friends?" Elena asked him. 

Anto walked over to him, gesturing him more aggressively. 

"Follow me. Help me." Anto whispered. Rell gripped his sword. 

"Help us. Save us." Mara and West added. 

When the group began to move, Rell picked up Elena, cradling her on his shoulder. 

"Rell." Anto said clearly. "This way." 

Rell hesitated, but the voice of Alicia echoed in his head. She was so clear, like she was just next to him. Save them. She told him. 

"Take care of her, okay?" Rell said, handing off Elena to Luna. 

Luna gave him a confused look, but continued onwards. 

"This way." Anto gestured in the direction towards the Overlord. 

Rell After Imaged, willing the image to keep walking forward as he turned to follow after Anto. 

"Hey Rell..." Mira turned. "Rell?"

"He's gone..." Rin's eyes widened in shock. "That idiot..." 

"Rell?" Elena shook herself free of Luna. "Rell!"