Ero had encountered nothing like it before. Everything was normal until the female Odian's declaration. Then Ero heard bells ringing in his mind. His head throbbed, almost shaking in pain, while his sight became blurry, his senses dulling to numbing degrees. Ero staggered, barely able to stand on his feet, holding his rapier.

  'What… is… this…?' he stammered, a nauseating sickness rising from his stomach. It seemed to take Salkon everything to fight against the ability, keeping Ero standing.

  Hold on, Ero!

  'Now you see it,' he heard the female Odian say, somehow sounding closer, but also further away. 'This is what you're fighting against, Ero Kalid. This is a corrupted Virtue.'

  'A corrupted Virtue?' Ero said, backing off a few steps, hands raised towards his head, including the one with Salkon's rapier.

  'Yes. That is what you face, Ero Kalid. It's unfortunate that you've been marked. However, do not fear, the others shall fall too. We are lost. Redemption shall only come through death, through giving our Odians to new Anubians. To those not like us. Lost. Selfish. Traitors to everything we're supposed to be…'

  Ero shook his head, trying to make the pain stop. It wouldn't. It was unceasing. Relentless.

  It was the power of an Odian being used against him.

  'It… doesn't have to be this way.' Ero forced himself to speak, blinking as the ringing church bells grew stronger in his head, almost making him retch. 'We can stand together, become something more than ourselves. We don't have to fall to this… corruption…'

  The power stopped, causing Ero to gasp in a mixture of relief and shock. He staggered back a few steps, before regarding the female Odian before him.

  He saw that she was shaking, whether from hatred or desire he didn't know.

  'No, it is too late!' she said. 'It was too late when I dreamed, Ero. When I wondered why I was born like this, just to serve a purpose they desired for me. Still, I couldn't see. Never realised that all I wanted was right there by my side, telling me what I was too afraid to know. I ran from him, and I allowed myself to become corrupted, twisted by hatred and a desire to be something more than what they meant me to be…

  'I killed him, Ero. That was the moment my corruption became complete. Now, there is nothing left for me. There is no escaping this… What I feared, my Virtue of Loyalty. I threw it away. Now, all that remains is its corrupted form, that of Betrayal. I have betrayed everything I am supposed to be, and the only one who ever cared for me, despite what I am. No. There is no return. Now, I will destroy all of us corrupted, starting with you…'

  At that moment, Ero knew he needed to move, throwing his body into a dive to his left, avoiding her single bound, led by the tip of her crimson blade. Ero spun low on his feet, whipping his rapier outward to thwart any following attack. It didn't come.

  Instead, the female Odian regarded him before holding out her free hand by her side.

  'Gift of God…' she seethed before she chanted a haunting melody, spoken in a language Ero had never heard before. As she did so, another sword formed in her free hand, this one almost appearing like a deep crimson and black flame. It dripped with red essence. It seemed more monstrous than the other weapon she held, as though it sought to impale him itself, possessing a mind of its own.

  If he didn't act now, he'd die by that blade.

  'Mirage!' he declared, summoning Salkon's second ability. Around him, copies of himself appeared, taking steps in different directions as he did, appearing to move of their own accord. That seemed to draw caution from the female Odian, as Ero watched her gaze flick between the copies. Though his head was still ringing from her first ability, its effects were easing. That was a good sign.

  It meant he was safe enough to use his first ability.

  'Precision!'

  Ero regarded the female Odian, expecting to see a mixture of amber and red highlighting sections of her body. The former showed non-lethal weak points on her body, while the latter showed the opposite. Alongside that, it was supposed to provide an insight into her next move.

  But it did none of those things. Rather, it almost seemed to illuminate her instead with a glow of faint white. Ero frowned.

  Wha—

  Ero had Salkon to thank for choosing to take control then, forcing Ero to raise his rapier just in time to intercept a sudden lunge from the female Odian. She had somehow located him through his copies, stabbing forth with her crimson blade, causing sparks to fly between them. Not hesitating, she followed her initial stab with a hard slash with her unnatural fire sword, as Salkon made Ero take a single back step, narrowly avoiding the attack.

  Yet the female Odian didn't follow him, content to watch as he stepped back, poised, ready to defend against another attack. Salkon handed control back to Ero.

  Thank you, Salkon, Ero thought.

  That was a test, I believe, his Odian replied, a notion which Ero agreed with. He kept his guard up.

  'What makes you think killing us all will change anything?' he asked, hoping to distract her, hoping to understand her. 'You assume that we're all corrupted? Why?'

  'Because how would you explain what I've done, Ero? If one of us can become corrupted, we all can. That's the point! That's what I have to stop before it's too late.'

  'Then stand with us!' Ero said. 'We can stand together! We can fix what has happened!'

  The female Odian tilted her head towards that.

  'Oh, so you think there is a way to fix this? If that's so…'

  She leapt into the air, spinning with both blades. Ero moved to deflect the first strike before the unnatural blade cut through the rapier's blade with no resistance. Ero threw himself into another dive to the right, while relinquishing his rapier. Salkon could regenerate it again, completely fixed.

  That also meant for a few precious seconds he'd be without a weapon.

  The female Odian seemed to sense this too, pursuing him. She forced Ero to use all his years of practising hand-to-hand combat as part of the Osirin military to evade her savage attacks. She truly sought to kill him. That much was obvious.

  'Mirage!' Ero declared, summoning copies that raced away, seeking to gain her attention.

  'All of your copies have weapons, fool!' the female Odian snarled, as she ignored them, racing towards Ero. Ero jumped back, before finding his back against a tower wall. Salkon took control again, but rather than repeat what they'd done beforehand and dive away, this time he stepped forward.

  He intercepted both of the female Odian's wrists with his hands as she sought to bring them both down upon him.

  'You don't have to do this!' Salkon spoke, using Ero's body and voice. 'Let me speak to your Odian!'

  'Like that'll make any difference!' the female Odian spat, her anger more obvious. She then seemed to use the fact that Salkon had grasp of her wrists, pulling her legs up and throwing a hard kick to Ero's face. The blow was much harder than both Ero and Salkon had expected, as Salkon found himself thrown towards the floor, skidding across the surface. Ero held out his hand, summoning his rapier and raising it just in time to block the female Odian's downward strike from both blades.

  Salkon kept hold of the rapier, allowing him a second to go back to Ero. Ero used his legs to kick away the female Odian. She yelped and jumped back, performing an acrobatic roll before landing on her feet, swords raised. Fortunately for her, Ero had no follow up.

  Rather, he used the opportunity to rise to his feet, holding out Salkon's rapier before him.

  'I don't want to do this!' he said. 'We shouldn't be fighting each other!'

  'There is no other way, Ero,' the female Odian said, taking a few intentional steps to her right, while Ero followed her every step. 'I will ensure that no one ever goes through what I have. No one will repeat my mistake.'

  'By killing them? By not giving them the chance to learn?' Ero replied, unable to hide his scepticism in his tone. 'That is beyond what we are supposed to be. We are Guardians, not executioners.'

  'I am what I decide to be…' she said, her voice wrought with tension. 'You cannot escape this, Ero Kalid.'

  Ero opened his mouth to retort, but Salkon urged him to abandon this conversation. Clearly, she had no intention of changing her mind, no matter what he said. Though a part of him rued that fact, he was sure Salkon's judgement was correct in this.

  If he was going to succeed in his plans, he had to stop her.

  'Very well… You give me no choice… Enhance!' Ero said, declaring the last of Salkon's three abilities, as a white hue emerged around his body, fuelling his strength and power. Within a blink, he closed the gap between himself and the female Odian, stabbing forth with his rapier with unnatural speed. This time, it forced her to defend, deflecting his blows. Ero didn't let up.

  He pushed forward.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  'Precision!' he declared again, this time finding faint spots of amber and red emerge across the female Odian's body, accompanying a white hue that enabled him to predict future movements. Ero attacked them, aiming for her predicted patterns of movement. The female Odian followed them almost perfectly, and he inflicted a few shallow cuts on her body, forcing her back as she grunted. She was probably beginning to realise now that close-quarters combat was what Salkon specialised in.

  His Odian was made for this kind of encounter.

  I tried to give you a chance, Ero thought. If this is a sign of the future, I need to unite the others. Something terrible is happening to us Guardians. We must combat this as soon as—

  Ero found his thoughts cut off by a change in the female Odian's fighting style. She relinquished her dripping red sword, before throwing her free hand towards the floor. There she used it as a prop so that she could raise her legs once again, kicking out at Ero, forcing him back. However, rather than using this as an opportunity to give herself a moment's respite, she instead followed Salkon's earlier lead by launching herself into the air, spinning with an acrobatic flip.

  Once again, Ero deflected the blow before the female Odian landed. She stabbed with great speed too, but thanks to Salkon, Ero read each attempt at his life, responding either with deflection or a simple sidestep. He could hear her grunting with effort, as she spun into certain attacks, before striking out with others. Her fighting style was unlike anything Ero had faced before.

  Had he not had Salkon, she probably would've killed him with ease.

  Then she stopped, stepping back, seeming to regard Ero. He kept his guard up, sensing another change in strategy.

  'You're as good as I expected you to be,' she said, surprising Ero with the compliment. 'Or, rather, your Odian is proving himself a powerful one. Yes… You give me no other option, Ero Kalid. The quick, painless death is one you will not accept…'

  She drew her crimson sword towards her rib cage, causing Ero's eyes to widen.

  'So, it must be the painful way… Blood Sacrifice…'

  She cut herself, running her sword deep into her Odian's black armour. Ero almost gasped in amazement, especially towards the nonchalance and lack of hesitation, as blood dripped down her sword.

  Then he felt it too, and he realised what she had done. At once, power emerged, almost akin to Salkon's Enhance, but far more savage. Ero could feel his senses magnifying. His muscles growing taut with strength, accompanying a sense of exhilaration.

  He hadn't sensed the giant gash opening up on his own rib cage.

  Ero! Salkon yelled, as Ero drew his free hand towards his wound, trying to stem the bleeding. Yet, this only seemed to make it gush, leaking between his fingertips as Ero's knees weakened, accompanying a throbbing pain spreading throughout his body. He only just held out his hand before his legs buckled beneath him.

  'I'm sorry,' the female Odian said, stepping towards him. 'But this ability grants me great power, at a terrible cost. However, that's not the aspect that's killing you. Eden's secret ability is that I can give my abilities to others for a short time, including this one, along with its negative effects. Of course, no one is ever prepared for this ability, so they aren't able to take advantage of the power it grants. Rather, it just kills them instead…'

  She dropped to her knees in front of him as Ero coughed violently, unable to stop himself from dying. Inside, Salkon writhed in agony, trying to save Ero, trying to figure out who could help them.

  But no one could help them. That was the point of this ability. Ero understood that, despite the pain, despite feeling his consciousness beginning to slip.

  It's alright, Salkon. I promise. Everything will be okay.

  Salkon whimpered in dismay, coming to the same conclusion Ero already had.

  He was about to die.

  I'm… so sorry, Ero… Salkon said, his pain joining the pain that was killing him. I wanted to protect you, my Anubian.

  It's alright. I'm just… so glad that I could be your partner, Salkon, Ero replied, as his vision blurred. This made Salkon scream inside.

  As he watched his partner die.

  #

  The female Odian, known as Shakiri Ravia, watched as Ero Kalid slumped forward as he died, his Odian armour retracting, forming into the rapier he had held during their battle.

  Leaving a fallen Osirin alongside it.

  Nodding to herself, Shakiri relinquished her Blood Sacrifice, sensing her own Odian's sadness over what they had just done.

  I'm sorry, Eden, she said, gulping, her own head becoming heavy with more guilt, the anger she had used to drive herself dissipating. Shakiri hadn't considered it possible to feel worse than she already had done, before coming here, before allowing herself to be used like this. A part of her cried inside, knowing she was a failure.

  And now she was killing her fellow Guardians.

  I am not like them. I am so much worse.

  Inside, Eden tried to reassure her. It was superficial, but Shakiri allowed herself to indulge in it. Only Eden could ever feel her pain.

  'It has begun…' Shakiri said softly to herself, rising to her feet. She hadn't been informed of the next step once she killed the Anubian. Odians couldn't be killed, or at least she assumed they couldn't be killed. Shakiri had no intention of finding out. Rather, she reached towards the rapier alongside the dead form of Ero Kalid.

  It was then she sensed another presence emerge behind her, freezing Eden on the spot. That filled Shakiri with a spike of fear.

  Eden?

  Shakiri… her Odian began to reply, haunted. Get out of here. Now.

  Terrified, yet curious, Shakiri slowly turned and looked behind, feeling Eden whimper as she did so.

  Another figure had emerged, another Odian.

  No, not an Odian, Eden corrected her, filling Shakiri with complete and utter fear. The figure standing before her was of complete black with silver etchings, wearing a long coat that reached almost all the way towards his feet. His helmet, covering his entire face, possessed only a single eye, while a tall hat sat on his head.

  'Odia… Why?' he breathed, as though not quite believing what he was seeing. 'Is this what you meant before? Is this the fate you've chosen?'

  The figure stepped alongside Shakiri, glancing between her and the fallen form of Ero, shaking his head. Shakiri frowned.

  Who is this? Shakiri demanded of her Odian, allowing some of her fear to turn into anger. Instead, her Odian seemed to wince.

  The Void Walker… Eden said, which caused Shakiri's body to grow cold as she regarded the figure staring at the fallen Odian by their feet. This was the legendary Void Walker, Odia's servant.

  And he was real.

  'I was right…' the Void Walker said, appearing to be talking to himself. 'A corruption is emerging among the Guardians. I see it in you, child. You've become like… him…'

  The Void Walker turned to Ero then, reaching down and taking the rapier that held his Odian. The Void Walker seemed to appraise it then, as though to study its remarkable craftsmanship.

  Then he looked at Shakiri.

  'Ero was my next champion,' he said. 'I wanted him to unite the others, to fight the corruption. Do you have any idea what you've done?'

  Shakiri said nothing, knowing Eden wouldn't allow her to speak. The Void Walker regarded her for far longer than was comfortable. Still, she said nothing, and he shook his head.

  'It would seem you've betrayed far more than just your Virtue,' he said. 'You have betrayed everything you are supposed to be, Shakiri Ravia.'

  He knows my name, Shakiri thought, fighting to stifle the tears that came with his truthful words regarding her. She had betrayed everything she was supposed to be.

  And she had betrayed the only one who had ever cared about her.

  'I will take this,' the Void Walker said, grasping the rapier. 'Osiris will need a new Guardian. Salkon, however, will need an Anubian he can trust. To give him to a random stranger would ruin him. He needs someone familiar, someone who believed in the same ideas as Ero Kalid. Someone who will understand his pain…'

  The Void Walker turned, extending a hand to summon what appeared to be some kind of portal. It pulsed with a kind of forbidden energy, glowing neon pink with sparks of electricity.

  'Understand this, Shakiri Ravia. The only reason I allow you to continue is because I believe this is what she desires. I am only to act indirectly; thus I must choose carefully how I intervene. This is worrisome, however. This almost seems to be a move against me and my intentions…'

  He looked at her, and Shakiri just managed not to shrink away.

  'I must seek to understand what she wishes to learn, while I believe the Guardians must have a leader. However, mark my words, corrupted. Once I understand her intentions, I will come for your Odian.'