Dori'ba, the forbidden land of the dead. Not a soul in the world would ever dare enter this forsaken place unless...that soul is foolish enough. Countless tales have been told and heard about this barren land. Such tales concerning mistaken adventures, lost wanderings, battles, and the most famous of all, death. Cruel and brutal deaths of many caused by differrent creatures such as demons, beasts, zombies and sometimes evil men who roamed around the said land. Yes, it was Dori'ba, the feared land of death.

The sky was overcast. Not a single star shone in the sky and the moon nevertheless was hidden. There was no sign of any rain or shower...it was just another dark night. Dori'ba was truly a lifeless place. Even the environment was dead...the trees were all dried up and, and the grounds did not have any grass at all.

The girl of rauko blood, Kithara Darkmist walked silently inside Dori'ba. She was probably foolish enough to enter the land of the dead. What could have come into her mind to go to that place at this time? It was not like her to do such things but as of now, she was not who she was. It was another side, her darker side.

The normal color of her eyes which was grey had shifted into red ones..as red as blood. As she continued to walk further, she grinned revealing her sharp fangs. A sword, she was carrying--the sword of air. She held the handle of the blade tightly and dragged it, the tip of the blade scarring the ground. From the sword, blood was dripping down, creating a small trail behind her.

She was on the kill tonight. There was nothing more that she wanted to see, to feel, or to smell rather than fresh blood. She was partly satisfied at her small killings but she needed more. She needed to kill more...It won't be long enough until the weak one will awaken once again and trap her into a deep slumber. She loved to anger and torture this weak side..it gives her so much pleasure. It had been a year and soon, she would regain the total control that she desired.

As she continued her stroll, she felt so many presence lower than her. She did not pay any attention to them for they were not worth her time. Her goal was already set and there was nothing more that could hinder her. Finally, she reached an open field, where dry rocks and skeletons laid on the ground. Another grin appeared on her face as she smelled the addictive aroma of blood. Surely, this was going to be a good one for her.

The night was falling in faster and darker. Slowly, a faint mist began to fill the whole area. Surely, it would thicken in a couple of minutes. The young rauko remained standing at the middle of the field, waiting for her kills. She knew very well that they were already there. In fact, she could feel their dead presence...every bit one of them and they were all covered in something she greatly loved...blood.

She glanced from every direction, seeing shadows moving. She smirked realizing what they were trying to do. These dumb zombies were trying to form a cricle around her. Would they really think they can trap her? This darker Kithara swung her sword, throwing the blood off since there would be fresher ones to meet her blade. In no time, the zombies were already visible to her also hungry for fresh blood.

In an instant, she vanished, appearing right behind a zombie and thrusted her blade through it's stomach. Afterwhich, she targetted the others. this was just the start of her pleasant hunt.

Dori’ba, land of the dead. Airell had heard many tales about this fell land as a child. He had heard about the dead that walked at night, searching for fresh blood. As a child, he had vowed to fight the undead in Dori’ba. He had gone to sleep with visions of glory, childish visions of himself single-handedly vanquishing the undead of Dori’ba.

The reality, however, was somewhat different.

Airell Tarenn walked through the desolate land of the dead, his unsheathed long sword in his hand. So far, he had not run into any of the living dead, but the place had an eerie feel around it—a malevolent aura filled with the desire to kill and to cause pain. It chilled Airell’s blood, sending shivers up his spine. He clutched tightly to his long sword, debating with himself on whether or not to turn back and head towards the safer parts of the Salquedor Grasslands.

The celestial took a deep breath, steeling his courage. He had come this far, and he could not back out now. If he ran away, he would never be able to forgive himself afterwards. Airell paused, whispering a prayer to Lothlomendil, asking for protection and courage as he walked through the land of the dead.

Several groans began coming from all directions as the dead began to awaken. Airell held his long sword at the ready, prepared to strike should any zombie show itself. The words to the Holy spell were fresh in his mind as he walked.

A zombie shuffled out of the darkness, heading for him. Airell slashed out with his sword, severing the zombie’s head from its body. As he watched in horror, the body continued to move. Airell slashed at it, and the undead finally fell to the ground.

The celestial looked around him as several dark shapes began standing up, moving about in the shadows. Perhaps he had been a bit too impulsive. Perhaps he had bitten off more than he could chew. The angel continued to press forward, slaying the few zombies that had come towards him.

Few, but Airell had a feeling that they would soon be many.

The angel stopped walking, catching sight of another figure standing in the darkness. This one was not an undead—no, this one was very much alive. In her hand, she held a sword stained with blood—the Sword of Air. Her hair was long and blue, and her eyes, a blood red. Bloodlust was evident in her red eyes, and her mouth was twisted into a cruel smirk. He recognized her as the Rauko from the attack on Estolad.

He watched as she raised the Sword of Air, bringing it down on another zombie. Several groans from behind him told him that the undead had begun their attack. Airell raised his sword as well, slashing at the undead in front of him, all the while keeping an eye on the Rauko behind him. He would deal with the zombies now, but he would not turn his back on this creature of darkness.

Killing the undead was very much pleasurable for a rauko like her especially since she was powerful enough to waste them all, break their bodies, or even torture them in any way she desired. But...what would be more efficient for her is to play with alive creatures. They would interest her more and she would pretty much love to hear their screams. But for now, she had to settle with this...

Three zombies were moving straight at her, thirsty for the very same thing she was looking for. Her evil grin never left her face as the excitement of the kills filled her. These undead were surely nothing for her...they were just fun to dismember and slaughter. The rauko raised her sword, striking the three zombies directly at their necks. Their bodies fell on the ground, motionless together with their disconnected heads.

Kithara let ouf a small evil laugh as she squashed one of the heads with her foot. Oh, the joy of killing was filling up her appetite. She looked around and was very much glad to see more of them coming. Good! The longer, the better. This time, they attacked in groups. 5 the least. The young rauko did not feel fear as what most creatures would. she just had to wipe all of them out without any hindrance. She held her sword tight with one arm and the other, transformed into claws made of darkness.

Using that, she could now grab hold of them, feeling their very rotten flesh. There was nothing that stopped her tonight. She striked and slashed at them, ripping them apart one by one. A small amount of a zombie's blood splattered on her face specifically on her left cheeck. The very experience of having to feel blood made her heart beat faster each second giving her enough adrenalin to fight.

As she continued to slay the undead, she was brought into a world of her own. At the very middle of the field, she looked to be dancing into the music of death. her every move gave out deadly blows and one by one, the zombies fell. But then, as she made a turn to kill a zombie behind her, she spotted another figure. No, it was not another undead...this one still had fresh blood in him. Yes, she found out that it was male and a very familiar one he was...where has she seen him before?

She could not quite remember but she did not care an inch whether she did or not. All she knew that he was a danger considering that he was of her opposite race--an angel. As the clouds moved away revealing the bright silver moon, the angel's wings glistened amongst the rest. Kithara stood still, watching this very sight. This male disturbance was also slaying the undead. A frown began to appear on her face and controlling the winds, the next zombie who was sneaking up behind her was blown back rapidly, its body smashed into pieces.

She plunged her sword of air on the ground and bent forward slightly, placing her hands on the hilt of the blade and leaning against it. She watched as the other undead walked slowly towards this angel. He somehow attracted them...probably because he had pure and holy blood. As of now, she had disposed of most of these wretched undead, she was just waiting. And for one single moment, the angel's eyes met with hers and from then on, Kithara knew that he was watching her closely. It was good that he knew to be careful from the zombies...and from her.

The undead of Dori’ba—soulless, animated corpses that walked the land with no other purpose other than to harm and to destroy. They made the angel’s skin crawl as they shuffled towards him, watching him with unseeing eyes and reaching out for him with rotting arms. He fought them out of a duty, a duty to his Goddess to rid the land of evil. He fought them for a cause, the cause of bringing light to Arda.

The Rauko, however, fought them for a completely different reason. Airell dealt with one more zombie, turning his head to look at her for just a second. He watched as she raised the Sword of Air, slashing and cutting in a deadly dance as she dismembered the zombies, cutting off limbs and severing heads. All the while, she still kept that cruel smirk on her face. It was all just a game to her—all the undead that she destroyed were nothing more than toys to her.

Airell raised his sword as several more zombies came towards him. He had no doubt that, although they were fighting a common enemy now, she would no doubt turn on him the moment that she had a chance. After all, she didn’t care for anyone’s life. All she wanted was her fun, and he wondered how long it would be until she tired of undead, deciding instead to go after something warm and living.

The air was filled with sounds that night. Thunder rumbled in the heavens, coupled with the groans of the zombies, and the sickening sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh and bone. A rotting hand closed around his ankle, and the angel cried out, trying to shake off the zombie. He thrust his sword down, cutting off the zombie’s hand. The body fell away, but the hand refused to let go. Airell looked around, seeing that he was surrounded.

The celestial looked around him in dismay, thinking over his situation. He should have anticipated something like this. Although the Rauko had killed more of the undead than he had, they considered him the greater threat because he was of the light, while she was of the darkness just as they were. They would attack him first, and once he was dealt with, they would move on to their next opponent.

The angel shivered, feeling cold and clammy hands brush over his wings as the zombies closed in on him from behind. He swung his long sword, slashing through several zombies. A small space cleared up, before the zombies closed in again. He slashed at them again, but more of them came in to fill up the gap.

They just keep coming… thought Airell, as he tried to think of a way to get out of this situation.

Kithara was now left with fewer undead to battle for the reason that most of them swarmed over the holy creature. Each one of these zombies wanted him...wanted his pure blood and in no time, they would soon be fighting over him. This was making her a bit jealous...this angel was taking all of their attention. Well on the lighter side, the rauko was taking this time to relax and observe this warrior's way of fighting. She had to admit, he was good with handling a sword and she liked that way he was disposing each one of them. Only, it could've been more fun if he did it out of pleasure instead of his ridiculous beliefs.

The Rauko was now getting tired of just watching this celestial get mobbed. He was taking all the fun but what Kithara could see was if this went on, exhaustion is going to take over him and he would surely get killed. Right now, she could see that he was beginning to panic because of the numerous undead that came one after the other. It was also kind of fun to watch this celestial panic but nevertheless, she could not allow this to go on any further! In the back of her mind, she also desired to slaughter him with her own hands. She was getting sick of fighting these boring zombies and she wanted to battle him instead. But before she could do that, she had to get rid of these interferance and then, move to kill him.

With that set, the rauko pulled out her sword from the ground and began her dance of death once more. As quickly as she can she slashed at the undead with ease, her heart beating much faster as more blood spilled from the undead. This made her think of how thrilling it would be to rip this angel apart and spill his celestial blood. Fewer and fewer, these zombies came to her and as fast as lightning, they were destroyed. The rauko glanced over at the angel who was still confronting the rest of the undead. She needed to get rid of all of them once and for all.

Kithara lifted herself up into the air and casted her eyes on the ground. Still, more undead rose up from the ground and walked towards the angel. they may have been detroyed but seeing that they were zombies, they would still rise up anyway. How can this land be so cursed? It was one of the most amazing mysteries of Arda...

It was time to let her wrath rain down upon these low life forms. There was no stopping her...not even her weaker side who as of the moment, was trapped within a deep trance. This gave her a marvelous advantage to create havoc until the real one would wake again.

There was going to be a hailstorm in a few seconds as prepared by Kithara. These would surely stop these lifeless creatures from making any move. And so it did happen. Large, thick, sharp ice began to form and appear in the sky. They rained down on the ground below, stabbing through the bodies of the undead and hopefully, the angel too if he was not careful enough.

Airell slashed at the zombies with his sword, fear beginning to spread through his body. All around him, he could see the undead, reaching out to him with rotting hands. He could hear their groans and screams as they approached. Beyond them, he could see still more, rising up out of the bleak landscape to come towards him. And there was still her. The Rauko had looked him over briefly, before picking up her sword and continuing with her deadly dance.

With the first traces of fear came panic as the celestial searched for a way out of his situation. He could feel the zombies’ hands on him as they drew closer, and he shivered at the feeling. The angel lashed out with his sword, fighting back grappling hands. He was beginning to get tired, and he didn’t dare to think of what would happen when his strength failed him. The angel had no desire to be torn to pieces by the undead, but even if he did manage to defeat the undead, the Rauko was waiting for him.

Airell turned his head towards the Rauko as he dug his long sword into another zombie. She had flown into the air, glancing down at them from above. As Airell watched, she performed the gestures. The angel’s eyes widened at this. She was preparing a spell! He doubted very much that she cared if he got in the way of the spell. Her purpose tonight was to destroy, and if she managed to take him down in the process, than all the better.

Airell spread his wings, knocking several zombies back as he flew upwards. A few of them held on to him as he flew. The angel shook them off just as the first few hailstones began falling from the heavens. One of the sharp pieces of ice flew towards him, cutting a gash across his cheek. Airell’s hand flew up, covering the wound as he flew out of the range of the spell, watching as several of the zombies were impaled on the ice.

Airell removed his hand from his wound, glancing at the blood on it. He had no doubt that the sight of the blood would please the Rauko, that being the very thing that she was after. Airell held his long sword at the ready, prepared to fight the Rauko if she decided to come towards him.

It was such a work of art to see the ice rain down upon on the ground, penetrating through the undead's bodies. Their bodies were broken apart, torn into pieces and their blood splattered everywhere. This was such a beautiful view for the darker Rauko. She watched from the sky the whole scenery and she can't help but give a chaotic laugh at this. How she loved the freedom at this very moment. the freedom use every power she had and the freedom to slaughter anything.

Too bad though, the celestial was wise enough as to leave the ground and fly up in the sky together with her. That was probably the best idea to avoid the hailstorm. Kithara casted her blood-red eyes on him as he flew up in her level. This surely proved that he was a worthy kill. But then, whats this! It appeared that he had gotten his cheek cut by a piece of ice and blood flowed out from the wound. Kithara licked her lip, watching him carefully. He sure has helped her become more determined to rip him apart.

Below them were the remaining undead, trying to get up after such an assault. These creatures never did cease to give up. They just kept on rising back up again. True, they were easy to kill but they never really get destroyed. Maybe that was the main reason why nobody has ever gone back from entering this forbidden place.

Kithara was now getting more and more excited. Battling the undead and a celestial...it was a great challenge for her. She was truly grateful that he had shown up or else, she would get bored to death just waiting for somebody to kill. Finally, she had made her decision...She would strike ahead of them.

She was faced front with the angel and they were far away from each other. It was not a hindrance for her at all. She held her sword tighter and in a blink of an eye, she vanished from the very spot she was floating awhile ago. She appeared directly behind the angel, half an inch was her distance from him. She slowly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hi." she whispered at his ear.

It was clearly an open shot for her to attack. He would surely die once she plunges her sword straight through his heart. She was thrilled to just think of killing this angel with her very hands. On the process of initiating her attack, she was brought to a pause by an unexpected vision simply by touching this celestial.


It was a clear and sunny day inside a forest. She could see the trees and their leaves, sparkling as the sun stroke them. She could see the clear blue sky above. The sounds of small, harmless animals filled the whole place and also the sound of a stream.

"What is this?!?" she thought.

Suddenly, she could hear children laughing. They were not many...probably about just two. She looked around to find where the sounds of laughter were coming from and was quickly brought into another scene. The expression on her face was of surprise to see two kids, a boy with silver hair and a girl with blue ones, sitting together on a big root of the tree and dipping their little feet on the waters of the stream.

"Hey, look at this." said the boy to the little girl beside him.

He pointed down to the clear water and immediately, the young girl looked down as well. It was then that the boy splashed water on the girl and laughed.

"Hey, that wasn't very nice!" said the girl, frowning but then, it turned to laughter.

The two kids then, began to play around with the water, splashing each other.

The Rauko was brought back to her senses after that vision. For sure, she did not expect something like that. She remained in shock, her purposed attack failing. Due to that vision, she also lost her focus on flying. She quickly fell down from the sky and onto the ground again. What was that vision? Where did it come from? Surely, she did not know who those kids were? And surely, she does not recall being in that forest before. Could it be from her weaker side?

Again, her thoughts were broken when she finally noticed that the undead had swarmed over her. She quickly gripped her hold on her sword only to find out that she had releaed her weapon. It was farther away from where she was. Now, she was losing her thinking...All of her spells, she could not remember anymore. The undead began grabbing her arms, legs, and waist, not allowing her to break free. Panic started to grow on her quickly.

"Gaaa!!!" she squirmed, trying to free herself.

Airell watched as the Rauko flew opposite him, the deadly Sword of Air in her hands. The sword was stained with blood, from the countless zombies that she had killed. Airell watched the blade in distaste, doubting that that sword had only spilled the blood of the dead. The paladin wondered exactly how many of the living had been killed by that blade.

He glanced at the Rauko, taking in once again the long blue hair and red eyes. Where had he seen her before? He thought the same things he had thought when they had met in Estolad. She seemed familiar to him. Airell put the thought out of his mind. Perhaps, in his travels since he left the Sanctuary of the Angels, he had met a human that resembled this Rauko. Perhaps it had been another Rauko. He didn’t tend to memorize faces, especially not when meeting those of darkness.

His eyes widened in surprise as she smirked at him, before disappearing. The angel felt something appear beside him, and stiffened as a hand touched his shoulder. There was something about that touch that told of impending death. She drew closer to him, whispering in his ear.

“Hi,” she said, a hint of insane pleasure in her voice.

Airell hovered in mid-air, fear flooding through his veins. He was going to die. He knew that now. Airell waited for the killing blow to come.

It never came. The Rauko paused midway through her attack. He could feel the point of her sword against his back, nearly touching him. The sword wavered, as if something had happened to his wielder. Before Airell knew it, the Rauko had fallen from the sky and onto the ground below. As the angel watched, the undead quickly swarmed over the Rauko. His eyes drifted to the Sword of Air. It was a few feet away from her, lying on the ground. The undead had begun to grab onto her, and she cried out loudly in fear.

For one moment, Airell Tarenn was tempted to leave her there. She had tried to kill him. She would probably still want to kill him if she survived. Why would he want to help her? Why would he even bother helping her? Airell frowned. He couldn’t very well just leave her there. That would be stooping to her level, and he did not intend to do that.

Airell frowned, flying in closer. He stretched out with his long sword, slicing off the limbs of the attacking zombies. Airell extended his hand, muttering the words to the Holy spell. A blast of holy energy surrounded the nearest zombies, and they cried out in pain.

The celestial took advantage of the delay, grabbing the Rauko by the back of her clothing and pulling her up in the air. He set her down a bit farther away from the zombies, holding his sword ready should she attack.

There was nothing she could do at the moment. Panic began to fill her every sense and because of that, all the words to her spells was quickly erased from her memory only to be replaced by fear. This has NEVER happened before! especially that vision she recieved from touchng that celestial. She was still confuse about that but right now, she was just trying to break free from the undead's grip. She did not expect anything to happen...only the thought of her succeeding to break away or...die.

"Gaa!! Let go!! No!" she cried, her words failing to save her.

To a great and unexpected astoundishment, the angel flew in and took down the zombies. He used his sword to cut their rotten hands that held a strong grip on her and he used a holy spell to eliminate them. The Rauko, upon seeing the spell, cover her eyes with her free hand. Soon however, she felt a hand grab the back of her clothing and pull her up in the air. She glanced up, seeing that it was the angel who had.........saved her.

The flight was not long though and thank God! She could not bear being near that holy ebing...even the thought of having contact with him which brought that bizarre and unexplainable vision. He set her down and to what lcuk! her deadly sword was near her. She took this very advantage to run and grab her blade.

"You are but foolish angel." she said, grinning evily, "You should not have saved me because now, you have signed your death."

It was very typical for a holy person to stand by his/her principles and aid even their worst enemies. They saw this as principles but to creatures like her, it was mere foolishness which will only bring them to their defeat. If she was in his place earlier, she would not at all help and let that person be killed by the undead unless...the person was very much worth killing personally.

The Rauko charged at him, her sword of air now in hand. He was spared earlier but not anymore...there will be no more hindrance even from the undead. She had expected her blade meet with his and as she appeared in front of him, she struck his blade.

Airell watched as the Rauko’s eyes drifted towards her sword. As he watched, she ran towards it, swiftly picking up the blade. He had expected something of the sort. This Rauko felt no debt of honor—nothing. In her mind, he had saved her just so she could kill him. He found himself wondering for a moment why he bothered.

The celestial listened to her words, holding his sword at the ready. If she attacked, then he would fight back. He did not wish to be killed today, especially not by a creature such as herself. He prayed silently to Lothlomendil as she faced him off.

And then, the battle began. The Rauko ran forward, striking the blade of his sword with her own. Airell held tightly to his sword, surprised by her method of attacking. He had expected her to attack him, and not his sword.

He sprang back, watching the Rauko. Perhaps she had struck his sword in the intent of prolonging conflict. He had somewhat expected something of the sort from her. She fought for pleasure, and for no real purpose, and for that reason, she killed.

Airell spread his wings, springing into the air, sword at the ready. The angel flew upwards slightly, feeling the wind on his face as he did so. Once he was at a suitable height, he held his sword at the ready, falling into a graceful dive. His sword aimed at her as he flew closer, the force of gravity strengthening the force behind his thrust.

As expected, the angel blocked the attack given by the rauko. It was obviously a tactic of hers just to lengthen the life of the battle. she did not want to end it so quickly. she knew that she could just kill this angel instantly as she almost did earlier but whats the point? She wanted to make him experience regretting his own stupidity as to rescuing her from the undead. the whole idea of aiding enemies was thoroughly disgusting for her. And thus, he must suffer for his action. As for that very action, she should at least reward him of the very last and memorable battle of his life.

As their blades meet, the Rauko looked deeply into this celestial's eyes. She could sense a bit of fear in him and it gave her so much thrill. She wanted him to feel more of that fear and to feel his death come close. But suddenly, the angel sprang up to the sky, away from her. The Rauko frowned, thinking that he was planning an escape but no, he wasn't. She watched him above her, trying to figure out what he was going to do now. If he was to escape, she would surely chase him.

As she continued to wait, a couple of the undead went to her. she did not bother to even look at them. She just swung her sword and immediately, they fell into pieces. she did not have time for them anymore. She had a more interesting playmate right now who had her full attention. Then, it began. The angel held his sword tighter and gracefully dived down towards her. Ah...so he was planning to have a forceful assault. No matter, she could take it. She positioned her sword of Air horizontally as to block the sword.

As he initiated the attack, his sword meeting once again with hers, the force of impact pushed Kithara backwards creating a mark on the ground. She had to admit, it was a clever tactic and she actually had to use her strength to block that attack. Well now, it was her turn. She still kept hold of her sword tight and strongly as to push the celestial's blade away from her. Quickly, she jumped back away from him. There was a gust of wind that formed in her hand and once she had completed it, she threw it at the angel, aimed at his stomach. Once it hits him, she will deliver her deadly attack.

Airell grit his teeth as the impact of the two blades made him stop abruptly. He wavered slightly, fighting off the tendency to fall backwards, and trying to continue on with his attack. The angel pushed harder, trying to knock the Rauko back with the force of his blow. He watched with slight satisfaction as the Rauko slid back, apparently having a hard time stopping his sword.

As the angel exerted all his strength in this attack, his mind went back to one of his most cherished memories. He remembered training with his father in the Sanctuary of the Angels, remembered his father telling him never to waver in his faith, and to always remain strong even against evil. The angel smiled slightly, hoping that in fighting these undead and this Rauko, he might be doing his father proud.

Airell stumbled forward as Kithara sprang back suddenly. The angel was surprised at her sudden move, and had to flap his wings frantically, in order to avoid crashing to the ground. He flapped his wings, soon regaining his balance. The angel hovered in mid-air turning to her.

He saw the gust of wind coming towards him, but it came as a surprise to him. He stood there for a moment, stunned, before the gust of wind hit him squarely in the stomach, sending him barreling backwards. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him, and Airell coughed for breath as he landed hard on the ground. He clutched at his stomach, looking up at the Rauko. Airell held his sword in his hands, ready should she decide to attack.

Ah yes, everything was going accordingly to her plan. She had a feeling that somehow, this celestial was thinking of a very good job he did when he was able to push her back with his dive. Ha! But not yet, it was far from over...He was quite a challenge for her and even posed a threat but he can never win against her tactics. It was another difference they had...he was all faith and principles but never in the mind of the battle. A grin spread across her face as she saw how the gust of wind she sent succeedingly hit the angel directly at the purposed area--his stomach. It surely kocked the wind out of him.

As the hit of the wind sent him backwards, Kithara saw another open shot for her. One strike! that was all she needed to finish the job. Even though he would still defend himself, she would give a sure counter to that. All the adrenalin in her body gathered, giving her much strength for the final blow that she will give this very unfortunate Paladin. He will loose his life but he will surely have a memory to bring with him in the afterlife.

Wthout any moment to lose, the Rauko positioned herself, her sword ready to meet his flesh. How eager she was to rip him into shreds. Her heart was not beating faster and faster and there was so much energy rushing into her. Finally, with accurate speed, she lunged forward, her sword held tightly in her hands. In front of her, the young celestalm prepared for her attack. It did not matter now even if he still had his blade in his hands. Her final, strong blow for him would even break his sword and go straight for his pure body.

Quickly appearing right before him, the Rauko raised her sword and was about to go through with her assault when she felt a large strong pulse from within her. It halted the movement of the Rauko, her sword stranded halfway towards the angel. What was going on? What is it this time? Was it another vision?

"No." she muttered, realizing now what was happening, "No!"

Looks like her time was up. The real Kithara was beginning to awaken and this darker one was going to be put into a deep and lifeless slumber again. No! Not yet! Not anymore! she cannot allow this to happen! She has full control and she will not give it away to a weak one like her! She will remain!

At this very moment, two sides were battling. Darker Kithara was trying hard to fight for control against the real Kith. She did not want to give up this freedom and her fun was still far from over. No way! She will not let her come back! She could win this battle! She did not know though what was going to happen...what would thangel do right now when she was very open and available for an attack. He could kill her at this very moment. she had to hurry...

"Mm...Gaa..." she winced, gritting her teeth.

The battle was hard. where did the real Kithara get so much strength to fight off her darker side? She is not that strong? Wait, dd it have anything to do after the vision? Was it somehow related to her weaker side and not to her? Come to think of it, she started to feel quite odd after that vision she had seen...Oh no, she was beginning to lose but how? Everything will end once she had been thrown in that prison once again...

As that continued, Kithara's body still remained the same, her hand still holding on her sword and her atack, stopped. Tears suddenly were flowing out from her covered eyes. It was not from the darker Rauko though but...from Kithara herself. She was beginning to wake.

Airell looked up from his crouched position as Kithara came towards him, Sword of Air in her hands. The angel drew himself up to his feet, raising his sword in a defensive position as she neared. He steadied himself, preparing to take the force of the blow as the Rauko headed towards him.

His eyes widened slightly as the sword came towards him. In that moment, he could see his own death rushing up to meet him. He could see it in her eyes. She intended to kill him with this one strike. Fear flooded through his body at this thought. He didn’t want to die yet—not here and not now. He took a step back, his stance wavering as thoughts of flight filled his mind.

The point of the sword stopped halfway along its journey, as if held by some unseen force. Airell looked into the Rauko’s red eyes, and in them the celestial could see a great struggle going on. What was happening? Did the Rauko perhaps have second thoughts about killing him? He highly doubted that she ever felt remorse for her actions.

As he watched, tears began flowing steadily down her cheeks as she fought to regain control of his senses. Her sword was still held in the same position, halfway towards him, but not yet reaching him.

The fear left him, replaced now with shame. He had been afraid to die. He had been fighting against the darkness, against evil, and against the very things he had sworn to fight against, and he had been afraid. He had considered running away. The angel wondered what his father would say of him if he knew.

He put the thought out of his mind as he watched the Rauko’s inner struggle. He did not speak, as he did not know what to say. Instead, the angel observed.

As this continued to go on, the very same vision passed through her mind again. All of the scenes, the very place, the voices, and the two kids. All of which, she cannot comprehend. All she knew was that the pulse within her grew strongly every passing second of this.

"What...is...this?" she asked in her mind.

She shook her head, trying to throw away everything she was seeing or hearing but...it was still coming. It wouldn't leave her alone...This was very annoying! No! Kithara will not succeed because...because...no one can ever fight off their true nature. Her darker side believed .

"Stop it." a voice rang out in her mind, "Stop!"

"No! No!" she continued to fight her off, "Stay back!"

Kithara was beginning to regain herself as shown that the color of her eyes were beginning to return to its normal color-grey. But, her darker side was also persistent. Her eyes changed from red to grey, then grey to red again. This darker Rauko was not just going to give this all up now. She was not going to lose to her weaker side. But who really was the weaker one?

Things were starting to go wrong for Kit's darker side and to make matters even worse, the unedead were slwoly approaching her and the angel and at ths moment, Kithara cannot defend herself from them. The young Rauko had droped her sword onto the ground while continuing to battle for control. The real Kithara managed to take a couple of seconds to come out. She stared at this celestial, her grey eyes focused on him.

"H..hurry..." she whispered, "R..Run..."

The undead began to swarm around them, outnumbering both. A zombie snuck up behind the Rauko, planning to grab her and feast on her fragile, and alive body.

The internal struggle between the lighter and darker sides raged on, and Airell could only watch as Kithara fought to regain control of her senses. Her eyes shifted from a deep and dark red, to a calmer gray. It was evident that she was undergoing a great struggle, if only from the look in her eyes.

The Sword of Air slipped from the Rauko's hand as she fought to regain control. Then, at last, the Rauko's eyes returned to a steady gray. The Rauko looked up, her gray eyes meeting Airell's, and in that moment, the look in her eyes struck him. Suffering was evident, masking inner strength behind those eyes. This was someone who had suffered a lot, and was still fighting even now. And, for the first time in his nineteen years of existence, Airell Tarenn felt sympathy for a Rauko.

A zombie began to sneak up on the Rauko, reaching out with cold and dead hands to rend her body apart. The Rauko looked up at him, cautioning him to run. Her voice was weak, and spoke of a still on-going struggle for control. Airell frowned. Rauko or not, he could not run and leave this person behind. Somehow, the image of her struck her, calling out to something in his memory, although he still did not know what.

Airell lunged forward, his sword passing over the Rauko's shoulder as he dealt with the zombie. The angel stood with his back to her back, glancing at the large number of zombies that surrounded them. He did not care for or trust Rauko, but in this situation, he doubted that he had any choice. Besides, for some reason, he felt that he couldn't leave this Rauko girl behind. Something in his subconscious recognized her, even if his conscious mind did not. He doubted very much that he would be able to leave her.

"The battle will be long, Rauko," said Airell, "I suggest you pick up your blade."

A long and tiring battle it was both Physically and mentally. The Undead never did surrender and if the physical battle continued more, then maybe, they might win against the two. Both were outnumbered by the zombies and not to mention, they were starting to feel exhausted. The real Kithara Darkmist was now taken back to her original senses. She has won the battle for control against her darker side but...she still has another battle to face together with a celestial.

Yes, it was a bit of a surprise to her to see an angel fighting along side her but after awhile, she was able to make a couple of conclusions. One was that the angel was only helping out because he had to according to his principles. Second was, he only helped because they will die if they do not work together. Third, after the battle this angel might decide to kill a Rauko like her by his own hands. And lastly, maybe... no! she was thinking way too much. No way can this angel be a friend of hers. They were totally on opposite sides but...why did she recieve that vision simply by touching him. Yes, that very vision triggered Kithara to wake up once again. Honestly, he seemed familiar somehow.

"The battle will be long, Rauko," said the celestial, "I suggest you pick up your blade."

Kithara turned to the direction of where her sword was. Seeing it, sorrow filled her for the sword was covered with blood. It was never its purpose to be a weapon for bloodshed. Kithara could feel that the winds were sad tonight...very sad.

"She has misused my sword." she muttered, slowly taking her blade and pulling herself up to her feet.

As she fought for balance, she awkwardly fell slightly against the celestial's back. She managed to regain her balance after and just as the undead were clsoing in on them. This was indeed going to be a long battle and the percentage of their survival was unsure. All that matters was strength, power and endurance at this very moment.

Airell slashed at the undead in front of him. He stabbed one with his longsword, watching as it fell to the ground. For each one that he killed, there were a hundred more. He doubted very much that this was a battle he could win. The undead shuffled towards them surrounding them. Fear flooded Airell at the sight of them, and he willed himself to remain calm.

"She has misused my sword," muttered the Rauko as she stooped to pick up her blade.

Curiousity flooded Airell's senses at this. Who was she? And, against his better judgement, he found himself becoming curious about the Rauko herself? A while ago, she had seemed bloodthirsty and evil. Now...she seemed normal. Was this just a ploy? Some dark plot to kill him?

As the Rauko stooped to pick up her blade, she stumbled, falling against the celestial's back. Airell fell forward slightly at the sudden weight. He turned around as the Rauko regained her balance.

"Are you all right?" he asked, before he even knew what he was saying.

Why did he even care? Why did it matter to him what became of a Rauko? His father had killed Rauko before, deeming them to be evil. Supposedly, he had taken the same stand. So, why couldn't he bring himself to hate this particular dark creature.

A memory came back to him, a very distant memory coming from the times before his family had begun living in the Sanctuary of the Angels. He was very young at that time, and he was sitting by the riverbank, splashing his feet in the cool water. Beside him was a young girl about his age. He frowned. Up to now, he could not remember her face. Why had that memory come to him? Why now?

He turned his attention back to the undead, putting the memory out of his mind for the moment.

Kithara's full attention was on the horrific coming of the undead. They walked closer towards them in large groups and it was already obvious that they would still rise up again right after they get killed. What was the point of fighting a losing battle anyway? She guessed...it must be in order to survive. She still felt mentally weak because of her recent battle against her darker side but right this very moment, she had to pull together all her strength and courage for the other fight.

"Are you alright" surprisingly asked the male celestial.

Her attention changed quickly changed when she heard that question. A Celestial? Asking if a Rauko like her was alright? The was certainly unexpected and strange. Why would he ask something like that? Was his thinking affected by the undead? or maybe...he forgot who he was with. Kithara gently nodded at him and turned towards the incoming group of zombies again.

"Here they come..." she said in her mind, "Give me enough strength to fight."

That might be considered as a small prayer and it was unkown to her. All she did now was to concentrate. She held tightly on the hilt of her blade, preparing herself. The angel too, she sensed was focused on the situation at hand. Good, she did not need to worry about him. He could take these undead down. After all, he was a celestial and they were very much known to be good at killing creatures of the dark.

5 of the undead began to run straight for her, thirsty for flesh and blood. The young Rauko sighed, closing her eyes. She raised her sword of air, ready to show its true potential. It wasn't a weapon for bloodshed after all. She was going to use it according to its true purpose which her darker side did not know at all. For her, it was just a weapon but not for Kith. With one swing of the sword, strong and large gust of winds came about, forming a whirlwind. It was sent towards the 5 zombies.

Airell watched as the Rauko inclined her head slightly, giving him a small nod. He nodded as well, turning his eyes back to the battle. At least the Rauko had enough strength left to fight. The celestial doubted that he could fight the undead by himself. Any ally was crucial now, even a Rauko.

As the Rauko drew herself up, focusing on the battle, a thought occured to the celestial. Watching her, Airell could once again see the girl from before, although the girl's face was still veiled. The celestial frowned. Who was that girl, and why did this Rauko remind him of her?

Airell held tighter to his longsword as the undead approached, putting the thought out of his mind. Now was not the time to reminisce on past experiences. He forced himself to concentrate on the situation at hand. The undead neared him, and Airell lashed out with his sword, slicing through one of the undead.

The celestial turned his head back to the Rauko as several gusts of wind blew through the area, forming a whirlwind that settled over the zombies. His eyes drifted to the Sword of Air in the Rauko's hand. So that was the true power of the sword? He wondered why she hadn't used that on him as they were fighting. He was in the air, and that might have given her a distinct advantage over him.

The Rauko stood there, the wind from the whirlwind whipping her long blue hair back, and in that moment, Airell was once again reminded of his friend from before. Why did she remind him of that girl?

As Airell was thinking, a zombie grabbed onto him, pushing the celestial onto the ground. On reflex, Airell grabbed his longsword, thrusting it into the zombie and pushing the zombie off him. The attack had done its damage, however. Blood flowed from wounds where the zombie had grabbed him, the skin broken by the zombie's sharp nails.