Shadowlord

Raishun sucked in a breath, mentally preparing himself for what was about to happen. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Carmila and whispered. "What can you sense with your semblance?"

The color of Carmila's eyes turned a bright yellow as she looked around the pier. "These two are the only ones focused on us right now..." Briefly, she glanced in the direction of the city, then returned her gaze to the two guards. The glow from her eyes faded as they returned to their normal crimson color. "There's someone running towards us too. They're no more than a minute away, are they you're friend?"

"We've gotta hope." Shifting closer to Laura, he nudged her with his elbow. "Play along okay?"

Giving himself over to the spirit, Raishun dropped to the ground and began choking and convulsing as his emotions were sucked from his body. Slowly the anger he felt towards the stranger faded, replaced with a calm nothingness as blue lines started spreading up his arms and legs.

"H-hey! What's wrong with him!?" One of the guards pushed his rifle into the Legion's face. While his mask hid his eyes, he was clearly shaken. "You with the silver hair! Make him cut that shit out!"

Taking to her role like a fish to water, Laura knelt beside her partner with tear-filled eyes. The way she desperately clutched his shoulders, combined with the tears falling down her cheeks, was so convincing that even Raishun felt his stomach twist with worry.

"I-I can't! It's his illness, he needs medicine or he'll die!" She looked at each of the two guards and threw herself at the closest one. Clinging to his leg with a loud sob, she looked at him with panicked eyes. "Please! Call a doctor, do something! Don't let my brother die!"

The grunt never got a chance to respond to her plea. In an instant, his body was crushed into the ground by Laura's semblance. There was a sickening crunch, and the mans gurgled screams echoed throughout the pier. The other grunt turned his gun on Laura, but Raishun was faster. Reacting quickly, he thrust a Chrono Thorn into the grunts chest and watched as the man's actions slowed to a crawl.

"This will hurt a lot." He growled before driving his fist into the man's stomach. For a second, his body recoiled with the blow. Then the thorn disappeared from his body, his eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed unconscious onto the floor.

"GIL NOW!"

As the White Fang Grunts began to close in on the trio, the sound of singing filled the field. Raishun could faintly see Gil's figure on top of a nearby warehouse, and he grinned, knowing what would happen next. The aura surrounding Laura's body took on a green hue as she threw her hands out to her sides, sending a wave of energy throughout the pier. The grunts fell to the ground one by one, unable to withstand the added weight from her semblance. The only two left standing by the attack were the hooded figure and the man in the bolo hat. The latter of the two struggled to stay standing under the added pressure.

Bounding across the shipping containers and crates, Gil joined the trio with a large pack of weapons slung across his back. Wordlessly, he drew a pair of single-edged blades, which Raishun recognized as Laura's dual blades. Then he threw the bag at the blue-haired Legion with a triumphant huff.

"It took a lot of effort getting that in the bag without touching it." Gil said while pulling his hatchet from its loop on his belt. "I don't care if you're Raishun right now, or someone else. Just make it worth the effort."

"You don't need to worry about that." Raishun, or rather Serah, drew the black arming sword from the bag with a flourish. With a slow breath, she levelled the blade with the hooded figure. "HEY! YOU COLOSSAL BITCH! REMEMBER US!"

The figure took a step back, seemingly caught off guard by the spirit's outburst.

"Time for round two! And we're not going down so easy this time!" Crouching low to the ground, Serah readied herself to dash forward. Before doing so, she quickly glanced at her allies. "I've got the creepy one handled. You guys finish of the grunts and Mister Fabulous over there!"

Without another word, she dashed forwards to meet the hooded figure in battle. The figure stepped backwards, seemingly caught off guard by the reckless charge. However, they steeled themselves and raised a wall of spikes in front of the charging spirit.

"Please! Like that'll stop me!" She cleared the wall in a single jump, only to be met by a large blue spear racing towards her forehead. With a practiced calm, she spun mid-air to avoid it and brought her sword down on the figure's shoulder. The blade met its mark, but it wasn't stopped by aura. Instead, it sunk into the shadow's body, like a hot blade cutting through butter. Within seconds of the weapon passing through, any damage the figure had taken quickly healed.

"What the-GUGH!!"

Pain flared through Serah's body as the figure thrust their spear into her chest. She flew backwards, crashing painfully into a shipping container and denting it. While aura may have protected her from any mortal wounds, it did little to lessen the pain.

[What the hell is that strength?] Wiping spittle from her mouth, she jumped to her feet, ready to fight once more. [And that blow should've cut through their heart. What the hell is her semblance.]

[I don't know.] Raishun's voice resounded in her head. [Take it slow. Laura and the others can help when they're done.]

Her eyes scanned the battlefield. Gil was still singing, amplifying his cousin's semblance as she casually walked up to the fallen grunts and knocked them out with the flat of her swords. Carmila had the man in the bolo hat on the ground at spear point. There was a thin cut on her cheek, and her chest heaved with every breath, but she seemed alright. Strangely, the figure was nowhere in sight.

"Looking for me?" A feminine voice trilled in her ear.

In a panic, Serah turned, weapon already cutting towards the direction of the voice. Then she was looking at the sky. All she could do was let out a confused gasp as she felt herself being repeatedly slammed into the ground. Panicked, she tried to thrust a Chrono Thorn into the figure, but it harmlessly passed through their body. Black began to encroach on her vision, and with one final slam, she felt her aura shatter.

"I'm sorry..." She choked out. "It's over."

The lines covering Raishun's body faded with a sound similar to glass breaking. His body flinched in the figures grasp as he regained control of his body; Serah's presence was gone.

"Let go of him!"

Running up to the pair, Carmila thrust her spear under Raishun's arm and impaled the figure clean through. Similar to Serah's attacks, it seemed to have little effect on the figure. However, it gave Raishun an opportunity. He gripped the spear's shaft tightly and pulled it through the figure's body until it cut clean through their arm. Before the arm could reattach, he pried himself free and fell to the ground beside Carmila.

Carmila grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back as the figure reformed themselves. "Please stay back Raishun! You're aura's gone! If you keep fighting then you'll get hurt and-"

"I can't..." He choked out. Spots danced in front of his vision, and his head felt as if it were full of rocks. "She's the one who killed me... Because of her I lost my friends, my life, everything!" Staggering to his feet, he shuffled beside Carmila with his sword raised.

"Hmm?" The figure perked up and pointed a finger at the sword in Raishun's hands. "Hey, that's the Caligula isn't it?"

"Don't even think about touching him!" Carmila growled, raising her spear defensively.

The figure ignored the girl, seemingly too focused on the weapon to acknowledge her. Raishun felt their gaze move from the sword to him, then back again. They sighed and raised their head to the sky with a sorrowful grimace.

"Forgive me, it's tragic is all. Even though I locked that sword beneath the earth, it still managed to find it's way into the light again. All by attaching itself to some poor boy." The grimace turned into a sickening smile, and they held their hand out. "Weakling, hand over the sword. I'll make sure that troublesome spirit won't get another resurrection."

"Like hell I'm giving you Serah!" He growled, "You want the sword. You'll have to kill me for it!"

The figure sucked in a deep breath and exhaled with a smile. When they spoke, their feminine voice was dripping with devilish delight. "I was hoping you'd say that."