Old Scars Reopened.

Diane was at a complete loss as of what to do, and the tiger that continously prowled around both individuals in a circle did not Help calm the agitation in her heart. She placed the unconscious man's head in her lap, in order to make sure that he was more comfortable, before taking his wrist in her hand. "Thank goodness." Diane exhaled, as a faint smile came to her face. Why was she so scared of losing someone nowadays? "Targen?" She called out once more, as she lightly patted his face. The issue now, was that he was not waking up. 'What am I to do now?' Diane thought, as the Tristan laid by his master's side, gently grooming the latter's face. 'Essence?' Diane could not Help but think, as she observed the beast. "I am uncertain if this shall work, but It is worth to try." The lady soliloquised, as she took Tegan's left hand. 'He did say that physical touch was necessary afterall.' She mused, as she closed her eyes.

 In the darkness, only one thing formed a light glow, and that was the bright blue mist that swiveled around the an item, something which was spherical in outline. 'This is, my essence?' Diane thought, as her eyebrows gradually furrowed. She tried to get the essence to yield to her will, but the mist dispersed each time, before it continued to rotate around the orb once more like a satellite. 'This must be the core of my soul.' Diane thought, as she stared at the dazzling, glowing spherical object- the only thing that gave light to this dark space of hers. At that moment, Diane felt a slight sense of desperation. 'Targen's essence might be most probably depleted due to the assistance he granted me.' Diane thought, as her fists clenched in the real world, trying hard not to break her concentration. 'If only I were not so useless, if only..' A tear slid from Diane's closed eyes at that moment. 'If I were capable of depending upon myself, none of this won't have happened. I..' At that moment, something interrupt her thoughts. The orb suddenly let out a brilliant burst of energy, and the surrounding essence upon noticing this, began to spiral around in a more coordinated manner. Diane However, did not allow this fascinating sight to distract her from her goal. 'One more time.' She said, as she felt a cold but pleasant sensation spreading from the center of her being, to the tip of her fingers. She opened her eyes when she heard a low cough. "Targen!" She exclaimed in delight, as she resisted the overwhelming urge to embrace the man, who laid on her lap. "Whatever it is that you are doing, stop." Targen whispered weakly, As he attempt to push away the giant head, which constantly wetted his face. Diane yielded to his will, and stopped distributing any more of her essence to him. "Are you alright?" She called out worriedly. Targen frowned- why was this damsel shouting as such? "I am fine." Targen replied, as he tried fuitlessly to rise to his feet, only to discover that he could not raise a finger. "Proceed to lie to my face one more time, if you truly consider me to be a fool!" Diane exclaimed, her beautiful eyes filled with tears. "Why, you are drenched!" Targen could only stare blankly at her. 'Diego is a truly fortunate man.' He thought, as he gazed at the maiden, who was currently preoccupied with rubbing her eyes sore. "Now Is not the time for tears, Lady Diane." Targen spoke, as though all the air had been knocked out of his lungs. "I will need you to fetch me some assistance from home, the medallion is in my pocket..' "Irregardless of what you say, I shall not leave you behind." Diane told him sternly, as she poked her fingers into his waistcoat, her hands fumbling constantly in the pocket. "Now is not the time to be obstinate." Tegan told her, a slight frown on his face. "Tristan is here with him- it is not as though anyone can hurt Me here, anyways; so Drop that attitude of yours and do as you were instructed." He argued, but the damsel had already brought the medallion from his pocket, and did not spare so much as a single glance at him. "If I were you, I would save that energy which you use for speaking. It would be disadvantageous if you were to pass out once more." Diane explained, as she gently placed one of his hands on her shoulder. "And... it will be best if you were to collaborate with me, for both our sakes." She further explained, as she attempted to raise him from the ground. Only when she stood upright, could she feel the burden of her legs carrying Two people at once- not to mention that the man weighed more than her. She nearly rendered them both to the ground after taking a single step- The damsel had always stumbled around and bump into things when she walked alone, not to mention a scenario of which she had to provide support for yet another?

 "You could have just placed me upon the beast" Tegan told her, as they continued to stumble around- the distance between them and the gate was not so great. At the mention of what her companion had said, she glanced at Tristan, of whom trotted evenly to match her pace. It's sheer size alone was capacity of taking up to three individuals on the back, but such a thought had never crossed Diane's mind. "You shall remain silent, Master Targen." Diane told him strictly, although she nearly toppled over. "Permit Me to be your crutch today- see it as a means of me expressing my gratitude." Diane stated, as she willed for her body to keep on moving. 'Does she perharps think that it was her own fault that I became unconscious?' Targen mused, as he glanced in her direction. 'But still.. it is not wrought for her to go through..such.. lengths.' Targen thought, as The gate let out a soft glow- an indication that the medallion had been long inserted by Diane.

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 Lisa did not expect to witness such a scene as she went to the window sill. The sun was directly overhead the horizon, and it was at this particular hour of the day that the temperature tended to soar. The two visitors who called upon them- the duchess and Thalia, had already departed a long time ago, while Lisa decided to tarry for a while in her master's bedroom, being summoned on his Beck and call. They really did not discuss much- other than to talk about mundane events. "Such ingenuity, do you not think so My lord?" Lisa quipped, as she struggled to raise the shutters of the windows higher- she could not bare to stay in such a stuffy environment. "Our manor back at home would have most definitely catered for the slightest of inconveniences- unlike this one wherein they are only a single window to each room. How do they permit for cross ventilation?" Lisa complained, as the window squeaked and groaned as she strained to uplift it, It was as though the manor itself was in a dire need of renovation. "Ah, yes." Diego absent mindedly replied, not even paying the slightest attention to the question which was actually posed by Lisa- he was far to engrossed in the book he read. Lisa could only smile lightly- The entire time she had been with her master, she had attempted various ways to initiate a conversation, only to receive monotonous replies. 'I wonder what it is that Egiel speak of when he is with my lord at his office, or do the men not converse?' Lisa thought, as she nonchalantly placed her hand to rest on the window sill. She glanced downwards expecting to see a glorious scene- but she did not expect to lay eyes on a commotion of a large scale, with servants bustling back and forth. "M- my lord.." Lisa stuttered, unable to take her eyes off what she saw. "Hmm?" Diego nodded in response. "Lady Diane has returned and it appears as though, something has occured!"

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"Diane!" Diego called out as soon as he got to the bottom of the staircase, nearly causing heads to turn at him. Lisa was hot at his heels, the latter also wearing a worried look on her face. Diane was seated closely to the gate, Thalia and the duchess, Redalia, was standing beside her to keep her company. "But you are unhurt, are you not, my dear?" Redalia asked, as she clasped Diane's hands warmly. "I am alright, aunt. Truly, there is no cause for you to be so agitated for my sake- you ought to be by Targen's side, not mine." Diane said with her head lowered, one could still tell that she felt guilty over the incident that occured. "That may be true, but It will be unwise of me not to inquire about your well-being." Redalia argued. At that point in time, Diane head a distinguished set of steps- as though the one striding towards their direction Carried themselves with poise and dignity. But there was something else, these footsteps, they made the bells of familiarity to ring in Diane's head, those steps that made one to feel a surge of Charisma emanating from its owner- "Are you alright, Diane?" The damsel glanced upwards as soon as the question had been asked, not in the bit surprised at who stood before her. She simply nodded at him, before commencing to break eye contact. To be frank, she knew he will be here- she heard when her name was called, but she was too engaged with her conversation with the duchess than to bid her time to reply him. Diego lightly clenched his fists- The blonde was being quiet, rather too silent. "Lisa, kindly lead Diane to our room." He instructed, In a calm voice. "Certainly, my lord." Lisa replied without delay, while giving a low Bow. She strode over to where the damsel was seated, and gently roused her to her feet. "Come, my lady. You must surely be exhausted." She uttered, as she led Diane away from the tensed atmosphere.

 Diego watched the two maidens as they departed, until his eyes could see them no further. Only then could he turn to his aunt, With a stoic expression on his face. "What led to these certain turn of events, aunt?" Diego inquired as he sat beside the older woman. "Targen was in there with her, I believe? How come I have not Laid my sight on him for some time now?" He asked. "Well, I would deem the incident an unfortunate slip up." The duchess began. "From the account of which your wife gave, Targen had enabled her to connect to her Evergio, and lent to her, a bit of his essence, in the process. I do not know what exactly occured after that- But I was made known the fact that Targen was unconscious at the time they had arrived." Redalia explained the event, the best way she could comprehend it. "And where Is he now?" Diego questioned. "He has been led to his room- the physician should be examining him by now. Perhaps he shall have an explanation as to why Targen fainted." Thalia, who was standing by idly, was the one to respond. "It was even she that alerted the servants as well as I, she so happened to be in the garden when they arrived." The duchess revealed. "Is that so?" Diego mused inwardly, briefly taking a glimpse at the damsel, before gazing at his aunt once more. "I even have more of a right to be grateful to Diane, actually." The duchess admitted with a smile. "If it wasn't for she, and her fast response, I believe that Tegan's physical condition, would have been far worse." As the duchess made this statement, a smile came to her face. "So do ensure to convey my gratitude to her, alright?" "Your wife is rather strong, Diego." Thalia suddenly quipped. "I was rather surprised when I saw her walk in from the gate, while lending a shoulder to Targen- I doubt highly if I would ever do such a thing for that oaf..." "Ahem." The duchess cleared her throat loudly, as though to remind Thalia of her presence. "Pardon my insolence just this once duchess- this young one knew no wiser!' Thalia said, as she bowed immediately. Upon seeing the damsel act like that, Someone immediately crossed Diego's mind. "Anyway, Diego we better leave you be." The duchess remarked, as she stood to her feet, before glancing at a certain someone. "Child, you shall come with me." The duchess addressed the girl who stood behind be her. "But.." Thalia said, as she stood rooted to the spot. "Do you dare to resist, or ought I to pull your ears first?" The duchess asked, walking forward as she did so. Thalia gave a soft exclamation, before she made hast to catch up to the woman, after bidding Diego a clumsy wave of farewell. Diego sighed. He had never in his life ever experienced such a chaotic afternoon, and he may probably never will.

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 Diane peered out of the window, as she gazed at the stars in the night sky. She did not so much as turn her head when she heard the bedroom door close quietly- there was only but one person who required no permission to step in. "You should eat something, Diane." Diego uttered, as he placed the tray of food on the table. "I recall informing you about my constipation, so please, do take the food back." Diane replied casually, without even bothering herself to turn around. "Why are you being so impossible tonight? I told you about Tegan's current condition, did I not?" Diego asked, only to be replied by silence. The damsel only fiddled with an item in her hands. "No one blames you for what it was that occurred Diane, so why should you constantly blame yourself?" The voice said, directly behind her. She had failed to realize the moment of which the man had stood from the bed. "You ought to establish eye contact with your husband when he addresses you, Diane." Diego stated, slightly irritated, as he forcefully made the damsel to turn to him. "Are you satisfied now?" Diane asked, as she glared up at him. "As of now, I am facing you, am I not?" She inquired. Only then did Diego se the item in Diane's hands- the family medallion. "Diane.." Diego called out softly, but the latter pushed him away. She gently placed the food on the center table, before lying on the bed with a Soft plop. "It was your favorite dessert." Diego urged the damsel, who had buried her head into Her pillow. "I could not bring myself to care more." Came the muffled voice. Diego sat on the bed, beside her. "You can tell me Diane- I am ever willing to listen." His voice reverberated across the room. Diane stirred lightly on the bed, but she still refused to raise the heavy tongue of hers. "This relationship might be a facade, but our bond as friends is not." Diego pressed on, ignoring her little tantrums. "Is the faith in our friendship so feeble that you, can not even display before me the skeletons on your cupboard?" A sniffling sound could be heard, before Diane sat upright. "I do not even know whence to start from Diego- I feel so useless at the moment." She admitted, as she clenched her pillow hard, as though that would suffice for her heartache. "What is the point of having this Powers In possession, if I cannot even utilize them to their full potential?" She asked, as she stared at her hands. "Even till now, I cannot even shake the fear In my heart after coming to witness the state of which Targen was in. He just wanted to aid me and I.. almost let him die." "Never let such words spring out from your mouth Diane." Diego stated, as he grabbed his wife on both shoulders. "The physician revealed that it was due to fatigue, alright? You are not to be blamed if the brute is incapable of looking after his own health." Diego explained, but his tone suddenly turned dangerous. "That doesn't change anything!" Diane yelled, as she broke herself free from his grasp. "I have become so reliant on others, that I have become even more useless towards my own self!" She exclaimed, her voice breaking into sobs mid way. "I have managed to survive so far, but that is only due to the support given to me by your family and yourself." Diane admitted. "But you and I shall eventually part ways. All these familiar faces shall not come to be my side, Diego. What If I. Just like what occured to her.." The Mere thought alone frightened Diane. She could not bring herself to remember how despondent and abandoned she felt during that period. "I cannot be a liability to Dorothy either. She has Done enough for Me already, beyond what I could ever ask of her." Diane explained. "Sometimes I can't help but to ask myself, am I even deserving to be called your wife?" Diego could feel his heart tighten as he heard that question. 'Diane, is this what has been in your mind all along?' He thought, as he peered into those bright blue eyes of hers. "Does the almighty Diego Raymond need a clownish, childish eighteen year old by his side? He deserves better does he not? Perhaps a maiden from a reputable family, who is capable of matching his aura, and who would eventually become an indispensable asset to him." Diane added, as she tucked her head into her knees. "I would very much prefer that childish Diane, to that who you mentioned." The man stated, much to the surprise of the latter. "Look, Diane, I do not care how useful you may be to me or not. Our bond is not based on mutual benefits." He added. "If I cannot be a husband to you, then I shall play the role of a guardian. If the cosmos does not permit for that either, then I shall task upon myself, the role of a mentor." He added, as he patted her head. "Besides, you are yet a child to me- A novice among all novices. Urgh." Diego grunted, as Diane punched him on his ribs. "Are you done? I shall not lie still- and watch as one defames me." Diane informed him, her fist still clenched. But Diego was glad this time- there was but a light smile on her face. "Yes, my dear. Pay no heed to my Shenanigans." Diego stated, as be lightly pulled her cheek- the latter smacked his hand away of course. "And the medallion?" Diego inquired. "This is Targen's- I shall return it when I call upon him tommorow." Diane explained. "Thank you, Diego." She mouthed, as she gazed at him softy. Diego however, failed to notice that. "So, I shall go return the food to the kitchen, then." Diego said, as he stood up. "Oy!" Diane immediately pulled him by the sleeve of his shirt. "Do you wish to wake beside a corpse the next morning?!" Diego turned to the latter, a perplexed expression on his face. "Have you forgotten about your constipation so quickly?" Although that was the expression on his face, the corner of his lips would not stop twitching.

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 Tristan growled as the door creaked open. It immediately leapt down from the bed of which it was laid, acknowledging the intruder from a safe distance. "Why Is it that this beast of yours is yet to be recalled?" The man stated, as he stepped into the room. "Of what issue does that pose to you?" Tegan refuted, as he glanced at his guest- for as much as the dimly lit candle would permit. "I am rather surprised to see you here, I will admit." He said, as Trisran bared its fangs to the man, incepting the man's intentions to step further. "Would you call this cat of yours to your side?" Nardock said, with much infuriation. "He is as cautious around you as he does around me. And why will he not act this way when it is.." He paused, as he glanced at the darkness which laid beyond. "That you constantly bring along that ominous aura wherever you go?" Targen asked, scoffing lightly as he did so. "This is my problem to deal with." Nardock replied, as he glanced to his side. "I trust that you already know what I my intentions are" Nardock said as he stepped forward, ignoring the carnivore which just growled at him as he walked past. For so long as he did not pose a threat- neither did his master instruct him to do such, Tristan will not attempt to make a move on him. "You were with that damsel again." Nardock stated, as he seated himself on his son's bed. "You have been in her acquaintance for quite some time now. Could you perharps.. be interested in her?" Tegan gripped his sheets tightly as he heard that. "Oh, no, you have misunderstood me, my son." Nardock calmly justified himself, when he saw the degree of which Tegan glared at him. "One cam take interest in someone, for different reasons" Nardock elaborated. "Your calling me that is absolutely unnecessary." Tegan said, as he glanced away. "And the maiden And I did nothing of importance together- except for when I tutored her on some concepts." "Except for when you lent her a bit of your essence, you mean to say." Nardock Corrected, making Targen to gaze at Him in a daze. He could faintly see the smirk that hung around his father's lips. "Did you really think that your mother would fail to inform me?" He added. Before Targen had an opportunity to reply however, he felt something sharp pricking against the skin of his neck. His eyes widened when he felt what it was. 'This is, a dagger?' He thought, as he felt it. How come he did not even realize that he was in danger before the event was actually able to occur? And Tristan- He glanced over to where the beast previously stood, only to find a condensed mist of energy, constantly hovering across a particular area of the room. Although the bond was faint, Tegan could tell that Tristan was struggling- the beast was a part of him, afterall. Something appeared to lock him in place, preventing him from moving neither forward nor backwards, and simultaneously, preventing him from recondensing into his Animal form. "Research actually yields the required results, if one attempts Hard enough." Nardock said with a smile, as he glanced over at the struggling mist. "Up until now, one would probably think there existed no means to hurt this creatures- they are bound to their master right from the moment they are formed, and only cease to exist on the occasion of the Master's demise." Nardock added, as he nodded his head. "That concept would have made things so difficult- it is a good thing I gave it a probable solution." He stated, as he turned to his son. "That wouldn't do." He stated calmly, as he watched the fruitless struggle with emotionless eyes. The latter was trying hard to pull out the dagger- it was imbued with a particular matter, and Targen could feel the his veins throb as they coursed through his body. But now Matter how hard he tried to extract the foreign object, he only ended up losing his bodily fluid instead. In a matter of time, the white sheets became dyed blood-red. The dagger however, was still stuck prettily- with the intention of causing him Harm, but not deep enough to cut through the important arteries and veins.. Ahem, some veins might suffer harm, though. "Why do you gaze at me as such? Did you really think I would call upon you as a concerned father would?" Nardock asked the latter. "No,I won't have ever dared to think such." Targen replied, as he gave his father a superficial smile. "I wonder what atrocities I may have committed in my past life to have a father such as you in the current one" Targen added, as he felt his mind blanking out. "Who knows? It is not as though you will be capable of recalling the events of the previous life."