Cardfight Training Area

The brunette bit his lip for a moment before shutting his eyes. As much as he didn't want to, he needed to come clean. Actually he was admittedly a bit worried, and understandably so. "I'm not sure what happened when I came back but... Sera..." he paused for a moment, raising his gaze to his spiritual sister. "Sera was loose. ... I ran into him in the hall, and... He, did something to me." reaching into the other deck case he pulled out the deck, taking one card off of the front, then held it out to her. Nebula Lord Dragon. "I'm completely sane though. I don't understand why, or how... I just... Didn't know what to do." he bit his lip, putting the card away and reaching for the Kagero deck. It would be easier to show her than explain. At the touch, there was the sound of sparks, and his hand retracted away from the deck as if he'd just been shocked.

"Then every report about Sera's separation from Haruka was correct. I still want to confirm that part with the two of them after this", Yugure confirmed the mass report spam that cluttered her phone. Their enemy was on the loose because of... something gross she didn't want to think about. However, she was more relieved about the fact that her beloved wasn't killed by the occurrence. Her attention went back to Seifer, hearing that Sera took some form of action. However, everyone jumped, taking battle stances, along with Yugure summoning Dragruler's blade in response to Nebula Lord Dragon being shown.

"As I thought, the bastard isn't dead!" Yugure and Alfred hissed in unison. "You're still sane, that's good, now dispose of that deck!"

Wait, who was she kidding? You can't just throw away Link Joker.

"... Ugh, wait."

Calm down. The commander saw his hand rejected by the Kagero deck. A defense mechanism, perhaps?

"One of you take his Kagero deck and examine it. Seifer, you're coming out of this room and staying within my sight. I'll think of how your situation happened as I'm speaking with Sera. One of you bring Haruka to me, and don't touch him."

Someone touches Haruka they might die. The sight of using a Crossride's weapon meant Yugure's Meister powers were evolving.

Orders. More barking orders. Scientists and soldiers running about, yelling, getting coffee, doing paper work, the norm. Haruka stared at a light directly hoping to go blind before he sees the rage Yukino will be going through once she finds out Sera is separated directly. Then. An order with Haruka's name. In fact, he was called. Two soldiers stood by his side, hovering over them.

"We've been directed to bring you and your accomplice to Yugure directly. We cannot touch you however. So we're going to follow you very, very closely, until we get there."

"Whatever you say, big boy."

Sera was being a cocky little brat. He even gave them a hip wiggle before cracking his energy neck.... energy neck?

Yes. Energy neck.

He cracked that energy neck of his, and stood next to Haruka, as he proceeded to travel along with the guards standing nearly an inch apart from Haruka. That was uncomfortable and probably arguably harassment. He might sue once this is all over.

Upon approaching a large set of stairs, climbing UP said set of stairs, Haruka was now staring at Yukino, Seifer, a deck box, a giant sword, and his life on the line.

Gulp.

"H-Hey guys. Good to see you. Like the old times? Right? Right..." His eyes wandered about the room. Sera hip wiggled for Seifer. What a creep.

At the sword appearing, the crimson eyed brunette visibly flinched, remembering the feel of Blaster Dark through his body. He'd much rather avoid getting killed again thank you. Reluctantly Seifer allowed them to take the Kagero deck, to look over. However, when Haruka and Sera entered the room, even with Yukino there, a soft aura appeared at the sight of the negative of Haruka. It went away soon after, since the brunette took control of his emotions again but just the sight of Sera seemed to irritate the male. He didn't speak a word, just nodding at Yukino's earlier instructions though at the very least. He was fine being within sight.

Yugure made sure Seifer was close by and in her sights as he was coming out. Researchers ran off with the deck, going to study it. The woman made sure to lighten her expression, to ensure she wasn't guarding him like a prison guard. Rather, more akin to a bodyguard. Once he was out, the soldiers escorted Haruka and Sera to the premises. The commander immediately rushed toward Haruka and hugged him tightly with her free arm, almost squeezing him to the point of not letting him breathe. Words couldn't even begin to describe how relieved she was to see him in one piece - to see him alive. Had their not been business to take care of, she would've "attacked" him without hesitating.

(If it wasn't obvious, "attack" was used in the most lewd of manners.)

Still, Dragruler's sword was in hand as a precaution against... him.

"Sera, we need to talk. First, Haruka, are you alright? Are you hurt? How are your vitals? Is your breathing alright? Nobody touched you on the way, did they?"

"Sure, sugar, anything you gotta say, you can." Sera laughed, leaning against a wall. A soldier nearly knifed him, if it weren't for his instant dematerialization and then moving several feet to the right with not much of a problem.

"I-I'm fine, babe. You need to relax. The guards hovered really closely but they didn't lay a hand on me, I promise. Vitals are good, I guess? I'm really cold. I can breathe. See? I'm breathing right now." Haruka lightly sighed, but smiled as he rested his chin on Yukino's shoulder as she hugged him tightly. He was losing breath quickly however due to her tight grip.

"Y-Y-Yukino... Too... Tight..." He was getting paler.

"Seifer, how's it going?"

Sera winked at him, while Haruka got a hug to end all hugs from Yukino over on the other side of the room. The guards were furious at Sera, especially the one that Sera called 'big boy' earlier when they were escorted here.

Was... Was Sera hitting on Seifer? Wait, what was going on? The confusion was apparent on his face. He... Seifer really didn't know how to respond. How DO you respond to that? What do? For reasons he couldn't really understand, he slinked back a bit, looking off to the side, away from the scene before him. Well, the hugging between the couple before him he knew, but he supposed everything else didn't really make sense. He just... stayed quiet.

Oh, he's cold.

"Oh, you're cold..." Yugure almost panicked while letting him go, and wasted no time to remove her jacket. The commander fitted her jacket on her boyfriend on top of the jacket the resistance already gave to him. Several people wanted to say something, but she'd probably smack them with steel to silence them immediately. "There", the girl said, somehow proud of herself for handling her lover's "troubles" quickly.

Yes, she'd make a great wife. One that worries over everything then tries to fix it even though the fix is right in front of her.

"Alright..." The woman began, turning to Sera as she adjusted her tie. Evil eye was given to anyone sweating nervously over the whole jacket thing. "As the leader of the enemy, I don't expect you to answer many of my questions. So I'll start with something else: do you know who the Reapers are?" Yugure asked an odd question that nobody else around seemed to really understand. The Reapers were a subject not even the resistance was privileged to know. This inquiry was the start of several that would clear something up for the woman. She had a theory, and she was going to stick with it for now.

Another jacket... on top of his other jacket?

Well that was absolutely thoughtful of Yukino. Didn't particularly change a whole lot as it was still taking a bit to warm up from being outside anyways... Not to mention metal cuffs didn't make the situation all that better. After her release and fix-up of a second jacket, she turned her attention to the evil entity, who, was... flirting with Seifer.

Awkwaaaaaaard.

"Reapers? The hell-"

Sera's flirty smile and the humorous glint in his eye faded instantly and turned into a solemn face. He flicked his view over to Yugure. You could even see you plucked a nerve of his.

"Brandt...."

Sera stood up straight, his altered voice now somewhat tracing the halls. It was as if a space began to consume the few who were already in it. Seifer, his newfound muse, Haruka, the original vessel, and Yugure, the soldier who asked the question.

"Yes." His solemn face turned downcast, somewhat biting his lip.

"I know of those things. What of them?" Sera walked towards Seifer, standing next to the man who was slowly shrinking away from him. Its not that he was trying to flirt anymore, but he felt better standing next to other humans. It made him seem less out of place as this negative-toned defect in the human world.

"... As I thought", Yugure responded. "Your response means you're not one of those horrorterrors. So... you must be only the commander of the Star-vaders..."

People were still confused, and Yugure seemed to shake a bit. This was an awful discovery. This meant that the Reapers simply haven't come to this timeline yet. For all the suffering they're going through against the invaders, the enemy has yet to bring in their full force. Nebula Lord is still alive, the Clown is on the loose, and Sera, who seems to be the leader of Link Joker, isn't even the overall eldritch boss.

"Ugh...", she growled. "that means the Reapers are still waiting!" She screamed, slamming her fist into the wall. This anger was... unseen. It was shaky and nervous, but expressed more vile hate in her tone than it did ever when addressing the invaders.

"... I need to focus on now. I need to focus on what's in front of us. Sera, I've never seen you before, but I've seen the spearheads of Link Joker. Where did you come from? Who are you, exactly?"

The way she spoke confirmed the Reapers were part of the "heads" of the clan. It made no sense she never heard of him, however. If he was in charge of the main forces, why wasn't he a commander before when she met them?

"Wait... Ma'am, you never told us how you've seen those bosses before", a soldier spoke.

"All shall be revealed about my knowledge of Link Joker later. I need Sera to confirm things and answer me."

One big mystery was that, like Father Espoir, she knew the invaders were coming. The twist is she did more than know. She knew the commanders, the Star-vaders by name, their nicknames, and more. How exactly did the Chosen Sword get this information?

Haruka jumped back a bit, blinking. He was speechless at 1) not being able to access any information on these Reapers from Sera's memory bank and 2) at the reaction Yukino is having to the situation. Reapers? More answers? What is going on here?

Haruka stayed quiet, looking down. These were part of those times that he couldn't simply rush over to her aid because she was angry or upset or simply wanted to find solace. She wanted answers, so she would have to wait for answers it seems.

"You... really want to know?"

Sera's downcast expression turned to a frail smile. He vanished, reappearing behind Haruka, hanging an arm over his shoulder. Haruka's depressed expression was now pale.

The dreams.

The dreams he was shown by Sera... please don't be-

"First of all, you guys really should learn that Seraphim isn't my real name. And I kind of prefer being called by me real name you know? Its really fitting." He checked his nails, yawning.

"People from around my parts don't really speak much, both those who do call me Glendios."

He blinked, then stopped the act. He finally got to serious business. Time for all the pieces to come together, straight from his mouth and not from a memory or a self-implanted dream.

"Haruka and I here aren't like all of you. See, you all met Haruka, what, two years ago maybe? Sounds about right. He's been here a long time... Hahahahhahahahha...."

He vanished once more, appearing in front Yugure. Perhaps invading personal space.

"Haruka and I are from a different world altogether. Not like this one in the slightest. The invasion didn't even happen then. If you all were smart, instead of keeping Haruka captive, you'd have thrown the boy to the front lines. After all, he's done this before." Sera sighed, backing up a bit to elaborate.

"Haruka boy, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, you killed a giant dragon with a huge red scythe. We call him "The Clown." But you, ohhhhh you. You took a sword, not just any sword, but the one bequeathed to you by your own avatar, the great Wind of the Apocalypse, and you took it. You went to Cray, right as the first few Reverse fighters began showing up. My plan had started, so wonderfully. Blooming, even..."

He gave another wry grin, then his jaw shut, as he rest his forehead against a wall.

"Alas... you killed that dragon with your own two hands. You were praised as a saint, nearly a god among mortals. Those on Cray titled you as an angel, a Seraphim, if you will. However, at a price. The Overlord would not give you this power willingly."

He turned around, staring at Yugure, but talking to Haruka.

"So you took that sword to Earth, and to prove your allegiance to Overlord, you killed the Vanguard of his mortal enemy. Blaster Blade. Now... Blaster Blade's Vanguard... there are only a couple of people I know but you can guess whose in mind."

"Be quiet..."

"You took that sword..."

"Be quiet."

"And cut her head clean off. Cray Wars started left and right, and Overlord would eventually dominate the globe. He took Cray by storm, becoming the ultimate emperor, as your Avatar, and his Vanguard."

"...." Haruka shook with absolute rage on his mind.

"But don't worry. Everything will be alright."

He broke. Haruka simply stopped. Everything. Breathing. Blinking. He nearly passed out at the phrase being uttered ever again. That damned phrase made him absolutely nuts. He walked over to a near wall, slid down and sat, trying to catch his breath.

"Little did he know, or did anyone know, that the invasion was not over. The Clown was the prime target, but simply a carrier of the seed. Upon killing him, the seed transferred over from him, to Haruka. The Rift sucked us up promptly after, and took us here to resume my plans. Haruka has memories planted in his head of existing here for nearly all of his life, yet, the boy has only been here for..."

On his fingers, he counts.

"Two years." He smiles.

"Ever since he walked off the train here, and chased after that one Royal Paladin boy who lost his deck. He also helped out that, what, Shiki boy, out of that bush too. Ahh, the memories. I came with you beloved, and now we're here. A package deal, if you will."

This was all... Quite a bit to fathom. First there was Yukino talking about Reapers. Sera wasn't one, and not a commander she'd heard of until this invasion. Just what was going on? And Yukino, she seemed... Different for some reason. Like she wasn't making sense. At all. And that worried Seifer. And just when he thought nothing could make LESS sense, Sera went on an exposition. A long one, about another dimension. How he and Haruka were from another dimension altogether. In it, Haruka had destroyed the Clown, and killed Yukino. What about him? The others? Overlord went on to dominate the entirety of Cray itself, and then... They had come here to continue the invasion. This Haruka had only been in this time for two years. But wait... "If what you say is true then... ...The Haruka of this timeline then is dead. And through some time-space theories... I get it then. ...I suppose it's only a matter of time before you're both... Erased by the timeline trying to correct itself then?" what was Seifer talking about? It seemed pretty far fetched, out there... beyond his intelligence. "That being said. What happened to the others... The me of that time?" it was selfish to ask, and probably wasn't fair to, all things considered, but... He had to know.

Yugure approached Haruka before he began explaining, and took out a key from her pocket. Keeping her attention on Sera, Haruka's cuffs were unlocked. Sera was free now, so there wasn't much reason in holding the boy captive anymore. Removing the metal bindings, she moved away, and handed them over to another employee. The woman folded her arms as the "Seraphhim" or so he wasn't really named warped to her boyfriend.

"... Glendios."

Now she was absolutely sure of it. That name is completely unknown to her.

He said her beloved and himself aren't from the same world. The girl barely flinched when the enemy teleported in front of her, invading her personal space. The only thing that mattered right now was hearing the truth straight out of the horse's mouth. Like others, the duo were from another timeline. All of the time travelers, including him, seem to have defeated Link Joker. Haruka specifically murdered Chaos Breaker Dragon with Overlord's own sword. Before the invasion even got out of hand, this boy ended it.

Sera - Glendios turned to Yugure while continued to speak to Haruka. Overlord's sword came with a condition. ... Kill Blaster Blade's vanguard. The way he spoke, it could have only been...

... her.

... Yugure barely reacted, if at all. Her eyes instead gave a rather... grave look. No, they were more weary than anything. Weary and tired. The eyes of a soldier that was simply battle-worn, like a veteran in the last decade of their lives. She was only twenty-one, no, twenty-two years old.

"If he did that... The death of a major vanguard - my vanguard at the demand of Overlord would be the spark of a major war between the Sanctuary and Dragon Empire. It'd be the largest war in history since the Eternal War of the Grand Sanctuary..." Ahmes' voice chimed in. Unfortunately, he was right. Glendios said that wars all over the planet broke out. Being the strongest, of course, Overlord destroyed everyone. He ultimately took over the world, becoming the supreme dragon emperor of Cray.

And he was Haruka's avatar.

A phrase Glendios spoke seemed to have triggered the boy.

"Everything will be alright."

Had someone said that to Yugure, she'd probably get angry or ignore them considering how miserable she is. However, he seemed to have a reaction much worse, slumping down on a wall. For a moment, time practically froze on him, which caused for concern from the woman. A bit of a ridiculous notion, considering this story talked about how he killed her.

Glendios proceed to speak of the "Seed". The Seed "transferred" over to Haruka, and the Rift dropped them off here. This confirmed that the Rift wasn't actually in Link Joker's control, which was a bit surprising considering Neu Edelweiss got her powers and Jokers from it. She had a question, but she decided to save it as there was still more. Haruka has only been here for two years?

Seifer made an interesting point on the Haruka of this timeline being dead. Well the Haruka in front of them had already died once.

"On top of Seifer's question, I myself would like to know more about the nature of the "seed" you're talking about. In addition to that, my apologies for being somewhat confused, but that doesn't explain something. How is it Haruka had only been here for two years? The boy that... went through the fire of his childhood. Who was that?"

Yugure didn't mean to bring up a painful memory, but she needed clarity. Was that story a lie, or was that the actual Haruka of this timeline that Seifer just spoke of? Yugure understood a lot of things though. Haruka/Glendios were effectively one of the time travelers like the others with G Units.

"Haruka of this timeline? Oh right, yes. The fire. Its funny you bring up questions that happen to be so wonderfully... morbidly, intertwined. The Haruka of this timeline, the memories Haruka has, are conditional. The Haruka of this timeline died in that house fire."

Sera vanished again only to sit next to the broken Haruka. He was autonomic at this point, simply staring at the floor, breathing in short, rapid breaths. No response to anything really.

"The fire did happen. Haruka knows about it because for Haruka to exist in this timeline without his mind breaking or being unusually cruel, the Rift must have wiped his memory and replaced them with the closest thing of the one that this Haruka has. Except he died, unfortunately. So a jumble of memories were created in its place, and here the abomination sits now..."

Sera toyed with his hair, Haruka's that is. Breathing in hard, he put a hand on Haruka's shoulder and stared up to the remainder of the room.

"Everyone else in that timeline was mostly alive. Seifer reveled in Haruka here and his victory against Chaos Breaker Dragon. It was a glorious battle and a win that humanity and Cray would never forget. However, upon the murder of Yukino Espoir, there was bad blood between the two for a long time. It was never settled. Haruka was immediately spirited away after Overlord's conquest was complete. And everyone else..."

Sera pondered, tapping his chin.

"Haruka didn't make a lot of friends in that timeline, aside from the original Triad, Tsubasa, who had died to Neu Edelweiss in the void. Oh. Cero was the successor of that battle then, by the way. He was much more powerful in the previous timeline we existed in, nearly besting Haruka in mortal combat for divine right to take on The Clown himself on Cray. Haruka killed him then too, only to finish what Overlord could not. Haruka still absolutely adored Yukino, too, even when he killed her he loved her. He still does obviously, so those previous feelings probably emerged here, huh? Poor guy."

Well this all got... Morbid. Bad blood? Surely there would be, if that timeline's Seifer was like this one. And yet it remained unresolved. Nothing to do about that probably. "Let me ask this then. Mordred Phantom. Did the other Seifer use Mordred?" odd placed question all things considered but... He was curious nonetheless. Also, it seemed Cero was the successor to Tsubasa, as... the other Tsubasa seemed to of died. That was somewhat problematic to hear, considering Cero's overall ego. It was sad to hear that the other Tsubasa had died to Neu though... All things considered. He may not of known that world's version at all, but he felt bad hearing about the death all the same. And to Neu... Speaking of which, where was she? ...Probably the same as the others that were missing. "...Even with all you've said though... ...I'm not going to give up on Haruka. Even if he's from a different time line, fabricated memories and all... He's still him. He's still our Haruka. I've only known him a short time... No pun intended, but it doesn't change how we feel about him. ...It shouldn't. Even if you yourself were a part of him." taking a step forward, the male gripped the Link Joker deck that was at his waist now, causing some form of resonance. Almost like a light echo in an enclosed space. "I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at right now to be honest, not gonna try and lie about it. ...But your invasion won't resolve. ...I'll stop you myself if I have to." brave words for someone who had no idea how to use the deck that emerged from his soul, sealing away the only clan he really knew.

Yugure was surprised to hear Haruka actually died. Well, this timeline's correct Haruka. Not only that, but to replace the dead boy, this one here would have to take his place and possibly his memories. The rift, naturally, would have wiped that out and modified it so he wouldn't ever worry about it. Even if he did, it'd be a lie. A tragic lie, but less tragic than the actual truth. As far as time and space matters go, the Chosen Sword understood this unusually well.

However, while Glendios was messing with Haruka, it seems part of her question got ignored.

"I asked to also hear more about the 'seed'." The woman reminded.

"Also, Haruka, look directly at me and try to relax."

She was unsure if this technique would really work, but she really wanted her boyfriend to ease up a bit - to calm down. When they were children, Yukino always told a panicking Hana to look directly at her, and make an attempt to chill. The elder sibling would often grab the little's face so she could focus, and it helped many times. While the thought of everything, including killing her, must've been tearing up Haruka, she wanted him to know "everything would be alright". She didn't want to say that phrase that would get a negative reaction out of him.

All she wanted him to know was that she still cared, and that she's going to see to the end of this.

"I have a grasp for all that you've told me. However, I still don't understand you specifically or the seed. You aren't the Clown, and it doesn't sound like your Haruka exactly either."

"Down boy. I'm not even armed right now, put that away. If its a fight you want, save it for another night... I'm sure you can understand right now there are more important things to worry about besides fighting me if your precious Haruka is breaking down at the seams as it is." Sera wasn't here to instigate, he was giving away answers for free. Literally free. Not even putting up the closest thing of a fight. He wasn't even required to be here in all honesty, he could dematerialize and leave if he didn't want to say anything but he felt...

Felt.

He, felt?

He felt that they should know a little of the boy they invested so much time in.

Glendios lowered his head, remembering the question. Right. Who he was. Who was he?

"I'm Glendios. The formation of all that is Reverse. I was a creation of The Clown, meant to be the mass destruction tool that preyed on all negative energy, in order to form into a powerful entity. A gigantic force so powerful that not even Haruka here could destroy me with Overlord's toothpick. It would take a whole lot more than that. However I required a vessel in order to store this energy in the meantime. Haruka became the vessel after The Clown was torn asunder and had to give up his prized possession, lest it be lost and unfulfilled forever."

Haruka himself... the lights in his eyes dulled. All he could hear was the distorted voice from his dream, the grey face he saw back then, the limbs and the giggling and the decapitation and the field of flames. The sword. The giggling turned to a dark cackling. The voice of Reverse; The Clown laughing at him. The ultimate jest...-

Make a joke of the hero, and turn him into the villain.

Near floods of tears streamlined down his face but all he wore was a construct of a human shell. He slowly reached up to Yukino but missed and grabbed air.

"Everything will be... alright? Don't tell me... don't tell me that... You. Yukino? Yukino.... Yukino? You're alright? Right? Seifer too?"

Haruka felt like an amnesiac. Two formations of memories were colliding and meshing so he was trying his absolute hardest from the inside of the shell to figure out what was real, what was false, and how to cope with it. He wasn't just a defect in the system, but a failed attempt at heroism and twisted and turned into the reason that there is evil in the first place. Such a cruel fate.

So the ultimate tool of the Star-vaders, this "Seed" was Glendios. However, Yugure was finally able to piece together what she was looking for. This thing went to Haruka. This meant, after his victory, Sera went over to him as a vessel. Even though the Clown - the cause of this mess - was killed, his devilry made it to another timeline. ... So it was the same for every last one of them, more than likely. "You're all seeds", Yugure spoke up. "The people from other timelines in which they annihilated Link Joker must've had the same result. The Clown sought to create a doomsday weapon with Reverse, and naturally, he would in every timeline he was in. ... So the first assumption would be this happened to that disgusting woman, that Noel with Shadow Paladin, all of them."

... There was a hint of envy in Yugure's explanation. All these people still technically succeeded. There was something heart-wrenchingly different about their worlds and her own.

At the same time, fury was apparent. Now it was definite: she hated the Clown as much as... someone else unnamed.

"Haruka..." The girl called out to, walking over to the broken child. Crouching down, she grabbed that hand that only grasped air initially. Similar to before they began a romantic relationship, she squeezed his hand. "I said look at me", she reminded. She didn't answer his questions, and instead, simply tried to help him get his muddled mind back together. "Just look at me", it was repeated. To help him focus, she reached for his chin, lifting it up, and went further to caress his cheek.

He's suffering. He's suffering from all of this more than the ones trying to stop the vile taint he himself brought in. Even so, all she wanted was for him to be okay. For him to calm down, even for a moment. To convey from her soft, gentle gesture that he wasn't the villain that doomed them all, and he'd never be that.

The Clown's jeer was wrong. Why? Solely because it was Haruka. There was no logical reasoning for not accepting him as the reason behind this nightmare.

"Thank you for answering my questions, Glendios."

While keeping eye-contact, she expressed her gratitude to the devil's creation. Finally, every piece of the puzzle concerning the Star-vaders and the time travelers came together. The truth of Haruka and Sera finally came into light. Not only that, but now she figured out something concerning the reapers.

. . .

He was not the traitor.

Seifer's bravado was indeed misplaced, as Sera... Glendios... said. What brought it out was probably the other two in the room. Really, what had he done for them besides be a nuisance? That's what it felt like to him. He was no more than a nuisance. No better than a third wheel, or a waste of space. That hit him hard, given the situation. He wanted to bad to be a pillar for someone again. Rosalia was gone, he had to accept that. And he wasn't just about to replace her. ...Maybe it was a good thing Glendios mentioned not being the time to fight. Seifer thought his mind clear, but rather it was just as clouded.

In his mind, he could see everyone's back turned from him... Moving away, out of his reach. He was left alone. That thought... It nearly drove him to depression. Reaching out his hand, he tried... Desperately to catch someone, and yet... Nothing. No one was there... He was all alone. Snapping back to reality however, the male's eyes shut halfway, mostly trying to hide the creeping depression. "What can I even do for Haruka? I'm not Yukino. I can't take her place, can't do for him anything she does. ...I doubt I should even be here to begin with. He's like a brother to me, and yet... I'm useless." it wasn't the voice of resignation, rather... Indignation at his own inability. Come to think of it, what good even was he to anyone? What has he done for anyone? "I suppose I could do one or two things... Nee-san would kill me for one of them. The other..." he shut his eyes. "She'd kill me for that to, if it were possible." he sighed shaking his head, glancing over at Haruka and Yukino. It was a heart wrenching sight for him, hurting him because he felt like he couldn't do anything for Haruka, and that he himself had lost the most important person in his life. And yet, he held no ill will, no jealousy for them.

At Haruka's words, the forlorn, distant sounding words... Considering what Seifer could only begin to guess at what Haruka himself was feeling, echoed in the brunette's mind. Why did Seifer himself keep feeling sorry about his own problems? Even with what Yukino told him in the mansion, he couldn't attempt to agree, putting everyone else's problems before his own. And yet, he still managed to fail at even helping someone with the tiniest of problems. Utterly useless. Waste of space. Yet again, paranoid thoughts like these drifted through his mind, prompting an even greater withdrawal from the reality of the world. "Haruka, if you can hear me, your past doesn't matter. The time you spent elsewhere no longer matters. You're here with us. Your past, while dark, doesn't define who you are. Your reality." his gaze went from the man he considered his brother, to Sera... Glendios. "Whether or not you choose to listen to that, to accept it and find a path forward. One that you desire, that's up to you. But no matter what happens, you have people here for you." where did this come from? Did it even make sense? Was it relevant? Who knows. Seifer's own mind seemed to be drifting further away from it all, if someone could indeed peer into his mind.

Yukino speaking however, brought him out of his daze, even if only a little bit. He heard the envy, and gave a light sigh looking to the side. To be honest, what did she have to be envious about? If anything, she was just as successful as the Seeds were, albeit not in the same way. It was far more than he was, or ever would be. Again with the paranoid thoughts. It wasn't something he could help. Actually, the more you looked at it, he was trying to run away from his own problems. He didn't say anything else, resigning himself to his own mind as he turned back to the scene before him. Quietly watching, like a shadow.

Glendios raised an eyebrow, shrugged indignantly, and disappeared. Dematerialized from the area. He took Seifer's words to heart though... he had words for him.

Haruka on the other hand, was trying his hardest to break through the damned wall that the Clown had created for him. Despite the darkest of his memories cracking through and forcing him to wallow in his own self-despair, he heard voices.

Two of them. A warm woman's voice and an understanding male's.

"W...what?"

The lights flickered on.

He felt a hand move across his face gently, as she called out to him. It was Yukino, but he couldn't tell at first or even second glance. He had to blink several times, even shaking his head to get his vision straight and realize what was right in front of him.

From across the room words of courage coursed through the air. Haruka gulped, taking them in at full blast. He felt something move inside. The body began to move coherently again. He moved his hand up to meet Yukino's, the one on his face. A small smile appeared, gracious for their support once more. He did as she said, and looked. He saw. His eyes met hers and the shine and sparkle returned to the red irises of the near albino boy. He smiled at her but only for as long as he could hold it before emotionally tearing apart. He had to close his eyes and just nod at her words because he couldn't face to look at such a pure person in his heart and then be the way he is.

A murderer. In some ways he did it to save existence, but, in his heart, it still didn't feel right.

Seifer only had so much to say, but those words were a good start to fixing the problem Haruka was facing. The definition of his past does not define him as a being, but that didn't change the fact it happened and he now had something to remember that logically conflicted with the present world. Despite that, however, he no longer felt fear from Glendios, Sera, or whoever was in his way, but rather fear in facing his past and coming to terms with the reality he had now.

What lied in store for this boy's future?

"What?!" One of the soldiers shouted. "He's gone!"

"Find him!" Another soldier screamed.

"Wait!" Yugure yelled. Her subordinates halted, and turned to her. She was still quiet, gazing at Haruka. Honestly, there was a lot she wanted to try and say, but it was choked down thinking it may not have helped. So she was happy, even if it was only for a moment, that her eyes meeting with his, combined with encouraging words from Seifer, put a smile on his face. Haruka closed his eyes and gave her a nod. The Chosen Sword responded by leaning forward, and planting a kiss upon his lips. It wasn't too long, but it was long enough to solidify the message. After staring at him for a few moments more, the general stood on her feet.

"Chasing Glendios now is a waste of time. He's already told us he's a massive storage of Reverse energy, so that's not all that hard to track down. We need to prioritize the Clown before it makes a Seed for this timeline. So get back to finding him!"

Yugure roared an order that scrambled the resistance. While she was happy Glendios answered her questions, he probably shouldn't have told her as much as he did. Perhaps he had a change of heart? Regardless, her gratitude was genuine. Thanks to him, she knew that Haruka and Sera weren't the traitor, and Sera himself was not a Reaper.

"Someone do me a favor", Yugure started, then looked toward Haruka. "I love you and I want to sit down with you for a little bit, but I have to do this first, okay? Just go get some rest for now. I want someone to lead Haruka to a warm bed, give him a drink, bring him some decent food, and let him relax."

"Understood, commander."

"Relay this information to father. He may know a way to stop Seeds as a whole or at least Glendios."

"Roger."

"Also, track every single movement any of those other Seeds make. I want to know where they are and what they're doing at all times."

"Got it."

The general watched as other employees that remained ran off. Then, she turned to Seifer, and smiled.

"I'm proud of you."

The doubt he was feeling was easy to see. While this may not be exactly helpful to the problems he's experiencing... she at least wanted him to know that.

"Thank you."

The proverbial glass in Seifer's mind shattered. She was proud of him? She thanked him? For what? What'd he do? It was nice to hear to say the least, but... It wasn't something he was used to, at least not yet. It was a warm feeling though nonetheless, and there was a soft, albeit short lived smile on his face. "I... ...Thanks Nee-San, I guess I needed to hear someone say it." the brunette shut his eyes for a moment, holding the side of his head. He started to look tired, exhausted. "I have a favor to ask at least." it sounded odd, his voice when he spoke but he continued before hearing if anyone said yes or no. "If at all possible, I'd like to be the one to take on S-... Glendios." odd request indeed but he continued. "Even before coming back from Hawaii, I felt like I was useless, undeserving of those around me. Undeserving of the praise I was given, or the love and affection of someone who's now gone. I couldn't protect her, and I started to run away... Trying to hide from my problems." there was a long pause as his eyes glanced down to the floor, flicking back at forth trying to collect his thoughts.

"I know I no longer have Kagero, and there's a chance I'll never get it back... But..." he took a deep breath raising his eyes to meet his spiritual sister's. Behind them was a quiet determination, no remorse, no sadness. Acceptance. "Even if I have to use Link Joker for the rest of my life, I want to be able to find a way to use it to protect everyone. Protect you, Haruka... Everyone I care about." he glanced to the side again shutting his eyes halfway. "To do that, I feel... I feel like I need to be the one to fight him. I need to feel like I can stand up at your side and Haruka's. ...I don't want to be a shadow any longer."

"I understand how you feel", his sister began. "But don't get cocky nor ridiculous. Glendios is a mass of Reverse, Void, among other powers he obtained by just residing with Haruka. He even turned Overlord into the most frightening beast on Cray as it stands. While I know you wish to have a battle to bolster your self-confidence, this is a fight we all need to tackle together."

Hopefully Seifer would understand that she's talking from experience when she says fighting Link Joker's best alone is basically suicide.

"Commander!"

"Report."

"We... we found the Clown! ... We think. We're still trying to pinpoint exactly where he is, but we think we found him!"

"And Glendios?"

"As you said, we got a lock on his movements!"

"Father?"

"Yeah... that's kinda the bad news."

"What did he say about stopping a Seed?"

"He said... the only way to stop a Seed... is to kill it before it spreads into someone too strong that can cause damage."

That's exactly what she was afraid of hearing. Unfortunately, it was exactly what she expected as well. The group of employees were dismissed. Yugure cracked her neck. There was clown makeup to smear on a Cyber Dragon's face along with his own blood or whatever it was inside of Chaos Breaker. This grudge match is what she's been waiting for. Not only that, but there was still yet another thing to confirm: that demon's Vanguard. Who was the person she fought with the game instead of Chaos Breaker directly?

"Whatever we do, I'm going to murder that damn dragon. Especially now that I have the means to do so."

The miracle discovered among the Liberators would be the trump card.

"I'll be leaving shortly."

"I understand, and I had no intention of going it alone. But I feel it's ne-" he was cut off by the staff under Yukino's command so he just remained quiet. All things will happen in due time. They'd found the clown. Wait, the Clown? Who was that? Maybe Seifer hadn't been paying enough attention, but it sounded... familiar for some reason. Oh well. Right now he'd just follow and stay close. His older sister had indeed said for him to stay within her sight after all. And he agreed to it for particular reasons. Quietly he'd follow and support the Meister, the leader of the resistance. There was no reason not to.

After catching his breath, Haruka stood against the wall weakly. He unequipped his dual-layered jacket as a new icy... refreshing feeling raced through his veins. With a large deep sigh, he kept an ear on the situation at hand. They apparently locked onto Sera, who wasn't all too far away, as well as their sights on The Clown.

Haruka remembered encountering the Clown a handful of times. One time at the dreaded battle in Hoshiko, when the entire area was obliterated by the forces of Reverse and Resistance alike. The second time was during a battle between Sera and Diablo, or Tsubasa or whoever it was. It was the first time Sera used his abilities to allow two opponents fight in the sky. However there were... semi-obvious spectators for that battle. The Clown stood off in the far wretches of the shadows, spectating, according to Sera's old memory bank. Karin was also nearby, however he did not notice the person before-hand and simply discarded the remainder of who or why she was there.

Sera, Glendios, whatever his name is, was out on the loose...

______________________________________________________________________________________

It took no time at all to find himself materializing at the park and sitting promptly on Haruka's favorite bench. On nights like these, the stressful kind, there was always a really pretty crescent moon in the sky. Waning. It was going to be a full moon soon, and that was also pretty exciting to the dark spirit.

Glendios stared up, resting himself. Tomorrow was the day. He monologue'd like any villain should, so his big part was over. Now he just had to see his plan through til the end. The golem's remains were forming at the seams on Cray. The relic armor was forming from the shambles of sand and would be ready to enter the next night.