Lake Miseria

Karin tilted her head back to look at the man who had approached her. She didn't really recognize him, but he was asking about her wellbeing, so she may as well answer. She lifted her feet up and kicked out, planting them firmly on the ground again as she lifted herself up with the added momentum, coming to a standing position instantly. She turned to face the stranger, putting a hand on her hip. "Um, yeah, I'm alright. I usually come out here for my morning runs, I was just taking a break. Nothing to worry about." She tried to wave the man off, hoping that he might just leave her be. Karin really didn't feel like talking to anyone she didn't know. "The concern is appreciated, though. Thanks."

Aedan sat the for a moment, a bit dumbfounded at what he just saw. "That was, pretty impressive if you don't mind me sayin'." he complimented her physical fitness and abilities, almost clapping, but chose not to since it might seem out of place. Though at the blow off, he quietly scratched his cheek glancing to the side... His eyes shutting halfway. "If yer sure, then I've got no choice but to really oblige, jus'." he turned starting to leave before scratching the back of his head sighing. "If somethin's botherin' ye it's easier to talk about it, get it off yer chest, y'know?..." he paused for a moment, contemplating what to say next.

"...I suppose if ye need someone to talk to, I'll be around. Got stuff to think about since comin' here to Japan, fighting giant monsters, summonin' units and what not." he frowned for a moment before turning his head over his shoulder to look at Karin. "Not that ye might care lass, but I'm Aedan O'Brien." weird, why did he feel the need to introduce himself? Well, maybe it was good he did... He had manners after all. Turning away from Karin, he started walking away fully this time, tracing the edge of the lake.

"Karin Ouriel. I'll let you know if I ever want to take you up on that offer." Karin returned the introduction, at least remembering her manners, before allowing the man to walk away, still rather glad he was polite enough to take the hint. She turned back to the lake, letting her mind wander again. There was so much to think about, and so little she could do to actually get answers. She sat herself back down and brought her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She stared down at the water's surface, looking at the reflection of her sad face.

The redhead's angered expression softened as Karin was left alone, glad he wouldn't have to sick Overlord on him to make him back off. Whether this possessiveness was inherited from Overlord to safeguard his kin or just the man wanting to protect his sister in flames was a mystery in itself. He placed his hands in pocket, approaching Karin quietly as to not disturb her. She seemed rather deep in thought... or simply lamenting the situation, which he was afraid of. The end of the future's suffering was soon to be, and it'd be a bumpy rode considering the drones had to continue fighting for Reapers who their boss didn't really care for. Chances were Harbinger didn't care about them or their feelings either. He got lucky with the god of salvation not deleting him for his failure during Scorpion and Hydra's assault.

They survived, so they're not weaklings.

A quiet sigh.

Saying nothing, he only came near his comrade, and sat down in front of the lake next to her. Silently telling: "I don't like you, but I'm here."

Karin's eyes shifted as she saw Solis' reflection come into view against the water's surface. She turned her head just enough to look at him. A gentle breeze blew through her hair, causing a few stray strands to catch in front of her eyes, which she promptly brushed away with her hand.

This person had gone out of his way to come to her, if only to give her company, despite the two of them absolutely hating eachother. They despised everything about one another, the only thing they had in common being their connection to their respective Overlords. Solis was probably stronger than Karin as a Fighter anyway, not that Karin would care to admit it. And yet, Solis was still here. Whether it was because of that link, or simply because there might actually be some small chance they could like one another.

To Karin, though, it didn't really matter much. The circumstances that surrounded her felt irrelevant. She was just glad to have the company of someone who, despite having turned to Harbinger's nihilism, would at least understand her situation. She tilted her head back down, leaning herself against him gently.

"...Thanks."

Solis willingly chose to be an emotional pillar, even if nothing he said could help her see things his way - to see that it'd all be over soon. They would not have to think, they would not have to worry. True peace through the end of life and afterlife. If only she could accept such a happy end, where he, she, and Overlord would know pain no longer. He'd kill to have her just agree with it and cease clinging to her past. ... But he said nothing of it. He knew it'd just make her feel even worse.

"The paths for us of the sun is never going to be easy, no matter what choices we make. Even so, that doesn't mean we have to just choke down our hearts and accept it."

Being Kagero was suffering.

Solis let his hair flow with the wind, not bothering it as he reached a hand behind Karin to her shoulder.

Karin nestled up to the sun warrior, finding a small comfort in his hand on her shoulder. It definitely wasn't something she wanted, and it absolutely wasn't something she liked- A man who had given up all hope, practically slandered Overlord's name, and had the nerve to hold himself in such high regard, touching her and comforting her like a lover would- But she found solace in it regardless. She felt at peace, for now, letting her worries drift away, like a ripple in the lake's surface. Solis spoke.

His words pierced her mind and flooded her head. He was showing real sympathy, despite everything between them. It was almost ironic, a man ready for the world to end telling her to fight against their fate. But, his words still rung true for her, and she hung on them. Her path had already been long for what it was, and she still had a long, long way to go. If Yukino won, which Karin hoped she did, she'd either be branded a traitor, or go back to the Resistance, and knowing how these things work, she'd likely have plenty more catastrophes to help fight against if she did go back.

It was going to be hard. It was going to hurt. But Karin had to press on anyway. One way or another, she'd find a way out of Harbinger's clutches, and go back to Yukino, to Haruka... Back to her family.

It wouldn't be easy, but she had to start somewhere.

For now, Karin just let herself linger in the comfort of her counterpart's arm, listening to the gentle waves push against the lake's edge.

The water was warmer than normal today.

Satoshi lay floating in the lake, wearing nothing but swim trunks and gazing up at the sky. He was trying to distance himself from his thoughts, like he did following briefly losing Seph after his loss at the world tournament in New York. Time away from others was always strange, because he longed for companionship, but didn't want to burden them with his presence. Besides, he'd just hurt again otherwise...

He stared at his mark. The memories flashed again. Of Nebula Lord, thrashing and locking away innocent units. Of himself, manipulating the reversed like puppets. Did he still have that within him, even when Yugure had severed it away herself? Is that what having the Regalia of the Fool meant, having darkness as a tool for innocence?

He rested his hands behind his head again, before deciding to lower himself for a while, dipping below the water's surface. The images dimmed as he went under, trapped above the surface of the water, like this was the only solution. He closed his eyes.

Satoshi Kurosaki, in an attempt to find peace for himself, was possibly about to drown.

Solis had stayed at the lake after Karin left, remembering the embrace they shared over the girl's misery. He attempted to, ironically, clear his mind with the sight of the enormous body of water. The sun warrior still believed that girl was on the right side right now, with the gods of salvation who would end the future. He believed in utter erasure being paradise - a form of ascension through nihilism, freed of thought. Contemplating this world of silence, he suddenly hear something.

A man was drowning. A recent opponent from the past.

"Oi!" Solis shouted, running and summoning the Dragon Empire's mightiest beast to reach a hand into the water, and grab Satoshi, yanking him out of the lake.

Just about as fast as he was slipping under, he flew out of the lake, grabbed by something, and slammed against the shore.

Satoshi sputtered water. Right, if he stayed under too long, he'd actually drown himself. But...in that moment was a release of thought, concern...true peace. These two ideas kept conflicting as he tried to push himself up, his chest aching from impact.

"Ouch..." He dusted himself off, only to see...wait, wasn't this that Perdition user he fought when he first used his Regalia?

Satoshi wanted to confront him, but realized that, in fact, this guy had technically just saved his life. When your enemy saves you...something's not exactly as it seems. Instead of assuming a defensive stance, he gave a slightly informal bow.

"Thanks..."

Overlord let him down onto the grass, Solis' expression turning into an annoyed one in realizing he just saved the enemy. While he would've done so out of respect in any other circumstance, ending this path to end all of existence faster would've been preferred. An irritated sigh, "What in the hell are you doing?" the sun warrior inquired.

"Clearing out memories of the past...unwanted ones one of your associates brought out in me." Satoshi still had an itch to confront him, but it really wasn't the time, the way he saw it. And based on how this guy had reacted to save him, even if he was an enemy...someone who was at the very least honorable didn't deserve that kind of berating. At least, not yet.

"When they faded as I went under, I...kind of forgot about the fact that I was in water and I guess just started to drown. Not in a panic, of course, but..." He looked down, scratching the back of his head. What could he do about it, actually?

... If Solis was more eager, he could've twisted this line of Satoshi's thought progress as wanting to stop thinking and hearing - a world of silence. He isn't simply a crazy cult man though, mind you, so he refrained. Overlord vanished and the sun warrior decided to continue being civil at the very least, as even if they were enemies, he wished suffering on no one. Hands in pocket, expression softening, he replied: "If you feel the need to empty your mind, simply do it in a... safer place. Meditation in a quiet environment with the only sounds being from a rather loud air conditioner, for example."

This was a bit difficult.

He gave Karin some profound words because she was an ally. Trying to give Satoshi, his enemy here, some advice to not... drown was kind of odd, and it showed.

Satoshi nodded. While this would be common sense, his own was rather limited at the moment, and for a servant of the reapers, this Perdition user was rather...wise and stable. "I have a place I can go to do just that. Thanks again."

He picked up his clothes and turned away to head in the direction of said place, but stopped after a few steps. "...I wish things weren't like this. We're not truly enemies, we're people with different ideas of what the future should be. We still share humanity, no matter what we've been gifted with. I've said this to the Chosen Sword, time and time again, in various forms. And I always want to find another way so senseless bloodshed doesn't happen."

He held up a hand with a goodbye wave that almost seemed to be a look of defeat. "Maybe someday I'll finally convince her, but I guess it's not going to be today or any time soon, y'know?"

"Having a favored place of solace will most certainly help ease the mind", Solis grinned, pleased with the thought of his own comfortable living room of nothing but cool AC humming as he sat quietly and the world melted away for what felt like eternities upon eternities. The man watched Satoshi get ready to be on his way, probably not wanting to be near the enemy. The sun warrior couldn't deny he felt the same, but was also pleased with himself to know Harbinger's grip wasn't absolute: he was still human. Human enough to help a fellow while he's down.

And this other human around him was right. They are not "enemies" in the sense of humanity and reapers are. Humans and humans just share "ideals", opinions of how tomorrow should play out. He wished for a way where blood isn't spilled. Had Solis been younger in his more innocent childhood, he'd have thought the same. Being a Kagero warmonger at heart, however, he couldn't envision a battlefield of idealism without it though.

Even still, he was good enough for Solis to be satisfied with the swift defeat he suffered before. Because he was beaten by a man who didn't want any of this.

"One day", Solis offered, raising his hand. He couldn't convince Harbinger, but maybe Satoshi could convince the Chosen Sword. A future that isn't nothingness to look forward to? Of course he didn't personally believe in it, but he wanted to support this fellow for trying.

"Tarayev, I can walk now thank you..."

"B-But..."

"I'm fine, really. ...I promise okay?" It was a half lie, but Tarayev reluctantly let his Vanguard stand on his own. Standing at the edge of the lake, Seifer stared out over the water, eyes half shut... And dull as ever. Losing Nouvelle, having it pretty much ripped out of his soul had taken it's toll on the brunette... And his units could see that. Even then, they stayed by his side, looking up to him. He was trying so hard to not let his emotions break him down again. He'd already lost himself once, and his friends all came to his side when he needed them... Even as he pushed them away. He didn't deserve them, but he couldn't even protect them... Could he actually live up to the boasts? Was it even worth it? Everything seemed hopeless, like they should of just given up a long time ago. But if that were truly the case, then he would of been dead a long time ago. ...Why was he still here? He should of disappeared with the Shadow Paladin deck in the shadow world of Umano.

In his mind, her image flashed again, the red head who he'd given his life to, which caused him to shut his eyes.

"...It must be you huh? ...You're watching over me, wherever you are, aren't you?" quietly, as the Perdition Knights looked on, the brunette produced a card from his pocket, the edges torn and frayed. Venus Luquier. The card was beyond use, as it was far to damaged, and yet the male still held onto it... a soft smile on his face. "...It must be really silly of me, talking to you like this... You're gone, and yet it feels like you never left..." he shut his eyes, holding the card to his chest. "You want me to be happy... So for you, I'll try... You may be gone, but I'll never forget you. ..." as he spoke, the broken shell of a man's smile never left, even as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Sayonara, I love you..." he chose to try and move on, even with the memories.

Nature itself seemed timeless as even the lake's clear surface remained still, untainted by ripples thus reflecting the surrounding in vivid colours. Water attributes to calmness, reflectiveness and serendipity, perfect for such occasions where one needs to muster resolve in order to move on from such scarring event, and here one of the Resistance's member cherishes his time, saying goodbye to the past and moving on. Once the Resistance's goal is united, then the time to retaliate doth come.

Megumi calmly walks towards the figure as light breeze tossed her protruding cape and hair into the beam of glistening sunlight.

"A great day isn't it? Nothing beats this scenery at this time of the year." Megumi conversed towards Seifer and even though they do not know each other, Megumin vividly remember his and his unit's face from the intervention. "I haven't really introduced myself have I? I'm Megumi Nase, nice to meet you" she said as her footsteps gradually decreased in length incrementally before finally coming to a halt next to Seifer; embarrassingly her head rivalled Seifer's shoulder in height.

Tarayev glanced at the newcomer as she approached, though didn't say or do anything. It was his Vanguard's choice what to do anyway. At the approaching footfalls, Seifer opened his eyes, looking over at Megumi for a moment... Returning the destroyed card to his pocket. "I'm Seifer Espoir. It's nice to meet you as well Megumi." a light smile as he turned his head back toward the water. He hadn't even noticed that he'd gotten taller until now. It was an odd though, as his hands found themselves in his pockets.

"Yeah, it's great. ...I love scenes like this really. It helps me think, calm my mind." he started to converse with Megumi, remembering seeing her at the outskirts. She didn't seem to be a bad person, as he noticed the bangle around her wrist as well. It was slightly surprising to see someone new that could be considered a part of the Resistance but then again, everyone has their own choices to make.

"So, Megumi, what brings you out here? Almost never see anyone else near places like this anymore." a sad soft smile as his scarf blew in the gentle wind with his jacket tail doing the same.

"Oh, this was totally coincidental. I think I need to calm my mind a recollect my thoughts after, you know, that happened..." Megumin subsequently talked without realizing she might've triggered Seifer's loss during the battle. A second thought entered her mind, she hasn't been able to activate her Reality Bangle at all, maybe this was the perfect time to ask him how its used considering he has a unit summoned out at the moment. "Mhm, if you don't mind, may I ask you how does this thing work?" She asked as her wrist elevated with her other hand pointing at the bangle.

Coincidental huh? Makes sense. But it was nice to see that there was someone else who used nature spots to collect their thoughts. When Megumi asked about how to use the reality bangle he actually thought about that for a moment. He'd been using his for so long it just became like second nature... He didn't even have to think about it that much. But then again, it was a simple process. "It's a bit simple, but it's not something that would typically come to mind first." he explained holding up his left arm showing her the bangle. "All you have to do is hold a card up to the bangle and it materializes the unit into our world." as a demonstration he showed Menace Laser Dragon, holding it up next to the bangle. The card glowed softly, as did the bangle and then... Menace Laser Dragon was behind Seifer, looking at the brunette.

Smiling, Seifer reached up, gently petting the flame dragon, which shut it's eyes at his touch. "After that it just becomes a simple repeat, over and over." his smile continued to stay on his face as his eyes shut halfway, continuing to pet the dragon who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the attention. Tarayev had to hide a smile, since it seemed silly for a dragon to seem like a dog.

"O-oh" Megumin flustered as the dragon simulated right in front of her eyes. Kagero, the fire dragon she thought; it was the very same clan she lost to in her first game of Vanguard against Solis. The flashback quickly ended as she took out a card to experiment with. Sifting through her deck, she tried to find the least harmless creature in it: and there it was, Ordain Owl, the perfect candidate. To add a little bit of spice Megumin chanted her summoning spell in tandem with the bracelet's resonance.

"I ask that the heavens make the stars descend to earth. Illuminate... by all means... this land... this world... this land. By your hand, let everything be illuminated! Summon: Ordain Owl!" Megumin chanted as her bracelet enveloped her body with a warm glow, similar to the energy used when casting magic. The gallant, noble winged creature fluttered its refined, brown feathers, sending shivers to the trees and distorting the lake's surface. This familiar to the all-knowing goddess represents wisdom, suiting an owl the most. Megumin then raised her arm perpendicular to her body, lightly spreading her cape whilst also signalling the familiar to land, using her frail arms as a branch. "Look Seifer! I can summon it, even though its quite a low grade unit, I think I'll be able to improve by a mileage. For that I'll need more experience; there is no other opportunity more perfect than this one. Seifer, would you please accept my challenge?" Megumin declared as both her and the owl's eye shined with determination, turning her body sideways to face Seifer. She was absolutely serious this time.

"E-Eh?" he'd been challenged to a simple game but...

"S-Sorry, but I don't think our Vanguard could be up to the t-" Seifer raised his hand at Tarayev. He knew the Perdition Knight was only trying to look out for his health but still.

"I'm a little bit tired right now, but I'll gladly accept. I don't mind helping people out when they ask or need me." he smiled at Megumin and the owl. The determination was kind of adorable to see, all things considered. "So I accept your challenge."

Megumin unleashed CEO Yggdrasil's full power, reaching devastating numbers and finally a critical trigger was checked, ending the game. Seifer took the top card of his deck and put it in the damage zone, the 6th card was dealt. Megumi's heart throbbed a little bit during that fight as it was extremely close; there were no doubts Seifer was an extremely capable fighter, perhaps thats why he maintains in the Resistance.

"Thank you very much for today, I had lots of fun and I felt I'm more physically and mentally capable now. From teaching me to testing my cardfighting skills, I really appreciated it from the bottom of my heart. I know most people from the Resistance might think of me as a nuisance due to my immaturity, but I can promise you I truly wish to participate and help bring an end to this chaos. As an amateur you've taught me so many things through the span of a day. I'll take back my word from earlier, I think today wasn't a pure coincidence, it may very well be fate!" Megumin said as she brought out her star of the game earlier: Regalia of Fate, Norn though its visibility was questioned as bright sunlight shone from behind her, leaving a blurry silhouette before Seifer's eyes.

Seifer chose to have fun, and he did... Even losing to Yggdrasil. He just continued to smile the entire time as the game ending, even laughing a little. "Fate huh?" quietly he scratched his cheek in a bit of embarrassment at the praise as well. He taught her a few things in the span of a day? Well, that's some pretty high praise considering he'd only shown her one thing but... He wasn't about to correct her. "Don't change." he spoke suddenly, his face growing solemn as he stared out at the lake. "You're not a nuisance, so don't change." turning his gaze back toward Megumin. The shift might be a bit uncomfortable, but it was just... something that happened.

"People like you are the reason light seems to shine sometimes." a silly statement, but he just chose to smile, patting Menace Laser as he started to walk away with his hands in his pockets. There was something he needed to get back now. Something he'd been putting off for to long.

Megumin's thought was flooded with confusion but she didn't seem to worry much and smiled warmly back at him. Maybe it was a compliment, maybe it was a warning; we'll never know. Soon after Seifer left, Megumin also walked back as the sun's intensity is far from comfortable during midday. She dispelled her Ordain Owl and walked away, heading straight back.