Tower of Salvation ((Saints, Heroes.))

[Kain Angelo]

"As if you need to ask..." Kain began, "After one of the two sides fall that magic will release the winner. I should have this done by the time that happens."

[Aya Dauzi Invargas]

Ayalan looked aside and folded his arms, getting up.

"...So you're saying we have to kill them to go on?.."..

"..Look at that Saints, your leader has sacrificed you to no avail to help his cause, not your own; Think of me as a demon if you must, but I'm a demon spouting the truth!" Ayalan pulled his knuckles on, and his gauntlets glowed with power, as he walked toward the enemy team, the Saints.

"I give you one chance, because I'd prefer not losing teammates, and I'm sure you're the same way. How are you so certain that this gateway will even bring about the revolution you desire?!"

[Maliciferum]

A stone slab jutted out of the ground and blocked the giant sword. Malice stood and said "Give up Saint, you do not have a place in this world." He looked up at the top of the tower and wondered if Aya was ok. He didnt want to lose his friend so soon after really getting to know him. Malice took a step back and a huge flower grew from the ground and bloomed. In the center of the flower was something akin to a throne. Malice sat, and the flower grew straight up, taking him to the top of the tower.

[genericvillain]

"L-l-l-liar!!" Nia spat at Aya as he stepped towards them. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself and bit her bottom lip hard, shaking her head at him.

"K-Kain l-l-lo-lo-l-looks after us, we look af-after h-h-him...look after him! He-he-he-he wouldn't a-a-aban-a-abandon us...we're f-family, f-f-family doesn't a-abandon or sacrifice ANYONE!"

Seeing the raining light attack coming from above Nia quickly took cover, her hands covering her head and she screamed out in pain as random ones cut at her skin. She shook and looked to her fellow Saints...it wasn't true that Kain would actually sacrifice them for himself, was it? He wouldn't do that, they were family, and family had to stick together...

So why was everything feeling like it was falling apart?

[Aya Dauzi Invargas]

Ayalan looked at Nia with a frown; he always, always couldn't handle that sound, the screams, as he breathed in slowly; he would approach this battle..hopefully without bloodshed. Aya whispered, "Guys..you're looking at it through the wrong light..why must we fight to have one side prevail, if instead, we all just join the same side?.."

He snapped his fingers, and from his hand, emerged a fireball of great luminescence, due to his recent training and his circlet's power. "Listen here.." He tossed it in his hands and smiled at Nia.

"..Let's play catch." He said softly, as he stood and put his knife away, "Who says that we are enemies?...Kain does. However, I heard nothing about you being my enemy, or anyone in this room. I am a mercenary." He tossed the fireball up in the air toward Nia for her to catch; he knew of her fire powers.

"I am not saying you have to believe me, but know that I would rather not kill anyone here; I only want to stop the end of the world from happening..you aren't recreating a new world order, you're only destroying the current one..and then what? What of the Saints that end up disheveled from this battle? Can 5 people really recreate a world, especially with the threat of 13 individuals with 26 people commanding armies upon armies?..." He said softly, looking up at Nia.."And finally..if your leader really cares..why is he not here, helping you through this battle?..Any leader should be expected to stand by their allies' sides until the very end."

[genericvillain]

Nia listened to Aya reluctantly. She didn't want to believe that Kain was using them, she didn't want to believe a single word Aya said to her. Her eyes widened as he brought out the fireball and tossed it into the air and for a moment, her fears seemed to subside, watching it dance and twirl in only the warm way she knew it would.

As it came down she brought out shaky, bloody hands and cradled its landing into her palms, staring down at it as she held it. It was comforting...but yet she knew of her surroundings, a battle that was being fought and Aya's words came back to her. Nia wanted to tell him he was wrong again, which she thought he was, but at the same time he made valid points himself which brought her to a mental struggle--did she attack or did she give up?

Not being able to come to an end to her own argument, the fireball dropped from Nia's hands to the ground, a small fire starting at her feet in the grass as she, too, hit the ground. On her knees she simply burst into tears, having no clue what she really wanted to do.

[glitters]

Jasmine frowned, seeing Aya and Nia's interactions with each other. She looked from them to her own hands.

'Grandmother, you taught me how to attack. You taught me how to punish those who do wrong...'

Something turned in her stomach then as Nia started crying. Jasmine's hands clenched themselves back into fists then.

'...I feel ashamed that I don't know who to teach a lesson to and who to save. You tell me it'll take practice, but it scares me to know I'll be making mistakes along the way...it hurts to make a mistake...please help me...'

It appeared to her that attacking the whole team wasn't going to be a good idea any longer. Saints were dropping, some were switching sides, and some had no clue what they were doing apparently. Jasmine was still rather new to being an active fighter in a battlefield, but she easily deduced then that for this particular battle, attack those who were obviously looking to attack you no matter what the circumstance rather than barge in and attempt to wipe everyone out.

[Maliciferum]

Malice was greeted with an odd scene. "What magic is this?" He wondered, staring at the bubble that had consumed the battlefield. After a moment, he smirked "Lets see if we can get in" he said to the plant he was perched on. The giant flower sprouted vines, each with a large venus-flytrap like head on the end. The vines began pounding the sphere as Malice cackled "Knock knock!".

[Zee]

Zee walked to Nia and kneeled next to her. "One sec," he mumbled as he reached for his pack. He rummaged through it, bringing out a small square of cloth. "Here, it might help." Zee handed the handkerchief to the crying girl. He had a gut feeling that he may not be seeing that handkerchief again, but he didn't care.

[Aya Dauzi Invargas]

Ayalan nodded to Zee, as he smiled at Nia, and kneeled down, holding out his hands.

"Ready?" He said softly, as he looked to Zee, "Hopefully my magic is alright enough to do this."

He looked down at his hands, and sparked a fire..but that fire soon turned into a scene, of people walking, and then it became a small fireworks show, as he blinked and focused his eyes in and out, popping and crackling from the fire acting as the fireworks. It became scene after scene, and he hoped with Zee, that they could both make her feel better rather than cry.

[Kouichi - Yami No Kuro Raion]

A boy with cat ears poking out of his black hair walkd up behind Aya - unnoticed throughout, possibly, but still there. In his eyes was a look of profound grief, as he looked at the Saints he knew were watchig the exchange between Ayalan and the girl. His ears were set back in caution, anger, and the willingness to fight, but he only opened his mouth to speak.

"Have you ever dreamed that their might be a way other than revenge?" he asked, slowly, sadly, but determined. "I've been here. Rage and hate were the only emotions I let myself feel. Revenge on all the people I thought had wronged me was my motivation for everything; I'm not saying that the wrong you feel isn't more real than mine was, as it certainly was, but your revenge is the same as my revenge was."

Kouji, the boy's twin, had started to step forward and stop him, but did not. Could not.

Kouichi's tail lashed anxiously as he clenched his fist, shut his eyes in pain.

"I struck out at the world utnil I lost my humanity, my very soul, to the rage within. I let my hatred consume me, and I'm still paying the price for that. But, now, you have the opportunity to take the gift I was given; a second chance, given by those who don't care wht you've done, but about what you can still do. You still have a chance to make a difference, supported by the allies of today. These people, most of them weren't alive when you were betrayed. Is a thousand years too short a time to regain trust?"

He looked down at his hands, thinking of someone he wished could be here.

"I need an answer to that. And, if you still decide to fight us, after your leader has thrown you to the wolves, I want to at least know why, before we have to kill you... because I've never understood why anyone would refuse sweet redemption, in the face of such treachery."

[Mark Angelus Fri]

*Mark landed beside the Heroes giving a shrug.* You all must know, they're perception on life and the ways of life are dramatically different then our own. They're 1000 years older then us and they grew up in a time where the human race was in danger, even my own morals and ideals are different then the other Heroes and I'm far younger then the Saints.

*Mark glanced up at the Saints.* For many of you war is all you've known, Kain, lead the group so he could be viewed as your 'savior' and you follow him into conflict like a soldier follows their commander for one who knows only conflict is drawn to conflict. Just look at Roxa he left the Saints only to come back and fight against them. Conflict is all they know.

*His blades flashed into hand.* So the reason why we can't understand their way of life is because we are unable to place ourselves into their own mind. Unless we do that we can never free them conflict, dead or alive.

[Bartholomew]

"Fool." Bart said as he appeared behind Malice and swung his hand at the base of his neck. "You get too cocky, and you will fall."

[King Roxa Hiaten]

"I refuse to stay in here..." Roxa muttered looking up at this false 'sky' and simply gritted his teeth "I promised that I'd be back, that I would return and return I will!" Roxa roared looking across to Gensayce and Riliath who mainly stood between the two girls and the rest of the group acting more like protectors if anything else "Gensayce, Riliath! Follow my lead!" he yelled rushing towards them, stepping up Gensayce's shoulder he lept upwards and held his arm down for Riliath, the large man grabbed it and Roxa launched him up onto a solid platform of air before letting Gensayce leap up off of him next to Riliath before landing there himself and panting slightly "Right, we're moving up in the world so to speak..."

[Aya Dauzi Invargas]

Ayalan didn't look away hearing both Mark and Roxa's valient escape, his fire show continued, with scenes of people just having fun but all in fire and pyrotechnic.

"You may say that..but I see hope in these people. They have ideals to want to be loyal to their families. We all have that, that's precisely the reason why You're here too." He started softly, speaking toward Mark.

"But in actuality..I can tell you these people only want to be happy, and they think that Kain has the right path, so they follow their very leader. It was a false pretense, but I can bet you, these Saints don't want to fight so much as just feel safe in a world they can live in without being judged.."

He looked up at Nia and the other Saints and smiled, "We don't want to hurt anyone. I never have, hence why every time I see any of you, I'd rather dodge than fight. What I guess I would ask is that you think who really means more to you. Your family? The people around you right now, or risking all that family is, for a new world because your leader asked for it? Roxa and Gensayce and Riliath could Die right now, if we don't do something about it. Then who wins?"