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Post by Skarlia Kara Strife on Sept 26, 2009 19:00:24 GMT -5
The air was filled with the smell of ash. The whole city had burnt up in just a single shot of the chakrams. The fire had spread wildly. And the firestarter himself stood overlooking the city, on a large hill above the smouldering ruins. Axel's emerald eyes were cold and dead, not those that had been alive and cheerful only three years ago. This was a completely different Axel. He was merciless and many would say he was a far stronger leader of Organisation XIII than Xemnas ever could be. A figure emerged from black flames behind Axel, slightly shorter and with a slight fear to him. The young Nobody, Karxitarr, stood silently behind Axel for a moment before speaking. "Superior," he said. "I bring news from the others. The Resistance have been driven back to the outskirts and they have little reinforcements left. Even the Dusk should be able to take care of them." Axel remained silent for a moment. "Good," he finally said. Even his voice had changed, now one that he should have had in the first place: a Nobody one, heartless and cruel. "You see this, Karxitarr? This is what lengths we must go to to insure no one gets in our way again." Karxitarr seemed fearful, but looked over the ruins. "You will grow to become a part of Organisation XIII," Axel continued. "So don't go chasing hearts of your own. You belong with us. No more talk of becoming human again." Karxitarr jumped violently. "So you heard me talking about that?" Suddenly in an invisible flash Axel had Karxitarr's collar in his fist, lifting him up by it. His face was inches from Karxitarr's. "Obey me, Karxitarr," he growled. "And never go against the Organisation." Karxitarr nodded rapidly and Axel dropped him. "Now go," Axel ordered. Karxitarr did not hesitate to disappear into flames once more. The night wind rippled Skarlia's hair softly as she gazed up at the stars. Even in three years she seemed to have matured. She looked far more like her mother than anyone could imagine. She had certain characteristics that were identical to Demyx. Even her eyes seemed an ocean blue when they caught the moonlight just right. BloodFang was beside her as she gazed up at the sky. She had to get moving soon though. It was the Resistance's orders. Find Karxitarr and get answers from him. They had picked Skarlia to be able to sneak up on him and attack. But this assignment had spanned five days already. And now there was the threat that the Superior himself would show up. Axel. Just his name would bring tears to her eyes. Why had he done this? Why?
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Post by Masina on Sept 26, 2009 19:13:03 GMT -5
Ave's dark hair blew silently against the wind. She listened quietly as the new leader of the organisation spoke. Her catlike green eyes surveyed the once great city. It was nothing now. Nothing but ash. So many lives had been taken just for the reason of Axel's anger. He had caused the death of his best friends, and was no such a person as he had been back then. All the lives had been taken now, either from the fires Axel started, or the decease, or the new organisation XIII. Everyone was gone. Her, Herutsu and Skarlia were all that was left. Evalaine. Riku. Yuffie. Vincent. Rildax. Rildax. Ave repeated the name in her mind. He was gone now. She was not supposed to be here to have survived. Losing the people that were most dear to her. That broke her completely. She was colder now than she had been back then. Nothing had a point to it anymore. It was just her and Herutsu now. She couldn't help but smile slightly as Axel mentioned betraying something. As Karxitarr dissapeared she leant up onto the hill behind Axel. "Betraying. Who are you to tell people not to betray, Axel? Though you should be an expert at spotting it." She added thoughtfully. Her voice was absent. She didn't look at Axel, instead she stared out into the distance.
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Post by Skarlia Kara Strife on Sept 26, 2009 19:33:44 GMT -5
Axel still didn't turn around. "Aw, if it isn't Ayla," he said with hardly any emotion in his voice. "Come to preach about destroying everything? I couldn't care less. And to betrayal... well, I betrayed the Organisation once. To you and everyone else. So now I am merely righting my wrongs." Finally he turned, his eyes burning with hatred and anger. "Do you have anything else to say? I'm not really in the mood to listen to you today. Or any other day." They're here. Kara leapt through the city, her eyes alert to everything. There was fire all around her. Just like the vision. She kept going, waiting for that one person to leap out and end her life. She knew it would be soon... There he was. He stood tall and proud, a neckerchief covering the bottom half of his face. He stood there for a moment before leaping at her... He soared over Kara and his large curved sword sliced down a Dusk that had been behind her. So Kara had really misinterpreted the vision. "Come on!" The man growled in a gruff voice. He led the way through the flames; Kara spotted a few men shooting water from odd weapons to kill off the flames. There was a black portal waiting for them and the man leapt through. Kara followed and found herself in a large hall, filled with different people, some lying on bed injured and other bustling around. "This is the Resistance," the man said, removing his neckerchief from the bottom half of his face. He was quite handsome, with spiky blond hair and yellow-gold eyes. He was very tall and slim, broad-shouldered and looked as though he could run all day non-stop. He seemed weary from endless battle, though. "My name is Lyrin," he said. "On the field though my codename is Remus. And you are..?" Kara hesitated before replying. "My name is Kara," she said. "Kara Strife." After all this had happened, she'd stopped going by her job name, that she gave to anyone who didn't know her, and instead proudly displayed herself as a Strife. "Welcome aboard, Kara," Lyrin said. "I am the leader of the Resistance, so if anyone gives you a hard time tell me." "So this place really does exist?" Kara said wonderously. "Indeed..." Lyrin studied Kara carefully. "I know why you look so familiar now. You look just like one of our younger scouts." Kara looked up at Lyrin, confusion upon her face. "What was their name?" "If I remember correctly..." he thought a moment. "Skarlia." Kara's eyes were suddenly wide and she clasped her hands over her mouth. "That's my daughter!" She cried. "She's alive! Where is she?!" "She's out on a mission." Lyrin said calmly. "It's not wise to follow her. She should be back by tomorrow evening."
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Post by Masina on Sept 26, 2009 19:48:39 GMT -5
"What's with the speech old man?" Ave's eyes were cold, she could have been mistaken for a nobody. Along with the tattoo on her back, she looked like one. "I have nothing to say to you. I see no point in talking, with you or my neice. You and Skarlia, both as stubborn and idiotic as the other. I wonder what Masina and Roxas would say to all of this.?" She turned her heartless eyes from Axel to the fire. "Honest question." She shrugged. "Masina would be ashamed to have even been your friend let alone your best friend." She didn't appear to be paying much attention to the nobody stood opposite her. "Oh, and to be honest. I just came for the view." She said coldly. "You certainly took your orders to the limit though. Eliminate the traitor. You have only failed to eliminate a couple. I'm still here. As are you."
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Post by Skarlia Kara Strife on Sept 26, 2009 19:55:25 GMT -5
Axel looked back towards the ashes of the city. "Skarlia can do as she likes," Axel said. "And as for someone who acts like she doesn't care, you seem to be trying to make me feel guilty." He looked up at the sky, tinted with the smoke from the fire. "If that's all you want, then I will leave you to the view. It's nothing to me. I have other business to attend to." He turned to leave. "Oh, and keep a look out for the Cobalt Cancer. It's claimed quite a few lives already." He was referring to Evalaine. He walked past Ayla slowly and disappeared in black flames. Skarlia carried on walking as the sun began to rise. She had spotted the young Organisation member somewhere around here, but because of his Sky powers, he was incredibly hard to keep track of. Finally Skarlia found him stood on a building. She crept up behind him, not making a sound, completely undetectable... "Good morning, Skarlia," Karxitarr said, turning his head slightly. "Don't bother; I sensed you disturbing the air an hour ago." Skarlia stood fully. She remembered their last encounter. Karxitarr wasn't as merciless as the others. "I feel almost sorry for you, Skarlia," he continued. "Axel changed, right? He never used to be like this." "He was the opposite," Skarlia sighed. "We were married, you know. Yesterday was our three year wedding anniversary." "I was still a part of my Somebody back then," Karxitarr sighed. "I suppose you want answers?" Skarlia was silent. "I can't tell you anything, I'm afraid. But tell the Resistance to prepare themselves. They know they are outnumbered and have no more back-up." Karxitarr smiled slightly. "Goodbye." He disappeared in black flames. Skarlia stood there for a moment before she too disappeared.
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Post by Masina on Sept 26, 2009 20:01:52 GMT -5
"I never said I didn't care." Ave smirked. "Just as it was three years ago. As pathetic and predictable as ever my nephew." She smirked as he dissapeared. Ave, when she was better known as Ayla, had never liked Axel really. She saw no point to him. Sure, Skarlia liked him, so she had to be nice. In actual fact, Ave had once been a decent person back then. It took some one else to makke her be that way though. Ave has twice lost the person she loves. She abandoned her heart long ago. Two years to be exact. She dissapeared into her own black flames. "Where the hell did you go?!" Herutsu scowled as Ave appeared from her flames into the real ones. "Come on Ayla! Don't take off like that!" "Ave." She said lifelessly. "I will never call you by that name. I want to try and keep the old you somewhere in my mind." He was leant against a building a young girl in his arms. She was coughing and spluttering from the smoke around her. Ave rolled her eyes. Herutsu did the same. Suddenly Ave drew the sword from the sheath on her waist and slashed a nobody that came hurtling toward them. "It amazes me how you stay unburnt in that outfit." Herutsu looked at Ave. "I would like that answer also." She was wearing a red crop top. It was strapless and held up by a silver strap that twisted around her neck. She wore red shorts and a long red skirt that fell down to her ankles, it had two large slits down the sides, so it was very easy to move around in and you could see her legs and shorts.
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Post by Skarlia Kara Strife on Sept 26, 2009 20:07:23 GMT -5
Axel reappeared with a few other members of the Organisation, who had been in deep conversation. They flinched as Axel appeared and were suddenly silent. "Superior..." The one with his hood down said. "Have you any more news on-" "Arxbi," Axel said smoothly and the Nobody was immediately silent. "It is not your concern. You are Number Four, so go do as I have already told you to do." Arxbi walked off towards a large tower, suspended in the air by nothingness. That's where they were. This was one of the Organisation's places to be right now. "Number Eight," Axel suddenly rounded on one of the hooded figures. "I was once Number Eight. Go live up to that title. Don't make me tell you again." The Nobody ran after Arxbi without a word. The last hooded figure needed no orders from Axel and disappeared in flames. Axel stood looking out onto the clouds. His eyes staring coldly out onto the world with nothing but hatred. Skarlia appeared in the Resistance Base and was immediately almost suffocated. "Skarlia!" Kara cried, tears streaming down her face. "I thought you were dead..." Skarlia's eyes were also welling with tears. She hugged her mother. "Mother..." she said. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left that night. And... forgive me three years ago when I married him." Kara choked back tears. "It was never your fault for anything." "Is Cloud with you?" Skarlia asked. Kara was silent. "I've not seen him since you left," she replied. "He went after you and didn't come back." Skarlia watched Lyrin approach and saluted him. He saluted her back. "I met Karxitarr," she said. "And?" Lyrin asked. "He says that we should prepare," Skarlia said. "Now, do you have any news on Rildax?" Rildax was something of a mirage now, appearing in a baking desert to lost people trying to escape Axel and the Organisation. He leads them to free lands, according to the tales that had been struck up around the campfires. "We had reports he was sniffing around the ashes of that city Axel burnt down," Lyrin said. "But when we went to apprehend him, he had vanished." "Sounds like him," Skarlia sighed.
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Post by Masina on Sept 26, 2009 20:08:30 GMT -5
Suddenly a huge number of dusks swarmed around the three in the city. Herutsu froze as she girl in his arms squirmed in fright. "Herutsu, go, get the girl out of here. I can handle these myself." Ave drew her second sword. Her gun and daggers were fixed securley to her leg strap as she back up a step, facing all of the nobodies. "Ayla." He stuttered. "Are you sure you will be okay?" "I'll be fine." She nodded once. "Take the girl and leave. I'll meet you at Cid's." "I'll see you there." He said sharply. "You'd better be there." "I always show up at the best times don't I? I'll be fine." She turned her head to the side. "Go." Herutsu nodded and dissapeared into flames. Ayla spun her swords in her hands. "This should be fun. It's been a while since I had to actually do some fighting. Though this shouldn't prove much of a challenge." She smirked as her eyes glowed green and turned even more cat-like. The cells that had been inplanted in her were reacting to her emotions. Smug and ready to fight.
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Post by Skarlia Kara Strife on Sept 26, 2009 20:11:41 GMT -5
Rildax sighed heavily as he sat beside the Oasis City, as he called it. There were about one hundred people here now that he'd led to safety from the desert. He knew there were more out there that he hadn't been able to save, and felt guilty about that. But he had to keep going. He grimaced as he shifted his leg slightly. He sat beside the oasis itself as one of the women, an expert healer, was busily trying to tend to a large gash in his leg that had made it go numb. Soon it was plastered up neatly. Rildax stood up and tested his leg. "Thank you," he said before walking out of the city and into the desert. He had gained the title of Desert Mirage and for the right reasons. He often wondered what had driven Axel to do all of this. In the last month before Axel had started up Organisation XIII again, he had become good friends with Axel. He shook the memories from his mind as his long desert cloak swept around his ankles. He blinked as a small breeze of sand whipped up. If he didn't hurry up, he'd be stook in a sandstorm. Axel watched as the last of the Resistance troops retreated. He held up a hand and the Dusk returned to surround him protectively. He had his arms folded across his chest and he disappeared in flames with the Dusk. When he reached the Castle of the Sky again, he headed straight for the Prison Cells and walked along until he found a large cage with dog food in. He leant against the bars as a rabid wolf leapt at him, barking in a scratchy voice. This wolf had lost his mind, once intelligent, but now a wild beast. "Oh, Enzeru," Axel mocked. "You're nothing more than a beast now, aren't you?" Enzeru barked angrily, leaping at the bars. Enzeru had small stumps where his beautiful wings once were. After they had been amputated, he had been driven insane, never coming out of his wolf form. His fur was tangled and matted and he had infected wounds all over him. He was dying.
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Post by Masina on Sept 26, 2009 20:12:35 GMT -5
Ayla's swords span in syncranisation in the air. They slashed quickly through the two remaining Dusks. Ave's caught them with ease. She sighed as they dissapeared into darkness. She placed the swords neatly back into the sheath. She was not at the slightest worn out. In fact you wouldn't be able to tell that Ayla was in a fire or had just been in a fight. She thought of his city and compared it to the desert sitting across the hills she had just come from. Both were wastelands now. She walked silently through the flames. Reaching a stone bench she sat down on it. She watched the flames around her as they danced though the buildings. "What are you doing?" A young, about the same age as Ayla, feminine voice reached Ave's ears. "Listening. What do you want Xyrina?" Ave flickered her eyes to the young woman that stood opposite her. Embracing the flames. She controlled water so it was no wonder she wasn't burnt. "Nothing." Xyrina watched Ave with cautious eyes. "I just wanted to know why the superior calls you Ayla and everyone else calls you Ave." "Ave is my real name, ough Ayla is the name I lived y since I was a child until three years ago. I converted to my real name when I lost some oe important to me. Is that all?" "Yes." Xyrina looked puzzled. "You are very odd. Even for a Strife. You called the Superior nephew, why?" "That is none of your buisness. Please leave before I am tempted to kill you which I am struggling to restrain myself from doing." "Oh." Xyrina froze and dissapeared into black flames, a look of fear spread acroos her face. Ayla rolled her eyes and listened to the fire. Seeing if she heard anyone screaming for help.
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Post by Skarlia Kara Strife on Sept 26, 2009 20:14:01 GMT -5
Coward... Axel thought as he sensed the movement of one of the members of the Organisation. He sensed all their movements to make sure they were where they should be. He finished taunting Enzeru and continued along, where he found a man chained to the opposite wall of his cell. His head was down and he was breathing heavily. As Axel appraoched his head raised, vicious slashes across his face. This was Cloud Strife. "How pitiful you look now, Cloud," Axel said. "And you promised me you would fight back. I see no fighting from you." Cloud growled angrily and yanked at the chains, but Axel kept walking. He stepped out onto a balcony. His eyes gazed lazily about. And then the back of his head felt like it was on fire. He clutched it angrily, grimacing before it finally settled. He let go of his head and stayed on the balcony. Rildax had spotted no one else in the desert and the sandstorm was rolling in. He pulled his desert cloak up further around him and kept walking, shadows leaping up every so often, his own since it was nearly impossible for him to shield himself with shadows under the sun. "What is it?" Skarlia asked as a neatly dressed girl walked towards her. This was Khali, a wielder of the Keyblade. "It's Enzeru," she said. "His prescence is fading. Skarlia, he may not survive the night." Skarlia's eyes dropped. "Can I speak to him one last time?" "I will try to revive what little intelligence he has left." Khali placed her fingers of each hand on either side of Skarlia's head and Skarlia was suddenly standing in Enzeru's mind. "Enzeru?" She called. The human form of him, fading away, appeared. "Skarlia," he said. "I've missed you." "I have missed you too," Skarlia replied. She hugged her friend and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Do not cry, Skarlia," Enzeru smiled. "You still have friends in this world. They care about you. You will stop Axel. Perhaps there is some goodness in him somewhere." Skaria shook her head. "The Axel I knew is long gone." "Don't give up hope," Enzeru said as he faded entirely. Skarlia was back in the real world. She hugged her mother and cried softly. Enzeru was gone.
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Post by Masina on Sept 26, 2009 20:15:16 GMT -5
Ayla's head snapped up. One of the minds she had tied herself to faded away entriely. Enzeru. He was gone as well. Why was everyone leaving them behind. Maybe this was their punishment. But for Skarlia and Kara what was the crime? Why was the worled making them live through each loss. One by one each of them faded away. Ayla. There were some people running from the city, they will be in the desert by now. The girls name is Katie, her mother was one of them. Herutsu's voice appeared in her mind. On it. She replied and she faded into her black flames. She reappeared slightly far into the desert. She sat cross-legged on the sand. Waiting for the people that walked closer. It wasn't a large group but it was enough to bring the old Ayla back. The man at the front of the group paused when he saw the woman sat in the sand. "Ave." He muttered. "Hello there. May I ask you where you think you are going?" She said dryly. She looked nothing like the Ayla from three years ago, until a few seconds ago, it was just Ave. But Ayla returned slightly now as a slight kindness was in her voice and her green catlike eyes changed to her normal blueish grey ones.
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Post by Skarlia Kara Strife on Sept 26, 2009 20:16:45 GMT -5
Rildax sighed quietly, but then he spotted some people walking this way, plus someone else sat down. His collar was up fully now as the beginnings of a sandstorm began to whip up. He did look like a Desert Mirage when he was like this. He stood on a dune for a few moments, his arms folded. He studied the group carefully as his cloak whipped around his ankles. His untamed hair was the same as it had always been. He pushed a few pieces from his face with his fingers before continuing down the dune, his eyes soft but full of new knowledge he did not have three years ago. Then his eyes caught Ayla. He stopped and did not speak. A smile flicked across his face. "You're alive," he said simply. Skarlia sat with her mother as Lyrin talked to some of the warriors of the Resistance. "Skarlia knows Axel well," Lyrin said. "so that could work to our advantage. He may have been consumed by darkness, but he must still be in there somewhere." Skarlia nodded, but not convincingly. "Is that just your plan then?" Kara asked. "Just try and revive the real Axel? Because trust me, this is the real Axel. He may have been influenced by darkness, but this is him." Lyrin looked at Kara sharply. "Do you have any better suggestions?" He growled. "Find our friends," Kara said. "Like Ayla and Herutsu. And Cloud. As far as I know, they're still alive." Skarlia was shaking slightly. Kara looked at her daughter. "We'll get through this. Maybe there'll be a way to bring back everyone, like Evalaine could do." Skarlia nodded, but still didn't speak. "Skarlia doesn't talk a lot during discussions," Lyrin said before continuing to speak to the other people gathered here. Kara nodded and fell silent. Axel stared at the lifeless body of the wolf, lying on its side and looking so pitiful. He would get one of the Organisation to get rid of his body, if it didn't disappear into black flames like Nobodies did. He looked over at Cloud. "Your adopted son is dead," he said. "One less person I once cared about." Axel smiled as he looked back at Enzeru. "You don't look too happy, Cloud." Cloud roared in anger and pulled at his shackles with all the power he had. They still wouldn't break. Axel shook his head and walked past Cloud's cell again. "Keep trying," Axel said. "Maybe you'll break them at some point."
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Post by Masina on Sept 26, 2009 20:18:43 GMT -5
"Miss, we were trying to get away from the fire." A woman from behind te man at the fornt of the group said. "My friend, Herutsu, he found a girl in the fire. She told him her mother was amoung you. The girls name was Katie." Ayla explained, closing her eyes. "My daughter, Katie?" The same woman spoke up. "Maybe. I could call my friend he will take you to your daughter. To safety." She smiled kindly at them. Thiswas a mask she wore regularly now. "Please." The woman nodded. The man held his hand up. Everyone behind him froze and fell silent. "Why should we beileve some one who was once in organisation XIII?" "Duck." Ayla stood up quickly the man looked puzzled. "What?" "Duck, now!" The man did as she said and Ave's hand grabbed her gun in one nearly unreadable movement. A gunshot suddenly rang out. The man looked up as the nobody that had leapt at him. It disintergrated in front of him into the darkness. Ave glared at him, the harsh and coldness back in her voice. "Believe me yet?" "Yes, miss Strife." He nodded. Herutsu. Ayla called him in her mind. He instantly appeared in black flames beside her. "Harsh as ever Ave." A male voice said from behind her. Ayla spun around . "Herutsu go." He nodded silently and took all of the people with him as he dissapeared into the flames. Ayla was Ave now. She wasn't the girl Herutsu knew, or Rildax for that matter. Ave smirked as her hand twitched on her sword as she faced the man. "Did you want something, Fexier?" "It's been a while since I had a good fight, Ayla." He smirked as she scowled at the name. "I heard you tell Xyrina that you abandoned the name Ayla when you lost some one close to you. I can't imagine you being close to anyone." He raised an eyebrow as she touched her sword. "Come on Ave, play fair. You know I don't use weapons." "Then leave." She hissed. "Not yet." He dissapeared suddenly, reappearing behind her. He wrapped his arm round her neck. "Careful now, wouldn't want to end up like your friends." He smirked. "Urgh." He sucked in a breath as Ayla elbowed him in the stomach. She spun around and punched him. "Then again. Most of them died in that fire." He smirked. He went to kick Ave. She grabbed his leg and threw him down in the sand. "Get lost." She hissed. He smirked. "With pleasure." With that he dissapeared. Ayla stood there silently, she knew there was a sandstorm approaching but she stayed there. Eyes closed, her skirt and dark brown hair flowing gently in the wind.
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Post by Skarlia Kara Strife on Sept 26, 2009 20:22:56 GMT -5
Rildax watched Ayla stand there after fighting, and he walked down the dune. He pushed his collar down, his eyes glinting now. He walked up behind Ayla and like he had done three years ago tapped her shoulders quickly. "You miss me?" He whispered in her ear. Skarlia lay on her bed, hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling. Khali sat on the end of the bed, throwing cautious glances at her every so often. "Skarlia, if you want some sleep, I'll leave," she said. Skarlia didn't respond. "Skarlia," Khali said more firmly. "You can't keep living like this." "I don't want to live anymore," Skarlia said. "You're here for a reason." "To kill Axel. Stop the Organisation. Then I die." All her words came out in lifeless sentences. This was not the same happy Skarlia who married the cheerful Axel three years ago. "You need to stay strong," Khali urged her. "A lot of our friends have died, but there must be a reason why you're still alive." "Because Axel wants to see me suffer." Khali stood up. "Get some sleep, please," Khali said softly. "You need it." She walked out and closed the door quietly. Skarlia's gaze did not change and she made no attempt to sleep.
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