Sodina watched from the window as the airship lifted higher and higher off the ground. The island become smaller. The black smoke and flames taking up the sky.
'No...' she thought, her friends below her. Her going farther away from them. She felt frighten and scared. What was to become of her? She was a prisoner of the Dark Accolytes. She could only think of the darkness swallowing her whole.
"Sodina..." A voice startled her from behind. She was surprised that the guards had stopped trying to struggle with her, but they had left her alone. It was just her and that voice. That voice.
"It can't be..." she stammered, turning around, facing the boy from her childhood, "Schmidt?"
"Yeah... it's me." Schmidt said softly, "Sodina... it's been a while."
She nodded, her fear strangely gone from her. She walked toward him, staring into the warm eyes of yesterday. "Schmidt..." she sighed, his name echoing in her mind and heart, "I'm so glad...!"
But in the same instant, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him violently. His eyes, no longer kind and gentle, but the eyes of a madman. She watched in shock as he put handcuffs on her and pushed her towards the guards.
"Take her to the prison. When I say so, bring her to the smithy. That is all." he said coldly, turning swiftly for the door.
"W-wha...?! Schmidt! Wait!!"
But the door closed and there was nothing but darkness.
* * *
Another hour had passed. Her face tear-stained, Sodina sat in the empty cell, without a glimmer of light in the room. The handcuffs on her wrists restricted her from using magic, her knives confiscated by guards. She was alone.
'Schmidt... how could this be?! What has happened to you...!?'
She remembered his eyes. Anger boiling within them. She had noticed the changes slowly taking place with him ever since he returned home. But it wasn't until the day they went to the 'Mirror of Souls' that she truly became worried. When the Emperor took him away, the way he reacted from what he saw in the mirror.
'But Schmidt! That wasn't you!! That's not what I know you as...' She had wanted to tell him that. She had wanted to say...
Just then, the door opened. She slowly lifted her head to see a cloaked figure walk inside, holding a lantern. The woman stopped in front of her, shaking her head.
"Uh..." Sodina got up on her feet and faced her, "W-What do you want with me?"
"It can't be..." the woman mumbled, turning for the door.
"NO! WAIT! Don't leave me alone in the... !" Sodina cried, the door slamming and everthing going black again, "...dark." she sighed, sitting back down on the wall.
* * *
The woman hurried down the hall and into the smithy. Schmidt was sitting by the wall of swords, his chin resting on his hand, his mind in deep thought. The sound of the door slamming woke him from his daze. He stared towards the enraged woman.
"What do you want, Jeala?"
"Master!" Jeala cried, her hood dropping as she ran up to him, "That girl... what makes her so special?!"
He sighed at her, crossing his arms, "I told you already; Sodina has a great amount of spirit energy. She's perfect for making our great weapon!"
"But Master... why can't you use me?!"
"Because," he said, walking past her, "I told you my decision. I'm not changing it. So don't ask me again!"
"Master..." Jeala uttered, completely rejected as he left the room. She closed her eyes, fighting the tears. She wasn't the type to cry over something like this. She was strong and she could face anything. But never before anything like this had happened to her. Not until she had met him.
'Master, I'd give my life for you. Why then... why her!?'
From what she saw, this person Sodina was just a frail, plain townsgirl. Weak. Frightened. It didn't make any sense.
'She can't possibly house enough spirit energy for the great weapon! A person like that! There's no way!!' Jeala thought, pacing the room. She paused and lifted up a sword, 'No, Master is confused. His feelings... surely it's because he has feelings for this weak human!'
Still holding the sword, she walked out of the smithy and down the hall. Vengeful thoughts going through her head.
'Master has made a terrible mistake! We're wasting our time with this girl! We have to make the weapon before our enemies catch onto us. Can't he see that?!'
She stopped in front of the door of the jail cell. Then, she lifted her hand to open the lock. The door opened with a creak and she stormed inside, stopping to hear whimpering.
"Please... let me go..." Sodina uttered, "I have to get back to my friends..."
"Listen to me," Jeala said, pulling her up by the collar, "This act isn't going to work on me! I know you're after my Master! But let me tell you - he's mine! And someone like you can't take him from me!"
"But I..." Sodina stared into those tearful eyes, fearful of losing something very important, "...you really care for Schmidt, don't you?"
"Y-yes," Jeala slowly released her, her fists falling to her sides, "I do with all my heart. I've never felt this strongly about anyone before!"
Sodina pulled herself up on her feet and smiled. "I know how that is. To love someone with all your heart..." She blushed and looked towards the floor, "But you can't let those kinds of feelings turn into vengeful and possessive. You can't force someone to return your love..."
"What do you know?!" Jeala blurted out.
"All too well..." she replied with a smile, "Sometimes, if I think to much about it, I realize that I'm absolutely hopeless... that my dream will never come true. But then I tell myself that despite everything, I'm going to try and do my best."
"You..." Jeala stared at her determined face, the smile shimering amoungst the tears, "Do you think Master... would..."
"You don't know unless you try." Sodina replied, "Schmidt is really a kind and gentle person. The darkness is filling his heart. Surely, if he was back to normal, his true self would welcome you."
Jeala watched her, seeing as though a white light was circling her. Warmth and light. 'Who is this girl?' she thought, backing away from her. She then left the room, closing the door and breaking into a run. 'Such power!'
* * *
After thinking about it in her room, Jeala decided what she should do. She went and got herself a transporter to Fort Tokio, to the airfield there.
'That girl... whoever she is... or what power she has... I'm letting her go free. She doesn't want to be here and I don't want her here... so...'
She stopped walking down the hall and looked towards Schmidt who was simply passing her, not paying any attention at all to her.
'Master... what ever it takes... I'll do my best...'
He continued on his way, concentrating on the grip his had on the hammer at his side. 'Power... strength... I'll show you all... the darkness will swallow up the light... and there will be nothing but darkeness! I said I'll become strong and I will!'
* * *
Sodina sat along in the darkness, surving only with the light in her heart and in her memories. 'How could you change so much...' she wondered, leaning her head down, 'Schmidt...'
fin