BE: WAAAAAAAAAHH

Emil: Whoa, what happened?

Marta: I think she watched the sad ending...

BE: *sniff* *sniff* Just a couple times...

Emil: *hands her a tissue* Hey, don't worry, that didn't really happen! Everything is all good right now!

BE: B-but...you...Marta...WAAAHHHH

Marta: Okay. I'll do the disclaimer today. BlackEyes7 does not own ToS, ya hear me? That's all Namco property. Okay? Okay.

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'Click, klink, click, klink,' echoed the sound of our footsteps and shifting armor as we wandered inside the Temple of Darkness. A shiver racked my body as my eyes struggled to see through the dark haze. I felt something warm wrap around my hand, and I jumped a little.

"It's alright, Marta," Emil murmured softly. His gentle tone floated to my ears and seeped into my body, relaxing all my tense muscles. However, my sense of paranoia wasn't calmed at all. In fact, I felt blind, and that scared me. I hugged Emil's arm, appreciating that he didn't jolt away. Wow, wasn't I the one who used to tell him to man up? I'm slipping. Oh well, I'm much more comfortable like this anyways...

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"Marta!" Emil called in a whisper, tugging me somewhat roughly by my arm and jolting me out of my mindless wander. My body slammed into his, and he shoved us up against a wall.

"Monster," he breathed. "But not the kind we saw when we were here. Stronger. Much stronger. The mana...is pulsing...I can feel it." Emil's worried green eyes were clearly visible due to our close proximity. His breath washed across my lips, making me think of our kiss a few hours ago...

I pulled away from Emil (which took an immense amount of self control, let me tell you), and peeked around the wall. There were hundreds of darkness monsters all over the place, and they were all scrambling down the ramp that led to the very lowest level of the temple. Some were even climbing atop one another, trying frantically to get to their destination. It didn't even seem like they noticed us as the riot went on. Also...none of them seemed very strong. I wonder if the thing Emil was sensing is what they're all running to. I moved back behind the wall and over to Emil.

"There's a lot of monsters out there, but I don't think they pose a threat. It seems like they're all trying to get to the same place Tenebrae's core was. But why would they be going there?" I wondered aloud. Emil stared for a second.

"I don't think it's their mana I'm sensing. This is intense, dark mana. Not like regular monsters. Also, I'm not an elf, so I can't generally sense mana levels, but this is so strong I can feel it." Emil turned to Tenebrae. "Can you figure anything out?"

"I too can sense the presence of a strong creature, however, it is unfamiliar. Lord Emil is quite correct; it's not like a regular monster. It isn't something that I would be able to have control over. I'm beginning to question whether it is a monster at all," Tenebrae finished.

"So...is this good or bad? Do you really think Reti is here?" I asked.

"I would think it impractical for such a clever being to hide in such an obvious place, however the monsters' behavior could indicate so," Tenebrae answered. "It would be in our best interest to follow them."

"Alright," Emil and I agreed.

.•°•.•°•.•°•.•°•.•°•.•°•.•°•.•°•.

If there is anything in this world that is more uncomfortable than traveling in between tightly packed monsters, do tell because I'm completely blanking. However, it was a rather nice experience to see Emil dealing with the situation so maturely. I can still remember when just the sight of a monster would cause him to jump and run away, but now he's right in the thick of it, leading me through it. I could tell he wasn't comfortable, but it made me proud to see him being so brave.

"Ow!" I whisper-screeched as one creature climbed on my head before launching off. Emil turned his head back to look at me, and I blew a puff of air at the hair that was now tangled in front of my face. "I can't wait until we get away from here..."

Emil squeezed my hand as we descended farther into the temple. The constant feeling of something inhuman against my skin was almost unbearable. My hands itched to pull out my spinner and clear a path.

"Tenebrae has it so easy," I said, shooting a pointed look at the floating centurion.

"Almost there," Emil muttered, his face distorted in discomfort. Finally, we made it to our destination. There was a large glowing black hole in the middle of the floor. Hues of purple and blue swirled around in the black nothingness, and I watched as monsters simply sunk into it like it was syrup.

"What do we do now?" I asked, looking up at Emil. He shivered.

"Tenebrae?" he called. The centurion appeared next to me.

"Yes, Lord Emil?"

"What DO we do now?"

"I believe that we should wait and see what happens. Perhaps we will discover the purpose behind that black hole."

So we did wait. However, at the rate the monsters were pouring in, it only took merely five minutes before they were all absorbed. Absolute silence surrounded us. Then, a thick, dark, pulsing cloud of smoke began to come out from the circle. It spread slowly, like water. Emil and I backed up to the very edge before it finally encircled our feet.

"What is this?" I whispered fearfully. I couldn't see anything below my knees because the cloud was so thick. It also was chilling wherever it touched, like it was slowly freezing me. I jumped and slipped easily out of it.

"M-Marta...come here...I'll carry you," Emil offered. I shook my head.

"No. We're in this together." I held his hand. The contradiction between the warmth of his hand and the chill in legs felt rather odd. Next, the room rumbled. It became difficult to stand upright.

"Lord Emil, Lady Marta, look!"

An enormous hand reached out of the black hole. Black goo dripped off of it, splattering on the stone floor. The hand continued upwards, revealing an arm. The arm slammed down on the floor, causing Emil and I to lunge in opposite directions. The arm began dragging the rest of the body out. First another arm, then a head, then a chest, then legs, and finally, a whole human body. However, every inch of its skin was pitch black and dripping. The being shrunk down to regular human size, and was only a mere ten feet in front of me. Emil was on the opposite edge, watching with eyes just as wide as mine. Finally, the creature opened its eyes. They were a shocking glowing purple color.

"And who might you be, my dear?" a charming voice echoed as the being extended its hand. As the black goo slid off, it revealed soft skin. The goo continued to slide away, leaving a teenage boy around Emil and my age dressed in formal clothes. His hand was still extended to me, and I simply stared at it as my chest heaved up and down. His purple eyes flickered as his lips stretched into a smile.

"A little shy, are we? Well, I'll go first. I go by Reti." My breath hitched in my throat, and I didn't dare make eye contact with Emil. Instead, I swallowed around the lump in my throat and licked my lips.

"M-Marta."

Reti smiled. "Marta. What a lovely name." Reti approached me, stopping only a few inches away from my face. He wasn't anything like a demon. He smelled...nice, and his eyes were enchantingly warm. I felt my tense muscles relax involuntarily. His hand brushed my cheek, the flesh feeling no less human than my own. I could not find it in myself to push away.

"Such soft skin..." Reti muttered. His fingertips traced down my jaw and along my neck, as if he were relishing the feeling. I didn't dare move a muscle. "Your name reminds me of something, actually. The reason I'm here. You can keep a secret, can't you, Marta?" Reti chuckled, still allowing his fingers to rest on my skin. "You saw those monsters, didn't you? Ah, my servants. They're helping me regain power. After all, I'm being hunted. What was his name again?" Reti tapped his free fingers on his chin. "Oh, yes. Emil."

My heart skipped a beat. Reti continued, "I feel bad for him, actually, having to share a connection with Ratatosk. But you know what I feel worst about?" Reti stared right into my eyes, his electric purple eyes shining with fake pity. "I feel worst about the fact that he is in love."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. But I couldn't. I couldn't give up on Emil. Even when he cupped my cheek and leaned in mere centimeters away, and even when I could feel his breath fanning my mouth.

"Do you know what it's like to be in love, Marta?" he whispered. I was about of shake my head, but he cut me off. "Ah, you're in love right now, I can see it in your eyes." Reti smiled. "I should thank his lover, actually. She was the reason he took so long to get here. She's the reason he's too late." Reti leaned ever so slightly closer, and I knew in a split second his lips could be on mine. I leaned back slightly, but I felt Reti's hand around my waist, pulling me back.

"I think I'll do that right now. I think I'll thank her." Reti's lilac eyes glimmered with playfulness. Then, his mouth was on mine. My eyes widened, and I tried to scream, but his lips kept it sealed and quiet. I couldn't pull away either, because despite his tall and lean appearance, he was amazingly strong. A feral roar erupted from behind him. Reti pulled back slowly, allowing his lips to linger. I couldn't stop the tears from welling in my eyes. Reti smirked and turned around, allowing me to finally see. Emil was standing right in front of Reti, a dark, pulsing aura around him and bloodlust in his eyes.

"You lay one more damn finger on her, and you'll be nothing more than a pile of bones!" Emil yelled. His knuckles were turning white as he gripped his sword. Reti laughed.

"Oh, how exciting! You're really quite angry. However, I'm a bit busy, so if you'll excuse me..." Reti's leg flashed out and slammed into Emil's stomach faster than I could blink. Emil doubled over, coughing. However, a growl erupted from him, and he lunged back at Reti while swinging his sword in blind rage. Reti didn't even break a sweat as he dodged.

"My goodness Emil, no need to get so worked up." Reti caught Emil's sword between his hands and snapped the blade in half before kicking Emil in the face.

"Emil!" I screamed as I watched him drop to the floor, blood trickling down the side of his head. I ripped out my spinner, taking a protective stance in front of Emil's body. "I won't let you kill him!" My body was shaking, betraying me in every possible way. Reti laughed.

"Don't worry, I did say I would thank you. You and your boyfriend get away this time. Just remember: next time I will not be so nice." Reti snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Lady Marta, are you alright?" Tenebrae asked in a somewhat frantic voice. My hands began shaking uncontrollably, and my spinner slipped from my fingers. My knees buckled in, and I collapsed next to Emil, darkness tinting the edges of my vision.

We aren't prepared for this. We can't win.

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I know, another short one, and I'm slacking in NL! However, I just had inspiration for this today, and I felt like it was good to end the chapter there. Again. Anyway, change of subject. I feel a small rant is in order. Feel free to skip this, but I believe this is an important topic that needs to be addressed.

Why all the hate for the ToS sequel? Seriously! It was a great game! It was funny but serious at the same time, with deeper meanings about life like discrimination and stuff! No, it's not the first game, but what do you expect? It's a separate game. It wouldn't have been as much fun if it was just a repeat of the first game. The fact that they created doubt in the player's mind with Lloyd's behavior and the introduction of two new adorable characters seemed brilliant to me! It also brings me to my next point: Why the hate on Emil and Marta? Yes, Emil starts out a little wussy, but he was abused! I mean seriously, the whole town treated him like trash, you can't expect him to be as confident as Lloyd. Even so, it just makes the change towards the end that much more dramatic. And Marta...I don't understand her hate either. Yes, she squeals a lot and is a little obsessive. However, this is just part of her character humor that I feel was assessed perfectly. It also shows her character growth, where she starts to reveal that her life hasn't been rainbows and butterflies, as well as showing her and Emil's relationship grow as she lets go of that "shining knight" vision. But seriously guys...I was watching the sad ending (which I'm still crying over, Marta's scream at the end never fails to rip my heart out) and it was astonishing how many comments were just like, "This is the good end! Ugh I HATED Emil and Marta!" or "HAHAHAHAHA THEY TOTALLY DESERVED THAT!" Um, NO! Anyways. Sorry. Had to get that out.

Also, sorry about the lack of italics and bold, I may fix it later if i can get my hands on a laptop. Alright, that's about it! You know the drill. Please leave a comment today, I need something happy to read! I've been crying for WAAAYYY too long. Anyways, see ya,

BE