Who You Really Are (Leo, Alleria, and Aria)

Months have passed since the Battle of Magnolia and Leonard left on a journey to look for the witch Alleria. He put everything on the line to find out why the mysterious mark appeared on his shoulder. Leonard knew the journey would be long and he may or may not come back depending on what he will find out and encounter. So Leonard left the guild in capable hands, handing the Guild over to the new generation of mages he had the pleasure of watching grow.

The many leads he had investigated has lead him here to the heart of the Spooky Forest. A place fit for such a malignant force such as the Witch, Alleria.

The only sound to be heard was the clanking of metal plated shoes, crickets and eerie howling of the wind. The darkness of the forest was nothing to Leonard as he walked with death in his eyes. That sharp look he always had strikes fear in the hearts of many. It seems even the spirits of the place avoid the death-driven Blademaster. He is out for blood, perhaps even more.

After a few steps, he arrived at a clearing in the heart of the forest. There he stopped walking and looked around, moving only his head and/or eyes. He felt a dark force, one he had felt only once. Then flashing images of the falling cathedral, and a beautiful figure, tilted due to his lying down position on the ruble of the cathedral. Alleria is near but it mattered not to him. Leonard was undaunted he stood still, appearing as an open target.

By this time, the wind blew and howled. His muscles were clenched, his fists were tight, and he looked down with a sigh. Leonard was ready.

A figure watched the man stepped into the clearing. She had been stalking the intruder ever since he stepped into the forest and it seems he still had not noticed her. He was either foolish for going into a place where any form of cover was absent or he already figured out that she was tailing him and that this was a trap. Either way, fighting in an open space is far more favorable than fighting with a bunch of trees in the way. The girl hunched over, ready to pounce, waiting for the right timing to make her attack. And there it was, her green hair swayed a little as the leaves from the trees started to rustle, and in an instant, the girl jumped and was gone like the wind that just blew.

There was a streak of green and white, and within mere seconds the girl was high above the intruder, her sword poised to stab the man on his neck.

It was quick and subtle, the blowing wind brought about a very dangerous threat from up above. The change in the winds told Leonard that the intruder was quick and deadly. So his timing needs to be precise, at the moment Alleria's blade nearly comes in contact with any part of Leonard's head, he will side step to the right. Once he did, Leonard did a quick spin move counter clockwise that will end with Leonard being in front of Alleria.

But while Leonard turned, he ReQuipped his Earthshaker hammer which he will be holding up at the end of the spin, ready to do a vertical slam on the witch. However, Alleria will not be done that easy. She could easily block or dodge that attack, so Leonard made a second move.

When the hammer hits the ground, Leonard switched to a greatsword and raised it up, sending debris flying towards Alleria. Afterwards, Leonard used Flash Step to increase his speed and charge towards Alleria. Making sure he could anticipate whatever dark force his opponent can conjure.

Before her sword could connect, the man did a quick sidestep dodging the fatal blow. His next moves took her by surprise, stirring up the earth to hide his next action, which was appearing almost a few feet from her ready to strike. That was when he got a glimpse of the intruder. It was Leonard. "What the heck is he doing here?" thought Alleria. To avoid getting hit by his attack Alleria summoned Tengu.

Steel clashed against steel as Leo's sword was blocked by Tengu's Iron Staff. "My lady, I am glad you summoned me but you could at least have picked a better time." said the winged spirit as it struggled to hold of the huge sword poised to hack him in two. Due to their close proximity, Alleria was forced to use mind link to convey her thought to her minion.


"Shhh, I want you to use one of your hexes temporarily subdue him."

"Im not one to question your judgement, but wouldn't it be easier if I used them to strike him dead or something?"

"You cant do that, i have things to ask him...and beside...he is my brother."

"I see." Tengu said with a brief of surprise on his face. "Very well, as you command." and with that a paper talisman in the shape of a bird appeared and stuck itself at the back of Leonard's armor.

Leonard closed in very quickly and he was about to disable his enemy and get answers. But what he thought was a clear shot was blocked by a summon from out of nowhere. It was clearly unexpected what happened. Leonard knew that Alleria was famous for summon beings but to do an action immediately was something he didn't know. The iron staff was almost cut in half due to the force.

With a grin, Leonard lifted the weapon again to do a even more powerful cleave that last time, to send both the summon and summoner to oblivion. But when the blade was overhead, he felt intense pain that made him drop the blade to his side and fall to his knees. There was some sort of spell behind him.

It wasn't like her to do this. Or maybe she was being sadistic to him. Either way, Leonard thought there was no way Alleria will keep her alive. So he ReQuipped his Sky blade to push her away with a strong gust of wind then lock her in his Sky Dome. The pain was still very strong that made him grin and be on his knees. Yet he stood up, but barely, and resumed his offense. He switched to his Archangel and approached the dome. Should Alleria get out of it, Leonard will fire a Blessing of Heaven at her in point blank range while waiting, he was kneeling down feeling the pain, accepting it. Because he became used to severe pain in his first meeting with her.

Unknown to the two mages fighting below, someone was secretly watching the ongoing fight, someone bound by blood to both of them. Hidden amongst canopy of the dense jungle roof, a ghastly apparition hovered within safe distance from the on going skirmish. It had been following the swordmage for weeks now, always keeping its distance to avoid detection. After the unexpected meeting on the battlefield, the mysterious phantom wanted to make sure that her brother was ok, after all, it was her other half that did this to him.  

She never expected him to meet her other self so soon though, perhaps it was fate or maybe destiny, but it seems it was inevitable for Leo to find out the truth about his past.

Alleria was trapped in a ball of air. She tried to touch the wall but due to the high rotation of the swirling winds it felt like her finger was grazed by something solid. "My my, this is impressive." she thought as she looked the the sword mage poised to strike her if she does even manage to get out of her swirling cage. Tengu was nowhere to be seen, the fool must have been thrown far by Leo's initial counter move. "Poor little me, all trapped and without a summon, what ever shall I do?" she said in a sarcastic tone. "It seems I have to bust myself out of this pretty little cell of yours."  And with that, her body began to change, it was as if she was becoming more and more translucent by the second until she was completely transparent.

With a wink, she began to pass thru the wall of air holding her in place. Little by little she was able to pass thru the dome of air until she was fully free. And when she finally got out she said. "I really didnt want to get rough with you, but I have a feeling you wont lay down unless I knock you out so..." as she said those words, her eyes started to light up, and a strange and eerie aura started to emanate from her body which eventually started to swirl and turn in a fast pace. Spreading around her, lifting and twirling anything that it comes upon. "Now sleep!" she commanded him as the myriad of objects that was floating around her got flung at him at great speed.

The pain and Alleria's mocking continued as Alleria just stood there with sarcasm. She even had the audacity to call the dome a simple cell. Though the power coursing through her veins is of no question, Leonard thought she won't be so confident as to insult him.

Then she made her move. Her body fading away until it was completely transparent. Leonard had to do something but was dumbfounded about it. He wasn't sure if he should fire Blessing of Heaven or not. Who knows? Maybe his attack would simply go through her without dealing any kind of damage whatsoever. So he decided to hold on to it until she was on a state that he was sure he could kill.

Leonard waited and waited. But the longer he waited, Alleria finally got out of the dome and it crushed his heart. He missed the chance to do anything about it and bring peace to both their lives, one way or another. The feat Alleria pulled off was incredibly stunning as well. Along with the words she uttered, Leonard wasn't sure what she had in store for him. All this time in this little "dance", Alleria used no extremely lethal force and simply wanted him to stand down. Why? He thought of all these things, especially from the point of where their paths first crossed.

Being lost in thought was a great consequence for when he had returned to reality due to the Alleria saying "Now sleep!" Dozens of objects were hurled towards Leonard and he wasn't able to block in that point blank range. Leonard was hit everywhere. Waist, knees, chest, head, everywhere. The blows where to much to take, especially the last one that was headed for his face. He saw the object come in fast until his lights were shut off and there was only darkness. The last blow sent Leonard back on arch before falling to the ground face up and unconscious.

This wasnt good, Leo was battered by the countless objects that have been swept by Alleria's last attack and now lays unconscious on the ground. Afraid that her other half might finish him off she decided to make her presence known. Appearing right between the fallen sword mage ,her dark half and the remaining objects that are still flying towards him. Using her magic, she stopped the rocks and trunks in mid air and threw them aside. Aria was now covered in the same creepy aura that covered Alleria, only hers was green and it doesnt make her that translucent, ready to scoop up Leo and make a dash for it if needed. She knows she cant match her darker half, but she had leverage this time, the last spell that Alleria used refrains her from movign out of the dark misty area that she had created, so she can fish for answers, at least until the spells wears off.

"Do you really intend to kill him?" Aria spoke as she slowly placed her hand on her mask to uncover her face. "Do you really want to kill our little brother?" she spoke again this time with more force as she glared at her own self.

"Wel, well. Now isnt this a surprise." Alleria spoke with disdain in her voice. "The jaybird that stole some of my precious spells, didnt knew you were baby sitting him." she said mockingly. "If you must know, I dont plan on killing him" there was a brief pause as she eyed Aria. "Or you for that matter...I just wanted him to leave me alone. I was never really fond of family, I've burned that bridge years ago and im not looking back. The will of the Kusanagi is too dark for my taste. I prefer to rule over the living, not the dead." Of course she was referring to her clans life long dream, opening the realm of the dead.

"Anything else? Or do you plan on coming back to your old room? Hahaha!"

Leonard was knocked down but not completely. He struggled to return but to no avail. His body was hurt incredibly bad, and the blow he received on his head kept him on his sorry state and unable to think. His vision was blurred as well during that time. However, it was enough to make up of the things that were unfolding.

Another person showed up. It was a girl from what he can tell, a girl with the same color as Alleria. They were talking to each other but he couldn't tell what it was they were talking about. The words they spoke out were unclear to him due to his condition. But his curiosity kicked in and he desperately focused on their conversation. The words he was able to comprehend shook him. "Brother" "Don't" "Killing" "Kusanagi". What did this mean? And why does the person saving him has the same voice as Alleria? What's going on? Leonard hasn't been so confused like this his entire life. But he was determined for the answers. That's what he come for in the first place anyway.

With whatever will he can muster from his subconscious, he tried to get up and confront them both. But he was too weak. His struggling only made the pain worse. It looked like nothing and that he was just simply lying down on the dirt, playing around and enjoying it. He tried to voice out too but couldn't complete a single word. Then he thought of the Sky Heart, a blade that could heal him. With his mind, he ReQuipped the Sky Heart, making it appear on his side. And using his telekinetic ability, struggled to move it towards his hand. the blade moving slowly and stopping in indistinct intervals, as if being stuck to something. Until finally he got hold of it, and slowly he was healing himself. This was the best he could do for now. And the injuries were getting better slowly, inch-by-inch, it might take hours, but he had to do something. And he was hoping, none of them noticed.

Aria's lips arched into a frown at Alleria's last comment. Of course she knew that she was referring to her little cell within the confines of her eternal dark soul. A front row seat on a huge screen where she can see all the atrocities that her dark self is doing but is powerless to do anything. "I don't plan on returning to that hell hole ever!" her aura growing in size as she spoke. "So you really are just going to leave us alone?" was her follow up question.

If she was telling the truth then it would be a good thing, this is a battle that she would like to avoid as much as possible. But she was still a bit skeptical, she knew that Alleria needed something from her. The thing that she stole from her, the thing that made it possible for her to escape and be materialized into this realm. She was ready to snatch up Leonard and make a dash for it when she noticed what Leo was doing.

"Like Duh! Ill probably have to fine a new place to crash thought now that Leo-boy over there knows where to find me. " there was a brief pause as she contemplated on her offer. "You know you really are welcome to join me if you want. Two of me is better than just me." she said with an evil grin. The darkness around her began to fade and her form began to revert back to her former state. "Well its seems I can move now." She turned her back on her and spoke "Remember, the offer stands. Seeing as you had acquired some interesting trinkets of your own. And take care of him, if our paths ever cross again, I might not be as lenient as today."

Alleria flicked her fingers and two men appeared. A guy in white shirt with short messy hair and another in black shirt with a long braided hair. "Keep an eye on them. See to it that they are gone by the time we move the Tavern." "Okey dokey!" said the long haired man, white the other one just grunted and nodded. With that she took her leave and disappeared into the forest.

The conversation continued however Leonard still couldn't make out the whole story behind all of it. Alleria even had the audacity to laugh and strike a deal with his savior. There were still a lot of questions in his mind that even caused him great pain not only on his body and mind, but all in his heart. What's worse with that is the reason is unknown to him. Why? Who are these women in front of him? But Leonard got irritated when Alleria simply walked away, his target got walked away. Taking him for granted, leaving him for dead. Did she thought he wasn't worth the trouble? What was going through her mind?!

At this point, Leonard was healed enough to stand up. Though he won't be casting any spells for now, Leonard was still able to do hand-to-hand combat. He held the Sky Heart high while it was still healing him. He started to walk slowly, getting slightly faster with each step and with a grin on his face. But when he was about to run after her, Alleria suddenly vanished leaving two of her summons. It frustrated him more he screamed out in rage. Impaling his blade to the ground. Why is she always just that close? When will he able to reach her and confront her finally? His anger grew with each passing moment, but he had to let go at some point. He looked down and sighed and then turned to thank his savior.

However, he was shocked by what face he saw. It was the exact face as Alleria's. Who is this woman? What is her relation with Alleria. He grinned his teeth and violently grabbed her by her left arm and shouted out "What's this supposed to mean? Who are you? Why do you look like her?! ANSWER ME!"

She knew this day would come, but she never thought it would turn out like this. With a sigh she said "Its complicated." She then looked at the man who was holding unto her arms so tightly. The pained mixed with the confused and agitated look on his face urged her to at least shed some light on their current predicament. " You see, Alleria and I are the same, rather we use to be one person."  She tried to gauge Leo's reactions and when he made no gestures of objection she continued with her explanation.

"You do know the Kusanagi clan right? Their infamy precedes them wherever they go, and for one with such backgrounds to climb up the staircase of power, one must make use a facade. A ruse if you will, a trick that will make people believe that Alleria was different from her family. A black sheep of the black sheep if you will,so she can be a viable candidate as council member. But in order for them to make if plausible, they had to make the real Alleria's psyche asleep and they replaced it with me." she looked at him. It seems he was having a hard time grasping the concept.

"The me who was doing all the good work since we were 14, that was all me. They used some ancient forbidden magic to create a persona within her that was suppose to be perfect in the eyes of the people. She wasnt suppose to awaken until she becomes head of the council and have installed into the vital branches of the army at least one mole from their clan. They weren't expecting her premature awakening though, somehow, the Lich's presence stirred something in her." She was about to continue on with her story when she heard a the leaves and twigs cracking.

"Yoh Roh! What do you think those two are talking about?" asked the long haired boy to his companion, but it seems his query fell on deaf ears. The short haired guy remained as he was, emotionless and unyielding, ignoring whatever it was that his partner asking him. His attention was on the lady that looked a lot like her mistress. "Hey Hero, Hero, Hero.." Duo said again as he poked Heero by the side with his finger, he hated it when he ignores him. Sweat beads are now forming on his forehead, it was hard to maintain a straight face with Duo poking him at the ribs. He wanted to smack him then and there, but he had a mission to do and that was to keep an eye on the intruders and to not let them thru. He never failed had once failed a mission given by her mistress and he doesnt intend on starting now. Still, the scowl on his face is proof enough that he is irritated at the moment.

"Fuuuu, fine if your not interested then ill spy on them by myself." and with that Duo vanished, only to reappear a few meters away from the two siblings. If it were possible, his ears would have grown to the same size as his head from all the eavesdropping that he was doing.

Leonard listened carefully to what the Alleria clone had to say. Yet what he heard he cannot fully understand, not all of his questions were answered. What he did understand is that the person in front of him is that this is Alleria's goodness personified, to prepare for their family's world domination. However, what does that have to do with him? Leonard was sure of himself that Alleria would eliminate anyone that is no use to her. There was more to this and Leonard needed to find out.

Suddenly there were cracking and sounds around them, clearly Alleria has sent her summons to spy on them.

Not letting go, he told her "Alright, that means I can trust you and that you can answer my questions. Let's go some place safe." Afterwards, he rudely let go of her hand and walked towards the forest's edge to the West where a clear grassy plain was located, hoping "Alleria" was following close by. At this condition, he is sure no one can hide from them.

Finally when they got there, he lay down on the soft grass. Despite the situation, there's no need to disregard relaxation. And he believes to have earned it. For after months of tracking and hunting, he would now get the answers he seeks. And the chance to know more and understand Alleria and the family she comes from. When everything had settled down, he asked "OK, so what does that have to do with me?"

"You are our brother. You belong to the Kusanagi clan." was Aria's response.

Leonard was laying down careless on the grass he heard Aria's response which shocked him. He got up quickly to see if Aria was joking or not, and how he wished she was. But the facial expression on Aria's face begged to differ. She was plain serious. And Leonard couldn't fathom at the thought. He was lost for words. He kept mouthing words. Stuttering. That's how much he couldn't believe how things are going. Until finally a words passed through. And so he uttered "S-s-s-seriously?"

It seems it was too much for her little brother to take in, the stutter in his speech says it all. She wasnt sure how to console him, she wasnt sure it was even the right time. Was it too soon to reveal this secret, perhaps, but this was the hand that they were dealt. Plus it does help alleviate the burden she was keeping in her chest. The problem was, now that he know, will it affect him? Will this change their relationship, both her and her dark half. There were many things swimming in her head but she was brought back to the present when she saw the look on her brothers face. Her face softened and she reached out unto him and quietly said "You don't have to worry, your past doesn't define you. You are the master of your own fate, so don't worry, everything will be all right." And with awkward hands, she hugged her long lost brother.

Indeed it was real, and he was hugged he didn't know what to do about it now. However he was thankful to know the truth. He had been searching for it all his life and now that he had it, he wasn't sure he was ready to find out about it. The truth made him afraid. What if his darker side will emerge just like Alleria? The thought troubled him greatly as he was well aware of the darkness in him. But in the warm embrace of his sister, he found hope. That maybe nothing will change and that he will still be in the righteous path. Furthermore, the words of his older sister echoed in his mind. Indeed he is master of his own fate. But he has seen things that would beg to differ, which caused him to be unsure. "Thank you Aria, one thing's for sure. I need to protect you from Alleria. And I need to know more. So why don't you come with me? But that thing that happened to Alleria... Will that happened to me too?" he asked with worry while still being under his sister's warm embrace, at this time he gave her a hug too.

Leo's Total Thread WC: 2247
(As calculated by Nessa)