She's alive. Despite every instinct that told him the outcome would be otherwise, that something within that cursed land of Limbo would have eventually killed her, whether it was a chimera or just another bloodthirsty student. Erena defied the odds and survived.
Survived like the remaining splinters of wood that littered the floor. Guisei's eyes widened at the sight of her.
"You….You're alive!"
Not a single scratch rested upon her vanilla skin. He rushed towards her to look further, his eyes working like scopes to inspect her more and more. Erena looked the same as before, aside from her uniform changing from what she had worn the last he saw her along with a mark….
Erena couldn't help but flinch at Guisei's movements as if it was instinct trapped beneath her skin and the feeling only grew at the sight of his golden eyes. She couldn't help but squirm at the sight as they seemed to glow like a devilish spirit meant to haunt her, yet something about the boy's expression threw her off.
It was bright.
Brighter than the heat of the sun above the wasteland of Limbo where she dragged her body forward regardless of the consequences, brighter than the moon that she watched from the window of her room years ago that the present one echoed that night.
A full smile.
Erena couldn't help but be conflicted with the sight, simply lowering her head for a moment to think. Guisei stepped back, his analyzation ending for now instead to see her reaction. A reaction Naisho couldn't help but smirk at once he saw.
"Do you know….?" Erena muttered.
The girl's hand followed her head as it rose, reaching out towards Guisei's neck----before snatching up the edge of his jacket.
"Do you know….how hard it was trying to survive in Limbo ALONE!?"
Guisei couldn't help but blink at the girl with a blank expression, unable to show the sheer confusion on his face, both of his emotions and of the fact that Erena began to shake him like a ragdoll.
"You left me to die, you bastard!" Erena yelled.
"I didn't even do it intentionally, I thought you were lost or something!" Guisei shouted back, trying his best to escape Erena's grip only to find such a task harder than expected, her grip closer to the jaws of a lion on its prey.
Guisei looked back at Nabi so she'd confirm his words to save him from being launched if Erena had a change of heart, instead choosing to launch him out of the window instead of shaking him. The crimson eyes of Nabi narrowed as he realized what Guisei was telling her to do, exchanging a quick nod…and did nothing, taking a sip of tea as she watched the chaos unfold.
"....Nabi how could--"
"She's not getting you out of this, you know!" Guisei's body weakly crumpled to the ground, only to gain new fire as he began fighting back against her. Juno couldn't help but giggle at the display.
"Judging by that sour expression you have, you'll concede to my offer."
Nabi couldn't help but perk up from the condescending tone that left Naisho's lips as he spoke. In spite of the distraction, she couldn't hide the look on her face as it drifted from idle calm to the closest look of disappointment she could possibly muster. Of course, out of all the people that could have witnessed that form, it had to be her: Erena Xestis.
"Greed."
Nabi's stare quieted Erena and Guisei as she pointed to the seat beside her on the couch and Guisei sulked as he made his way back to the couch and Erena did the same. The crimson light of Nabi's eyes shifted aware from Guisei back towards Naisho. An icy glare that dared to freeze the room over despite the flames of the fire.
"Concede makes it sound closer to a defeat," Nabi said in retort.
"Haven't I defeated you, Ice Queen?" Naisho said, carefully watching Erena take a seat next to Juno, keeping her distance from the two that Naisho forced her to sit across from. Guisei's enthusiasm lessened at the sight of her reaction, or rather her apprehension.
"Yet to be seen, what do you want?"
Nabi's voice shattered the air like her fist had done to the door a mere moment before. Naisho's eyes drifted away from the lights above him back onto Nabi's glare, its chill seeming to increase the more time went on.
"An alliance, or rather a Legion, with you as the leader."
Juno's eyes (totally) widened with surprise at the prospect, unable to keep her thoughts to herself. Her light voice chirped through the room as she spoke.
"WHOA! That's a really good deal, you know. Nai is pretty strong and probably could beat all the Exousia if he wanted to, so I'd take that deal, you know---"
Empty stares from Nabi and Guisei quieted her before she could deliver a (carefully) planned essay regarding "Juno Qhil's 666 reasons to work alongside herself and Naisho" no matter who the recipient was.
"….. Just…..saying," she muttered.
"We decline," Nabi said.
Erena pat Juno's shoulder as she sulked in silence. For a moment, Nabi let her gaze waver away from the young man, instead focusing her gaze upon the marking on Erena's face.
A recognizable black diamond lingered beneath her eye.
"Oh! Your reason being?" Naisho asked, bringing Nabi away from such thoughts.
"Being that I have no intention of leading, especially the concept of a childish shell of a true legion like the rest of the students here have done for so many years----now if there's nothing else you require…."
Nabi raised her fist, preparing to blast the door open once again to excuse the group gathered before her and Guisei, only for a hand to grab her wrist before she muttered another incantation. Her eyes traced the dark skin of the hand holding her to see Guisei and the expression he held.
"If you really need a leader, I can handle it," he said.
Juno gasped and Erena's hand couldn't help but shake, unaware of why exactly. Her gaze fluttered to the sight of Nabi and Guisei's eyes meeting for a second before the two turned back to Naisho.
"The only thing I need to know is what do you have to offer us….and why did you bring her here of all people," Guisei's eyes shimmered, carefully analyzing Naisho's behavior as if he were a complex tool to be created.
Naisho kept his icy gaze on Guisei. The air in the room thickened as if the willpower of the two battled against each other like a glacier against a ship charging through frozen waters, yet Naisho conceded with a smirk.
"I know you both are trying your best to get through the Trial of Axia guessing from the show you and those other two put on during the Trial of Birth, understanding the Exousia and the way they battle is essential…. I just happen to be close with one or two of them."
Nabi's gaze narrowed, but she held off from saying anything, instead shifting her focus towards Juno and Erena.
"And what about the other two?"
"A legion needs more than three people, considering we have five Exousia to burn through. Juno is excellent at retrieving information considering I got a quick report regarding the two of you quite easily," Naisho said. "As for Xestis, due to her lineage, her potential alone might be able to put her on the level of the Exousia if she has the time."
Guisei opened his mouth in protest before Nabi's words stopped him short of speaking.
"That's satisfactory….for now."
Naisho revealed his fox-like smirk towards the two of them.
"Now there's a matter of positions based on the skill-sets I've seen. Each of the people present its clear cut where everyone else aside from Ketsubo lies in the hierarchy."
"You're saying you should have the place of advisor?"
"True, but I'm also saying since you declined to lead, then you'll have the position of a Master, the High General who answers to the Lord and him alone in this case, that will be Guisei."
"And the other two?" Guisei asked.
"Xestis will occupy a position under Nabi here as Division Commander and Juno will handle the circulation of intel as one of my agents, simple as that." Naisho looked to the two girls beside him for confirmation.
Juno nodded excitedly while Erena, on the other hand, lowered her head, brushing her hair to cover some of her face away from the group.
"I accept," Erena said, "If you truly believe I'll be of use, then I accept."
"That's the spirit!" Naisho said with a childish laugh before shifting his gaze onto Guisei. "If everything is suitable, my lord, would you like to say any words to mark the creation of such a collection of people?"
"(don't call me…) Geez, in that case, let this be the moment that…." Guisei instinctively turned to Nabi, only for her to return his gaze with a sigh.
"Let this moment mark the commemoration Lord Ketsubo of House Mammon's Legion, marked with the one and only purpose of completing the Trial of Axia. With that in mind, I will say that neither of us are comrades nor friends. If any member is to grow weak or dies you won't be missed or saved.….myself and Greed included."
"Sounds good enough for me," Naisho replied.
"So stiff…" Juno muttered.
Guisei and Erena both nodded in response. Nabi couldn't help but catch a glimpse at scared skin carefully hidden beneath the girl's eye only to disappear behind the veil of her brown hair once more.
"If that's all, then you all are dismissed, now get out I'm tired," Guisei said.