Her layered speculations took a while to unravel. Considering that she had a sinking suspicion she'd seen the mask in a memory that wasn't her own, she first suspected the cultists. With no one else to rely on, but fellows of the holy institution of the church, she decided to test her theory by asking around. She'd made a list of potential folks she could ask, Adelaide had been high on the list, but she really didn't want to bother the poor mother with any sort of responsibility that would force her away from her broken family.

While finding out what that posse was up to, was of utmost importance, she would resort to burdening her former mentor, only when there was no other way. She settled for the next best option. The very old and very wise defender-of-holy-texts, by the name of Benedetta. The title was essentially a more glorified way of calling her a librarian for the Church's vied collection. The Shimada was certain that the woman would have more insight on the matter. She certainly didn't want the lady, known as  to suspect her of anything, so she merely described the mask to the old woman, under the guise that she'd heard a suspect talking about it while she was still more solidly amidst the Rune Knights. The librarian was almost too quick to establish that it was these fabled cultists that haunted the lands. She went out of her way to show her inscriptions upon inscriptions of accounts that corroborated her deduction... It was a little too... perfect and easy.

Maybe Akira was thinking zebras when she heard horse hoofs, but things were adding up way too neatly. Upon closer evaluation, she began wondering if the church had collected this much knowledge, what was to stop them from using the mask as a ruse? It could in fact be someone from within the church that had orchestrated the episode that she and Kazi had interrupted. If so, they'd really taken quite a few measures to keep the blame off of the religious institute. No surprises there. After using the prayer time to ponder some more, the Shimada left the grandiose abbey, with a puzzled mind. Now going as far as to wonder if they'd left the mask there intentionally to send anyone who chanced upon them on a wild goose chase.

She'd taken a few days already, she didn't want Kazi to think she'd betrayed him, nor did she want him to deem her incompetent. So despite not having the concrete answers she had promised, she'd beckoned for him to join her, so they could discuss the matter further. She wasn't too keen on letting him know of her unverified suspicions yet, especially because it was in the interest of her mission to aid the Church, should her suspicions be true, to gain their trust. For the moment, she decided it was safe to repeat what she'd learned from Benedetta.

She decided to test Kazi's mettle once again, by choosing to meet at the famous church, despite, or rather because she was aware of LeeAnn's discomfort. She wanted to know if he'd have what it took to put duty first. The Shimada made that sacrifice everyday... It was time someone shared that burden with her. Not only did it aid in learning more about his inclinations, it made her new affiliation clear to him. While it was a risk to be seen in association with another Rune Knight, Kazi was hardly established enough yet. It could be seen as a gesture made out of habit.

She stood atop the pristine grandiose staircase, lost in the bustle of the crowd that ventured in and out of the building. She gauged the man as he approached, choosing to turn away just before he got close enough to address her and leading him to a passage that was less disturbed by the constant influx. She noticed his grudging admiration for the architecture, one that she and Tsuru shared as well. While she could appreciate the effort, she judged the unfair opulence.

She could never understand how the poor and the downtrodden could maintain faith in such an organisation. The Holy Church, definitely spent more of its earnings on maintaining the splendour of their institution, and the illusion of power, than it did to help. While any logical person would derive such a conclusion especially after the Incursion having left this particular building absolutely unharmed, the system had already buried its roots too deep. Most such occurrences often worked in their favour rather than against.

People sought refuge in a place that even the demons dared to not touch. None of them wondered what power the church hid to protect just itself... Upon pondering long enough, Aki could see the genius in the system. Make everyone yearn for what they can't have and promise that faith might help them earn it. She couldn't wallow in such thoughts, not when she had her part to play. It'd make it too easy to give in, especially now that she was going to be in the company of one of those rare few who were capable of seeing the truth. Foreigners, she recognised were usually the sort to ask the questions, in hushed whispers however...

With that line of thought, she grew curious about Kazi's past, but like most questions, those inquiries would have to wait for a better time. As he neared, yet again, she turned to face him again. The sharp light from the main hall in poured into the dimly lit passage, creating domineering shadows of the two figures as their tense tryst commenced. She realised she was wringing her hands which only worsened when he jumped to the conclusion that she thought the church was involved somehow. She quickly clasped them behind her back, to not betray her anxiety and doubt, to attempt putting up a bolder more reassured front.

'No.' she said, putting redundant amounts of emphasis on the denial, which could've potentially given her true deductions away. 'I called you here, because now that my time with the Knights is drawing to a close, I've opted to work with the church. Fitting, given the demonic threats we face, isn't it?' while her words and tone attempted to resonate with some sort of a passion, there was a dry underlying flatness to her claims, that she hadn't been able to get rid of yet. She left her deceleration with a question, just to offer him the chance to share his reservations should he have any and should they get in the way of the mission they were meant to undertake. 'It is as I feared, notorious cultists plague the lands and they have some ulterior motive.' she explained.

It wasn't too tough to conclude and imply that they were scavenging the sites of the incursions, potentially for left overs of Abyssinian artefacts, or even powerful equipment left behind by heroes who had fallen while defending the land. She explained these simply derivations, unsure if he'd be sated, given the time she'd taken. She could just hope that he'd continue to show his usual deference. There was a chance he wouldn't, since the difference in their ranks was no longer something that could technically feature in their interaction. 'I have some clue as to where they might be, shall we go?' she said, opting to lead the way.

Luckily, she did have a sneaking suspicion as to where she could find this covet group. From what she'd gathered, cultists and the experimenting Holy Knights alike, favoured decrepit ruins of seemingly abandoned churches. There were quite a few of those littered around in Orchidia. Perhaps, they two would have to scour a few before chancing upon the right one.

Her eyebrows immediately shot up at the change in his tone, which was far more brusque than before. So all it took was her to officially leave her rank for his alleged regard to fade? or rather, vanish? She drew a long breath in, resisting the urge to click her tongue, she did tap her feet though, gently and impatiently. 'Yes.' she said, with a certain sharp finality. Her test did serve its purpose then, he did go onto make his allegiance very clear, which, much like her ex-partner, was towards the people. Her own efforts were directed in a similar direction after all, they just had a more convoluted path. Aki was surprised at her own reactions regarding the change in his demeanour. While his faith and deference in the past had ironically left her with warmth and guilt in lieu of her duty, now that there was a dearth of it, she felt challenged and icy.

She snickered softly, but it echoed in a rather menacing way in the hall. 'Just Aki, huh? I'll take it. But regardless of where you stand, I will make the distinction of protecting only those who deserve it.' she said, choosing to make her own standing clear. She didn't explain the parameters that made someone worthy, which potentially left this to his vague interpretation. However, Akira wasn't lying for the sake of her mission this time. She did have a way of sorting the worthy from the lot with the wand and she intended on using it whenever she could, surreptitiously though. Intent was her chosen sieve, if someone intended to harm another for personal gain, they were unworthy of her intervention. Perhaps... In time she'd realise that was too harsh a judgement.

The change in his tone once again, did melt the frosty tension just a little bit. Aki was not one to begrudge another for long, especially if their intent seemed noble. 'Faith works in mysterious ways, it offers as much as it takes away, I suppose I was just the lucky to be among the former.' she replied, attempting to sound somewhat wise. She didn't have it in her to favour the church extensively in the given moment, especially as suspicions against them stood stark. He reminded her of how deep the illusion ran, simply in response to the little that she had shared. She wrung her hands again and shook her head about the end goal, not trusting her words or tone. She'd heard whispers about a certain section of the Church experimenting on unwilling victims... And all of these things in tandem with one another, didn't bode well.



She lead Kazi, their ventures and investigation mostly lead to disappointing conclusions. There could've been powerful cloaking magic and such in use, but Aki had no way of sensing such things. Feeling woefully disappointed at not making any headway, her frustrations seemingly oozed from ever pore in her body. 'Still quite a few to go.' she said, unclenching her jaw just in time to prevent the words from being issued through grit teeth. Just as they were about to walk away though, she heard the crunch of snow behind her, it almost sounded deliberate, given that the place was eerily silent just moments before. Upon whipping around, her gaze fell on a rather smug looking blonde man, in a golden armour. It was clear from the fact that he'd managed to conceal his presence in such totality, that he was no one to be trifled with. 'I'd expected the two of you to have keener eyes.' he said, chuckling.

Once again, Kazi managed to melt some of the ice she guarded herself with ever so readily, but not entirely this time. She realised that it would help her keep some healthy distance, it wasn't supposed to like her, if he did, then she wasn't playing her part right. So while compelled, she didn't let him in on the fact that Aki was fine and he need not waste his time with formalities. She remained quiet as they walked, allowing him to offer his opinions on her words.

She was surprised he'd interpreted her words so correctly. For the most part, she did mean it in exactly that contest, she just wanted to do her job better and dish out justice accurately. The difference existing in the fact that she wanted to minimise the time wasted on all the paper work, but that was only because she had a fool-proof way of assessing intentions. She was forced to softly add her lie, for the sake of pretence. 'Just and faithful' her words highlighted her what she would allegedly use as sieve to filter the worthy.

She offered a curt nod to his assessment of her and as an agreement to teach him more. She did have bookish knowledge, surely that could suffice if their paths crossed often enough for such exchanges. She stifled the urge to smirk when he offered another wind related sentiment, in an attempt to bolster her spirit. Much like Tsuru's presence, his company was oddly calming and supportive. Though the context of the relationships she shared with the two was different, there echoed a sense of familiarity and ease that extended beyond what one would find between colleagues.


Despite the thin facade of conflict, perhaps the underlying repose was obvious to the onlooker, the blonde, armoured man, who stood staring down at them like a predator on his prey. While it wasn't surprising that he knew her, her exploits had made her quite infamous over the past few months, it was disconcerting that he already knew Kazi too and that neither of them knew who he was. It was fair to assume that his insight went beyond the usual observer. She narrowed her eyes at their smug opponent. 'Kind. But last I checked, neither of us were blind.' She gasped softly as reality itself seemed to remould and alter as he tapped his weapon, and a derelict wall morphed into a threshold. It was almost as though he was proving a point, that they weren't in fact as keen in sight as they believed.

'So, once you're through with us, we'll be able to see doors where there weren't any?' she asked sardonically, folding her hands to make it clear that she wasn't just going to follow him inside. 'Indeed. Opportunities instead of the failure you both have become accustomed to.' While usually impervious to such insults, those words cut Akira like the sword he was wielding. It accentuated the frustration that had been stirring within her. She bought her hands down to her side, clenching her fists. It took effort to not lash out at the taunting presence of the man. Somehow, he knew of her struggles. 'Go on, you know you want to. I promise, I can take it.' he said, smirking and stepping closer. He stared her down rather squarely, before casually letting his gaze flick towards Kazimir. His motions and demeanour felt like a threat and Akira broke the rule she usually adhered to with a passion...

She attacked.

She held up her palm, parallel to the ground, her fingers pointing towards her target. A blade like projection streaked outwards, of course, nor she nor Kazi could see it. The invisible shock-wave never made contact with the armoured man though. Within the instant he sprouted four large wings and shot straight upwards. The wall behind him exploded, there was no door now, just a large gaping hole and a tonne of debris, but that wasn't what held the Shimada's attention. Her eyes were riveted onto the being in front of her. The soft tuft of white feathers that graced his large wings, were perhaps the only gentle thing about him. The rest of him seemed sharp, domineering and fierce.

It became obvious that they were dealing with a being superior to them. A Seraphim to be precise, much like the demons... he too seemed to elicit the same sense of doom and dread in the Shimada's heart. There was no room for pretence anymore, it was the two of them together, united against this... beautifully vicious creature. 'Much better.' He addressed her, completely unfettered by her attack. He then turned towards the Sinese, as though politely offering him a chance to attack too. She sneaked a glance at Kazi, to check in.

She heard her comrade's warning, she simply didn't heed it, or rather that she couldn't. It felt as though her newfound magic possessed her, instead of the other way around. That the Seraphim in front of the two mortals seemed to tease out reactions the Shimada usually reigned in with ease. A small part of her at least hoped he'd have a similar effect on Kazi, when he didn't, she grew tense. She licked her lips in a fruitless attempt to bolster her fading sense of courage. Why did he have a hold on her like this? Why was he able to coax such aggression. It was almost as though he had a personal stake and contribution in the way her magical abilities worked. Her gaze lingered on Kazi, her breath was already shallow and she grit her teeth, betraying sourness that she directed more at herself, for losing the usual poise she maintained. Not only did he get her to do what he wanted, he also evaded the attack with ease.

The Sinese remained mostly impassive, reflecting what Akira would've been had she not been so easily taunted. She huffed softly as Kazi issued the question on her tongue. Although, they both knew he was hardly the sort to humour them with the answers they were looking for. The angel used it to set himself apart and above them yet again. She could tell Kazi would've avoided the instigation, but he gathered an attack in solidarity with her. She had a way to attempt dissuading him, just like he had done for her. But given the obvious friction between the Seraph and them, the last thing she needed was for him to learn of the powers harnessed by her wand.

She watched Kazi beckon his winds to allow him to rise briefly and throw the slashes of magic. The Seraph resorted to making quite a spectacle of his defence. She paid careful attention and made note of his tendencies, hoping that the two lesser beings would find a way to exploit one of them and at least make a get away. While the flare of his defence didn't really impress, something else did nab her attention. It was the way the Seraph seemingly referred to Kazi's past. Her eyes widened at that comment. How long has he been watching and who else had he been watching, surely we can't be the only ones? She thought and was contemplating giving voice to her blunt questions. They were well past the stage of exchanging pleasantries for the sake of formality anyways. What they lacked and were limited by however, was the luxury of time. Soon after the angel finished his sharp assessment, he descended and sent a wave of fire.

His attack was a bit of an overkill, there was certainly no precision to it, but that made it impossible to avoid too, especially given their proximity. So instead of trying to get out of the way, she streaked and dashed to cover as much of Kazi as she could. She winced instinctively, but she trusting her orb to protect her, while using herself as a shield for the Sinese. It drew a considerable amount of magical energy from her, but it was worth it. She sighed as the holy fire billowed around them, he sustained them with ease, literally testing them with fire. Using wind could prove risky, as much as there was the potential to blow the flames away, it could also stoke the fire into an inferno. She wasn't sure how her magic would interact but given that she'd eventually run out if she didn't plan a counter, she decided to risk it.

She held out her fist, in a gesture similar to the one she'd used the very first time her magic responded to her appropriately. A spectacle that Kazi had the fortune of witnessing. A magic circle appeared and from it a cube emerged. She couldn't see the cube in itself, but the conflagration licking at its edges made its existence apparent. She betrayed a smirk of her own as her orb was offered respite. She grit her teeth as it cube tore through the flames towards the Seraphim. The Shimada instinctively opened her fist in an attempt to gain more control... Instead that caused the cube to rapidly expand till it threatened to touch the sword, the source of the blaze. At least it gave her an idea of her own capability. Just as the wave of fire had raged towards them, it vanished. He reflected her smirk. Even in the face of her defence and retaliation, the seraph looked pleased. It was as though he could draw smug satisfaction from their success and from their failure, like both the outcomes were equally attractive prospects.

The Shimada paid little to no heed to the protesting note in Kazi's voice. Akira had hoped that she'd be able to reserve the moment when she displayed the the ample power of her orb. The intent was to use it only when matters got too dire, little did she expect them to get so fiery so soon. There was no choice to make, she couldn't find it in her to risk a fellow Knight, or in fact even a fellow human like that. It was impossible for her to gauge if Kazi had something up his sleeve to evade that. Nor could she deduced just how much damage the man would've sustained if he failed to evade or defend in time. It wasn't a possibility she was willing to callously indulge.

Despite the sudden way that the heat of the encounter was amped up and evidence that this Seraphim wasn't taking it easy, he still didn't seem to be going all out either. He was only offering what he expected them to reliably be able to handle. All this while forcing them into circumstances where they were either forced to retaliate. Or eliciting responses by using psychological tactics to elicit the compelling need for them to exhibit their powers to him.

What she still couldn't deduce, were this angel's intentions. He seemed powerful enough to overwhelm them should the need arise. Yet, it would seem that he was fuelled by no such need. He'd reacted defensively to their engagement and in retrospect, hadn't really exploited any of the vulnerabilities that the lack of coordination between her and Kazi exposed. He truly seemed to be merely testing them, against their will. But what was this to amount to? Should she make more of an effort to deny him the fight he was looking for?

She was faced with precisely that choice, just when Kazi stated that they should take the guy down and as her attack was countered by the Seraph's ever-enduring flames. 'I... I don't know if we can.' she responded, after having swiftly reached such an assessment, based on certain derivations and assumptions. But despite that, Kazi jumped right in, opting to throw a tornado of wind by placing himself behind the angel. While the Seraphim offered his feedback to Akira, he performed a series of swift manouvers to deal with the Sinese. 'Typical. You refusing to accept the circumstance and seek to control it with your winds of change-' he addressed Kazi just as he flung him away, almost dismissively.

This forcing Akira, or perhaps his words baited her into using her second trump card, the wand. '-and you defeating yourself with all that second guessing.' he clicked his tongue. He eyed the wand like it was a toy he'd lost when he was a baby. She flicked the head of the wand towards the Seraph, but to know avail, there was no getting a grasp on the higher beings consciousness. She was frustrated, as he continued to offer more wisdom and apparent insight into her circumstances, while he creating another stream of fire. The inferno danced towards her and was relatively easy to dodge, little did she know it was merely a distraction as he used her instinctive movements and his own to swiftly close the distance between them.

He struck her wand with his sword, almost playfully, and her own weapon sought to damage her in lieu of being put in danger, fortunately her orb managed to protect her yet again. The Shimada groaned softly as she balled her free hand into a fist, and pushed the sword away with such vehemence that it forced her magic to be channelled into her motion. She couldn't tell if it was her attack or if it was by choice that the Seraph was pushed back by a few meters. Whether he chose it or not, Aki was glad for the space between them. 'What do you want from us?' she asked, through grit teeth.

He chuckled and used the new found momentum to move backwards towards Kazi, elegantly using his wings to correct the trajectory. 'Impatience.' He clicked his tongue as he skidded to a stop. He kept the sharp end of his sword pointed towards Aki, as well as his nonchalant gaze. The hilt of the weapon, however, suddenly ducked under his arm aimed for Kazi's ribs. A slew of sardonic words, tied into a rhetorical question. 'Now now, Seiryu, are you losing your cool already?'

Akira's eyes widened with a apparent admiration as even in the face of such overwhelming dangers, Kazi picked himself off the ground to garner gentler torrents again. The only time she'd shown such determination was when she was fighting those demons and she barely got away with her life then... Had it not been for the Sinese, the Shimada was convinced that her courage in the face of this fire, would've been far bleaker. She drew her sense of purpose from the lower ranking Knight.

She frowned when the words of the Seraph reached her, despite them being directed at Kazi, she too flinched at the seraph's eerie tone. Not just the inflection but the accusation in the content of his assumptions, left her wary. The Shimada was intimately familiar with the process of losing control, somehow she'd never pegged Kazi to be the sort who would face a similar problem. The Seiryu seemed to have a great presence of mind and usually seemed calm and collected.

Akira was silly to mentally gloat over the small victory of being able to maintain some distance between the angel and herself. She was even sillier to think that the her partner was safe, just because the Seraph was facing her. When she saw the hilt transition backwards she gasped, but had no chance to warn the victim of the blade. Her grip on the wand tightened, till her knuckles turned as white as her face, once the blood drained from it. She swallowed, and drew a long shaky breath in. The world seemingly stood still, it was like time froze as the sword was slowly plucked out of its target as easily as it had been thrust in.

Blood slowly darkened the robes of the fellow mage as it soaked through the fabric. She noticed the way the the winds around him assumed the shape of a tiger, like a spirit animal of sorts... She didn't have time to linger on that sight. The weapon was carelessly brandished, with the purpose of getting rid of the clingy crimson fluid. Her eyes rested on the scarlet spattering that decorated the dirt, she couldn't bear to hold the gaze of Kazi, nor the angel.

The Shimada  was filled with a profound sense of hopelessness.  'No!' she exclaimed, what started as a violent scream in her head, wound up being issued as a mere and flustered whisper of dejected denial. The realisation was slow to hit her and it was horrifying... She had a part in knocking the blonde away, towards her partner. 'I'm- I'm sorry.' she mouthed, her words lost in the air of the night.

As emotions overwhelmed her, it got more and more difficult to channel her magic into anything cohesive and their tormentor was still being cryptic. But in a moment, it wouldn't matter. She narrowed her eyes and widened her stance, balling her hands into a fist as she allowed rage to blind her. Just as she was about to make a dash towards him, with no particular plan in mind, he held up the sword, pointed menacingly towards her. 'Be done with it then.' she taunted, if he wanted their lives, it was apparent that there was no stopping him. She noticed the slightest shake of his head, as though he was mildly amused by her suggestion and implication, before he uttered a single word.

She barely had a chance to comprehend it, before she was overwhelmed by a cruel sensation. She was acutely aware of the origin of the pain, it was a very sharp line that ran across her back, from her right shoulder to the left hip, crossing the scar left by the demon. Instead of the loud screech of pain that the demon had elicited, this time, the Shimada merely hissed. However, while she was able to show some restrain vocally, the attack did evoke a physical reaction that was very similar to Kazi's. The young girl's legs gave way and she was forced to her knees as well. Her teeth grit and her muscles strained in the exertion as she dealt with a pain that wouldn't vanish, like an ordinary slice would.

She groaned, the echo of which drowned out most of what the seraph said, but the words buried their way into her subconscious and unbeknown to her, precipitated into information that allowed her to gain clarity on what exactly had transpired. On how she had gained the power she now had. Her conscious mind was still reeling from the fact that she was never physically struck and yet here she was, suffering. There was no respite from the pain, she felt the hot fluid stain her own clothes now, but there was no tear in the garment. There they were, two Knights kneeling for a being against their will. There was no salvaging the people of the world when such power existed.

The bright glow from the weapon, was unbearable to witness along with all the searing agony from the wound. She clenched her eyes shut and sat back on her heels... defeated and in grudging surrender. An invisible shockwave of energy spread outward from every pore of her body, it blew away more pieces of the withering church, but with one swish of the sword, the angel remained unharmed and Kazi too, was protected from any further injury.

The Seraph turned to Kazimir, the tip of his sword tucked under the wind mage's chin. There was nothing violent about the gesture this time. He simply aided the man by allowing him to prop his face against the weapon. 'You too, must awaken. For it is the only hope for you to control the Tempest instead of the other way around.' he stated. rather simply this time. Little did they know, awakening was only the first part of this tryst. Once the two learned and realised of the potential of their respective magics, they were to be blessed to harness their power.

Aki never wore the garb of helplessness well, yet it was thrust upon her far more often that she would like. They were outmatched. She wondered if they'd opted to head into their mission on another night, would things have turned out differently? Given the information the angel possessed about the two, it would seem not. His actions seemed premeditated, like he'd been lying in wait for his chance like this. He'd have stirred into the prowl, if not today then another day, the seraph was clearly accustomed to getting what he wanted and had the prowess to ensure it.

Had she not already been reeling from the pain of her freshly opened wound, she'd have noticed the ache in her knees. Nonetheless, the weakness in her form as she fought the brutal sensation, forced her to fall further onto her palms, her head rose to notice the Sinese faring only slightly better than her. The Shimada had already surrendered and the stab had now forced Kazimir to do so too. Clearly, it wasn't death that was in store for them, although the Shimada was close to wishing for it.

He strode to his vantage point, Aki craned her neck to follow his movements with her gaze, not that it mattered, but there was an illusion of security in knowing where the enemy was. Within seconds the flare of bright glowing embers from his wings, forced her to squint and avert her eyes. His voice echoed deeply as he addressed the two. It seemed as though they had been forced into a ritual of sorts. If Akira's wits hadn't been as scattered as they were, she'd have recognized it from her ample reading and research. Not that prior knowledge would allow her to change anything... Nothing would.

His sword now stood between the two, like a wall. She could no longer make out details of Kazimir's features, but assumed that he was as incapacitated as she was. She closed her eyes in an attempt to curb the strange stirring within. It was almost as though something wanted to leap out from her, towards the blade. She sincerely didn't want to risk another shock-wave exploding from her. Control had to start with the ability to restrain.

Despite her lids being clamped shut against the assault of the brightness, in stark contrast to the dark night, she saw a splash of black and white collide violently - into seeming nothingness within. His words and the conjured vision offered her all the insight she needed, to at least explain what she had been left with. She opened her eyes a crack, to notice the flames that engulfed them, the heat scorching, but harmless. Additionally, it etched a link between the three.

Of course, there was more to come. More fire, more heat... She wasn't sure if it was the lack of oxygen from all the combustion or something else, that left her panting for breath as the pillar of flame rose under her. She pulled herself back onto her knees, only to fall back onto her calves. Dwindling, she waited.

It would seem, that the stab and slash were point of entry, for the heavenly power to seep into their forms. By now, she had finally made the connections and knew what was to come before the Seraph was oh-so-kind to explain. Her eyes met Kazimir's, she did all she could to wipe the plaintive apology that they'd shown earlier. The Shimada now remained impassive and resigned. Her eyes didn't flit to the smoldering shadow on the ground, she didn't need the change in her to be attested by sight, she was well aware of what had transpired.

After the overwhelming surge of power and vitality, she felt quite empty again and exhausted. The feelings contrasted sharply. She slowly picked herself up, dragging her leg as she slowly found footing again. The Shimada teetered and sighed. This put her in an odd predicament. Perhaps, for the time being she could use it to curry favors with the church, maybe this curse... or rather blessing was indeed a blessing in disguise.

'I guess we'll be seeing more of you then.' she stated, her voice was raspy. Surely, if he had found them once, he could find them again, perhaps with more ease given the divine essence inside them. She'd learned much today, despite the hefty price. It would seem Kazi had his own inner battles too, unfortunately, she wasn't in the position to aid him. The fact that they had just been forced to be disciples, only made her want to stay away from the fellow Knight for his safety and for the sake of her duty.

This power was going to be yet another tool she'd have to learn to wield... The Shimada had too much on her plate. She nodded towards the Sinese, an anticlimactic gesture given everything they had endured. As the pain from the injury she had sustained finally began to fade into a gentler throb, she sighed softly. The brilliance that the angel of wrath exuded slowly faded too, and he assumed a more human form, apart from the scattered debris, the scene was exactly like it had been before the ritual - it was almost like it didn't happen. If only.

'I'll be on my way now, I trust I'll be easy to find if needed. For now, I do hope I can be extended the courtesy of solitude.' she addressed them both and no one in particular. If no one offered a reason to stop, she'd hobble away, not towards the church but to her apartment instead, she was going to need a few days to process this change and to find a way forward. Hopefully, there would be nothing that'd prevent her from doing at least that.