Corryn sprinted forward with a jolt of ether, and Mòrag flew towards him the same.

With growing confidence in his clever mind and abilities, Corryn was ready to take the fight head on, unlike everyone else.

Corryn leapt forward and spun past the lash of a whip, cleaving the Aegis through the flaming aftermath and slashing at the newly formed rapier.

Keeping stride, Corryn sent a flurry of wild slashes, and Mòrag only analyzed each strike, blocking them with relative ease, before seeing a sudden increased in speed.

She watched Corryn's arms glow green, evenly matching the speed increase with one of strength as well, one fins slashing making her slide back.

"Hmm... this is a Celestite?" Mòrag asked Brighid.

"Indeed. His ability to use ether by his lonesome is formidable... but it seems it's not as strong as could be." Brighid informed.

With a whistle, two disks flew at Mòrag from both sides, and she flipped back to avoid them, watching as Nia caught one, and Dromarch caught the other.

Corryn rushed in again with Pyra at his side holding the Aegis.

Reeling his fist back, Corryn made Mòrag flew toward the group, all attacks closing in on her.

Tora and Poppi flew with their drill tearing forward from her six, making her completely cornered.

She smirked despite her odds, and turned her swords to whips, spinning around and letting out a wave of flames.

Each Blade tried to block with their ether shields, but Brighid's assistance in the Arts sent everyone flying, crashing into whatever was behind them.

Landing on his feet, Corryn caught Pyra, sliding to his back from doing so.

"Alright, take two..." Corryn said using his ability again.

Mòrag watched as everyone recovered, and slowly eyed her, waiting to make a move. Suddenly, Tora and Poppi made a break for her and Brighid.

Handing her one of the whips, the two turned them into rapiers, and faced their opponent.

But just as she did so, Nia and Dromarch rushed in after them.

Mòrag clicked her tongue and turned to face them, while Brighid faced the other two.

Then last but not least, Pyra and Corryn rushed in as well, fully overwhelming the two seeing that the order they were approaching was changing due to differences in speed.

The first to reach was actually Nia and Dromarch, who both lunged, only to be blocked by Mòrag and Brighid respectively.

Tora butt in with Poppi as propulsion, forcing Brighid to parry Dromarch and block for Mòrag, but a sudden shockwave shoved the two away.

Waiting for them, Pyra circled around and slashed three projectiles at them, Corryn running around the other way weaving his fingers like playing with a puppet.

Pyra's flames grew a green contrail, and began homing in on Mòrag and Brighid.

Brighid lent Mòrag her rapier and she changed both to whips, lifting them up and across her body.

With a sudden spark, a blast of blue flames combat them, sending the others skidding back with a wince or groan.

Except for Corryn, who rose his green ether shield and flew into it, reeling his right fist back as it died down.

Mòrag frowned as the flames cleared, before only spotting a majority of her opponents. Brighid was quick to assist, seeing Corryn fly at the two with his fist reeled back.

She snatched a whip and set a wall of fire between them, but Corryn flipped forward, swiping his hand down to blow away just enough to slip through.

Engulfing his hand in fire, Corryn sent a stream of flames right in between the two as he got close.

The two jumped away to opposite sides, before remembering they had more than one enemy.

Pyra swung downward at the airborne Mòrag, and Nia slashed at Brighid.

Mòrag blocked just enough to protect herself, but was sent to the ground and into a roll. Brighid clashed with Nia, having turned the whip into the rapier, but turned it back again, to grab her weapon.

She spun and slammed Nia into the ground, but didn't realize, both were a distraction.

Mòrag gasped as she glanced behind her, and Brighid did the same as her body shined green.

Poppi slammed her drill into Mòrag's rapier, but another pulse of earth sent her flying into a wall.

Corryn slammed his foot into Brighid's hip, sending bullets of fire as she flew away.

Brighid brought up her ether shield to block the fire, and slid beside Mòrag, who was gritting her teeth, and comprising her composure.

"This child... I severely underestimated him, but even when it got serious... he had plans behind his back-up plans." Mòrag muttered, looking up at Corryn as he panted beside Pyra.

"His tactics too... he's fully making use of his numbers, and our inability to keep track of them all. Remarkable at such a young age." Brighid agreed.

"How are you? I know using your powers on Blades is stressful." Pyra asked. "I can... still do it. We've got this, as long as we keep attacking their blind spots." Corryn answered, straightening himself and taking the Aegis.

Suddenly, the whip of flames was coiled around his leg, and he was swept off his feet.

"So we take out their coordinator." Mòrag muttered as Corryn was flung into a wooden crate, sending the debris flying.

"Corryn!" They yelled.

Mòrag flicked the whip again, and he soared over the group and into the main gate of the base, where an audible crack and bang could be heard.

"...Will you kill him?" Brighid asked, mainly for confirmation.

Silence.

Mòrag set the whip ablaze even more, making Corryn scream in agony as she spun around, and threw him into the distance, just over the front gate.

Corryn's friends were quick to run after, and saw a massive dent in the steel foundation of a water tower.

Corryn was on his stomach, bleeding from his head and arm.

Pyra looked at herself, and wondered why she wasn't taking his damage, despite sharing a life force.

Corryn slowly lifted his upper body, using the Aegis as support, watching as Mòrag and Brighid exited the military base.

"It seems you can bare the burden of the Aegis... but does that mean you deserve it?" Mòrag asked, rhetorically, giving look of intrigue.

"It's not about deserving this power. She's not some damn weapon... She's a person, just like every Blade, who has feeling, just like you and me. And who am I to reject them." Corryn said with a glare.

"She called out to me... she asked for my help. The corpse. Given second life, I'm gonna make sure I live it to the fullest, and make her wish come true." Corryn continued, hunching over and steadying his sword.

"Now get the hell out of my way..." He said with leer into Mòrag's soul.

Mòrag simply nodded a few times, before taking her weapon, changing them into rapiers, and dashing forward.

Corryn met her pace and sprinted forward as well, a green glow on his back.

With a sickening crack, he moved it into place, making him bite his tongue as he clashed with Mòrag.

He paced back and blocked a rapier, shoving away the first to block the second. He leaned out of the way of a stab, blocking a kick with his knee, and leaping over another slash.

Spinning to his side, he blocked another stab, spinning his legs and sending a kick at her head, which she blocked in turn as well.

"Shouldn't friends help?!" Tora asked with concern.

"I think... this is a battle between resolves. Her Blade is staying out of it as well." Nia said with point.

Pyra and Brighid glanced at each other at the mention, and both didn't look like they completely wanted to opt out.

Landing on his hand, Corryn spun his body around and slid away from a stab into the dirt, kicking Mòrag's shin. He leapt up as she stumbled, and sent a blast of fire down.

She countered with a blast upward, sending the two back to opposite sides, Mòrag beside his friends, and him beside Brighid.

Both had the opportunity to attack the spectators, but neither played dirty, rushing right back at each other.

"Do you truly understand what you posses! What it means to have it?!" Mòrag asked, locking blades with him.

"I don't have to! I just know there's worse than me out there, that want it, and I can't have that! No one can have her!" Corryn yelled, sending his foot into her stomach.

Corryn threw the Aegis, setting it ablaze as it spun. Mòrag blocked it with a single slash, and turned back, only to receive a haymaker to the same spot on her torso, a flaming fist to boot.

Her eyes grew wide, but not in pain.

The punch was very weak, and it only did enough to make her stumble back.

Corryn didn't care. He knew it was, but he had to fight on no matter what.

Corryn scooped up the Aegis, went to stab her, but she glared coldly and dodged, kicking his knee, and smacking the Aegis away, all the way to Pyra.

Corryn rolled away from a slash, falling on his ass and flipping back from another.

Eyes gleaming, he sent a blast of green ether from his feet, dodging a wave of fire.

Before he could land, Mòrag lashed the whip around his leg and brought him right back.

Corryn's resilient mind was restless.

Corryn wrapped his confined leg around the whip willingly, making more coils. When he hit the ground, he sprinted for Mòrag, making her gasp.

With him approaching or losing a leg, she had no choice but to drop her whip.

Corryn threw a jab at her face, and she leaned away and thrust her handle into his chest. Corryn ate it, landing a hook on her ribs, soon blocking a slash with his green ether shield.

Lowering the shield, he lowered himself, throwing an uppercut at her. She dodged back, but watched his body grow green, spinning around and landing a kick on her chest.

Mòrag scoffed, and decided she'd certainly seen enough.

She punched Corryn in the jaw, swiftly using the same arm to elbow his nose, before kneeing his chest, sending him skidding away with little air in his lungs.

Struggling to breath, Corryn trembled in fear for his life, the suffocating feeling of his throat making him claw at his chest.

Corryn suddenly lashed his hand out, and sent Mòrag flying towards the water tower, crashing into it just like him: with a bang, hurting her back.

Letting in a massive inhale, Corryn scrambled to his feet, and paced backwards.

"You... had enough yet?" Corryn asked, despite knocking on death's door moments ago.

'Why... why am I not taking any damage?! I don't want him to feel this alone! He's hurting so much, yet fighting so hard... I want to be like him...' Pyra thought, looking at the back of the Driver.

'Are we... truly not in resonance...? Is he still scared... to wield the Aegis?' Pyra asked, noticing that not once, were the two in sync of their ether. Not even a cable to connect the two.

"I've grown tiresome, boy." Mòrag answered, but sighed a few seconds later. "I've also seen enough..." She said with an uncontrollable smirk.

"...You still want some?!" Corryn asked with a growl, his leer making Mòrag laugh.

"You've bested me... it seems I've been given the slip. The Aegis has escaped me. Oh... no..." She said turning on her heel.

.
. .
. . .

"What?" Corryn and friends asked in confusion.

"...Leave before I make you." Mòrag said in annoyance, eyeing them in disappointment at their obliviousness.

The group looked at each other, before shrugging and running away as fast as they can.

"THANK YOU~!" Corryn yelled in the distance, making Mòrag laugh.

"You've made your decision...?" Brighid asked Mòrag, stepping over in concern.

"Not quite. I've seen his potential... tested his resolve... but I've seen naught of the Aegis'. So, let us see what happens when they roam free for awhile." Mòrag said calmly.

"So you approve of the boy?" Brighid questioned.

"More than so... even when his life was flashing before his eyes, he aimed to take me out. He went the upper mile." Mòrag noted. "As well as, when we landed beside our foes, he could have attacked you instead, but bravely ran right back into the fray."

Brighid noticed the more she talked about him, the more she smiled.

"It's not everyday someone holds their own against you in battle." Brighid agreed, smiling at her happiness.

"...A Celestite and the Aegis... what a pair." Mòrag hummed in amusement.