With her mouth agape, Rotavitea stepped back, enthralled by the sheer weight of Ballo's voice.

  Rotavitea: "Ballo...?"

  Though his demeanor remained serene, beneath the divine radiance his body withered, much like Virno's had under the strain of his own power.

  Rotavitea: "STOP! You'll die...!"

  She tried to move forward, to grab him, to do something -- but her body refused to obey. The force surrounding Ballo was not one she could fight against.

  Ballo: "Though my mission ends here, Rota... yours does not."

  His voice was steady, though sorrow hid beneath its warmth.

  Ballo: "You must see Virno to his final destination. He must reach the sword at all costs. Can I trust you with this?"

  ... She couldn't answer. Her lips trembled, but no words formed. Tears welled in her eyes as the reality of what was about to happen sank in.

  Ballo: "One last thing..."

  He crouched beside Virno's withered body, the white flames in his palms spilling over like liquid light. With the last of his strength, he poured them into Virno, the divine fire latching onto his frame, seeping into every inch of his broken form.

  Ballo: "Tell Clavia... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied to her."

  His voice cracked. If the blinding flames hadn't concealed his face, she knew she would have seen the pain in his eyes.

  Ballo: "A few months won't be enough. We'll have to postpone our peaceful retreat..."

  His body flickered, the flames consuming him faster now.

  Ballo: "In the next life, for sure... For sure."

  Rotavitea fell to her knees, hands trembling.

  Rotavitea: "Why do you have to go...? After all this time, WHY?! We were finally gonna be all together again...!"

  Ballo didn't answer. He simply smiled -- a peaceful, knowing smile -- as his body was reduced to light, merging fully with the flames now engulfing Virno.

  Rotavitea: "All for what...? FOR WHAT?!"

  The fire dimmed, its glow fading...

  Ballo was gone.

  Holding her hands up to her face, she mourned the loss of the man that had practically been a grandfather to her.

  And yet, where his light had disappeared, Virno's form remained.

  His skin regained its color. His muscles reformed. The once-wasted corpse was whole again -- save for his missing arm. Only a scar remained where it had been, a grim reminder of all he had lost.

  Then, he opened his eyes.

  They glowed -- not with the divine warmth of Ballo's flames, but with something else. Something unnatural. The eerie green shimmer of the magic that had nearly consumed him before.

  Virno: "... Cry not."

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  His voice was calm. Too calm.

  Virno: "His sacrifice will not be in vain. We are close."

  Rotavitea's breath caught in her throat.

  Something was wrong.

  His posture, his tone, even the way he carried himself -- this was not the Virno she knew. He rose effortlessly to his feet, stepping toward her as if nothing had happened.

  Virno: "Is your contraption still operable?"

  She lifted her face from her hands, eyes narrowing in confusion -- before that confusion twisted into fury.

  Rotavitea: "Ballo just KILLED HIMSELF for you... and the first thing on your mind is chasing after that DAMN THING?!"

  Her body moved before she could think. She swung -- a solid punch to his right cheek. Virno staggered back from the impact, but his face remained expressionless.

  Rotavitea: "SELFISH, HEARTLESS BASTARD!"

  For the first time, he hesitated. He froze -- as if entirely unprepared for the situation at hand.

  Then, the green glow in his eyes flickered -- and faded.

  Virno's breath hitched. His hand shot up to his cheek, cradling it gingerly. He looked at her, blinking.

  Like he had only just woken up.

  Virno: "Rotavitea...? What the hell is going on?!"

  His voice was different now -- it was his. The sharp authority from before had vanished, replaced by confusion.

  Rotavitea's chest tightened.

  Rotavitea: "I should be asking YOU that...! What's wrong with you?! Do you have any idea what you've done...?"

  She looked utterly defeated, her gaze weighed down by despair.

  Virno: "I-I..."

  He didn't know.

  Rotavitea: "He died for you. Killed himself so you could live..."

  She turned away, heading toward the wreckage of their vehicle.

  Rotavitea: "... Ballo's dead."

  Virno’s breath caught in his throat. His eyes darted across the battlefield, searching -- desperate to see him, to find any proof that she was wrong. But there was nothing. No sign of Ballo. No sign of Barr.

  Only ash.

  Virno: "S-So we won...?"

  Rotavitea stopped. Slowly, she turned to face him, then pointed at the scorched remains at his feet.

  Rotavitea: "You tell me."

  The wind carried Ballo's ashes, scattering them into the night.

  Rotavitea: "It sure doesn't feel like victory. Doesn't feel like it at all..."

  She turned away again, heading toward the ruined vehicle, but before Virno could take another breath, an agonizing pain crashed through his skull.

  Like a hammer. The voice split his mind apart.

  Greed: "You were weaker than expected, von Virtus... Though your deficiencies are mostly of the mental variety."

  Virno clutched his head, his knees buckling.

  Greed: "Fortunately, your near-death experience opened a window -- a window that allows us to connect deeper than before. One body, two minds. Together, we will reach the sword. I am NOT letting you ruin this..."

  The pain receded. A shudder ran through his body, and when he lifted his head again, his eyes glowed green.

  He moved toward the wreckage. As he walked, he stepped on a soft piece of fabric on the ground -- Ballo’s blindfold.

  Without hesitation, he tied it tightly around his head, covering his eyes.

  Rotavitea: "... What are you doing?"

  She had been rummaging through what was left of Clavia’s contraptions, trying to salvage something.

  Virno: "Worry not... I can see just fine."

  Rotavitea jumped down from the wreckage, stepping in front of him.

  Rotavitea: "I don’t know what’s gotten into you... I really don’t -- but let me tell you one thing... Ballo’s final wish was that I take you to the damn sword."

  She stepped closer, her eyes burning with something between grief and rage.

  Rotavitea: "... And I swear to the gods I'll honour his request with every fiber of my being. All you have to do is not kill yourself in the process, and I should be able to manage that."

  She squared up to him, daring him to react.

  Rotavitea: "So, can you do your part? Think you can manage to not be a coward and see this 'til the end...?!"

  Virno remained motionless, unfazed.

  Virno: "Rest assured, I have no plans of dying anytime soon."

  Rotavitea narrowed her eyes.

  Rotavitea: "Really...? Sure changed your tune quick. Shame you didn’t have a change of heart before..."

  Her voice caught in her throat. She clenched her jaw, then turned away, shaking her head.

  Rotavitea: "... Whatever."

  She crouched by the wreckage again, tossing aside useless pieces of scrap as she searched for anything still functional.

  Rotavitea: "Give me a hand. With some luck, we might be able to cobble something together to help us get through the rest of the way. You do know where we’re going, right...?"

  Virno raised his hand without hesitation, pointing toward the tree line.

  Deep into the dark woods.

  Virno: "I know *exactly* where we're going."