Long, slender fingers grabbed at battered metal bands as Slade pulled the remnant shackles apart. The metal crumpled and fell off like so much garbage. Mora wondered if this is how she dies again. I didn’t even last 24 hours in this new body. Crap. Can I get a refund? No? Damn it. This sucks.

To be honest, even as something suffocating and scalding cold battered her entire being, the view is mesmerizing. Slade finally stood up, grace and arrogance personified, robes draping around him like majestic curtains. He’s stupid tall and his hair fluttered slightly at the strange gray fog that seemed to wrap around his feet and climb up his body like a cloud lover. The creeping mass seemed to grow, even as she realized that she’s being engulfed by the thing. Dark death fog. Okay. Guy farts out cold fog of death. Dear god, I hope next time I get to be a little smarter than this.

Compartmentalizing pain and imminent death is something she’d always been good at so she knew things are truly, freakin’ bad when the pain grew and grew. So much that she lost hold of her calm.

It felt as if the creeping foggy arms were digging into her very existence. She knew her body is in pain, her skin is complaining with how she’s writhing on the rocky ground. But something is being ripped apart and devoured by the dual hot and cold of the fog.

Stark fear broke through her coping thoughts and something kept shouting inside. I don’t wanna go. I can’t disappear. She struggled. Or struggled more than she already has been. Whatever it is, she tried not to let go. She was not bound and yet she felt as if she was...she wants to not be taken.

Mora kept her eyes glued to glowing eyes that first seemed cold, then determined. Then, almost absently, she watched the eyes grew wide. Shock...awe? Something took over those violet eyes and then the monster... the man took a shaky step back before she screamed in confused pain.

Something... Something broke. And she’s scared.

The moment it did, she felt...nothing. The pain was gone, the creeping, crawling fog inside her was gone. And at that exact moment, Slade jerked and nearly fell to the floor. He caught himself, half-kneeling, mouth agape, eyes blown open in surprise. The gray fog swirled frantically around him. Then he grabbed his chest, coughing harshly before spurting blood that was barely visible against his dark robes. The shadowy fog dispersed.

In control of her body again, though shaking badly, Mora crawled back as quickly as she cold. She kept the coughing man in her sights, using her tense legs to push back until she felt the cave wall against her spine.

Her injuries, already agitated by her sharp squirming before, reminded her of the pain that remained. Her quiet gasp caught Slade’s flagging attention. They’re once again staring at each other.

It was a long time before the kneeling man finally moved. Mora tensed, fingers curling into fist in her determination to make as much of a struggle before she gets done in. But surprisingly, he didn’t approach.

Slade stood up and still visibly trembling, he stepped back near the wall with the remains of his chains still hanging on its anchors. He turned to look at her, the violet in his eyes darker than it was, looking quiet and diminished.

“Go.” The word was a defeated sigh as he leaned a hand against the wall and he slowly sat down where he was chained before. Mora is very confused.

She sat up, not taking her gaze away from the man. She shook her head. Truthfully, her body is already reaching its limit, she thinks.

It’s not like children are truly made of rubber to bounce back from injuries so easily. She already survived rolling down a cliff. Being slammed against solid ground and then basically drowned in weird fog powers is already too much.

“Leave.”

Unsure of her voice, she just shook her head again.

“Why not? This lord is dangerous. You know that now. And this place in not safe in the least.”

He waited for a beat and she still can’t answer. He continued, tone becoming a grumble.

“This one would if this one could.”

She shook her head again and licked her lips. She tasted blood where it had split from her biting so much enduring his attack. “Can’t.” It was little more than a croak. But he should have heard.

“You are very injured.”

Hysterical laughter burst from her lips and the sound is both sad and creepy. She really, really hated those horror movies that used weird children’s laughter as sound effects. Mora shivered and tried to spit words that made sense.

“We’ve already established that.”

“Yes.”

She twitched, relaxing against the stone wall against her will. What’s with this body’s lack of caution? Or was she still delusional about the reality of dangers in this world?

“So?”

“...”

“Where’s my apology?”

Slade glared at her and she laughed lightly, this one less creepy, more resigned. Better than giggling like a ghost child.

“You said you wouldn’t attack me. You lied. Apologize.”

The glare turned arrogant. Slade exuded a majesty at that moment that wasn’t detracted by his slighted posture sitting on the, ground forearms braced on raised knees.

“This lord is never sorry for anything this one does.”

“Said like a true king.” She responded in mock seriousness, chuckling as she heaved a sigh. “But you’re still here. Why not you go? I’ll just...lay here until I can walk away and not roll into my death. Again.” She mumbled the last word quietly.

Maybe she was just tired from the long day. Or this body had an immense sense of trust in others. Or maybe it was that flash of guilt that glinted in those violet eyes before he hid it by turning away. Whatever it was, the pain he caused her was...not forgotten...but forgiven?

“This one cannot leave.”

She snorted leaning her head back until she can feel the cold stone soothing her aching skull.

“Did you miss the fact that I broke your chains and you can move about now? Oh, yeah. You didn’t. Because you attacked me, when you specifically said you would not. Apologize.”

He gave a low grunt. The rough sound seemed more elegant coming from him. She is seriously sick in the head. Elegant?

“You felt this lord’s attack. That was but a drop of this one’s power. Did you really think that the chains were the only things keeping this lord here?”

Huh?

The confusion must have shown on her face because he didn’t wait for her words as he continued.

“This cave is sealed with a Soul Trapping Array. Beings can come inside but cannot come out with an intact soul. This lord can break it but it would harm my soul...This one...”

He sighed. “This one wanted to use your soul as substitute to take the damage as the array is dealt with.”

“But you told me to leave.”

“You’re so weak, the array barely registers your presence. But it’s still a true soul that this lord can use to camouflage my escape.”

Mora scoffed, unsure if she should be offended. Weak huh, then why use my soul as a shield. Stupid, stupid...true soul...stupid.

“That...” she gulped air at the pain speaking brought and wished she had a some water to drink. “That’s not nice.”

Violet eyes are once again staring straight at her and then it curved to the already familiar amusement from before.

“No. But this one was never nice in the first place.”

His arms hid half his face in this angle, but Mora was sure he’s smiling again.“Yeah, you’re not. So, what now?”

“Now you rest then later, you leave.”

She snorted.

“Tragic.” She carefully stood up. Knowing that her posture as she limped towards the older man was atrocious. “I’m still waiting for your apology.”

“This lord have never apologized and will never do so for any reason.”

She groaned as she roughly dropped to sit beside him, leaning against the same cave wall and grunting as she settled near his warmth. Rain probably hasn’t stopped yet. It’s still terribly cold.

“Figures.” She grumbled nonsense under her breath for a moment before she remembered something.

Her head snapped up to look at his face and saw that he was already facing her way, staring but relaxed again.

“Why did you stop attacking anyway? You were so close. Something broke, I could feel it. Then you stopped and got hurt instead.”

That was stupid. If it was her, she’d have attacked until she gotten what she wanted.

“This one did not. You stopped this lord’s strike.”

She did what now? It seemed that he’s getting better at reading her face because he continued in casual explanation.

“Your seal broke. From this one’s attack, from your struggling, this lord does not know. But the seal on your energies broke and the Materia that burst from your core was enough to disperse mine.”

She’s a ten year old child. In a world with magic. So she should have the minimum understanding of how magic works. And she does. Its in the memories she’s stolen...inherited from the original soul. But his words are unknown to her and not at all what she thought happened.

“I have a seal? Err... had a seal?” She blushed when her habit of correcting herself rose unbidden.

“You did not know?” He nodded seemingly in deep thought, though his eyes were kept trained on her face.

“You were probably very young...younger than now when they placed it on you. Which is correct.

Your body back then should be too young to even contain Materia, it could have hurt your future potential. But you should have been told when you were old enough to start your magic training.

You can study theory all you want, but nothing is more important in learning than handling your energies in actual practice. It must have been hard on you.”

“What is hard?” Theory?

“Magic training without being able to use it at all. Did you not think it strange that you cannot manipulate energy?”

You, Mr. Slade, is freaking me the frack out. When in doubt, move on.

“So... you’re not going to apologize. How about just promise not to hit me again. Magic or otherwise... and for real this time! No lies!”

She hiked her voice into a cheer for as much as she dared, ignoring his look of confusion. Until she knows her place in this world, she can’t just admit that she understood nothing around here.

“Why? Do you not understand that this lord is imprisoned here for a reason?”

He allowed her change of topic so she’d forgive his words this time.

“And I broke your chains.” She made another irritated noise, making it intentionally loud. “From the fact that you didn’t immediately attack me when I first came in, those chains kept that weird fog thingy from being called forth by you.

I released you. Maybe not from this cave, but at least from being sealed by those chains. You owe me at least that much.”

Slade grumbled under his breath, the rumbling deep sound comfortable to aching her body as she basically leaned on his arm. Despite his cold skin, his robes are warm. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to mind her grubby self plastering herself right there.

“Fine. This one will never harm you again. This lord is making this promise as thanks for your assistance. Meager as it was.”

She slapped a tiny hand on the arm she was leaning on before relaxing again. She was weak, and hurt and her voice came out basically a tired whisper at this point.

“Hey, that last part wasn’t necessary.”

He chuckled.

“Sleep, Mora. You need to heal.”

“Hmm...”

The last thing she knew was a cold hand laying on top of her head and stroking her hair. Something cold and soothing gently flowing through her body. It wasn’t suffocating her like before. It numbed her pain enough that she was able to release all her tension. Relaxed enough that she faded into sleep.