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"Reliving a battle that was a crossroads for both of us, Aeliana Maris."

The building itself was as smokey as it had been that night, covering his frame as he appeared once more in this God forsaken area. It was a place that brought too many memories and too few good ones to make it worth anything valuable to him. She would recognize him. Or at least those that looked like him. His brother, just as tall but thinner to the eye, but just as similar as looks as the other. Or perhaps his boy, a child that had crossed her paths constantly as a result of having her own children. A child that looked so similar but was so different all at the same time. All that Riyel Vicaria saw but he looked like he had not aged a day since the time of his death, hardly looking any more different than he had when he and Maris were in this very vicinity, both of the warriors wrecking havok onto those that opposed them.

It WAS a crossroads. It was the time where Riyel had cemented the fact that he was no longer a child. It was the time where the man had proven his worth to the Resistance and proof that he was no longer useless. It was the time that would guide him towards his grave within the recesses of time. A cynical man would consider that whatever God was out there was playing a spiteful role, taking pleasure in the man's pain at such history that he had taken a part of. Being forced re-see and relive it only to know that none of it was real. But the man that had earned a reputation for collateral damage in Galbadia, one that was known to bring things to a fiery finish, reviled in the thought of a battle it would seem. A battle where no matter the ending, he would be dead and she would awaken once more.

His piercing blue eyes caught Maris' own as the smoke blew away by a gust of wind, fully revealing himself towards the woman before him. It was a stare down that would cause any weak man to break down and wet themselves. No longer did Riyel feel regret for the things he had done in the past. No longer did he wish that things would have turned his way. The man stood before the woman that had one brought terror towards an Unbroken member's face with a look that matched her own, the Gunblade in his hand whirring as the mechanics within it came to life once more. IT was almost queer to look this old again. But he was stronger. That much he felt and knew.

"And this place has always been more nightmare than dream."

"Which one..." he remembered many nightmares. All of them were different but all of them easily meant the same thing. Trouble in a land of nostalgia. It doesn't matter...

As Maris lit her cigar, Riyel lit a cigarette, both of them breathing in the tobacco in this dream world as Maris posed a question. "Haste." Not much of a reply, but one never less as it immediately turned to s**t. Maris lifted her guns and Riyel hefted his Gunblade in one hand, his arm rippling as he hefted it with both. His Gunblade itself was larger than most, but he held the weapon firm as she hefted her weapon at him. Here we go. Maris fired and fired quickly, Riyel knowing that he held no chance in evasion. He did however, have something else. Holding his Gunblade, he placed the flat of the blade against his shoulder as he leaned in, the explosion striking the gunblade in an eruption of fire as he could feel the pain from the weapon pushing against his shoulder. But it wouldn't halt him as the explosions from other bullets erupted around him.

Riyel said a two words. "Slow. Protect. Fire." At that moment, a clock would appear over Maris, a shield forming around him, as Riyel pointed his Infiniti at her, a ball of burning flame erupting from its tip and striking in a massive explosion on the ground where Maris had been standing, both sides sending the same chaos that the building was on fire with at one another. Riyel was on the move, though, especially as he launched forward, rushing at the woman with a surprisngly random movement type, constantly juking as he held his gunblade over his shoulder. I'm coming...