Promise

Over the last few days, the streets of Demi had fallen oddly silent. Where the remaining rebels had been making their last stand against the Empire's mechanized units, there was silence, aside from the murmurings of the rebels.

Selene, Syl and Atlas were hiding out in the old Crystech building, unlike its counterparts in many other cities, this building was small, and falling apart. Aranei never allowed Crystech to gain a serious foothold in Demi.

"I don't like this, its gone too quiet" Selene said, as she looked at a street map. "They're up to something..." She sighed.

"That ground shaking rumble last week, they seemed to fall back after that..." Atlas pondered, as he sat on an office chair looking at an old motivational poster. "Possibly an experimental weapon gone awry?" He asked.

"That seems possible..." Selene nodded. "I'd send a team into their territory, but they could be waiting for us to make a move" She theorised.

"I'll check it out" Syl shrugged.

"Alone?!" Selene asked, she turned to face Syl who was leant against the wall.

"I'll go with you!" Atlas said, jumping to his feet.

"No, if there is too many of us, we'll be spotted. I'll come back alive, I promise" Syl smiled.

"I'll hold you to that, Syl..." Atlas sighed deeply. "If you get even the slightest hint of a trap, retreat immediately. Syl nodded.

"Good luck, Syl" Selene smiled, shyly.

"I don't need luck, I'm a Luna" Syl winked, as headed out of the door onto the cold empty streets of Demi. The smog had long since cleared, but the pollution remained above the city, blocking out any light.

Syl walked down the empty street. Breathing masks littered the ground, from the night after the smokestacks fell. People had partied through the night, finally able to breathe the air for the first time since the nation was annexed by the Empire.

That brief bright day now seemed like ancient history. Syl quietly made his way towards where the intel said the enemy compound was located. As he neared the base, he spotted an Empire trooper heading towards him, he was stumbling.

Syl motioned to summon his weapon, but stopped as the trooper sucumbed to his wounds, and collapsed dead on the floor.

"Huh?!" Syl gasped. At that moment, two more figures slowly approached.

"Syl Luna, I presume?" A familiar male voice asked.

"Are you with the rebellion?" Syl asked, still in position to summon his weapon.

"No" The man replied. He stepped forward to reveal his face. "My name is Treleva, and I am the Scourge of the Empire, and the bringer of peace" Treleva revealed himself.

"Treleva huh?" Syl pondered. "That name sounds... familiar" He rubbed his forehead.

"Not as familiar as my comrades name will seem" Treleva grinned devilishly. Out of the fog, stepped Keegan. He looked at Syl, and Syl looked back, noticing that he looked eerily familiar, as if he knew him, or someone who looked like him.

"Who's he?" Syl asked.

"He is the Champion of Peace, Keegan" Treleva smiled.

"Keegan? I had a brother by that name, he died during childbirth" Syl sighed. "Please to make your acquaintance, Keegan, I am Syl, Syl Luna" Syl smiled.

"My full name, my true name, is Keegan Luna" Keegan stated, as he looked at Syl.

"Keegan Luna?" Syl snarled as he summoned his Celestial Warhammer. "I don't know what your game is, Keegan, but..." Syl began.

"He is your brother, he is of the same bloodline, and holds the power of the Mineral Crystal in his soul" Treleva interrupted, he looked at Keegan, whose irises turned black.

"How?!" Syl asked.

"Do you stand with your sister, Roisin?" Keegan asked.

"Of course, I'd die for her" Syl frowned.

"Then die!" Keegan yelled as he summoned a steel spear and threw it toward Syl. Syl dodged and looked at Keegan.

"Why?!" Syl asked, shocked by his apparent brother's actions.

"You stand with Lumina, the wicked lady of light! As does your sister" Keegan growled.

"No! Well... kinda! It's not like that, Keegan..." Syl fought back the tears, Keegan took the opportunity to launch another spear at Syl, he didn't dodge in time but closed his eyes as the spear... didn't hit him.

"LUMINA!" Treleva yelled. Syl opened his eyes to see Lumina in front of him, holding the thrown spear in her hands.

"You know, Treleva, our chance meeting in Rivenlake the other day... it gave me a revelation" Lumina smiled as she crushed the spear with her hand. "Learning that it was you who was to blame, for the fall of the city of Utopia..." She shook her head.

"Thank you, Lumina" Syl caught his breath.

"Do not be beguiled by her, Keegan" Treleva warned.

"I wont be, her honeyed words will not change my mind" Keegan frowned.

"Yes, finding out that humans were innocent, at least innocent of burning my city to the ground, it made me realize, I have committed some terrible sins" Lumina admitted, she gazed at Keegan. "But no matter how dark the sin, there is always a way back, redemption" Lumina smiled.

"Redeem this!" Keegan shouted as he threw a barrage of spears at Syl and Lumina. Lumina cast a blinding flash of light, and ran off with Syl in tow.

"See how they work in unison, Keegan, this is the work of their cursed Gods" Treleva stated. Keegan looked to the polluted sky.

"Syl... I didn't feel any evil from his soul" Keegan sighed.

"That's because they have fallen victim to the Wicked Lady of Light's charms, they do believe that their path is the correct one" Treleva explained.

Keegan focused his vision on the floating island above the city, Gravatia Academy. Their next target.