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It sort of bothered her a bit that Blake had been silent to them ever since she had gone berserk. She rarely spoke to them about it, and constantly changed the subject just as quickly as it had come up. Both Layla and Amber noted that it had become a rather touchy subject to Blake, and that there wasn't really any way they could get her to talk about it at this point in time. It gave Layla a sense of uneasiness and dread. She must still be feeling guilty over that day, she thought to herself solemnly. She knew that it wasn't Blake's fault since she wasn't in control, but it still scared her to no end.

It happened so quickly. One moment she was under a pile of Ires trying to claw at her as she barely fended them off with her weapon and armor. She noticed both fading fast; a sign that Blake was about to exhaust all her aura. As for the pinkish armlet around her right wrist from Amber, it flickered just as quickly as the rest of Blake's aura. Layla knew that both of her friends were at their limits, and that soon the aura would vanish altogether. Without it, Layla thought that she was about to die. Meanwhile, Amber thought of the same. With so little aura left in her, she worried for Layla's sake. She trusted Blake to be able to handle things, but she nor Layla expected it to be done in that manner. In seconds, all the Ires strangling them both vanished in a blast of black light. Amber immediately stood up and was about to tell her thanks to Blake when she noticed her friend's state. Blake's aura surrounded her in a pitch-black inferno of power. Her aura didn't give off the feeling of protection anymore; it felt deadly and hostile. Blake's eyes were crimson red, and it looked as if she was an Ire. An insanely strong one, at that.
"Blake?! Blake, what's wrong?!" Amber called out. Blake didn't respond to her at all. What was creepier was what Amber noticed on Blake's arm. Her usual sky blue marking representing her being Amber's Knight had turned crimson red, and looked as though it were a bloody wound on her arm. Blake cried out in an inhumane roar. It was almost as if she was shrieking in agony, except for the fact that she began to tear through the ranks of Ires. It was fine that she was defending them, but the scenery that unfolded felt very, very wrong. Ires were no longer attacking them, but instead of confronting this new form of Blake's, Amber watched in horror as all the remaining Ires began to run away. For even the multitude of Ires that once piled onto her, Blake and Layla with no remorse to run away made Amber very uneasy about this new Blake. It didn't help that Blake began to rush at the retreating Ires in a rabid fashion, tearing and clawing at each and every Ire she could get close to until not a single Ire remained on the field. Amber felt extremely weak from the repeated battering from before, yet she mustered up whatever strength she could find within herself to crawl over to Layla's position. The poor girl had watched the entire scene unfold as well, and Amber could clearly see that Layla was deeply disturbed by Blake's display of her newfound power.
"What... what happened to Blake?" Layla gave barely a whisper from shaking so much. Amber gulped. She wanted to tell Layla that it should be okay since Blake was still targeting only Ires. The Knight remained still, having finished off the last remaining Ire with a stomp of her foot. Her black aura still clouded her entire being, and Amber swore that it would sometimes flicker into the form of a black jaguar or panther. That aura suddenly turned to face her and Layla, and Amber felt chills run down her spine as Blake herself began to turn to them as well. Her eyes remained blood red and Amber noticed that Blake's aura had begun enveloping her. It looked similar to a dark cloak surrounding her. The aura continued to wrap around Blake, giving her a form similar to the Ires they fought against for so long. And that was the thought that traumatized her the most: the uncanny resemblance Blake took on with their everyday bloodthirsty human-hunting Ires.
"Something doesn't feel right. Stay behind me Layla," Amber spoke lowly just loud enough for Layla to catch. Amber raised her hand protectively, her pinkish aura flickering with renewed life as she focused on her and Layla's own protection. Blake finally began moving from her spot, approaching them calmly like a predator stalking its prey. The animosity that emitted from Blake now was overwhelming; Amber felt fear of her friend from the first time. It wasn't the same fear she felt when facing Ires or nearly being killed by them. This kind of fear was despairing. Amber actually felt her life slipping away from her with every step Blake took towards them. She felt powerless; the sheer energy that Blake gave off was not warm nor kind. It felt as though Blake's presence was enough to kill her at that moment. Layla felt her heart stop when Blake stood before them, poised to strike a killing blow on them both. Then, as Blake towered over Amber and Layla menacingly, the power suddenly disappeared and Blake collapsed onto the ground. The hostility in the air dissipated with Blake's sudden burst of power. Both Amber and Layla breathed out sighs of relief that they were blessed to live another day. They wanted to try and wake Blake up to see if she were still alive, but neither one had enough courage to do so after that. They didn't want to risk "that" Blake waking up and tearing them into shreds.

Blake kept to her thoughts, constantly haunted by that day's events. Thoughts such as "I almost killed them" and "Monster" distracted her from paying attention to her surroundings. The only reason why she had not gotten into accidents so far is her limited attention to the two girls in front of her, idly discussing whatever they were talking about with Amber goofing around to some degree to make Layla laugh. Those same two girls were the ones she wanted to protect the most, only to have them terrified of the monster she became that day. It bothered her to no end, and her frustration of having no way to control it was excruciating. She could only prevent it from happening again, and she decided to settle with just that.
They finally arrived at the abandoned building and couldn't help but to be surprised. The ruins of the building were replaced with a new facility entirely. It wasn't a large building like they had expected but rather a cube of concrete sporting square holds on the sides that represented windows and a doorway. Amber immediately activated her aura and encircled it around Layla with Blake doing the same as they kept their eyes on the supposed entrance to this new house of sorts.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but that wasn't there the last time we came, did it?" Blake asked.
"Nope. This is new to me," Layla said in a serious tone. She focused her mind for a moment to think about this. This new structure looked as though it had been there the entire time. It had the markings of mildew affecting the supposedly white concrete walls that were tell-tale signs of an aged building. Something just didn't add up. Why and how did they overlook this the last time they were here? It just didn't make sense.
"I don't think I need to tell you guys, but please be careful. Something doesn't feel right," Layla warned them. Amber smirked and walked towards the building with confidence only found in those involved in debauchery with her aura whip ready to go.
"If what Sebastian said was true then we can just stroll right in then, right?" Amber grinned, marching inside. Blake wanted to say something to warn her cocky friend, but sighed as she heard a surprised yelp from inside and the stretching sounds of a rope going taunt. She and Layla walked inside to find Amber suspended by a rope tied to her foot with a white substance on her mouth. A few seconds later, the two sighed in annoyance as they noticed a white cake with a piece bitten off on a pedestal right below where Amber hung.
"Um, the cake was a lie?" Amber laughed nervously as she tried to hide away her embarrassment.

"How rude, Amber, that cake was custom ordered by my master for everyone to share. I assure you that it isn't a lie, unlike a certain other thing," Sebastian said as he appeared beside the cake. Blake placed a hand to her face as Layla groaned audibly as Amber just said, "GOD DAMMIT, _ _ _ _!"
"That's a nice joke and all, but did you really need to break the fourth wall?" Blake muttered under her breath. Oblivious to his actions, he sauntered over towards Layla and Blake and snapped his fingers. Just like that, Amber was released from the ceiling and fell with a crash, leaving her groaning for another reason separate from Layla.
"Come now, the readers can't be bored and completely depressed through this damn story," Sebastian continued, smiling widely as a wall began to crumble from somewhere distant, "Anyway, I am here merely to thank you three for coming once again. As I have told you, I have not killed any more of your kind, as you can plainly tell."
"Yeah, by nearly killing me with your jokes instead," Amber muttered, rubbing her sore head. Layla took a quick look around the area. It seemed just as big as she had thought from looking at it from the outside. It was just one room with a doorway-sized hole from where they came from and three square ones on the other walls to which she assumed were supposed to be windows. It felt... bland. She was half-expecting some sort of area made for someone highly intelligent in order to explain why Sebastian was able to communicate with them despite being an Ire, so this bland cube of a building made her slightly disappointed.
"What do you want from us?" Blake cut to the chase, not wanting Sebastian's antics to continue. Sebastian straightened itself and cleared its... throat?
"Very well then, Sir Blake," Sebastian replied in a more serious tone. Blake blinked in surprise, "Sir? Really?"
"Well, from what I can tell, you are of the Knight class, yes?" Sebastian said matter-of-factly. Blake remained silent, unsure what to say. Then again, she thought, it shouldn't be a surprise since I fight these guys on a daily basis. Still, for her to be addressed in a way that medieval knights were referred to as felt strange to her, considering that it was a title for a man.
"Then I shall continue to call you as such, Sir Blake. The same goes for you two, Lady Layla and her Guardianship Amber," Sebastian continued, catching Layla and Amber off-guard as well, "My master awaits you at another location, and it is by his will that I am to personally escort you there in one piece. Please follow me."

Layla and Amber exchanged nervous looks as they walked through the forest once more. Even after Sebastian reassured them that there would be no more "trials", it didn't help to ease they're worry that an Ire would appear from nowhere and begin an assault. They had agreed to keep Sebastian in front, Amber close to Layla, and Blake bringing up the rear should anything happen. Even Blake felt uneasy going back through the forest. As they passed the meadow from yesterday, Blake felt even more uneasy. So much so that she decided to distance herself a little further away from Layla and Amber, just in case. She wasn't sure about the trigger, but if anything were to happen, she wanted nothing more than to make sure they were out of her sight when she went berserk. Eventually, Sebastian halted in front of a small cabin in the middle of the forest. Layla and Amber quickly scanned it while Blake looked back down the path behind them for any signs of enemies.
"There's no need to worry. No Ire would dare approach here," Sebastian spoke, approaching the cabin door. With three light knocks, Sebastian opened the door.
"I have brought them to you as requested. Shall I let them inside?" it called inside. A few murmurs escape the cabin's entrance. Blake, Amber and Layla all strained their ears in hopes of getting an idea of who the man was behind Sebastian's sentience to no avail. Sebastian huffed and turned to face the three girls.
"Please wait out here a moment. My master has asked of a private audience with me. I will be back to you shortly," it announced with a bow before turning back to the cabin and heading inside. This gave each of the girls some time to collect their thoughts.
"So whoever made Sebastian sentient lives here, huh?" Blake started off, folding her arms across her chest, "Wonder what he's like, to be able to tame something like that."
"He probably knows about us as Guardians and Knights, not to mention that this man has information on us three in particular," Amber replied analytically. The proposition was something that they found to be frightening. There weren't many who knew about them in this regard, so there was the humongous possibility that they were going to face someone they knew. Just thinking that was very unsettling. Suddenly the cabin door opened and out stepped Sebastian, flashing his crooked smile.

"Thank you so much for waiting, ladies," he said with a bow, "Allow me to introduce to you, my master." Behind the Ire emerged a single figure. He wore a mask resembling a demon fox, covering his face. A white shirt, dress slacks and shoes completed the man's looks as he stepped into the light. He was no taller than Blake, reminding her of a certain someone. And that memory sparked a great fear in her. Please, she wished in herself, don't be... it can't be...
"Pleased to meet you all. Call me Drew," the man introduced himself, "I must apologize for Sebastian's behavior; he is still an Ire at heart, it would seem."
"Well then, Drew, let's cut to the chase," Blake replied before Layla nor Amber could speak, "You seem to know of us in particular. May I ask if we have met before?" Drew let out a small laugh, "Ah, that. This is about how I am aware of what you three are capable of doing and seeing, is that right? Well, let's just say that I've had a close eye on you all for a long time now. Especially the Guardian, or so they are called." Amber flinched as Drew looked in her direction. Just how much does this guy know, she wondered. Meanwhile, Blake found herself having mixed thoughts. A part of her was relieved that what she was thinking wasn't true, but another part of her wondered about who Drew could be under the mask. She had not sensed his presence through any of their adventures ever since she first met Layla, which made her feel quite on edge about how much Drew might know.
"Anyway, my purpose for calling you all out here today was not so that I can become your enemy," Drew continued, "Despite what Sebastian may have come across initially, I asked you all here for a different reason altogether." Seeing the girls skeptical of his words, Drew shrugged and continued, his gaze directed at Layla.
"I know for a fact that you aren't capable of fending off Ires alone. You require the aura of either the Knight and or Guardian beside you," Drew pointed out, "So I've come to you with a solution of sorts. I have theorized a way for a regular human to draw out their aura to fight off Ires just like the Guardians and Knights. And I would like to ask you all to help me test this theory."