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The smoke of the battle cleared and there stood a woman. Dimitri let out a deep breath and twirled his lance in his hand, he did not take his eyes off of her for a second. The goons she had sent before her writhed on the ground, some were merely stunned, others would never walk out of the chapel again. The woman stepped forward, her relic-sword gleaming red.
She seemed so out of place. The chapel around them had long ago crumbled either from the war or from disuse. Sun bleached stone lay scattered about, and white dust floated in the air from when Dimitri had fought her entourage. The woman was black and blue, she stood as still as a statue, yet she was full of fire, he could see it from the look in her gaze.
This is the Ashen Demon?
“I must admit, I expected someone different.” Dimitri said.
Although she looked fierce and possessed a relic, the top of her head would not brush Dimitri’s shoulders, her eyes were wide, and Goddess help him, she was beautiful. You of all people should know beauty or lack there of is not the mark of a warrior. Dimitri held his lance ready to strike.
The Ashen Demon blinked. “I’m not here to fight you.”
“Then what do you call this?” Dimitri said as he gestured to the bodies around him, of the people he was forced to maim and kill.
“I’m sorry,” the Ashen Demon said, “I’m so sorry.”
The Ashen Demon raised one hand in surrender, another was still wrapped firmly on the hilt of her sword. Although Dimitri didn’t like it, he did respect her lack of trust in him, her readiness for battle. Dimitri adjusted his grip, ground his feet in his stance, but something in him was telling him to not move, to not strike out at the woman terrorizing Fódlan.
“I should not have forced you to kill again.” she said.
“Again?” Dimitri asked. “Have we met before?”
The Ashen Demon grew pale and she stepped away. “Run. I do not want to hurt you. You do not want to hurt me. I know this.” she whispered.
“How do you-“
“He’s cornered her!” Shez's voice called.“In here!”
“Please, remember me, Dimitri.” the voice had been so soft, that Dimitri had not realized it had been spoken.
When he turned around, the Ashen Demon was gone. Dimitri felt gutted. It’s because I let her get away. It has to be. he thought. Yet, she had said his name. There was a sharp realization, like the flash of a spell, and just as quickly gone. Dimitri stood stunned, trying to grasp onto the words his mind had conjured. It was a fleeting thing, wafting away as if it were smoke. Yet Dimitri swore it belonged to her. My beloved.