Suddenly the light dissolved into the air and the girls began to move. The first thing they did was reach for the swords and turn around in stance. Zell dropped his fists in shock: Lina's eyes were completely dark, and the figure that should be his beloved was not her. "Destroy them!" Seifer called, then ran off behind his shield of three girls. They took a swipe in the air and stood their ground on form. Zell stood for a moment, paralyzed and unable to comprehend what was going on.
"Lina!" Zell yelled as he rushed to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. He shook her firmly. "Lina! Come on!" She pushed him away with an amazing amount of strength and raised her sword in a challenge. Lina could no longer think for herself. The last few days had completely gone by in a blur where the white light may have well brainwashed her to only think of the sword, obey its movement, and follow its instructions. "Lina, what are you doing?" Lina charged forward, her movements light as a feather, nimble as a sprite, slashing a skillful sweep forward in his direction, but Zell jumped back and docked the attack.
"What the hell are you doing, listening to Seifer?" She didn't respond. Zell glanced to the side quickly and caught a glimpse of Irvine and Squall facing off with the other two girls. When Lina went in for another swipe, Zell jumped to the side and caught her by the shoulders again, determined to get her attention. "Hey, listen to my voice. It's me, what's going on?"
She struggled with all her might to break from his grasp, but Zell only tightened his grip. Something inside her told her that Zell was threateningly close to her and so with a final push, she threw him off. Her black pupils would not return to normal, her mind was set and Zell could tell immediately--she was not herself. She whirled her sword above her head once, then spun and brought it down against Zell's arm. "Agh!" He jumped back as blood because to leak into the cut and against his skin. The pain drove him into an outrage.
He thought for a moment, he would fight back on pure impulse, reaching forth to attack, but Lina stepped aside letting him stumble forward with the force of his own missed attack. Zell, fist into the ground, looked back and sidestep a swipe just in time. When Lina went in for another, he caught the side of the blade with the heel of his shoe and pushed it away. From the blow, Lina toppled back and flung the sword to the side. Zell saw that for a split second, Lina looked up at him, about to speak, something that reflected fear flashing across her eyes.
Zell reached down to help her up, but her eyes suddenly flashed towards the sword and she pushed him out of the way to retrieve it--as if she wouldn't be satisfied until its leather hilt was back in her hands. Zell was tired of this, very much so, but this dark Lina only seemed to be getting started. She held onto her sword tightly and pointed it in his direction, challenging him again.