Cora surveyed her work, smiling to herself.  ‘It wasn’t even a fair fight, you didn’t even let them call their armor,’ a voice inside of her said.
 Cora frowned at the voice, and responded, "I did what I had to do, now it will be easy to kill them," she said aloud to herself.
 Ryo looked to each of his friends.  Sage lay near the base of a tree, unmoving.  Cye at least looked alive, but did not move, lest he alarm Cora and she kill him first.  Kento looked like he was struggling to get to a position to where it didn’t hurt.  And Rowen.  Oh God, what had she done?  Rowen had collapsed not very far away from him.  Ryo remembered hearing the Agony Spin shouted twice.  Cora had released her full power on Rowen twice, and even one was enough to cause enough pain.  What would two do?
 Ryo struggled to get to his feet.  In his attempt, Cora noticed him and prepared for her Agony Spin, when something stopped her.
 ^Cora!^  a shout of an outside voice in her mind commanded.
 Cora turned around and saw a wolf standing there.  She got a smug and arrogant smile on her face.
 "Why, Kariudo, where have you been?" she asked him.
 ^Cora, Jaded One, what have you done?^  Kariudo asked her in thought.
 "My job, wolf, that’s what," she responded with a sneer.
 ^Cora, you unfairly fought the Ronins.  That was cheap on your part, and dishonorable.  Any honorable warrior would at least have let them call their armor.  Yet you did not.^
 "Are you mocking me?!  You say that I am not an honorable warrior?!" she screamed in outrage.
 Ryo looked up.  He was pretty sure that Cora was not talking to him, but he was only hearing half of the conversation.
 "Maybe she’s more wacko than I thought," he muttered to himself.
 ^Even the Dark Warlords would have let them call their armor.  Were you afraid that the Ronins would have defeated you if you had let them call their armor?^ Kariudo asked calmly.
 Cora narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth.
 "Look wolf," she said, "look at Strata, he is near death, and he called his precious armor, do you tell me that you think I couldn’t have wiped them all out with their armor?"
 ^You look as well Cora.  Rowen of Strata is near death, how does that make you feel?^ Kariudo countered.  He and Cora made eye contact, when they did, both of their eyes glowed a soft green.  Cora looked away.
 She turned around to look at Rowen, then walked over to him and knelt down by his head.
 Rowen blinked his eyes open, he saw Cora, and sighed.
 "Cora," he said, looking away from her, "you have to fight this evil that Tulpa has put into you."
 Cora looked at him, expressionless, but her eyes narrowed a little when he spoke.  Rowen continued.
 "You, must, fight back, your inner self is the one to believe.  There is still a reason to fight the evil inside of you," he struggled to say.
 She blinked her narrowed eyes; still no reaction was visible on her stricken face.
 "Cora, you may think that no…aahh!…no one cares, but someone still cares for you.  Someone still loves you very much, th-they want you to fight back, to be free.  Please, listen to me, that I," Rowen stopped for a breath, then continued, "that I still love you."
 Cora flashed her eyes when she heard this and stood up quickly.  She backed away suddenly.  Then, the amulet started to glow.  Cora screamed.
"No!  Stop!  I command you!  I am in control!  No! Aaaaaahhhhh!" she cried, falling to one knee and covering her ears with her hands, shutting her eyes tightly.
  Suddenly, with a great light, and crack of thunder, it shattered and fell to the ground.  The jade now the only necklace visible glowed with an intense light, surrounding Cora.  Her dynasty armor vanished, and was replaced by a new armor, that had a white – almost silver color – armored gloves, which went to her elbows, jade green boots and breastplate with intricate gold decoration.  The foreleg part of the armor was the same as the gloves. Black cloth covered her abdomen, and a jade green armored ‘skirt’ hung from her waist.  The two twin swords on her back both had a jade green stone in the golden handle.  An ornamental, slim, golden headband formed on her temple, and a small jade green stone, in a diamond shape, was in the center.
Cora slowly opened her eyes, and took her hands off of her ears.  From her current view, she could see only feet of a wolf.  She looked up straight into its eyes.
^Cora,^ Kariudo said kindly.
"What happened?" she asked, "I – I remember what, what…I…they…I…did, and then, a bright light."
^Cora, you are no longer under Tulpa’s control.  And hopefully, you never will be again.^ He answered her.
Cora looked at the silverwolf’s eyes.  She hugged him, as gratitude for her thanks.  Then she remembered.
"Oh god, Rowen!" she exclaimed as she got up and ran to him.
"Rowen!  Rowen please!" she pleaded, kneeling down by him.
Rowen moved his hand at the sound of someone calling his name.
Ryo looked up to see Cora kneeling by Rowen.  He struggled to get up, and walked over to Cora.
"Cora," he said quietly.
Cora looked up at him, and then hung her head in shame.
"I know I did this.  All this.  I…I couldn’t stop myself, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry," she said in a meek voice.
"Hey, it wasn’t your fault, you were under Tulpa’s control, and you had no control over what you did," Ryo told her gently.
"And yet even though I nearly kill you, and the others, you still trust me?" she asked, still not looking at him.
"I trust you because you are truly in control now, and you haven’t killed us yet," he explained with a quiet laugh.
Cora smiled and closed her eyes.  A moment later she opened them again, and looked at Rowen.
"Will he be all right?" she asked.
Ryo looked at his friend, he wasn’t really sure.  Sage could heal him, he knew that, but Sage was badly injured himself, and would not have the strength needed to even support his armor.
"I’m not sure," he said slowly.
Cora looked at him, and then back down at Rowen.
"Please, please, you can’t leave me now, please, wake up.  Please don’t die," she pleaded softly.
"Oh he won’t be leaving you," a voice called out from behind the three.
Cora snapped her head around to see Kayura standing a ways away from them.  Ryo looked too, an angry look crossed his face.
"Kayura," he said with anger, hate, and annoyance.
Cora stood up to face Kayura.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"What do you think sister dear?  Tulpa wants your power back, return immediately, or face the consequences!" Kayura commanded.
Cora narrowed her eyes.
"I would rather die, than go back to Tulpa," she said.
"Then you would be in peace, and you wouldn’t have to worry about Rowen or the others, because they’ll join you as well.  I thank you for weakening them for me," at this last statement, an evil smile spread across her face.
"I will not let you kill them," Cora said back, getting ready for the fight.
"Fool! You will die!" Kayura cried, and leapt into the air, drawing her swords.
Cora drew her own swords, the Jaded swords, and leapt up after her.  She struck at Kayura, and landed on her feet.  Kayura landed as well, near Ryo and Rowen.  Cora spun around, instantly aware of her mistake.
"No!" she cried out.
"Hello Ryo, it hasn’t been that long has it?" Kayura asked in that annoyingly sweet voice of hers.
"Still not long enough for me Kayura," Ryo responded with vehemence, and proceeded to try to kick Kayura away.  But Kayura being Kayura, she was to fast for him to even touch her.  She in turn, dealt a blow to Ryo in the stomach, and Ryo collapsed on the ground.
‘This isn’t going to work,’ he thought to himself, ‘I can’t fight Kayura by myself, I’m not sure if Cora can, but we need the other Ronin Warriors.’
Kayura stepped beside Ryo.
"What’s the matter Ryo?" she asked.
"What…do…you…think Kayura?" he asked in return through gasps.
"Hmm, I think I’ll kill you and put you out of your misery," she answered with an evil kindness.
Kayura prepared to finish him off when she was tackled from behind by Cora.  Kayura kicked Cora off of her.  Cora scrambled back to her feet and drew her swords once again.
"Cora, do you really think that you can fight me all by yourself?" Kayura asked.
"I’m not sure, but I will not let you destroy them," Cora answered.
Kayura’s eyes narrowed, and she attacked.  Sunlight glinted off of the swords; sometimes they could nearly blind you if you were standing in the right spot.  The swords clashed, the two girls were a blur of speed.
During the battle, Sage began to stir, but was unable to get himself up.  Kento was as yet, unconscious, or asleep, you decide.  Sai watched from where he was, unable to move or speak.  Rowen began to finally realize that he was lying face down in the dirt, and managed to push himself up to a sitting position.  Ryo refused to move due to a massive, unnecessary headache.  Rowen noticed Ryo lying not to far away from him and managed to get himself over to him.
"Ryo, are you okay?" he asked weakly.
Ryo groaned.  "Oh man, just get me a whole bottle of aspirin and I’ll be fine," he managed to say.
Rowen managed a smile, but then immediately grimaced when another sting of pain shot through him.  Suddenly, he became aware of the battle behind him.
"Give up Cora!  You were never as good as me!" Kayura shouted.
"I will not let you kill them!" she shouted back, annoyed at the repetitious answer.
"Then you will feel the fury of my Starlight Swords!" Kayura screamed back, connecting her swords and making them spin.  She leapt into the air, and sent the shockwave of her swords down upon Cora.
Cora blocked the energy as best she could with her own swords.  The Jaded ornaments on the ends of the swords began to glow with a greenish light, and formed a reflective barrier that sent the shockwaves back to Kayura.
Kayura instantly alarmed that her own attack was coming back at her, stopped the attack and landed on her feet.
"H-how did you do that?!" she asked in shock and anger.
Cora stared at the swords in her hands.  She had no idea.
"I…I don’t know," she answered slowly.
Kayura’s anger grew, and she prepared for another attack.  Although this attack, was not aimed at Cora, but at Rowen and Ryo.
"Star Sword Scream!" Kayura cried, and released her fury at the two Ronin Warriors.
"No!" Cora cried, and ran to ward off the attack.  As she ran, her jade began to glow, as did the ornaments on her swords.  Suddenly, as by an instinct she acquired from the jade, her swords turned to energy and sprang from her hands to absorb the power of the Star Sword Scream and shoot back at Kayura.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!" Kayura screamed, and then disappeared.
Cora’s swords appeared in her hands once more as swords.  She looked down at them for an instant, and then collapsed.