There was light, soothing music in the air and the skies were bathed in soft wondrous colors. It was exactly like a scene in a painting, except static cut the lullaby and the pastel hues turned scarlet every time Lute glanced up.

He tried. When he couldn’t see his sister anywhere time suddenly played back, and he found himself back to the day before it happened. He really tried.
Except it never worked. The first day, Lute camped out to wait for the criminal. He set up a watch route ranging ten meters out the farmhouse and was halfway through his fifth round when screams erupted. When the virtuoso returned Ruana was gone. The second day he asked her to stay with him in the same room. During midnight, when Lute thought the danger would have passed, he allowed her to go to the bathroom. She never returned.

And it kept repeating. He would do everything in his power to save his sister, but it never worked; his efforts fell a centimeter short of the real thing, and Lute found his incompetence unforgivable.

Now, it was different. Now, there were more people to be lost.

Lute tore his gaze from the skies and looked at Estelle as her blade dug deeper into her arm. The last time he went in and slashed at Simon, but the wildcat popped out of nowhere and stabbed the fiery-haired woman through and through. This time there could be no more mistakes. The virtuoso just knew it was his last chance. His emotions were strung taut and he could barely breathe. Estelle was a part of his trial, they said. If he could save at least one of the Pride, they said they would return his sister. He couldn’t panic. He was far too terrified for her life to even panic. He was far too terrified by all the things that had happened, by all the bloodshed he had caused, to feel anything aside from this.

… There wasn’t anyone left in the Pride. His decisions had killed them all. Up in the seats, back when the crowd was running wild, Selan was cut down where she stood when he chose to defend Lucien from an incoming attack, and when Lute had to turn his back on the summoner he was murdered too. They all ended that way. Even Atlas and Robin. Even Jeff and Aria and the girl who jumped on her chair in the restaurant. Everyone.

Lute readied his blade, his hands shaking. ‘This is it’, He thought and took a step forward, only for Simon to raise his arms up then swing his sword down in a forceful slash, completely severing the girl’s arm.

“It’s all on you, kid. You're really not a leader type. Leaders listen, and you're deaf dumb and blind! You can't listen to anything asides from your own voice, which is why you can't talk with anyone. That's pretty bad, isn't it?” The people in the audience froze and their heads pivoted towards Lute, all of their eyes trained on his very form. "Hell, if that ain't bad enough, you can't even decide for yourself, let alone work with others. It's too dangerous for everyone if you do anything!" He was staring in shock at the collapsed Estelle and even before he could react, a hole in the ground opened up and swallowed him whole.

“Stay there, pet. There where you can’t hurt anybody.”

And Lute did.

"I don't know," he said as he sank down on his knees in front of her. He couldn't bear to see the look in her eyes, so he remained staring downwards. Digging his hands into the sand, concentrated on the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, the warmth of the sun on his skin, and the way the grains of sand slipped through his fingers. He let go of the memories and the pain, and for a brief moment, simply let himself be.

"Yes," Dalia said. He could hear the smile in her voice, the faint sounds of hope. He could feel her hand hovering over him, picking at the threads of his emotions as she tried to pull out only the good ones, bringing them to the forefront. "I barely recognized you at first - you are shrouded in darkness."

"I know." He remained quiet as she worked on him, shifting through his emotions, flaring and calming each in turn.

"You are worse off then when you left." She sighed as let her hand drop. "I knew that he was no good for you."

"Please," Dylan begged, looking up at his older sister. Her beautiful blonde hair was framed by sunlight, her face just as kind and open as he remembered. "Dalia, I don't want to talk about this."

She turned away, but not quickly enough for Dylan to miss the tears that welled in her eyes. "It's just as well, it's not like I can help you anymore."

"What?"

"Oh, Dylan, I don't know what you've seen or what you've done. When you left here you were muted but the colors were still there. I had hoped you were find yourself, that you would become the same vibrant boy that you used to be. But now they are gone."

Dylan swallowed hard, trying to deny it. "You're wrong."

"You know that I'm not." She got to her feet. "No one can save you now. My brother - he is gone." She turned and walked away, her feet silent on the sand.

He waited until she was gone and the sun was setting on the ocean, until he was completely and utterly alone, before he allowed himself to cry.

“You caused all this, remember. All this pain… this death and destruction… it was all your fault, Marcus.”

Everywhere around him, the town was engulfed in fire and rain. Explosions echoed mercilessly, intermingling with the thunder ahead. The sounds of bullets whizzing, of steel meeting steel and of magic being unleashed and striking against armour and flesh was relentless. It never let up. It never stopped.

“It’s all your fault those people died.”

Marcus said nothing, looking and staring at the ground, trying to avert his sight from the scene he had played within his mind time and time again. Every single night he had replayed this moment, and every day woke up in a cold sweat from remembering it.

“You can’t ever escape it, Marcus,” The doppelganger continued. His taunting voice had departed now, as if even he too understood the severity of this situation. The cheer and mirth was not welcome here. No laughter or happiness was. “It’s in your destiny, Marcus. Your very being. You’re designed to hurt people. To bring death and despair, no matter how much you resist it and try to deny it. It’s evitable. You can’t run away forever. You yourself… you even know how futile that is.”

“That’s right, Marcus.”

Another male voice, from behind him. He turned and span in the direction of the voice, already knowing what to expect. That particular voice, and this scene surrounding him. Like his alternate had said, it was inevitable.

There, standing across the rain slicked mud, beside a fallen building crumpled with brick, mortar and wood, were two figures dressed in white. One was a man in a crisp and clean suit, the other a much smaller, younger girl. Both of them Marcus had seen countless times, forever hounding and dogging him, no matter how often he would scream at them to leave him alone. Both of them stood, in the pouring rain, ignored by the tapestry of events unfurling around them, oblivious to the elements hailing down on them. Both of them instead, just looked towards the crumpled building, at the pair of fallen, murdered bodies buried underneath, and at the hooded man that was crouched by their side, his shaking hand desperately holding onto a small, bloodied, unmoving hand.

“You can’t ever escape us. Can’t ever escape what you did to us.” The girl spoke, with a weary resignation. “We’re with you now, for the rest of your life. It’s only fair, considering…”

“Do you understand, Marcus?” The mage’s doppelganger started to speak again, walking forwards, towards his twin. “That which has happened… will only ever happen again. It doesn’t matter how much you try to deny it, try to run away and reinvent yourself. You can’t change who you are.”

The silver haired man stopped, looking straight into Marcus’ eyes. “You are going to kill them. Estelle, Lisette, Trixie, Moira, Syed… all of them. It’s only a matter of time.”

He turned, and began to walk away, the doppelganger’s head turning from side to side, as if seeing something. Sensing something, around him.

“Hmm… I can feel them now. How strange.” The copy mused, before a smile stretched back upon his face. “I’m going to do you a favour now, Marcus. You might not be able to face reality, but I can. You see, this might not be real, but it doesn't matter. It can still bring with it the same conclusion. What I’ll do here, will be just the same as if it was in your world. Just as final. No more distractions. I’ll tear them all apart and kill every single last one of them for you. And I’ll leave your hero for last.”

The doppelganger took a step forward to depart, but found his body unable to take another step forward. A powerful hold gripped his arm, and he turned, with a coy smile, to see himself glaring back at him, teeth clenched tight, magic sparking along his body.

“No…” Marcus spat. “You don’t touch any of them.”

His doppelganger tilted his head back with a roaring smile. “Ah, Marky, I’m so glad!” He giggled, as his face melted into a frightening new visage. “Now you begin to acknowledge me.”

---

“No, I don’t.”




“H-huh?” Don took a step back, his world shattering as his bride to be uttered those soul crushing words. She kept her eyes focused on him, her sight and scorn unflinching, as everything else around them seemed to fade into oblivion, leaving only Don and Selan behind. “S-Selan?”

“Why on Ddaear would I marry you?” She said, venom spitting from her lips. She took a step forward, one hand outstretched, her finger pointed towards Don accusingly. His feet automatically started walking backwards. “You’re the last person in the world I’d ever marry.”

“B-but,” Don tried to focus, but unable to succeed. His world felt dizzy, and incoherent, as if the floor had just been swept out from under him. Nothing made any sense. He loved Selan, more then anything else in the entire world. He would do anything for her, anything. And he tried, hadn’t he? He was sure… so sure that she too… “But why?”

“Look at yourself!” The songstress jammed her finger into his chest, grabbing Don’s face and turning it to the side, towards a mirror that reflected their appearance back at them. Don looked at his mirror copy, and saw the anguish and horror laced in his face stare back at him. Gone was the ‘cool, suave, sophistication’ he exuded so well. In its place was himself… younger, shorter. Himself, years ago. Still only a boy.

“You’re a boy in a man’s body!” Selan screamed at him. “You’re delusional and ridiculous! Ace Capuello? Crimson Justice? Don’t be an idiot!” She continued. “You dream up these stupid, ridiculous fantasies and believe them to be real, when in truth you’re nothing more then a pathetic little boy who can’t do anything right! These stupid identities you make for yourself… and these ridiculous, harebrained schemes you make! It’s laughable you think you can be a Guilder. Preposterous to think I could ever love a child like you! I’m a woman, Don, I shouldn’t have to be looking after you or keeping you out of trouble. Who do you think I am, your mother?”

Don’s world was spinning. “No, no, I don’t. You’re… you’re Selan, and I… I love…”

“You can’t read. You can’t write. You can’t count. You can’t swim. Your clothing is tacky and disgusting and your hair is simply ridiculous. You’re a horrible, horrible man who doesn’t think anything through other then what is good for yourself. You’re an idiot, Don, and in your idiocy you’ve hurt so many people, more then I could even count! It’s all you do, ever!”

“No…” His hands clutched his head tight, his eyes screwed tight in the hope of drowning out the truth. “No, no, no I’m not! Stop saying that!” He shook his head frantically from side to side.

“All those people you terrorised as a bandit, joyriding about with your stupid posse and sister. All the people you’ve still hurt since you’ve tried to be a Guilder, as if you were trying to become a ‘better man’, when we both know the only reason for it is so you can stalk me…”

“No! No, no, no!”

“The damage and inconvenience you’ve caused to me and everyone else. To Estelle and Marcus… to Marise, whom you still owe money to. The flights of fancy and damage you’re causing by filling up Trixie and Dylan’s heads with the nonsense you’re shouting. You’re a liability, Don! A waste of space! A cancer! All you do is hurt people, over and over again!”

“NO!” Don’s scream echoed out. “ShutupshutupshutupSHUTUP!”

“Or what?” Don’s eyes shot open, to see Selan’s cold, angry face pressed right against him. “Are you going to hurt me if I don’t? Hurt me again?”

“No…” Don collapsed to his knees, tears puddling against his knees. “No, no, no, that was an accident, that was… that was… that other woman, she… she…”

“I trusted you, as stupid as that was!” Selan screamed at him again. “I trusted you, to at least try and be something better, but that was the last time! All you did was prove who and what you really are! I don’t need to be saved by you, I need to be saved from you! You’re nothing more then a pathetic little bully, a degenerate waste of space and-”

“Nnnyaaaghh shut uuuuppppppppp!” Don’s wail was thrown into the air, his hands cupped over his ears in the vain hope to block Selan’s lashing. It was too much, all too much, he couldn’t… he just… he couldn’t…

“Just wrap your hands around her neck and squeeze, son,” A low, dark growl rumbled by his ears. He could feel warm breath caress his cheek. “Put this stupid bitch in her place. You know you want to.”

Don howled.

Moira could do nothing but stare. She wanted to kneel down and hold him, as she had done countless times before. She wanted to comfort him, or at least comfort herself. But she found she just couldn't move. He looked... he looked like she did that night. The woman in her dream, the one who changed everything. She could feel her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

She couldn't take this anymore.

Moira didn't know how it was happening, but she could feel something forming in her hand. She didn't look down. She continued to stare towards her son, although she wasn't really seeing him anymore. It wasn't her fault. She was just protecting him! That was all! She didn't mean to... she was just trying to save him! WHY WOULDN'T HE STOP DYING?!

Were they doomed to be trapped in this cycle forever? Him doomed to die in every way imaginable, some of them instant while others slow and agonising? Was she doomed to watch as the life ebbed away from him every single time?

No... no... no she couldn't take it anymore she couldn't take it anymore SHE COULDN'T-

"Murderer!"

She swung out, instinctively recognising the weight of the greatsword she now held. And with a scream, she cut down the owner of the voice - a woman who stood a little behind her.

She had no reason to care anymore. None at all. All she could feel was rage and dispair, all at once. After everything the world had put her through. Put her son through. He was her world, the meaning of her existance. He was everything. She was going to destroy everything.

She set off with her sword dragging across the cobblestone floor, cutting everything indescriminately in her path.

The falling red gem was snatched from the sky in an instant, and Amy found herself jerked across the blinding white room. She landed coarsely beside a dirty-haired man, who fixated his vicious gaze on her. He chuckled deeply, flicking the gem skyward and catching it over and over. “Amaranth, oh my flower! How I've missed you!” Flick, catch. Flick, catch. "It's been far too long since-"

Once again Amy was flung across the ground. The gem was snatched a second time by a male figure behind him, this one in regal clothing and flowing black hair. "You remember me, Amaranta? We had so much fun!" He shuffled towards the fallen cleric, fingers tapping all along the gem. Amy's body shuddered in involuntary reaction. "Too bad my lungs failed me just days after you left, mija. If only it was in you to save me!"

Amy swiped her finger across her lip. "Fuck off. You didn't–"

Suddenly she was lifted from the ground, arms lifting her from beneath her back and knees as if she were a damsel. With a shiver, she looked up to see her new captor: Largo. He roared with laughter, his expression as jovial as ever. "Sorry boys! Better luck next time, hahahaha! Oh wait." But in a flash all cheerfulness in his visage vanished, now replaced with wide eyes. Realization. "I'm dead, aren't I?" Amy refused to meet his eyes. "I guess I'm not worth saving, huh?"

Largo's body vanished with a puff of smoke, and Amy was back on the floor. More familiar voices rumbled and roared behind her, but she never looked back. "Not falling for this bullshit. I'm not that... ... ...!"

Instinctively her hands jumped to her lungs and throat, fumbling as she struggled to breathe. Her eyes turned skyward, finding her gem once again at a lofty height. Directly below it stood Marcus, holding his staff up to keep her jewel afloat. His smile widened as Amy looked his way. "Marcus, no, you're not..."

And then... a feminine voice.

"Monster! You're a monster!"

Amy exhaled sharply. "Trixie?"

She lifted her eyes to see the prankster on the floor before her, with tears flowing down her cheeks. In her hands was... a seedling. Trixie's glare focused on Amy's own. "You could have saved him, Amy! Why didn't you save him!?"

The cleric said nothing, still choking for air as her hands continued running atop one another. Then there was more pressure - another hand clasped atop her own, belonging to one of the many males crouching nearby her - Don's. "Ooh, I hope he gives me that thing next!" Another hand piled atop his, this time Dylan's, then Syed's, who both muttered something similar. But Amy's attention was on Trixie.

"You worry about yourself so much you can't help anyone else! How? How can you just sacrifice lives like this!? You're selfish, Ames! Selfish!"

Amy could only avert her eyes back to the skybound gem. The room began to darken. "Father..." she gasped. "Please... this is not what I..."

Must I relive this moment yet again...

The stairwell seemed like it would never end, but it did -- strong hands yanked Selan up, and dragged her to her room. She kicked and screamed, hoping she would wake everyone inside the castle, and everyone in the kingdom across the forest. She spotted a pair of icy blue eyes watching them from the end of the dark corridor, glinting in the moonlight.

A scuffle ensued the moment he threw her into the bedroom. He saw the way his prize looked at him now, her fears fully realized as she now knew what he truly was. It made him furious. But her blood boiled stronger. She knew where his knife was, she knew what to do with it. She would do to him what he and his men had done to countless numbers of her sisters. She made a grab for his belt, but he swatted her away with the back of his hand, sending her sprawling to the floor.

She scooted backward and bumped into the mirror along the wall, and it fell with a deafening crash. Her violently trembling hand searched along the floor until it found the sharp edge of a large shard, cutting her skin. She ignored the pain. He approached her with his knife drawn and kneeled before her. He leaned forward, bringing his face close, too close.

With a terrible, feral scream, Selan drove the shard into his body as far as it would go.

The knife fell with a clatter to the floor, and he slumped his body against the wall.

"My beautiful songbird, why don't you sing for me?" he whispered, smiling sadly as his blood stained the floor red. "Till death do us part... Selah."

...

Everything was gone. Or at least, everything that mattered. She found her people's settlement in ruins, burned to the ground and riddled with the corpses of the elders. All of the women and children were gone, just as the girl in the basement said.

Selan's face was several shades of blue as she limped towards the docks. Her bare feet were covered in cuts from glass shards and the rough terrain, and she was weak from dehydration, but she dared not stop. Men were loading crates onto a large ship, and the captain barked something to make the crew move faster. The skies looked angry, and the wind rocked the waters.

She approached the captain, who first looked at the young girl with anger, then shock, then pity at the sight of her bruises. Selan found herself being escorted onto the ship.

Thunder began to rumble, and the first flash of lightning illuminated the cramped cabin. Selan hugged her knees, terrified and shaking as the ship headed straight for an enormous water spout.

Wake up, wake up, wake up, please!

---

It continued on and on. Lisette would open her eyes, and one of her friends would torment her before inflicting enough pain to send her back into unconsciousness. Rinse and repeat.

"I'm done with you, love. If you didn't spend so much fucking time whining about what you didn't want to do or mean to do, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"You're just a knock-off of Estelle. She was tired of being your friend a long time ago."

"Poor Lissa, all alone! No stinkin' bugbread or vechtabuls either!"

"A stupid, pathetic girl like you shouldn't be a Guilder. You'll mess up again and again. Which one of us you think is gonna be the next Marcus?"

"Stop!" Lisette sobbed, covering her eyes with her hands. "I can't take it anymore! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

One by one, they all faded away, leaving her alone in the Woods of Weir with nothing but the buzzing voices in her head. She tried to escape, but no matter which direction she chose or how long she ran, she always returned to the same clearing.

---

The time finally came when the man with the knife dragged Kapi out of the pen. Kapi had lost the will to struggle, finding solace in the thought that he would soon join his family.

The man sat Kapi on a large grey table, lit up by nothing but a small lamp hanging overhead. The rest of the room was hidden in darkness. Kapi shivered from the coldness of the surface almost as much as he shivered from the fear of death. He didn't know what a knife felt like. Would it be fast? Or slow and painful?

The man grinned wickedly, sharpening his knife with a rod-shaped object.

The door burst open, and Kapi saw a silhouette of what seemed like a giant rabbit. But she stepped into the light, and Kapi could see her golden hair, her freckles, and her large aqua eyes that sparkled. She aimed a bow and arrow at him, and looked confident. The man turned his back to Kapi to face her, and Kapi hopped off the table to the floor.

My hero!

But the baby capybara could only watch as the man easily overpowered his heroine, throwing her onto the table, and using his sharpened knife to... to...

The voice was back, taunting as Aria ran down the streets.

“Running away again? You really can’t do anything else but run, can you? This is why they came to detest you- you would have done nothing but drag them down in the long run.”

The Pride, the group of accomplished and kind and goal-driven people that she had come to know- How stupid had she been to think she would ever fit in? They would be better out without her, just as the voice said they would be. Their scornful gazes were burned into the back of her mind, and yet she couldn’t blame them for what they had said. Not when it was all true.

“What even made you think you could succeed as a guilder, anyways? Oh that’s right, you followed in your dear, loving parents’ footsteps because you were too ignorant and lazy to find your own job. Really, your childhood was way too easy.”The voice paused, before giving an excited giggle. “Oh yes, how about we go ahead and give you a tragic backstory? Maybe people will even pity you enough to not leave you!

Screaming filled the streets as the sky blackened with smoke. Aria jumped back as a large black shadow darted past her, crumbling a nearby building with a single touch as more shadows rushed past.

“Once upon a time, the city of Altkey attacked. By what, you ask? Who cares? The real question is, are you going to fight or not?”

Her decision was made before the sentence was over, the familiar weight of a pair of fans settling into her hands as she darted forward with a cry, shadow melting under the blades as she sliced through one of the figures. The scene froze, before melting into one that had the illusionist reeling back and gagging as the thick scent of blood filled the air.

“She chose to fight, but to no avail. She only managed to get in the way of those who were trying to protect their homes- Everyone here dies.”

Piles of bodies littered the streets, the faces of her friends and neighbours twisted into screams and terror. A sob tore its way out of Aria’s throat as she backed up against a crumbled wall, eyes clenched as to block out the sight.

The voice merely tittered as if it had merely seen something amusing. “Should’ve stayed out of the way, pet. Now, onto the rest of the story~”

“Guys?” Her voice called out into the emptiness, but no response was given.

Estelle’s head and body spun around and around, her eyes gazing over her bleak, empty surroundings, searching vainly for any of her friends and finding nothing but the rubble and neglect of the dilapidated coliseum around her, the colours twisted and inverted into a negative shade. She tried calling out the names of her friends one by one, but there was no response, none at all. She gasped and winced, clutching at the pain throbbing in her shoulder, and fell to one knee.

“Ugh… no…” Said Estelle, denying her situation. “No way am I’m going to go down like this! I’m going to find everyone, no matter what it takes!”

She stood back up, and began walking to the coliseum’s exit, determined to find her friends.

The area outside of the coliseum was not what she remembered of Thaum. Gone were the cobblestone streets and thatch roofed homes, replaced instead with that of a dark and gloomy forest. Looking back behind her, Estelle was taken aback to find the coliseum had vanished, and all there existed were an endless sea of trees in all directions. What was going on?

And then she heard it. She heard screams coming from her left. Unsheathing her sword, she automatically began running to the sound, her heart filled with worry at the noise of sheer terror ringing out. Her friends…!

Emerging into a clearing, she found Xandra, pinned to the ground by a gigantic bear, its claws digging into and shredding Xandra’s arm to pieces. Flesh and blood littered the ground around her, and she thrashed about as much as she could in terror and agony, crying to try and break free. But the bear’s expression was sadistic and hungry, and it had no intention of stopping so soon.



“Xan!!” Estelle screamed, the pain of her shoulder vanishing completely as she dashed forwards as quickly as possible. She raised her sword up high, and swung it downwards, determined to slice the beast’s arms clean off, except…

Except the sword sailed through as if it didn’t exist at all. The bear continued to tear and shred. Estelle swung again, to the same result.

“NO!” Estelle screamed, swinging over and over again, each attack as vain and futile as the last. She could do nothing but witness the horror develop in front of her, until it just as suddenly faded away, and Xandra’s anguish was beyond her. She took an uneasy, shaking step back, unable to believe what had just happened.

“Murderer!”



Estelle spun again, to find the forest gone, replaced with the familiar streets of Clockwork Town. This time she saw Moira, hopelessly unable to prevent her son from being excruciatingly killed in yet another brutally twisted fashion. She could see the horror and frustration rip through Moira, the burden of everything she saw too much for her to carry. Estelle stepped forwards and called her name, but Moira didn’t see or listen. She passed straight through, walking bitterly away. And in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Next was the smell of death and destruction. Estelle’s hand reached for her nose, pinching her nostrils shut. It was enough to make her gag and retch and almost vomit. Too much. The stench caused her eyes to start watering, but she looked up… looked up in time to see the unspeakable horror standing in front of her.



Don’s limp body rested in the hunched forward Lucien’s hands. His face wore a maniacal, bestial grin, before he suddenly double backed in horror at his own actions.

“Lucien?” Estelle called out. “What did… what did you do?”

But the summoner didn’t hear her either, no matter how many times she spoke, and with that the scene blurred again, this time the scenery transforming into a room furnished with desks and chairs.



Syed was chained to one wall, electricity discharging and striking all around him, setting the wooden room on fire. Within the seats were numerous small trees, and Estelle quickly came to realise just what exactly was happening. She turned back to Syed, who had lost control. She called out to him, trying to calm him down, to relax him… to no avail. She swung at the chain holding him in place, and it was the same result as every other time before. Nothing. The blade just passed through, without the slightest hint of resistance. Estelle’s vision turned white as a spark of electricity shot straight at, and through, her eyes.

Her vision returned to that of another room, adorned with lamps and fanciful furnishings. Once again, Estelle was struck in confusion at her surroundings, and once again a piercing scream from behind caused the swordswoman to spin.



This time to find Selan, much younger then her usual age or even Estelle’s own, being attacked by a large, frightening man, pushing into and shattering a mirror. Estelle raced forwards again, determined to save Selan and to ward off her attacker. Her shouts and screams were ignored by both, and once again her efforts to hit the man were transparent. She threw herself in the way this time, hoping to stop him, but he passed through her as if she was a ghost. He didn’t reach far, however, before he was stopped. Estelle looked down at her chest, at the bloody hand that passed through, holding a shard of glass that stabbed the man’s chest. Estelle turned, her eyes peering directly into her horrified friend’s. Selan’s eyes, who looked straight through her.

“Selan…” Tears started to swell within Estelle’s eyes. Her friends were suffering. They were all suffering and she couldn’t do a single thi-

The scene transformed again. This time, her surroundings had been split into six separate locations, blending and merging one into the others. Voices assaulted her from every direction, and Estelle had to cover her ears to try and drown out the impossible volume of sound.








Aria, Dylan, Amy, Don, Lisette and Lute were all being subjected to a torturous and scathing assault from others. Vindicated and degraded by those whom they had thought were their friends, their family. They tried to run, tried to escape. Tried to plead and reason with their torturers. None survived. And Estelle’s cries… her pleading screams for attention, he screeching wails for her friends to hear her, to notice her, were lost. She was nothing.

The pain in her shoulder returned, and Estelle collapsed to her knees once more. She couldn’t bear it anymore. She couldn’t bear to keep seeing her friends in distress and pain. Couldn’t bear to have them within her reach, but be powerless to save them. Couldn’t bear to do nothing but watch.



Below her, in-between her legs, was Kapi, and the shivering capybara’s own horror as he watched one after another of his siblings be taken away by the scary man with a knife. Watch in horror as the man came back to take him. Estelle kept clawing at the scene, trying to scoop him up into her arms, to run away with him to safety, but again there was no success. She couldn’t even save a tiny capybara. The man took him.

Estelle pounded the ground and screamed again. No more! She couldn’t do this anymore! She couldn’t be left to be so weak, so powerless! No more! Hurt her, she screamed, but leave her friends alone! Leave. Them. Alone!!



“I’m just… hahaha! I’m so happy… I’m so happy you’re back. And look, we did it all over again – just like that. Hehe! You really are a superhero.” Trixie’s laughter brought Estelle to look up again, to snap out of her tears. She stared at her friend, at the little girl she considered her sister, smiling and laughing at the figure she was with. She was happy. Had… had Estelle’s prayers been answered? Even though the room was shaking and rattling from side to side with such terrifying force, had she… had she done it?

“Just… one more thing though.”

The figure reached for her hand, though hesitated as she made her request. The building continued to quake. “Trixie? We don’t…”

“Promise you won’t leave this time?”

“I promise, Trixie.” They interlocked fingers. “I promise I will never leave you again.”

“Nraaaaaghhhh!” Estelle screamed again, dashing forwards towards Trixie after the next, sickeningly horrifying calamity was to drop. Trixie’s screams drowned out Estelle’s own, and the young girl could do nothing but scream and cry and scream. Estelle wrapped her arms around Trixie, trying to comfort and hold her, to bring her back and be there for her. But as it had been before, so it was again. Her arms passed through, over, and over again. She couldn’t touch her. She couldn’t hold her and love her and make her feel better. She couldn’t do anything to stop Trixie from collapsing to the ground and huddling in a foetal position, couldn’t do anything to make her hear her or feel her try to wrap her arms around her and do whatever little Estelle could to make her friend feel better.

She couldn’t do anything at all.

The cold, wet sting of rain lashed against her cheeks. Estelle had had enough. She couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t witness these any longer. She huddled together in the cold, wrapping her arms around her knees and mimicking the exact same actions Trixie was doing as well.

No more… no more. Her friends… she had to save them. She had to…

“Hmm?” Ushered a voice a short distance away from Estelle. The figure stopped, cocking his head and searching the battle scorched ruins about him. “How fascinating. I can sense her here. Close. So very close. I had intended to leave her for last, but… maybe it will be more fun to torture her first. Make her watch me kill the rest of your friends with you first, huh Marky?”

---

“Shut up!!”

The man turned, to witness his twin leaping through the air at him, his wooden staff charged with spiralling emerald energy lance out and crash against an invisible sphere surrounding the silver haired, grinning doppelganger. The still falling Marcus sliced his staff through the air, this time shattering the defensive sphere and gripping his nightmarish opponent to slam him into the muddy, rain and blood slicked ground. “You don’t touch her!” Marcus shouted. “You don’t touch any of them!!”

“Oh, please, Marky!” The doppelganger’s outstretched palm against Marcus’ chest unleashed a great burst of wind that threw the real mage out backwards, dozens of feet into the air. “You can’t stop me, no matter what you do! I am you! This is inevitable! I’m just doing you a favour and getting it over and done with!”

“No!” Marcus called again, his eyes and robes clothing an ethereal azure shade. “No you don’t!”

The air around grew colder, and the rain itself harder – each droplet turning into a stone of ice, pelting down against the ground and his foe with unrelenting force. Coupled with the tornado of wind Marcus then summoned, each and every single hailstone that fell all shot towards the doppelganger with frightening speed and power, pelting him over and over again, the stones’ sharp edges nicking fresh cuts into its skin. The temperature and speed of the blizzard began to take its toll on the doppelganger, its body becoming coated, and trapped, in a thick sheer of ice.

Until it was all shattered, and the raging storm quelled within a second by the other Marcus. His forward step rocked the ground, and the thunderclouds above were dispersed within seconds. He shook his head and tuttered, cocking it to one side. “C’mon, Marky.” He sneered. “You can do better then that.”

Marcus’ body vanished, wrapped in a skin of emerald light boosting his entire agility. He shot through the air, snatching his twin by the neck, as he burst forwards with unreadable speed throughout the town, bursting through and destroying any buildings that were in the way, crashing into the woods running adjacent to the settlement, snapping and felling tree after tree.

Estelle’s sobs and sniffles began to quieten, as she started to notice the rain upon her skin had stopped. And that now, the sun was shining.

“You!”

CRASH

“Don’t!”

BAM

“Hurt!”

SNAP

“Estelle!!”

STAB

After volley after volley of blows, Marcus raised his staff into the air, and plunged it, point first, into the chest of his doppelganger lying prostrate beneath him. The doppelganger winced and grunted at first from the pain, before dropping his head back and laughing against, despite the mortal wound he had received.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! See, Marky, I told you!” He roared. Marcus recoiled. “I KNEW YOU ALWAYS HAD IT IN YOU!”

Marcus’ world shifted, and the next thing he knew, it was him on the ground, impaled by his staff, his copy standing over him and laughing.

“ONCE A KILLER, ALWAYS A KILLER! It doesn’t matter what you try and do, Marky! Doesn’t matter how much you try to run and break free, you’ll never escape! I’ll always be there, and one day, one day very, very soon, I will…!” He stopped laughing, peering down, straight into the panicking Marcus’ eyes. “I am you. And you are me. It’s inevitable.”

"Until next time..." The doppelganger’s body vanished piece by piece, disintegrating into a million pieces of dust to waft away on a gentle breeze. Marcus continued to struggle and gasp at the pain engulfing his body, clutching the staff and trying to pull it free, but his blood soaked hands were denied any grip.

Was he… was he going to die? Die, just like he almost did back then? Perhaps… perhaps that would be for the best. Perhaps he should just stop resisting, and embrace death. The world and his friends would be better off for it. This might be his best chance, he should just take it. Ending his life, would be the best way to save his friends-

“MARCUS!!”

His body was engulfed in white light. Warmth coursed through his body. He didn’t understand what was happening at first, but the eyes that he gradually opened, despite the weight and dull leadenness of it, showed him that she was in front of him, holding him in her arms, crying.

“Stay with me, Marcus!” Estelle cried, holding him tight against her chest. Her tears falling onto his cheeks. “I won’t let you die! I promise!!”

“Es… telle…”

The world turned red.

---

“Where… where are we?”

“Thaum,” Estelle replied, the word escaping her lips before she had the time to properly think of it. "We're in Thaum, I think."




Around them were the familiar buildings and streets of Thaum again, at least as familiar and recognisable as they were compared to the kaleidoscope of environments they had just passed through. The sky was red, and a dense purple fog enveloped the entire streets still. A beacon of violet, pulsing light could be made out flashing in the sky – the central tower that Marcus had spotted, and was walking to from before.

“Marcus…” Estelle turned again, to look to her friend. His wound was gone, his staff lying casually by his side. “You’re alright!!” She gripped him in a powerful hug, squeezing him tightly.

“I… won’t be… if you… keep… squeezing me like that, Estelle!” Marcus gasped, rapidly tapping on her arm in hope she would let him go. Finally, she did, and Marcus took great gasping lungfuls of air trying to recover.

“Marcus, I’m so glad you’re… the things I saw… the others…!” Tears started to bubble in Estelle’s eyes.

“The others are… alright,” Marcus replied, shakily rising to his feet. “I can… sense them about us. Some of them are nearby. Selan and Trixie, I think. But we have to be careful, Estelle.” The wind mage warned.

“It’s far from over yet.”

Thaum?: Group B
Where was she?! The last thing she remembered was the splatter of blood, although even that was fuzzy thanks to her rage. But now? Now she was in some murky, foggy town she recognised but couldn't remember the name of, and she was just confused. Again. It made her angrier if anything.

She screamed furiously, before charging forward once more. Well, she tried, since something pulled her back. She turned, her pale eyes practically aflame...

Syed? He was sat on the floor in a foetal position, holding his head. Well now she was even more confused. She didn't know what was real and what was a dream anymore. She just didn't. Was her son still in danger? Were the other people she thought she was travelling with in danger? She was being fucked with, and she hated it.


Suddenly Syed gasped, his eyes flicking open. Then immediately proceeded to yell, thrashing as he tried to push himself back clumsily, catching himself on his robes. It only seemed to get worse when he spotted his focus ring, as he immediately wrenched it off his finger and threw it to the floor.

Moira watched him silently for a moment. He wasn't calming down. What happened to him?

She punched him across the jaw. Her heart still skipped a beat when he went crashing back to the floor, her mind repeating the sight of her son... no, no he was still moving, good. So she grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up so her nose was pressed against his.

"Sy. Get the FUCK over yourself," she hissed dangerously. "I'm not dealing with this shit again. We're not going back to square one with you."

He brought his fingers to his jaw as his eyes locked with hers, and clear realisation dawned on his features. "Sorry," he whispered, still shaking and now flushing spectacularly as well. "Sorry, I just..." he paused, looking around them both. "I think this place is driving me insane. I just want to find everyone and get out of this mess."

Moira let him go, not really understanding what he meant by that but not caring enough to ask. He sheepishly picked the ring back up again, although he hesitated for quite a while before putting it back on. The pair of them then began to wander down the streets, calling out for any of the others.

Thaum?: Group A

Not too far from Marcus and Estelle was Trixie, who still lied on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest, and arms wrapped around her legs. Though the duo's conversation was within earshot, the prankster did not acknowledge them. Instead she remained rocking back and forth, shuddering and murmuring. Her eyes were wide and red.

"Not supposed to... not... supposed to..."

---

Thaum?: Group C

Amy took a sharp breath. In an instant, the hands, the blinding whiteness and voices previously surrounding her were gone in a flash. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest, but she drew a hand to it and began taking deeper, more rhythmic breaths. As her vision adjusted to her new environment, she sat herself up and ran her hands up and down her arms. Goosebumps. Closing her eyes, Amy let out a final shiver and muttered something incoherent. She then scanned the ground before her before reaching over and snagging something glowing brightly - her red gem.

Again murmuring words of relief, she brought the jewel to her cheek, feeling its coldness against her skin. The aura encasing it began to pulse, and she pulled it back to observe it. Someone - no, multiple bodies were nearby. Were they the others? ...Was she out of that hellish nightmare?

Fog, she was surrounded in some fog. Much darker than wherever she was previously. Slowly she stood herself up and extended her gem before her. It brightened, bringing light to her position. Amy then began to walk aimlessly, looking all around. "Hello? Anyone here? ...Estelle? Trixie? Se--"

She took a step back; Dylan had come into view. At once an image of him reaching for her neck came to mind, just like moments ago - but she quickly shook it off. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Fingers clenched tightly around her bright gem. "D... Dylan. Have you seen the others?" She stood her ground, a fair distance away from him.

Steady, light footsteps were heard before a woman's figure appeared through the fog. Selan's eyes spotted Trixie first, and she knelt down beside the girl and tried to pull her up into a sitting position.

"Trixie, there there, it's okay. You're safe now, we're here..." she whispered, trying to soothe whatever terrors Trixie was forced to suffer through.

Estelle and Marcus appeared a moment later, and Estelle quickly dashed over to drop to her knees and hug Trixie tightly. "Trixie! Selan! Are you alright?" Estelle gave Selan a wary glance, a look she interpreted as pity. Does she know? Selan would take no offense if she did; she knew Estelle's capacity for compassion.

"Don't worry about me, worry about Trixie," Selan said, not taking her eyes off of the girl, who was clearly traumatized by something. The songstress looked completely exhausted, and her eyes were red. "This isn't the first time I've been haunted by my memories. But it seems like whoever was behind this was able to make the 'visions' more... potent."

---

Lisette was woken up by her beloved capybara sniffing at her face. She looked at Kapi blankly, unsure of how to react, but instantly she had him in a tight embrace, hugging him like a teddy bear. Kapi relaxed in his owner's arms as well, and the two rejoiced in the knowledge that the other was okay.

Kapi clung to her back as Lisette wandered through the foggy streets. She never liked being in dark places, and it didn't help that there was no one in sight as far as she could see (which wasn't very far at all). But she knew that the nightmare she had was just that, a nightmare. None of it happened, and there was no way the others would treat her that way. But even knowing that, she still felt some lingering fright, and needed to know that the others were okay.

So when she happened upon Moira and Syed, the only thing she could do was call their names and run up and awkwardly hug Moira the way a child would hug a relative they'd never met. Likewise, Kapi sprung off of Lisette to cling to the side of Syed's head.

"I'm so glad to see both of you!" she said, her voice strained as she tried to be tough and not cry. "Are the others nearby too?"

Thaum: Group C

No more...

All the death and decay faded and soon he found himself in Thaum's square, well it looked like Thaum, but it was incredibly hard to tell due to the purple fog that hung low. The summoner looked around frantically, who was going to die this time?

"D... Dylan. Have you seen the others?"

No! This time he'd save them, he had to! Lucien ran blindly through the fog, batting at nonexistent Lions and letting out a frustrated yell. Suddenly, he tackled into something, no, someone. He found himself on the ground, with the person he had knocked down, it was Amy. "Run! Amy, run, now!" He scrambled to his feet and pulled the cleric up. "We have to hurry, before he finds us!" He expected to see her torn to shreds, but it never happened and he realized that the creature he had seen was probably gone. He took in a shaky breath and without thinking pulled the woman into a hug. Lucien was instantly rewarded with a fist to the face, he fell back with a thud and turned his head to see Dylan.

"Oww, Dylan!" He felt mushy inside, just seeing them alive, it made him so happy. "You're alive!" The summoner pushed himself up and laughed. "You're all alive," he began rambling in a panicky voice about lions and death and all sorts of other things. Half-way through he began sounding a incoherent, but really, he was just so glad to see them all in one piece.



Thaum: Group C

They were back in Thaum...

Xan stood there shivering, she could still feet their teeth, their claws, and she could still see images of the others, torn and bloodied. "Aria...? Trixie?" The girl took in a breath of air and screwed her eyes shut. What was going to happen next, the uncertainty of it all was frightening, but they had to soldier on.

The girl took a step forward and noticed the prone figure of one of the guilders. Lute, was on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. "...Lute?" A part of her believed he would be snatched up by some beast before she could reach him, but her fingers wrapped around his wrist. He was real...he was there, and most importantly he was alive. This...this meant the others were alive too, right?

She threw her own fears aside and tapped him gently on the shoulder. "We have to find the others...are you alright?" The question sounded stupid. Nothing felt alright, but wandering through the fog would be a hundred times better than seeing them all die again. Familiar voices tore through the silence and her jittery nerves relaxed a little. "Let's go find them."



Thaum: Group B

He was the older brother damn it! But he couldn't save them.

Andrew, Noelle, Robby, Abigail, and even little Josh. He couldn't save any of them! Atlas stumbled around through the fog, unaware of the change in scenery. He called out for his younger brothers and sisters, hoping that someone would answer.

He continued wandering and when he ran into no one he began running, both hands cupped around his mouth. He saw the outline of a person. "Abigail?" The man leaped past a bush only to run into Aria, she looked a little roughed up, but then again he did too with his crazed eyes and frantic expression. It wasn't his sister...but a fellow guilder. "Hey...you, you okay? Have you seen any of the others?" Atlas didn't sound as calm as he had wanted too.

The man exhaled then saw the outline of several other people, one was a tall man and the other a stocky woman. "We should go...regroup." His mind wandered off, perhaps his siblings were safe somewhere, but the scene he had witnessed had felt so real. He felt his shoulders shake but trudged onward. "C'mon." The man waited for Aria to follow then called out to the other figures. "Oi! We're coming, wait up!"

Thaum?: Group C

The hole was void of light. If he really had to describe it, he would guess that it was a black capsule, and that he was on the very bottom. He forgot when, but at some point Lute decided to just give in and curled up with his knees against his chin like a child huddling from the cold.

“Pet… Stay there… Can’t hurt… Anybody-” Was it just him, or did that voice sound like Delilah’s?

Lute cringed when something touched his arm. He looked up to see that girl from earlier, and that the dark space around him was gone. The darkness was replaced by fog, though… He continued staring up at Xandra with his eyes narrowed, expecting her to self-combust or for some faceless warrior to burst in out of nowhere and behead her. He felt oddly relieved and comforted that she remained fine after a few minutes.

He got up to his feet and nodded. “I am… fine.” How ironic; he was fine, but everyone was either murdered or decapitated. “Are you?” Lute asked silently as they started walking together. In time, they finally found the others, mainly because it was so quiet that it was hard to miss Lucien’s incoherent, teary babbling.

Amy, Dylan, Lucien, Xandra. He turned to the girl by his side and then returned his gaze to the group, a pained expression on his face. Maybe a heavy weight would fall on top of them all… That could be the reason why Xandra wasn’t dead yet. He shook his head at the thought and then stepped closer to their circle. “Does anyone have any injuries?” Lute asked just to make himself feel less alienated from everything. Hell, he’d sing if that would make him forget the things he saw earlier and make him stop associating those events with the people standing right here and now.

Thaum: Group A: Estelle, Marcus, Trixie, Selan

Estelle nodded back to Selan, once she reassured the swordswoman she was okay, and that Trixie was in greater need of aid. The younger child was traumatised and unresponsive. Although Estelle could now touch her, her voice and affection seemed to fall on deaf ears, and it wasn’t for lack of trying or being invisible, like she was before. Trixie was just retreating deeper and deeper into a world that Estelle feared she couldn’t penetrate. Not without the help of Amy, or possibly Don. It didn’t stop her from squeezing Trixie tighter.

“We need to go to the tower,” Marcus interrupted, looking to Selan with a fresh new smile and nod, hoping the expression might help to dissuade her fears. “If I’m not mistaken, I believe that that is the centre of all these nightmares. Whatever’s causing them… it’s doing it from there, and it’s the only way to stop it.”

“We need to find everyone else as well,” Estelle said, looking briefly over her shoulder. “And then after we do, we’re going to beat the crap out of whoever’s doing this!!”

And then, suddenly, before anyone else could reply, the sound of an explosion rocked their ears. From behind them, dust and smoke was thrown into the air, with the purple haze being dislodged and blown to the side. And strangely enough, from over the top of one set of houses roofs… was the sound of an ear piercing scream coming from a body spiralling through the air, crashing down along the ground and tumbling into a crate holding several enlarged pieces of stationary equipment, from pencils to erasers, sharpeners to protractors.



“Fhgngnslablaaaghhhaaaa!!”

“Don!” Estelle screamed, wanting to rush to the bowled over man who had landed on his back, his legs flopped over the top of him, but not wanting to leave Trixie’s side. Her eyes met Selan, and she nodded, with an air of unease. Her eyes turned to Marcus, and to the source of Don’s flight. Her thoughts were given to ask what had caused this, when the very next second later… those questions were answered.

The houses from where Don had appeared from suddenly imploded outwards, splintering into a thousand pieces and buffeting the fivesome with a terrifying gale of wind. From the clearing smoke and wreckage, they could all see a large, shadowy figure stride towards them, one of its arms crackling with energy. As the dust and smoke cleared away from it, revealing its face within the murky violet fog… their jaws all simultaneously dropped as one.

It wasn’t possible.

---

Group B: Moira, Syed, Lisette, Kapi, Aria, Atlas

The jubilant reunion between Guilders was shortlived, as suddenly the ground around them began to rumble and shake. Turning around in every direction, they each tried to spy the source of the violent quaking, but were unable to find any immediate source… until in the distance, a collection of buildings were thrown into the air, in a tumultuous spiral before raining down to the ground in a thundering heap. Lisette shrieked and hugged Kapi tight, as Moira and Aria gripped onto their weapons, with Syed’s eyes widened and jaw dropping as something… something impossible began to grow before them. Something so large and simply impossible that he simply… he simply couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t happening! His mind screamed. It wasn’t possible!

But there in front of his eyes, it was, and his feet took an uneasy step back to slip and fall, almost banging his head against Atlas’ leg.

The monstrous figure turned its gigantic face in the Guilders’ direction, and roared, as a whirlwind of bones surrounded it. It lifted up its right hand, to reveal a skeletal sword formed from the bones of thousands, and swung the might blade directly down towards them, whilst behind… another terror suddenly appeared, this one a large and mighty beast, its body blazing a searing, scorching heat beneath its growl. Moira’s head turned sharply back towards the frightening enemy, and her own jaw dropped.

“You have got to be shitting me…”

---

Group C: Dylan, Amy, Lucien, Xandra, Lute

Xandra and Lute rejoined the others in time to see Lucien receive an ill timed slap after his attempts to embrace Amy, the latter recoiling away and keeping her distance in silence, her eyes warily trained upon the summoner. Her eyes flickered back to Dylan, who was rising to his feet, but she said nothing, sending her glare back towards Lucien. How dare he do that to her. How dare her, after all she had been through…!

THOOM

A loud, thunderous roar enveloped them from all sides. Just as they were about to ask whether any of them had any injuries, their attention was alarmingly taken by the din of noise that consumed them from all sides. A sound that was growing ever louder… ever closer.

“What… was is that?” Asked one of them, and then in the next instant-

Buildings were cleaved in half, a massive gaping hole bursting through the one closest to them, a giant, hulking figure overshadowing them rearing its massive arm up into the air, and swiping downwards at them. They had barely the shortest amount of time to react, with Lute grabbing Xandra’s arm, and Lucien pulling Dylan away (Amy’s own distance to the others giving her just enough space to move away as well) to avoid the giant paw slapping the ground where they had been and causing a violent enough quake to topple everyone to their knees.

“What…” Lute asked with exasperated breaths. “What is that?!”

A giant mutated bear, far larger and more murderous then any the virtuoso could have possibly have encountered, stood up on its hind legs, roaring into the sky. Spikes jagged out from around its jaws, and it raised its gleaming claws into the air again, its eyes scanning the Pride around, its nose twitching as it decided which would be its first meal.

“The… Bearon?” Dylan gaped. “How is that even…?”

But any thoughts the Matter Artist might have had on the beast, on his memories in Weir when the Pride had fought a futile battle against the immortal beast, only for the Pride to fail and be fortunately saved by their ally Cole whom transformed himself into a monster as well, was drowned out by the arrival of another, unearthly horrifying foe. Gushing through the building in the distance, crashing and rebounding against buildings like a torrential tsunami, was a mass of deep black, the sound of skittering auditing from it, as the mass began to converge and form, taking shape, into a form recognisable to Amy as…

“You have got to be shitting me…” Amy unknowingly echoed Moira’s statement from across the other side of Thaum.

---

Group A: Estelle, Marcus, Trixie, Selan, Don

“You… you have to be joking…” Selan’s voice dropped. “This isn’t possible…”

Estelle’s hand reached for the hilt of her sword, already in the process of unsheathing it to defend herself and her friends. Of all the things that could possibly appear… the timing of this was…!

“Well, well, well…” The evil voice from the approaching figure laughed. “If it isn’t my dear son’s precious little friends. I did promise I would hunt and kill all of you down, didn’t I?”

The impossibly tall, muscular man raised his arm into the air, his hand connected to that of his frightening Magitech Cannon. Already the barrel was humming and glowing, charging up its next deadly attack. Memories of Tabul began racing through the Pride’s minds.

Their adversary smirked.

“Time to die.”

---

Group A: Estelle, Marcus, Trixie, Selan, Don



Group B: Moira, Syed, Lisette, Kapi, Atlas, Aria




Group C: Dylan, Lucien, Amy, Xandra, Lute

Group C: Dylan, Amy, Lucien, Xandra, Lute

The beach was gone, Dalia was gone. Tobias, Los Paraisos...home. It had all be a dream. Just one long, terrible nightmare - a parade of his worst memories and fears strung together. But knowing that did little to make him feel better, because even if they were fragments of his imagination they had spoken true.

He had fallen so far and he did not know how to get back.

Soon Amy appeared, calling to him. He remembered the sting on her hand on his face, the causal way she had confirmed what he had done to...Lucy! The summoner appeared out of nowhere, and though he seemed so happy to see Dylan and Amy (even after the slap), Dylan could not bear to look him in the eye. Not him or any of the others who appeared.

But then the world shook beneath their feet and all of their worst nightmares came back. A monster they had defeated already - a memory of a harsh fight, a young wolf cub driven mad, and horrifying choice. “The… Bearon?” Dylan gaped. “How is that even…?”

It got worse. So much worse. The giant spider from the tombs, and then...

“…at least that giant thing from Vandrell’s not here, yeah?” Lucien tried to laugh.

“Oh Aislin!” He wailed. “Lucy, you just had to go and open your big mouth!!”

They were so screwed. Each of these battles had been difficult when the faced them individually, but together it was beyond hope. Whatever had brought him here wasn’t satisfied with breaking him emotionally, with torturing him and shattering him into a million little pieces. No, he also had to relieve his worst battles and then watch his friends die.

“No,” he finally said. “No, I just...I REFUSE!” He turned to the others, his eyes shining with tears. “We’re still dreaming, this is impossible. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT.” He fell to his knees in the middle of the group. “Just kill me already and get it over with.”

“Abigail?”

Aria cringed, shrinking back before realizing that the voice wasn’t the screechy, condescending tone of the voice in her head. She looked up, only to spot Atlas. The burning buildings of her home had sometime melted into the dense fog of Thaum without her noticing. Had it- had it all been a dream? Nobody was dead because of her and her friends hadn’t left her?

Aria’s quivering subsided slightly as she got to her feet, following after Atlas and towards the figures of Moira, Syed and Lisette. She couldn’t help but cringe as the memory of their scornful voices echoed in her ears but managed to suppress the paranoia that they would all suddenly start screaming once more and that she hadn’t woken from the nightmare just yet.

A small wave of relief washed over her when she was close enough to see their faces that lacked the cold glares they sported in her dream, but rather looked just as confused and shaken up as she was.

Before they had time for proper greetings, the ground started to rumble before a collection of building were thrown from a distance, crashing too close to comfort from the group. Aria bit back a shriek and gripped onto her weapons tightly, gaping up at the giant skeleton that had appeared so suddenly without warning.

“ “You have got to be shitting me…”

Just as the skeleton raised its sword, Aria gave a quick glance back at where Moira was only to meep faintly at the giant Firon snarling down at them. What on Ddeaer were these monsters and where had they come from?

Seeing how Syed had tripped onto the ground, she quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him aside as the giant skeleton swung down it’s blade, sharpened bone smashing into the pavement and sending chunks of rock flying. There was no way they could take down both the skeleton and the flaming wolf behind them – they would have more than enough on their hands just facing one! The Firon perhaps she could distract with an illusion, but even then she wasn’t sure how long she could keep hold with the giant skeleton attacking them at the same time.

Should they fight? Should they run? She suddenly cringed, shaking hand tightening around Syed’s arm as she remembered the screeching voice asking the same question in her dreams. If they made the wrong decision, would they all die? The skeleton yanked its sword out of the rubble, bringing it back above its head for another swing as Aria panicked.

"W-we... We can't win this! We need to- We should... What should we do?!"

Group A

Still on her knees, Trixie slumped once Estelle jumped for her sword upon Gaoh making his appearance. Only after Don made his crash did her eyes lift from the ground to see him, before drooping back down. She longed to jump for him, to reach for him and embrace him in the tightest hug imaginable - to do the same for the other three surrounding her, all of whom she regarded as her heroes - but her own nightmare flashing in her head over and over again prevented her from moving an inch. What if their lives were pulled from her own as well? The term 'superhero' no longer safeguarded them from death.

Gaoh stood there, ready with his infamous cannon. Largo was not there to stop him this time. He... he too was...

Trixie hunkered down with her hands clasped around the back of her head. "Please... no more..." she wheezed, her voice hoarse.

---

Group C

Amy watched the boys interact from a far distance, only for the short-lived reunion to be cut short from the incoming Bearon, with a guest appearance from the giant spider she had faced back in Museo. The cleric grit her teeth, clenching onto her gem brightly. "You have got to be shitting me." It was out of luck the Bearon was taken down with the help of Cole, but with their team drained down to limited numbers already, they were fucked against the beast.

It wasn't enough. Lucien still had it in him to crack a final joke, before the beast that was the mutated Oren emerged to haunt them as well.

Dylan began to lose it. If their current circumstances didn't spell imminent death, Amy would have considered whipping some sense into him. "Get a hold of yourself!" was all she could manage before a deafening roar brought their attention back to the Bearon. The mutated Oren followed up with another roar, lashing out with its tail once again. Amy took a deep breath. "Okay. There's no fuckin' way these things are real. We've got that established. So maybe... maybe if we could..."

The area quaked again. Perhaps Dylan had the right mindset; maybe giving up would get them out of their hell. There was no way they could fight or outrun the fuckers. Amy too could not believe in this nonsense - but she refused to give in. Whoever was doing this to them... giving up was exactly what they wanted, wasn't it? Whatever the option was had to be decided on quick, as it wasn't long before any of the three atrocities lunged after them.

Amy prayed. She prayed that... that they wouldn't get to them. That they had more time to think. That they would find a way out of this in time. "Gods!" she cried out. Slow them down! Chain their feet! Barricade them! Something, anything to keep them away!

Group C

Lute skidded away to the side with Xandra’s arm firmly in his grip, and when the hail of brick and stone caused by the monster’s arrival finally subsided he gathered the courage to look up. The thing roaring at them… It seemed like a bear, but so much more … Twisted. “The… Bearon?” Is that what it was called? Hell! Every single alarm in his body rang at full volume and Lute was rapidly falling into panic mode, but apparently the mutated mega-bear wasn’t all they had to worry about. Another noise distracted the group and they turned to see a massive spider on their other side. Lute quickly thanked the gods (if they exist in this plane) that he didn’t have arachnophobia. Okay, okay, don’t panic. All of them were spread thin and nobody was in prime condition, but they could at least dole out enough tricks for a successful getaway, right!? There couldn’t be anything worse than this!

Cue the appearance of that goddamned freak of nature over Thaum’s wall.

So many things going downhill and it isn’t even his birthday yet!

“Fate just loves proving me wrong,” Lute groaned and resisted the urge to break down and sob. He got up from the ground with Xandra and tugged her along as he ran to where Dylan and Lucien were. The constant tremors plus the way the monster trio snarled at them kept Lute constantly distracted and he tripped a lot on the scattered debris. With the Bearon, the big spider and that other thing around them… Man, they’re screwed. Not that he was going to say it out loud.

The matter artist looked like he was about to cry and Lucien just had this stunned expression on his weary face. “Get up! Come on! Don’t give up now!” Lute’s voice grew strained as he attempted to drown out all cacophony coming from, well, everywhere; he was still too tired from that ‘almost’ coup de grace earlier to use his abilities, plus the Bearon’s footsteps getting progressively louder was NOT helping. “If you give up now, we’re seriously going to …” Beep, searching for a more persuasive form of the word ‘die’, “… eat dust!” Nobody was moving. Lute finally got annoyed and he forcibly pulled the matter artist up on his feet, rinse and repeat with Lucien. “I watched you all die once, and that’s not going to happen again. Not on my watch,” The virtuoso growled darkly and he glanced at Amy. "Miss! C'mon!"
“Let’s go! Just keep running, everyone!” He exclaimed and pushed Xandra gently. It was hard getting them to move, but… At least…

“Stop giving orders… You might just get them killed.” The same voice from earlier whispered and Lute froze, just at the exact time the earth shook again. He shook his head and regained his stride, running along with the metallurgist. He looked over his shoulder to see how everyone else was doing but…?

Thaum: Group C

"Crap!" Lucien's eyes widened. "I...I didn't mean to do that, honestly."

He looked at both the Bearon and Spider with wide eyes. Oren was there too...they were screwed. In Vandrell, they couldn't even hurt him and the only reason they hadn't been killed then and there was because Lucifer destroyed the thing. Now, there was no Lucifer in sight and he didn't know if that was good or bad.

"How exactly are we going to fight those things?!" Lucien was pretty much clinging to the matter artist now.

Xan clenched both fists and screwed her eyes shut. It was getting hard to think clearly, to stay calm. She had never seen any of those things before but they looked like the stuff of nightmares and she feared, no she knew that there was no way any of them would be able to defeat those things. "We don't fight--" before she could continue Lute took the words right out of their mouth. Wait, he had seen them die as well...just what was happening?

Lute pushed her forward and she turned back to look at the others, "that tower!" She pointed to an ominous looking thing in the distance. Aside from the monsters and the fog it was the only thing they could see. "Let's head to the tower!" She slowed down enough so the others could pass by her. No one was dying, not again, not this time! Xan's heart was racing but they had to stay calm, they just had to.

"Okay, okay, run! That's a good plan!" Lucien yelled as he yanked Amy and Dylan and ran as fast as he could.

The monsters were hot on their heels.





A giant skeleton and a wolf made of fire? Atlas gaped as Isaac shivered inside his coat.

He looked at the others before a dark expression crossed his face. If they fought those things, whatever they were, they would die. "We're not staying here." It sounded more like a declaration than a suggestion. "We'll find Dr. Dream there." He didn't know why he believed his own words. Perhaps, it was because despite of all the weirdness the streets still mirrored that of Thaum's and the tower stood exactly where Dr. Dream's lab was supposed to be. Atlas had worked in Thaum with Lute for years and he was sure of it. "If anyone can fix it, it's him! No what are you waiting for? A giant fireball? Go!" Atlas snarled at the beasts then began running towards the tower.

"That place is our best bet." He leaped forward, vanished, then reappeared in front of the others. "Don't look back!" He barked, he was usually laid back and playful but the man really didn't want to wind up as barbecue, so they ran.

Thaum: Group A

“Run, guys!” Estelle screamed to her friends, brandishing her sword and swinging the flame enshrouded blade in front of her, sparks dancing in the sky. “I’ll cover you, so g-”

“No!” Marcus gripped her arm, and pulled her tightly, throwing Estelle off her feet at the same time a waft of emerald light drifted into her body, making her arms, legs and chest, her whole entirety feel lighter. The emerald light then passed onto Don, Trixie and Selan, granting them the same agility enhancing strength as it did for Marcus and Estelle. Their step was lighter, the effort to move less, and ability to jump higher. They at least had a fighting chance of running, however-

“We need to run, Estelle!” Marcus chided the thrashing girl. “We can’t face him! Remember what happened last time!”

Estelle’s eye twitched, and she looked back to Gaoh, the man taking one monstrous step forward and lifting his charging cannon into the air, aimed at them. “I can take him.” Estelle replied. “I can take him now. We don’t have to run again.”

Marcus’ eyes met and looked into Estelle, gauging her own beliefs, and sighed. “We need to head for the tower, Estelle. The best way… quickest way to end all this is to just head for the tower. It’s the source of all this, I’m sure.”

With a huff Estelle turned her head to the side, pulling her arm free and beginning to run beside her partner. She look up, to Don, who was rising to his feet. “Don!” She shouted. “Trixie, Selan, let’s go!!”

Don turned to look at Gaoh again, hesitating, but sprung back into action immediately, scooping up Selan by the waist and throwing Trixie onto his shoulders. “RUUUUUUUUNNNNN!”

The quintet ducked down an alleyway and off the street, as a high pitched whine and beam of pure white energy burst through the street behind them, consuming everything within its path, and leaving nothing but ash and dust in its wake. The Pride ran as fast as they could, with Gaoh laughing behind them.