PREVIOUSLY ON 'Discord Isles': Taube, Maximilian, and Maya broke into the Ascil Towers in order to save Oliver from Varick Ascil. However, this only resulted in Maya accidentally killing Maximilian Ascil's mother, turning Max into a ghost elemental. Varick Ascil capturing both Oliver and Taube and torturing them in his basement, and Maya being tossed out helplessly into the wilderness. Maximilian Ascil slips into a catatonic state and slowly forgets her life as she rots away in Azuki Asylum. Taube and Oliver slowly loose hope in Varick Ascil's basement, becoming desperate and loopy as health deteriorates by the hour. With nobody to turn to to save her friends, Maya Akemi resorts to becoming a slave to her three worst enemies in exchange for them freeing her friends.

         "Get down!" Valencia hissed, shoving Maya behind a tree, who only glared her dangerous discolored eyes in response. Yellow rays of light flickered into the trees just as Valencia's raven hair ducked behind the tree to join the rest of her.

"What?"

"I thought I saw something..."

"Shut up, you're being paranoid. Let's go to my place. My mom made dinner."

The two wind elemental guards spun around, the lights of their flashlights just passing over the top of Wilson's pointy nose as they retreated from their station.

The group of four let out a silent sigh of relief as the sound of crickets filled the damp night air once more.

"You almost got us caught!" Valencia hissed, "If you're sending us in here to get us killed then-!!"

"Why on earth would I do that?!" Maya whisper-screamed, following a face-palm, "whatever, just please get me onto the first floor and keep watch while I get my friends out of there!"

Valencia mocked her frenemy, smacking her lips, as Maya spun around to scan the area. Wilson choked back a chuckle.

"The coast is clear. Let's go." Maya darted into a bush like a super-spy. Valencia sneered, Wilson rolled his eyes, and Pheonix shadowed the others silently. The four trudged towards the Ascil's tower through the darkness.

The four presses their backs up against the cold brick side of the tower. The lights were off. The building seemed completely lifeless.

Maya narrowed her eyes as a creeping suspicion crawled up her back.

"Um..." Valencia faltered, taking a step away from Maya. The halfbreed cocked an eyebrow and glanced back just in time to see a little black beetle climbing her shoulder.

She jumped at the sight but then let it crawl on her finger.

"What's the halfbreed doing?" Wilson mumbled through another cigar, which Valencia threw on the ground and stomped out.

"Yeah knock it off, idiot! Let's just blast the door down!"

"Hang on, hang on! Oliver's a bug elemental!" Maya paused, watching as the beetle frantically tapped on her hand, then pointed rapidly with its antenna to the other side of the tower. "They can talk to bugs, right?" She asked in a slightly childish manor. Pheonix and Wilson shrugged in unison. Valencia snatched the beetle and threw it on the ground, bringing her foot down on it.

"Valencia, no!"

A red glow emitted from Maya's hand as she gently brought the beetle back up to her hands and cradled it, sticking her tongue out at the other. "It's trying to help us."

The beetle seemed to nod then point again in the same direction.

"Come on." Maya mumbled, following the beetles direction.

Wilson sighed, Valencia's face flushed and Pheonix shook his head. The disapproval was obvious.

"Be patient, Val." Wilson whispered, chuckling as he lit another cigar, "As dumb as she may seem, she'll make a nice slave."

"You're one to talk about patience!" Valencia spat, ripping the cigar out of his mouth once more and following the halfbreed.

Pheonix smiled softly and pat Wilson on the back, handing him a fresh cigar before continuing. Wilson sighed, then followed.

The beetle leapt out of the elemental's hand, scuttling across the damp grounds, it scurried to a crack in the pale stone bricks, and disappeared behind the grass.

Valencia huffed and crossed her arms. "See? Useless bug."

Maya narrowed her eyes and lifted her arm, glowing an ominous scarlet. For a split second, the thought crossed the halfbreed's mind; 'This wall leads nowhere and Valencia is right. I'm an idiot.'

But by then, the red blast had already escaped her palm and bricks clattered loudly against the cement ground.

"What was that?!" A wind elemental guard shouted nearby, then footsteps were heard approaching.

"Way to go, halfbreed!" Valencia snapped, no longer bothering to keep her voice quiet.

"H-halfbreed?" A voice stuttered tiredly through the dust.

"Oliver?!" Maya exclaimed, running up to the bug elemental.

Taube yawned, stretching his tattered wings and groaning.

"Wha..?"

"Taube!"

"Maya!"

Maya knelt down and gave the two a huge hug, her body heat the warmest thing either of them had felt in days.

"I-Is this real?" Oliver whispered, unknowingly out loud, unsure if it was a dream.

"It's real." Maya said, a look of determination crossing her face as she held his cold hand in her hand. Though exhausted, Taube did manage to slightly smack her hand off Oliver's cheek, as if saying 'no. Mine.', but the halfbreed didn't notice. What she did notice was-

"Stop!" The five wind elemental guards had managed to shove Valencia, Wilson, and Pheonix into the basement along with Maya, Oliver, and Taube.

The six were surrounded.

"Who are you?! Name yourselves!" A guard shouted.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Wilson sneered. Little did everyone realize that they were holding onto each other in fear.

"Oh shit no!" Valencia exclaimed, and her entire body radiated a translucent ruby color- enveloping the entire basement. Then, it enveloped the entire group- and in a flash- they were gone.

The five wind elemental guards stood there, crickets chirping in the calamity of the nighttime, a couple of old dangling bricks managing to fall onto the cement and shatter where the group once was.

"What the fuck?" One uttered under their breath.

"Where did they go...?"

'ZzzzssspppPPP'

The air was suddenly warm. Humid. The ground was no longer hard, but somewhat bouncy, though still a hard surface. The air smelled of cedar and cigar smoke and soft jazz played in the background. Broken glass crunches beneath the groups feet. Oliver and Taube were desperately clinging onto each other, halfway on the floor. Maya was in a defense position, panting, heart racing. Wilson was hiding behind Phoenix's massive figure, but upon realizing this, he stepped out from behind and examined the surroundings.

Valencia was on the floor.

The floor of Valencia's old broken down bar in Red.

"The hell?" Wilson cocked an eyebrow, gently tapping Valencia on the shoulder with his shoe. "Is she dead?"

After a moment of Maya blinking rapidly and adjusting to the sudden change in scenery, she looked down at the Psychic unconscious at her feet.

'Nows my chance! Grab my friends and run!'

'Aghhh but I made a deal!'

It felt as if the angel and devil on her shoulders were shouting violently in her ears.

She inhaled softly, glancing out the window, at her friends, then at her enemies.

"What just happened?" Taube asked weakly.

"D-did...she just t-teleport us..?" Oliver stuttered, motioning towards the raven -haired woman lying on the splintered wood floor.

Maya nodded and groaned, clutching her head. Relief and fear flooded her mind all at once and for a moment, she felt sick to her stomach, the world spinning. 'She saved you! She hates you! She's unconscious! Your friends are safe! Max is still in trouble! You made a deal!'

"Ok..." Maya inhaled again. "Get Valencia on the couch...I'll get her a warm rag..."