"Impressive," Keegan informed as Ash bypassed him to enter the familiar training area. "But it's nothing compared to what you'll be up against if you face an experienced contractor," he warned.

"I know." Ash took a seat in the middle of the room.

"You seem to have caught the eye of one of the guests on the panel this year." Keegan walked over. "Using their request for an additional round so early, that's quite rare. Any idea who it was?"

"I have my suspicions." Ash crossed her legs.

Keegan didn't push further.

The young woman motioned for him. "Do it." She closed her eyes.

Keegan regarded her. Whatever was on his mind, he didn't voice it as he reached his fingers to her forehead.

As they made contact, Ash found herself facing a familiar situation. The journey to subconsciousness wasn't as jolting as the first few times she'd experienced it.

Her eyes opened and she saw the same figure as always before her eyes.

Callous turned. "Give up."

"Keep dreaming." Ash charged, sword in hand.

The man flickered from existence.

Ash whirled, raising her blade.

Metal clashed against metal. The sword in her own hands was the same as the blade she had used to execute the tressux – a black Jian sword. The blow she had parried, however, was from a blade she hadn't seen before. It was three times the thickness of her own and, despite being the same dark black, its edges gleamed a razor-sharp.

Looking up, Ash met eyes that showed a hint of surprise before going blank.

This was the first time she'd successfully blocked the first blow. It took almost everything she had and her arms shook at the effort.

"Not bad, huh?" she asked.

Callous leaped back, eyeing her. He paused, eyes darting up.

The blank space around them flickered. For the briefest moment, Ash found herself standing in a charred field. All around her were broken weapons sticking out from the scorched ground that released clouds of ash and smoke.

Screams ripped through the air. Screams that were both human and something else. The stench of death filled her nostrils. Through the smoke, there was something large visible in the distance.

Even as she narrowed her eyes to catch a glimpse a searing pain to rip through her. She looked down at the large blade that had been rammed through her chest from behind.

A sigh escaped as she was pulled from the world.

Ash fell forward, catching herself with one hand on the floor as coughs wracked her body. The pain was as excruciating as always. Fingers curling, Ash looked up to see Keegan had taken a seat across from her. His eyes were closed.

"This time was different," Ash gasped.

Keegan's eyelids lazily flicked open.

"If even for a moment...I saw something."

Saw something? Callous perked up.

Keegan nodded, his lips turning up as a light flashed through his eyes. "You're getting closer."

Saw what? Callous demanded once more.

"Death..." Ash spoke aloud for Keegan's sake. "A battlefield and..." she hesitated, trying to picture the large shape. "I think it was a castle."

Callous went silent.

"It's a start." Keegan nodded. "Let me give you a piece of advice. Whatever you see. Whatever you find out, don't tell anyone."

Ash furrowed her brows.

"The less anyone knows, the better. The contract you made was yours and yours alone. Others should be kept in the dark as much as possible. If they can find any information, no matter how small, it might be used against you and your contractor at some point."

"Even you?" Ash asked. She had meant it in a teasing way, a grin appearing on her face.

Keegan hesitated. "Even me," he finally agreed, eyes serious.

The grin dropped.

"Do you want to continue?"

Having made some headway, Ash nodded.

Callous was waiting for her. The blade sliced across her throat almost the moment she appeared before him.

His cold eyes stared at her menacingly as she was thrown out as soon as she had appeared.

Back in the training room, Ash choked as she grasped her throat.

"Someone's not happy," she panted. She lifted her eyes. "Give me a moment, then I'll go back."

This time, she ducked the moment she arrived.

A gust of wind grazed by.

Ash was on her feet, leaping back as she faced Callous once more.

The proud man held a new blade in his hand – a curved scimitar.

"You are stupider than I first thought," he spoke.

Ash rubbed her neck, clutching her familiar sword. "At least you're keeping the way of killing me...creative."

Around her, the blank space flickered and the sound of screams cut in and out.

"What must I do to make you never return?" Callous asked.

"I'm getting closer, aren't I?" Ash challenged him. "Is it rattling your cage?"

Dark eyes flashed. The sword in Callous' hand disappeared and a sneer appeared on his handsome face. The dark flames around him abruptly flew to his hand, gathering in one spot and growing.

Ash's stomach dropped. A sword appeared, not in physical form but created by the very flames that licked around it in an angry black and purple.

Eyes widening, Ash wanted to move.

The crisp sound of Callous' fingers snapping together cut through the ai. Ash found herself unable to move.

The pressure around her was so heavy it forced her to her knees.

For the hundredth time, Callous blinked from existence before appearing before her. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at his cold, soulless eyes.

"Pathetic," the words escaped as he rammed the flaming sword through her chest.

All the pain Ash had experienced until this point in her memories was nothing compared to this. Her body screamed in agony, each and every one of her nerves alerting her brain of the terror. Tears streamed from her bloodshot eyes. There were no words to describe the sheer pain of that moment.

Even as her very body began to disintegrate before her eyes, a familiar welcoming force pulled her from the nightmare.

Back in the training room, Ash's wet lashes trembled as she fell forward. Through her blurred vision, she was able to make out the arms that caught her.

"Looks like you're not quite there yet," Keegan spoke before her consciousness faded.

Even as dark took over her world, lights danced from behind a fog before Ash's eyes. Her body felt like it was floating. She saw vague figures, but they appeared only for a moment before they flashed out of sight.

She reached for them, something telling her she needed to grab ahold.

The fog cleared for the briefest of moments.

Flames crackled and peals of laughter sounded. It felt so warm and welcoming.

A strong back was turned toward her, a smaller figure sat nearby. There were more, but they were all blurred and their voices muffled.

"Zaria!" The smaller figure turned, the bright eyes of a young boy field with delight.

He jumped off and ran to her.

Ash's body moved on her own and she lifted the boy with familiarity in one arm. He was light.

"What took you so long?" the child scolded, one hand clutching a skewer with fat dripping from the meat. His mouth was covered in grease but it didn't bother Ash in the least.

Ash didn't reply, her eyes turning the where the strong back.

The figure had turned and a smile she had been chasing all this time came into view. Those familiar warm eyes made her heart pound – Christopher.

"If you hunt any more you'll deplete the forest of all living creatures," he teased, his deep voice washing over her like honey.

Only then did Ash realize that a dead rabbit was dangling from one hand.

"Give up," a familiar voice joined, laughter in it. The figure had broken away for the blurred group, clearing as she rested an arm on Christopher's shoulder and leaned close, her long hair brushing his cheek. "Zaria's stubborn like that," she added. It was Dara.

Ash didn't respond, eyes on the close proximity of the two. She couldn't stop her grip on the rabbit's ears from tightening.

"True." Christopher chuckled.

A muffled voice added something and laughter followed.

"You should eat too," Dara added. "We saved some speci..."

Her voice became inaudible as Ash saw herself walk forward, rabbit in one hand and the child that was happily waving his skewer in the other. She herself stayed rooted in the spot, watching her figure go to join the group. As much as she wanted to follow, she had once again become as light as a feather.

The next moment, the view dissolved and was replaced by another.

She rocked along to the pace of the galloping steed beneath her. Her hands were clasped tightly around a strong waist and her cheek rested against a warm back.

She felt the smile on her lips as she stared at the trees that whizzed by.

Her vision blurred and she found herself lying in a stream, drenched from head to toe.

She heard her own chuckle as she took the large and steady hand that was offered to her.

Christopher's eyes twinkled as he hauled her to her feet.

Squeals of laughter sounded all around.

Several blurred figures danced around, including that of a child.

The scenery changed again and again, speeding up to an extent that it made Ash dizzy.

One moment she was in a tavern with a group, her chin resting on her hand as she watched Christopher laughing. The next she was lying in a meadow, the sun blocked by a shadow. As she looked up, a flower appeared in her vision. It dissolved, replaced by Dara wildly shaking her head before her eyes darted around.

"Are you crazy?" she hissed as she leaned closer. "Do you know what that means?"

"You said you wanted out," Ash's own voice echoed in her ears.

"That's impossible!"

Ash's lips formed words. "There is a way..."

The scenery was replaced as found herself tying a pack to a saddle. Done, she reached down and ruffled the head of the same child from before. She only had a second to think of how soft his hair was before her body once again moved without her order. She waved a hand and a blue light flashed.

The boy giggled as the light wrapped around him and lifted him into the air, gently sending him floating up until it plopped him into the saddle. Even as Ash put her foot into the stirrup to follow, the scene was changing again.

She was standing on the ground. A hand tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. The brief brush of skin contact made her heart flutter.

"You're doing great," the deep voice spoke.

She couldn't lift her eyes to take in the face as the stage changed.

Rain poured.

Ash watched her hand reach out, accepting a small paper that was stuffed into her hand by a hooded figure that casually passed by.

Her feet continued through the mud as she turned into an alley. Under the pouring rain and with only the flickering light of a lantern in the window near her, she opened the message.

She couldn't make out the words as the scene changed again.

Her hands appeared in her vision. Her knuckles, trembling as they gripped a blade, were covered in crimson liquid. Her other hand was held before her eyes, blood running down.

Even as she heard the hooves her heart was filled with inexplicable dread and guilt.

She didn't want to turn, she didn't want to face it, just like she didn't want to lift her head to take in the scenery before her. Yet, she needed to look, she needed to see what it was.

She fought with herself, trying to raise her head. Even as she did so she heard a hysterical voice call out to her.

There was no chance to see the scene as she was suddenly looking at the blade etched in her abdomen.

The pain of the knife being twisted was nothing compared to what she felt in her heart. It was as though something both shattered her but also lifted a heavy mist from her mind. Whatever reality dawned on her, the Ash experiencing the illusion was not privy to it.

Wake up, a familiar voice urged.

Even as the knife was pulled free and she fell back the scene disintegrated.

Distant murmurs sounded, as though trying to make their way through a thick wall of water. They paused only to resume.

Ash's eyes slowly fluttered open. The bright light made her squint and she sluggishly raised a hand to defend herself from the onslaught.

"Are you okay?" Only now did the words take meaning.

She turned her head, seeing a familiar face appear in her vision.

Skyler was twisting a strand of her platinum hair, forehead creased in worry.

Ash didn't respond, the fog in her mind slowly dispersing.

Memories? She couldn't help but recall the jumbled scenes she'd witnessed. She scowled as she struggled to sit up.

Skyler took a cautious step back, eyeing her.

Ash ignored her as she tried to sort out her thoughts. She pressed a hand to her forehead, pressing against the ache that had appeared there.

Christopher, Dara, and blurred figures she couldn't make out. They certainly seemed to be fragments of what had once been. And then there was the child...

Why was there a child? She tried to recall his face, but with little luck.

Callous stayed silent.

"Um..." Skyler shifted nervously. "Should I call someone?"

Ash shook the fog from her mind.

"No need..." she paused, looking around. They were in one of the many gardens. "You." Ash pointed her chin at the other girl. "Why are you here?"

"I came to feed her." Skyler pointed to a Pegasus.

Ash sat up. She saw where a mare stood, tail swishing and ears pointing straight as she gazed at Ash, her silver coat glimmering in sun. Her eyes flickered from the girl on the ground to the fruit in Skyler's hand. The creature licked her snout and snorted, seeming impatient to get the sweet snack but not advancing a step closer to Ash.

"Strange," Skyler mused. "I think she's scared of you."

Ash shook her head. "Not me."

She didn't wait for Skyler to ask, turning her head to look around instead. She caught sight of the figure disappearing through a door – Keegan.

Why drop me off here? Ash considered the strange location.

Maybe he thought you needed fresh air? Callous stirred.

The Pegasus' front legs trembled, her nose and wings quivering. Though she looked like she wanted to flee, she remained frozen.

Ignoring her contractor, Ash slowly got to her feet. She brushed off her backside before turning her eyes back to the other girl.

"Congrats," Ash told her. Skyler being here meant she'd passed the latest stage, though Ash had missed seeing it.

Skyler's hand went to her arm, clutching an area hidden under a sleeve. A visible shiver ran down her. "It was close." She lifted her head. "How did you make it look so easy?" There was a trace of both envy and admiration in that tone.

Ash didn't reply as her eyes brushed over her and then landed on the still frozen mare. She took a step toward the poor animal.

"Don't get me wrong," she spoke as she walked, keeping her tone soft. "But a place like this doesn't seem somewhere someone like you would usually be." She stretched a hand toward the Pegasus.

The creature flinched as fingers made contact with the soft coat.

"I mean...I know the three of you came together, but joining Dragon Bane when you seem anything but excited to compete...what's your reason?" Ash stroked the neck of the mare too scared to move.

Can't you hold back a little? She scolded the moving presence inside her.

Callous withdraw somewhat.

The Pegasus, remembering how her legs worked, scrambled a few steps back before galloping off. The poor thing seemed to have forgotten about the wings on her back as she went and stood behind a tree instead – it did a terrible job of hiding her.

With an amused grunt, Ash turned. She found Skyler standing with her head lowered to stare at the fruit in her hands.

"For my brother," the girl abruptly whispered.

Ash raised her eyebrows. She hadn't expected to actually get an answer.

Fingers tightening around the fruit, Skyler lifted her head, determination in her eyes. "I have to win. The Dragon Bane can grant any wish. If I win...if I get to the end, I can get him his legs back." Her eyes shone, willing with tears but not letting them fall. "He'll finally be able to walk again!"

Her words made Ash pause.

"Mason and Rowan," Skyler continued, "They're here for me too. They wouldn't let me do it alone." She bit her bottom lip. "I...I can't fail now that they're here risking it all for...because of us." Her voice fell at the end.

I'm not here to win, Rowan's words echoed in Ash's mind. The boy didn't think he could make it, but he'd still come. We all have our reasons, Mason's words followed.

Ash couldn't help but feel a sliver of envy at the tight friendship held by the three.

"Your brother must be very lucky to have you," she spoke earnestly. Her eyes hardened in the next. "But there can only be one winner."

Skyler froze. However, she didn't look angry. On the contrary, she gave Ash a radiant smile. "I know. I'll do my best. You should too." She held out a hand, offering the fruit.

Ash took it, eyebrows raised.

"You're strong. I hope we don't have to face each other," Skyler told her. "But if we do, I will go all out. I can't lose."

"Likewise."

Skyler only walked a few steps before she paused. She turned back around. "Why are you here?"

Ash turned the fruit. "Similar to you. For someone else's sake."

Skyler nodded and then, without another word, left.

Watching her, Ash stopped playing with the object in her hand for a moment. Am I ever going to hear the answer to that question?

Callous didn't reply, seeming to have fallen asleep at a convenient time.

With a shrug, Ash lifted the snack she'd acquired. She was about to take a bite when a soft neigh made her pause. She raised her eyebrows when she saw the mare had ventured back. Though a safe distance away, the eyes were glued to the fruit in Ash's hand.

Ash lifted it and the eyes followed.t

"Glutton," she scolded before carelessly tossing the fruit over.

The Pegasus darted forward, gracefully catching the fruit and immediately pigging out in a not so gracefully ending.

With a shake of her head, Ash turned and left.