Ran escapes his room in the middle of the night, a weapon tucked beneath his shirt and a bag on his shoulder. He had been waiting for the silver gate’s creak for what seemed like hours and now that the time was really here, he had no time to waste. He rushes outside to find his brother but the estate’s main door never opens. Although he isn’t sure what it could mean, he has no trouble adapting to the situation. He quietly opens the door and studies his surroundings.

The door to Aguero’s office is wide open. It doesn’t look damaged from where Ran is standing which means he was probably the one who opened it. Still, there is no reason to leave it unlocked like that. Holding his blade firmer than before, he crosses the threshold right when something crashes against the library with a loud thud.

The picture goes as such; a spear and two brothers, utterly defeated. Ran recognised Yellow May in an instant, his sister’s weapon used to be close to a second skin for her. Not having to look at it any longer than he has to is a small blessing. However, his eyes aren’t focusing on something better. On the ground, just in front of the infirmary bed, his brother sits a husk of a man. It’s an unfamiliar sight for him and it terrifies him.

He isn’t meant to be comforting anyone, be it Aguero or himself. It had never been his place in a dynamic. There was no room for comfort when he was a child desperately trying to not clutch on his mother’s dress and there was no need when he was in Maria’s company. And when she left as well, Aguero filled her shoes as their lives crumbled. Ran was meant to protect, not preserve. None of that truly mattered now. Ran silently slid next to Aguero and focused his eyes on him. He wants to say something and offer any kind of comfort he can, but his body is numb.

“How utterly pathetic,” –both of them turn to face the person standing at the door– “all the effort I wasted gone because of sentimentalities.”  Aguero’s eyes are tired–dead–but it’s the only emotion he betrays. He doesn’t look at Maschenny with fear or shame, just pure fatigue. “All it took was a pretty face–”

Ran makes up for the lack of feelings in Aguero’s face. He clenched his teeth, “Maschenny.”

“I need one night.” Aguero cut both of them off, his tone cold, “I need just one night to fix my brain.”

Maschenny’s gaze fell on the spear on the ground, “He let you live,” she mumbled stunned, “you confronted him and he let you live. Of course. Another taunt. I would have done the same. Those fuc–”

“He can’t kill me.” Don’t you get it?

Ran understands too much too late. It hadn’t crossed his mind. The most simple explanation hadn’t entertained him for even a second. Maschenny must have been the same as the shock was written on her face clear as day. His sister didn’t say anything else as she sat across them. Despite everything, despite the sudden silence they had found themselves in, Ran found himself able to breathe.

.

“I,” she wheezed, “yield.”

“Will they let you go if you simply raise a white flag?” She pressed the heel of her shoe further into her torso feeling the thud of her heart. She had lasted only one minute more than last time and while her spirit was admirable for a soldier the lack of skills was a real important flaw. She didn’t need her to be Princess material but if she was going to be useful, she had to last for more than a year.

Someone yanks her hair. The attack takes her by surprise, making her stumble backwards as someone rushes past her. “What is wrong with you?” a voice she doesn’t recognise yells at her as they kneel by Maria’s side. The newcomer–a woman with two awful matching pigtails–smiled softly at her sister and helped her regain her breath.

“She didn’t ask for your help.”

“She couldn’t ask for anything with the way you held her down!”

“I’m fine!” Maria cut in, jumping to her feet, “We can continue.”

Ignoring her completely, Maschenny turned to the other girl. “Who do you think you are, vermit?”

The other wasn’t phased by Maschenny’s cold stare, “I’m Ha Yuri,” she extended her hand more as a taunt than a greeting, “and I assume you’re Maschenny. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Ah, yes, the new Princess. Maschenny hadn’t bothered to check this one out since Maria and her pet took most of her time lately. Yet she wasn’t completely ignorant of who Yuri was. Her sources had spoken of potential and Maschenny had long before planned to go and access her herself. Now that the Ha girl had surprised her, she would have to reevaluate the facts she had. The only potential Ha Yuri had was to find herself in a grave before a month passed.

“And what is it that you’ve heard?”

“Nothing false apparently.”

Maschenny let out a loud laugh, “How bold!”, she shook Yuri’s hand bringing their entwined hands close to her chest, “I’m going to enjoy being your downfall.”

.

“Downfall is a little dramatic. It’s certainly a tough situation but,” Shibisu looks around for help but the entire team seems to be as lost as Bam, “the truth always comes out in the end.”

“I think the truth got us to this point in the first place.” Anaak provides unhelpfully. Bam hides his face behind his hands. His friends only try to help but he doubts there is something that can fix his mess. He knows that much by the way Hwaryun stays silent during the whole ordeal.

“You, um,” it’s Kiseia who breaks the silence that embraces them. She sits between Hwaryun and Hatz fidgeting slightly. If Bam was being honest, he had forgotten how much more this would affect her than the others. “I need–”

“I know you know him.” Everyone looked between them confused.

“Oh.”

“I saw you talking at the party. I had thought about telling you but–”

“It never came up.” she replied bitterly, a chuckle escaping her, “What a pair you two make.”

Hwaryun reached to touch Kiseia’s hand, stopping her from saying anything else. “Every path leads to your soulmate, no matter the twists and turns,” she told him, “that being said, it would be best for all of us to make preparations.”

“White knew about the spear.”

“Your guy may have told him to test you.” Hatz reasoned, “However, the fact that White would approach someone from the Ten Families in the first place is suspicious.”

“And we still don’t know anything about Jinsung.”

“If we find Jinsung,” Bam began, “we find who killed Kallavan and probably Maria.” Everyone nodded, “But how the hell do we find him?”

.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

Maschenny is on her knees. She hates to bow down but all battles require sacrifice. Right now she would crawl like an insect and plead like a beggar to achieve her endgame. “Your Majesty, I have come to ask for your permission.”

“My permission?”

“I will challenge Yuri to a duel for Black March.”

The King has the audacity to look unfazed. Even bored. Of course, someone like him couldn’t possibly understand the dishonour that girl had caused. Black March was supposed to be hers. She had proven herself time and time again for years and at the last minute, a loudmouth nobody had come and snatched her weapon right underneath her nose. Such a crime could not go unpunished.

“Such a match can only be to the death.”

“Of course.”

Jahad nods, “If she agrees, you can kill each other.”

.

“I can do it,” Maschenny tells him as she examines her spear. It has returned to its rightful owner but it still feels wrong to look at. Aguero watches its edges and wonders if it had managed to strike Bam at any point. “I will do it if you agree.”

“When have you ever asked for my permission to do anything?”

“This is an exception.” She turned to face him with a stern expression. The necklace they had gotten with Maria was dangling from her neck. Aguero had seen many different sides of Maschenny throughout the years but this one was a first. She almost looked remorseful. “It’s not a weight I can throw away easily. It’d be more fitting to say that your body is slowly dying and the cure is for me to cut your leg. The answer may be obvious but it’s still a part of you that’s dying.”

Aguero thinks about it. He imagines Maria; the cruelty of her death. It’s nothing like the Bam he had met. Bam wouldn’t hurt him like that. Bam wouldn’t lie. Viole, however, was a different thing entirely. He didn’t know who he was or what he was capable of. FUG’s God ought to be ruthless in the same way the King was. Yet if that was the case, was Aguero truly such a despicable human being to end up with someone like that? And if that’s all there was to his soulmate, merely a God taunting those lesser than him, why couldn’t he make such a simple decision?

“I don’t want to,” he whispers quietly, “isn’t that pathetic?”

Maschenny merely shakes her head.

.

Ha Yuri talks like she fights; blunt and upfront. Maschenny is the opposite, not because she lacks skills but because she always wants to ensure victory. This time, the victory is lost. She’s on the ground, her vision cloudy, as she prepares for the end. Yet, surprising her once more, Yuri drops her weapon to the ground. Somehow, Maschenny feels worse about this than about dying. The match is to the death and that stupid girl had instead chosen to disgrace her further.

With the corner of her eye, she catches a glimpse of Maria and their brother in the crowd. They look relieved to see her alive. She refuses to entertain their pity. Gathering all the power she had left, she grabbed her lance from the ground and pierced the other Princess’ back. People are cheering as Yuri’s lifeless body falls to the ground. Maria is no longer looking at her. Ironically, Maschenny can’t look at herself either.

.

“She apologizes for not coming here herself,” Yuri tells him though they both know it’s not true. Hachuling can’t complain, of course, he would pick dealing with Yuri rather than Maschenny any day. Even so, the fact that he wished to have fewer tasks from any important person remained.

“For someone who thinks so little of me, it’s surprising to see her asking for my help. Again.”

“Good thing she isn’t.” –Hachuling puts down his console– “She just wants to send a message.”

“I’m a delivery boy now, great.”

Yuri ignores him, “You need to find evidence about Jue Viole Grace’s exact relation to Maria’s murderer.”

“I was already trying to do that.”

Yuri smiles as she grabs his game, “And taking forever. We need the results faster.”, she puts the device inside her Pocket, “Stay away from distractions.”

.

Somewhere, somewhen, a girl and a corpse stand side by side. There is another entire layer to them all sewn by the cosmos itself but they both severed that bond to achieve their goals. In front of them, the little house burns with its two tenants inside. The others have long gone but both Maschenny and Yuri find themselves drawn to the fire.

“Stop.” Maschenny tells her, her gaze still focused on the smoke, “Get it out of your mind.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“Something stupid.” –Yuri snorts– “This mundane boring lifestyle isn’t the love you crave. She thought she wanted this as well and look at where it got her.” Dead alongside a deadbeat husband who couldn’t offer her anything remotely close to what she previously had. Yuri doesn’t answer so she continues, “The love you dream, isn’t that what we already have?”

“There is no love between us.”

“I can’t kill you and you can’t kill me. How can there be something more romantic than that?”

“Being incapable of killing each other has nothing to do with love,” Yuri whispers as she turns away, “I would much rather have my life in hands that could destroy me and choose not to.”