Iris fell into a deep, dreamless sleep that morning, and didn't awake until dusk streamed through the tiny square window opposite the bed. She stretched, yawning before dragging herself from bed, and it took her a moment to orientate herself. To remind herself that she was on Caedus but no longer in the Terra District.

She lightly touched the puncture wound on her arm, half-wincing in anticipation, but she felt no pain of any sort except for when she pressed down on it. Nothing more than a little bruise.

She mulled over Trevet's previous words. How much she had been through in a few weeks. The earthquake she had caused on Earth. It made sense how she had managed to cause one, too, now. If the element derived from her, she didn't necessarily need Caedus to fuel her powers. So that was that question answered. But it seemed like just one of a million unanswered ones. This whole new world, being a princess, discovering her mother is – was – a not-so-nice queen. She inhaled slowly as her brain continued to scramble through the previous events that had unfolded, all the information she had yet to truly digest. She had four sisters. She was stuck in an unending war. She was expected to start a revolution. She still needed to keep practising her element manifestation while keeping calm. She was to save her sister's friend's grandfather...

Iris covered her face with a hand, sighing loudly. And for the first time since arriving here, she finally let herself really sit and think about what she had cast far, far back into her mind. Amira's face flashed in her head. Her round, brown eyes. Her dark, pixie-cut hair. Her reckless sense of humour. The jokes shared between them. The fights and stupid, child-like secrets. All the times she had saved her best friend's ass in messy situations. And then the time she couldn't save her. The day everything changed and she lost everything she knew on Earth. She lost Mason. She lost Tyrone. And she would never, ever, get back Amira, even if she were ever to return one day, somehow.

Iris let out a sad, half-laugh that turned into a hiccup. She drew her knees towards her, remembering the shot as clearly as if it were still ringing near her ears. The two guys who had grabbed them and the fight she had put up... all for some stupid gold Amira had refused to return to them.

Iris closed her eyes as she vividly imagined the trigger being pulled, the bullet as it hit Amira. The wide look in her eyes as she fell to the ground, and everything around Iris had blurred and slowed as she had crouched beside her dying friend. Her own screams echoing in the empty alleyway as all she could do was watch her closest and longest friend bleed out.

And Iris finally let out a sob. All the sadness and grief and sorrow that had been built up behind a wall of distractions and discoveries and other worries... it all came tumbling down, and Iris allowed herself to think of Amira – truly remember her – for the first time since her death. She hugged her knees tightly, rocking slightly on the mattress as she let the tears cascade down her cheeks. She let it all out, all the self-blaming tears and guilt that had been slowly eating and gnawing at her from the inside out. And Iris cried and cried even as the sky outside turned from a rusty orange to a pale pink and violet, to a darker shade of purple and then blue as nightfall eventually replaced the setting sun.

***

"Believe it or not, I find that a trigger word usually helps me."

Iris was sitting in the middle of the living room on the floorboards, cross-legged. Across from her sat Caspian, his face a mask of seriousness as he conjured up the water from the glass placed between them. With a slight flick of his wrist, the water dropped back down into the glass.

"A trigger word?" Iris had been anticipating his return after being bored and stuck in this house all night and for most of the following day. So, she was thankful when he had managed to sneak in a return visit to check up on Iris.

She had explored a little and found no traces of Trevet and Caspian living together. She supposed it was too risky to keep such things, in case the safehouse was ever discovered. Though she did find some spare clothes lying around, and after being stuck in her too long, and much too formal dress, she stripped it off and swapped it for an overly large grey t-shirt instead. She found some black, loose pants as well, which didn't hold up around the waist whatsoever, but she improvised by cutting the the length of the pants to suit her and then proceeding to rip the elastic straps from her golden dress and tying the ends together. She then looped the straps through the belt holders in the pants and tightened it around her slim waist until the pants no longer slid down – just as good as a belt, she had thought. Admittedly, she later regretted her improvisational fashion the moment she opened the last draw in Caspian's dresser and found a belt. Still, she kept it as it was, convincing herself to be proud for thinking up something so spontaneously. Caspian hadn't commented on her attire, which she was grateful for, though his quirky smile imposed he had some thoughts.

"Yeah, a trigger word." Trevet pointed to the pile of dirt beside the glass. He had walked in right when she had been practising her daily element manifestation, watched her for a while as she managed to sprout some vines and creep them along the bare wall, and then went outside, only to return five minutes later with a handful of dirt. He claimed that with enough concentration, she could manifest even minute things, like creating little figurines. The finer the details, the smaller the task, the more control she had, Caspian had explained.

"Are you sure?" Iris asked doubtfully, thinking up what possible trigger word she could use. "Is that just a Lymphan thing or..."

"No, no," he insisted, then pondered for a bit. "Try saying, 'form earth'!"

She gave him a sceptical look. "Are you sure!"

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Yes, come on! It really works."

Iris held out a hand with a resignated sigh. She didn't remember Jade telling her about any incantations or magical words, but then again, everyone had their own way of learning. Maybe saying it aloud might help her actualise it. She took in a deep breath, focusing on the lump of dirt. "Form earth!"

The earth, as a matter of fact, did not form. It just sat there like, like a pile of dirt ought to do.

"Try reversing the words," Caspian persisted.

Iris's face heated a little at her own failure. How come she couldn't seem to get it?

Iris rubbed her temples and let out a long sigh. "Okay. Here goes." She held up her hand to the dirt again.

"Earth, form!"

Nothing. Iris grew more frustrated. "Earth, form!" It merely wiggled, as if taunting her.

Caspian encouraged her to try again. "I kind of squint my eyes a little when I really need to concentrate. It helps me, anyway," he added with a shrug.

Iris scrunched up her face as she said forcefully, "Earth, form!"

Still, nothing. Caspian did not give up hope. "Stand up! Give it some energy!"

She stood, squinting as she yelled at the pile of dirt, "Earth, form!"

Caspian couldn't take another minute. He burst, cackling as he slapped his knee and wheezed, tears streaming down his eyes.

"I'm... I'm..." he said between breaths. "I'm sorry, princess..." he gasped for air, howling in glee. "It's just too funny. I couldn't keep it up anymore."

It took Iris a stunned moment of silence to realise she had been made a total fool. Her cheeks flushed and Iris crossed her arms, looking down at a raging Caspian who was desperately trying to recompose himself, only to lose it a second later, bursting into fits of giggles. He shook his head, placing a hand on his stomach.

"Your face!" he managed to get out. "Your..."

"Yeah, yeah," Iris rolled her eyes but smiled slightly as he slapped the ground before attempting to regain his wits once again. "Get it all out of your system."

"Oh gods," he wiped away at a tear. "If it makes you feel any better, it's not as satisfying to make fun of you as it is of Trevet. He goes ballistic."

Iris half-chucked and shook her head. "So, how do I actually do this?"

He waved a hand carelessly but nodded, calming himself down. "You Terrans are all the same." He wiped at a loose tear. "Stubborn and serious and very meticulous in your ways. But sure." Caspian straightened from his seated position and let out a sigh. "I wasn't lying about a trigger, though. There should always be something that triggers your powers. But it doesn't have to be a word. It can be a feeling. An emotion. A thought. An image. An experience. Something... meaningful. Something that you can truly connect with. Then you use that as your source to trigger an elemental response within yourself. Like so." He flicked his wrist again, and the water rose easily, floating above the glass and separating into little droplets. Another flick of his wrist, and it began raining into the cup until it was once again filled. "Now you try. Think small. Bet no one has ever promoted that idea before," he added with a chuckle. "But it's true. It's about the details. Not the big picture."

Iris stared at the dirt. Something she connected with... Iris bit her lower lip. But what did she connect with? "What do you think of?"

Trevet blinked in surprise, and Iris quickly continued. "If it isn't too private."

Caspian shook his head, and a small, knowing smile crept along his face. "It's not private, but it is corny."

"What?"

He paused for a heartbeat. "I think of Trevet." He raised his hand and the water rose with it, swirling in the air. "And how much I love him." The water began to swirl, around and around, stopping just before Iris's eyes. "And I think of how lucky I am to have met him and to be able to have him in my life, even if we aren't able to see each other every day." The water formed into two small figures, embracing. "And that not everyone can have what we have." The water dispersed then came back together to form a beating heart. Actually beating, the water pulsing with rhythmic feeling. "And that if we can all have just one person that we feel can truly trust with our lives, with our souls, with our hearts..." The heart burst into faint droplets, cascading gently over Iris's head, caressing her face. "Then we are the luckiest beings on Earth to experience such a connection," Caspian finished with a whisper, sighing.

Iris's eyes crinkled as she gave him a small smile, captivated by his tone. She shut her eyes, and found herself once again imagining Mason in her mind. She saw the two of them back on Earth, sitting together on one of the old beanbags in the abandoned warehouse they called home, whispering and flirting late into the night while she sat on his lap. She tried to remember how it felt to kiss him, to feel him, to be intimate with... the butterflies she was certain she had felt flutter when he had pressed his lips against hers the very first time. Iris held out her palm as she imagined this. Then she flicked her wrist and opened her eyes and... nothing. The dirt hadn't even moved an inch.

"What were you imagining?" Caspian asked quietly.

Iris shook her head and closed her eyes, determined to try again. Still nothing. And nothing. And nothing, again.

Sensing her frustration, Caspian nudged her gently. "What are you imagining?" He asked again, softer.

Iris took in a shaky breath, wiping Mason from his mind. Shoving away all thoughts of his touch, his smell, his lips against hers. She nodded her head acceptingly, slowly. It wasn't enough. Mason and her... it wasn't anything real, anything valuable, anything of substance.

But everything from Amira's death... that was real. Her blood, thick and red and pooling around her... that had been real. And that tug she had felt with her sister, both Mazikeen and Raena, that buzz right before the electrifying energy that coursed between their physical contact – that was real, too. All that pent-up emotion for Amira, the promise she had whispered to Braedon during the ball, that minute Raena had accepted her help and grabbed her hand and the two of them were finally reunited... they were all real, raw moments. Small and insignificant to anyone else, but so, so special to Iris.

The dirt moved into place, and with a flick of her wrist, the dirt began to swirl and move and shape itself – into the exact replica of her tattoo, her royal Terran birthmark.

Caspian's grin was wider than any she'd seen before as he clapped her on the back and laughed, "Now, that's what I'm talking about!"

***

When the day of the rescue finally arrived, Iris was pacing in the living room, waiting anxiously for Caspian's return. After their shared element manifestation session, he had told her that he would not be able to see visit her again until the evening that the plan was to be set in motion, in fear that h may look suspicious if he left the Lymphan District too often when he wasn't even on work duty.

On the plus side, it meant he had the chance to gather up as many allies as possible and locate Sage's exact whereabouts inside the mansion. The only minute downfall had been Iris's increasingly nervous anticipation. The past forty-eight hours had left her alone with her nerve-riddled thoughts. She had ravaged the kitchen cupboard for food, finding only a few tinned cans of beans and vegetables. It was enough to satisfy, but the effect left her stomach... well, gassy, to say the least, and as she waited for the sun to set over the lake and for Caspian to return, Iris swiped away at the invisible stench she had made, scrunching her nose in disgust.

She desperately wanted to take a walk outside too, after being cooped up for so long, but she knew better than to risk getting caught before the plan was even set in motion. Iris was tired of sleeping, and sitting, and worrying. She was even tired of practising her magic. Sure, she considered herself patient, but only to a certain extent. Being forced to remain indoors limited her, and she was tired of seeing the same, plain furniture. Even the view of the lake stopped being as dazzling after staring at it for a good few hours.

She had dreamed only once these two nights, and it was one of those dreams where she forgot it the moment she woke up. The only reason she knew she had had one was because it left her with an odd feeling in her stomach, and her memory tingled with the faintest whisper of a dream or nightmare.

The door suddenly burst open, and Iris let out a surprised yelp as Caspian strode in with a huge grin on his face.

"Rebels," he said, counting on his fingers. "Check. Sage's whereabouts, check. Princess," he scanned her up and down. "Check. Let the infiltration begin."

Iris placed a hand to her chest, steadying her breathing. "You scared the crap out of me."

Caspian wrinkled his nose. "Gross."

"Not literally." She rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean, what's that smell?"

Iris chose not to answer. Instead, she asked, "So, are we ready to go?"

Caspian glanced out the window to where the sun was just now beginning to set over the water. "Soon. Give me time to supposedly 'find' you wandering the forest. My shift only just started. If I was to capture you immediately, they'd find it highly suspicious."

Iris sighed, leaning against the wall and drumming her fingers against her thigh.

"Make sure I can see your birthmark."

Iris looked down at her t-shirt. "Right. Would you do the honours?"

She held out her arm and he ripped the fabric, revealing her black ink on her forearm. "We should also rub a little dirt and mud on you outside. You know, to make it more credible."

Silence settled again as the two cast their eyes towards the window, towards the array of light colours that came with dusk.

"Do you miss him?" Iris eventually asked.

Caspian didn't miss a heartbeat. "Everyday. If it were up to me, I'd stick up my middle finger to this whole gods-damned war. But Trevet and I both know that wouldn't end too well. Plus, we'd be selfish to do so... run away without a concern for our own people. Not to mention it might upset the gods."

"You believe in more than one god, then?"

"Sure," Caspian nodded. "Don't you?"

Iris shrugged. "There are different religions back on Earth."

"Well," Caspian cleared his throat. "Here we believe in the gods of fire, earth, water, air. There are a few more according to some, but these four are what we call the Ancient Ones. All people of Caedus believe that before the world was created, the gods ruled an ethereal world outside of our understanding. Then they had a massive war amongst themselves, and in that, there was a massive explosion that created a whole new world when their four elements were infused in the crossfire. That planet, of course, is Caedus."

Iris lifted her eyebrows in intrigue, nodding. "Like the Big Bang."

"The big what?"

She shook her head. "Never mind."

"You never answered me, though," he said, casting her a curious look. "Do you believe in any gods?"

Iris shrugged in response again. "Honestly?" She thought of her past, of everything that was wrong in the world... those who suffered from the cruelty of both people and circumstance, and she always wondered how if there was a god or gods... why they would want to create a world like this. If they were meant to be all-seeing and all-powerful, how did they not see the destruction that would come out of their own creation? And how are they not powerful enough to stop it? Or did the gods just enjoy cruelty? If so, then she chose not to believe in any. "I don't really believe in any god..." she corrected herself. "Or gods, for that matter."

Caspian nodded wordlessly, turning his attention back towards the window. "Look."

Iris watched the final glimmers of light disappear below the horizon line, and darkness settled over the cloudless sky, the first twinkling stars only now visible overhead.

"It's time," she breathed, and her stomach twisted into a knot at the thought.

Caspian beckoned with a nod, and she followed him out the door, stepping into the cool, fresh air and taking in a deep breath, revelling in the sweet scent of the wet ground below her feet, mere metres away from the water's edge. She welcomed the breeze that blew onto her face, and she took in her surroundings with more appreciation now that she was once again out in the open. She looked back at the safehouse, surprised to see how well it camouflaged with the trees and shrubs, and vines. She hoped, for Trevet and Caspian's sake, that it forever remained hidden from anyone else.

The two walked right up to the water's front, and Iris raised an eyebrow in question as he sighed and gestured to the water.

"You're kidding," Iris said in disbelief. "I thought you were joking that day."

He shook his head. "The district really is here."

"In the lake?"

"Well," he cocked his head to the side in contemplation. "It's not so much in the lake as it is through it. Let me explain." He motioned to the vast, clear water as she began to wipe some mud onto her shirt, her legs, a little on her face. "Do you see the reflection on the water?"

Iris nodded. It was one of the first things she had noticed about the lake. How clearly it had reflected the trees surrounding it, the sky above, the moon even... but then she noticed something it wasn't reflecting. Now that she wasn't being dragged towards it kicking and screaming, she observed the most important aspect missing from the lake.

"Where the hell is my reflection?" She blinked in surprise.

Caspian smacked his lips together in a prideful smirk. "So, the other thing I didn't yet tell you... another reason why Lymphans don't exactly have enough elemental strength to fight currently is because we've collectively put together all our energy into our defences. It only takes like, one percent of each individual to invest their powers into this barrier, but altogether, it does drain a lot of our element to keep it up every day."

"What are you saying?" Iris stared in fascination at her non-existent reflection. She lifted a hand up to her face, yet the water did not mirror it. Then she looked at Caspian and noticed his reflection.

She loosed a breath, suddenly understanding. "The water recognises who is Lymphan and who isn't."

Caspian nodded with a smile. "Technically, we are living on the lake. Not in it. The lake itself is existing only because of us. The moment we decide to drop our shields, you'd find this lake to be barren and dry, and the entire Lymphan district camped out here."

Iris's eyes widened. "I think I understand. It's just... how do I get through then?"

Caspian clicked his fingers and a thin layer of water began to creep up her shoes, spreading up and around her legs, torso arms until...

"Hold your breath," Caspian warned, and Iris inhaled sharply as water covered her lips, her nose, her eyes. Iris's vision then became blurry as she saw the world as if underwater. Caspian took out a taser from within his utility belt and held it at her back. He grabbed both her arms, gripping them behind her back as he began to move her towards the water.

"Ready to play the captured?"

Iris didn't dare open her mouth. She nodded, anticipating the burning sensation as she placed a foot into the water, but nothing happened. In fact, she noted that although water was covering her entirely, she didn't feel drenched at all – only damp. Caspian stepped in with her, and three more steps found her shoulder-deep into the water, as if the lake had suddenly increased in depth. Then both their heads went under, and for a brief moment, Iris had the sensation that the entire world had just spun upside down. Then, in a blink, they were standing outside many tents all lined up as far and wide as the eye could see. Behind her, lay the thinning trees, no waterfront to be seen. Caspian was right. This hidden district was on top of the lake – a fake lake. Iris glanced down at herself as the water evaporated from her skin and she breathed gratefully welcomed oxygen into her lungs.

"Move it!" Caspian barked all of a sudden, startling Iris.

He shoved her forward, and Iris knew that the show was on. She acted confused and scared, which wasn't so hard to do when she took in the people around her, all huddled in their tents, staring out at Iris with wide eyes, whispering to each other as Caspian shoved past people bustling between tents. Whole families of eight and more seemed to share one tent, and Iris felt a pang in her heart as she remembered her own family back on Earth. Iris kept her gaze averted from others, but her peripheral vision was sharp, and each tent that they passed, she noted the curious stares that some gave her, others hissing at seeing a stranger or enemy amongst them. The ground below her was muddy, and her shoes were already covered in dirt, mud flecking her ankles. Iris noted the tents to her left and right, the medics that attended those who were coughing or lying in bed, assumedly sick. The most frightening bit, however, was seeing how thin they all were.

A mother and a child scurried out of their way as Caspian marched forward, clutching Iris tightly. The toddler glanced up at Iris in wonder as he passed by. He wore only pants, and Iris was able to see the skinny skeleton meant to be his torso. Even his face looked long and sullen, his cheekbones clearly visible, grey eyes sunken and dim. Iris looked away, and though Caspian kept a good front, she felt him rigid at her back.

She remembered that he had said the Lymphans were running out of supplies... and though she had believed him, though she could imagine it because she had been through a similar experience... seeing it with her own eyes was so shocking and devastating that Iris found she didn't have to fake the tremor in her legs nor her quivering lips.

***

The walk to the warehouse was longer than she had expected. The tents had snake around and around, seeming to go on forever. They had passed multiple campsites and other Border Patrollers who were off-duty, either surveying the area or talking amongst themselves or walking between places. Most didn't pay attention to Caspian and his prisoner. The few that did, however, only gave Iris a cold, piercing glare. But none questioned Caspian, nor bothered him, until he arrived at the ruined, so-called warehouse.

The building – if it was qualified to be named as such – was in shambles. It looked more like the remnants of a half-torn down building, roughly patched up, worse than even the Street Rats' shack. The entrance was guarded by a large, mean-looking fellow with a bald head, and his squinty eyes darted immediately to Caspian's captor before eyeballing him once again.

"State your name, placement and business," the man's voice was husky, and he kept his arms crossed. Iris wasn't sure if it was meant to look intimidating, but between his glare and the blue uniform he wore that only appeared to make his body look bulkier – it sure worked on Iris, and she shivered slightly.

"Caspian Torrento. East Wing Border Patrol. I have someone important who I thought would be needed for questioning."

The man stared down Caspian, like a higher rank might look at anyone lower than him – with distaste. "Who?"

Caspian didn't stutter or avert his gaze as he replied, "The princess of the Terra District."

The man's eyes widened, and Iris tried to remain calm as his gaze scanned her over once, twice, three times. He stepped forward. His eyes went directly to her inked arm.

"I can take her from here."

"No," Caspian growled, with more menace than Iris knew he had in him. "My find. I want credit. Let me speak to Eli."

"The Commander is... busy, at the moment," the man said carefully, eyes narrowing.

"I think he can spare a moment for this," Caspian shot back coolly, poking at Iris's back with the end of the taser. She flinched, then pretended to struggle against Caspian until he turned the taser on, threatening to shock her, and she stopped abruptly, looking down at her own feet in apparent fright.

The man eventually gave in with a bit of a huff, letting them pass through the thick, heavy, wooden doors. Iris tried not to gag at the dank smell inside as the doors swung shut behind her and her vision darkened. She blinked several times, willing her eyes to adjust in the poorly lit building.

Caspian paused only for a moment, his breath tickling Iris's ear as he whispered, "Here goes."

She willingly trudged ahead, Caspian being the sole source of comfort in this dark stench of a warehouse. He navigated Iris down the corridor, past all the closed doors to both their left and right, and then up several flights of creaky, unstable stairs, sometimes having to skip a few steps as they narrowly avoided gaping holes in the structure. Iris counted four flights, her legs aching with the strenuous exercise, and when they had finally made it to the top, Iris noted the weak, low-hanging beams above, the broken glass and debris that lay in shatters around her feet, and shivered.

Caspian tightened his grip on her in a sort of reassuring squeeze. Iris wondered what had happened to this place. Wondered if it had been destroyed in a recent raid or if it had been like this for a long while. Yet she didn't dare ask aloud. Especially since she heard voices to her right, and Caspian indicated towards the closest door. Iris forced herself to take one step after another, towards the cackling voices and laughter behind the closed door. Caspian only paused for a second before taking in a deep breath and knocking.

"Make a good show," he muttered under his breath to her. Then the door was swung open from the inside.