The woman's feet ached, as they stepped on the jagged shards of rock and crystal.
She looked around in dismay.
Twelve years had passed since she'd been here last. Twelve years, and it had been destroyed—fallen in to disrepair and ruin.
Suddenly, something in the rubble caught her eye.
Gently, she reached down to a spot beside her foot, and tried to grab whatever it was, but quickly retracted her hand. A drop of blood ran from her fingertip—cut by the crystal. It left a dark red trail of blood running down her finger.
She wiped away the blood on her tunic, and reached down again, this time successfully retrieving the chunk of wood that was buried there.
It was no bigger than her hand, and thick, making it heavy in her hand. The lady weighed it in her grasp, before turning it over.
It was a broken piece, roughly a square, with one corner a right angle, and the sides across from it, jagged and broken.
It looked like the corner of a board or sign.
And when this woman turned it over, she saw letters on it—painted it reddish gold—with plenty of curls in them.
It took a moment for her to identify the four letters written.
'C,' 'A,' 'R,' and 'Y.'
   Though the paint on the sign had been chipped away, she tell it had once been painted with multicoloured stripes.
   A face flashed through her mind. It was her best friend from her childhood.
   It was just his face—beaming smile, with adorable dimples—twinkling blue eyes—strawberry-blonde hair.
   She ran her finger along the strange letters, as everything clicked into place.
   Apothecary.
   Kesler.
Juline.
Dex.
   Slurps and Burps.
   Apothecary.
   What did this mean? This scrap of sign... it couldn't be.
   Slowly, she realized why she was here.
   She fingered the crystal in her hands. Was this the start of a new revolution? A second try? She began to run, letting the void pull her back to her home. She readied all the mental strength she could muster.
   Into the dark oblivion of the void, screamed an echo of her voice. A desperate plea for help. One word. One name.
DEX!
   The woman collapsed.

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