I just stood there like a total idiot, my feet seemingly impaled to the ground as I watched Vincent sprawled on the floor.

Byron Flynn barked at me once, bringing me back to my senses. All he could do was keep Calyx from making a move and even that was starting to look more difficult by the second.

"Saul!" Calyx called desperately, turning his head to the pile of broken wood where Vincent left the familiar. "Stand up, brother! Stand up!"

When it appeared that Saul wasn't going to move anytime soon, Calyx began to wrestle Byron Flynn. Angrily, he kicked the dog in the stomach. In return, Byron Flynn kept snapping at his neck. They rolled on the floor, both attempting to land a lucky hit. Despite Byron Flynn's size advantage, Calyx was able to strike back more forcefully.

As they went on pinning down each other alternately, I ran to Vincent. Carefully, I placed his head on my lap. It looked like all the blood was drained from his face. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his breathing shallow. His whole body was limp as he helplessly gasped for air. When I lifted his shirt, the fractured rib was still poking out of his side. How he even gathered the energy to stand up, much more beat up a perfectly healthy, rage-driven familiar was a total mystery to me.

"Oh, God..." I choked out in panic.

With no time to think, I looped my arm around Vincent's back, took a few deep breaths and strained to pull him up. This time, it seemed a lot harder carrying him. From what I heard, dying people had always seemed to be heavier. Not good at all.

I hobbled to the door, catching a passing glimpse of Saul, barely recognizable underneath all that blood and broken wood.

"Byron Flynn!" I called as soon as I reached the hallway. "Let's go!"

The dog suddenly trounced violently until he broke free of Calyx's headlock. Turning around, Byron Flynn bit at the familiar's robe. In retaliation, Calyx tried to summon his Cataclyst but before it could form, Byron Flynn had already pulled his robe backward, causing him to lose balance. Byron Flynn immediately took the chance and charged. He ploughed through Calyx, his massive head ramming the familiar's chest hard before they both crashed against the wall.

That knocked the wind out of the enemy. While Calyx was still down, Byron Flynn bounded for the door. Together, we ran feverishly down the corridor, skidding to halt as we took the bend that headed straight to the training room.

Vincent's head lolled back and forth as we scrammed. Under my hand, his chest barely moved at all. It was as if he was ready to give up. With a lump forming in my throat, I tightened my hold on him.

Just a little more, Vince. Hang in there. I tried to tell him through the link.

There was no response. His life-force seemed so weak I could barely feel it.

My hopes went up a little as I saw the stone walls where several life-sized portraits of Vincent's brothers hung up. Their identical sinister looks made the butterflies in my stomach go out of control.

Silent and empty, the right wing hallway bathed in shadows with the curtains drawn. The ridged pillars looked like sentinels in between the ceiling-high windows. And though it was dark, it was not creepy at all. More like sad, really. It used to be my favorite part of the mansion. Now, without all the noise of endless bickering and laughter from my cabal, all the warmth seemed to have disappeared.

I struggled to quicken my steps. In my head, I counted down from the First to the Eleventh son's portrait. I had never thought I would ever be happy seeing Pilgrim Reaper. His full-scale statue stood at the end of the hallway just before arriving to the double doors of the training room. Very much life-like, it was almost as ominous as its real counterpart, its billowing hooded cloak appearing to move even as it was motionless.

Sliding to a stop, I gave the statue a quick glance. Its eyes were fixed forward as if guarding something important. Turning around, I walked directly across the statue and looked for the Door Vladimir wanted me to find. My life would have been a lot easier if there was actually a door in there. Unfortunately for us, there wasn't anything there but a blank stone wall.

"The Door near the training room..." I muttered to myself, my free hand feeling the wall for some sort of hidden entrance. "Right in front of Pilgrim Reaper's statue. What is up with old people and hidden trap doors?!"

Almost immediately, I heard a whooshing sound with the constant beating of boots against the marble floor. Someone was draughting toward us and fast. Calyx must've recovered from being stunned. That shouldn't be good.

"Byron Flynn! Dammit! There's no Door in here!" I screamed almost hysterically. So much for stealth.

Unexpectedly, the dog shoved me out of the way, his bark resonating all over the hallway. He closed his eyes for a few moments, facing the blank wall. When he opened his yellow eyes again, a reddish glow appeared in his irises. Looking closer, I saw that it was Vladimir's number twelve mark.

The dog barked again, this time louder that it drowned all other noises. In no time, a part of the wall slid sideways with a grinding noise. The opening revealed a simple white Door.

From somewhere close, I could already hear Calyx making some kind of report to someone else. Strange. There was only one pair of boots approaching.

"But Master! Saul... He's dead!" he yelled frantically upon reaching the turn leading to us. "Yes... They are here. I found them."

I suppressed a gasp as the familiar darted to our direction. A single firefly fluttered by and disappeared into the other end of the corridor. So it was true. Saul was gone.

Honestly, I didn't know how to react to that. I should be rejoicing. Blowing a party whistle or something. But in my heart I knew I could never get any form of satisfaction from the death of anyone. Even if it was my worst enemy.

Without wasting time, I pushed the Door. It didn't open. It didn't have a knob either. All I found was a foot-long inverted cross right in the middle. Again, I pushed harder desperately. The Door didn't even budge.

Byron Flynn just sat there and eyed expectantly at me as if waiting for something miraculous to happen. Anxiously, I took one good look at the Door. Calyx was just a few seconds away so without even thinking, I touched the inverted metal cross and tried to tug it up like one would a lever. It didn't shift. Instead, I managed to move it sideways. Quickly, I kept turning it. After that I heard a soft click just as the cross reached an upright position.

The Door swung inward with a loud groan. Facing Byron Flynn, I tightened my grip on Vincent. I couldn't feel his breathing anymore. We had to hurry.

The dog didn't even think twice before diving into the Door. Having no time to waste, Vincent and I followed him into the darkness.

Then, we fell.

Last thing I remembered was the noise of the stone wall shifting back into place and the metallic clicks of the Doors locks. Now, all I could hear was a rustling noise, the gentle splash of water as it hit something solid, a rhythmic dripping sound reverberating all over what seemed like an enclosed space.

Something wet and cold dropped on my cheek. Startled, I sprung up to a sitting position, coughing and gasping for air. My eyes widened as I tried to figure out where I was.

In front of me, hundreds of dull yellow stone formations hung like V-shaped chandeliers from the domed ceiling. Below it, huge cones jutted out from the cold wet floor so that it looked like I was inside the mouth of some sharp-toothed monster.

Just a few yards away, the cave opened up to an overhang protruding from the hundred-foot high rock face. It was canopied by another thin slab of limestone. Every now and then, a light spray would gush down from the canopy as though a thin sheet of curtain that glittered as the rays of the setting sun were reflected by each drop.

From the opening, a stretch of clear blue skies spread before me, painted with the slightest indigo. Just beneath it was a series of rectangular peaks taller than most of the sky scrapers I had seen in the cities. The stacks-if I remember it right from my Geography classes-looked as if they had been planted into the lake in a semi-circle formation like giant pillars showing the way to the ocean. Glittering and green, the sea seemed never-ending, going on beyond the thin orange horizontal line that was the horizon.

The cave had another passage at the other end, right through the maze of stalagmites but it was dark so I couldn't see where it would lead.

Something moved across me in a shadowy corner of the cave. It occurred to me that it was where the constant rustling sound was coming from. Like someone was thrashing. As it moved again, I saw a blur of brick-red fur.

"Byron Flynn?" My throat felt gritty and parched. "Is that you?"

Faster than my eyes could follow, the reddish figure darted into the darker parts of the cave, weaving swiftly through the protruding limestone until it finally disappeared. I was almost sure it was Byron Flynn, although, there seemed to be something strange about him like he was scared for some reason. He was hobbling too. Or so it seemed.

I was about to call the dog back when I remembered Vincent. Frantically, I searched for him inside the cave. I scrambled to my feet immediately as my eyes shifted left and right.

I spotted him lying down at the foot of a nearby stalagmite. Almost tripping on my own two feet, I hurried to his side and slid down to my knees. He wasn't moving. His chest wasn't rising anymore. With a trembling hand, I checked his carotid pulse. Thready and weak, but still there.

"No... I can't lose you. Not now!" My voice was trembling uncontrollably, bouncing off the walls of the cave.

Before it was too late, I tilted his chin upward, pinched his nose and breathed into his mouth twice. My heartbeats seemed to deafen me as I tried to check if he was already breathing. Nothing. I tried again, breathing harder this time, using the short moments of pause to transfer what little was left of my life-force to him.

"Vincent... Come on! Breathe!" I leaned over to give him another breath. Then another and another. I wasn't going to stop until I could revive him. "Please..."

I listened for his breathing and felt him exhale weakly. Slowly, his chest started rising and falling. I swallowed a sob and watched him carefully for a few more minutes before deciding that he would be okay. Probably. Please?

Weakly, I slumped on the floor and gently placed Vincent's head on my lap. I took his hand and reestablished the Transference Link as fast as I could. It was still faint but enough to transmit some of my energy to him. At first, he seemed to resist the Transference. On the other hand, his body welcomed it hungrily. So much that it almost sucked in all that I had left.

Vincent's forehead crumpled as his broken ribs began to realign again. He writhed and moaned restlessly. All I could do was wipe the sweat off his brows and wait for it to end.

Lightheadedness took over my system, blurring my vision. I didn't know how much longer I could sustain the Transference at this rate. He seemed to be sapping all my remaining strength. All I wanted was to close my eyes and sleep. As tired as I was, I fought the stupor.

I chewed on my lip, tightened my fingers around his wrist and tried to concentrate. Staying alert was my top priority. There was no way to tell if this place was safe. For all I knew, both my legs could've already been eaten by wolves when I wake up. Without Byron Flynn to guard us, I had to make sure that Vincent would fully recover.

About one dragging hour or so passed before Vincent's breathing have improved. He seemed to have calmed down too. Still frail-looking, but calmer. All that was left of his injuries were scratches here and there and a big bruise on his chest where the rib had poked out earlier.

With care, I pulled down his shirt and pushed aside the dark hair that was plastered on his forehead. I could barely lift my hands. I all but wanted to pass out and wake up a week after. But at least, I could finally breathe now knowing that Vincent was here with me and safe. That was all that mattered.

I decided to rest my eyes for a few minutes. Exhaustion must've overcome me because the next time I opened my eyes, it was already dark outside.

My lids protested as I struggled to open them. Byron Flynn was still missing in action. Perhaps he was chasing a cat or something equally important that he had to abandon me and my invalid master in the middle of nowhere. Totally understandable.

Vincent rolled to his side, sleeping soundly. Mindlessly, his placed his hand on his chest before abruptly opening his eyes like he went on a vacation and suddenly remembered that he left a faucet on at home. He scooted up feverishly, his hands mechanically searching the floor.

"W-where..." he rasped, apparently half-asleep.

A foot away from my leg was the rectangular thing that he had been hiding inside his shirt. It must have fallen off while I was checking his injuries. I bent over to pick it up before pushing him back down to my lap. It was just then that I recognized that small leather-bound book-my Memory Tome.

Mei had kept her promise after all. So it was what Vincent had been keeping all along. I didn't know it would matter that much to him.

"Here," I told him, placing the book in his hand. "It's okay. Sleep now."

Obediently, he closed his eyes, patting the Memory Tome beside him. Watching Vincent sleep like this, he looked so peaceful, untroubled by the horrible things he had been through in his own father's hands. After seeing him getting battered to death in my brief visions, I was sure I hadn't seen the worse yet. Five months. The familiars must have been real creative on torturing him.

Lost in my thoughts, I gazed at my master, noting the bruise on his hollow cheek and on the side of his mouth, the reddish scuff marks on his wrists. My hand moved on its own, about to touch the bleeding crack on his lower lip. I stopped myself before I could touch him, resorting to clenching my fist beside me. Five months was too long.

To be frank, I couldn't point out why but my eyes started to water. There was a swelling in my throat and I had to breathe through my mouth to not make a sound.

"Are you crying?" he whispered, peeking at me through his dark lashes.

With a sniff, I wiped the sides of my eyes with the back of my hand. "No," I answered, clearing my throat, making my face as expressionless as possible. "Those are just the waves you're hearing."

"I... I'm not just dreaming, am I?" he asked, his lids heavy.

"No, Vincent," I said softly so he wouldn't hear my voice crack. "You're not dreaming."

Closing his eyes, he nodded lightly. "And this is all real, huh?" he quietly asked again.

"Very..." I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I came a little too late."

With one corner of his lips pulling up slightly, he quietly answered, "I did tell you to never try to find me..."

"Well I have never been good at doing what I'm told."

"We're you... hurt?" he whispered, his jaws clenching.

"W-what? No..."

Sharply, he sucked in a deep breath and said, "I mean... were you Bound trying to get back to the Halo?"

"A little," I lied, averting my eyes from him.

"Somehow... I doubt that."

"If it's that hard getting you back, I wouldn't have done it," I sniffed, pretending to watch the droplets of water fall from the ceiling. "Don't flatter yourself."

Once more, he nodded groggily. If he bought it, it was hard to tell. In a while, his breathing became slow and even. Just when I thought he was already asleep, he searched for my hand. One by one, his fingers weaved between mine.

"I meant it though-what I said," he murmured, still with his eyes closed. "I'm glad you're okay..." Then he trailed off into silence.

"Me too, Vincent. Me too..."

Once I was sure he was already in deep sleep, I covered my mouth with a hand and in the safety of the darkness, finally let the tears fall. I still had no idea what they were for. It seemed to me like I had too much of them, I thought they would never stop coming out.

Silently, I forced back a sob and gazed at the night sky. From here, the waning moon looked like a smile. No way to tell now where on earth we were. I wasn't even sure if were still on earth, or if and when we would be chased here again by Cairo's familiars.

How would we hide from them? How could we go back? Who knew what was waiting for us in this place?

I was thirsty and hungry. And I was sure Vincent was too. Sooner or later, I would have to leave him to find us something to eat. Without a proper shelter and clothes we would probably freeze our butts in this cave. So many questions, so many problems left unsolved. Honestly, I should be panicking.

But for some weird reason, I was okay with all that.

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WRITER'S CORNER

Hi! Just wanna let you know I've just read every comment in the last 2 chapters and I'm like grinning like a huge idiot right now. I got a lot of feedback about that part when Vince was pounding on Saul. And yeah, I liked that part too. (Morbid, but true) Thanks for everyone who welcomed me back. It's good to be back XD And I'm glad you people liked it. Please visit the reapers fanpage in facebook if you have time. Announcements would be posted there. (The link is in my profile) Again, thanks to KatieHennessy for the coolest trailer ever. Come on. Watch it~! Yipee-ki-yay and all that, Shim