When I opened my eyes, I was already flat on my back, the snow-covered ground serving as my mattress. My throat hurt when I tried to say something, as though I had been screaming for hours.

Panting, I tried to get up but someone forced me back down. In panic, I fought back, surprised to see that I still had both my hands. One was covered with blood-tinged cloth. The one I used to grab Mei's sword. However, the other one—the one that went inside the Door—looked perfectly normal. Why wasn't I annihilated?

"Vincent!" I cried hoarsely once I found my voice.

"I said, lie down, now!" I stopped thrashing upon recognizing that voice. Vladimir's grip loosened, a soothing sort of smile on his gentle pallid face. "He's right there," he said, facing the direction of the cemetery which was about twenty yards away.

From our spot, I could barely make out what was happening. But I could see that the battle had already begun long before I woke up. Surrounded by Amyr, Mei, Byron Flynn and Vincent was no other than the intruder. The hood of his black cloak was pulled down, revealing the top portion of dark hair between the bandages that covered most of his head. He must just be a boy, just a little older than Vladimir. Slender built. Skinny even.

Something seemed to be wrong. The attacks they launched on him were weak and reluctant. Most of them had injuries but nothing serious that I could see. Did they fear the enemy? Was he that powerful that even four of our cabal couldn't take him on?

"The... Master... S-scythe," Rosario groaned from beside me. "He's got it..."

She was unconscious on the ground with large blood-soaked makeshift bandages all over her chest. Her forehead creased as she arched her back and choked out moans of pain. Vladimir squatted beside his familiar, held her hands and whispered soothing words on her ears. Soon, Rosario was againout cold. For some reason, I envied and pitied her at the same time. At least she wouldn't have to see her friends fight to the death. But knowing Rosario's pride, this failure would eat at her for a very long time.

"You were screaming the whole time you're out," said Vladimir. "When Mei pulled you out of the Door, I thought you're a goner. But here you are," he mumbled, deep in thought.

With my numb fingers, I touched my throat, noticing the raw scraping feeling. I struggled to remember what happened. The unbearable burning pain. The endless darkness. The chaos inside my head, threatening to drive me insane. Nirvana caused all that. But the real mystery was why I was still alive.

Detached, I watched Mei use her chained swords to distract the enemy. Amyr lunged from the rear, brandishing what looked like a heavy broadsword made of bronze. The enemy just twirled away from his attack with a stance like a dancer's, the ground exploding into rubble where Amyr's weapon landed. All the while, Byron Flynn kept his distance, alert for any sign of escape. Vincent was the only one who fought like a demon, using his Cataclyst to wound and weaken the enemy. It was my fault he didn't have his scythe.

Ignoring Vladimir's orders, I scrambled up to my feet, alternating between lurching and crawling to get closer. And when I did, I saw what Rosario was trying to warn us about. The enemy wielded a black metal scythe, basically similar to mine but twice the size. Vines and claws were carved on the metal rod, its gleaming crescent-moon blade made of silver, stained with hollow faces frozen in dread and despair. My knees shook at the plain sight of it. The sickening smell of blood, freshly dug earth and withered flowers filled the air—the smell of death—and it seemed to come from the weapon.

"The Master Scythe," I echoed Rosario's warning. I had heard about that weapon once during my training with her. It was the most powerful weapon among immortals on the face of the earth, equally befitting its owner—Pilgrim Reaper.

Was I finally face-to-face with Death? No. If he was indeed the Grand Master, the cabal wouldn't engage him so openly into a combat. That would be suicide. Through my exhausted lids, I watched Vincent's attempts to interrogate the enemy as they fought but the mystery man kept silent.

The scythe swung to Vincent's direction with a speed I could barely even follow. It ripped through his right arm and the wound was bleeding him to death. Both my hands were useless, but I shifted my eyes everywhere for something... anything that would help them. I didn't know what I was looking for. A giant boulder precariously perched on top of a cliff, perhaps a rocket launcher lying about.

I hunched on the snow, my legs failing me. Every breath sent ripples of seizures all over my body. It took the rest of my remaining strength to reestablish the Transference Link with Vincent and the second I did, his head whipped to my direction, immediately sensing my presence.

Door.I whispered sparingly to conserve what little energy I had left.

Through the link, I let him see through my eyes. I showed him two big Glitches a few feet up from where Byron Flynn stood proudly like a sentinel. Perhaps it could serve as a distraction. Or better yet, they could all drive the enemy into Nirvana's maddening clutches. However the situation turned out, I could only hope it would help.

My head fell on the snow as I let the convulsions take over. In between periods of blackouts, I watched Vincent leap off the ground and snatch the first Glitch. The next time I opened my eyes, the familiars were already making all-out attacks. I caught glimpse of Amyr's lacerated face, his left eyeshut from the massive bleeding and swelling. Vladimir had joined the battle, using his Binds to prevent the enemy from moving his enormous scythe.

My eyes closed again no matter how hard I fought to keep awake. When I came around, a big Spirit Door was already open. The enemy's right leg was wounded and he was now surrounded. An obliterating portal waited at his back. Without any hesitation, Vincent lunged at the enemy. They both plummeted forward with the enemy's shoulder ramming onto the Door. The effect was slower than expected, but soon, his left arm was actually smoldering.Thin cracks started to appear on his seared skin, like scorched land. Vincent was winning. That made it a bit easier to breathe.

Then the unthinkable happened.

The intruder didn't even look fazed with the way his silver eyes glinted. He seemed to sneer at Vincent underneath all those bandages as he whispered some sort of incantation in a silent hissingvoice. His words didn't make any sense to me, but when Vincentfrantically leaped away from the enemy and instinctively shielded his face with his Cataclyst, I didn't even have time to spell troublebefore the cemetery got blown up.

The blast sent me tumbling back to where Rosario was left unconscious. I held onto her, using my body to protect her from the falling debris. A large chunk of a tombstone with the name Smith shot from the sky and drove itself halfway through the snow.

"No!" I screamed. Fueled by sheer willpower, I struggled to get up. No point searching for the enemy. He must've already escaped during the explosion.

I staggered blindly toward the explosion site, squinting through the haze of dust and ashes. Tripping on broken slabs ofgravestones.Feeling my surroundings with my hands.I couldn't call their names. The choking sounds kept coming out of my mouth and all I could do was clasp a hand over it. There was nothing but rubble.

In desperation, I started digging through a mound, clawing on the slabs of rock and dirt until my fingers started to bleed.When the dust settled, I realized that more than half of the graveyard was wiped out. Not too far away, I saw Byron Flynn get up from the foot of a tree. He padded to me with a distinct limp.

I bit my lip. Where were the others? I wanted to scream but nothing came out of my mouth. Just the stifling sounds.

The dog started sniffing and running around. He barked at me like he was trying to tell me something. Together, we started diggingfeverishly. After a few seconds, I saw a small pale hand and pulled it out. Vladimir started to cough as soon as he was out of the pile of rubble. I didn't stop to chat. Once I was sure he was still alive, I followed Byron Flynn and started digging again.

The dog yapped and lifted his furry head. When I looked to see what it was, I saw Mei,bruises and scrapes all over her body as shestumbled her way to us. Just a few yards away, Amyr emerged from under the wreckage and sat on the ground, panting, bleeding. Vacantly, I started digging again, seeing no one, hearing no one. When I got to the bottom and found nothing, I looked to Byron Flynn for the next area to dig but all he could give me was a silent whine.

"Aramis," I heard Vladimir calling me but I didn't pause to look at him. "That's enough," he whispered.

Wordlessly, I looked around and found a good spot, pretending I didn't hear him. I sat on the ground and plowed through the rubble, lightheaded with the shallow ragged breaths. The pebbles under my hands were red with the blood seeping from my wound.I kept on digging though, wincing at the pain as jagged pieces of concrete poked on me. My vision started to get darker and darker.

Tired... So tired.

Soon, I couldn't tell if I was still awake or dreaming. But my hands, they keep turning rock after rock as if they had a mind of their own. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop. Not until I find him.

When I finally swallowed the lump in my throat, I opened my mouth to call his name but nothing came out. I waded alone in the darkness. Not a clue where to go or what to do. He was gone. Gone with the cloaked boy with no name.

The explosion flashed under my lids a hundred times. All I could do was rethink how I could've prevented it. What was my purpose here if I couldn't protect anyone?

"Why isn't she waking up?" Vincent hissed frantically.

Did my ears deceive me? Was he really there, safe in some place I couldn't reach?

I heard a deep sigh, in the brink of losing patience. "It's only been thirty-eight hours," replied Vladimir. "Remember the first time you accidentally went through a Door? You were out for a week. Just be happy that we didn't have to bring her home in a jar."

With something between a sniff and a grunt, Vincent said, "I can't remember. That's a long time ago. Hey! Wake up!" he yelled angrily. "Stupid girl! Do you have a death wish or something? After all I've done to keep you from—"

He seemed to have swallowed his tongue. Keep me from what? From who? I wanted to ask but I couldn't move, more so speak. All I could make out was that I was in bed, probably in Vincent's room. I could tell by the feel of the sheets under my palms. Then I heard crashes of things being thrown against the wall. Vincent was in a bad mood again. If he had the energy to shatter the furniture, then he must be perfectly fine. My tensed muscles suddenly relaxed, my teeth unlocking from a tight clench.

I felt a weight shift the side of the bed, a calloused finger moving over my brows to push the hair that covered my face.

"She did save you." It was Vladimir who spoke from the other end of the room. "If you didn't use that Door to get away from the explosion, you'd be sushi."

He escaped. That was why I couldn't find him. He was safe. That was all that mattered.

"She's strong," Vincent said from beside me. "Stupid. Stubborn, yes.But strong. I don't know how long I can hide her from him but one thing's for sure. I won't let anyone take her away from me."

Vladimir sighed again, this time, resigned. "You do realize that you've lost your mind. Don't you, brother?"

A quiet snigger filled the room, a sound I would've wanted to hear more often. "Right the day I've accepted immortality," answered Vincent, obviously amused at himself.

"For someone who used to hate everything and I mean literally everything, you seem to hold on too much to her," the boy commented with a hint of sarcasm. "She's the worst choice for a familiar, you know. Her soul belongs to him long before she was even born."

"Belonged to him," Vincent corrected defensively. "We're not even sure if that myth about her family was true. Now, she's mine."

I faded in and out of unconsciousness, unaware of the passing hours. My mind was in a clutter of thoughts and words. Whenever I heard sounds that indicated someone's presence, I fought to stay awake and listened. But there were not much talking in the room anymore. All I wanted was to move and get out of bed. See that Vincent was really alive and not just a product of my imagination. Demand answers. Who were they talking about? Who could've possibly wanted me or my soul?

The next day, I was able to open my eyes. The first thing I did was scan the room. It was bare now, stripped of the wall ornaments and expensive vases that Mei thoughtfully arranged when I moved in. All that remained was the painting of Nirvana in the middle of the room. Just looking at the epitome of paradise made me cringe, though I was well aware that it couldn't kill me.

My hand was still bandaged and it still hurt. Maybe, they were the sort of injuries immortal life-force couldn't heal in one sitting.

It was still a little dark, maybe a couple of hours before sunrise. Vincent sat on my bunk-chair, eyes closed and hunched with his chin rested on a hand. I spent a few minutes taking him in—the bandage around his right upper arm, the gash on his chin, the scorch marks on his hands. He was real after all. And damaged because of me.

It took a lot of effort to get out of bed. Once my bare feet touched the floor, I was already out of breath. I struggled to not make a sound and headed out, leaning on the wall for support.

Confusion and panic took over me. I should've seen it coming. I should've been more careful not to get too attached to anyone. And now, I had to go through it—the fear of losing someone important, the loss itself, the helplessness because I couldn't do anything to help them. Just like that same night when Mom died. It was the kind of pain I couldn't bear to endure again.

I crumpled on the floor.Breathlessly, I sat there, staring at the dim ceiling for minutes that turned to hours. How could I undo these bonds?These feelings? And then the screaming truth crashed on me. It was too late. I had become part of the cabal. Part of their family. No matter how hard I tried, there was no going back anymore. I couldn't just pluck them out of my life because they were part of me now.

Become stronger. The answer rang inside my head. Protect them.

After arriving to my resolve, I headed back to the room and cleaned myself up in the shower. The freezing water didn't bother me much. It helped numb the pain. Once done, I got dressed and combed my hair in front of the bathroom mirror. Nothing much had changed about me. The wavy brown hair, which seemed to reach my waist now, the bluish-gray eyes, pale face, cracked lips. But inside, it was as if I had become a completely different person who had a lifelong goal.A purpose greater than herself.

When I opened the door, Vincent's gaze just passed through me as if I wasn't even there. As he headed to the bathroom, he accidentally brushed past me and that was the best sort of interaction I could squeeze out from him. He was still mad. Big time.

In silence, we headed to the dining area where Vladimir and the other familiars huddled comfortably around the rustic wooden table. Even Rosario was there, although stiff on her chair and inconspicuously wincing at every abrupt movement. Amyr's face wasn't as bad as I had remembered. The swelling was gone, but there was still a long distinct scar crossing his left eye. Mei and Byron Flynn were both doing fine with the healing process.

"We can only be thankful that we're all still here and complete," Vladimir smiled tentatively as we seated ourselves. "But here's another bad news. Alexis sent a word that Irvine is coming this afternoon to formally invite us to a gathering in the honor of our Father. It seems like he already knows."The boy master shot a meaningful look to my direction.

I knew this was coming, so I braced myself and nodded. "I'm ready."