When Glacia struggled awake, she felt the smooth grip of Asher and heaved a deep sigh of relief. She was shaking, when she saw him all she could think of was his blood and more blood...

"Asher." She breathed, her voice a small croak. She was startled by the fact that he was fully armed in gear, seeming to be heading out of the room they were in. He had carried her to a hotel, and she glimpsed outside to see the sun rising. How much time had passed?

She blinked back tears, thinking of what she had seen. It felt so real. She could feel hot blood on her hands as if it were truly her battle, and it wasn't an ordinary dream. "I... I saw..."

"A Vision." Asher completed when Glacia couldn't bring herself to explain what she saw. He got onto his knees beside her, eyes searching her face. "Your eyes turned yellow, as Royalliers do when they're seeing a Vision. A Prophetic Regiis has given you one. What did you see, Glacia? You seem so pale..."

She shook her head, refusing to speak. Asher was delirious, he was thinking up a million scenarios of what she had seen in her future. Did she have a bleak one? He prayed that she wouldn't be hurt, and it would kill him if she had seen her own death as he did for his...

"You... you died, Asher." Her voice cracked. She curled up into a ball, trying to rock herself into sanity.

Asher's arms encircled her, cradling her lightly to his chest. He wished she would see anything but that. He pressed lips to her forehead, only for her to jerk away.

"How... how could you be with me? Knowing..." She gulped, thinking of the blood-stained sword in her hands. "Knowing I'd be the one who'd kill you?"

"You said yourself that it would be untrue. That you wouldn't want to harm me. I believe it..."

"No, you don't. Now that I've seen a Vision, I know how it feels like. It feels so real. I know for sure it would happen, and you know it too."

Glacia had scooted all the way to the other edge of the bed. Asher didn't reach out for her, he admitted that he was confused too. Why was his future like this?

"The wine that Noah gave me made me think you were Luke. What if... what if someone gives me something like that someday? A drug that makes me think you're an enemy, or something that compels me to kill --"

Asher couldn't admit that he had thought of that before. He researched, and there was never such a thing before. Still, if Royalliers could create Energisers and Red Rubies, perhaps they could create other tools too. He stood up carefully. "Then you'll have to do me a favour, Glacia, and make sure that doesn't happen to you."

She was still shaking. "I shouldn't be here. I should be far away from you."

Asher was going to say something, but a beep stopped him. He looked to his phone, and then back at Glacia. They'd have to save this conversation for another day.

"I woke you because I have to leave. There's been a change of plans. We found a cell where Rogues are churning out the concoctions. I've already called my army, and they've just arrived. We're going to flush out the cell and get rid of the supply source of the Insurgents, before we get rid of those already on the inside of the Realm."

Glacia's eyes travelled from Asher's weapons belt to his fully-clad attire. He looked formidable in his gear, intimidating and brilliant. She stood up and fought the urge to fall back down. Something had weakened her, probably the Vision. "If you're going, I'll come with you."

His steely gaze melted a little. "And you've just said that you should be far away from me." He reached over to ruffle her hair lightly. "Normally I'd let you come with me, Glacia. But this time, no. Seeing a Vision drains your virtus, so you've become feverish. You're not in your best condition now, and the fight we're going to have requires years of training. I woke you just so you wouldn't freak out and run outside. I need you to stay indoors, where it's safe, you understand? You're an amazing fighter, but I don't want to take risks involving you."

Glacia didn't care, she moved over to reach for her gear. "Oh yeah? And what if a Rogue breaks in now and kills me when you're not around? It's safest when we stick together."

"That's why I have ordered Luke to bring you back to the Realm. He's almost here. I don't usually trust him, unless it involves you."

Glacia protested. "I'm coming with you..."

There was a banging outside the door, signalling that Luke was here. Asher looked at the door, then to her. His gaze softened, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're not to go anywhere. Promise me."

Glacia's eyes didn't leave his, even as he bolted from the window. She gaped as she watched him fly down onto the roof with amazing agility and land flatly on the road unscathed. Even from the fourth floor height, he sailed down so easily and ran at breakneck speed. She watched his figure fade away.

"Glacia? Can I go in?" She heard Luke call through the door.

She felt exhausted, willing to cave in. But she looked back at that open window. She didn't come all the way here, experience that Vision, just to return. She would want to see where the concoctions were made. See the people who perhaps had a part to play in her mother's death.

She secured the gear around herself, slotting in her balisong and a Glock into her belt. Then she swung herself over the frame and took off. Landing first on the ledge then onto the roof. She slid, and for a second thought she'd fall. Thankfully, she gripped onto the pole edge and manoeuvred over to a safer landing. Then, she hung down and jumped onto the top of a truck, wincing when some pain shot up her ankle.

The truck Glacia was on started moving off, and she looked up to see the anxious face of Luke peer out of the window. What now? The truck was driving out of the city square, not knowing that she was on it. She pushed open the small window to see the driver seat.

"Hey! Let me off --"

The words never left her. The driver's seat was empty.

***

"Do you think they're expecting us?" Asher asked Jandra briefly as he signaled the back team to follow.

He crouched around the corner, doing his scouting. At times like this, he was glad that he picked up battle skills. Even if it was compulsory for royals, Asher paid the most attention to it, knowing that he could use it if he couldn't rely on anyone else to lead a team for such an important mission, as in this case.

Jandra shook his head. "We just assembled the team today. If anything, they'll just be having the basic traps to keep us away —"

At this, he pushed Asher to the side. Asher scowled as he hit the wall, but softened when he realized that the push helped him avoid setting off a sensor.

"You're always so reckless." Jandra continued ahead, making a path for the soldiers behind.

Asher raked a hand in his hair, gloating. Jandra was a senior to him, a fighter that helped train Asher. He was the first one to expose Asher to the word "reckless", constantly calling him that. After a while, he finally realised what it meant, but he oddly embraced it as if it were a compliment instead of the insult it should be.

Still, Asher pushed ahead and climbed high above using the rappel. He had established a pathway to the top that would allow them to survey the Rogues they were up against. He was right, the walkway led to a lab which seemed to be housing all the concoctions the Rogues were making.

Asher ducked under, watching the rise and fall of the red and green liquids.

"They're making more." Pointed out another soldier, Mark, who slipped beside him. They looked at concoctions of other colorations, wondering what those entailed.

Asher clicked his gun. "Do you think they would have shipped some for storage as well?"

Jandra replied, "Given that they have just sent their supply to the palace, it is unlikely."

"Very well. We'll plant the bombs and evacuate —"

Gunshots fired. Asher immediately snapped awake, diving into the heart of the battle. He soared through the air, landing squarely on the ground floor and charged for the Rogues.

"Intruders!" A Rogue screamed at the sight of the six Royalliers that Asher led. Ahead, the other soldiers started deploying their bombs, trying to fend off the Rogues.

Asher swerved right out of the reach of two Rogues. He knocked one out and used him as a shield against the other, then took the other one down. He pushed up quickly and unscrewed the black orb, slapping it onto a large machine with the concoctions flowing in it. It started beeping red, and he yelled out to the others.

They would have three minutes to evacuate. The others started deploying their own bombs and preparing to flee from the site.

Just then, Mark appeared beside Asher. "Something's not right. It's way too easy to get rid of the concoctions."

Those words sounded all too familiar. Glacia had warned him of things like these in the past, but he felt particularly afraid now that she wasn't around.

"I—" Asher looked up and cursed. Situated high and above, was a girl knocked unconscious behind bars. Her face was covered by the spill of her platinum blonde hair.

An instinct surged through him, Asher clamoured up, swinging through and impossible height till he landed on her floor. He reached out for her, cursing every word he possibly knew.

It felt as though someone had gripped his heart and torn it out the moment he recognized the shimmer of hair, the gingham dress she had on. His mind raced with questions, but all he knew was that he had to get her out, now.

"Oh my god. Glacia, how did you get here?" Asher reached through the bars as best as he could. He paid no heed to the sharp edges tearing at his skin, all he could care was to get as close as he could to the girl.

Asher cradled her face to him, just as she shook awake. Her consciousness was induced because Asher's virtus was burning up so incredibly much now.

No, not her. This place is going to blow.

Helpless, he slammed into the bars so hard the whole place seemed to shake. This alerted his soldiers, most of which were done shaking off Rogues, trapping some in their lab and killing the remaining who tried to flee.

"Asher, what —" Jandra stopped in his tracks, recognizing the girl he was trying to reach towards desperately. His eyes widened as he tried to get up there, uncertain of how Asher possibly managed to climb to such a height.

"Ash," Glacia whispered, moving towards him as best as she could. She crawled across so they were only separated by the bars.

"How —"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember was landing on a moving truck."

Why did you leave? Above all, Asher was beyond desperate to get her out, or she wouldn't survive the massive blow to this entire facility.

Jandra and another soldier landed next to Asher. "What —"

Asher turned to them. "We need to get her out!" He saw the madness in his eyes, he was confident when fighting but lost all sense the moment he saw her locked up.

They tried to pry it apart, but Jandra shook his head. "It's impossible. Locked shut."

Asher racked his brain for possibilities, clamoring desperately at any possibility. He had to get her out.

"What if we configure the bomb to set off faster, and place it on this wall? Let it explode, then we pull her out —"

"We can't. It's too close quarters, that'll kill her too."

Glacia stirred, eyes now glassy halos. "What do you mean?"

A rumble sounded from above, as debris came crashing down. The glass containers that were containing the liquids shattered, spilling so the red mixed and it was impossible to differentiate Red Ruby from the blood.

Asher slammed the bars again, cursing. "Shit. This place is going down, Glacia." He was shaking, remembering what had happened the last time they had experienced this. It was hauntingly familiar — the same tactic used to kill Livia.

Glacia gripped his hand firmer, her senses kicking in. It cooled down some of the fiery virtus in him. "The same way they killed my mother." She croaked.

Another wall came flying down, propelling the crumpled ceiling forward. Glacia's grip on him tightened. "Listen to me Asher. You have to go."

"I — I can't believe I walked right into their trap! They didn't care about us destroying all the concoctions, knowing that it was stored in the palace already. The real aim was to kill y— you —"

"And that's why you need to leave. You know their real target isn't me, it's you, Asher." She tried to keep her voice steady. It broke his heart more that she was trying to help others down to her last breath.

"No." Asher said with frightening intensity. "I'm not going anywhere."

Beside him, Mark and Jandra tensed. "You staying here isn't going to do anything. You should save yourself. Who else is going to —"

"I said I'm not going anywhere!"

He turned back to Glacia, voice softening. "You really should have stayed in that goddamn hotel! I told you to!" He shook the bars harder, despite knowing it was pointless.

"But that's a death wish." Jandra pulled Asher up by the collar, yelling in his face. Even caught unguarded, Asher managed to push the two away instead.

"Please. Please get him out." Glacia said in a quiet whisper that only aggravated Asher.

"Go!" He yelled back at the two soldiers just as another blast rang out. It flew down and popped the shoulder of Mark open, as he let out a painful cry. Asher eyed the wound, trying to propel them out with greater intensity.

"I am the Crown Prince of the Realm of the Royalliers. I command you to leave, and I will do whatever it takes to get back to you and my people and continue the rest of my duty to this world."

Glacia shook her head continuously, begging him to leave. You liar. Even if Asher wasn't believing his words himself, he had an air of confidence that made his words nearly seem convincing.

He shouted again just as the glass shattered from above and scarred Jandra. A chunk of brick nearly got them both, as they watched Asher and protested.

Desperate, Asher took out a throwing knife and tossed it so it got Mark in the side. They gasped as it hit them that he injured his own soldier rather badly.

They would not leave even if I told them to. "Jandra, you have to go. Your Comrade is injured. You know he can't survive if he stays here!"

"So that's your tactic to get them to leave?" Glacia spoke in disbelief. She was trying to contemplate her own tactic to get Asher to go, she couldn't understand why he would stay here.

The flames started rising and smoke billowed all around them, wrapping them so Jandra and Mark both coughed vigorously. Below, they could hear Rogues screaming. Jandra so no other choice. He cursed Asher as he eventually put his arm around to assist Mark up.

"Long live the Crown Prince." He said solemnly, as he eventually turned to lead Mark out of the crumbling lab. This place couldn't possibly last for long, and a bomb may very well kill Asher and Glacia directly.

It was a goodbye. Jandra and Mark hobbled out of sight. Though gruesome, Asher was glad that he got his two Comrades out, even if it entailed hurting Mark so the wound cut deep.

He turned back to see Glacia cry, for another rare moment in her life. But he saw in her eyes that it didn't look like her own life that she was so upset about. She shook so much, freezing the bars she was gripping so tightly.

"I don't understand —" Her voice quivered.

Asher didn't too. But he knew that if this was truly the end, he would stay and fight to the last second.