The surrounding, vacant area was lost to darkness. Against a hazy gray fog, a faceless figure stood. Even without any facial features, it looked familiar. Its red attire was visible through the mist, reminding me of blood.

"It’s been a while, Jill. Did you believe you could cast me aside forever? You haven’t tamed me. My restrainment is only temporary. Your friends ignite your comfort. Fine, for the moment. You clung to those insignificant chains, but the more they’re with you, the more exposed they are to death. Someday, those chains will be dismantled, precisely like the past. The more cherished they are, the more you’ll lose. No one will be able to prevent that moment. You’ll find yourself consumed by me. With wrath, we shall run rampant to destroy with these hands. But for now, I’ll yield. I’ll shelter myself… deep in the dark abyss. And then, when the time comes…

... I will awaken."

The fog crept towards it; tendrils, like fingers, clawed their way closer, slowly devouring it.

***

“Aghh!” My eyes flashed open. I was sweaty and uncontrollably panting. My body felt heavy like thousands of boulders crushed my shoulders. “What… What was that? I can’t remember…”

Back into reality, the last shreds of exhaustion clouded my thoughts. I scanned the room, understanding the situation. Ropes squeezed my limbs against the chair; it didn’t feel too tight, but it was tight enough to allow no wiggle room. Confined in a dim room with no windows, just two pairs of torches on both sides. They were sufficient to provide some light partially.

The smell of the cold concrete.

My limbs shivered with a mixture of uncertainty.

It was a nostalgic feeling, but not in a pleasant way.

I couldn’t remember passing out or not. Maybe I was awake but too weak to move? I wasn’t sure. My head carried some weight, but the overwhelming sharpness in my hand shadowed it. Something smooth squeezed around my left hand. I wasn’t sure, but the texture told me it was bandaged.

Heels echoed against the concrete from behind. Hands hovered over my eyes, giggling.

“My, my, guess who.”

I didn’t guess. I pointlessly strained against the binds.

Her nails scraped my cheek while waltzing around me.

“There’s no point in wasting your energy like that. You aren’t running away. You’re here to party with me. My, my, doesn’t that sound exciting?!”

Those words slammed my ears with a brutal force.

“You haven’t eaten anything, right? What’s a party with no food? Hold it, I'll get something. You stay right there! Well, it’s not like you can even go anywhere”, she gushed with a twirl. “On second thought, maybe I’ll spare some time with you. Food is only a delicacy once you taste the event.”

I lowered my head, ignoring her words.

Sylvia clapped her hands a few times, trying to grasp my attention. “Hey, hey, hey, why are you looking away all depressed? Look at the speaker's eyes when they’re speaking. How rude.”

God, I despised her voice.

While staring at the floor, I mumbled, “Are my friends okay?”

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“What? Speak up—”

“Are my friends ok?!”

“Geez, no needa yell. Well, we got the buff guy. He’s in another room right now, though I’m unsure if he regained consciousness. Whatever. The other one, though, is long gone. I wasn’t going to send the guards to chase a rabbit. Why do you ask? Don’t you care about your safety?”

I gave a slight nod, still staring at the concrete. I cared about my safety. But I could handle this. If the others had to face this situation, they wouldn't be able to handle it. Thankfully, Owen and Tim weren’t captured. Did Owen find Tim? If not, they’d better be ok. That could be a later problem. The current one was Roger. He didn’t go with Owen, though it wasn’t his fault. Poor communication screwed him over.

Safety wasn’t the only thing that jogged my mind. Something bugged me like a hard-to-reach itch. Sylvia's behavior with me wasn’t normal. Sheer hatred ran through her, and I could smell it in her veins.

“Syliva,” I said, still with my head down, “We met before, haven’t we?”

“What’s with the sudden question?”

“Just answer it. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

I was not sure. It was only a guess. It was a worthy guess, though. No sane person would go through this much trouble for someone they didn't know, regardless of what happened to the king.

“Do you really not remember?” she replied.

“Answer it. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

Her knees crouched, arching her back for our eyes to meet. “Around a decade ago, you neglected my dream. You and Raphtalia left after giving me false hope. I’m the same person you shattered. The same person you ran away without lending a hand. Well, I wouldn’t say the ‘same person,’ but if we’re talking literally, then ya. We have met before.” Her voice lacked twisted joy but instead contained grim emptiness. Her face was lost in thought, searching for something in that head of hers.

“What happened after that? How did you climb your way to second in command?” I asked, uncaring of my situation.

My head followed as she stood. Fragile, on the verge of cracking like a tree sap, she questioned herself. “What happened…?” Her dislocated face gave off the remembrance of forgotten memories.

Back in the room, she never made that face. She reeked of upbeat happiness, spinning and prancing around the compacted motel room. All of that was a show for her soldiers. There was no chance she could've let them see the dented side of her, so she stuffed it in her pockets, but even pockets can overflow.

Her ponytail flew while shaking her head. Her face immediately changed into the familiar one. “No-no-no, let’s not worry about that right now.” She took a long pause. “Wait a minute… I-I-I’m not second in command anymore! I’m the successor of this land, and with the king gone… I… I’m the king—or queen, rather. Queen Sylvia: Ruler of the Outsiders. It has the perfect ring to it. How did I not realize till now?! Oh, today has truly been a blessing in disguise!”

She stopped babbling about herself becoming queen, which irritated me even further.

“My day is made! But do you know what could make it a million times better?” There was no innocence in that devilish grin. “If I could spend more time with you.”

My sweaty palms rubbed against each other. She sat on my lap, her head facing my ear and her legs crossed. She wasn’t heavy, which was quite surprising considering her muscular appearance. Her ears better not have noticed my rapid heartbeat. For a moment, I had a strong feeling it would beat through my chest and penetrate her body.

What would she do? Bite my ear off? Chew on my nose? Stuff her fingers into my eyes? She could do anything she pleased. I was equivalent to a rag doll. I strained my hands even harder than before, but nothing worked.

Her breath hazed my hair. Her fingers brushed it aside, causing it to hit the side of my head. She was close, a little too close, whispering, “So how did it feel for your only friend to die in your lap?”

My head collided with hers, sending her to the ground. Immediately, my head brimmed with a sharp sting. It felt like banging my head against a wall. Instinctively, my hand tried to rub the stinging but was denied. So, instead, I shook it to fling off the pain. It didn’t work too well.

A loud groan came from beneath. Sylvia rolled on her side, her hands covering the damage. Did she get the worst of it? I mean, it did hurt, but it was manageable. She acted like it was something new.

After laying there for some time, she sat up, leaning back against her arms. “I asked a simple question, and you got upset.” She got back onto her feet. “I’m curious to know how it felt for a friend to die in your arms.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“Did you regret it? Did grief overrun you? What about the blood? Was it colorful? Tasty? Did it smell like—”

“I said shut the hell up!”

She knew what happened. She knew everything. Why else would she ask me about Raphtalia?