Lara stared blankly at her plate of breakfast. The two sunny-side up eggs seemed to stare right back at her like a pair of curious, googly eyes. She really should eat something; she had not eaten anything since coming here, or since being rescued by Ryan, or since getting her Gift from Elena...

She sighed and slowly took a bite of her toast. The small piece of bread sat inside her mouth idly, waiting to be chewed and swallowed, but Lara did not have the mood nor the energy to do any of that.

It did not help that she had been stuck in her hotel room since the day before. She had wanted to go out for a walk to clear her mind, and maybe to see what Karz was like, but whenever she tried to leave her room, the few people she met in the hallway would be scared out of their wits. One of them even passed out in fear.

And so, she remained in her room and resorted to people watching from her window. Everyone outside was walking about freely, chatting with their friends, drinking coffee by the patio. Lara was smelling foods she's never tried before, listening to languages she's never heard before, and seeing people from realms she's never been to. This place was so different from the strict, homogenous environment she grew up in. It was so carefree and lively, and so... captivating.

Time and time again, she had been told that places like Karz were a reign of terror that needed to be destroyed, but, as she peered enviously outside her window, she realized that that was obviously not true. On the other hand, the terrified expressions and looks of pure horror from the Karzians she met lingered in her mind. It turned out that she was the true terror.

How much of her life was a lie? How much of the truth was kept from her? And why?

Lara lifted her hands. The air above her palms twisted together, while sparks of lightning zapped across her fingers. She stared at the tiny tornado in disbelief —wait, she still had Arianna's Gift! Why wasn't it taken away? Did Elena's Gifts just... completely stopped working for her somehow?

Thinking of Arianna, she felt a squeeze in her heart. She missed her older friend so much. If Arianna had been here, she would've definitely been able to comfort her. She would've said something really sensible and wise, or at least given her a tight hug to make her feel better.

And, as much as she hated to admit it, she also really missed Ryan. He probably would've been annoying as usual, but he would've at least kept her mind from spiraling. She could already imagine his smug face and eye rolls, how he'd snort at her and say, "I told you so, baby Lara, the First Lady is a psychopathic bitch."

But seriously, what's going to happen to Ryan?

The saliva-soaked bread slid down her throat; it was lumpy and bitter, and almost made her gag. She buried her head into her hands. Despite her empty stomach, she still felt like puking.

Just then, the door slammed open. It was Jun, that rude boy from yesterday.

"You," he growled through gritted teeth, as if it was tortuous for him to speak. "Let's go." Without even waiting for a reply, he spun around and left.

Lara was so stunned by this sudden visitor that she sat frozen on her chair for a while, before realizing that he must be the new escort for her. She quickly dashed out of her room and followed him.

As expected, Lara caused quite a commotion in the streets. In addition to the horrified stares and startled gasps, a few onlookers spat out their coffee, while some joggers tripped over their feet. Embarrassed, she tried her best to stay as close to Jun as possible, but the boy was walking so fast, it was like he was actively trying to avoid her. Whenever she managed to catch up to him, he would increase his speed even more. After ten minutes of practically chasing each other, Lara had enough.

"Hey, slow down!" she called out. "What's your problem?"

Jun did not even bother looking at Lara as he snapped, "I was told to escort someone like you, that's what!"

"What do you mean by that?" Lara demanded. "What, do you not like it when a girl beats you?"

That finally got Jun to stop walking. He glared at Lara, his face turning a deep shade of red. "You're disgusting and cruel and horrible, just like all Earthlings!"

"Hey! Not- Not all Earthlings!"

Jun rolled his eyes and stomped off at an even faster pace than before, somehow.

Lara suddenly felt really bad. She shouldn't have said that, should she? She rushed over next to the dark-haired boy. "Hey, I'm- I'm sorry about... what we've been doing. I- I also only just found out yesterday about- about the truth... about Ma- the First Lady. I'm really sorry, but I never knew-"

"You work for her, you're essentially the same." Jun cut her off bitterly. "Fucking monsters trained to kill."

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Lara could not reply to that. It was true, she really was trained to kill. Not only was she trained physically to kill, she was also given a Gift that was probably made to kill, too. Once again, she noticed the expressions of the passersby around her; they were all avoiding her as if she was death itself. Her jaw clenched; she had never felt so revolted by herself.

She decided to change the topic. "So, uh... Where are you from, Jun?"

Jun did not seem particularly happy with her attempt at a conversation. "What kind of question is that?"

"S- Sorry, I wasn't sure if you were from Karz originally," Lara mumbled, giving the sulking boy a few nervous glances. "You look very different from Arthur, that's why I asked."

"Are you stupid? Technically, no one is from Karz originally. We were all from Earth a long time ago!"

Lara huffed. "I knew that!" she lamented. "But that was like, centuries ago. You know what I really mean."

Jun rolled his eyes again, but his face softened. "I was born in Bernu. You know what happened there."

"Oh." Lara was taken aback. That was the realm that Arthur had mentioned. "I'm- I'm so sorry."

"A lot of people here also used to be from other realms, you know. Some of them were from Turned Realms that were destroyed and so they're here as refugees. Some were from other realms under Elena's rule, but are here for a better life." He glared at her, as though he was blaming Lara for all of this. "I don't know how you are all doing on Earth, but Elena is a really, really terrible ruler. Realms don't do well under her rule."

Lara lowered her head. "I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't know..." It seemed that she really didn't know a lot of things. She had grown up in a bubble, confined within the First Lady's headquarters. She had only known Elena as her teacher and mentor, and her only friends were Operatives or trainees preparing to become Operatives. How were the other people on Earth doing? She wasn't even sure of the answer herself...

"Because of you Earthlings, I lost my parents in Bernu fifteen years ago," Jun grumbled, his jaw clenched and his voice shaky. "I don't even remember what they look like now."

"Well, same with me, then," Lara whispered.

This time, it was Jun who was taken aback. "Really?"

"Yeah. Arthur told me yesterday that my parents died in Bernu too. Apparently Bernu is also my home planet."

Jun looked her up and down skeptically, but then blushed and quickly turned away. "I'm sorry about that too," he mumbled softly.

"It's okay, I don't remember them at all anyway. It didn't even cross my mind that they actually existed until yesterday. I mean, I've always had Arianna, she was basically my mother, even if she didn't like to admit it."

"Who's Arianna?"

"She's..." Lara's voice faltered. "Well, she's an Operative, but she's a really kind person, I swear! Well, at least, at least to me..." She noticed Jun's darkened expression and changed the topic again. "Anyway, what about you? Did you grow up in Karz?"

Jun nodded. "Arthur raised me."

"That's nice. He seems like he'd be a really good father."

Jun's mouth twitched a little, but the small smile disappeared almost immediately. "You don't even know him."

They walked down the same path that Lara took with Arthur yesterday. Visiting bees buzzed around the fragrant bougainvillea along the pavement; they were especially dewy in the morning fog. As they neared the government building, Lara noticed there was a crowd of soldiers and other officials gathered around the entrance, with more pouring in from newly arrived limos. Standing in the middle and towering over everyone was Arthur, who was talking to some people with a frown on his face. When he spotted Jun and Lara, he broke into an amicable smile and gave them a cordial wave.

Lara waved back, but decided not to bother him. "There's a lot of people," Lara said to Jun. "Are they all here for Ryan's trial?"

"It's a trial of the century, what do you think?" Jun replied curtly before heading into the building. "I really hope that bastard gets the freaking death sentence or something."

Lara pursed her lips and followed him silently. It seemed that everyone here really hated Ryan. Well, she did too, but she didn't want anything bad to happen to him. That guy was the most annoying, arrogant, condescending piece of shit who loved to bully her and make her cry at every single encounter, but... they still grew up together. The last thing she wanted was his death.

They entered a large, spacious courtroom that was already bustling with people. Rows of wooden benches filled the gallery, while large oak pillars held up a balcony with even more audience seating. A giant sculpture hung from the wall, looming over the entire room, as though it had emerged from the concrete to observe the trial. It was Lady Justice; a stoic, blindfolded woman holding up a scale on one hand, and a sword on the other. Despite the covered eyes, the statue seemed to be staring right into Lara's soul disapprovingly. Lara gulped and averted her gaze from it.

It took a while for everyone to slowly stream into their seats. Lara and Jun settled somewhere at the back, while Arthur strode all the way to the front, his two lieutenants trailing behind him. When the chamber door opened, the room turned eerily quiet. The judge walked into the room, followed by a few police officers, and, lastly, Ryan.

When Ryan appeared, Lara almost let out a scream.

He was covered in bruises; some were black and blue, while others were of a fresh, bright red color. Blood was still trickling out of his crooked nose and the scratches all over his face. One of his eyes was so swollen that it could not open, while his messy, curly hair had part of it yanked off. With handcuffs around his hands, he sauntered onto the witness stand, and then plopped down on the chair.

Lara covered her mouth with her trembling hands. Tears flowed down her face uncontrollably. She wanted to cry out in anguish, but her throat seemed to be blocked with phlegm. She couldn't make a sound; she could barely even breathe.

"Oh wow, he definitely did not have a good time in jail," Jun said with a dry laugh. He noticed Lara's distress and immediately refrained from commenting further.

Ryan, on the other hand, was scanning the room nonchalantly, his signature smug look still plastered all over his battered face. When he managed to lock eyes with Lara, he grinned and mouthed "baby Lara". Somehow, that made her tears flow even more.

The judge slammed her gavel and then peered down at Ryan. "The defendant, Ryan Carland, is charged with the destruction of six realms, Paradys, Honnu, Garjel, Vinris, Orolma and Pazon, as well as the first degree murder of approximately nine hundred and sixty million people from these realms. He is also charged with second degree murder of approximately two hundred and thirty-two million people from the realm of Bernu, due to his involvement in the rebellion fifteen years ago. How do you plead?"

Lara's jaw dropped. And then it dropped even more when Ryan, very indifferently, said, "Yeah, guilty as charged."