Effie materialised from the air next to Rolynd, who was sitting atop the throne, waiting.

“Hello,” Rolynd said in greeting. His eyes widened upon seeing the large bloodstain soaking the bandages around Effie’s chest. He stood up.

“Yeah. Hi.” She replied.

“Are you alright? Who did this to you?” Rolynd asked, concern written all over his face, voice and body language. He reached out slightly with his hand.

“It was your bloody saboteur. The only reason I’m still alive is because of my enchantments.”

Effie coughed, suddenly lurching forwards. Rolynd caught her in his arms. Despite the healing potion that she had consumed, her body was still recovering.

“I didn’t get to see them, but they’re like us. The dagger they stabbed me in the heart with had a lion’s head pommel. Its make was definitely Incandestine.”

“…I see,” Rolynd replied, seating Effie onto the throne in his place. “And did you learn anything about their powers?”

“They use light, that’s for sure. Visible light at the very least. I don’t know about what other wavelengths they can produce.” Effie said, entering a brief fit of coughing.

Rolynd wore a grave expression upon his face. He had already adjusted the parameters of his Aegis accordingly upon analysing the damage to the palace, but there was no knowing if the assassin was protected by Universal Law while their body was made of light. Was it possible for light to house a soul? Or was this another strange exception like Effie’s power? If his Aegis was unable to stop this assassin, he was in great danger. He decided to change the refractivity of the space inside his Aegis as a precaution, a pattern designed to scatter most rays. There would be no space for a re-materialised human body. He doubted that the assassin would be able to control much of their manoeuvrability once they became beams of light, so he reasoned that he should be safe even if their body was protected by Universal Law.

“We need a name for this fellow. How is ‘Heartseeker’?” Rolynd suggested.

“I love it.” Effie returned dryly. “So, what’s the plan?”

“The Heartseeker is too dangerous to be ignored. Until we have either captured or killed them, none of us are safe. That responsibility falls to us, as everyone else is busy. Time is of the essence. The longer we take, the more opportunities the Heartseeker will have to assassinate someone important.”

“So it’s a game of tag, then? But with life-or-death stakes.”

“Yes.”

At that moment, a blood-curdling scream could be heard, echoing down the marble halls outside the throne room. A cry of pain and fear so intense that Rolynd almost mistook it for the final cry of an animal being slaughtered.

At once, Rolynd and Effie were both at attention.

“What was that?” Effie asked.

As if in reply, the doors to the throne room opened. Slowly, silently.

And like something out of a nightmare, Jeremy’s lifeless eyes peeked around the corner, blood dripping down the youth’s temple onto the throne room floor. His hauntingly pale face was still frozen in an expression of horror.

The door opened the rest of the way, exposing the culprits. Jeremy’s body was held by the neck between the jaws of a muscular, heaving lion. No, it was a living Chimaera in the flesh with the wings of an eagle and a snake for a tail.

And the lion’s master appeared to be a boy not much older than Jeremy. Perhaps seventeen. Dressed in a nostalgic uniform that clung to the shape of one’s body. The most immediate thing that Rolynd noticed were his hands: the palms had a mottled, green and black surface. Like malachite. They shone with an eerie golden veneer. Effie and Rolynd were both drawn to the sight by instinct.

Like recognised like.

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Gemstones.

Barely a second after the sight was fully revealed to Rolynd and Effie, a fountain of blood and brains exploded out of the lion’s head – Rolynd had fired a pebble at it from his Aegis.

“Oh. That’s a shame. I rather liked that pet.” The human-shaped Chimaera commented apathetically.

“You would kill an innocent child?” Rolynd asked, ignoring the Chimaera’s words. He seethed with anger.

“This is war. And this whole planet is going to be wiped out anyway. I just did him the favour of an honourable death.” Jeremy’s killer replied.

“You will not speak of honour to me.”

But before Rolynd could punctuate his words with more violence, something most unexpected happened.

The floor disappeared in a burst of light.

The sound of crumbling came from all around as the palace failed to hold its own weight. Rolynd, Effie, the mysterious Chimaera and the palace’s cracked marble ceiling all fell into the dark abyss below.

Although they had been caught off guard, Rolynd and Effie were safe within the bounds of his Aegis. He slowed their descent through the clouds of dust and debris. Far beneath them, they could see a familiar chamber; a fraction of a maze-like network lit by orange torches.

Even the floors below the throne room had all been destroyed, it seemed.

Indeed, they must have been because everything in the throne room fell straight into the catacombs beneath Al Dherjza.

Effie looked up. Far above them, the Intercessor continued to glare down with its angry red eye in place of the sky. Bombers flew past the small window to the outside world.

Rolynd set them down on the ancient sandstone of the catacombs. The tunnels were blissfully quiet in comparison to the raucous of the city being shelled. Strands of sand and dust trickled down from the darkness above. Clouds of chalky sandstone wafted through the aisles.

In front and behind Rolynd and Effie, corridors of alcoves filled with the bones of the dead were hewn into the sandstone, stretching into the darkness. At certain intervals, there would be round embalming chambers of limited space or crossroads where additional corridors split off seemingly at random.

Rolynd had committed much of the immediate space to memory; the route to the entrance of ADAM’s Labyrinth was of great importance.

The usually snarky Effie was silent. She seemed to be debating something in her mind.

“They’ve separated us from the fight above,” Rolynd noted, back to his analytical self. It seemed that the king had regained his composure in the few seconds.

“Do you want me to return to the surface?” Effie offered.

“No, this is perfect. We need to keep the Heartseeker away from the others as long as possible. And, we need to protect the entrance to ADAM’s Labyrinth.”

“It’s going to be impossible to catch the Heartseeker if they can move at the speed of light, though.”

“Perhaps this is an impossible task for either of us… but not for Charlie and Mars.”

“Even so, they must be seeking to gain something from playing into their hands. We should return to the surface.”

“I have given my answer, Effie. I understand that you are frustrated with being manipulated by Lucina. But, I am staying down here regardless of what you decide… and I can use your help. Let us play into their trap, and show them just how badly they have misunderstood us.”

As this, Effie was unsure if Rolynd was just arrogant and seeking revenge for Jeremy, or if he had truly seen beyond Lucina’s plans. If anyone could do it, it would be Rolynd, she supposed. But he was staking the fate of the war, and therefore the fate of the entire world, on this decision.

“…Fine. I’ll help you avenge Jeremy at least. That new Chimaera rubs me the wrong way.” Effie said.

“He’s still young. Brainwashed by Lucina.”

“Are you trying to convince me from killing him on sight?”

“Kill him if you wish, but if I wanted him dead, he would’ve keeled over like his pet.”

Rolynd and Effie began walking through the catacombs.

“We should split up. Cover more ground. We can keep in touch with our bracelets.” Effie suggested.

“And risk you getting another dagger in the heart? No, I won’t risk it.” Rolynd chided staunchly.

Effie sighed. But he was right. Perhaps she was too used to putting herself in harm’s way. Even the gentle Carmen had confronted her about her self-destructive tendencies.

“…Besides, they want us here because they think they can kill us. They wouldn’t just let us choose to return to the surface.” Rolynd said aloud.

The two Bloodstones continued on through the dimly lit tunnels for a few minutes. Somewhere, distant drips and splashes of running water could be heard; a pipe or well must have been caught in the destruction.

Something was subtly changing about their surroundings as they walked. The ground felt softer. Wet. The sandstone on the sides appeared more pinkish, like flesh.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Effie made to touch the sides of the tunnel.

At that moment, a snake leapt out at Effie from an alcove. The girl reflexively phased her arm away, and a blade of compressed air from Rolynd’s Aegis sliced the snake’s head clean off. Its decapitated body twitched.

“Something is wrong,” Rolynd said. “The tunnels here… are protected by Universal Law.”

Effie gave Rolynd a concerned glance. Materialising her enchanted sword from her pocket dimension, Effie stabbed at the wall. The silver blade sank in with a steamy hiss.

“Ugh!” Effie exclaimed in disgust, retracting her sword. Strange vomit-green liquid seeped out of the wound in the wall.

Effie inspected her sword for damage. One of her enchantments showed signs of distress. Acid.

“Just what exactly is going on…?” Rolynd wondered.

From the darkness ahead came the rhythmic sound of footfalls. Something large.

There also came a second set of footfalls from behind.

“Rolynd?” Effie asked, wondering what to do.

“Give me space.”