Griff awoke in an awkward position. He blinked over and over as he attempted to grasp his senses.

“Amph Ish dreasin’?” Griff said.

He fumbled about to sit upright, his vision distorted. Banging resounded from his walls and front door, along with shouting. He cursed them out in unintelligible gibberish until they stopped. He shook his head while picking up empty bottles until finding one with some alcohol remaining, chugging it immediately. Meanwhile, one of the passenger doors of the drone opened while the other jammed on the wall. He dragged himself to his feet, his vision slowly focusing. He placed a hand on the drone as he steadied himself.

“Th’ fuck?” He shuffled to the open door. “Yu…” He stifled a dangerous belch. “…na?” She had rolled to the edge, slightly hanging onto the floor, still unconscious. He glanced around, his vision at last steadying. He spotted the carved word. “Hori…Horizon?” He stared blankly for a while, then appeared to wake from his stupor. “God damnit, Leon.”

Griff stumbled back to the table. He used one arm to balance while the other shifted through the remaining pills and knocked away further bottles. He then grabbed a handful of pills before looking around the immediate area. He bent and picked up the revolver awkwardly. He stood back up, placed the pills on the table, and then slammed the butt of the revolver onto them a few times. Just as they were ground into powder, the revolver went off, firing a bullet into the ceiling. He barely reacted.

“Ah, shit.” He tossed the revolver aside, then bent down and snorted the powder. “Fuuuuuck.” He shot upwards, his eyes wide open and bloodshot. His entire demeanor had changed in an instant, now appearing energetic and alert. “Good thing this shit hole has so many vacancies.” He glanced at the bullet hole. “Least I think no one lives up there…” He turned back to Yuna, and the crashed drone, while glancing at the hole it hung from in the windowed wall. “Yep. Fuck. Wasn’t hallucinating. Surprised my fucked brain remembered that promise, though.” He stared at the etched words. “Did you really kick the bucket, you bastard? The hell could’ve happened? To think you’d call in this promise when I’m at the brink again. What’re the fucking odds?” He laughed in an unhinged manner.

A short time later, in the early morning darkness, Griff, now sloppily clothed in his usual attire, cradled Yuna at his chest in front of his car in a garage. Sweat dripped from his strained face as he shook while lowering her into the backseat. He withdrew, exhaling deeply as he caught his breath and leaned against the car.

“Christ almighty. Don’t think I could’ve lifted her without being primed. Damned girl’s solid muscle.” Griff pulled out and lit a cigarette, taking a drag. He then patted his coat pockets. “Well, I wouldn’t have gotten the deposit back, anyway. Hopefully won’t have to abandon you, though.” Griff caressed the car hood before getting in. He then started the car. “Better top myself off, driving and all.” He dabbed some powder on his backhand, then snorted it.

A little time later, Griff drove through the streets of Lyrsium. Yuna remained unconscious in the backseat. He tossed a lighter aside, then rifled through his glove box until pulling out another. He lit a cigarette before cracking his window.

“Suppose I could tell them I’m coming, just be vague about it. Yeah,” Griff said. He glanced to the rear-view mirror, then tilted it, unable to see Yuna until suddenly a knife hung at his throat.

“Who the fuck’re you and where are you taking me?” Yuna asked. Griff continued to drive, taking a drag on his cigarette, but otherwise calm.

“Whattya mean? It’s Griff, ya fucking brat. Didn’t see any serious damage. You take a blow to the head? And where the hell were you hiding that?”

“What? Griff? Really?” Yuna’s expression turned sour as she reeled back. “You fucking reek, old man.”

“Do I?” Griff sniffed at his armpit. He flicked his cigarette out the window. Then, while looking at the road, pulled out a spray can from the glove box and tossed it to Yuna. “Should be enough in there to douse me. Might’ve been a spell since I showered. Didn’t seem appropriate in the circumstances.” Yuna didn’t hold back, drenching Griff in deodorizing mist. “Christ girl, watch the eyes. I’m driving.” She sniffed at him, finding the smell tolerable enough to lean off to the middle.

“How’d I end up here? What’s going on? What was I last doing?”

“No goddamned clue. You should know more than me.” Griff quickly summarized his side of events. “Headin’ to Vyxora now. As to why me, repaying a debt to Leon. Long story.”

“Pops?…pops…shit! Fuck! Goddamnit!” Memories of the night flooded Yuna’s mind until she recalled the fading of her consciousness with Leon’s arm around her neck. “Reina! Call Reina! Now!” She hopped into the front seat, then looked at the center dashboard.

“Cool your jets. Was about to before you woke up. And be careful, my patch job was half-assed at best, don’t start bleedin’ everywhere.” He typed away at a touch screen.

“The fuck, don’t you have voice commands?”

“Eh.” Griff shrugged.

“Griff? You finally called,” Reina said. “But couldn’t have picked a worst time. I’ve been trying to reach Yuna and Papa and—.”

“About that—.”

“Reina! Listen!”

“Yuna?”

Yuna frantically explained the events leading up to that moment, though only in the broadest strokes, especially with her impaired memories. She pleaded for Reina to focus all efforts on locating Leon.

“O-Okay! On it!” Reina said. I’ve never heard Yuna like this. Please be okay, Papa. My head’s going a mile a minute, but there’s no time to—.

“We’re almost there,” Griff said. “Tell Celeste to ready the medkit.”

“What? Yuna’s hurt?”

Yuna punched Griff’s shoulder, hard. “I’m fine, it’s just a few scratches! Focus on Pops!”

Christ, I even felt that while primed, Griff thought. How the fuck am I gonna follow through on getting them to leave Lyrsium? Your family loves you way too much, Leon. I don’t like my chances.

Over an hour later, Artemis slept in her bed within her apartment. She awoke, then shifted into a seated position with her feet on the floor. She tapped the air, answering a call from Aelfric that appeared in her IRIS.

“Aelfric?” Artemis asked, her tone lower than usual.

“My sincerest apologies for waking you at this hour, Lady Artemis, I—,” Aelfric said.

Artemis shook her head, as if to discard her drowsiness. “Spare me, Aelfric. You’ve never called this emergency number once. Let alone contacting me at this hour. That conveys the gravity. Speak. To the point.”

A brief silence hung until Aelfric spoke. “I’m humbled by your understanding, my Lady. I’ll skip to my query. Do you know where Siegfried’s primary headquarters are?”

“I do. Why would you ask such a thing?”

“Sparing ‘how’ I learned of this, Siegfried attacked Leon and Yuna Vyx.” Aelfric quickly summarized what he’d learned of the events that had transpired only a few hours prior. “To this end, I see this as an opportunity to gain leverage over the Vyx while removing Siegfried from our path. With your permission and information, I will eliminate him.”

“I do not question your ability. However. Does the fact Siegfried bested two - whose skill you’ve recognized throughout your surveillance - not imply his enhancements provide a great deal of prowess? This incident negates our theory that he lacked such combat capabilities.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“My intention is to fight alongside Yuna.”

“Ignoring for a moment how you plan to achieve that, what makes you think she wouldn’t turn on you? You won’t be able to hold back.”

“I’m confident she will set aside our past to ensure Leon’s safety.”

“Hmm.” Artemis paused. “In a worst-case scenario, Siegfried could capture you. You would jeopardize my entire life’s work. Do you comprehend this risk? What you ask of me?”

“I would slit my own throat or swallow my tongue without hesitation before I let that happen, my Lady.” Aelfric paused. “However, I’m confident the benefits far outweigh the risk. I’d like to put forth that we revive ‘Phase Ultra’ - with Yuna as the key figure. We can leverage this incident.”

“Oh? How unexpected.” A few quiet seconds passed. “You’ve changed, Aelfric.”

“Changed? I don’t follow, my Lady?”

“I’d be hard-pressed to ever recall you taking initiative. All these years, it’s always been simply following my orders, unless I solicited your opinion.”

“No, I. My apol—.”

“Silence. I didn’t say it was negative. It’s welcome, to be frank. The truth is, I’ve contemplated the same possibility. I will allow it. However, while you’re not technically lying, you’ve clearly given this a great deal of thought. I know you have an ulterior motive.” Aelfric opened his mouth to speak. “Don’t.” He heard her voice in his head, though she did not speak. “I can guess. But ultimately, as long as I don’t have reason to question your resolve toward my goal, it doesn’t matter.”

“I’m unworthy of such trust, my Lady. Thank you.”

“Moving on. How do you possibly plan to convince her?”

“Please forgive my impudence for the following. I would like to reveal my involvement with Reina’s incident. While I intend to be as vague as possible, I know this may be taboo in your eyes. I’ve failed to think of a more effective solution to convince her with time so critical.”

Artemis sighed. “My unpleasant feelings aside, this would complicate things further. You do not even know for sure Leon’s been captured.” She sighed again.

“I can’t refute that. Yet, with what we know of Siegfried, he can be surprisingly impatient at times. Therefore, I fear caution at this time could squander the leverage we would gain over Vyx.”

“With a more dire goal fueling her, Reina may be able to locate him on her own. Do you agree?”

“I wouldn’t underestimate her. However, I still believe now is the most opportune, especially if Siegfried neglects to repair himself, assuming they have inflicted some damage.”

Artemis chuckled softly.

“Lady Artemis?”

“I’m starting to think you prepared these arguments in advance. So be it. I trust you’ll not fail me.”

“Every fiber of my being will be put on the line, my Lady.”

Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location, Leon awoke in a surgical chair. He blinked, wincing at the bright lights cascading over him. His vision focused a bit as he shifted an arm. He felt restraints press down on him. He turned his attention toward a sensation on his right arm. Siegfried, seated, wrapped bandages around a sizable gash. His usual digital face instead showed a chaotic ever-changing swirl of colors.

“You’re awake,” Siegfried said. “You’ll have to forgive me for the poorly applied aid. This would be a first for me. You’re quite the sturdy fellow, though. It’s remarkable you not only survived, but with so minor damage. Perhaps a few broken things. Oh, and, you weren’t paralyzed in the collapse. In fact, this wound is from a rare moment of anger, to which I threw one of my rapiers. So very vexing.”

Siegfried finished the bandage application and stood. Leon’s eyes followed in a haze. Only darkness lay behind the bright lights focused on him. Various machines and devices were strewn about, along with several tables. Siegfried picked up a scalpel from a table littered with medical instruments. He returned to Leon, then stabbed him in the thigh. Leon gave no reaction. Siegfried chuckled.

“You’re something special. Sure, you don’t feel pain anymore since I’ve purposefully severed your spinal cord, but to not even wince at such a sight? I may have to rethink my plans. It’d be a waste. But yes, you heard right, I’ve removed the use of your legs. I’ve every intention of overestimating you after last night’s events. It’s morning now.”

A snap emanated from Siegfried. A few cultists approached, attaching various devices that resembled ALTR gear to Leon. Siegfried interacted with a few nearby devices.

“I was told you were a man of few words, but I’ve yet to meet a tongue I couldn’t loosen. You know, you’ve proven quite the troublesome quarry, although. Countless of my faithful were crushed, maimed, etcetera. This has become a rather expensive job. They can only be replaced so quickly. I’m left with a relative few, as the others scramble to clean up our mess. Hmm. Perhaps I’ll enlighten you?”

Back in Reina’s basement room, a feed of burning stone showed in one corner of the monitors. The theater had been utterly reduced to rubble, collapsed inward, and now flames singed its remains. Reina-cat appeared laser focused on several various feeds. Dante tapped away, far quicker than usual, beside her. Griff’s coat and hat lay in a corner of the room. At the same time, Celeste exited Dante’s room, following Griff, who beckoned her to an opposite corner.

“Thanks, hun,” Celeste said. “Let me know right away if her shoulder starts bleeding again. Finish wrapping her arm. She should be okay otherwise, for now.” She then moved to where Griff waited. “What could possibly be important enough to interrupt me? And…” Her expression soured at the overwhelming odor exuding from Griff. “…almighty, Griff, did you bathe in cologne?”

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Griff said. “But listen, Leon would’ve only done what he did if he wasn’t confident in escape. For him to send Yuna to me with that message. You know how he prepares. Well, over a decade ago, he roped me into agreeing to ‘Horizon’.”

“‘Horizon’? Would you just get to the point? You’re assaulting my senses.” Celeste appeared agitated.

“The short of it, I’m supposed to take you three out of town, far away.” Griff explained various steps, safe houses, and more had long been setup by Leon in advance. “Leon must’ve thought you’d all be in danger and—.”

“That it? No.” Celeste walked away.

Griff slouched with an exasperated sigh. “Fucking.” He shook his head. “Knew it’d turn out like this. Hope you’re not dead you bastard. I’ve got enough ghosts haunting me.” He patted his clothes, searching for his cigarettes.

Meanwhile, in Dante’s room, Aelfric finished wrapping a bandage around Yuna’s forearm. She sat still, in a tank top, on the bed. Her eyes were closed. He appeared abnormal, a nervous twitch to his movements.

Here I am, Aelfric thought. This’ the best time. How do I say it, though? I didn’t think of how to broach the subject. He stood and carefully peaked under the blood-soaked bandage on her shoulder. He grazed her skin a little. What the? Why’s her skin so hot? He reached to touch it, but held his hand aloft.

Damnit. Fuck. Fuck, Yuna thought. I’m so weak. I made so many fucking mistakes. God fucking damnit. Her breath quickened. Has Pops been holding back all along? I was fucking useless. Why’d he do that… Fuck! My bloods fucking boiling! God damnit Pops! She stood, knocking Aelfric aside without noticing, then strode over and punched a hole into a desk. Please be okay…

Aelfric had staggered for only a split second as he watched Yuna. They were close to the same height.

“Yuna, I’m unable to tell you how, but I know Siegfried’s most probable location,” Aelfric said, his typical demeanor returned.

“What did you just say?” Yuna turned in fury. “Who the fuck’re you? Wait. Ain’t you that guy always helping Mom? Al? Alff?”

“Alphonse. Yes.”

“Did I really hear you, right?” Yuna moved to Aelfric in a flash, grasping his collar. He gave no reaction. “Real bad time for a fucking joke, Alf.” Her rage appeared to temper at the lack of reaction from Aelfric.

“I assure you, I do not make jests. It’s understandable you would not believe me. However.” Aelfric, unflinching, explained his involvement in Reina’s restoration. Albeit, he obfuscated the story some, claiming he’d been hired, despite that making little sense. I wont give her time to think. “Please understand. I’m well aware of your temper. I’m currently not at liberty to divulge more, nor how I obtained Siegfried’s whereabouts, or my own goals and purposes prior to now. I can only say that eliminating Siegfried is of paramount importance to me.” Yuna relinquished her grip and withdrew in thought.

“Elf.”

“Pardon?”

“I think I heard ‘elf’ that night. ‘Alphonse?’” Yuna looked at Aelfric.

“My real name is Aelfric. You likely heard a loudmouth subordinate.”

“Fine. Let’s say you’re not full of shit. What else can you tell me about this Siegfried bastard?”

“Despite how careful he operates, he has displayed some impatience. I fear your father could already be under interrogation.”

Yuna paced around in a circle briefly, glancing at Aelfric, then stopped. “If you know me, at least a little, which I don’t have time to think about how; you understand I’ll literally claw your heart from your chest if you’re fucking with me, right?”

“I’m aware.” Aelfric had remained stoic throughout the entire conversation.

My head’s clearing, Yuna thought. Was a chaotic mess. I’m not cooling down anytime soon. I’ll chance it. Redemption.

“Fuck it. Let’s go.”

“To be upfront, I currently lack a means of transportation to our destination.”

“Follow.” Yuna strode out of the room.

At the same time, Celeste stood at the exit to the hall.

“Just grabbing a few things. Sure you don’t want anything, hun?” Celeste asked.

“I’m good, really,” Dante said.

“Back soon.” Celeste left.

Griff patted himself down in a corner as Yuna entered Reina’s area. She spotted Griff’s coat, then dug out a pair of keys and tossed them to Aelfric. She moved to the Aegis station on the wall. A minute later, the suit covered her toe to shoulder. She strode to Dante, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder to gain his attention. He turned in confusion.

“Dante. Do me a favor and make sure Reina checks her messages in thirty minutes,” Yuna said.

“Uh, sure? You…” Dante glanced up and down the Aegis suit. “…leaving?”

“You turned out to be a decent mistake.” Yuna gave Dante a playful light slap on the cheek. “Thanks.” She left the room, and Aelfric followed.

“Uh. What?”

Yuna and Aelfric made their way through the basement hallways. Near the stairs to the courtyard, Val held a box at her chest while issuing commands via her IRIS. She only noticed Yuna once they were mere steps away.

“Yuna? How’re you doing?” Val asked. Yuna locked an intense gaze with her. “Suit? What’re you—?” Yuna interrupted Val with a long, passionate kiss. As Aelfric slipped by, the box tumbled to the ground with a light thump. Val appeared stunned as their lips separated. Yuna followed Aelfric up the stairs.