"Kaid, it's been two days. Eat," Mara knelt in front of him, holding the steaming bowl of soup. The smell alone made his stomach growl and howl for it, a roasted beef with various vegetables, perhaps a sturdy broth to go along with it. The sight of it made his stomach ache, but his appetite was gone. Kaid felt the swelling of his cheeks, moisture rising in his mouth at the sight, and not out of delicious hunger. Kaid knew he'd more than likely throw up anything that entered his system. All he wanted to do and continued to do was lay in his bed and close his eyes, hope to never wake up again.

His silence was loud, Mara's gentle face distorting slightly into frustration. She could not stand here and watch her friend refuse to eat. He luckily drank water, but food was what would ultimately keep him alive. She had no idea what he could be feeling, as he would hardly utter a word to her, but this was getting ridiculous. None of this was her fault as she had just been following orders. Mara thought the truth would have lessened the sting of her death, but clearly not.

She was almost frustrated enough to want to pour the soup over his shoulder, spill it all over his bed where he laid and remained so for the past several hours. Instead, she placed it beside him silently, and left the tent. She expected when she would return for supper that the bowl would remain there untouched. Mara walked through the camp, everyone in high spirits, except Mara. Conflict resonated in her soul. On one hand, her mission was somewhat accomplished. On the other, it deeply wounded a friend, a friend who had the most comforting laugh, smile, and embrace. And she'd receive neither of those things upon this responsibility. Being a leader was hard, she wasn't meant for it. Kaid could have been a great leader, but there's no way in hell Bashir would have enlisted Kaid to this cause.

Perhaps he should have.

Mara walked into Christine's tent, which hardly had anything in it besides sewing equipment and maybe a few books. Mara had taken a liking to the Royal Seamstress. She was mostly respectful, but unfortunately lacked any of the intelligence they had wanted when they kidnapped her. She had known not much about Vitross and its politics, but Mara would not discard her. She had her uses, but most of all, was rather innocent in all of this.

"He still won't eat," Mara explained, placing her hands on her hips.

"And? I've tried, trust me," Christine sighed, not happy with the predicament either, "I can try and shove it down his throat but...I don't want him to hate me either."

"Kaid doesn't hate me," Mara insisted, but knew that was a possibility. And perhaps that was what worried her the most. She had done this to save him, save him from his blindness and usage of being someone else's tool. And she had also hurt him. Mara had no idea what Jessamine meant to him, hell, she had no idea Jessamine was even capable of such love. But Mara knew deep down knowing that information wouldn't have changed a damned thing.

Christine's glance only made Mara less assured.

"Kaid doesn't hate anyone, at least, the Kaid I knew didn't. Other than maybe some Caladin Guards..." Mara whispered, so unsure of everything right now. Their objectives were clear, so why did everything seem so muddled? Christine felt some sympathy for the woman. All Mara had talked about was Kaid, wondering if he was okay, what he was like since his escape. From what Christine had given her, he seemed the same Kaid she had known him to be. But now? Christine wasn't quite sure.

"You're partially responsible for the death of the woman he loves. If I were you, I'd be more worried about other things than him eating," Christine insisted, almost hinting that she should be careful around him, "I know exactly how he's feeling. He just needs time, besides, you lack evidence-"

"You know exactly how he feels?" Mara asked, almost insulted.

"I do, actually. Given when your men forced me in that portal, I thought the woman I loved could be dead. It wasn't until two days ago, I found out from Kaid that Kassandra was well recovered," Christine scowled slightly, "you think I should be grateful? Grateful you kept me alive, kept me fed? Sure, I gave you nothing because I knew nothing. But don't think that just because you've been friendly, that there's an ounce of loyalty. You could have gone for Payne-"

"We did! We did, we had the perfect plan and Kaid ruined it. Months of building a successful poison, and Kaid ruined it with a fucking orange peel!" Mara shouted, immediately silencing herself to change her tone, "We tried everything to remove him first, but now it came to this. I have a son to take care of, mouths to feed, a life of prison to avoid."

"Do you know what it feels like?" Christine asked, her finger fondling a sewing needle between her indexes.

"Care to elaborate?"

"The death of someone you love. It's shattering. It's like breaking a mirror, a solid piece of glass now turned into a thousand tiny pieces. The reflection is not the same, and no matter how hard you'd try to put it back together, it remains fractured. There will be a bitterness inside him, and it will either grow onto his soul like mold or he'll force himself to move on. At least I had a bit of faith to go on, that I didn't know how injured she was. Kaid has none of that," Christine explained, "You love your son, and it's unfathomable to believe something bad will happen to him. But, you're foolish to think you can play sides and end up on top."

Shouts could be heard rising in the camp, mostly surprised gasps or screams for help. The noise tore Mara and Christine away from their conversation, both of them heading towards the sound of the noises. A crowd blocked her view, Mara pushing through as she realized it was right outside Kaid's tent.

Kaid was fighting four of the guards, his fists clenched and already bloodied. Mara noticed one of her men on the ground, although his face was hardly recognizable. It had been pummeled, bones crushed in, more blood than skin showing. The only way she was able to recognize him was by the royal rings on his fingers. Mattias. Fuck. Kaid had killed him, and he didn't seem like he would stop now.

Despite their weapons, the guards were hesitating to hurt him, which Kaid took full advantage of, throwing his fist any chance he got, his screams of rage filling the quiet desert air. It wasn't until more men intervened, grabbing Kaid from behind to hold his arms back. A guard immediately forced the wooden blunt edge of his spear into his gut, knocking the air out of him. Memories flashed back to Mara who had witnessed numerous beatings in Caladin, mostly groups of men finding one victim to thrash around, beat to a pulp out of enjoyment. She could hear her guards laughing, mimicking what they probably had done in Caladin years ago. Not all of Caladin was full of misfortunate souls. No. The Confederacy was filled with testosterone raged bullies, those who preyed on the weak out of mere entertainment. And now, she watched the man who had prevented so many of those beatings getting one himself.

"Stop! Mara, tell them to stop!" Christine begged, watching her friend get beaten senselessly. She had moved to go try and help Kaid, pry the men off him but was held back against her will.

When Mara blinked, Kaid's body had collapsed on the ground, feeling the force of boots upon every edge of his body. It wasn't until one sharp kick to the head that he lost all consciousness, and Mara felt she needed to intervene.

"That's enough. Stop," she demanded, feeling rage herself. She didn't know if it was mere residual anger from the fight she witnessed, as if Kaid had transferred the emotion over to her. It could have been built from her earlier conversation with Christine. In reality, it was everything that she had bottled up in her life that brought her to this moment, and she was this close to letting it all out with a fireball of rage.

Men ran to Mattias' body, who in fact was not responding and given the sight of him, dead. From the looks of it, he never had time to draw his sword out. Kaid had caught him off guard. Mara had no personal reason to hate Mattias, as he had always been a stellar soldier who followed the rules. But given his past with Jessamine, and a few other women, and given her own experience with such assault, she had judged Mattias carefully. Kaid, however, had been judge, jury, and executioner for the Lungor royal...death handed to him by his own cousin.

They were able to drag Kaid back to his tent, finding the main center wooden pole to restrain him to. He regained some slight consciousness, and the first thing he had was a slight smirk on his lips, spitting out blood. The bruised ribs and slightly dislocated shoulder was worth the blood spilt.

"This is all your fault," one of the guards looked at Mara, "Mattias is dead because of this. If we had just properly restrained him in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. But you felt the enchanted cuffs were enough. This man is a killer. Look what Vitross made him."

"Vitross didn't do this to me," Kaid mumbled in response, still holding that slight grin. All the rage, all the strength it took to do that, and all the pain of consequence to come after...to Kaid, it was well worth it. He had wished they only killed him in response.

"What happened?" Mara asked, glancing at the guard, who clearly seemed to be some sort of witness. Her eyes noticed the bowl of soup on the floor was empty, emptied entirely. Kaid had eaten the entire damn thing.

"He said he needed to take a piss. So, we escorted him a bit towards the tree, the one everyone else pisses on. Mattias walked over, said a few words-"

"I want specifics, not a summary," Mara demanded. At this time, Christine had arrived with a warm bowl of water and cloth, kneeling beside Kaid to tend to his wounds. She was just relieved he was still alive. Just seeing him of all people, someone who protected others, getting beat and kicked around like that was gut wrenchingly horrifying.

The guard hesitated but nodded, "Look, the guards were spreading rumors he was fucking with the Empress. Seeing as the celebrations hit him hard, a lot of us take the rumor as true. So...we made a couple innuendos about his...cock. It was just all jokes. We meant them more towards the Empress, not Kaid. And then Mattias came over and mentioned how he had loosened the Empress up for Kaid to allow such a thick...you get the meaning. Kaid lost it. None of us were expecting it. They were just jokes, Mara, and Mattias got beat to death because of it."

"You think he would've learned the first time," Mara sighed, actually feeling no sympathy for Mattias, "we will have to inform the Emperor. I doubt he will care, as he sent Mattias here out of punishment rather than Caladin. But we are still awaiting new orders. Keep three guards here at all times. And don't ever do that again. Bashir wants him alive. Now go clean up that mess."

"Mess? How many more men will he kill before you understand? There are lives at stake-"

"Mattias was a criminal, one who didn't care how many lives he ruined. I don't care if you were friends-"

"We're all criminals here, Mara. Or did you forget that? Our good intentions for the Emperor change nothing. The fact you have a child changes nothing. You were picked to lead us for a reason, don't let him be your weakness," the guard spat, moving to leave.

Mara wanted to tear her raven hair out, give into the rage Kaid had done. She couldn't blame him, she really couldn't. The joke was tasteless and certainly not good timing. To be honest, the world wouldn't miss Mattias. A lot of women could sleep peacefully at night knowing he was dead.

"Fuck, Kaid," Mara shook her head, leaving herself before she slapped him a new one. She couldn't stand the sight of him, especially looking slightly beaten up like that. She needed a break from it all.

Kaid swallowed the blood in his mouth, not finding it the least disgusting. If anything he almost had missed the bitter flavor. He didn't feel any hesitation or doubt over what he had done. Mara was right, nobody really would miss that rat. Kaid took great pleasure in removing him from this earth and sending him to whatever hell the boy had believed in. Kaid cared less about the jokes. Mattias had taken the bait.

"What the hell, Kaid?" Christine whispered, cleaning the largest cut across his forehead that bled the most, "You look like shit."

"You should see the other guy..."

"Glad your humor is still intact," she rolled her eyes slightly, mostly just relieved he was okay. A bit shaken up, but still okay. "Kaid...I'm sorry about Jessamine-"

"Don't be," he wheezed slightly, spitting blood, "It's ok. I...I think she's alive."

"What? How?"

Because just before Mara had delivered him that soup, he had awoken from a dream. The same old, bloody and betrayed dream.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jessamine laid on the grass hill, hand grasping her wound in hopes it wasn't bleeding as she gazed up at the stars. She could swear she could feel droplets of blood breaching through the stitches, but she never noticed a leak. The pain was unbearable, each movement causing the stitches to catch the bandages or stretch from merely moving around. It didn't matter though. Jessamine easily invaded her own mind, forced herself to calm down, having her brain try to ignore the neurons alerting her of pain.

Kiev crawled over to her in the dirt, taking a deep breath, "Midnight rotations are starting, guards are switching up. If we're going to do it tonight, we have to start soon."

"Okay," she whispered, taking a deep breath, "tell Bridger we are ready."

"Are you sure you're okay? You can wait here by the portal if-"

"I'm fine," she nodded, slowly moving to roll on her side, lifting to her knees, "tell him we are ready."

Jessamine eyed the camp in front of her, absolutely quiet and peaceful. Flames were being burnt out from slight celebrations, and from the looks of it, also a funeral. Payne had done well by spreading news of her death. The celebrations had left little of a sober mind, or at least a bit grogginess for those more heavy-weight in nature. All that mattered to her was Kaid.

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She heard the sound of the portal, Bridger concealing it behind a large boulder before a guard stood beside him. He nodded gently at his Empress through the dark, Jessamine nodding back. She adjusted the tan headcovering, lifting a portion over the bridge of her nose, concealing most of her face. Their objective was to try and sneak in, as best as possible. Some might have to act like they belonged, others carefully would trek through the camp in the shadows. Jessamine knew the stealth wouldn't last forever, but she had to take advantage of the limited time.

It didn't last as long as she liked. Jessamine and her men killed the first wave of men they approached, which resulted in widespread panic. Instilling actions via her Oblivion was the hardest, as it completely removed free will. Emotions, however...they were much easier to spread like a plague. Jessamine found every mind she could, injecting fear into their minds. Those still asleep would be confronted with nightmares, and those awake would sadly have to face it.

The camp turned into a chaotic battle, Jessamine's forces catching all of them unaware. Instead of grabbing their weapons and fighting, most of the Confederacy ran northbound, probably towards the temple to regroup,. More than likely they were looking for their portalist to get them all out of here. As long as Kaid wasn't amongst that group, Jessamine didn't care if they fled.

The dark sky lit up as a stream of fire started to divide the camp in half, separating the forces temporarily. Given how quick it ignited, Jessamine assumed it had been Oblivion. Kiev managed to counter it, an icy blast splitting the flame wall in two to allow more forces to pile. Jessamine did her best to keep her head on a swivel, her blade high, and eyes steeled for any sign of Kaid. Her mind scanned the Confederate souls escaping for any sign, but didn't find much.

Seeing a tent with fabrics laid carefully aside, there was only one person she could think of: Christine. Jessamine wiped the blood off her blade, watching her men push forward as she entered the tent. Christine was nowhere to be found, as the tent was empty. But it was indeed her. Jessamine could tell from the craft alone, the stitching of these makeshift uniforms it had been her work. Shit. The tent didn't look a mess, as if she were in a hurry or taken out from sleep. She couldn't have gotten far.

A noise distracted Jessamine as she turned to see movement hidden underneath the makeshift bed, the flap edge of the blanket quivering slightly. Jessamine held her blade steady, lifting the flap up expecting a scared Christine. Instead, she only saw a scared child, perhaps the age of six, cowering in fear, shivering at the sight. Jessamine immediately sheathed her sword, showing the boy her bare hands.

"Hey, it's alright. I won't hurt you," she assured him, slowly moving the cloth covering her lips to move down, revealing herself to him, "What's your name?"

The boy was just another poor young soul thrown into this war. There was no other reaction other than instinct that Jessamine allowed to overcome her. The boy needed protection. Whomever his parents were, it did not matter, as he shouldn't have even been here. Jessamine knew all too well the consequences of a parent's decisions. Kaid did too. So maybe, just maybe, she had a bit of a soft spot for a terrified and innocent soul.

"K-Kaid," he answered, gazing at her, "I...I can't find my mother."

"Kaid? I know a Kaid too," Jessamine smiled softly. At first she thought perhaps the boy had just known she was here for Kaid. However, just a brief entrance into his mind the boy had the same name. Odd? However, Kaid's influence was known in Caladin, where most of these people must have come from.

The roar of flames grew louder, making Kaid cower even more underneath. Jessamine knew it wasn't safe for the boy here. He could burn to death, lose oxygen, hell...maybe one of her own men would kill him amidst the fighting. Jessamine wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen.

"Here, let me help. I'll keep you safe, I promise," she whispered, offering her hand out to her.

"I...I don't know you," he glanced at the tent flap. But his eyes looked at Jessamine's hands, finding them to appear soft and delicate. It wouldn't be the first time Kaid would trust a soul so blindly, to entrust himself because that's what he would've done for anyone. Jessamine knew the boy to have a good heart, just like someone else she knew. Young Kaid took her hand, finding it softer than he could imagine as she pulled him out gently.

Jessamine let her free hand grab one of her knives, knowing just because she was in the presence of a child she couldn't remain unarmed. The boy clung to her arm gently, tears down his eyes as he tried to keep them closed. The screams of the men around them would do nothing to soothe the boy, but rather give him nightmares for years to come. This was no place for a child.

Jessamine immediately smelled the hint of graphite, pulling the boy away as the growing flames must have hit a small stockpile, sending more tents exploding and raging in fire. One of those tents just happened to be the one he was hiding in. Shit. If Jessamine hadn't gotten him out, he could've succumbed to the explosion.

"It's ok. Just hold my hand," Jessamine assured him, sensing that he knew he could have died in that explosion. They moved away from the immediate danger, Jessamine scanning the area for any place he could hide that would be a bit more secure. But as she turned a corner in the fight, another woman seemed to have her gaze everywhere, as if looking for something. Or, someone.

"Mom!" Kaid shouted hopefully at the sight. Mara gazed over to her son, finding the woman holding his hand. At that point, all thoughts escaped Mara as she was relieved her son was okay. Mara was drenched, soaking wet, the blonde hair of a guard countering every ounce of fire she could produce with ice. Luckily, Mara still got the slight better of him. All that mattered right now was getting her son out of here.

It wasn't until Mara glanced at the woman holding her son's hand tightly, that Mara froze in her steps. Mara didn't need further indication to realize the woman in front of her was Empress Jessamine of Vitross. Despite the clothes and head covering, there was no mistaking the thin jawline, small nose, and those violent blue eyes. Mara's eyes drifted to her side, seeing a stain of blood, her blood. An old wound. So, they hadn't killed her, only injured her. And here, Mara could finish it all, finish her contract. Jessamine was injured, and that was something Mara could take advantage of.

The only thing was, her son was in the way. But Mara couldn't dare let a vile woman like Jessamine use her son against her. Mara couldn't take that chance.

"Mom, this woman saved my life," Kaid tugged Jessamine along, who seemed very wary, knowing the raven haired woman before her was an enemy. A pretty dangerous one, given Jessamine was having a difficult time trying to access her thoughts.

"I wouldn't go that far-" Jessamine spoke before seeing Mara produce a wide, flaming ball just above her hand. So, she was the one who had set fire to the camp.

"Get away from my son, now!" Mara demanded.

Jessamine then realized she didn't need to use her Oblivion to figure this out. The truth of who was in front of her made her stomach twist. A black haired woman, as fiery and ferocious as the fire in her hands. Only one woman's name crossed Jessamine's mind and memory, a woman so carefully linked to the man she loved, a woman Kaid had believed Jessamine to be mirrored with. And only one woman would name her son after a man who had touched her soul.

"Mara," Jessamine spoke, although it escaped her voice more as an answer to her internal question rather than a beckoning. Mara hesitated slightly as her name was spoken, not having felt her mind be entered. Did Kaid tell Jessamine of her? How would she know this, other than maybe Payne doing his job diligently? No matter the answer, Mara couldn't let Jessamine gain a second further.

Jessamine didn't even think further on the issue. Her mind didn't even cross the idea that she could hold the boy still holding her hand hostage. Perhaps, a year ago, another Jessamine would have done so without hesitation. Perhaps she would feel her survival on the line in this very moment, and at that point, the life of a child had to be bargained and toyed with. Not this Jessamine, though. Not the real one. Such a cruel and vile thought never even brushed her mind. Jessamine let Kaid go, who immediately ran to his mother to hold.

Mara stood surprised at the action, expecting a fight. Jessamine didn't look angry, look upset. Hell, the Empress looked concerned for her son, which surprised her. She wasn't expecting any of this sympathy from the woman, let alone leisure. However, Jessamine wasn't here for a bloodbath, nor information. She was here for one reason, and one reason alone. Mara quenched her own flame, wondering if she would live to regret doing so. And what she was about to do next.

Her hand dove into her pockets, pulling out a small key before tossing it at Jessamine, seeing it land in the dirt beside her feet. Jessamine bent down, feeling the tearing of her stitches in doing so, but kept her face calm, and eyes on the enemy in front of her. The key clearly was meant for Kaid, who was probably locked up somewhere. Jessamine was surprised she had given it up so easily, however, Mara too only had one thing on her mind. Mara knew they had been outsmarted, somehow. Defeat was one thing she could accept. Losing her son, she couldn't.

"Go eastward, I do not have any men there," Jessamine assured, letting them know that would be a safe place to either hide or portal if necessary. Anywhere else was risky, given her men were attacking from those directions. Mara could easily escape heading that direction, away from this chaos.

Mara almost scoffed, her words surprising the commander, "Two hundred feet north, red tent by the tree. You'll find them there." Alive or dead, Mara wouldn't know. Her own men could have killed the prisoners upon the realization of what was happening, but she doubted it. All everyone wanted to do was save their own skin, except the empress in front of her.

Jessamine nodded, leaving without a second thought. She couldn't believe Mara was here. How was she even alive? She shook those thoughts away, knowing she was just one step closer to finding her lover amidst this mess. And that was enough hope in the world to keep going, even though each step aggravated her wound to the point of serious pain.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaid pulled at the rope, seeing it fray with each tug, despite it burning his wrists. Ever since the chaos started, Kaid knew he wouldn't have much time being tied up, especially when he could smell the aroma of burning canvas and flesh. Christine had ran into his tent, a small kitchen knife in her hands as she cut the rope, removing him of his bonds.

"Here, your things. Luckily the guards left without it," she handed him a small bag. Kaid knew it was better than nothing. Even with the enchanted cuffs, his blade should be enough. Kaid grabbed his folded blade, immediately unfolding it before his hand felt the curved usurper blade in the bag. He paused, wondering if he should leave it here. After all, maybe it belonged here. But something told him, an extra blade might come in handy. After all, Kaid had no idea who they were fighting.

Kaid gazed at Christine, who was clearly dazed by the violence. She was scared, beyond terrified. She had never heard grown men cry like this, to scream as if their nightmares were coming true. She had never seen so much blood. But she knew she had to reach Kaid, and now she had, and felt a thousand times safer with him around.

"It'll be okay. Just keep your head down, close your eyes if you have to. Grab my belt, and don't let go unless you have to," Kaid assured her, his hand squeezing her arm gently, "I'll keep you safe."

Kaid exited the tent first into the midnight madness. Half the camp already looked on the scorched side, the other half abandoned. Kaid felt Christine's hand wrapped firmly around his belt, making him wonder if she was strong and scared enough to rip the entire leather off his waist. But she remained close, Kaid leading the way, stepping over bodies or the mess of supplies. Gazing at the hills west of him, he knew that would be a good place to head to. Finding some sort of high ground to survey the area was their best shot.

They rushed through the battlefield, practically being unnoticed as most of the fighting appeared further away. The shouts of battle immediately turned into one of greater fear, men running away rather than holding their ground and fighting. These Confederate men had bragged all day about fighting, about being braver than any hired swordsmen...and now they were stumbling over each other in fear.

Mind witch!

Kaid almost paused at their scared shouts, knowing for certain that someone was here invading minds, getting them to flee. No. It couldn't be. Could it?

Christine then tugged Kaid slightly to the left, Kaid finally realizing the slight blockade in front of him. Graphite still exploded in the background, but not that of deliberate explosion or distraction. The mere fire that lingered around was setting it off, only adding more terror and chaos to this whole fight. Christine pulled him towards the perimeter wall, where Kaid immediately noticed someone turning the corner.

He grabbed the intruder, forcing them against the wall before hearing a surprised yell.

"Ow, fuck!" Jessamine shouted, pressing her blade to the man's throat, about to slice. And then she noticed who it was, immediately dropping the blade. Kaid had recognized her voice immediately, glad his first instinct wasn't to run his blade through her. It was her. Despite cloth covering most of her face, he knew those eyes, knew that soft voice. She was alive. This confirmed it, it confirmed everything.

"Gods, Jess," Kaid whispered, dropping his own blade to hold her gently. She immediately fell into his embrace, relief leaving as a sigh, her fingers tangling into his hair. Just feeling her in his arms again was the biggest relief in the world, to know that she was alright. Kaid swung her gently into the embrace, Jessamine almost feeling her feet lift off the ground, wanting nothing more than to cling to him with every fiber of her being.

"You're alive. Thank the Divines," she whispered, avoiding tears to fall down her face. When her eyes opened, she noticed Christine behind him, smiling softly at the interaction, "Christine, are you alright?" Jessamine let go of Kaid, moving to embrace her friend.

However Christine gazed at Jessamine's side, seeing the rise of blood against the white tunic. Worry immediately filled Christine, who moved to Jessamine out of concern for the Empress. Kaid immediately recognized it was the same spot as the wound that supposedly killed her.

"There's not much time. Don't worry about me," Jessamine assured them both, "let me lead the way. Christine, you stay between Kaid and I. I doubt we will meet much resistance on the way to the portal but just in case. We will have to save our touching reunions for later."

"Go," Kaid urged, picking up her dropped blade to hand to her. Jessamine took it gingerly, letting her soft eyes gaze into his own, just absolutely happy he looked alright. Well, outside a few bruises, he looked mostly unharmed. She knew deep down, given the revelation of Mara, his wounds were deep and invisible ones. But there would be time to discuss all of that later.

Jessamine led the way up the hill, each step further away from the camp. Kaid watched their behind, making sure enemies were not following after them. He knew they were far more interested in getting away, rather than getting revenge. His mind drifted to Mara, wondering if she was alright amidst this mess. She could take care of herself, and given the fire was still alive, she must be too. And hopefully, little Kaid.

Kaid hardly remembered the rest of that night, only following them, feeling his own ribs and muscles ache but he kept pushing. And with a white portal in sight, that was enough for Christine to sprint towards her long awaited freedom. Kaid took Jessamine's hand, squeezing it tightly as he pulled her in with him. When the daze of it was over, he noticed the landscape had changed from an open field to caves once more.

"Christine!" Kassandra shouted, the short haired woman immediately running into her lover. The action alone shoved Christine to the ground, who immediately wrapped her arms around her. Sounds of laughter, relief, and joy were heard, the girls touching each other as if figments of each other's imagination. Kaid smiled at their reunion, so...so grateful the both of them were alright. Kaid gazed to Jessamine, who smiled at their reactions as well.

But Kaid immediately moved to Jessamine, lifting up her shirt to see the half-stitched up wounds, the other half split and broken, blood pouring out.

"Ow, easy," Jessamine whispered, surprised at his immediate reaction to her wound, "I'm okay. I'm okay, Kaid." She didn't know how many times she had to reassure him. His eyes would gaze at the wound, then her eyes, and back down again, making sure she was alive and real.

The portal closed behind them upon everyone else finding themselves in the caves as well. Kiev looked covered in ash, wiping the black away from his face and hair before taking a head count. All ten guards were accounted for, a few with extra injuries, but none looking serious. It wasn't anything Cadize couldn't handle. Everyone looked surprised, but relieved the plan had worked.

Slow clapping could be heard, all eyes moving to the sound to find a calm Payne, a wide grin on his face. He looked relatively unharmed, which angered Kaid. How did he just let these men and Jessamine come to his rescue, and Payne stayed here, as if he sipped wine and watched the whole performance through the portal.

"I must say, color me impressed," he hummed, "I didn't think it was fathomable, even slightly possible. But oh, my powerful Empress, you continue to galvanize me. Well, don't mind me. Let me assist in preparing your arrival back home and letting everything return to normal."

Everyone in that cave knew there was no normal, no going back to what had been a semblance of normalcy. Normalcy had been a lie, a facade that Jessamine had refused to unveil. The roots of deception were ingrained in every soul here that early morning, and they had all stemmed from the same tree. Kaid knew tearing down that tree would result in ripping dangerous wounds into everyone else, including himself.

If everything that he feared was true, then there was no choice but to usurp the foundation for this manipulation and deceit.