The clock had struck a cold chime into midnight as the guests of Astrea sat still around a warmth coming through a fireplace. Warmth was needed. The magnificent Magician's Manor still had holes, even after Axel Astrix had filled some up, and the group itself had a huge load of uncertainties among them too. Alsop and Maxwell found themselves reunited with the general and Axel, all four sat in a timid awkward air. The emotions that oiled within them would suit a painter’s palette of colours for centuries. This was because of their disparity. Alsop was in sheer confusion. His face was a blank white, having no understanding of his environment - the events had simply stunned him. Maxwell was in bitter defeat. His face was a bruised purple, as he had surprisingly fought Envy alone - a decision that proved punishing. The general was glowing with gold charm, he seemed optimistic, having found safety from the evil clutches of Envy. Axel was blue to the eyes. A tear or two had fallen from him whenever he drew thought to the lack of fight he put up to stop Envy from taking Elsa.

"So where do you think he's gone?" Axel asked with an eye on the glistening moon shining against a window.

"It is not where he is, but where we are. We will find him." Said Maxwell with determination.

"He will not find my father, he has no clue about his whereabouts." Said Alsop with confidence that the crows of the night cawed at.

"No. I do not mean to alarm you all, but he has something that can tell him exactly where Alsop's father is." Said Isaac, with guilt tarnishing him.

"Is that why he ran then, perhaps?" Asked Maxwell.

"No. When I looked into his eyes, he seemed terrified by something." Said Axel, his mind plagued in remembrance.

"But he might use what Isaac has mentioned to find my father!" Exclaimed Alsop.

"The chances are low, Alsop. He already used it to find Victoria Magika. Doing that cost him several years of his life." Said Isaac.

"He wants vengeance. I do not think he cares what it takes anymore." Said Maxwell.

"Argh! I just need to speak to her. Why is she taking so long?" Alsop burned with impatience, as through a thick door of fine oak, Victoria and Thomas had been spending time together.

"They wouldn't happen to be...you know?" Isaac smirked with thought.

"What? What are they doing?" Asked Axel with curiosity.

"You wouldn't understand. I think you're far too dense for these kinds of things." Chuckled Isaac.

The general continued to tease Axel to lighten the mood, but while this had been happening, the couple through the walls had been thinking. The two were sat next to an intimate fire, which burnt whispers of wood slowly, whereby they carefully thought about their choice of words. This had been their first chance together alone. A chance where they could elope about the perished past the two once enjoyed together. The moment of silence between them was brief once Victoria shuffled about within her seat and clasped her companion's hands - locking eyes with him for further warmth and confidence.

"I'm sorry...I'm so terribly sorry..." She outpoured in guilt.

"Victoria...I want to forgive you already..." Thomas pulled her close and gave a kiss to her forehead. "But what you did was entirely selfish!" He brashly exclaimed, pulling his lips away painstakingly.

"Selfish?" Muttered Victoria, her eyes dropped to her metal hand, a shaking perfection. "You would not understand the pain, this pain! It makes me so, so very ill!" She cried out.

"Your pain was caused by me. So, you took all the burden, by wiping my memory? It is understandable, but so unfair!" Thomas replied with guilt paining him.

"No, you did not do this to me. You were under the influence of Wrath." Quickly replied Victoria with reassurance.

"Wrath. I will kill him. He has Elizabeth. He has our daughter! Our daughter!" Thomas' expression went sour at the thought.

"Yes. She is all alone out there. Only myself, and now you as well, know of her existence." Victoria replied with a sad stutter to her words.

"About that. Why did you wipe everyone else's memories? They were there at the Battle of Columbus too, I remember." Thomas returned to his senses, with words of formality.

"Your memory is not entirely great then? The guardians were there, but they were trying to stop us." Victoria replied with a tremor of guilt that resonated between the two of them.

"I see. With Max here, it is best not to mention anything then. He could imprison us, or even kill us." Gravely said Thomas.

"Nobody will remember, even if you bring it up to them. Certain things I have blocked out so strongly, even you will struggle to remember." Victoria's reply was so riddled with guilt, her hands masked her face.

"You handled the problem wrong, Victoria." Sighed Thomas.

"It was to protect someone I love. Argh! I don’t even understand how you found me out. That memory spirit should not have reminded you." Victoria's feelings had condensed into frustration.

"It did more than remind me, it cleared my mind from most of those horrible voices." Said Thomas with relief.

"Most of them?" Victoria looked towards him in surprise.

"One voice remains. Alister Sinclair." Said Thomas.

"I think I may know who that is." Muttered Victoria.

"You do?" Pondered Thomas.

"Well, not me. Alsop Dusseldorf may know." Said Victoria.

"Well, it is a slight pain." Thomas scratched his head.

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"The voice? Come to me." Said Victoria.

Victoria began to glow with a golden warmth like that of the fireplace, until her hand pressed against his forehead, tending the broken mind with magic that mended the mess within him. The sense of rejuvenation that Thomas felt was sensational. The voice cleared into silence, and a smile finally struck his face. With this smile, he quickly went in to surprise his healer, by giving her a subtle kiss to the lips. Shock had hit her until she embraced him calmly. But Thomas soon gained particular suspicions. Why could she have not healed his pains earlier? The cold thought ran through his veins until he felt obliged to stop charming her.

"Mmm Victoria...that is enough. I have to speak with the others." He quickly jumped from his seat, leaving Victoria in hunger for more.

"I missed times like this the most." Victoria replied with her eyes floating to the fire.

"Yes, me too I suppose. You have been what's missing in my life." Thomas' reply stood with him as he began to depart, but Victoria's refusal to move an inch gathered his mind.

She had been bent over the fire, and a small, tearful cry left her eyes uncontrollably. Most of her face was hidden, but the same could not be said for her feelings. Her lover quickly realised this, having rushed to her side without hesitating. With one turn, she hugged him tight. And after a moment of prolonged silence, she looked at his eyes with a level of unhappiness that flustered him to feel the exact same way.

"Why can we not go find her now?" She asked him, her teary eyes meeting his.

"Elizabeth? We will soon, I promise. But now, we have to help the others." Thomas' reply came with a bite to the lip.

"No, we do not. We could run away from all of this danger." Victoria's pearlescent blue eyes had sparkled with haunting desperation.

"Listen to your words, Victoria." Thomas' reply was brief.

"I want to get away from here. With you." Confessed Victoria.

"I wish we could, and we will. We must find Envy first though. Once I know he is captive, we are free." Affirmed Thomas.

"Finding Envy. What if one of us does not make it? We do not know when one of us will die, I want to live my best years with you and Elizabeth." Cried out Victoria.

"Our best years can be spent together, protecting each other. I will always protect you, and you will always protect me." Said Thomas.

"Sometimes we may not be able to protect each other. What then?" Victoria pressed against him firmly.

"We protect those around us. We are the best at what we do, Victoria, so we must offer our services to the weak." Said Thomas.

"What if one of us is weak?" Mumbled Victoria.

"Nonsense! The two of us strong, and together we are greater." Said Thomas.

"But..."

Victoria and her desperation had ceased immediately as a pound to the door thudded their loud love into shallow silence.

"Victoria, you wouldn’t happen to let me and Alsop in, would you? The others are getting quite heated over nonsense." Maxwell asked through the thickness of the door.

"You should go." Quickly, Victoria readjusted herself, wiping her face with her sleeves.

"Victoria..." Thomas' hand hovered over the door handle with hesitation.

"We will talk later, okay?" Victoria gave a smile, something which Thomas could not help but think was deeply troubling.

Pushing the door handle, the outside of the room shined upon the two of them, a gleaming light of goodness that disgruntled them. Blocking this light, Maxwell gently entered with Alsop beside him. A brief hesitation lingered with Thomas, until he let the two in, with himself leaving the room. It had been true, Isaac and Axel were arguing over the smallest of things, and Thomas had no escape from this. The door behind him was now slammed shut. Taking a seat where presumably Maxwell or Alsop had been sitting, he divided the two by his blade. The blade had been pulled from his back and slammed into the table - but so finely, that only a slight shimmer of an echo was made. In seconds, it began to channel with a white string of energy.

"Are you okay?" The general asked with agitation.

"No. I need a drink." The reply was so charged with energy, the general submissively poured him a glass out of goodwill.

"Is there any reason for the sword...?" Nervously asked Axel.

"You two do not charge your drinks up?" Asked Thomas, as he blasted his drink with a snap of lightning to his finger.

"Are you supposed to?" Axel pondered.

"Right...? Well, Axel. What were we on about?" Asked Isaac.

"No." Thomas sharply interrupted them. "I need to ask you something, Axel Astrix." He said.

"Me? Of course. Go ahead, I'd love to answer anything you have for me. You are someone I'd never actually think I'd meet." Axel replied with eager eyes.

"I hope you felt the same way about me." Faintly said Isaac.

"Talk to me about magic. I want to know specifically about magic to do with the mind and body." Said Thomas coldly, his mind was vague on what he wanted to know exactly.

"Magic on the mind and body, you say?" Axel tilted his head in minor confusion.

"I wonder, is it possible to breach a person's field of magic?" Asked Thomas, his lips indulging his drink.

"Ah." Axel shuffled in his seat. "That is not exactly a thing a person should be doing." He awkwardly muttered.

"Perhaps so. But is it possible?" Asked Thomas with intrigue.

"It certainly is." Replied Axel timidly.

"Then, for me. Breach into the magic field of Victoria Magika." The demand Axel received had stunned both himself and the general beside him entirely.

"What? What are you asking me to do?" Exclaimed Axel in disbelief.

"I need to find something out. She is hiding something from me." Said Thomas.

"But you are asking too much of me. Her magic is far more advanced than mine. She would fight me off in seconds." Axel nervously chuckled.

"Well, I would not mind helping you. If it is possible." Said Thomas.

"No. I think I know a way that would work. Though I cannot say what you have planned is morally correct." Said Axel.

"Even though she has done things which are morally incorrect?" Said Thomas, his eyes turning cynical.

"What - what do you mean? What relation do you have with her?" Stuttered out Axel.

"What are you hiding from us, Thomas?" Asked Isaac.

"It is not me. She is hiding things. Is that not enough for you?" Asked Thomas.

"Well, if she is hiding things...I want to know what they are!" Axel exclaimed. "I - I hate her for being tiers above me in her magic. She is far too gifted, yet she rarely uses her magic anymore!" He added with a jealous clench of his fists.

"It is for that reason I want you to explore her magic, Axel Astrix." Said Thomas.

"Huh? So, you feel the same way?" Pondered Axel.

"Certainly not. I am not a jealous fool. I am an insecure idiot." Scoffed Thomas, sipping his drink.

"So, what do you wish to know?" Asked Isaac.

"I came here, to Astrea, seeking help for my pains. These pains, they were something she could not heal with her magic - she said so herself. Yet just now, she relieved me of my pains." Said Thomas.

"Perhaps she was tired earlier?" Suggested Isaac.

"No, it cannot be. She was certain she has no magic to heal it. She is hiding something about her magic, and you. You. Axel Astrix. You will find out what it is." Said Thomas, as he firmly pressed his finger into the nervous Axel Astrix's forehead.