Ace's blood froze as a chill slowly creeps in. A series of images entered Ace's mind as faint flickers of light filled his vision. He felt his soul so far from the surface. Alone. Slowly, Ace opened his eyes as the light faded.

The room is dirty and cramped. The walls and floors are made of wood. At first glance, this room looks like the building in the Dawn Grimmer. A square table filled half the room. However, there was only one wooden bowl and a glass of water.

Where is this?

He had never seen this place before, but it was all familiar. Two chairs opposite were occupied by a black-haired woman and a boy. His blood rippled as a faint smile formed between the wrinkles on the woman's face.

Ace was silent, his feet were reluctant to step even though they wanted to come closer. When the boy smiled, Ace did not doubt that it was him. Dark blue hair and sapphire irises inherited from his mother, as well as the side that Ace hates the most. At that time Ace was too young to remember the things that made his mother hate him. Too many restrictive rules. Time spent alone in the room waiting for food and inhuman demands.

You must be like your father who is dignified and has social class.

"Just eat it. We only have a few for today.” The woman's thin fingers began to gently feed her.

It was clear she wasn't his mother. Her face full of affection and love is evident in every wrinkle that appears when she smiles. Something that Ace's mother never did when he was a child.

A child ran through Ace's body as the scene changed. He was sitting on the floor with the old red carpet in the restroom. The boy arranged the bamboo blocks into a giant castle, while the woman wept at the dining room table.

The child moved to approach his mother. However, various items were thrown before the boy managed to get close. Ace wanted to approach the boy if only he could. Before he managed to reach it, the scenery had changed. He seemed to be sucked in by something cold. The blue light filled the eyelids.

In the flickering light, he saw hundreds of dragons destroying their city. Ace was wide-eyed. The dragon's powerful magic power has leveled the peaceful city. A black dragon then occupied the top of the palace, declaring victorious, as if the dragons were feasting among a pile of human corpses. On top of the shiny black dragon head, a person stood in an all-black robe. Ace gasped when the figure took off hoodies. Ace knew that man very well.

The ruins of the collapsed buildings have become the graves of the trapped people. In one of the rubble, he saw the child crying in front of the half-female that had been crushed by the building. Ace growled. For no apparent reason, something had cut a part of him. His chest tightened with anger rising.

"You're too weak to protect everyone, Ace Clauser."

The whisper seemed to hit Ace's consciousness. All memories are blurred. The rising anger pulled his consciousness deep into the cold and dark space.

Ace opened his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. Dazzling streaks of light filled his vision. He couldn't blink. His whole body ached, his skin felt frozen, like it was about to burst from his muscles and bones. He tried to scream, or at least mumble, but he seemed to have lost control of his bodily functions.

Popping sounds, whimpers, and strange shrieks filled his ears. A deep mutter echoed in his ears as if he was churning the contents of his head. He was on the edge of consciousness, feeling his body slip in and out into the dark, deep, space and was about to devour him. However, on the other hand, it was his soul that recognized the voice.

However, as the darkness and coldness took over, Ace felt warmth run through his body.

"Ace, are you awake?"

A familiar and warm voice. However, Ace couldn't see the figure even though his eyes were open. He wanted to answer, but his tongue was so numb.

"Looks like you've come to your senses."

“So, he's aware too? I thought he was dead."

"Watch your words. You've never experienced this, have you?"

"Wow, take a look. I used to be unconscious for three days, whereas this boy was almost a week. It's too late."

"So noisy."

The voices appeared, one by one, one after another, filling Ace's mind. Where is he now? Why can't he control his own body? Ace cursed inwardly. To him, who had never laid so weak like this, it was humiliating. Moreover, there might be a lot of people around him.

“Ace, can you hear me?”

Ace felt a woman's touch. Could it be Hilla? But, the touch felt softer, felt so close to him. Not like the touch he had known a while ago. There was strange energy flowing through her body. The pain all over his body slowly faded away. After a few minutes, his vision returned to normal. The streak of blinding light turned into a beam of sunlight that hit his face. The energy disappeared, replaced with a sudden hug that made Ace flinch.

"You finally awake, Ace!"

Hugs removed. Ace could see the face of the woman who was looking at him from above. A woman he knew very well. At first, Ace wished he had returned to his world. Then this woman said that everything was just a dream... However, this woman was wearing a long white robe and black high boots. It wasn't Hilfheim's outfit. The sleeveless robe couldn't cover her pale skin, which was dotted with bruises and scars.

Allura.

She's here.

Ace looked at Allura, impatient to hear what the woman had to say. Allura sat across from him with her head down, her hands intertwined.

“When I was about to meet you, I saw this phenomenon happen. A little boy was hit by a train and no one saw him. Without thinking, I was about to approach him, hoping to help the boy. But….” Allura was silent with trembling hands. From the sidelines of his short, flowing hair, Ace could see the woman's frightened face. "He disappeared before I got close to him."