KAI

"We have to leave immediately," Lloyd says. "It's so much more than a simple rebellion – it wasn't one to begin with. General Trajan, Trevor... I am not even sure of how many more. But one thing's certain, and that it's a trap." He seeks out the grand gates among the haze of blur not too far away from where they are, and points it out. "There. That's our escape. Perhaps we can get out of here safe and sound without anyone realising we're not among the crowd. We can still make it. Once we're out, it's nothing but the wild beyond. Even if they do send reinforcements – I have a feeling Trevor is about to reunite with Trajan soon enough – they will be unable to catch up."

"But what about Alaina?" Rose asks, worried about her friend.

"I'll go look for her, then," Lloyd says. "You can go on ahead first –"

"No!" she protests. "If you're going to do it, we all are."

Her eyes start to water, and Kai can see that Lloyd is struggling internally to find some way to comfort her. But he sees that Lloyd himself, too, is conflicted and much too uncertain now to reach out to someone else. How can one who is unable to bear the weight of the world himself shoulder someone else's? Kai understands this, he understands Lloyd completely. He's shaking, he's confused; he only wants to be at his best, to quickly devise a plan for them all to be safe despite his world breaking down. Lloyd is struggling to stay strong. They all are.

Rose starts to sob. Kai pulls Lloyd's hand and puts it on her shoulder as an act of reassuring them both.

"What Alaina said, remember?" Rose's voice cracks. The words that come out of her mouth are muffled with her own sobs. "What she said before..."

"If we fall, we fall together," Kai offers. "That's what she said."

"Yes," Lancaster agrees, speaking for the first time. "You cannot, and should not do this alone, Lloyd."

Kai notices Lancaster's eyes are distant, seeming to search for something. He gets his answer before he can even voice out his question.

"I need to look for Clyde, too, other than her highness. If what Trevor said is true, then Trajan is an enemy. And Clyde went looking for him. He might be in danger."

"What shall we do?" Lloyd asks, which surprises Kai, because he is usually the one with the most ideas and strategies. "If you know where he is, Lancaster, you should go. I think I should stand by here, to keep our escape route safe and clear for us to leave. If you find Clyde, I think you might find her highness as well. She should be nearby, she can't have gotten far."

"No," Kai intercepts. His eyes fixes on the centre of the kingdom, where the podium is. Where the red banner with the flying Pegasus should be, before it disintegrated into ashes after falling and burning down. He points over. "Is that where the giant red banner once was?"

"Yes," Lancaster says. "But why –"

"That's where she is. Alaina."

"Are you certain?" Lloyd asks, still comforting Rose, but he seems to be much more confident now.

"She told me about something like that in her dreams," Kai replies, certain. "I am sure. I'll go."

"And I shall go with you to look for Clyde," Lancaster adds without complains, questions or a hint of doubt.

Kai realises he seems to trust him more and more recently, although gradually, especially when it's concerning Alaina. But it's the same for him, too, he realises. When he's around this strange but fun group of friends he's made and come to trust eventually after going through thick and thin, he's much more relaxed. He's more of himself lately, able to let his guard down. Kai has never felt so in years.

"We should hurry."

ALAINA

Alaina grips her head hard, crouching over the ground. All she wishes is for the endless ringing to stop in her ears, the insane, unbearable resonation to cease within her mind. It's an infinite wave of chaos washing upon her, and she is in no power to stop the splitting headache that started out of nowhere after she's set the banner on flames.

Her vision blurs. A scene that isn't what her eyes are meeting comes into mind – and she is the only one who's witnessing it. What she sees is no longer what's left of the Kingdom of Theia, and instead ruins – something similar, with all the destruction, but it is undeniably elsewhere.

A destruction that's far worse than where she's standing right now.

She sees a figure, a dark shadow. Something that's oddly familiar, like the one she saw looming over the podium seconds before her body moves on her own without her consent, motoring her to tear down the banner and burn it to ashes.

The entire figure is pitch black, no different from a shadow, and all he has for eyes is two black circles darker and much more mysterious than even his very dark shadowy form.

His eyes stare straight at her, and Alaina feels like she's tearing apart just through that glare and those eyes alone. Those demanding, malicious eyes that you are unable to simply look into and just ignore – she knows she's seen it somewhere before... or at least, if not, she's sure she's seen someone who gives out a similar aura before. Perhaps it is the figure amidst the haze, around the podium.

The figure reveals his mouth – white, empty, and see-through as he spreads it into an evil grin. The sight of it is too much for Alaina to handle, and so with a shiver, she forces her eyes shut in hopes of blinking away the scene.

It changes, but only to bring her to an entirely different one. She's still not back to reality.

This time, she watches as the strong inner pillars of a lit throne room shake violently, eventually crumbling and giving out under the grand ceilings, and the world comes crashing down along with the sparkling chandeliers and all the beautiful designs painted on the infinite ceilings above.

In her vision, she is on her knees, desperately trying to shield herself from the catastrophe. Beyond her, there's that looming dark figure again, laughing hysterically, with seven other unknown figures bowing down at his feet and fatedly being crushed right before Alaina, cowering in fear of the malice of the deep voice alone as they embrace the crumbling ceilings and walls.

Behind all the unknown, she sees one thing clearly: one of the figure turns towards her, exposing a familiar face.

Alastair Rowell, the King of Theia. Her father. He smiles at her at the very last second, before disappearing forever in the chaos.

She hears herself scream, feels her own tears. She is unable to distinguish reality from a dream or an incoherent vision or some sort no longer.

She wants to wake up from this misery. Even the catastrophic scene of her beloved Kingdom of Theia can free her from such a torture. The least bad of two horrible options seems like heaven as of now.

Something shakes her. First, a gentle touch on her shoulder. Then a warm touch on her face, cupping her cheeks. And finally, a voice.

"Alaina!"

A warm, burning touch.

With a shivering gasp, she snaps out of it. Blinking hard, she is back to reality. Alaina finds herself in an indecipherable pitiful state: collapsed in on herself with tears soaking her face and her hair all messed up, on the ground with tattered and soot-covered clothes. But she isn't exactly on the ground.

Someone is holding her gently on his arms and his knees.

She lifts her head up slowly and finds glowing amber eyes.

That familiar warm, burning touch that managed to pull her back out – Kai.

"Alaina," he begins, "it's dangerous here. We have to go. Can you walk?"

Slowly but shakily, Alaina stands up with the help of Kai. He allows her to lean on him carefully, without directly touching any part of his exposed skin. She lets him lead her very slowly to what she believes is the direction of the bell tower and eventually the main gates of Theia.

She isn't exactly sure what is going on, but she understands the situation enough to know that they have to get out of here.