The bloody veil wrapping the city was crumbling and dawn was only an hour away. The Mooncallers nobility hadn't set a foot into this battle, in fact, they hardly ever did. They were the quiet observers, watching their puppets in action.

The Walker's fortress was standing tall amidst the mayhem. With Luther's protection, Carvo was able to communicate with Lalo without the fear of being attacked once again by another Mooncaller.

In the northern side of the city, Andrew was put under the intensive care of the doctors. He was suffering from blood loss and the possibility of an infected wound. Ivanka did not explain his injury as she hurried to deliver the chip to the frontier where she found the soldiers retreating while dragging the Twilight Reverie with them.

As the last hour began, and the intensity of the battle reached its peak, the walkers' confrontation with Lalo became more complicated.

I. Favorite.

"Thirty-three."

She didn't remember, but she felt it. She felt the pain of the memory, but her brain shut it away. How many times did that number shock her brain, and how many times did she feel the curiosity nag her yet she refused to pursue the truth behind it. Her name had been spoken a dozen times by people she had never seen, and yet she still wouldn't dig deeper into finding out how they knew her. The truth was unpleasant and she knew it.

The number that stirred thoughts into Abigail's unstable brain. At the heat of her moon-inflicted pain, that number made her step back in confusion, as if she had been struck by lightning once again. She looked into Lalo's stolen eyes, frowning as if she had been insulted. "I don't know you." She uttered, "And that number... I don't know it either." She walked closer to him.

"You don't remember." Lalo spoke calmly. It seemed that he was in a strange state of tranquility as if he had finally settled in that body. "But I do remember. You and I, and countless others were locked in the same area." Lalo remembered. "My memories.." Lalo held his head painfully, "They're coming back as a flood."He groaned as the siblings observed him silently.

"You've been with my sister? During the conversion? "Carvo asked, he was talking in a hopeful tone as if he had found a missing puzzle piece.

"Yes." Lalo nodded, his head felt much lighter and more stable then.

"Thirty-three...Tell me what does that number mean?" Abigail intervened, slightly threatening Lalo to speak. It wasn't what she desired, but it was only reasonable for her to unravel the ties she had with all those mooncallers.

"It's your tag number." Lalo exhaled. "But yours was special." He continued. "Special?" Carvo wondered. "Yes. As far as I remember, Gabriel treated you specially." Lalo spoke in some sort of a jealous tone. "You and him spent so much time in the city. He never took one of us out." Lalo explained, Abigail felt sick, almost throwing up. "I don't remember any of that.. I don't even remember how this man looked like!" Abigail looked at Carvo who seemed as shocked as her, but he comforted her.

"He called you thirty-three not only because it was your tag number, but you were also his last experiment..And his only successful one. Thirty-three." Lalo sat on the experimentation table. Abigail was horrified, and as she was about to ask for more, a sudden thud shook the house. Eman's scream resounded and Carvo ran to see what just happened. Abigail was in distress, unable to comprehend what she was told. Her hunger had settled as sunrise was only minutes away, but her anger was strangely beating in her heart towards Lalo. As if she and him both had a rivalry she didn't remember.

"Thirty-two people died before you, but only you made it out." Lalo faintly spoke as he rest on the table, clearly in his weakest state and no matter how hard he tried to hide his confusion and pain, Abigail could still see them.

As soon as Carvo had stepped foot outside the basement, he saw smoke everywhere in the house. Sneaking through the iron windows he forgot to lock. "Jesus, what is that!" He coughed as he felt blinded. "Stay back!" Luther shouted across the room. "What's going on!?" Carvo asked, still coughing but not moving. "They dropped a smoke bomb on the entire city! No one can see a damn thing." Luther coughed. Eman had run towards Carvo in fear, she refused to be held but she stood behind him, and he escorted her inside the basement.

Abigail had run to assist Luther, thinking they're in danger. "It's bleak darkness out there. God knows what they're planning. The smoke is thick enough to hide whatever they're doing." Luther spoke as he watched through the window. "It's their last card." Abigail replied. "Seems like it, but I had no idea about this." Luther sighed. "Tell me again, what were you in their territory?" Abigail asked. "Keeper of the white church." Luther answered. "Sometimes I was assigned to military tasks but not always." He continued, Abigail felt angry as if she was facing an enemy yet she held back her emotions but felt a hypocrite for feeling so.

"Few minutes left.." Luther looked at his clock as he coughed. "They're retreating." Abigail concluded as she listened closely. "Guess today is a win." She said. "I don't think so..They might be retreating, but I am sure that smoke is hiding something." Luther doubted.

The clock ticked and the screams died. The loud machine roars had gone quiet as the thick smoke faded and the soldiers were left in a state of panic, unaware of what blinded them. A smoke bomb that targets an entire city is to be taken seriously, and there was no way the enemy would swallow their defeat and retreat without playing one of their scripted conspiracies.

As the battle ended and the faint sunlight that was hardly visible blessed the bloody streets of Boneclad, Abigail was left with a thousand questions she was afraid to find an answer for. Luther seemed to be ready to answer anything, but did she have the courage to dig deeper into the past that was cruel to her?

II. Attachment.

Clyde had lied on that hospital bed for far too long. The battle ensued and his mind ate him alive, his questions were never answered and he was left to wonder what was the fate of his loved ones. He wondered if they had forgotten about him, or that they believed he was the one who forgot about them, but the truth is, there was only one picture stuck in his head. It was Abigail's face before she left him. He kept blaming himself for falling into such a situation and hating that he doubted her. Clyde felt nothing but a strange attachment to Abigail that took him a near-death experience to realize.

His wounds haven't healed, but he was strong enough to sneak out of his hospital bed. It had been few hours since the battle had ended, and he was eager to see Abigail and apologize for doubting her.

Through the full hospital and the red floor underneath him, Clyde stole a clean soldier's uniform and went on his way out in the dark streets amidst the clean-up. He was gasping, anxious about what he was seeing and what was he about to see. The hospital was quite far from Carvo's house and so, he decided to stop by the station before he went.

"He's crazy, that old man is crazy!" Whispered Ali, one of the soldiers who accompanied Carvo. "A little bit. But he's more smart than crazy." Marcelyn whispered back as the two chitchatted while they were gathering the intact equipment and transferring them to the northern station. Clyde interfered right away, jumping between both of them.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, Marclyen almost screamed but held back once she realized it was Clyde. "You asshole, we thought you died or something!" Ali said. "Sort of." Clyde replied. "You better hide, you're a celebrity now." Marcelyn told him. "Me?" Clyde wondered. "Yes! Everyone is talking about Clyde who faced a mooncaller and lived!" She replied. "Shit. I gotta go quick. Can you take me to Carvo?" Clyde asked, and as soon as he did, the two soldier's faces grew pale. They remained silent, unable to cater to his request.

"Come on, I don't wanna stay here." Clyde asked them. The two eyed each other. "I don't think we can." Marcylen gulped. "What-whyy? I can't walk all this distance on my own." Clyde protested. "It's not about that.." Ali coughed. "Tell him." He elbowed her.

"Listen, uh-" Marclyn stuttered as she walked closer to Clyde. "I don't think he made it." She shied away from his eyes. "Huh?" Clyde grew concerned. "Something bad happened, in fact, many bad things happened when you were gone. It's not safe to go see him, assuming he's alive." Marclyen spoke calmly but Clyde was already panicking.

"Hell no!" He cried. "You're taking me!" He begged, they two looked at each other again. "I am sorry, Clyde..I can't." She replied in shame as the two went on their way out, leaving Clyde's brain on fire. They wouldn't tell him what happened and they wouldn't take him to see his old friend. He was on his own.

As Clyde was sickly worried, jumping around the station with his hood on to avoid being asked anything. His eyes chased every passerby, hoping to find a friend not knowing that another interested eye had captured him seconds ago. "Clyde." A feminine voice spoke from behind, Clyde turned around and almost gasped. "Uh- hello, ma'am!" He stuttered as he realized who he was talking to. "Just call me Anysa." She smiled as Clyde became red and sweaty, he was facing a member of the council.

"How-how can I help you?" He trembled, and as he looked behind her, he saw her two bodyguards standing. "I believe I just heard you mentioning Carvo, are you by any chance on your to meet him?" She asked with a warm smile. "Uh-yes?" He replied. "Good, then come along with me." She said, gesturing him to go behind her as she went out of the station and into her fancy carriage alongside her two bodyguards.

"Come on, boy, show us the way! We have no time to waste!" Anysa called Clyde as he froze outside the carriage, unaware of what motives Anysa had to seek the old man, and unaware of what heartbreak awaiting him in the distance. He hopped on the carriage, accompanying the lady and showing them the way with a thousand thoughts in his mind, but as he looked into the lady's eyes, the most important question didn't pop among his thoughts, Clyde was in for another clash.