It was time.

There had been several times where the Ascendancy Agency had attempted to take down the Governors but they had usually failed- not on her watch though. After they had scouted the area diligently, they realised that there were more children on both the first and third floor. The gala was held in the second and hence Alara had to rescue them before Maren executed the final stage of the plan- setting the palatial mansion ablaze.

Since she was part of the back-up group, her main job was to kill and disarm guards while her side-job was to save children when she was able to. The challenging part was that all she had was two hours to get them out by herself. When she had five minutes left to complete her mission, Maren would sound the alarm, which was the signal that he would set fire to the mansion, making it nearly impossible to escape.

Right now, she was in the ballroom, putting on a pretense that she was felicitously dancing away. Just as she made a right twirl, she found Maren beside her and quickly mouthed to her, "It's time" just as the music transited into a rapid crescendo. As soon as she finished the last three twirls, she left her dancing partner's hands by informing him that she had to relieve herself. Flashing him a coy wink, she swiftly headed for the third floor.

Just as she reached the entrance to the third floor, she saw two guards there. "Ma'am, you can't-" they started, and she pretended to leave but returned rapidly enough to trip one of them. "Oops, sorry!" She grinned lopsidedly and stealthily took her dagger out. The moment he saw it, he lunged for her and fell into her trap. Once he grabbed her neck, the dagger was plunged into the front of his head. He gasped, and she pushed him off her before he could ruin her dress with his blood.

The guard's partner was stunned and he unsheathed his sword. "Who are you?"he exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"I'm Venge," she responded while aiming her heel and aiming it at his groin. The guard fell onto the floor, moaning in pain while valiantly trying to reach his sword. "Here, I'll help you," she smiled winningly and proceeded to take him out with his own blade. "Now why did you stab yourself in the heart?" she grinned mercilessly as she patted his cheek. The guard was now as white as a sheet and blood oozed out from his mouth.

"I am Venge... commonly known as Vengeance. You took my brother, so I'll kill you. An eye for an eye."

Seven more bloodthirsty and difficult kills later, Alara had successfully brought all thirty of the kids from the second floor and handed them to Tania. She was lucky that she succeeded in preventing blood being spilled over her as if the kids had seen that, they would surely have been traumatised by it.

While she gathered the children, Alara had tried desperately to search for a boy with freckles, but to no avail. Admittedly, she was still hoping to find Ren amidst the horde of children but Tania's abrupt shout startled her out of her daze.

"ALARA! Stop daydreaming! Go to the third floor quickly! You've only fifty minutes left."

Fifty minutes?

"Yes, yes," Alara nodded and rushed there.

Slamming her attacker's head against a nearby pillar, she wrenched her dagger out of his breastbone after exerting in much effort. She was thankful that she had chosen a longer dagger- if it was short and lodged in her attacker's breastbone, she'd be rendered weaponless.

And that wouldn't do in such a dire situation. Where the hell are Gabe and Rielle- what's that smell? Smoke? Keyla coughed into her hands, pinching her nose and was stunned to see a clouded haze entering the room. She'd been so focused on defending herself that she had belatedly realised that someone had lit the room on fire.

Scanning the chaotic scene for signs of her friends, she received only horrid news when she witnessed Gabe and Rielle fighting for their lives.

She was just about to go to them when she saw a burly creeping up behind Rielle, crossing his shoulder against her neck to strangle her and using his free hand to viciously slash her stomach. Her stomach turned at the sight, and she was considering warning Gabriel when at the corner of her eye, she noticed a man running up to her.

Rolling to the side of the floor, she hid against a pillar with bated breath, and when she saw the shadow of his figure, she used the hilt of her dagger and knocked him unconscious.

Like the waves of a vicious tsunami, attackers came one after another, and Keyla blindly slashed and stabbed her way through them with nothing but her daggers and wit, and when she felt the stinging pain of being stabbed, memories of Gabe and Rielle flooded her mind.

Rielle with her fashion advice; Gabriel with his lessons and tips.

"I think you'll look amazing with this aquamarine necklace! You have to take this; it goes so well with your skin tone."

"Hey, Keyla, I just found this emerald dress sitting in my closet. It's practically new- I've never worn it. There was never a suitable occasion. It has a nice deep V too. You can flaunt your assets with this! Here, this is for you."

"This is how you make this part fireproof. A favourite technique of mine is fire resistant glazing." Gabriel had methodically shown her the steps and repeated them- as well as the theory behind it- when she didn't understand them in the first place.

Tears streamed down her face as she made her decision. She knew what people would think of her, that she was a coward, an ingrate, a wretched girl. She knew she would be judged for actions, but she refused to die for her friends.

They are but my friends. They aren't my kin. I have no kin, but I want to live. I must .

So when the opportunity came for escape, she welcomed it and seized the moment, forcing her injured body to escape the intimidating prospect of death.

Nobody knew what was coming for you after your death, and old records from previous centuries mentioned that it was either Hell or Heaven awaiting you. That was the one constant regardless of what religion or culture it came from.

I will not go there for them.

"KEYLA, WATCH OUT!" Keyla sobbed brokenly when she realised it was Rielle's sweet voice warning her as they came attacking her, trying to block her escape. She used all the conflicting emotions she had in her and focused on her escape, efficiently killing her attackers.

I'm so close yet so far. Her heart sank when she found her determination slipping out of her reach when she realised that she had both the ability to rescue her friends and save her life by fleeing.

Rielle and Gabriel were trapped in the brutal heart of the battle, and near her reach. But so was her only escape route.

For a moment, she hesitated. The thought of death no longer on her mind, she started to turn back and walk towards the centre of the fight, but paused in her tracks when she saw a man plunging a knife into Gabriel's stomach. That was when she made up her mind.

It's an impossible battle to be won. Fleeing will be for the best. Her adrenaline ebbing, Keyla opted to stay with her first option instead. Shooting the scene of the ensuing bloody battle a last look, Keyla turned on her heel and fled, her heart ridden with both guilt and relief.

Regret filled her heart when she reached the third floor. To her abject horror, Rielle and Gabriel were ferociously engaged in battle.

"Good, you're here! The kids are safe- Maren saved them. Help us!"

They were cornered by armed men everywhere. Wrecked by panic, she forgot the possible routes to flee. With her sudden memory loss, there was nothing they could do but fight off the men. They attempted to outflank them but when the nearest one neared her, she grabbed him by the neck and forced the enhanced version of Nerium oleander poison down his throat. She had perfected this version thus the man would be paralysed first and dead in a minute.

Rielle stabbed and gutted two men at once while Gabriel fired arrows coated with botulinum. Even with Gabe's toxic arrows, they were still on the losing end. With every passing minute, the sorer her biceps felt.

And then the alarm rang.

No, she thought. NO!

As she and her companions fought their way through, she felt sharp pains emanating from her back. Her attacker was ruthless as he stabbed her repeatedly in a relentless fashion. She was overcome with dizziness and could feel the metallic taste of blood gushing out of her mouth. Is this how I'm going to die?

No. Not without a fight.

Blocking out the pain, she recalled Maren's teachings.

Don't give up, once you give up, it's over.

Ignore the pain. Pain is temporary; death is permanent.

Knocking the dagger out of her attacker's hands, she ignored flashes of white hot pain as the knife grazed her bare hands. With both hands, she squeezed his neck roughly while he flailed helplessly. While the attacker tried to strangle her, she kneed him in the stomach and finished him off by piercing his heart.

Suddenly, an iron object hit her neck and her world turned black.

"ALARA!"

"Help me..." she muttered and the last thing she saw was a woman in a velvet gown flee the room.

Gabriel's eyes burned with defiance and resignation simultaneously. Something that she had thought was impossible since they were such contrasting emotions, but Gabriel proved her wrong.

Head pounding, Alara struggled to find the reason for his look of resignation, and had no idea where she was for a moment. After taking in deep breaths, memories of the mission, the carnage resurfaced.

I must have fainted... but for how long? So many things have changed and happened...

Her train of thoughts crashed when she saw Gabriel's attacker positioned in a manner that indicated that he was ready to kill him at any moment. NO! GABRIEL!

Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion while she struggled to get up and fight for her friend. Rielle screamed her lover's name, and Alara saw love and embarrassment in Gabriel's eyes when he registered Rielle's name. Alara felt a huge surge of relief she saw her friend thrashing and trying to strangle the attacker, and though Gabriel ended up getting stabbed in the shoulder, at least he was not dead. Yet.

Hating herself for being so weak, Alara got up and started running to her friends, and it wasn't long before she was thrown into chaos.

"RIELLE!" screamed Gabriel as out of the blue, Rielle started to crumple onto the ground, and the height where she was falling would render her utterly unconscious for it was a tall height. The bastard of her attacker was throwing her down from the air, a wicked smirk crossing his face as he slipped back into the darkness.

Determined to save her friend's life, Alara sprinted, ignoring her own wounds and exhausted body and managed to catch Rielle's body.

"What happened?" inquired Alara while she examined Rielle's bloodied face. Her stomach lurched when she saw blood gushing out of her stomach, knee, and chest. Whoever she had been fighting was a sadist; just from the lacerations itself, Alara knew that the attacker must have had a love for inflicting pain on others as her training told her that Rielle's attacker took his time and even chose where he wanted to hurt her.

She must have gone through utter hell. It's a miracle she's even breathing.

"The bastard did more than slashed her," Gabriel let loose a string of vulgarities while he cradled his lover's limp body in his arms. "He slashed her stomach," Gabriel said brokenly in a solemn tone, weeping while he stroked Rielle's chin, pressing a gentle kiss on her pale forehead.

He was no longer the mighty man she knew.

"He slashed her stomach." He repeated them, and unlike her expecting him to scream those words; he didn't. Rather, they came out as a cry of disbelief, as if he didn't believe it yet himself. He fell onto the ground and cried woefully. "It's my fault, all my fault..."

"No. Gabe, it's not."

Those words weren't said by Alara. It was Rielle.

Both Alara and Gabriel were stunned to hear Rielle's soft, lilting voice, still ever so sweet even when she was in her darkest and most agonizing moments.

Panting, Rielle reached out in an attempt to touch her love's chin, but she was already so frail and her condition made her extremely delicate so her hand ended up falling back on her stomach. A tear slid down her cheek, and she offered her love a feeble smile instead.

Heart aching for her, Alara brought Rielle's hand onto Gabriel's, and Gabriel held onto his lover's hand, kissing it as he looked at her with nothing but warmth and love.

"Stay strong, my love. Stay strong. We can get through this, you and I. I love you."

"Never lose that sense of optimism, Gabriel." Rielle coughed, and Alara held back tears when she saw that blood flowed out of her mouth whenever she coughed. Part of her was trying to retain her consciousness; the other part of her was focused on getting them out of the harrowing situation.

She didn't know what to do especially since Rielle was still alive. If it was just Gabriel and her alone, Alara could implement an escape plan easily. But now, things were so complicated.

What am I to do?

"Rielle, my love. Stay strong. Let's get out of here."

"No, Gabey. No. I'm too weak and am nothing but a hindrance... Gabey, leave me. Flee. I love..." Rielle coughed again, openly crying as she struggled to get the words out. "I... love..."

Giving up on saying, Rielle wiped away the blood from her mouth and mustered all the strength she had left in her and kissed her love passionately.

Mere seconds later, Rielle's body went limp in Gabriel's arms, her face no longer a pained expression but one of fleeting bliss and love instead.

Rielle died in Gabriel's arms, in a place that was practically a warzone. She had her last moments of fleeting peace because Gabriel and Alara were able to hide behind a pile of dead bodies.

A most undeserving death of the most compassionate and generous seamstress Alara ever knew.

Disturbingly, Gabriel was as quiet as a mouse and stony-faced. Knowing that it wouldn't be long before the attackers spotted their macabre hiding pace, Alara didn't know whether to talk to him or give him a few more moments. Her head pounded and she was about to beg him to get a hold of himself when he suddenly told her a bewildering confession.

"I did it. I leaked the information."

"What?" she gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "Why? How could you?"

Gabriel laughed bitterly. "That was Rielle's exact reaction. While she shared no sentimental feelings towards Valesque, she was supportive of this mission. But you know what? I did it for our future. I love her. We even married in secret. See this gold ring? It isn't just an adornment- it's a symbol of our love. Valesque doesn't know." He broke into heavy breaths, struggling to breathe.

"I- what?"

"I know. But I couldn't trust Valesque. Not one single bit. There's something fishy about him that makes me not trust him. I can't pinpoint what exactly but believe me. My gut is never wrong."

"Gabriel... I... we have to leave now. The room is going to cave!"

At that, Gabriel became frantic, and thundered, "NO! I'M NOT LEAVING RIELLE. I SWORE TO ALWAYS BE WITH HER." Taken aback by his vehement protest, Alara fell. "Take this necklace. Go into my room at the Agency. This necklace is the key to a chest where notes are contained in. There's instructions as to how to build Transcendence and our other inventions." He paused while gazing at his deceased wife. "Go, Alara. Nothing you say will make me leave Rielle. !"

Like she predicted, the ceiling of the room began to cave the moment the attackers were alerted to their hiding place due to Gabriel's loud screams. They shot upwards to the ceiling, and wood started falling onto them.

Alara watched in horror as a falling wooden beam was about to collapse in their direction, and she froze, unable to move a muscle or react.

She closed her eyes, knowing she was to die soon.

Instead, she heard a roar and felt someone push her hard. She opened her eyes and found herself and her friends physically separated by a wall of fire.

"Gabriel! Rielle!" Alara screamed while the fire billowed throughout the room which was now a blazing inferno. Wearing the necklace around her neck, she fled, leaving her friends to die an excruciating death that they did not deserve.