My breath ragged, throat raw. Was I running? My body, stiff, cold. The dusty gray sand on my finger tips. I'm on the ground. My eyes blurred in and out of focus, the darkness swallowing everything. It's quiet, too quiet. A gentle flame in distance, the only break in the night. Firelight danced across the dunes.

I can't remember how I got here.

Rolling over to the starless sky, I wiped the sweat off my brow. Eyelids heavy, heartbeat slowed. I don't want to remember this hellish nightmare, I don't want to remember anything. My head was quiet, Gloria's voice gone. I could let myself hope… maybe this was a dream. My skin crawled in response. I couldn't escape that easily.

The ache in my side stung, the pain of a poorly healed wound. Something digging into my ribs, I shifted through my jacket, finding the stack of parchment. Bound together, pages worn. I pulled them out, flipping through. Squinting at the letters written out in haste, a barely legible, chaotic mess. I don't remember writing all this. It looked like my writing, the loops looser. Details I didn't understand, some sort of account. Brief flashes of memory, maybe I did write this.

The wind rushing in, shivers ran down my spine. I was feverish, septic even. I didn't need to look at the wound to know. Easier to give in, then keep on. I shut my eyes, a jolt running through my body. "Keep breathing Alex, you have to keep breathing."

Skin prickling, heart rate accelerated, a strange mix of dread and ecstasy. Gloria...she was still here.

Another jolt, sharp like ice. "You're not allowed to die on me," her voice scared.

"Glad you care," I whispered, through the gravel in my voice. "I'm not sure if I have a choice. I don't think I can walk." I peeked my eyes open, staring back at the red flame in the distance. "I'm probably going to be eaten by a wild beast or the owner of that fire," I chuckled, my voice cracking. Wind howling, sand spun with it. I coughed, clearing my lungs. "I would ask you how we ended up here, but I doubt you'll give me a satisfying answer."

"I kept you moving as long as I could, but your legs gave way."

"Did you kill them?...Avis and Carrick."

"It’s possible, I was more concerned about getting us out alive."

"Are you mad...about Avis," I asked, hiding my face. "I didn't think she'd knife me. I was trying to do the right thing, for once."

Gloria slipped back, her soulish silhouette resting beside me. "I've had enough time to forgive you. I know you can't see things the way I do." Her face serene, a peace that sent shivers down my spine. "I don't blame you, Alex."

"I'm glad you're with me, if I die," I spoke to the sky.

Gloria's smile faltered. "You're not dead yet….I only broke away for a second, but I'm back, your back, and Omen is on the horizon." Her eyes, full of intensity. "I won't give up on you, Alexander Wren."

Her soul filtered back, flooding my mind. A surge of power, my hands shaking. My limbs rising on their own, I stood back on my feet. The pain roared, hissing back screams. "Gloria?" I shouted in my head.

"I'm getting you to Omen, I can carry you there," her words cracked, peppered with emotion. "I will carry you there."

"...What's the difference of where I die." My lip quivered, a fear in the back of my mind. This wasn't about saving my life, this was about finishing her plan. Damned if I thought this was about me. Damned if I thought I mattered more than this plan. My feet staggered forward, moving as a puppet.

The silhouetted city black against the fire. Flames licking against the wind, untended. That sicking quiet, as my feet struggled against the sand. The forest poured over the distance, behind the towers. Omen was on the edge of two worlds. The wasteland to the south, trees to the north. The desert always unsettled me. Running away from it felt best, even if I was running to something worse.

I'm too weak to fight back...too weak to die.

Sand turning to dead grass, stones scattered across ruins. Memories of grand processions, playing my lute down streets. Rice thrown in the air, cheering crowds, the welcome home of a war hero. Mass slaughter with merely my voice. Unforgettable, the first army I brought to its knees. King Gregori's arms outstretched, pride in his eyes. I could've cared less... lost in Gloria's smile. Hiding behind her father, those doting blue eyes, framed by her silvery-gold hair. One step closer to proving I was good enough for her hand.

It all seemed so shallow now. Wandering through the streets of the city, half-fallen buildings. Huge stone slabs, a path leading to the palace. Everything bleak.

"...Are you still trying to shatter the gateway?" my voice shook, the wind howling back.

Gloria sighed, "We're too close not to try."

"You know how insane that sounds…"

"I know."

"I don't want you to do this," my voice broke.

"I know."

I wrung my hands through my hair. "You can't end the world...how could you even?"

"Tell me why do you think the world should be saved?" Her voice, gentle like a summer breeze.

I gawked at her, spitting out words, trying to think. "I don't know...life matters...people matter."

"Even if all they do is destroy?"

My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, I squeezed my eyes shut. "But they could choose differently. Tomorrow people could choose differently. They could change."

"But they never do."

I shook my head . "You don't know that…."

"I do." Her voice, so certain, unwavering. We climbed the cascading stairs, the palace of Omen rose above into view.

"I can't accept that," I spat.

"You can't even change yourself, Alex." her words burned. Bitterness creeped into my throat, weighing me down. "How can you expect the world to?"

I swallowed building arguments, biting my tongue. How can something so absolutely wrong...sound right? This is insanity. My limbs marched onward, heading towards the castle. I don't know what to do. I have to stop her, I have to find some way to stop her. The place doors came into view. I'm out of time.