Rin had never been in a forest before and neither did she imagine being in one. For starters, there were no trees outside of Myriad city, and back in her native land, the thought of going outside town never crossed her mind. Most of all, it was cold and the few rays of sunlight at the beginning of the year was better spent somewhere else.

Which was why her current surrounding did not make sense.

That said, when she saw what she was seeing, where she was, or how she got there mattered little.

“Woaaa~ That's one hell of a tree.” The blonde woman beside her said before looking back at her. “That's a tree, right?”

Big didn't qualify the thing— it was ‘overwhelming’. Even by looking up, she couldn't make out its entire length, and looking at it from afar hadn't prevented it from blocking her entire vision and more. Warmth and light radiated from it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Majestic was an understatement— It was divine.

‘The world tree...’ Rin thought, her heartbeat quickening.

“Why...” She said, looking toward Ursa. “What— Why am I here?”

Her breathing was slowly becoming haggard as she clutched her chest, feeling suffocated. Never in her life had she felt this... ‘repulsive’ before. It was sickening, as though the existence of this place itself was endangering her very existence. Whether it was real or not, she just knew it: she didn't belong here. She didn't want to be here.

Yet, Ursa, oblivious of her sentiment, simply puffed out her chest. “Amazing, right?” She put her hands on her hips and smiled at her. It was different from Aiden's condescending smirk, this one was... ‘innocent’. “Praise me!” She said, genuinely meaning it.

“You...” Rin bit her lips.

‘Is this her doing?’ She clenched her hands and very nearly punched the woman right there and then. ‘That means... this isn't real, right?’ She tried to calm down, looking a second time around herself even as nausea finally assaulted her. ‘Where...’

“Where is this!?” She said, loud enough to startle the blonde.

“Where...?” Ursa tilted her head. “Shouldn't you tell me that?”

Rin frowned.

The blonde widened her smile, spread her hands, and spun around herself. “This! Is supposed to be your most important memory yet!”

Rin stilled, eyes widening. “...W-what?”

“I've never seen one this beautiful before, too!” The woman stopped spinning and took both of her hands. “This show just how beautiful of a person you are, right, Rin? I love you even more now!”

“I...” Rin trembled under the woman's gaze. “No,” She shook her head as her voice was quavering. “No, I... I've never ever been here before.”

“Eh?” Ursa took a step back, though, not letting go of her hands. “But, that can't be. I made su—”

A strident voice interrupted her. A shriek, coming from far away.

Rin lost strength in her feet and stumbled to the ground.

“Rin!” Ursa said, hastily catching her before she hurt herself. “Are you alright? What's wrong?” She frowned but her worry was genuine.

“Get me out of here.” She said, quietly, clutching the other girl's sleeve.

“But, that voice—”

“Now!”

Before she even realized it, Rin was seated on something comfortable, coughing profusely on her own hands. It took her several seconds before she noticed that someone was touching her shoulder, probably to help calm her down. When she tried to glance that way, she felt the existence of something tying her in place—No, not quite. It was just a seatbelt, though, it was indeed way too tight.

Rin took another dozen seconds to calm herself before she managed to get a look at where she was. It wasn't too difficult to guess, though. She was inside a car. A black one, if she was to believe the vibe she got from the inside (which didn't say much). It smelled nice, too, and was fairly spacious, so it was, probably, a limousine.

She gulped, realizing who the man seated in front of her was. Law. The distance between them was thin but, still enough to not be uncomfortable.

“What did you do to her?” The man asked the person beside her.

“...Dunno,” She shrugged, eyes still glued on Rin. “I didn't— I mean, ah, umm.... Sorry?” She said while tilting her head.

Rin didn't want to know.

She looked away from the woman, taking in the surrounding a second time. All of the windows were tainted pitch black so she couldn't see where she was or where they were going. She didn't need to rummage through her pockets to know that her phone wasn't there anymore. Not that any of that mattered. Under the man's gaze, she could barely even think about escaping.

‘No Celia, this time.’ She thought, inhaling one last breath. ‘That's a good thing, though.’

Law simply looked at her, a calm smile on his face, patiently waiting for her to begin the talk. As much as Rin wasn't familiar with discussion in general, she needed to oblige, even if only to satiate her curiosity.

“What...” She said. “Do you intend to do with me?”

The man crossed his legs. “Did I not say it? I need you as a hostage to keep the Winter Noble House away from my plan. For now, at least.”

Rin narrowed her eyes, trying to know if the man was lying. Not that she had any conclusive way to do that, of course. “That's... stupid. It won't... work.”

Law widened his smile. “And why do you think that?”

‘...is he serious?’

If he had done enough research to know of Rin's background as a Noble, then he should also know that her family didn't... put that much importance on her life. And even if that wasn't the case, any Noble, in her situation, would be abandoned all the same, if that's what it takes to keep the population safe. That was the duty of a Noble.

Law seemed to have picked up on her unspoken answer, “You undervalue yourself a little too much, Rin.”

“They... won't care.” She said, only slightly minding the use of her name. “And...that's a fact.”

The man chuckled. “Would it make you happy if I said there are at least two people who care about you in your family?”

‘Two?’

“And, what about that... 'arrogant' boy from before? For what other reason would he be here if not to protect you? Would your family send him here if they didn't care?”

Rin frowned even further. ‘Kein... could have been sent here for any number of reasons, and even in the... unlikely case that he really wanted to protect me, that—’

“However, indeed,” The man interrupted her thought, “Those hardly matter as long as there is still one, particular, person who still loves you.”

Rin let out a breath and briefly closed her eyes.

“Rei...” She said, in realization.

“Correct.” The man nodded, uncrossing his legs.

“He is... but the Heir.” She said. “He does not... yet have the authority to keep or control the Noble House.”

The man chuckled again. “Maybe. But, if it were me—if it were my little Rouge that was taken hostage, I know I'd do everything to ensure her safety.”

Rin stayed quiet, observing the man as he took a cup of wine on a small table at her side that she only now noticed. There was a cup filled with grape juice on it, probably for if she was thirsty. Of course, she'll never drink that. ‘If it was Rei...’ The question didn't even need to be asked.

Which left only the last, and most important question unanswered.

“What... are you planning?”

The man's smile twisted for a brief second, letting out the nastiness he was probably hiding. Rin guessed that the reason he was putting on a gentle facad— if it could be called that— was because of his Singularity. Mind control was a powerful power but there had to be a limit to what he can or cannot Order to someone else. If he appeared friendly or harmless, it was easier to accept his Order.

‘Or not...’ Rin wasn't sure because if that was indeed the case, why did the man employ such... Brutal method to kidnap her? No, why did he even kidnap her?

The man looked down at the cup in his hand. “I'm... simply trying to fulfill my father's wish.”

Rin narrowed her eyes again. ‘...is that a lie?’ She wasn't convinced but there seemed to be a trace of truth in it.

“And... that is?” She asked, nonetheless.

The moment stayed quiet for a second, debating what to say. “Do you know what a ‘Curse’ is, Ri—”

“Ah!” Ursa's voice interrupted him. No surprise, though. The woman had been abnormally quiet till now. “Out of range~” She said, a little longingly toward the black window at her left side.

Law frowned at her. “You will Not Interrupt Me.”

“Ehhh,” The woman turned to look at the man like it was nothing. “But, it's not my fault, you know? Now Aiden is left all by his lonesome against three of Elite's Ark!” She said so while extending three of her fingers at the man.

Rin's eyes widened slightly at that, surprised that the blonde could so easily shrug off an Order. In retrospect, though, maybe it shouldn't have. Ursa's Singularity messed up with the brain, too, so it might have been normal that she picked up some kind of... resistance. Law, himself, for that matter, wasn't spooked at all and simply just sighed while putting his head in his hand. Apparently, he was used by the fact his Singularity didn't work on everyone.

“The Fallen, is it?” He said, a little tired. “No need to worry, he is capable of handling himself.”

“I know that, but that's exactly it!” The blonde shouted. “Now he's assured to win!”

The sound of glass breaking was the catalyst that slowed Rin's perception of time. She hadn't let down her guard, she was simply too focused on the two criminals before her to expect an attack coming from the outside—not that she should have been wary of those in the first place, of course. Technically, whoever was planning to stop this car should have been her allies so...

‘Why...’

Her hands moved on by reflex as she saw Kein's spherical black mass drop a grenade— how it had done so, she didn't have the time to observe— just in front of her before heading to the next window for exit. Her instinct told her it wasn't just a flashbang. As her left hand touched it, she could feel it was already beginning to explode. Was it luck that the thing entered through a window next to her? With a swipe, Rin hoped to throw the grenade out but, unfortunately, she was one breath too slow.

It exploded right at her face.

All five of her senses got numb after that, unable to process what was happening anymore. All she knew was that there was a lot of thrashing and spinning, coupled with the buzzing sound that incessantly assaulted her ears.

By the time she got her bearing back, she was upside down, coughing as smoke entered her nostril. Her seatbelt had surprisingly held its own, despite having received the brunt of the explosion like her, but, under her entire weight, it didn't last long. Her head hit the.. top? of the limousine, every injury she had screaming in pain, but, she did not have the luxury to even wince as smoke continued its way into her lungs. It seems even Aiden's Boost couldn't keep her consciousness for long under the current situation.

‘I... need to get... out.’

For lack of a better option (and the capacity to think of one), she used her feet to kick whatever hard surface she could feel in the hope of creating a makeshift opening. By the third kick, she succeeded, blowing away what she assumed to be her previous seat to who knows where. She scrambled with all her remaining strength outside, desperate for a breath of air.

Her injuries flared once more, the one in her back hurting more than the others, even though she had no memories of getting hit there.

Once clear out of the smoke, she coughed some more before losing all strength and flopping to the ground.

If only things could end there— she wished. Hard, cold, and noisy as it was, the street felt so comfortable she wanted to sleep right there and then. If possible, she wanted to forget everything, too, about Aiden, about Law, about Celia and whatever had caused the girl to stop from 'saving' her and, most importantly, about herself and about the reason she felt so much hate toward what was considered to be the God of Refuge.

But, of course, none of that was happening.

Rin breathed in and out at a regular pace as she began to make out Kein's voice talking to someone—Most likely over a phone. She couldn't quite distinguish what they were saying, but she instantly recognized the voice her cousin was talking to. She tensed, held her breath, and slowly tried to stand up.

Kein was standing a few meters away from her, focused on the phone but still wary enough to notice her. As always, Rin could feel the hate coming off of his eyes but, this time, she was more attracted to the injuries he had received. He was bleeding— though not as bad as Rin— from his forehead and his dominant hand. The upper half of his black suit had both of its sleeves torn apart (one more than the others), while the bottom half was covered in hole. His glass was also nowhere to be seen, making him appear slightly different from Rin's perspective.

Their eyes were glued on each other, making her stop her attempt at standing up, instead settling into a seating position.

He hung up, and Rin finally breathed.

“You survived.” He said, tone thick with disgust.

Rin ignored him and the implication of his words, instead looking back toward the burning car. She squinted and only then managed to get a glimpse of two silhouettes. They were upside down, like her earlier, and appeared to be unconscious, but, worst-case scenario, they were already...

Rin slightly shook her head to dispel any remaining confusion she had and immediately resumed standing up—or at least, she would have if Kein's power hadn't taken her by speed. By the time she noticed it, the black sphere already pierced through the back of the car and, without ever stopping, through both Law and Ursa's bodies.

They couldn't even react.

Rin's eyes widened, her mouth gaped as all she could do was raise her hand.

The black sphere got out from the other side of the car, and flew back to its master, all the while spinning to get rid of the blood like nothing was wrong. Rin's breathing quavered, as was her whole body before she closed her eyes and bit her lips. It took her more than a few seconds before she could finally look back at Kein.

“Why?” Was all she could say.

“Why?” Kein asked back, frowning. “Are you seriously asking me that?”

“You didn't have to go that far!” She yelled as she finally managed to stand up. “The Darkside exist for a reason! Why...” She inhaled and lowered her voice. “Why did you kill them?”

Kein scoffed. “You don't have a say in this, trash.” He said, amused at the girl's reaction. “Whoever they were,” He pointed at the destroyed vehicle. “They were related to the Fanatics. They deserved to die.”

Rin frowned, closed her eyes again, and shook her head. The Fanatics. The Cult of Remnant. She tried, thought for a moment, but couldn't connect the dots. Did that matter, though? She just didn't like it. She really didn't like it: the fact that her cousin just so casually judged someone and acted upon it. Maybe they did deserve to die, but, just who was he to—

Rin clenched her teeth and glared at the boy.

He smirked as one of his five black spheres moved in front of him. “I got the ‘go-ahead’ if that's what you're wondering.” He waved the phone in his hand before tucking it back in his pocket. “ ‘Kill any and all that presents a threat.’ ” He quoted.

Rin's expression crumbled as a chill went up her spine.

“And that,”

The black sphere moved towards her, and, although she could see it this time, the realization that it wouldn't stop made her wish otherwise. She tilted her head to the side just as the thing violently passed by her, cutting some of her hair in the passage. Her eyes first shifted towards the sphere before returning to the boy.

The smile he had then made her heart sink.

“Includes you.”

◇

Meanwhile...

“Wow!” Aiden exclaimed as he shook his head three to four times while making his way out of some rubbles. “Damn, it finally got away. I swear I'm gonna kill that bitch once I see her. We're supposed to be allies, you know!?” He yelled to no one in particular. “Why the fuck is she conspiring against me!?—No, wait,” He put the knuckle of his right hand on his forehead. “Why did I even recruit her?”

“Aiden!!” Someone's shout brought him back to the present. “If there is any semblance of reason left in you, surrender. The Watcher doesn't wish to hurt you.”

The man didn't even bother to look at the one calling him. ‘The watcher, huh,’ He thought, putting on a nostalgic smile.

“Oh, Stone,” He said. “I really wished this wasn't the kind of reunion we'd have.”

“You brought this upon yourself.”

“I guess...” He breathed in and looked at the sky. It was quiet for a few seconds before he finally turned to the one he called Stone. “Well, let's get this done with, shall we? And try to keep up,

Else,” His smile twisted into an ugly one. “You die.”