They'd walked through a long tunnel, reached a familiar platform, embarked on it, waited for the launch, and only when they were outside, air bound did Sasha speak.

"Why did you do that?" They flew through a mountain range, their thrusters blowing through the peaks' snowy patches. "Do I really have to answer that, or are you just playing dumb?" A long silence ensued.

He had no choice. To let them through would've meant heaps of problems. He didn't know how much they would be traveling in and out of the city, so he had to make a long-lasting impression.

"But, they needed help…" she was audibly gritting her teeth, speaking through them in resentment. Slava simply sighed. "No, they didn't, they had everything they needed in order to survive."

The mountains soon made way for an endless desert, the clouds spreading out to reveal the midday sun. "They're being ostracized because they are…" She seemed unable to find the right word so Slava took the lead. "Stupid? Dumb? Inferior?" Her naivety was getting to him. What was that idiot in her head doing? "No... that's not…" He didn't let her finish. "Either way, it doesn't matter. They only have themselves to blame for being where they are." Slava was beginning to get annoyed. "How could you say that?" She had always felt guilty for being picked up by her uncle. She felt privileged. She was never willing to fully take the credit for what she'd achieved. "How? I'll tell you how!" For someone like Slava, it was simply baffling. He saw her work tirelessly night and day to get to where she was today. "It has nothing to do with how smart or dumb you are." He turned his head in her direction. "Look at Kolya for fuck’s sake, he was probably one of the dumbest guys out there, but with enough work and dedication, he got to where he was!" She was too kind for her own good. It would definitely lead her to more pain. "And then, look at the old man, their leader, he knew exactly what he was doing, yet he never awakened. Maybe he was too lazy or simply didn't have enough dedication." He had to make her understand that she was unique not because of how she was born, but because of what she did with what she was given. "Nevertheless, it had nothing to do with how smart he was. Just like you, he wasn't born different, he just didn't choose to be."

Not hearing her response, his eyes followed her line of sight, landing on a dot rapidly growing in the distance. It grew at an impressive speed, becoming greener and more defined with each blink of the eyes. Beyond the unmoving hills stood the City of Harmony, or at least what was left of it. The surrounding forest seemed to have grown in height while at the same time overtaking it. He could barely recognize the skyscrapers now, of course, the massive tree standing between them didn't help. He still couldn't fathom Serena's strength. Wait, something felt wrong with it. Now that he'd crossed the treeline, the giant tree seemed to be rotting in some places. At first, he didn't think much of the reddish hue it seemed to emanate, but now he could clearly see red leaves falling and cracks spreading on its massive trunk.

"Let's get closer," he told Sasha, pointing downward. As they descended, Slava started to feel restless movements coming from beneath the treetops. "Watch out!" He screamed, realizing what it was. The world turned grey almost stopping to a crawl. He let his chains slip away from his back, having them wrap themselves around Sasha's waist. When he felt the purple swirling energy connect with him, he let his flow through it. As it did, he heard Arissa's distorted scream ring through his head. "Stop! You're not ready for this yet!" He'd never tried it, but he thought letting Sasha see the world the way he did might be helpful; increasing her reaction time, her thoughts, their synergy…

Ignoring her words, he began accelerating Sasha's body. This time, there was little to no resistance from her domain; it was like swimming through a stale lake. She probably had something to hide from Sasha. This could be an opportunity.

He could feel her particles shifting. It was a magnificent scene. He reached for one. When he did, the whole scenery suddenly changed. The swimming became harder, he couldn't see anymore, as if everything had become one.

Soon, he began feeling intruding thoughts. He could remember a light but small place, surrounded by a transparent wall, people looking at her from beyond it. Lights, so many lights, and then the warm arms of a man with a cold gaze. Wait, her… she was… he wasn't… "I warned you, stubborn child." She shook her head, pushing him out.

He felt his mind break, separating from the whole. He didn't expect this, there was so much movement in between that he'd been engulfed. Not only that, but he'd never felt something like that. So this is what another living being felt like. It was almost magical, yet so… exhausting…

"Slava!" Someone screamed. "Come on, fuck answer me," he heard Sasha whisper. He was… Serena… Sasha… No! He couldn't sleep, there was danger. Sasha was in danger. Opening his eyes, he only saw darkness. His alertness instantly grew alongside his chains. They spread out, breaking through the tree roots and vines holding him down. His eyes smoothly adjusted to the dim lighting, and he saw the last of Sasha's face being engulfed into a tree. He didn't waste a second, his chains moving in different directions. Some spun around him, cutting down the trees, and some reached for Sasha. Grabbing Sasha, and bringing her close to him, he looked up. Spotting the massive tree in the distance, he dashed through the forests in its direction.

He felt a headache beginning to invade his mind. The forest just kept getting thicker. What was she doing? Serena was the forest. If she acted like this, it meant she was likely occupied elsewhere, unable to spread her focus enough to identify them. They had to be quick, she might be in danger.

"Slava," he had to control himself. She was still conscious, the acceleration could send her into a coma. He couldn't believe he'd failed. "I can't use my Sigil." What? Was it because of him? Did he… in that brief moment… "I'm being suppressed." His shoulders slightly relaxed. So it wasn't him. If she was being suppressed, it could only mean two things. Either she was expecting an enemy linked to the purple sea, or she was fighting one. Considering the forest's reaction, the second option was far more likely.

"Shit," had he been drained that much? He could feel the headache intensifying. The forest was also getting denser. Vines sometimes reaching his ankles. His vision was getting blurry.

"Light!" Whispered a seemingly equally tired Sasha. He focused his eyes beyond the endless sea of trees. There, beyond the treeline, were tiny spots of light seeping through the dense foliage.

Almost there! Just a little more. "Slava!" A worried voice whispered in his ear. Not only did he have to physically fight through the forest, but he also had to fight Serena's domain trying to engulf him. Feeling his skin itch, he looked at his hands, holding onto Sasha's body. Cracks were slowly spreading across his suit.

"Don't worry, this is nothing." Kolya had spent hours in a state far worse than this. "Just shut up and let me focus." He closed his eyes. He didn't have to integrate her body into his domain. He could isolate her similarly to what he had done when she'd been unconscious back when they first escaped. This time she was conscious, but it shouldn't be a problem, he simply had to create a bubble around her. Isolate the flow, making sure it was completely cut off from the outside.

Opening his eyes, he could feel them burning, his domain flowing through them, the world almost completely black, the different movements around him within his grasp. Unhesitatingly, he dashed forward, the trees spreading themselves to let him pass. He could feel blood dripping from his nose, but it was fine, this was nothing, compared to Kolya…

"Umph!" His grunt was heard with the sound of lightning crackling around them. They'd actually crossed it. Alert, his eyes dashed around at incredible speeds.

Before them were the city's ruins, rotting vines, and branches coiling through them. The forest was so dense that they hadn't noticed it, but they had entered the city long ago. They were now at its center, the tree a few hundred meters in front of them. What could've caused this? The forest's remains were clearly visible, but it was like this part of the forest had simply disappeared from the face of the earth.

"Let me down." The pressure had died down, almost unnoticeable now. She was probably fine now. He complied with her request. "What happened here?" She asked, looking around for herself. "Was it that… what was her name again?" He knew exactly who she was referring to. "No, it wasn't Anyxa." She wasn't capable of such annihilation. "Let's hurry."

To his words, Sasha took out her scythe and disappeared. Seeing her reappear a few meters away, he also didn't dally. Like that, they reached the roots of the tree, passing by mountains of red leaves. "Now what?" She didn't get the chance to finish her words when the roots in front of them spread out revealing a bright opening.

It took some time for his eyes to adjust, but when they did, he slowly walked forward. "Wait! Slava!" He didn't care anymore, she was fine, Serena was alive. He could feel her domain. Walking toward the giant beam of light at the center of the stairway, he looked up.

"I'm sorry, child, I mistook you for someone else. It's alright, get some rest, you need it." It was unmistakably Serena's voice. Rest, he'd completely forgotten about it. How long had he been up? He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept. But wait, something felt off about her voice, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Although, it was soothing, just like a lullaby putting him to sleep. That was why he'd tried to live outside as much as possible. He would always lose track of time. "Slava!" He heard a distant voice calling, but he was already drifting away.