Sera and Cass were walking while chatting. They were both in a great mood and had a bit of fun. They wanted to have a few drinks with the others, and currently they were approaching Agnes''s room to ask if she wanted to join them.


    As they approached the room, both of them felt uneasy... Something was wrong!


    Cass stepped forward and pushed the door open. The room was dark, but they both saw how trashed the whole place was.


    They looked over the broken furniture and other items until their eyes landed on Agnes''s petrified form. Only her head and chest were free of the stone at that point.


    Cass broke down in tears next to her, while Sera''s more rational and cunning side took control. Her eyes scanned the room, and it dropped to a familiar figure kneeling before a mirror.


    It took one second for her glaive and armor to appear, but it was just enough for the Empress to see her.


    For a moment, her face was uncertain; instead of fighting, she leaped toward the nearest window and broke through it. The room was on the second floor and she plummeted to the mansion''s courtyard.


    Next to Sera, Cass screamed in outrage, but before she could run after her, Sera took her arm firmly.


    "You stay here and try to slow down the petrification with your essence. Also, message David and ask for a healer!" A powerful command resonated in Sera''s voice, silencing all chances of protest. Before Cass realized what happened, she was already kneeling next to Agnes, helping her try to stay alive.


    Sera looked at Cass for another second. She was sobbing while she used all her power to keep Agnes alive. It was a sad sight that should''ve filled Sera with anger, but as her eyes turned towards the place, the Empress run off, only regret remained...


    She knew, just by one look at Agnes. Any normal healer couldn''t stop the petrification... But she kept that a secret. Telling it to Cass would only make things worse than they already were.


    But this wasn''t the reason she felt regret. That feeling came from much deeper...


    It came from the day that she created the Acid Empress. The biggest regret of her current life...


    With a sad sigh, Sera climbed out the window and flew after the young woman with uncertainty.


    ...


    Kim ran down street after street, not caring if anybody saw her. She was running fast, way faster than any human evolved or ascended could''ve, but she knew it wouldn''t be enough.


    One thing she was sure of was that after the Phoenix saw her, there would be no escaping. It was fight or die...


    What was even worse was that she wanted to do neither. Her mind was still in disarray and the only reason she ran was because she was terrified.


    At that moment, she saw the Phoenix''s eyes change. On public appearances, she acted kind of like a normal human, but deep down under the facade, there was a killer. A calculated murderer who wouldn''t hesitate to kill anyone in her way.


    It brought Kim back to that fateful day two years ago. In that moment, she felt 16 again, and the only thought in her mind was to run as far away as possible...


    So that''s what she did, but as she reached the end of the lived in part of the city, she felt a bit of regret.


    Over the years, she heard stories about the Phoenix. She never quite understood them, since she always saw her as a monster, but most people believed her to be a living saint.


    Even in the United Front, people praised her fighting and commanding style, which tried to decrease the casualty count on both sides.


    She never believed those rumors, but now she believed her judgment might have been biased. In these two years, she killed her fair share of civilians too, even though she tried not to...


    Using the increased power, she left the rebounded blow to carry her straight at the soldier standing next to him. She stabbed her broadsword into the soldier''s eyes slit, causing him to back up a few steps, then fall to his knees.


    Kim lost her grip on her sword, but that wasn''t the worst. The soldier whom she stabbed straight in its head was still moving. He reached up and tried to grab the blade''s handle.


    When he got hold of it, he dragged it out and let the blade clatter on the ground. It had blackish blood all over it. The soldier stood straight and began marching towards Kim.


    In her stupor, she let the soldiers surround her, and as her eyes scanned the crowd, she did not know what to do. Her powers still weren''t working, and she couldn''t summon anything.


    She didn''t even know what these soldiers were and how she could kill them.


    The first soldiers swung and stabbed, but she evaded with relative ease. They were slow, but very strong.


    The circle decreased in size and more of the soldiers swung at her. This time, one cut her on the thigh.


    She tried to fight back the best she could, but there was nothing she could do. In all her life since she became an evolved, she never felt this powerless...


    By the third volley, all the fourteen were close enough to attack. Most escaped her by a wide margin. Some nicked her, but one was truly dreadful. The soldier she stabbed in the head cut her right calf''s tendons.


    With a scream of pain, she fell over and watched as the fourteen soldiers raised their swords. And were about to stab down when a meteor landed nearby.


    Kim only saw a giant flash of light before she had to turn away to avoid getting blinded.


    The soldiers went flying around her and she tried to look at the bright sight in front of her.


    Facing all the soldiers and Dwight stood an angel. Her usual golden armor enclosed her body, and she held her signature glaive. Behind her back only one pair of wings appeared, they were pristine white feathered, and they glowed with a bright light.


    As the zombie soldiers were about to charge, Legion held up his hand, stopping them.


    The grin on Dwight''s face hadn''t disappeared yet, which made Kim concerned.


    "So you finally showed up... Took you long enough!" He said with a mad cackle.


    Sera stood straight, her mouth a thin line and her eyes narrowed. They went between Legion and Dwight. They passed over Hector like he wasn''t even there.


    It only took her a few seconds to put the picture together, which didn''t surprise Dwight.


    "Which one sent you to kill me? Was it Alton, or maybe his bitch Swordmaster? It was Beast Lord, wasn''t it?" She said while chuckling.


    Kim looked at her with confusion. She never heard even a single one of these names. She never even met this Legion.


    "Does it matter? Maybe it was none of them, maybe it was all. Just know that someone wants you dead, and they sent me and Legion to take care of you!" Said Dwight, his grin never leaving his face.


    Sera glanced back at Kim for a moment. Her eyes were uncertain, and she looked at her with pity, but once she turned away, her emotionless mask has resettled.


    She raised her glaive and was about to charge when Dwight closed his eyes and raised his hands...


    Seeing this sent a shiver down Sera''s spine, and she knew things were about to get much more complicated...