Rome celebrated. The streets overflowed with people, citizens, soldiers, Evolved. It didn''t matter. Everyone attended the party... Well, most people did...


    A few had to take care of the prisoners. Melinda, David, Damien, Cass, and a few others went to overlook the situation.


    They expected everyone to be more unruly, but the prisoners were just as grateful. Not a single one of them complained, and they even thanked them.


    In their minds, Sera had no reason to take them away from the battlefield. She could''ve left them, and let the flames consume them. But by saving them, they felt indebted to her.


    Many soldiers opposed the siege of Rome; however, the Federal Alliance punished desertion hard. People also liked to pretend and be honorable when they wanted to.


    They would''ve rather died in the fields of battle, then leave their posts. This approach had limitations, though. Upon facing seemingly unstoppable forces, like Transcended, they would rather surrender than die useless death.


    While some of them took care of their new ''guests'', most enjoyed the free drinks and music.


    In the middle of Rome, a large square stretched in all directions. A Sera statue sat in its middle. Her noble expression looked towards the east, where the sun was about to rise.


    Her glaive was nowhere to be seen, and she spread her arms wide, embracing the world. Behind her back, two pairs of wings stretched wide.


    On her body, a nice, elegant dress covered all of her body, not revealing even a glimpse of skin except for her hands and head.


    The celebrations were especially strong near the statue. The square echoed with music from large speakers set up by the statue.


    People danced all around Sera''s statue, and some even placed tables nearby. They also served drinks for everyone. The Evolved drank their Critter Bite, while everyone else consumed their choice of beverage.


    Within the first hour, most people were already drunk, but one stood out from the masses. A woman sat alone at a small table. In front of her, many empty bottles sat, and she kept drinking more.


    Her long brown hair seemed disheveled, while her beautiful forest green eyes had red rims around them from all the crying.


    A few people kept checking on her, but she dodged every attempt at accepting their sympathy. She knew most of them thought she acted like a child, and maybe she was.


    Bea never went through a breakup in her life. Her last and only significant other turned into a maniac and got killed. This time, though, she still needed to meet with her past lover, the mother of her child, daily.@@@@


    It weighed hard on her soul, and she only felt somewhat better when her mind wasn''t working properly. It was a sad attempt at escaping reality, but until it worked, she didn''t care.


    Her heart ached, and the only cure was at the bottom of each bottle.


    "She and that Leslie guy went away to ''check on the prisoners'', which is definitely a lie. They are probably having intimacy at some place within the city."


    Otto made a disgusted face as he spoke, which brought a small smile to Bea''s miserable face. The handsome man grinned at her, which unconsciously made her blush.


    "Ah, so you aren''t gloomy all the time, good to know! You should definitely smile more. It makes your already beautiful face truly extraordinary!"


    Bea turned away to hide the redness in her face, and she ignored Otto''s attempts at flirting.


    "So... Uh... How is life in Castleburg?" she asked, desperately trying to change the subject. Otto just chuckled, and while continuing to smile, he answered.


    "Nothing changed, really. I actually convinced my brother to stop worshipping our father, so now there are two Stellars on your side..."


    The man had a wicked grin on his face while speaking. Bea''s eyes widened, by the implications of what he was saying, but then they narrowed in suspicion. His wording was very peculiar, and she didn''t like how he spoke.


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    "Why are you here?"


    Otto leaned back in his chair, and his wicked grin turned into a comforting smile. His viper-like dark gray eyes pierced into Bea''s own green ones.


    "I saw Sera''s little show-off and saw my sister flying on one of the hippogryphs. At first, I wanted to come here immediately, but then I thought that would ruin your little plan..."


    "Only when I saw Sera''s clone approaching did I decide to intervene... Your welcome, by the way!"


    They both stayed silent for a few minutes after that. Bea still wasn''t sure about Otto''s intentions. Everything he said made sense, but it all felt a bit too convenient.


    His arrival was way too close. As a Stellar, he could move through the whole of Europe in less than a minute, so he either cut it really close, or purposefully slowed down for dramatic effect.


    Bea wasn''t sure whether to trust him, but this wasn''t a decision she could make on her own. Her expression started turning troubled again, since she needed to talk with Sera about it... Currently, she would''ve rather done anything, so she could escape that conversation.


    Her eyes fell onto the bottle again, and she quickly downed everything left inside. With determination, Bea stood up and immediately tripped.


    Before she could faceplant the ground, two firm hands caught and pulled her up. She stared at Otto as he held her. A shiver went down her spine at their closeness.


    "Do you perhaps want to dance or something? You definitely shouldn''t drink more." Said Otto with a concerned look in his eyes.


    Bea didn''t know what to say, so she just blurted out something intelligible, then walked towards the dancefloor. She still held onto his hands, pulling him along.