Jace sat, looking over the warring factions of Amonkhet battle each other. A whole plane was laid to waste just for the promise of an afterlife.

He couldn't blame them, though. Jace was also afraid of death. Everyone was. Especially Liliana Vess. The love of his life, after all, was an amoral necromancer, in debt to demon lords. She sat next to him, legs crossed. Her Raven black hair was let down over her perfect skin, which had been tainted by the fell runes of her demonic pact. She wore her typical dark violet gown, adorned with small trinkets and jewels from multiple planes.

Four years ago, on the city world of Ravnica, she'd befriended him and his best friend, Kahlist on false pretenses. She flirted with them both endlessly, but Jace eventually won her over. In the end, Kahlist wound up dead and Jace was betrayed, captured and tortured. Eventually he teamed up with her one last time to defeat his captors. Their relationship had been...complicated since then.

Only six months ago, did she return to him. Liliana ended up joining the team Jace and Gideon Jura had formed, the Gatewatch, and has worked with them since.

"We should leave, Jace," she said, "Bolas has already doomed this plane."

"We can't. I can't. I won't. I won't give up after finally trapping him here." Jace replied. Jace and the Gatewatch have fought off threats that were much bigger the dragon archmage, Nicol Bolas, but none have been as cunning or powerful. He had to die here, while he still could.

"What are you talking about? We can retreat back to Ravnica. Regroup. You need rest and haven't gotten a wink of sleep since we came here. I can't believe you're even still alive."

Suddenly, the door to Jace's chamber burst open. The leonin planeswalker, Ajani Goldmane and the Combat Mage, Gideon Jura stood there. Both were decked out in heavily damaged battle armor from the plane of Alara and breathing heavily.

"What is it?" Jace demanded.

"Our forces," Gideon panted, "Had to retreat to the square. We can't hold them off much longer."

"I'll call for back up on Ravnica." He said, "Get back down there and help out our troops."

"What?" Ajani asked in disbelief, "How can you expect us to just keep fighting forever?"

"I don't. I just expect you to keep it up until reinforcements arrive."

"What about you? You aren't doing anything!" Gideon complained.

Jace sucked up a deep breath, then scrunched up his nose, "Why don't you tell me that when YOU have to break into the mind of a Mage a thousand times more powerful than you, or when YOU have to simultaneously command an army against the greatest strategist in the Multiverse, or how about YOU try to shed even an ounce of realization of beyond your black and white, good and evil mentality?" As he yelled this, he slammed the door in their faces. He exhaled.

"Jace, I think-" Liliana began.

"You know what? No one's keeping you here. If you want to leave, leave! I have had just about enough of everyone shouting at me for not indulging their selfish needs!"

Liliana became furious, "You imbecilic, ungrateful bastard! I planeswalked half way across the multiverse the moment I heard your cry for help and now, you're telling me I'm selfish? Maybe I'll take you up on your offer and leave. Goodbye, Jace." As she began stomping away, the building rumbled. The earth growled as cracks crawled up the walls. Debris from the ceiling fell as the building started to crumble.

A large piece of roof collapsed between Jace and Liliana, "Lili!" Jace wrapped the hood of his cloak over his face as he dove into the dust.

He felt about the ground until he touched something. A liquid. Blood.

Then the dust cleared.

The source of that blood came from under a pile of rubble. Jace cleared as much as he could with his under average strength. Liliana's lower half had been crushed by stone.

"Liliana..."

Liliana breathed shakily, "J-Jace."

"Sh-h-h. Try not to talk."

"It doesn't hurt. I'm not s-suffering, Jace."

"Liliana, stay with me!"

She coughed and chuckled, "Isn't this ironic?"

"Don't speak, don't speak. I'll get you to a medic."

"Guild pact." She whispered.

"What?"

"Guild pact." Her voice returned to normal.

"GUILDPACT!"

Jace's eyes shot open as he sat up immediately, "Gah!" Beads of sweat rolled down his face

He sighed. Only a dream, huh? Typical.

Sluggishly, he rolled off his bed. The calls had been from his bailiff, Lavinia. Stern and always on him about paperwork. If she had a favorite bar, as Liliana had mention to him before, she would order a mug of lukewarm water. He was back in his Sanctum on Ravnica. In his position as the Living Guildpact, a tiring, yet necessary job as the arbiter between Ravnica's many factions.

He quickly threw on basic clothing and his cloak, "What?" He shouted as he opened the door to his bedroom.

"Countess Vess will be attending your meeting today. Captain Jura and Sage Revane agree you should look your best." The taller than average woman explained.

Jace narrowed his eyes, "Hmm. What about Chandra."

"Monk Nalaar has yet to wake."

"Ah. Please see to it that she has by the time I get back here. I'll be in my office."

"As you wish."

Jace went back into his room and tossed on more formal wear, which included his rune stones, gauntlets and vest. As he pulled on the spandex glove on his left hand, he traveled through his library, which had become a commonplace for the Gatewatch, to his office. It was a large, grandiose room the rose fifteen heads off the ground. In the center was his large, spruce wood desk and a leather swivel chair. He looked with dread upon the large stack of paperwork that piled up around the desk. Too many forms to file.

He cast a small illusion of himself checking and signing papers that he'd recorded a few years ago and left the office, pulling his hood over his head.