Summary: Power. It was the only thing he craved and gazing at the young couple sleeping, he saw the chance to snatch it all again. It was so near and tempting…so delicious. He licked his lower lip. He could taste it.

Disclaimer: I sure didn't miss these. I own nothing but the story plot. Characters of Munto belong to the creator, not me.

Prelude

By Kakura-Sensei

Unconsciousness. The word and everything about it sounded wonderful right now. It wouldn't take much to get there either and Yumemi knew it all too well. Groaning, she tried to push her battered and throbbing body up from the floor. Her arms shook wildly threatening to give out, a single tear of sweat dripped from her nose to join her blood below her with a gentle splash—

—and her body quickly followed with a cry from her lips, her knee had almost made it underneath to support her. The fall jarred her body, rattling her limbs and sending pain shooting through her body, but that was all right, she thought, everything hurt already.

A pair of boots sojourned by her head, their shininess caught her attention, confusing her. Who was wearing boots indoors? Looking up through blurry tears, she took in the now familiar sight of Gntarl's lanky form, cringing at the thought of him being so near to her. Time here was no longer relevant, it could have been years since she had last seen Munto's sharp eyes or felt his steadfast touch, and she really had no idea how long this superiority complex of a man had kept her.

"Your powers," he rumbled, hostility laced his resounding voice, "if I had not seen the proof myself, I would not have thought it possible to come from such an insignificant girl." He walked around her, taking in her pitiful form, sneering at the filth in his presence.

"It seems, though, that either the fool Munto has used up your powers," he stopped, nudging the still bleeding cut gracing her arm with his boot, frowning when the blood coated his pristine boots, his eyes turning to slits, "else, you are refusing to share your power with me."

Looking across the floor, Yumemi tried to count the spots dancing before her, but the spots moved too quickly for her and her mind couldn't keep up while in this condition. She tried to count again.

An unexpected breeze suddenly whipped through the room, making her shiver. With effort, she pulled her legs in around her and she wrapped her arms around her abdomen, feeling the warmth of the magic Munto had casted there to protect their child and her.

"—If the crystallization won't work," she realized he was talking again, and tried to focus on him, to know what was coming next, "and you won't give me your power, then you are, in essence, worthless." Retreating from her crumbled form, he headed to the cell door, motioning to the guards to follow him, still ranting.

"That fool who thinks himself king shall not get any more power while I still live, I will not tolerate his presence for long. Without his power source, he will become weak and we will be able to overcome him easily." He glanced over his shoulder, scowling at the prone figure. "A country in mourning will be easy to defeat, even without the source of Akuto."

He opened the door, stepping out into the blinding light of the hallway compared to the darkness of her cell. She strained her ears to hear his last words, her vision slowly growing black from her determination.

The door slammed shut, leaving the guards in the room with Yumemi who finally lost the fight to stay awake. Gntarl's last words still echoed off the cell walls: "Kill her."

Until next chapter

-Puurr