A/N: I appreciate the follows/favorites this has gotten so far! Now I don't think I'll be able to update this nearly as regularly as my other story, so I apologize in advance. But enough with that, read and leave me a review. I wanna know if you like this edgy drama as much as I do!

The crowd waiting for her was nothing to get excited over. Rows upon row of soldiers wearing rusty patchwork armor, their helmets tucked neatly at their sides and the sweat on their shaved heads glistening in the evening sun. They looked so dead to her… Hollow. She thought, her eyes skimming over their listless gazes. Eventually, she found herself looking away as Matthew and Jonathan strutted out to a cacophony of applause.

There was a small crackle as Matthew tested his microphone, and she found herself drifting away from reality as soon as he opened his mouth…

"My brothers! At ease! For today we celebrate a great victory! One achieved through the sheer dedication and selfless determination of the men we hold highest!"

"A lie and he knows it. This monster has no regard for others. Fear is his weapon, and he'll brandish it at anyone."

Cynthia felt her heart drop, hearing that same voice from before. She stood her ground, trying to avert her eyes from her brothers and see where it was coming from. But no one else had even noticed it! They were all just standing there, staring up at Matthew and his long-winded drivel!

"Time and time again we prove the righteousness of our cause against the imperialists of Redaen! Time and time again we prove why we call ourselves 'brothers', why we will never be defeated! And each and every time we grow stronger still! Ours is a will that will never break!"

"Hsss! He stands in front of them and lies to their faces, just like he did to you… They'll turn on each other like wild dogs when the end comes… And there will be no 'brotherhood' between them."

It wasn't going away. Now Cynthia was hyperventilating, trying to swallow all the nervous thoughts in her head. Was it… talking to her now? She hoped not, she prayed not. But why was she the only one hearing it? She cocked her head to the right, earning a disgusted grunt from Jonathan, who was still frozen in his rigid pose. This isn't good… She swore she felt her stomach sinking…

"General Johnston sought to finish us, and failed! King Richard wanted to end us, and failed! AOEN itself, in all its self-righteous pomp, tried to extinguish us… and failed. We, my friends, will never fall. For once again, we have repelled our adversaries with the fire in our hearts and the razor sharpness of our minds! And I, for one, am honored to be a part of this cause. As are my brother, Jonathan, and my sister, Cynthia."

There was a deep chuckle this time, causing Cynthia to cringe. "If only they knew, hmm? Hahahahaha!"

Honestly, she didn't know what kept her from exploding before. Because she was feeling pretty close to doing just that. She felt faint, her body slouching against the wall behind her as she clutched her churning stomach. Her eyes were failing her and there was a tingling sensation at the back of her head… Oh, no…

"You don't look so good, Cynthia... Why don't we have a little chat and see what's wrong, hmm?"

"N-no!" Was the last thing to escape her mouth before she dropped down, unconscious.

The air was warm again, just like it had been last time. Cynthia wasn't stupid; she knew just where she was and just what was happening. The cool sensation of the grass beneath her and the whistle of the wind as it combed through the empty forest. The trickling of the moonlight and the gentle rustle of the pine trees… Pretty relaxing… until she had to open her eyes, that was.

So she tried keeping them shut. The moon was bright enough to shine through, but as long as she didn't have to see that… thing again, she figured she'd be fine. Then she'd wake up in the tower, open her eyes and… everything would be fine.

"Cynthia,"

Shit. There it was. She squinted harder, hoping by some stroke of luck it'd get bored and leave her alone. But she could practically feel it growing closer, hear the crunch of the grass as it headed her way. And before long, her sixth sense kicked in and she felt its presence looming over her.

"Cynthia…" It drawled.

She squinted harder, her mouth inadvertently moving in tandem with her eyes. Why wouldn't it leave her alone? Wasn't there enough in her life to make her miserable? Or was she just insane? It didn't matter. She was there, she was terrified, and there was a monster probably waiting to kill her.

"Cy-"

"Go AWAY!" She cried, wrapping her hands over her eyes and turning on her side. There was a small pause, followed by a loud and vicious snort. Cynthia felt the sting of hot air on her neck and felt the need to brace herself for what would surely be an attack.

"…Are you scared of me?"

The only thing keeping her from a snappy reply to that answer was the realization that this thing wasn't her brother… and that it'd probably kill her. Instead she settled on a reserved scoff as she scooted away.

"I just want to help you, Cynthia."

"Now I know that's a lie." She hissed, burying her face in her chest. "As soon as I open my eyes and look at… whatever you are… you're just going to bite me or cut me or-"

"Hurt you…? Now why would I do that? We have a…" It paused, issuing a snarky laugh. "Common enemy, after all…"

"'Common enemy'?" She repeated, her lip rising in disgust. No doubt her tempter just wanted to tell her what she wanted to hear so he could get a better hold of her throat… Still… she found her curiosity piqued. "…And what would that be?" He

The creature took great pleasure in keeping her in suspense, chuckling all the while. "That'd be your brother, dear. Him and his little web of lies." She could hear it rolling its tongue in delight, making sure to drag each and every syllable to its maximum length.

"Matthew?" She nearly shot up, weren't it for the lingering fear of death mere inches from her face. "What do you know about him? And why are you talking about this with me?"

"Ohhh, your curiosity is delectable! But these questions of yours… they will have to wait, I'm afraid…" Was the cryptic response.

"What? Why?" Now she was curious. So much so, she abandoned her fetal position to look up at whatever was speaking with her.

The only thing she saw, however, were those same two ghastly eyes, staring right through her.

"We'll meet again, Cynthia. That's a promise."

There was a snicker, and then… darkness.

"I CANNOT believe what I'm hearing! You're just going to- RRRGH!" Jonathan's voice was echoing from around the corner, and by the sound of it, he wasn't too happy.

"What did I tell you, brother? I knew she was sick; I could see it in her face when I spoke with her this morning." Matthew's voice, the more level-headed of the two, replied.

"Sickness does not constitute a pardon! She made us look like buffoons in front of everyone!"

"Silence! No more of this!"

Cynthia ran a hand along her face, finding it soaking wet once again. These nightmares of hers… they were getting worse, and they were going to kill her if this kept up… With a small grunt, she propped herself up and looked around. She was back in the tower, and by the looks of it, was actually in Matthew's chamber.

Funny, She thought, If I died in here he'd probably bullshit some story of trying to resuscitate me… They'd probably believe it, too. Shaking off the negativity, she lifted herself out of the bed and shuffled outside, meeting the various looks of her brothers.

"Explain yourself, Cynthia. Now." Matthew commanded, standing guard in front of his brother.

"You already said it yourself, Matthew. Don't play dumb." Cynthia was quick to retort, noticing Jonathan's failing restraint as he fidgeted behind Matthew.

"You want to play games, then?!" Jonathan burst out, meeting the swift end of his brother's hand. Scowling, he drew back.

Brushing his hand off, Matthew shook his head. "Control yourself, Jonathan. And as for you, sister…" He said, gladly trading glares with the woman. "To your room."