The chains drag him through the stale emptiness.

The space is stifling, forever drawn into a tight vacuum.

Just when the journey seems endless...it ends.

He's flung out into a clear midday sky.

He looks at the landscape below him.

A large city—Tolbi.

It's even larger and more majestic than he remembers.

He drifts closer to a wide brick plaza.

It's crowded with people from all corners of society.

In the center of the plaza stands a two-tiered gallows platform, an altar of sacrifice in the name of justice.

He floats...

The throng of bystanders part neatly down the middle as a local sheriff approaches.

He is trailed by members of the Tolbian guard.

And they are trailed by ten prisoners.

Five men and five women.

Their hands are bound behind their backs.

Shackles clamp around their ankles.

A vivid array of cuts and bruises are the only instances of color on their battered forms.

They plod painfully along under the curious gazes of onlookers.

One of the women suddenly stumbles over a crack in the brick ground.

She lands with a hard thud, her dirty red hair drooping around her face.

The guard leading the prisoners merely sneers over his shoulder and yells out a harsh command.

Another soldier kicks the woman in the side, forcing her to rise.

The battered entourage continues on.

They've reached the gallows.

The sheriff strides over to the front of the platform and begins to speak as the prisoners ascend the creaky wooden steps.

"Righteous citizens of Tolbi!" he booms solemnly, spreading out his arms. "I, a loyal servant to His Highness, bring these criminals, these miscreants, these outlaws before you so that you may learn from their mistakes and celebrate in the deliverance of justice! It is for the safety of all that we cannot—and do not—tolerate the crimes these persons have committed."

One by one, the prisoners step up and receive their nooses.

He perches atop the wooden beam on the highest level of the scaffolding.

The noontime sun gleams brightly on his pale, ever-wet form.

His eyes scan the masses for his next reaping.

"Damien, the tanner. He dared to sell defective leather goods to the Tolbian guards, potentially putting these good, loyal men at risk for their lives more than necessary."

A man with a coal-black mustache scowls. "I cannot sell the best if you cannot give me the best tools!" he shouts.

A guard backhands him across the cheek. "Shut your mouth, worthless trash."

Murmurs flit about the crowd.

"Lynette, the entertainer. She was caught stealing food from a reputable, hard-working establishment."

A ragged woman bows her head as silent tears stream down her face.

From some distance away, a father hugs his two children as all three of them sob quietly.

"Nichols, the carpenter. He questioned the authority of the local guard and slandered our great ruler for personal profit."

As he studies the shifting sea of faces, the young man catches sight of a group hidden in the shadows.

His eyes squint, but he can't make out any features at this distance.

So he waits.

The litany of offenses continues.

"Rizan, the beggar. Disturbed the peace with continual false accusations of the Tolbian government, some of which spurned a local rebel group to murder three of our best officers."

"Lars, the beggar. Accomplice to Rizan's treachery."

"Fay, the seamstress. Conspired to marry above her rank."

Behind the gallows, two well-dressed men raise their eyebrows at Fay. They exchange a few words, then shake their heads sadly.

"Hughes, the common laborer. Refused to obey his superior in the production of new weaponry for the security of our motherland."

"Neena, the chef. She severely maimed a number of Tolbian soldiers."

"It was in self-defense!" she cries. "They were trying to rape me!"

The guard from before smacks her.

The whispers and mutters continue to hum in the air.

"Marisel, the prostitute. Continually refused service while taking the money of hard-working citizens."

At this point, the sheriff stops speaking and glances up.

The nine named prisoners stand gloomily on the first level of the gallows like a row of gravestones, their heads bowed and the rough nooses around their necks.

But one still remains.

Two guards lead the red-haired woman up yet a second set of steps, to a lone noose hanging high above the others.

The rope is fitted around her.

She is biting her lip and trembling visibly.

A barely imperceptible smirk passes over the sheriff's face before he continues.

"Finally...you, the good people of Tolbi, have before you the vilest and most debased creature of them all today. For this woman not only refused to do as her profession required of her, but in a true display of demonic perversion, she turned on her client and killed him." His bushy eyebrows rise in indignation. "Kaydence, the prostitute. This is not her first time contending with the Tolbian authorities. She has been caught numerous times leeching off the rightly-earned resources of your fellow citizens, and foolishly let off like a spoiled child in every instance. Even more, she is proven to have connections to an underground rebel group that conspires against our ruler! But she has finally crossed the line by taking the life of a hard-working man of peace, and for what, a momentary bout of inconvenience? It is silly, it is trivial, it is unforgivable."

Kay's shoulders are slumped.

The words sting her, but there is nothing she can do except wait.

"And yet," the sheriff says, facing Kay again, "as a worker for justice, peace, and righteousness, I will allow you one last chance to defend yourself. What have you to say about your wretched crimes, Miss Kay? Will you offer up your guilt? Will you plead for mercy from His Greatness?"

Kay glares down at him with sorrowful hatred.

But soon her eyes stray to her surroundings.

And, hidden in the noontime shadows, beyond the common masses...

She catches a glimpse of warmly familiar red-brown.

Her jaw almost drops, but she catches herself in time.

Beneath her, the sheriff waits impatiently, triumphantly.

Kay looks down at him again.

And then she looks out.

"There is...nothing...for me to defend," she declares, a renewed energy within her. "I have committed no crime, unless defense of my inherent dignity is a crime. To plead guilty to something I did not do...that is a crime. To sit back and remain quiet about the corruption among those that claim to be defenders of the just and true...that is a crime." Her eyes flash with a long-reserved fury. "To go down under this hypocritical, petty, and dishonest regime without fighting...thatis a crime!"

The sheriff's face is livid with fury.

He opens his mouth to speak—

"There has been silence in these streets for far too long," Kay says, "silence often instigated by the authorities here to keep up with this ridiculous façade of order and tranquility. They call it justice, but how can you call a system that does nothing to help the beggars and the homeless 'just'? You punish them for stealing, for shoddy worksmanship, but you have given them no other choice in the matter! How can you call a system that looks the other way on crimes if you feed it the right amount of gold 'just'? It is illogical and unfair to take away from those who have nothing and give it to those who have more than enough." Her eyes tear up. "How can you call a system...that th-thinks taking away...a mother's child...and slitting his throat in f-front of her own eyes...just?"

The mumbling amongst the people begins to crescendo.

In a fit of rage, the sheriff nearly rips open the parchment he has been reading from.

"You see what poison she spouts from her tainted lips?" he cries. "You see the darkness welling up within her, the desire to pervert all that is good? Such actions will never be tolerated in the regime of our great ruler!" He draws a sword and pierces the air with it. The sun glints off the steel tip. "In his name...let justice be done!"

A guard moves to spring the trapdoors beneath the prisoners...

But a well-aimed arrow flies into his throat.

He gurgles and falls off the platform.

The sheriff whirls around as the guard's corpse lands with a thud next to his feet. "What the hell—?"

More arrows zip through the air, effectively picking off a good number of the sheriff's accompanying band of guards.

The gathered bystanders gasp and look around.

A group of archers dressed in dark blue line the rooftop of a building adjacent to the plaza.

"Who is responsible for this?" the sheriff demands. He brandishes his blade. "Show yourself!"

"There's no need to yell, oh honored servant," comes a calm voice, laced with sarcasm. "I'm right here."

Heads turn.

Bodies move.

Weapons flash.

A man approaches the sheriff, his mouth a thin line of anger.

His silk headdress frames his youthful features.

The sheriff smiles spitefully. "Piers of Lemuria," he drones. "I might have known. What sort of misdeed do you wish to add to your blackened parchment today?"

"If helping the unjustly sentenced is a misdeed, then the times change far too often for this one," Piers replies, folding his arms. "Babi, as much as I disagreed with his person and his politics, would never have let such atrocities occur in his city."

"Babi is dead, and so are his spineless doctrines," the sheriff spits. "It is a wonder that he ruled for so long, with naught but the best military serving under him, and he never once ventured to expand Tolbi's borders. Who is a leader that does not conquer? But our great ruler has done away with that stagnant age!"

"What, a ruler whose name you won't even speak?"

The sheriff glares, then gasps. "You!"

Another man appears from out of the crowd, dressed in the standard Tolbian guard suit.

Tall and broad-shouldered.

Copper hair.

Copper eyes.

And a scowl burned permanently into his face.

The chains tug at him.

The young man snaps to attention.

"Garet!" the sheriff shouts. "You're in cahoots with this old freak too? You would dare betray our ruler after all he's done for this city?"

Garet frowns. "How can I betray something I never bought into?" He unsheathes the Fire Brand. "Not that I ever wanted to buy into your bullshit, you understand."

A feminine gasp from above. "It...it's really you..."

Garet's eyes flick upward briefly. "Don't worry, Kay," he whispers. "I'll get you out of there."

"Not so fast!" the sheriff yells, waving his sword. "Guards! Spring the trapdoors now!"

The remaining soldiers are too slow.

A well-aimed Flare from Garet incinerates the man at the trapdoor levers.

With a shout, Piers sends an Ice Horn spell into the air.

The frozen shards slice through a few of the ropes, releasing their prisoners.

The two rush to save them from the chaos.

Guards leave their posts and charge towards Garet and Piers.

But more arrows rain in from above, distracting them.

Fellow renegades, previously disguised, throw off their cloaks and join in the fight against the Tolbian militia.

The civilians shriek and scatter.

The chains pull him off Kay's gallows.

He falls and trips on his landing.

He's lost in the mayhem.

Garet grunts and pushes against the wave of panicked people.

Two soldiers rush him.

The Fire Brand sings out and cuts a bloody arc across their throats.

They drop away, clearing a path for Garet to run up the wooden steps.

The newly freed prisoners are looking around in horror and confusion.

"It's going to be all right!" Garet says, addressing all of them. "We're gonna get you out of this shithole, okay? Hey, Romin!" he calls. "Mind coming over here and escorting these guys out? I've got business to take care of!"

Without waiting for an answer, Garet stomps up the second set of steps, his brow furrowed in determination.

The young man has managed to disentangle himself from the bodies down below.

He sweeps past Piers fighting off a soldier and climbs up the scaffolding.

He stops at the top of the second staircase.

Watching a brother and sister reunited.

"You're alive..." Kay whispers, still in her noose. "Sweet Mars, you're alive..."

Garet smirks. "Of course I am, sis," he says. "You know it takes more than Hades to get me down."

He takes a chain into his hand and gazes at it for a second.

He looks up at Garet again.

His fingers curl around the ancient metal.

Kay shakes her head. "Hardy as an armored dung beetle, as always."

"C'mon." Garet raises the Fire Brand, ready to cut her free. "Let's go home."

"The only place you'll both be going is to hell!"

Garet turns.

Kay gasps.

The sheriff stands behind them, his teeth bared.

His sword is pointed at Garet.

"Garetius," he snarls. "You were one of the best we had. You were even awarded the Carnelian Phoenix from our great ruler! And you're going to throw that all away for that worthless whore?"

Garet's eyes flash scarlet. "You cowardly asshole," he sneers. "That 'worthless whore'' happens to be my sister!" He settles into a battle stance. "You've insulted me for the last time!"

The sheriff lets out a yell and charges Garet.

Garet easily parries the first swing, then whirls around and tries to catch the sheriff in the gut.

The sheriff rolls to the floor, then back up into a stance.

Garet brings down his sword from above.

The sheriff blocks horizontally...but only just.

Metal grinds against metal.

Their eyes lock for a moment.

The sheriff pushes Garet off.

Garet's boot heels dig into the wood as he slides back. "Rrrghhh..." The Fire Brand flares up with his Mars Psynergy. "Burn in hell, you bastard!"

The sheriff smiles wryly and taps the floorboards with his foot. "Are you sure you want to do that? This is a wooden scaffold, after all."

Garet falters. "What?"

"HAH!" The sheriff takes advantage of Garet's lapse in concentration and attacks again with his sword.

Garet dodges.

But he steps precariously close to the edge.

The sheriff lays on blow after blow.

It's all Garet can do to stay standing.

The young man approaches.

He clutches the chain in his hands.

After a flurry of stabs from the sheriff, Garet sees an opening.

He lunges forward.

The sheriff smiles.

He moves deftly out of the way...and slashes at Garet's back.

The blade sails an inch above Garet's skin.

The force of the attack causes Garet to turn around.

The sheriff swings again.

Garet holds up his sword to block.

But it is too late.

The Fire Brand flies from Garet's grip.

The momentum of the sheriff's swing shoves him off the edge.

And he falls.

Kay screams his name.

The sheriff smirks.

The young man quickly throws out his chain.

It sails past the sheriff's shoulder and latches onto Garet's heart.

Garet falls...

Falls...

And the chain pulls taut.

The young man stumbles from the force.

"Fireball!" In mid-air, Garet sends a searing fireball straight into the sheriff's face.

The sheriff's eyes widen right before his entire body is engulfed in magical fire.

He shrieks and falls back, writhing and moaning.

With a near-superhuman effort, Garet manages to right himself in time to hit the ground with his feet.

He looks forlornly upward.

The young man looks back down at him.

The chain dangles from his fingers.

A stampede of boots and frenzied cries—Tolbian reinforcements—snap Garet to attention.

He casts Eruption on one side.

Three soldiers are caught in the middle of the spell and promptly sink down into molten rock.

But the onslaught isn't over.

Garet punches an approaching soldier, snatches up the Fire Brand lying on the ground some distance away, and shifts his weight to slice at another.

One guard manages to catch Garet and nick him in the side.

Without missing a beat, Garet kicks the soldier out of the way, sending the man flailing into a group of his buddies.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots another team of soldiers advancing on the plaza.

Their magical armor glitters dangerously in the sunlight.

Gauntlet-covered hands clutch either glimmering swords of silver or bows of gold.

"Wh-what the hell?" Garet stammers, backing away slightly.

"Garet!" Piers' voice miraculously rings out loud and clear from the din. "They've called in the Hermetic Guards! There's no way we can deal with them right now! We're going to have to retreat!"

Garet snarls. "I'm not leaving without Kay!"

Before Piers can answer, Garet sprints off to make his way back around the gallows.

His teeth grind as he runs.

A guard tries to take him down with a mace.

Garet shoves the Fire Brand through his gut.

The guard falls.

Sweat drips down the side of Garet's face.

He almost slips on a fresh pool of blood on the brick.

Piers is yelling frantically at him.

Through it all, Garet's attention is focused on one lonely figure at the top of the wooden structure.

Kay, still bound and in her noose, gazes fearfully at her younger brother.

She swallows and tries to keep her breath steady.

He waits anxiously.

He hasn't realized that his nails are digging into his skin.

His eyes jump from Garet, to Kay, to the sheriff...

...slowly coming back to his senses.

He blinks.

The sheriff, though heavily blistered and burned, is still alive.

He looks around.

Through chafed, swollen eyelids, he spots the lever to the trapdoor.

He bares his yellow teeth in a wolfish grin.

And he inches...ever so slowly...over to it...

Garet is still running.

His sword is his shield.

Bodies fly every which way from his swings.

Piers throws off his opponent and finishes him off with an Ice Horn through the heart.

He wipes the grime from his face.

He looks around.

His eyes widen.

The archers of the Hermetic Guard have gathered on the edges of the plaza.

They fit their magical arrows.

And aim straight for a certain Mars Adept.

Piers starts to shout a warning—

But a cursed dagger buries itself into his shoulder blade.

He stumbles to the ground, paralyzed by the spell.

Garet finally reaches the gallows.

He stomps desperately up the first set of steps.

The archers adjust their aim.

The sheriff lies gasping beneath the lever.

His face contorted in pain, he reaches up...

The young man steps aside.

Garet barrels up the second staircase. "KAY!"

Kay's head snaps around to look at him.

The sheriff's fingers curl around the lever.

The archers lift their bows.

Garet reaches out.

The young man closes his eyes.

The sheriff pulls.

The archers fire.

Garet suddenly stumbles forward.

He stops before he falls off the scaffolding again.

He looks behind him, confused.

His arrow-ridden corpse has tumbled through the trapdoor.

The sheriff lies unconscious, a hideously smug expression on his burned face.

And Kay...

Kay hangs.

Garet shakes.

"No..."

Kay swings.

Garet falls to his knees and screams.

"NO!"

He grabs at himself and sobs horribly.

The ragdoll form of Kaydence Jerra disintegrates forever into the crimson sky.

Garet's whole body shudders.

"RRRRRGHH!" He slams a fist into the ground. "THE GODS DAMN YOU, TOLBI! THE GODS DAMN YOU AND YOUR SHIT-STAINED CITY!"

Metal links clink against heated stone.

Garet turns around.

The young man is slowly walking towards him.

...Garet grits his teeth and gets up.

"You..."

"I have come to kill you, Garet."

"THE FUCK YOU HAVE!" Garet explodes, clenching his fists. "You goddamned bastard! What's your deal this time around? Couldn't get what you wanted, so now you're throwing a tantrum and taking it out on us?"

"Garet..."

"You're a power-hungry, heartless, sadistic son-of-a-bitch! Couldn't get enough of playing around with us, so here you are now, a reaper with his bloody scythe ready to lop all our heads off for the sheer pleasure of doing so! I should have known!"

"Garet..."

"I quite frankly have no problem with the fact that you killed me. Life was shitty and hypocritical as a Tolbian soldier. But what pisses me off is that you killed me when I was fucking try to save the sister I thought I'd never see again! Everything I did...everything I forced myself to endure life for...was all for nothing the moment your sorry ass showed up! Look at what's happened! We're both dead! WE'RE BOTH...FUCKING...D—"

"Garet, will you kindly shut up and listen to me?" the young man growls. "I don't want to be here any more than you do!" He shakes his rusted chains at Garet. "Look at these! Look at me! Does it look like I'm relishing the moment?"

Garet only smirks bitterly. "I bet you didn't know what the whole deal was when you signed up for this, did you?"

The young man's eyes widen.

His hands tremble.

He shivers uncontrollably, haunted.

"I don't know what the hell your agenda is here," Garet continues, speaking at a normal volume now. "I don't know why you're killing all of us off—if that was you when Felix, Jenna, and Isaac all died. But I can tell just by looking at you that this isn't what you thought it would be."

The young man is silent.

Garet takes a breath and closes his eyes. "Damn it...I'm so tired of all of this..." He wipes tears away with his knuckles. "So...tired..."

The young man takes another step.

Garet looks at him.

"...are you going to rest, Alex?"

"I don't know."

Garet laughs softly.

"You know, I was going to say I hope you don't, because you don't deserve it...but we're both victims, aren't we? We're both victims of chance, of whoever's turning the Wheel of Fortune up there...or down there for that matter." He sits down resignedly and shakes his head. "Gods, I'm so sick of this. So sick of hating, so sick of good luck being yanked out from my hands...so sick of everything..." He looks up. "You know what you have to do."

The young man hesitates.

"I'm not going to hate you for it, if that's what you're worried about," Garet says, looking mildly amused. "In fact, I don't hate you anymore. I used up all that hate a long time ago." He gazes up at the sky. "We...we all have our fates. Not ones set in stone from the day we're born, but fates that come about because of the things we do. And we've gotta accept those fates, and not regret what we've done...because we did...what we had to do..."

The wind blows, bathing the two men in fine clouds of dust and sand.

The sun burns.

And the young man smiles faintly.

"Felix said the same thing, you know."

Garet quirks an eyebrow.

Then the other one.

And he laughs, long and hard.

"Oh, Gods...he s-said...he said...pfft!" He slaps his knee. "Damn him for always being such a smart little fucker. Now I really need to track him down!"

The young man kneels down and reaches out—

"Hope you've accepted your fate, Alex. Otherwise it's going to hurt."

The young man closes his eyes.

"It hurts either way."

And he touches Garet's shoulder.

Garet turns to stone.

Hot, black obsidian.

Before he can blink, the young man falls under the weight of even more chains.

He drowns in the metallic, blood-stained waves...

And sinks down into roiling shadows.