REAVER'S POV

Lifting my head up, I couldn't help but growl in the lowest tone possible, my eyes blurred as I looked around the library at hand. Lawrence was across the room, seemingly completely unconscious and I could still hear her breathing, Emily's, just a bit behind me. I slowly reached around myself, ripping the blade from my back that she'd thrown to me, a grunt escaping me as my eyes shot around to her. I hadn't been this angry in years.

"You brat!" I shouted at the girl as she watched me with a strong and yet horrified look, her eyes opened wide as she dropped all of the blades left in her hand, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth in shock. I couldn't even feel pity for the young girl as I once would, to me at that moment she became nothing more than one of those revolutionaries.

"M-Master I-…"

"Silence!" I shouted as I cut her off as she yelped slightly as she began to back away, but before she could get too far I drew my gun back out and pointed it at her – and I pulled the trigger. She screamed once before she fell to the floor with one of the loudest smacks I'd ever heard.

I was shaking, so, so much.

"Emily?"

She wasn't moving. She didn't even seem to be breathing, she was just…lying there, motionless. The shake that she had before was now gone, everything was gone. I slowly came to my feet and I stumbled towards her body and as I came to her, I paused.

"Oh come now dear, do get up," I said as I slowly kneeled down to her and gave her a push. "Emily, you-…Oh Avo no, no no no no!" As I adjusted my eyes, I saw there was a bullet wound right in the center of her chest, and I pulled her up into my arms.

"I'm sorry…what have I done to you?" I asked her in a defeated tone as she stayed completely still and completely silent. Until, she whimpered for a moment.

"Hm? Emily? Child? Dear? Are you picking up m-my voice, Em?"

I realized I didn't know what I was saying, I was just…emoting to her. This…almost dead girl.

"Look, dear, I-"

"No…" Her voice cut me off, and it was quiet, like a whisper.

"No, no, Emily i-it's alright, shh..sh-shh..I'm..I'm not going to..to hurt…Avo I can't even speak." I said as I looked away from her before pulling her in closer.

"I-I'm sorry…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry….I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

Never before had these emotions struck me so deep.

"Please, Emily, won't you wake up?" I asked her as I felt tears fall from my eyes, but she did not reply.

"L-Listen, dear," I stuttered. "Your master…your master has to go and ruin someone. Please don't move, don't try to move, don't get up. I will return. This time, I will come back for you. I promise." I slowly said as I pressed her down to the floor before standing, shaking more.

"There's a girl I have to kill."

ANASTASIA'S POV

I found my group soon and they gave me a health potion to awaken me back into life and they managed to calm me down from what seemed to be a panic attack as I told the men what had happened to me, and they were more than shock to put it easily. Most of them kept looking over their shoulders, as if hoping he'd be around for them to kill him – but he wasn't in our line of view.

I also told my team of his new companion, that man Lawrence, and they all looked rather horrified as I told them of his powers. It was clear that the man in white was becoming much less easy to get to, but now it seemed Emily was out of his mix. I never would've expected her to do something like that, such as stab him, it was…shocking really. Perhaps her kidnapping by us broke her out of her somewhat 'loving' state with her master, yet I wonder if he…killed her? If he somehow awoke again and managed to get up, he would've killed her, but still she seemed so dear to him. It was all so questionable.

We were all going to keep together and go searching, until there was the sound of heavy breathing just behind us all, and we all turned with our weapons out as I held onto one of the arms of the leaders before I stood my own ground, pulling a gun.

"You." White coat said in a low tone as he stared right at me, and it was almost as if he could see my soul.

"We heard you stabbed our Ana, Reaver. Your obsession has gone too far; you're going to get beat!" The leader shouted at white coat who just began to laugh, but…it was no regular laughing. He was seemingly crying and laughing at once, there was something horrifying about it.

"Beat? Beat me?! Try me!" He yelled at us with a grin as he drew out his gun and pointed it out towards the crowds of us as everyone began to charge him as a brawl came to be. He was somehow beating up everyone as they beat down on him, everyone was just going insane. Punches were thrown, guns were shot and I could hardly see what was happening from the dust being thrown up from the sandy grounds, but then – it came to the end.

Nearly all the men of the gang were on the ground groaning as white coat was down on one knee as the leader of the gang was standing above him with a gun in his hand, it turned around so the blunt of the gun was in front of white coat, who was heaving. He was clearly dying on the ground.

"Finally," The leader said with a sigh. "Time for you to die, you monster!" He said as he raised the gun up and was about to bring it down as I put a hand out, screaming a loud 'No'…just as time…stayed still. The whole world went grey and instantly freezing cold and I gasped, my hand coming back down. The leader of the gangs was frozen, his gun inches away from white coat's head as he too was not frozen, as I. He looked up and around, looking at me with a bit of shocked look, slowly standing up and away from the leader, dropping his weapon as a voice rung out to us.

"Hello, heroes."

We both gasped in time, turning around with a gasp to see a woman before us with her hands clasped in front of her, dressed in white and red as she looked to the ground.

"Theresa." White coat said with a bit of a grunt as I looked across to him, it seemed they'd met before. I'd never seen anything like this before, what was this magic? I'd never heard of anyone who could stop time.

"Hello once again Reaver, it has been a long time." The women said in her low and rather calm voice as the bloody man sighed.

"Yes, indeed, over 50 years now." He replied as my heart beat harshly, still trying to stand my ground. I couldn't understand why white coat wasn't taking this calm time to attack me, murder me even. It was perfect…but…no.

"You do not need to act strong right now, Anastasia," The women said to me. "You will not be harmed whilst we are here. I have come to speak with you and Reaver. I have been watching you both for some time, and I'm incredibly sorry I haven't been able to contact you yet, Anastasia. You see, I watch over all heroes, but I have been busy. You two have been giving us heroes a worse name than you already have, it has been rather unsettling. You are supposed to get along, not fight." She said as white coat growled.

"She made me shoot Emily!" He shouted at her, as she simply tilted her head to him.

"She did not 'force' you, thief. You chose to pull the trigger; Anastasia did nothing more but make you angry. You know this." She said as he slowly looked down to the sandy grounds, gripping his fist together.

"So what now, you want us to somehow get along now? This girl has been trying to murder me for months now and I her! We cannot simply put us behind us!" He shouted at Theresa who just kept looking at him. She seemed very calm and collected, which was helpful as I felt rather panicked.

"That's exactly what I expect, pirate," She said as white coat let out an angsty groan. "You've already murdered the other Hero of Will, Reaver," He looked away. "We do not need a second occurrence of that. Tell me pirate, was there ever a time in this country that you wouldn't change for the world itself? A time which you wouldn't let be hurt?" She asked him as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, there is in fact," He brought his hand to his mouth as he thought. "Yes, it was that festival of the dance I went to a long time back, why?" He asked her as she smiled a little, and that worried me.

"I need you two to bond, we do not need more death than we've had. Goodbye, heroes."

Everything went black.

As I re-awoke, by Avo, my back hurt. I slowly pushed myself up and I was in a room I didn't recognize at all, it was an all off white marble room with little bits of furniture everywhere such as a wooden desk, a wardrobe and one big open window with no glass as sun shone in. I was on the floor, and as I was about to look down to see why, I saw white coat right next to me, still asleep and I screamed loudly as I fell away from him, making him wake up with a yelp.

"What?! What is-…Oh, oh I see." He said as he slowly looked around as he too realized we were somewhere very different from before, and I had to say, he didn't look the same. He was wearing all red, well, off red. This strange red cape with golden chains and a white cravat, and he too looked down to himself with a gasp.

"This?" He questioned. "Why in Avo's name am I wearing this?" He asked himself as he looked to me, raising an eyebrow.

"And you? Why are you wearing…that?" He asked me, and I looked down to myself with a gasp. I'd never seen such pirate like clothes. I was in an adventures coat which was a deep bottle green which came to my neck, had tails and was fashioned by black buttons diagonally down my body. I too was wearing black trousers with a green ribbon around my waist acting as a belt and black knee boots, not to mention a sword on my hip and I stared at the man before me as he stared at me also. I'd never seen these clothes before and I couldn't understand why I was wearing them, or where they were to be fair.

I slowly came to my feet as white coat, well..red coat now, did too as he went for the window of the room, and as he looked out he stuttered a little, his eyes opened wide. The streets of the once dead Samarkland were full of colour, ribbons everywhere as music played and people walked around happily as sun scorched down. I thought he'd say something to help himself look calm, but he didn't , he just kept silent.

"What is this? What is this type of magic? Is this some sort of hallucination?" I asked the man as he looked over to me with rather wide eyes, his face looking much more youthful, making me almost jump. He hardly looked like the same man, he even looked healthier.

"This…I've never seen this happen before, Ana," He uttered. "You don't quite understand how this changes things." He said as he leaned against the open window frame, his elbows against the marble as the music echoed, and I leaned against the wall.

There was something odd about being this close to him without either one of us attacking each other in cold blood, but perhaps it would come, we just needed to figure out what this all was first.

"How does this change things? Didn't Theresa say that this was going to make us…'bond'," I almost felt ill saying that. "Is this some sort of alternate world?" I asked him as he looked down a little.

"Look, Anastasia, listen to me. This is no alternate world or hallucination of sorts, this is the real festival of the dance, that's why I'm becoming…agitated." He said as I tilted my head over. Why is he afraid of a festival?

"What's wrong with that?" I asked as he looked me right in the eyes.

"Anastasia, the festival of the dance," He paused. "Took place over 50 years ago." He said with a bit of a shake to his voice, and this made me look down with a shaky breath.

"Are you saying we're back in time? Why?" I asked in panic as he looked back out the window.

"Didn't you hear? She wanted to know a memory, a place I would not change for the world. This festival was one of the best memories I had, so she knew I wouldn't want to kill or attack you to falter those good feelings. Blasted witch, this is such black magic," He growled. "So now I'm stuck in one of the best times in my life with a revolutionary who cares for nothing more but to kill me, how…how cruel." He said in a defeated way with a sigh.

I thought for a moment. I understood what it was like to live a life with very little happy moments, such as my life as a young aristocrat. I didn't know why, but I almost felt sorry for this man, even although he'd led me on a wild goose chase and tried to murder me, but something of sympathy was there. He really wasn't going for me, if he was going to I would've been very, very dead by now, this I know. He would've drew a gun, said something ridiculous and then shot me in the face, but as of right now, he seemed to have no wish to. The very thought of being in the past was frightening, but then it made me think…Why was he here so long ago? It never really occurred to me, but it seems my aristocratic friend is immortal.

As much as I really did wish to hurt him and get this whole thing over and done with, I realized there'd be literally no point, I'd just mess up history, me being here as of right now was messing up history enough. If I killed him, there would be no industry, no gangs and I'd likely be a women married off into riches, but then too…perhaps if this time went well I could stop anything evil he did from ever happening, such as industry and his evilness he had over monarchy. Maybe, just maybe that could work.

"I'm not going to hurt you, let us put our problems besides us for our time here, may we enjoy this place for what it is. I won't tarnish your memories, let them be." I said with a shrug as he looked to me with a shocked expression.

"Is that so?" He asked me as he looked down. "Well…that's mighty kind of you having the situations we've been in before. So, how does a parley sound?" He asked as he put his hand out to me, and I froze.

This really was deciding time. I knew what had to be done.

"Parley." I said as I shook his hand.

What had I gotten myself into?