When Viole stepped out of the rink he had to remind himself that it all wasn't a hallucination.

The change was back that drastic. Inside, while dim and crumbling, the rink was still more or less intact and there's was light enough to see, but outside there was no light at all. If he couldn't hear the sounds of Ruard's and Taeyang's footsteps ahead of him Viole would have truly been lost.

It was also cold out. He hadn't really felt the chill before when on the hill, but Viole felt it now. He felt it as the wind brushed by and wrapped him up in that icy embrace. He felt it as he glanced up at the cloudy, overcast sky.

He sneezed.

For one mad moment Viole thought there'd be a "Bless You" or something but only silence answered him.

So, he felt compelled to break that silence.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"That's … that's actually a good question," Taeyang admitted as she reached out a hand to Ruard's shoulder. "Where are we going?"

"Not far now. Follow me."

And it wasn't. Not really. But it felt long to Viole as the trio walked along the abandoned street. The sight of more crumbling buildings, like the rink, could just be made out through the pitch-darkness. Once they passed by more buildings in disrepair he couldn't take it anymore – "What happened here?"

"Do you know why this festival is called the Year of Victory Celebration, Viole? It says it right on the tin. It celebrates a year where Ludina had military victories against an old foe."

That was…off…to Viole. The festival itself hadn't seem militaristic in the foggiest - it was bright, cheerful, and vibrant. Could it really be fueled by something like hate? Just –

"Who is this enemy?"

Ruard answered – waving his hand into the air. His ever-present bored tone almost sounded tired as well.

"Us."

…..

He had no idea what he was looking at.

Viole had never seen anything like it. The blue wall of Shinsoo that Lero-Ro made right before the second test on the second floor came closest, but that still was not right. Where that was a solid blue wall, these were sigils inscribed on the ground and slithering this way and that. The space right above it shimmered.

"It separates the two sides."

"What's on the other side?"

Ruard didn't answer. "We need to cross but it'll be dangerous. I would understand if –"

"I'm in".

Ruard's usual expression was replaced with a smirk, "That was quick."

"Didn't have to think hard on it," Viole said as he approached the line. He could feel the pressure, the energy, wafting off it like waves even from the distance he stood at. "How do we cross it?"

"Watch."ar

Ruard stepped forward and stretched his hand out. That shimmer that Viole saw earlier seemed to solidify around his fingertips – taking on a blue glow that glimmered.

What happened next was hard for him to explain. It wasn't happening to Viole but he still felt it nevertheless. Shivers crawled up his arms and he felt a dampness, a coldness, struck at the pit of his stomach and spread outwards.

At the same time the sigil underneath Ruard's hand faded away.

He pulled his hand away and turned to Viole.

"We can wiggle through the gap, but having more of them be deactivated would be better. Try it."

Viole was pretty sure this was another test like with the stall game but walked up to the wall anyway.

He could feel the Shinsoo. Feel it licking at his skin, feel it through the gong as if he was waddling through water, feel an electric heat just humming with untapped energy. He stretched out his hand as well and felt the shinsoo snake between his fingers. Viole felt that coldness and raised it up, through his arm. He then felt he was in the innards of some beast – like his fingers brushed against vital organ.

He squeezed his hand into a fist.

The sigil right below didn't vanish. All of them did. One after another after another. Just snapping into place.

"What – " Viole took a step back.

"Let's go."

"What – " Viole repeated again but Ruard was already gone.

Taeyang reassured him, "It'll come back in a moment. Don't worry," and then headed deeper within.

Viole still hesitated. He took a moment to stare at the ground where the string of sigils once stood but then followed them.

…..

Viole had thought it was dark before, but the light from the city proper still filtered in. But as they had delved deeper into the outskirts, further away from the Hill, it became even darker. How would it look during the day? Honestly, Viole was not sure. It didn't help that he wasn't sure where they were anymore – if they were even in Ludina.

When they finally stopped Viole felt his whole body tense. They stood in front of an off-white triangular building. There were once twin doors in front of it, but now the entrance was replaced by a metal barricade. There was a military man standing in the front with a rifle in hand – not pointing it out at anyone but clearly at the ready. He did not have to be told to hide with the others when Taeyang and Ruard went into an alleyway out of sight.

"Who are these people? Are they dangerous?"

"They are the Scourges. Remnants from Gasiun's military from before the war. They are little more than bandits now. Heavily territorial," As Taeyang said this she kept her eyes honed on the man. "We should stay clear."

What is Gasiun? But more importantly than that, "I thought FUG started the war."

"It did," While Taeyang was focused on the nearby building, Ruard was looking in the complete opposite direction. "Sort of. It's complicated. Anyway, the coast is clear – let's keep going."

Without much further warning he left. Viole and Taeyang caught each other's eyes for a moment.

Despite Ruard's assurance that the coast was clear Viole still kept expecting them to stumble across a Scourge patrol as they darted through the open. Even if they were crouched-running, Viole still felt overly exposed. That's because he could make the Scourges out in the distance, distinguishable not only by their fatigues but by an insignia patch stitched onto their shoulder. A picture of a screaming man clawing at his man with lines trailing down.

Actually, as he squinted he could just make out the red. "Is that real blood?"

"Don't be distracted."

As they crossed the street and drew nearer to their destination, it became clear to Viole just what it is. A graveyard. A circle of grey headstones lay before them, sitting on top ground that was covered in bare shrubbery and was packed and cracked by foot traffic. Viole didn't see any vaults. To be honest, it was pretty small.

Once they were out of sight from the patrols on the street Ruard stood up from where he was. Seeing that as a good of a sign as any that there was no need any more to be stealthy Viole also straightened up. The graveyard itself was as small as it appeared. Made up only of that circle of tombstones and a single tree in the corner shading a chunk of the graveyard itself…the tree Ruard was heading to.

The tree itself didn't stand out to Viole at all. At least it didn't until Ruard reached into it and pulled out a wrapped and tied package.

"Okay, we're good. Let's head out."

Viole just stared at him. "Seriously? That's it?" He knew he was being loud but that was the only way to convey his incredulity. "Didn't you say this would be dangerous?"

"It is, especially if we were caught by the Scourges, which may still happen if you don't quiet down."

And so, he did.

"Come on, this way."

And so, he followed.