Any other day, Blue would've taken in the details of the world she'd created around her. The way the ice coldness of the flooring permeated through her sneakers, or the way the walls felt like they were closing in on her, or the way the Superior's men dragged her hard by her arms, leaving red marks. The Superior was walking in front of her. Leading the way through the hallways. She hated every single inch of this man. "Faggot military bitch." She hissed under her breath, remembering what a friend told her back in her world.

The Superior threw back a coy smile at her. Blue scowled.

In what seemed like hours, Blue was finally led into another room, much colder than the hallways. She shivered, the thick rebel uniform she'd taken from base not nearly enough to block out the dropping temperatures. She swore she could see ice on the walls. Why is it so cold...

Then, she realized why. The tree. It was here. The very portal that brought her into this world, and granted her Author powers. And it was in the hands of the main antagonist in her story. This was not going well.

Blue was unchained, but she still couldn't use her powers. She realized why. The walls were lined with obsidian. It was why she could no longer sense the portal's pull when she was with the Elite Rebels.

The guards shut the doors, leaving her alone with the Superior. She didn't like the way his presence filled the room like smoke, filling her with terror.

Now, with obsidian all around them, and the Superior in complete control, he closed the distance between them, his eyes set alight, almost in a possessive kind of way. Blue tried to run, but the Superior kept her still with an invisible channel between them.

He still has Element Evil. He's growing stronger.

"I won't ask you again, Blue." The Superior's voice sharpened with intensity. "Give me the power, or your characters die." He spat the word characters, as if it were an insult.

The door swung open behind them. Blue recognized the new character instantly. She regretted ever including him in her story.

Arthur marched into the room, dragging a body with him. Blue recalled everything Arthur had done to her characters from previous stories, and her heart immediately beat faster.

Arthur moved in front of Blue, dragging the man up to his knees. His beret was missing, and his clothes were shredded, but she recognized him instantly. Creticus. The Superior glared down at him with disappointment. "You could've been of so much use to me. All those years of training - wasted."

The General's breathing grew heavy. "You were brainwashing me, you son of a bitch. Do you have any idea how many lives you made me destroy-"

Arthur landed a harsh blow in his face. The collision of flesh against bone skull made Blue jolt.

Arthur screamed in his face. "YOU DON'T GET TO TALK ABOUT RUINING LIVES! NOT AROUND ME!" Arthur's claws extended from his finger tips. He held them to The General's neck, his eyes watching Blue's every move. It unsettled her. "If you don't hand over the power, I will kill him too. Right in front of you. Better make your decision quick. It's taking all my willpower to not slit his throat now."

Blue was paralyzed. She didn't want to lose everything. The General noticed the stress building up inside her. "You can't just put all that pressure on-"

Arthur yanked The General's head back and began slowly drawing his claws across his throat, leaving a trail of fresh blood that dripped down his flesh. He shut his eyes and opened his mouth, but the sound of pain ended somewhere in his throat.

Blue inhaled sharply. "No!" She tried leaping for him, but the Superior held her back with unrivaled strength. "No, stop! STOP!"

Arthur slowed the cutting wound to a stop, but he didn't move the knife away. Blood dripped down the blade. "Well?" He said with a sick smile.

Misty witnessed the events play out from a corner in the room. Her keen ears picked up voices, and her eyes saw through the darkness of the corner. She couldn't believe this. She'd had her suspicions about the Superior, but this proved everything she doubted. She had to get to Angel before it was too late. Tell her the truth. Tell her the truth about him. She vanished silently out of the room where she first came in. She just had to follow Angel's scent. She just hoped she didn't find her too late.

The Superior produced a remote from his coat pocket, pressing a button. Monitors descended from a hole in the ceiling, surrounding them. They blinked to life, showing security feed of the base. The team's base.

Dr. Romanov moved around the infirmary room, checking Angel's vital signs. He'd kept her under anesthetics so he could keep an eye on her vitals, brainwaves and sleep pattern. And - if the worst came to be - surgery. The Superior could've done something to her during the months she'd been missing. He had to have done something, if Angel aged ten years in a matter of months. It hadn't been that long...

Romanov was halfway through changing her IV drip when he stopped and sighed, dipping his head. He put a hand on Angel's shoulder and spoke to her, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "I will find a way to fix this. You will have your life back."

Angel's eyes shot open.

Romanov gasped as he hand flew to his neck, pinching his airway shut. Her eyes turned to a dark, bloody red. He snarled with hatred. "Finally. I hate these rebels. And I hate your accent. I should shut you up right now."

Romanov didn't have time to figure out how she could be awake when she was under anesthetics. But he knew this much. Angel truly didn't remember them at all. The Superior had won. Angel was his pawn now.

Romanov put a hand on her arm. Angel could swear the man was familiar, though. His rough, aged voice, and long, bony fingers through purple gloves.

"Angel," He rasped. "You don't belong to the Superior. You belong with us."

Angel let out a bark of cold, dark laughter. "That's what he told me you'd say."

"No!" Romanov insisted. "Now you listen to me. You belong with us. You just don't remember it. I remember the days you spent training with the team, your stubbornness to fight, and the fire that burned inside for you to learn. I remember the day you were first introduced to the team. You looked so small and fragile. But you held unimaginable power. A Human and an Ancient Hybrid."

"Why should I listen to anything you say?" Angel growled. "You work with the enemy."

"You were raised to choose peace over war. Not in violence. Not with threats. Not in a lab." Angel was caught off guard by his sudden fierceness. The crows feet and laugh lines around his eyes and mouth didn't portray him as someone who would yell much.

He's begging for his life, A small voice spoke in the back of Angel's mind. Just get rid of him. Now.

With a harsh cry, Angel threw the doctor halfway across the infirmary, his body crashing to the floor. Syringes and lab equipment toppled from the shelves, raining down on top of him. Angel didn't know what caused her to spare his life. But she didn't have time to wonder. She shut her eyes and focused, sending an emergency telepathic signal to the rest of the team. All would go as planned.

The team emerged from the base, some of them still half asleep. Etrius and Nox were alert, though. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the forest was shrouded in darkness. Crickets chirped among the trees. Etrius glanced around. "Angel?"

His eyes followed Angel's form as she sauntered in front of the team, her expression motionless. She counted to make sure everyone was outside.

Etrius found Angel's silence... unsettling. "Angel?" He asked again.

Angel stared at him. "Don't call me that, rebel." She thrust her hand out, an invisible force dragging the team to their knees. Angel walked towards the entrance of the base and ran her hand over the top corner. Etrius noticed something that wasn't there before. A hidden camera.

Blue watched the events unfold in front of her. She couldn't believe it. The Superior still had his claws on her. He only sent Angel with Lloyd to get close to the team. A ticking bomb.

Blue shut her eyes, then said the words she never thought she would say. "Fine."

The Superior held his hand out, a coy smile playing on his lips. "Well? Do we have a deal?"

"Blue, don't you fucking dare!" Creticus's words sounded hollow beside her. Blue numbly extended her hand. The Superior grabbed it, and Blue let go of the power.

It wasn't a subtle feeling. Her power wasn't drifting away, it was being forced away. She was being drained of all energy, the power pouring through her arm, and into another vessel.

She felt as though her arm would be torn from her shoulder. She gasped and collapsed to her knees, trying to pull away, but the Superior's grip only tightened. He was greedy, taking every last drop he could find. Light escaped Blue's eyes, blinding her vision.

Then, everything went dark.

Voices screamed around her. Her eyes were heavy curtains. She pried them open - only for a instant. Dread hit her.

The tree.

It was dead.