Flashback…

Zane runs through the forest sloppily removing his un-enchanted chains. As he runs a flood of thoughts come into his head. "Yes freedom, now all I need is to get to O'khasis and…and…" he realizes that 15 years meant that he wouldn't have the same power he did long ago. "That doesn't matter, I'm away from those people…" He comes out of the forest facing a gate of a village.

A guard spots him and yells. "You there! What business do you have here?"

Zane begins to think about Lawrence's and Garroth's injuries and Aphmau lying there. "What the hell?! Why do they matter?! I could just lie, let them rot there...I could… I could…"

The guard yells again. "I will ask again, state your business or we will open fire!"

Zane bites his lip the new thoughts and emotions rushing through his mind, "Why? Why do I suddenly give a damn?! I am Zane, High Priest of O'khasis, why should I care a single bit for that woman, that love-struck loser and my good for nothing brother?!"

An archer grabs a bow as a guard begins to count down. "Ready!"

Zane grips his hand tight as if trying to hold back his words. "They…they spared me… why?! They could have killed me! Blackehart said it himself, I'm useful to no one so why?!"

"AIM!"

"I…I…I…"

"FI-"

"HELP!" Zane screams and the archer slowly lowers his bow as Zane continues, "In the forest! There was an attack! They need help! Please!"

Present day…

Aphmau looks toward Zane who is sitting in a chair outside of another room. The man from before had told her the whole story about how Zane was the one that guided the healers to them. If it hadn't been for him they would have died. She starts walking to him.

"What do you want?" he says coldly.

"Heard that you're the one that told us where we were." She responded.

"So what?"

"Why?"

"I don't have to answer to you."

"You know this doesn't change anything, right."

"Of course not. Why would I think otherwise?"

"..."

"If you're looking for your two boyfriends, one's awake in the other room but my brother is still asleep."

"If you're expecting a thank you you're mistaken."

"I know, let's just get out of here as soon as possible."

Aphmau leaves Zane and heads into Laurence's room. Laurence's sits on a bed with bandages over his arms and chest.

"We'll I know I died and went to heaven seeing that you're here." He jests.

"Come on now, you're not dead yet."

"Yeah, if I was I wouldn't be feeling this pain across my chest, or maybe that's just my love for you."

"Hehe, keep on dreaming."

He laughs, "So…how are your injuries?"

"Minor scratches and fatigue, according to the doctor."

"And how are you feeling?"

"A little rattled up from the whole thing but I'll manage."

"Are you sure?"

"…yeah…"

"Ok, if you say so. So how did we get here?"

"It was…Zane."

"What?! You serious?! Why?!"

"I don't know."

"He probably thinks we owe him something now."

"We don't owe him anything, this doesn't make up for all the things he's done to Phoenix Drop."

"You got that right. Anyway you should check up on Garroth."

"Right, get better soon."

Aphmau exits the room and enters the one where Zane was sitting by. She sees Garroth lying down in a bed with his severed arm sown on back by what looks like to be magic strings. Zane enters the room and leans on the farthest wall away from Garroth.

Zane speaks "The doctors managed to save his arm but…it might take a while till he can feel it again.

"How long?" Aphmau asks

"A week, a month, maybe more."

"…"

"You know my brother better than I do so tell me…"

"What?"

"Why, why did he get between me and Blackehart? He could have let me die, there's no reason he wouldn't. So why did he protect me? After everything I've done, why me?"

"He protected both of us."

"And he had no reason to, he could have taken you can ran. But instead…instead he tried to make sure both of us got out alive. Why did he do such a stupid thing?!"

"I honestly don't know."

"Figures."

There's an awkward silence between them. Then Aphmau asks something to Zane.

"Do you know what promise he was talking about?"

"Promise? Wasn't he referring to you?"

"He said that he broken the promise before and he wouldn't break it again. For as long as I have known him, Garroth has only ever promised to be my guard and always protect me. Under his own will he has never broken that promise, even when he sacrificed himself back in Irene's Dimension. So I'm asking you."

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Thought as much."

A doctor walks in and looks at both at them. "Sorry for me to interrupt but this patient needs his rest, and so do you Miss."

"No, I'm fine really." Aphmau says.

"Sorry but doctor's orders I'll have a nurse escort you to your room."

"But, but…" As Aphmau tries to reason with the doctor a nurse enters and takes Aphmau out of the room.

"As for you," he looks toward Zane, "I know he's your family but…"

"I understand."

"You can wait outside if you want."

"Thank you doctor." Before exiting the room he asks he doctor one last question, "Is…is he going to be alright?"

"As far as we know, yes but it will take a while until he can move his arm again, but other than that he'll be fine."

"…that's good…"

Meanwhile…

In the main hall of the Jury of Nine, Ace Redfield and Barthus Kumodori are talking.

"Something on your mind?" Barthus asks, shifting his glasses. "Would it have something to do with the lord's decision on reinstating Katelyn?"

"Partially..." Redfield said his hand clenched and presses against his mouth deep in thought.

"How so?"

"The Oath Ceremony, a gathering of Lords and Ladies from across the land to see a guard take his or her oath of loyalty to O'khasis. For the first time in over five years, all current members of the jury will be in one location with their respected lords."

"Yes, a gathering like this is quite rare. But I feel that's not all."

"…scouts of mine have reported seeing strong dark magicks being used in a town on the outskirts of O'khasis. Apparently there was an attack on four wanderers, the scouts have reported recognizing three of the four. Zane and Garroth O'khasis and Aphmau of Phoenix Drop. There was another but they didn't recognize him."

"Interesting, like Katelyn they were missing fifteen years ago and have only recently reappeared, unaged. But why would they be heading to O'khasis? And more importantly, why did Devlin Blackehart attack them?"

"So you think that too huh?"

"It is the only reasonable conclusion."

"Katelyn will represent herself as the representative juror of Phoenix Drop and seems the former lord is on her way here."

"That's not official…"

"Come again?"

"In our records it states that even though she had disappeared Lady Aphmau is still acting as Lord of the village."

"Fifteen years is a hell of a vacation, I'm pretty sure that by now the people have chosen a new lord."

"If so, they have not represented themselves to us. As such it will Aphmau that will have to be the one to be acting as Katelyn's Lord during the ceremony."

"Still doesn't change the fact that Blackehart attacked them in the woods. From now on until the party we should keep an eye out for him."

Barthus stood up and walked to the exit, "I'll do what I can, but I make no guarantees. I would rather not remove Blackehart of his positon and risk disrupting the order of things."

"Always thinking the big picture." Redfield got up as well and exited the room.

On a wall opposite of one of the ones in the hall Devlin Blackehart stood there, he had listened to the entire conversation and was absolutely livid. He clenched his fist and punched the nearest wall, breaking the stone and causing small sparks of black lighting to spread around the hallway. He gritted his teeth and growled, "Plot against me will you! You should watch your own back, Ace Redfield."