No sensation. Silence. Not cold. Not hot. Just nothing. The void around him held no entrance nor exit. He just floated, curled into himself like a child. A fair, auburn glow seemed to pulse through his torso. He couldn't tell what it was, but he also didn't see a reason to. None of it mattered here in his abyss.

…

"Someone – stop her."

…

" – tired of this."

Distant voices. Some shouting, others barely a whisper. Rapid breaths and footsteps. Echoing in his abyss like a tune on the wind.

…

" – the price you must pay– Infected."

That word resonated for a moment. Infected. Like a cold? No. The term carried more weight. Far more. Pushing the thought aside, he returned to his rest, trying his best to ignore the sounds intruding in on his place.

…

"Damn it! Run –!"

Fire. A fire that was frenzied. Wild and full of rage. One that threatens to burn everything it graces with its touch. Shouts of desperation and cheers of sinister glee.

But it's all so far. Flickers in a pitch black horizon. Echoes in the distance.

'I'll just rest until it all quiets down.' There isn't some internal voice to accompany the thought, but he thinks it regardless. Everything is silent again. No sensation. Silence. Not cold. Not hot. Just-.

"Protect Amiya and the Doctor! Quick!"

The sounds and heat return. Shouts, whispers, pleas, frantic steps; all booming like a melody of chaos. The fire whips and grows. Seemingly no longer content being a distant flicker, as it bursts out toward him like a fiery claw. It misses him by inches. He feels the heat. It snaps over and over, always just out of reach, blazing talons frantically grasping for him. He doesn't know if he's moving, but the fire continues to barely grace him despite seemingly getting closer. The voices also draw ever closer with every attempt the claw makes. Inch by inch. A hair's length. A slight brush on his face.

'No! No. No, it'll all stop. I just have to rest. It'll all fade. It has to. It has to…' He squeezes his eyes shut. Tense.

"You will not hurt them."

One calm voice leaks through the chaos, taking shape in the sea of orange flames as a small blue light. It's calm. Unlike the inferno, its light provides a soft and gentle warmth, a welcome respite to the searing flares. But it holds against the wilds around it, brave and firm. He hears the voices that had long become roars, go silent. He can feel the fire halt its advance, if only for a moment.

…

"I will never… allow you to do that!"

'Yes. Please.'

…

The fire flickers and continues its assault, now on the light. As if daring it to back up its claim.

'Ngh…' The light struggles, but then grows, 'I must… protect everyone…!'

His abyss, that had only very recently become home to anything, was suddenly consumed by the light. Becoming bleached in white.

"Amiya is holding back the enemy's Arts… all by herself…?"

The white quickly fades and the abyss is gone. Though he can't say he sees this as an upgrade. Hordes of people surround him, men and women. Some tagged with orange bands, masked and eerie in their unison. Few others are also armed and tense, but wear and fading hope shows they are obviously on the backfoot. In the middle, directly in front of him, two women are locked in a struggle with one another. The older one is calm and undaunting, her trailing orange armband violently whips along with the torrent of flame that seemingly leaks from her very being and eats away at her opponent. The other, a young girl, seemingly holding up a barrier in an urgent, albeit feeble, attempt to hold the fire at bay.

There is more shouting from the people closest to him. Warning, almost begging, the young girl to stop her defense. Her barrier is catching fire. Someone says something about a ring. But just like in his abyss, all he hears is her voice in the muffled chaos surrounding him. The masked army surrounding them feels far off, their voices of joy faded out and the group just behind him is simply out of his sight, thus out of his mind.

"Doctor, I'm sorry…" Was she speaking to him?

"Even if this brings disaster, even if I…!" He sees her knees begin to quake under the force of it all. Her trembling hands speeding up into tight, desperate flurries toward her crumbling barrier.

"I don't want to lose… the person dearest to me… ever again!"

The woman bathed in flame lets out a mirthful scoff and mutters something. The momentary peace of the young girl's voice quickly shatters and the situation spirals ever downward. The voices of who he has now decided are his enemies in all this, ring out.

"Kill 'em! For the Infected!"

"There is no standing against Reunion!"

"Death to Rhodes!"

"Get the Doctor! Take them out!"

A desperate voice behind him begins to pray about a radiant knight making an offer. He doesn't know how he knows, but he has a feeling that the offer is more of a sacrifice.

A hand from behind spins him to attention. A pale, dark haired Perro woman with tall clipped ears and knitted, oval eyebrows locks eyes with him," Doctor!"

'I'm… a doctor…?' He thinks for a moment, finally having something to call himself, but not really knowing what that even means for him.

"Just go! We'll help Amiya, but you have to…"

Her brown eyes flick past him for a moment, but that moment was enough to catch her full attention. The anguished cry pulls his gaze as well. Turning back to the duel, Doctor sees a tall man push the girl, Amiya, behind him and quickly take her place against the fiery woman.

"You've done well. Let us share your burden." The dark haired woman lunges forward and pulls a haggard Amiya back from the conflict, the man continues, "Dobermann, take her with you. I'll see you soon."

"... Ace…"

Amiya, tired eyes glistening with tears that dared not fall, reaches out for the man," Ace… No… Ace…!" He can hear her voice falter for a moment, getting out only a few more words before slipping unconscious," Promise me… that you'll…"

Ace now looks at him, the Doctor he supposes, and speaks with a foreboding tone of finality.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Morgan. You might not remember me. But I remember you, and I know what kind of person you are."

Dr. Morgan. He'd learned his name, but it frankly didn't matter as Ace seemed to speak directly to his soul. A tone of raw emotion that his hidden eyes couldn't display. Simply the weight of his words.

"There will come a day when you and Amiya will face this cruel world together. That's why you must cherish her." Ace turns back to his foe, who Morgan now sees is in the midst of continuing her assault, a draconic tail lightly whipping behind her in possible amusement.

The man known as Dr. Morgan, who has seemingly only now learned his own name, simply nodded to the man. Then was whisked away by Perro called Dobermann and ushered forward with the rest of what he hoped were trusted allies.

"Let's go." Ace's voice comes out strong as he steels himself for the dragoness ahead, but ends with a small mutter. A short and quiet wish of good fortune, "Godspeed."

"We've broken through Reunion's encirclement!" Dobermann, says as loudly as she can without giving away their position in the crystallized ruins surrounding them.

A blonde knight, a Kuranta woman that Morgan learned was called Nearl, panted out in response," But… they…" Her protest turns to a pained grimace and a groan, which is quickly hushed by Dobermann. The two fall into a hushed whisper. Morgan can hear them, but can't really feel bothered to eavesdrop on them, turning instead to Amiya, who had yet to stir in his arms.

Seeing she seemed alright, Morgan turned his attention to the landscape around him.

To call it in disrepair felt like an understatement. Buildings were utterly ruined. At best one could see simple cracks in brick and shattered windows. At worst, places that possibly stood stories high before, were now leveled. Reduced to blankets of rubble on the foundation. Though the young man felt the in between of the two extremes was the most telling.

Desks, possibly from a nearby school, are blown out classroom litter the ground, seemingly having easily splintered against the streets while paper, possibly someone's homework or drawing for their parents, fluttered in the hollow breeze. Curtains of someone's old home hung limply as the upper corner was pierced through by one of the many massive blades of crystal, that all glowed with a pulsing and eerie, yet oddly alluring light. Vehicles of all kinds strewn about roadways and sidewalks. Some just carelessly abandoned, most likely in a panic. Others crushed into the area, as if having crashed at harrowing speeds or simply thrown around like a haphazard toy.

Yet as if the buildings were alive, as if they were attempting to persevere against the damage, didn't crumble. But nor did they stand tall. They simply groaned and shuddered, as if with hope that people would return to them and rebuild what once was. They did not seem to completely yield to all of the damage, but the dilapidated city, known as Chernobog, did nothing to spark hope or care for its fate within Morgan.

Frankly, nothing about this situation spurred much of anything from him. Since they had seemingly gotten in the clear of the their pursuers, that he was told were known as 'Reunion', Dobermann and Nearl occasionally shot him subtle glances of concern or words of encouragement.

"Keep your pace up. We're almost there."

"Don't push yourself too much, you've only just woken up. Your body may be shot as badly as your memory."

"Worry not Doctor. We'll be back at Rhodes soon enough."

Words said with a fragile optimism, ones that he felt should have warranted a response from him. Encouragement? Confirmation? Anything better than silence he felt comfortable with. But Morgan simply carried on. He had been handed Amiya and told to follow, lest they be caught. He had no reason or want to do otherwise, these people seemed to know what was going on and put a strong front in order to keep him safe. He had heard they talked about him. With such reverie that he'd call it off-putting. He was apparently worth the damage and death to their group, and while he felt no compulsion to deny that sentiment, he still couldn't help feeling unnerved.

Just hearing his name. 'Doctor Morgan!' He tried muttering it to himself. Just underneath his breath as to have any more concern sent his way.

"Doctor Morgan."

"Morgan. Doctor Morgan."

"Dokutah Morgan."

No. None of it sounded right. None of it felt right. He couldn't ignore the fire building in his chest, one that shook through his very being. Pushing a feeling of bile into his throat at the very thought of that name. It built up a fierce, yet small heat that threatened to sear his tongue. Physically rejecting the title, as if he wasn't worthy to have it, or even his to have. Yet as of now, it was ALL he had and he'd rather have what he felt didn't belong to him, than nothing at all.

Quickly swallowing his bout of sickness, Morgan coughed harshly, feeling it lightly flick the inside of his mask. He felt he was already growing annoyed with the thing.

"Doctor Morgan…? What happened…?"

Looking down, the man saw the young Cautus begin to wake. He remained silent, simply looking at her through the visor of his mask. One that he frankly was surprised he hadn't noticed earlier.

"P-Please… let me down. I'm fine. I can walk on my own." A slight nod, and he gently sets her down.

"We managed to make it out? What about Ace and the others?"

Morgan, again, returns her question with silence.

"I see." Amiya gives herself a light pat on her cheeks and makes a small smile," It's okay. I'm sure Ace will be fine. Everyone in Rhodes Island is very strong. We're almost at the south exit. Once we leave Chernobog, we'll be… we'll…" Her voice wavered, her eyes barely selling the confidence her words tried to instill.

"Doctor… Can I lean on you? Just… Just for a moment."

Again, Morgan didn't respond, but nodded.

Rhodes Island had fled, the merry band of stragglers had turned tail and ran. The cowardice left a glare on Talulah's face. The leader of Reunion slowly sauntered toward her fallen foe, a haphazard flick of her wrist dulling the violent flames that had turned his limbs to glorified pieces of ashen logs.

His chest heaved as he lay in the dirt, facing the sky with a fading look in his eyes. Talulah had felt slightly annoyed at the shades that hid his stare and saw to it they shattered so she could see the hope leave his eyes. With a slow stomp of her heel into his charred thigh, he winced and bit his tongue, not giving her the satisfaction of a reaction.

"You'd be better off… putting me down," A violent coughing fit escaped him. "I won't be giving you anything you could use."

Defiance in the face of death. Loyalty to bitter finale. Talulah could respect that in an enemy. But information wasn't what she wanted. No, she had information to share.

"You are mistaken. I could tell that… 'persuasive interrogation' would yield me no results with you, aside from a quicker end due to your sorry state. If I wanted that," The dragoness knocked her head toward the direction the cowards had fled and let a small, wicked smirk grace her face," I would have pursued. Then ripped the knowledge from the tongue of that Cautus myself."

The threat made a glare display on Ace. One that despite his current situation, seemed to hold the tides of his fury behind a dam of poise. Any Reunion grunt would have flinched. Not Talulah. Her smirk didn't even twitch and her eyes remained half-lidded, maybe even bored.

"I heard that girl call you Ace. Is this correct?"

No response. His glare held firm, though his breathing showed the strain it took to maintain.

"Well, Ace, out of a sense of respect for your efforts," Drifting her gaze to now molted embers of the ruins of Chernobog that had been their arena, one that showed the surprising amount of trouble the lowly operative had caused her. Presenting it with a wave of her hand as if showing a glorious horizon. "I will leave you with some information. To take with you. A sort of… farewell gift has you perish. Something about the Doctor that you claim to know."

She leans down to his ear. She knows he won't try and strike, he doesn't have the energy. Soon, he won't have the will either. A quick, almost mute whisper, as if exchanging the most sinful of secrets. It's not long. Five simple words. But as Talulah backs up and sees the wide look of frantic disbelief grace Ace's face, she knows the weight of her words are crushing.

His eyes seem to speak for his fading voice. 'Lies' the gaze seemed to say. But the subtle sinister glee her face displayed was enough to squash any protest. What she had said was the truth. She had no reason to lie to a dead man.

Ace's gaze returned to the sky, ignoring the approaching steps of Talulah, who rounded his body to rest her sword gently against his neck. His eyes now hollow and devoid of hope, he felt himself finally start to drift off. His fire to hold on and fight through the pain was gone. He no longer felt his charred legs or attempted to feel how many of his fingers still worked.

What he had left, he released in a hoarse, pitiful voice. One that he didn't even hear himself utter.

"Amiya… Doctor… I'm so sorry…"

Talulah gave a slight push with her blade. No resistance. No death throes. Just a glazed over look, one that displayed a quiet anguish that he took with him.