Pieces: A Broken Mind.

"It's time, Hazel."

Hazel blinked tiredly.

Her eyes then suddenly enlarged. Appalled that she fell asleep in the Gateways where other monsters that moved along the Gateways could connect to her own path and kill her unsuspecting body. Afterall she was just a weakened fox.

"Why didn't you wake me up?!"

Sirae ghostly form appeared before her. Calmly staring back at her.

"I wanted you to rest and regain your strength for landing."

Hazel hissed, utterly pissed off.

"Do you know how dangerous that is?!!! You stupid dog!! Just one mistake that it takes and the life that am holding on so desperately will snap like a thread!! And everything would be over!! Grandpa's sacrifice would be vain?!"

Hazel didn't know why she was boiling and seething in rage. Didn't know why she was yelling at Sirae when all she wanted was to help. Afterall if a monster did appear she would alert her when it was still miles away. But the emotions kept pouring out from her being. Her body shaking in agony and tiredness of everything she was experiencing. Another emotion rooted in her being. It caused chaos too.

She felt the emotion she always tried to bury. To be indifferent to.

She felt...

Fear.

Her eyes stung. She felt so miserable and helpless.

What was power when she could do nothing but fall in darkness for an entire year. She could feel herself breaking. Her mind empty. Her animalistic instincts pushing up, trying to possess and control her.

She screamed. Her voice shrilly.

But no matter how hard she tried.

No matter how miserable she felt.

No matter how her dark circled eyes stung.

She just couldn't cry.

"It's okay. Everything will be alright."

Sirae's ghostly paws touched her head. Forming flesh.

Sirae could only touch her, resulting her to get a body with surprisingly a very much alive, beating heart. She encased Hazel's falling body.

" It's almost time. We would be arriving less than an hour."

Hazel's body shook with intense emotions.

"What?"

The voice was so small. Like a murmur. But Sirae could hear it. And feel her.

Sirae felt Hazel's heart stop for a moment.

Alarmed at why such happened. She lifted Hazel's falling figure.

"Are you okay?"

What Sirae saw made her dumbfounded.

Hazel's chapped lips stretched out in mirth. It felt alarmingly suffocating yet strangely exhilarating.

For a flash moment, Sirae saw the red mark that always appeared when Hazel shifted appear on her forehead before changing to something more sinster.

The red marks darkened turning pitch black and changing into a crescent shape. An eeriely twin to Sirae's own.

Sirae hugged her tightly. Hazel stunned by the sudden movement.

"Hey!! Quit hugging me. I want to celebrate. Am finally going to land, Sirae!! Hey stop it you are choking me!!!"

Sirae's crimson gaze shifted pitch-black.

Pools of darkness before regaining it's original color.

' After everything.... She finally broke. Oh, Child. Things would become more difficult here on. You can no longer live the life your Grandpa willed you to, no matter how you try...'

Sirae thought,feeling upset.

************************†††

" You are as heavy as a pig. What the hell did you eat in the Western Kingdom?"

Griffen pretended to huff. While carrying her at his back.

In response, Carolina used one of her elbows to hit his head.

"Oww. What the heck I will drop your fat ass on the ground."

Carolina, who was trying to ignore him for the past five minutes finally exploded.

" Says the boy whose ass is that of a chicken. I wonder what the ladies in the society see in you when your butt alone is a huge turn off. And me? Am just being healthy! Am not fat!!"

Was she really? She gained weight a little but to be called fat it was an overstatement. Griffen laughed heartily. And Carolina suddenly felt immature. He had a knack for always making her like a kid again, around him.

"I feel Iike I have breached on a very sensitive topic. Am I right, Munchkin?"

"Damn you!! I am no longer short and you still insist to call me that to annoy me. I could sue you to the Royal Court as the next in line to the Croyso Duchy for bullying."

Griffen snickered.

"This can be barely called bullying it's only fair to compensate me for being your donkey with your annoyance. For the record as a caring friend I am, you still bully me a lot."

His emerald eyes glimmered in mockery.

Carolina puffed out her cheeks.

One strike for Griffen.

Zero strike for hers.

As if reading her thoughts he released one of her legs that gripped his torso and poked her cheeks which she swatted away.

"Oh come on, just be honest and tell me how elated you are to see me after two years."

Carolina wouldn't admit she was indeed excited and enthusiastic. But she grudginly admits she did miss him.

" Well I missed you. Is it enough, Dummy?"

A beautiful smile broken on his lips. Like a pieceful picture. His freckles made him more cuter. And Carolina felt she was almost home.

Except that...

The stench of stale blood and Cain's intense gaze on her every move brought her back from the fantasy.

Her and Griffen moved towards the her exhausted crew mates. But as usual Theo looked unfazed behind the joker mask that was slightly risen revealing his red alluring lips.

She didn't see him in the battlefield and she wondered where he went off to. Was he sleeping as usual?

He was the strangest amongst them. she never could predict him.

He was licking a candy.

He was strangely too, a sweet tooth. Who couldn't do without sweets. She heard rumors from the Russex Duchy's maids anytime she was visiting that it was his sedative to avoid him going berserk. Which was an anomaly. Theodore never loses control. Never. Every move he made, right down from the flutter of his lashes were precise and intentional.

His red tongue took an intense passionate lick on the red candy that looked like blood.

That questioned her sanity. The sight of it enamoring, like a devil tempting. Luckily her reddened face didn't seem uncalled for. Allen's incredibly pale face was stained with an intense blush too.

Theodore was dangerous.

Allen cleared her throat, adjusting herself awkardly on the tree stump she sat on and unwillingly dragged her gaze from the unsuspecting male that kept licking candy with no care in the world.

They were all in a place that once looked like a garden from the ploughed ridges and tree stumps that were once trees. The owners probably decided to cut it down before leaving Scaroth. Now it was nothing more than a barren land soaked with blood.

And Carolina could swear it was crying from being choked by the strange blood.

The whole scenery looked like something drawn by a horror-loving artist. Maybe the gods watching them loved Horror and Gore. It explained quite a lot. They could try to negotiate by selling horrid arts to them. To satisfy their artist urges of using people's blood for the sake of art. Striking up a deal that would benefit the god and them would be more logical and nice. But who was she kidding they would see them as mere ants and then she was forgetting something very important...if they were still alive.

"Carolina, how is the West doing so far? It's disappointing that we didn't meet up when you left. You were in such a hurry nearly as if you were being chased down."

Carolina smiled uneasily behind Griffen's back. If Cain's stare was easily ignored before, it wasn't now.

" I had things to do in the Western Kingdom. But am back now."

Griffen let her down reluctantly when she pinched him at the back to remind him to do so.

Allen hugged her tightly, when her boots landed on the ground making her stagger a bit.

"Knowing your kind of person. If you came here without running immediately nor showing signs to do so, it means you are finally ready to stay. Uh, Carolina?"

Allen whispered in her ear. Carolina's arms hesitantly rose to hug her too. Which she finally did, grasping Allen's wet, warm body tighter. She nodded, feeling Allen beam wildly.

"Good. Am tired of the loneliness of a girl getting drunk in the company of men. And Cain who kept me company before began looking gloomy and distant. Well except in other activities."

There was a playful tone in her voice but it only pierced Carolina's chest.

"Am so excited now. Another drinking buddy. This day can't get any better."

Carolina weakly smiled, releasing Allen.

Allen's eyes then strolled to Griffen by her side.

" Who is this hunk? Your..?"

A mischevious smile morphed on her lips. Carolina blushed.

Allen was so dirty minded and uncouth with her words. Heaven help her. Carolina was happy that she didn't yielded to telling her about her feelings for Cain. Then it would never have been a secret. The whole Russex duchy and kingdom would've known.

"No, his my childhood friend, Griffen Night. The next-in-line to Marquess Charles Night and Assistant Head to the Northern Kingdom's Magic Tower."

Allen toke out her blood-stained hands for a handshake, sizing him up.

Carolina knew she was checking out whether he was good enough for her. Even after what she said!!

But Griffen why didn't he try to clear up the misunderstanding?

"Allen Reigns."

"Griffen Night. Nice to meet you."

"Hmmm"

There was a staring competition between them. Carolina's eyes strayed towards Cain whose back rested on a stone. Long legs stretched out. Those blue eyes achingly empty. She didn't know what he was thinking of.

She then turned her gaze above trying to avoid focusing on him but something else.

Well, it wasn't hard as she expected.

The gate hadn't closed talkmore of disappearing.

And ten minutes were long gone.

As if on cue.

"It's time for one of our pieces' arrival."

Theo muttered under his breath. Taking the whole candy into the corner of his mouth.

It grabbed everyone's attention including Carolina.

A question ringing in their minds.

'Pieces?'

Carolina's eyes turned to the gate again and saw.....

Something tiny fell out from the Gate.