The sand had frozen solid. Rick couldn't manipulate it anymore. The ice surrounding them was too thick and widespread, so instead of trying to break it directly, he created a hole by splitting the ground beneath them. Everything around them was frozen—everything except the castle.
'That must have been Temphael!' Michael grunted. He had regained consciousness and was the first to march toward the castle. Rayshel followed closely behind.
'He seems strong,' she muttered. 'I want to fight him!' The others followed as well. As they entered the castle, they found Michaela's lifeless body. Michael approached and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
'Don't worry. That bastard will pay! He'll fucking pay! Daaaaaaaamn, he will pay!' Rayshel stepped beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
'Then let's make him pay.' Michael nodded, rising to his feet.
'Yes. Let's do it.' On their way to the chamber, silence reigned. At last, they stopped before the entrance to the King's chamber.
'Nade!' Sarah shouted, rushing in first. Rick and Emilia hurried after her, followed by Michael and Rayshel. Michael and Rayshel entered slowly, their eyes locked on Temphael, who sat on his throne—legs crossed, head tilted, resting against one hand.
'Nade!' Sarah repeated, dropping to her knees.
Nade's eyes were barely open. But to behold the sight of Sarah, he forced them wide.
'Sarah… What are you doing here?'
'I came for you.' Rick stepped protectively in front of them, joined by Michael and Rayshel.
'Take your time, Miss President,' Rick said. 'We'll keep him busy.'
'Hahaha! You'll do what? Then give it a try!' Michael charged first, while Rick summoned sand into the air, shaping it into spears and launching them toward Temphael. Only Rayshel remained still, watching carefully.
'Nade, let's get out of here!' Sarah pleaded.
'Miss President, I won't make it. My body's been through too much.'
'No! No… What should I do? What can I do?'
'Let's not waste any more time!' Nade said. 'Don't be startled by my sudden change of tone, President. I go by Glacia. And you, Nade—should I say it, or do you want to?'
'Glacia, please… no.' Sarah and Emilia looked at each other in confusion.
Meanwhile, Michael and the sand spears reached Temphael. But the moment Temphael smiled, both Michael's movement and the spears froze mid-air. At the same time, Rayshel bent her knees and prepared to leap. Temphael raised one arm and brought it down sharply. It was as if gravity had multiplied—Michael and the spears were slammed to the ground. That's when Rayshel launched forward with a roar:
'You can't use your time powers now!'
'Bitch, I still have my space ability!' Temphael raised his other arm, forming an invisible shield. But Rayshel punched right through it—destroying the shield and, likely, her own arm. She didn't care. With that same broken arm, she slammed the King into the floor BAAAAAAAM.
Though the sand spears had shattered, Michael was already back on his feet and sprinting toward them. Just then, Rayshel froze—unable to move.
'I felt that punch,' Temphael muttered, standing up. One arm was still pointed at Rayshel. He began to raise the other toward Michael—until a stream of sand interrupted him. He redirected the second hand to halt the sand. Michael accelerated, his fist glowing.
'You'll pay for what you did to my sister, you bastard!'
'She was a fine experiment,' Temphael said. 'And now that I've perfected the process for creating monsters, I won't need to worry. Even if I start from scratch, everything will progress faster now.' He brought both arms together. An invisible wall slammed into Michael, Rayshel, and the sand barrage, sending them all flying. At the same time, Nade made his decision.
'I'll tell her myself. Sarah, I had a wonderful time with you. And I—I—I…'
'He loves you, President!' Nade—no, Glacia—blurted. Just then, Michael crashed beside them. Rayshel had been flung even farther, but her landing wasn't as rough—because she'd been caught. When she looked up at her rescuer, her first reaction was:
'Dae, you're black now?'
Somewhere in the city
The masked woman was sitting on a house while people were getting butchered beneath her. The happy expression on her mask had switched with an angered disgusted one. Just beneath the home she was sitting a young boy ran out. A ghoul behind him. The boy had black hairs and must have been around ten years or more. As he tried to escape from the ghoul he stumbled. Yet no ghoul attacked him. And when the boy turned around the masked woman stood behind him and the ghoul had been beheaded, its lifeless body twitching on the ground. She touched the boy and at once the boy wounds healed.
'Go hide!' the woman spoke. 'And only when a voice in you tells you to leave the hideout are you allowed to do so!' The boy rose up, nodded and vanished. Suddenly the line on the mask arched slightly up. Behind her someone was standing, a man. 'I see!, the woman spoke. 'If The Irregular himself is here it means there must be an Aletheans in this word. Or well, you would use the definition Brilliant!' The man remained on place.
'I've seen you a couple of times in other worlds. Yet, never once in my Truth. This means this can't be your real appearance!'
'Are you sure you have time to deal with me now, especially when soon a Sentinel will show up? You should go after the Brilliant and asked her to join your cause!' And with that she walked away. The man didn't pursuit her. There were more pressing things now. Like for example aiding evacuating the people and finding the Brilliant before the Sentinel appears.