Act II. Part II.

It was a small chapel-like room with four rows of varnished wooden benches on each side, and a small red carpet between them. At the front of this room was an elevated stage where, atop it, a pulpit stood and, slightly above the wall behind it was a giant multi-coloured, pane of stained glass. This particular one was the largest out of all the others that surrounded the room's edges. The main pain had four figures on it and the rest of the panes had those figures displayed individually.

In front of the sight behind them, Ryu stood with the mysterious woman. Her grip on him was still intact as they stood in front of the only door in the room.

"Are you with Lars by any chance?" Ryu asked the mysterious woman.

She wore a black leather jacket, accompanied by a grey scarf, a black and long red plaid skirt over a pair of dark brown tights, and knee-high boots. She was particularly attractive as well. Her facial features were fair, but the areas of immediate notice were her well-sculpted cheekbones and full lips highlighted by a dark shade of red lipstick.

"lArs? LArs? LarS? LAArs? LarS?" She repeated as if in a hypnotic trance - with each mention of the name increasing in both volume and pitch. "I don't know of Lars, but that's not what I'm here for. I'm here for you dear boy." She quickly snapped back to reality and aimed yet another unsettling smile at Ryu as she spoke. Her bruising grip on his arm loosened.

Ryu put on a false smile and laughed gently in response, "I have to go and join my class. Don't want to be late, so if you would excuse me…" He said to her as he slowly walked backwards.

"Boy run now. This woman isn't normal, she doesn't feel like one of those lackeys. Run now."

"Ar?"

Before Ar could respond she was already behind him. He was caught by surprise and sent stumbling further into the chapel, and away from the exit.

"Noo! Noo. No! No. You can't leave yet," She said as she pouted, but like before it seemed she was swapping between hot and cold. "Actually, you can. Sorry for not letting you go." She said with a sincere apologetic expression and proceeded to bow her head.

"Don't even worry about it." He replied with a smile.

He walked past the woman, leaving her in the centre of the room with her head still facing the ground. He continued to walk towards the arch door exit and, as soon as he reached the door, he heard the woman mutter something,

"On...s…e....t..h…g…..o..t" Was all Ryu heard.

He did think about asking her what she said, but he resisted his urge of curiosity after remembering Mila's earlier words. And, as if she heard his thoughts, the words repeated in his head except this time she didn't whisper. It was crystal clear as she yelled in his ear.

"On. Second. Thought. I. Guess. Not."

Once again, she appeared behind him as he faced the door and kicked the back of his knee with the heel of her boots.

"Urghh." He let out a grunt. The sudden blow quickly sent him onto one knee. She then grabbed him by his hair and thrust his face into the wooden door, sending a resounding echo into the rest of the room. He dropped to the floor, face first. She began to raise her other leg to hit him again while he was down and all with a smile on her face.

"Boy get up!" Ar shouted.

He rolled to the side and quickly got up. Now both stood and faced each other...

"Boy, I'll tell you when to dodge and when to fight back. Pay close attention to my voice. You're going to…..." Ar told him with a sense of urgency.

"Got it," Ryu replied promptly

Ryu raised his fists, put his right leg ahead of the other, and took a deep breath then pivoted his left foot on his heel. He threw a punch with his left hand toward the woman's stomach and the woman, who anticipated this and as if mocking him, smirked right in his face.

She quickly reached out to grab his left hand but, before the punch could even connect, he pulled it back and swapped his footing as he bent his legs within seconds. While the woman was still stunned, he started to come up as he slightly twisted his body and pulled back his left hand, throwing a powerful blow to her jaw with his right. Forcibly sending her head backwards like a Pez dispenser.

The woman, now completely stunned while still on her feet and head pushed upwards, stared at the ceiling.

"I really didn't thin--"

"Don't!" Ryu quickly interrupted in a loud voice before he could even catch his breath," Don't finish that sentence. Remember what happened last time." He said as he panted.

"I hear you. I hear you. But quickly before she moves, find a way to kill her."

"What?!" Ryu asked in disbelief with a low tone of voice...

The woman who had been completely ignored as Ryu had a conversation with the voice in his head, cracked her neck and brought her head down forcefully. She turned to face Ryu, her hair completely covering her face. She parted her hair and underneath it was a distasteful frown.

"Oh no." Said both Ar and Ryu.

[Back at the museum]

Toshiko began to panic as the others were nowhere to be found. They weren't picking up his calls and it was getting too much from him to handle. He looked out the second-story window, only to see a convoy of six, white SUV's arriving by the steps of the museum. AN expectant silence fell over the crowds.

The first car stopped, leaving the others evenly spaced behind it. A familiar man in an all-black military uniform lined with gold got out in front of the red carpet. Seeing the man's face, Toshiko immediately knew who it was: Lars.

After he got out the rest of the SUV's drove forward, leaving the third car in the middle. Lars walked up to the third car's door and proceeded to open it. The Queen with the second prince stepped out onto the red carpet.

The crowd on both ends of the carpet went wild. The screams and cries from the crowd directed Toshiko's focus towards them. He saw a strangely familiar face in the crowd and was shocked to recognise them as Mila.

He ran towards the stairs leading to the first floor but a guard promptly stopped him,

"Young man, stop right there. No one's allowed here until the royal family is seated."

"My grandfather is your boss, let me pass." He fiercely responded

"Even if that were true, which it's not, where's your pass? Or why aren't you with my 'boss'?" The guard asked In a mocking tone, but his question received no response. "Thought so, now bugger off."

Toshiko sulked back up to the second floor, frustrated by the guard's ability to win a verbal battle with him (which he normally never lost). He made it back to the window he stood by earlier and spoted Lars still waiting by the steps for the other guest of honour. The king…

He picked up his phone once again and tried to call Mila as he watched from above. She pulled her phone out, glanced at the screen and swiped left with her thumb. Sparing it no ounce of attention as she slipped it back into her pocket carelessly.

To be continued....