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The icily curtains draped over the frosted windows, with a brisk wind banging against them. The man seated on a chair, lost in thought as always, had no awareness of the irritating sound. There was a board game similar to chess dominating the table, along with a mess of many things, an empty bottle of wine, and scattered map outlines. His eyes were on a powerful piece of the game, pondering the move. But he wasn't playing with anyone.

He was still in the North, on relentless pursuit of her. Since that night they separated, she had never left his head, not even for a single moment. His eyes fell on a sketch of her, one he had drawn recently. It was her with a smile, a smile she'd never give to him.

He didn't know if she was still in the North, but he had made Viggo regret every second of his life for what he had done to her. He had turned his empire upside down. You'd ask, what about the bond? Couldn't he use magic to locate her? The answer was no. And it was driving him insane, a fear of what had happened to her settling on his chest that he didn't want to acknowledge.

His bond with her had always reached far. Very, very far. But now, it wasn't. What could've happened to her? He wished she had gotten the fullest control of her powers and learnt how to hide her essence. 

He had sent his best scouts to search every corner of the land, to inquire with every contact he had, but there was no trace of Regan.

The man named Derek, had been a man of his word. He had revealed the plans of Viggo expanding his territory and this had only fueled Sirius to use a pretext to threaten them with war. He was operating in their territory without their permission. But he didn't care. It was his fault, he let her go with Artemis and it all turned out to be a mistake. She belonged to him, even though they hated each other and were enemies. He was missing her even more than he had when she left the castle.

Her crimson silky hair, the deep blue eyes avoiding his, that melodic voice of hers....her small figure and how he towered over her. 

It had become such a torment coursing like a live wire through his nerves. One that he couldn't quench without finding her.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

It was general Vlad, his expression as hard as steel, but his eyes flicking with unease. 

"My lord, I have some....news," the general began, weighting his words carefully as if he was about to reveal something that would change the course of history.

The lord looked up, "What is it?" he asked, his voice flat.

"Our scouts have reported for a situation in the south," Vlad replied, his gaze on the floor.

"Go on."

The general took a deep breath, "A rebellion, my lord. A drastic one. We have a few casualties but they've had managed to take down our communication powers, the military base and the intel."

Sirius immediately stood up, not caring for the pieces that fell on the floor, "What?" he roared, his expression a mix of surprise and astonishment, "Where's Igor?"

"General Igor and lieutenant Freesia, they've escaped," Vlad said in a breath, "The rebellion was too abrupt and they were unprepared."

Sirius began to pace around, feeling a surge of frustration. What could be the cause? As if he didn't have enough problems, "Did they give any names?" he asked, his voice low.

"Yes, they reported of a rouge woman named Raven, a guy named Jack and...." he trailed off, observing his lord's expression carefully.

"And what? Speak, Vlad."

"And a fire witch, they say," Vlad answered, watching as Sirius stopped his pace, "They called her Skye, she had red hair and a scar and she had blown out the camp. The other two, Raven and Jack were her friends and had helped her."

Sirius froze. It could be none other than her. At least that's what he was thinking from not being to able to push back the flicker of hope and relief that bloomed in his cold heart. What if it was really her?

"Is it Regan?" he asked, his voice filled with a mix of anger and something else, something he didn't want to explain.

The general nodded, "That's what I think too. The description fits. And general Igor claimed to have seen her in your castle. Seems like she found us first."

Sirius couldn't help the slight curve of his lips, "Ylor," he drawled, trying to hide the relief in his voice. "Ah, Regan.... I've turned this damn place upside down looking for you. I should've known you weren't going to just hide. It seems you've found me first....you know who you belong to," his eyes narrowed, hand curling into a fist. "I'm coming for you, Ylor. And when I find you, there will be no mercy. Not anymore." 

He paused, taking a deep breath to steady his rage, gazing out of the tall glass window, "Vlad, assemble a strike force. We're going to the South. We're going to crush this rebellion and get her. And we're going to find that bastard Jack and make him pay as well. Is that clear?"

The general nodded sharply, "Yes, my lord. The guards have already closed the borders. And the reinforcements are ready. They're waiting for your orders."

"No they won't attack now," Sirius said, "I want her alive and I want to see her face when she sees me. We're going here immediately. And as for you, Vlad," he turned to him, "Make sure that our borders are secure, our soldiers are well-trained and well-equipped. And make sure you find asshole Igor and everyone else who escaped. He's a general, where the hell was he when all this was happening?"

"Don't worry, my lord. I've launched a search for them," Vlad answered.

Sirius sighed, "This has probably started to circulate in other realms, hasn't it?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Unfortunately, yes. But we'll get over it. I'll make sure the words stop from spreading," Vlad assured, trying to ease the tension.

But the tension within Sirius didn't subside. He couldn't wait a moment. He grabbed his coat from the chair and draped it over his shoulders, "I want to leave now," he said firmly.

The general nodded curtly, "As you wish, my lord. Our men are ready."

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Regan was sitting down on a bench with her elbows on her knees, listening at the distant engines, lost in though. The soldiers, rebels, whoever who had survived the rebellion,they weren't here anymore. They had hidden up in the canyons, which were some mountains she could see in the distance, where they continued tending and caring for the wounded.

However Regan couldn't shake away the heavy feeling of guilt mixed with fear of what she had done. The ground beneath her boots had turned to ash, the fire hadn't fully dissipated—it didn't even seem to want to, and the place was much more worse than what it had been when she first came here. The air was not any fresher, the smoke lingered and clogged up her mind, coating around her like a vice.

She wasn't all alone here anyway, Iris and Raven were still around. Iris looked pale, and Regan could see the fear in her eyes, mirroring her own. But she had spoken about the consequences for a reason, hadn't she? Raven on the other hand, despite wounded, stood talk, all ready for what was to come.

They looked so bad, with their hair a mess, clothes torn and full of dirt, muscles sore and heavy. Iris, not handling it anymore, said, "Well, we can't just sit here cross legged, waiting for them to come. We have to hide."

"You go and hide, girl," Raven shot back, "I'll face what awaits me."

"She's right, Iris," Regan said with a sight, "You should've gone with them."

"And what about you?"

"Me? I'll solve nothing by hiding," Regan muttered. She didn't want to hide, not because she wasn't afraid, but because she knew it'd be pointless. But Iris, she had the chance and she wasn't using it.

"Please," Iris said, her voice trembling. "We were all in this. Yes, you did the most of it, but it doesn't mean you're the only ones accountable for it.

"We did what we had to," Raven retorted sharply, "And if you expect no consequences, then you've been living a fairytale."

Iris flinched at her harsh words and she couldn't stand it anymore. Anyway, Raven walked away, disappearing behind an old building and leaving them alone. "You can't just hand yourself over to them like that, Cornelia," Iris began once more.

But Regan only shook her head. "I can't just run away like that, Iris. It's not like I'd find a better place to hide." But she knew that she wanted to run, run and never be found again. Regan was just acting like that because there was no sign of him yet. But then....then she felt it. A sharp tug in her chest. Regan winced, making Iris flinch beside her. Her eyes fluttered shut and open. She felt him. He was here.

"What's wrong?" Iris asked, her eyes widening. Regan immediately stood up, her eyes scanning over the darkness where all she could see were the burnt ruins and the smoke on air.

"He's here!"

"Who?" Iris whispered, her eyes darting around, searching for whatever had spooked Regan. Regan ignored her, her hand shooting out to grab Iris's and pull her away from where they were. The tug on her chest was growing stronger by the moment, as if something or someone was trying to pull her away from Iris.

"You mean Sirius?" Iris said again while they were walking away, her voice shaking with fear. Regan stopped for a moment, her heart racing, "Iris go and run. If you stay here, they're going to catch you."

Before Iris could protest, Regan grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look into her eyes. "Please, you have the chance to go."

"I'm not going without you," Iris replied, her eyes flashing with determination. This time it was her who pulled Regan away. They ran, not looking back, not daring to stop.