Chapter 43 - A Common Enemy

The large but dimly lit room was a far cry from comfort. Anastasia and Rose had been confined there for what felt like days, the silence broken only by the occasional clinking of chains and muffled voices outside. In an effort to keep their sanity, the two had resorted to a battered old board game that the guards shoved under the door. It wasn't much, but it helped distract them from the reality of their imprisonment and whatever was coming.

Anastasia rolled the dice, her expression twisted with boredom. "A six. Great. Move me to… whatever this stupid square is."

Rose smirked and moved Anastasia's piece with exaggerated care. "That's the 'Go Back Three Spaces' square. Tough break, Ana."

Anastasia groaned. "I hate this game."

The door creaked open, drawing their attention. There he was—Dylan, otherwise known as Zython. He entered the room with his usual smirk, dragging a chair behind him.

"Well, well, isn't this cozy?" he drawled, sitting backwards on the chair and folding his arms over the backrest. "What are we playing? Monopoly? Life? No, wait—Despair and Misery?"

Anastasia's eyes narrowed. "Absolutely not. You don't get to sit here and pretend we're all buddy-buddy. Piss off."

Zython ignored her, leaning forward with mock enthusiasm. "Come on, Ana. Let bygones be bygones. We've strayed so far from the wonderful relationship we used to have."

"Relationship?" Anastasia snapped, glaring at him. "You mean the one where you lied, manipulated me, kidnapped me—twice, by the way—and nearly forced yourself on me? Lets not forget that you want to steal my unborn child. Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and say that ship has sailed, hit an iceberg, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean."

Zython flinched, just slightly, before shrugging. "Okay, granted, I did a few shitty things. But I waited so long for you, Ana. You can't blame me for getting carried away. Look at you—still as beautiful as ever. And, yeah, maybe I had a hidden agenda back then, but I wasn't entirely dishonest about my feelings. I liked you and still do." He stopped to look at Rose briefly with a genuine smile. "And I like you, Rose, my annoying little sister."

Anastasia's laugh was cold and bitter. "Feelings? You had feelings? Was that before or after you and my stepsister paraded your little affair in front of me while I was lying in a hospital bed, half-dead?"

Rose, who had been silently watching the exchange, finally spoke up. "She's right, you know. You didn't just screw up her life—you messed with mine too. So, yeah, not exactly eager to forgive you here."

Zython sighed dramatically, leaning back in his chair. "Okay, okay. I get it. I'm the villain in this story. But you know what? I'm not going to apologize for being good at what I do. I'm an evil bastard. That's my thing. That said…" He leaned forward again, his tone suddenly serious. "It seems we've got a common enemy now. And if you'd stop holding grudges for five minutes, you'd realize we're better off working together."

Anastasia froze, her gaze locked on him as though he were some creature that she needed to be disposed of. "Me? Work with you? Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

Zython held up his hands, grinning. "Look, I'll make it easy for you. If you want to punch me a few times to get it out of your system, I'm game. Heck, I'll even offer Rose the same deal. Free shot, no retaliation. Consider it a down payment on this alliance I'm proposing."

"I'll pass on punching you," Rose said dryly, moving her game piece with a flick of her finger. "But don't tempt me. I haven't ruled it out entirely."

"Okay, okay," Zython interrupted, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I get it. I've been bad. I've made... questionable life choices."

"'Questionable'?" Rose interjected, her tone scathing. "You're like a walking bad decision in designer boots. Honestly, do you even listen to yourself?"

Zython placed a hand over his chest as though she'd wounded him. "Ouch, Rose. That one actually stung."

"Good," Rose snapped, glaring at him.

Anastasia leaned forward, her hands braced on the game board. "And now you want us to believe that you're on our side? That we should just forget everything and hold hands because we've got a 'common enemy'?"

Zython's grin faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered. "Look, Ana, I'm not saying we're suddenly best friends. Far from it. I'm just saying, we've got bigger problems right now. Problems that might make my past sins look... insignificant."

Anastasia narrowed her eyes. "You can't possibly think anything you've done is insignificant. You—"

Zython cut her off with a sharp sigh. "Yes, yes, I'm the worst. But if you'd stop bitching for five seconds, you'd hear how I'm trying to save your ass here."

"Oh, this should be good," Rose muttered, crossing her arms making Zython mock her by doing the same and giving her a sarcastic expression.

"Save us? " Anastasia asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. "Really? By what, killing me slowly or just ruining my day one dramatic monologue at a time?"

Zython's lips twitched in amusement. "You're far feistier than I remember, Ana. I like it."

"Don't," Anastasia shot back, her glare sharp enough to cut glass. She rubbed her temples, already exhausted by the exchange. "So, why are you here? Who are these enemies that you are busy ranting about?"

Before Zython could answer, a voice interrupted from the doorway.

"The Celestial City," the voice said.