Since we heard about the case of the missing children, Regalis, his friends and I took it upon ourselves to investigate the issue.

And so, from the Midlands, we went on to the North Central, where in multiple villages, parents also wept, complaining of the sudden disappearance of their newborns.

"What's going on?" Nadia mumbled. As someone who was strong, fearless and ever ready to go out of her way to help others, it rubbed her skin badly, that no matter how many questions we asked, or how many leads we thought we were starting to get, we just had not been able to recover a single missing child.

It was like they had all been hidden away, somewhere far beyond our reach.

"I've said it before" Cederic said, he had not spoken all day, "someone is sacrificing them in preparation of -"

Nadia turned and glared at him, "I refuse to believe that all these weeping women we've seen, that I, Nadia, can not even help a single one of them to get back her child! I refuse to believe all those kids - over a hundred of them - are dead" she fumed and was about marching off, when Brayton gripped her arm, "let's return to the North, I don't think we can help -"

"I'm going to the North Central camp here" she said, "and I will not be leaving this city, until I know who or what is taking those children" she stormed off. Brayton following behind her.

I breathed in. Were my suspicions right? "Let's go to the North Central camp then" Regalis said.

And an hour later, we had settled in our tents in the North Central camp. It was a lot different from the Northern camp, especially in size, the army here was a lot, lot smaller in number.

I rolled in my bed, as I lay in it, waiting for Regalis, who along with Ashton, Brayton and Cederic had gone to discuss with the Commanders of the camp. I pondered. What's going on? Who can I discuss all this with?

A minute later, I was on my way to Nadia's tent. Wind blowing in my hair. And for a moment, almost missing the ever-falling snow of the North.

"Nadia" I said, as I stood in front of her tent.

"Xemein?" She called from inside. "Come in".

I sauntered into her tent. It was a bit smaller than her space in the Northern camp, nonetheless, still neat.

But what surprised me, was seeing Regalis. He and Nadia were conversing. I thought, he was with his other friends.

He turned and looked at me "I've been expecting you" he said.

Expecting me? Wasn't he supposed to be out of the camp? With the Commanders too?

"I..." I stuttered.

"You were coming here to tell General Aldrada, of your thought on the recent kidnappings?"

How did he...?

"Regalis and I were just discussing it" Nadia said, as she put a knife sheath inside her boots and tightened the laces "I'll be going along with him, to check out some places we haven't been to" then she added, as she moved and stood beside Regalis, "you can come along, if you want to".

"I don't think..."

Regalis took my hands, "come along" he said and raised my hands to his lips.

"I..."

He kissed me.

A second passed. Two seconds, and then...

My eyes widened. As though a huge bale of curtain, hidden in my pupils and hindering my sight had been lifted. I pushed Regalis away from me.

My heartbeat quickened. This was no Regalis. "You are not Regalis" I said.

Unlike the Northern bordern camp, here in the North Central camp, a far smaller army, no need for proof of identity was done before His Royal Highness comes in.

"Step away from him" I said to Nadia. The fake 'Regalis' stood beside her.

I couldn't explain the feeling in words, but, I knew! Just knew this was no Regalis. Not my Regalis! His kiss, was the giveaway. It felt different. Tasted different. Smelled different. Lacked passion, love and everything Regalis's had.

I repeated my words as I unsheathed my dagger, "you are not Regalis".

Would this imposter try to deny it?

"Nice one, Princess Xemein" the imposter's face changed to its rightful one.

Shock gripped me.

Randall! In front of me.

Right here in the flesh.

Before I could move on, from the shock of seeing him, like a speeding storm he was in front of me, and before I could utter a word, he turned the blade in my hand and jammed it right into my belly. "Hah!"

"That's right. This is what I should've done the first time I saw you" and then, his hand patted my hair, "our deal is off. When I Ascend" -into immortality "I'll make sure every one of your people perish".

And I watched as Nadia try to stab him from his back. And like a puff of smoke he disappeared. And stood behind Nadia. She tried to turn and fight off his grip on her but, she was no match for him.

With his tight grip on her neck, he said, as I bled on the floor, "do you remember what I told you? That there'll be a third punishment for ruining my plans?" he laughed.

"Let her go" I groaned in pain. "It's me who ruined your plans".

"Well, here, is the punishment I chose for you" and he, along with Nadia, vanished. Disappeared out of my view, like they had never been there. Never been in this tent.

And all I could do, was scream and scream. Even as I knew, that just as I caused the death of Hunter, I was about to cause the death of another favorite person of Regalis.

And just as, I could not save Hunter, I feared the same fate would befall Nadia.

And until I passed out in the pool of my own blood, I knew one thing. My vocal cords never stopped screeching. In pain.