The sound of falling water calmed Shan as she floated in the main lake of Sanctuary. She felt at peace now that the fighting had ended and tranquility reigned. However, there still seemed to be an emptiness within her. The past was a black hole sucking her back in whenever she got near to escaping. An implosion of sorts, resulting from the regret and self-hatred formed out of years of indulging in her mode of comfort: killing.

As Shan lay there face up in the clear water, she sensed it becoming warmer. She leaned forward to stand. The lake only reached up to her waist here. Looking over at the crashing waterfall, she saw not the falling of water, but of fire. The red-orange flames seeped like liquid down into the lake below. Steam rose out from where the two connected, a blanket of grey eclipsing the sky which had turned from day to night.

The surrounding water boiled from the heat. She tried to escape it but when she turned for the shore it was gone. There was no Sanctuary. At least, not in the way she remembered. The once grand city had been reduced to nothing but remnants of hollowed-out skyscrapers reaching up as if pleading to be rescued.

Shan gritted her teeth at the pain of the heated water. She fought the urge to scream as her right leg almost gave out. The roaring of the flame waterfall crowded her ears, driving out all other sound. Unable to resist the scorching pain any longer, her legs collapsed, plunging the rest of her body into the fiery lake.

***

Shan Li woke to the hiss of steam escaping a ruptured engine block. Blinking several times to clear her head, she remembered where she was. There had been an explosion and the rover had flipped.

Looking down, she found the source of the shooting pain in her right leg. The roll bar had prevented the rover from completely crushing her, but the firm, wet sand bent it inward, pinning her leg against the top of the seat. Wet sand. They'd made it to the edge of the mangrove forest. She could see the bluish glow of the bioluminescent trees leaking in from outside.

The thin pool of water, which had risen out of the soaked sand, bubbled at Shan's touch. The small amount of Brann nanomites still inside her caused her skin to radiate enough heat to boil water. The dream. What did it mean? Just my subconscious playing tricks, she thought.

She pulled at her knee to see if the leg might come free. No such luck. The others were nowhere to be found, most likely ejected from the vehicle as it flipped.

"Rew? Can you hear me?" Shan said, her voice sounding weird to her own ears. It aggravated her, as she despised feeling helpless. But she'd rather not inject herself again so soon after using Brann, for fear of the unnecessary side effects. "Is anyone there?!"

"DEITY? You're alive?" came a voice. It sounded like Bondan, but she couldn't be sure. The words were distant and the hissing steam made it difficult to hear.

While she waited, she yanked on her leg one more time to make sure she truly needed assistance. If there was even the slightest chance she could spare herself of this embarrassment, she'd take it. Shan gritted her teeth as the metal dug into her skin. That confirmed it.

Several moments later, Bondan dropped to his knees on the passenger side of the overturned vehicle. Shan watched as his frown slowly melted in the opposite direction. Smug bastard, she thought.

"Who'd have thought I'd be the one saving a DEITY rather than killing 'em? Hah! 'The tides change often and for good reason,' my father used to say. Well it looks like you got lucky. Ratna broke her arm and several ribs, but she'll manage. Unfortunately, I don't know where your friend is... Here, let me see what I can do," Bondan said. He grabbed hold of the door frame and tugged. It made a crunching sound. He grabbed hold with both gauntleted hands and pulled, nearly falling onto his backside after two solid attempts.

"Hold on, DEITY. I'll find something to pry this damn door open," he said, before trudging off. Shan could only lay immobile, grimacing. This was not what a true DEITY was supposed to be reduced to. Where was Rew? She found herself wishing for his well-being, even if it was his fault that she now sat prone under a heap of crumpled metal.

She heard footfalls approaching, but... from the wrong direction. Shan twisted to look out the driver's side window. Heavy, determined steps neared the rover from the forest. Eventually, a broad shadow crawled across the sand, giving the impression of an armored soldier. Another Templar? Shan wondered. Damn, not now.

"W-what are you doing here?" Shan heard Bondan ask. "We've got the situation under control."

The figure continued forward, its lower half stopping in Shan's view. The over-sized feet sank into the wet ground. Tufts of orange and black matted fur covered the entirety of the being's legs. Silver plate was strapped around the thighs and shins, formed perfectly by an expert craftsman. Was she still dreaming? How hard had she hit her head? That thing was not human. Even if it was human, it would mean....

No...They can't be here, Shan thought.

"You two... are traitors," the newcomer said. Her voice was filtered by some sort of mask, but even so, it hissed out with an inhuman texture.

"And how's that?" Ratna scoffed from somewhere behind the rover. "The Lumineers attacked. We weren't going to die protecting some shack in the middle of desert. How is surviving making us traitors?"

A moment of relative silence fell between them. The angel cassowaries could be heard in the distance, their anxious bellows echoing across the landscape. The Knight of the Round sucked in a large breath. She held it for nearly three of Shan's own breaths, then released it with an explosive sigh.

"You're telling me that the target hasn't arrived yet?" the Knight said.

Bondan and Ratna seemed hesitant. Bondan spoke. "I-I didn't see the DEITY, if that's what you mean? Look, we were attacked by that damn gang of lunatics and we fought them off. We... must've hit an old landmine or something."

"You fought them off with a sea of fire? I doubt it," she said. The familiar, sharp scrape of metal weapons leaving their sheaths rang out. Twin blades, hooked like crescent moons, fell into view. "The incessant lies only prove how traitorous you've become. Your fates have been sealed and death is your judgement."

"Wait, you don't have to do this," Bondan said.

"Yes, we'll help find the DEITY," Ratna said. "We know where she went."

The Knight of the Round stepped forward, raising her weapons. "No need. I already know where she is."

Just as the enemy stepped from Shan's view, she heard Bondan yell for Ratna to attack. Gunfire sang and bullets rattled against the rover's frame. A bright, green flash reflected off the black granules surrounding the vehicle. This was Shan's only chance to free herself before she'd be found. Another Injection was necessary.

She reached for her dispenser but saw the bubbling layer of water under her arm. She still had enough Brann in her system for a last ditch effort. Cursing herself for not thinking of it sooner, Shan focused the incendiary nanomites into the leg secured against the metal roll bar.

Outside the rover, a scream erupted, followed by short, choking gasps. Shan could hear a blade sliding from its temporary resting place, before being ripped free. Ratna yelled with wild, passionate fury. Quick steps charged forward, followed by a wet chop. Then a thud of armor against sand.

Hurry, damn you, Shan thought. Her leg had become so hot that the cloth of her pants blackened and sizzled. It had already burnt away at the area touching the bar. The dark metal bubbled like the water had, small droplets oozing down like tears.

Footsteps approached.

With one final, concentrated push, flame sparked against the seat cushion causing it to catch fire. Shan hadn't meant for that to happen, but it was just what she needed. Enough of the metal had melted away to slide her leg free and scramble from the passenger side window.

Pulling ATLAS from her back, she scanned for enemies. Nothing but scattered debris and mangled vehicles remained. The Lumineers had indeed fled. But she was now only concerned with the Knight of the Round. Bondan and Ratna would not have been able to stand against a foe of that caliber. She felt sorry for them, only for a moment.

Still facing the rear of the overturned rover, a large, beastly figure stalked into view. Lit by the mangroves at Shan's back, the Knight appeared almost regal in nature, standing well over six feet. Her face obscured by a mask with vertical slits for breathing. It formed around the rest of her head like a skull, but allowed her neon green irises to shine with palpable hunger.

"I've been waiting to meet you, DEITY," the Knight said with an excited hiss. The beastly warrior securing her weapons onto her back.

"If you're so excited why are you packing up? Too scared to fight me?" Shan said.

The Knight shook her head. "I'm not the one you should be worried about," she said, chuckling from behind the metallic mask.

Shan didn't understand what the gene-spliced experiment was talking about. She raised ATLAS, preparing to take the offensive. She hadn't had much experience with the Knights of the Round, but she was confident in her own abilities.

"No more talk. Let's see what you can–" Shan cut off as something hard struck the back of her head. She hit the ground hard, her eyelids immediately heavy. The last thing she saw before black nothingness swallowed her whole was a gun dangling from its shoulder strap. It was engraved with a name that taunted her with uncanny familiarity: Claudette.