Zane ran through the portal, tears on the edge of his eyes. As he emerged on the other side, he snapped around, about to run back in to receive his brother, but suddenly there was a great gush of wind and the portal was gone.

"No!!" He screamed. "No, It has to get back open, it has to!!"

"Zane . . ." Laurence put a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing we can do."

He turned around, pushing his friend's hand off his shoulder. "Don't tell me what I can and cannot do!!" Zane turned back around towards were the portal used to be. "We have to get him back out, there's no telling what Aphmau will do to him!"

"Garroth can take care of himself." The mysterious man said. "He's not weak."

"Yes, but how long can he keep fighting her?!"

"Zane you need to calm down." He turned sharply, about to yell at Katlyn, but Katlyn stopped him. "We're all worried about Garroth okay? We all want him to be safe but there's nothing we can do right now."

"Um guys, there's someone – " Emmalyn spoke up, about to say something when a familiar voice said something instead.

"Zane? Laurence? Katelyn?" They all turned around to see a familiar elf with long, white hair.

"Who are you?" Laurence asked.

"What, don't you re –" A look of realization then came on her face, the elf chuckling. "Oh, yes. You must not recognize me, since it has been a while since we have last seen each other. Its me, Zoey."

"Zoey??" Zane said. "You look so different! How could you have changed so much in 15 minutes?"

"15... minutes?" Zoey scrunched her eyebrows together, confused.

"Yes 15 minutes! Also what the heck happened to this place?" He turned around, examining the trees. "Everything is so different!"

"Zane..." The elf woman put both of her hands on his shoulders. "It's been 15 years since you went into the Irene dimension."

His heart shattered. "Wh-what?"

"Like I said..." Emmalyn said, holding back tears. "One minute there, is a year here."

"No..." Zane crumbled to the ground. "No!"

*      *       *       *   

(In the Irene dimension)

We were sitting in silence for a couple of seconds. Neither of us knew what to say or do, so all we did was stare at the marble ceiling above us or the marble floor that we were sitting on.

"You know a minute here is a year there right?" The woman said, sharpening her sword on the pillar beside her. "So even if you do get back, which is a fat chance, everyone you know and love will be either dead or old."

I suddenly started staring at her. "Why are you like this?"

That took her by surprise. "What?"

"Why are you like this? Why are you so evil and malicious?" I didn't take my eyes off her. "We trusted you, you know. And you thanked us for trusting you by stabbing everyone in the back. What was it for, Aphmau? Power? Money? World domination?" I stood up, pointing my sword at her. "What. Was. It. For."

"I don't have to answer to you." She quietly said, returning my stare.

I suddenly then saw something I had never before saw in her –

Beauty.

I saw beauty in her beautiful, brown eyes. I saw beauty in her long, black and brown hair. I saw beauty in her skin. I saw beauty in almost everything.

I then shook that thought away, tearing my eyes away from her and sitting back down. "How can you be attracted to her? How can you be attracted to such a woman like her?" I thought to myself, ashamed. "She's done such horrible things, how can you be attracted?"

Little did I know she was thinking the same thing about me.

ONE.

MINUTE.

GONE.