[Camron’s POV] Camron felt a hot blast engulf him. He crouched protectively over the young woman in front of him expecting to be burned to ashes at any moment. Tentatively he opened one eye. How was he still alive? The teen turned round and stared at the equally puzzled man wielding a large claymore. Sweat trickled down his right temple. Nervously the teen reached into his pocket for the gun. Please run off! With trembling fingers CX unlocked the catch. His mouth opened and closed, but the only sound he could pick out was a very resonant ‘a’. The King threw his head up and bellowed soundlessly before charging straight at the young Asylum. The boy felt his finger wrap round the trigger only to have it yanked from his hand forcefully. The gun smashed on the ground and clattered. Camron gasped as a sharp pain shot through his entire arm. He crouched down not a moment too soon. His hair ruffled slightly as the air vibrated when the blade swooped overhead. Icy panic flooded his entire system. How… … What… …. He needed to get that guy away. Push him away! Focusing on the last thought the bewildered rookie concentrated all his energy and tackled his opponent. He continued yelling incoherently. The boy gaped as he watched the goliath fly away as he tackled the grown man. Like magic. Was that the power of this Alch-a-whatis thingamajig that they have been talking about? The thing that helps them do neat stuff that was way cooler than the special effects used in Harry Potter. The moment was short-lived. The King was charging back towards him at an astonishing speed. Run… run! Perhaps luck was on their side. Rather than finishing off Seira the King continued chasing Camron. Hundreds of blades flew in their direction. The boy nimbly dodged each one in succession. He panted heavily. His blue eyes fell on the claymore lying on the ground next to him. They followed the length of the blade. Bile ran up his throat and Camron vomited for the second time that night. He continued dry heaving after the initial wave of nausea passed. The yellowish-green mess mixed with the ever growing red puddle. “Camron, look out!” The voice sounded like it was coming deep inside his head. His conscience sounded oddly like Seira. It was then the boy felt the air around him heating up rapidly. The whole area was brighter than the Vegas strip. Moments later he was covered by searing hot flames. CX closed his eyes. He was resigned to his fate. The heat was unbearable like he was burning up from the inside. Wasn’t fire supposed to burn you from the outside? Sweat was soaking through his shirt as his face became flushed. “Camron don’t die on me.” That bossy voice was echoing painfully within his head once more. He snapped back into a hazy reality. The inferno was gone without a trace. Camron staggered to his feet. Splotches of blood fell to the floor from his still bleeding wound. This fever wasn’t helping. It must have been the Vegas heat. The boy crouched down and he drew something on the ground. The only thing in his mind was an insatiable desire to expel the excess heat from his body. ----------------XCI------------------ [Seira’s POV] [i]“What is your punishment Asylums?”[/i] Seira lay still. Her eyes remained closed as her breathing returned to normal. The buzzing in her ears stopped and sound was filtering back again. She could hear fighting and yelling from all around her. Those anguished words fail to strike a chord. The overpowering emotions behind those hate filled words puzzled her. Anger, despair and hatred were the three that she sensed. She must have missed something. Being part of A.M.R.O. wasn’t that bad. It gave her the opportunity to do things she never dreamed possible. Still she regretted putting her actual dreams on hold. Not that she had much to complain about until Camron became her partner. [i]Why can’t she have someone even more remotely useful?[/i] XCI sat up. She noted where everyone was on the battlefield, friend and foe. Her young partner skillfully dodged the blades hurled in his direction. Her lips twitched a little as she saw him double over to vomit upon seeing the dead King. [i]Poor, sensitive Camron.[/i] How will this kid survive? Her eyes widened. Flames were racing rapidly towards the oblivious teen. “Camron, look out!” Her warning came too late. The boy was engulfed in flames. Seira continued staring at the spot where her partner was moments ago. She knitted her brows ever so slightly when the flames disappeared. No way! No freaking way. He couldn’t have. Did he? Did he absorb the flames? The disheveled prom queen never reached her king. She was barely five feet away when a huge claymore smashed down in front of her. The Asylum jumped back to avoid the blade as it swung forward. She grumbled mentally. Why did she have to get the attention of every single idiot targeting that psychopath? “Out of my way punk,” she spat vehemently. “Isn’t someone the sweet little lady?” the King taunted as he picked up his blade once more. The Japanese Asylum locked her eyes on the blade and focused. She channeled all her ire and pent up frustration. The edges of the blade began to run. The liquid metal dripped onto the ground as the man swung his weapon at her. When he brought the hilt forward half of the blade flew off. “You bitch!” She never moved even when he charged towards her. Her fingers were clasped in front of her as though she was saying a silent prayer. Muscular arms reached out to grab her throat. That was when she lashed out with her newly formed metallic claws. She slashed across his face and the monarch howled in pain. Seira reached back. Swiftly she slashed his throat, impaled his stomach and stepped away. Not a fleck of blood stained her tattered dress. She exhaled slowly. Anger and tension started to dissipate. There was an ear splitting cry followed by a huge burst of light. The hybrid quickly drew her hands up to shield her eyes as the entire night sky lit up once more. A magnificent flaming phoenix rose into the sky. It flew upwards and unfurled its wings. The beast then folded them and hurled itself straight at Fletcher’s opponent. She watched in amazement. Maybe she shouldn’t have underestimated the other Asylums after all. One of them was powerful enough to create such an attack.