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What hope Astrelle had for some salvation was quickly diminished when she arrived to the control room. Soldiers were injured and strewn about the premises, and no Ars Magi, capable of dispelling the threat, was to be seen in the room at all. What chance of survival did the girls have against the Void without help? Astrelle thought back to Penny’s broken arm, which happened with such little effort on the Void’s part that she shook at the thought of what the monster could do with more time. Vanna was capable, but Astrelle couldn’t find it in her to believe that she could win against something so inhumanly strong.

Outside the large window of the control room, dancing flashes of light caught her eye. It became clear to her after a brief moment that the lights were sparks of colliding weaponry, metals, and magic; there were two figures in the cloudy darkness that traded blows. Astrelle’s feet carried her to the window reflexively, and she pressed her hand against the cold glass. She was sure of it—Victoria Glass was out there, fighting a masked assailant who was undoubtedly another Ars Magi. Confusion clouded her mind. Weren’t Ars Magi all on the same side?

Dana and Nicole’s arrival startled Astrelle out of her thoughts. It appeared as though they were able to make it past the Void after all, despite their luggage. Astrelle had to give them credit for that much, since she believed that the endeavour would’ve ended with their deaths. Dana noticed the fighting on the decks of the ship as well, though seemed more concerned with the injured soldier she had so valiantly hauled over to the control room.

[color=b699ff]“What is Victoria doing?”[/color] There was a slight tremor in Astrelle’s voice, despite the effort to keep her speech calm. She looked away from the window and towards the two girls. [color=b699ff]“She’s—It looks like she’s fighting another Ars Magi. That’s [i]absurd[/i]. Who’s going to help Penny and Vanna?” [/color]

A dangerous thought flashed across her mind. Was it possible that what the public knew about the monsters outside the wall, and Ars Magi, their defenders, were no more than lies or disguised truths? Why were there Ars Magic fighting one of their own in the first place? There was certainly something the governing powers were hiding. She couldn't rationalize the sight of two feuding Ars Magi any other way.