Asch's eyes widened as he sat up violently from his previous lying position, his chest heaving; the shadows of the recurring nightmare he had just experienced still lingered in the depths of his mind. "Not again," he groaned. Even as a cold draft swirled in the room he shared with his little sister, he was sweaty. She waited until her heart stopped pounding and threw the worn comforter that served as a bead off her legs. Standing up, he ran his fingers through his dark hair, doing his best to tame the messy tangle that had developed from his tossing and turning. Crawling to his humble dresser, he gasped as the moldy floorboards creaked beneath his feet. Glancing at her little sister, still asleep in the crib, she breathed a silent sigh of relief and gathered up her clothes and bags. As soon as he closed the bathroom door behind him, he exhaled, this time audibly. Turning on the tap, he wrinkled his nose as the stench of sulfur filled the room. "Ugh... that's new," he coughed, hurrying to turn off the faucet. It looked like he wasn't going to shower that morning. He got dressed and looked at himself quizzically in the mirror as he pulled on his cargo shorts and shoes. His mind still clouded by sleep, it took him a few seconds to realize that he had his white V-neck, emblazoned with his golden emblem, on backwards. A light shade of red formed on his cheeks as he quickly put the shirt on correctly, grateful that no one had seen the mistake. As he slipped the last vial of powder into his shoulder strap, he picked up his Blademerang weapon, slowly sheathing the double-edged shortsword over his right shoulder. A shiver of excitement ran down his spine as the familiar motion of the blade fell into the middle of the paper. Please don't torture me with the past by reminding me why you are here today in my son's place." His hand instinctively reached out to grab his bandana, Asch's happiness at receiving the birthday present faded as he listened to Vernon, who was just telling the truth. Not daring to open their mouths again, the two sat in silence once again. Thankfully, the tension-filled car ride was drawing to a close; through the darkened windows, Asch could see the airport, which was becoming ever more bigger in his field of vision, and made sure he had his college ID to serve as his ticket to the airship. Content that everything was ready, he sat restlessly in the cruising limousine, fiddling with his throwing knife as his future. loomed ever closer in the form of an airship bearing the famous Beacon coat of arms.