Ivy knew he had seen the man before.

He couldn't remember if it was from a passing glimpse or a fleeting moment too unimportant to remember, but he felt something so familiar from the man's face. Amidst the calamity, Ivy stopped and stared at the man on the terrace. Was it the bald, badly shaven head? The auburn beard, not shaven at all? No. It was the line that crossed his face, ear to ear. It was-

"Hey, Fungus Boy! Mind helping out?!" a female voice rang.

Mooch's snide remark cut through the air but Ivy stood transfixed, breathing heavily now in realization. Mooch saw the sweat begin to form on his brow. 

"Ivy, what's wro-"

'we have to get out of here' he said, the panic barely escaping his voice.

"What do you think we're trying to do? I'm not fighting these idiots for fun, Ivy"

'we have to go'

Ivy's stare was unmoving and now, so was his target. Previously pacing uncontrollably, jittering  with every miniscule movement, the man on the terrace was finally still. He gazed at the duo with wide, unflinching eyes.

The boy with the bud on his back and the girl with short blonde hair. They were back. They were back.



The grin of a madman stretched from one side of his scar to the other.