Serena and Claire left the palace at the same time.
They took different paths for one reason only.
Serena felt something odd in the folds of time.
She was someone far more connected to time itself than anyone else in the world. To her, time was an extension of her own body.
Every single instance when someone in this world manipulated the law of time, she sensed it. That included when Damien used it.
However, what she sensed this time was not merely someone using time laws.
She felt the presence of an "existence" who bent the spacetime itself.
There weren't many people who could do so without trying. Whether it was a friend or a foe, Serena had to find out what they were up to.
As such, she planned to briefly observe the target before meeting back with Claire and fighting Malefice.
That, of course, didn't end up happening.
