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"Mister Amirot open the gate, come out so we may talk about what has happened," the Elk commanded from outside the gate where within the Caribou dwelt in darkness. He was silent in the abandoned tower, regretting he decided to call this derelict castle home. His hands quaked with anxiety as he set down the morning star while sitting himself against the wall. Day would break soon and even if he had any intention to confront them about the incident he no longer had the luxury of time on his hands. Blood was smeared on the floor in front of him and so badly he wished it was his own for as hard as he fought he could not stop it. This power was supposed to be a gift but he could only see it now to be a curse of which no one could cure him.

With the old regime vanquished a new one would step forward however though so ripe for the taking Amirot did not concern for it. He abandoned the ideas of governing his weakened countrymen to lead a life in which he could be of greater use to the world. The idea began to fall away as the days that followed the kings death began to change him. It wasn't the death of the maniacal schemer that began to change him, no it was something unseen that altered him.

As the sun rose the day following the old one's demise Amirot rose to greet the day as he felt anew with hope for himself and his people. The sunlight was brighter to him than it ever had been before and as he neared the window to open the curtains he began to lose his vision. He was blinded as though the sun's rays were aimed directly through the window. Crawling his way over he tried to conceal the sun's light more so however as he felt the heat of the sun on his fur it felt as though he were on fire. Closing the curtains was an immense struggle and after doing so he threw himself into a dark corner where he regained himself. His sight began to come back and as it did he could see the spots where the sun had touched his fur had been burnt searing open his flesh.

It was maddening for the Caribou, he sat alone in his room the entire day thinking of what had happened unsure of what to make of it or how to explain to any others without sounding utterly mad. "What has become of me? Is this the cost of surviving, of taking a life, the price I pay for the power I have gained? All I have done has been for more than myself so why must I suffer? They will think me a beast or demon and when they do so what becomes of my efforts? I have to do something about this, I have to find a way to overcome this before anyone can find out," Amirot spoke quietly to himself as he searched the room. He found a long coat with a hood that cast a shadow that could cover most of his face. With it on he turned his back to the window and opened the curtain allowing sunlight to spill into the room covering him.

He tucked his hands into his pockets and waited for the burning feeling but as he stood there he felt nothing. Removing a hand from the coat he began to feel the fiery sensation on his uncovered hand and quickly tucked it away again. "I'll just need protective clothing, that's all," he said confidently to himself as he moved quickly to close the curtain again. Staring at them now he could still feel the pain in his eyes and his vision began to fill with dark spots that became larger by the moment. "What am I to do for my eyes? I can not protect them," Amirot muttered angrily as he once again resorted to searching for anything that could be of use to him.

It was a hopeless task he realized as he sat watching the bright light slip beneath the window frame and out of sight. He was furious but feeling suddenly rejuvenated by the absents of sunlight and the overwhelming darkness. Finally now he was able to leave home but he would have to hurry as the shops would soon be closing. Though only walking he was moving faster as he slipped through the lantern lit streets to the market. The shop keeper gave him a strange look as he purchased what he needed, the only explanation he could imagine was his appearance. Amirot was beginning to return home before he came across a beautiful young woman.

She was a sweet girl, a bit younger than him but it was hardly a concern she was old enough if it at all mattered. It took her but a moment to recognize him and with a few short words have him following her home. The two were alone in her home with the light inside soon to exit but as the lanterns turned out with the darkness came a vile blight. They stepped closer to one another both brimming with excitement but as he stepped closer to her the darkness seemed to follow. Maybe she didn't realize or maybe wrote it off on her own eyes but as he came to her even the moonlight entering through the window disappeared. Taking her in his arms the couple were cloaked in utter darkness from which only he would step away. The thick blanket of blackness consumed the woman and unto him quenched his hungers and thirsts making him feel stronger.

"What have I done?!" Amirot cried as the darkness receded into him and the woman's shredded body slapped the floor. He backed away and out of the bedroom terrified at what he had just witnessed and the sheer brutality he was unknowingly capable. There was no third direction on it, he could flee or turn himself over to the authorities. Amirot was a respectable man but could the people endure seeing the man just claimed a hero become a villain? Getting dressed again he thought on it, "It was accident. Maybe they'll understand that I don't know what happened or how it happened but it happened. I'm not a criminal and they probably trust me so what could be the harm in turning myself in if it was an accident?" This thought he soon realized was just him telling himself what he wanted hear and denying the truth of the matter; he had killed an innocent and no matter if it were intentional or accidentally he was still responsible. Flight was in the end the only option other than turning himself over to face humiliation, dishonor, and likely death.

There was no one to turn to, there never had been many Amirot counted on but even less so now especially with such a burden hanging over head. As few people there were for him there were even fewer places that were anything more than a roof over his head. The most prominent of these locations was the castle that sat far north of the village and was originally considered for their home. Of course it was eventually denied as it was believed haunted by the spirits of its makers. He knew it would be a remote place to hide from any trouble that would come his way and his best bet but he despised the thought of being there. Even if it were not haunted or cursed he would still find himself alone and far from home and all the comforts therein the homeland. This refusal was not a luxury he had, his hands were stained with blood and he knew they would never come clean unless he would.

He took only what could be carried and what would be necessary and vanished into the night like a drop of rain into a puddle. The night consumed him and he felt of it without the feeling of any change or loss of self. Whatever he acquired only a day ago was now part of him and he a part of something far greater and more powerful than he could have imagined. In the darkness he moved fast, felt stronger, everything about himself was made better as the darkness swallowed him and made him the master of it all. Before dawn he would reach the abandoned castle with its dark tower looming over the land and gazing down off the cliffs into the ocean below.

The gates were of a heavy metal but had become old and rusted after what could have been decades without upkeep. It was silent as the grave but the dark interior was inviting as he stepped inside the massive stone structure he would call home. "Is anyone here?!" Amirot called out with nothing but an echo to return to him and reassure him of his solitude. In a short time it would be morning but he could not let rest until he was certain the building was secure. He searched room from room for any sign of life but found no one and nothing stirring inside. All the same he made his way up the spiral stair case to the top of the tower, if he were to rest it would be in a place that was secluded as to not be noticed by any who may be lingering within.

The tower was a comfortable place to rest despite the lack of any such bedroom items or even a bed to speak of however it was relaxing to Amirot. It was a small room at the top of the tower furnished with a few chairs, shelves, a table, and books written in languages he could not read. The best feature to the room were the windows which there was only one of which was could be sealed by a thick shutter that was stuck shut from the moment he entered. A bit of light could be seen through the doors crevasse as a hole in the tower shown light into it. While he saw the light grow brighter and stronger Amirot began to feel tired, weak, and the rest of his normal hungers returning. He fed on the food he had procured earlier and finally was able to rest after the panicking night he had endured after the stressful days prior.

Twisted nightmares shook Amirot all day as he slept as memories and imagination collided to form dreadful thoughts. The vision of the woman being consumed by the dark left his mind racing as it began to make his wonderment fix on the thoughts of that feeling. How would it feel to be completely swallowed whole by empty blackness? In the blackness of his thoughts he could see a tiny dot that began to grow like a drop of blood becomes a pool of it. It was a face bathed in a red, a crimson coated face of an Elk staring with eyes that penetrated his heart looking into his very soul. Amirot shook himself awake as the face drew nearer and nearer in his mind. The sun was setting and he was trembling with more than fear, he hungered as he never had before and his appetite was for a disturbing taste.

"I can't go through with this. I'm in control not my urges, I have to be able to maintain without the bloodshed. If I can not I am no better than a beast, a demon, a monster in the night that feeds on the flesh of his own," he told himself while looking out of the tower at the darkened landscape. Worry spread through him as he realized what he had eluded his mind for the past day. Imfay would be returning soon and he was to meet with him as to discuss the arrangements between the Elk and Caribou. If he were missing what would that say about him or the Caribou nation as a whole, would Imfay simply just take over as his people were on the edge of despair with no leadership? He needed to return to town and put things in order before disappearing if he wanted any comfort being absent from his home.

The town was quite, it was approaching the midnight hour and not a single person stirred nor a lantern left lit. Amirot now had a larger problem, he had no one left to contact with the nobles all deceased and his memory in shambles it would be impossible to impart the message on anyone. There remained only one choice and that would be to break into the general store and leave a message there for the shop keeper to find in the morning. A shop keeper would be a reliable enough person for the people to trust and a responsible enough one to trust with actually relaying the message.

The thought of breaking into the store bothered Amirot, he wanted to consider himself a good man but the action itself seemed to him to reek of deviousness. It was time wasted thinking such a thought as while trying to devise a quiet and effective way to enter without damaging the door something came over him. Someone was approaching and he would need to make certain they did not see him otherwise it was very possible they might jump to the conclusion he was breaking in. Though he froze up his body began to act on someone unknown instinct and as the person passed by Amirot went unnoticed to him. He wondered why of course and looked to find his limbs and body had vanished and replaced with a dark hazy mist. What had happened he had no idea it was all so foreign but he could only chalk it up the same as the occurrence the night prior.

In his newer less corporeal form Amirot was able to slip through the door without having to damage it at all. Inside he found ink and a bit of parchment and scribed a note regarding his own disappearance and the need to handle the meeting with Imfay. Finishing his note his business was done but as he began to leave he could hear something, a rustling noise coming from the back of the shop. He stepped closer but as he did a ray of light pierced the darkness and came closer from the back room. The shop keeper pushed open the small curtain revealing the back room to be his bedroom.

Amirot stood staring at the older man who rubbed his eyes unsure if he was seeing things right or his eyes were playing a trick on him. "Who's there," he asked holding the lantern out further trying for a more detailed view of the intruders face. He backed away from the light, "I don't mean to disturb you, I was just leaving. There is note on the counter for you, give it to whoever you think can handle it best." "Now just you wait, you break into my shop in the middle of night and you expect me to think you didn't steal from me?" the man became angered by how Amirot seemed to under mind him by disregarding the situation. Amirot held out his hands, "Empty see. I left that last bit of money I had for you with the note to pay for the supplies used for it. Now I have to go please deliver that message for me."

A boy's voice came from the back room, "Dad what is going on?" "Go back to bed son, it's nothing," the shop keeper spoke before returning his attention to Amirot, "You expect me to just believe a man who breaks into someone's business to be honest? What do you take me for, a fool?" Amirot was impatient now, "Just look the money is there take it, I have no bag to carry any stolen goods and you can see I have nothing on me." "Dad who is that?" the boy asked his father as he stood by the curtain watching the two go back and forth. The man turned to his son, "I told you to go back to bed, daddy is taking care of this so don't you worry." "I'm leaving. Take care of the note, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused, you won't see me again," Amirot spoke trying to leave while he could. The shop keeper wasn't going to let that happen, "You're right, you are coming with me to the guards and you are going to be arrested for robbery."

The shop keeper grabbed Amirot but was quickly pushed back by him, "Just leave me alone, don't touch me because I will not let you bring me." "You don't have a choice," he said as he took a dagger out from beneath the counter and shoved it in Amirot's face. "Dad stop!" the boy screamed as the two fell to the floor with Amirot fighting to keep the blade away from him. The man struggled his hardest while still arguing with his son, "Go back to bed you don't need to see this!" "Get off of me old man, I don't want to hurt you especially in front of your son. Let me go!" Amirot shouted trying to push the man off of him. He persisted unmoved by the threat, "Lying thief, you'd like to hurt me and my boy but now I have the upper hand." The knife moved closer to his throat and as it came close enough to almost touch he lost all control.

The lantern's light became extinguished and the darkness began to permeate through the room filling it full. Everyone inside grew quite and only the sound of the wind passing outside could be heard as the child hid his eyes out of fear. Suddenly the feeling of warmth, of life faded and no longer could Amirot sense the man, his breathing had silenced. He soon could see again as the more intense darkness receded leaving only the dark of night. The man was gone and inside Amirot felt again as he felt the night before only this time he felt even better and almost enjoyed this feeling of strength. Amirot stood happily soaking up this feeling inside before the frightening fact hit him, he could no longer sense the presence of the boy. He could have ran for help but there was not enough time and no signs of anyone else having left, did he, could he have? There wasn't time to waste, he fled from the store and town once more not wanting to face the truth. Solitude would comfort him, it was all he had in mind as he headed directly for the abandoned fortress far from any who may ever think to blame him or seek to find him.

In his tower he was safe, obscure, but also quite bored as the sun had just set nights after the incident in the shop he had plenty of time and little to do. Amirot made use of this time to explore the castle further than the just the tower but to browse the various books and other bits and pieces of the life of whomever once dwelt within. He looked upon the many tomes as he had before once again knowing he could neither read nor even identify the language in which the various volumes had been written in. While browsing one of the innumerable books he came across one with a marker sticking from a page near the center. Opening to this page he found that the marker was an edge of the page itself that had been folded into itself numerous times. Unfolding this page it began to extend to a size larger than that which would be able to fit within the book explaining why it had been folded so. On this peculiar page was a sketch of a tree but the tree shown cut into segments with each segment having what looked to be long descriptions next to it. The book was clearly something to do with the nature of how trees work however puzzling to Amirot is who would make such a book and leave it here.

A twitch hit Amirot suddenly as he was continuing to explore the fortress, it was unexplainable but he felt compelled to go outside. As he came to the door he could see a wanderer in the courtyard looking quite lost. He made eye contact with Amirot and called to him, "Sorry to bother you sir. I have seemed to lost my way and was wondering if I might come in for a moment? Maybe trouble you for a meal? I have money I could pay you if I may rest here tonight" "This is no inn I am sorry, you'll have to carry on to the town south of here," Amirot spoke partially hidden by the door afraid to let the man in for fear that he may know who him. The man came closer, "May I trouble you for a warm meal sir? Town will be a ways away and I will need my strength to make it there else I may die." "Very well, come in sit a spell but you may not remain here for the night," he returned gruffly.

He lead the man inside and abandoned him in the study with the last bit of food he had in his satchel to further explore the castle rather than just the books. Amirot came across a set of stairs separate from those leading to the tower, these lead downward in contrast to the others. At the bottom of the stairs the Caribou found a dungeon of sorts complete with cells, shackles attached to the walls, and what looked to be devises of torture rusted and stained with blood. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he sensed something behind him. Turning quickly he raised his morning star high ready to crush whatever dare try to sneak up behind him only to find the traveler standing behind him with a book in hand.

"What are you doing sneaking around in my shadow!," Amirot shouted with his weapon still hanging above him. The man backed up a few paces before holding out the tome, "Are these yours sir? I mean to ask, can you read this language at all?" "That's no business of yours vagrant. Now go back to your resting upstairs before I have to use these machines on you!," he said taking the book from the other man's hand. Turning back to the stairs he stopped a moment, "You know if you can't read them maybe it would be best if I remained here. That is if you wanted to know what is written there." "Don't tell me you mean to say you can make sense of this gibberish in these volumes?" Amirot asked in total disbelief of the claim. The Elk turned back, "Of course and I might just be the only one who can, you see I have a trick that helps me to understand these old languages. I suppose I'd consider helping you after I rested my eyes so that I could read."

The next night the man began to translate the book starting with the one with the tree inside as it gave Amirot a bizarre feeling that it was the only one including an illustration. He wanted to watch the vagrant translate the books but was denied as to keep the secret of his talents in tact. Instead the Caribou went out and wandered the massive courtyard that was bathed in beautiful starlight that illuminated the snow as though it did glow. A crunching noise echoed off the walls of the castle while he stood outside and immediately it sparked his curiosity. Amirot made his way towards the back side of the castle only to be stopped halfway by another wanderer lurking about his yard.

"Who are you?" Amirot asked cautiously as he stared down a feminine figured hidden from the light of the moon by the shadow of the building. Her voice was soft and gentle, "I'm sorry I don't know where I am or where I was." "You're lost too then? I can't be having more and more of you vagabonds coming here to call this home yours. However I suppose I could make an exception for one such as yourself, a beautiful young woman shouldn't be wandering the countryside alone. Come inside," he said ushering her in to his abode. The other one was busy still with the books so Amirot took the full liberty of occupying the young woman's time. Though a loner she was quite beautiful and could have easily found a mate that would have cared for her and tended her every whim, she must have been running from something.

"Can I get you anything, miss?" Amirot asked though knowing in the back of his mind that the tramp had eaten what remained of his food the night prior. The woman paused as she realized he was asking her name, "I don't know... for the life of me I can't remember my own name right now it is odd." "It's not odd at all, I too lost my memory a short time ago, do you need food or rest?" he asked again trying to display a good nature. She thought on it, "I'm not quite hungry at the moment so maybe I best rest, I feel as though I have been walking forever." "You're quite welcomed to rest, you may take my bed. It is quite comfortable and one more deserving of a delicate young woman as yourself than the other beds that aren't even fit for a servant," Amirot spoke as he could think of only one bedroom that wasn't falling apart and had a bed within it. The woman hid her face, "Oh sir you are too kind. You offer me food and shelter even your own bed yet ask for nothing of me. It just doesn't seem quite right to take all you have offered." A hand rested on her upper thigh as Amirot gazed with longing into her eyes, she could tell what he wanted and why he had been so courteous but she could not deny his generosity or allure. Her hand caressed his face, it didn't matter to him that the tips of her fingers were as ice the feel of a woman is all he desired.

They began upstairs to his chamber or at least the only chamber he had come across that was not in utter desolation. She was quick with her motion as he was his own as they quickly undressed one another trading kisses all the while. Though as he did so Amirot could not remove the annoyance in his mind that he had thought only to bother him briefly. As her hand was frigid and unpleasant as was the whole of her with no part holding the slightest bit of warmth. He tried to not mind it knowing she would have had to been out there for quite a while to have reached his home from where ever she had traveled from.

Amirot was nervous, not hesitant, but very much excited as they carried on beneath the sheets with only a faint bit of light coming from the fireplace in the bedroom. He moved down her body kissing and licking at her while he made his way to the end of the road. However as his excitement began to peak as he removed the last shred of her clothing he recoiled in terror. What he had so ecstatically waited for was not a work of great beauty but a horrid bloody deformed mess the likes of which he wished he could have lived without seeing. Something had happened to her something unbelievably sick and cruel yet all the while she had never let on and seemed almost oblivious to it all.

"What.., "Amirot gasped for air to quell his unsettled stomach, "what happened to you?" The woman arose looking and too recoiled in shock to find what her lover had found so disgusting. "I don't know... I can't remember! Help me, please," she begged as Amirot clothed himself without delay. He paused a moment and took a quick glance before he could reply, "I don't think I can help you. It looks bad, maybe even life threatening. Simply I'm not sure how you were able to survive whatever happened to you. There is someone else downstairs, he might be able to help just stay right there and I will retrieve him."

Amirot pounded away at the door of the study but there was no answer from the man causing his panic to worsen. He rammed the door again and again until it had finally given way at which time the man must have stepped closer to the door as he was thrown onto the table knocking books to the floor. As Amirot looked to the man he made another shocking discovery about his other guest. The man too was fatally wounded he however had a massive gash that ran horizontally across his abdomen. The slice ran deep as well as wide as it span from each end of his body it also exposed organs at its deepest point. Despite this the man was not shocked nor feeling at all injured from Amirot breaking the door open on him.

"What is going on here?! You're slit wide open, what happened?" Amirot hounded the man as he pulled himself back to his feet. He however showed no sign of concern for his wound, "If I cared to worry about the why then it would be a waste of time wouldn't you say?" "What do you mean, by all rights you should be dead from a wound like that and you have not even the slightest bit of concern? You know what I don't care, there is a woman upstairs and she has been horribly mutilated. She's still alive but how I.." Amirot began to lose his thought as he thought of the similarity in the severity in both of the vagrant's wounds. Suddenly a tremendous creaking echoed through the halls of the castle that seemed to silence all but its own noise.

The two men turned to see the main doors opening wide with an enormous man walking through the door. "What is going on in my castle? One of you best have an explanation for me less you wish for me to take the answers from you by force," the man said as he came closer to Amirot. Amirot looked to the man wary now of him too, "This castle has been abandoned for decades, it is no longer yours sir, now be gone with you." His response was obvious and he was quick to try to answer Amirot's request as he began to bring down his fist but as it came closer to his target he veered off and smashed the table. "What?!" he shouted as he looked to Amirot who had not stepped aside for the man's blow and now gave an even more confused look. He swung again but missed again slamming into the wall followed by another foolhardy attempt that left him sprawled out on the floor after tripping over a stack of books.

"What is this trickery you employ? Can you be so swift or are you a mirage?" the massive Caribou cried out as he stare up at Amirot. The look Amirot gave was one not only of disdain but uncertainty, "I'm not quite sure myself but I am certainly enjoying watching you make a fool of yourself trying to figure it out." "Enough of this you devious bastard, Gen, make yourself useful for once and knock this son of a bitch out," he commanded the vagrant in the corner. Gen moved without hesitating but as he tried to smash a chair across Amirot he found himself on the floor as well after missing his strike. Amirot looked back and forth at the two, "You two know each other? You both wait right here." He rushed upstairs to find the woman dressed and ready to leave the room. "Come down to the study a moment, would you?" he asked as his mind began to formulate ideas.

They stood all four in the room Amirot facing the three strangers as they all conversed between one another seeming to know one another all too well. "So you three listen, I don't know what is going on here with you so one of you is going to explain who you are and what you are doing here," Amirot ordered. The large man spoke for the three, "We should be asking you such a question, you are the one invading our sanctuary. This is my home, these are two of my servants Gen and Mera, and you are a trespasser. I ask you again what are you doing here and what have you done to my home? It is in ruin and the rest of my staff are missing." "As I said this place has been vacant for a very long time, no one has lived here in the course of my entire life. So I want you to explain why you keep going on about this being your home and acting so abnormally," he demanded again.

Mera spoke up, "You're lying, we have been here for as long as we can remember. It is a nice castle yes but you are not going to convince us that we aren't the rightful residents of it through such lies." "All right then say I believe what you say despite what I know, can one of you explain at all why the two of you harbor fatal wounds but still live without even much acknowledgment of them? Or maybe one of you two could explain how though you both genuinely wanted to hurt me were entirely unable to, to the point you ended up hurting yourselves," Amirot demanded as he was becoming more and more cross with the three. Gen stepped forward, "I know why or at least I think I know. If I am right then for these two it will be awhile before they can remember, but how about you and I take a walk out back see if I am right?"

The two men stood before three pits in the ground that sat surrounded by mounds that had been covered by snow as they must had been at some point. "So you had an explanation for all of this?" Amirot asked as he looked unimpressed by the mysterious holes in the earth. Gen cleared his throat, "We were in those graves is what I think. You were right to guess our wounds fatal and while you were bringing Mera to the study I began remembering how I got the wound." "Now I am willing to suspend my disbelief in much of this but walking corpses? There is a line and you are hazarding to cross it with such strangeness," he said as he turned to return inside. Unsatisfied he would stake himself to prove the hypothesis, "Then let us go to the dungeon, I am having vivid bits of memory come to me about that place but I can't put them together. In either case if I were dead you could put me through one of those devises of torture and prove for certain this idea." "I will not join into your madness no matter what you say. If I put you down there I'm as mad as you are and if you are wrong as I am fairly certain you are then I will have killed an innocent man," Amirot shouted as he continued inside without the other man.

Amirot carried on inside to find the halls filled with the sounds of a woman sobbing, undoubtedly it belonged to Mera. She was alone in the tower where Amirot had spent every night since arriving at the castle. "What troubles your Mera?" he asked as he slowly shut the door. She faced him her eye sad but without tears, "My memory, I can remember a few things but it all seems as nightmares that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. I can remember the faces of those who did this to me, but I can't remember why they did." "Don't dwell on these things if they cause you pain. I may not understand what is going on and it may all be something unexplainable but that's no reason to spoil such a pretty face. Just stay in the moment, try to be happy," he said holding her by the chin staring into eyes that seemed to lack the spark of life. She moved closer for a kiss but at the last second he stepped away now with his curiosity beginning to bud towards what Gen had said.

Her hands were still chilling but seemingly less so now or possibly he had become used to the comfort of the uncomfortable feeling on his body. Though he seemed distant and away from the situation Mera was drawn to him with some unseen attraction. She wasted no time trying to find the heart of his pleasure in effort to fulfill his deepest desire. The two both knew her womanhood was in ruin and almost entirely useless yet she proved more resourceful then to quit outright. For a moment her knowledge of a man's lust would seem to rival that of a lady of the evening as she left nothing off limits not even that act which most found deplorable and women of any class would be too dignified to allow. Amirot felt though he were master of the domain as she seemed to submit to his every last wish and desire even without his command as though she knew what he thought.

Dawn had come and the two fell asleep on the makeshift bed that Amirot had made in the first few evenings there. They had exhausted themselves to the point that they wouldn't have left the tower even if the sun had not yet graced the sky. While the two enjoyed there intimate bliss in the early hours of morning the other two within the castle were up to far more devious affairs. Gen was certain of himself and his theory as to how everything was happening but that discovery would not be made by Amirot until the rise of the next day's moon.

As the sun set in the evening Amirot wasted little time getting ready as he required supplies from town yet still wanted to get to the bottom of the issue at hand. He made his way to town swiftly enough but as he crept through town he felt a great deal more hostility then he had felt the time before. Doors had been fitted with stronger locks, not a single soul was out, and lights were lit in every home though cloaked by shades or curtains. The general store was still as it was seemingly bought by a new owner who carried on business in the same manner short of living in the back. Breaking in and out was without difficulty however as he tried to leave the town Amirot encountered the hostility of townspeople in full.

Torch light came from the inn and the clattering sound of swords and armor began to radiate from the lit location. Amirot could move quickly but not quick enough to evade the eyes of the town's new guard who had been watching for violators of the curfew. "Stop right there! We know what you're doing so give yourself up now and make it easier on yourself," one shouted as Amirot was about to run. As the light came closer it revealed the identities of the guard to Amirot and the ghastly figure that was once a respectable noble of the city. "It's him. We'll bring him to Imfay, he's been looking for him, he must know what to do with him," another guard said as the light illuminated Amirot's pure black antlers. He stepped back hoping it wasn't to late to run and avoid confrontation with the guards but that was not the kind of luck he had.

They noticed almost immediately that he was trying to escape and quickly drew their swords and closed in on him. As a hand reached for him he knew the worst was about to happen as his body unleashed a sheet of darkness that covered all beneath it. Amirot could see better in this darkness as though his surroundings had become a negative in color to what they had been. The men were paused in there place as the darkness restrained them but didn't overcome them. He fought the urge so badly but it wasn't something he could fight it came to him like nature as though his proper function in the world. With ease and haste he slaughtered the men one by one until they all hung limp from their restraints as the blackness finally began to consume them. The dark field retreated into Amirot and as it did so he felt overcome with energy and power to a degree that he had never felt before. As the power began to run through him he made his leave moving faster than he thought possible it was as though he became the night, the darkness itself.

Mera was waiting for him as he returned to the castle, her look of distress alarmed him before he heard her message. "You have to do something Gen has gone mad. He and Nofel are in the basement preforming hideous experiments," she cried grabbing hold of him as he entered. He set down his bag of supplies, "Don't worry about them, I'll take care of it. There's not much to worry about though if you think about it, the man is all ready cut deep enough that I could pull out his lung bare handed not much could hurt him after that." Amirot entered the basement knowing full well what furnished the dank and dark place but not entirely sure what type of experimentation he was going to see.

It was clear why Mera was in panic as Amirot descended the stairs to view the horrific scene that was playing out. Gen lie on a stone slab with a gigantic blade swinging to and fro over head coming ever closer to the gash in his abdomen. He rushed to throw Nofel from the control but before he had even made it half way to the men the blade made contact. The room fell dead silent as the blade stopped stuck on the slab and Gen's eyes stopped moving about his head.

"See Nofel I'm not crazy, I was right now undue these locks my legs have gone to sleep," Gen spoke mocking the seriousness of what had just happened. Amirot was utterly dumbfounded as he came closer watching the larger man release Gen from the slab. Gen supported himself on his hands and used them to walk up to Amirot to give him a smug and oddly satisfied looking smile. "I told you I knew what I was talking about. It's not long know until Mera does and then Nofel and whoever pops up tonight," he told Amirot before he began to shuffle away with bits of organ and spine trailing behind him, "Don't worry about Mera though she'll still be there for you, no one ever loved that girl. Even if she remembers she'll likely just keep up the facade just to keep you."

"Nofel, how could you let him go through with this? If he were wrong you would have killed him," Amirot condemned as he stepped closer. Nofel was busy resetting the blade, "You just keep ignoring the fact this is my home don't you? Either case he was right and knowing that and what little bits are coming back... Listen my memory was never great but I remember digging myself out of my own grave last night, I don't know why but that is a fact." He continued on but Amirot paid no attention as he examined the spot on the slab where the blade had struck Gen. There was no blood but instead a black ooze that seemed to be clotting together into a ball of sorts.

Amirot returned to the study to find Gen's torso back to work on translating the pages not seeming so shy about how he was doing it. Pressing a prism to the text he read through it writing the translation below. "So this is your trick to reading ancient languages?" Amirot asked with a cross demeanor. Gen looked and laughed at him, "You know it is beyond me how I could remember that but nothing else right away." "How about this then, you left this on the slab down there. It's not blood I know that much and stranger still is that this was liquid only a few minutes ago and now it's like a rock," he asked holding the black ball out to Gen. Taking it in his hand he held it to the light, "Never seen anything like it before or at least not that I can recollect. Leave it here maybe it will come to me after awhile."

Mera burst into the study and before she could let out even one word a cluster of hands and arms grabbed her and threw her to the floor. The mob were a mangled mass of muddy marauders who were covered in slices, cuts, and perforations. "Stop this at once," Amirot shouted as he rose from the table placing a hand on his morning star. They paused the second the command was let out and all eyes were upon him now as Mera crawled away towards the stairs. Gen grabbed Amirot's sleeve, "Servants to Nofel, have him put them to work and there won't be anymore trouble." "Why is there trouble to begin with?" Amirot asked speaking through his teeth. Gen pulled Amirot down to whispering level, "I can't remember everything but I recall that they all had a grudge against Mera before they were put down in the dungeon."

Nofel put the various men and women to work putting bits of wall and ceiling back together and returning the otherwise distressed castle back together. While Nofel himself busied himself in the dungeon doing what was left a mystery to the others in the castle. Gen continued his translations taking breaks only to study the strange black piece that had come from his body. Amirot went to the tower to question Mera about the mob somehow not entirely convinced by what Gen had told him. He couldn't believe that anyone had a legitimate grievance with Mera, she seemed so kind and nice though he had only known her for a day.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said as Amirot entered the top of the tower where she sat. He stood staring at her expressionless becoming more uncertain of her character. "Listen my memory is coming back a bit more now, Gen told me I'd remember more and more over time. I remember too much of what happened as it is and even if I remember why they hate me it won't change whatever I did," Mera's tone was less sad more certain of the way the world works. Amirot sat next to her and rested his hands on her shoulders, "You remember it though don't you? You know why they are after you, so what is the harm in telling me?" "They'll tell you anyway, they will say that I am responsible for everything that happened here," where most would express sadness she was overcome with anger. Amirot didn't waste more time trying to force words from her lips and instead was set on trying to get the answers from Nofel.

The entire basement had been cleaned and everything within it shined like new short of the blood stains that layered spikes and slabs throughout. Nofel was sitting by himself on the slab below the pendulum watching something in a semi lit cell. Amirot watched him for a moment as he sat with absolutely no expression towards what he was viewing. Inside the cell not much could be seen from Amirot's perspective, moving a bit closer however his presences became known. "You are wondering what I am doing down here aren't you?" Nofel asked not facing his unexpected guest. Amirot had no fear in answering, "You caught me. I find it a bit strange though that you remembered this is your home yet you spend most of your time down here." "I remembered what happened, some of it at least, and I know that there is unfinished business for me to tend to down here," he replied with a solemn tone. Amirot came to the opposing end of the slab, "And what business is that might I ask?"

He removed a torch from its place and shed light on the dim cell revealing a man in a torture device. "One of the last things I remember is that I put every last one of these people into one of these machines. I'm still trying to remember why but as it stands now I much rather have them contained so whatever was going on here doesn't come to fruition," he said with a shaky certainty. Amirot sat back down on the slab, "Then why did you let Gen go? Shouldn't you be a little more worried about a man with a day's more memory than you?" "I didn't remember until I let him go but it is inconsequential now he is hardly capable of anything. Don't tell the others what is going on else they may try to spring some sort of trap on me," Nofel demanded with a hint of desperation. Agreeing Amirot would leave the man to his work feeling he was safe from any of his scheming.

The night began to dissipate and with it Amirot would too slink from sight unaware of the invisible ever-present eyes upon him. "He's utterly mad in the head! Are you certain he is one of us, Zero?" Maxin asked in disbelief that one such as the Caribou in question was his equal. Zero nodded his head, "I hate to say so but I can see it in him. Amirot is the same as us only his powers seem largely different then ours." "What do you mean by that, we all have different abilities but we don't conduct ourselves in such a manner," Pulsar interjected before Maxinimus could say the same. Trying to quell her peers' disbelief Siri interrupted, "Perhaps he isn't in control; Cerberus was being lead astray by another when I first met him and I know at one point or another we all have been unable to control or powers. Who is to say for sure but if he is like us then that doesn't only mean he is powerful, it means he is equally unsure and afraid as we all were when we began commanding such power without rhyme or reason." The opinion on the man remained open as the collective all thought on their first experiences with their abilities, every thought that raced through their head, each emotion that stirred in their heart, of course they could all easily put themselves in the man's position without question.

Night had yet to begun, the sun still hung low but not entirely gone, when a great commotion came from floors below Amirot. He could see bits of sunlight peaking from behind the boarded window but he had to put an end to whatever was at hand down there. As he proceeded down the stairs he realized something quite troubling, Mera wasn't in the tower with him when he awoke. The thought hit him and he immediately began down the stair as fast as he could but in his haste forgot the bits brick still missing that let in sunlight. While passing a section from which the sun's rays directly shot through he became blinded not only that his skin began to burn as though it were dry leaves in a flame. Amirot tripped in his off state sending him tumbling down the rest of the stair case into the calamity that woke him.

"What is going on in here!?" he demanded as he stood rubbing his eyes while his vision recovered. A hand clenched his leg proceeding it's owners voice, "They have it out for Mera and they're none to happy with Nofel either. Say did he say anything to you about his business in the dungeon." "Where are they Gen? Mera most especially, is she safe?" he asked as his vision returned to find no one else but Gen's torso in the room. He pointed to the stairs, "Where do you think Nofel is held up? She ran for the basement when they blocked the stairs. Guess she thought he would protect her but who knows with him." Amirot left Gen there as he rushed to the threshold and leapt down the flight of stairs hoping he wasn't too late to help Mera.

The two were backed into the corner of a cell with the others grabbing at them through the holes in the door. Nofel stood in front of her as though he was more concerned for her then he was himself, ready to face the attackers despite their numbers. Amirot wasn't going to waste his breath calling them to order, instead he would dispose of them and help complete Nofel's bizarre work. One man went flying into the iron cabinet, the force at which he hit was enough to slam the lid behind him. He pulled another to the rack which shackles locked quickly and began to pull tight. With a kick he sent a woman into a neighboring cell that contained a chain noose that hugged the scar around her neck. Despite Amirot's intervention they seemed to pay little mind to their decreasing numbers as he grabbed another. The next hung by her feet from hooks, another hung above a fire with hands and feet bound behind his back, and the last flung onto a bed of nails that punched a new pattern of holes in her body.

"Mera are you..." Amirot stopped himself as he looked at the shredded bottom of her outfit stained with a black liquid. She stepped forward revealing the source of the black liquid to be the all ready hideously marred area. There was not fear in her eyes nor pain but confusion as she held out her hand within it sitting another round black lump. Nofel unlocked the door and without a word she departed from the two leaving Amirot to wonder. On the other hand however Nofel wanted to talk to him before he headed out after her.

"They are all in their rightful spots, that is all except Gen of course," he said looking at the various bodies. Amirot looked too but was hardly concerned with them, "Nofel, did you put Mera to one of these machines?" "No..." he seemed to need to think, "I'm remembering more but there still remains some bits clouded in my mind. However I do recall that what happened to her was not my fault but by the hands of those you dispatched. I remember that I found her one the spike she had been left on. There was so much blood and the nurse refused to help so I had to do my best and in the end it still got infected. I'm still not sure why they hated her or maybe it wasn't even her they were really looking to hurt." He left Nofel there unsure of how to continue the conversation knowing nothing that could be said to make any impact at all.

Mera was alone in the dining hall there was no meal set but all the candles were lit from her end of the grand table to the vacant end where Amirot would soon seat himself. "They blamed me for everything, said that I had been the one telling Nofel who was guilty. I wished I had because every instance I remember one of them screaming at me for their punishment it makes me remember what they did to me," she said solemnly as she held the sphere to candle light. He watched from the other end still curious as to what the strange opaque balls were and why they manifested from collections of the dark ooze. "There is something my mind is trying to remind me of but it's having trouble but I know once I can remember it things are going to get unpleasant so it stands to ask the question of if it really is worth it in the end. I need to be alone until that time comes so I must please ask you to stay away, I will find you when it is time and when I do make sure you are prepared for whatever may come," she said softly before leaving him.

Gen was still busy at work translating taking less time to study the ball today instead entrenching himself in the task at hand. "Anything new to report Gen," Amirot asked as he stood at the threshold of the study. He had an uneasy look on his face as though Amirot were some untrustworthy foe that had crept up behind him, "Not much but what I know for certain is that you should not trust that woman, she likes to play dangerous game with the minds of other's. And stay away from Nofel too, he is a violent man who could loose control at any moment." Amirot backed away curious as to how his temper had come about for no discernible reason.

The tower was empty when Amirot reached the top of the stairs abundantly clear as he neared the open door. The night was still young yet he hadn't much to do and with the others seemingly wanting to be alone he hadn't anyone to waste his time with. He opened the window in the tower letting frigged air spill in along with the bit of moonlight breaking through the clouded sky. As he looked out onto the vast spanning fields that sat between the castle and his home village he saw a small light. It may have been a lantern or something much less easily explained but he knew for certain it was not just a figment of his imagination. Watching it for a while he could tell that it was moving ever closer to his location moving at the speed of a person on foot. Was it possible someone else had thought to claim this castle as their own? There was plenty of time but much to decide as this wanderer came closer to him with every passing moment.

Amirot went out front and closed the gates and used a chain he found on the ground nearby to kept the two ends together as in their distressed state they hardly stayed in place. Returning inside he went about the main floor make certain the place still looked very much abandoned. As he worked to do so Gen crawled his way out of the study to the main hall, "Amirot where are you?" "Gen silence yourself, there is a traveler not far from here and I believe he is coming this way," Amirot warned with a hushed voice. Gen in return had a look of utter lack of concern for the predicament, "I have finished translating that first book you wanted but before I give you it I need something from you." "Whatever it is it can wait, go back in the room and keep quiet," he spoke becoming more agitated. Gen grabbed his leg as he tried to walk away, "Get rid of Mera or else I burn the book. Do it quick and do it soon else it burns before dawn." He had no response for the outrageous ultimatum set before him by one who had no position to barter for very much anything.

Sitting in the tower again he could see the light still moving gradually north still aimed in his direction. What Gen had said still bounced around his head and began to mix with what Mera had said leading him to wonder what her intentions really were. That cold hand rested upon his shoulder as he watched and waited, "He's forced my hand. I had hoped not to have to resort to this, that maybe he would leave it alone for everyone's best interest. I'm going to tell you what I have remembered and after that you can do what you think is right." Amirot nodded his head and she began, "When we were alive we had all lived here with the exception of Gen. Gen arrived one day, he was a traveler in need of shelter so Nofel took him in put him to work in exchange for what he needed. Everything seemed fine until the rest of us began to hear rumors about one another, terrible things none of us would have done. The rumors were bad enough but after a time incidents began to take place coinciding with the rumors. At the center of all of it no one knew who was starting the rumors until the day one came around that made Nofel believe that everyone was about to turn on him and kill him. Nofel wouldn't stand idly by and let that happen and so he began torturing them for answers. After he had killed one of them by going to far the rest realized something, the only one who hadn't been linked to an incident or rumor was me. They turned on me and I ended up.. as I am. The others were tortured to death as I grew ill from infection and came ever closer to death. However as I began to expire I made the final realization that there was another who had been unaffected by what had been going around, Gen. He was the one behind it all but it was too late for any such realization as I couldn't tell Nofel before the end. Whatever is going on here is his doing I assure you, believe me or not that is the truth."

Amirot returned to the study, "She's done, where is the book Gen?" "Bring the body I need certainty," he responded as he began on the next book. He kicked the chair out from under him knocking him to the floor, "I could rip that crystal from your withered hand and shove it through your skull, now give me the book as per the agreement!" "I know you didn't kill her and now I am certain she has filled your head with lies," Gen said trying to sit himself up on his severed spine. Amirot smashed him back down and pinned him to the floor with his foot, "She told me everything but I'm willing to let you live so long as you follow through with your end of the bargain." "She told you I was the one who caused all of this I bet. Mera is nothing but a vessel for a great cave dwelling evil creature further north sent to destroy us all. When I remembered this I thought her deception would be no longer, that her job was done when we were finished yet it would seem not. Now go do as I told you if you wish to live and then you may have the book."

Time was growing short but Amirot could not leave things as they are before the traveler would arrive , perhaps Nofel could shed some light on the situation. The dungeon was empty, the corpses were all gone and Nofel with them. At the foot of the door of each cell there sat a black ball similar to the ones both Gen and Mera had come from them. It was utter madness that was beginning to take its toll on Amirot's mind as nothing seemed to make any sense in this place. As he continued deeper he found a strange circle carved in the ground that had been sealed yet seemingly only recently disturbed as it had been cleared of dust and dirt. Prying up the seal it revealed a pit of dark nearly black water that seemed to go twice as deep as a man was high. Stranger still there were chains that ran from the ridge into the water's depths. It was an immense strain for him to do so but Amirot pulled on the chain until he had final brought to the surface a very unexpected thing.

At the end of the chain was a strange stone slab that was marked in the same ancient language as the books had been. Amirot studied it for a moment before he caught sight of something more disturbing in his peripheral. From the water a pair of antler were sticking up and bobbing back and forth as though floating. Pulling on the horns revealed the owner to be none other than Nofel seemingly drowned as he must have the first time around. He pulled the body up and left him beside the stone before he turned to return to Gen. "Amirot," he coughed out a lung full of water, "Gen isn't the one who did this. Get out now while you have the chance the person responsible will come he can sense the stone. Just do me one favor, tell Mera I still love her and not to be scared, when he comes around he will finally end this and finish us." "Who, what?! Nofel tell me what is going on, what is this, who is coming?" Amirot demanded answers for everything he had just been told. Nofel sat leaning against the stone, "I'll put it simply, there are things at work here beyond you. Leave have no part in this any longer the man who is coming will make you do things for him as he had me get him this."

Gen was Amirot's first stop once upstairs, he had to know if he knew of the stone or the pit in the dungeon. "You have to tell me if you know anything about a stone at the bottom of a pit downstairs," he demanded as he walked through the door. He sat unconcerned, "I don't have to listen to you anymore haven't you realized that yet?" "This isn't the time just tell me," he shouted back unwilling to play games anymore. Gen turned holding the black ball, "You used us as slaves, controlling us with your power, I know now why you brought us back to life. But you didn't plan on this, I know how you did it now and now I no longer sway to your control. This all comes at the perfect time since you would have otherwise had me destroy myself to satisfy that woman." "What are you even talking about I don't want to kill you and I didn't do any of that," Amirot replied flustered by what had just been stated. Holding up the ball now he responded, "I was suspicious of you the second I saw this and I think you were suspicious of me from the very beginning. Nofel told you what you all ready knew didn't he? All the same it won't matter when Master arrives, he'll eviscerate you for being here."

The morning star came down smashing his hand as it closed quickly on the black ball but the damage was done even as Gen tried to protect it. Black ooze spilled out of his hand and began to evaporate as soon as it hit the floor. "You think I care if I die anymore, Master will kill me all the same when he comes," he shouted at Amirot. Amirot lifted him up and slammed him onto the table, "You're useless anyway." Gen's head was reduced to a splattered mess after a few good swings but in his rage Amirot pounded a hole through the table with a few more strikes.

Mera was standing at the threshold as Amirot finally stopped, "You made the right choice, I heard you from upstairs, and I'm glad you made this choice." He put the weapon back on his belt, "Why didn't you tell me I was in control of you?" "I thought you knew. I didn't say it because you didn't seem to care that I had regained independence. How couldn't you have known?" Mera asked now unsure of Amirot. He picked up the book that Gen was working on and pushed passed her as he headed for the tower, "Nofel is in the dungeon, he said someone is coming who will finish things. He also said he loves you." He left her there and went to the tower unsure if he were going to leave still or wait to see this master that was coming.

He must have nodded of for a moment once he returned to the tower because he woke to the sound of the gate shaking and the sun rising in the sky. Amirot shut the window but could hear a voice begin to call to him to come open the gate. Who could it have been, the wanderer, the master, or someone else. The morning star in hand he was ready for it to be the worst of the three before he heard the man call up with a more identifying message, "Mister Amirot we know it was you who killed those people back in town. Come on down open the gate and we can settle this without bloodshed." He wished it was the supposed master but now he saw that there was something worse that could happen than dying today.

Time was wasting as he sat listening as others came to join the man who had come to the gate and spoken. He could hear bits and pieces but was certain he heard them mention something of breaking in soon. Amirot could hide or he could fight but he could not run unless he was content with death which he wasn't yet. With the little time he had began to read through the book hoping his place in the tower would serve as a decent enough hiding place. There wasn't much finished and he was very poor at reading but he would try there wasn't much left to do if he were to be found.

From what he could make of it the book was about life but not about the life of one individual or the tribe who had once called this castle home but of how it was divided. It explained it being similar to a tree and as he read across that passage he regretted not having gotten the first book from Gen. He hadn't translated much past that point other than a bit of explanation on the division of existence. All that was finished was the statement that the realms the souls are divided into are three; one is high and watches over all like limbs and branches, the second is the trunk caught beneath the leaves but above the roots, and the final being the roots that remain hidden ever branching further out undetected. It was a strange concept one that Amirot thought was written by someone a bit delusional or with far too much imagination.

The gates came crashing down outside while inside he sat staring at the panel covering the window, even the bits of light poking from the cracks were blinding. Below doors were swinging open and shut and boots were slamming against the floors accompanied by one man barking orders at the others. Amirot wondered if they would go to the dungeon and find themselves face to face with two living cadavers with a bizarre ancient markers. It wasn't much of a concern anymore he thought as he wiped the blood of the end of the mace now realizing how strange that blood had coated it now and not the guillotine before when it cut Gen. At this point it was not the strangest thing and he chalked it up to more of the unknown at best he could figure that it had something to do with the black stone.

More than anything Amirot wanted to walk out of this alive but he knew that prospect faded with every door that was opened. It was only a matter of time before they found him and did away with him without a second thought. He admitted to himself that there would be no talking his way out of it even if he surrendered. What would be the purpose of trying to resolve it anyway, he would all the same perish in the sunlight as they escorted him back to town. A more compelling thought that popped into his head was if this master actually did return and the men were still here, what would happen to them if he returned?

He could hear the sound of boots coming up the stairs now and soon those boots would be kicking in the door. Amirot could barricade the door, fend the men off until either they or he were dead, or just stall until this master came but in the end he couldn't. Despite his many misdeeds and the people he had killed at the end of it all he wasn't a bad man or holding evil in his heart. He wouldn't let these men fall to his hand or that of any other who may be coming to this decaying castle. The door began to shake with the force of many but only one man would step through into Amirot's tower.

"So you have been hiding out here?" Imfay asked as his eyes locked with the Caribou's. Amirot stood to look eye to eye with the Elk, "I didn't want any trouble but it would seem in the end that wasn't a choice I got to make. I know you're not walking away from here without me or at least knowing I'm out of the picture." "I wish it could end some other way but you took the lives of innocent people and my men who were only doing their job, trying to keep your hometown safe. So just tell me what do you mean you didn't want trouble after all that bloodshed?" he asked his anger coming through now. There was little for Amirot to reply with, "I didn't mean to, I lost control but then again I don't think I had that to begin with. That's not what's important now Imfay, something is coming and I don't know what it is but I know that it is responsible for the collapse of this tribe. Kill me if you must but leave here soon or whoever is coming will likely cut you down." "I'm not going to kill you, you're coming with us back to town and you will spend the rest of your days in a cell," the Elk reassured him of his fate. Of course it was death to him all the same, "The second I step out of here I will be dead, I assure you this, so do what you have to but my body will not leave this room alive." "I am a man of principles and I'm not about to kill an unarmed man," Imfay argued. Amirot drew his morning star, "Then you leave me no choice."

Imfay leapt across the room and pinned Amirot to the wall shoving his warblade to his throat not to kill but to intimidate. "If I can help it you will leave to suffer everyday for your crimes, put it down now!" Amirot let go of his mace but as he did Imfay became assailed but darkness. It wrapped around him tight and began to drag him into the pool of blackness that had appeared without either of them noticing. He couldn't let him die, he was only a man of duty trying to protect those who were afraid. Reaching for his morning star his hand became pinned by Imfay's warblade. "Get me out of this kid!" he shouted as the blackness began to ooze over him. Amirot jerked his arm out from beneath the blade shredding it as he dove to reach his morning star. The look in the Elk's eyes was one of astonishment as he saw the length that the man he saw as an enemy would go to to accomplish his goal.

The mace struck the wooden panel and destroyed it in that one mighty blow letting the sunlight fill the room. If it were able to kill the man himself Amirot could only hope that the darkness could be defeated by the sun's power. In a moment the pool was obliterated along with the rest of the darkness that had ensnared Imfay so effectively. The Elk was unmarred by the attack however now was no longer his time of peril but Amirot's. He sat in the corner soaking in the last bit of darkness in the room as the bits of him exposed to the sun began to turn ashy and begin floating upward into the breeze. "I said I wouldn't leave here alive.. but you will and you need to.. now!" Amirot said as he battled to speak through his pain. Imfay didn't say a word but simple turned and left honoring the man's wish. He knew it was too late to save him as the final words slipped from his lips his limbs had all ready been taken. All that remained as the Elk left was a torso that flopped over and disappeared in a cloud of dust as it stamped the floor. Imfay would collect his men and leave hoping it not too late to go before whatever Amirot warned him of could arrive.

"I told you he isn't a monster just confused," Sirius exclaimed as the others began to leave. Zero and Maxin remained however, "If he is one of us he will be here soon won't he?" "Might all ready be so we'd better get over there, make sure he doesn't run into someone like Orion first," Zero replied to the Deer. The trio began along the way towards the point where they all had awoken when Pulsar joined them, "Another person means a new offering, something new for us." "Far from the point the but it's good, the more ability we have the better chance we have a figuring the limits of our powers and most importantly if it is possible for us to return the world of mortals," Zero said as they continued along.