It was strange to Edwin to be back in the castle. For so long he had worked to live there and show his worth as a soldier. Edwin felt a melancholic wave rush over him as he walked through the empty walls. It was as he had left it. No stone had moved.

He wondered how the princess was. It was bittersweet realizing that time moved on here without him. He missed aspects of his duties, but he had Shyra now. He would never go back.

Shyra stayed at to Edwin's side. Despite her proximity to him, she appeared totally comfortable in the castle. She eyed the halls very little. Edwin thought that she was eerily comfortable, but Masked traveled constantly. There was no reason for her to be uncomfortable.

It was darker than usual this night. The darkness seemed to have scared even the servants into their rooms.

Edwin walked with purpose though. He knew where he was going and what his assignment was. Not even a thick darkness would slow him.

The path to Vayne's room was one that knew Edwin by heart. He didn't need his Seeker for this task.

The masked pair crept carefully through the halls despite the absence of life. It was better to be safe than to create a larger mess than necessary. Edwin had grown to not mind the bloodshed, but he did not seek after it.

Edwin fingered the hilt of his dagger gingerly. Justice would finally be brought to the demon that was Vayne. The thought made him smile. His masked thirsted for Vayne's blood more than Edwin did.

As the Masked rounded the final corner that led to Vayne's room, Edwin froze. Something was different about the hall suddenly.

Shadows were in places that they should not have been. They shifted and danced slowly. The Masked eyed the darkness. Edwin could see nothing in the darkness even as it danced ominously.

Edwin drew his daggers and took a defensive stance. He had seen strange things, and knew that this was no coincidence.

He waved for Shyra to watch his back and stepped carefully toward Vayne's room. He was only a few feet away from the door. He hugged the wall as he walked, keeping away from the strange shadows.

A few cautious strides and Edwin was next to the door. It sat slightly ajar. Edwin peered carefully into the room, but he could see nothing in the darkness. The smell of death crept out of the door.

He pushed his way in slowly. He didn't want to challenge a Dragon Initiate, if he could avoid it. A simple assassination would be much simpler.

He remembered watching the Initiates spar eith each other during their training. There was nothing human about their abilities. Edwin was unsure whether or not his newfound abilities would actually be able to compete against an Initiate.

The room was pitch black, but Edwin could make out two figures piled at the foot of the bed. Bodies. Two bodies tossed carelessly in a pile. Edwin could feel his temper flaring even as his stomach sank.

Edwin said a private prayer to Lady Fate. He couldn't bear seeing the body of the Princess tossed aside in such a way.

The room appeared to be empty beyond the corpses. Edwin found a firesteel, tinderbox, and candle on the table next to Vayne's bed. He lit the candle carefully moved over to the pile.

He quickly pulled one body off of the other and examined their faces. The corpses were mutilated beyond recognition, but neither was Princess Lilia. A weight lifted. The eyes had been gouged out and the tongueless mouths hung open stiffly. Cuts ran across the faces and bodies of the women, removing nearly every distinguishing feature.

The bodies had been left lying for days. "They were used for some sort of ritual then?" Shyra asked gently as she examind the bodies from over Edwin's shoulder. Edwin thought as much himself. He wanted nothing more than to make that vile being suffer.

Edwin shrugged. Every second that he thought about what these women had been through, he hated Vayne more. "It looks that way. I cannot say for certain. The man that we hunt would do this sort of thing for fun given the chance. He is not humans."

Shyra placed a comforting hand on her partner's shoulder. Edwin tilted his head to rest on her head, but a trail of dried blood caught his eye.

Edwin rested his eyes for only a moment before standing.

He eyed the trail of dried droplets. Edwin walked around the bed, but the trail came to a halt quickly against the wall.

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Shyra gasped.

She was staring at the ceiling. Edwin knew suddenly where the blood continued.

Reddish, black words had been smeared onto the stone ceiling. Welcome home, Edwin.

Edwin shuddered at the words. His head was spinning. How could Vayne have known that the Masked would be sent after him? Who was she? What else did Vayne know about the Masked? Was this all a part of the war that Tilrer spoke of?

"Are you okay, my love? What is going on? How did he know that we were coming after him?" Shyra asked, gripping his shoulder tightly. He could hear the fear in her voice. His heart hurt at the sad sound, but he had no answers.

Edwin squared his shoulders and forced his voice to steady. "I do not know. All is well though. The hunt is still on. We will kill the demon that did this. Do not worry, my love."

Shyra nodded. He could tell that she was still afraid, but she was trying to appear as brave as he sounded. He hoped he could be as brave as he sounded, when the time came.

Edwin looked around the room for anything that would hint at where Vayne had gone, but he could find nothing. "We need to return to Tilrer, my Seeker. I have questions for him after this and the attack. It cannot be coincidence."

Shyra shook her head. "We have been tasked. We cannot return until it is finished. It is forbidden. You know that as well as I. We must find and kill Vayne first."

Edwin grabbed Shyra by the shoulders and peered into the eyes of her mask. "There is no other choice. We have no options. There is something much greater than the Masked at work. We are in danger. Trust me."

Shyra shook her head sheepishly, but did not reply. She knew that she could not persuade him otherwise.

Edwin pulled the woman close and held her for a moment. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. He let her scent fill his lungs before pushing her away. 

"Let us leave then," Edwin said as he stepped past her.

The shadows that filled the hall before had vanished, and all was as Edwin remembered from his time spent as a guard for the Princess.

Edwin and Shrya travelled in silence. Not a single Masked met the pair as they stepped off of the Travel Gate.

It had begun to feel much like coming home to Edwin very quickly. He could come home and breathe a breath of relief. This day was different though. His home had become a place of danger.

The door opened before Edwin could reach it. Tilrer's face was emotionless as always. He slipped into the room silently and pushed the game behind him with care.

His eyes met Edwin's sternly. "You should not be here, but I know why you are. I knew as soon as the boy had moved, that you would be back."

Edwin frowned. Tilrer always knew more than he should, long before he should. "Was I wrong to come to you?" Edwin asked. He had thought long and hard about what he should ask the Aishan, once he had the chance. Remaining calm was his first priority.

The Aishan nearly cracked a smile. "Of course you weren't Edwin. Times are changing. With that change, rules must change. This is why I chose you. A natural leader amidst a corrupted world. We must revisit this target with greater care. He is more dangerous than I had assumed."

Edwin shook his head. He didn't like any of it. He simply wanted to bring Vayne to justice. "What do you mean that you chose me?"

The Aishan's smile grew. " Things are in motion beyond my control. Powers are shifting across the world. The Masked have for so long worked to maintain balance by purging corruption. Now it is time for us to embrace and manipulate the changes."

Edwin's temper flared. He hated the secrecy. "What changes? Dammit Tilrer! Speak plainly!"

The Aishan's eyes narrowed warningly. "The Aishan are at war with each other. One, you know her as Lady Fate, has declared war on us all. She has held the most power for dozens of years, but something has changed. She seems to intended to end all life."

Edwin couldn't breathe suddenly. An Aishan inteded to kill everyone. He truly knew little of the Aishan except for what he had seen from Tilrer. If she was more powerful, then he feared that nothing would stop her. "W- what does this have to do with me or Vayne Abigor?"

The Aishan relaxed again. "Do you remember the dagger that you found just before you joined our flock?"

Edwin ran his fingers over hte hilt of the small, black dagger. He nodded on reply.

"I placed that dagger for you to find. Infused within it is the spirit of justice. It sounds strange surely, but think less about it. It enhances your abilities beyond that of any other Masked. And it connects you and I. I can see all through the Masks that my children wear, but this is more. I am with you both figuratively and literally. The dagger is granting you power much like my own, slowly. It is a terrible blessing and burden that you will live with, but it is necessary, if we are to stop Amarnth."

Edwin felt light-headed suddenly. So much information was being thrown at him. He wasn't sure that he could process it all. He grabbed the wall and forced his body to take in and push out air. "What about Vayne then? Is he Amarnth's puppet then?"

TIlrer nodded. "That boy is worse than a puppet. He's more akin to a wild animal tasked to be an executioner. He is extremely dangerous and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. He needs to be stopped before he becomes more powerful. I'm sure that Amarnth is doing something to make him even more dangerous."

Edwin frowned. The boy was dangerous enough as a Dragon Initiate. The power of an Aishan would be enough to leave the world in ruin on its own. "How do we stop them then?"

Tilrer shook his head. "With cold steel. They both must be killed. There isn't another option. Trouble is that we're trying to hunt an Aishan that is more powerful than I am. That is why I have a special task for you. There is a boy that you must find."

"What could a boy possibly do to aide us in a war against a god?" Edwin asked.

Tilrer chuckled. "The boy is powerful and tied to other Aishan. I believe that he will need a guiding voice and a friend. The fate of the world could rest on his shoulders. You must make sure that he chooses to ally himself with the Aishan that calls himself Hanaan. I don't think that there is another way. Vayne and Amarnth will find you if you remain by the boy's side."

Edwin nodded. He knew that he would likely be separated from Shyra his role as a Masked for a time, if Tilrer truly needed him to leave to help the buy.

"I'll watch him them. Tell me how to find him."

Tilrer smiled. "Good. His name is Alaric."