"He warned me to be very careful not to delve too deep. If I lose myself, I need you to bring me back and if anything strange happens, ask me who I am and make sure I answer. Okay?"

Jayln nodded and Matius opened the door to the cell. Fenrin was slumped against a wall and as he turned to look at them his eyes grew wide. "You!"

Matius sighed ready for the scene to play out again. This time, however, Matius stepped forward as Fenrin raged against the bars. Jayln touched his arm, "Be careful."

"I'll kill you! I'll—" Matius swept forward, his hand raising until Fenrin's eyes grew blank and his eyelids lowered half-way. The Third Apprentice’s hand glowed, held rigidly in front of Fenrin's face.

Fenrin’s mind was dark. Matius wandered through it trying to find somewhere to start. A flash of thought and Matius grabbed it, turning it over to examine.

It showed his face. A face in a crowd.

The thought whistled out from his grasp and he looked up, finding himself face to face with Fenrin. He looked different.

The scars were gone, as was the mark on his forehead. He stood proud, his grey eyes flicked with gold and green, sharp and clear. Those eyes bored into Matius.

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

"I'm here to help," Matius said, "where is everything?"

When he had been in Yu'jana's mind the space was cluttered with fragments of thought and memory. Emotion swirling in the air, untethered, but Fenrin's mind was dark and empty. Except for the man himself.

"Gone," he said. "Taken away or hidden away."

"Where?"

Fenrin flickered, his calm proud demeanor vanishing for a moment to reveal another Fenrin, this one bleeding from countless wounds.

"Safe. They hurt." His voice was raw and Matius stepped back. Fenrin turned to him, blood dripping from his eyes. "Why are you here?" he asked again, more angry.

"To help," Matius repeated. A red emotion swirled past his head. It paused at Fenrin, circling him like a scarf.

"You're hers aren't you," Fenrin accused. "I know you. I know..."

The memory again. Matius's face in a crowd. That Matius, walking forward, Jayln touching his arm with loving concern on her face. Fenrin watched the memories dance around.

"I remember. You left me. You and her. She trapped me. You trapped me."

Matius had to start somewhere so he grabbed the memory of Jayln touching his arm and held it. "Yes, I left you. You distracted Niv and I took her out of that place."

Fenrin looked at the memory, the blood flickering away. "Jayln."

Matius pushed, "Yes. She came back for you."

"To trap me."

"No to—"

Another memory crashed in, nearly knocking Matius over and making him lose his grip on the smaller one. Suddenly they were in a small cell, different than the one they were actually in. A dim candle lit the room and Jayln sat confidently on a chair by the door.

"What do you think is going to happen if you don't answer my questions?" she asked in a stony voice.

Matius watched fascinated as Fenrin, looking a bit ragged but not bleeding, moved to the bars grinning. "I'm not sure yet."

The scene blurred and Jayln was standing. "I'll leave you alone to rot," she said very matter-of-fact. "A pathetic death for a pathetic man. I have no problem starving you to death."

Matius frowned. It didn't sound like Jayln...or rather it did, but he had a hard time believing the words despite coming from her mouth in her voice. He tried a spell, a difficult one that let him see through illusion. The scene stayed as it was, Fenrin gazing murderously at an unfazed Jayln who left, shutting the door and leaving Fenrin in the dark.

The memory darted away, breaking Matius's concentration. He managed a glance at Fenrin before his truth spell ended and recoiled at the sight.

Fenrin had two faces. One was snarling, either in rage or in pain. The other was gaunt and tears streamed from his eyes. When the spell ended he was whole again, still flickering.

That Fenrin cocked his head, eyes narrowing. "Why her? What did you summon her for?"

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Matius took another step back. "I didn't. That was your memory."

Fenrin chuckled darkly. "I don't believe you. You want to cause me pain, but I think it will be the other way around."

Before Matius could answer they were in the cell again. There was a soft sob and Fenrin turned to see Jayln crying behind the chair in the corner. Fenrin watched her, a cruel smile on his face.

"So a few mourners is what it takes to send Jayln crying in a corner? Would you like some sympathy from the big bad wolf? I suppose I could mourn her loss, one more tragic death I'll never have part in, so tragic."

Jayln sucked in a breath, her face shocked. Fenrin snapped, "How'd she die? Murdered brutally, I hope?"

Matius stepped closer instinctively, wanting to stop Jayln's pain. Fenrin turned away from her and towards him. "Ahh...there it is."

The memory shrank, a swirling ball in Fenrin's hand. He grinned, his teeth sharp like an animal’s. "I know how to cause you pain. How to make you suffer."

Matius stood his ground. "Focus Fenrin, we need to find what has you trapped here."

Fenrin's face twisted. "Trapped? It's you who are trapped. You want to see her? Here."

The memory in his hand pulsed and changed. It grew and twisted, moving forward like a spider and Matius was powerless to stop it from enveloping him.

A forest. Jayln fought with Fenrin. She managed to get his sword away, but he fell forward, crushing her beneath him. He pinned her arms which were battering his head until finally she stopped struggling, laying there panting.

Fenrin kissed her and she bit him. "Get off me."

"I don't think so." Fenrin licked the blood from his lips. Moving both her hands in one grip, leaving his hand free to attack her clothing.

Matius tried to move, to stop what was happening but he was stuck. Jayln's panicked cries rang in his ears. He tried to turn away but the other Fenrin grabbed him, forcing him to watch Jayln's rape. Matius shouted, his anger exploded in a red wave around him. The scene only grew louder, more real.

Rage turned to despair and Matius fell down, frustrated tears stinging his face. Fenrin laughed down at where Matius lay at his feet. "So easy. Such a pleasant memory to torture you with."

The Wolf’s mocking laughter grew faint and Matius felt himself falling.

"Matius! Matius!" It was Jayln.

"W-what?"

"Oh thank the gods. Quickly, who are you?"

Matius frowned, his forehead wrinkling. "I'm....Matius. Third Apprentice."

Jayln gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. You started shaking and crying and I wasn't sure what to do..."

It came back to Matius and he turned to the cell where Fenrin gave him a wicked grin. The Third Apprentice’s hands crackled with energy and he lunged forward, lightning arcing from his fingers to the bars Fenrin leaned on. They jumped into Fenrin making him convulse and fall to the floor howling in pain.

"Matius!" Jayln shouted and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

Matius turned to her, his face pained. "Why do you keep defending him?" he shouted, his eyes pricked with tears. "Why do you torture yourself over someone like him?"

He stormed to the door leaving before he lost himself in anger more than he'd already done. Jayln followed quickly, finding him slumped against a wall, head hanging low. Slowly she sat beside him.

"What happened?"

He gave her a pained look. "He took control, showed me his memories. He's not broken like Yu'jana. He wanted to hurt me so he showed me..." He trailed off.

"Showed you what? Matius, you're scaring me."

Matius turned away, unable to look her in the eyes. "He showed me his memories of you. When you had him locked up."

"Alright, but that doesn't explain—"

Matius covered his ears and said in a hiss. "He made me watch as he raped you. Jayln, why would you defend him after that? He doesn't deserve your pity or your help! I'm sorry, but I won't help him anymore."

Jayln sat stunned. Gently she put a hand on his shoulder. "Matius," she said slowly and sternly, "I don't know what it was you saw, but it wasn't real."

From the corner of his eye, Matius glanced at her. "Stop defending him. The memories were real, I cast a spell so I could see if they were illusions or not."

Jayln frowned. "And what you saw was real?"

Matius opened his mouth and then closed it. He sat up. "The first ones were. The spell ended before..."

Jayln took his hand. "I promise, it wasn't real. It never happened."

Matius searched her face, desperately hoping she was telling the truth. That she had never been hurt like that. She glanced down, chewing her lip.

"I...I admit there was a time. Early on, when I first let him out. We were training and he had me pinned..." Matius sucked in a breath and Jayln quickly said, "But he didn't do it. He stopped. He had every chance and he didn't take it. After weeks of ranting that he'd hurt me if I ever let down my guard, he let me go."

Matius leaned against the wall and Jayln tried to explain, "I know it sounds terrible. I know the bar was very low, but you have to understand, that was the first day I thought there might be a person in him after all. It's not a pleasant memory and I never would want you to see it, let alone whatever twisted version Niv planted. But that's what that was, I'm sure of it. If Niv poisoned Fenrin's mind, somehow changed his memories that would explain why he is so set back. He shouldn't have that memory—help him destroy it. The Fenrin who saved me wouldn't want that memory any more that I would."

Matius shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't go back into his mind."

Jayln's heart sank. This was it. There was nothing left but to leave defeated. She bit her lip, turning away from Matius and staring at the ceiling. She'd tried. She couldn't ask Matius again knowing how cruel Fenrin had been. She should have never let him hurt Matius.

"Not without a way to fight back, anyways."

Shocked, Jayln turned to Matius who had a tired smile on his face. "You really know how to pick them, Jayln. But if you believe somewhere in that mess is someone worth saving then I believe you."

Jayln wanted to thank him, but she shook her head. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I don't want you to get hurt."

Matius slapped his knees with his hands determinedly. "Thus the need for counter measures. Come on. We've got work to do."

Together they left Fenrin's room behind. Together they pored over every reference to mind magic the tower library had to offer. Together they counseled with the Arch Mage and even interviewed Yu'jana when she was well enough to help.

When they felt ready, they returned, this time they'd do it together.