A day ago.

"Tell me why we are doing this again", Areeb huffed as he ran behind Akim and Sab'a in the dead of night. "Why do we need to run around and go through all this trouble why not just finish this while they are sleeping perhaps".

"How many times do I need to tell you, we cannot take direct action lest anyone suspects anything". came the reply directly to his mind.

"But these primitives do not even have high enough perception even to notice they are within a hex" scoffed Areeb, "They still think the world is just these scant few cities and hermits living around. Why do I keep getting assigned such asinine tasks".

"It's enough for you to follow order" came a sharp reply.

"Peace, I am here aren't I? I am just wondering, why keep these people here at all. I am sure the council could easily come in and wipe this scum and no one would be able to lift a finger in protest. heck, I believe even the guard master could do it on his own. So why keep these people around and why let them tinker with Ignition? granted they have wrong interpretations of It at best and in a million years they might understand more but still, why do we let them?"

"WE do not let them do anything. YOU are following OUR orders."

Areeb cursed under his breath as he trailed behind Akim and Sab'a through the shadows. Each step felt like a reminder of his current predicament, a stark contrast to the luxuries of his life back home. 'Why do I always get the short end of the stick?' he grumbled silently, the bitterness evident in his thoughts. 'While others enjoy the comforts of civilization, here I am, trudging through the darkness with these ignorant fools.'

Areeb's frustration simmered beneath the surface, his footsteps echoing softly in the night. 'And for what?' he mused, his thoughts turning to his current mission that had brought them here. 'at least tonight this burn-forsaken mission would be concluded, the fools just need to follow the breadcrumbs he painstakingly laid down for them to follow.'

Ahead, the pompous fool stopped, raised his fist, then motioned to a side alley. It looked absolutely miserable to Areeb's eye, 'damn, and I had just re-soled my shoes, that much muck would ruin them.'

He almost bumped into Sab'a as the other two abruptly stopped, he had totally missed why both of them were looking around like scared mice, lost in his thoughts of his comforts back home.

"Stay sharp," called out Akim, his voice grated on his nerves, 'can the idiot not speak up so that I do not have to put in so much effort to listen?'

"Tonight we will succeed no matter the cost."

Areeb half-heartedly quipped some response, not even putting much thought into what he was saying, he just wanted to get this over with.

"You say I can't keep up with you, old man?" the brat asked, his tone mocking.

'Old man? Well, I will show you, you...' but before he could explode with anger, Sab'a cut off his reply, "Let's not forget the stakes."

Areeb took a deep breath and decided this was a good time to practice his breathing techniques. So engrossed was he in trying to calm himself that he did not see the other two going still and darting their gazes here and there. He jerked into motion when the other two once more started moving deeper into the city.

Beneath the oppressive cloak of night, Areeb trailed behind Akim and Sab'a with a simmering frustration that seemed to match the darkness around him. The once-bustling streets now seemed like a mockery, their empty expanse stretching out before him like a cruel joke.

The city, if one could even call it that, was a pitiful sight in Areeb's eyes. The feeble glow of the flickering lanterns did little to dispel the shadows that clung to the buildings like a shroud. Each step he took on the cold cobblestones felt like a reminder of his current plight, the echoes of his footsteps reverberating through the empty alleys.

"You will do well to remember the mission, I just noticed you were about to explode in rage a while back." The voice in his head spoke once more as the monotonous sneaking took ages to complete.

"I know, I know, I just can't seem to control my anger with this brat. Three years, three burning years I have wasted in this hell hole, but you are right, tonight I just need to do this one more time, and then I will be free."

"It's good that you are aware of the end goal, keep that in mind. Do not falter on the last day of your mission".

The city lay silent and still, its emptiness a stark contrast to the chaos that raged within Areeb's mind. "It's enough for you to follow orders," the voice intruded once more, its words like a bitter pill to swallow.

Areeb took a deep breath, the cold night air filling his lungs. 'Just get this over with,' he thought bitterly, his frustration still burning hot within him. As Akim and Sab'a moved deeper into the city, Areeb followed each step a testament to his growing resentment.

Finally, they arrived at their destination. The decrepit, building seemed like a relic of a forgotten era, a haunting reminder of a time long gone. Decaying like the city around it. Cracks snaked their way across the walls like the wrinkles of an ancient being, and moss clung to the crumbling stones as if nature itself wanted to erase this hideous thing from the world. The air around the building was thick with a musty, earthy scent, putrid to his senses.

"Why here of all places?" Areeb muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the quiet of the night.

"Because this is the only building in the city that is not occupied." came the answer in his mind.

'Wasn't really looking for an answer', he thought to himself. 'ever hear of a thing called rhetorical question?'

'Well better keep up the appearances,' Loudly he added "Are we sure this is the place?". 'Of course, it is, I was the one to guide you to that map wasn't I'.

The two started conversing and Areeb tunned them out. He saw Sab'a move up to try to use her puny powers to gleam anything out of the ordinary. As if she could see anything he would have placed with those tiny sparks. No, if he was to place anything here and wanted to do direct harm to these two, there was no way that they would get a sliver of a hint before their heads were rolling in the grass. In fact, he would not even need to use any traps for these two. He would just calmly walk up and finish them off one by one. So what even if they saw him coming for them? He bet he could even take both of them together and come out unscratched.

Areeb's mood improved daydreaming of the bloody murder he would be able to impact up these two, a hint of a smile creeping on the corner of his mouth. He looked up from his dark amusing musings and saw them holding on to each other. His mood savored at the sight, how many nights had he to suffer their juvenile affections?

"Seems like the lovebirds are finished with their reunion. Time for someone to bring us back to reality," Areeb said, barely managing to keep the exasperation out of his tone, a smirk came in its place as he envisioned decapitating the both of them where he stood.

"You go on, Mr. Responsibility. Let's see if you're more than just talk." Came the brat's reply. Areeb could swear there was venom hidden beneath his happy facade. No one would be this nice when interrupted from gazing into their lover's eyes. The brat had to be faking.

Choosing to ignore the matter for the greater good, the good for himself to get this mission over with, he just spun around and walked into the dusty old building. There were some final preparations to be made.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

He moved in far enough that he could not be seen or heard from the other two. "Where am I to lead them in this heap of dump?"

"Fortunately, as luck would have it this old building had a vault built in beneath it. It's fascinating, who would have thought that such a marvel of construction could be built in this part of the world? Though time has not been kind to the vault itself, luckily, the chamber beyond the vault has managed to survive most of the damage of time. It is just below the rightmost wing. The passage leading down is a bit of a maze but I will guide you down so you can bring the others when it is time".

Areeb had seldom heard any emotion from the voice in his head but he could detect a hint of excitement seeping in, on top of that this would be perhaps the longest sentence he had ever had the pleasure of hearing from the voice in all the years communicating with them.

He moved as guided, the warren-like structure was sure to be ready to crumble. Lamenting the ruining of his repatched shoes, and was soon standing in front of the broken vault. He could perhaps make out some voice from within but he dared not enter without explicit permission granted to do so.

The broken stone door lay in front of him. For a moment he did wonder at the mechanism that would have been able to swing this massive rock back in the day. Now, it was just another ruble in this network of cobweb-filled hazardous junk.

".....absolutely fabulous craftmanship. I have managed to create wonderful props for this, it would sure shock and awe your friends". The voice continued, Areeb had missed the first part of what was said, "Make sure that one of them is able to take the book back, do as you please with the other."

"Ok, I am going to go up and bring the other two". Areeb was once again replaying the carnage he was to bring down on one of them. He just had to decide who he wanted to kill more.

"Affirmative" came the reply.

Happy in his thoughts of how he would make the most of this golden opportunity to finally be able to take all this pent-up anger on them he did not realize when he reached outside and almost jumped with joy at the sight of his prey. He quickly brought forth his breathing technique to gain control of his emotions and managed to croak out, "Follow".

Thankfully they did not notice any mishap and moved in after him. So focused was he on making sure none of his emotions were leaking out and a part of his brain was intent on his breathing that he missed the first turn. Without doubling back to fix the mistake, he decided that he would correct his direction on the next turn. This resulted in unnecessary meandering through the building, turning a simple walk down to the vault into a journey through a decaying labyrinth.

After ages past he finally found a mark he recognized and led them down towards the vault. All the walking, first through the city and then the unintended mapping of this pile of rubble had left him tired. He wanted nothing more than to be over with it and just be back to civilization.

He was busy catching his breath when he heard Akim say, "Let's go." At the same time the voice in his mind said, "Wait, I told you to delay till the pedestal work is done."

Areeb panicked and quickly reached out and grabbed Akim's hand and hastily pulled him back.

'Brun, what am I gonna do?', He desperately tried to think how to stall.

"Akim, listen to me, I know this is important, I know how much it would mean, but listen to me, please," 'Listen to what? Why am I stopping him? What can I tell them?'

"Just a few more minutes."

"Somethings we cannot turn back once opened," Areeb barely managed to gain control of his vocals once more. "Sometimes living without knowledge is better than knowing; if this is the place, think hard before proceeding," 'It sounds like I want him to not go in, What can I say to make him want to head in more but after a few minutes?''

"And if you still want to continue," Areeb continued aloud. 'Why cannot I make a coherent sentence'.

"and if you still want to continue, I will be here at your back," 'This must be the most embarrassing thing I have ever said '

'I will be here at your back, yea with my knife sticking into you.' "I will always be here at your back"

"Ready."

Areeb involuntarily smiled when he heard the words. Then he made a face when he remembered his fumbling words of just a second ago and his smile became a pale mockery of himself.

They moved into the room. He was impressed by the sheer amount of work that was done to make the whole thing look mysterious. The lights on the pedestal were a nice touch he thought. Must have cost a fortune to set up the whole display.

"Remember, whoever goes to the pedestal to take the book must be allowed to take it back with them. Also, if you wish to conclude your work. they have to see you die heroically". The voice broke into his thoughts.

"I know, I know, I have rigged my armor to sprout blood when struck, It will be the stuff of legends. So I have this enchantment that would also stop my heart for a few minutes while keeping my eyes open, for the effect you see, the body will go limp and..."

"Not Interested in the details, just do your part".

Areeb huffed in indignation, he had spent countless hours preparing his armor and the enchantment had not been cheap either. Though he would be able to watch the after-effects of his glorious sacrifice, his body would be dead weight for anyone who poked too close. It would not do for anyone to suspect he was alive after all.

He saw Akim move up to the pedestal, his mind felt a hint of disappointment that he would have to let Akim go, then brightened once more when he imaged the things he would do to Sab'a. He waited with bated breath as Akim's hand moved to touch the center and then to his utmost horror nothing happened. What happened to the shadow trap?

Areeb spoke, in a lower tone that only he could hear he said "What is wrong?"

"Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to bring the shadows? Of course, you don't, just wait patiently and keep your companions occupied"

"We must be missing something," Areeb said to the two, "There has to be a reason why we were led here."

Finally, the pedestal revealed an ancient-looking book. "Wow", he muttered, "that looks so real, just like a book from stories".

"Indeed it was a fortunate find. I found it here in the city and thought it would be a good prop for our play. Get ready to play the recording before the shadows manifest."

"Sure could have fooled me". He gave mental thumps up to the voice. He then moved a hand into a hidden pocket and gently pressed a small bead. Soon he could hear his own dramatic voice echoing loudly in the small chamber.

"So the rats have come after the crumbs after all." He almost laughed at the look on the other two's faces.

Then the air began to shift and a soft gale could be felt. Areeb applauded the dramatics, usually the shadows just simply came out and performed their work. However, this time the theatrics were over the top.

"What is happening, where is this energy fluctuation coming from?" Asked the voice in his mind, urgency and perhaps panic apparent.

Then right before his eyes, a shimmering fluctuation seemed to spread. His eyes widened and before he could ask the voice the second part of the play started, shadows leaped from all over and two moved to attack him as scripted. He barely had the time to remember that any solid hit would make his armor bleed and hastily brought his blade out to block the strike and perform his role.

While trying to look like he was under stress, he asked "What is that shimmering vortex on the pedestal?"

"There is an anomaly, quickly secure that book. Keep the boy ALIVE, I want to know what triggered it. "

Areeb moved towards Akim. He saw a shadow move past Akim's defenses and was about to make a sheesh kebab of his neck. He turned to Sab'a, but she was tied up and would not make it in time. He threw himself and managed to get in between the strike and Akim's neck. The voice had said to keep him alive, he did not want to face failure again, not in this lifetime. One time was more than enough.

He cursed himself when the enchantment activated, rendering him useless. He breathed a sigh of relief when Sab'a managed to save Akim.

"This anomaly is very intriguing. Forget the mission. Finish the girl and bring me the boy. That is when you finally manage to get up from that stupid enchantment".

Areeb lay there on the floor, counting the time when he could move again. Just a few more minutes. Then the shadows managed to kill off Sab'a. They then proceeded to corner off Akim, cutting his chances of escape. Just one more minute, almost there.

Areeb blinked, he felt energy starting to return to his body. he could feel his body once more. Then to his horror, Akim turned and jumped into the shimmering vortex and vanished.

Areeb sat up, mouth open agape as the vortex vanished with Akim.