The void cleared as I dropped to the ground. My head was swimming, my eyes stung from the smoke and ash, and my heart pounded against my ribcage.

"M... make it stop..." the mercenary whispered. His voice was raspy, dry. His hands trembled.

He had fallen into a heap, curled up on himself like a beaten child.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm sorry..."

Celeste quietly walked over, helping me to my feet. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she kept them at bay.

I looked around at the others.

Strawberry, Currant, and Kitsune were staring at me in shock, and Black Star and Albert closed in slowly, keeping an eye out for danger.

"What... was that?" Strawberry asked. Her voice was barely audible her ears drooping.

"A... An Art," I replied. "Nightingale's...Lament."

She stared at me, blinking several times.

Then, she stared at Celeste and Kitsune.

Kitsune's three tails were raised defensively, and his ears were twitching, while his face was pale. "That was..." he breathed.

I didn't say anything.

He looked at Celeste, then at the fallen mercenary.

And then back to me.

He gulped.

"That's not possible," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

I looked away.

Strawberry and Celeste stared at the fallen mercenary. "What... what happened to him?" Currant asked.

"He's experiencing the worst memory in his mind, on repeat, in an infinite loop," I replied. "Nightingale's Lament doesn't impose a direct mana attack. It uses its target's own regret, guilt, shame, sorrow, the worst emotions and experiences. I don't have enough mana to use it to its fullest, but if I borrow some I could turn it into a touch-activated technique. I'm not sure what's going to happen when I cancel it, so I can't yet. I'll let him stay in the nightmare for a few more minutes."

"You..." Strawberry said.

Then, she sighed and shook her head. "I'll... process this later. We should tie him up."

She looked at Black Star pointedly, like she expected him to pull ropes out of nowhere. He shrugged and produced two lengths of thick, sturdy cord.

Currant looked at Celeste.

"You are Elysia?"

Celeste didn't say anything. I could feel the anxiety and nervousness radiating off of her.

And I could sense that Currant was not angry, but more surprised and concerned. His expression was unreadable, but he was trying to understand the situation.

I wanted to speak up for Celeste but I was still exhausted, my body still ached and my head throbbed. I could barely stand, and I could barely speak. I had to force the words out of my throat, and even then they were hoarse, raspy. I was still reeling from the effects of the attack. The last time I'd tried it, I was knocked right out of my dream shift.

"I..." Celeste began.

"You don't need to explain," Strawberry said, taking a deep breath and holding it. "We can talk later. Right now, we should focus on this asshole and making sure he's tied up. We can have this conversation later."

Currant nodded and looked away. Celeste took a shaky breath.

Then, she closed her eyes and focused, and in a pink flash she returned to the Elysia I'd come to know and admire. Her platinum blonde, almost silver hair was short and bobbed, her eyes were honey brown, and her silver and white outfit looked like it was designed to accentuate her athletic, slim figure.

Kitsune stepped closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I looked at him. His expression was pained, but there was also concern in his eyes.

"You're not okay," he said. "You shouldn't have had to do that."

I looked down and shook my head. "It's okay. I'll be alright."

"You should rest. You've done more than enough."

"I'm not going to let anyone else fight my battles," I told him. "Besides, we still have to get him tied up and there are more supervillains in the area. He didn't come along, and Arsenal was battling White Rose to defend Black Star here."

"White Rose is here too?! Wait, is that the sword-wielding lady in white with a rose on her shoulder?" Kitsune exclaimed.

As if on cue, a slow repeating clap echoed across the street.

We turned, alarmed.

There was a man standing a good distance away, his hands clasped together and a bored look across his face.

He was thin, tall, and his eyes were bloodshot, with messy white hair that hung over his eyes in a fringe.

He wore a simple white tunic and trousers that looked more like pajamas than anything else. He was wearing sandals and his nails were long and painted black. He looked like he'd just crawled out of bed after being up all night.

I didn't recognize the man, but he had an aura of absolute wrongness about him. He looked ordinary enough, if a bit pale and unhealthy. He looked like any other man you might pass on the street, but he was anything but.

He felt off. Like something about him just wasn't quite right. There was an air of danger and a distinct sense of malice that I couldn't place.

Kitsune, Currant, and Elysia immediately jumped in front of us.

Strawberry and Black Star joined the line, standing side-by-side with the others.

They all had their eyes fixed on the man.

"Class Seven Striker and Controller. Sanguine Sorceror, also known as El Mago," Albert recited. "Red Masque's personal interrogator and executioner."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The man smiled at us. "You know me?" he asked.

Black Star growled.

"Enrico," Sanguine Sorceror greeted. "How has life been for you?"

Black Star growled. He pulled a pair of daggers out and stepped forward.

The man smirked. "Oh? Why the hostility? Have I not been nothing but kind to you? To your family?"

"You..." Black Star hissed. His voice was raw and full of anger.

"I've heard a lot of rumors, but it seems you've taken to the magical knights' side," Sanguine Sorceror sighed, looking disappointed. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I had such a nice working relationship with you and Red Masque. Your brother and I had so many plans, Enrico."

Black Star narrowed his eyes, before responding. "You know, I've been thinking it over. About who could've sicced Scrapper Scuttler here on us. The Twins have wealth owing to their mother, but they're loyalists and don't have the ambition. I couldn't see Voltage betraying Arsenal, even though they don't see eye to eye right now. And I've already spoken to Blackwood. The Serpents have a strict hierarchy, so they wouldn't have been able to keep this a secret. You... you have a different story though, don't you?"

"Oh?" the man said. "And what's my story then?"

Black Star scoffed. "I know how you think, and you're predictable as all hell. You're a sicko who enjoys torturing people. I know how much pleasure you got out of watching me suffer when Red Masque was training me. Why would someone with your talents stay by my brother all these years? The only reason you stayed was because my brother kept feeding you fresh meat. You stayed because my brother kept bringing in fresh victims, and because my brother kept getting new recruits, and because my brother kept you fed. You didn't stay out of loyalty, did you? You stayed out of hunger."

Black Star paused, taking a deep breath.

"You're a monster. A predator. You enjoy torturing people and watching their pain. That's why you're here. And now that I've agreed to come back and help Arsenal..."

"Turning on you..." Sanguine Sorceror finished, his tone dark. "Is that what you think I've done?"

"You're a snake, Damian," Black Star growled. "A real snake not like the guys in the gang. You have a reputation. And I can't believe I ever thought otherwise. The way you act... You don't care about anyone else."

Damian grinned. "And yet I've been working so hard to keep the Knights and the rest of the criminal elements off of the gang's backs while Red Masque has been indisposed. And now that you're here..."

"You can do whatever the fuck you want, can't you? That's the only reason why you're here, to take advantage of the opportunity my brother's death presented," Black Star accused.

Damian shook his head, his messy hair swaying from side to side.

"Now, now. I'm a man of many talents. You know I have many friends in the underground. I can make sure the right people are in place to keep you and Arsenal safe," the man offered, his aura briefly flashing red to my vision.

"I..."

Something set off the alarm bells in my head.

He was wrong. Something about this wasn't right. I could feel it in my bones. He was doing something. I didn't know what, but I could feel it.

"You've got the situation wrong, Enrico," Damian stated, his voice calm and soothing.

Black Star blinked, his eyes going unfocused, and then snapped his eyes back open. His gaze sharpened, his eyes focusing on Damian once again, his expression turning from one of anger to one of suspicion. Damian didn't even react. He simply continued.

"Look around you, Enrico," Damian continued, gesturing towards the others. "Look at all of your allies. You don't belong here, Enrico. These are not your friends, they're just people using you for your skills. You're not a hero. You're a thief and a liar. Arsenal just needs you to get her hands on the locked caches of Crimson Gang money. They're all using you."

Black Star blinked. "Would... would she?"

"It makes sense," I affirmed. "And it's definitely something I'd expect a villain like Arsenal to do."

Yes. He made sense. Arsenal was a villain. She'd use Black Star to steal money.

Damian smiled. "Exactly. Now, come along, boy. Let's get out of here before she comes back."

"Okay," Black Star replied. "That makes sense. It makes total sense."

I blinked and turned to look at him.

"Black Star?"

Black Star walked past me, stepping forward to Damian.

Of course Black Star would go back with his fellow gang members. They're family.

"You..." Elysia started. Her eyes widened as Black Star continued. She started forward but she stopped, scratching her head in confusion.

I didn't move to stop Black Star. He had to go with Damian.

Strawberry turned to me, stretching and yawning, and scratched at her ears, flicking her tail. "Why was I so worked up? Black Star was a gang member. It's where he belongs. We should let them go. It's just a matter of time until we have to fight Arsenal."

I turned to her, my head suddenly feeling foggy. "You..."

The group gathered around me, looking at me expectantly. They had their hands on their weapons and their faces were impassive. The unconscious Scrapper Scuttler continued to whimper.

"Let's go back and rest. I'm feeling huhngrry," Strawberry yawned.

"Wait... wait a second..." I mumbled. "Something's... wrong..."

"What is?" Elysia asked, rubbing her head.

"Ah, nothing at all," Damian reassured us. "Just let me handle it from here. Black Star knows better than to be in the company of knight like you."

Black Star stopped mid-step and looked back at us.

I shook my head, clearing it of the haze.

I turned to the rest of the group, and then looked at Damian, who had an expectant, predatory grin on his face.

"I'm so happy that my little Enrico came back to the right side of the law," Damian continued, his smile widening as he stepped forward, his hand outstretched for Black Star's shoulder.

I looked at Kitsune, who had his head down and was staring at his feet curiously. Currant had an annoyed look on his face, as did Strawberry, who was scratching at her cat ears. Celeste was rubbing her forehead, blinking her eyes.

Albert, however, had his eyes closed and was muttering something.

"What?" I asked him, my vision swimming.

"This is all so wrong," Albert stated, his voice strained. He had a hand to his temple, his face scrunched up in pain and concentration. "He's... doing something to our heads..."

"Who is?" Strawberry asked, yawning. "Let's go home. We'll be safer in the dorms than anywhere else in the world."

I looked at the rest of the group. They all seemed confused.

Confused and... tired? Their faces were drawn, their eyes drooping and unfocused.

Except for Albert.

He had his eyes closed and he was muttering to himself, counting numbers under his breath, his fingers twitching.

I stepped forward to stand beside him.

Damian was still looking at me, smiling and waiting for me to make my move.

Yes. Stand next to Albert. I was supposed to trust him, wasn't I? But Damian had a nice smile, he was trustworthy. I could trust him.

I shook my head again, feeling a sharp pain shoot through it as I tried to clear the fog from my brain.

Something was off about this situation, and my instincts screamed that it was.

Damian's words echoed in my head, making me second-guess everything.

But Albert suddenly stopped his muttering, and his eyes shot open, his voice loud.

"Five plus five equals ten, five plus ten equals fifteen. Three to the power of four is eighty-one. Five times eight is forty, forty times four is one-hundred and sixty."

I looked at Albert. His eyes were wide and alert. His face was set with determination, his posture rigid and stiff. Why was he so worked up?

I giggled. He was so silly, doing multiplication out loud.

Albert looked at me, then to Elysia.

"Elysia," he whispered, his voice urgent. "Something's... something's wrong."

Elysia stared at him, confused.

Albert shook his head before turning towards me. "Lux, he's doing something. I think... I think he's a telepath. Using some sort of mental attack. I... I'm pretty sure he is. He's..."

I shook my head again. "That doesn't sound right... Why would someone like that help a supervillain like Red Masque with interrogation the hard way? He'd be able to mind read people and give them the information he learned."

Yes, it made perfect sense.

Damian turned his head, and he met my gaze. He looked into my eyes, and his smile widened.

"Huh. An ordinary boy. No significant mana signature, but he can resist the artifact's Authority? It seems this anomaly is his only saving grace, then. How disappointing. You know what? I guess I'll just get rid of you now before you can be a problem."

He reached into his pants pockets, and produced a small knife that looked like a letter opener. He threw the knife with pinpoint accuracy, and the athame soared towards Albert, spinning as it did, the tip pointing straight for Albert's heart.

I smiled at Damian, not knowing why. He seemed trustworthy and nice. And Albert...

Albert...?

I smiled at Damian and felt a sense of happiness at Albert being stabbed.

Of course.

It made sense.