Andriel hated returning here, after everything he'd seen.

Ryley was right. There was absolutely no real explanation for what they were doing to Mir-Cognates.

To prove his point, the very first cell in this hall he walked by had an older, dry-blood-covered Cognate who was crying quietly to himself. Andriel avoided looking at him. And all the others... what even to call them?

"You look anxious today." The recruit next to him observed. The way she spoke made Andriel instantly hate her.

He didn't respond. Anything he could say would be treasonous. Andriel glared at her instead, continuing to walk.

"Where ya headed?" She asked. Andriel had been requested for a new assignment, so he was heading to the offices around the armory. But he really didn't feel like telling her.

Pretend to be mute, perhaps? He thought. Nah, they wouldn't draft someone like that. She didn't look gullible, either.

"Armory." He grumbled. "You?" Hopefully he sounded tough enough for her to not ask any more questions.

"We're branding a couple of 'em today. I requested front row seats, of course. Listening to them scream is so fun."

Andriel had guarded a branding once. The sight of someone's burning skin had nearly made him faint, which in turn ensured he'd never see one again. He turned where he needed to, through the tight, blackened corridor and far away from that crazy woman. This area used to be red sandstone. He thought. Then it hit him.

This is where Agamani set off his own explosion and killed thirty people. Ryley had said it was justified, but now Agamani had murder on his hands, and murder could never be justified.

Andriel quickly opened the door to the office he needed to go to, taking a seat in the corner. He didn't like thinking about that.

The woman at the desk reached over and smothered her candle, the only source of light in the cramped room. The room fell into extending darkness.

"Hello?" Andriel said, confused.

"Why hello to you too, Andriel Parr Gremio."

He shuddered when she said his full name. "I came here for reassignment."

"Oh, I know," She chuckled. "I came here to reassign you."

Andriel certainly wished he could see her.

"Now tell me, sir. Why isn't he with you?"

"I was informed he was dead." Andriel certainly couldn't admit that he'd decided not to go after him.

She giggled unsettlingly. Andriel heard a flint strike, then the candle reignited. She lit up, showing her cloak. It covered all of her. "That's not the truth, now, is it?"

She walked slowly toward him. Andriel lost his words. "I.. um..."

"Just tell the truth." Her salty voice did not lay well in his head.

"That's what I was told."

"Ah. You're disloyal. You've been convinced that Mir-Cognates are not horrid creatures."

"I didn't say..." Andriel half-objected.

"It doesn't matter, does it? It's unclear what's going on with you, but there is one thing that is clear."

Stiff, he waited for her to finish.

"You're not quitting, Gremio. You're not running, either."

Andriel tried to hold an unphased face, but she was really getting to him.

"But you can leave." She barked a laugh. "Over your wife's dead body."

"No!" He yelled. "You wouldn't!" That was the second time someone threatened his family today-

"I totally would. The real thing is; you wouldn't." She patted his head. "Now, stay or leave?"

Andriel was speechless. The Quuarks now had a threat on his wife...

They truly were controlling. Ryley had warned him how awful the Quuarks were, and he'd hardly listened...

"Good. You're a perfectly capable soldier who is loyal to only me."

She threw off her hood. Andriel stopped wishing she had, instead praying that she put it back on before he recognized her.

But it was too late. Andriel stared at the scales that traced into tiger's stripes along her face. She was ugly, horrid, but Andriel knew exactly who she was. He lowered his head, though it was too late to respect her.

"Thana."

. . .

"Thana!" Caste exclaimed, losing his balance and barely catching himself.

Nobody on the streets paid any attention. Half-rehabilitated Mir-Cognates shouting random things was perfectly normal in Jefu.

Caste, however, knew exactly what he had shouted.

Thana. Thana Thana Thana. She's the one who stopped me on the rooftop. She's the Mir-Cognate who killed Master Trin. She's the leader of the Quuarks.

His thoughts tumbled over each other as he finally pieced it together.

Thana has a horrible hatred for Cognates. She can't get into the Mirae, so she makes us do it for her. All for revenge.

Caste kept walking as fast as he could. Which wasn't at all fast. He'd conformed a walking stick to help himself, which did its job. He felt comfortable carrying a form of weapon around at all times anyway, even though he was nowhere near close to being on duty.

Wasting no time, Caste opened a Mir-Gate into Limbo and flung himself towards Finx, using his magic to his advantage. When he wasn't traveling with anybody, he was able to travel much faster. He avoided opening back up in Finx near people. Occasionally, clumsy Phys-Conidae or even Mir-Cognates would accidentally drop someone into the Physical World. It was a forgivable mistake until Mir-Cognates were so hated in the Physical World. Anyone who fell through would be caught instantly.

When he felt it was clear, Caste emerged in the soaked streets of Finx and moved quickly where he knew he'd find Ruka. She spent most of her time meditating in her home, while Team One (If not on duty) would play games, train together, or meditate with her. They all lived with her, as a benefit of being on her team. Caste used to before he spent his last century in the Physical World.

Caste formed the key only the members knew about in his hand, sliding it into the lock and opening the door.

Immediately, Pibu pounced on him and pinned him down, reciting the whole message she was supposed to say any time someone got into the home. Abruptly, she stopped and hugged him instead.

"Don't startle me like that." She snorted, though her tone was nothing but teasing. "You silly bean."

"As long as you stop calling me bean." He pushed her off. She tumbled onto the floor, giggling. It was good to see her again.

"Where is everyone?" He asked, most focused on where Ruka was.

Pibu shrugged, though she knew the answer. "They're all messing around in Limbo. You probably shouldn't disturb Master Ruka at the moment, though." She lowered her voice. "She's been having a few Physical body issues. Many doctors have come through and keep asking her to kill herself."

Caste winced. Whether or not it was just to allow someone to kill their Physical body was a topic the High Council couldn't agree on. Caste knew Ruka was very against it. Many people didn't care about their Physical bodies, mostly with a mindset of "I can always get a new one." But it had been proved that Mir-Cognates with those choices created a horrible impact on their magic performance. Ruka's stance was that death was to remain a natural occurrence, and that all Mir-Cognates should treat it like her last.

"The Council's not having any luck convincing her, either."

"I wouldn't know what to do about that." Caste said, lowering his head.

"That's why two of us are always with her, in case something happens." Pibu frowned, standing up. Caste joined her.

She changed the subject. "Do you have time to tell about everything that happened? Like when you quit?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yes. I'd like to speak to Master first, though. I have something very important to tell her."

"Didn't I just say you shouldn't disturb her?" Pibu snorted.

"She's used to all of you." Caste rolled his eyes.

"Fair enough." Pibu said, vanishing into Limbo. She was probably grabbing the others.

Caste walked quietly down the hall separating from the main room. There were simple bedrooms, and a kitchen along with a weaponry, and the room Ruka spent a lot of her time in.

He opened the door quietly. "Master?"

"Come in." Ruka responded. She was exactly where he knew she was, kneeling on the floor in her greenhouse-like area. The area was very steamy. Plants always had a reputation of emitting a lot of magic, which was why a lot of Mir-Cognates were fond of nature. Caste personally liked meditating where there was less magic, so he'd have to focus more to find it. To each their own.

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"I remembered something I know is going to be very important." He said confidently. "I know who the founder of the Quuarks is."

Ruka's attention was sparked. She waited for him to finish.

"It's Thana, the Cognate who killed Trin. She's alive, somehow."

"Are you sure?" Ruka asked, standing up. She was much taller than him, and much more comfortably dressed. She had the form of a fox, like Venge, and a few Runes which Caste knew were not for boosting her magic. Many lifetimes ago, Caste had a crush on her. Since then, she married someone else and he got over it. He didn't exactly know why Qaye found that significant in his memories enough to restore it in his head.

"Very. When I escaped, she confronted me. I recognized her face immediately."

She rubbed her temples. "If she is the leader of the Quuarks, everything is much worse than I thought."

"Sorry I wasn't involved enough in what was going on at the time, Master. I don't know her significance as well as you do."

"Thana is more powerful than me. Not only is her magic better, she has an army at her ready disposal. Thana is very convincing with her words. She can convert anything to her side." Ruka said worriedly. Caste knew it was rare for her to worry. "She might as well be invading this world right now and winning by a long shot. Her army is growing too quickly." She thought for a moment. "Thank you, Caste. That was indeed important information, and I can tell you already know what I'm going to do about it."

Caste nodded. "I'm glad I can help, Master." She'd bring it up during her next High Council meeting.

She beckoned for him to follow as she headed down the main room. "I heard your conversation with Pibu. I'm intrigued to hear what's happened in the past century."

Caste hoped she didn't care that they were talking about her Physical body's problems. Or didn't hear it.

When they entered her main room, the rest of Team One had already shown up. Caste knew each of them very closely, even after such a long time. Pibu, with her curiosity and kindness, Suurch, with her leadership qualities and steady heart. Efeon, who consistently teased everyone but always made an embarrassment of himself too. Quip, the annoying matchmaker but also the most supportive. Oque, talented in all fields, but very shy. Zkeer, artistic and known as the blind member. He lost his sight a long time ago and never got it back, but he was still very talented. Ijiy, a master at his battles and every strategy possible. Rupinu, very loud and tough, but a big softie. And Neut...

She wasn't around. She was probably out on duty.

Everyone here was chosen specifically for their magic potential by Ruka herself. They all became close friends after a long period of time.

He sat down, and everyone followed. The room they were in was designed specifically for Team One, with a large couch, bean bag, and chair that surrounded a small, well-built table that could withstand their game nights and general insanity. Ijiy lied down on a longer side of the couch, and Pibu sat on top of him without moving. Efeon and Zkeer had a small argument over the ottoman. Oque and Quip practically had a wrestling match to decide who got the bean bag, eventually deciding that they both got it. Suurch and Rupinu, the most normal of the bunch at the moment, just smirked and sat down closer to Caste, as Ruka took the chair.

Caste remembered why he missed Team One so much. It was these silly moments that always brightened his day. Though, usually because of how everyone was bigger than him they would end up piling on top of him whenever he decided to sleep. There were many moments he cherished, and was glad that his memories would always be stored in the Nexus.

He spoke, getting directly to the point. "Did I explain why I left?"

"You said you wanted to explore the dark magic in the Physical world." Rupinu said, fully engaged with hearing his story. "Or something along those lines."

Caste nodded, recalling what he wanted to say. "Dark magic does indeed thrive there like light does here. I was right; it's much easier to connect with it there."

He'd quit for a lifetime to live in the Physical world. While he lived a normal life like a Phys-Conidae there, he spent an equal amount of time anointing himself with the magic that existed there. He'd learned new techniques he wanted to try before he was cleansed.

He explained everything he'd found from the theories that everyone wondered about to how different the world was. Everyone listened intently, and he was thankful they didn't start teasing him. Of course, as soon as he got to what he chose to do in the Physical world for income, the 'fun' began.

"I took up sewing." He said, which was quite enough for them to get started.

"So... you made clothing?" Efeon started. "Like, Physical clothing. You... overdressed people."

Caste shook his head with a small smile. "You've never been. You can't make that assumption." He knew he was talking about how many articles of clothing Phys-Conidae wore. He'd start naming all of those pieces if it didn't end in some serious teasing.

"I've seen how they dress, though. They do it way too fancy. Who are they trying to impress?" Pibu asked.

Quip always knew the perfect time to butt in and make a joke. "The real question is: who are you trying to impress?" she asked, grinning at her.

"Ooooooh." Everyone cooed. This was a perfectly normal happening in Team One. Caste wasn't about to admit to them how much he missed it.

"Chpun?" Zkeer giggled. Pibu tackled him.

"Or perhaps Ijiy." Rupinu added. "You eye him quite a lot."

Before Zkeer could slap them too, Suurch held her hand up. "I want to hear Caste finish."

"You were saying you put patterns on overdressed people for a living?" Efeon said teasingly.

"That's... embroidery. Part of clotheiring."

"Ihup." Ruka snorted, which didn't actually translate to anything. Very roughly, it meant 'nerd.' The only reason she allowed them to be this rowdy was because she liked it just as much as the entire team did.

Caste sighed. "I would prefer not to skip straight to what happened in Jefu, thank you."

"You don't have to tell about what happened with the Quuarks if you don't want to, Zoun." Zkeer said, pushing Pibu off of him.

"One: don't call me Zoun, two: I want you guys to hear. It's too important." He disregarded his fear and just told them about what happened, also steering away from any topic they could be un-serious about.

. . .

Qaye held the students back as the streets caved in. "Stay close to me!" He ordered, backing up as the unstable gate expanded.

The surrounding Mir-Cognates were immediately pulled into it, screaming as it caused a whirlwind around. Some were already knocked out from tiles or other objects hitting their heads. He sighted particles of dust rising as more things were sucked inside. Caste could see Qaye fighting desperately to stabilize it with the rest of Jefu's helpers.

With an earth-shattering kaboom! The gate crashed, and the wind died down. Everyone collapsed, panting from the amount of energy it took just to resist the wind.

Right as everyone settled, the gate woooshed open again. But instead, it was perfectly stable.

It was when tens of people rushed through it, landing. "Burn the city!" Caste heard in a language he somehow understood. It seemed nobody else did, though. "Grab the deformities! We are feasting, men!"

"Move. Get to safety! Quickly!" Qaye exclaimed, ushering all the Mir-Cognates behind him. He turned around to face them, which Caste saw a look of terror he thought he'd never see on his friend's face.

A bloodcurdling scream was let out behind them. Impulsively, Caste turned around to see. The Mir-Cognate who'd screeched had been stabbed through the heart; dark blue blood was gushing from his wound, and his Physical body fell to the ground, leaving his Mirae body behind.

Caste took a sharp breath in, looking away. But his eyes diverted to something much more terrifying.

A swarm of the same people from the gate were running right towards them.

Qaye had lost his calm. "Run!" He shrieked, and his students picked up their feet as fast as possible as the people were advancing on them.

A very young Cognate tripped, skidding onto the ground. Everyone behind her fell over her, crashing down and leaving themselves at these people's merices.

Caste pulled himself up, seeing a group of Mir-Cognates speeding towards the intruders. The smell of burning wood touched his nose as he was yanked off the ground and thrown into a horrible-smelling man's arms. He cried out, blinded by the impacts. There was no time to think about what was going on. He was thrown down into another stable gate as someone called out his name in horror. "Caste!"

He crashed into a solid steel floor. The metal rang through his head as he was grabbed by the back of his scruff and rammed right into the neighboring wall.

. . .

"When I woke up, I was in a barely-lit room." Caste said. "A woman asked me to open a gate. I refused, not knowing her or trusting her. As a result, I was whipped. There is now more than one type of scar on my back now."

Oque wrapped his arm around Caste's neck, holding him close. He hadn't realized that he was trembling. He leaned in closer to Oque, grateful for his comfort.

"I was branded, beaten, and teased death." Caste held back the water in his eyes. "I only escaped a month ago. And now I know that it was Neut who called out my name when I was taken."

"A dreamer showed me some of your memories the Nexus took." Ruka mentioned. As a High Councilor, she was allowed to view memories of others without permission. Obviously abusing this power would make you lose your position. "I can't imagine living through what I witnessed."

"I appreciate your sympathy, Master." Caste sighed. Though it's a long way from fully understanding.

"There's one thing that can convince everyone here just how horrible the happenings were." Caste unbuttoned his smock and undid his yuqui, revealing his burn to Oque. Zkeer couldn't see it, but he could definitely hear Oque gasp.

"There's no words for this." Oque stuttered. "What are they, marking you as their territory?"

"That's exactly what it is." Caste said, concave. Everyone moved in closer to see it.

"May I touch it?" Zkeer asked.

"Sure, I can't feel anything around that area anymore, anyway." He guided Zkeer's hand to feel around the area where his fur and skin had been ripped away by fire.

"Did they do this to every Mir-Cognate they got their hands on?" Rupinu asked worriedly. Caste just nodded.

"Why doesn't the High Council change their mind? This alone could do it." Suurch asked.

"There are many more factors in play than just captives." Ruka answered. "Lann is worried about armies, and Apon doesn't want to risk losing everyone trying without all the cards."

"The Council has decided that we should do something, though." Ijiy pointed out. He was Ruka's 'Second in command' and the councilor on the lower council.

Caste reclasped his yuqui and replaced his smock, smoothing it out. "High Councilor Lann is weird. I'm pretty sure the only person who understands him is his wife."

"I'd scold you if I didn't agree with you, Caste." Ruka snorted. A few moments passed of silence between the group.

"Ruka, is now not the time to ask you for a blindfold rematch?" Zkeer asked.

"Later, Zkeer. I'd like to speak to Caste alone."

"Yes, Master." Everyone echoed, traveling into Limbo or out of the room. Ruka stood up slowly, and Caste followed out of respect. He wobbled on his feet, still feeling the effects of the paralysis. Ruka reached out and held him steady. She pulled him into an unexpected hug.

"Mast-"

"Call me Ruka for a bit." Of all people, Caste expected the very least to be hugged by his master. He hugged her back, grateful his horns weren't here to stop him. His body quivered from the sudden warmth.

An unexpected tear drifted out of his eyes. The first tear shed by him in... in.. thousands of years. He didn't sob, just held her closer. Somehow, all the pain he was in faded away while she was holding him.

After a long minute, he let go, and she followed. She reached and wiped the tear from his muzzle. "You need therapy after all this."

He laughed quietly. "I guess I do," He half-choked. "Only after everything is resolved."

"I'd do the same thing." Ruka said, "I am doing the same thing. I've agreed to terminate my physical body once the Quuarks are gone."

And what if they're never going to leave? He thought, then answered himself. They will. Every civilization dies off in the Physical world.

But definitely not soon enough.

"Now you must swear on Venge's name not to tell Quip about what I just did. He will never let us hear the end of it." She giggled.

"I won't," Caste promised, bowing to her. "It'd be a punishment for both of us."

She ruffled the fur on his head, something the team knew he didn't like. He smoothed it down as Ruka continued. "I will notify the High Council immediately of what you told me."

Caste smiled as she vanished. He too, 'vanished,' traveling across Limbo to Keoni's home. He knew she'd be there, and that was where Qaye last was. He arrived quickly, checking to confirm where he was and then emerging.

Keoni jumped a mile when he suddenly appeared to her. "Caste!" She yelled. "Don't scare me like that."

Ryley, who was in the kitchen, laughed. "That's deserved, Keoni."

Before Caste could make a stupid comment, someone banged loudly on the door.