It’s been a couple of days since the deal was struck between the Ice Elementals and the people of Pinewood. Aiden, Elianor, Duran and Serena had all gone to sleep after walking for hours towards their destination. They still had a long journey ahead before sharing another meal with Lloyd, but they were in a good enough mood to gladly walk double the distance if it meant bringing the great news back to the town.

Aiden had begun waking up after feeling like he was in a deep slumber for longer than he should while out on the road. Without opening his eyes Aiden wiggled his body around in the blanket that he had spread on the dirt floor. -This dirt is much harder compared to the other nights. I guess it’s a good thing I won’t be able to waste any more time sleeping…- After finding it impossible to get comfortable again, Aiden took a deep breath and sat upright blinking a few times before opening his eyes fully. In an instant he felt his senses being overwhelmed, the adrenaline shooting all the way up and his reflexes making him jump on his feet before he’s able to tell what was going on. Cold and grey stone was everywhere around him. The biggest part of the dungeon, he was currently in, was closed off by metal bars that also separated his cell with the ones on either side of him. The area was lit well enough with torches, but Aiden cared not for what was in front of him, because on his right cell a familiar face was laying on a blanket much like his own. “Elianor! Wake up!” He yelled and kneeled next to the metal bars reaching out with his hand, his arm being long enough to barely give her a couple of nudges. Elianor though, needed just that to immediately come to her senses and stand up with surprising speed. “What’s going on?! Aiden, where are we?!” She spoke loudly and turned towards him with her blue eyes wide and her whole face tense, as it should be in this kind of situation. “I have no idea, last thing I remember was us sleeping while Duran was guarding our camp!” Elianor was worried by that answer and even though she didn’t say anything, Aiden could tell she also knew nothing. Unlike him though she was quicker to take action into her own hands, literally. Elianor grabbed the metal bars of her cell and gritted her teeth while her muscles flexed and even some of her veins popped on her neck and arms, parts that were not covered by the short-sleeved shirt she was wearing. Aiden was almost too amazed when the metal bars actually bent under her monstrous strength and the gap got big enough for her to slip through. In fact, he was taken aback from her abilities from the very first moment he met her. Elianor’s fair and quite beautiful appearance made it easy for people to shrug her off as a waitress, sometimes a dancer and, if she tried a bit, some noble’s daughter.

Once again, she grabbed the bars of Aiden’s cell and bent them apart allowing him to get out. As they were about to proceed forwards, the sound of multiple footsteps rushing down the stone staircase echoed through the dungeon. From the doorway at the other side of the room two armoured guards holding bastard swords walked inside the room, followed by an individual that wore a black cloak and had a birchwood mask on their face. Upon seeing each other the two parties prepared for combat, even though Aiden and Elianor where at a clear disadvantage. “Who are you and where are we?” Asked Aiden not expecting to get a proper answer. The wooden mask worn by the cloaked person was identical to the ones used by the assassins that ambushed them on the mountain. “Please, brothers, lower your weapons. On behalf of our Family we apologise for the rude…invitation to our home. You are not bound because we believe you don’t deserve to be, not yet at least.” The cloaked figure spoke with a female voice slightly altered by the wooden mask. “Get to the point wench!” Roared Elianor only for the masked woman to giggle. “Your abilities have peaked our Father’s interest. He would like to have an audience with you, but please, don’t be so crude when conversing with him.” Elianor was reluctant, but since there was no way for them to win, she lowered her fists and walked closer to the guards who also sheathed their weapons. Aiden did the same but stayed behind not sure if he should go back into his cell and wait for Elianor to come back. “You too Mister Aiden Read.” Said the woman and that made his heartbeat skyrocket. -Could it be…that this Father knows my secret? - He felt his stomach turn and the uneasiness of hosting a vile demon in his own body grew with every step he took towards the guards and up the staircase.

While being escorted by the woman and the guards, Elianor and Aiden had time to realise that they were in no castle or palace. This was some sort of underground cavern system, built by humans this time, and used as a base for, apparently, the organisation responsible for the attempt on the King’s life. The walls were covered with stone bricks and the place was well lit, mostly with torches. While walking they saw a few more members wearing cloaks and oak masks. The woman made sure to tell them that this was not their usual attire and they only used it in their ‘home’ when ‘guests’ were present. After a couple of minutes, they had made their way across the base and entered a door slightly bigger than the others. Inside they saw five chairs, four had people wearing the same birchwood masks sitting on them. The guards left and the woman sat down on the right of the middle chair, the latter being slightly bigger and more decorated than the rest. “Our Family welcomes you. Since you are simply our guests for now, you can call me Father.” Said the man sitting in the middle. “There is no need for you to introduce yourselves. We already know who you are Aiden and Elianor.” Father made this comment after realising from the look on their faces that they were in no mood to have a lengthy talk with him and the rest of the Family. In fact, the two guests said nothing at all, forcing Father to speak once again. “For now, the details of your invitation will be spared, but the reason will be revealed.” He made a short pause and continued. “I think you two will perfectly fit into our family and we decided to take initiative and attempt to recruit you.” Aiden and Elianor exchanged looks for a moment and had a bit of a thoughtful expression. “If you want us to join you then why did you attack us on the mountain?” Asked Aiden, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “That was but a bit of cleansing. Those members who were sent to carry out the ambush had no true reason to be in our Family. They were promised an easy journey to the mountains and a large sum of money. Our Family is not a gold making past time…we are a bond of beliefs and ideals, many souls cuddling one next to the other and moving closer to a brighter future.” Father ended his sentence and pulled out a book from inside his cloak. The cover was made out of beige leather and in the middle of both sides there was the stamp of a hand, marked with black ink. Inside the palm a white coloured flame was drawn. “We are the Black Hand and we are humbly requesting you to join our Family and cause, not for money or freedom, but because you truly wish to change the future.” He opened the book and revealed that each page had the bloody print of a right hand and a name written under it. Elianor then frowned and shouted at him. “Do you really think we are going to join a cult like yours without knowing what you seek and what you believe in! Tell us! What is all this nonsense about changing the future?” Aiden nodded in agreement and from the two no one moved closer to the book. Even though some unpleased groaning was heard from the four members upon hearing the word ‘cult’, Father closed the book and sighed. “I do suppose you are right: you do need to know who we are before accepting or rejecting us. The Family of the Black Hand has been around for years, more than a decade to be exact. At the beginning we were a small group of people that was helping the poor citizens of our kingdom, through any means necessary. After a while we began growing in members and our, then, ‘Father’ was struck down in account of murder.” The man paused and seemed to avert his gaze, as if he remembered a painful and shameful memory. “From then on, we realised that terms such as Gods, luck and fortune, mean nothing. From the moment we are born until the day we die our future is being dictated by kings and the rest of the filthy royalty. They are not strong, they don’t know how it is to live beneath them and yet, they choose to be cruel and unjust. Why is trash like that controlling our existence? Answer me.” Aiden responded without missing a heartbeat. “Did your previous Father commit the murder?” Father seemed to be looking intensely at Aiden from behind his mask. “He was innocent. Someone died by his blade, but can you blame him for killing a lowlife nobleman. A drunk and a rapist he was! Do you believe that such a person should be allowed to live?” Father was talking in a monotone voice not showing much emotion. “If what you’re saying is true, and I were the one to run into him in the act, then I can’t say for sure where my blade would end up. I can understand your Father.” Aiden paused for a second and thought about the offer. Joining to fight against an oppressive leader sounded like a cause he could support, but what about the city of Pinewood? Lloyd, Lin, Duran and Serena they all seem sensible, generous and good hearted. If the king is so unjust why do they support him? “Tell me, Father. You talk about changing the future, how would you do that?” Father looked at Aiden and with a lively voice he spoke. “Metamorphosis! Such a beautiful word. But how do you achieve such a feat. Just like an insect larva you need to pause time, hide inside your cocoon, create chaos, feed off of it and then use it to grow under the guidance of the order that remains.” Aiden looked around the room as soon as Father stopped talking. “This is the cocoon you’re talking about?” He asked the father and was already trying to guess what the other two meant. “This is but a brewing pot buried deep inside the guts of the larva. Here is where the chaos will sprout from and cover the soon to be butterfly.” Elianor joined the conversation with a loud voice. “The cocoon is the city, isn’t it! The larvae are its people! Why will chaos cover them?!” A muffled chuckle was heard from beneath the Father’s mask. “Our kingdom doesn’t have a large army. What will happen if suddenly citizens, not only the poor but the rest as well stormed the palace, destroyed some inns and taverns, burned houses. Will the disoriented soldiers be able to tell the difference between the ones who are seeking shelter and those who are causing harm? I doubt it. Only when the king is dead and the people rise will the old order, the wrong order fall! And from the ashes the leader of the people, the one who has fostered them like a father, will rise to be the new monarch and he will ascend them into the heavens of justice, like the wings on a butterfly after its metamorphosis.” Father stood up and opened the book moving closer to Aiden and Elianor. She wanted to back away, but Aiden did not move. She started feeling pressure and just as the book was extended in front of them Aiden’s fist flew into the air landing on the book and launching it into the ground. Father took a step back and looked surprised at Aiden. “You dare claim that you want to change the future? Fight for what’s right and banish the unfair and oppressive royalty? Don’t make me laugh, you delusional madman.” The other four members instantly jumped on their feet but Father raised his hand and they sat back down in their chairs. “Laugh? You think that this is a jest?” Asked Father in a very serious and monotone voice. “No, changing the future is not a joke. You and your order are though. And not a funny one at that. Do you realise how many people’s lives will be destroyed or end during your disgusting plan? You can achieve this goal by not risking any other lives except those of your members who have agreed to follow your selfish path to power and control.” Upon saying that Father growled under his mask. “You…dare to insult me?! In my own home?!” Aiden exhaled as if he had smelled something rotten and looked at the people sitting behind him. “Home? All I see is a farm full of dumb animals who are going to be slaughtered so you can gain money and influence. You probably already know I’m from another world, right? That’s my big secret, that you know.” Aiden never broke his gaze as Father called for the guards to come in. “Well in my world there are many people who have changed the world for the better and never did something as cruel as sacrificing the lives of innocents for their own gain! You are just feeding lies to the people around you to get them to believe in something that is sacred, something that is above them, an anonymous power that is worth fighting and dying for.” The guards were now grabbing both Elianor and Aiden, pulling them out of the room. “There, most monsters like you choose religion or race as a blanket to cover up their atrocious acts of violence! You choose justice and blame the royalty! Same story different pen!” The guards finally succeeded in closing Aiden’s mouth with their gauntlets before slipping some handcuffs on both him and Elianor. Soon they were back inside two locked cells in the base’s dungeon.

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Elianor was staring at Aiden, her hands inside a pair of handcuffs that, instead of a simple chain, they had a solid hunk of iron to keep them together. “You really fucked us over, didn’t you?” Said Elianor after they were both silent for a while. “You never rejected them properly, if you want to join them then you can go right ahead. I think you still have a chance.” Aiden sighed and sat down with his back on the stone wall behind him. Elianor repositioned herself to get closer to the bars separating them. “Who said I wanted to join them? They’re all completely out of their minds. I was just hoping you could smooth talk your way out of it, like you did in the mountains.” Elianor seemed a bit disappointed, but at the same surprised at how Aiden reacted. “Eli, I don’t have the patience to talk with people like Father. The Elementals are called monsters, but they only wish to protect their tribe, harming others is not a priority. These people decided to send their members to a suicide mission just because they didn’t have the same blind trust for their leader. Do you really think they would let us go if we said ‘no’?” Elianor nodded at Aiden and looked at the dungeon’s entrance that was closed. “You’re right…I guess you’ve made up your mind then.” She looked back at Aiden hoping he had a plan to escape. “I will not join them and neither pretend that I want to be a part of them. Whatever the case I prefer dying than supporting such madness, hoping I would be able to leave at some point.” Aiden felt a slight, momentary headache as he said those words -Maybe it’ll be for the better…- Elianor looked at him again after a moment of silence. “I can’t die here Aiden. I’m sorry.” Aiden knew that Elianor was not obliged to follow him so he simply smiled. “You shouldn’t die here. It wouldn’t be right.” After Aiden said that Elianor hummed in agreement and looked at the ground, probably thinking whether or not they had any chance of escaping.

A few minutes passed and the silence broke as the dungeon’s door opened and closed behind a cloaked figure who wore the birchwood mask. Both Aiden and Elianor stayed quiet while the person walked towards Aiden’s cell. “Are you going to join the Family?” Asked the girl behind the mask. Her voice was different and clearly belonged to a younger woman. “I will not.” Responded Aiden trying to hide his fear. “Then you may rest in peace.” The cloak moved and from within a sword came out. The blade was curved, almost like a grin, the point was perfectly aligned with the grip, despite the blade’s shape, so both thrusting and slashing could be used to great effect. The guard had three quillons protruding from it, one pointed upwards, resembling a hook and was placed on the back, the second was longer and was located in the front, curving downwards, protecting the hand like a cutlass, the third one was thicker and shorter, coming out from the right side, it could save the wielder’s hand if the opponent’s sword happened to slide down during a block or parry. Upon seeing the sword Aiden’s headache grew and he could already feel his Rush pushing him to jump up and attack the girl who was currently inside the cell and was preparing to execute him with a swift strike. “Father told us about you. He said you’re not from this place, that you come from a wiser and more civilised realm. You were expected to help us achieve our goal, make this world more like your own! Yet you say such vile things about us, you insulted us! And now, that you’re facing death because of it, you simply sit there and accept it? What can you possibly achieve by doing this?” The executioner said holding her sword up, aiming at Aiden’s neck. “I came here accidentally. I had no idea where I was and how to get back. Yet the people of Pinewood helped me and I did my best to pay them back, I even trained with Duran and almost got killed in some dirty goblin nest. You’re asking me to betray those who assisted me in a time of need and partake in a plan that will kill dozens, possibly hundreds of people? Even if the king deserved to die and your Father is honest, I still would never support a coward like him. And from what I’ve learnt back home, that’s the wiser and more civilised choice.” While speaking, Aiden could feel his whole body begging to savagely assault the person in front of him, but he knew there was no way to overpower her while being at such a decisive disadvantage. The executioner brought down her sword and the edge of the blade missed Aiden’s neck for a couple centimetres. Elianor immediately jumped towards the bars and held onto them. “Aiden, you really are willing to die for your beliefs…civilised and wise, Father was not lying about you.” The girl sheathed her blade and dropped to one knee, investigating Aiden’s expression who seemed to be shocked and scared, but still attempted to remain calm. “I was a child when our previous Father was murdered. It was then, that this one took control of the Family, he claimed royalty was to blame and that our actions have been for naught. If we wished to save the less fortunate, we had to change, we had to become loyal to our cause and only that. ‘Always be honest to me, the same way that I’m honest to you, and through your loyalty this kingdom will awaken anew.’ That’s what he said, and for the longest time I believed it, no questions asked…but now I realize that I was merely a scared kitten, too afraid to talk about what I saw.” She sighed beneath her mask and stood up. “I know it’ll be hard for you to trust me, but my name is Kaneko…I know it’s weird but we can discuss it some other time…” She quietly commented after revealing her name and noticing Elianor’s expression. Apparently, that name was not a common one. Since they couldn’t hope to escape any other way, they accepted Kaneko’s help and were soon free of their cuffs and cells, dressed in the same black, loose cloaks and birchwood masks that were worn by the Five Fingers. They were told to follow behind her without drawing any attention to themselves and hopefully they would reach the stables and steal some horses. They made sure to put out all the torches inside the dungeon and then casually walked outside. Kaneko had commanded all the guards to prepare for their burial so no one was there to make sure their execution was carried out. After following her through the stone caverns, they eventually began walking uphill towards a pair of gates that were built to open like a slightly angled trapdoor. It had become obvious to them that only the five high ranking members wore white masks and all others were made from dark brown wood.

Climbing out of the trapdoors they realised they were in a forest far away from Pinewood, the one that was relatively close to the town had less trees, both in number and kind. Aiden had no idea where the forest was located, but Elianor was confident she could find her way out if given some time and a horse. Of course, that was their plan. They kept following Kaneko and eventually saw a bunch of guards digging behind some trees, they were the ones preparing the graves but fortunately the distance and foliage kept them out of their view. It wasn’t long before they run into a wooden fence, encircling an enclosure that was filled with, about a dozen, horses. The guards that were assigned to take care of them stood in front of the gates wearing their masks. Kaneko walked in front of them and took off her own Aiden and Elianor were unable to see her face. “I’m here to grab three horses, I have been informed that a suspicious looking group is creeping around the forest. Father wants us to go and investigate.” The guards looked at each other for a moment. “Don’t you think your sister would be better suited for this, besides, three of the Fingers going for a simple investigation is a bit much…” The guards didn’t seem to be suspicious about them, they simply genuinely believed what they were saying. Kaneko wore her mask and looked back at Aiden and Elianor. “Fine, we’ll be going back to Father, but if the importance of this mission is underestimated and he gets angry, we have no responsibility.” Kaneko said with a serious tone and took a few steps away from the guards before they laughed nervously. “Oh, we were simply joking! Obviously, Father knows what he is doing. Please take as many horses as you need.” They stepped aside and hastily let them through. After choosing and saddling three horses, the group was ready to ride off.

They were casually trotting back towards a path located about a hundred metres away from the trapdoors, trying not to seem too guilty, but as they went passed them a loud and thunderous sound was heard. The wooden entrance burst open and the area surrounding it got covered by a purple mist. “Ride quickly!” Screamed Kaneko and immediately all three began going as fast as they could to get away from the mysterious fog, unfortunately the thick forest greatly reduced their speed. Aiden looked around and as they rode through the mist two shadows appeared to fade in and out of existence, moving incredibly fast around them. Suddenly the neck of his horse twisted violently and after a horribly morbid crackling sound both Aiden and the lifeless body of the steed fell to the ground. “I’m down!” He yelled in fear towards the others only to find out that the mist had hidden them from sight. At that moment Aiden realised that his Rush was already in effect, although it could simply be his terrified body pumping adrenaline into him, hoping he was going to survive. Aiden without thinking started sprinting towards the direction that he was going before his mount met an unfortunate fate. This time instead of ignoring the requests of the demon, he obeyed them without fail. Firstly, it was a crossbow bolt that he managed to dodge by side stepping in the last possible moment, secondly a blast of purple lightning that hit the ground next to him and made him lose his balance and tumble down a couple of metres later. Finally, a curved blade, cut through the mist and missed Aiden only by a hair. “This execution won’t be as merciful.” The masked woman said as she, now, stood in front of him holding a sword terribly similar to the one wielded by Kaneko. Her cloak was now gone, but Aiden didn’t have much time to pay attention to her appearance as she was about to swing her sword one more time. Aiden knew a dodge at this range was impossible and he was ready to die trying to prove himself otherwise. Kaneko though, broke through the mist with her horse galloping and blocked the woman’s weapon with her own using her right hand while the left helped Aiden up the same saddle. The horse’s full speed was enough to carry them out of the fog in a matter of seconds and Aiden was relieved to see that, not only had they made it to the path, but Elianor was a few metres in front of them going as fast as her mount would take her.

Chapter 10: The Masked Family.

END.