Lying here half asleep, I roll over with eyes still closed and realize something. I'm not where I'm supposed to be, said place being on the path to Moorhall. I'm in a bed, instead of the stiff and bumpy ground near a campfire. My eyes open and I also see I'm in a room. It's small, only big enough to fit a bed in here. The only other object in here with me is a night stand inches away at the side of the bed with a lone candle sitting atop. It's unlit and leaving the room in a darkened state. I can see just enough to make out where the door is located and that's about it.

I lift my torso up, slide over and sit at the bedside. That wasn't me--or that was me, but I didn't voluntarily do it. Then my whereabouts start to become clearer. The room gently rocks from side to another. Water can be heard faintly crashing along the other side of the wall. I'm back on the boat. I'm must be dreaming again. The coon moss worked, Thane was right. This could finally lead to some answers I've been looking for. Now I need watch carefully as I ride along in my own body again.

I lift my hand up and run it through the thick and course hair atop my head. I scratch at the back of my head while letting out a yawn. I look along the foot of the bed and see my outer garments laying on the floor in a small pile. I reach down grab everything and begin getting dressed. Sliding on my pants at first, I hope on one leg as I try to maintain balance on the moving floor beneath me. The shirt comes next, followed by a belt. Shoes, one at a time and laced.

Merely moments after finishing I hear a knock at the door, immediately followed by Strah entering the room. With one hand on the door and the other on the door frame, he says to me, "Hurry it up. Ahriman is about to question the prisoner."

"Alright, I'll be right there." I say in reply as I hurry to finish up. This is it. I'm about to get some answers. I follow behind Strah as he leaves the room and heads down the hall. He is moving at a rather fast pace, clearly just as anxious as I am to see what this man has to say. The hallway opens up into the main central room of the hull just below deck. I remember being here in my last dream. Just as I remember, the cell holding the man (whom I still don't know) is at the back end of the long room.

Ahriman is there and a few feet behind him stands Khalm, arms crossed and looking angrily into the cell. Ahriman grabs a chair and slides it up in front of the cell door. He slowly walks around in front of it and sits down. He clears his throat and begins to speak in his deep and naturally assertive voice. "It would be in your best interest to tell us what happened here. I suggest you don't leave anything out, either."

The man sitting on the floor looks up at Ahriman. He doesn't say anything, but instead squints his eyes and begins to look at each and every one of us in confusion. His gaze then drifts downwards and slowly off to the side. He silently mouths something to himself but doesn't look back up.

Ahriman sighs, sits back in his chair, and puts one hand on his knee. He allows a brief moment of silence before asking another question. "Let's start with something a little easier, shall we? What is your name?"

I listen, eagerly waiting for him to speak.

"Erwin," he reluctantly spits out. "But you already knew that."

I look over to the side of me and Strah is standing there. He also looks at me, no doubt with the same thought running through his mind. What does he mean, we 'already knew that'? I've never seen this man before in my life. I doubt anyone else here has either.

Ahriman lowers his brow and says, "No, I'm afraid I didn't know that. We've, never met before."

"Is this all a joke to you? Quit playing games, just take me back to Shinkara," Erwin says in agitation as he looks back up at Ahriman.

Shinkara? What is he talking about? Ahriman concludes my thought by saying, "You seem to be a little confused."

"Look, I already know why you're here."

I truly have no idea what's going on anymore.

Ahriman shakes his head once from each side. "Wait, what do you think is going on right now?"

Erwin immediately shoots up on his feet. He points his finger toward Ahriman, then back to himself, all the while angrily yelling, "You think I don't recognize the prized hounds of the council? You can go ahead and take me back, but I'm done. Tell Isaac there is nothing he can do to force me to work for him anymore. I'm finished developing weapons for him."

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Isaac? He can't mean who I think he means, can he? What does the research and development head of the council have to do with this?

Ahriman waves his hand from side to side. "Wait, back up. You think Isaac sent us? I can assure you, no one from the council sent us. In fact, we don't work for them anymore. We defected not long ago."

Erwin slowly steps forward and wraps both of his hands around the bars that are confining him. "You, defected?" he stammers. "So you're not here to capture me?"

"No, we're not." Ahriman assures him.

Erwin laughs and bows his head down slightly, resting it between two bars. "Oh, thank you. I'd sooner kill myself then go back there."

This is good and all, but we haven't answered anything yet. I could awake at any moment. Come on Erwin, keep talking. Give me anything I can work with. What happens after this? How do we get separated? Am I the only one left alive?

Ahriman leans forward in his chair and asks, "What exactly is this... Shinkara?"

Erwin lifts his head back up from the bars. "It's a research and development facility."

"How have I not heard of it?" Ahriman asks.

"It's existence is only known to a select few outside of the ones who work there. You wouldn't have heard of it." states Erwin.

"Lunis already had a facility dedicated to research and development. Why would they need another?" says Ahriman, perplexed.

"Yes, that's true, but only for small projects. All of which were public knowledge. Nothing we did at Shinkara was ever small. Everything we worked on was meant to be a secret. We pumped out weapon after weapon. Each bigger than the last," says Erwin sounding more and more glum the longer he talks about his time there. "I was the lead scientist there. My brain birthed every sick invention that ever came out of that place."

"How was it that you were able to escape?" asks Ahriman

"I managed to hide myself in a shipping container just before it was released for transportation. Once it was a safe distance from Shinkara I broke out and ran away. I tried to get as far from there as I possibly could, which led me to Kheran. I've been hiding there ever since."

So Erwin escaped from the grasp of Lunis and was hiding out on Kheran. Thane already discovered Lunis was responsible for the massacre there. That can only mean they were searching for Erwin. Thane was right, they weren't punishing a village that didn't pay taxes. It was all a cover. I finally have something answered. Something I can tell Thane and Erik when I awake.

I look over at Ahriman and wonder what else he has to ask. Maybe I'll get lucky and hear a few more answers.

Before I can get too lost in my thoughts, Ahriman stands up. He looks angry, as though his blood is boiling and he's about to erupt. In as calm of a demeanor he can maintain, he asks, "Lunis did this, didn't they?! They were searching for you and killed everyone else in the process!"

Erwin, reminded of previous events lowers his head in guilt. He looks like he feels responsible for everything that happened. "I'm afraid so, they lost their lives because of me. None of them even knew why. I never told them who I was."

Ahriman quickly turns around and lifts up his chair. He lets out a loud mixture of growl and grunt as he throws the chair across the room. It hits the wall and explodes into several pieces. "Murderers!" he yowls as the pieces fall and bounce off the floor multiple times. His teeth are bared in a grin, and his fists are clenched in rage. Now hunched over his upper body begins to twist an turn. His fists explode open and with both hands he grabs his head. I keep watching as his body continues to convulse.

Erwin backs up in his cell and hits the wall behind him. "Are you... alright?" he asks in fear almost hesitant to even speak.

That's when I see Khalm is beginning to repeat everything Ahriman is doing. It doesn't stop there. I step aside as I noticed right next to me Strah as well is locked in this frightening episode of boiling rage.

What's going on!? What's happening to them? I've never seen anyone act this way. All of them together start howling in pain. Spit begins to drip from their lower lips. Sweat gushes over their brows like a waterfall. Ahriman drops to his knees and keeps letting out cries of agony. Erwin looks terrified now. If it weren't for the bars around him he would run in fear. I couldn't blame him. Whatever is happening to them right now doesn't look natural.

Before I have a chance to say anything, they all stop. In unison, not simply close to the same time. But all exactly at once. I look around at everyone and they seem mostly fine now. Like as if it never happened. Ahriman in the center of it all, slowly arises from off his knees and stands up tall. He just stands there for a moment. Not moving, but stands still and silent. He then turns and begins walking towards the stairs leading above deck. As he passes by me I get a good look at his eyes. They have partially darkened. From the center outwards black lines stretch to the perimeters of his eyes like a spiderweb. Before I am able to look deeper into them the black quickly shrinks and collapses back into his pupils. He ignores me as he walks by and continues up the stairs. Khalm and Strah don't seem to be paying attention to anything either. Both of them are standing there in silence.

I watch as Ahriman climbs the final steps and disappears above deck. Confused and dumbfounded I stand and stare at the empty steps. I turn back and look around the room. After I've got a good look at everything I look at Erwin. He springs forward and grabs onto the bars in front of him.

Knowing I'm the only one cognizant at the moment, he stammers while asking "What just happened?"