Anders and I had just returned from a botched mission. We had been hunting a Wendigo in the downtown area, trying to train Kalysta, but we had been thrown off by a Police Detective that had apparently been tailing Anders for some time now. The poor bastard had no idea what he was seeing, and ended up making us lose track of the monster. He turned his gun on us, and almost shot Kalysta, but I had intercepted.

“How’s your shoulder?” Anders asked. I shrugged cause it hardly mattered; the wound was tender and my muscles ached, but there was no real damage. Just a bullet wound. Tyrfing would make sure that it wasn't fatal, even if it had gone through my chest. I wasn't getting out that easily.

“I’ll live.” I told him, sighing. We exchanged a look. The statement was painfully obvious.

“How’s my dau…Kalysta?” I said absently. My main concern would always be her.

“She’s shaken. Very worried about her mentor.” Anders said pointedly, playing along in this lie we tell ourselves. We still haven’t had a chance to sit down and talk it all out, but he knew something was up. He had been the one to help me clean up the room in the cellar. The poor Rabbi.

"Good riddance." Tyrfing huffed.

“I’ll go talk to her.” I moved to stand, but Anders put his hand on my shoulder. I glared at him, but he looked genuinely vexed.

“You almost lost control, on a civilian no less.” He said, referring to the detective. I had taken his gun and shot him in knee for firing at Kalysta.

“I didn’t kill him.” I said, matter-of-factly. I felt like I needed to jump to that defense a lot. The detective was lucky I hadn't pulled Tyrfing.

“No, you didn’t. But you brutalized him. You could have subdued him in a number of other ways, and you blew a hole through his kneecap.” Anders said, turning red. He’s not one to normally get visibly angry.

“He could have shot and killed Kalysta. I did the right thing. I don’t expect you to understand the need to protect your child.” I pushed his hand off my shoulder and stood. He didn’t back up, so we stood face to face, inches apart.

"You should punch him, like, right in the nose." Tyrfing goaded.

“I’ve been protecting and looking after a whole herd of them longer than you’ve been a father.” Anders said, his eyes narrowing. I knew I had pushed too far.

“I did what I had to do.” I said, trying to move around him, but he stood in front of me again, blocking the door. I just wanted to get out of this damn infirmary.

“What’s with the shadow magic?” His voice took a sharp, accusatory tone and I winced. I knew this would come up.

“Something I picked up along the way.” I replied dismissively, hoping he would drop it. There was a long silence between us as we stared into each others eyes. I realized in that moment just how much Anders had aged. He had crows feet around his eyes, and he had tiny grey hairs in his goatee.

“Where have you been Chase? What did your anger and sorrow drive you to?” He said sadly. I couldn't tell if it was sympathy or disapproval. Maybe it was both.

“You found me in a dive bar, in Toronto. What do you think I’ve been doing?” I smirked, trying to play it cool. The crease in his brow suggested it was not cool.

"You owe him nothing. What has he ever done for you?" Tyrfing hissed in my mind.

“How do you even have access to magic?” Anders asked, crossing his arms. His anger turned to confusion, like he was trying to solve some huge mental puzzle.

“You have a very sheltered view of the way this organization works, Anders. Chosen can wield Artifacts and magic. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. I spent some time at the Citadel in London.” I tried to explain as vaguely as I could. Magic, in this day and age, was difficult to come by. Not many people still practiced it and it had lost a lot of its potency over time, but it was still out there if you knew were to look.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Does the sword give you magic, or is it in your blood?” Anders pressed me.

“Did I grill you with twenty questions when you bonded to six Artifacts?” I said thrusting my finger into his chest. He brushed off his tacky suit, like I had marred it. The deflection worked. Kind of.

“No, and I didn’t question it when you went back with Gideon for a second Bonding Ceremony.” He said coldly.

I froze. He knew way more than he was letting on. He smirked when I didn’t respond.

"Kill him. Kill him now. Kill him quickly." The sword tried to play on my exposed emotions.

“That’s right. I never told the others, and we never saw you use anything other than Tyrfing, so I always assumed the first time didn’t work. But I’m certain you’re hiding something.” He shook his head. “We used to be closer than this. You used to tell me things.” His voice was low and sad. Nostalgia seemed to get the best of both of us at times.

“That was a life time ago.” I reminded him.

“I’ve covered for you, more times than you know and you still treat me like the enemy.” Anders said, throwing his hands in the air, exasperated. He turned to walk for the door.

"Now. Do it now! Kill him." The sword screamed in my head. I gripped the medical trolley next to me to restrain myself.

“I never asked you to play cleanup crew to my disasters.” I shot back. I felt guilty as soon as I said it. Anders spun on me.

“That’s the thing. You don’t have to ask. How do you think someone like yourself just walked away from the Order? Did you think the Progenitors would just let one of the deadliest men in the world walk away unsupervised, unaccounted for, with a weapon said to bring about catastrophes?” He shouted at me. I didn't blame him. He slammed his fist into the medical trolley next to me and I was surprised by his display of rage.

“I told them to trust you. I came before some of the most powerful beings on the planet and told them they could trust you, this broken, dangerous man. This man who killed the woman we both loved. The guy who used to be my best friend.” He continued.

“Anders…” I tried to stop him.

“I called in your messes. I covered the bloody trail you left behind you. The prostitute you mutilated in the States, the child you killed in Peru, the police officer in France. All of them!” His voice echoed loudly through the infirmary, and even louder in my head.

“That’s not…” I tried again.

“Even the security guard, here, on the docks. Do you think I don’t notice these things? Do you think they don’t notice these things?” He slammed his own finger into my chest this time. I put my head down in shame as I’m assaulted with the memories of all the red in my ledger. Every time the sword was drawn, someone had to die. And that someone wasn't always someone who deserved it. They had all started to blend together.

“The sword is getting out of control. I thought I had a solution, but I realize now that it was only a Band-Aid. Tyrfing is the real problem.” Anders said, moving away again.

"Whoa, hey asshole, calm down. I’m sitting right here." The sword joked. I didn't find it amusing.

“I saw the mess you made of the Rabbi. You came to me in a moment of clarity and weakness and told me you needed help. The next time you got the chance, you almost killed the detective. The rage is so tied up in who you are, it’s hard to tell where the sword ends and Chase begins.” He told me. I couldn't help but agree with him. But I wouldn't tell him that.

“I know who I am.” I replied, my voice little more than a whisper.

“Do you? Cause sometimes I can’t tell. So many lies and secrets mixed in with blind fury.” Anders face relaxed for a moment, and he stared at me with those grey eyes, looking into my tattered soul. “I’m calling in help. I can't do this on my own anymore. I should have done it years ago. I'm not Gideon. I can't restore this place to its former glory. I can't make it what it was back then.”

"He’s so full of hot air. I’m sick of listening to him talk. Cut out his tongue and feed it to him." Tyrfing insisted. I did everything I could to try and shut the intrusions out.

“What are you going to do?” I asked. I was also scared of what the sword could make me do. It had never taken full control like that before. I wanted to accept whatever fate Anders would offer, but I knew Tyrfing would fight me on it the entire way.

“I’m going to call Hector and Andrea. I can’t do this on my own anymore. There are too few of us here. We need more Chosen in the Cathedral. We need more action to be taken. There is too much going on and I’m worried about the kids. I worried about you. I’m worried about Sera. I can’t do this on my own anymore.” Anders said, his voice racing. I hadn't seen him cry in a long time, but he looked like a wreck. The thin veil of control he had was slipping away. And me being here was a constant threat to that.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? They both got away from this when Serena died. I don't know if they'll want to come back." I told him.

"We can kill them all at once. Excellent." Tyrfing said slowly. I tried not to vomit. The sword was planning on making me watch everyone I cared about die and Anders was going to collect them all into one place.

“I’m not sure about anything anymore Chase. But I have to try.” He said, wiping at his eyes with his pocket square.

I felt like I had all those years ago, sitting with Anders here in the Cathedral. He had always stressed over everything and I had always been the voice of reason, trying to calm him. But now, I was the loose cannon. I was a danger to everyone who called this place there home. The Progenitors had tasked him with keeping me here so that they all knew where I was, but what good would it do if I murdered every Order member who stepped through this door? I had to figure out how to separate myself from Tyrfing, and I was going to have to do it on my own.