The castle stood out amid the mist as a giant structure, majestic and aged. The moss that covered the rocks and the cracks within the bricks added onto that. The chain tying the castle doors together. Wight looked back at the gate of the estate, opened already. He slid the key out of his satchel, turning it over in his hand before turning to Kames.

“Are we ready?” Kames asked.

“Bad idea to ask me that. I’m not the most optimistic man alive,” Wight replied. He put the key into the lock and turned it. The chains fell down with a heavy thud as Wight pushed open the doors in front of him. What greeted him was not only the stench of dirty animals, but the sight of them as well. Some of them flew away, frightened by the loud sounds of the doors. Wight and Kames both entered and started walking, noticing the peculiarities of the place.

The walls were a dark red, with yellow on the bottom. Those were the colours of Izahn, the colours that their homeland put on the soldiers and its leaders. The walls had paintings lining them, depicting the royal family and events in the past. Wars of old, stuff like that. In only a few years, the entire inside had turned from looking regal to decrepit. Like an old king.

Flowers that were used for decorations now looked crumpled up. The pots that they were stored in stolen by the townspeople. They silently passed by a room filled with shelves of books. Kames walked up to them and took a few out, noting the quality of the books themselves and the state of the library.

“I used to spend so many hours in this place,” he continued, “Now look what it’s become.” He put the book back into its hiding place and joined Wight again. Apart from the unkemptness of the place, Wight didn’t notice anything out of place. They decided to go to where they’d find the most clues, Traks’ chambers.

It was on the second floor of the building, at the middle of the end of the hall that looked out at the first floor. The inside was filled with glasses of wine and plates of food. Traks’ had spent more time here than anywhere else. Whereas the other rooms looked like they dirty but never used, this one looked as if it had been overused. They searched around and found some books scattered around that talked of ghosts and spirits. Titans, even.

It actually surprised them how many of them talked of Fusion, an affinity that was exceedingly rare. “All this and yet no trace of the man,” Wight whispered. He looked at some of the ledgers and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Searching around, Wight couldn’t find a single indication of the man doing any bad business whatsoever. It could have been because all evidence was gone, but that was unlikely, as the townspeople wouldn’t know the value of such things.

“I think I agree, Kames. The man was clean. I don’t see any evidence of deals that might be under the table,” he said, slamming his hand on the table. “Which means the people of this village demonized him for no good reason. A man trying his best and they treat him like this?”

“I don’t think he can be that innocent, Wight. Maybe the villagers do have a point,” Kames replied.

“You really believe that?” Wight asked Kames, surprised. “I,” he paused for a second, “I don’t know. Let’s just search around for his…his corpse,” Kames said.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Wight replied, dropping the topic. He pointed towards a corner of the room where a shelf was situated. “What do you mean?” Kames asked him. Wight crouched down near the bookcase and waved over Kames.

“Look here, no dust. Seems our criminal just made a classic blunder,” Wight said as he stood up and pulled on the bookcase. It took a small bit of effort but he made it move on invisible hinges, opening it like a giant door. Behind it was a staircase, spiraling down towards unknown depths.

They prepared themselves before heading down the staircase to what awaited them. It didn’t run for long. A faint green glow could be seen coming out of an open doorway. They stepped into what seemed to be a small room, filled with glowing green veins that lined the walls and floor. In the middle of the room stood a pedestal, the top of which was hidden by a man standing in front of him. He was a lyclan, surrounded by another shorter lyclan and a homlin. He seemed to be the leader, as he stepped forth and began speaking.

“I know why you’re here, lawman, you need not be alarmed,” he said, seeming to stand taller than the rest of the men around him.

Wight put his hand in his satchel before speaking up himself. “If that were true, we wouldn’t be meeting in what seems to be the hidden chambers of a dead man. Are you the man whose been sending those bandits after me?” He asked.

“That would be me, yes. But it was for a good reason. My name is Chev,” the lyclan replied.

“Yeah, I’ve heard. Now tell me, what are you doing in my dead friend’s house?” Kames said.

“This is bigger than you or your friend. The trustman, he used to send people down here to die, feeding them to his monsters,” Chev started explaining.

“I’m not here for your local horror stories, Chev. Firstly, you’re going to come with me. Then, I’m going to investigate you and this entire chamber to find out why you’re trying to stop me. You can either come quietly now or risk getting injured as I drag your body out of this place.”

“And then what, I leave the next day a reformed citizen. Just leave, lawman. They don’t want you here. They won’t accept you!” Chev said.

Wight grew increasingly irritated with the man. He threw a vial in front of the man, but he seemed to have prepared for that. A fireball appeared in front of him, shooting towards the vial, blowing it up. Wight tried taking control of the vapours, but was too late as they mixed with the dirt around the room.

Kames put on his dusters and prepared to fight. “Did you not understand me? No one in this village wants you here. Let it govern itself,” Chev scoffed. Wight pulled out a couple of other vials. “And then what, a crime happens and the perpetrator goes unpunished? At which point do you let the criminal go? This town needs me, whether it wants it or not. I will not let lawlessness and relation stand in the way of justice!” Wight replied before sending out thick steam to cover them.

A hole of wind opened up in the cover, Chev standing on one side of it. Wight and Kames had moved, barely missing the hole that had opened up. Wight encountered the short lyclan man, ducking under a swing of his cudgel. He looked up and readied another burst of steam. Launching it in the man’s face, blinding him for a second. Wight grabbed the man and threw him over his shoulder.

As his back was turned, he didn’t notice the wind opening up another tunnel through the thick cloud. A fireball caught him at his back, burning it. Wight screamed in pain—giving the second lyclan enough time to escape. Kames was brawling with the homlin man, who wielded a sword. He swung down with his weapon but Kames caught it in the middle of his dusters. It still hurt, but less than cutting through his hand. He used his other hand to punch the man’s face, knocking a tooth out.

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Kames finished by punching the man in the solar plexus, knocking him out. Wight found the other lyclan again. He looked at his feet and launched himself at the man with a burst, readying his hand for a punch. The punch broke a few bones in his hand, but it hit the lyclan on the temple, making him tumble to the ground. He kicked him in the stomach for good measure before condensing the mist into his sac again.

“Stop this! Look what you’re doing, you’re hurting the very people you came here to protect. How many men will you need to bloody before you’re satisfied?” Chev shouted. He was stalling for time. “I’ll dirty my hands as many times as I need, if it means justice is served,” he said, clutching his arms. Chev saw him ready another burst of steam, he prepared his fireball in return. It would have enough force to send the derlin man back.

Wight launched at the lyclan, readying his other fist. Chev shot his fireball with all his might, putting all of his bewl into it. The fireball launched, furiously seeking out the target in front of it. It touched the skin of the man and then passed through it.

Chev stood dumbfounded. He looked over and noticed Kames’ arm glowing. “Oh no.”

Wight held the sac out in one hand, gathering the steam into one place. As soon as he was done, a beam of water vapour crashed into Chev, throwing him against the tapestry at the back of the room. He fell back down on the ground, unmoving. Kames walked up to Wight.

“Am I not a genius, Wight? He never saw it coming!” He boasted. Wight stopped grasping his hand and let it hang down his side. He straightened up to match Kames. “Honestly? It was. I can’t believe he fell for it,” Wight chuckled.

Chev was breathing still, so they didn’t worry much about him. The tapestry he crashed into had cracked however. It depicted the same things that were in Traks’ books. A girl and three monsters. They looked back over the room and noticed a hole that was being obfuscated by a cloth. Removing it and peering down, they found a horrific sight. Three monsters. No, not monsters. These were Titans. The ancient beasts who were strong enough to level towns and change the map of the world itself. 3 of them rested there, attached to machines that Wight had no clue of. In the centre stood a pile of bones. Bones that resembled aliusapiens.

“Oh, Hath be merciful, what are those?!” Kames asked.

“So those were the drawings…” Wight stared at them for a long while. He stopped looking at them to take his mind off of it.

“Let’s think about that later. For now, we should take these men and tie them up. I have a far worse punishment in mind for them later,” Wight said.

“What kind of punishment,” Kames inquired.

“They need to be made an example of. I see now that I haven’t been strict enough with these criminals. The town doesn’t respect my authority, and therefore, my power.”

“Wight, I don’t think that’s going to make them listen. The more you do that, the more they’re against you. Maybe you should actually lighten up?” Kames suggested.

“Lighten up? Kames, they’re committing crimes in broad daylight. The more I lighten up, the more they’ll take advantage of us, that’s how they are!”

“Yes, but trying another option wouldn’t hurt would it? All I’m saying i-“

He was interrupted by the sound of a girl. She sounded weak, barely human in fact. “Please…Please is anyone there?” Kames and Wight both stopped arguing and started looking around for the girl. “Are you okay, girl? Where are you?” Wight asked.

“I’m not somewhere you can see me. Please, you need to listen to me,” she begged. Wight and Kames nodded to each other. “We’ll listen,” Kames said.

“Thank you. Someone…Someone trapped me here. I can’t leave. Not until someone puts their hand on that pedestal. It’s dangerous though, so be careful. It will give you the power of those Titans, but you need to control it. If you don’t, you’ll be consumed.”

“Are you sure there’s no other way? Tell us where you are, we can free you!” Kames asked.

“I can’t be freed normally. I’m not fully alive. But please, consider what I’m saying.”

“That’s why Traks kept sacrificing men, to fuel this machine. He was trying to gain power beyond Drivers,” Wight talked to himself. “We’ll do it!” He told the girl. “No! Wight, have you lost your mind?” Kames shouted.

“Think about this, Kames. You said they won’t respect my power, so if I gain power like this, they won’t have any reason not to listen to me!” he reasoned.

“This isn’t what I meant by that! You’d rather turn into a tyrant than search for another way to help this poor girl?” he was in awe at what Wight was suggesting.

“I do what I do for justice, Kames. I won’t be corrupted.”

They both took a few steps away from each other. “I can’t let you do this, Wight. I don’t trust you with this much power,” Kames said. “Then you’re in the way of the law, Kames,” Wight replied.

Kames shot forward, so fast that Wight didn’t have enough time to react and ready a burst of steam. He only had his special vials left. Before Wight could open the first one, Kames came at him with a flurry of hits aimed at his arms, but more importantly his vials. He crushed the one in Wight’s hand, sending glass shards into his fingers and spilling the concoction on the floor. He then seized the man by the straps of his satchel and pulled him forward before kneeing him. Wight spat at the man’s face, before burning that spit and maneuvering it into one of his eyes. Kames flinched and let go of his satchel, giving Wight ample enough time to prepare another vial. He let it boil into steam, keeping it around him. He shot a burst of it onto the homlin’s face, irritating his face. Wight then used it to slam Kames onto the ceiling.

Kames was laid across the floor, coughing. “I thought you were out of bewl,” he asked. Wight held up a slightly glowing crystal. “I kept some just in case.” He said, heaving. Kames pulled himself up and created several copies, each running into, around and over the other. Wight tried blasting several of them with steam to no avail. They kept doing feints, until one of them hit him with punch in his broken arm. That won’t be healing well, he thought. Wight the last of his vials, turning them into steam to cover the entire room. He created a bubble of steam around his face, invisible to what was happening outside. The only breathable air was in this bubble of his, so he tried to use it sparingly. The various gases covered every corner of the room, some of them escaping into the stairwell.

After a few minutes, he dispelled the entire cloud, finding Kames unconscious on the floor. He sat down on the ground and coughed. Guess I wasn’t perfect enough with the bubble. He searched Kames, making sure the man was breathing properly.

“Don’t worry, Kames. I won’t be corrupt. I can contain this,” he said, mostly to himself. “I’ll help you escape, girl. Be happy!” he loudly proclaimed. “Thank you,” she said in an innocent voice. He walked over to the pedestal, the hand indent awaiting him. He readied himself, took a deep breath and put his hand on the machine.

And it all went wrong. Suddenly a flood of energy consumed him, warping him and his body. The room seemed to grow smaller, more confined. His head burst through the basement and onto the first floor of the castle. What was happening to him, what had happened to the rest downstairs? Surely they’d survived this, right? His worry did no help in containing his newfound power. The castle exploded apart in response to his emotions, creating a crater.

No…What have I done? They were dead, the small piles of blood were indicative of that. What did you do to me!? He wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out. They were too difficult. His form was far removed from normal. He didn’t look like a derlin at all. The only thing he could see were his antlers, twisted into the form of demonic horns. I need a mirror, I need a- As if in response to his statements, a beam burst out from his mouth, destroying the hills in front of him, leading to the ocean. The dirt and grass flew, landing everywhere. The parts that remained were scorched.

What of the villagers, let me see! Let me turn back! His body didn’t obey as his thoughts were drowned out. Slowly, he lost to the other 3 beasts battling for control in his mind. It was shattered, the pieces would never be together again. The village must have been devastated too, no way it could have survived a blast that big. He thought he could hear the faint sound of screaming.

He walked, step by step, away from everything he had had. Two days, that’s as long as it took Wight to gain and lose everything. How did one even accomplish that? Those thoughts were the only thing to accompany him as he trotted slowly into the ocean, a deepness that seemed all the more welcoming this day.