“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Argia’s voice was filled with confusion. Cain shook his head as her eyes pierced through his soul. There were too many thoughts that suddenly started raging in his head. It hurt to think. He could hear the whispers of his Mark and past lurking, like a shadow in his mind. I shouldn’t have said that.

“Ignore it. I’ll just leave.” Cain quickly lugged his bag over his back and rushed towards the door. His heart pounded fast, he couldn’t breathe. His Mark kept on squirming on his back, speaking to him in a language invisible to him. There was blood everywhere. He had to leave.

“Wait- where are you going?” Caught off guard, Argia tried to get off the counter but stumbled on the ground.

“Back. Cabin.” Cain wheezed out, opening the door. Bright light briefly blinded him, but he still stumbled out.

“Please! Be careful Cain!” Those were Argia’s last words that Cain could hear as the door shut heavily behind him. He kneeled on the ground below the sign as he tried to keep breathing, his hands clutching his chest. Calm down. Breathe. Calm down. He repeatedly chanted, trying to ignore the flood of visions pounding his mind and thoughts. Slowly, he emptied his thoughts, his emotions, everything. His breathing steadied and steadied, until it was serene. He coughed as he slowly stood back up, his vision that of the busy plaza filled with the bumbling hunters and traders. Everything was okay.

“I won’t let it control me.” He whispered out as he finally settled back on his feet, his heart beating steady. Finally having calmed down, Cain started the return back to his cabin.

-

The way back from Sanctuary to his cabin was less eventful when he left the fort. Cain didn’t bother to look at anything as his mind fixated on returning back to his home. Thankfully the guards were less protective of those who were leaving, and there didn’t seem to be many visitors on the road. Cain rushed like a wild beast, mindlessly running towards his cabin in the woods. After an hour from leaving Argia’s forge, he finally found himself close to the clearing of his cabin. Relief finally overcame him as the old, rotting log of the gate came into view. Wait. Cain stopped when he saw two dark figures standing by the gate. Who are they? Cain’s eyes narrowed as he pulled out his sword, its black edge shining in the bright sunlight. The figures were covered in dark cloaks, and one was slightly larger and taller than the other. They could be the ones who killed the deer. He couldn’t tell, but he had to be careful. Cain resolved himself as he quietly moved towards the figures, making sure his steps were light enough to not make sound. Slowly and steadily, Cain stopped behind a tree a few feet away from the two, their figures much more clearer now. The cloaks covered a lot, but he could make out a glint of silver light from underneath the taller figure, and some white robe from underneath the other.

“My lady, are you sure he will come? We cannot be outside for long.” A familiar, masculine baritone voice entered his ear.

“He has to. The smith told us he lives here.” A woman’s voice replied, almost song-like. Cain’s eyes widened in recognition. These two are the Avalon visitors? Why are they here? Confusion struck him as he watched the two fiddle with the gate. Why did they ask Argia about me? Against his inner instinct, he let his curiosity get to him. He stepped out from the trees behind the two, purposely making himself known with his loud footsteps on the snow covered ground. The larger robed figure immediately reacted upon hearing so, springing into action and pulling out a crescent hilted short sword. It gleaned a golden light towards Cain, who casually ignored it with his own blade out. Cain stared directly into the obsidian mask of the knight, golden eyes like beams towards him.

“Who are you two, and why are you here?” Cain growled out, his eyes now flickering between the two. Suddenly, he watched as the other cloaked figure turned towards him, and pulled down their hood. Long, light blonde hair draped out from behind a pretty pale face, where crystalline amethyst eyes rested on him. She bore a small smile between her ruby lips.

“My name is Jeanne, and my friend’s name is Ogier. We don’t bear any ill will, Sir Cain. We came to meet you.” She did a light bow in greeting before slightly turning towards the robed man to her left. In response, Ogier quickly sheathed his sword, before doing a quick bow as well. What the. Cain was dumbfounded at the extreme politeness that the two showed. It was unlike any response to his blade he had seen. But they don’t seem dangerous though. If they had wanted to hurt Cain, they would’ve done things much differently. Cain decided to put some of his defenses down, lowering his sword but not entirely sheathing it.

“Why me?” Cain’s voice dripped with suspicion. They had to have known what they were looking for if they were specifically searching for him.

“I heard about your exploits as a Hunter and was curious. On what kind of person you are.”

“Then you should go. I am not what you want.” Cain scoffed, sheathing his sword as he tried to walk past them. However, Ogier suddenly stepped in between and blocked Cain’s path. Ogier’s golden globes flared with anger.

“You dare insult the Lady Saint-” Ogier stopped, turning to see Jeanne having placed her hand on his shoulder. His fire was immediately extinguished by her smile that was wicked calm.

“Please excuse my behavior. I apologize.” Ogier did a one eighty as he did a huge bow towards Cain, causing great confusion in him. One moment it seemed like Ogier was ready to fight Cain, but with one look from Jeanne, he completely changed. A sudden curiosity wormed within Cain.

“Lady Saintess? Must be important.” He indifferently said as he tried to look at the young woman with a different lens. Doesn’t particularly look any different from any other person. She could be described as attractive, but otherwise looked like a normal girl, maybe a year or two younger than Cain. Jeanne’s eyes widened, before giving out a small laugh.

“Somewhat, I guess. But I didn’t really pick the title.” She warmly smiled, before pulling off the glove of her right hand. A phoenix? Cain looked at Jeanne’s Mark with great surprise. On the back of her hand, was the image of an amethyst bird, with wings of flames. Usually, a Mark depicted that of an animal, and Cain had never seen one that wasn’t one. But it was rarer to have one be a higher ranked creature or monster, especially with it being colored.

“Kind of strange, huh?” Jeanne teasingly said as she put her glove back on. Cain turned towards Ogier.

“What about your friend? Is he a Greater as well?”

“Yes, he is. You can reveal it to Sir Cain.” Ogier nodded, before removing his gauntlet and revealing his exposed skin. A Scar! Cain couldn’t believe his eyes. The damaged skin on his hand was much bigger than even Cain’s, the patch almost covering Ogier’s entire hand. It even shimmered a silver light, a color that Cain hadn’t seen a Mark emit before.

“No need to show yours. But I would like to talk to you more within a much warmer place. If you would allow us, of course.” Jeanne spoke with a softness, giving a slight glance toward the snow covered log cabin as Ogier equipped his gauntlet once more. Cain sighed inwardly, scratching his head. It was a slight headache, but ultimately they didn’t seem like bad people. He wondered what the old man what’ve done in this situation. He would welcome them with open arms, right? Cain shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

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“Fine. But not for long.” He hoped he wouldn't regret his decision.

“Thank you, Sir Cain.” Jeanne’s smile was too bright for Cain, like the sunlight on a bright summer day.

-

The old wooden door opened with a loud creak as Cain pushed it open, having just unlocked it moments before. Light entered the living room, illuminating the dust covered floor as he entered. Looks like the past. He mused as he forced himself to look around the room, reminiscing the times he spent in the cabin.

“I apologize, everything hasn’t been used in a while.” Cain murmured sheepishly as he turned to look at his two visitors entering behind him.

“Oh my.” Jeanne’s eyes widened at the items that were all basked in dust. Everything aside from the hallway that led to doors to other rooms was seemingly covered in it. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything rotten or decaying, or at least there didn’t seem to have the scent of it.

“I don’t like being in this area too long.” Cain caught a small glimpse of an old photo on the wall before quickly turning away to the kitchen on the right. At least nothing was in the small kitchen that would bring back any forgotten memories, only an old battered sink and table accompanied with chairs. Cain quickly moved over to the table and pulled out three of the four chairs, the wood creating a violent shriek as it slid on the floor.

“Here. Sit.” Cain grunted as he gestured an invitation towards his guests who were still marveling at the state of the cabin.

“Oh. Thank you.” Jeanne lightly smiled as she broke out from her daze, and the two made their way over. Ogier was faster however. Cain watched as Ogier cleaned the chair that faced opposite of Cain’s, before gesturing towards Jeanne to sit.

“You don’t need to do that, Ogier.” Jeanne slightly pouted as she sat down. Ogier shook his head, turning away as he stood a small distance behind her. Cain raised an eyebrow as she settled down.

“Don’t want to sit?” Cain gave a small glance towards Ogier, who just stared him down like a hawk. It was kind of uncomfortable, even to a person like Cain who has been through many rough situations.

“It’s fine, Ogier is always too formal.” Her voice was teasingly directed towards the knight, her long hair tussling down her cloak. A brief silence filled the room, before Cain faked a cough.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” He was still not really sure why the two were here, and the last time he did ask it wasn’t really answered completely.

“Ah, yes of course!” Jeanne's laugh was like a songbird’s. Her purple eyes twinkled even in the dimly lit room.

“So, I had heard of you from Jason, and he told me that you were Sanctuary’s greatest Hunter. So I was curious about the adventures and the legends you have created.” Her voice was filled with an almost fervent curiosity, face full of innocent wonder. Cain scratched the back of his head, inwardly cursing. That damned Golden boy. Jason always had been a headache, and he never had changed even after all the years Cain had seen him. He gave a long, drawn out sigh.

“I don’t do ‘adventures’ anymore, and they never were ‘grand’. It was just killing.” Cain’s eyes were a soulless red as he remembered the images that haunted him for every moment of his life.

“Oh. I see.” Jeanne’s face had fallen from the heavens from Cain’s response. But, when it rose back up, it was more sympathetic and serious.

“I apologize for the insincerity. I had forgotten what it was like outside of Avalon.” Cain’s eyes widened when he heard the words.

“What do you mean by that?” He was confused. How would it be any different?

“Those that ascend Avalon’s Tower are heroes to those that live there. Especially our wonderful Knights, like Ogier.” Jeanne smiled as she glanced over to the silent knight behind her, who just shrugged in response. She continued.

“Their exploits are recognized as legends to our Church. Especially after the Tower outbreak that occurred some years ago.”

“A Tower outbreak?” A Tower outbreak was when the monsters managed to come out from deep within the Tower and escape into the world, attacking and killing any humans they saw. Cain had only witnessed one in his lifetime, but thankfully they were only lower ranked monsters so the casualties were low. Jeanne nodded.

“Yes, the Tower outbreak was a calamity to Avalon. It was only with the bravery of heroes like Ogier that Avalon survived.” She paused, her eyes deep in thought.

“I guess that was the moment the need for heroes to climb the Tower was known.” Cain stayed silent as he parsed through the information that was thrown at him. Their ideals were almost like Jason’s Argonauts, a group Cain disliked but didn’t mind. But what did it mean to be a hero? Were they just playing pretend? He never thought about it, but he couldn’t help but feel angry at the idea. Because the nightmares he has been through coursed through his soul every night. Cain clenched his fist tightly.

“Heroes don’t exist here, especially not me.” Cain growled out as he suddenly stood up, his chair falling to the ground and causing Jeanne to be taken back to his response. Ogier immediately stepped forward from behind Jeanne, his right hand reaching for his blade. Cain’s Mark squirmed on his back, as shrieks echoed within his head. He was only a killer. Cain’s breaths were heavy as he slowly calmed down, the visions lessening as he forced his thoughts down.

“My apologies, Sir Cain. I meant no offense.” Jeanne said, her face filled with sincerity and a weird calmness. Cain shook his head, his head cooling down as he fixed his chair’s positioning. Image still ran freely within his vision, but he ignored them as he tried to calm down.

“No, it’s my fault. I… hate the Towers.” Cain sighed as he sat back down, his eyes staring into the ridges of the wooden table. Everyone that had survived from the Rapture seemingly treated the Towers as a gift, from whatever god that existed. It always seemed like Cain was the insane one, the only one who hated it.

“I see, that’s understandable.”

“Huh?” Caught surprised by her response, Cain looked back up to see soft violet eyes.

“I know not of your experiences, but the Towers could be said to be an unholy place of death. Where humans go to die in the worst way possible, and causes much grief and sadness. It can break people.” She paused.

“But to me, it’s also hope. A way for us to survive in the world that has been broken long ago and fix it. As well as the people that had been broken as well.” Finishing her words, Jeanne stood up, Cain too caught off guard to even react. Ogier immediately returned to her side, the silent knight overprotective.

“I think we have prolonged our stay, but thank you for allowing us into your home, Sir Cain. I enjoyed meeting you.” Jeanne smiled warmly, her purple eyes shimmering with a mischievous light.

“Umm. No problem.” Cain’s words were sheepish, still trying to wrap his head around the words and response she had. Hope, was that the Towers? Maybe. But it was also hell. Cain watched the two walk over to the door, before Jeanne turned to look back at him, her face partially obscured by the darkness that the light couldn’t reach.

“The huge expedition into the Tower within Sanctuary is tomorrow. We plan to join them for a couple of levels. But.” Jeanne’s voice was soft but firm in conviction, the door of the cabin opening wide by Ogier. Light basked her figure as she stepped out.

“I hope I see you there, Sir Cain.” She disappeared as she walked out into the cold winter air. Ogier gave a brief glance towards Cain, before following Jeanne out as well. The door was quickly shut, leaving Cain in the darkness. A familiar silence filled the cabin once more.

“Damn it.” He muttered. A feeling that Cain hated so much, a feeling he kept deep within him for so long now, rose from the depths of his abyss. Was it hope? Was it loneliness? He couldn’t tell anymore. Why did a stranger’s words manage to resonate for him? Cain couldn’t understand it, couldn’t comprehend why. Did the Tower really break him? Did he really hate the tower? Or did he hate something else instead? There were too many questions that floated within his mind that it began to hurt. He shook his head. He was overthinking again. I need more rest. Think later. Cain stomped off from the table, and made his way to his room. He mindlessly slammed the door open, and entered the sparse bedroom. It was barely illuminated by the light from the window. He lazily dropped his stuff all in the corner, before jumping onto his bed. Cain closed his eyes, the mental exhaustion finally catching up to him. He let go, the black abyss reclaiming him once more.

-

His eyes burned a scarlet red as he kept eating. His vision was blurred between seven images as his saber-like teeth ripped through the dark meat, ravaging it faster than he could swallow. He was so hungry. So, so hungry. Even as he ate and ate, it felt like his hunger grew instead. Even when all that was left was small bones, he was still ravenous. He needed more. His scaled claws reached out to grab another tiny body nearby on the blood stained ground, breaking the cloth armor as he grasped flesh. As he tore through meat once more, he could barely hear muffled screeches through his chewing. It became quieter and quieter as he devoured more and more. Eventually, nothing was left but bones.