Natasha and Sophia’s apartment was only a ten to twenty-minute walk from the tower, so I took a bit of a detour, deciding to enjoy the cool night air on my still warm skin.

As I walked through the city streets, I did a lot of reflecting.

Since returning, I had fallen back into old habits. When I had first gained prominence in the Huntsmen, I had faced no shortage of arrogant assholes wanting to prove themselves by putting the newest mutt in its place, since they didn’t dare go against the old wolves of the pack.

I had faced challenger after challenger until I adopted a persona to dissuade them. It had been easy back then.

“Pretend to be something for long enough, and eventually you will become it.”

Katya’s words echoed in my thoughts, and I shook my head with a smile.

“Guess she was right.” I thought to myself as I ran a finger over the newly added control rune at the back of my neck.

Previously, I had just channeled as much energy as my body could handle without breaking apart, often doing just as much damage to myself as I did to anyone else. Hence why I often spent weeks recovering from minor scraps.

It had been necessary when I didn’t have a foundation to build on, but after having laid one, it had just become a bad habit. Like an addiction, the feeling of invincibility was hard to let go of, even if it wasn’t real.

“It also didn’t hurt that it kept my mind off of other things.” I thought with a sad smile.

But now I would refine my own power instead of guzzling down the equivalent of industrial waste. The amount would be a lot smaller than infinite, but it would be pure and far more potent than before.

“And I won’t have to worry as much about the influence it has on me.”

***

While walking I felt strange, wrong somehow. I’d gotten used to the occasional Sentire security detail wandering around here and there, but this was different.

An ally-cat hissed, knocking over a trashcan in its hurry to flee. I only had enough time to look back and see a pair of pitch-black eyes before he jabbed a hypodermic needle filled with an inky black liquid into my neck and pushed the plunger down, emptying its contents into my carotid artery.

He’d made a mistake, though... He was still within reach.

I reached out and grabbed him, seeing the change from condescending enmity to sudden shock and horror as I used the miniscule amount of pure power I had refined on my short walk and easily overpowered him, pulling him towards me.

The last thing I remember is having one hand around his neck and the other dug through his back to grip his spine, then a wet tearing sound like paper ripping.

I fell to my knees as panting. Whatever had been in that syringe was shutting down my system, and fast, any leftover energy I could refine immediately went into combating the toxin.

“Anomaly Secured, awaiting extraction team.” I heard behind me before I passed out.

***

I sat there, leaned against the cold cobble in the dark.

“Why would you do this to me?” I asked miserably.

“You are my brother, and as much I know this will hurt you, I wanted you here with me, at the end.” Arkos replied.

“Asshole.” I accused with a sad laugh.

“Aleks, please don’t curse in church.” Arkos admonished.

I was quiet for a while before stating in disbelief.

“You still revere her, your goddess Arnoel.”

“Of course.” Arkos replied swiftly.

“Even after all this?!” I yelled as I got up and stared into the cell where my friend, my brother, sat beaten and branded, chained to a wall, wearing the black robes of an apostate.

Yet as he sat there, all I saw in him was the same iron resolve I had always known.

“You knew I would never allow this to happen.” I said as I slowly brushing my fingers over the oath branded into the skin of my forearm.

“I knew you would rather burn this entire city to ashes and turn every temple to Arnoel into a pile of rubble than watch an old friend die a cruel death.” Arkos answered with a heavy breath.

“Then just leave with me.” I pleaded, as I had done many times before.

“We can still leave. The war rages over a thousand worlds, fucking pick one and we’ll leave.”

“I deserve this Aleks. Running won’t change that.”

“DESERVE?!” I yelled angrily.

“For what?!” I demanded.

“Aleks, I killed those of fellow cloth. That is a sin.” Arkos said.

“You’re throwing your life away over killing those sick, twisted wretches? After what they DID?! Every child in that city sleeps safe tonight and no parent will ever have to fear those fucking monsters again, because of what you did.” I said, gripping onto the bars of the cell.

“Where’s the justice in that?” I demanded.

Arkos remained silent for a long time before meeting my gaze again.

“Aleks, I know you don’t do well alone, that the dark things we all pushed on to you, fight you for control. Therefore, anything Arnoel does not welcome back into her arms, I will leave to you.” Arkos said solemnly.

***

I stood in the empty square looking down at Arkos.

They had pierced his heart and lungs with ornate spears and left him to rot for four days and four nights, as was their custom for an apostate.

The oath on my arm was slowly fading as the other party was no longer alive to uphold it.

“I’m sorry, old friend, but I do not think I can honor your last wish.” I thought as I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder.

It had always been an offer, a choice. But not this time. This time, it was a silent plea.

I turned quickly, not wanting to see the macabre imitation of my friend, as the remnants of his shadow rose from his body and stood behind me.

Upon death, we leave many things behind, our bodies, and our shadows cannot go with us. A necromancer will use a body for its durability while substituting its will with their own.

My way was different. I took the remnants of will and shadow of experiences and gave them a vessel to inhabit.

The results stayed the same, empty shells of the people that used to be. Nothing more.

I stood, not daring to look, and wallowed in my misery until I felt a hand on my shoulder and an intense burning of the oath mark on my forearm. Realization and hope took hold of me as I turned around.

***

I ran as fast as I could through the forest; the wound in my thigh burning with every step I took.

CRACK

I stopped and stood completely still as I listened.

Creaking trees, scurrying animals, leaves softly mo-

Tchek

The sound of a rifle bolt being released echoed out as I threw myself to the ground, barely escaping the hail of bullets tearing the brush to pieces where I had been moments before.

“Who the fuck are these guys!?” I thought.

***

I had woken up in a military helicopter only lit with a red light as it flew over a densely wooded area. Barely ten seconds after I woke up, the man to my left noticed and pulled out a syringe with clear liquid, stabbing it towards me in one smooth motion.

It took everything I had to rip the restraints holding me to the gurney and move out of the way, but that had only been the beginning of my troubles as three identically outfitted soldiers wearing black with their faces covered moved to restrain me. One of them had even pulled a knife and started deliberately aiming for tendons and muscle groups to decrease my mobility.

During the fighting, the side door of the chopper had opened and when the three of them pinned me against the opposite wall, I kicked with everything I had, thinking I would survive the fall and they wouldn’t. A fraction of a second was all they needed to realize what I had tried to do and simply let go, letting me jettison myself out of the flying vehicle and plummet to the forest below. But not before the fourth guy shot me in the fucking thigh with an injection pistol, injecting some small capsule shaped object under my skin.

I had been running through this forest for the past hour trying to get away, but they always knew exactly where I was. The capsule in my thigh was almost certainly a tracker.

“These guys are well equipped and coordinated.” I thought, honestly a little impressed.

It had become clear that they possessed neither superhuman endurance nor senses, but they came damned close. At one point, I thought I had finally tired them out, but another team simply took over where they left off.

I was being aggressively and methodically hunted.

As far as I could tell, they currently had three teams of four pursuing me, with an additional team in reserve. Their numbers had made them bold as they started spreading out thinner and thinner.

I finally scrapped together enough power to form a small scalpel-like shard of coalesced shadow. I quickly used it to cut open my thigh and felt for the small capsule in the dark.

“Time to even the playing field a little.” I thought as I held up the small blinking device in the moonlight.

***

“All teams. Target has picked up speed heading north. Continue current vector to clearing for pickup.” A voice said as I held the headset to my ear.

I looked down at the man slumped up against a tree. After examining him, I confirmed that he was without a doubt human, but different. His skin felt too hot and his eyes a little too alert.

After throwing the tracker into a river, I had barely gotten the drop on him.

I took off his rucksack and threw all the contents of his pockets and carry rig into it, before getting ready to move. I had only just stood up when locked eyes with a green light on the other side of a small clearing.

We both froze, before he leapt into action, running full sprint at me as I heard him over the headset

“TWO-TWO DOWN, REPEAT TWO-TWO DOWN, EYES ON TARGET!”

I took off running again as bullets whizzed by all around me, two just grazing me and one passing through my bicep, but I had finally hit a turning point.

I felt the last remnants of sedatives, and whatever the hell that Sanguinares had injected me with, leave my body. Smoke rose from my wounds to close them, and I started to pick up speed, putting some distance between me and my pursuers.

I was descending a steep hill towards a road when I saw headlights in the distance.

“Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.” I said out loud, exasperated.

As the lights came closer, I realized it wasn’t a military vehicle but an 18-wheeler. I Knelt down in the ditch out of sight and started sorting every bit of electronics the soldier had on him into the backpack.

Moments later, I stood up from the ditch and threw the backpack onto the bed of the truck as it passed, and then I kept moving.

***

The sun had begun setting again as I reached a small truck stop with a payphone out front.

I had continued running all day, rarely stopping long.

I walked up to the payphone and fed it a couple of quarters from the soldier’s wallet and dialed three different numbers, a painting ad on a van parked nearby, then one of those catchy five-fives numbers, on each I left a voice mail talking complete nonsense for around five to ten minutes.

Then I dialed the number for the lobby of The Tower.

“Eve Inc. How may I direct your call?” a bored voice asked.

I tried to sound as charming as possible.

“Hi, I’m gonna have to ask a weird favor from you. Could you hear me out before hanging up?” I asked, trying to sound charming.

“This isn’t that kind of hotline, buddy.” She responded coldly.

“Not what I had in mind, either. I just need you to write down a couple of words on a piece of paper. Please?” I said, chuckling lightly.

She exhaled deeply.

“Fine, I’ll bite, go ahead.” She said, seeming to think this would at least be a funny story to tell later.

“Okay, this is gonna sound a little insane, but please just write down exactly what I say.”

“Titan, red coat, ambush, injected, black liquid, G.I. Joe, restraint, break, pursuit, no mess. Got that?” I asked, pausing.

“Affirmative.” she responded in a voice focused and sharp.

“Good. Are these calls recorded?” I asked, having passed along the important parts.

“Yes, sir.”

“Take care of the doggy. He’ll stay good and nearby. It might be time for that new construction project, nothing important left behind. Going off to the woods for a bit. I’ll call when there’s time. Also be careful, there are a lot of mosquitoes buzzing around along with big brother. I’ll leave contact info with the black laced one later in case of trouble.”

***

“-I’ll leave contact info with the black laced one later in case of trouble.” the recording stopped

“Any idea what that was all about?” Katya asked Sophia and Natasha in her office.

“A Red Court Sanguinares ambushed him and injected him with a syringe of black liquid, likely the highly concentrated version of their venom we’ve heard rumors of them testing on Alpha’s down south. Then he was captured by what he suspects to be the military. He broke free and evaded their pursuit. Although from his tone and the fact he didn’t just come back to the tower, I would say they left a hell of an impression on him, so probably Special-Branch.” Natasha explained.

“Couldn’t have been a simple police patrol?” Katya asked.

“Maybe, but something blue would have fit better. Big brother is very different. What worries me is the proximity and timing of the Red court attack and the abduction by Special-Branch.” Natasha replied.

“Yes, they shouldn’t have been able to get this close to the tower without our patrols picking up on them. And it would have extremely serious implications if the red court actually cooperated with Special-Branch. Only thing I don’t understand is this black laced one, bit.” Katya said, confused.

“That would be me, Ma’am.” Sophia said.

Natasha and Katya looked at each other before Katya asked,

“How so?”

“I wore black lace that night.” Sophia said, no hint of embarrassment.

“I see... Well, inform me when he makes contact.” Katya said.