For hours after Katya's visit, I sat alone in the dark, as old memories haunted me.

"You've always been naïve. Ever since they brought you to me on that cart, barely alive. You trusted my every word. My every teaching. Never once questioning my intentions. You were a fool then and you're a fool now." Liala's voice echoed from the surrounding darkness.

"If you want to break me, you'll have to try harder than that." I replied angrily.

The voice had changed to something distorted and foreign,

"You know the truth, and so do we. They will turn their backs on you like all the rest."

I felt them circling me in the shadows, desperate and insidious, looking for any weakness they could exploit. A dark shape stepped forward, twisted and inhuman.

"Let us ouuuut" it rumbled.

I stood up with a sigh and called out,

"Arkos."

He stepped out of the dark behind me, menacingly looking down at the misshapen thing in front of us before pulling out an obsidian sword and cleaving the shadow in two.

It let out a hideous screech of pain as red lines of energy crept over the two halves, burning it. The surrounding entities pulled back in fear.

"I need some fresh air.” I thought tiredly.

***

I took a quick shower and put on something not covered in soot and sweat and left towards the surface.

Stepping off the elevator into the lobby, I found Clara standing in front of a window, rays of sunlight dancing lightly over her skin.

She spotted me in the glass’s reflection and spun around with a bright smile.

“Katya had some of us younger Sentire test them out to see the effects.” She said, waving a hand with a ring on her index finger.

“It’s awesome.” She blurted out with a silly grin.

I chuckled lightly as I shook my head at the young Sentire.

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself, but have you even left the lobby yet?” I asked. Clara frowned slightly, looking out the main doors.

“How about a pleasant walk in the park? I could use some fresh air.” I asked, seeing she might need a little push.

***

After a ten-minute walk, we entered the closest city park.

“I’m feeling a lot weaker. I also feel a little tired from the walk, but no daytime drowsiness at all.” Clara happily gushed, practically running back and forth.

We’d made it halfway through the park before I started noticing it.

“Something’s off. I can’t put my finger on it, but it started as we entered the park.” I thought, looking around.

Clara stopped and stared at me.

“You’re not listening to me, are you?” She said with a frown.

“Hmm? Sorry, I’m just stuck in my own head today.” I lied.

“You feeling okay?” She asked worriedly.

“Yeah, just feeling weird.” I said, walking up next to her.

“Better not push yourself too much today. The rings will have a harder effect on you than someone older. Let’s go back for now.” I said, nodding back towards where we came from.

But on our walk back towards the entrance to the previously busy park, we started seeing fewer and fewer people until it was just the two of us left.

“Aleks, what’s happening?” Clara asked, unnerved.

I kept walking without responding until the water fountain at the entrance to the park came into view. Every bench was desolate except for one occupied by a single person, a brown-haired woman in her late thirties wearing a suit. As we approached, she stood up and met us halfway.

“Mr. Titanos, my name is Amanda Grenshaw. I represent what is often referred to as Special-Branch, although we have no official name. And I have been instructed to make contact with you in the hopes that we might discuss a few things.” She said pitch perfect as if rehearsed.

I felt a familiar hair-raising attention on me and suddenly found myself acutely aware we were standing out in the open, visible from every building within a mile.

Clara had frozen beside me, her eyes frantically searching for an escape path.

“I need to stall and find a way to get her out of here.” I thought.

“Not exactly a friendly greeting, considering the amount of eyes aimed at me.” I replied harshly.

“Merely a safety precaution. We thought you might be confused about our last interaction.” She said calmly.

“Where you drugged and kidnapped me before hunting me through a forest?”

“We didn’t attack and drug you. We saved you and tried to bring you somewhere we could help you. If you’ll recall, our men only tried to sedate and restrain you.” She argued.

“And the little jog through the forest?”

“We feared you might have gone into a frenzy from the highly concentrated dose of vampire venom in your system. But even then, we prioritized corralling you away from population centers and planned for an eventual capture, not elimination.” She explained smoothly.

“That’s a good spin. Did you come up with that, or do you have a dedicated team for it?” I asked provokingly.

She seemed to consider something before responding.

“Your hostility and distrust are misplaced.” She said in an odd rhythm.

“Really? So you wouldn’t try to stop me-” My instinct roared its warning, and I brought up every bit of power I could as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t enough.

I felt the impact rock my skull as my mouth filled with the taste of metal, and all I could hear were my own ears ringing.

Suddenly, the smell of burning hair and flesh assaulted my senses as I felt more than heard a pained voice yell out.

“DON’T. TOUCH. HIM.”

Then, I just felt cold...

“So cold, so-”

***

“-Fucking cold! How can it even be so fucking cold?” I yelled over the howling winds.

“STOP YOUR WHINING AND GET A MOVE ON! WE STILL HAVE ANOTHER TWO HOURS TO THE CITY!” Sarge yelled out, before he turned back to our guide.

“Se’am, I swear, if we make it back to Abnalon, I will never complain about the heat again.” I said to Se’am as his seven-foot bulky frame momentarily shielded me from the icy winds. I paused, relishing the brief respite from the biting chill.

“Yeeess, young human. Bask in the glory that is Se’am the Great hunter!” Se’am declared ostentatiously, seeing the slight relief on my face.

“You naturally hairy fucker.” I thought enviously, with a smile.

“MOVE IT!” Sarge yelled from the front with enough power to still the air around us for an instant... But it quickly returned with a vengeance, chasing us as we tried to catch up with the rest of the squad.

***

We finally reached the city, and it was a thing to behold. Massive iron and wood walls cut right into the ice circling the city and at its heart stood a monstrous structure of metal, harnessing the heat generated by the geothermal vent underneath the city.

This world was littered with similar cities fighting to survive this icy hell-scape by huddling up to active volcanos. Something considered insane anywhere else.

The Legion had ordered us to send a scout team to determine whether or not it would be worth it to shave off three months’ travel by traversing a couple hundred miles of this frozen terrain to get to the next pathway. And if so, we had orders to clear out anything posing a threat to the legions’ advance, be they sentient or chaotic.

“By the great wilds.” Se’am muttered reverently, looking towards something that looked suspiciously like a tavern with a sign saying The Warm Hearth.

A very inviting name, considering the environment, which was probably the point.

Se’am turned back and looked pleadingly at Sarge.

“Behave yourself, you fool. We’ll meet you there after I’ve met with my contact. But don’t cause any problems.” Sarge said, his voice dipping dangerously low in warning.

Se’am grinned at me, before taking off across the planks of wood used as walkways through the muddy streets. The locals angrily yelling after him because of the splashes of mud and water he made in his hurry.

Sarge just stood there, shaking his head, before turning to me.

“Go with him, make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.” He ordered, exasperation clear in his tone.

“Why’s he always gotta be my problem?” I complained, knowing by the time I reached the tavern, Se’am would already be in trouble.

“Because, Huntsman, he’s the one I tell to go after you when you run off.”

“Go on Aleks, go take care of the overgrown man-pup you’ve sworn as your brother!” Tyla Snickered from behind me.

I grumbled and went ahead, already loosening the various pelts and blankets I’d strapped to myself to survive the chill of this damned world.

I didn’t make it more than twenty feet from the fucking door before a gruff-looking man got thrown through it... upside down.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake Se’am!” I cursed his name and took off running towards the bar.

***

Nieltas was a world of biting ice and cold. No matter how many layers you put on, you’d still freeze. The chill would cut any exposed skin to the bone.

Most of its inhabitants survived through an innate resistance to said cold. In fact, any wildlife hunted would net you a hefty sum of money if you could salvage even a small part of its hide because of that natural resistance.

Then there’s the people, predominantly humanoids. Each easily reaching seven feet, some even higher.

They were hardy and hardworking people. They’d often brave the frozen world for resources to bring back to their respective city.

But the real prize here was crystal. The world was abundant with a sort of crystallized ice energy... Figures, right?

The crystals were a large export, practically the only thing that ever left this world.

We’d been sent here to evaluate whether it would be worth it to move part of the Legion through this wasteland to cut three months off our advance, or if the cold would cut down too many of our numbers to be worth it.

In my opinion, we should just have waited out the unfortunate pathway change. Three months wasn’t that long. Maybe they could train up the new conscripts instead of using them as meat shields, like Se’am and I had been in our first battle.

“You fight like Niel-Folk, dress and move like us too!” A giant laughed from across of us, eye swelling shut at a visible pace.

“But they reek of Legion.” another man off in the corner said bitterly, missing a few of his teeth.

“We’re Huntsmen. We walk a thousand worlds, then walk a thousand more.” Se’am said proudly, making me cringe. But getting a few serious nods from the locals.

I was still trying to get my damned nose to stop bleeding after getting hit in the face by Se’am, thinking I was the angry returning Niel-folk he’d thrown out.

“How did you even start a fight this fast?!” I asked Se’am, annoyed.

“Didn’t start shit, he said I smelled like wet dog and told me to go wipe off my feet!” Se’am said defensively.

“You DO smell like wet dog, and I can practically track you on the fucking floor.” I said, pointing at the muddy paw prints leading to where he was sitting.

I sighed and stood up, nosebleed finally stopped.

“Get up. We’re paying for the rooms and meeting up with Sarge and Tyla.”

***

We were walking down the planked streets on our way towards the rendezvous point.

“Why are you mad at me? You didn’t get hurt and with the number of times I’ve saved your life, you should be able to take a punch or two for me.” Se’am said, sounding mildly offended.

“From you, Se’am, you punched me in the face.” I corrected.

“At least that stopped the brawl from escalating.” I mumbled.

“Not sure I wouldn’t have stabbed him in his sleep if I had been forced to sleep outside in this cold.” I thought, grateful that the owner hadn’t kicked us out.

“You’re so whiny, you need to be more spirited. Be free! Don’t hold back and try to enjoy life!” he ranted.

Sarge and Tyla turned a corner, and we joined up with them.

“The locals aren’t actively against us, but we weren’t the first ones here. Apparently, the Empire is already in talks with the local foreman who’s in charge.” Sarge explained as we walked back towards the tavern.

“We need to find th-” He stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening before yelling out,

“INCOMING!” The glass vibrated with his voice and I cussed as my head rang like a bell.

“Probably not the best use of your focus right now, Aleks.” I reprimanded myself, turning just in time to see an enormous ball of energy coming right at me.

“Fuck.” I barely managed to think before a clawed hand ripped through the air and grabbed me, pulling me to the side against one of the buildings. A bulky body shielded me from the blast.

I looked up to see Se’am mostly transformed, giving me a big Canine smile as he said in a deep rumbling voice.

“How many times does this make?-Wake up” A different voice overlapped his at the end.

“WAKE UP” The voice rang in my head, giving me a splitting headache, and making my blood feel warm, boiling in fact.

“ALEKS SNAP OUT OF IT!” Natasha’s voice echoed in my head as I opened my eyes.

***

Katya stared at the conference phone on her desk.

“Where is he?” Katya demanded, her voice low and angry.

“Katya, you need to calm down and think this through.” The voice on the other end warned.

“James, we had an agreement. You leave us alone and we leave you alone. I warned you the last time you tried to take him, and you promised me then that you would cease your efforts and consider him part of Clan Eve.”

“And I did. Ms. Grenshaw acted on her own. This had already turned to shit when I found out.”

“Then give. Him. Back.” Katya pressed.

“It’s not that simple, Katya. She went over my head with this and the people above me aren’t very keen on letting go of an asset-“ Percy was abruptly interrupted by Katya hanging up.

Katya looked up from her desk, her expression severe but determined.

“Silas, Initiate Protocol Exodus.” Katya ordered.

“Consider it done, Matriarch.” Silas turned and left quickly.

“Hendricks, I want security to be absolute. Don’t worry about cover or subtlety. I want every property we own locked down and secured.” Katya continued evenly.

“Yes Ma’am.” Hendricks said and left the room as well.

“Sophia, contact our external branches and tell them to get ready to move.” Sophia looked reluctant, but nodded.

Katya finally turned to Natasha. She stood at attention, flanked by two tense custodes. Her usual playful and witty attitude was gone. It had been replaced with a fierce focus and hair-raising willpower radiated from her, making the two seasoned Sentires beside her sweat from the exposure.

Katya took a deep breath and said softly, “Natasha, our Clan has operated out of this city for over a century, but we have long since outgrown this grove. We are pulling up our roots and moving on.”

Katya’s tone took on a hard edge as she continued. “So, if you need to burn this forest down to find him, do so without hesitation.”

“Understood, Matriarch.” Natasha nodded before leaving.

***

Amanda Grenshaw stood in front of a two-way mirror, on the other side of which was an old lady in her sixties tied down to a hospital bed.

The woman’s eyes were gray and empty as she laid motionless in a hospital gown. Her head was covered in subdermal wires going beneath her shaved scalp.

“Begin.” Amanda spoke into a microphone on the wall, spurring two people in lab coats on the other side of the mirror into motion.

“Ma’am, Assistant Director Pierce has been trying to contact you.” An aide said at her side.

“Pierce can wait. This is above his paygrade anyway.” Amanda replied arrogantly.

“Entity signature has been provided to EPI, beginning intercranial stimulation,” One of the men in the other room spoke as he picked up a small box with a dial and slowly turned it, observing the old woman.

A couple of seconds passed before the woman stirred and strained against her restraints with low, pained groans, her eyes still empty and gray.

The lights dimmed in both rooms, and the speaker system buzzed with static. The old woman continued her thrashing until suddenly she calmed. Her eyes took on a purple glow as she gasped out for air and stared directly at Amanda.

The old woman rasped out slowly in an unearthly voice.

“I see him...”

Everyone stilled and focused entirely on the old woman straining forward against her restraints. The volume of her voice didn’t increase, but it echoed and roared in their heads as she continued.

“I SEE ECHOES OF ITS PAST, OCEANS OF BLOOD, MOUNTAINS OF CORPSES AND THERE IT STANDS UNOPPOSED. IT WALKS WITH LEGIONS OF IT’S FALLEN, DOOMED TO NEVER FALL AGAIN, IT GREEDILY LAYS CLAIM TO ALL IT SEES.” She paused, taking in ragged breaths.

“COLOSSAL BEASTS OF TEETH AND CLAW CIRCLE THEIR MASTER, THEIR NAMES, WIND, RAVAGER, GREED AND CARRION, ON HIS SHOULDERS SITS MIND AND MEMORY. IT WILL CARRY WITH IT CHAIN, AXE, BLADE AND SPEAR,” she grinned viciously.

“BE WARNED, HIS FURY AND BRUTALITY TEMPERED, BUT NEVER DULLED, SOON IT WILL RETURN, BODY MARKED HE WILL BE COMPLETE!” The old woman started foaming at the mouth, her body spasming out of control as the sound of ripping tendons and breaking bones erupted from her body before she fell back onto her bed.

The man who previously held the dial walked up and felt for a pulse before turning towards the two-way mirror and shaking his head.

“Damn it.” Amanda hissed before pushing the intercom and asking, “What’s the concentration?”

“Unknown, Ma’am, the reader blew out after reaching capacity.” The other technician replied.

“That was our last EPI and without the Assistant Director, we won’t be assigned replacements.” The aide to Amanda’s right said.

“They will give us another when they find out what we have.” Amanda responded coldly.

The lights in the room flickers and went out again, followed by an explosion reverberating through the walls. A man wearing body armor and armed with a rifle stormed into the room.

“Ma’am, the facility is under attack. Please follow me!” He quickly yelled over the alarms going off.