"Do you mean to say to me that you are blind? Do you mean to suggest you are a witless fool, playing the part given to you by your masters?" Valerie hissed and saw the hint of uncertainty on Fang's face. It seemed she believed she was here for answers, but the truth of the matter remained. "You presume to try a deception? You presume to say that our people can somehow speak softly about our differences and solve them with ease?"

“I am honestly in the dark. I don't know much about what's going on between the Enclave and your castle but they don't teach the Numbers about it. Even though we are trained to go out and face the city."

“Then you are a pawn! A pawn to them who somehow found her way into the home of their enemy. Why...I might have to say you’re the most useful pawn I have ever seen. To think you made it here without knowing of the significance.” Valerie clapped. “I must applaud it. I am beside myself with incredulity.”

“Why is there so much resistance in your voice. Wouldn’t you prefer your people live, rather than fight against us in some pointless war? We could be working together; making New York better for all its survivors.”

“Sacrilege! Cerulean will not debase itself by acting with an enemy!”

“I suppose I shouldn’t have come here then. There’s much about the world I don’t know. I hoped that new information would help me in the future.”

Valerie smiled. “New information is always helpful, so I thank the Cerulean Arbiter for bringing you here. There was value in your journey, but alas, it was never meant for you.”

The girl's eyes sharpened but it was already too late. It was too late the moment she revealed herself, though Valerie didn't know how this girl got so close. She'd settle that confusion in a moment though. With her connection to the priestesses, she willed God's might through her, pulling a steady stream to an outstretched hand. The girl froze in place, already overwhelmed, and Valerie made her stiffen with a twitch of a finger. It had been a while since a fool mistook the Priestess Queen for someone easy to approach, and yet it seemed the outcome was the very same. She stepped closer and the girl quivered. Valerie glared, twisting the power around her soul.

“Now, before your execution, show me your home."

A world of darkness rose around them, before settling into shining stone walls. The memory was in motion, following the walls down a hall to a door with a torch above it. Something pushed it open, to a sitting room with a balcony. Two shadowy figures lurked inside, one in a large white flower and the other lounging on a futon. The moving person revealed themselves to be a shadow too, as they dropped a small dark imp to the floor. A fire burned in its chest, and the shadows regarded it fondly.

“Look what I found on my way back!” The walker spoke with a masculine voice, gesturing at the imp.

“Surely it’s not our favorite one!” The one in the flower said.

“Ah, but isn’t it? She’s the only one who has found her way here in thousands of years.” The lounger’s lips curled.

“Hold that thought for a moment.” Walker came over, plunging a clawed hand into the imp’s shadow. He pulled another one out by its head, and it twisted its body, trying to strike his face. He chuckled as he walked it to the balcony. “I like your willingness to strike. If you can make it back I’ll even rip you apart next time.” He raised his arm to throw it and the first imp squeaked.

“Doesn’t seem she wants you to do that.” Lounger said. Walker looked at his imp and it tried to kick him again.

“You don’t mean to say she brought it here, do you?” He held it out further from his body.

“I think she did!” Flower said. “She’s always so interesting. Why do you suppose no one has taken her as a disciple?”

“I have a theory.” Lounger sat up. “I suspect the only ones she has ever sought was us.”

“But she left us last time!”

“And now we see why.”

Walker chuckled. “I’m feeling nostalgic. How long has it been?”

“Very long. It was before the three of us began to gather.”

He looked at his imp again. “What makes you so special?" The imp twisted itself free from his grasp and leaped down his arm. Walker smacked him to the ground then trapped him under his foot. The other imp squeaked and he shrugged. "I didn't toss him back!" She looked down, and the pinned imp met her eyes. They nodded to each other, and she turned back to the one on the futon.

“Maybe I was wrong?” Lounger leaned forward.

The imp plunged its hands into its body, pulling out a ball of light. She held it up and the shadow's eyes widened. The pinned imp reached into itself as well and held his own up to Walker. Neither had much color to them, but the shadows were impressed, taking them with reverence. Walker tossed his in his mouth and chewed it with a lupine maw. Lounger split hers like a fruit, drinking the liquid light inside. Flower pouted.

“Nothing for me?” The imp squeaked, but Flower shook her head. “I don’t fault you. I would have chosen her myself.” She nodded at Lounger. The shadow waved the thought off.

“Now tell me this, little one. Where did you go and learn how to make an offering?” Her eyes moved over to Walker, where the one beneath his foot was allowed to stand.

Walker pulled a sword from his shadow and handed it over. A second one slid from his arm, and he pointed down. Her eyes asked the question, and his lupine maw came back for his smile.

“I like him. I’m going to teach him how to kill.”

Flower laughed. “That one was definitely not for me.”

Lounger looked back to her imp. “Well, little one?”

Several squeaks answered back, and Lounger listened, absorbing every word.

“Can you raise a hand for me, little one?”

The imp lifted its left arm. Walker knocked his over with a slash, pinning him down again. With his left hand, the imp pulled a knife from his shadow and stabbed Walker's foot. The shadow laughed and the imp groaned at the betrayal of expectations. He at least moved his foot though, pulling his student up by the arm.

“It really has been a long time, hasn’t it!”

Flower looked at Lounger. “You must be very excited right now!”

“Do not judge me. I am old and sentimental.”

“I think it’s lovely!”

Three spikes grew from Walker’s arm, spinning through the air. They shot one by one into his imp’s hand, squirming like worms until they dug in. On the back, three hexagons formed a pyramid. Lounger's approach was gentler, pulling three strains of hair that she placed like needles against the back of her imp's hand. They did the same though, forming the marks as the shadow sat back. Both imps looked at their hands. It was clear they didn't know what happened but already felt different.

“I’m so very jealous!” Flower said.

"You're impatient, not jealous. The plan in my mind is also in yours."

“But not mine!” Walker held his imp up. “I think this one will like how I do things. Now, the question!” Walker moved closer to his ear and breathed shadows into it.

"That is the most important key, isn't it?" Lounger came over to hers and leaned in. She smiled and whispered. "A new page has been written in the Book of Visions. Darkness has tasted the light of the Almighty Want, and will one day come to consume it all." She looked directly at Valerie, staring over with the woman's face.

The Priestess Queen wailed as something cut down her back. She had a chance to see it was Walker before the vision faded. The stream of light that once bound Fang to her was now a tether of darkness. She broke it and fell to the floor. Fang glared down and the woman wilted.

“What are you…!” Valerie hissed through her teeth.

Fang shook her head. “I suppose you said it already; I’m your enemy.”

Valerie’s eyes shined and her mind screamed out for her children. Elias still wasn’t connected; could this girl have something to do with it? It made her heart go cold. She reached for the others still, speaking into their minds with a desperate plea.

“There is a threat in the cathedral right now! I don’t know which of you can do it, but she absolutely must die!”

Christoph had not been alarm when the sermon suddenly stopped, but every siren went off at her call. He soared like a jet through One to Two, not even sparing Celine a glance as she fought endlessly against prey. He could only see his mother and all the nightmares that could break her steel composure. He would not let them have her life. Seeing the border of Sector One made him go so fast that everything blurred around him. Perhaps that was why he couldn't stop the orange light that approached. It hit, and he crashed like a rocket into someone's suite. They gathered their family, running to a corner, and Christoph set his eyes on the window. The orange light floated in, and his blood boiled as he saw the Enclave's dark armor. A boy with glowing arms and a gem in his forehead filled his vision. Black web-like lines covered dim eyes and retracted, letting Christoph feel their power clash. He rose to his feet with gritted teeth.

“What did you scum do to my mom!”

The boy raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it doesn’t matter. I heard you’re the one who fights for this place. Show me why they think you can handle any threats.” Ace summoned his arm blades, and Christoph clutched his fist.

⁘⁛⁘

There were all sorts of things Rashawn could say about the name Corrosion, but the Crimson Prophet had saved him, and they were already on good terms. Maybe that would change later, but it still felt like he had good luck when it came to meeting people. He had questions though. Did he call this thing a guy? Was it ever human? If it was one of King's friends, why was it here, rather than in the lab? He supposed he should wonder why it saved him too, but he was fine with that; it was preferable to dying. Now wasn't the time for an interrogation though. He'd have to save most for later, but he'd ask one now.

“So Corrosion. Why are you in Castle Cerulean?”

Corrosion looked at him, thinking about how this was another pitstop in its journey. It thought back to the previous one too, the thing that consumed its time after it first slew Judge. It was actually in a building nearby. Feeling the pulse of a Shining Heart, it went there with a plan that should have worked. It tried different methods but couldn't get the outcome it sought. It was about to give up and find another strategy when it heard footsteps moving through the building. First footsteps, and then voices.

“Man this place is creepy. Why does this feel worse than the ones we’ve been in before?”

“It’s not just your imagination, the Captive said this place was different. It’s the type of place that attracts a lot of demons, and if you’re not careful they’ll jump out at any moment!”

“You can’t trick me, Ronaldo. There hasn’t been a demon this close to Cerulean in a long time. The place is just New York haunted, you know? Too damn old, but now there’s no one around to take care of it.”

“What do you think of that, dealer girl? You feel any old ghosts hanging around?”

“Not yet…”

“What was that?”

“Not yet. Let’s just keep going. The thing you’re looking for is just ahead.”

The footsteps led to Corrosion's room and it slipped into hiding. Two soldiers led a woman in. As they entered a demon broke through the wall, tearing it down with a four-armed fury. It roared and they smiled until suddenly it exploded with green light. The soldiers stared on in barely managed rage, but the woman's eyes widened with surprise. Corrosion wondered...did she know what just happened? The men didn't, and they turned their rage on her.

“What the hell was that!” Ronaldo had a buzzed head and a tight fist. Was he about to hit her, or the wall? “The Captive said that thing is strong enough to make me the second in command! Why did it just blow up, dealer!”

The woman laughed. “I’m glad it did. I wasn’t sure how I’d turn it against you.”

“What!”

“Back at the Castle, my brother will be killing you’re men tonight. Before you started talking about this Captive business, I thought you guys would be useful, but you just couldn’t be good. I learned about the rituals you were doing to make people go berserk. That entire castle is garbage, so tell me how you managed to be worse than that?”

Ronaldo grabbed her face. “You’re talking a bit too much, bitch. You’re still stuck out here with us. I’ll tear your head off and drag your body back to that brother of yours. You don’t get to judge the Captive’s chosen people!”

“Listen to you! Why would you be chosen? You don’t even know how to do half the stuff I can, which means you can’t even do a quarter of what the pillars can. You guys are at best, useful idiots, and you’re far from the best now.”

Ronaldo raised his fist and the other soldier grabbed it. “Hey don’t kill her, bro! We still need her! She still hasn’t said why that thing just exploded.”

“Something else used it before you.”

“What the hell do you mean something else?”

“Something that can kill all of us. If I’m dying anyways, why should I hold back?”

“Because I’m going to kill you first!” Ronaldo’s fist swung and stopped short of her head.

Crimson light weaved around it and pulled, tossing him across the room. He crashed through a wall and looked out. Corrosion ripped claws down his face, pulling his Luminance out as his body struck the floor. It chewed, and the other soldier dropped to his knees. Corrosion came up and looked down. It saw its reflection in his eyes, but in his mind, it saw itself as fear. Finishing the Luminance, it knelt to meet the soldier's eyes.

“Please don’t kill me bro. I was just doing what I was told.”

Corrosion put a hand on the man’s head, petting him softly. As hope painted a smile across the man’s face, he drew his machete and shoved it through his chest. Corrosion tore the Luminance away and looked at the woman.

“Who are you?”

“Fiona. I guess I’m the special one. You want to remember my name before you eat me?”

“What do you know about this power?” It touched its chest. The woman smiled.

“You want my help?”

“Yes, or your life. Choose.”

“I’ll take the help, if you’re willing to help me.” She crossed her arms. “Whatever you want me to do, could you help me wound Castle Cerulean first?”

More discussion followed, but that was enough to answer Rashawn's question. It looked at the boy, though, and wondered if he could be trusted. It looked at the harpoon in its hand and fed its light through it. An unseen web ran through the area, telling these monsters where their victims hid. Spreading to the arrows in their chest, it turned them from blue to crimson. It ate the one it held and nodded to Rashawn at last. Why was it here? Several reasons, but the most pertinent one was in its face.

“Their fault.” It answered as it pointed at Sector Three and above.

Rashawn followed the finger then heard ruin move—the horde turning inward to follow Corrosion's direction. This thing had come and conquered them all, making an army for sudden war. It took off to lead its forces into battle, and Rashawn looked over Sector Four, then at Corrosion's back. The saved people would be safe for a little longer. The coming battle was something he knew he had to watch…