===Chapter 2===

"I look like a damn priestess in this garb."
"There is no shame in protecting oneself from the tendrils of darkness that dwell within the earth," came the native's reply.
"Well, can you at least swap it out for something more stylish? And gender appropriate?" I asked, glancing down at the armoured dress.
"I am afraid that is not possible under present circumstances. The armour is bound."
"Um, 'bound'?" And there's the panic.
"Yes. It is bound to you, so I cannot take it back."

My HUD beeped. I found a message waiting for me in the mail slot. Something about a direct order to attend the HQ that had been built in the hours prior. Why I was asked in particular I was unsure of, but I was more concerned with the predicament of having a dress bound to me.

"Can I unbind it? I don't wanna be stuck like this."
"Certainly." Panic fading. "You will need a substantial amount of crystal energy to do so, however."

Great, I thought. Figures that I'd do something this stupid this quickly.

"Well, I'd better be off," I said, checking the message again. "I know I don't sound it, but I appreciate what you've done for me. Hope the armour's more effective at blunting blows than it is at making me look anyway decent."
The native bowed. "I wish you luck in your endeavours, little one."

On my way over I could feel the eyes watching me. My eyes darted around, making brief bouts of eye contact with everyone I saw. I tend to do that when I'm in this particular mood. I decided to partake in a little 'refreshment' from my bottle of pills I had in my pocket. At least I had these. Dulled the reality of the situation.

On my way to HQ I noticed a few other Knights in armour that notably was not Proto gear. Some were dressed like animal-human hybrids, others like skeletal figures, one or two like magi. Then there was me, in my dress. I've never been one for Fate, I was always a cause-and-effect kind of guy, but at a point you begin to notice a pattern of the universe screwing you over.

Headquarters was nothing spectacular, just a small cluster of shacks shoddily built from bricks and sheet metal. I saw a radio tower-like structure in the centre, confirming that the Uplink was indeed active, as if my HUD wasn't proof enough. A pair of Wardens guarding the entrances to the group of shacks stopped me before I could get closer.

"Sorry, ma'am, but we cannot grant you access without proper authorisation," one of them says.

So it begins.

"I received a direct order from Headquarters to appear here. I have yet to know why."

The Wardens did a double take at the sound of my voice. The one on the left steps forward, activating its HUD. Mine flickered as it scanned me.

"Very well, you may pass. It says here that you must enter Barrus' office. Second on the right. Good luck."

As I walked past them I could have sworn I heard a snicker. Once I got a distance away, it became a full-blown laugh shared by both of them. At least someone was enjoying this. The crowds that followed me with their eyes seemed more... embarrassed for me. Seeing the look in their eyes made me feel even more stupid.

I found the shack the Warden pointed me to rather quickly, the question regarding what they wanted of me dancing around my head. I hesitated. Part of me was apprehensive, jumping to several overly-convoluted conclusions: was I going to be used as cannon fodder for some purpose regarding our getting off this rock? Perhaps as a sacrifice to some alien god? Thankfully the rational part of me took over, almost pushing me into the doorway, citing my ignorance and superstition. What I found awaiting my arrival was... surprising.

Who I assumed was Barrus was standing at the head of a long table, overlooking some plans and scribblings with three other Knights. What was surprising was the fact that I recognised all of them. I was actually on good terms with one of them. The others, not so much.

Panic, my old friend. We should stop meeting like this.

Instinctively, I focused on the friendliest of the bunch. Her name was Caevan. I knew her from the Academy. She was one of 'those types', you know? Popular, but not completely reliant on it to make friends. She had an optimistic personality, always the bright and cheerful kind. Never liked to see anybody down. I don't know if it was pity that led her to talk to me that day, but regardless it made my time at the Academy that bit better.
As I approached the front of the room they all turned towards me. I was not looking forward to this. The other two Knights met my eyes with expressions of their own I had seen before, neither of which were particularly reassuring.

The one on the left, standing at six-foot-three, weighing about triple his IQ, was a certain Finj Crollick. This guy was a chief factor in making the Academy one of my least favourite chapters in life, which, given what I had blanked from my childhood, was rather impressive in a twisted sort of way. I never knew why he first started with me, or when or how. All I know is it became part of my day like that period before class where everyone just clusters into their cliques and chats about something or other, except I was in a clique I didn't fit with, around the back of the Academy, curled in a defensive ball. Not that I was there by choice, mind you.

The one on the left was called Vinsum something-or-other. He was also a part of Crollick's group, but he was more the verbal type. He wasn't exactly well-built like some of the others, so I guess he just needed to find an outlet. What stood out about him was his attitude. His words dripped pure venom when he felt like it, but mostly he was the typical moronic jokester. Especially when it came to women. Lecherous git.

So there I was, with one friend-of-sorts and two people I had a strong distaste for. And a high-ranking member in the Spiral Order. And I was dressed like a damn priestess.

This is gonna be one of those days, isn't it?

===Chapter 3===

"You must be Caevan's friend," Barrus said once I had reached him. "Thank you for attending."
"Caevan's friend, eh?" Vinsum muttered to me in what I assumed was his 'charming' voice, but sounded more snide than seductive. "I can be your friend, if you like."

Crollick guffawed at the line, which I guessed was the primary weapon in Vinsum's arsenal of discord and rejection. Caevan remained silent, gazing at me with an expression I couldn't fathom. Likely confusion. Hell, if I were in her shoes, I'd be wondering why I was dressed like this, too.

"Right, well," Barrus continued, attempting to ignore Vinsum's failed attempt at keeping his voice down. "To bring you up to speed, we've been trying to study the gears and terrain right under our feet, why they're there, who put them there, but we only have speculation. The elevators at the north end of the complex provide us with an easy access point to them, and we, that's HQ, have been thinking of establishing a permanent residence here. Construction's already started, as you saw.

"We've sent a team underground to scout out each floor, but the data they're sending back suggests that that might not be possible. Each floor rotates on a timer, and we haven't studied the mechanisms enough to get an accurate reading of... anything, really. Each level of terrain is made up of separate patches of land, some, or possibly all, alien to this world. We've never seen anything like it.

"Now, we've received no signal from the team once they reached level 29 or so. We fear something's up. You have been selected to follow them, retrieve any data they may have found, and extract them. Any questions?"
"Who's the squad?" Crollick growled.
"Alpha Squad. I trust you know who they are."

Oh, I knew. Alpha Squad, prized lapdogs of the Spiral Order. Glorified celebrities and mascots for all the recruitment propaganda that gets shovelled down the throats of children everywhere. In the Academy we were always compared to them. When we failed, we were chided on how we weren't Euclid enough, and when we succeeded, we were praised on how Grantz we were. Boy, did I despise that.

And now the pedigree dogs had gone and lost themselves in the woods, so the mutts had to clean up the mess.

"Ain't that the squad that Parma chick joined?" Vinsum mumbled to Crollick. "'Cos I'm down with this if it is. Score me some 'hero worship', know what I'm saying?"

I'm sharing a squad with this guy?

"Since you all have your mission," Barrus piped up, ignoring Vinsum as best he could, "I hereby declare the four of you Omicron Squad. Do us proud, and you might just be the new Alpha Squad."

Yeah, like Hell. Wait, Omicron? What happened to the letters that come before that?
Oh, God, we're cannon fodder.

"So, I believe that's that," Barrus finished. "Sorry to make this so short, but I must attend to other matters."

Yeah, no doubt forming Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau, and so on.

"You all have your armour, your equipment, and mission. You will find the elevators, as I said, at the north of the complex. Good luck."

With that, he left, leaving me with three people who, unfortunately, focused on me.

"Oh, what are you wearing?" Caevan whispered, shaking her head slightly.
"Hell, I don't know, but I like it!" Vinsum said loudly. "Brings out her, uh, eyes. Can I just say, you have really beautiful eyes..." he added, putting his arm around my shoulders, leaning into me.

This was getting too weird, too fast.

"Hands off the goods, buddy. I don't swing that way," I asserted, wrenching his arm from me.

He froze, eyes wide. Crollick looked shocked for a brief second, before bursting out in laughter. Vinsum stepped back instinctively, as if I'd thrown a punch at him. Behind him, Crollick had his arms crossed on the table, using it for support as he laughed his lungs out. Vinsum tried to speak, but nothing coherent came from his mouth, merely stammers and flecks of spit.
Caevan giggled, but more at Vinsum, and not in a mocking sort of way as Crollick demonstrated at great length in the background.

"Seriously, where'd you get that?" she asked me, sobering up quickly. "I mean, I kinda like it too, but, uh..."
"Yeah, I know what you mean, and I'd give it to you, but it's kinda... sorta... 'bound'," I said sheepishly.
"What?" Her look of shock didn't help my thoughts about it.
"Got it from one of those natives. I only put it on to get a better feel of it. He said that it's armour from an ancient civilisation. Just my luck that I'm stuck in it, right?"
"And there's nothing you can do? God, that sounds terrible."
"Don't worry about it. My problem, not yours," I said dismissively, attempting to ease her concern.
"We should probably get going," she said, ignoring Crollick's laughter, which had moved to rolling around on the floor. With any luck he'd bust a gut and get replaced by someone less unbearable.
"You don't know why they're here, do you?" I whisper, barely concealing the apprehension in my voice.
"Well, Finj was the first choice for the squad, and he'd only go if VInsum went, and he'd only go if I went, and I didn't want to be stuck with them. I know, I shouldn't have dragged you along, but... well, would you go along with these two on your own?" she asked. She looked genuinely upset at my having to tag along.
"Fair point. Don't worry, I don't blame you. Although if things get pear-shaped, you owe me," I joke with a grin.

Caevan smiled at the joke, before striding past Vinsum, who was still in shock, and Crollick, who by now was recovering from his glee. Vinsum managed to get a grip long enough to watch her leave, an opportunity I doubted I'd ever seen him ignore in the past. At least he's consistent. The view managed to bring him back to his (warped) senses. He turned to me.

"For that little stunt you pulled, I'm gonna make sure you get what's coming to you, punk," he spat. "Mark my words."
"Agreed," Crollick chimed in. "Funny as that was, I'm not passing this up. Might hang you by the skirt once we're done with this job. Come on, girlie, let's escort you to the elevators."

He seized me by the shoulders and pushed me forward into a steady march. Vinsum followed, glowering.

===Chapter 5===

"What the Hell do we do?" I yelled as we attacked the horde.
"Negotiations are out the window, so I say run!" Vinsum shouted back.
"You'll end up running into more of them! We need to fight back, but don't kill them!" Caevan reprimanded, expertly blocking some thrown objects that closer up looked like office supplies.
"Screw that! These things are all gonna die for that cheap shot!" Crollick screamed, enraged.

He charged headlong into the group, lashing out in a frenzy. The smaller ones dropped after one or two strikes, but he was quickly overwhelmed by the larger ones. Caevan dodged one of her attackers to cover him. I pulled out my gun and finished off my target before taking her place, as the creatures she was combatting were either following her with the intent to attack from behind or moving towards Vinsum, who wasn't doing well at all.

I fired a few volleys at the ones moving toward her, drawing them back to me, before moving to Vinsum, who was caught up in an engagement with two of the smaller ones. I stabbed one of the creatures from behind, before turning, removing my sword from its back, and swinging the blade into the other. I drew my pistol and fired some shots at the ones on their way over to me. One dropped, the other shook the shots pretty easily. I charged it and, raising my arms above my head, brought the sword down hard, splitting the skull and embedding the blade within.

Caevan and Crollick were finishing off their opponents. Any that Caevan left unconscious Crollick quickly killed when he got the chance. By the time they were done I had prised my sword from the skull of the whatever-it-was. The blood was purple, and issued a purplish steam. Noxious gas, or something else entirely?

"Hey," Caevan hit my shoulder, grabbing my attention. "C'mon, we should get going before more of those things show up. They're gonna be pissed, especially since someone," she shot a quick glare at Crollick, who was nonchalantly rubbing the blood from his sword, "decided to start killing them."
"You're the ones who wanted to ask for directions. I asked. This ain't my fault." His tone was lessened by how tired he seemed. Either he was out of shape or that creature hit him harder than I thought.
"Can we get moving?" Vinsum spoke up irritably. "I want out of here, wherever 'here' is."

Crollick followed him down the street, which seemed to be void of intersections and branching paths, all semblance of which had been seemingly torn from the roads when these cities were suspended in mid-air. I reluctantly made to follow them, but Caevan put her hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"You okay?” she asked, concern in her eyes.
"Yeah," I replied. "They didn't get me."
"Not what I meant. There's a look in your eye I don't like."
"Maybe I should take it easy," I said slowly. "I'm fine, though. Promise."

She seemed unsure, but gave me the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes lying was too easy. We set off after Vinsum and Crollick.

I wasn't fine, though. Somehow I knew there was something wrong with me; it was almost like I was getting a high from all that violence. To quell the feeling, I took another pill as soon as I was convinced I wasn't being watched. This planet and everything in it would have me going crazy before the day was out, I just knew it. I followed the group once I had done so. I looked at an office window nearby to get a look at whatever she saw in my eyes. What I found was disturbing, and at the same time, strangely familiar.

Probably the most interesting part of the city came up ahead, where I saw several runes inscribed in a circular pattern. I wanted to at least take a picture, but Caevan dragged me off, not wanting to spend any more time in the city. We found the elevator a few minutes later, and descended. A tense few minutes later we were in a forest, being attacked my large canine creatures, not dissimilar from wolves. Crollick and Vinsum put down the rabid hordes in a fit of anger. Caevan saw it as euthanasia, because the animals were not in the right state of mind. I enjoyed the act a little too much.

After the slaughter we took a breather, during which time I cautiously inspected the animals. Can't be too careful.

"What the Hell were HQ thinking, sending us down here?" Vinsum asked. "This place is nuts."
"It's because we're the best," Crollick replied confidently, cleaning blood from his sword. "Some of us, anyway," he added, glancing at me.
"Well, if we can just find Alpha Squad, maybe we can get some answers," Caevan said. "I mean, how much further does this go?"
"Far enough to kill us," I muttered under my breath. The fact that none of them pieced together Omicron's actual purpose was disheartening, especially since I couldn't be bothered to attempt bring it up without anyone believing me. Pessimism is often looked down upon in these situations, I find.

Another elevator, another depth. We stepped out to behold a large castle, with scarlet banners adorning the walls and bronze cast lamps illuminating the path like beacons. No sooner had we gotten our bearings than we were attacked by large cube-shaped blobs of pink ooze. Further on and we encountered what looked like ghosts. I didn't believe it either. They looked like someone inked a sheet before donning it and running around the place. If they didn't glide around and have changing facial expressions I'd have kept thinking that. They were reminiscent of cats, with their pointed ears and eerie mewling.

Every so often I'd get separated from the others by a floor of spikes, having fallen behind to inspect the remains of the creatures I'd killed. After a few seconds the spikes would lower again, granting me safe, albeit nervous, passage. The cat-things left little other than a neon green mucus which I took to calling ectoplasm, finding no other words in my vocabulary to describe 'slime from a now twice-dead spirit'. The pink blobs left some squishy spheres behind after I killed them, plus some slime that for some reason decided not to congeal and disappear into thin air like the rest. The spheres weren't inherently solid, more rubbery. I made the assumption that it was the 'brain' of the creatures, since it was the only thing I could see besides pink goo.

Some animatronic turrets appeared on the corners of the path as we walked, shooting some form of energy at us that we dodged with relative ease until we got close. Curiously, they resembled dogs, or something similar. I wondered who had built them, when, and why. I didn't wonder for too long, though. Since Caevan was the only one who wouldn't leave me behind, versus two others, one of whom was physically superior, and I doubted I'd survive long underground, I decided not to risk it.

Now begins the descent.

===Chapter 7===

Oh, my head...

Everything was dark, yet the pitch blackness had a distinct blur to it. Sound was muffled, and it took me a while to realise that my eyes were closed. I was fairly sure I wasn't dead, but I didn't rule that out quite yet. I tried to open my eyes, being met with a mix of colour, blurred and indistinct. There was a taste of blood in my mouth. I suspected I cut the inside of my cheek on a tooth when Vinsum punched me.

I started to focus on the sound, which rapidly sharpened as my consciousness returned to me. The sound grew from a muffle to a scream. Several screams.

Wh-whazz goin' on?, I thought, my inner voice muddled by confusion.

I opened my eyes to find several dark shapes dragging another across my field of vision. I blinked. The shapes grew clearer. I blinked again. The creatures from earlier? I groaned, my head throbbing slightly as more blood rushed to my head to accommodate my working ears and eyes again. The screaming shape was attempting to escape, and it took a second to register that it was none other than Vinsum, clawing at the ground as the creatures dragged him out through a cell door. Cell door? I raised my hands to my head, but they stopped halfway.

Chains. Great.

I looked around. Across the cell sat Crollick, whose chains seemed to be longer than mine. I suppose given his size the creatures needed to make arrangements. To my left was Caevan, and upon seeing her my stomach lurched. Of all of us, she was the one I had my money on. Seeing the fear in her eyes didn't help at all. I turned back to Vinsum.

Crollick was yelling, hurling obscenities as they dragged the poor sod to whatever fate they saw fit to give him. Caevan was screaming, begging them to let him go. Personally, I thought the guy had it coming. Maybe I was just bitter over being left for dead. The terror in his eyes as he was being dragged off made me feel some pity, but that was gone once he was out of sight. We still had time to worry about ourselves, whereas he didn't.

His screams carried far and loud enough that we could hear him for several minutes as the creatures dragged him far away to God-knows-where.

"What do we do?" Caevan whimpered.
"We'll think of something," I said reassuringly, not feeling optimistic in the slightest.
"This is all your fault," Crollick snarled at me.

Hold up... what?

"How is this my fault?!" I shot back angrily.
"If you hadn't shown up we'd have gotten someone better! How could anyone do worse than you?! Instead we're stuck with you, and here we are!"
"I wasn't the one who charged headfirst into these things! If it's anyone's fault, it's yours!"
"That's bull! Don't pin this on me! You've had it in for us for years, and here's your chance to get rid of us! Only it didn't work very well, did it?! Now you're stuck here, too!"
"You are such a-"
"Shut up!" Caevan screamed. "Please, just stop it! We need to find a way out!"
"You shut up!" Crollick yells back. "We'll get out of this, but I'm leaving this defect," he jerked his head at me, "behind to rot."

He attempted to tug at his chains, using his rage to fuel himself. I'd have told him it was pointless, but I thought I'd let him embarrass himself first. It was his fault we were about to die, after all. Somewhere far away, Vinsum's screams rang out like a chorus of Hell.

"Find something we can pick the locks with," he pants, exhausted. "There's gotta be something."
"There isn't anything in here," she panics. "We're going to die here. Oh, God..."

Hearing the hope leave her voice almost made me shed a tear, but those ducts had dried up years ago. The most I could do was shed my mask for a brief moment to let her know that she wasn't alone in this terror.

Despite the terror I felt for Caevan, I felt strangely calm about this. Perhaps I had already prepared for it in the journey downwards. Perhaps I had been secretly longing for it. Or perhaps the pill's effects hadn't worn off yet. I took the opportunity to think about my life, and what I had, or had not, accomplished. Vinsum's screaming made it a tad difficult to concentrate. Crollick struggled futilely from across the room.

"You two gonna do something, or am I gonna have to do all the work?" he spat.
"No point, since you're gonna leave me here anyways," I reply sarcastically. "Try yanking that chain again. Worked well the last time. And it was such a bright idea by your standards. Maybe next week you'll learn how to chew solid food!"
"The first thing I'm gonna do when I get free is strangle you with these chains, princess," he almost shouted.
"I'm sure a healthy male such as yourself gets such a thrill from that activity. I feel like I should be surprised."
"Laugh it up, sunshine. You'll be eating your words when I get out of here."

He resumed pulling on the chains.

I felt resentment towards the Spiral Order for our situation. They never defended me at the Academy, always favouring the strong, and preferring to see the weak trodden on in a primal hierarchy. I doubted that I ever had a chance in life. Since childhood it's been rough. From what I'd gathered from my father after an 'episode' I had as a kid that left me partly amnesiac, it was bad even before the Academy, and only got worse from there. I was going to die on this planet as I'd lived on the Homeworld. In mediocrity.

Something changed in the air. A tonal shift that was unsettling, even in our current situation.

"Vinsum's stopped screaming," Caevan said dully. "He's dead."

Serves the bastard right, I thought. At least there's some justice in this world.

"They'll be coming for someone else now," Crollick muttered. "Now or never."

There was shuffling and chattering as the creatures descended the steps to this dungeon. A lone one appeared at the cell entrance, giving what appeared to be a malicious grin. It unlocked the door slowly, at an agonising pace, before stepping in, gazing at each of us in turn. Its dark brown eyes made me feel slightly queasy.

It moved to the other end of the room, where Caevan sat, petrified. She tried to make a sound, but I heard her voice catch in her throat. I moved to help, momentarily forgetting the chains that kept me shackled to the wall. The creature made a noise of derision before kicking me in the chest, sending me back into the wall. Crollick attempted to attack it as well, and for a moment I actually hoped he had successfully broken free. Instead, he failed as spectacularly as I had, and the creature moved toward him as well.

Crollick managed to sweep kick the creature, before wrapping his legs around its neck. The creature thrashed around violently, clawing at Crollick's legs, kicking the floor, and uttering a panicked strangling noise from its maw. Other creatures heard the noise and rushed to the cell door, but by the time they had prised Crollick's legs off of it it had stopped moving. In response to this, they beat Crollick viciously with large blunt metal instruments, before hauling his bloody body out of the cell, along with the creature he had killed. Caevan watched, horrified, and I silently thanked the poor bastard for not letting them get to her... yet.

Guess he wasn't as stupid as I gave him credit for.

===Chapter 8===

Several minutes passed by in silence after Crollick left the cell. Every so often I'd sneak a glance at Caevan, wishing each time that I hadn't. Her tear-stained face looked unlike anything I had ever seen before. If I didn't know it was her she'd be totally unrecognisable. I focused my hearing in the direction that Crollick was dragged off in, but I couldn't hear anything other than those creatures. Maybe they’d killed him before dragging him off, or maybe he was just unconscious. I didn't want to know either way.

"You remember the first day we met?"

The question startled me. I hadn't expected her to speak up so soon, if at all.

"You were sitting by the railings outside the main entrance. During lunch. And I was on my way to meet up with some friends in the cafeteria building."
"Yeah," I replied, the memory coming to the forefront of my mind. "I was eating a packed lunch I brought from home."
"You lived close to the Academy, didn't you?"
"About an hour away, i think."
"Huh... you were one of the few that didn't live there, I remember. Anyway, you were eating lunch, and I passed by you, and I asked if you were okay."
"Yeah, and I thought you were crazy for just talking to me," I replied, almost cracking a smile. She always hated seeing people by themselves.
"I asked if you wanted to join me for lunch, and you just kept saying no. Why was that?"
"I didn't know you then. I don't talk to strangers."
"And then I left you alone and went to grab some lunch, and then I came back and sat with you."
"Hell of a first impression."

I was actually smiling now. It felt good to reminisce. I saw her facial muscles relax slightly, but she wasn't about to smile anytime soon.

"Funny, how after we introduced ourselves you never said much about yourself," she said.
"Not much to say," I replied.
"That's never an excuse," she said almost irritably. "You always left me with a bad impression of your home life, you know that?"
"That wasn't my intention. I just... I never thought you'd want to hear it. I couldn't remember much, and what I could wasn't exactly a good conversation starter."
"I guess I did pry a little," she said apologetically. "Sorry, it's just my way of getting to know people."
"Well, I always found it..." my voice trailed off. I wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.

A brief, awkward moment followed my sheepish reply.

"What?" she asked. "You found it what?"
I looked at her with embarrassment etched on my face. "Likeable is one word for it."

She cracked a smile, a tear cascading down her cheek. The smile vanished instantly as her eyes darted towards the door, becoming wide and stricken with fear. I turned my head.

One of those creatures had approached the cell door and was busy unlocking it. Caevan and I exchanged glances. What trace of mirth she had received from our last talk together was now gone, and she was either going to die at that moment, or watch her only friend in this cell be taken away before suffering the same fate herself. Either way, she was as good as dead, and that was my biggest fear: seeing an innocent soul like her get damned to this fate.

The creature stepped inside the cell, eyeing us both, its gaze lingering on my armour. It looked as if it were unsure of who to take. It sniffed the air for something, before its eyes rested on Caevan. I could see the gears turning behind those cold, dark eyes, and it moved toward her. She looked at me, pleadingly, and I could almost hear her thoughts screaming to me for help.

There's nothing I can do, Caevan, I thought at her. I'm sorry.

I tried to tell her through expression, but all I could muster was sorrow. The creature unlocked her restraints, giving her an opportunity to punch it in the nose. It yelped in pain and staggered backwards for a moment, before it looked back at her with a look of what I thought was contempt. It raised a hand, or paw, and brought its claws down on her face as she attempted to unchain her other hand. She screamed as the sharp nails raked her face, leaving long red streaks in their wake.

The creature unchained her other arm, and she attempted to run, but the creature tripped her up and stomped down on her ankle. Her screams of pain made me feel sick. The creature picked her up and draped her over its shoulders, hauling her out of the cell despite her screams of protest, which carried as long as Vinsum's.

I felt like I was about to vomit. The bastards had taken my only real friend from me. I was torn between wanting to kill them and giving up entirely. My thoughts darted to a hundred different things to find blame for this crime. I blamed Crollick for getting us caught, and I took some comfort in knowing he met his end deservedly. I cursed the order, blaming their callous regard for lives, or lack thereof. I blamed the psychos that made this death trap, and all the torment it brought us. I wasted my last bit of energy just hating everything that led us here.

By the time her screams stopped I felt numb. My limbs turned to lead and I lost track of conscious thought. I gave no resistance when they came for me next. I was carried upstairs into what I noticed was a laboratory filled with sharp, bloody objects and old textbooks with arcane-looking writings and runes inscribed on them. They placed me on a table like a piece of meat on a slab, restraining me with electrically-powered cuffs. I expected to be cut up then and there. Instead, I saw one of them, who looked vaguely like a scientist, bring out a large broadsword, wrapped in bandages that bore a peculiar emblem: my sword. They appeared to be conducting experiments on it. The seals were covered in blood.

One of the larger creatures, about as big as Crollick, took out a hefty-looking knife not unlike a cleaver. It seized my arm and made a crude incision along the wrist. I felt the pain and instinctively ground my teeth, but didn't care. It took a vial to my arm and sampled some blood, carrying it over to the scientist, who poured it onto the seal. It didn't react. The scientist made an agitated noise, before directing its subordinates toward me again.

I remained on that table for a long time. I don't know how long, but it felt like much longer than the others. My mind dulled from the pain, and time seemed to blur together. I was in a haze of pure agony without end, my mind snapping back and forth between this twisted reality and retreating into a bubble where everything was calm and peaceful. I couldn't think, I was an emotional wreck, and the only conscious thought going through my mind was my all too frequent begging for death. I knew I couldn't hold out forever, but it was a miracle, or curse, that I had held out this long to begin with.

After what seemed like hours, days, weeks of the searing pain, I saw the scientist through the haze that was my vision. It held the sword aloft, pointing it directly at my chest. This was it. I was about to be granted respite from the pain. The scientist raised the sword skyward preparing to split my skull and finally end my life. Its expression changed. I sensed something wrong.

The sword began glowing an ominous shade of purple. It began rumbling and shaking, hissing and smoking. The scientist howled in pain and dropped the blade, which fell to the floor. Upon making contact it let out a pulse of energy that knocked the creatures back, I could hear sizzling, and saw one or two clutching their smoking faces, yowling in agony; they were weak to the sword's energy. The pulse swept across me, too, but I was already in a state of pure pain, and it made little difference. I heard the cuffs unlock, guessing that the sword's pulse had shorted them out somehow.

I rolled onto my side, dripping blood as I crawled to the edge of the slab. My ears were ringing, and my vision was blurred with a tinge of red. I wasn't dead, but I was sure as Hell close. The sword was humming loudly, the resonance drilling into my skull, which was pounding, aching, throbbing with pain. My eyes watered as I reached for the hilt of the sword, stretching my bloodied arm to the ground without knowing why. My hand burned as if I'd plunged it in boiling water.

... You must use the sword... Take these lives as a tribute... Claim your just revenge...

I heard a voice hissing malevolently in my mind. I didn't know if it was myself and I had finally snapped, or if it came from the very thing I had been straining to reach.

... The sword demands blood... Your blood has awoken it... Yet it demands more...

I could barely see. I could barely think. I felt like my whole body was on fire. A niggling doubt festered in my mind like a malignant tumour: what if I couldn't grab the sword? I would die without taking these bastards with me. There was no way I could... but I had to try.

... This is your one chance... Get the sword and kill them all... Or else you will die...

I heard disembodied voices screaming in my ears, and realised with terror that my own voice was among the Hellish chorus. I saw the faces of my fallen comrades before my eyes, contorted in the pain that was the last thing they had felt. A torrent of blood, a flash of silver, and a masked figure were the last things I saw in my mind's eye before I blacked out from the pain, my hand falling toward the sword.

... Your strength is lacking... I overestimated... I must take control...

This might get a tad dark.

===Chapter 10===

"... and then I woke up in this forest," I finished. "That's pretty much it."
"Damn," Hyde replied. "And here I thought that whole getup you're wearing was a, uh..." he coughed. “Instead, you're just a moron."
"Look," I said hotly. "I figured that I could-"
"Yeah, yeah, cut the 'big-fan-of-history' crap. It's wearing a little thin."
"Well, I'm sorry if I'm not very good at making conversation," I grumbled. "Why don't you speak for a bit, since you have grounds to criticise me for even trying."
"If you're gonna keep getting a bug up your dress every time I point out something annoying and easily avoidable, we're gonna have a problem," Hyde said.
"Now you listen here-"
"Shh!"

Hyde ducked down, moving swiftly to the side of the path, where he ducked behind some shrubbery. He hastily waved me over, and I scrambled for cover as well.

"What is it?" I whispered.

He pointed to a clearing up ahead. I peeked over the foliage to get a good enough look at whatever it was that he saw, but he pulled me back down again.

"You'll get us exposed, jackass!" he hushed.
"What is it? More wolves?"
"Nah. Wouldn't be hiding if they were."
"Then, what?" I asked impatiently.
"Just some old friends," he said, carefully peeking through the leaves. "Hang tight, princess. I gotta take care of business."
"You're just gonna leave me here? What the Hell am I supposed to do?"
"Keep your panties on, for one thing," he said dismissively. "This won't take long."

Hyde about-faced and took off into the trees. I gaped at his sudden rush in dealing with whatever threat lay beyond my field of view. Several tense minutes passed as I crouched there, hunched over like some voyeuristic creature, waiting for whatever Hyde was planning to do.

I heard voices approaching me. I started to panic. What if I were discovered? What if Hyde did something stupid that I'd get blamed for? I stole a peek through the bush, parting the leaves ever so slightly to see who, or what, was coming.

"-place is pretty cool. Never seen anything like it before."
"Just give it a rest, Mellaga," a second voice sounded. "Seriously, you can stop talking now."
"What's your problem?" Mellaga asked irritably. "Ever since we got here you've been on my case. What, you feeling homesick?"
"Hardly. I'm sick of your attitude. All I've heard out of you is, "Oh, wow, new planet! Can't wait to show everyone how good I am at surviving, because they don't already know!" You're the most insufferable, arrogant-"
"Oi!" a third voice spoke up. It had a highland accent. "Where's Laccan?"
"Oh, for the love of..." the second voice sighed.” I swear, when I find that moron I'm going to throttle him. You two. Wait here."

Footsteps sounded on the grass as the man with the second voice walked away. I wondered where Hyde was.

"'Ey, Mellaga. What's up with him, eh?" the third voice asked.
I don't know," she answered. "I think he's just bitter over flunking 'Survivalist Theory'. He's giving me grief for passing my exams with flying colours."
"Difference 'tween theory an' the real thing, girl. If y'ask me, I say give it a rest for a bit. Let him simmer down."
"But he needs to learn his place!" she half shouted. "I'm not staying under the leadership of some halfwit!"
"Hey," the highlander replied. "He ain't stupid. He's pretty smart, and a damn good leader."
"His grades say otherwise," Mellaga snapped back.
"See, now yer gettin' on my nerves," the voice said. "Let's just wait for him-"

A scream sounded in the distance, bone-chilling in pitch and volume. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I had to repress an involuntary shudder to keep myself from being discovered. What the Hell was Hyde doing?

"What the bloody 'ell was that?" the highlander questioned, startled.

More footsteps sounded, loud and close by. I turned and saw a girl around my age sprinting down the path, away from the source of the scream.

"Mellaga! Where d'you think yer goin'?"

A loud humming carried softly yet firmly through the density of the trees. I peeked through the bushes and saw a man standing, sword drawn, looking somewhat nervous, with a glimmer of defiance. He adjusted his stance every so often, trying to guess where the sound was coming from. The humming, it sounded familiar. All too familiar...

A large shadow descended from directly above the Knight, landing just a few feet in front of him and aiming a smooth strike at the Knight's torso. The Knight staggered backwards, clutching his chest, which had now begun seeping a dark red substance. He looked up at his assailant.

"Boo," Hyde whispered, before laughing insanely in the face of his target.

The Knight gasped and tried to land a hit on Hyde with his sword, which was easily parried. He tried again, and the sword was knocked from his hand. Hyde seized the Knight by the throat, lifting him off the ground until his feet were dangling above the grass.

I ran. I ran as fast as I could, off in the direction that Mellaga went. Maybe she hadn't escaped yet. Maybe i could take the elevator with her, provided she'd let me. I rounded a corner, and saw several wolf-creatures. Since it was either face these or face Hyde, I took my chances, sprinting past them. Strangely, they didn't notice me. I started to wonder if I was going crazy and maybe I was hallucinating. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen to me all day.

I spotted a clearing up ahead, as well as a shape that was definitely human. It was the girl I saw run off earlier. She appeared to be stuck at a large wrought-iron gate with a large lock on it. I jumped in some bushes at the entrance to the clearing, not wanting to risk getting seen. If she mistook me for the one who attacked her squad I would never get out of here. She whirled around toward the source of the noise.

"Who's there?" she asked forcefully, drawing her gun.

I remained silent, covering my mouth with my hand to stifle my panting.

"I know you're there!" she shouted. "If this is some sort of sick joke, it's not funny."

The bushes nearby my hiding place rustled and moved, before a Knight rose from them. His chest was stained red, but he seemed alright. I could barely see his face, though; he was standing in the dark, so I could only make out some details.

"Easy there, Mellaga. Yer right jumpy, yeh know?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. The Knight had escaped. But where was Hyde?

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" Mellaga yelled, lowering her gun. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinkin' a damn sight better than you, ya coward! Yeh left me to die back there. Don't deny it!"
Mellaga sighed. "That's what survivors do, dumbass. Survive. Besides, you got out alright, didn't you?"
"That's the thing, Mellaga. I didn't."

The Knight fell forwards, collapsing like a stone on the grass. Another Knight stepped out of the shrubbery, brandishing a large, glowing sword.

Oh my God...

Mellaga's eyes widened in shock. "W-what... What..."
"I take it you were impressed?" Hyde asked brightly. "I can't do that many voices, but hey. What I can do, I do well. Oh, you'll need a key for that gate. Here."

He tossed a large key over to Mellaga, where it hit the ground with a muffled thud.

"I found it on one of your friends back there. He won't be needing it."
"B-but... he was s-standing..." she blabbered, pointing at the highlander's corpse.
"Yeah, I also dabble in puppetry," Hyde shrugged. "I always wanted to spook people with a mannequin. This little show I just put on did nicely, though."
"You killed my team..." she whimpered. "What kind of monster are you?"
"The kind only tyrants make," Hyde said, his tone growing darker. "I know who you are, Mellaga. I know what you are. Your friends, too. You made my life a nightmare. You made me."

He stepped closer to her. Her gun arm trembled, but didn't move.

"You made me into this. Now how about I make you into that?" he jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the cadaver.

Instinctively, she raised her gun and blindly fired off a few rounds, most of which missed. Hyde expertly deflected the few on target ones with a couple of flicks of his sword.

"N-no..." she pleaded. “You can't.... I'm not supposed to die."
"And there's the root of the problem," Hyde spat. "Your damn superiority complex. I always hated your ego, Mellaga. Always spitting down at us from your pedestal."

She could only listen to his words. There was no possibility of escape.

"You and your damn band of brigands. The lot of them. I remember one of them died during your last year in the Academy. Suicide, was it?"

She nodded, beads of sweat pouring down her face. I was shocked; I remembered that. They found her body within the hour, but by then it was too late. There were rumours of a 'suicide pact' between her and her boyfriend, who suffered from both the rumour and guilt since the school year ended.

"Oh, yes, I remember. They found her in the forest, hanging from a tree. Of course, no-one knew the truth of what happened. Why she did it. That's always the question, isn't it? But I know the truth. I know why she did it."

Mellaga stood petrified by his words. I was dreading what was coming next about half as much as she was, which was still a staggering amount of dread.

"And the truth is, she didn't. I did."

Mellaga gasped. I was shocked, and a little confused.

"You see, I sent a fake message from her darling beau telling her to meet up in the forest. When she showed up I snapped her pretty little neck and hoisted her up like a piñata. Then I sent a fake message to her boyfriend telling him the same thing, and then I went home for the weekend. Best Monday of my life."

Mellaga made a noise of pure anguish. I myself was feeling queasy by this point. The guy was a psycho.

"Best part is they all thought the boyfriend was going to do it, too, but chickened out. Oh, it felt so good to be rid of your venom after so long. You and everyone else, which included that jackass boyfriend of hers.
"Of course, that only lasted for a while. See, I didn't expect you to get even worse. You thought you'd be even more of an insufferable brat to 'honour' your friend, didn't you? And that made me angry. So very angry. Well, I think it's high time to see just how close Icarus has flown to the sun."
"Oh, God! Don't kill me, please!" she begged, dropping to her knees.

Hyde, put one hand behind her head, stroking her hair in a way that made me feel sick.

"Oh, don't worry," Hyde said gently, something that sent chills up my spine far faster than that scream from earlier. "I won't kill you."
Her fear turned to confusion, then gratitude. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Th-"

Her words were cut short as Hyde put the tip of the blade to her stomach, applying enough force to smoothly pierce her armour, and her flesh. Blood ran down her abdomen, dripping on the grass. He forced the sword through to the point that the handle was pressing against her wound, and while I couldn't see it I was sure the blade has gone straight through and out the other side. She gasped in pain, but made no other sound. She looked up at him.

"Feel that?" Hyde goaded. "That pain? It's called 'hubris'."

Her eyes brimmed with tears. A trickle of blood ran out of the corner of her mouth.

"You got top marks in 'Survivalist Theory', am I correct?" he asked. "Then you'll find a way out of this. See? I'm not killing you."

He withdrew his sword from her stomach, wiping the blood off with his hand. Sheathing the blade, he bent down to impart one last message.

"Just so you know who you crossed," he said calmly.

His hands moved to his head, and after a moment I saw him remove his mask. He was facing away from me so I couldn't see his face, but then I thought for a moment: would I want to? Whatever expression he was showing would surely not be worth the curiosity. I saw Mellaga's eyes, if possible, widen even more. After a few seconds of savouring her fear, Hyde stood up and reattached his mask, letting her body fall on its side, quivering in pain. He then picked up the key and started walking toward me.

He seized me by the scruff of my neck and threw me to the ground. The key dropped down next to me.

"Be a dear and unlock that gate, would you?"

Not wanting to anger him any more, I grabbed the key and ran to the gate. I jammed the key in the lock and turned, stepping back in alarm when the lock popped off, landing with a loud crash on the steel threshold the gate sat in. The gate itself fell under its own weight, slotting into the threshold nicely.

Hyde strode past when the gate opened, not looking back. I debated running in the opposite direction, but I saw the wolves from earlier approaching, attracted by the smell of fresh blood. I heard Mellaga's breathing quicken, and decided I wanted no further part of it.

I took off after Hyde, my panic mounting.

I don't think I've written a single chapter since I started posting these. I still have 2 chapters left to write. Oh, well. I'll get around to it.

===Chapter 12===

"Wakey, wakey, Nulley-boy!"

That voice... oh, for the love of...

I open my eyes, feeling strangely awake and alert despite what had just happened. I surmised that i had blacked out after the sword reacted the way it did. Only question was how Hyde found me. Perhaps he could sense the sword's energy from a distance. Hell, after what happened, I thought just about anything would sense that amount of power.

The trees up ahead were obscured by a dark fog, which only became more apparent when I sat up, finding that they weren't just obscured: they were gone. The stone circle was gone, the sword was gone, and even the grass was gone.

Alright, I thought. So now where am I?

I stood up, dusting myself off, and looked around. It appeared to be a darkened room, but with no clear boundaries. It seemed more like a black void than anything. Trace amounts of fog hovered in the distance, giving the place an atmosphere I wasn't comfortable with. I looked around for Hyde, expecting him to jump out and scare me. He wasn't there. Odd.

"So, how's the sword treating you?"

I jumped, whirling around to find a pair of purple eyes staring into my own. He wasn't there before. it was like he teleported or something. On any other day I wouldn't have believed it, but I was feeling rather gullible today. I stepped away from him to get a better look.

His clothing had changed. He still had the old mask and jacket, but now his armour looked just like my own, but with a darker hue. A black halo was circling the back of his head, contained by the ornate parts of the helmet. What the Hell is this?

"Like the new look? I find your getup looks much better on me."
"What happened?" I ask. "Where are we?"
"Tell you the truth, I don't know," he answered simply. "Something tells me we'll be getting out quite soon."
"What makes you so sure?" I question.
"Because the sword did this, and the sword is mine."
"I don't get it. You did this?"
"No, you did."

He had lost me. There was too much stuff going on, and I understood too little to make any sort of logical rationalisation.

"See, you brought the sword to the circle, and broke another seal. This brought me back out, although to where, I'm not sure."
"What do you mean, "Brought you out"?"
"You haven't guessed yet?" his tone was condescending.
"Stop with the games. Who are you, really?"

He laughed. A high, cold laugh that made my hair stand on end. The sound echoed around the void, giving the impression that ten of him were laughing in tandem.

"It's like looking in a mirror, isn't it? Only you see a monster, while I see a reflection."
"No. No way... that's impossible," I whispered, my mind going numb.
"You're me, Null," he said gleefully, though there was nothing particularly pleasant about the situation. "And I'm you. Two sides of the same coin. I told you you were crazy."
"How?" I asked weakly.
"Apparently, the first seal broke at the same time as your psyche. Your mind blacked out from the stress, or so you thought. I managed to take control, so I am the only one who can use the sword. I don't know why you can't but hey, I'm not complaining."
"But how did the seal break?"
"I've been getting flashes from the sword. Something about a blood sacrifice. Whose blood, I couldn't say, but it's either an innocent, like Caevan, a virgin, probably Vinsum, or maybe some sort of 'fallen angel'. I guess our armour puts us into that category. Seems the sword's been treating the two of us like different entities. It's really something."
"How long have you... been?"
"For a while. I've had control since you blacked out on that table, up until you 'punched' me. I 'went away' after you ran off. Now I'm back. To be honest, I was rather surprised you broke free."
His eyes narrowed. "Of course, that won't be happening again."
"You've been controlling me...?"

That means that I killed those people. I just thought I saw someone else do it.

"Not the first time either," Hyde said, stretching his arms. "Those episodes you had as a kid were really cathartic."
"You've been dormant for that long?"
"To an extent. You never really stopped having those episodes. Not since that day when you were nine. Oh, you'd have gone without them for a year or two, but I always came back in the end. Like our last year at the Academy."
"Oh my God..."

I sunk to my knees, distraught over what I had done, whether I was in control or not. Hyde got down on one knee, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"It's not all bad, old friend. I'm just taking back what's mine. You can still help me find the rest of the seals."
"I'd never help you," I growl, staring daggers at him.
He chuckled. "You always did have low self-esteem.
"Now," he said, rising to his feet. "Time to wake up."

===Chapter 14===

Hyde strolled through the forest, whistling tunelessly as he twirled the Faust around. I was busy coming up with a plan about how I was going to break free from his control again. Perhaps I needed to lose control. The only reason I broke free the first time was because Hyde made me angry enough to lash out. Maybe that's what I needed.

In all my thinking I almost didn't notice that we had stopped moving. Hyde was focusing on something. I could hear voices in the distance, getting closer. Hyde crept to the edge of the path, seizing a tree branch and hoisting himself upwards. He climbed until he was safe from the gaze of an unwary traveler, overlooking the path.

"Oh, goodie," he whispered. "I wonder who we're going to play with today?"

This was good, in a sense. If I could use this to stress myself out, I could break free, but I had to do it without the travelers seeing me, or they'd attack me for sure. I focused on the voices.

"-did not, shut up!"
"C'mon, I did. Ask her!"
"Alright, I will. We'll put some money on it after we find this missing squad."
"Oh, you have a deal, my friend."

Two voices, both male, led the squad. They were oddly relaxed. I guess they hadn't taken the path we did. I had almost forgotten there were people capable of joking anymore. They said something about a missing squad. Did they mean Omicron? Or Mellaga's team?

"Hey, wait up, you two!"

Another voice called out. Female. She sounded winded, like she was struggling with a weight.

"Oh, hey," the first voice said. "What's up?"
"Gonna need your help with her." I saw an injured Knight being supported by the speaker.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

As the first voice came within my field of view, I could get a better look at the three of them. The first voice belonged to a man wearing some chain mail armour, not unlike garb suited to fencing. The female speaker was wearing standard-issue Proto gear, and the injured party, though I couldn't get a good enough look at her armour, sported a crescent helm. I couldn't get a close enough look at the third.

"How'd she get injured?" the second man spoke up.
"During that last fight, one of those wolf-things bit her on the leg," she answered. "I've bandaged the wound, but we'll need to get out of here ASAP."

Hyde smiled. I could almost hear his thoughts whizzing around my head. Four targets, one injured, being supported by two others. That leaves one able to defend himself. A surprise attack on the readily able one would ensure their swift demise. Hyde waited several minutes until they had left the scene before dropping down from his perch.

"This should be easy," he said, smiling. "Almost too easy."

He set off after them, keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen. After a few minutes of walking, he found them resting by some large and colourful boxes that had clover emblems on them. They were busy rifling through their contents, and resting by a ruined water fountain.

"Lots of coins here," the fencer said. "This place is a goldmine."
"Pretty interesting stuff, I gotta say," the injured girl replied. "Maybe if we end up stuck here we'll at least have some sort of economy."

Hyde was edging ever closer, licking his lips in anticipation. I felt ill, knowing what he'd do to them, but I had to at least try to break free.

I focused, thinking of everything I had done on this planet. I survived the crash of the largest ship we'd ever constructed. I'd survived in the wilderness for hours before finding my way to rescue. I found what I knew would become a flourishing city with all the Knights migrating towards it. I met up with an old friend, and two old enemies, and we traveled underground, finding monsters and horrors unlike anything we'd expected. We were captured and tortured until the sword awoke. I broke free. Not Hyde. He just took over. Took credit.

Hyde may have the sword, but it was my blood that broke the seal. And I was not going to let that bastard break me.

He said I broke the second seal after I had taken control from him. I didn't need him for that. Maybe...

"Eenie, meenie, miney, moe..." Hyde whispered, his voice quivering with excitement.

The sword used some sort of magic that binds it to the wielder. My armour was also bound, but I had a feeling that what the sword and I had been through had forged a bond that could not be broken, unlike the armour. The seal broke when my mind split in two, so the two halves of me must have something to do with it. Hyde gets the sword, but what do I get?

"Catch a tiger by the toe..."

C'mon, think... the magic? Is that it? Do I control the magic of the sword? Two halves... physical and mental... I'm missing something here. Think, Null, think!

"If it hollers let him go..."

Wait, I think I've got it... yes!

"Eenie, meenie, miney, m-"

Hyde convulsed as the sword shot a jolt of energy up his arm. He ground his teeth from the pain, snarling in shock and rage. Flecks of spit flew from his teeth. He shut his eyes as he rolled on the ground, trying to fight the pain, but it overtook him, and we both plunged into darkness.
I opened my eyes.

I was back in that black room. Hyde was lying on the ground nearby, his eyes closed behind the mask. I walked over to him.

"Wakey-wakey, Hyde-y boy!"

He groaned, opening his eyes. He sat up slowly, before lunging at me in an attempt to take me down. Once he took hold of me he relinquished his grasp, cursing in pain.

"What did you do?!" he shouted. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"
"I took back what's mine," I replied coldly. "You won't be hurting anyone else, Sullis."
His eyes narrowed, before he looked around the room. "Where are we?"
"If I knew, I'd tell you, although since we're one and the same, that wouldn't do much."
"This isn't the sword..." his eyes lit up with realisation. "It's your mind, isn't it? You've sealed us inside your own mind?!"
"See, I've been thinking, Sullis," I said. "About this whole dynamic we have here." I gesture between us. "And I've realised something. See, while you get the sword, and all that entails... I get the seals. I can do what I want with them, including trapping us here."
"You..." he growled. "I'm going to..."
"You won't," I said confidently. "I'm in control now. And you can't do anything to stop me. You may be stronger, but I'm not exactly weak, and I have the seals on my side."

Hyde looked livid. A look of pure hate festered behind his mask. His hands were shaking, as if he was itching to place them around my throat, but he couldn't touch me. I could use the seals to end his bloodshed, but I'd need to fully master the magic to be able to use it effectively.

Hyde stepped closer to me, slowly. I stood defiantly, staring him down. Once he got within an arm's reach of me, he raised his hands in mock salute.

"Alright," he said sarcastically. "You win. You're not as weak as I thought."
His eyes gained an edge of amusement. "How about we make a deal?"
I frowned at him. "You expect me to bargain with you? You named the sword after an old folk tale that involved this very situation, and that didn't end well for the protagonist."
His tone grew desperate. "I can't stay here forever, Null. Neither can you. You have us locked in some sort of trance, completely vulnerable. What if we die here?"
"So be it," I replied, folding my arms. "Saves a bunch of people who otherwise might have become your victims."
"God dammit, Null, listen to me!"
"No!" I shouted, losing my patience. "You listen to me! This is my mind! My body! My control! I don't know how you came to be, but I'll be damned if I let you loose again!"

He was frantic now. The last thing he wanted was restrictions. He wanted the freedom to do what he liked, no matter how depraved.

"What about the sword?" he asked. "You're going to throw that away? It's possibly the most important relic in our history! And you're just going to leave it lying next to our corpse?"
"It's more trouble than it's worth," I stated.
"What about Caevan?"
I glared at him. "You leave her out of this."
"You're really going to dishonour her memory by dropping dead? After all you've been through?"
"Hyde, I'm warning you-"
"Warning me? What else have I got to lose? This is about you! Your body, your control, your life, right?"
I closed my eyes and took a breath. "You have thirty seconds. Say what you want, but after that I'm done with you."

Hyde took a moment to compose himself.

"I say we travel. Discover everything we can about the sword. I'll keep us alive, you keep us up to speed with these seals."
I considered it for a moment. "What's in it for you?"
"My freedom," he replied. "And my life. Survival's a top priority with me. You want out of here, you have to take me with you."

The fact that he still acted like he had the upper hand was annoying me, but he was right. If I break the sealing magic and release myself, Hyde would be dragged along into the outside world too.

"Deal."
Hyde blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Deal," I said simply. "I'll break the seal again, and you'll be free to run around the world as you so desire.
"But know this," I said, my eyes narrowing. "If you ever spill any more innocent blood, I'm putting us back in, and we are never coming out again. Are we clear?"

Hyde snarled, angry at being trapped in a corner like this. I never thought I'd see him submit to anything or anyone.

It made it all the more satisfying when he agreed.

Not used to finishing a story so quickly. Between Cross' getting dragged on for months and Julius' for weeks, this one only getting done across days is a real pace changer.

===Epilogue===

It's been a while since that day, but I doubt I'll ever get over it fully. Still, at least i have something to take my mind off of it. I've lost count of how many weeks have gone by since I began hunting down these seals. Hyde's grown more cooperative, I've started gaining muscle and we're now navigating the subterranean landscapes with ease. I let Hyde out every so often so he can let loose on whatever monsters and animals are unlucky enough to cross us. He revels in the act.

I chose not to return to the Order. I'm done with them. After sending us down to die and splitting my psyche in two I have no more reason to help them. Every so often I get a glimpse of a patrol, exploring the wilderness, or scavenging for materials and coins. I keep out of their way, and make sure they don't see me. Sometimes if I'm feeling generous enough I help them out from behind the scenes, killing some tough baddie or solving a puzzle for them. Sometimes I wonder why they gather these treasures. I guess it's to do with the surface. I wonder how that town's doing?

I've learned more about the seals in my time underground. Each one corresponds to an element, the first one broken being 'Shadow'. That spawned Hyde, my 'dark half'. The second was 'Earth', which gives me reason to believe that I'm looking for 'Fire', 'Wind', 'Water' and whatever else may be down here. Perhaps they're hidden, deep within zones that are full of their respective elements.

The sword's still not too keen on me. I guess some things never change. Still, I wonder how the seals will affect me. Hyde can perform incredible feats with the sword, but he still has yet to fully master it. I can only imagine what the seals will allow me to do, especially once I break and master them all. Hyde cracked a joke about me shooting fire from my hands and punching with the force of an earthquake. That got my hopes up.

I ran across a group of those rat-men the other day. I don't know what to call them, or what they're actually called, but I don't really care. They sensed the sword's energy, which leads me to believe that they're sensitive to shadow. It would explain why the guards in the torture chamber were burning after the sword reacted. The patrol that I ran into were shocked that a Knight like me was in possession of the sword, and even more so that I'd broken two of the seals. They tried to stop me before I got any further.

I decided to play a little game of 'Hyde and Seek' with them. Hyde said that they weren't very good.

Someday I'll find the last seal and finally understand this sword, but that won't be for a while. Hyde says we should wreak havoc on the surface, but I'm not the revenge type. At most I'll just make it clear to those sheep how cruel their shepherds can be. But again, that won't be for a while. For now, I travel, one step at a time, watching and waiting for anything that catches my eye, with my armoured dress, an ancient sword in my hand and a psycho by my side.

I'll get used to it, I guess.

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Something about this story isn't sitting right with me. Not sure what. I guess it just feels rushed, but overall I think it turned out okay. On to the next one. Gonna need a bit to decide what I'm gonna write about. Should I redo Cross' story or start on someone else?