A Truth Long Forgotten

[Shadow]

^{"You took our wills with the truth you stole,
we offer prayers for your long lost soul."}

Wolf

One paw placed in front of another, a solemn cadence that only Shadow moved to. Thoughts of lives he had lived and people he had met swimming and evaporating away like the ever changing cycles of storms. Anything devoid of the alien note cleansing his mind, Shadow's only guide and map along the path he now took, was banished and forgotten.

His black fur passed under leaves, countless branches, and a sky that was becoming more and more visible with every step he took toward the edge of the forest. Memories failed him here, but he wasn't lost. Like a scent, the trail he followed was tracked by instinct alone. His mind was attuned to the smell, leading his muscles and tendons in a constant march toward a structure enshrouded by a canopy of vines and weeds, aged with time.

While time had aged the shoddy construction, the aura around the place felt of a timelessness that only a portrait could portray. The air was ripe with a sense of wrongness, as if something unnatural lurked here. Something that didn't and couldn't belong in the world. Ripples of emotion passed softly by Shadow's wolf senses. Dark tendencies, a scent of anger over a past deed that had never been forgiven and could never be forgiven except by vengeance.

The musical note in his mind took on a more wild tone, the edges wistfully turning into barely concealed warnings. A beauty, but a beauty so dangerous that a stray thought could tear apart Shadow's very being.

Onward. Enter.

Shadow's padded feet soon left the familiar packed dirt and grass and lit upon the hard surface of rock and mortar. Safety was now a foreign concept, a fabric ripped, shredded, and finally discarded. As the black wolf took the first step inside the stone archway, he could feel Earth slipping away.

Closer.

The dark wolf prowled forward, eyes finding another doorway further in and yet another, the presence in his mind giving his limbs the direction they needed. Torches that had long lost their flames lined the right wall, portraits and tapestries from another age lining the opposite wall. They portrayed life in an ancient form, something that had not visited the world for at least a century, perhaps multiple.

Forward.

The air grew colder, anticipation in the breeze sifting through Shadow's dusky ruff. A sinister longing added its own tone to the musical symphony guiding Shadow's paws. Obeying, his feet passed through the final entrance, opening into a small room, lined on four walls with torches, the final (the one he now faced after entering) bearing what looked to be a sarcophagus. The coffin was bound by chains, fastened together by a massive lock that didn't seem to have a method of reopening it. Ancient symbols lined the casket from head to toe in a language Shadow had never seen or heard of before.

The voice did not sound again, nor did Shadow need it to realize what he had to do.

His dark form inched forward, a talisman held out from his maw. When he came within inches of the prison, the symbols lit up, a multicolor display that both awed and intimidated.

Within seconds, the sarcophagus cracked and the floor rumbled. The seal on the chains seemed impenetrable, but the longer the floor shook, the less invincible it seemed. Eddies beneath the surface of the metal started to give way and, just as quickly, it dissolved completely into smoke. The chains left with the seal and, with nothing left to hold it together, the coffin fell into pieces, a bright light filling the chamber and obscuring the coffin from sight.

When the light and the after images left Shadow's dark orbs, what he glimpsed and felt next could only be described in one word.

Mirth.

_{"You changed the channels,
then you changed our minds."}

[/i]

[Leaf]

Inside my heart, there's a grey room
            Whenever I'm alone, something comes out to haunt me

Within several layered walls of a dungeon lay a single casket. Cold, lonely, and solemn. Within the casket, however, lay an incredible force. A force that reached beyond the boundaries of realms and ensnared those who touched it. But you couldn't tell by just looking. No, you had to feel the trembling evil in the surrounding atmosphere. You had to sense the vibrating shimmers of darkness the area was submerged in. This was the place where the demon Libitina lay.

The demon was in her coffin, still as a corpse. Even her heart was still. Her mind, however, spun as she pulled mental strings across space and even time. Her slaves, marionettes of her power, were spread across the entire realm of XISIN. They were everywhere, acting as her eyes and ears. It made her feel alive even though her body was as dead as a doorknob. She had been curious earlier when several of her strings were cut at about the same time. They were torn from her mental grasp brutally, like someone yanking them out before she could let go. This sudden loss made her curious. She didn't mind the loss of her puppets—there were plenty of weak-hearted men to replace them—but it made her wonder: who could it be that destroyed so many of her toys so deftly?

Webs of mental energy had been cast around the area, seeping everywhere for signs of liveliness. It wasn't for long before she could touch two presences, each complementary to the other in the most peculiar fashion. She probed them gently, finding one of them extremely familiar. Perhaps the Hellhounds had already interacted with one of them already. Yes, she remembered, they were being pursued by herself earlier. One of them was a thief that had crossed paths with her organization earlier. They were no doubt the ones who demolished her puppets. It was a bother, seeing as her memory and other mental capacities were impaired due to her extraneous mental activities. She had to break the seals. She had to get her powers back to full bloom.

Libitina reached out, determined to capture the two souls. One of them, however, eluded her grasp ever so slightly. The same way that it did before when it had first interacted with the Hellhounds. 'Whatever.' she thought, focusing on the remaining presence. This one would prove useful, both as a lure and a weapon. Securing her mental energy around the mind of the target, the demon began to send her song out, tampering with the very signals of the target's brain. Soon, it had fallen under her control. Slowly, she lured it closer and closer to her, allowing the being to transport across the boundaries of realms.

The presence was now clearly in her lair and she could still feel it approach, the mind dull under her sinister melody. It was going to free her from her misery. 

It was going to bring her back to life. 

The being crossed the threshold into the room where Libitina's casket lay, which was chained obscurely under the dim light of eternal torches. A talisman was summoned by the being and the seal closing her imprisonment shattered.

Feeling energy run through her dead limbs, Libitina marveled at the strength in clenching her fist. For the first time in many years, she could move. She opened and closed her hand, then rest it upon the lid of the sarcophagus. A strange energy tingled her fingertips and for a split second, she felt the earth tremble before everything shattered. Cool air rushed around the demon and for the first time in a century, she felt movement around her body. She was free. Libitina stood gracefully, brushing her gown out. Why was it pitch black before her? Certainly, she should be able to see! She lifted her hand to feel her eyelids. They had been closed for such a long time and she had been so accustomed to seeing through her puppets that she forgot about her vision. Using a conscious effort, the demon opened her eyes and saw. She saw color and light and shapes, all clear and before her. Very unlike the fuzzy and blurred vision through another's eyes.

The demon's eyes then turned to the being which had freed her. It was a wolf, black in color. "Malorex. she spoke, the words tumbling off of the ancient lips. The canine had reminded her of her hellish pup. The loyal friend that had followed her into an eternal slumber. The demon then looked at the wolf and eyed him. "What joy! To find such an amazing thing! Now you will help me catch that friend of yours…" Libitina purred as she extended a hand to stroke the strong pelt of the wolf. She then began humming the same tune she had been sending to the wolf's head. The rhythm sent shivers through the walls and then a different sound resonated. It was of a much lower tone, but it's content seemed to blend with Libitina's melody in a most spectacular fashion. A different drumming then arose. At first it was far, then it neared, and then it was right there.

"Dear Malorex, it has been quite a long while." Libitina cooed as the large Hellhound's footsteps came to a stop. The hound was large and covered with a lava-like substance, all orange, red, yellow and even black, the color shifting constantly like that of a churning pit of magma. A stray mane ran down it's back and between it's perk ears. It was joyous for it had not seen it's mistress for the time that it too was sealed away.

After a few moments of rejoice, Libitina turned to the wolf. Staring at it with cold eyes, she wondered what she was going to do with it. "Perhaps, I should take these chains that you just freed me from… and tie you up with them." she chuckled sweetly, but with a poisonous tinge to her voice. She then bent down and picked up a loose chain and shook it ominously. "I think I'll have you go to sleep for a bit." After she spoke, the demon then clenched her mental grasp on the wolf's mind, determined to knock him out.

"I hope you prove as useful as you look."

Go ahead and call me a madman
But do not call me a fool

[Shadow]

^{"You took our wills with the truth you stole,
we offer prayers for your long lost soul."}

Wolf

The show was just starting. First emerged the demon, female. She gazed with eyes closed for but a moment before forcing them open and focusing on Shadow. Her words passed in and out of the black wolf's ears. Somewhere deep down inside of him, rage churned, but his conscious mind had no use for the anger and couldn't comprehend what had caused it. Libitina's song was the only tune he could dance to now, her touch on his pelt, pleasing her, was the only thing that mattered. And even then, she hummed the melody that turned and churned the fates of countless people across the world.

The force of the sound reverberated in Shadow's bones and through the walls around him. An answering tone sounded only a moment later, blending into a near mesmerizing siren song. There was never a stronger sense of wrongness to the air than now. Shadow dropped the talisman, glanced over his shoulder, and there stood the hellhound. Malorex.

The joy that passed between Hellhound and his mistress was lost on Shadow, but his eyes took in the churning lava that moved across the surface of the hound's body. Formidable and strong, a definite force to be reckoned with. The wolf could even feel the heat churning from where he stood.

Distracted by the hellhound, and his mind not attuned to normal senses a free wolf would have, he didn't notice the demon's plan until it was already in action, her grip on his mind tightening, trying to lure him from consciousness. His human and wolf side both slipped into slumber, but a part remained. A part invincible to any coaxing, devoid of any respect for any creature alive or dead. A core of pure hatred and nothing else.

Shadow's eyes quickly darted back to Libitina and he bared his fangs, no longer conscious of anything but action to action. His fangs and talons took on a golden hue, fur darkening to the blackest form of the night. His eyes focused and shifted as well, dark to gold, and he glared at the demon, rational thoughts gone, nothing more than a machine build for one purpose: to kill.

Disregarding his own life and the hellhound behind him, he leaped straight toward the demon's throat.

_{"You changed the channels,
then you changed our minds."}

[/i]

[Leaf]

Inside my heart, there's a grey room
            Whenever I'm alone, something comes out to haunt me

Just when the demon thought she had crushed the remaining consciousness the wolf held, she felt her grip close around an empty element. An impenetrable, intangible substance within the wolf's mind. With a quizzical look on her face, she tried her best to extinguish the remaining glow, but to no avail. Instead, the wolf morphed into what could be almost as gruesome as a hellish creature. It was what was beneath it's consciousness. It was the "id."

The thing moved. And quickly, too. Libitina struggled to move, but her body, which had been in a stagnant state for over a century, was too weak to respond. Not only so, but she still had about five seals on her, sealing her full power. Seeing the fangs flash before her, she panicked and shut her eyes, shirking back. How unfair, her demise being present right after her resurrection.

The pain never came, though.

Her pet, Malorex, had intervened and pounced between the wolf and his mistress. The canine struck his shoulder, causing the monster to yelp. The yelp, however, turned into a mighty growl as the monster flared its body and let a guttural roar rip through its throat. Something had attacked its mistress and it was going to defend her. The hellhound snarled, baring its wide array of teeth.

The Hellhound stood, it's size swelling until it seemed to fill the entire room. Its breath was heavy and loud and it echoed within the stone walls. The hisses floating in his breath danced in tempo with the flames licking between his fangs. It was indeed a hellish sight to see.

Libitina, who had recovered from her shock, pointed a thin finger at the wolf. "Malorex! Obliterate it!" she gasped, her face face flushing with both embarrassment and frustration toward the fear she had felt earlier. How could this beast resist her control? And furthermore, instill such an unsettling feeling in her heart?

The Hellhound heeded his mistress's orders and raised his uninjured limb above his head before smashing it down toward the wolf in a formidable fashion, his claws striking through the flickering light of eyes. The monster staggered as the stone floor shook from the impact. No blood had come from his wound, but upon close observation, one could see a substance that seemed to be evaporating from the gash. The trembling had caused the Hellhound to wince from the jolt that was sent through his shoulder. Malorex raised his majestic head to glare at the wolf. Their eyes met, but the Hellhound did not sense the fear that pierced his usual victims. Instead, he felt like his gaze fell into an empty void. His petrifying glare did not have an effect, seeing as there was nothing to scare. There was no being behind the empty mask.

Go ahead and call me a madman
But do not call me a fool

[Shadow]

^{"You took our wills with the truth you stole,
we offer prayers for your long lost soul."}

Wolf

"Who are you? Was there ever a point, deep inside, that you longed to know the answer? A truth just out of reach -- something that seemed like you should know -- a part of your life as big as family, with only a sea of static and contraband to take its place?"

A quick motion and he was free, embers burning in his eyes as he stood facing the hound. The black shadow was undeterred. Death was his instrument, and he had no qualms about using it, no matter what the cost.

"I just wanted to be free. I kept telling myself that, if my past was so important, I would remember what I was. That empty hole in my heart and mind was filled with desperation and rage. I didn't care who I hurt...."

The wolf took a step, shadows billowing and shifting as his muscles grew taut. Life in this age held no meaning for him. Everything he had been had crumbled to ashes, the world he once knew beneath layers of sediment, fraying and decaying with the ticking of the clock.

"You think you can ignore me, you think you can get away..."

Flames held no heat, the chill of the air couldn't penetrate his murderous resolve.

"He said "Stop, please and listen. Can we try to be friends?" His eyes were like distance and he bore into mine. They shone and they glistened like they drove me blind. "You think you can ignore me, you think you can get away..."

--

~stop by your nightmare, on a dark road today~

/There was such a wind through his white hair, such a grin on his face./ He held in his hand a gift to the traveling wolf. Free food for the company of the night. I should have refused, but I was hungry and I was young.

A trade. I had made a deal. Food for a day -- for the company of the night.

I ran from the deal after I had eaten. Surely the old man couldn't follow me; only a few yards and I would be off in the night, free from his wrinkled hands and piercing pleas.

I stole out in the shelter of the darkest of the night, the old man sat on the porch on a battered rocking chair. I assumed him asleep, and made to pass.

The old man said "Stop, please and listen. Can we try to be friends?" His eyes were like distance and he bore into mine. They shone and they glistened like they drove me blind.

I didn't try to answer, I didn't think to reply. I took a step, and another. Forgetting the deal, burying it deep inside.

"You think you can ignore me, you think you can get away..."

I ran then. Far and fast my legs took me, but deep down... I never truly felt I had gotten away. Something always haunted me. A part just beneath the surface, building...churning.

--

A flash of teeth and the shadow lunged forward at the hell-hound, aiming for the previously injured leg.

--

~"You think you can ignore me, you think you can get away..."~

A boy, not much older.

I made my way down the market streets, looking for a chance to work for a bit of coin. I needed a place to stay, and I needed food. I found a baker and asked politely, "Can I please have a spare bit of coin, sir? I will even work for you given the chance."

He turned, and the face I saw lit by the candle on the tabletop took me aback.

The old man reincarnated, still smiling sadly, his wispy white hair shifting carelessly in the breeze.

Anger took over; I had left this deal and this man behind ages ago, I would not be a slave. My vision wavered, my thoughts grew hazy.... And then I lept -- with claws and teeth of gold and the fury of the oppressed in my eyes.

Blood shot through the air, liquid copper brushing against my tongue.

The old man lay on the ground, throat torn open. He croaked out one final retort, "You can't stand to remember....you won't lift a finger for the storm of regret..." He smiled, red trickling from his lips, "A deal. For companionship. You made this wall between us. The night is what was promised, and the shadows are still long..."

My vision cleared and revealed a man of a middle age laying where the old man had been. The store-owner. I stood as a human, and could still taste the man's blood on my tongue.

Trembling, I ran.

---

^{Ready or not
It's like total paranoia
Anything you say
He can twist his way
It's really too much
It's like total paranoia
Anywhere you go
He is sure to know.}

_{"You changed the channels,
then you changed our minds."}

[/i]

[Leaf]

Inside my heart, there's a grey room
            Whenever I'm alone, something comes out to haunt me

Malorex thrust his head back, howling in pain as the wolf tore across his wounded shoulder. The flaming flesh opened up into a gaping gash and the steam-like substance began pouring out of it like a cascade. The hellhound was angered and turned his head, attempting to keep his eye on the thing that attacked him. It was dangerous and the hound would not let the beast live for both his pride and for his mistress.

Watching the wolf dart around Malorex's attacks frustrated Libitina. How was it possible for a mortal beast to outmaneuver demons? It was against the norm to see such an event unravel. The wolf, too, seemed a bit darker than it had a few seconds ago. Furthermore, her precious hound had been hurt by this beast. The open wound struck a chord in the demon's heart and as she watched, she began shaking more violently with fury. The wolf deserved to die.

In an attempt to strike the enemy, Malorex began slashing in the air with his claws, aiming everywhere he saw the black wolf dart. This soon led to a massive buildup of the hound's rage and fed up with the beast, Malorex drew up the flaming liquid in his belly and opened his maw, letting a pillar of fire erupt. Confined in the small area, the blaze was deflected by the stone wall and the heat was projected across the room, turning the dungeon into a furnace.

Go ahead and call me a madman
But do not call me a fool

[Shadow]

^{"You took our wills with the truth you stole,
we offer prayers for your long lost soul."}

Wolf

Shadow had his work cut out for him, forced to dodge and dodge again to dodge the hellhound's powerful blows. However, as strong and mystical the hound's power was, Shadow's was just as unnatural. He posessed a magic not fully understood, but powerful enough to keep him agile enough to stay just beyond the beast's strikes.


That was... Until the beast changed his strategy.


Burn.


Only a moment and the chilled room was turned into a furnace, embers striking and shimmering all around the walls and floor. Shadow was not invincible, no matter how strong he was, and the longer and stronger the flames burned, the closer his dark form grew to vanishing completely into the shadows.


The wolf slid to a hault after dodging the hellhound's latest attack and growled softly. His golden eyes burned as bright as the flames escaping from the hound's maw, but with much more malice. He was built of lesser instincts. Hatred, loathing... And the near perfect instincts of a hunter.


No more than a moment and Shadow made his own move. He had no other choice and he was a creature of action; either be burned or attack. With a snarl and with teeth bared, the wolf threw himself at the hound's throat, risking the heat of the beast to attempt to stop the killing flames.


Kill or be killed.

_{"You changed the channels,
then you changed our minds."}

[/i]

[Leaf]

Inside my heart, there's a grey room
            Whenever I'm alone, something comes out to haunt me

A loud cough was emitted by the Hellhound when the wolf latched itself onto the monster. The pain shot through Malorex's throat and the flames that came up were swallowed back down. Slowly, the beast could feel its windpipe closing and the surrounding flesh searing with back. The hound swung its head back and forth, trying to shake the wolf off, but it only caused more pain to itself as the teeth of the wolf sunk deeper into its flesh. It was painful and despite all of the hound's attempts at clawing the black wolf, it remained persistent. The hound howled in pain as it streaked a claw across the black pelt, trying to tear the little beast off. Agitated and suffocating, the movements of the Hellhound became more and more frantic as it scrambled to tear from the wolf's maw.

Libitina, who saw the pain in her pet, could not stand watching the hound being abused. "Why you little rascal!" she shouted as she raced across the dungeon to the two canines. She wasn't about to let a little mortal wolf harm her pet any longer. When Malorex swung his head down, still trying to loosen the fangs dug into his neck, Libitina pounced onto the wolf, grasping it with her dear life. As the Hellhound lifted his head again, the demon tugged at the wolf's fur, trying to distract it. Trying to keep her hold on the wolf, Libitina scratched and kicked the black wolf, digging her nails into any open wound that she could see. "Just let go already, you mutt!" she screamed, tearing out a clump of fur. She was going mad with anger and she was going to do anything to restrain the beast.

Go ahead and call me a madman
But do not call me a fool

[Shadow]

^{"You took our wills with the truth you stole,
we offer prayers for your long lost soul."}

Wolf

What is it you are afraid of? Are you afraid of losing all that is dear to you? Of course not. Nothing was ever dear to you... Family, friends, when did you ever have those? So when you had the chance, why didn't you help the old man? Is it something you fear deep down, something just blatantly wrong about the man and that old house? Something in one of the deepest crevices of your mind waiting to be released?


Fangs slid in deeper, Shadow's claws struggling to find a hold on the stone below, tightened jaws the only thing keeping the wolf from falling away from the hell-hound's attempts to break his grip. Every claw drawn down his side was a moment where the wolf almost found his hold shattered. The shadow held on despite the blood dripping from his side, his seared tail, and the heat pressing in on his body and muzzle from just being close to the demon's pet. The fury knew nothing else and would never be swayed from its murderous resolve.


No - It was all wrong. That wasn't the past, it was the present. He hadn't come to the store for food, he had come there for something much more sinister. An amulet, ageless even though the wheel of time had made several revolutions since its crafting. The old man wasn't real, couldn't be real. He had come to the store on the whim of someone else. He remembered now...

Hands dug into his fur and wounds as Libitina bore the wolf down with her full weight. If he had been conscious of his own pain, he would have let go then, but that was not a choice for the hatred driven shadow beast that dug its fangs even further into the hellhound's throat. The wolf's muscles strained, his unstoppable rage being dampered by the limit of his own body. Malorex raised his head and Shadow's followed it, his grip tested to the very limit of his strength and reach. Only a moment later and he would have to let go. He wasn't stronger than both hound and master and soon his were-blood would fail even him.


He had been with Leaf, his brother. Resting from old wounds, they had been safe there in that cave. An entire city was turned against them... Even then he couldn't remember what had happened in that town -- The taste of blood, Leaf in danger... Then everything turning to hatred and bloodlust.

And after, as the anger cooled, his eyes befell the wounds he had caused. Leaf, his brother...

"Invincible"


Shadow woke from the demon's slumber induced song.

Shadow's eyes widened, his body shuddered, and a feral whine let lose from his throat. His side burned, a section of fur being drawn out mercilessly. It was too much... It was all too much. He let go, his fangs slipping out of the hell-hound's throat, his body going limp under the weight of the demon. The wolf's fangs and teeth flickered and changed back, losing their golden hue as the last remnants of the beast's strength dissipated.

His control was back, but it was too little too late. Leaf was miles away and he was battered and bloodied, with no more strength to fight. Consciousness offered him no solace, every inch of his body seemed to be on fire, and he hurt worse than anything that had been on inflicted on him before. The dagger to the ribs he had took for Leaf was only a pinprick to the agony of being burned, his fur torn out, and his skin being sliced open with the demon's hands digging into his flesh, a quite literal salt to his wounds.

Leaf...Help...

He knew not where he was, he knew not how he got here, and he knew not how he had gotten his wounds, but that didn't numb the pain...didn't make the situation any less real. He was done fighting. Wherever his brother was...Shadow was sorry. He couldn't stay strong for the white wolf. Couldn't defend or help him any longer... This was the end for him.

Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes.

_{"You changed the channels,
then you changed our minds."}

[/i]

[Leaf]

Inside my heart, there's a grey room
            Whenever I'm alone, something comes out to haunt me

When the fangs of the wolf finally withdrew, the Hellhound tore his head back with an earthshaking howl. The wounds upon his neck seared with pain and a smoke-like substance began pouring out of it. Libitina had tumbled to the floor with the wolf. Her dignified demeanor she had earlier when she got out of her confines was gone. She seemed tattered; her eyes were bloodshot, hands bloody, and her clothes torn in various places. Breathing heavily, she stood up and glared at the wolf, who began to turn back into its more domesticated form. The demon had no patience nor mood to deal with this beast any longer, though. What she felt was simply hatred and disgust toward this beast which had caused her pet such severe harm. She turned around and staggered to where she dropped the chain and then back to the wolf. Without a word, she secured the metal string to the left paw of the black wolf and then fastened the other end to the wall of the dungeon. Then, she straightened herself. "I'll leave you to die, then, you mutt," she snarled before spitting on the canine's head. Then she put her hand on the cringing Hellhound and cooed, "Come on dearest, and let's go get yourself fixed up."

Libitina led Malorex out of the room and into the corridor of the dungeon. The Hellhound shrunk down to the size of a large dog and followed his mistress obediently. Libitina looked around, and decided to go to the laboratory, where several concoctions were available. While she had never explored the place in her body, the demon had seen the place through the eyes and ears of her first human servant, the "leader" of the Hellhounds. This man was the one who released her from her first seal; the one that barred even her consciousness. He had entered this alternate realm unknowingly and possessed a treasure that even he was unaware of. That treasure was the key to the first seal.

It was eyeopening to feel control back within one's mind after centuries of stagnancy. It was as if life had been breathed into a statue. Libitina was awake for the first time in eternity. The time between the last time she was aware and now was unclear to her mind. All that she knew was that she was alive. However, consciousness did not guarantee mobility. Even though she was awake, her body ceased to answer the mind's calls. The statue with life was still, a statue.

Libitina began to feel around the room with her brain, searching for a clue about her location. Everything was stone… except for one living breathing thing. "Who are you?" she asked, sending the message with her mind. The presence seemed startled before it returned a thought, "I am Fletch Knowles. Where am I?" Libitina stayed silent as she pondered this. She didn't even know where exactly she was. "You are in Hell," she said, though she knew otherwise. "But because you have helped me, I will send you back to your mortal realm."

More words were conveyed between the two, but long story short, Fletch became the mortal arm of the sealed demon. He returned to XISIN, but not after leaving blood and performing a demonic ritual before Libitina's casket. Armed with some demonic blessing, Fletch became a wretched man. A powerful man, but wretched. He became the head of a dark organization, the Hellhounds, and carried out deeds even the Kings knew not of. And behind his every move, was the mind of the demon Libitina.

Pop. That was the sound that echoed in the room when Libitina pulled the cork out of a bottle. Some sort of clear liquid sloshed inside the clear container and without hesitating, the demon poured some on the wound of her pet. Malorex whimpered and squirmed a bit, but his lava-colored flesh began to seal back together. The gash was still visible, but the evaporating gas tapered off. The demon patted the hound gingerly before leaving the room. Now that the wounds of her pet were taken care of, she had to go find her staff. It had been stored somewhere else within the dungeon to keep her from calling upon its power during her slumber. After all, it was the concentration of her magical abilities and if she were to carry out anymore deeds, she would need it.

Go ahead and call me a madman
But do not call me a fool

[Shadow]

^{"You took our wills with the truth you stole,
we offer prayers for your long lost soul."}

Wolf

Shadow had seen better days. With the damp, dark smell of the prison in his nose and the sound of distant glasses clinking in his ears, the wolf knew he was alone once more; Free, alive, and utterly trapped, with no hope of freedom on the horizon.

Leaf, what have I done?

That demon had to have been Libitina, Leaf's personal head-hunter. Shadow didn't know why she hunted the white wolf, but even he knew a predator when he saw one. She had no qualms with getting her hands dirty and... with the power of hellhounds on her side... Shadow feared for Leaf's safety.

Shadow needed to get back to his brother's side... but he was being held back.

The black furred wolf had escaped his mind's imprisonment only to be lead into a physical one, his paw chained to the wall. He had helped Leaf's demon to escape, taking her place in the silent halls. If he hadn't been in a near fatal fight with a hellhound so recently, he probably could have simply broken the chain. For now though... Shadow was finding his strength lacking. The wolf's blood was pooling, his enhanced healing combating the enhanced holes his skin had sustained.

Dark eyes rested on the manacle encompassing his paw. The metal was old, but the strength of the chain had not waned. His legs trembled as he attempted to stand, a puffy breath escaping his muzzle. An almost instantaneous wave of hideously potent pain swept over the wolf as his legs straightened and he collapsed, paws caving in beneath him.

The werewolf whimpered, breaths staggered. It was hopeless! He couldn't escape! Shadow bit down on the chain, pulling as hard as he could. The werewolf was frustrated; He had to get free! Leaf was in danger... If he lay here chained, who would protect him? Shadow knew his brother could hold his own, he had seen the white wolf fight, but this was no normal foe. He doubted both of them together could stand against Libitina once she got access to her full power.

Mortal wolves vs. an immortal demon...

Canines tightened against steel, both vying to break each other. Neither succeeded. Shadow let go of the chain with a resigned sigh. He wouldn't be getting out of this one.

Shadow only had one option left to him. There was no sliding out of the chain, shifting or otherwise, and he couldn't break the metal... That only left changing his own physique to escape his imprisonment. His dark eyes glanced at the trapped paw. He was already in so much pain... Could he really bring himself to do it?

Do it fast boy, don't think about it too much.

His jaw tightened, teeth dug in...

God help me...

Shadow bit down.

_{"You changed the channels,
then you changed our minds."}

[Leaf]

Inside my heart, there's a grey room
            Whenever I'm alone, something comes out to haunt me

The creaking of the stone cabinet only added sheer excitement to Libitina's anticipation. She was so close! The pulse of magic was already running through her fingertips as she continued to pry the heavy lid open. Her pet stood beside her, watching his master expectantly. Finally, the stone was lifted and the staff lay clear, waiting for the incoming grasp. The black dragon looked as intricate as it was when it was forged, withered not by time nor wear. The orb in its mouth lay cold, dull in its sheen, but Libitina could feel the yearning of touch pulse from within. 

Reaching her thin, pale fingers out, the demon grasped the staff and the orb immediately started to glow, as if rejoicing the reunion with its master. It almost felt like something inside shattered. A smile broke across Libitina's face as she felt power beginning to surge through her veins once again. Another seal was removed, giving her more power to maneuver freely. Her mental abilities would no longer impair her brain's other tasks, such as her memory or coordination. With her staff back in her hands, she began to experience another level of liberation.

As her clouded memory began to become more transparent, Libitina remembered her current target. The thief who embodied another key to her imprisonment. That was her target just before the black mutt was brought in by her tune. She needed this thief, or she would never step foot outside of her castle. She would never be able to see the sun. 

Libitina closed her eyes and began to concentrate. She wouldn't be able to catch the thief with her own hands, so she would need to rely on her minions.

"Knowles! Hear me!" she called with her mind before a reply sounded back.

"Yes, my lady."

"Capture the thief and summon him to me as quickly as possible! And remember! He must be alive. Anyone who dares to take his life shall be executed!" she barked, sending quakes with her signals.

"Y-yes, my lady! I have already planted hunters in the major cities and several packs are wandering the provinces on guard."

"Tell them that we have his friend. Don't be afraid to use this information to lure him out. I need the thief immediately!"

"Of course, my lady. We shall bring you good news soon."

And with that, Libitina withdrew from her subordinate's mind. A mere thief wouldn't be able to evade her network for long. It was only a matter of time before she would get her hands on the key and be released from another lock placed on her. Another step toward freedom. Another step toward domination.

Go ahead and call me a madman
But do not call me a fool