Disclaimer: ToL belongs to Namco.

Author's Note: This fic is written from Solon's perspective. It'll be interesting and quite different for me. And this is also the first time I've ever written a chapter without any dialogue.

Prologue

I sit in an isolated room in the Legacy's bridge, looking at where fate is leading me now. As of now, fate leads me nowhere. I only have one goal in my mind, and that has led me here today. And I won't go anywhere else until I accomplish that goal. I sit in this room with my target in my mind.

My dear apprentice, widely known as Jay the Unseen.

When I first found him as a baby, I didn't see very much in him. I only saw one thing – an opportunity. An opportunity to create another silent killing machine. And perhaps the opportunity to satisfy my...shall we say raw desires. And thus, I took him in and raised him as my apprentice.

The boy meant nothing to me. After all, he was only an instrument of death, not to be loved by anyone. At the same time, I needed him to love me. I went to the trouble of taking him in and raising him as he was on the verge of dying in the dirt. Therefore, he owed his very life to me. I kept this fact embedded in his mind as I trained him, and I kept the pain and suffering embedded in his body. Soon, he wouldn't feel a thing. He would be as cold as the blade in his hand. He would be as cold as my own heart.

But things didn't work out that way. Somehow, Jay was still able to retain his humanity. I believe it was because of that stupid little bell he clung to all that time. Even though I had confiscated that bell and used it to make him more obedient, Jay still maintained his humanity. He only worked and trained harder for me in hopes that I would return the bell to him. But I never would. As long as he trained and suffered to the core, I was happy. For this bell, he would obey me and make himself useful to me.

In the end, my apprentice failed me. We set out to assassinate someone on the Legacy, but the mission ended in failure. Jay owed his life to me, so it was time for him to die for me. I used him as a decoy and escaped from the Legacy. Jay was dead. It didn't matter. He was an expendable asset. He could be easily replaced...or so I thought.

Jay was supposed to die...but then I learned that he was taken in by the Oresoren. They saved his life, and they cared for him and loved him in ways that I never would. In a way, I was glad...because only at that moment, I realized that I was feeling things that I never felt before. I realized that Jay really was precious to me. I began to think about all the things that made him different from any other apprentice that I had trained before.

His eyes were...so adorable, and so frightened. And yet he had the spark in his eyes. He loved me, and yet he hated me. It was because of that bell. Even after I had taken the bell, he still clung to his hope. His hope of finding his family. I didn't care, as long as he obeyed me. Without that bell, he had nothing else but me. He was only alive because of me. He knew that. I made sure of it.

His body was so smooth, soft and velvety to the touch. His hair was so fine...oh, how I was filled with ecstasy every time I ran my fingers through it. Surely I had realized this during the many times I satisfied my pleasures with him. So why did I so easily cast him away? It's simple; he was an instrument of death. An expendable asset, nothing more. I wasn't supposed to feel this way about him.

Sending Jay to die on the Legacy was my first mistake. I was glad that he was still alive, but other problems arose because of those meddling otters. Jay made a whole new life for himself. He was no longer an instrument of death. He had friends. He had a family. To make matters worse, he joined a small group of "heroes," devoted to protecting the Legacy. Protecting the Legacy?? Instead of taking lives, he was now saving them? That was clearly unacceptable. After I learned that he had done his part in stopping a cataclysm, I knew I had to return to the Legacy to take back what belonged to me. And raise some hell in the process.

When I finally found my apprentice, he had changed. But some things remained the same. He was still afraid of me. The look of shock in his eyes was priceless. He was still so easy to dominate, to manipulate. Only now, he had the mind to refuse me. He no longer loved me. In fact, he loved someone else. I would have to teach him once more that disobedience has some dire consequences. It would cost those cute little otters their lives. Hell, I was going to take their lives anyway, just for fun. Oh, how I longed to see my apprentice wallow in despair.

But then I made my second mistake. I underestimated the boy. I was still superior to him in every way, there was no doubt. But he asked his so-called "friends" for help. With their help, he defeated me. But only with their help. Had he been alone, I would have shown him his place. At my feet, where he belongs.

Since my apprentice had the nerve to get help, I would have to fight fire with fire. I would need help to get him back, and dispose of the little group. Therefore, I have joined Commander Vaclav and the Terrors, as they too have a vendetta with Jay and his group. But their objective is different from mine. They plan to eliminate the group, including Jay. But I will not let that happen. They can do what they want with the others, but the apprentice is mine. I want him alive. And once I have him, Vaclav and his underlings will be eliminated as well. Just like every other apprentice that I've raised, Vaclav is an expendable asset. Once I have Jay, I won't need Vaclav, or anyone else.

But first things first; I still have to get Jay back. Even Vaclav is turning out to be a failed asset. Each of his plans to eliminate the group have failed. They're all pathetic. Even Cashel, who is supposedly a ninja, is a complete failure. His skills are inferior to mine. His skills are even inferior to those of my apprentice. What kind of asset is he if he can't even defeat my apprentice? But then again, it's not too surprising. I'm the one who trained Jay after all. I would have expected no less from my dear apprentice.

I'm not too concerned about defeating Jay. I can do that easily, as long as he's alone. But when the group is together, that's when they pose a problem. I'll need to separate the group and kill them one by one. Or on second thought...heh heh.

I have the perfect plan now. I won't need Vaclav for this one. This will be a piece of cake – the first phase is to capture my dear apprentice. I can capture him at will, and Jay knows this. Then we'll pick off the rest of the group, one by one. As for the Oresoren, I'll leave them alive...for now. They shall be my ace in the hole. I can easily manipulate my apprentice by threatening the lives of those otters. And then, after the mission is complete, I'll kill them. After all, I can't have Jay loving anyone else. It will be just like the old days. The boy will have no one else to love. He will have nothing left. He will have only me. And I will possess him, body and soul.

My body becomes filled with an uncontrollable desire as I put my plan together. His sweet face, his beautiful body...I can't wait to fondle him once again. I'm sure it'll be a marvelous experience for both of us.