The Wrath of Dark Alchemy
Infiltration: The Beginning of the End

The golden sun had long since set.

As the sky darkened and slowly lost what little light the moon could give, a bitter icy chill began to settle in the air of the forest of Lunpa. There did not appear to be any wind, however, only an uncomfortably perpetual coldness of the night. With the ominous looking trees obscuring the view of the sky, it seemed impossible to successfully walk the long, snaking trail that was a traveler's only hope of successfully navigating the long gloom of the woods.

This monstrous labyrinth of demonic looking trees, seemingly waiting to seize and devour unsuspecting travelers, was fittingly situated between the perverse, feared settlement of Lunpa, and the rest of the continent of Angara. Bordering the town on the opposite side of the woodland were massive mountains, making the forest the only way to go to and from Lunpa. Those who had been brave enough to seek Lunpa during the past six years by entering this forest had either been killed, or had returned deeply distressed, carrying demons of the mind.

A sudden cold wind swept through the forest, swaying the leaves of the trees, providing one of the few sounds to be heard on this silent night. Every now and then, a growl or a hiss would be heard from the unknown number of animals and monsters that dwelled in the forest. A fearful man would consider these signs of hunger, or a warning to those who would dare trespass on their territory. But in truth, the creatures were frightened beyond all belief. Though lacking the ability to form in their brains images of unspeakable nightly demons and devils as humans could, the creatures of the forest could sense with their ingrained instinct that something abnormal was approaching them. Something that by its very existence spoke of insurmountable iniquity…

Soon, all was silent, save for the wind that seemed to grow colder and stronger by the second, as two darkly cloaked figures made their way through the forest. Neither spoke a word or even passed a glance toward each other as they made their way to their destination without a single uncertain step.

The flames of the torches adorning both sides of the Lunpa gate crackled, casting dim shadows along the wall that barred unauthorized entrance to the town behind it.

Donpappa shivered, and tried to move closer to one of the torches, but the icy chill of the night made it hard, if not impossible, to enjoy what little warmth the torches offered. He shivered not only from the icy chill, but from his fear of the dark.

He knew it was ridiculous that he had held onto such a childish fear. He had trained himself to be a soldier, and Donpappa knew that he had experienced things far more terrifying than the harmless dark of the night.

But as he stood before the gates that defended his hometown, his mind would eventually invariably imagine something in the darkness just a few yards away, where the torchlight couldn't reach, watching and waiting for his only source of light to disappear.

He hated feeling so helpless, but there was nothing he could do about it except attempt to move past it. After all, there were far worse and much more real things to fear. And for this young soldier, nothing could be any worse than the man he had once considered to be his father, Dodonpa.

The mere thought of his father made Donpappa clench his fists in anger, helping him to momentarily forget his fear. Since the unfortunate passing of his grandfather, the noble Donpa, his father had instantly gone back on his word to become a better man and learn from prior mistakes. Callous brigands under Dodonpa's rule once again seized control of the town, just as they had during the kidnapping of Hammet, the lord of Kalay.

Donpappa had watched his beloved home crumble before his eyes every day for nearly two years until he had become of age to be a soldier. He had then begun to use his newfound authority to secretly help willing families escape from the tyrannical reign of his father, and had sent them on their way to freedom… or so he had hoped. He had known from the very beginning how risky these plans were, for him and the escaping townspeople, but it was not until he had actually been caught that he regretted ever even trying to be a hero…

The heavy wooden door was covered in blood, and Donpappa felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had never been in this corridor before, but he immediately knew where he was. The soldiers that had captured him were leading him to the torture chamber, where the sounds of screams were often heard throughout the fortress. Terrifying thoughts filled his head as they pushed the door open and held it open for him to walk through. Was his father going to subject him to whatever had made its previous victims scream so painfully? As he looked around at his new surroundings, he flinched at the sight.

As far as Donpappa knew, this chamber had only recently been set up as a means of frightening the townspeople, yet it looked as though it had been in use for years. Frightening looking contraptions lay around the room, and bloody corpses littered the floor. The smell of rotting flesh was sickening and Donpappa felt a wave of nausea wash over him. He couldn't understand why they had left the bodies to rot the way they did. It was just so needlessly cruel.

Standing in the middle of the room, apparently unaffected by the horrors around him, was his father, Dodonpa.

"I never thought my own son would betray me," Dodonpa said, and Donpappa could swear he heard a slight tinge of regret behind his contemptuous tone. "Have you no respect for the man who brought you into this world?"

Donpappa summoned what little defiance he had left and looked away, ignoring the question, only to feel a fist sink into his stomach. He doubled over as saliva flew from his gaping mouth to the ground.

"Don't turn away from me when I am talking to you! Now look at me!"

Donpappa complied, and his father spoke, "I must admit that you have surprised me. I wouldn't have thought you capable of betraying me while continuing to walk the halls of this fortress. But unfortunately for you, your stupidity blinded you to the true situation at hand. Did you forget that I warned not only you but everyone working beneath me that I had spies watching your every move?"

Donpappa didn't answer, feeling like an icy hand had gripped his heart. His face betrayed his hope of concealing his fear, and his father shook his head with a look of what he thought was pity. "Did you really think you were a hero all this time? Well, take a good look at what your heroism had led to." Dodonpa gestured to the bodies strewn on the floor and hanging from chains. Donpappa had guessed the result ahead of time, but that did nothing to prepare him for the sight of the lifeless bodies of the desperate people he had tried to save. People who had given up on life and had found hope in his generosity. Now their faces were frozen in agony that they wouldn't have been made to experience if not for him.

"As you can see, you didn't save a single soul. Maybe this will teach you not to take my laws lightly."

Donpappa looked back at his father with the harshest look he could muster. Dodonpa glared back at him and spoke, his voice a malicious hiss, "What is that? Are you trying to frighten me? You think I'm intimidated by you?"

Donpappa didn't answer, and Dodonpa suddenly unsheathed his sword and tossed it to the floor in front of Donpappa, the clang of the sword echoing through the chamber. "You think you're better than me?" Dodonpa spat. "Do you think for one second that this town can survive without me? Then pick the sword up and prove it."

Donpappa didn't move, refusing to give in to his father's demand, and simply stared at him contemptibly. Dodonpa leered and raised one fist. "You know something? I hate it when you look at me like that… like you're important enough to look at me with disrespect. I see it all the time…" With full force, he slammed his fist into Donpappa's left cheek and he fell to the floor. Donpappa tasted blood as cringed in pain, covering his cheek with his hand as if to soothe the ache.

"I don't ever want to see you look at me like that again. When you look at me like that, you challenge me, and you'd better believe I'm going to rise to that challenge. When you learn to respect me, you will receive it in turn. Until that day, you will only ever have my pity."

"Save it for yourself…"

Dodonpa's face contorted with rage. His words were shaking uncontrollably with fury. "What did you say to me?"

Donpappa, having had more than enough and seething with rage, looked up to face the man who was responsible for the hell that was his life. For a second, Donpappa could see fear in his father's eyes at the incensed expression he knew he must have on his face, filling him with an almost aggressive prideful feeling that he'd never felt before. With these feelings, he acidly spoke, "I told you to save your pity for yourself! Do you think I'm the only one who hates you? Everybody does! I've never wanted your approval and I'll never want it!"

With that final scream, he lunged at his father, and sank his own fist into his father's stomach. But the punch seemed only to anger Dodonpa as he raised his fist and slammed it into his son's face. Donpappa felt blinding pain as the sickening crack of his nose breaking entered his ears. He felt himself stumbling backwards, feeling blood flowing freely from his nose, before he collapsed onto the crimson floor, his sense of pride now in tatters.

With a livid look on his face, Dodonpa walked to his son's body and began to deliver swift, painful kicks to his stomach, accompanied by indistinguishable screams of fury.

Donpappa's screams of pain echoed through the halls of the fortress, like those of earlier torture victims before disappearing.

He had pushed himself to let go of his shame and guilt of what had happened on that day, but the memory would forever haunt him. After that day, he had been dismissed as a soldier of Lunpa and exiled by Dodonpa, who had said he was too disgusted to kill him himself.

However, thanks to his mother and sister, Donpappa had managed to secretly reside in Lunpa for about a week before leaving with them both and helping them escape aboard a boat on the Karagol Sea bound for Tolbi, promising that he would find and bring the both of them back once he had found a way to overthrow Dodonpa. From then on, he had begun living outside of the walls of his town, attempting to better his skills as a swordsman. It was all he could have hoped to do at the time, having no real plan to fight his father's reign.

But as his self-training continued, events were unfolding all around him. A systematic series of attacks by Lunpa on all neighboring towns had begun, occurring so quickly that every town was caught off guard by the attack. Soon after, the trading industry that the city of Kalay had built itself upon was brought to an abrupt halt as a result of Dodonpa's sudden attack, throwing the city into a panic within weeks. The growing anger of the city towards Lunpa finally reached its boiling point when the beloved Lady Layanna was killed in her sleep by an unknown assailant. The blame immediately fell on Lunpa, and Lord Hammet had ordered a counterattack.

The attempt to bring Dodonpa to justice failed, however, and the enraged Lunpa lord struck back with a full on assault on the opposing city. The brutal battle had ended with the surrender of Kalay. The conquest of the prosperous city had been a horrible blow to all who wished to see Dodonpa fall. And it had only been the beginning.

The villagers of Vale had been attacked while rebuilding their beloved town which had been destroyed by the unexplained collapse of the famed Mt. Aleph one year earlier. The plans for the town's full reconstruction had tragically never come to fruition, and the villagers had been forced to make do with what little they had to this day. Vault and Altin had been spared from destruction, but were still losing provisions to Lunpa every day. The people of Kolima, however, had not been so lucky, and their town had been burned to the ground after a vicious raid. Xian had put up a fight against Lunpa, and the battle had ended with the town becoming an abandoned ruin site, and the last survivors escaping into nearby forests, their fates unknown. Things only grew worse when Lord McCoy of Bilibin was killed during an attack on the town, and the strong army of Bilibin was willingly merged with Lunpa's army.

Without Kalay's strength, the only hope for Angara was widely considered to be the Tolbi naval force, which had been set up during the war and was winning the battles against Lunpa and Kalay on the Karagol. But it was only a matter of time before the focused attacks on the area would take their toll on Tolbi's ships.

Donpappa had heard historical accounts of vicious battles in the past, but he wondered if any had ever been as horrid as the one Weyard was now enduring. He'd heard many townspeople of Lunpa speak of the war as a sign of the approaching end of the world, but he'd never believed it. In fact, in spite of all that had happened, he still didn't believe it, and not because of the optimism or positive ideals that Dodonpa had hated. He simply didn't think that the stupidity of people was enough to bring about the world's end, especially when even during these times he had seen the good people could do, and how harshly it contrasted with their worst. The world was not completely lost in hatred yet. He had to believe that, or he'd have no reason to try and help it.

Suddenly, his troubled thoughts were interrupted by a distant sound.

Looking up, he saw someone watching him from the trees. He was surprised at first, but upon recognizing the figure, he immediately gave a nod of silent confirmation, signaling his identity as the "contact", as he had been called for this operation he had managed to arrange. With that, a Kalay soldier emerged and approached him.

A Kalay spy had recently entered the fortress with Donpappa's help, disguised as a Lunpa soldier, and was currently standing guard of the secret Lunpa gate. The spy had been part of a small group that had deserted Kalay. Bound by their desire to keep their families safe from harm, most of Kalay's soldiers served Dodonpa without question. Those who either never had or no longer had families to protect in Kalay had abandoned the city and headed for Lunpa with plans for a suicide attack to cause as much damage to Lunpa as possible. However, by chance the group's forward scout had come across Donpappa, who had instead enlisted their help to perform a desperate gambit of his own devising, one that would hopefully avoid any harm coming to the innocent townspeople.

The group's scout spoke quietly as he neared the young man. "Is everything ready?"

Donpappa nodded. "He is guarding the secret Lunpa gate in that cave." At this, he pointed to the cave that led to the city. "Tell him when you're ready, and he'll let you in."

The man nodded. "All right. The others are on their way. We'll be waiting for them. Let them know. We'll move in together when they arrive. Got it?"

The Lunpa heir nodded and then looked to the ground in contemplation as the man swiftly ran toward the cave and disappeared within the dark tunnels. Even now, Donpappa was not sure how to feel about what he was planning. He had betrayed his father to these soldiers, and though he could not say he loved his father, he also could not help but feel sympathy for him. He had never known his past, but he supposed something terrible must have happened to him at some point in his life to turn him into such a terrible person. He liked to believe that nobody was ever born with a path of evil laid out for them to follow.

He was still thinking deeply when a sound once again interrupted his thoughts. The noise was very faint at first, but it gradually seemed to get louder. Listening closely, he realized that it was somebody's whispering voice.

For a second, Donpappa's earlier feeling of hope had vanished, replaced with fear. His mind was once again plagued with thoughts of demons hiding in the shadows. But he immediately pushed the thought away, remembering what the soldier had told him to do.

With that in mind, he prepared to meet the soldiers, but stopped suddenly, gripped with fear, as he saw two dark figures, both clad in cloaks, emerge from the forest. Behind them, Donpappa noticed the group of about seven soldiers following them. None of them seemed to notice him. He was tempted to call out to them, but there was something unsettling about those cloaked figures. So much so that he felt compelled to remain silent. Donpappa watched as they walked toward and entered the cave before following them stealthily. A feeling inside told him to stay away, but he ignored it and continued on.

As he walked into the cave, an unpleasant feeling came over him. It was very dim and silent, and the dripping sounds of water from the ceiling echoed off the walls. The footsteps were ahead now and fading. It seemed they were not wasting any time. As he continued through the cave, he stopped as he heard whispering voices, once again, and strained to hear what was being said.

And suddenly, his blood went cold as he heard the sounds of someone screaming. All manner of worst-case scenarios flooded Donpappa's mind at once. Had they been found out? Had they been betrayed? Had they even had a chance of succeeding from the beginning?

But as quickly as it had begun, it was over. He heard the sounds of walking again. Either the small group of soldiers had all been slaughtered in seconds, which Donpappa thought was very unlikely, or else… what? He didn't know. But he couldn't just stay where he was. He had to know the truth, as horrifying as it would undoubtedly be.

He began walking again, trying to move quickly while also trying to keep silent. He reached a turn, and he knew that the gate was around the corner.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a strange unknown sound was heard, followed by a lone scream of fright, which immediately changed to a scream of pain. Unable to take anymore, Donpappa ran around the corner to see what had occurred.

The soldiers of Kalay all stood in front of the gate, silent and unmoving. Beside them, a figure cloaked in black was watching the gate. As Donpappa wondered where the other mysterious figure was, he heard the sound of the gate opening from the other side. When it had rose to touch the ceiling of the cave, he saw a man cloaked in a dark blue standing near the gate switch, as well as the spy he had left in charge of opening of the gate on the floor, clutching his left leg, which Donpappa saw had been stabbed. Somehow, the man in blue had gotten across to the other side of the gate without opening it first. But how?

But Donpappa pushed his contemplations away as the man wreathed in azure suddenly began kicking the man repeatedly, forcing him to roll away. He stopped kicking as the soldier rolled beneath the gate. Without warning, the gate fell, but stopped suddenly just inches above the man's throat, having been stopped by the switch.

The soldier stared at him with fearful eyes, and Donpappa felt a wave of dread wash over him as he heard a cruel laugh on the other side of the gate. The gate fell, and Donpappa turned away as a sickening sound was heard. The gate was heard ascending again, and this time, there was no sound from the man. He had been decapitated.

Donpappa was so shocked by the brutal murder that he was only dimly aware of how badly his body was shaking with rage. But his anger was secondary to his growing fear of the murderer, whose icy smile could be seen. The young boy felt utterly sick, not just at the guard's pitiful death, but at the realization that a human was committing such intolerable acts, and was… smiling about them.

Or perhaps it wasn't a human? Perhaps this was the demon that Donpappa had feared was lurking in the night, come to bring this town even more pain than it had already suffered. Not even his father could be compared to this psychotic being, for he had never laughed or had ever even been the slightest bit amused at the prospect of killing fellow humans, brutal and hate-filled though he was.

Without a word, the soldiers began walking in unison through the gate, stepping over the body of the decapitated man.

Just as Donpappa started to follow, the man who had murdered the spy suddenly turned around and looked straight at him. "And where do you think you are going?"

Donpappa felt his blood go cold again as the other cloaked figure turned abruptly towards him. He instinctively raised his spear, preparing for a fight. He examined both of them as he waited.

"You expect to kill us with that? Oh, do entertain me." It was the man cloaked in blue that had spoken.

Donpappa clenched his teeth. "You don't scare me…"

A cold laugh was heard and the voice spoke again in a mocking tone that Donpappa had already grown to despise. "Oh, do we not? Let's see if we can alter that problem…"

He hesitated, and the next second the blue-cloaked figure raised his left hand with his palm facing Donpappa.

One moment, the young guard was staring ahead, filled with a terror he could not explain, and the next, he felt what could only be icy cold-water shoot from the ground below him with the force of a geyser, sending his body crashing into the ceiling of the cave. When he landed back on the ground, he could only lie there in pain and alarm for a few moments. Sitting up and wincing, he looked around in utter shock, but could find no sign of where the water could have come from, if indeed that was what it had been. When he finally managed to get to his feet, he looked up to see his attacker smiling gleefully, simply standing still and waiting for him to make the next move.

With a yell of anger, the young soldier raised his spear above his head and prepared to fling it at the man.

"Dark Frost."

The spear was thrown, but instead of stabbing the man, it smacked a pillar of what appeared to be ice that had materialized from the floor from a small pool of water on the ground, snapping in two. The morphing of the object from the water was the only clue that it was ice, for the pillar was pure black in color, rather than a shimmering blue and white. The pillar seemed to melt away and return to a simple puddle upon the ground.

The man smiled. "Are you frightened yet?"

His anger returning, Donpappa pulled his own sword from his sheath and charged. He feinted to the left, and then lunged to stab him. The sword hit another pillar of black ice that had been spawned too quickly for his attack. The impact caused Donpappa to drop his sword and scream as he felt an explosion of pain in his hand caused by the recoil.

Once again, the pillar melted into water. The man had not even moved. "I pity you. Even if I was not being aided by my power, you are a terrible warrior."

The figure in blue raised his hand again and Donpappa screamed as an invisible blast of some kind of power sent him flying backwards, crashing into the rocky wall behind him and falling back to the ground, beaten.

"How typical of you so-called soldiers," the azure man spoke with a bored tone. "You talk like heroes to those who are weak and dependent upon you, but in the face of real strength, all you can do is talk."

Through his numb shock, Donpappa felt like screaming in opposition to such a false accusation, but he stopped himself when he heard the other man's voice.

"Enough. You are wasting time." There was no mocking tone, anger, or any trace of humor in his voice.

His senses somewhat regained, Donpappa turned to look where the voice had come from, and saw the other man cloaked in black, standing against the wall by a torch, illuminating what little could be seen under his hood. Donpappa immediately felt a sense of recognition as he heard the man's voice. He had seen this person before, but he did not remember when or where. Plus, the lack of suitable light made it hard for Donpappa to see his face from how far away he was. The man in black began walking toward him as the azure man sighed and began to walk towards the cave exit.

Donpappa picked up his sword with his other hand, awaiting an attack from the approaching man.

The cloaked man raised his left hand and uttered something that Donpappa could just barely hear...

"Dark Curse."

The last thing the young guard felt was a burning pain spreading through his being. The last thing he saw was the cave before his vision was obscured by blackness. And the last thing he heard was his own screaming as the pain overwhelmed him. It consumed him, and he felt like he was falling into a long tunnel of everlasting shadow…

It was just as dark, silent and cold in the town of Lunpa as it was outside of the gates. Those who were patrolling the town felt no safety within the gates, though they did not know why.

The only sounds were the croaking of frogs in the well of the ghost town, and a quiet conversation between a trio of brigands patrolling the village, two with green cloaks, and one with an orange one.

"I'm telling you, I heard screams in that cave," one of the green-cloaked men said with a hint of fear in his voice.

"I don't care," retorted the one in orange. "You know that the gate can't be opened, so even if there is someone in there, they aren't getting through. Let them rot for all I care."

"How do we know we won't be betrayed again?" the other thief replied worriedly. "We didn't think Dodonpa's kid would have the spine for it, but he still did it."

"Let's just go and see already," said the third thief. "It wouldn't be the first time that intruders snuck into the town, you know. Besides, we have an extra shift out here and I don't fancy the thought of being stabbed on my watch."

"Correction, you have an extra shift out here," the orange-cloaked man snapped. "I'm going back to the fortress and going to sleep."

There was a grim silence that followed his words as he turned and walked off to the north, where the fortress of Lunpa was situated.

As soon as he was out of earshot, one of the brigands turned to the other and growled, "What the hell is his problem? Is a whole two minutes of searching really that much work for him?"

The other thief spoke in a much more reserved voice. "Forget it. He'd probably be the first to run away if we found something anyway. Now let's just go look in that cave."

The two green-cloaked men walked to the west of town where the cave entrance. When they arrived at the stairs that led into the dark abyss that was the Lunpa cave, they both shivered as they heard the wind whistle through the cave, creating an almost ghostly sound.

"After you," one said grimly. The other made sure to discreetly keep one of his hands on his sword's sheath as he led the way into the long blackness.

No one heard the screams echo through the cave just a few seconds later.

The orange-cloaked thief walked through the tunnels of the Lunpa fortress. He had been ordered at the last minute to report on the current status of the fortress, which had made him angry, but he wasn't going to contradict Dodonpa. Anyone who did was rarely seen by the following morning. By now, he had to have passed about five guards sleeping on the job; there was definitely a good chance an intruder could be walking around undetected.

Idiots, he thought. They'd all be sent to the dungeon if Dodonpa found out…

He'd definitely report this to the Lunpa lord, if only to rid himself of worthless bottom feeders like them, and he wouldn't lose an ounce of sleep because of it. Though the thieves and soldiers of Dodonpa worked together, it was common knowledge that they were an army that prided themselves on surviving through betrayal and greed, not cooperation. A nest of insects took better care of each other than the thieves of Lunpa. Each one of them was constantly waiting for the right moment to strike at each other, if it meant more food for them at the end of the day.

But those thoughts faded and were replaced by anxiety when he heard footsteps behind. He turned around; the hall was dimly lit and the guard was still asleep.

He turned around and continued walking, when he heard the footsteps again, along with low breathing. Now he was sure someone was following him, and there was more than one.

He turned again, and nearly yelled. As he observed the group, he spotted both his partner thieves and behind them, the guard of the corridor was finally awake, grinning as he stood by their side. And behind him, all the other guards that he had thought were sleeping were now awake, and the shocked thief immediately knew they had tricked him by pretending to be asleep, for some unknown reason. As the group stepped into the light of the torches, the thief's eyes widened in fear as he saw their faces.

Their faces were almost the same as before, but the one aspect that shocked him into a stunned silence was their eyes. They were now as black as the night sky, completely devoid of all color, leaving no sign of their pupils.

The brigand stared in shock, unable to speak as he saw the thieves' unnatural eyes and horrifying grins. And suddenly, they took one step towards him, stepping at the same time, causing the lone thief to pull his blade out.

With no sign of fear, the group just stared. "Would you really kill your only friends? Or perhaps, they are not your friends? After all, nobody cares about each other here, right?"

It didn't take long for the horror-struck thief to realize that not only were they saying these words at the exact same time, but the voices, or voice, coming from their mouths were not their own. An entirely different voice was being emitted from each thief.

But before he could say or do anything, he heard the voice say two words,

"Dark Curse."

He didn't even get a chance to grasp what was just said, because in the next second, unbearable pain clouded his every thought, and he knew no more.

The Lunpa dungeons were filled with the smell of decay and death. Bodies littered the floor of this place and blood stained the walls.

An unholy place of death.

Yet the dead, regretfully tortured and slain by the ones in control of the decaying town, would now receive a chance for retribution.

A voice echoed softly through the death chamber.

"Dark Restoration…"

Ghostly groans and angered growls now filled the chamber, but an insidious command could still be heard throughout the room…

"Consume."

A Lunpa soldier rubbed his eyes, trying to keep himself awake. Guards were missing and he had heard a scream, but Dodonpa had told him to stay where he was, telling him he would bring help momentarily. But the soldier was no fool. Dodonpa couldn't care less what happened to him, or anyone else for that matter. All he was concerned with was saving his own skin, and he would sacrifice every one of his personal soldiers to do it if he had to.

And yet, he had let the self-serving lord walk right by him into the inner chambers of the fortress without a word. The thief had decided some time ago that he no longer cared what happened to him. He wasn't especially old, but he was tired and weakened by all the fighting and pain he had experienced. His only motivation for continuing the charade that was now his life was the hope of seeing Dodonpa fall.

He was about to surrender to his exhaustion when a strange groaning sound was heard. He opened his eyes and saw a figure at the end of the dark corridor he was facing.

What the hell was that? He thought to himself. The groan was unlike anything he had ever heard.

The figure walked strangely, more like a stagger than a walk. Looking closely, the thief saw the figure move into another corridor on the left.

And what was that other sound? It sounded like dripping water, or some sort of liquid.

He took a breath and followed the figure. As he walked down the dim hallway towards the other corridor on the left, he stopped as he heard a groan again. This time, he felt a bit scared. That sound… it sounded so sad and forlorn, almost ghostly and inhuman. But that was not the only thing that bothered the anxious man… looking at the floor the figure had been walking on, he saw that there was a crimson trail of blood. The figure was bleeding profusely.

He swallowed hard as he heard the person moan again, louder this time.

And now a terrible smell filled his nose. Strange… like the smell of decay. Like the dungeon of Lunpa, the man thought, where the bodies of villagers were left after they were tortured and murdered. Shivering violently, he had a feeling that he didn't want to enter the corridor the figure had walked into, but he couldn't stop now. Gripping his sword so that his knuckles were white, he took a last breath, peeked around the corner…

And neither saw or heard anything. The corridor was empty, but a long trail of blood led to another path that the soldier knew would lead to a dead-end. Forgetting his fear, the thief ran down the corridor following the blood, anxious to find the figure and finally uncover what in the world was going on. He turned the last corner…

And there it was. The figure stood in the shadows, out of the torchlight, facing him. It seemed to be moving slightly from left to right, looking like it had a problem keeping itself upright.

"Who are you…?"

The figure stood still for a second, and then walked forward into the light. As the thief saw the figure's face, his sword dropped with a clang. The thief's face was twisted with disgust and fear as he looked upon the face of a man he himself had been forced to kill. The undead man moaned again, and this time there was a touch of anger to it as he lumbered towards the thief.

The frightened man rapidly stepped backward, slipping as he did and falling to the floor. Blood dripped from the undead man's body. The smell of rotting flesh was more apparent and overwhelming than ever. The thief wanted to run, but the multiple groans he now heard from the hallway behind him told him it was useless.

"I… I'm s-sorry…" It was all he could think to say as he watched it slowly approach him.

The zombie stood before its cowering killer and opened its grotesque, rotted mouth to moan sadly once more. The moan slowly became a hiss, and the undead creature proceeded to enact its revenge…

Dodonpa ran towards the main cell of the fortress, the lair of the monster of Lunpa. He had not set foot in the cell for a long time now as it brought back unpleasant memories of the weeks he had spent in there on his father's orders. But now, having just heard the screams echoing through the fortress, he knew there was no safer place to hide. He was not particularly worried about it; Lunpa had survived many battles in the past after all. And with trained soldiers and Toadonpa to guard him, he knew there was not much for him to personally worry about.

But he couldn't shake the feeling of fear deep down inside of him. That man had promised him he would not be hurt throughout this war. But now, Dodonpa wished he hadn't made that bargain.

"Who are you?" Dodonpa inquired of the man standing in his quarters as if he owned it. He was wrapped in a blue cloak, and his face was hidden by a hood. Equally blue strands of hair ran down his concealed face.

"That is not important," He answered.

"Like hell it isn't!" Dodonpa roared. "Nobody just waltzes in here!"

"My lord, with all due respect, I must ask you to shut your mouth before you anger me." The man said coldly.

Dodonpa regarded the man silently for a moment before speaking in a self-assured tone. "You're either very brave or very stupid, insulting me right here in my fortress. But either way, I'll make you wish you'd just stayed home." He turned around and began to stride towards the door.

The man scoffed. "Oh, trust me, I already wish that, rather than have to deal with a cowardly bottom-feeder like you."

Dodonpa whirled around and felt ready to lunge at the man himself, but stopped when he spoke once more. "But I am here to offer you a deal."

Dodonpa froze. "What deal?"

"One that involves using your power and wealth to spread your influence as the ruler of Lunpa further than you've ever thought possible."

Dodonpa chuckled to himself. He had dealt with people like this before. Merchants and business men from nearby towns and faraway cities had attempted to create deals designed to stab him in the back while they took a portion of his wealth, foolishly thinking he would not be able to see through their charades. All had failed, and this one would be no different. He decided to humor the man a bit longer to see how he would go about this so-called deal.

"In other words, you want to help me take over Weyard," Dodonpa said, already smirking.

"Not necessarily. I am talking about taking it over myself, and allowing you to share a good deal of the power I will attain. You should be honored to be the human I ask for help."

Dodonpa's smirk was gone, replaced by a look of confusion. "Why are you talking like that? Are you not a human being as well?"

"No. I am something else entirely. Something that is far superior to humans."

Dodonpa began to feel a bit uneasy, but shrugged it off. This man was clearly suffering from some kind of delusion, but that made this more interesting. He was eager to see where this amusing story went. "If that's the case, then why did you say you were here for my help? Surely, the power you want can be obtained without us 'inferior' beings?"

"Indeed it could," The man said, a cool tone suddenly making itself apparent in his voice. "And it would be all too easy. However, it would also take long, and I am offering you the chance to speed up the process. And again, you will be acquiring a bit of the power I will gain in return. Anything you wish for will be yours."

"And how would I 'speed up' the process, as you put it?"

"By allowing me to use every one of your resources for my own use, and by that, I mean your fortress, your army, and your wealth."

Dodonpa burst out laughing. "I see. I must say, no one's ever been so blunt in their attempts to stab me in the back before. You're either delusional, or you came here with the intent to amuse me, at which you certainly succeeded in doing. I may just lighten your sentence for that." He began to walk towards the door.

"I must advise you not to try to summon any guards. You will greatly regret it."

Dodonpa turned around at these words, his face contorted with anger. "Are you threatening me?"

"Yes, I am."

Dodonpa glared as he turned around and pulled the door open. His personal guards were staring back at him with widened eyes, faces frozen in an expression of pain; both of their throats had been sliced by a blade and fresh blood was dripping from the wounds.

Whirling around, Dodonpa pulled a small, concealed blade from its sheath on his belt and turned to lunge at the man, but he was gone. He then felt a fist strike his back. Pain exploded through his body, and he screamed as he flew forward onto the floor, his dagger flying from his hand and landing several feet away from him.

"How...?"

"I warned you... do you wish to continue?"

Dodonpa stared at him fearfully. This man's voice was icy and menacing. "Alright… take whatever you want… I don't care, just take it and leave…"

"That is enough cowering. I did not come here to rob you. As I have said, I am willing to share a bit of the power I will gain with you. No one but the weak would refuse this chance. As I understand it, many have believed you to be weak since your business with the merchant Hammet. Well, now is your chance to shatter that image. I will help you to incite fear in your people once more, and make your enemies wish they had never angered you."

Dodonpa stared at the floor, thinking back. Indeed he had been stripped of all glory and pride since his fall at the hands of the mysterious quartet that had infiltrated his fortress. The people of Lunpa regarded him as a coward who feared the very mention of his father's name, and his father had begun a trade system between Lunpa and Kalay to make amends for Dodonpa's actions, so now Kalay's people no doubt called him a coward. Even his family looked upon him spitefully. His wife stared at him with disrespect, his parents with shame, his daughter with pity, and his son with contempt. And for the past year, he had simply accepted it all. He was no longer the ruler of Lunpa. He had just become a face for the people to point and laugh at while he followed his father's every whim. He felt his rage boil inside him and he clenched his fists so tightly that it hurt.

"And now that you have heard my request, I must ask a little favor of you."

Dodonpa looked up at the man, forgetting his growing rage for the moment, and seeing an expressionless look on his face. What could he possibly want from him now? "What favor?"

"Just your involvement in a quick experiment of mine."

"Experiment?"

The azure-cloaked man pulled back his heavy cloak to reveal a hidden sword in its sheath. He pulled the sword out of its sheath and threw it to the floor at Dodonpa's feet. Dodonpa didn't move.

"Now that you know what I plan to do and what I am capable of, I am going to give you the chance right now to kill me."

Dodonpa stared at him in bewilderment, unable to form a reply to the bizarre request.

"I am now unarmed, as you can see, and I do not plan on stopping you. I am sure you do not believe me, but I am just as vulnerable as you. Watch."

He knelt down to pick Dodonpa's small, fallen dagger and gave himself a tiny cut in the palm of his hand. A trickle of crimson began dripping from his hand to the floor and he tossed the dagger aside.

"Do you see?" The man suddenly hissed angrily. "This body is as weak as any other human body. I bleed, and I die, and I am at your mercy now."

Dodonpa still did not move, distrustful of the mysterious man. Even if what he had said before about being greater than a human was true, Dodonpa could tell that there was something he was not being told. The sight of his own blood seemed to be driving him crazy, a completely different persona to the calm, calculating person he had met just moments ago.

"Make your decision…" The azure man growled low in his throat, the hiss still apparent in his voice. "Kill me now… or doom the world you know in favor of one that you will help me to rule. A world where no one will ever disrespect you again. A leader's… no, a king's life, awaits you. Which world do you choose?"

The looks Dodonpa had seen from his family and people returned to his memory, and he turned to the man with a resolute look.

"I will help you. What do you need from me?"

The man grinned as he knelt to pick up his sword and place it in the sheath at his waist again. "Cut off all trade with Kalay first. I will also need you to donate considerable amounts of your wealth to help spread our influence. Then, you will attack and gain control of the town of Vault."

Dodonpa's face was stoic as he attempted not to show any fear. "My father will not allow me to halt our trade with Kalay…"

"The solution to that problem should be obvious. We all must learn to make sacrifices if we are to bring about a new world. I would suggest something subtle. You do not want to draw too much suspicion towards yourself in the wake of his death."

Dodonpa said nothing, and stared at the floor.

"I realize that you may be concerned with your safety in all of this. That is why I have already set up an invisible group of spies throughout your city who will serve as your eyes and ears. I can guarantee you that you will not be so much as touched as you carry out our plans."

Dodonpa looked up, his face suspicious. "You did what? If they are 'invisible', then how do I know you won't be sending them after me when I least expect it?"

"Risks must also always be taken to ensure a new world." The man said casually. "If you need persuasion, I advise you to look in the third cell of the fortress' dungeon. The group of people that was sneaking in here to kill you will need to eat soon, after all. And they were people of this town, no less, so I doubt you would have seen it coming were it not for us."

Dodonpa stayed silent again as the man began walking toward the door. "I expect very favorable reports when I return."

"When will that be?"

"I do not know, just as you do not. So you had best get started immediately."

With a swish of his cloak, the azure man casually strode through the open door and shut it behind him. Dodonpa rushed to the door and pulled it open, but the man was gone, and the open eyes of his soldiers' corpses stared back at him. Their empty glances almost looked accusing.

The Lunpa lord finally stopped running as he reached the cell, and found a group of six brigands there. Glaring at them all, he yelled, "What are you doing? Are you not hearing the fighting in the upper levels? Are you just going to stand here all night or are you going to move your worthless skins and fight?"

"We've already fought them as hard as we could!" One brigand said, with obvious indignation in his voice which made Dodonpa glare. "The missing guards we reported have sided with the intruders! We've lost many men already, and they're heading this way now."

Dodonpa growled low in his throat before pulling out his blade. "Damn it… damn it! Then release Toadonpa and we'll take refuge in this cell. Let them all come and get their spines ripped out!"

"Yes, sir!"

One brigand ran towards the lever on the wall behind Dodonpa, but never got a chance to pull it. In one quick moment, he felt the stabbing pain of cold steel piercing his side and he was thrown against the nearest wall by an invisible force. He crumpled to the floor as he slowly began to bleed to death.

The thief's killer, a man in a black cloak, walked into the prison cell. He looked at the body of the now dead thief with the blade still in his side. He grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out, the silver blade stained with blood. Disregarding this, he merely sheathed it and turned to the bewildered group at the opposite side of the room. He then walked toward the lever on the wall that would unleash the monster of Lunpa.

He reached and pulled it, and the wall behind Dodonpa and his bandits slid open. A deafening roar was heard and Dodonpa grinned.

"You don't even know what you've just done, do you? Toadonpa, attack!"

An answering roar was heard as the monster charged into the cell.

The Monster of Lunpa was indeed a suitable title for the appalling creature. As its darkly humorous name suggested, it was indeed a toad-like creature, but a huge monstrous one standing on its hind legs, transformed by an unknown force. Its skin was a scaly blue, with red spikes sticking out of the top of its head and down its back to the end of its tail. Huge clawed hands and feet with crimson nails, able to rip a man apart, were its organic weapons, not to mention its jagged teeth and its blood-red eyes, which had intimidated many of its victims with their hungrily insane gaze.

And yet, the cloaked man simply watched the monster get nearer to him, not even fidgeting in the slightest. As Toadonpa stopped in front of him, it swiftly lashed out with one of its claws with enough strength to behead the man. But the cloaked man dodged the creature's attack with ease by moving to the side, causing the monster to stumble forward, confused at the missed attack. The man then raised a hand and sent the monster flying into the cell wall with the invisible power he had used on his first victim. Toadonpa groaned as it began to pick itself up from the floor.

Shocked by how effortlessly the man had momentarily dispatched his monster, Dodonpa could only watch as the assailant spoke again, "Dark Curse…"

Dodonpa watched as the monster howled and screeched, twisting its body around on the floor in obvious agony. It was over in seconds, and when it stopped the monster slowly rose to its feet. With a low snarl, it raised its head and glared at Dodonpa and his thieves with completely black eyes.

To Dodonpa's horror, the monster charged towards them with a bloodcurdling shriek of rage. Toadonpa lashed out with its claw, pinning one of the thieves beneath it on the ground. It then lowered its head and clamped down on the man's head with its horrifyingly sharp teeth, killing him instantly. The closest brigand screamed in shock, but was silenced by the monster's other claw, which sliced his throat with its sharpened nails.

A sudden icy voice added to the terror filling the room,

"Kill them all. Show no mercy."

Dodonpa looked at the bodies of his dead soldiers and into the black pits that were once Toadonpa's red eyes. Was his once faithful creature going to turn on him? He stumbled backwards away from it, waiting for another enraged attack, but nothing happened. Rather, the creature ceased its sudden attack and moved away from the surviving men, resting against the wall as it continued to growl.

The only sounds were footsteps coming from behind Dodonpa. He turned, and when he saw who was behind him, he knew that the shock he had received from seeing Toadonpa with a demon-like face was nothing compared to the shock he was feeling now. For before him, glaring at him with the same black demon eyes was his son, Donpappa.

"Go," said the voice.

Donpappa unsheathed his sword and assumed a battle stance, but Dodonpa didn't even move. He had harmed his son in the past without once thinking of repercussions, but now… he felt frozen with fear. The other thieves, however, raised their swords.

Donpappa charged at the remaining brigands and swung his sword at one. The thief parried and charged to stab him, only to be sidestepped by the young man, causing him to stumble. Donpappa then slashed the thief in the back, causing him to fall, gasping in pain. But his pain would soon end as Donpappa stabbed him in the side, splattering the ground with blood. The thief groaned as the pain increased for just a few seconds before he passed into an endless sleep.

Two thieves charged at Donpappa from behind, but he performed a perfect back flip over the two. He then charged in between the stunned duo and sliced one in the side while kicking the other in the stomach. He proceeded to stab the already wounded fighter in the chest, thus ending his suffering like his fallen comrade. He turned to the other downed fighter, who grabbed his blade and swung at Donpappa's head. But he merely ducked and delivered a powerful kick to the thief's head, finishing him by stabbing him on the ground.

He then turned to his father, who had been watching in horrifying silence, and smiled.

"Are you pleased with me now, father?" he said, his voice cold with uncharacteristic malice. "You always wanted me to be a ruthless killer, didn't you?"

His father stared in paralyzed horror, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper. "What the hell are you…?"

Donpappa began to speak in a voice that was not his own. "What we would call ourselves is irrelevant. You and your world would call us… demons. Monsters. Shadows."

Dodonpa could only stare, now shaking uncontrollably with his fear.

Donpappa walked toward him and spoke again, and this time, his own voice escaped his mouth, "You have brought this on yourself. What you are feeling now is what I have felt all my life. I feel no remorse. Prepare to depart from this world, father…"

From behind his son, Dodonpa saw the man in the blue cloak. He could just barely see his face beneath the hood. Strands of equally blue hair slightly covered his face, which was chillingly and impenitently smiling.

Realizing that his end was at hand and that he had been doomed from the start, Dodonpa, the once feared Lord of Lunpa, began to cry. Tears of sadness, rage, and fear flowed from his eyes as he awaited death. What kind of death was this? Forsaken by everybody and killed by the son he had never truly acknowledged.

He wanted to tell them to stop. That he would change. That he could change. But as he looked into the face of his son, he knew that though he had used that very same excuse all his life, it would not save him now. He had always escaped punishments from his father with that excuse, and had always considered him foolish for actually forgiving him. Meanwhile, he had punished Donpappa for trying to help others, something he had never done, and his son never tried to escape the punishments. Rather, he accepted them.

Perhaps this was a fitting end... killed by his son who had always been considered weak in comparison to him, when in fact, he had always been stronger...

Donpappa swung the sword, beheading his father instantly. Blood splashed upon his unflinching face.

Two cloaked companions, followed by the survivors of the now destroyed Lunpa fortress, slowly walked through the secret cave of the town and into the bordering forest.

No one but them knew of the terrible events that took place within the walls of fortress.

And no one but them knew of the terror that now awaited one specific settlement. It had long been thought a safe haven, isolated from the war, but the only reason this sanctuary had never been destroyed was because it had never needed to be. But now had come the time of its destruction.

They were headed for the town of Vale.

Edited: 4/30/2016

Disclaimer: All characters, places, and anything else affiliated with Golden Sun do not belong to me, unless I create my own characters.