"Again!" Lachance demanded as he braced himself with his dagger for his oncoming pupil. The Imperial lunged at him and there was a rhythmic clanking of steel on steel as the Speaker blocked the thrall's strikes. "Good, now see if you can actually make contact with my flesh this time."

Finn spun on his heels to give his swing more momentum and the sword flew through the air causing the Speaker to dance backwards and strike the weapon down with his blade. Finn was relentless as he sprang forward and slashed at his tutor in an attempt to hit him. Neither was concerned for injury as there was no pain in the Void. The Penitus Oculatus agent reached forward with his free hand and grabbed the hood of Lucien's cloak and pulled it over his head. With his target temporarily blinded, Finn crashed the hilt of his sword into the Spectral Assassin's wrist causing him to drop his weapon.

"Hah!" the Imperial laughed as he held his blade to his tutor's throat. Lachance had a tired look in his eyes as he pulled his hood back and stared at the Imperial before him. "There are no rules in the world of assassins, Lachance! Didn't you tell me that?"

"Yes, I did," he answered. "I also told you to strike me down." Clasping his fists together, the Speaker shot them up and knocked the sword up and away from his throat. With Finn distracted from the impact, Lucien snatched his blade from the ground and pounced forward at his target. Snaking one arm around the thrall's neck, he placed his blade so that the tip was resting just above where the boy's heart would have been. "That was the same mistake that your former companion, Salvarus, made with me."

The Speaker released his victim and sheathed his dagger before continuing to lecture his student. "Don't allow confidence to blind you to what needs to be done. You might think that you have the upper hand, but it is not a risk worth taking when facing an enemy."

"Right, I think I understand what you're getting at, Lachance. I can't get cocky in the midst of battle," Finn muttered as he sheathed his sword as well, slightly disappointed that he had yet to manage to strike his instructor even once in all of their training.

Both of the men stirred as they sensed a familiar aura around them. With the sense of humiliation becoming prominent, the Imperial was well aware of who was approaching them. Lucien let out a sigh as he once again took a knee with his student in greeting the Unholy Matron.

The Night Mother took her time as she approached the two thralls of the Void. As the Mer got closer, Lachance could not help but notice that she had a sinister sparkle in her red eyes.

"My lady," the Speaker started quietly as he kept his head low, "I had not expected to be graced by your presence so soon after our last encounter. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

The Dunmer's smile broadened as she rested her hands on her hips and gestured for the assassin to follow her with a slight tilt of her head. "Come with me, Lucien. I have something I wish to share with you."

Being nothing more than a mere thrall now, the Speaker was quick to rise to his feet and follow after the Dark Elf without question. Under the influence of the elf's aura, he felt a great sense of confusion. The assassin had assumed that once he had given up his position as the Spirit of the Dark Brotherhood, the Night Mother and Sithis would no longer have any reason to seek him out. What could the woman possibly want with him now that he was just another one of the wandering souls?

The Unholy Matron led the spirit to a secluded area of the black mountainous region of the Void where there was a small cave opening. She did not speak a word to him, but beckoned him to enter the mouth of the cavern with a simple curl of her finger. As soon as they entered, the Mer performed a casting of magelight, illuminated the shadowy chamber and filling it with a bright radiance. Lachance winced as his eyes were forced to adapt to the sudden change in light.

"Everything is being put into motion as we speak, Lucien," the Night Mother said softly as she took a seat on a large black boulder and beamed at him lovingly. "My husband felt it necessary for me to share all the glorious details with you."

"Details, my lady?" the man asked as he walked over to her, his confusion not lessening in the slightest.

"Yes. You see, soon the two of us are going to be graced by the presence of the new Spirit of the Dark Brotherhood." The Unholy Matron chuckled lightly as she patted the rock she was sitting on to ask the Speaker to join her.

"Of course, the new spirit," Lachance stated quietly as he obediently sat down next to the Dark Elf. He hated the fact that he felt a twinge of jealousy in the pit of his stomach; giving up his title was a terribly blow to his pride, but the ghoul felt it was something he had to do to prevent the Listener from hurting himself trying to protect him. "I am eager to meet whoever it is. I am sure it will be someone who will serve the Listener well in his endeavors."

The Mer could not help but giggle as she shook her head at the thrall. "You are partially right. He will serve a Listener well." Her eyes lifted up towards the roof of the cave they were in and a wicked smile formed on her face. "Ah, Sithis has just informed me that the trial has begun."

"Trial?" asked the Speaker, his body tensing up at the news. "What trial are you speaking of, my lady?"

"Dearest Lucien," she sang sweetly as she gave him a mocking look of sympathy, "have you really not guessed yet?" The Night Mother stood up from the rock and strode to the center of the cave, never allowing her eyes to leave the spirit's. "You were chosen to represent the Dark Brotherhood because of your unwillingness to denounce Sithis' name, even when it seemed that He had forsaken you. The Dark Brotherhood spirit must embrace the Old Ways, respect our customs and never allow his devotion to waver."

"I can think of many thralls here would be worthy candidates," Lachance insisted as he crossed his arms and was more than a little frustrated. He could tell that the Night Mother was dancing around the issue. "One would be the wizard, Festus Krex. The Listener was very attached to him and he believed in the importance of tradition."

"Festus is a good man, but he accepted the ways of that petty female Nord," the Unholy Matron hissed as she shot the Speaker a dark look. Her expression melted back into one of more mischievous nature as she calmed herself and focused on the matter at hand. "Think really hard, Lachance. Is there no one else you can think of whose faith could rival that of your own?"

The thrall's brow furrowed as he thought over the many different souls he had encountered over the centuries. Many had faith in the Dread Father; they would not be residing in the more peaceful division of the Void if they did not. Lucien's eyes widened in shock as a very obvious person came to mind.

"The Listener?" he gasped out.

"Ah, you finally figured out who your replacement is I see," the Night Mother stated as a twisted smile crept up her face. "Yes, he is one of our most dedicated servants."

"He can't be the new spirit! He's not dead!" the man barked angrily, his emotions getting the better of him by the presence of the Mer's aura.

"Yet," was the simple cold reply.

"Yet? You plan on the boy dying?!" the spirit snarled as he rose from his seat and rushed towards her, his brown eyes burning with frustration and fear. "He won't fall! The Dark Brotherhood will be there to aid him!"

"You think Sithis has not planned everything accordingly, Lachance?" the she-elf asked him before poking a bony finger into his chest. "The moment you demanded to be released from your responsibility, He went to work setting everything in motion for the Argonian's final test of dedication."

"I relinquished my title to keep him safe!" the spirit barked at her. "There has to be someone else who could take his place!"

"How could you not see this coming?" the Night Mother snorted as she began to circle the frantic Speaker. "You spent years molding that reptile into your own image! Teaching him everything you knew! Instructing him on the Black Hand and Dark Brotherhood's history! Pounding into his head the importance of never allowing his faith to wane!" She leaned forward so her lips were to his ear. "You turned him into you, Lucien Lachance. Who better to replace you than yourself?"

The Speaker's teeth clenched tightly as a haunting sense of guilt began to overtake his fury. "Your own Listener?" he growled out darkly as he turned to glare at her. "You are willing to allow the Listener to die?"

"Who am I to become attached to those who I deem worthy of hearing my voice?" the Night Mother asked unemotionally as she shrugged her bony shoulders. "There have been many Listeners in the past and I have not shed any tears over their passing." She gave the thrall a thoughtful look. "I have already decided upon the Argonian's successor." The Mer rested her hand against her cheek and tapped her index finger, a smirk crossing her lips. "The Dunmer archer will be the next to hear my voice. Is it not ironic that the next Listener has only one ear?"

"Vytalas? It's not his time yet to lead the Dark Brotherhood!" the thrall exclaimed as his hands tightened into fists. He desperately wanted to attack something, but knew better than to strike the Dark Elf before him.

"It does not matter what you think, Lachance. Even now, the child is being judged by the Dread Father to see if he is indeed truly worthy of being the Dark Brotherhood spirit." She reached forward, grasped the Speaker by the shoulders and began to push him back towards the large black rocks. "Sit down and behave yourself, thrall," she ordered as she forced the man to sit. "Sithis is sharing with me all the intimate details and I don't want you to miss a minute of it."

A growl rumbled in Lucien's throat as he glowered at the Mer before him. "So, He arranged all this? He set KaNack up to walk into a deathtrap?"

"You make it sound so callous," the Unholy Matron remarked as she gave him a disappointed look. "The child should be honored to be handpicked by the Dread Father to represent the entire guild as a whole. All he needs to do is prove himself the way you did."

"I did?!" the spirit exclaimed in horror as he sat up straight and his eyes widened in disbelief. "You don't mean..?!"

"His own Applewatch, yes," the Dunmer confirmed as she began to pace in front of the mortified specter. "How does it feel, Lachance? Knowing that very thing you had hoped to protect him from has been brought upon by your leaving?"

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Lucien howled at her. "I left to keep him from harm!"

"Keep him from harm?" the Mer spat at him venomously. "You've always protected the Listener and saved his life on multiple occasions! What did you THINK was going to happen once you were no longer there for him?" She rolled her red eyes and shook her head dismissively. "If the Dread Father had not arranged it, KaNack would eventually have fallen on his own because you would not have been there as his guardian."

The Dark Elf's head suddenly turned to the side as thought she was being spoken to by another. "I see," she muttered before glancing back at the Speaker. "You should be so proud, Lachance. The Listener even uttered the same words you did before the Black Hand began their torture in the farmhouse. You prepared him to be so brave."

"I can't let this happen," Lucien insisted as he grasped his long brown hair in tight fists. "He's too young. It's not his time yet." He stared at the Mer in desperation. "Please, Sithis must choose somebody else!"

"He does not have to do anything!" the Night Mother shouted towards the thrall. "He is your deity and you will not question His judgment!" A grimace came over her face as the Dread Father spoke to her once more. "Hmm, multiple stabbings in the abdomen," she commented in disinterest. "Nothing too impressive so far. I suppose the sorcerer is merely warming up." A grin crossed her face as she reveled in the terror in the Speaker's eyes. "After all, it's Sithis who is whispering the suggestions into the Morag Tong imposter's ear. How else is he to properly know how to mirror the horrors of Applewatch?"

"You're torturing him for nothing more than cruel amusement!" Lachance screamed at her furiously. "Why are you telling me all this?!"

"Did you truly think that you would not be punished for throwing away your title so carelessly?!" the Mer snarled at the thrall nastily. "You and your damn pride, Lucien! Giving away such a respected position was a blatant dishonor towards Sithis! You are going to listen to the boy's torture because this is how the Dread Father has deemed fit to make you suffer for your insolence!"

The Speaker growled low in his throat as he stared at the floor of the cave in both fury and remorse. The Listener's torment had been brought forth because of him. KaNack was going to endure horrible agony because of him. He was going to die because of him.

"And there goes his cracked horn," the Unholy Matron remarked with a shake of her head. "Well, the Argonian's head could only be smashed into the stone floor so many times before it got broken off." She leered over at the distraught thrall. "I wonder if that was to represent the bones they broke during your beating, Speaker."

"Are there at least others there?" the spirit groaned, not able to tear his eyes from the floor. "Is there at least one friendly face that he is aware of to give him some form of comfort?"

"His wife is there, but he cannot see or sense her," the Night Mother answered as she continued to keep her focus on the words being spoken to her by her husband.

Lachance rose from the rock and approached her in desperation. "NO! It can't end for him like this! He can't die alone!"

"He's not alone," the Mer insisted as she reached forward to brush a few long strands of hair from the Speaker's face. "He has his killer to keep him company."

"He's alone and he's scared!" He grasped the Mer's hands trying to get some form of compassion from her. "We can't let him die afraid!"

"Yes," she agreed calmly with a nod of her head. "He's terrified, but he is covering it up well. Othrelos has no idea just how frightened the Listener really is. He is going to die alone though, Lachance; just as you did."

She then clasped a hand to her mouth to hide the smirk on her face as she received an update on the Listener's condition. "Oh my, that sorcerer just ripped the feathers from his head," she stated as she pulled away from the mortified spirit. "Plucked like a chicken being prepared for the slaughter. You remember being scalped, don't you, dear Lucien?"

Lachance felt ill to his stomach upon hearing what cruel fate had befallen on the young Argonian that he had been watching over for the last decade. He could hardly form an image of KaNack without the crown of crimson feathers that lined the top of his head. He shuddered at the touch of the Mer's hand on his back.

"I do hope this doesn't affect his appearance any once he becomes the Dark Brotherhood spirit." A sneer crossed her face and she put her lips to the Speaker's ear. "Then again, you turned out fairly well in the end, didn't you, Lachance?"

The spirit pulled away from her, his entire body quaked. Both the memories of Applewatch and the realization that the Listener was befalling the same fate were causing him unbearable pain.

"Oh, bless the child's heart. He's begging the warlock for more!" the Dark Elf laughed as she took a seat on one of the nearby rocks. "The Listener is a true son of Sithis. He might be an even greater representative than you ever were, Speaker!"

"You've proven your point!" Lachance screamed at her furiously, no longer able to hold back his despair and frustration. "How can you be so cruel?! That Argonian has been devoted to you! Why are you and the Dread Father torturing him when I am the one who has sinned?!"

"What better way to make you suffer than by making your worst fears become a reality?" the Night Mother explained coolly. "Do not take your aggravation out on me. Sithis is the one who decided on your replacement as well as your punishment."

"It's not fair to KaNack! He still has a long life ahead of him! He has a wife! He has a family! You are rewarding his commitment by making him suffer through this scared and by himself!"

"I wonder how the Dread Father plans on having the warlock feed on his flesh," the Unholy Matron commented, ignoring the Speaker's pleads. "We cannot have a proper representation without that, now can we?"

Lucien stormed over to her and grasped her firmly by the shoulders. His brown eyes burning into the redness of the elf's.

"Send me back," he demanded in a hushed voice.

"Excuse me?" the Mer growled at him in a dangerous tone, not at all pleased with Lachance's sudden gall and disrespectful approach.

"I made a mistake!" he exclaimed. "Reconnect me to the Listener! There is still time! I can help him!" His grip tightened on the Dark Elf's as his eyes brimmed with tears of desperation. "Let me go to him!"

The entire cave rumbled as Sithis was not pleased that the Speaker had put his hands on his wife. Not fazed by the tremor, the Night Mother shoved the specter away and glared at him in ferocity.

"Who are you to ask anything of me?" she spat at him. "You made your choice, thrall! You decided to abandon the Listener because your dignity had been given a severe blow! You are a petty man and are not worthy of any favor!"

"I was wrong!" he persisted. "I can't allow KaNack to die because of my selfishness! I will do anything you ask, just let me return to him!"

"It won't make a difference," she explained in a much calmer tone. "As the reptile's blood spills, it is slowly being used to attach his soul to the Dark Brotherhood spirit's scroll. Soon the new leader will have a Spectral Mage to conjure by his side." Her eyes narrowed. "Hopefully KaNack will not abandon his casters due to his arrogance like you did." She shook her head at him. "No, loyalty is much more important to him than it ever was to you, Lachance. He'd never desert the one who summons him."

Lachance felt to his knees and held his head low as tears began to crawl down his face. "You and the Dread Father have the ability. I am BEGGING you! Please, let me go back! Let me return to my caster!"

The Night Mother could not hold back her amusement as the sight of the pitiful creature before her. "What's this?" she asked in delight. "The prideful Lucien Lachance is begging like some mangy dog?" She knelt down and gently stroked back his long brown hair. "Oh, dearest Lucien. Too little too late," she insisted softly.

"Please," Lachance cried quietly. "He's like a son to me."

"Now who is the one weak due to his emotions?" the Unholy Matron muttered before cupping Lachance's face in her hands and tilted his head up. The Speaker could not hold back his tears and the Mer grimaced at the sight of just how far the thrall had fallen.

"It's all been arranged, Speaker. Othrelos will kill the Listener. Vytalas will appear having followed their tracks and then strike the sorcerer down with one of his poisoned arrows. This is the fate that Sithis has decided upon for the Dark Brotherhood. You've said yourself that the Dark Elf would make a strong leader, he will ensure that the family survives."

"You may think that it is too late, but I cannot just sit back and allow this cruelty to continue. I may not be able to save his life, but I can at least keep him from dying alone." He reached up towards the Unholy Matron. "I beseech you and the Dread Father; I will suffer with the traitors and villains in the Void! I will allow my soul to be crumbled into a pile of dust! Please, let me return to the Argonian! I cannot hear his pleads, but I know he is calling for me!"

"Even if we did send you back," the she-elf started quietly, "the Argonian has been mutilated and wounded too greatly. With no healing or restoration abilities, there is nothing you could do to help him."

"I promised him I would never allow him to die alone," Lachance choked out, not willing to give up his pleading. "Can you not grant me but a moment to give him some glimmer of comfort through the horror and agony?"

"You should not have made a promise that you were unwilling to keep." The two stirred as once again the cavern rumbled with the presence of the Dread Father. The Night Mother stared up at the ceiling in surprise. "My love? Please tell me you are not changing your mind about everything?" she asked in disbelief. There was another small tremor which caused the Dunmer to grimace. "I see. I don't know what you see in him, but I will not question you."

The Dark Elf glared at Lachance as she pulled the trembling man to his feet. "I guess your pitiful groveling and swallowing of pride has surprised even my husband. You really care for that young Argonian, don't you?" She let out a frustrated huff as she turned her head away from the Speaker. "Sithis has decided to reconnect your bond with the Listener."

"Oh, bless Him!" Lachance gasped out as he felt a great sense of relief come over him.

"BUT!" she started angrily, grabbing the spirit's attention. "You are not returning as the Spirit of the Dark Brotherhood. You have been stripped of that title, Lachance." The Night Mother crossed her arms and began to pace before the confused thrall. "The Dread Father is allowing you to be connected to the Argonian, but merely as the child's conjuration. His familiar!" She pointed a grey skeletal finger at him. "In other words, you will be nothing more than the PET that many have called you so scornfully!" The Unholy Matron's eyes narrowed as she gazed upon the specter scornfully. "Do you understand, dear Lucien? You will lose all the respect and dignity and become nothing more than a faithful hound."

The Spectral Assassin shook his head in frustration. Every moment delayed was another second that the Listener was being tortured. "I will endure whatever title you see fit to label me with. You wish to consider me a dog, then so be it."

"Really?" the she-elf asked as she gave him a doubtful look. "Are you willing to bark, Lachance?"

The Speaker's jaw clenched as he gave the she-elf a disturbed and stony look at the disgraceful request. "I'm sorry, my lady?"

"Come now, thrall. Let's see just how dedicated you are to resuming your role as the Argonian's protector," she said, her red eyes twinkling with malice. "Give us a little bark."

The specter was a proud man and for years despised being considered anything less than an equal. The request of Sithis' wife was nothing more than another opportunity for him to pay for his insolence. His body stiffened and he took in a deep breath and had to look away from the Unholy Matron before he could allow himself to lose what little pride he had left for himself.

"Woof," he uttered shamefully.

Lucien gritted his teeth as he heard the Dunmer's satisfied chuckling fill the small cavern. The Mer's face was fixed in an expression of great amusement, a smirk crossing her dark lips. "Oh, bark again, Lachance," she snickered. "It's very becoming of you."

"I will do so if you ask it of me, my lady," the Speaker answered with difficulty. "If it means I can return to the Listener."

"Is the taste of humility bitter, thrall?" She shook her head, more than satisfied with her last little jab at the Speaker's dignity "I think you've embarrassed yourself enough, don't you?" the Unholy Matron insisted as she resumed her pacing. "Now, it is time for you to understand the stipulations of your return," the Dunmer began. "So long as the Listener is alive, he will always be able to summon you. The Argonian is still going to be the soul chosen to become the new Dark Brotherhood spirit."

"So, as long as I keep him alive, there is no spirit to represent us then?" Lucien asked quietly as he became restless to return to his caster before it was too late.

"Correct. The moment he dies, he will take on this honorable title and you will spend the rest of your days in the Void. Only the Argonian has the power to summon you, and with his death your time will truly come to an end."

"Well then, I best not let him die, my lady," the Spectral Assassin stated as he bowed politely to her. "Return me to the Listener. Whether he lives for another two hundred years or two minutes, I WILL be there for him!"

"Good luck, you passionate fool," the Night Mother muttered as the thrall before her began to slowly vanish before her eyes. The Dark Elf let out a sigh and stared back up at the ceiling of the cavern. "The child has no hope of surviving his injuries unless that wife of his recovers from her blow in time. Does the Argonian really have a chance even with Lachance's return?"

The entire cavern rumbled and a smirk crawled up the Mer's face.

"Yes, of course. I will have to wait and see. Telling me would spoil all the fun, wouldn't it, my love?"