Chapter Ten

Slowly consciousness began to return. His body was aching and he felt rather cold. It also felt as though he was laying on something soft. Carefully, and almost without thinking, he moved his hand up to rub his head. He had just become aware that he had a headache as well as the throbbing throughout his form. A weak moan escaped his lips.

"You okay, chum?"

Blearily Alister tried to crack his eyes open as he recognized Valon's worried voice. He looked up at the brunette through his clouded vision, then closed his eyes again. The light was making them hurt right now, but he hoped that they would be back to normal in the next few minutes. "What happened?" he asked. Vaguely he recalled falling in the bathtub, but nothing beyond that.

Valon leaned back, shaking his head as he watched his close friend struggle to readjust to the conscious world. "'What happened'!" he repeated. "I'll tell you what happened, mate—you slipped and conked your head on the side of the tub! People've gotten offed by doin' that, y'know." He shuddered, remembering how he had heard the loud crash from downstairs and had then realized that something was amiss. Raphael had taken Liu to the veterinarian's office for a regular checkup, so Valon had been alone in dealing with the problem. He had not been happy about the fact, either. He was not used to dealing with such things, especially not rescuing people who took spills in their bathtubs.

Alister grunted. "I locked the door," he said slowly. "How did you even get in?" He opened his eyes again and was relieved as they began to focus without starting to hurt. He was decidedly not relieved to also feel the Orichalcos churning under his skin, however. It seemed to him as though it was pushing ever harder to get out, and that it was becoming increasingly difficult to contain it. If he experienced another breakdown, he was afraid that would cause it to be set free.

Valon shrugged. "You'd better be glad that I used to be pretty good at lock-picking," he told him. "I knocked on the door, but you didn't answer, so I finally had to go in." He frowned, crossing his arms. "You were laying in the tub, and you'd pulled the shower curtain and the rod down with you!" The boy shuddered, not adding that he had at first thought that Alister might be dead from the blow he had taken. "You coulda drowned if I hadn't been here to get you out."

Alister carefully tried to sit up, now discovering that he was wearing a towel around his waist as a kilt. "Raphael isn't here?" he mumbled, feeling the headache coming on once more. He realized, though, that he was not certain whether it was from hitting the tub or from the Orichalcos again pulsating against his defenses and attempting to force itself free. Whatever the reason, though, it was annoying him. After a moment he laid back down.

"Nope." Valon closed one eye. "Just me."

"It must have been hard for you to get me out all by yourself," Alister observed quietly. Valon was shorter and younger than he was, though he also had good muscles and was strong for his age. Still, Alister could not imagine that the task had been easy to accomplish.

Again Valon shrugged. "Eh . . . it wasn't that hard," he answered. "You're really lightweight. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were starvin' yourself or something. You probably weigh less than me!" He studied his red-haired friend, attempting to determine if he was alright. Of course Alister never said so if he was not. The most that could be gotten from him was that he was "fine," whether he truly was or not. And with the Orichalcos still corrupting his heart and soul, he was definitely not fine at this point. The last thing he needed was to have physical injuries as well. He appeared to be alright, however, save for the headache.

Alister draped an arm over his eyes, feeling tired suddenly. Though, he supposed it was natural, since he had not been sleeping well. When he did sleep, it was generally a slumber peppered with dreams of the war or of the Orichalcos controlling him into wreaking havoc throughout the city. "Well . . . thanks," he said finally, and meant it. He was grateful that Valon had gotten him out, even though he doubted that he would have drowned, since the water had mostly been running down the drain.

Valon climbed off the bed, mumbling something that Alister could not catch. Their friendship had been strained lately, much to his frustration. Alister had been struggling with the Orichalcos for so long, and each day it seemed as though it was taking over all the more frequently. Though Alister did not mean to, he still lashed out at Valon often—and even at Raphael at times. Valon was irritated by it, especially since he already had the problem with his parents to worry about, and he generally would snap back at the gray-eyed man. Then they would fall to arguing and Raphael would groan loudly, if he happened to be present. The previous evening, Alister had actually slapped Valon during a disagreement when Valon had demanded to know if Alister could not simply control himself better. Alister had apologized, but the Australian was still annoyed, though he knew he should not be.

He paused at the doorway, looking back to his friend, and then swallowed. "Hey," he spoke at last, and Alister removed his arm from over his eyes in order to look at the boy questioningly. Valon sighed, gripping the doorframe as he spoke. "I'm sorry about last night, Alister. . . . I know you're trying your best. I shouldn't have flown off the handle like I did." It's hard for me, too. . . . But Raph hasn't fallen apart 'cause of everything. Why can't I be more like him? Why do I always havta get so frustrated? Alister's not trying to hurt us. It just . . . happens. He leaned forward, letting his forehead rest against the wood. "It's just . . . it's not easy seeing you like this. . . . You're usually so calm and quiet. Really, I actually miss the old you." He grinned weakly. "I didn't think I'd be sayin' it, but it's true."

Alister sighed sadly. "It's not easy for me, either, Valon," he replied, rolling onto his side. But he did not blame Valon for being vexed. Why should the boy not be vexed, when his friend was continually being obnoxious? Alister would be upset if he were in Valon's place. "But you don't need to apologize. I'm the one hurting you, not the other way around. Your exasperation is justified."

Valon looked up sharply. "No it's not!" he cried. "You're fighting some ancient evil that poisoned you, and you've gotta deal with it trying to get control twenty-four seven! I've got no right to make it harder for you." He turned away, clenching a fist. "I've got no right. . . . Don't try to make me feel better, Alister." Without waiting for Alister to answer, the brunette boy walked out of the room and into his own, throwing himself onto his bed and glaring at the floor.

This is all a big mess, he berated silently. What's happening to us? Even Raph's showing the strain. He's been tryin' to hold out through all of this crazy stuff, but I don't think he's gonna have patience much longer. Heck, I cracked a long time ago. And poor Alister . . . fighting to keep control of his mind. . . .

He closed his blue eyes tightly. This is awful! We're probably not even gonna be able to all stay close chums. I can see how this is tearing us all apart. And my parents aren't gonna leave me alone, either. They had called while Alister had been in the shower. Valon had talked to them both, unwillingly, and had flatly refused to go with them—but he knew they were going to come anyway and try to take him. I won't go without a fight, though, he vowed, and if they do show up, they've got some criminal charges to answer to.Alister still has a chance to get better, and I still have a chance to stay with him and Raph. I don't wanna screw any of that up!

He heard Alister let out a scream from his room as the redhead's latest battle with the Orichalcos became all the more intense. Alister rarely screamed, instead preferring to suffer in as much silence as possible, but when it was becoming especially hard to control, the ancient force would send him into excruciating pain and he would cry out abruptly. Valon hated listening to him when that happened. Alister sounded as if his very heart and soul were being shredded. And Valon was certain that was actually true. He felt helpless, not knowing how to give assistance to his friend.

"Come on, chum," he whispered, still keeping his eyes closed, "you've gotta defeat it. You can't let it win! You're better than it is." He heard Alister scream again. The chances were, all of them were in for another very long day.

Alister was gone by the time Raphael returned with Liu (who had been found to be quite healthy—and friendly, as she had even rubbed against the veterinarian). The blonde man found Valon sitting at the kitchen table gloomily, staring off into the distance. He was nursing a cup of chocolate milk, but it did not look as though he had drank very much of it.

"What's wrong?" Raphael asked in concern as he came in and sat down at the table. Liu meowed, rubbing against him and then going to Valon. "And where's Alister?" Raphael had been worrying about them both during the time he had been gone, not knowing what disaster might befall them. There were so many things that could go wrong in their current situations. He did not like the thought of Alister being gone at this point, even if just for a walk. The Orichalcos could attempt to get control at any time, and naturally would do everything in its power to accomplish that.

The Australian picked up the cat and set her on his lap, petting her gently. "He had another Orichalcos attack," he replied in a quiet tone, "and he said he wanted to get out for a bit." He then told Raphael of the day's earlier events, including how Alister had fallen in the shower. He was so caught up in worry for his friend that he did not even notice when Liu started lapping up some of his chocolate milk. Neither did Raphael.

The older man listened, deeply concerned. He wondered if they should go out after Alister, but then decided against it. Alister wanted to be alone during the times when he left the house. As long as he would come back, that was the main thing. But would he return as the Alister they knew? "Did he take his motorcycle?" Raphael asked then. He rather hoped not. If Alister had gotten dizzy enough to fall in the bathtub, he could get dizzy enough to crash his motorcycle. And if Alister had taken it, then Raphael would again consider that perhaps they needed to go find him, before he would get himself hurt.

But Valon shook his head. "Naw," he answered, "he was walkin'. I think even he was edgy about trying to drive something after what happened." He sighed, glancing out the window. "He's already been gone about thirty minutes, maybe more. There's no telling when he might come back." Over the past weeks, Valon and Raphael had both noticed that whenever Alister went out for a drive or a walk, he tended to be gone several hours—sometimes even for the entire day. Often he did not return until after dark. Naturally they wondered what he busied himself with during those times, especially since he had not dared to visit the children's group home since the problem with the Orichalcos had started. He did not trust himself to be around the young ones, even though his friends were certain that he would never hurt them no matter what the circumstances.

Raphael rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It'll probably be a while, Valon," he said, speaking what Valon already knew. "There's not much sense in just sitting here worrying about him." But he knew that they both likely would. From what Valon had described, the Orichalcos attack had been of the most vicious variety. Whenever Alister screamed during one, it meant he was seriously close to losing control. Those kinds of attacks had been happening very frequently of late, with the number increasing almost daily. Raphael and Valon had good reason to fear for their friend's sanity. They both knew that it might not be intact for much longer.

As he looked down at the table, he suddenly blinked in astonishment. Valon then blinked at him in turn. "What?" he asked.

Raphael shook his head, trying to hide the amused smile creeping over his features. "You might want to consider getting some different chocolate milk to drink," he said.

Valon looked down, his mouth dropping open when he saw Liu blissfully drinking out of his glass. "Why you little . . .!" Liu blinked up at him, licking her lips as she meowed innocently. Valon slapped his forehead.

Raphael found that he could not control the urge to laugh. After all the upsetting things that had been going on, it felt good to be able to laugh about something. Valon simply stared at him, not finding it funny at all at first, but eventually the laugh was catching and he found himself snickering in amusement as well. Liu, unaware that she was the cause of it all, gave the equivalent of a feline shrug and leaped gracefully to the floor, where she happily began lapping up water from her bowl. The chocolate milk had been interesting, but she decided that water was her preferred beverage.

After they finally calmed down again, Valon told Raphael about the phone call from his parents. Raphael's eyes narrowed grimly at this news.

"Did they say where they were calling from?" he asked. They were now sitting in the living room—Raphael on one side of the couch and Valon on the other side. Liu was sitting on Raphael's lap, purring contentedly. Raphael stroked her fur absently as he looked to Valon for a reply.

The brunette shook his head. "Naw," he said bitterly. "I guess they were too smart for that. Maybe they knew about the charges against them. Anyway, even if they didn't, I told 'em. Then they tried to make like they weren't the ones who trashed the place. Heck, maybe they even weren't. Maybe they had some lackeys to do it for them. It wouldn't surprise me any." He hugged the pillow as he glared down at the floor. "They'd probably wanna make sure that no one could prove they came here."

Raphael growled. "Probably," he agreed. It sounded like the sort of trick that people of that caliber would enact.

"Why won't they go away already!" Valon burst out. This was not the first time that he had vented to Raphael about it. He was positively fed up with his parents and their insistence on getting him back. And Raphael was a good listener in times such as these. Valon sometimes wondered, however, who was a good listener when Raphael needed someone. The Australian somewhat doubted that his blonde friend ever bore his feelings. Instead he most likely kept his frustrations to himself, the way Alister usually did. "We all know that I don't mean anything to them!"

Raphael shook his head. "The only thing I can figure out," he said darkly, "is that they want to sell you again, for whatever reason." He now mentioned his mercenary theory, which Valon agreed sounded plausible. "We have a lot of enemies who'd probably like to get their hands on you," the blonde added now, his eyes narrowing.

Valon snorted. "Yeah, well . . . they're gonna havta try harder than they are," he muttered.

"Say that and it'll probably happen," Raphael growled pessimistically.

Alister wandered the streets of Domino City aimlessly for hours. Ironically, he mused to himself, he had done the very same thing on the day when he had acquired the deadly Orichalcos stones that had been the start of his personal struggle with his inner darkness. And now the person who had deliberately caused him his grief was dead. It was eerie to think about—how Hans had fallen because of his lust for vengeance and revenge. That had been Alister during his stint with Doom. Hatred had consumed him, driving him to wish to render heartache upon the Kaiba family. He hated himself when he recalled that time.

They were innocent people, he thought to himself belligerently. And actually . . . even Gozaburo was. It was Dartz who brought about my family's deaths. Though . . . Gozaburo still sold weapons to both sides in the war. He clenched a fist. So many lives were lost because of that war. . . . But I became like the very people I loathed. And that's happening to me again, now. . . .

The Orichalcos would not leave him be, and it had not since the day he had been contaminated with it once again. It was constantly there, influencing his thoughts, causing him to speak and act cruelly to his friends, and trying to force him to lose his grip on reason. He could barely stand it. And though he had not lost control of himself since the horrifying incident two weeks ago with Doom Reborn, he knew that the Orichalcos had been growing stronger even as he was trying to fight it off. Soon, he would falter again and he would not be able to control what happened next.

He stopped on a hill in the local park, letting the wind blow through his hair as he stared out at the city. The breeze whipped his trenchcoat around him, but he barely noticed.

At the loud clap of lightning he was startled out of his reverie, however, and he glanced up at the gray clouds covering the night sky. Obviously a storm was coming. He did not particularly want to be caught in another downpour, so he opted to head home. Rainstorms brought back too many unwanted memories, anyway—memories of bombs, blood, and death—though it had actually been a clear day when Miruko had been taken from him. Or had it been? The smoke from the explosions had made it hard to tell.

Before this happened to me . . . was I truly happy? he pondered as he pulled his coat closer around him as he fled down the deserted street. At times he wondered if he had ever had pure happiness since Miruko had perished. He loved his surrogate family that he had now, but since his eyes had been opened to the knowledge that loved ones could be so easily taken away, he always lived with a certain fear that he would lose them. But he did not want to believe that would happen. And as he continued to run from the rain that was beginning to pour down, he knew that he had experienced some moments of happiness recently. There was always an emptiness in his heart, but he had found that he could still be content in this life. As long as he had Raphael and Valon, he was happy.
He would not return home to a welcome scene. As it turned out, Howard and Martha were ready to make their next move. Sending out several hitmen, they hoped to get Valon and to leave his friends either too badly beaten to do anything to stop them or else to have them taken along as well. Their employer would pay well to have all of them, but the Paltridges were the most interested in Valon. However, it would be unwise to leave loose ends around, so the Paltridges decided that something needed to be done with the other two as well. Otherwise, they knew that Raphael and Alister would continue to bother them. Their reason for wanting Valon was secret even to the assassins. It was not their place to understand what they wanted, but only to make certain that they got hold of it. And once the bikers were subdued enough, then the Paltridges would make their appearance.

And so the men arrived at the bikers' home, breaking in through the back entrance and finding themselves in the kitchen. Liu was there to greet them, wondering what these strange people were doing entering the house, but they were not pleased to see her. Animals would only get in their way. The ringleader viciously lifted his foot to kick the innocent cat along when Raphael abruptly entered the room.

"Leave the cat alone," he growled, his blue eyes narrowed. Liu immediately went over to him, peeking out from behind his legs. She flicked an ear, deciding that she did not like these people. "What do you want?"

"We have our orders," answered the one in charge, who seemed to be even more muscular and strong than Raphael himself. "We're here to get an Australian kid." He gave a malicious smirk as he regarded the blonde man in front of him. "And probably to kill you, if you get in our way." Their orders were actually to bring all three in alive, but he did not see much point in telling that to Raphael. Besides, if they had too terrible a time getting Valon, he did intend to kill all obstacles, whether it was against his orders or not.

Raphael was decidedly not pleased by this admission. "You're not gonna get Valon without a good fight," he declared. As he surveyed the six strong men who had entered, he wondered where Alister was and if the redhead was safe. What if these people had done away with him before coming here? He clenched a fist. He had to believe that Alister was alive—and sane. "Who are you working for?"

"None of your business," came the cold reply as a thick fist flew out at Raphael. The blonde man retaliated by grabbing the fist and squeezing tightly, then shoving the person back into his cohorts, causing them all to tumble to the floor in a heap.

"Let me ask you again—who are you working for?" Raphael towered over them, his eyes flashing furiously. This was not going to be tolerated. They did not have a right to break into the house, threaten to abduct Valon and kill the others, and try to make good on their threat. Raphael would not stand for it.

The only response he got was one of the others punching him in the stomach before he had a chance to defend himself. Immediately he doubled over in pain, but when they all lunged at him, he managed to get out of the way just in time.

Valon, hearing the commotion, was about to head into the kitchen to help his friend when abruptly he felt himself being grabbed from behind. "Who's there?" he demanded, instantly going on the defensive and preparing to fight if need be. The feeling suddenly came over him that while Raphael was being distracted, a separate faction had been sent to get him—and he was outraged. "Come on, don't we get any peace here!"

"You're coming with us," was the grouchy reply he got.

"Oh I am, am I?" With that Valon jabbed his elbow into the man's stomach and kicked backwards at the same time. A growl of pain followed, and Valon dove away once the grip on his shoulder was loosened. Turning to face his would-be abductors, the brunette was not impressed to find another half dozen assassins in his path. Who are they? Are they from Doom Reborn . . . or my parents? . . . Or are they even from both? Maybe my parents are workin' for Doom Reborn. The thought actually did not surprise him. They would go anywhere if they thought they would get paid with some sort of reward. "What if I don't wanna go?"

"You don't have much of a choice." The one in the lead moved forward to grab the boy, but Valon dove between his legs and leaped into the air, kicking him in the back and then using him as a springboard to attack the next one in the face.

"Oh I'd say I've got a choice, mate," he said coldly, dropping back to the floor and glaring harshly at his opponents. "You're gonna find it's not that easy to get me. I have a mind not to go where I don't want to." He used his stature to his advantage, as he always had in the past, and dodged blows and kicks as he dealt them out himself.

Raphael was not doing badly either, as he made his way into the living room with his assailants following. All of them were showing the signs of being involved in a long, drawn-out fight, though Raphael himself did as well. He turned around abruptly, wrenching one's arm around and then throwing the hapless form over his shoulder to crash onto the floor. As another started to grab him from behind, Raphael grabbed the wrists and began an all-out wrestling match. He was growing worried. He and Valon would not be able to hold them off forever, and there was still Alister to worry about. But surely he was alright. . . .

Suddenly there was a yelp and Valon slammed right into Raphael from behind, sending them and Raphael's current opponent all to the floor at once. Raphael was about to ask if Valon was alright when a horrific pain began to course through his body. From the way Valon had tensed and was shuddering on Raphael's back, the man knew that they were both feeling it. When he managed to open his eyes, in spite of the crushing pain, he found that a green light was encircling them both. They were being attacked by the Orichalcos!

Valon gritted his teeth, wanting desperately to rise but not being able to force his body to cooperate. "Raph," he choked out, "it's my parents. . . . They're using the . . ." He trailed off, screaming as the pain intensified. He gripped at Raphael's shoulders without meaning to, trembling as he felt his heart racing faster. The pain was almost impossible to bear. Was this what had happened to Hans? Or was it what Alister felt when the Orichalcos was trying to gain control of him? If so, Valon did not blame him for crying out. He felt as though he was about to fall unconscious, and judging from the way Raphael's fists were clenched and from the way he was also quaking, the blonde man felt the same way.

"Why?" Raphael at last managed to get out. Valon's parents were doing this to the both of them? But that did not make sense to him. They wanted Valon alive. This was going to kill them if they kept it up! He wanted badly to get up and force them to cease, but he could see that it would be impossible. It almost felt as though the force was holding him down to the floor as well as shooting agonizing pain through his and Valon's bodies. He could not get up even if he tried.

"I dunno," Valon answered, his voice growing weaker.

This was the scene Alister came home to as he opened the door—Valon and Raphael laying on the floor and being tortured with the energies of the Orichalcos. A couple that he did not recognize was responsible. They were both holding out very large, green stones that were obvious chunks of the evil force that he himself had been unwillingly infused with. Their eyes glinted with malevolence, though their ultimate motive was not clear. Surrounding Valon and Raphael on three sides were the twelve assassins who had been enlisted to bring them down. Each one was also holding one of the stones, though their portions were considerably smaller than either of those possessed by the couple.

Alister took in the scene all at once, his gray eyes narrowing as they flashed with violence and rage—and crimson. What did they think they were doing? At the moment it did not matter to him whether these people wanted to kill Valon and Raphael or not (which they actually did not, of course). The only thing that mattered to him and that was registering in his mind was that they were being harmed. They were all that he had in this world and they were the ones he truly cared about with all of his heart and soul. And these intruders, whoever they might be, were inflicting harm upon them! How dare they. How dare they ever stoop so low. The redhead clenched his fists, shaking with rage as he stood in the doorway, dripping wet from the rain once again. He did not even consciously realize that he was speaking aloud at first.

"How dare you," he uttered in a voice that was dangerously calm, yet deadly. "How dare you! What did they do to you! What did they ever do to you?" He did not realize it, but a turquoise glow was beginning to envelope his being as he continued to stand where he was. The Seal of Orichalcos was beginning to appear on the floor beneath his feet.

Vaguely Valon registered Alister's voice through the pain and anguish and he struggled to look up, but he was suffering too greatly to even attempt making a response. As the pain went up another notch, he could not help but let out a scream. Raphael groaned, though he had been striving to not know how badly it was affecting him. It was impossible not to acknowledge it now.

"There's the other one," the woman remarked in a low tone, having glanced over at Alister when he had spoken. "After we take care of these two, we'll get him as well. He shouldn't be much of a challenge." She smirked, taking in Alister's slender frame. "Then Valon will come with us, as we planned. Doom Reborn gets the other two."

She was unaware of it, but her words were the breaking point for Alister. "You're his parents," he hissed in realization, not having met them when they had come by the house before. "You're the ones who beat him when he was a child! You're the monsters that sold him to a child slave ring!" He hated them with a passion, and had ever since he had finally learned the truth about their atrocities toward their son. Now he was meeting them in person. Now he had the chance to deal out justice to them for their wickedness in the past. And they were hurting Valon again now, and Raphael as well! "What right do you even have to exist? What right do you have to come back here now and expect to get your son back? What right do you have to be tormenting him and Raphael? WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE?" The redhead let out a scream, energy pulsating around him and abruptly spiraling outward as a violent ripple upon a river. His hatred had been unleashed, and the Orichalcos along with it.

As the powerful force tore through the room, it struck Valon's parents and all of the hitmen in turn. They screamed, becoming airborne as they slammed viciously into the wall, some crashing through windows or doors instead. Alister watched this coldly, his coat whipping around in the breeze as a sadistic sneer came over his features. "Die," he whispered in a tone more chilling than if he had screamed the word at the top of his lungs. "They should all die. I hate them all."

Valon and Raphael, released of the agony they had been suffering, were now both laying on the floor, gasping for breath and attempting to recover. Neither was quite aware at this point of what Alister had done, as they had been wracked with too much pain to have much knowledge about what had taken place. Now, as they were slowly trying to come back to themselves, they discovered the tall redhead's shadow falling across the doorway.

"Alister?" Valon choked out, trying to look up at him and at last succeeding. But he let out a gasp as he took in his friend's expression. This was as it had been when Alister had fought the Doom Reborn warriors in the past. He looked murderous, only now Valon realized that Alister was not directing this gaze to someone else. Now he was directing it to Valon and Raphael. The brunette's eyes widened in horror. "No," he breathed, unwilling to believe it was so. Alister would not have turned against them! He would not have! And yet . . . he knew that if Alister's sanity had finally snapped, he had, indeed, turned against them.

Registering Valon's alarm, Raphael struggled to look up as well. Instead he felt a sharp kick in his ribs. "Get up," came Alister's cold voice. "I saved your lives for a purpose." As Raphael tried to blink away the cobwebs from his mind, he saw Alister's wicked, cruel countenance and he felt an uncontrollable chill go down his spine. The Orichalcos symbol was glowing brightly on his forehead and his gray eyes no longer existed—the irises were pure red.

"What the heck!" Valon wailed, managing to regain a bit more of his strength as he saw the Seal. This isn't happening! "Alister! Look at yourself!" he cried, panic-stricken as he realized what must have happened. Alister saw us in pain . . . and rushed to save us . . . but he got taken over by his hatred. . . . The Orichalcos has him. . . . But it can't! It just can't! It's not supposed to be that way! He felt dizzy, but not from the energy that had been channeled into him. "You didn't want this, you idiot! You didn't want this! You have to snap out of it, Alister!" His voice rose with each sentence, but he could see that his words were not having an effect.

"Alister?" the redhead repeated vaguely. "I'm sorry, but Alister's not here anymore." He grinned in a despicable way, the Orichalcos symbol seeming to grow more prominent, if that were possible. "And he's not coming back."

Raphael could not bear this. Their Alister was lost to them. This was a stranger. This was a servant of the darkness. And Raphael had a very bad feeling that he knew what Alister's "purpose" was. He was going to kill them both himself.